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own fouls, and would be happy in time, and through eternity, earnestly to feek to be united to him, by a fincere and lively faith, that fo you may partake of that forgiveness, that fpiritual life, and ftrength, and confolation, which he is ready to impart to you. "Behold," fays he, " I stand at the door, and knock; "if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I "will come into him, and will sup with him, and he " with me."

4. Let me intreat you, who are fincere believers in Chrift, to apply to him daily for the fupply of all' your wants. And furely, the experience you have of your own weakness, and a regard to your intereft, fhould engage you to this application; for you have no ftrength of your own; nay, the Spirit of truth tells you, that you are not fufficient, of yourfelves, to think fo much as a good thought, far lefs to perform the many duties that are incumbent upon you. To whom should you apply for affiftance? Not furely to those who are weak and helpless, and require assistance as much as yourselves. Neceffity, then, and a concern for your own best and everlafting intereft, fhould oblige you to have conftant recourfe to the fulness that is in Chrift. And have you not the greatest encouragement to do fo? It hath pleafed the Father, that in him all fulness should dwell; and for this ve ry end, that you may receive, and grace for grace. Why, then, complain of darkness and fpiritual decay? Here you have a never-failing fupply of all-fufficient grace provided for you; and you are kindly invited to come, that you may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in every time of need. Let the life you live in the flesh be by faith on the Son of God.

And, finally, walk worthy of the high privileges which you enjoy; for divine communications demand the most grateful returns. Be diligent in your attendance on gospel ordinances; in reading and hearing the word of God; in ferious meditation, fecret prayer, and a devout participation of the Lord's Supper, as often as you have an opportunity; for these

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are the inftituted means of your communion with Chrift, and they are alfo expreffions of thankfulness, Walk in fubjection to the law of Chrift. Shew that you love him, and are obedient to him; that you live under the government and dominion of his grace, and are devoted to his will. Beware of every thing that might justly provoke him to withhold the communications of his love; and make it evident to all around you, that his grace bestowed upon you, is not without its natural and proper fruits.

Walk, in a word, as witneffes for the Lord Jefus. Give teftimony of him before the world; and O be concerned to give a juft and proper teftimony. You have declared this day before God, angels, and men, that you glory only in him as your exalted Lord and Head. Walk, then, agreeably to that profeffion; proceed in his ways, humbly depending on his affiftance and direction, and indulging the hopes that he will enable you to perfevere in your duty, and at laft prefent you faultlefs before the prefence of his glory, with exceeding joy.

And now, unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to do exceeding abundantly above all that you can afk or think; to the only wife God our Saviour, be glory and majefty, dominion and power, both now and ever.

Amen.

SER

SERMON VIII.

RESIGNATION TO GOD UNDER THE AFFLIC FIVE DISPENSATIONS OF HIS PROVIDENCE

INCULCATED.

PART I.

Pfalm cxix. 75.-I know, O Lord, that thy judgements are right, and that in faithfulness thou haft afflicted

me.

MAN

AN is born to trouble, as the fparks fly upwards. None of us can foretell the trials that may await us in this houfe of our pilgrimage; and therefore, it is both our duty and our intereft, to lay our account with them, and to prepare for them, that, when they come, we may bear them with that meeknefs and refignation, which_David_expreffes in the words that I have now read:-" I know, "O Lord, that thy judgements are right, and that "in faithfulness thou haft afflicted me.'

This amiable temper I fhall, Firft, Endeavour to explain. Secondly, Reprefent to you the deformity and finfulness of its oppofite. Thirdly, Lay before you the grounds and reafons of meeknefs under affliction, and of refignation to the will of God. Fourthly, Specify fome of those particular fituations which call forth the exertion of this amiable fpirit. And,

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Laftly,

Laftly, Direct your minds to a practical improvement of this fubject.

I. I begin, then, by briefly describing this amiable temper. And,

1. The leaft degree of it, is that which David exemplifies, when he fays, "I was dumb, and opened

not my mouth, because thou didst it (a)." The chaftifements of God muft, at least, be received in humble filence. We have no right to murmur or complain. It is meet that we lay our hand upon our mouth, and our mouth in the duft, if we cannot open it to the glory of God; as Aaron did, of whom it is faid, when his two fons were flain by fire from heaven, that he held his peace. This I call the leaft degree of refignation; because,

2. The heart, as well as the mouth, must be filent before God. It is of little importance to guard our lips, if we fecretly entertain difcontent in our minds. Our inward tempers must be refigned and compofed, no less than our outward behaviour. Our very hearts muft confent to whatever is done by the great Father of our fpirits; and no objection must be liftened to against the_wisdom or righteousness of any of his dealings. But further,

3. We must confent to the divine procedure, and acquiefce in it as good, because it is the will of God. Of this acquiefcence, we have an inftance in Hezekiah, who, when the prophet intimated to him the awful fentence that was gone forth against his family, replied, "Good is the word of the Lord which thou

haft fpoken (b):" not only juít, but good. Our fubmiffion muft not be like that of a flave to an arbitrary master, but like that of a child to a wife and good parent. For God is not glorified, till the will acquiefce in the difpenfation, and receive it as a medicine for curing the inward diftempers of the foul. Such was the temper of David, when he thus expresses himself, "I know, O Lord, that thy judge

(a) Pf. xxxiii.

(4) If. xxxix. 8.

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"ments are right, and that in faithfulness thou haft "afflicted me.' To fuffer quietly, becaufe we cannot help it, is the refignation of a Heathen, but not of a Chriftian. Refignation is founded on two things; a conviction, that God is just when he afflicts us,. and a perfuafion, that the affliction which he fends,, is intended for our benefit. Hence it follows,

4. That our fubmiffion will be accompanied with love to God, and a difpofition to praise him amidst all our trials. We are commanded to love our enemies, even at the time when they are intending our hurt; and feeing they are only our fellow-creatures, and, as fuch, we can have little or no dependance upon them, how much more are we bound to love God, who only appears to be our enemy, and corrects us, not for his own pleasure, but for our profit, that fo we may partake of his resemblance. It was a noble refolution of David's, "I will blefs the Lord at all "times: his praife fhall continually be in my mouth (c)." And we have a beautiful example of the fame difpofition in Job; "Naked," fays he, " came I out of

my mother's womb, and naked will I return: The "Lord gave, and the Lord taketh away; bleffed be "the name of the Lord.”*

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5. Upon this head, I fhall only add, that this muft be our general temper at all times, and in all conditions. Our obedience must be univerfal no lefs in fuffering, than in action. As it is not lawful to ob ject to any duty, fo, neither is it to remonftrate against any affliction. In both cafes, the will of God must be cheerfully fubmitted to, without exception, and without limitation. They who pretend to choose: their own rod, do not fubmit to God, but to them-felves. It is not a cup of our own preparing, but: that which our Father gives us, that we are command-: ed to drink, But we must not only be content to endure our prefent trials, but refer ourfelves entirely unto God for the future; being ready, as Paul fays. of himself, not only to be bound, but to die for the K3

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(6) Ff. xxxiv. 12.

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