"thy foul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood << by thee here praying unto the Lord. For this child "I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition "which I afked of him: therefore alfo I have lent "him to the Lord, as long as he liveth he fhall be "lent to the Lord." O, what were her feelings in this journey! what a contention between the mother and the faint! What a trial was here! an only child, a child long defired, and endeared by a thousand confiderations; to give HIM up; to refign him for EVER; to see him once a year, only to renew the pain of separation! what a superior delicacy, fervour, permanency, is there in the devotion of this female? How does the patriarch vanish, from a comparison with this pious woman? Here Jacob ftill lingers, and discovers no difpofition to perform his vows; and it becomes neceffary for God himself to addrefs him. "And God faid "unto Jacob, arife, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: ❝ and make there an altar unto God, that appeared "unto thee when thou fleddeft from the face of Efau "thy brother. Then Jacob faid unto his household, "and to all that were with him, put away the ftrange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: and let us arife, and go up to "Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, "who answered me in the day of my distress, and was "with me in the way which I went." From these words

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PART II. We may derive fome inftructive and ufeful obfervations. First, we may remark how foon the influence of impreffive scenes wears away, and how

prone we are to lose the fenfe of our mercies, and all the fine religious feelings they once produced. If a perfon had feen Jacob on the morning after his vifion, and when he was leaving the place made facred by his vow, and had faid to him, "God will accomplish thy "defire; he will guide thee and keep thee; provide " for thee, and bring thee back enriched and multiplied, "to fee thy native land; and you will think nothing "of all this; you will live year after year unmindful "of Bethel, and fuffer your vow to lie unperform"ed ;" the prophecy would have been incredible; he would have exclaimed, "can I ever thus trifle with "God, or become infenfible to fuch a benefactor ?" "What! is thy fervant a dog, that he fhould do this thing?" How were the Ifraelites affected when God appeared for them! " They fang his praife;" they refolved to distrust him no more; they said " All "that the Lord commandeth us will we do." "But

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66 they foon forgot his works, and the wonders which "He had fhewn them;" murmured again; rebelled again. Their mercies were written in the fand, and the first returning wave of trouble wafhed them out. Hence David lays an embargo upon his thoughts: "Bless the Lord, O my foul, and forget not all his "benefits." It would be well if we could identify and fecure our feelings in certain periods and conditions of life, that we may afterwards review them, compare ourselves with them, perceive our declenfions and deficiencies; and bring forward these former experiences, when we grow cold to warm us, and when we grow flothful to quicken us. A faithful recollection is of peculiar importance to the chriftian. Things can

imprefs the mind no longer than they are in it; and flips in the memory occafion failures in the life. But, alas! like a fieve, full while in the river, but when raised up, empty and dropping; and as water, which has a natural tendency to be cold, but requires a perpetual fire to keep it warm; fo treacherous are our memories in divine things; fo conftantly do we need means and helps; fo neceffary is it to have our "minds "ftirred up by way of remembrance."

Secondly, God will remind his people of forgotten duties. And he can never be at a lofs for means to admonish us. He addreffes us by his providence. The defign of affliction is to bring our fin to remembrance. Sometimes the cause of affliction is not fo obvious, and we fay with Job, "fhew me wherefore "thou contendeft with me." At other times there is a wonderful correfpondence between the crime and the calamity; the one is the confequence and the discove

ry of the other, and leads back the mind instantly to it. When God brings us into new difficulties, and we apply for relief, our former deliverances and indulgences are remembered; and our ingratitude, in not duly acknowledging and improving them, ftares us in the face, and destroys the liberty and life of prayer. Have you fuccoured a fellow creature, and is he thankful? Can you hear his praises for your petty favours, and not be reminded of your obligations to God for benefits infinitely fuperior? Or is he unthankful and unworthy? Here is a glafs held up as you pass along, in which you may catch a glance of your own image: "how much more unthankful and unworthy have I proved to my almighty Friend, whofe goodness and

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mercy have followed me all the days of my life!" He renews recollection by means of his word. The fcripture is not only "profitable for doctrine; but re"proof, correction, and instruction in righteousness." It not only affords a word in season for him that is weary, but for him that is careless and luke warm. By this the fecrets of the heart are made manifeft; and happy are those who are willing to apply this touchstone, to use this balance of the fanctuary, to take this candle of the Lord, and examine the chambers of imagery within, and who, when they have done all, will invite a feverer fcrutiny; "fearch me, O God, " and know my heart, try me, and know my thoughts; "and fee if there be any wicked way in me, and lead "me in the way everlasting." Minifters are God's remembrancers. Their business is not to bring ftrange things to your ears, to entertain you with novelties, or to encourage in you a fondness for those speculations which bear flightly on the heart and life; but they are to recall your attention to things, which though the moft fimple are the most important, and at the fame time the most neglected; to remind you of things already known; to impress you with things already believed; to place your practice oppofite your faith, and your lives by the fide of your profeffion. "I will "therefore put you in remembrance of these things, "though ye once knew them :" here is our example. "If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these "things, thou shalt be a good minifter of Jefus Chrift." This is our commendation. God has alfo an internal witnefs and monitor. It is confcience and if in its ; natural state it has power to accufe the tranfgreffor,

how much more influence will it poffefs when renewed and fanctified?

Thirdly, Gracious characters are alive to divine intimations. Herein we perceive a difference between them and others. They are encompaffed with infirmity; they may err; they may fall; but there is in them a principle which fecures their rifing again; they are open to conviction, they welcome reproof; they melt, retra&t, reform, and are watchful and prayerful to prevent fimilar mifcarriages in future. A man afleep only, is very distinguishable from a perfon dead; the difference will appear as foon as you endeavour to wake them. The one is unfufceptible; the other stirs, inquires, fprings up. A living bough may bend down to the earth under a preffure; but remove the load, and it is upright again, and points heavenward. Elihu finely defcribes the feelings of a pious mind under divine correction; "furely it is "meet to be faid unto God, I have borne chastisement, "I will not offend any more. That which I know "not, teach thou me; if I have done iniquity, I will "do no more." When our Lord looked only upon Peter, "he went out and wept bitterly." Jacob does not argue the matter with God, does not vindicate himself, does not extenuate his fault. The Lord employs no fevere language, nor is it neceffary; a foft word fubdues him; "it is too plain to be denied, and cc too bad to be excused: I have finned; what fhall "be done unto thee, O thou preferver of men. I will " acknowledge my tranfgreffion, I will be forry for my fin; I will forfake it; duty, neglected alas! "fo long, fhall be no longer neglected; thy voice I

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