SHALL be my people, and I wILL be their God." they shall, because I will. My will shall make them willing. And in the day of my power, when my purpose takes place, I will give them one heart, turned to myself, and one way to walk with me by faith, as obedient children with their loving Father. This I will do for them that they may fear me FOR EVER, that the fear of offending me may rule always and by all means in their hearts.

O what promises are these! What can weak faith require further to silence its doubts? How great is the goodness of God to his children, who, knowing their frame, and whereof they are made, for the good of them and of their children after them, has laid such a foundation for their faith, that they may build on it and not be afraid; yea, standing on it, that they may fight the good fight of faith, assured of victory.

I will make, says their God, an everlasting covenant for them; a covenant ordered in all things, and sure, by the counsel and oath of the blessed Trinity, the two immutable

things in which it is impossible God should lie: the mountains shall depart and the hills shall be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from them, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on them. My covenant was made for them, and shall be made. good to them. As I live, saith the Lord, I will not turn away from them to do them good. I will never change my purpose, nor alter the word that is gone out of my mouth. I mean nothing but good to them. My heart is fixed upon it. And I will not leave the event to them. They shall not have the management of my purposes, nor have any power to defeat them. My will to do them good shall not depend on their will, or on their faithfulness, or on any thing in themselves. I have taken all their concerns into mine own hands, and I will conduct them all to the praise of the glory of mine own grace. I will put my fear into their hearts, that they shall not depart from me--they SHALL not depart from me. They are not the cause of their not departing, but I am. I have taken

it upon myself. I will give them grace to walk close with me, and to fear me always. I have covenanted for all, the means as well as the end, and I will keep them by my almighty power, till they receive the end of their faith, even the salvation of their souls. "Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good." This confirms all the rest. His purpose of doing them good, his executing it, his continuing it, his increasing it through time and through eternity, is a matter of rejoicing to the Lord God. He delights in it. It always was, and always will be, the joy of his heart, his crown and glory. He will not, he cannot be deprived of his joy. Consider this, thou poor distressed soul, who art in heaviness through manifold temptations, and ready to faint through the weakness of thy faith. Take courage. Thy salvation is safe. Thy Father, who is in heaven, rejoices in it he will save: he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing. And his joy too shall be thine. As sure as God is in Zion, thou shalt return and come to Zion

with songs, and everlasting joy upon thy head: thou shalt obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away for

ever.

O what a discovery is here, of the everloving heart of our heavenly Father! What more could he promise in order to put an end to all strife in the consciences of his afflicted children! He has engaged in a covenant of peace to do good, nothing but good, to them. He has undertaken the whole of the covenant-what was to be done in them, as well as for them-to work out, to apply and to secure their salvation. It is his unchangeable purpose, not to depart from them, and not to suffer them to depart from him, but he will rejoice in doing them good, and that for ever. The scripture, when understood and applied by the Holy Spirit, is received as full evidence of the unchangeable love of God to his children, and then it quiets their troubled mind. They can believe God to be their God still, in an unchangeable covenant, and they become satisfied that he has made them, and will snl épest, mi on 115701 pát

keep them his people for ever. When they can thus mix faith with the promise, it then becomes the means of their resting on the faithful arm of God in the hour of temptation, and of their finding him still a God of peace: whereby peace is established in their consciences, and multiplied in their hearts. They learn to put more trust in him, as their perfectly reconciled Father, and to approach him with more holy filial confidence. The trial of their faith, sharp as it was, yet has done them great good. It has proved their peace, and has confirmed it. They now know well that it is the peace of God; and they have been taught how to maintain it. War makes good soldiers. The trials of their grace are for the improvement of grace. Their peace has been therefore shaken, like a new planted tree, that it may take deeper and faster root. Being thus strengthened in the faith, and having the peace of God ruling in their hearts, they can meditate upon this scripture, and turn it into a subject of prayer and praise:

O gracious God and Father, pardon my thoughts of thy love to me in Jesus, I was