love and ferve all his friends; and, in a word, live to his glory. Let our repeated and painful experience of the vanity, uncertainty and infufficiency of the creature, lead us more and more to the fulness and allfufficiency of the Creator. We have need of great caution, left our earthly friends fhould draw away our hearts from God, or engrofs that place in them which should be kept facred for him. Let it be our habitual care to "keep ourfelves in the love of God;" and then all things, not excepting the removal of our dearest friends, fhall work together for our good. Then we fhall have just reafon to believe, that when they are put far from us our Heavenly Friend will manifeft himself to us by fome fpecial, delightful tokens of his presence and love; as the Lord appeared to Abraham, and gave him some very gracious promises, after that Lot was feparated from him. Thus may we rejoice, when we are left alone, desolate and afflicted, as in fuch circumftances our Lord did: "Behold ye shall be fcattered, every man to his own home, and shall leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me." In short, all earthly enjoyments

enjoyments are very precarious; and you may fee reafon to fay, with a celebrated ftatefman, "All things elfe forfake me, befides my God, my duty and my prayer.'

May the Fountain of Mercies, and the God of all Comfort, pour the balm of divine and everlafting confolation into bleeding, mourning hearts, and enable his aged faints in particular, who are left deftitute, not only to be patient in tribulation, but to rejoice evermore, and in every thing to give thanks and they have the highest reason to do fo; for He, who is faithful, unchangeable, and keepeth covenant forever, hath faid, "I will never, never leave thee; I will never, never, never forfake thee." Amen.

DISCOURSE

But go thou thy way, till the end be: for thou fhalt reft, and fand in thy lot at the end of the days,

T was faid of Daniel, by an angel of the Lord, that he was a man greatly beloved: and one evident and remarkable proof of it was, the affurance given him in the text of the happiness which God had in reserve for him. Many extraordinary difcoveries had been made to him of the principal events that were to happen to the church. and world, to the end of time. In the beginning of this chapter he is informed of what is to fucceed the end of the world:

even the refurrection of the dead, the final judgment, and the everlasting states of the righteous and wicked. Some hints were given him as to the times when these events should happen. The Prophet did not understand them, and therefore defired to be more particularly informed concerning them. But he is told by the perfon that appeared to him, who feems to have been our Lord Jefus Chrift, that they would not. be fully understood till the accomplishment explained them. And he is cut short with this affurance, which was abundantly fufficient and fatisfactory-that whatever was the state of the church and the world, his own ftate fhould be happy. He must therefore attend to his duty, wait God's time, and comfort himself with these pleasing profpects.As Daniel was now about ninety years of age, the text will furnish out fome advices and confolations fuited to the circumftances of my aged and honoured. friends, whom I am this day to addrefs. And I fhall,

I. Confider the charge given to Danieland,

II. The encouragement fet before him.

I. I am to confider the charge given to. Daniel.

from life.

Go thy way, till the end be. Most commentators understand this as a difmiffion Now thou haft leave to depart out of the world.' But upon this interpretation it is not easy to fee the meaning of that expreffion, till the end be. And therefore I prefer the interpretation of Grotius, and others, who confider it as a charge to him, to attend to his proper bufinefs, to the duties of his station and age, till the end of his life; for the original word hath that fignification in many places; particularly, where David faith, "Lord, make me to know my end, that I may know how frail I am."-It may perhaps be intended alfo as a discharge from his public office as a prophet:: "Go thy way; thou shalt receive no more: fuch vifions and revelations of the Lord, as thou hast been favoured with.'-He had perhaps been too inquifitive about the time when those events fhould take place which had been revealed to him; therefore the Lord faid unto him, "Go thy way, Da