》ཡ�ཏྲརu¢་

as cryftal. The full enjoyment of it gives light and no darkness, health and no fickness, life and no death, bleffing and no curfe, fulness of joy, and no forrow. Even in this lower world, fo far as the light of God's countenance fhines upon the fouls of his children, and is not intercepted with the fogs and mifts of ignorance, fears and guilt, there is no defect in it. In worldly enjoyments there are mixtures of vexation of spirit, and therefore they are but vanity. But the favour of God is, as confidered in itself, an unmixed and perfect good.

The favour of God is likewife very powerful.. It can at once cure the foul of all its complaints. It can scatter the clouds of darkness, remove all doubts and fears, and drive away fad and melancholy thoughts in a moment. "In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my foul." No comforts have fuch efficacy as God's comforts. Carnal mirth is like the crackling of thorns under a pot. In the midst of laughter the heart is forrowful, and the end of that mirth is heavinefs. But the beamings of God's favour can raise the foul from the lowest state of dejection and difconfolation. His favour can turn our darkness into day, our distraction into perfect peace, our ftorm into a calm, our mourning into joy, and our

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�》ར་ར་

very hell into heaven. "Behold, for peace I had great bitterness; but thou haft, in love to my foul, delivered it from the pit of corruption; for thou haft caft all my fins behind thy back. Thou haft turned for me my mourning into joy, thou haft put off my fackcloth, and girded me with gladness.”

The favour of God is a fure and certain good. This cannot be faid of any earthly enjoyment. They are all uncertain to the poffeffor. A proud felf-fufficient man once made his boast, that there were three things which he could not lofe, his learn ing, his riches, and the king's favour. But he proved to be deceived in this his vain confidence. He loft all the three idols of his heart. His prince's favour was capricioufly withdrawn, his wealth was. taken from him, and to complete the measure of his calamity, he loft his reason, and confequently his learning. But the favour of God is conftant, per manent, and everlafting. The grace it beftows is, at length, perfected in glory. The path of the juft is like a fhining light, which fhines more and more unto the perfect day.

Reader, the hints which I have here given you are but short, but I hope you will think them worthy of your ferious attention. Review them, weigh them well, and may almighty grace determine your heart to look for all your felicity from that merciful and gracious Being whofe favour is life!

་

When fancy spreads her boldeft wings,
And wanders unconfin'd,

Amid th' unbounded scene of things.
Which entertain the mind:

In vain I trace creation o'er,
In fearch of facred reft;
The whole creation is too poor,
Too mean, to make me bleft.

In vain would this low world employ
Each flattering fpecious wile;

There's nought can yield substantial joy
Creator's fmile.

But my

Let earth and all her charms depart,
Unworthy of the mind;

In God alone this reftlefs heart.
An equal good can find.

Great Spring of all felicity,

To whom my wishes tend,

Do not these wishes rife from thee,

And in thy favour end?

Thy favour, Lord, is all I want,
Here would my spirit reft;

O feal the rich, the boundless grant,

And make me fully bleft!

CHAP..

ད་��ར་རན

CHAP. VIII.

The Subject farther improved, by Way of Conviction.

IF the favour of God be the life of his children,

they must be in an unhappy condition who have no reafon to believe themselves in a ftate of acceptance with him. To live and die under the dif pleasure of the Most High, is miferable indeed. It had been better for fuch, as our Lord faid concerning Judas, if they had never been born. O finners, how can you live, how dare you die in such a state? If the great Judge of the world difown you at last, who do you think will take pity on you? By what strange expedient do you fortify your minds against the terrors of that awful day? Can you eat, drink, fleep, and pursue your diverfions, while you are yet in a state of enmity with God?

Perhaps you mind not these things, but put off all thought of the affairs of your fouls, and of what will become of you hereafter. This is astonishing indeed, fince you are not affured of one hour's longer continuance in this world. But what will you do in the day of vifitation, when the king of terrors makes his approach? Can you hope for an exemption from the awful stroke of his killing hand? Or

can

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can you expect a reprieve when he is commiffioned to make you his prey? You furely cannot fuppofe that you shall die like a brute, and know neither happiness nor mifery when life is gone. You cannot be fo foolish as to imagine, that if there be a ftate of future happiness, you can enter into it without reconciliation with God. You cannot think of poffeffing it in a way directly contrary to his word and will. Life is in God's favour. I may fay to him who is the enemy of the Almighty, as it was faid to Abimelech, "Thou art but a dead

If you are in this state you have no spiritual life, but are dead in trefpaffes and fins. Though you have a name to live, you are still dead. A dead carcase may be dreffed and adorned in a fplendid manner, but its ornaments will not give it life. He who is not in a state of friendship with God, whatever gifts or talents he may poffefs, or whatever duties he may perform, is ftill in a state of death.

He is likewife under the fentence of condemnation. The law paffes this fentence upon him; the word of God declares him to be condemned already. By fin he has forfeited all right even to the comforts of this life, though it pleases the Father of mercies to bestow them upon him, yet he is but in the ftate of the condemned. There is no

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