not one." Neither does the Most High set his love upon any because they are worthy of it, but because of his own fovereign good pleasure. 66 He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and compaffion on whom he will have compaffion." Nothing out of his own infinite mind is to be con- fidered as a motive inducing him to it.

Those who have been diftinguished with peculiar marks of favour from above, have had the deepest sense of their own unworthiness. Abraham, the father of the faithful, and the friend of God, counted himself but duft" and ashes. Jacob, who as a prince had power with God, who wrestled with the angel of the covenant, and prevailed, and who was favoured with the vifions of the Almighty, even he, in deep humility of fpirit, fays, "I am not worthy of the leaft of all the mercies, and of all the truth which thou haft fhewed unto thy fervant." The Pfalmift, who was guided with the counsel, and held by the right hand of the Moit High, owns himself as a beaft before him. Paul, who was caught up to paradife, who had abundance of revelations from the divine Redeemer, and the most intimate and astonishing manifeftations of his favour, yet owns himself less than the least of all faints, and the very chief of finners. you look into the records of paft generations,

If

you will find that the tokens of God's favour have defcended most plentifully on those who have walked in the low vallies of humiliation; and that those have been moft honoured of their Maker, who have had the meanest opinion of themselves. The pious Roman centurion faid to the Redeemer, in whom the Gentiles truft, Lord, I am not worthy that thou fhouldft come under my roof; but fpeak the word only, and my fervant fhall be healed." When Jefus heard it, he marvelled, and faid to them that followed, "Verily I fay unto you, I have not found fo great faith, no not in Israel!" When Mary the finner wept at the feet of the Saviour, wafhing them with her tears, and wiping them with the hair of her head, he declared, in the prefence of the haughty and difdainful pharisee, that her fins, which were many, were forgiven her. "For whofoever exalteth himself fhall be abafed; and he that humbleth himself fhall be exalted."

Perhaps the perfon I am now addreffing may fay, But I am a vile, polluted, finful wretch; how can a God of spotlefs purity have any favour for fuch an one as I am?'

It is true, the righteous Lord loveth righteoufness, and hateth iniquity; yea, he is of purer eyes than to look on evil. But we must diftinguish be

tween

tween the person of a poor unworthy finner, and the defilement cleaving to him, which the finner himself abhors, and from which he defires and feeks deliverance. If none were loved of God but fuch as are free from the ftains of impurity, there could be no objects of his favour among the children of men. The love of God to finners is in Chrift Jefus our Lord; and he can distinguish between their persons and that whereby they are defiled. The fpoufe of Christ, though black in herself, is comely in the eyes of infinite purity, as viewed in her relation to the Lord her righteoufnefs. The child of an earthly parent is dear to his father, though he has fallen into the mire. The child's tears on the occafion move the compaffion of the father's heart, and he haftens to relieve him in his diftrefs. When Ephraim was turned and repented; when he was inftructed, and fmote upon his thigh; when he was ashamed and confounded, because he did bear the reproach of his youth, was there no favour towards this penitent in the heart of him who is juftly called "the Father of mercies?" Hear what he fays; "Is Ephraim my dear fon? Is he a pleafant child? For fince I fpake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him: I will furely have mercy on him, faith the Lord.”

Though God is unchangeable in his nature, and not fubject to human paffions, yet, in condefcenfion to our infirmities, he is pleased to speak to us after the manner of men. He affures us, that his children, with all their imperfections, are dear to him. They are lovely and comely in his fight, through the comeliness of Chrift which is put upon them. Their humiliations move him; their speech is pleasant to him; their prayers and cries are his delight; juft as parents take pleasure in their children, who are images of themselves, particularly when they begin to talk, to lisp out their fathers' names, and, in broken language, to exprefs their wants and their defires. The little actions of children, though full of fimplicity and weakness, are pleafing to their parents; fo are the imperfect motions of gracious affections to our heavenly Father. His bowels are troubled for them, and yearn towards them, when they are pouring out the tears of penitence before him, and mourning over their own follies. Job was regarded with peculiar approbation and favour, at the very time when he cried out, "Behold, I am vile;" when he abhorred himself in the fight of his Maker, and repented in duft and afhes before him. The Lord faid to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against thee, and against

thy

P.》: ྂར་ར»

thy two friends;-my fervant Job fhall pray for you, for him will I accept."

Shame, confufion of face, and felf-loathing are both fruits and evidences of God's favour. "That thou mayest remember and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou haft done, faith the Lord God. I will accept you with your sweet favour, when I bring you out from the people; and ye shall remember your ways and all your doings wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own fight." May not the defponding reader take encouragement from fuch paffages as these? Is it not evident that God's kindness is then moft peculiarly excited towards a poor finner, when he is most out of love with himfelf, and most vile in his own eyes? Have not the beft of men in God's account, often thought themfelves the worft? This to fome may feem very myfterious. It is a paradox which divine revela tion alone can explain.

But perhaps fome one may be ready to afk farther, How can I be interefted in the divine favour who have not the comfort of it, but have been, for a long time, beclouded with darkness, and overwhelmed with trouble and forrow? Even to-day is my complaint bitter; my ftroke is heavier

than