than my groaning. Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him; on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot fee him. Oh that I knew where I might find him!"

my

You ought, my dear friend, to keep in mind the neceffary diftinction we have before made, between the favour of God, as it is in itself, and that fen'fible enjoyment of it which you now seem to want. We fometimes find the man after God's own heart expreffing himself in fuch language as this, "How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? For ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having forrow in heart daily? Confider and hear me, O Lord my God; lighten mine eyes, left I fleep the fleep of death." Salvation may be experienced in its reality where the joy of it is wanting. And hence the fame person thus prays, " Reftore unto me the joy of thy falvation, that the bones which thou haft broken may rejoice." An earthly father may fometimes frown upon the child whom he dearly loves. Jofeph's affection for his brethren was fincere, at the very time that he spake fo roughly to them. The God of love and grace doth fometimes, for wife ends, fufpend the manifeftations of

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his favour from the heirs of falvation. phyfician prescribes to his patients, in fome cafes, fuch medicines as occafion pain and sickness, in order to remove those humours which might endanger the conftitution. His intention is not to kill, but to cure. The circumftances of God's children are often fuch as call for fatherly chaftifements. He therefore fufpends his fmiles, or withdraws the comfortable sense of his love and favour, leaving them, for a time, in darkness and disquietude. When David thought his mountain stood fo ftrong, that, in a fort of blameable security, he concluded he fhould never be moved, he had presently reason to complain, " Thou hideft thy face, and I am troubled." Of ancient Ifrael the Lord faid, "For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth and fmote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his own heart."

The Almighty may deal thus with the objects of his love, to rouse them from a state of fecurity; to fubdue pride, and make them humble; to wean them from the world, and excite in them more earnest longings after their heavenly reft; to teach them to put a higher value on his favour, and to quicken their diligence in feeking him; and, in a word, he deals thus with them, that they may learn

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learn to fympathize with others who may be tried in the fame way..

Give not up, therefore, all hope of interest in the divine favour, on account of your prefent difconfolate state. If you walk in darkness, and have no light, ftill truft in the name of the Lord, and ftay yourself upon his powerful arm, and unchanging love. Remember, you are yet exposed on the tempeftuous fea of life, and have not reached the port of uninterrupted reft. Your fun may be under a cloud, and not fhine upon you, but he is ftill in the heavens. Careless finners have no folicitude about God's favour; it is fincere love alone that is attended with jealoufy. Fits of ficknefs are incident to thofe who are alive, not to the dead. They who are dead in trefpaffes and fins never mourn under a fenfe of God's abfence. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, O you that hope in the Lord.

But perhaps fome difquieted foul may fay, How can I conclude that God looks upon me with an eye of favour, when I cannot bring my heart to love him, and delight in him, as his word requires me to do? Does not his love to finners kindle in their hearts a return of affection to him? Do not I hear the heirs of falvation faying, "We love him.be. cause he first loved us?"

To

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To this I would answer.;-spiritual life may be hid, even from the chriftian's own, view, as well as from that of others. Defertions, temptations, and the prevailing corruptions of the heart may, for a time, fo becloud the mind, that the evidences of grace cannot be clearly difcerned. As the love of God to us may be concealed under a cloud of darkness, the fame may be faid with respect to our love to him. The principle may exist when the operation of it is not very apparent. You are afraid you do not love him whom you know to be worthy of your moft ardent affection. But perhaps your judgment of yourself is not according to truth. Can you find no fpark of love amidst the ashes which furround it? Examine yourself carefully. Though you cannot, with full confidence fay, "Lord, thou knoweft all things, thou knoweft that I love thee;" perhaps you can appeal to the Searcher of hearts, that you defire to love him. And can you suppose this to be the case with those who are entirely destitute of spiritual life? If unregenerate finners fincerely defire to love God, and are difquieted, grieved, and diftreffed that they cannot love him as they ought, we will no longer affirm, that their minds are carnal, and enmity against their Maker and Sovereign. Instead therefore of concluding, that you are entirely des

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titute of the gracious principle of which we are speaking, earnestly and conftantly pray, that the holy flame of divine love may be so enkindled in your bofom, as to put the matter out of doubt refpecting its existence there. Let it be your daily request at the throne of grace, that the love of God may be fhed abroad in your heart, by the Holy Ghost given unto you.

But there is scarcely any end of the jealoufies and fears of those who are weak in the faith. Methinks I hear one saying, You have not yet touched my fore; I am grievously afflicted in my own person, in my family, and in my circumstances; the hand of the Almighty is heavy upon me; if I am interested in his favour, why am I thus?' I would answer, in the words of the apostle, "Ye have forgotten the exhortation that speaketh unto you as unto children, My fon, despise not the chaftening of the Lord, neither faint when thou art rebuked of him; for whom the Lord loveth he chafteneth, and scourgeth every fon whom he receiveth." If fatherly chaftifements are tokens of love, then great and heavy chastisements are tokens of great love. Health and profperity are liberally granted to many who abuse them to the ruin of their fouls; they may, on the other hand, be denied to you in great mercy. The father knows