........ fad ftrangeness between God and my foul. Alas! what fhall I do to recover what I have loft? "I muft juftify God, and condemn myself, even though he should banish me from his blessed prefence for ever. But is there no ground of hope, that he will be gracious unto me? Will he not return to the foul that feeketh him? O what a blessed feason would it be, might I again taste those heavenly confolations which I once enjoyed! O that it were with me as in months paft, in the days when God preserved me; when his candle fhone upon my head, and when, by his light, I walked through darkness! "Lord, I entreat thy favour with my whole heart; be merciful unto me, according to thy word. Hide not thy face from me, but reftore unto me the joys of thy falvation. Grant me thofe heavenly fmiles which chear the hearts of thy dear children; deal graciously with me, as thou ufeft to deal with thofe that love thy name. O let me regain the sense of thy life-giving favour, for the fake of him who once cried, in agonies on the cross, My God, my God, why haft thou forsaken me? If I am interested in the benefits of his redemption, if I am a child of thine, suffer me not to pine away in difconfolation, for want of the tokens of a Father's love. Receive a returning prodigal to thy em bracing bracing arms, and say unto my soul, I am thy falvation." Reader, if your cafe bears any resemblance to to that which I have been describing, let me entreat you to ponder in your heart the following gracious declarations. "I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the fpirit before me would be overwhelmed, and the living fouls which I have made. Because of his iniquity, for a fhort time I was wroth; and I fmote him, hiding my face in mine anger. And he departed, turning back in the way of his heart. I have seen his ways; and I will heal him; I will be his Guide: and I will restore comforts to him, and to his mourners.* For a small moment have I forfaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee, for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, faith the Lord thy Redeemer. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness fhall not depart from thee, neither fhall the covenant of my peace be removed, faith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee." To add no more, as to this point, the returning backflider ftands in need of God's favour to secure him from future relapses. "Alas!" fays he, "I have * Dr. Lowth's tranflation of Ifai. lvii. 16, 17, 18, 19. ........ have within me a heart bent to backflide, and prone to wander from God. And though I be now reftored in great mercy, I fhall certainly go aftray again, unless I am upheld and preserved by the favour of the Keeper of Ifrael. After God has spoken peace, I am still in danger of turning again to folly. Thou, O Lord, fayeft unto me, Go and fin no more; but, alas! thou knoweft my weakness and inconftancy. Hold thou me up, and I fhall be safe, and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. Let thy favour furround me like a fhield; cause thy face to fhine, and I shall be faved. So will I not go back from thee; quicken me, and I will call upon thy name. Lord, put underneath me thine everlasting arm, and let thy right hand uphold me.. "I have many enemies without, and many within, and having had fuch mournful proofs of my own unspeakable weakness, and of the deceitfulness and treachery of my heart, I am jealous over "O to grace how great a debtor my myself. O God, do thou establish, ftrengthen, and fettle me; for my foul depends on thee alone. If thou art my defence, I shall not be greatly moved." The promises of the divine word contain ample encouragement in this respect. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; though he fall, he shall not be utterly caft down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. Surely, he fhall not be moved for ever. Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not difmayed, for I am thy God; I will ftrengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness," 3. Having confidered the cafe of a finner at his first conversion, and that of the returning backflider, I would now juft briefly obferve, that the child of God, under heavy and prefling affliction, ftands in need of the divine favour, and values it as life. The afflictions of the righteous are fo many, and fo various, that my reader will not expect me to enumerate them all; but let them be of what kind, or in what form foever they may, there is great need of that fupport under them which God alone can give. Suppose the christian to be exercifed with poverty and outward ftraits, which indeed is no uncommon cafe, a fense of the divine fa ............... favour will greatly fortify his mind under the trials incident to fuch a ftate. It was once the faying of a gracious woman, " I have many times been richly fed by a fuitable promife from God, when I have not had a morfel of meat in the houfe." Perhaps none have greater opportunities of knowing what it is to live by faith, than the godly poor, who have no flock in hand on which to depend. They may then peculiarly encourage themfelves in the patronage of him who is the Lord of the universe, and fay with the Pfalmift," I know that the Lord will maintain the caufe of the afflicted, and the right of the poor." It is comfortable and relieving in fuch a cafe to recollect, that he hath faid, "Rob not the poor, because he is *because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate. For the Lord will plead their *The pious Author might speak feelingly on this head. At one particular period, when a fine was laid upon him for no other offence than preaching the gospel to poor finners, a fine which he was not able to pay, the officers feized on his furniture, and fold the moft neceffary utenfils of his houfe, for a mere trifle, to any one who was unfeeling enough to purchase them. Mrs. Heywood requested it, as a favour, that one cheft might be fpared, as it was an ancient piece of family furniture; but this request was not regarded. The cheft contained a small quantity of oat-meal, the fcanty fupply of the family. The |