Christ, and who resolve to follow your Redeemer conscientiously, even if it should cost you your earthly ALL, you see the good set before you in the promise--- Even in this life ye shall have an hundred fold;' not always in kind indeed, but you shall be sure of it in value. Riches, honour, ease, and pleasure, such as this world boasteth the power to give, are no parts of the good included in the promise. But you shall receive righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, and thus have the kingdom of God set up within you. Such a righteousness as shall render you all holy and complete, lovely, and beautiful even in the eye of infinite Holiness; righteousness, that for its splendor, shall be as a mirror, to reflect the illustrious excellence of every divine perfection: peace, which only God can bestow, which can be obtained only in Christ; peace, which none but the children of sorrow, and sons of warfare are capable of receiving. This is the 'peace of God which passeth all understanding,' bequeathed to thee by thy departing Redeemer, and such as the unregenerated heart never experienced. This is the portion of your souls, O ye who fly for refuge to the hope set before you in the gospel, 'joy in the Holy Ghost!' Little of heavenly joy is experienced, before you are brought down to the very margin of destruction. It is impossible to know the joys of pardoned sin, before the sentence of the law has been denounced in the conscience, and we are brought as guilty criminals to Jesus for a free pardon; none besides the condemned being capable of receiving pardon. But when sin is set before you in all its aggravations, and threatens your ruin by its formidable terrors; when the law has denounced the condemnation due to it, and instead of the execution of the sentence, you receive redemption through the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of sins; how sweet is the joy! how transporting the pleasure from thence resulting! such righteousness, peace, and holy joy, are connected with a forsaking of all for the sake of Christ, and his great salvation.

Is it then your holy resolution to part with all, to seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness? may grace strengthen your resolution! you will find your account in the wisdom of your choice, and have cause to bless God for the gift of this wisdom. You renounce your unlawful gains, and ungodly pleasures, and lo, there is before you an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away; a kingdom that shall never have an end, and a crown that is not liable to be tarnished. Dost thou forsake thy carnal companions, in whose society thy heart can no longer take delight? behold the saints of the Lord, the excellent ones of the earth, are appointed the compa nions of thy warfare, whilst here, under the guardianship and protection of holy angels in the days of thy pilgrimage, and the sharers of thy joy when thy warfare is accomplished. Hast thou lost the good will of thy relatives? has father and mother

forsaken thee, because thou wilt worship the Lord Gou of thy fathers, after the manner which the world account heresy? be not concerned at it; for when father and mother forsake thee, the Lord will take thee up.' Thou hast made a goodly exchange. Thou losest indeed thy natural parents, but the everlasting Father himself becomes thy ALL. The Father of Jesus, and thy Father, are now identically the same. Blessed, O Lord! are the people whose God thou art, and whom thou hast chosen for thine own inheritance. I cannot set before my hearers the extent and glory of the privileges provided for those, who by grace forsake their native all, for the sake of Jesus, and his great salvation; but the reapers are commanded to drop handfuls on purpose for them, and bring forth all the treasures of the gospel for their relief. How happy! how truly blessed is your lot, if ye be indeed the followers of Jesus!

Would you follow the Lord Jesus whithersoever he goeth, but for that unworthiness and sin that cleaveth to you? learn then a profitable lesson from amiable Ruth. You have many objections against yourself, and so might she have had, if grace had not prevented; objections in all respects equal to your own. She was a descendant of Moab, the son of incest, and therefore instead of blessing, might have expected cursing for her father's sake. She had been brought up an idolatress, and an enemy to the Lord God of Israel; had always been a follower of the customs disapproved by the law of the Hebrews, and a stranger to the constitution of the kingdom of Messiah; but notwithstanding all her objections, she was determined to worship the God of heaven, and trust in the portion of Israel: therefore she expresseth her resolution, Thy people shall be my people, and thy God shall be my God; where thou diest, I will die, and 'there will I be buried.'

It is an happy thing to be brought to resolve to cleave to the people of God in this life, whatever become of you in the future world; to resolve to die, and be buried with the people of God, whether you have the assurance of rising with them on the morning of the great day or not: to walk in the ways of Immanuel now, if you should even be spurned from his presence hereafter. Never were there any brought to this resolution, but who found it to terminate according to their highest wishes, and who were admitted into that felicity for which they dared not to encourage even the faintest hope, in the drooping days of their gloomy despondency.

Are you convinced that Jesus, our Redeemer, is the true God and eternal life? are you satisfied in your own mind that his ways are the right ways of life and salvation? would you desire to be worshippers of him; to worship him in his own appointed way? worship him then in his own way, and leave the issue entirely to him; he will certainly deal as favourably with you, as

he did with Ruth the Moabitess; for he is no respecter of perWe may very safely challenge Satan and unbelief with their united counsel, to produce a single instance of any poor penitent, humbled, desirous soul, following Jesus, cleaving at all events to his people, and at last becoming a cast-away. An instance cannot be produced; no! perish who may at the libertine's gate, intreating for the crumbs which drop from the voluptuous table, none ever perished at the gates of Immanuel; for he, only he, is the friend of sinners; and of none among the human race besides sinners.

So they two went on till they came to Bethlehem.'

Here is an instance of God's faithfulness in restoring comfort to his mourners.----Elimelech and his sons were taken away, Ruth is given as a fast friend.----When Abraham lost Sarah, Rebekah is brought into her tent. Types of the Jewish and Gentile church.----When all men forsook Paul, the Lord stood by him, 2 Tim. iv. 16.----When the people spake of stoning David, he encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

It is the Lord's time to bring new comforts when there is a death upon our helps, and damp upon our hopes.

'So they two went on.''

Their principles were one, the life and love of God in the soul. Their object was one, to come and trust in the shadow of divine wings.----Their interest was common, the salvation of their souls, and communion by the way.----These made their friendship invariable; heartened them to hold on their way.

Until they came to Bethlehem, the house of bread.'

How many accompany each other to Bethaven.----But this is betraying instead of befriending one another.----Had Jonadab curbed Amnon's passion, instead of devising means to gratify it, he had done like a friend.----Many Jonadabs infest kings' courts, but the curse of God will follow them.

Our travellers are an emblem of the righteous, who hold on in their way, &c.

And all the city was moved about them.'

Seeing the great change in Naomi's circumstances.----God worketh great changes in persons, families, cities, and countries. ----What a change on the proud Assyrian monarch.----He looketh upon every one that is proud, and bringeth him low, Job. xi: 12.----On families, as Job's and Saul's.----On cities, as Jerusalem, Lam. ii. 15. Is this the city that men call the per'fection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth?'----On countries, as the Assyrian, the Grecian, the Roman empire.----Such changes will affect beholders: Is this Babylon, Athens, Rome, or London? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, but call me Marah,'

The condition of creatures is 'soon changed.----Those who look on themselves to be delightful ones, he maketh Marahs; both Pharisees and his own foolish children.---Those who look upon themselves as Marah in God's sight, he constitutes Naomis. He calls no man Benjamine, son of the right-hand, who has not first been Benoni in heart.----Before honour is humility.

'I went out full, but the Lord hath brought me home again 'empty.'

Her going out was of herself, but her coming home was of God. People usually get full before they go out from God's way and habitation.----How full soever when they go out, God brings them home empty. See the prodigal.

Note. To seek for gain or pleasure out of God's way, is the ready way of coming to loss.----To go out of God's way, is to go out of his protection.

To go from the land of promise to the land of curse, is the way of certain danger. Let those who slight church fellowship think of this.----Many are tempted to go out of God's way for gain, but they meet with gall and wormwood instead of honey.

-Jehoshaphat had like to have lost his life for going with Abab, 2 Chron. xviii. 31.----He quite lost his ships, 2 Chron. xviii. 37.----Good Josiah lost his life by going rashly out of God's way, 2 Chron. xxxv.

"The Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me.'

It is a great alleviation of pain to eye God in our affliction, though even brought by ourselves.----God has come in as a witness against me for choosing Moab rather than Canaan. Thus she kissed the rod.----We may see how the believer differs from himself at different seasons.----In an humble frame, David could see God had bid Shimei curse him.----In another, he could not see how God had bid Nabal be churlish.----Eyeing of God in our troubles, is a sovereign help to true patience.

Remark. Their arrival was in the beginning of barley harvest: David's extremity was God's opportunity, 1 Sam. xxiii. 20. ----There is a fulness and fitness of time for every event.----The redemption of Israel from Egypt.----The coming of Shiloh, when the sceptre was departing from Judah.----Old Testament vision sealed.----The converting of the soul by grace.----Deliverance from affliction----finishing our appointed period and work.----You will all get to the house of bread in the beginning of harvest----a full and plentiful harvest eternally before you.

DISCOURSE VI.

RUTH ii. 1,- --14.

Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, &c.

THIS widow was not forsaken of her husband's rich kindred, as is usual in such cases.----When otherwise, it is of the Lord. God never wants instruments to succour and comfort those who trust in the shadow of his wings.--- If Elimelech dies, Boaz is raised up.----David says, Psal. xxxvii. 25. I have been young, ' and now am old, yet have I never seen the righteous forsaken,' &c.-There was a time when no Jew durst assist Jeremiah, chap. xxxviii. and the princes were his mortal enemies.----God had then an Ethiopian Ebed-melech, the king's servant, to serve him in his prophet.----An Ethiopian outwardly, but Jew inwardly.----His kindness was well rewarded, xxxix. 16, 17. 'I 'will deliver thee, saith the Lord, and thou shalt not be given ' into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. Because 'thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord.'----Whoever does so shall receive a prophet's reward.

A mighty man of wealth.' It is rare that religion and riches meet. Not many rich men,' &c.----yet there are some. Abraham was very rich, yet he was the righteous man of the east, Isa. xli. 2. David and Solomon.----Riches neither further nor hinder salvation but as loved and trusted in.----Boaz was both rich and religious.----He was a type of Christ, who is also a mighty man of wealth in a twofold sense.----In a natural way, the earth is the Lord's with the fulness thereof.' In a spiritual way, 'It hath pleased the Father,' &c. Col. i. 19.---- În him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,' Col. ii. 3, ----Durable riches and righteousness are his.---The riches of grace, of love, of mercy and glory.

It is the whole work of gospel ministers to publish his unsearchable riches.----Eternity itself will never count them.

'He was a kinsman of her husband's, of the family of Elimelech,' therefore the Goel.----Jesus is our nearest kinsman and Goel. Nearest and dearest----Elimelech----my God the King ----Jesus is of the family of our God the King. Only begotten, &c.----Elimelech----the counsel of God. - Jesus is our kinsman appointed in the council of God.--- Our kinsman who sits in the divine council----the wonderful Counsellor.

And his name was Boaz.' In strength; or strength and fortitude.