timents, he proceeds in his voyage thro' this ocean of life; refigned to the will, and confiding in the protection, of Providence; enjoying the prefent ferenity, without apprehension of future tempefts. But if the clouds fhould gather, and the ftorm arise, and the floods lift up their waves, and all around be diftrefs and trouble, his heart is established, and will not fhrink from his confidence in that Supreme Ruler, who can rebuke the ftorm; can fave when we are ready to perifh; and need only fay," Peace, be ftill," and immediately there will be a calm. In every fituation, his mind reposes itself on God. In the darkest night of affliction, fome light will fpring up, fome beam of joy dart upon his mind, from this confideration, that the GOD whom he ferves is able to deliver, and in his own good time will deliver, him out of all his troubles, or reward him with joys unfpeakable in his own blissful prefence. Thus, bleffed is the man whofe hope the Lord is.

But, on the other hand, they who take

not

not God for their strength, but build all their hopes upon their power, their riches, their reputation, their friendships, and the like, build upon a weak and treacherous foundation. Stability is not the property of any worldly poffeffion. A thousand unforeseen causes may deprive them of such objects of their confidence, and too late convince them of the vanity of all temporal dependencies. If they place their dependence on character and reputation, these may be foon blafted by popular breath; if on friendship, that often falls a facrifice to clandeftine whifpers and artful infinuations: riches, by many fecret ways, make themselves wings; and power, even the greatest, stands on a foundation which various engines are continually at work to undermine.

But fuch dependencies, befides their uncertainty, are often utterly ineffectual and vain in thofe hours of diftrefs when we stand in most need of fupport. If, for inftance, ficknefs approaches, who but Gọn can prefcribe bounds to it, and fay, HiX 3 thert

therto fhalt thou come, and no farther? If confcience fhould finite us with a fenfe of guilt, and the spirit be wounded within us, can man, can the whole world, fay to the defponding finner, Son, be of good cheer, thy fins be forgiven thee?

From whence let us make this practical application, That he, and he alone, who has GOD for his confidence, whofe conscious integrity gives him well-grounded affurances of the divine favour, has fuch an internal comforter in his breast, as will fupport him under all the viciffitudes of this mortal life; will make trouble in some degree fit easily on him; will infpire fortitude in the midst of dangers; will carry him through the rugged paths of adverfity; will sweeten the bitter waters of affiction; will difarm even our laft enemy of his terrors, and render even our diffolution a happy emigration to a state of immortality.

Let us then, while we have opportunity, endeavour to acquire this greatest of all confolations, this confidence in our God,

by

by an univerfal obedience to his laws. Let this obedience be the ground-work in our plan of happinefs. On this foundation we may build the firmest hopes, and fecurely trust, that the GOD whom we serve will with his favourable kindness defend us as with a fhield; will bless us with his gracious protection in this world; and in the world to come will receive us into that fulness of blifs, which no language can defcribe, and no human intellect can as yet comprehend.

SERMON XXI.

On univerfal OBEDIENCE.

LUKE i. 6.

Walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless.

HAT fin and wickednefs must ren

THA

der us just objects of the divine difpleafure, and expofe us to deferved punishment here or hereafter, is a fentiment which nature fuggefts, and has engraven on our hearts in characters too deep for all the arts of irreligion ever to efface. This fentiment must fometimes occur to us in our hours of reflection; must fometimes force its way into the mind, through all the obstacles we can employ to exclude

and