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fubmiffive refignation to his holy will. To those who know their duty, and defire, through Divine grace, to comply with it, it is no fmall difficulty to be obliged to struggle with a rising and rebellious heart within, as well as fuffering from without, and to be alternately calling in queftion, the certainty either of the love of God to them, or of their love to him.

3. A good man may fometimes walk in darkness from the aspect of Providence, and the ftate of the Redeemer's kingdom. The works of God are fought out of them who have pleasure in them. But when they are not able to penetrate the depths of the Divine counfels, this becomes often a fource both of diftrefs and temptation. When wicked men are suffered to prosper at their will; -when the good are oppreffed by the power and tyranny, or perfecuted by the malice of their enemies;-when the moft generous attempts for the revival of truth and righteousness are rendered abortive;-when the profeffing fervants of God are divided into parties, or marshalled under names, and their zeal made to spend itself in unneceffary, finful and hurtful contentions ;-when offences come, and those of the highest profeffion or attainments are suffered to fall into grofs crimes, by which the mouths of enemies are opened to blaspheme; then may, and must we adopt the words of the Pfalmift,-Pf. lxxiii. 10.-14. Therefore, his people return hither; and waters of a full cup are wrung out unto them: And they fay, how doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Moft High? Behold, thefe are the ungodly who profper in the world; they increafe in riches. Verily, I have cleanfed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long bave I been plagued, and chaftened every morning.

I proceed now to the second and chief thing proposed from this paffage, which was to explain the duty of trust in God, and to point out its foundation.

Trust, in the most general view we can take of it, may be thus explained. It is a reliance or confidence in God, that however difcouraging appearances may be for the prefent time, yet, by his power and wisdom, our defires and expectation shall take place, whether as to deliverance from trouble, or the obtaining of future bleffings. When we can attain this happy frame of fpirit, it is an inconceivable relief and ease to the mind under fuffering, and is excellently expreffed by the Pfalmist,-Pf. lv. 22. Caft thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee, he shall never fuffer the righteous to be moved. Let us then endeavour to explain the grounds of this as diftinctly as poffible. And God grant that it may be done not only in a clear, but in a folid and fatisfying manner, fo as to affift you in the practice of real and vital religion.

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I have already said, that our expectation is from the power and wifdom of God. May we then reasonably expect, is it our duty to believe, that we fhall receive all that we defire, and that is within the reach of Divine power and wisdom? These have no bounds at all. We know that nothing is too hard for the Almighty. He doth according to his will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth. This fuggefts to us, that there is something more neceffary, in order to lay a proper foundation for truft, viz. his goodness to make our expectation probable, and his promife to make it certain. Even created beings can often do what they will not. This holds particularly with regard to God, whofe power is directed in its exercise by his goodness, and limited by his wisdom. His goodness, in general, encourages us to go to him with a peradventure, or who can tell whether

he

Truft

he may not be gracious? But in order to make our trust both distinct and strong, we must go to his promise, for he is faithful and keepeth covenant and truth for ever. then, my brethren, refts ultimately on the promise. It must be precisely commensurate, or of the fame extent with the promises. Whoever doubts or calls in question the certainty of what God hath promised, is chargeable with distrust; and whoever expects to receive, in kind or degree, more than he has promised, is fo far guilty of prefumption. This is the general rule, and I think it carries such evidence with it, that every one must be senfible it is juft, who hath heard it with any measure of attention.

But the great difficulty yet remains, which is, to apply this rule to the various cares that occur in the spiritual life, and to tell any particular person what it is his duty firmly to believe, and hope he fhall receive from God, and what it would be prefumptuous and simple in him to fix his expectation on. This is plainly of the greater importance, that the more particular our truft is, as to the object of defire, it is the more powerful a support to the mind. At the fame time it frequently happens, that the more particularly our defires are formed, the foundation of our hope appears the more uncertain and questionable. On this account you may observe, that it is of the greatest moment to understand the nature and tenor of the promifes; or rather, indeed, to explain the foundation of truft, and to explain the nature and tenor of the promises, is one and the fame thing.

For this end, it may be proper to diftinguish the promifes of God, as to futurity, into two heads, abfolute and conditional. By abfolute promises, in this place, I underftand only thofe that are fo in the most unlimited fenfe, that is to say, revealed as a part of the fixed plan of Pro

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vidence, fufpended on no terms but what all, of every character, may expect will certainly come to pass. Such are the promises after the flood, that fummer and winter, feed-time and harvest, should not fail,—the coming of Chrift in the flesh at the fulness of time, to the ancient Patriarchs, and to us ;-the downfall of Antichrift; the prefervation of a church on earth, let its enemies be or do what they will;-the calling of God's ancient people the Jews, and the coming of Chrift to judge the world at the laft day. These are all called promises in Scripture, and fo far as they can be of any use to the people of God, either for direction in duty, or restraint from fin, or confolation under trial, they are to be depended on, in the most absolute manner, for they reft upon the certainty of the Holy Scriptures, and the truth of the unchangeable God, who is not a man that he fhould lie, nor the son of man that be fhould repent,

SER

SERMON XXIX.

TRUST IN GO D.

BY

JOHN WITHERSPOON, D. D. L. L. D. Col. N. C. P.

ISAIAH 1. 10.

Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of bis fervant, that walketh in darkness, and bath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and Stay upon bis God.

HA

AVING, in a former difcourfe, opened the character and state of those who are called upon, and exhorted to trust in the name of the Lord, and entered upon the fecond thing proposed; which was, to explain the duty of trust in God, and to point out its foundation; and having in this view confidered the nature of abfolute promifes,-I proceed,

2. To confider the nature and ufe of conditional promifes. These I am obliged, for greater distinctness, to

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