heart on your bed-offer the sacrifice of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord."

It becomes us daily to repair to that Almighty and most merciful Being, in whom we live, and from whom every blessing comes, and thankfully to express a sense of our dependence upon him. There is a peculiar fitness in our imploring his gracious care, at that serious moment, when we are yielding up our ordinary capacity to care for ourselves. It is God who guards us by day and preserves us by night. He compasses the path in which we walk, and the bed on which we repose. But during the hours of sleep, our spirit, our existence is eminently in him. We then can do nothing to our own preservation or security. The respiration of our breath, and every motion of our limbs are involuntary, and the effect of God's continual influence, His visitation preserves our spirits. He only makes us to dwell in safety. The peace of our minds, when we are sinking away into this impotent, inactive, unconscious condition, must depend on a believing view of God's presence, power and goodness, and a humble trust in the watchful care of his providence. "Our help cometh from the Lord. He who keepeth us will not slumber.-The Lord is our keeper, he will preserve us from evil."

5. David, that he might lie down in peace, reviewed his former experience of God's goodness. "Hear me, when I call, O. God of my righteousness: Thou hast enlarged me, when I was in distress; be gracious unto me, and hear my prayer.” Converse with God, meditation on his providence and recollection of his former mercies mightily contribute to the tranquillity of our minds, the strength of our faith, and the establishment of our hope. When Asaph felt his faith in God beginning to fail, be awakened and confirmed it by a recurrence to

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past experience of God's mercies. "Hath God forgotten to be gracious?-This is mine infirmity. I will remember the works of the Lord. Who is so great a God, as our God? Thou art a God that dost wonders." The contemplation of divine ben-efits is a proper exercise of the evening, and a happy preparative for a peaceful night. We ought to close each day with some pious and devout meditation; and no subjects can more usefully employ our concluding thoughts, than the perfections, works and mercies of God.

6. Another thing which David suggests, as necessary to our quiet and secure repose, is the exclusion of worldly passions and anxieties, and the introduction of a serene and cheerful temper. "There be many that say, who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me. Thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time, that their corn and their wine increased." The Psalmist here teaches us, that they, who make the cares and solicitudes of the world the last business and the concluding exercise of the day, are ill prepared for a good night's sleep. The world, thus retained in their heads and cherished in their hearts, will disturb their slumbers, chase sleep from their eyes, and turn the hours designed for rest and refreshment, into hours of vexation and weariness. What this godly man chiefly desired, when darkness overspread the earth, and called him off from the business of the day, was, that he might enjoy a light more cheerful and refreshing than that of the sun-the light of God's countenance-the tokens of his favor, and might feel the exercises of love, hope and gratitude toward him. This, he says, will give him gladness more than the increase of corn and wine. His example instructs us, that, to prepare ourselves for safe and peaceful sleep, we must

banish unfriendly passions, tumultuous thoughts and earthly cares; and call into their place pious, devout and benevolent affections.

Those thoughts and passions, which we indulge in our last waking moments, will probably attend us in our sleep, meet us at every waking interval, or be the first to visit us in the morning. A dream cometh through the multitude of business, and a fool's voice is known by the multitude of his words. In the multitude of dreams and many words there are divers vanities." Our security from-these vanities is "the fear of God."

Solomon has observed, that "the sleep of a laboring man is sweet," because his duty is plain, his cares are few, his mind is free, and his conscience at peace. "But the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep." "It is vain," says the Psalmist, "to rise up early and sit up late and eat the bread of sorrows; for it is God who giveth his beloved. sleep."

It is the Apostle's advice, "Be angry and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil." While we are employed in the business of the day, and conversant with the men of the world, many things may occur to disturb our passions and awaken our resentments. But we must not lie down to sleep with angry passions burning in our breasts. We must extinguish the spark, as soon as we discover it, lest it rise into a flame. Before we lay ourselves down to rest, we must look to our hearts, with as much care as we look to our fires; and on the coals of anger, which lie glowing there, we must pour the water of sober consideration, lest, being neglected, they kindle into a consuming fire.

To indulge anger is to give place to the devil.Sinful passion is often excited by his influence; and

when passion prevails, we fall under his power. If we would not give him place, it must be our first care to bring our passions into subjection.

To suppress irregular motions, banish corrupt affections, and extinguish malevolent feelings should be the work of every evening; for who would dare to lie down and sleep with his heart open to the power of the devil. We bolt the doors of our houses against thieves; will we leave the doors of our hearts open to more dangerous enemies? "Let not the sun go down on your wrath, lest you give place to the devil."

I have now taken up the several thoughts contained in this psalm, and have applied them to the purpose, for which David introduced them, to instruct us how we may sleep in peace and safety.

We see that retirement for sleep was with David a serious matter. He did not, like many, spend the day wholly in earthly cares, unmindful of God; waste the evening in riot and dissipation, regardless of death; and then, overcharged with cares, or stupified with pleasures, throw himself into the arms of sleep, thoughtless as an animal: But the day he employed in the work assigned him; and the evening he sequestered to selfexamination and repentance, prayer and praise. He communed with his heart on his bed, banished irregular passions, invited pious affections, and resigned himself to sleep with the temper, with which he wished to awake. Thus his days were useful, his evenings cheerful, his sleep secure, and his mornings bright.

It is by the daily exercise of religion, that we hold ourselves in constant readiness for death. David lay down in peace and slept in safety, because, in the light of God's countenance, and in the consciousness of his own integrity, he could view all events as happy. He composed himself to rest, per

suaded, that whether he should rise or expireawake or die, all would be well. "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? He is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? He is my shepherd; I shall not want. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for he is with me. I will bless the Lord who giveth me counsel; my reins instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth; my flesh also shall rest in hope. Thou wilt shew me the path of life. In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forever more."