ten at a lofs to understand the caufe of his controverfy with them; and they alfo find it often extremely difficult to bring their minds to a patient and fubmiffive refignation to his holy will. To those who know their duty, and defire, through Divine grace, to comply with it, it is no finall difficulty to be obliged, to struggle with a rifing and rebellious heart within, as well as fuffering from without, and to be alternately calling in question the certainty, either of the love of God to them, or of their love to him.

3. A good man may fometimes walk in darknefs 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 distress and temptation. When wicked men are fuffered to profper at their will; -when the good are oppreffed by the power and tyranny, or perfecuted by the malice of their ene-mies; when the most generous attempts for the revival of truth and righteousness are rendered abortive; when the profeffing fervants of God are divided into parties, or marfhalled 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 fuffered to fall into grofs crimes, by which the mouths of enemies are opened to blafpheme; then may, and muft we adopt L 2 the

2

the words of the Pfalmift,-Pf. lxxiii to14. • 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 increase in riches. Verily, I have cleanfed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chaftened every mor⚫ning.'

S

I proceed now to the fecond and chief thing propofed from this paffage, which was to explain the duty of truft 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 wifdom, our defires and expectatien fhall 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 eafe to the mind under fuffering, and is excellently expressed by the Pfalmift-Pf. lv. 22. Caft thy burden upon the Lord, and he fall fuftain thee, he shall

4

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

and fatisfying manner, fo as to affift you in the practice of real and vital religion.

I have already faid, that our expectation is from the power and wisdom of God. May we then reafonably 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? Thefe 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 fomething more neceffary, in order to lay a proper foundation for trust, viz. his goodness to make our expectation probable, and his promise to make it certain. Even created beings can often do what they will not. This holds particularly with regard to God, whose power is directed in its exercise by his goodness, and limited by his wifdom. His goodness, in general, encourages us to go to him with a peradventure, or who can tell whether he may not be gracious? But in order to make our truft both diftinct and strong, we muft go to his promife,

3

for he is faithful and keepeth covenant and ⚫ truth for ever.' Truft then, my brethren, refts ultimately on the promise. It must be precisely commenfurate, or of the fame extent with the promife. Whoever doubts or calls in queftion the certainty of what God hath promifed, is chargeable with diftruft; and whoever expects to receive, in kind or degree, more than he has promised,

L.3.

promised is fo far guilty of prefumption. This is the general rule, and I think it carries fuch evidence with it, that every one must be fenfible 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 fpiritual life, and to tell any particular perfon what it is his duty firmly to believe, and hope he fhall receive from God, and what it would be prefumptuous and fimple 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 fupport to the mind. At the fame time it frequently happens, that the more particular our defires are formed, the foundation of our hope appears the more uncertain and queftionable. On this account you may obferve, that it is of the greatest moment to understand the nature and te nor of the promises; or rather, indeed, to explain the foundation of trust, and to explain the nature and tenor of the promises, is one and the fame thing.

"

For this end, it may be proper to distinguish the promises of God, as to futurity, into two heads, abfolute and conditional. By abfolute promifes, in this place, I understand only those that are fo in the moft unlimited fense, that is to fay, revealed as a part of the fixed plan of Providence, fufpended on no terms but what all, of every character, may expect will certainly come

to

to pafs. 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 Pathe downfall of Antichrift; of a church on earth,' let

triarchs, and to us; -the prefervation its enemies be or do the cal'ling of God's ancient people the Jews, and the ⚫ coming of Chrift to judge the world at the laft

what they will;

day.' Thefe are all called promifes 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 abfolute 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 should lie, nor the fon of man that he fhould repent.