fhall he not make it good?" There is an impoffibility of his word failing: Titus, i. 12. " He is God that cannot lie." So that faith has the surest bottom on which to ftand, when standing on the promise, namely, the unchangeable truth of God.--There is nothing fo difficult and hopeless, but God can bring it to pafs: Luke, i. 37. " For with God nothing fhall be impoffible." Therefore he is able to make good his promife, though all creatures fhould confpire to render his working ineffectual, and whatever difficulties may be in his way. In one word, the experience of the faints in all ages confirms this confidence : Pfal. xii. 6. "The words of the Lord are pure words; as filver tried in à furnace of earth, purified." Many and various have been the trials of the faints, but they all held by the promise, and have at length set to their feal that God is true. -From this we may learn,

That their falvation is fecured, who have been graciously brought within the compass of the covenant and the promise of salvation. "This," David faid, "is all my falvation and all my defire," 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. Though they be in this world as on a boisterous fea, where the waves of indwelling corruption, temptation, affliction, desertion, are threatening to fwallow them up; yet they shall get fafe afhore; and though the body fall in pieces by death, the foul fhall arrive fafe in Immanuel's land. If it fhould be inquired, How may a perfon know that he is brought within the com país of the covenant and promife? I answer, If you have truly and honestly come to Christ, and laid hold of him in the covenant, taken him as he offers himself in the gofpel, if you have given up with all other lovers, and have taken up with him in all his offices, with a view to free you from the

guilt, from the power and pollution of fin, all is well, for he has faid, John, vi. 37. "All that the Father giveth me, fhall come unto me; and him that cometh unto me, I will in nowife caft out." Poffeffing him as the chief benefit of the covenant, you have all 2 Cor. i. 20. "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us."- We may further learn, That it is true wifdom to live by faith in the promife of God, whatever ftorm be blowing: 2 Cor. v. 7. " For we walk by faith, not by fight." You must lay your account with storms. Never was there one in a fhip, except the man Chrift, whom the devil would more anxiously have drowned, than he would have done Paul at this time. But Paul is easy, even when on the boisterous fea, on the promife of God, while the reft were in a terrible alarm; Satan was not fo much fet against them. Unbelief and discouragement can in no cafe be ufeful. It is good to believe, whether we be toffed with a ftorm of raging corruption, as in Pfal. lxv. 3.;- ftrong temptations, as in Luke, xxii. 31. 32. ;-heavy affliction, as in Pfal xxvii. 13. ; —or desertion, as in Pfal. xxii. 1. Thus much for the connection.

In the text, Paul declares to the fhip's crew,« who for the most part were pagans, two things,

(1.) His intercourfe with heaven: There stood by me this night the angel of the Lord. (2.) His special relation to the God of heaven: Whofe I am, and whom I ferve. The design of this declaration was, not only to comfort them, but to commend his God unto them, that they might alfo chufe him for their God and mafter. doubt, in thefe days, ver. 20. there had been many prayers in the fhip. They had called to their gods, but in vain; Paul had cried to

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his,

his, and had got a comfortable answer. He thence takes occafion to represent him as the God of falvation, who was able to make them all fafe, notwithstanding the ftorm; as the Lord of angels; as one whofe fervant himself was, who was now fo chearful, when they were fo dejected. Proper methods these to commend his God to them. -I would accordingly take occafion to observe, that it is the duty of those who are the Lord's, to commend their God to others, that they in confequence may be prevailed on alfo to be his. There are two ftrong bonds to bind this on those who are the Lord's.-There is,

1. The love and duty they owe to God, who has done fo much for them, and who would have all men to be faved. It is the more for the honour of God in the world, the more there are who join themselves to his fervice. This is an acceptable thing which we can do for God, to exprefs our thankfulness, namely, to make confcience of difcharging our duty, to lay out ourselves in advancing the intereft of Chrift and of religion in the world; that fince he has brought us into his family, we exert our endeavours to bring others alfo into it. Another bond is,

2. The love and duty we owe to mankind: Rom. xiii. 9." If there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this faying, namely, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf." Those who are yet ftrangers to God, are our fellow-creatures, lying in the ditch of fin, fwimming to the ocean of wrath, in which condition we alfo were before we were the Lord's ; which requires from us a very ferious concern to help them out of that ftate, Titus, iii. 1. 2. 3. And this is as natural as it is for one that has narrow

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ly efcaped drowning, to beftir himself to help his fellow who is in hazard of perishing.

The use and improvement I would make of this is, to call upon you, O Christians and communicants whofoever of you are the Lord's, to put your hand to this work, to recommend Chrift. and religion to others. You that are come out from among the devil's family, make it your work to prevail on others to come away alfo. Remember the Samaritan woman, who told her neighbours of Christ, and invited them to come to him: John, iv. 29. "Go thou and do likewife."-To ftir you up to this work, I fhall lay before you the following MOTives.

Mot. I. What use are you for in this world, if you be not useful for God, and your generation, in this work to which you are called? If. you will do nothing for God, you but take up room on God's earth, and cumber his ground. The children of God are not fo fituated. They fay, "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's."

Mot. 2. It is a dangerous thing to be an unprofitable servant in God's houfe: Matth. xxv. 30. And caft the unprofitable servant into utter darknefs; there fhall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." An unprofitable tree may stand safer in a wood than in an orchard; and what is quite unfit for the master's use, is fuel for the fire.

Mot. 3. It is the nature of true grace, and has been the practice of the faints, thus to lay themfelves out for God and the good of others. Grace is communicative; it is a well of water, from which many may be refreshed; it is a holy fire

to

to warm others. Accordingly, we find Abraham's grace working thus, Gen. xviii. 19. "For I know him," said God, "that he will command his children and his household after him, and they fhall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgement, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." Thus alfo, we find David's grace, Pfal. xxxiv. 8. “O taste and see that the Lord is good: Bleffed is the man that trufteth in him." Thus alfo the fpoufe's grace, Song, v.; the woman of Samaria, John, iv. 29.

Mot. 4. You would thrive better yourselves, if you were more employed in this work: Prov.xi. 25. "The liberal foul fhall be made fat; and he that watereth fhall be watered himself." The fpring. runs, and the fire burns, the more freely that they get a vent; and they that use their talents thus for God, are in the high way to increase them: Matth. xxv. 28. 29. "Take therefore the talent from him, and give it to him that hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath fhall be given, and he fhall have abundance." A cold heart, without zeal for God's intereft, and a fealed mouth, which cannot open for God, produces a back-going, withered condition.

Mot. 5. It is well laid out work. For either. finners are gained by it, as it often falls out: Song, vi. 1. "Whither is thy Beloved gone, O thou fairest among women-? Whither is thy Beloved turned afide? that we may seek him with thee." In this cafe, the work is an abundant reward for itself: James, i. 27. "Pure religion and undefiled, before God and the Father, is this, to: vifit the fatherless and the widow in their affliction." But it shall not go fo; for every foul thou doeft good to, fhall be as a jewel in thy crown:

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