THOUGHTS ON PSALM lvi. 9.

"When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back; this I know, for God is for me."

ISHOP HORNE fomewhere remarks that "the whole

B Bible is like the Garden of Paradife, and the book of

Pfalms like the tree of life in the midft." And, indeed, the living confolations furnished to believers from the pfalms in general, fhew the juftnefs of the comparison.

The above paffage will furnish three obfervations relative to chriftian experience. The believer is often pursued and opreffed by enemies-Prayer to God is a principal mean to overcome all enemies.-And, finally, confidence of fuccefs arifes from an affurance of God's favour.

1. The believer is often pursued and oppreffed by enemies. : -The world with its various allurements. Thefe entice the mind with preffing folicitude, and too often entangle the affections. Thus Demas was caught, and forfook his best connexions, and left the nobleft pursuits, at least for a time -"Demas hath forfaken me, having loved this prefent "world." And, alas! how many fince that period have forfaken the church of Chrift, and abandoned his righteous caufe, from the fame principle. Reader, learn from the folly of others, and stand upon thy guard.-The devil with his numerous and ftrong temptations; and the flesh with its powerful corruptions. Thefe unite to opprefs the believer, and caufe him to heave many a bitter figh. The circumftances and experience of David, of Hezekiah, of Peter and of Paul, might be introduced to elucidate and prove the truth of these remarks.-But for the fake of brevity (and magazine-pieces require brevity) I pass on to observe,

2. That prayer to God is a principal mean to overcome enemies. "When I cry unto thee, then fhall mine enemies "turn back." Moses prayed and overcame-Hezekiah prayed and overcame-Jehosaphat prayed and was victorious-David prayed and proved a conqueror. In short, who ever prayed in fincerity and failed of ultimate fuccefs? It was a truth formerly and it is a truth now, that "whofo"ever fhall call upon the name of the Lord fhall be faved." Then let me, let my reader, in the way of faith and prayer, "refift the devil, and he will flee from us."

3. Confidence of fuccefs arifes from an affurance of God's favour. "This I know, for God is for me." The true believer may adopt this language (notwithstanding the ob jections which fome have urged against appropriation and experience) and add, I know it from hence-He hath enlightened my dark mind, whereas I was blind, now I fee

He hath fanctified my affections, I love the things of God, which I once defpifed. He hath renewed my will and difpofed it to fubmiffion-He hath mortified my lufts,, fo that they do not reign, they have not the dominion over me. He hath made his word precious to me a thousand and a thousand times. In fhort he hath revealed Chrift to my heart as the only hope of glory, as "all and in all." "God "is for me." Yes, believer, he is indeed for thee. His promifes are for thy comfort, and they are "exceeding 'great and precious."-His Son is for thee, his blood was the ranfom of thy foul, and he ever liveth to make intercef fion for thee His fpirit is for thee; in conjunction with his word he is thy fure guide in the path to heaven.-His grace is for thy daily fupport, and it is fufficient for thee.His power is for thy defence.-His counfels are for thy direction. His heaven is for thy future and eternal refidence. His angels are for thy companions. God himself is for thine everlafting portion.Adopt the language of the prophet, and fay, "The Lord is my portion, faith my foul, "therefore will I hope in him." Is God for thee believer? Then be fure to be for him in all thou haft, in all thou art.

"Were the whole realm of nature mine,
"That were a prefent far too small,

Love fo amazing, fo divine,

"Demands my foul, my life, my all."

ON PARTY SPIRIT.

HEN the nature of chriftianity is confidered as founded in love, and the tendency of divine precepts as leading to general and extenfive benevolence, it appears extraordinary that its profeffors fhould fo far forget themfelves as to ufe mean declamations against those who differ VOL. II. Ff

from them in particular fentiments. That the commands of Jefus, as fupreme head of the Church, merit fcrupulous regard, and that he is inexcufable who violates them on the weak and prefumptuous pretence of certain duties being non-effential, is beyond difpute. On the other hand, those perfons act very oppofite to the fpirit of the gospel, who attempt to enforce matters on the confceinces of men without temper or prudence, who will fcarcely allow the poffibility of any being right but themselves, and unchriftianize all who differ from them. And when the pulpit is employed to convey invectives against particular fects and parties, (which too often occurs) utility and edification are facrificed to vanity and party fpirit. Young Minifters are particularly faulty in this refpect, as if fond of displaying their fuppofed abilities for controverfy, in all the imprudent heat and impetuofity of their age, they attack believers of different denominations from themfelves, and hardly admit of their bearing any resemblance to JESUS, because their features are not exactly alike. Before judgment is ripened by due experience, perhaps young preachers would do well to avoid, as much as poffible, engaging in controverfial points, and leave them to fenior minifters, whofe knowledge and experience being more matured, they are better capacitated for their ferious, candid and affectionate difcuffion. It is true, we should always be ready to give a rational account of the motives of our conduct when properly required; but at the fame time, whether a point be difcuffed in public or private, in which the confcience is concerned, great tendernefs and moderation fhould accompany it to the oppofite party. The carnal hearer returns from a fermon under no very favourable impreffions of that religion, which, by the undue warmth of the preacher, feems to patronize diffention and bigotry; nor can the candid and impartial chriftian feel his mind fatisfied when he beholds men emulous to promote their diftinguishing fentiments rather than publish the gospel of the Son of God. In fine, there is every reafon to believe that piety would be more extended, and infidelity checked in its progrefs, if profeffors were to lay afide party fpirit, and keep that divine declaration in view, "By this fhall all "men know that ye are my difciples, that ye love one "another."

A CONSTANT READER.

THE DECLARATIONS OF THE GOSPEL WHICH PRESENT

ENCOURAGEMENT TO SINNERS,

SHEWN TO BE THE ALONE SOURCE OF RELIEF AND

To

COMFORT TO SAINTS.

O illuftrate the truth of this pofition it should be made evident, that all our relief and comfort muft arise from the gofpel declarations, which teftify to finners the true grace

of God.

The gospel finds finners under the law, it arifes upon them in their moft guilty and ruined condition; and appearing to them in thefe circumftances, it brings near the righteousness and salvation of God our Saviour, to be embraced and enjoyed by believing. It is this exhibition of falvation by the gofpel, prefented to every finner which conftitutes a fufficient warrant for perfons of every defcription to embrace it. It is through the belief of thefe declarations that finners first find comfort, and that comfort is reftored when loft. All believers have accefs by Chrift through faith unto the grace of God, wherein they ftand, having peace with God through our Lord Jefus Christ, and rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God; and they are faved from bondage, guilt and legal terrors, through the faith of thefe comfortable truths, which report the good-will of God in Chrift towards men. The favour of God which relieves the confcience and confoles the heart, is only perceived with certainty in the declarations of the Gofpel. Hence the apoftle fpeaks of the comfort of the fcriptures, and prays, that the God of hope would fill the faints with all joy and peace in believing the comfortable truths contained therein. If these things be fo, it follows, that all the joys of believers proceed from these very truths, which reveal and exhibit divine grace to finners. There is not one way of preaching the gofpel and its divine confolations to finners, and another to believers; for the faith delivered to the faints, contains a common falvation, which believers embrace upon the fame warrant that finners have to receive it. But if finners have the fame warrant to receive all the comforts of the gofpel which believers have to enjoy them; and if unbelievers are in fact, defpifers of all

* Rem. s. 1-2.

the comforts which believers have in Chrift, it is evident thefe comforts are propofed in the fame light to finners who defpife them, and to believers who receive them.

The neglect of this fimple truth, that all our relief and comfort mult arife from the gofpel declarations which testify unto mankind the true grace of God, hath been the fource of much perplexity and diftrefs. This way of stating the confolations of the gofpel hath been thought liable to objections of feveral kinds; fome of these shall be specified and fhewn to be groundless.

Obj. 1. It feems to reject thofe comforts of the faints, which are founded on the work of the Spirit in their hearts, and wrought by chriftian experience and evidences, &cThe Holy Ghoft comforts the faints as the Spirit of truth,* by giving teftimony to the word of the grace of Godt upon the mind, whereby the foul is made to know, believe and obey the truth as it is in Jefus, or the declarations of the scripture that refer to him.-Chriftian experience certainly confifls in the word of Chrift dwelling in the heart, and moulding the whole man by its divine energy, into a glorious conformity to its precious doctrines. And folid evidences of a gracious state are never improved to a good purpofe, except when they are employed to determine whether we be in the faith, that is, whether we be living in the belief and comfort of the gofpel truths, and walking under their benign and favoury influence. Upon the whole, juft apprehenfions of the work of the Spirit, of religious experience, and of the proper use of thofe marks and evidences which defcribe the character, of real chriftians, are fo far from confuting, or in any way difagreeing with the position, that they imply all that is affirmed, aud throw light upon the fubject.

Obj. 2. This way of ftating the comforts of the gospel, feems to confider them as proper to be preached and received without previous examination, in order to discover whether they belong to us or not. It is unquestionably our duty to examine ouifelves to prove our own felves, and to know ourfeives; but this is not neceffary, this is not proper, in order to know whether the confolations of the gofpel belong to us as they ftand in the revelation of divine grace. The gofpel is fubverted, and felf-examination is made a work of the law, when the perfon attempts to difcover his right to gofpel comforts by examining his own heart. There is a wide difference between a right to enjoy and the actual poffeffion. Our right to enjoy Christ and all his comforts, itands only upon the footing of that record which God * John xvi. 13. † Acts xiv. 3.