concerned for our welfare, as his own dearest interest, and greatly delighteth therein; who, by innumerable experiments, hath demonstrated an excess of kindness to us, who, in all his dealings with us purely doth aim at our good, never charging any duty on us, or dispensing any event to us, so much with intent to exercise his power over us, as to express his goodness towards us; who never doth afflict or grieve us more against our will, than against his own desire; never indeed,* but when goodness itself calleth for it, and even mercy doth urge thereto; to whom we are much obliged, that he vouchsafeth to govern and guide us, our service being altogether unprofitable to him, his governance exceedingly beneficial to us. And doth not such a will deserve regard, may it not demand compliance from us? To neglect or infringe it, what is it? Is it not palpable folly, is it not foul disingenuity, is it not detestable ingratitude?

So doth every relation of God recommend his will to us; and each of his attributes doth no less; for,

It is the will of Him, who is most holy, or whose will is essential rectitude: how then can we thwart it, without being stained with the guilt, and wounded with a sense of great irregularity and iniquity?

It is the will of Him who is perfectly just; who therefore cannot but assert his own righteous will, and avenge the violation thereof. Is it then advisable to drive him to that point by wilful provocation, or to run upon the edge of necessary severity ?

It is the will of Him who is infinitely wise; who therefore doth infallibly know what is best

for us, what doth most benefit our capacities and circumstances, what in the final result will conduce to our greatest advantage and comfort. Shall we then prefer the dreams of our vain mind before the oracles of his wisdom? Shall we, forsaking the direction of his unerring will, follow the impulse of our giddy humour?

It is the will of Him, who is immensely good and benign; whose will, therefore, can be no other than good-will to us; who can mean nothing thereby but to confer bounty and mercy on us. Can we then fail of doing well, if we put ourselves entirely into his hands? Are we not our own greatest enemies, in withstanding his gracious intentions?

It is, finally, the will of Him, who is uncontrollably powerful; whose will must prevail one way or other; either with our will or against it, either so as to bow and satisfy us, or so as to break and plague us; for "my counsel," saith he, "shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." As to his dispensations, we may fret, we may wail, we may bark at them; but we cannot alter or avoid them: sooner may we by our moans check the tides, or by our cries stop the sun in his career, than divert the current of affairs, or change the state of things established by God's high decree. What he layeth on, no hand can remove; what he hath destined, no power can reverse; our anger, therefore, will be ineffectual -our impatience will have no other fruit, than to aggravate our guilt, and augment our grief.

As to his commands, we may "lift up ourselves against him," we may fight stoutly, we may in a sort prove conquerors; but it will be a miserable victory, the trophies whereof shall be

erected in hell, and stand upon the ruins of our happiness; for, while we insult over abused grace, we must fall under incensed justice. If God cannot fairly procure his will of us in way of due obedience, he will surely execute his will upon us in way of righteous vengeance. If we do not surrender our wills to the overtures of his goodness, we must submit our backs to the strokes of his anger. He must reign over us, if not as over loyal subjects to our comfort, yet as over stubborn rebels to our confusion; for this in that case will be our doom, and the last words God will deign to spend upon us, "Those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring them together, and slay them before me."

DIVINE GRACE TRUE COMFORT.

A GRACIOUS Woman, in deep affliction, was once heard to say, I mourn, but I do not murmur. We have read of one who, when informed that her two sons, her only children, were drowned, said, in all the majesty of grief, and with an heavenly composure: "I see God is resolved to have all my heart, and I am resolved He shall have it."

FOLLY OF SELF-CONFIDENCE.

HOWSOEVER men, when they sit at ease, do vainly tickle their hearts with a vain conceit of I know not what proportionable correspondence between their merit and their rewards, which, in the trance of their high speculations, they dream that God hath measured, weighed and laid up, as

it were, in bundle for them; notwithstanding, we see by daily experience, in a number even of them, that when the hour of death approacheth, when they secretly hear themselves summoned forthwith to appear, and stand at the bar of that Judge, whose brightness causeth the eyes of the angels themselves to dazzle, that these idle imaginations do then begin to hide their faces; to name merit then, is to lay their souls upon the rack; the memory of their own deeds is loathsome unto them; they forsake all things wherein they have put any trust or confidence; no staff to lean upon, no ease, no rest, no comfort then, but only in Jesus Christ.

THE OBJECTION, THAT TOO MUCH RELIGION IS HURTFUL TO SOCIETY, CONSIDERED.

IT has been objected, that so much regard, or, as the objectors would call it, over-regard for religion, is inconsistent with the interest and welfare of our families, and with success and prosperity in our worldly affairs. I believe that there is very little ground for this objection in fact, and even, as the world goes, in reason and principle, there is none. A good Christian divides his time between the duties of religion, the calls of business, and those quiet relaxations which may be innocently allowed to his circumstances and condition, and which will be chiefly in his family, or amongst a few friends. In this plan of life, there is no confusion or interference of its parts; and unless a man be given to sloth and laziness, which are what religion condemns, he will find time enough for them all. This calm system may not be sufficient for that unceasing eagerness, hurry,

and anxiety about worldly affairs, in which some men pass their lives; but it is sufficient for every thing which reasonable prudence requires; and it is perfectly consistent with usefulness in our stations, which is a main point. Indeed, compare the hours which serious persons spend in religious exercises and meditations, with the hours which the thoughtless and irreligious spend in idleness, and vice, and expensive diversions, and you will perceive on which side of the comparison the advantage lies, even in this view of the subject.

Nor is there any thing in the nature of religion to support the objection. In a certain sense it is true, what has been sometimes said, that religion ought to be the rule of life, not the business; by which is meant, that the subject matter even of religious duties lies in the common affairs and transactions of the world. Diligence in our calling is an example of this; which, however, keeps both a man's head and hands at work upon business merely temporal; yet religion may be governing him here meanwhile. God may be feared in the busiest scene.

PRAYER.

WE are sometimes inclined to believe, that our prayers are not accepted by God, if we do not feel a certain degree of pleasure arising from the performance of this duty; an enthusiasm of love towards the Divine Being arising in our souls. This is a wrong idea. Prayer is not a charm of the imagination, or a sweet delusion of the soul; neither does it always produce the perceptible emotions of the grace of God in our hearts. It is