is of his character; fo much the more fearful fymptom of his ftate. But when the Lord hath loofened his bonds, lifted up his countenance upon him, and given him peace, is it not proper and natural for him to fay, Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. When he hath feen the marks of diftinguishing love in his mercies; when he hath tasted confolation under fuffering, or communion with God, in public or in fecret, will not this difpofe him to reft in God, to improve the happy feason, and defire its continuance? All things elfe are vain, and have proved their vanity, but complete fatisfaction is here. I have no doubt, my brethren, that this is, if not the only, yet one of the chief fenfes, in which we ought to understand thefe words. Reft, you know, fuppofes labor, and even wearinefs before. Reft alfo feems to imply that which is the end of labor, or the defire of the weary. It alfo fignifies that which is to continue, or that we wish to continue without further change. In this fenfe it is used, Pfal. cxxxii. 8, and 14, "Arife, O Lord, into thy reft, "thou and the ark of thy ftrength. This is my reft for "ever; here will I dwell; for I have defired it:" which refers to the ark of the teftimony taking a fixed abode, and being no more carried about from place to place. The fame fenfe is conveyed to us by Heb. iv. 9, "There re"maineth therefore a reft to the people of God." When, therefore, the Pfalmift fays, Return unto thy rest, O my soul, it means that God, and his favor, was his fupreme and ultimate defire, the very centre of his hope. Is it not fo with every real fervant of God? All true religion points to, and ends in this. All religion, without this, is an empty form. And when we return to this, after any interruption, is it not like the diftreffed mariner, after having been driven about in a tempeftuous ocean, and threatened every moment with deftruction by the rifing billows, at laft obtaining fight, and entering with heartfelt joy into a haven of fecurity and peace? 3. In the last place, this expreffion implies a confidence and reliance on God for protection and fecurity against future dangers. This feems neceffary to the complete ness and perfection of any deliverance. The danger may be warded off for a feafon; if there is ground to fear its immediate or speedy return, the ftate is very precarious, and the comfort very imperfect; but those who are delivered from fear of evil, and think they can depend upon their defence and guard, have received a deliverance indeed. Now, this is the view which a believer is particularly led to take of God, as his fure and all-fufficient help. He confiders the greatness of his power, the operation of his providence, and the faithfulness of his promife. How of ten does the Pfalmift express, in the most triumphant manner, his dependance upon God? Pfal. xviii. 1, 2, 3. "I will love thee, O Lord, my ftrength. The Lord is "my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, "my strength, in whom I will truft; my buckler, and the "horn of my falvation, and my high tower. I will call "upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; fo fhall I "be faved from mine enemies." Pfal. Ixii. 5, 6, 7. "My "foul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is "from him. He only is my rock and my falvation; he "is my defence; I fhall not be moved. In God is my "falvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and 66 my refuge is in God." Pfal. cxlvi. 5, 6. "Happy is he "that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is "in the Lord his God; which made heaven and earth, "the fea, and all that therein is, which keepeth truth for " ever." My brethren, this truft and dependance on God is a very confiderable part of the reft and comfort of the believer's foul. He is, on all hands, furrounded with enemies, liable to fuffering, expofed to temptations. The more he knoweth of himself, the more he feels his own inherent weakness and infufficiency. But, in God, he fees full and adequate provision for all his wants, Pfalm xxxiv. 22. "The Lord redeemeth the foul of his fervants; and "none of them that truft in him fhall be defolate." This truft is alfo, in a particular manner, generated, by remembring the paft goodness, or by a fenfe of the recent mercy of God. We have daily experience of our own weakness and unfteadiness in this refpect. When our hopes are in any measure disappointed; when calamities threaten; when afflictions vifit us, we are ready to yield to the dark fuggeftions of fear and defpondence; but when we contemplate the great goodness of God on former occafions, or when we have met with any fingular manifestation of his grace and favor, it ferves to strengthen our confidence, and often, indeed, to cover us with fhame for our unbelief and distrust. On the whole, then, a believer who imitates the Pfalmift in this expression, Return unto thy rest, O my soul, may be fuppofed to fay, "Thou haft tasted, O my soul, of the loving kindness of "God! he hath brought thee out of deep waters; he hath "calmed thy fears; he hath fet thy feet upon a rock; he "hath established thy goings; Blufh, blush! when thou "confidereft how eafily thy confidence was shaken; how thou waft to fink under affliction; and, upon every prone "new trial, to doubt his power, and diftruft his promife. "But, now, return unto thy reft; lay aside thy fears, "which have fo unhappy an influence both on thy progrefs and comfort. Commit thy ways to him, and he "will bring thy defires to pafs." 66 I come now, in the laft place, to make fome practical improvement of what hath been faid: And, ift, From what hath been faid, you may obferve one great branch of the finfulness of the world in general; forgetfulness of God; and unthankfulness for his mercies. How little sense of the divine goodness is in the hearts of men? how formal, cold, and frozen their language in praise ? how languid their endeavors to serve him, from whose indulgent hand every bleffing they enjoy flows? One would think that here might be fome hold even of worldly men, who have not wholly extinguifhed the light of natural confcience. The greatest part of this difcourfe has been directed to thofe of another character. Suffer me, now, to speak a little immediately to them. You are not infenfible to worldly comforts; on the contrary, you love them too ardently; you feek them too eagerly; you indulge them too liberally. Confider, I befeech you, who it is that bestowed them; who it is, that, when he pleafeth, can blast them to you, or withdraw them from you. O the blindness and infatuation of mortal men! How paffing and tranfitory are all created comforts! How certain and speedy the approach of death and judgment! Think what return you have made for all the goodnefs of God toward you from the womb even till now. And let me beg every hearer to recollect how far he ftands indebted to God for continued health, for plentiful provifion, for remarkable deliverances, for early inftruction, for providential warnings. And if God, by his Spirit, has raifed convictions in your minds, or earneftly pleaded with you in his gospel, in what a terrifying light will all this defpifed goodness appear, when you come to the brink of that gulf which feparates you from an eternal world, but, above all, when you appear before God in an unembodied flate? It is my duty to set this before you with plainness and fidelity; it is your prefent privilege, that you hear the things that belong to your everlafting peace. May God himfelf write them upon your hearts, and conftrain you to flee, by faith, to the blood of fprinkling, which speaketh better things than the blood of Abel. 2dly. Let me alfo befeech every serious perfon, who now hears me, to confider how far he hath finned against God and his own comfort, by forgetting the goodness of God, both in common and fpecial mercies. It is furprifing to think how little we make confcience of this duty, and even when it is remembered in fome measure, in what a lifeless, heartless manner it is performed. How little proportion is there between the prayers of diftrefs, and the fongs of deliverance? how little fenfe upon our minds of the many gracious interpofitions of divine Provi dence in our favor? If he hath invited us to communion with himself; if he hath brought us into the fecret chambers, and made his banner over us to be love, how foon is it forgotten? how little defire of its continuance? what faint endeavors to recover it? how little concern to improve it? Strange, indeed, that fome, after tafting of the heavenly manna, fhould feel fo unfeemly a longing after the flesh-pots of Egypt. But do you not fin as much against interest and comfort, as your duty? To forget a mercy, is to lofe it; to give thanks for it, is to preferve and increase it. It is a very common mistake for serious perfons to fit brooding over their forrows, and, by that means, at once, to increase their sufferings, and to prevent their deliverance. I do not know a more useful direction to melancholy or dejected Chriftians, than by a deliberate effort of mind, from a fenfe of duty, to recollect, and give praise to God for the many mercies which he hath beftowed on them. This may be a happy mean of filencing their complaints, of turning the tide of their affections, and giving them "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the "garment of praife for the fpirit of heavinefs." Is not thankfulness the improvement of mercies? and hath not God faid, to him that "hath fhall be given, and he shall "have more abundantly; and from him that hath not "fhall be taken away even that which he feemeth to "have." 3dly, I fhall conclude, with offering the three following directions to those who are truly fenfible of the goodness of God. 1. Be circumfpect and watchful; though a thankful frame of spirit is of great advantage, both for your fanctification and peace, yet it is not out of the reach of temptation; let it not produce pride, fecurity or felf-fufficiency. It is an excellent direction given by the Pfalmift to men in high station and profperity, Pfalm ii. 11, "Serve the "Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." Take heed alfo, left it degenerate into carnal and fenfual joy, making you reft with complacency in the creature, instead of being led by it to place your delight and happiness in the unchangeable Creator. 2. Be public-fpirited and ufeful; if the Lord hath dealt bountifully with you, commend his fervice, and fpeak to his praife. This was often the refolution and practice of the Pfalmift David, Pfalm lxvi. 16. "Come "and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what " he hath done for my foul." Pfal. cxlv, 5, 6, 7. “I will "fpeak of the glorious honor of thy majefty, and of thy VOL. II. R |