freely gives us all other things." Men may fancy themselves in good terms with God upon account of some moral qualifications of which they are possessed; and I greatly suspect, that many among us are ruined by this mistake: but I am not afraid to affirm, that no moral qualifications whatever can reconcile a sinner to God, or entitle him to plead any one promise from the beginning of the Bible to the end of it. The reason is plain: All the blessings promised in the gospel were purchased by Christ with the price of his own blood. To him they belong of right; for in regard of "his humbling himself, and becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, God hath highly exalted him," and "hath put all things under his feet, and hath given him to be head over all things to the church." Accordingly Christ himself says (Matth. xi. 27.) "All things are delivered unto me of my Father;" and (Matth. xxviii. 18.) “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Every good and perfect gift, therefore, must be conveyed to us through his hands; and it is not only a vain, but I may even call it an impious attempt, to address God immediately for those blessings which he hath already given to his Son, and committed to his disposal as King of Zion, for the behoof of his true and spiritual subjects. All the promises in Scripture must necessarily be explained in a consistency with this great fundamental truth: and when the persons to whom they are addressed are described by any moral qualification, such as righteousness, mercifulness, and the like, it must always be understood, that they are previously in a state of friendship with God; and that these qualifications are men. tioned, not as the terms of their acceptance with him, but only as the fruits and evidences of that faith which unites them to Christ, in whom all the promises are "Yea and Amen."

Would any then know, whether they may apply to themselves the gracious and comfortable promise in my text, they must first of all try their relation to Christ. If they are still unacquainted with this great and only Mediator between God and man; if they have never fled to him as their city of refuge, nor accepted of him as the "Lord their righteousness and their strength;" it is certain that they have no part nor lot in this matter. For nothing can be more express than those words of John the Baptist, (John iii. 36.) "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; but he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Whereas, on the other hand, if, from a deep conviction of your guilt and misery, you have cordially accepted the Lord Jesus Christ for all the purposes of a Saviour; if you can say without any known guile, that, renouncing all other grounds of confidence, you depend on him alone for pardon and peace, for grace and glory, and every good thing; if you have the evidence of your faith in Christ, and of your union to him, which arises from the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost on your tempers and your lives, determining you to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, and righteously, and godly in the world; then are you the friends of God, and may lawfully consider yourselves as the persons to whom he hath said, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." And, for your farther encouragement, I shall now go on to the

Third general head, and briefly suggest to you some of those grounds of assurance upon which you may confidently rely for the accomplishment of this promise, Cousider, then,

1st, Who he is that hath said this. "He is not man, that he should lie, nor the son of man, that he should

repent." These are the words of God himself, who is incapable of deceit, and with whom "there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."-" He is the rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are judgment, a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he.”

"The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy upon thee." And is not the word, the promise of such a God, a sufficient ground of trust? Yea, he hath not only said it, but he hath also sworn it. "For God being willing more abundantly to show to the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, hath confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, they might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before them." And can our souls desire a better security? What can establish our faith, if this doth not establish it?

2dly. Believers in Christ Jesus are the children of God, adopted into his family, and beautified with his image: and this is another pledge of his gracious promise; for surely he will never abandon his own offspring. "Can a mother forget her sucking child," saith God, "that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, she may forget, yet will not I forget thee." The affection and tenderness of an earthly parent are but faint resemblances of God's paternal love. In him love is an infinite overflowing fountain of beneficence. And then his love is as permanent as it is extensive. He is always in one mind, and therefore can never leave nor forsake his people.

3dly. The constant intercession of our glorious HighPriest effectually secures the accomplishment of this

promise. By his death he obtained the Holy Spirit to dwell in his people, and to abide with them. This he intimated to his disciples, for their comfort and encouragement, when they were about to lose his bodily presence, (John xvi. 7.) "It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." And, in another place, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, even the Spirit of truth, who shall abide with you;"-who shall abide with you, and that not for a season only, but "for ever."

With what tenderness did he recommend them to his heavenly Father, in his last intercessory prayer upon earth, (John xvii. 11.) “ And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me." Is it possible, then, that God should forsake those for whom his well-beloved Son pleads with such earnestness and affection? Especially if it be considered, in the

4th and last place, That his own glory is interested in the accomplishment of this gracious promise. I mean that glory which consists in making effectual the purposes of his grace towards those whom he hath chosen out of the world. For were he to leave or forsake his people, they must fall a prey to their spiritual enemies, and yield to the adversary of God and man, that triumph which he hath sought from the beginning. That apostate spirit never deserts his purpose of ensnaring and destroying the souls of men. He is ever on the watch to seize them in a defenceless moment; so that were God to leave them without his protection, they would fall easy victims to his artifices. And will he suffer his purposes thus to be baffled by his declared foe? It can

not be; and therefore he never will leave nor forsake his

people.

I shall now conclude this discourse with a short prac tical improvement, addressed to two different classes of people. And the

you

1st Sort of persons to whom I will address myself, are those who are yet in a state of alienation from God. It is possible, that at present you may not see the va lue of this promise which I have been unfolding. You have never, perhaps, been sensible of the vanity of earthly enjoyments; or if you have been weary of some of them, you promise yourselves a permanent satisfaction in others. Alas! this is a delusive expectation; for happiness never can be extracted from the creatures. God hath pronounced an irreversible decree of vanity upon them all. Ye are therefore pursuing what will for ever flee from you;-ye are feeding upon mere husks, which can neither nourish nor satisfy you. But though you should even be contented with this poor and empty portion, yet you cannot always enjoy it; for what will do when every earthly prop is tottering and ready to sink under you? What will ye do at that period, when neither riches, nor power, nor friends, nor any thing that this world affords, will be able to give you the least relief? Let me therefore entreat you speedily to seek the favour of that God who is the only adequate portion of an immortal soul. Listen to that kind expostulation and advice, (Isa. lv. 2, 3.) "Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your souls shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." But I now address myself, in the