aging all his affairs, and equally defigning his welfare when it gives, or when it withholds. For there is of ten a great difference between what is pleasing, and what is profitable. Hence the apostle tells us, “No "chaftening for the prefent feemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteoufnefs, unto them which "are exercised thereby." And David could fay, " it "is GOOD for me that I have been afflicted." If health, if honour, if riches will be good for us, they are secured; if indigence, if obfcurity, if ficknefs will conduce to our advantage, they will not be denied; for "no good thing" will He withhold. Of all this He is the infallible Jugde; let us then drop not only our murmuring, but our anxiety; let us " caft all our care upon "Him who careth for us;" let us be fatisfied that "all things work together for good to them that love "God ;" and ever remember the word upon which He has caufed us to hope-"The young lions may lack "and fuffer hunger; but they that feek the Lord' fhall .. not want ANY GOOD THING." And,

IV. Whom does God regard in all thefe exceeding great and precious promifes? "THEM THAT WALK "UPRIGHTLY." While by this fingle expreffion, David takes down the confidence of the prefumptuous, he encourages the hope of the real chriftian, who under all the imperfections which make him. groan, knows that his defire is to the Lord, "and to the re"membrance of his name." For the character is not finless; he has "not attained," he "is not already "perfect;""but this one thing" he does, "forgetting

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"thofe things which are behind, and reaching forth "unto thofe things which are before," he " preffes to"ward the mark for the prize of his high calling of "God in Christ Jefus." He is "an Ifraelite indeed, in "whom is no guile." His fincerity may be viewed in reference to himself; to others; and to God.

He walks uprightly with regard to himself; in all his dealings with his own foul he guards against self-deception and flattery; he dreads a falfe peace; he wishes to free his mind from every bias in his own favour, and to furvey impartially his ftate and his character. He does not shut his eyes against the evidence of offenfive truth; nor hold back, or divert his understanding from those inquiries which may issue in mortifying and painful convictions. He comes to the light; he sufpects, and examines himself; he reads, and compares, and judges himself again; again he investigates himfelf, and kneels, and prays, "Search me, O God, and "know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: "and fee if there be any wicked way in me; and lead "me in the way everlasting."

He walks uprightly with regard to God. It is an awful confideration, that "with him we have to do” in all our religious exercises. In finging we profess to praise him; in prayer we profefs to feek him; in hearing his word we profefs to obey him; and "God is

not mocked." He diftinguishes between appearance and reality. And in the chriftian indeed, there is fomething more than pretence; he does not "draw "nigh to God with his mouth, and honour him with "his lips, while his heart is far from him." He worfhips God in "fpirit and in truth." His external fer

vice arifes from inward principle. Hence he makes confcience of private duties; he is the fame in his family, as in the temple; he is the fame in profperity, as in adversity. The simple and pure regard which he has to the will and the glory of God, keeps him from partiality in religion; there is no fin which he cherishes there is no duty which he diflikes. He efteems all the divine precepts concerning all things to be right, and he hates every false way.

He walks uprightly with regard to mên; his tranfactions with his fellow-creatures are diftinguifhed by candour, opennefs, honefty, punctuality. His profeffions are the fure pledges of his defigns. What he promises, he performs. He does not confider his tongue as given him to deceive. He hates and abhors lying. He fhuns adulation; he gives not flattering titles to any. He does not fuffer fin upon his neighbour; "faithful are the wounds of" this "friend." He does not abound in ceremony; it is too deceitful an article for him to traffic with. He is not an actor on a stage; he is not a rotten fepulchre, over which ftands a white-wafhed tomb; he is what he appears to be.

Such is the character of the righteous; these are their privileges. "For the Lord God is a fun and "shield; the Lord will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk

uprightly." Hence we learn how exceedingly we are mistaken, if we view religion as unfriendly to our happiness. "Godliness is profitable unto all things, "having promise of the life that now is, and of that "which is to come." It is the "one thing needful;"

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and if we make light of it, whatever be the prize we purfue, we are "obferving lying vanities, and forfaking our own mercies."

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Hence we expoftulate. Can the fervice of fin, or the pursuits of the world, afford you advantages like thefe? Can earthly things even in their abundance, heal a wounded confcience, fuftain you under the troubles of life, take away the fting of death, and raise above the dread of eternity? What have they done for you already? You have tried their efficacy; are you happy? Why will you refufe a fresh propofal fanctioned by the experience of millions, and the fuccefs of all who have tried it?" Acquaint now thyfelf "with Him, and be at peace; thereby good fhall come "unto thee." "Have the workers of iniquity no "knowledge?" "Wherefore do ye fpend money for "that which is not bread; and your labour for that "which fatisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and “eat ye that which is good, and let your foul delight "itself in fatnefs." "Incline your ear, and come unto "me; hear, and your foul fhall live: and I will make "an everlasting covenant with you, even the fure "mercies of David."

We congratulate others. "All hail, ye highly fa"voured of the Lord." "Happy art thou, O Ifrael; "who is like unto thee, O people, faved by the Lord, "the fhield of thy help, and who is the fword of thy "excellency! and thine enemies fhall be found liars "unto thee, and thou fhalt tread upon their high places. "Blessed is the people that is in fuch a cafe! "yea, happy is that people whofe God is the Lord."

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“We have heard, O God, that thou haft a people

"upon earth distinguished by innumerable and inefti"mable privileges. We would not be fatisfied with "knowing and admiring their portion; weary of the "world which has yielded us nothing but vanity and "vexation of fpirit, we would feek our inheritance

among them that are fanctified by faith that is in "Chrift Jefus. We would take hold of the skirt of "him that is a Jew, saying, I will go with you, for I have heard that God is with you. I am a compan❝ion of all them that fear thee, of them that keep thy precepts. Look thou upon me, and be merciful "unto me, as thou ufeft to do unto thofe that love ઃઃ thy name. Remember me, O Lord, with the fa"your that thou bearest unto thy people; O vifit me "with thy falvation: that I may fee the good of thy "chofen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy na❝tion, that I may glory with thine inheritance." May God infpire us with these sentiments. Amen.

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