Though God is unchangeable in his nature, and not fubject to human paffions, yet, in condefcenfion to our infirmities, he is pleased to speak to us after the manner of men. He affures us, that his children, with all their imperfections, are dear to him. They are lovely and comely in his fight, through the comelinefs of Chrift which is put upon them. Their humiliations move him; their speech is pleasant to him; their prayers and cries are his delight; just as parents take pleasure in their children, who are images of themselves, particularly when they begin to talk, to lisp out their fathers' names, and, in broken language, to exprefs their wants and their defires. The little actions of children, though full of fimplicity and weakness, are pleafing to their parents; fo are the imperfect motions of gracious affections to our heavenly Father. His bowels are troubled for them, and yearn towards them, when they are pouring out the tears of penitence before him, and mourning over their own follies. Job was regarded with peculiar approbation and favour, at the very time when he cried out, "Behold, I am vile;" when he abhorred himself in the fight of his Maker, and repented in duft and afhes before him. The Lord faid to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against

thy

thy two friends;-my fervant Job fhall pray for you, for him will I accept."

Shame, confufion of face, and felf-loathing are both fruits and evidences of God's favour. "That thou mayeft remember and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou haft done, faith

the Lord God. I will accept you with your sweet favour, when I bring you out from the people; and ye shall remember your ways and all your doings wherein ye have been defiled; and ye fhall loathe yourselves in your own fight." May not the defponding reader take encouragement from fuch paffages as these? Is it not evident that God's kindness is then moft peculiarly excited towards a poor finner, when he is moft out of love with himfelf, and most vile in his own eyes? Have not the best of men in God's account, often thought themfelves the worft? This to fome may feem very myfterious. It is a paradox which divine revelation alone can explain.

But perhaps fome one may be ready to ask farther, • How can I be interested in the divine favour who have not the comfort of it, but have been, for a long time, beclouded with darkness, and overwhelmed with trouble and sorrow? Even to-day is my complaint bitter; my ftroke is heavier

than

......44.

than my groaning. Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him; on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot fee him. Oh that I knew where I might find him!'

You ought, my dear friend, to keep in mind the neceffary diftinction we have before made, between the favour of God, as it is in itself, and that fenfible enjoyment of it which you now seem to want. We fometimes find the man after God's own heart expreffing himself in such language as this, “How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? For ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my foul, having forrow in my heart daily? Confider and hear me, O Lord my God; lighten mine eyes, left I fleep the fleep of death." Salvation may be experienced in its reality where the joy of it is wanting. And hence the fame person thus prays, "Restore unto me the joy of thy falvation, that the bones which thou haft broken may rejoice." An earthly father may fometimes frown upon the child whom he dearly loves. Jofeph's affection for his brethren was fincere, at the very time that he spake fo roughly to them. The God of love and grace doth fometimes, for wife ends, fufpend the manifestations of

A fkilful

his favour from the heirs of falvation. physician prescribes to his patients, in fome cafes, fuch medicines as occafion pain and fickness, in order to remove those humours which might endanger the conftitution. His intention is not to kill, but to cure. The circumftances of God's children are often fuch as call for fatherly chastisements. He therefore fufpends his fmiles, or withdraws the comfortable sense of his love and favour, leaving them, for a time, in darkness and disquietude. When David thought his mountain flood so strong, that, in a fort of blameable fecurity, he concluded he should never be moved, he had presently reason to complain, "Thou hideft thy face, and I am troubled." Of ancient Ifrael the Lord faid, "For the iniquity of his covetousness' was I wroth and fmote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his own heart."

The Almighty may deal thus with the objects of his love, to rouse them from a ftate of fecurity; to fubdue pride, and make them humble; to wean them from the world, and excite in them more earnest longings after their heavenly reft; to teach them to put a higher value on his favour, and to quicken their diligence in seeking him; and, in a word, he deals thus with them, that they may learn

.~ 4.4.

learn to fympathize with others who may be tried

in the fame way.

Give not up, therefore, all hope of intereft in the divine favour, on account of your present difconfolate state. If you walk in darkness, and have no light, still trust in the name of the Lord, and ftay yourself upon his powerful arm, and unchanging love. Remember, you are yet exposed on the tempestuous fea of life, and have not reached the port of uninterrupted reft. Your fun may be under a cloud, and not fhine upon you, but he is ftill in the heavens. Carelefs finners have no folicitude about God's favour; it is fincere love alone that is attended with jealousy. Fits of fickness are incident to those who are alive, not to the dead. They who are dead in trefpaffes and fins never mourn under a fenfe of God's abfence.

Be of good courage, and he fhall ftrengthen your heart, that hope in the Lord.

you

But perhaps fome disquieted foul may say, How can I conclude that God looks upon me with an eye of favour, when I cannot bring my heart to love him, and delight in him, as his word requires me to do? Does not his love to finners kindle in their hearts a return of affection to him? Do not I hear the heirs of falvation saying, "We love him because he first loved us?”

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