you in the wilderness, and made your cup to run over? Have there not been seasons, in which, under a lively sense of His love to your soul, and of His care for your interest, you have, as it were, involuntarily exclaimed, "The Lord is my Shepherd, therefore I shall not want. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever?" And have not the joys, which at such seasons you have experienced, amply compensated for all your trials and sufferings in the service of Christ? O think then, what Heaven must be, where all these joys will be increased and multiplied a thousand fold: where the Lord will for ever cause all His goodness, and all His glory to shine upon you: where, instead of being occasionally led to the springs of water, you will be admitted to the inexhaustible fountains of love and joy, and will drink, without interruption, of those rivers of pleasure, which are at God's right hand, for evermore. Look forward with hope to the heavenly Canaan, that land of perpetual rest and peace; and, in the mean time, receive with thankfulness, and expect with confidence, those blessed spiritual foretastes, which the Lord vouchsafes to His favoured people, the sheep of His pasture, on earth. Hereafter He will take them to enter into His joy, and see His glory: but here He will give them Provision, Protection, and Refreshment by the way. "They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them: for He that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall He guide them." Such is the exposition, imperfect indeed, and greatly defective, which I have endea voured to give, of this most comprehensive and consolatory passage. And why have I endeavoured to give it? Have I done it, with the view of encouraging the Lord's people to presumption and sloth, of tempting them to remit their exertions, their watchfulness, their prayers? Far otherwise, my Brethren, is my design; and far otherwise I hope will be the effect. My object, indeed, is to comfort the hearts, and to make glad the souls of the righteous, by setting before them the loving-kindness of the Lord, by unfolding unto them His most gracious promises, and by reminding them of the provision, and protection, and refreshment, which He, who has mercy on them, will surely vouchsafe to them by the way in which he is leading them. But let them also remember, that this way is the way of duty; the way of holy and humble obedience; the way of faith, of prayer, of patient continuance in well doing. In no other way can they hope for the accomplishment of His purposes, for the exercise of His mercy towards them. They are His sheep, to whom the promise in the text is given; and none but those who are His sheep, who bear the marks, and exhibit the character, and partake the dispositions of His flock, can have any interest in it. And are his sheep presumptuous? Are they slothful, and unwatchful, and negligent of their duty, and disobedient to his word? No. They may, at times indeed, inadvertently wander from his fold; they may occasionally be surprised into sin; but they do not habitually and presumptuously offend. They hear the Shepherd's voice; they know Him, and they follow Him. And all such, instead of being induced, by the exhibition of his promises, to tempt Him and displease Him, will be stirred up to more diligent exertions, to a more exemplary conduct. My Brethren, because the Lord is good, will you sin against Him? Because He has mercy on you, and provides for, and protects and refreshes you, will you presume on His mercy, and deliberately offend Him? I am sure, if you are His people, you will not. I am sure you will abhor so base, so ungenerous a return, for all His goodness to you. You will rather say, "I will love the Lord, because He hath dealt so bountifully with me." But, can I hope thus of all? Can I dare to hope that all here present, have a real interest in these promises? Alas! there is no congregation on earth, of whom such a hope can be entertained. I cannot, therefore, conclude this subject, without saying one word to those, who have, it is to be feared, as yet, no interest in the promises in the text: who, far from being the Redeemed of the Lord, and provided for, protected and refreshed by Him, are still as sheep, widely and wilfully going astray; still miserable captives to Sin and Satan; still groaning under Egyptian bondage, serving a hard master, whose only wages is death, and treasuring up for themselves nothing but wrath, against the day of wrath. I mean the irreligious and ungodly, the worldly and profane; all, who fear man more than God; all, who serve sin instead of Christ; all, who love the creature more than the Creator. My Brethren, how long will ye continue thus? Shall not the time past suffice you, to have lived to the flesh and the world; to have been destroying your own souls, and despising and resisting the offers of salvation? Ó, may the Spirit of God fix deeply in your heart an arrow of conviction, which no art or power of yours may be able to extract ! May the thoughts of your guilt and folly, in |