XVIII. hath clearly made known all that he requires SERMON of us in order to be accepted in his sight; and that not only he has revealed the rule of duty, but also hath pointed out to us in the gospel, the direct method of reconciliation with him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Providence hath condescended to become our instructor in this great article; hath taught us in what way our sins may be forgiven, our imperfect services be accepted, and an interest in the Divine grace be attained by means of our Redeemer. Inexcusable we must be, if all this offered grace we shall wantonly throw at our feet. In a world so full of vicissitudes and uncertainty, let us take pains to secure to ourselves one resting place; one habitation that cannot be moved. By piety and prayer, by faith, repentance, and a good life, let us seek the friendship of the Most High; so shall he who directeth the steps of man now, conduct our path in such a course as shall bring us in the end to himself. SERMON XIX. ON PRAYER. SERMON XIX. PSALM 1XV. 2. O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come! THE Supreme Being is represented un der many amiable characters in the sacred writings; as the Father of mercies, the God of love, the Author of every good and perfect gift. But there is no character which carries more comfort, or which renders God so properly the object of confidence and trust, as this, of his being the Hearer of Prayer. This view of the Almighty accommodates his perfections to our necessities and wants, and in our present frail and distressed state affords a con Unto SERMON stant refuge to which we can fly. Prayer is a duty essential to natural re- as XIX, SERMON as a duty incumbent on all, or as a privilege stance it is, that our duty and our privilege I. THE Nature of Prayer supposes, in the first place, that we have a just sense of our own wants and miseries, and of our dependence on God for relief. To be suitably impressed with this sense, we need only think what our present situation is. We live in a world, where every thing around us is dark and uncertain. When we look back on the past, we must remember that there we have met with much disappointment and vanity. When we look forward to the future, all is unknown. We are liable there to many dangers XIX. dangers which we cannot foresee; and to SERMON many which we foresee approaching, yet know not how to defend ourselves against them. We are often ignorant what course we can steer with safety; nay, so imperfect is our own wisdom, and so great the darkness which covers futurity, that while we imagine that we are in the road to pros perity, we are often rushing blindly into the most fatal evils.- Besides these contingencies of life, which make us feel so deeply the necessity of looking up to some more powerful Guide and Protector, there are other circumstances in our state which lead to reflections still more alarming We know that we are the subjects of a supreme righteous Governor, to whom we are accountable for our conduct. We were sent into this world by his appointment, and we are removed from it at his decree. How soon the call for our removal may be given, none of us know; but this we profess to believe, that upon our going hence we are to be brought into new and unknown habitations, suitable to our beha viour here. Who amongst us can say that he is perfectly ready to appear before his Creator VOL. V. D D |