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tentions and our profpects, let us remember that God is the Mafter, that we are the fervants; that we are nothing, that God is every thing. He fitteth in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all. He lifteth up, and he cafteth down: the difpofal of the lot is with Him and in his hands are the iffues of life and death. He is the God of all power. To Him we ought in all things cheerfully to fubmit ourselves. For what can Man dó against Him? What can man do without Him? How fhall any plan take effect but by his fupport? How fhall any plan fail, if it be fupported by Omnipotence? He is the God of all wifdom. Man is loft in ignorance. He knows not what objects to purfue. He knows not what measures will contribute to the fuccefs of his purfuit. How shall he choose aright? How fhall he direct his steps aright? By committing himself to his Maker. Set your affections on thofe objects, which God in his holy word points out as alone worthy of a Chriftian's regard. Pursue them on thofe principles, and by those methods, which the fame holy word enjoins as alone lawful to a Chriftian. Then will the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Wisdom, maintain you under his unerring guidance. God is the God of all goodness. It is he who of his own free bounty

has

has bestowed upon you life, and all its blef fings. What good gift is there, which he is not ready to bestow upon you?

of

He who fpared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all: bow shall be not with Him alfo freely give us all things (j)? Will you not trust your interefts, prefent and future, in the hands of your Creator, your Preferver, your Redeemer? Let his power, his wifdom, his love be your confidence. Let his pleasure be your delight. When you meditate upon any defign; let it be the language not merely your lips, but of your heart, "If the Lord will, my purpose will be established." Entertain not a wifh that it fhould be accomplifhed, unless it be wholly conformable to the will of God. Commit thy way unto the Lord, and be fall bring it to pass (k); if it be for thy good that it fhould be brought to pafs. Or if he forefees that its accomplishment would not be for thine advantage; he fhall provide for thee real bleffings in the place of that imaginary good, that actual evil, which thou hadst ignorantly chofen for thyself.

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IV. The apoftle proceeds to admonish us, that the prefumption with which men look forward to the accomplishment of diftant (j) Rom. viii. 32. (4) Plalm xxxvii. 5.

plans

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plans as to certain events, prefumption which he had already fhewn to be the height of folly, is equally to be ftigmatifed as guilt. But now ye rejoice in your boaftings: all fuch rejoicing is evil. The prefumptuous men, to whom his epiftle was in the first instance addreffed, prided themselves in their self-dependence; and openly took pleasure and triumphed in their vain-glorious boastings, Well would it have been for the Chriftian world, if the spirit of those vaunters had died with them! Well is it for yourselves, if no portion of it has defcended unto you! Every degree, even the fmalleft degree, of fuch triumph, of fuch confidence, is fin. what is it, but to exalt man against his Maker; to gratify human arrogance at the expence of the glory of God? Is it not. fin to refuse unequivocally to fubmit yourself to the government of infinite power: of that infinite power which moulded you out of nothing, and conferred upon you thofe very faculties which you are employing as inftruments of disobedience? Is it not fin to refuse to refign yourself to the direction of infinite wisdom: of that infinite wisdom which has unceasingly displayed itself in providing for your welfare; and has devised for your deliverance from fin and death eternal, a plan of redemption fo ftupendous

For

as

as to fill the hofts of heaven with admiration and amazement? Is it not fin to refuse joyfully to acquiefce in the determinations of infinite goodness of that infinite goodness which is every moment miniftering to your comfort; which drew down the Son of the Moft High from the bofom of the Father, to die for you, while you were yet enemies, that He might reconcile you to God by His blood? Where is rebellion, where is pride, where is ingratitude, if not here? Where is your faith in God, if you hesitate unrefervedly to confide in Him? Where is your reverence for Him, if you fcruple any token of obedience? Where is your humility, if you abase not your own judgement before His counfels? Where is your resignation, if you furrender not all your wishes to His choice? Where is your patience, if you are not content to await His pleasure ? Where is your fortitude, if you shrink from bearing the abfence of that which He fees fit to withhold, the lofs of that which He fees fit to take away? Where is your love for Chrift, if you decline any fubmiffion, any facrifice, for His fake? Where is the fpirit of a Christian, if you daringly form plans, or boaftfully proclaim them, as though you were independent of God? Where is the imitation of your Lord,

Lord, if you refuse to pray, like Him, in the fincerity of your foul; Father! Not my will but thine be done?

V. The inspired penman, having thus fet forth the proneness of men presumptuously to promise to themselves the fuccefs of diftant schemes and undertakings, the folly and the finfulness of such conduct, and the submissive and pious temper of mind with which the plans and purposes of a Chriftian must be accompanied; concludes the fubject with a most important admonition. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to bim it is fin. The knowledge of our duty, fince the Giver of good gifts offers to all men ability to perform that which they know him to require, takes away all pretences for not performing it, and leaves us without excufe. If I had not come and spoken unto them, faid Chrift, they had not had fin: but now they have no cloke for their fin. If ye were blind; if you had not the natural capacity of understanding your duty, or if you had never poffeffed the means of afcertaining the will of God; ye fhould have no fin. But now ye fay, We fee: therefore your fin remaineth (1). Ignorance, not if it be wilful, but if it be un

(7) John, ix. 41. xv. 22.

avoidable,

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