friend: we then in the fulness of the Spirit go to tell our joys to God. We tell him, he hath sent forth his Son to die for us; we tell him his Son, hath accomplished his purpose; we tell him, the Spirit hath applied these truths to our souls. We tell him we feel something of their influence; and desire continually to feel more. O for such an heart continually to unbosom oneself to God. This is indeed to have more peace and joy in believing.

3d. The Spirit was promised to shew them things to come. What is to come? Something more great than the queen of Sheba saw, when she was witness to the splendor, riches and wisdom of Solomon; and declared, "It was a true report that I "heard in mine own land, of thy acts, and of

thy wisdom. Howbeit, I believed not the words "until I came, and mine eyes had seen it; and "behold, the half was not told me, thy wisdom "and prosperity exceeded the fame which I heard,” 1 Kings x. 6, 7. So we in this our land, given us in God's Providence for a dwelling place, till he shall please to take us home, have heard through the gospel, the acts and the wisdom of Christ. It is a true report, but by nature we believed not; and thus continued till the Spirit led us by the hand, brought us to Christ, opened the eyes of our benighted, faithless minds, and enabled us to see the mysteries of his kingdom. And now we can cry with the queen of Sheba," Behold the half was not

"told us:" though God's people told us how Christ loved us; though his ministers often told us the sweetest truths; yet they made not half such impressions on our minds, as the touch of the Spirit hath made, nor came so happily home to suit our lost and ruined condition. We behold now the wisdom of Christ, we see how he prospers in his people; for whilst the world is tossed with cares, troubled with the stings of natural and unsanctified conscience, plunged into distress; we have a hiding place in the tempest and a covert from the storm. O for such joy and peace in believing. Lord we pray thee send it to thy people's souls, as thou lovest them, and hast chosen them in Christ Jesus.

6th. We may also pray in the name of Christ, for more submission to, or gratitude for our appointed lot.

"The lot, (says Solomon) is cast into the lap; "but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord," Prov. xvi. 33. Now we are passive in the reception of blessings seeing they are cast into the lap, which implies first, That they are not ours till cast into our lap, and 2d. That we cannot reject them without slighting the giver. Now in regard to the first, What blessings allotted to us are ours before we receive them? Ours they may be it is true, as marked out for us in the decrees of God's providential counsels; but not ours in possession, till we actually receive them. Now gratitude presupposes a favor: for though a promise of thankfulness, may go be

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not belong to any covenant of works; consequently 3d. They were not promised to Adam in case of obedience: which may be seen, 4thly. By observ ing, that though without them, man could not continue in original uprightness, and if he did not so continue, he was threatened with the pains of hell for ever; yet still God was not pleased to grant them but suffering all mankind to fall in their head Adam, was pleased afterwards to give them freely to those whom he had chosen in Christ Jesus. But on these I cannot here stop to enlarge. Now if in Providence we possess blessings of which we are utterly unworthy, what reason for gratitude in our appointed lot; further, if in a way of grace, we receive as free gifts, pardon of sins, justification by the righteousness of Christ and the merits of his blood, adoption into his family by the election of grace, manifestation of God's everlasting love to us through the witness of the Spirit, peace in our conscience here through believing, and a hope of endless joy at God's hand, to be assuredly given us in due time, notwithstanding all unworthiness; Oh! what calls for gratitude are these. Our lot is appointed in providence; and so it is in grace: for "Known unto God are all his works "from the beginning," Acts xv. 18. But if our blessings are appointed of God, so are our trial and temptations fixed of him.

And as these are sorely unwelcome to flesh and blood, so it is needful not only that we pray for

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fore the receipt of a favor, yet thankfulness itself is not called into exercise, till the favor is by the donor made our own. Now life is given of God and we thank him for it. But we cannot thank him for it before it is given, neither in a temporal, nor yet in a spiritual sense. Gratitude and submission are but two parts of the same principle; for they both equally suppose a sense of unworthiAnd herein is the difference between a gift and a purchase: a purchase whether made by money, or by bartering one commodity for another, supposes equivalence of merit. My pound buys what is worth a pound, as on the other hand what is. worth a pound, buys my pound; for money is but merchandize, concentrated into a medium of general usefulness. But a gift supposes nothing given for what is received; or something given freely, on no condition of any thing to be received.

Now God hath given freely to man without an equivalent value, either paid before or to be paid after; except the price of Christ's blood, which hath nothing to do with the merit or condition of the creatures; for his gifts are above all price. The bounties of Providence are more than we deserve, seeing man is fallen, and hath lost his title to life, with all its blessings; the blessings of grace also are free gifts, and such as man in a state of Eden-innocence, had no right to ask of God; for, 1st. They did not belong to his nature-state; 2d. They did