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communion with Chrift, will evidence himself to be their God and guide even unto death. As the Father, from everlasting, gave all his chofen ones into the hands of Chrift, and committed them, with all their temporal, fpiritual, and eternal concerns to him; fo, according to the economy of the covenant, they are all guarded. and preferved by the Holy Spirit, fafely through time to eternity. He is the author of their spiritual birth, their divine enftru&tor, teacher, and guide; and he is all-fufficient for them, in them, and upon them, for he dwelleth in them, and fhall be with them for ever. It is impoffible for us to conceive fully, or to take in comprehenfively, the love wherewith our heavenly Father loved us, and how he doth continually exercise his divine, watchful providence over us. Believers do not eye providence fo minutely as they should. When they contemplate it, it is generally as the providence of God, as the Creator and Saviour, or preferver, of all men. Too feldont do we view Chrift the Mediator, as he who executes all providential difpenfations, and that they all work in fubferviency to the purposes of his mediatorial grace, and for the benefit of his beloved ones. Sirs, the times are gloomy, bad, and diftreffing; and, if I mistake not, they will be worfe and worse. You perplexities, uncommon difficulties, and heavy preffures; but a child of God is well guarded, and will be properly defended. If you and I can, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, mix faith with each word and every part of our text, we are then properly prepared for changing providences and trying events. I will, faith the Lord, guide thee with mine eye. And we

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may then, without reserve, caft all our cares upon the Lord. Let the times, the circumftances, the changes, and the providential difpenfations of God, be with us what they may, he cannot take any thing from us which is worth enjoying; and he will fanctify afflictions to us, and make them bleffings in difguife. He will be as a wall of fire round about his people, to defend and fecure them, and their glory in the midst of them. It is good to have an enlightened fanctified view of God's dealings with us. Were we more observant of these things, we should find fresh matter continually for prayer and praife, which would improve and increase our faith. Such of the Lord's people, as fee moft of the Lord in his providence, and view it in the mirror of promife, making spiritual improvement upon it for their own benefit, comfort, and joy, have a continual feast. They plainly fee, that all is agreeable to the everlafting covenant, which is ordered in all things and fure. That the whole is managed as though they, in their own individua! perfons, were the only ones who were to be guarded and defended. That under and amidst all dispensation, God is always mindful of his covenant; the rainbow of which round about the throne, encircling it, serves to be a conftant memorial, that all God's difpenfations are confiftent with his everlasting mercy to us, which knows no change nor decay. He remembers us with everlasting kindness. A believer, upon a view of God's peculiar care and providence, exercifed continually towards him, is fometimes ftruck with holy admiration and praise. He finds God's eye is upon him indeed, that it is as though the whole world was overlooked, and

he the peculiar object and subject of the Lord's notice, care, and guidance. He is their guardian and guide, and makes good his most true and faithful promise, recorded by Isaiah, as directed to the church→→ The Lord fball guide thee continually. I think by taking the marginal reading, and adding it to the text, we fhall receive more light into this fubject, which respects the guardian care of God, and fhews how he acts molt graciously unto his people.-I will guide thee, I will counsel thee, mine eye shall be upon thee. The Lord guides his people, and counfels them; he fhews the way in which they fhould walk; and in their walking with him, gives them fuch counfel as is neceffary and profitable to them. And it would be well for them, if, in all their difficulties, they did continually look to him for counsel and direction, by confulting his word, and feeking him in prayer and spiritual meditation. We should never fail in any thing, if we went to the Lord for counfel, and gave up ourfelves fully to obferve it. There are fome peculiar cafes, which befall the people of God, in which none can counsel with fafety and profit but himself. Indeed, it is our misery that we act any thing, be it ever fo trivial, without prayer, and going to the Lord for his advice and direction. It is because it is not our cuftom thus to deal with God about the meaneft and leaft concerns, that we are not always fpiritual. Did we honour the Lord by making continual use of him, and interesting him in all our business, concerns, converfes with men and friends, we fhould find his prefence and grace fanctify the common concerns of the

houfe, family, fhop, and employment to us, and we fhould exercife as much faith, and have as real communion with him in thefe matters, as we have at his holy table. How fweet are these words, Mine eye fhall be upon thee. Mark it, believer, and you will find it to be true in your own cafe and experience; God's eye will be fixed with fuch particular attention on thee, that it will appear as though you only were the Lord's, and all his perfections were fingly and folely engaged for, and magnified in defending and fecuring you. And learn, in the view of difficult times and feasons of distress, to realize the promise here by faith. O, who can express what the bleffing is to have, and what bleffings belong to fuch as know the Lord for their God! To have the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift to be our God and Father in him! To have an eternal intereft in his love, his Son, his covenant, his promises which bind him to us, engage him to act for us, and put him upon displaying all his attributes, to fhew how they are all engaged for us! Thefe are bleffings indeed! That they be realized to us it is only neceffary that we lay afide our carnality and unbelief, and act up to our high calling and birthright, as the fons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty: believing the Lord of hosts is the God of his spiritual Ifrael, even a God to them. And we give him the glory of his Godhead, when we truft fimply and entirely in him, and make use of him as our heavenly Father, Shepherd, and Saviour. It is eafy thus to do, when in the light of the Holy Spirit we view ourselves one with Chrift, and fee ourfelves in him, entitled to all the bleffings of grace and

glory. Then we see there is no love in Christ's heart, but we are interested in; no mercy in his bowels, but we shall have our fhare of; no grace in his fulness, but it is for us ; no ftrength in his arm, but it shall be put forth for our defence. O that we may be enabled to receive the words of our text into our hearts by faith, and live upon them, maintaining the truths contained in them, in our own experience, looking up to the Lord the Spirit for his own light and energy to accompany them unto us! May all the grace, comfort, and good in them be yours in individual, evangelical experience. I leave you, and what hath been delivered, into the hands of the Holy Spirit, praying that the bleffing of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, may defcend and reft upon you now and for ever. Amen.

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