bestow nothing but good upon them in time and eternity. Time, which is the measure of a creature's existence in this present state, is but a flux from the ocean of eternity; and when all things are accomplished for which the Lord gave birth to time, it will again be fwallowed up in the abyfs of eternity. What we call eternity, is a continued flux of time. an eternal fucceffion, that muft needs accompany creatures; for it is God only that gathers all time in one moment; and in his vaft being encircles it, and contracts all to one centre and moment. When JEHOVAH ftretched out the heavens, and laid the foundation of the earth, he had his people and their good in view. He appointed the time of their continuance in this prefent ftate, the parents from whom they should receive, under him, their natural being, the places where they fhould be born, the places of their abode, and each and every particular which fhould befall them from their birth, in the whole course of their lives, and every circumftance which fhould lead on to, and iffue in their death. And, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand, and the thoughts of his heart to all generations. My counfel, faith he, fhall fland, and I will do all my pleasure. His eternity, immutability, and omnifcience, as exercised and made manifeft to his people in a covenant way, are fupports to their faith. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations, says Moses, the man of God. Eternity and time, fays one, differ as the fea and rivers; the fea never changes place, and is always one water; but the rivers glide along, and are fwal lowed up in the fea; fo is time in eternity. When we fay God is eternal, we exclude from him all poffibility of beginning and ending, all flux and change; as the effence of God cannot be bounded by any place, fo it is not to be limited by any time: as it is his immensity to be every where, fo it is his eternity to be always. As he doth neceffarily exift, fo he doth neceffarily always exist. He knows all things by one intuitive comprehenfion, for his effence contains all perfections in itself; fo his understanding compre hends all things paft, prefent, and future. Hence, James fays, Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. And he, as Creator, is the fovereign Lord of all things, and hath an unlimited dominion over all flesh. What he is in himself, and of himself, as made known in his works, revealed in his word, exhibited in his covenant, and declared in his exceeding great and precious promises, lays a foundation for our faith and hope in him. For the Eternal Three, before all worlds, entered into an everlasting covenant, and are bound by an everlasting word of promife, paffed in that grand counsel and treaty, to fave the elect in Chrift with an everlasting falvation. It is one of God's high titles, that He keepeth truth for ever. He will ever be mindful of his covenant: he is therefore worthy of our highest confidence. We may well truft in him, the living God, who ever liveth to remember his people with everlasting kindness, to fulfil in them all the good pleasure of his will, to fupply them with all neceffary good, and to be to them a prefent help in every time Ee of trouble. Truft, fays Paul, in the living God, for all things for life, the continuance of it, for grace to improve it to his glory, to employ it in his fervice, and end it to his praife. He is the God of your life, the giver of it, the continuer of it. Natural, fpiritual, and eternal life, are of him, and from him. Believers taught to know that their spiritual life is of God, and who experience the almighty power and grace of God in continuing, carrying on, and ftrengthening them with fpiritual life in their fouls, may well cry out with David, to the God of their praife, faying, Which boldeth our foul in life. Truft in health, wealth, prefent enjoyments, in felf, friends, or any creature, is abfolutely forbidden in the word. The Lord only is to be trufted in, and relied upon. Truft ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting firength. We had the fentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raifeth the dead. We are exhorted in the Scripture to truft in the Lord at all times, under all circumftances, and for every thing: and there is a variety of promifes fuited to our various cafes, to encourage us to truft without doubt or wavering. And this brings me, fecondly, to exhibit the living God to your view, as the author, giver, and bestower of all good. God is a fountain, yea, he is an ever full and an ever flowing fountain of goodness to all his creatures. It is again and again affirmed of him in the word, that the Lord is good. Creation is an ema nation of divine goodness: all was good at and by creation. God's ends, purposes, and defigns, in form ing the heavens and the earth, the creatures in them and upon them, the fpecial and peculiar ranks among which they were claffed, and which they were to fill up, were all good, And God faw every thing which he had made, and behold, it was very good. There is nothing evil in the whole creation of God. It is fin that is the only evil, which is not of God, but arifes from the mutability of the creature. Yet, we may fafely fay, God's decree concerning the permiffion of its and the continuance of it in the moral world, and his predestination to damn fome finners eternally för it, are holy, juft, and good. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The goodness of God is largely manifefted in the covenant of grace, which is founded upon Christ, God's first elect; the promises of which exprefs the love of God's heart, the bowels of his mercy, and his never failing compaffion to his beloved children. In the 136th Pfalm, David goes over all the works of God in nature, providence, and grace, and ascribes them one by one to the mercy of God. In it he praifes JEHOVAH for that mercy which is over all his works of creation, providence, and redemption, and which is over his people to bless them for ever. The goodness of God is manifefted in every providential event, and in the mysterious economy hereof; in giving food to all flefh, and in fatisfying the defire of every living thing. Hence the Pfalmift fays, The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. But, in an especial manner, the peculiar care,'goodness, and loving-kindness of God, are difplayed towards his beloved children. To them he is all goodness; and he every moment beftows fome effects of it upon them, though they may overlook, and not perceive them. The everlasting, ever bleffed, and eternal trinity, prevents believers with the bleffings of goodnefs. The love of God, which is the fountain from whence all good flows, is a love which overflows all the fins, miferies, wants, and diftreffes of the children of the Moft High. The falvation of Jesus contains all good in it, and is immutably the fame. The Holy Ghoft, as the spirit of grace and confolation, ever remains in, and abides with, the called people of God; and by his gracious infpiration and divine influence, he turns our forrows into joy-our croffes and loffes into real bleffings. God gives himself to his people, and faith unto them, I am the Lord thy God. He who is God bleffed for ever, God felf-fufficient, and God all-fufficient, communicates himself in the gifts, fruits, and effects of his love, to his adopted children, whom he makes heirs of himself, and joint heirs with Chrift Jefus; and, as a fountain which can never be exhaufted, he pours forth his grace, love, mercy, and goodness in the utmost expreffions thereof; and all the mercies of his nature are expreffed and manifested in the falvation of his Son, and by his covenant of free grace, which is made known in his written word, expreffed in the declaration of his pardoning grace, confirmed by his immutable word of promife, and fealed by his inviolable oath; this gives us a view of his goodness, and by which we fee that God, even our God, hath bleffed, doth, and |