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you power to become a child of God. As it is written, “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God."When God opened your eyes to fee the greatness of his power and glorious majefty, how was you ftruck dumb before him! How did you tremble, at the thought of the great day of his wrath!-And when you felt the ftroke of the almighty power of his grace, like the hammer breaking the hard rock in pieces, how fweetly did your heart yield in the humbleft fubmiffion before him! It was this divine change, which firft gave you a true fenfe of the loathfome evil of fin, and which laid a foundation in your foul for fuch ineffable and eternal joy in God. You are, therefore, wholly indebted to the mighty power of God, for this deliverance from the darkness of fin, and for all your rejoicing in the pure and foul-refreshing light of the gofpel.

vile I felt before God, as a finner dreadfully guilty, and unworthy of his notice! And yet, I felt unfpeakably happy in praifing him, as an holy and righteous God. The forrows of repentance were fweetly mingled in the cup of the most refreshing joys. When I think of all these things, and the fweet enjoyment I have fince found in waiting upon God in the private and public duties of religion, I cannot but think it strange, that I should have spent fo many years of my life, in a lamentable forgetfulness of God, infenfible of the great evil of fin, and a ftranger to the refreshing joys of religion. In all this, replied the clergyman, we may learn the greatnefs of divine power in the regeneration of the finner. "For thine is the kingdom, and the power." It is the power of God which delivers his chofen ones not only from penal evil; but from the fad corruption of moral evil. He redeems from captivity, breaks open the prifon doors, and anoints with the oil of joy, the humble mourners in Zion. He not only hath a kingdom to beftow; but power to bestow it upon whom he will, in fuch a divine manner, as to make the happy fubject cordially willing to receive it, and as readily to acknowledge the ever-years after obtaining a hope of lafting debt of gratitude, which is having experienced regeneration, due, in return. After admitting that I have lived fo long, in fuch the depravity of your own heart an high enjoyment of the prefence and your paft inattention to the of God and the fweet confola. duties of religion, the grand rea- tions of religion. While I feel Ion why you never, before, had my own imperfections, and my any proper fenfe of the great evil of continual need of divine help to fin, nor any knowledge of the foul-preferve me from innumerable fins, refreshing joys of religion is, be- I cannot be fufficiently thankful cause, till then, God never fet for the manner, in which I have his word home upon your heart hitherto been permitted to enjoy with power. That was to you the light of God's countenance, the happy day of his power. It and to reap continual pleafure in was then that he hopefully gave the fruitful fields of his holy king

How ftrange it is! faid Ro fetta, in the moft humble and unaffected manner, more than two

dom. I can truly fay, I do not feel any wearinefs in public worfhip, nor in any of the other duties of religion. Many people, once faid, wait a little while, and all this engagednefs in religion will be at an end. O! How little did they know of the power of religion! What strangers were they to its ever refreshing joys! If I know my own heart, I ftill hunger and thirst after righteoufnefs. I ftill love the gospel and ordinances of Chrift, and have the fame carnet defire, on the fabbath, to wait upon God in his houfe, for divine inftruction, as I then had. I feem to enjoy the happy feelings of David, where, he fays, "The Lord is my light, and my falvation; whom fhail I fear? The Lord is the frength of my life, of whom fhall I be afraid? One thing have I defired of the Lord, that will I feek after; that I may dwell in the houfe of the Lord, all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple." When I reflect upon my unworthinefs,--what I am and what I have been I feel wholundeferving of fuch great mercies. I cannot be fufficiently thankful for them. I feel my indebted nefs to the grace of God for all my fpiritual enjoyments.-Right, replied the clergyman. Man, left to himself, has nothing to glory in. What is man, that he fhould be clean, who drinketh iniquity like water? Behold, God putteth no truft in his faints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his fight. Were all the Chriftian's light, and comfort, and fpiritual rejoi cing wholly dependent on the perfection of his obedience, as the meritorious caufe, mifemble indeed, would he be in this life.

How imperfect are our best fervices! How many things have we done which we ought not to have done! How little, of what might have been done, have we done towards building up God's kingdom in the world! It will, therefore, always be a matter of admiration to every real Chriftian, when he ferioufly thinks of his own vilenefs and imperfection in holiness, to realize the daily mercies of God to his foul. The more careful he is to fearch the fcriptures, and to examine his own heart, in the matter, the more deeply will he be humbled before God-the more will he be convinced of his own unworthinefs, and that all the glory of his falvation from first to laft belongs to God. This view of things prepares a fallen creature understandingly and feelingly to make ufe of these very inftructive expreffions, in the prayer enjoined by our Lord, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever;" and to give his hearty confent to them, by faying, "Amen." So be it. Now, I feel and know this to be true by experience. Not only the kingdom, and the power, but the glory too is forever the Lord's, according to the fong of the pi-. ous pfalmifi, "Ye that fear the Lord, truft in the Lord: he is their help and their field. He will blefs them that fear the Lord, both fmall and great. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's fake."

ZEPHO.

Refellions on Job xiii. 15. "Though he flay me, yet will I tru in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him."

HE weaknefs and imperfec For, how many are our failings!tion of even eminent faints,

"He is God

will I trust in him.
only wife, holy, faithful and all-
fufficient; His government im-
mutably perfect, and univerfal.
However the clouds gather black-
nefs, and he may feem to come
forth against me as an enemy, and
my way be hedged up, yet, liv-
ing and dying, I will trust in him,
confiding in the end and iffue of
all for God's glory, and my own
beft good." Chap. xxiii. 8, 9,
10. "Behold, I go forward, but
he is not there; and backward,
but I cannot perceive him; on
the left hand, where he doth
work, but I cannot behold him;
he hideth himself on the right
hand, that I cannot fee him: but
he knoweth the way that I take :
when he hath tried me, I fhall
come forth as gold."

in this ftate of trial, are vifible in this venerable character. If in times of tribulation, any are ready to conclude there has been no forrow like their forrow, let them read attentively this book; which alfo vindicates the ways of God to man, in his moft rigorous dealings with us. Job's cafe was very fingular; the Lord had laid his hand heavy upon all he poffeffed. His earthly fubitance and children were taken away with a stroke. His own perfon was grievously afflicted-among his friends he had no comforter, not even the wife of his bofom. His three pretended friends infifted that the peculiar dealings of an holy God with Job, were an evidence of hypocrify; and that he did not deal thus with his own children. This was the point of difcuflion between Job and his friends. Verfe preceding, "Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? If in this life of probation, God afflicteth none fo greatly but the wicked, why is it thus with me? You would drive me to defperation; but why fhould I do thus? I have no war-I, in prayer, expoftulate with rant or reafon to conclude as you fuggeft, or to defpair of the mercy of God." The text for confideration follows; "Though he flay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him." There are two diftinct thoughts in this text, which, at first view, may feem to be contradictory; but if carefully examined and compared, may be reconciled, as the confiftent language of a child of God, greatly tried, but not wholly forfaken.

The first part of the text is highly expreffive of a right spirit; a fpirit of love to God, confidence in him, and of unreferved fubmiffion to him: Tho' be flay me, yet VOL. III. No. 2.

The fecond thought in the text is, but I will maintain mine own ways before him. The word tranflated maintain, might be rendered, reafon, or expoftulate; which I conceive to be the true import. The fenfe then will be, "Tho' I will truft in him, living and dying, yet, with humble fubmiffion, will

God. To his tribunal do I appeal, making full and free confeffion of the whole courfe of my life; what I have done amifs, I will freely confefs, and make fupplication to my judge for pardon. Were I confcious to myself that I am only an hypocrite, as my friends infinuate, I could not with freedom and confidence come near and plead with God. But he is my truft and falvation, and will appear for me; if not in this life, yet in another." This fenfe is jullified by the following context.

K

He alfo fhall be my falvation; for an hypocrite fhall not cone before him." verfes 21 to 23. "Withdraw thine hand far from

me;

and let not thy dread make me afraid, then call thou, and I will anfwer, or let me fpeak, and answer thou me. How many are mine iniquities and my fins? make me to know my tranfgreffion and my fin." See indeed all the fucceeding verfes of this, with the whole of the following chapter, in which the fame fpeech is continued. Chap. ix. 15. “Whom, tho' I were righteous, yet would I not anfwer, but I would make fupplication to my judge."

The text thus explained, admits of fome ufeful reflections. There is an uniformity in unreserved trust in and fubmiffion to God, and familiar expoftulation in prayer with him. Separate thefe, and there is a want of confiftency. To profefs confidence and fubmiffion to God, and yet live a prayerlefs life, is inconfiftent. It is not lefs fo, to pretend to pray unto God, and yet neither truft in him, nor properly fubmit to him. A time of great darkness and affliction, is a time of trial. At fuch a time, fome are ready to fay, "O, I could freely truft in God, if he would but manifeft the light of his countenance, and fmooth the rugged way before me. I could fubmit to God, if he would fpare this bofom friend, thefe children, This or that ontward comfort, or give me eafe and health of body." that is, if he would firft fuffer you to make your full choice, and gratify your inclination. Feeble truit! wretched fubmiffion! they deferve not the name. True confidence in God, and unreferved fubmiflion to him, are infeparable; then alfo, with a filial sweetness and freedom, may we plead with him in prayer, fpreading all our forrows before him, without complaining.

Such a truft and fubmiffion are

at all times our indifpenfible duty, even in times of the greatest trials. In no cafe in which we can ever be in this ftate, with the free exercise of reason, may we be excufed from the prevailing exercife of thefe graces. Surely a fpirit of real piety will thus dictate.

The expreffion, tho' he flay me, yet will I trust in him, implies that we freely continue in our entire confidence in God, and walk with him, although it coft all that is dear to us from the world, and even life itself. Heb. xi. 35.

"Not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better refurrection." The foul depends on God for the faithful performance of the divine promises, when all the avenues leading to it appear to be clofed up. Rom. iv. 18. "Who against hope, believed in hope." Thus Abraham fojourned in a strange land; and offered up his fon Ifaac, the heir of the promifes, believing him to be faithful who had promifed. Under the governing influence of this grace, the foul rejoices in God, under all trials, living and dying; leaving all with him, with this precious confolation, if it had no other, that God in all things will be glorified.

Surely, to them who love and confide in a holy and faithful God, it is a confolation that he governs the world-that he will do right --will bring good out of evilclouds and darkness may be round about him, yet juflice and judgment are the habitation of his throne. The end is fecure from

the beginning, and fhall be glori

ous.

Is not the glory of God incomparably the best end? Should it not be uniformly our highest end, and chief aim? Who can fo well determine how this great end fhall be in the beft manner anfwer

ed, in all things, as infinite wifdom? Wherefore then fhould any creature quarrel with the divine decrees? Why not rejoice, in the greatell conflicts, and the darkest times, that God governs the world.

| led by his fellow citizens to reprefent them in the general court of the Commonwealth; especially at times of difficulty and difcontent, when wisdom and difcretion were peculiarly needed. He was alfo a member of that honorable Convention in Massachusetts, who deliberately examined, and prudently adopted, the Federal Conftitution, which hath been productive of fo much profperity to our hap

The glory of God involves the greatest good. Happy, if the defire of our foul, and the tenor of our lives concentred in this, let what ever may be allotted for us, in the government of our heav-py country. enly father. The nearer we thus get to a fovereign, holy God, the better. Then, confiftently with humility, fubmiffion and truft, may we plead with God-with the freedom of filial prayer, expoftulate with him. Is not this the root of the matter? If fo, let our eye be on it continually, not only for perfonal and family, but general mercies, through Jefus Chrift-for Zion at home and abroad; encouraging ourselves in God. Thus waiting on the Lord continually, however great our trials in this militant ftate may be, internal and external forrows will not meet in full force, like two violent feas, and make horrid fhipwreck; we fhall be fupported, and reft on the rock of ages. CLIO.

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Whilft he was an apprentice to a trade, and hardly nineteen years of age, he was ftruck under conviction. It pleased the gracious fovereign to flop him in his career of youthful vanity and folly, for which he entertained as high a relifh as other youth. To get relief from his painful conviction, he practifed fecret prayer. But this expedient was ineffectual; for God was pleafed to increase his conviction. He had a feeling fenfe of the total depravity of the human heart; and of his enmity and oppofition to God and his moral government; though, at that time, thefe were fubjects, which he had never heard from the pulpit. This view of his own heart deftroyed all his hope, which had been raised and cherished, by his performance of religious duties. And he was made to fee that the

falvation of a finner is wholly of

free
grace; and to bow, in fub-
miffion, to the holy fovereign of
the univerfe ;-he was hopefully
converted; and, fhortly after,
made a public profeffion of reli-
gion, the fincerity of which hath
been fince evinced during a life
of fixty years.

He fuftained the office of Deacon, above twenty-three years; and fo difcharged its duties, as to acquire honor to himself, and to promote the edification of others.

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