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before him. But, when we have presented ourselves to him a living sacrifice," there is not any service which we can offer, which will not be pleasing in his sight. Let us then abound in every good work, and seek to "be filled with all the fruits of righteousness, which are, by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." The duties of the closet demand our attention in the first place: for, if they be neglected, nothing can go well: the soul will be left to its own resources, and will of necessity fall a prey to sin and Satan. Then come the duties of our place and station, whether in social or civil life. To neglect these, is to sin grievously against God, and to bring great disgrace upon religion. Every person in the family has his proper office, which he is bound to fill, not from necessity only, but for the honour of his God. Whilst the head of it is prosecuting his proper business, the mistress is to be superintending the concerns of her family; and, whether occupied with her children or domestics, is to be discharging her duties with care and diligence; whilst the servants, each in

proper place, are to be executing their part with fidelity. and zeal. The time that can be spared from these more appropriate avocations may well be devoted to the service of the public, in any line that may be thought most conducive to the welfare of mankind. But it is possible for men to be so engaged in cultivating the vineyards of others as to neglect their own. And this, in the present day especially, when so much time is consecrated to the maintenance of religious or benevolent societies, is a danger to which many are exposed. Care must be taken, that none who are entitled to our services be neglected; and that, whilst some rejoice in what we do, none have reason to complain of what we leave undone. The public assemblies, too, must not be neglected: they are the appointed means of honouring God, and of bringing his blessing on our own souls. In a word, our duties both to God and man are to be harmoniously and diligently performed: and it must be the labour of all, according to their respective abilities, to "abound in every good word and work."]

But, in whatever way our own efforts are directed, we must "put our trust in the Lord"—

[It is to his grace alone that we must be indebted for strength; to his mercy must we look for acceptance before him; and on his truth and faithfulness must we rely for our ultimate reward.

Of ourselves we can do nothing. In vain will be all our efforts to escape from sin, or to fulfil our duty, if God do not "strengthen us with might by his Spirit in our inward man.'

c Rom. xii. 1.

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We must look to God to “work all our works in us:" "all our fresh springs must be in him." To rely simply on God is the only way of being really strong; as the Apostle says, " When I am weak, then am I strong;" and the more entire our reliance is on him, the more will his strength be perfected in our weakness.

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At the same time, we must bear in mind how exceedingly defective our best services are; and must renounce all hope in "our own righteousness, as being in itself no better than filthy rags." If St. Paul, with all his transcendent excellencies, "desired to be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness, but that which is of God by faith in Christ,' much more must we do so, whose righteousness falls so far short of his. Our constant and grateful acknowledgment must be, "In the Lord have I righteousness and strength." Yes; "in the Lord must all the seed of Israel be justified, and in him alone must they glory."

Yet we must not imagine that our services shall go unrewarded for, though our works shall not go before us to heaven, to supersede the office of a Saviour," they shall follow us, to attest our love to him, and shall be acknowledged by him as worthy of a gracious recompence." Not even a cup of cold water given to one of his disciples shall lose its reward. God would even consider himself as "unrighteous, if he were to forget our works and labours of love, which we have shewed towards his name." Be assured, therefore, that he will bring forth, at the last day, whatever you have done for him, and will both applaud and recompense it before the assembled universe.

Here, then, you have abundant encouragement to exercise yourselves with all diligence in the preceding duties of fear and vigilance, of piety and affiance. And know, that the more you endeavour to approve yourselves to God, the more shall you be approved by him in the day of judgment.]

CCCCXCIX.

GOD'S FAVOUR THE ONLY SUBSTANTIAL GOOD.

Ps. iv. 6. There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us!

SELF-SUFFICIENCY pertains to God alone: he alone is not dependent on any other for his own happiness. The creature must of necessity be dependent, and must derive its happiness from some other source. The angels around the throne are blessed only in the

fruition of their God. Man, of course, is subject to the same necessity of seeking happiness in something extraneous to himself: and unhappily, through the blindness of his understanding, the perverseness of his will, and the corruptness of his affections, he seeks it in the creature rather than in the Creator. Hence the universal inquiry spoken of in our text, "Who will shew us any good?" But there are some whose minds are enlightened, and whose desires centre in their proper object; and who, in answer to the proposed inquiry, reply, "Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us!"

To illustrate the wisdom of their choice, we will consider more at large,

I. The world's inquiry

A desire of good being natural, it is of necessity universal

[From infancy to youth, from youth to manhood, from manhood to old age, the inquiry is continued, Who will shew us any good? who will shew us any thing wherein our minds may repose, and find the largest measure of satisfaction? Agreeably to this universal sentiment, all prosecute the same object, in the ways wherein they think themselves most likely to attain it. The merchant seeks it in his business, and hopes that in due time he shall find it in the acquisition of wealth. The soldier looks for it in the dangers and fatigues of war, and trusts that he shall find it in the laurels of victory, the acquisition of rank, and the applause of men. The traveller searches for it in foreign climes, in expectation that he shall possess it in an expansion of mind, and in those elegant acquirements, which shall render him the admiration of the circle in which he moves. The statesman conceives he shall find it in the possession of power, the exertion of influence, and the success of his plans. The philosopher imagines that it must surely be found in his diversified and laborious researches; whilst the devotee follows after it with confidence in cloistered seclusion, in religious contemplation, and in the observance of ceremonies of man's invention. Others pursue a widely different course. The voluptuary follows after his object in a way of sensual gratification, and in the unrestrained indulgence of all his appetites. The gamester affects rather the excitement of his feelings in another way; and hopes, that, in the exultation arising from successful hazard, and from sudden gain, he shall enjoy the happiness which his soul panteth after. The miser, on the

other hand, will neither risk, nor spend more than he can avoid; but seeks his good in an accumulation of riches, and a conceit that he possesses what shall abundantly suffice for the supply of all his future wants. We might pursue the subject through all the different departments of life; but sufficient has been said to shew, that all are inquiring after good. True indeed it is, that many seek their happiness in evil, as the drunkard, the robber, and all other transgressors of God's laws. But no man seeks evil as evil; he seeks it under the idea of good, and from the expectation that, circumstanced as he is, the thing which he does will, on the whole, most contribute to his happiness.]

This inquiry after good is in itself commendable, and proper to be indulged

[The brute creation are directed by instinct to things which are conducive to their welfare: but man must have his pursuits regulated by the wisdom and experience of others, to whom therefore he must look up for instruction. But it is much to be regretted that the generality inquire rather of the ignorant than of the well-instructed, and follow their passions rather than their reason. If men would but go to the Holy Scriptures, and take counsel of their God, they would soon have their views rectified, and their paths directed into the way of peace.]

To such inquiries we proceed to state,

II. The believer's answer

The believer's answer comes not from his head merely, but from his heart. There he has a fixed and rooted principle, which tells him, that happiness is to be found in God alone: so that, despising in comparison all other objects, he says, "Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me!" "In thy favour is life," and "thy loving-kindness is better to me than life itself."

That a sense of the Divine favour is the best and greatest good, will appear from the following considerations:

1. It gives a zest to all other good

[Let a man possess all that the world can bestow, the greatest opulence, the highest honours, the kindest friends, the dearest connexions, his happiness will after all be very contracted, if he have not also the light of God's countenance lifted up upon him. But let him be favoured with the Divine

presence, he will taste, not the comfort merely that is in the creature, but God's love in the creature. This will be like the sun shining on a beautiful prospect, every object of which receives a ten-fold beauty from his rays; whilst the spectator himself, revived with its cheering influence, has his enjoyment of them exceedingly enhanced. Here David, amidst all his elevation to dignity and power, found his happiness: and here alone, whatever else we may enjoy, can it be truly found".]

2. It supplies the place of all other good—

[Let a person be destitute, not only of the fore-mentioned comforts, but also of health, and liberty, and ease, yet will he, in the light of God's countenance, find all that his soul can desire. Behold Paul and Silas in prison, with their feet in the stocks, and their backs torn with scourges! Are they unhappy? No; they sing; they sing aloud at midnight: and what is it that thus enables them to rise above all the feelings of humanity? It is their sense of the Divine presence, and of his blessing upon their souls. And in like manner may the poorest and most destitute of all the human race exult, if only the love of God be shed abroad in his heart: he may adopt the language of St. Paul, and speak of himself "as having nothing, and yet possessing all things."]

3. It paves the way to all other good

[Earthly blessings may come alone: but the favour of God brings along with it every other blessing that God can bestow. Even earthly things, as far as they are needful," are added to those who seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness:" and we need scarcely say what peace, and joy, and love, and holiness in all its branches, are brought into the soul in communion with a reconciled God. We may confidently say with Paul," All things are yours, if ye are Christ's "."]

4. It will never cloy

[There is no earthly gratification which may not be enjoyed to satiety: but who was ever weary of the Divine presence? In whom did a sense of God's pardoning love ever excite disgust? A man "in a fulness of earthly sufficiency may be in straits:" and it not unfrequently happens, that the rich have less comfort in their abundance than the poor in their meaner and more scanty pittance. But "the blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and addeth no sorrow with it':" the man who

a Ps. xxi. 1—6.

b Ps. cxliv.; in the close of which, David corrects, as it were, what he had said in the two preceding verses.

c 2 Cor. vi. 10.

e Job xx. 22. Prov. xiv. 13.

d 1 Cor. iii. 21-23.

f Prov. x. 22.

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