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tual life, and his favour as manifefted to the foul, which animates it with a life of joy and comfort. From the context it appears, that David had the latter chiefly in view when he faid, In his favour is life.

Should it be asked," But whofe favour is here intended? I answer, the favour of Jehovah, the fountain of life. The favour of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; for these three are one. The benediction prescribed for the priests to pronounce, under the former difpenfation, is very remarkable, and may be thus paraphrafed. "The Lord, the Father and fountain of bleffings, the Preferver of his creatures, bless thee with spiritual bleffings, give thee grace and keep thee in his fear. The Lord Jefus Christ, the Sun of righteousness, irradiate thy foul with beams of gospel light and love, make his face to fhine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Spirit of the Lord, the Comforter of his people, give thee an affured intereft in the divine favour, and thus lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace! Even that peace which paffeth all understanding, that it may keep thy heart and mind through Chrift Jefus." See Numb. vi. 24, 25, 26. The New Teftament benediction anfwers to that of the Old, and ferves to explain it. "The grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and the love of God, and

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the communion of the Holy Ghoft be with you all." The works of the bleffed Three-One, are undivided. Hence creation is fometimes afcribed to the Son, fometimes redemption to the Father; and sanctification is fometimes reprefented as the work of the Father, and of the Son, as well as that of the Holy Ghoft. He whofe favour is here spoken of, is the one Jehovah.

It is neceffary, however, to observe, before we clofe this chapter, that the favour of God is manifefted to finners only through Jefus, the Mediator of the covenant. It is only in him that God is reconciled to us. He is the great propitiation, by whom full atonement was made for our offences, through which God is pacified, and fhews himself friendly and favourable to every one that believeth. "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed." This is not to be interpreted fimply of the perfon of Chrift, but of what he did and what he fuffered in the capacity of a Mediator and Redeemer. Through him God is reconciled, and to the praise of the glory of his grace, he hath made us accepted in the Beloved; that is to fay, in Jefus, the Son of his love. The ftreams of grace iffue out to finners fince the fall, through the channel of redeeming blood. The beams of divine favour which quicken the dead finner, and which enlighten, enliven, and

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rejoice the hearts of faints, fhine only in the face of Jefus Chrift. Men are, as finful, guilty and defiled, children of wrath, and deserving of deftruction. The kindness which is fhewn to them is free and undeserved. It is the love of God which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord.

་་་་ར*་པར་4་་ར་ར་་་

CHAP. III.

In what Refpects the Favour of God is Life.

HAVING made a few remarks concerning

the favour of God, and that life which is in it, we now proceed to confider, in what particular respects his favour may be termed our life. And we apprehend it may justly be faid to be the cause, the object, the rule, and the end of life to a good

man.

1. The favour of the Moft High is the cause of life. The apoftle James tells us, " that every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights." Every natural endowment and accomplishment is derived from his favour, and much more that grace which makes us alive to him. This is the blessed product of divine and diftinguishing love. In our natural eftate

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eftate we are dead in trespasses and sins, and if we are brought out of that dreadful condition, into a ftate of spiritual life, it is not owing to any thing in ourfelves, but to the favour of God. Thus the apoftle Paul taught the Ephefian converts, "God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in fins hath quickened us together with Chrift; by grace are ye faved." The important change so abfolutely neceffary to our present safety and final happiness, is effected by his power, in confequence of his abundant mercy. The comfort, peace and joy attendant on a new and spiritual life, are the fruits of divine favour. Grace and peace proceed from God the Father, and from the Lord Jefus Chrift: grace to constitute us chriftians, and peace to keep our fouls comfortable in that ftate. The Pfalmift fpeaking of the felicity of God's children, makes use of thefe animating words, "They fhall be abundantly fatisfied with the fatness of thy house, and thou shalt make them to drink of the river of thy pleasures; for with thee is the fountain of life." Pfal. xxxvi.

9. The term life, which is in the plural number in the Hebrew text, may denote, that God is the fountain of whatever may be denominated life; the life of nature, the life of grace, the life of comfort, of tranquillity, and of refined fatisfaction and

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delight. He in whose presence is fulness of joy, and at whofe right hand are pleafures for evermore, is the Fountain of all. In his favour is life.

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2. The favour of God is the object of life, as well as the cause of it. It is that to which a gracious foul looks for its felicity. The knowledge of God, as reconciled to us in Chrift Jefus, gives life to our hope, our peace and our joy. is life eternal, to know thee, the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft fent. It is the work of faith to view the complete atonement of the all-glorious Redeemer, and to believe that in him the Father is well pleased.

When faith presents the Saviour's death,
And whispers, "This is thine,"

Sweetly my rifing hours advance,

And peacefully decline.

While fuch my views, the radiant fun

Sheds a more sprightly ray,

Each object fmiles, all nature charms,
I fing my cares away.

It is on this ground, that a just man is said to live by faith. All his prefent life of comfort confifts in that which is apprehended by faith, the friendship and favour of God to him in Chrift Jefus. He therefore fays with the Pfalmift, " When thou hideft

thy

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