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myfelf. O God, do thou eftablish, ftrengthen, and fettle me; for my foul depends on thee alone. If thou art my defence, I fhall not be greatly moved."

The promises of the divine word contain ample encouragement in this refpect. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; though he fall, he shall not be utterly caft down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. Surely, he fhall not be moved for ever. Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will ftrengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

3. Having confidered the cafe of a finner at his first conversion, and that of the returning backflider, I would now juft briefly obferve, that the child of God, under heavy and preffing affliction, ftands in need of the divine favour, and values it as life. The afflictions of the righteous are so many, and so various, that my reader will not expect me to enumerate them all; but let them be of what kind, or in what form foever they may, there is great need of that fupport under them which God alone can give. Suppofe the chriftian to be exereifed with poverty and outward straits, which indeed is no uncommon cafe, a sense of the divine

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ཉྩ..《རར་

favour will greatly fortify his mind under the trialsincident to fuch a ftate. It was once the faying of a gracious woman, " I have many times been richly fed by a suitable promise from God, when I have not had a morfel of meat in the house." Perhaps none have greater opportunities of knowing what it is to live by faith, than the godly poor, who have no flock in hand on which to depend. They may then peculiarly encourage themselves in the patronage of him who is the Lord of the universe, and fay with the Pfalmift, "I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor." It is comfortable and relieving in fuch a cafe to recollect, that he hath faid, " Rob. not the poor, because he is poor: neither opprefs the afflicted in the gate. For the Lord will plead

their

*The pious Author might speak feelingly on this head. At one particular period, when a fine was laid upon him for no other offence than preaching the gofpel to poor finners, a fine which he was not able to pay, the officers feized on his furniture, and fold the most neceffary utenfils of his house, for a mere trifle, to any one who was unfeeling enough to purchase them. Mrs. Heywood requested it, as a favour, that one cheft might be fpared, as it was an ancient piece of family furniture; but this request was not regarded. The cheft contained a fmall quan tity of oat-meal, the fcanty supply of the family.

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their caufe." We use to fay, "He is rich whom God loves," and it is a certain truth; for his favour is life. With the enjoyment of that, a little will go a great way. A good man not only defires to have the divine permiffion to enjoy the bleffings of his providence, he would alfo tafte his love in them, and along with them. "Lord," fays he, "I have little, very little, which I can call my own in this world; but let me enjoy thy benediction, and thy favour with what I have, and I shall be fully fatisfied. I am poor in this world, but let me be rich in faith, rich towards God, and I ask no more.

Suppofe a good man to fuffer in his name and character, the favour of God is his fupport. In fuch a cafe he may say, "I am denied the favour of men; they reproach, persecute, and oppress me; but be not thou, O Lord, a terror unto me; for thou art my only hope. Many of my fellow-creatures are against me, but let me enjoy thy friendship and favour, and then I may bid defiance to

the

The officers took a bed-curtain, spread it on the floor, poured the meal upon it, and fold the cheft. But God, by his favour, can fuftain his children in trials like thefe, and even in füfferings ftill more fevere. "Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing that ye have in heaven, a more fure and enduring fubftance."

the world. Thy approbation more than counterbalances all that I fuffer from the cenfures of men. Let perfons of evil intentions report what they please concerning me, I defire to have a good report of the truth itself, and pray, that by the power of grace, I may be fo helped to exercise myself, as to have a confcience void of offence, towards God and towards men, and then, the flanders of the world will not much difquiet me. If I am reproached for the fake of Chrift, I ought to look upon it as a fingular honour conferred upon me, as Mofes counted the reproach of Chrift greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he had refpect to the recompenfe of reward. I find the perfecuted difciples of Jefus thus addreffed, "If ye be reproached for the name of Chrift, happy are ye; for the Spirit of God and of glory refteth upon you." His followers of old rejoiced that they were counted worthy to fuffer fhame for his name. My mind is composed to a divine calm, when I hear the Lord thus speaking in his word, "Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou fhouldest be afraid of a man that fhall die, and forgetteft the Lord thy Maker, who hath stretched

forth

forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day, becaufe of the fury of the oppreffor, as if he were ready to deftroy? And where is the fury of the oppreffor?

Are the children of God attended with diseases in their outward man? Nothing is fo defirable to them as the favourable and confolatory smiles of their heavenly Father. When a good man is visited with fickness, and brought low by the power of disease, a variety of gloomy thoughts may becloud his mind, and add weight to the calamity under which he labours. The company, the converse, and the prayers of his religious friends may, in that cafe, afford him relief and encouragement. But, above all, the favour of God is life to him, and he esteems it as fuch. If it please the Lord, in infinite condescension, to visit him with the kind tokens of his love, to fpeak comfortably to him, by applying the promises of grace to his defponding heart, his darkness is turned into day, and his mourning into joy. It is a fovereign fupport under oppreffive diforders, to find the Eternal God to be our refuge, to be upheld by his mighty arm, and to be ftrengthened by his cheering presence on the bed of languishing, when most we need his aid. When the Lord, according to