gather you, as the hen gathers her chickens under her wings!" O what is man, that he is thus mindful of him! But then, what work is he at with man after all this, in order to the effectual application of the purchased and exhibited salvation? The hammer of the law must be applied, in order to break the rocky heart in pieces; the fallow ground must be ploughed up, to prepare it for the reception of the incorruptible seed of gospel truth; the strong-holds of Satan must be pulled down; the high imaginations of the heart levelled; Satan and proud self must be dethroned. The sinner is dead, buried, and stinking in the grave of sin; the "stone must be rolled away from the sepulchre," and "wonders must be" shown to the dead," the Spirit of life must "breathe upon the dry bones:" the sinner is blind, and he must have his eyes opened: he is a prisoner, and his chains of captivity must be loosed; the obstinate iron sinew of his will must be bended by the almighty power of God, and "he persuaded and enabled to embrace Christ, and salvation through him, as he is freely offered in the gospel." The sinner, being thus translated from death to life, from darkness to God's marvellous light, in effectual calling, O what work does the Lord make about the poor inconsiderable creature! how does he heap favours and privileges, one after another; upon him! He betroths the poor forlorn creature to himself, as if it had been a chaste virgin, makes it the bride, the Lamb's wife, and says to it, Now, "thy Maker is thine husband, the Lord of hosts is his name," &c. He takes away the " filthy rags," and clothes it with change of raiment, even the white linen of his own everlasting righteousness, and makes it to sing that song, Is. lxi. 10: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels;" he takes the burden of all the debt it owed to justice upon himself, and stands between it and all charges that law and justice had against it, enabling it to say, "Who can lay any thing to my charge? it is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? it is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us:" he becomes an "everlasting Father," to the poor creature, and puts it " among the children," making it an " heir of God, and a joint heir with" himself, and says to it, " Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My Father, thou art the guide of my youth." He puts the beauty of his own holiness upon the soul, and makes it like "the king's daughter, all glorious within," like the embroideries of needle

work; he makes it "like the wings, of a dove, covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold:" he visits the soul frequently, and manifests himself to it, " as he does not manifest himself to the world;" he waters it with the dew of his Spirit, like the vineyard of red wine: he breathes on it by his Spirit, makes the north and south wind to awake, come and blow on it, by which the graces of the Spirit, like so many spices, are made to send forth a pleasant smell: he bears it company through fire and water, and never leaves it: he makes the man to dwell " in the secret of his presence" and "under his shadow," and as the mountains are round "about Jerusalem, so his attributes pitch their tents on every hand of it for its defence; he plants a guard of angels about his bride, for her honour and safety, as a lifeguard, Heb. i. 14; and, in a word, he "keeps it by his power through faith unto salvation; makes goodness and mercy to follow it;" and at last divides Jordan, and brings it home, under a guard of angels, to the promised land of glory, and presents it before his Father " without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing." And, upon a review of all this that he does before time, and in time, may we not justly cry out in a rapture of admiration, Lord, what is man!

3. If we follow the Lord's way with men, from an eternity past, through time, to an eternity to come, we shall see just cause to cry, what is man?-But here a veil lies between us and that glory and happiness that God has ordained and designed for man in the world to come. And the things there ordained for man are so great, that "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man to conceive, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him," 1 Cor. ii. 9. What thinkest thou, believer, of being "for ever with the Lord," and of having "places among them that stand by," and beholding the glory of God and of the Lamb? what thinkest thou of coming in person to "Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem" above, described Rev. xxi., whose "wall is of jasper, and the city itself of pure gold, like unto transparent glass; where there is no need of the sun, neither of the moon," nor of these ordinances, word and sacraments, and ministers, " because the glory of the Lord doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof?" what thinkest thou, believer, of coming to the "general assembly, and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven?" what thinkest thou of joining an "innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect," who sing a new song, crying, "Salvation to our God, and to the Lamb, for ever and ever?" Rev. vii. 10: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and

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riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing!" what thinkest thou of "coming to God the judge of all," as thy God and Father? what thinkest thou of coming "to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant;" and of seeing him no " more darkly as through a glass, but face to face, seeing him as he is, and beholding the glory that his Father hath given him?" what thinkest thou of setting down at the table that shall never be drawn, and of eating and drinking with him, and the ransomed company, in the kingdom of heaven? Matth. xxvi. 29: "I will not drink henceforth," said he, at the institution of the supper, before he died, " of the fruit of the vine, until that day, when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." What thinkest thou of these new scenes of glory, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, mercy, grace, and love, and faithfulness, that will be opening through eternity, in the immediate vision of God, and in the works of creation, providence, and redemption; every one of which will fill thy soul with a new rapture of wonder and praise? what thinkest thou of "sitting down with Christ" victoriously "upon his throne, as he also overcame, and is set down with his Father upon his throne?” what thinkest thou of possessing these thrones in glory, that became vacant by the apostacy of the angels that fell? what thinkest thou "of ruling the nations with a rod of iron? of binding their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron? yet this honour have all the saints," 1 Cor. vi. 2: "Do not ye know, that the saints shall judge the world?" ver. 3: "Know ye not that we shall judge angels?" what thinkest thou of eating of the hidden manna, and the fruits of that tree which grows " in the midst of the paradise of God: which beareth twelve manner of fruits every month, and whose leaves are for the healing of the nations?" what thinkest thou of entering into these ivory palaces of glory, with joy and triumph, on every side, the house of many mansions, the house of Christ's Father, "whose builder and maker is God?" thou shalt be satisfied then, to the full, with the fatness of his house, and drink of the rivers of his pleasures. What thinkest thou of becoming a pillar in the temple of God, where thou shalt go no more out, and having Christ's name, his Father's name, and the name of the city of our God written on thee for ever? what thinkest thou of being for ever freed and delivered of all these burdens under which thou groanest? of all these fiery darts by which thou art now harassed? of all these oppressing fears and challenges? of all these tears, sorrows, and afflictions, which make thee go through the world with a bowed down back, hanging thy "harp upon the willows?" what thinkest thou of these eter

nal things, that are shortly to be possessed? of an eternal God, an eternal life, an eternal light, eternal love, eternal rest, eternal vision and fruition, eternal likeness and conformity to the Lord, that are abiding thee? what thinkest thou of the "crown of glory that fadeth not away?" what thinkest thou of "a kingdom that shall never be moved: an inheritance that is incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away?" what thinkest thou of having these twilight blinks of glory through the veil, turned into an eternal day of glory? for there the Sun of righteousness shall never set, never, never be eclipsed. O sirs, all this, and ten thousand, thousand, thousand times more than I can tell you, is prepared for you on the other side of death: and after all, have we not reason to sing and say, as in the text, Lord, what is man that thou takest knowledge of him? or what the son of man, that thou makest such account of him?

IV. The fourth thing in the method was, to show, That it is truly wonderful and surprising, that God, the great God, should have such a regard to man, that he should take such knowledge, and make such great account of him.

I need not stay upon this, after what has been said; only in a few words. (1.) It is surprising, if we consider God's infinite and amazing greatness and glory. Oh! who can think or speak of him in a suitable manner? He that shows such a regard to man, is "the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, and dwelleth in the high and holy place, to which no man can approach:" he that "dwelleth in light that is inaccessible, and full of glory." He whose " throne is high and lifted up," above all the thrones of heaven and earth. He before whom angels and archangels are standing, with their " faces and their feet covered with their wings," crying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts:" he who "stretched out the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth:" he who "weighs the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance, takes up the waters of the ocean in the hollow of his hand, and doth whatsoever he pleaseth in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth." O! is it not surprising and wonderful, that this great and infinite Jehovah, who has all being, life, light, glory, and perfection, inherent in himself, and stood in no need of man nor angels, that he should take such knowledge of man, or the son of man? Lord, what is man?

(2.) It is surprising, if we consider what man is, what a poor inconsiderable, contemptible creature he is, both as a creature and as a sinner, of which I spake in the entry upon the first head, in answer to that question, What is man? &c.

(3.) It is surprising and wonderful, because it cannot be conceived or expressed, it runs beyond all thought and all words; "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive," all the kindness and condescension of God to man: so much is clearly imported in the psalmist's way of speaking, of the goodness of God in the text; Lord, what is man that thou takest knowledge of him? Hence are these or the like expressions of wonder and amazement, "How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God!" "How great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee?" "Oh the height, the depth, and breadth, and length, of the love of God, which passeth knowledge!" These expressions are just [puzzling] and putting our finite minds to an eternal stand: and therefore we must stop, for what can we say more?

V. The fifth thing was the Application. And because I have been all along practical in the doctrinal part, therefore I shall conclude with a few inferences.

1st, See hence the folly of all such as are taken up in admiring any created excellency, either to be found in themselves, or others of the human race, without running up to the fountain head, an infinite God, from whom all being, beauty, glory, and excellency flows. The Spirit of God. speaks of it as a piece of brutish folly, for man to look at the creature, without tracing it and all its excellency to God, as its original: Psal. xciv. 8: "Understand, ye brutish among the people; and, ye fools, when will ye be wise? he that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?" ver. 10: "He that teacheth man knowledge," shall not he know? These are questions that may confound all the atheistical fools in the world, who say in their hearts or practice, "There is no God;" and at the same time discover to us, that man is but a poor dependent creature, deriving all his powers in soul and body from an infinite God: hence is that challenge, Is. ii., at the close, “Cease ve from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?" This challenge, together with the words in my text, are enough to stay the pride of all glorying in man; Lord, what is man, for wherein is he to be accounted of? Especially when balanced with the excellency of his glorious Creator, he just vanishes into nothing. You heard, upon the first head of doctrine, what man is in general, as a creature and as a sinner. Now, let us take a view of him in his best excellencies and qualifications, and see what they will amount to in God's reckoning, or compared with the infinite excellency of his infinite Creator? What