this account we are fometimes commanded to "ferve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with "trembling." Pf. ii. 11. and at other times to "ferve him with gladness," Pf. c. 2. Upon the whole, it means a perfect attachment of foul to this greatest and beft of beings, fo as to have no will but his, and to respect no intereft or authority whatever in comparison with his.

Our Lord, quoting from the law of Mofes, fays, that "the first and greatest commandment is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy "heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy "mind, Matt. xxii. 37; and we are exhorted by him, Luke xii. 4. "Be not afraid of them that "kill the body, and after that, have no more that "they can do. But I will forewarn you whom you "fhall fear: fear him, who after he hath killed, "hath power to caft into hell; yea, I fay unto << you, fear him." Upon this principle, the apostles Peter and John fay, with confidence, to the chief priests and rulers of the Jews, Acts iv. 19. "Whether it be right in the fight of God to "hearken unto you, more than unto God, judge ye."

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This habitual regard to God, and entire confidence in him, is alfo reprefented as the beft fupport of the mind under all the difficulties and trials of life. David fays, Pf. xvi. 8. "I have fet "the Lord always before me: because he is at my VOL. II. "right

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" right hand, I fhall not be moved." The prophet Isaiah, exciting to confidence in God, fays, ch. xxvi. 3. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect

peace, whose mind is stayed on thee." Solomon alfo gives this excellent advice, Prov. iii. 5. &c. "Truft in the Lord with all thine heart; and "lean not unto thine own understanding. In all "thy ways acknowledge him, and he fhall direct "thy paths" and the apoftle Peter encourages chriftians, in time of trial, to" caft their care "upon God, who careth for them." I Pet. v. 7.

From a firm perfuafion that every thing is under the direction of a wife and good providence, we find in the fcriptures, fuch expreffions of hope, joy, and even exultation, in the most calamitous and trying scenes, as heathens could have no idea of; because they had no principles from which such sentiments and language could poffibly flow. The calm acquiefcence of Job under a moft afflictive difpenfation of divine providence, has been mentioned already. When Eli heard a meffage from God by Samuel, the import of which was the greatest calamity that could befal his family, he replied, I Sam. iii. 18. "It is the Lord: let him "do what seemeth him good." The prophet Habakkuk gives us a most admirable description, not merely of the acquiefcence, but of the chearfulness with which afflictive providences fhould be borne, ch. iii. 17. "Although the fig-tree fhall not

"blossom,

"bloffom, neither fhall fruit be in the vines; the "labour of the olive fhall fail, and the fields fhall' "yield no meat; the flocks fhall be cut off from "fold, and there fhall be no herd in the ftalls: "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the "God of my falvation." David gives the general ground of this fatisfaction and confidence in the moft obfcure scenes of providence, when he says, Pf. xcvii. 1. &c. "The Lord reigneth, let the

earth rejoice: let the multitude of ifles be glad "thereof. Clouds and darknefs are round about "him righteousness and judgment are the habi"tation of his throne."

On the foundation of this firm perfuafion of the favour of God to the righteous, and the certainty of the reward which he referves for them, our Lord encourages his followers to the moft chearful bearing of perfecution for confcience fake, Matt. v. 1o. &c. Bleffed are they who are perfecuted "for righteoufnefs' fake: for theirs is the kingdom "of heaven. Blessed are ye when men fhall revile 66 you, and perfecute you, and fhall fay all 66 manner of evil against you, falfely, for my "fake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad for "great is your reward in heaven: for fo perfecuted "they the prophets who were before you." Our Lord took the moft effectual method to inculcate an entire fubmiffion to the will of God, by directing

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ing it to be the fubject of our daily prayers, Matt. vi. 10. "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in "heaven;" and he exhibited an example of this entire fubmiffion in a scene of the greatest diftress to which it is probable that human nature was ever fubjected, I mean in his agony in the garden, when his foul was exceeding forrowful, even "unto death;" when yet he prayed, faying, Matt. xxvi. 39. "O my father, if it be poffible, let "this cup pafs from me; nevertheless, not as I "will, but as thou wilt." And again, in his fe cond prayer on that occafion, v. 42. "O my "Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, (6 except I drink it, thy will be done." Laftly, the apostle James makes use of exhortations exactly fimilar to thofe of our Saviour in the cafe of perfecution, James i. 2. 12. "My brethren, "count it all joy when ye fall into divers temp❝tations. Bleffed is the man that endureth temp❝tation: for when he is tried he fhall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promifed to them that love him." And the apoftle Peter, on the fame occafion, fays, 1 Pet. iii. 14. "If ye

fuffer for righteoufnefs fake, happy are ye: "and be not afraid of their terror, neither be "troubled."

The propriety of praying to God is far from being fatisfactorily proved from the light of nature, and much lefs can the obligation of it as a moral duty,

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be strictly demonftrated upon those principles. Had the practice appeared ever fo defirable, the humble and the diffident might have thought it too prefumptuous, as much as others would have thought it unneceffary. It is, therefore, with peouliar fatisfaction, that, in the fcriptures, we find all the indigent and dependent race of mankind encouraged in the freest and most conftant access to God by prayer. And notwithstanding the infinite diftance that fubfifts between the divine being as our creator, and us as his creatures, in the whole of the fcripture hiftory, he appears in the condefcending and amiable character of our Father, as ready to attend to our wants, as he is able to fupply them; being to us, in reality, what our occafions require him to be; infomuch, that though he is reprefented as knowing every thing that we can tell him, even the thoughts of our hearts; yet, because our nature is fuch, that we cannot keep up that conftant regard to him, in the whole of our conduct, which our own improvement and happiness require, without a free and familiar intercourfe with him, fuch as we maintain with our earthly governors and parents (our attachment to whom is greatly ftrengthened, by the genuine and natural expreffions of it) he has been pleafed not only to permit, but abfolutely to require that intercourfe; expecting that we should both make acknowledgments to him