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"his foul may be caft down, and difquieted within him," though his whole nature may be shocked by the violence of the blaft, yet will he ftill "

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hope in GOD," yet will he ftill fpeak comfort to his dejected spirit; as he is well affured, that all this could not happen without the Divine Permiffion; that the Sun of Righteousness ftill fhines in the firmament of his glory; and that the Prince of the Power of the Air, with all the horrors that furround him, must foon vanish before his all-piercing beams, and fink confounded to his infernal abode.

The Pfalm from whence my text is taken, presents us with a lively picture of a True Believer ftruggling under fome violent affaults from the enemies of his peace. Whether the diftrefs of David was occafioned by the perfecution of Saul, or the straights to which he was reduced by the unnatural rebellion of

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his fon Abfalom; whether it proceeded from a deep fenfibility of those remains of corruption, which lurk in the most regenerate breafts; or from an apprehenfion, that GOD had withdrawn "the Light of his countenance" from his foul; in either of these cases, his affliction must have been acute indeed, and he might well break forth into this affecting strain of religious melancholy:

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Why art thou caft down, O my foul? "And why art thou difquieted within "me?" Why doft thou suffer these outward afflictions to bear down thy conftancy, or thefe inward ftruggles to weaken thy faith?" Hope thou in "GOD."-Haft thou not heretofore experienced, in innumerable inftances, the Wonders of his Love? Hath not his Arm supported thee in the greatest extremities? Hath not his countenance cheered thee in thy darkest moments?-Why, then, this ftrange dejection now? O where is all thy wonted heroism fled ?—

where

where that lively truft and confidence in thy God, that has heretofore steeled thy breast against the arrows of adverfity? "Is his arm shortened that it can"not fave? Is his mercy clean gone for "ever? And hath GOD forgotten to be gracious?"—No, my foul!-already do I feel his Animating Presence-Sure I am, that "I shall yet praise him,” for delivering me out of my prefent diftreffes-Sure I am, that the sweet Influences of his BLESSED SPIRIT, will yet footh my deep difquietude, and give health and chearfulness to my dejected countenance-yea, fure I am, that he is ftill " my God," my GOD by Covenant, my Guardian GOD, the GoD of my Life, the GOD of my Love.

Thus fpake, thus triumphed, "the "man after GOD's own heart!" Doubtlefs the conflict was fevere and tedious; but Faith was at length victorious. Noble encouragement this to every one,

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that hath enlifted under the banners of JESUS CHRIST, and commenced his Christian Warfare!-Come then, ye Candidates for Heaven! ye Followers of the LAMB! ye Strangers and Pilgrims upon earth! that have already entered upon your journey, through this valley of tears, to the Heavenly Canaan! Come, let us take a view together of the difficulties and dangers which we are taught to expect upon the road! let us trace the fources of that uneafinefs and difquietude, to which the beft of Chriftians are frequently expofed, and as we proceed, apply to them the noble prefcription pointed out by the text: Hope thou in GOD, for I fhall yet

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praise him, who is the health of my "Countenance and my GoD."

The first, and, I believe, the principal fources of the fincere Chriftian's heavinefs and difquietude, are those remains of fin and corruption, which stain the pureft

pureft and most regenerate breasts. Under the first openings of Grace, the firft dawnings of Divine Light and Love upon the foul, the change from death to life is frequently fo great and transporting, that the young unpractised convert is loft in admiration.-From the depths of his own mifery and corruption, he is raised to such stupendous prospects of Redeeming Love, that, like the difciples on Mount Tabor, he is unwilling to leave the Divine Effulgence that furrounds him, to defcend from the height of Gofpel Comfort, and to encounter the innumerable obftacles that await his progrefs in the world below.-But when once the fervours of this first love are abated; when once the young candidate is called forth to testify his affection for his SAVIOUR, by acts of obedience, patience, refignation, fortitude, fortitude, under temporal as well as fpiritual trials and calamities-then it is, that the clouds begin to gather-the day of diftress approaches

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