"Thou knoweft my down-fitting and mine up-rifing, thou "understandeft my thought afar off. Thou compaffeft my path, and my lying down, and art acquainted with "all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, "but lo, O Lord, thou knoweft it all together. Thou "haft befet me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; "it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither fhall I go "from thy fpirit? or whither fhall I flee from thy pre"fence?" It will fall more properly under the following head to fhew, how the righteous run into the name of God as a strong tower. We now confider only his works as fhewing forth his glory. See, to this purpose, the fortieth chapter of Ifaiah, from the 12th verfe and onward. "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his "hand, and meted out heaven with a fpan, and compre"hended the duft of the earth in a measure, and weighed "the mountains in fcales, and the hills in a balance? "Who hath directed the fpirit of the Lord; or being his "counsellor, hath taught him? With whom took he "counfel, and who inftructed him, and taught him in "the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and "fhewed him the way of understanding?"

2. God hath revealed himself in his written word; there he hath clearly and explicitly written his name, and revealed his nature; there all his various perfections, excellent in themselves and fuitable to us, are enumerated and explained in these lively oracles, there is a remedy not for the uncertainty of nature's light, but for the darknefs of our bewildered understandings. Here we must not forget that he hath in his word clearly revealed himfelf, as infinitely gracious to finners through Jefus Chrift. This may well be called his name, because it is the only way by which we are brought to an intereft in his favor. John xiv. 6. "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." This unlocks the gates of the strong tower, and opens a fanctuary to the finner, who is fleeing from the fword of avenging wrath. "No man hath feen God at any time; the "only begotten Son, which is in the bofom of the Father,

"he hath declared him." His name and memorial to all generations, is faid to "be gracious and merciful, flow to anger, and of great kindnefs, and repenteth him of the "evil." And it is in Chrift Jefus, and his cross, that his mercy is displayed; it is for Chrift's fake that his mercy is bellowed; it is by Chrift Jefus that every mercy is difpenfed therefore we may apply to this fubject, the prophecy of Christ in Pfal. xxii. 22. "I will declare thy "name unto my brethren; in the midst of the congrega"tion will I praise thee."

3. In the laft place, God reveals his name in the daily adminiftration of his providence. In this, I include not only what regards the fupport and prefervation of natural life, but all the methods of his grace. The one and the other of these give us a continual and fenfible display of the nature and glory of God. What the works of nature teach us to infer by reason, what the holy fcriptures teach us by information concerning God, the administration of providence, gives us an opportunity of seeing and feeling in our own experience. The appearances of God in providence, and his gracious interpofition in behalf of his own people, are expreffed by his name's being near, or his name's being made great, Pfal. lxxv. 1. "Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks; unto thee do we give "thanks; for that thy name is near, thy wondrous works "declare." Pfal. lxxvi. 1. "In Judah is God known, "his name is great in Ifrael."

An experimental knowledge of the power and mercy of God, is, of all others, the most complete and effectual. To this we may well apply the words of Job, xlii, 5, 6. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now "mine eye feeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myfelf, and repent in duft and afhes." It is also probable, that the Pfalmift David often affixes this particular meaning to the knowledge of God's name, as in Pf. ix. 10. "And they "that know thy name will put their truft in thee; for thou, "Lord, haft not forfaken them that feek thee." For the fame reafon he recommends a careful obfervation of Providence, as an excellent mean of being partakers of di

vine mercy. Pfal. cvii. 42, 43. "The righteous fhall fee "it and rejoice, and all iniquity fhall ftop her mouth. "Whofo is wife, and will obferve these things, even they "fhall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord."

I fhall conclude this head, by an earnest exhortation to every one in this affembly, to endeavor to understand more and more of the name of God, as it appears in his works, in his word, and in his providence. Has he written it in fo great a variety of characters, and will you not take the pains to obferve it? O the fottish folly of worldly men? their curiosity is infatiable to hear things of no moment, while they cannot be perfuaded to hear what regards their own eternal ftate. They will run in crouds to fee every idle or pernicious fight, if it be called rare, while they will not open their eyes on the magnificence and glory of their Creator's works.

But let me in a particular manner, beg of you, the careful obfervation of Divine Providence, towards yourselves in particular. You will find the unfpeakable advantage of it. It will make God more present with you than ever. It will fet home the obligation of every duty, and the enormity of every fin upon the confcience, in a manner far more forcible than ever. It will also give every mercy a richness and value, which it could not derive from any other fource; just as the man who has been fed at a dif tance, by the streams of a prince's bounty, would feel his heart drawn with far ftronger bonds of love and gratitude, were he to be brought into his prefence, and receive his favors immediately from his own hand.

I am aware of an objection against this. Perhaps fome perfons will fay, how can I make a particular application of Providence? how can I certainly know the voice or meaning of every event that befals myself or my family? is there not a great danger of running into vifionary folly and enthusiasm? In the remaining part of this fubject, I fhall have occafion to fay more as to the meaning of Providence. In the mean time, let me only defire you to begin by a perfonal application of the unquestionable truths concerning Providence, and this will lead you farther than you apprehend, without the leaft danger of mifVOL. I.

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take. Is it not certain, that "a fparrow falleth not to the ground without your heavenly Father, and that the very "hairs of your head are all numbered by him." Is it not of the Lord's mercy then, that you awakened this morning, and did not fleep the fleep of death? If you had done fo, were you ready for it? Do you know how, when, or how foon it may be fo? Were you engaged in any scene of intemperance, lewdnefs, debauchery? and would that have been a proper fcene for death? Have you been preserved from any imminent danger, recovered from any threatening diforder? Is not that a mercy? Has the defire of your eyes been taken away by a ftroke? Have you heard the reproach of many on every fide? Is not this the will of God? Whether does it call for patience or pride? Have you fuffered in your fubftance? Whether does this teach you to love the world or to defpife it?-Is there any uncertainty here? Believe it, Chriftians, a perfonal application of the truths relating to Divine Providence, would reveal as it were a new world to you, and would make the paths of God towards you every day more intelligible, every day more profitable, and fhall I not add, every day more comfortable.

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II. We proceed now to the fecond thing propofed, viz. what is implied in the righteous running into the name of the Lord as a strong tower. The word tower, efpecially when joined with the epithet strong, immediately conveys to the mind the idea of protection and defence. dently alludes to the ftate of many ancient nations and tribes, who were continually exposed to hostile inroads and invafions, and were obliged to have caftles and towers as places of refuge and fecurity; and this is far from being an improper image of the ftate of a child of God in this prefent world, whether we confider the common calamities to which he is liable as a man, or the peculiar trials with which he may be afflicted as a good man. To have a clear view of the import of the metaphor, we need only confider fome parallel places, where we find the fame expreffion, and others of the fame meaning, Pfal. xviii. 2, 3. "The Lord is my rock and my fortrefs, and my deliver

er; my God, my ftrength, in whom I will truft; my "buckler, and the horn of my falvation; and my high 66 tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, fo fhall I be faved from mine enemies." Pfal. xxvii. I, 2. "The Lord is my light and my falvation, "whom fhall I fear? the Lord is the ftrength of my life, "of whom fhall I be afraid? When the wicked, even "mine enemies and my foes, came upon me, to eat up

my flesh, they stumbled and fell." Pfal. lxi. 2, 3, 4. "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when "my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou haft been a fhelter for me, and "a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy ta"bernacle for ever; I will truft in the covert of thy wings. "Selah." When we hear a good man ufing fuch expreffions as thefe, we may gather, with the greatest certainty. and clearness, what is the general import of God's being a strong tower, namely, that he is a most powerful protector; that his almighty Providence is the fureft and strongeft defence against all enemies of whatever kind, let their art, their activity, their malignity, be what they will.

Though this may not feem to need any further explication; yet, for the affiftance and direction of serious perfons, let us confider a little what is implied in the righteous running into this tower for their protection. This is the rather neceffary, that though it is the privilege, the duty, and the practice of the fervants of God, to make Him their defence and stay, yet they may be faulty and defective in this part of their duty, and suffer a proportional lofs in point of comfort.

1. Then, running to the name of God as their strong tower, implies the lively exercife of faith both in the power and willingness of God to protect them. It is only by faith that we can go to an invifible God. As faith must be the principle of all acceptable fervice to God, fo faith is evidently the immediate mean of all truft in or enjoyment of God. Therefore it is faid, with the greatest propriety, "the juft fhall live by faith."

You may obferve, I have faid the lively exercise of faith; for, befides the habitual perfuafion of the great truths of re