unite with him in praising God for his goodness" Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul."

By those who fear God we are to understand his true people. The whole of true religion is frequently expressed, especially in the Psalms, by the fear of God. And indeed it would have been almost, if not altogether in vain, for the Psalmist to have called on any but the people of God to listen to the relation of his experience. They would either not have understood him, or would not have entered into the spirit of his conversation, or would have wondered why he spake in such strains on a subject which appeared to them unintelligible or uninteresting. But the people of God would understand his language, and would hear with delight and improvement this favoured and experienced servant of the Most High relate what the Lord had done for his soul.

Experimental religion is a very fruitful subject; and if our hearts have experienced the rich grace of God, we cannot be at a loss for topics of conversation. The subject is inexhaustible, and will employ with renewed delight and rapture the tongues of the redeemed throughout eternity. We may tell our fellow christians, that the Lord hath chosen, redeemed, called, justified, adopted, sanctified and comforted our souls. In these particulars you have the division of the ensuing discourse.

1. The true christian may say, " Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare he hath" chosen " my soul." Before the foundation of the world, he thought of me, and while he passed by others, placed his love on me, and determined to redeem and save my soul. And he did this when he foresaw I would, when brought into being, break his laws, trample on his authority, render

myself vile, and justly deserve his eternal abhorrence and wrath. He then laid the plan of my salvation-he then registered my worthless name in the lambs book of life he then chose me in Christ. And it is in consequence of this everlasting, electing love, that I now love him. As saith the Apostle John," herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us ;" and, "we love him because he first loved us," 1 John iv. 10, 19. Here, in the eternal, electing love of God, is the origin of all that astonishing love towards us which he has since manifested, and which he will continue to manifest for ever: let us unite with the Apostle Paul in saying, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace," Eph. xi. 3, 4, 5, 6.

2. The Christian may say, "Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare "he hath" redeemed “ my soul." Descended from an apostate parent, from him I derived a corrupt nature, and in him I became exposed to the curse of the divine law-in him I died. As soon as I became capable of moral action, the seeds of sin in my nature began to grow, and discover themselves. I became guilty of actual breaches of the divine law, and thus to original sin added actual transgressions. The divine holiness, justice, and truth, and the honor of the divine law, required that the curse of the law, which was eternal death, should be executed. And unless the VOL. I.

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5. The christian may say again, "Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare he hath" adoptell "my soul"-He hath not only pardoned my sins and accepted me as righteous; but he hath also received me into the number of his children. He condescends to call me his son, and permits me to call him, my Father-He loves me with a paternal love-yea, with a love infinitely greater and more tender than an earthly parent is capable of. And he has admitted me to the privileges of this high relation. With the tenderness and care of a father, he instructs me, provides for, corrects and protects me. “He hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into my heart, crying, Abba, Father," Gal. iv. 6" I have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but the spirit of adoption, whereby I cry Abba, Father. The spirit itself beareth witness with my spirit that I am a child of God: and if a child, then an heir; an heir of God, and a joint heir with Christ," Rom. viii. 15, 16, 17. and "all things are mine; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come," 1 Cor. iii. 21, 22. Fellow-christian amazing love is this? The Lord hath not he hath received me into his

special

this, too,

made me an heir of

me into his family; and

a son; and he hath l things. Truly we

who are the subjects of this love, have reason to exelaim with the Apostle John Behold! what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:-now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be ; but we know, that when he shall appear, we shall be like him ; for we shall see him as he is," 1 John iii. 1, 2.

peace," Isa. ix. 6. He is full of grace and truth,” John i. 14. Unto" them "which believe, he is precious," 1 Pet. ii. 7.-He is " the chiefest among ten thousand-He is altogether lovely," Cant. v. 10, 16.

He is God and man

Let us speak of his redemption. It is complete. He is God, and therefore able to save. He is man, and therefore fitted to obey, suffer, and die. in one person. And thus the proper works of each nature are ascribed to the whole person; and the obedience and sufferings of the human nature derive an infinite efficacy from its union with the divine nature. The Father has accepted the satisfaction: I therefore need not fear, and do not fear to put my trust in him as an all-sufficient Saviour, and to commit the dearest interests of my immortal soul to his care.

3. The christian may say, "Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare he hath" called “ my soul." He saw me lying in the same mass of ruin with the rest of mankind. My mind was carnal, and it was enmity against him. I loved sin. I was walking with the multitude the broad way, which leadeth to destruction. God called after me. He gave me pious parents, who early dedicated me to him, and put upon me the seal of his gracious covenant; and who endeavoured by their prayers, their instruction, their example, and their affectionate reproofs and corrections, to bring me to a saving acquaintance with God, and divine things. But, although my conscience under these means frequently rendered me uneasy, still I continued a stranger to God; I wandered from him and loved to wander.-He cast my lot in a christian land. He brought me within the hearing of a preached gospel. By this he called after me, day after day and year after year, instructing, inviting,