kingdom, in their

way thither. Hence we may

obferve from the whole.

That it is the duty and privilege of the people of God, notwithstanding the trials and infirmities of the present state, as upheld by his grace to be continually with him.

How forely foever they may be afflicted and tempted, fhaken and ftaggered; as not knowing how to reconcile God's dealing with them to his love to them, they fhould not renounce and throw up their intereft in him, nor conclude they are rejected by him. The Pfalmift's expreffion takes in both, Nevertheless, I am continually with thee: thou haft holden me by my right band.

We shall here confider,

I. What is implied in being continually with God, as a duty.

II. View the fame as a privilege.

I. What is implied in being continually with with God, as a duty. As to the fubjects of it, we must premife, that it is the proper work of the people of God: they, and they only are prepared for it, and difpofed to it.

They are prepared for it, as having accepted and chofen God for theirs, and yielded themfelves to him, and through Jesus Christ returned into a ftate of favour and reconciliation with him. Hereby all ground for flavish fear is removed, without the removal of which, finners could have no fatisfaction in being with God: for how can two walk together, except they be agreed? Amos iii.

3.

They

They are difpofed to it, by refting in his word and promife, that the kingdom he has prepared for them that love him, will more than recompence all their fufferings in the way to it. The light afflictions that are but for a moment, are not worthy to be compared to the glory which fhall be revealed in us. I had fainted unless I bad believed to fee the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. But in the faith and hope of this, having obtained help of God, I continue to this day. As for me, I will behold thy face righteousness: I fhall be fatisfied when I awake with thy likeness. And being take up with this, whatever I have fuffered, or may further be exercised with, nevertheless I am continually with thee.

in

Many things tend to engage the people of God in point of duty, thus to be with him.

1. It is God's exprefs and folemn charge to the father of the faithful, in which every one of his children are concerned. I am the Almighty God, walk before me, and be thou perfect, Gen.

xvii. I.

2. Their covenant confent ftrengthens the obligation. This was their language when returning to God, and enquiring the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, Come, let us join ourfelves to the Lord, in a perpetual covenant that fhall not be forgotten, Jer. 1. 5. And having opened their mouths unto the Lord, they are bound in faithfulness not to go back. This is confirmed as often as we go to the table of the Lord; where by taking of the bread, and drinking of the cup, we own our covenant relation to

him,

him, and fatisfaction in him, with a steady refolution never to change, but continue faithful to the death.

Lord I thine by

He invites us thither often, to know if we are of the fame mind as when we first chose him, and entered into covenant with him; and to give us an opportunity to renew it. He there declares to every one of his people, that he stands to his promise of being their God in co venant, never to leave them or forfake them; and is willing to give them fresh pledges and affurances of it. And as the covenant is mutual, the believer when he receives the facramental elements, on his part declares, am thine, thine more than my own; an unquestionable right, and my own consent to it: I am devoted, refigned, given up to thee: I come here to own it; and call heaven and earth to witness, that by the affistance of thy grace, I refolve to ftand to the agreement. Thy vows are upon me, O God: truly I am thy fervant, I am thy fervant, and refolve to be for ever fo. I defire no greater honour upon earth, than to ftand in fo near a relation to thee, and difvalue all the world, in comparison of the bleffedness reserved for those fo related in heaven.

3. The honour of God, that which of all things is, and ought to be moft dear to his people, obliges them to this. After they have folemnly given up themselves to him, and for a while walked with him, fhould they grow weary and turn back, what a reflection would it be upon God and his ways? It would speak VOL. II.

F

as

as if finners had reason for their hard thoughts of both, and fin, and Satan, and the present world were better mafters, and could do more for their followers, than God. The reproaches of them that should thus reproach him, would fall upon and wound their fouls. And therefore a faint however ftaggered, when come to himself, from zeal for God's Glory, will be led to fay, Nevertheless, I am continually with thee.

4. To this they feel the constraints of love. This cannot filently bear the abfence of the object beloved, and is never better pleased than in the most intimate converfe with it. To divert or call it off to any thing elfe, is to turn the needle from the pole, leaving it trembling and unfettled, till it find its defired point. After the ftaggering posture the Pfalmift had been in, love to God makes him exprefs himself with peculiar fatisfaction, Nevertheless I am continually with thee: Here, and here I am where I would be, in the prefence and company that is all the world to me, and infinitely better. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee, verfe of this pfalm.

25.

5. The experience the people of God have had of the advantage of being continually with him, and their lofs by the contrary, is a farther obligation to this. A faint looking backward, has reafon to fay, it was always best with me when I kept clofeft to God: if ever I perceived grace to thrive, and corruption to decay in my foul, it was then: if ever I had peace

and

and comfort, hope and joy upon folid grounds, it was then if ever I was raised above the world, and willing to leave it; difingaged from the inordinate love of life, and fear of dying: If ever I could read my title to heaven clearly, and ever had any thing of the foretaftes of it, it was when with the greatest watchfulness I kept close to God. And by withdrawing from him in any inftance of duty, how hath my peace been broken, my fpirit wounded, my hopes dafhed, and my fears revived, under which I have been ready to fink? O the difference between being continually with God, and growing ftrange to him. I am afhamed to think that my feet should be fo near gone. How much of the brute did I discover, when ready to fay, I have cleanfed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innoceney to no purpofe? But how fadly foever I ftumbled, bleffed be God, I was not left totally to fall. Nevertheless I am still with thee.

6. Believers are enabled feafonably to remember, that the trials of the prefent ftate that feem to difcourage their fteadinefs in religion, will foon be over, and are not worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed. Befides the fupports and comforts of communion in hand, there is heaven in hope; in the profpect of which they that have given up themfelves to God, have the highest reason to abide with him.

7. The fincerity of the faints love to God, and choice of him, is to be evidenced by their continuing with him. It is in vain for any to pretend

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