nation for sin are soon to come down: thou art well provided for, against all times of fear and danger, thou art and shalt be the secured by my providence, the saved by my grace, my kingdom of providence is thine, for thy outward security, and my king dom of grace, and myself, the God of all grace in Christ, is thine, for thy spiritual safety and present felicity, and for thy eternal security, joy, and glory. Thou hast chambers of protection in every time of desolation; chambers of supply to answer all thy necessity, that are so well stored with refreshments and delights, for thy joy and glory, that they can never be exhausted nor wasted, through time, nor to eternity: and, behold, all are thine! thou art ever with me; and all that I am or have is thine! Come in, then, thou blessed of the Lord! wherefore standest thou without?

Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers." And as the Lord thus gives encouragement to his people to enter into their chambers, because they are their's, provided on purpose for their security, and in which they are and shall be interested entirely: so also, as a farther encouragement, he acquaints them that these chambers of their's have doors: doors for their entrance, and to secure them there, and to shut out all foes and dangers, that none can enter. And these doors, which may respect the faithful promises and glorious declarations of God's new-covenant grace in Christ, which are exceeding strong, and impossible to be broken; as they are all confirmed by the precious, meritorious blood of the great new testament Surety, and by the inviolable oath of a God that cannot lie, these doors, I say, by which, upon our first entrance into Christ, the Lord shuts us in, as he shut up Noah in the ark, these doors, upon every fresh entrance into Christ, he calls us to shut by faith; by faith, that takes God at his word, while thus the soul sets to its seal that God is true: and

to shut them round about us, shut thy doors about thee, by which he calls us to behold and believe our security on every side, as surrounded by the exceeding great and precious promises, and thereby with the God of promise, who is and will be "round about us as a wall of fire; as well as the glory in the midst of us :" and as to give the greatest encouragement to the Lord's people to enter into their chambers for security, joy, and glory, he calls them their chambers, Thy chambers; so the doors that shut them in, he calls their's, Thy doors. As if he should say, All the promises of God are thine; they are in Christ, to thee, yea and amen: therefore shut thy doors about thee. Flee into Christ by faith, and put the promises of grace between thee and every fear and danger, until all thy calamities are over. Which brings me to give a few hints to the last thing proposed.

Fourthly. That all times of fear and danger, unto God's people, will soon be over: "As it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast." And these times, whether they respect the people of God as to their persons, their souls or bodies: the families to which they relate: the churches of Christ for which they are concerned: the nations where they dwell the day of death: or, the day of judgment: all fear and danger to the people of God, whether real or apprehended, are but as it were for a little moment. God's anger, in providential frowns cast upon his people, as well as in the partial withdraws of his comforting presence from their spirits; in his rebukes upon godly families and Christian churches, is fatherly, and endureth but for a moment. And God's wrathful anger against his enemies, in all the awful displays of it, which through the weakness of his people's faith in his love strikes them with fear of danger; shall soon, as to them, in all their real fear thereof, and apprehended

danger therefrom, be quite past over. No penal hurt shall light upon them, in those natural evils which may touch them; and which to others are sore running drops of wrath, of that dreadful shower of divine vengeance which is shortly, and eternally, to be poured down upon the ungodly. And in all these times of fear and danger they are called to hide themselves by faith in Christ, as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. Their fear of the first death as a curse, endures but for a moment, and death to them being made a blessing, their perfect spirits enter thereby, shall enter instantly into a fulness of joy, an eternity of glory. And their fear of judgment shall at that happy moment, at once and for ever, be quite past over. And at the morning of the resurrection, they shall stand in their entire persons, in soul and body, acquitted and accepted openly, without all fear and danger of everlasting destruction, and be called as such, that are righteous before God, and the blessed of the Lord, to inherit eternal life and glory. And in the mean season they are called to hide themselves, by faith, from the fear of judgment and future wrath. In all times of fear and danger, then, to the people of God, they are called by him, in boundless compassion, to enter for security into those chambers of protection, which he hath provided for their time preservation and eternal salvation: with a "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast."

With these few reflections I shall conclude :

1. If the people of God are thus exposed unto various times of fear and danger, let us not be surprised if we are frequently thus attacked: for this is no other than what the Lord's people of old have experienced; than what they now do, and hereafter may experience, both as to providence and October, 1842.]

grace, while they are passing through this great and terrible wilderness.

2. If in all times of fear and danger, the Lord hath provided well, for the safety and joy of his own people: let us bless God, the God of infinite bounty, who is our's entirely, for all that providential protection and grace provision, which he hath made for our time preservation, and for our spiritual and eternal salvation. And let us not be afraid with any amazement, when threatened with temporal destruction; or that we, who are believers, shall ever be exposed to any danger of everlasting perdition. For he that hath provided so well for us, will temporally and eternally well secure us.

3. If at all times of fear and danger the God of infinite love, grace, and mercy, in boundless compassion towards us as his own, calls us to enter into our chambers of protection, for our time preservation and eternal salvation: let us comply with his call, instantly and joyfully, and hide ourselves in him for our present security and everlasting felicity. Why should we stand without, by unbelief, as all exposed unto fear and danger; when we are called to enter in, and hide us in our chambers, under the shadow of Jehovah's wings, until all our calamities are entirely and eternally passed over? And in order to our entrance into the chambers of providential protection, and of grace provision: let us enter into the chambers of our houses, and shut our doors about us; that with secrecy and fervency, we may pray to our Father which is in heaven and our Father which seeth in secret, himself shall reward us openly with answers of prayer, in temporal preservation, and eternal salvation. Forasmuch as prayer is an appointed means of our escaping all "those things which shall come to pass, and of our standing before the Son of Man." And as we ought to be concerned in prayer for our own safety, that we may be counted wor

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thy to stand before the Son of Man, when he comes forth in wrath to visit for iniquity; and that whatever sufferings we may be called to endure for his name's sake, we may have strength given equal to our day, to stand for Christ before men, without flinching, if he should call us to confess him and his truth, even unto death, that we may do it cheerfully for his glory, and count our lives given to death in testimony, an unspeakable honour and felicity; while our Lord's voice to us is, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life: so likewise, we ought to invocate God in prayer, for church and national peace and prosperity, and to deprecate every deserved and threatened calamity. And this work the people of God are now called to in good earnest, in this day of church and national gloominess and darkness. The Lord expects his supplicants to stand in the gap, to turn away his wrath from his degenerate churches, and these God-provoking nations. And Who can tell, but (at the intercession of God's people) the Lord may turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him." However, if the Lord should not be intreated, to avert judgments deserved, which are now for church and national sins threatened yet those that sigh and cry for personal, family, church, and national abominations: shall in God's time and way, in the asked kind, or in greater kindness, receive from the God of their salvation most gracious answers to their fervent supplications. For our prayer-hearing God hath not said unto Jacob's seed, "Seek ye me in vain." And "the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." The God of Israel, who hath said unto his people, at all their times of fear and danger, Call upon me in the day of trouble: hath given his faithful promise, I will deliver thee; and thou shalt glorify me." In personal, family, church, or national calamities, then which we

greatly fear, as visibly threatened: let us flee to God by prayer, and into Christ by faith, to hide us: and either the evils themselves, or the penal hurt of them shall not touch us. And let us hide there against all fear of the day of death; or of the day of judgment: and we shall be then and for ever secure. Should God come forth with his sore judgments, to smite persons or families, churches or nations for their crying sins: should our enemies be let in upon us, and the glorious gospel taken from us; should earthquakes, pestilence, famine, or sword be sent amongst us; and all things round about us be cast into confusion and desolation: should death with all its sorrows, and judg ment with all its terrors appear: "though the earth be removed, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea: though the waters thereof roar and be troubled; though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof : we that have sought God, we that trust in the Lord may set a Selah! Make a pause, be still and free from tumultuous fear, and exulting in joy and praise, admire: since "God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble." And says to the righteous, It shall go well with him: " in life, in death, at judgment, and to all eternity! And,

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4. If all times of fear and danger unto God's people will soon, and for ever, be quite over: let us account our momentary trials to be, as indeed they are, but light and short. Let us long most earnestly, for that happy day, and rejoice greatly in that it comes speedily, when sins and sorrows, fears and dangers shall be no more for ever! And let us also admire and adore that infinite wisdom and grace, which hath devised and provided a way, in and through a crucified Christ, for our present peace and future bliss: when we, as well as others, for sin, had deserved to suffer, as they must endure vindictive wrath and eternal vengeance! What man

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tends us when we most need his assistance. In six troubles God will be present with his people, and in seven no evil will befall them. He will not forsake them when Satan rages; nor when tossed upon the swelling billows of temptation; nor when the wicked encompass them like bees; nor when passing through death's dark vale. Strong is the arm on which they lean, and strong the tower to which they flee. God will save them from all their foes and all their fears. They shall rise above all their numerous, crafty, and powerful foes, both external, internal, and infernal, and find themselves, even on a dying bed, conquerors, and more than conquerors through him that loved them. Though it be most certain our way is narrow, troublesome, and uneven; full of ambushes and pitfalls; we are betrayed within, and assaulted without; the devil is our enemy, and we have a nature fond of his mischiefs; he is crafty and malicious, and we credulous; he is powerful and we are weak; the world is alluring, and we consider not its vanity: sin puts on all pleasures, yet we take it, though it puts us to pain; in short, we are vain and credulous, sensual and trifling; and without the constant renewings of the Holy Ghost, we are dull as the dead sea; inactive as a rock. Some of God's children in this state, hate to be reproved, contradicted, or interrupted, or to be discovered in their folly; and some men being a little conscious, and not striving to amend by silence, they make it worse by discourse; a long story of themselves,-a tedious praise of another collaterally to do themselves advantage.-a declamation against a sin to undo the person, or oppress the reputation of their neighbour,-unseasonable repetition of that which neither profits nor delights,— trifling contentions about a goat's beard, or the blood of an oyster,anger and animosity, spite and rage,

-scorn and reproach begun upon questions which concern neither of the litigants,-fierce disputations,striving for what is past, and for what shall never be these are the events of the loose and unwary tongue; which are like flies and gnats upon the margin of a pool; they do not sting like an asp, or bite deep as a bear; yet they can vex a man into a fever of impatience, and make him incapable of rest and counsel. He whose tongue rides upon passion, and is spurred by violence and contention, is like a horse or a mule without a bridle and without understanding. By this (says Jesus) shall all men know that ye are my disciples, when you love one another." Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust, give all diligence to add to your faith virtue, to virtue patience, to patience godliness, and brotherly kindness, and charity." Where is the true spirit of the gos pel in this day of great profession? Alas there is little else in the visible church but feigned humility, and pretended brotherly love. Although Mary was commended for choosing the better part, yet she had done worse, if she had been at the foot of her master, when she should have relieved a poor needy brother." But the foundation of God standeth sure, the Lord knoweth them that are his." May the Lord preserve us from the world, and the spirit of it; the head of it is a rainbow, and the face of it is flattery; its words are charms, and all its stories are false; its body is a shadow, and its hands do knit spiders' webs; it is an image and a noise, with a hyæna's lip and a serpent's tail; all is vanity and vexation of spirit. We must not expect to drink happiness from that vessel that God has written poison upon the cover.

"I pity all that worldlings talk,

Of pleasures that will quickly end;
Be this my choice, O Lord, to walk
With thee, my guide, my guard, my friend."