a good child! and how agreeable also to live under the encouraging smiles of his heavenly Father, which is the consequence of watchful obedience.

Nor is this all to obey, brings happiness itself along with it: there is no other road of bliss: "In keeping God's commandments there is great reward." A froward child, by stubbornly refusing to obey his parents, brings woe to himself, in the necessary course of things, because he has not skill to keep himself from dangers, and his wisdom is to follow his parents directions. From these considerations there arises in the hearts of his children a fear of displeasing the best of fathers. The covenant provides, as we have seen, that by this they never shall depart from him. Those who neglect this are said to "harden their hearts," and they shall "fall into mischief:""but happy is the man that feareth alway." Let the believer always keep up this fear, because there is always occasion for it.-A word or two may be spoken concerning his manner of doing this, and of its happy consequences.

Having once tasted the sweets of communion with God, as a Father in Christ Jesus, he is jealous to preserve his relish for it, and to keep up this communion. It is carried on by the prayer of faith in Jesus. Besides his diligent attendance on public means of grace, he attends constantly to private prayer, meditation, and searching of the Scriptures. He fears, by the least neglect of these, to grieve his Father, and to be shut out from pleasant communion with him in his soul, and every day brings with it so many wants, cares and trials, that he finds he has constant need to pray. The more

sweetness of communion he has experienced, and the more powerful answers to his prayers, the more is this jealous fear increased. For the more we prize, and feel the goodness of any thing, the more careful are we of preserving it. This communion, then, he keeps up by praying without ceasing; a praying frame, a spirit hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and a cautious fear of displeasing God in any thing great or small, it is his business to preserve through life. All the forms and duties of religion and morality are, he knows, a mere carcass, the outside of godliness, without the heart.

This same fear of the Lord obliges him to be constantly watchful and wary in all his conduct. In word, and conversation; in promises, bargains, and all his dealings, this godly fear will lead a man to an exactness which will distinguish him from the careless professor of religion, whose religion is only noise and opinion, but has no place in his heart. But the man who fears the Lord indeed, knows that he has three enemies to fight with as long as he lives; the devil, the world, and the flesh. And as they are always against him, he is obliged to fear always.

He is forced to strengthen himself continually with the whole armour of God against Satan, and to be jealous that he constantly use it, lest Satan get an advantage over him, by throwing him into despondency, or into presumption, or into some delusion: for he is not ignorant of his devices. He is constantly obliged to watch against the world, that the love of it may in no sense get the better of

the love of his Father; and as he daily feels and will feel till death, if he continue to know himself aright, a treacherous, deceitful, and wicked heart, the working of corrupt nature, hence he suspects his heart continually. He watches it. He calls himself to task to examine his own spirit perpetually, lest he deceive himself.

This is he that feareth alway: but it is his privilege to be bold as a lion for God, and to maintain a knowledge that God is with him, and will be with him to the end. He fears himself the most: but this very fear has this blessedness with it, that neither godly nor ungodly persons can find any blot in him, any thing in his walk inconsistent with his profession of godliness. He stands in awe of the majesty of God, and sins not. He communes with his own heart, and keeps it with all diligence. Thus he escapes the mischiefs that fall upon the heads of the careless and presumptuous, and is preserved blameless unto the coming of his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

SERMON XIV.

THE FOOLISHNESS OF MAN PERVERTETH HIS WAY, AND HIS HEART FRETTETH AGAINST THE LORD.

Prov. xix. 3.

The foolishness of man perverteth his way; and his heart fretteth against the Lord.

To persons, at all acquainted with Solomon's Proverbs, one need not say, that the sentences are single, and unconnected; containing weighty truths or precepts, written by the direction of the Spirit of God, for the use of his people. The sentence which, with God's assistance, I would consider at this time, is a very important one in its nature; and if the Lord assist us in comprehending, and using it aright, we shall see very much useful matter in it, that will deserve the attention both of sinners, and of saints. My intention is to apply it to both distinctly, after having briefly illustrated its meaning.

"The foolishness of man." As if he had said, such is the blindness and folly natural to man, that of himself, without any sort of influence from above, he perverts his own way; he makes himself wicked and miserable. God would have him do otherwise, that he might be happy; but he will not be ruled

by his heavenly Father. He will follow his own foolish, headstrong ways; by which he involves himself in misery. This then is one instance of man's natural corruption, viz. his FOLLY. "The foolishness of man perverteth his way."

The second is another instance of his depravity; consisting in his enmity against God. "His heart fretteth against the Lord." The original word is the same that is elsewhere used to represent the raging of the sea in a storm. His heart then boils against God, as the angry sea in a tempest. How impudent this! how ungrateful! how unreasonable! It is man's own 66 folly that perverteth his way." He should properly accuse himself only; but he accuses God, and chides with him for that misery which he has brought upon himself. This bitterness of heart shows itself, in some, by angry invectives against their fortune, and the like: In others, by a fretting, murmuring, repining frame of spirit: In others, it preys upon itself, and inwardly gnaws

the soul.

But you ask, " of whom is this true?" I answer: this folly, and this impiety is natural to all. For all are gone astray from God's ways like lost sheep, as holy Scripture, and the experience of all who know themselves, bear witness. In the converted only this temper is subdued, and though it is still felt, an opposite, spiritual temper counteracts, and reigns, over it. But in all the unconverted this temper reigns, and is sure to show itself under suitable temptations and occasions.

The words of the text lead us, also, by no means to confine the evil spoken of, to some particular