VII. SER M. regulated mind, in a holy life, and the hope of Heaven. You call your felf a Chriftian. Does not that name import that you confider yourself as a you SERMON VIII. On drawing near to God. [Preached at the celebration of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.] PSALM 1xxiii. 28. It is good for me to draw near to God. N this pfalm the pious author de- $ ER M. scribes himself as fuffering a great I conflict within his mind. His obfervation of the courfe of Providence, did not present to him fuch an order of things as was to have been expected from the justice and goodness of Heaven. The wicked appeared flourishing and triumphant, while the worthy were deftitute and oppreffed; and much diforder VIII. disorder and darkness feemed to prevail VIII in the course of human affairs. Hence SERM. his mind fluctuated for a while amidst doubts and fears. His truft in the divine adminiftration was even fo far fhaken as to create a fufpicion, that in vain he had cleanfed his heart, and washed his hands in innocency: till at last he went into the fanctuary of God, and was there taught to view the state of human things in a jufter and truer light. He then faw the vanity of that earthly profperity which bad men appear to enjoy; and the happy issue of all things at the last to the pious and good. He faw the divine presence ever furrounding them, and though with invisible guidance, yet with unerring hand, bringing them, in the end, to glory. His mind returned to tranquillity; and, ftruck with compunction for his past errors, he rose into those high and memorable expreffions of devotion, which we find in the verfes preceding the Thou shalt guide me with thy counfel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none on earth that I text. His VIII. defire befides thee. My flesh and my heart S ER M. faileth; but God is the ftrength of my heart, and my portion for ever. fixed principle and refolution, upon the whole, he declares in the words of the text, It is Good for me to draw near to God; words which will immediately occur to you as particularly fuited to the folemn fervice in which we are to be engaged this day. In difcourfing from them, I fhall endeavour to show what is implied in drawing near to God; and what reason we have, to agree with the Pfalmift in judging this to be good for us. To draw near to God, is an expreffion of awful and myfterious import; in explaining which, we have much reason to be fober and modeft, and to guard with care against every enthufiaftic excess; remembering always, that rife as high as we can, an immeasurable and infinite distance must ever remain between us and the Supreme Being. There are two senses in which we may be faid to draw near, in fuch a degree as mortality admits, to SERM to God; either by the general courfe VIII of a pious and virtuous life; or in folemn acts of immediate devotion. I. By the practice of holinefs and virtue throughout the general tenor of life, we may be faid to draw near to God; for it is fuch an approach as we can make to the resemblance of his moral perfections. After the image of God, man was created. That image was defaced by our fin and apoftacy. By a return to God and our duty, that image, through the intervention of our Saviour, is renewed upon the foul; man is faid to be regenerated or born again, and is in fome degree restored to that connexion with God which bleffed his primæval state. He who lives in the exercise of good affections, and in the regular discharge of the offices of virtue and piety, maintains, as far as his infirmity allows, conformity with the nature of that perfect Being, whose benevolence, whofe purity and rectitude, are confpicuous, both in his works and his ways.-Worldly and corrupt |