to him, as men delight to ferve the interefts of thofe they dearly love. This will be to a spiritual man in a fpiritual frame the most desirable thing in life: Philip. i. 20. 21. According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be afhamed, but that with all boldness, as always, fo now alfo Chrift shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. For to me to live is Chrift, and to die is gain. This is a juft endearment of life. Now, the business of life for which it is defirable, is twofold..

1. To praise or glorify God in the world; to fpeak of the perfections of his nature, and fhew forth the praises of him who hath called us, among-men, to the advancement of his kingdom here under the fun to ftrike up beams of his glory in a dark world, and commend him and his way before and to others. Now, here confider, ift, Whofe is this privilege: The living, the living; i. e. the living all along in a fucceffion of generations to the end of the world. That is the import of the doubling of this word. This accefs to the praifing of God in the world, is peculiar to the living. And,

(1.) It is not those that are now dead, but those that are now living, that have access to fhew forth his praise and glorify him, in a world where he is fo much dishonoured; to fide with him, and take his part against his enemies. It is true, the fouls of dead faints are praifing God in heaven in the loftieft ftrains: but what the better is the world of thefe praises? No more than they that are fitting in the dark room down stairs, are the better of a glorious lamp fhining in the upper room. there ever a poor finner brought acquainted and

Is

to fall in love with Chrift by their means? No; their praises of God are to finners here as if they were not; they hear them not. Is the kingdom of Chrift in the world advanced by these praises? No. It is the living, the living only, that have access to those pieces of fervice to God. The living man that fits in a cote-houfe, has the accefs to glorify God in the world that no faint in heaven has.

(2.) If those that are now living were once dead, they will have no more access to praife him in the world; but those that will be then living and fo on to the end. Men will go off the age one after another, but they will not carry that work with them; but it will still be left, in the hands of the living, and no other, whatever they make of it. There are heads, tongues, and hands of minifters and Chriftians lying in the grave, that have contrived, spoken, and acted well for God in the world: but now, if the cause of God and religion, which is very low, were at the laft gafp, there is no more help to be had from thofe heads, tongues, and hands. The living only muft speak and actfor it, or it muft lie.

zdly, An inftance of it: As I do this day. Hezekiah was recovered from fickness, and he gives God the praife of it. He looked on it as his bounden-duty to fall clofely again to that bufinefs of life, which was likely to have been taken out of his hands by death. What time of life the Lord lengthens out to us, after threatening a removal, we fhould be careful to ufe for the honour of God.

2. To propagate his name and praife: The father to the children fhall make known thy truth. It is the fpecial bufinefs of life, to endeavour that

the

the name of God may live and be glorified in the world, when we are dead. It is a black mark for perfons not to care what come of the world if they were out of it. A child of God will be concerned, that religion may be kept up and propo gate in it and while he is living, he has access to contribute to it. And here confider,

ift, What he has accefs to do for that end; namely, to praise God to the younger fort, that are likely to live after he is gone; especially to his own family, and particularly his own children. Heb. The father to the children; q. d. The father [fhall praife thee] to the children. They may fhew to them how lovely God is, and how defirable his way and when they have children, they may do the fame to them; and fo on, God's praife will be kept up in the world.

Now obferve, he is ftill fpeaking of the living, for these are the fubject exprefsly propofed to be fpoken of. Q. d. As for the living, the living father may praise thee to the living fons. It imports,

(1.) If the father die, though the children live, he can do Gad no more honour, and them no more fervice, that way. If he has neglected his duty to his family in his life, he cannot come back again to mend the matter. If he left them ignorant of God, and ftrangers to him, though one word from him again could fave their fouls from the pit, he has no more access to give them it.

(2.) If the children die, though the father live, he can do God no more honour, and them no more fervice, that way. He may take care of their duft, to bury it; but he can do no more P 4

for

for their fouls: As the tree falls it must lie. While they are both standing and living together, he has access to ferve their fouls: but when one of them falls, that work is at an end.

2dly, How he may do it, how he may commen him to them; namely, by making him known to them, as an object worthy of their faith, truft, and confidence; Shall make known thy truth. The expreffion in the Hebrew is concife, He may make known, unto thy truth. The word ren, dered to hope, verf. 18. properly fignifying in-. tenfely to look, Neh. ii. 13. 15. is understood. Q. d. That they may look unto thy truth or faithfulness. So in it are two things to be confidered,

(1.) The proper method of praifing or commending God to the rifing generation; and that is, by making him known. The more he is known, the more lovely will he appear. God is light. The best way to commend the fun to one fitting in a dark room, is to open the windows, and let in its light, and bid him look to it with his eyes: The best way to commend God and religion to the generation rifing, is to labour that they may know and understand them, by teaching.

(2.) The great thing we are to have in view in that work. It is, that they may look intensely unto his truth; that they may look away from the lyes and vanities the world is holding out to them, to be embraced as their portion and that they may look unto the truth of God in Christ, in the promise of the gofpel, by an eye of faith, truft, and confidence, fixed on it, and hold by that as their portion, their fure portion.

This is what men may do for the rifing generation, and the view they fhould do it on: but

God

God only can give it efficacy. No doubt Hezekiah did as he faid, commended God, and made him known to Manaffeh his fon: but how unfuccefsful all he did that way was, is notour from the wicked life his fon led. Yet Hezekiah's work was accepted, and his prayers heard in the end; and perhaps his words were minded too, in Manaffeh's converfion at long-run.

Three doctrines are deducible" from the words.

DocT. I. It is the peculiar mercy of life, that the living only are, and all along will be, thofe that have access to praife and glorify God in the world.

DocT. II. It is the fpecial bufinefs and privilege of life, to propagate religion, God's name and praife, the fanding generation to the rifing generation, the fathers to the children, all along.

DOCT. III. The true way of propagating religion, the ftanding to the rifing generation, is, That the former make God known to the latter, Jo as they may be take themfelves unto him, his truth and faithfulness, by faith and trust.

We fhall handle each of these doctrines in order.

DOCT. I. It is the peculiar mercy of life, that the living only are, and all along will be, thofe that have access to praise and glorify God in the world.

In profecuting this doctrine, we fhall

I. Confider the praifing or glorifying God in the world.

II. Shew how it is a valuable mercy and privilege of the living, that they have access to praise God in the world.

III. How