awful our condition then ! Truly we should have been for ever like the fallen angels, destitute of all help or hope, if God had not marvellously interposed to rescue us from death and hell by the sacrifice of his only dear Son. With what emphasis then may every one of us say, " A Syrian ready to perish was our father ! " Here all the wonders of redeeming love unfold them- selves to our view and he who has no heart to adore
God for them, has no evidence, no hope, of any interest in them ]
2. A reasonable duty —
[If we have conferred favours on any person for years to- gether, do we not expect our kindness to be acknowledged and requited as opportunities shall occur? Do we not look with abhorrence upon a man that is insensible to all the obligations that can be heaped upon him? But what are the kindnesses which we can shew to a fellow-creature in comparison of those which we have received from God ? Shall we then ex- pect a tribute of gratitude from him, and think ourselves at
liberty to withhold it from our Heavenly Benefactor ?
Let the world ridicule devotion, if they will, and call the love of God enthusiasm: but we will maintain it, that " the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and that an entire sur- render of ourselves to him is " a reasonable service"
Do we inquire, whence it is that ungodly men regard the sublimer exercises of religion as unnecessary and absurd? We answer, They have never considered what obligations they owe to God. Only let them once become acquainted with " the height and depth and length and breadth of the love of Christ," and they will see, that reason, no less than revelation, demands of us this tribute; and that every enlightened mind must of necessity accord with that of the Psalmist, " What shall I render to the Lord for all the benefits he has done unto me?" " Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name ! "]
3. A delightful duty —
[In the passage before us it is associated with joyb: and indeed, what is such a service but a foretaste of heaven itself? Did any one ever engage in it, and not find his soul elevated by it to a joy which nothing else could afford? Let anyone rumi- nate on earthly things, and his meditations will only augment his cares, or at best inspire him with a very transient joy. Let him dwell upon his own corruptions, and, though they are a proper subject of occasional meditation, they will only weigh down his spirits, and perhaps lead him to desponding fears. But let the goodness of God, and the wonders of redeeming love,
b ver. 11.