God by him." Thus will you fulfil the design of David in transmitting his experience to future ages ; whilst you confirm his testimony, by your acknowledgment that God is still as gracious as ever, and an imchangeable Friend to all who come to him in his Son's name.]
Ps. xxxiv. 8. 0 taste and see that tlie Lord is good! Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
THERE is, in the minds of many, a prejudice against experimental religion, insomuch that the very name of Christian experience is an object of reproach. But, what is repentance, but a sense of sorrow on account of sin ? And what is faith, but a resting of the soul on God's promised mercy in Christ ? And what is love, but a going forth of the soul in kindly affections towards God and man ? The heart is the proper seat of religion : " My son," says God, " give me thine heart :" and, to imagine that we can have hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, excited in the soul, and yet not possess any consciousness of such feel- ings, is a mere delusion. I mean not to decry those exercises of the mind which are purely intellectual ; for they are necessary in their place. But it is not in them that piety consists : they may lay the foun- dation for piety ; but there must be a superstructure of holy affections, before the edifice of religion can be complete.
This is intimated in the words before us : in wliich it will be proper to notice,
I. The experience recommended —
" That the Lord is good," will admit of no doubt —
[This is seen throughout all the works of Creation ; every one of which bears the stamp and character of wisdom and love Nor is it less visible in the dispensations of Pro- vidence : for, though we see them very partially, and are con- strained to wait the issue of events in order to form a correct judgment respecting them, yet, from what we have seen, who can but acknowledge that " God is good to all, and that his tender mercy is over all his works ?" But most of all