to him their every concern, and trust him for body and for soul, for time and for eternity ]
And need I ask, whether persons so doing shall be *' blessed?"
[Verily it is not in the power of language to declare the full extent of their blessedness. What tranquillity possesses their minds! It is well said, that " their peace passeth under- standing," and their "joy is unspeakable and glorified." Con- scious as they are of their ill desert, they nevertheless feel assured of mercy through the blood of sprinkling. Sensible as they are of a " body of sin and death," and almost sinking under its weight, they yet can say, " Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ ! " Know- ing by bitter experience, also, the power and subtlety of Satan, they yet anticipate a final victory over him, and doubt not but that he shall soon be for ever " bruised under their feet." As for death, they have learned to number it amongst their trea- sures'^: and they look forward to a habitation infinitely better than any that this world can afibrd, even to " a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
In every view that can be conceived, these persons are blessed ; as indeed the whole Scripture testifies : but more especially does David assure us of it, when, in a solemn appeal to God liimself, he says, " O Lord God of Hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee^."]
Address —
Are there any amongst you who doubt the blessed- ness of religion ?
[Sure I am, that you can never have had any just expe- rience of it. And what would you yourselves say to any one who should presume, under such circumstances, to judge of earthly things ? Would you not reply, you are incompetent to judge ? So, then, I say to you. Go first and taste whether God be not good to them that seek him. If you can truly say, that you have sought him with deep penitential sorrow, and he has shut up his bowels of compassion from you ; that you have prostrated yourselves at the foot of the cross, and the Lord Jesus has spurned you from his foot-stool ; and that you have truly and unreservedly given yourselves up to God, and he has denied you the assistance of his grace ; if you will say, that, whilst you have thus turned with your whole heart to God, and retained no allowed sin within you, God has cast out your prayer, and refused to be gracious unto you ; I will allow you to be judges in this matter. But where is the man that will
d 1 Cor. iii. 22. « Ps. Ixxxiv. 12.