him amongst his peculiar people, thou hast not on that account any more sufficiency in thyself than others. Thou art still, and wilt be to thy dying hour, as helpless as a little child, and must be borne by him as an infant in its mother's arms.
" O House of Aaron, trust thou in the Lord !" Thou, who art exercising the office of the priesthood, hast peculiar need of help from above, in order to discharge it to the satisfaction of thy God. Thy difficulties are great ; thy duties arduous : and thou hast no more strength in thyself than other men. Even the Apostle Paul exclaimed, " Who is sufficient for these things11? " Thou hast to give an account of the souls of others, as well as of thine own : and methinks, a double portion of help from above is necessary for thee, in order that thou mayest prevail at last to " save thyself and them that hear thee."
" Ye also that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord !" As there were proselytes amongst the Jews who were not considered on the high footing of native Israelites, so are there many at this time who are not publicly known and recognised as God's peculiar people, who yet do truly " fear him : " and shall these be overlooked? No: ye are privileged to trust in the Lord, as much as others; and may expect from him all needful blessings, as much as others : for " God is no respecter of persons ; but, in every nation, he that feareth God, and worketh righteousness shall be accepted of him'."]
Such being the duty enjoined on all, let us consider,
II. Our encouragement to perform it —
This is twofold, arising,
1. From what God has already done for us —
[" He has been mindful of us," of all of us, without ex- ception. To whom of those who ever trusted in him, has he not been both " a help and a shield?" Whom has he not protected from innumerable dangers, and assisted in times of
difficulty ? Can any one doubt but that he would have
long since perished from the assaults of sin and Satan, if God
had not been with him, to preserve and uphold him ?
But it is not in time only that God has been mindful of us: from all eternity has his eye been fixed upon us, and his infi- nite wisdom been occupied in our behalf. Long before we were in existence, or the foundations of the earth were laid, did he make provision for our happiness. He foresaw that we should fall : and he entered into covenant with his own Son to redeem us. He engaged also his Holy Spirit, to execute within us all the purposes of his love
11 2 Cor. ii, 1G. j Acts x. 34, 35.