[" To know God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent, is," as our Lord informs us, " eternal life." All other knowledge is mere vanity in comparison of this. Without this we have
nothing to warrant our liopes, or to dissipate our fears
" Acquaint then yourselves with God, and be at peace" ]
2. Maintain constant and intimate communion with him —
[You know how a child runs to his parent on every occa- sion : do ye in like manner run unto your God. This is the very character of the true Christian ; " The righteous runneth unto God as his strong tower." Get to him under every fear, and every want, and every distress : aud " cast your care on Him who careth for you" ]
3. Assure yourselves of the safety which you are privileged to enjoy —
[Well may you say, " If God be for me, who can be
against me ? " See how David exulted in his security ^ !
and learn like him to glory in your God : for it is God's desire that you should enjoy all possible consolation'. Your Saviour has assured you, that " none shall pluck you out of his hands : " lie there then in peace and safety, " knovnng in whom you have believed, and that he is able to keep that which you have
committed to him " When he has lost his power to save,
then, and not till then, shall any enemy prevail against you.]
s Ps, xviii. 1, 2. and xxvii. 1. * Heb. vi. 18.
Prov. xviii. 14. The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity : hut a wounded spirit who can bear ?
MAN being placed in a world where troubles of various kinds continually await him, he is endued with a firmness of mind suited to the occasion, so that he is enabled to bear them with a considerable measure of composure and ease. Previously to the arrival of afflictions, they appear more formidable than they really are. We should suppose that poverty, and sickness, and pain, and losses of friends and rela- tives, would produce a permanent depressure of mind : but this is not found to be the case : time soon heals the wounds that are inflicted by them ; and habit soon reconciles men to the burthens which they are