things and sureV There is not any thing we desire, but there is the most abundant provision made for it by many and repeated promises, all of which he has confirmed to us by the most solemn oath. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth ! Jehovah covenants ; Jehovah swears ! And wherefore does he so condescend to the infirmities of men ? Is it to guard against a versatility of mind on his part ? No ; but to comfort us under our fears of his displeasure : " being willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, he confirmed it with an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge, to lay hold of the hope set before us'."]
3. In the richness and variety of his ordinances —
[God does not merely permit us to approach him, but has commanded us to come to his footstool, and to make known to him our requests in every possible situation and circumstance of life. He has appointed ordinances, public, private, social, assuring us, that, if we " draw nigh to him, he will draw nigh to us," and " do exceeding abundantly for us above all that we can ask or think." These ordinances are beautifully repre- sented in our text as " breasts of consolation, which we may suck and be satisfied with, yea, from which we may milk out and be delighted with an abundance of glory." And here let me ask the people of the Lord, Whether God has not " spread for them, as for his people of old, a table in the wilderness ;" and abundantly blessed to them the provisions of his house ? whether " their weary souls have not been satiated, and their sorrowful souls replenished?" whether in these seasons " light has not often arisen to them in obscurity, and their darkness been made as the noon day?" and especially, whether at the table of the Lord, when they have been feeding on the body and blood of their crucified Saviour, they have not often found " his body to be bread indeed, and his blood to be drink indeed ? " Yes ; in reading his word, and in communion with him, the soul enjoys a feast of fat things, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refinedk;" and those who have most frequented " his banqueting house," have most found " his banner over them to be love1."]
4. In the gifts and trials of his Ministers — [Various are the gifts with which the Lord endows his
servants"1, that he may thereby adapt his word to the neces- sities of all n: and the particular commission which he gives to every one of them is, " Comfort ye, comfort ye my people ;
h 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. > Heb. vi. 17, 18. k Isai. xxv. 6.
1 Cant. ii. 3, 4. m 1 Cor. xii. 8—11. " Eph. iv. 11 — 13.