the Lord's, they would fee themselves obliged to employ for God whatever they are or have.

5. It will be a preparative for the hardest piece of fervice God may put into your hand. He puts into the hands of all, the cutting off of right-hand lufts, and plucking out of right-eye fins If this impreffion wear off men's fpirits, they will then stand and dispute the divine orders; they will debate with God, as if they had not already made the bargain; they will preferve thefe, as if in their covenant they had been exprefsly excepted. But,

I am the Lord's,' would put an end to the difpute, and learn us to obey without quarreling, knowing we are in nothing mafters of ourselves. Thus it did with Abraham, Gen. xxii. Heb. xi. 17. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Ifaac, and he that received the promifes offered up his only-begotten fon." You know not what hard piece of work for God may be put into your hand; but O think ye are the Lord's wholly, and therefore are to obey without reserve.

You have put a blank into the Lord's hand, faying with Paul, Acts, ix. 6. "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Whatever, then, he fills up muft be welcome; and will be fo, if you look on yourselves as no more your own, but as the Lord's.

6. It will reconcile you to your lot in private trials: Pfal. xlvii. 4. "He fhall chufe our inherit- .* ance for us." It may be, God takes from you the comfort you expected in your relations, he takes away your health, your substance, in a greater or lefs degree, your credit and reputation, in regard they are laid under reproach. But the man who can folidly fay, I am the Lord's,' fits down refigued under all thefe, reafoning thus with himfelf, My comforts, my health, my wealth, and reputation, are all the Lord's, he may do with

them

them as he will. I have put them all in his hands, to give or with-hold as he fees good. I am the Lord's, let him do with me as to him it seems good.'

7. It will determine you to the right fide in public or private trials. When the Lord fays, "Who is on my fide ?" while many are drawn away to fide with fin and Satan, this will determine you to take part with Chrift, his people, and cause. When a generation is affociating together against God, it is good for a person to think with himself, that he is already difpofed of to the Lord, while those who are not looking on themselves as the Lord's, are ready to fall in with the multitude going the wrong way.

Laftly, It will help you to fuffer for Chrift. This was what bore up Paul's heart, when he was a prifoner in that fhip which was ready to be fwallowed up in the waves. If you be the Lord's, your fubftance, your liberty, your life, are all the Lord's, and at his difpofal. And the confideration of God's intereft in them will help you to lay them down at his feet.-We shall now confider,

Secondly, This in refpect of confolation.. Your looking on yourselves as the Lord's will be of notable use for your confolation. He who can, on folid ground, fay, I am the Lord's,' has thus a storehouse of comfort, more than if all the world was his. He who can say this, can express a great deal more than he who can fay, A kingdom, a crown, an empire, are mine. Three marks of perfons who can avow thus much fhall be offered.

1. He who can fay, My heart is the Lord's; he has the chief room in my affections above all perfons and all things, may fay, I am the Lord's:" Pfal. Ixxiii. 25. "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I defire

befide

befide thee." 1 Pet. ii. 7. "Unto you therefore which believe he is precious." Haft thou seen a glory in him, which has fo darkened all created excellency, that he reigns in thy affections? Thy heart is his captive, fo that he is dearer to thee, than what is dearest in the world. Say then, I am his, for he has thine heart.

2. He who can fay, My life is his,' so that thou makest it thy habitual endeavours, to live to him, not to thyself, not to thy lufts, Phil. i. 21. "For to me to live is Chrift" is it the great defign thou haft in the world, to please him, to walk before him, unto all well pleafing in heart, lip, and life? and what is difpleafing to him, is difpleafing, and a burden to thee, whether it be in thyfelf or others: Say, I am his,' for thy life is his.

3. He who can fay, My all is his,' art thou content rather to part with the whole of what is dear to thee, than to part with him and his way ? and art thou refolved honestly to lay thy all down at his feet, to be difpofed of in what way he orders? Say, then, I am his,' for thy all is his, Luke,

xiv. 26.

Thus, you fee who they are who may fay, as Paul did, "God, whose I am.” God, whofe I am." And he who can fay this, he may, in confequence of it, speak these fix comfortable words.

1. He may fay, God is mine: Song, ii. 16. "My beloved is mine, and I am his;" for the covenant-rélation is mutual: The Father is my Father, the Son is my Saviour, the Holy Ghost is my Sanctifier.' Nay, thou mayest run over all the attributes of God, and call them thine; thou mayeft fay, His power is mine to defend me, his wifdom to guide me, his mercy, grace, and love, all are mine. Even as a wife, in her right

to her husband, may call every thing which is his, her own. He may fay,

2. All the promifes and benefits of the covenant are mine: 2 Pet. i. 14. "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by thefe we might be partakers of the divine nature, having efcaped the pollution that is in the world through luft." In that day in which the foul gives itself to Chrift, Chrift gives himself to that foul; and with him they have all the promifes and benefits of the covenant, as of the marriage-contract; fo that the foul may fay, Peace with God is mine; pardon, and every bleffing, are mine.' They may read Chrift's Teftament, and of all the precious promifes in it, may fay, They are mine?' 2 Cor. i. 20. "For all the promifes of God in him are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us."They may fay,

3. I fhall get fafe through the world to the other fide: John, xvii. 12. "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name; those that thou gaveft me I have kept, and none of them is loft but the fon of perdition, that the fcripture might be fulfilled." Satan and the world may get back their own, though they have been pretending to leave them; but they never can get back fo much as one of those who are truly the Lord's. The bond of the covenant, favingly entered into, is a fure bond, it will keep them who cannot keep it. They may fay,

4. I fhall be cared and provided for in all cafes and conditions.' Surely God will care for his own, come of others what will. He will provide for those of his own houfe. He who feeds his birds, will not ftarve his babes: "Though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the fea; though the waves thereVOL. II. Ff

of

of roar, and be troubled; though the mountains shake with the fwelling thereof: There is a river, the ftreams whereof fhall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Moft High," Pfal. xlvi.-They may fay,

5. All I meet with in the world fhall turn to my good' Rom. viii. 28. " And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Art thou his? Then every thing shall be for thy advantage in the end. The ftones of affliction thrown at thee shall be as precious ftones, and all the paths of God fhall drop down fatnefs. -They may fay,

Laftly, All is mine: 1 Cor. iii. 21. 22. 23. "For all things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things prefent, or things to come; all are yours, and ye are Chrift's, and Chrift is God's." For, having a right to Chrift, they have a right to all things with and through him.

IV. I AM now to make fome improvement.-From what has been obferved, we may learn,

1. How foolish those are who cannot be perfuaded to give themselves away to the Lord in his covenant. They neglect their great duty, they are blind to their great intereft. Think on this, you who will be your own, and fay, "Who is Lord over us?" You will have your own will to be your law, and will not be the Lord's. It is but a poor affair, even though thou couldft fay, All the world is mine,' for God will fay of you, "I never knew you." He will disown you at death, at judgement, and through eternity. Learn,

2. That it is the duty of thofe who lay hold on

the