The selfish man may have a great degree of religious joy; but it is entirely of a different nature and kind from the joy of the truly pious and benevolent, and there is no true piety in it; because there is no true refpect to God in it, no difinterested regard to his glory, and the public, general good, or the good of others. It is the joy of the hypocrite, of the falfe hearted man, who regards and feeks himfelf only, his own fuppofed private, perfonal good. If he thinks God loves him, and intends to make him happy forever, this gives him great joy, while his mind is contracted down to his little felf, and he has no difinterefted pleasure and joy, in beholding God, in his glorious character and unlimited dominion, and infinite, independent felicity, doing whatfoever he pleafes, ordering all events for his own glory and the general good; nor is he willing to be fo dependent on God, and fo wholly indebted to him for all good, as is implied in his foreordaining whatfoever comes to pass. "A brutish man knoweth not, neither doth a fool underftand this." But the language of the pious friend of God is, "Thou, Lord, haft made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. The counsel of the Lord ftandeth forever, and the thoughts of his heart to all generations:" [Pfal. xcii. 4, 5, 6; xxxiii. 11.] “My foul fhall make her boaft in the Lord: The humble fhall hear thereof, and be glad. O, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together :" [Pfal. xxxiv, 2, 3.]

7. Devotion, which confifts in the worship of God, in Adoration, Confeflion, Profeffion, Self-dedication, Petition, Thanksgiving, and Praife, is a great and important branch of piety. I fhall confider each of these parts of devotion now mentioned, and fhow that the doctrine which has been deduced from our text, and explained, is fo far from being inconfiftent with thefe, that it is fuited to excite and promote them, and the only proper foundation of them.

ADORATION

ADORATION Confifts in recollecting and attending to, and, with profound awe and religious fear, revering, the infinitely excellent and glorious perfections and character of the Moft High God, manifefted in his wonderful works, and most wife and univerfal government, in a folemn address to him.

Now, no arguments are needed to prove, that a Being of infinite greatnefs, power, rectitude, wisdom and goodness, who is above all controul, doing what he pleases, and ordering and directing every thing by his counfel and decree, with irrefiftible energy, to answer the best end-that fuch a Being is the only proper object of this adoration, and that the more clear conviction and greater impreffion and fenfe any one has of fuch a Being and character, the ftronger and more fervent will the exercises of his heart be in humble adoration; and this is the only object that is fuited to continue and increase it forever. And the thought that God might be changeable in his defigns, and had not decreed whatfo ever comes to pafs, but that many things do take place contrary to his will, and fo as to render his plan of operation lefs perfect than otherwise it would have been, muft tend greatly to damp, if not wholly destroy, the moft devout and rational adoration, and is inconfiftent with the complete enjoyment and happiness of the devout mind.

CONFESSION of fin, unworthinefs, wretchedness, abfolute dependence on God and his fovereign grace, &c. is effential to the devotion of a finner: a conviction and feeling fenfe of all this is implied in all his pious exercifes, and intermixed with them.

All this is implied in repentance, which has been confidered; and it has been shown that the truth under confideration is fuited to promote this. The more clear view the finner has of the excellency of the divine character, of the abfolute, independent fupremacy of God, of his infinite wisdom, rectitude and goodness, and his entire dependence on the power and operation of God, the greater fense he must have of his obligation to love

and

and obey him; and confequently of his own guilt, vilenefs and ill defert as a finner and rebel against this God; and feel himself utterly loft and undone: and therefore the more freely and fully will he confefs all this. PROFÈSSION, SELF-DEDICATION to God, THANKSGIVING and PRAISE, in which the devout worshipper of God expreffes before him his love to him, and all the friendly, pious feelings of his heart; devotes himself to God, willing to ferve him, to be, do and fuffer whatever God pleafes and requires, and to be used by him to answer his wife purpofes; acknowledging the goodness of God, admiring and praifing him for what he is, and for what, he does; all this is grounded on the infinite perfection and glory of the Deity, who is "over all God bleffed forever," fupreme, independent, "wonderful in counfel, and excellent in working;" whofe energy guides every motion and event in the univerfe, according to the counfel of his own will. A being who is not fupreme, not fo powerful, wife and good, as neceffarily to foreordain whatsoever comes to pafs, could not be the proper object of thefe devout exercises of the pious heart.

Sermon XIX.

The fame Subject continued.

Eccl. iii. 14. I know that whatsoever God doth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it; and God doth it, that men fhould fear before him.

IN

N the preceding difcourfe the exercife of piety has been confidered in a number of particulars. The laft mentioned was devotion, and several things includ ed in this have been confidered. Another branch of devotion now requires our attention.

PETITION is that part of devotion in which we, in our addrefs to God, exprefs our defires, or afk him to do or grant that which to us appears good and desirable. This requires a more particular confideration, as fome have thought it not confiftent with the doctrine of God's decrees, foreordaining whatsoever comes to pass; because, according to this, every thing is fixed, and cannot be altered. It has been faid, there cannot be any reafon or motive to pray, or make any petition, to an unchangeable God, whofe defign cannot be altered, and who has fixed all events, without a poffibility of any change.

Before any attempt is made to remove this objection, and fuppofed difficulty, it must be obferved, that it equally lies against the foreknowledge of God. For if God certainly foreknows every thing that will take place, then every event is fixed and certain, otherwife it could not be foreknown. "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." He has determined, and passed an unchangeable decrec, with refpect to all that he will do to eternity. Upon the plan of the objection under confideration, it may be asked, What

reafon

reafon or motive can any one have to ask God to do any thing for him, or any one elfe, fince he infallibly knows from the beginning what he will do, and therefore it is unalterably fixed? Therefore if it be reafonable to pray to an omnifcient God, it is equally reasonable to pray to an unchangeable God. For the former neceffarily implies the latter. But in order to show that the objection is without foundation, the following things must be observed.

I. If God were not omnifcient and unchangeable, and had not foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, he would not be the proper object of worship, and there would be no foundation, reafon or encouragement to make any petition to him.

This it is prefumed will be evident to any one who will well confider the following obfervations.

First. If there were no unchangeable, omnifcient Being, there would be no God, no proper object of worship. A being who is capable of change is neceffarily imperfect, and may change from bad to worse, and even ceafe to exift, and therefore could not be trufted. If we could know that such a being has existed, and that he was once wife and good and powerful, we could have no evidence that he would continue to be wife or good, or that he is so now, or that he is now difpofed to pay any regard to our petitions, or is either willing or able to grant them; or even that he has any existence. What reafon of encouragement then can there be to pray to a changeable being? Surely none at all. Therefore, if there be no reason to pray to an unchangeable God, there can be no reafon to pray at all.

Secondly. If God be infinitely wife, and good, and omnipotent, fupreme and independent; then he certainly is unchangeable, and has foreordained whatsoever comes to pafs. This has been proved above, or rather is felf-evident. But if he be not infinitely wife and good, &c. then he cannot be trufted; he cannot be the object of that truft and confidence which is implied, and even expreffed, in praying to him.

Thirdly.