when he bore our fins in his own body "on the tree," as fo many mouths filled with the most prevailing arguments for mercy and grace to his redeemed ones, whom he then did, and ftill doth, reprefent. We have a fpecimen of his interceffion recorded by that Apostle in the 17th chapter of his gofpel; where, among other tender and affectionate requefts, we find the following remarkable words: "Now I am no "more in the world, but thefe are in the "world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, 66 keep through thine own name those whom "thou haft given me.I pray not that "thou fhouldft take them out of the world, "but that thou fhouldft keep them from "the evil. Neither pray I for these alone, "but for them alfo which fhall believe on 66 me through their word." In fuch terms did our Lord recommend his immediate followers, and all his difciples in fucceeding generations, to the protection and care of his heavenly Father. And may not this beget in us the fulleft and most joyful affurance, that God doth, and always will, care for them?-And ftill more, when we con

fider, that he who thus intercedes n their behalf, is himself poffeffed of all power in heaven and in earth, and is constituted Head over all things for the church. "I am he," said he, “that was dead, and am now alive, " and behold I live for evermore, and have "the keys of hell and of death."

Thefe are fome of the evidences which the Scriptures afford us, that God careth for fanctified believers. The relation he bears to them, the promises he hath given them, the conftant prevailing interceffion of his Son, together with the power committed to him as King of Zion, all concur to fecure this important benefit.

But I have further to add, that we have the evidence of facts, as well as of arguments, to establish our faith of the divine care and protection. The facred records bear witness, that God hath been the dwelling-place of his people in all generations, and give us abundant reason to say, with David, "Our fathers trufted in thee: they "trufted, and thou didst deliver them, "They cried unto thee, and were delivered: "they trufted in thee, and were not con

founded." And God is always in one mind: "He is the rock, his work is perfect, "and all his ways are judgement; a God of "truth, and without iniquity, juft and right is he."

What fignal appearances hath he made in every age, for the protection and fafety of his peculiar people? Nothing can be conceived more formidable than Pharaoh's preparation against the Ifraelites; the whale ftrength of an extenfive and potent empire employed against an undifciplined company of fugitives, who had long been difpirited by oppreffion and flavery: but though the bufh was all in a flame, yet it was not confumed when the enemy faid, "I will pur"fue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil,

my luft fhall be fatisfied on them, I will "draw the fword, my hand fhall destroy "them :" then the fea opened a paffage for their efcape, and overwhelmed their enemies; "God did blow with his wind, the "fea covered them, they fank as lead in the "mighty waters."-How wonderful were the steps of Joseph's advancement, to which his father and brethren owed their prefer

vation in a time of famine? And no lefs wonderful was the defeat of Haman's wicked attempt to cut off the whole nation of the Jews as one man. In either cafe, the failing of one circumstance would have varied the event; and yet each circumstance in both, when viewed apart, feems purely accidental; nay, fome of them appear at firft fight rather adverfe than favourable. And left any fhould imagine, that these, and other deliverances of the like nature, were really cafual, and therefore no proofs of God's gracious protection, let it be observed, that in two of the inftances I have mentioned, the events were the direct and immediate answers of prayer. Thus the Red Sea was divided when Mofes and the children of Ifrael" cried unto the "Lord." And Haman's plot was detected and broken on that very day which Esther and Mordecai had fet apart for fafting and prayer. To which I may add, that Asa obtained a complete victory over his enemies, after he had uttered that fervent fupplication, "Help us, O Lord our God." And the Apostle Peter was brought out of prison

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by the ministry of an angel, on that very night when prayer was offered up by the church in his behalf.

You fee, then, upon the whole, that the truth of the Apostle's affertion in the text is fupported and confirmed by every kind of evidence we could with to obtain.—Let us now confider,

II. THE propriety and force of the argument, for engaging us to cast our care upon God. This branch of the fubject will need little illuftration. For,

ift, If God careth for us, then we have one to care for us who is infinitely wife, who is perfectly acquainted with all our wants, and can never mistake in judging what is beft for us. We may choose many things apparently good, the poffeffion of which would prove hurtful to our fouls; for, as Solomon obferved long ago, (and daily experience confirms the obfervation)," No "man knoweth what is good for man in "this life." There are many latent feeds of corruption in our hearts that we do not at prefent fufpect, and perhaps fhall never difVOL. II. D d

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