that, as it is the best encouragement for duty, fo nothing should shake it, but our abandoning that duty. We are weak; God knows it, better than we do, and has provided for our weakness ; -it is our duty to apply ourselves to the provision he has made, and, having done fo, to hope in his goodness, and his mercy through Christ. We should carefully guard ourselves against the two extremes, of fufpecting our falvation, when we have not any reason so to do—and of not fufpecting it, when we have. Weakness may betray us into the former; but it is wickedness that prompts us with the latter.

In short, and to conclude

Whenever we indulge religious reflection (and the oftener we do fo the better) let us first look into ourselves, and then look up to God and Chrift our Redeemer; - if our confcience brings a good report, from an enquiry into ourfelves, that we have fincerely endeavoured to difcharge the duty God expects from us, and have as fincerely applied ourselves to that remedy for our failure in it, which Chrift our Redeemer hath appointed, by a hearty repentance, and faith in his redemption, with an actual amend

ment

ment of our conduct - we may then look up with hope in God's goodness and mercy through Chrift; and be affured, that fuch hope is as neceffary and indispensable a duty as obedience itself, and that it is an effential part, as it is the warmest expreffion, of our piety to God..

PSALM Xxxvii. 3.

Put thou thy trust in the Lord, and be

R

doing good.

ELIGIOUS Truft is another part of internal piety to God, and is fo near akin to Religious Hope, that what I have now to offer may well feem to be pursuing the fame fubject; as in truth it is; for (we feel it in our minds), truft is but a higher degree of hope, as hope is but a lower degree of truft.

A truft in God is that difpofition of mind and heart, with which we believe and rely upon him, that he will fupply us with what is good for us, especially with what is necesfary for our falvation; and that he will deliver us from what is evil, especially what is hurtful to our falvation.

Serm. 26. This truft arises from a full conviction of God's power, wisdom, goodness, and truth: and oftentimes our experience of past bleffings may well afford us ground, whereon we may place our trust in future ones.

But we ought well to remember, that, befides these confiderations, there is another very material one, on which our trust in God must be founded, and that is, a confcience of having discharged our duty to him. -Good men only can place their fure truft in God, because to fuch only God hath promised his grace and affiftance; which God may give, indeed, to others, but which they only have a right to truft in, to whom it is promised; and they are the righteous, the godly, those that fear him, and live according to his word. -How many profess their trust in God, who have no right to place it there! - how many more are there, who talk of a trust in God, yet neither feel it, nor know what it truly is! It is the genuine effect of religion, and infeparable from it ; fuch, therefore, in vain talk of a trust in God who have no religion. What they call a truft in God, is but another expreffion of what they wish may be. They think not of God, and what they wish

may