III. I PROCEED now to make fome practical improve ment of what hath been faid. And,

1. From what hath been faid, you may learn what are the great characters of acceptable obedience; and, I think, they may be reduced to the three following. 1. It must be implicit obedience. It must be founded immediately and directly on the authority of God. We must not take upon us to judge of the moment and importance of any part of his will, further than he hath made it known himfelf. It is a very dangerous thing for us to make comparifons between one duty and another, especially with a view of difpenfing with any of them, or altering their order, and fubftituting one in another's place. 2. A fecond character of true obedience is, that it be felf-denied and impartial, that it be not directed or qualified by our prefent intereft. It was the best of the spoil that Saul and the people faved; that which was vile and refuse, they utterly deftroyed. It is too common, that our own interest both points out the object, and affigns the measure of our obedience; and in that cafe, it does not deserve the name of obedience to God at all. But when the Chriftian is devoted to God, ready at his call, and equally difpofed to any employment affigned him in Providence, he then may be faid indeed to do his will. 3. A third character of obedience is, that it be univerfal, without any excepti on. Saul, and the children of Ifrael, had complied fo far with the order given them, that the greatest part both of the people and fubftance of Amalek was deftroyed; but he ftopped fhort, and knowingly left unfinished what had been injoined him by the fame authority.

2. From what hath been faid on this fubject, you may fee, that the true notion of obedience is inconfiftent with the notion of merit, as if we could lay our Maker under .fome fort of obligation. This is as fatal and dangerous an error as any whatever, to think we may merit at the hand of God, and yet it is very common. Nay, it seems to be natural to us all, with great difficulty reftrained, and never in this life wholly overcome. You see how Saul justified himself, and faid, "Yea, but I have obeyed the voice of "the Lord." But, in the judgment of God, there was

no confideration had of what he had done, but a fevere fentence of condemnation upon him for what he had neglected. True obedience is always confidered in this light, as a debt due to God, for the performance of which nothing can be claimed, but for the neglect of which a penalty is incurred. I with this were properly attended to. The guilt of tranfgreffion is plainly inconfiftent with the merit of obedience. If we are liable to punishment for not obeying, the right of our Maker to our fervice muft be complete, there is no room to plead any merit in compliance, and the reward must be of grace, and not of debt. Thus, I think, it is always felt by good men; and the more that they are devoted to God, they are the lefs dif posed to avail themselves of any thing they have done, and the more inclined to afk forgiveness for what hath been either omitted, or ill done.

3. From what hath been faid, you may learn the great defects of our obedience in general. If we confider the characters of true obedience, implicit, impartial, and univerfal, we must be fenfible what great blemishes attend every act of duty to God which we perform. We fhall always find something amifs, either in its extent, its principle, or its end. What reafon this for humiliation? what a powerful argument to every Chriftian to live a life of continual dependance on divine ftrength to enable him to obey, and on divine mercy to accept of his imperfect obedience? Nothing but great ignorance of themselves, or great inattention to what paffes in their own hearts, can embolden men to put confidence in themfelves. And indeed their doing fo is commonly attended with very mortifying effects. When God leaves them, in fatherly dif pleasure, to prove and try them, or when he leaves finners to themselves, to fill up the measure of their iniquities, it foon affords a fatisfying proof, that in us, that is, in our flesh, dwelleth no good thing. To will may be present with us, but to do that which is good, we find not.

4. In the last place, Suffer me earnestly to exhort you to make it your daily ftudy, not only to keep the commandments of God, but to take particular notice from what principle your obedience flows. See how much 3 R

VOL. I.

there is in it of self-denial, of devotednefs to God, of fubjection to his providence. One act of filent fubmiffion, or a quiet application to thofe duties that are immediately neceffary, though neither eafy nor honorable, is of much more value, than a long tract of activity and zeal in a public and vifible fphere of action, fweetened by reputation and applaufe. As the fubmiffive Christian lives upon the Creator alone, independent of the creature, fo the obedient Chriftian ferves his God and Redeemer alone, without paying any regard to the esteem or approbation of his fellow-finners. In this way only is your obedience given to God, and in this way only will you find it pleafant or profitable to yourselves. If you keep clearly and closely to the command of God, and have not fo much as any other defire or inclination, than to know what it is, you will hardly ever be mistaken, But if you allow other motives to have place, if you take upon you to judge of what is moft proper or expedient, or even practicable, you will pollute every part of your duty, and find yourselves often involved in impenetrable darkness. If what is duty be the inquiry, and intereft fet afide, if duty be the object of your attention, and events left to God, you will find unfpeakable confolation from it in the mean time, as well as the fuccefs more effectually fecured, than it could poffibly have been by any anxiety or forefight of your own. Let God then have the unadulterated obedience of all his creatures; and let us afk of him, according to his promife, "to "work in us to will and to do of his good pleafure."

The NAME of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

TH

HIS book of Proverbs confifts almost entirely of ob fervations upon human life. The characters and pursuits of men are described in it with a strength and propriety, which was never exceeded by those who devoted their whole attention to the study of what is called the knowledge of the world and of mankind. But in one particular it differs from, and excels all human learning, that it never separates the knowledge of the world from the knowledge of him who made and who governs it. There we are taught to improve the leffons we receive in the course of providence, for leading us to obedience and submiffion to him, "who doth according to his will in the "army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; "and none can stay his hand, or fay unto him, what doft "thou? There, while a view is given us of the innumerable paths which men have ftruck out for themselves in travelling through life, our eyes are continually directed to the paths of righteoufnefs, the fure and only way to rest and peace.

Experience alone, and unaffifted, will make us wifer in one fenfe, will show us many of the unavoidable calamities of life; but the greatest exertion of human reafon could never yet lead to an effectual cure. I believe it

will be found, that perfons of the greatest vigor and refolution of mind, when they trufted to their own internal ftrength, and fought a refource in themselves for the evils with which they were affaulted, have often run headlong into the most furious and defperate courfes, as fome of the ftrongest animals, when taken in a fnare, do, by their violent struggles, entangle themselves the more, drawing the cords which bind them ftill more strait, and increase their confinement by their endeavors to escape.

The wife man, in our text, points out what is the refuge and fecurity of every child of God. The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. And he certainly intends to fet this in opposition to every thing else on which worldly men might place their dependance; for he adds, as an example, in the verse following the text, "The rich man's wealth is "his ftrong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit." The truth conveyed to us in this paffage has an intimate connexion with practical and experimental religion; and on a firm belief and habitual application of it, in a great measure, depends the comfort and peace of the fervants of God. In difcourfing on it, I fhall endeavor, in divine ftrength,

I. To explain what is to be understood by the NAME of the LORD.

II. What is implied in the righteous running into it as a strong tower.

III. Point out the fecurity they attain by doing so.

And, in the laft place, I fhall make fome application of the fubject.

I. Then, I am to explain what is to be understood by the NAME of the LORD. And here, I hope, I need scarce obferve, that it was by no means the intention of the Spirit of God, by this expreffion, to teach us to conceive any particular virtue or charm in the name literally fo called; that is, the found or pronunciation of the word. To imagine any thing of this kind, would be to go into the foolery and idle dreams of fuperftition, to which there is not the leaft countenance given in the holy Scriptures. Hu