and to be thankful, if henceforth utmost reason to confess our unthey may know nothing of war, ex-grateful forgetfulness of our Benecept from newspapers and taxes. factor; our disposition to abuse or

Many apprehensions have lately idolize his gifts; to undervalue been entertained in our land on them because not answerable to this account; but during another our exorbitant desires; to ascribe year we have been preserved. "Oh our safety and success to our own that men would praise the Lord for prudence and good conduct; or to his goodness, and for his wonderful spend our abundance in gratifying works to the children of men!" our carnal passions. This subject, The same may likewise be ob- therefore, if investigated with care, served concerning pestilences, earth- may probably convince us, that we quakes, hurricanes, famines, and have great cause to admire the other dreadful scourges of a guilty Lord's goodness, in preserving us world. We have thus far been ex- from ourselves, and the consequences empted from them; and our fears of our own vices and follies. If we of these dire judgments, which de- had been left without restraint, we solate other cities and countries, might, either directly or by exwith complicated miseries that baffle cesses, have long since proved our all description, should excite us to own murderers: we might have bless the Lord, who hath hitherto been hurried by violent passion or distinguished us by his special pro- resentment, or in prosecution of some favourite projèct, to murder

tection.

It would occupy too much time, others, or have provoked them to and prove tedious to enter into fur- murder us. We might in various ther particulars of the deliverances, ways have exposed ourselves to the comforts, and mercies, which the sword of human vengeance: and it kind providence of God hath vouch- is indeed wonderful that the Lord safed us. This specimen may suf- bath borne with our rebellion and fice to aid the serious inquirer, in perverseness, and hath not cut us recollecting the peculiar favours he off in the midst of our sins. "It is hath received during all his past of the Lord's mercies that we are life, which may prove one of the not consumed, because his compasmost useful studies in which he can sions fail not." We are infinitely engage. It may, however, be pro-indebted to his patience and longper to ask, whether there were not suffering. He spared, protected, some one trial, which you have and provided for many of us, during dreaded more than any other?-a number of years, when we neither Now, if you have either been pre- asked him to do it, nor thanked served from this, or have, beyond him for his kindness. While mulexpectation, been supported and titudes were perishing around us, carried through it; you can scarcely and several of our companions in help considering this as a powerful ungodliness were cut off; while we call on you to say with gratitude, sinned on amidst repeated warn"Hitherto hath the Lord helped ings, and narrow escapes; our ofus." fended God would neither destroy

But it behoves us also to inquire, us, nor permit others to do it: nay, in what manner we have received he prevented the fatal effects of our the blessings of a kind providence, own madness and folly, and overand what returns we have made for ruled many instances of it for our them! Alas, we have generally the good! Thus he gave us space for

repentance: his providential deal-who went to seek the asses, but ings with us had a tendency to ex-found them not, yet met with Sacite our attention, and lead us to muel and was anointed king of Isconsider our ways: and every true rael, has been far exceeded. Secular penitent will perceive that they inducements have led others to rewere actually designed to effect the move to places favoured with the most gracious purposes. We have faithful preaching of God's word, been spared by the forbearance of without the least intention of reour God, that we might be saved garding it; but after a while, cuby his mercy!

2. God hath hitherto helped believers by his special grace.

riosity or persuasion, or some other motive, induced them to give it a hearing, and thus they were made Ages before we were brought into wise unto eternal life. Some, having existence, He foresaw our wants and resided a long time in a situation, miseries, as the descendants of fal- where little regard was paid to relen Adam; " by whom sin entered ligion; they were at length excited into the world, and death by sin;" to resist, with all their influence, and in infinite mercy he had made the introduction of another kind of all things ready for our salvation, preaching; and were much chain the person and redemption of his grined at not being able to carry the beloved Son. In due season he point. Yet afterwards attachment blessed the land, which was des-to a customary place of worship, or tined to be our residence, with the some motive of conveniency, brought light of the gospel; and by a variety them to hear the new doctrine, even of wonderful interpositions he hath the doctrine of Christ crucified! continued to it that light, while it and at length a total change in their hath been extinguished or greatly views, dispositions, and conduct, has obscured in other lands. When we filled them with admiring gratitude, found our lot cast in a country thus and dictated most fervent praises distinguished, we had, perhaps for to the Lord. Nay, in some ina long time, no disposition to attend stances, a man's gross misconduct to the word of salvation; but lived, has proved the occasion of bringing carelessly or by choice, in Egyptian him to hear the word of life to the darkness on the very verge of Go-salvation of his soul. Thus Onesishen. At length we were brought mus dishonestly leaving his master to hear the gospel, by events and Philemon, fled to Rome, where the circumstances in which we had no ministry of Paul was blessed to his willing concurrence, or at least no conversion, and he became, as is intention of inquiring the way of generally supposed, an able pastor life. Many have said, "I will go of the Christian church: and thus, into such a city, and continue there I trust, several, whose vices were and buy, and sell, and get the cause of their seeking admission gain." Or I will go, and take my into this hospital*, have here been fill of pleasure and diversion with brought to repentance, faith in my friends and companions: but Christ, and newness of life; and they have been disappointed of their will admire to all eternity the maaim; and in the very place of their nifold wisdom and inexpressible purposed indulgence, gain, or pre-mercy of God to them, in this graferment, have been induced to hear cious dispensation.

a year,

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the word of God, and been made In these, and numberless other partakers of blessings inestimably ways, the Lord is found of them precious. Thus the case of Saul, The Lock Hospital.

2

that sought him not, and made ma- and dissipation, an excess of riot, nifest to them that inquired not or even a close application to study. after him." Rom. x. 20. And the Indeed it would not be wonderful, hints now offered may assist the se- if some individuals should be conrious Christian, in recollecting the scious, that after all other attempts peculiar means by which the Lord to quiet their consciences, they have "first opened his eyes, and turned at last had recourse to an antinomian him from darkness to light, and from or enthusiastical abuse of the gosthe power of Satan to God." pel, as the last and most effectual We should however observe, that expedient for keeping upon good numbers have been favoured with terms with themselves, without the same means, who never obtained parting with their worldly idols. the same blessing. It occurs there- Not one of these ways of eluding fore to inquire, "Who made thee conviction can be mentioned, which to differ from another?" Some of hath not been tried by one or anus are conscious, that when we first other; not one of these snares, in heard or read the doctrine of Christ, which some of us have not been which now is "all our salvation, successively entangled; yet in every and all our desire," we treated it one of them numbers are finally given not merely with indifference, but up to "a strong delusion to believe with decided contempt and aver-a lie; that they might all be damned sion. Nay, we opposed and rea- who believed not the truth, but had soned against it with all our might, pleasure in unrighteousness." calumniating or ridiculing those who Thess. ii. 11, 12. How is it then, held it. We can remember how my brethren, that any of us have strenuously we endeavoured to stifle been "recovered out of the snare our convictions, and to answer the of the devil, who had taken us caparguments which almost prevailed tive at his will?" We can in no over our prejudices: how we tried other way account for it, than by to quiet our minds, either by reflect- saying that God mercifully gave ing on our supposed virtue; by us repentance to the acknowledging growing more punctual in a task of of the truth." 2 Tim. ii. 25, 26. religion; or by listening to our own "God who is rich in mercy, of his self-complacency and the flattery of great love wherewith he loved us, our friends, in respect of the ima- even when we were dead in sins, gined superiority of our talents. hath quickened us together with When baffled on these grounds, we Christ." For by grace are ye can recollect how we attempted to saved through faith, and that not elude the conviction, by listening of yourselves, it is the gift of God." to disadvantageous reports concern- Eph. ii. 3-8. "The giver of every ing those reputedly enthusiastical good and perfect gift," not only beteachers, who maintained the hu-stowed the Saviour, and the free miliating doctrines of grace; and by pardon and salvation of all that truly charging their principles, on some believe in him; but he gave us reoccasions, with tending to licen-pentance and faith likewise, and tiousness; on others, by blaming" made us willing in the day of his them as too precise and rigorous power:" and thus he has a claim in their requirements and example. upon us for the highest possible graNay, perhaps some present, when titude and admiring praise. all these methods failed, bave tried Even since the time when we first to forget the whole in the hurry of were "warned to flee from the wrath business, a succession of company to come," and to lay hold for re

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fuge on the hope set before us;" and our customary or easily besethow numerous have been our con- ting sins; the tempter was perflicts, difficulties, and dangers ? mitted "to sift us as wheat;" we had Many, who appeared to the most the sentence of death in ourselves, competent judges far more promising that we should not trust in ourthan we were, "in time of tempta- selves, but in God that raiseth the tion have fallen away," or " they dead. Perhaps temptation prevailhave been choked with cares, and ed against us; and a guilty conriches, and the lusts of other things, science united with an unbelieving and have brought no fruit to perfec- despondency to bring us into deep tion." Some have evidently re-waters. The insults of enemies, or turned to “their wallowing in the the censures of friends, perhaps conmire, and their last state is worse curred with divine rebukes and corthan the first." Others have been rections, to dismay our hearts. Yet "carried about with every wind of amidst all, we determined, even doctrine, by the sleight of men, and from the belly of hell, to look unto cunning craftiness, whereby they the Lord, and to cry unto him, “ O lie in wait to deceive." Thus they Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my have proved "unstable in all their soul!" "We waited on the Lord, ways," have become the zealous and he heard our prayer; he brought propagators of some pestilential us out of the horrible pit, out of the heresy, or have turned aside to miry clay; he set our feet upon a vain jangling." Many have grown rock, and established our goings; lukewarm in the grand essentials of and he hath put a new song into religion, and proportionably fierce our mouth, even thanksgiving to and contentious in supporting cer- our God." Psalm xl. 1-3; cxvi. tain dogmas, by which some parts 1-8; cxxx. Thus "he delivered of the truth are pushed to antiscrip- us from so great a death, and in tural extremes. In short, in a course him we trust that he will yet deof years, if we have accurately ob- liver us." 2 Cor. i. 9, 10. Even served the affairs of the church, we if our conflicts have not been so sehave witnessed and lamented many vere, if we have not been thus baffled astonishing changes, suited to ex- and shamed, we know to whom we cite our gratitude to the Lord, who owe our preservation; and we have "hath hitherto helped us," and had so many humiliating proofs of guided us at a distance from those our own perverseness, weakness, rocks, quicksands, and whirlpools, negligences, and relapses into idolawhich have proved fatal to numbers. trous attachments and various evils, Our own experience likewise may that we cannot but look upon our help us to form a proper judgment escapes as marvellous, and someof the divine goodness, in thus far times stand amazed, that we have protecting and upholding us. If not been left to renounce or disgrace we have for any length of time, the gospel. Every year, month, 'fought the good fight of faith," week, or even day, during which we must have a consciousness, that we have been preserved, and every in many instances we were cast declension from which we have been down but not destroyed." Our recovered, is an addition to obligaenemy hath been sometimes ready tions already great beyond all comto rejoice over us as actually van-putation.

quished. Outward circumstances Indeed a general view of our sigave force to our innate depravity, tuation in this evil world must in

crease our conviction, that the Lord renewed our comforts, revived our alone hath kept us, or can keep us hopes and earnestness, prolonged from evil. The countless dangers our days, and afforded us means of of our path; the course of the world, grace and opportunities of usefulwith its maxims, fashions, examples, ness. These, and many more suband allurements; the influence of jects may be thought of, in our fear, hope, affection, and even gra- private meditations, while we entitude to men, upon our religious deavour to enter on another year, conduct; our natural strong desire with thankfully acknowledging that of honour, friendship, ease, worth, Hitherto the Lord hath helped us." or indulgence; our aversion to censure, reproach, contempt, and po- II. Then we inquire what is verty; and the various ways, in meant by "setting up an Ebenwhich these propensities may be ezer," according to the common, and addressed to turn us aside from the not improper use of the expression. direct path, suggest many interesting The nature of the case, and the reflections to the serious mind. The example before us concur in proving, infectious examples even of some that it implies a disposition to give zealous preachers and professors of the Lord the glory of all the blessevangelical truth, and the worldly ings we have received. We do not spirit sanctioned by them; with the ascribe the favourable difference snares, which are laid in all our between our situations, prospects, employments, connexions, and com- or character, and those of other men, forts; in solitude and company, and to our own wisdom, management, or even in religious duties; the num- exertions; but to that God, "from ber, power, subtlety, and unwearied whom all holy desires, all good malice of our enemies, the powers counsels, and all just works do proof darkness; the fallibility of our ceed." We pretend not to have judgment, the scantiness of our merited the divine protection, guidknowledge, the weakness of our ance, and blessings; but feel that purposes, and the deceitfulness and all was given us as creatures, withdesperate wickedness of our hearts; out our deserving any thing: and all remind us, how greatly we are that every good thing bestowed on indebted to the Lord, who hath us as sinners, is contrary to our dehitherto helped us. It is indeed a serts. We ascribe none of our demarvellous mercy, if we can say, liverances or successes to chance, "Having obtained help of God, we necessity, or second causes; but continue to this day;" and have trace them all to the great First neither made a shipwreck of our Cause; to him "who doeth all faith, nor brought a scandal upon things after the counsel of his own the gospel; but still desire, with will." Samuel gave not the honour purpose of heart to cleave unto the of Israel's preservation to any of Lord. the servants of God, who had been

Much more might profitably be raised up from the days of Moses, added did time permit, concerning nor did he take it to himself; but the continued kindness we have ascribed it to the Lord alone. "Who received; in the friends raised up then is Paul, and who is Apollos, for us; and the way in which our but ministers by whom ye believed, heavenly Father hath made up our even as the Lord gave to every man? losses, extricated us out of diffi- I have planted, Apollos watered, culties, moderated our temptations, but God gave the increase. So