not live in a continual dependence upon God as SERM. the life, and ftrength, and fupport of the foul. XXI. They are spoken of as perfons who cannot poffibly obtain falvation, while in their present state, who are not yet come to that believing in GoD, which carries the whole heart to acquiefce, and reft, and center in GOD. Whofoever shall call on the name of the Lord fhall be faved. But how fball they call on him, in whom they have not believed? Calling upon GoD is a thing effentially neceffary unto falvation, and believing in him is indifpenfibly neceffary unto calling upon him. It is put for the whole worship of GOD: and it is impoffible for a foul ever thus to call upon God; that is, to worship him, to live fubject to him, and be devoted and given up to him, who doth not believe in him. And this believing in GoD respects him as the stay, and strength of a man's foul. It plainly implies a fenfibleness of its being utterly impoffible, that I fhould fubfift or live without GOD; and fuppofes a conftant reliance upon him as my GOD, who is my very life and ftrength. And therefore you find how thofe, who do not fo, are derided by the Pfalmift. The righteous fhall fee and fear, and fhall laugh at him. Lo! this is the man that made not GOD his ftrengths but trufted in the abundance of his riches, and Strengthened himself in his wickedness. But I am like a green olive-tree, in the house of GOD; I truft in the mercy of GOD for ever and ever. The foul that is truly religious is by truft fo planted into

1 Rom. x. 13, 14.

Pfal. LII. 6, 7, 8.

VOL. into the very mercy of God, as I may speak; II. that there it is rooted, and fprouts as a tree doth, in the foul that bears it. But they are out cafts, and a company of profane irreligious wretches, that do not thus truft in GOD, and make him the stay, and support of their fouls. Lo, this is the man that made not GOD bis frength! It is remarkable to fee in how ludicrous a way fuch perfons are spoken of, as if they were to be hiffed out of the creation. "Lo, there is a man

that lives without GOD! a perfon not fit to be "numbered among men! Away with him, as a "moft ridiculous wretch, who thinks to live "without ftaying upon GOD!"

TRUST in GOD then is effential to religion. And do you think that this can poffibly confift with forgetting of GOD? Can a man trust in GOD, as the stay and support of his life, of whom he is unmindful? Who can pass one day after another, and never vouchsafe him a ferious thought? Truft in GoD is a continual thing. I do not mean that it is to be exercifed without intermiffion, but that it is an habitual dependance. And therefore it is faid, The just shall live by faith". We live by breathing, and it will not ferve our turn to breathe to-day, and live by that breath many days hereafter. No, that which we live by is a continual thing. And thus the just shall live by a continual reliance and dependence on GOD; which implies a mindfulnefs of him. When the Pfalmift speaks of that

Heb. x. 38.

trust,

truft, which he repofed in GoD, he fpeaks of SER M. it in this language; I have fet the Lord always XXI. before me, because he is at my right hand I fhall not be moved. Here was a continual minding of GOD. What is it to have GOD always before us, but to have him the prime, and the principal object of our thoughts? fo as that there is nothing, on which our eye doth so much fix, as it doth on GOD. And, this ftands with that conjunction, or that dependence which the foul hath on GOD. So again; Mine eyes are ever towards the Lord, for he shall pluck my feet out of the net; That is, my reliance is upon GOD; mine eye is continually towards him, and I have him ever in my thoughts. It is he in whom I live, and from whom I have all my expectation. Thus it is impoffible, that a man fhould be in this fenfet a religious perfon who is forgetful of God; fince he who thinks not upon him, cannot be fuppofed to depend upon him as the life and strength of his foul.

(3.) FORGETFULNESS of GOD excludes also the fear of GOD; and that awful subjection unto his laws and commands, as our rule, wherein the foul fhould continually live: and this is too an effential part of religion, as is well known to all that understand any thing of religion. Can he ever be faid to be a religious man, that doth not live in the fear of GOD? Why, it is fo ef

sential a piece of religion, that the Scripture doth often call all religion by that very thing, the fear of

II.

VOL. of GOD. And hence it is alfo, that you find all wickedness fummed up in this very expreffion; There is no fear of GOD before their eyes. The Apostle had been describing a wicked man at large, out of fome of the pfalms : and this is that which he gathers up as the whole of that wickedness, he had been painting out; to wit, There is no fear of GOD before their eyes. They are wicked perfons with a witness that do not fear GOD, that live without having any fear of GOD before their eyes. And must not forgetfulness of GoD neceffarily exclude the fear of GOD? What! can any man be faid to fear him, whom he thinks not of? to fear God when he minds him not, when he hath him not in all his thoughts? Do but obferve the connexion between this paffage and the eleventh verse of the fame chapter, quoted out of the pfalms. There is none that understandeth, there is none that Jeeketh after GOD. It follows There is no fear of GOD before their eyes. Indeed it is impoffible it fhould; if they have no thoughts of God, if their minds and understandings be not bent towards him, it is impoffible they fhould fear him. What! fear an unthought-of GOD? a GOD, that a man does not think of, from day to day? why, it is an abfurd thing ever to be imagined. And therefore this is a farther thing that the forgetfulness of GOD excludes; namely, that fear of GOD, and that reverential fubjection, that we

owe to his laws and commands, as the rule of SER M. our lives. And then again, XXI.

(4.) IT excludes the intention of the honour and glory of GoD, as our end. That man hath no more religion in him, than there is in a beast; who doth not in the ordinary courfe of his life defign, and aim at the glory of God, as the fupreme and ultimate end of his actions. You know it is that, which is required and called for from us in every thing we do. Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of GOD. This is a truth obvious to the understanding of every one, that every person who is religious, intends and defigns the honour and glory of the great Gop, as the ultimate and chief end of the ordinary actions of his life. So as if a man should come and ask him, "For what is "it that you are going about this business, and "those affairs; and what end have you in what

you do?" he will fay, that I may honour and glorify GOD in fo doing. This is religion. So then it is not enough to bespeak a man religious, to do things that are in their own nature honest and juft, and not liable to exception; but to do them defignedly for the honour and glory of the great GOD, as his end. Now do but confider. Can a man do fo, and not think of God? Can it ever be rationally faid of any one of you, that you live from day to day in the fervice of the great GoD, and to the honour and glory of his great, name, as the chief and principal

1 Cor. X. 31.