SERMON VIII.

Truft in God.

ISAIAH. 1. 10.

Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his fervant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him truft in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.

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T is faid of every real believer, that he walks by faith and not by fight. If this is true, it will follow, that his faith must be exposed to a variety of trials, while he continues in a world of fenfe. These trials arife from the state of his own mind-from his outward condition-from the state of the world with which he ftands' connected, and from the mutual influence of all thefe, one upon another. From this fituation it is eafy to fee, that there are few duties, for the exercise of which a good man will have

greater or more frequent occafion, than that of truft and reliance upon God. Truft is the duty and the refuge of the needy-of the dependent

of the weak-the timorous, and the distressed. How many are included under one ca more of these characters; or rather, who is it that can fay he is altogether excluded?

Agreeably to this, we need but open the facred volume, to perceive how frequent the exhortations are to trust in God, and how many views are given us of his power, wisdom, mercy and faithfulness, to encourage us to an unfhaken reliance. At the fame time, I am forry to fay, that there are few duties which are more imperfectly understood by many profeffing Christians. Even pious perfons often fin both on the right hand and on the left, that is to fay, both by diffidence and prefumption. I have, therefore, laid hold of this opportunity, and made choice of this paffage of Scripture, in order to open and illuftrate a little this important duty of a fervant of God. How feafonable it is you will easily perceive, for in the facrament of the Lord's Sup per we have fet before us Chrift Jefus, the unfpeakable gift of God-the great pledge of his love, and the great foundation of our reliance upon him, not only for his faving mercy in general, but for every neceffary bleffing in our way to eternal reft.

This paffage of Scripture is alfo well fuited to the fubject. It was fpoken to the Jews in a lax

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and diffolute age, when many had turned their backs upon the fervice of God-had deferted his ordinances, and defpifed his fervants, which is always an occafion both of affliction and temptation to his own children. This appears from the first words of the chapter. For thus faith the Lord, where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? And which of my creditors is it to whom I have fold you? Behold, for your iniquities you have fold yourselves, and for your tranfgreffions is your mother put away.' As alfo from the 3d and 4th verfes: I clothe the heavens with black⚫ness, and I make fackcloth their covering. The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I fhould know how to fpeak. a ← word in season to him that is weary.?

In difcourfing further on this fubject, it is propofed, through the affiftance of divine grace,

I. To open a little the character and state of those who are called upon, and exhorted to truft in the name of the Lord.

II. To explain the duty of truft, and point out the foundation of it.

III. To apply the fubject for your instruction and comfort.

In the first place, then, I am to open a little the character and state of those who are here cal

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led upon, and exhorted to truft in the name of the Lord.

Their defcription is as follows: ' Who is among you that feareth the Lord, and obeyeth the voice of his fervant, that walketh in dark" nefs, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and ftay himself uponhis. 'God.' It will help us to enter into the spirit and meaning of the Prophet's words, if we keep in view the ftate of the Jewish church, hinted at a little ago; who is among you;' that is, if there is one or more,if there is a fmall felect number in the midft of general corruption and. depravity, who have kept their garments unpolluted, though iniquity abounds, and the love of many waxeth cold, that feareth the Lord ? You know it is common in Scripture to defcribe religion in general by fome particular leading branch of it. The fear of God is often made use of for this purpose, as in that paffage, there shall be no want to them that fear him. It may, therefore, fignify thofe who have a fincere and unfeigned regard to the commandments of God, and have chofen him as their portion and hope. Those who defire and deferve to be diftinguished from the profane defpifer,the fecure for-malift, or the disguised hypocrite Thofe, in aword, who are, and who defire to appear, to use the strong language of Scripture, upon the Lord's fide in every ftruggle, and who refolve,

with Jofhua, that whatever others do, for their part they will ferve the Lord..

But I cannot help thinking, we may also, with great fafety, explain the words in a clofer and ftricter fenfe, and fuppofe, that by fearing the Lord, is to be understood a due reverence for his infinite majesty, and a humble veneration for his facred authority. This is a moft excellent fence or guard to the confcience in an evil time, and a noble preservative from the spreading infection and infinuating poifon of prevailing or fashionable fins. It is alfo the ufual character of a diffolute age to have caft off fear, to treat the most facred things with fcorn, and to look upon that holy folicitude to avoid fin, which appears in the carriage and language of a child of God, as a mark of meannefs or weakness of mind. In fuch an age, one who fears God is well described by the prophet Ifaiah; But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." The next part of the character is, ' and obeyeth the voice of his fervant;' that is to fay, is willing to hearken to the meffage of God by the mouth of his fervants. The words of the text, no doubt, may be confidered as primarily referring to the inspired Prophets, who bore an immediate commiffion, miraculously attefted from God. Many, even of thefe, were fet at nought, their meffage derided, and their perfons infulted, when they attempted to ftem, the tide of prevailing vice,

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