could not. He is the God of your fathers, and you are his covenant-people; and his Covenant will he not break, nor forfake the feed of his fervants. Many of us have. found it fo. God hath not left us deftitute of his mercy and truth, when the guides of our youth have been taken from us. We have found in him a wife, kind, faithful, powerful, guardian; and, having obtained help of him, we continue to this day. And this is his promife to every good man, whatever earthly friends die and defert him: " I will never leave thee, nor forfake thee." "Wait on the Lord, therefore, and be of good courage. Truft in him at all times, ye people; pour out your hearts before him."Which leads me to add,

2, Pray earneftly for his vifits.

Go

Do not you need them as much as your fathers, or more? Can you do without them? And are they to be obtained any other way than by faith and prayer? therefore to God, and cry unto him, Father, thou art the guide of my youth." Your parents affured you, upon the best

My

authority,

authority, that God would vifit you. But you cannot forget what they told you, agreeable to what he, himself hath faid, "that for this he will be fought unto by you."Confider, likewife, what, vifits of God they thought most valuable and comfortable; namely, that he would vifit them with his grace and Spirit, fhed abroad his love in their hearts, and that he would leave a bleffing behind him; a bleffing infinitely better than any earthly enjoyments. Let this therefore be your language" Re member me, O Lord, with the favour thou beareft to thy people; O vifit me with thy falvation." And let this be the daily petition and requeft of all of us, as it was of Solomon-"The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers; let him not leave us nor forfake us, that he may incline our hearts to walk in his ways, and keep his commandments, which he commanded our fathers. But this reminds me of adding,

3. Be prepared to receive his visits.

Do nothing to forfeit them, or drive away this heavenly friend. God is too pure and holy a being ever to vifit a finful heart.

If you are not converted, juftified, and fanctified, by the blood of Chrift and by the Spirit of God, you have no reason to expect his gracious vifits. If you use an earthly friend ill, he will visit you no more. If you forfake God, and fall into habitual fin, he will caft you off forever, and his only vifits will be in a way of judgment. "Wherefore let him that thinketh he ftands, take heed left he fall." There muft be the greatest care, that you do not de cline in religion, and lofe the life and feryour of it. For iniquity will separate between you and God, and hide good things from you.". If you grow cold and formal in religion; if you neglect to vifit God's houfe on the fabbath, and his throne every day, or do it with no more feriousness and ardour than if you were vifiting and converfing with a common acquaintance, your communion with him will be interrupted: he will withdraw from you, and take away, his good Spirit. And then, though he fhould vifit you with ever fo much health, riches and honour, your happiness is at an end. If you defire that the God of your fathers fhould visit

you,

you, be followers of them.

Carefully dif

tinguish between their real excellencies and their weaknesses; and do not, as many unwife children do, throw them away toge ther. I can hardly inculcate this too often or too ftrongly, that, unless you imitate the piety of your ancestors, you cannot expect that God fhould vifit you. You are not to depend on their prayers for you, unless you daily and fervently pray for yourselves. Remember David's addrefs to Solomon : "Know thou and ferve the God of thy fathers; for, if thou feek him, he will be found of thee, but, if thou forfake him, he will caft thee off forever." The piety of your ancestors, all their prayers for you, and all the admonitions and encouragements they have given you, will be a great aggravation of your guilt and punishment, if you fail to walk in their steps. Let it be your daily care, that your hearts may be prepared for the vifits of the Lord, and that you may be getting ready for the good land, the better country, which he hath promised. And, finally, when you are Jeaving earth, hand down this facred con-folation and bleffing to your children, and folemnly

folemnly commend them to God and the word of his grace.To conclude: May God vifit us all with his favour and love, through the rest of the journey of life; and especially make the last stage of it comfortable, honourable and useful! May he bring us at length to that reft that remaineth for his people, to fit down with Abraham and Ifaac, and Jacob and Joseph, and all the faints, in his kingdom and presence forever! Amen.

DISCOURSE