for fuch a difplay of divine power and mercy as might be fignal and fenfible." Awake, awake,

put on ftrenghth," that is, exert thy power, discover thy glory in fuch a manner, as that thy prefent forbearance may be like the vigour of a waking man, compared to the defencelefs and inactive state of one that is faft afleep. "O arm of "the Lord." This expreffion the arm of the Lord, with the addition of his making bare his holy arm, is frequently used in Scripture; and it is fo ftrong, and at the fame time, fo intelligible a figure, that it is impoffible to amplify or explain, without weakening it. In the last part of the verfe, he animates his own faith, and enforces his requeft, by calling to remembrance paft tranfactions, and former difplays of the power and grace of an unchangeable God. By Rahab and the dragon we are to underftand Egypt and her king, as appears by comparing other paffages of Scripture, particularly by Pf. Ixxxvi. 4. and Ezek. xxix. 3. the last of which runs thus: "Thus faith the Lord, Behold, I am against thee, "Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that "lieth in the midst of his rivers: which hath. "faid, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself."

In difcourfing on this fubject, what I propofe, through the affiftance of divine grace, is,

I. To point out to you the import of this prayer in the first part of this paffage," Awake, "awake, put on ftrength, O arm of the Lord."

II. To confider the encouragement included in the last part of it, "Awake as in ancient "days, in the generations of old: art not thou "it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dra"gon?"

III. To apply the fubject to our own prefent fituation.

And we are to confider,

I. The meaning and import of the prayer: "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of "the Lord." And in this I have no hope either of inftru&ting or perfuading any but those who have some measure of real religion, who do unfeignedly believe, and will, when called upon, recollect the conftant fuperintendency of Divine Providence. These only will be sensible that, as every event is directed and over-ruled by the Almighty, fo there are righteous, wife, and gracious purposes to be ferved by them. All men it is true, are ready to complain under diftrefs. The moft wicked and profligate," when the waters ་ are gone into their foul," when they feel their mifery,

mifery, will cry for relief. And, as they will turn them on every hand, and lay hold on every twig that may afford the leaft profpect of faving them from finking, fo the terror of divine power, with which public calamity is fometimes accompanied, will even make them cry unto God. But there is a great difference, between this complaint of the miferable, and the prayer of faith, which proceeds upon juft views of the nature and government of God, and is affured of fuccefs. It may fometimes please God to make use of defolating judgments or alarming public ftrokes to awaken a secure thoughtless generation; but dutiful, acceptable and fuccefsful prayer for their removal, can only be the work of his own children.

Perhaps it may be thought unneceffary to direct perfons of this character to the proper object of their prayers, as they must be fuppofed habitually to flow from right principles, and to point at just and warrantable ends. But it is certain, that, when wickedness and profaneness greatly, and univerfally prevail in any nation, the real fervants of God are not only few in number, but even this little flock always receives fome degree of infection. This we are taught to expect by our bleffed Saviour, who fays, "And becaufe iniquity fhall "abound, the love of many fhall wax cold." They may both be negligent and defective in their duty, reftraining prayer before God, and may be

in a great measure unmindful of the great and principal views with which they ought to offer up their interceffory requefts. But, hoping that all fuch among you as are juftly liable to this charge, will difcern the light, and feel the force of divine truth, it is my defire to ftir up your pure minds by way of remembrance.

And, in general, fuch a petition as this, "Awake, awake, put on ftrength, O arm of "the Lord," fuggefts to us, that our prayers for divine interpofition and deliverance from public calamities fhould be fupremely directed to the glory of God. This, as it is, upon the whole, the leading purpofe of every real believer, fo it ought to hallow every fingle action, and purify every particular defire., Therefore our prayers must be conceived in fuch a manner, and our defires after deliverance must be fo qualified, that the fupreme honour due to God may be preferved inviolate, that duty may maintain its precedency before intereft, and fin may be ftill more feared and avoided than fuffering. The great end both of perfonal affliction, and national correction, is to weaken our attachment to prefent and temporal enjoyment, by ftaining its glory, and convincing us of its vanity. If then our chief or only aim, in afking deliverance from outward calamity, is that we may again recover the ease and quiet of fecurity, and the pleasure of

plenty,

plenty, though we may feem to honour God by imploring his aid, yet is our homage really given to a fenfual idol.

That this is neither impoffible nor unfrequent, is plain from the hiftory of the children of Ifrael. They often applied to God in their flraits: "When "he flew them then they fought him, they re"turned and enquired early after God." But this fort of feeking, merely for prefent relief, or temporal mercies, was far from being acceptable to him. We are told, that it was tempting God, thus" to afk meat for their luftt." In oppofition to this, let us look into the grounds affigned in Scripture for God's granting deliverance, and thence learn with what views we ought to implore it. The Pfalmift fays, "Nevertheless "he faved them for his name's fake, that he "might make his mighty power to be known ‡." And the prophet Ezekiel," But I wrought for

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my name's fake, that it fhould not be polluted "before the Heathen among whom they were,

in whofe fight I made my felf known to them, "in bringing them forth out of the land of "Egypt.'

But, in order to illuftrate this a little further, obferve, that a just regard to the glory of God, in our prayers, implies the two following things. In the first place, That we expect deliverance † Pf. lxxviii, 18. Pf. cvi. 8.

* Pf. lxxviii. 34.
7.

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