VI.

one great and important end of his fuffer- DISC. ings, by continuing to commit thofe very fins which he came into the world to forbid and condemn. Confcious that we are ever acting and thinking in the fight of our Maker, our Redeemer, our Sanctifier; conscious that to Them must be open the inmoft receffes of our hearts; conscious that from Them we must receive that portion of happiness which we would enjoy in a spiritual state; by reverenţial awe of the Divine prefence, by fear of adding to the guilt of our natural depravity, by the prospect of obtaining an eternal recompenfe for our endeavours after holiness in this life; by all these confiderations we are called upon. "in all things to adorn the "doctrine of God our Saviour

* Tit. ii. 10.

18 99

DISCOURSE VII.

On the Choice of FRIENDS; and reading the SCRIPTURES.

PSALM i. I, 2.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counfel of the ungodly, nor ftandeth in the way of finners, nor fitteth in the feat of the fcornful: but his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in his Law doth be meditate day and night.

DISC.THOUGH every portion of Scripture

VII.

in the Old Teftament is highly valuable, yet the Book of Pfalms in a particular manner appears to be incomparably excellent. Thefe facred hymns recommend themselves to our attention under feveral characters, and deferve our admiration

1

VII.

ration on various accounts. For, whether DISC. we would be elevated by the nobleft strains of the most fublime poetry; whether we would pour forth the effufions of pious gratitude to the Author and Giver of every bleffing; whether we would find confolation to our fouls in the hour of diftrefs and anguish; or whether we would furnish our minds with precepts of virtue and maxims of religion; we need but have recourse to the feveral Pfalms, according to the feveral fubjects of which they treat, and according to the different * ftyles in which they are each adapted to the different arguments they illuftrate. Hence, on every occafion, in every condition, and under every circumftance of life, we may find in one or other of them fomething applicable to ourfelves, fomething that will speak forcibly to our own bofoms, fomething that will either gratify the pious affection which is predominant in our hearts, or fomething that will rightly inform the understanding

* See Bishop Lowth's twenty-fifth and four following Lectures on Hebrew Poetry,

in

DISC. in that wisdom which is good, and leadeth VII. unto falvation. Under this last description

comes the Pfalm immediately before us: for in it is contained an earnest exhortation - to the right conduct of life; enforced, on the one hand, by confiderations of that happiness which the virtuous and religious enjoy; on the other, by a contrast arising from that mifery which the corrupt and, impious experience.

A bleffing is firft pronounced on him who does not affociate with the ungodly, with finners, with the fcornful; but who rather meditates on the important truths. of religion, and endeavours to follow the duties they enjoin in all his actions.

It is to be observed, that when in the Old Teftament a bleffing is promised to the righteous, the Law-giver, or Prophet, who, utters the benediction, refers in the first inftance to the peculiar covenant by which the Jewish nation was directed. That government was carried on by the fanction of rewards and punishments, not fpiritual and remote only, but temporal, and pre

sent

VII. J

fent alfo: hence the effect of obedience to DISC. the Divine Law was to the Jews productive of immediate profperity. With us, who live under the Gofpel, the cafe is different. For though a due obfervance of virtue and piety has a natural tendency towards promoting our happiness, yet it does not uniformly and invariably terminate in worldly fuccefs. We are taught to act on higher principles than merely expectations of welfare in this ftate; we are animated to purfue what is juft and right with the profpect of a recompenfe to be given hereafter; a recompenfe which will confift neither of wealth, nor power, nor grandeur fatisfactory reflexions on paft endeavours to obey the commands of Chrift; increase of knowledge in divine truths, progreffive improvement in moral perfection, these will be the effential parts of that recompenfe, the attainment of which is referved for a future period of our existence in the world of spirits.

It is neceffary to recollect this diftinction between the fanctions of the Old and New Teftament,