to serve the Lord with gladness, and to come before his presence with singing.*

3. The ground of all this discouragement is mistaking God's favour. Alas, there is much misjudging betwixt man and man, that breeds much unkindness: but oh how sad is it for Christians, God's dear children, to mistake God's dispensations, first, in point of correction; and secondly, as to evidences of peculiar regard in spiritual things.

(1.) Though God over and over again tell his children, that his heart may be towards them even then when his hand is upon them; nay, that whom the Lord loves he chasteneth: yet how hard is it for a child of God to read love on the rod, even covenant love and faithfulness? How few can see divine favour in taking as well as giving a mercy? Few of us know how to rejoice in God with Habakkuk on the world's disappearing; † and fewer that can rejoice in tribulation. ‡ But under affliction we cry out of wrath, nothing but wrath, he comes to call my sins to remembrance, he comes to kill me, this is one of God's arrows of vengeance, now he is beginning his controversy, which will not end till my soul be in hell. When God snatches away child, estate, or name, oh, say you, I am undone, this is a fruit of God's displeasure; but have you not as good reason to say, O what love is in this stroke? God is removing my idol of jealousy, this child I prized at too high a rate, it is fit that that should go which interposeth betwixt my affections and God; I grew extravagant with my estate, or secure, and was saying my mountain stands strong, I shall never be moved; blessed be God that would not suffer my soul to take any rest in the creature; O what a mercy is this, that God hath dried up that stream *Psalm c. 2. + Hab. iii. 17. Rom. v. 3.

from which I was in danger of having a surfeit, that I might drink more freely of the fountain of the water of life; it is rich favour that he will take the pains to scourge me, and bring me home by weeping-cross, rather than suffer me to wander from him by waywardness of spirit. This were indeed becoming a child of God; but how few of God's children thus reason, and how seldom can the best taste honey on the rod of correction?

(2.) The children of God are too apt to mistake the very smiles of God's face, and the true genuine tokens of his favour, though conveyed to them by the hand of the Spirit: surely it is a sad thing to father God's gracious impressions upon the father of lies, as well as to lay the devil's brats at God's door. When God communicates gracious intimations as evidences of his love, it is an unworthy thing to call these delusions, or sparks of our own kindling; this must go to God's heart, he must take it very unkindly. It is true, Satan can transform himself into an angel of light, but the Spirit's sealings carry their own evidence along with them, and the Scripture touch-stone tries both satanical delusions, and the Spirit's manifestations; God's cordials are of another nature, and produce different effects from Satan's kickshaws. O how often, Christian, God hath shone upon thy soul? how sweetly and seasonably have the patents of divine love been confirmed? how many a kind welcome hast thou had from God? what a line of love hath been drawn through all God's conduct towards thee? and yet dost thou question this favour, or believe the infernal spirit rather than the God of truth, or thy undoubted experience? Ah, how unworthy a thing is this? Will a father who hath borne a tender affection for his child, and who daily cares for him, take it well to have

his love questioned by every base whisper of an illwilled adversary? That is an unhandsome retort, Mal. i. 2, "I have loved you, saith the Lord yet ye say, wherein hast thou loved us?" they put him to prove his love upon every slight occasion. It is hard when the constant tenour of a husband's carriage towards his wife is full of tenderness, that every seeming slight must be construed as a withdrawment of affection, by a jealous wife. How ill doth God take it when Zion said, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me?" Isa. xlix. 14. And what tender expostulations doth he use to satisfy her, that it is not according to her surmise, vers. 15, 16. Alas, whence comes it to pass, that if evidences be not fairly written and legible, (though our own neglects and miscarriages often blur them) all is lost, the poor Christian questions all? Ah, sirs, may not money be in the sack's mouth, and you not see it? May not the Lord of the land be your dear brother Joseph, though you do not know him? yea, may not he be carrying on designs of love, though you have hard thoughts of him? it may be thy soul is grievously harassed with blasphemous thoughts, which thou hatest as the devil their author; well, must not God be thy friend, because Satan is thy adversary? because the devil doth tempt, doth not God love? Who more favoured of God than Christ, and who more violently assaulted than he? Doth the husband love the wife the less, because she is sorely tempted, but is vexed, tormented, burdened with impetuous solicitations to infidelity: nay, doth he not pity her, and love her the more for her faithfulness. The God of heaven knows and hears thy groans and griefs, prayers and fears, and will both succour and pardon, because he favours thee. Let the devil say what he will, and do what he can, for he is a maker of

differences, and the great tale-bearer to separate very friends. O, but what clear proofs might you produce of divine favour to confute Satan's slanders? You may be assured he is what his word represents him, and not what Satan misrepresents him. Muster up thy experiences, Christian, which have been a lively comment upon the promises, and oppose them to Satan's base insinuations, that from henceforth thou mayest not belie the Lord, nor deny his graces in thy heart, or his special favour to thy soul.

4. Misusing or abusing God's favours and kindnesses, by unthankfulness and unfruitfulness.

(1.) An unthankful heart is the grave of many favours, and shall there be no resurrection of mercies out of those graves? Israel's ingratitude was a prodigy, and Deut. xxxii. is a song to perpetuate the remembrance thereof to all generations; many receipts, no returns. O how astonishing is this? how unsuitable to the ingenuous spirit of a believer? David * could rise at midnight to give thanks, when God's favours came into his mind, and thus he calculates: " Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name," Psalm cxl. 13. Paul was a man of many mercies, and a man of many praises, Deo gratiast was always in his mouth. Ingratitude is a heathenish sin, and leads to many vain imaginations and brutish abominations : Rom. i. 21-24. It is that foul sin that breaks out in the last times, and makes them hard and perilous, and is yoked with unholiness, 2 Tim. iii. 1, 2. It is a sin that renders men worse than brutes, even the most stupid of brutes, Isa. i. 2, 3. Ah, Christian, shame with thy ingratitude; what a base, unworthy, disingenuous spirit hast thou, who canst so easily pass by such great favours? Dost not thou thank God for Psalm cxix. 62. + Thanks to God.

a meal's meat, and wilt not thou take notice of spiritual food? Canst thou deny that God hath visited thy soul with many real favours? what mean all these convictions, impressions, supports, and consolations that thou hast had? are all these small to thee? Do not they deserve thy praises? Is not thankfulness the tribute thou owest him? Canst thou do less than acknowledge what God hath done for thee? Shouldest thou not call upon others, and say, Come all you that fear God, and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul?* and should you not desire them to help you in praising God, as David, Psalm xxxiv. 3, “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together?" Ah, Christian, if thou be not thankful for God's favours, God loseth his glory, thou losest the comfort of mercies, and thou wilt have a sad account to give another day. The God of heaven raise up thy heart to a thankful frame, otherwise as thou buriest former, so thou preventest future mercies; for thankfulness for past favours, is a secret solicitation for more, but God will not trust thee with what thou wantest, unless thou be thankful for what thou hast. Therefore rouse up thy dull heart to this great and pleasant duty, as David did, Psalm ciii. 1-3, and study what to render to the Lord for all his kindnesses, Psalm cxvi. 12.

(2.) Unfruitfulness betrays deficient improvement. When God's favours have been showered down upon us plentifully, how barren often are our hearts? how apt are we to return to folly after peace spoken? * It is a sad thing that any should sin against God, when the more kindness God expresseth, the greater the aggravation of sin. Hence it is, that the sins of God's people are so great, that God saith, Jer. xxxii. 30, "The children of Israel, and the children of Judah have only *Psalm lxvi. 16. + Psalm lxxxv. 8.