for every good man, to leave the creature, and apply to the Creator; to go from physicians of no value to the great Physician of souls, saying, Do thou for me what wicked men will not do, what good men cannot do; not the best of men, nor the best of ministers. These may be used as instruments, but the work is God's: his also shall be the glory, for besides him there is no Saviour. When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal him, nor cure him of his wound. Instead of going to creatures with our troubles, it is far better to go immediately to God: he can relieve us when others cannot. Let us therefore go to him, crying, in the language of the text, Do thou for me!

3. Do that for me which thou knowest to be necessary, and without which I must be undone for ever. Wealth, honour and worldly pleasure are not what I ask for: I may be happy without them. A name among the great ones of the earth I do not request: many who have it do not deserve it; and however deserved, it is not comparable with a name written in heaven. What is it then that I desire? Those things which give evidence of thy special favour, and which are preparatory to the eternal enjoyment of thyself; that repentance, faith, humility, self-denial, heavenly-mindedness, and universal obedience, which accompany salvation. In this petition the psalmist might have a special reference to the work of grace upon his heart, that he might not take up with delusive hopes, but be upright in his profession, and circumspect in his conduct, ever realising the divine presence, and aiming at the divine glory. Hence, when at any time he found himself declining with respect to the life and power of religion, he puts up such requests as these: Strengthen, oh God, that which thou hast wrought for us-My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.

4. Do all that for me which thou hast appointed and promised, and whereby thou mayest be glorified. In all our prayers it becomes us to have an eye to these three things (1.) The divine appointments : for if our petitions do not refer to them, and are not regulated by them, they are not likely to meet with acceptance, nor to procure a blessing. Let this cup pass from me, says our Lord: yet not as I will, but as thou wilt. God's will is the rule of his own conduct, He performeth the thing that is appointed for me; and this should be humbly submitted to in all our requests. If he say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him. Job xxiii. 14. 2 Sam. xv. 26.-(2.) The divine promises. Let our prayer be according to the word, and then the success will be according to the prayer. If we keep within the bounds of the covenant, as to the matter of our requests, we cannot ask amiss: and that is of no narrow limit, for it is ordered in all things and sure, containing all our salvation, and therefore may well be all our desire. The prayer of faith is that only which can be successful; but faith must have respect to the promises. Remember thy word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope-Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word. God hath promised, that we might pray; and we pray, that God might fulfil his promise. Thus, after the Lord had made many great and precious promises to his people, it is added, For all this will I be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them. Psal. cxix. 49, 170. Ezek. xxxvi. 37.-(3.) The divine glory. Be thou exalted, oh Lord, should be both the subject and the substance of all our prayers. They should begin with Hallowed be thy name, and end with thine is the glory. That which is first in God's designs should be first in our desires. Neither our present contentment nor eternal happiness is to be sought, but in connexion with the glory

of God. Hence the prayer of our Lord, and of David: Father, glorify thy name-Hear us, oh God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name. All our private interests must give place to the divine glory; and it would be better for our tongues to cleave to the roof of our mouth, than to ask for any thing whereby God might not be eventually glorified. Thus in our text, Do thou for me; and then it follows, for thy name sake! This was Moses's plea, and Joshua's plea, when they prayed for Israel: What wilt thou do unto thy great name! And this plea will always be availing; for God has a greater regard to his own glory than to all the worlds which he has made, or the souls which he has formed.

III. Improvement.

1. The prayer of the psalmist, which we have nów considered, will apply not only to a state of prosperity, but adversity; not only to God's merciful dispensations, but also to those which are afflictive. Do thou for me, in wounding as well as healing, in casting down as well as lifting up. If I am chastened, do thou chasten me; if I suffer, let it be at thy hand. Let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great; but let me not fall into the hand of man. Instead of deprecating all afflictions, good men have sometimes prayed that God would correct them, so that he does it not in wrath, nor in hot displeasure. The gold would desire the, fire, did it but know how necessary it was for its purification

2. The petition is suitable for those who have most to do for God, or their fellow creatures; such as magistrates, ministers, masters of families and others. There are also peculiar seasons to which it is especially suited when our path is intricate, and our work difficult, either in the morning of the sabbath, or in the near approach of death.

3. It is likewise necessary at all seasons, and for all sorts of persons.-Do thou for me, may the christian say, for without this, (1.) Whatever I do, instead of being for my profit, it will terminate in my disadvantage: it will not be for me, but against me. I can harden my heart, but thou only canst soften it: I can burden and wound my conscience, but thou alone canst ease and heal it: I can go astray like a lost sheep, but as thy care must find me out, so thy power and goodness must cause me to return: I can destroy myself, but in thee alone is my help found. I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me: but without him I can do nothing. If I obey thy law, thou must incline my heart: if I believe thy gospel, thine arm must be revealed. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently, oh that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!-(2.) Unless thou do for me, mine enemies will do much against me. Unless thou prevail against them, they will prevail against me. But as they can do nothing without thy permission, so I can do any thing by thine assistance. If thou strengthen me, I shall be strong if thou engage for my defence, no weapon that is formed against me shall prosper. If God be for us, who can be against us!-(3.) Unless thou do for me, I can do nothing for thee. Fresh returns of duty cannot be without fresh supplies of grace. My soul cleaves unto the dust when thou art absent, but becomes like the chariots of Aminadab when thou art present by the renewed manifestations of thy love. That I may bring honour to thy name, be active in thy service, and be useful in the family, the church, and the world, Do thou for me, oh God the Lord! I can only act by being acted upon, and my perfor mances will always be proportionable to thy bestow

ments.

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Views of Death.

SERMON VIII.

REV. VI. 7, 8.

Come and see: and I looked, and behold a pale horse; and his name that sat on him was Death, and hell followed with him.

THERE

HERE are three horses spoken of in this chapter; a white horse, as an emblem of victory and peace, and he who sat on him is represented both as a king and a conqueror; for his hand holds a bow, and his head is encircled with a crown. (ver. 2.) By this we are to understand the Lord Jesus Christ, who rules in his saints and over his enemies, and who in another place is represented as having on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. A red horse and a black one are also mentioned, the riders on which are designed to represent those two dreadful scourges to mankind, war and famine, by which whole countries are depopulated, and millions of the human race precipitated. into eternity.

Our text describes a horse of a different colour from either of the former, and gives us the name of its rider, which is Death. The very name is terrible, but the thing itself is more so. Here I shall take notice of the different views in which death is repre→