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100

SINS AND

SORROWS SPREAD BEFORE GOD.

[SERM.

VI.

I

would cont'plaiu

of

this sore enemy,

the

world,

that

is

perpetually

besetting

me,

that

strikes

upon

all

my

senses,

that

by

the

ears,

and

the

eyes,

and

all

the out

-

ward

faculties, draws

my

heart

away from

God

my

best

friend.

I

would tell hint

of

the

rage

of

Satan,

that

watchful

and

malicious adversary

;

that

I

cannot

engage

in any duty

of

worship,

but

he

is

ready

to throw

in

some

foolish

or

vain-

suggestion

to

divert

me;

and

I

would

look

forward,

and point

to

my

last

enemy death,

and

beg

the presence

of

my

God

with

me,

when

I

walk

through

that

dark

valley:

"

Lord, when

I

enter into

that

conflict,

assist

me,

that I

may

fear

no evil,

but

be

made

more

than

a

conqueror through

him

that

has loved

me."

3.

`I

would tell him

what darkness

I

labour under,

either

in

respect

of

faith or

practice.

If

I

am

perplexed

in

my

mind,

and entangled about

any

of

the

doctrines

of

the

gospel,

I

would

then

tell my

God

what

my

entan-

glements are, where the

difficulty

lies; and

I

would

beg,

that

by

his

Spirit and

his

word, he would solve

the

con-

troversy, and set

his

own

truth

before

me in his own

di-

vine

light.

And then

in

point of

practice, what darkness

lies

upon the spirit

at

such

a

time,

is

revealed before

God;

"

My

way

is

hedged

up,

I

know

not

what

path

to

chuse; it

is

very

hard

for me to

find

out duty;

shew

me, O

Lord, the

way

wherein

I

should

walk,

and mark

out

my

path plain

for me."

4.

I

would mourn,

and

tell him, how

little

converse

I

have with

himself, how

much

he

is

hidden from me:

I

would complain

to him,

how

far

off

I

am

from

him the

most

part

of

my life,

how

few

are the hours

of

my coin

-

munion

with

him,

how

short

is

the

visit, how

much

his

face

is

concealed from

me,

and

how

far

my

heart

is

di-

vided from him. A soul

then

says,

"

Surely

there

is

too

great

a distance

between

me

and

my

God,

my

heavenly

Father;

and cries

out

with

bitterness, Why

is

God

so

far

from

me,

and

why

is

my

heart

so

far

from

God

?

how

often

do

I

wait upon

him in his own

sanctuary, and

among

his

saints,

but

I

am

not favoured

with

the

sight

of

his

power

and

glory'

there!

And

how

often

do

I

seek

him in my

secret retirements,

but

I

find him

not

!

I

would tell

him how

often

I

read

his

promises

in the gos-

pel,

and taste

no

sweetness;

I

go

frequently

to those

1