$EIIMON LV. 169 tastes a double relish of sweetness inthem. Common and public blessings afford him a private anddelicious sensation beyond what the thoughtless herd of mankind partake of Thestrangerinter., meddles not with this joy; Prov. xiv. 10. When he drinks of the sweet streams of delight here on earth, he traces them to the fountain head in heaven, and as it were bathes himself in the immense ocean of goodness. This God is my God, my heavenly friend, and he will be my God for ever and ever; Ps. xlviii. 14. 3. '° We should make a humble enquiry into the various duties, both.toward God and man, which divine providence calls us to, at special seasons, and under special circumstances." It is the language of a soul that walks with God, Lord what wilt thou have me to do! Acts ix. 6. There is not a clay nor. a hour but brings a duty with it; not a change of providence but calls for peculiar practices of piety. We are placedhere in a state of ser- vice, and God requires that our eye be directed to him hourly, as the eye of a servant to his master, or á handmaid toher mistress, so speaks the royal Psalmist; Ps. cxxiíi. 2, We should watch every motion of the right-hand of our God, and all the progress ofhis footsteps in his government of the world, that we may learn our proper business thetice ; " that in the time of prosperity we may rejoice in the Lord, and in the hourof adversity we may set purselves to consider our ways and humbleourselves before him ;" Ec. vii. 14. It is the word of God that appoints us the ge- neral rules of duty and religion; but it is providence that leads us to apply,these rules, and to put them into daily prac- tice. Thus having enquirest what sort of notice a christian ought to take of the hand of God in the events of life, we pro- ceed to chew, In the second place," what-is the guilt and dangerofineg- lecting this pious practice: And that may be comprized chiefly under thefour following heads: 1. Those who take no notice of the operationsofGod in the affairs of human life, " abuse their reason and their better powers, both as men and as christians." Our eyes and our ears, and other senses of the body, are given us to take notice pf the outwardobjects that surround us, which are the springs of pain or pleasure; -and these we enjoy in common with the beasts of the earth: The birds and the fishes, the creeping things, and every little insect, employ their corporeal powers for the same purposes; but man was made with nobler principles, and capacitated to dis- cover and discern the hand of God his Creator, and by observe his supreme direction of all the affairs of mankind : And if we consider ourselves aschristians, we profess stilla diviner principle of converse with God. How mean, how ignoble and degenerate
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