24. Only use these conscientiously and constantly, and you will see the happy effect.

2. Solemn self-examination. It may be there is something amiss in your hearts and lives, for which God withdraws; O search and find it out, mourn over it, procure a pardon of it, and a thorough reconciliation, Job xiii. 23, 24. God loves to smile upon humbled souls, James iv. 6, 10. 2 Cor. vii. 6. Isa. lvii. 15.

3. Reflection on experience, Psalm lxxvii. 5, 10. cxlv. 4, 5. It becomes Christians to keep a register of God's dealings with their hearts, and when they are in the dark to look it over, Psal. xlii. 6; and the reason is, because if ever thou wast in God's favour, thou art still in his favour; see John xiii. 1. That is a remarkable text Jer. xxxi. 3, which some render thus, "The Lord hath appeared of old unto me," that is, say they, it is true, God formerly made many gracious discoveries of himself to our ancestors, but now he hideth himself, and hath forsaken us; but, saith the Lord, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, as if he had said, it is not transient or temporal favour, but from, and to all eternity; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.

4. Walking in ways well-pleasing to God, conformity of life and heart to God's will, a constant care to please God, and fear to offend him, are both means and evidence of God's favour, Psalm xxv. 14. Mal. iv. 2. Psal. lxxxv. 9. It is impossible you should have a right assurance of God's favour, if you favour any sin; yea, let a godly man yield to sin, and presently the evidence of God's favour is lost and withdrawn; for sin separates betwixt a people and their God, Isa. lix. 2. This interposes as a thick mist to hide his face from us; if your hearts grow secure and worldly, sitting loose from God, letting down your watch, or remitting diligence in duty; presently, if you be sensible, you will find God withdrawing the light of his countenance from your souls; for God will not manifest himself to those that make not conscience of close and holy walking.

II. Something I should say to those that do enjoy the sweet sunshine of God's favour, and feel the sense of it in their hearts. I shall but briefly advert to your duty.

1. Be very thankful, and praise God for causing his candle to shine upon thy head, for all men have not God's special favour; thou hast no right to it by nature; thou didst not deserve it for any thing thou hast done; thou hast often forfeited it; many thousands go out of God's blessings into the warm sun, and willingly leave our Father's table to feed upon husks; most of the world are willingly put off with a few scraps of worldly enjoyments. Luther calls the whole Turkish empire but a crumb cast to dogs. O but this is the children's bread, bless God, and say as Mephibosheth to David, Who am I that the Lord should look on such a dead dog as I am? what shall I render to the Lord for this benefit? O for a thankful heart; Lord, pardon my base ingratitude.

2. Walk worthy of this privilege, lay up experiences of God's favour, as Mary laid up the angel's sayings in her heart, or as friends lay up tokens of love carefully, we use to preserve deeds of moment locked up, seals are put under special protection that they may not be broken. O look well to evidences of God's love, they may stand you in stead, as Tamar produced her pledges to Judah. O abuse not God's favour by sinning, turn not his grace into licentiousness; Hanun's abuse of David's kindness, you know, brought forth a war, and truly God often reckons the abuse of his favour as a matter of controversy against Israel of old, see Jer. ii. 2, 5, 9. Mic. vi. 2-5; and indeed the abusing of his love goes to his very heart. Act consistently with your obligations to him, seeking to please, and being afraid to offend him, charging yourselves and others that you beware of interrupting your comfort, or disturbing the repose he hath in you, Cant. ii. 7. Observe you are in the greatest danger of falls immediately after the receipt of the sweetest tokens of favour, therefore be watchful daily to maintain a holy jealousy over your hearts, that you sin not, and that you provoke not God's displeasure.

3. Improve God's favour for the good of others; produce instances thereof, saying, "Come all ye that fear God, and I will shew you what he hath done for my soul," Psal. lxvi. 16. Speak to your children, servants, neighbours and companions, and urge them to taste and see how good the Lord is; recommend his service from your own experience; tell them how sweet you have found the light of God's countenance, how attainable and endearing God's favour is, and by what means they may get a share therein; but above all, plead for this to all about you. A godly man being a long time in a secret place in prayer, when he came forth with an unusual cheerfulness, he told some around him that he had that day obtained mercy for himself and all his family, which was accordingly true, for all his children proved truly pious; and indeed it is a fit season to pour out our hearts before God, that others may experience mercy, as Abraham did, "O that Ishmael may live in thy sight." For a soul that is in favour with God can prevail much with him; a Moses intimate with God in the mount, may be a powerful advocate to stand in the gap and prevail with God, that favour may be shown to the church. The famous Mr. Welsh, a godly Scotch minister, rose one night, and went into the garden; his wife following him, heard a voice fervently uttered with sobs and tears, saying, "O God, wilt thou not give me Scotland? wilt thou not give me Scotland?" Afterwards he told her, "I have endured a great fight for Scotland this night, and hardly could I prevail to have a remnant reserved, yet he will be gracious." This, this is the season in which you must ply the throne of grace for favour to others. And O what a privilege is it to have our cases upon the hearts of such as are thus intimate with the Lord, as one said, when it shall be thus with thee, then remember me. *

4. Long and hope for heaven. Let the sweet sense and favour of God here, make your souls restless till you advance to the full and final fruition of it in glory; let these tastes make you long for a full draught; let these rivers or streams lead you to the spring; let these beams attract you to the glorious Sun of righteousness, to him in whose presence is fulness of joy, and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore. In the morning of the resurrection when you awake, you shall be satisfied with his image, you will be content to go into your Father's palace. You are in a corner of heaven indeed, when you are solacing your souls in the divine embraces, but methinks it should be irksome to depart from so blessed and beautiful a place, and come down again into this loathsome dungeon of the world. However, be looking for, and hasting to the coming of our dear Lord, and trust him till then, and believe that he will preserve you to his heavenly kingdom. Some of God's servants have breathed their last in the sense and views thereof. There is a remarkable story of Mr. Robert Bruce, a very holy re* Cum sic tibi fuerit, memento mei.

verend minister, when he was very old, coming to breakfast one morning, and having eaten an egg, he said to his daughter, "I am yet hungry, bring me another egg;" he continuing in a deep meditation, said, "Hold, daughter, hold, my master calls," and his sight failing him, when he had called for a Bible, he bade them turn to the eighth of the Romans, saying, "Put my finger to ver. 38, For I am persuaded that neither death" now saith he, "Is my finger upon those words?" when they told him it was, without any more he said, "Now God be with you my children, I have breakfasted with you, and shall sup with my Lord Jesus Christ this night," and so gave up the ghost. Which delightful death makes me think of the notion of some Jewish Rabbies upon Deut. xxxiv. 5, "Moses died-according to the word of the Lord," so we read it, but in Hebrew it is, "At the mouth of Jehovah," they say, at the kiss of the Lord; * those sweet embraces brought him to eternal embraces of the Lord. He is there called the servant of the Lord, not before, saith Aben Ezra; by this title is expressed the excellence of that estate at which he arrived, for the servant is still conversant with his master, enters into his secret conclave, is still ready at his beck, so did Moses freely yield himself to go to God at his call, and so should we. They have a saying, "That the righteous are greater in death than in life." ↑ When the believer is separated from the body, he ministers to God perfectly in the heights of heaven, and he is also called God's servant at death, because he now goes to receive the full reward of his work in another world, as a faithful servant. In both these respects God's servants are privileged, for our Saviour saith, John xii. 26, “Where