ner he requires.-Let us then, brethren, highly prize. the Sabbaths of the Lord our God, as preparations, emblems, and foretaftes of the eternal reft, enjoyed by the faints in heaven, who are employed in acts fimilar to thofe here recommended. Let us never confider that as a drudgery, or as a weariness, which conftitutes the felicity and joy of the ranfomed of the Lord; but let us diligently improve days of facred reft, as anticipations and types of the happiness and glory for which we wait and hope. And if we thus honour God on the day that he claims as his fpecial property, then may we expect to be honoured by him on the other days, which he hath given us for our own ufe.

14. Then fhalt thou delight thyfelf in the Lord, and I will caufe thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

The precious bleffings confequent on the right fanctification of the Sabbath are next mentioned.Then halt thou delight thyfelf in the Lord. in the holy Scriptures, this fublime exercife is fometimes reprefented as a duty, and fometimes it is fpoken of as a privilege, connected with return to God and acquaintance with him t. Indeed every duty is a privilege, and every privilege is combined with duty. At prefent we confider it in both views, as including pleafing meditation on the attributes, the works, the word, the ways of God, and the ineftimable benefits which proceed from the overflowing fountain of his mercy and grace-Firm confidence in the exceeding great and precious promifes which God hath given to his Church, of the accomplishment whereof his goodnefs,

goodness, power, and veracity, give the fulleft affurance-Cheerful obedience to his commands, in all the duties of devotion, benevolence, and charity, which when done with a good confcience, and with a comfortable fenfe of the Divine favour, are always attended with real pleasure and complacency.Lively views of the fruits of the loving-kindness of the Lord, and happy experience of the immense felicity to which his fervants are admitted, who honour him and reverence his ordinances.-Confider him as your fupreme Lord, clothed with honour and majefty, poffeffing every Divine excellency, infinitely worthy of adoration and praife, of homage and fubjection, to whom you are unspeakably indebted, who requires nothing of you that is grievous, and in the keeping of whofe commands you are well affured there is a great reward. What fublime fatisfaction may you experience, by the transformation of your mind, to prove the good and acceptable will of God, by being made free from the law of fin and death, by the law of the spirit of life, so as to fay in fincerity to the God you aim to serve and to glorify, I de

light in thy law, after the inward man.' Contemplate him as your all-fufficient portion, who can relieve all your diftreffes, fupply all your wants, and enrich you with the choiceft bleffings, who knows your frame and all your interefts, who will adminifter to you the pureft confolations, who intends to advance your happiness, and to grant you his falvation. What exultation and joy arises from refemblance to his moral perfections, from conformity to his lovely example, from the affurance of his unchangeable love, from communion with him, and the lively hope of his eternal kingdom and glory! What a high privilege, what an indifpenfable duty to delight in the Lord, the prince of life and peace, who repairs the defolations of many generations, who hath feattered innumerable bleffings over the world, and in whom all the nations of the earth fhall be bleffed!

The

The joys of those who profane the Sabbath are as the crackling of thorns under a pot, that make a loud noise and a great blaze for a little, leaving nothing behind but smoke and afhes; whereas delight in the Lord is a permanent fource of the pureft joy, and affords a pleasant foretafte of the rivers of pleafures that are in God's prefence for evermore.

And I will caufe thee to ride on the high places of the earth. An expreffion fimilar to this is used in the fong of Mofes, where the praises of Jehovah are celebrated, on account of the benefits conferred upon the Ifraelites, by the facred Poet, in these words: 'The Lord made him to ride upon the high places ' of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the 'fields*. The inspired writer probably refers to the conquefts which Ifrael was to obtain over the Amorites, whofe lands were fituated in the mountainous parts of Canaan, on which their ftrongest fortifications were erected. In allufion to the triumphs of his people over their enemies, when like mighty conquerors they rode along the hills and rifing grounds, viewing the fortreffes and ftrongholds which they had vanquished, the Lord God affures every one that keepeth the Sabbath, that he shall overcome his spiritual foes, over whom he shall from time to time acquire most important advantages; that he fhall exult in the high privileges, the diftinguished honours and choice bleflings, in the poffeffion whereof he shall be invefted. The God of Jacob will enlarge his boundaries, increase his felicity, and give him to enjoy the spoils of his enemies, he thall be exalted to inherit true liberty, happiness, and glory. He fhall be elevated to a profperous and honourable ftate, in which he fhall rife fuperior to places of the greatest eminence and influence.

And feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father. The land of Canaan, with the valuable immunities connected with the poffeffion of that rich and fertile country,

* Deut. xxxii. 13.

country, affigned to his natural pofterity as their goodly inheritance, was literally the heritage of the patriarch Jacob. To this land his defcendants had an indubitable claim, in consequence of the difpofition which God gave to their progenitor, Abraham, of that kingdom. On the excellent provifions which it afforded they fed, and were comfortably fuftained. 1o this portion of Jacob, his fpiritual children from among the Gentiles, who I fuppofe are chiefly intended, have no right or any ground to expect the poffeffion. The heritage therefore, of which they have the affurance, comprises the precious benefits of Divine grace, adumbrated by the good things wherewith the land of Palestine abounded, the precious fruits of God's favour included in the promises made to Jacob. In bleffing I will blefs thee; and in thy feed fhall all the families of the earth be bleffed *.' The bleffed God, and the ineftimable benefits flowing from communion with him, are fignificantly denominated the portion of Jacob +, and his fpiritual offspring. To feed on this heritage, is to enjoy with pleafure and benefit whatfoever it contains, fo as thereby to obtain the gratification of the most enlarged defires, and from thence to derive agreeable fatisfaction, ftrength, and confolation. Such, if I mistake not, is the import of these gracious promises. -The prophet concludes this period of his difcourfe with these remarkable words, which ought to exclude all doubt refpecting their veracity, and which lay a fure foundation whereon faith may reft the expectation of their fulfilment.-For the mouth of the Lord bath Spoken it. He who is faithful and true, and will not falfify his word; he who is able to do what he hath faid, notwithstanding every intervening obftacle and difficulty, will affuredly accomplish thefe promifes, in all their large extent, to thofe who obferve his Sabbaths, and devoutly perform the duties of his worship. As he is gracious in giving his promifes, + Jer. x. 16.

*Gen. xxviii. 14.

mifes, fo he is faithful in fulfilling them, and never fails to verify his good word, though to human view the events may feem improbable. O praife the 'Lord all ye nations, praise him all ye people; for his 'merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the

"Lord*.'

Pfal. cxvii,

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