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النشر الإلكتروني

HEREBY the FAITH of BELIEVERS is kept in conftant Exercise; for while the Sour is confined to this mortal BODY, it is in a State of ABSENCE from the LORD, as is expreffed by the Apostle; and here it can enjoy only fome tranfient Glances of that LOVING KINDNESS, which is better than Life. "For he "that comes to God must believe that He is, and "that He is the REWARDER of them that diligently SEEK Him.

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THE Royal Prophet, upon refigning his Crown to his Son, gives him this as his laft Advice: "Thou "Solomon, my Son, know thou the GOD of thy Fa"thers, and ferve him with a PERFECT HEART and "with a WILLING MIND, for the LORD fearcheth all "Hearts, and understandeth all the Imaginations of "the Thoughts; if thou SEEK him, he will be found " of thee; but if thou FORSAKE him, he will caft thee off for ever.

AND in the xliid Pfalm, the Vehemence of his DESIRES for the DIVINE PRESENCE and GRACE, is expreffed by the Emblem of a chased Hind panting for Water.

IN the lxiiid, by a Man panting for THIRST in a parched Defart: And in the Ixxxivth, by one languishing and fainting for HUNGER. And all thefe, by a Variety of Expreffions, are found in this cxixth Pfalm.

AS herein the Pfalmift defcribes the EXCELLENCY of the DIVINE LAW, which is fometimes ftiled PRECEPTS, STATUTES, ORDINANCES, COMMANDMEnts, JUDGMENTS, and TESTIMONIES: So he acknowledges and bewails his INABILITY to perform an EXACT Obedience to fo holy a LAW. And therefore throughout this whole Pfalm is found his ardent DESIRES and SupPLICATIONS for the Aids of DIVINE GRACE, as will appear in the following Inftances.

"Pfalm cxix. 5. O that my Ways were DIRECTED "to keep thy STATUTES.

" 6. Then

"6. Then fhall I not be ASHAMED, when I have refpe&t unto all thy COMMANDMENTS.

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7. I will PRAISE thee with uprightness of Heart, " when I fhall have LEARNED thy righteous JUDGMENTS. "8. I will keep thy STATUTES; O FORSAKE me not utterly.

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"10. With my WHOLE HEART have I SOUGHT "thee, O let me not wander from thy COMMAND

MENTS.

12. Bleffed art thou, O LORD, TEACH me thy "STATUTES.

" 16. I will DELIGHT my felf in thy STATUTES: I " will not FORGET thy WORD,

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17. DEAL bountifully with thy Servant, that I may LIVE and KEEP thy WORD.

"18. OPEN thou mine EYES, that I may behold "wondrous Things out of thy LAW.

19. I am a Stranger in the Earth, HIDE not thy " COMMANDMENTS from me.

20. My Soul breaketh for the LONGING it hath "unto thy JUDGMENTS at all times.

24. Thy TESTIMONIES alfo are my DELIGHT and my COUNSELLERS.

32. I will RUN the Way of thy COMMANDMENTS, "when thou fhalt ENLARGE my Heart.

33. TEACH me, O LORD, the WAY of thy "STATUTES, and I fhall KEEP it unto the End.

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34. GIVE me UNDERSTANDING, and I fhall KEEP "thy Law: yea, I shall OBSERVE it with my whole "Heart.

"36. INCLINE my Heart unto thy TESTIMONIES, " and not to COVETOUSNESS.

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41. Let thy MERCIES come alfo unto me, O "LORD; even thy SALVATION according to thy « WORD.

AND as in general he implores the AIDS of HBAVEN, to enable him to KEEP the DIVINE LAW, fo

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above twelve times in this Pfalm he prays for QUICKNING GRACE, which implies the deepest Senfe of his Own WEAKNESS.

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Pfalm cxix. 25. My Soul CLEAVETH unto the
DUST, QUICKEN thou me according to thy WORD.
"28. My Soul MELTETH for HEAVINESS, STRENG-
THEN thou me according to thy WORD.

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37. Turn away mine Eyes from beholding VANITY, and QUICKEN thou me in thy WAY.

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40. Behold, I have LONGED after thy PRECEPTS, QUICKEN me in thy RIGHTEOUSNESS.

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50. This is my COMFORT in my AFFLICTION, "for thy WORD hath QUICKNED me.

"88. QUICKEN me after thy LOVING KINDNESS, fo "fhall I KEEP the TESTIMONY of thy Mouth.

93. I will never FORGET thy PRECEPTS, for with "them thou haft QUICKNED me.

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107. I am AFFLICTED very much: QUICKEN me, "O LORD, according unto thy WORD.

149. Hear my Voice according to thy LOVING "KINDNESS: O LORD, QUICKEN me according to "thy JUDGMENTS.

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154. Plead

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my Cause, and DELIVER me: QUICK"EN me according to thy WORD.

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156. Great are thy TENDER MERCIES, O LORD; QUICKEN me according to thy JUDGMENTS.

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159. Confider how I LOVE thy PRECEPTS: QUICKFEN me, O LORD, according to thy LOVING KINDsc INESS.

WHAT the Royal Prophet intended by these reiterated Supplications for QUICKNING GRACE, is fully illuftrated, by comparing what is found in other Places of the Holy Scripture relating thereto.

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John i. 16. Of his FULNESS have all we received, and GRACE for GRACE.

17. The LAW was given by Mofes, but GRACE and TRUTH came by Jefus Chrift.

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Chap.

"Chap. iii. 5. Jefus answered, I say unto thee, "Except a Man be BORN of Water and of the SPIRIT, " he cannot enter into the KINGDOM of GOD.

"14. And as Mofes LIFTED UP the Serpent in the "Wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be LIFT

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ED. UP:

15.

That whofoever BELIEVETH in him fhould not PERISH, but have ETERNAL LIFE.

16. For GOD fo LOVED the World, that he gave "his only begotten Son, that whofoever BELIEVETH "in him fhould not PERISH, but have EVERLASTING "LIFE.

"Chap. v. 21. For as the Father RAISETH up the "DEAD, and QUICKNETH them, even fo the Son QUICKNETH whom he will.

"25. For I fay unto you, The Hour is coming, " and now is, when the DEAD fhall hear the Voice of "the Son of GOD, and they that HEAR fhall LIVE. "26. For as the Father hath LIFE in himself, fo "hath he given to the Son to have LIFE in himself.

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Chap. vii. 37. In the last Day, that great Day of "the Feaft, Jefus ftood and cried, faying, If any "Man THIRST, let him come unto me and DRINK.

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"38. He that BELIEVETH on me, as the Scripture "hath faid, out of his Belly fhall flow Rivers of LIVING WATER:

39. (But this spake he of the SPIRIT, which they "that BELIEVE on him fhould receive.)

"Chap. xi. 25. Jefus faid, I am the RESURREC TION and the LIFE; he that BELIEVETH in me, "though he were DEAD, yet fhall he LIVE;

"26. And whofoever LIVETH and BELIEVETH in me, fhall never DIE.

TO LOVE the LORD our GOD with all the SoUL, and MIND, and STRENGTH, as it is the first Commandment,

• This clearly explains what is expreffed in the xliid, lxiiid, lxxxivth, and other Palms, and in the lyth of Isaiah.

ment, fo upon it depends our Obedience to all the others.

BUT alas! by the Entrance of SIN into the World, Mankind not only loft his Innocency, but the Rational Faculties of the Soul were fo viciated, darkned, and difabled, that there was no Power left in the human Nature, to render an EXACT Obedience to this fupreme LAW: And herein confifts the wondrous Mystery of Man's REDEMPTION, that GOD was in Chrift, reconciling the World unto himself; not imputing their TRANSGRESSIONS, but in the Immenfity of his Mercy, imputing the PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS of a Redeemer to Souls believing in Him: Who came down from Heaven to re-plant the DIVINE NATURE in the SOUL; that here it might be render'd capable of receiving the Divine Favour, and be prepared for the full FRUI, TION of the Celestial PRESENCE; which is that LIFE ETERNAL, which our SAVIOUR fays He came to give unto the World, confifting in the KNOWLEDGE of the only true Go D, and Jefus Chrift whom He had fent. John xvii. 2. As thou haft GIVEN him Power over "all FLESH, that he should give ETERNAL LIFE to as ἐσ many as thou haft GIVEN him.

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3. And this is LIFE ETERNAL, that they might "know thee, the only true GoD, and Jefus Chrift "whom thou haft fent.

BUT this high Felicity no Man can confer upon himself; for no Man KNOWS the Son but the Father, nor can any one KNOW the Father, but he to whom the Son will REVEAL him. Therefore to all fuch as are confcious of the MISERY that refults from this Difaffection to their MAKER, and are labouring to free themselves from this great OPPRESSION; our Saviour commands them to come unto him, that they may REST for their SOULS.

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"Matt. xi. 28. COME unto me, all ye that LABOUR, "and are HEAVY LADEN, and I will give you REST.

❝29. Take

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