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they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, they saw the misery of their fallen state-they felt their guilt and wretchedness-they found no help in the wilderness of this world-and deeply abased and thoroughly humbled with the sense of their sinfulness, they cried unto the Lord for help: and Jesus heard them. The God of love heard the first sigh of their broken hearts, and before they cried unto him, he was at hand to save. He is an almighty Saviour, whose love is as infinite as his power-he is always ready to save unto the uttermost. Whoever seeks shall find his grace, either to shew him his guilt and misery, or effectually to remove them. And if any of you are now sensible of guilt and misery, make a trial of his redeeming love. Go to him with the sincere desires of your hearts to be pardoned and saved, and he will as soon cease to be God, as he will reject you. He will not cast you out. He shed his blood for you on the cross-he loved you more than his own life-he even died to save you, and he cannot cast you out. If you desire him to save you, you are saved: for they cried unto the Lord Jesus, and he delivered them out of their distresses-they had nothing to offer him but prayers and entreaties-they could only cry for pardon and mercy-this is all that they could do, and all that he wants: for so soon as they cried for salvation, he saved them. His free grace led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. They could not help themselves-they could only cry for help-and so soon as they cried to him, his free grace brought them a complete deliverance for whereas they had lost their way, he brought them forth by the right way: his good spirit led them out of the wilderness unto him, who calls himself the way, the truth, and the life, and in him they found an abiding city, whose builder and maker is God: this city is the church, which Christ hath purchased with his own blood, and whoever is admitted into it, and is a true living member of it, can want no manner of thing that is good: for Jesus Christ the Redeemer,

the head of the church, has provided every thing that can make his members happy in time and to eternity. In time they have his good Spirit to enlighten them, and to shew them the way out of the wilderness, his merits to justify them, his grace to sanctify them; they are holy and happy, and in eternity they will enjoy these heavenly blessings, to which they have already a sure right and title by the merits and free grace of Jesus Christ. And

When such persons remember, what they formerly were in themselves, and what they are now made in him, how can they forbear to be thankful? How can the redeemed of the Lord be silent in the praises of the Redeemer, when they consider out of what a desolate wilderness he brought them, when they were lost and bewildered in it, were so hungry and thirsty, that their soul fainted in them; must not the very remembrance of these blessings inspire them with thankfulness? When nothing but death and endless ruin lay before them, he was pleased of his own free grace to hear the very first cry, which they sent up to him for deliverance, and he came with all the tender mercies of our God to save them. He turned the wilderness into a paradise he put his revealed directions into their hands, and sent his good Spirit into their hearts to enlighten them, and to lead them into the right way-hé gave them the bread of life to allay their hunger, and the waters of grace and comfort to quench their thirst

and having thus blessed them with all spiritual blessings, how can they-how is it possible they should be silent in his praises? While their hearts are full of gratitude to him, shall they not be telling with their mouths of the wonders which he hath done for their salvation? Doubtless, they will be speaking of their most adorable Redeemer all the day long, for this is so just a tribute of praise, it is so easy and pleasant a return; and besides, it is the only return we can make for his inestimable blessings; that this will and must make him. And this is the grateful return which the holy

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Spirit calls upon us, in the next words, to make to our redeeming God-" O that men would therefore praise "the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful "works to the children of men.' He has done wondersindeed he never failed in the miraculous blessings of his free grace, O that we may never fail in thankfulness for them. But certain it is, that we have all failed, and the best of us lament our failing the most: for thankful, as he deserves, none of us are. It is a rule of common life, that thankfulness should be proportioned to the benefits received, and whoever does not act up to this rule is reckoned basely ungrateful among In religion the same rule is just and equitable. But because Christ has been so infinitely merciful that our thankfulness cannot be proportioned to the merits received, yet we are therefore more inexcusable, if we are not as grateful as it is possible for us to be; for to whom men give much, of them they always require the more; and to whom Christ has forgiven much, of them he requires the more love and praise. The more we receive, the greater is our debt, and to consider that we can never repay it, should most effectually stir us up to be thankful. Oh! how earnestly should we pray for, how incessantly should we be seeking the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to enable us to rise to higher degrees of gratitude. His merits will be still above our praises, let us rise ever so high; but let us not stop, until the heart be full of thankfulness, and every faculty of the mind and body be ready to give honour and glory to their redeeming God. "O that men "would therefore praise the Lord Jesus for his mer→ "cies, and declare the wonders which he hath done for "the salvation of men: for he satisfieth the longing "soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." In these last words you see, how the prophet exalts the free grace of God in order to raise and exalt your gra

titude for these sinful lost travellers in the wilderness could do nothing to deliver themselves-they had tried every thing in their power, and could not succeed-they

were helpless-faint-and miserable-they have only spirits enow left to cry unto God. And what haste does mercy make? For the moment they cry, Jesus was at hand to save. The God of love came with all the blessings of his redeeming grace, and poured them plentifully upon these poor sinners, when he had made them sensible of their want of them, and they applied to him for relief. For he satisfieth the longing soulthe longing soul is that which finds itself empty-which is convinced of its nothingness and wretchedness, and so soon as it can confess itself to be quite destitute of every saving grace, does indeed hunger and thirst after graces of Jesus Christ, then he never fails to satisfy this empty soul, and to fill this hungry soul with goodness. Such is Jesus the God of our salvation, and thus wonderful is he in his mercies to the children of men? O that they would therefore praise him for his infinite, his eternal mercies-and grant, O blessed Jesus, that many persons, who hear me this day, may have reason to praise thee. Bring them by thy grace, O almighty Redeemer, out of the wilderness of sin and error, and let this scripture be fulfilled in every one of us, that we may join in giving thanks to thy holy name now and for ever.

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Thus much for the paraphrase upon the words; they contain a brief history of man's fall and misery, and of his restoration through Jesus Christ; which are described under these particulars.

First, The lost state of men by nature.

Secondly, They are brought to a right sense of it, and cry to the Lord Jesus for deliverance.

Thirdly, He hears them and delivers them out of all their distresses. And

Fourthly, The tribute of thanks due to him for this great deliverance.

To each of these points I will speak, as briefly as I can, by way of spiritual use and application. And first the lost state of men by nature is here represented under the striking images of persons, who have lost

their way in a barren wilderness, where they are ready to perish with fatigue and famine. Now, my brethren, let me put this plain question to you, and may God put it to your hearts-have you ever seen yourselves in this lost state? If you have give glory and thanks to Jesus your almighty Redeemer. If you have not, you are in the utmost danger, and yet you live secure-you are still in your sins, with all the guilt of them about you, and destruction lies before you-you are on the very precipice-in one moment you may fall into eternitywhere nothing but endless torments can be your portion and what a strong delusion of sin is it, that you, who fear and dread a little bodily pain in this life, should not be under the least apprehension about the endless pains of body and soul in the next life? What is able thus to infatuate you against your own reason and your senses? You have not surely persuaded yourselves, that the account which the Psalmist gives of your sinful miserable state is not matter of fact? If you have fallen into this delusion, hear what the word of God, and the voice of reason, and the sad experience of every day, loudly bear witness. The scripture is clear, that all we, every son of Adam, all we like sheep have gone astray-we have strayed from the paradise of God into the wilderness of this sinful world: and further the scripture teaches that thay are all gone out of the way-all-not one excepted, "they are all gone "out of the way, they are altogether become abomi"nable, there is also none that doeth good, no not one.” And the consequence of our wandering is thus described," destruction and misery are in their ways, and "the way of peace have they not known." The sense and meaning of these passages you will not dispute, their authority you do not deny and how then can you resist their evidence, since the reason of mankind, Jews, Heathens, and Christians, confirms it, and every day's melancholy experience renders it more clear and self-evident? If you will not believe this cloud of witnesses you must believe nothing: for you may as well

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