VOL. is, which the Pfalmift fpeaks of. The nex thing that is now to be done is,

II.

III. To fhew you the connexion between these two things, which have been opened to you; or to evince, that those who have no fuch thoughts of GOD, as these which we speak of, are wicked perfons. So you see the text plainly reprefents the matter; The wicked fhall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget GOD. Why, to forget GoD, and to be a wicked perfon, is all one. And these two things will abundantly evince the truth of this affertion: namely, that this forgetfulness of GOD excludes the prime and main effentials of religion; and also includes in it the highest and most heinous pieces of wickednefs; and therefore must needs denominate the subject, a wicked person.

1. FORGETFULNESS, of GOD excludes the chief and main effentials of all religion. I fhall instance in a few which you will easily discern, at first fight, a forgetfulness of GOD must neceffarily exclude, As,

(1.) IT excludes the esteem and love of God, as our highest happiness, and chief good. It is a plain cafe, that this is a most effential part of religion; and you will eafily acknowledge, that he must needs be a wicked man with a witness that doth not efteem GoD, nor love him as his chief good. To efteem GoD as our highest happiness is to take him for our GOD; and the man that doth not this, difowns Gop as none of

his.

his. For when you fay,

"GOD is our GOD, SERM,

and we are his people," what do you mean XXI.

by it? Do you mean only the name of God,
without any
relation to him as your chief and
highest good? is that all? Why, if there be
any thing beyond a bare name, where or what
is it? You must say it is this; "GOD is my
"portion, happiness and delight; he it is whom
"I efteem, and love, beyond all the things of
"this world." Nothing elfe can be a taking,
or owning GOD to be your GOD. This is the
very sum of all that God doth require from any
people that would be related to him, and own
him for their GOD. And now Ifrael what doth
the Lord thy GOD require of thee? but to fear the
Lord thy GOD, to walk in all his ways, and to
love him, and to ferve the Lord thy GOD with all
thy heart, and with all thy foul. Otherwife, as
if he had faid, you difown all relation to me.
If it be not thus, you are never to reckon me as
your God. If your hearts and fouls and strength
do not run out in love to me, you are none of
mine, and I am none of yours. And God is
again on the fame terms with his people. Hear
O my people, and I will testify against thee; O If
rael, if thou wilt hearken unto me: there shall
no ftrange GOD be in thee, neither shalt thou wor-
Ship any strange GOD. I am the Lord thy God,
which brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
The plain tenor of this Scripture is this. If you
will have any thing at all to do with me, if you
pretend

Deut. x. 12.

Dd4

• Pfal. LXXXI. S, Y, IQ.

VOL. pretend any obedience or affection to me, you II. muft take me alone to be your God; you must not entertain any strange God; there must be no GOD that must be higher in your thoughts than I, or adored and loyed more than myself. If it be not fo, if there are fuch among you as will not thus hearken to me, I have nothing to do with you. Thus it is evident, that it must needs be an effential thing in religion for a man to love, and esteem GoD above all things; he must esteem him as his higheft, chiefeft, and moft excellent good; for it is fuch a valuing of GOD that can alone denominate a man religious.

AND now do but a little confider. Do you think it poffible for fuch an eftimation or love of GOD, as the highest and chiefeft good, to confift with a forgetting of GOD? Can a man forget GOD from day to day, in the fense of the text, and yet esteem and love this God as his highest happiness, and chief good? Is this poffible? Can you apprehend it to be poffible, that a man fhould place the top of his felicity in GoD; and love God above all things elfe in the world; and yet pafs from day to day, and never think of him with delight and pleasure ? Is this, think you, confiftent with the efteem of Gon, as your chief good? You cannot be fo vain as to think fo. That man would be hiffed at as a ridiculous perfon, that will fay; "What I love above all

things in the world, I never ufe to think of. I "love God better than any thing, but he hath no place in my thoughts; I never think of

him;

him; I can pafs on from day to day, and never S ER M. have a ferious thought of him." Is this poffi- XXI. ble? You fee what the love of GOD in the foul doth carry in it, namely a remembrance of him, in the twenty-fixth chapter of Isaiah; The defires of our fouls are unto thee, and to the remembrance of thy name. That perfon would be scorned as a moft abfurd wretch, that would ever offer to pretend fuch a thing unto God, as to fay, "Lord "I defire to love thee above all things in the "world, and yet I never think of thee; it is

66

66

very seldom that thou haft any place at all in

my thoughts." This is the moft abfurd, selfconceited fpeech that can be imagined. None, that have any wit at all, but know that if they have any understanding of GoD, their fouls do earnestly and vehemently flow forth in love and defires to Gop. Our Lord fays, Lay up for your felves treasure in heaven for where your treasure is, there will your heart be alfo . Lay up your treasure in heaven, that is, in GOD; let God be your treasure. You know what a man counts his treasure: why it is that, which is most dear and precious to him; most valued by him, and loved above all things elfe. A man will count nothing his treafure, but what he holds in great esteem. Let your treasure then, fays Chrift, be in heaven: that is, let God who is in heaven, who there makes known his glorious prefence, that is injoyed by faints and angels, and which we expect to injoy; let him be your treasure. And

! Ver. S.

$ Matth. vi, 19, 21.

VOL. And where our treasure is, there will our hearts II. be. What you efteem and love beyond all

As fhe faid I love thee,

So the foul is

things, your hearts will be continually working
to, and your fpirits flow that way. It is a mere
absurd vanity to talk of having a treasure in GoD,
if a man's heart be not with him.
to Sampfon, How canft thou fay,
when thine heart is not with me ".
apt to fay it loves GOD, and counts him its trea-
fure, and higheft happiness, when, alas! the
heart is not with him. We find that a light
esteeming of GOD, is the fame thing with for-
getting him, and thofe expreffions are used as
fynonimous by Mofes. Jefburun forfook GOD
that made him, and he lightly esteemed the rock of
his falvation. And then presently it follows, Of
the rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and
haft forgotten GOD that formed thee *. Thus to
make a light account of GoD is the fame thing,
as to forget him; and therefore that person has
never yet fet one foot towards religion, who hath
not yet made GoD his chief happiness, the only
joy and delight of his foul. Therefore this is
one thing, that forgetfulness of God doth exclude
the estimation and love of GoD, as our portion
and chief good.

(2.) FORGETFULNESS of GOD excludes dependance on God as our strength, and the life and ftay of our fouls; which is also a moft effential piece of religion. That man knows nothing at all practically in matters of religion, that does

Judg. xvi. 15.

not

Deut. xxxII. 15. * Ver. 18.