our happiness than any temporal favours!" with all spiritual blessings, in heavenly things in Christ." He bestows frequently on his worst enemies the wealth and power of the world, the honours and pleasures of this transitory life; but to his friends he assigns "better and enduring substance"-" durable riches and righteousness"-" a heavenly country" a kingdom that cannot be moved"-" a crown of glory"—" a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

2. His intimate communion with Abraham distinguished him as his friend.

It is said of Moses, that "the Lord spake unto him, as a man speaketh to his friend." The same applies to this patriarch, and the promise given to him after the conquest of the kings is a confirmation of the fact:" Fear not, Abram; I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward." A shield protects from enemies, and defends in danger; and a reward, such a reward as this, is glorious compensation for any possible loss. And especially in the plains of Mamre, as Abraham sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day, the Lord appeared to him in all the condescension of his favour, attended by two celestial messengers in visible form: there he conversed with him, and the communion he maintained was intimate and friendly in an unusual degree. And what says the Psalmist? Lord is with them that fear him, them his covenant." He has, you friends beside Abraham: these are they who fear him; and his secret is with them. He admits them into fellowship with himself: he lets them into the counsel of his heart: he communes with them from off the mercy-seat. In his word and ordinances, by

"The secret of the

and he will shew perceive, other

his grace and Spirit, he draws nigh to his people; and they, in the exercise of faith and prayer, draw nigh to him. He manifests himself to his friends as he does not unto the world. Well may we adopt the language of holy admiration, "Will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?"—" Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him ?"—" For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy; I dwell in the high and holy place; with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

3. His affectionate confidence in Abraham marked him as his friend.

A striking instance of this we have already adverted to. Appearing to him, and conversing with him in the plains of Mamre, the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham the thing which I do?" He meditated the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; but how can he conceal the intention from Abraham his friend? He told him, therefore, of the judgment which he was about to execute on the guilty cities. The sentiment which Amos expresses is remarkable: "Surely, the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." These prophets were his friends, and with them he not only maintained familiar intercourse, but also placed in them affectionate confidence. And observe the words of Jesus to his beloved disciples: "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.' This verse needs no comment: it is sufficiently plain, and most

beautifully expressive of the intimacy which subsists between the Lord Jesus and his people, and of the affectionate confidence which he reposes in them that love him.

And does he not reveal the will and unfold the heart of his heavenly Father to us? "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him :" and to every useful purpose, "he that hath seen the Son hath seen the Father also." May we "behold his glory, full of grace and truth!" May we listen to his word with devout attention! May we receive it in meekness and in love! May we live under its influence and practically evince its effects, that the honour and the happiness of being the "friends of God" may be appropriate to us!

4. His sacred fidelity to Abraham proved him his friend.

He

At an early period Jehovah entered into covenant with his servant, as a man covenants with his friend; and he sware unto him, because he loved him. made the most solemn engagements to visit him with favour, and ratified these engagements in the most clear and condescending manner. And were they ever violated? No! As often, therefore as the appellation, "the God of Abraham," occurs, we have a recognition of covenant transactions, and an appeal to posterity of inviolable faithfulness. How could it serve the encouragement and comfort of the Church in succeeding ages to be addressed by the Most High as the God of Abraham," unless to him his promise was sure, and his fidelity unimpeached? Because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself," engaging in the most explicit terms to accomplish all that he had spoken.

The covenant of God is his solemn promise; and this he hath given not to Abraham only, but to every believer as his "friend." The promise of his grace he hath ratified in a way worthy of himself, and most encouraging to us: "Willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, he confirmed it by an oath; that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us."

Let us then seriously ask, whether we have done this. Have we fled for refuge to Jesus Christ? That such a security is provided, proves the amazing condescension of the Most High; but if we refuse it, are we his friends? If we slight his love, and reject the provision of his grace, are we not his enemies? And does not such conduct evince that we are the enemies of our own happiness? We must flee to the glorious Refuge which the Gospel recommends, and must here find shelter, or we are clearly at enmity with God, and in a situation of most imminent danger.

II. We notice ABRAHAM'S DISPOSITION AND CONDUCT TOWARDS GOD.

Friendship ought to be mutual. While it is expressed on the part of God to his people, it should likewise appear in their temper and behaviour towards him. The character of every man, and especially of every Christian, ought to be this-" the friend of God."-Observe,

1. Abraham's steady faith in God.-The verse from which the text is taken directly refers to this : "He believed in God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God." Faith was the grace for which he was most

remarkable, and in which he particularly excelled. He is denominated "faithful Abraham," and "the father of the faithful," as denoting the pre-eminence of his faith, and as affording a pattern to believers, in all succeeding ages, of this most excellent grace. In the eleventh chapter to the Hebrews, the faith of Abraham is celebrated more than that of any other of those worthies; and of him it is recorded with peculiar emphasis, that "in hope he believed against hope, and was strong in faith, giving glory to God.”

And in such degree as we live in the exercise of faith we are entitled to this honourable distinction"the friends of God." An unbeliever has no claim to it whatever. He rejects the counsel of God against himself; he trifles with the truth of the Most High; he is at war with the Almighty, and lives only to his dishonour.

Faith in God is cordial reliance on his testimony. To adopt the definition of a poor but pious female, it is "taking God at his word." And can any thing be more reasonable? Can any thing be more clearly an obligation, or involve more evidently our interest? If a fellow-creature address us, and affirm what he declares to be true, and we believe him not, can we say that we are his friend? Or if we profess to give credit to his word, and yet in our spirit and actions manifest prevailing incredulity, can we call ourselves his friend? The application is easy: "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; and this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son"-"This is the record," the substance of evangelical testimony, "that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." Be assured it is of little consequence your professing to venerate and esteem the truth of God, unless it be