all the days of our lives we might dwell in the house
of the Lord,' behold his beauty, and inquire in his holy temple; that
in the time of trouble he would hide us in his pavilion, in the secret
of his tabernacle, and set our feet upon a rock.

"O thou incarnate God; thou blessed temple not made with hands;
thou blessed pavilion, in which thy people hide in the time of
trouble, and are safe; thou Rock of ages, on which we build our hopes
for time and eternity, and defy the assaults of sin, Satan, and the
world: thou, Jehovah Jesus, art all these to thy people. Thou
broughtest them 'from a fearful pit and from the miry clay; thou
settest their feet upon this spiritual rock, and establishest their
goings; thou puttest a new song in their mouths, even praise unto
their God.' Many have seen it and sung it; many now see and sing it;
many shall see and sing it, and trust in the Lord. They find in thee
all that is expressive of life; all that is expressive of safety; all
that is expressive of comfort; all that is expressive of happiness.

"'O how many are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and
thy thoughts which are to us-ward; they cannot be reckoned up in order
unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than
can be numbered.' Thou, thy blessed self, art the sum and substance of
every good to man. All this I know; all this have I at different times
experienced; and yet my heart is heavy, my spirits depressed. There is
no cause, Oh no. Thy very afflictive providences have met my wishes,
and been so many answers to my prayers.

"Thou Husband of the widow, thou Father of the fatherless, O how
fully, how manifestly hast thou fulfilled these relations to thy
worthless servant. Thou, in my early widowhood, didst call me to leave
my fatherless children on thee, annexing the promise that thou wouldst
preserve them alive.

"Thou didst put it into my heart to plead the promise in a
spiritual sense; to ask, to hope, to wait for the new birth, the life
which Christ died to purchase, and lives to bestow.

"In three of these fatherless I have seen thy work. Long did the
grain of mustard-seed lie buried among the weeds of worldly-mindedness;
long were my hopes and fears alternate; but now the blessed
discipline of the covenant has been exercised; I have witnessed it, I
have felt it--suffered the rod with them and for them, but waited for
the fruits in hope; and glory to thee, dear Hu