My friends, we are now met in the presence of a heart-searching and rein-trying God, who knows our state and condition, and is perfectly acquainted with the feelings and views we have of ourselves as sinners before him. And if one may speak for the rest, the state of our mind is fully expressed by David in the language of the text: "But I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh upon me."

I am growingly persuaded, that among the great bulk of professors, it is but here and there one can be found who is experimentally brought to see and feel his real spiritual poverty and destitution in the sight of a just and holy God; for there are so many saying, either directly or indirectly, that they are rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing, whilst they are ignorant what poor, needy, miserable, wretched, helpless and guilty creatures they are in themselves.

Now I will tell you the difference between such as these and the heaven-born soul. Those that "are rich, and increased in goods" can read and pray and get comfort whenever they like. Outward things go on smoothly with them, and inwardly their souls are quiet and easy. They are spoken well of amongst others, and they are happy and comfortable in themselves. They are rich, and well satisfied, and are not in want of anything. But I look at them with feelings of grief and sorrow, and my soul sighs and groans over those who only have the form of religion but deny the power thereof. The devil will let such persons alone; he will not plague and harass them as he does the Lord's people. No, such are rocked in his cradle, they are in carnal security and fleshly ease. But if they leave the world with only such a profession as this, they will die in the dark, and their form of religion will drop off just like a mantle from the shoulders, and leave their souls naked at last to sink into hell in delusion and error, having only a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; and therefore Paul says, "from such turn away."

But then, how does it fare with the dear child of God, the heaven-born soul, who in his very heart can adopt the language of the text as his own, and which is expressive of his inmost feelings: "But I am poor and needy?" Why, with him, as it respects the means of grace, reading the Scriptures, the use of prayer, the ministry of the Word and attending the ordinances of God's house, they neither are nor can be satisfied with anything short of realizing God's presence in teh use of them. Someone will say, "Are they then against the use of means, and of assembling themselves together in the name of the Lord?" God forbid! they cannot be; for the exhortation is, "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhort one another, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching." (Heb. 10:25) But, is the Christian satisfied when he has merely done his duty by attending to the means and ordinances of grace? O no! my friends, unless he enjoys something of the precious truths delivered, by the application of the Spirit to his soul, he is dissatisfied. He will go about sighing, groaning, mourning and praying unto the Lord that he would speak home some comfort and peace to him.