DISCOURSE V.

AUTUMN.

We all do fade as a leaf.—Isai. Ixiv. 6.

THE inspired writers often send us to the

animal, and even to the vegetable world, for instruction and it must be confessed, that they are wonderfully adapted to strike, and to admonish us. The misfortune however is, that seeing many things, we observe not. The means of instruction are plentifully dispensed, but a mind to use them is rarely found.

Such a mind however, it behoves us to cultivate. And when the attention is awakened, and we are willing to learn, every thing becomes a teacher or a monitor. The heavens declare the glory of God; all his works praise him. The ravens encourage us to trust in him for food, and the lilies for cloathing. His voice is heard in the thunder. He whispers also in the breeze-and even a falling leaf preaches a lesson to man.

From our window or in our walks, we may now see the trees shedding their honours.— While we gaze; Isaiah tells us that this is an emblem of ourselves for we all do fade as a leaf.

It is observable, that he does not compare life to a tree. An oak, by slow degrees ises to perfection, and long maintains its glory.— For ages it defies the fury of the elements, and at last, after long and repeated assaults, it gradually decays, or sullenly submitting to the axe, sinks slowly, and crashing upon the ground. Many trees are much less solid and durable than the oak. But man is compared to none of them—his image is a leaf.

A leaf while it hangs on, adorns the branches, and looks beautiful: it is the shelter of the fruit, and the dress of the tree; it waves to the wind, and murmurs many a sound to the ear. But how weak, how frail is it? By what a slender bond does it retain its situation? How small a force is required to bring it down to the ground, where it soon mixeth with the earth, and is no more to be distinguished from it.

A leaf does not always endure a whole season. It is exposed to a thousand disasters ;— and is often crushed in its prime-insects gnaw

it off, the beasts of the field may devour it ; winds may scatter it; or it may be shaken down with the fruit. And between the diseases and accidents to which human nature is liable, few of the human race comparatively attain old age. The jews formerly reckoned up nine hundred and three diseases; but accidents are absolutely innumerable. A vapour may chill us to death. Our houses may bury us in their ruins. Our food may poison us.When we consider the extreme delicacy of the human frame, and the multiplicity of fine and tender parts of which it is composed, the derangement of one of which brings on the dissolution of the whole, the wonder is, that we ever live a single day to an end! Accordingly many are carried to the grave as soon as they are born. They open their eyes on a vale of tears, weep, and withdraw. Others grow in stature, become lovely in form, engaging in manners, amiable in temper, and promising as to wisdom and virtue; these live long enough to engage the affections of their relatives, and then leave them mourning, and refusing to be comforted, because they are not. Others advance further; form connexions, and enter on their busy schemes-but in that very day, their thoughts perish. Sometimes wars, famines, pestilen

ces, and earthquakes, receive a commission to destroy. These may be compared to storms, which desolate a whole forest at once, and cover the ground with leaves.

When a leaf falls it drops irrecoverably. It is otherwise with the tree: for there is hope of a tree if it be cut down that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stork thereof die in the ground, yet through the scent of water, it will bud and bring forth boughs like a plant. But the leaf has no second spring; it can never be revived. And man is like it. Man dieth and wasteth away, yea, man giveth up the ghost and where is he?-Man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. O, could prayers and tears bring him back, and rejoin him to the living! But all in vain!--And equally vain are all our wishes and our endeavours to prevent the doom! O remember that my life is wind; mine eye shall no more see good. The eye of him that hath seen me, shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me and I am not. As the cloud is consumed, and vanisheth away; so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any

more.

But the main thing intended in the image, is the short continuance of its being, and the still shorter duration of its vigour and verdure.— Be favourable ye winds, and ye beasts of the field come not to devour-let the leaf remain and flourish. How contracted the measure of its existence and of its glory! When Jacob was asked how old he was, he answered, the days of the years of my pilgrimage, are one hundred and thirty years: few and full of evil have been the days of the years of my pilgrimage: and I have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers, in the days of their pilgrimage -but if he fell short of the age of his ances tors, we come vastly short of his. That man is old.-Ask him how many annual periods.of time he has passed through? Three score years and ten. Ask him how life looks in review ?As a tale that is told; as a dream when one awaketh. Ask him how it passed away ?—As a flood -swifter than the weaver's shuttle. Ask him where now are the companions of his youth? How many will he reckon up, who have gone down to the grave, and have seen corruption? and how few remain to be the associates of his hoary hairs. Behold thou hast made my days as an hand's breadth, and my age is nothing before thee; verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.