his life with events that please in the prospect, but which the changes of time never bring about. Nay, his future lot is often very different from what he expected. The changes of time, as they revolve, bring upon him sorrows and adversities, of which he had never dreamed, or afford him comforts and joys of which he had no hope. The prospect with which he had entertained himself, gradually changes as he advances on it; his ideal happiness is lost in a multiplicity of unforeseen and unexpected events, till the whole imaginary scene passes away; and the impression of it is effaced from the mind as figures from the sand by the flowing tide. Thus, man lives in the exercise of hope and of desire, and lives to see his expectations frustrated, and his hope cut off. Job, in the midst of his prosperity, said, "I shall die in my nest, I shall multiply my days as the sand," but Job lived to see the vanity of such expectations.

Are they the young and inexperienced only who form these hopes, and who flatter themselves, in the day of prosperity, that their mountain stands strong, and they shall never be moved? Do the supposed events of futurity never occupy the mind, or inflame, the desire of any but the men of the world, who have their part and portion in the present life? Nay, even the wise, the expe rienced, and the godly, cannot divest themselves of an interest in what shall befal them under the Sun; and though this, in some measure, is not reprehensible, yet though their vain hopes have been corrected by many disappointments, and their desires are moderated by the influence of religion, they still look forward to futurity, with desires and expections, which the sober reasonings, of their own minds cannot justify. So natural is it for man to seek for happiness under the Sun, that even the best of men, in the present state, act under the influence of the same desires which are common to others, and look for happiness where it is not to be found. They too, must feel the bitterness of disappointment: they must have their worldly-mindedness, their unjustifiable cares subdued, by those adversities of which they had no fear, and which they imagined they had entirely surmounted. The Psalmist said that his mountain stood strong, and he should never be moved!" but how vain to bless himself with, continued security and peace, from the flattering nature of present appearances! for "quickly quickly was his prosperous state turned› into misery!" Job too, had hoped that he would continue prosper- › ous and happy; that he would continue to enjoy comfort and honour undisturbed, with his family, and among his friends; and that, in this prosperous condition, he would enjoy long life, and die in peace: "I said, I shall die in my nest; I shall multiply my days as the sand;" but, alas! he soon learned the vanity of such a hope! he was disturbed in his nest; he was disturbed in the quiet, the honour, and comfort he enjoyed, by adversities of various kinds, till he loathed life, and cursed the day of his birth. Though he was delivered from his troubles, and lived to

a good old age, many of the days he expected to spend in undisturbed tranquillity, were spent in anguish and pain. Such are the disappointments which men necessarily meet with, in directing their desires and hopes towards objects below the skies.

In the time of prosperity, men are apt to flatter themselves that their prosperity shall continue. The reflection that was made by Job in his better days, and which he now called to mind in the midst of his adversity, was not peculiar to him; it is common also to others, and there are few but fondly promise themselves that their prosperity shall continue, and that their lot shall shut out every care till life is at an end. But how vain are the hopes of man! One ill-fated day deprived Job of all his substance, and of his numerous family, and was the beginning of a series of troubles, which made him weary of his life, and had nearly brought him to the grave! One messenger after another, brought him the melancholy tidings, that the Sabeans and Chaldeans had robbed him of his substance, and slain his servants with the edge of the sword; that fire from Heaven had consumed the rest of them; and that a wind from the wilderness had smitten the house where his children were assembled, and buried them' in its ruins. Such distresses, accumulated on him in so short a time, he could not well support. The good man, in a fit of sorTow, but of sorrow tempered with piety, when he found he had lost all he had in the world, and was reduced to poverty, rent his mantle, shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither; the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away!' &c. This was the man who said, I shall sit secure in the enjoyment of my honour and my happiness, and nothing shall deprive me of it till I die. I said, I shall die in my nest.' Vain, truly, are the hopes of man. From the summit he has reached, he may soon be precipitated, and sink into deeper miseries and sorrows than his fears had ever foreboded. From the prosperity and earthly comfort in which he nestles and takes his ease, he may be dislodged by sudden and unexpected adversities a few disasters and unwelcome changes, like the messengers of Job, may shake his confidence, disturb his peace, injure his interest, and begin a course of adversity, till they have stript him" of his possessions, and brought the whole visionary fabric of his earthly happiness to utter ruins. Who can tell whom these evils shall befal? And who are they who are secure against them? But when men are so often taught the vanity of such a hope, that the day of their prosperity shall continue, let them learn to moderate their expectations of earthly felicity.

The lot of man in life, often turns out very differently from what he expected. This was the case with Job, who, in the day of his prosperity, thought himself secure from all the storms and adversities of life. But he became poor, was afflicted with a sore disease, took a pot-sherd to scrape himself, and sat down

among the ashes; and, to add to his misery, those who formerly honoured him held him in derision, and those who had been supported by his bounty, made him their by-word and their song! His kinsfolk failed him,-his friends forgot him,-and his own servant, when he called him, did not regard him! Different was the lot of Job, from what he vainly expected. In this respect, many resemble him: they expect that happiness shall attend them; that every returning year shall be more favourable than the past, and either bring wished-for happiness within their reach, or give them more security in the enjoyment of what they have already attained. But how different are the changes that take place, from what they expected! the year that was begun with joy, that was expected to be spent in comfort and peace, is attended with trouble and care, and closed, perhaps, with ten-fold deeper anguish than ever they dreaded in this vale of tears. They may, like Job, lose their worldly substance; they may lose their health, till they are afflicted with pain upon their beds, and the multitude of their bones with strong pain; their friends may forget them, their kinsfolk may fail them, their families may be brought low by distress, and those who are dear to them as their own souls, may be separated from them, and go the way whence they shall not return. - " I said I shall die in my nest;" but unlooked-for evils drove him from it, disturbed his peace, and reversed the lot he had promised himself.

In the beginning of life, when the mind is flushed with hopes of prosperity and success, moderate schemes are below the notice, and, in the ardour of pursuit, the ambitious youth braves dan gers to attain the honour or the riches which, in his view, constitute the happiness of life. But after much toil, and danger, and care, he may be miserable in the midst of plenty, he may find the nest in which he expected to take his rest inlaid with thorns, his choicest comforts may become the occasion of his bitterest sorrows, till, at last, after a series of repeated disappointments, far from the comfort of friends, and with an aching heart, he may close this mortal life, and mingle in the grave with the dust of strangers. Thus, many, like Job, who have been comfortable and happy, and who forebode to themselves no change but for the better, are often miserably disappointed. God sets the day of prosperity and the day of adversity, the one over against the other; and few or none of these, of whom God hath a special care, shall want those advantages that are to be de rived from the adversities of life. We seldom look to futurity but in hope and desire; every thing appears, in our view, as we wish it; and the scene before us brightens as we continue to view it. Ifevery day does not bring us nearer the wished-for happiness, it is supposed to give us additional security in the enjoyment of what we have attained. But we are not aware that we are thus treasuring up for ourselves additional misery, should we come to be disappointed.

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Men are never less thoughtful of the adversities of life thin when these are just at hand. In time of health and prosperity, the day of adversity is put far away. But, alas! events, perhaps, are about to take place directly;-a counterpart to what was expected. Many are thoughtless of adversity when every thing goes according to their wish: they say with Job, not aware of what is to happen, I shall die in my nest;'-when, lo! the next day may produce a reverse in their circumstances, bring about those very events, involve them in those very cares, and subject them to those losses, of which they had not the slightest apprehension, and against all of which they had imagined themselves most secure. Soul, take thine ease, thou hast goods laid up for many years. Thou fool, this night, thy soul shall be required of thee! then, Whose shall these things be which thou hast provided?'

No man seemed farther removed from these evils which befel Job than he was himself, in the day of his prosperity. But on a sudden, that evil day, of which he had no thought, came upon him, wasted him of his substance, ruined his earthly happiness, and covered him with affliction and reproach. From such evils you are not secure. A fire from Heaven, or a wind from the wil derness, may in the course of a day, or of but a few hours, destroy your possessions, and bring to nothing the labour of many years, and that too at a time when, like Job, you are thoughtless of it, and flattering yourselves with security against it. Enemies too, of whom you live in no fear, of whose designs you have no suspicion, and against whom you are not prepared, may, like the Sabeans and Chaldeans, come upon you suddenly, blast your reputation, disturb your peace, ruin your traffic, and dislodge you from that nest of earthly happiness, in which you had reposed yourselves with security. You know not what a train of evils may be just at hand when you are less thoughtful of them than you have been in any former period of your lives.

In the day of health and prosperity, men often promise themelves not only happiness, but long life. I shall multiply my "days as the sand.' It was presuming too much on futurity for Job to promise himself long life, merely because he found himself in a prosperous condition. His sons were not likely to die soon, yet all the seven, by one stroke fell, in the prime of life, and in the vigour of their strength. Their father's time was as uncertain; and though he lived to a good old age, and in the end of life became again prosperous and happy, he had no warrant, at any period, to promise himself a continuation of days. Job said no more, however, than what all men think, and all men desire. Those indeed who are in affliction, and full of tossings to and fro, are in deaths oft, and under the painful forebodings of approaching dissolution. But those who are in health and prosperity, and under no apprehension of a change, promise themselves that they shall multiply their days as the sand. There are few who have

lived so long, but they flatter themselves they shall live another day; and there are none who are in health that have any other thought than that their days shall be many. Events often demonstrate such thoughts to be vain, for it frequently happens, that the very persons who are most likely to live long, are the very persons who are first snatched away.

Your present condition, however promising it may appear, either as to prosperity or long life, is no security against adversity or the stroke of death. Could your own wishes give stability to your condition, you might say, 'My mountain stands strong, and I shall never be moved. No change would ever be permitted to befal you but what tended to exalt your honour, to increase your wealth, or to promote your happiness; and death would for ever be kept at a distance. But God chuseth out your lot for you; and the same good pleasure by which you have life, and breath, and all things, can easily withdraw your enjoyments, may soon withdraw them, and leave you, like Job, poor, friendless, and forlorn. You have no security, from your present comfortable situation, against the stroke of adversity. God has not said that your lot shall not be changed for the worse; nor is there such an order established in the course of events, from which you have any reason to conclude that your condition shall not be reversed. You are not beyond the reach of those calamities which have brought wretchedness, and want, and woe to others not less secure from them, and apparently not less happy than ye are. Such was Job, the greatest of all the men of the east! Your mountain, your strong hold, in which you trust, is not impregnable! God can easily raise enemies, or employ the ele ments, those messengers of his, to shake its foundations. He maketh the winds his messengers, and the flaming fire his ministers. From every quarter the stroke of adversity may come, so defenceless are you against it; and from that quarter probably from which you have least reason to fear it, and from whence you apprehend no danger. A man's foes are sometimes those of his own house. Mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who did eat of my bread, hath lift up his heel against me.'

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Besides, from your present condition, however promising it may appear as to long life, and however much you may be tempted to say, 'I shall multiply my days as the sand,' you have no security a single moment against the stroke of death. You know that it is appointed for all men once to die; and after death the judgment;' - you know that your days are determined, the number of your months are with God, -he appointeth your bounds, that you cannot pass;' and you know not what a day may bring forth;' this night your souls may be required of you, or to-morrow some of you may be examples of that uncertainty which attends the life of man. At any rate there is every reason to apprehend, that some of those whose con dition at present does not forebode a death at hand, may, bufor

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