tentions and our profpects, let us remember that God is the Mafter, that we are the fervants; that we are nothing, that God is every thing. He fitteth in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all. He lifteth up, and he cafteth down: the difpofal of the lot is with Him and in his hands are the iffues of life and death. He is the God of all power. To Him we ought in all things cheerfully to fubmit ourselves. For what can 'Man do against Him? What can man do without Him? How fhall any plan take effect but by his fupport? How fhall any plan fail, if it be fupported by Omnipotence? He is the God of all wifdom. Man is loft in ignorance. He knows not what objects to purfue. He knows not what measures will contribute to the fuccefs of his purfuit. How fhall he choose aright? How fhall he direct his fteps aright? By committing himself to his Maker Set your affections on thofe objects, which God in his holy word points out as alone worthy of a Chriftian's regard, Purfue them on those principles, and by those methods, which the fame holy word enjoins as alone lawful to a Chriftian. Then will the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Wisdom, maintain you under his unerring guidance. God is the God of all goodness. It is he who of his own free bounty

has

1

has bestowed upon you life, and all its blef fings. What good gift is there, which he is

you ? He but delivered

not ready to bestow upon who fpared not his own Son, Him up for us all: bore shall be not with Him alfo freely give us all things (j) all things (j)? Will you not trust your interefts, prefent and future, in the hands of your Creator, your Preferver, your Redeemer? Let his power, his wisdom, his love be your confidence. Let his pleasure be your delight. When you meditate upon any defign; let it be the language not merely of your lips, but of your heart," If the Lord

will, my purpose will be established." Entertain not a wifh that it should be accomplished, unless it be wholly comformable to the will of God, Commit thy way unto the Lord, and he shall bring it to pass (k); if it be for thy good that it should be brought to pass. Or if he forefees that its accomplishment would not be for thine advantage; he shall provide for thee real bleffings in the place of that imaginary good, that actual evil, which thou hadft ignorantly chofen for thyself,

iberib IV. The apoftle proceeds to admonish us, that the prefumption with which men look forward to the accomplishment of diftant

(j) Rom. viii. 32.
3

() Pfalm.xxxvii. 5.

plans

plans as to certain events, prefumption which he had already fhewn to be the height of folly, is equally to be ftigmatifed as guilt. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all fuch rejoicing is evil. The prefumptuous men, to whom his epiftle was in the firft inftance addreffed, prided themfelves in their felf-dependence; and openly took pleasure and triumphed in their vain-glorious boaftings. Well would it have been for the Chriftian world, if the fpirit of those vaunters had died with them! Well is it for yourselves, if no portion of it has defcended unto you! Every degree, even the fmalleft degree, of fuch triumph, of fuch confidence, is fin. For what is it, but to exalt man against his Maker; to gratify human arrogance at the expence of the glory of God? Is it not fin to refuse unequivocally to fubmit yourfelf to the government of infinite power: of that infinite power which moulded you out of nothing, and conferred upon you upon you thofe very faculties which you are employing as inftruments of difobedience? Is it not fin to refuse to resign yourself to the direction of infinite wisdom; of that infinite wisdom which has unceafingly difplayed itself in providing for your welfare; and has devifed for your deliverance from fin and death eternal a plan of redemption fo ftupendous

as

as to fill the hofts of heaven with admiration and amazement? Is it not fin to refufe joyfully to acquiefce in the determinations of infinite goodness of that infinite goodness which is every moment miniftering to you comfort; which drew down the Son of the Moft High from the bofom of the Father, to die for you while you were yet enemies, that He might reconcile you to God by His blood? Where is rebellion, where is pride, where is ingratitude, if not here? Where is your faith in God, if you hefitate unrefervedly to confide in Him? Where is your reverence for Him if you fcruple any token of obedience? Where is your humility, if you abase not your own judgement before His counfels? Where is your refignation, if you furrender not all your wishes to His choice? Where is your patience, if you are not content to await his pleasure? Where is your fortitude, if you fhrink from bearing the absence of that which He fees fit to withhold, the lofs of that which He fees fit to take away? Where is your love for Chrift, if you decline any fubmiffion, any facrifice, for His fake? Where is the fpirit of a Chriftian, if you daringly form plans, or boaftfully proclaim them, as though you were independent of God? Where is the imitation of your Lord,

Lord, if you refuse to pray, like Him, in the fincerity of your foul; Father! Not my will but thine be done?

V. The infpired penman, having thus fet forth the proneness of men prefumptuously to promife to themfelves the fuccefs of diftant schemes and undertakings, the folly and the finfulness of fuch conduct, and the fubmiffive and pious temper of mind with which the plans and purposes of a Chriftian must be accompanied; concludes the fubject with a moft important admonition. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not; to him it is fin. The knowledge of our duty, fince the Giver of good gifts offers to all men ability to perform that which they know him to require, takes away all pretences for not performing it, and leaves us without excufe. If I had not come and spoken unto them, faid Chrift, they had not had fin: but now they have no cloke for their fin. If ye were blind; if you had not the natural capacity of underftanding your duty, or if you had never poffeffed the means of afcertaining the will of "God; ye fhould have no fin. But now ye fay, We fee: therefore your fin remaineth (1). Ignorance, not if it be wilful, but if it be un(John, ix. 41. xv. 22.

avoidable,