L invifible to us. Verily thou art a God that hideft thy- The Sea in a ftorm strikes terror into the ftouteft hearts, yet is held in its bed by the fame hand which lifts up the billows thereof." Who hath fhut up the fea with doors "when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? "when I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick "darkness a fwaddling-band for it; and brake up for it my decreed place, and fet bars and doors; and said, hi"therto fhalt thou come, but no further: and here shall "thy proud waves be ftayed," Job xxxviii. 8, &c. "He "ftilleth the noife of the feas, the noife of their waves ;" Pfal. lxv. 7. "The Lord on high, is mightier than the "noise of many waters; yea, than the mighty waves of "the fea;" Pfal. xciii. 4. " When he prepared the hea"vens, I (Wisdom) was there; when he fet a compass upon the face of the deep; when he established the "clouds above: when he ftrengthened the fountains of the "deep; when he gave to the fea his decree, that the "waters should not pass his commandment, when he ap"pointed the foundations of the earth," Prov. viii. 27, &c. At other times, the fea fmooths its rugged brow, its waters are hufhed and ftill, reflecting another heaven, with its fun, azure, and clouds. "He maketh the ftorm a calm, "fo that the waves thereof are ftill;" Pfal. cvii. 29, 30% "then are they glad, because they be quiet. O that men "would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his won"derful works to the children of men." ver. xxxi. Contraft the two together thus, when the floods, by a dread hurricane, have lifted up their waves, in vain do the mariners ftruggle, they lofe on every tack. They recede inftead of advancing; thick clouds obfcure the face of the fun; and the darkened ocean is covered with foam: roaring billows and winds continually lafh the fides of the veffel; and altogether howl horribly among the rigging. The overfretch ed fails break with violence from the yards, and the maits bend and crack with the rolling of the veffel, which every moment seems ready to shiver in a thoufand pieces; all the failors are at their wits ends. "They cry unto the Lord in "their trouble," Pfal. cvii. 28, &c "and he bringeth them "out of their diftreffes." The fky at length clears up, and a general joy is increased from former anxiety. With gratitude to heaven, they enter a fafe harbour! Storms, it may be here obferved, produce very useful ef fects, by cleansing the air of impurities, destroying swarms of noxious infects, which, though even neceffary in fome respects, yet would prove prejudicial to mankind, if fuffered to multiply in too great abundance. On the various laws and motions of ordinary winds, not only the air is kept wholesome, but the arts of navigation and agriculture, and the temperature of every climate is founded. Thus" Fire, "hail, fnow, vapour, and ftormy wind fulfil his word;" Pfal. cxlviii 8. Mofes first defcribes the earth as entirely covered and concealed, under the deep abyfs of waters'; and afterwards making its appearance above them, by the lower waters being distributed into hollow beds, prepared for their reception, while the others were to afcend up in vapours foon as fire did exist. And here are treasures. continual above our heads. Adorable Munificence! and which also we are thus taught to obferve and imitate, Eccl. xi. 14. "Caft thy bread upon the waters, for thou"fhalt find it after many days; give a portion to seven, "and also to eight; for thou knoweft not what evil shall "be upon the earth. If the clouds be full of rain, they 66 empty themselves upon the earth. If," in like manner, "thou draw out thy foul to the hungry," Ifa. lviii. 10, &c. "and fatisfy the afflicted foul, then fhall thy light rife in "obfcurity, and thy darkness be as the noon-day And "the Lord fhall guide thee continually, and fatisfy thy "foul in drought, and make fat thy bones; and thou shalt "be like a watered garden, and like a fpring of water, "whofe waters fail not." How eafy and unexpensive is it to be charitable, fince "whofoever shall give to drink unto one of these (Christ's) "little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a dif"ciple, verily he fhall in no wife lofe his reward?" Matth. x. 42. It requires but good-will, and that which springeth. out of it. The weakest and pooreft of people may be generous. If they are but willing and cheerful to do what they can, they may outstrip, even in the love of communicating, the greatest earthly potentate. He has the heart of a king, though his hand be but little. "And he (Chrift,) "looked up and faw the rich men calling their gifts into the treasury. And he faw alfo a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he faid, Of a truth I fay unto "you, that this poor widow hath caft in more than they "all: for all these have, of their abundance, caft in unto the offerings of God; but fhe of her penury hath cast in "all the living that fhe had :" Luke xxi. 1, &c. "The "body," fays St. Jerome, "feels the injury of fafting, #watching tears the flesh, but charity alone is without la"bour." How base a thing then is immoderate selfishness? "The liberal foul fhall be made fat; and he that watereth," 'fhall be watered also himself," Prov xi. 25. Like the falling Showers from heaven upon dry and parched places ; fo falls the Showers of beneficence upon thofe, whofe wants and afflictions next to burns them up. With impartial, but wife regard, he diftils every where around him. He confines not his good deeds to his own family, relations, or intimates; to thofe of his own fect or opinion; his own humours or difpofition; but drops upon the diftant places of the wilderness, and makes the heart of the ftranger, and even enemy, to rejoice. Nothing but want in himself, or abfence of need in any other, doth curb, or limit his bene ficence. Thus," like is he to our father which is in "heaven, who maketh his fun to rife on the evil, and on "the good; and fendeth his rain on the juft, and on the "unjust :".Matth. v. 45. How effential are acts of benefi cence, under a difcipline of univerfal amity; a dif, enfation of pure fpiritual grace, and goodness? It is Nabal-like, verily that is foolish and wicked to an extreme degree, to fay as in 1 Sam. xxv. II. "Shall I then take my bread,` "and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my "fhearers, and give it unto men whom I know not "whence they be?" for, how cameft thou by these? How dost thou hold them? Is it the work of thy hand? or doft thou preferve it? thou broughteft nothing into the world with thee. Thy induftry itself is God's gift. Thy wifdom' and strength to feek to procure even water and bread. There is nothing fo God-like, nothing fo highly venerable and amiable, as to do good and her mercy Such lineaments of a gracious father must be very dear to him. On the C 3 other hand, bell is fcarcely fo oppofite to heaven, as a nar row gripping man's difpofition is to the nature of God. What then must be believed? believe God kind. To fear were to offend him. Fill thy heart With his felt laws, and act the good he loves. Rev'rence his power. Judge him by his works: Know him but in his mercies; reverence too The most mistaken schemes that mean his praise. Rev'rence all those who find him in their confcience. Mr. Aaron Hill Upon this great fubject it may be proper to add, that every day almoft prefents us with unexpected viciffitudes; the fea of human affairs, continually ebbing and flowing, now on. this fide, and now on the other. Wherefore, confidering the inconftancy and uncertainty of human affairs, and being ignorant of what adverfity may yet befal us, we ought to be liberal upon all occafions: and the returns of fuch liberality may, even a good while after, be expected with confidence, Eccl.. xi I. To fuch wife outgiving we fhould be very ready, embracing the opportunity with cheerfulness, and using our turn well: Eccl. iii. 10. "Riches are not for ever: "and doth the crown endure to every generation?" Prov. xxvii. 24, 25. "The hay appeareth, and the tender grafs "sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered." But to the wealthieft they muft foon be loft. The more exalted, often the more obnoxious. "Give a portion to "feven, and also to eight, for thou knoweft not what evil "fhall be upon the earth," Eccl. xi. 2. Under fatigue, and after long thirst, the pure limpid Water appears far preferable to the finest flavoured wines. How cught every Rill, then, to bring to our remembrance. the liberal benefactor? A draught, when thus taken, is pe |