must, therefore, be reduced to a state of want and suffering, for which providence is not to be held responsible. The truth of this remark must be obvious to every strict observer of the state and condition of society. For instance, God has created no desire for ardent spirits; the burning thirst of the intemperate is self-created ; it is not a natural, but an artificial desire. The pain, the distress, the uneasiness, which is felt by the intemperate man, when he is deprived of his usual drams, are the result of a self-created, and not of any natural desire that God has implanted in the breast of man. If this doctrine be true, the conversion of bread-stuff into intoxicating drinks is the perversion of the bounty of providence. It is taking the staff of life, and converting it into the instrument of death. It will also follow, that all the money which is employed in the purchase of this article to be used as a drink, is likewise misapplied. It is taking so much money from the ordinary channels marked out by Divine Providence, and forcing it in an unnatural direction. This prostitution of the order of a bountiful providence, is productive of a two-fold evil: it is an evil to the man who drinks the poisonous draught, and to his innocent family, who are thus deprived of their proper and legitimate support. And what a terrible Scourge this demon of intemperance has been to our country! What ravages have marked its progress! What bitter lamentations and cries have been its constant attendants! It has entered the peaceful abodes of the domestic circle, where nought but joy and happiness reigned, and converted them into the habitations of strife and contention, of wretchedness and misery! It has reduced thousands to poverty, and clothed them in rags! It has peopled our alms-houses with inmates! It has filled our jails and halls of jurisprudence with criminals! It has consigned a multitude of all classes and conditions of men to an untimely grave! But as great and as numerous as are the evils which arise from intemperance, Divine Providence is not to be held responsible for one of them. God has not made any intoxicating liquor; it is one of the inventions of man. Neither has he created any natural desire for its use; the desire of the intemperate man is self-formed, arising from the constant or frequent use of intoxicating drinks. The providence of God may then be still regarded as good and bounteous, notwithstanding all the poverty and distress intemperance may have brought upon mankind.

Similar remarks may also be extented to the common use of tobacco. The love of tobacco is not a natural, but wholly a self-created desire. In any, and in all the forms in which it is used, it is exceedingly repulsive to the natural taste of man. It requires a long and severe course of discipline to render it at all palatable. Nature, at first, sickens at its taste, and even at its smell; and the conflict is long and severe before this natural repugnance can be overcome, and an agreeable habit in the use of tobacco formed. But when the habit is once formed, it becomes obstinate and invete

rate, and is attended with a needless and useless expense-an expense which is often painful and burdensome, because it trenches upon the very necessaries of life, and becomes the occasion, in other respects, of want and suffering. I know of individuals who purchase their pipes by the dozen, and their tobacco by the pound, and, at the same time, they represent themselves as in a suffering condition for the necessaries of life. But is providence to be held responsible for their sufferings and distress? Certainly not. They misapply the bounties of providence, and deprive themselves and families of food and raiment convenient for them. No man ought to complain of poverty or distress, as long as he takes the bounties of providence to supply self-created desires; for he is the author of his own poverty and distress, and the correction of the evil properly and necessarily devolves upon himself.

But there are other desires, which, in some respects, differ from those we have mentioned, and which, at the same time, are proper exceptions to the rule under consideration. I allude to all sinful desires, of every kind and description. These desires, instead of being gratified, should be chastened, subdued, and rooted out of the heart. Among these may be reckoned a desire for riches, for splendid equipage, for sumptuous living, for elegant houses and furniture, and for costly apparel. A desire for these things springs up from the pride and ambition of the human heart; and the more they are gratified and indulged, the stronger they become, and the more difficult it is to subdue and eradicate them. To supply such desires, for the most part, would be to build mankind up in pride and wickedness. They are wholly inconsistent with those graces which constitute the essence of the Christian temper. They are unnecessary to either the comfort or enjoyment of life; and Christians are expressly forbidden to covet these things, in the gospel, as inconsistent with their calling and profession: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

2. Though God satisfies the desires of every living thing, yet not all in the same way; but of every creature according to its nature and circumstances. There is a wonderful diversity in the works of God; yet everything is under the direction and government of regular laws-nothing is left to chance. Many of the creatures, like the lily, neither toil nor spin; but receive, the bounties of providence ready prepared to their hands. This, however, is not the case with all. Every living creature must procure its food by its own exertions. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the beasts of the forest, must all necessarily exert themselves, to supply the craving appetite of hunger. But it is especially the doom of man to labor for all he acquires. It is a part of the load laid

upon him, that, by the sweat of the brow, he shall eat his bread. And this is a most wise and salutary provision of Divine Providence. Idleness is a soil which produces a luxuriance of evil; and, considering what man is, it is well that he is compelled to labor. It is generally amongst the rich, who have nothing to do, and the very poor, who will do but little, that wickedness is most prevalent. The laborious and the industrious are exposed to the fewest temptations, and are consequently the most virtuous and happy. The prayer of Agur is no less the fruit of wisdom, than the result of experience: Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: remove far from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me; lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

3. We are to understand the language of the text in a general sense: what the Lord does ordinarily, not universally, or in all cases. Although the operations of Divine Providence are, for the most part, regular and uniform, yet there are occasional instances when this rule is not observed. There are times of famine, when God, as it were, shuts his hand, on account of the sins of men. And when he does this, the heavens become brass, and the earth iron; and multitudes perish for the want of bread. Famine is one of those terrible scourges, by which God chastises the wickedness of nations. He often sent this terrible calamity upon his ancient people, and sorely punished them for their transgressions. But there is still a sorer evil than that of famine, arising from a disordered state of society. Great numbers of mankind labor under the hardships of poverty, pine away, and are stricken through, for want of the fruits of the field. This evil especially abounds in those countries that are thickly populated, and where the iron hand of despotism reigns. And this is one of those evils under which the world groans, owing to the sin of man. If there were no idleness, no luxury, no waste, or intemperance, amongst one part of mankind, there would be a sufficiency for the rest. Then the earth would abound in plenty, and the native wants of all would be richly supplied. Every man then could appeal to God, and say: Thou openest thine hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing.

II. We shall now proceed, in the second place, to state a few of the evidences, by which this important truth is supported. It is difficult to prove some subjects, not from a scarcity, but from a profusion of evidence. And this is the case with the subject before us: the difficulty lies in the selection. On this occasion, I shall merely call your attention to three considerations, in confirmation of the truth of the doctrine advanced.

1. The supplies we constantly receive cannot be ascribed to our own labor, as their procuring cause. The ultimate of human labor is merely a kind of manufacture of the materials, with which the bountiful Creator is pleased to furnish us. We create nothing; we

only change the forms of different productions, to suit our own convenience. To this end is the toil and labor of man directed, and in this way are his wants supplied. We are as really, though not so sensibly, dependent on God, as Israel was in the wilderness, who were fed with manna from heaven. It is not in the power of man to give life to a single plant, or to cause one seed to spring out of the earth, and come to maturity. We can merely use the ordinary means of cultivation; but the process of bringing the seed, that is cast into the ground, to maturity, is entirely of God. After we have labored to the utmost, it amounts to nothing, without a divine blessing. All, therefore, that we possess, proceeds from the opening hand of God. If he close his hand, the labor of man is lost, and his hope perishes.

2. But the truth of this doctrine will also be confirmed, if we consider the number and magnitude of the wants of the creatures God has made; for nothing short of his all-sufficiency can supply them. What a quantity of vegetable and animal food is required for a single town, even for one day; and what for a city, a nation, a world, during successive ages. The earth is supposed to contain, at least, eight hundred millions of inhabitants; and the wants of these are to be daily supplied. And this supply must be furnished constantly and regularly, for ages of ages. But what are men, however numerous, compared with the whole animate creation? All nature teems with life; the air, the earth, the sea, are full of living creatures, who are nourished with food, and whose wants are to be daily supplied. How vast, how complicated, must be that providence, which provides, and regularly supplies, these multifarious wants! Such a providence can originate in no other, but in Him who made them. He stands at the head of universal government, and, as the Father of creation, supplies the wants of all: He openeth his hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing.

3. Finally, if we consider the various ways and means by which our supplies reach us, we shall be convinced of the truth of the doctrine under consideration. The Lord does not satisfy our desires immediately, but through the medium of second causes; and though we may be too insensible of that hand which puts all in motion, yet it is no less engaged than if we were supplied by a miracle. The energy of God is everywhere operative, directing the laws of nature to their proper results. A chain of concatenation of causes is everywhere evident, in this vast universe; and all is under the guidance and direction of the Supreme Architect. Our food is prepared by a complicate, but beautiful machinery. The heavens are made to hear the earth, the earth to hear the corn, the wine, and the oil; and the corn, the wine, and the oil, to hear the people. All these are dependent on each other, as are the links which constitute a chain; and God has the government of the whole. He manages all for the benefit of man. God is at one end of the chain,

and man at the other; and, by means of the intermediate links, the latter is kept in a constant dependence upon the former, for life, breath, and all things. The tendency which we discover in the various parts of the creation, to satisfy the desires of the rest, is the operation of the hand of Him, who has engaged to supply the wants of every living thing. The earth abounds in fruitfulness, the air with salubrity. The clouds drop down fatness, and the little hills rejoice on every side. Fire and hail, storm and tempest, and winds and seas, contribute to our welfare. We inhale life with every breath we draw; and all the elements are employed for our sustenance and happiness.

But let us take another view of this interesting subject, and contemplate the instruments as well as the means, which God employs in supplying the wants of his creatures. He has given to us affectionate parents, who have watched over us in our infancy, guarded and defended us in our riper years, and supplied our wants in childhood and youth. When our way has been hedged up, and clouds and darkness have been round about us, he has opened our path before us, and provided means to relieve our wants. Under the guidance of his providence, the most intimate and endearing connexions have been formed, which have proved to us a fruitful source of enjoyment. In seasons of danger and difficulty, friends have kindly assisted us, and relieved our wants. When pressed by the pinching hand of poverty, supplies have reached us from an unknown and an unexpected quarter. But what are all these but the opening of his hand! It is a part of that divine arrangement by which the wants of man are supplied; and all is under the guidance and direction of the Father of mercies, from whom cometh down every good and perfect gift.

III. We shall now proceed, in the third and last place, to improve the subject. Every divine truth is pregnant with important consequences. Man is deeply interested in every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The subject under consideration is deeply interesting, and involves consequences of the highest moment.

1. If such be the bounty of Divine Providence, what obligations are we laid under to love and serve God; and what are the actual returns we have made for all his goodness! He requires us to love him with a pure heart fervently, and to render him a constant and uniform obedience. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and him only shalt thou serve. But, alas, are there not many of you still his enemies, and have not your whole lives been marked with disobedience? Have you not indeed added rebellion to stubbornness, and preferred the pleasures of sin to the service of God? That a being so supreme in goodness should have an enemy, is truly awful; yet so it is. The worst thing said of one of the worst men was, He did eat of my bread, and hath lifted up his heel against me. What is blacker than the sin of ingratitude! How debased must be that heart that returns evil for good! And this