I.

«fee before me fuch liberal provifions of DISC. my God, and find myself fitting warm "under my own roof, yet am ready to droop through a distrustful and unthankful dul"nefs! Had I fo little certainty of my fupport and fhelter, how anxious and "heartless should I be; how little difpofed "to make mufic for thee or myself! Surely "thou cameft not hither without a Provi

dence; God fent thee not fo much to de

light, as to fhame me out of my fullen "unbelief, who, under far more apparent "means of maintenance and protection, am "lefs cheerful and confident. Reason and

faith, alas, alas! have not yet done for me, "what mere inftinct does for thee; and "want of forefight makes thee more merry, "if not more happy here, than the fore

fight of better things maketh me. Cer

tainly, thy providence, O God, is not impaired by thofe fuperior powers thou haft

given me; let not my greater helps hin"der me from poffeffing an holy fecu"rity, and comfortable reliance on thee. I "never knew an earthly father take care of "his fowls, and neglect his children; and

"' fhall

DISC. " fhall I fufpect this of my heavenly father?

I.

"That man is unworthy to have God for "his father in heaven, who depends less "upon his goodness, wisdom, and power, "than upon a crop of corn, which may be spoiled either in the field, or the barn "."

66

But forcibly as these little animals teach, the parts of inanimate nature are by no means behind hand with them. Walk into a flower-garden, and fee with what beautiful garments God has invefted the perifhable grafs, which to-day is, and to-morrow withers away. Above the reft, look at the lovely white of the lily, pure and spotlefs as it's parent, the light of heaven. Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like it. It resembles a greater than Solomon, whose face did fhine as the fun, and whofe raiment was white as the light, fo as no fuller on earth, no effort of human skill and labour, could whiten it. From a flower of the field, then-from a flower of a moment's duration, man, who is made for

b See Bp. HALL'S Occafional Meditations, No. xiv. and QUESNELL in lac.

heaven

I.

heaven and eternity, may learn how low the DISC. care of Providence vouchfafes to stoop. And fhall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Shall he not protect and adorn his chosen people, the plants of his own hand, the flowers of his own paradife? Yes, verily, believe in him, and he fhall bring it to pass. The light of his counte nance fhall fhine, the dew of his celeftial benediction fhall defcend upon you, enabling you to grow up and flourish, to reflect glory on your Maker, and to cheer the hearts of men, And although your appointed time on earth be fhort, and you likewise must fade away, and return to duft; yet even from that duft can the fame influences call you forth, to be clothed with honour and immortality, to enjoy a perpetual spring, and bloom for ever in unfading beauty. Such are the leffons of confidence in God's mercy, and refignation to his will, which meet us every time we take a walk in a garden.

Another reafon urged by our Saviour against indulging that wretched care which has fretted fo many hearts in pieces, is it's fruit

leffnefs.

DISC. leffness. When we have been uneafy for

1.

half a century, what has it availed us?
Nothing. It is not in our power to add a day
to our lives, or a foot to our ftature. Which
of you, by being anxious and careful over-
much, can add one cubit to his ftature? By
taking contentedly and cheerfully our por-
tion of food, the body attains in due time
to that fize and height which God has
ap-
pointed, and lafts as long as he intends it
should. Fretfulnefs and impatience may
diminish something, but can add nothing.
To what purpose, then, ferves anxiety? If
it cannot do the lefs, it certainly cannot do
the
greater. Uneafiness and diftrust render
us unworthy of that bleffing, without which
all our labour is in vain. And no wonder
they should do fo. He who diftrufts a friend,
is very near for faking him; and a man is not
far from murmuring against Providence,
when he is diffatisfied with it's conduct.
This is fo very dangerous a temper of
mind, that we should always be on our
guard against falling into it, as many are
apt to do, upon flight and common oc-
cafions, merely for want of confideration.

If

I.

If we acknowlege a God who governs the DISC. world, let us not diftruft him, or find fault with his government, but repent, tremble,

and adore.

To do otherwise, is, in effect, to renounce our religion, and return to heathenifm. It is our Lord's own obfervation. "Therefore "be not anxiously thoughtful, saying, What "fhall we eat, or what shall we drink, or "wherewithal fhall we be clothed? for after "all these things do the Gentiles feek." They employ their whole care in seeking them. And why? Because they either believe there is no God, or, if there be, that he does not concern himself with the affairs of the world. In either cafe, men are left to themselves, and have no one else on whom to depend. With believers the cafe is different. "Your heavenly Father (fays Chrift to his

disciples) knoweth that ye have need of "all these things." There cannot be a more expreffive and affecting image. A child, who has a father in being, can only wish that his neceffities fhould be made known

VOL. III.

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to