Page images
PDF
EPUB

light of heaven. Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like it. It resembles a greater than Solomon, whose face did shine as the sun, and whose raiment was white as the light, so 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 heaven and eternity, may learn how low the care of Providence vouchsafes to stoop. And shall 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 paradise? Yes, verily, believe in him, and he shall bring it to pass. The light of his countenance shall shine, the dew of his celestial benediction shall descend 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 short, and you likewise must fade away, and return to dust; yet even from that dust can the same 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 lessons of confidence in God's mercy, and resignation to his will, which meet us every time we take a walk in a garden.

[ocr errors]

Another reason urged by our Saviour against indulging that wretched care which has fretted so many hearts in pieces, is its fruitlessness. When we have been uneasy for 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 stature. Which of you,

by being anxious and careful overmuch, can add one cubit to his stature? By taking contentedly and cheerfully our portion of food, the body attains, in due time, to that size and height which God has appointed, and lasts as long as he intends it should. Fretfulness and impatience may diminish something, but can add nothing. To what purpose, then, serves anxiety? If it cannot do the less, it certainly cannot do the greater. Uneasiness and distrust render us unworthy of that blessing without which all our labour is in vain. And no wonder they should do so. He who distrusts a friend, is very near forsaking him; and a man is not far from murmuring against Providence, when he is dissatisfied with its conduct. This is so 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 slight and common occasions, merely for want of consideration. If we acknowledge a God who governs the world, let us not distrust 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 Heathenism. It is our Lord's own observation; "Therefore, be not anxiously

thoughtful, saying, What shall we eat? or, What "shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be cloth“ed? for, after all these things do the Gentiles "seek." 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 case, men are left to themselves, and have no one

else on whom to depend. With believers the case is different. "Your heavenly Father," says Christ to his disciples, "knoweth that ye have need of all "these things." There cannot be a more expressive and affecting image. A child, who has a father in being, can only wish that his necessities should be made known to that father; because, when once known, he is certain they will be supplied. But from our Father no secrets are hidden. His wisdom is equal to his goodness, and his power equal to both. When, therefore, we have used our own endeavours, as he has directed us to do, we may, with the confidence of children, "cast all our care upon him; "since," without doubt, "he careth for us." The misfortune is, that amongst all our cares, we care little for him and think little of him, unless when the attention is roused by a clap of thunder, or some extraordinary event which affects us for the time, as that does. We have only a distant, uncertain notion of him floating in our minds. We do not consider him as present round about us, and, what is more, present within us, and perfectly acquainted with all that is passing in the inmost chamber of the heart. We neglect him, and therefore he seems to neglect us-I say, he seems to neglect us; for that very seeming neglect is graciously intended to humble, and reform, and bring us to a better mind, that we may become objects of his favour, and partake of his blessings.

This is our Lord's next argument: "Seek ye "first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, "and all these things shall be added unto you." Christ does not mean to say, that if a man will be

case.

come religious, he will immediately give him wealth. Certainly not since if the party in question were ever so good a man, that might be the most effectual way in the world to make him a bad man. He might have something lurking in his constitution, either of body or mind, which would render him incapable of resisting the temptations of a large fortune; and He who knows all things, knows this would be the Numberless are the persons, to whose happiness such an estate would not add a single grain, but quite the reverse; and the greatest kindness that can be showed them, is to keep it out of their way, though you will never persuade them to think so. But thus much the promise implies, that to him who first and principally seeks, as he ought to do, the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and is not wanting to himself, shall be added food and raiment, and such other things as are convenient and proper for him, such things as are really and truly, all circumstances considered, best for him upon the whole, and will hereafter appear to have been so.-But is not wealth then a blessing? To those who can manage and employ it to the glory of God, and the good of mankind, it is a blessing, for this reason, because "it is more blessed to give than to receive;" but the number of these is small, very small indeed. If religion therefore does not give a man wealth, it does not give him that which is much more likely, at the long run, to prejudice than to benefit him. If religion does not give a man wealth, it makes him happy without it; if it does not enable him to have what he likes, it enables him to like what he

has. And, as an apostle observes, "the time is "short;" this present scene of things will soon be changed; "it remains, therefore, that he who has, an "estate be (towards God) as if he had none;" which is much the harder task of the two.

Since, then, the promise of worldly necessaries and comforts is made on the condition of seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, let him, who thinks he has not his share of good things in this life, retire into his closet for half an hour, and ask himself a few questions; as-Have I ever really and in earnest sought the kingdom of God and his righteousness? Do I so much as know what they are? or have I taken any pains to inquire? If I have inquired, and understood their nature, do I not rather seek after any thing than after them? Is not either business, or pleasure, or even idleness itself, that most irksome and tormenting of states, preferred before them? Do I give one hour out of the four-andtwenty to the contemplation of them? Have I entered into the kingdom of God? or rather, has the kingdom of God entered into me? Is it within me, and does it manifest itself without me? Does Christ rule in my heart by faith? and do my appetites and passions move in obedience to that heavenly principle? Do I love God, and delight in prayer and praise? Do I love my neighbour, and rejoice to assist and benefit him, to cover his faults, and overlook his infirmities? Are those tempers alive and reigning in me, which Christ has pronounced blessed? and, in the general and common course of my thoughts, words, and actions, do I consider myself as in his

« PreviousContinue »