for prayer?-for the affiftance of God's Holy Spirit to lead us out of temptation, and deliver us from evil. And as our own breafts furnish us with all this variety of subjects for prayer; fo alfo do external objects around us. Every thing we meet with is a temptation; and, without the affiftance of God's grace, may lead us into fin. The business we are engaged in-the company we keep the clothes we wear-our meat and drink-our amufements-our wealth, or poverty; in short, all the varied circumftances and conditions of life have a tendency to lead us into fin. Our paffage, therefore, through a world of fo much trial, muft either be affifted by the grace of God, which earneft prayer alone can procure; or we must be continually betrayed by the temptations around us, and drawn into fin. Befides all these fubjects of our prayers, the neceffaries of life may in a degree be the objects of them: Give us, day by day, our daily bread, is among the petitions that are allowed. In the fame way, in dangerous circumftances, we may pray for the divine affiftance in carrying us through them. We We may pray alfo for our friends and relations for our families in particular. Prayers for mankind in general, and for the governments we live under, though touched on in the Lord's Prayer, belong rather to public than private devotion. Thankfgiving, however, is a branch of prayer that belongs to both. We have all numberless reasons to thank God for his bleffings. Our life, health, prefervation, and all the benefits we daily enjoy, afford conftant renewals of thankfulness. But the great bleffing of the gospel, and our Saviour's atonement for fin, fhould never be forgotten. IV. Time and chance happeneth to all. THIS HIS was the obfervation of one of the wifeft of men. But he did not mean to confider it as a truth. He knew better: he knew that time and chance happen to none; but that all things are under the direction of a wife and good Próvidence. This he fufficiently teftifies in other parts of his difcourfe.-But why fhould he make a remark fo foreign to the truth ?—He speaks merely to the common opinion of the world. Though time and chance happen to none, yet every thing has the appearance of time and chance happening to all.But ftill how comes it, that in a world of order, every thing bears the appearance of diforder? and that time and chance fhould have the appearance of governing, what is, in fact, under the most exact mode of government? This question is not very difficult to decide. A ftate of trial must be a ftate of uncertainty. If every thing happened in order-if the battle was always to the ftrong, riches the reward of virtue, and poverty the punishment of vice, this world would be a state of retribution, not of trial. Uncertainty, therefore, is one mean of making it a state of trial: it throws out to us this grand leffon, in our paffage through life, that we must depend on God-not on ourselves, nor on any thing which the world prefents to us. Befides, a ftate of uncertainty puts the whole world in motion. If every one was confined in his expectation, the life of man would stagnate. But the uncertainty of things fets all adventurers at work, calls up a variety of exertions, and opens a field for various virtues and vices, in which human nature is put to many a fevere trial.-Industry, prudence, and other virtues, are often encouraged; and are indeed the bestmeans of infuring fuccefs: but they often fail, while the vices in oppofition to them fucceed.So that the idea of uncertainty in all-worldly affairs is still kept up; and of course this world is confidered not as a state of retribution, but as a ftate of trial. V. I keep under my body, and bring it into fubjection. 1 Cor. ix. 17. THIS is a mode of expreffion very usual in speaking of that compound being, called Man. It divides him naturally into two parts :-I keep under my body. I is fuppofed to be one part of the man; the body, the other. This mode of speaking plainly and properly points out the rational and the fenfitive parts, and gives the former the fuperiority, I, the rational part, keep under the body which is the fenfitive. Having thus fettled the dramatis perfone of the text, if I may fo fpeak, let us now confider its contents. The great reason, we see, for keeping the body under, is to bring it into subjection, that all its functions may co-operate with reafon. The great mean of obtaining this fubjection, is felf-denial. If we make it our business to indulge ourselves in eating and drinking, in amusements, and other things pleafing to the fenfes, VOL. IV. A A we |