apt at first fight to believe, and afford ample field for content and gratitude to all ranks of life. If the poor man is deprived of the luxuries and fplendor of life, he efcapes the cares and uneafinefs infeparable from them; and though he is not able to be as extensively bountiful as his richer neighbour, he has the comfort to think that his mite will be equally acceptable as the other's talent: for where little is given, little will be required. The rich and powerful man, on the other hand, if he refifts the temptations attached to his fituation, and employs his wealth, power, and abilities, to the honor of God and the fervice of his fellow-creatures, is fure of being received, at the end of his stewardship, with that glorious teftimony of applaufe from his Master, "Well done, "thou good and faithful servant; thou "haft been faithful over a few things, I " will make thee ruler over many things:

"enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

"28. Then

"28. Then faid they unto him, What "fhall we do, that we might work the works of God ?"

Many of them were ftrict obfervers of the ceremonial part of the law of Mofes ; and they seem, by this queftion, to fuppose that nothing more could be required of them.

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29. Jefus answered and faid unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath fent.

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30. They faid therefore unto him, "What fign fhewest thou, then, that we

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may fee and believe thee? what doft "thou work?

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31. Our fathers did eat manna in "the defert, as it is written, He gave them "bread from Heaven to eat."

It might have been expected that our Saviour's former miracles would have been fufficient to convince them: their defiring new ones to be wrought, whenever

they thought proper, could be only for the gratification of an idle curiofity, which would have been no more likely to fix their faith, than those they had already feen and heard.

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32. Then Jefus faid unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto

you, Mofes Mofes gave you not that bread from Heaven; but

my Father giveth you the true bread "from Heaven.

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'33. For the bread of God is he which "cometh down from Heaven, and giveth life unto the world."

Our Saviour here tells them, that they ought not to attribute it to Mofes that their forefathers were fed with manna, but toGod; Moses being only the agent in the hands of God: that bread with which they were miraculously provided, was a type and figure of that true bread which our Lord now of fered them. I know of no word fo expreffive and extenfive, as bread: it comprehends all our wants, both spiritual and temporal.

temporal. In this comprehenfive fense it is generally used in Scripture; and, particularly, in the Lord's Prayer: "Give us, day by day, our daily bread."

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'34. Then faid they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

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35. And Jefus faid unto them, I am "the bread of life: he that cometh to me "shall never hunger; and he that believ"eth on me fhall never thirst.

"36. But I faid unto you, that ye "have seen me, and believe not."

alfo

They faw him do fuch works, as none but God could perform; and were, therefore, inexcufable in rejecting fuch clear evidence.

37. All that the Father giveth me "fhall come to me: and him that cometh I will in no wife caft out."

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Here we see that all who are willing to avail themselves of the bielings of Christ's coming, are fure of a kind 1ecepKk 2 tion,

tion, on fulfilling the conditions annexed to them. How comfortable an affurance is this! and what an encouragement to make our "calling and election fure !"

"38. For I came down from Heaven, "not to do mine own will, but the will "of him that fent me.

66 39. And this is the Father's will which "hath fent me, that of all which he hath given me I fhould lofe nothing, but "fhould raise it up again at the last day."

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God made man perfectly innocent, but not infallible: he was free to choose the good which his Maker had provided for him, or free to refufe it; but every encouragement was held out to excite him to duty and obedience, and every threat employed to deter him from wickedness: eternal happiness and eternal misery were fet before him, and the choice left to himself.

To choose mifery, instead of happiness, is a degree of folly which no man will allow