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"his days are as grafs." Nay, as if the grafs, which endures for a feason, were too permanent an object of comparison, he immediately corrects the fimilitude, "As the "flower of the field, fo he flourisheth :".

As the flower of the field, which is expofed to the foot of every paffenger, to the tooth of every wild beaft, to the wanton hand of every deftroyer. It is not by rare and ftriking events only, that the thread of life may be broken. There is no need that the thunder fhould break on you, or that the fire fhould devour you, or that the earth fhould open and fwallow you up. Things far more common and familiar are fufficient for fo eafy a purpose, as that of cutting off your days. There is not an ele ment fo friendly, nor a circumstance fo trifling, that it may not become the minifter of death. Ought not this manifeft uncertainty of life, then, to cool our pursuit of earthly projects? We are apt to meditate great and complicated schemes to attain wealth, or power, or honour in the world. But could we penetrate a little into futurity,

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we might perhaps fee our grave opened far on this fide of half way to the objects of our keennest pursuit. "For what is our life? it " is even a vapour that appeareth for a little ❝ time, and then vanisheth away. For that "we ought to fay, If the Lord will, we fhall "live, and do this or that."

3dly, This amendment, fuggefted by the Apostle, teacheth us to live in an habitual dependence on God, not only for life, but alfo for activity and prudence to carry our lawful designs into execution. There are two affertions in the 10th chapter of the book of Proverbs, which have a feeming oppofition to each other. At the 4th verse, it is faid, that "the hand of the diligent "maketh rich;" where it would appear, that prosperity, in our worldly callings, is to be ascribed to our own activity and skill. On the other hand, it is afferted at the 22d verfe, that "the bleffing of the Lord, it ma"keth rich; and he addeth no forrow with "it." Thefe two affertions are not opposed; but the one is fubordinate to the other; and the meaning is, that the hand of the diligent, by the bleffing of God, is the means

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of gaining wealth and honour. Accordingly, we find that God gave this caution to his ancient people. "Beware that thou fay

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not in thine heart, when thy herds and

thy flocks multiply, and thy filver and

thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou "haft is multiplied, My power, and the "might of my hand hath gotten me this "wealth. But thou fhalt remember the "Lord thy God, for it is he that giveth "thee power to get wealth." How often do we fee the beft laid fchemes mifcarry ; while others, far lefs flattering, fucceed in a wonderful manner? One man fhall toil with inceffant industry, rife early, and fit up late, and eat the bread of carefulness, and yet all in vain. Another, who, compared with this man, had neither a head to contrive, nor hands to execute, fhall profper in all his plans. "I returned, and faw un"der the fun, that the race is not to the "fwift, nor the battle to the strong; nei"ther yet bread to the wife, nor yet riches

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to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance hap

- peneth to them all." Men are too apt

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"to facrifice to their own net, and to burn "incenfe to their own drag." In great

mercy, therefore, God denies riches to thofe who may be faid to live for no other end but to obtain them; while, on the other hand, they fometimes drop, as it were, into the lap of others, who have no talents and little anxiety to acquire them. These obfervations are not meant to di to discourage industry or skill in the management of our lawful bufinefs. For it is still true, notwithstanding what hath been faid, that wif dom excelleth folly, as much as light excelleth darkness; and that without proper means being used, we have no title to expect the blessing of God upon our affairs. But they ought to teach us to "commit our ways unto God," in well doing, to trust also in him that he may bring it to pass, to acknowledge him in all our ways, that he may direct our steps."-In the

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4th and laft place, This amendment, fuggested by the Apostle, teacheth us to refign ourfelves entirely to the will of God, and to fubmit all our fchemes to him, to prosper or to disappoint them as feemeth good to

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him. This is the true fpirit of the text. "the Lord will, we fhall live and do this or "that." Refignation to the will of God frees the mind from a grievous bondage, the bondage of earthly pursuits and expectations. Whatever God wills, is pleafing to the refigned foul; and when a Christian. hath, by prayer and fupplication, made known his requefts to God, then the peace of God which paffeth all understanding keeps his heart and mind through Jefus Chrift. Then only is life truly enjoyed, when we relish its comforts, at the fame time that we are prepared to part with them. The anxieties of the worldly man torment him with the pangs of a thousand deaths. His foul dies within him as often as he conceives the apprehenfion of lofing thofe good things which he would with always to enjoy. Whereas he who hath refigned his will to the will of God," eats his bread with

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joy, and drinks his wine with a merry "heart." Even the thought of his dying hour throws no damp on the joys of his mind. From the contemplation of God's goodness to him in life, he can pass without

terror

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