of dissipation and sensuality? What would he have said to those who, in the same presumptuous style, lay deliberate schemes for low vice and debauchery, for drunkenness and whoredom, and other works of the flesh? What would he have said to those who devise methods of making gain by secret fraud or open violence? to those who practise deceit in buying and selling, or who, without either buying or selling, support a useless and pernicious life, by the base and infamous occupation of gaming? Compared with these, the scheme which the Apostle condemns is wisdom, and honour, and virtue.

But the Apostle doth not rest in eensuring what was wrong. He goes on at the 15th verse to correct what was faulty, and to supply what was defective. "For that ye ought to say," adds he, "if the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that."-This amendment, suggested by the Apostle, was the

Second thing which I proposed to consider.-And,

1st, It furnisheth us with a rule by which all our un dertakings ought to be examined. Whatever scheme we have in view, to which we cannot prefix this preface, “If the Lord will," we may be assured is essentially wrong, and ought to be abandoned without delay. There is nothing truly good or profitable to us, for which we may not address God by prayer. Let us then convert the views which we have în any undertaking, into the form of a petition, and try whether we can, with decency or propriety, offer up such a petition to God. Let us consider, whether the means by which we propose to compass these views are of such a nature, that we may ask or expect the divine blessing to accompany them. Happy were it for us, that all our schemes and projects were brought to this test. We should then be seasonably delivered from that fatal enchantment which first engageth us in unlawful pursuits, and then stimulates us to persist in them, against the remonstrances of our own consciences.

We should then escape from those fatal snares into

which our rash unadvised plans betray us. For who would dare to say, "If the Lord will, I shall live," and rob and steal, game and defraud, oppress and overreach my neighbour? Such a connexion of thought would startle the mind at the first conception of lust, before it had brought forth sin. And I am persuaded, that if men were faithfully to practise this one easy and reasonable precaution, they would at least avoid many of those presumptuous offences, which lay waste the conscience, and destroy the peace of the soul.

2dly, This amendment, which the Apostle suggests, teacheth us to consider the shortness, and particularly the uncertainty of life. "Ye know not," saith he, "what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? it is even a vapour which appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." Thus David describes the life of man by those things which are most frail and fugitive in nature. "As for man, his days are as grass." Nay, as if the grass which endures for a season were too permanent an object of comparison, he immediately corrects the ́similitude, "As the flower of the field, so he flourisheth." As the flower of the field, which is exposed to the foot of every passenger, to the tooth of every wild beast, to the wanton hand of every destroyer. It is not by rare and striking events only, that the thread of life may be broken. There is no need that the thunder should break on you, or that the fire should devour you, or that the earth should open and swallow you up. Things far more com mon and familiar, are sufficient for so easy a purpose as that of cutting off your days. There is not an element so friendly, nor a circumstance so trifling, that it may not become the minister of death. Ought not this manifest 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, we might perhaps see our grave opened far on this side of

half way to the objects of our keenest 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 say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that."

3dly, This amendment suggested by the Apostle, teacheth us to live in an habitual dependence on God, not only for life, but also for activity and prudence to carry our lawful designs into execution. There are two assertions in the 10th chapter of the book of Proverbs, which have a seeming opposition to each other. At the 4th verse, it is said, 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 asserted at the 22d verse, that "the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich; and he addeth no sorrow with it." These two assertions are not opposed, but the one is subordinate to the other; and the meaning is, that the hand of the diligent, by the blessing of God, is the means of gaining wealth and honour. Accordingly, we find that God gave this caution to his ancient people. "Beware that thou say not in thine heart, when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied, My power, and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth." How often do we see the best laid schemes miscarry, while others, far less flattering, succeed in a wonderful manner? One man shall toil with incessant industry, rise early, and sit up late, and eat the bread of carefulness, and yet all in vain. Another who, compared with this man, hath neither a head to contrive, nor hands to execute, shall prosper in all his plans. I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to

men of skill, but time and chance happeneth to them all.” Men are too apt "to sacrifice to their own net, and to burn incense to their own drag." In great mercy, therefore, God denies riches to those who may be said to live for no other end but to obtain them; while, on the other hand, they sometimes drop, as it were, into the lap of others, who have no talents, and little anxiety to acquire them. These observations are not meant to discourage industry or skill in the management of our lawful business. For it is still true, notwithstanding what hath been said, that wisdom 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

4th and last place, This amendment, suggested by the Apostle, teacheth us to resign ourselves entirely to the will of God, and to submit all our schemes to him, to prosper or to disappoint them, as seemeth good to him. This is the true spirit of the text. "If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that." Resignation to the will of God, frees the mind from a grievous bondage, the bondage of earthly pursuits and expectations. Whatever God wills, is pleasing to the resigned soul: and when a Christian hath, by prayer and supplication, made known his requests to God, then the peace of God which passeth all understanding, keeps his heart and mind through Jesus Christ. Then only is life truly enjoyed, when we relish its comforts, at the same 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 soul dies within him as often as he conceives the apprehension of losing those good things which he would wish always to enjoy. Whereas he who hath resigned his will to the will of God," eats his bread with joy, and drinks his

can pass

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 without terror or amazement to the thought of his protection in the dark valley and shadow of death. Even in that gloomy passage, he fears no evil, but commits himself to the Lord his Shepherd, who will make goodness and mercy to follow him all the days of his life, and at last will bring him to dwell in his house above for

ever.

de

These are some of the instructions which we may rive from the amendment here suggested by the Apostle : "For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that."

From what hath been said, let us learn, in the

1st place, To guard against that extravagance in lay ing down schemes for the time to come, which, upon cool reflection, appears so unjustifiable in the example before us. Had the persons here described, upon finding it inconvenient to set out immediately, asked themselves this question, What assurance have we of another day? this might have given them a timely check. But their ima gination having taken possession of the morrow, it car, ried them forward without the least interruption, brought them safe to the end of their journey, fixed their residence, transacted their business, and reaped the profits of the whole ensuing year. One presumptuous step leads on to another. The first object is near, and appears to be within our reach; but if we assure ourselves of possess ing that before it actually becomes ours, then we see another object a little farther on, which appears as near to it again, afterwards a third but a little beyond that; and thus we proceed step by step, till we have passed the utmost bounds of probability, before we begin to suspect that we have gone any length at all. Let us then, in the