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read, and every body may understand and for this reafon, no doubt, among others, the fcheme of our religion was given us in the form of a hiftory, to make our duty more plain and eafy. Evil communication, fays the text, corrupts good manners; juft fo, good communication has a tendency to improve them. We employ many a leifure, hour, even the moft induftrious of us, in things that are of little value; let us, now and then at least, employ one in reading the holy fcriptures; and in forming our manners after the example of the bleffed Jefus: let us endeavour-in our hearts let us endeavour, to accompany him, as he goes from place to place, intent on nothing but on works of charity, and kindness, and piety: let us liften to his divine discourses; and, above all, let us study his bright example. Living with a holy perfon affords often the best kind of inftruction: let us live with Chrift; let us learn from him patience, and temperance, and humility, and refignation; let us, in few words, learn to amend our hearts, and defpife the world: then fhall we be heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Chrift. But if we reject this adoption, and let the world, and all its wickedness have our hearts, then, inftead of being

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being the difciples and imitators of Christ, we become the children, as our Saviour tells the impenitent Jews, of our father, the devil. I am the vine, fays Chrift to his true followers, and ye are the branches: ye receive your nourishment from the vine; and through your connection with it, bear fruit, and bring it to perfection. But if you break off all connection with the vine, you shall be pruned away, and thrown afide, like withered fticks appointed for the fire.

SERMON V.

MAT. vi. 34.

TAKE NO THOUGHT FOR THE MORROW: FOR THE MORROW WILL TAKE THOUGHT FOR THE THINGS OF ITSELF. SUFFICIENT UNTO THE DAY IS THE EVIL THEREOF.

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HE enemies of christianity have sometimes ridiculed restrictions of this kind; as if the gofpel was calculated only to qualify men for the next world, while it leaves them totally negligent of this. Though they live in the world, and are closely connected with it by various ties moral and natural, they are to pass through it, as if they had neither relation to it, nor it to them: they are to take no thought about it.

But whatever might have been objected on this head to the chriftians of old times, the chriftians of thefe days feem to have wiped off

at least this flander perfectly well. It cannot now be faid, we are fo dead to this world as to have no concern in any of its affairs. We hold now a different language: we are now inclined to fuppofe the precepts of the gospel somewhat too ftrict, and wish to give them a greater latitude. It is impoffible, we cry, not to take thought both for to day and to-morrow; the business of the world requires us to take thought. Accordingly we give our own interpretation to the phrase; and this interpretation often comprehends every thing that ambition, or pleasure, or avarice, can defire.

No doubt the question is rather nice. It is difficult to fay, how far taking thought for to-day and to-morrow, fhould be allowed or reftrained. Yet after all, it is a question rather nice in reafoning than in practice. If a man follow his confcience, directed by the general rules of scripture, he cannot greatly err. It is impoffible the fcripture can make rules for every man's particular cafe it gives us here therefore, as on other occafions, one general rule; and God hath given us reafon, and confcience to teach us how to apply it. Thus a man, for inftance, who has feveral children to provide for, has more reafon

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to take thought than he who has none and so in other cafes. In fhort, all thought that is neceffary is permitted; all thought which answers no real end, but leads only to mischief, is forbidden and there is no mode of determination left, but through an honeft, informed confcience.

Having made thefe general obfervations, let us now confider the precept more closely; and examine, first, what kind of people it cenfures ; and, fecondly, what advice it gives them.

It cenfures, we find, two kinds of people; not only those who make an unreasonable provifion for future good, but thofe also who are under unreasonable apprehenfions of future evil,

In the first place, it cenfures those who make an unreafonable provifion for future good-who extend their defires beyond proper bounds.

That we may make fome provifion for the future, is undoubted. The fruits of fummer must be laid up for winter. A prudent care for to-morrow is certainly therefore allowed: but the mischief is, we are feldom inclined to confider what is a prudent care-how far we may advance, or where we ought to ftop. When this is the cafe when we do not confult our reafon and