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both, as saith the apostle, "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." And again, "The love of money is the root of all evil;" i. e. the inordinate love of it, seeking after it, and serving of, and for it, more than for our Maker and Saviour. Then let us despise the world and the things of it, in comparison of our God, and our Saviour. We do not understand by those words of Christ, that he intended to debar us from seeking a comfortable accommodation for ourselves and families, in this world; but that we should not set our hearts and affections upon it; for we cannot equally affect both heaven and earth.

"Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on: is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment ?" Verse 25.

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"

Christ would have us without anxious thoughts about our livings in this world, i. e. about our eating, drinking, and cloathing, and tells us, "That the life is more than meat, and the body than raiment;" by which he shows us, that he which gave the life, will, by his prov. idence, support it; and as he hath formed the body, he will form that which must feed it; and that we might the more depend upon God's providence, he brings us to learn, or teaches us by the fowls of the air, who neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet their great Creator feedeth them; and asks, if we are not much better than they? So that we being more noble creatures, need not doubt of the care and providence of God, and his blessing on the labour of our hands; though our hearts are not concerned unnecessarily about it, but we have freely given them to God, and his Christ, our Saviour.

"Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature." Verse 27.

The farmers or planters cannot by their thoughtful. ness cause their corn, fruits, or cattle, to multiply or grow; nor the tradesman his custom, goods, or business (without a proper application, which our Saviour is not against only he would have us without an incumbered and over-caring mind.) The merchant likewise, by all his thoughtfulness, cannot bring home his ship from far, nor carry her safe to her desired port. All things on this wise are in the hands of Almighty God, and it is our duty to trust in him, and to depend upon his divine prov idence, for meat, drink, and cloathing, for happiness here, and hereafter, forever.

"And why take ye thought for raiment? consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin." Verse 28.

"And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these." Verse 29. "Wherefore if God so clothes the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, Oh! ye of little faith."

Verse 30.

"Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed?" Verse 31.

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(For after all these things the gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." Verse 32.

Many people now, as well as then, are very fond of their clothing, and love to be gay and fashionable therein, and some are not a little proud of their clothes, and are not a little thoughtful how they may deck themselves to be admired: when our plain Lord, who wore a vesture without a seam, sends us to the lily to consider her beau ty and glory, and innocent thoughtlessness, declaring, that Solomon, in all his grandeur and splendour, was not arrayed like one of these: for this is a natural sweetness and gaiety the lily is clad with; but Solomon's (as is also most men's and women's) is generally but artificial: well, if God so elothe the grass of the earth, will he not

clothe us; if we believe not, we must have but very little true faith. So that it would be much better for us to consult how we shall do to please God, and honour him, and his Holy Son, and divine name, than to consult what we shall eat or drink, or how, or wherewith we shall be clothed, which things the gentiles sought after, more than after God. But we, knowing that our heavenly Father seeth that we have need of all these things, should chiefly leave it to him, and first seek his kingdom and righteousness.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his right. eousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." Verse 33.

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself: sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Verse 34.

Here is a glorious gospel promise; upon seeking the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, all these things shall be added to us, viz. meat, drink, and raiment, the necessary things that we want, to support us in these lower regions, or while we are here in this world; but then, withal, let us remember it must be our first work, it must be the chief desire of our souls; it must be first in several senses; first, as to our young and tender years; first, in the morning of every day; first, in respect of, and before all other things; first, as it hath pleased God to give us a being in this world, and being in the prime and flower of our years, we should then devote our souls to God, and his work and service, and enter into covenant with him, with full purpose of heart, and design of soul to keep the same truly and inviolably; for it would be better not to make a covenant, than to make it and break it; neither should we slight or put off the work of God till we are old, and in our declining years; as though we give him the refuse, and broken end of our days, and conclude, it will better become me when I am old to serve him: Oh, no! learn the fear of God truly, and practise it when thou art young, and thou wilt not easily depart from it when thou art old: as thou wilt find it hard to get into a holy life and conversation, when thou hast

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been spending thy youth in vanity and folly: "Remember thy Creator therefore in the days of thy youth, before the evil day come." The autumn of man's years is here in divers respects called the evil day: Oh! it is exceed. ing sweet and precious to see and be sensible of an innocent life, and modest, sober conversation in youth; when they are in their blooming, flowery years, to be scented with grace and truth, must needs be affecting. When youths are laden with the fruits of grace, and of the holy spirit, how pleasant is the taste of it; it generally relishes well with all men, and naturally brings praise to God, as well as peace to the soul. May the youth of this present generation, as also generations to come, be such holy plants, that God's right hand may be seen in planting them: when after being fruitful, and doing the work and service of their day, and answering the noble end of God in making and planting them here in this world, they may be transplanted into the eternal kingdom of heaven; which, doubtless, they will, who first seek his kingdom, and the righteousness of it.

2d. If we consider that our life and being is daily granted to us, and we supported by the goodness and providence of Almighty God every day, it is but just that he should have the first or prime of our thoughts, in the morning of the day; and he (being the first and the last) ought to be last, as well as the first in our thoughts, also in the evening. The royal psalmist saith "If I prefer not Jerusalem before my chiefest joy, then let my right hand forget its cunning, and my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth;" much more ought we to prefer our Creator to all things, and to have our thoughts on him, first and foremost in all things, and every day.

3d. For what are the things of this world in comparison of those that are to come, all these are fading and transitory; but the things of that which is to come, are durable, and permanent; and therefore ought to be first and chief in our minds. That which is chief in our hearts, may be said to have the first place there; "One thing (says a servant of God) have I desired, and that will

I seek after, that I might dwell in the house of God all the days of my life." This was the first or prime thing, which he and we were, and are to seek for, and after. As for the morrow, we need not be too thoughtful or anxious concerning or about it, for we know not whether we shall live to enjoy it, so that as Christ says, "Suffic ient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

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Judge not, that ye be not judged;" Chap. vii. Verse 1, "For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judg ed; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." Verse 2.

A great and wise expression, or sentence, from a righteous and just judge; the Judge of heaven, and of earth, to whom all power in both is given; by which we may easily perceive we are to be very careful in judgement and censures of others, and that we are not rash and censorious therein; considering that with what judgement we judge our neighbours, or fellow mortals, with such shall we also be judged ourselves, and that measure which we measure out to others, shall be filled to us again; when it comes to our turn to be judged, or censured by others, for any thing which we have done or said, we are ready then to cry out for charity; are we so careful to be char itable in our judging and censuring others!

It is better to suspend personal judgement, without we could see the hearts of men; and if we think we do, then to imitate God and Christ, who mixes mercy and love with judgement; rashness and extremes in judgement, being commonly hurtful.

"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" Verse 3.

"Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, and behold a beam is in thine own eye." Verse 4.

"Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." Verse 5.

Most true it is, that the transgressions of others are most afflicting to those who fear God, and this is not in

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