blessedness of ransomed souls, in heaven. "These are they which came out of great tribulation; and have washed their robes, and made them white, in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him, day and night, in his temple; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." It is the remembrance of what their Saviour was, compared with the glory in which he now shines forth, as the God and Sovereign of all worlds: yes-this will be, to them that love him, the subject of the new song, spoken of in the fifth chapter of this book:

-a song never sung in heaven, till the Son of God came down, to seek and to save a lost race, and added to his many crowns, that which he wears as the great Captain of our Salvation; for which he endured the cross, and despised the shame, and is now set down on the right hand of God. "I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a lamb, as it had been slain." "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art

worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God, by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests." "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever."

308

SERMON XX.

ST. MATTHEW, vi. 28.

"CONSIDER THE LILIES OF THE FIELD."

Of this

But we

AT this delightful season of the year,* it cannot, even in a religious point of view, be considered unsuitable, to turn our thoughts to the fertility and beauties, which lie scattered everywhere, upon the face of nature. Providence has, doubtless, placed them there, for some gracious purpose. reason itself would sufficiently assure us. are not left to our own conjectures, in this matter. The Scriptures constantly invite our attention, to these soothing and interesting objects. They ground their best instructions, and their most useful lessons, upon the materials which these afford, and the illustrations which they supply.

The Psalmist, in particular, while he dwells upon these pleasing themes, leads the mind through all the varieties of nature, and all the scenes of pastoral life. He points our view to the cattle upon a thousand hills; and to the flocks feeding upon their green pastures. He conducts us through valleys, smiling with plenty, and standing thick

* Preached in the month of May.

with corn; to cooling and refreshing streams, and under the shade of trees planted by the rivers of water. A greater than the Psalmist, also, was wont to employ this engaging method of instruction. On this account, as well as from its accordance with the purity of his own heart, he, doubtless, made the garden of Gethsemane his frequent place of converse with his disciples. From the rising sun, the descending rain, and every natural object which, therein, met his view, he drew his lessons of heavenly wisdom. That such was his mode of teaching, appears from various passages of Scripture. But in none is it more beautifully displayed, than in that from which the words before us have been taken. "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? Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one

of these."

The words of my text may be expanded, into many pleasing and important topics of instruction.

And, first of all, I am deeply persuaded, that if the minds of children were early trained to the contemplation of such things, as are therein suggested, it would have the most kindly influence on their future character.

We are much mistaken in supposing, that those noisy sports, and cruel amusements, in which boys, especially, so soon indulge, are amongst their earliest propensities. Corrupt as human nature is, children are, nevertheless, taught the love of these. They hear that boisterous pursuits are manly and often do violence to themselves, because they are ashamed not to like and follow them. They are told that schoolboys ought to be rough, and without feeling. They quickly imbibe such harsh and brutal principles; and, thus, an artificial perversion is taken, for the native and spontaneous movement of their mind. But earnestly would I, from this place, advise all parents, to protest against such maxims. There is a far better method of giving enlargement to the hearts of children, elevation to their spirits, and even true manliness to their characters. And would to God, I could persuade those, on whom the formation of these characters depends, to adopt that method; before the world has begun its work, and before the mischief is already done.