changes and chances to which, in every age, this mortal life has been subject; he reflects on the various incidents which have occurred in the progress of his own earthly pilgrimage; and the result of all his meditations is, a deep sense, an humble acknowledgment that God is every where present; that he ruleth over the inhabitants of the earth, as well as among the armies of heaven; that he is about our path and about our bed, and spieth out all our ways; that from the riches of his mercy proceed our life, and health, and all things which we so abundantly enjoy. Such sentiments are suited to the nature of man, and they necessarily predominate in every sober and reflecting mind: deeply impressed with them, let us acknowledge that gratitude is due for the smallest bounty of heaven, since it is conferred upon such unworthy creatures; that no sin is to be deemed unimportant, since it is committed against a Parent so full of long-suffering, goodness, and tender mercy.

It must, however, be observed, that to commit our way unto the Lord; in all circumstances, to seek his guidance, and humbly to depend upon his protection, does not imply that we are to relax our own endeavours, in prosecuting our worldly business in that state of life unto which it has pleased God to call us. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Our benevolent Creator has imparted the light of reason, and superadded the aid of his blessed Spirit; he has given us rational souls to think, and bodies to execute his righteous commands; and it is only while we are exerting the faculties with which he has endowed us, that we can expect his blessing. Let us, therefore, rise to the vigorous performance of all the duties incumbent upon us;

and then, we may call upon the name of the Lord our God, and he will hear us. Whatever our worldly occupation may be, under a lively impression of the divine care and benediction, we shall prosecute it with more diligence and cheerfulness: in every situation of human life, a sense of the awful presence of the Deity will produce in us a propriety of deportment: the insolence of prosperity will be corrected, and the pains of adversity rendered much less severe.

Such is the nature of that great duty to which we are exhorted by the Psalmist in the text; the necessity of it cannot be disputed, whether we consider the attributes of the Deity, or our own rank and condition among created beings. He is perfectly wise, and powerful, and good; he is our Father, our constant Benefactor, our Lawgiver, and he will hereafter be our Judge: we are weak, and ignorant, and sinful. Does the helpless child stand in need of parental care and protection? Does the sick man anxiously apply for the aid of the physician? Does the benighted and bewildered traveller wish for a faithful guide to extricate him from his difficulties? Does the criminal humbly implore the clemency of his judge? And shall not weak, and diseased, and erring, and condemned man, throw himself entirely upon the mercy and lovingkindness of his God? Shall he not, without reserve, commit his way unto the Lord, as to the guide who alone can conduct him in safety through the perilous journey of life? We are set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our mortal nature, we cannot stand upright; in the numberless perplexities which surround us, of ourselves we are not able to help ourselves; without the divine

grace and benediction, among depraved mortals nothing is strong, nothing is holy. Let us, then, look up to God, the merciful protector of all those who put their trust in him; he will be our ruler and guide, and will so conduct us through things temporal, that we shall I finally lose not the things which are eternal.

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Happy are the people who are in such a case; yea, blessed are the people, who in this manner, have the Lord for their God! They who thus put their trust in him, who voluntarily surrender themselves to his service; they who are desirous to preserve his peculiar favour by a patient continuance in well-doing; they who devoutly acknowledge his superintending care in every step of their progress, and are grateful even for the least of all his mercies; they who walk circumspectly from a thorough conviction that they cannot escape from his presence; they who even in their worldly business are not slothful, but are fervent in spirit from a consciousness that they are serving the Lord: those persons who thus abide under the shadow of the Almighty, who thus trust in the Lord Jehovah for ever, have indeed an everlasting strength; their triumphant language is, "The Lord is my strength "and my shield, my heart trusteth in him, and I am helped my heart danceth for joy, and in my song " will I praise him!" Let us be careful to cherish in our bosoms this great principle of virtue, this copious source of the sweetest consolation. Commit thy way unto the Lord; put thy trust in him, and thou wilt be preserved from all evil. Under the influence of this disposition, thou wilt be kept back from the commission of sin. When inordinate appetite presses hard upon the rein which controls it; when the world spreads

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its dangerous allurements, and Satan his insidious snares, the steady determination will be, "God is the "strength of my heart, and my best portion for ever: "how then can I do this wickedness, and sin against "him ?"

In all the vicissitudes of this mortal life, trust in God is the never-failing source of calmness and contentment: it makes every burden light, every service a perfect freedom; if it do not entirely pluck out the thorns of adversity, it will most assuredly mitigate the anguish of the wound. Let this heavenly affiance enter the most gloomy cell of wretchedness, and instantly glory will shine around it: the languid head of sickness will be raised, poverty will cease to murmur, sighs of sorrow will be changed into notes of praise; the song of faith will be, "The Lord loveth those whom he "chasteneth; he will make all things work together "for good: he will cause the short affliction of a "moment to be conducive to the attainment of a far "more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

Happy is the lot of the humble and faithful Christian! How full of comfort and confidence must that heart be, which can disburden all its cares, and fears, and distresses upon God, that affectionate Parent, who will unquestionably, in due time, and in the most expedient manner, supply all the wants of his people, protect them from harm, deliver them from trouble, and send a blessing upon all their good endeavours! If, in the perplexities of the world, we deem ourselves happy in the advice and consolation of an earthly friend, what can be more cheering to the soul, than the steadfast persuasion that our concerns are all intrusted to the management of that Friend, with whom is no variable

ness nor shadow of turning; that Friend, so faithful, so affectionate, so able, and, at the same time, so entirely disposed to do us good!

Among other advantages resulting to the good man from a due compliance with the precept of the text, it is not one of the least, that he is thereby enabled to repel the shafts of calumny and unjust reproach: thus the Psalmist proceeds to assure us; "Put thy trust in God, and he shall bring it to pass: he shall make "thy righteousness as clean as the light, and thy just dealing as the noon-day." The foul breath of obloquy may, for a little while, sully the lustre of the purest character; but, ere long, it will shine forth with unclouded splendour. Let injured virtue, therefore, listen to the sage advice of the sacred penman; "Hold thee "still in the Lord, and abide patiently upon him; "grieve not at him whose way doth prosper, against "the man that doeth after evil counsels. Leave off "from wrath, and let go displeasure; fret not thyself, " else shalt thou be moved to do evil." A just discrimination will soon be made; "for wicked doers "shall be rooted out; but they who patiently abide the "Lord, shall inherit the land of uncorrupted truth and perfect felicity."

To conclude; let us be persuaded "to commit our

way unto the Lord, and to put our trust in him;" because, when every other support fails, this will be steadfast and unmoveable. The solemn moment is fast approaching, when thy earthly friends will not be able to minister any effectual consolation: then, the world will be found a broken staff to those who lean upon it: thy beauty will fade; thy strength will decay; thy riches will disappear. In this destitute condition,