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filling His purpose, though it was not intentional? "Behold his Servant whom he upholds, his Elect in "whom his foul delighteth." This was exprefsly his motive: "Lo! I come to do thy will, O God; thy law is within my heart." He trod " the wine"prefs alone, and of the people there was none with "him." Behold Him poor, not having where to lay his head; despised and rejected of men; exceeding forrowful. What a life of suffering! What a death of anguish! What does God think of all this?" He "was obedient unto death, even the death of the "crofs; WHEREFORE God also hath highly exalted "him, and given him a name which is above every cc name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should "bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, " and things under the earth; and that every tongue "fhould confefs that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the glo"He fhall fee his feed,

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of God the Father."

"he fhall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the He fhall fee of "Lord fhall profper in his hands. "the travail of his foul, and fhall be fatisfied. "THEREFORE will I divide him a portion with the

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great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; "BECAUSE he hath poured out his foul unto death: "and he was numbered with the tranfgreffors; and " he bare the fins of many, and made interceffion for "the tranfgreffors. Afk of me, and I fhall give thee "the heathen for thine inheritance, and the utter"moft parts of the earth for thy poffeffion. His "name fhall endure for ever; his name shall be con"tinued as long as the fun and men shall be bleffed " in him; all nations fhall call him bleffed. Bleffed

"be the Lord God of Ifrael, who only doeth won"derful things. And bleffed be his glorious name "for ever; and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen."

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SERMON XXII.

THE DISAPPOINTMENTS OF LIFE.

JOB XXIX. 18.

Then I faid, I fhall die in my neft.

IF F we examine the world in which we live, we fhall every where discover variety, changeableness, and fucceffion. Here plains rife into mountains, and there hills fink into vallies. We fee well-watered meadows, and dry and barren fands. We rejoice in the light, but we are foon enveloped in darkness. We hail the loveliness of spring, and welcome the approach of fummer; but the agreeable months foon roll away, and the north pours down the defolations of winter. Equally chequered and variable is human life. Our bodies, our relations, our conditions and circumstances are perpetually changing. But this diversity conftitutes the beauty and the glory of Providence. It displays the divine perfections, by rendering their interpofition neceffary and obvious. It furnishes means, by which the difpofitions of men are tried, and their characters formed. It lays hold of their hope and fear, joy and forrow; and exercises

every principle of their nature in their education for eternity.

Hence Divine Providence is always deferving of our attention. Providence-is God in motion. Providence-is God teaching by facts. Providence-is God fulfilling, explaining, enforcing his own word. Providence is God rendering natural events fubfervient to fpiritual purposes; roufing our attention when we are carelefs; reminding us of our obligations when we are ungrateful; recalling our confidence when we depart from him by dependence upon creatures. "Whofo is wife, and will observe these things, even they fhall underftand the loving-kind"nefs of the Lord."

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The words which I have read give us an opportunity to purfue and improve thefe reflections. When Job uttered them "he had feven fons and three daughters. His fubftance alfo was feven thousand sheep, "and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke "of oxen, and five hundred fhe-affes, and a very great "household; fo that this man was the greatest of all "the men of the east." Hear his own language : "I washed my steps with butter, and the rock pour❝ed me out rivers of oil. When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street, the young men faw me and hid themfelves and the aged arofe and ftood up. The

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princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on "their mouth. The nobles held their peace, and "their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth." He had fomething better than all this. "When the #ear heard me, then it bleffed me; and when the

66 eye faw me, it gave witness to me; because I deliv"ered the poor that cried; and the fatherless, and "him that had none to help him. The bleffing of "him that was ready to perifh came upon me: and "I caused the widow's heart to fing for joy. I put on "righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was "as a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, "and feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the 'poor and the cause which I knew not I fearched "out. And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and

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plucked the spoil out of his teeth. Then I faid, I "fhall die in my neft. THEN, when I had fuch "wealth, power, authority, honour; THEN, when "all was green and flowery, when my sky was clear "and no cloud appeared; THEN, concluding on the 66 permanency of my condition, imagining I was in no "danger of viciffitude, and fuppofing I fhould live happy and end my days in peace; THEN I said, I "fhall die in my neft."

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What does this paffage of fcripture imply and exprefs? What views and feelings of mind does it characterize ?

I. In these words we fee fomething GOOD; even in his greatest profperity, Job thought of DYING; whatever changes he hoped to escape in life, he expected an hour of diffolution, and knew if his poffeffions were continued he fhould be called to leave them.

Death is always an irkfome confideration to the man of the world who has his portion in this life, and poffeffes no hope of a better. He therefore strives to banish it from his thoughts. He puts far off the evil

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