you not contented?-One murmurs at the une. qual diftributions of providence; another complains of the injuftice of his fellow men; this man is diffatisfied with one thing, and that man with another, and almoft every man with fomething. But all this murmuring proceeds from unreasonable paffions, from pride, avarice, ambition and luft. Pride demands more homage, than men are willing to beftow. Avarice feeks more property than the world has to give. Ambition afpires to more power than can be lodged in mortal hands. Luxury afflicts itself by feeking more pleafure than an animal can enjoy. It is the dif appointment of these restless paffions, which is the ground of all our complaints. The beaft is free from thefe paffions, and contented when his real wants are supplied: man, who is endued with reafon, fhould fubdue these paffions; then he will be contented in his place. This is the inftruction of religion, "Let your converfation be without covetoufnefs, and be content with fuch things as ye have; for ye brought nothing into the world, and ye can carry nothing out of it."

III. The fowls of the air reprove our inattention to the warnings of providence.

"The ftork in the heavens," fays the prophet, "knoweth her appointed time, and the turtle, the crane, and the fwallow obferve the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord: How do ye fay, We are wife, and the law of the Lord is with us? Surely in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain."

The fowls exactly mark and punctually obey the admonitions of the feafons. No aftronomer is more accurate, than they, in observing; no feaman is more careful, than they, in following

the afpects of the heavens. They defcry the prognofticks of approaching ftorms, and feek fecure retreats. As winter advances, they fly to warmer regions; and again they return with the returning fpring. But how inattentive are men to the figns, which warn them of threatening dangers, and which call them to immediate repentance, as the means of fafety?

God inftructs us by his word, and admonishes us by his providence. The language of his providence is explained by his word. When iniquities abound, we are taught, that judgments are preparing. When judgments are abroad, we are exhorted to learn righteousness. The calamities, which fall on others, we are commanded to regard as warnings to ourselves. But how inattentive are men in general to these admonitions? A fudden death will perhaps have a temporary effect on fome but how few are awakened to prepare for a death as fudden? The prevalence of mortal fickness creates an alarm within the circle of its ravages, and excites a folicitude to prevent, or efcape its attacks: but rarely does it produce a general and durable reformation? We hear of fuch a calamity at a distance; we make it a subject of enquiry and converfation; we fpeculate on the natural causes, the probable preventives, and moft approved remedies; and thus let it pafs away as an uninteresting piece of intelligence. While others are deftroyed from morning to evening, they perish without any regarding it. A mortality near to us affects us more fenfibly, than a mortality at a distance; but whether diftant or near, its moral instructions and admonitions are the fame. In both cafes, it alike teaches us the uncertainty of our health and life-of our children and friends; and the importance of an imme

diate preparation for the events, which await us in this changing, dying world. And yet how few apply it to this wife and ferious purpofe? Do not the fowls, who obferve the temperature of the air, and the afpect of the fkies, difcover a wifdom, which condemns our folly? They regard the feafons appointed them for changing their climes : we neglect the seafon affigned to us to prepare for a greater change; a change of worlds. When we fee their attention to the tokens given them in the course of nature, let us pay equal attention to the admonitions given us in the courfe of providence.

IV. The scripture fends us to the fowls to learn beavenly affection and zeal. "They who wait on the Lord fhall renew their ftrength; they fhall mount up with wings, as eagles; they fhall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

The eagle is described, in the book of Job, as a fowl of vigorous wing, elevated flight and penetrating eye. "She mounts aloft, makes her neft on high, and her eyes behold afar off." She loves the fublimer regions of the air, foars above the clouds, and lives in the beams of the fun. If the defcends to the earth, it is to collect her food; foon fhe returns to dwell in her favourite skies. She is an emblem of Chriftian faith and hope, heavenly mindedness and zeal. She delights in a lofty afcent. Shall Chriftians cleave to the duft? We are, indeed, like the eagle, to feek on earth food for the support of our bodies: but our fouls muft rife on the wings of hope and faith to dwell in a higher region and a purer sky.

The gofpel opens to our view a glorious world, where God manifefts his wonderful perfections, where the redeemer difplays his lovely character, and where faints rejoice in adoration and praife.

That is a distant world; but our eyes, like the eagle's, fhould fee afar off. We fhould look be yond this cloudy atmosphere, into the regions of eternal day-regions which need not our fun, being always enlightened with the glory of God. "If ye be rifen with Chrift," fays the apostle, "feek the things, which are above, where Chrift fitteth on the right hand of God; fet your affec tion on things above, and not on things on the earth; for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Chrift in God; and when he fhall appear, then fhall ye alfo appear with him in glory.

If the eagle, forgetting her wings, fhould reft on the ground, and feed on the dunghill, fhe would be a proper emblem of fuch inconfiftent Chriftians, as place all their affections, and employ all their cares on this world, while they profefs to live by the faith and hope of a better.

V. The fowls rebuke our unreafonable carefulness and anxiety about the things of the prefent life.

"Take no thought for your life," fays our Lord, "what ye fhall eat, or what ye fhall drink, nor for your body, what ye fhall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air; for they fow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are not ye much better than they?"

God's providence over his creatures is exercised in a manner adapted to their different natures. Some infects and animals are endued with an inftinct, which directs them, in fummer, to provide ftores for their fupply in winter. But the fowls, which are formed for paffage, have no occafion for winter ftores; for when fupplies fail in one place, they can with speed and facility pafs to another. They have neither ftore-houfes, nor barns, but

commit themselves to providence in the way, in which nature guides them. In this way God fupplies their wants. "He gives to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. These all wait on him, and receive their meat in feason." Men are endued with intellect, forethought and a capacity for labour; and for them God provides by smiling on their prudence and induftry. "They are to work with their hands the thing which is good, that they may have lack of nothing, and may have fomething to give to fuch as need." "He who gathereth in fummer is a wife fon; but he who fleepeth in harvest is a fon who causeth shame." While we purfue the duties of our calling with diligence, and use the fruits of our labour with temperance, we are to truft the care of pro-. vidence without anxiety. This is our Lord's meaning, when he fays, "Take no thought for the morrow." That thoughtfulness for the things of the world, which is attended with immoderate defire, perplexing fear, diftruft of God and neglect of duty, is condemned by religion, by reafon, and even by nature itself. "Take no fuch thought for these things; for these are the things, after which the gentiles feek; but feek ye firft the kingdom of God, and these things fhall be added to you, as far as you need; and your heavenly father feeth, how far you need them." What good will your anxiety do you? Can you by this add a cubit to your stature, or a moment to your life? God has hitherto preferved your life: can you not truft him to preferve it ftill, and to afford you its conveniences? Look up to the heavens; and see how he sustains the fowls. They live on his bounty without anxiety. What he gives, they enjoy with cheerfulness. What he scatters they gather and are filled with good. Can you not VOL. V.