pery paths of youth to the summit of manhood; when wounded, pained, and sick, hath often healed thee, and restored thy health, supplied thy returning wants, and relieved thee out of many straits, and constantly preserveth thy being: But, above all, forget not, that when in Adam thou hadst fallen by thine iniquity, and destroyed thyself, rebelled against God, consequently lost his image, and thy holy and happy estate, and wast become a slave to the devil, vile and miserable, obnoxious to the wrath of God, and his eternal displeasure: that then, even then, astonishing to think! the Three-one God manifested the plan devised from all everlasting for thy recovery, even the ever-wonderful plan of salvation by Christ Jesus.

Forget not, to the remotest ages of eternity, that the Most High God, against whom thou hadst rebelled, and whom thou didst dishonour, not by thy original transgression only, but also by thy highly aggravated actual iniquities, sent his own Son, who was, and is God, equal with himself, into the world, to take thy nature upon him, to work out a righteousness, and to bear all that infinite wrath, or equivalent to it, which thy

sins justly incurred, in thy room and stead ; that thou mightest be set free from the curse of the broken law, and mightest again enjoy the favour of God, and be eternally happy.

Forget not that he willingly came on this errand, and hath fully paid thy ransom: believe this, and rest wholly on him for salvation, and thou shalt not to eternity forget this ever amazing and astonishing benefit which he hath conferred upon thee.

There grow a few beautiful limes, the blossoms of which perfume the air, and invite the bees to an ample store of sweets, from which now they go richly loaden to their cells.

The shade of them is also truly delightful. Like these trees should all those who profess the Christian name be; still perfuming the Church, and that part of the world where they live, with the sweet savour of a meek, holy life and conversation, that thereby they may attract others to partake of their sweets; and that none may go away who come into their society, without

receiving some benefit, unless the fault be their own.

Their shade, too, of protection and comfort ought to be extended toward all their poor brethren. In all this may I, as an individual, according to my sphere, acquit myself through life.

Round this corner of the wood stands a formidable hedge of rugged thorns, like so many soldiers, all with pointed bayonets, armed cap-a-pee, to resist the invader; not on the offensive, but all on the defensive they act. For this should kingdoms arm themselves, and nations wage war; and in this manner, as individuals, should every one's passion of resentment be employed: thus war alone is justifiable, and only then, too, when in defence of just rights and privileges; and until such times as nations and individuals arm for this only, we need not expect to see our swords beat into ploughshares, nor our spears into pruning hooks, Isa. ii. 4.

When a hedge is broken down, the richest pasture, and most pleasant nurseries, are

in great danger of being destroyed; so when an army, which is as a fence around a commonwealth or kingdom, is much enfeebled and broken, the constitution, wealth, and inhabitants thereof, are greatly in danger of being destroyed by foreign and domestic enemies.

In like manner, when the hedge of discipline around the vineyard of the church is not taken care of, but suffered to be broken down, is not the beautiful planting therein, even that delightful vine, Psal. lxxx. 8. exposed to the ravages of the boar out of the wood, and the wild beast of the field, ver. 13. even to error and corruption, which are more destructive than those would be to a pleasant planting or vine?

Might not our ancient reformers, if they were now alive, adopt the language of the man of wisdom, with a little variation, and say, We went by the field and vineyard of the church, which, owing to the slothfulness of its watchmen and keepers, was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down, Prov. xxiv. 30,

81., quite different it appeared from the beautiful order in which it was left by us?

Here, amidst a group of thorns, I see a delicate lily springing up. Charming flower! thou art destined to grow in a disagreeable situation; scarcely wilt thou have room to open thy delightful foilage for thy rugged neighbours, which, regardless of thy beauty or odours, will pierce thy blossoms; and scarce will the wind blow, but thou shalt find their hard oppression and sharp sting: yet though thus pierced and oppressed, thou wilt grow, spread forth, and flourish to perfection.

This putteth me in mind of that beautiful passage in the Song of Solomon, where the spouse is compared to a lily among thorns, Cant. ii. 2. Thus the church hath been in all ages surrounded by an unneighbourly and unfriendly world, which, regardless of either her beauty or salutary benefits, hath oppressed and pained her sore, and striven to retard, by the fierce winds of persecution, her growth and success in the world: yet, wonderful! to the praise of free grace, even of her head and husband Christ Jesus, in the