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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 expressly his motive: "Lo! I come to do thy will, O God; "thy law is within my heart." He trod " the wine" press 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 fuffering! What a death of anguish! What does God think of all this? "Не was obedient unto death, even the death of the "cross; WHEREFORE God also hath highly exalted " him, and given him a name which is above every " 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 " should confefs that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glo

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ry of God the Father." "He shall fee his feed, "he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the " Lord shall profper in his hands. He shall fee of "the travail of his foul, and shall be fatisfied. "THEREFORE will I divide him a portion with the " 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 sins of many, and made interceffion for " the tranfgreffors. Afk of me, and I shall give thee "the heathen for thine inheritance, and the utter" most parts of the earth for thy poffeffion. His " name shall endure for ever; his name shall be con" tinued as long as the fun : and men shall be blessed " in him; all nations shall call him blessed. Bleffed

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

SERMON XXII.

THE DISAPPOINTMENTS OF LIFE.

Јов XXIX. 18.

Then I faid, I shall die in my neft.

If we examine the world in which we live, we shall every where discover variety, changeableness, and succession. Here plains rise into mountains, and there hills fink into vallies. We fee well-watered meadows, and dry and barren sands. 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 interposition necessary and obvious. It furnishes means, by which the dispositions 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 spiritual purposes; rousing our attention when we are careless; reminding us of our obligations when we are ungrateful; recalling our confidence when we depart from him by dependence upon creatures. "Whoso is wife, and will observe thefe "things, even they shall understand the loving-kind"nefs of the Lord."

The words which I have read give us an opportunity to pursue and improve these reflections. When Job uttered them " he had feven fons and three daugh"ters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, " and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke " of oxen, and five hundred she-afses, 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 feat in "the street, the young men faw me and hid them"selves: and the aged arose and stood up. The " 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 blessed me; and when the " 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 blessing of " him that was ready to perish 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 searched " out. And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and " plucked the spoil out of his teeth. Then I faid, I " shall die in my nest. 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 " permanency of my condition, imagining I was in no "danger of viciffitude, and supposing I should live "happy and end my days in peace; THEN I faid, I " shall die in my neft."

What does this passage of scripture imply and express? What views and feelings of mind does it characterize ?

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

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

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