were. Moreover, the practice is encouraged by express promise, as, "I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me."

Beside this general view of Scripture history, there is a particular and not unedifying view of some remarkable mornings, of which I will just give you a sketch to direct your meditations. That was a morning long to be remembered, in which the angel hastened Lot, and led him and his family out of Sodom. The sun rose before he entered Zoar, and when "Abraham gat up early, and looked towards Sodom, he beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace." It was an happy morning in the life of Isaac, when peace and plenty were secured to him and his family by a contract, confirmed by oath, between himself and a neighbouring king, to perform which "they rose betimes in the morning.' It was a morning sacred to memory with Jacob and his posterity, when after his dream of a frame with steps, opening a passage from earth to the temple of the King of kings, graced with heavenly officers going up and coming down, to teach him the doctrine of Providence, he "rose up early, set up a pillar," and dedicated both the place and himself to God. Nor could time ever raze out of his memory that other morning, when "a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. Let me go," said one,

for the day breaketh; I will not let thee go,” replied the other, "except thou bless me." What memorable mornings were those, in which Moses "rose up early," stood before Pharaoh, and in the name of Almighty God demanded liberty for his nation! What a night was that, in which the Israelites passed through the sea, and what a morning succeeded, when Moses stretched out his hand, and the tide rolled back with the dawning of the day, and floated the carcasses of the Egyptians to the feet of the people of God on the shore! Early every morning for forty years the cloud was taken up, and the manna fell. What a busy morning was that, in which Gideon suppressed idolatry at the hazard of his life! What an honourable morning was that to Daniel, when a great king visited him in the lion's den! And,

to mention no more, that was "a morning" sacred to memory throughout all generations, in which Jesus "the king of Israel was cut off." A belief of these true histories furnishes matter for early meditation, prayer, and praise.

There are two future mornings foretold in the Holy Scripture, both figurative, but each descriptive of a real event. Ignorance is called darkness, and it was foretold that after the death of the Apostles the Christian world would be beclouded and benighted with error: but it was foretold by the same men, that truth should contend against error, and at last obtain the victory. This notion, which is generally received among Protestants, is the ground of many popular phrases, as the "darkness" of popery... the "light" of Revelation... the "dawn" of the Reformation appeared in the time of Wickliffe... learning threw "light" on the Scriptures ... the reformation was a "morning with clouds" light hath gradually increased ever since. . . future times will be "broad noon-day." We have not time now to justify these popular notions by Scripture prophecies; let it suffice in general to say, they are very reasonable, strictly scriptural, full of motives to virtue, and abounding with consolation to all good men. "cities be filthy and polluted," let princes be roaring lions, judges evening wolves, prophets light and treacherous persons, priests violators of law :" no matter, we do not despair; "the just Lord is in the midst thereof, he will not do iniquity, every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not," though "the unjust know no shame."

Let

The other morning is that of the resurrection of the dead, the beginning of the day of judgment. Then "the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of man, and all that are in the graves shall come forth: they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation." This event will bring us to understand thoroughly the perfections of God, the wisdom and goodness of Providence, the true character of Christ, the dignity of man, the horror of sin, the excellence of virtue, the joy of

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heaven, and the misery of unquenchable fire. On these accounts the judging of the world is called a day, a day of wrath, and a day of revelation." Is it possible to believe these events, and not feel emotions of piety? Have we no fear of the Judge, no prayer to address to him? What time so natural, as that, in which we rise from bed as from a grave, from sleep, that image of death!"In the morning, O Lord, will I direct my prayer unto thee."

I hasten to a close by remarking another source of devotion, which I called foresight. An ill-chosen term, say you, for we know not what a day shall bring forth. True. Let your ignorance of the events of the day, then, engage you every morning to commit yourself, and all your affairs by acts of humble adoration to God. Profess your confidence in his good Providence. Confess and bemoan your imperfection and sin. Pray him to give you grace to help in time of need. Fill your heart brim full of just sentiments, and so prepare for whatever may come to pass in the day.

Amidst all our ignorance of the next hour, there are some things which we foresee conditionally, and others absolutely. It is absolutely certain, that some day we must die. Perhaps this may be the day. Let us then this morning behave as if this were the day. It is absolutely certain that some day we must be judged. Perhaps this may be the day. Let us examine this morn ing, then, whether our accounts be ready to put into the hand of the Lord, whose stewards only we are? On condition we live through the day, we shall live, as we have done, supported by God for ends of his glory. Shall we not say in the morning, "Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?" If we live, we shall live as we have lived, preserved alive by eating, drinking, clothing, and so on. Shall we not, then, say to the Preserver of men, "Give us this day our daily bread?" If we live we shall offend God, and others will offend us. Let us pray in the morning, then, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us." If we live, we

shall live depraved creatures in a depraved world, full of temptations to induce us to do wrong. Let us foresee this, and say to our Heavenly Father, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Let us rejoice, that there is such a being as God; and let us say to him, "Thine is the kingdom" of nature, providence, grace, and glory: "thine is the power" of upholding and regulating each: and to thee be "the glory" and the honour of the whole "forever and ever, Amen."

In this manner let us begin each day, ever remembering that the morning gives the day its turn either to devotion or sin. Now let us depart, in peace with God, with our own consciences, and with all mankind. Let us go in the name of the Lord, one to his farm, another to his merchandise, and all to some labour useful to society. "Grace be with you all." Amen.

EXERCISE II.

CAUTION.

[AT GREAT EVERSDEN.]

JOB XXIV, 5.

Behold, as wild asses in the desert go they forth to their work, rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their children.

Ir is not enough that we rise early, and pray in a morning we rise to live one more day, and we ought to get up with all our senses about us, that we may contrive how to live like men and Christians in a world not every where favourable to liberty, property, and morality.

The book of Job was written to free us from the folly of imagining that the present life is a state of rewards and punishments, and to inform us that it is a state of trial and exercise, to prepare us for a future life. The

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precise intention of Job, in this chapter, is to convince us that the wicked often prosper, and the righteous suffer here but that there is nothing in all this inconsistent with the perfections of God: on the contrary he bringeth good out of evil, and works virtue in the righteous by the vices of the wicked. Do the wicked" remove the landmark?" The act will provoke the equity of a good man to replace it. Do they rob the widow of her ox, and the fatherless of his ass? The oppression of these poor sufferers will excite feelings of sympathy, and flowings of generosity. "Why" says Job, "seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?"

Agreeably to this general sense of the chapter, I am going to remark to you the vices and dangers that surround you, and to exhort you to exercise that caution, which such a situation requires. May the God of the morning bless our meditation to virtuous and holy purposes!

To begin with the chapter. Let us take care of our understandings. We live surrounded with ignorant people, but saith Job, "Why do they not see the days of the Almighty?" Why do they not perceive there is a God, who governs the world, who is a guardian of virtue, and a punisher of sin? It is because they make no religious use of their senses, and therefore as they make no observations they have no understandings. There was an ignorant nurse in a certain family, to whom the care of an infant was committed: she, under some idle pretence of convenience to herself, made a practice every morning, when she dressed the child, of pinning down its little arms to its sides with a ribband. The consequence was, when the child could feel its feet, it had very little use of its arms, Had not this been discovered, and discontinued, two enfeebled arms would have fallen to the lot of the unhappy victim. Any limb, any sense may be lost for want of use. It is exactly thus with the mind, and an understanding not used is so near to none, that there is very little difference in knowledge between some huge-sized men, and infants and idiots.