26. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27. Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature?

28. And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin.

29. And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Here the timid, distrustful heart is strengthened by a further encouragement. Our apprehensions, our anxieties are a reproach upon God's providence. The man who rests upon his own exertions may be disappointed at last; for which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit to his stature? But whoever has chosen the world to come for his inheritance, has secured God for his protection: and will not He who has provided that the fowls of the air should not be without their natural food, or the lilies of the field perish for lack of moisture; will not He far more surely make his adopted children, those who trust in him, his care, and see that they neither want their "bread to eat, nor raiment to put on?" While many "rise up early, and late take rest, and eat the bread of carefulness," God "giveth his beloved sleep;" gives them a calm tranquillity respecting worldly things, an experimental conviction that He will order matters better for them, than they could order for themselves.

31. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32. For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

34. Take, therefore, no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

To the command, which came before, is here added, in conclusion, an affectionate exhortation to direct all our anxieties towards the heavenly kingdom, and to "cast upon God all our care" respecting this world, "knowing that he careth for us." Leave it to the Gentiles, who are not made children of God, through adoption in Christ; leave it for them to immerse themselves in worldly cares : you have a heavenly Father, who knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Do you doubt his knowing it? and do you believe that, knowing your need, he will suffer you to perish in your need? Why should the child perplex itself about its food or its clothing? why be uneasy, beforehand, concerning that which is its parent's business, and which its parent will certainly provide? Even so God is the Christian's parent, and to distrust his care, is to deny his faithfulness. "I have been young," are the words of David, "and now am old:" "yet never saw I the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread." If we seek first the kingdom of God, and are aiming above all things to approve ourselves righteous in his sight,

he will secure to us righteousness and its reward: this is the chief concern :-but more also shall be added unto you. As he promised Solomon: "Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life: but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself: wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee: And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour." (2 Chron. 7-12; 1 Kings iii. 13.)

"Oh what a blessed change would it make in our hearts and lives, did we but firmly believe this truth, that the best way to be comfortably provided for in this world, is to be most intent upon another world! We then begin at the right end of our work, when we begin with God. Let us mind present duty, and then leave events to him. Do the work of to-day in its day, and then let tomorrow bring its work along with it. If this is our resolution, the Lord will provide as much of the comforts of this life as he sees good for us, and more of them we need not wish for. Have we trusted him for the portion of our inheritance at the end,' and shall we not trust him for the portion of our cup,' in the way to it? O that we were more thoughtful about the things that are not seen and are eternal,' and then the less thoughtful we should be, and the less thoughtful we should need to be, about the things that are

seen, that are temporal." "3

Luke vi.

37-42

LECTURE XVI.

AGAINST UNCHARITABLE JUDGMENTS.

PROMISE OF DIVINE GRACE.

MATT. vii. 1-12.

1. Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged ; and with what measure ye mele, it shall be measured to you again.

3. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4. Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye, and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

1

A censorious habit of harsh judgment is here forbidden. Censoriousness puts the worst construction upon doubtful actions. "Charity hopeth all things." Censoriousness often ascribes even good actions to wrong or interested motives. "Charity, on the contrary, believeth all things." Charity will rather be deceived, through an unwillingness to suspect, than injure a fellow-creature even in thought.

1 This was a proverb among the Jews: "Those who say to others, Take out the small piece of wood from between thy tooth: are answered, Take out of thine eyes the beam.

Observe, too, how one spirit pervades the whole of our Lord's discourses. We are instructed to look within. The same feeling which obliges us to forgive, also obliges us to charitable judgment;a sense of our own deficiencies. Who has not a

beam to cast out of his own eye? "He shall have judgment without mercy, who has showed no mercy."

At the same time, it is often our duty to judge. We must discriminate between good and evil. We are told to "prove all things, to hold fast that which is good:" to "believe not every spirit, but to try the spirits whether they are of God." This is quite consistent with the truest charity.

6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Though it is a Christian duty to teach and to reprove, prudence must be consulted in both. There are those, with whom to talk of holy things is to profane them: and who will, perhaps, turn against religion itself the very arguments which are furnished by religion. Like Pharaoh, when he answered the demand of Moses, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go?" (Exod. v. 2.) On this account, Solomon has said, "He that reproveth a scorner, getteth himself shame." (Prov. ix. 7.) This is a matter, however, in which zeal must be united with discretion, as well as discretion with zeal. Many "a man hath had joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it?" (Prov. xv. 23.)

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