fore he had confidence that the arm of the Lord would fuftain him under them, and conduct him through them. His hopes were not vain. The arm of the Lord was with him, and delivered him, and upheld him. He faw the fruit of his labours, the restoration of the city of Jerufalem, the establishment of his countrymen in tranquillity, in fecurity, on the ancient mountains of Ifrael. Are you labouring in your country's cause, and entangled in difficulties? Continue in the path of duty; act in the fear of God; and be not difmayed. Your God fhall fight for you. His hand fhall be upon you for good. Jefus Chrift, the fame yesterday, and to day, and for ever (b); the fame in truth, in mercy, and in power, fhall be your fupport. The patriotifm which He infpires He will profper will profper, you may humbly hope, to your country, will affuredly profper to yourself. Ten righteous inhabitants had once preferved a city mature for destruction. Be a chriftian patriot; and you may hereafter know that you were one of a religious band, for whofe fake your country was fpared. Be a christian patriot; and though the world should be more and more fhattered by convulfions; though it should be (b) Hebr. xiii, 8.

2

the

the will of God that your beloved country fhould fall; though you should not be taken away beforehand from the evil to come (c); you Shall enter into peace; you fhall be found of the Lord in peace at the Great Day.

(c) Ifaiah, lvii. 1, 2.

SER

SERMON XVI.

On QUIET DILIGENCE in our PROPER
CONCERNS.

I THESS. iv. II.

Study to be quiet, and to do your own

own business.

To finful creatures idleness is a continual fnare. The man who is unemployed is prepared for wickedness. Temptations find him at leisure to listen to their voice, ready to gaze upon their fpeciousness, prompt to ftart forward at their fignal. Not being occupied in working for his heavenly Master, he is easily drawn into the fervice of the Devil. It is therefore among the instances of the provident mercy of God, that He has appointed to every one of us an active station in His household: that to every one of us He fays day by day; Son, go, work today in My vineyard (a): that after having entrufted each of us with talents capable of

being administered to His glory, He has added this charge, Occupy, till I come (b).

Study to be quiet, and to do your own business. By this injunction the Apostle calls our attention to the command of God, that we should be not flothful in business, that we should be diligent in the discharge of the occupations resting upon us; and at the fame time brings before us a circumstance which, on many occafions, betrays men into neglect of their proper bufinefs, and on many becomes the more prevalent in confequence of that neglect; namely, the very culpable practice of busying ourfelves in the concerns of others. These two connected branches of duty, diligence in our proper concerns, and forbearance from intermeddling in affairs which do not belong to us, will neceffarily be confidered together while we examine the inftruction conveyed in the text.

I. In the first place, what does the direction, here delivered to us from the Holy Ghost by the mouth of St. Paul, require ? One thing which it requires is, that we be quiet. In the language of Scripture, quietnefs describes one of the most attractive ornaments (c) of the Chriftian character, a

(6) Luke, xix. 13

(c) Pet. iii. 4.

temper

temper of mind meek, gentle, humble, in the fight of God of great price; a temper the oppofite to a restless spirit of curiosity, to a bustling love of interference, to a propensity to thrust ourselves forward through vanity or pride into the transactions of our acquaintance, to a habit of commenting and fitting in judgement on the proceedings of the neighbourhood. Is it without reafon that we are admonished against these fins? Recollect how abundantly they prevail. An inquifitive defire of prying into secrets, a wish to raise ourselves into confequence by becoming masters of the affairs of others, a prefumptuous eagerness to display our capacity for management, our addrefs, our dif cernment; thefe and other unchriftian inclinations are continually tempting us into tranfgreffion of the Divine command, to be quiet. Of fome perfons it is not too much to affirm, that a very large proportion of their time is occupied in tranfgreffing that command. To the tranfgreffion of it they owe the ordinary fubjects of their converfation, and devote much of their activity. From the tranfgreffion of it they seek entertainment to themselves, and the power of furnishing entertainment in fociety. And