sting "in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness: favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain," Prov. xiv. 13; xxxi. 30; and those who trust to them shall be deceived. Favour will fail and beauty will wither, and how will they deceive men's expectation! Honour is the emptiest of all bubbles, courted by many, attained by few; and there is but a little distance between the highest round of the ladder and the lowest step: let Haman and Ahithophel prove the point. Beauty many times is like a blazing star; ominous to the beholders, and hurtful to those that enjoy it. Meat and drink are necessary, yet to many their table becomes their snare; and by a plentiful table they come to be guilty of gluttony and drunkenness: "wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise," Prov. xx. 1. Learning and great parts are lovely endowments, but many times they prove dangerous and deadly: the greatest scholars often prove the greatest enemies to Christ, and the greatest adversaries to the power of godliness. In a word, those that have most of the world have frequently the least of heaven: "Son," said Abraham, "remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented," Luke xvi. 25. I know there are some who follow Christ's counsel as to the proper use of wealth, and make to themselves "friends of the mammon of unrighteousness," Luke xvi. 9; but most, on the contrary, do but increase their account by it, and at the reckoning day will prove bankrupts, and owe ten thousand talents which

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they will never be able to pay. Earthly enjoyments usually rock men in the cradle of security. Even the things that are in themselves lawful blessings, yet when abused, prove our ruin; when immoderately used, they prove a sin and a snare.

O my soul, thou walkest in the midst of dangers; snares are laid for thee in every creature, in every corner: trust not therefore to any; the most innocent will betray thee, if not heedfully observed and wisely enjoyed; the most harmless, nay, the most necessary enjoyments are not free from snares; a serpent may lie under thy feet; many temptations are in poverty, more in plenty: pray therefore, with Agur, "Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me," Prov. xxx. 8.

O my God, are there so many dangers that attend me, both in reference to my body and my soul! Oh what need have I of Divine protection! Lord, be thou my defender, keep me under the shadow of thy wings. O let not Satan, the world, or my own deceitful heart, ever betray me; but let me be kept by the mighty power of God unto salvation, 1 Pet. i. 5.

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder, Prov. xxiii. 31, 32.

And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares, Luke xxi. 34.

XXXI.-UPON THE BEE.

I OBSERVED the busy and laborious bee; how diligent he was in his employment, and how industriously he toiled from morning to night, in gathering both honey and wax, which, when he had collected, he was as industrious in the disposal of it. I also observed how nice and careful he was in furnishing his little cell with the provision he had got by his hard labour; how skilful in building his combs, placing his honey, disposing and feeding his young ones: so perfect is he in all his workmanship, that nothing redundant can be seen, nothing deficient; and in all his little fabric so exact a symmetry appears, as is admirable to behold. The very first day he is placed in his new habitation, he cleanses and adorns it, and makes it fit to begin his work; and from that day all the bees join cheerfully in the work, and jointly and severally study to promote the common good. I observed also in their work, how they gathered honey both from flowers and weeds, and, as I thought, made little difference, but extracted the quintessence of them for their own use, and that without any damage, so far as I could perceive, to the herb or flower.

These, and some such like considerations and bservations, made me to think these poor insects esemble a diligent Christian, who improves every

thing for his Master's glory, and the enriching of his own soul, and gathers good from all events. And here the slothful Christian may be sent to school to the bee, as Solomon sends him to the ant to learn diligence, Prov. vi. 6. There is great reason why men should be more diligent than these poor insects: the diligence of the one is for the soul, of the others for the body. If the one want, death ends its misery; if the other want, death begins its torment. These poor creatures have nothing to excite them but a natural instinct; but man has the use of reason, the directions of the Scripture, and the assistance of the Spirit, the ministry, conscience, etc. to animate him. These have indeed flowers and herbs, trees and weeds, etc. to gather honey from; but man has a larger field to wander over, even the whole creation : there is not a stone, or dead tree, or withering branch, or falling leaf, or decaying flower, but will yield him wisdom, if he have the heavenly art of extracting it. They are feeble creatures; man is endowed with more strength. We have a better prize before us, and have a better help. We can work by day or by night, in winter and summer, in frost and snow, when they are hindered and yet, to our shame be it spoken, they are more diligent, and we more negligent.

O my soul, how may these little insects rise up in judgment against thee, and condemn thee. Thou hast hitherto done little; winter is drawing on apace: what provision hast thou made? The night approaches, when no man can work: what honey hast thou gathered? Thou hast had as favourable a summer as most in the world have had,

and a long harvest, and yet art thou unfurnished : what will be the issue of it? will the season of grace always last? The Bridegroom is coming, where is thy oil? the marriage feast is near, where is thy wedding garment?

O my God, pardon my former neglects and mispending of precious time. Lord, keep me close to my work, during my little time that yet remains, and succeed me in it, that I may gather honey against the coming winter, and may not be unprovided at death.

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.-But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof, Rom. xiii. 11, 12, 14.

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil, Eph. v. 15, 16.

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.Therefore let us not sleep, as do others: but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the lay, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation, 1 Thess. v. 2, 6-8.