you to walk with F there are streams those waters of c you forth. But ra valley will still re and the mere wis the good Shephe sient shortlived from you by the will not bring y guidance, if you voice, and go bidding. Balaam, lost could still say, and let my last not act as he f righteous; an not allowed to lingered amo the avenging Israel, dranl utmost to se The dark by you and friends are or mother, i If any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. We are all of us liable to disease and exposed to accident. And it is a natural wish in the bosom of all that they may live to grow old. Such being the condition in which Providence has placed us, such the instinct which the Father of the spirits of all flesh has given to us, it of course becomes a matter of great consequence and importance to us all to make provision, as far as human foresight can, against the attacks of illness, the occurrence of accidents, and the helplessness of age. Some may be raised above the necessity of making such provision more than others; but there are not many and live, have mercy upon us. Take from us all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of Thy Word, and so keep us, blessed Lord, in Thy flock, that we may be saved among the remnant of the true Israelites, and be numbered evermore in the one fold under the one Shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. SERMON XIV. PREACHED AT THE IFFLEY CLUB FEAST, 1 TIMOTHY v. 8. If any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. WE are all of us liable to disease and exposed to accident. And it is a natural wish in the bosom of all that they may live to grow old. Such being the condition in which Providence has placed us, such the instinct which the Father of the spirits of all flesh has given to us, it of course becomes a matter of great consequence and importance to us all to make provision, as far as human foresight can, against the attacks of illness, the occurrence of accidents, and the helplessness of age. Some may be raised above the necessity of making such provision more than others; but there are not many who are altogether exempt from it in one shape or other. And the great bulk of our population must of course find that, as in other cases, so very remarkably in this, comfort and duty go hand in hand. Common sense and Holy Scripture unite to shew the necessity of doing it. "Save against a rainy day," is a maxim of which all see the wisdom and the weight. And Solomon, the wisest of men, bids us go to the ant and consider her ways and be wise, which provideth her meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvest." The more highly civilized the age and country in which our lot is cast, the more mixed up one with another the different orders and degrees of society have become, the less easy, the less simple is it in many respects to make such provision. Yet we may be thankful that God's all wise and all gracious Providence, under the guidance of which, this very complexity, and, as it may at times seem to us, confusion of interests has grown up, has so ordered things for us, that what we might find it very hard to do each one of us for himself single-handed, can be done easily and surely if we will join together and help one another. With the advance of society and the growth of civilization, there is discovered first one plan and then another, whereby men may act in concert to secure this most lawful and desir a Prov. vi. 6. |