fore he had confidence that the arm of the Lord would sustain 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 saw the fruit of his labours, the restoration of the city of Jerusalem, the establishment of his countrymen in tranquillity, in security, on the ancient mountains of Israel. 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 dismayed. Your God shall fight for you. His hand shall be upon you for good. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and for ever (b); the same in truth, in mercy, and in power, shall be your support. The patriotism which He inspires He will prosper: will prosper, you may humbly hope, to your country, will assuredly prosper to yourself. Ten righteous inhabitants had once preserved a city mature for destruction. Be a christian patriot; and you may hereafter know that you were one of a religious band, for whose sake your country was spared. Be a christian patriot; and though the world should be more and more shattered by convulsions; though it should be

(b) Hebr. xiii. 8.

the

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

(c) Isaiah, 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 business.

O

To sinful creatures idleness is a continual snare. The man who is unemployed is prepared for wickedness. Temptations find him at leisure to listen to their voice, ready to gaze upon their speciousness, prompt to start forward at their signal. Not being occupied in working for his heavenly Master, he is easily drawn into the service 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 says day by day; Son, go, work to-day in My vineyard (a): that after having entrusted each of us with talents capable of

(a) Matth. xxi. 28
X

being

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 slothful in business, that we should be diligent in the discharge of the occupations resting upon us; and at the same time brings before us a circumstance which, on many occasions, betrays men into neglect of their proper business, and on many becomes the more prevalent in consequence of that neglect; namely, the very culpable practice of busying ourselves 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 necessarily be considered together while we examine the instruction 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, quietness describes one of the most attractive ornaments (c) of the Christian character: a (b) Luke, xix. 13.

(c) Pet. iii. 4.

I

temper

temper of mind meek, gentle, humble, in the sight of God of great price; a temper the opposite 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 sitting in judgement on the proceedings of the neighbourhood. Is it without reason that we are admonished against these sins? Recollect how abundantly they prevail. An inquisitive desire of prying into secrets, a wish to raise ourselves into consequence by becoming masters of the affairs of others, a presumptuous eagerness to display our capacity for management, our address, our discernment; these and other unchristian inclinations are continually tempting us into transgression of the Divine command, to be quiet. Of some persons it is not too much to affirm, that a very large proportion of their time is occupied in transgressing that command. To the transgression of it they owe the ordinary subjects of their conversation, and devote much of their activity. From the transgression of it they seek entertainment to themselves, and the power of furnishing entertainment in society.

And there