Vers. 22--80.-Anxiety or trus(fulnessP We read of "care-encumbered men;" nnrl truly we Sl'e more than we could wish of them. As we look into the faces of those we meet daily, we are saddened with the thought that a great weight of care rests on our race as a heavy burden. And when we see, as we do, a few faces that wear the look of a sweet Acrmity born of holy trust in God, we ask-Is it necessary that such an oppressive bur<len should be borne by the children of men? Jesus Christ answers this question in the negative. He says that anxiety is quite needless to the children of God ; he says, " Trust and rest; believe in God, and be at peace; recognize the power and the love of your heavenly Father, and do not be 'greatly moved' by temporal neces- si ties." .A.n<l he reasons with us on the subject; he desires to prove to us the needless- ness of anriety in the presence of such a God and Father as is he whom we worship. He argues this- 1. FROM Gon's GREATER KINDNEBB TO OURSELVES. (Ver. 23.) Any one of our friends who would do us a very great kindness would certainly be prepared to render us a very small favour. To one who bas done us a valuable service we should look with perfect confidence to do some slight office for us. The love which is equal to the one will be more than equal to the other. Now, God bas given us life, and has been sustaining us in being by his con~tant visitation; he has given us our wonderfully constituted body, and be bas been preserving it iu health and strength for years. Will he who has conferred these great boons upon us withhold from us blessings so simple and so slight as food and raiment? "Is not the life more than meat [food], and the body than raiment?" Will he who grants the greater refuse the less? II. FROlll GoD's CARE OF THINGS THAT ABE OF LESS .ACCOUNT TH.AN WE ABE. (Vera. 24, 27, 28.) "Consider the ravens "-birds of the air, creatures that are interesting in their degree, but unintelligent, unaccountable, perishable: God feeds them. "Consider the lilies, bow they grow;" they do nothing for ~heir clothing; and not only are they unintelligent and irresponsible like the birds, but they are unconscious, insentient things; yet they are exquisitely fair: God clothes them. If he takes thought for such creatures and for such things as these ; if he concerns himself with that which is so much lower in the scale than are we, bis own beloved children, created in his image and formed to share his own immortality, how certain it is that he will provide for us! The Divine wisdom that expends so much upon the lower will not neglect the higher. IIL THE COMPLETENESS OF OUR DEPENDENCE ON Goo. (Ver. 25.) So completely are we in the hands of our Creator that we cannot, by any amount of thinking,," add one cubit to our stature." Do what we may, try what we can, we are still absolutely dependent on God. It rests with him to decide what shall be the length of our days, what shadow or sunshine shall fall on our path, whether our cup shall be sweet or bitter. We an: rn his Divine bands; let us be his servants; let us ask his guidance and blessing; and then let us trust ourselves to his power and his love. And this the more that we should remember- IV. THE UNWORTHINESS OF GREAT CONCERN FOR SUCH TElllPOBALITIES. To be greatly troubled about what we shall eat, or what we shall wear, or in what house we shall live,-tlus is pagan, but it is uot Christian; leave that to "the nations of the world" (ver. 30). V. THE RELATION JN WHICH .Jon STANDS TO ue. (Ver. 30.) This is that of an all- wise Father. "Our Father knows." We are in the power of One who is perfectly acquainted with our circumstances and with ourselves; ho will not deny us anything we need becaW10 he is ignorant of our necessity; he will not give us anything tlta• en. xn. 1-60.] TilE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. J51
woultl be hurtful, for hie fatherly love will con~trnin him to withhold it. We are immeneumbly safer in hie handR thim ,,,e ehonld he in those of the kindest of onr human friende, or than we should be if it rested with our own will to shape our path, to fill our cup.-O,