CHAPTER VII.

THE PREACHING OF JESUS CHRIST.

MATT. vi. 28, 29.

8. And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29. And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

IN the same sermon in which Jesus tells us what are the dispositions of christians, and gives us an example of prayer, he speaks the words which you see above. He had been warning his hearers against laying up treasures on earth-that is, seeking all their happiness in earthly things, and telling them to take no anxious thought about their food, when he says, "And why take ye thought for raiment?" that is clothing. "Con

sider," or think of, "the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin.” As if he had said, "Look at those sweet flowers springing out of the hard, rough ground, and rising without noise, labor, or care to open their beauties to the sun. Look at their soft shaded leaves, and see how gracefully they bend upon the stem. They have taken no pains to be thus beautiful; and here they are, sprinkled all over the face of the wide field, for any one to look at and admire. Why should you be taking anxious thought about your dress? When your Heavenly Father takes care to clothe the humble lily with so much beauty, will he not also take care that you have such clothing as you need?"

In the next verse Jesus adds, "And yet Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Solomon was a very rich king, of whom we read in the Old Testament. He lived in great splendor, and probably wore the most elegant and expensive garments that he could purchase with silver or gold. He was so famous for his splendid style of living, that a queen who lived in a distant country traveled a long journey, with a vast train of servants and camels, to see him, and look at the wonders of his house; and when she had examined them she acknowledged, that though she had heard a great fame of him in her own country, the half had not been told her. Yet Jesus says, that Solomon in all his glory—in the most splendid period of his life-was not arrayed, or dressed so beautifully as one of these modest little flowers.

And what lesson do you think our Saviour taught, when he thus spoke of the lily, and compared it with the rich king? He knew what feelings were in the hearts of his hearers, and he knew too what would be in the hearts of men, women, and children at this time, when we live on the earth; and he intended to show us how unnecessary it is that we should be very anxious about our clothing; and to show us also how foolish and wicked it is to be proud of dress.

I suppose few, if any, of my young readers have ever suffered for fear you should not have comfortable clothing-but I suspect many of you have felt very anxious that your clothes should be fine and beautiful. Do you think I judge without reason? No, not without reason, because I know that children and youth generally take pleasure and

pride in the same kinds of things; and as I do not know one little friend of mine who does not often discover much pride in dress, I think it must be the same with all children. Perhaps all persons are more ready to commit some sins than others. These are called their easily besetting sins, because they are so easily led to commit them. I should think pride in dress was an easily besetting sin to children; and if it is so they should watch very carefully against it. Think for a little while of the sin and folly of being proud of dress. All pride is sinful. We are poor, dependent creatures, and may not call even our breath our own. All we are, and all we enjoy, comes from God, and our employment should be to praise and worship him. But the feeling of pride in our hearts leads us to exalt ourselves, and wish to have others notice us, and think more highly of us than they ought to think. It leads us to forget God whom we should love and worship, and make idols of ourselves. Pride, therefore, this very pride in dress, may be the means of ruining the souls of those who indulge it. Think of the folly of such pride. We take something which God has caused to grow very beautiful, or something which he has taught man to make beautiful from those things that he has first caused to grow, such as the silk-worm's thread, the wool from the sheep, or the cotton from the pod, and place it on our bodies, and then feel proud, as if we deserved praise for wearing the beautiful colors and soft silks which the skill and goodness of our Heavenly Father have provided for us. Do you not see the extreme folly as well as wickedness of this pride, and will you not learn

from this time to despise and hate the feeling when it rises in your breast? Again, if our dress is ever so beautiful, it is wrong for us to be proud of it; but it may be that we do not know what is truly beautiful. Perhaps we should have thought Solomon's splendid dress much more beautiful than the lily; but Jesus, who judged right in all things, said that the king in all his glory was not arrayed like the lily. Dr. Watts, a good man, who wrote beautiful hymns for children, has taught them to say,

"The tulip and the butterfly

Are dressed in gayer clothes than I;

Let me be dressed fine as I will,

Flies, worms and flowers exceed me still."

Surely we have no reason to be proud of that in which the insects and flowers may excel us. And then think how soon these bodies, which we take so much pride in dressing, will be laid away in the grave, and need no garment but the plain, white robe, and this will lead you to take no anxious thought about your raiment, but only to desire. that it may be neat and comfortable.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE PREACHING OF JESUS CHRIST.

MATT. vii. 24-27.

24. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock :

25. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock.

26. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

THAT part of our Saviour's preaching which is called "the sermon on the mount" extends through the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Matthew, and contains so much excellent instruction, that if no other words of our Saviour had been preserved for us, these would have been sufficient to guide us to heaven. I hope, my young reader, you have read them with attention many times, and I hope the Spirit of God has taught you to understand and feel the truth and wisdom which they contain.

The verses above are the closing part of this sermon. After Jesus had been teaching the people how to conduct towards each other, and towards their Heavenly Father; how to live a useful and happy life, and die a peaceful death, he concludes by saying, "Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine," &c. Whosoever means any person. Any