Autumn falls to the ground without his cognizance. Nor can one of royal birth die without his apointment. Whoso is wise will consider these things. The man, who has drawn his wisdom from the Bible, and from a close observation of human affairs, immediately will discover, and humbly own, the divine interposition in this event. He will say: O Lord! we are confounded, we are short-sighted beings, we cannot understand it; But righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgements. The cloud is tremendously dark -the tempest is terrible. But we are assured, that the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind, and in the storm, and that the clouds, which we view with (Nahum. i. 3.) We fear, are the dust of his feet. bow to thine appointment, O Lord, and although we cannot comprehend thy reasons, we shall repose our confidence in thy goodness and faithfulSuch is the language of the man of wisdom. ness. The text implies, that it is the part of folly not to perceive and acknowledge the hand of the Lord in public calamities. Such insensibility is an evidence of positive wickedness, approaching to atheism; for David, in Ps. x. 5. speaking of the wicked says, Thy judgements are far above out of his sight. Isaiah also, v. 6. denounces Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night till wine inflame them! And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands. III. It is our duty and interest to improve public calamities. Why does a Father chastise his children? That they may be improved by his correction. He uses the rod, not to gratify his own temper, but to profit them. And what can be the end which the Great Parent has in view, when he lets his hand fall heavily upon a nation? Doubtless he designs their benefit, for he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. It becomes, therefore, our duty to seek personal improvement from the dispensations of our heavenly Father, especially from those, which force a thinking man to say: "Here is the hand of God." Shall the Lord come forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of our Land, and shall we not regard him? Shall the voice of the Lord cry unto the city, and shall the city not listen and obey? Shall the Lord strike, and shall we refuse to humble ourselves beneath his mighty hand? To hear the rod of God is to obey his monitions. It is mere mockery if a child just hears the chiding of his parent, and then thinks no more concerning it. May it never be said of us; They hearkened not nor, inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and imaginations of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward. It is not only our duty, but also our interest to improve public calamities. We may say to a nation, as well as to an individual: Be not deceived, God is not mocked: whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap. We have every thing to hope from the future mercy of our God, if we improve the present_calamity, for he can avert all the evils which we dread, and which we most righteously have deserved, and he can confer upon us infinitely more than our fondest hopes could anticipate. On the contrary, we have every thing to fear from the righteous displeasure of the Lord, if we are unaffected, and unimproved by his chastisements. This is forcibly declared by the Lord, by the pen of Jeremiah; xviii. 7-10. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it if that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build, and to plant it: if : it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them. I shall endeavour to point out to you some of the ways, by which we may derive improvement from the affliction, which now is depressing us as a people. The first lesson we may learn from it is, to examine and abase ourselves before God. It is not enough to lament the failure of our expectations; it is not sufficient, that in general terms we own that we are a sinful nation. Let us more closely apply the subject. Let us enquire, what share has Campden in the national guilt? Let us each ask himself, what share have I in the national guilt? God forbid! that he should have occasion to bear the same testimony against us, as he did against ancient Israel. I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying what have I done? Every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle, and the crane, and the swallow, observe the time of their coming: but my people know not the judgement of the Lord. Jer. viii. 6. 7. Rather may he hear us questioning ourselves: What have I done, to draw down upon my country this judgement of heaven? What sins of mine, united with the transgressions of my countrymen, have pierced the offended skies, and have appealed at the supreme tribunal for vengeance? It will be our wisdom to imitate Jeremiah. He not only with bitter sorrow exclaimed, Jerusalem hath grievously sinned-all her people sigh -How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel! But he also said, Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. We have transgressed, we have rebelled. The humiliation of our national pride probably is one chief end of the recent visitation, and in proportion as each individual is made lowly in his own eyes, the design of heaven will be accomplished. Another lesson we may learn is, to be cheerfully resigned to the divine will. Like Jonah we were resting, and hoped for years still to rest under the shade of the gourd, which was planted in our Land. But as, in the case of Jonah, God prepared a worm, when the morning arose the next day, and it smote the gourd, that it withered: so have our hopes suddenly faded away. The prophet was angry at his disappointment, and murmured against the will of the Lord. May we be led to follow the exam |