and looking for everything to his good pleasure. It does not lead us to sloth, as some might fancy. The good Christian is just as industrious as other men: but he is industrious unto God. He does not look for miracles to be wrought, in order that he may eat the bread of idleness. He knows that, if he does not work, neither shall he eat. He knows that it is his duty to provide for his household. Whatever his business may be, he follows it with a sober, steady diligence, not from covetousness, but to the end that, after providing for his own wants, and for those of his family, he may have something to give to him that needeth.

But perhaps you may ask, What then is the great difference between the Christian, who trusts in God, and the man of the world who trusts to himself? seeing that both of them have to work for their livelihood, and to work just as hard the one as the other: so that in this respect the Christian does not seem to have any advantage over his ungodly neighbour. True; so far as work goes, the Christian certainly has no advantage. But in other things he has many and great advantages. He is comparatively free from cares. "Cast all your cares upon God (saith St Peter, 1. v. 7;) for he careth for you." The Christian does so; and it gives him ease of spirit: while the worldlyminded are always labouring under a heavy load

of thought and care. You know how easy it is for a man to entangle himself in the affairs of this world; and how we are naturally led on to plunge deeper and deeper in them, almost without perceiving it, till we get into the midst of so many troubles and anxieties, that, like travelers who have lost their way in a thick dark wood, we can see nothing but the things close about us, and can hardly catch a glimpse of heaven. But no evil of this sort can befall a man who refers all his plans to God. The habit of doing so is quite enough to save him from such a danger. For while a man consecrates all his plans to God, and gives him the first place in all his schemes, and tries to keep him ever before his eyes, how is it likely that he should ever lose sight of him? Even if, in looking after his business, he does lose sight of God for a moment, he straightway perceives his loss. He misses the light and comfort of God's presence, just as an Indian would miss the cheering warmth of the sun in one of our dark November fogs. This leads him to trace his steps back again, out of the thick wood of business, into the free sunshine of God's presence. Instead of giving up his God for his business, he narrows his business, that it may not withdraw him from his God.

In this too he takes a lesson from the Lord's

Prayer. For inasmuch as the danger of forgetting God under the stress of worldly business, if we plunge into it blindfold, is very great, and the punishment denounced against us, if we do forget God, is very terrible and certain, our Saviour, beside this general security arising from the habit of referring all things to God, has furnished us in the text with another security, by teaching us what we are to pray, and accordingly what we are to wish for. We are not to pray for a great heap of riches, for a great mountain of prosperity, to be thrown upon us all at once; for perchance the mountain might bury us under its weight: but we are to pray merely for our daily bread. Not only are we to bear in mind that we are wholly dependent upon God: we must not even wish it to be otherwise. We should be content to be fed by his ordinary providence, just as Elijah was fed by the ravens, that brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; or just as the children of Israel were fed in the wilderness by the manna, which was given them from day to day. Such is the spirit which Christ would foster in us, a spirit of such complete trust, of such heavenly freedom from all anxiety, that, as long as God supplies our present wants, we are to rely on him for all beyond, and not to trouble him with so much as a prayer about the fu

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ture, so far as concerns this world's goods. When we pray for heavenly blessings, for the coming of God's kingdom, for the doing of God's will, we are to pray without stint or limit: when we pray for the goods of this world, we are to ask for our daily bread. Were Christians really and truly animated by a spirit of this kind, it would be just as impossible for them to lose themselves in the cares of this world, as for a traveler to lose himself under a single tree. In a wood of trees he may lose himself; and so may the Christian lose himself in a wood of business: therefore Christ, to save us from this danger, warns us in his prayer to keep out of the wood, and to be content with the shelter of the single tree.

Observe too, what it is we are to pray for. Not for delicate food, or fine clothes, or a large house: no, we are to ask for bread. Now what are we to understand by this word, bread? Surely not a crust of bread alone. For this plain reason,— that there are other things as needful for our bodies as bread itself. What should we do without clothes to cover us, or a roof to put our heads under at night? We may be sure that our Saviour did not mean us to disregard such things as these. Therefore, when he tells us to pray for bread, we may reasonably understand that petition as including all things which are really needful for

our bodies. Accordingly St Paul in his Epistle to Timothy writes as follows: "Having food and raiment let us be content. But they that will be =rich, (they that are greedy of riches, and strive to get rich,) fall into temptation and a snare. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." Mark the apostle's words: people who are anxious to grow rich pierce themselves through with many sorrows. Our Lord, you may remember, compares the cares of this world to thorns. Like thorns, they pierce and wound and tear the hearts of those who lay up their treasure on earth. Would you escape these wounds? Shun the thorns. Keep yourselves free and far off from worldly cares. Lay up your treasures, lay up your hearts in heaven. According to the letter of the apostle's precept, according to the spirit of the text, having received your daily bread from God, having received food and raiment from him, and such other things as are necessary for the life and health of the body, therewith be content.

Now how many are there in every country who have received far more from God than this! How many by his gracious gift are not only enjoying the necessaries of life, but a number of comforts and conveniences! Nay, there is hardly a poor