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divine life, whofe "leaves are for the healing of the nations." Let the Jew read this facred page, and glory in his ancestry; let the fcholar read it, and improve his taste, and extend his knowledge; let the ruftic read it, and prize his humble purfuits and innocent delights; let the fons of poverty and the daughters of affliction read it, and ceafe from defpair, let them learn to "truft in the Lord, and to do good;" let the christian read it, and "hold fast the beginning of his confidence," and "rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

The last obvious remark on the hiftory, forry I am to fay it, is not highly honourable to human nature. While Naomi was poor, and friendlefs, and forlorn, she met with little fympathy, with little countenance; she was permitted to depend for fubfiftence on the miferable, unproductive industry of a woman weak and wretched as herself; but no fooner is the connected with "a mighty man of wealth," become a mother to Boaz, than the whole city is feeking to her; her own fex, in particular, we fee entering into all her feelings, flattering all her natural propenfities, accommodating themselves to her little withes and defires, and trying to compenfate their former coldnefs and neglect by every art of attention, officioufnefs and zeal. Base spirit! bafe world! Behold kindness preffed upon a man, juft in proportion as he has no need of it; behold him oppreffed with new friends, because he has already got too many, careffed by thofe who lately knew him not, praised and flattered to his face, by the very tongues which maligned and cenfured

him in his abfence. But that man is left to continue poor, because he is poor. He finds no fupport because he wants it, he ftands unbefriended because he has no friend. Shame on the fawning fycophants that only flutter about in fair weather, that only frequent the manfions of the rich and great, that turn with the tide, that can defpife ragged poverty, and offer incenfe to ermined villainy.

Let

Let us turn with contempt from the fight, and take a last parting look of one of the worthiest, best, happiest of human beings-Naomi nurfing and cherishing her little grandfon in her bofom. If there be blifs on earth, the now enjoyed it. Her honeft fcheme had fucceeded, the name of her beloved hufband was revived, and his house begun to be built up; her ami. able and beloved daughter was nobly rewarded for her tenderness and attachment; the inheritance of Elimelech is redeemed, and reverted to its proper channel; the wisdom and goodness of Providence are fully justified, and a profpect of felicity and honour is opened which knew no bounds. The miferies of a whole life are done away in one hour, converted into bleffings, bleffings heightened and improved by the memory of past woes; the name of Mara is forever obliterated, and the original, the fuitable, the pro, phetic name of Naomi restored and confirmed, The fenfibilities of a Grand-mother are peculiarly pure and delicate respecting infant offspring. All good women are fond of children, to whomfoever they belong, how much more of their own, whom they bare with forrow, and have brought up with folicitude: but "that I fhould live to fee my child's child, my being multiplied; dropping into the grave, yet reviving in that infant. I feel myself immortal; this babe will live to put his hand upon my eyes, and then I fhall not feel the oppreffion of death; if he furvive I cannot all die.""Lord, now letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace, for mine eyes have feen thy falvation."

The Spirit of God has drawn a veil over the feelings of the mother herself, and the expreffion of them, and left it to imagination to figure the felicity of Ruth the widow of Mahlon, the daughter of Naomi, the wife of Boaz, the mother of Obed, in furveying the changes of her life, in comparing what fhe was with what the is.

-And thus have we finished what was intended, in difcourfing on the book of Ruth. We have confid

ered

ered it, as a beautiful, because natural reprefentation of human life; as a curious and interefting detail of important facts; and as an effential, conftituent part of the plan of redemption. It happily connects the hiftory of the Ifraelitish judges with that of their kings, and is obviously blended with both and while it demonftrates the care of Providence, in fulfilling the promises made to Abraham, the friend of God, in prolonging his race, in multiplying his feed, in making kings to arife out of him, it unfolds the more enlarged and comprehenfive purpofe of the Eternal Mind; it points directly forward to that "feed in whom all the families of the earth fhall be bleffed;" it fhews the fubferviency of all that preceded, to the evangelical difpenfation; it breathes good will to The reception of Ruth, a Gentile, within the pale of the church of the living God; her advancement to honour, her participation of the privileges of a mother in Ifrael, are a happy prefiguration of the admiffion of the whole Gentile world within the bond of God's covenant. We fee the work of God ftill going forward and profpering; the work of mercy enlarging, extending its fphere; all bending forward to that grand confummation, when "Ifrael too fhall be faved," and the ancient people of God brought into a communication of the bleflings of the gofpel, together with "the fulness of the Gentile nations;' when there fhall be "one fhepherd and one fheepfold;" when Jew and Gentile fhall arife together from the dead, because "Chrift doth give them life."

men.

The birth of Obed, the father of Jeffe, the father of David, brings the hiftory of the world down to the year 2697, from the creation, and before Chrift 1307, and conducts us to the eve of the establishment of kingly power in Ifrael.

How many generations of men have paffed in review before us, in the course of these few years evening exercises from Adam down to Boaz! What

changes

changes has the audience undergone, fince first it collected in this view! What deep and affecting changes will a few more feafons produce! The turning of the page will prefent a new preacher, new hearers, a different plan, a different arrangement, different interefts, different feelings. The feparation of this night may be final and permanent. We bend together, gracious God, with wonder and gratitude before thy throne. Spared together fo many years longer, "cumberers of the ground" that we are; our bodies preferved in health, our minds in tranquillity: bleffed with friendfhip, bleft with fufficiency, bleft with the means of improvement, bleft with hope! Ah, we are unworthy of the leaft of thy favours, and we have been diftinguished by the choiceft and beft! Make us to feel thy goodness and our own unworthinefs; help us to live more to thy glory. As our intereft in the world diminishes, as years increafe, as grey hairs multiply, as friends depart, as comforts fail, as eternity advances, let our faith strengthen, let our fpirits rife to thee, let our profpects brighten, let our ardour after immortality kindle. The nearer we approach to thee, let our refemblance to thee become more apparent; let the fpirit of heaven, the spirit of the bleffed Jefus, be imparted to us, that, living and dying, we may edify the world, be a bleffing to all connected with us, and ftill enjoy inward peace. And as we feparate from time to time, may it be in the sweet expectation of meeting together in the regions of everlasting purity, love and joy. "The grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift be with your fpirits. Amen."

History

Hiftory of Hannah,

THE MOTHER OF SAMUEL.

LECTURE XV.

I SAMUEL i. 1—8.

Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of Mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the Son of Feroham, the fon of Elibu, the fon of Tobu, the fon of Zuph, an Ephrathite. And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went up out of his city yearly, to worship and to facrifice unto the Lord of Hofts in Shiloh. And the two fms of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her fons and her daughters, portions. But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion: for he loved Hannah; but the Lord had fhut up her womb. And her adverfary alfo provoked her fore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had fhut up her womb. And as he did fo year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord; fo she provoked her; therefore fhe wept and did not eat. Then faid Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? And why eatest thou not? And why is thy heart grieved? Am not I better to thee than ten fons?

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