to deny his blessing; considering that, by that blessing they will be enabled to pass through the vale of misery with content and resignation; and in the midst of want, like the multitude in the desert, they shall eat and be satisfied.

To conclude. As we have fully seen the power of God to provide for the righteous, and his goodness to inspire them with satisfaction in the lowest condition, and to feed them in the hour of necessity, let us humbly trust to his Providence in all our distress; if we have the conveniencies, let us not be anxious for the luxuries of life; for it is better to live meanly upon the fruits of God's blessing, than plentifully upon the products of sin; and as in this miracle we have a lasting proof of God's readiness to hear and relieve us when we have least reason to expect it, let us continue our faith and duty, though he seem to hide his face and will not see;

it is easy to pray to God to give us our daily bread, when we are in plenty; but when we neither have, nor know whence we shall get what our necessities require, then to depend upon his unseen Goodness, is a true and noble act of faith; but above all, let us not labour for the meat which perisheth, but for that which endureth to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give to them that ask it; to whom with the Father, &c.

SERMON XXXI.

ON THE KING'S ACCESSION.

I

PSALM CXXXii. VER. 19.

As for his enemies, I shall clothe them with shame, but upon himself shall his crown flourish.

WE are assembled together this day, to offer up our humble tribute of praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God, for the blessing of long life and a prosperous reign bestowed upon our gracious Sovereign-a blessing which cannot be too highly appreciated by the wise and loyal part of his subjects; and perhaps never

were praise and thanksgiving more devoutly given from the heart, nor the enthusiasm of joy more warmly felt and expressed by all ranks of people than upon this particular occasion.

The government of a kingdom is very justly compared to the regulation of a private family, and in many respects the aptness of the comparison is clearly to be seen. The mild virtues of an amiable sovereign, like those of a parent or master, in a well-regulated family, cannot but influence the temper and conduct of those who are under their controul, soften the harshness of command and the rigour of discipline, and of course materially contribute to their mutual welfare and happiness. So, on the other hand, the tyrannical and merciless disposition of an overbearing ruler, whether in a public state or a private family, while it sets an evil example of opposition and discontent, will

naturally alienate the affections of a people, and equally contribute to the misery of the governor and the governed. And to carry on the similitude still further, as in all families, however well conducted, some misfortunes will occur from the mere lot of mortality not immediately depending upon the actions of the individual sufferers; so, in every nation, and under the best of go vernments, some disaster will happen, and some calamities ensue, which all the vigilance of a good and active ruler can neither see nor prevent.

Such has been our lot as a nation; and while we cannot but lament that our sunshine of joy has been sometimes overshadowed with the clouds of adversity, yet we can look up with confidence to the excellence of our government, and the mild parental virtues of our sovereign for an 'exemption from most of the evils with which the nations around us have been so