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pose man's guilt, but sometimes rather tend to his improvement, since our SAVIOUR says, (John xv. 2,) " Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit, He taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." And the similitude may be illustrated, if we consider further, that the husbandman only prunes the trees of the garden, and not those that grow wild in the wood, and though he often wounds the former, yet he does the latter more fatally, only cutting off the superfluous twigs of one, and laying the axe to the root of the other. But the pruning of a tree may give us other thoughts, for as by cutting off several twigs and nailing the rest to the wall, the gardener both secures it from being blown down, and also makes it look well shaped; so the divine Husbandman by His afflictions secures them from a great many dangers; and as He secures their safety, by obstructing their liberty, so by afflicting them He adorns them; those kind and skilful strokes beautifying a Christian's mind, as they diminish the superfluities of their fortunes; for afflictions give so much gloss to the soul that bears them patiently and resignedly, that the heathen moralist ventured to say, that if anything here below was worthy the sight of GOD, it was a good man, generously contending with ill fortune; which hyperbole will be the less strange, if we consider that when Job's patience was tried to the uttermost, it was crowned with fortune fairer than the best in the East, and when it was not so far tried, his constancy was received with higher than mortal honours, or any that ever was conferred on man before; GOD Himself declaring His approbation, as if He boasted of a man: "Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth GoD and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst Me against him to destroy him without cause ?" So that he was more than a happy Job, since David tells us, that the man is happy whose sins GOD is pleased to cover. So that what must that man be, whose graces He vouchsafes to proclaim?

And as the consideration of the pruning of trees under the notion of pruning, as it is called, wounding them, may afford the forementioned reflections, so if we observe, that gardeners not only cut away all the suckers and luxuriant sprigs, but some of the branches, and that this adds to increase the fruit, it may illustrate what we observe amongst some men, who by afflictions grow more charitable than they would have been in peace and plenty; for S. Paul says of the Macedonians, that in great trials of affliction the abundance of their joy, and their deep poverty, abounded unto the riches of their liberality. To which we shall add that instance of Zaccheus, who owned, that though his repentance had cut off more of his riches than all the slander and oppression and other unjust ways had added to it, yet he gave more out of the remainder

than some liberal men would have given out of the whole: his wealth, like a pruned tree, yielded more pious fruit, his charity increasing as his fortune was lessened.

But to proceed, if towards the end of the spring a contemplator should see blossoms blown down with time and wind, he would think that though blossoms were great ornaments to the tree, and both useful and pleasant, yet to be seasonably deprived of them is not mischievous to the tree that loses them, since till they are gone, there can be no fruit; so that it is not a certain consequence, that as things desirable may be esteemed good, the loss of them must be an evil. And thus, though a fair and healthy body may be looked upon as a blessing, yet to die in the LORD, though it destroys and rots this body, must not needs be å deplorable evil, since as the blossom's falling is according to the course of nature, and previous to the formation of the fruit, so the loss of life being ordained by GoD, must needs antecede those durable blessings of virtue and happiness.

And if we only observe, whilst a tree is full of leaves and blossoms, the bees busy sucking the latter, we may consider that though the leaves be not only ornaments but productions, and of use to shelter the fruit, and are of a more durable texture than the blossoms, which are more gaudy than lasting, yet the diligent bee employs her time about the latter, sucking from them store of honey which the leaves would not yield. Thus, though dogmatical and controversial points in divinity show their value and skill in theology, and may be more substantial and last longer than books of devotion, yet a devout Christian will sooner peruse the latter, not containing solid disputes, but pathetical devotions, which affect the reader, and from which a devout soul may extract honey, or celestial pleasures, which proceed from and maintain a free communion with GOD, which both exercises her devotion and affords a nutritive delicious aliment. To illustrate this further, we may consider that both silk-worms that live upon leaves, and bees that feed on flowers and blossoms, feed upon their aliment, and are able by that means to supply us with useful productions; yet with some difference, the threads of silk-worms serving chiefly to clothe others; whereas the honey yields both healing and cleansing medicines, and a great deal of pleasure to the bee herself; and thus, those who study speculative and polemical divinity, as well as those who peruse books of devotion, may reap benefit by what they study; yet the former may be assisted to write others of the same nature, which may enable their readers to talk more acutely and with applause; and the latter may help to cleanse men's consciences from dead works, and both pacify their minds, as well as heal the schism or scandal of the Church; and have themselves all the joy and felicity they would afford others, and happily find pious reflections, soliloquies, and ejaculations, as well

as other mental entertainments of a religious soul, of so sweet, improving, and advantageous a nature, that as other laudable employments recommend us to the students of theology, these do to God Himself.

But further, if we consider a tree only thick set with leaves, of which it had none before, it may put us in mind of the instability of their condition, who are envied undeservedly for seeming friends they had not before, and gaudy attendants which are so to the fortune and not to the person; for as in summer, the weather would keep the tree warm, without the help of leaves, it is covered with those ornaments, but loses them in winter, when it most wants their shelter; so those who in prosperity have plenty of friends, whom they have no need of, are forsaken by them in adversity, when they have most occasion for them. If it be further observed, how the tree is decked with leaves and blossoms, when it is ready to bring forth fruit, it should put us in mind with what alacrity a charitable person should do good, and that as a cheerful giver is loved by GoD, so the tree is a hieroglyphic of a generous temper, which seems to triumph in all its ornaments, when it exhausts the greatest part of its sap to produce fruit for others to eat.

If we take notice how leaves and blossoms regularly precede the fruit, it may make us look upon the essays of early writers with more candour, since the author aims at good things, though he perform not great ones; for though these productions are more pleasing and florid than otherwise considerable, yet if they be good in their season and kind, though they be not the most useful, yet they ought to be encouraged, since though they have not solidity, they may promise something better, as trees that blossom before they give us fruit. And if we further see young people shake the tree in vain, or offer to gather unripe fruit, it may put us in mind of those who too eagerly pursue desirable things or honour; for as good fruit will not easily be shaken down, though of good kind when green, but requires force either in pulling or striking it off, which commonly bruises and disfigures it, as it is then but sour and unwholesome for want of maturity, and is apt to set the teeth on edge, so if it were let alone till ripe, it would fall into one's mouth, and taste delicious and wholesome; so when we pursue honour or pleasure in this life, it being an improper season, we meet with difficulties, and have not the satisfaction of possessing them which we promise ourselves, whereas if we would wait GOD'S time, there would be no need to steal or force them, but we should receive uncorruptible crowns of glory from Him, with Whom there is fulness of joy, and at Whose right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

But further, in autumn this tree will be full of fruit, being grown taller, and representing an emblem of a true believer; for as the

branches of the loaded tree abstract moisture from dirty soil, which rising towards heaven, affords fruit for men, so a Christian improves the blessings of this life to elevate his mind. And the use he makes of terrestrial advantages is to raise his soul towards GOD, and dispense them in works of charity to men.

We might mention a great many subjects, which might afford us opportunities of occasional meditations, but to put an end to this discourse, we shall take notice by the way of advertisement, that besides the advantages of occasional meditations already hinted at, there are several other accounts on which a pious soul may receive benefit, and which an ingenious person may make use of. The woods, the river-side, the fields, the street, a library, or the exchange, may afford plentiful occasions of reflections. Besides, the respects one thing may have to another are numberless, and notions may be compounded and disjoined so many ways, and such inferences may be made from them, and such applications of them, that besides the first reflection occasioned by the rise of the meditation, several conceits may happen different from the first, and perhaps better. Thus hounds hunting a hare, may meet with a stag. Plato's opinion, that all knowledge is but reminiscence, seems to have been justly rejected, yet when the mind is furnished with variety of notions, it will, by the contrariety of things and notions in respect of each other, be so apt to lay them together and discourse upon them, that it will, by a strange facility upon any occasion, light upon things it would otherwise not take notice of. When once the mind is set at work, the first thoughts may be the subjects of further meditations; and the connection of thoughts within the mind is frequently so strange that the contemplator himself will often admire to see how far his last thoughts are removed from his first meditations. And such incidental excursions may sometimes as much delight and surprise him as the honey in the carcass of a lion did Samson.

But one thing may further induce us to this way of thinking, which is, that occasional reflections may gradually bring the soul to a frame or temper which may be called heavenly-mindedness, by which she may acquire a disposition to make pious reflections upon every occasion, often without designing it; but such must be accustomed to this way of thinking, and they must do it of their own accord, which habit may be acquired by practice, and when this habit is once acquired, and the soul hath acquired a disposition to make spiritual uses of earthly things, the advantage and delight of such a frame of mind will be extraordinary ; it being a satisfaction to an ingenious person to be able to make the world both his library and oratory, and to find pleasure and delight which way soever he turns his eyes, every object presenting good thoughts to his mind, which may be gathered with

innocency as well as pleasure, and with as little prejudice to the subject that affords them, as honey is from flowers. If we would but pursue this method, it must needs prevent that dulness or drowsiness which blemishes our devotion; and we might out of everything strike some sparkle of celestial fire that would kindle, feed, or revive it. And if half the idle time that must cost us tears or blushes, were thus employed, ministers need not so long insist on the uses of their doctrines, the world being a pulpit, and every creature a preacher, and every accident affording instruction, reproof, or exhortation: each burial would put us in mind of our mortality; and each marriage-feast of that of the Lamb; each cross would increase our desires to be with CHRIST, and each mercy would move our obedience to so good a Master. The happiness of others would move us to serve Him that gave it, and their misery make us thankful that we were free from it; their sins make us ashamed of the same, and their virtues would excite our emulation; and when once we can look upon the things of this world, as men do upon water gilded with the sunbeams, not for the sake of the water itself, but as it represents a more glorious object; and when a pious soul can once spiritualize whatever objects he meets with, that habit may be the most effectual means to make the saying good, "That all things work together for good to them that seek God." A devout occasional meditation, from never so mean a theme, being like Jacob's ladder, whose foot leaned on the earth, and the top reached up to heaven. (Gen. xxviii. 12.)

ALMSGIVING.

OUR blessed Master, LORD of heaven and earth, chose for Himself the estate of poverty, when "for us men and our salvation He came down from heaven." How perverted then must be our minds which look on poverty as despicable, and on wealth as a great source of happiness! În one way only does it prove really to be so, and that is, when devoted to the glory of the Giver. How fully do the words of our LORD bear upon this point, in the twenty-fifth chapter of S. Matthew, where He vouchsafes to show us a picture of the last judgment, "when the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him;" after giving the blessed sentence which will then be awarded to the righteous, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me:” He further discloses to us the fate of those who shall have omitted to do all these things, proving to us how awful is the consequence of their being left undone. It is remarkable too, that in the history of the rich man