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SgRM.

XXXVIII.1

THE

CÍïá1STt.1N'9

TREÁSi71ìË.

143

life seem

to be

leaving thee, have

a care of murmuring

against

thy

God.

Dare

not take up the

words

of

Jacoby

andsay,

"

Joseph

is

not, and Simeon

is

not, and

will

ye

take

Benjamin also? Surely all these things

are against

me," Gen. xlii,

36.

But

Jacob

was

made to

know, by

sweet

experience,

that

all these things

wrought for his

real advantage,

and

were

made the means

of preserving

himself and

his

family

too

in a day

of

spreading famine

and.

desolation.

Sixth Use.

This doctrine

forbids

all

contention and

envy

at

our

fellow-

creatures,

as well

as

repining against

God.

Is

my

brother

healthy

and

strong,

while I. am sick

and

feeble, and

languishing

?

Does

my

brother

possess

more

of

the

good things

of

this

life

than I

do

?

It

is

because

our

common

Father

sees

it proper

to

keep

me

shorter,

and

to with -hold

so full

an allowance from

me..

I

have

an interest

in

the same large

inheritance;

I

am

a child

of

the

same family

;

and therefore

all

things

are

mine as

well as

his: But

I

have

committed it

entirely

to

the

wis-

dom

and goodness

of

our heavenly Father, to

put into

my

hands what

part

he pleases

of

my

large

inheritance.

He

is

wisest,

and

will

distribute the

several

portions

that

he

sees

fittest

for

his

children, and for this .reason

I

cannot

envy,my

brother:

It

is

the

same

kind

and

faith

-.

ful

hand

that

weighs

and measures

out

my

grains

and

scruples, and

little handfuls

of

earthly

blessings,

that

gives

my

brother

his

loads and

his full

barns.

Has

the ministry

of Paul

been blessed

to

me,

and

not

that

of

Apollos

?

Have the labours

of

Apollos been more

blessed

to my fellow

-

Christian,

or the plain and familiar

instructions

of Cephas?

Well,

I

Will

never make any

parties

in

the church upon

this

account;

for

all the mi-

nisters

of

the

gospel

are

appointed

for

our edification;

and

I

will

rejoice

in

them

all,

and

bless

Gòd

for the ser-

vice they do

the

family

of

Christ.

If

my

portion

of

spi-

ritual

food be

distributed

to me by

the hands

of Paul, it

is

our

common

Father that

conveys

the same sacred food

to another,

by

the hands of Cephas or Apollos; and the

world

shall

never hear

me

say,

"

I, atri

of

Paul,

in

op

position to Apollos or

Peter

;

though

I

must

confess,

God

has blessed

his

ministrations most eminently

to

my

soul.