can remain, to hinder even the narrowest capacities and the dullest apprehensions from acquiring the necessary knowledge. He that has ears may hear, and he that runs may read. God has, of his mercy and goodness, so plainly stated the means of salvation, and has thrown such a light upon our understandings, -that, if we have not resolution to follow the dictates of our own instructed minds, so as to qualify ourselves for eternal blessedness through the merits of Christ, we shall have no plea for escaping condemnation,-nothing to which we can impute our endless ruin, but our own wilful and obstinate depravity.

The wisdom of Solomon's choice appears most evidently from this consideration-that an improvement in such knowledge as is proper and necessary for reasonable creatures, tends more to our interest than any other acquisitions,—how splendid soever those acquisitions may appear to the eyes of the world, and how strongly soever they may attract the hearts of the unthinking. Power, and wealth, and long life have such external charms, and are glossed over with such specious allurements, that all the labours of men seem devoted to their attainment; and those who possess them excite too frequently the envy of others.

A long life, unless it is attended with "a wise and understanding heart," deserves to be regarded rather as a misfortune, than as a blessing. Sin and folly, repeated from day to day, and from year to year, serve only to augment the records of our guilt, and expose us to a heavier weight of wrath and indignation.

If we took a right view of things, we should estimate human life not so much by its length as by the manner in which it is employed. "A man, though he is young in years, may be old in hours,'* if he has made a virtuous and religious use of his time; but the shortest life must appear tedious, if wasted in the service of sin. It is the consciousness of a well-spent life, that gives comfort and support amidst all the difficulties of our duty, and that animates our hope of a great and indeprivable reward. Existence is conferred upon us, with a law for our guidance; the particulars of which law comprise our respective duties to God, to our brethren, and to ourselves. A sincere endeavour to perform these, will recommend us to the divine mercy, how speedily soever our dissolution may ensue. Youth, intent and employed upon these glorious endeavours, can never be unseasonably or immaturely cut off by the hand of death: --and a protracted old age can forbode nothing but a more exceeding weight of misery, when we gradually pine away in a state of impenitence.

As for wealth, it is either a blessing or a curse, according to the use that is made of it. To the inconsiderate and foolish, it is so far from being an advantage, that it frequently becomes the instrument of their destruction. It enables them to pamper their follies and vices, exposes them to the deserved censure of the world, and destroys the peace and satisfaction of their own consciences. It never can

*Lord Bacon.

be a blessing, unless it is regarded rather as a trust than as property, and is enjoyed with moderation and self-control. It must be dispensed, in a considerable measure, to assist the needy, to clothe the naked and feed the hungry, to relieve the helpless, and to mitigate distress and pain. The wealthy are recommended to God's favour only by doing good; but without "a wise and understanding heart," very little good can be done, in the way that He requires. Riches, instead of being an ornament, are a pitiable incumbrance, when they are lavished in gaudy equipage and sumptuous entertainments, and serve merely as incentives to luxury and temptations to vice. The purpose for which they are given entirely fails, if their possessors are void of benevolence. The distribution of them, for purposes of charity, is the proper mode of expressing gratitude to God for his bounty in bestowing them. A rich man's character, when he acts as he ought to do, is beautifully described in the book of Job.-He is "eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame." He "gives deliverance to the poor that cry, and to the fatherless and him that hath none to help him,” And the happy consequences, as far as his own immediate satisfaction is concerned, are, that he draws upon himself "the blessing of those that were ready to perish; and he causes the widow's heart to sing for joy." "The ears that hear him will bless him, and the eyes that see him will give witness unto him."

And then, as to power. Unless it is exerted to the

glory of Almighty God, and to the benefit of mankind, it is absolutely useless, if not mischievous. If it is unjustly or harshly exercised, woe to the man that so abuses it! Were it not better, indeed,-far better-for him to be altogether inactive, and even slothful, than to be busy in doing harm? Were it not far better to be aloof from other men, and incapable of serving them, than to pervert the means of promoting their interests and comforts? Lamentable are the effects of power, when it is lodged in the hands of wicked and dishonest men!-for, though it was intended as an instrument of beneficence, it is made subservient to self-interest only, or to self-interest and maliciousness combined. It harrasses, where it should give ease; it oppresses, where it should relieve; it fetters those whom it should set at liberty; and it heaps new loads of heaviness on sorrow and affliction. Power, without a conscientious regard to the true use of it, only enables the evil-minded to become worse than they otherwise would be. may, indeed, secure the oppressor from the effects of human vengeance; but it lays up for him "wrath, against that day of wrath," when the divine justice will infallibly overtake him.

It

All this serves to illustrate the wisdom of Solomon, with regard to the petition in the text. Had he preferred health and long life, pomp and dominion, to that wisdom which is the parent of beneficence and of public and private virtue, he might have been qualified for a tyrant, an oppressor, and a scourge to

standing heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any one arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked,-both riches and honour; so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee, all thy days."

We learn, from this, that the Almighty accepts the prayers of men, when they are uttered in a devout spirit, and relate to proper objects. We also learn from it, that he delights in his people, to do them good; and that if they earnestly "seek his kingdom and his righteousness, he will add unto them all other things that, in the view of his wisdom, are instrumental to their happiness. We are further assured, that, if we make a prudent and religious use of our understanding, and of all the faculties with which he has gifted us, in order to guide us in our pursuit of happiness, he will favourably regard us. It was through the divine bounty, that Solomon was raised to an eminence above all other kings of his time; but his own qualifications for that great distinction deserve to be noticed. Though young, he did not suffer himself to be captivated by the allurements of what is falsely called pleasure; for he knew that no pleasure could be real, but such as reason and sober reflection would warrant. Though placed on a throne, and surrounded with regal pomp, he remembered on whom he was dependent; and neither flattery nor ambition could beguile him, because he was intent only upon those great ends for which he was exalted.