"defiled inheritance," which the ransomed of the Lord shall be made to possess beyond death and the grave; that kingdom over which "God and "the Lamb shall reign for ever and ever;" all the subjects of which shall be crowned with immortal glory and honour, and be themselves "kings "and priests unto God even the Father." In this last sense it must be used here, on account of the manifest opposition in which it stands to the preceding context. "Take no thought," says our Lord, "saying, what shall we eat, or "what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we "be clothed;" that is, be not anxiously concerned in making provision for this frail life, this transitory state of existence, wherein there is nothing certain, nothing real, which is filled with crosses and disappointments, and which you must soon resign, though possessed of all the happiness it is capable of bestowing: but as you are creatures formed for eternity, indued with immortal spirits, whereby you have an interest in future ages, let your chief care be, to provide for that state of being, to secure your place and portion in" that kingdom which cannot be moved." To "seek the kingdom of God," then, implies in the first place, a high esteem of it, for its transcendant worth and excellency.-It is impossible for us, in our present state of imperfection, to

form any just notions of the glory and happiness of the heavenly state; when we attempt to meditate on this subject, our thoughts are involved as it were in a thick mist; the idea is infinitely too great for mortal comprehension; the word of God indeed comes in to our assistance, and gives us to see it, as it were "through a glass darkly," holding it out to us under such images as arę most calculated to engage our attention, under the representation of such things as are in the highest estimation amongst men it is called "a "crown, a crown of righteousness, a crown of મંદ glory; an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, "and that fadeth not away; an habitation of "God, a house made without hands, which is eter"nal in the heavens:" but these representations are so infinitely below the reality, that an inspired prophet, though his language seems to resemble that of angels, and after him an inspired apostle, though actually "rapt up into the third heaven,' received into paradise, and admitted to the con, verse of the blessed inhabitants there, yet when they would give us a description of it, words fail, and thought is lost; all they are able to say is, that

ર eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath "entered into the heart of man, the things which "God hath prepared for them that love him :" we may srettch our imagination, then, to the

highest pitch, and give a full loose to our wishes, without running the smallest risk of disappointment. To seek the kingdom of God implies, in the second place, a preference of choice bestowed upon it, above every thing else. Unless we are convinced of the worth and importance of any object, we shall not be very earnest in our endeavours to obtain it, and this is the reason that the bulk of mankind are so indifferent about the great objects which religion offers to their consideration; they are not convinced of their su perior value, and why?" the God of this world "has blinded their minds," has removed futurity to such a vast distance, that its impression comes with small force upon the mind, and dresses up present and sensual enjoyments in colours so attracting, that these, together with the unhappy bias of our nature, powerfully incline us to the wrong side, There is not, indeed, it may be justly affirmed, a more difficult task, than for creatures of our frame and constitution, creatures in whom the corporeal part bears so very considerable a proportion, to treat future objects as if they were present, and present objects as if they were future, and yet this we must do, if we would make a true estimate of things. When we allow ourselves to think, reason indeed will

soon tell us, that surely a period so short as threescore years and ten, though passed in all the pleasures time can afford, in health, in affluence, in grandeur, in power, that is taking man at his best estate, is not once to be compared with an eternity passed in the enjoyment of God, in the contemplation of his nature and perfections, in admiration of the wonders of providence, and in the most delightful researches into "the height and depth, "the length and breadth," of redeeming love; " that love of God which passeth understanding.' But how does the very shadow of comparison vanish, when we consider man as he really is, a creature of yesterday, uncertain of seeing to-morrow, and that the present hour is filled up with pain, and sorrow, and disappointment; when we consider this state as " an handbreadth or a

span," as already passed away, and eternity as already come, which is in truth the case. It is only by frequently and seriously indulging reflections of this kind, that we shall learn to acquire that indifference for this world, and that value for the future, which is so necessary toward our giving the preference where it is due. But the conduct of mankind is so widely different, that were a being of a superior nature, who was unacquainted with our system, to come into the world,

and observe what passes in it, he would certainly be completely at a loss what notion to form of human nature. He would doubtless think, that man was made just to frolic about for a small space, and then to " lie down to be no more." But should he be informed that man was made for immortality, and that his happiness or misery through the ages of eternity depended entirely upon the manner in which he passed the small portion of time allotted to him in this state, he must imagine the whole of human life an absurdity, a contradiction. But in the third place, "seeking the kingdom of God," implies seeking to be prepared for it; and this is indeed the main scope of our Saviour's precept: "Seek ye first the "kingdom of God and his righteousness,” that is," seek after that holiness which alone pre"pares for the inheritance of the saints in light, “for he that hath this hope in him, purifieth him"self, even as he is pure." The all-wise author of our nature designed man for the enjoyment of himself, and for this end created him in all the dignity of wisdom and innocence, a holy, a perfect creature," writ his law upon his heart" as his rule, erected reason in his breast as his guide, and set up conscience as his overseer and judge: but this happy establishment was but of short continuance; soon did man, who was created so“ up