would the fight of the fairest face of the most celebrated beauty, prove loathfome to that eye that once could delight in nothing fo much as gazing upon its charms, if the covering of the tomb were removed, and the putrid carcafe expofed. The lover who once with rapture beheld and praised its form and beauties, and thought himself happy no where else but in her presence; all aghaft would turn from beholding so difagreeable a spectacle! Follow him to the tomb, my foul, and learn the truth of what the wife man faith, Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain, Prov. xxxi. 30.

It is only grace and virtue that will outlive the ravages of the grave. Not defpifing the rofe on the cheek, the flower of grace in the heart, is incomparably better: and where these two cannot be found together, but come in competition with each other, the latter be my choice; this will add a fweet fragrancy to domeftic life, and leave a pleasant scent behind it, while the other lies rotting in the tomb.

CONTEMPLATION XII.

ON

BEES.

THI

HIS walk is truly delightful; nor would I exchange the pleasure it affords in folitude for all the fplendid entertainments and giddy amusements of public life; while I only read, or rather attempt to read in the volume of nature a few letters of the outlines of the wonderful works of that Almighty Being, who fpake, and it was done, commanded and it stood fast, Pfal. хххііі. 9.

What an agreeable humming do thefe bufy infects make, while they roam amid the funny beams, thro' the fields and meadows, exploring every new born herb, while from the heath primroses and violets they chiefly extract their delicious load, which they bear with joy to their common store.

May I like them, amid the cheering beams of the Sun of righteousness, with my fancy roam through the works of creation, providence, and redemption, these fields of inexpreffible delight, admiring with wonder and gratitude every work of God: but chiefly extracting from the precious promifes, these ineftimable flowers of grace which grow in the field of the fcriptures; foul-reviving sweets, not only for my present comfort and fubfiftence, but for a store against the winter of desertion, when no green thing may appear to me to flourish in all that precious field, owing to keen convictions under fuch darkness, which, like nipping frofts freeze up almoft every com

fort of the foul: The benefit of this Davidand Heman experienced in fuch a time.

They will also prove cordials in the moments of diffolution, when every thing else in the world is of no avail: An apostle calls fuch flowers exceeding great and precious, 2 Pet. i. 4. to which all the faints on earth, and all the redeemed in heaven will put to their hearty Amen.

grace,

These little bees are bufy all the spring, fummer, and harvest, in providing for the approaching winter. O my foul, learn a leffon from the bees and ants, to make much of thy time, improving the feafon of by laying up for thyfelf treasures in heaven! Matth. vi. 20. And may God of his infinite mercy, forbid that ever thou have to complain, with the church of old, "The "harvest is past, the fummer is ended, and

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we are not faved," Jer. viii. 20. That this may not be the doleful cafe, seeing that there is yet balm in Gilead, fly on the wings of faith to that plant of renown, the Lord Jefus Chrift, whose name is as ointment poured forth, Cant. i. 3. (which attracts all virgin bees, even true believers to this flower, who fprang from the root of Jeffe) and there by the mouth of faith feed in time, and lay up for eternity.