SPECTATOR, No 441.

MAN, confidered in himself, is a very

helplefs and a very wretched being.

He is fubject every moment to the greatest calamities and misfortunes. He is befet with dangers on all fides, and may become unhappy by numberlefs cafualties, which he could not forefee, nor have prevented, had he foreseen them.

It is our comfort, while we are obnoxious to so many accidents, that we are under the care of one who directs contingencies, and has in his hands the management of every thing that is capable of annoying or offending us, who knows the affiftance we ftand in need of, and is always ready to bestow it on those who ask it of him.

The natural homage, which fuch a creature bears to fo infinitely wife and good a Being, is a firm reliance on him for the bleffings and conveniencies of life, and an habitual truft in him for deliverance out of all fuch dangers and difficulties as may befall us.

The man, who always lives in this dif pofition of mind, has not the fame dark and melancholy views of humane nature, as he who confiders himself abftractedly from this relation to the fupreme Being. At the

fame

fame time that he reflects upon his own weakness and imperfection, he comforts himself with the contemplation of those divine attributes, which are imployed for his fafety and his welfare. He finds his want of forefight made up by the omniscience of him who is his fupport. He is not fenfible of his own want of ftrength, when he knows that his helper is Almighty. In fhort, the person who has a firm trust on the fupreme Being, is powerful in his power, wife by his wisdom, happy by his happiness. He reaps the benefit of every divine attribute, and lofes his own infufficiency in the fullnefs of infinite perfection.

To make our lives more eafy to us, we are commanded to put our truft in him, who is thus able to relieve and fuccour us; the divine goodness having made fuch a reliance a duty, notwithstanding we fhould have been miferable had it been forbidden

us.

Among feveral motives which might be made ufe of to recommend this duty to us, I fhall only take notice of those that follow. The first and ftrongeft is, that we are promised, He will not fail those who put their Truft in him..

But without confidering the fupernatural bleffing which accompanies this duty, we C 2

may

may observe that it has a natural tendency to its own reward, or in other words, that this firm trust and confidence in the great difpofer of all things, contributes very much to the getting clear of any affliction, or to the bearing it manfully. A Perfon who believes he has his fuccour at hand, and that he acts in the fight of his friend, often exerts himself beyond his abilities, and does wonders that are not to be matched by one who is not animated with fuch a confidence of fuccefs. I could produce inftances from hiftory, of generals, who out of a belief that they were under the protection of some invifible affiftant, did not only encourage their foldiers to do their utmost, but have acted themselves beyond what they would have done, had they not been inspired by fuch a belief. I might in the fame manner fhew how fuch a truft in the afsistance of an almightyBeing, naturally produces patience, hope, chearfulness, and all other difpofitions of mind, that alleviate thofe calamities which we are not able to remove.

The practice of this virtue administers great comfort to the mind of man in times of poverty and affiction, but most of all in the hour of death. When the foul is hovering in the last moments of its feparation, when it is just entring on another state of existence,

existence, to converfe with fcenes, and objects, and companions that are altogether new; what can fupport her under fuch tremblings of thought, fuch fear, fuch anxiety, fuch apprehenfions, but the cafting of all her cares upon him who first gave her being, who has conducted her through one ftage of it, and will be always with her to guide and comfort her in her progress through eternity?

David has very beautifully represented this steady reliance on God Almighty in his twenty third Pfalm, which is a kind of Paftoral Hymn, and filled with those allufions which are usual in that kind of writing. As the poetry is very exquifite, I fhall prefent reader with the following translation

my

of it.

I.

The Lord my pafture fhall prepare,
And feed me with a shepherd's care:
His prefence fball my wants fupply,
And guard me with a watchful eye;
My noon-day walks he fball attend,
And all my mid-night hour's defend.

II.

When in the fultry glebe I faint,
Or on the thirsty mountain pant;

To

To fertile vales, and dewy meads
My weary wand'ring ftets he leads;
Where peaceful rivers, foft and flow,
Amid the verdant landskip flow.

III.

Tho' in the paths of death I tread,
With gloomy horrors overspread,
My fteadfast heart fball fear no ill,
For thou, O Lord, art with me ftill,
Thy friendly crook fhall give me aid,
And guide me through the dreadful fhade.

IV.

Tho' in a bare and rugged way,
Through devious lonely wilds Iftray,
Thy bounty fball my pains beguile:
The barren wilderness ball fmile,
With fudden greens and herbage crown'd,
And ftreams fball murmur all around.

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HYMN I.

Of Redeeming Love. 148th Pfalm Tune.

I Will my praifes fing

To thee, redeeming King;