THE JESSAMINE. 247 



grant that the apostle assures us we must through 

 much tribulation enter the kingdom of heaven ; 

 and that all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall 

 suffer persecution ; but I cannot see that it neces- 

 sarily follows that we are to doubt our adoption, 

 when the Lord, giving us liberally all things to 

 -enjoy, fills our hearts with food and gladness. 

 Ease and prosperity are, in themselves, very try- 

 ing to the Christian ; and he is apt enough, when 

 so tried, finding his corruptions strong, and sin 

 -struggling for the dominion, to prescribe for him- 

 self a course of temporal calamities, as the only 

 effectual remedy ; instead of applying to the sanc- 

 tifying aid of the Holy Spirit, who taught Paul no 

 less how to abound, than how to suffer need. I 

 have often admired the levelling simplicity of that 

 concise portion of our beautiful litany, which bids 

 us pray *' In all time of cur wealth, in all time of 

 our tribulation, good Lord deliver us." One state 

 is not a wit more secure than the other ; we are 

 just as prone to make a popish purgatory of our 

 afflictions, as we are to make a fool's paradise of 

 our joys ; and sinful as it is to repine under the 

 chastening rod, it appears even more inexcusable 

 to grumble at the profusion of our temporal mer- 

 cies. On the other hand, unless in some very 

 peculiar cases, it seems to me quite as unbecoming 

 to make a boast of our calamities, as to glory in 

 our worldly possessions ; for what is it, in fact but 



