THE JESSAMINE. 247 



grant that the apostle assures us we must tlirough 

 much tribulation enter the kingdom of heaven ; 

 and that all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall 

 suflfer 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 

 eTectual 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 our wealth, in all time of 

 our tribulation, good Lord deliver us." One stale 

 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 



