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again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever. For you, who are strangers and pilgrims on the earth, as all your fathers were. For you, who are placed in humble circumstances, being numbered with the poor of this world. For you, who are compassed about with so many cares, and who enjoy so few comforts; who are surprised at the fiery trials which try you, as though some strange thing had happened unto you. For you, who are worried and harassed by Satan, who as a roaring lion goeth about seeking whom he may devour. For you, who are persecuted by the world, and hated by all men for your Saviour's sake. For you, to whom Christ is precious, as he is to every one who really believes in him. God's care extends to every Christian; the young and the aged, the weak and the strong, the poor and the wealthy, the doubting and the confident. Believer, He cares for thee.

Who is it that cares for us? It is the Lord, the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy; who is so great, that we have no adequate conception of his greatness; so good, that it is impossible fully to set forth his goodness;

and so glorious, that no sinner can see his face and live. It is He who created all things with his word, who governs all by his wisdom, and upholds all by his power. His resources are infinite, his compassion exquisite, and his patience surprisingly great. He enters into all the circumstances of his people, is ever present with them, and rejoices over them to do them good. The angels obey him, the seraphim adore him, and all creation glorifies him; but though he is so exalted, so happy, and so unspeakably great, he careth for you. For you, mean as you are. For you, sinful as you are. For you, depressed and discouraged as you are. He careth for you. He cares for you individually, and according to the circumstances in which you are placed.

What does he do? He careth for you. He thinks of you. He watches over you. He sympathizes with you. He feels the deepest interest in you. He ever seeks your welfare. He infallibly secures your good. Your misery touches his heart, your wants lie open to his view, and your cries enter into his ears. He cares for you more than for the proudest monarch on his throne, or the mightiest production of his

power. He cares for you, and his care is constant; it is not fitful, or occasional, but ever the same. He cares for you, and his care is paternal; it is the care of a father for his child, the child whom he tenderly loves, and for whose welfare he feels the deepest concern. He cares for you, and his care is perpetual; he will never care for you less than he does at present; when age weakens you, when wants pinch you, when death appears just before you, he will care for you as much as he did in youth, or as he does at this moment. He cares for you, and his care is Deneficial; it prevents innumerable evils, and secures the greatest possible amount of good. It is more advantageous than the care of the kindest father, though that father were monarch of the mightiest empire, and possessed unbounded wealth. The care of God is of more value than the care of all his creatures combined. He careth for you, but his care is mysteriously exercised; it benefits us certainly, but secretly. It conceals itself behind the blessings it brings, and the evils it prevents. He careth for you, and his care is special; it is not the care which he has for the beasts which perish, or the sinners who die under his

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frown. It is care that extends to the very hairs of your heads, which are all numbered; and to all the events and occurrences of life, however minute or commonplace.

Beloved, here is our comfort. We may lose the care of an earthly parent by death, but the Lord ever liveth, and while he lives he cares for us. We may lose the care of a kind and earthly friend, through the malice of a foe or misrepresentations, but the Lord ever loves us, thoroughly knows us, and never ceases to care for us. Here is the ground of our confidence for the future. We cannot put trust in a friend, or put confidence in a guide; we know not where we shall be, nor what we shall be, for we know not what a day may bring forth; but this we know, that God will care for us, and, caring for us, will fulfil his promises to us, and make all his goodness pass before

us.

If God cares for us, then let us cast all our cares upon him; let us live in daily fellowship with him; let us seek all our supplies from him. If God cares for us, let us not dishonour him by nursing our doubts, or encouraging our fears, but let us trust in him at all times, for his word is true, his love is constant, and his knowledge

is perfect. Let us "be careful for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let our request be made known unto God; and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. iv. 6, 7). Let us attend to our Saviour's loving admonition, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" (Matt. vi. 34). We shall never be without a friend, however trying our circumstances may be; or without a guide, however perplexing or difficult our path. The care of God is more than the care of all the angelic hosts; and if the care of God is not sufficient to preserve, supply, and satisfy us, then nothing is. The Lord help us to believe this precious truth, to realise it daily, that we may pass through the present world under the impression, "I am the object of God's tender, paternal, and ceaseless care."

"Oh, lover of sinners, on Thee
My burden of trouble I cast,
Whose care and compassion for me
For ever and ever shall last,"

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