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The swallow teaches her young ones to take food in the air, in this manner: While they are playing near where the dam is hawking for flies, and the latter has caught a mouthful, by a signal given by the parent, the young one and she advance towards each other, and meet at an angle, when the old one imparts what it has taken into the mouth of its offspring, which, all the time it is receiving, utters a small twittering note of gratitude.

O that parents of the human kind, would learn from this instance what duty they owe to their tender progeny, even that of accustoming them early to attend on the public ordinances of the gospel, by bringing them to the house of God to get spiritual food for their souls, and taking pains to impart unto them Christian knowledge. For Such a blessing children ought to utter songs of gratitude to God, and to bless him for such parents.

The swallow, too, acts as an excubitor for several other small birds, and when it spies the hawk approaching, sounds the alarm; then presently all the others that are near

collect in a body, and give battle to their common enemy, by rising up high in the air, and coming down with force on their foe: this they do again and again, till he is beat far from their place of residence. Just so should ministers of the gospel, those watchmen which are set on the walls of Jerusalem, Isa. lxii. 6. do, when they observe the people in danger of being destroyed with respect to their spiritual interest, whether by innovations in religion, the spread of error, the infringement of their sacred privileges, or in any other way whatever; then it is they ought to put the trumpet to their mouths and sound an alarm, Hos. viii. 1. Joel ii. 1. even warn the people, so that their blood may not be required at their hands, Ezek. xxxiii. 3--6. and also do what in them lies to arm and strengthen them against such spiritual enemies, collecting, as it were, all their force together, rising up to heaven in prayer, and using the weapons of their warfare, which are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ and

having in a readiness to revenge all disobedi ence, when their obedience is fulfilled, 2 Cor. x. 4---6. and thus beat and banish such errors, innovations, and corruptions, whether in doctrine, worship, or discipline, away from the church of Christ.

This bird is said to be most alert in time of thunder, when sulphurous clouds are impending. In like manner should all truet believers be most active in fleeing to God by prayer, in humbling themselves, and in performing the other duties of a Christian life, when the Lord's judgments are abroad in the earth, and heavy clouds of his displeasure hang over a guilty land.

When the Lord's voice of judgments crieth to a city, country-side, or nation at large, those alone are the men of wisdom that see his name, hearkening to the rod, and Him who hath appointed it, Mic. vi. 9. well knowing that sin is the procuring cause of all evil; and it is not for nought when God lifteth up his hand to punish a nation, or people; for he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men, Lam. iii. 33.

Whether therefore his judgments be on nations, families, or individuals, they ought to have this effect, to make all. who are concerned learn righteousness.

It is an awful circumstance, and a sign of great depravity, when they still remain careless at such stupidity the prophet seemeth to have been deeply affected, when he crieth . out, Lord, when thy hand is lifted up they "will not see: but they shall see.” Isa. xxvi. 11. So they that will not see the Lord's hand in a way of mercy, shall in a way of judg

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It was when Jonah thundered in the ears of the Ninevites, "Yet forty days, and Ni"neveh shall be overthrown," that the inhabitants thereof “ believed God, and pro" claimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from, "the greatest of them even to the least of “ them : for word came unto the king of Ni، neveh : and he arose from his throne, and, " he laid his robe from him, and covered him “ with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he

caused it to be proclaimed and published "through Nineveh (by the decree of the king tf and his nobles) saying, Let neither man

nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: "let them not feed nor drink water: but let

man and beast be covered with sackcloth, " and cry mightily unto God; yea, let them "turn every one from his evil way, and from "the violence that is in their hands. Who "can tell if God will turn, and repent, and "turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their works, "that they turned from their evil way; and "God repented of the evil that he said hẹ "would do unto them; and he did it not,' Jonah iii. 4. to the end.

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We see what a blessed effect such humiliation had; and shall heathens put Christians to shame? Shall we in this land, in the year 1801, when the Lord is thundering over our guilty heads in his awful judgments, by war abroad, tumults and famine at home, with disorders in the state, and divisions in the church, such as never were known in the annals of Britain, not humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and cry mightily unto him, that he would avert the judgments, which, like dismal clouds, not only gather thicker and thicker, but

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