just to contradict these dark, slavish notions,--just to testify
that God is a GIVER, and knows our necessities before we ask and
gives us all things, even as He gave us His Blessed Son--freely,
long before we wanted them,--from the foundation of all things,
before ever the earth and the world was made--from all eternity,
perpetual love, perpetual bounty.

What does this text teach us? To look at God as Him who gives to
all freely and upbraideth not. It says to us,--Do not suppose that
your crops grow of themselves. God waters the hills from above. He
causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and the green herb for the
service of man. Do not suppose that He cares nothing about seeing
you comfortable and happy. It is He, He only who sends all which
strengthens man's body, and makes glad his heart, and makes him of a
cheerful countenance. His will is that you should be cheerful. Ah,
my friends, if we would but believe all this!--we are too apt to say
to ourselves, 'Our earthly comforts here have nothing to do with
godliness or God, God must save our souls, but our bodies we must
save ourselves. God gives us spiritual blessings, but earthly
blessings, the good things of this life, for them we must scramble
and drudge ourselves, and get as much of them as we can without
offending God;'--as if God grudged us our comforts! as if godliness
had not the promise of this life as well as the life to come! If we
would but believe that God knows our necessities before we ask--that
He gives us daily more than we can ever get by working for it!--if
we would but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
all other things would be added to us; and we should find that he
who loses his life should save it. And this way of looking at God's
earth would not make us idle; it would not tempt us to sit with
folded hands for God's blessings to drop into our mouths. No! I