Would his diftrefs be relieved because he fees others plentifully provided with the accommodations he is continually withing for? -No ;-an occafional refreshment, or even a feaft, where he is but the guest of the day, will only open his eyes more fenfibly to his own deplorable fituation.

Now that we may have a proper relish for the good things with which our gracious Father's table is here most plentifully fupplied, -we should provide for ourselves the feftal garment of the Gospel; that is, we should come to the heavenly banquet with suitable difpofitions, our minds enraptured with the thought of what we are hereafter to enjoy,-of what every true believer, if he acts confiftently with his belief, is certain he shall enjoy hereafter among the happy fpirits of Saints departed,—of bleffed angels,—and of God himself. The first step to be taken to accommodate the appetite of our fouls to the true taste of those spiritual dainties, will be to recollect the continual difgufts, the various disappointments which we experience amidst all the hospitality that the best things of this world are capable of affording us in a mere unregenerated natural state.—This sad leffon of fatiety without fatisfaction, is a kind of bitter to keep in view the allegory of our text, which will certainly prepare our palates for the bread which cometh down from heaven, and for those living waters, which will be in him that drinketh at Chrift's holy fountain,-a well fpringing up into everlasting

life.

Beloved,-feeing the food is defirable to make a man wife,though wormwood to the tafte; let us for a moment contemplate those natural and unavoidable misfortunes to which we are liable in this fluctuating state of things,—from the first tender lamentation of our helpless infancy to the laft deep groan of age,-short must have been his time of fojourning here below, or very fuperficial his observation who has not yet felt the truth of the preacher's exclamation-vanity of vanities!-all is vanity!-no fublunary object whatsoever

whatsoever is capable of fatisfying the exalted defires of an immortal foul and when to the unfatisfying nature of the good things, we add the long catalogue of the, unavoidable evils of life;—when we reflect how many there are whofe only potion is the bread of tears and plenteousness of tears to drink, we must confefs that what way foever we turn our eyes, humanity is diftreffed. The fad fcene discloses itself in every point of view, and opens upon us in uncomfortable profpects from every quarter of the globe :-but for ever bleffed be the God of all mercies! in that he hath by his holy fcriptures afforded us a fure remedy for every evil that can befal us in our mortal state: and in their room hath presented to our view an object fully adequate to our defires; namely, the fure and certain hope of a future and better world.-Now, would we but let faith have her perfect work, this glorious expectation would fill up this valley of forrows,—make all these crooked paths perfectly plain and easy before us; and in fome measure allay that unextinguishable thirst of happiness indelibly rooted in the human foul.And thus convinced that man doth not live by bread alone,-but that the comfort of our existence muft depend upon that word of revelation which proceedeth out of the mouth of God: fhall wewhen he hath prepared his dinner,-and his oxen and fatlings are killed, can we turn our backs on the holy table of religion,-going one to his farm,—and another to his merchandize?-Shall we continue to rise up early, and fo late take reft, and eat the bread of carefulness all our days, in order to acquire more of this world, than we can either want or enjoy?-Should we not, on the contrary, ftand aghaft at the deplorable madness and folly of those men whofe eager pursuits after these vain, unfatisfactory and fugatious advantages, have blinded their eyes to the profpect of a blessed eternity ?—Who mistaking their passage for their port, are heaping up pungent disappointment and difguft to themselves, by ftill doatingly crying to their hearts,-It is good for us to be here!—Yes;-our

treasure

treasure is in heaven,-there confequently should our hearts be alfo: -Dearly beloved, faith the apostle,—I beseech you, as strangers, and pilgrims here upon earth, abstain from every worldly defire that is inconfiftent with fuch a condition,-every thing that may encumber you in your progress towards that place :—or as certain of our own poets has well expreffed the fentiment.

Ah, pilgrim turn!-thy cares forego;

For earth-born cares are wrong:
Man wants but little here below;
Nor wants that little long.

DR. GOLDSMITH.

If then we would act wifely,—or in any degree suitably to our prefent condition; if we would follow the things that make unto our peace; we must leave the world and its important concerns at proper diftance ;-purfue our true intereft-the intereft of eternal life; and when we have once taught ourselves to thirst for living waters, and heavenly food, our most natural and necessary viaticum in the spiritual journey, we shall then, with hearts, filled with the warmest gratitude, recollect the great obligation we lie under to those that heretofore were properly attentive to these wants:-those that first felt the famine of hearing God's words, and adverted to the means which providence fet before them; whereby not only their own immediate wants were relieved, but fome provifion was fecured for the benefit of future ages.

And here justice demands that we should place in the foremost rank of these, the then inhabitants of this hamlet.-Their numbers were few ;-but their zeal was ardent.-It was certainly a great and generous undertaking for so small a community, not only to build an elegant church by their own voluntary contributions, but to settle a decent fupport for a minister. The papers and writings relative

relative to this chapelry have at times been in fo many various hands, that notwithstanding there are perfons yet living who may remember its first erection; yet, in many particulars, our best and most certain information must be taken from the uninterrupted practice of the last thirty or forty years only.-The PEWS were, perhaps, the only original endowment, which, by the best information we could ever procure, have not been encreased in their rents fince their first inftitution. In the body of the church, they are equal to any establishment of its kind in this neighbourhood; and confequently, when first rated, confidering the then comparatively fcarcity of money, were a generous valuation.-We cannot give you a better idea of the sense these our worthy predeceffors entertained of the famine of hearing the words of the Lord,-than by an extract from the warrant given at the court at Kenfington, the 28th day of June, 1712.

ANNA REGINA.

"Whereas many of our good fubjects inhabitants of the hamlet "of KEW, within the parish of Kingston upon Thames, in our

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County of Surrey, have by their petition humbly represented unto "us, that by reafon of their very great diftance from their faid. parish-church, they are hindered from reforting so frequently as "they ought to the public worship of God, which they esteemed a "most grievous calamity ;-they have therefore most humbly pray"ed, inasmuch as they have begun, and by the bleffing of God on "their endeavours, with great fuccefs carried on a subscription for erecting a chapel, &c.—That we would be graciously pleafed, to grant them our leave to erect and build the faid chapel on the "fouth fide of KEW GREEN."

These faithful stewards of the Lord were not only folicitous for their own times but prudentially took care that their work should not fail through the inattention or lukewarmnefs of fucceffors.VOL. III. Cc

They

They purchased therefore certain woodlands, which were conveyed to them in trust.-In the first place, to fupport, uphold, and keep. in good repair the chapel fo erected; and until the faid chapel fhould ftand in need of fuch repair, the produce of the faid lands. hould be received, taken and enjoyed by the curate of the faid chapel, towards his fupport and maintenance. The names of the Trustees, as appears by an engraved plate, which has been carefully. preserved, were SIR CHARLES EYRE, TREASURER, JOHN LELY, ESQ. CHRISTOPHER APPLEBY, ESQ. MR. EDWARD MOUNTNEY,. MR. JEREMIAH MURDEN, and others the inhabitants of KewGreen." O Lord, hear the fupplication of thy people, and grant "that the zeal which these thy fervants departed have fo well expreffed towards thy ordinances, and thy holy temple may be had "in everlasting remembrance."

The ground on which this church is built was graciously given. by that eminently pious perfonage. QUEEN ANNE;-a Queen, whofe virtues were as exalted as her station; whofe affection for the established church of this land will remain recorded to her honour to latest posterity.What a glorious instance of royal munificence was her grant of the revenues of the first-fruits and tenths for the perpetual augmentation of small livings.—True it is, ia this opulent neighbourhood, where christian benevolence delights. to hold her feat-inftances of real diftrefs among the clergy is peradventure scarcely to be found; but were we able to defcribe the miseries and diftreffes that attend the lower clergy in other parts of the kingdom, we should prefent a picture to your imagination. too gloomy and too affecting for your tender natures to bear.-. Were they to pass in review before you, what numbers would you: behold finking by flow and infenfible degrees into defpondency and. defpair? Scoffed at, despised, and trampled upon by perfons every way their inferiors, but in one article; defrauded of half that fcanty pittance by perverfe and litigious men, and compelled to facrifice