CONTEMPLATION ΧΙ.

ON

A FLOWER

GROWING IN A FIELD.

PASSING by a flowery garden, and

looking over the wall, I beheld

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mong the flowers some of the footsteps of the renowned, pious, and justly celebrated Mr James Hervey.

Therefore, lest I should rather draw a veil over the beauties he had exhibited than unfold any more of their charms, I did not dare to enter; but shall now content myself with contemplating this flower of the field, which here grows in all the fimplicity of nature, displaying an elegance of taste, and beauty of form far furpaffing the touch of the skilfullest pencil on earth! all the works of nature which we behold, whether in the heavens above, or on the earth beneath, shew to the eye of penetration, what they proclaim aloud in the ear of reafon, namely, the hand that made them is divine: "For the invisible "things of him from the creation of the "world, are clearly seen, being under"stood by the things that are made, even " his eternal power and godhead," Rom. i. 20.

This every one may tead in the page of nature, and I at present see it manifested in the texture, growth, and foliage of this charm of the field.

How exquifitely beautiful and various are its colours! Could mortal man have tinged it so, or distributed them in such juft proportion? Where are now the painters of Greece, and those well skilled

in eastern dyes? This flower looks them all out of countenance. When compared with its beauties at hand, their finest dyes and paintings are not only coarse, but ugly in the extreme; Solomon in all " his glory was not arrayed like one of these," Matt. vi. 29.

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Whence then hath it that delicacy of shape, comeliness of form, odoriferous smell, beauty and variety of colour? Is it from chance, that deity only in name? No, surely; for then chance might as often make and rear up this flower mishapen, ugly, and confused in its dyes, as beautiful and orderly, which is never once the cafe: that plainly shews it to be made and reared by some unerring hand, who never once misseth the least tinge, or maketh the least irregularity in form or foliage.

Is it nature, then? No, but the God of nature, whose infinite power, wisdom, purity and goodness is confpicuous, even in this little charm of the field: for what but infinite power, and confummate wisdom, could have made this beautiful plant out

of a mafs of earth, and that itself out of nothing; tinged it with fuch delightful colours, and adjusted their proportion fo nicely. The beauty and innocence of it, together with its fragrancy, tend to calm the ruffled paffions of its beholders when gazing upon it; while it raises a pleasing sensation through all the foul, which sheweth that the Creator of this lovely flower, is certainly pure, holy, and lovely himfelf. And when I confider that this delightful plant was created for the pleasure of man, yes, for man alone, for the beasts of the field, and fowls of the air seem to derive no good or delight from it; it leads me to contemplate the goodness of God, who indulgeth his creature man with the innocent pleasures of life. How ungrateful then must he be, to take pleafure in those things which are offenfive to fuch a kind Creator? But as his infinite power, wisdom, purity and goodness, shine forth in the making and rearing of this plant, infinitely more so do they shine forth with resplendant luftre, in raising up for man a plant of renown, Ezek. xxxiv. 29. even the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mediator between God and man, who is the

Rose of Sharon, and Lily of the vallies, Cant. ii. 1. whose name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love him, Cant. i. 3. and well may believers love him who loved them, and hath given himself for them an offering and a facrifice to God for a fweet smelling favour, Eph. v. 2. in him mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other, Pfal. lxxxv. 10. the justice of God fatisfied, and the mercy of God glorified: And for ever blessed be his name, that he is not compared to a flower in the garden, where few have liberty to come, but to the rofe of Sharon, and lily of the vallies, to which all have free access who will.

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This flower here, growing in obfcurity, scatters its odours around, and displays its charms in vain with respect to human beholders: it springs up, blows, flourishes, decays and dies in this waste, without perhaps ever being feen or admired by any, unless it be some tranfient wanderer: which brings to my recollection those beautiful lines of the celebrated Mr Gray;

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