I not therefore to apprehend the most severe pu nishment his juftice has laid on others? This difcourfe is more reasonable, I am fure, and more fecure. How many poor creatures have argued themselves into hell with this; Why Should I be taken off on the fudden, rather than thousands that are not? But, in fine, many have been, and so may you it is therefore dangerous to fall into fin, and a madness to fleep in it.

When one of Jofeph's brethren was condemned to ftay in Egypt, as an hoftage, all melted into tears. The common fophifm, Why Should I be the man? was unable to stop their grief, or to calm their trouble. The fentence pronounced in general alarmed every one yet what could they fear, but a fhort banishment, a long reftraint, or, at most, a painful death? Good God! how prepofterous are our proceedings? we fob, we weep, we move heaven and fometimes hell, to wave a temporal misfortune but if the queftion be to ward off a blow, that wounds mortally and eternally too, like men ftruck with an univerfal palfy, we open our eyes to see the danger; but have neither legs to fly the peril, nor courage to refift it. Like the wild bull, mentioned in the prophet Isaiah, chap. li. we fleep in the very fnares of our enemies, with this only fecurity, Perchance God will give me time to repent. Thus we venture an eternity upon one caft of a die, upon a wretched perchance, upon a moment that never will be at our difpofal!

When the plague invades a town, good God! how are we alarmed? Same retire, others arm themselves with prefervatives; all break off commerce, and bid adieu to converfation. Balls, comedies, entertainments, ceafe; pleasure gives place to fecurity. Why all this ferment? all this hurry? we fear death. Shall the fear of death over-power our inclinations to pleasure, and damnation be re

garded

garded with unconcern? with infenfibility? Is the death of the body fo great an evil, that it deferves to be avoided? and that of the foul fo inconfiderable, that it is below our thought? Oh! in howunequal fcales do we weigh temporal misfortunes, and eternal! we caft all our care upon things that deferve contempt, and refufe a thought to those that call for our whole application.

Seeing therefore God has prepared a hell for the impenitent, and a heaven for the contrite, fleep not one moment in fin: to-day it is in your power to obtain pardon; perhaps to-morrow may lay you under a fatal neceffity of defpair. Did ever patient forbid the doctor to prefcribe a medicine, till the disease was grown too ftrong for phyfick ? poor finner! you are fick, and fick to death: God prescribes repentance, as an infallible restorative; you are not yet difpofed to take it: no, to-morrow will be time enough; that is, perchance, when there will be no time for you; when your doom is pronounced, and the fentence of damnation is irrevocable. Is the lofs of a fhort life of more concern, than an eternal death? Why then did Chrift free us from this, at the expence of his blood, and leave us under the tyranny of that?

Jofeph and the Virgin returned immediately to Jerufalem in fearch of Jesus. Tears, forrow, and follicitude accompanied them: and yet they spent three days in the fearch. After three days, they found him in the temple. And, if it be fo hard to find him, when loft without fault, how hard must it be for finners to find him, who have loft him by their crimes? notwithstanding the difficulty, we often by dilatory put-off's referve fickness for the fearch, to wit, a time when we are unable to do any thing; when the difeafe has exhaufted our fpirits, weakened our brain, and almoft eclipfed reafon yet in this hurry, in this ftate of languor

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and

and imbecillity, we pretend to find Jefus; I mean to repent seriously, to deteft our darling vices, to hate what he forbids, to love what he commands; in fine, to be all pleasure one moment, all mortification the other; profane this inftant, pious the next; and in one minute to be a madman, and an hermit. These changes are not wrought fo foon. The paffage from one extreme to the other is long; it requires grace and time, a hazardous conteft with flesh and blood, and a glorious victory over Satan. I know it is poffible: but whofoever embarks his falvation upon a bare poffibility, runs great hazard of a fhipwreck.

O my God! thou willeft not the death of a finner; and therefore, if I mifcarry, my ruin must lie at my own door. I refolve rather to forfeit my life, than my innocence; but if, through weakness, I offend thy goodness, I will hope in thy mercy, and never provoke thy juftice by procrastination. Who defers repentance, endangers his falvation: to refuse pardon when offered, is the shortest way to die without it.

EPISTLE to the Romans, Chap. xii. Verse

6. Having then gifts, differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophefy according to the proportion of faith:

7. Or ministry, let us wait on our miniftring; or be that teacheth, on teaching;

8. Or be that exhorteth, on exhortation: be that giveth, let bim do it with fimplicity; be that ruleth, with diligence; be that fheweth mercy, with chearfulness.

9. Let love be without diffimulation, abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good.

10. Be kindly affectioned one to another, with brotherly love, in honour preferring one another.

11. Not fothful in business: fervent in Spirit; Serving the Lord:

12. Rejoycing in hope; patient in tribulation, continuing inftant in prayer:

13. Diftributing to the neceffity of the faints; given to hofpitality.

14. Bless them which perfecute you: bless, and curse not.

15. Rejoyce with them that do rejoyce, and weep with them that weep.

16. Be of the fame mind one towards another. Mind not high things, but condefcend to men of low eftate. Be not wife in your own conceits.

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The MORAL REFLECTION.

AINT Paul compares the church to a natural body; and, as this is composed of divers parts, to which our Creator has affigned different functions; fo in his mystical body (the church) Chrift has appointed different orders, or claffes of men, and cut out their employments; that the one not interfering with the office of another, peace, order, and decency may be preferved, and by confequence a juft fubordination, which makes up the perfection and happiness of fociety: fome are impowered to explain the fcriptures, and preach the word; others to affift the poor with feasonable alms, and the fick with christian exhortations: In fine, he has drawn up a scheme of the duty both of lay-perfons and ecclefiaftick, and prescribes a fhort method to every different order in the church; that all may acquit themselves with advantage of the functions proper to their station.

First,

First, He that ruleth, with diligence; he that has care of fouls, muft discharge his office with all diligence, pain, and follicitude; as he fits in the place of Christ, so he must propofe to himself his zeal for a pattern: it is a post of merit, if well complied with, and subject to great inconveniences, if neglected he muft not flatter the rich, nor overlook the poor; thofe are not above his care, nor these below it; he must instruct both in their duty, and perfwade them to practise it by all the arguments of love and charity. He must pretend to no other intereft but the good of his flock, but to labour in this world, and to expect his reward in the other: for whofoever is a flave to profit, will betray their fouls, who are able to improve his fortune, or to fink it. He will wink at their vices, to court their favour, and barter both confcience and character for a benefice.

Secondly, He that fheweth mercy, with chearfulnefs. In the primitive church deacons were intrufted with the diftribution of those alms, the faithful laid at the apoftles feet, for the relief of their neceffitous brethren. It was their duty to vifit the fick, to enquire into the neceffities of the faithful, and to proportion their contribution to every one's circumftan

Here the apoftle prefcribes the manner of their behaviour in the discharge of their office, with chearfulness. They muft rejoice, that God presents an occafion of exercifing charity. Who gives an alms, receives a greater; fo that he obliges himself, more than the receiver; for what he gives is temporal, but the return is eternal; fo that he neither fpends his labour, nor his money gratis; but lays out both to intereft, and God engages for the reimbursement. Chrift affures us, that whofoever, out of a motive of charity, vifits the fick, or the prifoner, or even gives a cup of cold water, shall not fall fhort of a reward,