the heart-may please himself with being a defender of christianity, but muft not conceive him felf to be a difciple of Chrift.-Thefe obfervations will explain what is here meant by the advantages of religious meditation. Unless it go to the heart and direct the practice, it has little ufe. And to this end, it is not cafually thinking on these subjects, that will produce the effect. The mind must be brought often to them-the heart muft be frequently queftioned-and a comparifon between precept and practice often made.

LIII.

Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be loft.-John vi. 12.

THERE is fomething rather fingular in this

piece of inftruction. That our bleffed Saviour, who could multiply food as he pleased, and had just been giving an inftance of that power, should think it of any moment to fave the fragments of what he had juft been creating, and could as easily create again, could have no meaning, but as a piece of inftruction to us. It is ftill more fingular, when we confider, that the care of thefe fragments is omitted by none of the four evangelifts; and is mentioned by them altogether not less than eight or nine times.

We have the fame leffon taught us in the grand works of nature; on which our Saviour's injunction in the text may be called a comment. Let us look where we will among the works of the great Creator, we fhall find it a maxim univerfally obferved, that nothing fhall be lol. The moft infignificant pile of grafs is meant to be the food

of

of fome animal; and when redundant, unites again with the earth to make up its continual wafte. The death of one animal is the food of another. Not an atom is loft. Every drop of water performs a conftant rotation. It is rarified in clouds —falls in rain—and returns to the fea, either by flowing in rivers, or by being percolated through the earth.

What then are we to learn from thefe leffons of religion, and nature?

That waste of every kind is contrary to both.

Ideas of juftice bring us to the fame conclufion. No man has a right to more than his fhare. What you waste, another wants.

These high authorities place in a strong light the exceffes of a modern elegant table. It cannot poffibly be furnished without great waste; and has nothing in apology, but the vitiated fashions of the times.

LIV.

Bear ye one another's burdens, and fo fulfil the law of Chrift for every man fhall bear his own burden-Galatians vi. 2.

MANY are the burdens we all have to bear in

this world; and great is the relief, which we all may receive from the kindness of others. Ignorance is a burden-ficknefs is a burden-af fliction is a burden-poverty is a burden-and vice is a greater burden than any of them.

To induce us to the charitable office of afsisting to bear each other's burdens, the apoftle in the text fets before us two inducements: first, becaufe it fulfils the law of Chrift; and fecondly, becaufe every man fhall bear his own burden.

The law of Chrift is an obvious reason; but it does not fo readily appear, that we should bear the burden of others, because every man fhall bear his own. Yet when we reflect, that the better we perform our duty, the less we shall have to answer for, it follows, by a kind of inverse ratio that the more we bear each others burdens, the lighter we make

our own.

Whofe

LV.

Whofe image and fuperfcription hath it?-Luke

xx. 24.

A

man may be examined, as our Saviour examined a coin. Whofe image and fuperscription hath he? To whom doth he belong? With whofe name is he infcribed?

But this is rather too dangerous a mode of exa- '. mination to be carried into practice. It may lead to false judgements.

do I find there?

I fhould rather advife every man therefore to make it his own criterion. Let him examine his own heart by it. Whofe image and fuperfcription Do I fee the world, and all its pleasures portrayed? Do I read the infcription? Thefe are the things my heart is fet on.-Or, do I fee in it the image of a divine Saviour; and fee it infcribed with the holy doctrines of the gospel.?

N. B. This fubject may be enlarged by confidering the various images and fuperfcriptions, which we may all find in our own hearts.

I