we have them; with pain when we leave them; and with grief when they leave us : at best they are but fickly dying friends: fcarcely have we feen them, when they give up the ghoft; they perish in our fond embrace, and leave a throbbing heart. How quickly the rich fons of wealth flow down the ftreams of false enchanting joy, into a lafting ruin! How faft the flowing fpring of youth iffues m the ardent fummer of mid life! next their half-fober autumn fades into age; and pale wintery death concludes the scene. Where now their empty dreams of greatnefs! their longing after fame! their restless cares their bufy bustling nights and days! their gay-spent fashionable nights! their veering thoughts between good and ill! their sparkling eyes! their charming tongue! their round of merriment and whim! How often these dreamers of the earth are but an idle blank, an useless load! nay, worfe, how often they all day long in fordid pleasures roll, and launch into the deeps of riot and extravagance! how often they fquander on their fcoundrel train, what might have cheered an helpless family!How of ten death crowns their midnight bowl, and laughs at them who laugh at him!-Our inheritance is not as theirs our enemies themselves being judges: Jefus, the alone portion of my cup, and my inheritance for ever, is ever, is univerfally fweet and charming: how infinitely glorious, firm, and commodious, is the Lord, my habitation! what ravishing profpect of cternity, palt and future! what tranfporting views of God as LOVE! what wholesome air of divine influence! what broad river of life have I in him! whatever I can fee is mine own; and I enjoy it all IN Gon. Nor fhall death, nor life, nor any other crea ture, be ever able to feparate me from the love of God, which is in Chrift Jefus my Lord. Say then, my foul, would I exchange my property with this

nobleman's?

nobleman's? or even with ten thousand worlds? No, they fhould be utterly contemned; the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage." I am JEHOVAH's; and JEHOVAH is mine; my GoD, and mine ALL.

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"HERE the beggar accofts me; had I appeared แ as himfelf, he had asked nothing: but now he uncovers, he cringeth, he cries for relief." Lord, let me never ask help from the creatures which are as poor, as dependent, as myself; but with humility, with carneftnefs, let me addrefs thee, my great ALL, for the fupply of all my wants; thy liberal foul de wifeth liberal things, and by liberal things shall thy fame for ever ftand. "Mark how he difcovers his ailment "to move my pity!" Let me confefs my trefpaffes unto the Lord, bewail my fins and plagues before him, that he may graciously look upon me, forgive my guilt, and heal my malady. "Ah, how tattered "and nafty the unhappy wretch!" "Mifchievous wafter, fin, what haft thou done to thy votaries?Alas! I am" all as an unclean thing, and my rightteoufnefs as filthy rags." "He is a wicked fellow; "he lightly mentions my great Maker's name; there→ "fore I'll give him, nothing." Stop, my foul, what if God fhould fo deal with thee? Did not Jefus die for the ungodly? did he not give himself for, and to, ME, the chief of finners?-Canft thou pretend to bẹ a Chriftian, and yet refufe to imitate him? "But let "others who are richer give." Foolish heart, is not this poor man a collector of JEHOVAH's revenues ?... Owe I nothing to my Lord? owe I not my foul, my all, to him? is it not of his mercy, that I am not in the very cafe of this wretch? What if I or my feed, fhould be fo reduced! How often have I obferved, that a penny kept back from the Lord, hath been a pound kept out of mens way!-Is it not with the merciful,

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merciful, that God will fhew himself merciful? Doth not be that giveth to the poor, lend to the Lord, who will repay it with ufury!---Let me therefore, according to my ability, and from love to Jefus, grant this man relief. But have I nothing to beftow for the benefit of his foul? fhall his belly bless me, and his foul for ever curfe me, that I would not beftow a sentence of fpiritual admonition upon him?

"HERE the fagacious cur comes, leading his "blind mafter; how he guides him about the mire, "and directs him to the door!" Mother of all living, how hath thy harkening to a ferpent, blinded and degraded thine offspring! how many of them are led by beafily lufts, by beaftly companions, or careJefs teachers, who lead them into everlafting wo!

O the fagacity of this animal! What then the wifdom of him who maketh matter fo fagacious! who maketh us wifer than the fowls of heaven, and bearts of the earth! that can charge his angels with folly!-Behold, my foul, how this poor man trufts his life to his cur; and blufh deep, that, times without number, thou haft refufed to truft thy God with things of fmaller import.-O Jefus, how often have blind I refused to be led by thee, in the way which I knew not.

"HERE a band of foldiers march to the war: perhaps having loft leg or arm, in the fervice of their "country, they will be fet adrift to beg their bread." Pu fue and court the world as we pleafe, it will prve ungrateful: But, O generous Mediator, if one I truly enlift under thy banner, to fight with fin, Satan, and the world, thou wilt never caft me off; but arm, protect, feed clothe, bear, and carry me; bind up my wounds; cxalt me to thy throne;

and

and give me a crown of life.-let me therefore, as a good foldier of Fesus Christ, endure hardness, excercise courage, and study faithfulness †. "Yonder their "wives, or perhaps their harlots, follow them." Silly women, they have doubtlefs heard or feen the wretched cafe of others, who took that course.before; yet how cheerfully they now pursue it themfelves! Lord Jefus, how gladly will finners follow any but thee! Too probably, many of thefe womens connection hath begun in folly and luft; fhall it not end in mifery and wot? fin may be fweet in the mouth; but bitter in the belly: pleasant in acting; but awful, to endure the ftings of confcience, or the vengeance of hell for it.

"HERE they drive home the winter coal."-Doth God bid his earth empty her bowels, to warm his enemies, whose just portion is eternal fire?-Did he fend his Son from his bofom, to fave us? Did Jefus empty his heart of precious life, that I might be for ever comforted with his love?. -Let me then trea fure up his promifes, and kind providences, in my heart, to warm it in the cold winter of affliction and death. "Here the unmerciful driver adds himself "to the burden of the weary beast." Little do many think, that they muft anfwer to God for the abuse of his creatures.-How often when I have been laden with outward trouble, dark defertion, and deep challenges of confcience, hath Satan burdened me with his horrid temptations? and the more Iyield. ed the more, he abused me.-Lord free me from his hands, cruel and unjult. "Now I meet a company "of our young gentry: how blooming their features! "how fparkling their eyes! how cheerful their looks!"

Tim. iv. 8, and ii, 3.

Prov. ii, 16,19%

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Let

Let no created beauty inchant me: how much fairer is my Chrift, the brightness of the Father's glory, that made them fuch! Here is a face of comelinefs, with inward parts filled with all unrighteousness; perhaps a face of joy, and heart of pain. "How high their "heads!—what levity fhines in their countenance ! "what contemptuous pride fits brooding in their. "glance! how loud their peals of laughter!" What monsters had they been reckoned, if God had formed them with fuch heads! I fear their heads and hearts are too high for Jefus Chrift, and his falvation; though not too high for death or hell. I wish the Lord know them not a far off: is not the proud look an abomination to him? Do not fools always affect to be on the laughing fide?-But fhall they ftand in God's fight? Can thefe fons and daughters of gaiety, inchant the king of terrors? Can they command refpect from the ill-bred vermine of the grave? Car finery bribe the angry judge? Can honoured blood quench the flames of hell? Can beauty charm a roufed confcience, or a tormenting fiend?“ Ah, "how they lard their fpeech with horrid oaths." Are they obliged to talk blafphemy, for want of fenfe to fpeak any thing elfe? Have they finished their education in Tophet? or are thy fond of an eternity there, that they are already adepts in the language of it? Friends, how my bowels yearns towards you! how I pity your cafe? Is nothing bafer than your Maker's name, to make a bye-word of? Is Satan your principal friend, the darling of your heart, that he dwells fo much on your tongue? Is nothing more fweet than damnation, which you fo often imprecate? -Why, with fuch intermixture, render your converfe ftupid and unmannerly; Why, without either profit or pleasure, do things whereof y fhall be afhamed Hath not your Maker, your Judge, folemnly charged you, "Thou shalt not take the

name