out bringing it home to the heart-may please himself with being a defender of chriftianity, but must not conceive himself to be a disciple of Christ.— These observations 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 use. 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 must be frequently queftioned and a comparison 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 instruction. That our bleffed Saviour, who could multiply food as he pleased, and had just been giving an instance of that power, fhould-think it of any moment to fave the fragments of what he had just 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 these 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 ob

ferved,

J

served, that nothing fhall be loft. The most infignificant pile of grass is meant to be the food 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 sea, either flowing in rivers, or 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 justice bring us to the fame conclufion. No man has a right to more than his fhare. What you wafte, another wants.

These high authorities place in a ftrong 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.

all

MANY are the burdens we all have to bear in this world; and great is the relief, which we may receive from the kindness of others. Igno rance is a burden-fickness is a burden-affliction 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 affifting to bear each other's burdens, the apostle in the text fets before us two inducements: first, because it fulfils the law of Chrift; and fecondly, because every man fhall bear his own burden.

The law of Christ 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 lefs we fhall have to answer for, it follows, by a kind of inverfe ratio that the more we bear each others burdens, the lighter we make our own.

LV.

Whofe image and fuperfcription hath it?-Luke,

XX. 24.

A MAN may be examined, as our Saviour examined a coin. Whofe image and fuperfcription hath he? To whom doth he belong? With whose name is he infcribed?

But this is rather too dangerous a mode of examination to be carried into practice. It may lead to falfe judgements.

I should rather advife every man therefore to be content to make it his own criterion. Let him examine his own heart by it. Whofe image and fuperscription do I find there? Do I fee the world, and all its pleasures portrayed? Do I read the infcription? These 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.