vanity of all fublunary things, and that no good is fterling that muft end. He measures the emptinefs of future brutalities by the bafenefs of the paft; and concludes, it is a folly to continue in thofe exceffes, he muft once repent of here, or ever deplore hereafter. This difcourfe fpreads forrow through every joint; he examines his confcience, confeffes his fins, avoids new engagements, detefts the paft, lives well, and dies better. What is the occafion of this fudden change? He heard a fermon; God put thofe words into the mouth of the preacher, and at the fame time inwardly moved his heart; had he been abfent, he might have lived a debauchee, and died a reprobate. What must we gather from what I have faid, but that nothing must be efteemed little, which may be the occafion of a great good, or a great evil; that we must not overlook the leaft opportunity of doing a good action, nor run hand over head into any danger of committing a bad one: that we muft lay hold of all occafions to fecure our falvation, the firft moment they are prefented us; for they quickly país, and feldom return.

When the blind man cried out for help, the company, instead of pitying his misfortune, reprehended his importunity. But the defire of recovering his fight overcame the reprimands of the multitude, but he cried fo much the more; and his perfeverance at laft wrought fo far upon his opposers, that they conducted him to Jefus. This is a copy of what happens daily to thofe, who break with the world, and repent of their former diforders. Have you a mind (fays one) to turn your brains, and to fit yourself for Bedlam? Are you mad? Why all this pother? these tears? this fafting? this reservedness? You over-do it. A hearty bave mercy on me is much eafier, and more efficacious, than grimace and melancholy. Are you

the

the only true Christian in the world? the only pe nitent? why will you throw up all content for God's favour, when you may purchase it at a less expence of trouble and felf-denial? But penitent Christians bear up against these buffoons, contemn their raillery, and pity their impiety: if you perfevere, their infolence will end in admiration, and their mockeries in efteem. They will lead you to Chrift by their praife, who endeavoured to withdraw you from him by laughter and irony. They change their tone, and begin to fay: Behold a great man, a faint! happy he, on whom the Ak mighty bestows fuch favours! they honour, congratulate, and fpeak well of him, whom a little before they reproved. For it is certain, the profligate wretches, who practise vice, efteem virtue; nay, and honour thofe who difmifs all criminal fa tisfactions, to poffefs it.

Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may fee the favours thou haft heaped on me; and raise in my heart a true fenfe of gratitude. If thou haft fuffered the extremity of torments for the fins of others, it is juft I should undergo fome pain, fome mortification, for my own. I will therefore carry thofe croffes, you shall please to fend, not only without murmur, but even with joy. I offer my body to diseases, my reputation to calumny, and my perfon to contempt. I will neither court the esteem of men, nor blush at their fatires; for I know that cannot render me better in thy fight, nor these worfe; my only defire is to gain thy favour, and my endeavour shall be to deferve it.

II, EPISTLE

II. EPISTLE to the Corinthians, Chap. vi. Verse

1. We then, as workers together with him, befeech you also, that ye receive not the grace of God

in vain :

2. (For he faith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of faluation have I fuccoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; ber bold, now is the day of falvation)

3. Giving no offence in any thing, that the minifry be not blamed:

4. But in all things approving ourselves as the minifters of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in neceffities, in diftreffes,

5. In fripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in faftings:

6. By pureness, by knowledge, by long-fuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghoft, by love unfeigned, 7. By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

8. By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

9. As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chaftned, and not killed;

10. As forrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet poffeffing all things.

T

The MORAL REFLECTION.

HE apoftle tells the Corinthians, that the long-expected time of falvation, so often foretold by the prophets, was at length come, Bebold, now is the day of falvation, and that by the grace of God they did partake of the benefit,

having

having received the gospel preached by the Meffias, and published to all the world by the miniftry of the apoftles. But then he conjures them not to receive the grace of God in vain; that is, not to believe as Chriftians, and live like Pagans; not to give in their name to Chrift, and their heart to the devil; but to fquare their lives by the fanctity of their profeffion, and to take care that their practice answer the purity of their faith.

And, that they may be more animated to break through all the oppofition of flesh and blood, to shake off all thofe ill habits, and worse principles, taken up in idolatry, he affures them of God's affiftance, who will not refufe to fupply them with grace, which Chrift merited for all men by the effufion of his precious blood, and at the expence of his life. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of falvation.

As, among other things, in which we are to approve ourselves as the minifters of God, FASTING is mentioned, I fhall take occafion, from this paffage of fcripture, to treat of that duty, and to thew how a Chriftian may perform it as he ought, whenever he is call'd upon by the Church to faft and pray, and particularly in the holy feafon of Lent.

The faft of forty days is as ancient as Chriftianity, inftituted by the apoftles, practised by their difciples, and handed down to us by an uninterrupted tradition. It was, no doubt, first introduced as a memorial of our Saviour's fast in the wilderness.

Certainly no means is more proper to draw down God's mercy upon us than prayer, joined with fafting. And therefore in the old law, when he called the people to repentance, he enjoined fasting, as well as prayers and tears: Turn ye unto

me

me with all your hearts, with fafting and with weeping, Joel ii. 12. And our bleffed Saviour fuppofes it as a duty, when he commands us to fast in secret, and promises a reward, if it be done with an intention to please God, not to draw the vain applause of men: without doubt then it is convenient for all men, even the the most innocent; yet it is much more fit for finners who implore mercy; for it kindles our zeal, and fo increases our forrow. Besides, it is a kind of revenge upon ourselves for our former exceffes, which is a fpecial part of repentance; for, by refufing our bodies their common nourishment we punish them for their past intemperance, and for all thofe other fins we have committed, merely to gratify our fenfes. Yet thofe, who cannot find in their hearts to impofe this mortification upon themselves, the immediate inftrument of their fins, fhew they are not much angry with themselves for committing them; and therefore they ought to fear God will treat their fouls with severity proportioned to the tenderness with which they cherish their bodies. This is a certain maxim, that God will punish those who fpare themselves, and purge our exceffes with fire, if we cleanse them not with tears and mortification.

Those who intend to pass the Lent like good Christians, muft firft abftain from all meats, which nourish and inflame the paffions; and, as flefh is the most apt to pamper the body, a good Chriftian will chiefly abftain from this.

But, tho' this rule feems univerfal, it reaches not thofe, who are under age; nor those who by reafon of old age cannot abftain, without prejudice to their health, or danger of impairing it; those who lie under any infirmity, that by advice of the doctor requires flesh.

nor

Secondly,