pofterity fhut out from the pleasurable garden; Jefus the juft, not only quenched the flaming fword, by blood divine, but opened a new and living way for all believers to the tree of life, and the paradife of God. From Eden, that garden of pleasure iffued all our pain and forrow; from Gethsemane, that garden in the valley of fatnefs, iffues an inexhaustible river of divine joy and confolation. I cannot I cannot my friend but conceive of the innumerable and ineftimable favours of every kind con-, ferred upon us, as the effects of redeeming love, and bleffings purchased by the dear Immanuel's blood. And therefore what was falfely afcribed by Heathenifh Mythology to Ceres, Pan, Pomona, and other fictitious Deities, I would now under the aufpicious beams of the bleffed gofpel, afcribe to that one living and true God; who not only prefides alone over our orchards, corn, and wine; but rules defpotic over the armies of heaven, and the inhabitants of earth.* And when we * Virgil on all occafions reprefents his heroe, as propitiating the titular Deities of each country by piacular victims; and engaging in his favour the fic view these various productions of vegetative munificence, and conceive of them (allow me to fay my Philetus,) as watered with the blood of the Lamb, and ripening under the genial rays of the fun of righteoufnefs; this adds beauty to the blufhing apple, and fills the nectarine with a more pleafing flavour. Amyntas was proceeding, when Philoxenus entering the room, attended with a fervant to ferve up dinner, thus addreffed his pious guefts. It often fills my heart with joy and transport, when meditating on the glory and felicity that awaits the followers of Jefus, to think of fitting down at that heavenly table, where we fhall richly banquet on the love of God. There fits our Immanuel at the head of a countlefs multitude of beatified fouls, of whom one poetically fings, Their foreheads proclaim Their titious gods and goddeffes by libations, and fervent prayer. And shall we be lefs pious, who are favoured with fo much greater light? Shall Heathens be more zealous for the worship of falfe gods, than we are of the true? Then furely, fuch Heathens will rifc up in judgment against us. over his owner, and the afs his mafter's crib, and fhall we more ftupid, brutal, and ungrateful than thefe, be unmindful of that kind and beneficent hand, that is daily open to fupply our returning wants? Of that gracious being who loads us with benefits, and who by a kind of profufe liberality, gives us all things that are neceffary for life, and godliness? Amyntas. As you obferve Sir, there is a multitude of mercies before us, all valuable; but how much the real worth is of the leaft of them, we can only estimate by being deprived thereof. The mercies of God, like pious and God-fearing men, are generally undervalued while we enjoy them. When we lose them we lament. Even these our common comforts, fhould be doubly dear unto us, when we reflect that all were forfeited by fin; and all the earth produces fubjected to the curfe. It is of mercy that our tables have not been made a fnare unto us,* and D'6 that * Let their table become a fnare, &c. Pf. lxix 22. There is something fo feemingly harsh in this and the following verses, and fo contrary to the precepts of our Lord, where we are commanded to pray for that our food hath not administered. disease and death, inftead of nourishment and life. Yet notwithstanding the abounding wickednefs of the world, in Christ Jefus the rich liberality of the Lord is experienced by all the creatures of his power; hence Chrift is faid to be the Saviour of all men, but especially of them that believe. All men partake of our enemies, to bless them that curfe us, &c. as: they seem to convey an imprecative idea, that I would beg leave to fuggeft a sense of the paffage, which, as it is not alien to the original, feems more confonant to the spirit and genius of chriftianity. It is manifeft that David in the spirit of prophecy, in the preceding verfe prædicted what fhould be done to Chrift when fufpended on the crofs, They gave me alfo gall for my meat, and in my thirft they gave me vinegar to drink. And then proceeds to foretell, the awful calamities the Jews would hereby expose themselves unto, in the righteous judgments of God. Their table fhall become a fnare, &c. i. e. the Altar of the Lord, which is called his table and theirs, and upon which they ate the facrifices; and these should have iffued according to their expectation, in their welfare and peace; but, by their adherence to the Altar, and the Mofaic ceremonies, they were shut up in their infidelity, and hardened in their prejudices against the Son of God. And as the Hebrew verb, is of the future tenfe, I fubmit it to the learned, whether the paffage may not rather be 'confidered as prædictive, than imprecative or maledictive. Their bodies his glory difplay; of the pro phets, and apoftles fill the radiant thrones prepared for them; and the moft feeble followers of the lamb, fhall then be owned and accepted, and fhine forth with inconceivable luftre in their father's kingdom. And O my friends fhall we be there! See the Lord Jefus as he is! See the heavenly armies, meet our friends and relatives departed in the Lord, and one another! And O pleafing thought, meet to part no more; but with enlarged capacities, and refined faculties, to enjoy the beatific fight, to drink from the uncreated and inexhauftible fountain, inconceivable felicity! and for ever to enjoy that blifs, which heaven alone can boaft, and God alone beftow.* Having thus fpoken D 5 * How infinitely we are indebted to the God and Father of all our mercies, for the ineftimable blef fing of his word! Without this, we muft have been left in the like ftate of uncertainty, the poor benighted Heathens have ever been in refpect to a future ftate, and to the felicity that awaits the pious after death; like them we must have pleafed ourfelves with doubtful conjectures and the airy dreams of the elyfian fields, &c. the happiness of |