having times without number, trampled upon the divine laws of his nature, loft his understanding, and was fuffered to partake of every grovelling and degrading pleasure. Is this declamation? Alas! it is fact. O thoughtless man, how often haft thou eagerly engaged in a second diverfion to drive away the reflection, the painful reflection which the guilt contracted in a former occafioned! I fee the cup in the drunkard's hand, and he greedily fwallows the poison, in order to drown the remorfe of his mind for laft night's intemperance. The unwary youth, once initiated into finful pleafure, unwilling now to hear the counsel of virtue, but unable to repress it, feeks for the witnesses and advisers of his tranfgreffions; and from the laugh of levity, and the madness of impiety, he believes wifdom overcome, and acquires new fpirits to rush upon his ruin. This day you begin to take undue advantages of your neighbour you begin without daring to refolve that you will perfift. When When you impofe upon your fecure brother, your tongue falters, and a small degree of attention, (but honesty is always unfufpicious) would discern the alterations in your countenance. But to become

become more expert, you herd with the more experienced in villainy, and never allow yourselves a moment to reflect, till you be a proficient in that worst of trades, in which, at first, you was a backward fcholar. Thus hurrying from vanity to vanity, and from vice to vice, the wicked multiply acquaintance, and attach companions in iniquity, ftrangers, utter ftrangers all the while, to what it behoves them most to know, ftrangers to themselves. Ye fons of folly, fain would I introduce you to a new acquaintance, fain would I engage you to take pleasure in a new kind of converfation. Cultivate an acquaintance with your own hearts, and I will change your name, and with reafon : liften to the improving language of your confciences. Though you should meet with rebukes, prefer them to the flattering voice of those foes to your improvement, peace and happiness, which approach you under the infinuating, but falfe appearance of pleasure. For in the religious retreat, with every pafsion stilled, and every defire quieted, behold holy reason feated on her throne, and exerting her full power. Here you form just judgments of

your own conduct, and of that

of

of others, of the proper and lawful pursuits of life, and the means of attaining lawful ends. When, removed from the eye of the world, we converfe with our own hearts, then every man is upon a level. The external marks of dignity are removed, power is fufpended, and riches make no difference. Thefe things, which are fo apt to intoxicate the human mind, being abfent, the fins which we committed in the hurry of life are remembered, confidered and lamented. Then is it that recollection executing the office of the prophet of old, can thus addrefs the man in the most exalted station: O King, let my counfel be acceptable to thee. Break off thy fins by righteousness, and thy iniquity by fhewing mercy to the poor, if fo be it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity. Let but the unjuft judge review the fentence for which his injured brother complains of him; and will not the remorfe this occafions prevent him from pronouncing a like one? Ye who fpend the night in revelling and drunkenness, whom the morning fun (which the children of temperance rife to behold with rapture, and which enables them to pursue the various, honeft occupations of life) just shines

upon

upon as you are finifhing your debauch; tell me seriously, if you are not perfuaded, that you would curb your licentious appetites, and walk in the paths of fobriety, if you set apart but ten minutes of every day for reflection, meditation and prayer? Would ambition ravage the world, or engage men in projects for pulling down ftates, ruining families, or reducing to mifery particular perfons, if those who feel its impulfes would often calmly confider the vanity, uncertainty, and short duration of all temporal enjoyments? If this were the cafe, would ambition be any other thing in the human breast, but an honeft defire of obtaining the means of promoting public, or private happinefs? Would avarice hoard by every infamous method, if due fcope were given to meditation, in order to convince us of the worthleffness of those riches which often make themselves wings, of the folly of purchafing the accommodations of a pilgrimage, at the rifque of lofing an everlasting citizenship? It is in retirement that objects lose the falfe glare with which paffion colours them, and that our own characters appear in a just point of view. Man will, no doubt, be partial to himself. I allow that the vanity of individuals is great. I allow

that

that the blindness of man, with regard to his own vices, is astonishing: but let any perfon, confidering himself under the awful influence of God, and praying earnestly to him that he would open his eyes to make him difcern his faults, but once feriously reflect upon his temper and practice, and I maintain that he will not remain fo vain, or fo blind, as he was before. Had David obeyed his own direction before Nathan came to him, he had not heard fo apt an allegory without fparing the refolute but charitable application, Thou art the man. Whence proceeds it, but from want of ferious confideration, that if I were to afk your characters at the most candid of your neighbours, and mark down what they told me, that I fhould prefent you with a lift of feveral vices which you could readily ap- ply to fome of those with whom you converse every day; but before you difcerned that they belonged to yourself, it would be neceffary directly to inform you, ye are the men. The pharifee whom our Saviour describes in the parable, was a stranger to his own proper character, because, though he seemed to be religiously employed, yet he had not fufficient impreffions of the holiness of that Being in

whofe