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nuptial garment and without them we fhall be thrown out of thy prefence, with publicans and finners it is lefs criminal to believe almoft nothing of what we must do to be faved, than to do almost nothing of what we believe.

The conclufion of this parable ought to make us tremble, and ftrike us with horror; few of those, that are called to the kingdom of heaven, enter. Many are called, but few chofen. After this declaration of the Son of God, St. Paul had reason to exhort all chriftians to work out their falvation with fear and trembling: There are only two ways to heaven, innocence or repentance: Of a thoufand fhall we find one, who has not forfeited his baptifmal grace by repeated fins? and how few have carried it to their graves? How few of thofe, who have loft their innocence, recover grace by a fincere repentance? Does not vice reign in all states, among all perfons? If therefore they die as they live, how few are faved?

Had our Saviour said, all christians shall be saved, could they live otherwise than they do? But he says, few fhall be faved, and yet we live without caution, without fear, nay with fecurity: Were we among a hundred, of which one must be condemned to die, would not every one of the number tremble, and fear left the fatal lot fhould pronounce his condemnation? Yet we know that few of the whole mass of christians will be faved, that the far greatest part will miscarry; we know not whether we are not of the number; and yet we play, laugh, and revel, as if we intended to take the properest methods to infure our damnation.

My dear Saviour! I confefs, with fhame and confufion, I have followed the crowd, I have followed the broad way that leads to perdition; but I refolve from this moment to enter into the ftrait path that conveys to heaven; and tho' one man alone

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alone was to be faved, I will hope, by the affistance of thy grace, to be that happy one, chofen out of thousands.

EPISTLE to the Ephefians, Chap. v. Verse

15. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wife,

16. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17. Wherefore be ye not unwife, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

18. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excefs; but be filled with the Spirit:

19. Speaking to yourselves in pfalms, and hymns, and Spiritual fongs, finging and making melody in your beart to the Lord,

20. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift;

21. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

The MORAL REFLECTION.

Hilft we live in this world, we travel in an

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enemy's country; every step presents us new ambushes, and leads us into new dangers: wherefore St. Paul had reason to infpire caution, and fo have we to ftand upon our guard; See that ye walk circumfpectly, not as fools, but as wife. Every object we fee, is a fnare, able to entrap us; Our companions are infectious, their converfation dangerous, and often mortal; we are not sure of our dearest friends, and most of all muft distrust ourfelves. Solitude has its temptations, company throws us into a thousand dangers; fo that there is no affurance of fecurity with all our precaution,

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and the leaft negligence may be the cause of our ruin.

Yet alas! against the advice of St. Paul, and of common prudence, we walk as fools, as if our ruin was impoffible or inevitable. We fling ourfelves into danger, and even court temptation itself; we complain, the devil is ftrong: it is our prefumption gives him ftrength, and our cowardice the victory: He knows he cannot fubdue our heart by force, and therefore he keeps fecret intelligence with our fenfes, raises our paffions, and presents those objects that inflame thefe, and feduce the others; but whilft we view them at a distance, they make fmall impreffion; their presence wounds us, and the occafion overcomes us.

Fly the occafion; and then temptation will make but fmall impreffion: but if you give way to it; what wonder you burn in the midst of impure flames; and catch the plague, when you draw in the infection?

Good God! we fling ourselves (if I may fay fo) on the very fwords of our enemies; we pass our lives in mixt affemblies, in converfations of gallantry, in dangerous friendships, in play-houses, where luft is painted with a thousand charms, and chastity ridiculed; where vice triumphs, and virtue is led captive. Is not this to walk as fools? to court danger? And what is the confequence, but that we fhall perish in our folly?

O my God! give me a lively conviction of the heinous nature of fin! Of the rewards thou haft prepared for the juft, and of the fire thou haft kindled for the reprobate! I confefs, the want of this has hitherto expofed me to a thousand dangers; and if I have often difengaged myself without fin, I have not without imprudence, for having thrust myself among enemies I might have avoided. I will for the future ftand upon my guard; and

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thofe temptations I cannot fly, I hope, by the help of thy grace, to overcome. I will for ever bid adieu to fuch affemblies, as expofe me to the danger of offending thee. I will give my heart to no creature: experience teaches to our coft, we are mafters of nothing, when we have made it over ; and we never part with it, without forfeiting our innocence. In a word, whilst we breathe, dangers furround us; no man is fecure: But he is lefs expofed, who diffides in himself, my God, and puts all his confidence in thee.

but understanding Alas! my God,

Wherefore be ye not unwife, what the will of the Lord is. ignorance of my duty is not my defect, but noncompliance. My perfection confists in doing thy holy will, and this, in difcharging, for thy fake, all the duties that belong to the ftation, in which thy providence has placed me.

For this reafon, I must be content with my condition, and neither defire to be greater, nor wish to be lefs. I must neither envy those that are above me, nor contemn those that are below me. We have all parts in the great tragedy acted on the ftage of the world; it is of little importance what perfons we reprefent, whether of a king, or a Jackey He carries off the applaufe, who performs his part the best.

If I am a master of a family, I must regulate it according to my state, my birth, and my revenues: But if my eftate cannot answer my dignities, I muft not support it by the ruin of creditors, nor at the expence of my conscience.

I must bring up my children in the fear of God, and take care my domefticks do their duty to him, before they acquit themselves of that they owe me ; if I take his intereft to heart, he will not forget mine.

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If thou haft placed me in a station of judicature, I must not regard the perfons, but the cause; and pronounce in favour of a peasant against a lord, if his cause be juft. Dignity muft not fright me ; folicitations muft not biafs me; nor bribes fway my judgment. In fine, I must discharge every part of thofe duties my ftate requires; not out of a motive of honour, or intereft, but for thy fake, because it is thy command to which I owe obedience. this, my God, confifts my perfection; this thou doft require, and this I intend to perform. But alas! my paft neglect of thefe duties teaches me how inconftant I am in my resolutions, how weak in the performance: thy grace alone can enable me to fulfil thy holy will, and my obligation. I ask, I beg it with humility and confidence, out of a fincere defire to please thee.

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Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excefs. This vice, even in the opinion of the world, is unreputable: And yet, what is ftrange, how many are guilty, even of thofe, who are pretenders to reputation? Can any thing be imagined more unfeemly, than for a man to drown his great prerogative reafon, and to caft himself on the fame level with beafts? One would think reafon was a burthen, men are fo willing to lofe it. But St. Paul diffuades us from it, for another reason, because there is excefs in it. It raises our paffions, inflames nature, and prompts to evil: And when temptation preffes, when reafon is obfcured with vapours, and occafion favours, what can be expected but ruin and deftruction to our fouls? We lay our fins on the corruption of nature, on its inclination to pleasure and ease: But then, why do we prompt it to rebellion? Why do we enforce its violence, by pampering it with those things that heighten the blood, and fet our paffions all on fire? What wonder, a fpark breaks out into a flame, if we foment it with oil, or fuel?

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