returned to the worst of vices, and not only forfaken the morals of Chriftianity, but apoftatifed from the very religion? So that there is no fecurity that we fhall perfevere, whilft we breathe the corrupt air of this world.

If we begin betimes to ferve God with fervour, we may hope, with confidence, God will perfect the good work in us until the day of Jefus Chrift, and favour us with the grace of perfeverance: for an early virtue has this happy advantage, that it finds us difengaged from ill habits, and confequently may be planted, and increase, without great oppofition. Our paffions are young, and may be eafily tamed, and brought into fubjection: befides, our fidelity to the firft graces moves God to a greater liberality; and if we continue in this happy course, virtue paffes into a habit, and then we may reasonably conclude God will perfect it in us until the day of Jefus Chrift.

But if we pafs our youth in diforders, without any practice or fenfe of religion, if we live not like Chriftians, can we expect with any reafon to die faints? How many, my God, would enter into thy fecrets, and know their destiny? Let us confult our lives, our actions, our thoughts: all our conduct furnishes us motives to fatisfy our curiofity. Chrift has told us, he will come in glory, to render to every one according to his works; they therefore, that do evil, have all reason to fear punishment; thofe, that do good, to expect a reward. Oh! what have I not reafon to fear, who have fquared my life by the wild maxims of the world? But, O God, by a victorious grace, and an extraordinary mercy, render falfe this fad prefage of my unfortunate deftiny; favour me with this grace, I conjure thy goodness; I promise for the future a life wholly Christian, a prognostick of my perLeverance.

For

For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jefus Chrift. St. Paul gives us here a rule, how to love creatures; in the bowels of Jefus Chrift: We must love them in God, and for his fake; all other motives are unacceptable to him, and below the duty of a Chriftian. God commands parents to love their children; but if this love, this tenderness, rifes no higher than to a natural instinct, they fulfil not the law, and will receive no reward in heaven: it is a mere natural act; the Master of nature has imprinted this inclination in the most cruel beasts; a Chriftian must love them in the bowels of Jefus Chrift; for his fake, because he has impofed the command.

This love must be fubordinate to that we owe God; that is, we must never tranfgrefs his precepts, to raise a child's fortune, nor even to fave his life God never commanded parents to love their children at the expence of their own fouls, and of his honour; nay, he fays exprefly, he who loveth father or mother more than me, I may add, or child, is not worthy of me.

No, no, my God! I have loved children and relations hitherto like a Pagan, not like a Chriftian; and what have I gained, but a fmall fatisfaction here, without any hope of a reward hereafter? I will for the future raise my thoughts higher, and love every one only in thee, and for thee.

GOSPEL

GOSPEL of St. Matth. Chap. xxii. Verse

15. Then went the Pharifees, and took counsel bow they might entangle him in his talk.

16. And they fent out unto him their disciples, with the Herodians, faying, Mafter, we know that thou art true, and teacheft the way of God in truth, neither careft thou for any man: for thou regardest not the perfon of men.

17. Tell us therefore, What thinkeft thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cefar, or not?

18. But Jefus perceived their wickedness, and faid, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

19. Shew me the tribute-money. And they brought unto him a penny.

20. And be faith unto them, Whofe is this image and fuperfcription?

21. They fay unto him, Cefar's. Then faith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cefar, the things which are Cefar's; and unto God, the things that are God's.

The MORAL REFLECTION.

UR bleffed Saviour, from the beginning of this chapter, explained to the Pharifees the great mysteries of his religion, with a zeal and charity able to move the most obdurate. But what fruit did they reap from his divine inftructions? They entered into a confpiracy against him, not only to entrap him in his words, but, if poffible, to accufe him of treafon. O! how often do Chriftians play the Pharifee? How often, my God, do they leave the church, where they have heard explained the most important truths of the gofpel, to fatisfy a paffion, to form or execute a criminal project? This is to confpire against thee, my Saviour, to

vilify

vilify thy person, to trample on thy facred blood, and once more, in thy apoftle's language, to nail thee to a cross: and this thou doft fuffer, not from thy enemies the Pharifees, who denied thy Divinity, but from thy friends; from thofe, who are honoured with thy Name, and adore thy Majefty.

The Pharifees fend their difciples, together with fome of the court; they cover their malice under the mask of piety, and pretend to learn of him, not to entrap him. They begin their address with the praise of his Perfon: Mafter, we know that thou art true, and teacheft the way of God in truth, neither careft thou for any man; for thou regardest not the person of men. Who would not take these hypocrites for faints, thefe traytors for Chrift's difciples? Yet all these praises were only to gain his confidence, to draw from him fome questionable expreffion, and in the end to ruin him.

Our bleffed Saviour, who knew the malice of each fin, seems to caution us against no one so much as hypocrify; he declaims against it in almost twenty places, with zeal and execration. Wo unto you, fcribes and pharifees, hypocrites; fays he (Mat. xxiii. 27.) ye are like whited fepulchers; fair without, but foul within: nothing more compofed, more devout, than your exterior; nothing more wicked, more criminal, than your hearts. The horror our bleffed Saviour expreffes of this fin fhews its enormity; and its effects, its malice.

Under the cover of hypocrify all vices thrive, and well-meaning people are eafily imposed upon. Oh! how hard is it to defend ourfelves against an enemy unfufpected? Pride begins herefies, but hypocrify gives them vogue, and spreads them. Arius, by his devout exterior, by his humble deportment, drew after him all the devotees of Alexandria, and his letters, full of piety, the bifhops of the eaft: in a word, every herefy took the specious pretext of reform,

form, and fpread its infection, by crying out against abuses; by covering its vices under the veil of zeal, piety, mortification, and humility.

Omy God! how often have I been guilty of this criminal diffimulation? How often have I play'd the hypocrite, and deceived, not only my neighbour, but myfelf alfo? I have ftudied more to regulate my exterior, than my heart; to edify men, than to please thee. Pardon all these defects of candor and fincerity: Father of mercy! you see the heart of man, I hope, by the affiftance of thy grace, thou wilt not fee in mine hypocrify or diffimulation.

Tell us therefore, What thinkeft thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cefar, or not? Their praise of his doctrine, of his piety, of his fincerity, only aimed at a direct anfwer to this captious queftion: had he faid it was unlawful, they would have accufed him of treafon against the emperor: had he pronounc'd it lawful, he had drawn upon himself the hatred of the Jews, who look'd upon themfelves as a privileged people, and the Roman tribute as an ufurpation. Our Saviour firft fhewed, he read their malice, tho' covered under a disguise of piety, and that they defired not instruction, but his ruin. Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? He knew whether tribute was lawful, or no; but he would not return a direct answer, because he would neither exafperate the Jews, nor fhock the Ro

mans.

And he would befides teach us, that our zeal must be neither imprudent, nor indifcreet that we must take care not to draw upon ourselves perfecu tion without neceffity, nor by indifcretion hinder the good we may do by obferving the rules of prudence that we must not expose our neighbour, nor ourselves, to temptations: that we muft fuffer dif- • grace and perfecution with patience, when we are unjuftly