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May 1.
St. Philip and James.
AMES, a Servant of God, and of the Lord Jefus Chrift, to
the twelve Tribes which are scattered abroad, Greeting,
James i. I..

JAM

Let us love this double Servitude and Dependance, on God by Creation, and on Jefus Chrift by Redemption. --- The univerfal Care of the Apoftles towards all, as Servants of all for God's Sake in the Name of Jefus Chrift, is an univerfal Servitude, which they loved more than the Empire of the whole Earth. Grant, O blessed Jefus, that we may follow the Steps of thy holy Apoftles St. Philip and St. James, and ftedfaftly walk in the Way that leadeth to eternal Life, thro' Thee the only Giver of Grace, to Thee fhall be all the Glory, World without End. Amen.

Father of faithful Abraham, hear

Our earnest Suit for Abraham's Seed,
Juftly they claim the foftest Tear
From us, adopted in their Stead,
Who Mercy thro' their Fall obtain,
But, Jefus, raife them up again.

ON these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets, Mat. xxii. 40.

116

The Scripture contains nothing and commands nothing but Love. How extenfive foever our external Performances of the Divine Law may be, we always tranfgrefs a Part of it, when we perform it not for God's Sake; because by this Neglect we fail in the Obfervation of the great Precept concerning loving Him, which is included in every Part of his Law. --- This double Precept concerning the Love of God, and of our Neighbour, is the Summary of all the divine and pofitive Commandments: The compendious Direction and Way to Salvation, the Bible of the fimple and ignorant, and the Book which even the moft Learned will never throughly understand in this Life.

The two Commands are one,
Ah! give me, Lord, to prove :
Who loves his God alone

He must his Neighbour love, And what thine Oracles enjoin, Are all fumm'd up in Love Divine.

Wo

O unto you Scribes and Pharifees, Hypocrites; for ye pay Tithe of Mint, and Anife, and Cummin, and have omitted the weightier Matters of the Law, Judgment, Mercy, and Faith: These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone, Mat. xxiii. 23.

To be exact in little external Things, and to omit fuch as are effential to Religion, What is this, but to deceive ourfelves? The Devil has more than one Sort of Snares: He has fome for the Licentious, and fome for the Devout. - Unhappy is that Man, who refts fecure in Exactness about the Nicities of Devotion, instead of applying himself to his proper Duties, to the Reformation of his Heart, to the faithful Observation of Juftice and Charity towards his Neighbour, and whatever Faith and Religion require towards GOD.

May I, obfervant of the least,
Moft careful in the greatest prove,

Hear this, who at a Trifle strain,
So ftrict,--and obftinate,--and proud,

And fhew throughout my Life exprest Who keep the private Rules of Men,
Juftice, Fidelity, and Love. And break the open Laws of God.

THOU blind Pharifee, cleanfe first that which is within the Cup and Platter, that the outside of them may be clean also, Mat. xxiii. 26.

External Purity proceeds only from the Internal; from within it diffuses itself without. He who feeks the Applaufe of the World, is but little concerned about his inward Part. It is a Blindness, which is very common, for Men to think, that they have fulfilled the Commandments of God, when they have performed the outward Part. Obedience to the Law must flow from the Fountain Head, which is Love. When the Love of God is its inward Principle, and His Glory its End, then the Outfide is clean; but, without this, it is nothing but false Righteousness.

Thy tender Heart is ftill the fame,

And melts at human Woe,

JESUS, for Thee diftreft I am,
I want thy Love to know.

I

Thy Nature, dearest Lord, impart,
Come quickly from above,
Write thy New Name upon my Heart,
Thy new best Name of Love,

W

O unto you Scribes and Pharifees, Hypocrites; for ye are like unto whited Sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but are within full of dead Men's Bones, and of all Uncleannefs, Mat. xxiii. 27.

How many Christians are there in Name and in Appearance! How few in Spirit and in Truth! A great many have not the Virtues which they feem to have; and have even the contrary Vices. There is nothing of greater Importance, than to examine ourselves throughly in this Regard; fince it is concerning this, that we fhall be examined and judged at the Tribunal of GOD.- When this Whiteness, with which the Wall is at present covered, fhall be taken off, and the naked Heart appear as it is, my GOD, of what Use will it then be to have deceived Men, by concealing its Rottennefs, but only to overwhelm it with greater Confufion, and a more terrible Judge

ment?

Woe to the Man, eternal Woe [come!
To him by whom the Offence doth
His Lot and Portion is below,

His Sentence is th'Apoftate's Doom.

Plung'd in the Depths of Grief, unless
With broken Heart his Crime he feel,
Load of Guilt fhall foon depress
His Soul to the profoundest Hell.

A