Christian views men flourishing in fancied profperity, rioting in nominal pleasure, and repofing in deceitful eafe, he views them with pious pity. He would not embitter their enjoyments, but he would sweeten and fubftantiate them, by giving them a better foundation.

He would fay to each individual, as to his friend, (and who, indeed, is not the friend of the true Christian?) Let me conjure you to remember the purposes of your creation, and to fupport, with your utmost efforts, the comparative dignity of your nature. Exert the noble faculties which God has given you, in a daily attention to that which is truly and fubftantially your temporal and eternal intereft. Is it a hard thing that is required of you? You are only intreated to be kind to yourself. Remember, that now is your day. Short at beft; perhaps it is already far fpent. Think how much you would value, when your fun is fet in this world, a few of those hours which are now carelessly fquandered, as if they were incapable of improvement. For a fingle day, you would refign every pleasure, honour, and emolument. Let this remembrance have due weight

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with you now. Let it lead you, at every convenient interval, to retire from the bufy crowd of common life, to commune with yourself in your chamber, to dwell with God and your own foul in the sweet exercises of pious meditation. This practice will tend to fanctify all your fecular employments; to purify and exalt every pleasure and amusement; to fecure a peaceful life, a happy death, and a joyful refurrection.

L 4

PERSEVERANCE in the RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES taught in Youth, and particularly in FAITH and HOPE, recommended.

COL. i. 23.

Continue in the faith, grounded and fettled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gofpel which ye have heard.

IT

is an old obfervation, that fewer deviate from the path of rectitude through defect of knowledge than of refolution. Moft men might fay, with the poet of antiquity, We fee and approve better things, while we are pursuing what we know to be worse. Though men wander in the labyrinth of life and lofe their way, it is not because there are not lamps on the fide of the road, and fingers pointing at every turning, but because they liften, as they pass, to some fyren song in the thicket, and step aside to pluck some golden

fruit, whofe fmiling hue raises the ardour of vehement defire.

The earliest inftruction is ufually religious. And though we defpife the leffon of the mother or matron who prefides over our infantine age, her words are often the words of the trueft wisdom. She teaches us the plain doctrines of elementary Christianity, which, though it has nothing of oftentation to recommend it, is replete with the most valuable instruction. It has pleafed a gracious God to render the knowledge of our duty plain and easy. It is perplexed only by the fophiftry of human reafon.

Even when we have relinquished this infantine period, we are feldom left deftitute of religious inftruction. In all reputable places of education, it is required, that the pupils attend the public worship. In the difcipline of schools there is also, for the most part, fome time devoted to a business so important. The perfons in England who chiefly prefide over education are ecclefiaftics. Their confcience, their character, their profeffion, require of them that they should take every opportunity of fowing the feeds of religion. And they are well convinced that no period of life is fo proper for this purpose as

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the beginning of it, which bears fo near a refemblance to the vernal season.

Parents, who themfelves have been fo unfortunate as to lose the religious impreffions of their youth, are unwilling to train up their children in impiety., Even infidels fometimes with their families and dependents to adopt the faith and perfuafion of their country. A most honourable teftimony in favour of religion !

Vanity and wickedness induce men to renounce the received opinions in their writings or converfations; but a real perfuafion of their importance compels them to defire that those who are deareft to them fhould not, in this inftance, follow their examples, but be brought up in the nurture and admonition of

the Lord.

The churches are every where open; charity-schools, of various defcriptions, abound; introductory books are numerous, in a fmall and convenient form, at a low price, given away by charitable perfons, and by focieties, eftablished, and liberally fupported, for their univerfal diftribution.

It appears then, as it was my purpose to evince, that scarcely a single individual arrives at maturity in this country, without having

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