fion we are lawless. We are exempt from the law of Mofes, not from his, and whosoever offends in one point, is guilty of all, James ii. 10.

Let us thank our Redeemer for having broke the chains of fin that fettered us; and fhew, we are fenfible of our liberty, by employing it in his fervice, and to his honour that gave it. And indeed, what freedom is comparable to the service of God? To command empires in fin, is only to reign over men, and to groan under the bondage of the devil; but to obey God's commands, and to practise humility and patience, is to reign indeed.

GOSPEL of St. John, Chap. vi. Verse

1. After these things, Jefus went over the fea of Galilee, which is the fea of Tiberias.

2. And a great multitude followed him, because they faw his miracles which he did on them that were difeafed.

3. And Jefus went up into a mountain, and there be fat with his disciples.

4. And the palover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

5. When Jefus then lift up his eyes, and faw a great company come unto him, he faith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may

eat?

6. (And this be faid to prove him: for be himfelf knew what he would do.)

7. Philip anfwered him, Two hundred penny worth of bread is not fufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

8. One of his difciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, faith unto him,

9. There

9. There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among fo many?

10. And Jefus faid, Make the men fit down. Now there was much grafs in the place. So the men fat down, in number about five thousand.

11. And Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he diftributed to the difciples, and the difciples to them that were fet down; and likewife of the fishes, as much as they would.

12. When they were filled, he faid unto his dif ciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be loft.

13. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

14. Then thofe men, when they had feen the miracle that Jefus did, faid, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

15. When Jefus therefore perceived, that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

J'

The MORAL REFLECTION.

ESUS pafs'd over the fea of Galilee, which is that of Tiberias, and a great multitude followed him. St. Matthew tells us, thefe people were fo greedy of our Saviour's inftructions, that they flocked to him from far and near, and waited upon him in the wilderness three days; I have compaffion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat. And I will not fend them away fafting, left they faint in the way, chap. v. ver. 32. This

S

This confluence of people that prefs'd upon our bleffed Saviour, to learn his divine precepts, in all probability was made up of peafants, that dwelt in the neighbouring villages and adjoining hamlets; we find no perfons of note and authority, that applied themselves to him for inftructions, except Nicodemus, and the rich young man : yet the one came in private; and the other, affrighted with the feverity of his doctrine, foon withdrew, and abandoned him. This is an instance, that the ftate of the rich is not so happy, nor that of the clown fo miferable, as people fancy. If we weigh things in an equal ballance, we shall find that thofe deferve not envy, and that these have no reason to complain. For God feems in a fpecial manner to have created heaven for the poor, and earth for the rich. Poor fhepherds first welcomed our Saviour into the world, and adored him; a poor carpenter entertained him; poor fifhermen followed him into the garden; and poor women to the crofs. In fine, he has pronounced the poor happy, Bleffed be ye poor, Luke vi. 20. and the rich unfortunate, Woe unto you that are rich, ver. 24. And he declares the reafon; becaufe their falvation is next to an impoffibility; It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven, Matth. xix. 24. In the parable of the marriage, he has exprefs'd this truth at length, and in plain terms. The prince invited to the feast, men of confideration and figure; and when they defired to be excufed upon vain pretences of bufinefs, he ordered his fervants to force the poor, blind, and lame, to fill up his table. I do not mean by the poor, thofe that live in extreme neceffity; want is no lefs dangerous to falvation than abundance: it puts people it puts people upon strange practices,

practices, and therefore the wife man prayed to

God with no less earneftness to defend him from poverty, than riches; Give me neither poverty nor riches, Prov. xxx. viii. Let me neither want, nor abound; but give me what is fufficient for me to live, and too little to riot withal.

And certainly, tho' all men meet with ftrong enemies in their way to heaven, yet thofe of a higher rank find the greateft oppofition: flesh and blood are prone to rebellion, tho' tamed with abftinence, and work'd down with labour; but then they are ten times more mutinous and difobedient, when pampered with eafe, and fed high with delicacies. The objects, that prefent themselves to the eyes of the vulgar, are either innocent or indifferent, and if they invite them not to virtue, they provoke them not to vice but the rich are encompaffed with fnares; prophane company debauches them into bad principles, and ill examples into worse practices; unlawful defigns employ their heads; lewd amours infect their hearts; and, which is the greatest temptation, they can lose their innocence without forfeiting their reputation, and fupport at the fame time the dignity of their ftation, and the expences of their lufts.

I must therefore pronounce thofe more happy, whose state condemns them to toil and hard labour, than those, whofe ftation permits them to play and riot; for, as heaven is the place of our fupreme felicity in the next world, to be placed in the way, that leads moft directly to it, is one of the greatest favours God can bestow upon us in this now it is certain from reafon, experience, and fcripture it felf, that people of a lower clafs are in a more safe way. What then remains, but that they thank Providence for having provided them with what is neceffary to live, and S 2 refufed

refused what might incite them to live ill: tho' they make no figure in this world, they will in the next; where a virtuous clown will find a reward, and a vicious emperor punishment. The poverty and fores of a miferable Lazarus, fupported with patience, conveyed him into Abraham's bofom; and the wealth of a luxurious rich man, fpent in feafting, plunged him into hell.

The evangelift tells us, thofe people were fo eager to learn the true way to heaven, fo intent upon the great affair of their falvation, that they laid afide all thoughts of their temporal concerns, to attend their eternal; they took no provifions with them, yet ventured into a wilderness, where they were fure to find none; however, they relied upon providence, and confidered that our Saviour, who nourished their fouls with fo much charity, would extend his care to their bodies: nor did they fall fhort of their expectation; for he wrought a miracle to feed them, and fo has left pofterity a convincing inftance, that thofe, who feek God in the first place, will find all neceffaries to live ; and fo, tho' they hazard all things, they lose nothing.

There is no point of our religion less underftood, even by thofe who pretend to piety, than this; yet none is more neceffary in practice. Our Saviour commands us to be follicitous in the concerns of our foul, and he protefts he will take care we want not neceffaries for the fustenance of our bodies; he bids us bend all our thoughts to the purchase of heaven, and affures us we fhall fuffer no prejudice in our fortunes; yet, as if we doubted of his power, or queftioned his veracity, we fling away all our time upon our temporal concerns, without dreaming of eternity: we fuffer the rack by a thousand anxieties that fpring from an exceffive