ceffive fear of lofing, or a too vehement hope of gaining: nay, we are not only follicitous for tomorrow, which, notwithstanding, is forbid; but extend our forecaft, and confequently our torment, to many years, when perchance we are come to the last day of our life.

We should reflect, that God has not placed us in this world (as the oftrich lays her eggs in the defart) and then abandons us: no; he, who called us from nothing to life by his omnipotence, will preferve us by the favour of his bounty: bears and lions, out of a natural instinct, provide for their young ones, and will God, the Author of this very instinct, defert his children?

He has redeemed us from the flavery of fin, and confequently from the flames of hell, at the expence of the blood of his deareft Son; and can a Chriftian, who believes this grand myftery, fancy he will expose our bodies. to the extremities of cold and hunger? The worft of men furnish their fervants with meat and cloathing, and will the Beft of Beings treat his with lefs charity? no, certainly; we have his word he will not, and the excess of his goodness affures us he can

not.

How comes it then (you will fay) that some are poor, and others unprovided of neceffaries? The reason is, that the greateft part of these forlorn wretches are as void of virtue as of means, and their fouls are more indigent than their bodies; and if it happens, that even thofe, who ferve God, groan under the fame misfortune, a flight examination will convince us, that these even labour in the first place for the fupport of their bodies, and only in the fecond for the falvation of their fouls.

Now, tho' Chrift has promised to supply our wants, it is on condition we feek first the kingdom of heaven, Matth. vi. 33. and if we fail in this, he may leave us to our felves, without the breach of fidelity; for what means, Seek first the kingdom of heaven? The fenfe is clear, and imports that we must ferve God, and practise virtue, in fpite of all oppofition; that we must look upon this as the principal, and all temporal concerns as mere acceffories; that we muft expofe our bodies to thirst and hunger, rather than commit an injustice, and expofe our lives to fave our confcience: without this, Chrift is obliged to nothing; much less if we offend him (which is the cafe of moft.) What reafon has he to maintain a life, we almost wholly employ to his difhonour and our own damnation? But here we muft beware of an illufion; fome fanaticks of the laft age took the promife fo literally, as if Chrift difcharged them of all care of their families; they fuppofed he would fupply them with provifions, as he did the Jews with quails and manna in the wilderness; this is not confidence in God, but downright prefumption; not an argument of virtue, but of pride and folly; not to follow the fcripture, but to abuse it.

Every man muft follow his calling, and may endeavour, not only to keep off poverty, but to make a fortune; Chrift forbids us to be follicitous, not to be careful; and if he condemns too great a concern for things of this world, he never intended to preach up idleness. We may labour for an establishment, without being anxious about the event; and when we have done our part, we must leave the reft to Providence, neither repining at bad, nor priding our felves in good fuccefs; in fine, we must never fix our thoughts fo upon earth,

earth, as to hinder their flight to heaven; here they muft lodge, here they muft dwell, and rather only touch, than ftop at, any worldly concern.

I caft my felf, O God, into the arms of thy providence, and fubmit with pleasure to thy ordinances: I defire neither wealth, nor honours; nor refuse poverty, nor contempt give me thy grace, to purchase heaven, and I willingly fling up all pretenfions to any thing upon earth: I know, if I feek thee fincerely, thy goodness will provide me neceffaries; but if thou wilt have me live in indigence, I fubmit, and will always acknowledge, it is better to want with patience and fubmiffion, than to enjoy abundance with pride and intempe

rance.

EPISTLE to the Hebrews, Chap. ix. Verse

11. But Chrift being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entred in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for

us.

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13. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the afbes of an heifer Sprinkling the unclean, fanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh;

14. How much more shall the blood of Chrift, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without Spot to God, purge your confcience from dead works to ferve the living God?

15. And for this caufe he is the Mediator of the new Teftament, that by means of death, for

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the

the redemption of the tranfgreffions that were under the firft teftament, they which are called might receive the promife of eternal inheritance.

The MORAL REFLECTION.

THE

HE apostle, from the beginning of this epiftle to the ninth chapter, fhews from the nature of the Aaronical priesthood, and the whole tenor of the old teftament, that the law of Mofes must yield to that of Chrift, and give place to his gofpel. He follows the fame fubject in this chapter, but with a new proof, viz. the fabrick of the tabernacle, which was but a fhadow and figure of the church established by Chrift, the fo-longed-for Meffias.

He first enters upon an exact description of the tabernacle, and all the veffels deftined to divine fervice he then informs the Jews, that the annual entrance of the high-prieft into the Sanctum fanctorum, or Holy of holies, with the blood of goats, fignified Chrift, who, by the effufion of his most precious blood, entred triumphant into heaven, opened the gates of the holy city, fhut to all mankind fince the difobedience of our first father, and procured not only an abundant, but an eternal redemption for his pofterity. And then he concludes, that, if the expiatory facrifices of the Jews were able to confer a legal and exterior fanctity and purity; with greater reafon the blood of Chrift has force to cleanfe us from all fins, and to plant in our fouls all thofe virtues God requires at our hands, and the new law commands.

I intend not here to entertain you with the excellence of the Chriftian religion above the Jewish, which feems to be the apostle's drift; but will endeavour to raise you to a confidence in the mercy

of

of God, founded on the merits of our Saviour, and the office of Mediator and Advocate he is pleased to take upon him.

It is true, the guilt of fin is in a manner infinite, because it is an offence against an infinite Being, and confequently it is a debt no creature is able to difcharge; nothing but a perfon equal to God can repair the injury, nothing under God made man has a fufficient fund to cancel the debt; but then one drop of his blood is of an infinite value, and therefore a fuperabundant price for the redemption of a thoufand worlds, and capable to fatisfy for more fins than all creatures poffible are able to commit. Chrift took upon him our obligation; he bound himself for us to his Father; he became man, that he might fuffer for us, but ftill he remained God, and his fatisfaction is infinite, proportioned indeed to the demerit of our fins, but infinitely exceeding them.

Chrift has laid down all his fufferings for my ranfom; his heavenly Father has accepted the payment; what then can I expect but pardon, if I afk it, and by an unfeigned forrow plead my Saviour's merits? I know,indeed, my fins are many and great; but my Redeemer's fatisfaction is greater. The blood of this juft Abel cries out louder for mercy, than that of the first for vengeance: Oh what a fubject of confolation is this! what a motive for confidence! Tho' I were charged with all the fins of men and devils, one drop of Chrift's blood can attone for them; nay, the leaft action of his life pleased his heavenly Father more, than the most flaming crimes difplease him: tho' therefore our demerits call for justice, Chrift's merits plead more perfuafively for mercy; and why fhould we doubt to obtain it of a God, fo prone of himfelf to clemency, when moved befides by fo ftrong motives to goodnefs?

St. Paul