PRIDE.

The will of God appoints the measure of understanding, wealth, power, beauty, pleasure, and influence, which each shall have. Here is an abiding and unanswerable reason why none should glory and none should envy.

There is another consideration which evinces the unreasonableness of both pride and discontent. It is that men are not proprietors, but stewards, holding whatever they have in trust, to be accounted for to God, Therefore, the man who boasts of his superior endowments, does in effect, boast of the heavier account he will have to render, and is virtually proud of the more aggravated condemnation to which unfaithfulness will subject him. And the discontented does as really lament that he has no more onerous burden laid upon him, no more goods to give account of, and that unfaithfulness in employing his talents, will only expose him to a comparatively light condemnation. It would be quite as reasonable for men of great endowments to murmur against the Almighty Dispenser, and to be envious and discontented, because they are placed over so much, as for men more moderately endowed, to do the same, because they are placed over so little; inasmuch as it is certainly more easy to be faithful in few than in many things, and the precious reward of faithfulness in every case, however small the trust, is everlasting life, and an entrance into the joy of the Lord.

PRIDE AND HUMILITY.

Never do human pride, self-conceit, contempt of others, arrogant pretensions, high thoughts, and haughty demeanor, appear so hateful and hell deserving, as when we place them in contrast with the humility of the Son of God.

Who art thou, O proud man? "A worm and no man," not even worthy of the name of man, since you have become a sinner-a worm taken out of the dust, and crawling through it, to return into it—a poor, exposed, dependant, feeble, timid, mortal creature-aching, tossing, weeping, mourning, decaying, dying-to-day thou art this, and to-morrow thou must be dead, and for thy death mayest be indebted to the meanest insect that flies the air-thy noise all stilled, thy dignity brought down to the dust, thy beauty marred, and thou a mass of matter unsightly and offensive. With all thy courage, thou durst not say this shall not be thy end to-morrow. In intellect too, how weak and erring— how little thou knowest, and even that little, how easily it may be lost; and the mind that is now so proud of its powers and acquisitions, sink into hopeless idiocy. And thy heart, the worst part of thee, deceitful above all things and desperately wicked-thy inward part, very wickedness, whose excesses it takes Omnipotence to restrain, and so defiled, that God alone can purify it-unsusceptible of improvement, it must be

made anew. And thy whole nature, a slave of many petty, cruel tyrants-thy lusts. Where hast thou materials for a crown of pride?

UNBELIEF.

It is a solemn fact, that we cannot reason away unbelief. It is often impossible to convince a man of the sinfulness of that which is agreeable, and the rectitude of that which is inconvenint. And he may be con vinced, and yet not do the right, nor avoid the wrong, either as having no inclination, or having a sort of inclination, he may yet feel he is in bondage to evil, unable to do the good he would. There is a moral servitude and impotence, not inconsistent with responsibility and blame.

WORLDLINESS.

So entirely are the most of mankind taken up with this visible world, that if there should come to them the infallible assurance that there exists no other world, they would not have to modify their plans, or alter their

pursuits at all, to conform them to the new and dismal information.

In the decalogue of this world, one of the chief commandments is, "Do as others do, and as the generations past have done." It tolerates no reformers-it listens to no innovations. It cannot away with non-conformists to its establishment. The slightest punishment ever inflicted for such transgression, is taunt and scorn, combined with a malignant pity.

What faith, and perseverence, and firmnesss, were required in Noah, as he laboriously worked at the ark, exposed to the insults and sneers of the unbelieving population that surrounded him, without ever once doubting the divine word, or giving over his work, or ceasing to warn the obstinate and ungrateful multitude. And it requires scarcely less of these virtues in a disciple of Christ in our day, to go steadily forward in the firm belief of things unseen and far distant, in a steadfast adherence to the person and interests of the Saviour, in opposition to the flood of worldliness around him.

ANIMOSITY.

To remember that we have often injured ourselves far more than others have injured us, ought very much to moderate our animosities towards each other. If we

must hate and be indignant, let our greatest enemy receive the full weight of our vengeance, and that in all cases is self.

IDOLATRY.

The idolatry of some mentioned in the Bible, consisted in worshipping the image that fell from Jupiter. The idolatry of many in our day, consists in worshipping the image that fell from God.

PERVERSITY.

It would be strange if some were serious; the circumstances in which they voluntarily put themselves end so unfavorable. It would be strange if they were saved, since they do so much not to be. Many act as if their grand anxiety were "what must we do not to be saved?"

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