and will recover my wool and my flax." What pity is it that God's indulgence fhould be abused to his difhonour! The more his bounty fhines on perverfe and rebellious men, the more luxuriant is the growth of their vicious habits. But it will appear by and by, that as God hath favours to beflow, he hath alfo juftice to execute his threatened difpleasure. Though sentence against evil works be not executed fpeedily, let not the hearts of the children of men be fully fet in them to do evil; for the day is coming when abused goodness will no longer forbear. Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish shall be awarded to every foul of man who continueth to do evil. Where grace can neither melt nor move, The fubject will furnifh us with a word of conviction alfo for those who put no value upon God's special favour. Among these, some there are who are more defirous of friendship with the great men of this world, than of friendship with God. An ambitious pursuit after the honour which cometh from men is one of the grand obstructions to true faith, and real piety. "How can ye believe who re receive honour one of another, and feek not the honour which cometh from God only ?" The apostle tells us, that the friendship of this world is enmity with God, and, confequently, that if any man will be, at all events, the friend of the world, he is the enemy of God. Mofes put a proper value on the divine favour, when he efteemed even the reproach of Chrift greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. It is an high attainment to be able to say, with truth and fincerity, Lord, let me have thy favour, though, in my adherence to thee, I fhould forfeit the regard of every man upon earth.' Reader, confider within yourfelf, what good the favour of the great can do you in the hour of death, or at the day of judgment. Can they give bail for you, when you are arrefted by the king of terrors? Can they stand forth in your defence at the awful bar of God? Nay, can their friendship even free you either from pangs of conscience, or pains of body? In these cafes, they can afford no help, when help is moft of all needed. The favour of God alone can answer these purposes. Yet upon this few men put any proper value. But there are others of difpofitions still more base and fordid, who prefer impure and sensual gratifications to the favour of the Moft High. They have no concern about friendship with their Maker; A the pleasures of fin, though but for a season, are all they crave. The apostle Paul speaks of these with grief and indignation, "Whofe God is their belly, and whofe glory is in their fhame." They make the gratification of carnal views and pleasures their principal aim; the pampering of their own brutal appetites, in rioting and drunkenness, chambering and wantonness, is their chief good. They even boast of those things, which, instead of being to their honour, are scandalous and disgraceful to huThe end of fuch men, without repentance, we are affured, is deftruction. world paffeth away, and the luft thereof, but he that doth the will of God abideth for ever. The divine favour which real chriftians enjoy, will make them perfectly and everlastingly happy, when the fons of fenfuality are lifting up their eyes in hell, being in torments. man nature. The These men have their good things here; they have such a measure of the bounty of providence, as perhaps some of God's dear children are denied; whofe lot it is to be poor in this world, but rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which God has prepared for them that love him; who entreat the divine favour with their whole hearts; who earnestly long and daily pray for the affured tokens of it; and ........ and fuch fhall not be difappointed. But as the poet fings, Fools never raise their thoughts fo high, Our Lord teaches us, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, that in the world to come, the miferable fons of fenfuality will behold the felicity of those in heaven, whom they have seen in a state of affliction and poverty upon earth; and that this discovery will be a great aggravation of their own mifery. "The rich man died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and faw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bofom." He had a discovery of the feat and company of the bleffed, which added weight to his own mifery, and so much the more, as there he beheld poor Lazarus, whom he had formerly neglected and defpifed, in a ftate of perfect tranquillity, honour and joy. O how terrible and insupportable will the reflections of those men be in that day, who have lived only after the flesh, and had no regard for the favour of him, on whom all our felicity depends! Reader, ...�4.4.. Reader, defcend with me, by way of contemplation, into the dismal abodes of horror and despair, and liften, for a moment, to the cries and lamentations of one of those loft fouis, who once wallowed in fenfual delights, and lived without God in the world. "Woe is me, wretch that I am! This is the end of my ungodly courses, the juft reward of my evil deeds. I lived regardless of my own everlasting welfare. I difregarded the awful threatenings of that just and holy Being, whose anger now falls upon me, like a confuming fire. I took pleafure in that which his foul abhors; I made a mock of fin; but I now find that it bites like a ferpent, and ftings like an adder. In vain were friendly warnings given me; in vain was I told, from time to time, that deftruction fhould be to the workers of iniquity. I hardened myself in impiety, and cast off the fear of the Almighty. I flattered myself in my own deceivings and cried peace and safety, till fudden deftruction came upon me, as travail upon a woman with child; and now,O hopeless condition! there is no way of efcape. I faid unto God, Depart from me, I defire not the knowledge of thy ways. I fought not his favour, I had no regard for friendfhip with him. Upon this I put no value. And now, I am for ever cut off from all hope of enjoy.. ing his blissful prefence. The fentence is just |