Majefty no motives to pardon me, but thy goodnefs, and my unworthinefs. The evil I have done is my own, and all the good belongs to thee. Behold therefore a poor finner at thy feet, bathed in tears, and drowned in forrow; penitent for paft offences, and refolved for the future, by thy affiftance, to live up to his duty, and to die in thy service.

I. EPISTLE to the Corinthians, Chap. xv. Ver.

1. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gofpel which I preached unto you, which also ye bave received, and wherein ye ftand;

2. By which also ye are faved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3. For I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received, how that Chrift died for our fins, according to the fcriptures :

4. And that he was buried, and that be rofe again the third day, according to the Scriptures. 5. And that he was feen of Cephas, then of the twelve.

6. After that, he was feen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this prefent, but fome are fallen afleep.

7. After that, he was feen of Fames, then of all the apostles.

8. And last of all he was feon of me alfo, as of one born out of due time.

9. For I am the leaft of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I perfecuted the church of God.

10. But

10. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and bis grace which was bestowed upon me, was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

ST

The MORAL REFLECTION.

T. Paul conjures the Corinthians, to call to mind the doctrine he preached, and they received. The advice is profitable to all Chriftians, and their miscarriages come, in great part, from the neglect of this wholesome counfel. We will not take pains to compare our conduct with the maxims of our religion, nor our actions with our duty. And fo the one bears no proportion to the other. But if we fubmit our understanding to the truths God has revealed, why do we not fubmit our wills to the obligations he has imposed? If it be an impiety not to believe. it is a folly to believe in vain. And certainly, this is the cafe of all thofe, who fquare not their lives by the rule of their profeffion. God has made indeed glorious promifes to Chriftians; but with this provifo, that they keep his commandments. Without this, faith will not fave us. We believe in vain. And the very means, God was pleafed to give us for our falvation, will, by our neglect, only ferve to plunge us into a greater mifery.

For

The capital points of our religion are the cruel death, and glorious refurrection, of the Son of God and as they are the chief, so they were the first the apostle taught the Corinthians; I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also receiv'd, how that Chrift died for our fins, ac-, cording to the fcriptures, and that he rofe again the third day. The fevere morals of the gospel are confequences

confequences of the firft: for if he led a mortified life for us, and died a cruel death, we muft die to all creatures, and (what is more hard) even to ourselves, that we may live only to him, and for him. For he came into the world, not only to redeem us by his death, but to inftruct us by his life; to be both our ranfom, and model. Hence he tells us, that all, who pretend to be his children, muft take up their cross, and bear part of his torments, to partake of his glory. Yes, O Lord, the pains, you have suffered for me, impofe on me a ftrict obligation of fuffering for you. To enter into your glory, I must partake of your torments, and bear with fubmiffion all thofe croffes, you are pleafed to fend me.

Let not this doctrine, of fuffering mortification and croffes, fright us from our duty. Chrift rofe again the third day: and therefore the apoftle draws this confequence, that, when we die to this world, we fhall rife to another. The refurrection of our Saviour is not only the fource, but an affurance, of ours: I am obliged to fuffer, because you, my Saviour, have fuffered. But then, I fhall one day arise again, because you are refufcitated: and if I die in your grace, I fhall revive, to live eternally in your glory.

Oh! the goodnefs of my Creator! Oh! the infinite bounty! For a fhort labour, he recompenfes with an eternal reward; and afflictions, that are paft, with glory that never ends.

It is true, what this apoftle tells us, that, were our hopes and fears only confined to this world, and that our expectations vanifh'd with our laft breath, Chriftians would be the moft miferable. and foolish of all creatures. But, relying on the certain hope of a glorious refurrection, they are the most prudent, as well as the most happy. Thofe libertines, that pretend there is, after this

life

life, no reward for virtue, nor punishment for vice; in fpight of infidelity, are continually haunted with the apprehenfion, that perhaps there is: and this damps their fpirits, and dafhes all their pleafures with gall and wormwood. And how is it poffible for a reasonable creature to enjoy one moment's quiet, when he reflects, he hazards an eternity of pleasure; and exposes himself to everlafting torments, upon a bare perhaps?

But, then, the thought of another life, that renders the libertine miferable in the very height of a criminal profperity, fills a pious Chriftian with joy and confolation, in the midst of the greatest preffures, and adverfity. I know, fays he, that tho' my Redeemer died, he is now alive; And that, one day, I fhall fee my Saviour in this flesh, Job xix. 25. and, as I firmly hope, not to punish my crimes, but to crown my obedience to his commands. It is true, I muft, for fome time, declare war against my paffions; crucify my filefh, and bear all croffes with refignation but this conteft will foon end, and the recompence will last eternally. Oh! what proportion between a felicity, that is not only above expreffion, nay, and comprehenfion, but eternal alfo, and a fuffering that cannot be long, and may be shorter than we imagine!

We facrifice our eafe with joy, and often our lives, to procure temporal preferments; altho' the fuccefs be wholly uncertain, the enjoyment unfatisfactory, and the poffeffion fhort and precarious. The hope of a happy iffue fweetens our labour, infpires courage, and renders us infenfible to all the mortifications we meet in the pursuit. Must not, then, the expectation of heaven work the fame effects on thofe, who carry their thoughts to a future ftate; who have an affurance, that all, that is either pleafing or painful in this world, will end: and that, if we live up to the

duty

duty of a chriftian, we shall reign eternally with Chrift in heaven.

Should I groan under the pangs of diseases, under the lashes of flandering tongues, and all the inconveniences of poverty and contempt; thefe misfortunes will foon end, and the reward of my patience will be eternal.

St. Paul knew, the world would never receive the fevere morals of the gofpel, nor embrace the incomprehenfible myfteries of faith, unless they were perfuaded, that hereafter they fhould revive, to receive, in the next world, the reward of their obedience to Chrift's commands in this: and therefore he proves our Saviour's refurrection, with arguments able to convince the most incredulous. He was feen, fays he, of Cephas, then of the twelve: afterwards of above five hundred then of James, and then of all the apoftles. What a cloud of witneffes to establish this great mystery? But fewer would But fewer would not convince the world of a truth, which, by a neceffary confequence, obliges mankind to believe all the fublime myfteries, and to practife the ftrict morals of the gospel.

O my God and Redeemer! I believe thou didft die for my fins, and rife again for my juftification. Thy refurrection is an affurance of mine; the members must be like their head and I firmly hope by thy merits, to rife the object of thy love, not of thy hatred.

But then, with bended knees, and a contrite heart, I implore thy grace; for by the grace of God, I am what I am: in regard of eternal life, what are we without it? We cannot make one ftep to heaven; we are examples of weaknefs ; we are flaves to fin; and, what is ftrange, proud in our mifery, and rafh in our infirmity: But, with it, what fervour? What courage? VOL. II.

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