thou hast been pleased to plant by thy labour, to water with thy fweat, and to cultivate with thy blood and, by the help of thy grace, I purpofe to repair the damage my ill example may have done my neighbour, by a regular behaviour, conformable to thy maxims, and in obedience to thy laws.

GOSPEL of St. John, Chap. xvi. Verse

16. A little while and ye shall not fee me and again, a little while and ye shall fee me, because I go to the Father.

17. Then faid fome of his difciples among themfelves, What is this that he faith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not fee me: and again, a little while and ye shall fee me: and, Because I go to the Father?

18. They faid therefore, What is this that he faith, A little while? we cannot tell what he faith.

19. Now Jefus knew that they were defirous to ask him, and faid unto them, Do ye enquire among your felves of that I faid, A little while and ye fhall not fee me and again, a little while and ye Shall fee me?

20. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoyce: and ye fhall be forrowful, but your forrow shall be turned into joy.

21. A woman, when she is in travail, bath forrow, because her hour is come: but affoon as she is delivered of the child, she remembreth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

22. And ye now therefore have forrow, but I will fee you again; and your heart shall rejoyce, and your joy no man taketh from you.

The

The MORAL REFLECTION.

TH

HIS paffage of fcripture is pathetic, taken out of that tender fermon, our Saviour made to his apostles, juft before his paffion. A little while, and ye shall not fee me. My life draws to an end I muft lofe it for your good, and my Father's glory; but I will only leave you for a time. And again, a little while, and ye shall fee me; not in a state of weakness and paffibility, but of immortality and glory. But the poor apostles understood not what this little while meant: What is this that he faith unto us?

St. Auguftin answers the question. Our whole lives, yea the world itself, is this little while, of which our Saviour Speaks. And St. James compares our lives to an exhalation, that appears and vanishes in a moment. What is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanifheth away, Ja. iv. 14. For take the longest life, it is but a little while, and fome come not up even to that. They end almost where they began; and few moments pafs between their coming into the world, and their going out of it. It is true, we divide our lives into infancy, childhood, youth, manhood and old-age. Yet these divifions add not a moment to their length: compared with the world's duration, they are only a little time; to eternity, nothing.

Yet this truth, tho' manifeft, tho' as evident as reafon, experience, and revelation can make it, is difbelieved by the greatest part of mankind. For, did they believe it in good earneft, would they not husband it better? would they proftitute to trifles, those few, but precious, moments, on which depends an eternity? Advife people to comply better with the duty of a Chriftian; tell them

that

that this life is fhort and uncertain; do they not all put you off with a we will provide for the future hereafter? There is time enough behind to make provifion for the next world. They have their hands full at prefent of other business more preffing. Oh foolish man, to be thus imposed upon! to be tricked fo wretchedly out of heaven, and into hell: who will in fpite of reafon and faith, spend some days in mirth and pleasure, with thofe reprobates in Job, without reflecting on their fad disaster; and in a moment they defcend into hell, and end their mirth, to begin an everlasting defpair. Who Spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave, Job xxi. 13.

The man in the gofpel, whom our Saviour mentions as a warning to us, was of opinion that life was long he enterprised great things; he had his head full of imaginary greatnefs; his coffers of wealth he enlarged his granaries, and laid up provisions for many years: he thought he had time enough to enjoy the present fruit of his labour, and to make preparation for heaven. But, alas! his expectation deceived him: he, who promised himfelf an age, found not a day; This very night thy foul fhall be required of thee, Luke xii. 20. Your wealth muft pafs into other hands, and your foul into another region. How many, in torments, who once were in the fame opinion we are, that our lives are long, confefs their error? Their time, alas! is up; their lives feem to have been so very fhort, as if immediately they had been hurried from the cradle to the grave.

But, tho' our lives reach'd to ages; yet does not reason tell us, we fhould firft fecure that which is of greatest importance, before we take into confideration the purchase of those things that cannot make us happy, tho' we poffefs them; nor miferable, tho' we enjoy them not? And is there

any

any thing of greater importance than our falvation? An atom feems nothing, if compared with the immenfe bulk of the earth; what comparison therefore can we make between the poffeffion of all the world can promise, and that of God? For all here below is temporal, momentary and frail. We may truly fay of it, what our Saviour faid of himself; A little while, and ye shall fee me: and again, a little while, and ye shall not fee me. It pleafes for a time, and then leaves us in grief and difappointment; but the poffeffion of God, the joys of heaven, are not only immenfe, but eternal alfo; and confequently, there is no proportion between all the temporal enjoyments, and the leaft degree of glory in heaven. And how void of reafon is the conduct of thofe, who give up all their thoughts to the concerns of the prefent, and expofe their falvation to the hazard of the future? We fay, We have time enough. If we have fo much time, at least let us firft make fure of our falvation. It is the chief, and, if we believe our Saviour, our only concern. This alone can make us happy, and nothing but the lofs of it can render us miferable.

When we have placed this in fome degree of fe curity, it will be time enough to take care of our temporal concerns. And, tho' death prevent us, our disappointment cannot be great; because we have fecured the principal, our falvation; which follows us into the next world, and will last eternally. But, if we give the firft place to the purchafe of worldly trifles, and death arrefts us before we are prepared for heaven, we fhall confefs, with the apostles upon another occafion, We have toiled all the night, and we have taken nothing, Luke v. 5. We have laboured our whole lives, like flaves chained to the oar; yet have gained nothing, but trouble and vexation of fpirit. We fhall

leave behind us all we have gained; and nothing will remain but the juft punishment of our folly.

Follow the counfel of St. Chryfoftome, who argues with the Chriftians of his time, that were for fecuring the fatisfaction of this life, and leaving their falvation to the hazard of the future. "You

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fay, God has given time to many to confefs in "their old age. What do you infer? that he "will do you the fame favour? Perchance, you'll fay, he will. But why do you fay perchance? "He has done it to many. Ah, reflect, I conjure you; your foul lies at ftake: fay to your felf, he has refufed this kindnefs to many, and "what if he refufe it to me?" Why then, O Christian, thou art undone for ever.

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Your time being therefore fhort, and withal uncertain, employ first all your care to the purchase of heaven. Place your foul in as great fecurity as this dangerous region will permit you; and remember the greatest care and vigilance cannot feat. you above temptation, and by confequence not above furprife; what then will become of you, if, wholly taken up with temporal concerns, you forget or neglect thofe that are eternal? If death feize upon you unforeseen, and furprise you unprovided, will your paft pleasures, or prefent fortune, buy a moment, or procure repentance? Alas, no! Seek therefore in the first place the kingdom of God, Matth. vi. 33. And when you are well provided for this great purchase, if any time remains, employ it in temporal concerns, according to the rules of prudence, and the laws of Chriftianity. No man's temporal concerns ever went the worse, because he took care of thofe that are eternal, nay, they generally go on with more fuccefs. And God has engaged his word, they fhall want nothing upon earth, who provide first for heaven. Seek firft the kingdom of heaven and its righte

C

ousness;