THESE are confoling and animating views. They tend to excite a divine ambition in working out our falvation.

WE are yet doomed "to bear the heat and bur. den of the day." But we are not alone-not unobferved. God, angels, and the good, who were lately our companions in tribulation," witnefs the part we act. We would not dishonor ourfelves in their view, and fink ourfelves in their ef timation. If they are ready to help our infirmity, we would not render their heavenly aid of no avail, or cut ourselves off from enjoying their fociety.

CONSIDER fome dear departed child of God thus interested in your concerns, and you will find it a fpur to duty, and an incentive to labor and not faint in the work affigned you, preparatory to your join. ing the church of the first born above. Think now that the godly ones who loved you here, and labored to animate you in the fervice of God-or those who lately looked to you for counsel and guidance, having made their way to glory, are waiting your arrival, and longing to hail your entrance into the kingdom, and by all the strength of your love to them, now freed from the imperfections of their earthly refidence, and made glorious and heavenly, you will find yourfelf drawn on toward that fate of bleffedness, in which you hope again to rejoice with those whofe diftreffes you witneffed here-yea whofe dying agonies, may have chillyour frame and filled you with anguish unut

ed

terable!

To meet them again, and find yourself and them, forever removed from the fear of evil, either natural or moral-forever fecure the divine friend. fhip-forever happy and glorious in the enjoyment of God," the former things being all paffed away, and all tears forever wiped from your eyes!" There to recount with those bleffed fpirits, the travels and trials of this life, and look back, perhaps, on many hairbreadth escapes from eternal death! There, to dwell on the wonders of divine love and mercy exercised towards you, and often in things which you once thought to be against you! Who would not willingly fuffer many deaths to enjoy these things?

Such confiderations are animating in duty, and fupporting in times of trial. If realized, we fhall adopt the language of the suffering apoftle"None of these things move me, neither do I count my life dear to myself, that I may finish my course with joy"-and fhare fuch bleffed fociety-such inconceivable felicity and glory in my Father's house above, in which are many manLions!

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

ST. PAUL was the apostle of the Gentiles. The care of the churches gathered among them devolved particularly on him. At the writing of this epiftle he had no perfonal acquaintance with the church to which it is addreffed.* Epaphras, a bishop of the Coloffians, then his fellow prisoner at Rome, had made him acquainted with their ftate, and the danger they were in from falfe teachers, who, during the absence of their minifter, labored to turn them from the fimplicity of the gofpel; and this letter was written, through divine influence, to guard them against thofe deceivers, and perfuade them to abide in Christ.

* Verse 1.

To this end he counselled them to keep to the divine directions, carefully avoiding every alteration, or addition, which might be urged upon them by uninspired men, though they might come with a fhew of wisdom and humility, and profesfion of regard to the honor of God and happiness of man.

MANY of the moft fuccefsful attacks on God's earthly kingdom have been made in this way. O. pen rebellion against God, is found chiefly on those who have no faith in him; who are therefore devoid of his fear. Others are tempted moftly to other fins, and induced to make indirect oppofition to the divine government, from them, the tempter hides the truth, and leads them into error, and thus causes them to pull down the cause which they aim to build up, and fight against God with a view to ferve him.

So much of God appears in his works, that comparatively few can be made to doubt his exist. ence, or his providential government. Hence few are prevailed with to renounce his fear and rise directly against him; but many are deceived, and confequently engaged to act with his enemies.

HERE a common fource of feduction hath been fuggefting improvements on divine inftitutionsthat this and that, which God hath not ordered, would help his caufe and promote his interest. Sometimes the improvements are attempted under pretence of divine order, and urged with his authority; but this veil is not always fpread over endeavors to change his inftitutes. They are often

urged as means adapted to help his caufe, without pretence to divine order requiring the ufe of them. Much, it is alledged, is left to human difcretion. This taken for granted, the reft is eafy. It is only to say these measures are wife and good, calculated to help on the cause of God, and whoever denies it, is confidered as fighting against God.

THUS men are led away from the divine inftitu. tions to thofe of human invention. Human wifdom is exalted above divine; and all with a view to glorify God!

THUS was the tempter laboring, through the in. ftrumentality of his agents, to feduce the Coloffians, when this epiftle was written, and it is chiefly intended to counteract their influence, and pre. vent that church from being moved away from the hope of the gospel, which they had received.

IN difcuffing the fubject, We fhall firft, glance at the meafures ufed by thofe deceivers-then confider the fuccefs which hath attended this mode of fighting against God, and feducing mankind, adding a few obfervations on the influence of tradition and the rudiments and customs of the world.

THE Coloffian feducers appear to have been of two kinds-Jewish and Gentile. The former feem not to have differed from thofe at Rome, Corinth, Galatia, and thofe in Judea. They were Jewish Chriftians, who were fo attached to the Mofaic ritual, that they wifhed to continue it, and graft Chriftianity upon it, rendering the religion of Chrift only an appendage to that of Mofes. They infifted that the ceremonial law remained in