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nothing makes a greater impreffion on men, than a Christian behaviour, calm and uniform; nor engages them more to praise God, and love virtue: it endears us to our friends, and draws esteem from our enemies. So that we receive applause from men, and fhall receive an eternal reward from God.

In a word, thofe that belong to Chrift, have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lufts. This is the mark the apostle gives, to distinguish the difciples of Chrift from thofe of the world. If you have followed the ftream of your paffions, courted pleasure, and regulated your conduct by the maxims of flesh and blood, you belong to the world, long fince condemned by the mouth of our Saviour. But if you have avoided all these objects that may endanger your innocence, if have mortified the flesh, to keep it in fubjection, and confined your defires within the compass of your duty, you are Chrift's. Mortification is the way, that has led all the faints to heaven.

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O Divine Spirit! give me ftrength to walk in the way of thy commandments: without thy affiftance, I am not able to make one ftep towards my falvation. Either quell the rebellion of my finful flesh, or give me grace to overcome it. Give me a true fenfe of my duty, of thy favours, and of my ingratitude: that, being afhamed of this, and confounded at thofe, for the future I may love nothing but thee, and fear nothing but to offend thee.

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GOSPEL of St. Matthew, Chap. vi. Verse

24. No man can serve two masters for either be will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and defpife the other. Ye cannot ferve God and mammon.

25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor yet for your body what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat, and the body more than raiment ?

26. Behold the fowls of the air: for they fow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye much better than they?

27. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his ftature ?

28. And why take ye thought for raiment ? Confider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin.

29. And yet I fay unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of thefe.

30. Wherefore, if God fo clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is caft into the oven, fhall be not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31. Therefore take no thought, faying, What shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or wherewithal Shall we be clothed?

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32. (For after all these things do the Gentiles feek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that of all thefe things.

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33. But feek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

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The MORAL REFLECTION.

N this paffage, our bleffed Saviour exhorts his difciples to withdraw their affections from things of this world, to employ their time and thoughts in the purchase of virtue; and he promises heaven for their reward in the next world, and the good things of this life, in the prefent: Seek ye firft the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things fhall be added unto you.

He confutes a maxim, in the first place, that the Jews followed in his time, and is embraced by many Christians in ours that men may love the world, and God, at the fame time; that they may serve the one without difpleafing the other. No man can ferve two mafters. And the reason is, because their maxims are quite oppofite: Chrift commands humility, pardon of injuries, self-denial, mortification. The world laughs at humility as a vice, and esteems pride a virtue; it preaches up revenge, and ftigmatizes pardon as the effect of a bafe mind. It places happiness in the fatisfactions of fenfe. What poffibility of reconciling principles fo contrary? Humility cannot ftand with pride, nor pardon with revenge; I cannot practife felf-denial in all things, and feek my ease; nor at once gratify my fenfes, and mortify them.

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Seeing therefore, O my foul, thou canst not ferve God and the world; into whofe fervice wilt thou enter? Canft thou ballance one moment upon the choice? Who deferves the heart, but he who made it? but he alone who is able to content it? But labouring for the world, what wilt thou find but anguish and vanity? but a vain pleasure and a real mifery? Why therefore do I tire my felf in the purfuit of temporal goods? falfe and deceitful goods, which have nothing durable, but the regret

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for having abufed them! Why don't I turn my thoughts and my care towards heaven, towards thofe goods, that are everlasting, and which alone can fatisfy my defires?

Ye cannot ferve God and mammon.

Our Saviour

does not fay, the poffeffion of riches is incompatible with the fervice of God; for how many are there in the world, who join great virtues with plentiful eftates? whofe purfes are always open to the poor; and whofe charity fuccours the indigent? But he fays, You cannot ferve God and riches: you may poffefs them, but you must not be poffefs'd by them you must not turn them into an idol, nor fo tie your affection to them, as to tranfgrefs God's laws, and break through all the bounds of juftice, to procure or preferve them. As God permits poverty, fo he created riches; and confequently they are good in themselves, tho' bad by the ill use we turn them to.

Pray, therefore, neither for poverty, nor wealth; both extremes are dangerous: lay up treasures in heaven, which can neither be confumed by moths, nor ftoln by thieves: there you will enjoy them eternally, without envy, without care, or follicitude. But you must leave behind palaces, lordships, and all you poffefs'd here. And what will remain, but a mortal forrow for having laid out all the precious moments of your life, on things, that deferve no thought but of contempt ?

Withdraw, O God, my heart from all wordly allurements, that cannot render me happy in this world, and will probably make me miferable in the next. I fhall be rich, if I poffefs thy grace; and poor, tho' on a throne without it.

After that our bleffed Saviour had condemned the love of the world, he blames the follicitude and uneasiness about thofe things that are neceffary, as a defect of confidence in divine providence, and

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of fubmiffion to his orders. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.

He condemns not a reasonable care for our

temporal concerns, nor a moderate application to them, according to the rules of the gospel. Nay, he commands it; for to expect, that God shall provide us all neceffaries, without our conCurrence, is not confidence in his providence, but prefumption. But he forbids inquietude and anxiety, when we have done our duty, which is vain and unprofitable: for by our anxious cares and chagrins, it is no more poffible for us to procure neceffaries, than to add a cubit to our ftature. Which of you, by taking thought, can add to his ftature one cubit?

When you have done your part, leave the event to Providence. The fowls of the air neither fow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet God feeds them all. And can we think he will forget us, made in his image, and redeem'd by his blood? Are ye not much better than they? He cloathes the lilies in more glorious robes, than thofe of Solomon. And if he be fo profufe in his bounty to flowers, that shine to day, and to-morrow will be caft into the fire ; will he abandon us, whom he has deftined to live eternally with him in heaven?

O my Saviour and my God! your reasons convince me of folly and infidelity, if I abandon not myself to your providence, and at the fame time perfuade me it is by your command. The birds of the air, the beafts of the field, and every part of the creation, give me the refolution to caft my felf into the arms of your divine providence, and to truft you with all my concerns. You are infinitely rich, you can fupply

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