a period to his views, and fix him in repofe and felicity.

Afk the idle and voluptuous, who is throwing away his irreparable hours in the unmean. ing circle of fashionable delights, when he will think of his duty to his God and his fellow-creatures, and become a ufeful member of fociety? he will declare he has juft finifhed his courfe of pleasures, that he hath fufficiently experienced the vanity and vexation of them, and that to-morrow he intends to quit the paths of folly and impertinence, and frike directly into the road of virtue.-And what is (for the moft part) the confequence of all these folemn profeffions? To-morrow comes! this great reclaimer of finners, this univerfal reformer of mankind! and finds the mifer at his treasures, the courtier at his levee, the man of pleasure at his diverfions! All, in fhort, engaged in the very fame purfuits, making the fame promifes and proteftations, and with just the fame degree of truth and fincerity.

upon

Since fuch then is the inftability of human happiness, and fuch the uncertainty of human virtue, ought we ever to hoaft of, or depend either of them? Had not the wife man but too much reafon to cry out, Boaft not thySelf of to-morrow, for thou knoweft not what a day may bring forth! Let us not then flatter our felves that we are to depend on to-morrow. Let him who is in the pride of health call to mind, that ficknefs may come to-morrow, and put an end to it. Let him that glorieth in his Dd riches

riches remember, that poverty, like an armed man, may come fuddenly and feize on him. Let him that is wife know, that folly may in a moment overtake him. And let not him that is virtuous to-day, forget that vice may take poffeffion of him before to-morrow; if he ftand therefore, let him take heed left he fall.

In the common affairs of life better advice cannot be given, than that what we can do to-day, we should never defer till to-morrow. In regard to our purfuits after the transitory goods of this life, it is certain that procraftination is the parent of disappointment; the fault punishes itself: and they who depend on futurity for their fhare of happinefs, do very feldom obtain it; but when this abfurd reliance on to-morrow is confirmed into habit, when it induces by degrees to neglect the great work of our falvation, the folly fwells into a crime, and may become the dreadful means of involving us in everlafting deftruction. The bufinefs of a fincere repentance, is a bufinefs which (if we hope for pardon) muft at fome time of life be performed by all; yet it is generally the very laft we think of. Youth is too idle, and manhood too bufy and ambitious, old age too feeble and decrepid, or too perverfe and obftinate to engage in it. Tomorrow, that univerfal fponfor, whofe faith is plighted to pay every debt, is appointed to difcharge this alfo and this he moft generally performs, like the other offices committed to his charge. As this debt increafes,

we

we for the most part grow more unwilling to pay it as thought and reflection become more neceffary, they become more diftateful alfo : and when the difcafe of fin is grown to fuch a malignancy, to-morrow, even if it comes can bring no medicine to remove it. A deathbed repentance is by no means to be relied on, and yet, in hopes of this to-morrow, we ftill go on, forgetful of the great defign for

which we were created.

As the confideration of the words before us may serve to repress the pride of the infolent, fo it may at the fame time smooth the rugged brow of adverfity, and turn afide the arrows of affliction. It may afford fome confolation to the poor and deftitute, to those who are oppreffed by forrow and misfortune, to rcflect that fuch is the viciffitude of human affairs, fo uncertain is the lot and portion of mortality, that we know not what a day may bring forth a fudden and unexpected change may happen, that from a ftate of bitterness and mifery, fhall raife the drooping heart to joy and gladnefs. When the poor and needy feck water and find none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, the God of Ifrael will not forfake them. Let not then the poor be oppreffed, and the wretched give themselves up as a prey to defpair and melancholy, but let them rely on him who is both able and willing to relieve them: they know not what a day may bring forth; forrow and difquietude may endure for a night, and joy and peace may yet falute their morning.

Dd 2

To

To conclude then-Whatfoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wif dom, in the grave whither thou goeft. Our fhort day of life is all that is allotted us for work, the morrow brings the reward, whether it be for good or evil; work therefore whilst it is day, before the night cometh wherein no man can work. It will be too late for thee, O man! when thy feet are fumbling upon the high mountains, and the fhadows of the evening have overtaken thee.

Let the deceived procraftinator then remember, that his delays are dangerous and deftructive; that what he fondly expects may never come; that he who hath promifed pardon to our repentance, hath no where promifed life till we repent; that the morrow therefore which he hath fo little reafon to hope, he may have but too much reafon to fear: fince, if it doth not bring forth our repentance, it muft heighten our condemnation, which may God of his mercy avert, and give us grace to make the best use of to-day.

SERMON

ON PRIDE AND SELF-CONCEIT.

SERMON

PROVERBS XVI. 5.

XLI.

Every one that is proud in heart is an abomina

tion to the Lord.

FROM a ferious and impartial view of the

of man here on earth, from a few reflections on his fituation and end, his powers and faculties, from a confideration of him as a creature formed out of the duft, and speedily to return to it; attacked on every fide by evil and corrupt affections; befet with dangers and calamities; at beft but partially and imperfectly happy; one would not fuppofe that fuch a vice as pride could poffibly fubfift in the univerfe, and much lefs that it was full of very little elfe; that it had fpread itself over the whole face of nature, corrupted (in fome degree) every heart, and become the plague of

all mankind!

Since, however, we are but too well convinced, that pride is univerfal, let us endeavour to trace the fecret fprings of it; let us fee what broad and extenfive foundation there is for fo large and magnificent a ftructure. The principal columns which fupport this mighty

edifice