unrighteous gain, of finful indulgencies, and difgraceful indolence, is neceffary to make us bleffings. The faithful induftrious fervant is, in his capacity, a bleffing. The mild and equitable master is, in his circle, a bleffing. The wife and affectionate parent is a bleffing. The honeft, much more the kind and generous, man is a bleffing. The enlightened and active Christian is a bleffing to men in their best interests. He who, though himself poor, confidereth his poor neighbour, and visiteth him in his fickness, is a bleffing.

Opportunities and powers of usefulness are as various as our capacities and fituations in life. The perfon of large capacities and of affluent fortune fhould form liberal schemes, and be an eminent bleffing. But every one

hath a talent; every one hath a character to fupport as a man and a christian, which he cannot fupport without being, in proportion, ufeful.

Let then our thoughts and endeavours be directed to this end. Let us ftrew the path of life, as we tread it, with bleffings. Let us, when we leave the world, leave bleflings of our procuring, flowing from our wisdom,

conduct, example, and active efforts behind us. Happy and honourable will it be for that man, on whose tomb grateful furvivors may have ground, and a difpofition, with emotions of unfeigned refpect and affection, to inscribe, HE WAS A BLESSING. Amen.

A A

THE REPENTANCE OF MANASSEH.

2 CHRON. XXXIII. 12, 13, 15, 16.

And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his GOD, and humbled himself greatly before the GOD of his Fathers, and prayed unto him; and He was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was GOD.- And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jeru salem, and cast them out of the city. And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace-offerings and thank-offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD GOD of Israel.

HE course of human things greatly re

Trembles a picture, in which shade is

blended with light. In the experience and lot of every individual there is a mixture of good and evil. The day of adversity is set over against the day of profperity. In particular characters vice and virtue, wisdom and folly are mingled, and by turns discover themselves in the conduct. In families seldom doth virtue, or felicity, defcend from one generation to another. Nor in kingdoms

doth he, who is heir to the crown always inherit the goodness of his royal ancestor. This was remarkably the case as to the Princes who fat on the throne of Judah. The good Jotham was fucceeded by the wicked Aha2. Ahaz being removed by death, the pious Hezekiah afcended the throne: on the decease of Hezekiah, the profane and idolatrous Manaffeh reigned in his stead. This prince was trained up in a religious court, under the eye of the holy prophets, and the shadow of the temple of the true GOD. Yet, after his early years had been accustomed to the exercises of a divine ritual, and his mind had been seasoned with the leffons and principles of genuine religion, he funk into idolatry, and adopted its cruel and ridiculous rites. He built the high places his Father had destroyed: worshipped all the Hoft of Heaven; caufed his children to pass through the fire to Moloch; obferved times, ufed enchantments, and confulted wizards. By his example and edicts, "he caused Judah " and the inhabitants of Jerufalem to err, and "to do worse than the heathen whom the "LORD had destroyed."