The MORAL REFLECTION.

UR bleffed Saviour foretells to his apostles the deftruction of the temple, which happened forty years after his afcenfion, under Titus Vefpafian, and the ruin of Jerufalem, together with that of the fynagogue and the people. This fad difafter was the juft punishment of their fins, and principally for the murther of the Meffias, fo long expected, and fo barbarously put to death, by the contrivance of the priests, and confent of the whole nation. God gave them forty years, to enter into themselves; he expected their repentance with patience but their obftinacy was proof against all his goodness, and fo drew down upon them divine vengeance, the greater, becaufe long deferred.

O my God! how long have you expected my return to your grace, which I have forfeited by my fins? How long have I refufed your preffing invitations to repentance? Your frequent calls to lead a life worthy of the religion, your only Son brought from heaven, and I have the happiness to profefs? Yet, like the hard-hearted Jews, I have perfifted in my obftinacy; and, as much as I am able, have, not once, but often, crucified my Saviour by my disorders, Heb. vi. 6. Nay, I am more guilty than they; for your apostle confeffes, had they known he was God, they would not have crucified him; fo that ignorance might plead in fome measure their excufe: but alas! I have not this pretext: I know he is my God, my Saviour, and have contemned the very Majefty I adore ; and confequently deferve no more mercy than that unfortunate people, which wanders about the world like accurfed Cain, as a perpetual monument of your juftice. But, my God, your grace has mol

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lified my stubborn heart; my paft life confounds me, and your patience raifes my confidence, that you will feal my pardon: I caft myself at your feet with bended knees, a contrite heart, and a firm refolution rather to die, than to live in your disfavour.

The apoftles were curious to know the time, when the temple was to be destroyed, and the world to end; tell us when shall these things be, and what shall be the fign of thy coming but our Saviour thought not fit to fatisfy their curiofity: the end of the world, and the day of judgment, are fecrets God has referved to himself; yet we know the world will foon end to us, and that the fentence of our eternal deftiny will be pronounced at fartheft within fome years, and perchance within fome days, and even moments: this ought to be the fubject of our daily meditations, of all our thoughts we cannot be too careful to provide against a moment, unknown to us, yet on which our all depends.

Our Saviour bids us ftand on our guard, to avoid furprize. O my Saviour: I will follow thy advice, and refolve to live in the ftate I defire to die: death fteals upon me unforeseen; and because I am ignorant when it will come, by the affiftance of thy grace, I will always be prepared to receive it.

Tho' our Saviour concealed the time of the utter ruin of Jerufalem, he gave them a fign that fhould precede it; when ye shall fee the abomination of defolation, Spoken of by Daniel the prophet, fand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand.) This prophanation happened in the time of the fiege, when a troop of affaffins feized on the temple, and committed, in that holy place, a thousand murthers and facrileges. There is no greater fign of God's anger against a man or na

tion, and of a fudden vengeance, than when he permits facrilege and prophanation of holy things. It is true, my God, I have not prophaned thy church by murthers, as the unfortunate Jews did thy temple; but how often have I approach'd to thy holy table with a rankled heart, and received thy body and blood into a breaft polluted with crimes, with enmities, and hatred; and thus turned the food of life, the fource of grace, into poifon and facrilege? Pardon, I beseech thy mercy, my impiety; revenge thy honour, and my crimes, on my body, my eftate; only fpare my foul, redeemed by thy facred blood.

Our Saviour, by feveral expreffions, marks the miferies the Jews underwent at the deftruction of their city, and those the church will undergo in the reign of Antichrift. For then fhall be great tribulation, fuch as was not from the beginning of the world. Perchance these miferies touch us not, because fome are past, and others at a great distance. But at leaft God, who is terrible in his anger, and severe in his juftice, is always prefent; and therefore fear to offend him, and endeavour to procure pardon by a fincere repentance: remember, if he be merciful, he is also just; and if his mercy raises your hope, let his juftice awake your fear.

There shall arife falfe Chrifts, and falfe prophets, and shall fhew great figns and wonders. To try his elect, God has permitted falfe prophets in all ages to rife, and here he cautions us against them; Believe them not.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the Sun fhall be darkned, and the moon fhall not give her light. Before our Saviour's fecond coming, the end of one mifery fhall be the beginning of another: wars and feditions will begin the tragedy; then plagues, earthquakes, and famine will follow; VOL. II.

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the cruel perfecution of Antichrift will fucceed; and laftly, a general conflagration will confume all things. O my God! what condemnation will feize on men in those days? What horror? What confufion? Who then fhall we esteem happy? Power and dignities will be no defence; wealth of no ufe; nothing will afford comfort or affurance, but a good confcience, but either innocence or repentance.

And then fhall appear the fign of the Son of man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn. The royal ftandard of the cross shall appear more bright than a thousand funs; the cross that once was a fcandal to the Jews, and a fable to the Gentiles, fhall confound the pride of thofe, and the infidelity of thefe: it fhall receive now a homage, not to the falvation of the wicked, but to their damnation: the infidel will confefs, it fhould have been the object of his faith, the libertine, the rule of all his actions: but alas! this confeffion comes too late: the gate of mercy is fhut; nothing remains but tears and lamentations, the last refuge of the miferable. Let us weep now, whilst tears are profitable, whilft they disarm juftice, and move God to mercy defer them not, till the cross appears in heaven; for they will only end in defpair; or rather they will always continue, as the marks of our paft folly, and of our eternal reprobation.

And be fall fend his angels with a great found of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. The angels will convey the faints to our Saviour's right hand, the devils will draw the wicked to his left; thofe to receive the final fentence of their eternal happiness, these of their eternal mifery. O my God! what would a finner give for the lowest place among thy elect? He

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forfeited his ease and quiet in this world, and even his foul, to raise a fortune; and what has he gained, but the fad privilege to be the more tormented? Now thofe virtuous Chriftians, who were condemned for fools at the world's tribunal, are esteemed wife; and thofe finners, who magnified their own wisdom, condemn their folly.

Let us fpend fome thoughts, dear Christians, on this dreadful day, and make fome preparation for it; it is in our power at present to provide a place, either on Chrift's left hand, or his right; and it is uncertain how long Providence will allow us this opportunity: it is the worst of follies, to dally when heaven and hell lie at stake, and a madness to learn the happiness of the faints by its lofs, and the misery of the damned by experience.

O my God! let this laft trumpet continually found in my ears, Arife ye dead, and come to judgment Let the profpect of this terrible judgment appear always before my eyes, and the two eternities be present to my thoughts: fuch a difinal scene, on the one fide will, I hope, withdraw me from fin: fuch a charming, fuch a tranfporting object, on the other, will perfuade me to practise those virtues, thou haft commanded in thy gofpel, and taught me by thy example: what fignifies the applause of men; if I am pronounc'd guilty at thy tribunal? or their reproach, if thou doft declare me innocent? By thy judgment I must stand, or fall and thrice happy I, if I am of that bleffed company, which thou doft invite to eternal joy. Come ye blessed.

FIN 1 S.