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If vain-glory be in itself frivolous, it is dangerous in its effects: for it is the fource of envy and jealoufy; and from these spring the greatest crimes. Let us not be defirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another. Nothing more oppofite to charity, nothing more contrary to union, than these. An envious man feldom keeps his paffion within his own breaft: his tongue discovers the paffion of his heart; it breaks out into detraction and calumny, and even mifrepresents the moft innocent actions as criminal; and thus he breaks the laws both of charity and juftice; fows difcord, and kindles feuds and animofities.

But, why do you envy your neighbour? Is it because God has favoured him with more natural advantages than you? But why muft your eye be evil, because God's is good? Is he not mafter of his own goods? Why therefore may he not difpofe of them as he pleases? He does you no injuftice, by being liberal to another. Nor can your neighbour commit any offence against you by receiving a favour, that was not in his power to refufe. Enjoy with thankfulness those gifts of nature, your Maker has bestowed upon you; employ them to his glory and your own falvation, and neither quarrel, nor repine at the diftribution.

Do you envy his ftation, the goods of fortune he poffeffes, his reputation? If he has built his grandeur upon injuftice, and purchased wealth and honour by crimes, he deferves rather pity than envy; for he has fold his title to heaven, and his foul for trifles, that once he must abandon; that cannot fatisfy him, even when he has them, and will torment him at parting, and perchance eternally alfo.

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If he has raised his fortune by honourable and christian means, what does it concern you? Because God has profpered his endeavours, why must you repine? Would you Would you be greater, if he were lefs? Chrift commands you to love your neighbour as yourself, and confequently to rejoyce at his profperity, as much as at your own. Why then do you tranfgrefs this command, which neither brings you profit nor pleasure, but a continual torment? Other fins give fome fatisfaction to sense; but envy and jealoufy put you on the rack, and only ferve to render you miferable. Envy therefore no man's happiness; for if you do, you will certainly lofe your own; a hundred vipers will gnaw your heart, and confume all content and whilft you fancy your neighbour has too much, you will enjoy nothing.

If a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are fpiritual, reftore fuch an one in the fpirit of meekness, confidering thy felf, left thou be alfo tempted.

The apoftle here tells us the obligation we have to correct our brethren, if by furprise they fall into any fault: it is hard to manage correction right, and much harder to receive it well. First, You must have a heart full of love and tenderness for him who is fallen.

Secondly, Let your remonftrance breathe lenity and sweetness; and let not a word flip from your mouth, that favours of paffion or harfhnefs; hard words may raife anger, but not repentance.

Thirdly, Reprefent his duty in private. Publick reprehenfions, tho' well intended, are always taken ill, and generally provoke a finner to commit new faults, but never perfuade him to correct an old one. Fourthly, Shew no furprize at his fall, left God permit you to fall into the fame fin, and teach you not to wonder at another's

other's weakness, by fhewing you your own. Alas! we are all weak: the greateft faints are guilty of fmall fins, and capable of committing the greateft; and, if they fall not, they muft give all the glory to God's grace, not to their own ftrength.

Bear ye one another's burthens, and fo fulfil the law of Chrift. We are all of different tempers, of different conftitutions, and have all our failings; and confequently, as we cannot please all men, all men will never please us: as therefore we defire others to bear with us, fo we must bear with their weakneffes, and fuffer patiently their fins, pardoning those they commit against us, and imploring grace for their amendment: in their afflictions, we must comfort, and encourage them to submit, with refignation, to the orders of Providence, and affift them, not only with counsel, but even with our purfe, fo far as our ability will permit, and their neceffity requires. This is to fulfil the law of Chrift, the law of charity, so often not only recommended, but commanded, in the gofpel; it is to carry perfection to the highest pitch. For love is the fulfilling of the law.

And, because the secret efteem of ourselves, is the ordinary fource of our difesteem and contempt of those, who fall into diforders; the apostle tells us, if any man thinketh himself to be something, when he is nothing, be deceiveth himself. Tho' we lead a more regular life than our neighbour, we have no reason to thank ourselves, but God's infinite goodness and mercy; it is he that either prevents temptations, or gives us ftrength to overcome them: we have of ourselves the power to fin; but it is grace, that enables us to practise virtue,

VOL. II.

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Lay afide therefore all thoughts of pride: it becomes not fo miferable a creature. To what paffions are you not fubject in your foul? To what difeafes in your body? How often have you abused God's favours? To what a height have you not been ungrateful? What an account muft you render of your infidelities? A fhort reflection on thefe points, will take down our pride, and teach us humility.

Let us not be weary in well-doing; for in due time we shall reap, if we faint not. Every moment of our lives is precious, because, by employing it well, we may gain an eternal reward; let not therefore one pafs without practising thofe virtues, that are fuitable to the ftate, in which Providence has placed us: time pafs'd returns no more: and confequently the mifemployment is irreparable ceafe not to do good; for in due time you will reap the profit. When God thinks fit to withdraw you from this world, he will place you in his glory, and reward your labours with a recompence, no man can comprehend, but he that enjoys it.

O my Saviour! ftrike me with a terror of thy judgments, that I may never offend thee; give me a true idea of heaven, that I may be perfuaded to abandon all worldly happiness, to purchase it: fhew me my weaknefs, that I may not confide in my ftrength, but put all my confidence in thy affiftance.

GOSPEL

GOSPEL of St. Luke, Chap. vii. Verse

11. And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain: and many of bis difciples went with him, and much people.

12. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only fon of his mother: and he was a widow and much people of the city was with her.

13. And when the Lord faw her, he had compaffion on her, and faid unto her, Weep not.

14. And he came and touched the bier, (and they that bare him stood still) and be faid, Young man, I fay unto thee, Arife.

15. And he that was dead fat up, and began to Speak: and he delivered him to his mother. 16. And there came a fear on all and they glorified God, faying, That a great prophet is rifen up among us; and, that God hath vifited bis people.

The MORAL REFLECTION.

HIS dead man is an emblem of the state

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of a finner fin, feparates the foul from God, as death feparates it from the body: it takes away all fentiment of God, as death bereaves the body of all feeling of fenfible objects. Ah Chriftians! who live in fin, look on this young man ftretch'd on a bier, and you will fee a lively image of yourselves: for, as St. Chryfoftome remarks, though you are not laid out in a fepulchre, nor eaten by worms, you are notwithStanding dead, and in a far worse condition than the dead, though worms gnaw not your flesh,

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