hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? Consider, again, how many in this nation are every day mocking and defying God, and endangering their own souls for ever by that brutal, stupid, and reprobate custom of swearing, which is not content to deserve, but seems even to desire the vengeance of the Eternal, and is continually calling out for punishment on its own head. Consider how many spend their days and nights in sinking themselves not only from the holiness of Christians, but the privileges of reason, selling their salvation for strong drink, and of set purpose often besotting themselves, that they may be the less afraid to sin. These two vices of drunkenness and profane swearing, to our shame be it spoken, are, I am afraid, more common in this country than in any other in the world; and we have our full share in others quite as vile and damnable. Read the sentences which our Lord and His Apostles have pronounced against the lusts of the flesh, and compare them with the morals of the world around us. If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.-Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.-If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, I have written unto you, with such a man no not to eat. This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication.-Mortify your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence.-Fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not

convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Who would believe that we of this country had every one of us made. a solemn vow (as we did at our Baptism) to fulfil these commandments? we, among whom uncleanness, grown bolder of late, walketh no more in darkness, but destroyeth souls and bodies in the noon-day, and no man reproveth it; insomuch that some openly avow their shame, and seem hardly to know that it is sin, and very few, at least among men, give chastity its due place in their notion of a good character. A Christian people should follow after whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; but this nation is far more like those wicked Jews, of whom the Lord said, when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife. Now mark well the next verse, Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord, and shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

If we were willing to judge honestly of these and other sad instances of our sin and misery, we might perhaps learn to cast down that proud and high way of thinking of ourselves, which may justly be reckoned one of the vices of this nation. We should no longer go about, like the Pharisee in the Parable, thanking God that we are not as other men are; but should rather smite our breasts with the Publican, and confess that we are miserable sinners, and pray that we may become more like what Christians onght to be. And while we acknowledge with gratitude and self

abasement both God's infinite mercies and our own infinite unworthiness, we should learn, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, not to let our thanksgiving pass away in empty words, in hollow and heartless forms of gratitude, but to carry it away with us, like a spark from Heaven living in our hearts, and warming all our thoughts and words and actions; disposing us to further, as far as lies in our power, every good and charitable work; to trust in God alone, through Jesus Christ our Lord, for all the good we hope or enjoy; to leave our neighbours to God's judgment, and judge ourselves with a holy fear; in one word, to repent, lest we all likewise perish.

And now while we give thanks to Almighty God for the great blessing of peace and deliverance from our enemies, let us also pray to Him, that He would enable us by His grace to do all these things.

O Almighty God, who art a strong tower of defence unto Thy servants against the face of their enemies; we yield Thee praise and thanksgiving for our deliverance from those great and apparent dangers wherewith we were compassed. We acknowledge it Thy goodness that we were not delivered over as a prey unto them; beseeching Thee still to continue such Thy loving kindness towards us, and to give us that due sense of this and all Thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly, &c.

BURTHORPE,
Jan. 18, 1816.

Thanksgiving Day.

"And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die."

FEW persons in this life have had more right to say I am secure against sin, I am God's special favourite, I need not walk all my days in fear and trembling, than he to whom these words were spoken, before he fell into the sin which gave occasion for them. David had many special helps to keep him from sinning; he dwelt at Jerusalem, in the place which God had chosen to set His Name there; he had God's altar nigh at hand, before which he daily worshipped; his study was all the day long in God's law. He wanted not especial blessings of the Holy Spirit upon his heart; he had been tried in adversity, delivered almost miraculously, taken from the sheep-folds to feed God's people Israel, and taught of the Holy Ghost concerning the sufferings of Christ, and the glory which should follow. Who would think that Satan should have any power against such a man as this? Many might be inclined to cry out, 'Oh that the Lord would vouchsafe to manifest Himself to me, as He did to David! Then at least, I am sure no temptation would prevail against me, no sin draw me from my God.' And some of

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