I am thine, O my God, by as many titles as I have members in my body, or powers in my foul; and by confequence, thou haft a right to every motion of the one, and to every act of the other. But I have mifapplied thy gift, abused thy favour, and turned the inftruments of thy glory and my falvation, to thy dishonour and my ruin. I have offered up my body to lewdnefs, drunkenness, and intemperance; my foul to pride, vanity, and ambition: but I deteft my past ingratitude, and promise an entire fidelity for the future; I devote my felf wholly to thy fervice; I will employ my memory in reckoning thy benefits, my understanding in comprehending them, and my will in loving fo great a Benefactor.

GOSPEL of St. Luke, Chap. ii. Verse

42. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerufalem, after the custom of the feast.

43. And when they bad fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jefus tarried behind in Jerufalem; and Jofeph and his mother knew not of it.

44. But they fuppofing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they fought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.

45. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerufalem, feeking him.

46. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, fitting in the midst of the doctors, both bearing them and asking them queftions.

47. And all that beard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.

48. And when they faw him, they were amazed: and his mother faid unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have fought thee forrowing. 49. And

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49. And he faid unto them, How is it that ye fought me? wift ye not that I must be about my Father's business?

50. And they understood not the faying which he Spake unto them.

51. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was fubject unto them: but his mother kept all thefe fayings in her heart.

52. And Jefus increafed in wisdom and ftature, and in favour with God and man.

O

The MORAL REFLECTION.

UR Saviour had, for the fpace of twelve years, fhut himself up in a little cottage, unknown to all but Mary and Jofeph. Then he left his retreat to comply with the law, Every male child fhall appear before the Lord three times a year, Exod. xxiii. 17. When the ceremony was over, the child Jefus tarried behind in Jerufalem, and his parents knew not of it. By this first publick action of his life, he has left a ftanding precedent to all mankind, that it is not only lawful, but obligatory, to break through all the ties of flefh and blood, of friendship and confanguinity, when God's glory and our duty call upon us. This God declares in

Deut. xxxiii. 9. Who faid unto his father and to his mother, I have not feen him, neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: they have obferved thy word, and kept thy covenant. And Chrift himself affures us by words, as well as praEtice, he that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me. Whofoever poftpones God's favour to that of a creature, and parts with his allegiance, to comply with a friend, is unworthy of the name of a Chriftian,

This truth is too manifeft for a proof; his greatnefs, and our dependence, challenge a preference :

We

we ftand indebted to his power for our being, to his goodness for our redemption; from his mercy we expect a heaven, from his juftice we fear a hell. His love will make us eternally happy, and his hatred perpetually miferable. And yet, how often, to please a companion, do we defpife this great Being, contemn the best friend, and exafperate the moft dreadful enemy? Our fins fit uneafy upon our confcience: grace throws before us a difinal prospect of the future: we are within an ace of our converfion; but alas! a companion interpofes; he fummons us to a rendezvous: not to appear uncivil, we accept the invitation; and fo play, drink, and debauch away, not only the defire, but the very thoughts of pardon. But this is to mistake breeding, and to confound it with frenzy and madness. People are not fo condefcending, as to divest themfelves of their eftates upon a point of ceremony and civility. They prefer lordships to friendships, and will not part with them for a smile, or a frown Why then do we give up heaven with fuch eafe? Is it below an eftate? or lefs valuable than a mannor? are the confequences of poverty more terrible, than those of God's difpleafure? A creature's friendship will do you no good, if you are in fin; nor his hatred harm, if you are in the ftate of grace. A rake may burlesque your conduct, lampoon your virtue, and turn your perfon into ridi. cule; but fatire from fuch mens mouths is all panegyrick. He who is applauded by the faints, and admired by the angels, neither fears the reproaches of fools, nor needs their encomiums.

Chrift's parents fuppofed he was in the company of his relations; but towards night they perceived their error, and immediately returned in fearch of him to Jerufalem. By every mortal fin we lofe Jefus, and the whole train of thofe favours, he has purchased for us by the labours of a painful

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life,

life, and the dolours of a cruel death; and nothing can renew our claim to his kindness, but a return to his mercy by a speedy repentance.

And here we muft imitate St. Jofeph, and his Virgin-mother, who fought him with speed, concern, and forrow. We have fought thee forrowing. We must seek him by repentance, if poffible, the very instant we lofe him by fin, and not fuffer a moment to intervene between our rife and our fall. For, in fine, every minute may be our laft; fo that to defer repentance one moment, is to expofe our foul to an eternity of despair.

Yet, tho' wretched finners fee the danger, they fleep, not moments, but years, in their fins; as if the lofs of God were a thing below our concern; nay, and below our thoughts. Were our fouls indeed no longer-lived than our bodies; did they vanish into nothing, when we breathed our laft; that Epicurean maxim, Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we die, would not, perchance, be quite unreasonable; or were we fure to-morrow would be the fatal day, we might to-day put hell to the venture, and to-morrow prepare for heaven. But alas! tho' we are certain we once muft die, we are ignorant when. Tho' perchance our laft glafs is turned; perchance the first time I fhut my eyes, may be the laft; perchance I may never unclofe them, but to fee ftrange flames; nor return to my fenfes, but to feel them; nor to my wits, but to deplore my folly, for having deferred my repentance till it becomes immortal, and by confequence infignificant and unprofitable; yet I am ftupid and infenfible.

Some interpreters wonder why Elias, pursued by the cruel minifters of enraged Jezabel, inftead of withdrawing himself into the hidden retreat of some obfcure cave, laid himself down to fleep in the open air, 1 Kings, xix. 5. But where is the wonder? The prophet knew he flept under the protection of

the

the omnipotent; that more angels watched for his guard, than perfecutors for his deftruction; that he only could lose his liberty in a dungeon, or his life on a scaffold but it is ftupendous, that finners can fleep in the very arms of Dalilah, furrounded by as many dangers as they have committed fins, purfued by as many executioners of God's juftice, as there are devils in hell, who only expect his sentence to arreft their fouls, and to confine them to more formidable prifons than thofe of Samaria: one would think human nature incapable of a stupidity fo unreasonable.

They endeavour indeed to caft fome tolerable varnish on their folly, nay and to give it the turn and air of wit. How many (fay they) are not arrested by death on the fudden? nay, how many pass through a course of pain and languor before they depart? why then muft I fwell the number of the furprised? Is it not ftrange, that men of parts, of wit, and perfpicuity, cannot fee through the fallacy of this wretched fophifm? and, if they do, is it not more amazingly wonderful, they will fwallow the illufion, tho' they smart eternally for the impofture? Should they not turn the argument the other way, and take it by the right handle? Many are fnatched away in the midft of their guilt, fo that there fcarce intervenes a moment between the crime and the punishment? why then not I? am not I expofed to all the cafualties of human nature? has God iffued out a patent of exemption, in my favour, from apoplexics, and fuffocation? have I been more grateful to him for his benefits than others, or lefs criminal in my conduct? alas! I have fcarce given any proof I believ'd a God, but when I blafphem'd his majesty, and ridicul'd his moft tremendous attributes. Have not I poftponed his commands to thofe of my paffions? and fcrupled more to check my appetite, than to commit a fin? ought 1 not

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