woe. If thou haft fought the good fight of perfevering virtue; if thus thou haft kept the faith; retire in peace: the gloom and darkness of the grave fhall quickly pafs, and thou shalt rife to an immortal life, to the poffeffion of endless joy.

Now to the one, almighty, everlasting God, be afcribed all might, majefty, and dominion for ever and ever! Amen!

great delight in burnt facrifices, as in obeying the voice of the lord? behold! to obey is better than facrifice; and to hearken, than the fat of rams."

In this obedience, therefore, to the laws of God and man, O christian! most firmly perfevere. Thy name fhall be remembered upon earth, thy reward fhall be great in heaven. While perpetual fears shall haunt the guilty breast; while innumerable horrors shall affright the fuperftitious worshipper; inbred peace, the fruit of virtuous conduct, fhall furround thy dwelling; and calm devotion, spread sweet tranquillity over every scene of life. Thy deeds of juftice, thy labours of love, shall engage the regard and friendship of man; and thy habits of true religion shall enfure the approbation of thy God. In the vale of death, thou fhalt look up with tranfport to that unfading crown of glory, now. ready to reward thy toils: the evils of life, like the ftars of heaven, have their appointed courfe; they shall fet like them-they shall rise no more an eternal day of happiness fhall fucceed the night of human pain and

woe.

woe. If thou hast fought the good fight of perfevering virtue; if thus thou haft kept the faith; retire in peace: the gloom and darkness of the grave fhall quickly pafs, and thou shalt rife to an immortal life, to the poffeffion of endless joy.

Now to the one, almighty, everlasting God, be afcribed all might, majesty, and dominion for ever and ever! Amen!

V.

ACTS X. 34, 35.

THEN PETER OPENED HIS MOUTH, AND SAID; OF A TRUTH I PERCEIVE THAT GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS; BUT, IN EVERY NATION, HE THAT FEARETH HIM, AND WORKETH RIGHTEOUSNESS, IS ACCEPTED WITH HIM."

THE primary meaning of these words will be best understood, if we attend a little to the general circumstances, under which the gofpel was at first promulgated; and the peculiar impreffions, with which the mind of the speaker had been recently affected.

We are to reflect, then, that there had long prevailed among the jews a general opinion, that the kingdom of the expected meffiah was to be intirely of a temporal nature; that, invested with the enfigns of royal dignity, he was not only to deliver them from that state of bondage under which they groaned; but also to raise them to a degree of grandeur, far fuperior to whatever they had enjoyed, in the most flourishing period of power and, although the difciples of

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