life, he does not consider that as a reason why he should be idle. He knows that to whom much is given, of him shall be much required; and he endeavours to do all the good he can. If he be poor and distressed, he knows it is the will of God, and he submits with cheerfulness. He remembers that his Saviour was poor, that he had not where to lay his head; and he knows that the same Saviour is able to raise the poorest and meanest man on earth to be the greatest in heaven. He is honest, though no eye behold him, for he knows that he cannot be hid from the sight of GOD. He is cheerful, because his mind. is free from the guilt of any deliberate sin, and full of the hopes of immortality. He is kind to all his relations and friends, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward; for his sake who maketh his sun to shine on the evil and on the good. He is kind even to his enemies, after the example of him who prayed for his murderers. He is loyal and faithful to his king, because the King of kings commands it. At the close of every day he considers whether he has done the will of GoD, in that station to which He has called him. He endeavours to recollect all his faults, and he humbly begs forgiveness

through JESUS CHRIST; he prays for his friends. and relations, and even for his enemies; and then, in charity with all the world, he lays him down in peace, and takes his rest. He sees the hand of God in every thing. In prosperity, he thanks him for the blessings he enjoys; in affliction, he acknowledges the kind severity of his Heavenly Father. In sickness, he is humble and patient; in death, he is resigned and happy. He is found in his Father's house, the church; and is constant in all the public as well as private duties of religion. In every action of life he considers what is his duty. He asks with St. Paul, "LORD, what wilt thou have me to do?"* and when he has finished his appointed work, and is called to receive the reward which has been graciously promised to every good and faithful servant, still looking unto JESUS the Author and Finisher of his faith, he may with humble hope and pious resignation say, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit!"

And now, my brethren, let me entreat every one who hears me, to consider with himself to which of these descriptions of men he belongs. The question is of infinite importance, for his

*Acts ix. 6.

happiness or misery in the next world depends upon it. All other distinctions must be ended by death; high and low, rich and poor, learned and ignorant, all will then be equal; but this most important of all distinctions will remain for ever. It is a question which every man must ask of his own conscience, and which only his own conscience can answer. We must not presume to decide on the characters of other men, except as far as their words and actions are known to us. GOD only knows their hearts. It is true that a good and a bad man may in many respects act in the same manner. Both may preserve a decent appearance to the world; both may eat the bread of honest industry, and appear to lead a harmless life, and yet their hearts may be very different ; but He only who knows the heart, can tell this: we must always be careful to guard against uncharitable suspicions, for charity thinketh no evil. If our neighbour live in open neglect of his duties to God and man, we ought to express our dislike of such conduct; but when he appears to act rightly, we should not allow ourselves to suspect his motives, without very good reason for doing So. But in your own case, you cannot be too watchful, or too suspicious; and in order to know

the real state of your souls, let me earnestly recommend to you a duty which is too much neglected by many who call themselves Christians, -the duty of self-examination. Every Christian, before he goes to rest, should consider how he has spent the day, and ask himself such questions as these. Did I in the morning offer up my prayers to GOD? Have I done my duty in the station to which He is pleased to call me? Have I been honest, industrious, temperate, patient? Have I been kind to my relations and friends, and made them as happy as I could? Have I done any injury to any body? Have I done any good to any body? Upon the whole, can I give a good account of this day, when I stand before the judgment-seat of CHRIST? O

my christian brethren, consider the importance of these questions, and judge yourselves, that you may not be judged of the LORD. If your heart condemn you, humbly on your knees confess your sin to GOD, and try to make your peace with Him before you sleep: He will forgive, if we will repent. The duty which I now recommend may appear difficult to those who have never practised it; but those who are accustomed to perform it, know the comfort it affords.

D

They know, that by thus constantly attending to the state of their souls, they are prevented from continuing in any habit of sin; and they know with what sweet tranquillity a good man retires to rest, at peace with all the world, with himself, and with his GOD; and when sickness weakens the mind, and death approaches, they will know how delightful it is to feel that their accounts are always ready, and that they are of the number of those faithful servants, whom their LORD, when he cometh, shall find watching.

What I recommend to every Christian may be done in a very short time, when use has made it easy. A man who is accustomed to watch over himself will find no difficulty in recollecting how he has passed the day, and what he has done amiss. But in order to make a right judgment of our actions, we must be careful always to compare them with the law of GOD. We are too apt to be partial in judging of ourselves, and one of our most dangerous errors is, that, instead of comparing our actions with our duty, we compare them with the actions of other men, and try to quiet our conscience by fancying that others are worse than ourselves. This is a most dangerous Consider only your own duty, and how

error.