of God are far greater in number than the transgressions of man; and though the best of men will recollect some offences to be pardoned, some errors to be atoned for, yet at every recollection he will repent and humble himself before God, relying upon that Being whose property is always to have mercy. But to die the death of the righteous, we must lead the life of the righteous to let our last end resemble his, the whole tenor of our life must correspond with his.

Nor is it so difficult a task to lead a righteous life; that is, to regulate our conduct by the precepts of the gospel. Whatever opinion the gloomy mind of the superstitious conceives of our holy religion, her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace; for what are the duties she enjoins us!-not to be perpetually tormenting our bodies with fasting and discipline; not to be for ever on our knees,

to weary Heaven with prayers, for the pardon of those frailties we take no pains to correct, but to love justice and mercy, and to walk humbly before God; to endeavour quietly to do our duty in that state of life to which it has pleased God to call us; and to the end that we may never deviate from the path of virtue unapprized of our danger, the providence of God has placed in our own breasts an unerring monitor to direct our judgments in search of good or evil; to teach us to discern minutely the smallest bounds of vice and virtue; and never do we forsake the one and adhere to the other, but we feel in the very moment the stings of conscience, that accusing spirit within, that monitor that will be heard in spite of noise and festivity, that follows the heart of man to its secret recess, and pierces it with a twoedged sword.

Upon every consideration then, while

we listen to the dictates of reason and religion, divested of all prejudice, it is clearly to be seen, that it depends entirely upon our own conduct, whether our reflections upon death are to be attended with fear and melancholy, or to inspire us with hope and resignation; if our past life has been void of offence, as far as human frailty would permit, and we have the testimony of a good conscience to support us, the image of death will afford no terror, but we shall view it only as the passage to a happy eternity. Let us then by an early preparation for death, deliver ourselves from the fear of it, but living always in expectation of it-uncertain if we shall, but knowing that we may die to-day. Had the good man of the house known at what time the thief would come, he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broken through. "Watch ye there"fore, for ye know neither the day nor "the hour when the Son of man cometh."

This preparation will not only enable us to meet the approach of death with resolution, but will also support us under all the miseries of life. A man may bear his present sufferings with seme courage, when he knows they will quickly be at an end, that death will release him from all his woe, and place him out of the reach of affliction in that peaceful region, where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest! To that happy end, may God in his mercy conduct us, through

the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our blessed Lord and Saviour.

SERMON XIV.

ON CHRISTMAS DAY.

ST. LUKE, CHAP. ii. VER. 11. Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

WITH pleasing reflections and pious meditations, let us welcome the return of that day, which raised us to life immortal-the birth-day of our happiness and all our hopes-the day which brought light to them that sat in darkness, comfort to those who lay groveling in despair,