only on the tongue, and finds no place in the heart; and, confequently, has nothing common with that Chrift commands, and St. John repeats in this place. Our love must lodge in the heart, and appear in our practice, by doing our neighbour no harm, and returning good for evil, O Spirit of love! Give me this divine gift, and remove all refentment, but that of my own failings, Take away envy and ambition, the common fources of misunderstanding and diffenfion, and let me behold my brother as thy image, all lovely, all amiable. GOSPEL of St. Luke, Chap. xiv. Verse 16. Then faid he unto him, A certain man made a great fupper, and bade many: 17. And fent bis fervant at fupper-time to fay to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. 18. And they all with one confent began to make excufe. The firft faid unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and fee it : I pray thee, have me excufed. 19. And another faid, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excufed. 20. And another faid, I have married a wife, and therefore. I cannot come, 21. So that fervant came, and fbewed his lord thefe things. Then the mafter of the house being angry, faid to his fervants, Go out quickly into the fireets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 22. And the fervant faid, Lord, it is done as tbou baft commanded, and yet there is room. 23. And the lord faid unto the fervant, Go out inta into the high-ways, and hedges, and compell them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24. For I fay unto you, that none of those men which were bidden, fhall taste of my supper. The MORAL REFLECTION. HIS parable opens two scenes: the one of kindness, the other of an unparallel'd ingratitude. A certain man made a great fupper, and invited many; he had in view no intereft, but that of his guests: he was at the trouble, as well as the expence. But, at the time appointed, he found his goodness flighted, and received nothing in return, but excuses. Yet the nobleman's goodness overcame the justice of his refentment. He made a fecond invitation: And be fent his fervant at fupper-time to fay to them that were bidden, Come: but they neglected this fecond civility, and with one confent began to make excufe. Who is this nobleman? God. What is this banquet, but heaven? And who are invited, but the whole race of mankind? Preachers and teachers are the fervants that invite, này, and every pious thought that importunes. Yet we anfwer God's kindness, as the men in this parable, defiring to be excused. Nay, we alledge no other motives for our abfence. One has purchased a farm, another has bought oxen, a third has married a wife: that is, we are either poffeffed with a criminal love of terreftrial objects, or plunged into an abyfs of impure pleasures, and will not forego thefe, for the enjoyment of those that are pure, folid, and eternal. This is the application of one part of the parable, and a fad inftance of our ftupidity and corruption. Had we no more fight into the other world, world, than the poor infidels of America, who have almost nothing of the man but the appearance; did not experience teach us, that all here below is empty and unstable; and faith, that we are made for heaven; I conceive we might confine our thoughts to this world, and make the most of the prefent. But to believe a paradise, an eternity of pleasure hereafter, and to live as if it were a fable, is ftrange. Love not the world, cries out the apostle; 1 John ii. 15. and our Saviour gave the fame caution before him. Set not your hearts on the world, nor converfe with thofe that avow its principles. Live in it, as if you were out of it: ufe its goods as fervants; but adore them not as idols. Employ all the benefits of fortune and nature, as wings to fly up to heaven, not as weights to fink you into hell. In a word, in the greatest affluence of temporal advantages, let God's commands be the object of your thoughts and rule of your actions, and perfuade yourselves, that one step beyond your duty, carries you beyond your happiness. Thefe men of fortune and figure refusing the invitation, the mafter ordered the blind and lame, the poor and feeble, to be brought in to fupper. These diftreffed creatures refufed not the invitation, The poor then, O God, and needy enter into heaven, whilft the rich and great men of the world, those we court, thofe we adore, those we call happy, are excluded! Little greatness, that vanishes into contempt! deceitful happiness, that finks into mifery! God contemns what the world efteems, and prizes what it undervalues: both were invited; the rich fend back a refufal; the poor come; the feeble find strength, the lame feet, and the blind eyes, to convey them to heaven. These poor creatures have no pretenfions in this world: world: they feel the utmoft of its hatred, and expect no favour, no kindness: this indifference removes thofe obftacles that withdraw the rich from their duty, and confequently from their happinefs; and then the impoffibility of bettering their fortune here, and the weight of their prefent mifery, makes them receive with pleafure the propofition of a future felicity. Complain not then of providence, O poor, who have no other patrimony than the charity of your brethren. You may lay up treasures for the next world, tho' your poverty be extream in this. If you fuffer hunger here, you will be fatiated there. You will follow God's call without resistance, and leave the world without regret. Let the fick, blind, and lame accept of their infirmities with refignation, and fupport them with patience the misfortunes, you lie under, are real favours fent from God, to force you, as it were, to accept of his invitation. And if he employs a kind of violence, to press you to be happy, where is the harm? Ought you not rather to thank his mercy, than blame his rigour? Reflect on your former conduct; compare it with the present. When you enjoyed a perfect health, did you defire to be diffolved, with St. Paul, and to be with Chrift? When fuccefs waited upon your temporal affairs, did you much concern yourfelves about thofe of eternity? Did you open your ears to God's invitations, and your hearts to receive him? Alas! no! you were too eafy in this world, to defire a removal, and too busy, even to think of one. But now God has fent forth his minifters, difgraces, disappointments, diftempers, to compel you to heaven. Adore his providence; blefs his goodnefs; and thank his his mercy. It is better It is better to enter into heaven poor, blind, and lame, than into hell with wealth, grandeur, health, and all the advantages of nature and fortune. It is ordinary for a prefent mifery to end in happiness; but temporal profperity is feldom followed by eternal joys: I know people may make a good ufe of profperity, and a bad one of adverfity; but, alas! this is rare; and our Saviour fuppofes it in the prefent parable, where he represents the miferable obedient to his call, and thofe, that enjoy ease and plenty, refractory to his invitation. And now what is the end of the refufal of fome, and the acceptance of others, but that these are admitted to the feast, and those excluded? But I fay unto you, that none of those men which were bidden fhall taste of my supper. This is a terrible, yet profitable admonition, never to refift God's call, never to reject his kind invitation to repentance. For those who neglect it, when invited, when they folicit, may perchance neither find opportunity to repent, nor a will, when it is most of all their interest. Not one of those men, that were called, were admitted to the banquet. None of those men which were bidden, fhall tafle of my Supper. Why? We know no other reason, but because they refused the first invitation. Shall then all those be excluded heaven, who refift God's grace? Oh! If this be true, who will be faved? What man was ever fo upon his guard, as to hear all the invitations that come from God? fo fortunate, as to receive them? Alas! Do we not hear his voice every day, and as often contemn it? Do we not anfwer his folicitations with difobedience, and his kindness with ingratitude? And this is the caufe, why many are called, but few |