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to implore thy mercy, much less to deferve it. No man can fay that Jefus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Far be it from me, with Pelagius, to make myfelf great, by diminishing thy goodness, or to caft on my creation the disorders that spring from my difobedience. Thou didst create me innocent: rebellion against thy command made me guilty, and guilt divefted me of original juftice, and all the confequences of this favour. But thou, O Son of God, didft make thyfelf man, to fortify my weaknefs by thy infirmities, and to put me into the way of life by thy dolorous, but precious death: this not only enables me to invoke thy name, but to obtain pardon for my offences: to execute thy commands, and follow thy counfels. Therefore all the good I do is the effect of thy grace, and the grace itself of thy liberality. It is a favour thou dost beftow, not a reward I deferve.

GOSPEL of St. Luke, Chap. xviii. Verse

9. And he fpake this parable unto certain which trufted in themselves that they were righteous, and defpifed others.

10. Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharifee, and the other a publican.

11. The Pharifee food and prayed thus with bimfelf, God I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I poffefs.

13. And the publican standing a-far off, would not lift up fo much as his eyes unto heaven, but fmite upon his breaft, faying, God be merciful to me a finner

14. I tell you, this man went down to his houfe juftified rather than the other; for every one that exalteth bimfelf fhall be abafed; and he that bumbleth himself fhall be exalted.

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The MORAL REFLECTION.

E read here the condemnation of a Pharifee, and the juftification of a publican. The one begg'd a favour of God by pleading his own merits; the other fued for pardon by a fincere acknowledgment of his fins, and of his unworthinefs to obtain it. Yet that prefuming faint return'd a finner? and this humble penitent received pardon. This man went down to bis boufe juftified rather than the other.

How often do we imitate the Pharifee's pride? How feldom the publican's humility? We enter into the church upon a pretence to pray; but we appear in state and equipage, not in the pofture of a fuppliant, much lefs of a finner, and least of all of a penitent. No! like the pharifee, we ftand; as if we intended rather to brave Our Maker, than to appease his anger. If we ask a favour, we expect the grant rather as a debt, than an alms or a gratuity. If God refuses our requests, we fly out into complaints and murmurs: if he is pleafed to grant them, into pride, that we are not like other men.

But why, proud worm, are you not like other men? Because God has favoured you more? ́ His favours are indeed marks of his goodness, but not of your greatness. The account, you must once render, rifes with the benefits you have received; and fo will your punishment, if you have misapply'd them. Is not this your care? How often has he warn'd you of your diforders by interior inspirations, by reading, and exhortations?

tions? How often has he conjured you to return to your duty and yet, deaf to his call, you have refused his invitations, and rather obeyed the inclination of paffion, than his perfuafion to repentance. But you are not like other men, extortioners, adulterers. Thank God for the favour: his grace exempted you from these fins, not your own ftrength: your innocence is his gift, not your own purchase. Acknowledge it with humility, and compaffionate your neighbour's weakness; but take care not to infult. Whofoever wonders how a Christian can fall into fuch crimes, by a just judgment of God falls into the very fame, and learns by his own experience, that he, who commits the leaft fins, is capable to commit the greatest.

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Let the misfortune of others put you upon your guard let it move you to implore God's affiftance, to avoid those occafions, and temptations that have overcome them; and affure yourself, your fecurity lies rather in flight than refiftance. If you are not like other men, that is, neither unjust, nor unchafte; you are at least in pride and prefumption; and certainly he, who is guilty of thefe crimes, has no caufe to applaud his own conduct, or to cenfure that of his neighbour.

O my God! I confefs I am not like other men, but ten times more ungrateful, more wicked. Had they received of your bounty those graces, you have bestowed on me, they would have employed them to your glory, and their own perfection, whilft I, alas! by a fupine negligence have turned them to my prejudice. How often have I received thy facred body and precious blood? One communion, well performed, is fufficient to enflame a foul with the love of a feraphin, and to turn a finner into a faint. Yet, after fo many communions, I am still the fame;

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a flave to my paffions, and a stranger to virtue. I fleep in my imperfections, and, infenfible of my folly, make no effort to remove them.

You faft twice a week: you pay tithes, and injure no man. The Pharifee did as much as this comes to; however, it did not justify him. Thofe exterior duties of religion, that maceration of the body, if done with a pure heart, and a fincere intention, are, no doubt, laudable actions, and grateful to God. But oh! how often have fuch actions nothing pious but the appearance ? The angel of the church of Sardis was reprehended in the revelations because his works were not perfect before God, Rev. iii. 2. He did all the functions of a bifhop: he preached, catechifed, and laboured in the converfion of fouls; his conduct appeared not only regular, but zealous and edifying. Yet all this in the fight of God was imperfect within, tho' dazling without. His zeal was mix'd with pride or intereft, and one of those vices is fufficient to spoil the most laudable action, and to transform it into vice.

Let us not therefore lay too much stress upon thofe exterior actions; neither mortifications, nor chastity, nor justice, will fanctify us, unless they are accompanied with chriftian humility. The Pharifee fafted, prayed, and payed tithes; yet he returned from the temple a finner as he came ; and the reafon was, because he prefumed too much on his own merits, and despised his neighbour. This fhould teach us to begin a fpiritual life with humility. Upon this bafis, virtue ftands firm without it, it falls to the ground. God withdraws his hand, permits us to fall fometimes into the most shameful disorders, to teach us, by our own experience, that our virtue comes from him; and nothing but diffidence in our own

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ftrength,

ftrength, and confidence in his goodness, can preferve it.

The publican entered the temple with the Pharifee but as their difpofitions were different, fo was also the effects of their prayers. He durft not come near the altar; the publican flood a-far off, he retired into a corner, awed by the majefty of the place, and more by his own unworthiness to appear before God, whom he had offended. He was fo taken up with a true fenfe of his fins, that he never thought of his virtues. With eyes caft down, he fmote his breaft, and cried out for mercy, putting all his confidence in the goodnefs of God, and none in his own merit. He would not fo much as lift up his eyes anto heaven; but fmote upon his breast, faying, God be merciful to me a finner.

But tho' he feared to look up to heaven, God caft down a favourable eye upon him; and he obtained pardon, because he was almost afhamed to afk it, and thought himself wholly unworthy to receive it. I tell you, this man went down to his boufe juftified rather than the other; for every one that exalteth himself, shall be abafed, and be that bumbleth himself fhall be exalted.

This publican's conduct is a pattern God has fet all finners, who fincerely fue for pardon at his tribunal; they muft acknowledge their fins with forrow and confufion; afk pardon with confidence on the one fide, and with a profound humility on the other; rely on God's goodness, and our Saviour's merits, and place all their hope in his mercy. Thefe difpofitions foften his anger, and difarm his juftice. He will not defpife a contrite and bumble heart, Pfal. li, 17.

Give me, O God, the humble fentiments of this publican, and banish from my heart the pride of the Pharifee. I can lay before thy divine Majefty

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