called "Preparation for the Holy Sacrament" is laid down, fhewing how many acts of piety and devotion are to be performed in order to a worthy participation. Moft of them furnish the devout reader with prayers to be faid by him the week before the Sacrament: and in order to qualify him the better, a lift of the different heads of the process of felf-examination is given, as a rule by which he is to meafure his qualifications, to know whether they be fufficiently numerous to counterbalance the fins he has committed.

But those who are thus qualified, and excel others in worthiness and piety have no bufinefs with this ordinance. It was ordained only for the use of thofe, who, confcious of no one good qualification of any kind whatever about themselves to recommend them unto God, declare by partaking of the bread and wine, that all their hopes are founded in the atonement of Chrift, and in that alone. For Chrift's falvation is not for the WORTHY but the WORTHLESS: He came not to call the RIGHTEOUS but SINNERS to repentance.

Y.

THOUGHTS upon MEN'S ENDEAVOURS after HAPPINESS, as but fo many EFFORTS to banish REFLECTION.

MANKIND, without juft views of religion, having no infallible remedy against ignorance, mifery, and death, imagine that fome refpite, fome fhelter at leaft may be found, by agreeing to banish thefe from their meditation. This is the

the only comfort they have been able to invent, under their numerous calamities. But a moft miferable comfort it proves; because it does not tend to the removal of these evils, but only to the concealment of them for a short season; and because in thus concealing them, it leads us to fet afide fuch means as alone are proper to remove them. Thus man's recreation, which he seems to prize as his fovereign good, is indeed his greatest evil; because it is of all things the moft effectual in making him negligent under his diftemper. And his fituation and conduct in this refpect are admirable proofs, as of his prefent corruption and mifery, fo of his original greatnefs and dignity. For the reason why he grows fick and weary of every object, and engages in fuch a multitude of purfuits, is because he ftill retains an idea of his loft happiness; which not finding within himfelf, he feeks through the whole circle of external things; but he always feeks without fuccefs, because it is indeed to be found, not in the creatures, but in God alone.

Man must be confeffed to be fo very unfortunate, as that without any external caufe of trouble, he would ever regret, and bemoan the very condition of his own nature; and yet to be, at. the fame time, fo very fantaftical, that while he is full of a thousand inward and effential fubjects of grief, the leaft outward trifle is fufficient to divert him. Infomuch that, upon impartial confideration, his cafe feems more to be lamented in that he is capable of receiving pleasure from things fo low and frivolous, than in that he is fo immoderately afflicted with his own real miferies; and his diverfion appears infinitely lefs reasonable than his difquiet. As long as you! can engage him in fome diverfion, fo long you make

I 2

make him happy: but 'tis with a falfe and imaginary happiness, not arifing from the poffeffion of any real and folid good, but from a levity of fpirit, by which he loses the memory of his fubftantial woes, amidft the entertainments of mean and ridiculous objects, unworthy of his application, more unworthy of his love. 'Tis the joy of a man in a fever, or a phrenfy; refulting not from the regular motion, but from the distemper and difcompofure of his mind. 'Tis a mere fport of folly and delusion: nor is there any thing more surprising in human life, than to observe the infignificancy of those things which divert and please us. "Tis true, by thus keeping our mind always employed, they fhield it from the confideration of real evils; but then they make it utterly cheat itself by doating on a fantaftic object of delight.

Whence comes it to pass, that men are transported to fuch a degree with gaming, hunting, or other diverfions, which feem to have taken an abfolute poffeffion of their fouls? Not becaufe there is any real and intrinfic good to be obtained by these pursuits: not because they imagine that true happiness is to be found in the money which they win at play, or in the beaft which they run down in the chase. For fhould you present them before hand with both these, to fave their trouble, they would be unanimous in rejecting the propofal. It is not the gentle and easy part which they are fond of, fuch as may give them leifure and space for thought: but the heat and the hurry, which divert them from the mortification of thinking. And if we examine all the diverfions which constitute the happiness of men of this world, we fhall find them alike mean and vile, and false and deceit

ful.

ful. They are in love with inere airy shapes and phantoms; fuch as must be incapable of poffeffing the heart of man, had he not loft the tafte and perception of real good, and were he not filled with bafenefs, and levity, and pride, together with all thofe his other finful paffions, which can no way relieve him under his present miferies, but by creating others, which are still more dangerous, in being more fubftantial. For these are the things which chiefly bar him from his own thoughts, and teach him to give new wings to his time, and yet to remain infenfible of its flight. So, while they amufe and beguile him, and are called his diverfions, they in con→ clufion lead him down blindfold into his grave.

We have feen the utmoft that human inven tion can do, in projecting for human happiness and all the efforts to this purpose ferve but to fhew, that those who look not beyond themfelves, and rife not above the principles of mere. nature, can never undergo the lingering torment of leifure, without falling into the depths of chagrin and difcontent. Thus it happens that he who loves nothing but his own perfon, hates nothing fo much as his own converfation. He feeks nothing but himfelf, and yet flies and avoids nothing more than himself: because when he is obliged to look within, he does not fee himfelf fuch as he could wifh: discovering only a hidden ftore of inevitable miferies, and a mighty VOID of all real and folid good, which it is beyond his ability to replenish.

It is then one of the miracles of Christianity, that by reconciling to God, the, in a certain fenfe, reconciles her fons to themfelves; not by throwing any cloke upon their wretchedness, but by at once revealing to them its true caufe, and

its effectual remedy, fo that they are emboldened to look ftedfaftly at their real condition; and are no longer employed in feeking peace from the vain pleasures of this world, but defire to enjoy it where it has been procured for themin the bofom of their redeeming God.

REVIEW

OF A

SERMON, preached before the Members of the ASSOCIATION for difcountenancing Vice, &c. in St. PETER'S CHURCH, on Thursday, 27th January, 1803, by the Rev. JOHN JEBB, A. M.

(Concluded from page 144.)

WE concluded our laft number with a few

remarks on Mr. Jebb's account of the moral condition of the Gentile world, at the period of the firft promulgation of the Gospel. Let us now endeavour to difcover the view in which it was beheld by the unerring Judge of the human character. Fortunately we can have no difficulty in learning his fentiments on this fubject; if we will condefcend to have our opinions regulated by the faithful transcript of his wisdom.

Thus fpeaks the rapt Ifaiah of this very period, Arife, bine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is rifen upon thee. For behold! the DARKNESS fhall cover the earth, and GROSS DARK

NESS