by despising its calls; and to find peace of mind in that insensibility, which is the greatest misfortune that can befall him. Yes, deluded man, when the pains arising from the reproaches of conscience are felt no more; when the fear of God's judgements, and the punishments awaiting impenitence alarm no longer; when you can surrender yourself to the commission of sin without concern, and behold the lightnings of divine wrath with undazzled eye and calm indifference; in a word, when the joys of heaven have no attraction, and the flames of hell no longer terrify, deplorable indeed is your condition; for you are far removed from God, far from his mercy and grace. To this state of wretchedness the sinner arrives by slow, by imperceptible advances: often at first, by the neglect of small faults, which a virtuous education had taught him to shun, perhaps a natural goodness of disposition had made him averse to. He observes that some of his acquaintance make no account of them, he persuades himself that they are only venial offences, and therefore not so scrupulously to be regarded. "I know," he will say, "that the company which I frequent, the conversation we indulge in, the life which I lead, are not such as to be called the company, the conversation, the life of a saint; but I aspire not to the per

fection of the recluse; I am in the world, and mean not to debar myself from its enjoyments."

In the same way the deluded female, who once perhaps had sought her chief delight in the approbation of God, is inveigled into the slavery of sin, from the happy service of God. By degrees she becomes indifferent to the silent approbation of heaven, spends her time in self admiration, or in decking herself out to receive the fulsome praises of deceitful flattery, to excite admiration, if not a more guilty passion, in others. Hence, perhaps, many suspicious levities are tolerated, because the world thinks nothing of them; certain thoughts and ideas are overlooked by conscience, because they are too seducing to be utterly renounced; certain looks, and expressions, and actions, are permitted, which occasion at least, something of doubt, misgiving, and apprehension; but these are repressed, because to hearken to their suggestions, would probably convince, that certain favorite practices must be discontinued, that certain societies must be forsaken, and that violence must be offered to nature and inclination. What then is to be done in order to gratify inclination, without entirely discarding conscience? O then a pretext is set up which is the ruin of thousands! they are decided to be no more than venial transgressions, and as

venial sin neither destroys the grace of God nor excludes from heaven, the victims throw a bandage over their eyes, and endeavour not to see what they are unwilling to fear. No advice is sought for with respect to these supposed venial offences; they are purposely kept from the knowledge of the director of their consciences, lest zeal for the honor of his Master, a sense of his duty, and a pastoral solicitude for the eternal welfare of those entrusted to his care, should compel him to speak out, disclose the guilt or danger in which they have lived, and require them to forsake it. Thus it is that many unfortunate christians, even while they exteriorly comply with the duties, and avail themselves of the aids of religion, lose all the advantages which they are calculated to afford, for want of proper dispositions; draw down upon themselves the wrath of God by abusing his sacred institutions, and are at last abandoned to all the horrors of obstinacy in sin, and final impenitence.

By slow, and sometimes by imperceptible degrees, do men proceed to this deplorable situation, and live in it, almost without suspicion of their misfortune, because they are afraid of reflection; and whenever the inspirations of heaven urge to serious investigation, they turn away from the undertaking, as too

troublesome. Prayer is then neglected, or performed with a vacant or distracted mind, an exercise of no profit, a mere lip-service; mental prayer and serious meditation never attempted; the reading of spiritual books omitted as a tedious, insipid occupation, and in their place, too often are the enervating fictions of romance perused with fatal avidity. When this is the case, when the exercises of devotion are made to give way to the love of the world, and of whatever in the world is criminal or dangerous, what wonder if the voice of God strike not the ear, or be disregarded? The heart that is enamoured with the vanities and follies of the world, will soon be fascinated by its sinful pleasures, and enslaved by its crimes. Coldness and tepidity in the service of God, are followed by indifference, indifference by insensibility, and hardness of heart: God withdraws himself, and seeing that he is despised, abandons the sinner to his own wretchedness. The softness of water is hardened by degrees into ice; the cold north bloweth says the wise man, and the water is congealed into crystal. (Ecclus. xl. 22.) My friends, look well to yourselves, let not your hearts be caught by wretched vanities, be not imposed upon, even while you suspect the imposition. You have heard the voice of the Lord; let not him speak in vain.

If among my youthful hearers, in particular, there be any whose consciences plead guilty to this neglect of God's inspirations; who have been called upon, or perhaps are still urged by frequent interior admonitions; who nevertheless feel enamoured of this world, and already are yielding to its current: O do not withdraw yourselves from the grace and friendship of God; and though you were even sure of time and grace for repentance hereafter, do not prepare a mass of iniquity to be repented of in old age: let not the seducements of a deceitful world, the siren song of pleasure, or the slaves of Satan, delude you into misery, the heaviest that can befal you: let not the thoughtless enjoyment of this short day of your mortality make you renounce the enjoyment of endless ages. And you, whose lives are far spent, who have sported amidst the boasted but fallacious joys of the world, who remember well with what sprightly gaiety you met the companions of your age in the morn of life, when no misfortune had yet occurred to disgust you with a cheating world! O now that you have experienced more of its delights than you can ever expect to be renewed, and are descending the hill of life into the vale of years! open your eyes, now at least; learn wisdom from experience. Ere the possession