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heavy woes for their hypocrisy, which was manifest in their scrupulose exactness in the performance of the minutest part of the ceremonial ob servances contained in their traditions while they were most scandalously careless and negligent in the weightier matters of the law: "Wo unto you Pharisees!" said he, for ye tithe mint and rue, & all manner of herbs, & pass over judgment and the love of God; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Wo unto you Pharisees, for ye love the up. permost seats in the synagogues, and greeting in the markets. We unto you. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them."

Though this discouse was principally assigned to affect the Scribes and Pharisees, a certain lawyer, who sat at the table, thinking that this rebuke affected persons of his professien, was very much offended; but our great Redeemer, who regarded not the persons nor professions of men, plainly told him what was his real character: Wo unto you also, ye lawyers!" said he," for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be born, and ye your selves touch not the burdens, with one of your fingers."

The blessed JESUS also blamed the conduct of the Scribes and Pharisees for building the sepulchres of the prophets, whom their fathers had mur. dered; because they did not erect these edifices so much out of respect to the memory of the deceased worthies, as to exhibit the utmost ostentation of piety, and make themselves admired for their noble sentiments; while, by their constant line of conduct, they gave reason to conclude, that they secretly entertained the same hatred to reproof, and unconquerable obstinacy and perverseness, which excited their fathers to the most unreasonable and cruel of their actions: Wo unto you! said he, for ye build the sepulchre of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, & ye build them sepulchres. Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and. persecute; that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished, between the altar and the temple: verily, I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation. As our great Redeemer well knew that this hardened and unbelieving generation, would spill the blood of the Son of God, and of consequence be guilty of the blackest, and most impious and horrid mar-, tyrdom, which could be committed; he might justly represent them, as the most black, horrid, and hateful race of murderers, as guilty in themselves, as much to be abhorred, and equally deserving peculiar and distinguished vengeance, as if they had shed all the innocent blood which ever had been spilt in the world.

Our great Redeemer, after pronouncing these woes, turned his discourse against the lawyers, and condemned them for filling the minds of the people with wrong notions, arising from forced interpretations of the Scriptures; by which means the minds of the people were prejudiced against the gospel, and prevented from receiving the truth: "Wo unto you lawyers!" said he, "for ye have taken away the key of knowledge; ye enter not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered." However just and reasonable these discourses were, the severity of the rebukes contained in them was highly provoking to those Scribes and Pharisees; they were conscious of being guilty of the crimes laid to their charge, but their pride could not bear the thoughts of being sunk in the opinion of the people who heard these remarks; their minds were agilated with conflicting passions, but pride and envy urged them to the most base and despicable actions; their rising resentment studied revenge, and they

were so mean as to urge our exalted Redeemer to discourse on various subjects, with no other view than to ensnare him, and by that means ren

Having shewn the necessity of boldly confessing him before men, he proceeded to encourage his disciples with the promise of immediate assistance, when they were brought before princes and the great men of the earth; which divine assistance would deliver them from all embarrassment, respecting what they should answer, when they were examined concerning their faith: "And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and uuto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how, or what ye shall answer, or what ye shall say; for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour, what ye ought to say."

While the blessed Jesus was delivering these exhortations to his disciples, a person amongst the surrounding multitude begged that he would interpose his authority with his brother, in order to oblige him to divide the paternal inheritance with him; but, as this decision properly belonged to the magistrate, our blessed Saviour, who did not come into the world to settle worldly affairs, but to attend to those things which concerned the immortal soul, declined the task, with this reply, "Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?" He took occasion, however, from hence, in the most solemn manner, to caution his hearers against covetousness: for he observed that neither the length nor the happiness of life depended on the largeness of possessions: Take heed, said he, & beware of covetousness; for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

And to enforce this important exhortation, he placed before them, in the strongest and most alarming point of light, an example of the bewitching influence of wealth in the parable of the rich glutton, who was suddenly cut off in the midst of his projects and became a dreadful example of the foily of amassing the riches of this world, and depending on the goods of this life, without any regard to the government of God, or the interests of the immortal soul. This wretched man, forgetting his mortality, made preparations for a long and luxurious life, pleasing himself with the thoughts of a long succession of sensual enjoyments: but, alas! whilst he was providing repositories for his vast riches, he was arrested by the king of terrors, and hurried, without time for consideration, into the eternal world. The parable which our great Redeemer put forth on this occasion, is contained in these words: The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he thought within himself saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my Soul, thow hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto bim, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided ?"

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What an awful summons was this! How unexpected, how alarming. how dreadful! The man lying on his bed, full of anxiety, care, and solicitude, not to require wealth, but how to make room to lodge it, and how to enjoy it: doubtless he thought, that riches gave him a title to every gratification and enjoyment which the world can afford, or the sense and appetite of man partake of: his restless thought ranges through the wide fields of dissipation and pleasure, and such numerous scenes of imaginary delight press on his ravished senses, he knows not where to fix. In the midst of this pleasing perplexity, a strange messenger strikes at his breast. Who is it that thus alarms him? It is the great king of terrors, he comes commissioned to destroy; the case admits of no refusal or delay.. Is. there no refuge! is there no delivery! Call the physicians: they instantly attended, but with looks solemn and sad. What! is there no hope ? So often as you have partook of my bounty, and such obligations as you are under to me. They all, with grief, declare the case beyond their art. Then