quity upon iniquity, entirely silence the dictates of his conscience, which compel him, in spite of himself, to distinguish what he endeavors to confound, and not to give the same names to virtues and vices ? Can he attain to the belief that these are but mere chimeras to which credulity has given different names, in order to render them real?

Let infidels, if they can, nourish their security, by such black and abominable ideas; let them walk, if it is possible, with a firm step, upon a precipice so frightful, and with which reason itself is confounded ; let them deride thy servants, O Lord, and consider as useless every thing which they do and suffer to secure thy favor;—their derisions will soon be turned into despair. We have but a short time to wait; for thou wilt soon come to deliver the righteous for ever from the servitude of the body, and from the troubles inseparable from their state of exile. This chosen people, this Israel, separated from the rest of the world, will eternally sing the praises of thy grace; joy, peace, a happiness which will never end, will be their portion; while unbelieving sinners, precipitated into a gulf of fire, will be punished, for their impiety and blasphemy, by eternal torments and remorse,→ by the keenest anguish and despair.

PSALM XVI.

Meditations of a saint engaged necessarily in worldly scenes; with thanksgiving to God for having preserved him in the midst of so many temptations and dangers, and prayer for continued supplies of grace.

VERSES 1, 2. Preserve me, O God; for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;

LORD, obliged as I am to live in the midst of a world which knows thee not, exposed daily to its seductions, and finding nothing to encourage and animate me in thy service, but, on the contrary, examples calculated to corrupt me and lead me astray, all my safety is in the confidence which I have in thee. Thou didst preserve the three Hebrews in the burning, fiery furnace, continue to protect me, and to preserve my soul pure, in the midst of so many contagious objects suited to corrupt it. Each moment furnishes the world with new snares to seduce me; and each moment furnishes a new motive to thy mercy not to leave me to myself. Thou hast implanted the fear and love of thee in my heart; preserve in me this precious treasure,-suffer me never to lose it, let it never be ravished from me. I know, O glorious God! that being all-sufficient, and finding in thyself an infinite fulness of glory and blessedness, thou hast no need either of my love, or of my fidelity, or of my homage. It is not for thy sake that thou succorest those who look to thee for help. Ah! what can feeble creatures, who are nothing but what thou hast made them to be, contribute to thy happiness ;creatures who subsist only by thee, and who would all fall into that nothingness from which thou didst originally call them into being, if that all-watchful eye, which superintends them, should, for a single

instant, close itself upon them? But, O Lord, thou art my God, my refuge, my happiness, my beginning, and my end; and although thou needest not my prayers and my homage, still my own necessities urge me to offer them to thee continually. Thou wouldst not be God if men were necessary for thy glory; nor wouldst thou be God if, being so necessary as thou art for their happiness, thou shouldst stop thine ears. against their supplications, and, having placed them upon earth, shouldst take no notice of what regards them. I will not cease then to say to thee, O Lord, thou art my God! That adorable name includes every thing; it implies that thou hast no need of creatures, and also that thou art absolutely necessary for their happiness, and ever ready to supply their wants.

VERSE 3. But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent in whom is all my delight.

AND indeed, great God, how could thy saints lead a holy life, upon this wicked earth devoted to a curse, if thou wast not with them incessantly; and if they did not find, in thy powerful protection, aid superior to their weakness, and to all the temptations which surround them? Their example supports my confidence, and is a continual proof to me of thy mercy towards those who desire to serve and obey thee. I honor their piety; I regard it as a prodigy which thou workest in these days of declension and darkness, to render sinners inexcuseable; I seek to unite myself with them, that they may witness my conduct and reprove me if I should become unfaithful to thee. Thou knowest, O thou all-seeing God! that an intercourse with the wicked displeases and troubles me. Though their rank and titles may render them honorable in the eyes of men, they do not lessen the distress which I feel when a regard to decency and propriety obliges me, for a time, to associate with them; and I experience no true joy but from

the pious conversation of the faithful. In their company, O Lord, my heart finds a relief from all the vain agitations of the world; with them I can deplore the folly and vanity of worldly scenes, and speak freely of the wisdom, of the excellency of thy holy law, and of the consolations which an observance of it always produces. And what matter is it if the righteous are obscure in the world; and have no worldly greatness to distinguish them in the eyes of men? Does not piety give a more splendid title than sceptres and crowns? Is it not a pledge of immortal glory, and of a kingdom which will never end? And what are all worldly dignities compared with righteousness and holiness? They are but transient honors which often leave nothing after them, or nothing but sins which the righteous, who are so vile in the eyes of carnal men, being seated on thrones of light, shall judge in the view of the universe.

VERSE 4. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another God their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.

THEREFORE, O Lord, I will eagerly seek the society of thy saints, and withdraw myself from the company of men who are given up to the world, and to their passions, as soon as I can do this without wounding the rules of decency, or the duties of charity. And how can I join their sinful assemblies, and take satisfaction in being there? Among them the reputation of their fellow men is unpityingly torn to pieces; even the virtue of thy faithful servants is no security against their malignant censures; and their most bloody arrows are aimed at the righteous. They are men of blood; and the wounds which their tongues inflict upon the purest innocence, become an object to amuse their indolence, and gratify their wicked hearts. They remind us of the horrors of those public diversions among the pagans, at which people as

sembled, in infamous theatres, to see men wound and put each other to death, for the amusement of spectators. What a barbarous pleasure, O God, for those who live in Christian lands! They take delight in seeing the reputation of their fellow men murdered; and he who plunges the poignard with the most dexterity and success carries away the public acclamations and applauses of these assemblies of iniquity. Unforeseen circumstances, or such as arose from a discharge of duty in other respects, have sometimes led me to be among them; but far from applauding their cruel slanders, I seemed myself to feel the wounds which they inflicted on others. All the indulgence which these men of blood can expect from me is that I will endeavor to efface their cruel slanders from my memory; I will speak of them only to thee, O my God, and I will forget their names, which may be illustrious in the view of men, and embellish vain history, but it would be reproach to thy servants even to remember them.

VERSE 5. The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

LET those deluded slaves of the world glory in their names, their titles, and the extent of their inheritances; let them be puffed up with the portion of wealth and honor with which the world has favored them; all that heap of vanity serves but to hide from them eternal blessings,it has no solidity,it can yield no permanent satisfaction. Such is the vile portion of men who mind only earthly things! I renounce it from this time forth, O Lord; I consent to be deprived of every thing which I have inherited from my ancestors, or acquired by myself, if thou seest that my heart is too much attached to it. Thou art the father of my soul; the heritage which thou promisest to thy children is thyself; it is an eternity of peace and happiness which they shall enjoy X