heart of man to conceive. The crown of all our joys will be, to know that we are secure of possess. ing them for ever.What a transporting idea! My dearest child, can you reflect on all these thing, and not feel the most earnest longings after immortality? Do not all other views and desires seem mean and trifling, when compared with this? And does not your inmost heart resolve that this shall be the chief and constant object of its wishes and pursuit, through the whole course of your life? If you are not insensible to that desire of happiness, which seems woven into our nature, you cannot surely be unmoved by the prospect of such a transcendent degree of it; and that, continued to all eternity, perhaps continually increasing. You cannot but dread the forfeiture of such an inheritance, as the most insupportable evil!-Remember, then, remember the conditions on which alone it can be obtained: God will not give to vice, to carelessness, or sloth, the prize he has proposed to virtue. You have every help that can animate your endeavours: You have written laws to direct you; -the example of Christ and his disciples to encourage you the most awakening motives to engage you and you have, besides, the comfortable promise of constant assistance from the Holy Spirit, if you diligently and sincerely pray for it. O, my dear child! let not all this mercy be lost upon you; but give your attention to this your only impor tant concern, and accept, with profound gratitude, the inestimable advantages that are thus affectionately offered you. Though the four Gospels are each of them a narration of the life, sayings, and death of Christ; yet, as they are not exactly alike, but some circumstances and sayings, omitted in one, are recorded in another, you must make yourself perfectly mistress of them all. The ACTS of the holy Apostles, endowed with the Holy Ghost, and authorized by their diviue Mas. tre; come next in order to be read.-Nothing ear be more interesting and edifying, than the history of their actions;-of the piety, zeal, and courage, with which they preached the glad tidings of Salvation; and of the various exertions of the wonderful powers conferred on them by the Holy Spirit, for the confirmation of their mission. The character of St. Paul, and his miraculous conversion, demand your particular attention: most of the Apostles were men of low birth and educa tion; but St. Paul was a Roman citizen; that is, he possessed the privileges annexed to the freedom of the city of Rome, which was considered as an high distinction in those countries, that had been conquered by the Romans. He was educated amongst the most learned sect of the Jews, and by one of their principal doctors. He was a man of extraordinary eloquence, as appears not only in his writings, but in several speeches in his own defence, pronounced before governors and courts of justice, when he was called to account for the doctrines he taught. He seems to have been of an uncommonly warm temper, and zealous in whatever religion he professed: this zeal, before his conversion, shewed itself in the most unjustifiable actions, by furiously persecuting the innocent Christians: but, though his actions were bad, we may be sure his intentions were good; otherwise we should not have seen a miracle employed to convince him of his mistake, and to bring him into the right way. This example may assure us of the mercy of God towards mistaken consciences, and ought to inspire us with the most enlarged charity and good-will towards those, whose erroneous principles mislead their con duct: in the f resentment and hatred against from this remarkable conversion, and which has been so admirably illustrated by a noble writer*, whose tract on this subject is in every body's hand. Next follow the EPISTLES; which make a very important part of the New Testament; and you cannot be too much employed in reading them. They contain the most excellent precepts and admonitions, and are of particular use in explaining more at large several doctrines of Christianity, which we could not so fully comprehend without them. There are, indeed, in the Epistles of St. Paul, many passages hard to be understood: such, in particute are the first eleven chapters to tCorinthians and greater part of his Eni cal chapters of that to the He. Galatianstead of perplexing yourself with these more obscure passages of Scripture, those that you to employ your attention would Judge of the doctrines taught in are plain une other parts, by comparing them with what you find in these. It is through the neglect of this rule, that many have been led to draw the most absurd doctrines from the Holy Scriptures. Let me particularly recommend to your careful perusal the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th chapters of the Epistle to the Romans. In the 14th chapter, St. Paul has in view the difference between the Jewish and Gentile (or Heathen) converts at that time: the former were disposed to look with horror on the latter, for their impiety in not paying the same regard to the distinctions of days and meats, that they did; and the latter, on the contrary, were inclined to look with contempt on the former, for their weakness and superstition. Excellent is the advice which the Apostle gives to both parties: he exhorts the Jewish converts not to judge, and the Gentiles not to despise; remembering that the kingdom of heaven is not meat and drink, but • Lord Lyttelton. 1 righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.-Endeavour to conform yourself to this advice;—to acquire a temper of universal candour and benevolence and learn neither to despise nor condemn any persons on account of their particular modes of faith and worship; remembering always, that goodness is confined to no party-that there are wise and worthy men among all the sects of Christians; and that, to his own master, every one must stand or fall. prac I will enter no farther into the, several points discussed by St. Paul in his various Epistles;most of them too intricate for your understanding to state cleand many of them beyond my abilities you, to read those passageply again recommend to so much fervour and energy, excite you which which, with fice of the most exalted piety and benevolence. It heart, warmed with the tenderest affection for the whole n warning, encouragement, example, urged precept, quence which such affection only could inspire, are capable of influencing your mind; you cannot fail to find, in such parts of his epistles as are adapted to your understanding, the strongest persuasives to every virtue that can adorn and improve your nature. by The Epistle of St. JAMES is entirely practical, and exceedingly fine: you cannot study it too much. It seems particularly designed to guard Christians against misunderstanding some things in St. Paul's writings, which have been fatally perverted to the encouragement of a dependence on faith alone, without good works. But the more rational commentators will tell you, that by the works of the Law, which the Apostle asserts to be incapable of justifying us, he means, not the works of moral righteousness, but the ceremonial works of the Mosaic law, on which the Jews laid the greatest stress, as necessary to salvation. But St. James tells us, that, "if any man among us seem to be "religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but de"ceiveth his own heart, that man's religion is "vain." And that pure religion, and undefiled before God the Father, is this: "To visit the father"less and widow in their affliction, and to keep "himself unspotted from the world." Faith in Christ, if it produce not these effects, he declares is dead, or of no power. The Epistles of St. PETER are also full of the best instructions and admonitions, concerning the relative duties of life; amongst which are set forth the duties of women in general, and of wives in par ticular. Some part of the second Epistle is prophetical; warning the church of false teachers, and false doctrines, which would undermine morality, and disgrace the cause of Christianity.. The first Epistle of St. JOHN is written in a highly figurative style, which makes it, in some parts, hard to be understood: but the spirit of divine love, which it so fervently expresses, renders it highly edifying and delightful.-That love of God and of man, which this beloved Apostle so patheti. cally recommends, is in truth the essence of religion, as our Saviour himself informs us. The Book of REVELATION contains a prophetical account of most of the great events relating to the Christian church, which were to happen from. the time of the writer (St. John) to the end of the world. Many learned men have taken a great deal of pains to explain it; and they have done this in many instances very successfully: but, I think, it is yet too soon for you to study this part of Scripture; some years hence perhaps there may be no objection to your attempting it, and taking into your hands the best expositions to assist you in reading such of the most difficult parts of the New Testament as you cannot now be supposed to understand.-May Heaven direct you in studying this sacred volume, |