it less of danger and difficulty. Soon he discovers one apparently more eafy and pleasing to flesh and blood. For awhile he ftands in doubt; his love of self-indulgence overcomes him. "He will not endure hardness as a good foldier of Jefus Chrift." He enters the forbidden path. Now all feems pleasant and delightful. The pleasures of the road lull to fleep his fpiritual fenfes. Sin, now, like a serpent, affails him; he has now no ftrength to refift; he falls a victim to his folly; guilt and remorfe now fting him to the quick. "Fool that I was," he exclaims. "Oh! that I had continued in the path of duty.' It is too late. Wretched man, felf-indulgence has proved his ruin.

The disobedient prophet fell a victim to selfindulgence, when he turned afide to "eat bread and drink water," and a lion met him by the way and flew him. The five foolish virgins alfo, who "flumbered and flept" when they ought to have been watching, fell by the fame infidious foe. They awoke in outer darknefs, and found the door of the kingdom of heaven fast closed against them for ever.

"If any man will be my difciple," said the Saviour, "let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." To them who by patient continuance in well-doing feek for glory, and honour, and immortality: eternal life. He that endureth to the end, the fame shall be saved."

"Deny thyself and take thy cross,
Is the Redeemer's great command !

Nature must count her gold but drofs,
If she would gain this heavenly land.

"The fearful foul that tires and faints,

And walks the ways of God no more, Is but esteem'd almost a faint,

And makes his own deftruction fure."

DR. WATTS.

CARNAL SECURITY.

See here portrayed, a gently rifing ground,
With tulips gay, and blooming rofes crowned
Where flowers of various hues, or gay or fair,
Mingle their sweetness with the balmy air;
While woodland minstrels ftoop upon the wing,
Attune their notes, and fofteft carols fing;
A youth lies fleeping on the rofeate bed,
Heedlefs of dangers, thus to ruin led;
A horrid gulf of thickest night is there,
Where hope ne'er comes, but darkness and despair;
A turn-a move-and in the gulf he'll roll,
Where fiery billows prey upon the soul.

It is by afcending "a gently rifing ground,' and not by overleaping abrupt precipices, that the youth attains his dangerous pofition-his bad

eminence. "Sin is firft pleafing, then easy, then delightful, then confirmed,-then the man is impenitent, then he is obftinate, then he refolves never to repent, and then he is damned."

Sin poffeffes a peculiar faculty to deceive; this is true of fin in all its modifications. It allures, that it may betray and destroy. It meets the youth with fmiles only, that it may plunge a dagger more furely in the heart. It promifes to the gambler, the robber, and murderer, wealth, pleasure, kingdoms. But having filled the cup of hope to the brim, with cruel mocking it is exchanged for the chalice of despair.

Sin adapts itself to the various depraved appetites or propenfities of man. To all its votaries it promises the pleasures of this life. But "the wages of fin is death." To all likewife it offers perfect fecurity; crying peace, fafety, when sudden deftruction is at hand.

As fin is thus deceptive in its promises and fatal in its results, so alfo is it in its influence on the human mind. It blinds the eyes, it hardens the heart, it fears the confcience, it fafcinates the imagination, it perverts the judgment, it gives a wrong bias to the will, it effaces from the memory recollections of the beautiful and the good. In a word, it throws the pall of the grave over the whole man, and hides from his view, his guilt, his danger, and his immortality.

The man is now wrapped in the mantle of "carnal fecurity;" he is infenfible to all around him. The path of finful pleasure is ftrewed with

Plutonian flowers. They breathe the odour of the pit, ftupifying to the fenfes. The bewitching mufic of the great enchanter cafts the foul into a deep fleep. It is like the fleep of the grave.

Perhaps he is dreaming of happiness that he will never enjoy; perhaps of home, that he shall never behold; or of friends, whom he shall embrace no more for ever. In the midft of his dreams of delight, the bow of the Almighty is ftrung; the arrow is made ready; the dart of death is uplifted, ready to fall upon the unconscious victim; the pit has opened its mouth to receive the prey. Nothing but the voice of God can aroufe him from his lethargy.

"What meaneft thou, O fleeper! arife and call upon God, if fo be that thou perish not. Awake, thou that fleepeft; and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."

"Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth; walk thou in the ways of thy heart, and in the fight of thy eyes. But know, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.”

"Ye fons of Adam, vain and young, Indulge your eyes, indulge your tongue; Taste the delights your fouls defire,

And give a loose to all your fire.

"Pursue the pleafures you defign,

And cheer your hearts with fongs and wine;
Enjoy the day of mirth; but know,

There is a day of judgment too.