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that you can learn the true account of the beginning of all things; of the creation of the heavens and of the earth, the sea, and all things that are therein, by the almighty power of God. Here you will find, how man was formed upright and holy, in the Image of his God; how by disobedience of the express command of his maker, by listening to the temptations of the devil, he forfeited his holiness and happiness, and brought sinfulness and misery upon all his children to the end of time; how indeed sin entered into the world, and death by sin. are here instructed, how sinful man may be reconciled to God, by his beloved Son Jesus Christ, having come down from heaven, and taken upon himself the form of man, yet without sin, suffering persecution and sorrow for a long period upon earth, and at last enduring the painful death of the cross, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. Here you are taught that to fear God, and to keep his commandments, is the whole duty of man: that the end of the commandment is love to God, which will produce love or charity, and good will to your fellow creatures. Your minds indeed can only be happy, and at peace, from treasuring up within them, and frequently meditating upon the great doctrines of the gospel. The knowledge that God can be reconciled through His Son Jesus Christ, our only Saviour and intercessor on high-the assurance that the holy Spirit is graciously promised to inform your ignorance, and to purify your hearts; such things as these, can, by the blessing of God, enable you to bridle the sinful appetites of the body, and to curb the passions of the mind, to perform faithfully your several duties to your earthly masters, and to look upwards from the things of this life, from the perishing concerns of earth, towards the everlasting realities of a world above. Add not then sin unto sin, by still neglecting this book, and pouring contempt upon the righteous precepts it contains.

Again let me exhort you to pay attention to that Scripture which is profitable, in the second place, for Reproof. And which of you needs not this? which of you has not committed some sin or another-such as lying, theft, adultery, fornication, violence, malice, drunkenness, and revenge-sins, which loudly call not only for reproof

from your fellow-creatures, but from God, who seeth all things, and will bring even the most secret thing into judgment at the last day. Yes, you have indeed broken the laws of God as well as those of your country, and you are now suffering punishment for your several offences; but there is a still greater punishment, even that which is eternal, in another world, to be inflicted upon sinners by God, the great Judge of all. The Scriptures, therefore, are profitable to call you to consider your ways, and be wise, to smite your consciences with the exceeding sinfulness of your past conduct, and to convince you of your danger, if you continue in the wilful practice of iniquity. Turn then at the reproof of the Most High,-I will tell you what the Scriptures say, with respect to reproof" He, that hateth reproof, is brutish;" but, "he, that heareth reproof, getteth understanding,"-"Because" (saith God) "I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded, but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock, when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you; Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me, For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof; therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices." How awful then must be the end of those, who despise the word of God, recorded in the Bible, who die impenitent, and in hardness of heart.

Again Search the Scriptures, for they are profitable, in the third place for correction. The end of true religion is to make you wiser and better-better men-better relatives-better subjects, and servants.-Correction is therefore necessary, in order to amendment. If a father loveth his son will he not correct him, when he goes wrong? You must be made to feel for the commission of sin, and to humble yourselves under the hand of Godyou must bewail your iniquities with weeping and mourning, feeling in your own souls that without an interest in

the blood of Jesus Christ, you must perish for ever. You must exclaim from the heart, God be merciful to me, a sinner. In the sacred Scriptures then, shall you find correction of your sins. Despise not then the chastening of the Lord, for he that refuseth correction, despiseth his own soul.

Once more pay devout attention to the Scriptures, for they are profitable, lastly, for instruction in righteousness. Having become acquainted with the doctrines of the Gospel-having listened to the reproofs of Scripture, and received the correction contained therein, you are further led on in the sacred volume to instruction in righteousness-you are taught, that, without holiness, no man shall see the Lord-you are exhorted to be holy, even as your Father which is in heaven, is holy-to be pure in thought, word, and deed. The Bible shews you, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you-to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. But, are you, sinful dust and ashes, sufficient for these things?—No, but if you seek a better righteousness than your own,-if you approach the throne of mercy with humility and prayer, in deep repentance and sorrow for your past offences, and true faith in the Saviour, and plead the alone merits of Jesus Christ for pardon and salvation, you shall be enabled to overcome the several temptations, that surround you, until you are brought to the end of your mortal career, till you leave the sins and infirmities of earth for the enjoyment of never ending happiness in heaven. And would you wish to be partakers of the glories of eternity and to avoid its everlasting miseries? see, that you no longer reject the Holy Scriptures, but listen to the words of inspiration contained therein. Thousands, once unacquainted with the Bible have been by its means, under the blessing of God delivered out of anguish and horror, and blessed with peace and joy. Thousands have been turned by it from darkness to light-from habits and dispositions the most vile and wicked, to the love and practice of every thing lovely, and of good report And would you wish to be of that number? Pay to the Scriptures henceforth all devout attention-practise the rules and precepts they contain, remembering what our Saviour himself has declared, that, "Not every one, that

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saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who doeth the will of my Father, which is in Heaven." And in order that you may obtain the blessings to be derived from the words of eternal life contained in the Bible, pray unto God, that, whenever you read or hear read to you, that sacred volume, He, who has caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, would mercifully grant, that you may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of His Holy Word, you may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which He has given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ.

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THE FALL OF MAN.

GENESIS, III. 4.

And the Serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die.

SUCH was the declaration of the devil, under the form of a serpent, to the first woman, the mother of mankind. But such was not the declaration of God. The Almighty had said "In the day that thou eatest of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt surely die." This was known unto the woman, and when tempted to eat, she confesses her knowledge of this threatening of her maker. "We may eat" says she," of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." Here then are two opposite assurances, one of which must be true, and the other false; the one made by God, the other by the devil: and which then is to be believed? Alas! the Father of lies is listened to, and the God of truth itself, is regarded as a deceiver. The woman believes the Prince of darkness, believes the cunnning serpent rather than the all-wise Creator of the world! rather than her sovereign and her God.

And do you ask, what snare the tempter could make use of, thus to prevail upon the creature to distrust the word, and to break the law of the Creator. In the first place he tells the woman, that she need not regard the threatening of God, for, that whatever she may do, he will not put that threat into execution. Yea, says he, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? believe him not, pluck and eat, and be assured, ye shall not die. But lest this positive assertion should fail, he seconds it with an