be burned? These sins are best avoided, by avoiding the first beginnings of them. Every sinful indulgence you allow yourselves, every improper liberty which you take, will be likely to lead you on, with increasing violence, to something more and more criminal.

Remember the solemn words of our Saviour, I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Pray therefore earnestly to God that He would turn away your eyes lest they behold vanity, and resolve like holy Job to make a covenant with your eyes, that they shall not look on any forbidden object'.

Above all, in this instance especially, keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life". Out of the heart proceeds this sin, together with the other sins which defile a man. The pure in heart are they that shall see God. Endeavour therefore to keep your heart pure from all unchaste thoughts and imaginations. Endeavour, if such thoughts obtain admittance, to drive them from you. And fervently beseech Almighty God to create in you a new and pure heart, and to renew a right spirit within you.

The Prayer.

Great and glorious God, thou art a Being of infinite holiness, and hast declared thy abhorrence of all impurity. I beseech thee to give me true sorrow and contrition of heart, for that I am so far from that purity and holiness which thou requirest, and which is necessary to make me meet for the joys of Heaven. I beseech thee for the sake of thy dear Son to pardon all the impure thoughts, desires, and purposes, which I have ever entertained in my mind, and all the unchaste actions of my life. O cleanse my soul from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, and grant that my r Prov. vi. 27, 28. Matt. v. 28. t Job xxxi. 1. u Prov. iv. 23.

body may be a holy temple, fit for thy Holy Spirit to dwell in. Enable me to subdue all fleshly lusts which war against the soul. Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me. Put thy fear into my heart, and cause in my soul a stedfast resolution against all unchastity. Hear me, O Lord, for thy mercy's sake, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

FRUGALITY AND FORESIGHT.

It is of great importance to us all, that we should acquire the habit of carrying our view forward to the state upon which we shall enter after death, and of considering, how our happiness in that state, will be affected by the conduct which we maintain here. Remember the end, and thou shalt never do amiss. And with respect to the things of this life also, we shall do well to look forward a little, and to take no step, not to say or do any thing of importance, without reflecting upon its consequences, upon the manner in which it may affect the future temporal welfare either of ourselves or of others.

Young men are too apt to neglect this looking forward. They are too apt to act from sudden impulse, from the feeling of the moment. Something strongly excites their passions or appetites, and they are hurried by them into some action, or into a line of conduct, which may have an unkindly influence upon all their life afterwards. Present gratification, present pleasure, is apt to be their great object, and they will not consider whether indulging in pleasure now, may not be the occasion of discomfort, of want, and suffering, as they advance in years.

As, when assailed by difficulties or distresses of any

description, we do well to use our utmost exertions to overcome or to remove them, humbly relying, for the success of those exertions, upon the good providence of God, so we do well, to look forward to those wants which in the common course of things are likely to come upon us hereafter, and to provide against them by timely prudence.

I am not in the slightest degree recommending an excessive carefulness and over-anxiety about the future supply of our temporal necessities. I well know how strongly we are cautioned in the Scriptures against such over-anxiety, how we are admonished to cast all our care upon God, as upon one who careth for us. But I also know, that both the express words, and the whole spirit of Scripture, require us, both in temporal and in spiritual things, to do what we can for ourselves, in humble reliance upon the help of the Almighty. To take no care for ourselves, to use no exertions of our own, is rather tempting the providence of God instead of trusting to him. If we depend upon the industry and exertions of others for the supply of those wants, which with common care and prudence we might have avoided or supplied ourselves, we are guilty of injustice towards them, are guilty of a kind of dishonesty, which we ought to be ashamed of. It is in this spirit that St. Paul says, that if any would not work, neither should he eat: and again, We command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own breada:—their own bread-bread earned by their own labour, their own exertions. So again to the Ephesians, Rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth". That provident forecast, which tends to prevent the evils arising from poverty, and to save a man b Eph. iv. 28.

a 2 Thess. iii. 10, 12.

from the pain of feeling himself dependent upon the assistance of others, is strongly recommended in the writings of Solomon. He enforces his recommendation by referring us to the industry and foresight of the ant. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. And again, There be four things which are little upon earth, but they are exceeding wise. The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer. As the ant,

taught by the instinct implanted in her by the God of nature, diligently labours in the summer, to provide a sufficiency of food, against that season when the inclemency of the weather will prevent her from leaving her cell; so ought those men, who, in the vigour of youth, are able to earn more than is absolutely necessary for their subsistence, constantly to lay by some small portion of their earnings, which, by degrees, will amount to such a sum, as will maintain them in the time of sickness and old age, without being a burden to others.

Labouring men, who have families of many young children to provide for, are, of course, unable to comply with this advice. Every penny that they can earn, is required by their necessities continually pressing upon them. But single men, engaged in active employment, as labourers, or servants, or journeymen in various trades, should imitate the industry and foresight of the ant, and take every opportunity of laying up something against the time of old age. Those who are thus circumstanced, ought to form the manly resolution, to depend, under Providence, on their own exertions alone for subsistence; and should feel ashamed, if they can any

Prov, xxx, 24, 25,

how avoid it, of looking forward to support from parish relief.

A young man, who is destitute of proper feeling and right principles, may perhaps be disposed to say in his heart, that he will not trouble himself to lay by any part of his earnings, since the parish will always be bound to maintain him ;—that he will enjoy himself while he can, and spend his money in rioting and drunkenness. This is the case, when he earns good wages. Sometimes he probably finds it difficult to procure employment; and it is natural that it should be so. The occupiers of land must have their work done by somebody, but they naturally prefer having it done by a sober industrious man, who will do a fair day's work for his money, rather than by one of idle and dissipated habits, whose behaviour seems to shew that he neither fears God, nor regards man.

Under the influence of strong drink, or merely to gratify his carnal lusts and appetites, a man of such thoughtless dissipated character, perhaps, leads a young woman into wickedness; and then,-to avoid the expense of maintaining the offspring of such illicit connexion, or perhaps under the idea that he shall more easily force the parish to find him work,-marries her. Nothing however is provided beforehand. He has no house into which to put his wife; no household goods or household comforts of any description. He applies to the overseer for a place to be in, and is probably thrust into a work-house, or into a parish-house already occupied by one or more families. He is an annoyance to them, and they are an annoyance to him. The disquiet and discomfort of such a home irritates and sours his temper, and induces him to continue his former bad habit of drinking at the public house. The money, which ought to provide food for his wife and family, is squandered there. His children