AND ND (the Fathers) did all drink the fame fpiritual Drink: (For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Chrift,) 1 Cor. x. 4.

Chrift ftricken and fmitten of his Father, and by the Jews and Gentiles, both during his Life and at his Death, is the Fountain of the living Water of Grace and of Salvation. As the Rock followed the Ifraelites by the Water which flowed from it, fo Chrift follows, accompanies, and is in us, by the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from Him from all Eternity, is by Him merited for us, and fent to us in Time; and of whofe Afiftance we continually ftand in Need. Let this Rock, O my God, be always open for us! Let this Water never fail us!

Chrift is a Rock, and firm he proves! He is a Way: He leads to God:
The Rock of Ages never moves,
The Path is drawn in Lines of Blood:

Yet the sweet streams that from him flow There would I walk with Hope andZeal
Attend us all the Defert thro'.

'Till I arrive at Sion's Hill.

THOUGH I bestow all my Goods to feed the Poor, and tho' I give my Body to be burned, and have not Charity, it profiteth me nothing, 1 Cor. xiii. 3.

All Things are nothing without the Heart. Our Goods, our Liberty, our Life, and whatever elfe can be taken from us against our Will, are not worthy of GOD. Our Heart only is properly our own; and it is that only which he requires. Our Salvation is not fecur'd by the external Acts of Charity, but by Charity (the Love of God) itself, which ought to be the Root from whence all thofe Acts proceed. Lovercan supply all Defects of Works, but nothing can fupply the Defect of that. Without it we can do no good Thing profitable to our own Souls. This Love of GOD fhed a broad in the Heart, alone rectifies, regulates, animates, fanctifies, exalts, and perfects every Thing.

JESUS, if Thou thy Servant guard,

I fhall obey thy Laws,
Nor feek from Man my bafe Reward,
Nor aim at his Applaufe,

O may I caft the World behind,

While in thy Work employ'd, And only bear it in my Mind,

That I am feen of GOD.

AN

ND now abideth Faith, Hope, Charity, these three; but the greatest of these is Charity, 1 Cor. xiii. 13.

Faith, Hope and Charity are the only inward Gifts which are neceffary for the Church in general, and for every Chriftian in particular. Faith and Hope are Graces proper to Travellers, which guide and conduct us to Heaven, without entering thereinto: Charity, or Love, alone enters in, to see what the has believed by Faith, and to enjoy what fhe has defired by Hope. Without Charity all Faith is imperfect, all Hope is vain. - Faith is the Foundation of the Chriftian Life, and of good Works; Hope rears the Structure thereof; but Love, or Charity, finishes, compleats, and crowns it in a bleffed Eternity.

Faith the Foundation fure remains,
The Anchor Hope our Soul fuftains,
But, rooted in thy Grace, we prove,
The greatest of the Three is Love,

Faith,Hope, and Love, thou doft bestow,
To blefs and fave us here below;
Faith, Hope,and Love,onEarth are given
Love only makes an Heaven of Heav'n.

St. Matthew. AN ND as Jefus paffed forth from thence, he faw a Man named Matthew, fitting at the Receipt of Custom: And he faith unto him, follow me. And he arose, and followed him, Matt. ix.

9.

The whole Happiness of a Soul frequently depends on its being immediately obedient to the Voice of God, and following his firft Call. What cannot the Word of Chrift, joined with Grace, work on the Heart? God in calling all Sorts of Perfons to Faith and Piety, makes it evident, that he is the Master of the Work, and of the Workmen. A Profeffion which is very gainful excites and nourishes Covetoufnefs, and the Management of the publick Money increases the Affection towards earthly Riches; but what Bonds doft thou not break, O my God, when thou defigneft to fhew Mercy?

JESUS, we thus obey,

Relying on thy Word,
Here, in thine own appointed Way,
We come to meet our Lord.

The Way thou haft enjoin'd,

Thou wilt therein appear,
We come, with Confidence, to find
Thy special Prefence here.

FOR

as much as ye are manifeftly declared to be the Epiftle of Christ, miniftred by us, written not with Ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in Tables of Stone, but in the fleshly Tables of the Heart, 2 Cor. iii. 3.

The Heart of Man is the Paper of God; his Love is that which he writes; his Spirit is his Finger; and his Grace his Ink. Let us take Care, that our Hearts do not grow hard under the Finger of God, that Fear do not blot out Love, and that the Devil do not engrave therein the Love of Riches, of Pleasure, and of the Pomps and Vanities of the World. These are the only Things which we have of our ownselves; and it is only by Jefus Chrift that we can receive the Impreffions of the Spirit of God, and the Love of His Law in our Hearts. May God write all His Laws deeply in all our Hearts.

Referves of unexhausted Grace

Are treafur'd up in Thee; For Myriads of the fallen Race, For all Mankind, and me :

The flowing Stream continues full,

"Till Time its Course hath run, And while eternal Ages roll

Thy Mercy shall flow on.