go, keep her, for she is thy life. Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pafs not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is as the fhining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness, they know not at what they stumble."

66

There is no small obfcurity in the book of Ecclefiaftes, much of it, probably, owing to a concealed dialague between a religious and an irreligious perfon; but we fee in the conclufion, particularly addreffed to young perfons, the real fentiments of the writer. After the fulleft view of human life, by one who was well acquainted with it, he says, Ecc. xii. 1. Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh in which thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them. Let us hear the conclufion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every fecret thing, whether it

be

be good, or whether it be evil." What excellent and seasonable advice is this to young perfons, and what unfpeakable advantage, with respect to morals, did the Hebrew youth enjoy, above thofe in other countries; and how much more inexcufable were they if they did not profit by it!

How far, how very far, I cannot help obferving, was the religion of the Hebrews from being, like that of the heathens, a fyftem of mere rites and ceremonies. It had, on the contrary, the greatest of all objects, the perfection of moral character; compared with which every thing elfe, though required by God, and for the beft reafons, is always represented as wholly infignificant, and no fufficient ground of acceptance with him. Nay punctuality in ceremonials, when morals are neglected, is always faid to be an abomination in the fight of God, and spoken of with indignation and contempt. Thus the Divine Being is represented by the prophet Ifaiah, as expoftulating with great juftice and severity with the degenerate people of Ifrael, whom he compares to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, If. i. 10.

"Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom,

Sodom, and give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your facrifices unto me, faith the Lord? I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beafts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks or of lambs, or of he-goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hands, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations. Incense is an abomination to me; the new moons, and Sabbaths, the calling of affemblies, I cannot away with. It is iniquity, even the folemn meeting, your new moons, and your appointed feasts, my foul hateth. They are a trouble unto me, I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hand I will hide mine eyes from you; yea when ye make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash ye, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes. Ceafe to do evil, learn to do well. Seek judgment, relieve the oppreffed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, let us reafon together, faith the Lord, though your fins be as scarlet, they fhall be white as fnow; though they be red like crimson, they

fhall

fhall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient ye fhall eat the good of the land; but if ye refufe and rebel, ye fhall be devoured with the fword; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

With equal energy and propriety was this people reproved for laying ftrefs on days of fafting, when they were deficient in moral virtue, If. lviii. 3. "Wherefore have we fafted, fay they, and thou seest not: wherefore have we afflicted our foul, and thou takeft no knowledge?-Behold ye fast for ftrife and debate, and to fmite with the fift of wickednefs. Ye fhall not faft as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it fuch a fast as I have chofen, a day for a man to afflict his foul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a faft, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the faft that I have chofen, to loofe the bands of wickednefs, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppreffed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor, that are caft out, to thy houfe; when thou feest the naked that thou cover

him,

him, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then fhall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy health shall fpring forth speedily; and thy righteousness fhall go before thee, the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord fhall anfwer, thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity. And if thou draw out thy foul to the hungry, and fatisfy the afflicted foul. Then fhall thy light rife in obfcurity, and thy darknefs be as the noon day. And the Lord fhall guide thee continually, and fatisfy thy foul in drought, and make fat thy bones. And thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a fpring of water, whofe waters fail not."

On the moral tendency of the religion of the New Testament I need not enlarge, because it is impoffible for any person to look into that book, and question it. I shall, however, mention a few particulars. John the Baptift opened his commiffion with preaching repentance, mentioning alfo the particular duties of feveral claffes of perfons who applied to him. Luke iii. 7. " Then faid he

to