This vice, however odious in other men, is doubly fo in those who minifter in holy things. Let fuch know, their Master, whose ambassadors they profess to be, is a jealous God; and if grace prevent not, will vifit that iniquity upon them, and rank such Thepherds at laft among the goatso

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What noise is this? I am all in a furprife! a great concourse of people run this way from yonder village, screaming and making a clamorous noife, and one a little before the rest entirely naked.

I am all in a confternation! whether to stand or run, I am equally uncertain.---The crowd approaches rapidly. Ah! now I perceive the meaning of all this phenomepon: it is a madman who hath broken from his cell, and is running directly towards the river. The screams which I hear are from the crowd, who is alarmed for his safety...

Now they seize him, and are bearing him back to his gloomy abode. Poor man! his cafe is very deplorable. How thankful ought all to be for nature's best gift, reason, and the use thereof!

But what was I meditating on at the time of this alarm? It was drunkenness: And what else is a drunk man but a madman? made so, not by a finless infirmity, but by his own inclination.

Unaccountable depravity this indeed! that man who was created after the image of God, endowed with reason in all its purity, should take pleasure in depriving himfelf of that little remains of it which the fall hath left, and making himself mad with his own hand!!

• Did I pity the poor man that is just now carried back to his cell? this man's cafe is much more deplorable: A drunkard is not only the grief of his family, the bane of fociety, the devil's drudge, and a deftruction to himself; but the open enemy of God; and one, if grace prevent not, who will be made to drink of the cup of God's indignation at last, Pfal. lxxv. 8. Rev. xiv. 10.

If the drunkards in Joel's time were called to awake, weep and howl, because of the new wine's being cut off from their mouths,

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Joel i. 5. much more reason have they to awake, and weep, and howl when they hear from the word of inspiration, which is irrevocable, and more firm than the basis of heaven and earth, that drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven, 1 Cor. vi. 10.

This angler, who a little ago, alarmed as well as myself, had left his amusement, is now returned to pursue his sport, but in a different manner; having taken off the bait, he fishes with a light coloured gaudy fly.

With a hook of this kind, even pride, the devil fished in paradife, whereby he caught our first parents, by holding out first to our mother Eve the great endowments, all comprehenfive knowledge and excellence to which she would attain by eating of the forbidden fruit. She, belie ving the ferpent, ambitious to be thus ennobled, fwallowed the hook by eating the prohibited fruit, and thereby was not only caught herself, but also afssisted Satan in catching her husband, by which an estate

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of fin and mifery was entailed upon them and all their pofterity.

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And with this hook of pride, the old ferpent hath been constantly fishing ever fince in the stream of human life, whereby many in all ages have been caught and dedestroyed.

Pride is the most hateful fin, and may be justly called the mother, or fountain of all fin. It was that which cast the devil out of heaven, and the once perfectly happy pair out of paradise. It was that which deluged the old world, and overthrew the cities of the plain : opened the earth, and kindled the flame which fwallowed and destroyed Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and all their company; made Ahithophel strangle himself; reared the lofty gallows for Haman; and drove Nebuchadnezzar from the society of men to graze with the beasts of the field: nay, pride is the foundation and cause of all the hatred, strifes and wars, whether personal or domestic, civil or foreign, that ever have been, are, or shall be in the world.

Yet how furprising is it, that mankind should caress that in their bosoms which is so hateful to God, and destructive to themselves! Some will fay, and I have often been not a little shocked to hear it, that people are the better of a little pride. Awful depravity! horrid ignorance! and gross stupidity this certainly is! but it often ariseth from a mistake of confounding pride with prudence: prudence is certainly a cardinal virtue approved of God, and highly commendable in all; but pride, cursed pride! for I can call it no less, being that primary fin which entailed the curse upon men and devils, is a moral evil, truly hateful to God, and utterly deteftable in all; the very least degree of it partaketh of the nature of the whole.

And shall I harbour that in my bosom which turned angels out of heaven, man out of paradife, and hath thrown the whole world into confufion? Forbid it, O God, and clothe me with its opposite, humility.

But what is pride? It is an infolent felfconceit; an unquenchable thirst for preeminence, which always hath for its con