thoughts of any further purchase or addition to the heap, and resolved now to enjoy himself, and live merrily with his plenty: "Soul, take thy ease, eat, drink, and be merry;" cast away all care and fears of poverty and future misery; for thou art now secure from want, and all the meagre train of hardships that attend it. O my soul! how happy did this man's neighbours and poor tenants account him! What respect and reverence did they pay him! How they cringed to the golden calf, and flattered and praised the conduct of his affairs! He is an honest man, pays all their due, has managed all to the best advantage, with a great deal of care and prudence. Alas! all this could not excuse him in the sight of that

God, who judgeth not as man judgeth. His being honest would not save him, or make amends for placing his happiness in his wealth; that one fatal error of valuing himself for his riches, and encumbering himself with them, plunged him into endless miseries, and deprived him of those treasures in heaven, which few rich men seek after. His heart was fixed and settled upon the world, his security was in his estate, and not in his God; and so quite forgetting that he was but a steward, he began to call his master's goods his own, and to lay out those silver talents on himself, which were given him to traffic with in deeds of charity: 66 Thou hast goods," &c. The man little thought that he must give an account

of what he had, and so, (like other rich men) fell to purchasing and setting up for himself. Now, in the midst of this, his Master called him hence: There came a terrible voice, that startled the secure wretch, and quite dashed his jollity beyond the help of his friends and admirers, and above the reach of all his wealth: "Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee; then whose shall these things be?"

How miserable, O God, was this slave to riches and worldly glory! Fool he was indeed, to be thus busy in providing for himself in this world, till he was called out of it, and summoned unexpectedly to the other; to be all his life-time contriving how to find the way to eternal misery. But

insult not over him, O my soul! nor over those rich brethren with whom I daily converse in the world; but though thou mayest despise their wealth, commiserate their condition, and shed, if possible, tears of blood, in pity, to think of the misery they are hastening to Be earnest at the throne of mercy for their repentance, that they may learn at length to put a less value upon what they have so eagerly pursued; that they may not, with this miserable soul, be at last despised, and sent to the place of the unprofitable servant, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Now, these are the men of prudence and caution! these are they whom the world calls great and wise! Short-sighted foolish world! for the

sake of useless bags of money here, to forfeit the enjoyment of God and a kingdom of glories without end; and not only so, but gravely and deliberately to walk into everlasting flames! Is that prudence? Is that policy? Look down, ye worldlings, into the gulph of horror, and there see thousands of souls, who here lived in splendour and greatness, now condemned to eternal want, and in vain exclaiming against their own folly, in spending that time about business here, which was given them to work out their salvation in. Let the thoughts of this, O my soul! ever keep thee from the pursuit of riches, and make thee fearful of thy condition, if thou shouldest ever abound in what the world calls wealth; lest,