There was the firft temple on carth; and it is from thence that the most fervent defires are continually exhaled towards heaven. Eve, formed in innocence as well as her husband, partook of the inestimable advantage of bleffing every inftant the Author of their being. The birds united their warblings, and all nature applauded the heavenly concert.

Such was religion, and fuch its worship, till fin came into the world to stain its purity; then innocence fled away, and penitence endeavoured to fupply its place. Adam, banished from an earthly paradife, found no longer any thing but briars and thorns, where he had formerly gathered the fairest flowers, and moft excellent fruits.

The juft Abel offered his own heart as a burnt offering to God; and fealed with his blood the love which he had for truth and juftice. Noah, Lot, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, ferved as guides to one another, in observing the law of nature, as the only religion which at that time was pleafing in the fight of God.

Mofes appeared like a new ftar, feen fhining upon mount Sinai, at the fide of the fun of juftice; and the ten commandments were given him, to be obeyed without any alteration. Thunder was the external fign of this new alliance, and the Jewish people became the depofitory of a law written by wifdom itself.

Notwithstanding the zeal of Mofes and Joshua, and all the leaders of the people of God, the Chriftian religion alone. could produce worshippers in fpirit and in truth. Every thing, which was esteemed holy before that time, already belonged to it; and when it was prefented to the world proceeding from the Incarnate Word, it was established on the ruins of Judaism, like a beloved daughter, (filia dilecta;) and it changed the face of the whole world.

Wicked defires were forbidden, as well as wicked actions; and the pureft and moft fublime virtues fprung from the blood of a multitude of martyrs.

The

The Church fucceeded the fynagogue, and the apoftles, who were its pillars, had fucceffors who were to transmit their office to the end of time. According to that heavenly plan, and this divine economy, the fubftance fucceeded to the fhadow; for, the old law was only the type of Jefus Chrift; and the evidence of it after death, will be the recompence of faith. God will be seen as he is, and the faithful will reft eternally with him.

Behold, in what manner you should fet out in the work of religion. Go to its fource, and fhew its excellence; afcend with it to heaven, from whence it defcended, and whither it will return.

Religion will never be perfectly established, till it has no other principle but charity; for, neither knowledge nor exterior magnificence conftitute its merit, but the love of God alone. It is the bafis of our worship, and if we are not perfuaded of this truth, we are only the images of virtue.

I confider religion as a chain, of which God is the firft link, and which reacheth to eternity. Without this tic, every thing is diffolved and overthrown; men are creatures only deferving of contempt; the univerfe not worth our attention; for it is neither the fun nor the earth that make its merit, but the glory of being a part of the Supreme Being; and, according to the words of the apostle, to fubfift only in Jefus Chrift. "Omnia per ipfum, et in ipfo conftant."

Take care that there be nothing in your work unworthy of the fubject; and when you meet in your way fome famous unbeliever, or celebrated herefiarch, overthrow him with the courage which truth infpires, but without virulence or often

tation.

It is fo agreeable to fupport the caufe of religion, which has united every teftimony of heaven and earth in its favour, that it fhould not be defended but with moderation. Flights of genius have nothing in common with truth. "It is fufficient to fhew religion, fuch as it is, (faid the holy Charles Borromme)

Borromme) to make the neceffity of it be known." Men, who would give up religion, muft either be reduced to eat acorns, or return to their original ftate of violence and war,

I have ftudied religion more than forty-five years, and am always more and more flruck with it. It is too elevated to be of human invention, although the wicked fay it is. Fill your mind with the Spirit of God before you begin to write, that you may not make ufe of vain words. Where the heart is not perfectly confenting with the pen which expreffeth holy truths, it is fuldom that the reader can be affected. Pene, trate their fouls with the fame fpirit which God himfelf brought upon earth, and your book will produce wonderful effects.

What has made The Imitation of Jefus Chrift fo valuable and affecting, is, that the author, (Gerfen, Abbe of Verceil in Italy) has transfufed into it all that holy charity, with which he himself was divinely animated.

Gerfon is commonly confounded with Gerfen: nevertheless it is easy to prove, that neither Gerfon nor Thomas a Kempis were the authors of that matchlefs book; and this gives me infinite pleafure, because I am delighted with the thought of fuch an excellent work being wrote by an Italian. There is an evident proof in the fifth chapter of the fourth book, that it was not a Frenchman who wrote The Imitation. It is there expreffed, that the Prieft, cloathed in his facerdotal habit, carries the crofs of Jefus Chrift before him; now all the world knows, that the chafubles in France differ from thofe in Italy, in this, that they have the crofs upon their backs; but I will not write a differtation, being content to affure you that

Rome, Feb. 6, 1749.

I am, &c.

Chafubles are a kind of copes which the Friefis wear at Mafs.

I

k k k k k k k£££

An Account of a PROVIDENTIAL DELIVERANCE.

[By Mr. B. Marchant.]

Was owner and commander of a veffel which occafionally carried freight, from one part of the island of Antigud to another; and about the month of August 1778, I failed on Sunday morning from St. John's, bound for Belfast. When I left the harbour, commanders were fecuring their veffels in the beft manner they could againft an approaching ftorm, there being every appearance of a hurricane. My motive for leaving the harbour at fuch a time, was, to obtain, if poffible, a more reclufe place for my veflel to anchor in, which I expected to have effected before night; but my veffel being light, and a great fwell coming from the eaflward, fhe did not make that progrefs which I thought he would. Before I proceed further, I muft obferve, that my confcience accufed me very much for having taken in part of my freight on Sunday morning, a thing that I had never done before; as I made it a rule not only to avoid working, but to evade, if poffible, fetting fail on that day. This good rule I infringed, and could not but intimate to my failors, that fomething. would happen to the veel before we attained our port; and I had a great dread on my fpirits the whole day.

Finding it impracticable to obtain my port before it was dark, I consulted my crew what lep we fhould take; whether we should put into Parham-harbour, or proceed for Belfast? The latter was determined on, and the North part of Anfigua being a dangerous navigation, on account of the rocks, we purposed beating without the reef. About nine o'clock at night, ftanding in for the fhore, whilft it blew very hard, and the night was very dark, the moon being quite obfcured; I fufpected from the fwell, that we were on broken ground, and called to the feaman who was looking out, telling him

I though:

I thought it time to put about; but he affured me that we were not near the reef, and that we might fafely continue our courfe. A few minutes had only elapfed, when a fea appeared to windward of the veffel, which threatened inevitable deftruction. I was at the helm myfelf, and made the beft preparation I could to receive it. I put down the helm, and brought the veffel upon an even keel, at the same time crying, "Lord have mercy on our fouls, for this fea will overfet us." It proved as I faid, and ftruck the veffel with fuch violence, that it laid her upon her beam ends. I then put the helm up, hauled down my mainfail, and endeavoured to wear her with the jib fheet to windward; but before this could be effected, another fea ftruck her and dafhed her on the rocks. The firft lofs that I fuftained was my rudder, and the vessel was then left in an ungovernable flate. In this fituation we lay for fome hours, the fea beating over us, and it was with great difficulty we could keep ourfelves on board.

My failors fell into defpair, as I had left the boat in the harbour; and admitting I had not, it would have been the greatest imprudence to have attempted to fave ourselves in a boat amongst rocks, in a dark night, and the fea running mountains high. In this fituation, the many deliverances I had before experienced by faith in God, occurred to me. I then lifted up my heart to Him, who is near at hand and faithful to his promifes, and immediately received an unfhaken affurance of a deliverance; although there was not the leaft fhadow of a probability of one life being faved. I called my people and affured them, that if they would continue in the veffel, the Lord would deliver us. I advised them to hold faft with one hand, and do the beft with the other, as I fhould direct them. It being so very dark, it was impoffible for me to difcover on what part of the reef we lay; or whether a channel, called Bird-Ifland, was to windward or leeward of us.

In this fituation we lay for fome hours, dalhed by the waves from one rock to another. I faid to the failors that a

few