HABITUAL PRAYER RECOMMENDED. 91 and desiring his assistance upon the first solicitation of any vice, which we may do silently, in public as well as in private, in a crowd as well as in our closet, we stop the progress of evil, by introducing another train of thinking; whereas, by delaying our addresses till the stated periods of prayer return, we let the poison work in us, without applying the proper antidote in time. No doubt morning and evening prayers are indispensable duties; and some part of our time ought every day to be dedicated to God, as an acknowledgment that the whole of our time is his gift. But we ought to take care that our formal petitions do not supersede our habitual and constant endeavours. And if we would know the reason why some, who are constant to their devotions, yet are as envious, censorious, fretful, and impatient as others, it is because they use religion merely as an occasional, formal set thing, but never habitually apply it to the common occurrences of life. They put it on like some particular dress, at set times, and on some occasions; and then lay it aside again for the rest of the week. On the other hand, if upon the first motions towards anger, impatience, uncharitableness, or any other sin, they without delay upon the spot, prayed to God, and invoked his aid, this would be, upon every incident, an expedient to expel bad thoughts, before they had gotten full possession of the heart, by bringing others more worthy into their room. We must feel, if we are attentive, the disorders of the mind, as well as the distempers of the body. We must know when any glance of ill-nature, lust, or discontent, comes across our minds; and to turn our thoughts to God, upon that emergent occasion, by a mental prayer, is instantly to withdraw the mind from evil, to retract the bad design, before it has made any advances in our hearts, and to endeavour after the opposite virtue. Whatever methods we take to govern our unruly thoughts, we must employ them, when they first take up arms. For all passion in excess implying the subjection of our reason to that passion, it is preposterous to call in reason to subdue it then; for that is, to call in the weaker to subdue the stronger. We must therefore, before it makes 92 THE SLUGGARD. ON AVOIDING EVIL COMPANY. head, and becomes formidable, recollect such thoughts as these: "How often have my second cooler thoughts disapproved what my first apprehensions of things, upon a sudden provocation, have suggested! When storms arise in my breast, I will wait for the second surer report which my judgment shall bring in-for the still small voice of reason." THE SLUGGARD. "Tis the voice of a sluggard-I heard him complain : You have wak'd me too soon, I must slumber again. As the door on its hinges, so he on his bed Turns his sides and his shoulders and his heavy head; A little more sleep and a little more slumber, Thus he wastes half his days and his hours without number; And, when he gets up, he sits folding his hands, That he took better care for improving his mind : Said I then to my heart, Here's a lesson for me, my breed ing, Who taught me betimes to love working and reading. ON AVOIDING EVIL COMPANY. AVOID evil company. I would say this to persons at every period of life; but I would particularly press it upon such of you as are young. To you it is of THE GLORIOUS MORN. 93 especial importance, both on account of your want of experience, and on account of your being easily drawn away to what is foolish and sinful. If you associate with the wicked, you will gradually become wicked, as they are. You will insensibly adopt their principles, speak their language, and copy their manners, till you have acquired habits of vice and impiety which may finally sink you into ruin. Many, very many cases of this kind have happened in the world; and it is not improbable that, young as you are, some of them have occurred to your own observation. Avoid, then, every companion who shews, by his conversation or his conduct, that he is destitute of the fear of God. Go not in the way of those who are given to swearing, to idleness, to strife, to lying, to Sabbath-breaking, to dishonesty, or to any thing inconsistent with the divine law. Discountenance and reprove their faults, by showing them that, on account of these, they have forfeited your confidence and esteem. And let your associates be selected from among the good; from those who are walking piously, purely, and uprightly, who can give you a wholesome advice, who will set you a good example, who take pleasure" in the commandments and ordinances of the Lord," and will encourage you in the way that conducts to peace and glory. THE GLORIOUS MORN. And see! 'Tis come, the glorious morn! the second birth 94 CHRIST OUR PROPHET. Why unassuming worth in secret liv'd, A PROPHET, in common language, is one who foretells things to come; and, in this respect, Christ was a prophet, for he foretold many important events, such as the treachery of Judas, and the destruction of Jerusalem Put a prophet also signifies one who is appointed of God to make known his will to men, and to instruct them in divine things. Such were the prophets mentioned in the Old Testament; and such was Jesus Christ, who was justly styled the great Prophet that should come into the world. He came into the world to reveal to us all that it is necessary for us to know respecting the character and government of the Supreme Being, the worship and service that we owe to him, the perishing state in which we are by nature and by wicked works, the method by which divine mercy has been pleased to redeem us, the scene of retribution on which we must all enter when we die, and the prepa ration that we are to make for judgment and eternity. He gives us this information by means of his Word, the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments; and by means of his Spirit, the Holy Ghost, by whose inspiration the writers of the Bible were directed, and whose influences are still requisite for enabling us to understand that blessed book, to make it the rule of our APPEARANCES OF NATURE IN MAY. 95 faith, and conduct, and to derive consolation from its declarations and promises. And surely, when we reflect on our natural and total ignorance of spiritual subjects, and especially of the way of salvation, we must feel thankful to our heavenly Father, who sent Jesus Christ to remove that ignorance, and to make us thoroughly acquainted with whatever is requisite for our present and our eternal well-being. Let us show this gratitude to God, and at the same time consult our own safety, by receiving Christ in the character of our Prophet, by diligently searching the Scriptures, in which the scheme of redemption is unfolded, and by praying for the divine Spirit, to render our perusal of the Bible effectual for our regeneration and improvement here, and for our glory and felicity hereafter. APPEARANCES OF NATURE IN MAY The youthful year grows in her fair array, And birds, and flowers, and insects, tell her birth. In the month of May, the earth is covered with the freshest green of the grass and young corn, and adorned with numerous flowers opening on every side. The trees put on their leafy verdure; the hedges are rich in fragrance from the snowy bloom of the hawthorn; and the orchards display their highest beauty in the delicate blush of the apple-blossoms. The leafing of trees is commonly completed in this month. It begins with the aquatic kinds, such as the willow, poplar, and alder, and ends with the oak, beech, and ash. These are sometimes very thin of foilage, even at the close of May. Birds hatch and rear their young principally during this month. The patience and assiduity of the female during the task of sitting upon her eggs, cannot be too much admired; nor should the conjugal affection of the male be forgotten, who sings to his mate, and often re |