their power, will afford them the satisfaction of rendering the hearts of their friends, if not their own hearts, easy, and will be rewarded by them with attention and kindness.

8. Of what avail to the aged are human considerations, without love to God? The world may neglect them; but their heavenly Father will not forsake them. I would therefore above all things recommend to them the consolations of piety. Life has no dark spot, which the light of Heaven cannot illuminate; there is no sad condition, which the blessed God cannot render joyful; there is no exquisite pain, which the kind Physician cannot alleviate. A merciful Providence has watched over the aged through every stage of their existence. It supported them during the helpless period of infancy; it guided them through the slippery paths of youth; it preserved them from evil in manhood, strengthened their hands, and inspired their hearts with courage and can they fear, that its tenderness and care will now be withdrawn? No: as they approach nearer the throne of God, their confidence in his protection, their submission to his will, their love, their gratitude should increase: their hearts should become more alive to religion; their affections should glow with a more intense flame of devotion.

9. Piety is the first duty of the old; but it cannot be accounted genuine, unless it is accompanied with philanthropy. The good man, as he advances in age, grows more tender and benevolent, more mild, more indulgent, more compassionate to the wretched. His bodily powers may fail, but love still warms his heart; his

senses, his imagination, his memory may be impaired, but he still retains his charity. Such an old man becomes dearer to his friends, the longer he remains with them. Without leaving the earth, he seems already to have learned the manners of heaven. The serenity, the gentleness, the kindness, which he displays, belong to an inhabitant of a better world; and the light of God, which is reflected from his face, proves that he has commenced his celestial career; and that he will soon be crowned with glory, and honor, and immortality.

10. Such a good man is not afraid to think of death. As he approaches the end of life, he cannot forbear to cast his eyes frequently on the tomb; but the prospect does not alarm him, and render him sorrowful. He is travelling to a world of unbounded bliss; but he perceives, and is willing to acknowledge, that the country, through which he is passing, is pleasant; that God has scattered flowers in its paths; that it affords comforts, and even pleasures; that many of his fellow travellers are worthy of his love; in a word, that the present world was framed by divine wisdom, and is continually blessed by divine goodness. He views death therefore as a change of scene; not as a relief from evil, for he is happy here; but as a translation from a state of transitory good to a state of exquisite and never-ending felicity.

These are the considerations, which I would suggest to the aged. But I cannot conclude the discourse, without reminding the young, that they have their duties; and that one of the most important is, to pay homage to gray hairs. We may judge in some measure of the

state of morals in any country from the manner, in which age is treated by youth. Where they, who are advanced in life, receive affection and respect, there decency is found, purity is not unknown, and the passions and appetites are under some restraint. The time was, when the old kept themselves at too awful a distance from the young; but this reserve was productive of two evils: it rendered fathers less cheerful, and sons more licentious; for as soon as they were out of the reach of the stern eye of authority, they gave a greater loose to their words and deeds. That state of society is the most happy, and probably the most virtuous, in which the different ages freely and frequently mix together; and as this state of society is our own, I would hope that we do not yet deserve the character of a very corrupt people. Approach then, my young friends, the old; and while your gayety brings a smile on their countenance, let their gravity temper your mirth. The pious and virtuous old man is worthy of your love and reverence; he is an object, which you can contemplate with admiration and delight; for age has the same effect on a devout and benevolent heart, which time has on a beautiful painting: it softens every color, and mellows every tint.

4th S. in Advent.

SERMON V.

ALMS.

MARK XIV. 7.

YE HAVE THE POOR WITH YOU ALWAYS, AND WHENSOEVER YE WILL YE MAY DO THEM GOOD; BUT ME YE HAVE NOT ALWAYS.

You devote, Christians, a day in the last week of the year to a sacred festival; and you regard it as one of the most important in the religious calendar. The design is to commemorate the birth of the Saviour of mankind, to exult at the glad tidings which he has brought from heaven, and to recall to remembrance the many blessings which the gospel has conferred on the world. By celebrating the festival at this particular season, and by ornamenting your churches, and singing hymns of praise, you close the year with pious cheerfulness; and thanksgivingand joy ascend with the voice of melody to the throne of God. An essential part of the festival is the alms, which, on this day, you are accustomed to bestow. This act, which produces useful effects, renders your devotion acceptable in the sight of the Most High, and is an indispensable proof of gratitude and affection to your benevolent Redeemer. As it respects the objects of your beneficent care, the festival is opportunely placed

at the end of the year; for as at this season the earth is usually bound with the chains of frost, they require peculiar assistance. Such being one of the principal designs of observing the nativity of our Lord, no subject appears to me more proper for the occasion than charity; and I trust you will not charge me with forgetting the object of the institution, when I plead before you in behalf of the poor.

That charity to the indigent is a duty of the gospel, will be allowed by all who are conversant with its pages. The Author of our religion may be styled emphatically the poor man's friend. He was well qualified to be so by his situation in life, because he was himself poor. When he was on earth, he not only bore the griefs of the sorrowful, but also the poverty of the indigent; and in all the afflictions, which are usually laid on the wretched, he had a large share. Hence he became a merciful Redeemer, who is touched with the feeling of human infirmities, being tried in all respects as other men are. His family descended from the line of ancient Jewish kings; but at the time of his birth, it had sunk into such indigence, that his mother could not obtain lodgings in the inn of Bethlehem, which was crowded with guests, who were less poor than herself: he was therefore laid in a manger. At her purification she offered doves, the sacrifice of the indigent, not being able to present a lamb. During the greatest part of his life Jesus wrought at a laborious employment; and when he entered on his public ministry, he says of himself, that the foxes and the birds of the air had places of refuge, but that he was destitute of a home in which he could lay his head. So needy was he, that he was compelled to work a miracle