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ner of evil against you falsely, for my name's sake; rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in Heaven!" To put a still more extreme case, if it should be our lot to be exposed to death itself, for righteousness sake, let us meet it with readiness rather than part with our integrity; its pangs can be but momentary, and, these once over, we shall shine as the stars in the firmament, for ever and ever. And here it is not out of place to observe, that if a Christian withstand all the trials which he meets with; if he deny himself in all the instances in which his virtue is put to the test, he does every thing which is required of him, and he is not to vex himself with scruples of what might have been his falling off if such and such perils had assailed him; I mention this, because I believe it is not uncommon for devout persons of a melancholy temper, when they read or hear of the terrible tortures which the first martyrs to our religion underwent, and shrink with horror and dismay at the idea of them, it is not, I believe, uncommon for them to harass themselves with apprehensions that, if such trials had fallen to their lot, they should not have had sufficient fortitude to preserve their faith inviolate.

In resisting all the temptations which surround us, in combating our vicious inclinations and subduing our evil passions, there is, even in these days, sufficient employment for the firmest faith; and he who passes through the world blameless now, has no reason to doubt his resolution if he

If, however,

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had fallen on more turbulent times. he thinks that nothing but extraordinary assistance could possibly carry him through such extraordinary trials, he has every reason to suppose that such, if necessary, would be granted: “ for God is faithful, who will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able to bear, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it."

Let us however all be grateful, that we have not been, and are not likely to be, called to such severe and hazardous proofs of our faith; let us not think it much to practise self-denial in small matters, when we are excused from it in matters of so much importance; let us not repine at suffering any losses or afflictions to which our integrity may expose us, when we remember what the noble army of martyrs have endured in the same cause; let us carry them and their pious fortitude in our eye, and though the necessity, through God's favour, of following them in the heroism of their deaths be now no more, we have it yet in our power to imitate them in the purity of their lives; and, if we exert this power according to the best of our abilities, we shall, together with them and the other blessed saints, be removed to that state, where self-denial shall be no more, where, having suffered with Christ on earth, we shall reign with him in Heaven, where our happiness, as is frequently the case here, shall not arise from the suppression, but from the full and complete enjoyment of all that we wish and desire.

SERMON XVIII.
RMON

THE ONE THING NEEDFUL.

ST. LUKE X. 42.

One Thing is needful.

THE great use of true wisdom, is to teach us to set that value upon the different things before us which their real importance demands. The truly wise man considers what will most conduce to his happiness and, when he discovers what it is, steadily pursues it: nor does he suffer any thing to divert him materially from the pursuit.

We are told, in the text, that one thing is needful; the assertion is conceived in short terms, which, when more fully explained, signify-that there is one thing of such infinitely great consequence that all others are, comparatively, of none at all. In this discourse, I shall first endeavour to shew what this one thing is; and, secondly, what are the inducements to attend to it.

What this one thing is, may be discovered by considering by whom, and on what occasion, these words were spoken. The speaker was our Saviour

-the occasion, this :-In his progress about the country, instructing the minds and healing the bodies of men, our Lord arrives at a certain village, and enters the house of two pious sisters, Martha and Mary; the one of these, Martha, entirely employed herself in making preparations for the entertainment of their illustrious guest; while the other, Mary, sat at Jesus' feet, and listened attentively to his instructions. The former, vexed that the whole business of the house fell on her, called out to our Saviour, complaining of her sister's apparent idleness, and requested that he would order her to come and assist: but Jesus answered-" Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things; but one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." The employment, therefore, of Mary, was the one thing needful; and that was-listening to the words of the divine teacher, doubtless with a sincere purpose of following his instructions; she was learning the way of life; or, in other words, she was taking care of her eternal salvation.

This, then, is the one thing needful-the care of our eternal salvation; and, in comparison with this, every thing else is of no importance. In what then does this care of our salvation consist? -what conduct must we observe to attain it?what must we do to be saved?-We must, with Mary, be earnestly attentive to know what our duty is, and when known, we must be resolutely

disposed to practise it. The knowledge of their duty may be easily attained by all men; the Scriptures are open to every one; in them are contained the conditions on which we may claim eternal life; in them all the virtues which we are to cultivate, and all the sins which we are to avoid, are enumerated; the commandments of God are there laid down in so plain and simple a manner, that we cannot mistake them, except by design; we have but sincerely to endeavour, and we shall be sure to understand them.

But here, perhaps, it may be said that, for want of education, these Scriptures are in a degree shut up from not a few among you,-you would be willing to study them, but you have it not in your power; this is certainly a misfortune, but it is not without remedy:-for the instruction of the unlearned in their duty, and for confirming those in it to whom it is already known, one day in every week is dedicated to the service of religion:-as the Sabbath returns, all have an opportunity of assembling together at least once in the day to worship their God, to hear the holy Scriptures read, and to have explained and enforced upon them some Christian grace or moral virtue.

With this advantage, added to what their own conscience tells them of what is right and wrong, none need be ignorant of what it so much concerns them to know; none need ever be in doubt what they ought to do, or what to avoid, in order to the obtaining of the kingdom of Heaven.