his bags of gold, with the utmost intenseness of desire'. The ambitious man, rather than not mount the ladder of preferment, will, in

his

way to it, wade through a rival's blood. He hesitates not to sacrifice natural feeling and moral justice to his ungovernable appetites. He who idolizes his literary fame, prostitutes his talents to the increase of his own vanity. Too often he poisons the sources of information in society, and produces a moral pestilence among men, which, walking in darkness at first, ere long wastes at noon-day the virtue and happiness of man.

But I forbear enlarging.

Look abroad, throughout the world, and you will find the truth which I have been explaining, confirmed. They who are joined to idols are let alone by God, and become worse and worse in the career of sin. "The father corrects not the rebel"lious son any more, when he determines to

1 At a fire in the island of St. Thomas, some time back, a miser, when the flames reached his habitation, seated himself on his chest, in which was contained his money. The last cries which he was heard to utter, were, "O my dollars!" The bones of his hands were found fastened to the iron handle of his chest, after the fire was extinguished.

"disinherit him. Those that are not dis“turbed in their sins, will be destroyed for "their sin"." They may in the mean time congratulate themselves, that their consciences are at ease: but" their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually her rulers with shame do love, The wind hath bound her up " in her wings, and they shall be ashamed "because of their sacrifices"."

،،

"Give ye.

Be then warned, I beseech you, Brethren, against the sin of loving the creature more than the Creator. Give not way to it in the least it will grow with your growth, and ripen into maturity with inconceivable haste, if it be not nipt in its bud; if you do not struggle against it in earnest on its first discovery. Make God your all, your source of enjoyment and happiness. Sacrifice your idols upon the altar of the cross of the Son of God. Let his love, which was stronger than death, command your love. Divide not your hearts between him and your idols. He will have the whole heart, and he richly deserves it. You can place your affections on none better. Your idols will not prom Henry on the text.

n Hos. iv. 18, 19.

mote your happiness, or protect you from dangers. The things that you supremely love and honour, are vain, and will be found so on trial. Love God with your whole soul, strength, might, and mind. Honour him above every thing else. He is a jealous God, and will have no rival. Receive cordially that testimony which he has given of his Son, and set to your seal that he is true. "Who is wise, and he shall un"derstand these things? prudent, and he "shall know them? for the ways of the Lordare right, and the just shall walk in them ; "but the transgressors shall fall therein".

SERMON VIII.

THE CHARACTER OF LOT.

GENESIS XIII. 10-13.

And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld att the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east; and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward So

dom. But the men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.

THE Scriptures instruct us by examples as well as by precepts. In them nothing is extenuated, or aught set down in malice; but human nature is faithfully and plainly delineated. Hence, whilst they exhibit excellencies of character for our imitation, they also unfold defects, even of good men, for our warning. To contemplate the latter as well as the former with attention, is the more necessary, because, as sinners, we are prone to evil.

On this account, the character of Lot is richly worthy of our examination. An inspired apostle has called him righteous, though his mistakes and sins were many and great. The circumstance recorded in the text, as it gave the complexion to his future fortune, constitutes an important era in his life. From it we learn at once his ruling passion, and the source of all his calamities and misconduct.

Lot was the nephew of Abraham, the illustrious father of the faithful, with whom he