about four in the afternoon, upon a well known reef, not far from Weymouth; on which she lay beating for several hours, while every effort was made, but in vain, to get her off. Till eight at night she continued making more water than all the pumps could clear, aided by every other exertion, and the united endeavours of 400 people, whose situation, as the night advanced, became every moment more dreadful and alarming. Signal guns of distress were fired for assistance, in the hope of getting boats to save the crew, passengers, King's and Company's troops. At ten, while all were anxiously looking towards the shore, it was found the water had reached the top deck, and no expectation remained of saving the ship. In this afflictive moment of horror and despair, she suddenly swung off the shoal into deep water; and the chief mate observing her going down, called aloud to the captain, a man remarkable for temper and fortitude, that it was impossible to save her. He instantly replied, it cannot be helped: God's will be done. In a few moments she was buried in the remorseless waves, which swept into eternity 263 human beings, who had scarcely time to call for mercy. The highest part of the hull was 30 feet under water; and of 130 saved out of 402, nearly the whole got upon the topmast rigging, and were taken up by boats from the land.

Alas, who can tell what a day may bring forth. Surely those who were saved, might with propriety adopt the text we have chosen, and say, "If the Lord had not been on their side, the waters had overwhelmed us, and the stream had gone over our soul.

February 2.

JOB XXXVii. 6. He saith to the snow be thou on the earth.

ELIZABETH WOODCOCK, an inhabitant of the village of Impington, near Cambridge, preserved, 1799. She was returning home from Cambridge market, lost her way through the inclemency of the weather, and being overwhelmed in a snow drift, continued in that deplorable situation nearly eight days and nights; but was at last discovered alive, and survived her confinement several months. Snow is not only beautiful in its effects. It se

tures the corn, plants, and trees from the cold, and by the saltpetre it contains, contributes to swell the seeds. Let us in the contemplation of it, be reminded of our duty. The virtuous woman, it is said, is not afraid of the snow, Prov. xxx. 23. She has made provision against it; and is not to be easily deterred from discharging kind offices to others by its descent. Let us, in beholding it, remember who hath said, that "as the snow cometh down from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, so shall his word be."

February 3.

NUMB. XVII. 12. Behold we die, we perish, we all perish.

Fifteen persons were crushed to death, 1794, in at tempting to obtain admission into the Little Theatre in the Haymarket. The cause of the great croud, it seems, was the presence of their Majesties, whom the multitude were very desirous of seeing. This should operate as a warning to others to avoid a croud, which has proved fatal to the lives of many. Places of public pleasure too are not the places where death is to be met with compo sure and peace. Let us learn too the uncertainty of life; little did these persons imagine, when they rose from their beds in the morning, what would be the awful event of the day. How well to prepare for a better state, as we know not to what dangers we are exposed.

February 4.

PSALM CXXX. 4. There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared.

SEVERUS the emperor died, A. D. 211. He was said to be cruel; and as a proof of it, is recorded that he never did an act of humanity or forgave a fault. In contemplating such characters as these, the mind is filled with horror and disgust. Alas, what monsters hath sin made men; and often the greater their prosperity, the more wanton and cruel are they in their conduct. But how pleasant to reflect, that we have to do with one whose

mercy is unspeakable, whose love is as great as his power, and who is ready to forgive all who call upon him. Blessed Lord, may a sense of thy clemency melt our hard hearts into lovely humility and true penitence; that we may serve thee in righteousness and true holiness all our days.

February 5.

ROMANS i. 22. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, CATO destroyed himself, B. C. 45.

"The heathen philosophers," says Dr. Bates, " professing themselves to be wise in their speculations, became fools in practice, and were confounded with all their philosophy when they should have made use of it. Some killed themselves from the apprehension of sufferings. Their death was not the effect of courage, but cowardice, the remedy of their fear. Others, impatient of disappointment in their great designs, refused to live. I will instance in two of the most eminent among them, Cato and Brutus; they were both philosophers of the manly sect; and vir tue never appeared with a brighter lustre among the heathens, than when joined with a stoical resolution. And they were not imperfect proficients, but masters in philosophy. Seneca employs all the ornaments of his eloquence to make Cato's eulogy. He represents him as the consummate exemplar of wisdom; as one that realized the sublime idea of virtue described in their writings. And Brutus was esteemed equal to Cato. Yet these, with all the power of their philosophy, were not able to bear the shocks of adversity. Like raw fencers, one thrust put them into such disorders, that they forgot all their instructions in the place of trial. For, being unsuccessful in their endeavours to restore Rome to its liberty, overcome with discontent and despair, they laid violent hands upon themselves. Cato being prevented in his first attempt, after wards tore open his wounds with fierceness and rage. And Brutus, ready to plunge the sword into his breast, com. plained that virtue was but a vain name. So insufficient are the best precepts of mere natural reason to relieve us in distress. As torrents that are dried up in the heat of summer when there is the most need of them; so all com

forts fail in extremity, that are not derived from the fountain of life.

I will only add how ineffectual philosophy is to support us in a dying hour. The fear of death is so strong, that by it men are kept in bondage all their days. It is an enemy that threatens none whom it doth not strike, and there is none but it threatens. Certainly that spectre which Cæsar had not courage to look in the face, is very affrighting. Alexander himself that so often despised it in the field, when passion that transported him cast a veil over his eyes; yet when he was struck with a mortal disease in Babylon, and had death in his view, his palace was filled with priests and diviners, and no superstition was so sottish, but he used, to preserve himself. And although the philosophers seemed to contemn death, yet the great preparations they made to encounter it, argue a secret fear in their breasts. Many discourses, reasonings, and argu-, ments are employed to sweeten the necessity, that cruel necessity, but they are all ineffectual.

February 6.

The

JAMES V. 5. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth. KING CHARLES II. died at Whitehall, 1685. character and conduct of this monarch form an awful proof of the truth of the above assertion. He had no legitimate offspring, but numerous by his mistress Beo. The nation unhappily followed his example as to licentiousness. Nothing but riot and dissipation took place every where. The court set them the example; nothing but scenes of gallantry and festivity were to be seen; the horrors of the late war were become the subject of ridicule; the formalities of the sectaries was displayed on the stage, and even laughed at from the pulpit. In short, the best mode of religion now was to have as little as possible; and to avoid, not only the supposed hypocrisy of sectaries, but even the common duties of morality. In the midst of this riot and dissipation, the old and faithful followers of the royal family were left unrewarded. Numbers who had fought both for the king and his father, and who had lost their whole fortunes in his service, still continued to pine in want and oblivion; while in the mean time their perse

cutors, who had acquired fortunes during the civil war, were permitted to enjoy them without molestation. The wretched royalists petitioned and murmured in vain, the monarch fled from their expostulations, to scenes of mirth and festivity; and the act of indemnity was generally said to have been an act of forgiveness to the king's enemies, and of oblivion to his friends.

Charles II. will not be forgotten, while the names and works of the 2000 able men who were ejected from their livings by him, can be remembered.

February 7.

JOB xxix. 19. My root was spread out by the waters.

The Rev. JOSEPH CARYL died 1673. He was minister of St. Magnus, London bridge. He was a man of great piety, learning, and modesty. When driven from his living, he gathered a congregation in the neighbourhood. When he died, the church chose Dr. Owen for their pas tor; who was succeeded by Mr. Clarkson, Dr. Chauncey, Dr. Watts (for whom they built a new meeting-house, in Bury Street), Dr. Savage, and now Mr. Beck. Mr. Caryl gives us the following illustration of the above passage.

It is reported that when an ambassador of Spain was brought into the treasury of Venice, and there shewn great quantities of gold, he turned up some of the gold at the bottom, and being asked why he did so, answered, I do it to see whether this golden treasure hath any roet. Implying that his master's treasures had a root, his mines in India, which grew and was renewed every year. Thus Job, in his prosperity, considered himself as a root or tree planted by the waters; so the Christian, in a spiritual sense, is like the tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. The root of the righteous, saith Solomon, yieldeth fruit.

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