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And though they may differ from one another in glory, as one star differeth from another in brightness, yet there shall be no envying of one another's happiness: all shall be satisfied, all shall join in the praises of God. And as nothing shall be wanting to complete the happiness of the saints, the pleasure which they shall receive from meeting with kindred spirits, and those who were near and dear to them on earth, will add greatly to their felicity. If Diagoras of Rhodes, when he beheld his three sons crowned in one day, as victors at the Olympic games, died for joy in their embraces; if venerable Simeon, when he beheld the child Jesus, cried out, "Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace, because my eyes have seen thy salvation:"* what ineffable joy must the saints experience, when they shall behold their beloved friends and relatives, and those to whom they had been instrumental in bringing them to Christ, all crowned in one day with a diadem of glory, which shall never tarnish or decay, and with whom they shall reign in bliss through eternal ages!

Lastly, what crowns all that has been said of the future happiness of the saints, is its eternal duration: "For the mountains shall be moved, and the hills shall tremble; but my mercy shall not depart from thee, and the covenant of my peace shall not be moved, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee."+ To constitute a perfect state of happiness, two conditions are requisite, namely, that it be immutable, and that it be interminable; that it can neither admit of a change nor of an end, which is the case with the saints in the world to come: and, as the happiness of beaven shall be everlasting in its duration, so shall it be infinite in its degree. Accumulated + Isaiah liv. 10.

* Luke ii, 29, 30.

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years, and ages heaped upon ages, shall not diminish its length. So long as the Deity remains immutable, so long shall the saints enjoy that glorious inheritance which is incorruptible and eternal.

Seeing, my brethren, that such a glorious and perfect state is reserved for the saints in the world to come, seeing that we are candidates for a celestial crown, let us not degrade our dignity by wallowing in the mire of sin and sensuality. Shall Christ prepare an incorruptible inheritance for your perpetual residence, and will you refuse to love him, and to accept of his gracious offers ? Shall the world engross all your attention and occupy all your time? Is heaven, is eternal glory, is endless felicity not worth seeking after? Alas! this would appear to be the opinion of most men, if we were to judge by their actions. How dreadfully has the God of this world blinded their eyes, and perverted their judgment! But Christians, I have now, as well as on former occasions, endeavoured, though feebly, to set before you the manifold advantages of a holy and virtuous life, that you may be happy in this world, and finally blessed in the world to come. You all undoubtedly wish to die the death of the righteous if you really desire his end, you must use the proper means, and take the way that leads to it, by leading a good life. You must become the servants of God, if you ever expect that your end shall be everlasting life. If you would enjoy the inheritance prepared for the saints, you must "walk whilst you have the light."* Think seriously on what has been said, and, as you know the things that belong to your peace, may the Almighty grant you grace to perform them. Amen, Amen.

*John xii. 35.

SERMON XVII.

THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT.

On the Duty and Interest of true Christians to avoid the slightest Sins.

Let no man deceive you with vain words; for because of these things cometh the anger of God upon the children of unbelief. Ephes. v. 6.

THERE are many persons whose hearts would recoil at the very thought of committing any great and enormous crime, who nevertheless commit what may be called smaller sins without much reluctance, when advised thereto, or seduced by vain words of others. Great offences against God and his laws they dread, but small sins they look upon as venial, not considering that one sin leads to another; that little sins are productive of greater; and by degrees harden the sinner in his iniquity, till he comes to commit all manner of vice without shame or remorse, nay with pleasure and satisfaction. Dangerous indeed are the first beginnings of evil; for the very smallest sin contains in it the seeds of a thousand others, which, if cherished, instead of being destroyed, will produce a crop most astonishingly luxuriant.

The best time to kill sin is at its first appearance; but, if suffered to gather strength, there will be great difficulties in subduing it. A Christian should not only avoid being guilty of crimes, but he should be as much as possible free from the smallest imputation of guilt. For this reason the apostle, in the words of my text, exhorts the Ephesians to be on their guard, lest they should be seduced into the slightest sin by vain words. The greatest evils that can befal mankind are sin and death: the one separates us from our God, our great, chief, and only good; the other separates us from our dearest friends, and bereaves us of our sweetest earthly enjoyments: but of these two evils sin is the greatest, and the most dreadful. This was the opinion of Saint John Chrysostom, who, when he was told what terrible threatenings the Empress Eudoxia had denounced against him, coolly replied, "There is one only thing in the world that I fear, and that is, to offend God." This sentiment of the venerable father ought certainly to be ours also. We cannot possibly place sin in too bad a point of view, nor form ideas of it more horrible than it really deserves. It is the cause of all our present misery, and will, if indulged and continued in, make us truly miserable through eternity. In further discoursing on this very necessary subject, I shall endeavour first to shew that it is the duty, as well as the interest of every true Christian, to avoid all iniquity, to shun sin of every kind, even that which appears to be the slightest and the smallest. Secondly, I shall shew the unhappiness of a sinful life, which, if properly attended to, may be the means, under God, of preventing you from falling into great sins, and of shunning as much as possible the commission of all others. And may the Spirit of the Lord accompany his

word with his Almighty power; may he send it home to your hearts so effectually, as to cause you to hate sin in every shape, to avoid it as your most deadly enemy, and to abstain from all appearance of evil!

Far from agreeing with the sentiments of the stoics, that all sins are equal, the Catholic Church maintains that some sins in themselves, by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others. Some sins are habitual, others rarely committed: some are done in the violence of heat of passion, without allowing reason and reflection time to interpose: others more deliberately, after having time to reflect, and weigh the reason which ought to deter us from them those are certainly greater than the sins which are committed through the violence of passion. So, likewise, constant and habitual sins are more heinous than sins committed but once in the whole life. It is also indisputable,

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that the smaller the motives and the weaker the incitements to sin, the more guilty and criminal we are in committing it. There are some sins distinguished in scripture by the epithet of crying` sins: such are the sins of those who shed innocent blood; who oppress the poor; who enrich themselves by rapine and injustice; who fraudulently keep back the wages of the labourer and the hireling. But, whether they are small or great, slight, or crying sins, it is most assuredly our duty and interest to avoid them all; for, although they may appear trifling in our eyes, they are not so in the eyes of the God of perfect purity and sanctity, into whose presence nothing defiled can enter. There is no sin whatever which can properly be called a small sin, seeing it is committed against an infinitely glorious and divine Being, and is an impious violation of the

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