fpirit, the effential foul, the living principle of evil. It is not fo much an act, as a ftate of being; not fo much an occafional complaint, as a tainted conftitution of mind. If it do not always fhow itself in extraordinary exceffes, it has no perfect intermiffion. Even when it is not immediately tempted to break out into overt and specific acts, it is at work within, ftirring up the heart to difaffection against holiness, and infufing a kind of moral difability to whatever is intrinsically good. It infects and depraves all the powers and faculties of the foul; for it operates on the understanding by blinding it to whatever is spiritually good; on the will, by making it averfe from God; on the affections, by disordering and fenfualizing them; so that one may almost say to those who are under the fupreme dominion of this fpirit, what was faid to the hosts of Jofhua, "Ye cannot ferve the Lord."

t

This worldlinefs of mind is not at all commonly understood, and for the

follow

following reafon :-People suppose that in this world our chief business is with the things of this world, and that to conduct the business of this world well, that is, conformably to moral principles, is the chief fubftance of moral and true goodnefs. Religion, if introduced at all into the system, only makes its occafional and, if I may fo fpeak, its holiday appearance. To bring religion into every thing, is thought incompatible with the due attention to the things of this life. And fo it would, if by religion were meant talking about religion. The phrase, therefore, is: "One cannot always be praying; we "muft mind our business and social duties "as well as our devotion." Worldly business being thus fubjected to worldly, though in fome degree moral, maxims, the mind during the conduct of business grows worldly; and a continually increafing worldly fpirit dims the fight and relaxes the moral principle on which the

affairs of the world are conducted, as well as indifpofes the mind for all the exercifes of devotion.

But this temper, as far as relates to bufinefs, affumes the femblance of goodnefs; fo that thofe who have not right views are apt to mistake the carrying on the affairs of life on a tolerably moral principle, for religion. They do not fee that the evil lies not in their fo carrying on bufinefs, but in their not carrying on the things of this life in fubferviency to thofe of eternity; in their not carrying them on with the unintermitting idea of refponfibility. The evil does not lie in their not being always on their knees, but in their not bringing their religion from the closet into the world: in their not bringing the spirit of the Sunday's devotions into the tranfactions of the week: in not transforming their religion from a dry, and fpeculative, and inoperative fyftem, into a lively, and influential, and unceafing principle of action.

Though

Though there are, bleffed be God! in the most exalted ftations, women who adorn their Christian profeffion by a confiftent conduct; yet are there not others who are labouring hard to unite the irreconcileable interefts of earth and heaven? who, while they will not relinquifh one jot of all this world has to bestow, yet by no means renounce their hopes of a better? who do not think it unreasonable that their indulging in the fulleft poffeffion of prefent pleasure should interfere with the most certain reverfion of future glory? who, after living in the most unbounded gratification of ease, vanity, and luxury, fancy that heaven must be attached of courfe to a life of which Christianity is the outward profeffion, and which has not been stained by any flagrant or dishonourable act of guilt?

Are there not many who, while they entertain a respect for religion, (for I addrefs not the unbelieving or the licentious,)

tious,) while they believe its truths, obferve its forms, and would be shocked not to be thought religious, are yet immersed in this life of difqualifying worldlinefs? who, though they make a confcience of going to the public worship once on a Sunday, and are scrupulously obfervant of the other rites of the Church, yet hesitate not to give up all the rest of their time to the very fame pursuits and pleasures which occupy the hearts and lives of thofe loofer characters whofe enjoyment is not obftructed by any dread of a future account? and who are acting on the wife principle of "the children of "this generation" in making the most of the present world from the conviction that there is no other to be expected?

It must be owned, indeed, that faith in unfeen things is at times fadly weak and defective even in the truly pious; and that it is fo, is the fubject of their grief and humiliation. O! how does the real Chriftian take fhame in the coldnefs of