Sunday Reading* THE BEGGAR L Y BOY, A PARABLE. 70 W8SCH SI JLDD«», A New History $f a TRUE BOOK DUBLIN* Sold bj WILLIAM WATSON and SON, No. 7, Capd-ttre« Printers ft the Cheap Repejieety ftr Religieut em i Me-ra 'ra&t t And by the Booksellers, Chapmkm, and HawHH ia Town* ?snd Counfxf tit Great AUowaace to Shopkeeper*, Chapmen, tad Hawkery and to thofe who buy to give away. -JVST PUBLISHES, AS9 9*L» B Y WILLIAM WATSON and SON, MO. 7, C APEL-STREET. Frke. The Two Wealthv Farmers, 1 /I Part irf 'Ditto 2d Part - - 1 Ditto, 3d Part,- and a New Song on an old Story 1 'D'-to, 4th Part, and a Poetical Tale - 1 JXuoj $th Part - - i Ditto, 6th Part - - - I Ditto, *Jth Part x Two Snoe-makcrs> ift Part i t'OutO, ad Part ' - - 1 D>uo, 3d Part - — r 1 'Ditto, 4th Part ' - - I Dialogue between James Stock and William Simpfon - - , I Shepherd of Salifbury Plain, iflPart 1 Ditto, '%§ Part ' > • I Hiftory of Tom White the Poftilion, eft part, 1 Ditto* 2d Part 1 Hiftor; of Mary Wood, the Houfe-maid l -Hiiro ry of Charles Jones, the Foot-man l jr^ef earl v Boy - ! 'Good Mother's Legacy - I Hifiory of John Do\le - 1 Two Soldiers - - - - 1 Life of 'Wi'liatn Baker - I The Garrefeer, and the Story of Sinful Sally 1 Path to Riches and Happinefs . - 1 The General RcfiKreclion oh . The Two Sitters - ~ oh . The Bappv Waterman - oh •Hufbandrv Moralized - - oh The Carpen.rer - - oh The Apprentice's Monitor - • oh The Horfe Race - * oh The Dram Shop * ok THE BEGGARLY BOY. A PARABLE NCE on a time a poor beggarly boy^ who ufed to carry matches about the ftreet% was met by a very rich and worthy Gentleman, whoobferving his hollow eyes, his fallow looks, and hi is bent body, as well as the extreme filth- with which he was co- vered, was touched with iuch compaffioti for the lad> that he was difpofed to render him fame effectual Relief; and accord- ingly the gentleman dro^t a hint, that he had d mind to do fomething conquerable for him.. The boy, never expecting any fuch goodnefs as this, and indeed not lift - ening very attentively, did not at firft tin- dqrftand what was faid ; upon which the , gentleman fpoke more plainly to him, j afkiag him whether he had a mind to have * his dirty raes exchanged for a new liVerf" coat and fome clean linen ? u for," faui he, 4 if you have a mind to it I will take you into my fervice; and in that cafe I flaall fit you out afreftx, and I fhail fate A % ( 4 ) @are alfo that your health is looked after, and when you have ferved me faithfully for a few years, whirh you may do very comfortably to yourfelf — I will even fet you up for life." The lad after this could not help underftanding the offer; but he fcem- ed as far as ever from ..accepting it, tor he was now quite unwilling to believe the gentleman ; and he (hewed by his man- ner that he would have been better pleafed to have fold an halfpenny worth of matches in his ufual way, carrying off the half- penny in his h^nd, than to have had all the fine promifes which the beft and rich- eft man in the world could make to him. This kind gent'ernan, however, perfifi- ii*g in his inclination to do the lad a fer~ vice, proceeded next to reafon with him : he advifed him, for his own fake, to liften a little more to what was faid, and then remarked to him how ill he looked, which he boy though very dangeroufly fick, was £*ot fenfible of himfelf * and reprefented lo him the difference between leading the wretched fort of life he did, and getting into a regular and comfortable fervice* Nay, lie went fo tar as even to beg and entr&t hirn, at the fame time oblerving, ihet he had no objeciion to the lad's fat is* lying lamielt that the perfon who addref- d him "Was no cheat or impoftor; and, in proof of it, he told him his name, in- formed him how he might learn all parti- ( 5 ) eulars of his chara&er, &nd gave him a direction to his place of abode. Infho&c, he condefcended to fay every thing that could, in fuch a cafe be fjppofed necef- fary to give a poor boy confidence and encouragement. In the courfe of the con- verfation I fhould have obferved that the gentleman, as a proof of his generofity* thiew down a (hilling, which the lad pick- ed up, wit!i very little gratitude in his countenance, but with no fraali conceit, at his own quicknefs and cleverness in feizing hold of it; after which, he grew as proud as could be of having got pcrfTef- fion of the piece of money, noc confider ing at all that it was a mere prefent, and that he had not given the gentleman a ftn- gle- match for it out of his bafket. I am perfuaded my readers will, by thi? time, be aware that this war, a lad who had a very mean and low mind; other- wife, he would undoubtedly have been overjoyed at fuch an opportunity of get- ting above his prefent bafe condition ; — * befides which, I fhould remark, that h* had been a long time living among a fet of rogues and vagabonds, who being one of them nearly as bad as another, and hav- feldom feen among them any perforts of a different character, had learnt fancy themfelves a very creditable fort of peo- ple, and, when they got together, were juft as proud, in their way, as if they hatf A $ C o ) v •%een the great-eft Lords and Dukes in the *lringdom. At night the lad went home, and flept among thefe old companions, in a vile unwholeiome room, where, though f? vch would affecl now and then to be merry and gay, yet, in facia they were all of them dying by inches, and in thejudg- merft of any rational ^r feeling man, who Blight eondefeei^p to put his head in a rag them, they undoubtedly were alto- her in as forrowful and wretched a plight i s e< n well be imagined. In ota then, with grief and pain do 1 fpc? it, this poor beggarly boy entirely i ' cled the pro Ogkais offer which had J' : c rrvade to him : he returned to his r ex co^panj continued in his petty iivi and dra-vi 'id on the little remainder vi his life in the old way, juit as if no- thing Lad happened. I now pro pole, by means of this ftorya, Ivliich is a mere allegory or parable, to ex- •pofe the conduct of thofe perfons, who are linwilling to comply with the gracious in- vitations of our Saviour, in his Gofpel 5 for He is that kind and willing friend (with reverence be it fpoken) who offers to take us mean and needy creatures into his fervice, and we, if we turn away, and refufe the offer, may be likened to this fooHfli beggarly boy, having nothing bet- ter to plead, as I think I (hall be able to Strew,, thancne or other of thofe very ex- cufes, * * ( 7 / tufes, which, when put in his mouth, hav^ appeared fo abfurd and moiiftrous. Let us fee whether there is notfome ge~' neral likenefs between the two cafes. I wi! begin by fuppohng our Saviour, in his Gofpel, to addref> himfelf to a man who is quite thoughtlefs, and unbelieving.— Now fuch perfons are commonly much more wicked than they imagine, for by following their natural inclinations, and^ taking no thought to their ways, they per- mit a thoufand evil difpofitions to grow upon them; the confeqaence of this is, that when the Gofpel fir ft meets with fuch perfons, it finds them quite covered over 1 with wickednefs, as this boy was with dirt ; though, like him, they are unconfcious of it. It commonly finds them alfo eagerly engaged in fome poor purfuit in this life, as this boy was in felling matches. I -would next o'bferve, that, in general, when the vaft and "unfpeakable o Lrs of the Gofpel are firft' mentioned -in the eais of fuch a perfon as I have been defcnbtng, his mind is fo ill prepared for the fubjedt, and his thoughts are apt to be fo .com- pletely turned another way, that hfe ffco- bably does not underftand, nor even lifteii to what is faid to him ; juft like this boy, when he was firft fpoken to, refufed to * liften to the gentleman, and continued to think of nothing but his common traf* fic* A 4 ( I ) But let u$ next fuppofe the man to have the Gofpel more clearly explained to him : he is now invited to put off his fins, which have been represented by the filth and dirt 9 to enter into the fervice, and put on, as it were the livery of Chrift, as his acknow- ledged fervant, and after fpending the ihort period of his life on earth in a ftate of comfortable and willing obedience t© his Deliverer and Redeemer, he is then told to expect that he will be raifed to Heaven, and that he fhall be made for ever and ever. How aftonifhing is this propofal ! What then is the next diffi- culty ? It is this, that the worldly man will not believe the truth of the promife which is held out to him : like the offer ro this beggarly boy, it feems too good to #bc true, or, rathher, it is too vaft to be conceived by him. " Why fhould this great gentleman trouble himfelf to think >f me, or to do fo much to ferve me," faid the foolilh boy in the fable. " Why fhould the great. God ftoop fo low to me, or think of fending his Son from Heaven to fave^e," fays the fool who difbelieves the Bible ? The boy, therefore, turned again to his old way, notwithftanding the offer he had met with; and the worldly man is for doing the fame, though he has heard of the invitation of the Gofpel ; for he wants faith to truft in God, as the other did to truft the gentleman his benefa&or. gentleman; ib if a man longs to be freed from fin, if he wifhes above all things lo cleanfe his ways, to purify hirnfelf even as God is pure, and to become holy as God is holy, do you think he will not catch at the Gofpel ? undoubtedly he will do lb. Yes, for it will be fuittd in every part of it to the ftate of his mind, and to all his wants and wifhes, and therefore why fhould he not receive it? he will feel his way in* deed, but he will by degrees heartily em- brace every dodtrine of it. This then is the man who will accept God for his fa- ther, Chrift for his Saviour, the Holy Spirit for his SandHfier and Comforter ; the Scriptures will be his Guide ; the World will be no more to him than the place of his pilgrimage ; his fellow Chriftians will be viewed by him as his fellow travellers, and Heaven will be his home, where he hopes to be joined to the Spirits of Juft Men made perfedl, and to dwell in the prefence of his Maker, and of his Saviour, forever. And now, Reader! if thou art one who haft hitherto been a ftranger to religion, and haft gone thy dull and daily round without any thought of the matter, for ^once thou haft been met methinks on thy way like this beggarly boy, by a voice of exhortation. Even in this little tale, the offer of the Gofpel, perhaps rather unex- pectedly, hath been held out to thee, or fome lilnt at leaft may have been given, by .which, if thou wilt attend to it thou fhalt affuredly find in the end that thy whole condii ; on (hall be altered: And yet> perhips like this beggarly boy, thou art new returning for the remainder of this very day . to thy old habits, juft as if thou hadW no: read this ftory. Some bufmefs Calls thee or fome pleafure waits thee, fo farewell to all thought of the Gofpel, for thou nuft be gone. But methinks, as thou departefL thy heart fhould approve ot this be garly boy, fhould admire his w Jom and pv ;ife the turn of his fpirit, for if thou goeft away condemning him* thou condemned thyfelf alfo. — Oh !. no: hit cafe is too bad to be defended ; for he, who in a.wordly fenfe, refufes a good offer ^ is fet down for a fool, by common con- fent of all men. But, ah ! how few will be perfuaded to ufe the fame reafoning In. religion, which they apply to all their Woridly matters! how tew will fee with the fame eyes, and try by the fame rule, their temporal, and their eternal interefts ! fo true is that faying of the fcriptures— u that the children of this world are wifer " in their generation than the children "of light/* NEW HISTORY, &c •nr^HE 'Bible is the Book of God, 1 Which he alone could frame:. A little Child ma) learn to prove. It anfwers to its Name. The gf eat Jehovah h reveals, * So glorious, and fo eood ! So much of God. tW God could tell, No other Being cou'd. The wifeft Men that never faw, I is Book, when they have try'cL The chai ader of God to draw, * His Glories have deny'd. Some made a fpotted Bull their God, Andfome to ferpents pray'd : Idols of Metal, Stone, or Wood, They call'd upon for aid. The Bible (hews ene God alone 'Right Reafon joins in this : Tho' Reafon now in fallen Man, Tie glorious T|iuh nrrg^tmifs. ( 2® ) Firft, beft, and greateft ; Caufe of all j A Charadler complete ! Mow glorious is Jehovah's Name, Where all Perfections meet ! This Book contains hi?* Holy Law, Th* eterna] Rule of Right How happy mull all Creatures bc B Would they herein unite. AH Duty in one word isfumm'd, That one fweet word is a Love." How ftiort, how holy, juft and good I May I this law approve ! " To Him who is fupremely good, Supreme affection's due ; Deal by your Neighbour as you'd have Your Neighbour deal by you. None elfe but God who knows the heart Thisfacred Book eou'd pen^ Which does detedt the inmoft thoughr And fecret Lufts of Men. Mut what avails to know tmr Atl\ Unhjs we know the cure t This is a melancholy Tale, That endlefs woe is Jure, Cm none efcafe the Wrath of Go* ? Are all condemn d to Hell t Who cm but dread that dark abode ? Wk* $m vfith Devils dwell? If he fame blefl: Book reveals the way To life above the Skies ; The very chief of Sinners may Receive fo rich a Prize. Will God revoke his firmdecrte % That he who fins mufi die ? ^And dif annul his law f or me 9 **~ And lay his Anger by ? His Law can never be repeal'd It is too juft ancFgood : Better a thoufand finful worlds Shoul i perifh, than it fhould. But how can Sinners fatisfy ^The Ln& which onee they broke ? Will Penitence far Payment ftand^ And fo keep off t}*e fh