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SERM. of violence to compass his low and felfiflt IX. ends, who is rigorous in exacting all he

hath any pretence to demand, who never ftoppeth at throwing the world about him inte confufion, but rather appeareth to take pleasure in disturbing the peace of neighbours and focieties, whether, I fay, this be a more defirable condition, if it rendereth life more eafy and happy, and be a more fair and praise-worthy character; or, on the contrary, undiffembled piety without fuperftition, an inoffenfive temper and behaviour towards all men, a juft, honeft, mild, unprovoking difpofition, and manner of converfing in the world, with candor and fimplicity, not a rigid infifting on every the leaft punctilio of right, but rather departing from them for the good of mankind, for the relief of the diftreffed, and for promoting peace.

I conclude with this general advice, that you will think for yourselves in taking the measures of your moral conduct, and let it be the fubject of your most serious, deliberate, and attentive reflection. Confider whether there doth not appear to your minds really fuch a thing as good and ill, right and wrong, in human characters and actions; a just and equal affection producing virtuous,

virtuous, and the contrary, producing vici- SE RM. ous practices; and whether you ought not IX. to govern your lives by a regard to this difference preferably to all other confiderations? Upon mature inquiry, are you determined to chuse the right and efchew the wrong? It is in this choice that the effence of virtue confifteth; if you conftantly and inviolably cleave to it, you are fafe; otherwife I'm afraid all inftruction is loft upon you. Bring, then, every cafe that is under your deliberation, or prefented to your mind, to this fhort and eafy iffue, without embarraffing yourselves with many perplexing circumstances; fince I muft and will chufe the good, and reject the evil, how doth the prefent point appear in that view? (however it may appear in other respects, and whatever others may think of it) is it fit and becoming me as a reasonable creature and a christian? Then I will do it, otherwise I refuse it. Above all things, accustom yourselves in youth to fuch a manner of behaviour. Thus virtuous habits will become natural to you, attended with a growing pleafure; and being born of God, and having the divine feed remaining in you, you will not commit fin.

SER

SERMON X.

HOW DIVINE WORSHIP is to be acceptably performed.

ECCLES. V. from verfe 1, to 8.

Keep thy foot when thou goeft to the house of God, and be more ready to bear, than to give the facrifice of fools: for they confider not that they do evil. Be not rafb with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be bafty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of bufinefs, and a fool's voice is known by the multitude of words. When thou voweft a vow unto God, defer not to pay it for be bath no pleasure in fools; pay that which thou haft vowed. Better it is that thou shouldeft not vow, than that thou Shouldeft vow, and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to fin, neither fay thou before the angels, that it was an error: wherefore fhould God be angry at

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thy voice, and deftroy the work of thine
hands? For in the multitude of dreams
and many words, there are alfo divers
vanities: but fear thou God.

T

X.

HE principal doctrine of this book SER M. which Solomon the preacher, as he is called, fetteth out with, and endeavoureth largely to prove and to illuftrate, is, that all things under the fun are vanity and vexation of fpirit. The prefent ftate of things was not made for perpetuity, but is always liable to changes; and with relation to man, his chief good deftined for him by his wife and bountiful Creator, and fuited to the constitution of his nature, is not in this world; there is no condition in life which can make him completely happy, can satisfy his large defires, or ascertain to him a lafting, uninterrupted enjoyment: On the contrary, a calm and ferious attention will convince us, that our greatest prosperity is fubject to unhappy reverses, that the bestlaid human projects and fchemes are often disappointed, and in that which promiseth the greatest pleasure we frequently meet with vexation.

Religion, one would think, fhould be exempted from this imputation of vanity, and

fo

SERM. fo it is. For Solomon, as the result of all X. his reasoning, and the proper application of

all he hath said, calleth upon us to hear this conclufion of the whole matter, Fear God, and keep his commandments, for that is the all of man, his whole duty, and his whole intereft, all that God requireth of him, and all that he needeth to make him happy; especially when the fcene fhall be changed, and a new ftate of things introduced by the judgment of God, for every work shall be brought into judgment before him, and every fecret thing, whether it be good or bad. But at the fame time there is a kind of religion, or what is fo called, and which paffeth under that venerable name, which doth not anfwer this end, and inftead of being a prefervative from vanity, or a fupport and confolation to the mind against it, may itself juftly be numbered amongst the vanities of the world. This is the religion my text refers to; the author defcribeth it very plainly, warning us against it, and fhewing its dangerous tendency. The fubject certainly deferveth our most careful attention. Religion is confeffedly of the greatest importance; men lay great ftrefs, and found all their expectation from God upon it; but if it be of the kind meant

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