GIFT OF 
 
 :R. ROBERT I . IKE
 
 
 
 
 ELEVEN rfkLLU! 1 ^ 
 
 SERMON S, 
 
 or TIIL 
 
 Rev, JAMES SAURIK^y 
 
 ; VARIOUS IMPORTANT SUBJECTS 
 
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 CONCORD: 
 
 
 .TED BY GEORGE 
 
 HOUGH, 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 3X 
 9^55 PREFACE. 
 
 THE Reverend James Saurik, 
 the author of the enfuing difcourfes, 
 was bom at Nifmes, a noted city of 
 France, in 1677. Kis father was a 
 lawyer, eminent for his learning and 
 eloquence, of the proteftant profei- 
 fion, who, upon the revocation of the 
 edict of Nantz, retired to Gen 
 where he ended his days. James re- 
 moved with him, and was educated 
 under fome of the moft learned 
 pious profeffors of the age. 
 
 Having completed his fcudies, in 
 1700 he vifited England, where he 
 refuted nearly five years, and was re- 
 markably acceptable as a preacher 
 among his fellow exiles in the city 
 of London. 
 
 " His ftyle," fays the tranflator of 
 liis fermons, the Reverend Robert. 
 Robin/on, " was pure, unaffected, and 
 eloquent, fometimes plam, fometimes 
 flowery ; but never improper, as it 
 was always adapted to the audience 
 for whofe lake he fpoke." 
 
 In 
 
 
 &i&a
 
 iv PREFACE. 
 
 In 1705, a chaplainfhip to fome 
 of the nobility at the Hague was of- 
 fered him, which he accepted. Here 
 he continued till his death. He was 
 conftantly attended by a very crowd- 
 ed and brilliant affembly. He was 
 heard with the utmoft attention, and 
 his minifterial labors were abundant- 
 ly bleffed by the great Head of the 
 church. 
 
 He departed this life, for a better, 
 on the 30th of December, 1730, at 
 the age of 52, fincerely and univerfal- 
 \y regretted by the people of his 
 charge, and by ail, who had the hap- 
 pinefs of an acquaintance. with him* 
 
 Mr. Saurin's printed fermons are 
 
 eomprifed in twelve volumes. From 
 
 , which have been tranflated, 
 
 :tion has' been carefully made 
 
 k gentleman of leifure, judgment, 
 
 and tafte. 
 
 To thofe, who have not had op- 
 portunity for perufing the fermons 
 of this celebrated divine, the follow- 
 ecommendation may not be un- 
 acceptable, 
 
 Approbai..
 
 PREFACE. v 
 
 llooh Church at 
 
 Dorty employed by the Synod of 
 
 Utrecht y to examine the fermons of 
 
 Mr. Saurin. 
 
 " WE have found nothing in all 
 thefe fermons,contrary to the doctrine 
 received among us. We have re- 
 marked every where, a manly elo- 
 quence ; a clofe reafoning ; an im- 
 agination, lively and proper, to eftab- 
 iifh the Truth of our holy religion ; 
 and to explain, 'fubftantially and ele- 
 gantly, the doctrines of morality. Ac- 
 cordingly, we believe they will effec- 
 tually contribute to edify the Church, 
 and to render more and more refpect- 
 able the memory of this worthy fer- 
 vant of God ; whofe death, the ex- 
 amination of his works, hath given 
 us a frefh occafion to lament. We 
 atteft this to the venerable Synod at 
 Utrecht. In the fame fentiments, we 
 fend the prefent atteftation to our dear 
 brother, Mr. Dumont, parlor andpro- 
 feffor at Rotterdam, whom the late 
 
 Mr.
 
 vi PREFACE. 
 
 Mr. Saurin appointed, by his will, to 
 take the charge of .publiftiing fuch of 
 his works as were fit for the prefs. 
 
 Done at the ConJiJIory of the Wal- 
 loon Churchy at Dor t, May ioih y 
 .173 1, and figned by order of 
 ally by 
 
 H. G. Gerton, Pa/lor. 
 
 S. Comperat, Pa/lor. 
 
 Adrian Bruets Jacobz, Elder, 
 
 John Backris, Elder, 
 
 John Van Breda, Deacon. 
 "Simon Taay Van Campen, Z)&zf."
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 The Omnipr fence of God. 
 
 Psalm cxxxix. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. 
 
 Page 17 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 The Manner of praifing God, 
 Psalm xxxiii. 1. 
 
 Page 47 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 The Sovereignty of Jefus Chr'tft in the 
 
 Church. 
 
 Romans xiv. 7, 8. 
 
 Page ...... 69 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 The Equality of Mankind. 
 
 PaovEKBs xxii. 2. 
 
 Page .' 95 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 The Worth of the Soul. 
 Matthew xvi, 26. 
 
 Page 119
 
 viii CO NT EN 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 The Birth of Jefes Cbrift. 
 
 Isaiah tx. 6, 7. 
 
 Page 144 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 The Refurreclion of Jefus Cbrifi. 
 
 PSALM CXviii. 15, 16. 
 
 Page 170 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 The Abfurdiiy of Libertinifm and 
 
 Infidelity. 
 Psalm xciv. 7, 8, 9, 10. 
 
 Page 197 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 The Harmony of Religion and Civil 
 
 Polity. 
 
 PaovKBS xiv. 34. 
 
 Page 222 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 Cbriftian Heroifm. 
 Proverbs xvi. 32. 
 
 Page ...... 254 
 
 SERMON XL 
 
 General Mijlakes^ 
 
 PiU^IA^S TL'.i, 2. 
 
 Page ...... 2/o
 
 LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 Ref. JAMES SAURIK 
 
 M. 
 
 R. SAURIN, the father of our au- 
 thor, was an eminent proteftant lawyer at Nifmes, 
 -who, after the repeal of the edic\ of Nants, 
 1685, retired to Geneva. He was conndered at 
 Geneva as the oracle of the French language, the 
 nature and beauty of which he thoroughly under- 
 flood. He had four fons, whom he trained up in 
 learning, and who were all fo remarkably eloquent, 
 that eloquence was faid to be hereditary in the 
 family. The Reverend Lewis Saurin, one of the 
 fons, was afterwards paftor of a French church 
 in London. Saurin, the father, died at Geneva. 
 James, the author of the following fermons, was 
 born at Nifmes, in 1677, and went with his fa- 
 ther into exile, to Geneva, where he profited very 
 much in learning. 
 
 In the feventeenth year of his age, 1694, Sau- 
 rin quitted his ftudies to go into the army, and 
 made a campaign as a cadet in lord Galloway's 
 company. The next year, 1695, his captain 
 gave him a pair of colours in his regiment, which 
 then ferved in Piedmont ; but the year after, 
 1696, the duke of Savoy, under whom Saurin 
 ferved, having made his peace with France, Sau- 
 rin quitted the profeflion of arms, for which he 
 was never defigned, and returned to Geneva to 
 ftudy. 
 
 Geneva was, at that time, the refidence of fome 
 
 of the beft fcholars in Europe, who were in the 
 
 higheft eftimation in the republic of letters. Pic- 
 
 tet, Lewis Tronchin, and Philip Meftrezat, were 
 
 B profcfTors
 
 io Life of 
 
 profeffors of divinity there ; Alphonfo Turrettn 
 was profeffor of facred hiftory ; and Chouet, who 
 wns afterwards taken from his profefiorfhip, and 
 admitted into the government of the republic, 
 was profefTur of natural philofophy. The other 
 departments were filled with men, equally etai~ 
 ;ient in their feveral profefiions. Some of them 
 were natives of Geneva, others were exiles from 
 Italy and France, feveral were of noble families, 
 rrd all of them were men of eminent piety. 
 Under thefe great mafrers, Saurin became a fiu- 
 tlent, and particularly nnplied himfelf to divinity, 
 ns he now began to think of devoting himfelf to 
 the miniftry, 1,G96. To dedicate one's felf to 
 the miniRry in a wealthy, flounfhing church, 
 where rich benefices are every day becoming va- 
 cant, Teqnires very little virtue, and fometimes 
 only a Rron~ propenfity to vice ; but to choofe 
 to bs a miniRer in fuch a poor, hanrfhed, perfe- 
 cuted church as that of the French proteltantr, 
 argues a noble contempt of the world, and a fu- 
 preme love to God and to the fouls ; of men. 
 Thefe are the beft teRimonials, ho\yever, of a 
 young miniRer, whofe profefiion is, not to enrich, 
 but to save himself, and them -who hear him. 
 I Tim. iv. 16. 
 
 After Mr. Saurin had fmiflied his-Rudies, 1700, 
 he vifited Holland and England, In the firft he 
 made a very fhort Ray.; but in the laR he Raid 
 almofi five years, and preached with great accept- 
 ance among his fellow exiles in London. Of his 
 perfon an idea may be formed by the annexed 
 copper-plate, which is faid to be a great likenefs, 
 and for which I am indebted to my ingenious 
 friend Mr. Thomas Holloway. His drefs was 
 that of the French clergy, the gown .and caiTock. 
 His addrefs was perfectly genteel, a happy .com- 
 .pound of the affable and the grave, at an -equal 
 difiance from ruRicity and foppery. His voice 
 was Rrong, clear, and harmonious, and he never 
 
 JoR
 
 Rev. jam:s Saurin. 11 
 
 tbc management of it. His ftyle was pure, 
 unaffected, and eloquent) fometimes plain, and 
 ibmetimes flowery ; but never improper, as i; was 
 always adopted to the audience, for whofe fate 
 lie ipobe. An Italian acquaintance of mine, 
 who often heard him at the Hague, tells me, that 
 iu the introduction! of his fermons he ufed to 
 deliver himlelf in a tone modeft and low ; in the 
 lody of the i'crmon, which* was adapted to the 
 uuderftanding, he was plain, clear, and argu- 
 mentative, paufrng at the clofc of each period, 
 that he might difcover, by the countenances and 
 motions of his hearers, whether they were con-, 
 vinced by his reafoning ; in his addreffts to the 
 wicked, (and it is a folly to preach as if there 
 were none in ! our aflemblies, Mr. Saurin knew 
 mankind too well) he was often fonorous, but of- 
 ttner a weeping fuppliant at their feet. In the 
 one he fullained the authoritative dignity of his 
 office, in the other he expreffed his Mailer's and 
 his- own benevolence to- bad men, praying /.' . > 
 iti Christ's stead to be reconciled to God. 2 Cor. 
 v. 20. In general, adds my friend, lus preach- 
 ing refembled a plentiful lliower of dew, fcftly 
 and imperceptibly infmuating itfelf into the minus 
 of bis numerous hearers, as the dew into the pores 
 of plants, till the whole church was diffolved, and 
 all in tears under his fermons. His doctrine was 
 that of the French proteftants, wfcicb, at that 
 time, was moderate calvinifm. He approved of 
 the difcipline of his own churches, which was 
 prelbyterian. He was an admirable fcholar, and, 
 which were his highetl encomiums, he had an 
 unconquerable averfion to fin, a fupreme love to 
 God and to the fouls of men, and a holy unblem- 
 ilhed life. Certainly he had fome faults ; but, 
 a- I have never heard of any, I can publifh none. 
 During his ftay in England, he married a Mifs 
 Catherine Boy ton, in 1703, by whom he had a 
 ion, named Philip, who fusvived him ; but wheth- ' 
 
 er
 
 12 Life of 
 
 er he had any more children I know net. Tw* 
 years after his marriage he returned to Holland, 
 in 1705, where he had a mind to fettle ; but, 
 the paftoral offices being all full, and meeting 
 with no profpect of a fettlement, though his 
 preaching was received with univerfal applaufe, 
 he was preparing to return to England, when a 
 chaplainfhip to fame |f the nobility at the Hague, 
 with a flipend, was offered to him. This fitua- 
 tion exci&Iy fuited his wifh.es, and. he accepted 
 the place* 
 
 The Iriugue, it is faid, is the fineft village in 
 Europe. It is the refidence of the States Gen- 
 eral, of ambaiTadors and envoys from other 
 courts, of a great number cf nobility and gentry, 
 and of a multitude of French refugees. The 
 princes of Orange have a fpacious palace here, 
 and the chapel of the palace was given to the. 
 refugees for a place of public worfhip ; and, it 
 being too fmall to contain them, it was enlarged 
 by above a hair*. This French church called him 
 to be one of their pallors. He accepted the call, 
 and continued ir. his office till bis death. He 
 Defiantly ar.cnded by a very crowded and 
 brilliant audience, was heard with the utmoft at- 
 tention and pleafnre, and, what few minifler? can 
 fay, the effects of his minifterial labours were 
 fen in the holy lives of great numbers of his 
 
 en the princefs of Wales, afterward Queen 
 Caroline, paffed through Holland in her way to 
 England, Mr. Saurin had the honour of paying, 
 his refpefts to that illuflrious lady. Her royal 
 hiyhntis was pleafed to ilng'e him out from the 
 reft -of jtbe clergy, who were prsfent, and to fay 
 to him, u Dj not imagine that, being dazzled 
 with the glory which this revolution feems to 
 promife me, I have lo'V fight of that God from, 
 whom it proceeds. He hath been pleafed to dif- 
 tinguifh it with fo many extraordinary marks, 
 
 that
 
 Rev. Jam>s Saurin, 1 3 
 
 lhat I cannot^miftake his divine band; and, asl 
 oulidcr this long irain of favours as immediate- 
 ly coming from him, -to him alone I confecrate 
 ;hem." It is not aftcnifhing, that Saurin fpeaks 
 of condefcenfion with rapture. They are ths 
 kind and chriilian aftions of the governors of a 
 free people, and not the haughty airs of a French 
 tyrant, infulting his, flaves, that attach and in- 
 flame the hearts of mankind, The hiftory of this 
 illuftrious thnitiaa queen is not written in blood, 
 and therefore it is always read with tear* of 
 grateful joy. 
 
 Ker royal highnefs was fo well fatisfied of Mr. 
 Saurin's merit, that foon after her arrival in 
 England Prte ordered Dr. Boulter, who was pre- 
 ceptor to prince Frederick, the father of his pref- 
 cut raajetly, to write to Sau-rin, to draw up a 
 ueatife on the education of princes. Saurrn ini- 
 iiicdutely obeyed the order, and prefixed a dedi- 
 cation to the young princes. The book was 
 never printed ; but as it obtained the -pproba-- 
 uon of the pnncefs of Wales, who was an in- 
 comparable judge, we may conclude that it was 
 excellent in its kind. This was followed by a 
 handforne prefent from the princels to the author,. 
 His moft confiderable work was entitled, Dis- 
 courses, historical, critical, and moral, on the 
 most memorable events of the old and 'new testa- 
 '//tent. This work- was undertaken by the defirc 
 of a Dutch merchant; who expended an immenfc 
 fura in the engraving of a multitude of copper- 
 plates, which adorn the work. It condns of fix 
 folio volumes. Mr. Saurin died before the third 
 was finifiied ; but Mr. Roques finiflied the third, 
 and added a fourth on the old teuament ; and 
 Mr. de Beaufobre lubjoined two on the new tef- 
 tament. The whole is replete with very exten- 
 five learning, and well worth the careful perufal 
 of fludcnts in divinity. The firit of thefe was 
 
 B 2 traaflatcd
 
 14 Life of 
 
 translated into EngTifh by Chamberlayne, foo- 
 after its firft publication in French. 
 
 Our author's dissertation on the expedience of 
 sometimes disguising the truth, raifed a furious 
 clamour againft him. He does net decide the 
 queftion ; but he feems to take the affirmative. 
 This produced a paper war, and his antagonists 
 tinjuftiy cenfured his morals. The mildnefs of 
 his difpofition rendered him a defirable opponent, 
 for though he was fure to conquer, yet he fub- 
 dued his adverfary fo handfomely, that the cap- 
 tive was the better for bis defeat. But others 
 did not controvert with fo much temper. Some 
 wrote againft him, others for him. At length 
 the fynod decided the u.lpute in his favour. 
 
 He pnblifhed a fmall, but valuable piece, on 
 the state of Christianity in France. It treats of 
 many important points of religion, in controverfy 
 between catholics and proteftants. There is alfo 
 a fmall catechism of his publifhing, which 1 
 think worth the attention of fuch as educate 
 children in the firft principles of religion. 
 
 There are twelve volumes of bis fermons. 
 Some are dedicated to his majefty George II. and 
 the king was pleafed to allow him a handfomc 
 peniion. Some to her majefty Queen Carolii;?, 
 while (lie was princeis of Wales. One to count 
 Waffanaer, a Dutch nobleman. Two were ded- 
 icated to her majefty, after his deceafe, by his 
 fon. ProfefTor Dumont, and Mr. Huflon, to 
 whom Mr. Saurin left his manufcripts, publifhed 
 the reft, and one volume is dedicated to the 
 countefs Dowager of Albemarle. The Englifli 
 feem therefore to have a right to the labours of 
 this great man. 
 
 Mr. Saurin died at the Hague, on Dec. SOth, 
 1730, aged 53, moft fincerely regretted by all 
 his acquaintances, as well as by bis church, who 
 loft in him a truly primitive chriftian minifter, 
 
 whe
 
 Rev. James Saurin. 15 
 
 who fpent his life in watching over his flock, as 
 one who knew he mult give an account. 
 
 In regard to this tranflation, it was firfl under- 
 taken by the de'.ire of a fmall circle of private 
 friends, for our mutual edification. If I have 
 fufFered my private opinion to be prevailed over 
 by others to print this tranflation, it is not be- 
 caufe I think myfelf able to give language to 
 Saurin ; but becaufe I humbly hope that the fen- 
 timents of the author may be conveyed to the 
 leader by it. His fentiments, I think, are, in 
 general, thofe of the holy fcripture, and his man- 
 ner of treating them well adapted to imprefs 
 them on the heart.- I have endeavoured not to 
 difguife his meaning, though I have not been 
 able to adopt his ftyle ; for which defect, though 
 1 print them by private fubfeription, for the ufe 
 of my friends, on whofe candour I depend, yet I 
 do not offer to publifh them to the world for the 
 language of Mr. Saurin. I fhould have been t 
 glad to have pleafed every fubferiber, by infert- 
 mg thofe fermons, which were moft agreeable to 
 Lini, had I known which they were ; but as this 
 was impollib'c, I have followed my own judg- 
 ment, or perhaps expofed my want of it. The 
 rfl volume aims to fecure the doctrine of a God, 
 againft the attacks of atbeifts. In the fecond, . 
 ve mean to plead for the holy scriptures againft 
 deifts. In the third, we intend to take thofe 
 fermons, which treat of the doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity, as we humbly conceive that the new tef- 
 tament is fomething more than a fyftem of moral 
 philofophy. And the laft volume we dedicate to 
 moral fubjects, becaufe we think chrifiianity a 
 holy religion, productive of moral obedience in- 
 all its true difciples. To this fecond edition a 
 fifth volume is added on mifcellaneous iubje&s*, 
 May the God of all grace blefs the reading of- 
 them to the weakening of the dominion of fin, 
 and to the advancement of the kingdom of oujr 
 bleflcd Redeemer, Jefus Chrift [
 
 SERMONS. 
 SERMON I. 
 
 THE OMNIPRESENCE OF GOD,. 
 
 Psalm cxxxix. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, I2 
 
 Whither shall I go from thy spirit ? or whither 
 shall I Jlce from thy presence ? If I ascend 
 up into heaven, thou art there : If I make my 
 led in hell, behold thou art there. If / tak\ 
 the wings of the morning, and dwell in the ut- 
 termost parts of the sea, even there shzll thy 
 hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold 
 me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover 
 me : even the night shall he light about me* 
 Tea the darkness hidelb not from thee ; but the 
 night shineth as the day : the darkness and the 
 light are both alike to thee. 
 
 L/OllLD I have one with, to anfwe* 
 my propofed end of preaching to-day with effica- 
 cy, chriftians, it fhould be to lhew you God in 
 this affemblr. Mofes had fuch an advantage, no 
 man therefore ever fpoke with greater fuccefs. 
 He gave the law to the people, in God the legif- 
 lator's prefence. He could fay, This law which 
 I give you, proceeds from God : here is his throne, 
 there is his lightning, yonder is bis thunder. 
 Accordingly, never were a people more ftruck 
 with a legislator's voice. Mofes had hardly be- 
 gun to fpeak, but, at leaft for that moment, all 
 hearts were united, and all Sinai echoed with 
 one voice, crying, "All that thou haft fpoken. 
 we will do.'^ Jixod. x'tx. 8. 
 
 But
 
 1 8 The Omnipresence of Gc 
 
 But in vain are our fermons drawn from the 
 facrcd fourtes : in vain do we fay to you, T/iuj 
 saitb ibe Lard ; you fee only a man ; you hear 
 only a mortal voice in this pulpit ; God hath put 
 his treasure into earthen beisSels, 2 Cor. iv. 7".- 
 and our auditors, eftiuiating the treasure by the- 
 Hieannel's of the ve:fcl,- in ft sad of fupporting the 
 Baeannefs of the veifel for the fake of the treat* 
 iire, hear us without refpe&J and, generally, de-- 
 rive no advantage from the rninitfry. 
 
 Eat were God prefent in this affembly, could-' 
 ivc (hew you the Deity- amongft you, authorizing 
 our voice by his approbation and prcfencc, and' 
 examining- with what difpoiuions you hear his 
 word, which of you, which of you, my brethren, 
 could refill fa eminent and fo noble a motive f 
 
 Chriftians, this idea is not deftitute of reality s- 
 >od is every where y he is in this church. Vails- 
 ef fteth and biood prevent; your fight of him ; 
 thefe mud fali^ and you raufl open the eyes o 
 your fpirits, if you- would fee a God, who is a 
 spirit^ John iv. 24i- Hear our prophet ; hear 
 his magnificent defcription of the immenfity and 
 omniprefencc of God,, "^Whither fhall I go 
 from thy fpirit ? or whither fhail I flee from thy 
 prefenoe ? If I afcend up into heaven, thou art 
 there ; if 1 make my bed in hell, behold, thou 
 xrt there- If I take the wings of the morning, 
 and dwell in the uttermoft parts of the fea ; even 
 there fhall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand 
 ihall hold me. If I fay, Surely the darknefs 
 fhall cover me ; even the night fhail be light 
 about me. Yea the darknefs hideth not from 
 thee ; but the night fhineth as the day : the 
 darknefs and the right are both alike to thee." 
 
 In a text lefs abuudant in riches, we might 
 make fome remark; en the terras spirit and pres- 
 ence ; but we will content curfdves at prefent 
 with indicating what ideas we affix to them, by 
 bfcrving,. that by the spirit and preserve of God,. 
 
 vte.
 
 The Omnipresence of Goa. 
 
 vc undeiftand God himfclf. I know, fome di- 
 vines difcover great myfteries in thefe terms, and 
 tell us that there are lb me panages in fcripture 
 where the word presente means the fecond per- 
 form in the mod holy Trinity, and where the term 
 ' is certainly to be underftood of the third. 
 But as thert are fome pafTages where thefe terms 
 have not this iignifkation, it is beyond all doubt 
 that this, which we are explaining, is precifely 
 f the latter kind. However, if any difpute our 
 comment, we fhall leave them to difpute it; .for 
 it would be uniuft to confume that time, which 
 is dedicated to the edification of a whole congre- 
 gation, in refuting . particular opinion. The 
 other exprefiions in our text, heaven^ bell ; the 
 : of the moming r a figurative expreffion, 
 denoting the rapidity of the light in communi- 
 cating itfeif from one end of the world to the 
 other ; thefe expreffion;, I fay, need no com- 
 ment. The presenc-e of God, the spirit of God, 
 fignify then the divine efTence ; and this afTem- 
 blage of ideas, wiiitber shall I go from thy spir- 
 it ? ivbither shall I flee from thy presence f 
 means, that God is immenfe, and that he is pref- 
 ent in every place. 
 
 But wherein confifts this immenfity and omni- 
 prefence ? If ever a queftion required develop- 
 ing, this certainly does ; not only becaufe it pre- 
 fents to the mind an abftxadt fubject, which doe3 
 not fall under the obfervation of the fenfes, but 
 becaufe many who have treated this matter, (par- 
 don an opinion which does not proceed from a 
 defire of oppofing any individual, but only from 
 a love to the truth) many who have handled the 
 fubjeft, have contributed more to perplex, than, 
 to explain it. We may obferve, in general, 
 that, unlefs we be wholly unacquainted with the 
 lifftory pf the fciences, it is impoflible not to ac- 
 knowledge, that all quellions aboot the nature of 
 fpirits, all that arc any way related to Eaetaphyf- 
 
 ics,
 
 rso The Omnipresence of God. 
 
 ics, were very little underftood before the time 
 of that celebrated philofopher, whom God feems 
 to have beftowed on the world to purify reafon, 
 as he had fome time before raifed up others to 
 purify religion.* 
 
 What heaps of crude and indigefted notions 
 do we find, among the fchoolmen, of the immen- 
 fity of Gud ? One faid, God was a point, iiidi- 
 vifible indeed, but a point, however, that had 
 the peculiar property of occupying every part of 
 the univerfe.. Another, that God was the place 
 of all beings, the immenfe extent in which his 
 power had placed them. Another, that his ef- 
 fence was really in heaven, but yet, repletively, 
 as they exprefs it, in every part of the univerfe, 
 .In fhort, this truth hath been obfeured by the 
 -groffeil ignorance. Whatever averfion we have 
 to the deciiive tone, we will venture to affirm, 
 that people, who talked in this manner of God, 
 .had no ideas themfelves of what they advanced. 
 Do not be afraid of our conducting you into 
 ^thefe wild mazes ; do not imagine that we will 
 bufy ou-rfelves in expofing all thefe notions, for 
 -the Take of labouring to refute them. We will 
 intent ourfelves with giving you fome light in- 
 to the omniprefence of God : 
 
 I. By removing thofe falfe ideas, which, at 
 rft, feem to prefent themielves to the imagina- 
 tion ; 
 
 II. By affigning the true. 
 
 I. Let us remove the falfe ideas, which, at 
 Tuft, prefent themfelves to the imagination ; as 
 if, when we fay that God is prefent in any place, 
 we mean that he is actually contained therein ; 
 as if, when we fay that God is in every place, we 
 mean to affign to him a real and proper exten- 
 
 fion. 
 
 * The philofopher intended by Mr. S. I fuppofe, is 
 .his countryman Defcartes* born in 1 596. Vie de Defc 
 par Baillet.
 
 The Omnipresence of God. 21 
 
 fion. Neither of thcfe is defigned ; and to re- 
 move thefe ideas, my brethren, two reflections 
 are fufhcient. 
 
 God is a fpirit. A fpirit cannot be in a place, 
 at leaft in the manner in which we conceive of 
 place. 
 
 1. God is a fpirit. What relation can you 
 find Unween wifdom, power, mercy, and all the 
 other attributes, which enter into your notion of 
 the divinity, and the nature of bodies ? Pulver- 
 ize matter, give it -all the different forms of 
 which it is fufceptible, elevate it to its highefk 
 degree of attainment, make it vaft and immenfe, 
 moderate or fmall, luminous or obfcure, opaque 
 or tranfparent : there will never refult any thing 
 but figures, and never will you be able, by all 
 thefe combinations or divifion?, to produce one 
 iingle fentiment, one fingle thought, like that of 
 the meaneft and mod contracted of all mankind. 
 If matter then cannot be the fubject of one fin- 
 gle operation of the foul of a mechanic, howihall 
 it be the fubjedt of thofe attributes which make 
 the effence of God himfclf ? 
 
 But perhaps God, who is fpiritual in one part 
 of his effence, may be corporeal in another part, 
 like man, who, although he hath a fpiritual foul, 
 is yet united to a portion of matter. No : for, 
 however admirable in man that union of fpiritual 
 and fenliWe may be, and thofe laws which unite 
 his foul to hi-j body, nothing more fully marks 
 his weaknefs and dependence, and confeqnently 
 nothing can lefs agree with the divine effence. 
 Is it not a mark of the dependence ef an immor- 
 tal and intelligent foul, to be enveloped in a lit- 
 tle flefli and blood, which, according to their 
 different motions, determine his joy or forrow, 
 his happinefs or mifery ? Is it not a mark of the 
 weaknefs of our fpirits, to have the power of 
 ailing only on that little matter to which we are 
 united, and to have no power over more ? Wbo 
 G can
 
 22 The Omnipresence of God. 
 
 ccn imagine that God hath fuch limits ? He 
 'hath no body : he is united to none ; yet he is 
 united to all. That celebrated philolbplier, fhall 
 I call him ? or atheift,* who faid that the affem- 
 blage of all exiftence confHtnted the divine ef- 
 lence, who would have us conhder all corporeal 
 beings as the body of the divinity, publifhed a 
 great extravagance, if he meant that the divine 
 effence coniifted of this affemblage. But there 
 is a very juft fenfe, in which it may be laid that 
 the whole univerfe is the body of the Deity. la 
 effect, as I call this portion of matter my body, 
 which I move, aft, and direct as I pleafe, fo 
 God a&uates by his will every part of the uni- 
 verfe : he obfeures the fun, he calms the winds, 
 he commands the fea. But this very notion ex- 
 cludes all corporiety from God, and proves that 
 God is a fpirit. If God fometimes represents 
 him fell with feet, with hands, with eyes, he 
 means in thefe portraits, rather to give us em- 
 blems of his attributes, than images (properly 
 fpeaking) of any parts which he poffeffeth. 
 Therefore, when he attributes thefe to himfelf, 
 he gives them fo vaft an extent, that we eafily 
 perceive they are not to be grofsly underftood. 
 Hath he hands ? they *re hands which weigh 
 the momiiair.s in scales, and the hills in a bal- 
 ance, which measure the waters in the hollow of 
 his hand, and mete out the heavens with a span, 
 Ifa. lx. 12. Hath he eyes ? they are eyes that 
 penetrate the m^ft unmeafurable diftances. Hath 
 he feet ? they are feet which reach from heaven 
 to earth, for the heaven is his throne, and the 
 earth is his footstool, ch. Ixvi. 1. Hath he a 
 voice ? it is as the sound of many waters, break- 
 ing the cedars of Lebanon, making mount Sirior. 
 
 ship 
 
 * Mr. S. means, I fhould fupnofe, Spinoza ; whofe 
 fyftem of atheifm, fays a fehfible writer, is more grof: , 
 and therefore lefs dangerous, than others ; his poifon 
 carrying its antidote with it.
 
 The Omnipresence of God. 23 
 
 pkip like an unicorn, and the binds to i 
 Pfal. xxix. 3, 5, 6, 9. 
 
 This reminds me of a beautiful paff.ge in Pla- 
 to. He fays that the gods, particularly the 
 chief gcd, the ineffable beauty, as he calls him, 
 cannot be conceived of but by the underitanding 
 only, and by quitting fenfible objects ; that, in 
 order to contemplate, the divinity, terreftrial 
 ideas mull be furmounted ; that the eyes cannct 
 fee him ; that the ears cannot hear him. A 
 thought which Julian the apoftate, a great ad- 
 mirer of thac philofopher, fo nobly expreffes in 
 his fatire on the Ofars. Thus every thing 
 ferves to eftablifli our lirft principle, that God 13 
 a fpirit. 
 
 2. But to prove that God is a fpirit, and to 
 prove that he occupies no place, at leaft as cur 
 imagination conceives, is, in our opinion, to ef- 
 tabliflt the fame thefis. 
 
 1 know how difficult it is to make this C( 
 [uence intelligible and clear, not ouly to thulc 
 w!io have never been accuftomed to aieclitation, 
 and who are therefore more excufable for having 
 ennfufed ideas ; but even to fuch as, having cul- 
 tivated the fciences, are raoft intent on. refining 
 their ideas. I freely acknowledge, that after we 
 have ufed our utmoft efforts to rife above fenfe 
 and matter, it will be extremely difficult to con- 
 ceive the exigence of a fpirit, without conceiv- 
 ing it in a certain place. Yet, I think, what- 
 ever difficulty there may be in the fyftem of 
 thofe who maintain that an immaterial being 
 cannot be in a place, properly fo called, there are 
 greater difficulties ftill in the oppolite opinion : 
 for, what is immaterial hath no parts ; what 
 bath no parts hath no form ; what hath no form 
 hath no extenfion ; what hath no extenfion can 
 h^ve no fituation in place, properly i'o called. 
 For what is it to be in place ? is it not to fill 
 fpacc ? is it not to be adjulled with iurrounding 
 
 bodies ?
 
 24 The Omnipresence of God. 
 
 bogles ? how adjult with furrounding bodies 
 without parts ? how coniift of parts without be- 
 ing corporeal ? But if you afcribe a real and 
 proper extenfion to a fpirit, every thought of 
 that (pint would be z feparate portion of that 
 extension, as eveiy part of the body is a feparate 
 portion of the whole body ; every operation of 
 fpirit would be a modification of that extenfion, 
 as every operation of body is a modification of 
 body ; and, were this the cafe, there would be 
 no abfurdity in faying that a thought is round, 
 or fquare, or cubic, which is nothing lefs than 
 the confounding of fpirit with matter. Thus 
 the idea, which our imagination forms of the 
 omniprefence of God, when it reprefents the e 
 fence of the Supreme Being filling infinite fpaces, 
 as we are lodged in our houfes, is a falfe idea 
 that ought to be carefully avoided. 
 
 II. What notions then muft we form of the 
 immenfuy of God I In what fenfe do we con- 
 ceive that the infinite Spirit is every where pref- 
 ent ? My brethren, the bounds of our knowl- 
 edge are fo ftrait, our fphere is fo contracted, we 
 have fuch imperfect ideas of fpirits, even of our 
 own fpirits, and, for a much ftronger reafon, of 
 the Father of fpirits, that no genius in the 
 world, however exalted you may fuppofe him, 
 after his greateft efforts of meditation, can fay 
 to you, Thus far extend the attributes of God ; 
 behold a complete idea of his immenfity and om- 
 niprefence. Yet, by the help of found reafon, 
 above all by the aid of revelation, we may give 
 you, if not complete, at leaft diltintt ideas of the 
 fubjeft : it is poffible, if not to indicate all the 
 fenles in which God is iinmenfe, at leaft to point 
 out fome : it is poffible, if not to fhew you alL 
 the truth, at lead to difcovtr it in part. 
 
 Let us not conceive the omniprefence of God 
 as a particular attribute (if I may venture to fay 
 fo) of the Deity, as goodnefs or wil'dom, but as 
 
 the
 
 The Omniprtitnct of God. .25 
 
 the extent or infinity of many others. The om- 
 iiiprefence of God is that univerfal property by 
 which he communicates himfelf to all, diffuiea 
 himfclf through all, is the great dire&or of a!J, 
 or, to confine ourfelves to more diflincTt ideas 
 Hill, the infinite fpirit is prefent in every place. 
 
 1. By a boundlefs knowledge. 
 
 2. By a general influence. 
 
 3. By an univerfal direction. 
 
 God is every where, becaufe he seeth all, bc- 
 caufe he influepceth all, becaufe he dirccttib all.' 
 This we mud prove and eftablilh. But if yoa 
 would judge rightly of what you have heard, and 
 of what you may il ill hear, you mud remember 
 that this fubjedt hath no relation to your pleas- 
 ures, nor to your policy, nor to any of tboie ob- 
 jects which occupy and fill your whole fouls ; 
 and confecjuently, that if you would follow us, 
 you mult lire tch your meditation, and go, as it 
 vere, out of yourfclves. 
 
 1. The firft idea of God's omniprefence is his 
 
 omniscience. God is .every where prefent, be- 
 
 . he seeth all. This the prophet had prinii- 
 
 m view. " O Lord, thou halt fe-arcbed me, 
 
 and known me. Thou knoweil my down-fitting 
 
 mine up-rifing, thou undeiftandert my 
 
 thoughts afar off*. Thou comp:iil\il my path and 
 
 ying down,' and art acquainted with all my 
 
 For there is not a word in my tongue, 
 
 but lo, O Lord, thou knoweft it altogether. 
 
 Thou haft befet me behind and before. Such 
 
 knowledge is too wonderful for me;, it is high, I 
 
 cannot attain unto it," ver. 1, 2, 3, Sec. Then 
 
 follow the words of our text : " Whither fhall 
 
 I go from thy fpirit," and fo on. 
 
 Let us not then confider the Deity, after the 
 
 example of the fchoolmen, as a point fixed in 
 
 niverfality of beings. Let us confider the 
 
 nniverfality of beings as a point, and the Deity 
 
 as an immenfe eye, which fees all that pafles in 
 
 C 2 that
 
 26 The Omnipresence of God. 
 
 that point, all that can pofllbly pafs there ; and 
 which, by an all-animating' intelligence, makes 
 an exact combination of all the effects of matter, 
 and of all the difpolitions of fpirit. 
 
 1. God knows all the effects of matter. An 
 expert workman takes a parcel of matter propor- 
 tioned to a work which he meditates, he makes 
 divers wheels, difpofes them properly, and fees, 
 by the rales of his art, what muft refult from 
 their aiTemblage, Suppofe a fublime, exadt geni- 
 us, knowing how to go from principle to princi- 
 ple, and from conference to conference, after 
 forefeeing what muft refult from two wheels 
 joined together, fliould imagine a third, he will 
 as certainly know what muft refult from a third, 
 as from a iirft and fecond ; after imagining a 
 third, he may imagine a fourth, and properly ar- 
 range it with the reft in his imagination ; after 
 a fourth a fifth, and lb on to an endlefs numbeiv 
 Such a man could mathematically demonftrate, 
 in an exact and infallible manner, what muft ro~ 
 fult from a work compofed of all thefe different 
 wheels. Suppofe further, that this woikman, 
 having accurately confidered the effects which 
 would be produced on thefe wheels, by that fub- 
 t'e matter which in their whirlings continually 
 furrouncs them, and which, by its perpetual ac- 
 tion and motion, chafes, wears, and diffolves alL 
 bodies ; this workman would tell you, with the 
 fame exaclnefs, how long each of thefe wheels 
 would wear, and when the whole work would be 
 confumed. Give this workman life and induftry 
 proportional to his imagination, furnilh him with, 
 materials proportional to his ideas, and he will 
 produce a vaft, immenfe work, all the different 
 motions of which he can exadly combine ; alt 
 the different effe&s of which he can evidently 
 forefce. He will fee, in -what time motion will 
 be communicated from the firft of thefe wheels 
 to the fecond, a: what time the fecond will move, 
 
 the
 
 The Omnipreicnce of God. 2.7: 
 
 the third, and fo of the reft : he will foretel all' 
 their different motions, and all the effects which 
 muft refult from their different combinations. 
 
 Hitherto this is only fuppofuion, my brethren,- 
 but it is a fuppoiition that conducts us to the 
 mod certain of all facls. This workman is God. 
 God is this fublime, exact, infinite genius. He 
 calls into being matter, without motion, and, in 
 fome fenfe, without form. He gives this matter 
 form and motion. He iwikes a certain number 
 of wheels, or rather he makes them without 
 number. He difpofes them as he thinks proper. 
 He communicates a certain- degree of motion, 
 agreeable to the laws of his wifdom. Thence 
 arii'cs the world which ftrikes our eyes. By the 
 forementioned example, I conceive, that God, by 
 his own intelligence, faw what muft refult from 
 she arrangement of all the wheels that compofe 
 this world, and knew, with the utmft exadlncfs,. 
 ali their combinations. He faw that a certaiiv 
 degree of motion, imparted to a certain portion- 
 of matter, would produce water - y that another, 
 degree of motion, communicated to another por- 
 tion of matter, would produce fire ; that another 
 would produce earth, and fo of the reft. He- 
 forefaw, with the utmoft precifion, what would 
 refult from this water, from this fire, from this- 
 earth when joined together, and agitated by fuchr 
 a degree of motion as he fliould communicate*. 
 By the bare inipedYion of the laws of motion, he 
 forefaw fires, he forefaw fhipwrccks, he forefaw 
 earthquakes, he forefaw all the viciilitudes of 
 time, he forefaw thofe which muft put a period 
 to time, when the heavens shall pass away with 
 a great noise } ivhen the elements shall melt with 
 fervent heat, when the earth with all the nvorks 
 that are in it shall be burnt up, 2 Pet. iii. 10. 
 
 2. But, if God could combine all that would 
 relult from the laws of motion communicated to 
 matter, he could alfo combine all that would re- 
 fult
 
 s8 The Omnipresence of God. 
 
 fait from intelligence, freedom of will, and all 
 the faculties which make the effence of fpirits ; 
 and, before he had formed tiiofe fpiritual beings 
 which compofe the intelligent world, he knew 
 what all their ideas, all their projects, all their 
 deliberations, would for ever be. 
 
 I am aware, that a particular confequence, 
 "which follows this doctrine, hath made fome di- 
 vines exclaim againft this thrfis, and, under the 
 fpecious pretence of exculpating the Deity from 
 the entrance of fin into thi& world, they have 
 affirmed that God could not forefee the deter- 
 minations of a free agent ; for, fay they, had he 
 forefeen the abufe which man would have made 
 of his liberty, by refolving to fin, his love to 
 holiuefu would have engaged him to prevent it. 
 But to reafjn in this manner is, in attempting to 
 folve a difficulty, ta leave that difficulty in alt: 
 its force. 
 
 All they fay on this article, proceeds from this 
 principle, that a God infinitely jufr, -".nd infinite- 
 ly powerful, ought to difplay (if ic .be.ailowable- 
 to fay lo) all the infinity of his attributes to pre- 
 vent lin. But this principle is notoriously falfe. . 
 "VV-itnefs that very permiffion of fin which is ob- 
 je&ed to us. You will net acknowledge that 
 G-od fore fa w man's fall into fin : acknowledge, 
 zt leftfi, that he forefaw the poffibility of man's 
 falling, and that, in forming a creature free, he- 
 >.ne\v that inch a creature might chufe virtue or 
 vice ; acknowledge,- at leafi, that God couid have 
 created man with fo much knowledge, and could, 
 have afforded him fo many fuccours ; he could 
 have prefented fuch powerful motives to holinefs 
 inceifantly, and discovered to him the dreadful 
 oonfequences of his rebellion fo effectually ; he 
 could have united obedience to his commands 
 with fo many delights, and the mo{Y difiant 
 thought of difobedience with fo many difgufis ; 
 he could have banifhed from man every tempta- 
 tion
 
 The Omnipresence of God* 29 
 
 tion to fin, fo that he would never have been a- 
 finner. Yet God created man in another man- 
 ner ; confequently it is not true, even in your 
 fyftem, that God hath exerted alt the power he 
 could to prevent fin's entrance into the world. 
 Confequently it i3 falfe, that a Being, who per- 
 fectly loves hohnefs, ought to difplay the whole 
 extent of his attributes to prevent fin, and to 
 eftablifh virtue. Confequently, the principle on 
 which you ground your denial of God's compre- 
 henfion of all the difpofitions of fpirits, is an un- 
 warrantable principle, and to attempt to folve 
 the difficulty in this manner, is to leave it in all 
 its force. 
 
 But if you confult revelation, you will find 
 that God claims an univerfal knowledge of fpir- 
 its. He fays, he searcbetb and knoivetb tbem, 
 Jer. xvii. 10. Rev. ii. 23. He forefaw, he fore- 
 told, the afflictions which Abraham's pofterity 
 would endure in Canaan, Gen. xv. 13-. the hard- 
 ening of Pharaoh, the infidelity of the Jews, the 
 faith of the Gentiles, the crucifixion of the Mef- 
 fiah, Exod. iii. 19, the coming of the prince or 
 leader, that is of Vefpafian, or Titus, who would 
 destroy the city and the sanctuary, Dan. ix. 25, 
 26. Aad confequently, we have a right to af- 
 firm, that God knows all the thoughts of the 
 mind, and all the fentiments of the heart, as well 
 as that he knows all the motions of matter. 
 
 Perhaps you with, my brethren, that our fpec- 
 ulations were carried further ; perhaps you would 
 have ut difentangle the fubject from all its diffi- 
 culties ; perhaps you wifh we could make you 
 comprehend, in a clear and diflinct manner, hov/ 
 it is poffible that fuch immenfe objects can be 
 always prefent to the Supreme Intelligence ; but 
 what mortal tongue can exprefs fuch fublime 
 truths, or what capacity is able to conceive 
 them ! On this article, we are obliged with our 
 prophet to exclaim, sucb knowledge is too ivon~ 
 
 d<rful
 
 30 The Omnipresence of God. 
 
 derful for me ; it is high ; I cannot attain unto ' 
 it ! ver, 6. In general, wc conceive that the 
 fp here of divine knowledge is not contracted by. 
 any of the limits that conane the fpirits of man- 
 kind. 
 
 The human fpirit is united to a portion of 
 matter. Man can perform no operation without 
 the agitation of his brain, without the motion of 
 his animal fpirits, without the help of his fenfes. 
 But the brain wearies, the fpirits evaporate, the 
 fenfes are blunted, and the minuteft alteration 
 of body clogs the moil penetrating and aclive- 
 genius. But God, 23 we have reprefented hirn, 
 thinks, underftands, meditates, without brain.) 
 "without fpirit3, without any need of fenfes ; not 
 participating their nature, he never participates 
 their alteration, ?>nd thus hath intelligence im- 
 mediately from the treafure of intelligence itfelf. 
 
 The fpirit of man owes its exiftence to a fupe- 
 TJor fpirit, to a foreign caufe, to a Being who 
 gives him only fuch ideas as he thinks proper, 
 and who hath been pkafed to conceal numberlefe 
 inyfteries from him. Bn: Gcd, God not only 
 does not owe his exiftence to a foreign caufe, but 
 all that- exiil derive their exiftence from him.- 
 His ideas were the modeta of all beings, and he 
 bath only to contemplate, himfelf perfectly to 
 know them. 
 
 The fpirit of- man is naturally t finite fpirit j 
 he can confider only one circle of objects at once, 
 many ideas confound him; if he would fee too 
 ir.uch, he fees nothing ; he mull fucceffively con- 
 template what he cannot contemplate in one mo- 
 ment. But God is an infinite fpirit; with one 
 fingle look he beholdeth the whole tiniverfe. 
 This is the fi*ft idea of the omniprefeuce of God, 
 As I am accounted prefent in this auditory, be- 
 caufe I fee the objects that are here, becaufe I 
 am witnefs of all that paffes here ; fo God is ev- 
 "~y where, becaufe he fees all, becaufe veils tie 
 
 rooft
 
 e Omnipresence of God, 
 
 moft impenetrable, darknefs the mod thick, dif- 
 tances the moft immenfe, can conceal nothing 
 from his knowledge. Soar to the utmoft heights, 
 fly into the remoteft climates, wrap thyfelf in the 
 blackeft darknefs, every where, every where, 
 thou wilt be under his eye. " Whither (hall I 
 go from tby fpirit ? or whither ftiall I flee from 
 thy pre fence ?" 
 
 But, 2. The knowledge of God is not a bare 
 knowledge, his prefence is not an idle prefence ; 
 it is an active knowledge, it is a prefence accom- 
 panied with action and motion. We faid juil 
 now, that God was every where, becaufe he in- 
 fluenced all, as far as influence could sgree with 
 his perfections. Remark this redaction, for as 
 we are difcuiling a fubject - the moft fertile ic. 
 controverfy, and as, in a difcourfe of an hour, it 
 is impcflible to anfvrer all objections, which may 
 .be all anfwered elfewhere, we would give a gen- 
 eral prefervative againft every miftake. We 
 mean an influence which agrees with the divine 
 perfections ; and if from any of our general prop- 
 ortions, you infer any confequences injurious to 
 tbofe perfections, you may conclude, from that 
 very reafen, that you have ftretched them beyond 
 their due bounds. We repeat it then, God in- 
 fluenced all things, as far as fuch influence 
 agrees with his perfections. 
 
 When new beings appear, he is there. He 
 influences their production. He gives to all life, 
 motion, and being, Adtsxvii. 28. " Thou, even 
 thou art Lord alone, thou haft made heaven, the 
 heaven of heavens with all their hoft, the earth 
 and all things that are therein, the fcas and all 
 that is therein, and thon preferveft them all, and 
 the hoft of. heaven worfhippeth thee," Neb. ix. 6. 
 "O Lord, I will praife thee, for I am fearfully 
 and wonderfully made ; marvellous are thy 
 works, and that my foul knoweth right well. 
 ^ty fubftance was not hid from thee, when I wae 
 
 aaade
 
 32 The Omnipresence of God. 
 
 made in fecret, and curioufly wrought in the 
 loweft parts of the earth. Thine eyes did fee 
 my fubftance yet being unperfect, and in thy 
 book all my members were written, which in 
 continuance were fafhioned, when as yet there 
 was none of them," Pfal. exxxix. 14, 15,.16 
 M Thine hands have made me, and fafhioned mc 
 together round about. Thou haft clothed me 
 with fkin and flefh, and haft fenced me with 
 bones and finews." 
 
 When beings are preferved, he is there. He 
 influences their prefervation. " Thy mercy, O 
 Lord, is in the heavens, and thy faithfulnefs 
 reacheth unto the clouds. Thou preferveft man 
 and beaft," PfaL, xxxvi. 5, 6. When thou 
 openelr. thy hand they are filled with good : thou 
 hideft thy face they are troubled, thou takeft 
 away their breath they die, and return to their 
 duft. Thou fenrieft forth thy fpirit they are cre- 
 ated, and thou reneweft the face of the earth," 
 Pfal. civ. 28, 29, 30. 
 
 When the world is difordered, he is there. 
 He influenceth wars, peftilences, famines, and all 
 the viciffitudes which diforder the world. If 
 nature refufe her productions, it is becaufe he 
 hath made the heaven as iron, and the earth as 
 orass, Lev. xxvi. 19. If peace fucceed war, he 
 makes both. If lions slay the inhabitants of Sa- 
 m-aria, it is the Lord ivbo sends them, 2 Kings 
 xvii. 25. When tempeftuous winds break down 
 thole iromenfe banks which your induftry has op- 
 poled to them, when a devouring fire reduceth. 
 your houfes to allies, it is he who makes the 
 winds his messengers, and bis ministers flames 
 of fire, Pfal. civ. 4. 
 
 When every thing fucceeds according to our 
 
 -wifhes, he is there. He infl. enceth profperity. 
 
 " Except the Lord build ihe houfe, they labour 
 
 in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the 
 
 ;he watchman waketk but in vain. It is 
 
 vain
 
 The Omnipresence of God, 33 
 
 for you to rife up early, to fit up late, to 
 eat the bread of forrows. It is God who givetli 
 Lis beloved fieep," Pfal. exxvii. 1, 2. 
 
 When our underftanding is informed, he is 
 there. He influenccth our knowledge. Far in 
 h:s light we see light, Pfal. xxxvi. 9. " He 
 lighteth every man that cometh into the world," 
 John i. 9. 
 
 Whrti our heart difpofeth us to our duties, he 
 is there. He influenceth our virtues. It is he 
 who workelb in us, both to will and to do of bis 
 good pleasure, Phil. li. 13. It is he who 
 tb us not only to believe but to suffer for bis 
 sake, chap. i. 29. It is he who giveih to all 
 that ask bim liberally and upbraidctb not, 
 James i. 5. 
 
 When the grofleft errors cover us, he is there. 
 He influenceth errors. It is God who sends 
 trong delusions that men should believe a lie t 
 2 Theff. ii. 11. " Go make the heart of this 
 people fat, and make their ears heavy, and (hut 
 their eyes, left they fhould fee with their eyes, 
 and hear with their ears," Ifa. vi. 10. 
 
 When we violate the laws of righteoufnefs, he 
 is there. He influenceth fins, even the ftreateft 
 fins. Witnefs Pharaoh, whole heart be harden- 
 ed, Exod. iv.,21. Witnefs Shimei, whom the 
 Lord bad: to curse David, 2 Sam. xvi. ]). 
 Witnefs whatlfaiah faid, the Lord hath v.iir.gltd' 
 a perverse spirit m the midst of Egypt, chap, 
 xix. 14. 
 
 When magiftrates, our earthly gods, confult 
 and deliberate, he is there. He influenceth pol- 
 icy. It is he who haib the hearts of kings in 
 bis hand, and turneib them as the rivers of wa- 
 ter, Prov. xx. . 1. It is he who givelb kings :n 
 bis anger, and taketh tbem away in his wrath, 
 Hofea xiii. 11. It is be who muk.th the Assyr- 
 ian the rod of hi* anger, Ifa x. 5. " Herod 
 and Pil.it'.., the G.i 1 ' ks and the people- of IlVael, 
 D did
 
 34 Tke Omnipresence of Gcd. 
 
 did what his hand and his counfel determined 
 before to be done," Ats iv. 27, 28. 
 
 When we live, when we die, he is there. Pie 
 influenceth life and death. " Man's days are 
 determined, the number, of his months are with 
 him, he has appointed -his bounds that he cannot 
 pai'o," Job xiv. 5. "To God the Lord belongs 
 the iO'ues from death," Pfal. lxviii. 20. " He 
 bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up," 
 1 Sam. ii. 6. 
 
 He influences the lead events, as well as the 
 rnoft considerable. Not being fatigued with the 
 care of great things, he can occupy himfelf 
 about the fmalleft without prejudice to the reit ; 
 number the hairs of our beads, and not let even 
 a sparrow fall without Jus will, Matt. x. 29, 30. 
 
 But, 3. When God communicates himfelf to 
 all, when he thus acts en all, when he diffufeth 
 himfelf thus through the whole, he connects all 
 with his own defigns, and makes all ferve his 
 own counfel s ; and this is our third idea of his 
 immenfity and omniprefence. God is prefcr.t 
 "with all, becaufe he directs all. 
 
 Doth he call the creatures into exiftence ? it is 
 to fnanifeft his perfections. It is to have fub- 
 jects on whom he may Qiower his favours.; it is, 
 as it were, to go out of himfelf, and to 
 through the whole univerfe a conceit refounding 
 the Creator's exiftence and glory. " For the 
 invifible things of God, even his eternal power 
 and godhead, are nnderftood by the things that 
 are made," Rom. i. 20. Hj^ The heavens declare 
 the glory of God, and the firmament flieweth his 
 handy-work. Day unto d;iy uttereth fpceeh, 
 night unto night Iheweth knowledge. There is 
 no fptech nor language where their voice is not 
 heard," .Pfal, xix. 1, 2, 3. 
 
 Doth he preferve his creatures ? it is to anfwer 
 
 . bis own defigns, the depth of which lib finite 
 
 mind can fathom ; but defigns which we fhall 
 
 one
 
 The Omnipresence of God. 35 
 
 one day know, and admire his wifdom when w< 
 know them, as we adore it now, though 
 them not. 
 
 Doth he fend plagues, wars, famines ? it is to 
 make thofe feel his juftice who have abtiiV 
 goodnefs ; it is to avenge the violation c 
 law, the contempt of his gofpel, the forgei 
 and torfaking of the intereil of his church. 
 
 Doth he afford us profperity ? it is to dra 
 with the bands of love, Hofea xi. 4. it is to re- 
 veal bimfelf to us by that love which is his el- 
 fence ; it is to engage us to imitate him, who 
 never leaves himself without wittiess in doing 
 goods Ac"ls xiv. 17. 
 
 Doth he impart knowledge to us ? it is to dil- 
 rover the fnares that furround us, the miferies 
 that threaten us, the origin from which we 
 iprang, the courfe of life we fhould follow, and 
 the end at which we fhould aim. 
 
 Doth he communicate virtues ? it is to ani- 
 mate us in our race ; it is to convince os tlinr 
 there is a mighty arm to raife us from the .-107?; 
 into which our natural corruption hath p! 
 us ; it is that we may work out our own s 
 tion with fear and trembling, knowing 
 worketb in us to will and to do of bis owr. 
 pleasure, Phil. ii. 12, 13. 
 
 Doth he fend us error ? it is to make us re- 
 fp^cl thattruth which we have refitted. 
 
 Doth he abandon us to our vices ? it is to pun- 
 ifh us for fome other vices which we have com- 
 mitted voluntarily and freely ; fo that, if we 
 could comprehend it,* his love for holinefs never 
 appears more clearly, than when he abandons 
 men to vice in this manner. 
 
 Doth he raife up kiigs ? it is always to </ 
 them to adminifter juftice, to protect the widow 
 and the orphan, to maintain order and religion. 
 Yet he often permits them to violate equity, to 
 opprefs their people, and to become the fcourges 
 
 of
 
 36 The Omnipresence of God* 
 
 of his anger. By them he frequently teacheth 
 us how little account he makes of human gian- 
 deurs, feeing he befiows then fometimes upon 
 unworthy men, upon men allured by voluptuouf- 
 nefs, governed by ambition, and dazzled with 
 their own glory, upon men who ridicule piety, 
 fell their confeiences, negociate faith and reli- 
 gion, facrificing the fouls of their children to the 
 infamous paffions that govern themfelves. 
 
 Doth he prolong our life ? it is becaufe he is 
 long suffering to us, 2 Pet. iii. 9. it is becaufe 
 he opens in our favour the riches of his goodness 
 and forbearance, to lead us to repentance, Rom. 
 ii. 4. 
 
 Doth he call us to die ? it is to open thofe 
 eternal books in which our aftions are regiftered; 
 it is to gather our fouls into his bofom, to bind 
 them up in the bundle cf life, 1 Sam. xxv. 29. 
 to mix them with the ranfomed armies of all na- 
 tions, tongues, end people, Rev. vii. 9. 
 
 'Such are our ideas of the omniprefence of God. 
 Thus God feeth all, influenceth all, direfteth all. 
 In this fenfe we arc to underftand this magnificent 
 'anguage of fcripture, M Will God indeed dwelt - 
 on the earth ? behold the heaven and the heaven 
 of heavens cannot contain thee," 1 Kings viii. 
 27. " Thus faith the Lord, The heaven is my 
 throne, and the earth is my footflool," Ifa. lxvi, 
 1. " Where is the houfe that ye build unto me? 
 do not I fill heaven and earth ? faith the Lord. 
 Am 1 God at hand, and not afar off? Can any 
 hide himfelf in fecret places that I [hall not fee 
 him I" Jer. xxiii. 23, 24. This is what the 
 heathens had a< gltmpfe of, when thfy faid, that 
 God was a circle, the centre of which was every 
 "where, and its circumference no where. That 
 all things were full of Jupiter. That he filled all 
 his works. That, fly whither we would, we were 
 always before his eyes. This is what the follow- 
 ers of Mahomet meant, when they faid, that 
 
 where
 
 The Omnipresence of God. 37 
 
 where there were two perfons, God made the 
 third ; where there were three, God made the 
 fourth. Above all, this was our prophet's mean- 
 ing throughout the Pi'alm, a part of which we 
 have explained. ** O Lord, thou haft fearched 
 me and known me. Thou knoweft my down- 
 fitting and mine up-riling, thou underftandeft mv' 
 thoughts afar off. Thou compafTeft my path and 
 my lying down, and art acquainted with alt my 
 ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, 
 but lo, O Lord, thou knoweft it altogether. 
 Thou haft befet me behind and before, and laid 
 hand upon me. Such knowledge is too 
 wonderful for me, I cannot attain unto it. 
 Whither (hall I go from thy fpirit ? or whither 
 {hall I flee from thy prefence ? If I afcend up 
 inro heaven, thou art there ; if I make my bed 
 in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the 
 wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermo'ft 
 parts of the fea ; even there (hall thy hand lead 
 me-, and thy right hand (hall hold me. If I fay, 
 Surely the darknefs thall cover me ; even the 
 night (hall be light about me. Yea, the dark- 
 net's hideth not from thee ; but the night (hineth 
 as the day : the darknefs and the light are both 
 alike to thee," ver. i, &c. 
 
 But perhaps, during the courfe of this medita- 
 tion, you may have murmured at our presenting 
 an objeA, of which all the preaching in the world 
 can give you only imperfect ideas. Sufpend your 
 Ments ; we are goi:ig to (hew you whither 
 this d'.fcourfe, all glimmering as it is, ought to 
 conducl you. We are going- to fee what falutary 
 cjoences follow our effort?, even the weal; 
 eft ;rts that we have been making, to explain the 
 grandeur and omniprcfence of God. 1. 
 to the conclufion, the chief dclign of this dif- 
 courfe. 
 
 1. Our firft rt flection is on tbs difficulties we 
 meet with in fixing our minds on such subjects 
 D 2 as 
 
 S3S48G
 
 38 The Omnipresence of God. 
 
 as ive have been hearing. You have doubtlcfs 
 experienced, if you have endeavoured to follow 
 us, that you are weary, and wander when you 
 wou!dgo beyond matter Our mmds find almoft 
 nothing real, where they meet with nothing fen- 
 fible. As if the whole effence of beings were 
 Corporeal, the mind loftth its way when it ceaf- 
 cth to be directed by bodies, and it needs the 
 help cf imagination to represent even thofe things 
 which are not fufceptible of images ; and yet 
 whatever is moft grand and noble in the nature 
 of beings, is fpirit. The fublimeft objects, angels 
 who are continually before God, seraphims who 
 cover their faces in his prefence, Ifa. vi. 2. cher- 
 tibiins who are the mmifters of his will, thousand 
 inds which minister unto him, ten thousand 
 limes ten thousand which stand before him, Dan. 
 vii. 10. what is mod glorious in man, what ele- 
 vates him above other animals, a foul made in 
 : iage of God himfelf, the Being of beings, 
 the Sovereign Beauty ; all thefe beings are fpir- 
 ituai, abftraft, free from fenfe and matter. 
 "Moreover, what pleafes and enchants us in bod- 
 en that comes from a fubject abftract, fpir- 
 ^nd corporeal. Without your foul, aliments 
 have no tafte, flowers no fmell, the earth no en- 
 amel, fire no heat, the ftars no brilliancy, the fun 
 to light. Matter of itfelf is void, and grofs, 
 deftitute of all the qualities with which our ima- 
 gination clothes it, and which are proper to our 
 fouls. What ought we to conclude from thij 
 Tffieclicn ? My brethren, have you no idea of 
 our dignity, and primitive grandeur ? Have 
 you not even yet fome faint refemblances of be- 
 ings formed in the Creator's image ? You ought, 
 feeble as you are, confined as you are in a man- 
 lier to matter, you fhould deplore your mifery ; 
 you fhould groan under that neceffity, which) in 
 fome fort, confounds your fouls with a little 
 duft ; you fhould figh after that happy ftate in 
 
 which
 
 The Omnipresence of God. 39 
 
 which your rapid, free, and unologged fpirits, 
 fhall meditate like themfelves. This is the firil 
 duty we fhould prefcribe to you. 
 
 2, Our next reflection is on the majesty of 
 our religion. That muff, certainly be thought 
 the true religion which gives us the noblefr ideas 
 of God. Let our religion be judged by this rule. 
 Where do we fee the attributes of the Supreme 
 Being placed in fo clear a light ? what can be 
 more noble than this idea of God ? what can be 
 conceived more fublime than a Being whom noth- 
 ing efcapes, before whom all things are naked and 
 open, Heb. iv. 13. who, by one fingle look, fully 
 comprehends all beings, part, prefent, ar.d to 
 come, all that do exift, all that poffibly can ex- 
 ift ; who thinks, in the fame inftant, with equal 
 facility on bodies and fpirits, on all the dimen- 
 sions of time and of matter ? What more noble 
 can be conceived than a Being who impartetrr- 
 himfflf to all, diffufeth bimfelf through all, influ- 
 tnceth all, giveth life and motion to all ? What 
 can be conceived more noble than a Being who 
 uireCleth the condudt of the whole univerfe, who 
 knoweth how to make all concur to his defigns, 
 who knoweth how to conned alike with the laws 
 of order and equity, the virtues of the righteous; 
 the vices of the wicked, the praifes of the happy, 
 the biaiphrmies of the victims facrificed to his 
 vengeance in hell ? When we find in any hea- 
 then philofopher, amidft a thoufand falfe notions, 
 amidft a thoufand wild imaginations, fome few 
 leaves of the flowers with which our bibles are 
 firewed, we are ready to cry a miracle, a miracle, 
 we tranfmit thefe fhreds of the Deity (if I may 
 be allowed to fpeak fo) to the moft diilant jwfter- 
 ity, and thefe ideas, all defective, and all defiled 
 3s they are, procure their authors immortal repu- 
 tation. On this principle, what refpec"t, what 
 veneration, what deference ought we to have for 
 the patriarchs ar:d the prophets, for the evangel- 
 
 ifta
 
 4P ' The Omnipresence of God. 
 
 ifts and the apoftles, who fpoke of God in fo fub- 
 lime a manner ! However, be not furprd'ed at 
 their fuperiority over the great pagan geniufes ; 
 had the biblical writers, like them, been guided 
 only by human reafon, like them they would have 
 wandered too. If they lpoke fo nobly of God, it 
 was becaufe they had received that spirit tvbo 
 searcheth all things, yta the deep things of God, 
 I Cor. li. 10. It was becaufe all scripture was 
 given by inspiration, 2 Tim. iii. 16. It was be- 
 caufe the prophecy came not in old time by the 
 tvitt of man, but holy men of God spake as they 
 were moved by the Holy Ghost, 2 Pet. i. 2 l . 
 
 3. Make a third reflection. This attribute of 
 God removes the greatest stumbling-blocks that 
 sceptics and inf dels pretend to meet ivitb in re- 
 ligion. It juftifies all thofe dark myfteries which 
 are above the comprehenfion of our feeble reafon. 
 We would not make ufe of this reflection to 
 open a way for human fancies, and to authorize 
 every thing that is prefented to us under the idea 
 of 'he marvellous. All docliines that are incorn- 
 prehenfible are not divine, nor ought we to em- 
 brace any opinion merely becaufe it is ceyrrvl 
 our knowledge. But when a religion, in other 
 refpecls, hath good guarantee?, when we have 
 good arguments to prove that fuch a' revelation 
 comes from heaven, when we certainly know that 
 it is God who fpeaks, ought we'io be fuTprifed, 
 if ideas of God, which come fo fully authenticat- 
 ed, abforb and confound us ? I freely grant, 
 that, had I confulted my own reafon only, 1 could 
 not have discovered tome myfteries of the gofpel. 
 Nevertheless, when I think on the immeniity of 
 God, when I caft my eyes on that vaft ocean, 
 when I confider that immenfe all, nothing arton- 
 ifhes me, nothing ftumbles me, nothing feems to 
 me inadmiffible, how incomprehenfible foever it 
 may be. When the fubjedt is divine, I am ready 
 to believe all, to admit all, to receive all ; pro- 
 vided
 
 The Omnipresence of God. 41 
 
 vided I be convinced that it is God himfelf who 
 fpeaks to rne, or any one on his part. After this, 
 I am no more aftonifhed that there are three dif- 
 tinot perfons in one divine efiVnce ; one God, and 
 yet a Father, a Son, and a Holy Ghoft. After 
 this, I am no more aRoruflied that God forefe'-.s 
 all without forcing any ; permits fin without 
 forcing the finner ; ordains free and intelligent 
 creatures to fuch and fuch ends, yet without de- 
 ftroying their intelligence or their liberty. Af- 
 ter this, I am no more aftonifhed that the juftice*- 
 of God required a fatisfacYion proportional to his 
 greatnefs, that his own love hath provided that 
 fatisfaction, and that God, from the abundance 
 of his compaflion, defigncd the myftery of an in- 
 carnate God ; a myftery which angels admire 
 while fceptics oppofe ; a myftery which abforbs 
 human reafon, but which fills all heaven with 
 fongs of praife ; a myftery which is the great 
 mystery, by excellence, 1 Tim. iii. 16. but the 
 greatnefs of which nothing fhould make us reject, 
 fince religion propofeth it as the grand effort of 
 the wifdom of the incomprehenfible God, and 
 commandeth us to receive it on the teftimony of 
 the incomprehenfible God himlelf. Either reli- 
 gion muft tell us nothing about God, or what it 
 tells us muft be beyond our capacities, and, in 
 difcovering even the borders of this immenfe 
 ocean, it muft needs exhibit a vaft extent in 
 which our feeble eyes are loft. But what fur- 
 prifes me, what ftum'ules me, what frightens me, 
 is to fee a diminutive creature, a contemptible 
 man, a little ray of light glimmering through a 
 few feeble organs, controvert a point with the 
 Supreme Being, oppofe that Intelligence who fit- 
 teth at the helm of the world ; tjueftion what he 
 affirms, difpute what he determine?, appeal from 
 his decifions, and, even after God hath given 
 evidence, reject all doctrines that are beyond his 
 capacity. Enter into thy nothingnefs, mortal 
 
 creature.
 
 4 1 The Omnipresence of Gzd. 
 
 creature. What madnefs animates thee ? How 
 dareft thou pretend, thou who art but a poim 7 
 thou whole effence is but an atom, to meafore 
 thyfclf with the Supreme Being, with him who 
 fills heaven and earth, with him whom heaven y 
 the heaven of heavens cannot contain ? \ Kings 
 viii. 27. u Canft thou by fearching find out 
 God ? Canft. thou find out the Almighty to per- 
 fection ? High as heaven, what canit thou do ? 
 deeper than hell, what canft thou know ?" Job 
 xi. 7. " He flretcheth out the north over the 
 empty place, and hangeth the earth upon noth- 
 ing. He bindeth up the waters in his thick 
 clouds, the pillars of heaven tremble, and are af- 
 tonifiied at his reproof: Lo thel'e are parts of his 
 ways, but how little a portion is heard of him ? 
 but the thunder of his power who can under- 
 flarid ? Gird up now thy loins like a man ; for 
 I will demand of thee, and anfwer thou me. 
 Where waft thou when I laid the foundations of 
 the earth ? declare, if thou haft underftanding," 
 ch. xxvi. 7, 1.1, 14. " Who hath laid the meaf- 
 ures thereof ? who hath Wretched the line upon 
 it ? whereupon are the foundations thereof fatt- 
 ened ? who laid the corner-ftone thereof, when 
 the morning {tars fang together, and all the fons 
 of God (hooted for joy ? Who flint, up the fea 
 with doors, when I made the cloud the garment 
 thereof, and thick darknefs a fw add ting baud for 
 it ? when I brake up for it my decreed place, and 
 fet bars and doors, and faid, Hitherto (halt thou 
 come and no further : and here fhall thy proud 
 waves be ftayed ?" ch. xxxviii. 1, 2, 3, Sec. " He 
 that reproveth God, let him anfwer this," cb. xl. 
 2. " O Lord, fuch knowledge is too wonBerful 
 for me ; it is too high, I cannot attain unto it !" 
 4. But, my brethren, (hall thefe be the only 
 inferences from our text ? fhall we reap only 
 fpeculations from this difcourfe ? fhall we only 
 believe, admire, and exclaim ? Ah 1 from this 
 
 ide*
 
 TAe Omnipresence of God. 
 
 idea of God, I fee all tbe virtues issue which re- 
 iigion prescria, s ! 
 
 If inch be the grandeur of the God I adore, 
 miferable wretch ! what ought my repentance to 
 be 1 1} a contemptible worm, I, a creature 
 whom God could tread beneath his feet, and 
 crulh into dull by a (ingle aft of his will, I have 
 rebelled againfl the great God, I have endeav- 
 oured to provoke bim to jealousy, as if I had been 
 stronger than he, 1 Cor. x. 2'2. I have infulted 
 that Majefty which the angels of heaven adore ; 
 I have attacked God, with madnefs and boldnefs, 
 on his throne,, and in his empire. Is it poffiole 
 to feel remorfes too cutting for fins which the 
 majefty of the offended, and the littlenefs of the 
 offender, make fo very atrocious? 
 
 If fuch be the grandeur of'God, what fhould 
 our humility be 1 Grandees of the world, mortal 
 divinities, who fwell with vanity in the prefence 
 of God, oppofe yourfelves to the immenfe God* 
 Behold his eternal ideas, his infinite knowledge, 
 his general influence, his univerfal dire&ion ; en- 
 ter bis immenfe ocean of perfections and virtues, 
 what are ye? a grain of dull, a point, an atom, 
 a nothing. 
 
 If fuch be the grandeur of God, what ought 
 our confidence to be ! " If God be for us, who 
 ran be againft us?'' Rom. viii. 31. Poor crea- 
 ture, toffed about the world, as by fo many 
 winds, by hunger, by licknefs, by perfecution, by 
 mifery, by nakednefs, by exile ; fear not in -a 
 veffel of which God himfelf is the pilot. 
 
 But above all, if fuch be the grandeur of God, 
 if God be every where prefent, what fhould our 
 vigilance be i and, to return to the idea with 
 which we began, what impreffion fhould thi3 
 thought make on reafonable fouls ! God seetb 
 me. When thou wast under tbe jig-tree , faid Je- 
 fus Ghrift to Nathaniel, I saw tbee, John i. 48. 
 See Ecclef. iii. 23, 24, 25. We do not know 
 
 what
 
 44 The Omnipresence c/12od. 
 
 what Jefus Chrift faw under the fig-tree, nor is it 
 neceffary now to inquire ; but it was certainly 
 fomethmg which, Nathaniel was fully perfuaded, 
 no mortal eye had Teen. As fooii, therefore, as 
 Jefus Chrift had uttered thefe words, he believed, 
 ;;nd laid, Rabbi, thou art the Christy the son of 
 the living God. My brethren, God ul'eth the 
 fame language to each of you to-day : when tbou 
 '.vast under the fig-tree^ J saw thee. 
 
 Thou hypocrite, when wrapped in a veil of re- 
 ligion, embel'ifhed with exterior piety, thou con- 
 ccaJedft an impious heart, and didft endeavour to 
 jropofe on God and man, I saw thee. I pene- 
 trated all tbofe labyrinths, I difupated all thofe 
 darkneffes, I dived into all thy deep defigns. 
 
 Thou worldling, who, with a prudence truly 
 internal, hall the art of giving a beautiful tint to 
 the moft odious objecls ; who appeared not t 
 hate thy neighbour, becaufe thcu doft not openly 
 attack him ; not to falsify thy promife, becaufe 
 thou haft the art of eluding it ; not to oppre-Gi 
 thy dependents, becaufe thou knoweft how to im- 
 pofe filence on them : I saw tbet y when thou 
 gave ft tbofe lecret ftabs, when thou didft receive 
 thole bribes, and diciii accumulate thofe wages of 
 unrighteoirfnefs, which cry for vengeance againft 
 thee. 
 
 Thou Have to fenfuality, afhameu of thine ex- 
 ceffes before the fjee of the fun, i~ saw tbee, 
 when, with bars and bolts, with obfeurity and 
 .-Is, aud complicated precautions, thou didft 
 h ; de thyfelf from the eyes of men, defile the tem- 
 ple of God, ar.d make the members of Christ the 
 hers of a harlot, 1 Cor. \i. 15. 
 My brethren, the difcourfes, \ hich we ufually 
 preach to you, abfjrb your minds in a multitude 
 oi" ideas, A coiieftion of moral ideas perhaps 
 confound inftead of inftrucli-g^yoU; and when wc 
 >t to engage you in too many refle&ions, 
 you enter really into none. Behold an epitpnie 
 
 at
 
 The Omnipreicnee of God. 45 
 
 '.igion. Behold a morality in three words. 
 Return to your houfes, and every where carry 
 this refle&ion with you, God seeth me, God sectb 
 To all the wiles of the devil, to all the 
 fnares of the world, to all the baits of (In, oppdfc 
 this refle&ion, God seeth me. If, clothed with 
 a human form, he were always in your path, were 
 he to follow you to every place, were he always 
 before you with his majeftic face, with eyes flafh- 
 ing with lightning, with looks infpiring terror, 
 dare ye before his augult prefence give a loofe to 
 your paillons ? But you have been hearing that 
 his inajeftic face is every where, thofe fparkling 
 eyes do infpett you in every place, thofe terrible 
 looks doconfider you every where. Particularly, 
 in the enfuing r.eek, while you are preparing for 
 the Lord's flipper, recollect thii-. Let each ex- 
 amine his own heart, and endeavour to fearch 
 Into his confeience, where he may difcover fo 
 much weaknefs, fo much corruption, fo much 
 hardnefs, fo many unclean fources overflowing 
 with fo many cxcefTes, and let this idea ftiike 
 each of you, God seetb me. God fceth me, as I 
 fee myfelf, unclean, ungrateful, and rebellious. 
 O may this idea produce contrition and forrow, a 
 juft remorfe and a found converfion, a holy and a 
 fervent communion, crowned with graces and 
 virtues. Happy, if, after our examination, we 
 have a new heart 1 a heart agreeable to thofe 
 eyes that fearch and try it ! Happy, if, after 
 our communion, after a new examination, we 
 can fay with the prophet, O Lord, thou hast 
 d mine heart, tbou bast tried me, arid bast 
 found nothing, Pfal. xvii. 3. So be ir. To God 
 be honour and glory for ever. Amen.
 
 a 1 I' ' . 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 THE MANNER OF PRAISING GOD. 
 
 Preached after the adminiftration of the Lord's 
 Supper. 
 
 Psalm xxxiii. i. 
 
 l'raise is comely for the upright* 
 
 A HERE is fomething very noble, my 
 brethren, in the end for which we are now af- 
 ftrabled in the prefence of God. His providence 
 hath infinitely diveriified the conditions of thofe 
 who compofe this affrmbly. Some are placed in 
 ihe molt eminent, others in the m"oft obfcure pofls 
 of fociety. Some live in fplendor and opulence, 
 others in rneannefs and indigence. One is em- 
 ployed in the turbulence of the army, anoth 
 the filence of the ttudy. Notwithftandinf 
 infinite variety of employments, ranks, at;d ages, 
 we all aflemble to-day in one place ; one el 
 occupies us ; one fentimeh't animates us ; one 
 voice makes the church refound, Praise yc the 
 Lord, Jor his mercy enduretb far ever, Plaf. 
 rxxxvi. 1. If there be an objett, that can give 
 a mortal any ideas of the firft impreflTons, which 
 are made on a foul, at its firft entering the glori- 
 ous palace of the bleffcd God in heaven, it is this. 
 The firft objedV., that ftrike fuch a foul, are mul- 
 titudes of all nation?, tongues, and people, con- 
 centered in a meditation on the beneficence of 
 God, proftrating themfetv'es before his throne, 
 rafting their crowns at his feet, and crying out 
 of the abundance of their hearts, which contem- 
 plate the perfections of a Being worthy of their 
 profoundeft praife, Amen, Blessing, and glory, 
 and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and bonour, and 
 
 paver, j
 
 48 The Manner of praising God. 
 
 power y and m4ght j be unto our God, for ever and 
 ever, Amen, Rev. vii. \2. " We give thee 
 thauka, O Lord God- Almighty, which art, and 
 wafh, and art to come ; becaufe thou haft taken 
 to thee thy great power, and haft reigned," chap. 
 x'. 17. "Great and marvellous are thy work?) 
 Lord God Almighty ; juft and true are thy ways, 
 thou King of faints I" chap. xv. 3. "Unto him 
 that loved us, and warned us from our fins in his 
 own blood, and hath made us king* and priefts 
 unto God and his Father; to him be glory and 
 dominion for ever and ever, Amen," chap. i. 5. 6. 
 This is the employment of the bleffed in heaven : 
 this is what we are dying to-day on earth. 
 
 But what a contradiction, what a contraft ap 
 pears, when, lifting up the exterior habit of pie- 
 ty, that covers fome of u-s, we examine the in- 
 ward difpoutions of the heart. The pfalmsj 
 which are uttered with the voice, are contradict- 
 ed by the tempers of the heart. The mouthsj 
 that were juft now opened to blefs the Creator, 
 will vefently be opened again to blafpheme and 
 to curie him. The praifes, which feemed fo prop- 
 er to pleafe him in whofe honour thry were of- 
 fered, will incur this reproof, Thou rjieked man ! 
 What bast thou to do to take mj covenant in thy 
 -mvuth ? Pfa!. 1. 16. 
 
 My brethren, if we would join our voices with 
 thofe of angels, we muft have the fentiments of 
 angels. We muft, (at leaft as far as the duty is 
 imitable by fuch frail creatures') we muft, in or- 
 der to worfhip God, as thofe happy fpirits praifc 
 him, love him as they do, ferve him as they do, 
 devote ourfelves to him as they devote tkemit'.ves 
 to him ; and this is the manner of praifmg God, 
 to which I exhort, and in which I would endeav- 
 our to inftruct you to-day, agreeably to the proph. 
 et's exalted notion of it in the words of the text. 
 What day can be more proper to infpirc fuch a. 
 noble defign I What day can he more proper ta, 
 
 epgage
 
 The Manner of praising God. 49 
 
 engage you to mix your worfhip with that of 
 fjlorilied intelligences, than this, on which we 
 are come unto the city of the living God, the 
 heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company 
 of angels, and to the first-born which arc written 
 in heaven ? Heb. xii. 22, 23. 
 
 But, who are we, to be admitted into a fociety 
 fo holy ? Great God ! Thou doft appear to us 
 to-day, as thou didft formerly to thy prophet, 
 ig upon a throne, high and lifted up, ana t?h 
 train filing the temple, Ifa. vi. 1. Aioundthee 
 iland the feraphims, covering themftrlves with 
 their wings in thy majeftic prefence, and crying 
 one to another, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of 
 hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory, ver. 3. 
 We are ftricken, as thy prophet was, with fuch 
 . a tremendous vifion, and each of us cries with 
 him, Woe is me ! I am undone ! I am a man of 
 unclean lips ! and yet, mine eyes have seen the 
 \ the Lord of hosts, ver. 5. O great God ! 
 command one of thy feraphims to fly to us, as he 
 i ; bid him touch "our mouths, as he 
 lis, with a live coal taken from off the 
 dftar, ver. 6, and, in this d<\y of grace and mer- 
 cy, let him fay to each of us, Lj, this bath toucfL 
 r, and ti uity is taken azvay y 
 
 rged ,' Amen, ver. 7. 
 omely for the upright." The 
 i; a duty, of which form 
 
 general and ^.particular 
 .t/ notion of praife, I mean, 
 ho, being cspabie of ex- 
 ibfime objects, and of comprehending 
 vds, fixeth his attention on the attri- 
 ot God, feels the force of thofe proofs 
 Mill: the truth cf them, is delighted 
 to a certain degree, and is happy in 
 their praife. I mean, by a particular 
 i of pratfing God, the cxerciie of a man, 
 
 E 2 wh
 
 
 
 o The Manner of praising God. 
 
 "who, having received fome fignal favour of God* 
 loves to exprefs his gratitude for it. 
 
 Each of thefe exercifes of praife fuppofeth re- 
 flections and sentiments. To praife God in, the 
 fenfe, to reflect on bis attributes, to con- 
 verfe, and to- write about them, without having 
 the heart aHe&ed, and without loving a Being, 
 who is defcribed as fupremely amiable, is a life- 
 Isfs praife, more fit for a worldly philofopher 
 than for a rational chriftian. To praife God in 
 the fecond ferife, to be affected with the favours 
 of God, without having any diftincl notions of 
 God, without knowing whether the defcriptions 
 of the pcrfe&ions, that are attributed to him, be 
 flights of fancy or real truths, is an exercife 
 more \ for a bigot, who believes without know- 
 ing why, than. for a spiritual man, who judge th 
 ail things, 1 Cor. ii. 15. If we dilhnguilh the 
 part, which thefe two faculties, reflection and 
 fentitnentj take in thefe two exercifes of praife, 
 We may obferve that the firft, I mean the praife: 
 of God taken in a general fenfe, is the fruit of 
 rejection, and the fecond of sentiment. The firft 
 is, if I may be allowed to fpeak fo, the praife -of 
 the mind ; the fecond is the praife of the hear?. 
 
 It is difficult to determine which of thefe two- 
 notions prevails in the text, whether the pfalm-ifl 
 ufe the word praise in the firft or in the fecond 
 fenfe. If we judge by the whole fubjec>. of the 
 pfalm, both are included. The praife of the heart 
 is eafily difcovered. Whether the author of the 
 pfalm were Hezckiah, as many of the fathers, 
 thought, who fay, this prince compofed it after 
 the miraculous defeat of Senacherib ; or wheth- 
 er, which is moil likely, David weie the compof- 
 er of it, after one of thofe preternatural deliver- 
 ances, with which his life was fa often fignaliz- 
 ed j what I call the praife of the heart, that is, 
 a lively fenfe of fome ineftimable bleffing,. is 
 learly^o be feeu. On the other hand, it is ftili 
 
 clearer 3
 
 The Manner of praising God. 54 
 
 clearer, that the i'acred author doth not celebrate 
 only one particular objedt in the pfalm. He 
 gives a greater fcope to his meditation, and com- 
 prifeth in it all the works, and all the perfections 
 f God. 
 
 Although the (oleinnity of this day calls us lefs 
 to the praife of the mind, than to that of the 
 heart ; although we intend to make the latter 
 the principal fubject of this difcourl'e ; yet it i.: 
 neceffary to attend a little to the former. 
 
 I. The praise of the Lord, taking the word 
 praife in the vague fenfe, that we have affixed to 
 the term, is comely for the upright ;- and it is 
 comely for none but for them. 
 
 "Praife is comely for the upright." Nothing- 
 is more worthy of the attention of an intelligent 
 being, particulaily, nothing is more worthy of 
 the imitation of a iuperior genius, than the won- 
 derful perfections of the Creator. A man of fu- 
 perior genius is required, indeed, to ufe his tal- 
 ents to cultivate the fciences and the liberal arts j. 
 but after all, the mind of man, efpecially of that 
 man to whom God hath given fuperior talents, 
 which affimilate him to Geleftial intelligences, was 
 not created to unravel a point in chronology, to 
 learn the various founds by which different na- 
 tions fignify their ideas, to meafure a line, or to 
 lofe itfelf in an algebraic calculation ; the mind 
 of fuch a man was not created to ftudy the ftar;, 
 to count their number, to meafure their magni- 
 tude, to difcover more than have yet been obferv- 
 ed. Nobler objects ought to occupy him. It 
 becomes fuch a man to contemplate God, to guide 
 the reft of 'mankind, to lead them to God, who 
 dvjelleth in the light, which no man can approach 
 unto, I Tim. vi. 16. and to teach us to attenu- 
 ate clouds, that hide him from our feeble eyes. 
 It becomes fuch a man to ufe that fuperiority, 
 which his knowledge gives him over us, to elevate 
 our ucaiu above the low region of terreftrial 
 
 things
 
 52 The Manner of praising God. 
 
 things, where they grovel with the brute beafts, 
 snd to help us to place them on the bright abod: 
 of the immortal God. Tbtpraise'&f the Lord is 
 comely for upright men. 
 
 But praife is comely cr.ly for upright men. I 
 believe it is needlefs now to explain the word 
 uprightness. The term is taken in the text in 
 the nobleft fenfe : this is a fi.fticieat explication, 
 and this is fufficient alio to convince us that the 
 praifing of God is comely for none but upright 
 men. I cannot fee, without indignation, a phi- 
 lofopher trifle with the important qurfuons that 
 relate to the attributes of God, and make them 
 iimple exercifes of genius, in which the heart 
 hath no concern, examining, whether there be a 
 God, wit!) the fame indifference with which hs 
 inquires whether there be a vacuum in nature, or 
 whether matter be infinitely divisible. On deter- 
 mining the queftions which relate to the divine, 
 attributes, depend our hoped and feats, the plans 
 we mufi form, and the courfe of life we ought to 
 purfue ; and with thefe views we fhould examine 
 the perfections of Gocl ; thefe are confequences 
 that fhouid follow our inquiries. With fuch clif- 
 politions the pfalmilt celebrated the praifes of 
 God, in the pfalm out of which we have taken' 
 the text. Plow comely are the praifes of God in 
 the mouth of fuch a man 1 
 
 Let us follow the holy man a moment in his 
 meditation; His pfalm is not compofed in fchol- 
 kUic form, in which the author confines himfeli" 
 : fixed rules, and fcrupuloufly following a phi- 
 iofophicnl method, lays down principles, and in- 
 fers confequences. However, he eftablHheth 
 principles the moft proper tcgive us fublime ideas 
 cf the Creator; and he fpeaks with more pfecif- 
 ion of the works and attributes of God, than the 
 greateft philofophers have fooken them. 
 
 How abfurdly have philofophers treated cf the 
 rigin of the world . ? How fw of them have 
 
 rcaibiicd
 
 Thi Manner of praising God. 53 
 
 reafbned conclufively on this important fubject ? 
 Our prophet folvcs the important queftion by one 
 ftngle principle, and what is more remarkable, 
 this principle, which is nobly exprefied, carries 
 the cleareft evidence with it. The principle is 
 this : By the word of the Lord luere the heavens 
 made, and all the host of them by the breath of 
 his mouth. This is the moft rational account 
 that was ever given of the creation of the world* 
 The world is the work of a felf-efficient will, and 
 it is this principle alone that can account for its 
 creation. The moft fimple appearances in nature 
 are fufFicient to lead us to this principle. Either 
 my will is felf-efficient, or there is fome other 
 beiug whofe will is felf-efficient > 
 
 What I fay of myfelf I fay of my parents, and 
 wh:it I affirm of my parents I affirm of my more 
 remote anceftors, and of all the finite creatures 
 from whom, they derived their exiftence. Moft 
 certainly, either finite beings have felf-efficient 
 wills, which it is impoffible to fuppofe, for % 
 finite creature with a felf-efficient will is a con- 
 tradiction ; either, I fay, a finite creature hath a 
 felf-efficient will, or there is a firft caufe who 
 hath a felf-efficient will ; and that there is fuch 
 a being, is the principle of the pfalmift : By the 
 word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all 
 the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 
 
 If philofophers have reafoned inconclufively on 
 the origin of the world, they have fpoken of its 
 government with equal uncertainty. The pfalm- 
 ift determines this queftion with great facility, 
 by a fingle principle, which refults from the for- 
 mer, and which, like the former, carries its evi- 
 dence with it. " The Lord looketh from heav- 
 en : he confidereth all the works of all the inhab- 
 itants of the earth," ver. 13, 14. This is the 
 do&rinc of Providence. And on what is the 
 doctrine of Providence founded ? On this prin- 
 ciple ; GoAfashioneth their hearts alike, ver. 15. 
 
 Attend
 
 5'4 The Manner of praising God, 
 
 Attend a moment to the evidence of this reafon- 
 :rig, my brethren, The doctrine or" Providence, 
 expreffed in thefe words, God considereib the 
 works of the inhabitants of the earth, is a necef- 
 fary confequence of this principle, God fasbianetb 
 their hearts alike ; and this principle is a nece'.'- 
 fary confequence of that which the pfalmift had 
 before laid down to account for the origin of the 
 world. Yes ! from the doclrine of God the Cre- 
 ator of men, follows that of God the infpectorY 
 The director, the rcwarder, and the punifher of 
 their aclions. One of the'moft fpecious objec- 
 tions, that hath ever been oppofed to the doclrine 
 of Providence, is a contrail between the grandeur 
 of God and the- m'eannefs of men,- How ca;i 
 foch an infignificant creature as man, be an ob- 
 ject of the care and attention of fuch a magnifi- 
 cent Being as God ? No objection can be more 
 fpecious, or, in appearance, more invincible. 
 The diftar.ee between the meanelt infecl and the 
 jjiightieft monarch, who treads and crufhes rep- 
 tiles to death without the leaft regard to thero,- 
 is a very imperfect image of the diftance between 
 God and man. That which proves that it would 
 be beneath the dignity of a monarch to obferve 
 the motions of ants, or worms,- to interelt him- 
 felf in their aclions, to punifii, or to reward them, 
 feems to demou.lrate, that God would degrade 
 Jiimfeif were he to oblVrv?, to direcl, to punifh, 
 to reward mankind, who are infinitely inferior to 
 liim. But, one f-idl is fuificient to anfwer this 
 fpecicus objection : That is, that God hath cre- 
 ated mankind. Doth God degrade himfelf more 
 by governing than by creating mankind ? Who 
 can perfoade himfelf, that a wife Being hath giv- 
 en to intelligent creatures faculties capable of 
 obtaining knowledge and virtue, without willing 
 that they (hould endeavour to acquire knowledge 
 and virtue ? Or who can imagine, that a wife 
 Beings who willeth that his intelligent creatures 
 
 ihould
 
 The Manner of praising God. 55 
 
 fnould acquire knowledge and virtue, will not 
 punifh them, if they neglect thole arrjnifuions ; 
 and will not Shew, by the distribution of his ben- 
 r'ts, that he approves their endeavours to obtain 
 
 Unenlightened philofophers have treated of the 
 attributes of God with as much abftruSeneSs as 
 they have written of his works. The moral at- 
 tributes cf God, as they are caii-d in the Schools, 
 &ere myfteries which they could not unfold. 
 Thefe may be reduced to two claffes, attributes 
 of goodness and attributes of justice, PhiloSo- 
 
 , who have admitted thefe, have uSually 
 taken th3t for granted which they ought to have 
 proved. They. 'collected together in their minds 
 11 perfection.:, they reduced them all to one ob- 
 ject, which tney denominated a perfect Being 2 
 and fuppofing, without proving, that a perfect 
 ig exified, they attributed to him, without 
 
 , every thing that they considered as a per- 
 ;ecYion. The pfalmiSt fnews, by a furer way, 
 that there is a God Supremely juSt, and Supremely 
 good. It is neceffary, in order to convince a ra- 
 tional being of the juflice and goodnefs of God, 
 to follow fuch a method as that which we follow 
 to prove his existence. When we would prove 
 the existence of God, we Say, there are creatures ; 
 therefore, there is a Creator. In like manner, 
 when we would prove, that the Creator is a juSt 
 and a good Being, we fay, there are qualities of 
 goodnefs and juhice in creatures ; therefore, he, 
 from whom thefe creatures derive their existence, 
 
 Being ju!t and good. Now this is the rea- 
 soning of the pfalmift, in this pSalm : The Lord 
 
 ' righteousness and judgment, the earth is 
 full cf the gjodness. of the Lord, ver. 5. that is 
 
 y, it h impoSfiole to confidcr the works of 
 
 Creator, without receiving evidence of his 
 goodnefi. All the works of nature, which de- 
 monftrtte the goodnefs of God, prove his juftice 
 
 alfo ;
 
 56 The Manner of praising God. 
 
 alio ; for God hath created us with fnch difpofi- 
 lions, that we cannot enjoy the gifts of his good- 
 Defs without obeying the laws of his righteouf- 
 nefs. The happinefs of an individual, who pro- 
 cures a pleafure by difobeying the laws of equity, 
 is a violent happinefs, which cannot be of long 
 duration.; and the profperity of public bodies, 
 when it is founded in iniquity, is an edifice, 
 which with its bafes will be prefently funk and 
 gone. 
 
 But what we would particularly remark is, 
 that the excellent principles of the pfalmift, con- 
 cerning God, are not mere fpeculations, but 
 truths from which he derives practical inferences; 
 and be aims to extend their influence beyond pri- 
 vate perfons, even to legiflai.or3 and conquerors. 
 One would think, confidering the conduct of 
 mankind, that the confequenc.es, which are drawn 
 from the doctrines of which we have been ipeak- 
 ing, belong to none but to the dregs of the peo- 
 ple ; that law-givers and conquerors have a plan 
 of morality peculiar to themfelves, and-are above 
 the rules to which ether men muft fubmit. Our 
 prophet had other notions. What are his max- 
 ims of policy ? They are all included in thefe 
 words. : Blessed is the nation whose God is the 
 Z.ord, and the people whom be batli chosen for 
 his own inheritance, ver. 12. What are his 
 military maxims ? They are all included in thefe 
 words : There is no king saved by the mxtltttude 
 of an host : a v.iighij man is not delivered by 
 much strength : An horse is a vain thing for 
 softy ; neither shell he deliver any by his great 
 strength, vcr. 16, 17. Who propofeth thefe 
 (Maxims ? A hermit, who never appeared on the 
 theatre of the world ? or a man deflitute of the 
 talents necefTary to fliine there ? No : one of 
 the wifeft of kings ; one of the molt bold and 
 able generals ; a man, whom God himfelf elect- 
 ed to govern his chofen people, and to command 
 
 thofe
 
 The Manner of praising God. 57 
 
 tbofe armies, which fought the mod obftinate 
 battles, and gained the mod complete victories. 
 Were I to proceed in explaining the fyftem of 
 the pfalmift, I might prove, that as he had a 
 right to infer the doctrine of Providence from the 
 works of nature, and that of the moral attributes 
 of God from the works of creation ; fo, from the 
 doctrines of the moral attributes of God, of Prov- 
 idence, and of the works of creation, he had a 
 right to conclude, that no conquerors or law-giv- 
 ers could be truly happy, but thofe who acted 
 agreeably to the laws of the juft and good Su- 
 preme. But 1 (hall not enlarge on this article. 
 
 Permit we only to place in one point of view 
 the different phrafes, by which the pfalmift de- 
 fcribes the Deity in this pfalm. "The earth is 
 full of the goodnefs of the Lord. By the word 
 of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the 
 hoft of them by the breath of his mouth. He 
 gathereth the waters of the Tea together, as an 
 heap 4 he layei > up the depth in ftorehoufes. 
 The Lord looketh from heaven : he beholdeth all 
 the fons of men. From the place of his habita- 
 tion he lookc th upon all the inhabitants of the 
 earth. He fafliioneth their hearts alike ; he con- 
 fidereth al! their works," ver. 5 7, 13 15. 
 
 From thefe fpeculative Ideas of God, he de- 
 rives the following rules of practice. k ' Let all 
 the earth f :ar toe Lord : let all the inl abitants 
 of the world flani in awe of him. Our foul wiit- 
 cth for the Lo^d : he is our help and our fliitld. 
 For our rr'art fhall icjcice in hin, becaufe we 
 lMve crafted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, 
 O Lord, be 'jp->n ri according as we hepe in 
 thee," ver. 8, 2022. How delightful it is, 
 my brethren, to i:;'-ak of God, when one haili 
 talents to fpeak of him in fiich a noble manner, 
 and when on- intends to pro;uute the fear and 
 the love of bin), w::b a;- univerfal obed'eVicc to 
 m all that i* taui ! How well it becomes 
 F fuch
 
 58 The Manner of praising God. 
 
 fuch a man to praife God ! The praise of the 
 Lord is comely in the months of upright men. 
 
 II. Let us now apply the fubjeft more imme- 
 diately to the fervice of this day. To praise 
 God is a phrafe, which is fometimes taken, in .a 
 particular fenfe, for the exeicife of a perfon, who, 
 having received Angular favours of God, delights 
 in expreffing his gratitude to him. This praise 
 is comely in tbe mouth of an upright man, for 
 four reafons. > 
 
 Firft. Becaufe he arrangeth them in their true 
 order, highly eftimating what deferves a ,!;igh 
 efteeni, and moft highly eftimating what deferves 
 the higheft efteem. 
 
 Secondly. Btcaufe he employs all his benefit* 
 in the fervice of his benefactor. 
 
 Thirdly. Becaufe, while he recounts his bleff- 
 ings, he diverts himfelf of all merit, and afcribes 
 tlem only to the goodnefs of God from whom 
 they proceed. 
 
 Fourthly. Becaufe he imitates that goodnefs 
 and lave, which inclined God-to blefs him in fuch 
 a manner. 
 
 I will affix to each of thefe reflections a fingle 
 word. Praise, or if you will, gratitude, is come- 
 ly for the upright, becaufe it is wise, real, bum- 
 lie, and magnanimous ; In thefe four refpedls, 
 praise is comely for tbe upright. Thefe are the 
 fentiments, with which the holy facrament, of 
 which we have taken this morning, fhould infpirc 
 vs. Thefe are the moft important reflections; 
 with which we can clofe this difcourfe. 
 
 1. The gratitude of upright men is wise. The 
 praife of the Lord becomes them well, becaufe, 
 while they blefs God for all their mercies, they 
 arrange them in their proper order ; they prize 
 each according to its real worth, and that rnoft 
 .jpi all which is of the greateft value. It is a very 
 mortifying reflection, my brethren, tht the more 
 we ftudy ourfelves, the more clearly we perceive, 
 
 that
 
 The Manner of praising God. 5y 
 
 tfi'at the love of the world, and of fer.nble th 
 is the chief fprihgs of all our actions and fenti,- 
 Boentf. This dilagreeable truth is proved. 
 only by the nature of oar vices, but even by th 
 genius of our virtues ; not only by the offences 
 we commit agaioft God, but by the very duties 
 we perform in his iervice. 
 
 A per Ion fo ungrateful, as not to difcover any 
 gratitude to God, when he bellows temporal Wett- 
 ings on him, can fcaixely be found. We praife 
 God, when he delivers us from any public calam- 
 ity, or from any domeftic adveifuy ; when he re- 
 covers us from dangerous illnefs ; when he raif- 
 eth us up an unexpected friend, or a protector, 
 who ailiili us ; when he fends us fome prolperity, 
 tvhich renders life more eafy. In fuch cafe-s as 
 Hide, we render an homage to God, that cannot 
 be refufed without ipgratitude. 
 
 But we are extremely blameable, when, v 
 'ac feel the \alue of thefe bltflings, we r njaju 
 iiifcr.ftble cf the worth of other i \vTTicn 
 
 ^re infinitely r.vore valuable, arid which merit 
 itely li'.orc gratitude. A blcGIng, that di- 
 rectly regards the foul, is more valuable than oae 
 which regards only the budy. A Llcfling, that 
 is our eternal happtnefs, is of greater worth, 
 than one which infiuenceth only the happinefs of 
 this life. Whence is it then, that, being fo fen- 
 Cble of blcffings of the fir ft kind, we are fo little 
 affected, with thole of the laft ? How comes it 
 to pals, that we are fo full of gratitude, when 
 God gives the ftate fome fignal vi&Ory j when 
 he profpers its trade ; when be ftrengthens the 
 bonds, that unite it to powerful and faithful al- 
 lies ; and fo void of it, while he continues to 
 gran; it the greatefl bleffing that a fociety of ra* 
 tional creatures can enjoy, I mean a liberty it> 
 ferve God according to the dictates of our own 
 confeiences ? Whence is it, that we are fo very 
 .t'ul to Gjd fun prelsivirig # our lives from the 
 
 dangers
 
 6o The Manner of praising God. 
 
 dangers that daily threaten them ; and fo little 
 thankful tor his miraculous patience with us, to 
 which it is owing, that, after we have hardened 
 our hearts againft his voice one year, he invites 
 us another year ; after we have faftified our 
 promifes made cm one folemfiity, he calls us to 
 another folemnity, and giveth us new opportuni- 
 nies of being more faithful to him ? Whence 
 comes this difference ? Follow it to its fource. 
 Djcs it not proceed from what we jufl now faid ? 
 Is not love of the world, and of fenfible things, 
 the grand fpring of our anions and fentiaients ? 
 The world, the world ; lo ! this is the touchftone, 
 by which we judge of good and evil ! 
 
 An upright man judgeth in another manner : 
 he will, indeed, bleis God for all his benefits j 
 bin ai he knows how to arrange then, fo he 
 knows how to prize each according to its worth, 
 and how to apportion his efteeni to the real value 
 ftf them all. 
 
 According to fuch an efttmatiop, what obght 
 not our gratitude to God be to-day, my dear 
 brethren ! We may allure ourfelves with the 
 utmoft truth, that had the Lord united in our 
 hcufes to-d-.iy, pleafures, grandeurs, and dignities ; 
 liad he promiled each of us a life longer than that 
 of a patriarch \ a family as happy as that of Job, 
 after his misfortunes ; glory a3 great as that of 
 Solomon ; he would have beftowed nothing equal 
 to that blcffing, which he gave us this morning. 
 He forgave thofe fins, which, had they taken 
 their natural courfe, would have, occalioned end- 
 lefa rcmorfe, and would have plunged us into 
 everlaTmg mifery and woe. A peace was sled 
 abroad in our confeiences, which gave us a fore- 
 tafie of heaven. He excited hopes, that abforb- 
 ed our fouls in their grandeur. Let us fay all in 
 one word : he gave us his Son. " He that fpar- 
 ed not his own Son, how fliall he not with him 
 alfo freely give ai all things:" Kom. viii. 3i.' 
 
 2. The
 
 Manner of praising God* 61 
 
 2. The gratitude of upright men is rid. The 
 praii'e of the Lord becomes them, becaufe, while 
 they praife God for his benefits, they live to the 
 gloiy of their benefactor. Every gift of God 
 furnilheth us wkh both a motive and a mean of 
 obedience to him. It is an excels of ingratitude 
 to make a contrary ufe of his gifts, and to turn 
 the benefits that we receive, againft the benefac- 
 tor from whom we receive them. What gifts 
 are they, by which God hath moll diftinguifhed 
 us ? Thee be hath dHlinguifiied by a penetrating 
 genius, which renders the higheft object*, the 
 dcepeft myftcries, acreffible to thee. Wo be to 
 thee 1 if thou employ this gift to invent argu- 
 ments againil the truths of religion, and to find 
 out fopjufms that befriend infidelity. An Up} ight 
 man devotes this gift to his benefadlor ; he avails 
 himfelf of bis genius, to difcover the folly of 
 i'ceptical fophifms, and to demonitrate the truth 
 of religion. On thee he hath'beftwed an altotl- 
 ilhtog memory.'- Wo be to thee ! if thou ufe it 
 to retain the pernicious maxims of the world. 
 An upright man dedicates this giu to his btnt- 
 facior ; be e-mploys his memory in .retaining the 
 excellent lciTons of equity, charity, and patience, 
 which the holy Spirit hath taught hi:n ill the 
 fcriptures. To ihce be hath given an authorita- 
 tive elocution, to which every hearer is forced to 
 Dow. Wo be to thee 1 if thou apply this rare 
 talent to feduce the minds, and to d prave the 
 hearts, of mankind.- An upright ui- devotes 
 this bleflirig to the fervice of his benefactor ; he 
 lifeth his eloquence to U'tc the minds of men from 
 error, and their lives from vice. Towards thee 
 God hath exercifed a patience, which Teems con- 
 trary to his ufual rules of conduit towards fin- 
 ners, and by which he hath abounded toward 
 thee in forbearance and longun*erii)g. Wo be 
 to thee ! if thou turn this bleilrng into an oppor- 
 tunity of violating the- commands 6f God ; if 
 F 2 thinfc
 
 62 The Manner of praising God, 
 
 thine obftinacy run parallel with his patience, 
 and if, because sentence against an evil work is 
 ?iot executed speedily, thy heart be fully set in 
 thee to do evil, Eccl. viii. I 1. An upright man 
 devotes this blefiing- to his benefactor's lervice. ' 
 From the patience of God he derives motives o 
 repentance. How eafily H)ight this article ba 
 enlarged I how fruitful in inflrucFion would it 
 be ca this fole-mnity ! But we proceed. 
 
 3. Gratitude to God well becomes an upright- 
 man, becaule it is humble ; becauie an upright 
 xnan, by publishing the gifts of God's grace, dU- 
 vcfts himfelf of himfelf, and attributes them whol- 
 ly to the goodnefs ef him from whom they eame. 
 Fur fruij Uo be a profane mixture of the reaL 
 grandcjrs of the Creator with tha fanciful gran- 
 deurs of creatures i Far b* thofe praifes, in 
 which we who offers them always finds, in his. 
 own excellence, the motives that induced the 
 lord to beftow his benefits on him ! 
 
 Two reflections always exalt the gTfts of God, 
 m the eys of an upright man ; a tciledlion on 
 bis meannefs, and a reflection on his unworthi- 
 uefs ; and it is with this comelinefs of humility, 
 ii I may venture to call it fa, that I wilb to en- 
 gage you to praife God for the blefftngs of th>& 
 ay. 
 
 1. Meditate on your meanness. Contraft 
 yourfelve* with God, who gives himfelf to you 
 to-day in fuch a tender manner. How foon is 
 the capacity of man abforbed in the works and 
 attributes of God ! Conceive, if thou be capable, 
 the grandeur of a Being, wl *> made the heavens 
 ly his word, and all the host of them by the 
 treatb of his mouih. Think, if thou be capable 
 of thinking, of the glory of a Being, who exifted 
 from all eternity, whofe underftanding is infinite, 
 whofe power is irrefiflible, whofe will is above 
 controul. Behold him filling the whole umvcrfe 
 with his prefuice. Behold hira in the palace of 
 
 his
 
 The Manner of praiiivg God* 5j r 
 
 his glory, inhabiting the praises of the bleiTcd^ 
 Plal. xxii. S, Unrounded by thoufund thoufand*,. 
 and by ten thoufand times ten thou land angeli, 
 who excel in ftrength, and who delight to fly at 
 ...i\ fignal of his will. Thou human i'oul I 
 contemplate this object, and recover "thy re a fon. 
 What art thou ? What was thine origin ? 
 What is thine end ? Thou diminutive atom I 
 great only in thine own eyes ; behold thyfelf in 
 thy true point of view. Duft ! allies! putreiac- 
 tion ! glorious only at the tribunal of thine own 
 pride ; divert thyfelf of the tawdry grandeur in 
 which thou loveft to array thyfelf. Thou va- 
 pour 1 thou dream 1 thou exhalation of the 
 earth 1 evaporating in the air, and having no 
 oilier confidence than what thine own imagina* 
 ion gives thee ; behold thy vanity and noihing- 
 nefs. Yet this dream, this exhalation, this va- 
 pour, this duft, and afhes, and putrefa&ion, this 
 diminutive creature, is an object of the eternal 
 caie and love of its God. For thee, contempti- 
 ble creature 1 th Lord ftretched out the heav- 
 ens ; for thee he laid the foundation of the earth. 
 Let us fay more : For thee, contemptible crea- 
 Jre 1 God formed the plan of redemption. 
 Whui could determine the great Jehovah to com- 
 inumcate himfelf, in fuch a tender and intimate 
 manner, to i'o contemptible a creature as man I 
 His goodnefs, his goodnefs alone. 
 
 Although a fenfe of our meannefs mould not 
 terrify and confound us, yet it fhould exclude ar- 
 rogance, and excite lowly fentiments r But what 
 will our humility be, if wc eftunate the gifts of 
 God's grace by an idea of our unwoahinefs ? 
 Let each recollect the mortifying hiftory of Jiis 
 own life. Remember, thou ! thy fiery youth, ia 
 which, forgetting all the principles that thy pious 
 parents hid taught thee, thou didft acknowledge 
 bo law but thine own paffionate and capricious 
 will. Kemcmber, thou ! that period, in which 
 
 thy
 
 4. The Manner of praising God. 
 
 thy heart being infatuated with one object, and 
 wholly employed about it, thou didft make it 
 thine idol, and didlt facriiice to it thine honour, 
 thy duty, thy. God. Recollect, thou ! the ciuel 
 tile, that for many years thou didft make of thy 
 credit, thy riches, thy rank, when, being devour- 
 ed with felf-luve, thou waft irifenfible to the voice 
 of the widow and the orphan, and to a number 
 of diftreffed people, who' foliched relief. He- 
 member, thou 1 that fatal hour, the recollection 
 of which ought to make thy bead waters, and 
 thine ejes a. fountain of tears, Jer. ix. 1. that 
 fatal hour, in which, God having put thee into 
 the fiery trial of pcriecution, thou couldft not 
 abide the proof. Li k a Peter, thou didft not Anoint 
 a difgraced Redeemer ; thou didft cowaidly aban- 
 don a perfecuted church, and waft jud on the 
 point of abjuring thy religion. Let ' each of us. 
 i'o conhder Jiimfelf as he fetms in the eyes of a 
 holy God. A criminal worthy cf the rooft rigor- 
 out, pu.ii'ilhmtnts '. Let each of us fyy to himfelf, 
 Notwithftanding alk this, it is I, guilty I ; I, 
 whofe fins are more in number than the hairs on 
 Hoy head ; it is I, who have been admitted this 
 nicrning into the houfe of God ; it is I, who 
 have been invited this morning to that myfticali 
 rtpafr, which fovtreign wifdoui itfelf prepared ;; 
 it is I, who have been encouraged again ft the 
 jufl fears, which the remembrance of my fins had 
 excited, and have iieaid the voice of God, pro- 
 claiming in my confeisnee, Fear not, thou tvorm 
 Jacob, Ifa. xli. 14. It is I, who have been 
 abundantly satisfied with the fatness of the bouse 
 of God, and bave drunk of the- river of bis pleas- 
 tues, Pfal. xxxvi. 8. What inclines God to in- 
 dulge me in this manner I Goodnefs only ! O 
 iurp.tfflng and inconceivable goodnefs ! thou i'h-ilt 
 for ever be the object of my meditation and grat- 
 itude ! " How excellent is thy loving kindnefs, 
 O God 1" ver. 7. Thcfe are fetitiraents tht 
 
 ought
 
 The. Manner of praising God.. 65 
 
 ught to animate our praife to-day. Such toraiis 
 is comely for the upright. 
 
 Finally, The gratitude- of an upright man is 
 9oble and magnanimous. The praife of God well 
 becomes the mouth of an upright man, becaufe 
 he takes the love of God to him for a pattern of 
 his behaviour to his fellow creatures. St. Paul 
 kath very emphatically exprelTed the happy change 
 which the gofpel produccth in true chriftians. 
 rt We all with open face, beholding as in a grafa 
 the glory of the Lord, are changed into tke fame 
 image, from glory to glory, even as by the fpirit 
 f the Lord," 2 Cor. iii. 18. Some commenta- 
 tors, inftead of reading nue all beholding as in a 
 glassy as the expreflion is rendered in our trans- 
 lation, render the words, we all becoming mir- 
 rors. I will not undertake to prove that this is 
 the meaning of the term : it ii certainly the 
 fenfe of the apoftle.* He means to inform us., 
 that the impreflian, which the evangelical difplay 
 
 of 
 
 * The idea- of reflecting, while one contemplates the 
 attribute* of God, is a very fine thought, and fully ex- 
 pre/Bve of the benevolent efte&s which chriftianity 
 produceth in its difciples ; but Mr. Saurin, whofe bufi- 
 nefs as a chriflian minifter was not with the fine, but 
 the true, only meant, by what he faid above, that it 
 was agreeable to the general design of the apoflle. Eraf- 
 moa was the firil who translated St. Paul's term iutop. 
 trizimcnoi in fpeculo reprxsentantet. Beza renders ic, 
 in fpeculo intuente* ; and. our French bibles have it, 
 nous amtemplons comrne en un miroir. Our author was 
 delighted with the ingenuity of Erafmus ; however, he 
 not accede to his translation, becaufe, i. He 
 could meet with no Gree k author, cotemporary with 
 St. Paul, who had ufed the urm in the fenfe of Eraf- 
 mus. i. Becaufe he could not perceive any connexion 
 between that fjgnitication and the phrute -uith open face. 
 He abode there/ore by the ufaal reading. See Serm. 
 Tom. ix. S. viii- My idea of an objesft pleafes me, 
 therefore it is a true idea of it, is contemptible logic ; 
 yet how many pretended articles of religion have arii^ 
 tn from this way of reafoning !
 
 <S6 The Manner of praising God. 
 
 of the perfections of God makes on the fou!s of 
 believers, engraves them on their minds, and ren- 
 ders them like mirrors, that reflect the rays, and 
 the objefts which are placed oppofite to them, 
 and raprefen: their images. They belibld the glo- 
 ry of the Lord with open face. They are change 
 td from glory to glory, into the same image, even 
 as by the spirit of tbs Lord. I with, my breth- 
 ren, that the impreflion, which was made on you 
 by the generofity ~nd magr animity of God, \<*h-c 
 loaded you this morning with ii is gracioui bene? 
 fits, may transform you- to-day into the iame 'im- 
 age from glory to glory, I would animate 
 jriU) this, the molt noble, the mo ft fublimt, the 
 jnoft comfortable, way of praifing Go J.. 
 
 What gave you io much peace and pleafure" 
 this morning, in what God did for you r Was 
 it the pardon cf your fins ? Imitate it ; pardon 
 your brethren. Was it his psfk forbearance 
 you ? Imitate it ; moderate that impatience 
 which the ingratitude of your brethren excites 
 in your minds. Was it that fpiiit cf communi- 
 cation, which ^difpeCed a-vGod,, who- is i.L-fuiE- 
 cient to his own happinefs, to go out. of himuifj 
 as it were, and to commuu' feiici'.js to 
 
 creatures ? Imitate ir ; go out of 
 nrents of profperity in which you lodge, and im- 
 part your benefits to your brethren. Whs it the 
 continual watchfuluefs of God for the falvation 
 of your fouls ? Imitate it ; exert yourselves for 
 the falvation of the i'ouls of your brethren ; fiif, 
 fer not thofe, who are united to you by all the 
 ties of nature, fociety, and religion, to perifh 
 through your lukewarmnefs and negligence. 
 While you triumphantly exclaim, on this folemn 
 feftival, Let us make a joyful noise to the Rock 
 of our salvation I Pfuk xcv. 1. remember your 
 perfecuted brethren, to whom God refufeth this- 
 pleafure ; remember the ivays of 'Lion, that 
 tjtountf because none conn to the solemn feasts, 
 X.am i. 4V T
 
 The Manner of praising God. 6f 
 
 My brethren, how pleating is a chriftian fefli- 
 val ! How comfortable the inftitution, to which 
 ve were this morning- called 1 But I remember 
 here a faying of Jefus Chrij) to his ap^Rles, I 
 have other sbeep ivliicb are not of this fold * 
 tbem also I miv>t brings end there shall be one 
 Old, and one shepherd, John x. 16. Alas'! we 
 alio have Iherp in another fold. When fhall we 
 have the comfort of bringing them into this ? 
 Ye divided families ! who are prefent in this af- 
 fembly, when will you be united ? Ye children 
 of the reformation! -whom the misfortunes of the 
 times have torn from us .; ye dear parts of our- 
 ielves I when will you come to us ? When will 
 you be re-gathered to the fl>ck of the great sbep. 
 herd and bisjbop of our souls? When will ye 
 lhed in our aflfemblies tears of repentance, for 
 having lived fo long without a church, without 
 facraments, without public worfhip ? When will 
 ye lhed tears of joy for having recovered thefe 
 advantages ? 
 
 Great God ! Thou great God who hidest thy- 
 self ! is it to extinguish, or to enflame our zeal, 
 that thou delayed the happy period ? Are our 
 hopes fufpended or confounded ? God grant, my 
 dear brethren, that the praise, which we render 
 to the Lord for aH his benefits, may obtain their 
 continuance and increafe ! And God grant, 
 while he giveth us our lives for a prey, Jer. xxi. 
 9. that thofe of our brethren may be given 06 
 alfo ! To bun be honour and glory i'jr erer J 
 Amen.
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF JESUS CHRIST 
 IN THE CHURCH 
 
 Romans xiv. 7, 8. 
 
 $Jone of us Iheth to himself and no man dieih 
 to himself. For, whether we live, we live 
 unto the Lord ; or, whether we die, we die 
 unto the Lord : whether we live therefoic or 
 die, wc are the Lord s. 
 
 JLHESE words are a genera? maxim, 
 which St. Paul lays down for the decifion of a 
 particular controveriy. We cannot well etuer 
 Into the apoftle'2 meaning, unless we underhand 
 the particular fubjett, which led- him. to exprefs 
 liimfelf in this manner. Our fir ft reflections, 
 therefore, will tend to explain the fubject, and 
 afterward we will extend our meditations to 
 greater objects. We will attend to the text in 
 that point of view, in which thole chriftians are 
 'tnoft interefted, who have repeatedly engaged to 
 devote themfelves wholly to Jei'us Chrift ; to <on- 
 fecrate to him through life, and to commit to him 
 at death, not only with fobmifiion, hut alio with 
 joy, thpfe fouls, over which he hath acquired 
 the nobltft right. Thus fhall we verify, in the 
 moft pure and elevated of all fenfes, this faying 
 of the apoftle, None of us liveih to himself and 
 no man dieth to himself F'or, whether we live, 
 we live unto the Lord ; or, whether we die, we 
 die unto the Lord : whether we live therefore or 
 die, we are the Lord's. 
 
 St. P.iul propoled in the text, and in fome of 
 the preceding and following ve/fes, to cli 
 the doctrine of to) By toleration^ we 
 
 raeaiij that difpolition of a chridian, which, on a 
 G principle
 
 70 The Sovereignly of Jesus Ch? : 
 
 principle of benevolence, inclines him to hold 
 communion with a mn, who, through weaknefh 
 of mind, mixeth with the truths of religion fome 
 errors, that are not entirely incompatible wi. 
 and with the new teftarnent worlhip fome cere- 
 monies, which are unfuiuble to its elevation and 
 Simplicity, but which, however, do not deftroy 
 its efience. 
 
 Retain every part of this definition, for each 
 ia effen.tial to the fubject defined. I fay, that he, 
 who exercifeth toleratioD, acts on a principle of 
 benevolence ; for were he to art on a principle 
 of indolence, or of contempt for religion, hh dif- 
 poiition of mind, far from being a virtue worthy 
 of praij'e, would be a vice fit only-for execration. 
 Toieration, I fay, is to be exercifed towards him 
 only, who errs through weakness of mind ; for 
 be, who perfiHs in his error through arrogance, 
 and for the fake of rending the church, deferves 
 rigorous punifliment. I fay, further, that he, 
 who exercifeth toleration, doth not confine him- 
 felf to praying for him, who is the object of >t, 
 and to endeavouring to reclaim him ; he proceeds 
 further, and holds communion with him ; that i* 
 to fay, he nffifis at the fame religious exercifes, 
 and partakes of the Lord's fupper at the fame 
 Table. Without this communion, can we con- 
 fider him, whom we pretend to tolerate, as a 
 brother in the fenfe of St. -Paul ? I add, finally, 
 erroneous sentiments, which are tolerated, must 
 be compatible with the great truths of religion ; 
 find observances, which are tolerated, must not 
 destroy the essence of evangelical worship, al- 
 though they are incongruous with its fimplicin- 
 snd plory. How can I afTifl in a fervice, which, 
 in my opinion, is an inftilt on the God whom I 
 adore ? How can I approach the tabic of the 
 Lord with a man, who rejects all the myfteries, 
 rrhich Qpd exhibits there ? and fo cf the reft. 
 
 Retain,
 
 in the Church. 71 
 
 tin, then, all the. parts of this definition, and 
 vou will form a juft notion of toleration. 
 
 Tins moderation, always neceffary among 
 chriftiaas, was pa. . cularly fo in the primitive 
 ges of chriftianity. The fir ft churches wue 
 compofed of two forts of profelytes ; fome of 
 them were born of Jewifti parents, and had been 
 ited in Judaiftn, others were converted from 
 paganifm ; and both, generally (peaking, after 
 they had embraced chriftianity, preferved fome 
 traces of the religions which they had renounced. 
 Some of them retained temples, from which juft 
 notions of chriftian liberty, it fhould feem, might 
 have freed them. They dm ft not cat fome foods 
 which God g:?ve for the nourifhment of mankind, 
 1 mean, the flefh of animals, and they ate only 
 herb's* They fet apart ceitain days for devotion- 
 al exercifas : not from that wife motive, which 
 ought to engage ev^'ry rational man to take a 
 portion of his life from the tumult of the world, 
 HJ order to confecrate it t the fervice of his 
 Creator ; but from I know not what notion of 
 pre-eminence, .which they attributed to fome days 
 above others. Thus far all are agreed in regard 
 to the deiign of St. Paul in the text. 
 
 Nor is there any difficulty in determining 
 which of the two orders of chrifttans, of whom 
 we fpoke, St. Paul confiders as an object of tol- 
 eration ; whether that clafs which came from the 
 Gentiles, or that which came from the Jews. 
 Ic is plain the laft is intended. Every body 
 knows that the law of Mofes ordained a great 
 number of feafts under the penalty of the great 
 anathema. It was very natural for the convert- 
 ed Jews to retain a fear of incurring that penal- 
 ty, which followed the infraction of thofe laws, 
 and to carry their 'veneration for thofe feftivals 
 too far. 
 
 There was one whole feet among the Jews, 
 that abftained entirely from the flefli of anisials ; 
 
 thty
 
 72 The Sovereignty of Jesus Christ 
 
 they were the Esser.es, Jofephus exprefsly af- 
 firms this ; and Philo affures us, that their tables 
 were free from every thing that had blood, . and 
 were ferved with only bread, fait, and hyffop. 
 As the Eflenes profeffed a feverity of manners, 
 which had fome hkenefs to the morality of Jefus 
 Chrift, it is probable, many of them embraced 
 chrifuar.ity, and in it interwove a part of the pe- 
 culiarities of their own fe&. 
 
 I do not think, however, that St. Paul had 
 any particular view to the E3enes ; at leaft, we 
 are not obliged to fuppofe, that his views were 
 ConfiDtd to them. All the world know, that Jews 
 have an averfion to blood. A Jew, exact in his 
 religion, does not eat flefh now-a-days with chrif- 
 tian'3, left the latter fhould not have taken fufK- 
 cient care to discharge the blood. When, there- 
 fore, St. Paul defcribes converted Jews by their 
 fcrupuloiity in regard to the eating of blood, he 
 does not fpeak of what they did in their own fam- 
 ilies, but of what they pvacV.fed, when they were 
 invited to a convivial rspail with people, who 
 thought themfelvcs free from the prohibition c? 
 eating blood, whether they were Gentiles yet in- 
 volved in the darknefs of p?.ganifm, or Gentile 
 converts to chriftianity. Thus far our fubje& is 
 free from difficulty. 
 
 The difficulty lies in the connexion of th 
 maxim in the text with the end, which St. Paul 
 propofeth in elhtlifhing it. What relation is 
 there between chriftian toleration and this max- 
 im, None of us Ifaeth to himself and no man 
 dittb to himself? How doth it follow from this 
 principle, whether we live, we live unto the Lord ; 
 or, whether we die, we die unto the Lord ; how* 
 doth it follow from this principle, that we ought 
 to tolerate thole, who, through the weaknefs of 
 their minds, mix fome error* with the grand 
 truths of chriftianity, and with the new teftament 
 worfhip fome ceremonies, which obfeure its fim- 
 plicity, and debafe its glory ? . The
 
 in the Church. 73 
 
 The folmion lies in the connexion of the text 
 with the foregoing verfes, and particularly with 
 the fourth verfe, who art thou, that judges: an* 
 other man's servant ? To judge, in this place, 
 uots not fignify to dii'cern, but to conden.::. The 
 word has this meaning in a hundred paflagea of 
 the new teftament. I confine myfelf to one pat- 
 i.ige for example. " If we judge ourfeives, we 
 ihould not be judged," 1 Cor. xi. 31. that is to 
 fay, if we would condemn ourfelves at the tribu- 
 nal of repentance, after we have partaken un- 
 worthily of the Lord'^upper, we Ihould not Le 
 condemned at the tribunal of divine juftice. In 
 like manner, who art thou, that judgtst anotht-r 
 r.ian's servant ? is as much as to lay, who art 
 ttou that sondemnest ? St. Paul meant to make 
 the chriftians of Rome underftand, that it belong- 
 ed onlyto tiac fovereign of the church to ablblve 
 or to condemn, as he law fit. 
 
 But who is the fupreme head of the church ? 
 Jelus Chrift, Jefus- Chrift, who, with his Father, 
 is over a!l, : Gad blessed for ever, Rom. ix. 5. 
 Jd'us Chrift', by dyrng for the chinch, acquired 
 fupremaryj and in virtue of it all true chrif- 
 tuns render him the homage of adoration. All 
 thb is clearly cxpreffed by our apoftle, and gives 
 us an occafion to treat of one of the moll abiliufe 
 points of chriftian theology. 
 
 That Jefus Chrift is the fupreme head of the 
 church, according to the doctrine of St. Paul, is 
 cxpreffed by the apoflle in the moft clear and ex- 
 plicit manner ; - for after he hath laid, in the 
 wcvds of the text, whether we live, or die, we 
 are the Lord's, he adds immediately, for to this 
 end Christ both died, and rose, and relived, that 
 he might be Lord both cf the dead and. living. 
 
 That this Jefu3, whose, the apoftle fays, we 
 
 are, is God, the apollle does net permit us to 
 
 doubt ; for he confounth the expreffmns to eat to 
 
 tie Lord, and it give God thanks ; to stand he- 
 
 C 2 fore
 
 74 The Sovereignty of Jesus Christ 
 
 fore the judgment seat of Christ, and to give ac~- 
 count of himself to God ; to be Lord bitb of the 
 deud and living, ver. 6, 10, 12. and this majef- 
 tic language, which would be bUfphemy in the 
 mouth of a fimple creature, As I live, saitb the 
 Lord, every knee shall bono to me, and every 
 tongue shall confess to God, ver. 1 1. 
 
 Finally, That Jefus Chrift acquired that fu- 
 premacy by his fuffrrings and death, in virtue of. 
 which all true chnftians render him the homage 
 of adoration, the apoftle eftablifhetb, if poilible, 
 ftill mere clearly. This appears by the words juft. 
 now cited, to this end Christ both died, end rose, 
 and resized, that he might be Lord both, of the 
 dead and living, ver. 8, 11. To the fame pur- 
 pofe the apoftle fpe.iks in the epiitle to the Phi- 
 lippians, "He became obedient unto death, even 
 the death of the crofs, Wherefore God hath al- 
 fo highly exalted him, and given him a nre, 
 which is above every name ; that at the name of 
 Jefus every knee {hail bow, of things in heaven, 
 i.iid things in earth, and things under the earth ; 
 and that every tongue (hall confefs that Jefir; 
 CHrift is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." 
 This is the fovereignty which Jcfus Chriil acquir- 
 ed by dying ior the church. 
 
 But the moft remarkable, and at the fame time 
 the meft difficult s.; tide on this fabjeft, i<; this, 
 Thefs texts, which ieem to eflabliJh the divinity 
 of Chrift in a manner i'a clear, furnilh the great- 
 eft objection, that hath aver been prcpofed againft 
 it. True, fay the enemies of this doclrine, Jefys 
 Chrift is God, fince the fcr'rpture commands us to 
 worfnip him. But his divinity is an acquired di- 
 vinity ; fince that fupremacy, which entiths him 
 to adoration as God, is not an eflential, but an 
 acquired fupremacy. Now, that this fupremacy 
 is acquired, is indubitable, fince the texts, that 
 have been cited, exprefsly declare, that it is a 
 fruit of his ftift-rings and death. "VVe have two 
 atguments to offer in reply. V. If
 
 in the Church. 
 
 1 . If it were demonflrated, that the fctprema- 
 ey eflabLlhcd in the I'orecited texts was only ac- 
 quired, aiid not rflVntia?, it would not therefore 
 follow, that Jefus Chnft had no other funremacy 
 belonging to him in common 'with the Father and. 
 the holy Spirit. We are commanded to worfhip 
 Jefus Chiift, not only becaufe he died for ns, but 
 aifo becaufe he is tternal and almighty, the au- 
 thor of all beings that exill ; and becaufe he hath 
 U the perfections of Deity, as we can prove by 
 other pafiages, not neceffary to be repeated here,, 
 
 2. Nothing hinders that the true God, who, 
 as the true God, merits our adoration, fnould ac= 
 quire every day new rights over us, in virtue of 
 which we have new motives of rendering thofe 
 homages to him, which we acknowledge he al- 
 ways infinitely merited. Always when God be- 
 ftows a new bleffing, he acquireth a new rights 
 What was Jacob'? opinion, when he made this 
 vow ? " If God will be with me, and will keep 
 jne in the way that I go, and will give me bread 
 to eat, and raiment t put on, fo that I comes 
 again to my father's houfe in peace ; then fhall 
 the Lord be my God," Gen. xxviii. 20, &c 
 Did the patriarch mean, that he had no other 
 reafon for regarding the Lord as his God, than 
 this favour, which he aiked of him ? No fuch 
 thing. He meant, that to a great many reafons, 
 which bound him to devote himfelf to God, the 
 favour which he allied would add a new one. It 
 would be eafy to produce a long lift of examples 
 of this kind. At prefent the application of this 
 one (hould fuffice. Jefus Ghrift, who, as fupreme 
 God, hath natural rights over us, hath alfd acquir- 
 ed rights, becaufe he hath deigned to clothe him- 
 felf with our flefli, in which he died to redeem 
 us. None of us is his oiun, we are all his, not 
 only becaufe he is our Creator, but becaufe he is 
 alfo our Redeemer. He hath a fupremacy over 
 us peculiar to himfelf, and diftinct from that, 
 
 which
 
 7 6 The Sovereignty of Jfesus Christ 
 
 which he hath in common with the Father and- 
 the holy Spirit. 
 
 To return then to our principal fubjeft, from 
 which this long digreflion hath diverted us. This 
 Jefus, who is the fupreme head cf frhe church 
 this Jefus, to whom all the members of the- 
 church are fubjed ; willeth that we fhoulu tole- 
 rate, and he hirnfelf hath tolerated, thofe, who, 
 having in other cafes an upright confeience, and 
 a fincere intention of fubmitting their reafon to 
 all his decifions, and their hearts to all his com- 
 mands, cannot clearly fee, that chriftian liberty 
 includes a freedom from the obfervaiion of cer- 
 tain feafts, and from the diftiriflion of certain 
 foods. If the fovereign of the church tolerate 
 them, who err in this manner, by what right do 
 you, who are only lirnple fubjettsy undertake to 
 condemn them ?.- " Who art :hou T that uidgeii: 
 another man's fervant ? to his own matter bs 
 frandeth or falleth. For none of us liveth :.:> 
 kimfelf, and no man dieth to himfelf. For 
 whether we live, we live unto the Lord ; and, 
 whether we dip, we dieunto the Lord : whether 
 we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's. Let 
 s not therefore judge one another any more." 
 Let us. ".vbo. are strong, bear the infirmities of 
 the iDcak. 
 
 This is the defi'gn of St. Paul in the words of 
 jny text, in fome of the preceding, and in fome 
 of the following verfes. Can we proceed with- 
 out remarking, or without lamenting, the blind- 
 nefs of thofe christians, who, by their intolerance 
 to their brethien, fe-cm to have chofen for their 
 model thofe members of the church of Rome, 
 who violate the rights of toleration in the moft 
 cruel maimer ? We are not fpeaking of thofe 
 fanguinary men, who aim at illuminating people's 
 minds with the light of fires, and faggots, which 
 they kindle againft-.all who rejeft their fyftems. 
 Our tears, and oar blood, hitve not affuaged their 
 
 rage ;
 
 in the Church. 77- 
 
 r.ige ; how can we then think to qppeafe it by 
 our exhortations ? Let us not folicit the wrath- 
 of heaven againfl thefe persecutors of the church j 
 let us leave to the fouls of them, who were {lain 
 for the word of God, to cry, How long, O hord<, 
 holy and true, dost tboit not judge and avenge our 
 blood on them, that dwell on the earth ? Rev. vi. 
 10. 
 
 But, ye inteftine divifions ! Thou fpirit of 
 faction ! Ye theological wars I how long will yc 
 be let loofe among us ? Is it poffible, that chris- 
 tians, who bear the name of reformed, chrifiians 
 united by the bond of their faith in the belief of 
 the fame doctrines, and, if I may be allowed to 
 fpeak fo, christians united by the very efforts of 
 their enemies to deftroy them ; can they violate* 
 after all, thofe laws of toleration, which they 
 have fo often prefcribed to others, and againfi: 
 the violation of which tbey have remonllrated 
 witk fo much wifdom and fuccefs ? Can they 
 convoke ecclefiaflical affemblies, can they draw 
 up canons, can they denounce excommunications- 
 and anathemas againft thofe, who, retaining withr 
 themfelves the leading truths of chriftianity and 
 of the reformation, think differently on points of 
 fimple [peculation, on queftions purely metaphyf- 
 ical, and, if I may fpeak the whole, on matters 
 fo abflrufe, that they are alike indeterminable by 
 them, who exclude members from the communion 
 of Jefus Ghrift, and by thofe who are excluded ? 
 O ye fons of the reformation I how long will 
 you counteract your own principles \ how long 
 will you take pleafure in increafing the number 
 of thofe, who breathe only your deftruction, and 
 move only to deftroy you ! O ye Subjects of the 
 fovereign of the church ! hew long will you en- 
 croach on the rights of your fovereign, dare to 
 condemn thofe whom he abfolves, and to reject 
 thofe whom his generous benevolence tolerates ! 
 ** Who art thou, that judged another man's fer- 
 
 vant ?
 
 7& The Sovereignty of Jesus Chriifi 
 
 vant ? for none of os liveth to himfelf,- and no- 
 rran d'.eth to himfelf. For, whether we live, we 
 live unto the Lord ; and, whether we die, we die 
 nto the Lord : whether we live therefore or die y 
 we are the Lord*?." 
 
 What we have faid fhall (office for the fubjeel, 
 which occafioned the maxim in the text. The 
 remaining time I devote to the confideration of 
 the general fenfe of this maxim. It lays before 
 is the condition, the engagement "5, the i.ilina- 
 tion, and the felicity of a chriflian. What is 
 the felicity of a c.hri.1ian,,what is his inclination, 
 what are his engagements, what is his condition ? 
 They are not to be his own ; but to fay, wheth- 
 er I live, or die, I am the Lord's. The whole, 
 that we fhall propofe to you, is contained. La 
 thefe four articles. 
 
 I. The text lays btfore us the primitive con- 
 dition of a chriftian. It is a condition of depend- 
 ence. *> None of us liveth to himfelf, and no. 
 jji.in diet'u to himfelfv.' 
 
 None of us liveth to himfelf, for whether we- 
 live, we live unto the L.ord,. What do we pof- 
 fefs, during our abode upon earth,, which dotk 
 not r.bfolutely dcpend.cn him, who placed us 
 here ? Our exiftence i3 not ours ; our fortune is 
 net ours ;. our reputation- is not ours ; our virtue 
 ii not oyrs; . our reaian is- not ours ; our health 
 is not ours ; our life is not ours... 
 
 Oaiv existence isvnot ours. A few years ago 
 we found ourieive3 in this world, cbnttituting a 
 very inconfiderable past of it, A few years ago 
 the world itfelf was nothing.. The will of God 
 alone hath made a being of this nothing-, as he 
 can make this being a nothing, whenever he 
 plcafeth to do fo. 
 
 Our fortune is not ours. The noft opulent 
 pe-fons often fee their riches make themselves 
 wings, and fly away. Houfes, the beft ettablifh- 
 ';d^ dil'appear in an inftant. We have feen 4 
 
 Job,
 
 in the Church. : 
 
 Jcb, who had pcfLflVd seven thousand sheep, 
 three thousand camels, jive hundred yoke of oxer.-, 
 and servants without number ,- we have fetn tlve 
 man, who had been the greatest of all the men 
 of the east, lying on a dunghill, retaining noth- 
 ing of his proiperity but a forrowful ieme:n- 
 brance, which aggravated the advsiuties that 
 followed it. 
 
 Our reputation is not ours. One fingle frail- 
 ty fometimes tamiiheth a life of the moft unfu!- 
 lied beauty. One moment's abfence fometimes 
 debaftth the glory of the moft profound politi- 
 cian, of the moft expert general, ofa faint of the 
 higheft order. A very diminutive, fault will ferve 
 to render -contemptible, yea, infamous, the man 
 who committed it ; and tc make him tremble at 
 the thought of appearing -before men, who have 
 no other advantage over him than that of having 
 committed the fjjBie oflence more fortunately ; I 
 mean of having concealed the commiffton of it 
 from the eyes of his fellow creatures. 
 
 Our virtue is not ours. Want of opportunity 
 is often the caufe why one, who openly profeffetft 
 chriftianity, is not an apoltate ; another an adul- 
 terer ; another a murderer. 
 
 Our reason is not ours. While we pofTefs it, 
 we are fubject to diffractions, to abfence of 
 thought, to iufperfion of intelligence, which ren- 
 der us entirely incapable of reflection ; and, 
 what is ftill more mortifying to human nature, 
 they, whole geniufes are the mofc tranfeenuant 
 and fublime, fometimes become either melan- 
 choly or mad ; like Nebuchadnezzar they fink 
 into beafts, -and browfe like them on the herbage 
 of the field. 
 
 Our health is not ours. The catalogue of thofe 
 infirmities which deftroy it, (I fpeak of thofe 
 which we know, and which mankind by a ftudy 
 of five or fix thcufand years have difcovered) 
 makes whole volumes. A catalogue of thofe 
 
 which
 
 *8o The Sovereignty of Jesus Christ 
 
 which are unknown, would probably make larger 
 volumes yet. 
 
 Our life is not our-;. Winds, waves, heat, 
 cold, almients, vegetables, animals, nature, and 
 each of its component parts, confpire to deprive 
 us of it. Not one of thole, who have entered 
 this church, can demonftrate that he (hall go oat 
 of it alive. Not one of thofe, who compote t His 
 afiembly, even of the youngeft and ftrongeft, c#n 
 affure himfelf of one year, one day, one hour, 
 one moment of life. None of us liveth to him- 
 self; for, if wc live, nve are the Lord's. 
 
 Further, No man dieth to himself. If we die^ 
 nve are the Lord's. How abfolute foever the do- 
 minion of one man over auother may be, there is 
 a moment, in which both are on a level ; that 
 moment comes when we die. Death delivers a 
 ilave from the power of a tyrant, under whofe 
 rigour he bath fpent his life in groans. Death 
 terminates all the relations, that iubfift between 
 men in this life. But the relation of d? pendence, 
 which -fubfifts between the Creator and his crea- 
 tures, is an eternal relation. That world, into 
 which we enter when we die, is a part of his 
 empire, and is as fubject to his laws as that into 
 which we entered when we were born. During 
 this life, the Supreme Governor hath riches and 
 poverty, glory and ignominy, cruel tyrants and 
 clement princes, rains and droughts, raging tem- 
 pefts and refrefhing breezes, air wholeibme and 
 air infe&ed, famine and plenty, victories and de- 
 feats, to render us happy or m'vferaMe. After 
 death, he hath abfolutiou and condemnation, a 
 tribunal of juftice and a tribunal of mercy, angels 
 and devils, a river of pleasure and a lake burn- 
 ntbjire and brimstone, hell with its horrors 
 and hciven with its happinefs, to render us hap- 
 py or mifer ..hie as he pleafeih. 
 
 Thcfe inflections are not quite fufficient to 
 make us feci a-li our dependence* Our vanity is 
 
 mortified.
 
 in the Church. 81 
 
 -mortified, -when we remember, that what we en- 
 joy is no: ours ; but it is fometimes, as it were, 
 indemnified by obferving the great means, that 
 God employs to deprive us of our enjoyments. 
 God hath, in general, excluded this extravagant 
 motive to pride. He hath attached our felicity 
 to one fibre, to one caprice, to one grain of fand, 
 to objects the leaft likely, and feemingly the leaft 
 capable, of influencing our deftiny. 
 
 On what is your high idea of yourfelf found- 
 ed ? On your genius ? And what is nccefi\ivy 
 to reduce the fineft genius to that Rate of melan- 
 choly or madaefs, of which I juft now fpoke j 
 Mull the e:nrth quake ? Mult the lea overflow its 
 bank 8 Muil the heavens kindle into lightning 
 and refouud in thunder ? Mu ft the elements 
 clnfli, and the powers of nature be fliaken ? No; 
 there needs nothing but the difplacing of one lit- 
 tle fibre in your brain I 
 
 On what is your high idea of yourfelf found- 
 ed ? On that felf-complacence, which fortune, 
 rank, and pltaiing objects, that furround you, 
 feem to contribute to excite ? And what is ne- 
 ceflary to diilipate your felf-complacence ? Mult 
 the earth tremble ? Muft the fea overflow its 
 banks ? Muft heaven arm itfe'f with thunder 
 and lightning ? Muft all nature be fhaken ? 
 No ; one caprice is fufHcient. An appearance, 
 under which an objec\ prefents itfclf to us, or 
 rather, a colour, that our imagination lends it, 
 b.vnifheth felf-compl jcesce, and, io ! the man 
 juft now agitated with fo much joy, is fixed in a 
 ' , a deep defpair ! 
 
 On what is your lofty idea of yourfelf found- 
 ed ? On your health ? But what i3 ner,t-flary 
 to deprive you of your health ? Earthquakes ? 
 Armies? Inundations? Mult nature return to 
 its chaotic ftate ? No ; one grain of fand is fuf- 
 licient 1 That grain of fand, which in another 
 poiijtiou was next to nothing to you, ai.d was re- 
 H ally
 
 82 The Sovereignty of Jesus Ckritf 
 
 ally nothing to your felicity, becomes in it? pre\f- 
 ent pofition a punifhment, a martyrdom, a hell ! 
 
 People fometimes (peculate the nature of thofe 
 torments, which divine juftice referves for the 
 kicked. They are lei's concerned to avoid the 
 pains of hell, than to difcover wherein they con- 
 4ift. They afk, what fuel can fupply a fire, that 
 wiil never be extinguished. Vain researches 1 
 The principle in my text is. fufficient to give m 
 frightful ideas of- hell. We are in a flate of en- 
 tire dependence on the Supreme Being; and to 
 repeat it again, one (ingle grain of land, which 
 is nothing in itfelf, may become in the hands of 
 the Supreme Being, a punifhment, a martyrdom, 
 a hell in regard to us. What dependence, ! 
 Whether we live, or whether ive die, nve are the 
 Lord's. This is the primitive condition of a 
 chriftian. 
 
 II. Oar text points out the engagements of & 
 chriftian. Let us abridge our reflections. Rc- 
 mirk the ftate in which Jefus Chrift found us ; 
 what he performed to deliver us from it ; and 
 under what conditions we enter on and enjoy this 
 deliverance. 
 
 1. In what state did Jefus Chrift find us, 
 when he came into our world ? I am forry to 
 fay, the affected delicacy of the world, which 
 increafeth as its irregularities multiply, obligeth 
 me to fupprefs part of a metaphorical defcription, 
 that the holy Spirit hath given us in the Sixteenth 
 chapter of Ezekiel. "Thy father was an Amor- 
 he, and thy mother an Hittite," faith he to the 
 church. "When thou waft born, no eye pitied 
 t'nee, to do any thing unto^ thee ; but thou waft 
 caft out in the open air, to the loathing of thy 
 peifon, in the day that thou waft born. I patted 
 by thee, and faw thee polluted in thine own 
 blood, and I laid unto thee, when thou waft in 
 thy blood, Live. I fpread my fkirt over thee, 
 and covered thy nakednefs j yea, I fwear unto 
 
 thee,
 
 in' the Church. 83 
 
 'nee, md entered into a covenant with thee, and 
 thou became^ mine," ver. 3, Sec. 
 
 Let us leave the metaphor, and let us confine 
 our attention to the meaning. When Jefus 
 Chrift came into the world, in what (late did )\e. 
 find us ? Defcended from a long train of ancef- 
 tors in rebellion againft the laws of God, fluctu- 
 ating in our ideas, ignorant of our origin and 
 end, blinded by our prejudices, infatuated by our 
 paffions, having no hope, and being without God- 
 in the world, Lph ii. 12. condemned to die, and 
 referved for eternal flames. From-this ftate Je- 
 fus Chrifl delivered us, and brought us into the 
 glorious liberty of the sons of God, Rom. viii. 21. 
 in order to enable us to participate .the felicity of 
 the bleffcd God, by making ue partakers of the 
 divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4. By a deliverance fo 
 glorious, doth not the deliverer obtain peculiar 
 rights over us ? 
 
 Remark, further, on what conditions Tcfufl 
 Chrift hath freed you from your mifenes, and you 
 will perceive, that ye are not your own. What 
 means the morality that Jefus Chrift enjoined in 
 his gofpel ? What vows were made for each of 
 you at your baptifm ? What haft thou promifed 
 at the Lord's table ? la one word, to what au- 
 thority didll thou fubmit by embracing the gof- 
 pel ? Didft thou fay to Jefus Chrift, Lord ! I 
 will be partly thine, and partly mine own ? To 
 thee I will fubmit the opinions of my mind ; but 
 the irregular difpofitions of my heart I will ve. 
 ferve to myfelf. I will confent to renounce my 
 vengeance ; but thou fhalt allow me to retain 
 my Dalilah and my Drufilla. For thee I will quit 
 the world and diflipating pleafures ; but thoa 
 (halt indulge the vifionary and capricious flow of 
 my humour. On a chnftian feftival I will rife 
 into tranfports of devotion ; my countenance 
 fhall emir, rays of a divine flame ; my eyes fhall 
 iparkle with feraphic fire, my heart and my flesh 
 
 shall
 
 84 The Sovereignty < of Jesus Christ 
 
 shall srj cut for the living God, Pfal. Ixxxiv. ?. 
 be r when I return to the world, I will frnk into 
 the fpirit of the men of it ; I will adopt their 
 maxims, fhare their pleafures, immerfe myfelf in* 
 t ; ;cr converfation ; and thus I will be alternately 
 cold and hot, Rev. iii. 15. a chriftian and. a hea- 
 then, an angel and a devil. Is tins your idea of 
 chriftianity ? Undoubtedly it is that, which ma- 
 ny of our hearers have formed ; and which they 
 take tco much pains to prove, by the whole 
 couffe of their converfation. But this is not the 
 idea which the infpired writers have given us of 
 thriitianity ; it is not that, which, after their 
 >!e, we have given you. Him only I ac- 
 knowledge for a true chriftian, who is net his 
 own, at leaft, who continually endeavours to 
 eradicate the remains of fin, that refift the em- 
 pire of Jffus Chriff. Him alone I acknowledge 
 for a true chriftian, who can fay with St. Paul, 
 gn not in the fame degree, yet with equal 
 Cr'c'< ri'y, i" am crucified with Christ ; neverthe- 
 less I live ; jet not I, But Christ livelb in me ; 
 and the life, which I now live in the fesb, I liw 
 : faith of t lie Son of God, who loved mt y 
 and gave himself for me, Gal. ii. 20. 
 
 Confider, thirdly, what it.coft Jefus Chrift to 
 deliver you from yonr wretched Rate. Could 
 our freedom have been procured by a few emo- 
 tions of benevolence, or by an ar\ of fupreme 
 power ? In order to deliver us from our griefs, 
 i: ":; 'rieccuary for him to bear them ; to ter- 
 minate our sorrows, he mufl carry them ; (accord- 
 ing 'ro the language of a prophet) to deliver 113 
 from the- ftrokts of divine jtiO.ice, he mis ft b* 
 s'.richen and smitten of God, Ifa. liii. 4. 1 am 
 aware, that one of the moft deplorable Infirmities 
 of the human mind, is to become infer.fible to 
 the moft affecting objects by becoming familiar 
 with thero. The glorified faints, we know, by 
 corfternpl^ting the I cf the Saviour of 
 
 th
 
 in the Church. 85 
 
 the world, behold obje&s, that excite eternal 
 adorations of the mercy of bim, who loved tbem, 
 end washed them from their sins in bis own 
 blood, and made them kings, and priests unto God 
 bis father, Rev. i. 5, 6. but in our prefect ftate, 
 the propofing of thefe obje\s to us in a courfe 
 of fernions is fufficient to weary us. However, 
 I affirm, that, if we have not been affected with 
 what Chrift hath dene for our falvation, it hath 
 not been owing to our thinking too much, but to 
 our not thinking enough, and perhaps to our 
 never having thought of the fubjeft once, with 
 fuch a profound attention a* its interefting na- 
 ture demands. 
 
 Bow thyfelf towards the niyftical ark, chrif-' 
 tian ! and fix thine eyes on the mercy-feat. Re- 
 volve in thy meditation the aftonifhing, I had ai- 
 med laid, the incredible hiftory of thy Saviour's 
 love. Go to Bethlehem, and beheld him, wbo 
 upholdetb ail things by the word of bis power, (I 
 ufe the language, of an ap^ftie) him, who thought 
 it no ufurpation of-the rights of the Deity to be 
 equal with God ; behold him humbling himself, 
 {\ ufe here the wsrds of St. Paul, Heb. i. 3. 
 Phii. li. G. his words are more empbatical Hill.) 
 Behold him annihilated* ; for, although the 
 child, who was born in a liable, and hud in a- 
 nunger, was a real being, yet he may feem to be 
 annihilated in regard to the degrading circun- 
 ftaoces, winch veiled and concealed his natural 
 dimity ; behold him annihilated, by taking upon 
 him the form of a servant. Follow him through 
 the whoh- courfe of his life'; be went about doing 
 good, A&3 x. 33. anJ expofed himfcif in every 
 place to inconveniences and -.niferies, through 
 the abundance of his benevolence and love. Pafs 
 to Gethfemane ; behold his agony ; fee him as 
 H 2 the 
 
 V : detur h!c alludrrc ad 7)an. ix. z6. Ubi dicirur 
 Melius exinaniendus, ut ei nihil fuperfit. i.e. <}uafi in 
 nihiium lit redigendus. Poll Synops. in loc.
 
 86 The Sovereignty of Jems Christ 
 
 the Redeemer of mankind contending with the 
 Judge of the whole eaith ; in an agony, in which 
 Jel'us rrfifted with ov>\y prayers and supplications^ 
 strong crying and tears, Hcb. v. 7. an ageny 
 preparatory to an event fti!l more terrible', the 
 bare idra ot which terrified and troubled him, 
 made bis sweat as it were great drops cf blood 
 felling to the ground, Luke xxii. 44. and pro- 
 duced th : s prayer To fruitful in controverfies in- 
 the fchools, and fo penetrating and affecting;: 
 io fruitful in motives to obedience, devotion, and. 
 gratitude, in truly chriftian hearts, my Father^ 
 if it be possible, let this cup pass from me ; nex- 
 ertbeless, not as I will, but as tbou wilt, Matt. 
 >:xvi. 44. Go further yet, chri'lian ! and after 
 thou haft feen all the fofferingj, which Jefus 
 Ghrift endured in going from the garden to the 
 crofs, afcend Calvary with him ; flop on the fum- 
 r.iit of the hill, and on that theatre behold the 
 rooft aftonifhing of all the works of Almighty 
 OoJ. See this Jefus, the brightness oj the Fa- 
 ther's glory, and the express image of his person^ 
 Hcb. i. 3. fee him dripped, falltned to an ac- 
 curfed tree, confounded with two thieves, nailed 
 to the wood, furronnded with executioners and 
 tormentors, hiving left, during this dreadful pe- 
 riod, that light of the comfortable prefence of his 
 Father, which conRituted all his joy, and being-* 
 driven to exclaim, My God! viy God! why hast 
 thou forsaken mc ? Matt, xxvii. 40. But be- 
 hold Vim, amidlt all thefe painful fufferings, 
 irmly fupponing his patience by his love, refo- 
 lutely enduring all thefe punifhments, from tbofe 
 motives of benevolence, which firft engaged hinv 
 to fubnut to them, ever occupied with the prof- 
 pe<fl of faving thofe poor mortals, for whofe fake 
 be defcended into this world, fixing his eyes on 
 that world of believers, which his crofs would 
 fubdue to his government, according to his own 
 faying, /, if I be lifted up from earthy will 
 
 all
 
 in the Church. 7 
 
 // men unto me, John xii. 32. Cm #e help 
 feeling the force of that motive, which the fenp- 
 ture propofeth in fo many places, and fo very 
 emphaticdily in thefe words, The love of Cbrisi. 
 ienstraineth us, 2 Cor. v. 14. that is to fay, en- 
 gageth and attacheth us clofely to him ; The love 
 of Christ constraineth us. because roe thus judge, 
 that if one died for all, then were all dead ,- and 
 that he died for all, that they, which live, should 
 r.ot henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him, 
 which died for them, and rose again, Yea, The 
 love of Christ forceth us, when we think what he 
 bath done for os. 
 
 III. My third article, which fhould treat of 
 the inclination of a chriftian, is naturally contain- 
 ed in the ftcond, that is, in that which treats of 
 his engagements. To devote ourfelves to a maf- 
 ter, who hath carried his love to us fo far ; to 
 devote ourfelves to him by fear and force j to 
 fubmit to his laws, becaufs he hath the power of" 
 precipitating thofe into hell, who have the auda- 
 city to break them ; to obey him on this princi- 
 p ; c only, this is a difpofuion of mind as detefta- 
 ble as difobedience itfelf, as hateful as open re- 
 bellion. The fame argument's, which prove that 
 a chriftian is not his own by engagement, prove 
 that he is not bis own by inclination. When, 
 therefore, we (hall have proved that this ftate is- 
 his felicity alio, we (hall have finished the plan 
 of rjis difcourfe. 
 
 IV. Can it be difficult to perfuade you on 
 this article ? Stretch your imaginations. Find, 
 if yon can, any circurmtance in life, in which it 
 would be happier to reject chriftianity than to 
 fcbmit to it. 
 
 Amidft all the diforders and confnfions, and 
 (fo to fpeak) am id ft the unierfal chaos of the, 
 pirfeiu world, it is delightful to belong to the 
 Governor, who fir ft formed the world, and who 
 lath affured us, that he will difplay the fame 
 
 power
 
 33- The Sovereignty of Jems Christ 
 
 power in renewing it, which he difplayed in cre 
 a ting it. 
 
 In the calamities of life, it is delightful to 
 belong to the Mafter, who diftribtites them ; 
 who diftributes them only for our good; who 
 knows afflictions by experience ; whole love in- 
 clines him to terminate our fuflferings ; and who 
 continues them from the fame principle of love, 
 that inclines him to terminate them, when we 
 fhili have derived thofe advantages from them, 
 for which they were -fer.t. - 
 
 During the perfecutions of the church, it is- 
 delighifiii to belong to a Guardian, who can curb 
 our perfecutors, and eomrcul every tyrant ; who- 
 ufeth them for the execution of his own counfcls ; 
 and who will break them in pieces with a rod of- 
 iron, when they can no longer contribute to the- 
 fancYifying of his fervants, 
 
 Under a fenfe of our infirmities ; when we are 
 ternfied with the purity of that morality, the 
 equity of wiich we are obliged to own, even- 
 while we tremble at its feverity ; it is delightful 
 to belong to a Judge, who doth not exa& his 
 rights with the utmofk rigour; who knotvetb our 
 frame, Pfal. cni. 14. who pitieth our infirmities ; 
 and who affureth us, that be will not break a 
 hrvised reed, nor quench the smoking fax f 
 Matt. xii. 20. - 
 
 When our paffions are intoxicated, in thofe 
 fatsJ moments, in which the defire of poffedinj 
 the objects of our paflions wholly occupies otip 
 hearts, and we conGder them as our paradife, our 
 gods ; it is delightful, however incapable we inay 
 be of attending to it, to belong to a Lord who 
 retlrains and controuls us, becaufe he loves us ; 
 and who refufrth to grant us what we fo eagerljt 
 deiire, becaufe he would either preclude thofe 
 terrible regrets, which penitents feel after the 
 comn iflicn of great fins, or -thofe more terrible 
 torments, that are infcp&rable from final impeni- 
 tence. Under
 
 in the Church'. 89 
 
 tinder a recollection of our rebellions, it is de- 
 lightful to belong to a Parent, who will receive 
 os favourably when we implore his clemency ; 
 who fweetens the bitternefs of our remorfe ; who 
 is touched with our regrets ; who wipe3 away 
 the tears, that the remembrance of our backilid- 
 ings makes us fhed ; who sparetb us, as a man 
 :h bis own son, that serveth bim, MaL 
 Hi. 17. 
 
 In that empty void, into which we are often 
 conducted, while we feem to enjoy the moft folid 
 cftablifhments, the moft exquifite pleafures, and 
 the moil brilliant honours, it is delightful to be- 
 long to a Patron, who referves for us objects far 
 better fuited to our original excellence, and to 
 the immenfity of our defires. To live to Jesus 
 Cbrist then, is the felicity of a chriftian. 
 
 But, if it be a felicity to belong to Jefus Chrift: 
 while we live, it is a felicity incomparably great- 
 er to belong to him when we die. We will con- 
 clude this meditation with this article ; and it ii 
 an article, that I would endeavour above all oth- 
 ers to imprefs on your hearts, and to engage you 
 to take home to your houfes. But, Unhappily, 
 the fubject of this article is one of thofe, which. 
 generally make the leaft impreflions on the minds 
 of chriftians. I know a :reat wany christians, 
 who place their happmefu in tiz-iiig to Jesus 
 Cbrtsl ; but how few have love enough for him 
 to efteem it a felicity to die to him .' Not only 
 is the number of thofe iYrvall, who experience 
 fuch a degree of love to Chrift ; there are very 
 few, who even comprehend what we mean en this 
 fubject. Some efforts of divine love feTembfe 
 very accurate and refined reafonihgs. They 
 ought naturally to be the moft inteJltglBte to in- 
 telligent creatures, nnd they are generally the 
 leaft underftood. Few people are capable of that 
 attention, which takes the mind from every thing 
 :i from the object in contemplation. 
 
 fixe t h
 
 go The Sovereignty of Jesus Christ 
 
 fixeth it not only on the fubjed, but alfo on that 
 part, on that point of it, if T may be allowed to 
 fpeak fo, which is to be inveftigated and explain- 
 ed ; fo that, by a frailty which mankind cannot 
 Sufficiently deplore, precifion confufeth our ideas > 
 and light itfelf makes a f obi eft dark. In like 
 manner, chere are fome efforts cf divine love, fc 
 detached from fenfe, fo free from all fenfible ob- 
 jects, fo fa peri or to even all the means, that re- 
 ligion ufeth to attract ua to God, fo eagerly af- 
 piring after an onion more clofe, more noble, and 
 more tender, that the greateft part of chriftians, 
 as I faid before, are not orly incapable of expe- 
 riencing them, but they are alfo hard to be per- 
 suaded that there is any reality. in what they 
 have been told about them. 
 
 To be Jesus Christ's in the hour of death by 
 condition, by engagement, and above all by incli- 
 nation, is the only means of dying with delight. 
 "Without tbefe, whatever makes our felicity while 
 we. live* will become our punifhment when we 
 die ; whether it be a criminal object, or an inno- 
 cent object, or even r.u object which Gcd himfelf 
 eommandeth us to love, 
 
 Criminal objedls "will punifh you. They will 
 reprefent death to you as the meffenger of an 
 avenging God, ,who comes to drag you before a 
 tribunal, where the Judge will examine and pun- 
 ifli all your crimes. Lawful objects will diftrefs 
 you. . Pleafant fields 1 convenient houfes 1 we 
 mu ft for fake you. Natural relations ! agreeable 
 companions 1 faithful friends ! we muft give you 
 up. From you, .our dear children 1 who kindle 
 in our hearts a, kind of love, that agitates and 
 inflames beings, when nature feems to render 
 them incapable of heat and motion, we mud be 
 torn from you. 
 
 Religious objects, which we are commanded 
 above all others to love, will contribute to our 
 anguifh in a dying bed, if they have coufined our 
 
 love,
 
 in the Church. 91 
 
 Jove, and rendered us too fcnfible to that kind 
 of happinefs which piety procures in this world; 
 and it' ihey have prevented our fouls from riling 
 into a contemplation of that bleffed (late, in 
 which theie will be no more temple, no more fa- 
 craments, no more grofs and fenfiole worflriip. 
 The man, who is too much attached to thefe 
 things, is confounded at the hour of death. The 
 land of love, to which he goes, is an unknown 
 country to him ; and as the borders of it, on 
 which he ftands, and on which alone his eyes are 
 xed, prefent only precipices to his vie\y, fear 
 and trembling furround his every ftep. 
 
 But a believer, who loves Jefus Chrift with 
 that kind of love, which made St. Paul exclaim,, 
 Hhs love of Christ constraintt/j us,J2 Cor. v 14 
 finds himfeli on the fummit of his wifhes at the 
 approach of death, This- believer,- living in this 
 world, refembles the fon of a great king, whom 
 Tome fad event tore from his royal parent in his 
 cradle ; who' knows his parent only by the fame 
 of his virtues ; who has always a difficult, and 
 often an intercepted correfpondence with his pa- 
 rent ; whofe remittances, arrd favours from bis 
 parent, are always diminifhed by the hands 
 through which they come to him. With what 
 tranfport would fuch a fon meet the moment ap- 
 pointed by his father for his returu to his natural 
 Hate ! 
 
 I belong to God, (thefe are the fentiments of 
 the believer, of whom I am fpeaking) I belong 
 to God, not only by his fovereign dominion over 
 me as a creature ; not only by that right, which 
 as a matter, who hath redeemed his {lave, he hath 
 acquired over me ; but I belong to God, becaufe 
 I love him, and becaufe, I know, God alone de- 
 ferves my higheft efteem. The deep impreffious, 
 that bis adorable perfections have made on my 
 mind, make me impatient with every object, 
 which intercepts my fight of him. I could not 
 
 be
 
 $? The Sovereignty of Jesus Christ 
 
 be content to abide any longer in this world, 
 were he no: to ordain my flay ; and were I not 
 to confider his will as the only law of my con- 
 duit. But the law, that commands me to livej 
 doth not forbid me to defire to die. I confider 
 death as the period -fixed lor the gratifying of my 
 nioft ardent -wifh.es, the confummation of my 
 hi^'hefl joy. Whilft I am at home in the 
 bo. y, I am abfent from the Lord, "2 Cor. v. 6. 
 1-iut it would be incomparably more delightful to 
 >>e absent from the body, and to be present with 
 :be Lord, ver. 0. And what can detain me on 
 earth, when Gcd mall conddcend to call me to 
 elf? 
 
 Not ye criminal objects ! you I never loved ; 
 -and although I have fometimes fuffered myfelf 
 to be f-daced by your deceitful appearances of 
 pleafure, yet I have been i'o feverely punifhed by 
 the tears that you have caufed me to (bed, and 
 by the remori'e which you have occasioned my 
 confcien.ee to feel, that there is no reafoji to fear 
 my putting you into the plan of my felicity. 
 
 Nor fhail ye detain me, ijivful objects ! How 
 flrcng foever the attachments, that unite me to 
 you, may be, you are only flrtams of happ.intfs, 
 r.nd I am going to the fountain of felicity. You 
 are only emanations of bappinefs, and I am going 
 to the bafpy God. 
 
 Neither lhall ye, religious objects 1 detain me. 
 Yon are only means, and drath is going to con- 
 du/51 me t ; you areoidy the road, to die 
 
 is to anive at home. Tiuc, I \\\A\ v.o more read 
 thofe exceil-iii: woiks, in which authors of the 
 hrightefi ge.jO.ius have railed the truth from 
 depths of d irjud!ce ( , in which it had 
 
 I"vn buried, and placed it in the njojft lively point 
 of, view. I fha'.! hear no more of thof ilrnions, 
 in which the preacher, ainuat J by tlir holy 
 fpir.it of God, attempts to elevau me abo*e the 
 at world. But I lhail Rear and cuutfitnpUw 
 
 eternal
 
 in the Church. 93 
 
 eternal wifdom, and I (hall difcovcr in my com- 
 merce with it the views, the dcligns, the plans of 
 my Creator ; and I fhall acquire more wifdom in 
 one moment by this mean, than I fhould ever ob- 
 tain by hearing the bed compofed fermons, and 
 by reading the beft written books. True, I fhall 
 no more devote myfelf to you, clofet exercifes 1 
 holy meditations 1 afpirings of a foul in fearch 
 of its God ! crying, Lord., I beseech tbee skew 
 me thy glory ! Exod. xxxiii. 18. Lord, diflipate 
 the dark thick cloud that conceals thee from my 
 light ! fuffer me to approach that light, which 
 hath hitherto been inacceffible to me ! But death 
 is the diflipation of clouds and darknefs ; it is an 
 approach to perfec\ light ; it takes me from my 
 clofet, and prefents me like a feraph at the foot 
 of the throne of God and the Lamb. 
 
 True, I fhall no more partake of you, ye holy 
 ordinances of religion ! ye facred ceremonies I 
 that have conveyed fo many confolations into my 
 foul ; that have fo amply aftorded folicity an<i 
 folace to the ties, which united rny heart to my 
 God ; that have fo often procured me a heaven 
 on earth ; but I quit you becaufe I am going to 
 receive immediate effufions of divine love-, pleas- 
 ures at God's right hand for evermore, fullness of 
 joy in bis presence, Pfal. xvi. 11. I quit your 
 becaufe 
 
 Alas ! your hearts perhaps have efcaped mc y 
 my brethren ! perhaps thefe emotions, fuperior 
 to your piety, are no longer the fubject of your 
 attention. I have, however, no other direction 
 to give you, than that which may (land for an 
 abridgement of this difcourfe, of all my other 
 preaching, and of my whole minifhy ; Love God ; 
 be the Lord's by inclination, as you are his by 
 condition, and by engagement. , Then, the mife-' 
 ries of this life will be tolerable, and the approach 
 of death delightful. God grant his bleiTing on 
 the word ! To him be honour and glory for ever. 
 Amen. I
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 THE EQUALITY OF MANKIND. 
 
 Proverbs xxii. 2. 
 
 Tbe rich and poor meet together : tbe Lord is 
 the maker of them all. 
 
 Ai 
 
 .MONG the various difoenfations of 
 providence, which regard mankind, one of the 
 moft advantageous in the original defign of the 
 Creator, and at the fame time one of the moft 
 fatal through our abufe of it, is the diverfity of 
 our conditions. I T w could men have formed 
 one fecial body, it :l conditions had 'been equal I 
 Had all poffefled k jc fame rank, the fame opu- 
 lence, the fame power, how could they have re- 
 lieved one another from the inconvenience?, 
 "which would have continually attended each of 
 them : Variety of conditions renders men necef- 
 fary to each other. The governor is necelTary 
 to the people, the people are neceffary to the gov- 
 ernor ; wife ftatefmen are neceffary to a powerful 
 foldiery, a powerful foldiery is neceffary to wife 
 ltatefmen. A fenle of this necefiity is tbe ftrong- 
 cfl; bond of union, and this it is, which inclines 
 one to afiift another in hopes of receiving afilffc- 
 ance in his turn. 
 
 But if this diverfity be connected with the 
 bighefl utility to mankind in the original defign 
 of the Creator, it is become, we muft allow, pro- 
 ductive of fatal evils through our abufe of it. 
 On the one hand, they, whofe condition is the 
 moil brilliant, are dazzled with their own bright- 
 ness ; they fhidy the articles, which elevate them 
 above their fellow creatures, and they choofe to 
 be ignorant of every tiling, that puts themfelves 
 oi^a level with them j tlay perfuade themfelvesj- 
 
 that
 
 96 The Equality ef Mankind, 
 
 that they are beings incomparable, far more lia- 
 ble and excellent than thofe vile mortals, ob 
 whom they p:oudly tread, and on -whom thty 
 icarc?!y deign to caft a -haughty eye. Hence 
 provoking arrogance, cruel rtferve, and hence 
 tyranny and defpotifm. On the other band, 
 t-fisy, who are pi?ced in inferior Rations, prcftrate 
 their imaginations before thefe beings, whom 
 thry treat rather as gods than men ; them they 
 sonfutate arbiters of right ^rd wrong, true and 
 falfe ; they forget, while they refpect the rank 
 ivhich the Supreme Governor of the world hath 
 fc-iven to their Superiors, to maintain a fenfe of 
 their own dignity. Hence come foft complianc- 
 es, bafe fubmiiTtons of reafon and conidience, 
 ibvery the mcft willing and abject, to the high 
 mds of thefc phantoms, of grandeur, thef 
 Li y god. 
 
 tefe different ideas, to humble the 
 , and to exalt the other, it is neceffary 
 lew men in their true point of view ; to con- 
 vince them that diverfity of condition, which 
 Cod hath been plcafed to eftablifh among them, 
 ,is perfectly confiftent with equality ; that the 
 fpfendid condition of the fir ft, include: nothing; 
 that favours their ideas of felf-preference ; and 
 th?t there is nothing in the low condition f the 
 5 ' >ch dC nr ' i y^ 9 them of their real dignity, 
 
 fell, w... ntc1 |j--nccs formed in the image 
 
 c* debate, the*. t0 V,f cu f s ' fubjeft to-day. 
 
 of God. I def.gn . aud . en d anjong 
 
 The men, who compote tt>.. ' d ;d 
 
 whom providence hath very Or h *"7 * 
 the bleflings of this life ; prince", who com.." 1 - .' 
 and to whom God himfelf hath given authority 
 to command fubjefts ; fubjefts, who obey, and 
 on whom God hath impofed obedience as a duty ; 
 the rich, who give alms, and the poor who re- 
 ceive them ; all, all my hearers, I am going to 
 reduce to their natural equality, and to confider 
 this eauilhy as a fource of pwty. This is the 
 
 meaning
 
 The Equality of Mankind. 97 
 
 meaning of the wife man in the words of the 
 text, "The rich and the poor mett together : 
 the Lord is the maker of them all." 
 
 Let us enter into the matter. We fuppofe 
 two truths, and do not attempt to prove them. 
 Firft, tint, although the wife man mentions here, 
 only two different flates, yet lie includes all. 
 Under the general notion cf rich and poor, we 
 think, he comprehends every thing, that makes 
 any fenfible difference in the conditions of man* 
 kind. Accordingly, it is an incontcftible truth)' 
 that \\h:it he.fayi of the rich and poor may be 
 faid of the nobleman and plebeian, of the matter 
 find the fcrvtrtt. It may be faid, t he matter and 
 the f-;rvant, the nobleman ?.n& the plebeian, meet 
 together ; the Lord is the vtaher of them nil 
 and fo of the reft. 
 
 It is not unlikely, however, that Solomon^ ' 
 when he fpoke of the ricb and poor, had a par- 
 ticular d'-iign in C hoofing this kind of diver'.ity 
 of cend'rtten to rita&rate his meaning in prefer- 
 ence to every other. Although I can hardly 
 conceive, that there ever was a period of time, 
 ,ve of riches did fafcinMe the eyea 
 d, as it does in this age ; yet it is very- 
 credible, that in Solomon'.-? time-, as in ooi% rich- 
 es made the grand difference among men. 
 Strictly fpeaking, there are now only two condi- 
 tions of mankind, that of the rich a:;d that of 
 the poor. : ecide all, yea thofe Dualities, 
 
 1 u-c-m to have no concer-n with them., I 
 
 uiltfications. Find but the art 
 
 of wnarffing money, and ycu will thereby find 
 
 of uniting in your own perfon ail the advao- 
 
 of -which mankind liaVe entc; tained t-he 
 
 3S. How mean ibever your birth m;,.y 
 
 been, you will poffefs the art of conceal i,i-g 
 
 ! you m <y form an alliance with the mott 
 fa-milits ; how fm*H foev<:r your knowl- 
 
 may be, you may pal's for a iuperior genius, 
 
 I 2 AsipAbi*
 
 98 The Equality of Mankind. 
 
 Capable of deciding queftions the mod intricate,- 
 points the moft abftrufe ; and, what is ftill more 
 deplorable, you may purchafe with filver and 
 gold a kind of honour and virtue, while you re- 
 main the moft abandoned of mankind, at lea ft, 
 your money will attract that refped, which is 
 dr.e to nothing but honour and virtue. 
 
 The fecond truth which we fuppofe, 5s, that 
 this proportion, the Lord is the maker of tbejn 
 //, is one of thofe concife, I had slmoft faid 
 one of thofe defective propofitions, which a judi- 
 cious auditor ought to fill up, in order to give it 
 a proper meaning. The ftyle is very common in 
 eur fcriptures ; it is peculiarly proper in fenten- 
 tious works, fuch as this, out of which we have 
 taken the text. The defign of Solomon is t 
 teach us, that whatever diverfities of conditions 
 ;here may be in fociety, the men, who compofe 
 it, arc essentially equal. The reafon that he af- 
 Hgns, is, tie Lord is the maker of them all. If 
 this idea be not added, the prcpofition proves 
 nothing at all. It does not follow, becaufe the 
 fame God is the creator of two beings, that thers 
 is any refemblance between them, much lefs thai 
 hey are equal. Is not God the creator of pure 
 unembodied intelligences, who have faculties fu-r 
 yerior to thofe of mankind? Is not God the au- 
 thor of their exiftence as well as of our* ? Be- 
 caufe God is the ereator of both, does it follow 
 that both are eqwal ? God is no lefs the creator 
 f the organs of an ant, than he is the creator 
 f the fublime geniufes of a part of mankind. 
 Becaufe God hath created an ant and a fublime 
 genius, does it follow, that thefe two beings art 
 equal ? The meaning of the words of Solomon 
 depends then on what a prudent reader fupplies. 
 "We may judge what ought to be fupplied by the 
 ature of the fubject, and by a parallel paffage 
 in the book of Job. " Did not he, that made 
 ye in the womb, make my fervant I and did he 
 
 qo
 
 The Equality of Mankind* 99 
 
 not fafhion us alike*?" chap. xxxi. 15. To the 
 words of our text, therefore, the Lord is thg 
 maker of tbem all, we muft add, the Lord hath 
 fashioned tbem all alike. Nothing but grofs ig- 
 norance, or wild treachery, can incline an ex- 
 poGtor to abufe this liberty of making up the 
 ft rife of a paffage, and induce him to conclude, 
 that he may add to a text whatever may feem to 
 him the mod proper to fupport a favourite opin- 
 ion, or to cover an unworthy paffion. When 
 we are inquiGtive for truth, it is eafy to difcover 
 the paffages of holy fcripture, in which the au- 
 thors have made wfe of thefe concifc imperfect 
 fentences. 
 
 Of this kind are all pafFages, which excite no 
 diftincl ideas, or which exite ideas foreign frora 
 the fcope of the writer, unlcfs the meaning be 
 fuppliecL For example, we read thefe words in 
 the eleventh chapter of St. Paul's fecond epiftlc 
 to the Corinthians, ver. 4. "If he, that cometh, 
 preacheth another Jfefus, whom we have not 
 preached, or if ye receive another fpirit, which 
 ye have not received, or another gofpcl, which 
 ye have not accepted, ye might well bear witk 
 him." If we attach fuch ideas to thefe words, 
 as they feem at firft to excite, we {hall take them 
 in a fenfe quite oppofite to the meaning of St. 
 Paul. The apoltle aimed to make the Corinthi- 
 ans refpect his miniftry, and to conGder his apof- 
 tlefhip as confirmed of God in a manner as clear 
 and decifive as that of any minifler, who had 
 preached to them. Is the propoGtion, that we 
 have read, any thing to this purpofe, unlefs we 
 fupply what is not expreffed ? But if we fupply 
 
 what 
 
 * This reading of the French bible differs a little 
 from our translation ; but a comparifon of the twa 
 
 itions with the original, and with the fcope of 
 the place, will give the preference to the French read- 
 
 Nonne dispocuit not in utero unus atque idem ? Vi&. 
 JJoli Synops. in lec.
 
 2 CO The Equality cf Mankind. 
 
 what is underftood, and add thefe words, but this 
 is incredible, or any others equivalent, we Unit 
 perceive the force of his raFohitJf, which is this: 
 If there hath been among you any one, whofe 
 preaching have revealed a Redeemer, better 
 adapted to your wants than he, whom we have 
 preached to you, or if ycu have received otofg 
 excellent gifes than thofe, which the holy Spirit 
 fo abundantly ciifff-d among you by our minis- 
 try, you unght indeed have preferred him before 
 ws ; but it is not credible, that you have had 
 fucb teachers : you ought then to refpett our 
 mini ft ry. 
 
 We need not make any more rematks of this 
 kind ; our text, it is eafy to fee, ought to ne 
 clailcd with them, that are irnperfeft, and muf: 
 be fupplied with words to make up the fenfe. 
 Ills, rich and the poor viJ^t together in four arti- 
 cles of equality ; becaufe t/te Lord batb made 
 ibem ell EQ4JAL in nature or in essetise, equal in 
 privileges, rqual in appointment, equal in their 
 last end. The Lord hath made them equal in 
 mature ; they have the fame fscnlties, and the 
 fame Luti bow ties : Pqua' in privileges ; for both 
 are capable by the excellence of their nature, and 
 more Rill by that of their religion, to form the 
 n-obleft d'iigns : Equal in designation ; for al- 
 though 'he rich differ from the poor in their con- 
 dition, yet both are intended to anfwer the great 
 Us of God with regard to human nature : 
 finally,, they are equal in their last end ; the 
 fame fentence of death is palTcd on both, and 
 both alike nu.ft fubmit to it. "The rich and 
 the poor meet together : the Lord is the maker 
 of theai all." Thus the text affords us four 
 troths worthy of our moft fcriou& attention. 
 
 The "trrfl article of equality, in which men meet 
 together, is an equality of essence or of nature ;, 
 the Lord hath made tht-m aril with the fame fac- 
 ltics, .and with the fame infirmities. 
 
 1. With
 
 The Equality of Mankind'. ids' 
 
 1. With the fame faculties. What is man ? 
 He confifts of a body, and of a foul united to a 
 body. This definition, or rather, if you will, 
 this description, agrees to all mankind, to the 
 great as well as to the fmall, to the rich as well 
 as to the poor. The foul of the poor hath the 
 Tame power as that of the rich, and to lay down 
 principles, to infer conferences, to diftinguifh 
 truth from falfehood, to choofe good or evil, or 
 examine what is moft advantageous and nioft glo- 
 rious to it; The body of the poor, as well as 
 that of the rich, difplays the wifdom of him, who 
 formed it ; it hath a fymmetry in its parts, an 
 exaclnefs in its motions, and a proportion to it* 
 fecret fprings. The laws, that unite the body of 
 the poor to his foul, are the fame as thofe, which 
 unite thefe two beings in the rich ; there is the 
 fame connexion between the two parts, that con- 
 ftitnte the eflence of the man ; a fimilar motion 
 of the body produceth a fimilar thought in the 
 mind ; a fimilar idea of the mind, or a fimilar 
 emotion of the heart, produceth a fimilar motion 
 of the body. This is man. Thefe are the fac- 
 ultiei of men. Diverfity of condition makes no 
 alteration in thefe faculties. 
 
 2. The Lord bath made ibem all with the 
 fame infirmities. They have the fame infirmities 
 of body. The body of the rich, as well as that 
 of the poor, is a common receptacL, where a 
 thoufand impurities meet ; it is a general ren- 
 dezvous of pains and lickneffes ; it is a bouse of 
 clay, whose foundation is in the dust, and is 
 crushed before the moth, Job iv. iy. 
 
 They have the fame mental infirmities. The 
 mind of the rich, like that of the poor, is inca- 
 pable of fatisfying itfelf on a thoufand defirable 
 queftions. The mind of the rich, as well as that 
 of the poor, is prevented by its natural ignorance, 
 when it wauld expand itfelf in contemplation, 
 a^d ccUircifc a number of otvioui phenomena,, 
 
 The
 
 sen The Equality of Mankind. 
 
 The foul of the rich, like that of the poor, is fub- 
 jecl :o doubt, uncertainty, and ignorance ; and, 
 what is more mortifying Hill, the heart of Ull- 
 rich, like the poor re all's heart, is fjjject to the 
 fame pafflons, to envy, and. to anger, and to all 
 the disorder of fin. 
 
 They have the f.tme frailties in the laws, that 
 unite the foul to the body. The foul of the rich, 
 >:ke the foul of the poor, is united to a body, or 
 rather enflsved by it. The foul of the rich, like 
 that of the poor, is interrupted in its molt pro- 
 foufid meditations by a (ingle ray of light, by the 
 buzzing of a fly, cr by the touch of an atom of 
 dud. The rich m;;n's faculties of reafoning and 
 of felf-determinipg ure unbended, ;;nd in fome 
 fort vanifhed and abforbed, like thofe of the poor, 
 on the flighted alteration of the fenfes ; and this 
 alteration of the fenfti happens to him, as well 
 as to the poor, at the approach of certain objects* 
 David's reafon is fulpendtd at the light of Bath- 
 iheba ; David mo longer ciilinguiflieth good from 
 evil ; David forgets the purity of the laws, which 
 be himieii bad fo highly celebrated ; and, at the 
 fight of this object, hi3 whole fyftem of piety is 
 refuted, lit? whole edir.ee of religion finks and 
 difappears. 
 
 The fecond point of equality, in which the ricb 
 and the poor meet together^ is an equality oi' 
 privileges. To afpire at -f.ue. iGftS, when 
 
 providence bath placed us it; '.ations in 
 
 i'ociety, is egregious folly. If- a man, who hath 
 only ordinary taients, only a common genius, 
 pretend to acquire an immortal reputation among 
 heroes, and to fill the world with hi^ name and 
 exploits, he acts fancifully and wildly. 1. 
 who was born a fubjett, r.ifhly and ambiticofiy 
 attempt to afcend the tribunal-of a magillraie, or 
 the throne of a king, and to aim at governing, 
 when he is called to obey, he is guilty of rebelt- 
 i*a. But this law, which foibMs inferiors to ar- 
 rogate
 
 '"the Equality of Mankind, 103 
 
 rogate to themfelves fome privileges, doth no: 
 prohibit them from afpiring at others, incompar- 
 ably more great and glorious. 
 
 Let us difcover, if it be pofiible, the mod mif- 
 crabie man in this aflernbly ; let us diflspate the 
 darknefs that covers him ; let us raife - him from 
 that kind of grave, in which his indigence and 
 meannefs conceal him. This man, unknown to 
 the reft of mankind ; this man, who feems hardly- 
 formed by the Creator into an intelligent exig- 
 ence ; thia man hath, however, the greateft arid 
 mod glorious privileges. .This man, being recon- 
 ciled to God by religion, hath a right to afpire 
 to the moft noble and fublime objefts of it. He 
 hath a right to elevate bis foul to God in ardent 
 prayer ; and, without the hazard of being taxed 
 with vanity, hs may afTure himfelf, that God, 
 the Great God, encircled in glory, and furround- 
 cd with the praifes of the blelTed, will behold 
 him, hear his prayer, and grant his requeft. This 
 man hath a right to fay to himfelf, The atten- 
 tion, that the Lord of nature gives to the gov- 
 ernment of the univerfe, to the wants of man- 
 kind, to the innumerable company of angels, and 
 to his own felicity, doth not prevent this adora- 
 ble Being from attending to me ; from occupy- 
 ing himfelf about my perfon, my children, my 
 family, my houfe, my health, my fubftance, my 
 falvation, my moft minute concern, even a fin- 
 gle hair of my head, Luke xxi. 18. This man 
 hath a right of addrefling God by names the moft 
 tender and mild, yea, if I may venture to fpeak 
 fo, by thofe moft familiar names, which equals 
 give each other ; he may call him his God, hi* 
 mafic, his father, his friend. Believers have 
 addreffed God by each of thefe names, and God 
 hath not only permitted them to do fo, he hath 
 even expreffed his approbation of their taking 
 thefe names in their mouths. This man hath a 
 right of coming to eat with God at the Load's 
 
 table,
 
 ao$. The Equality of Mankind* 
 
 table, and to live, if I may be allowed to fpeaTc 
 fo, to live with God, as a man lives with hla 
 friend. This man hath a right to apply to him- 
 felf whatever is moft great, moft comfortable, 
 mofl extatic In the myfteries of redemption, and 
 to fay to himfelf, For me the divine Intelligence 
 revolved the plan of redemption ; for me the Son 
 of God was appointed, before the foundation of 
 the world, to be a propitiatory facrifice ; for me 
 in the fulr.efs of time he took mortal flefh ; for 
 sie be lived feveral years among men in this 
 world;. for me he pledged himfelf to the juftice 
 of his Father, *nd fuffered fuch unparalleled pun- 
 Ifhment, as confounds reafon and lurpafles ima- 
 gination ; for me the holy Spirit shook the heav- 
 ens and the earth, and the sen and the dry land. 
 Hag. li. 6. and eftablifhed a miniftry, which he 
 confirmed by healing the fick, by raifing the dead, 
 by cafting out devils, and by fubverting the 
 whole order of nature. This man hath a right 
 to afpire to the felicity of the immortal God, to 
 the glery of the immortal God, to the throne of 
 the immortal God. Arrived at the fatal hour, 
 lying on his dying bed, reduced to the fight of 
 ufelefs friends, intffe&ual remedies, unavailing 
 tears, he hath a right to triumph over death, and 
 to defy his difturbing in the fir.alli ft degree the 
 tranquil calm, that his foul enjoys ; he hath a 
 right to fummon the gates of- heaven to admit 
 bis foul, and to fay to them, Lift up your heads., 
 O ye gates ! even lift them up, ye everlasting 
 doors .' 
 
 Thefe are the inconteftible privileges of the 
 man, who appears to us fo contemptible. I afk, 
 my brethren, have the nobles of the earth any 
 privileges more than thefe ? Do the train of at- 
 tendants, which follows them, the horfes, that 
 draw them, the grandees, who furround them, 
 the fuperb titles, which command exterior hom- 
 *ge, give them any rtal fuperiority over ih" nan, 
 
 who
 
 The Equality of Mankind. 105 
 
 tvho enjoys thole privileges, which we have brief- 
 ly enumerated? Ah! my brethren, nothing 
 proves the litilenefs of great men more than the 
 imprcflion, which the exterior advantages, that 
 diftinguifh them from the r-:ft of mankind, make 
 on their minds. Are you aware of what you are 
 doing, when you defpife them whom providence 
 placeth for a few years in a fituation inferior to 
 your own ? You are defpifing and degrading 
 yourfelves, you are renouncing your real great- 
 net's, aiid, by valuing yourfelves for a kind of for- 
 eign glory, you difcover a contempt for that, 
 which confiitutes the real dignity of your nature. 
 The glory of man does not conliit ir. his being a 
 mailer, or a rich man, a nobleman, or a king ; it 
 conflfU in his being a man, in his being formed 
 in the image of his Creator, and capable of all 
 the elevation, that we have been describing-. If 
 you condemn your inferiors in Society, you plain- 
 ly declare, that you are infenfible to your real 
 dignity ; for, had you derived your ideas of real 
 greatnefs from their true fource, you would have 
 refpected it in perfons, who appear the moft mean 
 and defpicable. The rich and the poor meet to- 
 gether ; the Lord hath endowed them all with 
 the fame privileges. They all meet together on. 
 the fame line of equality in regard to their claims 
 of privileges. This was the point to be proved. 
 
 We add, in the third place, the rich and the 
 poor meet together in an equality of destination. 
 Rich and poor are placed by providence in differ- 
 ent ranks, 1 grant \ but their different Rations 
 are fixed with the fame defign, I mean, to ac- 
 coinplifh the purpofes of God in regard to v. 
 
 What are the defigns of God in regard to 
 men ? What end doth he propofe to effect by 
 placing us on this planet, thirty, forty, or frxty 
 years, before he declares our eternal Pute ? Ws 
 have frequently anfwered this important queftion. 
 Gid hath placed us here in a ftate of probation : 
 K fcv
 
 ig5 The Equality of Mankind* 
 
 he Lath fet before our eyes fnpreme felicity and 
 intolerable mifery ; he hath pointed out the vices 
 that conduit to the lad, and "the virtues neceflary 
 to arrive at the firft ; and he bath declared, that 
 cur conduit fliall determine our future fate. 
 This, I think, is the defign of God in regard to 
 men. This is the notion, that we ought to form, 
 of the end which God propofes in fixing us a few 
 years tipon earth, and in placing us among our 
 fellow creatures in fociety. 
 
 .On this principle, which is the mod glorious 
 condition ? It is neither that, which elevates us 
 Iiigheft in fociety, nor that, which procureth us 
 the greateft conveniences of life. If it be not 
 abfolutely indifferent to men, to whom it is un- 
 certain whether they ftiall quit the prefent world 
 the next moment, or continue almoft a century 
 In it ; I fay, if it be not abfolutely indifferent to 
 them, whether they be high or low, rich or poor, 
 it would be contrary to all the laws of prudence, 
 \eere they to determine their choice of a condi- 
 tion by confiderations of this kind alone. A 
 creature capable of eternal felicity, ought to con- 
 fider that the moft glorious condition, which is 
 the meft likely to procure him the eternal felicity, 
 of which heis capable. Were a wife man to 
 choofe a condition, he would certainly prefer 
 that, in which he could do molt good ; he would 
 always conlider that as the moft glorious ftation 
 for himielf, in which he could beft anfwer the 
 great end, for which his Creator placed him in 
 this world. It is glorious to be at the head of a 
 nation ; but if I could do more good in a mean 
 flation, than I could do in an eminent poft, the 
 meaneft ftation would be far more glorious to me 
 than the moft eminent poft. Why ? becaule that 
 is moil glorious to me, which heft anfwers the 
 end that my Creator propoied in placing me jn 
 this world. God placed me in this world to ena- 
 ble me to do good, and prepare mvfeli by a holy- 
 life
 
 The Equality cf Mankind. 107 
 
 For a happy eternity. To do good at the 
 Iiea4 of a nation, certain talents are nee 
 If I have noc ti t only I fhoul 
 
 do good in this poll, but I fliould certain 
 evil. I fhould expofc my country to danger ; I 
 fhould fink its credit, obfeure its glory, and de- 
 its dignity. It j:, therefore, incomparably 
 lefs glorious for me to be at the head of a ftate, 
 than to ocenpr a pod lefs eminent. It is glori- 
 ous to fill the higheft office in the chuicl;, to an- 
 nounce the oracles of God, to develope the myf- 
 teries of the kingdom of heaven, and to direct 
 
 jring fouls to the road that leads to the 
 fbvereign good ; but if I be deflitute of gii. 
 
 .1 to the filling of this office, it is incompar- 
 ably more glorious to me to remain a pupil than 
 to commence a tutor. Why ? becaufe that Ra- 
 tion is the mod eligible to me, which bed empow- 
 
 e to anfwer the end for which my Creator 
 placed me in this world. My Creator ptacrd me 
 in this world, that I might do good, an 
 a huly life I might prepare for a happy eternity. 
 In order to do good in the hightlt offices in the 
 church, great talents are neceflary. If Gcd hath 
 not beftowed great talents on me, I fliould not 
 
 not do good, but I fhould do harm. Inftead 
 of announcing the oracles of God, I fliould preach 
 the traditions of men ; I fliould involve the myf- 
 teries of religion in darknefs, inftead of develop- 
 ing theiri ; I fliould plunge poor mortals into an 
 abyls of mifery, inflead of pointing cut the road 
 which would conduct them to a bleffed immortal- 
 ity. But by remaining in the date of a difciple, 
 I may obtain attention, docility, and a love to 
 truth, which are the virtues of my condition. It 
 is more glorious to be a good fubjed than a bad 
 king 1 it is more glorious to be a good difciple 
 
 a bad teacher, 
 lu: v.-,ui\ men have falfe ideas of glory, and we 
 
 :jr notions of it from the opinions of thefa 
 
 unjuft
 
 ic8 The Equality of Mankind. 
 
 unjuft appraifers of men and things. That, 
 which elevates us in their eyts, fecms glorious to 
 us ; and we efleem that contemptible, which 
 abafeth us before them. We difcover, 1 know- 
 not what, meannefs in mechanical employments, 
 and the contempt that we have for the employ- 
 ment extends itfelf to him who follows it, and 
 thus we habituate ourfelves to defpife them 
 whom God honours. Let us undeceive ourfelves, 
 Ely brethren ; there is no condition fhameful, 
 except it necefi'arily lead us to fome infraction of 
 the law"s of our Supreme Lawgiver, who is able 
 to save and to destroy, James iv. 12. Strictly 
 ing, one condition of life is no more honour- 
 able than another. There are, I grant, fome 
 (rations, in which the objects, that employ thofe 
 who fill them, are naturally more noble than 
 of other ftations. The condition of a ma- 
 gi ft rate, whole, employment is to improve and to 
 rce maxims of government, hath a nobler 
 t than that of a mechnnic, whofe bufinefs it 
 mprove the leaft neceffary art. There is ft 
 r object in the ftation of a paftor called to 
 publifh the laws of religion, than in that of a 
 jfcboolmafter confined to teach the letters of the 
 alphabet. But God will regulate our eternal 
 uate not according to the object of our purfuit, 
 but according to the manner in which we fhouid 
 have purfued it. In this point of light, all ranks- 
 are equal] every rendition is the fame. Man- 
 kind have, then, an e quality of destination. Th 
 rich and the poor are placed in different ranks 
 the finie view, both are to anfwer the great: 
 eud, that God hath propofed to anfwer by creat- 
 ing and arranging mankind. 
 
 Hitherto we have had occafioi for fome little 
 
 labour to prove our thefis, that all men are eona!, 
 
 notwithstanding the various conditions m which 
 
 God hath placed them. And you, my brethren, 
 
 [ad occafion for fjtne docility to feel the 
 
 force
 
 Tie Equality of Mankind. 109 1 
 
 of our arguments. But in our fourth arti- 
 
 tue truth will cftablifh itfclf, and its fores 
 
 will be felt by a rental, yea by a hint of our ar- 
 
 We faid, fourthly, that men are equal in their 
 
 nJ, that the fame fentence of death is de- 
 
 iced on all, and that they muft all alike fub- 
 
 n-.it to their fate. On which fide can we view 
 
 death, and not receive abundant evidence of this 
 
 truth ? Confide r the certainty of death, the 
 
 ..el's of death, the harbingers of death, the 
 
 . s of death, ia many fides by which death 
 
 may be conueiercd, fo many proofs, i^o many uein- 
 
 ,;ions, fo many fources of demonflrations of 
 
 truth of this fenfe of my te;>t, the rich and 
 
 meet together, the Lord is tie milker of- 
 
 them all. 
 
 1. Remark the certainly of death. " Daft 
 thou (hail thou return," Gen. 
 
 " '.-. '. . into men cr>ce to die," 
 
 Heb. ix. '27. The is univerfal, its onj 
 
 lity involves all the p-aerity of Adam ; it 
 ..1 conditions, all profeffions, ail itation;, 
 uiid every ll.-p of life eniures the execution of it^ 
 Whither art thou going, rich man 1 thou, who 
 .tell: thyfelf becaufe thy fie, 
 pie ill <f idly, and who i'ayeft to thy'Du!,. 
 .' thou bast much goods laid up for many 
 years ; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be mer- 
 ry ; To death. Whither art thou going, poor 
 man 1 thou, who art toiling through a la'nguilh- 
 c-(t thy bread from door to 
 door, who air continually perplexed in finding 
 out means of procuring bread to eat ;. 
 
 ut on, always- an object of . ity of 
 
 fotne, and of the bardheartedners of others ? To 
 
 Whither gorft thou, nobleman ! thou, 
 
 who deck^ft thyfelf with borrowed plume;, who 
 
 puttelt the renown of tl ine anceftors into the- liit 
 
 .ucs, and who ihin .eft thyfelf iu.i.. 
 
 K "2 ' an
 
 no 77; e E'i u a lily of Ma n k i n d . 
 
 an earth move n fined than t!:;;t c f tiic reft of" 
 mankind I To death. Whither gcefr. thou, 
 peafar.t ! thou, who der: of a peer, 
 
 mid at the fame time valued ihyfelf on fome- 
 equally abfur ith. W frit her, 
 
 :r I art thou marching ; thcu, whe ta 
 of nothing but glory and heroifm, and who amid 
 many Voices four,; ing in thine ears, and inceffant- 
 Iy crying. Remember tbou art mortal, art dream- 
 ing of, I know not what, immortality ? To 
 death. Whither art thou going, merchant ! 
 thou, who breatheft nothing but the increafc of 
 thy fortune, arc! who jmlgefi of the happinefs or, 
 of thy days, not by thine acrpiifition of 
 . and thy practice of virtue, but by the 
 pain or the Jcfs of thy wealth ? To death. 
 Iter are *-: all going, my dear hearers ? To 
 D ) I exceed the truth, my brethren? 
 death regard titles, dignities, and riches ? 
 e is Alexander ? Where is Ctefar ? Where 
 Jive aM they, whofe names (truck terror through 
 tii- v.iiole world i '] '.> y were : but they are no 
 more. They fell' before the voice, that cried, 
 Return* ye children of men, Pfal. xc. 3. " I faid, 
 re god 1 ;; but ye fhall die like men," Pfal. 
 Ixxxii. 6. I said, Ye are gods ; this, ye great 
 men of the earth ! this is your title ; this is the 
 patent, that creates your dignity, that fubjefts 
 us to your commands, and teacheth us to revere 
 your characters : but ye shall die like men ; this 
 is the decree, that degrades you, and puts you on 
 a level with us. Ye are gods ; I will, then, re- 
 fpect your authority, and confider you as images 
 of him, by tvbom kings rvign : but ye stall die >- 
 I will not, then, fuffer myfelf to be impofed on 
 by your grandeur, and whatever homage I may 
 yield to my king, I will always remember that 
 he is a mam The certainty of death is the firft 
 fide, on uhich we may couGder this murderer of 
 
 jcaskiad^.
 
 The Equality of Mankind. in 
 
 mankind, and it is the firft proof of our fourth 
 propofuion : Mankind a;e eqnal in their List end. 
 2. The proximity of death is a fccond demon- 
 firation, a fecond fource of demorsftrations. The 
 limits of our lives are equal. The life of the 
 rich, as well as that of the poor, is reduced to an 
 band-breadth, Pfal. xxxix. 5. Sixty, eighty, or 
 a hundred years, is ufuatly the date of a long life. 
 The fceptre hath no more privilege in this rc- 
 fpecl than the crook ; nor is the palace at any 
 greater diftance from the tomb, than the cottage 
 from the grave. Heaps of filver and gold may 
 intercept the rich man's light of death ; but they 
 can neither intercept death's fight of the rich 
 wan, nor prevent his forcing the feeble intrench- 
 nents, in which he may attempt to hide himfelf. 
 
 5. The harbingers of death are a third demon- 
 fimtion, a third fource of demor.ltrations. The 
 rich have the fame forerunners as the poor ; both 
 have fimilar dying agonies, violent ficknefles, dif- 
 guRful medicines, intolerable pains, and cruel 
 mifgivings. Pais through thole fuperb apart- 
 ments, in which the rich man feems to defy the 
 enemy, who lurks and threatens to feize him ; 
 go through the crcud of domeftics, who furround 
 him ; caft your eyes on the bed, where nature* 
 and art have contributed to his eafe. In thia 
 grand edifice, arnidfi this aflembly of courtiers* 
 or, (hall I rather fay ? amidft this troop of vile 
 fhves, you will find a moft mortifying and mifi. 
 erable object. You will fee a vifage all pule, 
 livid, diftorted ; you will hear the fhrieks of a 
 wretch tormented with the gravel, or the gout ; 
 you will fee a foul terrified with the fear of thofe 
 eternal books, which are about to be opened, of 
 that formidable tribunal, which is already erefl- 
 ed, of the awful fentence, that is about to be- 
 denounced. 
 
 4. The ravages of death make a fourth dem- 
 ofiiation ; they are the f-aaie with the rich a* 
 
 witk '
 
 ; i - The Equality of M- 
 
 with the poor. Death alike condemns their eye: 
 to impenetrable night, their t eternal fi- 
 
 letice, their whole fyftem to total deflruction. I 
 i fuperb monument. I approach this ftriking 
 object. I fee magnificent rnferiptions. I read 
 the pompous titles of the most noble, the most 
 puissant, genera.', prince, monarch, arbiter of 
 pe-ace, arbiter of vjar. I long to fee the in fide 
 of this eicgan: pi^-ce of work-munfbip, and I peep 
 under the (lone, that covers him, to whom ail 
 this pomp is confe-crated ; there I find, what 
 _ - . . a putrif.ed carcafe devouring by worms. 
 O vanity of human grandeur S ' Vanity cf van- 
 ities, a!', is vanity ' Put not your truft in prin- 
 ces, nor in the foil of man, i no help," 
 Eecl. i. 2. U H;: breatl .rth, be return* 
 eth to his earth, i:: ' day his thoughts 
 perim," Pl'ai. cxlvi. 3. 4. " As for man, his 
 u'a-ys are as grafs ; as a flowc- of the field lb he 
 flourifheth ; for the wind paffeth over it, and it 
 is gone : and the place c hereof iiiail know it. no 
 more," Pfai. ciii. 15, i ... 
 
 j. Finally, the Judgment, that follows deaths 
 tarries -our propoiition to the highefi degree of 
 evidence. l It is appointed unto men once to 
 die ; but after this the judgment," Heb. ix. 27. 
 The rich and the poor mud alike appear before 
 that throne, which Gt. John defcribes in the rev- 
 elation, and before that venerable perfonage^! 
 from vohose face the heave:: and the cat tb fee 
 away , chap. xx. 11. If there be any difference 
 between the rich and the poor, it is all, methink~, 
 in favour of the latter. The fummons, that nuift 
 be ore day addreffed to each of us, give an ac- 
 count of thy stewardship, Luke xv;. 2. this fum- 
 lnons is always terrible. You indigent people I. 
 whom God (to ufe the language of fcripture) 
 hath set ever a few things, an account of thefe 
 few things^Wi bej-enuired of you, ^and yo:i will 
 
 be
 
 The Equality of Mankind. 113 
 
 rje as furely punifhed for hiding one talent, as if 
 you had hidden more, Matt. xxv. 17. 
 
 But how terrible to me feems the account, that 
 muft be given of a great number of talents I If 
 the rich man have fome advantages over the poor, 
 (and who can doybt that he hath many ?) how 
 are his advantages counterpoifed by the thought 
 of the confequences of death ! What a fummons, 
 my brethren ! is this, for a great man, Give att 
 account of tby stewardship ! give an account of 
 thy riches. Didft thou acquire them lawfully ? 
 or were they the produce of unjuft dealings, o 
 cruel extortions, of repeated frauds, of violated 
 promifes, of perjuries and oaths ? Didft thoa 
 diflribute them charitably, compaflionately, lib- 
 erally ? or didft thou referve them avariciously, 
 meanly, barbaroufly ? Didft thou employ them 
 to found hofpitals, to procure itiflrutSlion for the 
 ignorant, relief for the fick, confolations for the 
 afHitted ? or didft thou employ them to cherifh 
 thy pride, to difpiay thy vanity, to immortalize 
 thine ambition and arrogance ? Give an account 
 of thy reputation. Didft thou employ it to re- 
 lieve the oppreffed, to protect, the widow and or- 
 phan, to maintain juftice, to diffufe truth, to 
 propagate religion ? or, on the contrary, didft 
 thou ufe it to degrade others, to deify thy paf- 
 fions, to render thyfelf a fcourge to fociety, a 
 plague to mankind ? Give an account of thine 
 honours. Didft thou direct, them to their true 
 nd, by contributing all in thy power to the 
 good of fociety, to the defence of thy country, 
 to the profpetity of trade, to the advantage of 
 the public ? or didft thou direct them only to 
 thine own private intereft, to the eftjbliflung of 
 thy fortune, to the elevation of thy family, to 
 th^ infatiable avidity of glery, which gnawed 
 and devoured thee ? Ah I try brethren ! if we 
 enter very ferioufly into tliefe reflections, we 
 /iiall not be fo much fh'uck, as we ufually are. 
 
 witli
 
 1 14 The Equality of Mann;, 
 
 with the diverfity of men's conditions in this life ; 
 -agerly after tl 
 in tins frorld. The ricb an I 
 gct'ier, the Lord is the ;. them all ; that 
 
 'is to fay, he hath made them equal in their na- 
 
 cqoal in their privileges, equal in their def- 
 tsnution, and equal, as we have proved, in . 
 laR end, 
 
 The inferences, that We intend to draw front' 
 what we hare fuid, are not inferences of feditioir 
 
 narcriy. We do not mean to diitorb the 
 ; of foctety ; r,<. g that all men 
 
 in effential equality, to rcbrobate that fub- 
 ordihation, without which icciety would be- 
 nothing- but contuiion, and the lr.eo, who com- 
 pofe it, a lawlefs banditti. We affirm, that the- 
 idbject and the prince, the matter and tiie ftr- 
 vant, are truly and properly eqaa-1 ; but far be it 
 from us to infer, that therefore the fubjeft fhould 
 withdra%v ins f : the 
 
 fervar.t diminilh his obedience to Li-s iriafter. On 
 the contrary, fnbjecis :. would re- 
 
 nounce aril, that is glorious in their conditions, if 1 
 
 imertaincvj^fuch wild idcac in their minds. 
 
 That, which equals them to the fupefiors, whoni- 
 
 hath fet lief or 
 
 their bfeing capable, : s, of 
 
 afifwcring the end that God ptopofeth in creating- 
 
 i:;d. They would cotuueracl this end, 
 they t( hatge thofe duties of t 
 
 condition, to a : Jer.ce c .-. I ! 3 t!" 
 
 Nor would we derive froni the truths-, which 
 we have afl rvatical 'inferenct .. We en- 
 
 deavoured b-: id re to precede ;;il occalion for re- 
 proach on this ar-tic-e, yet perhaps we (nay n<>i. 
 efcape it ; for how often' does s**n unfriendly au- 
 ditor, in order to enjoy the plea lure of decrying 
 a difgufii'ul truth, aff:d"l to fo; 
 
 which the pre*< her 
 
 . . ,-, onco more ; vti
 
 The Equality of Mankind. 115 
 
 n, that the conditions of all men are abso- 
 lutely equal, by affirming that in fosie fenfes all 
 mankind are on a level. We do not fay, that 
 the man, whom fociety agrees to contemn, is as 
 happy as the man, whom fociety unites to revere.. 
 We do not l'ay, that the man, who h:^h no 
 where to hide his head, is as happy as he, who 
 ommodioufly accommodated. We do not 
 lay, that a man, who is deftituie of all the necef- 
 faries of life, is as happy as the man, whole for- 
 tune is fufficient to procure him all the conveni- 
 ences of it. No, my brethren ! we have no more 
 defign to deduce inferences of fanaticifm froja 
 the doctrine of the text, than we have to infer 
 maxims of anarchy and rebellion. .But we infer 
 , jufi: conclufions, conformable, to the precious gift 
 of reafon, that the Creator hath bellowed en us, 
 and to the incomparably more precious gift of 
 
 ion, with which he hath enriched us. Derive 
 then, my brethren, Conclufions of thefe kind?, 
 
 .t them be the application of this difcourfe. 
 Derive from our fubjedt conclufions of mode- 
 
 t. Labour, for it is allowable, and the mo- 
 rality of the gofpel doth not condemn it, labour 
 to render your name illuftrious, to augment your 
 fortune, to eftablifh your reputation, to contrib- 
 ute to the pleafure of your life ; but labour no 
 more than becomes you. Let efforts of this kind 
 never make you iofe fight of the great end of life. 
 Rememner, as riches, grandeur, and reputation, 
 are not the fupreme good, fo obfeurity, meannefs, 
 and indigence, are not the iupreme evil. Let 
 the care of avoiding the fupreme evil, and the 
 define of obtaining the fupreme good, be always 
 the moft ardent of our \vifhes, and let others yield 
 to that of arriving at the chief good. 
 
 Derive from our doctrine conclufions of acqui- 
 escence in the laws of providence. If it pleafe 
 
 j^nce to put an effential difference between 
 you and the great men of the earth, let it be 
 
 your
 
 4 1 6 Tiic Equality of Mankind, 
 
 your holy ambition to excel in it. You cannst 
 murmur witfeout being guilty of reproaching God, 
 bi-'caufe he hath made you what you are ; be- 
 cause he formed you men, and not angels, arch- 
 angels. *r feraphims. Had he annexed effential 
 privi! jr s to the highfcft ranks, fubmiffion would 
 always be your lot, nnd you ought always to 
 adore, and to fubmit to that intelligence, which 
 governs the world ; but this is not your cafe. 
 God gives to the great men of the earth an ex- 
 terior, tranfient, fuperficial glory ; but he hath 
 made you fhare with them a glory real, folic!, and 
 permanent. What difficulty can a wife man find 
 by acqoiefcing in this law of providence ? 
 
 Derive from the truths you have heard conclu- 
 fions of vigilance. Inftead of ingenioufly flatter- 
 ing yourfelf with the vain glory of being elevated 
 above your neighbour, or of fuffering your mind 
 to fink under the puerile mortification of being 
 inferior to him, inccfTantly inquire what is the 
 virtue of your ftation, the duty of your rank, and 
 ufe your utmoft induftry to fill it worthily. You 
 are a magifiraie : the virtue of your ftation, the 
 duty of your rank, is to employ yourfelf wholly 
 to ferve your fellow fubje&s in inferior ftations, 
 to prefer the public good before your own private 
 intereft, to facrifice yourfelf for the advantage of 
 that date, the reins of which you hold. PraCtife 
 this virtue, fulfil thefe engagements, put off fclf- 
 intereft, and devote yourfelf wholly to a people, 
 who entrufl you with their properties, their lib- 
 erties, and their lives. You are a fubjed : the 
 duty of your rank, the virtue of your flation, is 
 fubmiffion, snd you mould obey not only through 
 fear of puniuiment, but through a wife regard 
 for order. P"rakife this virtue, fulfil this engage- 
 ment, make it your glory to fubmit, and in the 
 authority of princes refpect the power of God, 
 whofe mtnifters and reprefentatives they are. 
 You are a rich man : the virtue of your Ration, 
 
 the
 
 The Equality of Mankind. 117 
 
 the duty of your condition, is beneficence, gene- 
 rofity, magnanimity. Praftife thefe virtues, dif- 
 tie duties. Let your heart be. always 
 moved with the neceilities of the wretched, and 
 your ears open to their complaints. Never omit 
 an opportunity of doing good, and be in fociety 
 neral refource, and univeifal refuge. 
 From the truths, which you have heard, derive 
 motives of zeal and fervour. It is mortifying, I 
 own, in fome refpecls, when one feels certain 
 emotions of dignity and elevation, to fink in fo- 
 ciety. It is mortifying to beg bread of one, who 
 is a roan like ourfelves. It is mortifying to be 
 trodden under foot by our equals, and, to fay all 
 in a word, to be in Rations very unequal among 
 our equals. But this economy will quickly van- 
 ifh. The fashion of this world will prefentlyjioj.* 
 azvaj, and we fhall foon enter that bleffed (fate, 
 in which all diftincYions will be abolifhed, and in 
 which all that is noble in immortal fouls, will 
 (bine in all its fplendor. Let us, my brethren, 
 iigh after this period, let us make it the object 
 of our moft conftant and ardent prayers. God 
 grant, we may all have a right to pray for it ! 
 God grant, pur text may be one day verified in a 
 new fenfe. May all, who compofe this affembly, 
 mailers and fervants, rich and pocr, may we all, 
 my dear hearers, having acknowledged ourfelves 
 equal in efTence, in privileges, in deflinatien, in 
 lafl end, may we all alike participate the fame 
 glory. God grant it, for his mercy's fake.- 
 Auica.
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 THE WORtH OF THE SOUL. 
 
 Matthew xvi. z6. 
 shall a man give in cxchangi for his soul f 
 
 JVJlY brethren, before we enforce the 
 truths, which Jefus Ghrift included in the words 
 ol* the text, we will endeavour to fix the tne;.n- 
 ing of it. This depends on the term soul, which 
 is ufed in this paffage, and which is one of the 
 mo'l equivocal words in fcripture j for it is taken 
 in different, and even in contrary fenfes, lb that 
 fometimes it fignifits a dead body, Lev. xxi. 1. 
 V.'c will not divert your attention now, by recit- 
 ing the lotjg lift of explications, that may be ^iv- 
 en to the term ; but we will content ouiTcivc* 
 with remarking, that it can be taken oi.ly in two 
 fsnfes iu the text. 
 
 Soul may be taken far life ; and in tb'13 fenEa 
 the term is ufed by St. Matthew, who fays, Tbey 
 a>e d \o sought the young child's soul, 
 
 chap. ii. 20. Soul may be taken for that fpiritual 
 part of us, which we call th: soul by excellence ; 
 and in this fenfe it is ufed by our Lord, who fays, 
 Fear not tbe:n, which kill the body, but are not 
 able to kill the soul ; but rather fear him, which 
 is able to destroy both soul and body in hell, chap. 
 x. 28. 
 
 If we take the words in the firft fen r e, for life, 
 we put into the mouth of Jefus Chrift a propor- 
 tion verified by experience ; that is, that men 
 coiitich r life as t,e greatelt of all temporal bleff- 
 ::nd that they part with every thing to pre- 
 it. This rule hath its exceptions ; but the 
 firm theiule. Sometimes, indeed, 
 vorld, ;i principle of religion, 
 a
 
 120 The Worth of th e Soul. 
 
 a point of honour, will incline men to fac'riflce* 
 lives ; but thefe particular cafes cannot 
 rriri our faying in the ger-ral, What shall a 
 man give in exchange for his ''life ? 
 
 If we take the word for that part of man, 
 ; we call the soul by excellence, Jefus Chrift 
 i friended to point out to us, not what men ufually 
 to, (for alas * it happens too often, that men fac- 
 thcir fouls to the roeaneft and moft fordid 
 intereft) but what they always ought to do. He 
 meant to teach us, that the foul is the nobleft 
 part of us, and that nothing is teo great to be 
 given for its ranfom. 
 
 Both thefe interpretations are probable, and 
 each hath its partizans and its proofs. But, al- 
 though we would not cendemn the firft, we prefer 
 the laft, not only becaufe it is the moft noble 
 meaning, and opens the moft extenfive field of 
 meditation ; but becaufe it feems to us the mofl 
 fconformable to our Saviour's dengn in fpeaking 
 the words. 
 
 Judge by what precedes our text. " What is 
 a man profited, if he fhall gain the whole world, 
 and lofe his own foul ?" Jefus Chrift fpoke thus 
 to fortify his difciples again ft the temptations, to 
 which their profeffion of the gofpel was about to 
 expofe them. If by the word foul we underftand 
 the life) we fhal! be obliged to go a great way 
 about to give any rcafonable fenfe to the words. 
 On the contrary, if we take the word for the 
 ', the meaning of the whole is clear and 
 cafy. Now it feems to me beyond a doubt, that 
 Jefus Chrift, by the manner in which be hath 
 fled the text with the preceding verfe, ufed 
 the ter.- soul in the latter fenfe. 
 
 Judge of our comment alfo by what follows. 
 "What ftnll a man give in exchange for his 
 foul :'" For, adds our Lord immediately after, 
 the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Fa- 
 ther, with his angels ; and then be shall reward 
 
 every
 
 The Worth of the Soul. 121 
 
 man according to bis works. What con- 
 ::u\;o'.i have thefe words with our text, if we 
 soul for life ? What connexion 
 is theie between this propofition, Man batb nstb- 
 ing more valuable than life, and t his, For tbs 
 Son of man shall come in tbe glory of bis Father, 
 voitb b.'g angels ? Whereas, it we adopt our 
 fepfe of the term, the connexion inRantly appears. 
 We will, then, retain this explication. By 
 the sofil we underRand here the spirit of man ; 
 and, this word being thus explained, the meaning 
 of Jel'us Cbrift in the whole paflagv is tmueiRood 
 in part, and one remark will be fu'fficrent to ex- 
 plain it wholly. We muft attend to the true 
 meaning of the pbrafe, lose bis soul, which im- 
 mediately precedes the text, rmd which we (hall 
 often ule to explain the text itfdf. To lose tbe 
 soul, does not fignify to be deprived of this part 
 of one's fell"; f >r, however great this punifhnient 
 might be, it is the chief ohj' cX of a wicked 
 mnn's wiibes : but to lose tbe soul, is to lofe 
 thofe real blefiingi, and to fnRain thofe real evils, 
 which a foul is capable of enjoying and of fuffer- 
 "ore, Jefus Chnft f lys in the 
 words, that pit-cede the text, What is a man 
 *' he sLr.lt gain tbe whole world, and 
 lose his own soul ? and in the text, What shall 
 a nan give in exchange for bis soul ? he exhib- 
 its o;-m truth ui rent faces, fo that our 
 . will naturally be turned fometimes to 
 the one, and f tbe oth:'r of thtfe 
 propofir'-ons. ] ' out, I fay, two truths, 
 which nify, that as the conquer): 
 would not be an obj< cl of value 
 fage us to facriiice our foul?, fo, 
 if we had loll them, no price could be too great 
 to be paid for the recovery of them. Let us 
 here fix our attention ; and let us examine what 
 conRitutes the dignity of the foul. Let us in- 
 quire, 
 
 L 2 I. The
 
 122 The Worth of the Soul 
 
 I. The excellence of its nature ; 
 
 II. The infinity of its duration ; 
 
 III. The price of its redemption : Three ar- 
 ticles which will divide this difcourfe. 
 
 I. Nothing can be given in exchange for our 
 fouls. We prove this propofitiou by the excel- 
 lence of its nature. What is the foul ? There 
 have been great absurdities, in the anfwers giv- 
 en to this queftion. In former ages of darknefs, 
 when mofr of the ftudies, that were puifued for 
 the cultivation of the mind, ferved to render i: 
 unfruitful ; when, people thought, they had ar- 
 rived at the hightft degree of knowledge, if they 
 had filled their memories with pompous terms- 
 and fuperb nonfcnle ; in thofe times, I fay, it 
 was thought, fne queftion might be fully ;<.nd 
 fatisfaCtoni'y anfwercd, and cieur and complete 
 ideas given of the nature of the foul. But in 
 later times, when, philofophy being cleanfed 
 from the impurities that infected the fc'.iools, 
 equivocal terms were rejected, and -only clear 
 and ciilli not ideas admitted, and thus literary in-. 
 veftigationf reduced to leal and foiid ufe ; in 
 tbefe days, I fay, philofophers, and philoi'ophcrs 
 of great name, have been ?fraid to anfwer 
 queftion, and 1 ned that the narrow 
 
 its, which confine our researches, difable us from 
 acquiring any other than obfeure notions of the 
 human foul, and that all, which we can propofe 
 to elucidate the nature of it, ferve rather to dif- 
 eover what it is not, than what it is. But if 
 the decifio.-.s of the former favour of the pre- 
 fumption, does not the timid refervednefs of the 
 latter feem a b; modefty ? If we be in- 
 
 capable of giving fuch fufficieiu anfwers to the 
 queftion as would fully fatisfy a genius earned in. 
 inquiring, and eager for demonilration, may we 
 not be able to give clear and high ideas of our 
 fouls, and fo to verify thefe fententious words of 
 the Saviour of the world, What shall a man giv? 
 in exchange for bis soul ? Indeed^
 
 The Worth of the Soul 123 
 
 Indeed, we do clearly anddiftinftly knoy e 
 
 properties ot' the foul ; and every one ot 
 by hisownexperier.ee, that it is cap bit 
 ing, willing, and feeling. The 
 properties is intelligence, the fecond volition, the 
 third fenfation, or, more properi; cuteft 
 
 feniibility. I am coming bow to the defign of 
 my text, and here I hope to prove, at lead to the 
 intelligent part of my hearers, by the nature of 
 the foul, that the loi's of it is the greateft of all. 
 loffes, and that nothing is too valuable, to be giv- 
 en for its recovery. 
 
 Intelligence is the fird property of the foul, and: 
 the firft idea, that we ought to form of it, know- 
 its nature. The perfection of this property con 
 fills in having clear and didinct ideas, extenfive. 
 and certain knowledge* To lose the soul, in this, 
 refpeel, is to fink into total ignorance. This 
 lofa is irreparable, and he, who fhould have loft, 
 his foul in this fenfe, could give nothing too great 
 for its recovery. Knowledge and happinefs are 
 Infeparable in intelligent beings, and, it is clear, 
 a foul deprived of intelligence cannot enjoy per- 
 felicitjr. Few men, 1 know, can be perfuad- 
 ed to admit this truth ; and there are, I mud al- 
 great redactions to be made on this article, 
 while we are in the prticnt flate. 
 
 1. In our prefent (late, exe^y degree of knoivl- 
 tdge, that the mind acquires, costs the body mucb. 
 A man, who would make a progref; in fcience, 
 mufl retire, meditate, and, in fome fenfe, involve 
 himiclf in himfelf. Now meditation exhaufts the 
 animal fpirits, clofe attention tires the brain ; 
 the collection of the foul into it felt' often injures 
 the health, and fometimes puts a period to life. 
 
 2. In our prefent flate, cur knowledge is con- 
 fined tvitbin narrow bounds. Quedions the moll 
 
 worthy of our curiofity, and the mod, proper to 
 animate and inflame us, are unanfwerable ; for 
 the objects lie beyond our reach. From all our 
 
 effort!
 
 I2r4_ The Worth of the Soul, 
 
 tffforts to eclaircife fuch oueflions, we foraetimesr 
 derive only mortifying reflections or, the weak- 
 nefs of our capacities, and the narrow limits of 
 our knowledge, 
 
 3. In this prefent ftate, sciences ane 
 
 of demonstration, and coniiit, ir, regard to 
 iittie more than probabilities and appearances, 
 A hian, whofe genius is a little exact, is obliged 
 in multitudes of cafes to doubt, and to f :' 
 his judgment ; and his j.'eaiuie of invefligdtifug 
 a point is almoft always interrupted by the too 
 well-grounded fear of taking a flucovy far a 
 ce, a phantom for a reality. 
 
 4. In this yrOrld, most of thofe sciences, in 
 the ftudy of which we fpend the belt part of fife, 
 are improperly called sciences : they have indeed 
 fome diftatlt relation tJ our wants in this prei'tnt 
 ftate, but they hr.ve r,o reference at all to our 
 real dignity. What relation to the real dignity 
 of man hath the knowledge of languages, ti: 
 ranging of various arbitrary and barbarous terms 
 in the mind, to enable one to exprefs cue thing 
 in a hufidted different Words it relation 
 to the real digiluy of man hath ti T an- 
 tiquitv ? Is i; worth while to hold a thottfand 
 
 rer.ces, and to toil through a thonfand vol- 
 umes, for fcevering the reveri- 
 our anc.eliors ? 
 
 5. In this world, v/e often fee reel and ufeful 
 knowledge deprived of its lustre, through the fu- 
 petcilioi.s urgi'cl ci mankind, and fcience falfely 
 id called crowned with their appiaule. One marj, 
 whole mind is a kind of fcieritific chaos, full of 
 vain '{peculations and confufed ideas, fhill be 
 preferred before another, whole fprctlations have 
 always been directed to form his judgment, to 
 purify his ideas, and to bow his beast to truth 
 and virtue. This partiality is often feen. Now, 
 although it argues a narrownefs of foul to make 
 hspprhefs depend ou the opinion of others, yet it 
 
 is
 
 The Worth of the Soul i 25 ; 
 
 is natural for intelligent beings, placed among* 
 other intelligent beings, to wifh for that appro- 
 bation which is due to real merit. Were the 
 prefent life of any long duration, were not the 
 proximity of all-purfuing death a powerful con- 
 ization againft all our inconveniences, thefe un- 
 juft eftimations would be very mortifying. 
 
 Such being the imperfections, the defects, and 
 the obftacles of our knowledge, we ought not to 
 be furprifed, if in general we do not comprehend 
 the great influence, that the perfection of our 
 faculty of thinking and knowing hath over our 
 happinels. And yet even in this life, and with 
 all thefe difadvantages, our knowledge, however 
 difficult to acquire, however confined, uncertain, 
 and partial, how little foever it may be applaud- 
 ed, contributes to our felicity. Even in this 
 life, there is an extreme difference between a 
 learned and an illiterate man ; between him, 
 whofe knowledge of languages enables him (fo to 
 ipeak) to converfe with people of all nations, and 
 of all ages, and him, who can only converfe with 
 his own contemporary countrymen ; between 
 him, whofe knowledge of hiftory enables him to 
 diitinguifh the fuccefsful from the hazardous, and 
 to profit by the vices and the virtues of his pre- 
 decefTors, and him, who falls every day into mif- 
 takes infeparable from the want of experience ; 
 between him, whofe own undtrftanding weighs 
 all in the balance of truth, and him, who every 
 moment needs a guide to conduct him. Even in 
 this life, a man collected within himlelf, fequef- 
 tered from the reft of mankind, feparated from 
 an intercourle with all the living, deprived of ail 
 that conftitutes the blifs of fociety, entombed, if 
 the expreffion may be allowed, in a folitary clof- 
 et, or in a dufty library, fuch a man enjoys an 
 innocent pleafure, more fatisfactory and refined 
 than that, which places of diverfion the moll fre- 
 quented, and lights tbe moil fuperb, can afford. 
 
 But
 
 326 The Worth of the Sou*.- 
 
 But if, even in' this life, learning and knowl- 
 edge have fo much influence over cur happinefs, 
 what (hall we enjoy, when our fouls fhall be freed 
 from their flavery to the fenfes ? What, when 
 we are permitted to indulge la the utoioft the 
 pieafir.g defiro of knowing ? What feiicity, 
 when God thall i-nfold to our contemplation that 
 boundiefi extent of truth and knowledge, which 
 his intelligence revolves ! What bnppinefs will 
 accompany our certain knowledge of the nature, 
 tne perfections, end the purpofes of God ! What 
 y't afure will attend our difcovety of the profound 
 wifdom, the perfect tq'iity, and the exact fitnefs 
 of thole events, which often furprifed ;;nd effend- 
 ed us ! Above a';!, what fublime delight muft 
 we enjoy, when we find our own intereft con- 
 nected with every truth, and all ferve ro demon- 
 ftrate the reality, the duration, the inadiTtifTtbility 
 of our happinefs 1 How thi; k you, my breth- 
 ren ; is not fuch a property beyond all valua- 
 tion ? Can the world indemnify us for the f.nsl 
 lofs of it ? If we have had the unhafpinefs to 
 lofe it, ought any thing to be accounted too 
 great to be given for its recovery ? And is not 
 this exprelTion of Jfclus Chris! , in this view of it, 
 ftill of meaning and truth, What shell a man 
 gnc in eiccbenge ; .7 ? 
 
 W'n;!t we b>ve ; -.rii-med of the f . t fl property of 
 o*n- fouls, that it h infinitely capable of contrib- 
 uting -to c cz-n never 
 fully comprehend it on earth, we ;.;nrm ol the 
 other two properties, volition and fentibiiity. 
 
 The perfection of the will cos-filts in a peiftiflk 
 harmony between tbi 
 of our delires. Now, to wba 
 Carry our holinefs on earth, it i 
 with imperfection. And, as om 
 perfect, our enjoyments nnfl be f 
 over, as providft-.ee itfclf frems n'-eu tn g 
 ao irregular will, we cannot Well compr 
 
 the
 
 The V/orih of the Soul. 
 
 the mifery of lofing tlie fcnl in this refpect. But 
 judge of this lofs, (and let one reflection fuffice 
 on this article) judge of this fofs by this confla- 
 gration. In that ecmon-y, into which our fouls 
 muft enter, the Being, the mofl cffentiaily holy, 
 I mean God, is the moft perfectly happy ; aud 
 the mod obuinatelf wicked being is the moft 
 completely miferable. 
 
 In like manner, we cannot well comprehend 
 to what degree the property cf our fouls, that 
 renders us iufceptible of fenfutions, can be carri- 
 ed. How miferable foever the Hate of a man, 
 expofed to heavy afflictions on earth, may be, a 
 thoufand caufes leffen the weight of them. Some- 
 times reafon aflifts the fufFerer, and fometimes 
 religion, fometimes. a friend condoles, and fome- 
 times a remedy relieves ; and thi3 thought at all 
 times remain?, death will fliortly terminate all 
 my ills. The fame reflections may be made on. 
 fenfations of pleafure, wbich are always mixed, 
 iufpended, and interrupted. 
 
 Neverthelefs, the experience we have of our 
 fenfibility on earth, is fufllcient to give us fome 
 juft notions of the greatnefs <-,f that lofs, which 
 a foul may fuflain in this refpect ; nor is there 
 any need to arouze our imaginations by image* 
 of an economy, of which we have no idea. 
 
 The moft depraved of mankind, they, who are 
 Haves to their fenfes, may comprehend the great 
 mifery of a ftate, in which the fenfes will be tor- 
 mented, even better than a believer can, who 
 ufually ftudies to diminifli the authority of feufe, 
 and to free his foul from its lawlefs fway. 
 
 Judge ye, then, of the lofs of the foul, ye 
 fenfual minds, by this lingle confideration, if you 
 have been infenfible to all the reft. When we 
 endeavoured to convince you of the greatnefs of 
 this lofs, by urging the privation of that knowl- 
 edge, which the elect enjoy now, and which they 
 bopc to enjoy hereafter,, you were not affected 
 
 with
 
 123 The Worth of the Soul 
 
 with this mifery, becaufe you confidered thepleaf- 
 ure of knowing as a chimera. When we at- 
 tempted to convince you of the mifery of loling 
 the foul, by urging the privation of virtue, 
 the ftinging remorfe that follows -fn., you were 
 not touched with this mifery, becaufe virtue yu 
 confider as a reftraint, and" remorfe as a folly. 
 But as you know no other felicity, nor any 
 ' fcr mifery, than what your fenfes tranfmit to your 
 fouls, judge of the lofs of the foul by conceiving 
 a ftate, in which all the fenfes (hall be punifhed. 
 The lofs of the foul, is the lofs of thole harmo- 
 nious founds, which have fo often charmed your 
 ears ; it is the lofs of thole exquifite flavours, 
 that your palate has fo often leliihed ; it is the 
 lofs of aril thofe objects of defire, which have ex- 
 cited your paflions. The lofs of the foul is ail 
 ocean of pain, the bare idea of wfeich hath (o 
 often made you tremble, when religion called you 
 to fail on it. The lofs of the foul will be in re- 
 gard to you the imprifonment of yon confeffor, 
 inclofed in a dark and filthy dungeon, a prey to 
 infection and putrefaction, deprived of the air 
 and the light. The lofs of the foul will reduce 
 you to the condition of that galley flave, groan- 
 ing under the lathes of a barbarous officer, who 
 is loaded with a galling chain, who links under 
 the labour of that oar which he works, or rather, 
 with which he himfelf is trailing along. The 
 lofs of the fcul will place you in the condition of 
 yon martyr on the wheel, whofe living limbs 3ve 
 disjointed and racked, whofe lingering life is 
 loth to ceafe, who lives to glut the rag.' of his 
 -ormentors, and who expires only through an 
 overflowing accefs of pain, his executioners with 
 the barbarous iuduftry being frugal of his blood 
 and his ftrengtn, in order to make him fuffer as 
 Kfuch as he can poffibly fuflfcr before he dies. 
 
 But, as I faid before, all thefe images convey 
 but Yery imperfect ideas of the lofs of our fouls. 
 
 Were
 
 The Worth of the Soul. 129 
 
 Were we to extend our fpeculations as far as the 
 fubjeft would allow, it would be eafy to prove, 
 that the foul is capable of enjoying feuGble 
 pleafures infinitely more refined, and of ftrflering 
 pains infinitely more excruciating, than all thofc 
 which are felt in this world. In this world, i'eli- 
 fations of plea fu re and pain are proportioned to 
 the end, that the Creator propofed in rendering 
 us capable of them. ' This end is almoft always 
 the prefervation and well-being of the body dur- 
 ing the fhort period of mortal life. To anfwer 
 this end, it is not neceffary, that pleafure and 
 pain fliould be fo exquifite as our fenfes may be 
 capable of enduring. If our fenfes give us no- 
 tice of the approach of things hurtful and bene- 
 ficial to us, it is luflicienr. 
 
 But in heaven fenfible pleafures will be infi- 
 nitely more exquifite. There the love of God 
 will have its free courfe. There the promifes 
 of religion will all be fulfilled. There the la- 
 bours of the righteous will be rewarded. There 
 we fhall difcover how far the power of God will 
 be difplayed in favour of an elefl foul. In like 
 manner, the extent of divine power in punifliing 
 the wicked will appear in their future ftate b 
 rnifery. That jufhee muft be glorified, which 
 nothing but the blood of Jefus Chrift could sfp- 
 peafe in favour of the elect. There the fir.iier 
 muft fall a vi&im to the wrath of God. There 
 he muft experience how fearjul a thing it ;'.r i-.i 
 full into the hands of the living Gad, Heb. x. 31. 
 Hath a man, who is threatened with thefe mife- 
 ries, any thing too valuable to give for his re- 
 demption from them ? Is not the nature of our 
 fouls, which is known by thefe three properties, 
 underftanding, volition, and fenfibility, expieffi/c 
 of its dignity ? Does not this demonflrate this 
 propclition of our Saviour, What shall a man 
 give in exchange for his soul ? 
 
 M II. The
 
 130 The Worth of the Soul. 
 
 II. The immortality of a foul constitutes Its 
 dignity, and its endlefs duration is a fource of 
 demonflrations in favour of the propofition in the 
 text. This dignity is inconteftiblc The prin- 
 ciple of the immortality of the foul, from which 
 we reafon, is undeniable. Two fnppofitions may 
 feem, at firir. fight, to weaken the evidence of 
 the immortality of the foul. Firft, the clofe 
 union of the foul to the body feems unfavourable 
 to the doctrine of its immortality, and to predict 
 its difTolution with the body. But this fuppoti- 
 tion, methinks, -vanifneib, when we confider 
 what a dilproportion there is between the proper- 
 ties of the foul and thofe of the body. This dif- 
 pronortion proves, that they are two -ditlinct fub- 
 ilances. The feparation of two diftinct fub- 
 flances, makes indeed fome change in the manner 
 of their exifting ; but it can make none really 
 in their exiftence. 
 
 But, whatever advantages we may derive from 
 this reafoning, I freely acknowledge, that this, 
 of all philofophical arguments for the immortali- 
 ty of the foul, the leaft of any affefts me. The 
 great rjueftion, on this article, is not what we 
 think of our fouls, when we confider them in 
 themfelves, independently on God, whofe omnip- 
 otence furrounds and governs them. Could an 
 infidel demonftrate, againft us, that the human 
 foul is material, and that therefore it muft perifh 
 with the body ; could we, on the contrary, dem- 
 onftrate, againft him, that the foul is immaterial, 
 and that therefore it is not fubj-c\ to laws of 
 matter, and muft furvive the deftru&ion of the 
 body ; neither fide, in my opinion, would gain 
 any thing considerable. Th; principal queftion, 
 that, which alone ought to determine our notions 
 on this article, would remain unexamined ; that 
 i.s, whether God will employ his power over our 
 fouls to perpetuate or to deftroy them. For, 
 could an infidel prove, that God would employ 
 
 his
 
 The Worth of the Soul 1 31 
 
 jiis power to annihilate our fouls, in vain ftiould 
 we have demonfttated that they were naturally 
 immortal ; for we ftiould be obliged to own, 
 that they are mortal in refpecl of the will of that 
 God, whofe omnipotence rules them. In like, 
 manner, if we could prove to an unbeliever, that 
 God would employ his power to preferve them in 
 eternal exigence, in vain would he have demou- 
 ftrated, that confidered in themfelves they are 
 mortal ; and he would be obliged in his turn tn 
 allow that human fouls are immortal, in virtue of 
 the fupreme power of God. Now, my brethien, 
 the fuppoiition, that God will employ his power 
 to annihilate our fouls, will entirely difappear, if 
 you attend to the well-known and familiar argu- 
 ment of the connexion between the immortality 
 of the foul, and that defire of immortality which 
 tfee Crextor hath imparted to it. What can we 
 reply to a man who reafons in this manner? 
 
 I find myfelf in a world, where all things de- 
 clare the perfections of the Creator. The 
 I confider all the parts, the mere I admire the 
 fitnefs of each to anfwer the end of him who 
 created them all. Among numberlefs produc- 
 tions, perfectly correfpondent to their dellination, 
 I find only one being, whofe condition doth not 
 feem to agree with that marvellous order, which 
 I have obferved in all the reft. This being is 
 my own foul. And what is this foul of mine ? 
 Is it fire ? Is it air ? Is it ethereal matter ? 
 Under whatever notions I confider it, I am at a 
 Jofs to define it. However, notwithftanding this 
 obfeurity, I do perceive enough of its nature to 
 convince me of a great difproportion between, the 
 prefent (late of my foul, and that end for which 
 its Creator feems to have formed it. This foul, 
 I know, I feel, (and, of all arguments, there are 
 none more convincing than thofe that are taken 
 from fentiment) this foul is a being eagerly bent 
 on the enjoyment of a happ'.nefs infinite in its 
 
 duration.
 
 132 The Worth of ike Soul 
 
 duration. Should any one offer me a Hate of. 
 t happinefs, that would continue ten thou- 
 years, an affemblage of reputation and rich- 
 randeur and magnificence, perhaps, dazzled 
 v ih its glare, I might cede my pretenfions in 
 < oitfideratibn cf this enjoyment. But, after all, 
 3 fully perceive, that this felicity, how long, and 
 how perfect, fcever it might be, would be inade- 
 quate to my wifhes. Ten thoufand years are too 
 lew to gratify my df fires ; my defires leap the 
 bounds of all fixed periods of duration, and roll 
 aUmg a boundlefs eternity. What is not eternal 
 13 unequal to my wifhes, eternity only can fatif- 
 fy them. 
 
 Such is my foul. But where is it lodged ? 
 Its place is the ground of my aftonifhment. 
 This foul, this fubjeft of fo many defires, inhab- 
 its a world of vanity and nothingnefs. Whether 
 rnb the higheft eminence*, or pry into the 
 u.-.-peft indigenes, I can difcover no object capa- 
 ble of filling my capacious defires. I afcend the 
 hrones of fovereigns, I defcend into the beggar's. 
 Hi ft ; 1 walk the palaces of princes, I lodge in 
 The peafant's cabin ; I retire into the dofet to be. 
 wife, I avoid recollection, chcofe ignorance, and 
 increafe the crowd of idiots ; I live in folitude, 
 1 rufh into the fecial multitude ; but every 
 where I find a mortifying void. In all thefe 
 places there is nothing fatisfac\ory. In each I 
 am more unhappy, through the tlefire of feeing 
 new objects, than fatisfi'ed with the enjoyment 
 of what I poffefs. At moft, I experience noth- 
 ing in all thefe pleafures, whicb my concupif- 
 cence multiplies, but a mean of rendering my 
 condition tolerable,, not a mean of making it 
 perfectly happy. 
 
 How can I reconcile thefe things ? How can 
 I make the Creator agree with hiinfelf ?" There 
 is one way of doing this, a fioguhr, but a cer- 
 tain way } a way, that folves all difficulties, and 
 
 covers
 
 The Worth of the Soul. 133 
 
 rovers infidelity with confufion ; a way, that 
 teacheth me what I am, whence I came, and for 
 what my Creator hath defigned me. Although 
 Ciod hath placed me in this world, yet he doth 
 not defign to limit my profpecls to it ; though 
 he bath mixed me with mere animals, yet he doth 
 not intend to confound me with them ; though 
 he hath lodged my foul in a frail pe rifhable body, 
 yet he cloth not muan to involve it in thediffohi- 
 tion of this frame, Without fuppefing hnmor- 
 tality, that, which conflitutes the dignity of 
 man, makes his mifery. Thefe de fires of immor- 
 tal duration, this faculty of thinking and reflect- 
 ing, of expanding and perpetuating the mind ; 
 this fuperiority of foul, that feems to elevate 
 mankind above beafh, actually place the beafl 
 above the man, and nil him with thefe bitter re- 
 fkclions full of mortification and pain. Ye 
 crawling reptiles 1 ye bealls i Id 1 defti- 
 
 tute of intelligence and reafon 1 if my foul be 
 not immortal, I envy your condition. Content 
 with your own organs, pieafed with ranging the 
 Seles anrl browhng the herbage, your dehre3 
 need no rtftraint ; for all your wifhes are fully 
 fatiafied. While I, abounding on the one hand 
 with ml'atiable defires, and on the other confined 
 inidft vain and urifatisfadlory objects, I am on 
 this account unhappy ! 
 
 We repeat thefe pbiiofop.hicn! rCTfonrngs, .my 
 trethren, only for the fike of convincing you, 
 that we are in poffefiion of imrnenfe advantages 
 over fceptics in this difpine. On the principles 
 of an unbeliever, you fee, were his nr:;on of rev- 
 il-grour.dtd ; were the faired book, iiy 
 which fo many characters of truth fhine, an hu- 
 man production ; were a reafonable man obliged 
 to admit no other propof; turns than thofe, which 
 have been allowed at the tribunal of right rea- 
 fon ; yea, we fay more, were our fouls material, 
 we ought, on the fuppofitions before mentioned, 
 M 2 to
 
 i34 The Worth of the Soul. 
 
 to admit the immortality of thff foul as mod con- 
 formable to our beft notions of the -will of our 
 Creator* 
 
 But, when we arc thus convinced of our im- 
 mortality, need -we any new arguments to demon- 
 frrate the proportion included in the text, What 
 rball a Man give in exchange for bis soal ? 
 .Moil fubjetts may be made to appear with great- 
 er or lefs dignity, according to the greater or 
 -mailer degree of importance, in which the 
 preacher places it. Pompous exprcflions, hold 
 figures, lively images, ornaments of eloquence, 
 ?nay often Fupply awant of dignity in the fubject 
 difcuCfcd, or a want of proper difpoivtions in au- 
 ditors, who attend the difcuffion of it. But, in 
 rr.y opinion, eveiy attempt to give importance to 
 a motive taken from eternity, is more likely to 
 enfeeble the doctrine than t : invigorate it. Mo- 
 tives of this kind are felf-fufEcient. Defcriptions 
 the - moft fimple, and the mo ft, natural, that can 
 V<e made, are always, I think, the rnoft pathetic, 
 and the moft terrifying ; nor can I find an ex- 
 prefuon, on this article^ more eloquent and more 
 cmphatical than this of St. Paul, The things 
 which are seen, are temporal ; but the things 
 '.ubick are not seen, are eternal, 2 Cor. iv. )&, 
 Were the poffeffion of the whole world the price 
 you afk, iri exchange for jour souls ;. were the 
 whole world free from thofe characters of vanity, 
 which open fuch a bound lefs field to our reflec- 
 tions ; would there not always be this difpropor- 
 tion between a perifhing world and a foul afpir- 
 ing at felicity, that the world would end and the 
 foul would never die ? 
 
 Death puts an end to the moft fpecious titles, 
 to the moft dazzling grandeur, and to the moft 
 delicious life ; and the thought of this period ot 
 human glory reminds me of the memorable action 
 of a prince, who, although he was a heathen, 
 was wifer than many chriftians ; I mean the | 
 
 Saladtn.
 
 The Worth of the Soul 135. 
 
 Saladin. After he had fubdued Egypt, puffed 
 the Euphrates, and conquered cities without 
 number ; after he had retaken Jerufalem, and 
 performed exploits more than human, in thofc 
 wars, which l'u perdition had ftirred up for the 
 recovery of the holy land ; he finilhed his life in, 
 the performance of an action that ought to be 
 tranfmitted to the mott diflant pofterity. A mo- 
 ment before he uttered his laft figh, he called the 
 herald, who had carried his banner before him in 
 all his battles, he commanded him to fatten to 
 the top of a lance, the (hroud, in which the dy- 
 ing prince was loon to be buried. Go, faid he, 
 carry this lance, unfurl this banner, and, while 
 you lift up this ttandard, proclaim, This, this is 
 e/l, that remains to Saladin the great, the con* 
 queror end the. king cf tut empire, of all his gh- 
 rju* Chrittians 1. I perform to-day the office of 
 this herald.. 1 fatten tothe top of a fpear, fen- 
 fiial and intellectual pleafures, worldly riches, 
 and human honours. All thefe I reduce to the- 
 piece of crape, in which you will fhortly be buri- 
 ed. This ftandard of death I lift up in your 
 fight, and I cry, This, this is all, that will re- 
 main to you, of the pofieflions for which you ex- 
 changed your fouls. Are fuch potteffions too 
 great to be given ir. exchange for fuch a foul ? 
 Can the idea of their perittiing nature prevail 
 over the idea of the immortality of the foul ? 
 And do you not feel the truth of the text, What 
 shall a r.ian, a rational man, a man who is capa- 
 ble of comparing eternity with time, what lhali 
 fuch a man give in exchange for his soul ? 
 
 Tinally, we make a reflection of another kind, 
 to convince you of the dignity of your fouls, and 
 to perfuarfe you, that nothing can be too valua- 
 ble to be given in exchange for them. This is 
 < from the aftonifning works, that God hath 
 
 performed 
 
 .'aimU. Hift, dss Crcifades, lib. vi. p.. 5*2. dc 
 1'Ed'u. ill 4.
 
 i%$ The Worth of the Soul. 
 
 performed in their /*vour. We will confine cur. 
 {elves to one article, to the ineftimable price, 
 that God hath given for the redemption of them. 
 Hear thefe words of the holy fcriptures, Ye are 
 bought with a pries. Te were redeemed from 
 jour vain conversation, not with corruptible 
 things, as silver and gold ; but with the precious 
 blood of Christ, 1 Cor. vi. 20. 1 Pet. i. 18. 
 
 Some of you, perhaps, may fay, as the limits 
 of a fermon will not allow us to fpeak of more 
 than one of the wondrous works of God in fa- 
 vour of immortal fouls, we ought, at leafr, to 
 choofe that, which is moll likely to affect an au- 
 dience, and not to dwell on a fubjec"i, which, 
 having been fo often repeated, will make only 
 flight irnpreffiuns on their minds. Perhaps, were 
 we to inform you, that, in order to fave your 
 fouis, God had fubverted formerly a!! the laws of 
 nature, or, to ufe the language of a prophet, thit 
 he had shaken the heavens and the earth, the sea 
 and the. dry land, Ping. ii. 6. perhaps, were we 
 to teil you, that, in order to fave your fouls, 
 Gcd defrriyed the end of the world, and put off 
 the raft viodltudes, that are to put a period to 
 the duration of this univerfe ; that, according to 
 St, Peter, the Ltrd is long- suffering i us- ward, 
 2 Pet. iii. 9. perhaps, were we to affirm, that, 
 in order to iave our fouls, he will come one day 
 on the clouds of heaven, fit-ting on a throne, fur- 
 rounded with glorious angely, accompanied with 
 myriads of fhouting voices, to deliver them with 
 the greater pomp, and to fave them with more 
 fplendour : perhaps, by relating all thefe mighty 
 works done for our fouls, we might excite in you 
 ideas of their dignity, more lively than that, 
 which we have chofen, and to which -we intend 
 to confine our attention. But) furmount, if you 
 can, your cuftomary indolence, and form an ade- 
 quate idea of the dignity of the facrifice of Jefus 
 Chrift, in order the better to judge, of the dignity 
 
 of
 
 The Worth of the Soul 137 
 
 of thofc fouls, of which his blood was the 
 price. 
 
 Go, learn it in heaven. Behold the Deity. 
 Approach his throne. Obferve the thousand 
 thousands ministering unto btm, ten thousand 
 times ten thousand standing before him, Dan. 
 vii. 10. See his eyes fparklmg with fire, and his 
 majefly and glory filling his fan&uary, and, by 
 the dignity of the victim facrificed, judge of the 
 value of the facrifice. 
 
 Go, ftudy it in all the economies, that preced- 
 ed this facr.fice. Obferve the types, which pre- 
 figured it ; the fliadows, that traced it out ; the 
 ceremonies, which depicted ir ; and, by the pomp 
 of the preparations, judge of the dignity of the 
 fobftance prepared. 
 
 Go, learn it on mount Calvary. Behold the 
 wrath, that fell on the bead of Jeius Chrift. Be- 
 hold his blood pouring out upon the earth, and 
 him, your Saviour, drinking the bitter cup of 
 divine difpleafure. See his hands and his feet 
 nailed to the crofs, and his whole body one great 
 wound ; obfeive the unbridled populace foaming 
 with rage around the crofs, and glutting their 
 favage fouls with his barbarous fuffcrings ; and, 
 by the horror of the caufes that contributed to 
 his death, judge of the death itfelf.. 
 
 Go to the infidel, and let him teach yon the 
 dignity of the facrifice- of Chrift. Remember, on 
 this account he attacks chriftianity, and he hath 
 fome fhew of reafon for doing fo ; for if this re- 
 ligion may be attacked on any fide, with the leaft 
 hope of fuccefs, it is on this. The truths of the 
 chriftian religion are iioconteitible ' f but if there 
 be any one article of the gofpel, which requires 
 an entire docility of nunc', an abfolute fubmif- 
 fion of heart, a perfect deference to God, who 
 fpeaks, it is the article of the facrifice of the 
 crofs. Weigh the objections, and by the great- 
 nefs of the difficulties judge of the dignity of tht 
 myftery. RecolLcck,
 
 13$ The Worth of the Soul. 
 
 Recolleft, chriftian ! God thought fit to re- 
 quire the blood of his Son for the redemption of 
 our fouls. Thefe fouls muft have been very pre- 
 cious in the fight of God, fince he redeemed, 
 them at a price fo immen.fe. The mifery into 
 which they were liable to be plunged, mull have 
 been extremely terrible, fince God thought prop- 
 er to make fuch great efforts to fave them from 
 tt The felicity, of which they are capable, and 
 to which the Lord intends to elevate them, muft 
 be infinitely valuable, fince it fort him fo much 
 to bring them to ir. For what in the univcrfe is 
 of equal value with the blood of the Son of God ? 
 Difappear, all ye other miracle?, wrought in fa- 
 vour of our foul.^ ! ye aftonifhing prodigies, that 
 confirmed the gofpel ! thou, delay of the con- 
 summation of all things ! ye great and terrible 
 figns of the fecond coming of the Son of God ! 
 Vanifh before the miracle of the crofs ; for the 
 trofs fhines you ail into darknefs and {Lade. 
 This glorious light makes your glimmering van- 
 ifh ; and after my imagination is filled with the 
 tremendous dignity or this facrifice, I can fee 
 nothing great befide. But, if God, if this juft 
 appraifer of things, hath efiimated our fouls at 
 fuch a rate, (hall we let a low price on them ? 
 If he hath given fo much for them, do we ima- 
 gine we can give too much for them ? If, for 
 their redemption, he hath facrificeii the moft val- 
 uable perfon in heaven, do we imagine there is 
 any thing upon earth too great to give up for 
 them ? 
 
 No, no,, my brethren L after what we have 
 heard, we ought to believe, that there is no fhad- 
 ow of exaggeration in this exchination of Jefus 
 Chrift, What is a man profited, ij 'he shall gain 
 the whole world and lose his oivn soul ? 1 du 
 not certainly know what our Saviour meant to 
 fay ; whether he intended to fpeak of a man, 
 wiio fbould gain lbs ivJtoU world, and inftantly 
 
 hsi
 
 The Worth of ike Soul. 139 
 
 lose bis soul ; or of one, who ftiou'.d not lose Jbis 
 soul tiil long after he had obtained the u 
 xvorldy and had reigned over it through the < 
 of a long life. But I do know, that the words 
 are true, even in the mO.fl: extenfive fenfe. Snp- 
 pofe a man, who fhould not only enjoy univerfal 
 empire for one whole age s but for a period equal 
 to the duration of the world itfelf ; the propor- 
 tion, that is implied in the words of Jci'us Chrilt, 
 is applicable to him. Such a foul as we have 
 defcribed, a foul to excellent in its nature, fo ex- 
 tenfive in its duration, fo precious through its 
 redemption ; a foul capable of acquiring fo much 
 knowledge, of conceiving fo many defire-s, of ex- 
 periencing fo much remorfe, of feeling fo many 
 pleafurrs and pains ; a foul, that muft fubfift be- 
 yond all time, and perpetuate itfelf to eternity ; 
 a foul redeemed by the blood of the Son of God ; 
 a foul fo valuable ought to be preferred before all 
 things, and nothing is too precious to be given 
 for its exchange. " What is a man profited, if 
 he fhall gain the whole world, and lofe his own 
 foul ? or, what fhall a man give in exchange for 
 his foul ?" 
 
 However, my brethren, we are willing to ac- 
 knowledge, were we in the cafe fuppofed by Je- 
 fus Ghrift ; were it in our power to gain the 
 whole world by lofing our own fouls ; or, being 
 a&ually univerfal monarchs, were we obliged to 
 facrifice thi3 vafl. empire to recover our fouls al- 
 ready loft ; were we, being fmitten with the 
 fplendid offer^ or being alarmed at the immenfe 
 price of our purchafe, to prefer the whole world 
 before' our own fouls ; we might then, if not ex- 
 culpate our conduct, yet at lead give a little col- 
 our to it ; if we could not gain our caufe, we 
 might however plead it with fome fhew of rea- 
 fon. A reafon of ftate, a political motive, as 
 that of governing a whole univerfe, would natu- 
 rally have fornc influence over xfs. The titles of 
 
 Sovereign,
 
 The worth of the Soul, 
 
 Sovereign, Monarch, Emperor, would naturally 
 charm little i'ouls, like ours. Sumptuous palaces, 
 iuperb equipages, a crowd of devoted courtiers, 
 bowing and cringing before us, and all that exte- 
 rior grandeur which environs the princes of the 
 earth, would naturally faicinate fuch feeble eyes, 
 and infatuate fuch puerile imaginations as ours. 
 I repeat it again, could we obtain the govern- 
 ment of the univerfe by the fale of our fouls, if 
 we could not juftify our conduit, we might ex- 
 tenuate the guilt of it ; and although we could 
 do: gain our c-aufe, we might at leaft. plead it 
 with fonie fhew of reafon. 
 
 But is this our cafe ? Is it in our power to 
 gain the ivbols world ? Is this the price, at 
 which we fell our fouls ? O fhame of human 
 nature S O meannefs of foul, more proper to 
 confound us, than any thing elfe, with which we 
 ~can be reproached 1 This intelligent foul, this 
 immortal foul, this foul which has been thought 
 worthy f redemption by the blood of the Saviour 
 of the world, this foul we often part with for 
 nothing, and for lefs than nothing ! In our con- 
 dition, placed as moft of us are, in a flate of me- 
 diocrity ; when by difupation and indolence, by 
 jnjuftice and iniquity, by malice and obllinacy, 
 we fhall have procured from vice all the rewards 
 that we can expect, what fhall we have gained ? 
 Cities ? Provinces ? Kingdoms ? A long and 
 profperous reign ? God bath not left thefe to 
 our choice. His love would not fufifer him to 
 expofe us to a temptation fo violent. Accord- 
 ingly we put up our fouls at a lower price. Sec 
 this old man, rather dead than alive, bo-, ing un- 
 der his age, ftoeping down, and ftepping into the 
 grave ; at what price does he exchange his foul ? 
 at the price of a few days of a dying life ; a fev- 
 pleafures, fmothered under a pile of years, if I 
 may i'penk fo, or buried under the ice of old age. 
 That officer in the army, who thinks he alone 
 
 untkrftahd .
 
 The Worth of the Soul. 1 4 1 
 
 underflands real grandeur ; at what rate does he 
 value his foul ? He lofes it for the fake of the 
 falfe glory* of fwearing expertly, and of uniting 
 bhfphemy and politenefs. What does yon me- 
 chanic get for his foul ? One acre of land, a 
 cottage bigger and lefs inconvenient than tfcat of 
 his neighbour. 
 
 Unmanly wretches ! If we be bent on renounc- 
 ing our dignity, let us, however, keep up fonic 
 appearance of greatnefs. Sordid fouls ! if we 
 will rtiign our nobleft pretcnfions, let us do it, 
 however, in favour of fome other pretentions, that 
 are real. " Be ailonifhed, O ye heavens, at this I 
 and be ye horribly afraid ; for my people have 
 committed two evils : they have forfaken me, 
 the fountain of living waters, and have hewed 
 them out cilterns, broken ciflerns, that can hold 
 no water," Jer. ii. 12. Do you perceive, my 
 brethren, the force of this complaint, which God 
 anciently uttered over his people the Jews, and 
 which he now utters over us ? Neither genius 
 nor erudition can explain it. Could they, you 
 might perhaps understand it. A certain eleva- 
 tion, a certain dignity of foul, Angular fenti- 
 ments of heart, are the only expofitors of the fa 
 affecting words. Therefore, I fear, they are un- 
 intelligible to m'oft of you. " Be ailonifhed, O 
 ye heavens, at this ! and be ye horribly afraid ; 
 lor my people have committed two evils : they 
 have forfaken me, tbt fountain of living waters, 
 and hewed them out citterns, broken ciflerns, 
 that can hold no water." God loves hs, he de- 
 iires we fliould love him. He h3s done every 
 thing to conciliate our efteein. For U3 he fens 
 his Son into the world. For us he difaimed 
 death*. For us he opened an eafy path to a glo- 
 rious eternity. And all this, to render him felt" 
 matter of our hearts, and to engage us to return 
 him love for love, life for life. We refift all thef<j 
 atti actives, we prefer other obiecla before him, 
 N No
 
 tgs The Worth of the Soul. 
 
 -No matter, he would pafs this ingratitude, if the 
 o!jjf<fl?, which we prefer before him, were capa- 
 ble of making uc happy ; if, at leaft, they bore 
 any apparent proportion to thole, which he offer- 
 eth to our hopes. Bat what aroiifeth his dif- 
 pieafure, what provokes his juft indignation, what 
 excites reproaches, that would cleave our hearts 
 afunder, were they capable of feeling, is the van- 
 ity of the objects, which we prefer before him 
 The foul, in exchange for which the whole world 
 would not be a fjfticient confideration, this foul 
 we often give for the aioft mean, the molt vile, 
 the mod contemptible part of the world. " O ye 
 heavens ! be aftonifhed at this, at this be ye hor- 
 ribly afraid ; for my people have committed two 
 evils : they have Torfaken me, the fountain of the 
 living waters, and hewed them out citterns, bro- 
 ken citterns, that can hold no water." 
 
 But do we know, ungrateful thar. we are, do 
 we know, that if the hardnefs of our harts pre- 
 Tent our feeling in particular the energy of this, 
 reproof, and in general the evidence of the reflec- 
 tions, that make the fubttanee of this difcourfe ; 
 do we know that a day will come, when we mall 
 feel them in all their force ? Do we know, that 
 there is now a place, where the truth of our text 
 appears in a clear but a terrible light ? Ye?, my 
 brethren, this reflection is perhaps effential to our 
 difcourfe, this perhaps approaches neartft to the 
 meaning of Jefus Chrift.; perkaps J efus Ghritt, in 
 thefe words, What shall a man give in exchange 
 for his soul ? meant to inform us of the difpoii- 
 tion of a man in defpair, who, immerfed in all 
 the miferies that can excruciate a foul, furprifed 
 at having parted with fuch a foul at a price fo 
 fnia'l, ftricken with the enormous crime of lofing 
 it, wifhes, but too late, to give every thing to 
 recover it. 
 
 Ideas, like thefe, we never propofe to you 
 without reluctance. Motives of another kind 
 
 fhould
 
 The Worth of tkt Soul. i 43-: 
 
 PVould fuffi'ce for chriftians. Learn the worth of 
 your fouls. Enter into the plan of your Creator, 
 who created them capable of eternn 1 . felicity ; and 
 into that of 'your Redeemer," who died to enable 
 yuu to arrive at it. Agaml't all the deceitful 
 promifes, which the world, the fiefh,and the devil , 
 t'fe to feduce you, oppofe thefe words of Jefus 
 Chrifr, What is a man profiled, if be gain the 
 ivtwle world, ami lese bis wn soul ? or, wbat 
 sball a man give in exchange for bis soul ? May 
 God infpire ) ou with thefe noble fentirnents i 
 To him be honour and glory fcr eyer. -Arrer. 
 
 SERMON
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 Isaiah ix. 6, 7. 
 
 Wnto us a child is born, unto us ajon is given .' 
 t:nd the government shall be upon bis shoulder ; 
 tmd his name shall be called, Wonderful, Coun- 
 sellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Fa- 
 ther, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase 
 ef his government and pec.ee there {hall be no 
 ond, upon the throne of David, and upon his 
 kingdom, to order it, and to establish it, with 
 judgment and xviib justice, from htncefortb 
 even for ever. 
 
 I ANTICIPATE the feftival, which the 
 goodnefs, or rather the magnificence of God, in- 
 vites you to celebrate on Wednefday next. All 
 jaature Peerns to take part in the memorable event r 
 which on that day we fhall commemorate, I mean 
 the birth of the Saviour of the world. Herod 
 turns pale on his thron ; the devils tremble in 
 hell ; the wife men of the eaft i'ufpend all tfieir 
 Speculations, and obftrve no fign in the firma- 
 ment, except that wl ich conduces them to the 
 place where lies the incarnate Word, God man- 
 ifest in the fie sh, 1 Tim. Hi. 16. an angel from 
 heaven is the herald of the aftoni&Ymg event, and 
 tells the Shepherds, Behold I bring you good tid- 
 ings of great joy, which shall be to all people, 
 for unto you is born this day, in the city cf Da- 
 vid, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord, Luke 
 ii. 10, 11. the multitude cf the heavenly host ea- 
 gerly defcend to congratulate men on the Word's 
 affamption of mortal ficfi), on his duelling among 
 men, in order to enable thm to behold his glory, 
 th? glory of tli: otih begotten full 
 
 of
 
 The Birth of Christ. 145 
 
 ef grace and '.Putb, John i. 14. they make the 
 air rei'ound with thefe acclamations, Glory to Gotl 
 in the bigbestj and on earth peact, good -will to- 
 ward men, Luke ii. 14. 
 
 What think ye ? Does this ftftival require no 
 preparation of you ? - Do you imagine, that you 
 i'hall celebrate it as you ought, if yon content 
 yourfelves with attending- on a few difcourfes, 
 during which, perhaps, while you are prefent in 
 body, you may be abfent in fpirtt ; or with laying 
 vour temporal cares, and your moil turbu- 
 lent paffions, at the church-gates, in order to take 
 them up again, as foon as divine lervice ends ? 
 The king Mefliah is about to make his triumphant 
 entry among you. With what pomp do the chil- 
 dren of this world, who are wise, and, we may 
 add, magnificent in their generatien, Luke xvi, 8.. 
 celebrate :he entries of iheir princes ? They 
 -.new the -roads with flowers, they raife triumphal 
 arches, they exprefs their joy in (houts of victory, 
 and in fongs of praife. Come, then, my breth- 
 ren, let us to-day prepare the way of the Lord t 
 and make bis paths straight, Matt. lii. 3. let us 
 . A r joyful together before the Lord, let us make a 
 : before the Lord tie King, for he com~ 
 eth to judge toe earth, Pfal. xcviii. 6, 9. or, to 
 Sptak in a more intelligible, and in a more evan- 
 ,1 manner, Coinc, ye milerable finners, load, 
 ti; with the unfiipportable burden oi your fins ; 
 corse, ye troubled consciences, uneafy at the re- 
 membrance cf your many idle words, many Crim- 
 inal though:?, many abominable actions , come, 
 ye poor mortals, icsscd with tempests and not 
 comforted, I fa. Ii v. 11. condemned firft to bear 
 the iiifirmities of nature, the caprices of feciety, 
 the vicrtfitudes of age, the turns of fortune, and 
 'hen the horrors of death, and the frightful night 
 of the tomb ; come; behold The IVvnderful, The 
 Counselled, The Mighty God, The Everlasting 
 lathery The Prt your 
 
 N 2 i::s,
 
 146 The Birth of Christ. 
 
 arms, learn to defire nothing more, when you 
 poffefs him. May God enable each of you, in 
 tranfports of joy, to fay, Lord, now lettest thou, 
 thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have 
 seen tby salvation. Amen. 
 
 You hy heard the prophecy, on which our 
 meditations in this difcourfe are to turn. M Un- 
 to us a child is born, unto us a foil is given ; and 
 the government (hall be upon his (boulder : and 
 his name (hall be called, Wonderful, Counfellor, 
 The Mighty God, Th Everlafting Father, The 
 Prince of Peace. Of the increafe of his govern- 
 ment and peace th&re (hall be no end, upon the 
 throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order 
 it, and to eflabliflt it, with judgment and with 
 juftice, from henceforth even for ever." Thefe 
 words are more dazzling than clear : let us fix 
 their true meaning ; and, in order to afcertain 
 that, let us divide this difcowife into two parts, 
 
 J. Let us explain the prediction. 
 
 II. Let us fhew its accompliihrnent. 
 
 In the firft part, we will prove, that the proph- 
 et had the Meifiah in view ; and, in the fecond, 
 that our Jefus had fully anfwered the defign of 
 t;;e prophet, and hath sccomplifhed, in the moft 
 juft and fublime of all fenfes, the whole predic- 
 tion : Unto us a ebild is born, and fo on. 
 
 I. Let us explain the prophet's prediction, and 
 let us fix on the extraordinary child, to whom he 
 gives the magnificent titles in the text. Indeed-, 
 the grandeur of the titles fufficiently determines 
 he meaning of tb? prophet ; for to whom, ex- 
 cept to the Meffiah, can thefe appellations be- 
 long, The Wonderful, The Counsellor, The mighty 
 God, The Prince of Peace, The everlasting Fa-, 
 tier ? This natural fenfc of the text, is fup- 
 ported by the authority of an infpircd writer, and 
 what is, if not of any great weight in point of 
 argument, at leaft, very fingular as an historical 
 fact, it is fupported by the authority of an an-
 
 The Birth of Chris 1 . 147 
 
 gel. The infpired writer, whom we mean, is St. 
 Matthew, who manifeftly alludes to the words of 
 the text, by quoting thofe which precede them, 
 which are connected with them, and which he 
 applies to the times of the Mefliah : for, having 
 related the imprisonment of John, and, in conf- 
 quence of that, the retiring of Jefus Chrift into 
 Galilee, he adds, that the divine Saviour came 
 and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea-* 
 coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim : 
 that it might he fulfilled which was spoken by 
 Esaias the prophet, sayings The land of Zabu- 
 lon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of 
 
 a, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles : 
 the people which sat in darkness saw great light ; 
 and to them which sat in the region and shadew 
 oj death, light is sprung up, Matt. iv. 12. The 
 angel, of whom I fpokc, is Gabriel ; who, when 
 he declared to Mary the choice which God had 
 made of her to be the mother of the Mefliah, ap- 
 plied to her Son the characters, by which Ifaiah 
 defcribes the child in the text, and paints him in 
 the fame colours : Thou shalt conceive in thy 
 womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his 
 name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be 
 called the Son of the Highest : and the Lord God 
 shall give unto him the throne of his father Da- 
 vid. And lie shall reign over the house of Ja- 
 cob Jorcver : and of bis kingdom there shall be no 
 end, Luke i. 31, kc. 
 
 How contlufive foever thefe proofs may appear 
 in favor of the fenfe we have given of the prophe- 
 cy, they do not fatisfy this intra&able age, which 
 is always ready to embrace any thing that feems 
 likely to enervate the truths of religion. Sin- 
 cerity requires us to acknowledge, that although 
 cur prophecy is clear of itfclf, yet there arifeth 
 
 obfeurity from the order in which it is 
 placed, and from its connection with the fore- 
 
 ad following vcifes. On each we will 
 
 endeavor
 
 S*# The Birth of Christ. 
 
 endeavor to throw fomc light, ami for this pur-' 
 pofe, we will go back, and .malyfe this, and the 
 two preceding chapters. 
 
 "When Ifaiab delivered this prophecy, Ahaz- 
 reigned over the kingdom cf Judah, and Pckahj 
 the fon of Remaliah, over that cf Ifrae?. You 
 cannot be ignorant of the mutual jealoufy of 
 thefe two kingdoms. There is often more hatred 
 between two parties, whofe religion is almoil the 
 fame, than between thofe whole doctrines are in; 
 direeYoppoiition; Each confiders the other aj 
 Hear the truth ; each is jealous loft the other 
 Siould obtain it : and, it is more likely that they, 
 T?ho hold the ciTential truths of religion, flrould 
 furpafs others fooner than they, who raze the very 
 foundations of it, the former are greater objects 
 of envy than the latter- The kingdoms of Jfraei 
 and Judah were often more envenomed againft 
 one another than againft foreigoers. - This was 
 the caiV ::i the reign of 'Abas,- king of Judah. 
 Pfkah, king of lirael, to the fbame of the tea 
 tribes, difcovered a diipcution like that, which 
 hath fometimes made the chuftian world blulh ; 
 1 mean, that a Prince, who worfbipped the true 
 God. in order to deftroy his brethren, nnde an al- 
 liance with an idolater. He allied hi-difeif to 
 Hezin, a pagan Prince, who reigned over that 
 part of Syria, which conllituted the kingdom of 
 Dnmafcus. The kingdom of Judah had often 
 yielded to the forces of thele kings, even when 
 each had feparately made war with it. Now 
 '.hey w-ers united ; and intended jointly to fall 
 on the Jews, and to overwhelm, rather than 10 
 Lefiege Jerufalem. Accordingly, the conftema- 
 tion was fo great in the holy city, that, the 
 fcripture fays, The heart of Abaz was moved, . 
 and the heart of his people, as the trees oj the 
 wood are moved with the wind, Ifa. vii. 2. 
 
 Although the kingdom of Judah had too well 
 deferyed the pLn'.fhmeirts, which threatened it ; 
 
 and
 
 The Birth of Christ. 149. 
 
 and although a thoufand outrages, with which the 
 inhabitants had infulted the Majcfty of heaven, 
 feemed to guarantee their country to the enemy, 
 yet God came to their afliftance. He was 
 touched, if not with the fincerity of their re- 
 pentance, at lead with the excefs of th#ir miferies. 
 He commanded Ifaiah to encourage their hopes. 
 He even promifei 3 them, not only that all the 
 utfigns of their enemies fliould be rendered abor- 
 tive : but that the two confederate kingdoms, 
 within three score and five years, ver. 8. fliould 
 be entirely deftroyed. Moreover, he gave Ahaz 
 the choice of a fign to convince himielf of the 
 truth of the promife. Ahaz was one of the 
 mod wicked Icings, that ever fat on the throne of 
 Judah : fo that the fcripture could give no worfe 
 character of this prince, nor defcribe his perfe- 
 verance in fin more fully, than by faying, that 
 lie tvas always AhaiJ* He reftrfed to choofe a 
 fign, not becaufe he felt one of thofc noble emo- 
 tions, w,hich makes a man fubmit to the teftimo- 
 ny of God without any more proof of its truth 
 than the teftimony itfelf ; but becaufe he was 
 inclined to infidelity and ingratitude, and, proba- 
 bly, becaufe he trufted in his ally, the king of 
 Affyria. Notwithftanding his refufal, God gave 
 him figns, and informed him, that before the 
 prophet's two children, one of whom was already 
 born, and the other would be born fhortly, fhould 
 arrive at years of difcretion, the two confederate 
 kings fliould retreat from Judea, and ihould be 
 entirely deftroyed. 
 
 Of the fir ft child, fee what the feventh chapter 
 of the Revelations of our prophet fays. We are 
 there told, that this fon of the prophet was 
 named Shearjafhub, that is, the remnant shall 
 return, ver. 3. a name expreflive of the meaning 
 
 of 
 
 * 2 Chron. xxvi'ti. i%. This is that king Ahaz. Eng. 
 Verfion. C'estoit toujours U tci Jchaz. Fr. Idem erat 
 rex Jchaz. Jun. Tremel.
 
 ?$0 The Btrih of Christ 
 
 of the ngn, which declared that the Jews fhouId ; 
 return from their rebellions, a:id that God would 
 return from-his anger.. The ether child, then un- 
 born, is mentioned in the eighth chapter, where 
 it is faid the prophetess bare a son, ver. 3. 
 
 God commanded the prophet to take the firftr' 
 child, and to carry him to that pool, or piece of 
 water, which was formed by the waters of Siloah, 
 which fupplied the ftream known by the name of 
 The fuller's conduit, 2. Kings xviii. \T. and whish 
 was at the foot of the eaftern wall of Jerufalem. 
 The prophet was ordered to produce the child in 
 the prefence of all the affrighted people, and to 
 fay to them, Before this child shall know to re- 
 fuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that 
 thou abborrest, shall be forsaken of both her 
 "kings, Ifa. vii. 16. If this tranflatinn be retain- 
 d, the land fignif.es -the kingdom of Ifrael, and - 
 that of Syria, from which the enemy came, and 
 which, on account of their coming, the Jews ab~ 
 hcrred* I fhould rather render the words, the- 
 land, for ivbich thou art aj 'raid y and by tie land 
 miderftand Judea, which was then in a very .dan- 
 gerous Hate. But the prophecy began to be ac- 
 complished in both fenfes about a year after it 
 was uttered. Tiglath Pilefer, king of Affyria,. 
 not only drew off the forces of Re~in and Pekak,- 
 from the liege of Jerufalem, but he drave them 
 alf<ijfrom their own- countries. He f rft attacked" 
 Damafcus, Rezt-n quitted his intended conque:\, 
 and returned to defend his capital, where he was 
 i'lain- ; and all his people were carried into cap- 
 tivity, 2 Kingj xvi. 9. Tiglath Pilefei - then 
 marched icto the kingdom of Ifrael, and victory 
 luarched along with him at the head of his army, 
 i Ghron. v. 26. He fubdued the tribes of Reu- 
 ben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manaffeh, all 
 the inhabitants of Galilee, and the tribe of Neph- 
 thalim, and carried them captives beyond Eu- 
 phrates ; and fixty five years alter, that is, fixty
 
 The Birth of Christ, 13s 
 
 r.vc- years after the prediction of the total ruin of 
 the kingdom of Ifrael by the prophet Amos, the 
 prophecy was fulfilled by SalruanafTar, chap. vii. 
 It. according to the language of our prophet, 
 within three score and Jive years shall Ephraiir. 
 ke broken^ that it be not a people, Ifa. vii. 8. Thus 
 was this prophecy accomplilhed, before this child 
 shall knoiv to refuse the evil, and choose the gooJ 9 
 the land, for which ihou art afxiid, sbalibe for- 
 saken of both her kings. 
 
 God determined that the prophet's iecond chiU 
 fhould alfo be a fign of the truth of the fame 
 promile. He aiiured Ifaiah, that before the 
 child, who fhould fnortly be born, could learn 
 to articulate the '-Mr ft founds which children were 
 taught to pronounce; " before the child (hould 
 have knowledge to cry, My a*fcer, and my moth- 
 er, the riches of Darnafcus, -and the fpoil of Sama- 
 ria," thst is, of the kingdom of Ifrael, " P.ioukl 
 be taken away by the king of Affyria," chap, viii, 
 4. This is the-, fame promile confirmed by a 
 r econd (ign. Godafually giveth more than one, 
 when he conHrmeth any very interefting predic- 
 tion, as we fee in the hiftory of Pharaoh, and the 
 patriarch Jofeph, Ge:i. xli. 1, Sec. 
 
 But, as all the mercies that were bellowed on 
 the Jews from the time of Abraham, were ground- 
 ed on the covenant, which God had made with 
 that patriarch, their common father and head ; 
 or rather, as, fince the fall, men could expect 
 no i'.tvor of God but in virtue of the mediator of 
 the church ; it is generally to be obferved in the 
 prophecies, that when God gave them a promile, 
 he directed their attention to this grand object. 
 Either the idea of the covenant, or the idea of 
 the mediator, was a feal, which God put to his 
 -promifes, and a bar againft the unbelief and dif- 
 truftof his people. Zvery thing 5 might be ex- 
 pected from a God, whofe goodnefs was fo infi- 
 nite,
 
 %$2 The Birth of Christ. 
 
 nite, as to prepare fuch a noble vidYim for the 
 falvation of mankind. He, who would confine 
 Satau in everlafting chains, and vanquifh fin aad 
 death, was fully able to deliver his people from 
 the incurfions of Rezin, and Pekah, the fon of 
 Remaliah. To remove the prefent fears of the 
 Jews, God reminds them of the wonders of his 
 lore, which he had promifed to difplay in favor 
 of his church, in ages to come : and commands 
 his prophet to fay to them, " Ye trembling 
 'eaves of the wood, (baleen with every wind, 
 peace be to you ! Ye timorous Jews, ceafe your 
 fears ! let not the greatnefs of this temporal de- 
 liverance, which I now promife you, excite your 
 doubts ! God hath favors incomparably greater 
 in (tore for you, they (hall be your guarantees for 
 thofe, which ye are afraid to expect. Ye are in 
 convenant with God. Ye hare a right to expect 
 thofe difplays of his love in ycur favor which are 
 leaft credible. Remember the blessed seedj 
 which he promifed to your aneeflors, Gen. xxii. 
 IS. "Behold! a virgin fliall conceive and bear 
 a fon, and (ball call his name Immanuel," Ifa. vii. 
 14. The fpirit of prophecy, that animates me, 
 enables me to penetrate through all the ages that 
 feparate the prefent moment from that in which 
 the promife fliall be fulfilled. I fee the divine 
 child, my " faith is the fubflance of things hoped, 
 for, the evidence of things not Teen," Heb. xi. 1. 
 and grounded on the word of that God, who 
 cbangeth net^ Mai. iii. 6. who " is lot a man, 
 that he fhould lie, neither the fou of man, that he 
 fliould repent," Numb. iii. 19. 1 dare fpeak of 
 a miracle, which will be wrought eight hundred 
 years hence, as if it had been wrought to-day, 
 " Unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is giv- 
 en, and the government fliall be upon his (boul- 
 der : and his name fliall Ue called, Wonderful, 
 Gounfellor, The mighty God, The everlafting' 
 Father, ThePripce of Peace'* 
 
 This,
 
 The Birth of Christ. 153 
 
 This, my brethren, is the prophet's fcope in tkc 
 three chapters which we have analyzed, and par- 
 ticularly in the text. But, if any one of you re- 
 ceive our expofition without any farther difcuf- 
 fion, he will drfcover more docility than we re- 
 quire, and he would betray his credulity without 
 proving his conviction. How often doth a com- 
 mentator fubditute his own opinions fcr thofe of 
 tm author, and by forging, if I m-?y be allowed 
 to fpeak Co, a new text, elude the difficulties of 
 that which he ought to explain ? Let us act 
 more ingenuoufly. There are two difficulties, 
 which attend our comment ; one is a particular, 
 the other is a general difficulty. 
 
 The particular difficulty is this. We have 
 uippofed, that the myderions child, fpoken of in 
 our text, is the fame, of whom the prophet fpea-ks, 
 when he fays, " A virgin fhall conceive and bear 
 a fon, and fhall call his name Immanue! :" and 
 that this chilci is different from that, whom Ifaiah 
 gave ior a iign of the prefent temporal deliver- 
 ance, and of whom it is faid, " before (ht child 
 fhall know to refufe the evil, and choofe the good, 
 the land, that thou abhorred, (hall be forfaktn of 
 both her kings." This fuppofition does not feern 
 to agree with the text ; read the following ver- 
 fe3, which are taken from the feventh chapter. 
 " Behold ! a virgin (ball conceive, and tear a 
 fon, and (hall call his name Immanuel : Butter 
 and honey (hall he eat, that he may know to re- 
 fufe the evil, and choofe the good. But before 
 the child {hall know to refufe the evil, and choofe 
 the good, the land, that thou abhorred, (hall be 
 forfaken of both her kings," ver. 14, ! 5-, 16. 
 ])o not the lad words, " before the child (hall 
 know to refufe the evil, and choofe the good," 
 feem to belong to the words which immediately 
 precede them, " Behold ! a virgin fhall couceiv.% 
 and bear a fon ?" Immanuel, then, who was t 
 be born of a virgin, could not be the Mcf&ah ; 
 O the;
 
 154 The. Birth of i 
 
 the prophet muft mean the child, of whom he fa id, 
 before be know to refuse the evil, and cliocse the 
 good, Judea (hall be delivered from the two con- 
 federate kings. 
 
 iw irtdiffolnble foever this objection may 
 appear, it is only an apparent difficulty, and it 
 lies lefs in the nature of the thing, than in the 
 arrangement of the terms. Reptcfsnt to 
 f elves the prophet exreuting the order, winch- 
 God had given him, as the third verfe of the 
 ftventh chapter relates. " Go forth new to meet 
 Ahaz, thou, and Shearjafhub thy fon, at the end 
 of the conduit of the uppei poo!." Imagine 
 Ifaiah, in the prtfence of the Jews, holding his 
 fon Shearjafhub in his arms, and addrefling them 
 in this manner. The token, that God gives you, 
 of your prefent deliverance, that he is ftill your 
 God, and that ye are ftill his covenant people, is 
 the renewal of the promife to you, which lie mad 
 to your anceftprs concerning the Mefllah : to 
 convince you of the truth of what I afferr,.I dis- 
 charge my commiffion, " Behold ! a virgin (hall 
 conceive, and bear a fon, and fhall call his name 
 Immanuel," that is, God* ivith us. He fhal! be 
 brought up like the children of men, " butter and 
 honey 'hall he eat, until he know to refufe the 
 evil, and choofe the good," that is, until he ar- 
 rive a< years of maturity. In virtue of this 
 promife, which will not be ratified till feme ages 
 have expired, behold what I promife you now ; 
 before the child, not before the child, whom, I 
 faid'jiMt now, a virgin should Sear : but before 
 the child in my arms, (the. phrafe may be rendered 
 before this child) before Shearjafhub, whom I 
 now lift up, " (hall know to refufe the evil, and 
 choofe the good, the land, for which ye are in 
 trouble, fhall be forfaken of both her kings." 
 You fee, my brethren, the child, whom, the proph- 
 et faid, a virgin should conceive, could not be 
 Shearjafhub, who was attually prefent in his 
 
 father's
 
 The Birth of Christ. 155 
 
 The difficulty, therefore, is only 
 
 enr, and, as I obferved before, it lay in thr: 
 
 iU of the terms, and not in the nature" 
 
 j thing. This is our anfwer to what I call- 
 
 ular difficulty. 
 
 rat objection may be made a^ainfl the 
 
 manner in which we have explained thefe 
 
 and in winch, in general, we explain other 
 
 prophecies. Allow ine to ftate this objection in 
 
 force, and, if I may ufe the exprefiion, in" 
 
 enormity, in order to fliew you, in the end, 
 
 all its levity and folly. 
 
 The odious objection is this. An unbeliever 
 "Would fay, the three chapters of Ifaiah, of which 
 you have given an arbitrary analyfis, are equivo- 
 cal and obfeure, like the greateft part of 
 compilations, which compofe the book of the 
 vifionary flights of this prophet, asd like all the 
 writings, that are called predictions, proph, 
 revelations. Obfcurity is the grand character 
 of them, even in the opinion of thofe who have 
 given fublime and curious explanations of them. 
 They are capable of feveral fenfes. Who bach 
 received authority to develope thofe ambiguous 
 writings, to determine, the true meaning, among 
 the many different ideas, which they excite in the 
 reader, and to each of which the terms are alike 
 applicable ! During feventeen centuries, chrif- 
 have racked their invention to put a fenfe 
 I'e writings of the prophets advantageous to 
 chriftianity, and the greateft geniufes have en- 
 red to interpret them in favor of the chril- 
 tian religion. Men, who have been famous for 
 erudition and knowledge, have taken the 
 moft laborious pains to methodize thefe writings ; 
 eneration of great men hath fucceeded an- 
 otherin the undertaking; is it aftonifhing that 
 fome degree of fuccefs hath, attended their labors, 
 and that by dint of indefatigable induftry, they 
 have rendered thofe prophecies venerable, which 
 
 would
 
 xq6 The Birth of Christ. 
 
 would h^ve been accounted dark and void of de^ 
 figo, if lefs pains had been taken to adapt a de* 
 figu, and lefs violence bad been uftd in arranging 
 lh*n in order : 
 
 1 bis is the objection in al! its force, and, as I 
 
 f<jicl before, in all its enormity. Let ns inquire 
 
 ther we cap give a folution proportional to 
 
 thn boafitd objection of infidelity. Gur anfwer 
 
 wl! be compriied in a chain of proportions, whicb 
 
 wiil guard you again ft thoft-, who find myftical 
 
 meanings, where there are none, as well as againft 
 
 , who difown them, where they are. To 
 
 ihefe ptirpofes attend to the following proportions. 
 
 1-. They were not the men of our age, who 
 
 forged the book, in whicb we imagine, we dif- 
 
 corer fach profound knowledge : we know it is 
 
 a book of tfee rooft venerable antiquity, and we 
 
 fan demonftrate that it is the moft ancient book 
 
 in the world. 
 
 2. This venerable antiquity, however, is not 
 the chief ground of our admiration : the benevo- 
 lence of its defign ; the gtandeur of its ideas j 
 the fublimity of its doctrines ; the Ijolinefs f itsr 
 precepts ; are, according to our notion of thingi, 
 if not abfolute proofe-of its divinity, at leaft, ad- 
 vantageous prefureptions in its favor. 
 
 Among divers truths which it contains, and 
 whicb, it may be fuppo&d, fome fuperior geniaf* 
 es might have difeovered, I meet with lone, the 
 attainment of which I cannot reafonably attribute 
 to the human mind : of this kind are Tome pre- 
 dictions, obfeure, I grant, to thole to whom they 
 were fir ft delivered, but rendered very clear fince 
 by the events. Such are thefe two among many 
 others. The people, who are in covenant with 
 God, (hall be excluded; add people, who are 
 not, fhall be admitted. I fee the accompliiiiment 
 of thefe predictions with my own eyes, in the 
 rejection of the Jewe, and in the calling of the 
 Gentiles. 
 
 4. The
 
 The Birth of Christ. 157 
 
 The fuperior characters, which fignalize 
 thefe books, give them the right of being myfteri- 
 0113 in fome places, without expofing them to the 
 livocal, or void of meaning ; 
 for I'.inif works have acquired this right. When 
 an author hath given full proof of his capacity in 
 Some propcfitions, which are clear and intelligi- 
 ble ; and when he exprtffeth himfelf, in other 
 places, in a manner obfeure, and hard to be under- 
 ;. he is not to be taxed, all on a fude'en, with 
 writing irrationally. A meaning is to be fought 
 in his exprefiions. It is not to be iuppofed, that 
 geniufes of the higheft order fink at once be- 
 neath the loweli minds. Why do we not enter- 
 tain fuch notions of our prophets ? Why is not 
 the fame juftice due to the extraordinary men, 
 whole refpectable writings we are pleading for ; 
 to our Ifaiahs, and Jeremiahs, which is allowed 
 to Juvenal and Virgil ? What I fliall fome 
 pretty thought of the latter, fliall fome ingeni- 
 ous Itroke of the former, conciliate more re fpect 
 m, than the noble fentiments of God, the 
 ime rioflrines, and the virtuous precepts of 
 Ay fcriptures, can obtain for the writers of 
 ible ? 
 5. We Jj not pretend, however, to abufe 
 re f peel, which it would be unjuft to with- 
 from our authors. We do not pretend to 
 hat every obfeure pa ffage contains a myftery, 
 .:, fthsnever a palTage appears uninterligi- 
 ave a right to explain it in favor of 
 Itf&rine, which we profefs : but we think it 
 right to confider any paflage in thefe books pr'o- 
 vhen it has the three following marks. 
 r. firft is the insufficiency of the literal mean- 
 I mean, a text mud be accounted pro- 
 ca!, when it cannot be applied, without of- 
 j violence to the language, to any event, 
 -11 out when it was fpoken, or to any then 
 nt, or pad objt^. 
 
 2 2. The
 
 *58 The Birth of Chi ist. 
 
 2. The fecond character of a prophecy, i 
 infallible commentary, I mean, when an author 
 of acknowledged authority, gives a prophetical 
 fenfe to a pafldge under confederation, we ought 
 to fubmit to his authority, and adopt' his mean- 
 ing. 
 
 3. The lair character is a perfect conformity 
 between the prediction and the event. I mean, 
 when prophecies, compared with events, appear 
 to have been completely accomplitfied, feveral 
 ages after they had been promulged, it cannot 
 be fairly urged that the conformity was a lucky 
 kit : but, it ought to be acknowledged, that the. 
 prophecy proceeded irorn God, who, being alone 
 capable of forefecing what would happen, was 
 alone capable of foretelling tie event, in a man- 
 ner fo circumllantial ad exac\. All thefe ctfar 
 a&ers unite in favor of the text, which wc have 
 been explaining, and in favor cf the three chap- 
 ters, which wc have, in gen'cra?} expounded. 
 
 The SHI charafttr, that is, tl.4 infu^Scieftcy of 
 a literal fenfe, agrees with our eiApHcatiom Let 
 any event, in the time of liaiah, be named, any 
 child born Jhen, or foon after, cf whom the 
 prophet ccuid reafonably affirm wijat l>e dees in 
 ur text, and in tee other verfe, which we I 
 connected with it. " A virgin fnall conceive", 
 and bear a fon, and flvall call his n..mc Imruanu- 
 el. Unto us a child is born, anto as afon is gi\ 
 en ; and the government fnall be upon Lis fhoul 
 tier : and his name fhaH be called, Wovdeiful. 
 Counfeilor, The mighty God, The tveriaftic^ 
 Father, The Prince of Peace." 
 
 The fecond diftinguifhing mark, that is, gf 
 fallible commentary, agrees with our explication. 
 Our evangeliiis aud apoftles, thofe venerable 
 men, whole million comes recommended to us by 
 the moft glorious miracles, by the healing of thxj 
 fick, by the expulfion cf demons, by the railing 
 f the dead, by a general fubVcificn of all na- 
 ture^
 
 The Birth of Christ. i^$ 
 
 tttrtj our evangelifts and apotlles took tbefe pai- 
 fages in the lame fenl'e, in which wc take theiTT^ 
 thty underHood them of the Mtifiah, a& we have 
 obferved before. 
 
 The third character, that is, a perfedc con- 
 formity between event and prediction, agrees al- 
 fo with our explication. We actaal'y find a 
 cbildy fome ages after the time of Ifaiab, who 
 fxactly anfwers the defcriptio* of him, cf whom 
 *.be prophet fpoke. The features arefimilar, and 
 we own the likenefs. Our Jefus was really born 
 of a virgin ; he was truly Immanucl, God with 
 us : in him are really united, all the titles, and 
 ill the perfections, of the "Wonderful, Tha- 
 Counl'ellor, The mighty God, The cverlaiting 
 Father ;" as we will prciently prove. Can wc 
 help giving a myfterious meaning to thefe paf- 
 iVges ? Can werefufe to acknowledge, that the 
 piophet intended to i'peak of the MtlHah ? Thefe 
 are the ftrps, and this is the end of our medita- 
 tion in favor of the- myftical fenfe, which we 
 iu*e afcribed to the words of the text. 
 
 Would to God, the enemies of our myflerics 
 would open their eyes to tbefe cbjecls, and ex- 
 amine the weight of thefe arguments I Would 
 to God, a lovr, I had almcft faid a rage, for in. 
 drpende;jcy, for a fyftern that indulges, and in. 
 flames the paffions, had not put fome people on 
 ttppoling thefe proofs 1 Infidelity and fcepticifni 
 would have made lefs havoc among us, and 
 would not have decoyed away fo many difciples 
 from truth and virtue ! And would to God alfo, 
 chriftian minifters would never attempt to attack 
 :he fyftems of infidels and fceptics without the 
 armour of demonflration ! Would to God, lovi 
 of the marvellous may no more dazale the im- 
 aginations of thole, who ought to be guided by 
 truth alone ! And would to God, the hmplici- 
 ty and the fuperititiou of the people may never 
 more contribute to fapport that authority, which 
 
 lb me
 
 l6o The Birth of Chrut. 
 
 fome rafli and dogmatical geniufes ufurp ! Truth 
 fhould not borrow the arms of ialtlhood tc de- 
 fend itfelf ; nor virtue thofe of vice. Advan- 
 tages fhould not be given to unbeliever and 
 heretics, under pretence of oppefing herefy and 
 unbelief. We fhould render to God a reasons 
 ble ssiTice, Rom. xii. 1. we fhould be all & 
 va! men, judging sll things, 1 Cor. ii. 15. accord- 
 ing to the expreffion of the apoftle. But .1 add 
 no mere on this article. 
 
 Hitherto we have fpnken, if I may fay fo, to 
 reafon only, it is time now to (peak to conlcier.ee, 
 We have been preaching by arguments and fyl- 
 logifms to the understanding, it is time now to 
 preach by fentiments to the heart. Religion is 
 not made for the mtnd alone, it is particularly 
 addreflcd to the heart, and to the heart I would 
 prove, that our Jefus hath accomplilhed, in the 
 moil iublime of alt fenies, this prophecy in the 
 :l j xj : Unto us a child is bom, unto us a sen is 
 . and lb on. This isourfecond part. 
 
 II, The terms throne, kingdom, government, 
 are metaphorical, when they are applied to God, 
 to his Mefftah, to the end, which religion pro- 
 pofeth, and to the felicity, which it procures, 
 They are very iinpetfecl, and, if I may venture 
 to fay fo, very low and mean, when they are ufed 
 to reprefent objects of inch infinite grandeur. 
 No, there is nothing i'ufficiently noble in the 
 characters of the greateft kings, nothing wife 
 h in their maxims, nothing gentle enough 
 in their government, nothing pompous enough 
 in their courts, nothing fufficiently glorious in 
 their exploits, to reprefent fully the grandeur and 
 glory of our Mefliah. 
 
 Who is a king ? What is a throne ? Why- 
 have we mafters ? Why is fovereign power 
 lodged in a few hands ? and what determines 
 mankind to lay a fide their independence, and to 
 lofe their beloved liberty ? The whole implies, 
 
 my
 
 The Birth of Chriit, i4t 
 
 my brethren, fome mortifying truths. We have 
 not knowledge fufiacient 10 guide ourfelves, and 
 we need minds wifer than our own to mlpecl and 
 to dirndl our conduct. We are indigent, and 
 fuperior beings moft fupply our wants. We 
 have enemies, and we mutt have guardians to pro- 
 tec\ us. 
 
 Mii'erable men I how have you been deceived 
 in your expectations ? Wkat diforders could- 
 anarchy have produced, greater than thofe, whicfa 
 have ibmetimes proceeded from fovereign au- 
 thority I You fought guides to direct you : but 
 you have fometimes fallen under the tuition of 
 men, who, tar from being able to conduct a 
 whole people, knew not how to guide themielves. 
 You foaght nurfing fathers, to fuccour you in 
 your indigence : but you have fallen fometimee 
 into the hands of men, who had no other defigns 
 than to impoverifh their people, to enrich thenv* 
 felves with the fubftance, and to fatten th'em- 
 felves with the blood of their fubjcts. You 
 fought guardians to protect you from your ene- 
 mies : but you have fometimes found execution- 
 ers, who have ufed you with greater barbarity, 
 than your rnoft bloody enemies would have done. 
 
 But, all thefe melancholy truths apart, fuppofe 
 t&e fine notions, which we form of kings and of 
 royalty, of fovereign power, and of the hands 
 that hold it, were realized : how incapable are 
 king*, and how inadequate is their government, 
 to the relief of the innumerable wants of an im- 
 mortal foul ! Suppofe kings of the moft tender 
 fentiments, formidable in their armies, and abund- 
 ant in their treafuries ; could they heal the mni- 
 adies, that afflict us here, or could they quench 
 our painful thirft for felicity hereafter ? Ye 
 Cxfars 1 Ye Alexanders ! Ye Trajins ! Ye, 
 who were, fome of you, like Titus, the parents of 
 your people, and the delights of mankind, ye 
 thunderbolts of war ! Ye idols of the world ! 
 
 What
 
 262 Tlit Birth of Christ. 
 
 What doth all you* pomp avail ire ? Of what 
 uie to me are all year perfomri otjajifrcatums, 
 and all your regaj munificence ? Cnn you. Can 
 they, dilTipate tbe da'rknei's, that envelopes me ; 
 calm the Confcience, that accufes 2nd torments 
 me ; reconcile me to God : free me from the 
 controol of my commanding- and tyrannical pal- 
 fions ; deliver me from death ; and dilVover im- 
 mortal happinefs to me ? Ye earthly gods 1 ig- 
 norant and wretcbecHtke me ; objects like . 
 the difpleafure of God ; like me, expofed to the 
 miferies of life ; flaves to yosr pafllons )ik<? me ; 
 condemned like me to that frightful night in 
 which death involveth ?.ll mankind ; ye can re- 
 lieve neither your own miferies nor mine 1 
 
 Shew me a government, that fupplies tbefe 
 waots : that is the empire I feek. Shew me a 
 king, who will ccr.dudY me to the felicity, to 
 which I afpire : fuch a Ling I long to obey. My 
 brethren, this empire we are preaching to you : 
 Such a king is the king Melliah. Unto us a 
 child is born, unto us a son is given, the govern- 
 ment shall be upon his shoulder ; and bis name 
 shall be called, wonderful, becaufe he is the 
 fubfiance and the centre of all the wondrous 
 works of God. 
 
 But purify your imaginations, and do not al- 
 ways judge of man as if lie were a being defti- 
 tute of reafon and intelligence. Whtn we fpeak 
 of man, do not conceive of a being of this prefcr.t 
 world only ; a creature pbce:l for a feu- days in 
 human i'ocietv, wanting nothing but foot. 
 raiment, and the comforts of a temporal life 1 : but 
 attend to your own heart?, in the fad circutii- 
 .-:, into which Cm hatii brought yen, what 
 our moft important wants ? We ha". 
 ready infinuated them. You need knowledge ; 
 you need reconciliation wirh God ; you want 
 fupport through all the miferies of life ; am 
 need coni'olatioa againft the fear of death. 
 
 Well I
 
 The. Birth of Christ. 163 
 
 all thcfe wants the king Mefiiih fupplies. 
 I am going to prove it, but I conjure you, at the 
 fame time, not oojy to believe, but to acS I 
 would, by publishing the defign of the Saviour's 
 incarnation, engage you to concur in it. By ex- 
 plaining to you the nature of his empire, I would 
 fain teach you the duties of his fubjecls. By 
 ceiebraung the glory of the king Mcfllah, I long 
 to fee it displayed among you in all its iplendid 
 magnificence, 
 
 You want knowledge. You will find it in the 
 king SV^efliah. H^ is. the. Counsellor. He is 
 the true Ught % which lighteth every man that 
 : b hito the world) John i. 9. In him are 
 ..'! the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, 
 Col. it, 3. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon 
 him, the Lord hail cppi-inted him to preach good 
 tidings unio the meek, lia. lid. I. The Spirit 
 of the Lord refts upon him, the spirit of wisdom 
 and understanding, the spirit of counsel, and 
 might, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of 
 the Lord, chap. xi. 2. He hath the tongue of the 
 L'amed, chap. 1. 4. and the wifdoin of the wife. 
 Afk him to explain to you the grand appearances 
 .ure, which exercife the fpecularions of the 
 inofr. transcendent geniufes, and abforb their de- 
 ft reafon, and ail his anfwers will difcover 
 ihe moft profound and perfect knowledge of them. 
 Inquire of him whence all: the vifible creation 
 came, the luminaries of heaven, and the magnifi- 
 cent treafures of the earth. Afk him to reveal 
 to you the God, who hideth himself I fa. xlv. 15. 
 Aik him the caufe of thole endlefs diforders, 
 which mix with that profufion of wifdom, which 
 appears in the world. Afk him whence the 
 bleflings come, which we enjoy, and whence the 
 calamities, that afflict us. Afk him what is the 
 origin, the nature, th defliny, the end of man. 
 Of all thefe articles the Counsellor will tell 
 you more than Plato, and Socrates, and all the 
 
 philofophcrs,
 
 *S4 37" Birth of Christ, 
 
 philofophere, who only felt after the truth, Ac\t 
 xvii. 27. who themfelves discovered, and taught 
 others to fee, only a few rays of light darkened 
 with prejudices and errors. 
 
 This is the firft idea of the king Meffiah ; 
 this is the firft fource of the duties of his fubjects, 
 and of the difpofitions, with which they cugbt 
 to celebrate his nativity, and with which alone 
 ' tliey can celebrate it in a proper manner. To 
 celebrate properly the feftival of his nativity, 
 truth -mflft be efteemed ; we muft be defirous of 
 attaining knowledge ; we muft come from the 
 ends-of the earth, like the wife men of the eaft, 
 to contemplate the miracles, which the Meffiah 
 diiplays in the new world ; like Mary, we muft 
 be all attention to receive the doctrine, that pro- 
 ceeds from his facred mouth ; like the multi- 
 tude, we muft follow him into deferts and moun- 
 tains, to hear his admirable fermons. This is 
 the firft duty, which the feftival, that yon are to 
 celebrate next Wednesday, demands. Prepare 
 yourfelves to keep it in this manner. 
 
 You want reconciliation with' God, and this is 
 the grand work of the-king Mcfliah. He is the 
 Prince -of Peace. Pie terminate* the fatal 
 war, which fin hath kindled between God and 
 you, by obtaining the pardon of your paft fins, 
 and by enabling you to avoid the commiflion of 
 fin for the future. He obtains the pardon of 
 p*ft fins for you. How can a merciful God re- 
 fill the ardent prayers, which the Redeemer of 
 mankind addreffeth to him in behalf of thofe poor 
 Tinners, for whom he facrificed himfelf' ? How 
 can a merciful God refifl the pka of the blood 
 of his Son, which cries for mercy for the mifera- 
 ble poflerity of Adam? As the king Mefltah 
 reconciles you to God, by obtaining the pardon 
 of your paft fin, fo he reconciles you, by procur- 
 ing ftrength to enable you to avoid it for time 
 to come. Having calmed thofe paflions which 
 
 prevented
 
 The Birth of Christ. 1 6$ 
 
 prevented your knowing what was right, and ycur 
 loving what was lovely, he gave you laws of 
 equity and love. How can you refift, after you 
 have known him, the motives, on which his laws 
 are founded ? Every difficulty difappears, wheu 
 examples fo alluring are feen, and when you are 
 permitted, under your mofl difcouraging weak- 
 ness, to approach the treafures of grace, which 
 he hath opened to you, and to derive purity from 
 its fource. Doth gratitude know any difficul- 
 ties ? Is not every act of obedience eafy to n 
 mind animated by a love as vehement as that, 
 "which cannot but be felt for a Saviour, who in 
 the tendered manner hath loved us ? 
 
 This is the fecond idea of the king MefHah, 
 this is the fecond fotuce of the duties of his fub- 
 jedts, and of the difpofitioiis effential to a worthy 
 celebration of the teafl of his nativity. Come 
 next Wednefday deeply feniibie of the danger of 
 having that God for yoor enemy, who holds you? 
 deftiny in his mighty hands, and whofe commands 
 all creatures obey. Gome with an eager defire 
 of reconciliation to him. Come and hear the 
 voice of tbe Prince of Peace, who publifheth 
 peace ; peace to him that is near, and to him 
 is jar off, Ifa. Ivii. 19. While Mofes mediates 
 a covenant between God and the Jfraclites, on 
 the top of the holy mountain, let not Ifrael vio- 
 late tbe capital article at the foot of it. While 
 Jefus Chritl ia defcending to reconcile you to 
 God, do not declare war again ft God ; infult him 
 not by voluntary rebellions, after he hath volun- 
 tarily delivered ycu from the flavery of fin, un- 
 der which you groaned. Return not again to 
 thofe fins, which separated between you and your 
 God, Ifa. lix. 2. and which would do it again, 
 though Jefus fhould become incarnate again, 
 and mould offer himfelf every day to expiate them. 
 You need support under the calamities of this 
 life, aud this alio you will find ia the king Mef- 
 P fiah.
 
 i66 The Birth of Christ. 
 
 fiah. He is the mighvty God, and he will t'e*1l 
 yoi', while you are differing the heavieft: temporal 
 afflictions, although " the mountains fliall depart, 
 and the hills be removed, yet my kindnefs fhalt 
 hot depart from you, neither fliall the covenant 
 of my peace be removed," chap. liv. 10. Under 
 your fevereft tribulations, he will aflure you, that 
 all things work together for good to them that 
 Icsc GW, Rom. viii. 28. He will teach you to 
 fhcut victory under an apparent defeat, and to 
 fing this triumphant fong, " Thanks he unto 
 God, who always caufeth us to triumph ill Chrifl," 
 2 Cor. ii. 14. " In all thefe things we are 
 more than conquerors, through him that loved 
 ns," Rom. viii. 37. 
 
 This is the third idea of the king Mcfliah, and 
 this is the third fource of the duties of his fub- 
 jetts, and of the difpofitions which are necefTary 
 to the worthily celebrating of the feftival of his 
 nitivity. Fall in, chriftian- -foul I with the de- 
 Cgn of thy Saviour, who, by elevating thy c^e- 
 flres above the world, would elevate thee above 
 all the cataftrophes of it. Come, behold Mefliah, 
 the king, lodging in a flable, and' lying in a m?n- 
 ger : hear him faying to his difciples, " The 
 foxeshave holes, andthe birdsof the air have nefls ; 
 but the Ion of man hath not -where to lay his 
 head," Matt. viii. 20. Learn from this example 
 not to place thy happinefs in the pofieflion of 
 earthly good. Die to the world, die to its pleas- 
 ures, die to its pomps. Afpire after other ends, 
 and nobler joys, .than thole of the children of 
 this world, and then worldly viciflitudes cannot 
 fh:.ke thy bliCs. 
 
 Finally, You have need of one to comfort you 
 under the fears of deaths by opening the gates 
 of eternal felicity to you, and by fatiating your 
 avidity of exiftence and elevation. This confo- 
 lation the king Mcfliah affords. He is the ever- 
 lasting Father, the Fathbr of eternity, 
 
 bic
 
 The Birth of Christ; 167 
 
 bis throne shall be built up for all generations, 
 Pfal. Ixxxix. 4. he hath received " dominion and 
 glor) and a kingdom, that all people, natior.., asd 
 languages, fliould ferve him ; his dominion is an 
 cvcrlaftirg dominion*- whicfa (hall not pafs away, 
 and his kingdom that which (ball not be deflroy- 
 ed," D.in. vii. 14. and his fubjedi 1 ; mult reign 
 eternally with him. When thou, chrillian ! art 
 confined to thy dying bed, he will approach thee 
 with all the attractive charms of 'his power :<v,i 
 jriace : he will lay to thee, Fear not', thou worm 
 Jacob, lfa. xli. 14. he will Whifper thefe com- 
 fortable words in thine ear, " When thou paflcft 
 through the waters, I will be with thee : and 
 when through the rivers, they (hall not overflow 
 thee i when thou walked through the fire, thou 
 (halt not be burned ; neither fhall the flame 
 kindle upon thee,"' chap- xliii. 2. He will open 
 heaven to thee, as he opened it to Su Stephen ; 
 and be will fay to thee, as he faid to the convert- 
 ed thief, * To-day AYalt thou be with me in par- 
 adise," Luke xxiii. 43. 
 
 This is the fourth idea of the king Me'ffiah, 
 and this is the fourth fource of the duties of his 
 fubje&s. How glorious is the fefiival of his 
 nativity 1 What grand, noble, and- fublime fetiti - 
 ments doth it require of uafl The fubjefls of the 
 kingMefliah, the children of the everlasting Fa- 
 ther, (liould confider the economy of time to its: 
 true point of view, they fhould compare "Hh 
 which are feen, which are temporal, with tilings 
 which are not feen, which are eternal," 2 Cor. 
 iv. 13. They fhould fix their attention upon 
 the eternity, fill their imaginations with the glo- 
 ry, of the world to come, and learn, by jufl no- 
 tions of immortality, to eflirnate theprefent life ; 
 the " declining fhadow ; the withering grafs ; 
 the fading flower; the dream, that flyeth away ; 
 the vapour, that vanifheth," and is irrecoverably 
 loft; Pfal* cii. ,11. lfa. xl. 7. Job xx. 8. and 
 James iv. .14. Thefe,
 
 168 The Bvth of Christ. 
 
 Thefe, my brethren, are the characters of your 
 king Meffiah, thefe are the characters of the di- 
 vine child, whole birth you are to celebrate next 
 Wednefday, and in thefe ways only can you 
 celebrate it ?.s it defcrves. We conjure yon by 
 ihnt adorable goodnefs, which we are going to 
 veftify to you Egain j. we conjure you by that 
 tfcrone. cf grace, which God i3 about to fifcend 
 again ; we conjure you by thofe ineffable mer- 
 cies, which our imaginations cannot fully com- 
 prehend, which cur minds cannot fufflciently ad- 
 KJre, nor all the emotions of our hearts fufti- 
 cierftly efteera ; we conjure you to look at, and, 
 xf you will pardon the exprefiioH, to lofe your- 
 selves in thefe grand objects ; we conjure yon 
 not to turn ou fo'emn fefVtvals, and our devotiou. 
 a! days, into feafons of gaming, irreligion, and 
 diffipation. Let us fubmit ourfelves to the king 
 MefliaJ) ; let us engage ourfelves to his govern- 
 ment ; let his dominion be tfce ground of all cur 
 
 PY- 
 
 > tuoft mighty ' t'-.ou art fairer than the 
 en of men. Grace is poured into thy lips, 
 fore God hath blcffed thee for ever 1" Pfa!* 
 ' . 3. " The Lord (hall fend the rod of tLy 
 Itiength out of Zion," frying, " Rule thou in the 
 midft of thine eneaiit-s ! Thy people ilia 11 be 
 willing in i ..'hen thou fhalt affemble thy 
 
 hoft in holy pomp 1"* Yea, reign over th'.ne ene- 
 mies. 
 
 * We retain the reading of the French Bible here ; 
 becaufe our author paraphrafes. the parage after that 
 verfion. 7<-n /';> fgra un peuple plein de frar.z 
 vouluir au jcur qu? tu ai?cn>.blcras ton armee en sa saintc 
 pompe. Thy people (hall be vittir.g in the day of thy pav- 
 er, tn the beauties of hairnets, &c. The paflage fefms 
 to be a prophetical al'ufion to one of thofe folemn fed:- 
 vals, in which conquerors, and their armies, en their 
 return from battle, offered apart of their fpoil, which 
 they had taken from their enemies, to God, from 
 whom the victory came. Thefe frce-ixill offerings were 
 carried in grand proceffion. They were holy, becaufe
 
 The Birth of Christ. 169 
 
 mies, great King ! bow their rebellious wills ; 
 prevent their fatal counfels ; defeat all their 
 bloody defigns ! Reign alio over thy friends, 
 reign over us ! Make us a willing people ! Af- 
 fauble all this congregation, when thou Quit 
 come with tby host in holy pomp ! Let not the 
 hying of the clouds, which will ferve thee for a. 
 triumphal chariot ; let not the pomp of the holy 
 angels in thy traiu, when thou fhalt come to judge? 
 the world in righteousness, Acts xvii. 31. let not 
 thefe objects -affright and terrify our fouls : let 
 them charm and trail {port us ; and, inftead of 
 dreading thine -approach, let us hnften it by our 
 prayers and fighs ! Come, Lord Jesus, come 
 t/uickly, Amen. To God be honor and glory*, 
 for ever and ever. Ameu . 
 
 agreeable to fhe-economy, under which the Jews lived* 
 and they were beautifully holy, becauto they were not 
 cxa&ed, but proceeded from the voluntary gratitude of 
 the army. In large conqaefts, the troops and the- of- 
 ferings were out of number, like the drops of f.-ch a 
 ftiowerof den, as the. morning brought Jorto in thaj 
 -x. spring. of the .jcar. See 2 Cbron. xiv. 13, 54, 15. 
 and xv. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. We have ventured 
 this hint on a paflage, which feeras net very vicar in 
 : of verfion. 
 
 
 P 2 SERMON
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 Psalm cxviii. 15, 16. 
 
 Tie voiee of rejoicing and salvation is in the 
 tabernacles of the righteous : toe right band 
 ofibe Lord dotb valiantly. The right hand 
 of the Lord is exalted : the right band of the 
 Lord duth valiantly. 
 
 Vy OMAN I why nveepesl thou < John 
 3x. 13, 15. was tiie language of two angels anil 
 of Jefus Chrift to Mary. The Lcrd had been 
 crucified. The infant church was in Mourning-. 
 The tpfmtes o"f cbriftianity w*re triumphing. 
 The fit i t h of, the difcipje^s was tnr.ering. Mary 
 ad Tet out before dawn of day, to give vent to 
 fcer grief, to bathe the tomb of hfr Mafter with 
 tears, and to render funeral honors to him. In 
 fad circumftances, the heavens opened., two 
 angels clothed in whiie garments defcended, and 
 placed ihemfelves on the tomb, that inclofed the 
 iear depofitum of the love of God to the church. 
 At the fixed moment, they rolled away the itorie } 
 and Jefus Chrift arsfe from the grave loaden with 
 the fpoiis of death. Hither Maty comes to fee 
 the dead body, the poor remain of him, ivbo should 
 have redeemed Israel, Luke xxiv. 21. and find- 
 ing the tomb empty, abandons her whole fou! to 
 grief, and burlk into floods of tears. The heav- 
 enly mtffengers dir*/lly addrefs thefe comfortable 
 words to her, Woman ! Why iveepest thou ? 
 Scarcely had (he told them the cauli of her grief, 
 before JeTus puts the fame question to her, 
 Woman ! Why iveepest thou ? And to this lan- 
 guage, which infinuatetb into her heart, and tx- 
 
 chctbt
 
 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 171 
 
 citeth, if I roay venture to fpeak fo, from the 
 bottom of her foul every emotion el tender- 
 nefj and love, of which fhe is capable, he add**; 
 Mary ! 
 
 This is the magnificent, this is the affecting 
 object, on which the eyes of nil the church arc 
 this day fixed. This is the comfortable language 
 which heaven to-day proclaims. For feveral 
 weeks pail you have been In tears. Your churches- 
 have been in mourning. Your eyes have beheld 
 only fad and melancholy objects. On the one 
 band, you have been examining your conlciences, 
 and your minds have been overwhelmed with the 
 forrowful remembrance of broken refolutions, 
 violated vows, and fruitlefs communions. On 
 the other, ycu have feen Jefus, betrayed by one 
 difciple, denied by another, foifaken by all ; Je- 
 fus, delivered by priefts to fectlar powers, and 
 condemned by his judges to die ; Jefus, sweat- 
 as it were, grea k t. drops of blood, Luke xxii. 
 44. praying in GeUifemane : my Father I if 
 it be possible, Ut tbis cup pess from me, Matt. 
 xxvi. 39, and crying on Mount Calvary, My 
 God ! My God ! Why bast thou forsaken me t 
 chap, xxvii. 46. Jefus, lying in the grave : thefe 
 have been the mournful objects of your late con- 
 templation. At the hearing of this tragical hif- 
 tory, confeience trembles ; and the whole church, 
 n feeing the Saviour intombed, weeps as if fal- 
 vation were buried with him. But take courage, 
 thou tremulous confeience i Dry up thy tears, 
 thou church of Jefus Chnft 1 Loofe thyfelf . 
 from the bands of thy reck, O captive daughter 
 of Sion !" Ifa. lii. 2. Come, my brethren, ap- 
 proach the tomb of your Redeemer, no more to 
 lament his death, no more to embalm his facred 
 body, which hath not been suffered to see cor~ 
 ruption, Afts ii. 27. but to fhout for joy at hij 
 redirection. To-this the prophet inviteth us in 
 the text : ** The voice of rejoicing and fa! 
 
 vation
 
 172 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ: 
 
 VAtion is in the tabernacles of the righteous ; 
 the right hand of the Lord is exulted : the right 
 hand of the Lord doth valiantly." 
 
 I have not queftioned, whether the pfalra irr 
 general, and the text in particular, regard the 
 Mefnah. The ancient Jews underftood the 
 pfalm of him ; and therefore made ufe of ir 
 formerly among their prayers for his advent. 
 We agree with the Jews, and on this article, 
 we think they are fafer guides than many chrii'- 
 tians. The whole pfalm agrees with Jefus 
 Chrift, and is applicable to him as well as to Da- 
 vid, particularly the famous words that follow 
 the text : " The ftone which the builders refui- 
 ed, is become the head-ftone of the corner. This 
 is the Lord's doing, it is marvellous in our eyes."' 
 Thefcr words are fo unr.niaiouOy applied to t!:e 
 exaltation, and particularly to the rerorrc&ion, c : 
 jefus Chrift, in the book? of the New TeSamcnt, 
 in the gofpel of St. Matthew, in> that of- St. 
 Mark, in that of St. Luke, in the book of Afts, 
 in the epiftle to the Romans, and in that to tj,;. 
 Lphtfians, that it feems needlefs, methink.s, to 
 attempt to prove a matter-fa fully decided. 
 
 The prefent folemnity demands reflections of 
 another kind;, and we will endeavour to fhew 
 yen, 
 
 I; The truth of the event of which the text 
 fpefcfcs : The right hand of ibe Lord is exalted : 
 the right hand of the Lord doth valiantly. 
 
 II. We will juftify the joyful acclamations, 
 w-hicfr are occafioned by it : The- voice of rejoic- . 
 ing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the 
 righteous. 
 
 I. Let us examine the evidences of the truth 
 of the re furred ion of Jefus Chrift. Infidelity 
 denies it, and what perhaps may be no lefs in- 
 jurious to chriftianity, fuperflition pretends to 
 eilabli/fc it on falsehood and abfurdity. A cer- 
 tain
 
 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 73 
 
 tain traveller* pretends, that the inhabitants of 
 the holy land frill fhew travellers tie stone which 
 tic builders refused, and which became tie head- 
 stone of tie corner. In order to guard you againfl 
 infidelity, we will urge the arguments, which 
 prove the truth of the refurre&ion of Jcfua 
 Chrift : but in order to prevent \uperftition, we 
 will attribute to each argument no more evi- 
 dence than what actually belongs to it. 
 
 In proof of \kt refnrreftion of Jefus Chrifr, 
 we have, 1. Preemption. 2. Proofs. 3. Dem- 
 onftrations. The circumftance? of his burial af- 
 ford fome preemptions ; the teflimonies of the 
 apoftles furnifh us with fome arguments ; and 
 the defcent of the holy Spirit on the church fur- 
 nifheth us with dem'onftration3. 
 
 I. From the circumftances of the burial of 
 Jefus Chrifr, 1 derive fome presumptions in favor 
 of the doftrine of the refurredlion. Jefos Chrift 
 died.^ This is an inconteftible principle. Our 
 enemies, far from pretending to queftion this, 
 charge it on chriftianity as a reproach. 
 
 The tomb of Jefus Chrift was found empty a 
 tew days after h;$ death. This is another incon- 
 eftible principle. For if the enemies of chrif- 
 t-anityhad retained his body in their pofleffi: 
 they would certainly have produced it for tl 
 ruin of the report of his r'efijrrecYron. Hence 
 anfeth a prefumption that Jefus Chrift rofe from 
 the dead. 
 
 If the body of Jefus Chrift were not railed 
 ironi the dead, it muft have been ftolen away, 
 3ut this theft is incredible. Who committed it ? 
 The enemies of Jefus Chrift ? Would they have 
 contributed to his glory, by countenancing a re~ 
 pert cf his refurre&ioii ? Would his difciples ? 
 
 It 
 
 er Belon. Obferv. lib. ii. cap. S3. Belon was 
 a countryman of our author's, a phylician of I.e Ma"- 
 who travelled from 1546 to r 54 o. His travels were 
 publiflied 1555.
 
 *74 ^ e Resurrection -.ojj Jtsus Ckn 
 
 It is probable, they would not : and, it is next 
 to certain* they could not.. How could the^ 
 have undertaken to remove the body ? FraiL 
 and timoroes creature.:* people, who fled as foon 
 as they faw him taken into cuftody ; even Peter, 
 the moft courageous, -trembled at the, voice cf a 
 fervant girl, an., three times denied that he knew 
 him ;. people ot this character, would'they . have 
 dared to rf5ll the au-t hority of the governor ? 
 Would they- have undertaken to oppefe the de- 
 termination of the Sanhedrim,, to forcea guard,, 
 and to elude, or to overcon-e, foldiers armed and 
 aware of danger ? . If Je fus Chrifl were not-rifen 
 again, (J /peak, the language cf unbelievers^ he 
 had deceived hi* difciples with vain hopes of his 
 refurreetion. How came the difciples not to. 
 difcover the iropoflure ? Would they have hazard- 
 ed therafelves, by undertaking an enterprize fo- 
 perilous, in favor of a man, who had fo <ruel!y 
 impofed on their credulity I 
 
 But were we to grant that they formed the. 
 defign of removing, the body, how could, they, 
 have executed it ? How could LUiers, armed, 
 and on guard, .fuffer themfelves to be over- 
 reached by a few timorous people ? " Either," 
 fays St. Auguftioe,* " they were afleep, or. 
 awake : If they were awake, why fhouid they, 
 fuffer the body to be taken away ? .(f aileep, . 
 how could they know that tl>e difciples took it 
 away ? How dare they then depofe that it was, 
 ftolen,?" All thefe, however, are only. preemp- 
 tions.. 
 
 The teftimony of the apo Piles furnifheth u; 
 with arguments, and there are eight confidera-.- 
 tions, which give their evidence fufflcient weight. 
 lieniark- the nature, and the number, of the wiu 
 iieffes : The fact they avow, and the agree, 
 ment of their evidence : The tribunals, before 
 which they flood, and the time, in which thty 
 
 made 
 * S.erm. ii. in Ffal. xxxvi.
 
 fThrResurreciion of Jesus Christ. 175 
 
 made their depofkions : The place, where they 
 affirmed the refurrecttcn, and their motives for 
 doing fo. 
 
 1. Confider - the nature of these -witnesses. 
 Hid thry been men of opulence and credit in 
 the world, we might have thought, that their 
 reputation gave a run to the fable. Had they 
 been learned and eloqutnt men, we might have 
 imagined, that the ftyle, in which they told the 
 tale, had Toothed the fouls of the people into a 
 belief of it. But, for my part, when I confider 
 that the apoftles were the ioweft of mankind, 
 without reputation to impofe on people, without 
 authority to compel, and without riches to re- 
 ward : when I confider, that they were mean, 
 rough, unhrSrned men, and consequently very 
 unequal to . the tiflc of putting a cheat upon 
 thers ; I cannot conceive, thai people of this 
 character could fucceed in deceiving the whole 
 church. 
 
 2. Confider ibe number cf these witnesses. St. 
 Paul enumerates them, and tells us, that Jefus 
 Chrifl was seen of Cephas, 1 Cor. xv. 5, Sec. 
 This appearance is related by St. Luke, who 
 faith, the Lord is risen indeed, and ' bdth appeared 
 to Simon, chap. xxiv. 34. The apoftle adds, 
 tben he was feen of tbe twelve : This is related 
 by St Mark, who faith, -be appeared -unto tbe 
 eleven, chap. xvi. 14. It was She fame appearance, 
 for the apoftles retained the appellation twelve^ 
 although, after Judas had been guilty of filicide, 
 they were reduced to eleven. St. Paul adds fur- 
 ther, after that,. be was seen, of above five hun- 
 dred brethren at once : Jf fus Chrift promifed this 
 appearance to the women, " Go into Galilee, and 
 tell my brethren, that tkey (hall fee me then 1 -," 
 Matt, xxviii. 10. St. Luke tells us in the firft 
 chapter of Afts, that the church confifted of ' 
 about an hundred and twenty members ; this was 
 toe church at Jerufalem : but the greateft part
 
 i.7<5 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, 
 
 of the jive hundred^ of whom St. Paul fpeaks, 
 were of Galilee, where Jei'us Ghrift had preached 
 his gofpel, and where thefe converts abode after 
 his refurrection. The apoftle fubjoins, after that 
 be was seen of James ; this appearance is not re- 
 lated by the evangelifls : but St. Paul knew it 
 by tradition.* St. Jeroro writes, that in a He- 
 brew gofpel, attributed to St. Matthew, called 
 The Gospel of the Nazarenes, it was faid, Jesus 
 Christ appeared to St. Jarr.es ; that, this apoftle 
 having made a vcw neither to eat nor drink till 
 Jefus mould rife from the dead, the divine Saviour 
 took bread and broke it, took wine and poured it 
 out, and faid to him, Eat and drink, for tie son 
 of man is risen from tie dead.-f St. Paul yet 
 
 adds 
 
 * Two of our Lord's apoftles were named James. 
 The fUer of the two, brother of John, was put to death 
 by Herod, A<fts xii. a. The other, who was firlt 
 coufin to Jefus Chrift, was called the less, the younger 
 probably, and lived many years after. It is not cer- 
 tain which of the two St. Paul means. If he mean 
 the frst, he had the account of the appearing of the 
 Lord to him, probably, as Mr. Saurin fays, by tradi- 
 'iior, - If the last, it is likeiy, he had it from James 
 himfelf ; for hi r.: he sain at Jerusalem, Gal. i. 19. and 
 he was living in the year 57, when St. Paul wrote this 
 firft epiftle to the Corinthians. 
 
 + The gofpel, of which Mr. Saurin, after St. Jerom, 
 fpeaks, is now loft. It was probably one of tkote 
 mangled, interpolated copies of the true gofpel of St. 
 Matthew, which, through the avidity of the lower 
 fort cf people to know thehiilory of JeTus Chrift, had 
 been tranfcnbed, and debafed, and was handed about 
 the world I call it mangled ; becaule fome parts of 
 the true gofpel were omitted. I call it interpolated ; 
 becaufe some things were added from other goxpelt, as 
 the hiftoryof the woman caught in adultery, from St. 
 John: Etifeb. Eccl. hill. lib. iii cap. 39. and others 
 Jfrom report, as the above pailage relative to James, tec. 
 This book was written in Syriac, with Hebrew char- 
 acters, St. Jcrom tranflated it into Greek, and Latin, 
 and divert of th fathers quote it, as HegeGppus, 
 Euleb. E. H. lib. iv, 22. JgaatiusEp. andSmyrrienfcp,
 
 The Reiurrettvsn of Jesus Christ, ijj 
 
 adds further, " Then he was feen of all the 
 apoftles ; and, laft of all, of me alio, as of one 
 born out of due time." So nomerous were the 
 witnefles of the refurrecYiou of Jelus Chrift i 
 from this fact we derive a fecond'argument ; for, 
 had the witnefles been few, it might have been 
 laid, that the bale defign of deceiving the whole 
 church was formed by one, and propagated by a 
 few more. ; or that fome one had fancied he faw 
 lefus Cluill : but when St. Piul, when the reft 
 of the apollles, when Jive hundred brethren attclr. 
 ratb of the fact; wlut room remains foi - 
 icion and doubt ? 
 
 3. Obferve the fact; themselves^ tabid (hey 
 avnvi Had they been meuphyllcal reafonings, 
 depending on a chain of principles and conie- 
 quences ; had they been periods of chronology, 
 depending on long and difficult calculations ; had 
 they been diflant events, which could only hive 
 ueen known by the relations of others ; their 
 cetfottiVgl might have been fufpecUd : But 
 :hcy are fails, which are in quefUon, fals, which, 
 the witneffes declared, they had feen with their 
 own eyes at divers places, and at feverat times. 
 Had iney feen Jefus Chrift ? Had they touched 
 him? Had they iitten at table, a:id eaten with 
 him ? Had they converted with him ? AU 
 thefe are queftions of fact : it was irrpoflible 
 they could be deceived in them. 
 
 4. Remark the agreement of their evidence. 
 They all unanimously depoied, that Jcfus Chriit 
 rofe from the dead. It is very extraordinary, 
 that a gang of live hundred impoftors, (I fpeak 
 the language of iufidels) a company, in which 
 
 Q_ there 
 
 Edit. Ufcrii, p. 112 Clement of Alexandria, Stro- 
 mat. lib. ii. p. 278, 'Edit. J.ugdun. 1616. Origen, St. 
 Jerom, 3tc. It went by the names of the go f pel ac- 
 cording to St. Matthew, the gofpel according to tbs 
 Hebrews, <he gofpel of the twelve apjitie: t the golpel 
 of the Nazarenw. See Lukei. 1,-.
 
 178 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, 
 
 there muft needs be people of. different capaci- 
 ties and tempers, the witty and the dull, the 
 timid and the boid ; it is very ft range, that fuch 
 a numerous body as this Ihould maintain an uni- 
 ty of evidence. This, however, is the cafe of 
 our witneffes. What chi iftian ever contradict- 
 ed himfclf ? What ehriftian ever impeached 
 Ids accomplices ? What chriftian ever dilcover- 
 ed this pretended iropofture ? 
 
 5. Obferve the tribunals, before which they 
 gave evidence, and the innumerable multitude of 
 people by whom their teflimor.y was examined, 
 by Jews and Edethens, by philolophers and Rab- 
 bies; and by an infinite number of people, who 
 Went annually to Jerufalem : For, my brethren, 
 Providence fo ordered thefe circumftancea, that 
 the teftimony of the apoftles might be unfufpect- 
 ed. Providence continued Jerufalem forty years 
 gfter the refurredVion of our Lord, that all the 
 jews in the world might examine the evidence 
 concerning it, and obtain authentic proof of the 
 truth of chrifkianity. I repeat it again, then, 
 the apoftles maintained the refurre&ion of Jefus 
 Chrift before Jews, before Pagans, before philofo- 
 phers, before Rabbies, before courtiers, before 
 lawyers, before people expert in examining, and 
 in croiVcxamining witneffes, in order to lead 
 them into feif-contradic~Uon. Had the apoftles 
 borne their teftimony in confequence of a pre- 
 concerted plot between themfelve3, is it not mor- 
 ally certain, that, as they were examined before 
 fach different and capable men, fome one would 
 have difcovered the pretended fraud ? 
 
 6. Confider the place, in which the apostles 
 tbeir testimony. Had they publifhed the 
 
 refurredVion of the Saviour of the world in diftant 
 countries, beyond mountains and feas, it might 
 have been fuppofed, that diftance cf place, ren- 
 dering it extremely difficult for their hearers to 
 in exadl information, had facilitated the ef- 
 
 tabliOirrrent
 
 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 179 
 
 tablifhment of the error : But the apofWei 
 preached in Jerufalem, in the fynagogues, in the 
 prctorium ; they unfolded and diiplayed the ban- 
 ners of their mafter's crofs, and fet up tokens of 
 bis victory, on the very fpot, on which the in- 
 famous inftrument of his iufferings had been* 
 fet up. 
 
 7. Obferve the time cf this testimony* Had 
 the apoftles firft publifhed this re fur region feveral 
 years after the epoetin, which they afligned for it ; 
 unbelief might have availed itfcjf of the delay - 
 but three days after the death of Jefus Chrift^ 
 they faid, he was rifen again, and they re-e 
 their teilimony in a lingular manner at Pentrcoft, 
 when Jerufalem expected the fpread of the re- 
 port, and endeavored to prevent it ; while the 
 eyes of their enemies were yet fparkling with 
 rage and tnadnefs ; and while Calvary was yet 
 dyed with the blood they had fpilt there. l)i> 
 jmpofto.rs take fuch meafures ? Would not tiiev 
 bave waited till the fury of the Jews had been 
 flppeafed, till judges, and public officers, had 
 been changed, and till people had been lefs at- 
 tentive to their depofitions I 
 
 Confider, laftly, the motives^ ivhicb induced 
 the apostles to publish the resurrection of Jesus 
 Cbrist. Survey the face of the world, examine 
 all the impoftures, that are pradtifed in fociety. 
 Falsehood, impofition, treachery, perjury, abound 
 in fociety. To eVery different trade and profcf- 
 lion i'ovne peculiar deceptions belong. How- 
 ever, all mankind have one defign in deceiving, 
 they all deceive for their own intereft. Their 
 interefls are infinitely diverfified ; but it is inter- 
 eft, however, that always animates all deceivers, 
 Th. ;e is one intereft of pride, another of pleaf- 
 ure, m third of profit. In the cafe before us the 
 nature of things is fubverted, and all our no- 
 tions of the human heart contradicted. It muft 
 be pre-fuppofed, that, whereas other men gener- 
 ally
 
 1 80 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 
 
 ally faerifice the intereft of their Ulvation to their 
 temporll intereft, the apoiSles, on the contrary, 
 iacriSced their temporal intereft without any in- 
 ducement from the intereft of falvat>*>n itfelf. 
 Suppofe, they had been craftily led, curing the 
 life of Jefus Chrift, into the expectation of fome 
 temporal advantages, hew c?.we it to pafs^ that', 
 after they faw their hopes bkfted, and themfelves 
 threatened with the moft rigorous punifhments, 
 they did not redeem their lives by cunfefling the 
 impofture? In general, the more wicked a trai- 
 tor is, the more he trembles, alterr, and con- 
 feffes, at the approach of death. Having be- 
 trayed, for his own intereft, the laws of his coun- 
 try, the inteteft* of fociety, the confidence of his 
 prince, and the iredic of religion, he betrays the 
 companions of his impofture, the accomplices of 
 his crimes. Herey on the contrary, the apoftles 
 perfiftin their teftimony till death, apd fign the 
 Jruths they have publiflied with the laft drops of 
 thtir blood. Thefc are our arguments. 
 
 We proceed now to our demonstrations, that 
 is, to the miracles, with which the apoftles fealed 
 the truth of their teftiraony. Imagine thefe ven- 
 erable men addreffing their adverfaries on tbe 
 day of the chriftian pentecoft in this language. 
 *' You refufe to believe k? on our depofitions ; 
 five hundred of us, you think, are enthufiafts, 
 all infected with the fame malady, who have car- 
 ried our abfurdity fo far as to imagine that we 
 have feen a man, whom we have not feen ; eat- 
 en with a man, with whom we have not eaten } 
 converfed with a man, with whom we have not 
 converfed : or perhaps you think us impoftors, or 
 take us for mad men, who intend to fufter our- 
 felves to be imprifoned, an>d tortured, and crucifi- 
 ed, for the fake of enjoying the pleafure of de- 
 ceiving mankind, by prevailing upon them to be- 
 lieve a fanciful refurreftion : you think we are 
 foftupidasto zl a part fo extravagant; But 
 
 brv
 
 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 182 
 
 bring out your Cck ; prefent your demoniacs ; 
 fetch hither your dead. Confront us with 
 ftledes, Parthians, and Elamites ; let Cappado- 
 cia, Pontus, Ada, Egypt, Phrygia, Pamphylia, 
 let all nations and people fend us fome of their 
 inhabitants, we will reftare hearing to the deaf, 
 and light to the blind, we will make the lame 
 walk, we will caft out devils, and raife the dead, 
 We, we publicans, we illiterate men, we tent 
 maker?, we fifhermen, we will difcourfe with all 
 the people of the world in their own languages 
 We will explain prophecies, elucidate the moil 
 obfeure predictions, develope the moft fublime 
 royftcries, teach you notions of God, precepts for 
 the condutt of life, plans of morality and re- 
 ligion, more extenfive, more fublime, and more 
 advantageous, than thofe of your priefts and phi- 
 
 .ers, yea than thofe of Mofes himfelf. We 
 will do more ftiLl. We will communicate thefe 
 gilts to you, the word of wisdom, the word of 
 knovjledge,jaitb, the gifts of healing, the :. 
 tug of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, 
 : hinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues, 
 1 Cor. xii. 8, &c. all thefe (hall be communicat- 
 ed to you by your miniftry." 
 
 All thefe things the apoftles profeffed ; all 
 thefe proofs they give of the refr.rreclion of Jcfus 
 Chrifr. j, " this Jefus hath God railed up ; and 
 he hath flied forth this, which ye now fee and 
 hear," Ac\s ii. 32, 33. This conikler.uion fur- 
 nifheth us with an ai.fwer to the greateft objec- 
 tion, that was ever made to the ref.unecl.ion of 
 Jefus Chrift, and, in general, to his whole ti 
 my. u How is it," fay unbelrev times, 
 
 at your Jefus expofed all the circumfi 
 cf his abafeniem to the public eye, and conr 
 thofe of his elevation ? If he were transfi 
 on the mount, it wis only before Peter, James, 
 and John. If he afcendec to none but 
 
 If he rofe again from 
 Q. 2
 
 iBi The Remrreclion of J(sui Christ. 
 
 the dead, and appeared, be appeared only to thoff, 
 who were interefted in his fame. Why did he 
 riot fhew himfelt to the fynagogue ? Why did 
 he not appear to Pilate ? Why did he not (hew 
 himfelf alive in the ftretts, and public affemblies, 
 of Jerukdem ? Had he done To, infidelity would 
 h;:ve been eradicated, and every one would have 
 believed his own eyes : but the fecrecy of al! 
 thtfe events cxpofcth them to very jo ft- fufpicions, 
 and giveth plauiiblc pretexts to errsis, iftiroK 
 be." 
 
 We omit many folid anfwera to this objec- 
 tion ; perhaps we rray urge them on future oc- 
 ns, and at prtTetrt we content ourklves with 
 cbferving, that the apoftles, who attdled the 
 Jcftis Chrift, wrought miracles in 
 the prefence of all thofe, before whom, you f<iy, 
 jefjs Cbrift ought to have produced himfelf after 
 bis rtfurrtftinn. The apoftlea wi ought mira- 
 cles ; behold Jcfus Chrrft 1 fee his Spirit 1 behold 
 his reftt'ire&ron ! f 1 (Vod hath tailed up Jeftis 
 Cbrift, and he bath ibed forth what ye now fee 
 and hear." This way of proving the refutrec- 
 lion of Ghrirt was as convincing as the mewing 
 of himfelf to each of ^>is enemies would have 
 been ; as the expofure of his wounds before 
 "them, or the permitting of them to thruft their 
 lands into his fide, would have be& Yea, this 
 was a more convincing way, than that would 
 have been, for which you plead. Had J ejus 
 Cbrift (hewn himfelf, thry might have thought 
 him a phantom, or a couaterfeit ; they might 
 have fnppofed, that a rtfereblance of features had 
 occahoned an illuiicn : but what could an un- 
 believer oppofe againft the heating of the ficfc, 
 the raifing of the dsad, the expulfion of devil;, 
 the alteration and fubverfion of all nature ? 
 
 It maybe faid, perhaps, all thtfe proofs, if in- 
 deed they ever exifted, wtie conclusive to them, 
 vho, it is pretended, law the miracles of the 
 
 spoftles i
 
 The Resurrection of jesus Christ. 1 83. 
 
 apofiles ;: but they can have no weight with us, 
 who live teventeen centuries after them. We 
 reply, The miracles of the spofiles cannot be 
 doubted without giving int an univcrfal fcepti- 
 cifm ; without cftabhfhing this unwarrantable 
 principle, that we ought to believe nothing but 
 what we fee; and without taxing three forts ol 
 people, equally unfufpedted, with extravagance 
 en this octafion. 
 
 1. They, who call themfelres the operators of 
 these miracles^ would be chargeable with ex- 
 travagance. If they wrought nor.r, they were 
 in.poftors, who endeavored to deceive mankind* 
 If they were impoftors of the lead degree ofcom- 
 ir.on fenfe, they would have ufed fome precau- 
 tions to conceal their impofture. Hut fee how 
 they relate the fads, of the truth of which we 
 pretend no doubt. They fpcify times, places, 
 and circuinfbuices. They fay, fuch and fiieh- 
 \if\i paffed in fuch cities, fuch public places, 
 feci) afiVniblier, in fight of fuch and fuch people. 
 Thus St. P<tul writes to the Corinthians. lie 
 directs to a fociety of chriflians in the city oi 
 Corinth. He tells them, that they had received 
 miraculous gifts, and cenfures them for making 
 a parade of them. He reproves them for (hiv- 
 ing to difplay, each his own gifts in their pub- 
 lic affembliesi. He gives there fome rules for 
 the regulation of their conduct in this cafe. " If 
 any man fpeak in an unknown tongue, let it be 
 ly two, or at the moft by three, and that by 
 . ourfe, and let one interpret. If there be no in* 
 terpreter, let him keep filence in the church. 
 Let the prophets fpeak, two, or three. If any 
 thing be revealed to another that fitteth by, let 
 the Grft hold his peace," 1 Cor. xiv. 27, 28, &c. 
 1 afk, with what face could St. Paul have writ- 
 ten in this manner to the Corinthians, if all thefe 
 iac"ls had been lalfe ? If the Corinthians had 
 received neither the gifts of prophecy, nor tbc 
 
 discerning
 
 j 84 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 
 
 discerning oj spirits, nor divers kinds of tongues. 
 What a front had he, who wrote in this man- 
 ner? 
 
 1. The enemies of Christianity muff be taxed 
 with extravagance. Since cirriftians gloried in 
 the fhining miracles, that their preachers 
 wrought ; and fince their preachers gloried in 
 performing fhem before whole affembliesj it 
 would have been very eafy to riifcover their iin- 
 poflure, had they been impoftors. Suppofe a 
 modern imppftor, preaching a new religion, snd 
 pretending to the glory of confirming it by nota- 
 ble miracles, wrought in this place : What 
 method Ihould we take to refute him ? Should 
 we affirm that miracles do not prove the truth of 
 a do&r.ne ? Should we have recourfe to mira- 
 cles wrought by others ? Should we not ex- 
 claim againft the fraud ? Should we not appeal 
 to our own eyes I Should we want any thing 
 more than the diiTVmbler's own prcfeflions to con- 
 vict him of impoflure ? Why did not the avow- 
 ed enemies of chriflianity, who endeavored by 
 their publications to refute it, take thefe meth- 
 ods ? How was it, that Ctlfus, Porphyry, Zo- 
 -4imus, Jul.an the apoftate, and Klerocles, the 
 greateft aniagonifis, that chriflianity ever had, 
 and wbofe writings are in our hands, never deni- 
 ed the fails : but, allowing the principle, turned 
 all the points of their arguments againft the con- 
 ff-cuf T.c-es, that chriftians inferred from them ? 
 By fuppofing the falfihood of the miracles of the 
 apoftles, do we not tax the enemies of chrif- 
 tiariky with abfurdity ? 
 
 In fine, This fuppofition chargeth ibe whole 
 Multitude oj tbristiansy nvbo embraced the gospe!> 
 with extravagance. The examination of the 
 . truth of religion, now, depends on a chain of 
 principles and confequences, which require a pro- 
 found attention : and, therefore, the number of 
 thofc, who profeii fuch or fuch a religion, can- 
 not
 
 Thz Resurrection of Jesus Christ, j 85;^ 
 
 not demonflrate the truth of their religion. But 
 in the day? of the apoftles the whole depended 
 nn a few plain rafts- Hath Jefus Chrift commu- 
 nicated his Spirit to his apoftles ? Do the apof- 
 tles work miracles ? Have they the power of 
 imparting miraculous gifts to thofe, who embrace 
 their doftrine ? And yet this religion, the dif- 
 cuffion of which was fo plain and eafy, fpread 
 itfelffarand wide. If the apoftles did not work 
 miracles, one cf thefe two fuppofitions muft be 
 made : either thefe profelytes did not deign to 
 open their eyes, but facrificed their prejudices, 
 palTions, educations^ eafe, fortunes, live;', and 
 confeiences, without condefcending to fpend one 
 moment on the examination of this queftion : 
 Do the apoftles work miracles I or that, on fup- 
 pofuion they did open their eyes, and did find the 
 faffchood of thefe pretended miracles, they yet 
 facrificed their prejudices, and their paffions, their 
 educations, their eafe, and their honor, their 
 properties, their confeiences, and their lives, to a 
 religion, which wholly turned on this falfe prin- 
 ciple, that its miracles were true. 
 
 Collect all thefe proofs together, my brethren, 
 eonfider them in one point of view^. and fee hov* 
 many extravagant fuppofitions muft be advanced, 
 if the refurreetion of our Saviour be denied. It 
 muft be fuppofed, that guards, who had been par- 
 ticularly cautioned by their officers, fat down to 
 fleep, and that, however they deferred credit when 
 they ,faid the body of Jefus Chrift was ftolen : 
 it muft be fuppofed, that men who had been im* 
 pofed 00 in the mod odious and cruel manner in 
 the world, hazarded their deareft enjoyments f r 
 the glory of an impoftor. It muft be fupp 
 that ignorant and illiterate men, who had nei- 
 ther reputation, fortune, nor eloquence, poflrfft :i 
 the art of fafcinating the eyes of all the church. 
 It muft be fuppofed, either that five hundred per- 
 wcre all deprived of their feoffs at a time . 
 
 or
 
 1 86 The Resurrection of Jesus Chriai. 
 
 or that they were all deseired in the plaineft mat- 
 ters of fact; er that this multitude of talfe wit- 
 neffes had found out the ferret of never contra- 
 dicting themfelves, or oi'.e another, and of being 
 always uniform in their teftimouy. It muft be 
 fuppofed, that the moft expert courts of judica- 
 ture could not Mud out a fhadow of contradiction 
 in a palpable impofture. It muli. be fuppofed, 
 that the anoftles, ftnfible men in other cafes, 
 chofe precifely thofe places, and thofe times 
 which were the moft unfavorable to their views. 
 It muft be fuppofed, that millions madly fuffered 
 imprifonmeiits, tortures, and crucifixions, to 
 fpfcad an illtiften. It muft be fuppcl'ed, that ten 
 thoufand miracles were wrought in favor of falie> 
 hood : or all thefe fadts muft be denied, and then 
 it muft be fuppofed, that the apoftles were idiots, 
 that the enemies of chrifrianity were idiots, and 
 that all the primitive chriftiana were idiots. 
 
 The arguments that perfuade us of the truth 
 of the refurredion of Jefus Chrift, are fo clear 
 and fo conclufive, that if any difficulty remain, 
 it arifeth from the brightnefs of the evidence it*, 
 felf. Yes, I declare, if any thing has fhaken 
 *my confidence in it, it hath arifen from this 
 confideration. I could not conceive how a truth, 
 attefted by fo many ineproachable witneffes, and 
 confirmed by fo many notorious mirr.cles, fliould 
 not make more profelytes ; how it could peffibly 
 be, that all the. Jews, and all the heathens, did 
 not yield to this evidence. But this difficulty 
 ought not to weaken cur faith. In the folly of 
 mankind its folution lies. Men are cap*, 
 any thing to gratify their psffions, and 
 fend their prejudices. The unbelief of- the 
 and heathens is not more wonderful then a 
 dred other phenomena, which, were we not to be- 
 hold them every day, would eooallv alarm us.' 
 J-r is not more furprifing than the i*i 
 veneration, in whicb } for many ages, the i 
 
 tian
 
 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 187 
 
 tian world held that dark, c.nfufed, pagan ge- 
 . Ariftotle ; a veneration, which was carried 
 fo far, that when metaphyseal rjueftions wete dif- 
 puted in the fchools, o.ueftions on which every- 
 one ought always to have liberty to fpeak his 
 opinion ; when they were examining whether, 
 there were -a void in nature, whecher nature ab- 
 horred a vacuum, whether matter were diviSble, 
 whether there were atoms,. properly fo called ; 
 when it could be praved, ia diiputes of this kind, 
 
 Ariftotle was of fuch or fuch an op:. 
 his infallibility was allowed, and the diipute was 
 a: end. The unbelief of the ancients is not more 
 furprifing than the credulity of the modtrns i 4 
 We fee kings, and princes, and a great part of 
 chriftendom, fubmit to a pope, yea to an inferior 
 prieft, often to one who is void of both fenfe and 
 grace. It is not more aftomlhing than the im- 
 plicit faith of thriftians, who believe, in an en- 
 lightened age, in the days of Dcfcartes, Pafchal, 
 and Malbranche ; what am I faying I Defcartes, 
 Pafchal, and Malbranche themi'elves believe, that 
 a piece of bread, which they reduce to a pulp 
 with their teeth, which they taftc, fwallow, and 
 digeft, is the body of their Redeemer. The an- 
 cient unbelief is not more wonderful than yours, 
 proteftants ! You profefs to believe there is a 
 judgment, and a hell, and to know that mifers, 
 adulterers, and drunkards, rouit fuffer everlafting 
 punilhments there, and although you cannot be 
 ignorant of your being in this fatal lift, yet you 
 are as eafy about futurity, as if you had read 
 your names in the book of life, and had no rea- 
 i'on to entertain the leaft doubt of your falva- 
 tion. 
 
 II. We have urged the arguments, that prove 
 the refurre&ion of Jefus Chrift : I (hall detain 
 you only a few moments longer in juftifying the 
 joyful acclamations which it produced, " The 
 Voice of rejoicing and falvatioO} h ia , the taber- 
 nacles
 
 i&8 The Resnrrtttion of Jesus Christ. 
 
 nacles of the rightmus : the right hand of the 
 Lord doth valiantly. The right hand of tiie 
 Lord is exalted : the right hand of the Lord 
 doth valiantly.*' 
 
 The three melancholy days that paffed between 
 the death of Jefus Chrift and his refurre&ion, 
 wsre days of triumph for the ^enemies of the 
 church. -Jefus Chrift rifeth again ; and the 
 church triumphs in its turn : " The voice of ra- 
 
 joiciog and falvation, is in the tabernacles of the 
 righteous. The right hand of the Lord doth 
 /aliantiy." 
 
 1. In thofe melancholy days, heresy triumphed 
 
 ~4vefi truth. The greateft obje&ion that was 
 .made againft the fatisfatlion of Jefus Chrift, was 
 i.ik'in from his innocence, which is the founda- 
 tion of it. For if Jefus Chrift were innocent, 
 where was divine juftice when he was overwhelm- 
 ed with fufferings, and put to death ? Where 
 -vas it, when he was expoled to the unbridled 
 rsge of the populace ? This dkSculty ieems at 
 firft indiiToluble. Yea, rather let all the guilty 
 perifii ; rather let all the pofterity of Adam be 
 plunged into hell ; rather let divine juftice deftroy 
 every creature that divine goodnefs hath made, 
 leave iu :nany virtues, fo much benevolence, 
 
 -and fo much fervour, humility fo profound, and 
 zeal fo great, without indemnity and reward. 
 .vheu we fee that Jefus Chrift, by fuffering' 
 death, di farmed it, by lying in the tomb took 
 away its fting, by his crucifixion afcended to a 
 throne, the difficulty is diminifhed, yea, it- van- 
 
 i Hheth away : " The voice of rejoicing and fal- 
 vation, is in the tabernacles of the righteous* 
 The right hand of the Lord is exalted : the right 
 hand of the Lord doth valiantly." God and 
 man are reconciled ; divine juftice is fatUfied ; 
 henceforth we may go " boldly to the throne of 
 grace. There is now no condemnation to then* 
 which arc in Chrift jefas. Who {hall lay any 
 
 thimr
 
 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 189 
 
 thing to the charge of God's eleft ? Who is 
 he that condemneth ? It is Chrift that died, 
 yea, rather, that is rifen again," Heb. iv. 16. 
 Horn. viii. 1, 32, "4. 
 
 2. In thofe mournful days infidelity triumphed 
 over faith. At the light of a deceafed Jefus 
 the infidel displayed his fyflem by j.nfultHJg Imir, 
 who facrificed his pafiiors to his dory, and by 
 faying, See, fee, that pale niotionleis caroafe : 
 Bless God and die '* Alt events conte dike to 
 all, there is one event to the righteous and to the 
 Kicked; to the clean and to the unclean ; to him 
 R that 
 
 * So the French bibles render the words, Pi.j-a-: 
 God and div f our tra'.iHatibn hath it, Cursk G>i ani 
 die. Job, who beit k'new his wife, calls this a foolish 
 faying ; that is, a faying; void of humanity and 
 Upon : for fo the word foolifh figniries in fcripture. 
 It was a cruel popular farcafm, frequently call by fcep- 
 tics on thofe who perfiiled in the belief of a God, and 
 of the perfection ardl excellence of his providence, 
 even while he flittered their, to fink under the molt 
 terrible calamities. " Your God is the God of sir, - 
 verfal nature ! He regards the aclicns of men! He 
 rewards virtue ! He punifhes vice 1 On thefe erro- 
 neous principles your adoration of him has been b 
 This was a pardonable folly in the time of your prof- 
 perity ; but what an abfurdity to per'uft in it now ! 
 If your prefent fuflferings do not undeceive you, no fu- 
 ture meaiir, (Jan. Vour mind is paft information. Fer- 
 fevere ! Go on inyov.r adoration tti! you die.' 1 
 
 It may feem flrange at full, that the fame term 
 fhould fland for two inch oppofite ideas as blesting an,d 
 . but a very plain and natural reafon may be 
 aHigned for it. Tlie Hebrew word originally figniHed 
 to blest, (ber.cuixrc) : and when applied to God, it 
 meant to bless, that is, to pra'uc God by worshipping 
 him. The Talmudiils fay, that the religious honors 
 which were paid to God, were of four foils. The 
 proftration of the whole bodv was one : The bov. ing 
 of the head another : The banding "of the upper put 
 f;f the body towards the knees a third ; and } 
 the fourth. Megillx lot. 22. 2. aputl Btfiiorff. Lex. 
 In thefe ways was God pra'ued, worshipped, or blessc', 
 and the Hebrew word fir ble fling was naturally put
 
 i 90 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 
 
 that sacrijicetb and to bim that sacrifceth not , 
 as is the good, so is t/ie situu-r, and be that svtear- 
 etb as he that feareth an oath., Eecles. ix. 2. 
 
 Jet us 
 
 for genuflexion, vhe expression of bleffing, or praifing : 
 thus it is rendered Pi aim xcv. 6. let us tree! before the 
 Lord : 2 Chron. vi. 13. Solomon kneeled down upon 
 'his knees. The bending of the knee being a ulVal 
 token of respect, which people paid to one another, when 
 the)- met, the word was transferred to this alio, and 
 is properl) salute ; 2 Kings iv. 19. If thou meet any 
 man salute him not. The fame token of refpe<5t being 
 parting, the word was alio applied to that : They 
 blessed Kche-k&h, that is, they bade her farewell, accom- 
 panying their good wiihes with genuflexion. From 
 this known meaning of the word, it was applied to u 
 bending of the knee where no bleffing could oe intend- 
 ed ; he made his camels kneel dau>i, Gen. xxiv. 11. 
 It was put ibmetimes for the refpeiS, that was paid to 
 a magiltrat^, Gen. xli. 43. and iome times for the re- 
 lpe.it, which idolaters paid to falte gods. But to bo*a 
 the knee to an idol was to deny the existence of God, to 
 renounce his worship, or, in the fcripture llyle, to curse 
 God, to blaspheme God, -fee. If I beheld the sun, or the 
 moon, and my mcuth hath kissed my hand, I should have 
 denied the Cod, that is above, Job xxxi. 26, 27, 2S. Qji- 
 ly the Ccopeof the place, therefore, can determine the. 
 precife .^meaning of the word. The 'word mutt be 
 rendered c*ne, deny, God, or renounce hi; worship, Job 
 1.5, 11. and it mult be rendered blest, acknowledge, or 
 worship him, in ver. 21. The Septuagint, after a long 
 1 area (lie paraphrafe, fuppofed to hare been l'poken by 
 Job's wife, renders the phraie v t'6on ti rema pros Knricn, 
 Lii telcuta. To bring our meaning into a narrow 
 compafs. If an ancient Jew had leexi a dumb man 
 bend his knee in the tabernacle, or in the temple, he 
 would have laid he blessed the Lord. Had he fcen 
 him, bend his knee at court, in, the prefencc of Solo- 
 mon, he would have laid he blessed, that is, he saluted 
 the Kiso. And had he feen him bend his knee in a 
 house of Basil, or in an idolatrous grove, he woald have 
 laid, ha blessed an 1 doi. ; or,,as the embracing of idola- 
 try was the renouncing of the worlhip of the true God, 
 .he would have laid, he cursed J-ehovah. We have 
 ventured this conjefture to prevent any prejudices 
 againil the English bible, that may arife from the feem- 
 ingly uncertain meaning of fomc Hebrew words.
 
 The ResurrecliGti of jesus Christ. 191 
 
 Jefua Chrift rifcth from the dead : h Tht voice 
 of rejoicing aud falvation, is in the tabernicle* 
 of the righteous." The fyftem of the infidel 
 finks : " he errs, not knowing the fcript-ures, 
 nor the power of God,'' Mr.lt. xxii. 29. 
 
 3. In thofeuifmal days, tyranny triunrhbed over 
 the perssverance of mjrtys. Innocence was op- 
 
 jd, and the re\vnrd? of virtue feemed to be 
 buried in the tomb of hirj, who, nbove all other. .. 
 had devoted liimfelf tc ii. Jelus Chnft rifeth 
 again : " The voice of rejoicing and falvat 
 is in the tabernacles of the righteous." The 
 figns of the enemie^of innocenre are all frj ' 
 ed, and their attempts to difgrace purity 
 only to exalt its glory, and to perpett.n: 
 memory. Let the tyrant; of the chimb, 
 rage againfl us ; let the. gates cff.t'.!, Matt. \ 
 18U confult to rieftroy u;; ; let the lc i n 
 earth, more furions oftener than hell itfelT, tel 
 themselves against the Lord and against his 
 anointed, Pfal. ii. 2> let them Tet up gibbets, let 
 {hem equip galley?, let tbem kindle fires to bum 
 Us, and prrpsrc racks tonomire us ; tbey them- 
 felve?, and all their cruel inventions, fha'l fi:vc 
 the purpoTes of the almighty God ; The sis- 
 syrian is only the rod of bis anger, Ha. x. 5, 
 " Herod and Pilate do only what his hand and 
 hi* counfel determined before to be done," Ac\s 
 iv. 23. God knoweth how to reftrain thtir fury, 
 and to fay to them, as he faith to the ocean, 
 " Hitherto (halt thou come, but no further : 
 and here fhail thy proud waves be flayed," Job 
 xxxviii. 2. 
 
 4. Finally, in tbofe fataj days, death triuir.: 
 
 all human hope of immortal glory.. The 
 
 deftiny of all believers is united to that of Jefus 
 
 Ghrift. He had faid to his difciples, because I 
 
 ye shall live also, John si v. 19. In like 
 
 manner, on the fame principle, we may fay, If 
 
 r dead, we arc. dead alfo. And bow could 
 
 we
 
 191 The Resurrection of Jesui Christ 
 
 we have hoped to live, If he who is our life, had 
 not freed hirnfelf from the Hate of the dead ? 
 Jefus Chrift rifeth from the dead. ' The voice 
 of rejoicing is in the tabernacles of the righte- 
 ous." Nature is re-inflated in its primaeval dig- 
 nity ; death is swallowed up tn victory t 1 Cor, 
 Xv. 51. the grave is difarmed of its {ting. Let 
 my eye-light decay ; let my body bow under the 
 weight of old age ; let the crgaus of niy body, 
 cenfe to peiform their wonted operations ; let 
 all myjenfes fail ; let death fweep away the 
 dear relatives ef my bosom, and my frie7ids, who 
 are as mint own soul, Drur. xfti, C. let tbefe 
 ryes, gufhing with '.ear?, attended with fob3, snd 
 L'orrowa, and groan;, behold her xpire, who was 
 y company in folitude, my couafel in difficulty, 
 my comfori in difgrace ; let me follow to the 
 grave the bones, the carcafe, the precious remains 
 of this dear part of ihyfelf ; ay converie is fuf- 
 pended, but is not csftrcyed j Lasaru-, my 
 friend, fleepeth, but if Tbeheve, I fha!l fee the 
 glory of God." Jefus Chrift is the resvtrredion 
 and the life, John x!. 2, 40,25. He is ri'fen 
 from the dead, we therefore Ihaii. one day rife, 
 Jffua Chrift is not a private p*rfon, be is a pub- 
 I i reprefentative, he is the furety of the (horch, 
 {i the firi: fruit? of thern that fliep. If the fpirit 
 of him that n'ifed Bp Jefiu from -.ht destd, 
 in you ; he that ralfeci tip Chrif: from the dead, 
 (hall alfo quicken your* mortal bodies, by his 
 Spirit that dw'cl'eth in you," ! Cor. XV. 
 Horn. viii. 2. 
 
 Was ever joy more rtticna! I Wa-. triumph 
 ever more glorious : The triumphant entries 
 of conqueror?) the fongs that rend the air in praife 
 of their victories, the pyramid:- on which 
 exploits are transmitted to pofterity., when they 
 hive fubdoed a general, routed En army, hum- 
 bled the pride, and reprefle'd the rage cf a fee ; 
 ought not al! tbefe to yield \o the joys that are 
 
 occafxoned
 
 ^-hi Rtsurrcclion of Jesus ChrisU 193.; 
 
 occafioned by the event which we celebrate to 
 day ? Ought not all thefe to yield. to the victo- 
 ries of our incomparable Lord, an-d to his peo- 
 ple's exprefUbns of praife ? One. part, of the 
 gratitude, which is due to beneficial events, i<s 
 to know their value, and to be afFe&ed with the 
 benefits which they procure. 
 
 Let us celebrate the praife of the author of 
 our redemption, my brethren ; let us call heaven 
 and earth to wituefs our gratitude. Let aoi in-, 
 creafe of zeal accompany this part of our en- 
 gagements. Let a doufele portion of fijve fronv 
 heaven kindle our facrifice ; and with a heart 
 penetrated with the liveliefr. gratitude, and with 
 the moft ardent love, let each clmfTiau exclaim, 
 " Ble filed be the God, and Father of niy Lord 
 Jtt'us Ghrifr, who, according to his abundan: 
 mercy, hath begotten me again to a lively kope, 
 hy the refurrecYion of Jcfus Chrift from the dead,'' 
 I.Pet. i. 3. Let him join his voire to that u 
 apgeis, and, in concert with the celelliai Intelli- 
 gences, let him ling, ll Holy, holy, holy, is the 
 Lird of hoOs ; the whole earth is full of his 
 glory," I fa. vi. 3. h't: ire tabernacles of tic 
 righteous refound wilh the text, $e right b'ar.d 
 oftke Lord doth s.Qli'aut^ :, right btn 
 tbe Lord dctb v.iliau. 
 
 Bjt what melancholy thoughts are thefe, 
 which interrupt the plea lures of this day ? Whofe 
 tabtmacUs are thefe ? The tabernacle", ol 
 righteous . : Ah 1 my brethren i wo be to you, 
 if, under pretence that the righteous ought to 
 r joice to-day, you rejoice hy adding t\n to tin [ 
 The rcfurreftion of the Saviour of tbe world,, 
 perfectly alTo^ts witb the other parts of bis eco.fi- 
 omy. It is a fprjlfg, flowing with m 
 hoi in- ; has If ft nothing undone in the 
 
 of your l'alvation. The great 
 fcnilty s Cf.rifl completed it, when he 
 
 iiom b. The Son hath 
 
 It 2 J m,
 
 194 The. Resurrection of Jesus Christ 
 
 fo'tn. The Father hatfi accepted it. The holy- 
 Spirit hath publifhed it, and by innumerable 
 prodigies hath confirmed it. None but your- 
 felves can condemn you. Nothing can deprive 
 you oi this grace, but your own contempt of it. 
 
 But the more precious. this grr.ee is, the more 
 criminal and the more affronting to God, will 
 ycur contempt of it be. The more joy, With 
 which the glory of a rifen Jefus ought to irfpiie 
 yon, it" yon believe in him, the more terror ought 
 you to feel, if you attempt to difobey bun, HV, 
 who "declared him the ion of God, with power 
 by the tefurrectlon from the d?.d, put a feeptre 
 cf iron into his hand, that he might break Ins 
 enemies, arid daft) them in pttees like a potter'^ 
 vclfc!," Rom. i. 4, Pi'al. ii. 9, Doir thou enter 
 into thefc rerkfl ions ? Doft thou approach the 
 table of Jefus G&rifi with determinations to live 
 a new Hit'? I bfiieve fo. But t! t grand fault 
 of our cjmwiunions, and fbtei'nr) cloth 
 
 not lie in the precife time of our communions 
 and fblemnities. The repreferitation of Jefus 
 Ghrift in the Lord's fupper ; certain refie&ions 
 that move confeience ; an extraordinary atten- 
 tion to th'i nobleft objett in religion ; the fc- 
 lemnities that belong t>> oik public fefijVa's ; in- 
 Ipne us with a kind of devotion : hut how ofte;i 
 does this devctiou vanifh with the objects that 
 produced it ? Theie augutt fymbols lhould fol- 
 low thee into thy warfare in the world. A voice 
 fliould found in thine ears amidft the tumult of 
 the world ; amidil the d'ffipating fctnes that be- 
 fiege thy mind ; amidft the p'eafures that fafci- 
 nate thine eyes ; amidft the grandeur and glory 
 which thou caufeft to blaze ;:round thee, "and 
 vith which thou thyfell, although, alas ! always 
 mortal, always a worm of the earth, always duft 
 and allies, art the firfr. to be dazzled ; a voice 
 fhould found in thine ear?, Remember thy vows, 
 remember thine oaths, remember thy joys. 
 
 My
 
 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 195 
 
 My brethren, if you be not to-morrow, and 
 till the next Lord's (upper-day, what you are to- 
 day, we recall all the congratulations, all the 
 benedictions, and all the declarations of joy, 
 which we have addreflcd to you. Inftead of 
 .cngratulating you on your happinefs in bein^r 
 permitted to approach God in your devotions, 
 we will deplore your wickednefs in adding perfi- 
 
 d perjury to all your other crimes. Inftead 
 of bent-dictions and vows, we will cry, M Anath- 
 ema, Maranatha ; if any man love no: the Lord. 
 Jefus Chfift, kt him be Anathema," 1 Cor. xvi. 
 If any man who hath killed the Saviour be- 
 
 him, Itt tin: be Anathema* If any man de- 
 file the myftenes of our holy religion, iet bim be. 
 
 ;cma. If any cran " tread under foot the 
 Son of God, and count the blood of the covenant 
 yn unholy thing, let him be Anathema," Heb; 
 x. 29. Inftead of inviting thee to celebrate the 
 
 e of the author of our being, we forbid thee 
 . r.ictice, for it is comely only for the upright^ 
 . xxxiii. l. Cod, by our miniftry, saitb to 
 Thou lOicked man ! What bast tbou to do 
 to take my covenant in thy mouth? Pfal, 1. 
 Jo. Why doth that mouth now blefs my name, 
 and then blal'pheme it : now praife me thy Crea- 
 tor, and then defame my creatures : now pub- 
 lifh my gofpel, and then profane it ? 
 
 If, on the contrary, you live agreeably to the 
 engagements into which you have entered to- 
 day ; what a day, what a day, my brethren, is 
 this day? A day in which you have performed 
 the great work, for which God formed you, and 
 which is all that deferves the attention of an im- 
 mortal foul. A day in which many impurities, 
 many calumnies, many paflfianate actions, many 
 perjuries, and many oaths have been buried in 
 <-verlafting fiience. It is a day, in which you 
 kavebeen walhed in the blood of the Lamb ; in 
 which you have entered into iellowfnip with 
 
 God j
 
 l o6 The Resurrection of Jesus Christ,. 
 
 God ; in which you have heard thefe triumphant 
 fhouts in the church, Grace, grace onto it, Zrch. 
 v. 7. A- day in which you have been raised up 
 together, ar.d made io sit together in heavenly 
 places in Christ Jesus, ph. ii. 6. A day,, the 
 pieafing remembrance of which will follow you 
 ti your death-bed, and will enable your paitors 
 to open the gates of heaven to you, to commit, 
 your fouls into the lands of the Redeemer who 
 ranfomed it, and fay to you, Remember, on fi^h 
 a day your fins were effaced ; remember, on 
 fitch a day Jefas Ghrift difarmed death ; remem- 
 ber, oa fuch a day the gate of heaven was opened. 
 to you. 
 
 O day i which the Lord bath madt, let me 
 for ever rejoice in thy light ! O day of defigns, 
 refutations, and promifes, may- 1, never forget 
 thee ! O day of confutation and grace, may a 
 rich e!Ti;fion of the. peace of God on this audito- 
 ry, prei'erve thy memorial through a choufknd 
 generations '. 
 
 Receive this peace, my dear brethren, I 
 fpread aver you hands wafhed in the innocent 
 Wood of my Redeemer ; and as our, rifen Lord 
 J>fus Chrift, when he appeared to hi* difcipl'es, . 
 laid to them, Peace, peace be unis you ; Id we, 
 by his command, while we celebrate the memo- 
 rable hiftory of his refurrec\ion, fay to you,. 
 " Peace, peace be unto you. As many as wall: 
 according to this rule, peace be. on them, and 
 mercy, and upon the Ifrael of Go;l," John xx. 
 19, 21; Gal. vi. 16. To him be honor and.glory 
 for ever. Amen. 
 
 SERMON
 
 SERMON Villi 
 
 THE ABSURDITY OF LIBERTINISM AND 
 INFIDELITY. 
 
 Psalm, xci*. 7, 8, 9, 10. 
 
 They say, The Lord shall not see : neither shall 
 the God of Jacob regard it. Understand, ye 
 most brutish among the people : and ye fools, . 
 \abcn will ye be wise ? He, that planted the 
 <ar, shall he not bear ? He, that formed the 
 
 , shall he not see ? He, that chastiseth- 
 the heathen, shall not he correct ? He, that 
 teaclieth man knowledge^ shall not he know ? 
 
 INVECTIVE and reproach feldom pro... 
 eeed from the mouth of a man, who loves truth, 
 and defends it. They are the ufual weapons of . 
 them, who. plead a defperate caufe ; who feel 
 themfelves hurt by a formidable adverfary ; who 
 have not the equity to yield, when they ought* 
 to yield ; and who have no other part to t*ke, 
 than that of fupplying the want of folid reafons 
 oy odious names. 
 
 Yet, whatever charity we may have for erro- 
 neous people, it is difficult to fee, with modera- 
 tion, men obftinately maintaining feme errors, 
 <ruiding their minds by the correction of th'ir 
 nearts, and choofmg rather to advance the inoft 
 palpable abfurdities, than to give the lea ft check- 
 to the mod irregular paffions. Hear how the 
 facred authors treat people of this character, 
 people h foolifh, they have not known, 
 :hey are fottifh children, they have no un- 
 demanding. The ox knoweth his owner, and 
 the afs hi* matter's crib ; but lfrael doth not 
 know, my people doth not confjder. Ephraim is 
 
 like
 
 tg8 The Absurdity of 
 
 like a filty doye without heart. O generatioir 
 of vipers, wlio bath warned you to See from the 
 wrath to come ? O-fooliih Galatians, who hath 
 bewitched you," ]cv. iv. 12. lis. i. 3. Iiof. vii. 
 II. Matt, iii. 7, and Gal. iii. 1. 
 
 Not to mi'hiply cxa-nip??:, ie< it fuffiee to rew 
 mark, t'oat, if ever, there were men, who deferv- 
 ed fuch odious names, they lie i'ucli a? our. 
 prophet defsfibes.. Thoie abominable men I 
 mean, who, rn order to violate the laws of re- 
 ligion without remorfe, roiinrain, that religion 
 is a chimera ; who break down all the bounds, 
 which God hath fet to the wickednefs of man- 
 kind, and who (lete-miine to he obitinate infidck, 
 that they piay bs peaceable libertines. The 
 prophet, therefore, lays afide, in relpea to them, 
 that charity, which a weak mind would merit, 
 that errs only through the misfortune of a bad 
 education, cr the ftrait limits of a narrow ca- 
 pacity. " O ye molt brutiih among "the peo- 
 ple," fays he to them,." underftand. Ye fools, 
 when will ye be wife :" 
 
 People of -this fort, I intend to attack to-day. 
 Not that I prowife myfelf much fucce-fs with 
 '.hem, or entertain hopes of reclaiming them. 
 T-hefe are the fools, .of whom Solomon fays, 
 " though thou fhouldeft bray a fool in a mortar 
 among wheat with a peftle, yet will not his 
 foolifhneTs depart from him," Prov. xxvii. 22. 
 But I am endeavoring to prevent the progrefs of., 
 the evil, and to guard oup youth againft favora-. 
 ble impreffions of infidelity and libertinifm, which 
 have already decoyed away too many of our 
 young people, and to confirm you all in your at- 
 tachment to your hoiy. religion. Let us. enter 
 Uito the matter. 
 
 In the flyle of the facred authors, particularly 
 in that of our prophet, to deny the exiftence of 
 a God^ the doctrine of Providence, and the effen- 
 tja! difference betwe.cn jufland unjuR, is one and 
 
 the
 
 Libertinism and Infidelity. log 
 
 'the fame thing. Compare the pfalm, out of 
 which I have taken my text, with '-he-fourteenth, 
 with the fifty-third, and particularly with the 
 tenth, and 'yeu will perceive, that the prophet 
 confounti* them, who fay in their hearts, there is 
 no God, with thofr, who fay, God haih forgotten .; 
 he kidetb bis fuce, be will never see U, Pfjl. 
 x. II. 
 
 In effect, although the laft of thefe doctrines 
 may be maintained without admitting the firft, 
 yet the laft is no lefs eCential to religion than the 
 firit. And although a man may be a deift, and 
 an epicurean) without being tin atheift, yet tt.e 
 ta -of an atheift is no more odious to God 
 than that of an epicurean, and that of adeill. 
 
 I Ihall, therefore, make but one man of thefe 
 different men, and, after the example oi the 
 prophet, I ihall attack him* with the fame arms. 
 In order to juffify the titles, that he^ives an m- 
 ndel, I flnll attack, 
 I. His tafte. 
 . His policy. 
 
 III. His indocility. 
 
 IV. His logics, or to fpeak more properIy } 
 his way of reafoning. 
 
 V. His morality. 
 
 VI. His confeience. 
 
 VII. His politenefs, and knowledge of the 
 world. 
 
 In ail thefe reflections, which I fiiall propor- 
 tion to the length of thefe exercifes, I Ihall pay 
 more regard to the genius of our age than to that 
 of the times of the prophet : and I (hall do this 
 the rather, becaale we cannot determine on what 
 occafion the pfalm was coinpofed, of which the 
 text is a part. 
 
 I. If you confider the taste, the difcernment 
 and choice of the people, of whom the prophet 
 fpeaks, you will fee, he had a great right to de- 
 aomhJUte them most brutish and foolish. What 
 
 an
 
 feOo The Absurdity of 
 
 an excefs rnuft a man have attained, when he 
 hates a religion, without which he cannot .but 
 be miferable ! Who, of the haopieft of man- 
 kind, doth not want the fuccour of religion ? 
 What difgraces at court ! What mortifications 
 in the army I Wljat accidents in trade ! What 
 uncertainty in fcience i What bittemefs in 
 pleafure! What injuries in reputation ! What 
 JHConflancy in riches! What difappointments 
 in projects ! What infidelity in friendfiiip I 
 What viciilitudes in fortune ! Miferable man 1 
 What will fupport thee under fo many calami- 
 ties r What miferable comforters are the paf- 
 lions in thefe fad periods of life! How inade- 
 quate is philofophy itfelf, how improper is Zeno, 
 how unequal are all his followers to the talk of 
 calming a poor mortal, when they tell him, 
 V Misfortunes are infeparable from human na- 
 ture. >7o man fhbuld think himfelf exempt 
 trorn any thing, that belongs to the condition of 
 'nankind. If maladies be violent, they will be 
 ihort ; if they be long, they will be tolerable. 
 A fatal neceflity prevails over all mankind ; 
 complaints and regrets cannot change ihe order 
 cf thing;. A generous foul fhould be fuperior 
 -to all events, it fhould defpife a tyrant, defy for- 
 tune, and render itfelf in fenfible to pain." Tol- 
 erable retieftions in a book, plaufible arguments 
 in a public auditory ! But weak reflections, 
 vain arguments, in a bed of infirmity, while a 
 man is iuffering the pain of the gout, or the 
 ftone ! 
 
 O ! how neceffary is religion to us in thefe 
 fatal circumftance; 1 It fpcaketh to us in a 
 manner infinitely more proper to comfort us un- 
 der our heavieft aflidYions-! Religion faith to 
 you, " Out of the mouth of the Moft High pro- 
 ceedeth evil and good," Lam. iii. 3$. " He 
 formeth light and createth daiknefs ; he maketh 
 peace, and createth evil," I fa. xlv. 7. " Shall 
 
 there
 
 Tioetlinim and Infidelity, 201 
 
 there be evil in the city, and the Lord hath not 
 done it ?" Arnos iii. 6. Religion tells you, that 
 if God afflict you, it is for your own advantage ; 
 it is, that, being uneafy on earth, you may take 
 your flight tovrard heaven ; that " your light 
 affliction, which is but for a moment, may work 
 for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight 
 of glory," 2 Gor. iv. 17. Religion bids yoa 
 u not to think it ftrange concerning the fiery 
 trial, which is to try you, as though ibme ftrange. 
 thing -happened unto you," 1 Pet. iv. 12. but to 
 believe, that " the trial of your faith, beiug much 
 more precious than that of gold, which perifhetb, 
 will be found unto praife, and honor, and giory, 
 at the appearing of Jefus Chrift," chap. i. T. 
 
 But religion is above all necefTary-in the grand 
 viciffitude, in the fatal point, to which all the 
 fteps of life tend, I mean, at the hour of death. 
 For, at length, after we have ruflied into all 
 plealures, after we have fung well, danced well, 
 feafted well, we mufl: die, we muft die. And 
 what, pray, except religion, can fuppoit a man, 
 Struggling with the king of terrors ? Job xviii. 
 14. A man, who fees his grandeur abafed, his 
 fortune diftributed, his connections diffolved, his 
 fenfes benumbed, his grave dug, the world re- 
 tiring from him, his bones hanging on the verge 
 of the grave, and his foul divided between the 
 horrible hope of finking into nothing, and the 
 dreadful fear of falling into the hands of an angry 
 God. 
 
 Jn fight of thefe formidable objects, fall, fall, 
 ye bandages of infidelity ! ye vails of obfcurity 
 and depravity ! and let me perceive how neccfu. 
 ry religion is to man. It is that, which fweet- 
 ens the bittereft of all bitters. It is thit, which 
 difarms the mod invincible monfter. It is that, 
 which transformeth the raoft frightful of all ob- 
 jects, into an objed\ of gratitude and joy. It 
 is that, which calms the eonfeience, and confirms 
 S the
 
 202 The Absurdity of 
 
 the foul, It is that, which prefents to the dy= 
 believer another being, another life, another 
 economy, other objefts, and other hopes. It ii 
 that, which, " while the outward man perifhetb, 
 eneweth the inward man day by day," 2 Cor. iv. 
 1"6. It i3 I hat, xv hit fa diiTIpates the horrors o' 
 t be valley of the shadow of deaths Pfal. xxiii. 4. 
 It is that, which cleaves the clouds in the light. 
 of a departing Stephen ; tells a converted thief, 
 to-day slialt thou he in paradise, Luke xxiii. 43'. 
 and cries to all true penitents, Blessed are the 
 dead which die in the Lord, Rev. xiv. IS. 
 
 II. Having taken the unbelieving libertine on 
 his own intereft, I take him on the public inter- 
 eft, and, having attacked his tafte, and difcern- 
 ment, I attack his policy. An infidel is a dif- 
 turber of public peace, who, by undertaking to 
 fap the foundations of religion, undermines thofe 
 of fociety. Society, cannot subsist without re- 
 ligion. If plaufible objections may be farmed 
 againfl this proportion, it is becaufe opponents 
 have had the art ofdifguifing it. To explain it, 
 is to preclude the fophifms, which are objected 
 againft it. Permit us to lay down a few explan- 
 atory principles. 
 
 Firft. When Ave fay, Society cannot subsist 
 without religion, we do not comprehend in our 
 proportion all the religions in the world. The 
 proportion includes only thofe religions, which 
 retain the fundamental principles, that conftitute 
 the bafe of virtue ; as the immortality of the 
 foul, a future judgment, a particular Providence. 
 "VVe readily grant, there may be in the world a 
 religion worfe than atheifm : for example, any 
 religion, that (hould command its votaries to 
 kill, to aHaflinate, to betray. And, as we readi- 
 ly grant this truth to thofe, who take the pains 
 to maintain it, fo whatever they oppofe to us, 
 taken from the religions of pagans, which were 
 
 liurtful
 
 Libertinism and Infidelity. 203 
 
 nurtful to fociety, is only vain declamation, that 
 
 ves nothing againft us. 
 
 Secondly. When we affirm, Society cannot 
 subsist without religion, we do not pretend, that 
 religion, which retains articles fafe to fociety, 
 may not fo mix thofe articles with other princi- 
 ples pernicious to it, that they may feem at firft 
 tight worfe than atheifm. . We affirm only, 
 "that, to take the whole of foch a religion, it is 
 more advantageous to fociety to have it, than 
 to be deftitute of it. All, therefore, that is 
 objected againft our proportion, concerning thofc 
 wars, orufades, and perfeculions, which were 
 caufed by fuperflition, all this is only vain 
 fophiftry, which doth not affeft our theiis in the 
 lead. 
 
 Thirdly. When we fay, Society cannot sut 
 without religion, we do not fay, that religion, 
 even the pureft religion, may not caufe fome dis- 
 orders in fociety : but we affirm only, that theje 
 difordcrs, however numerous, cannot counter- 
 balance the benefits, whicU religion procures to 
 it. So that all objections, taken from the 
 troubles, which zeal for truth may have produced 
 in fome circumftances, are only vain objections, 
 that cannot weaken our proportion. 
 
 Fourthly. When we affirm, Society cannot 
 subsist without religion, we do not affirm, that 
 .-.I! the virtues, which are difplayed in fociety, 
 ed from religious principles ; fo that all 
 juft m?giftrates are jufl for their love of equity ; 
 that all grave ecclcfiaftics are ferious, becauic 
 they refpect their character ; that all chafle 
 women are chafte from a. principle of love to vir-. 
 tue : human motives, we freely grant, often pre-, 
 vail niuead of better. We affirm only, that re- 
 ligious principles are infinitely more proper to 
 regulate fociety than human motives. Many 
 perfons, we maintain, do actually govern their 
 conduct by religious principles, and fociety would 
 
 be
 
 ft 04 The Absurdity of 
 
 be incomparably more irregular, were tbcre n 
 religion in it. That lift of virtfles, therefore, 
 "which only education and conititution produce* 
 doth npt at all affect the principle, which we 
 are endeavoring to eftablifh, and he, who takes 
 bis objections from it, doth but beat the air. 
 
 Laftly. When we affirm, Society cannot sub- 
 sist without religion, w do not fay, that all 
 saneifb and deills ought therefore to abandon 
 therafelves to all forts of vices : nor that tfaey, 
 who have embraced atheifm, if indeed tbere have 
 been any fuc'h, wtre always the raoft wicked of 
 mankind. Many people of thefe chara&ers, we 
 own, lived in a regular manner. We affirm on- 
 ly, that irreligion, of itfelf, openeth a door to 
 all forts of vices ; and that men are fb formed, 
 that their disorders would increafe, were they to 
 tKfbelieve the do&rines of the exigence of a 
 God, of judgment, and' of Providence. All the 
 examples, therefore, that are alledged againft 
 us, of a Diagoras, of a Theodorus, of a Pliny, of 
 a Vanini, of fome fo^ieties, real, or chimerical, 
 who, it is pretended, lived regular lives without 
 the aid of religion ; all thefe examples, I fay, 
 make nothing againft cur hypothtfis. 
 
 Thefe explanations being granted, we main- 
 tain, that no politician can fucceed in a defign 
 of uniting men in one focial body, without fup- 
 pofmg the truth and rrality of rsligion. For, 
 if there be no religion, each member of fociety 
 may do what he pleafeth ; and then each would 
 give a loofe to his paiftous ; each would employ 
 bis power in crufhTng the weak, bis cunning in 
 -deceiving the fimple, Ms eloquence in feducing 
 the credulous, his credit in ruining commerce, 
 his authority in diftreffing the whole with horror 
 sni terror, and carnage and blood. FrightftTf 
 diforders in their nature : bu* neceffary on prin- 
 ciples of infidelity ! For if you fuppofe, thefe 
 diforders may be prevented, their prevention muft 
 
 he
 
 Libertiniim and Infidelity. ' &05, 
 
 be attributed, either to piivate intereft, to world- 
 ly honor, or to human laws. 
 
 But private interest cannot fupply the place 
 of religion. True, were all men to agree to o.bey 
 the precepts of religion, each would find his own 
 account in his own obedience. But it doth not 
 depend on an individual to oppofe a popular tor- 
 rent, to reform the public, and to make a new. 
 world : and, while the world continues in its 
 prefent ftatcj he wilt find a thoufand circum- 
 ftances, in which virtue is incompatible with 
 private intereft. 
 
 Nor can worldly honor fupply the place of re- 
 ligion. For what is worldly honor ?. It is a 
 i'uperfccial virtue ; an art, that one man poffeffetb, 
 of difguifing himfelf from another ; of deceiving 
 politely ; of appearing virtuous, rather than of 
 being actually Co. If you extend the limits of 
 worldly honor further, if you make it coniift in 
 that purity of confcience, and in that rectitude 
 of intention, which are in effect firm and folid 
 foundations of virtue, you will find, either that 
 this is only a fine idea of what almoft nobody is 
 capable of, or, if 1 may be allowed to fay lb, 
 that the virtues, which compote your complex 
 idea of worldly honor, are really branches of 
 religion. 
 
 Finally. Hur.ian laws cannot fupply the place 
 of religion. To whatever degiee of perfection 
 they may be improved, they will always favour 
 in three things of the imperfection of the legif- 
 lators. 
 
 1. They will be imperfect in their substance. 
 They may prohibit, indeed, e-uormous crimes : 
 but they cannot reach refined irregularities, 
 which are not the lefs capable of troubling lb 
 ciety for appearing lefs atrocious. They may 
 forbid murder, theft, and adultery : but they 
 can neither forbid avarice, anger, nor concupif- 
 cence. They wjll avail in the prefcrving and, 
 S 2 difpofing
 
 2c6 Tie AbiurSiiy of 
 
 difpofing of property, they may command trie 
 payment of taxes to thfe crown, and of debts to 
 the merchant, the cultivation of fciences, and 
 liberal 3rts : but they cannot ordain patience, 
 jneeknefs, and lovtf ; and, you will grant, a fo- 
 ciety, in which there is neither patience, meek- 
 r.efs, aor love, rouft needs be n unhappy fo- 
 *iety. 
 
 3. Human laws will be weak in their motives. 
 The reward?, which they offer, may be forborne, 
 for men may do without them ; the punifhmentr, 
 i they infliO, may be fuffered ; and there 
 r. fotne particular cafes, in which they, who 
 >.ri)gate from their authority, may advanc^heir 
 own intermit more than if they conftantly and 
 i'erupjalouily fuomit to it. 
 
 3. Human laws will be restrained in their 
 extent. Xingr, tyrants, mafters of the world, 
 know the art of tretrng themfelves from them. 
 The laws 2\enge us r>a an irfignirrcant thief, 
 whon the pain of hunger and the fear of death 
 tempted to break open our houfes, to rob us of a 
 *r : ?iig fun : but who will avenge us of magnifi- 
 cent thieves ? For, my brethren, feme men, in 
 -ourt-cabinets, in dedicatory epifties, in the fer- 
 mons of flatterers, and in the prologues of poets, 
 are called conquerors, heroes, demi-gods , but 
 in this pulpit, in this church, in the prefence of 
 the God, who filieth this houfe, and who regard- 
 eth net the appearances of men, yon conquerors, 
 you heroes, you demigods, are often nothing 
 but thieves and incendiaries. Who (hall avenge 
 "ms of thofe men, who, at the head of a hundred 
 thoufand flaves, ravage the whole world, pillage 
 on the right hand and on the left, violate the 
 moft facred rights, and overwhelm fociety with 
 injuftice and oppreffion ? Who dcth not per- 
 reive the infufficiency of human laws on this ar- 
 ticle, and the absolute neceifity of religion ? 
 
 HI. Th
 
 Libertinism and Infidelity. xof 
 
 HI. The infidel carrieth hi* indocility to the 
 c;:noft degree of extravagance, by undertaking 
 alone to oppofe all mankind, and by audaciously 
 preferring his own judgment above that of the 
 whele world, who, excepting a fmall number, 
 have unanimously embraced the truths, whjch 
 be rejeflf. 
 
 This argument, taken from unanimous ton- 
 fent, fumifheth in favor of reii^ion, either a bare 
 prefumption, or a real demonftration, according 
 to the different ftces^ under which it is pte- 
 ienced. 
 
 It fumifheth a proof, perhaps more than pre- 
 emptive, when it is oppofed to the cbje&ions, 
 which an unbelieving philofopher alledgeth 
 againft religion. For, although the faith of a 
 rational roan ought not to be founded on a plu- 
 rality of fuffragej, yet unanimity of opinion is 
 refoe&able, when it hatb three characters. 
 
 1. When an opinion prevails in all place s* Pre- 
 judice varies with climates, and whatever de- 
 pends on human caprice, differs in France, and in 
 Spain, in Europe, and in Afia, according as the 
 inhabitants ofc?.ch country have their blood hot 
 or cold ; their imagination flrong or weak. 
 
 2. When an opinion prevails at all times. Preju- 
 dices change with the times ; years inftruct : 
 and experience corrects errors, which ages have 
 rendered venerable. 3. When an opinion is can- 
 trary to xbe passions oj men. A prejudice, that 
 controuls human paffions, cannot be of any long 
 duration. The intereft that a man hath in dif- 
 covering his miilake, will put him oa ufing all 
 his endeavors to dewelope a delufiont Tuefe 
 three characters agree to truth only. 
 
 I am aware, that fome pretend to enervate 
 this argument by the teftimonies of fome an- 
 cient hiftoriansj and by the relations of fome 
 modern travellers, who tell us of fome individu- 
 als, and of fome whole fecieties, who are 
 
 deftitute
 
 2c8 The Absurdity of 
 
 deftitute of the knowledge of God, and of re- 
 ligion. 
 
 But, in order to a folid reply, we arrange thefe 
 atheifts, and dteifts, who are oppofed to us, in 
 three different claffes. The firft confifts of phi- 
 lofophers, the next of the fenfdefs populace, 
 and the laft of profligate perfonp. Philosophers, 
 if you attend ciofely to the matter, will appear, 
 at leaft' the greateft part of them will appear, to 
 have been accufed of having no religion, only be- 
 C3ufe they had a purer religion than the red of 
 their fellow citizens. They would not adroit a 
 plurality of gods, they were, therefore, accufed 
 of believing no God. The infidelity of the sense- 
 jess populace, is favorable to our argument. We 
 affirm, wherever there is a fpark of reafon, there 
 is alfo a fpark of religion. Is it aftonifhing th^t 
 they, who have renounced the former, (houid re- 
 nounce the latter alfo ? As to the profligate, 
 who extinguiQi their own little light, we lay of 
 rbem, with a modern writer, It is glorious to 
 r <Ugion to have enemies of this character. 
 
 But let us fee, whether this unanimous con- 
 sent, which hath afforded us a preemption in 
 favor of religion, will furnifh us with a demon- 
 ftration againft thofe who oppoie it. 
 
 Authority ought never to prevail over our 
 mind3 againft a judgment, grounded on folid 
 reafons; and received on a cool examination. 
 But authority, efpecially an authority founded on 
 unanimity of fentiments, ought always to fwsy 
 oar minds in regard to a judgment formed with- 
 out folid reafons, without examination, and with- 
 out difcuflion. No men deferve to be called 
 the moftfcolishy and the most brutish* among the 
 
 people, 
 
 * Mr. Sanrin follows the reading of the French vev- 
 ficn, les p!u6 brutaux, most brutifti. This is perfe&ly 
 agreeable to the original, for the Hebrew forms the 
 fuperlative degree by prefixing the letter beth to a 
 ncun-fublUnjive, which follows an adje&ive, as here..
 
 Libertinism and Infidelity^ 209. 
 
 people^ fo much as thofe men, who, being as the 
 greateft number of infidels are, without ftudy, 
 and without knowledge ; who, without deigning 
 to weigh, and even without condefcending to- 
 hear the reafons, on which" all the men in the 
 world, except a few, found the doctrine of the 
 exiftence of God, and of Providence, give them- 
 selves ao air of infidelity, and iofolently fay ; 
 Mercury Trifmegiftus, Zoroafter, Pythagoras, 
 Anftotle, Socrates, Plato, Seneca ; moreover, 
 Mofes, Solomon, Paul, and the apoitles, taught 
 fuch and fuch do&rinea : but, for my part, I am 
 not of their opinion. And on what ground, 
 pray, do you rrjeft the doctrines, which have 
 been defended by fuch illuftrious men ? Do you 
 know, that, of all characters, there u not one fo 
 difficult to fuftain, as that, which you affect ? 
 For, as you deny the mod common notions, the 
 clcareft truths, fentiroents which ate the moft 
 generally received, if you would maintain an 
 appearance of propriety of character, you muft 
 be a fuperior genius. You muft make profound 
 refearches, digeft immenfe volumes, and difcufs 
 many an abftraft queftion. You muft learn the 
 art of tvading demonftrations, of palliating 
 fophifms, of parrying ten thoufand thrufts, that 
 from all parts will be taken at you. But you, 
 Contemptible genius ! you idiot I you, who 
 hardly know how to arrange two words without 
 offending againft the rules of grammar, or to 
 affociate two ideas without fhocking common 
 fenfe, how do you expect to fuftain a character, 
 which the greateft geniufes are incapable of 
 lupporting ? 
 
 IV. Yet, as no man is fo unreafonable as not 
 to profefs toreafon ; and as no man takes up a 
 
 notion 
 
 Cant. t. 8. Prov. xxx. 30. hominum brutm/'n?/ ; 
 hominumftipudimW ; totius hums populi ftopidim- 
 " ; lay commentators.
 
 a-io The, Absurdity of 
 
 notion fo eagerly as not to pique himfelf on hav- 
 ing taken it up after a mature deliberation ; we 
 muft talk to the infidel as to a philofopher, who 
 always follows the di&ates of reafon, and argues 
 by principles and confequence&. Well then I 
 Let us examine his logic, or, as I faid before, 
 bis ivay of reasoning ; his way of reafoning, 
 you will fee, is his brutality, and his logic con- 
 stitutes his extravagance. 
 
 In order to comprehend this, weigh, in the 
 moft exadl and equitable balance, the argument 
 of our prophet. " He, that planted the ear, 
 ihall he not hear ? He, that formed the eye, 
 (lull he not fee ? He, that chaftifeth the hea- 
 then, (hall not he correct ? He, that teacheth 
 man knowledge, (hall not he know I" Thefe are, 
 in brief, three fources of evidences, which fupply 
 the whole of religion with proof. The firft are 
 taken from the works of nature ; He, tvbo plant- 
 ed the ear ; He y ivho formed the ej.e. The 
 fecond are taken from the economy of Provi- 
 dence ; He, that chastisetb the heathen, The. 
 third are taken from the hiftory of the church j 
 He, that teacheth man knowledge* 
 
 The firft are taken from the wonderful works 
 of nature. The prophet alledgeth only two ex- 
 amples ; the one is that of the car, the other 
 that of the eye. None can communicate what 
 he hath not, is the moft inconteftible of sll prin- 
 ciples. He, who communicattth faculties to 
 beings, whom he createth, nnsft needs poiTefs 
 whatever is moft noble in fuch faculties. He, 
 who empowered creatures to hear, mad himfelf 
 hear. He, who imparted the faculty of difcern- 
 ing objects, muft needs himfelf difcern them. 
 Oonfequently, there is great extravagance in 
 faying, The Lord shall not see, neither shall 
 the God of Jacob regard it. 
 
 The fame argument, which the ftru&ure of 
 our ears, and that of our eyts, affords us, we 
 
 derive
 
 Libertinism and Infidelity. i\ t 
 
 derive alio from all the wonderful works of the 
 Creator. The Creator pofTdTeth all thofe great 
 and noble excellencies, in a fupreme degree, the 
 faibt (hadows of which he hath communicated 
 to creatures. On this principle, what an idea 
 ought w? to form of the Creator ? From what 
 a profound abyfs of power mud thofe boundlefd 
 fpaces have proceeded, that immeasurable ex- 
 tent, in which imagination is loft, thofe vaft 
 bodies, that furround uj, thofe luminous globes, 
 thofe flanfing fpheres, which revolve in the 
 heavens, along with all the other works, that 
 compofc this univerfe ? From what an abyfs of 
 wifdom muft the fucctffions of feafons, of day, 
 and of night, have proceeded, thofe glittering 
 iiars, fo exafl in their courfes, and fo punctual 
 in their duration ; along with all the different 
 fecret fprings in the univerfe, which with the 
 utmdft accuracy snfwer their defign ? From 
 what an abyfs of intelligence muft rational crea- 
 tures come, beings, who conftitute the glory of 
 the intelligent world ; profound politicians, who 
 pry into the moft intricate folds of the human 
 heart ; generals, who diffufe themfelves through 
 a whole army, animating with their eyes, and 
 with tlreir voices, the various regiments, which 
 compofe their forces ; admirable geniufes, who 
 drvelope the myfteries of nature, riling into the 
 heavens by dioptrics, defcending into the deepeft 
 fubterranean abyffes ; quitting continental con- 
 finement by the art of navigation ; men, who 
 crofs the waves, and, in fpite of the winds, con- 
 temn the rocks, and direct a few planks faftened 
 together to fail to the more diftant climes ? Who 
 can refufe to the author of all thefe wonderful 
 works the faculty of feeing and hearing ? 
 
 But I do not pretend to deny, an infidel wilt 
 fay, that all thefe wonderful works owe their 
 exiftence to a Supreme caufe ; or that the Su- 
 preme Being, by whom alone they extft, doth 
 
 not
 
 ma The Absurdity of 
 
 ~eis all poffible perfection. "But 
 Supi erne Being is fo great, and 
 . his elevation and inconceivable 
 t :j vfnt him from cafting his eyes 
 the earth, and paying any regard to 
 i r at^re fo mean and fo indigent as man 
 t ijtms. A Being of infinite perfection, does 
 ht mtereft himlelf in my conduct ? WHi he 
 - {loop to examine, whether I retain or difcharge 
 the wages of my fervants ? Whether I be regu- 
 lar or irregular in my family-? and fo on. A 
 -king, furroonded with magnificence and pomp, 
 holding in his poweiful bands the reigns of his 
 empire; a king, employed in weighing reafons 
 of ftate, in equipping his fleets, and in levying 
 his armies ; will he concern himfelf with the de- 
 marches of a few worms crawling beneath hrs 
 feet ? 
 
 But this comparifon of God to a king, and of 
 men to worms, is abfurd and inconclufive. The 
 economy of 'Providence, and the hiflory of the 
 church, in concert with the wonderful works of 
 nature, difcover to us ten thou fa nd differences 
 -between the relations of God to men, and thofe 
 of a king to worms of the earth. No king hath 
 given intelligent fouls to worms : but God bach 
 given intelligent fouls to us. No king hath 
 proved, hy ten thoufand avenging itrokes, and 
 by ten thoufand glorious rewards, that he ob- 
 served the conduit of worms : but God', by ten 
 thoufand glorious recompenfes, and by ten thou- 
 fand vindictive punifhments, bath proved his at- 
 tention to the conduct of men. No king bath 
 made a covenant with worms : but God hath 
 entered into covenant with us. No king hatk 
 commanded worms to obey him : but God, we 
 affirm, hath ordained our obedience to him. No 
 king can procure eternal felicity to worms : but 
 God can communicate endlefs happinefs to us. 
 A king, although he be a king, is yet a man ; 
 
 hit
 
 Libertinism and Infidelity. 213 
 
 his mind is little and contracted, yea infinitely 
 contracted j it would be abfurd, that he, being 
 called to govern a kingdom, fliould fill his ca- 
 pacity with trifles j But is this your notion of 
 the Deity? The direction of the i'un, the gov- 
 ernment of the world, the formation of myriads 
 of beings, which live through univerfal nature, 
 the management of the whole univerie, cannot 
 exhaad that intelligence, who is the object of 
 our adoration and praife. While his thoughts 
 include, iu their boundlefs compafs, all real and 
 all poftlble beings, his eyes furvey every individu- 
 al, as if each were the icle object of his atten- 
 tion. 
 
 Thefe arguments being thus dated, cither our 
 I mud acknowledge, that they, at lead, 
 render probable the truth of religion in general, 
 and of this then? in particular, God rcgardetb 
 the acliojis of men : or he refufeth to acknowl- 
 edge ic. If he refuie to acknowledge it ; if he 
 il-rioufly affirm, that all thefe arguments, very 
 far from anting to demondration, do not even 
 afford a probability iu favor of religion ; then 
 he is an idiot, and there remains no other argu- 
 ment to propose to him, than that of our prophet, 
 Thouftoif ivbcn wilt thou be wise ? 
 
 I even rjuedion whether any unbeliever coulc> 
 ever perfuade himfelf of what he endeavors to 
 perfuade others ; that is, that the afFcmbiage ol 
 truths, which conditute the body of natural re- 
 ligion ; thatths heavy drokes of judice aveng- 
 ing vice, and the extatic rewards accompanying 
 virtue, which appear iu Providence ; that 
 accompli(hi:iv.-nt of numerous prophecies ; that 
 the operation of countlefs miracles, which are 
 related in authentic tudories of the church : no, 
 I cannot believe, that any infidel could ever pre- 
 vail with himfelf to think, that all this train oi 
 argument doth not form a probability againd a 
 fydem of infidelity and atheifm. 
 
 T But
 
 2 14 The Absurdity of 
 
 But if the power and the fplendor of truth 
 force bis confent ; if he be obliged to own, that, 
 although my arguments are not demonftrative, 
 they are, however, in his opinion, probable ; 
 then, with the prophet, I Pay to him, thou 
 most brutish among the people t 
 
 V. Why ? Becaufe in comparing his logic 
 With his ir.ffral this is my fifth article) 
 
 % perceive, that nothing but an exeeft of bru- 
 tality caa unite thefe two things. Hear how 
 he reafons. " It is probable, not or!v that 
 there is a God, but alfo that this God regardeth 
 the adlions of men, that he referves to himfelf 
 the punifhment of thole, who follow the fuggef- 
 tions of vice, and the rewarding of them, who 
 obey the laws of virtue. The fyftem of irre- 
 ligion is counterbalanced by that of religion- 
 J'erhnps irreligion may be well grounded : but 
 perhaps religion may be fo. In this irate of un- 
 certainty, I will direft my conduct on the prin- 
 ciple, tbat irreligion is well grounded, and tha* 
 religion hath no foundation. / will break in 
 pieces, ver. 5. (this was the language, according 
 to our pfalmift, of the unbelievers of his time) 
 I will break in pieces the people of God ; I will 
 afflict bis heritage ; I will slay the widow and 
 the stranger ; or, to fpeak agreeably to the 
 genius ofouf own time, I will fpend rny life in 
 pleafure, in gratifying my fenfual appetites, in 
 avoiding what would check me in my couife, 
 in a word, in living as if I were able tcdemon- 
 ftrate either that there was no God, or that he 
 paid no regard to the aftions of men." Ought 
 he not, rather, on the contrary, as his mind is in 
 a ftate of uncertainty between both, to attack 
 himfelf to that, which is the moft fafe ? Ought 
 he not to fay? M I will fo regulate my conduft, 
 that, if there be a God, whofe exiftence, indeed, 
 I doubt, but, however, am not able to diiprove 5 
 If God pay any regard to the actions of men, 
 
 which
 
 Libertinism and Infidelity. 213 
 
 I queftion, but cannot deny ; he may 
 :ondemn me." Judge, ye cliriilians 1 
 
 ;an thus brutally intuit a dark futun-y, 
 and the bare pofiibility of thofe punifhtrcnts, 
 which religion denounceth againll the wicked j 
 iuch men, are they not, either the moil i'aolHh, 
 or the mod: brutiih, among the people ? " Un- 
 derftand, ye mod brutiih among the people i 
 Ye fools \ When will ye be wife ?" 
 
 VI. I would attack the conscience of the 
 libertine, and terrify him with the language of 
 my text. " He, who teachetb man knowledge, 
 fball not he correct?" That is to fay, ' 
 who gave you laws, fhall not he regard 
 violation of them ?" The perfons whom I at- 
 tack, I am aware, have defied us to find the 
 veftige of what is called confcience in then). 
 But had you thoroughly examined yowti 
 when you fet us at defiance on this article ? 
 Have you been as fuccefsful, as you pretend to 
 have been, io your daring enterprise of frttiug 
 yourfelvcs entirely from the terrors of con- 
 science ? Is this light quite extinct ? This in- 
 terior mafter, doth he dictate nothing to you ? 
 This rack of the Almighty, doth it never fores 
 you to confefs wh^t you would willingly dei 
 Are your knees (o firm, that theynever finite 
 her with dread and horror ? 
 
 The queftion, concerning the poffibility of en- 
 tirely freeing a man from the empire of con- 
 fcience, is a matter of fact. We think we have 
 reafon for affirming, that no roan can bring him- 
 felf to fuch a Ifate. You pretend to be yonr- 
 felvcs a demonftration to the contrary. You 
 arc, you declare, perfectly free from the attacks 
 of confcience. This is a fact, and I grant it ; 
 I take your word. But here is another fact, 
 in regard to which we ought to bdieve in our 
 turn, and on which our word is worth as much 
 as yours. This is it. We have feen a great 
 
 number
 
 2 1 6 The Absurdity of 
 
 number of Tick people ; we have attended a great 
 nurri'oer of dying people. Among thcfe, to 
 whom, in the courfe of oar miniftry, we have 
 been called, we have met with all forts of char- 
 acters. We have vifited fome, who once were 
 what you profefs to be now, people, who boafted 
 of having freed themfelves from vulgar errors, 
 from the belief of a God, a religion, a hell, a 
 heaven, and of faying, when they abandoned 
 themfelves to the utmoft exceffes, as you fay, 
 The Lord shall not see ; neither shall the God 
 of Jacob regard it. But we have never tret 
 with a fingle individual, no, not one, who hath 
 rot contradicted himfelf at the approach of 
 death. It is fa id fome have done this. For 
 our parts, we have never met with any fuch ; 
 we have never attended one, who bath not prov- 
 ed by his example, that you will contradict 
 yourfelves alfo. We have often vifited thofe, 
 who have renounced all their fyftems, and have 
 ctirfed their infidelity a thoufand, and a thoufand 
 times. We have vifited many, who have re- 
 quired the aid of that very religion, which they 
 had ri-ticuled. We have often feen thofe, who 
 have railed foperfrition to affift religion ; and 
 who have turned pale, trembled, and fhaken, at 
 the bare fight of our habit, before they had 
 heard the fentence, which God pronounced by 
 or mouth". But we have never feen an indi- 
 -i'lua?, no, not one, who died in his pretended 
 fceptic-ifm t It remains with you to account for 
 thcfe faQs, You are to inqoire, whether you 
 yciuf-lves will be more courageous. It belongs 
 to you to examine, whether yon ran hear thoie 
 dying agonic?, thofe devouring regrets, thofe 
 terrible mifgivings, which made your pre-- 3 
 /ars unfay all, and difcover as much cowardice at 
 a; they had difcovevedbrutality in their 
 VII. Perhaps you have been furprized, my 
 brethren, that we have refcrvcA the weakeft of
 
 Libertinism and Infidelity. 
 
 r.Ji attacks for the laft. Perhaps you object, 
 .iotives, taken from whit is called p 
 ledge of the world, can ma 1 . 
 ins on the minds of thofe, who did ne4 
 the force of our former attacks. It is not with- 
 out reafon, however, that we have placed this 
 laft. Libertines and infidels often pique them- 
 felves on their gentility, and good breeding-, 
 They frAjneotly take up their fyftera of itifideTi- 
 .a purfuc their courfe of pronwiei.et's, mere- 
 ly through their falfe notions of gentility. Rea- 
 son, they think, too fcholaflic, and faith, pedant. 
 They imagine, that, in order to diftinguifh 
 therafclves in the world, they mnft affect neither 
 to belief nor to reafon. 
 
 Well ! you accomplished gentleman ! do you 
 
 know what the world thinks of you ? Th 
 
 prophet tells you ; but it is not on the authority 
 
 prophet only, it is on the opinions ot>your 
 
 fellow citizen?, that I mean to pevfuade you. 
 
 are confidered in the world as the v:osi 
 
 :b of mankind. Understand, ye : 
 
 the people ! What is an- accomj 
 cd gentleman ? What is polite nifa, and 
 breeding? It is the art of accommodating oiie's 
 fell' co the geni. nd of feei 
 
 iter into the fentimei mpany, in 
 
 which we are ; of appearing r hat they 
 
 honor; oLrefpe&ing what tliey reipect ; and of 
 
 piying a regard even to their prejudices, and 
 
 On thefe principles, are you 
 
 test and most unpolished of mankind ? 
 
 i my text, are you 
 
 he most brutish av\ovg the people ? You 
 
 live among people, who believe a God, and a 
 
 ig people, who were educated in 
 
 thefe principles, and who defire to die in tbele 
 
 piinci le, who have, many of 
 
 I their reputation, their < aiV, and 
 
 rtune, to religion. Moreover, von live 
 
 T . ia
 
 2i8 The Ahsurdity of 
 
 i-n a fociety, the foundations of which fink with 
 thofe of religion, fo that were the latter under- 
 mined, the former would, therefore, be funk, 
 All the members of fociety are intercfted in re- 
 porting this edifice, which you are endeavoring 
 to deftroy. The magiftratf commands you r.ot 
 to publifh principles that tend to the fubvertnt: 
 cf his authority. The people reqoeft you not to 
 propagate opinions, which tend to fuLie<fl them 
 :o the pafuons of a magiftrate, v^ho will inr 
 lie hath no judge fuperior to bimfdi. This 
 treffed mother, mourning for the lofs of her on- 
 ly fon, prays you no: to deprive her of the 
 folation, which fhe derives, from her prefent 
 fuafion, that the for;, whom fhe laments, is in 
 poffeflion of immortal glory. That fick man 
 befeeeheth you not to dii'abufe him of an error, 
 that iweeteus all Ms forrows. Yon dying man 
 begs you would ncr rob him of his only hope. 
 The whole world conjures you not to efrabiifh 
 truths, (even fupocfing they were truths, an hy- 
 pothecs which 1 deny and cletefl) the whole 
 world conjures you not to efiablifh truths, the 
 knowledge of which would be fatal to -all man- 
 kind, la fpite of lb many voicf:, in fpite of fo 
 many prayers, in fpite of fo many intreaties, and 
 among fo many people interefted in the eftablifh- 
 ment of religion ; to affirm that religion is a 
 i'dble, to oopofe it with eagernefs and obfrinacy, 
 to try all your firepgth, and to place all your 
 glory, in deftroying it : What is this but tbe 
 height of rudenefs, brutality, and madnefs ! 
 " Underftand, ye moft brutifh among the peo- 
 ple ! Ye fools ! When will ye be wife V 
 
 Let us put a period to this difcourfe. We 
 come to you, my brethren ! When we preach 
 againft characters of thefe kinds we think, we 
 read what pade* in your hearts. You congratulate 
 yourfelve=, for the meft part, for not being of 
 the number, for dttefting infidelity, and for 
 
 re fpc fling
 
 Libertinism and Infidelity, 2ig 
 
 rcting religion. But fhall we tell you, my 
 hren ? How odious foever the men are, 
 whom we have defcribed, we know others mere 
 ;s itiil. There is a reftricYion in the judg- 
 ment, which the prophet forms of the firft, when 
 be calls them in the text, The most foolish , and. 
 the most trutish among the people ; and there 
 are feme men, who l'urpafs them in brutality 
 and extravagance. 
 
 Do not think we exceed tbe truth of the mat- 
 
 r that we are endeavoting to obtain your 
 
 attention by paradoxes. Really, I fpeak as I 
 
 think ; I tbink, there is more ingenuoufnefs, and 
 
 n-en, (if I may venture to fay fo) a lefs fund of 
 
 turpitude in men, who, having refolved to roll on 
 
 the torr.-nt of their p2fiions, endeavor to 
 
 .crfuade themiclvcs, either, that there is no 
 
 , or that he pays no regard to the actions of 
 
 men ; than in thofe, who, believing the exiftence, 
 
 and providtnee of God, live as if they believed 
 
 ^r. 1 i.lidcls were not able to fupport, in 
 
 exceffes, the ideas of an injured benefactor, 
 
 of an angry Supreme Judge, of an etc;rn;.l falva- 
 
 tion ni-gic&ed, of daring hrll, a lake burning 
 
 -viib jlre and brimstone, and smoke ascending 
 
 up for ever and ever, Rev. xxi. 8. and xiv. 11. 
 
 In order to give their pailions a free fcope, they 
 
 found it neceflary to divert their attention Irom 
 
 all thefe terrifying objr\s, and to efface fuch 
 
 {hocking truths from their minds. 
 
 But you ! who believe the being of a God 1 
 You 1 who believe yourfeIvt-3 under his eye, 
 and who infult him every day without repentance, 
 or remorfe ! You ! who believe, God holds 
 thunder in his hand to r rufli Tinners, and yet live 
 in fin ! You ! who think, there are devouring 
 flames, and chains of darknel's, and yet prefump- 
 tuoufly brave their horrors ! Youi who believe 
 the immortality of your fouls, and yet occupy 
 
 youiiclves
 
 sac The Absurdity of 
 
 yourfelves about, nothing but the prefent life ! 
 What a front ! What a brazen front is youus \ 
 
 You coniider a revelation proceeding from 
 heaven, and fapported by a thoufand authentic 
 proofs. But, if your faith be well grounded, 
 how danf- your condition ! For, after 
 
 all, the number of evidences, who atteft the re- 
 ligion, which you believe, this number of wit- 
 nefles depofe the truth of the practical part of 
 religion, as well as the truth of the fpecolativc 
 part. Thefe wltrsefTes attefr, that " without 
 hclinefs, no man (hall fee the Loid ;" that " nei- 
 ther thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor re* 
 viJers-'^nor extortioners, fnall inherit the king- 
 dom of' God," Heb. xii. 14. 1 Cor. vi. 10^. And 
 consequently, thefe evidences atteft, that you 
 thiev on covetous, that yon drunkards, 
 
 that you revilers, that you extortioners, (Trail be 
 excluded from that happy manfion. Do you 
 eject this propofition ? Clafs yourfelves 
 With JnSdels. Contradict nature ; contradwt 
 cotifxience ; contradict the church ; deny the 
 recovery of ftreogth to the lame ; the giving of 
 lind ; the railing of the dead ; 
 ebntradjet heaven, and earth, and fea, nature, 
 and every element. D* you admit the pn 
 lion ? Acknowledge then, that you melt be 
 irretrievably loft, uniefs your ideas be reformed 
 and renewed, unlefs you renounce the world, 
 that enchants and fascinates your eyes. 
 
 Thi*, my brethren, this is your remedy, 
 This is what we hopja for you. Thi; is that, 
 to which we exhort you by the companion of 
 God, 'it falvation, whicl 
 
 Kefpel this religion. S 
 it every da". Apply its comforts to your for- 
 rows, and its precepts to your lives. And, 
 
 ecep'x to 
 r chrifliauity. Affure your- 
 fel.
 
 Libertinism and Infidelity, 221 
 
 i'dves, then, of the peace of God in this life, 
 and of a participation of his glory after death. 
 God grant you this grace ! Amen. 
 
 SERMON
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 THE HARMONY OF RELIGION AND 
 CIVIL POLITY. 
 
 Proverbs xiv. 34. 
 
 Righteousness exaltetb a Nation. 
 
 X O propofe maxims of civil polity in a re- 
 ligious affembly, to propofe maxims of religion 
 in a political afTembly, are two things, which 
 feem alike fenfelefs and imprudent. The chris- 
 tian is fo often "diftinguifbed from the fiatefman,. 
 that, it would feem, they were oppofite charac- 
 ters. We have been lately taught to believe, 
 that Jefus Chrift, by giving us an idea of a So- 
 ciety more noble than any we can form upon 
 earthj hath forbidden us to prevent the miferies 
 of this ftate, and to endeavor to procure the glo- 
 ry of it. It bath been faid, that kingdoms and 
 (tates cannot be elevated without violating the 
 laws of equity, and infringing the rights of the 
 ch. 
 
 Mow general foever this odious notion may 
 have been, hardly any one hath appeared openly 
 to avow it till of late. The impudence of plea 
 mg for it was referved for our age, for a chrit- 
 tian admitted into your provinces, cherifi 
 your bofo.m, and, O (hanie of our churches ! ap- 
 pearing among proteflant refugees, as the . 
 formerly prtfrnted himielf before the Lord sv 
 the an 
 
 We propofe "to-day, my brethren, to endea 
 to unravel the fopmfms of this author, to 
 
 * Voyez Bayle, Ccutinuat. <!es penfecs di\ 
 Tora. ii. pag. 5j
 
 The Hcumony of Religion) &c. cog 
 
 you the agreement of religion with ci 
 and>j.o cRabhih this prp 
 nothing in religion to couti 
 a wife fvftem of ci. <\i there 
 
 in a wife fyftem of civil government to c( 
 act the delign of the ennftian religion. 1. 
 the wifefl of a!i kings, wiio taught us tiiis 
 He (peaks of the exoitatiqp of a nation, ana 
 is the end of civil polity. He (peaks of rigqfp* 
 ousness, and this is the delign of religion, or 
 rather, this is religion itfelf. He affirms, that 
 the latter the foundation of the former, and 
 this is the agreement of religion with civil gov- 
 ernment. It is righteousness, faith he, it is 
 fousntis, that exaltetb a nation. 
 
 This propofition of Solomon needs both ex- 
 plication and proof ; and this difcourfe is in- 
 tended to furnifh both. 
 
 I.) our firft part we will date the nueftion, fix 
 renfe of thefe terms, rigbteoufiiefs, exaltation ; 
 we will fet afide the various falfe fenfrs, which 
 occaConed the opinion that we intend to oppofe ; 
 and by thofc means we will preclude fuch objec- 
 tions as may be made againft our dodlrine. 
 
 In the fecotid part, we will alledge forre argu- 
 ment? in favour of the propofition contained ii 
 text when properly explained, and fo prove that 
 righteousness exs.licth a naiicr.. 
 
 This nation is exalted, my brethren : but, al- 
 low me to fay, it is not by its righteousness. We 
 have not therefore chofen this text to create an 
 opportunity of making encomiums on ycu : but 
 we treat of the fubjedt in order to fix your atten* 
 tion on the proper means of prcferving and aug- 
 menting your elevation. Hippy if our ck 
 meet with fuccefs J Happy if we contribute, 
 ,h not according to the extent of our wiihes v 
 yet according to the utrnofc of our ability, to the 
 glory of this (late ! 
 
 I. We
 
 224 The Harmony of Religion 
 
 I. We juft now mfmuated, that the falfe 
 glofTes put upon the maxim of the wife man were 
 ihc. principal caufes of our backwardnefs to ad- 
 mit the truth of it. It is, therefore, important 
 to Hate the queftion clearly. 
 
 1. When we affirm that righteousness and 
 religion in general, (for it would be eafy to prove 
 that the word righteousness in the text is to be 
 taken in this vague fenfe) I fay, when we affirm 
 that religion cxaltetb a nation, we do not mean 
 fuch a religion as many imagine. We ingenu- 
 ously acknowledge, and would to God the whole 
 world acknowledged ! that neither the religion 
 of a cruel man, nor the religion of a fuperfti- 
 tious perfon, nor the religion of an enthufiafh 
 can exalt a nation. 
 
 How can the religion of a cruel man exalt a 
 nation ? The religion of fuch men is too welt 
 known for the peace of Europe. Such as thefe, 
 under ; pretence of devotion, cut a free courfe 
 for their own black and inflexible paffions. 
 Thefe arm themfelves with the civil {"word to 
 deftroy all, who doubt the truth of their fyfterns ; 
 they put violence in the place of demonftration, 
 and endeavor to eftablifh the gofpel, as if it 
 were the Koran of Mohammed, by force and con- 
 ffraint. Thefe characters, as Ijufl now faid, 
 are too well known for the peace of Europe. 
 Even now, while I lpeak, I behold many, who 
 have fufFered under fuch cruelty, and have op- 
 pofed the flmngefl argument againft it. No, my 
 brethren, this is not the religion that exaltetb 
 c nation. Such a religion depopulates dates, 
 ruins commerce, and is a never-failing fource o 
 civil wars and intefline commotions. The re- 
 ligion, of which we fpeak, is a kind, patient, 
 gentle religion ; a religion, the grand charac- 
 ter of which, is forbearance, benevolence, and 
 fraternal love ; a religion inimical to error and 
 herefy : but which, however, pities the errone- 
 ous
 
 and Civil Polity. 225 
 
 atH And the heretic ; a religion, which exerts 
 itfelf to eradicate falfe doctrines : but which 
 leaves each at liberty to admit the truth ; a re- 
 ligion, which hath no other fword than the 
 sword of tbc Spirit, nor any other weapon than 
 that of the word. 
 
 How can the religion of a superstitious man 
 exalt a nation ? It makes devotion degenerate 
 into idlenefs, it increafeth the number of eccle- 
 fiaUics, and ib renders many members ufclcis to 
 fociety. It waftes, in pretendedly pious founda- 
 tions, immenfe fums, which might have con- 
 tributed to the advancement of arts and fciences. 
 I: generates fcruples in the minds of ftatefmen, 
 and fo reftrains the exercife of thofe fine facul- 
 ties, which God created for the good of the 
 ftate. It puts the cafuifl in the place of the 
 prince, and the prince in'the place of the cafuifi, 
 the cafuifi on the throne, and the prince in con- 
 feflioii at his feet. No, my brethren, this is not 
 the religion, of which we i'peak. The religion, 
 cf which we fpeak, is oppofite to fuprrftition. 
 It is juft and folid, requiring us to " render un- 
 to Caei'ar the things that are Cxfar's, and unio 
 God the things that are God's," Matt. xii. 17. 
 It prefcribes bounds to fovereigns : but it re- 
 quires cafuifte alfo to know their place. 
 
 How can the religion of an enthusiast con- 
 tribute to the- exaltation of a nation ? The foul 
 of an enthufiaft is always agitated with vifions 
 and reveries. He inceffantly thrufts himlclf 
 into the company of the great, in order to infpire 
 thera with his own fpirit, and to breathe into 
 them the foul of enthufiafm. He end 
 animate governors, called to watch over a ftate, 
 and to conduct the people to national happincGj, 
 with his wild fchemes. He is always talking 
 of extirpating the jo, and thundering 
 
 excommunications againfl thole, who do not en- 
 ter into his extravagant pro>ecis j his anatb< -.mas 
 U ' are
 
 xzS The Harmony of Religion 
 
 areas extravagant and wild as the proje&s them- 
 i'elves. This is not the religion, of which we 
 fpeak. The religion, that exalteth a nation, is 
 derived from the t rei fores of the Divine Intelli- 
 gence ; it was formed in the mind of that Su- 
 preme Spirit, from whom wifdom proceeds, as 
 the ft re am flows trom the fpring : and not in 
 the ideas of a difordered brain, nor in the dreams 
 of a vifionary. 
 
 Wc wilh you to take religion and righteouf- 
 nefs in the f rue fenfe of the terms. This is our 
 rft elucidation. ' This is the firft precaution, 
 that mult be ufed to underftand the ftate of the 
 queftion. 
 
 2. We do not me*n to affirm, that the tre 
 religion is fo necrffary in all its doctrines, and 
 in all the extent of its precepts, that there are 
 no inftances of the flourifhing of focieties, which 
 have not been wholly regulated by it. We ac- 
 knowledge that focne focieties of men, who have 
 been only partially governed by its maxims, 
 have enjoyed long and glorious advantages upon 
 the theatre of the world ; either becaufe their 
 falfe religions contained- finne principles of rec- 
 titude in common with the true religion ; or 
 becaufe God, In orderto animate fuch people to 
 pra&ife fome virtues, fuperficial indeed, but, 
 however, neceffary to the being of fociety, an- 
 nexed fuccefs to the exercife of them ; or be- 
 caufe he profpered them to anfwer fome fecret 
 defigns of his wifdom ; or becaufe, finally, rec- 
 titude was never fo fully eftabliuVd on earth as 
 to preclude injuftice from enjoying the advan- 
 tages of virtue., or virtue from fuffering the 
 penalties of vice. However it were, we allow 
 the fact, and we only affirm, that the moft fure 
 method, that a nation can take to fupport ar.d 
 exalt itfelf, is to follow the laws of rigbteonfnefs 
 and the f'pirit of religion. This Is a fecond elu 
 nidation tending to ftate the qucftion clearly. 
 
 3. We
 
 and Civil Polity. 227 
 
 3, We Jo not affirm, that in every particular 
 case religion is more fuccefsful ift procuring 
 iorne temporal advantage than the violation of 
 it ; fo that to confider tbciety only in this point 
 of light, and to confine it to this particular cafe 
 independently of all other circumftances, re- 
 ligion yields the honor of poftcrity to injuftice. 
 T ^fe allow, fome (late crimes have been fucceft- 
 fnl, and have been the Heps, by which fome peo- 
 ple have acquired worldly glory. We even air 
 low, that virtue hath fometimes been an obftacle 
 to grandeur. We otily afiirm, that, if a nation 
 be confidered in every point of light, and in all 
 circumftances, if all things be weighed, it will 
 be found, that the more a fociety pracYile virtue, 
 the more profperity it will enjoy. We affirm, 
 that the more it abandons itfelf to vice, the more 
 mifery will it fooner or later fufFer ; fo that the 
 very vice, which contributed to its exaltation, 
 will produce its deftrudYion ; and the very vir- 
 tue, which feems at firft to abafe it, will, io ths 
 end, exalt it to glory. Thi9 is a third elucida- 
 tion. 
 
 4. We Jo not mean by exaltation, that sort of 
 ...on, at which worldly heroes, or rather ty- 
 
 rtnts, afpire. We acknowledge, that, if by ex- 
 alting a nation be underftood an elevation ex- 
 tending itfelf beyond the limits of rectitude, 
 an elevation not directed by juftice and good 
 faith, an elevation confining of the acquifitions 
 of wanton and arbitrary power, an elevation 
 obliging the whole world to l'ubmit to a yjike of 
 ilavery, and fo becoming an executioner of di- 
 vine vengeance on all mankind ; we allow,, that 
 in this fenfe exaltation is not an eftec~l of righte- 
 ousness. But, if we underhand by exalting a 
 nation whatever governs with gentlenefs, nego- 
 ctates with fuccefs, attacks with courage, de- 
 fends with refolution, and conftitutes the happi- 
 nefi cf a people, whatever God always beholds 
 
 with
 
 228 The Harmony of Religion 
 
 with favorable eyes ; if this be what is meant 
 by exalting a nation, we affirm, a nation is ex- 
 alted only by righteoufnefs. 
 
 5. In fine, we do not affirm, that the profperi- 
 ty of fuch a nation would be fo perfect as to 
 exclude all untoward circumflances. We only 
 fay, that the highcfl glory, and the mod perfect 
 happinefs, which can be enjoyed by a nation *n 
 a world, where, after all, there is alwajs a mix- 
 ture of adverfity with profperity, are the fruits 
 of righteoufnefs. Tliefe elucidations muft be 
 retained, not only becaufe they explain the the- 
 fis, which we are fupporting, and becaufe they 
 are the ground of what we fhall hereafter fay : 
 but alfo becaufe they ferve to preclude fuch ob- 
 jections, to folve fuch difficulties, and to unravel 
 fuch fnphifms, as the author, whom we oppofe, 
 urges againft us. 
 
 One argument againft us is taken from the 
 abufes, which religion hath caufed in fociety : 
 but thii objection is removed, by taking away 
 falfe ideas of religion. A fecond objection is 
 taken from the exfe of fome idolatrous nations, 
 who, though they were Grangers to revealed re- 
 ligion, have yet arrived at a gieat height of 
 wo.idiy glory : but this objection is removed by 
 our fecond elucidation. A third objection is tak- 
 en from fome particular cafe, in which vice is of 
 more adrantags to a Rate than virtue : but this 
 objection ftl's before the manner in which we 
 have Dated the. quefiion. A fourth objection is 
 taken from extravagant notions of glory : but 
 this objection is removed by diftinguifhing true 
 exaltation from falfe. Finally, an objection is 
 taken. from the evils, which the moft virtuous 
 focieties fritter, and we have acknowledged, that 
 this world will always be to public bodies what it 
 is to individuals, a place of mifery, and we 
 have contented ourfelves with affirming, that the 
 moftfolid happioefs, which can be enjoyed Ivrre, 
 
 hath
 
 and Civil Polity. 229 
 
 hath righteoufnefs for itscaufr. The narrow 
 limit-, to which we are cot fined, will not allow 
 us to carry our reflections any further. They, 
 however, who meditate profoundly on the matter, 
 will eafily perceive that all thefe objections are, 
 if not abundantly refuted, at lead fufftciently pre- 
 cluded by our explications, 
 
 We will now proceed to Ihew the grounds of 
 the maxim of the wife man. We will open fix 
 fources of reflections ; an idea of fociety in gen- 
 eral ; the conftitution of each government in par- 
 ticular; the. nature of arts and fciences . 
 conduct of providence ; the promifes of God him- 
 felf ; and the hiftory of all ages, The,fe articles 
 mske up the remainder of this difcourfe. 
 
 II. 1. Let us fi.ft form an idea of society in 
 genera!, and confider the motives, which induced 
 mankind to unite themfelves in fociety? arid to fix 
 themfelv.es in one place. By doing this, we fliall 
 perceive, that righteousness is the only thing that 
 c in render nations happy. Every individual hath 
 infinite wants ; but only finite faculties to fupply 
 ilicm. Eicb individual of mankind h<uh need ot 
 k.owled^e to inform him, laws to direct httr, 
 property to fupport him, medicine ;o relieve him, 
 aliments to nourifh him, clothing and lodging to 
 defend hinife'.f agiinft the injuries of the fea'fons. 
 How eafy would ii be to enhrgc this catalogue : 
 Similar intereils form a iimilar dtfign. Diver* 
 men unite themfelves together, in order that the 
 
 induftry of all may fupply the wants of each 
 
 This is the origin of focieties and public bod: ? 
 of men. 
 
 It is eafy to comprehend, that, in order to en- 
 joy the bleffings propofed by this affenib!;igr, . 
 fixed maxims mtft be laid down and in viol;, bl v 
 obeyed. It w ill be r.ect ffary For all theme: 
 of this body to confider themfelves as nati 
 equal, that by this idea they may be inclii 
 afford each other mutual fuccor. It will be 
 U 2 c.iraiy
 
 230 The Harmony of Religion 
 
 ceffary that they fhould be fincere to each other, 
 left deceit fhould ferve for a vail to conceal the 
 tstal dtfigns cf fome from the eyes of the reft. It 
 will be necefiary for all to obferve the rules nf 
 rigid equity, that fo they may fulfil the contracts 
 which they bound tbemfelves to perfotm, when 
 they were admitted into this fociety. It will be 
 rrectffary, that cfteem arid benevolence fhould 
 give life and a\ion to righteoufnefs". It will be 
 neceffary, that the happinefs of all fhould be pre- 
 ferred btfore the intereft of one ; and that in 
 cafes where public and private interefis clafh, the 
 public good fhould always prevail. It will be ne- 
 ceffary, that each fhould cultivate his own talents, 
 that he may contribute to the happinefs of that 
 foe'ety, to which he ought to devote himfelf 
 with tlie atmoft fincerity and zeal. 
 
 Now, my brethren, what can be more proper 
 to make us obferve thefe rules, than religion, than 
 righteousness ? Religion brings us to feel r,ur 
 natural equality ; it teacheth us, that we origin- 
 ate in the lame doft, have the fame God for our 
 Creator, are all defended from the fame fit ft pa- 
 rent, all partake of the fame mifenes, and are all 
 doomed to the fame laft end. Religion teacheth 
 us fmcerity to each other, that the tongue fhould 
 be a faithful interpreter of the mind, that we 
 fhould speak every men truth with ibis neighbor, 
 Enh. iv. 25. and that, being always in the fight 
 of the God of truth, we fhould never depart from 
 the laws of truth. Religion teacheth us to be 
 jisft, that we fhould " render to all, their dues: 
 tribute to whom tribute is due, cuflom to whom 
 cuftom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor ; 
 that whatfoever we would that men fhould do un- 
 to u$, we fhould do even fo unto them," Rom. 
 xiii. 7. 'Matt. vii. 12. Religion reo^ireth us to 
 be animated with charity, to confider each other 
 as creatures of one God, fubjedl^ of the'fame 
 king, members of one body, and heirs of the fame 
 
 glory.
 
 end Civil Polity. #31 
 
 glory. Religion requireth us to give up private 
 intereft to public good, not to seek our own, but 
 every one another's wealth ; it even requireth us 
 to lay down our lives for the brethren. Thus by 
 conlidering nations in thefe primitive views, it is 
 righteousness alone that exalts them. 
 
 Zl But all this is too vague. We proceed 
 next taconfider each fottni of government in par- 
 ticular. It is impracticable tor all the members 
 of fociety, on every prefling ocenfion, to affemble 
 together and give their fuffiages. Public bodies 
 therefore agree to fet apart Come of their number, 
 who are accounted the foul, the will, the deter- 
 mination of the whole. Same nations have com- 
 mitted the fupreme power to one, whom they call 
 monarch ; this is a monarchical ftate. Others 
 have committed fupreme power to a few of their 
 own body, called magistrates, senators, nobles, 
 or fome other honorable appellation ; this is a re- 
 public, called in the fcl.ools an ariftocracy. Oth- 
 ers have difFufed fupreme power more equally 
 among all the members ot their fociety, and have 
 placed it in all heads of families ;, this is a popular 
 government, ulually called a democracy. Society 
 gives its authority and privileges into the nances 
 of thefe perfon? ; it entrufts and empowers them 
 to make laws, to impofe taxes, to raife fubfidies, 
 to make peace or declare war, to reward virtue, 
 to punifli vice; in one word, to do whatever may 
 be beneficial to the whole fociety, with the felici- 
 ty of which they are entrufteu, 
 
 If we confider thefe various forms of govern- 
 ment, we fhall find, tbat each nation will be more 
 01 lefs hapuy in its own mode of governing, will 
 more or lefs prevent the inconveniencies to which 
 it is fubjeel, according as it fhall have more or 
 Jef3 attachment to religion or righteousness. 
 
 What are the particular inconveniencies of a 
 monarchical government ? In what cafes is mon- 
 archy latal to the liberty, and fo to the felicity, 
 
 of
 
 iSfa The Harmony of Religion 
 
 of a nation ? When the monarch, inftead of mak- 
 ing the good of the people his fupreme law, fol- 
 low* nothing but his own caprice. When he 
 thinks himfelf vefted with fupreme power for his 
 own glory, and not for the glory of his kingdom. 
 When, by (fetching his authority beyond its law- 
 ful bounds, he endeavors arbitrarily to difpofe of 
 the lives and fortunes of bis fubjecis. When, in 
 order to avenge a private quarrel, or to fatiate 
 his thirft for a glory, from which his people derive 
 no benefit, he engageth them in bloody wars, and 
 facrificeth thena to a vain and imaginary grandeur. 
 When he waftes the fubftance of his people in li.- 
 perb buildings, in excefiive embellishments, and 
 in fumptuous equipages. When he impofes on 
 them enormous tributes, and exorbitant taxes. 
 When he is inaectflible to the widow and the or- 
 phan. When he gives himfelf up to indolence, 
 and doth not ftudy the wants of his fubjefks. 
 When, though he appropriates to himfelf the 
 advantages of empire, yet, in order to free him- 
 felf from the fatigue of governing, he commiu 
 the reins to a ralh counfellor or to an infolent 
 favorite. When he entertains fuch an idea of 
 royalty as. one anciently formed, who defined 
 it a right to do whatever we will with impunity ; 
 fuch an idea as that, which a mean flatterer gave 
 of it to Alexander the Great, Da as many uu- 
 juft actions as you will, impovenfli your fubjects 
 by exaction?, extortions, and rapines, to fatisfy 
 your luxury and ambition, it is all right, it is all 
 lovely, becaufe you choofe to have it fo.* When, 
 'imlrad of being the father of his people, he 
 ftrives to be the executioner, like that brutal 
 emperor, who wifhed the Roman empire had but 
 one head that he might (hike it off at a blow.f 
 Thefe are the inconveniencies ot the firft kind of 
 government. li^ 
 
 * Plutarch ad princip. indo&. 
 f Sue ton. Calig. chap. xxx.
 
 and Civil Polity. 233 
 
 In what cafes is the fecond kind of govern- 
 ment hurtful ? Is it not, when any one of the 
 magiftrates, inftead of confidering himfelf as a 
 (ingle member of the affembly, aims to be at the 
 head of it ? When he intrudes into office by 
 finifter means. When he ufeth his power, not 
 for the public good, but for the advancement and 
 glory of his own family. When he is mean 
 enough to fell his vote. When he ingratiates 
 himfelf with a number of feditious people, in or- 
 der to form cabals, and to engrofs fupreroe pow- 
 er. When he doth not take pains to inform him* 
 felf of the merits of a caufe, before he deter- 
 mine it. When he afTociates colleagues with 
 himfelf, whofe incapacity is intended to be made 
 a foil to his own abilities, inftead of caljing in 
 men more able than himfelf to fupply his own 
 defects. In fine, when he makes himfelf judge 
 in his own caufe. 
 
 Let us obferve, laftly, whe.n a popular govern r 
 ment becomes hurtful. Is it i.ot when, by a 
 mere principle of levity, laws are made and un- 
 made by caprice ? When, under pretence ojf 
 equality, a proper deference to fuperior under- 
 ftandings is refufed ? When intrigue and cabal 
 give effect to evil counfels ? When a powerful 
 faction oppreffes the virtuous few ? When pop.- 
 ular liberty degenerates into licentioufnefs and 
 anarchy, and when the ambition of many be- 
 comes an evil, as enormous and fatal as the ty- 
 ranny of one ? Thefe, and many more, are the 
 imperfections of thefe three fortB of government. 
 Need we to take up your time in proving, that 
 all thefe ills are moft and beft precluded, by re- 
 ligion ? Do we not all recollect fome fcripture 
 maxims, which would reflrain thefe excefus I I 
 need not, therefore, multiply quotations to prove 
 this point. Is not each of us convinced, that, 
 if we thus confider natior.3 in regard to the forms 
 of their government, it is rigbtequsness alone 
 that exalts them ? 3. Our
 
 34 TX* Harmony of Religion 
 
 3. Our doc~lrine will appear in a clearer light 
 {till, it' we procred to examine the liberal arts 
 and sciences. The more a fociety follows the 
 fpirit of religion, the more will rtligion cherifn 
 them under its tottering wing. Jurisprudence 
 will rlourifh, becaufe law will be difengaged from 
 ambiguity, which perpetuates animolities ; be- 
 caufe councilors will plead none but juft taufes ; 
 and becaufe judges wrll never fuffer themfelvts 
 to be corrupted by gifts, lebieh blind the eyes of 
 itemise: but will always decide according to 
 the fpirit of the law> and the dictates of con- 
 fcience. 
 
 The military art will flouriffi, becaufe the fol- 
 dier will not defraud the officer, the officer will 
 not defraud the foldier ; becaufe bo'.h will go 
 into the army, not merely to obtain the favor of 
 their governors, but to- pleafe God ; becaufe^ 
 being prepared to die by an anticipated repen- 
 tance, their ardor will not be reftraiued by the 
 fear offalling into the hands of u angry God; 
 becaufe, fhould they have negle&ed to conciliate 
 the favor of God before a battle, they would be 
 perfuaded, even in the heat of if, that the bed 
 way to pleafe him would be to difcharge the du- 
 ty of their office ; whereas when foldiers feel 
 their confeienee's agitated, when ainidlt the dif- 
 charge of the artillery of their enemies they dil- 
 ccver eternal flames, when they fee hell opening 
 under their feet, and the horrors of eternal pun- 
 aliment fucceeding thofe of the field of battle, 
 they will always fight with reluctance, and en- 
 deavor to avoid future mifery by Seeing away 
 from prefent death. 
 
 In a virtuous flate, commerce will jlourifh, be- 
 caufe the merchant, always fpe^kipg the truth, 
 and dealing with good faith, will attract general 
 credit and confidence ; always following the 
 rules of wifdorn and prudence, he will never en- 
 gage in raffi undertakings, which ruin fannlits 
 
 and
 
 and Civil Polity, 23 
 
 and fubrert whole houfes .; not being animated 
 with avarice or vain glory, he will not fir ft ac- 
 quire riches by injuftice, and next watte them 
 with indifcretion. ; depending on the bit- flings of 
 heaven, all his labors will be enlivened with 
 courage and joy. 
 
 In fuch a fute, divinity will flourifh, becaufe 
 each, burning with zeal for the glory of God, 
 will carefully cultivate a fcience, which hath 
 God for its objedV; becaufe, being free from a 
 party- fpirit, he will receive the truth, whatever 
 band may prefent it to him ; becaufe, by refer- 
 ring religion to its chief end, he will not fpend 
 his life >n the purfuit of trifles ; becaufe, full of 
 zeal for hi; falvation, he will be attentive to eve- 
 ry ftep towards it; becaufe, not being enflaved 
 by his paflions, he will not be enveloped in the 
 darknefs. produced by them ; or, to exprefs my- 
 felf in the language of fcripture, becaufe, by do- 
 iDg the will of.Gody he will know whether fuch 
 and fuch.</ocf riiies come from the Supreme Being, 
 or from the preacher only, John vii. 17. 
 
 The mechanical arts will flourifh vn a virtu- 
 ous ftate, becaufe they, on whom God bath not 
 tt-ftowed genius equal to the inveftigntion of ab- 
 ftra& fciences, whom he hath fitted for ltrfs no- 
 ble ftations in fociety, will fill up thofc ftations 
 with the utmaft care, and will be happy in deriv. 
 ing from them fuch advantages as they produce. 
 Thus a juft notion of arts and fciences opens to 
 us a third fource of arguments to prove the truth 
 of our text. 
 
 4. The doclrine of providence rpens a fjurth, 
 .as others have obferved. The conduct of pr )v= 
 dence, in regard to public bodies, is very differ- 
 ent from that, which prevails in the cafe of in- 
 dividuals. In regird to the latter, providence 
 is involved in darknefs. Many times it f-ems 
 to condemn virtue and crown injuftice, and to 
 leave innocence to groan in filence, and to em- 
 power
 
 &$& The Harmony of Religion 
 
 power guilt to riot and triumph in public. The 
 wicked rich man fared sumptuously every day, 
 Lazarus desired in vain to be fed with tbe crumbs 
 that fell from bis table, Luke xvi. 19, 21. St. 
 Paul was executed on a fcaffold. Nero reigned 
 on Cxfar's throne. And to fay all in one word, 
 Jefus Chrift was born in a liable, and Herod lived 
 and died in a palace. 
 
 But providence is directed in a different meth- 
 od in regard to public bodies. Profperity in 
 them is the effect of righteoufnefs, public hap- 
 p^nefs is the reward of public virtue, the wiieft 
 nation is ufually the molt fuccefsful, and virtue 
 %valks with glery by her fide. God fometimes 
 indeed afflicts the mod virtuous nations : but he 
 doth fo with the defign of purifying them, and of 
 opening new occafions to bellow larger bene6ts 
 on them. He fometimes indeed profpers wickfd 
 nations; but their profperity is an effort of his 
 patience and long fuffering, it is to give them 
 time ;o prevent their deftruction ; yet, after all, 
 as I faid before, profperity ufually follows righte- 
 oufnefs in public bodies, public happinefs is the 
 reward ot public virtue, the wifeft nation is the 
 tnofl fuccefsful, and glory is generally connected 
 With virtue. 
 
 They, to whom we are indebted for this re- 
 flection, have grounded it 'on this reafon. A day 
 will come when Lazarus Will be indemnified, and 
 the rich man punifh^d ; St. Paul will be reward- 
 ed, and'Nwo will be confounded ; Jtfus' Chrift 
 will fill a throne, and Herod will be covered with 
 ignominy. Innocence wil! be avenged, juftice 
 fatisfied, the ms'jefly of the laws repaired, and the 
 rights of God maintained. 
 
 But fuch retribution is impracticable in regard 
 to public bodies. A nation cannot be pumfhed 
 then as a nation, a prbvirxe as a province, a 
 kingdom as a kingdom. A" different forts of 
 government' will' bs then abuiiihed. One indi- 
 vidual
 
 and Civil Polity. 537 
 
 vidual of a people will be put in pofleflion of 
 glory, while another will be covered with fhamc 
 and confulion of face. It fhould i'eem, then, that 
 providence owes to its own rectitude thofe times 
 of vengeance, in which it pours all its wrath on 
 wicked focieties, fends them plagues, wars, fam- 
 ines, and other cataftrophies, of which hiftory 
 gives us fo many memorable examples. To place 
 hopes altogether on worldly policy, to pretend to 
 derive advantages from vice, and fo to found the 
 happinefs of fociety on the ruins of religion and 
 virtue, what is this but to infult providence? 
 This is to arouze that power againft us, which 
 fooner or later overwhelms and confounds vicious 
 focieties. 
 
 5. If the obfeflrity of the ways of providence, 
 which ufually renders doubtful the reafonings of 
 men on its conduct, weaken the laft argument, 
 let us proceed to confider, in the next place, the 
 declarations of God himfelf on this article. The 
 whole twenty-eighth chapter of Deuteronomy, 
 all the bleffings and curies pronounced there, ful- 
 ly prove our do&rine. Read this tender com- 
 plaint, which God formerly made concerning the 
 irregularities of his people. " O that they were 
 wife, that they nnderftood this, that they would 
 confider their latter end ! How fliould one chace 
 a thoufand, or two put ten thoufand to flight ?" 
 chap* xxxii. 29, 30. Read the affecting words, 
 which he uttered by the mouth of his propher, 
 " O that my people had hearkened unto me, and 
 Ifrael had walked in ray ways ! I fhould loon 
 have fubdued their enemies, and turned my hand 
 againft their adverfaries. Their time fliould have 
 endured forever. I fhould have fed them a!fo 
 with the fineft of the wheat : and with honey out 
 of the rock fhould I have fuisfied them," Pfalm 
 Ixxxi. 13, Ecc. Read the noble proniifes made by 
 t\v miniftry of ifaiah, " Thus faith the Lord thy 
 Redeemer, the Holy One of Ifrael, I am the 
 V Lord
 
 238 The Harmony of Religion 
 * 
 
 Lord thy God which teacheth thee to propher s 
 which leadeth thee by the way thou fhouideit. go, 
 
 that thou h;idf> hearkened to my command- 
 ments ! then had thy peace been as a nvcr, and 
 thy rtghteoufnei's as the waves of the fea : thy 
 fced alio had been as the fand, and thy name 
 fhould not have been cut off, nor dtftroyed from 
 before me," chap, xlviii. 17, &.C. Read the ter- 
 rible threatenings denounced by the prophet Jere- 
 miah,' " Though Mbfes and Samuel flood before 
 me, yet my mind could not be toward this peo- 
 ple : cafi. them ont of my fight, and le*t them go 
 forth. And it fhall come to pafs, if they fay un- 
 to thee, Whither fhall we go forth ? then thou 
 ilialt tell them, Thus faith the Lord, Such as are 
 for death, to death ; and fucU as are for the fword; 
 to the fword j and fuch as are for the famine, to 
 the famine ; and fuch as are for the captivity, to 
 the captivity. And I will appoint over them four 
 kinds, Faith the Lord; the fword to flay, and the 
 dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the 
 beafts of the earth, to devour and deftroy. For 
 who (hall have pity upon thee, O Jerufalem ? or 
 ivho fhall bemoan thee? or who fhall go afide to 
 afk how' thou doeft ? Thou haft forfaken me, faith 
 the Lord, thou art gone backward: therefore will 
 
 1 ftretch out my hand againft thee, and deftroy 
 thee; I am weary of repenting," chap. xv. i,&c. 
 The language of our text is agreeable to all thei'e 
 paTTagefe ; it is righteousness, faith t-he text, it 
 is rigliteouinefs that exaltetb a nation. Thus 
 God (peaks; mgreover, thus heads, as we fliall 
 fhew y-m in the next article. 
 
 6. Tbi history of all ages affords us another 
 ckfs of arguments in defence of our doctrine, 
 and fo proves the truth of it by experience. 
 
 Had ever preacher a wider or more fruitful 
 field than this, which opens to our view in this 
 part of our difcoorfe ? Shall we produce you a 
 lift of Egyptians, Perfians, Aflyrians, and Greeks,- 
 
 or
 
 and Civil Polity. 239 
 
 or Romans who furpaffed them all ? Shall we 
 {hew you all thefe nations by turns exalted as 
 they rtfpe&ed righteoufnek, or abafed as they 
 neglected it ? 
 
 By what mj fterious art did ancient Egypt fub- 
 fift with fo much glory during a ptiiod of fifteen 
 cr fixteen ages ?* By a benevolence fo extenfive, 
 that he, who refufed to relieve the wretched, when 
 he had it in his power to affilt him, was himfelf 
 pnnilhed with death : by a jultice fo impartial, 
 that their kings obliged the judges to take an 
 oath, that they would never do any thing ;i ; 
 their own confciences, though they, the I 
 themfelvps, fhould command them : by an 
 fion to bad princes, fo fixed, as to deny there tb? 
 honors of a funeral : by invariably renderin 
 merit public praife, even beyond the grave ; for 
 when an Egyptian died, a feffion was held for 
 the direl purpofe of inquiring how he had fpent 
 his life, fo that all the refpect due to his memory 
 might be paid : by entertaining fuch juft ideas of 
 the vanity of life, as to conflder their houfes as 
 inns, in which they were to lodge as it were only 
 for a night, and their fepulcres as habitations, in 
 which they were to abide many age, in which, 
 therefore, they united all the folidity and pomp 
 of architecture, witp.efs their famous pyramids : 
 by a life fo laborious, that even their am 
 were adapted to ftrengthen the body, and in 
 the mind : by a readinefs to difcharge their debts 
 fo remarkable, that they had a law, which pro- 
 hibited the borrowing of mon?y, xcept on con- 
 dition of pledging the body of a parent for pay- 
 ment, a depofit i'o venerable, that a man, who 
 deferred the redemption of it, was looked upon 
 with horror : in one word, by a wifdom fo pro- 
 found, that M:f: j s himfelf is renowned in fcrip. 
 ture for b^ing learned, in it. 
 
 By 
 
 Diodor. Sicil. lib. i, fe<3. 2. Herod, lib. ii.
 
 240 TKe Harmony of Religion 
 
 By what marvellous method did the Perfiaris 
 obtain fuch a diftinguifhed place of honor in an- 
 cient hiftory J* By confidering falfehood in the 
 moft horrid light, as a vice the meaneft and moll 
 difgraceful : by a noble generofity, conferring 
 favors on the nations they conquered, and leav- 
 ing them to enjoy all the enftgns of their former 
 grandeur : by an uuiverfal equity, obliging them- 
 felves to publifh the virtues of their greateft ene- 
 mies : by obferving, as an inviolable fecret, ftate 
 affairs, fo that, to ufe the language of an ancient 
 author, neither promifes nor threatenings could 
 extort it, for the ancient laws of the kingdom 
 obliged them to be {ilent under pain of death : 
 by a decorum fo regular, that queens and all court 
 ladies quitted the table as foon as ever the com- 
 pany began to lay afide moderation in drinking : 
 by religioufly recording noble actions, and tranf- 
 mitting them to potterity in public regifters : by 
 educating their children fo wifely, that they were 
 taught virtue as other nations were taught let- . 
 ters : by difcovering no grief for fuch youths as 
 died uneducated* The children of the royal fam- 
 ily were put, at fourteen years of age, into the 
 hands of four of the wifeli and moft virtuous 
 itatelmen. The fu-ft taught them the worfhip of 
 the gods ; the fecond trained them up to fpeak 
 truth and pra&ife equity ; the third habituated 
 them to fubdue voluptuoufneis, to enjoy real lib- 
 erty, to be always princes, and always matters 
 of themfelves and their own paffions ; the fourth 
 infpirtd them with courage, and, by teaching 
 them how to command themfelves, taught them 
 how to maintain dominion over others. 
 
 We purpofely omit the nobis and virtuous ac- 
 tions of the Afl'yrians, and Medes, the Greeks, 
 and other nations, who were the glory of the 
 ages in which they lived. But let us not pafs by 
 
 ancient 
 
 * Herod, lib. i. ill. Pitt. Alcib. t.
 
 and Civil Polity. 241 
 
 ancient Rome : Wa? ever nation more exalted ?* 
 One exprtffton of Cacf.ir will give us a jnft notion 
 Mr excellence. Cicero recommended a friend 
 to him, and this was his anl\ver : In regr 
 
 'is Ftirius, ivhomyou have recommended to 
 I will make bim king of Caul. If you have 
 any other friends you wish to have promoted, you 
 command nzcf But by what unheard-of 
 prodigv did old Rome, compofed at firll of no 
 more than three thoufand inhabitants, carry con- 
 cjueft in let's than fix hundred years to the end; 
 of the earth ? Thus fpeaks the Emperor Julian. 
 By what impenetrable lecret did this confufed 
 mixture of vagabonds and thieves become a femi- 
 nary of heroifm and grandeur ? By a wife docil- 
 ity, fo that even ki ; times fubtfritfed to 
 the advice of individuals ; witnefs Tullus 
 tilius, who durft net decide the cafe oi> Hoi afi*i , 
 red it to the people :$ by in obfefVa- 
 tiofi of the law fo urit, that BrUtus coud 
 
 two Ions to die by the hands of the pub. 
 
 ifcutioner, for having Krftened to the am- 
 
 .; pfopofats of the Tarquins, who were 
 
 confpiring to eftflive the cit A remmir,- 
 
 ]0') : by a frugality fo great, tttsrt fuc'u 
 
 men as Curius, Fabrkius, Regulu-;, Jimiliiu-, 
 
 PjuIds, and Mammius, 1 is of 
 
 the Roman people, were iV.e;; own 
 
 cattle, to cultivate their I adds, and wkb. 
 
 out pomp and parade ', by an excelient economy, 
 
 fa that Atilius Regains, who commanded a Rc- 
 
 1, demanded leave 1 
 
 ide for this wants of his 
 family, from wliom a day laborer i the 
 
 working tools uf'ed in culu te of 
 
 V 2 
 
 * Montaign de la grandeu.r Romaine, lib ii chr 
 t Ciccr. EpiJl. ail famil. lib vii. 5. Some c 
 
 read not Furiir., but M. Orfius. See Spsri'heim 
 
 Cacl'urs, page 161. 
 i Liv. 1 b
 
 242 The Harmony of Religion 
 
 feven acres ; a requisition fo juft, that the Sen- 
 ate engaged to buy. tools, to cultivate his land* 
 and to fupport- his wife and children at the pub- 
 lic charge :* fo far did they carry this virtue, 
 that the elder Cato, returning from Spain to 
 Italy,. fold his horie to fave the charge of freight, 
 and ufually, when he traTclled, carried his own 
 knapiack, which containrd all his travelling ne- 
 ce.faries : by an ardent love for the general 
 good, fo thai every thing was refcrved for the 
 public : temples, baths, roads, acuedu&s, tri- 
 umphal arches, all werefupesb, when the nation- 
 al g'ory was in view, as all things for the ufe of 
 ?ndividuals were plain : by an utter averfion to 
 ufelefs bravery, fo that they confidered in a light 
 equally mean, the general, who expofed his per- 
 fon needlefsiy, and him, who avoided danger; 
 when the public good rendered it neceffary for 
 him to expofe himfelf :f by a fcrupulous cau- 
 tion not to undertake unjuft wars ; to guard 
 againfr which, they bad a college at Rome, 
 where it was roolly examined, whether an in- 
 tended war were juft or unjuft, before it was 
 propofed to the fenate and the people :\ by an 
 unfurnour.table averfion to every fpecie of 
 military fraud, fo that Lucius Marcius, (my 
 brethren, how ought this idea of Pagan heroes 
 :o cover fome with confufion, who ftentatioufly 
 viffel to play the hero in the chriftian world!) 
 Lucius Marcius, I fey, having deceived Perfes, 
 king of Macedonia, bv giving him falfe hopes of 
 peace, and having conquered him by this ftrata- 
 gem, was adjudged by the fenate to have vio- 
 lated the Roman laws, and to have fwerved from 
 the ancient cuftoms, according to which it was a 
 maxim to conquer by valor and not by fraud. 
 
 If, 
 
 * JJv. Epitom. lib. 18. Montagne de !a parfimonie 
 
 des anciens, lib. i. chap. 52. 
 
 + Sclluft de bell. Caiil ix. 4 
 
 I Coll. des feciaux. Dion. Halic. lib. ii. AnX'i 
 
 Rom. lib. i. 31.
 
 and Civil Polity. 243 
 
 If, having fhewn the caufe of the profperity 
 of ancient nations, we were to inquire into the 
 Teafons of their decline ; were we to compare 
 the Egyptians under their wife kings with the 
 Egyptians in a time of anarchy, the Peruans 
 victorious under Cyrus, with the Perfians ener- 
 vated by the luxuries of Afia, the Romans at 
 liberty under the Confuls, with the Romans 
 enilaved by their Emperors, we fhould find, that 
 the decline of each of thefe nations was owing 
 to the practice of vices oppofite to the virtues 
 which had caufed its elevation : we fhould be 
 obliged to acknowledge, that vain glory, luxury, 
 voluptuoufnefs, difunion, envy, and boundlefs 
 ambition, were the hateful means of fubverting 
 Rates, which, in the height of their profperity, 
 expected, qnd in all appearance juftly expected, 
 to endure to the end of time : we fhould be 
 obliged to allow, that fome exceffes, which, in 
 certain circumftances, had contributed to exalt 
 thefe nations, were, in other circumftances, the 
 means of ruining them. 
 
 True, ambition impelled Csfar to elevate the 
 Republic of Rome to a pitch as high as it is pofnV 
 ble for human grandeur to attain. Armed for 
 the defence of the Republic, he fought for it, 
 though lef; for it than for his own glory, and dis- 
 played, we grant, the Roman eagle in the furtheft 
 parts of Afia, rendered Gaul tributary, fwelled 
 the Rhine with German blood, fubdued the Brit- 
 ons, and made all the Adriatic coaRs refound the 
 fame of his victories. But did not the fame am- 
 bition impel him to excite a civil war to arm 
 Rome againR Rome, to cover the Pharfalian field 
 with carnage and foak the ground with Roman 
 blood, to purfue the fhattered remains of Pompey's 
 army into the heart of Africa, to give a queen, 
 or rather a proftitnte, the kingdom of Egypt, to 
 reduce the firR and moR free of all nations to a 
 fttte of meannef* and fervility beneath the moft 
 
 abject
 
 244 The Harmony of Religion 
 
 abject of mankind ? For, my brethren, what 
 were thefe Romans after ttiey baa loft their liber- 
 ty, and given themfelves op to abfolute mafters ? 
 Th,efe Romans, who hsd given the univerfe law ; 
 thefe Roman citizens, even the meaneft of them, 
 who would hqve thought themfelves difgraced had 
 they mixed their blooel with that of kings ; thefe 
 Romans, once fo jealous of their liberty, have we 
 ro,t feen thefe very people under their emperors 
 fnbmit to vaff-ilage ^o as to become a fcar.dal even 
 to ftaves ? In famous flatterers, did. not they ercifl 
 altars to Claudius, Caligula, and Nero ? Did 
 not Rome bear one of its citizens uddrefs this 
 language to the laft of thefe monfiers ? " Choofe, 
 Caefar, whit place you will among the immortai 
 gods. Will you fway the fceptre of Jupiter, or 
 mount the chariot of Apollo? There is not a 
 deity, who will not yield his empire to yoo, 
 count it_an hopor to refign in your favor;** 
 
 But is it ptfceffary to quote ancient hiflory in 
 
 proof of * hat. we have advanced, that is, that the 
 
 fame vices, which contribute at Sift to exait a 
 
 nation, in the end caufe its decline and ruin ? 
 
 - There is A nation,! 'n favor of which all things 
 
 feem to pron.ife a general, and < lading pvofperity. 
 
 ! an advantageous fituation, a fruitful foil, 
 
 a temperate climate,, an agreeable fociety, an 
 
 eafy accefs, a mutual generofity, an inimitable 
 
 indnflry, quick penetration in council, heroical 
 
 coinage in war, incredible fuccefs in trade, fur- 
 
 prifiiig dexterity in art?, indisputable reputation 
 
 in fciences, an amiable toleration in religion, 
 
 feverity blended with fvveetnefs, fweetnefs temper- 
 
 .ed with feverity. 
 
 Doe? this nation paf- the bounds ? At firft 
 it acquires advantages more than nature and 
 art had given it. The boundlefs ambition of* 
 
 the 
 
 * Lucan. Pharful. lib. i. 
 
 j This fermon was preached in 1706.
 
 and Civil Polity. 2*5.- 
 
 the monarch infpires the fubjects with a noble 
 pride. Authority, eftablilhed by defpotical pow- 
 er, enflaves the judgments of all to the will of 
 one. A treacherous policy at firft impofes on 
 neighboring ftates. Troops, impelled by a rafh 
 valor at firft, furmount all obftacles. Toleration 
 is banifhed, the prince takes the place of God 
 himfelf, and exercifes bis prerogative. Violat- 
 ing the faith of edicts, procures foroe prefent ad- 
 vantages. An inlat'uble avidity adds fortrefs 
 to fortrefs, city to city, province to province, ' 
 kingdom to kingdom. But where i3 divine prov- 
 idence ? Where is the truth of our text, 
 righteousness exalteth a nation ? What pitch 
 of grandeur can religion obtain for a people, 
 which cannot be obtained by other means ? 
 
 Stop. The objection made to our doctrine 
 denionftrates the truth of it. The ambition of 
 the monarch, communicated to his fubjects, 
 will there produce all the fatal effects of ambi- 
 tion. Defpotical power, which enflaved the 
 judgments of all to the abfolute will of one, will 
 caufe the judgments of all to refill the will of 
 one. That deceitful policy, which took neigh- 
 boring ftates by furprire, will infpire them with 
 diftruft aud precaution. Troops hurried on by 
 rafhnefs will find out that rafhnefs is the high 
 road to defeat. Toleration difallowed will riif- 
 affect the hearts of faithful fubjects, and induftry 
 will flee to foreign climes. The violation of 
 edicts will deftroy confidence in all the public 
 infiruments of government. An infatiable avid- 
 ity of territorial acquifitions, of pofiefung forts, 
 cities, provinces, and kingdoms without num- 
 ber, will require more attention and greater ex- 
 penfe than any nation can furnifh. A ftatc in 
 this condition, will fink under the weight of its 
 own grandeur, it will be attenuated by being 
 expanded, and, if I may ufe fuch an exprellion,. 
 impoverifhed by its abundance. Each paflion 
 
 put
 
 240 The Harmony of Religion 
 
 put in motion will give a fhock peculiar toitfetf, 
 and all together will unite in one general blow- 
 fatal to the edifice, which they had erected. A 
 prince, by becoming an object cf the admiration 
 of the world, becomes at, the fame time an ob- 
 ject of jealoufy, fufpicion, and tenor, Hence 
 come civil comnrotions and foreign wars. 
 Hence the forming cf leagues, and deep-con- 
 certed plots. 1 Hence mortality, fcarcity, and 
 famine. Hence" heaven and earth in concert 
 agsinft a ftate, that feemed to defy both earth 
 and heaven. Hence an eternal example to juf- 
 tify providence in all future ages, and todemon- 
 ftrajte to the rnoft obfiinate the doctrine of the 
 text, that only rectitude can procure fubflantial 
 glory. 
 
 Thus, we think, we have fufficiently eftEblifh- 
 ed our prophet's propofition : and we will fmifh 
 the arguments, by which we have fupported it, 
 by giving you the character of that author, who 
 hath taken the greateft pains to fubvert it.* He 
 was one of thofe inconfiftent men, whom the fined 
 geni3 cannot preferve from felf-contradiction, 
 and whofc oppofite qualities will always leave us 
 in doubt, whether to place them in one extreme, 
 or in another diametrically oppofite. On the one 
 h: j .rd, he was a great philnfopher, nd knew how 
 to diftinguifh truth from f-tli'diced, for he 
 fee at once a connection of principle?, and a 
 of confluences : on the other ham!, he was a 
 great fopjiifler, always endeavoring to tonfom^d 
 truth with falfehood, to wrefl pri 1 ciples, and to 
 force confeqnPMCes. In one view, admirably 
 lenrnedand of fine parts, having profited much by 
 tlve labors of others, and more by the txertife cf 
 his own great fenfe : -in another view, ignorant, 
 or affecting to be ignorant, t . R common 
 
 ;, advancing arguments which had b 
 
 thoufand 
 
 * Mr. Bayle.
 
 and Civil Polity. 247 
 
 thoufand times refined, and darting objections 
 which the greattft novice in the fch<:. Is d irft not I 
 tuve mentioned without Muthing.1 On the one" 
 hand, attu greeted n.t.n, opening a wide 
 
 )r them to labor it , leai 
 vious and tagged paths, and, i ig beyond' 
 
 them, giving them a world ot pains to keen p.ice 
 with him : on t-he ot lean- 
 
 ed g<ri , a profuiiotl of incenfe to' 
 
 them, blotting his writings with names that had 
 never been pronounced by learned lips. On the 
 one hand, tree, at lead in appearance, from every 
 diipoiltion contrary to the Ipirit ot' the gofpH, 
 chalfe in his manners, grave in his converlation, ' 
 temperate- in his diet) and auftere in his ufual 
 courfe of life : on the other, employing all the 
 acutenefs of his genius to oppofe good morals, 
 and to attack chaftity, modefty, and all other 
 chriftian virtues. Sometimes appealing to a 
 tribunal of the mod rigid orthodoxy, deriving 
 arguments from the pored fources, and quoting 
 divines of the mod unfufpefted ibundnefs in the 
 faith : at other times, travelling in the high 
 road of heretics, reviving the objections of an- 
 cient heredarcln, forging them new armor, and 
 uniting in one body the errors of pad ages with 
 thofe of the prefent time. O that this man, who 
 was endowed with fo many talents, may have 
 been forgiven by Godj for the bad life he made 
 of them ! May that Jefus, whom he fo often 
 attacked, have expiated his crimes*! But, though 
 charity condrains us to hope and wi(h for his 
 falvation, the honor of our holy religion obliges 
 us publicly to declare that he abufed his own * 
 underdanding,. to proted before heaven and earth 
 that we difown him as a member of our reformed 
 churches, and that we fhall always condder a 
 part of his writings as a fcandal to good men*- 
 and as a ped of the church 
 
 Wc return to our prophet. Let us employ a - 
 
 few
 
 24 B The Harmony of Religion 
 
 few moments in retie&ing on the truths we have 
 heard. Thanks be to God, my brethren, we have 
 better means of knowing the righteousness that 
 exalts a nation., and more motives to practife it, 
 than all the nations, of whofe glory we have been 
 hearing. They had only a fuperflcial, debafed, 
 eonfufed knowledge of the virtues, which conlti- 
 tute fubftantial grandeur : and, as they held er- 
 rors in Teligion, they muft neceflarily have erred 
 in civil polity. God, glory be to his name ! hath 
 placed at the head of our councils the mod perfect 
 legislator, that ever held the reins of government 
 in the world. This legislator is Jefus Chrift. His 
 kingdom, indeed, is not of this world) but the 
 rules he has given us to arrive at that, are proper 
 to render us hapoy in the prefent ftate. When 
 he fays, See-k ye Jirst the kingdom of Gad, and bis 
 righteousness, and all other things shall be added 
 to you, Matt. vi. 33. he gives the command, and 
 makes the promife to whole nations as well as to 
 individuals. 
 
 Who ever carried fo far 39 this divine Iegiflator 
 ideas of the virtues, of which we have been treat- 
 ing in feveral parts of this di-fcourfe, and by 
 praUfing which nations -are exalted ? Who 
 ever formed fuchjuft notions of that benevolence, 
 that love of fecial good, that generofity to ene- 
 mies, that contempt of life, that wifdora, that 
 veneration for noble exploits, that docility and 
 frugality, that devotednefs to public ufe, that 
 diftance from fafle glory, that magnanimity, and 
 all the other virtues, which render antiquity ven- 
 erable to us ? Who ever gave fuch wife inftruc- 
 tions to kings and fubjec\s, magiftrates and peo- 
 ple, lawyers and merchants, foldiers and ftate f- 
 men, the world and the church ? We know 
 thefe virtues better than any other people in the 
 world. We are able to carry our glory far be- 
 yond Egyptians and Perfians, Aflyrians and 
 Medes, Lacedemonians, Athenians, and Ro- 
 
 mans ;
 
 end Civil Polity. a^g 
 
 mans ; if not that fort of glory, which glares 
 and dazzles, at lcaft that, which makes tranquil 
 and happy, and procures a felicity far more agree- 
 able than all the pageantry of heroii'm and world- 
 ly fplendor, 
 
 Ghriflians, let not thefe be mere fpeculations 
 to us. Let us endeavor to reduce them to prac- 
 tice. Never let us fuffer our political principles 
 to clafh with the principles of our religion. Far 
 from os, and far from us for ever, be the abomin- 
 able maxims of that pernicious Florentine,* who 
 gave ftatefmen fuch fatal lefTins as tliei'e : A 
 prince, who would maintain his dignity, ought to 
 learn not to be virtuou;, when affairs offtate re- 
 quire him to pracYife vice ; he ought to be frugal 
 with his own private fortune, and liberal with 
 public money ; he ought never to keep Ins word 
 to his own difadvantage ; he ought not ^o much 
 to afpire at virtue as at the Ambiance of it ; he 
 ought to be apparently merciful, faithful, fiocere 
 and religious, but really the diret oppoiite ; that 
 he cannot poffibly pr^clife what are accounted 
 virtues in other men, becaufe neceffity of Rate 
 will often oblige him to acl contrary to charity, 
 humanity and religion ; he ought to yield to the 
 various changes of fortune, to do right as often 
 a3 he can, but not to fcruple doing wrong when 
 need requires. I fay again, far from us be thefe 
 abominable maxims ! Let us obey the precepts 
 of Jefus Chrift, and by fo doing let us draw down 
 bleffings on this nation more pure and perfect 
 than thole which we now enjoy. 
 
 The bleffings we now enjoy, and which provi- 
 dence beftawed 0:1 us In abundantly a few 
 ago,t fhould infpire us with lafl cude ; 
 
 however, my brethren, they are not, they ought 
 not to be, the full accomplishment of our w 
 
 W Such 
 
 * Machiavd. P.-i:. -:vii. 
 
 t At 'the ba,tfls'of Ramitics, May sj, 170^.
 
 250 The Harmony of Religion 
 
 Such laurels as we afpire at, are not gathered In 
 fields of battle. The path to that eminence, to 
 which we travel, is not covered with human gore. 
 The acclamations we love, are not excited by 
 wars, and rumors of wars, the clangor of arms, 
 and the fhoutings of armed men. 
 
 Were our pleafure, though not of the purefl 
 -fort, perfefl in its own kind, we mould experience 
 a rife in happinefs i But can we enjoy our victo- 
 ries, without mourning for the miferies which 
 procured them ! Our triumphs indeed abafe and 
 confound our enemies, and make them lick the 
 cuft; yet thefe very triumphs prefent one dark 
 fide to us. Witnefs the many wounds, which I. 
 fhould make a point oi not opening, weiv it not 
 a relief to mourners to hear of their fufferings ; 
 were it not equitable to declare to thofe, whofe 
 forrows have procured our joy, that we remem- 
 ber them, that we are concerned for them, that 
 \vc fympathize with them, that we are not fo tak- 
 en up with public joy as to forget private woe. 
 Witnefs, I fay, fo many defolate houfes among 
 us. Witnefs this mourning in which fo many of 
 us appear to-day. Witnefs thefe affe&ionate Jo- 
 lephs, who lament the death of their parents. 
 Witnefs thefe Marys and Marthas, weeping at 
 the tomb of Lazarus. Witnefs thefe diftreffed 
 Davids, who weep as they go, and exclaim, O 
 Absalom, my son J my son Absalom ! would God 
 I bad died for thee ! O Absalom, my son, my 
 son .' 2 Sam. xviii. 33. Witnefs thefe Rachels, 
 who make Rama echo with their cries, refusing 
 to be comforted, because their children are not, 
 Jer. xxxi. 15. 
 
 My dear brethren, on whom the hand of God 
 is heavy, ye forrowful Naomis, ye melancholy 
 Moras, with whom the Almighty hath dealt very 
 bitterly, Ruth u 20. we fhare your griefs, we 
 jcis our tears with yours, wc feel all the blows 
 
 that
 
 and Civil Polity, 251 
 
 that ftrike you. O fatal victory ! O bloody glo- 
 ry ! you arc not fruits of righteousness. 
 
 Chriftian?, if our joy be mixed, it is becaufe 
 our righteousness is mixed. Let us not fearch 
 for our misfortunes in any other caufe. Let os 
 do, when any thing is wanting to complete 00* 
 joy, what the ancient people of God did, when- 
 ever they were conquered. The congregation 
 was aflembled, the rphod was put on, the oracle 
 was confulted, inquifition was made from tribe: 
 to tribe, from family to family, from houfe to 
 houfe, from perfon to perfon, who it was, whole 
 fin had caufed the lofsofthe victory, or the lofs 
 of a regiment, and when he was difcover- 
 was put to death. Jofhua, after he had met wit 
 a repulfe before Ai, and had loft thirty-fix mm, 
 rent his garments, and lay on his face upon the 
 earth before the ark of the Lord. In like man- 
 ner, let us, my brethren, at the remembrance or' 
 infected countries, fields of battle covered with 
 carcafes, rivers of blood dying the foil, con fu fed 
 heaps of dead and dying fellow-creatures, new- 
 globes of fire flying in the air, let us examine 
 ourfelves. Happy, if, as in the cafe juff now 
 mentioned, only one criminal could be found 
 among many thoufands of innocent pet ions ! 
 Alas I we are obliged, on the contrary, to lament, 
 that there is hardly one innocent among thou- 
 fands of the guilty. 
 
 Where is the Achan, who imbitters the glori- 
 ous and immortal victories, which God grants to 
 Ifrael? What tribe, what family, what houfe, 
 fhall be taken? Is it ths magiftrate ? Is it the 
 people ? Is it the paftor ? Is it the flock ? la 
 it the merchant ? Is it the foldier ? Ah 1 my 
 brethren ! do you not hear the oracle of the Lord 
 anfwering from the terrible tribunal erected in 
 your own confeiences ? It is the magiftrate ; it 
 is the people ; it is the paftor ; it is the flock ; ic 
 is the merchant ; it is the foldier. 
 
 It
 
 252 The Harmony of Religion 
 
 It is t;hnt magistrate, who, being required t 
 have always before his eyes that God, by whom 
 kings reign, and that thiose, before which the 
 great eft monarch? of the world muft be judged, is 
 dazzled with his own grandeur, governed by a 
 worldly policy, and hath .more at heart to enfoice, 
 the obfervation of his own capricious order?, than 
 thofe rules of eternal rectitude, which fecure the 
 fafety and happinefs of a nation- 
 It is that people, who, inftead of considering 
 the felicity of that nation ivhose God is the Lord, 
 are attempting to be happy independently of God ; 
 ciicofing rather to facrifice to blind chance, than 
 to him who is the happy God, and who alone di.f- 
 penfes profperous and adverfe circumftances. 
 
 It is that minister, who, 'mftead of confining 
 his attention to the difcharge of all the duties of 
 his office, performs only fych parts as acquire hira 
 a popular reputation,, neglecting private duties, 
 fucli as - friendly and affectionate remonflrances, 
 pnternal advice, private charities, fecret vifit? 3 
 which characterize the true minifters of the goi- 
 pel. 
 
 It is that congregation, which, itftead of re- 
 ;-.->rding the word difpenfed by us as the word of 
 (Jed, licentioufly turns all public miniftratiens 
 into iniicole, and under pretence of ingenuity and 
 om of thought, encourages infidelity and ir- 
 seiigion ; or, at belt, imagines that religion con- 
 lifts more in hearing and knowing than in practice 
 and obedience. 
 
 It is that soldier, who, though he is always 
 at war with death, marching through fire and 
 flames, hearing nothing but the found of warlike 
 inftruments crying to him with a loud and dread- 
 ful voice, remember, you must die ! yec frames 
 a morality of his own,- and imagines, that bin 
 profefnon, fo proper in itfclf to incline him to 
 obey the maxims of the gofpei, ferves to free him 
 from all obligation to obedience. 
 
 Ah !
 
 and Civil Polity. 253 
 
 Ah! this it is, which obfcures our brighteft 
 triumphs ; this ftains our laurels with blood ; this 
 excites lamentations, and mixes them with our 
 fongs of praife. Let us fcatter thefe dark cloud?. 
 Let us purify our righteoufnefs in order to purify 
 our happinefs. Let religion be the bridle, ;he 
 rule, the foul of all our councils ; and fo may it 
 procure us unalterable peace, and unmixed pleas- 
 ure ! or rather, as there is no fuch pleafure on 
 earth, as imperfection is a character effential to 
 human affairs, let U3 elevate our hearts and minds 
 to nobler objects, let us figh after happier periods, 
 and let each of us feek true glory in the enjoy- 
 ment of God. God grant us this grace ! To 
 him be honor and glory for ever, Amen. 
 
 W 2 . SERMON.-
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 CHRISTIAN HER 1 S M. 
 
 Proverbs xvi. 32. 
 
 lie that ruleth bis spirit, is belter than he that 
 iaketb a city. 
 
 \Sf ERE we to judge of ihefe words by the 
 f;rft impreflions they make on the mind, we Should 
 place them among inch hyperbolical propofitions 
 as imagination forms to color and exceed truth. 
 The mind on fome occafions is fo ftruck as to 
 magnify the object in contemplation. The more 
 iul'ceptible people are of lively impreflions, the 
 more fubjecl they are to declamation and hyper- 
 bole. We find thcfe maxims fome times neceffary 
 in explaining the facred authors. Were we to ad- 
 here fcrupulouily to their words, we fliould often 
 miflake their meaning, and extend their thoughts 
 beyond due bounds. The people of the taft Sel- 
 dom exprefs themftlves with precifion. A cloud 
 intercepting a few rays of light is the sun dark' 
 ened : A meteor in the air is the powers of the 
 heavens shaken : Jonah in the belly of the fifh is 
 a man down at the bottom of the mountains ; 
 Thunder is the voice of Jehovah, powerful and 
 full of majesty, dividing fames of fire, breaking 
 cedars of Lebanon, making Syrians skip, and 
 stripping forests bare : A fwarm of infects is a 
 nation set in battle array, marching every one on 
 bis ways, not breaking their ranks, besieging a 
 city, having the teeth of a lion, and the cheek 
 teeth of a great lion, Joel i. 6. and ii. 7, 9. 
 
 If we be ever authorized to folve a difficult 
 text, by examining the licenfe of hyperbolical 
 fiyle : if ever it be neceffary to reduce hyperbole 
 to precifion, is it not io.now in explaining the 
 
 text
 
 Christian ^Heroism. 255 
 
 text before us ? He that ruleth bis spirit, is 
 better than he that taketb a city. What juftoe'fs 
 can there be in comparing a man, who by reflec- 
 tion corrects his paffions, with an hero, who, ii 
 virtue of conceited plans, great fatigues, fpending 
 days and nights on horfeback, furmounting diffi- 
 culties, enduring heats and colds, braving a va- 
 riety of dangers, at laft arrives, by marching 
 through a fhower of fhot darkening the air, to cut 
 through a fquadron, to fcale a wall, and to hoift 
 his fljg in a conquered city ? 
 
 But however juft this commentary may appear,, 
 you will make no ufe of it here, unlefs you place 
 chriftianity in the exercife of eafy virtues, and 
 after the example of moft men, accommodate re- 
 ligion to your paflions inflead of reforming your 
 pafiions by religion. Endeavor to form princi- 
 ples, refill falhion and cuflom, eradicate prejudice, 
 undertake the conqueft of yourfelf, carry fire and 
 fword into the molt fenfible part of your foul, 
 enter the lids with your darling fin, mortify your 
 members which are upon earth, rife above flefli 
 and blood, nature, and felflove, and, to. fay all 
 in one word, endeavor to rule your spirit ; and 
 you will find, that Solomon hath rigoroufly ob- 
 served the laws of precifion, that he hath fpoken 
 the language of logic and not of oratory, and 
 that there is not a fliadow of hyperbole or exag- 
 geration in this propofition, He that ruleth his 
 spirit^ is better than be that taketh a city. 
 
 But to what period lhall we refer the explica- 
 tion of the text ? We will make meditation 
 fupply the place of experience, and we will cftab- 
 lilli a truth, which the greateft part of you have 
 not experienced, and which perhaps you never 
 will experience. Thrs is the defign of this dif- 
 courfe. Our fubject is true heroifm, the real 
 hero. 
 
 I enter into the matter. The word heroism is 
 borrowed of the heathens. They called thofe 
 
 men'
 
 256 Christian Heroism, 
 
 men heroes, whom a remainder of modefty and 
 religion prevented their putting into the number 
 of their gods, but who for the glory of their ex- 
 ploits were too great to be enrolled among mere 
 men. Let us purify this idea. The man, of 
 whom Solomon fpeaks, be who ruletb bis spirit^ 
 ought not to be confounded with the reft of 
 mankind ; he is a man transformed by grace, 
 one, who, to ufe the language of fcripture, is a 
 partaker of tbe divine nature. We are going 
 to fpeak of this man,, and we will firft defcribe 
 him, and next fet forth his magnanimity, or, to 
 keep to the text, we will firft explain what it is 
 to rule tbe spirit, and, fecondly, we will prove, 
 that be, that ruletb bis spirit, is better than be y 
 tbat taketb a city. If we proceed further, it will 
 only be to add a few reflections tending to con- 
 vince you, that you are all called to heroifm ; 
 that there is no middle way in religion ; that 
 you rnuft of neceffity, either bear the fhame and 
 infamy of being mean and daflardly fouls, or be 
 crowned with the glory of heroes. 
 
 1. Let us firft explain the words of the text, 
 to rule tbe spirit. Few words are more equivo- 
 cal in the facred language than this which our 
 interpreters have rendered spirit. It is put i.n 
 different places for the thoughts of the mitid y 
 the paffions of the heart, the emotions of sense, 
 phantoni3 of imagination, and illufions of concu- 
 piscence. We will not trouble you with gram- 
 matical differtations. . In our idiom, to rule the 
 spirit, (and this is precifely the idea of Solo- 
 mon) to rule tbe spirit is never to fuffer ones- 
 felf to be prejudiced by falfe ideas, always to fee 
 things in their true point of view, to regulat* 
 our hatred and our love, our defires and our inac- 
 tivity, exactly according to the knowledge we 
 have obtained after mature deliberation, that ob- 
 jects are worthy of our efteem, or deferve our 
 averfion, that they are worth obtaining, or prop- 
 er to be neglected. But,.
 
 Christian Heroism. 257 
 
 But, as this manner of fpeaking, to rule the 
 spirit, fuppofes exercife, pains, labors, and refin- 
 ance, we ought not to confine ourfelves to the 
 general idea which we have given. We confider 
 man in three points of light ; in regard to his 
 natural difpofitions ; in regard to the objects 
 that furround him ; and in regard to the habits 
 which he hath contracted. 
 
 1. Confider the natural dispositions of man. 
 Man, as foon as he is in the world, finds him- 
 Telf the (lave of his heart, infiead of being maf- 
 ter of it. I mean, that infiead of a natural facil- 
 ity to admit oniy what is true, and to love only 
 what is amiable, he feels, I know not what, in- 
 terior power, which difpofes him to truth and 
 virtue, and conciliates him to vice and falfe- 
 hood. 
 
 I am not going to agitate the famous queftion 
 of free-will, nor to enter the lifts with thofe, 
 who are noted in the church for the herefy of 
 denying the doctrine of human depravity ; nor 
 will I repeat all the arguments, good and bad, 
 which are atledged againft it. If there be a fub- 
 ject, in which we ought to have no implicit faith, 
 either in thofe who deny, or in thofe who affirm ; 
 if there be a fubject, in the difcuflion of which, 
 they who embrace the fide of error advance 
 truth, and they who embrace the fide of truth nd- 
 vance falfehoods, this is certainly the fubject. 
 But we will not litigate this doctrine. We will 
 alledge here only one proof cf our natural de- 
 pravity, that fhall be taken from experience, 
 and, for evidence of this fatal truth, we refer 
 each of you to his own feelings. 
 
 Is virtue to be practifed ? Who does not fee?, 
 as foon as he is cspable of obferving, an inward 
 power of refi fiance ? By virtue, here I under- 
 Hand an univerfal tHfpofition of an intelligent 
 foul to devote itfelf to order, :>nd to regulate its 
 conduct asoidet requires. 'Order demands, that, 
 
 when
 
 258 Christian Heroism. 
 
 when I fuflfer, I fliould fubmit myfelf to the 
 mighty hand of; God, which arRic"ls met When 
 I am in profperity, order requires me to acknowl- 
 edge the bounty of my benefactor. If I pofitfs 
 talents fuperior to thofe of my neighbor, order 
 requires me to ufe them for the glory of him 
 from whom I received them. If I am obliged 
 to acknowledge, that my neighbor hath a richer 
 endowment than I, order requires mc to acquiefce 
 with fubmiflion, and to acknowledge with hu- 
 mility this difference of endowment : fhould I 
 revolt with infolence r or difpute through jealoufy 
 or felf-love, I fhould aft diforderly. 
 
 What I affirm of virtue,, that it is a general 
 djfpofition, that I affirm alfo in regard to an in- 
 difpofition to fin. To avoid vice is to defift 
 alike from every thing contrary to order, from 
 ilander and anger, from indolence and voluptu- 
 oufnefs, and fo on. 
 
 He, who forms fuch ideas of the obligations 
 of men, will have too many reafons to acknowl- 
 edge, by his own inward feelings and experience, 
 that we bring into the world with us propenfities 
 hoftile and fatal to fuch obligations. Some of 
 thefe are in the body ; others in the mind. 
 
 Some are in the body. Who is there, that 
 finds in his fenfes, that fupplcnefs'and readinefs 
 of compliance with a volition, which is itfelf di- 
 rected by laws of order ? Who does not feel 
 Vis conftitution rebel againft virtue? I am not 
 fpeaking now of fuch men as brutally give them- 
 felves up to their fenfes, who confult no other 
 laws than the revolutions of their own mind?, 
 and who, having abandoned for many years the 
 government of. their fouls to the humors of their 
 bodies, have loft all dominion over their fenfes. 
 I fpeak of fuch as have the moft fincere defire to 
 hear and obey the laws of order. How often 
 does a tender and charitable foul find in a body, 
 fubject to violence and anger, obftacles againft 
 
 the-
 
 Christian Heroism. 259 
 
 the exercife of its charity and tendernefs ? How 
 often does a foul, penetrated with refpect for the 
 laws of purity, find in a body, rebellious againft 
 this virtue, terrible obftacles, to which it is in a 
 manner conftrained to yield.? 
 
 Diforder is not only in the body ; the soul is 
 in the fame condition. Gonfult yourfelves in 
 regard to fuch virtues, and vices as are, fo to 
 fpeak, altogether fpiritual, and have no relation, 
 or a very diftant one, to matter, and you will 
 find you brought into the world an indifpofition 
 to fome of thefe virtues, and an inclination to the 
 oppofite vices. For example, avarice is one of 
 thefe fpiritual vices, having only a very diftant 
 relation to matter. 1 do not mean, that avarice 
 does not incline us toward fenfible objects, I on- 
 ly fay, (hat it is paflion lefs feated in the materi- 
 al than in the fpiritual part of man ; it rifes 
 rather out of reflections of the mind than out of 
 motions of the body. Yet how many people are 
 bom fordid ; people always inclined to amafs 
 money, and to whom the bare thought of giv- 
 ing, or parting with any thing, gives pain ; peo- 
 ple who prove, by the very manner in which they 
 exercife the laws of generofity, that they are 
 naturally inclined to violate thera ; people who 
 never give except by conftraint, who tear away, 
 as it were, what they beftow on the neceffities 
 of the poor ; and who never cut off thofe dear 
 parts of themfelves without taking the moft af- 
 fectionate leave of them ? Envy and jealoufy 
 are difpofitions of the kind, which we call fpirit- 
 ual. They have their feat in the foul. There 
 are many perfons, who acknowledge the injuftice 
 and bafenefs of thefe vices, and who hate them, 
 and who neverthelefs are not fufficient mafters 
 of themfelves to prevent the dominion of them, 
 at leaft to prevent a repetition of them, and not 
 to find fometimes their own nufery in the prof- 
 perity of other perfons. 
 
 As
 
 s6o Christian Heroism. 
 
 As we feel in our conftitmion obftacles to vir- 
 tue, and propensities to vice, fo we perceive alio' 
 inclinations to error, and obftacles to truth. 
 Thefe things are clofely connected ; for if we 
 find within us natural obftacles to virtue, we find, 
 for that very reafon, natural obftacles to truth ; 
 and if we be born with propenfities to vice, we 
 are born on that very account prone to error. 
 Stri&iy fpeaking, all ideas of vice may be refer- 
 red to one, that is to error. Every vice, every 
 irregular paflion openly or tacitly implies a falfe- 
 hood. Every vice, every irregular palliou in- 
 cludes this error, that a man, who gratifies his 
 paffion, is happier than he, who reftrains and 
 moderates it. Now, every man judging in this 
 manner, whether he do fo openly or covertly, 
 takes the fide of error. If we be then naturally 
 inclined to fome vices, we are naturally inclined 
 to feme -errors, I mean, to admit that falfe prin- 
 ciple, on which the irregular pafiion eftablHheth 
 the vice it would commit, the dciire of gratifica- 
 tion. An irnpaffionate man is not free to dif- 
 cern truth from falfehood, at leaft, he cannot 
 without extreme conftraint difcern the one from 
 the other. He is inclined to fix his mind on 
 whatever favors bis paffion, changes its nature, 
 and difguifes vice in the habit of virtue; and, 
 to fay all in one word, he is impelled to fix his 
 mind on whatever makes truth appear faife, and 
 falfehood true. 
 
 I conclude, the difpoution of mind, of which 
 Solomon fpeakf, and which he dei'enbes by rul- 
 ing the spirit, fa ppofes labor, conftraint, and ex- 
 ercife; A man, who would acquire this noble 
 difpofition of mind, a man, who would rule bis 
 spirit, muft, in fome fort, re-create himfelf ; he. 
 finds himfelf at once, if I may be allowed to fay 
 fo, at war with nature ; his body muft.be form- 
 ed anew ; his humors and his fpirits muft be 
 turned into another channel ; violence muft be, 
 done to all the powers of his foul. 2.
 
 Christian Heroim. 26 1 
 
 2/ Having conlldered man in regard to his 
 natural difpofnions, obferve him, fecondly, in re- 
 gard to surrounding object** Here you will ob- 
 tain a fecond expofjtiou of Solomon's words, lie, 
 that ruletb bis spirit ; you will have a fecoi\d 
 clafs of evidences of that exercife, labor, and 
 conftraint, which true heroifm fuppofcs. Society 
 is compofed of many enemies, who feem to be 
 taking pains to increale thofe difficulties, which 
 our natural difpohtions oppofe againli truth and 
 virtue. 
 
 Examine the members of this fociety among 
 whcm we are appointed to live, confult their 
 ideas, hear their converfation, weigh their rea- 
 fonings, and you will find almoft every where, 
 falfe judgments, errors, miftakes, and prejudices : 
 prejudices cf birth, taken from our parents, the 
 nurfes who fuckled us, the people who made the 
 habits, in which we were wrapped in our cradles z 
 prejudices of education, taken from the m afters, 
 to whom the care of our earlieft days was com- 
 mitted, from fome falfe ideas, which they had 
 imbibed in their youth, and from other illulions 
 which they had created themfelves : prejudices 
 of country, taken from t-be genius of the people 
 among whom we have lived, and, fo to fpeak, 
 from the very air we have breathed : prejudices 
 of religion, taken from our catechifts, from the 
 divines we have confulted, from the paftors by 
 whom we have bten direcled, from the feci we 
 have embraced : prejudices of friendship, taken 
 from the connections we have had, and the com- 
 pany we have kept : prejudices of trade and pro- 
 feffion, taken from the mechanical arts we have 
 followed, or the abftrac\ fciences we have ftudi- 
 ed : prejudices of fortune, taken from the con- 
 dition of life in which we have been, either among 
 the noble or the po>r. This is only a fmall 
 part of the canals, by which error is conveyed to 
 us. What efforts muft a man make, what pain? 
 X muft
 
 s6a Christiiito Heroism. 
 
 rnurt he take with himfelf, to preferve himfelf 
 from contagion, to hold his i'oul perpetually in 
 equilibrium, to keep all the gates of error fliut, 
 and inceffantly to maintain, amidft fo many 
 prejudices, that freedom of judgment, which 
 weighs argument againll objection, objection 
 againtt argument, which deliberately examines 
 all that can be advanced in favor of a propor- 
 tion, and all that can be faid againft it, which 
 confiders an object in every point of view, and 
 which makes us determine only as we are con- 
 tained by the irrefiftible authority, and by the 
 fcft violence of truth, demonftration, and evi- 
 dence ? 
 
 As the men, who furroond us, fafcinate u; by 
 their errors, fo they decoy us into vice by their 
 example. In all places, and in all ages, virtue 
 had fewer partisans than vice i in aH ages and 
 in all places, the friends of virtue were fo few in 
 comparifon of the partisans of vice, that the 
 faints complained, that the earth was not inhab- 
 ited by men of the firft kind, and that the whole 
 world was occupied by the latter, " the godly 
 man ceafeth ; the faithful fail from among the 
 -children of men. The Lord looked down from 
 heaven upon thechildren of men ; to fee if there 
 were any that did underftand, and feek God. 
 They are all gone afide, they are altogether be- 
 come filthy : there is none that doeth good, no 
 not one," Pfal. xii. 1. and xiv. 2, 3. An exag- 
 geration of the prophet, 1 grant, but an exag- 
 geration for which the univerfality of human 
 depravity hath given too much occafion. Caft 
 your eyes attentively on fociety, you will be, as 
 cur prophet was, aftonilhed at the great number 
 of the partizans of vice ; you will be troubled, 
 as he was, to diftinguifli in the crowd any friends 
 of virtue ; and you will find yourfelf inclined to 
 fay, as he faid, there is none that doetb good, tie 
 cjs: one* 
 
 But
 
 Christian Heroism* 26$ 
 
 :t liow difficult is it to refift example, and 
 to rule the spirit among fuch a number of ty- 
 rants, who aim only to enllave it ! In order to 
 rellft example, we muft inceffantly oppofe thofe 
 natural inclinations, which urge us to imitation. 
 To refill example, we muft not luffer ourlelvea 
 to be dazzled either with the number, or the 
 fplendor of fuch as have placed -vice on a throne. 
 To re II ft example, we muft brave perlecution, nnd 
 all the inconveniences, to which worldly people 
 never fail to expofe them, who refufe to follow 
 them down the precipice. To refift example, we 
 muft love virtue for virtue's fake. To refift tx- 
 ample, we muft tranfport onrfelves into another 
 world, imagine ourfelves among thofe holy focie- 
 ties, who furround the throne of a holy God, 
 who make his excellencies the continual mattt r 
 of their adoration and homage, ar.d who fly tc 
 the firft fignal of his hand, the firft breath of bis 
 mouth. What a work, what a difficult work tor 
 you, poor mortal, whole eyes are always turned 
 toward the earth, and whom your own involunta- 
 ry and ir. Surmountable weight inceffantly carrier 
 - nward ! 
 
 3. Finally, we muft acknowledge what ! 
 B and rtfulance, the difpofition, of which 
 D {peaks, requires, if we confider man in rr- 
 gurd to the habits which he hath contract, 
 loon as we enter into the world, we find ouriVlves 
 impeHcd by our natural propenfities, ftunued with 
 xht din of our pafiions, -and, as I juft now faid. 
 {'educed by the errors, and carried away by the 
 examples, of our companions. Seldom in the firft 
 years of life, d we furmount that natural bins, 
 and that power of example, which imptl us to 
 falfe hood and (In. Moft men have done more 
 ac\s of vice than of virtue, consequently, in the 
 courfe of h certain number of years,, we contrib- 
 ute by our way of living to join to the depr.ivity 
 of nature that which comes from exercife and ha- 
 bit.
 
 264 Christian Heroism. 
 
 bit. A mafl, -who would rule bis spirit, is then 
 required to eradicate the habits which have taken 
 poirefiion of hirt!. What a talk ! 
 
 What a tafk, wfeen we endeavor to prevent the 
 return of idea?, which for many years our minds 
 have revolved ! What a tafk, to defend one's 
 it If from a paffion which knows all the avenues 
 of the minci, and how to facilitate accefs by njeans 
 of the body ! What a talk, to turn away from 
 the flstterirrg images, and feducing folicitations 
 of concupifcence long accuflomed to gratifica- 
 tion ! What a talk, when we are obliged to 
 make the greatest efforts in the weakeft part of 
 life, and to fubdue an enemy, whom we have 
 been always ufed to confider as unconquerable, 
 and whom we never durft attack, when he had no 
 other arms than what we chofe to give him, anfl 
 enjoyed no other advantages than fuch as we 
 thought proper to allow i Such labor, fuch pains 
 and conflraint, mii'ft he experience, who acquires 
 the art of ruling his spirit ! Now then, as we 
 have explained this difpofition of mind, let us af- 
 figri the place which is due to him who hath it, 
 .Having given an idea of real heroifm, we muft 
 ditplav the grandeur of ;r, and prove the propo- 
 rtion in my text, He that rvitlk his spirit^ is 
 better than be that taketh a city. 
 
 II. For this pnrpofe, it ir not neceffary to 
 obftrve, that, by him that taketb a city, Solomon 
 does not mean a man, who from principles of vir- 
 tue, to defend hi3 country and religion, hizards 
 bis life and liberty in a jnfi war : in th'13 view, 
 he that taketb a citj, and be that ruleth bis spirit, 
 15 one and the fame man. Solomon intends con. 
 qneror<;, who live, if I may expvefs myfelf fo, 
 upon victories and rorquefls ; he intends heroes, 
 fuch as the world ennfiders them. 
 
 Neither is it neceffary precifely to fix the bounds 
 of this general expreffion, is better. He that 
 ruleth bis spirit, is better than be that taketh a 
 
 citj/s
 
 Christian Heroism* 265 
 
 city. The fenfe is eafily underftood : in genera!, 
 it fignifies, that he that ruleth bis spirit, difcov- 
 ers more fortitude, more magnanimity, and more 
 courage, that he hath more juft ideas of glory, 
 and is more worthy of elleem and praife, than they 
 who are called in the world conquerors and he- 
 roe?. 
 
 will provethis propofition by comparing 
 the hero of the world with the chriftian hero, and 
 we will confine the comparifon to four articles : 
 Firft, the motives which animate them : fecond- 
 ly, the exploits they perform : thirdly, the ene- 
 mies they attack : and laftly, the rewards they* 
 obtain. He that taketb a city, is animated with 
 motives mean and worldly, which degrade an in- 
 telligent foul, even while they feem to elevate it 
 to a pinnacle of grandeur and glory : but be that 
 ruleth his spirit, is animated by motives grand, 
 noble and fublime, every way fuitecl to the excel- 
 lence of our nature.. He that ruletb bis spirit, 
 is capable of all the exploits of him that taketb a 
 city : but be that takefh a city, is not capable of 
 the exploits cf him that ruletb bis spirit. He 
 that taketb a city, attacks an exterior enemy, to 
 whom he hath-no attachment : but he that ruletb 
 his spirit, attacks an enemy who is dear to him, 
 and hath the greatnefs of foul to turn his arm; 
 againfl bimfclf. In fine, be that taketb a city, 
 h crowned only by idiots, who have no jolt na- 
 tions of ^randeiir and heroifm : but be that ruleth 
 bis spirity will l>e crowned with the hands of the 
 oi.ly juil appraifer, and difpenfer of glory, 
 are four titles of fuperiority, which the chrilli.m 
 hero hath over the falie hero : four fources of 
 proofs to eflabiifh the propofition in our text, He 
 ruletb bis spirit, is better than be thai tak- 
 etl: a city. 
 
 1. Let us confidcr the motives,\>h\ch animate a 
 conqueror that taketb a city, and the motive 
 which animate a man that obtains rul 
 X 2
 
 266 'Christian Heroism. 
 
 spirit : the motives of toe true hero, with thr 
 n.otives of the Falfe hero. What are the motives 
 of a falfe hero ? What fpirit animates him, when 
 he undertakes to conquer a city ? This is one of 
 the queftions which fmful portions have moft ob- 
 fcuted. Truth is difguifed in epiftles dedicatoiy, 
 and in profane eulogiums, yea fome times in relig- 
 ious difcourfes. The majefty of a victorious 
 general, the glory of a conqueror, the pompous 
 titles of vi&or, nrbiter of peace, arbiter of war, 
 have fo dazzled us, and in fome fort fo perverted 
 the powers of our foul, that we cannot form juft 
 notions of this fubjeft. Hear pure nature, for- 
 merly fpeaking by the mouth of a nation, who 
 were the more wife for not being civilized by the 
 injuftice of our laws and cuftoros. I fpeak of the 
 ancient Scythians. The mofl famous taker of ci- 
 ties came to their cabins and caverns. He had 
 already fubdaed his fellow citizens and neigh- 
 bors. Already Thebes and Athens, Thrace and 
 ThefTnly, had fubmitted to his arms. Already, 
 Greece being too fmall a fphere of action for him, 
 he had penetrated even into Perfia, pafTed the 
 famous Phrygian river, where he flew fix hun- 
 dred thoufand men, reduced Caria and Judea, 
 made war with Darius and conquered him, per- 
 formed exploits more than human, and in fpite 
 of nature, befieged and took Tyre, the moft 
 famous fiege recorded in ancient hiftory, Cubju- 
 gated the Mardi and Baclrian?, attained the 
 mountains Caucafus and Oxus, and, in a word, 
 conquered more countries, and enflaved more 
 people, than we can defcribe, or even mention 
 within the limits allotted to this exercife. This 
 man arrives in Scythia. The Scythians fe-nt 
 deputies to him, who thus addrefied him. " Had 
 the gods given you a body proportioned to your 
 ambition, the whole univerfe would have been 
 too little for you : with one hand you will 
 have touched' the eaft, and with the other the 
 
 weft,
 
 Christian Heroism. 267 
 
 weil, and, not content with this, you would have 
 followed the fun, and have feen where he hides 
 himfcll'. Whatever yon are, you are afpiring at 
 what you can never obtain. From Europe you 
 run into Afia : and from Afia back you run 
 again into Europe, and having enflaved all man- 
 kind, you attack rivers, and forefls, and wild 
 beads. What have you to do with us ? We 
 have never let foot in your country. May not 
 a people, living in a delert, be allowed to be ig. 
 norant of who you are, and whence you come ? 
 You boaft of having exterminated robbers, and 
 you yourfelf are the greatest robber in the worlcL 
 You have pillaged and plundered all nations, and 
 now you come to rob us of our cattle. It is in 
 viin to fill your hands, for you are always in 
 fearch of frefh prey. Of what ufe are your 
 boundlefs riches, except to irritate your eternal 
 thirfl ? You are the fnft man, who ever experi- 
 enced fuch extreme want in the midft of fuch 
 abundance. All you have, ferves only to make 
 you defire with more fury what you have not. 
 If you be a God, do good to mankind : but if 
 yon be only an infignificant mortal, think of 
 what you are, and remember, that it is a great 
 folly to occupy things, which make us forget 
 ourfelves."* Thefe are the motives, which ani- 
 mate the heroes of the world ; thefe are the fen- 
 timents, which are difguifed under the fine names 
 of glory, valor, greatnefs of ibul, heroifm. An 
 insatiable avidity of riches, an invincible pride, 
 a boundlefs ambition, a total forgetl'ulnefs of 
 what i*, what ought to be, and what muft be 
 hereafter. 
 
 The motives of him, whoi endeavors to render 
 himfelf mafter of his own heart, are love of or* 
 der, defire of freedom from the flavery of the 
 paffions, a noble firmnefs of foul, which admits 
 
 oniy 
 
 Quietus Curtius, lib. vii. chap. 8.
 
 &S% Christian Heroism* 
 
 only what appears true, and loves only what ap. 
 pears lovely, after fober and ferious difty {n>>n. 
 In this firfl: view, then, the advantage is wholly 
 in favor of him, that ruleth bis spirit, is oettsr 
 than be, that taktlb a city. 
 
 2. Compare, in the kcond place, the exploits 
 of him that ruleth his spirit, with the exploits 
 of him, that taketb a city. He, who is capable 
 of ruling his spirit, is capable of all that is great 
 and noble in him, that takcth a city ; but b&, 
 that taketb a city, is not capable of all that is 
 great and magnanimous in bim, that ruhtb.hif 
 spirit, I will explain my ft If. 
 
 What is there great and magnanimous in a 
 hero that taketb a city ? Patience to endure 
 fatigue, to fnnnount difficulties, to fuffer contra- 
 diction ;. intrepidity in the mod frightful dan- 
 gers : prefence of mind in the moft violent and 
 painful exercifes : unfhaken ftrmnefs in fight 
 of a near and terrible difiolution. Thefe are dif- 
 pofitions of mind, 1 grant, which feem to elevate 
 man ahoye .humanity :. but a chridian hero is 
 capable of all this, I ipeak tincerely, and without 
 a figure. A man, who hath obtained a religious 
 freedom of mind, who always preferves this 
 liberty, who always weighs good and evil, who 
 believes only what is true, and does only, what is 
 right ; who hath always his eye upon his duty, 
 or, a3 the pfalmift expnflrth it, who sets the 
 Lord always before bim, fuch a man is capable, 
 literally caoable, of all you admire in a worldly 
 hero. No difficulty discourages him, no contra- 
 diction, difconcerts him, no fatigue flops him, no 
 dangers affright him, no pain But he can bear, no 
 appearanee of death fliocks him into paienefs, 
 and fear, and flight. Our women and children, 
 our conftffors and martyrs, have literally per- 
 formed greater exploits of fortitude, patience, 
 courage, and conftancy, in convents, prifons, and 
 dungeons, at flakes, and on fcaffolds, than Alex- 
 anders
 
 Christian Heroism. 269 
 
 antlers and Cxfars in all their lives. And where 
 is the hero of this world, who hath performed Co 
 many actions of courage and magnanimity in 
 fieges and battles, as our confeflors have for thir- 
 ty years cm board the gallies ? The former 
 were fupported by the prefence of tboufands of 
 witnefles : the latter had no fpectators but God, 
 and their own confciences. The chriftian hero 
 is capable then of all that is great in the hero of 
 the world. But the worldly hero is incapable of 
 performing fuch exploits as the chriftian hero 
 performs ; and he knows perfectly, that his hero- 
 ifm doth not conduct him fo far in the path of 
 glory. Try the Hrength of a worldly hero. Set 
 him to contend with a paflion. You will foon 
 find this man, invincible before, fubdued into 
 flnvery and fhame. He, who was firm and fear- 
 lefs in fight of fire and flame, at the found of 
 warlike inftruments, becomes feeble, mean, and 
 enervated, by a feducing and enchanting object. 
 Sampfon defeats the Philiftines : but Dalilah fub- 
 dues Sampfon. Sampfon carries away the gates 
 cf Gaza : but Sampfon finks under the weight 
 of his own fenfuality. Hercules feeks highway 
 robbers to combat, and monflers to fubdue : but 
 he cannot refill impurity. We find him on mon- 
 uments of antiquity carrying an infant on his 
 /boulders, an emblem of roluptuoufnefs, (looping 
 under that unworthy burden, and letting his club*- 
 fall from his hand. There is, therefore, no dec- 
 lamation, no hyperbole in our propofition : the 
 chriftian hero is capable of performing all the 
 great actions performed by the hero of the world i 
 but the hero of the world is incapable of per- 
 forming fuch noble actions as the chr'rftian lu-ro 
 performs ; and in this refpect, be, that ruletb bis 
 spirit, isbtttcr than be, that taketb a city. 
 
 3. Compare him, tbat taketb a city, ivitb 
 him that ruletb his spirit, in rrgard to the ene- 
 mies, whom they attack, and you will find in- the 
 
 latter
 
 2JQ Christian Heroism, 
 
 letter a third title of fuperiority over the former* 
 lfe<, that iakelb a. eiiyi, attacks an exterior ene- 
 my, who is a ftranger, and often odious to him. 
 The ambition, that fills his foul, leaves no room 
 for compaffion and pity ; and, provided he can 
 bin obtain his end; no matter to him though 
 the way be ftrewed with the dying and the dead, 
 to obtain that, he travels over mountains of 
 heads, and arms, and carcafes. The tumultu- 
 ous paffions, which tyrannize over him, ftifie the 
 voice of nature, and deafen him to the cries of 
 a thoufand miserable wretches facri&ced to his 
 fame. 
 
 The enemy, whom the chriftian combats, is 
 his own heart : .-for be is required to turn his 
 arms againft himfelf. He muft'fuipend all fenti- 
 ments of ielf-love ; he mult become his own ex- 
 ecutioner, and* to uft the ideas and expreffions of 
 Jefus Chrift^ he mull actually deny himself. 
 
 Jefus Chiift well knew mankind. He did not- 
 preach like fome preaching novices, who, in or- 
 der to incline their hearers to fubJue their pai- 
 fronsj propofe the work to them as. free from dif- 
 ficulty. Jefus Ghrift did not difguife thedifficul-' 
 ties, which the man nuift undergo, who puts on 
 the fpirk of chnftianity : and I do not know 
 whether we meet with any. expreffion in the 
 writings of pagan poets or philofophers, more 
 natural, and at the fame time more emphaticsl 
 than this r If any man tvill come after me, let 
 deny himself Matt. xvi. 24. 
 
 Not that this is fit? rally practicable, not that 
 man can put off himfelf, not that religion re- 
 quires us to facrifice to it what makes the ef- 
 fence arod happinefs of our nature : on the con- 
 trary, frri&ly fpeaking, it is fin, which makes us 
 put off or deny what is great and noble in our 
 effence ; it is fin, which requires us to facr4fi.ee 
 our true happinefs to it. If Jefus Ghrift ex- 
 preffes himfeif id this manner, it is becaufc, when 
 
 roan
 
 'Christian Heroism. ayi 
 
 K\ln is poffeffed with a paffion, it is incorporated, 
 as it were, with himfelf ; it feems-to him elfen- 
 tial to his felicity ; every thing troubles, and 
 every thing puts him on the rack, . 'ien he can- 
 not gratify it ; without gratifying his paffion, 
 his food bath no talte, flowers no finell, pleai'uies 
 no p.iint, the fun is dark, fociety difagreeabie, 
 life itfelf hath no charms. To attack a reign- 
 ing paffion is to deny self ; and here is the pa- 
 tience of the saints ; this is the enemy, whom 
 the chrrftian attacks; this is the war, which he 
 "wageth. How tremulous and weak is the hand, 
 when it toucheth a {"word to be plunged into 
 one's own bofom ! Love of order, truth, and 
 virtue, lupport a chriftian hero in this almoft 
 defperate undertaking. 
 
 4. In fine, compare him, thai rulctb his spir- 
 it, with him that taketh a city, in regard to the 
 acclamations with which they are accompanied, 
 and the crowns prepared for them. Who are the 
 authors of thofe acclamations, with which the 
 air refounds the praife of worldly heroes ? They 
 are courtiers, poets, panegyriffo. But what 1 are 
 people of this order the only perfons, who enter- 
 tain juft notions of glory ; and, if they be, are 
 they generous enough to fpeak out ? How can 
 a foul wholly devoted to the will and caprice of 
 a conqueror ; how can a venal creature, who 
 makes a market of eulogiums and praifes, which, 
 he fells to the higheft bidder ; how can a brutal 
 foldiery determine what is worthy of praife or 
 blame ? li it for fuch people to diftribute prizes 
 of glory, and to affign heroes their rank ? To be 
 exalted by people cf this fort is a fhame ; to be 
 crowned by their hands an infamy. 
 
 Elevate, elevue thy meditation, chrifiian foul, 
 rife into the Majelty of the Great Supreme. 
 Think of that fublime Intelligence, who unites 
 in his efTence every thing noble and fublime. 
 Contemplate Go4, i'urrounded with angels and 
 
 archangels,
 
 &j 2 Christian Heroism, 
 
 archangels, cherubims and feraphims. Hear the 
 concerts, which happy fpirits perform to his glo- 
 ry. Hear them penetrated, raviflied, charmed 
 with the divine beauties, crying night and day, 
 "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hods, the 
 whole earth is full of his glory. BleUing and 
 glory, wifdom, and thankfgiving, honor and pow- 
 er and might be unto our God for ever and ever. 
 Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God 
 Almighty ; juft and true are thy ways, thou 
 King of faints. Who fhall not fear thee, O 
 Lord, and glorify thy name ?" This being, fo 
 perfect, this being, fo worthily praifed, this being, 
 fo worthy of everlafting praife, this is he, who 
 will pronounce upon true glory ; this is be, who 
 will compofe the eulogium of all who afpire at 
 it ; this is he, who will one day praife in the 
 face of heaven and earth, all thofe, who fhall 
 have made the noble -conquefts, which we have 
 'been, defcribing. 
 
 'Imagination finks under the weight of this 
 ft.bjecl, and this object is too bright for eyes 
 like ours : but the nature of things doth not 
 depend on our faculty of feeing them. As God 
 calls us to combats more than human, fo he fees 
 fie to fupport us by a profpedt of more than hu- 
 man rewards. Yes, it is the Supreme Being, it 
 is he, who will one day distribute the praifes, 
 which are due to fuch as have triumphed over 
 themfelves. What a fpeftacle I what a prof- 
 peel ! Yes, chiiftian champion, after thou haft 
 refifled flefh and blood, after thou haft been treat- 
 ed as a fool by mankind, after thou haft run the 
 race of tribulation, after thou haft made thy life 
 one peipttual martyrdom, thou fhalt be called 
 forth in the prefence of men and angels, the 
 mafter of the world fhall feparate thee from the 
 crowd ; there he will addrefs to thee this lan- 
 guage, Well clone, good and faithful servant ; 
 there he will accomplilh the promife, which he 
 
 this
 
 Christian Heroism. tj$ 
 
 this day makes to all who fight under his ftand- 
 ard, be that overcometb shall sit down in my 
 throne. Ah I glory of worldly heroes ; profane 
 encomiums ; faftidious inferiptions ; proud tro- 
 phies ; brilliant but corruptible diadems ; what 
 are you in comparifon with the acclamations 
 which await the chriftian hero, and the crowns 
 which Gcd, the re.warcler, prepares fcr him. 
 
 And you, mean and timid fouls, who perhaps 
 admire thefe triumphs, but who have not the am- 
 bition to ftrive to obtain them ; you foft and in- 
 dolent fpirits, who, without reluctance, give up 
 all pretentions to the immortal crown, which 
 God prepares for heroifir, provided he require no 
 account of your indolence and effeminacy, and 
 fufrer you, like brute beafls, to fellow the firft 
 inftincts of ycur nature ; undeceive yourfeives. 
 I faid at the beginning, you are all called to 
 heroifm ; there is no midway in religion ; you 
 muft be covered with flume and infamy along 
 with the bafe and timid, or crowned with glory 
 in company with heroes. The duty of an in- 
 telligent foul is to adhere to truth, and to fol- 
 low virtue ; we bring into the "world with us ob- 
 ItacTes to both ; our duty is to furmount them ; 
 without ;his we betray our trull ; we do not an- 
 fwer the end of our creation ; we are guilty, and 
 we (hall be punifhed for not endeavortng to ob- 
 tain the great end for which we are created. 
 
 Let this be the great principle of our divinity 
 and morality. Let us invariably retain it. Let 
 us not lol'e ourfelves in difcuflions and refearches 
 into the origin of evil, and into the permiilini of 
 the entrance of fin into the world. Let us not 
 bury ourfrlvcs alive in (peculations and laby- 
 rinths ; let us not plunge into abyflVs, from 
 which no pains can dif;tigagc us. Let us fear an 
 ocean full of rocks, and let an idea p f the fhip- 
 wrecks, which fo many rafh people have made, 
 flop us on the fhore. Let us confider thefe qoef- 
 Y tioui
 
 74 Christian Heroism. 
 
 lions lefs with a view to di (cover the perfections 
 cf the Creator in the thick dmkncfs, under 
 which he hath thought proper to conceal them, 
 than in that of learning the obligations of a 
 creature. 1 do not mean to decry thofe great 
 geniufes, who have treated of this profound fub- 
 jet. Their works do honor to the human 
 jnind. They are eternal monuments to the gloty 
 of a reafon, which knows how to collect its 
 force, and tofixitfelf on a fingle object ; but, it 
 is always certain, that we cannot arrive at clear 
 Truth on this fubjett, except by means of thou- 
 iands of diftin&ions and abftrattions, which mod 
 of us cannot make. This fubjeft is fo delicate 
 and refined, that moil eyes are incapable of fee- 
 ing it, and it is placed on an eminence fo fteep 
 and inacceflible, that few geninfes can attain it. 
 
 Let us religioufly abide by our principle. 
 The duty of an intelligent foul is to adhere to 
 truth, and to pracYife virtue : We are born with 
 a difincliuation to both. Our duty is to get rid 
 of this, and without doing fo we neglect the ob- 
 ligation of an intelligent foul, we do not anfwer 
 the end, for which we were intended, we are 
 guilty, and we (hall be punifhed for not having 
 anfwered the end of our creation. 
 
 Let us confider ourfelves as foldiers placed 
 round a befieged city, and having fuch or fuch an 
 enemy to fight, fuch or fuch a poll to force. 
 You, you are naturally fubjett to violence and 
 anger. It is fad to find in one's own conflitu- 
 tion an oppofition to virtues fo lovely as thofe of 
 fbumiflion, charity, fweetnefs, and patience. 
 Groan under this evil : but do not defpair ; when 
 you are judged, lefs attention will be paid to 
 your natural indifpofition to thefe virtues than to 
 the efforts, which you made to get rid of it. To 
 this point direft all your attention, and your 
 ftrength, and all your courage. Say to yourfelf, 
 ihis is the pod, which my general intends I 
 
 frouid
 
 Christian Heroism* 275* 
 
 ihould force ; this is the enemy I am to fight 
 with. And be you fnlly convinced, that one of 
 the principal views, which God hath in preferv- 
 ing your life, is, that you mould render yourfelf 
 mailer of this paflion. You, you are naturally 
 difpofed to be proud. The moment you leave 
 your mind to its natural bias, it turns to fuch 
 objects as feem the mod fit to give you high 
 ideas of yourfelf, to your penetration, your mem- 
 ory, your imagination, and even to exterior ad- 
 vantages, which vanity generally incorporates 
 with the perlbn who enjoys them. It is melan- 
 choly to find within yourfelf any feeds of an in- 
 clination, which fo ill agree with creatures vile 
 and miferable as men. Lament this misfortune: 
 but do not defpair ; to this fide turn all your 
 attention and all your courage and ftrengtru 
 Say to yourfelf, this is the poll, which my genenii 
 would have me force ; this is the enemy, whom 
 he hath appointed me to oppofe. And be fully 
 convinced, that one of the principal views of 
 God, in continuing you in this world, is, that" 
 you may refill this paflion, and make yourfelf 
 mailer of it. 
 
 Let us, all together, my brethren, endeavor to 
 rule our own fpirits. Let us not be difmayed at 
 the greatnefs of the work, becaufe greater is he 
 that is in us, than be that is in the world. 
 Grace comes to the aid of nature. Prayer ac- 
 quires (Irength by exercife. The paflions, after 
 having been tyrants, become flave3 in their turn. 
 The danger and pain of battle vanim, when the 
 eye gets fight of conquefl. How inconceivably 
 beautiful is victory then I God grant we may 
 obtain it ! To him be honor and glory for ever ; 
 Amen. 
 
 SERMON"
 
 o 
 
 SERMON XL 
 
 GENERAL MISTAKES, 
 
 Romans xii. 2. 
 
 Be not conformed to this world. 
 
 'F all the difcourfes delivered in this pul- 
 pit, thofe, which deferve the greateft deference, 
 and ufually obtain the leaft, are fuch as treat of 
 general miftakes. What fubje&s require greater 
 deference? Our defign in treating of them is to 
 diffipate thofe illufions, with which the whole 
 world is familiar, which are authorized by the 
 multitude, and which, like epidemical difeafes, 
 inflicted fometimes by proridence on public 
 bodies, involve the ftale, the church, and indi- 
 viduals. Yet, are any difcourfes lefs refpected 
 than fuch as thefe ? To attack general miftakes, 
 is, to excite the difpleafure of all who favor 
 them, todifguft a whole auditory, and to acquire 
 the moft odious of all titles, I mean that of pub- 
 lic cenfor. A preacher is then obliged to choofe, 
 either never to attack fuch miftakes as the multi- 
 tude think fit to authorize, or to renounce the 
 advantages, which he may promife bimfelf, if he 
 adapt his fubjefts to the tafie of his auditors, 
 and touch their diforders only fo far as to accom- 
 modate their crimes to their conferences. 
 
 Let us not btfitate what part to take. St. 
 Paul determines us by his example. I am going 
 to-day, in imitation of this apoftle, to guard you 
 againft the rocks, where the many are fhipwreck- 
 ed. He exhorts us, in the words of the text, not 
 to take the world for a model ; the world, that 
 is, the crowd, the multitude, fociety at large. 
 But what fociety hath he in view ? Is it that 
 of ancient Rome, which he defcribes as extreme- 
 ly
 
 General Mistakes, 277* 
 
 ]y depraved in the beginning of this epiftle ? 
 Does he fay nothing of our world, our cities and 
 provinces ?' We are going to examine this, and 
 1 fear I fhall be able to prove to you, that our 
 multitude is a dangerous guide to fhew us the 
 way to braven ; and, to confine ourfelves to a 
 few articles, I fhall prove that they are bad guides 
 to direct us, firfr, in regard to faith ; fecondly, 
 in regard to the worfhip which God requires of 
 us ; thirdly, in regard to morality ; and tartly, 
 in regard to the hour of death. In thefe four- 
 views I fliall enforce the words of my text, Be 
 not conformed to this world* This is the whole- 
 plan of this difcourfe. 
 
 I. The multitude is a bad guide to direct our 
 faith. We will not introduce here the famous 
 controverfy on this queflion, whether a great 
 number form a preemption in favor of any re- 
 ligion, or whether nniverfality be a certain evi- 
 dence of the true chriftian church ? How often 
 has this queftion been debated and determined ! 
 How often have we proved againfl one communi- 
 ty, which difplays the number of its profeffors 
 with fo much parade, that, if the pretence were 
 well founded, it would operate in favor of pagan- 
 ifm, for pagans were always more numerous than 
 chriftians ! How often have we told them, that 
 in divers periods of the ancient church, idolatry 
 and idolaters have been enthroned in both the 
 kingdoms of Judah and Ifrael ! How often have 
 we alledged, that in the time of Jefus Chrifl, 
 the church ws defcribed as a Utile fleck, Luke 
 xii. 32. that heathens and Jews were all in 
 league againfl chriftianity at firfl, and that the 
 gofpel had only a fmall number of difciples ! 
 How often have we retorted, that for whole cen- 
 turies, there was no trace, no fhadow, of the 
 opinions of modern Rome ! But we will not ap- 
 ply ourfelves to this controverfy to-day, by fix- 
 ing your attention on the fophifms of foreig. 
 Y 2 perl.
 
 278 
 
 General Mistakes. 
 
 perhaps we might divert your eyes from your 
 own ; by {hewing you our triumphs over the 
 vain attacks made on us fey the enemies of the 
 reformation, perhaps we might turn away your 
 attention from other more dangerous wounds, 
 which the reformed themfelves aim at the heart 
 of rtligioa. When I fay the multitude is a bad 
 guide in matters of faith, I mean, that the man- 
 ner, in which moft men adhere to truth, is not by 
 principles, which ought to attach them to it, but 
 by a fpiritof negligence and prejudice, 
 
 Ic is no fmall work to examine the truth, 
 when we arrive at an age capable of difcuilion. 
 The fundamental points of religion, I grant, lie 
 in the fcriptures dear and perfpicuous, and with- 
 in the comprel'.enGon of all who chufe to attend 
 to them : bur when we pafs from infancy to 
 manhood, and arrive at an age in which realbn 
 teems mature, we find ourfelves covered with - 
 veil, which either hides ohir&s from us, or dif- 
 figures them. The public difcourfes we have 
 heard in favor of the fe&, in which we weri 
 educated, the inveterate hatred we have for ail 
 others, w-ho hold principles oppofite to ours, the 
 frightful portraits that are drawn before our 
 eyes, of the perils we mud encounter, if we de- 
 part from, the way we have been brought up in^ 
 the im pre (lions made upon us by the examples 
 and decisions of our parents, and mailers, and 
 teachers, the bad t;ide of thole, who had the care 
 of our education, and who prevented our acquir- 
 ing that moft noble difpofition, witboot which it 
 is impoffible ever to be a true philcfopher, or a 
 real chriftian, I mean, that of fufpending our 
 judgment on fubjects not fufficiently proved : 
 from all this ar;fe clouds, that render the truth 
 inacceflible, and whi&h the world cannot diflipate. 
 We do not fay, that natural talents cr fupernat- 
 ural a (lift a nee are wanting ; we are fully con- 
 vinced that God will never give up to final error,. 
 
 any
 
 General Mistakes. 279 
 
 any roan who does all in his power to wnderftand 
 the truth. But the world are incapable of this 
 work. Why ? Bccaufe all the world, except a 
 few, hate labor and meditation in regard to the 
 fubjed\s, which refpedl another life : becaufe all 
 the world would choofe rather to attach them- 
 felves to what regards their temporal interefts, 
 than to the great intereft of eternal happinefs : 
 bccaufe all the world like better to fuppofe the 
 principles imbibed in their childhood true, than 
 to iropofe on therofilves the tafk of weighing 
 them anew in the balance of a found and fevere 
 reafon : becaufe all the world have an invinci- 
 ble averfion to fuppofe, that when they are ar- 
 rived at manhood, they have almoft loft their 
 time in fome refpecAs, and that when they leave 
 fchool they begin to be capable of inftruction. 
 
 If the nature of the thing cannot convince 
 you, that the multitude continue through negli- 
 gence in the profeflion of that religion, in which 
 tl,cy were born, expfrience may here fupply the 
 pi-ice cf r^afoning. There is an infinite variety 
 of geniufes among mankind. Propofe to an af~ 
 fembly a queftion, that no fyftem hath yet decid- 
 ed, and you will find, as it is ufually faid, as many 
 opinions as heads. 
 
 It is certain, if mankind were attached to a 
 religion only becaufe they had ftudied it, wc 
 fhould find a great number of people forfake that, 
 in which they had been brought up, for it is im- 
 podible, that a whole fociety fhould unite in one 
 point of error, or rather, it i* clear to a demon- 
 stration, that as truth hath certain characters 
 fuperior to falfehood, the temples of idols would 
 be inftantly deferted, erroneous fedls would be 
 foon abandoned, the religion of Jefus Chrift, the 
 only one worthy of being embraced, the only 
 one that deferves difciples, would be the only 
 one embraced, and would alone be received by 
 all fincere difciples of truth. 
 
 Do
 
 *9o General Mistakes. 
 
 Do not think, my brethren, that this refle&ion 
 concerning that fpirit of negligence, which re- 
 tains moft men in a profeffion of their own re- 
 ligion, regards only fuch communions as lay down 
 their own infallibility for a fundamental article 
 of faith, and which prefcribe ignorance and blind 
 fubmiflion as a firft principle to their partizans, 
 for it is but too eafy to prove, that the fame fpir- 
 it of negligence reigns in all communities. 
 Hence it comes to pafs, that in general fo few 
 cbriftians can render a reafon for their faith. 
 Hence it is that people are ufually better furnifh- 
 ed with arguments to oppofe fuch focieties as fur- 
 round them, than with thofe, which eftablifh the 
 fundamental truths of chriftianity. If then you 
 follow the dire&ion of the multitude in the ftudy 
 of religion, you will be conducted by a fpirit of 
 negligence, prejudice will be held for proof, edu- 
 cation for argument, and the decifions of your 
 parents and teachers for infallible, oracles of 
 truth. 
 
 II. The multitude is a bad guide in regard to i 
 that ivorship, which God requireth of us, they 
 defile it with a fpirit of fuperftition. Superfti- 
 tion b adifpofnion of mind, that inclines us to 
 regulate all parts of divine worfhip, not by juft' 
 notions of the Supreme Being, nor by his rela- 
 tions to us, nor by what he has condefcended to 
 reveal, but by our own fancies. A fuperftitious 
 man entertains fantaftical ideas of God, and ren- 
 ders to him capricious worfhip ; he not unfre- 
 quently takes himfelf for a model of God ; he 
 thinks., that what mod refembles himfelf, howev- 
 er mean and contemptible, approaches neareft to 
 perfection. We affirm, this difpofition is ahnofl 
 univerfbl. 
 
 It would be needlefs to prove this to you, my 
 brethren, in regard to erroneous communities. 
 Were fuperftition banifhed from the world, we 
 ihould not fee men, who are made in the image 
 
 of
 
 General Mistakes. 281 
 
 of God, difgrace their nature by proflrating them- 
 felves before idols, and marmofets, fo as to render 
 religious honors to half a block of wood or (lone, 
 the other half of which they apply to the meaneft 
 purpo'fes : we fhould not fee a crowd of idola- 
 ters performing a ceremonial, in which convic- 
 tion of mind hath no part, and which is all ex- 
 ternal and material : we fhould not fee a con- 
 courfe of people receiving with refpett, as the 
 piecious blood' of the Saviour of the world, a 
 few drops of putrified water, which the warmth 
 cf the fun hath produced by fermentation in the 
 trunk of a decayed tree : we fhould not fee pil- 
 grims in proceflion mangling their flefh in the 
 ftreets, dragging along heavy loads, howling in 
 the highways, and taking fuch abfurd practices 
 for that repentance, which breaks the heart, and 
 transforms and renews the life. You will eafily 
 grant all this, for, I have obTerved, it is often 
 lefs difficult to infpire you with horror for thefe 
 practices, than to excite companion in you for 
 fuch as perform them. 
 
 But you ought to be informed, that there are 
 other fuperftitions lefs grofs, and therefore more 
 dangerous. Among us we do not put a worfhip 
 abfolutely foreign to the purpofe in the place of 
 that, which God hath commanded and exemplifi- 
 ed to us ; but we make an eflimate of the feveral 
 parts of true worfhip. Thefe eftimates are regu- 
 lated by opinions formed through prejudice or 
 paffion. What befi agrees with our inclinations 
 we uonfideras the efTence of religion, and what 
 would thwart and condemn them we think cir- 
 eumftantiaL 
 
 We make a fcrople of not attending a fermon, 
 not keeping a feftival, not receiving the Lord's 
 fupper ; but we make none of neglecting to vilit 
 a prifoner, to comfort the fick, or to plead for the 
 oppreffed. We obferve a flric"l decency in our 
 religious affemblies, while our minifkrs addrefi 
 
 prayer
 
 2 2 General Mistakes.- 
 
 prayer to God, but we take no pains to accom- 
 pany him with our minds and hearts, to unite 
 our ejaculations witli his,. to bcfiege the throne 
 of grace. We think it a duty to join our voices 
 withthofe of a whole congregation, and to fill 
 our places of worlhip with the praifes of our Cre- 
 ator ; but we do not think ourfelves obliged to 
 underftand the fenfe of the pi'alm, that is fung 
 with fo much fervor, and, in the language of an 
 apolHe, to sing with understanding, 1 Lor. xiv. 
 15. We lay afide innocent occupations the day 
 before we receive the Lord's fupper, but no foon- 
 er do we return from that ordinance, than we 
 allow the mod criminal pleafu^res, and enter up- 
 on the moft fcandalous intrigues. Who make 
 thefe miftakes, my brethren ? Is it the few ?. 
 Be not conformed to this world, in regard to the 
 worlhip that God requires of you ; the multitude 
 perform it in a fpirit of fuperftition. 
 
 III. Neither are the many a better guide in 
 regard to morality. Here, my brethren, we are 
 going more particularly to defcribe that clafs of 
 mankind, among which we live, and of which we 
 ourfelves are a part. Indeed, the portraits we 
 are going to draw will not be flattering to them, 
 for juflice requires, that we fhould defcribe men 
 as they are, not as they pretend to be. In order 
 to exactnefs, let us conlider them feparately and 
 apart. Firft, in regard to the matters who gov- 
 ern them. Secondly, in regard to the profef- 
 fions, which they exercife. Thirdly, in regard 
 to feme maxims generally received. Fourthly, 
 in regard to the fplendid actions, which they 
 celebrate. And laflly, In regard to certain deci- 
 five occalions, that like touchftones, difcover their 
 principles and motives. 
 
 I. Confider mankind in regard to the masters 
 who govern them. Here I congratulate myfelf 
 on the happinefs of fpeaking to a free people, 
 among whom it is not reputed a crime to praife 
 
 what
 
 General Mistakes. 283 
 
 ^hat is praife-worthy, and to blame what de- 
 fcrvcs blame, and where we may freely trace the 
 characters of fome men, of whom prudence re- 
 quires U3 not to " ipeak evil, no not in thought, 
 no not in the bed chamber, left a bird of the air 
 Ihould carry the voice, and that which hath 
 wings fhould tell the matter," Eccles. x. 20. 
 Is it in the palaces of the great that humility 
 reigns, humility which fo well becomes creatures, 
 who, though crowned and enthroned, are yet in- 
 firm, criminal, dying creatures, and who, in a 
 few days, will become food for worms, yea, per- 
 haps vi&ims in the flames of hell ? Is it in the 
 palaces of the greatjhat uprightnefs, good faith, 
 ai.d fincerity reign, yet without thefe fociety is 
 nothing but a banditti, treaties are only fnares, 
 and laws cobwebs, which, to ufe a well known 
 expreflion, catch only weak infe&s, while the 
 free and carnivorous break through ? Is it in 
 the palaces of the great that gratitude reigns, 
 that lawful tribute due to every motion made 
 to procure our happinefs ? Is it there that the 
 fervices of a faithful fubjecl, the labors of an in- 
 defatigable merchant, the perils of an intrepid 
 foldiery, blood (hed and to be fhed, are eftimated 
 and rewarded? Is it there that the cries of. the 
 wretched are heard, tears of the opprefled wiped 
 away, the claims of truth examined and granted ? 
 Is it in the palaces of the great that benevolence 
 reigns, that benevolence without which a man is 
 only a wild beaft ? Is it there that the young 
 ravens wbicb cry are heard and fed ? Pfal. cxlvii. 
 9. Is it there that they attend to the bitter 
 complaints of an indigent man, ready to die with 
 hunger, and who afks for no more than will juft 
 keep him alive ? Are the palaces of the great, 
 feats of piety and devotion ? Is it there that 
 ichemes are formed for the reformation of man- 
 ners ? Is it there that they are grieved for the 
 affliction of Joseph) Amos vi. 6. and take pleas- 
 ure
 
 2$4 General Mistakes. 
 
 are in the dust and stones of Zian ? Pfal. cii. 14. 
 Is it thrre that we hear the praifes of the Cre- 
 ator,do they celebrate the companion of the Re- 
 deemer of mankind ? 
 
 What ideas are excited in oar minds by the 
 names of fuch as Caligula, Nero, Diorlefian, De- 
 cius, names deteftable in all ages i What ideas 
 could we excite in your minds, were we to 
 weigh in a jufl balance the virtues of fuch heroes 
 as have been rendered famous by the encomiums 
 given them ? You would be aftonifned to fee 
 that tbefe men, who have been called the delights 
 cf mankind, have often deferved execration, and 
 ought to be confidered with horror. But I pur- 
 pofely forbear, and will not put in this lift all 
 that ought to be placed there, that is to fay, all 
 thofe who have had fovereign power, except a 
 very few, who, in comparifon, are next to none, 
 and who are, as it were, loft in the crowd among 
 the reft. And yet the elevation of kiDgs makes 
 their crimes more communicable, and their ex- 
 amples more contagious ; their fins become a 
 filthy vapor infecting the air, and fhedding their 
 malignant influence all over our cities and fami- 
 lies, lightning, and thundering, and difturbing 
 the world. Accordingly, you fee in general, 
 that what the king is in his kingdom, the gov- 
 ernor is in his province j what the governor is 
 in his province, the nobleman is in his domain ; 
 what the nobleman is in his domain, the tnafter 
 is in his family. The multitude is a bad guide, 
 mankind are a dangerous model, confidered in 
 regard to the mafters who govern them. 
 
 2. Confider the many in regard to divers pro- 
 fessions. What is the profeilion of a foldier, 
 particularly of an officer of rank in the army ? It 
 is to defend fociety, to maintain religion, to be a 
 parent to the foldiery, to bnflle the licentioul- 
 nefs of arms, to oppofe power againft injuftice, 
 to derive from all the views of death, that lie 
 
 open
 
 General Mistakes. 285 
 
 open before him, motives to prepare his accounts 
 to produce btfore his judge. But what is the 
 conduct of a foldier ? Is ic not to brave focic- 
 ty ? Is it not to trample upon religion ? Is it 
 not to Cet examples of debauchery,.- licentioof- 
 nefs, and vengeance ? Is it not to let out his 
 abilities, and to faciiGce his life to the rnoft am- 
 bitious defigns, and to the mod bloody enterprises 
 ot princes ? Is ic not to accuftom himfdt to 
 ideas of death and judgment, till he laughs at 
 both, to ftifle all remorfe, and to extirpate all the 
 fears, which fuch objects naturally excite in the 
 confeiences of other men ? 
 
 What is the profclTion of a judge ? It is to 
 have no regard to the appearances of men, it is 
 to be affable to all, who appeal to authority, to 
 ftudy with application the nature of a eaufe, 
 which he is obliged to decide, it is patiently to 
 go through the mod fatiguing details of proofs 
 and objections. Bui what is often the -conduct 
 of a judge ? Is it not to be (truck with the ex- 
 terior difference of two parties appearing before 
 him ? Is it not to be inacceffible to the poor, to 
 invent cruel referves, and intolerable dehys ? Is 
 it not to grovel in ignorance, and to hate ftudy 
 and labor ? 
 
 What is the profefRon of a man learned in the 
 law ? It is to devote his fervice only to truth 
 and judice, to plead only a good caufe, to aflift 
 even thole, who cannot reward his labors. What 
 is the conduct of counfel ? Is it not to fupport 
 both the true and the falfe, and to maintain by 
 turns both juftice and iniquity ? Is it notto 
 adjuft his efforts to his own glory, or to his cli- 
 ent's ability to pay ? 
 
 What is the profeflion of a merchant ? It is 
 to deteft. falfe weights and meafures, to pay his 
 dues, and never to found his fortune on falfe - 
 hood, fraud, and perjury. But what is the con- 
 duct of a merchant ? Is it not to uft- falfe 
 Z weight*
 
 586 General Mistakes, 
 
 weights and meafures ? Is it not to cheat the 
 ilate of its dues ? Is it not to indulge an infa- 
 tiable avidity ? Is it not to enrich himfelf hy 
 telling untruths, by praclifing frauds, by taking 
 falfe oaths ? 
 
 What is the profcifion of a minifter ? It is 
 to devote himfelf wholly to truth and virtue, to 
 fet the whole church an example, to fearch into 
 hofpitals, and cottages, to relieve the miferies of 
 the fick and the poor ; it is to determine himfelf 
 in his ftudies, not by what will acquire him repu- 
 tation for reaming and eloquence, but by what 
 will be moft ufeful to the people, over whom be 
 3s fet ; it is to regulate his choice of fubjects, not 
 by what will make himfelf ftiine, but by what 
 will moft bene6t the people among whom he ex- 
 crcifes his miniftry.; it is to take as much care 
 of a dying perfon in an ofci'cure family, lying on 
 a bed of ftraw, loft in oblivion and lilence, as of 
 him, who, with an illuftiious name, lives amidft 
 iilver and gold, and for whom the mod magnifi- 
 cent and pompous funeral honors will be prepar- 
 ed ; it is to cry aloud, tc lift up bis voice like a 
 trumpet, and shew the people their transgres- 
 sions, and the bouse. of Israel their sins, Ifa. lviii, 
 
 1. Mic. iii. 8. and 2 Cor. v. 16. it is to know 
 no man after the flesh when he afcends the pul- 
 pit, boldly to reprove vice, how eminent foever 
 the feat of it may be. What is the ufual con- 
 duft of a minifter ? O God 1 Enter not into 
 judgment ivitb tby servants, for we cannot an- 
 siver one complaint of a thousand! Pial, cxliii. 
 
 2. Job ix. 3. 
 
 3, Confider the multitude in regard to fome 
 general maxims, which they adopt, and hold as 
 rules and approved axioms. Have you read, in 
 the gofpel, the following maxims ? Charity be- 
 gins at home. Youth is a ti.ne of pleafure. It 
 is allowable to kill time. We fhould not pre- 
 ,terid to be faints. Slander is the fait of conver- 
 
 fation.
 
 General Mistakes. 2Bf 
 
 fation. We mull do as other people do. It is 
 unworthy of a man of honor to put up an af- 
 front. A gentleman ought to avenge himfelf. 
 Ambition is the vice of great fouls. Provided 
 we commit no great crimes, we fufficiently an- 
 fwer our calling. Impurity is an intolerable 
 vice in a woman, but it is pardonable in a man. 
 It would be eafy to enlarge this catalogue. 
 Which of thefe maxims, pray, doth not fap fome 
 of the fir ft principles of the religion of Jefus 
 Chrift ? Yet, which of thefe maxims is not re- 
 ceived in fociety as a fundamental rule of ac- 
 tion, which we mould be accounted fingular and 
 petulant to condemn ? 
 
 I. Confider the multitude in regard to certain 
 actions, on which they lavish praise and iv r ;ic 
 encomiums. We do not mean to fp?ak at pref- 
 ent of fuch crimes as the depravity of the world 
 fometimes celebrates under the notion of heroical 
 actions. Our reflection is of another kind. It 
 is pretty clear, that depravity is general, and pie- 
 ty in the poffeflion of a very few, when perfons 
 of fuperficial knowledge are praifed for the depth 
 of their understanding, and when fuch as perform 
 very fmall and inconfiderable actions of virtue, 
 are confidered as the wonders of the world. 
 Sometimes 1 hear the world exclaim, what be- 
 nevolence ! What liberality ! What generofi- 
 ty ! I inquire for th^ evidences of thefe virtues, 
 on which fuch lavifh encomiums are beftowed ; 
 I expect to find another St. Paul, who wished 
 himself accursed for his brethren, Rom. ix. 3. I 
 hope to meet with another Mofes, praying to be 
 blotted out of the book of life, rather than fee 
 his nation perifh, Exod. xxxii. 32. But no, this 
 boafted generofity and charity is that of a man, 
 who diftributed to the poor, on one folemn occa- 
 fion, once in his life, fuch a fum of money as he 
 expends every day in prodigality and fuperfluity. 
 It is that of a man, who beftows on all the mem- 
 bers
 
 288 General Mistakes. 
 
 brrt: of Jefus Chrift, almoft as much as he does 
 on the walls of a room, or the harnefs of a horfe. 
 I hear the world exclaim in fome circumftances, 
 what friendfhip ! What tendernefs ! I inquire 
 for this tender, zealous, g-nerous friend. I ex- 
 pert to find fuch :in original as 1 have feen de- 
 scribed in books, though I have never met with 
 fuch An one in fociety. 1 hope at leafi to fee 
 one example of a friend, faying to a dying man, 
 appoint me your executor, and leave me your 
 children to bring up, and vour widow to provide 
 for. But no, I find nothing but the friend (hi j> 
 cf a man, who, by improving the fortune of an- 
 other, attracts the chief advantages to himfeif. 
 I hear the wo*rld exclaiming in certain circum- 
 ftances, what virtue ! What purity'. What a 
 mother of a family ! Again I look for the ob- 
 ject of thefe encomiums. 1 hope to fee fuch" a 
 woman as Solomon imagined, a mother of a fam-' 
 ily, who makes her houfe a houfe of God, and' 
 her children patterns of piety. But no, I meet 
 with a woman, who indeed dees not defile the 
 4i bed, who only doth not outlive her in- 
 come, and who teaches her children only the lit- 
 tle courfe of domtfttc economy. All thefe ac- 
 tions are praife-worthy. All thefe examples 
 ought to be imitated. But is there any grrund 
 for exclaiming as if virtue had been carried to' 
 its higheft pitch ? Are thefe then fuch great 
 efforts of religion ? Alas 1 My brethren, com- 
 ply te characters muft needs be very feare'e in the 
 world, fines the world is in raptures on account' 
 of thefe imperfect virtues ; there muft needs be a' 
 great dearth of wife men in the world, fince there 
 is fo much boafting of one man, who takes only 
 one ftep in the path .of wifdom. 
 
 5. Coufider mankind in regard to certain' deci- 
 sive occasions, which, like touchftones, difcover 
 their bearts. We do not know' ourfelv'e's, we 
 form falfe ideas of ourfelves, when our virtues 
 
 have
 
 General Mistakes. 289* 
 
 hive not been brought to the teft. We imagine,- 
 we incline to be patiert, clement and charitable, 
 in cafes where we are not tried, where neither our 
 fortune, nor our reputation, nor our honor, are 
 affected : but the moment a ftroke is aimed at 
 any of thefe, the countenance changes, the brain 
 ferments, the mouth foams, and we breathe noth- 
 ing but hatred and vengeance. Nothing is more 
 common among us than to talk highly of juftice, . 
 \o deteft and cenfure iniquity, and to engage our- 
 felves inviolably to follow fuch rules of equity as 
 are marked out in the divine law. Let any man- 
 bring an action againft us, with reafon or with- 
 out, and all thefe ideas vanifh, we inftantly be- 
 come familiar with the very vices, to which we 
 thought we had an invincible averfion. We <fif- 
 guife our caufe, we fupprefs unfavorable circum- 
 stances, we impofe on our counfel, we try to take 
 even the judges by furprife, we pretend to make 
 great matters of the importance of our rank, the 
 worth of our names, the credit of our iamilies, 
 the tone of our voices, and all this we wifli to 
 incorporate in our caufe. A difinterefted fpirit 
 is always the fubjecl of- our. utmoft admiration 
 and praife. A. generous man is the admiration 
 of all mankind, his noble adYions unite all hearts, 
 and every man is eager to give fuch actions their 
 dignity and praife : but no fooner have we a lit- 
 tle bufinefs to do, in which we have no kind of 
 intereft, but difintereftednefs appears odious to us, 
 and magnanimity feems to us more proper for a 
 hero of a romance than for a man living and act- 
 ing in fociety, and generous acYions appear to us 
 mere creatures of imagination. O how little does 
 the multitude deferve confideration in regard to 
 manners ! 
 
 IV. No more ought they to be imitated in re- 
 gard to the manner, in which they quit the world. 
 Here I forefee, my brethren, you will all fide 
 with one another againft our doctrine, and 
 
 Z 2 Wfl
 
 290 General Mistakes. 
 
 we {hall be obliged to blame both perfon3 and 
 things about dying people ; fuch as are dying, 
 Aich as furround them, fuch as vifit them ; in 
 fhort, all are in diforder in the cafe before us. 
 Almoft every prrfon that dies is canonized. If 
 the light of chriftianity had not aboliihtd deifica- 
 tion, we fhould have filled heaven with faints and 
 heroes and deified fouls. Each houfe of mourning 
 echoes with the praifes of the dead, none of his 
 looks towards heaven are forgotten, not a figh, 
 not an ejaculation hath efcapcd notice. The fu- 
 neral convoys of perfons the molt worldly, whofe 
 hearts had been the mod hardened in fin, are all 
 ufering orations in praife of the dead- For our 
 parts, my brethren, we, who have fcen a great 
 number of fick people, and attended many in their 
 dying hours, we freely grant, that the falvation 
 of many of them is probable. We h/<*ve hardly 
 feen one, whofe falvation we quite defpair. But 
 how feldom have we been inclined to fay, while 
 we law fuch people expire uttering the language 
 of the molt eminent faints in fcripiure, Let us die 
 the death of thefe righteous people, and let our 
 last end be like theirs! Numb, xxiii. 10. 
 I will give you a fhort lift of general miftakes on 
 this lubjeft. 
 
 The iirft mifUke is this. Moft fick people are 
 ingenious to difguife the danger of their illnefs. 
 Be not conformed to this world. Whenever a 
 dangerous illnefs attacks ycu, be aware of your 
 condition, and let each fay to bimfelf, I have not 
 long to live, at leaft this may be my lafi illnefs. 
 My brethren, this fupp. fition is never unfeafon- 
 able, we are in little danger of being deceived by 
 thinking death at hand, for the number lefs acci* 
 dents, to which we are expofed, jollify the thought 
 Is there any thing extravagant, pray, in affirm- 
 ing that ficknefs added to all thefe accidents 
 renders the near approach of death highly prob- 
 able I 
 
 The
 
 General Mistakes. 291 
 
 The fecond miflake is thi*. Moft dying people 
 put tfT the regulation of their temporal .iffiirs too* 
 long. Be not conformed to tbis world. You 
 fhould take patterns from better models, both for 
 reafons of stffe&ion, and reafons of prudence. 
 True affettion to a family engages a man to pre- 
 clude in favor of his heirs fuel) troubles and di- 
 vifions as are the infeparable conft-qoences of an 
 undivided or perplexed eftate. Prudence, too, 
 will forefer, thar whiie our minds are all occupied 
 about temporal affairs, a thculand ideas will in- 
 trude to diflurb our devotion. Do not wait tiil 
 the hit moment to fettle your affairs, to make 
 your will, to difpofe of your family, and be noc 
 fo weak us to imagine that the discharge of thefe 
 nectflary duties wil: ha (ten your death. Employ 
 yourfelves wholfy about the ftate of your fouls, 
 and let each fay to himfelf, fince I have been in 
 the world I have bardry devoted one whole day 
 to devotion : fince 1 have been a member of 
 the church, I have been exercifed about affairs 
 which inte reft the whole foci<rty : but now that 
 1 am come to the end of my life, now I am prff- 
 ing out of this world, now that I am going 
 "where I fhall have no more portion for ever in 
 'any thing tkat is dont ur.dur the sun, difturb me 
 'no mere, ye worldly ideas; thou fashion of tbis 
 world passing away, appear no more in my light : 
 ye wild fowls, interrupt my facrifice no more. 
 
 The third miftake is this. Moll dying people 
 delay fending for their miniiters till the la ft mo- 
 ment. They would have us do violence to the 
 laws of nature, they fet us to exhort trunks, to 
 inftruct carcafes, to prepare {kin and bones for 
 eternity. Be not conformed to this world. Why 
 fhould ye delay ? Is there any thing odious in 
 our miniftry ? We do not bring death along 
 with us, we do not haflen its approach : if we 
 denounce the judgments of Gird agairft yon, it 
 is not with a defign to terrify you, but to free 
 
 you
 
 292 General Mistakes, 
 
 you from them, and to pull jou out of the fre, 
 Jude 23. 
 
 To thefe I add a fourth miftake. Moft dying 
 people think it a duty to tell their paftors of ex- 
 cellent fentiments, which indeed they have not, 
 and they are afraid to d;fcover their defects.. 
 When death makes his formidable appearance- 
 before them, they think religion requires them 
 to fay, they are quite willing to die. We desire^ 
 fay they, to depart, when, alas ! all their de fires 
 are- to make a tabernacle in the world, for it is 
 good, they think, to be there. They tremble at 
 the coming of Lhrift, and yet they cry, Come, 
 Lord yesus, come quickly. Ah ! Be net conform' 
 ed to this world, open thy heart that it may be 
 known, difcover the maladies of thy foul, that 
 we may apply fuch remedies as are proper. Do 
 not imagine you will acquire fuch fentiments and 
 emotions as faints of the firft order had by talk- 
 ing their language : but imbibe their princi- 
 ples in your mind, and their tempers in youx 
 heart, before you make ufe of their language. 
 
 The fifth miftake is this. Moft dying people 
 fpeak to their mioifters only in the prefence of a 
 great number of attendants, and moft attendants 
 interfere in what rninifters fay on thofe occafions. 
 Be not conformed to this world. Two reafons 
 may convince you of the neceffity of being alone. 
 The firft regards the paftor. . Surrounding at- 
 tendants diveit his attention from the fick per- 
 fon. The fecond regards the fick perfon him- 
 felf. Would it be juft or kind to give him di- 
 rections in public ? What ! would you have 
 us, in the prefence of a hufband, lay open the in- 
 trigues of an immodeft wife, and endeavor to 
 bring her to repent of her lafcivioufnefs by con- 
 victing her oi her crimes ? Would you have us 
 reprove the head of a family for the iniquity that 
 has difgraced his long life, in the prefence of his 
 fon ? Would you have us exhort a dying man 
 
 to
 
 General Mistakes, 293 
 
 to make reftitution of his ill-gotten wealth, in 
 the prefence of an hungry heir, who already 
 gruts his eyes, and fatiates his foul with hopes of 
 i'uccefiion ? Were wt cafuhts after the Roman 
 fafliion, did we compel confciences to reveal fe- 
 crets to us, which ought to be confeffed toGod. 
 alone, did we interfere with your families and 
 properties, there would be fome ground for your 
 lCTuples : but while we defire nothing, but to 
 exonerate your confciences, and to awaken your 
 touls to a fenfe of danger, before you be plunged, 
 into an abyfs of eternal mifery, refpeft our con- 
 duct, and condefcend to fubmit to our inftruction.- 
 
 To thefe I add one miftake more. Moft dy- 
 ing people truft too much to their minifters, and 
 take too little pains themfelves to form fuch dif- 
 pOutions as a dying bed requires. Be not con- 
 formed to tbis world. It i3 not enough to have- 
 external help to die well, we ourfelves muft con- 
 cor in this great work, we muft, by profound 
 meditation, by frequent reflections, and by fer- 
 vent prayers, fopport ourfelves under this laft at- 
 tack, and thus put the laft hand to the work of 
 oar falvation. It is true, the infirmities of your, 
 bodies will aflfeft your mind 3, and will often in- 
 terrupt your religious exercifes ; but no matter, 
 God doth not require of a dying perfon connect- 
 ed meditations, accurate reflections, precife and. 
 formal prayers, for one figh, one tear, one ejacu- 
 lation of your foul to God, one ferious wifh rif- 
 ing from the bottom of your heart will be highly 
 efteemed by the Lord, and will draw down new 
 favors upon you. 
 
 To conclude. The multitude is a bad guide 
 in regard to faith, in regard to. manners, and in 
 regard to departing out of this life. A man whoi 
 defires to be faved, fhould be always upon his 
 guard,- left fee Ihould be rolled down the torrent* 
 he ought to compile in his clofet, or rather in his 
 confeience, a religion apart, fuch as is, not that 
 
 of
 
 294 General Mistakcsi 
 
 of the children of the world, but that of the difc 
 ciples of wifdom; Be not conformed to this 1 
 world. 
 
 I finifh with two reflexions. I addrefs the 
 firft to thofe, who derive from this difcourfe no 
 confequences to direct their actions : and the 
 fecond to fuch as refer it to its true defign. 
 
 Firft. I addrefs tny'felf to you who do not 
 draw any confequences from this difcourfe to 
 regulate your actions. You have feen a portrait 
 of the multitude. I fuppofe you acknowledge 
 the likenefs, and acquiefce in the judgment we 
 have mtade^ It feems, too many proofs and dem- 
 cnflrations eflablifh this proportion, the multi- 
 tude is a bad guide. Now you may follow 
 which example you pleafe. You may make your 
 choice between the maxims of Jefus Cbrift and 
 the maxims of the world. But we have a right 
 to require one thing of you, which you cannot 
 refufe us without injustice, that isj that grant- 
 ing the genius of the multitude, when you are 
 told you are deftroying yourfelves, you do not 
 pretend to have refuted us by replying, we con- 
 duct ourfelves as the world dots, and every body 
 does what you condemn in us. Thanks be to 
 God, your propofition is not firictly true t Thanks 
 be to God, the rule hath fome exceptions ! Th;rs 
 are many regenerate fouls, hidden perhaps from 
 the eyes of men, but vifible to God. There are 
 even fome faints, who dime in the fight of the 
 whole world, and who, to ufe the expreflion of 
 Jefus Chrift, are a city set on a bill, Matt. v. 
 I'4. What then, you never caft your eyes on 
 the moft illuftrious objects in this world !. Do 
 you reckon for nothing what alone merits cbier- 
 vation in fociety, and what ronftitutes the true 
 glory of it ? Have yon no value for men, for 
 whofe fake the world fubfifts, and fociety i3 pte- 
 ferved ? 
 
 However, your propofition is indifputable in a 
 
 general
 
 'General Misiahs. 295 
 
 -general fenfe, and we are obliged to allow it, for 
 our whole difcourfe rends to elucidate and tftab- 
 li(h the point. Alledi*e this propofition, but do 
 not alledge it for the purpo'.'e of oppofmg the 
 cenfures you have heard, or of getting i rd of our 
 reproofs. By anfwering in this manner, you give 
 us an advantage over you, you lay a foundation 
 which you mean to deflroy, you do not furnifh 
 yout Iclves wuh a fliield againft .your minilters, 
 but you youvfelves fupply them with arms to 
 wound and defiroy you. Why do we declaim 
 againft your conduct. ? What do we mean when 
 we reprove your way of living, except to con- / 
 vince you that it is not anfwerable to the thrif- 
 tian character which you bear ? What do we 
 mean, except that you break the vows mafie for 
 you in your baptifm, and which you yourfelves 
 have often ratified at the Lord's table? What, 
 in one word, except that you do not obey tke law3 
 of the gofpel ' But what can you advance 
 more proper to ftrengthen the teftimony, which 
 we bear againftyou, than that which you adrance 
 to weaken it, that is, that you live as the world 
 lives. 
 
 All the world, fay you, conduct tliemfe//es as 
 we do, and every body does what you ceyfure us 
 for doing. But all the world conduct thmfelves 
 badly, all the world violate the fpirit of religion, 
 all the world attack the maxims of Jef< Chrift, 
 a!! the world run in the broad road of perdition, 
 all the world are deftroying themfelves, and the 
 apoftle exhorts us not to take the vfrld for an 
 example. 
 
 Secondly. I addrefs myfelf to y^o, who fin- 
 cerely defue to apply this difcourft to its true 
 defign. I grant, the road opened you is dif- 
 ficult. To refill the torrent, to br?ve the multi- 
 tude, to fee one's felf like Elijah alone on the 
 Lord's fide, and, in this general apoftacy, in 
 which a chriftun fo often finds hir^felf, when he 
 
 de fires
 
 26 General Mistakes. 
 
 tlefires to facrifice all to his duty, to recollect 
 motives of attachment to it, this is one of the 
 uobleft efforts of chriftian heroifm. 
 
 However, after all, it would argue great pu- 
 
 'erility to magnify our ideas of th crowd, the 
 many, the multitude ; it would be. cbildifh to be 
 too much ftruck with thefe ideas, every body 
 thinks, in this manner, all the world ads thus. 
 I affirm, that truth and virtue have more parti- 
 zans than error and vice, and God bath more 
 difciples than Satan. What do you call the 
 crowd, the many, the multitude ? What do you 
 mean by all the world ? What ! "Y ou and your 
 companions, your family, your acquaintances, 
 your fellow citizens, the inhabitants of this globe, 
 to which the Creator hath confined you ; is this 
 what you call all the world ? What littlenefs 
 of ideas ! Caft your eyes on that little mole 
 hill, .-occupied by a few thoufands of ants, lend 
 them intelligence, propofe to one of thefe infers 
 
 ott.et maxims than thofe of his fellow*, exhort 
 him to have a little more ambition, than to occu- 
 py a tiny imperceptible fpace upon that mole 
 hill ; animate him to form projects more noble 
 than that of collecting a few grains of corn, and 
 then put into the mouth of this little emmet the 
 famepretext that you make ufe of to us ; I (hall 
 be alane, all the world conduct themfelves in an- 
 other manner. Would you not pity this infect ? 
 Would not he appear more contemptible to yon 
 for his mean and fpiritlefs ideas, than for the di- 
 minutivenefs of his body ? Would you not look 
 with difdain on an ant, that had no other ambi- 
 tion than that ef taking for a model other infects 
 about him, and preferring their approbation be- 
 fore that of mankind, who hold a rank fo high 
 in the fcaiie of the world ? My brethren, give 
 what eolers you will to this imagination, it is 
 however certain, that yo j would form unjuft ideas 
 ' c this infect. An emmet hath no relation to 
 
 thole
 
 Gtntrai Mistakes. 297 
 
 thofe beYng-, which you propofe to him for mod- 
 els. Suci'i ideas of happinefs as you trace to bim 
 liave no proportion to his faculties. Is an em- 
 r.iet capable of fcience, to be allured by the com- 
 pany of the learned ? Can an ant form plans of 
 ;iege3 and battles, to render himfelf fenfible of 
 that glory, which exploits of war acquire, and for 
 which the herues of the world facrifice their 
 repofe and the:r ,'ives? 
 
 It is you, who have that meannefs of foul, 
 which you juft now pitied in an ant. You inhab- 
 it cities and provinces, which, compared with the 
 rtft of the world, refcmble the fize of mole hills ; 
 .he whole globe itfelf is nothing in companion 
 of'the inimenfe fpaces, in which other work*, of 
 the Creator are lodged. You creep on earth witrr 
 .1 handful of men much lefs in comparifon with 
 tncthoufand thcufands of. other intelligences 
 than an ant hill is in comparifon of mankind.- 
 You have intimate relations to thefe intelligen- 
 ces ; you, like them, are capable of great and 
 noble functions ; like them, you are capable of 
 knowledge ; like them, you are able to know the 
 Supreme Being ; you can love like them ; you 
 can form tender and delicate connections as they 
 can ; and like them, you are deftined to eternal 
 duration and felicity. 
 
 Do not fay then, I fhall be alone, nobody lives 
 as you would have me live. They are the men, 
 who furround you, that are nobody in comparifon 
 of the intelligences, whom I propofe to you for 
 examples. It ill fuits inGgnificant men to con- 
 iider tbemfelves alone as in the centre of divine 
 benevolence, and as the only fubjetts of a mon- 
 arch, who reigneth over all exiftence. He sit- 
 ti-th upon the circle of the earth, whence the in- 
 habitants appear to him as grasshoppers. He 
 b^ingeth princes to nothing, he consider eth fj e 
 judges of the earth as vanity. He sb^'blow 
 upon them and tflfy shall wither^ and jfc wbirl- 
 A a ytf . wind
 
 29? 
 
 General Mistakes, 
 
 wind sjball take tbem away like 
 3d. 22. 
 
 But ye, celeftial intelligences, f 
 ing with love, angels mighty in ' 
 gcrs of the divine will, fpirits r? 
 and penetrating as fire, ye red 
 tions, all kindred> qll people, 
 r. 9. ye make the crowd, ye 
 fovereign of the world ; and 
 conform oiwfelves to this wc 
 and when the flaves of the 
 with chains of darknefs, w 
 the river of pleasures^ at 
 God, whom you ferve, a 
 like you, devote ourff 
 grace ! To him be 
 Amen. 
 
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