,transcriber's ,note3 ,italicized text delimited by underscores4 ,there are many special characters in this text that require a utf-#h compliant font4 ,if you find characters that appear as a question mark in a black box or a small rectangle with numbers in it1 you should check your reader's default font4 ,if you have a font installed with ,,sil after the font name1 you should use that one4 ,,the ,,works ,,of ,,richard ,,hurd1 ,d4,d4 ,,lord ,,bishop ,,of ,,worcester4 ,,vol4 ,,vi4 ,printed by ,j4 ,nichols and ,son1 ,red ,lion ,passage1 ,fleet ,street1 ,london4 ,,the ,,works ,,of ,,richard ,,hurd1 ,d4,d4 ,,lord ,,bishop ,,of ,,worcester4 ,,in ,,eight ,,volumes4 ,,vol4 ,,vi4 ,illustration ,,london3 ,,printed ,,for ,t4 ,,cadell ,,and ,w4 ,,davies1 ,,strand4 #ahaa4 ,,theological ,,works4 ,,vol4 ,,ii4 ,,sermons ,,preached ,,at ,,lincoln',s-,,inn1 ,,between ,,the ,,years #agfe ,,and #aggf3 ,,with ,a ,,larger ,,discourse1 ,,on ,,christ',s ,,driving ,,the ,,merchants ,,out ,,of ,,the ,,temple2 ,,in ,,which ,,the ,,nature ,,and ,,end ,,of ,,that ,,famous ,,transaction ,,is ,,explained4 ,,satis ,,me ,,vixisse ,,arbitrabor1 ,,et ,,officium ,,hominis ,,implesse1 ,,si ,,labor ,,meus ,,aliquos ,,homines1 ,,ab ,,erroribus ,,liberatos1 ,,ad ,,iter ,c,,leste ,,direxerit4 ,,lactantius4 ,,to ,,the ,,masters ,,of ,,the ,,bench ,,of ,,the ,,honourable ,,society ,,of ,,lincoln',s ,,inn1 ,,the ,,following ,,sermons1 ,,in ,,acknowledgment ,,of ,,their ,,many ,,and ,,great ,,favours1 ,,are ,,by ,,the ,,author ,,most ,,respectfully ,,inscribed4 ,,contents ,,of ,,the ,,sixth ,,volume4 ,,sermon ,i4 ,preached ,feb4 #c1 #agga4 ,,mat4 xiii4 #ea1 #eb4 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,have ye understood all these things8 ,they say unto him1 ,yea1 ,lord4 ,then said he unto them1 ,therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven1 is like unto a man that is an householder1 which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old4 #a ,,sermon ,,ii4 ,preached ,nov4 #h1 #agfg4 #a ,,cor4 x4 #ae4 ,i speak as to wise men3 judge ye what ,i say4 #bc ,,sermon ,,iii4 ,preached ,may #ag1 #agfg4 ,,rom4 ii4 #ad1 #ae4 ,when the ,gentiles1 which have not the ,law1 ,,do by ,nature the things contained in the ,law1 these1 having not the ,law1 are a ,law unto themselves3 which shew the work of the ,law written in their hearts1 their ,,conscience also bearing witness1 and their thoughts in the mean while ,,accusing or else ,,excusing one another4 #cg ,,sermon ,,iv4 ,preached ,may #bd1 #agfg4 ,,gal4 iii4 #ai4 ,wherefore then serveth the ,law8 #eb ,,sermon ,v4 ,preached ,may #a1 #agfh4 ,,heb4 ii4 #c4 ,how shall we escape1 if we neglect so great ,salvation8 #fg ,,sermon ,,vi4 ,preached ,nov4 #af1 #agff4 ,,john xiv4 #h4 ,philip saith to him1 ,lord1 shew us the ,father1 and it sufficeth us4 #hc ,,sermon ,,vii4 ,preached in the year #agga4 ,,james iv4 #a4 ,from whence come wars and fightings among you8 ,come they not hence1 even of your lusts that war in your members8 #aja ,,sermon ,,viii4 ,preached ,april #bi1 #aggj4 #a ,,tim4 i4 #e4 ,the end of the ,commandment is ,charity1 out of a pure heart1 and of a good conscience1 and of faith unfeigned4 #aaf ,,sermon ,,ix4 ,preached ,nov4 #i1 #agff4 ,,rom4 xii4 #aj4 --,in honour preferring one another4 #acj ,,sermon ,x4 ,preached ,may #f1 #aggj4 ,,john xiii4 #h4 --,jesus answered him1 if ,i wash thee not1 thou host no part with me4 #adc ,,sermon ,,xi4 ,preached ,june #bj1 #aggc4 ,,mark ix4 #di4 ,for every one shall be salted with fire1 and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt4 #afj ,,sermon ,,xii4 ,preached ,feb4 #i1 #agff4 ,,gal4 vi4 #c4 ,if a man think himself to be something1 when he is nothing1 he deceiveth himself4 #agd ,,sermon ,,xiii4 ,preached ,may #af1 #aggc4 #b ,,cor4 x4 #ab4 ,we dare not make ourselves of the number1 or compare ourselves1 with some that commend themselves3 ,but they1 measuring themselves by themselves1 and comparing themselves among themselves1 are not wise4 #ahg ,,sermon ,,xiv4 ,preached ,april #bg1 #agff4 ,st4 ,,mark iv4 #bd4 ,take heed what ye hear4 ,or1 as the equivalent phrase is in ,st4 ,,luke1 viii4 #ah4 ,take heed ,,how ye hear4 #bja ,,sermon ,,xv4 ,preached ,nov4 #bd1 #agfe4 ,,rom4 xvi4 #ai4 ,i would have you wise unto that which is good1 and simple concerning evil4 #bae ,,sermon ,,xvi4 ,preached ,dec4 #a1 #agfe4 ,,rom4 xvi4 #ai4 ,i would have you wise unto that which is good1 and simple concerning evil4 #bcj ,,sermon ,,xvii4 ,preached ,nov4 #bb1 #aggb4 ,,john v4 #dd4 ,how can ye believe1 which receive honour one of another1 and seek not the honour that cometh of ,god only8 #bde ,,sermon ,,xviii4 ,preached ,april #bc1 #agfi4 ,,john ix4 #da4 ,jesus saith to them1 ,if ye were blind1 ye should have no sin2 but now ye say1 we see2 therefore your sin remaineth4 #bfj ,,sermon ,,xix4 ,preached ,may #ab1 #agga4 #a ,,cor4 viii4 #a4 ,knowledge puffeth up2 but ,charity edifieth4 #bgf ,,sermon ,,xx4 ,preached ,nov4 #ai1 #agfi4 ,,acts ,,of ,,the ,,apostles xxvi4 #i4 ,i verily thought with myself1 that ,i ought to do many things contrary to the name of ,jesus of ,nazareth4 #bij ,,sermon ,,xxi4 ,preached ,may #aj1 #agfg4 ,st4 ,,luke vi4 #bf4 ,woe unto you1 when all men speak well of you4 #cjd ,,sermon ,,xxii4 ,preached ,feb4 #f1 #aggd4 ,st4 ,,john viii4 #aa4 ,jesus said to her1 ,neither do ,i condemn thee2 ,go1 and sin no more4 #cai ,,sermon ,,xxiii4 ,preached ,march #a1 #aggb4 ,st4 ,,matthew xi4 #bi4 ,learn of me1 for ,i am meek and lowly in heart3 and ye shall find rest unto your souls4 #ccc ,,sermon ,,xxiv4 ,preached ,april #cj1 #agfi4 ,,luke xvi4 #ad4 ,and the ,pharisees also1 who were covetous1 heard all those things3 and they derided him4 #cej ,,sermon ,,xxv4 ,preached ,june #be1 #agge4 ,,ecclesiastes v4 #aj4 ,he that loveth silver1 shall not be satisfied with silver4 #cff ,,sermon ,,xxvi4 ,preached ,feb4 #ba1 #aggc4 #a ,,cor4 vi4 #bj4 ,therefore glorify ,god in your body1 and in your spirit1 which are ,god's4 #cgh ,,sermon ,,xxvii4 ,preached ,march #ac1 #aggd4 ,,job xiii4 #bf4 ,thou writest bitter things against me1 and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth4 #cic ,,sermon ,,xxviii4 ,preached ,may #bh1 #agfi4 ,,ecclesiastes vii4 #ba1 #bb4 ,take no heed unto all words that are spoken1 lest thou hear thy servant curse thee4 ,for oftentimes1 also1 thine own heart knoweth1 that thou thyself1 likewise1 hast cursed others4 #djg ,,sermon ,i4 ,,preached ,,february #c1 #agga4 ,,st4 ,,matth4 xiii4 #ea1 #eb4 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,have ye understood all these things8 ,they say unto him1 ,yea1 ,lord4 ,then said he unto them1 ,therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven1 is like unto a man that is an householder1 which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old4 ,if there be any difficulty in these words1 it will be removed by considering the manners of that time1 in which ,jesus lived1 and the ideas of those persons1 to whom he addressed himself4 ,the ,israelites were a plain1 frugal people2 abundantly supplied with all things needful to the convenient support of life1 but very sparingly with such as come under the notion of ornaments or superfluities4 ,they drew their means of subsistence chiefly from pasturage1 agriculture1 and other rural occupations4 ,gold and ,silver was scarce among the ancient ,jews2 and the less necessary to them1 as they had little traffic among themselves1 and still less with their pagan neighbours2 the wisdom of their ,law having purposely restrained1 and1 upon the matter1 prohibited1 all the gainful ways of commerce4 ,now1 to a people1 thus circumstanced1 unfurnished1 in a good degree1 with arts and manufactures1 and but slenderly provided with the means of exchange for the commodities they produce2 management1 thrift1 and what we call good husbandry1 must have been a capital virtue4 ,householders were especially concerned to hoard up1 and keep by them1 in readiness1 all such things as might be requisite either to cloath or feed their respective families4 ,and therefore1 as they were continually making fresh additions to their stock1 so they carefully preserved what things they had1 provided they were of a nature to be preserved1 although time and use had impaired the grace1 or diminished the value1 of them4 ,thus1 they had things new and old laid up in their store-house1 or treasury 7for these provisions were indeed their treasure71 which1 as the text says1 they could bring forth1 on any emergency that called for them4 ,and to this ,jewish ,householder1 thus furnished and prepared for all occasions1 our ,lord compares the scribe1 instructed unto the kingdom of heaven1 in other words1 the minister1 or preacher of the ,gospel4 ,every such scribe was to be suitably provided with what might be serviceable to those committed to his charge3 ,and the ,text delivers it1 as a general inference from the example of ,christ himself 7who1 from a variety of topics1 some new1 some old1 had been instructing his disciples in this chapter71 that ,,we1 the teachers of his religion1 should likewise have in store a variety of knowledge for the supply of his church1 and that we should not be backward or sparing1 as we see occasion1 in the use of it4 ,,therefore1 says he1 that is1 for this end#a that your respective charges may be well and perfectly instructed by you1 as you have been by me1 every scribe1 which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven1 is like unto a man that is an householder1 which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old4 ,it is true1 if this instruction of our ,lord and ,master had concerned only the preachers of the word1 ,i might have found a fitter place and occasion for a discourse upon it4 ,but the case is much otherwise2 and it concerns all the faithful to understand what the duty of those is1 who are intrusted to dispense the word of life1 lest they take offence at the ministry1 without cause1 and so deprive themselves of the fruit which they might otherwise reap from it4 ,let me therefore lay before you some plain considerations on the aphorism in the text2 and submit it to yourselves how far they may deserve the notice of all ,christians4 ,it would be ridiculous1 no doubt1 to torture a meer figure of speech2 and to pursue a metaphor through all the minute applications1 which an ordinary imagination might find or invent for it4 ,but ,i shall not be suspected of trifling in this sort1 when ,i only conclude1 from the comparison of a ,christian ,scribe to the ,jewish ,householder2 ,i4 ,that all the treasures of knowledge1 which the ,,minister ,,of ,,the ,,gospel may have laid up in his mind1 are destined1 not to the purposes of vanity1 but to the use of his charge2 for such must have been the intention of a reasonable ,householder1 in the stock of provisions he had so carefully collected3 ,,ii4 ,that such use must be estimated from the apparent wants of those1 to whom this knowledge is dispensed2 for so the frugal householder expends his provisions on those who evidently stand in need of them3 ,and ,,iii4 ,lastly1 ,that among these wants1 some1 at certain conjunctures1 may be more general1 or more pressing1 than ordinary2 and then his first care must be to relieve these1 though other real1 and perhaps considerable wants1 be1 for the present1 neglected by him3 just1 again1 as the discreet householder is anxious to provide against an uncommon distress that befalls his whole family1 or the greater part of it1 or that threatens the immediate destruction of those whom it befalls1 though he suspend his care1 for a season1 of particular1 or less momentous distresses4 ,in these ,,three respects1 then1 ,i propose to illustrate and enforce the comparison of the ,text1 without any apprehension of being thought to do violence to it4 ,i4 ,the knowledge of a well-instructed ,scribe must be directed to the edification of his charge1 and not at all to the gratification of his own vanity4 ,this conclusion results immediately from the subject of the comparison4 ,for the ,christian ,scribe is not compared to a prince1 who is allowed1 and even expected1 to consult his own state and magnificence2 or1 to one of those popular magistrates in ancient times1 whose office it was to exhibit splendid shews1 and furnish expensive entertainments1 to their fellow-citizens3 but to a plain ,jewish householder1 who had nothing to regard beyond the necessary1 or1 at most1 decent accommodation of his family4 ,and the comparison is aptly made1 as we shall see if we consider1 either the end of a preacher's office1 or the decorum of his character4 ,his ,,office obliges him to intend the most essential interests of mankind1 the reformation of their lives1 and the salvation of their souls4 ,and when the object of his care is so important1 what wonder if all inferior considerations fall before it8 ,besides1 the ,christian preacher has a commission to discharge1 a divine message to deliver4 ,and in such a case1 men look not for ingenuity1 but fidelity4 ,an ancient1 or a modern sophist may make what excursions he thinks fit into the wide fields of science2 and may entertain us with his learning1 or his wit1 as he finds himself able4 ,he may1 ,i say1 do this2 for he has only to recommend himself to our esteem1 and to acquire a little popular reputation4 ,but ,,we have a dispensation committed to us1 a form of sound words1 from which we must not depart1 a doctrine1 which we are to deliver with uncorruptness1 gravity1 sincerity#b4 ,we please not men1 but ,god2 or if men1 to their good1 only1 to edification#c4 ,the ,,decorum of our character requires1 too1 that we be superior to all the arts of vanity and ostentation4 ,even in secular professions1 it is expected that this rule of propriety be observed4 ,a ,physician would be ridiculous1 that was more curious in penning a prescription1 than in weighing the matter of it3 and the ,advocate would be little esteemed1 that should be more solicitous to display himself1 than to serve his client4 ,how much more then may it be expected from a preacher of righteousness1 that ,,he should forget his own personal importance amid the high concerns of his profession6 ,and such was indeed the conduct of our best guides1 in the ministry4 ,the ancient ,fathers were1 many of them1 richly furnished with all the endowments1 that might be required to set themselves off to the utmost advantage4 ,yet we find them1 in their homilies and discourses to the people1 inattentive to every thing but their main end2 delivering themselves1 with an energy indeed1 but a plainness and even negligence of expression#d1 that tempts frivolous readers1 sometimes1 to make a doubt of their real1 and1 from other monuments of their skill and pains1 unquestioned abilities4 ,and1 in this contempt of secular fame1 they did but copy the example of ,st4 ,paul himself1 the great ,apostle of the ,gentiles2 who1 though distinguished by the sublimest parts1 though profound in his knowledge of the ,law1 and not unacquainted with ,gentile learning1 affected no display either of his natural or acquired talents1 but1 as he tells us himself 7and his writings attest the truth of his declaration71 determined to know nothing1 among the faithful1 save ,jesus ,christ1 and him crucified#e4 ,not that what abilities we have1 are always to lie concealed4 ,there are occasions1 no doubt1 when they may properly1 that is1 usefully1 be exerted4 ,but the minister of the ,gospel does not go in quest of such occasions3 he only adapts himself to them1 when they come in his way2 and then pursues them no farther than the end1 he has in view1 the edification of others1 not his own credit1 demands from him4 ,by this rule1 the preachers of the word are to conduct themselves4 ,by the same rule1 it will1 therefore1 be but just to estimate their charitable labours2 and1 when we see nothing to admire in them1 to conclude1 ,that this plainness of character may not be always owing to incapacity1 but sometimes1 at least1 to discretion and the higher regards of duty4 ,and this candour1 as liable as it is to misinterpretation1 will not be thought excessive1 if you reflect1 that1 as1 in general1 they are bound to consult the good of their charge1 and to deliver nothing to their auditors1 but what they foresee1 or presume at least1 will be useful to them3 ,so ,,ii4 ,in the next place1 ,the degree of that utility must be regarded by the prudent dispenser of ,god's word1 and can only be estimated by the apparent wants of those1 to whom his instructions are addressed4 ,it is an especial part of the householder's prudence to take care1 that his treasure be laid out on those1 who have most need of it4 ,he has enough to do1 perhaps1 to satisfy the more pressing demands of his domestics2 and the rules of a good conomy require that he regard those1 before their humourous inclinations1 or even their more tolerable necessities4 ,to speak in ,jewish ideas1 ,he1 that wants a coat1 to defend himself from the injuries of the weather1 must be supplied with that necessary garment1 though he go without a cloak2 or1 when a piece of bread is called for1 it must be administered to the hungry1 though others be made to wait for their delicacies of milk and honey2 or1 a lamb from the fold may be served up at an ordinary feast1 while the fatted calf is reserved for some more solemn occasion4 ,just thus it is in the dispensation of the word4 ,we apply ourselves1 first and principally1 to relieve the more importunate demands of our hearers2 and1 not being able1 at the same time1 to provide for all1 we prefer the case of those who are starving for the want of necessary instruction1 to that of others who are in a condition to subsist on what hath already been imparted to them4 ,hence it is1 that we are most frequent in pressing the fundamental truths of the ,gospel3 as well knowing1 that very many have yet to learn1 or at least to digest1 the first principles of their religion2 and that few1 in comparison1 are either prepared1 or enough disposed1 to go on to perfection4 ,there are those1 perhaps1 who expect us to clear up some nice point of casuistry1 or to lay open to them the grounds and reasons of some obnoxious article in the ,christian ,creed3 in a word1 they would take it kindly of us1 if1 dropping the common topics1 which have been long and much worn in the service of religion1 we provided some fresh ones1 for their entertainment2 and instead of the stale fragments1 which are always at hand1 and lie open to all the family1 we served up to them something of better taste from the inner rooms of our store-house1 where our choicest viands are laid up4 ,all this is extremely well3 and in due season1 so far as is fitting1 the charitable dispenser of ,god's word will not be wanting to their expectations2 for he has gathered nothing1 however rare or exquisite1 in the course of his household industry1 of which he does not wish them to partake4 ,but1 for the present1 he finds this indulgence to be out of place3 he sees1 that the plainest duties of life1 and the most unquestioned articles of the faith1 are1 first of all1 to be inculcated3 he perceives1 that numbers want to be put in mind of old practical truths2 and perhaps he understands1 that even those1 who are the most forward to call out for novelties in speculation1 do not make this demand with the best grace4 ,he could amuse them1 it may be1 with a curious theological ,lecture3 but what if their sense of divine things be dead8 what if they want to have their minds stimulated by the admonitions1 and their consciences alarmed with the terrors1 of the ,gospel8 ,the question is not put at hazard4 ,for so1 the ,roman ,governor was impatient to hear ,st4 ,paul concerning the faith in ,christ2 when yet the ,apostle chose to reason with him of righteousness1 temperance1 and judgement to come3 plain moral topics1 such as had often been discussed before him in the schools of philosophy1 but were now resumed to good purpose2 for in the end1 we are told1 ,felix trembled4 ,even1 in the case of those1 who may be decent in their lives1 who are enough instructed in what is called morality1 nay1 and would take it ill to be thought wanting in a competent share of religious knowledge1 a discourse on the elements of the faith may not be1 altogether1 unseasonable4 ,for there are1 of these1 who exclude ,religion1 from their scheme of morality2 or ,christianity1 from their scheme of religion2 or who1 professing ,christianity1 scarce know what ,redemption means3 who are yet to learn with what awful1 yet filial piety1 they are to look up to ,god the ,father2 who reflect not1 what transcendant honour is due from them to ,god the ,son2 and who have scarce1 perhaps1 heared1 or have little regarded1 whether there be any ,holy ,ghost4 ,if any such attend our assemblies1 think not much that we are ready to impart to them the plainest1 the commonest1 because the most necessary1 instruction3 and1 though we would consult the wants of all1 you are not to be surprized1 or disgusted1 if we run to the relief of those first1 who want our assistance most2 and1 like the good householder1 bestow our old things on the needy and indigent1 before we expend our new on the curious and delicate2 who might1 we will say1 be better accommodated with them1 but are not1 in the mean time1 destitute of what is needful to their spiritual life4 ,but ,,iii4 ,this care is more especially required of the ,christian ,scribe1 when his charge is exposed1 in certain conjunctures1 to new and extraordinary wants1 which1 if not relieved in the instant1 may grow to be ruinous1 and absolutely fatal3 then1 above all1 he is to consider1 not what instruction is most acceptable to his hearers1 but what their critical situation demands4 ,for1 here again1 the example of the watchful and beneficent householder1 is our direction4 ,the season may be uncommonly severe and inclement3 or1 a dangerous1 perhaps a contagious disease1 afflicts his family2 and then the warmest1 although the coarsest1 clothing must be sought out for the naked2 and not the most palatable1 but the most wholesome food1 must be administered to the sick4 ,disasters1 like these1 sometimes befall the household of ,christ4 ,a cold atheistic spirit prevails1 and chills the vital principles of all virtue1 as well as religion3 or a pestilent heresy spreads its venom through the church1 and turns the medicine of life itself1 the salutary instruction of ,god's word1 unless prepared and applied by skilful hands1 into a deadly poison4 ,then it is that the well-appointed ,scribe emulates the generous care and pains of the good householder2 and whatever he has in store1 of ancient or modern collection1 whether of philosophy or criticism1 whether of eloquent persuasion or sound logic1 all must be brought forth1 to warm the piety1 or to purify the faith1 of his hearers4 ,we1 of this nation1 have not been so happy as to want examples of such distresses4 #a4 ,the fanatical sects1 that sprung up in abundance amid the confusions of the last century1 had so corrupted the word of ,god by their impure glosses on the ,gospel-doctrine of ,grace1 that the age became immoral on principle1 and1 under the name of ,saints1 engendered a hateful brood of profligate ,antinomians2 that is1 a sort of ,christians1 if they may be so called1 who turned the grace of ,god into licentiousness1 and1 to magnify his goodness1 very conscientiously transgressed his ,laws4 ,in a word1 they taught1 that the elect were above ordinances1 and might be saved without1 nay in defiance of1 the moral ,law4 ,this horrid divinity struck so directly at the root of all true religion1 that it could not but alarm the zeal of good men4 ,accordingly1 about the time of the ,restoration1 and for some years after it1 a number of eminent ,divines 7and ,,one especially1 well known1 and deservedly honoured1 in this place#f7 bent all their nerves to expose and confound so pernicious a heresy3 and with so invincible a force of plain and perspicuous reasoning1 as brought most men to their senses1 and effectually silenced1 or disgraced1 the rest4 ,they opened the grounds and obligations of morality so plainly1 and set the ,gospel scheme of salvation through faith1 working by charity1 in so full and striking a light1 that injured ,virtue recovered her ancient honours1 and yet was taught to acknowledge a just dependance on saving ,faith4 ,such was the triumph of enlightened reason and well-interpreted ,scripture over ,antinomianism3 while yet many perverse1 and more mistaken1 hearers of those days1 were ready to revile their teachers1 for dwelling so much and so long on these old topics1 and would have gladly received other1 and more novel instructions1 at their hands4 #b4 ,but now the licence of that age1 which followed the ,restoration1 was gone over1 on the sudden1 into other extravagances1 equally ruinous to the souls of men4 ,it had been made too clear to be denied1 that moral righteousness is of indispensable obligation1 so long as there is a ,god to serve1 or common sense is allowed to have any hand in explaining his laws4 ,to get rid then of so inconvenient a restraint1 as genuine morality2 many daring spirits of that time1 rushed into ,atheism2 while the more timid1 took refuge in ,popery4 ,for1 to disown a moral ,governour1 or to admit that any observances of superstition can release men from the duty of obeying him1 equally serves the purpose of those1 who resolve to be as wicked as they dare1 or as little virtuous as they can4 ,these new evils1 each of which1 in its turn1 the court itself had countenanced1 or introduced1 called for fresh remedies2 and it was not long before they were administered1 with effect4 ,the same eminent persons1 who had vindicated moral virtue1 now supported the cause of piety1 and of protestantism1 with equal success4 ,they overturned all the prophaneness1 and all the philosophy of ,atheism1 from its foundations3 and1 with resistless argument1 baffled the presumption1 and beat down the sophistry1 of the church of ,rome4 ,yet these matchless servants of truth were charged by some1 with indiscretion in bringing to light all the horrors of atheistic impiety1 though in order to expose them2 and with preposterous zeal1 in directing all their efforts against ,popery1 though it wore1 at that time1 so malignant an aspect on all our dearest interests4 ,they were not1 however1 diverted by these clamours from pursuing their honest purposes3 and we owe it to them1 in a great measure1 that these two systems of iniquity1 ,i mean1 ,atheism1 and ,popery1 are no longer in repute among us4 #c4 ,still1 the state of the times may be altered1 without being much improved4 ,for1 though few will avow direct ,atheism1 and not many1 ,i hope1 are proselyted to ,popery1 yet the number of those is not small1 who are but ,protestants1 in name2 and scarce ,deists1 in reality4 ,many profess1 or secretly entertain1 a disbelief of all revealed ,religion2 and many more take unwarrantable liberties with the ,christian faith1 though they pretend to respect it4 ,at the same time1 as extremes beget each other1 there are those who seem relapsing into the old exploded fanaticism of the last age2 from a false zeal1 it may be1 to counteract the ill impression of those other licentious principles4 ,thus is the unbalanced mind of man always shifting from one excess into another2 and rarely knows to sustain itself in that just mean1 which pure religion and right reason demand4 ,wonder not therefore1 that our cares are still suited to the exigencies of our hearers2 and that we labour to supply them with that provision of sacred truth1 which they most want2 that we strive to excite in them awful ideas of ,god's moral government2 are instant in season and out of season to assert the utility1 the importance1 the necessity of divine revelation2 and are anxious to maintain the prerogatives of ,christian faith1 yet without depreciating the moral ,law1 or infringing the rights of natural reason3 that we admonish you to think soberly1 to inquire modestly1 and to believe what the word of ,god expressly teaches1 though ye do not1 and can not1 many times1 comprehend the height and depth of divine wisdom3 that we remember1 in short1 what is required of ,stewards1 who are appointed to dispense the treasures of ,christian knowledge1 and to superintend the household of ,god4 ,i have now gone through the several topics1 which our ,lord's parable of the ,householder seemed naturally to suggest to me3 not so much with a view to make our own apology 7for if we do not our duty1 we deserve1 and if we do1 we want1 none7 as to set before you a just idea of our office and ministry1 that so ye may judge rightly and equitably of us1 for your own sakes4 ,for it is not indifferent to the household1 what opinion is entertained of the ,householder4 ,many will not suffer him to relieve their wants1 or perhaps acknowledge they have any wants to be relieved1 if they do not conceive with some respect of his discretion1 at least1 and good-will4 ,and though1 in the discharge of our duty to all1 we may seem to neglect many1 and may even dissatisfy1 nay offend some2 yet1 on reflexion1 you will see that we are not wanting to our trust--if we always endeavour to dispense salutary doctrines--if1 especially1 we dispense such as the apparent and urgent necessities of men call for--and1 above all1 if we be ready to dispense all our treasures1 new and old1 when the more alarming distresses of the ,christian church require1 on occasion1 our best attention and liberality4 ,to conclude3 ,we respect your good opinion2 nay1 perhaps1 are too solicitous to obtain it4 ,but we would1 or we should1 in the first place1 please him1 who hath called us to serve1 and expects us to be faithful1 in all his house#g4 ,for we presume to be something more than ,orators1 or ,philosophers1 plausible and artificial discoursers1 who have nothing in view but their own credit1 and are eloquent or ingenious1 that is1 vain1 by profession4 ,we have a character to sustain of greater dignity1 but less ostentation4 ,for ,,we preach not ourselves1 but ,christ ,jesus our ,lord2 and ourselves1 your servants for ,jesus sake#h4 ,,sermon ,,ii4 ,,preached ,,november #h1 #agfg4 #a ,,cor4 x4 #ae4 ,i speak as to wise men3 judge ye what ,i say4 ,though ,st4 ,paul said this to the ,corinthians1 on a particular occasion1 in reference to a single argument he was then prosecuting1 and possibly not without an intended sarcasm on those whom he here qualifies with the name of ,wise men1 yet the words themselves express the ,apostle's own constant practice2 and what is more1 they express the general spirit and genius of that ,religion1 which he was commissioned to teach4 ,for the ,christian ,religion1 divine as it is in its origin1 sublime in its precepts1 and profound in its mysteries1 yet condescends to apply itself to the rational faculties of mankind2 and1 secure in its own native truth and evidence1 challenges the wise and learned to judge of its pretentions4 ,so that we may regard the declaration of the text1 as a standing precept to the ,ministers of the word1 to speak as to wise men2 and to the hearers of it1 to use their best faculties1 in judging of what they say4 ,these then shall be the two parts of my discourse upon it4 ,each will suggest some important reflexions to the persons respectively concerned2 to ,,us1 who preach the word1 and to ,,you1 who hear it4 ,i4 ,the ,religion of ,jesus was designed for the instruction of all sorts and degrees of men4 ,nay1 it is even alledged as one mark of its divinity by ,jesus himself1 that not only the rich and wise1 but the poor and simple1 have the ,gospel preached unto them#i4 ,and from the different reception of it1 at first1 by these two sets of men1 we may perhaps see which of them deserved it most4 ,but be this as it will1 the ,christian ,religion was destined for the use of all mankind4 ,its saving truths are to be made known to all3 yet with some difference in the mode of teaching them1 according to the capacities of those to whom they are addressed4 ,,to ,,plain ,,and ,,illiterate ,,men1 who have no prejudices to counteract the virtue of ,god's word1 and no pride of reason or science to question its authority1 the true and proper way is1 no doubt1 to represent the great truths of the ,gospel1 simply and clearly1 accompanied with its more general and obvious proofs1 and enforced upon them with all the earnestness of exhortation4 ,these proofs1 and this exhortation1 carry such light and force in them1 as may be reasonably expected to have an effect upon all men3 yet to the ,,wise1 who are prompted by their curiosity1 to habits of inquiry1 to ask a reason of the hope that is in us#aj1 and who are qualified by their parts and studies to judge of such reason1 we are instructed to address a more elaborate answer1 or apology4 ,the question then will be1 ,,on ,,what ,,principles ,,such ,,apology ,,must ,,be ,,formed8 ,a question the more important1 because the apologies of all times have been too generally constructed on false and pernicious principles2 on such as cannot support1 but rather tend to weaken and disgrace1 the very cause they would defend4 ,such were the apologies1 many times1 of the ancient ,christians1 who would incorporate with the divine religion of ,jesus the vain doctrines of the ,gentile philosophy3 and such have been too often the more modern apologies1 which debase the word of ,god1 and corrupt it1 with the dreams of our presumptuous metaphysics4 ,our ,religion has suffered much in both these ways3 not1 that reason or philosophy of any kind1 truly so called1 can dis-serve the cause of a divine ,religion2 but that we reason and philosophize falsely1 or perversely2 that is1 we apply falshood to truth2 or1 we misapply truth itself1 in subjecting the incomprehensible mysteries of our faith to the scrutiny and minute discussion of our best reason4 ,from these miscarriages1 we are admonished what to avoid3 the example of the ,apostle ,paul1 who spake as to wise men1 may instruct us in the right way of prosecuting the defence of the ,gospel4 ,from him1 then1 we learn to frame our answers and apologies to inquisitive men1 on the great established truths of natural and revealed ,religion2 to assert the expediency of divine ,revelation1 from the acknowledged weakness and corruption of human nature1 and from the moral attributes of the ,deity2 to illustrate the conomy of ,god's dispensations to mankind by arguments taken from that conomy itself3 to reason with reverence#aa on the nature of those dispensations1 to shew what their general scope and purpose is1 how perfect an agreement there is between them1 and how divinely they are made to depend on each other4 ,in doing this1 we shall find room for the exercise of our best and most approved reason3 we shall look far ourselves1 7and be able to let others7 into the harmony of the divine councils1 as they are set before us in the inspired volumes3 and1 though we may not penetrate all the depths and obscurities of those councils1 yet1 as in contemplating the ,,works of ,god1 which we know but in part1 we can demonstrate his eternal power and ,godhead1 so1 in studying his ,,word1 we shall see enough of his unsearchable wisdom and goodness1 to put to silence the ignorance of foolish1 and to satisfy the inquiries of wise1 men4 ,i say1 to satisfy the inquiries of wise men3 for wise men do not expect to have all difficulties in a divine system cleared up1 and every minute question1 which may be raised about it1 answered 7for this1 ,god himself1 the author and finisher of it1 can only perform1 and much less than this is abundantly sufficient for our purpose72 but all they desire is to see the several parts of it so far cleared up1 and made consistent with each other1 and1 upon the whole1 to discover such evident marks of a superior wisdom1 power1 and goodness in the frame and texture of it1 as may convince them that it is truly divine1 and worthy of the ,supreme ,mind to whom we ascribe it4 ,when we speak thus as to wise men1 we do all that wise men can require of us3 if others be still unsatisfied1 the fault is in themselves2 they are curious1 but not wise4 ,i lay the greater stress on this mode of defending the ,christian ,religion from itself1 that is1 by arguments taken from its own nature and essence1 because it shortens the dispute with inquirers1 and secures the honour of that ,religion1 we undertake to defend4 ,first1 ,it shortens the dispute with ,inquirers1 by cutting off the consideration of all those objections which men raise out of their own imaginations4 ,the defender of ,christianity is not concerned to obviate every idle fancy1 that floats in the head of a visionary objector4 ,men have not the making of their ,religion1 but must take it for such as the ,scriptures represent it to be4 ,and if we defend it on the footing of such representation1 we do all that can be reasonably required of us4 ,it is nothing to the purpose what men may imagine to themselves concerning the marks and characters of a divine ,revelation3 it is enough1 that there are such marks and characters in the ,religion of ,jesus 7whether more or fewer1 whether the same or other1 than we might previously have expected1 is of no moment7 as shew it1 in all reasonable construction1 to be divine4 ,and thus our labour with ,inquirers is much abridged1 while all foreign and impertinent questions are rejected and laid aside4 ,next1 this mode of defence secures the honour of that religion1 we undertake to support4 ,for1 if we fail in our endeavours to unfold some parts of the ,christian system1 we are but in the condition of those1 who would experimentally investigate and clear up some difficulties in the system of nature4 ,want of care1 or diligence1 or sagacity1 may subject both the ,divine and the ,philosopher to some mistakes3 but either system is the same still1 and lies open to the pains and attention of more successful inquirers4 ,nobody concludes that the system of nature is not divine1 because this or that ,philosopher has been led by hasty experiments to misconceive of it4 ,and nobody should conclude otherwise of the ,christian system1 though the ,divine should err as much in his scriptural comments and explications4 ,whereas1 when we attempt to vindicate ,christianity on principles not clearly contained in the word of ,god1 we act like those who form physical theories on principles which have no foundation in fact4 ,the consequence is1 ,that not only the labour of each is lost1 but the system itself1 which each would recommend1 being hastily taken for what it is unskilfully represented to be1 is vilified and disgraced4 ,for thus the ,christian system has in fact been reviled by such as have seen1 or would only see it1 through the false medium of ,popish or ,calvinistical ideas3 and thus the system of nature itself hath1 it is said1 been blasphemed by ,,one#ab1 who judged of it from the intricacies of a certain astronomical hypothesis4 ,the remedy for this evil1 is1 to solve scriptural difficulties by scriptural principles1 and to account for natural appearances by experimental observations3 and then1 though the application of each may be mistaken1 the system remains inviolate1 and the honour both of ,god's ,,word and ,,works is secured4 ,and let thus much suffice1 at present1 for the duty of him1 who speaketh as to wise men4 ,much more indeed is required to the integrity1 and still more to the success1 of his defence4 ,but he that speaketh1 as the oracles of ,god1 that is1 who defends a divine ,religion on its own divine principles1 does that which is most essential to his office2 and eminently discharges the part of a wise speaker1 since he plans his defence in the best manner4 ,,ii4 ,it now remains to consider the other part of the text1 which challenges the wise men1 to whom the ,apostle spake1 to ,,judge of what he said to them4 ,from the time1 this challenge was given by the learned ,apostle1 there never have been wanting wise men1 disposed and forward to accept it4 ,and thus far1 all was well3 for they had a right to exercise this office of judging for themselves1 if they were1 indeed1 capable of it4 ,but have they considered1 to what that capacity amounts8 and that much more is required to make a good ,,judge1 than a good ,,speaker8 ,let us briefly examine then the pretentions of those1 who have at all times been so ready to sit in judgement on the ,advocates for ,religion1 by the known qualities of a capable ,judge3 which1 ,i think1 are ,knowledge1 ,patience1 ,impartiality1 ,integrity1 under which last name ,i include ,courage4 #a4 ,the first requisite in a ,judge1 is a competent knowledge in the subject of which he judges1 without which his other qualities1 how respectable soever1 are rendered useless4 ,nor is this knowledge1 in the present case1 inconsiderable4 ,for1 to say nothing of sacred and prophane ,antiquity1 to say nothing of the ,sciences1 and above all1 the science of ,ethics1 in its largest extent1 the ,judge of religious controversy must be well versed1 because the ,advocate is required to be supremely so1 in the great principles and doctrines of natural and revealed ,religion4 ,to decide on the merits of ,christianity1 without this knowledge1 would be as absurd1 as to decide on the merits of the ,english jurisprudence1 without an acquaintance with the common law1 and the ,statute-book4 #b4 ,the next quality1 required in a ,judge1 is ,patience2 or a deliberate unwearied attention to the arguments and representations of the ,advocate1 pleading before him4 ,this attention is more especially expected1 when the subject in debate is important1 when it is1 besides1 intricate1 and when the ,advocate is able4 ,but these circumstances all concur1 in the case before us4 ,if the question concerning the truth and authority of ,revelation be a cause of any moment at all1 it is confessedly of the greatest3 ,again1 if the scheme of ,revelation be1 as it pretends to be1 divine1 it must require the best application of our best faculties to comprehend it2 and1 lastly1 as the ablest men of all times1 of every profession and denomination1 have appeared in its defence1 such advocates may demand to be heared with all possible attention4 ,for the ,judge of such a cause1 then1 to confide in his own first thoughts1 to listen negligently and impatiently1 and to precipitate his determination1 must be altogether unworthy the character he assumes4 #c4 ,it is expected of a ,judge that he be strictly impartial2 that he come to the trial of a cause without any previous bias on his mind1 or any passionate and prevailing prejudices1 in regard either to persons or things1 which may indispose him to see the truth1 or to respect it4 ,and this turn of mind1 so conducive to a right determination in all cases1 is the more necessary here1 where so many secret prejudices are apt1 without great care1 to steal in and corrupt the judgement4 #d4 ,the last quality1 which men require in a ,judge1 is an inflexible ,integrity3 such as may infuse the virtue and the courage to give his judgement according to his impartial sense of things1 without any regard to the consequences1 in which it may involve him4 ,this constancy of mind may be put to no easy trial in the present case2 when the ,judge's determination may perhaps interest his whole future conduct2 and when the censure1 the scorn1 and the displeasure of numbers1 and possibly of those whom he has hitherto most considered and esteemed1 may be incurred by such determination4 ,,these are the great essential qualities which we look for in a ,,judge1 and which cannot be dispensed with in a ,judge of ,religion4 ,how far all1 or any of these qualities are to be found in those1 who take to themselves this office1 ,i have neither time1 nor inclination1 to consider4 ,for my purpose is not to disparage those who have exercised the right of judging for themselves in the great affair of ,religion1 nor to discourage any man from doing himself this justice3 but simply to represent the difficulties1 that lie in our way1 and the qualifications we must possess1 if we would judge a righteous judgement4 ,i leave it to yourselves1 therefore1 to apply these observations1 as ye think fit4 ,ye will conclude1 however1 that to judge of the pretentions of your religion is no such easy task1 as that any man1 without parts1 without knowledge1 without industry1 and without virtue1 may presume to undertake it4 ,the sum of all ,i have said is1 then1 this4 ,the ,apostle1 when he became an ,advocate for the ,gospel1 condescended to speak1 and it must therefore be more especially the duty of its uninspired advocates to speak as to wise men2 that is1 to employ in its defence the powers of reason and wisdom1 of which they are capable4 ,but it will be remembered1 too1 that much1 nay more1 is required of the ,,judges of it2 and that they must approve themselves1 not only wise1 but1 in every moral sense1 excellent men1 before they are qualified to pass a final judgement on what such ,advocates have to say on so momentous a cause1 as that of the ,,christian ,,religion4 ,,sermon ,,iii4 ,,preached ,,may #ag1 #agfg4 ,,rom4 ii4 #ad1 #ae4 ,when the ,gentiles1 which have not the ,law1 ,,do by ,nature the things contained in the ,law1 these1 having not the ,law1 are a ,law unto themselves3 which shew the work of the ,law written in their hearts1 their ,,conscience also bearing witness1 and their thoughts in the mean while ,,accusing or else ,,excusing one another4 ,the scope of this chapter being to assert1 that the ,gentile1 as well as ,jew1 had a right to be admitted into the ,christian church1 and that he was equally entitled to share in the blessings of it1 the ,apostle grounds his argument upon this ,principle1 8,that1 in the final judgement1 there would be no respect of persons with ,god2 but that ,gentiles1 as well as ,jews1 would be recompensed in that day1 if not in the same degree1 yet by the same rule of proportion1 that is1 according to their works40 ,whence it would follow1 that1 if this equal measure was to be dealt to both1 in the future judgement1 it could not seem strange if both were to be admitted to the present benefits and privileges of the ,gospel4 ,but to keep off a conclusion so uneasy to his inveterate prejudices1 the ,jew would object to this reasoning1 8,that the ,apostle's assumption must be false2 for that as ,god had given the ,heathens no ,law1 they were not accountable to him3 that1 as there could be no room for ,punishment1 where no ,law forbade1 so there could be no claim to ,reward1 where no ,law enjoined3 and consequently1 that the ,heathen world1 being left without ,law1 had no concern in a future recompence1 at all40 ,this suggestion the ,apostle obviates1 by shewing the inconsequence of it4 ,his answer is to this effect4 ,you1 says he1 conclude1 that the ,heathens are not accountable1 because they have no ,law4 ,but it no way follows1 because they had no ,law extraordinarily revealed to them from ,heaven1 that therefore the ,heathens had no ,law1 or ,rule of life1 at all4 ,for these1 having no such ,law1 were a ,law unto themselves2 that is1 their natural reason and understanding was their ,law4 ,and1 for the real existence of such natural ,law1 he appeals to the virtuous ,,actions of some ,heathens1 who ,,do by nature the things contained in the ,law2 who1 besides1 as it follows in the next verse1 shew the work of the ,law written in their hearts1 their consciences also bearing witness1 and their thoughts in the mean while accusing or else excusing one another4 ,in which last words are contained two additional arguments in proof of the same point2 the first1 taken from their own ,,consciousness of such a ,law2 and the second1 from their reasonings between one another1 ,,accusing or else ,,excusing3 for this is the strict sense and literal construction of those words in the original1 which we improperly translate--their thoughts in the mean while accusing or else excusing one another#ac4 ,so that in the verses of the ,text we have a ,,proposition asserted2 and ,,three distinct arguments brought in proof of it4 ,the proposition is1 that the ,heathen are a ,law unto themselves1 or1 as it is otherwise expressed1 have a ,law written in their hearts4 ,the arguments in proof of it are1 #a4 ,the virtuous lives of some heathen1 doing by nature the work of the ,law3 #b4 ,the force of conscience1 testifying their knowledge of such ,law3 and1 #c4 lastly1 their private and judicial reasonings among themselves1 referring to the confessed authority of it4 ,in conformity to this method of the ,apostle1 my business will be to open and explain the several arguments in the order1 in which they lie2 and to confirm1 by that means1 the truth of his general ,proposition1 ,that there is a natural ,law1 or ,rule of moral action1 written in the hearts of men4 ,i4 ,the argument from the virtues of the heathen world1 in proof of a ,law of nature1 written in the hearts of men1 will seem strange to some1 who may object1 8,that1 if the appeal be to action1 it may with greater reason be inferred1 there was not any such law2 since the crimes and vices of the heathen world1 as terribly set forth by ,st4 ,paul himself in the preceding chapter1 were far more notorious1 than its ,virtues4 ,so that if there be any force in ,st4 ,paul's appeal to the virtuous lives of some heathen1 as evincing a ,law1 written in their hearts1 because their practice was governed by it2 the like appeal to the vicious lives of many more heathen1 should seem with still more force to prove the non-existence of such ,law1 in as much as it did not govern their practice40 ,but the answer is obvious4 ,for a law may be in part1 or even totally1 violated by persons under a full conviction of its existence and obligation3 whereas it is hard to imagine1 that any number of men1 of different times1 in distant places1 and under different circumstances of age1 temper1 and education1 should exhibit in their lives the same tenour of action1 without the guidance of some fixed and common ,rule4 ,this then being observed1 let us turn our eyes upon the heathen world2 on that part1 more especially1 which is best known to us from the authentic monuments of ,greek and ,roman story4 ,for bad as that world was1 it cannot be denied to have furnished many instances of extraordinary virtue4 ,we find there justice1 temperance1 fortitude1 and all those virtues1 which their own ,moralists called ,offices1 and which the sacred page has dignified with the name of ,graces1 exhibited in their fairest forms1 and emulating1 as it were1 even ,christian perfection#ad4 ,but it will be said of both these people1 what was long since objected by one of them to the other1 that their actions were not so illustrious1 as is pretended2 that we take the accounts of them from their own interested relaters1 to whose vanity or genius we are rather to impute the fine portraits1 they have given us1 of pagan virtue1 than to real fact and the undisguised truth of things#ae4 ,be this allowed4 ,still there will be ground enough to enforce the ,apostle's conclusion4 ,for whence1 if not from the source to which he points1 could be derived those numerous corresponding instances1 though of faint1 unfinished ,virtue8 how1 but by nature1 did the heathen1 in any degree1 the things of the ,law8 and whence1 the traces of that conduct in the pagan world1 which the ,law itself prescribed as virtuous8 ,or1 were the evidence from facts ever so suspicious1 whence those admired portraits and pictures themselves8 or1 by what accountable means has it come to pass1 that their historians and panegyrists have been able to feign so successfully8 ,in truth1 had the pagan world afforded no one instance of a virtuous people1 ,i had almost said1 no one instance of a virtuous character1 yet would the projected form of such a people1 by one hand#af1 and the delineation of such a character1 by another#ag1 have been a certain evidence of some ,rule of life and manners1 written in the heart1 if not transcribed into practice2 influencing the judgement to approve1 if not the will to obey it4 ,but this consideration1 perhaps1 comes more naturally under the second head of the ,apostle's reasoning1 which is drawn1 ,,ii4 ,from the force of conscience in the heathen world4 ,to perceive the force of this argument1 it must be remembered1 ,that1 by conscience1 is only meant a man's judgement concerning the quality of his own actions2 which judgement1 however come at1 whether by use1 or institution1 by reason1 or instinct1 equally supposes some ,law1 or ,rule of conduct1 by which the nature of each action is tried1 and by which its worth is estimated4 ,now it is of no moment in the present case1 from which soever of these sources that judgement is immediately drawn1 since it cannot but be1 that some fixed principle1 common to human nature1 and of equal extent with it1 must have originally given birth to such judgement4 ,for if use1 or institution1 be considered as the probable source of it1 the question will recur1 whence that ,use1 or what the original of that ,institution8 ,a question1 which cannot be resolved1 unless we conceive some natural law1 as working at the root1 and branching out1 as it were1 into ,use1 or ,institution4 ,nor is it sufficient to say1 ,that the manners of different people are1 and have been1 widely different2 and that conscience1 or self-judgement1 according as different notions or practices prevail1 condemns1 or approves the very same action4 ,without doubt1 it does2 but the consequence is not1 as some sceptical writers have imagined1 that there is no common principle of nature1 distinguishing between right and wrong1 or that moral action is of absolute indifference2 but that men are1 and have been1 careless and corrupt2 that they have either not used the light of nature1 or have some way abused it4 ,for it holds of ,sentiment1 as of ,action1 that1 though the agreement of numbers in all times and places be a good argument for the existence of some common rule of right1 as effecting such agreement 7because otherwise no tolerable account can be given of it72 yet the disagreement even of greater numbers is no proof against the existence of such ,rule1 as we can1 without that supposition1 give a satisfactory account of that disagreement4 ,i call it a satisfactory account2 for it comes from ,st4 ,paul himself1 who has taken care to obviate this plausible objection4 ,if it be said then1 ,that the ,heathen approved bad1 and condemned good actions1 we own they sometimes did1 but answer with the ,apostle1 ,that1 in such cases1 they became vain in their imaginations1 and that their foolish heart was darkened2 that1 as they did not search to retain ,god in their knowledge1 did not exert their faculties to acquire or preserve a right sense of ,god's nature and will1 he gave them up to an unsearching mind1 suffered them to darken and put out the light of their understandings1 and so to do and to approve things that were not convenient#ah4 ,this being the true account of the diversity of human judgement1 such diversity only proves that the light of nature has been misused1 not1 that it was never given4 ,whereas1 on the other hand1 if the ,heathen world can shew us1 in general1 a conformity of judgement in moral matters1 under their state of nature1 with that of the world1 under the light of ,revelation1 what follows1 but that they1 having not the ,law1 shew the work of the ,law written in their hearts8 ,but now that there was1 in fact1 such a conformity1 we conclude from the accounts of these times1 the sense of writers1 and the confessions of persons themselves3 the only means1 by which a point of this nature can be established4 ,the pagan historians and moralists are full of such lessons1 as we now profit by3 and even their poets1 on the stage itself 7where common nature is drawn for the sake of common instruction7 represent their characters1 for the most part1 as good or bad1 according to the ideas we should now entertain of them4 ,in writers of all sorts1 we find abundant evidence of this truth4 ,numberless persons are upon record1 who confess1 in their own cases1 and attest1 this uniform power of conscience4 ,they applaud themselves for1 what we should call1 a well-spent life1 and they condemn themselves for1 what we call1 a bad one4 ,to touch on a topic so known as this1 is1 in effect1 to exhaust it4 ,i shall then but just point to the great ,roman patriot#ai exulting in the memory of his ,virtues3 and to the ,roman governour#bj1 so famous in sacred writ1 whom the preaching of ,paul1 in concurrence with his own heart1 made tremble for his ,vices4 ,,iii4 ,but if men did not feel the power of conscience operating within themselves1 and declaring a ,law written in their hearts1 yet their daily conduct towards each other1 in the civil concerns of life1 would evidently proclaim it4 ,for observe how studious men are to repel an injurious imputation1 fastened on a friend2 and still more1 how they labour to assert their own innocence4 ,what pains do we see taken1 to overthrow a false evidence1 and what colours of art do we see employed to palliate or disguise a true one6 ,no man needs be told that this is the constant practice of ,christians3 and did not the ,heathens the same8 ,here then is a fresh proof of the point in question2 an argument of familiar evidence arising from the transactions of common life4 ,for1 in the altercations with each other1 in reference to right and wrong1 there is manifestly supposed some prior ,law of universal reason1 to which the appeal on both sides is directed1 and by which the decision is finally to be made4 ,and this1 as the ,apostle's argument suggests1 whichever of the contending parties be in the wrong3 ,for the charging another with wrong conduct1 equally implies a ,rule1 determining my judgement of moral action2 as the defending myself or others from such a charge1 evinces my sense of it4 ,thus1 whether ,i accuse1 or answer for myself1 either way1 ,i shew a law written in my heart2 whence ,i estimate the right or wrong of the supposed question4 ,thus much might be inferred from the ordinary topics of conversation3 but the case is still clearer1 when they come to be debated in courts of ,justice4 ,more especially1 therefore1 the struggles and contentions of the ,bar 7for the terms1 employed in the text1 being forensic1 direct us chiefly to that interpretation71 a series of civil and judiciary pleadings1 such as have been preserved to us1 from heathen times1 in the writings of a ,demosthenes1 or ,cicero1 are a standing1 unanswerable argument for the existence of a ,rule of ,right1 or ,law of natural reason4 ,for how should these debates be carried on without a ,rule1 to which the advocates of either party refer8 or how should these judicial differences be composed1 without a common ,law1 to arbitrate between them8 ,and what though the ,law1 referred to1 be a written institute3 it was first written in the heart1 before legislators transcribed it on brass1 or paper4 ,you see then1 the sum of the ,apostle's reasoning stands thus4 ,the ,heathens1 who had no revealed ,law1 ,,did by nature1 the things of the ,law3 their ,,judgement1 too1 of their own actions1 conformed to the judgement of the ,law3 and1 lastly1 their ,,debates with one another1 whether public or private1 concerning right and wrong1 evidenced their sense of some ,law1 which ,nature had prescribed to them4 ,and in this fine chain of argument1 we may observe the peculiar art1 by which it is conducted1 and the advantage1 resulting from such conduct to the main conclusion4 ,for if the argument from ,,works should seem of less weight 7as it possibly might1 after the ,apostle's own charge upon the heathen world1 and in that age of heathen corruption7 yet the evidence arising from ,,conscience1 which was an appeal to every man's own breast1 could hardly be resisted3 or1 if conscience could be laid asleep 7as it might be by vice and ill habits7 it was impossible they could deny the ,,debates among themselves1 or not see the inference that must needs be drawn from them4 ,it may1 further1 seem to have been with some propriety that the sacred reasoner employed these topics of argument1 in an address to ,,romans3 who could not but feel the weight of them the more1 as well knowing the ancient ,,virtue of their country2 as knowing too1 that the ,roman people had been famous for their nice sense of right and wrong1 or1 in other words1 a moral ,,conscience2 and that1 as having been a free people1 they had been always accustomed to ,,debates about moral action1 public and private4 ,such is the force1 and such the elegant disposition and address1 of the ,apostle's reasoning4 ,the conclusion follows irresistibly1 ,that there is a ,law written in our hearts1 or that1 besides a ,revealed ,law1 there is a law of natural reason4 ,that this conclusion is not injurious to revealed ,law1 but indeed most friendly and propitious to it2 that1 in particular1 it no way derogates from the honour of the ,christian ,law1 nor can serve in any degree to lessen the value1 or supersede the use and necessity of it2 ,i shall attempt to shew in another discourse4 ,,sermon ,,iv4 ,,preached ,,may #bd1 #agfg4 ,,gal4 iii4 #ai4 ,wherefore then serveth the ,law8 ,when the ,apostle ,paul had proved1 in his ,epistle to the ,romans#ba1 that if the uncircumcision kept the righteousness of the ,law1 his uncircumcision would be accounted for circumcision2 that is1 if the ,gentile observed the moral law1 which was his proper rule of life1 he would be accepted of ,god1 as well as the ,jew1 who observed the ,mosaic ,law2 this generous reasoning gave offence1 and he was presently asked1 ,,what ,,advantage ,,then ,,hath ,,the ,,jew#bb8 ,in like manner1 when the same ,apostle had been contending1 in his ,epistle to the ,galatians1 that the inheritance was not of the ,law1 but of ,promise#bc2 that is1 that all men1 the ,gentiles as well as the ,jews1 were entitled to the blessings of the ,christian covenant1 in virtue of ,god's promise to ,abraham--that in his seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed--and not the ,jews exclusively1 in virtue of the ,mosaic ,law1 given to them only2 the same spirit discovers itself1 as before1 and he is again interrogated by his captious disciples1 ,,wherefore ,,then ,,serveth ,,the ,,law8 if the ,gentiles may be justified through faith in ,christ1 and so inherit the promise made to ,abraham1 as well as the ,jews1 to what purpose was the ,jewish ,law then given8 ,and to these questions1 how unreasonable soever1 the learned ,apostle has himself condescended to give an answer4 ,now1 the same perverseness1 which gave birth to these ,jewish prejudices1 seems to have operated in some ,christians2 who1 on being told1 and even by ,st4 ,paul himself1 of a ,law of ,nature1 by which the ,heathen were required to govern their lives1 and by the observance of which1 without their knowledge of any revealed ,law1 they would be finally accepted1 have been forward in their turn1 to ask1 ,,wherefore ,,then ,,serveth ,,the ,,law8 ,or1 if there be a natural ,law1 according to which the very ,heathen will be judged1 and may be rewarded1 what are the boasted privileges of ,revealed ,law1 and1 in particular1 the revealed ,law of the ,gospel8 ,now to this question 7having1 in my last discourse1 asserted the proposition1 which gives occasion to it7 ,i shall reply1 in the best manner ,i can1 by shewing1 ,i4 ,that the supposition of a natural moral ,law is even necessary to the support of ,,revelation3 ,and ,,ii4 ,that this supposition no way derogates from the honour of the ,,gospel4 ,i4 ,that a natural moral ,law is required to support the authority of ,revelation1 ,i conclude1 not merely1 because this supposition is actually made in sacred ,scripture1 because the sacred writers argue expressly from it1 and every-where refer to it1 but principally and chiefly1 because1 without admitting this prior ,law of nature1 we cannot judge of any pretended ,revelation1 whether it be divine or no4 ,for1 if there be no such moral ,law1 previously given1 which our hearts and consciences approve1 and to which our common nature assents1 we can never see the fitness of any means1 as conducive to a moral end2 we can entertain no just and clear notions of moral action1 properly so called2 and consequently1 we can have no ideas of what are called the moral attributes of ,god4 ,now1 in this state of ignorance and uncertainty1 how shall any man go about to prove to us the divinity of any ,revelation1 or through what medium can its truth or authenticity be established8 ,we have no ,rule1 no principles1 by which to judge of the ,law1 pretending to come from ,god3 we cannot tell1 whether it be worthy of him1 or not3 we do not so much as know1 what worth or goodness is1 either in ourselves1 or in the ,deity4 ,thus all internal arguments for the excellence of any ,religion are at once cut off3 and yet till1 from such considerations1 we find that a ,religion may come from ,god1 we cannot reasonably conclude1 on any evidence1 that it does come from him4 ,the ,religion of ,mahomet may1 for any thing we can tell1 if there be no moral ,law for us to judge by1 be as worthy of ,god1 as that of ,jesus4 ,nor will any external arguments1 even the most unquestioned miracles1 of themselves1 be sufficient to confirm its pretensions4 ,for how shall we know1 that these miracles are from ,god1 unless we understand what his attributes are1 and whether the occasion1 for which they are wrought1 be such as is consistent with them8 ,so that those zealous persons1 who think they do honour to the revealed will of ,god1 by denying him to have given prior natural ,law1 do1 indeed1 defeat their own purpose1 and put it out of their power to judge of any ,revelation whatsoever4 ,there is1 then1 a ,law of ,reason1 written in the heart1 by which every ,religion1 claiming to be divine1 must be tried2 or we have no ground to stand upon in our endeavours to support the credit and divinity of any ,religion4 ,what is1 then1 so necessary to the support of ,revelation1 in general1 cannot1 we may be sure1 ,,ii4 ,any way derogate from the honour of the ,christian ,revelation1 in particular4 ,but1 to put this matter out of all doubt1 ,i shall distinctly shew1 that the supposition of a natural moral ,law neither discredits the ,,use2 nor tends1 in the least1 to supersede the ,,necessity1 of the ,gospel4 ,and1 #a4 ,,it ,,does ,,not ,,discredit ,,its ,,use4 ,for1 what1 if all men be endowed with those faculties1 which1 if properly employed1 may instruct us in the knowledge of ,god and ourselves1 and of the duties we1 respectively1 owe to him and to each other8 ,is it nothing that this knowledge is rendered more easy and familiar to us by the lights of the ,gospel8 ,is it nothing1 that those laws1 which men of thought and reflexion may deduce for themselves from principles of natural reason1 are openly declared to all3 that they are confirmed1 illustrated1 and enforced by express revelation8 ,is it of no moment1 that the plainest and busiest men are as fully instructed in their duty1 as men of science and leisure1 the simplest as well as the wisest1 the mechanic and the sage1 the rustic and philosopher8 ,is it of no use1 that men are kept steady in their knowledge and observance of the law of nature1 by this pole-star of revelation8 that they are secured from error and mistake1 from the effects of their own haste1 or negligence1 or infirmity1 from the illusions of custom or ill example1 from the false lights of fanaticism or superstition1 and from the perverseness of their own reasonings8 ,look into the history of mankind1 and see what horrid idolatries have overspread the world1 in spite of what ,nature teaches concerning ,god2 and what portentous immoralities have prevailed in the wisest nations1 in defiance1 nay1 what is worse1 under the countenance and sanction1 of what was deemed natural ,reason4 ,add to all this1 that the moral duties1 we thus easily and certainly know1 and without any danger of mistake or corruption1 by means of the evangelical ,law1 are enjoined by the highest authority2 are set off by the brightest examples2 are recommended to us by new arguments and considerations2 are pressed upon us by the most engaging motives1 higher and more important than nature could suggest to us2 and1 lastly1 are sublimed and perfected by the most consummate reason4 ,still we are not got to the end of our account4 ,consider1 further1 our natural weakness1 strengthened and assisted by the influences of divine ,grace2 the doubts and misgivings of ,nature1 in the momentous points of repentance and forgiveness of sin1 cleared2 the true end and destination of moral agents1 discovered2 a future judgement1 ascertained2 and the hopes of endless unspeakable glory1 which nature could at most but desire1 and had no reason 7unless that desire be1 itself1 a reason7 to expect1 unveiled and fully confirmed to us4 ,this1 and still more1 is but a faint sketch of the advantages1 which1 even in point of morals1 we derive from revealed ,law4 ,go now1 then1 and say1 that the light of nature1 set up in your own hearts1 obscures the glory1 or discredits the use1 of the everlasting ,gospel6 #b4 ,but it is a low1 degrading1 and unjust idea of the ,gospel1 to regard it only1 as a new code of morals1 though more complete in itself1 more solemnly enacted1 and more efficaciously enforced1 than the prior one of nature4 ,were the use of each the same1 the honour of the ,christian revelation would not be impaired1 because its ,,necessity ,,is ,,not ,,superseded4 ,for ,christianity1 rightly understood1 is something1 vastly above what ,reason could discover or procure for us4 ,it confirms1 incidentally1 the law of nature1 and appeals to it2 it harmonizes1 throughout1 with that and every other prior revelation of ,god's will as it could not but do1 if it were indeed derived from the same eternal source of light and truth4 ,but1 for all that1 it is no more a simple re-publication of the natural1 than of any other divine ,law4 ,it is a new and distinct revelation1 that perfects and completes all the rest4 ,it is the consummation of one great providential scheme1 planned before the ages1 and fully executed in due time1 for the redemption of mankind from sin and death1 through the mercies of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4 ,now1 in this view1 which is that which ,christianity exhibits of its own purpose1 the scheme of the ,gospel is not only of the most transcendant use1 as it confirms1 elucidates1 and enforces the moral ,law1 but of the most ,,absolute ,,necessity3 ,i say1 of the most absolute necessity2 in reference to the divine wisdom1 and to the condition of mankind1 both which1 without doubt1 if we could penetrate so far1 required this peculiar interposition of ,heaven1 on principles of the highest reason1 as well as goodness4 ,but the necessity is apparent even to us1 on the grounds of this very ,revelation4 ,for its declared purpose was to rescue all men from the power of ,death1 and to bestow upon them immortal life in happiness4 ,but1 now1 the same ,gospel1 that tells us this1 tells us1 withal1 that1 as in ,adam all men died1 so in ,,christ1 only1 shall all men be made alive2 and that1 without the blood of ,,christ1 there could be no remission of the forfeiture incurred by the transgression of ,adam4 ,you see1 then1 that1 to argue upon ,gospel-principles 7and the fair inquirer can argue upon no other7 the ,christian dispensation was necessary to fulfill the purposes of ,god to man1 and to effect that which the divine councils had decreed in relation to him4 ,the consequence is1 that though we admit a ,law of nature1 and even suppose that ,law to have been a sufficient guide in morals1 yet the honour of ,christianity is fully secured1 as it's necessity is not superseded by the law of nature1 which had not the promise of eternal life1 and could not have it2 such promise being reserved to manifest and illustrate the grace of ,god1 through the ,gospel4 ,reason may be astonished at this representation of things1 but finds nothing to oppose to it4 ,it looks up1 in silent adoration1 to that supreme incomprehensible ,power1 which wills that which is best1 and orders all things with the most perfect reason4 ,nor let it be any objection1 that the ,law of ,nature points to some just recompence of moral agents1 independently of the ,christian ,law4 ,without doubt1 it does2 and1 if the ,gospel had never been vouchsafed to man1 the judge of all the world would have done that which was fit and right4 ,but can reason1 can our own hearts1 assure us1 that the best of us could stand the scrutiny of strict justice1 or be entitled to any recompense of reward8 ,or1 if our presumption answer this question in our favour1 have we the least pretence to that unspeakable reward1 solely made known and promised in the ,gospel1 of everlasting life8 ,or1 if mere ,heathens1 who are to be judged by their own ,law1 may be admitted to an eternal inheritance of life and glory1 are we sure that this mercy 7for mercy it is1 and cannot be of right7 is not vouchsafed to them1 through ,christ1 though they may have been ignorant of ,him8 or rather1 are we not certain that it must be so1 since eternal life1 on whomsoever bestowed1 is the gift of ,god through ,christ#bd8 ,what effect the ,gospel-scheme of ,redemption through ,christ may have on those who lived of old under the ,law of nature or any other ,law1 or who since the coming of ,christ have continued in the same circumstances2 it becomes us with great caution to enquire1 because the ,scriptures have not explicitly and fully instructed us in that matter4 ,but1 from certain expressions1 occasionally dropped by the sacred writers1 such as--that ,christ died for all#be2 that ,god was in ,christ reconciling the world to himself#bf--that ,christ is the propitiation for our sins1 and not for ours only1 but also for the sins of the whole world#bg2 from these1 and other passages of the like nature1 we are authorised to conclude1 that the benefits of ,christ's death do extend1 in some sense1 to all men3 that1 though each will be judged by the ,law he lived under1 the issue of that judgement will respect the death of ,christ3 that their living again to receive the recompence of the deeds done in the body1 however ,nature might suggest this event1 is1 in fact1 brought about through the redemption that is in ,christ#bh3 and that whatever recompence they receive beyond what in strict justice is due unto them1 is to be placed entirely and singly to his account4 ,such inferences1 as these1 are apparently reasonable1 and just3 nor do they prejudice1 in any degree1 the hope and faith of a ,christian3 others may have an interest in the blood of the cross2 but our privilege is to know that we have it4 ,the advantages flowing from this knowledge1 are infinite4 ,and therefore good reason there is to hold1 with the ,apostle1 that1 although the living ,god be the ,saviour of all men1 yet is he specially so of those that believe#bi4 ,on the whole1 then1 if men will be putting such a question to us1 as that of the text1 ,wherefore then serveth the ,law8 to what end was the ,christian ,law given1 if there be a prior ,law of ,nature1 to which men are responsible1 and by which they will be judged8 ,we are now prepared to give them a satisfactory answer4 ,we say then1 first1 that the ,christian ,law1 to whatever ends it serveth1 presupposes the existence of a prior natural ,law1 by which its pretensions must be tried1 and1 of course1 therefore1 its honour is supported4 ,but1 secondly1 and more directly1 we answer1 that the supposition of such natural ,law no way diminishes the honour of the ,christian ,law2 for that it serves to many the most important ,,moral ,,uses1 over and above those to which the ,law of nature serves2 and that1 further1 it is of the most absolute ,,necessity to the accomplishment of its own great purpose1 the redemption of the world1 which the ,law of nature could not effect1 and which the divine wisdom ordained should only be effected through ,christ ,jesus4 ,lastly1 we reply1 that the benefits of the ,gospel institution may1 must1 in some measure1 extend to all the sons of ,adam1 as well as to those who are more especially enlightened by the ,christian faith3 that all mankind have an interest in the ,gospel1 though we ,christians are first and principally indebted to it4 ,to conclude1 whatever ,law1 whether we term it of nature1 or revelation1 has been given to us1 we should receive with all thankfulness and reverence4 ,but1 more especially1 should we adore the riches of ,god's grace in the revealed ,law of the ,gospel1 and in the singular unspeakable mercies conveyed by it4 ,far from envying the ,heathen world the advantages they receive from the ,law of ,reason1 under which they live2 let us bless ,god for his impartial over-flowing goodness to all men2 let us even rejoice for the benefits treasured up for them in a merciful dispensation of which1 at present1 they unhappily know nothing2 and let us only acknowledge1 with especial gratitude1 the higher blessings vouchsafed to us1 who are called to serve ,god in the ,gospel of his ,son#cj4 ,,sermon ,v4 ,,preached ,,may #a1 #agfh4 ,,heb4 ii4 #c4 ,how shall we escape1 if we neglect so great ,salvation8 ,the ,religion of ,nature1 is the ,law of ,god1 speaking by the voice of ,reason3 the ,religion of the ,gospel1 is the ,law of ,god1 speaking by the ,revelation of ,jesus4 ,each of these ,laws is deservedly called1 a great ,salvation3 the former1 as the basis of all true ,religion2 the latter1 as the consummation of all ,god's religious dispensations to mankind4 ,concerning the different purpose and genius of these ,laws1 ,i shall not now speak2 at least1 no farther1 than is necessary to enforce the ,apostle's pathetic question1 ,how shall we escape1 if we neglect so great ,salvation2 if we neglect to observe these ,laws1 respectively given to promote man's truest happiness8 ,the world abounds in commentaries on the ,law of ,nature1 and on the ,law of ,christianity4 ,but the misfortune is1 that most men regard the study of these ,laws1 rather as an exercise of the mind1 in the way of curious speculation1 than as an interesting pursuit1 which concerns their moral and religious practice4 ,which is just the same folly as would be charged on those1 who should spend their lives in studying the municipal ,laws of their country1 with a total unconcern about the observance of them in their own persons4 ,indeed the penal sanctions1 which attend the violation of those ,laws1 would presently reclaim the student from this folly1 and remind him of the end1 to which his skill and knowledge in them should be principally directed4 ,and if1 in the study of general morals1 or of revealed religion1 he neglect to refer his speculation to practice1 it is only because their penalties are less instant1 or less constraining2 and not that either the ,law of ,nature1 or the ,law of the ,gospel1 is without its proper and suitable sanctions4 ,i4 ,these sanctions1 as to the ,law of ,nature1 as little as they are sometimes considered1 are easily pointed out4 ,for who1 that grossly offends against that ,law1 but is punished with self-contempt2 with an anxious dread of that power1 which inscribed the law on his heart1 and will1 some way or other1 secure the honour of it2 with a sensible diminution of his health1 or fortune1 or reputation2 sometimes1 with the decline of his parts and faculties2 with many uneasy and embarrassing1 however unforeseen1 situations1 into which his vices lead him2 with inevitable distresses1 experienced in his own person1 perhaps entailed on his posterity2 in a word1 sooner or later1 with a disgust of this life1 and a trembling apprehension of what may befall him in a future8 ,by these penalties1 is the ,,law ,,of ,,nature enforced3 and they are such1 as must soon convince a thinking man1 indeed every man1 that his true interest lies in the observance of that ,law4 ,at the same time1 it must be owned1 that this ,law is strict and severe3 ,it punishes with rigour1 and rewards sparingly4 ,disobedience is certain1 often intense1 misery2 while the most punctual compliance with it secures but a moderate enjoyment of this life1 and so much happiness in another 7if indeed any happiness can be hoped for7 as in strict justice may be required4 ,yet this is the ,law1 which many1 it seems1 had rather live and dye under1 than accept the benefit of a far ,,better4 ,for1 ,,ii4 ,it pleased ,god1 in compassion to his creature1 man1 not to leave him under this ,law2 but1 by a special ,revelation of his will1 to confer those blessings upon him1 which he had no ground in reason to expect1 and no means in nature to obtain4 ,hence1 the free gift of immortality1 on the condition of obeying a certain precept1 given to ,adam4 ,the gift was immense1 and the condition easy3 but1 the latter not being observed1 the former was as justly forfeited1 as it had been graciously bestowed4 ,still1 through the exhaustless mercy of the supreme moral ,governour1 a way was found out1 by which unhappy man might be restored to his lost inheritance4 ,he returned again1 for the present1 under the former yoke of ,nature1 or1 at best1 was committed to the tuition of a rigid ,school-master 7for such ,st4 ,paul styles the ritual ,law of ,moses72 with some hopes1 indeed1 of a better state1 to which he was one day to be advanced2 but those1 darkly intimated1 and imperfectly conceived4 ,the divine purpose1 however1 was to lead him1 by this wholesome discipline1 to ,christ1 to the religion of his ,son2 who1 in due time1 vindicated the honour of ,god's government1 by fulfilling all righteousness2 expiated the foul offence of man's disobedience by his death upon the cross2 and reconveyed the inestimable gift of immortal life in happiness1 on the new terms of ,,faith ,,in ,,the ,,divine ,,saviour1 by whose ministry this great work was atchieved4 ,thus1 ,jesus became a ransom for the sins of mankind2 appearing indeed in our nature at that season which was pre-ordained1 but being slain 7in the divine councils1 and therefore the benefit of his death operating7 from the foundations of the world4 ,this is a brief account of that great redemption in ,christ ,jesus1 by which we are again restored to those hopes1 which had been forfeited by ,adam's transgression4 ,in consequence of this dispensation1 the reward of obedience is eternal ,life3 not of debt1 but of grace1 through faith in the ,redeemer4 ,but this is not all4 ,to facilitate and secure that obedience 7to which so immense a benefit is now annexed7 a perfect example of it is set before us in the person of ,christ himself2 and the holy ,spirit is given to the faithful1 to purify their hearts and lives1 and to fill them with all joy and peace in believing#ca4 ,on the other hand1 the penalty of disobedience 7what could it be less87 is a perpetual exclusion from bliss and glory1 with such a degree of positive suffering1 annexed1 as the respective demerits of incorrigible sinners1 or the sanctity and wisdom of the divine government1 may demand4 ,add to all this1 that the same scriptures1 which open to us the terms of this dispensation1 declare1 likewise1 that no other terms will ever be offered2 that we are complete in ,christ#cb2 that all the divine councils1 in regard to man1 are closed and shut up in him2 and that no further sacrifice remains for sin1 but that every man1 henceforth1 must stand or fall by the terms of the everlasting ,gospel4--,how then shall we escape1 if we neglect so great ,salvation8 ,,iii4 ,still1 as ,i said1 there are those1 who had rather trust to the ,law of ,nature1 than the ,law of ,grace2 who had rather take their chance of being saved by the rule of their own ,reason1 than owe their ,salvation to the methods prescribed to them by the rule of the ,gospel4 ,their pretences for this perverse choice1 are various3 but the true reason1 ,i suppose1 is1 that the dispensation of the ,gospel1 though it be unspeakably more benign1 more gracious1 more encouraging to the good and virtuous1 is1 at the same time1 more awful1 more terrifying1 to resolved impenitent sinners1 than the dispensation of ,nature3 and they are content to give up their hopes of that immortal prize1 which the revelation of ,jesus holds out to them1 rather than encounter the hazard of that severe sentence1 which attends the forfeiture of it4 ,be it so then3 ye had rather forego the hopes of heaven1 than have your minds disquieted with the fear of hell4 ,but1 first1 do ye not see1 that there is something base and abject in this disposition8 ,for what generous man will not aspire to an immense reward1 which ,heaven1 in extreme kindness1 may be almost said to force upon him1 because there may be danger in coming short of it8 8,yes1 but the danger is immense1 too40 ,rather say1 the loss is immense3 the danger of incurring this loss1 is not so4 ,for what1 indeed1 is the danger1 when ,heaven is your guide1 and a crown of glory your hope2 when ye have ,god's word to assure you of the prize1 ye contend for2 when ye have the holy ,spirit of ,god to assist you in the pursuit2 when ye have the ,son of ,god1 your all-merciful ,saviour himself1 to be your ,judge1 and the dispenser of that prize to you2 when1 with all these encouragements on the one hand1 ye are1 besides1 quickened by a salutary fear of justice1 on the other2 and when all that is required of yourselves is1 a reasonable faith1 a willing mind1 and a sincere1 though1 in many respects1 imperfect obedience8 ,is the danger to be much esteemed1 when the helps are so great1 when the labour is so small1 and the success almost certain8 ,but1 ,secondly1 ,consider1 also1 whether ye do not even prevaricate with yourselves1 when ye say1 ye had rather take up with a less reward1 than run the hazard of so great a punishment4 ,ye certainly resolve not to contend for any reward at all1 not even for the reward of ,nature4 ,if ye did1 ye might with more ease1 as well as certainty1 obtain that of the ,gospel4 ,for whether is easier1 think ye1 to obtain a gift from infinite mercy1 or to extort a debt from infinite justice8 ,but1 ,lastly1 the matter is not left to your choice4 ,when ,god1 in his wisdom1 had projected a scheme for the salvation of mankind before the ages2 when he had prosecuted that scheme by many successive revelations of himself1 by many notices and preparatory indications of his good pleasure2 when he had separated a chosen family from the rest of the world1 to serve as a repository of his councils1 and to minister to himself in the execution of them2 when he had sent forth his angels to assist in this great work1 and had inspired many prophets and holy men to signify1 beforehand1 the glories of a new kingdom which he meant to establish on earth1 and to prepare men for the reception of it2 when1 after all these preludes of his wisdom and goodness1 he came1 in due time1 to astonish the world with the completion of this adorable scheme1 by sending forth his only begotten ,son1 the express image of his person1 to take upon him our nature1 to suffer and to die for us2 and1 by raising up ,apostles and ,evangelists1 under the guidance of his holy ,spirit1 to record these amazing transactions2 and1 by the attestation of stupendous miracles1 to spread the knowledge of them over the face of the earth3 when this1 ,i say1 and more1 had been done by the ,almighty to usher in his last best dispensation into the world1 think not1 that all this mighty apparatus was to be thrown away on our caprice or obstinacy2 and that1 after all1 we may be at liberty to reject his whole design1 or take as much1 or as little of it1 as our wayward fancies shall suggest to us4 ,no3 assuredly the councils of ,heaven will stand firm1 whatever attempts we may make1 in our wisdom1 or weakness1 to subvert them4 ,as well may we think to overturn the everlasting mountains1 or push the earth itself from its centre1 as to defeat or set aside one tittle of that eternal purpose1 which ,god hath purposed in ,christ ,jesus#cc4 ,to whomsoever the sound of the ,gospel is come1 whether he will hear1 or not hear1 by that ,gospel he must stand or fall3 he is1 thenceforth1 under the bond of the ,covenant3 through faith in ,jesus1 he inherits the promises2 or1 if he withhold his faith1 it is not at his option to have no concern in the threats of the ,gospel4 ,i know what is commonly said to representations of this sort--8,that ,faith depends not on the will1 but on the understanding3 that1 when the evidence for the truth of any proposition is full and clear1 it constrains my assent2 when it is otherwise1 ,i reject the proposition1 as false1 or1 at best1 suspend my belief of it2 and1 in either case1 as without merit1 so without blame3 that no ,law is obligatory to me1 any farther than ,i see cause to admit the authority of it2 and that no pretence of its divine original can subject me to the sanctions of it1 unless1 on my best inquiry1 ,i allow that claim to be well founded3 that1 consequently1 the ,law of ,christianity cannot concern him1 who is not convinced of its truth2 that1 where this conviction is not1 disbelief must be a matter purely indifferent3 and that ,he only is responsible to that ,law1 who understands it to be his duty to be controuled and governed by it40 ,this reasoning is plausible2 and has many advocates1 because it flatters the pride and independency of the human mind4--,but1 when a ,law is promulged with that evidence1 which the divine ,legislator 7for of such ,i am now speaking7 sees to be sufficient for the conviction of a reasonable man1 it is concluding too fast1 to suppose1 that ,i am innocent in rejecting it2 or that ,i am not bound by it1 though ,i do reject it4 ,error1 or unbelief1 is only indifferent1 when it is perfectly involuntary or invincible2 but there is clearly no room for this plea in the present case1 when1 by the supposition1 there is no want of fit evidence4 ,even in the case of human ,laws1 my rejection of them may be blameable1 though ,i neither admit the authority nor the equity of the laws themselves4 ,for there may be evidence enough of both1 if ,i will but attend to it4 ,now put the case of a divine ,legislator2 and what was supposeable1 becomes certain4 ,for the attributes of the ,deity will permit no doubt1 but that1 when he gives a ,law to man1 he will afford such proofs of it1 as may1 in reason1 satisfy those1 to whom it is addressed4 ,so that their rejection of it can only proceed from some neglect or wilfulness1 on their own part1 and not from the want of a sufficient attestation1 on the part of the ,legislator4 ,ye see then1 there is no absurdity in supposing the ,law of ,christianity to oblige those1 who do not receive it3 for if that ,law be of ,god 7and we argue now upon that hypothesis7 the evidence for it must be such as is suited to our faculties2 and being addressed1 as the tenor of it shews1 to all mankind1 it binds of course all those to whom that evidence has been submitted4 ,and this indeed is the very language of that ,law itself4 ,for the ,jews disbelieved the ,gospel1 when it was preached to them by our blessed ,lord4 ,but what says the ,legislator to these unbelievers8 ,does he leave them to the ,law of ,nature1 whose authority they did not dispute1 or to the ,law of ,moses1 which ,god himself1 they knew1 had given them8 ,no such thing3 he tells them1 that very ,law1 which they rejected1 should judge them4 8,he1 that rejecteth me1 and receiveth not my words1 hath one that judgeth him3 the ,,word1 that ,i have spoken1 the same shall judge him in the last day#cd40 ,and he assigns the reason of this determination--8,for ,i have not spoken of myself2 but the ,father1 which sent me1 he gave me a commandment1 what ,i should say1 and what ,i should speak30 that is1 the ,law1 ,i give you1 is of divine authority2 and therefore not to be rejected without blame on any pretence by you1 to whom the knowledge of it1 and the proper evidence on which it rests1 has been committed4 ,these reflexions1 ,i know1 have small weight with those1 who treat the evidences of the ,gospel with that scorn1 which is familiar to some men4 ,but such persons should1 at least1 see that their scorn be well founded4 ,if not--but ,i will only say1 they may subject themselves1 for aught they know1 to the penalties of the ,gospel2 ,i mean1 to the future judgement of that man1 whom1 in this life1 they would not have to reign over them#ce4 ,but this remonstrance is properly addressed to those that are without1 to the contemners of the ,christian ,law4 ,to ,,you1 who are within the pale of ,christ's ,church1 and acknowledge his authority2 who profess yourselves to be his servants2 who admit no other ,law1 but in subjection to his1 and have no expectation of life and glory from any other2 to ,,you1 ,i say1 the question of the text is above measure interesting1 ,how shall we escape1 if we neglect so great ,salvation8 ,compassion1 and prudence1 and charity may restrain you from censuring with severity the enemies of the faith2 may dispose you to overlook1 or to soften at least1 the alarming denunciations of the ,gospel1 in which they are concerned4 ,but for ,,yourselves1 who have given your names to ,christ1 and have hope in him only2 who know the wonders of mercy that have been wrought for you1 and were finally completed on that cross1 which is your trust and consolation1 your pride and glory1 it is almost needless to say what your interest1 and what your obligation is1 to observe1 respect1 and reverence the dispensation of the ,gospel4 ,ye are self-condemned1 if ye slight this ,law3 ye are ungrateful1 up to all the possibilities of guilt1 if ye make light of it3 ye are undone for ever1 if ye neglect so great ,salvation4 ,what allowances it may please ,god to make for the prejudices1 the passions1 the slights1 the blasphemies of unthinking and careless men1 who have never embraced the faith of ,jesus1 it may not1 perhaps1 concern you to inquire4 ,but ye know1 that ye are responsible to that ,law1 which ye profess1 and to that master1 whom ye serve2 that to you1 indifference is infidelity2 and disobedience1 treason2 that wilful unrepented sin in a ,christian is without hope1 as without excuse1 shuts him out from all the rewards1 and exposes him1 even with his own full consent to all the punishments of the ,gospel4 ,in a word1 as their joy is great in believing1 who obey the ,gospel of ,christ2 so the guilt and the terror is proportionably great1 to disobedient believers4 ,for1 dreadful as unbelief may prove in the issue to such as1 through their own fault1 have not come to the knowledge of ,christ1 ,belief1 without obedience1 is more dreadful still4 ,i have an apostle's warrant for this assertion4 ,for it had been better for us not to have known the way of righteousness1 than1 after we have known it1 to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto us#cf4 ,,sermon ,,vi4 ,,preached ,,november #af1 #agff4 ,st4 ,,john1 xiv4 #h4 ,philip saith to him1 ,lord1 shew us the ,father1 and it sufficeth us4 ,our ,lord1 being now about to depart out of the world#cg1 prepares his disciples for this unwelcome event by many consolations and instructions4 ,he acquaints them1 more particularly than he had hitherto done1 with his own personal dignity4 ,he tells them1 that1 as they believed in ,god1 they were also to believe in him#ch2 and that1 although he should shortly leave them1 it was only to remove from ,earth to ,heaven1 to his ,father's house1 where he should more than ever be mindful of their concerns1 and whither ,i go1 says he1 to prepare a place for you#ci4 ,and1 to impress this belief 7so necessary for their future support under his own1 and their approaching sufferings7 the more strongly upon them1 ,he declares1 in the most authoritative manner1 that he1 only1 was the ,way1 the ,truth1 and the ,life2 and that no man could come to the ,father1 but by him#dj4 ,nay1 to shew them how great his interest was1 and how close his union1 with the ,father1 he even adds1 ,if ye had known me1 ye should have known my ,father also2 and from henceforth1 continues he1 ye know him1 and have seen him#da4 ,this last declaration seemed so strange to his disciples1 who had no notion of seeing the ,father in our ,lord's suffering state1 or indeed through any other medium1 than that of those triumphant honours1 which their carnal expectations had destined to him1 that one of them1 the ,apostle ,philip1 saith to him1 ,lord1 shew us the ,father1 and it sufficeth us4 ,as if he had said1 8,we know thee be a person of great holiness1 and have seen many wonderful things done by thee2 so that we cannot doubt but that thou art a prophet sent from ,god1 for some great end and purpose of his providence4 ,but if thy pretensions go so far as to require us to believe in ,thee1 as in the ,father2 if we are to conceive of ,thee1 as the only ,life of the world2 of so great authority with ,god1 as to procure mansions in heaven for thy disciples2 nay1 of so great dignity in thine own person1 as to challenge the closest union and communication with the eternal ,father2 if1 indeed1 we are to believe such great things of thee1 it is but reasonable1 as thou sayest2 that1 in knowing and seeing thee1 we also know and see the ,father2 that we have the clearest and most unquestioned proofs of thy divinity4 ,shew us1 then1 the ,father2 make us see the glorious symbols of his presence2 present us with such irresistible demonstrations of his power and greatness1 as were vouchsafed to our ,fathers1 at the giving of the ,law2 such1 as strike conviction on the senses1 and overrule all doubt and distrust in so high a matter2 shew us1 ,i say1 the ,father1 in this sense1 and it sufficeth to our persuasion and firm belief in thee40 ,we see1 in this conduct of the ,apostle ,philip1 a natural picture of those inquirers into the truth of our religion2 who1 because they have not the highest possible evidence given them of it1 7at least1 not that evidence1 which they account the highest7 are tempted1 if not absolutely to reject the faith1 yet to entertain it with a great mixture of doubt and suspicion4 8,if ,christianity1 say they1 were what it pretends to be1 the arguments for it would be so decisive1 that nothing could be opposed to them2 if it were1 indeed1 of ,god1 the proofs of its claim had been such and so many1 that no scepticism could have taken place1 no infidelity1 at least1 could have kept its ground1 against the force of them40 ,when this wild fancy comes to take possession of men's minds1 the whole tenour of ,god's dispensations is quarrelled with1 and disputed3 every circumstance in our ,lord's history looks suspicious3 and every fact1 applied to the confirmation of our holy faith1 rises into a presumption against it4 ,the word of ,prophecy has not been so clear and manifest1 as it might have been3 therefore1 the proofs taken from it are of no validity4 ,the miracles of ,christ were not so public or so illustrious as might be conceived3 therefore1 they are no evidence of his divine mission4 ,the scene of his birth and actions might have been more conspicuous3 therefore1 the light of the world could not proceed from that quarter4 ,the ,gospel itself was not delivered in that manner1 nor by those instruments1 which they esteem most fit2 its success in the world has not been so great1 nor its effects on the lives of men1 so salutary1 as might have been expected3 therefore1 it could not be of divine original4 ,but there is no end of enumerating the instances of this folly4 ,let me observe1 in one word1 that the greater part of the objections1 which weak or libertine men have opposed to the authority of revealed ,religion1 are of the same sort with the demand in the text4 ,the authors of them first imagine to themselves1 what evidence would be the most convincing2 and then refuse their assent to any other4 ,their constant language is that of the ,apostle ,philip--shew us the ,father1 and it sufficeth us4 ,now1 to see how little force there is in this sort of argumentation1 let it be considered1 that such high demands of evidence for the truth of the ,christian revelation1 are ,,impertinent1 at the best2 that they are1 most probably1 on the part of the revealer1 ,,improper to be complied with2 that they must be1 on the part of man1 ,,presumptuous1 and unwarrantable4 ,i4 ,all demands of this sort are clearly impertinent1 and beside the purpose of a fair inquirer into the authority of a divine ,religion4 ,for the question is1 whether such religion be not accompanied with that evidence1 which is sufficient to determine the assent of a reasonable man2 not1 whether it be the highest in its kind1 or in its degree1 which might be imagined4 ,there is an infinite variety1 and1 as we may say1 gradation in the scale of moral evidence1 from the highest forms of demonstration down to the lowest inducements of probability4 ,the impatient mind of man1 which loves to rest in assurance1 may demand the former of these in every case3 but the just and sober inquirer1 whatever he may wish for1 will submit to the latter4 ,he takes the argument1 as presented to him2 he weighs the moment of it2 and if1 on the whole1 it preponderates1 though but by some scruples of probability1 against the inductions on the other side1 he is determined by this evidence1 with as good reason1 though not with as much assurance1 as by demonstration itself4 ,his business1 he knows1 is to examine whether the conclusion be justly drawn1 not whether it be irresistibly forced upon him4 ,it is enough1 if the proof be such as merits his assent1 though it should not compel it4 ,apply1 now1 this universal rule of just reasoning to the case of the ,gospel4 ,consider it on the footing of that evidence1 which it pretends to offer4 ,if this evidence be weak and inconclusive in itself1 let it be rejected4 ,but1 if it be sufficient to the purpose for which it is given1 why look out for any higher8 ,the pretensions of ,christianity are1 indeed1 very great4 ,it claims to be received by us1 as the work and word of ,god4 ,the proofs of its being such should1 no doubt1 be adapted to the nature of these pretensions4 ,if1 in fact1 they be so adapted1 all further attestations of its truth1 all stronger demonstrations of its divinity 7supposing there might be stronger7 are1 at least1 unnecessary3 our demands of them are without ground1 and without reason3 that is1 they are clearly not to the purpose of this inquiry4 ,but ,,ii4 ,the impertinence of these demands1 is not all4 ,there is good reason to believe1 that they are1 in themselves1 absolutely unfit and ,,improper to be complied with4 ,in saying this1 ,i do not only mean that the evidence1 such men call for1 is so far mistaken as to be really of an inferior sort1 and less convincing to a well-informed mind1 than that which they reject4 ,this1 no doubt1 is very frequently the case4 ,it has been shewn in many instances1 and even to the conviction of the objector himself1 that such circumstances as have been thought most suspicious1 such proofs as have appeared the weakest1 have upon inquiry turned out1 of all others1 the strongest and most satisfactory4 ,for example1 they who object to the mean instruments1 by which the ,christian ,religion was propagated1 are confuted by the ,apostle ,paul himself2 who has shewn that very circumstance to be the clearest proof of its divinity2 this method of publishing the ,gospel having been purposely chosen1 that our faith should not stand in the wisdom of men1 but in the power of ,god#db4 ,and the same answer will equally serve to many other pretences of the like nature4 ,but1 as ,i said1 my intention is not1 at present1 to expose the common mistake of preferring a weaker evidence to a stronger4 ,let it be allowed1 that the evidence required is1 in fact1 the stronger4 ,still there is reason to think that such evidence was not proper to be given4 ,and ,i argue1 from the nature of the thing2 and from the genius of the ,gospel4 #a4 ,in the nature of the thing it seems not reasonable that a divine revelation should be obtruded upon men by the highest possible evidence4 ,this would be to constrain their assent1 not to obtain it3 and the very essence of religion consists in its being a willing1 as well as reasonable service4 ,or1 take the matter thus4 ,on supposition that it should please ,god to address himself to man1 it is to be presumed he would treat him as man2 that is1 in a way1 which is suitable to the whole of his nature4 ,but man is not only an intelligent being1 that is1 capable of discerning the force of evidence1 and of being determined by it3 he is1 also1 a moral being1 that is1 capable of making a right or wrong use of his liberty4 ,now put the case of an overpowering1 irresistible evidence1 and his understanding is convinced1 indeed2 but the will1 that other and better half of his composition1 the spring of liberty and of virtue1 this1 with all the energies depending upon it1 is untouched1 and has no share in the operation4 ,on the other hand1 let the evidence submitted to him be such only as may satisfy his reason1 if attentively1 if modestly1 if virtuously employed1 and you see the whole man in play3 his intellectual powers are considered1 and his moral faculties1 the faculties of a wise and understanding heart1 applied to and exerted4 ,it seems1 then1 that1 if a ,revelation were given to man1 it would most probably1 and according to the best views we can form of the divine conduct1 be given in this way2 that is1 in such a way1 as should make it1 at once1 the proper object of his faith1 and the test1 ,i had almost said the reward1 of his merit4 ,and such1 we may observe1 is the sense of mankind in other instances of ,god's government4 ,who complains1 that the ordinary blessings of ,heaven1 the conveniences and accommodations of life1 are not ready furnished and prepared to his hands8 ,who does not think it sufficient1 to our use and to ,god's glory1 that we have the powers requisite to prepare them8 ,why then expect this greatest of ,god's blessings1 a divine ,revelation1 to be made cheap in being forced upon us1 whether we will or no1 by an evidence1 which silences reason1 rather than employs it2 and precludes the exercise of the noblest faculties1 with which our nature is invested8 #b4 ,thus1 the reason of the thing affords a presumption 7,i mean1 if men will reason at all on such matters71 that these high demands in religion are unfit to be complied with4 ,but we shall argue more safely1 in the next place1 from the ,,genius ,,and ,,declarations ,,of ,,the ,,gospel4 ,from the tenour of the ,gospel-revelation we learn1 that1 though a reasonable evidence be afforded of its truth1 yet the author and publishers of it were by no means solicitous to force it on the minds of men by an unnecessary and irresistible evidence4 ,we see this in the conduct of our ,lord himself1 who refused to gratify the curiosity both of friends and foes by needless explanations#dc1 or supernumerary miracles#dd4 ,we see it1 further1 in his general method of speaking by ,parables#de2 which are so contrived as to instruct the attentive and willing hearer1 but not the prejudiced or indifferent4 ,nay1 when some of his parables were so obscure as that they might seem to require an explanation1 he did not always vouchsafe to give it before the people1 but reserved the exposition of them for his disciples1 in private#df4 ,to them1 only1 it was given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven3 others1 were left to their own interpretation of his ,parables#dg4 ,this proceeding of ,christ plainly shews that he was not anxious to instruct or convince in that way1 which might appear the most direct and cogent4 ,it seems1 on the contrary1 to have been his choice to afford the strongest proofs of his mission and the clearest views of his doctrine to those1 not whose incredulity needed his assistance most1 but who1 by their good dispositions and moral qualities1 deserved it#dh4 ,he thought not fit to cast pearls before swine#di2 and1 as contrary as it may be to our forward expectations1 it was a rule with him1 that he that hath1 to him it should be given#ej4 ,that this was the genius of the ,gospel1 we further learn from the stress1 which is laid on ,faith4 ,it is everywhere demanded as a previous qualification in the aspirants to this religion2 it is everywhere spoken of as the highest moral virtue3 a representation1 strange and impossible to be accounted for1 if men were to be borne down by the weight of evidence only4 ,but1 to put the matter out of all doubt1 we have it declared to us in express words1 that those converts are the most acceptable to ,christ1 who receive his religion1 on a reasonable1 indeed1 but inferiour evidence4 ,when the ,apostle ,thomas expressed his belief1 on the evidence of sense1 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,thomas1 because thou hast seen me1 thou hast believed3 blessed are they that have not seen1 and yet have believed#ea4 ,now1 whatever occasion prophane men may take from this account of ,gospel-evidence to calumniate the divine ,author of our ,faith1 as though he relied more on the credulity1 than the conviction of his followers2 whatever perverse use1 ,i say1 some men may be disposed to make of this circumstance2 one thing1 ,i suppose1 is clear1 8,that the genius of the ,gospel does1 in fact1 discountenance their high demands of evidence40 ,so that1 taking the ,christian religion for what it is 7and for such only1 the rules of good reasoning oblige us to take it7 it is very certain that no man is authorized to expect other or stronger proofs of its divinity than have been given4 ,on the contrary1 such proofs1 as men account stronger1 could only serve to weaken its evidence1 and overthrow its pretensions4 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 ,though no distinct reason could have been opposed to these high expectations in religion1 yet common sense would have seen1 8,that they are1 in general1 ,,presumptuous ,,and ,,unwarrantable40 ,for what man1 that thinks at all1 but must acknowledge that sacred truth1 that ,god's ways are not as our ways#eb2 and that it is the height of mortal folly to prescribe to the ,almighty8 ,what man is he that can know the council of ,god8 ,or1 who can think what the will of the ,lord is8--,hardly do we guess aright at things that are upon the earth1 and with labour do we find the things that are before us3 but the things that are in heaven who hath searched out#ec8 ,such passages as these have1 ,i know1 been sometimes brought to insult and disgrace ,,reason1 when employed the most soberly1 and in her proper office4 ,but ,i quote them for no such purpose4 ,i mean not to infer from these testimonies1 that we are not competent judges of the evidence which is laid before us 7for why1 then1 was it offered872 but1 that reason cannot tell us1 what evidence it was fit for ,heaven to give of its own councils and revelations4 ,we may conjecture1 modestly conjecture1 without blame4 ,nay the wisest and best men1 and even angels themselves1 have a reasonable desire to look into these things3 and their speculations1 if duly governed1 are1 no doubt1 commendable and useful4 ,but we are not1 upon this pretence1 to dogmatize on such matters4 ,much less1 may we take upon us to reject a well-attested ,revelation1 a ,revelation1 that bears many characteristic marks1 many illustrious signatures and impresses of divinity1 because this or that circumstance1 attending it1 does not accord to our narrow views and shallow surmises4 ,in short1 men would do well to remember that it is no less a maxim of reason than of ,scripture1 that the things of ,god1 knoweth no man but the ,spirit of ,god#ed3 a maxim1 we should never lose sight of1 a moment1 in our religious inquiries4 ,but this1 though an important consideration1 is a common one1 and ,i pursue it no farther4 ,let it suffice to have shewn1 8,that when1 in matters of religion1 men indulge themselves in fancying what evidence would have been most convincing to them1 and then erect such fancies into expectations1 they are1 at best1 employed very idly30 8,that the worthiest apprehensions1 we can frame of the divine wisdom1 and both the genius and letter of the ,christian religion1 discountenance these expectations1 as improper and unreasonable to be complied with30 ,and1 8that1 from the slightest acquaintance with ourselves1 we must needs confess them to be presumptuous40 ,the ,,use to be made of the whole is1 that men think soberly1 as they ought to think#ee2 and that1 if ever their restless curiosity1 or some worse principle1 impells them to make the demand in the text1 shew us the ,father1 they repress the rising folly by this just reflexion1 that they have no right1 in their sense of the word1 to see the ,father4 ,not but his infinite goodness hath vouchsafed to unveil himself so far1 as is abundantly sufficient to our conviction4 ,but then we must be content to see him in that light1 in which he has been graciously pleased to shew himself1 not in that unapproachable light#ef in which our madness requires to have him shewn to us4 ,the evidences of ,christianity are not dispensed with a penurious hand3 but they lie dispersed in a very wide compass4 ,they result from an infinite number of considerations1 each of which has its weight1 and all together such moment1 as may be1 but is not easily resisted4 ,to collect and estimate these1 much labour and patience is to be endured2 great parts of learning and genius are required2 above all1 an upright and pure mind is demanded4 ,if1 conscious of our little worth or ability1 we find ourselves not equal to this task1 let us adore in silence1 and with that humility which becomes us4 ,to call out for light1 when we have enough to serve our purpose1 is indeed foolish3 but to make this noisy demand1 when we have previously blinded our eyes1 or have resolved to keep them shut1 is something more than folly4 ,after all1 there is one way1 in which the meanest of us may be indulged in the high privilege of ,,seeing the ,father1 at least1 in the express image of his ,son4 ,it is1 by keeping the commandments4 ,he that hath my commandments1 and keepeth them1 says our ,lord himself1 ,i will love him1 and will ,,manifest myself to him#eg4 ,in other words1 he will see and acknowledge the truth of our divine religion4 ,,sermon ,,vii4 ,,preached ,,in ,,the ,,year #agga4 ,,st4 ,,james1 iv4 #a4 ,from whence come wars and fightings among you8 ,come they not hence1 even of your lusts that war in your members8 ,interpreters have observed1 that these questions refer to the state of things1 which then took place among the ,jews1 when this epistle was addressed to them4 ,for1 about that time1 they had grievous wars and fightings among themselves2 every city1 and every family1 almost1 of this devoted people1 not only in ,judea1 but in many other countries1 through which they were scattered abroad1 being miserably distracted and torn asunder by civil and domestic factions4 ,this application1 then1 of the ,apostle's words to the ,jews of his own time1 seems a just one4 ,but we need look no further for a comment upon them1 than to that hostile spirit1 which too much prevails1 at all times1 and under all circumstances1 even among ,christians themselves4 ,the root of this bitterness1 we are told1 is in the lusts1 that war in our members3 that is1 there is1 first1 an insurrection of our carnal appetites against the law of our minds2 and1 then1 the contagion spreads over families1 neighbourhoods1 and societies2 over all those1 in short1 with whom we have any concern1 till the whole world1 sometimes1 becomes a general scene of contention and disorder4 ,for1 ask the princes of this world1 what prompts them to disturb the peace of other states1 and to involve their subjects in all the horrors of war2 and their answer1 if they deign to give one1 and if it be ingenuous1 must1 commonly1 be1 their lust of conquest and dominion4 ,ask the servants of those princes1 what splits them into parties and factions2 and they can hardly avoid answering1 or we can answer for them1 their lust of wealth and power4 ,ask the people1 at large1 and under whatever denomination1 what occasions their contempt of authority1 their disobedience to magistrates1 their transgressions of law1 their cabals and tumults1 their hatred1 defamation1 and persecution of each other2 and charity herself1 for the most part1 can dictate no other reply for them to this question1 than that they are excited to all these excesses by the lust of riot and misrule1 or1 of1 what they call1 ,,liberty4 ,but there is no end of pursuing this subject in all its applications to particular instances4 ,what we have most reason to lament1 is1 that ,christians not only fight with each other1 at the instigation of their lusts1 for their own carnal and corrupt ends2 but that they make the very means1 which ,god has appointed to compose these differences1 the instruments of their animosity1 and become outrageous in their hostile treatment of each other1 by the perversion of those principles1 which were intended to be its restraint4 ,for if any thing could appease this tumult among men1 what more likely to do it1 than the administration of civil justice1 and the sacred institutions of religion8 ,yet1 are even these provisions of divine and human wisdom1 for the support of peace and good order1 defeated by our restless and ingenious passions2 and we contrive1 to make ,,religion and ,,law themselves1 subservient to the increase of that contention1 which they tend so naturally to keep out of the world4 ,as this abuse1 which inverts the order of things1 and turns the medicine of life into a deadly poison--as this abuse1 ,i say1 can never be enough exposed2 let me represent to you some part of the evils1 which this monstrous misuse of ,,religion and ,,civil ,,justice has brought upon mankind2 as the last1 and most striking effort of these malignant lusts1 from which1 according to the holy ,apostle1 all our violations of peace and charity are derived4 ,and1 ,,first1 of the mischiefs1 arising1 from ,,misapplied ,,religion4 ,it were an ample field1 this1 should ,i undertake to follow the ecclesiastical historian in all the abuses1 which he so largely displays4 ,but my design is to open the fountains2 to point1 only1 to the general causes1 from which those abuses have flowed4 ,and the chief of these causes will not be overlooked1 if we consider that ,christianity has been corrupted by superstition1 by policy1 and by sophistry3 for1 in each of these ways1 the lusts4 of men have found free scope for their activity2 and have produced all those endless discords and animosities1 which have dishonoured the ,christian world4 #a4 ,,superstition began very early to make cruel inroads into the religion of ,jesus3 first1 by debasing its free spirit with the servility of ,jewish observances2 next1 in adulterating its simple genius by the pomp of pagan ceremonies2 and1 afterwards1 through a long course of dark and barbarous ages1 in disfiguring its reasonable service#eh by every whimsy1 which a gloomy or disturbed imagination could suggest4 ,the lusts of men gave birth to these several perversions4 ,the obstinate pride of the ,jewish ,christian was flattered in retaining the abrogated ritual of the ,law3 the pagan proselyte gratified his vanity1 and love of splendor in religious ministrations1 by dressing out ,christianity in all the paint and pageantry of his ancient worship3 and the miserable monk soothed his fears1 or indulged his spite1 in busying himself with ,i know not what uncommanded and frivolous expiations1 or in torturing others with the rigours of a fruitless penance4 ,from these rank passions1 sprung up wars in abundance among ,christians4 ,the ,apostles themselves could not prevent their followers from fighting with each other1 in the cause of circumcision4 ,the superstition of days#ei1 and of images#fj1 grew so fierce1 that the whole ,christian world was1 at different times1 thrown into convulsions by it4 ,and the dreams of monkery excited every where the most implacable feuds2 which had1 commonly1 no higher object1 than the credit of their several ,rules1 or the honour of their ,patron-saints4 #b4 ,when superstition had thus set the world on fire1 a godless ,,policy struck in1 to encrease the combustion4 ,the ,christian religion1 which had ,,truth for its object1 could not but require an assent from its professors to the doctrines1 it revealed2 and1 having ,,god for its author1 it1 of course1 exacted a compliance with the few ritual observances1 which he saw fit to ordain4 ,but the wantonness1 or weakness1 of the human mind1 introducing a different interpretation of those doctrines1 and a different ministration of those rites1 the policy of princes would not condescend to tolerate such unavoidable differences1 but would inforce a rigid uniformity both of sentiment and ceremony1 as most conducive1 in their ideas1 to the quiet and stability of their government4 ,again3 the honour of prelates and churches seemed to be concerned in all questions concerning place and jurisdiction2 and1 when these questions arose1 was to be maintained by every artifice1 which an interested and secular wisdom could contrive4 ,the lust of dominion1 was plainly at the bottom of these infernal machinations2 and the fruit1 it produced1 was the most bloody and unrelenting wars1 massacres1 and persecutions2 with which the annals of mankind are polluted and disgraced4 ,but1 #c4 ,to work up these two pests of humanity1 superstition1 and intolerance1 to all the fury1 of which they are capable1 unblessed ,,science and perverted ,,reason lent their aid4 ,for1 the pride of knowledge begot innumerable portentous heresies3 which not only corrupted the divine religion of ,jesus 7obnoxious to some taint from the impure touch of human reason1 because divine71 but envenomed the hearts of its professors1 against each other1 by infusing into them a bitter spirit of altercation and dispute4 ,in these several ways1 then1 and from these causes1 has our holy religion been abused4 ,the lusts of men have turned the ,gospel of peace itself into an instrument of war3 a misadventure1 which could not have taken place1 had ,christians but recollected and practised one single precept of their master--,learn of me2 for ,i am meek and lowly in heart1 and ye shall find rest to your souls#fa4 ,but the perversity of man could not be brought to learn this salutary lesson2 and so has fulfilled that memorable saying of our ,lord1 who1 foreseeing what abuses would hereafter be made of his charitable system1 declared of himself--,i came not to send peace1 but a sword#fb4 ,this prediction1 at least1 the enemies of our faith are ready enough to tell us1 has been amply verified1 in the event4 ,it has been so3 it was therefore inspired1 because it was to be fulfilled4 ,but let them remember1 withall1 that not the genius of the ,gospel1 but man's incorrigible passions1 acting in defiance of it1 have given to this prophecy its entire completion4 ,i come now to represent to you1 ,,ii4 ,in the second place1 how the lusts of men have perverted ,,civil ,,justice1 as well as ,religion1 into an instrument of contention and hate4 ,the object of all civil1 or municipal laws1 is the conservation of private peace1 in the equal protection they afford to the property and persons of men4 ,yet1 how often have they been employed to other purposes1 by those1 who administer the ,laws2 and by those1 for whose sake they are administered6 #a4 ,in reading the history of mankind1 one cannot but observe1 with indignation1 how frequently the magistrate himself has turned the ,law1 by which he governs1 into an engine of oppression3 sometimes1 directing it against the liberties of the state2 and sometimes1 against the private rights of individuals4 ,it were a small matter1 perhaps1 if he only took advantage of a severe law1 or drew over an ambiguous one1 to countenance his iniquitous purposes4 ,but how oft has he embittered the mildest1 or tortured the plainest laws1 by malignant glosses and strained interpretations6 gratifying1 in both ways1 his revenge1 his avarice1 or his ambition2 yet still in the forms of ,law1 and under the mantle1 as it were of public justice6 ,such abuses there have been in most states1 and1 it may be1 in our own4 ,god forbid1 that1 standing in this place1 ,i should accept the persons of men1 or give flattering titles unto any#fc4 ,but truth obliges me to say1 that there is1 now1 no colour for these complaints4 ,the administration of justice1 on the part of the ,magistrate1 is so pure1 as to be the glory of the age1 in which we live4 ,the abuses all arise from another quarter2 and the contentious spirit is kept alive and propagated by the lusts of private men4 ,and what renders their iniquity without excuse1 is1 that the very equity of those forms1 in which our laws are administered1 is made the occasion of introducing all these corruptions4 #b4 ,to come to a detail on this subject1 might be thought improper4 ,let me paint to you1 then1 in very general terms1 the disorders that spring from this perversion of ,law2 and1 to do it with advantage1 let me employ the expressive words of an ancient ,pagan writer4 ,the ,roman governors of provinces1 it is well known1 had their times for the more solemn administration of civil justice4 ,suppose1 then1 one of these governors to have fixed his residence in the capital of an ,asiatic province1 to have appointed a day for this solemnity1 and1 with his ,lictors1 and other ensigns of authority about him1 to be now seated in the forum1 or public place of the city2 and consider1 if the following representation of an indifferent by-stander be not natural and instructive4 8,see10 says the eloquent writer#fd1 whose words ,i only translate1 8see that vast and mixt multitude assembled together before you4 ,you ask1 what has occasioned this mighty concourse of people4 ,are they met to sacrifice to their country ,gods1 and to communicate with each other in the sacred offices of their religion8 ,are they going to offer the ,lydian first-fruits to the ,ascran ,jupiter8 or1 are they assembled in such numbers to celebrate the rites of ,bacchus1 with the usual festivity8 ,alas1 no4 ,neither pious gratitude1 nor festal joy1 inspires them4 ,one fierce unfriendly passion only prevails2 whose epidemic rage has stirred up all ,asia1 and1 as returning with redoubled force on this stated anniversary1 has driven these frantic crowds to the forum2 where they are going to engage in law-suits with each other1 before the ,judges4 ,an infinite number of causes1 like so many confluent streams1 rush together1 in one common tide1 to the same tribunal4 ,the passions of the contending parties are all on fire2 and the end of this curious conflict is1 the ruin of themselves and others4 ,what fevers1 what calentures1 what adust temperament of the body1 or overflow of its vicious humours1 is to be compared to this plague of the distempered mind8 ,were you to interrogate each cause 7in the manner you examine a witness7 as it appears before this tribunal1 and ask1 ,,whence ,,it ,,came8 the answer would be1 an obstinate and self-willed spirit produced this2 a bitter rage of contention1 that2 and a lust of revenge and injustice1 another40 ,it is not to be doubted1 that this rage of the contending parties was inflamed1 in those times1 by mercenary agents and venal orators2 by men1 who employed every fetch of cunning1 and every artifice of chicane1 to perplex the clearest laws1 to retard the decision of the plainest cases1 and to elude the sentence of the ablest judges4 ,without some such management as this1 the passions of the litigants could not have been kept up in such heat and fury1 but must gradually have cooled1 and died away of themselves4 ,add this1 then1 to the other features1 so well delineated1 and you will have the picture of ancient litigation complete4 ,and what think we1 now1 of this picture8 ,is there truth and nature in it8 ,are we at all concerned in this representation2 and do we discover any resemblance to it in what is passing elsewhere1 ,i mean in modern times1 and even in ,christian societies8 ,if we do1 let us acknowledge with honesty1 but indeed with double shame1 that1 like the ,pagans of old1 we have the art to pervert the best things to the worst purposes2 and that the lusts of men are still predominant over the wisest and most beneficent institutions of civil justice4 ,indeed1 as to ourselves1 the mild and equitable spirit of our laws might be enough1 one would think1 to inspire another temper3 but when we further consider the divine spirit of the ,gospel1 by which we pretend to be governed1 and the end of which is charity1 our prodigious abuse of both must needs cover us with confusion4 ,the instruction1 then1 from what has been said1 is this3 ,that1 since1 as ,st4 ,james observes1 all our wars and fightings with each other proceed only from our lusts1 and since these have even prevailed to that degree as to corrupt the two best gifts1 which ,god1 in his mercy1 ever bestowed on mankind1 that is1 to make ,religion and ,law subservient to our bitter animosities2 since all this1 ,i say1 has been made appear in the preceding comment on the sacred text1 it becomes us1 severally1 to consider what our part has been in the disordered scene1 now set before us3 what care we have taken to check those unruly passions1 which are so apt1 by indulgence1 to tyrannize over us2 and1 if this care has been less than it ought to have been1 what may be the consequence of our neglect4 ,we should1 in a word1 take heed1 how we bite and devour one another2 not only1 as the ,apostle admonishes1 that we be not consumed one of another2 but lest1 in the end1 we incur the chastisement of that ,,law1 we have so industriously perverted1 and the still sorer chastisement of that ,,religion1 we have so impiously abused4 ,,sermon ,,viii4 ,,preached ,,april #bi1 #aggj4 #a ,,tim4 i4 #e4 ,the end of the ,commandment is charity1 out of a pure heart1 and of a good conscience1 and of faith unfeigned4 ,the ,apostle1 in the preceding verse1 had warned ,timothy against giving heed to fables and endless genealogies3 by ,,fables1 meaning certain ,jewish fictions and traditions applied to the explication of theological questions1 and not unlike the tales of the pagan mythologists1 contrived by them to cover the monstrous stories of their ,gods2 and1 by ,,genealogies1 the derivation of ,angelic and ,spiritual natures#fe1 according to a fantastic system1 invented by the ,oriental philosophers1 and thence adopted by some of the ,grecian ,sects4 ,these fables and genealogies 7by which the ,jewish and ,pagan converts to ,christianity had much adulterated the faith of the ,gospel7 the ,apostle sets himself to expose and reprobate1 as producing nothing but curious and fruitless disputations2 being indeed1 as he calls them1 endless1 or interminable#ff2 because1 having no foundation in the revealed word of ,god1 they were drawn out1 varied1 and multiplied at pleasure by those1 who delighted in such fanatical visions4 ,then follows the text4--,the end of the ,commandment1 is ,,charity3 out of a ,,pure ,,heart3 and of a ,,good ,,conscience2 and of ,,faith ,,unfeigned--,as if the ,apostle had said1 8,i have cautioned you against this pernicious folly3 but1 if ye must needs deal in the way of ,mythology and ,genealogy1 ,i will tell you how ye may employ your ingenuity to more advantage4 ,take ,christian ,charity1 for your theme3 mythologize that capital ,grace of your profession2 or1 deduce the parentage of it1 according to the steps1 which ,i will point out to you4 ,for it springs immediately out of a pure heart2 which1 itself1 is derived from a good conscience2 as that1 again1 is the genuine offspring or emanation of faith unfeigned4 ,in this way1 ye may gratify your mythologic or genealogical vein1 innocently and usefully#fg2 for ye may learn yourselves1 and teach others1 how to acquire and perfect that character1 which is the great object of your religion1 and the end of the ,commandment40 ,let us1 then1 if you please1 attend to this genealogical deduction of the learned ,apostle2 and see1 if the descent of ,christian charity be not truly and properly investigated by him4 ,i4 ,,charity1 says he1 is out of a pure heart3 that is1 it proceeds from a heart1 free from the habits of sin1 and unpolluted by corrupt affections4 ,to see with what propriety1 the ,apostle makes a pure heart the parent of charity1 we are to reflect1 that this benevolent temper1 which inclines us to wish and do well to others1 is the proper growth and produce1 indeed1 of the human mind1 but of the human mind in its native and original integrity4 ,to provide effectually for the maintenance of the social virtues1 it hath pleased ,god to implant in man1 not only the power of reason1 which enables him to see the connexion between his own happiness and that of others1 but also certain instincts and propensities1 which make him feel it1 and1 without reflexion1 incline him to take part in foreign interests4 ,for1 among the other wonders of our make1 this is one1 that we are so formed as1 whether we will or no1 to rejoice with them that rejoice1 and weep with them that weep#fh4 ,but now this sympathetic tenderness1 which nature hath put into our hearts for the concerns of each other1 may be much impaired by habitual neglect1 or selfish gratifications4 ,if1 instead of listening to those calls of nature1 which1 on the entrance into life1 are incessantly1 but gently1 urging us to acts of generosity1 we turn a deaf ear to them1 and1 charmed by the suggestions of self-love1 yield up ourselves to the dominion of the grosser appetite1 it cannot be but that the love of others1 however natural to us1 must decline1 and become1 at length1 a feeble motive to action2 or1 which amounts to the same thing1 be constantly overpowered by the undue prevalence of other principles4 ,thus we may see1 how ambition1 avarice1 sensuality1 or any other of the more selfish passions1 tends directly1 by indulgence1 to obstruct the growth of charity2 and how favourable an uncorrupt mind is to the production and maturity of this divine virtue4 ,but1 further1 the impurities of the heart do not only hinder the exertions of benevolence2 they have even a worse effect1 they cause us to pervert and misapply it4 ,it is not1 perhaps1 so easy a matter1 as some imagine1 to divest ourselves of all attachment to the interest of our fellow-creatures4 ,but1 by a long misuse of our faculties1 we may come in time to mistake the objects of true interest2 and so be carried1 by the motives of benevolence itself1 to do irreparable mischief to those we would most befriend and oblige4 ,this seems to be the case of those most abandoned of all sinners1 who take pains to corrupt others1 and not only do wicked things themselves1 but have pleasure in those who do them#fi4 ,all that can be said for these unhappy victims of their own lusts1 is1 that their perverted benevolence prompts them to encourage others in that course of life1 from which1 if it were rightly exercised1 they would endeavour1 with all their power1 to divert them4 ,so necessary it is1 that charity should be out of a pure heart6 ,it is polluted in its very birth1 unless it proceed from an honest mind3 it is spurious and illegitimate1 if it be not so descended4 ,,ii4 ,the next step in this line of moral ancestry1 is a ,,good ,,conscience3 which phrase is not to be taken here in the negative sense1 and as equivalent only to a pure heart2 but as expressing a further1 a positive degree of goodness4 ,for so we find it explained elsewhere2 having1 says ,st4 ,peter1 a ,,good ,,conscience1 that whereas they speak evil of you1 as ,,evil ,,doers1 they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your ,,good ,,conversation in ,christ ,jesus3 for it is better1 if the will of ,god be so1 that ye suffer for ,,well ,,doing1 than for evil doing#gj4 ,whence1 by a good conscience1 we are authorized to understand a mind1 conscious to itself of beneficent actions4 ,and thus the ,apostle's intention will be1 to insinuate to us1 that1 to be free from depraved affections1 we must be actively virtuous2 and that we must be zealous in good works1 if we would attain to that purity of heart1 which is proper to beget the genuine virtue of ,christian charity4 ,for1 we may conceive of the matter1 thus4 ,a good conscience1 or a mind enured to right action1 is most likely1 and best enabled1 to shake off all corrupt partialities2 and1 as being intent on the strenuous exercise of its duty1 in particular instances1 to acquire1 in the end1 that tone of virtue1 which strengthens1 at once1 and refines the affections1 till they expand themselves into an universal good-will4 ,thus we see that1 without this moral discipline1 we should scarce possess1 or not long retain1 a pure heart2 and that the heart1 if pure1 would yet be inert and sluggish1 and unapt to entertain that prompt and ready benevolence1 which true charity implies4 ,so that an active practical virtue1 as serving both to purify and invigorate the kind affections1 has deservedly a place given to it in this lineal descent of ,christian love4 ,but1 ,,iii4 ,the ,apostle rises higher yet in this genealogical scale of charity1 and acquaints us that a good conscience1 or a course of active positive virtue1 is not properly and lawfully descended1 unless it proceed from a ,,faith ,,unfeigned1 that is1 a sincere undissembled belief of the ,christian religion4 ,and the reason is plain4 ,for there is no dependance on virtuous practice2 we cannot expect that it should either be steady1 or lasting1 unless the principle1 from which it flows1 be something nobler and more efficacious1 than considerations taken from the beauty1 propriety1 and usefulness of virtue itself4 ,our active powers have need to be sustained and strengthened by energies of a higher kind1 than those which mere philosophy supplies4 ,we shall neither be able to bear up against the difficulties of a good life1 nor to stand out against the temptations1 which an evil world is always ready to throw in our way1 but by placing a firm trust on the promises of ,god1 and by keeping our minds fixed on the glorious hopes and assurances of the ,gospel4 ,and experience may satisfy us1 that practical virtue has no stability or consistency1 without these supports4 ,besides1 considering a good conscience1 or a moral practical conduct1 with an eye to its influence on a pure heart1 till it issue in complete charity1 we cannot but see how the ,christian faith is calculated to direct its progress1 and secure the great end proposed4 ,for the whole system of our divine religion1 which hath its foundation in grace2 its precepts1 which breathe nothing but love and amity2 its doctrines1 which only present to us1 under different views1 the transcendent goodness of ,god in the great work of redemption2 its history1 which records the most engaging instances of active benevolence2 all this cannot but exceedingly inspirit our affections1 and carry them out in a vigorous and uniform prosecution of the subordinate means1 which are to produce that last perfection of our nature1 a pure and permanent love of mankind4 ,for at every step we cannot but see the end of the commandment1 so perpetually held out to us1 and derive a fresh inducement from faith1 to accomplish and obtain it4 ,indeed1 to produce this effect1 our faith1 as the ,apostle adds1 must be ,,unfeigned3 that is1 it must be nourished and intimately rooted in the heart2 we must not only yield a general assent to the sacred truths of our religion1 we must embrace them with earnestness and zeal1 we must rely upon them with an unshaken confidence and resolution4 ,but all this will be no difficulty to those who derive their faith from its proper source1 that is1 who make a diligent study of the holy scriptures3 where only we learn what the true faith 7which will ever be most friendly to virtue7 is2 and whence we shall best derive those motives and considerations1 which are proper to excite and fortify this principle in us4 ,and thus1 that ,charity1 which a pure mind gives the liberty of exerting1 and which a good conscience manifests and at the same time improves1 will1 further1 be so sublimed and perfected by the influence of divine faith1 as will render it the sovereign guide of life1 and the pride and ornament of humanity4 ,or1 to place the descent of ,charity1 in its true and natural order1 it must spring1 first1 from an unfeigned faith in the ,gospel of ,jesus3 that faith must then produce1 and shew itself in1 a good conscience3 and that conscience must be thoroughly purged from all selfish and disorderly affections3 whence1 lastly1 the celestial offspring of ,charity has its birth1 and comes forth in all the purity and integrity of its nature4 ,,from ,,this lineage of ,christian ,charity1 thus deduced1 many instructive lessons may be drawn4 ,we may learn to distinguish the true and genuine1 from pretended ,charity3 we have1 hence1 the surest way of discerning the spirits of other men1 and of trying our own3 we may correct some popular mistakes concerning the virtue of charity2 and shall best comprehend the force and significancy of the several commendations1 which the inspired writers1 in many places1 and in very general terms1 bestow upon it4 ,let me conclude this discourse with an instance of such instruction1 respecting each of those heads1 which the order of the text hath afforded the opportunity of considering4 ,and1 first1 from the necessity of a ,,pure ,,heart1 we are instructed what to think of the benevolence of those men1 who1 though enslaved to their own selfish passions1 are seldom the most backward to make large pretences to this virtue4 ,but1 be their pretences what they will1 we know with certainty1 that1 if the heart be impure1 its charity must be defective4 ,it must1 of course1 be weak and partial2 confined in its views1 and languid in its operations2 in a word1 a faint and powerless quality1 and not that generous1 diffusive1 universal principle1 which alone deserves the exalted name of ,charity4 ,we conclude1 also1 on the same grounds1 that the hatred of vice is no breach of ,christian charity4 ,this charity is required to flow from a pure heart4 ,but there is not in nature a stronger antipathy1 than between purity1 and impurity4 ,so that we might as well expect light and darkness1 heat and cold1 to associate1 as spotless virtue not to take offence at its opposite4 ,i know1 indeed1 that the hatred due to the vices of men1 is too easily transferred to their persons4 ,but that charity1 which is lineally descended from faith1 will see to make a difference between them2 and while it feels a quick resentment against sin1 will conceive1 nay will1 by that very resentment1 demonstrate1 a tender concern for sinners1 for whom ,christ died4 ,secondly1 from the rank1 which a ,,good ,,conscience holds in this family of love1 we are admonished to avoid the mistake of those1 who are inclined to rest in negative virtue1 as the end of the commandment2 and who account their charity full and complete1 when it keeps them only from intending1 or doing mischief to others4 ,the ,apostle1 on the contrary1 gives us to understand1 that its descent is irregular1 if it be not allied to active positive virtue2 such as takes a pleasure in kind offices1 is zealous to promote the welfare of others1 and is fertile in good works4 ,and this conclusion is the more necessary to be inforced upon us1 since1 in a world like this1 where vice is sure to be active enough1 the interests of society will not permit that ,charity should be idle4 ,lastly1 from the lineal descent of ,charity from ,,faith1 we must needs infer1 that infidelity is not a matter of that indifference to social life1 which many careless persons suppose it to be4 ,it is the glory of our faith1 that it terminates in charity4 ,every article of our creed is a fresh incitement to good works3 in so much that1 he who understands his religion most perfectly1 and is most firmly persuaded of it1 can scarce fail of approving himself the best man1 as well as the best ,christian4 ,and this1 again1 is a consideration1 which should affect all those who profess to have any concern for the interests of society and moral virtue4 ,thus it appears1 how instructive the doctrine of the text is1 and how usefully1 as well as elegantly1 the ,apostle sets before us1 in this short genealogical table1 the proper ancestry of ,charity3 in which ,faith1 as the ultimate progenitor1 begets an active virtue2 and that1 impregnating the heart with pure affections1 produces at length this divine offspring of ,christian love4 ,if we had found this mythological fiction in ,xenophon or ,plato1 we should have much admired the instruction conveyed in it4 ,let it not abate our reverence for this moral lesson1 that it comes from an ,apostle of ,jesus1 and1 if not dressed out in the charms of human eloquence1 has all the authority of truth and divine inspiration to recommend it to us4 ,,sermon ,,ix4 ,,preached ,,november #i1 #agff4 ,,rom4 xii4 #aj4 --,in honour preferring one another4 ,it is much to the honour of the inspired writers1 because it shews them to be no enthusiasts1 that1 with all their zeal for the revealed doctrines of the ,gospel1 they never forget or overlook the common duties of humanity2 those duties1 which ,reason itself1 a prior ,revelation1 had made known to the wiser part of mankind4 ,nay1 which is more remarkable1 they sometimes condescend to enforce what are called the lesser moralities#ga2 that is1 those inferiour duties1 which1 not being of absolute necessity to the support of human society1 are frequently overlooked by other moralists1 and yet1 as contributing very much to the comfortable enjoyment of it1 are of real moment1 and deserve a suitable regard4 ,the text is an instance of this sort--in honour preferring one another--the ,,nature1 and ,,ground1 and right ,,application1 of which duty1 it is my present purpose to explain4 #a4 ,the general ,,nature of this virtue consists in a disposition to express our good will to others by exteriour testimonies of respect2 to consult the credit and honour of those we converse with1 though at some expence of our own vanity and self-love4 ,it implies a readiness to prevent them in the customary decencies of conversation2 a facility to give way to their reasonable pretensions1 and even to abate something of our own just rights4 ,it requires us to suppress our petulant claims of superiority2 to decline all frivolous contests and petty rivalries2 to moderate our own demands of pre-eminence and priority2 and1 in a word1 to please others1 rather than ourselves4 ,it is an easy1 social1 conciliating virtue2 a virtue made up of humility and benevolence2 the former1 inclining us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought2 and the latter1 to give our ,christian brother an innocent satisfaction when we can4 ,and our obligation to the practice of this virtue is ,,founded1 ,,ii4 ,on the clearest reasons1 taken both from the nature of man1 and the genius of our holy ,religion4 ,and1 ,,first1 from the nature of man4 ,among the various principles1 some of them1 in appearance1 discordant and contradictory1 which constitute our common nature1 one of the first to take our attention is1 8,a conscious sense of dignity20 an opinion of self-consequence1 which mixes itself with all our thoughts and deliberations2 prompting us to entertain lofty sentiments of our own worth1 and aspiring to something like superiority and dominion over other men4 ,this principle1 which appears very early1 and is strongest in the more generous dispositions1 is highly necessary to a being formed for virtuous action2 and naturally leads to the exertion of such qualities as are proper to benefit society1 as well as to gain that ascendency in it1 to which we pretend4 ,it is the spring1 indeed1 of every commendable emulation2 puts in act all our better and nobler faculties2 and gives nerves to that labor and industry1 by which every worthy accomplishment is attained4 ,but now this principle 7so natural and useful71 when it is not checked by others1 but is suffered to take the lead and predominate on all occasions1 undisciplined and uncontrolled1 easily grows into a very offensive and hurtful quality3 offensive1 because it is now exerted to the humiliation of every other1 who is actuated by the same principle2 and hurtful1 because1 in this undue degree1 it counteracts the very purpose1 the good of human society1 for which it was designed4 ,this quality we know by the name of ,,pride4 ,the other moderate degree of self-esteem1 which is allowable and virtuous1 seems not 7,i suppose1 from its rare appearance under that form7 to have acquired in our language a distinct name4 ,to ,pride1 then1 the pernicious and too common issue of self-love1 it became necessary1 that some other principle should be opposed4 ,and such a principle1 as is proper to correct the malignity of pride1 we find in that philanthropy1 which1 by an instinct of the same common nature1 disposeth us to consult the happiness1 and to conciliate to ourselves the good will and affection1 of mankind4 ,this benevolent movement of the mind is1 further1 quickened by the mutual interest all men have in the exercise of it4 ,for ,pride is disarmed by submission2 and1 by receding from our own pretensions1 we take the most likely way to moderate those of other men4 ,thus1 the generous affections are kept in play2 reciprocal civilities are maintained2 and1 by the habit of each preferring other1 which prudence would advise1 if instinct did not inspire1 the peace of society is preserved1 its joy encreased1 and even our vanity1 so far as it is a just and natural affection1 gratified and indulged4 ,the reason of the ,apostolic precept is1 then1 laid deep in the constitution of human nature2 which is so wonderfully formed1 that its perfection requires the reconciliation of contrary qualities2 and its happiness results from making benevolence itself subservient to self-love4 #b4 ,if1 from the philosophic consideration of man1 we turn to the genius of the ,gospel1 we shall there find this conclusion of natural reason strengthened and confirmed by evangelical motives4 ,benevolence1 which1 in the ,gospel1 takes the name of ,charity1 hath a larger range in this new dispensation1 than in that of nature4 ,the doctrine1 and still more the example1 of ,jesus1 extends the duty of humility and self-denial2 requires us to make ampler sacrifices of self-love1 and to give higher demonstrations of good-will to others1 than mere reason could well demand or enforce4 ,he1 that was so far from seeking his own1 that he emptied himself of all his glory1 and stooped from heaven to earth1 for the sake of man1 hath a right to expect1 from his followers1 a more than ordinary effort to conform to so divine a precedent1 a peculiar attention to the mutual benefits and concerns of each other4 ,it is but little that we keep within some decent bounds our aspiring tempers and inclinations3 we are now to subject ourselves to our ,christian brethren2 to renounce even our innocent and lawful pretensions2 and to forego every natural gratification1 when the purposes of ,christian ,charity call us to this arduous task4 ,for the ,gospel1 it is to be observed1 has taken us out of the loose and general relation of men1 and has bound us together in the closer and more endearing tie of ,brethren3 it exalts the good-will1 we were obliged to bear to the species1 into the affection1 which consanguinity inspires for the individuals of a private family4 ,the ,apostle1 therefore1 in the words preceding the text1 bids us--be kindly affectioned one to another with ,,brotherly ,,love--not1 with the love1 that unites one man with another#gb1 which is the highest pretension of mere morality2 but with the love1 that knits together natural brethren#gc1 which is the proper boast and character of evangelical love4 ,the words of the original have a peculiar energy#gd4 ,they express that instinctive warmth of affection1 which nature puts into our hearts for our nearest kindred1 such as communicate with us by the participation of one common blood4 ,so that the same compliances1 we should make with their inclinations1 the same preference1 we should give to their humour and interest above our own1 should now be extended and exercised towards all ,christians2 and that principle of an ardent affection1 by which we are led to make the most chearful condescensions to our natural brother1 should work in us the same generous consideration of our spiritual brother1 for whom ,christ died4 ,having explained the nature of this duty1 and the grounds1 both in reason and religion1 on which it rests1 it now remains1 ,,iii4 ,to provide for the ,,right ,,application of it in practice4 ,and here1 in truth1 the whole difficulty lies4 ,it is evident enough1 ,i suppose1 from what has been said1 ,that the moral and ,christian duty of preferring one another in honour1 respects only social peace and charity1 and terminates in the good and edification of our ,christian brother4 ,its use is1 to soften the minds of men1 and to draw them from that savage rusticity1 which engenders many vices1 and discredits the virtues themselves4 ,but when men had experienced the benefit of this complying temper1 and further saw the ends1 not of charity only1 but of ,,self-,,interest1 that might be answered by it2 they considered no longer its just purpose and application1 but stretched it to that officious sedulity1 and extreme servility of adulation1 which we too often observe and lament in polished life4 ,hence1 that infinite attention and consideration1 which is so rigidly exacted1 and so duly paid1 in the commerce of the world3 hence1 that prostitution of mind1 which leaves a man no will1 no sentiment1 no principle1 no character2 all which disappear under the uniform exhibition of good-manners3 hence1 those insidious arts1 those studied disguises1 those obsequious flatteries1 nay1 those affected freedoms1 in a word1 those multiplied and nicely-varied forms of insinuation and address2 the direct aim of which may be to acquire the fame of politeness and good-breeding2 but the certain effect1 to corrupt every virtue1 to sooth every vanity1 and to inflame every vice1 of the human heart4 ,these fatal mischiefs introduce themselves under the pretence and semblance of that humanity1 which the text encourages and enjoins4 ,but the genuine virtue is easily distinguished from the counterfeit1 and by the following plain signs4 #a4 ,,true ,,politeness is modest1 unpretending1 and generous4 ,it appears as little as may be2 and1 when it does a courtesy1 would willingly conceal it4 ,it chuses silently to forego its own claims1 not officiously to withdraw them4 ,it engages a man to prefer his neighbour to himself1 because he really esteems him2 because he is tender of his reputation2 because he thinks it more manly1 more ,christian1 to descend a little himself1 than to degrade another--,it respects1 in a word1 the credit and estimation of his neighbour4 ,the mimic of this amiable virtue1 ,,false ,,politeness1 is1 on the other hand1 ambitious1 servile1 timorous4 ,it affects popularity2 is solicitous to please1 and to be taken notice of4 ,the man of this character does not offer1 but obtrude1 his civilities3 because he would merit by this assiduity2 because1 in despair of winning regard by any worthier qualities1 he would be sure to make the most of this2 and1 lastly1 because of all things he would dread1 by the omission of any punctilious observance1 to give offence4--,in a word1 this sort of politeness respects1 for its immediate object1 the favour and consideration of our neighbour4 #b4 ,again3 the man1 who governs himself by the spirit of the ,apostle's precept1 expresses his preference of another in such a way as is worthy of himself3 in all innocent compliances1 in all honest civilities1 in all decent and manly condescensions4 ,on the contrary1 the man of the world1 who rests in the letter of this command1 is regardless of the means1 by which he conducts himself4 ,he respects neither his own dignity1 nor that of human nature4 ,truth1 reason1 virtue1 all are equally betrayed by this supple impostor4 ,he assents to the errors1 though the most pernicious2 he applauds the follies1 though the most ridiculous2 he sooths the vices1 though the most flagrant1 of other men4 ,he never contradicts1 though in the softest form of insinuation2 he never disapproves1 though by a respectful silence2 he never condemns1 though it be only by a good example4 ,in short1 he is sollicitous for nothing1 but by some studied devices to hide from others1 and1 if possible1 to palliate to himself1 the grossness of his illiberal adulation4 #c4 ,lastly1 we may be sure1 that the ultimate ,,ends1 for which these different objects are pursued1 and by so different means1 must also lie wide of each other4 ,accordingly1 the truly polite man would1 by all proper testimonies of respect1 promote the credit and estimation of his neighbour1 because he sees1 that1 by this generous consideration of each other1 the peace of the world is in a good degree preserved2 because he knows that these mutual attentions prevent animosities1 soften the fierceness of men's manners1 and dispose them to all the offices of benevolence and charity2 because1 in a word1 the interests of society are best served by this conduct2 and because he understands it to be his duty1 to love his neighbour4 ,the falsely polite1 on the contrary1 are anxious by all means whatever1 to procure the favour and consideration of those they converse with1 because they regard ultimately nothing more than their private interest2 because they perceive1 that their own selfish designs are best carried on by such practices3 in a word1 because they love themselves4 ,thus we see1 the genuine virtue consults the honour of others by worthy means1 and for the noblest purpose2 the counterfeit1 sollicits their favour by dishonest compliances1 and for the basest end4 ,by such evident marks are these two characters distinguished from each other6 and so impossible it is1 without a wilful perversion of our faculties1 to mistake in the application of the ,apostle's precept6 ,it follows1 you see1 from what has been said1 8that integrity of heart1 as ,solomon long since observed1 is the best guide in morals#ge40 ,we may impose upon others by a shew of civility2 but the deception goes no farther4 ,we cannot help knowing1 in our own case1 if we be ingenuous1 when this virtue retains its nature1 and when it degenerates into the vice that usurps its name4 ,to conclude1 an honest man runs no risk in being polite4 ,let us only respect ourselves2 and we shall rarely do amiss1 when1 as the ,apostle advises1 in honour we prefer one another4 ,,sermon ,x4 ,,preached ,,may #f1 #aggj4 ,,john xiii4 #h4 --,jesus answered him1 ,if ,i wash thee not1 thou hast no part with me4 ,to comprehend the full meaning of these words 7which1 as we shall see1 are of no small importance7 we must carefully attend to the circumstances of the history1 which gave occasion to them4 ,the chapter begins thus--,now before the feast of the ,passover1 when ,jesus knew that his hour was come1 that he should depart out of this world to the ,father1 having loved his own1 which were in the world1 he loved them to the end4-- ,we are prepared by these words to expect something1 on the part of our ,lord1 very expressive of his love for his ,disciples4 ,the season1 too1 is critical1 and must excite our attention3 it was before the feast of the ,passover1 when ,jesus knew that his hour was come1 that he should depart out of this world to the ,father2 in other words1 just before his crucifixion4 ,there is1 indeed1 some difficulty in fixing the precise time1 when the transaction1 now to be related1 happened4 ,i take no part in the disquisition1 because it is not material to my purpose1 and would divert me too much from it4 ,it is enough to say1 that it was at most1 but the evening before the ,paschal supper was celebrated1 and therefore but two days before ,jesus suffered4 ,the history proceeds--8,and supper being ended 7or rather1 as the text should have been translated1 the time of supper being come#gf7 the ,devil having now put it into the heart of ,judas ,iscariot1 ,simon's son1 to betray him1 ,jesus knowing that the ,father had given all things into his hands1 and that he was come from ,god and went to ,god2 he riseth from supper1 and laid aside his garments1 and took a towel and girded himself4 ,after that1 he poureth water into a bason1 and began to wash the ,disciples feet1 and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded40 ,thus far all is clear4 ,jesus condescended to wash the feet of his ,disciples2 a ministry1 very common in the ,east1 and usually performed by servants1 in discharge of their duty towards their masters1 or1 by inferiors1 at least1 in testimony of respect towards their superiors2 as is abundantly plain from many instances4 ,this then was ,,one end of this washing4 ,our ,saviour meant it as a lesson of humility and condescension to his ,disciples4 ,but was it the ,,only1 or the chief end8 ,that is the point we are now to consider4 ,let it be remembered1 then1 that nothing was more familiar with the ,jews1 than to convey an information to others1 especially if that information was of importance1 by natural1 rather than artificial signs1 ,i mean by deeds1 rather than words2 as every one knows1 who has but dipped into the history and writings of the ,old and ,new ,testament4 ,the transaction before us1 if understood only as a lesson of humility1 is a lesson conveyed to the ,disciples in this form#gg4 ,now1 this way of information by action was occasionally made to serve ,,two contrary purposes3 either to give more force and emphasis to an instruction2 or1 to cloathe it with some degree of obscurity1 or even ambiguity4 ,for actions1 speaking to the eye1 when the purpose of them is by any means clearly ascertained1 convey the most lively and expressive information3 on the other hand1 when it is not1 they are somewhat obscure1 one thing being to be collected by us from another3 or the information is even ambiguous1 as the action may signify more things than one4 ,sometimes1 the primary sense is declared1 or easily understood2 while1 yet1 a secondary sense1 a less apparent one1 but more momentous1 is1 also1 intended4 ,this1 upon inquiry1 may be the case before us4 ,christ's washing the feet of his ,disciples obviously conveys this instruction1 which is asserted1 too1 in express words--that1 as he1 their ,lord and master1 washed their feet1 so they ought also to wash one another's feet#gh4 ,but another1 and far more important1 instruction may be conveyed in this action1 though it be not so fully and explicitly declared4 ,it may1 ,i say1 be conveyed3 from laying all circumstances together1 we shall be able to form a judgment1 whether it were1 indeed1 in the ,agent's intention to convey it4 ,first1 as ,i said1 the narrative of this transaction 7which1 take it as you will1 was clearly designed to be an information by action7 is prefaced in a very extraordinary manner4 ,jesus1 knowing that his hour was come--knowing too that the ,father had given all things into his hands1 and that he was come from ,god1 and went to ,god1 proceeded--to do what8 ,why1 to give his disciples a lesson of humility and charity1 in washing their feet4 ,the ,lesson1 no doubt1 was important2 and becoming the character of their divine master4 ,but does it rise up to those ideas of importance1 which we are prepared to entertain of an action1 performed at such a time1 and so awfully introduced8 ,his hour was come--the ,father had given all things into his hands--he came from ,god1 and was now going to ,god4 ,all this announces something beyond and above a common lecture of morality2 something1 which might be a suitable close to the instructions of such a teacher4 ,let us see1 next1 how the action is received4 ,one of the disciples1 ,peter1 surprized at his ,lord's condescension1 says very naturally1 ,lord1 dost thou wash my feet8 ,jesus1 to remove his scruples1 replies1 ,what ,i do1 thou knowest not now1 but thou shalt know hereafter4 ,the words are ambiguous1 and may mean1 8,thou shalt know1 immediately1 from the explication ,i am about to give of this action20 or1 8thou shalt know hereafter1 in due time1 and by other means10 what the purport of it is4 ,still ,peter1 not satisfied with this answer1 but confounded at the apparent indignity of ,christ's condescension1 replies resolutely1 ,thou shalt never wash my feet4 ,this resistance was to be overcome1 that the information1 whatever it was1 might take place1 by the performance of that which was the vehicle of it4 ,jesus answers1 therefore1 more directly and solemnly1 ,,if ,i ,,wash ,,thee ,,not1 ,,thou ,,hast ,,no ,,part ,,with ,,me--,which words1 whether understood by ,peter or not1 were clearly seen to have some meaning of the last concern to him2 and1 struck with this apprehension1 he submits4 ,but what6 taking these oracular words1 in the sense only in which ,jesus thought fit to explain them1 we hardly see the force and propriety of them4 ,for1 had ,peter no part with ,jesus1 that is1 was he incapable of receiving any benefit from him1 unless he had this ceremony of washing1 performed upon him1 when that ceremony had no further use or meaning1 than to convey a moral lesson8 ,if he had not learnt this lesson from ,christ1 he might have learnt many others3 or1 he might have learnt this1 some other way3 and taking it in either light1 he might still be said to have some part with ,jesus1 though he had not been washed by him4 ,the true import1 then1 of these enigmatic words1 and of the whole transaction which is here recorded1 begins to appear1 and is further opened by the sequel of ,peter's conversation with ,jesus4 ,for1 understanding1 that this ablution was1 some way so necessary to him1 ,peter subjoins1 ,not my feet only1 but also my hands and my head4 ,jesus saith to him1 ,he that is washed1 needeth not1 save to wash his feet1 and is clean every whit2 and ye are clean1 but not all2 for he knew who should betray him3 therefore said he1 ,ye are not all clean4 ,it was1 we see1 the uncleanness of sin1 or the filth of an evil conscience1 which was to be taken away by this washing4 ,more than a single moral lesson1 how excellent soever1 was1 therefore1 couched in this act2 indeed1 the necessity and efficacy of ,,certain ,,means1 by which mankind were1 in general1 to be cleansed from sin1 was that which was ultimately and mainly signified by it4 ,he that was thus washed1 was clean every whit2 and the information of this benefit being the end of the washing1 it was enough if that was conveyed by washing any one part4 ,you see at length to what all this tends4 ,jesus1 knowing the secret treachery of ,judas1 and1 by the divine spirit which was in him1 foreseeing the destined effect of that treachery2 knowing1 that he was now1 forthwith1 to suffer death upon the cross1 the purpose1 for which he came from ,god1 and for the execution of which he only waited before he returned to him2 considering1 withal1 the immense benefit1 which was to accrue to mankind from his voluntary devotion of himself to this death1 and that the eternal ,father1 for the sake of it1 had given all things into his hands1 had given him the power to redeem all the sons of ,adam from the vassalage of sin and death1 by virtue of that ,,blood which he was now to pour out upon the cross1 as a propitiation for them2 ,jesus1 ,i say1 foreseeing and considering all this1 chose this critical season1 when his hour was now come1 to signify by the ceremony of washing his disciples feet#gi1 the efficacy and value of his own precious blood1 by which alone they1 and all mankind1 were to have all their sins purged and washed away for ever4 ,this was apparently the momentous instruction1 which it was our ,lord's purpose to convey in this transaction4 ,he would1 first1 shew that we were to be washed in his blood2 and then1 subordinately1 that we were to follow his example in a readiness to do as he had done2 that is1 not only to wash each other1 but1 emblematically still1 to lay down our lives and pour out our blood1 if need be1 for the sake of the brethren4 ,all circumstances concur to assure us1 that such was the real secret intent of this mysterious washing2 and thus1 at length1 we understand the full purport of those words--,if ,i wash thee not1 thou hast no part with me#hj4 ,if it be still said1 that ,jesus explains his own purpose differently1 it is enough to reply1 that these emblematic actions were generally significative of more things1 than one2 and that the manner of ,jesus was1 on other occasions1 to enforce that instruction1 which was not the primary one in his intention#ha3 the reason of which conduct was founded in this rule1 so constantly observed by him1 of conveying information to his disciples1 only1 as they were able to bear it#hb4 ,in a word1 he gave them many instructions1 and this1 among the rest1 darkly and imperfectly1 because they could not then bear a stronger light2 but yet with such clearness as might1 afterwards1 let them into his purpose2 leaving it to the ,holy ,ghost 7whose peculiar province it was7 to illuminate their minds1 in due time2 to reveal all that had been obscurely intimated2 and to open the full meaning of his discourses and actions1 as well as to bring them all to their remembrance#hc4 ,from this memorable part of the ,gospel-history1 thus opened and explained1 we may draw some important conclusions4 #a4 ,,first1 we learn1 if the comment here given be a just one1 ,that the blood of ,christ 7so an ,apostle hath expressed himself7 cleanseth us from all sin#hd3 ,i mean1 that the death of ,christ was a true1 proper1 and real propitiation for our sins2 and not a mere figure1 or tropical form of speech2 as too many1 who call themselves ,christians1 conceive of it4 ,for the pertinence and propriety of the representative action1 performed by our ,lord1 is founded in this supposition1 8,that the blood of ,christ was necessary to our purification1 and that1 but for our being washed in his blood#he1 we should be yet in our sins40 ,jesus himself1 in explaining this transaction1 so far as he thought fit to explain it1 confines us to this idea4 ,for in this sense1 only1 is it true--that we1 who are washed1 are clean every whit--and1 that unless we are washed by ,christ1 we have no part with him4 ,such1 then1 is the information given us in this ceremony of washing the disciples feet2 and not in this1 only4 ,for1 besides the present emblematic act1 performed by our ,lord1 for the special benefit of his disciples1 the ,,two ,sacraments1 it is to be observed1 were purposely instituted1 for the general use of his church1 to hold forth to us an image of his efficacious blood1 poured out for us3 the sacrament of ,,baptism1 by the reference it had 7like this act7 to the typical washings of the ,law2 and the sacrament of the ,,lord',s ,,supper1 as referring1 in like manner1 to the typical sacrifices of that dispensation4 ,of such moment1 in the view of our ,lord himself1 was this doctrine of propitiation6 ,and so careful1 or rather anxious1 was he1 that this consolatory idea of redemption through his ,,blood#hf 7suggested in so many ways1 and in so striking a manner7 should be always present to us6 ,nor were his ,apostles 7let me1 further1 remark7 less intent in prosecuting this design4 ,for they insist every-where1 and with a singular emphasis--that ,christ1 our passover1 is sacrificed for us#hg--;and that we are ,,washed1 and sanctified1 and saved1 by the sprinkling of the blood of ,jesus#hh4 ,go now1 then1 and say1 that the blood of ,christ is only a metaphor1 and means no more in the mouth of a ,christian1 than it might be supposed to do in that of an honest heathen1 who should say1 ,that he had been saved1 or benefited in a moral way1 by the blood1 that is1 the exemplary death1 of ,socrates6--,when we speak of its washing away sin1 it is true1 we use the term washing metaphorically 7for sin is not literally washed73 but the scriptures are unintelligible1 and language itself has no meaning1 if the blood of the lamb slain had not a true1 direct1 and proper efficacy 7considered in the literal sense of blood7 in freeing us from the guilt of sin1 or1 in other words1 from the punishment of it4 #b4 ,a ,,second conclusion may be drawn1 more particularly1 from the words of the text--if ,i wash thee not1 thou hast no part with me4 ,for1 if these words mean1 as ,i have endeavoured to shew1 and as1 ,i think1 they must mean1 that we are redeemed only by the blood of ,christ2 and if1 as the context seems to speak1 it is in our power to forfeit this benefit1 by refusing to be washed by his blood1 that is1 to accept the deliverance1 offered to us1 through faith in his blood#hi3 it follows1 that there is something very alarming in the condition of those persons1 who hold out against all the calls of ,grace1 and obstinately persist in a state of infidelity4 ,in vain have they recourse to natural religion1 or to any other supposed means of purification and salvation4 ,in vain do they trust even to the moral part of the ,gospel1 while they reject or disbelieve the rest4 ,they must be washed by ,christ1 if they desire to have any part with him2 they must place their entire hope and confidence in the blood of the covenant1 who would share in the blessings of it4 ,nay1 more than this3 the ,redeemer is outraged by this refusal to comply with the gracious terms of his salvation4 ,and1 though some may make slight of having no part with ,christ1 it may concern them to reflect1 what it is to have a portion with unbelievers#ij4 #c4 ,,lastly1 and above all1 ,i conclude1 that they1 who are washed1 and1 in consequence of that washing1 trust to have a part with ,christ1 as they can never be enough thankful for the inestimable benefit1 they have received1 so they can never be enough careful to retain1 and to improve it4 ,if we1 who have once embraced the faith1 revolt from it2 or1 while we make a shew of professing the faith1 pollute ourselves again with those sins1 from which we have been cleansed2 nay1 if we do not strive to purify our hearts and minds still more and more by the continual efficacy of a lively faith in ,jesus2 if1 in any of these ways1 we be in the number of those1 who draw back unto perdition1 what further sacrifice remains for us1 or what hope have we in that1 which has been already offered8 ,judas himself1 be it remembered1 was washed among the other ,disciples2 yet he was not clean1 for all that1 nor had he any part with ,jesus4 ,what can this mean1 but that something is to be done1 on our part1 when the ,redeemer has done his8 and that the permanent effect of this washing1 as to any particular person1 depends on his care to keep those robes white1 which have been washed in the blood of the lamb#ia8 ,the account1 and the conclusion1 of the whole matter1 is plainly this--,if we say that we have fellowship with him1 and walk in darkness1 we lie1 and do not the truth3 but1 if we walk in the light1 as he is in the light1 then have we fellowship with him1 and ,,his ,,blood ,,cleanseth ,,us ,,from ,,all ,,sin#ib4 ,,sermon ,,xi4 ,,preached ,,june #bj1 #aggc4 ,,mark ix4 #di4 ,for every one shall be salted with fire1 and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt4 ,this is generally esteemed one of the most difficult passages in the four ,gospels4 ,i confess1 ,i take no pleasure in commenting on such passages1 especially in this place2 because the comment only serves1 for the most part1 to gratify a learned curiosity1 and is1 otherwise1 of small use4 ,but1 when a difficult text of ,scripture can be explained1 and the sense1 arising out of the explanation1 is edifying and important1 then it falls properly within our province to exert our best pains upon it4 ,this ,i take to be the case of the difficulty before us1 which therefore ,i shall beg leave to make the subject of the present discourse4 ,there are ,,two very different interpretations1 of which the words are capable3 and they shall both of them be laid before you1 that ye may adopt either as ye think fit2 or even reject them both1 if ye do not find them sufficiently supported4 ,to enable you to go along with me in what follows1 and to judge of either interpretation1 whether it be reasonable or not1 it is necessary to call your attention to the preceding verses of this chapter1 to which the text refers1 and by which it is introduced4 ,our blessed ,lord 7for the words1 ,i am about to explain1 are his7 had been discoursing to his ,disciples on offences1 or scandals2 that is1 such instances of ill-conduct1 such indulgences of any favourite and vicious inclination1 as tended to obstruct the progress of the ,gospel1 and were likely to prevent either themselves1 or others1 from embracing1 or holding fast1 the faith4 ,such offences1 it was foreseen1 would come3 but woe to that man 7as we read in the parallel passage of ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel7 by whom the offence cometh#ic4 ,and1 to give the greater effect to this salutary denunciation1 our ,saviour proceeds1 in figurative1 indeed1 but very intelligible terms1 to enforce the necessity of being on our guard against such offences1 what pain soever it might cost us to subdue those passions1 from which they were ready to spring4 ,no virtue of self-denial was too great to be attempted in such a cause4 ,a hand1 a foot1 an eye1 were to be cut off1 or plucked out2 that is1 inclinations1 as necessary and as dear to us1 as those members of the body1 were to be suppressed or rejected by us1 rather than the woe1 denounced against the indulgence of them1 be incurred4 ,this woe is1 that the offenders should be cast into hell-fire1 where their worm dieth not1 and the fire is not quenched3 and it is subjoined three times1 in the same awful words1 to so many instances of supposed criminal indulgence1 in the case alledged2 or rather1 to one and the same species of ill-conduct1 differently modified1 and1 to make the greater impression upon us1 represented under three distinct images4 ,after the last repetition of it1 the text immediately follows--for every one shall be salted with fire1 and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt4 ,i4 ,now1 taken in this connexion1 the words may clearly1 and1 according to our ideas1 of interpretation1 most naturally do1 admit this sense2 that the offenders1 spoken of1 shall be preserved entire to suffer the punishment threatened1 though it might seem that they would1 in no long time1 be totally destroyed by it3 as if our ,lord had expressed himself thus--8,i have repeated this woe three times1 to shew you the degree and duration of it1 as well as the certainty of its execution2 the worm shall not die1 that is1 the sense of suffering shall continue1 even in circumstances1 which may seem proper and likely to put an end to it3 for such1 as are worthy to be cast into this fire1 shall be salted1 or preserved from wasting 7salt being the known emblem of incorruption1 and thence of perpetuity7 by the very fire itself4 ,and you may easily conceive how this shall be1 for every sacrifice1 the flesh of every animal to be offered up to ,god in your ,jewish sacrifices1 is kept sound and fit for use by being 7as the ,law directs in that case7 salted with salt4 ,just so1 the fire itself shall act on these victims of the divine justice3 like salt1 sprinkled on your legal victims1 it shall preserve these offenders entire1 and in a perpetual capacity of subsisting to that use1 to which they are destined40 ,now1 if such be the sense of the words1 they contain the fullest and most decisive proof of that tremendous doctrine1 the eternity of future punishments1 which is any where to be met with in ,scripture4 ,for the words1 being given as a reason and explanation of the doctrine1 are not susceptible of any vague interpretation1 like the words eternal or everlasting1 in which it is usually expressed2 but must necessarily be understood1 as implying and affirming the literal truth of the thing1 for which they would account4 ,and1 this being supposed1 you see the use1 the unspeakable importance1 of this text1 as addressed to all believers in ,jesus4 ,but1 ,,ii4 ,there is another sense1 of which the text is capable3 and1 if you think it not allowable to deduce a conclusion of such dreadful import from words of an ambiguous signification1 you will incline perhaps 7as it is natural for us to do7 to this more favourable interpretation1 which ,i am going to propose4 ,i observed1 that the text1 as read in connexion with the preceding verse1 is most naturally1 according to our ideas of interpretation1 to be understood1 as ,i have already explained it4 ,but1 what is the most natural1 according to our modern rules and principles of construction1 is not always the true1 sense of passages in ancient oriental writers 7who did not affect our accuracy of connexion71 and particularly in the writers of the ,new ,testament4 ,to give a remarkable instance in a discourse of our ,lord himself4 ,he had prescribed to his disciples that form of prayer1 which we know by the name of the ,lord's prayer1 consisting of several articles2 the last of which is--for thine is the kingdom1 and the power and the glory for ever#id4 ,now1 to this concluding sentence of his prayer he immediately subjoins these words--,,for if we forgive men their trespasses1 your ,heavenly ,father will also forgive you4 ,but1 from the illative particle1 for1 according to our notions of exact composition1 was to be expected a reason1 or illustration1 of the immediately foregoing clause1 the doxology1 which shuts up this prayer3 whereas1 the words1 which that particle introduces1 have respect to another and remote clause in the same prayer1 namely1 forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors#ie1 and express the ground and reason1 only1 of that petition4 ,in like manner1 the illation expressed in the text--,,for every one shall be salted with fire1 and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt--may not be intended to respect the preceding words--where the worm dieth not1 and the fire is not quenched--but something else1 which had been advanced in our ,lord's discourse1 though at some distance from the text2 and possibly1 the general scope or subject of it4 ,consider1 then1 what that subject is4 ,it is necessary1 our ,lord tells his disciples1 for such as would escape the woes1 threatened1 and approve themselves faithful followers of him1 to subdue or renounce their most favourite inclinations1 by which they might be1 at any time1 tempted to offend1 though the pain of this self-denial should be ever so grievous to them4 ,to reconcile their minds to this harsh doctrine1 he may then be supposed to resume that topic1 and to justify the advice1 which1 with so much apparent severity1 he had given them4 ,and then we may conceive him to speak to this effect3 8,i have said1 you must not regard the uneasiness1 which the conduct1 ,i require of you1 will probably occasion4 ,for every one1 that is1 every true ,christian1 every one that is consecrated to my service1 and would escape the punishment by fire1 in the world to come1 shall be salted with fire1 in the present world2 that is1 shall be tried with sufferings of one kind or other1 can only expect to be continued in a sound and uncorrupt state1 by afflictions2 which must search1 cleanse1 and purify your lives and minds1 just as fire does those bodies1 which it refines1 by consuming all the dross and refuse1 contained in them4 ,the process may be violent1 but the end is most desirable1 and even necessary4 ,and1 that it is so1 ye may discern from the wisdom of your own ,law1 which requires that every sacrifice1 fit to be offered up to ,god in the temple-service1 shall be salted with salt2 that is1 preserved from putrefaction1 and even all approaches to it1 by the application of that useful1 though corroding substance4 ,now1 the fire of affliction shall be to your moral natures1 what salt is to the animal4 ,it may agitate and torment your minds1 but it shall eat all the principles of corruption out of them1 and so keep them clean and untainted2 as is fit1 considering the heavenly use that is to be made of them1 it being your duty1 and even interest1 to present them1 as a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to ,god#if40 ,in this way1 you see1 the text is reasonably explained of moral discipline in this world1 not of future punishment4 ,what may be thought to occasion some little difficulty1 or1 at least1 particularity1 in the mode of writing1 is1 that one metaphor seems here employed to explain another4 ,but we should rather conceive of the two metaphors1 as employed1 jointly and severally1 to express this moral sentiment--#8,that affliction contributes to preserve and improve our virtue4' ,the allusion to the effects of salt was exceedingly obvious and natural in the mouth of a ,jew1 addressing himself to ,jews#ig4 ,not but it was common enough1 too1 in ,gentile writers#ih4 ,and the other allusion to the effects of fire 7though the two figures are in a manner run together by speaking of the subject1 to which they are applied1 as salted with fire74 ,this allusion1 ,i say1 to fire1 is justified by the familiar use of it1 in the sacred writings4 ,for thus we are told1 that fire must try every man's work#ii--that our faith is tried1 as gold by fire#ajj--that a fiery trial must try us#aja--that1 as gold is tried in the fire1 so are acceptable men in the furnace of adversity#ajb--;and in other instances4 ,of both these natural images1 it may be affirmed1 that they are not unusually applied to moral subjects3 and1 if we thus apply them in the text1 the use to ourselves1 according to this interpretation1 is considerable and even important2 no less1 than the seeing enforced1 in the most lively manner1 and by our ,saviour himself1 this great moral and evangelical lesson--that the virtue of a good mind must be maintained at whatever expence of trouble and self-denial--and for this plain reason1 because1 though no chastening for the present seem to be joyous1 but grievous2 nevertheless1 afterward1 it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them1 which are exercised thereby#ajc4 ,and1 that such is probably the true sense of the text1 we have been considering1 may further be concluded from the light it throws on the following and last verse of this chapter2 the meaning of which will now be very plain and consequential1 as may be shewn in few words4 ,for1 having spoken of ,christian discipline under the name of salt1 which preserves what it searches1 our ,lord very naturally takes advantage of this idea1 and transfers the appellation to ,christian faith1 which was necessary to support his followers under that discipline1 and has this property1 in common with salt1 that it gives soundness and incorruption to the subject on which it operates4 ,salt1 says he1 is good3 but1 if salt have lost its saltness1 wherewith will ye season it8 ,that is1 faith in me 7for by salt1 you easily perceive1 ,i now mean that faith1 which is your true seasoning1 and can alone maintain your firmness and integrity under all trials2 this faith1 ,i say7 is a salutary principle3 but take notice1 if you suffer that principle1 so active and efficacious1 to decay and lose its virtue1 there are no means left to retrieve it4 ,like salt1 grown insipid1 it can never recover its former quality1 but is for ever worthless and useless#ajd4 ,therefore1 adds he1 take care to have1 that is1 retain1 this salt1 this good seasoning of your ,christian principles1 in yourselves2 which will preserve you incorrupt1 as individuals3 and1 as salt1 from its necessary use at the table1 is further an emblem of union and friendship1 give proof of these principles in your intercourse with all ,christians1 so as to keep peace one with another2 for1 by this seasoning of peace1 ye will best preserve yourselves entire1 as a body of men1 or society#aje4 ,we see1 then1 that understanding this fire1 with which every one shall be salted1 of the fire of affliction only1 which1 like salt1 is to try and preserve the moral integrity of all believers1 and not of the fire which dieth not1 and1 according to the former interpretation1 was to preserve offenders in a perpetual capacity of enduring future punishment2 understanding1 ,i say1 this metaphor in the former sense1 we have an easy1 elegant1 and extremely useful sense in the words of the text3 a sense1 which perfectly agrees with what precedes the text1 and illustrates what follows it3 whereas1 in the other way of explaining these words1 it will be difficult to shew their coherence with the subsequent verse1 though they admit an application to the foregoing4 ,on the whole1 ,i leave it to yourselves to judge1 which of the two interpretations1 now proposed to you1 is the proper one4 ,i know of no other1 that so well deserves your notice1 as these two3 and1 if either of them be admissible1 we have gained the satisfaction of understanding a very obscure passage of holy ,scripture4 ,but we have gained more1 than this3 for1 whichever we prefer1 a momentous inference may be drawn from it4 ,,either1 we must resolve to stick close to our ,,christian ,,faith ,,and ,,principles1 as the only means of preserving our integrity1 and making us fit for the favour of ,god1 to whatever trials of any kind they may expose us3 ,,or1 we shall have to reflect1 what ,,suffering1 terrible beyond imagination1 is reserved for obstinately impenitent and incorrigible sinners4 ,,sermon ,,xii4 ,,preached ,,february #i1 #agff4 ,,gal4 vi4 #c4 ,if a man think himself to be something1 when he is nothing1 he deceiveth himself4 ,this is one of those many passages in the sacred writings1 in which the simplicity of the expression is apt to make us overlook the profound sense contained under it4 ,who doubts1 it may be said1 the truth of so general an axiom1 as this8 and what information1 worth treasuring up in the memory1 is conveyed by it8 ,in answer to such questions1 as these1 it may be observed1 ,that the inspired writers are not singular in this practice2 the moral wisdom of all nations1 and1 in particular1 that of the ancient ,pagan sages 7whom these objectors1 no doubt1 reverence7 being usually conveyed in such large and general aphorisms3 and1 further1 that many good reasons may be given for this mode of instruction4 ,,first1 the necessity of the thing1 in times1 when men have not been accustomed to refine on moral subjects3 it is also necessary in another sense1 in order to convey the rules of life in some reasonable compass4 ,good sense in moral matters is but the experience of observing men1 the result of which must be given in compendious parcels or collections2 otherwise the memory is loaded too much2 besides that neither the leisure1 nor the talents of those1 for whom these lessons are designed1 will serve for nicer disquisitions4 ,,secondly1 if this mode of teaching were not necessary1 it would still be preferable to any other for its own proper dignity4 ,a philosopher in the schools1 or a divine in his closet1 may deduce the laws of morality with a minute exactness4 ,but the authority of an ,apostle disdains this care1 and awakens the consciences of men by some general precept1 by some large and comprehensive observation4 ,it becomes the majesty of his character to deliver the principles of right conduct in few and weighty words3 his precepts are ,laws2 and his observations1 ,oracles3 it is for others to speculate upon them with curiosity1 and draw them out into systems4 ,,thirdly1 sometimes the very address of a writer leads him to generalize his observations4 ,it is1 when a more direct and pointed manner would press too closely on the mind1 and1 by making the application necessary1 indispose us to conviction2 whereas1 when a reproof presents itself in this form1 less offence is likely to be given by it1 the application being left1 in a good degree1 to ourselves4 ,this last1 we shall find1 was the case of ,st4 ,paul in the text2 in whose behalf1 therefore1 we need not1 in the present instance1 plead the necessity1 the convenience1 or the dignity of this method of instruction2 though these reasons1 we see1 might1 on other occasions1 be very justly alledged4 ,for1 to come now to the aphorism in the text--,if a man think himself to be something1 when he is nothing1 he deceiveth himself--as trivial as this general truth may appear at first sight1 we shall perceive1 by turning to the context1 that the inspired writer applies it with infinite address to mortify the pride of some persons1 against whom the tenour of his discourse is there directed4 ,for certain false teachers1 it seems1 had very early crept into the churches of ,galatia1 who arrogated a superior wisdom to themselves1 and1 on the credit of this claim1 presumed to impose the yoke of ,jewish ordinances on the ,gentile converts3 in direct opposition to the injunctions of the ,apostle1 who had lately planted these churches2 and in manifest violation of ,christian charity1 which forbad those grievous burthens to be laid on the consciences of believers4 ,one natural feature in the character of these vain-glorious boasters1 was the contempt with which they treated the more infirm ,christians1 and the little consideration they had for such of their brethren as happened to be overtaken with any fault4 ,this proud1 unchristian temper he therefore takes upon him to correct--,brethren1 says he1 if any man be overtaken with a fault1 you1 that are spiritual1 restore such a one in the spirit of meekness1 considering thyself1 lest thou also be tempted3 ,bear ye one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the law of ,christ4 ,and then follows the observation of the text--for1 if a man think himself to be something1 when he is nothing1 he deceiveth himself3 leaving the conceited ,doctors and their admirers to apply these general words1 as they saw fit2 but clearly enough pointing to some persons among them1 who took themselves to be something1 and yet miserably deceived themselves1 in that1 indeed1 they were nothing4 ,in what respects their conduct shewed them to be so1 he leaves to their own sagacity1 quickened by the poignancy of this covert reproof1 to find out4 ,such is the ,apostle's address in this divine admonition2 and such the force 7the greater1 for the address7 of the reprehension conveyed in it6 ,but now1 what those ,,respects are1 in which these sufficient men shewed themselves to be nothing1 though ,st4 ,paul thought it not fit to specify them to the ,galatians1 it may be useful to us1 as it certainly is left free for us1 to inquire4 ,,first1 then1 their very ,conceit was a certain argument of their ,folly4 ,for1 what surer indication of a weak and shallow man1 than his proneness to think highly of himself6 ,wise men understand themselves at another rate4 ,they are too conscious of their own infirmities2 they know their judgment to be too fallible1 their apprehension too slow1 their knowledge too scanty1 their wills too feeble1 and their passions too strong1 to give way to this insolent exultation of heart1 to indulge in this conceit of their own importance1 and much less to form injurious comparisons between themselves and others4 ,they understand1 that the only question is concerning the different degrees of weakness and imperfection2 and that1 where the best come far short of what they should be1 all pretence of boasting is cut off4 ,,secondly1 these superior airs of importance were unsuitable to the nature of their religion1 and shewed how little proficiency they had made in it2 ,,because1 as ,christians1 whatever light and knowledge they laid claim to1 they must needs confess was not their own1 but derived to them from above4 ,all1 these spiritual men could pretend to know of divine things1 had been freely and solely revealed to them by the ,spirit of ,god2 a distinction1 which ought indeed to fill their hearts with gratitude1 but could be no proper foundation of their pride or vain-glory4 ,for1 as the ,apostle himself argues in another place1 ,who maketh thee to differ from another8 ,and what hast thou1 which thou didst not receive8 ,now1 if thou didst receive it1 why dost thou glory1 as if thou hadst not received it#ajf8 ,whatever temptation1 therefore1 there might be to a poor vain heathen to pride himself in his pittance of knowledge or virtue1 a ,,christian should1 by the very principles of his religion1 be more modest1 and ascribe his proficiency in either1 not to himself1 but to the indulgent favour and good pleasure of ,god4 ,,thirdly1 these boasters betrayed themselves by the fruits1 which this self-importance produced1 namely1 their contemptuous and unfeeling treatment of their brethren under any instance of their weakness and frailty4 ,such behaviour was doubly ridiculous3 first1 as it implied an ignorance of their own infirmity1 and liableness to temptation2 and1 then1 as it argued a total want of ,charity1 the most essential part of their religion1 without which a man is nothing1 whatever gifts and graces of other kinds he may possess#ajg4 ,,fourthly1 whatever merit a man may possess1 this fond complacency of mind can hardly fail to deprive him of it4 ,for this conceit of his own sufficiency puts him off his guard1 and makes him more liable to fall into any misconduct1 when1 apprehending no danger to himself1 he employs no care2 just as nothing is more fatal to an army1 than a confidence in its own strength1 inducing a neglect of that watchfulness and discipline1 by which alone its security can be maintained4 ,this sufficiency also leads to ignorance1 as well as misconduct1 by cutting off all hopes of further improvement4 ,for he1 that is proud of his own knowledge1 is not anxious to extend it2 and1 indeed1 does not easily apprehend there is much room or occasion for his so doing4 ,now1 from the moment a man stands still1 and interrupts his intellectual1 as well as moral course1 by the known constitution of things1 he necessarily goes backward2 and1 for his just punishment1 relapses fast into that ignorance1 in a freedom from which he had before placed his confidence and triumph4 ,lastly1 this presumptuous conceit is belyed in the ,,event1 ,i mean in the opinion of those very persons1 to whom the vain man would willingly recommend himself4 ,for the natural effect of such presumption is1 to excite the contempt of the wise1 and the envy of the rest4 ,men of discernment easily penetrate the delusion1 and1 knowing how little reason there is for any man to pride himself in his knowledge or virtue1 are provoked to entertain an ostentatious display of those qualities with that ridicule1 it so well deserves3 while the weaker sort always take themselves to be insulted by superior accomplishments2 and rarely wait the just provocation of vain-glory to malign and envy those1 to whom they belong4 ,but the misfortune does not stop here4 ,contempt and ,envy are active and vigilant passions2 they are quick at espying a weakness1 and spare no pains to expose it3 and where can this merciless inquisition end1 but in the proud man's mortification to see his best faculties slighted1 or traduced1 and all his imperfections laid bare and exposed8 ,so good reason had the ,apostle to warn the ,galatian teachers against vain-glory1 in the close of the preceding chapter--,let us1 says he1 not be vain-glorious1 provoking one another1 envying one another2 an exhortation which the vain-glorious among them should have listened to1 even for their own sakes4 ,we see1 then1 that1 in these several respects1 a man1 who takes himself to be something1 in effect proves himself to be nothing4 ,so full of instruction is the plain unpretending aphorism in the text to the persons concerned6 ,the ,apostle adds--that such a man ,,deceiveth ,,himself--which must needs be1 and cannot want to be enlarged upon2 since it appears in the very instances1 in which his nothingness has been shewn4 ,the vain-glorious ,christian is manifestly and notoriously deceived in thinking himself something--while that very conceit shews the contrary--while it shews that he overlooks the very principles of his religion--while it proves him to be void of ,christian charity1 the very end of the commandment--while it betrays him into ignorance and folly1 and therefore tends to subvert the very foundation1 on which his vain-glory is raised--while1 lastly1 in the event1 it deprives him of that very consideration to which he aspires4 8,,such are the mischiefs of ,self-conceit60 a vice1 which ,reason universally condemns1 but which our ,christian profession renders most contemptible and ridiculous4 ,even in the pursuits of human ,science1 where ,reason can do most1 all the efforts of the ablest understanding penetrate but a little way4 ,we know enough of the nature of things1 to serve the purposes of common life2 and enough of the nature of man1 to discover our duty towards each other4 ,and within this narrow circle all our knowledge1 be we as proud of it as we please1 is confined4 ,clouds and darkness cover the rest2 and this the ablest men of all times have seen and confessed4 ,if there be a man1 whom ,heaven has formed with greater powers and stronger faculties than are commonly met with in the species1 he is the first to discover1 and to lament1 his own blindness and weakness3 a ,socrates and a ,pascal have been considered as prodigies of parts and ingenuity2 yet1 while the meanest ,sophister is puffed up with the conceit of his own knowledge1 these divine men confess nothing so readily as their own ignorance4 ,and1 if this be the case of human learning1 what must we think of divine8 where ,reason teaches nothing1 beyond the existence and attributes of ,god1 and1 as to every thing else1 without the aid of ,revelation1 is stark-blind4 ,the things of ,god knoweth no man but the ,spirit of ,god--is an assertion1 to which common sense and common experience must assent4 ,yet shall every idle ,speculatist1 who has but the confidence to call himself a ,philosopher1 treat the divine word1 as freely as any ordinary subject2 and pronounce as peremptorily of the revealed will of ,god1 which the ,angels themselves adore in silence1 as if he knew for certain that his poor and scanty understanding was commensurate with the councils of the most ,high6 ,to these professors of ,science1 whether human or divine1 who know so little of themselves as to presume they know every thing1 may the ,apostle's aphorism be most fitly addressed--,if a man think himself to be something1 when he is nothing1 he deceiveth himself2--and1 through all the simplicity of the expression1 the good sense of the observation must be felt by the proudest understanding4 ,not1 that the proper remedy for this evil1 of ,self-conceit1 is a vile subjection of the understanding1 which our holy ,religion disdains1 and to which none but slaves will submit--nor yet ,scepticism1 another vice1 to which the less sanguine disputers of this world are much addicted--but a modest use of the faculties we possess1 and above all1 charity4 ,it is but another species of pride1 to pretend that we know nothing2 ,christian humility is best expressed in referring1 what we know1 to the good of others4 ,without this reference1 all our claims of superior wisdom are vain and delusive3 for it is with knowledge1 as with faith1 unless it work by charity1 it is nothing4 ,to return to the text1 then1 and to conclude4 ,let the ignominy of this ,self-delusion deter us1 if nothing else can1 from the unseemly arrogance1 it so well exposes and condemns4 ,and let us learn to revere the wisdom of the great ,apostle1 who1 by couching so momentous an admonition in so plain terms1 has taught us1 ,that1 as conceit and vain-glory terminate in shame and disappointment2 so the modesty of unpretending knowledge may be entitled to our highest esteem4 ,,sermon ,,xiii4 ,,preached ,,may #af1 #aggc4 #b ,,cor4 x4 #ab4 ,we dare not make ourselves of the number1 or compare ourselves1 with some that commend themselves3 ,but they1 measuring themselves by themselves1 and comparing themselves among themselves1 are not wise4 ,i shall not inquire1 who the persons were1 to whom these words are applied4 ,it is enough1 for the use ,i intend to make of them1 to observe1 that they contain a censure of some persons1 8who1 conscious of certain advantages1 and too much taken up in the contemplation of them1 came to think better of themselves1 and1 consequently1 worse of others1 than they had reason to do2 demonstrating1 by this1 their partiality 7as the ,apostle gently remonstrates71 that they were not wise40 ,but this censure admits a more extensive application4 ,measuring themselves by themselves1 and comparing themselves among themselves1 whole nations1 and even ages1 as well as individuals1 are1 sometimes1 misled in the estimate they make of their own worth2 and never more easily1 or remarkably1 than when the object of their partial fondness is their proficiency in knowledge1 and1 above all1 in religious knowledge3 for nothing flatters the pride of human nature so much1 as an idea of superiority in the exercise of its best faculties1 on the noblest subjects4 ,it would be easy to illustrate this observation by many examples1 that have occurred in the history of mankind4 ,but ,,one1 only1 will sufficiently employ your thoughts at this time2 and that one 7to make it the more interesting and useful7 shall be taken from ,,ourselves4 ,the improvements1 that have been made1 for two or three centuries past1 in almost every art and science1 seem to authorize the present age to think with some respect1 of itself4 ,it accordingly exults in the idea of its own wisdom3 and this country1 in particular1 which has contributed its full share to those improvements1 may well be thought as forward1 as any other1 to pay itself this tribute of self-esteem4 ,it would not be strange1 if it appeared1 on inquiry1 ,that some presumption had1 in either case1 been indulged2 and had even operated1 according to the nature of presumption1 to the prejudice of that claim1 which1 with so much confidence1 has been set up4 ,but ,i have now in view1 only1 one effect of this presumption2 ,i mean1 the complacency which many take in supposing1 ,that the present age excels equally in sacred and secular learning2 and1 with regard to ourselves1 ,that our theological knowledge as much surpasses that of our forefathers at the ,reformation1 as their knowledge did1 the thick and gross ignorance of the monkish ages4 ,it concerns us1 for more reasons than one1 not to mistake in this matter4 ,the direct way to decide upon it1 would1 no doubt1 be1 ,to compare the best modern writers1 with the ablest of those among the ,reformers1 on the subject of religion4 ,but1 till ye have the leisure or curiosity to make this comparison for yourselves1 ye will pay some regard1 it may be1 to the following considerations2 which1 at least1 ,i think1 make it questionable1 whether our claims1 in particular 7for the inquiry shall1 for the present1 be confined to them71 whether1 ,i say1 our pretensions to religious knowledge have not been carried too far4 ,and1 #a4 ,one is tempted to ask1 whether it be credible1 that we of this age should have much advantage over our ,reformers1 in respect of religious knowledge1 when both had an opportunity of deriving it from the same source8 ,you will apprehend the meaning of this question1 if you reflect1 that our ,reformers had not their religious system to fetch out of the dark rolls of ancient tradition1 and much less to create1 or fashion for themselves1 out of their own proper stock of ingenuity and invention4 ,had such been their unhappy circumstances1 there would be reason enough to presume that their system was defective4 ,for the first attempts towards perfection in any art1 or science1 will not bear a comparison with those happier and more successful efforts1 which a length of time and continued application enable men to make4 ,but the case of those good men1 we know1 was wholly different4 ,they had only to copy1 or1 rather1 to inspect1 a consummate model1 made to their hands2 ,i mean1 the sacred scriptures1 which lay open to them1 as they do to us2 and1 being taken by them1 as we understand they were1 for their sole rule of faith1 what should hinder them1 when they read those scriptures1 from seeing as distinctly1 as we do at this day1 what the ,gospel-terms of salvation are1 and what the erudition of a ,christian man should be8 ,did the primitive ,christians1 a plain people1 and taken1 for the most part1 from the lowest ranks of life1 did they understand their religion1 when it was proposed to them1 so as to have no doubt concerning its great and leading principles2 nay1 so as to be the standard of orthodoxy to all succeeding ages of the ,church8 and shall we think that the ablest ,doctors at the ,reformation1 when they had once turned themselves to the study of the sacred volumes1 could be at a loss about the contents of them8 8,yes1 it will1 perhaps1 be said2 the primitive ,christians had the advantage of reading the scriptures in the languages in which they were composed1 or of hearing them explained1 at least1 by learned and well-instructed teachers3 whereas1 at the ,reformation1 those languages were understood by few1 or none2 and consequently1 in those days1 there could be no persons sufficiently skilled in the sacred scriptures to ascertain their true meaning40 ,but to this charge of ignorance you will easily reply1 by asking1 #b4 ,in the next place1 whether it can consist with a known fact1 namely1 ,that the revival of letters had preceded the ,reformation every-where1 especially in ,england2 and that the excellent persons who took the lead in that work1 were all of them1 competently1 and1 some of them1 deeply1 skilled in the learned languages8 ,indeed1 in the nature of the thing1 it is scarce possible1 that the ,reformers should be so little versed1 as the objection supposes1 in the original scriptures4 ,for1 whether the new learning as it was called1 had1 or had not1 been cultivated1 before the ,reformation began1 we may be sure it would then be cultivated with the utmost assiduity2 both1 because it was a new learning1 that is1 because the charms of novelty would naturally engage many in the study of it2 and1 because no step could be taken in the ,reformation1 without some proficiency in that learning4 ,now1 if you consider1 of what the human mind is capable1 when pushed on by two such active principles1 as learned curiosity1 and religious zeal1 you will conclude with yourselves1 even without recurring to positive testimony1 that the ,reformers must needs have made an acquaintance with the authentic text3 such an acquaintance1 as would let them into a clear apprehension1 at least1 of those doctrines1 which are the elementary1 as we may say1 or necessary ingredients in the constitution of a truly ,christian ,church4 ,if you hesitate about coming to this conclusion1 the reason1 ,i suppose1 is1 that you consider the ,reformers as just then emerging from the darkness of ,popery1 and therefore so far blinded by the prejudices of that church#ajh1 or by their own#aji prejudices against it1 as not to see distinctly1 and at once1 the true sense of ,scripture1 though they might be competently skilled in the learned languages4 ,and1 possibly1 there is some truth1 as well as plausibility1 in this suggestion1 as applied to the case of the foreign ,protestant ,churches1 which were formed with too much haste1 and in a time of too much heat1 to be quite free from all such exceptions4 ,but1 then1 you will call to mind1 #c4 ,thirdly1 that the ,reformation was not carried on with us in a precipitate tumultuary manner1 as it was1 for the most part1 on the ,continent4 ,on the other hand1 it advanced1 under the eye of the magistrate1 by slow degrees2 nay1 it was1 more than once1 checked and kept back by him4 ,hence it came to pass1 that there was time allowed for taking the full benefit of all discoveries1 made abroad2 for studying the chief points of controversy1 with care2 and for getting rid of such mistakes1 as might arise from a hasty or passionate interpretation of holy ,scripture4 ,in short1 you will reflect1 that1 between the first contentions in ,germany2 on the account of ,religion1 and the first establishment of it in the ,church of ,england1 under ,elizabeth1 there was the space of near half a century3 a space1 sufficient1 you will think 7especially1 if the activity of those times be considered7 to admit all the improvements of learning1 that were necessary to those who had the charge of conducting the ,reformation2 and all the deliberate circumspection1 with which it was fit that so great a work should be finally completed4 ,if it be said1 8that the ,reformers are convicted of ignorance in one important part of scriptural knowledge1 that of ,toleration1 and that therefore1 possibly1 they have erred in others20 ,i reply1 that this subject had never been understood1 from the first establishment of ,christianity down to the ra of the ,reformation2 and that the mistakes about it had1 chiefly1 arisen1 not from a want of seeing what the ,scriptures had revealed1 but of knowing how to reconcile the ,new ,testament to the ,old4 ,if we are1 now1 able to do this1 it is well4 ,in the mean time1 let it be acknowledged1 that no peculiar charge of ignorance can be brought against the ,reformers for misapprehending a subject1 not only difficult in itself1 but perplexed with endless prejudices1 and not yet1 as appears1 quite disentangled of them4 ,after all1 this doctrine of intolerance1 though it unhappily affected the personal conduct of our ,reformers1 has no place in the ,,liturgy and ,,articles of our ,church4 ,still1 perhaps1 the main point1 on which this question1 concerning the comparative skill of the two periods1 in matters of religion1 turns1 is yet untouched2 which is1 that the amazing progress1 confessedly made1 since the ra of the ,reformation1 in all true ,philosophy1 must have contributed very largely to the increase of religious knowledge2 and that so much light of science1 as we now enjoy1 must have served to give us a clearer insight1 than our benighted ancestors had1 into the revealed doctrines of ,christianity4 ,but to this so flattering1 and1 at first view1 not improbable1 assumption1 it may be replied1 #d4 ,in the last place1 ,that the doctrines in question1 being purely ,christian1 that is1 such as it pleased ,god to reveal to mankind concerning his eternal purpose in ,christ ,jesus1--that the doctrines1 ,i say1 having this original1 and being of this nature1 have1 possibly1 no communication with the discoveries of later times3 that1 of the divine councils1 on such a subject1 we could have known nothing1 if the ,revelation had been silent2 and that all we do know1 when it speaks clearest1 is only what those councils are1 not on what grounds of reason they stand2 whether it be1 that such knowledge is unattainable by our faculties1 or that it was seen to be improper for our situation3 that1 to say the least1 all the efforts of the ablest men to explain the peculiar fundamental doctrines of our religion1 on the principles of our philosophy1 have not hitherto been so successful1 as to make it certain that these doctrines are indeed cognisable by human reason3 that possibly1 therefore1 those doctrines are the objects of faith1 simply1 and not of knowledge2 in other words1 that they are no clearer to us at this day1 than they were to those plainer men1 who lived in the sixteenth century#aaj4 ,and now1 if we recollect the substance of what has been said--,that our ,reformers had only to consult the ,scriptures for a just idea of the ,christian ,religion--that they were likely enough to understand those ,scriptures1 being invited1 or rather impelled1 to the study of them1 by the most active principles of human nature--that they could not but understand those ,scriptures in all the more important points of doctrine1 which they had so much time and occasion to consider1 and which there wanted no more than a common skill in the language of ,scripture to understand--and that1 lastly1 they could not have understood those points better1 than they did1 even with all our real or fancied skill in philosophy1 because1 in truth1 philosophy is not applicable to those points1 being matters of pure ,revelation1 and not susceptible of any additional clearness from the exertion of our best faculties1 however improved3--,if these things1 ,i say1 are put together1 we shall conceive it possible for our ,reformers to have acquired such a knowledge1 at least1 of their religion1 as not to deserve that utter contempt1 with which1 on a comparison with ourselves1 they are1 sometimes1 treated4 ,but a single ,,fact will1 perhaps1 speak more conviction to you1 than all these general presumptive reasonings4 ,when the question is1 therefore1 concerning the degree of religious knowledge1 which such men as ,cranmer and ,ridley possessed1 let it be remembered1 8,that ,erasmus 7who lived and died before the ,english ,reformation had made any considerable progress1 and the benefit of all whose light and knowledge those ,reformers1 therefore1 had7 that this learned man1 ,i say1 had1 in those days1 explained himself as reasonably1 on almost every great topic of revealed religion1 as any writer has since done2 or is now able to do40 ,this fact1 however1 does not imply1 that the age of the ,reformation was equally enlightened with the present2 or that the clearer light1 we enjoy1 is of no service to religion4 ,our improved ,,criticism has been of use in ascertaining the authority1 and1 sometimes1 in clearing the smaller difficulties1 of the sacred text2 and our improved ,,philosophy has enabled many great men to set the evidences of revealed religion1 in a juster and stronger light3 but1 with the doctrines themselves1 our improvements1 of whatever kind1 have no concern4 ,be our proficiency in human science what it may1 those doctrines are the same still4 ,reason1 under any degree of cultivation1 may if we please to misapply it1 perplex and corrupt our faith2 but will never be able to see to the bottom of those judgments1 which are unsearchable1 nor to clear up those ways1 which are past finding out#aaa4 ,to conclude3 ,i am not1 now1 making the panegyric of those venerable men1 to whom we are indebted for our religious establishment4 ,they were our inferiors1 if you will1 in many respects4 ,but1 if1 measuring ourselves by ourselves1 and comparing ourselves among ourselves1 we overlook their real abilities and qualifications2 if we pronounce them ignorant of good letters1 because they lived in an age1 which we have learned to call barbarous2 and ignorant of the ,christian religion1 because they were not practised in our philosophy2 we1 probably1 do ,,them great injustice1 and take1 it may be1 not the best method of doing honour to ,,ourselves4 ,,sermon ,,xiv4 ,,preached ,,april #bg1 #agff4 ,st4 ,,mark1 iv4 #bd4 ,take heed what ye hear4 ,or1 as the equivalent phrase is in ,st4 ,,luke1 viii4 #ah4 ,take heed ,,how ye hear4 ,faith1 says the ,apostle1 cometh by hearing1 and hearing by the word of ,god#aab4 ,the assertion was strictly true in the early days of the ,gospel1 before books were yet written and spread abroad for the edification of the ,church4 ,the inlet of faith was1 then1 the ear3 through that organ only was conveyed1 from the tongue of the preacher1 the word of ,god4 ,but the case is much the same at all times2 even now1 when books are enough multiplied1 and perhaps more than enough1 in the ,christian world4 ,for1 it having pleased ,god1 that a standing ministry should be kept up for the instruction of mankind in the faith1 and a woe being denounced against such1 as have received this commission1 and yet preach not the ,gospel#aac1 the sole way by which faith cometh to most men1 and the principal1 by which it cometh to almost all1 is still that of hearing4 ,it is still by the word preached1 that men1 in general1 come to the faith of ,christ1 and are confirmed in the profession of it4 ,our ,lord1 then1 foreseeing how much would depend on this faculty of hearing1 and finding by experience how liable it was to be abused1 thought fit to give his ,disciples a particular1 and what may almost seem a new1 precept1 for their conduct in this respect4 ,the ancient masters of rhetoric1 and of morals1 had frequently warned their scholars to take heed what they speak3 but our ,divine ,master carries his attention still farther2 and while his ministers are required1 to speak1 as the oracles of ,god1 the people are very properly instructed by him1 to take heed what they hear4 ,now1 that this admonition may have its full effect1 it will be proper to explain the reasons1 on which it is founded2 to lay before you the several considerations which shew of what infinite concern it is to those1 who hear the word1 to be attentive in hearing4 ,and it naturally occurs1 as the ,i4 ,,first reason for this attention1 that what is spoken1 is delivered to them1 as the word of ,god4 ,when a person in high place and authority thinks fit to honour us with a message1 though it be in a matter of no great importance1 with what submission is it received6 ,how diligently do we listen to it6 ,how circumspectly is every sentence1 and even syllable1 weighed6 ,we do not stand to make exceptions to the messenger1 who may have nothing in his own person to command our respect2 we do not much consider the grace with which he delivers his message2 we are not curious to observe in what choice or elegant terms it is expressed4 ,we are only concerned to know1 that the message has been faithfully related1 and then a due regard is immediately paid to it4 ,and shall ,god speak to us by the mouth of his ministers1 in terms which himself dictates1 and which we may verify1 if we please1 by comparing them with his own written word1--shall1 ,i say1 the ,god of ,heaven thus address himself to us1 and we not take heed what and how we hear8 ,or1 suppose the opinion of a man learned in any secular profession is reported to us1 on a point which falls within his province1 and of which it concerns us to form a right apprehension1 ,is not such opinion received with respect by us1 and studied with care8 ,and shall our ,divine ,master be negligently heared1 when he condescends to instruct us in the way of life and salvation1 a subject1 of all others1 the most interesting to us2 a subject1 which he alone perfectly understands1 and concerning which he will not and cannot mislead us8 ,still further1 besides the authority of the divine word1 there is something in the nature of it1 which deserves1 and1 if we be not wholly insensible1 must command our attention4 ,for shall a little superficial rhetorick be listened to with regard1 perhaps with admiration8 ,and shall not the heart-felt truths of the ,gospel warm and affect us8 ,shall a few spiritless periods1 ranged in measure1 and coloured with art1 mere sound and paint1 throw an assembly1 sometimes1 into joy or grief1 or transport it with indignation8 ,and can we lend a careless ear to the word of ,god1 which is quick and powerful1 and sharper than any two-edged sword1 piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit1 and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart#aad8 ,such is the attention due to the word of ,god1 when acknowledged under that character4 ,but ,,ii4 ,a ,,second reason for hearing with caution1 is1 that the hearers are required to judge for themselves whether what is delivered to them be1 indeed1 the word of ,god4 ,without this care1 impostures may be endless1 and the effect of them fatal4 ,when we give up ourselves with an implicit trust to others in mere temporal concerns1 the mischief1 although considerable1 may yet be checked by experience2 or1 at most1 as it respects this life only1 is not conclusive and irreparable3 but in matters of religion1 if we accept that as the word of ,god1 and act upon it1 which has no higher authority than the word of fallible and presumptuous men1 we may be led into all the visions of fanaticism or superstition1 and into all the crimes which so naturally spring from both1 to the loss of our future1 as well as present happiness4 ,it pleased ,god1 therefore1 from the time that miracles ceased to be the credentials of his ministers in the ,christian ,church1 to secure the faithful from these dangers by the guidance of the written ,word2 in which1 besides special rules there given for the trial of the spirits1 whether they are of ,god1 such general principles are delivered as may direct our judgment4 ,and by the help of these1 interpreted by the tenor of that word1 and the analogy of faith1 we may be secured from all deception or surprize4 ,it is true1 all men cannot apply these rules and principles1 or not with full knowledge and effect4 ,woe1 therefore1 be to him who abuses the incapacity of such hearers1 by obtruding on their easy belief his own fancies1 as the doctrines of ,god6 ,but to the abler hearers of the word1 to all1 indeed1 who are competently instructed in their ,religion1 the task is not difficult to avoid gross and dangerous delusions1 to determine for themselves whether the doctrine be of ,god1 or not4 ,this task1 ,i say1 is not difficult2 yet it implies care and circumspection2 and the necessity of discharging it must be allowed a good argument for taking heed what we hear4 ,,iii4 ,a further reason for this diligence in hearing is1 ,that the hearers are expected and required to profit by the word spoken4 ,the word of wisdom and of knowledge is given to every man to profit withal#aae4 ,it is not a curious problem1 a fine lecture1 a trial of wit1 or play of ingenuity1 calculated to entertain us for the time1 and to be laid aside and forgotten by us again1 when the occasion is over4 ,the ministry of the word is of another kind1 and destined to higher purposes4 ,it is an instrument of reproof1 of exhortation1 of instruction in righteousness4 ,the sword of the spirit is put into the hands of men for no ends of pageantry and amusement4 ,the minister of ,god bears it not in vain4 ,he is entrusted with it to smite the hearts of the wicked1 to pierce through the souls of unrighteous men1 and to flash conviction in the face of unbelievers4 ,it is an ordinance of ,god1 by which he would humble the proud1 and convert the obstinate2 strengthen the weak1 and confirm the wise1 hearer4 ,whatever our condition1 it is to be corrected or improved by the word of ,god2 whatever our necessities1 they are to be relieved by it4 ,but every gift of the spirit1 as well as faith1 cometh by hearing3 and that not in the instant1 but by degrees2 for the ,gospel does not illuminate and sanctify men at once2 but by successive improvements1 according to the care with which we listen to its admonitions1 and the impression they make upon us4 ,hence it concerns the hearer1 that nothing be lost1 and that the good seed be not committed to the ground in vain4 ,one truth received1 prepares the mind to entertain a second2 that1 a third2 and so on1 till we become perfect in the knowledge of the faith4 ,our moral advances are made in the same manner3 one good resolution begets another1 which again produces succeeding ones1 till1 through several intervening states1 we arrive1 or almost arrive1 at perfect obedience4 ,and this consideration1 indeed1 seems to have been immediately present to our ,lord1 when he delivered the admonition in the text4 ,for so he comments upon1 and enforces his own words--,take heed what ye hear3 for with what measure ye mete1 it shall be measured to you1 and ,,to ,,you ,,that ,,hear1 ,,shall ,,more ,,be ,,given3 that is1 plainly and certainly1 your proficiency in faith and virtue will depend upon the degree of attention ye pay to my word1 and shall be proportioned to it2 therefore it cannot be too strict and earnest4 ,nay1 our ,lord goes farther1 and in his jealousy1 as it were1 for the honour of the word spoken1 threatens the listless hearer1 that he should not only not advance in religious qualifications1 but that he should even lose those1 which he already possessed4 ,for he that hath1 to him shall be given3 ,,and ,,he ,,that ,,hath ,,not1 ,,from ,,him ,,shall ,,be ,,taken ,,away ,,even ,,that ,,he ,,hath4 ,and this dispensation of ,providence1 as severe as it may seem1 is1 ,i suppose1 confirmed by too certain experience1 and is analogous to the rest of ,god's moral government4 ,it is no slight matter then1 how we hear4 ,and let no idle prejudices prevent or mislead us4 ,the preacher of the ,gospel may1 on various pretences1 be unacceptable to us4 ,still1 the ,gospel itself is not his1 but ,god's2 to which no circumstance should indispose us4 ,nay1 in spite of this indisposition1 the preacher1 if we resolve to hear1 may profit us4 ,for it is not1 ,i conceive1 without example1 that such as come to amuse themselves with a stated discourse1 or perhaps to censure the discourser1 have found their hearts touched by the quickening power of the word1 and have returned with serious thoughts and better resolutions4 ,this1 ,i say1 is not too much to expect from the ,gospel of ,christ1 and the grace which attends it1 since we find it recorded of a ,pagan moralist1 that1 when a young reveller came into his school1 flushed with wine1 and 7as the custom of such was7 crowned with flowers1 and therefore in no disposition1 we may presume1 to profit by his instructions2 the philosopher1 however1 chose his topics so well1 and pressed them on his gay disciple with such effect1 as to send him away in a graver mood1 and without his garland#aaf4 ,but1 ,,iv4 ,the last and most important reason of all why we should give an attentive ear to the word of ,god1 is1 ,that we shall finally be judged by it4 ,if the ,gospel had only proposed to instruct us in the knowledge of ,god1 that so we might speculate more ably on divine subjects2 or1 at most1 refer the knowledge we acquire to present use2 though it could not be denied that such purpose was an important one1 yet1 if it went no further1 we might1 if we could allow ourselves in such imprudence1 make light of this1 as we do of so many other kinds of instruction4 ,we should be ignorant1 indeed1 and unaccomplished in a very sublime science2 but so we are of many others1 and yet are contented to remain in that ignorance4 ,we might conduct ourselves foolishly and perversely1 and might suffer much inconvenience1 and even misery1 for want of acting on the principles of this science2 but so we do1 in many other instances1 for want of acting on the maxims of art and prudence in the management of our common concerns1 and yet we make a shift to satisfy ourselves with our condition4 ,but if the ,gospel follow us into another world2 if this immortal volume must be laid open in the presence of men and angels1 and our eternal doom pronounced out of it1 though we would not obey1 or so much as listen to its commands1 when they were so earnestly1 so repeatedly1 in this life pressed upon us2 if such be the effect of not hearing1 how shall we excuse our indifference in this respect1 or what can support us under the consciousness of it8 ,hear then the awful sentence of ,christ himself1 denounced in that ,gospel--,he that rejecteth me1 and receiveth not my words1 hath one that judgeth him2 ,,the ,,word that ,i have spoken1 the same shall judge him at the last day#aag4 ,go now1 ye careless hearers1 ye despisers of the ,,word1 and justify to yourselves1 if ye can1 your neglect and scorn of it6 ,when our ,lord himself taught in the streets of ,jerusalem1 many a supercilious ,pharisee1 we may suppose1 passed by1 without so much as stopping to hear what this divine teacher had to say to them3 others1 if they gave attention to his words1 were only gratifying an idle1 perhaps a malignant curiosity2 they sought occasion from what he said to intrap him in his discourse1 to accuse him to the rulers1 or to vilify him in the eyes of the people4 ,again3 when this same doctrine was taught by the ,apostle ,paul in another proud city1 as proud of its philosophic schools1 as ,jerusalem was of its temple1 many a contemptuous sophist1 we may believe1 disdained to listen1 at all to the foolishness of preaching2 and of those few who did1 some1 we know1 mocked1 while others negligently asked their companions1 ,what would this babbler say8 ,but how will both these be astonished in the last day to find themselves judged by that word which they neglected1 or contemned2 by that word1 which they would not hear1 though it was brought home to their doors1 or which they rejected with scorn1 when they did hear it6 ,nor think1 because neither ,jesus nor ,paul hath preached in person to us1 that therefore our case is much different4 ,jesus and ,paul still speak in the ministers of the word3 or1 what if the speakers be widely different1 the word is the same3 this treasure we still have1 though in earthen vessels#aah4 ,nay1 in one respect1 our guilt exceeds theirs4 ,the ,pharisees and ,philosophers were1 alike1 ignorant and unbelieving4 ,we profess to know1 and to believe4 ,let ,,us1 then1 take heed what we hear2 lest our knowledge and belief add terrors to that day1 when the neglected word shall sit in judgment upon us4 ,,sermon ,,xv4 ,,preached ,,november #bd1 #agfe4 ,,rom4 xvi4 #ai4 ,i would have you wise unto that which is good1 and simple concerning evil4 ,our blessed ,lord had given it in charge to his followers to be wise as serpents1 and harmless as doves#aai4 ,and the ,apostle explains and enforces this command of his ,master1 when he enjoins us in the words of the text1 ,to be wise unto that which is good1 and simple concerning evil4 ,i confine myself1 at present1 to the former part of the text1 and shall enquire into the properties or characters of ,,christian ,,wisdom4 ,this wisdom consists in the prosecution of what the ,scriptures declare to be the true end of man1 and by such means as they prescribe to us4 ,that end is the ,,salvation of our souls2 and the means1 which lead to it1 are ,,faith and ,,obedience4 ,thus far there can be no mistake4 ,the wise ,christian is he who is intent on securing his eternal interest2 and who1 to that end1 fortifies his mind with a firm belief of the doctrines1 and conducts his life according to the precepts1 of the ,gospel4 ,i4 ,but ,,perfect ,,wisdom1 which consists in a strict attention to these several particulars1 and according to the true worth of each1 is rarely the lot of human nature4 ,and there are two ways1 in which we are most apt to forfeit our pretensions to it4 ,,one is1 when our minds1 wholly taken up with the ultimate object of their hopes1 neglect the means which are appointed to bring them to it3 ,the ,,other1 when we rest in the intervening means themselves1 without a due regard to that final purpose1 for the sake of which they were appointed4 #a4 ,the ,,former of these defects we may observe in those persons who1 from a too warm and enthusiastic turn of thought1 are for subliming all piety into the trances of mystic contemplation2 as if morality and faith scarce deserved their notice2 and the beatific vision were as well the object1 as end of the ,christian life4 ,here the fault lies in an impatience to come at the point we propose to ourselves1 without observing the proper methods which are to put us in possession of it2 and is much the same phrenzy as we should charge on those travellers1 who1 being on their way towards a distant country1 stop short in the contemplation of all the wonders they have heard reported of it1 without pursuing their journey1 or indeed without taking one step towards it4 #b4 ,the ,,other defect of wisdom is seen in those less sanguine1 and1 in truth1 lukewarm ,christians1 who do not1 indeed1 altogether neglect the subservient duties of their profession1 but1 as not enough considering the prize of their high calling1 grow remiss in the exercise of them3 in which they too much resemble those same travellers2 who1 when taking the ordinary means of arriving at their journey's end1 fall into an idle way of loitering on the road1 and use not that dispatch and diligence in their stages1 which an earnest consideration of the end1 they have in view1 should naturally inspire4 ,,ii4 ,but this duty of ,christian wisdom is further violated1 when1 with a full respect to our final hopes and expectations1 and a general intention to pursue them by the means appointed in holy ,scripture1 we do not1 however1 observe the due bounds and measures of each2 that is1 when1 of the two appointed means of salvation1 a pure faith1 and right practice1 we chose to ourselves a favourite1 and incline too much to one1 at the expence of the other4 ,for1 #a4 ,with regard to the distinct provinces of ,,faith and ,,morality1 we know there are those1 who1 provided they are but sound and orthodox in their opinions1 that they give an entire assent to the several articles of their creed1 and submit their faith to the entire direction of ,scripture1 or perhaps of the church with which they communicate1 suppose the affair of moral practice of much less importance2 and conclude their devotion for this acceptable sacrifice of a right faith will excuse their making somewhat too free with the article of obedience4 ,such persons there have been and still are in all churches2 but we know what sect of ,christians is most deeply infected with this error4 #b4 ,on the contrary1 they who have shaken off this bondage of superstition1 and have observed the mischiefs which arise in abundance from this exclusive attachment to creeds and confessions1 are very apt to run into the other extreme2 and1 because they find morality to be of eternal obligation1 make the less account of faith and right opinion4 ,as the former excess is the peculiar disgrace of ,popery1 this other has frequently been objected to ,protestantism4 ,both are manifest violations of ,christian wisdom2 which1 besides that it commands an equal reverence for the two tables of the divine law1 should further instruct us1 that as faith without works is vain1 so good works themselves1 unassisted and unsanctified by faith1 are either not so perfect1 or not so acceptable from us ,christians1 as otherwise they might be4 ,not to observe1 that as the articles of our holy faith may be founded on reasons1 which we do not know2 so the belief or rejection of them may have consequences1 which we cannot foresee4 ,,iii4 ,and with this preparation1 let us now descend to still more particular reflexions on the duty which lies upon us to approve our wisdom in the public profession of that faith1 and the manifestation of that practice4 ,christian wisdom requires an attentive regard to the main end we have in view1 and to the methods by which we are instructed to obtain it4 ,but still there is great room for discretion to shew itself in the management and pursuit of those methods4 ,one manner of doing the good1 we are appointed to do1 will be preferable to another4 ,and it is a great part of ,christian prudence to be ready and expert in discovering and acting upon that preference4 ,this indeed is a large field2 nor is it possible to enumerate all the cases which fall within this province of true wisdom4 ,but to prescribe to ourselves some plan1 however defective1 we may consider1 that1 if a constant regard be had to ourselves1 to our own character and circumstances1 our virtues will then be most ,,graceful2 if to the exigencies of the times and places in which we live1 most ,,seasonable2 and1 lastly1 if to the persons1 conditions1 and characters of other men1 they will thus become most ,,attractive and ,,efficacious4 #a4 ,it was a point the masters of ancient wisdom took a singular pleasure to inculcate1 and we find an equal stress laid upon it by the sacred writers1 that a strict decorum be observed in the exercise of our virtues2 or1 in other words1 that the good we do be that which is fit and decent1 considering our circumstances and characters4 ,thus we find one set of duties more especially recommended to the young1 another to the aged2 some to private persons1 others to such as are in place and authority4 ,different professions in life have also different sets of offices belonging to them2 or in such as are common to all1 propriety demands1 that they be evidenced in very different manners4 ,the virtues we expect in the poor man1 are humility1 industry1 and resignation4 ,these too are virtues1 from the obligation of which no rich man is exempted2 but it would be strangely misbecoming1 if he did not surpass the other in acts of charity and beneficence4 ,and in respect of the same common virtue1 suppose charity1 what the one would very commendably discharge by little acts of service and assiduity towards his distressed neighbour1 might require a very considerable expence of wealth or labour in the other4 ,nay1 the several humours and dispositions of men will occasion a difference1 if not in the matter of their duty1 yet in the way in which it will become them to express it4 ,an eminent moralist1 indeed1 carried this point of decorum very far when he would justify so bad an action1 as suicide1 and which he owns he should have condemned in any other1 from the singular turn of ,cato's temper and virtue#abj4 ,but thus much may be said with great truth3 that an action1 good in itself1 may come with a better grace from one man than another4 ,a lesson of good advice1 for instance1 might be requisite from the liveliest man to his friend2 but it would have additional weight and propriety from one of a graver disposition3 and certainly what the former could only hint with address1 the latter might be allowed to enforce with much earnestness and authority4 ,in short1 if we study ourselves1 and reflect what our station1 character1 or nature is1 we shall best discern what the virtues are1 and in what manner to be expressed1 which sit most properly and gracefully upon us4 ,and to give a diligent attention to these is no mean part of moral wisdom4 ,but1 #b4 ,we must look beyond ourselves2 we must consider what the condition of the times1 what the state of the places in which we live1 may require of us4 ,i do not mean that religion is a matter of policy2 or that virtue is a mere local consideration4 ,but when the question is1 how we may do the most good by our religious or moral conduct1 a prudent accommodation of ourselves to time and place will be very necessary#aba4 ,the primitive ,christians were not wise unto that which is good1 when they provoked the cruelty of their enemies1 and offered themselves without cause to the racks and fires of persecution4 ,nor would they be less blameable1 who1 in a careless1 prophane age1 when silence would be readily taken for assent3 when1 not to profess the faith would be construed to renounce it1 should1 from a too scrupulous fear of giving offence1 forbear to make an open confession of their religion4 ,the exigencies of times1 we see1 are very different4 ,a wise man would have endeavoured to moderate the excessive zeal1 which prevailed in the former of these periods3 he would apply himself to raise and quicken it1 were he to find himself in the circumstances described in the latter4 ,or1 to explain myself by a case which may still more nearly affect us4 ,there was a time1 when the religion of our country consisted too much in a zeal for unintelligible articles and superstitious ceremonies2 when ,popery had enslaved both mind and body1 had bent the one to an implicit acquiescence in the doctrines of the ,church1 and burthened the other with a constant unprofitable exercise of its worship4 ,how then was the wisdom of a good man to express itself in these circumstances8 ,in dispelling1 it will surely be said1 the gloom of superstition2 in asserting the great privileges of natural reason1 and in pressing the obligation and necessity of a good life1 as of more worth than all ceremonial observances4 ,this was the service rendered by the best men of those days to true ,religion2 and we have reason to bless and revere their memories for it4 ,but should the liberty into which we are called1 degenerate into licentiousness2 should it ever be common for men1 in the fear of believing too much1 not to believe what the ,scriptures themselves plainly require of them2 and from the apprehension of relapsing into their old superstitious practices1 to give little or no regard to the duties of external worship3 should this at any time be the case1 those truly wise men1 who laboured so profitably to check the other extreme1 would certainly1 in this different state of things1 apply themselves with equal earnestness to correct this4 ,not that their former practice was not good in itself1 but that1 by a change in the disposition of the times1 it was now become less seasonable4 #c4 ,we are1 lastly1 to have a regard to the conditions1 characters1 and persons of those with whom we converse2 this attention being especially requisite to render our virtues attractive and efficacious4 ,the philosopher that took upon him to discourse on the science of war1 did not enough consider his own character4 ,if he chose to do this in an age which wanted no such instructions1 his conduct was certainly unseasonable4 ,but when he presumed to instruct the greatest general and commander in the world1 he deserved the censure which has disgraced him with all posterity#abb4 ,a decorum like this is required in our attempts to promote truth and virtue4 ,to dictate in such matters to persons wiser than ourselves1 or to persons1 who by their stations and characters should1 in all reason1 be supposed wiser1 is a manifest indiscretion1 and can never be attended with any good consequences4 ,were we ever so able to instruct1 or were they ever so much in want of instruction1 prudence would suggest a very different conduct4 ,it would recommend to us all the honest arts of insinuation and address2 it would oblige us to watch the fittest seasons and opportunities2 or1 perhaps1 to content ourselves with the silent admonition of a good example4 ,or1 were there nothing in the rank and condition of those we would work upon1 to restrain us to this caution1 we might even be required to shew a condescension to their very prejudices and humours4 ,the errors of men may sometimes be removed by arguing with them on their own mistaken principles2 by allowing all that truth and reason will warrant to their opinions2 by putting the fairest construction upon their designs2 by hinting objections to their wrong tenets1 instead of fiercely declaiming against them2 above all1 by testifying a sincere disposition to advance truth and goodness1 without any indirect views to our own interest4 ,or1 were all other considerations out of the case1 we could never be excused from proceeding in the way of gentleness and civility1 from treating them with due respect1 and expressing the sincerest good-will to their persons4 ,be their moral or religious defects what they will1 we should hardly be wise2 that is1 we should take very improper methods of reclaiming them from either1 if we reproved with bitterness1 advised with insolence1 or condemned with passion4 ,in all addresses to mistaken or bad men1 where our purpose is to inform or amend them1 the gentlest applications are surely the best1 because these excite no passion to counteract their virtue4 ,and now1 at length1 should it be asked who is that ,,wise ,,christian whom the text designs and recommends to our imitation1 we are able to furnish1 at least1 the outline of his character4 8,,he is one who sets before him the great ,,end and prize of his high calling2 who1 in his progress through the various stages of this life1 keeps in constant view the immortal happiness which his religion holds out in prospect to him in another3 who1 in humble adoration of his ,god and ,saviour1 is content to wait the appointed season which is to crown his hopes and expectations2 and1 for the present1 is sollicitous to work out his salvation with fear and reverence1 by an earnest application of his time and pains to those subservient duties1 which are to qualify him for the enjoyment of ,heaven2 who subjects all the towering conceits of his understanding1 to the doctrines of the ,gospel1 and the impetuous sallies of his will1 to the precepts of it2 who makes no audacious separation of what the wisdom of ,god hath joined together2 but1 whilst he adores the mysteries of his holy ,,faith1 walks on in the plain and humble path of moral ,,obedience4 ,he is one1 who thinks it not enough to rest in the mere ,,matter of his duty1 but performs it in such a ,,manner as will render it most exemplary and efficacious4 ,he knows it to be a great precept of his religion1 to see1 that his good be not evil spoken of4 ,he would not disgrace the best cause in the world by the neglect of those decencies1 which1 as he observes1 have sometimes the strange power to recommend the worst4 ,the good he intends1 therefore1 is attempted in such a way1 as is most ,,becoming of himself2 most ,,seasonable in respect of the opportunities which are offered to him2 and most agreeable and ,,persuasive to other men4 ,in short1 ,,he is one who1 taking ,prudence for his guide1 and ,innocence for his companion1 thinks himself secure in these attendants2 and therefore neglects no decorum1 which the best philosophy prescribes2 no art1 which the soundest policy suggests2 and no address1 which the politest manners recommend3 and so1 in the high emphatic sense of the words1 approves himself a ,,wise ,,man2 wise unto that which is good1 to all purposes in this world1 as well as in a better40 ,,sermon ,,xvi4 ,,preached ,,december #a1 #agfe4 ,,rom4 xvi4 #ai4 ,i would have you wise unto that which is good1 and simple concerning evil4 ,in considering the first part of this precept1 ,i endeavoured to give some general description of ,religious or ,,christian ,,wisdom2 both in respect of the ,,end it has in view1 and of the ,,means employed by it3 ,i further exemplified some of those subordinate ,,ways1 in which the prudent application even of those means is seen and expressed3 ,and all this1 for the sake of those sincere1 but over-zealous persons1 who are apt to think that wisdom hath little to do in the prosecution of honest and upright purposes4 ,it now remains to treat that other part of the text1 which requires us to be ,,innocent1 as well as wise1 to be ,,simple ,,concerning ,,evil4 ,and this1 perhaps1 will be thought the more important branch of the subject4 ,for1 generally speaking1 the ways of wisdom1 when our purposes are the very best1 are not only the most effectual1 but the safest and most convenient4 ,so that prudence is likely to be a favourite virtue with us4 ,but the case is different with regard to simplicity concerning evil2 which is often found a hard and disagreeable injunction2 as it may happen to cross our passions and the more immediate views of self-interest4 ,so that this ,,simplicity will sometimes seem1 what the world is ready enough to call it1 folly3 and therefore1 for the credit of our sense1 as well as virtue1 we should be well apprized of the worth and excellence of this ,christian duty4 ,the virtue of ,,simplicity consists1 in general1 in following the plain ingenuous sense of the mind2 in taking our measures according to the dictates of conscience1 and acting1 on all occasions1 without reserve1 duplicity1 or self-imposture1 up to our notions of obligation4 ,it is the office of ,,wisdom to see that our conscience be rightly informed3 ,but our ,,integrity is shewn in doing that which conscience1 be it erroneously informed or no1 requires of us4 ,it consists1 in a word1 in whatever we understand by an honesty of nature2 in observing1 universally1 that which we believe to be right1 and avoiding what we know1 or but suspect#abc to be wrong4 ,this simplicity of mind may be almost said to be born with us4 ,it is the bias of nature on our young minds2 and our earliest instructions1 as well as the first efforts of reason1 strengthen and confirm it4 ,but the impression lasts not long4 ,we are scarcely entered into life1 when we begin to treat it as one of those childish things1 which it is beneath the dignity of our riper age to be amused with4 ,the passions put forth and grow luxuriant2 and why1 we say to ourselves1 should this tender apprehension of evil check their growth1 and restrain their activity8 ,we are now in the season of pleasure2 and can there be any hurt in taking a little of it1 out of that narrow path1 which our early prejudices have prescribed to us8 ,still1 as we advance in years1 fresh objects arise1 and other passions engage us in the pursuit of them4 ,wealth and honour1 or what we improperly call our interests1 have now an ascendant over us2 and the passion for each is rarely gratified but at the expence of some virtue4 ,and thus it comes to pass1 that1 though we set out in the world with a warm sense of truth and honour1 experience by degrees refines us out of these principles2 and our hearts1 instead of retaining that infant purity1 the grace and ornament of our nature1 and which ,christ so especially requires#abd in the professors of his religion1 are all over stained with fraud1 dissimulation1 and disingenuity4 ,we are even proud of the acquisition1 and call it a knowledge of life3 so dextrous are we in giving a good name to our worst qualities6 ,but effects follow their causes2 and the vice we are now considering is not the less operative1 nor the less hurtful1 for the specious terms in which we dress it up1 and present it to each other4 ,of its malignity ,i shall give two or three instances2 and1 to fit them the better for use1 they shall be taken from very different quarters2 from the cabinets of the wise1 and the schools of the learned1 as well as from the vulgar haunts of careless and licentious men4 ,we shall learn1 perhaps1 to reverence the ,apostle's advice1 when we find that the neglect of it has ,,degraded ,,religion2 ,,relaxed ,,morality1 and ,,polluted ,,common ,,life4 ,to begin with an instance which shews how dangerous it is to depart from this simplicity concerning evil1 in the great concerns of ,,religion4 ,i4 ,when the priest1 the sage1 and the politician joined together in the days of heathenism to propagate among the people a superstition1 which themselves condemned and detested2 when they did their utmost to support a senseless1 an immoral1 an irreligious worship2 when they strove1 by every seducing artifice1 to keep up that strong delusion1 which ,god1 in his just indignation1 had sent among them1 to believe a lye1 7for such in its whole fabric and constitution was the old ,pagan idolatry7 when these men1 who knew the truth1 were yet contented to hold it in unrighteousness2 they believed1 no doubt1 nay1 they made no scruple to boast1 that they had acted with consummate prudence2 and that1 in sacrificing the interests of religious truth 7a small matter in their estimation7 they had most effectually provided for the public interest4 ,but what sentence does the ,scripture pass on these men of ancient and renowned wisdom8 ,why this severe and mortifying one1 ,that professing themselves wise1 they became fools4 ,and how well they deserved this censure1 we understand from their own history2 where we read1 ,that ,pagan idolatry1 thus countenanced and supported1 teemed with all the vices1 of which our depraved nature is capable2 and that the several contrivances of its wise advocates to keep an impious and barefaced falshood in credit1 served only to produce1 first1 a ,,suspicion1 and in the end1 an open and avowed ,,contempt1 of all ,religion4 ,however1 the ends of divine wisdom were greatly promoted by this sad experience of human folly4 ,for ,christianity1 which made its appearance at this juncture1 found it an easier task to establish itself on the ruins of a fallen1 or falling superstition4 ,truth1 which had for so long a time been anxiously kept out of sight1 was now the more welcome to those1 who wished her appearance4 ,and the detection of those prophane arts1 which had been so manifestly employed in that service1 disposed the most perverse or careless the more easily to reconcile themselves to her4 ,and it would have been happy if the sense of this advantage1 which the simplicity of truth obtained1 in the first pages of the ,gospel1 over all the frauds of imposture1 had prevented ,christians from copying afterwards what they had so successfully contended against and exposed4 ,then had a great dishonour of the ,christian name been avoided4 ,but that truth1 whose virtues are here magnified1 must not be dissembled4 ,the practice of lying for the cause of ,god1 too soon revived1 and became too frequent in the ,christian world4 ,it is in vain to think of diverting your minds1 more especially1 from that great part of it1 which has long since forgotten to be simple concerning evil4 ,but true wisdom will ever be justified of her children4 ,these dishonest arts1 which could not support a bad cause1 have been injurious and disgraceful to the best4 ,they have corrupted the ingenuous spirit of the ,gospel1 they have adulterated the sincere word of ,god2 and1 in both ways1 have produced innumerable mischiefs1 in civil and religious life4 ,they have helped to bring into discredit or disuse a true ,christian temper2 and have unhappily created in the minds of many an undeserved prejudice against the ,christian faith4 ,,ii4 ,but if these men have dishonoured ,religion1 others have defiled ,,morality2 yet both assume to themselves the title of wise men2 and for that very reason1 because they have departed as far as possible from the virtue of simplicity4 ,and here your indignation cannot but rise more especially against a set of men1 who1 applying the subtleties of school-philosophy to the plain science of ,ethics1 have made as free with the precepts of the ,gospel1 as some others had done with its doctrines4 ,these men1 under the respectable name of ,,casuists1 have presumed to wind up1 or let down the obligation of moral duties to what pitch they please4 ,such as have taken the ,,stricter side1 deserve but small thanks for perplexing the minds of good men with needless scruples2 and discouraging the rest with those austerities1 which our ,religion no where commands1 and the condition of human life will not admit4 ,but for that looser sort1 who by a thousand studied evasions1 qualifications1 and distinctions1 dissolve the force of every moral precept2 and1 as the ,pharisees of old1 make the word of ,god of none effect by their impious glosses1 ,i know not what term of reproach you will think bitter enough for them4 ,the sacred writers thought it sufficient to deliver the rules of life in general terms#abe2 leaving it1 as they well might1 to common sense and common honesty1 to make the application of them to particular cases1 as they chanced to arise4 ,but this officious sophistry intervening and perverting the ingenuous sense of the mind1 instructs us how to transgress them all with impunity1 and even innocence4 ,by the help of this magic1 we may extract the sting of guilt from every known sin2 and1 if we have but wit enough1 may be as wicked as we please with a safe conscience4 ,if the features of this corrupt casuistry have not been overcharged2 or1 indeed1 if there be any such thing in the world as a corrupt casuistry1 it may concern us to reflect1 that this pest of society could not have arisen but from a contempt of the ,apostle's rule1 of being simple concerning evil4 ,,iii4 ,hitherto we have exemplified the breach of this rule in the learned1 and the wise4 ,and it may be thought that nothing but perverted science could qualify men for so prodigious a depravity4 ,but there is a casuistry of the heart1 as well as head2 and we find by woeful experience1 that men may refine themselves out of that simplicity which the ,gospel enjoins1 without the assistance of unblessed knowledge4 ,for ,i come now1 in the last place1 to instance in the vulgar tribes of libertine and careless men4 ,of whom we may observe1 that when indulged passion has taught them to make light of an honest mind2 the consequence is1 that they run into all excesses1 and are rarely hindered from working all uncleanness with greediness4 ,it is true1 indeed1 that no man becomes at once desperately and irretrievably wicked4 ,but it is not less true1 that when this great step is taken of prevaricating with a man's own conscience1 the other stages of iniquity are presently passed over4 ,and how indeed can it be otherwise8 ,so long as a man preserves the integrity of his natural disposition1 there is always hope that1 though particular passions may prevail for a time1 reason and virtue will1 in the end1 regain their dominion over him4 ,at least1 he will be constantly checked and kept back in the career of his vices4 ,but when this sincerity of heart is lost2 when he confounds the differences of right and wrong1 palliating the deformities of vice1 or bestowing on vice itself the attractions of virtue2 then all reasonable expectation of a return is cut off2 since this perverted ingenuity tends to make him easy under his sins1 and leaves him at leisure to pursue his evil courses with security4 ,we see then from the excesses into which these different sorts of men have been led1 by the refinements of ,,policy1 of ,,abused ,,science1 and ,,delusive ,,passion1 how dangerous it is to bid adieu to that simplicity concerning evil1 which the ,holy ,apostle requires of us4 ,it remains1 that we cannot provide too cautiously against those evasive ,,pleas ,,and ,,pretences1 which would incline us to part with it4 ,these ,,pretences are infinite3 for1 when the heart is corrupted1 the understanding is ready to pander to every lust that importunes it4 ,but we may know the principal of them by these signs4 ,to be simple concerning evil is the easiest thing in the world2 but we may suspect that something wrong is ready to intrude itself1 8,,when we cast about for excuses to cover the nakedness of ingenuity2 when we are driven to distinctions and far-fetched reasoning for our justification2 when we pause a moment between the clear conviction of duty1 on one hand1 and any indirect views on the other2 more particularly1 ,,when we find the tone of our virtue relax at the consideration of what we may chance to lose by adhering to it2 when we but suspect1 that a severe unqualifying virtue looks like inhumanity2 when we think our dependencies and connexions in life have a demand upon conscience2 when we lament with the politician1 that good men are impracticable1 and so1 from a principle of public spirit1 resolve not to encounter that prejudice3 ,above all1 when we go about to regulate morality by what a knowledge of the world teaches2 when custom is pleaded in opposition to duty1 and vice itself authorized by fashion#abf2 when we acknowledge what we do is in itself not justifiable1 but excuse it by a pretence of the good ends we hope to serve by it2 when we are willing to plead the infirmity of nature1 the power of temptation1 the prevalence of example2 when we venture too securely on the confines of immorality1 and are curious to know how near we may go to vice1 without being directly vicious40 ,these1 and such as these1 are the dangerous insinuations which attempt our virtue4 ,and how1 you will ask1 shall we secure ourselves from them8 ,by reason and argument8 ,by speculation and philosophy8 ,shall we stay to examine their several pretences1 call these delusive pleas to account1 and shew we can confute them all1 before we reject them8 ,alas1 ,i dare not advise this method2 which besides its other inconveniencies1 is not1 ,i doubt1 a very safe one4 ,our heads may be unequal to the task2 or1 which is worse1 our hearts may betray us4 ,at the best1 we shall waste much time in these ingenious inquiries1 when the business of life demands an immediate determination4 ,st4 ,paul has shewn us a shorter and more excellent way1 when he bids us1 ,be simple concerning evil4 ,in virtue of this sacred admonition1 a wise man will think it sufficient to dismiss these vain insinuations at once1 without so much as spending a thought upon them4 8,what10 he will say to himself1 8if ,i cannot detect the falsehood of these pleas1 ,i have a heart1 that revolts against them4 ,i cannot1 perhaps1 disentangle the sophistry of these arguments2 but ,i feel the baseness of the conclusion1 and ,i see in others the folly of acting upon it4 ,it were ill with vice indeed1 if it had no false colours to appear in2 and error would be hooted out of the world1 if she did not hide her obliquities under the garb of reason4 ,but what are these disguises to me1 who am neither dazzled by the one1 nor duped by the other8 ,let the curious1 if they will1 inquire1 wherein the imposture consists3 ,i have that within me1 which tells me in a moment1 they are but impostures4 ,in vain then1 will such a one conclude1 are these insidious attempts on me1 who take a sure refuge in the word of ,god1 and the integrity of my own virtue4 ,be the pretences what they will1 the confutation of them is no part of a ,christian's care4 ,i may exercise my understanding profitably in other matters4 ,it is my duty to consider much of the ways of doing good4 ,i may be prudent and ,,wise here4 ,but1 ,,experience1 and ,,conscience1 and ,,religion1 command me to be1 ,,simple ,,concerning ,,evil40 ,,sermon ,,xvii4 ,,preached ,,november #bb1 #aggb4 ,,john v4 #dd4 ,how can ye believe1 which receive honour one of another1 and seek not the honour that cometh of ,god only8 ,it has been thought unfair to charge unbelief1 simply and indiscriminately1 on the grosser passions4 ,the observation1 ,i believe1 is just3 and yet it may be true1 notwithstanding1 that unbelief is always owing to some or other of the passions4 ,the evidences of revealed religion are so numerous1 and upon the whole so convincing1 that one cannot easily conceive how a reasonable man should reject them all1 without the intervention of some secret prejudice1 or predominant affection4 ,of these prejudices and affections1 one of the commonest1 and the most seducing of any to the better sort of unbelievers1 is that irregular love of praise and reputation1 which our ,lord condemns in the text--,how can ye believe1 which receive honour one of another1 and seek not the honour that cometh from ,god only8 ,the question1 we may observe1 is so expressed1 as if we could not receive honour from one another1 and believe1 at the same time2 as if there was a physical1 at least a moral impossibility1 that these two things should subsist together4 ,and we shall find1 perhaps1 the expression no stronger than the occasion required1 if1 besides other considerations1 we attend to the following2 which shew how inconsistent a true practical faith in the ,gospel is with the sollicitous and undistinguishing pursuit of human glory4 ,for1 ,i4 ,the ,gospel delivers many of its doctrines as inscrutable1 and silences the busy curiosity of our understandings about them3 but the honour of men is frequently obtained by indulging this curiosity1 and pushing the researches of reason into those forbidden quarters4 ,,ii4 ,the ,gospel demands an humble and reverential awe in the discussion of all its doctrines2 such of them1 ,i mean1 as it leaves most free to human inquiry3 but this turn of mind is contrary to that high courage and daring intrepidity1 which the world expects in those who are candidates for its honour4 ,,iii4 ,the ,gospel prescribes an uniform and unqualified assent to whatever it declares of divine things1 whether we can or cannot apprehend the reason of such declaration3 but this submission to authority1 the world is ready to call ill-faith1 and to consider the defiance of it1 as a mark of superior honesty and virtue4 ,thus we see1 that ,,wit1 ,,courage1 and ,,probity1 the three great qualities we most respect in ourselves1 and for which we receive the highest honour from each other1 appear many times to the world with less advantage in the ,christian1 than the unbeliever4 ,not1 that ,christianity strips us of these virtues3 on the other hand1 it requires and promotes them all1 in the proper sense of the words2 and they may really subsist in a higher degree in the believer1 than any other3 but they will often seem to be more triumphantly displayed by those who give themselves leave to disbelieve2 and the prospect of honour1 which that opinion opens to such men1 is one of the commonest sources from which they derive their infidelity4 ,but to make good this charge against the unbelieving world1 and to lay open the mysteries of that insidious self-love1 which prompts them to aspire to fame1 by the means of infidelity1 it will be necessary to resume the ,,three ,,topics before mentioned1 and to enlarge something upon each of them4 ,i4 ,,first1 then1 ,i say1 ,that ,he1 who at all adventures resolves to obtain the honour of men1 cannot believe1 because the unrestrained exercise of his ,,wit1 by which he would acquire that honour1 is inconsistent with the genius and principles of our religion4 ,the fundamental articles of the ,gospel are proposed to us1 as objects of faith1 not as subjects of inquiry4 ,as they proceed from the source of light and truth1 they are founded1 no doubt1 in the highest reason2 but they are for the most part1 at least in many respects1 inscrutable to our reason4 ,it is enough that we see cause to admit the revelation itself1 upon the evidences given of it3 it is not necessary that we should carry our researches any farther4 ,it is not safe1 or decent1 or practicable1 in many cases1 to do it4 ,the just and sober reasoner is careful to proceed on clear and distinct ideas1 and to stop where these fail him4 ,but how soon does he arrive at this point8 ,for the sublime genius of ,christianity reminds him1 at almost every step1 how impossible it is1 with the scanty line of human reason1 to fathom the deep things of ,god2 and represses the sallies of his wit and fancy1 with this reflexion--how unsearchable are his judgments1 and his ways past finding out6 ,in a word1 where he finds the subject too obscure for his understanding to penetrate1 or too vast for his ideas to comprehend 7and he presently finds this1 when he attempts to reason on the mysteries of the ,christian faith7 he checks his inquiries1 he believes1 and adores in silence4 ,but now this silence1 this adoration1 is ill suited to the restless ambition of the human mind1 when it aspires to the reputation of profound and extensive knowledge4 ,the vain reasoner would signalize himself on all subjects1 the most abstruse and mysterious1 in preference to others2 and fears not to carry his presumptuous inquiries to the seat and throne of ,god4 ,he questions the revealed truths of the ,gospel as freely as any other2 and finding them many times inexplicable by the principles of human science1 he triumphs in the discovery1 applauds his own reach of thought1 and dazzles the world into a high opinion of his wit and parts4 ,the truth is1 he decides on subjects1 which he does not1 and cannot understand3 but the world sees1 he decides upon them2 and that is generally enough to attract its admiration and esteem4 ,again3 ,in such parts of revealed ,religion1 as lie more within the cognizance of human reason1 an inquirer may find difficulties1 and start objections1 which the best instructed believer either does not attempt1 or is not able to resolve4 ,here1 the triumph of wit over faith is thought conspicuous1 and is indeed seducing4 ,for1 while the believer has only to confess his own ignorance1 the infidel shines in exposing and inforcing those difficulties and objections3 ,and1 when the ingenuity is all on one side1 it is rarely suspected1 that reason and good sense may be1 with modesty1 on the other4 ,nay1 where the point in question can be effectually cleared up1 still their will generally seem to be more acuteness in discovering a difficulty1 than in removing it3 ,and thus the subtle caviller in religious controversy shall have the fortune to pass for a shrewder man1 than the ablest apologist4 ,and that this advantage of reputation is1 indeed1 that which free and libertine reasoners propose to themselves1 you will see by calling to mind the sort of subjects1 which they are fondest to treat1 and the sort of character1 which they are most proud to assume4 ,in natural religion1 the origin of evil1 and ,god's moral government1 are their favourite topics3 in revealed religion1 the fall of human nature1 its restoration by the death and sufferings of ,christ1 the incarnation of the ,son of ,god1 and the adorable ,trinity4 ,but why are these high subjects picked out to exercise their speculations upon8 subjects1 in which the sublimest understanding is absorbed and lost2 subjects1 which they well know 7for ,i speak of the abler men in that party7 we have no faculties to comprehend4 ,why1 then1 are these subjects preferred to all others8 ,for an obvious cause3 to shew how ingenious they can be in perplexing human reason1 if any believer should be indiscreet enough to subject these mysterious truths to that test4 ,but the character1 they assume1 declares their purpose no less than the arguments they delight to treat4 ,for their pride is to affect a sort of pyrrhonism1 or universal doubt and hesitation1 even on the plainest points of morals2 to controvert the most received principles and opinions2 and1 as the sophists of old1 to make the worse appear the better reason1 in all questions which they undertake to discuss4 ,would you desire a stronger proof of the principle which actuates such men8 ,,ii4 ,it appears1 then1 how the ostentation of wit leads to infidelity4 ,the affectation of ,,courage is another snare to those1 who lie in wait for the honour of men4 ,the believer1 it has been observed1 presumes not to reason at all on some points of his ,religion4 ,in others1 he is left at liberty2 yet on these1 he reasons1 always with great reverence and circumspection4 ,now1 though this conduct be highly fit and proper1 it is not so likely to strike the observation of men1 as a more forward and enterprizing behaviour4 ,not only his understanding is restrained1 but his spirit1 they say1 is cramped and broken4 ,the inconsiderate world1 on the other hand1 is taken with bold assertions1 and hazardous positions2 which it easily construes into a mark of high courage1 as well as capacity4 ,a fearless turn of mind is a dazzling quality1 and we do not always distinguish between intrepidity and temerity4 ,thus it comes to pass1 that as the ,christian's love of peace and charity in common life1 so his cautious respect in religious matters1 has been treated by libertine men1 as pusillanimity4 ,he is considered1 in the fashionable world1 as a tame and spiritless man2 and in the learned world1 as a tame and spiritless reasoner4 ,hence1 when we are bent1 at any rate1 upon receiving honour one of another1 we are tempted to make a display1 not of our wit only1 but our courage3 ,and1 as nothing is thought a surer indication of this quality1 than to make light of that which the rest of the world hold sacred1 we easily see how a passion for this sort of fame betrays the unbalanced mind into all the extravagancies of infidelity4 ,the instances are frequent1 and well-known4 ,when the ,philosopher of ,malmsbury1 in the last century1 took upon him to resolve all morality and all religion into the will of the magistrate1 whatever other end he might have in view1 the bold singularity of this paradox was1 no doubt1 that which chiefly recommended it to himself1 as well as surprized the world into an opinion of his bravery3 though we know1 from his story1 that1 in fact1 he had no more of this virtue1 than might well have consisted with faith1 and the fear of ,god4 ,but vain man oft affects to make a shew of that which he does not possess3 and thus his defect in true courage1 may be the true account of his pretending to so much of it4 ,still1 the heart of man is more deceitful1 than we have hitherto seen1 or can easily believe3 ,for who1 ,,iii4 ,in the last place1 would suspect1 that an admiration of ,,integrity itself1 as well as of wit and courage1 should seduce the unwary mind into irreligion8 ,yet so it is1 that men1 intoxicated with the love of fame1 will sacrifice any virtue1 the best quality they have1 to the reputation of it4 ,the true believer admits1 with a full and perfect assent1 whatever he takes to be clearly revealed in the ,gospel2 the most impenetrable article of his creed1 as well as the simplest proposition in morals4 ,all stands with him on the same equal footing of divine authority3 no matter1 whether he can1 or cannot1 perceive the grounds of reason1 on which the ,revelation is founded4 ,but now this facility of belief1 this entire resignation of the understanding to the dictates of ,heaven1 the world is ready to suspect1 of disingenuity4 ,and they who live only in the opinion of that world1 would not be exposed to so dishonourable a suspicion4 ,the process of their vanity may be traced in this manner4 ,they have observed1 that some persons 7of their acquaintance1 it may be7 pretend to more faith than they have4 ,they suppose the same thing of many others2 and they suppose too1 the rest of the world1 the more intelligent part of it at least1 are in the same opinion4 ,but they pique themselves on their honesty3 they will give no man leave to call in question their good faith2 the ornament of their lives1 and the idol of their hearts4 ,and thus1 as many men are ill-bred1 for fear of passing in the world for flatterers2 so these men are unbelievers1 that they may not be accounted hypocrites4 ,as extravagant as this turn of mind appears1 it cannot be thought incredible2 especially when united1 as it may be1 with that pride of understanding1 and courage1 before mentioned4 8,it is not for me1 7says a presuming inquirer to himself7 who am distinguished by a reach of thought and penetration from the vulgar1 to admit1 without scruple1 so extraordinary a system1 as that of ,revelation4 ,i must doubt and disbelieve1 where others see nothing to stop at4 ,nor is it for a man of my spirit to endure those shackles of reserve and respect1 which oppress the timid and servile believer4 ,above all1 it becomes the honesty1 ,i profess1 to take no part of my religion upon trust2 an easy submission to what is called authority1 is1 with discerning men1 but another name for insincerity4 ,as ,i tender1 then1 the reputation of my wit1 my courage1 and my integrity1 it concerns me to take heed how ,i entertain a belief2 which may1 at once1 shake the credit of all these virtues40 ,this train of sophistry1 you see1 is not ill laid2 and one conceives how a mind1 transported with the love of false honour1 may be caught by it4 ,at first1 perhaps1 the disbelief is pretended1 only4 ,but pretences#abg1 continued for any time1 become realities4 ,and thus1 what was assumed1 to give us the credit of certain virtues with the world1 or with that part of it to which we desire to recommend ourselves1 is at length embraced with a sort of good faith2 and we are1 what we have seemed to be1 at the instance indeed of our vanity1 but1 as we flatter ourselves1 for the sake of those very virtues4 ,something like this1 which ,i have here described1 may have been the case of a well-known philosopher1 who would be thought to crown his other parts of ingenuity and courage1 with the purest probity#abh4 ,this unhappy man1 having published to the world an offensive system of infidelity1 and being called to account for it1 replies to his censurer in these words--,the world may calumniate me1 as it sees fit2 but it shall never take from me the honour of being the only author of this age1 and of many others1 who hath written with good faith#abi4 ,what shall we say of this strange boast8 ,was it enthusiasm1 or the pride of virtue1 that drew it from him8 ,this honest man1 we will say1 might believe himself1 when he talked at this rate3 but then we must conclude1 that nothing but the most intemperate love of praise could have wrought him up to so frantic a persuasion4 ,i suppose1 it may now appear how easily we become the dupes of any favourite passion2 and how perfect an insight our ,lord had into the nature of man1 when he asserted in the text--that we cannot believe1 if we will receive honour one of another4 ,we cannot1 you see1 believe2 because1 if that honour be the ultimate end and scope of our ambition1 the best faculties we possess1 the fairest virtues of our hearts1 will pervert1 and1 in a manner1 force us into infidelity4 ,let this humiliating consideration have its full effect upon us4 ,above all1 let it check1 or rather regulate that ardent desire of fame1 which is so predominant in young and ingenuous minds4 ,let such learn from it to mistrust their passions1 even the most refined and generous1 when they would inquire into the evidences of their religion4 ,let them remember that reason1 pure impartial reason1 is to direct them in this search2 that the passion for honour is in all cases1 but particularly in this 7where it is so seducing7 an unsafe and treacherous guide2 and that1 to escape the illusions of infidelity and a thousand other illusions1 to which they will otherwise be exposed in common life1 one certain method will be1 ,to controul their love of fame1 by the love of truth2 which is1 in other words1 to seek the honour1 that cometh of ,god1 only4 ,,sermon ,,xviii4 ,,preached ,,april #bc1 #agfi4 ,,john1 ix4 #da4 ,jesus saith to them1 ,if ye were blind1 ye should have no sin2 but now ye say we see1 therefore your sin remaineth4 ,these words were spoken by our ,lord on occasion of a great miracle performed by him1 in restoring a man born blind to his sight4 ,this wonderful display of power had its natural effect on the man himself1 in converting him to the faith of ,jesus2 while the ,pharisees1 who had the fullest evidence laid before them of the fact1 persisted obstinately in their infidelity4 ,yet the blind man1 on whom this miracle had been wrought1 was one of those whom the ,pharisees accounted blind in understanding1 also2 in other words1 he was a plain unlettered man2 whereas they themselves were guides to the blind1 that is1 they pretended to a more than ordinary knowledge of the law and the prophets1 by which they were enabled to conduct and enlighten others4 ,jesus1 therefore1 respecting at once his late restoration of the blind man's sight1 and the different effects of that miracle on the minds of the two parties1 applies1 with singular elegance1 to himself1 the famous prediction of ,isaiah--,for judgment1 says he1 am ,i come into this world1 that they1 which see not1 might see2 and that they who see1 might be made blind4 ,the ,pharisees were1 indeed1 sharp-sighted enough to perceive the drift of this application1 and therefore said to him1 in the same figurative language1 ,are we blind also8 ,to whom ,jesus replied in the words of the text1 ,if ye were blind1 ye should have no sin2 but now ye say we see1 therefore your sin remaineth4 ,as if he had said1 8,if ye were indeed ignorant of the law and the prophets1 as ye account this poor man to be1 ye might have some excuse for not believing in me1 who appeal to that law and those prophets for the proof of my mission2 but being so skilled in them1 as ye are1 and profess yourselves to be1 ye are clearly convicted of a willful1 and therefore criminal1 infidelity40 ,it is implied1 we see1 in this severe reproof of the ,pharisees1 that knowledge and faith very well consist together1 or rather that1 where knowledge is1 there faith must needs be1 unless a very perverse use be made of that knowledge4 ,but to this decision of our ,lord1 the unbelieving world is ready to oppose its own maxims4 8,it sees so little connexion between faith and knowledge1 that it rather concludes them to be incompatible3 ,it allows the ignorant1 indeed1 who cannot walk by sight1 to walk by faith2 but1 as for the knowing and intelligent1 the men of science and understanding1 it presumes1 that faith cannot be required of these2 and that1 ,,because they see1 it is too much to expect of them1 to believe in ,jesus40 ,it is true1 the persons1 who speak thus slightly of faith1 are not the most distinguished in the world by their own parts1 or knowledge4 ,but a certain mediocrity of both1 inflated by vanity1 and countenanced by fashion1 is forward to indulge in this free language2 and the mischief done by it to ,religion1 is so great1 that it may not be amiss to expose1 in few words1 the indecency and folly of it4 ,,faith ,,and ,,knowledge1 then1 it is said1 are at variance with each other4 ,why8 ,the answer1 ,i suppose1 will be1 ,because faith is in itself unreasonable2 in other words1 it will be said1 ,that the evidences of our religion are not convincing1 and that the doctrines of it are not credible4 ,one word1 then1 on each of these bold insinuations4 ,i4 ,the ,,evidences of revealed religion are so many and various2 they lye so deep1 or extend so wide2 and consequently the difficulty of collecting them into one view is so great1 that few men have1 perhaps1 comprehended the full force and effect of them4 ,at least1 none but persons of very superior industry1 as well as understanding1 have a right to pronounce on the total amount of such evidence4 ,but the chief evidences of the ,christian ,religion are drawn from ,,prophecies1 and ,,miracles2 and who are they who tell us1 that these methods of proof are unreasonable or unsatisfactory8 #a4 ,that the argument from ,,prophecies should not convince those1 who have not considered the occasion1 and design of them1 the purposes they were intended to serve1 and therefore the degree of light and clearness1 with which it was proper they should be given2 who have not studied the language in which those prophecies are conveyed1 the state of the times in which they were delivered1 the manners1 the customs1 the opinions of those to whom they were addressed2 above all1 who have not taken the pains to acquire a very exact and extensive knowledge of history1 and so are not qualified to judge how far they have been accomplished2 that to such persons as these1 ,i say1 the argument from prophecy should not appear to have all that evidence which believers ascribe to it1 is very likely2 but then this effect is to be accounted for1 not from their knowledge1 but their ignorance1 not from their seeing too clearly1 but from their not seeing at all1 or but imperfectly1 into the merits of this argument4 ,as for those1 who have searched deepest1 and inquired with most care into this kind of evidence1 they depose unanimously in its favour1 and profess themselves to have received conviction from it4 ,so that1 although there may be difficulties in explaining particular prophecies1 and though the completion of some be questioned1 or not fully apprehended1 yet1 on the whole1 there is so much light arising out of this evidence1 that it must be great presumption in any man to say that there is no strength at all in it4 ,indeed1 if the appeal lie to authority 7as it must do1 if men will not1 or cannot1 inquire for themselves7 we can scarce help concluding that the argument from prophecy carries with it a very considerable degree of evidence1 since we find that such a man as ,newton1 not only submitted to this evidence himself1 but thought it no misapplication of his great talents1 to illustrate and enforce it4 ,yet1 such is the judgment or temper of our leaders#acj in infidelity1 that they had rather turn this very circumstance to the discredit of human nature itself 7exhibited in its fairest form1 and shining out with full lustre1 in the virtues and accomplishments of that divine man7 than allow it to do honour to that immortal object of their fear and spite1 revealed religion4 #b4 ,the other great foundation of our faith is laid in ,,miracles2 a sort of evidence1 which may be estimated without that learning1 or that sagacity1 which is required in the case of prophecies2 and which some men therefore1 out of the abundance of their common sense1 have taken the freedom to account of little weight or value4 ,yet1 what opinion soever these persons may have of their own understandings1 they will scarce be able to convince a reasonable man that this evidence is not conclusive1 and even incontestible1 if they will but place it in a fair and just light4 ,for the question is not concerning the evidence of miracles in general1 but of miracles so circumstanced and so attested as those of the ,gospel4 ,now1 when the ,religion to which this attestation is given1 has nothing in it which appears unworthy of the ,deity2 when the purpose for which the supposed miracles are wrought is such as must be allowed the most important of any that1 in our ideas1 could enter into the divine counsels with regard to mankind2 when these miracles have further the advantage of being attested by the most unexceptionable characters1 and of being recorded in books1 written soon after they were wrought1 and by those who saw them wrought1 and in books too1 which have been transmitted1 without any note of suspicion on them1 to our times2 when1 lastly1 these miracles have all the circumstances of public notoriety attending them1 when no contemporary evidence discredits1 and when many otherwise inexplicable facts and events1 suppose and confirm them2 when such miracles1 ,i say1 as these1 and under such circumstances only1 are alledged in support of the ,christian ,revelation1 it must be a very extraordinary turn of mind that can reject1 as nothing1 the evidence resulting from them4 ,with any other miracles1 however numerous1 however confidently asserted1 or plausibly set forth1 we have nothing to do4 ,there may have been ten thousand impostures of this sort1 in the world4 ,but these miracles speak their own credibility so strongly1 that they are admitted1 on human testimony1 with the highest reason2 and it must be more than a slender metaphysical argument1 taken from their contrariety to what is called experience1 which can prevent our belief of them1 and overpower the natural sense of the human mind4 ,it seems then1 even on this slight view of the subject1 that1 if these two capital arguments from prophecies and miracles1 for the truth of ,christianity1 appear inconclusive to unbelievers1 the cause must be some other than a want of that evidence1 which may satisfy a reasonable man4 ,,ii4 ,but1 perhaps the ,,doctrines of ,christianity are such as revolt the rational mind1 and are not capable of being supported by any evidence4 ,let us inquire then what truth there is in this second allegation of unbelievers4 ,it is not possible1 in a discourse of this nature1 to enter into a detail on the subject2 but the chief obstacles to a faith in ,jesus1 independently of the evidence on which it rests1 are1 ,i suppose1 these ,,two4 #a4 ,a confused idea that the law of nature is sufficient to the salvation of mankind2 #b4 ,the mysterious nature of the ,christian revelation4 ,reason1 they say1 is a sufficient guide in matters of ,religion2 therefore1 ,christianity is unnecessary3 ,again1 ,christianity is all over mysterious2 therefore1 it is unreasonable4 ,now1 it will not be presuming too much to say1 that the greater advances any man makes in true knowledge1 the more insignificant must these two great stumbling-blocks of infidelity needs appear to him4 #a4 ,and1 first1 for the sufficiency of nature in matters of religion4 ,whether nature be a sufficient guide in morals1 let the history of mankind declare4 ,they who know most of that history1 and have1 besides1 a philosophic knowledge of human nature1 are the proper judges of the question2 and to that tribunal ,i leave it3 the rather1 because1 though it be very clear what its decision must be1 ,i hold1 that what is most essential to the ,christian religion 7which is a very different thing from a republication of the law of nature7 is not at all concerned in it4 ,let the law of nature be what it will1 under this idea of a guide in morals1 let ,socrates1 if you please1 be as great a master of it1 as ,jesus1 still the importance of ,christianity remains1 and is indeed very little affected by that concession4 ,our religion teaches1 that man is under the sentence of mortality1 and that immortal life in happiness1 7which is the true idea of ,gospel-salvation7 is the gift of ,god through ,christ ,jesus4 ,these it relates as two facts1 which it requires us to believe on its own authority2 facts1 which could not otherwise have come to our knowledge1 and on which the whole superstructure of ,christianity is raised4 ,now1 let the men of reason1 the men who say1 ,,we ,,see1 tell us1 whether they are sure that these facts are false2 and1 if they are not1 whether they know of any natural means by which that sentence of mortality can be reversed1 or that gift of immortality can be secured4 ,yes1 they will say1 by a moral and virtuous life1 and by a religious trust1 which nature dictates1 in the goodness of the ,deity4 ,what8 ,is any man so assured of his own virtue1 as that he dares expect so great things from it8 ,does he think it so perfect and of such efficacy1 as that it should remove a curse which lies on his nature1 that it should redeem him from a general sentence1 which is gone forth against all mankind8 ,is it not enough1 that he does his duty 7though where is the man that does that87 and thereby consults his own true interest in this world1 without requiring that his merits should deliver him from the doom of death2 or that1 of force1 they should compel the divine goodness to deliver him from it8 ,but say1 that the boundless mercy of ,god might so far consider the poor imperfect virtues of his lost creature1 as to free him from the bondage of death1 will he pretend that he has any claim1 even upon infinite goodness itself1 for eternal life in glory8 ,all that reason suggests is1 that1 some way or other1 either in this state or in one to come1 he shall be no loser by his virtue3 but so immense a reward is surely1 not of right2 and reason is too modest to entertain the least expectation1 or even thought of it4 ,you see then what the sufficiency of nature comes to3 ,it leaves us1 for any thing we know1 under the sentence of death2 and1 for any thing we can do1 very much short of eternal life4 ,and is this all we get by following nature1 as our all-sufficient guide1 and rejecting the assistance of ,revelation8 ,are men satisfied to live1 as they do here1 and then to die for ever2 and all this1 rather than condescend to lay hold on the mercy of ,god through ,jesus8 ,if they are1 their ambition is very moderate2 but1 surely1 this is not a moderation of that sort which is prescribed by reason4 #b4 ,but they fly now 7and it is their last resource7 to the mysterious nature of the dispensation itself1 which1 they say1 is perfectly irreconcileable with the principles of natural reason4 ,that ,christianity is mysterious1 that is1 that it acquaints us with many things which our faculties could not have discovered1 and which they cannot fully comprehend or satisfactorily explain1 is an undoubted truth4--,the pride of reason1 when1 from human sciences1 where it saw much and thought it saw every thing1 it turns to these divine studies1 is something mortified to find a representation of things very different from what it should previously have conceived1 and impenetrable in many respects by its utmost diligence and curiosity4 ,but then1 when further exercised and improved1 the same reason presently checks this presumption1 as seeing very clearly1 that there are inexplicable difficulties every where1 in the world of nature1 as well as in that of grace1 and as seeing too1 that1 if both systems be the product of infinite wisdom1 it could not be otherwise4 ,next1 a thinking man1 as his knowledge extends1 and his mind opens1 easily apprehends1 that1 in such a scheme as that of ,christianity1 which runs up into the arcana of the divine councils in regard to man1 there will be many particulars of a new and extraordinary nature2 and that such a dispensation must partake of the obscurity in which its divine ,author chuses to veil his own glory4 ,thus1 we see1 how the objections to the mysterious nature of the ,gospel spring out of pride and inconsideration1 and are gradually removed1 as the mind advances in the further knowledge of ,god and itself4 ,now1 suppose there had been no mysterious parts in this ,revelation1 and that every thing had lain clear and open to the comprehension of natural reason1 what would the improved understanding of a wise man have thought of it8 ,would he not have said1 that the whole was of mere human contrivance8 since1 if it were indeed of divine1 it must needs have spoken its original by some marks of divinity1 that is1 by some signatures of incomprehensible wisdom1 impressed upon it4 ,consider1 ,i say1 whether this judgment would not have been made of such a ,revelation2 and whether there be not more sense and reason in it1 than in that other conclusion which many have drawn from the mysterious nature of the ,christian religion4 ,,it ,,may ,,appear1 from these cursory observations1 that faith and knowledge are no such enemies to each other1 as they have been sometimes represented2 and that neither the evidences of ,christianity1 nor the doctrines of it1 need decline the scrutiny of the most improved reason4 ,conclude1 therefore1 when ye hear a certain language on this subject1 that it is equally foolish1 as it is indecent2 and that ye may safely profess a belief in ,jesus1 without risking the reputation of your wisdom4 ,another conclusion is1 that1 when unbelievers lay claim to a more than ordinary share of sense and penetration1 we may allow their claim1 if we see fit1 for other reasons1 but ,,not for their disdainful rejection of our divine religion4 ,we must have better proofs of their sufficiency than this1 before we subscribe to it4 ,we may even be allowed to conclude1 from this circumstance of their unbelief1 that they either see not so clearly as they pretend1 or that the case is still worse with them1 if they do4 ,they are ready to ask us1 indeed1 in the prompt language of the ,pharisees to our ,lord1 ,are we blind also8 ,to which question1 having such an answer at hand1 we need look out for no other than that of ,jesus1 ,if ye were blind1 ye should have no sin2 but now ye say we see1 ,,therefore your sin remaineth4 ,,sermon ,,xix4 ,,preached ,,may #ab1 #agga4 #a ,,cor4 viii4 #a4 ,knowledge puffeth up2 but ,charity edifieth4 ,there is none of our little accomplishments1 or advantages1 which we are not apt to make the foundation of pride and vanity4 ,when1 upon comparing ourselves with others1 in any respect1 we entertain a higher opinion of ourselves than we ought1 this sentiment is called ,,pride4 ,and when we are forward to express the good opinion1 we have of ourselves1 to others1 in our words or actions1 7even though such opinion be but proportioned to our desert7 we give to this disposition the name of ,,vanity4 ,each of these affections of the mind is1 a real vice3 ,pride1 because it violates truth and reason2 and ,vanity1 because it violates ,christian charity4 ,but1 of all the subjects of comparison which betray us into these vices1 none is thought to produce them so easily1 and to inflame them to that degree1 as learning or knowledge4 ,and we see the reason why it should be so4 ,for knowledge arises from the exertion of our best and noblest faculties2 those faculties which distinguish us to most advantage1 not only from the inferior creatures1 but from each other4 ,hence we are naturally led to place a higher value on this1 than other acquisitions2 and to make our pride and boast of that which is1 indeed1 the glory of our nature4 ,the observation then seems well founded2 and the ,apostle advances no more than what experience teaches1 when he affirms in the text--,,that ,,knowledge ,,puffeth ,,up4 ,where1 however1 we are to take notice1 that the remedy for this vice is not ignorance 7which1 though for different reasons1 is as apt to engender pride and self-conceit1 as knowledge itself7 but ,christian love and charity4 ,for1 when the ,apostle had brought this charge against knowledge1 that it puffeth up1 he does not say that ignorance keeps men humble1 but that charity edifieth4 ,whence it appears1 that1 to correct this excess of self-love1 which we call pride1 the ,apostle would not have us renounce the way of learning and knowledge1 but only increase our love and respect for mankind4 ,charity1 then1 is the proper cure of ,,learned ,,pride2 and of those unfriendly vices1 which spring from it1 sufficiency1 self-importance1 and ostentation3 ,and it will be worth our while to consider1 in what ,,respects1 and by what ,,means1 this divine principle of charity contributes to that end4 ,and this it does #a4 ,by keeping men steady to that ,,object1 which they ought to propose to themselves in the cultivation of knowledge1 ,i mean the edification of each other--charity edifieth4 ,one of the ancient sects of philosophy carried their admiration of knowledge so far1 that they made it the supreme good of man1 and built their whole moral system 7if it might be called such7 on this extravagant idea4 ,whereas1 common sense1 as well as religion1 teaches1 that knowledge1 like our other faculties and attainments1 is only an instrument of doing good to others2 not to be regarded by us1 as the end of moral action1 or a good simply in itself1 but as one of those means by which we may express our moral character2 and promote the common interest of society1 which 7in subordination to the will and glory of ,god7 is the proper end of man4 ,now1 if we keep this end in view1 which ,christian charity sets before us1 we shall neither cultivate knowledge for its own sake 7which is a strain of fanaticism1 unsuited to our present condition72 nor for the sake of that complacency1 which may be apt to result from it2 nor solely1 for any other selfish purpose to which it may serve3 but we shall chiefly and ultimately refer it to the use and edification of our brother2 and shall therefore suppress that inordinate elation of heart and display of vain-glory1 which tend so much to obstruct the success of our applications to him in this way4 #b4 ,charity1 estimating the value of knowledge by the good it actually does to others1 finds the very foundation of pride and vanity1 in the application of it1 in a great measure taken away4 ,for1 how divine a thing soever knowledge may appear to the mind1 when heated by speculation1 we shall find1 in practice1 that it falls very much short of those glorious ideas we had formed of it2 that the real service1 we are enabled to do to mankind by our most improved faculties1 affords but little occasion to the gratulations of self-esteem 7which1 when resulting from such service1 are1 no doubt1 more pardonable than in any other case whatsoever72 and that1 if such gratulations arise in us from some slight and partial services done to others1 they are sufficiently checked and mortified by the general ill success of our most strenuous endeavours1 and best concerted designs4 ,the philosopher and divine1 after many studious days and sleepless nights1 are ready to promise to themselves great effects from their systems and apologies4 ,alas1 the world is little bettered or improved by them4 ,its amusements1 its follies1 its vices1 take their usual course4 ,reason and knowledge are found but feeble instruments of its conversion4 ,it attends so little1 or so negligently to its instructors1 that it remains almost as uninformed1 and as corrupt as before4 ,such is too commonly the issue of our best pains in the cultivation of moral and religious truth6 ,or1 if in some rare cases it be otherwise1 and some sensible1 some considerable1 benefit result from them1 still it will be far less than the good man wishes and intends4 ,for1 burning with this holy zeal of love to mankind1 the charitable instructor of the ignorant is in the condition of ,,him1 whose ambitious zeal the poet so well describes3 ,his successes do but inflame his desires2 and he reckons he has done nothing1 so long as there remains any thing for him to do#aca4 ,so certainly does charity1 in this work of learned instruction1 disconcert and subdue all the projects and emotions of pride6 #c4 ,charity takes a sure way to counteract those movements of vanity and self-applause1 which the pursuits of knowledge are apt to excite1 by confining our attention to solid and important subjects4 ,for1 when the mind is thus employed1 it naturally refers its acquisitions to use1 not vanity2 or1 if vanity should still find room to spring up with this crop of useful knowledge1 its growth would be much checked by this benevolent and social attention3 ,it would either die away amidst these higher regards of duty and public spirit1 or would lose at least very much of its malignant nature1 and of those qualities which render it so offensive to mankind4 ,whereas1 when we employ ourselves on frivolous or unimportant subjects1 which offer nothing to our view besides the ingenuity of the speculation1 and the distinction of the pursuit1 these ideas are so present to the mind1 and engross it so much1 that vanity and self-esteem almost necessarily spring from them1 luxuriant and unrestrained4 ,besides1 the mind1 which loves to justify itself in all its operations1 finding but little real use or worth in these disquisitions1 strives to make itself amends by placing an imaginary value upon them2 and grows so much the more enamoured of them1 as it foresees and expects the neglect and indifference of other men4 ,hence1 the sufficiency of such persons as wholly employ their time and pains in the more abstract studies1 in the minuter parts of learning1 and universally in such inquiries as terminate only or chiefly in curiosity and amusement1 is more than ordinarily glaring and offensive4 ,their minds are puffed up with immoderate conceptions of their own importance2 and this unnatural tumour they are neither able1 nor willing1 to conceal from others4 ,the secret is1 they would persuade themselves first1 and then the world1 that their studies and occupations are less frivolous1 than they in earnest believe or suspect them1 at least1 to be4 ,now1 ,charity1 indisposing us to these fruitless speculations1 and delighting to cultivate such parts of knowledge as have a real dignity in them1 and are productive of light and use1 tends directly to keep us modest1 by taking away this so natural temptation to pride and self-conceit4 #d4 ,further1 we may observe that1 of the more important studies themselves1 such as we call practical1 are less liable to this perversion of vanity1 than the speculative1 to what important ends soever they may ultimately be referred4 ,and the reason of the difference is1 that1 in the former case1 the calls of charity upon us are more instant4 ,we cannot stir a step in practical meditations without considering what use and benefit may result from them3 while the speculative seem to terminate in themselves2 are pursued1 for the time at least1 for their own sakes2 and so1 by keeping the ultimate end out of sight1 do not divert the mind enough from that complacent attention to its own ingenious researches1 whence the passion of pride is apt to take its rise4 ,not but there are some parts of knowledge1 which1 though called practical1 and referring indeed to practice1 have a different effect4 ,but these are such1 as are in their own nature boastful and ostentatious2 calculated not so much for use1 as pleasure2 or1 at most1 terminating in some private and selfish end4 ,the proficients in these popular arts and studies are tempted to regard1 not the good simply1 which their knowledge might do to others1 but the general influence of it1 and the consideration1 which1 by means of such influence1 whether to a good or bad purpose1 they may draw to themselves4 ,of this sort was1 too commonly1 the study of eloquence in the ancient1 and sometimes1 ,i doubt1 in the modern world4 ,vanity is apt to mix itself with these practical studies1 and to result from them2 the question generally being1 not how the greatest good may be effected by them1 but how the greatest impression may be made4 ,divine and moral subjects1 practically considered 7though vanity may creep in here71 are more secure from this abuse4 ,for1 respecting the spiritual and moral good of men1 distinctly and exclusively1 a regard to the end must correct and purify the means4 ,and thus we are not surprised to find1 that1 while a vain rhetorician#acb is said to have boasted1 in the hearing of all ,greece1 that he knew every thing1 the sober moralist of ,athens#acc readily confessed1 he knew nothing4 #e4 ,another way1 in which charity operates to the suppression of pride1 is1 by increasing our good opinion of other men4 ,pride is an elation of mind upon comparing ourselves with others1 and observing how much we excel them in any respect2 and1 in the present instance1 how much we excel them in point of knowledge4 ,when the mind is wholly occupied by self-love1 it easily magnifies its own attainments1 and as easily diminishes those of others3 whence the advantage1 on a comparison1 must needs be to itself4 ,but when charity1 or the love of others1 prevails in us to any degree1 we are willing to do them justice at least1 and but justice to ourselves3 nay1 our affection to others makes us willing to see their good qualities in the fairest light1 to magnify to ourselves their excellencies1 and to lessen or overlook their defects2 while on the other hand1 it inclines us readily to forego any undue claims of pre-eminence1 and even to abate something of what we might strictly claim to ourselves3 whence the comparison must be more favourable to others2 and our pride1 if not entirely prevented1 must be considerably reduced4 ,increase this charity1 and the pride still lessens2 till1 at length1 it is almost literally true1 as the ,apostle divinely expresses it1 that1 in lowliness of mind1 each esteems other better than himself2 better1 in respect to knowledge1 as to every thing else4 #f4 ,lastly1 charity1 not only by its qualities1 but in the very nature of things1 is destructive of all pride4 ,for what is pride1 but an immoderate love of ourselves8 ,and what is charity1 but a fervent love of other men8 ,it is the same passion of love1 only directed to different objects4 ,when it is concentred in a man's self1 it naturally grows abundant and excessive3 divert some part of it upon others1 and the selfish love is proportionably restrained4 ,just as seas and rivers would overflow their shores and banks1 if they had no outlet or circulation3 but issuing forth in useful streams or vapours to refresh the land1 they are kept in due proportion1 and neither deluge the rest of the globe1 nor drain themselves4 ,thus the affection of love1 if too much confined1 would overflow in pride and arrogance2 but1 when part of it is diffused on others1 the rest is innoxious and even salutary1 as supplying the mind only with a just and moderate self-esteem4 ,hence we see that charity1 by its very operation1 corrects the excesses of self-love2 and therefore of learned pride 7which is one of those excesses7 as well as any other vice1 which the confined and inordinate exercise of that passion is apt to produce4 ,in these several ways then1 whether1 by prescribing the proper end of knowledge1 the edification of our neighbour1 an attention to which must needs lessen the temptation to pride2 or1 by suggesting how imperfectly that end is attained by knowledge1 which must mortify1 rather than inflame our pride2 or1 by confining the candidates of knowledge to solid and important subjects1 and1 of these1 rather to practical subjects1 than those of speculation1 both which pursuits are unfavourable to the growth of pride2 or1 by increasing our good opinion of others1 engaged in the same pursuits of knowledge1 which must so far take from our fancied superiority over them2 or1 lastly1 by the necessary effect of its operation1 which is essentially destructive of that vicious self-love1 which is the parent of such fancies--,in all these respects1 ,i say1 it is clearly seen how ,,charity1 whose office it is to edify others1 is properly applied to the cure of that tumour of the mind1 which knowledge generates1 and which we know by the name of ,,learned ,,pride4 ,there are many other considerations1 no doubt1 which serve to mortify this pride2 but nothing tends so immediately to remove it1 as the increase of charity4 ,it is therefore to be wished1 that men1 engaged in the pursuits of learning1 would especially cultivate in themselves this divine principle4 ,knowledge1 when tempered by humility1 and directed to the ends of charity1 is indeed a valuable acquisition2 and1 though no fit subject of vain-glory1 is justly entitled to the esteem of mankind4 ,it should further be remembered1 that this virtue1 which so much adorns knowledge1 is the peculiar characteristic grace of our religion2 without which1 all our attainments1 of whatever kind1 are fruitless and vain4 ,let the man of ,science1 then1 who has succeeded to his wish in rearing some mighty fabric of human knowledge1 and from the top of it is tempted with a vain complacency to look down1 as the phrase is1 on the ignorant vulgar2 let such an one not forget to say with ,,him1 who had been higher yet1 even as high as the third ,heaven#acd1 8,though ,i understand all mysteries1 and all knowledge1 and have not charity1 ,i am nothing#ace40 ,,sermon ,,xx4 ,,preached ,,november #ai1 #agfi4 ,,acts ,,of ,,the ,,apostles1 xxvi4 #i4 ,i verily thought with myself1 that ,i ought to do many things contrary to the name of ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,the case of the ,apostle1 ,paul1 as represented by himself in these words1 is so remarkable1 that it cannot but deserve our attentive consideration4 ,the account of those many things1 which he thought himself obliged to do against the name of ,jesus1 during his unbelieving state1 he gives us in the chapter whence the text is taken4 ,these things1 continues he in his apology to king ,agrippa1 ,i did in ,jerusalem1 and many of the ,saints did ,i shut up in prison1 having received authority from the chief-priests2 and when they were put to death1 ,i gave my voice against them4 ,and punished them oft in every synagogue1 and compelled them to blaspheme2 and being exceedingly mad against them1 ,i persecuted them1 even to strange cities4 ,and then he proceeds to speak of his going1 with the same authority1 and the same zeal1 to persecute the ,christians that were at ,damascus2 when1 in his journey thither1 he was suddenly stopt in the career of his impiety by a heavenly vision1 which had the effect to overturn his former persuasion1 and to make a full convert of him to the ,christian faith4 #a4 ,from this account of himself1 we learn1 that ,paul1 in his ,jewish state1 had been carried1 by his zeal1 into all the horrors of persecution4 ,and these things1 he says1 he verily believed he ought to do1 contrary to the name of ,jesus4 8,but what1 you will ask1 did this belief then justify those crimes8 ,and1 are blasphemy1 murder1 and persecution1 innocent things1 from the time that a man persuades himself he ought to commit them8 ,this would open a door to all the evils of the most outrageous fanaticism1 and evacuate the whole moral law1 under the pretence of conscience40 ,in general1 it would do so3 and we shall presently find1 that ,st4 ,paul does not pretend to justify himself1 notwithstanding he verily believed he ought to do these things4 ,but to see the degree of his crime1 it will be convenient1 and but just to the criminal1 to call to mind1 in the first place1 the peculiar circumstances under which it was committed4 ,paul was at that time a ,jew2 and1 as a follower of this law1 his conduct1 supposing his conscience to have been rightly informed1 had not been blameable2 on the contrary1 had been highly meritorious4 ,for the law of ,moses made the restraint of opinions1 in matter of religion1 lawful3 ,heterodoxy was to a ,jew but another word for disloyalty2 and a zeal to see the rigour of the law executed on that crime1 was the honour of a ,jewish subject4 ,paul1 then1 conceiving of ,jesus as a false prophet1 and the author of a new worship1 contrary to that of the ,god of ,israel1 ,paul1 ,i say1 regarding ,jesus in this light1 but conformed to the spirit of the law1 when he joined in persecuting the ,jewish ,christians1 and must esteem himself to have deserved well of it4 ,and this he1 in fact1 did4 ,for1 reckoning up the several merits1 which1 as a ,jew1 he might claim to himself1 he mentions this zeal of persecution1 as one1 which did him honour1 under that character--,concerning zeal1 says he1 ,,persecuting ,,the ,,church#acf4 ,the crime of ,paul1 then1 as of the other ,jews1 in persecuting ,christ and his religion1 was not simply the crime of persecution 7for1 had that religion been a false one1 by the peculiar structure of the ,jewish conomy1 there would have been no crime at all in punishing such of the ,jews1 as professed themselves of it72 but his guilt was1 and1 in general1 the guilt of the other ,jews was1 in misapplying the law to this particular case2 in persecuting a just and divine person1 whom their own prophets had foretold and pointed out1 who came in no opposition to the ,jewish law1 nay1 who came not to destroy1 but to fulfill#acg4 ,the conclusion is1 that1 though persecution be on no pretence of conscience excusable in another man1 yet in a ,jew1 and as directed against an apostate ,jew1 it had not this malignity1 and was not the proper subject of his abhorrence#ach4 ,to the question then1 8,whether ,paul's belief justified his practice1 in the case before us1 that is1 whether he did right in doing that which he verily believed he ought to do10 ,you may take his own answer--,this1 says he1 is a faithful saying1 and worthy of all acceptation1 that ,christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners1 ,,of ,,whom ,i ,,am ,,chief#aci4 ,he owns himself1 we see1 to have been the chief of sinners1 that is1 making all allowance for the hyperbole and modesty of the expression1 a very great sinner4 ,and if you ask in what respect1 he tells you that1 too3 for1 in the immediately preceding verses1 he declares the ground of this charge upon himself1 ,that he had been a blasphemer1 and a persecutor1 and injurious4 ,and in another place he says of himself1 ,i am the least of the ,apostles2 that am not meet to be called an ,apostle1 because ,i persecuted the church of ,god#adj4 ,you see1 then1 that1 notwithstanding his former religion authorized him to persecute its enemies1 notwithstanding he verily believed1 that he ought to persecute ,jesus as such1 yet he now condemns himself1 as having grievously sinned in giving way to that authority1 and to that persuasion4 ,how is this conduct to be accounted for and made consistent8 plainly1 by observing1 that he had persecuted without warrant1 even from his former religion2 that he had culpably and rashly overlooked 7what he might and ought to have seen7 that ,jesus was no fit object of this severity even to a ,jew1 that he was no enemy or subverter of the ,jewish law1 that he was no rebel to the ,god and king of ,israel1 but came indeed from him1 acted by his commission1 and displayed all the signs and credentials of the ,messiah1 in whom the law and the prophets were finally to be completed4 ,without doubt1 his being now of a religion1 which forbad persecution1 under all its forms1 sharpened his sense of this crime1 and may perhaps account for his calling himself the chief of sinners2 yet1 that the persecution of ,christians was to him a crime1 and that he had sinned in committing it1 he could not but know1 and is clearly to be inferred from his expression4 ,all the use he makes of his ,jewish persuasion1 is1 but to palliate something what he knew was without excuse3--,i obtained mercy1 says he1 because ,i did it ignorantly in unbelief3 that is1 because ,i persecuted in my unbelieving state of a ,jew1 and was kept1 by the genius of the ,mosaic law1 from knowing and considering the general malignity of persecution4 ,and that there may be some ground of mercy in this consideration1 who can doubt1 when we find the ,son of ,god interceding for his very murderers on the same principle--,father1 says he1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do4 ,there was this difference1 you see1 between a ,jewish and a ,gentile persecutor4 ,the ,jew was answerable for his not seeing that ,jesus was the ,messiah3 ,the ,gentile was to answer for that ignorance1 and for his not seeing the general iniquity of persecution1 on account of religion4 ,paul1 however1 was certainly to blame2 nay1 he takes much blame on himself1 for acting ignorantly against the name of ,jesus1 though his ignorance was of the former kind only4 #b4 ,but now another question1 and a very important one1 arises out of this state of the case4 ,paul verily thought that the religion of ,jesus was an imposture4 ,yet he was mistaken in thinking so2 and1 what is more1 his mistake was highly criminal4 ,what then shall we say to those persons1 who affirm1 that1 provided a man be persuaded of the truth of his opinions1 he is not answerable for his mistakes8 or1 in other words1 what becomes of that notion which many have taken up1 concerning the innocency of error in matters of religion8 ,i understand what is generally alledged in support of this candid and conciliating opinion4 ,but the text says expressly1 that ,paul verily believed he ought to do many things contrary to the name of ,jesus2 and with all this firmness of belief ,paul was the chief of sinners4 ,men therefore conclude too hastily1 when from the sole persuasion of their sincerity they infer the innocence of their errors4 8,but what then would you require of poor unhappy man1 whose reason is naturally so weak1 and whose prejudices are often so strong80 ,why1 to use the force he has2 to consider well whether he be indeed sincere 7for to be firmly1 and to be sincerely persuaded1 is not always the same thing72 to employ his reason1 such as it is1 with care1 and to controul his prejudices1 what he can1 by an impartial examination4 ,all this1 it will be answered1 is already done4 ,it may be so4 ,let me then have leave to interrogate the sincere rejecter of ,christianity1 and try his good faith1 of which he is so well assured1 by the following questions4 8,has he cultivated his mind1 and furnished himself with the requisite helps for religious inquiry8 ,has he studied the sacred volumes with care8 ,has he considered their scope and end8 their genius and character8 ,has he fixed the boundaries of reason and of faith8 ,does he know where the province of the former ends1 and where that of the second commences8 ,has he studied himself1 his faculties and powers1 his wants and necessities8 ,has he weighed the importance of the search1 he is making into the will and word of ,god8 ,has he made that search with a suitable diligence and sobriety8 ,has he accustomed himself to the investigation of moral evidence8 ,has he collected1 compared1 and estimated1 what is brought in evidence for the truth of the ,christian religion8 ,has he1 in short1 7for ,i address myself to capable inquirers only7 omitted none of those means which reason requires1 and employed all that industry1 and thought1 and application1 which the sincere love of truth demands on so momentous an occasion8 8,still1 ,i have other inquiries to make4 ,has he approached the sanctuary of religion with awe8 ,has he purged his mind from all gross1 nay from all refined vices8 ,had he no interest to serve1 no prejudice to sooth1 no predominant passion to gratify1 by a hasty conclusion concerning the truth of ,christianity8 ,or1 7not to suspect a philosophic mind of these vulgar illusions7 had he no vanity to flatter1 no capricious levity to indulge1 by a short and disdainful rejection of it8 ,had he no spleen to divert1 no regard of fashion1 no partialities of acquaintance or education to mislead him1 from conviction8 ,had he no secret wish or hope1 which he scarcely durst tell to himself1 that his inquiry would end in doubt at least1 if not in infidelity8 ,in a word1 can he assure himself1 that in these several respects1 he had no bias on his mind1 or did his best at least to have none1 against a conclusion1 to which an impartial love of truth might invite and compell him80 ,had ,st4 ,paul himself been questioned in this manner1 concerning his sincere belief1 that he ought to do many things contrary to the name of ,jesus1 he would hardly1 ,i suppose1 have said1 that he had fulfilled all these conditions2--,but we know what he did say1 to himself and to the world3 ,he said1 ,he was ,,the ,,chief ,,of ,,sinners4 ,so remote is persuasion from sincerity6 and so little acquainted1 many times1 are innocence and error6 ,but #8these questions1 it will be said1 may be retorted on the believer2 who may be neither more diligent1 nor more impartial in his inquiries1 than the unbeliever4' ,allow that they may2 yet observe the immense difference of the two cases1 in regard both to the danger incurred1 and to the crime committed4 ,if ,i believe1 on insufficient grounds1 what do ,i lose8 only what ,i can well spare2 my unbelief and my vices4 ,and what do ,i gain8 that1 which of all things is most precious to me2 peace of mind1 and the hopes of heaven4 ,on the other hand1 if ,i disbelieve1 ,i lose all that is valuable in both worlds1 and gain nothing but the sad privilege of being set free from the restraints of this religion#ada4 ,consider1 too1 the difference of the crime1 in the two cases4 ,if the ,christian errs in admitting the truth of his religion1 he has only to answer for his ill judgment1 at most3 he could be drawn to this persuasion by no criminal motives3 for1 which of these could bias him to the belief of the holiest of all religions8 ,if the error lies on the other side1 in rejecting this religion1 how shall he know1 that1 besides the blame of judging ill1 some immoral purposes and dispositions may not have secretly concurred to pervert his judgment8 ,the ,christian may be unreasonable3 but the unbeliever1 ,i do not say1 certainly1 but1 is too probably vicious4 ,thus the danger1 in all views1 is on the unbelieving side4 ,and if there be difficulty in knowing when ,i am sincere1 there is none in knowing which of the two mistakes is safer and less criminal4 ,it will be said1 perhaps1 that an inquirer may be biassed in favour of ,christianity by corrupt motives1 that is1 by views of credit or interest1 attending the profession of it1 in countries where this religion is legally established4 ,without doubt4 ,but such persons can hardly put themselves in the case of ,st4 ,paul1 and say1 ,they are verily persuaded1 they ought to be ,christians4 ,for such gross motives can be no secret to their own hearts1 and they cannot but know that ,christianity condemns all such motives4 ,i regard then such persons in the light of hypocrites confessed1 and by no means in that of believers4 ,on the other hand1 men may affect to disbelieve from the like views of credit or interest1 in certain circumstances2 and so become hypocrites of another kind2 of which the number is1 perhaps1 not inconsiderable4 ,but ,i am here speaking of such corrupt partialities as may consist with a firm belief1 or disbelief of ,christianity4 ,and here it is plain1 the criminality is likely to be much greater in him who without ground rejects1 than in him who too hastily admits such a religion4 ,to conclude1 then1 with the case of ,st4 ,paul1 which has given occasion to these reflexions4 ,no firmness of persuasion1 it is plain1 can justify a man in being led by it into the commission of gross and acknowledged crimes4 ,and the reason is1 that no persuasion of the truth of any principle can be greater than that which every man has that he ought not to commit such actions4 ,if ,st4 ,paul's persuasion saved him from this guilt1 it was owing to the peculiar genius of the ,jewish religion4 ,but1 further1 ,st4 ,paul was blameable for taking up that persuasion1 on which he acted4 ,his mind had been corrupted by hasty prejudices1 and ungoverned passion4 ,he concluded too fast1 then1 when he thought his persuasion sincere1 though it was indeed strong and violent4 ,his persuasion did not exclude error1 and that error implied insincerity1 and so was not innocent4 ,it follows from the whole1 that we ought never to act wrong on the pretence of conscience2 and that we should learn to suspect the possibility of guilt's mixing itself even with what we call our speculative opinions4 ,error may be innocent2 but not so long as truth lies before us1 and we may1 if we do our duty1 discover it4 ,let our inquiries1 then1 in all matters of moment1 above all in those of religion1 be diligent1 and strictly honest4 ,where these precautions are not observed1 our mistakes are always blameable1 because in some degree they are wilful and insincere4 ,,sermon ,,xxi4 ,,preached ,,may #aj1 #agfg4 ,st4 ,,luke1 vi4 #bf4 ,woe unto you1 when all men speak well of you4 ,among other woes denounced in this chapter by our ,saviour against different sorts of men1 we have one in the text against those1 of whom all men speak well4 ,the reason of this severe sentence may not appear at first sight3 first1 because it may not immediately occur to us1 what hurt or inconvenience there can be in every man's good word2 and1 secondly1 because every man's good word is not likely to be had4 ,as to this last particular1 it is true1 the praise of all men1 in the full extent of the words1 is not to be obtained4 ,but the sense of the text requires1 only1 that we understand a very general praise2 and this we see many men obtain3 ,and if we only want to know1 in what respects1 the possession of this praise can be deemed a misfortune1 we shall find them1 ,i suppose1 7without looking further7 in the following considerations4 ,the ,,woe1 of being well spoken of by all men1 may be apprehended1 if we reflect1 ,that 7taking the world as it is7 its good word1 so largely bestowed on any man1 implies a mediocrity of virtue1 at the best2--that it frequently implies1 a considerable degree of positive ill-desert2--that it sometimes implies1 a thorough depravity and prostitution of the moral character4 ,from these ,,three considerations1 ,i propose to illustrate the woe of the text4--,in moral discourses1 it is scarce possible to avoid very general assertions4 ,these may sometimes want to be restrained3 but ye will do it for yourselves1 as ye see cause2 for the appeal lies1 all along1 to your own bosoms and experience4 ,i4 ,i say then1 first2 that to be well spoken of by all men1 implies ,a ,,mediocrity ,,of ,,virtue ,,at ,,the ,,best4 ,and the assertion is founded on many reasons4 ,an eminent degree of virtue excites envy2 is not generally understood2 is unapt to accommodate itself to men's views and expectations2 and1 lastly1 is liable to some excesses1 and connected with some infirmities1 which are either peculiar to itself1 or would less disgrace a virtue of the common stamp4 ,let us weigh these several reasons4 #a4 ,the chapter of envy is a common one1 and has been exhausted by every moralist4 ,when a man's worth lifts him above the generality of his species1 he is thought to depress those who feel themselves beneath him4 ,their pride is hurt1 their self-love is mortified1 by the acknowledged preference4 ,and in this state of things1 no wonder that much industry is employed to obscure a virtue1 whose unclouded splendour would give pain4 #b4 ,but men sometimes detract from a superior character1 with perfect good faith4 ,it is not envy1 but inapprehension1 which sets them on work4 ,for it is with some virtues1 as with those sublimer graces in a work of art of genius3 few1 but such as could have set the example1 have any idea or conception of them4 ,thus1 a disinterested goodness1 when carried to a certain length2 a generosity of mind1 when stretched beyond certain bounds2 a sense of honour1 operating to a certain degree2 in a word1 temperance1 justice1 piety1 humanity1 any or all of these virtues1 exalted to a certain pitch1 are either not comprehended1 or are perhaps traduced1 as marks of folly and extravagance1 by those who are not capable of ascending to these heights themselves4 ,of which1 the instances are so frequent in all history1 and even in common life1 that no man wants to be reminded of them4 #c4 ,still1 if superior virtue were only envied1 or ill-understood1 the misfortune would not be so great4 ,it is1 besides1 active1 enterprising1 constant1 and inflexible4 ,it contents not itself with being merely passive1 innoxious1 blameless3 it would oblige1 befriend1 and merit of mankind4 ,it would be distinguished by actual services1 or at least by glorious attempts4 ,and in prosecuting these1 it consults no man's occasions2 bends to no man's prejudices2 leans to no partial interests or considerations2 is simple1 uniform1 invariable1 and holds on its course1 steadily and directly1 towards its main end and scope4 ,there is a magnanimity in true worth and goodness1 which scorns and rejects all disguises1 and would appear and be itself4 ,a character of this stamp is too awful to be popular4 ,there is something of terror in so sublime a virtue2 and those who are distinguished by it1 may be esteemed1 perhaps1 and revered1 but are rarely applauded by the world4 ,what difference between the divine integrity of ,cato1 and the specious temporizing virtues of ,csar6 ,yet1 if history had been silent1 we should easily have known which of these men was destined to be the idol of the ,roman people4 #d4 ,nor is even this the worst4 ,virtue1 in this exalted state1 is not easily restrained from running1 at times1 into certain ,,excesses3 excesses1 which spring1 as it were1 from its very essence1 and which the truly wise allow for1 excuse1 and almost admire2 but which hurt the reputation more1 with base and ordinary minds1 than the virtue itself1 under a due exertion1 serves and promotes it4 ,when the virtuous ,brutus1 in the crisis of the ,roman state1 struggling for its last breath of liberty1 chose rather to put everything to hazard1 than violate the strict forms of law and justice#adb3--;,and again1 when our virtuous ,falkland was kept1 by his nice sense of honour1 from taking some liberties#adc1 which the duty of his place1 the public service1 and the practice of all times1 might seem to authorize2 when these great men1 ,i say1 erred from an excess of virtue1 a thousand tongues were ready to blaspheme1 and even ridicule their mistakes1 while one or two only revered the honesty of mind1 which gave birth to them4 ,these glorious excesses1 which are frequent in a virtuous character1 hardly deserve the name of infirmities3 yet infirmities1 in the common sense of the word1 are the lot of human nature1 in whatever state of perfection4 ,that heat of mind1 which nourishes heroic virtue1 is apt to produce these2 and1 as the noblest genius sometimes lets fall inaccuracies1 which moderate talents would correct2 so the best man sometimes commits extravagancies1 which a moderate virtue would avoid3 and when this mischance happens1 the infirmity is sure to be observed1 and never pardoned4 ,or1 let the weakness be such1 as is incident to our common nature2 still its effects are very different2 it shall eclipse half the virtues of an excellent man1 and1 in a common character1 be either not seen1 or not regarded4 ,so true it is1 that1 to be well spoken of by all men1 implies but an ordinary share of virtue1 at best6 ,for1 consider these several circumstances1 and see what a shade they cast on the reputation of extraordinary men4 ,to shine out in the full lustre of a general flame1 is reserved for those1 whose virtue is not of a size to give umbrage2 whose merits are to the level of all eyes2 who adapt themselves with dexterity to all occasions2 and who are kept1 by their very mediocrity1 from any infirmity1 or excess4 ,and it would be well1 if the woe ended here2 if the misfortune of these applauded men were negative only1 and amounted to no more than the absence of vice1 or the possession of virtue in the common degrees4 ,but1 ,i doubt1 it amounts to much more3 it frequently implies ,,ii4 ,a ,,considerable ,,degree ,,of ,,positive ,,ill-,,desert4 ,when the ,jews1 in a fit of ignorant zeal1 were taking up stones to cast at our blessed ,lord1 he said to them3 ,many ,,good ,,works have ,i shewed you from my ,father2 for which of ,,these works do ye stone me#add8 ,intimating1 that the resentment of a misjudging multitude is generally occasioned by praise-worthy actions4 ,on the same principle1 when shouts of popular applause are sounding in a man's ears1 he may reasonably ask1 ,for which of my ,,evil ,,deeds is this praise wasted upon me8 ,for it is just as much to be expected that a clamorous praise should attend a bad action1 as that a clamorous rage should be excited by a good one4 ,and if we look abroad into the world1 we shall find1 that it is not virtue1 in whatever degree1 but some popular vice1 that too oft engages its warmest approbation4 ,in fact1 even a moderate share of virtue1 joined to an inoffensive character1 shall more frequently secure a man from the censure1 than procure him the applause of mankind4 ,to be generally well spoken of1 he must do more than not offend3 he must merit his reward1 before it is conferred upon him4 ,and1 though illustrious services may sometimes extort this reward1 yet the surer and easier way to obtain it1 is to please4 ,and when ,i am to please all men1 in order to obtain the suffrage of all1 tell me what way there is of executing this project1 without dishonouring myself4 ,men are not pleased1 unless ,i humour their foibles1 sooth their vices1 serve their ill ends1 or unjustifiable passions2 and woe unto me1 if ,i acquire their good opinion by these means4 ,but suppose ,i am restrained by some sense of decency and of duty1 and not disposed to run all lengths in my endeavours to please4 ,still it is not nothing1 to be silent where virtue bids me speak2 it is something1 to give a man leave to think he is honoured by me for that which deserves blame2 it is base1 to flatter and extoll immoderately even his good qualities2 and it is flagitious to countenance and inflame his bad ones4 ,yet one or other of these ways must he take1 who is ambitious of every man's good word4 ,and is there no woe1 think ye1 in such a conduct as this8 ,suppose ,i but sacrifice one virtue to my reputation1 but one generous quality to my passion for fame2 still am ,i innocent in making this sacrifice8 ,can ,i applaud myself for making thus free with my moral character8 ,or1 rather1 have ,i not cause to humble myself under a sense of my ill-desert8 ,yes1 woe to that man1 who1 to be well with the world1 or with any part of it1 deserts any one virtuous principle1 transgresses any one known duty1 corrupts his conscience with any one deliberate vice4 ,let the world's applause be what it will2 he is a loser who gains it on such terms4 ,but ,i am still putting matters at the best2 ,for1 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 this general acceptation1 this mighty privilege of being well spoken of by all men1 sometimes1 and not unfrequently1 demands a sacrifice1 not of one1 but all the virtues3 it implies ,a ,,thorough ,,depravity ,,and ,,prostitution ,,of ,,the ,,moral ,,character4 ,our delicacy will not bear to have this matter pushed home1 and brought directly to ourselves4 ,our self-love revolts against the imputation2 and no man applies so severe a censure to his own case1 or that of his acquaintance4 ,let us look abroad1 then1 for what we are willing to shift off so far from us4 ,let us look for this opprobrious character in ancient times1 and distant regions1 with which we may take greater liberties1 and concerning which we may discourse without offence4 ,and when we have found it1 let us only remember that the character is no ideal one2 that it is fairly taken from the annals of human nature1 and may therefore1 in part at least1 concern ourselves4 ,a noble ,roman is described by ,,one who knew him well1 in the following manner#ade3 8,he possessed1 in a wonderful degree1 the faculty of engaging all men to himself1 by every art of address1 and the most obsequious application to their humours1 purposes1 and designs4 ,his fortune1 his interest1 nay his person1 was wholly their's2 and he was ready to shew his attachment to them by every service1 and1 if occasion required it1 by every crime4 ,he had the most perfect dexterity in moulding his own nature1 and shaping it into all forms4 ,the men of austere morals he could gain to himself1 by a well-dissembled severity2 the more free and libertine sort1 by an unrestrained gaiety4 ,he could equally adapt himself to the vivacity of youth1 and to the gravity of old age3 with men of bold spirits and factious designs1 he was prompt1 enterprizing1 audacious2 with the men of pleasure1 he could be licentious1 luxurious1 dissolute40 ,what think ye1 now1 of this character8 ,with so various and pliable a disposition1 could he fail of being popular8 ,and with so total a want of principle1 can we doubt of his being abandoned8 ,he was1 in truth1 both the one and the other4 ,he was the favourite#adf1 and the pest of his country3 in a word1 this man was1 ,,catiline4 ,but let us turn our thoughts from such a prodigy1 and conclude only from the instance here given1 that a character may be much applauded and very worthless2 and that1 to be well spoken of by all1 in a certain extent of those words1 one must be1 if not a ,catiline1 yet an unquestionably vicious and corrupt man4 ,i have now gone through the several topics1 ,i proposed to illustrate in this discourse4 ,my more immediate design was1 to explain and justify the text2 to shew that it spake not without reason when it spake1 perhaps1 somewhat differently from our expectations2 and that our divine master had abundant cause to pronounce a woe on those1 of whom the world is so ready to speak well4 ,but in doing this1 ,i persuade myself1 ,i have done more2 and1 in shewing the reasons of this woe1 have said enough to repress and mortify that lust of general praise1 which is so fatal to our virtue1 as well as happiness4 ,for what can be more likely to restrain men from this folly1 than to let them see1 that the prize1 they so ambitiously contend for1 would be a misfortune to them1 if it could be obtained2 since a very general praise is rarely conferred1 at best1 but upon a feeble imperfect state of virtue2 is1 frequently1 the reward of positive ill-desert2 and is1 sometimes1 the pay1 that men receive for the greatest crimes4 ,these considerations shew the only true praise to be that which a well informed mind gives to itself4 ,this praise is pure and unmixed2 is only bestowed on real merit2 and is nicely proportioned to the several degrees of it4 ,it is the earnest too of every other praise1 which ought to be precious to us4 ,for1 when conscience approves1 good men and angels are ready to applaud3 nay1 when a man's heart condemns him not1 then has he confidence towards ,god#adg4 ,to conclude3 it is in this contention of human life1 as in those games of which the ancient world was so fond3 the success consists not in the acclamations of the attending multitude1 but in the crown which the victor receives at the hands of the appointed judge4 ,if he obtains that great prize1 it is of little moment whether the rest follow or not4 ,the applause of the by-standers may add to the noise and pageantry of the day2 but the triumph is sincere and complete without it4 ,as then it would be arrogance and inhumanity to reject universally the good opinion of the world1 so it would be folly1 or something worse1 to dote upon it4 ,if it may be honestly obtained1 it is well3 if not1 let the friend of virtue2 above all1 let the follower of ,jesus1 console himself1 under the loss of it1 with this reflection1 8,that it is no certain argument of true honour and true happiness1 nay1 that it is a presumption to the contrary1 to be found in the class of those1 of whom all men speak well40 ,,sermon ,,xxii4 ,,preached ,,february #f1 #aggd4 ,st4 ,,john viii4 #i4 ,jesus said to her1 ,neither do ,i condemn thee2 ,go1 and sin no more4 ,every one understands the occasion of these words3 ,the absolution of the woman taken in adultery1 says an ancient writer1 has been always famous in the church#adh3 ,indeed so famous1 that some1 who know but little of the other parts of the ,gospel history1 pretend to be well acquainted with this2 from which they draw conclusions so favourable to their own loose practices1 that others of stricter morals have been disposed to question its authenticity1 and to expunge this obnoxious passage from the sacred books4 ,the attempt1 indeed1 has not succeeded4 ,the obnoxious passage is unquestionably authentic4 ,but what then shall we say to the narrative itself8 ,how are we to expound it consistently with the known character of ,jesus8 and how are we to obviate the ill consequences which seem so naturally to flow from it8 ,these questions will be answered by considering attentively the nature and circumstances of the case3 from which it will appear1 that this decision of our ,lord is founded on the highest wisdom2 and1 when seen in its true light1 affords no countenance to the licentious glosses of one party1 and needs give no alarm to the scrupulous fears and apprehensions of another4 ,the fact is related by the sacred historian in these words3 8,the ,scribes and ,pharisees brought to him a woman taken in adultery2 and when they had set her in the midst1 they say to him1 ,master1 this woman was taken in adultery in the very act4 ,now1 ,moses in the law commanded1 that such should be stoned2 but what sayest thou80 ,thus far we see there was no difficulty4 ,a crime had been committed1 and might be proved2 and their law had appointed the punishment4 ,why then do the ,scribes and ,pharisees apply to ,jesus1 for his judgment in the case8 ,the text tells us2 for it follows immediately--8,this they said1 tempting him1 that they might have to accuse him40 ,they came to him then1 not for any information about the nature of the crime1 or of the punishment due to it2 the crime had been distinctly specified in their law 7the authority of which ,jesus admitted1 as well as they7 and the sort of punishment had been distinctly specified1 too3 ,but they came with the insidious design of tempting him2 that is1 of drawing some answer from him1 which might give them an occasion to accuse him1 either to the people1 or to the rulers of the ,jewish state4 ,in what then did their temptation consist8 ,or1 what crime was it1 of which1 by thus tempting him1 they supposed they might have to accuse him to the ,jews8 ,the answer to this question will lead us into a proper view of our ,lord's conduct on this occasion1 and will enable us to form a right judgment of the manner in which he disappointed the malice of his insidious tempters4 ,we find in the preceding chapter of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 that the ,jews sought to kill him1 ver4 #a42 and that1 being alarmed at the progress of his doctrine among the people1 the ,pharisees and chief priests had even sent their officers to take him by force1 ver4 #cb4 ,but this project failing in the execution1 by the growing favour of the people towards him1 and by the strange impression which the doctrine of ,jesus had made on those officers themselves1 they found it expedient to try other and more indirect methods4 ,for this purpose1 having taken a woman in adultery1 they supposed they had now obtained a certain method of accomplishing their designs against him4 ,they therefore bring her to him1 and say1 ,master1 this woman was taken in adultery1 in the very act4 ,now1 ,moses in the law commanded us1 that such should be stoned3 but what sayest thou8 ,they concluded1 that his answer to this question must be such as would give them a sure hold of him4 ,for either it would be1 that the law of ,moses was too severe2 and then1 they doubted not but he would fall a sacrifice to the zeal of the people themselves1 from whose favour to him they had now the most dreadful apprehensions3 or1 if he justified this law of ,moses1 and encouraged the execution of it 7and this conduct they had most reason to expect1 from the known strictness of his life and doctrine1 and from his professed reverence for the law71 in that case1 they would have to accuse him to the ,jewish rulers1 as taking to himself a civil and judicial character2 or1 rather to their ,roman masters1 as presuming to condemn to death an offender by his own proper authority2 whereas it was not lawful for the ,sanhedrim itself1 but by express leave of the ,roman governour1 to put any man to death#adi4 ,in short1 either the people themselves would kill him on the spot1 as a disparager and blasphemer of the law2 or1 he would be convicted of that capital crime1 which their rulers wanted to fasten upon him1 of making himself a king1 and so incur the punishment of rebellion to the state4 ,such being the profound artifice1 as well as malice1 of this plot1 the situation of our ,lord was very critical2 and nothing but that divine wisdom1 by which he spake1 and which attended him in all conjunctures1 could deliver him from it4 ,let us see1 then1 what that wisdom suggested to him in his present perilous condition4 ,instead of replying directly to their ensnaring question1 8,he stooped down1 and with his finger wrote on the ground1 as though he heared them not40 ,his enemies1 no doubt1 considered this affected inattention as a poor subterfuge2 or1 rather1 as an evident proof of his confusion1 and inability to avoid the snare they had laid for him2 and were ready to exult over him1 as their certain prey1 now fallen into their hands4 ,they therefore repeat and press upon him their insulting question1 urging him with much clamour to give them an immediate reply4 8,so when they continued asking him1 as the historian proceeds1 he lift up himself1 and said to them1 ,he that is without sin among you1 let him first cast a stone at her4 ,and1 again he stooped down and wrote on the ground40 ,the divinity of this answer can never be enough admired4 ,he eluded by it1 at once1 the two opposite snares they had laid for him3 he disconcerted all their hopes and triumphant expectations2 and carried1 at the same time1 by the weight of this remonstrance1 and the power which he gave to it1 trouble1 confusion and dismay into their affrighted consciences4 ,without speaking a word against the law1 or taking to himself an authority which he had never claimed1 and which did not belong to him1 he turned their temptation on themselves2 and instead of falling a victim to it1 astonished them with the moral use he had made of it1 and sent them away overwhelmed with shame1 conviction1 and self-contempt4 ,for it follows1 8,they which heared this reply being convicted by their own conscience1 went out one by one1 beginning at the eldest1 even to the last2 and ,jesus was left alone1 and the woman standing in the midst40 ,this was no time1 we see1 for declaring his sense of the law of ,moses1 or giving his assent to the execution of it2 which1 upon the least signification of his mind1 had certainly followed from the people 7such was their united zeal for the law1 and reverence for his opinion74 ,his present purpose and duty was to preserve himself from a captious and malicious question2 but in such a manner as might consist with truth and innocence1 and even with a tender concern for the moral state and condition of those questioners themselves4 ,no man will then expect1 that1 in such circumstances1 he should expatiate1 to the by-standers1 on the heinous crime of adultery1 objected to this unhappy woman3 a point1 concerning which they deserved not1 from any virtuous indignation they had conceived against it1 which they wanted not1 from any ignorance they were under of its general nature1 to be further satisfied or informed4 ,they deserved1 and they wanted to be made sensible of their own guilt and wickedness2 and of this they derived from ,jesus the fullest conviction4 ,this was the sole purport of our ,lord's reply to them3 any other had been unseasonable and improper2 and therefore no man will now be surprized to find the issue of this remarkable conference in the mild dismission which he gives to the unhappy person1 who had furnished the occasion of it4 8,when ,jesus had lift up himself1 and saw none but the woman1 he said to her1 ,woman1 where are those thine accusers8 ,hath no man condemned thee8 ,she said1 ,no man1 ,lord3 ,jesus said to her1 ,neither do ,i condemn thee2 go1 and sin no more40 ,the story concludes in the very manner we should now expect from the preceding circumstances4 ,the accusers of the woman had withdrawn themselves2 being convicted in their own minds1 by the divine energy of ,christ's reproof1 of the very same crime1 as some suppose1 but certainly of some crime of equal malignity with that1 which they had objected to this sinner4 ,their accusation had not been formed on their zeal for the honour of the law1 or any antipathy they had conceived to the crime in question1 but on the wicked purpose of oppressing an innocent man4 ,when they failed of this end1 they thought not of carrying the criminal before the proper judge1 or of prosecuting the matter any further4 ,to the question then which our ,lord put to her1 hath no man condemned thee1 i4 e4 hath no man undertaken to see the sentence of the law carried into execution against thee8 she answered1 ,no man1 ,lord4 ,neither do ,i1 continued ,jesus1 condemn thee3 ,i1 who am a private man1 and have no authority to execute the law2 ,i1 who came not to judge the world1 but to save the world1 ,i presume not to pass the sentence of death upon thee4 ,i leave this matter to thine accusers1 and to the proper judge4 ,but what my office of a divine instructor of mankind requires1 that ,i am ready to perform towards thee4 ,let me admonish thee1 then1 of thy great wickedness in committing this act1 and exhort thee to repentance and a better life for the future2 ,,go1 ,,and ,,sin ,,no ,,more6 ,every thing here is so natural and so proper1 so suitable to the circumstances of the case1 and to the character and office of ,jesus1 that no shadow of blame can fall upon our ,lord's conduct2 nor has any man of sense1 who considers the history1 the least reason to conclude that any countenance is hereby given to the horrid sin of adultery4 ,the mistake 7if it be purely a mistake7 has arisen from the ambiguous sense of the words1 ,i ,,condemn ,,thee ,,not2 which may either signify1 ,i blame thee not1 or ,i pass not the legal sentence of death upon thee4 ,but they cannot be here taken in the former sense1 because ,christ immediately charges the woman with her guilt1 and bids her sin no more2 ,nay1 they can only be taken in the latter sense1 because that was the sense in which her accusers had not condemned her2 for otherwise1 by bringing her to ,jesus1 and by their vehement accusation of her1 they had sufficiently testified their sense of her crime4 ,when ,jesus therefore said1 ,neither do ,i condemn thee1 he could only be understood to mean1 8,neither do ,i take upon me to do that which thine accusers have omitted to do2 that is1 ,i do not condemn thee to be put to death2 a sentence1 which however thou mayest deserve by the law of ,moses1 ,i have no authority to pronounce against thee40 ,it should further be observed1 that although the turn here given by ,jesus to this famous accusation be indeed favourable to the criminal 7and it could not be otherwise1 consistently with his own safety1 or even duty7 yet it insinuates nothing against the propriety of a legal prosecution1 nor gives the least countenance to the magistrate to abate of his rigid execution of the law which is entrusted to him4 ,the mixture of mercy and humanity in ,christ's decision is indeed very amiable and becoming in a private man2 but had the question been1 8,whether it were not fit to prosecute so great a crime in a legal and regular manner10 there is no reason to believe that his answer would have given any check to the course of public justice4 ,we see then from the whole narrative1 and from this comment upon it1 ,that here is no encouragement given to any man to think more slightly of the sin of adultery1 than other passages of the ,gospel1 and the reason of the thing1 authorize him to do4 ,the sin is unquestionably of the deepest dye2 is one of the most flagrant that men can commit in society2 and is equally and uniformly condemned by nature itself and by the ,christian morals4 ,if1 besides condemning1 that is1 expressing his abhorrence of the sin1 as ,jesus did1 he further made an adulterous multitude sensible of their iniquity and savage inhumanity in calling for the sudden and tumultuary punishment of one1 who had deserved no worse than themselves1 this benefit was accessary and incidental to the circumstances of the story2 and1 while it gives one occasion to admire the address and lenity of our divine master1 takes nothing from the enormity of the crime itself1 or from the detestation which he had of it4 ,in short1 one cannot well conceive how ,jesus could have done more in the case1 or have expressed his displeasure at the crime more plainly1 unless he had become a voluntary and officious informer against the criminal2 which1 considering the occasion and his own character1 no man1 ,i suppose1 would think reasonable4 ,to conclude3 if men would call to mind the purity and transcendant holiness of ,christ's character1 as evidenced in the general tenour of his history1 and considered withall1 that never man spake as he spake1 they could not suspect him of giving any quarter to vice2 and might be sure1 that1 if what he said on any occasion1 had the least appearance of looking that way1 the presumption must be without grounds1 and could only arise from their not weighing and considering his words1 so replete with all wisdom1 as well as goodness1 with a proper attention4 ,the case before us1 we have seen1 is a memorable instance of this kind3 and let all readers of the ,gospel be taught by it1 that to understand the ,scriptures1 and to cavil at them1 are different things4 ,let them be warned by this example1 not to impute their own follies to the sacred text1 which they must first misinterpret1 before they can abuse3 ,and1 above all1 let them take heed how they turn the ,grace of ,god into licentiousness2 that is1 how they seek to justify to themselves1 or even palliate1 their own corruptions1 by their loose and negligent1 if not perverse1 glosses on the word of ,god2 on that ,,word1 by which they must stand or fall2 and which1 like the divine ,author of it1 will surely in the end be justified in all its sayings1 and be clear when it is judged#aej4 ,,sermon ,,xxiii4 ,,preached ,,march #a1 #aggb4 ,st4 ,,matthew1 xi4 #bi4 ,learn of me1 for ,i am meek and lowly in heart3 ,and ye shall find rest unto your souls4 ,the moral quality recommended in the text1 was little known and less esteemed#aea in the heathen world4 ,not that humility1 in the ,christian sense of the word2 hath no foundation in natural reason3 but heathen practice gave no countenance to this ,virtue1 and the pride of heathen philosophy would make no acquaintance with her4 ,she was left then to be acknowledged1 for the first time1 by ,jesus of ,nazareth1 who knew the worth of this modest stranger2 and therefore1 as we see1 recommends her to the notice and familiarity of his disciples in the most emphatic terms4 ,one would wonder how a virtue1 so advantageously introduced into the ,christian world1 should be so much neglected by those who call themselves of it4 ,but the reason is not difficult to be explained4 ,i4 ,it was seen fit1 for the ends of human virtue1 that1 in moulding the constitution of our common nature1 a considerable degree of what may be called a generous pride1 should be infused into it4 ,man1 considered in one view1 touches on the brutal creation2 in another1 he claims an affinity with ,god himself4 ,to sustain this nobler part of his composition1 the subject and source of all his diviner qualities1 the adorable wisdom of the ,creator saw good to implant in him a conscious sense of worth and dignity2 that so a just self-esteem might erect his thoughts and endeavours1 and keep him from submitting too easily to what the baser half of his nature might exact from him4 ,thus far ,,instinct goes3 and1 as yet1 there is no blame4 ,but then to moderate this instinct1 7a blind power of itself1 and capable of great excesses7 to circumscribe its bounds1 and direct its energies to their true end1 ,,reason1 a much higher faculty1 was conferred on man2 and his duty1 thenceforth1 was to give the reins to the natural sentiment1 only so far as this supreme arbitress of human life allowed4 ,and hence his corruption and misery took its rise4 ,he felt the instinct draw powerfully2 and he would not take1 or would not be at the pains to ask1 the advice of reason1 who was ready to tell him how far he might yield to it4 ,this wilfulness1 or negligence1 broke the balance of his moral nature2 till reason1 in this1 as in so many other instances1 was little regarded2 and the instinctive sentiment of self-esteem1 long since degenerated into lawless pride1 was left to domineer as it would2 universally1 in the ,pagan world1 and1 though checked by this seasonable admonition of our great ,master1 too generally in the ,christian4 ,this is the true account of the first and fundamental reason1 which makes humility so rare a virtue1 and of so difficult practice1 even among the disciples of ,jesus4 ,,ii4 ,a second reason is almost as extensive as the former1 because founded upon it2 ,i mean1 the power of habit and institution4 ,the bias of our minds towards a just self-esteem1 not properly directed1 presently became pride3 and pride1 from being a general1 was easily mistaken for a natural principle2 which would then1 of course1 be unconfined in its operation1 and spread its influence through every quarter of human life4 ,hence our earliest education is tinctured with this vicious self-esteem1 and all our subsequent institutions are infected with it4 ,it is cherished in the schools1 under the name of emulation2 and in the world at large1 under that of ambition4 ,either sex1 every age1 every condition1 is governed by it4 ,the female world are called upon to value themselves2 and the male world to assert their own dignity4 ,the young are applauded for shewing signs of spirit2 and the old must vindicate themselves from contempt4 ,the lower ranks of men are not to be trampled upon2 and the higher1 not to be affronted4 ,our camps encourage it1 as the spring of courage3 and our courts1 as the source of honour4 ,thus pride predominates every where3 and even the moralist or preacher1 who would give some check to this principle1 is thought to have an abject mind himself1 or not to know that world1 which he pretends to inform and regulate4 ,what wonder then that this impatient and tyrannical passion1 which has general custom1 and therefore claims to have reason1 on her side1 should yield with reluctance even to the authority of religion8 ,,iii4 ,another cause1 which contributes to the same effect1 a partial one indeed1 but of no small efficacy1 where it prevails1 is1 perhaps1 the ,gothic principle of honour1 deeply interwoven with most of our civil constitutions3 a principle1 in itself not friendly to ,christian humility2 but1 as confederated with the other two principles before mentioned1 what can it do but inflame them both1 and give an infinite force to all their operations8 ,in these three considerations then1 we have the true account and history of pride1 the bane of civil life1 and the disgrace of our moral nature4 ,it springs1 first1 from the natural sentiment1 easily indulged too far3 it is1 next1 fostered by general habit2 and1 in the end1 made sacred by fashion4 ,thus1 its tyranny grew up1 and is now so complete1 that lowliness of mind is ill looked upon even in the ,christian world2 and her offspring1 meekness1 7the more provoking of the two1 as being that virtue drawn forth into outward act7 seems in a way to be fairly dismissed from it4 ,it would hardly serve to reinstate these despised virtues in their pristine honours1 to tell of their natures and conditions1 to define their properties1 and deliver the grounds of reason on which their pretensions are founded4 ,cold1 abstracted philosophy1 would do but little in this service4 ,besides1 few persons want to be informed what humility is1 or how becoming such a creature as man4 ,and no informations1 in the general way of reasoning1 could be given with so much precision1 but that a willing mind might find a way to mistake or pervert them4 ',tis well then that the text supplies another method of combating the universal pride of mankind4 ,it calls upon us to contemplate1 in the person of ,jesus1 the true and living form of humility2 and holds out a solid1 and suitable reward to the votaries of this divine virtue4 ,would ye know what it is to be meek and lowly in heart8 ,learn of ,jesus4 ,do ye ask for what end ye should learn this lesson of him8 the answer is direct and satisfactory1 ,ye shall find rest to your souls4 ,these topics1 then1 must employ what remains of this discourse4 ,i4 ,the particulars of ,christ's humility may be seen at large in the history of his life4 ,but they are summed up by the ,apostle ,paul in few words4 ,let this mind be in you1 says he to the ,philippians1 which was also in ,christ ,jesus3 ,who1 being in the form of ,god1 thought it no robbery to be equal with ,god i4 e4 was in no haste to seize upon and assert his right of equality with him2 but made himself of no reputation1 and took upon him the form of a servant1 and was made in the likeness of man2 and being found in fashion1 as a man1 he humbled himself1 and became obedient to death1 even the death of the cross#aeb4 ,who1 that hears these words1 can have a doubt concerning the nature of humility1 or concerning the duties of it8 ,if heaven stooped to earth2 if ,jesus descended from the dignity1 ,i do not say of an angel1 or an archangel1 but of ,god himself1 to the abject state of man2 if he humbled himself to the lowest condition of that state2 veiled all his glories in the form of a servant2 in that form administered to our infirmities and necessities2 bore all the scorn1 the contradiction1 the contumely of injurious men2 and even submitted himself to death1 the ignominious death of the cross1 for their sake--,if this mind was in ,christ ,jesus1 who but must see1 that the greatest of mankind may well descend from all his real or fancied eminence1 for the service of his brother8 may easily forego the little advantage1 which his birth1 his rank1 his wealth1 his learning1 or his parts1 may seem to give him over his fellows1 when an act of charity is to be performed by him2 when the distresses1 the infirmities1 nay the vices of humanity1 may be relieved1 and covered1 and corrected1 by such condescension8 ,to stoop for such ends is almost pride itself3 and to emulate such a pattern1 is scarce humility1 but glory4 ,nor think1 that this humility requires of you more than reason requires4 ,you may suppress your pride1 without giving up necessary self-defence4 ,ye may be meek and lowly in heart1 without being unjust to yourselves1 or imprudent4 ,when your essential interests are concerned1 ye may assert them with firmness1 and even with spirit1 in all ways1 which good sense allows1 or true wisdom recommends4 ,but let not every petty injury1 much less any fancied injury1 be presently avenged2 let not little neglects or discourtesies be hastily resented2 overlook many injuries1 if not considerable2 nay1 and many considerable injuries1 if they be but tolerable4 ,think not that your dignity will suffer by such connivance4 ,the true dignity of man1 is the performance of his duty4 ,or1 if some indignity be sustained1 consider on whose account1 and by whose command ye suffer it4 ,consider1 that ,he1 whose dignity was infinitely above yours1 submitted to every indignity1 and for your sake4 ,the authority of your divine ,master is nothing1 if it cannot bind you in any instance to bear his yoke3 ,and to what end is the example of your divine ,saviour set before you1 if ye resolve1 on no account1 to take up your cross and follow him#aec8 ,but1 because our compassionate ,lord saw how uneasy this precept would be to the indulged and inveterate pride of his followers1 he has therefore condescended to assure them that their obedience to it will1 even in this world1 be attended with a suitable reward4 ,ye shall find rest to your souls4 ,and this ,,ii4 ,is the other topic1 which ,i engaged to insist upon1 in this discourse4 ,the great objection to the virtues of meekness and humility1 is1 that the practice of them will put us to some present pain in resisting the impulse of our disordered passions4 ,it will do so4 ,nature prompts us to repel an injury2 and that nature1 vitiated and depraved1 is in haste to repel it with indignation1 and even fury4 ,to give way to the impetuous sentiment1 would give us immediate ease2 and to suppress it1 till the practice becomes habitual1 will cost us some throws and agitation of mind4 ,to counteract this instant disquiet1 a recompence is proposed1 exactly suited to the trial4 ,our mind is discomposed1 for the instant1 by the struggle we have to make with the incensed passion3 ,when that is over1 it settles again into a full and permanent tranquillity4 ,we find rest1 as the text speaks1 to our souls3 we have the purest peace within1 and have no disturbance of it to apprehend1 from without4 #a4 ,the uneasiness which pride engenders1 receives1 as ,i said1 some present relief1 from the free course of that passion4 ,but see the consequence of giving way to it4 ,disgust1 remorse1 fear1 and hate1 succeed to the indulgence of this fiery sentiment1 ,i mean1 when it proceeds so far as to acts of revenge4 ,but1 if it stop short of this extreme1 still the mind1 by nourishing its resentments1 and brooding over the idea of a supposed indignity1 hurts its own peace2 grows sore and fretful1 and suspicious2 and1 though it be somewhat flattered by the first tumultuous effort of its indignation1 which looks like courage and high spirit2 yet1 the briskness of this sensation soon goes off1 and flattens into a sullen gloom of thought1 the bane of every selfish1 as well as social enjoyment4 ,it is much otherwise with the meek and lowly in heart4 ,they never retaliate injuries1 and seldom resent them4 ,they either feel not the stroke of them2 or1 if they do1 the wound is instantly healed by the balsamic virtue of their own minds4 ,but1 indeed1 a man1 well disciplined in the school of humility1 receives but few injuries1 for he suspects none2 it being1 ,i think1 true1 that1 for one real injury done us by others1 a hundred such things1 as we call by that name1 are only bred in our own captious and distempered imaginations4 ,and then1 for those few injuries which he actually receives1 they are easily slighted or forgotten by him2 because he sees them only in their true shape and size1 and not as magnified by an extravagant opinion of his own worth1 and as extravagant a contempt of the aggressor4 ,he knows his own infirmities1 and can allow for those of other men4 ,if they are petulant or unjust1 he1 perhaps1 has been inobservant or imprudent3 besides1 he never thought himself entitled to any special respect1 and therefore wonders the less1 if no great ceremony has been used towards him4 ,to these suggestions of humanity1 he adds those of religion4 ,he knows what his ,master enjoins1 and he remembers on what terms the injunction is pressed upon him4 ,and thus1 though the indignity seem great1 he easily excuses one half of it1 and forgives the other4 ,the issue is1 that he finds rest in his own soul1 which the proud man never does3 so that1 as to internal peace1 the advantage is clearly on the side of meekness and humility4 ,but then1 #b4 ,as to external peace1 the matter may be thought more problematical4 8,for that softness of mind1 which religion calls humility1 invites1 it is said1 and multiplies injuries4 ,forgive one insult1 and you draw upon you a hundred more so that1 if humility be a virtue1 it is never likely to be out of breath for want of exercise and employment4 ,in a word1 the world is so base1 that there is no keeping it in respect1 but by fear3 and how is that needful sentiment to be impressed on the minds of injurious men1 in those numberless cases which civil justice cannot reach1 but by a quick resentment and personal high spirit80 ,such is the language of those who have learned their ethics of the world1 and not of the ,gospel4 ,but let us see what there is in the allegation itself4 ,to connive at one indignity1 is1 they say1 the ready way to invite another4 ,it may be so1 in some rare cases1 when we have to do with singularly base and ungenerous natures2 but even then1 ,i think1 chiefly1 if not solely1 when that connivance is joined with imprudence or folly3 and then it is not humility should bear the blame1 but our own indiscretion4 ,besides1 the question is concerning a general rule of conduct3 and this rule may be a fit and reasonable one1 though it admit1 as most rules do1 of some exceptions4 ,again1 though a wise and good man will frequently suppress1 and always moderate resentment1 yet neither reason nor the religion of ,jesus requires1 that in no case whatsoever should we be actuated by that principle4 ,the principle itself1 as ,i have shewn1 is a natural one1 and under due restraint may serve to good purposes2 one of which1 perhaps1 is to give check to overbearing insolence and oppression1 ,i mean when it rises to a certain degree and exceeds certain bounds4 ,even our blessed ,lord1 who was meekness itself1 thought fit on some occasions to express a very strong resentment3 as1 when he upbraided the ,pharisees in no gentle terms1 but1 in a just indignation at their malice1 went so far as to brand them with the bitter names of vipers and serpents1 and to menace them with the flames of hell#aed4 ,so that meekness and resentment are not absolutely incompatible2 though the danger of exceeding in this last quality is so great1 that the general rule both of reason and ,christianity1 is to cultivate meekness in ourselves1 and to restrain our resentments4 8,but1 if exceptions be allowed in any case1 the rule1 it will be said1 becomes of no use2 for that pride and passion will find an exception in every case40 ,if they should1 they must answer for themselves4 ,in all moral matters1 something1 nay much1 must be left to the fairness and honesty of the mind4 ,without this principle1 the plainest rule of life may be evaded or abused3 and with it1 even that hard saying1 of loving our enemies1 which is near of kin to this of meekness1 is easily understood1 and may be reasonably applied4 8,still1 the rule1 it is said1 must be an improper one2 for that the world1 not some few persons1 but mankind in general1 are only to be kept in order by force and fear40 ,so far as there is truth in this observation1 the civil sword1 in every country1 supplies that needful restraint4 ,but in the general commerce between man and man1 in all offices of civility and society1 that is1 in cases where the stronger passions and more important interests of men are not directly concerned1 as they are in what relates to property and power1 the observation is clearly not true4 ,here1 pride is the predominant vice of mankind4 ,and pride is naturally softened and disarmed by placability and meekness4 ,the good humour of the world is easily and most effectually maintained by mutual concessions and reciprocal civilities3 for pride1 having a mixture of generosity in it1 yields to these1 and loses all the fierceness of its nature4 ,so that they1 who bring this charge against the world1 calumniate their kind1 and either shew that they have kept ill company2 or1 as ,i rather suspect1 have never tried the experiment1 which they say is so hopeless4 ,let them learn to think more favourably1 that is1 more justly1 of human nature4 ,we are passionate1 infirm creatures1 indeed2 but still men1 and not fiends4 ,let them set the example of that humility1 which they affect to think so unpromising a guard against injuries3 and ,i dare assure them they will generally find themselves better defended by it1 than by any resentment or high spirit which they can possibly exert4 ,lastly1 ,i would observe1 that1 if in some rare instances1 and in places1 especially1 where fashion has made resentment highly creditable1 this practice be found inconvenient1 the rule is not to be set aside on that account4 ,the authority of the legislator should exact obedience to it2 and the inconvenience will be amply compensated by other considerations4 ,we shall have the merit of testifying the sincerity of our religion1 by giving to ,god and man so eminent a proof of it2 and1 in due time1 we shall have our reward4 ,to conclude3 in this and all other cases1 we shall do well to learn of ,jesus1 who was meek and lowly in heart4 ,his authority1 his example1 his affectionate call upon us in the words of the text1 are powerful motives to the practice of this duty4 ,and for the rest1 we have seen1 that it leads directly to peace and quiet1 in our intercourse with each other2 or1 if the perverseness of man should sometimes disappoint us in this expectation1 that it will certainly and infallibly yield rest to our own souls4 ,,sermon ,,xxiv4 ,,preached ,,april #cj1 #agfi4 ,,luke xvi4 #ad4 ,and the ,pharisees also1 who were covetous1 heard all those things1 and they derided him4 ,but what then were those things which our ,lord had said in the hearing of the ,pharisees1 and for which they derided him8 ,had he been inveighing against the vice of covetousness in any unreasonable manner8 ,had he carried the opposite virtue to an extreme1 as some moralists have done8 ,had he told the ,pharisees that the possession1 and much more the enjoyment of riches1 was1 universally1 and under all circumstances1 unlawful8 ,had he pressed it as a matter of conscience upon them1 to divest themselves of their wealth1 and to embrace an absolute and voluntary poverty8 ,had he even gone so far as to advise these ,pharisees1 as he once did a rich man1 to sell what they had and give it to the poor1 and then take up the cross and follow him#aee8 ,alas1 no4 ,he had been saying none of these things4 ,he did not think well enough of the ,pharisees to give this last counsel of exalted charity to them2 a counsel1 which he had addressed to one whom he loved1 to one who was a virtuous man as well as rich1 and who wanted only this one thing1 to make him perfect4 ,and as for those other precepts1 which would have implied1 that riches were unlawful in themselves1 and the possession of them a crime1 he was too sober a moralist to address a lecture of this sort to any of his hearers4 ,the truth is1 he had only been advising rich men to employ their wealth in such a way as should turn to the best account1 to make themselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness2 that is1 such friends1 as should be able to repay them with interest1 and1 when these houses of clay are overturned1 should receive them into everlasting habitations3 and1 to give this advice the greater weight with them1 he had concluded his discourse with saying1 that such conduct was even necessary1 if they aspired to this reward1 for that they could not serve ,god and mammon2 that is1 they could not serve ,god acceptably1 unless they withdrew their service from mammon in all those cases1 in which the commands of two such different masters interfered with each other4 ,such1 and so reasonable was the doctrine which ,jesus had been delivering to the ,pharisees4 ,and how then could it provoke their derision8 ,the text answers this question--,,they ,,were ,,covetous4 ,their life was a contradiction to this doctrine1 and therefore they found it unreasonable1 and even ridiculous4 ,nor let it be thought1 that this illusion is peculiar to avarice4 ,it is familiar to vice of every kind1 to scorn reproof2 to make light of the doctrine1 which condemns it2 and1 when it cannot confute1 to deride the teacher4 ,so that the text affords this general observation1 8,that1 when the heart is corrupted by any vice1 it naturally breeds a disposition to unreasonable mirth and ridicule40 ,and1 because this levity of mind1 in its turn1 corrupts the heart still further1 it may be of use to open to you1 more particularly1 the sources of irreligious scorn2 to let you see from how base an origin it springs2 how it rises1 indeed1 on the subversion of every principle1 by which a virtuous man is governed1 and by which there is hope that a vicious man may be reclaimed4 ,now ye will easily apprehend how the sinner comes to cultivate in himself this miserable talent1 if ye reflect2 how much he is concerned to avoid the ,,evidence of moral truth2 how insensible he chuses to be to the ,,differences of moral sentiment2 how studiously he would keep out of sight the ,,consequences of moral action3 ,and if ye consider1 withal1 how well adapted the way of ridicule is1 to answer all these purposes4 ,i4 ,,first1 then1 the sinner is much disposed to withhold his attention from the evidence of moral truth2 and the way of ridicule favours this bad disposition4 ,when a moral lesson is addressed to us1 it is but a common piece of respect we owe the teacher of it1 and indeed ourselves1 to see what the ideas are of which the doctrine is made up2 to consider whether there be a proper coherence between those ideas2 whether what is affirmed in the proposition be consonant to truth and reason1 or not4 ,if upon this enquiry we find that the affirmation is well founded1 either from our immediate perception of the dependency between the ideas themselves1 or from the evidence of some remoter principle1 with which it is duly connected1 we admit it thenceforth as a truth1 and are obliged1 if we would act in a reasonable manner1 to pay it that regard which may be due to its importance4 ,this is the duty of a rational hearer in the school of instruction3 and this1 the process of the mind1 in discharging that duty4 ,but this work of the understanding1 it is plain1 requires attention and seriousness2 attention1 to apprehend the meaning of the proposition delivered to us1 and seriousness1 to judge of its truth and moment4 ,indeed1 if the result of our enquiry be1 that the proposition is unmeaning1 or false1 or frivolous1 we of course reject it1 and1 perhaps1 with some contempt3 but then this contempt is subsequent to the inquiry1 and would itself be ridiculous1 if it went before it4 ,it is apparent1 then1 what reason demands in the case4 ,but the precipitancy of the mind is such1 that it often concludes before it understands1 and1 what is worse1 contemns what it has not examined4 ,this last folly is more especially chargeable on those who are under the influence of some inveterate prejudice1 or prevailing passion4 ,for1 when the moral instruction pressed upon us1 directly opposes a principle we will not part with1 or contradicts an inclination we resolve to cherish1 the very repugnancy of the doctrine to our notions or humours creates disgust3 and then1 to spare ourselves the trouble of inquiry1 or to countenance the hasty persuasion that we have no need to inquire at all1 we very naturally express that disgust in contempt and ridicule4 ,i explain myself by the instance in the text1 ,jesus had said1 ,ye cannot serve ,god and mammon4 ,the ,pharisees1 who heard him say this1 had taken their resolution1 to serve mammon2 and they had1 it seems1 a principle of their own1 on which they presumed to satisfy themselves1 that they1 likewise1 served ,god4 ,now1 this aphorism of our ,lord coming against these prejudices1 they had not the patience to consider what truth there was in the assertion2 what it was to serve ,god1 and what it was to serve mammon2 and what inconsistency there was between these two services4 ,this way of inquiry1 which reason prescribes1 was too slow for these impatient spirits2 and1 besides1 was contrary to their fixed purpose of adhering1 to their old principles and practices4 ,they therefore take a shorter method of setting aside the obnoxious proposition4 ,they conclude hastily1 that their service of mammon was1 some how or other1 made consistent with their service of ,god1 by virtue of their long prayers4 ,and1 for the rest1 they condescend not to reason upon the point at all3 to get quit of this trouble1 or rather1 to conceal from themselves1 if possible1 the deformity of their practice1 they slur an important lesson over with an air of negligent raillery1 and think it sufficient to deride the teacher of it4 ,ye see then how naturally it comes to pass that the way of ridicule is taken up by the sinner1 to avoid the trouble and confusion which must needs arise from a serious attention to the evidence of moral truth4 ,,ii4 ,it serves equally in the next place1 to sooth and flatter his corruption1 by keeping him insensible1 as he would chuse to be1 to the differences of moral sentiment4 ,the divine wisdom has so wonderfully contrived human nature1 that there needs little more in moral matters1 than plainly and clearly to represent any instruction to the mind1 in order to procure its assent to it4 ,whatever the instruction be1 whether it affirm this conduct to be virtuous1 or that vicious1 if the mind be in its natural state1 it more than sees1 it feels1 the truth or falshood of it4 ,the appeal lies directly to the heart1 and to certain corresponding sentiments of right and wrong1 instantly and unavoidably excited by the moral proposition#aef4 ,it is true1 the vivacity of these sentiments may be much weakened by habits of vice2 but they must grow into a great inveteracy indeed1 before they can altogether extinguish the natural perception4 ,the only way to prevent this sensibility from taking place in a mind1 not perfectly abandoned1 is to keep the moral truth itself out of sight2 or1 which comes to the same thing1 to misrepresent it4 ,for1 being then not taken for what it is1 but for something else1 it is the same thing as if the truth itself had not been proposed to us4 ,but now this power of misrepresentation is that faculty in which ridicule excells4 ,nothing is easier for it than to distort a reasonable proposition1 or to throw some false light of the fancy upon it4 ,the soberest truth is then travestied into an apparent falshood2 and1 instead of exciting the moral sentiment which properly belongs to it1 only serves1 under this disguise1 to provoke the scorner's mirth on a phantom of his own raising4 ,the instance in the text will again illustrate this observation4 ,had the ,pharisees seen1 that1 to serve ,god implies an universal obedience to all his laws1 and that1 to serve mammon implies an equal submission to all the maxims of the world1 and that these laws and these maxims are1 in numberless cases1 directly contrary to each other1 they would then have seen our ,lord's observation in its true light2 and they could not have helped feeling the propriety of the conduct recommended to them4 ,but the sentiments arising out of this truth1 would have given no small disturbance to men1 who were determined to act in defiance of them4 ,to avoid this inconvenience1 they had only to put a false gloss on the words of ,jesus2 to suppose1 for instance1 that by serving ,god was meant1 to make long prayers1 and by serving mammon1 to make a reasonable provision for their families2 and1 then1 where was the inconsistency of two such services8 ,in this way of understanding the text1 nothing is easier than to serve ,god and mammon4 ,and thus1 by substituting a proposition of their own1 in the room of that which he had delivered1 they escape from his reproof1 and even find means to divert themselves with it4 ,,iii4 ,but1 lastly1 a vicious man is not more concerned to obscure the evidence of moral truth1 and to suppress in himself the differences of moral sentiment1 than he is to keep out of sight the consequences of moral action3 and what so likely as ridicule to befriend him also in this project4 ,when the sinner looks forward into the effects of a vicious life1 he sees so much misery springing up before him1 even in this world1 and so dreadful a recompence reserved for him in another1 that the prospect must needs be painful to him4 ,he has his choice1 indeed1 whether to stop1 or proceed1 in his evil course2 but1 if he resolve to proceed1 one cannot think it strange that he should strive to forget1 both what he is about1 and whither he is going4 ,and1 if other expedients fail him1 he very naturally takes refuge in a forced intemperate pleasantry4 ,for the very effort to be witty occupies his attention1 and gratifies his vanity4 ,a little crackling mirth1 besides1 diverts and entertains him2 and1 though his case will not bear reasoning upon1 yet a lively jest shall pass upon others1 and sometimes upon himself1 for the soundest reason4 ,this is the true account of that disposition to ridicule1 which the world so commonly observes in bad men1 and sometimes mistakes for an argument of their tranquillity1 when it is1 in truth1 an evident symptom of their distress4 ,for they would forget themselves1 in this noisy mirth2 just as children laugh out1 to keep up their spirits in the dark4 ,let me alledge the case in the text once more1 to exemplify this remark4 ,when our ,lord reproved the ,pharisees for their covetousness1 and admonished them how impossible it was to serve ,god and mammon1 the weight of this remonstrance should1 in all reason1 have engaged their serious attention3 and then they would have seen how criminal their conduct was1 in devouring widows houses1 while yet they pretended a zeal for the house of ,god2 and being led by the principles of their sect to admit a future existence1 it was natural for them1 under this conviction1 to expect the just vengeance of their crimes4 ,but vice had made them ingenious1 and taught them how to elude this dreadful conclusion4 ,they represented to themselves their reprover in a ridiculous light2 probably as one of those moralists1 who know nothing of the world1 and outrage truth and reason in their censures of it3 or1 they affected to see him in this light1 in order to break the force of his remonstrance1 and insinuate to the by-standers1 that it merited no other confutation than that of neglect4 ,they did1 then1 as vicious men are wont to do2 they resolved not to consider the consequences of their own conduct2 and supported themselves in this resolution by deriding the person1 who1 in charity1 would have led them to their duty4 ,thus it appears how naturally the way of ridicule is employed by those who determine not to comply with the rules of reason and religion4 ,they are solicitous to keep the evidence of moral truth from pressing too closely upon them3 they would confound and obliterate1 if they could1 the differences of moral sentiment3 they would overlook1 if possible1 the consequences of moral action3 and nothing promises so fair to set them at ease1 in these three respects1 as to cultivate that turn of mind1 which obscures truth1 hardens the heart1 and stupifies the understanding4 ,for such is the proper effect of dissolute mirth2 the mortal foe to reason1 virtue1 and to common prudence4 ,i have shewn you this very clearly in the case of one vice1 the vice of avarice1 as exemplified by the ,pharisees in the text4 ,but1 as ,i said1 every other vice is equally disingenuous1 and for the same reason4 ,tell the ambitious man1 in the language of ,solomon1 that by humility and the fear of the ,lord1 cometh honour#aeg2 and he will loudly deride his instructor3 or1 tell the voluptuous man1 in the language of ,st4 ,paul1 that he1 who liveth in pleasure1 is dead while he liveth#aeh2 and you may certainly expect the same treatment4 ,it is not1 that vague and general invectives against vice will always be thus received3 but let the reproof1 as that in the text1 be pressing and poignant1 let it come home to men's bosoms1 and penetrate1 by its force and truth1 the inmost foldings and recesses of conscience1 and see if the man1 who is touched by your reproof1 and yet will not be reclaimed by it2 see1 ,i say1 if he be not carried1 by a sort of instinct1 to repel your charitable pains with scorn and mockery4 ,had ,jesus instructed the ,pharisees to pray and fast often2 or had he exhorted them1 in general terms1 to keep the law and to serve ,god2 they had probably given him the hearing with much apparent composure3 but when he spoke against serving mammon1 whom they idolized3 and still more1 when he told these hypocritical worldlings1 that their service of mammon did not1 and could not consist with ,god's service1 to which they so much pretended2 then it was that they betook themselves to their arms3 they heared these things1 and because they were covetous1 they derided their teacher4 ,if this be a just picture of human nature1 it may let us see how poor a talent that of ridicule is1 both in its origin1 and application4 ,for1 when employed in moral and religious matters1 we may certainly pronounce of it1 ,that it springs from vice1 and means nothing else but the support of it4 ,should not the scorner himself1 then1 reflect of what every other man sees1 8,that his mirth implies guilt1 and that he only laughs1 because he dares not be serious80 ,but ,solomon#aei has long since read the destiny of him1 who would reprove men of this character4 ,it will be to better purpose1 therefore1 to warn the young and unexperienced against the contagion of vicious scorn2 by which many have been corrupted1 on whom vice itself1 in its own proper form1 would have made no impression4 ,for the modesty of virtue too easily concludes1 that what is much ridiculed must1 itself1 be ridiculous3 and1 when this conclusion is taken up1 reflexion many times comes too late to correct the mischiefs of it4 ,let those1 then1 who have not yet seated themselves in the chair of the scorner1 consider1 that ridicule is but the last effort of baffled vice to keep itself in countenance2 that it betrays a corrupt turn of mind1 and only serves to promote that corruption4 ,let them understand1 that this faculty is no argument of superior sense1 rarely of superior wit2 and that it proves nothing but the profligacy1 or the folly of him1 who affects to be distinguished by it4 ,let them1 in a word1 reflect1 that virtue and reason love to be1 and can afford to be1 serious3 but that vice and folly are undone1 if they let go their favourite habit of scorn and derision4 ,,sermon ,,xxv4 ,,preached ,,june #be1 #agge4 ,,ecclesiastes v4 #aj4 ,he that loveth silver1 shall not be satisfied with silver4 ,if a preacher on these words should set himself to declaim against silver1 he would probably be but ill-heared1 and would certainly go beside the meaning of his text4 ,,silver 7or gold7 is only an instrument of exchange2 a sign of the price which things bear in the commerce of life4 ,this instrument is of the most necessary use in society4 ,without it1 there would be no convenience of living1 no supply of our mutual wants1 no industry1 no civility1 ,i had almost said1 no virtue among men4 ,the author of the text was clearly of this mind2 since1 on many occasions1 he makes wealth the reward of wisdom1 and poverty1 of folly2 and since he laboured all his life1 and with suitable success1 to multiply gold and silver in his dominions1 beyond the example of all former1 and indeed succeeding1 kings of the ,jewish state4 ,the precious metals1 then1 7both for the reason of the thing1 and the authority of ,solomon7 shall preserve their lustre unsullied1 and their honours unimpaired by me4 ,poets and satirists have1 indeed1 execrated those1 who tore the entrails of the earth for them2 and1 provoked by the general abuse of them1 have seemed willing that they should be sent back to their beds again4 ,but sober moralists hold no such language2 and are content that they remain above ground1 and shine out in the face of the sun4 ,still 7for ,i come now to the true meaning of my text7 good and useful things may be ,,over-,,rated1 or ,,misapplied2 and1 in either way1 may become hurtful to us4 ,he1 that1 in the emphatic language of the preacher1 ,,loveth silver1 certainly offends in one of these ways1 and probably in both3 and1 when he does so1 it will be easy to make good the royal denunciation--that he shall not be ,,satisfied with it4 #a4 ,now1 wealth is surely over-rated1 when1 instead of regarding it only as the means of procuring a reasonable enjoyment of our lives1 we dote upon it for its own sake1 and make it the end1 or chief object of our pursuits3 when we sacrifice1 not only ease and leisure1 7which1 though valuable things1 are often well recompensed by the pleasures of industry and activity71 but health and life to it3 when we grieve nature#afj1 to gratify this fantastic passion2 and give up the social pleasures1 the true pleasures of humanity1 for the sordid satisfaction of seeing ourselves possessed of an abundance1 which we never mean to enjoy3 above all1 when we purchase wealth at the expence of our innocence2 when we prefer it to a good name1 and a clear conscience2 when we suffer it to interfere with our most important concerns1 those of piety and religion2 and when1 for the sake of it1 we are contented to forego the noblest hopes1 the support and glory of our nature1 the hopes of happiness in a future state4 ,when the false glitter of silver 7of which the owner1 as ,solomon says1 has1 and proposes to himself1 no other good1 but that of beholding it with his eyes#afa7 imposes upon us at this rate1 how should our reasonable nature find any true or solid satisfaction in it6 8,but the mere act of acquiring and accumulating wealth is1 it will be said1 the miser's pleasure1 of which himself1 and no other1 is the proper judge2 and a certain confused notion of the uses1 to which it may serve1 though he never actually puts it to any1 is enough to justify his pursuit of it40 ,be it so1 then3 ,but is there no better pleasure for him to aim at1 and which he loses by following this2 and although a man's ways1 we are told1 be right in his own eyes#afb2 yet1 is there no difference in them1 and do not some of them lead through much trouble to disappointment and death8 ,and is there not a presumption1 a certainty1 that the way of the miser is of this sort8 when his very name may admonish him of the light in which the common sense of mankind regards his pursuit of untasted opulence2 and when he finds1 by experience1 that his unnatural appetite for it is always encreasing1 be the plenty never so great which is set before him4 ,but1 #b4 ,wealth may be ,,misapplied1 as well as over-rated1 and generally is so1 in the most offensive manner1 by those1 who think there are no pleasures1 which it cannot command4 ,for1 although the miser has the worse name in the world1 yet the spendthrift 7since a certain alliance1 which has taken place between luxury and avarice7 possibly deserves our indignation more4 ,but ye shall judge for yourselves4 ,are not riches1 let me ask1 sadly misapplied1 when1 after having been pursued and seized upon1 with more than a miser's fury1 they are suddenly let go again1 on all the wings#afc of prodigality and folly8 which scatter their precious load1 not on modest merit1 or virtuous industry1 or suffering innocence1 but on the flatterers of pride1 the retainers of pomp1 the panders of pleasure2 in a word1 on those miscreants1 who imped these harpies1 and sent them forth1 for the annoyance of mankind4 ,and well are these spendthrifts repaid for their good service4 ,for this profusion brings on more pains and penalties1 than ,i am able to express2 disappointment1 regret1 disgust1 and infamy2 and not uncommonly1 in the train of these1 that tremendous spectre to a voluptuous man1 ,poverty3 or1 if the source1 which feeds this whirlpool of riotous expence1 be yet unexhausted1 and flow copiously1 these waters have that baleful quality1 that they inflame1 instead of quenching1 the drinker's thirst4 ,all his natural appetites grow nice and delicate2 and ten thousand artificial ones are created1 and become more vexatious to him1 than any that are of nature's growth4 ,the idolater of riches1 the infatuated lover of silver1 now finds1 that the power he serves1 the mistress he adores1 yields him no other fruit of all his assiduity1 but self-abhorrence and distraction2 the loss of all virtuous feelings2 and numberless clamorous desires1 which give him no truce of their importunity1 and are incapable1 by any gratification1 of being quieted and assuaged4 ,so true is the observation1 that he1 who1 loveth silver1 shall not be satisfied with silver6 ,for1 either the passion grows upon us1 when the object is not enjoyed2 or1 if it be1 a new force is given to it1 and a legion of other passions1 as impatient and unmanageable as the original one1 start up out of the enjoyment itself4 ,i know the lovers of money are not easily made sensible of this fatal alternative4 ,they think1 that this1 or that sum1 will fill#afd all their wishes1 and make them as rich1 and as happy1 as they desire to be4 ,but they presently feel their mistake2 and yet rarely find out1 that the way to content lies through self-command1 and that to have enough of any thing which this world affords1 we must be careful not to grasp at too much of it4 ,on the entrance into life1 higher and more generous motives usually excite the better part of mankind to labour in those professions1 that are accounted liberal4 ,but1 as they proceed in their course1 interest1 which was always one spur to their industry1 infixes itself deeply into their minds1 and stimulates them more sensibly than any other4 ,it can scarce be otherwise1 considering the influence of example2 the experience they have1 or think they have1 of the advantages1 that attend encreasing wealth2 the fashion of the times1 which indulges1 or1 as we easily persuade ourselves1 requires refined1 and therefore expensive1 pleasures2 and1 above all1 the selfishness of the human mind1 which is1 and1 for wise reasons1 was intended to be a powerful spring of action in us4 ,thus there are several adventitious1 shall we call them8 or natural inclinations1 which prompt us to the pursuit of riches2 and ,i would not be so rigid1 as to insist on the total suppression of them4 ,let then the fortune1 or the honour 7for both are included in the magical word silver7 which eminent worth may propose to itself1 be among the inducements which erect the hopes1 and quicken the application1 of a virtuous man4 ,but let him know withal 7and ,i am in no pain for the effect1 which this premature knowledge may have upon him7 that the application1 and not the object1 is that in which he will find his account2 just as the pursuit1 and not the game1 is the true reward of the chace4 ,he who thinks otherwise1 and reckons that affluence is content1 or grandeur1 happiness1 will have leisure1 if he attain to either1 to rectify his opinion1 and to see that he had made a very false estimate of human life4 ,and1 now1 having thus far commented on my text1 ,i will take leave1 for once1 to step beyond it1 and shew you1 in few words 7for many cannot be necessary on so plain a subject7 where and how satisfaction may be found4 ,in the abundance of silver1 it does not1 and cannot lie2 nor yet in a cynical contempt of it3 but1 in few and moderate desires2 in a correct taste of life1 which consults nature more than fancy in the choice of its pleasures2 in rejecting imaginary wants1 and keeping a strict hand on those that are real2 in a sober use of what we possess1 and no further concern about more than what may engage us1 by honest means1 to acquire it2 in considering who1 and what we are#afe2 that we are creatures of a day1 to whom long desires and immeasurable projects are very ill suited2 that we are reasonable creatures1 who should make a wide difference between what seems to be1 and what is important2 that we are accountable creatures1 and should be more concerned to make a right use of what we possess1 than to enlarge our possessions2 that1 above all1 we are ,christians1 who are expected to sit loose to a transitory world1 to extend our hopes to another life1 and to qualify ourselves for it4 ,in this way1 and with these reflections1 we shall see things in a true light1 and shall either not desire abundant wealth1 or shall understand its true value4 ,the strictest morality1 and even our divine religion1 lays no obligation upon us to profess poverty4 ,we are even required to be industrious in our several callings and stations1 and are1 of course1 allowed to reap the fruits1 whatever they be1 of an honest industry4 ,yet it deserves our consideration1 that wealth is always a snare1 and therefore too often a curse2 that1 if virtuously obtained1 it affords but a moderate satisfaction at best2 and that1 if we ,,will be rich1 that is1 resolve by any means1 and at all events1 to be so1 we pierce ourselves through with many sorrows#aff2 that it even requires more virtue to manage1 as we ought1 a great estate1 than to acquire it1 in the most reputable manner2 that affluent1 and1 still more1 enormous wealth secularizes the heart of a ,christian too much1 indisposes him for the offices of piety1 and too often 7though it may seem strange7 for those of humanity2 that it inspires a sufficiency and self-dependance1 which was not designed for mortal man2 an impatience of complying with the rules of reason1 and the commands of religion2 a forgetfulness of our highest duties1 or an extreme reluctance to observe them4 ,in a word1 when we have computed all the advantages1 which a flowing prosperity brings with it1 it will be our wisdom to remember1 that its disadvantages are also great#afg2 greater than surely we are aware of1 if it be true1 as our ,lord himself assures us it is2 that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of ,heaven#afh4 ,yet1 with ,god 7our gracious ,master adds7 all things are possible4 ,i return1 therefore1 to the doctrine with which ,i set out1 and conclude2 that riches are not evil in themselves2 that the moderate desire of them is not unlawful2 that a right use of them is even meritorious4 ,but then you will reflect on what the nature of things1 as well as the voice of ,solomon1 loudly declares1 that he who loveth silver1 shall not be satisfied with silver2 that the capacity of the human mind is not filled with it2 that1 if we pursue it with ardour1 and make it the sole or the chief object of our pursuit1 it never did1 and never can yield a true and permanent satisfaction2 that1 if riches encrease1 it is our interest1 as well as duty1 not to set our hearts upon them#afi2 and that1 finally1 we are so to employ the riches1 we any of us have1 with temperance and sobriety1 with mercy and charity1 as to make ourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness 7of the mammon1 which usually deserves to be so called7 that1 when we fail 7when our lives come1 as they soon will do1 to an end7 they may receive us into everlasting habitations#agj4 ,,sermon ,,xxvi4 ,,preached ,,february #ba1 #aggc4 #a ,,cor4 vi4 #bj4 ,therefore glorify ,god in your body1 and in your spirit1 which are ,god's4 ,the words1 as the expression shews1 are an inference from the preceding part of the ,apostle's discourse4 ,the occasion was this4 ,he had been reasoning1 towards the close of this chapter1 against fornication1 or the vice of impurity2 to which the ,gentiles1 in their unbelieving state1 had been notoriously addicted2 and for which the ,corinthians 7to whom he writes7 were1 even among the ,gentiles themselves1 branded to a proverb4 ,the topics1 he chiefly insists upon1 are taken1 not from nature1 but the principles of our holy religion1 from the right and property1 which ,god hath in ,christians4 ,by virtue of their profession1 their bodies and souls are appropriated to him4 ,,therefore1 says he1 glorify ,god in your body1 and in your spirit1 which are ,god's4 ,to apprehend all the force of this conclusion1 it will be proper to look back to the arguments themselves2 to consider distinctly the substance of them1 and the manner in which they are conducted4 ,this double attention will give us cause to admire1 not the logick only1 but the address1 of the learned ,apostle4 ,i say1 the address2 which the occasion required3 for1 notwithstanding that no sin is more opposite to our holy religion1 and that therefore ,st4 ,paul1 in his epistles to the ,gentile converts1 gives it no quarter1 yet1 as became the wisdom and sanctity of his character1 he forgets not of what1 and to whom1 he writes4 ,the vice itself is of no easy reprehension3 not1 for want of arguments against it1 which are innumerable and irresistible2 but from the reverence which is due to one's self and others4 ,an ,apostle1 especially1 was to respect his own dignity4 ,he was1 besides1 neither to offend the innocent1 nor the guilty4 ,unhappily1 these last1 who needed his plainest reproof1 had more than the delicacy of innocence about them1 and were1 of all men1 the readiest to take offence4 ,for so it is1 the licentious of all times have seared consciences1 and tender apprehensions4 ,it alarms them to hear what they have no scruple to commit4 ,the persons addressed were1 especially1 to be considered4 ,these were ,corinthians3 that is1 a rich commercial people1 voluptuous and dissolute4 ,they were1 besides1 wits and reasoners1 rhetoricians and philosophers3 for under these characters they are represented to us4 ,and all these characters required the ,apostle's attention4 ,as a people addicted to pleasure1 and supported in the habits of it by abounding wealth1 they were to be awakened out of their lethargy1 by an earnest and vehement expostulation3 as pretending to be expert in the arts of reasoning1 they were to be convinced by strict argument3 and1 as men of quick rhetorical fancies1 a reasoner would find his account in presenting his argument to them through some apt and lively image4 ,let us see1 then1 how the ,apostle acquits himself in these nice circumstances4 ,after observing that the sin he had warned the ,corinthians to avoid1 was a sin against their own body2 that is1 was an abuse and defilement of it1 he proceeds1 8,what6 know ye not that your body is the temple of the ,holy ,ghost1 which is in you1 which ye have of ,god8 ,and ye are not your own2 for ye are bought with a price2 therefore1 glorify ,god in your body1 and in your spirit1 which are ,god's40 ,the address1 we see1 is poignant2 the reasoning1 close2 and the expression1 oratorical4 ,the vehemence of his manner could not but take their attention3 his argumentation1 as being founded on ,christian principles and ideas1 must be conclusive to the persons addressed2 and1 as conveyed in remote and decent figures1 the delicacy of their imaginations is respected by it4 ,the whole deserves to be opened and explained at large4 ,such an explanation1 will be the best discourse ,i can frame on this subject4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 the ,apostle asks1 ,what6 know ye not that your body is the temple of the ,holy ,ghost8--,this question refers to that great ,christian principle1 that we live in the communion of the ,holy ,ghost#aga2 not1 in the sense in which we all live and move and have our being in ,god2 but in a special and more exalted sense2 the ,gospel teaching1 that ,god hath given to us ,christians the ,holy ,spirit#agb1 to be with us1 and in us2 to purify and comfort us3 that we are baptized by this spirit#agc1 sanctified1 sealed by it to the day of redemption#agd4 ,now this being the case1 the body of a ,christian1 which the ,holy ,ghost inhabits and sanctifies by his presence1 is no longer to be considered as a worthless fabrick1 to be put to sordid uses1 but as the receptacle of ,god's spirit1 as the place of his residence2 in a word1 as his ,,temple and sanctuary4 ,the figure1 you see1 presents an idea the most august and venerable4 ,it carried this impression with it both to the ,gentile and ,jewish ,christians4 ,it did so to the ,gentiles1 whose superstitious reverence for their idol-temples is well known3 and though many an abominable rite was done in them1 yet the nature of the ,deity1 occupying this temple1 which was the ,holy ,ghost1 put an infinite difference between him and their impure deities1 the impurest of which had engrossed the ,corinthian worship4 ,so that this contrast of the object could not but raise their ideas1 and impress the reverence1 which the ,apostle would excite in them for such a temple1 with full effect on their minds#age4 ,and then to ,jews1 the allusion must be singularly striking3 for their supreme pride and boast was1 the temple at ,jerusalem1 the tabernacle of the most high1 dwelling between the cherubims1 and the place of the habitation of ,god's glory#agf4 ,to both ,jew and ,gentile1 the notion of a temple implied these two things1 #a4 ,that the divinity was in a more especial manner present in it3 and1 #b4 ,that it was a place peculiarly set apart for his service4 ,whence the effect of this representation would be1 ,that the body1 having the ,holy ,spirit lodged within it1 was to be kept pure and clean for this clestial inhabitant3 and1 as being dedicated to his own use1 it was not to be prophaned by any indecencies1 much less by a gross sin1 which is1 emphatically1 a sin against the body1 and by heathens themselves accounted a pollution#agg of it4 ,further2 the ,apostle does not leave the ,corinthians to collect all this from the image presented to them1 but asserts it expressly2 ,what6 know ye not1 that your body is the temple of the ,holy ,ghost1 ,,which ,,is ,,in ,,you3 ,implying1 that what they would naturally infer from their idea of a temple1 was true1 in fact1 that the ,holy ,ghost was in them2 that his actual occupancy and possession of their bodies appropriated the use of them to himself1 and excluded all sordid practices in them1 as prophane and ,,sacrilegious4 ,nay1 he further adds2 ,,and ,,which ,holy ,ghost ,,ye ,,have ,,of ,,god3 ye have received this adorable spirit1 which is in you1 from ,god himself2 and so are obliged to entertain this heavenly guest with all sanctity and reverence2 not only for his own sake1 and for the honour he does you in dwelling in you1 but for his sake who sent him1 and from whose hands ye have received him4 ,this first argument1 then1 against the sin of uncleanness1 divested of its figure1 stands thus4 ,in consequence of your ,christian profession1 ye must acknowledge1 that the ,holy ,spirit is given to inform and consecrate your mortal bodies2 that he is actually within you2 and that he dwells and operates there1 by the gracious appointment and commission of ,god4 ,ye are therefore to consider your body as the place of his more especial habitation2 and as such1 are bound to preserve it in such purity1 as the nature of so sacred a presence demands4 ,this is the clear1 obvious1 and conclusive argument2 liable to no objection1 or even cavil1 from a professor of ,christianity4 ,the figure of a temple is only employed to raise our apprehensions1 and to convey the conclusion with more force and energy to our minds4 ,but now1 ,,ii4 ,the ,apostle proceeds to another and distinct consideration1 and shews that the ,holy ,ghost is not only the actual occupier and possessor of the body of ,christians1 whom the ,almighty had1 as it were1 forced upon them1 and by his sovereign authority enjoined them to receive1 but that he was the true and rightful ,,proprietor of it4 ,,ye ,,are ,,not ,,your ,,own1 continues the ,apostle2 not merely1 as 8,god hath1 by his spirit1 taken possession of you1 and sealed you up1 as his own proper goods#agh20 but as he hath redeemed and purchased you1 as he hath done that1 by which the property ye might before seem to have in your bodies1 is actually made over and consigned to him4 ,,for ,,ye ,,are ,,bought ,,with ,a ,,price4 ,the expression is1 again1 figurative2 and refers to the notions and usages that obtained among the heathens1 the ,greeks especially1 in regard to personal slavery4 ,as passionate admirers1 as they were1 of liberty1 every government1 even the most republican1 abounded in slaves2 every family had its share of them4 ,the purchase of them1 as of brute beasts1 was a considerable part of their traffick4 ,men and women were bought and sold publicly in their markets3 the wealth of states and of individuals1 in great measure1 consisted in them4 ,thus was human nature degraded by the ,heathen1 and ,i wish it might be said1 by heathens only4 ,but my present concern is with them4 ,it is too sad a truth that human creatures sold themselves1 or were sold by their masters1 to be employed in the basest services1 even those of luxury and of lust4 ,this infamous practice was common through all ,greece1 but was more especially a chief branch of the ,corinthian commerce4 ,their city was the head-quarters of prostitution1 and the great market for the supply of it4 ,now to this practice the ,apostle alludes1 but in such a manner as implies the severest reproof of it4 ,his remonstrance is to this effect4 8,ye ,corinthians1 in your former pagan state1 made no scruple to consider your slaves as your own absolute property4 ,your pretence was1 that ye had bought them with a price2 that is1 with a piece of money1 which could be no equivalent for the natural inestimable liberty and dignity of a fellow-creature2 yet ye claimed to yourselves their entire1 unreserved service2 and often condemned them to the vilest and most ignominious4 8,to turn now1 says the ,apostle1 from these horrors to a fairer scene2 for ,i take advantage only of your ideas in this matter1 to lead you to just notions of your present ,christian condition4 ,god1 the sole rightful proprietor of the persons of men1 left you in the state of nature1 to the enjoyment of your own liberty1 with no other restraint upon it than what was necessary to preserve so great a blessing1 the restraint of reason4 ,now1 indeed1 but still for your own infinite benefit1 he claims a stricter property in you1 and demands your more peculiar service4 ,he first made you men1 but now ,christians4 ,still he condescends to proceed with you in your own way1 and according to your own ideas of right and justice4 ,he has bought you with a price3 but1 merciful heaven1 with what price8 ,with that1 which exceeds all value and estimation1 with the ,,blood of his only begotten ,son2 the least drop of which is of more virtue than all your hecatombs1 and more precious than the treasures of the ,east4 ,and for what was this price paid8 ,not to enslave1 much less to insult and corrupt you 7as ye wickedly served one another71 but to redeem you into the glorious liberty of the sons of ,god3 ,it was1 to restore you from death to life1 from servitude to freedom1 from corruption to holiness1 to make to himself a peculiar people1 zealous of good works4 ,say1 then1 ,is this ransom an equivalent for the purchase of you8 ,and is the end for which ye are purchased1 such as ye dare complain of1 or have reason to refuse8 ,henceforth1 then1 ye are not your own3 the property of your souls and bodies is freely1 justly1 equitably1 with immense benefit to yourselves1 and unspeakable mercy on the part of the purchaser1 transferred to ,god4 ,your whole and best service is due to him1 of strict right3 what he demands of you is to serve him in all virtue and godliness of living1 and particularly to respect and reverence yourselves2 in a word1 not to pollute yourselves with forbidden lusts4 ,in this way ye are required to serve your new lord and master1 who has the goodness to regard such service1 as an honour and glory to himself4 ,therefore1 do your part inviolably and conscientiously1 ,glorify ,god in your body1 and in your spirit1 which are ,god's40 ,this is the the ,apostle's idea1 when drawn out and explained at large4 ,the reasoning is decisive1 as in the former case3 and the expression admirably adapted to the circumstances of the persons addressed4 ,in plain words1 the argument is this4 ,god has provided1 by the sacrifice of the death of ,christ1 for your redemption from all iniquity1 both the service1 and the wages of it4 ,by your profession of ,christianity1 and free acceptance of this inestimable benefit1 freely offered to you1 ye are become in a more especial manner1 his servants3 ye are bound1 therefore1 by every motive of duty and self-interest to preserve yourselves in all that purity of mind and body1 which his laws require of you2 and for the sake of which ye were taken into this nearer relation to himself4 ,the figure of being bought with a price1 was at once the most natural cover of this reasoning1 as addressed to the ,corinthian ,christians2 and the most poignant reproof of their country's inhuman practice of trafficking in the bodies and souls of men4 ,the force both of the figure and the reasoning is apparently much weakened by this minute comment upon the ,apostle's words1 which yet seemed necessary to make them understood4 ,to draw to a point1 then1 the substance of what has been said1 and to conclude4 ,the vice which the ,apostle had been arguing against1 is condemned by natural reason4 ,but ,christians are bound by additional and peculiar considerations to abstain from it4 ,,ye1 says the ,apostle1 ,,are ,,the ,,temples ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost4 ,to defile yourselves with the sins of uncleanness is1 then1 to desecrate those bodies which the ,holy ,ghost sanctifies by his presence4 ,it is1 in the emphatic language of scripture1 to grieve the holy ,spirit1 and to do despite to the spirit of grace4 ,it is like1 nay it is infinitely worse1 than polluting the sanctuary3 an abomination1 which nature itself teaches all men to avoid and execrate4 ,it is1 in the highest sense of the words1 ,,prophaneness1 ,,impiety1 ,,sacrilege4 ,again2 ,,ye ,,are ,,bought ,,with ,a ,,price3 ye are not your own1 but ,god's2 having been ransomed by him1 your souls and bodies1 when both were lost1 through the death of his ,son3 a price1 of so immense1 so inestimable a value1 that worlds are not equal to it4 ,to dispose of yourselves1 then1 in a way which he forbids and abhors3 to corrupt by your impurities that which belongs to ,god1 which is his right and property2 to serve your lusts1 when ye are redeemed at such a price to serve ,god only1 through ,jesus ,christ2 is an outrage which we poorly express1 when language affords no other names for it1 than those of ,,ingratitude1 ,,infidelity1 ,,injustice4 ,whatever excuses a poor heathen might alledge to palliate this sin1 we ,christians have none to offer4 ,he1 who knew not ,god1 might be led by his pride1 by his passions1 and even by his religion1 to conclude 7as the idolatrous ,corinthians seem to have done7 that his own body was for fornication2 or1 at most1 that he was only accountable to his own soul 7if his philosophy would give him leave to think he had one7 for the misuse of it4 ,but this language is now out of date4 ,the souls and bodies of us ,christians are not ours1 but the ,lord's3 they are occupied by his spirit1 and appropriated to his service4 ,the conclusion follows1 and cannot be inforced in stronger terms than those of the text3 ,,therefore ,,glorify ,,god ,,in ,,your ,,body1 ,,and ,,in ,,your ,,spirit1 ,,which ,,are ,,god',s4 ,,sermon ,,xxvii4 ,,preached ,,march #ac1 #aggd4 ,,job xxiii4 #bf4 ,thou writest bitter things against me1 and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth4 ,this is one of the complaints which ,job makes in his expostulations with the ,almighty4 ,he thought it hard measure that he should suffer1 now in his riper years1 for the iniquities of his youth4 ,he could charge himself with no other2 and therefore he hoped that these had been forgotten4 ,job is all along represented as an eminently virtuous person2 so that the iniquities of his youth might not have been numerous or considerable3 otherwise1 he would not have thought it strange1 that he was made to possess his sins1 long after they had been committed4 ,our experience is1 in this respect1 so constant and uniform1 that there is no room for surprize or expostulation4 ,all those who have passed their youth in sin and folly1 may with reason express a very strong resentment against themselves2 but have no ground of complaint against ,god1 when they cry out1 in the anguish of their souls3 ,thou writest bitter things against me1 and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth4 ,the words are peculiarly strong and energetic2 and may be considered distinctly from the case of ,job1 as expressing this general proposition2 8,that1 in the order of things1 an ill-spent youth derives many lasting evils on the subsequent periods of life40 ,an alarming truth6 which cannot be too much considered1 and should especially be set before the young and unexperienced1 in the strongest light4 ,the sins of youth1 as distinguished from those of riper years1 are chiefly such as are occasioned by an immoderate1 or an irregular pursuit of pleasure2 into which we are too easily carried in that careless part of life2 and the ill effects of which are rarely apprehended by us1 till they are severely felt4 ,now1 it may be said of us1 that we are made to ,,possess these sins1 8,when we continue under the constant sense and unrepented guilt of them30 8,when we labour under tyrannous habits1 which they have produced30 ,and1 8when we groan under afflictions of various kinds1 which they have entailed upon us40 ,in these three respects1 ,i mean to shew how bitter those things are1 which ,god writeth1 that is1 decreeth in his justice1 against the iniquities of our youth4 ,i4 ,the first1 and bitterest effect of this indulgence in vicious pleasure1 is the guilt and consequent remorse of conscience1 we derive from it4 ,when the young mind has been tinctured in any degree with the principles of modesty and virtue1 it is with reluctance and much apprehension1 that it first ventures on the transgression of known duty4 ,but the vivacity and thoughtless gaiety of that early season1 encouraged by the hopes of new pleasure1 and sollicited1 as it commonly happens1 by ill examples1 is at length tempted to make the fatal experiment2 by which guilt is contracted1 and the sting of guilt first known4 ,the ingenuous mind reflects with shame and compunction on this miscarriage but the passion revives2 the temptation returns1 and prevails a second time1 and a third2 still with growing guilt1 but unhappily with something less horror2 yet enough to admonish the offender of his fault1 and to embitter his enjoyments4 ,as no instant mischief1 perhaps1 is felt from this indulgence1 but the pain of remorse1 he1 by degrees1 imputes this effect to an over-timorous apprehension1 to his too delicate self-esteem1 or to the prejudice of education4 ,he next confirms himself in these sentiments1 by observing the practice of the world1 by listening to the libertine talk of his companions1 and by forming1 perhaps1 a sort of system to himself1 by which he pretends to vindicate his own conduct3 till1 at length1 his shame and his fears subside2 he grows intrepid in vice1 and riots in all the intemperance to which youth invites1 and high spirits transport him4 ,in this delirious state he continues for some time4 ,but presently the scene changes4 ,although the habit continue1 the enjoyment is not the same3 the keenness of appetite abates1 and the cares of life succeed to this run of pleasure4 ,but neither the cares nor the pleasures of life can now keep him from reflexion4 ,he cannot help giving way1 at times1 to a serious turn of thought2 and some unwelcome event or other will strike in to promote it4 ,either the loss of a friend makes him grave2 or a fit of illness sinks his spirits2 or it may be sufficient1 that the companions of his idle hours are withdrawn1 and that he is left to himself in longer intervals than he would chuse1 of solitude and recollection4 ,by some or other of these means ,,conscience revives in him1 and with a quick resentment of the outrage she has suffered4 ,attempts to suppress her indignant reproaches1 are no longer effectual3 she will be heared2 and her voice carries terror and consternation with it4 8,she upbraids him1 first1 with his loss of virtue1 and of that which died with it1 her own favour and approbation4 ,she then sets before him the indignity of having renounced all self-command1 and of having served ingloriously under every idle1 every sordid appetite4 ,she next rises in her remonstrance2 represents to him the baseness of having attempted unsuspecting innocence2 the cruelty of having alarmed1 perhaps destroyed1 the honour of deserving families2 the fraud1 the perfidy1 the perjury1 he has possibly committed in carrying on his iniquitous purposes4 ,the mischiefs he has done to others are perhaps not to be repaired2 and his own personal crimes remain to be accounted for2 and1 if at all1 can only be expiated by the bitterest repentance4 ,and what then1 concludes this severe monitor in the awful words of the ,apostle1 ,what fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed8 for the end of those things is death#agi40 ,suppose now this remonstrance to take effect1 and that the sinner is at length 7for what ,i have here represented in few words1 takes much time in doing2 but suppose1 ,i say1 that the sinner is at length7 wrought upon by this remonstrance to entertain some serious thoughts of amendment1 still the consciousness of his ill desert will attend him through every stage of life1 and corrupt the sincerity of all his enjoyments2 while he knows not what will be the issue of his crimes1 or whether1 indeed1 he shall ever be able truly and effectually to repent of them4 ,for we cannot get quit of our sins1 the moment we resolve to do so3 ,but1 as ,i proposed to shew1 ,,ii4 ,in the second place1 we are still made to possess the iniquities of our youth1 while we labour under any remains of those tyrannous habits1 which they have produced in us4 ,there is scarce an object of greater compassion1 than the man who is duly sensible of his past misconduct1 earnestly repents of it1 and strives to reform it1 but yet is continually drawn back into his former miscarriages1 by the very habit of having so frequently fallen into them4 ,such a man's life is a perpetual scene of contradiction2 a discordant mixture of good resolutions1 and weak performances2 of virtuous purposes1 and shameful relapses2 in a word1 of sin and sorrow4 ,and1 were he only to consult his present ease1 an uninterrupted course of vice might almost seem preferable to this intermitting state of virtue4 ,but the misery of this condition comes from himself1 and must be endured1 for the sake of avoiding1 if it may be1 one that is much worse4 ,in the mean time1 he feels most sensibly what it is to possess the iniquities of his youth4 ,the temptation1 perhaps1 to persevere in them1 is not great2 he condemns1 and laments his own weakness4 ,still the habit prevails1 and his repentance1 though constantly renewed1 is unable to disengage him from the power of it4 ,thus he struggles with himself1 perhaps for many years1 perhaps for a great part of his life2 and in all that time is distracted by the very inconsistency of his own conduct1 and tortured by the bitterest pains of compunction and self-abhorrence4 ,but let it be supposed1 that the grace of ,god at length prevails over the tyranny of his inveterate habits2 that his repentance is efficacious1 and his virtue established4 ,yet the memory of his former weakness fills him with fears and apprehensions3 he finds his mind weakened1 as well as polluted1 by his past sins2 he has to strive against the returning influence of them2 and thus1 when penitence and tears have washed away his guilt1 he still thinks himself insecure1 and trembles at the possible danger of being involved again in it4 ,add to all this1 the compunction which such a man feels1 when he is obliged to discountenance in others1 perhaps1 by his station1 to punish those crimes in which he had so long and so freely indulged himself3 and how uneasy the very discharge of his duty is thus rendered to him4 ,to say all upon this head3 his acquired habits1 if not corrected in due time1 may push him into crimes the most atrocious and shocking2 and1 if subdued at length1 will agitate his mind with long dissatisfaction and disquiet4 ,repentance1 if it comes at all1 will come late2 and will never reinstate him fully in the serenity and composure of his lost innocence4 ,but1 ,,iii4 ,lastly1 when all this is done 7and more to do is not in our power7 we may still possess the iniquities of our youth1 in another sense1 ,i mean1 when we groan under the temporal afflictions of many kinds1 which they entail upon us4 ,so close do these sad possessions cleave to us1 and so difficult it is1 contrary to what we observe of all other possessions1 to divest ourselves of them6 ,when ,,pleasure first spreads its share for the young voluptuary1 how little did he suspect the malignity of its nature2 and that under so enchanting an appearance1 it was preparing for him pains and diseases1 declining health1 an early old-age1 perhaps poverty1 infamy1 and irreparable ruin8 ,yet some1 or all of these calamities may oppress him1 when the pleasure is renounced1 and the sin forsaken4 ,youth and health are with difficulty made to comprehend how frail a machine the human body is1 and how easily impaired by excesses4 ,but effects will follow their causes2 and intemperate pleasure is sure to be succeeded by long pains1 for which there is no prevention1 and for the most part1 no remedy4 ,hence it is that life is shortened2 and1 while it lasts1 is full of languor1 disease1 and suffering4 ,if by living fast1 as men call it1 they only abridged the duration of their pleasures1 their folly might seem tolerable4 ,but the case is much worse3 they treasure up to themselves actual sufferings1 from disorders which have no cure1 as well as no name4 ,and not unfrequently it happens1 according to the strong expression in the book of ,job1 that a man's bones are full of the sin of his youth1 till they lie down with him in the grave#ahj4 ,or1 if health continue1 his fortune suffers2 it being an observation as old as ,solomon1 and confirmed by constant experience ever since1 that he who loveth pleasure1 shall not be rich#aha4 ,his paternal inheritance is perhaps wasted1 or much reduced4 ,and his careless youth has lost the opportunity of those improvements which should enable him to repair it4 ,or1 if the abundant provision of wiser ancestors secure him from this mischance2 or1 if he has had the discretion to mix some industry and conomy with his vices1 still his good name is blasted1 and so tender a plant as this is not easily restored to health and vigour4 ,for it is a mistake to think that intemperance leaves no lasting disgrace behind it4 ,the contrary is seen every day2 and the crimes which we commit in the mad pursuit of pleasure1 bring a dishonour with them1 which no age can wholly outlive1 and no virtue can repair#ahb4 ,it stuck close to ,csar himself in his highest fortune3 ,all his laurels could neither hide his baldness from the observation of men1 nor the infamy of that commerce by which it had been occasioned#ahc4 ,all this1 it may be thought1 is very hard4 ,but such is the fact1 and such the order of ,god's providence4 ,we have not the making of this system3 it is made to our hands by him who ordereth all things for the best1 how grievous soever his dispensations may sometimes appear to us4 ,our duty1 and our wisdom is to reflect what that system is1 and to conform ourselves to it4 ,if a young man1 on his entrance into life1 could be made duly sensible of the dreadful evils1 which1 in the very constitution of things1 flow from vice1 there is scarcely any temptation that could prevail over his virtue4 ,but his levity and inexperience expose him to these evils3 he thinks nothing of them till they arrive1 and then there is no escape from them4 ,to conclude3 if any thing can rescue unwary youth out of the hands of their own folly1 it must be such a train of reflection as the text offers to us4 ,let it sink deep into their minds1 that there are indeed bitter things decreed against the iniquities of that early age2 that a thousand temporal evils spring from that source2 that vicious habits are in themselves vexatious and tormenting2 and1 that1 uncorrected1 and unrepented of1 they fill the mind with inutterable remorse and horror4 ,when the sins of youth are seen in this light1 it is not by giving them the soft name of infirmities1 or by cloathing them with ideas of pleasure1 that we shall be able to reconcile the mind to them4 ,such thin disguises will not conceal their true forms and natures from us4 ,we shall still take them for what indeed they are1 for sorcerers and assassins1 the enchanters of our reason and the murderers of our peace4 ,the sum of all is comprised in that memorable advice of the ,psalmist1 so often quoted in this place 7and1 for once1 let it have its effect upon us73 ,keep innocency1 and take heed to the thing that is right1 for that shall bring a man peace at the last#ahd4 ,or1 if the scorner will not listen to this advice1 it only remains to leave him to his own sad experience2 but not till we have made one charitable effort more to provoke his attention by the caustic apostrophe of the wise man3 ,rejoice1 ,o young man1 in thy youth1 and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth1 and walk in the ways of thy heart1 and in the sight of thine eyes3 but ,,know ,,thou1 that1 for all these things1 ,god will bring thee into judgement#ahe4 ,,sermon ,,xxviii4 ,,preached ,,may #bh1 #agfi4 ,,ecclesiastes vii4 #ba1 #bb4 ,take no heed unto all words that are spoken1 lest thou hear thy servant curse thee4 ,for oftentimes1 also1 thine own heart knoweth1 that thou thyself1 likewise1 hast cursed others4 ,the royal author of this book has been much and justly celebrated for his wise aphorisms and precepts on the conduct of human life4 ,among others of this sort1 the text may deserve to be had in reverence2 which1 though simply and familiarly expressed1 could only be the reflexion of a man who had great experience of the world1 and had studied with care the secret workings of his own mind4 ,the purpose of it is1 to disgrace and discountenance that ,,anxious ,,curiosity 7the result of our vanity1 and a misguided self-love7 which prompts us to inquire into the sentiments and opinions of other persons concerning us1 and to give ourselves no rest till we understand what1 in their private and casual conversations1 they say of us4 8,this curious disposition1 says the preacher1 is by all means to be repressed1 as the indulgence of it is both ,,foolish and ,,unjust2 as it not only serves to embitter your own lives by the unwelcome discoveries ye are most likely to make2 but at the same time to convict your own consciences of much iniquity2 since1 upon reflexion1 ye will find that ye have1 yourselves1 been guilty at some unguarded hour or other1 of the same malignity or flippancy towards other men40 ,in these two considerations is comprised whatever can be said to discredit this vice3 the one1 you see1 taken from the preacher's knowledge of human life2 the other1 from his intimate acquaintance with the secret depravity and corruption of the human heart4 ,permit me1 then1 to enlarge on these two topics2 and1 by that means1 to open to you more distinctly the ,,wisdom1 and the ,,equity of that conduct1 which is here recommended to us1 of not giving a sollicitous attention to the frivolous and unweighed censures of other men4 ,i4 ,take no heed1 says the preacher1 to all words that are spoken1 ,,lest ,,thou ,,hear ,,thy ,,servant ,,curse ,,thee4 ,this is the ,,first reason which he assigns for his advice4 ,the force of it will be clearly apprehended1 if we reflect 7as the observing author of the text had certainly done7 that nothing is more flippant1 nothing more unreasonably and unaccountably petulant1 than the tongue of man4 ,it is so little under the controul1 ,i do not say of candour1 or of good-nature1 but of common prudence1 and of common justice1 that it moves1 as it were1 with the slightest breath of rumour2 nay1 as if a tendency to speak ill of others were instinctive to it1 it waits many times for no cause from without1 but is prompted as we may say1 by its own restlessness and volubility to attack the characters of those who chance to be the subject of discourse4 ,without provocation1 without malice1 without so much as intentional ill-will1 it echoes the voice of the present company2 vibrates with the prevailing tone of conversation2 or takes occasion from the slightest occurrence1 from some idle conceit that strikes the fancy1 from the impulse of a sudden and half-formed suggestion1 that stirs within us1 to exercise its activity in a careless censure of other men4 ,nay1 what is more to be lamented1 the sagacious observer of mankind will find reason to conclude1 that no zeal for our interests1 no kindness for our persons1 shall at all times restrain this unruly member1 the tongue1 from taking unwelcome freedoms with us4 ,the dearest friend we have1 shall at some unlucky moment be seduced by an affectation of wit1 by a start of humour1 by a flow of spirits1 by a sudden surmise1 or indisposition1 by any thing1 in short1 to let fall such things of us1 as have some degree of sharpness in them1 and would give us pain1 if they were officiously reported to us4 ,this appears to have been the sentiment of the wise preacher in the text4 ,avoid1 says he1 this impertinent curiosity1 lest thou hear thy servant curse thee2 lest the very persons that live under thy roof and are most obliged to thee1 who are reasonably presumed to have the warmest concern for thy honour and interest1 and on whose fidelity and gratitude the security and comfort of thy whole life more immediately depends1 lest even these be found to make free with thy character4 ,for there is a time1 when even these may be carried to speak undutifully and disrespectfully of thee4 ,and would any man wish to make this discovery of those1 who are esteemed to be1 and1 notwithstanding these occasional freedoms1 perhaps are1 his true servants and affectionate friends8 ,for think not1 when this unlucky discovery is made1 that the offended party will treat it with neglect1 or be in a condition to consider it with those allowances1 that1 in reason and equity1 may be required of him4 ,no such thing3 ,it will appear to him in the light of a heinous and unpardonable indignity2 it will occasion warm resentments1 and not only fill his mind with present disquiet1 but most probably provoke him to severe expostulations2 the usual fruit of which is1 to make a deliberate and active enemy of him1 who was1 before1 only an incautious and indiscreet friend3 at the best1 it will engender ,i know not what uneasy jealousies and black suspicions2 which will mislead his judgment on many occasions2 and inspire an anxious distrust1 not of the faulty person himself only1 but of others1 who stand in the same relation to him1 and1 perhaps1 of all mankind4 ,these several ill effects may be supposed1 as ,i said1 to flow from the discovery3 and it will be useful to set the malignity of each in its true and proper light4 #a4 ,first1 then1 consider that a likely1 or rather infallible effect of this discovery1 is1 to fire the mind with quick and passionate resentments4 ,and what is it to be in this state1 but to lose the enjoyment of ourselves2 to have the relish of every thing1 we possess1 embittered by pungent reflexions on the perfidy and baseness of those1 with whom we live1 and of whom it is our happiness to think well2 to have the repose of our lives disturbed by the most painful of all sensations1 that of supposed injury from our very friends8 ,and for what is this wretchedness1 this misery1 encountered8 ,for the idleness of an unweighed discourse2 for something1 which1 if kept secret from us1 had been perfectly insignificant2 for a discourtesy1 which meant nothing and tended to nothing2 for a word1 which came from the tongue1 rather than the heart2 or1 if the heart had any share in producing it1 was recalled perhaps1 at least forgotten1 in the moment it was spoken4 ,and can it be worth while to indulge a curiosity which leads to such torment1 when the object of our inquiry is itself so frivolous1 as well as the concern we have in it8 #b4 ,another mischief attending the gratification of this impertinent curiosity1 is1 ,that the unwelcome discoveries we make1 naturally lead to peevish complaints and severe expostulations2 the effect of which is1 not only to continue and inflame the sense of the injury already received1 but to draw fresh and greater indignities on ourselves1 to push the offending party on extremes1 and compell him1 almost1 whether he will or no1 to open acts of hostility against us4 ,the former ill treatment of us1 whatever it might be1 was perhaps forgotten2 at least it had hitherto gone no further than words1 and1 while it was1 or was supposed to be1 undiscovered1 there was no thought of repeating the provocation1 and there was time and opportunity left for repenting of it1 and for recovering a just sense of violated duty4 ,but when the offence is understood to be no longer a secret1 the discovery provokes fresh offences4 ,either pride puts the aggressor on justifying what he has done2 or the shame of conviction1 and the despair of pardon1 turns indifference into hate2 ready to break out into all sorts of ill offices1 and the readier1 because the strong resentment of so slight a matter1 as a careless expression1 is itself1 in turn1 accounted an atrocious injury4 ,and thus a small discourtesy1 which1 if unnoticed1 had presently died away1 shall grow and spread into a rooted ill-will1 productive of gross reciprocal hostilities1 and permanent as life itself4 ,it is on this account that wise men have always thought it better to connive at moderate injuries1 than1 by an open resentment of them1 to provoke greater3 and nothing is mentioned so much to the honour of a noble ,roman#ahf1 as that1 when he had the papers of an enemy in his hands 7which would certainly have discovered the disaffection of many persons towards the republic and himself7 he destroyed them all1 and prudently1 as well as generously1 resolved to know nothing of what they contained4 ,and this conduct1 which was thought so becoming a great man in public life1 is unquestionably 7on the same principle of prudence and magnanimity1 to say nothing of higher motives7 the duty and concern of every private man4 #c4 ,but1 lastly1 supposing the resentment conceived on the discovery of an ungrateful secret1 should not break out into overt acts of hatred and revenge1 still the matter would not be much mended4 ,for1 it would surely breed a thousand uneasy suspicions1 which would prey on the hurt mind2 and do irreparable injury to the moral character1 as well as embitter the whole life of him who was unhappily conscious to them4 ,the experience of such neglect or infidelity in those whom we had hitherto loved and trusted1 and from whom we had expected a suitable return of trust and love1 would infallibly sour the temper1 and create a constant apprehension of future unkindness4 ,it would efface the native candour of the mind1 and bring a cloud of jealousy over it2 which would darken our views of human life4 ,it would make us cold1 and gloomy1 and reserved2 indifferent to those who deserved best of us1 and unapt for the offices of society and friendship4 ,the more we suppressed these sentiments1 the more would they fester and rankle within us2 till the mind became all over tenderness and sensibility1 and felt equal pain from its own groundless surmises1 as from real substantial injuries4 ,in a word1 we should have no relish of conversation1 no sincere enjoyment of any thing1 we should only be miserable in1 and from ourselves4 ,and is this a condition to be officiously courted1 and sought after8 ,or rather1 could we suffer more from the malice of our bitterest enemy1 than we are ready to do from our own anxious curiosity to pry into the infirmities of our friends8 ,,hitherto ,i have insisted on the danger of giving heed to all words that are spoken1 ,,lest ,,thou ,,hear ,,thy ,,servant ,,curse ,,thee2 in other words1 on the ,,folly of taking pains to make a discovery1 which may prove unwelcome in itself1 and dreadful in the consequent evils it may derive upon us4 ,,ii4 ,it now remains that ,i say one word on the ,,injustice1 and want of equity1 which appears in this practice4 ,,for ,,oftentimes ,,also ,,thine ,,own ,,heart ,,knoweth1 ,,that ,,thou ,,thyself1 ,,likewise1 ,,hast ,,cursed ,,others4 ,and as in the former case the preacher drew his remonstrance from his knowledge of the world2 so in this1 he reasons from his intimate knowledge of the human heart4 ,let the friendliest1 the best man living1 explore his own conscience1 and then let him tell us1 or rather let him tell himself1 if he can1 that he has never offended in the instance here given4 ,i suppose1 on a strict inquiry1 he will certainly call to mind some peevish sentiment1 some negligent censure1 some sharp reflection1 which1 at times1 hath escaped him1 even in regard to his second self1 a bosom friend4 ,either he took something wrong1 and some suspicious circumstance misled him2 or1 he was out of health and spirits2 or1 he was ruffled by some ungrateful accident2 or1 he had forgotten himself in an hour of levity2 or a splenetic moment had surprised him4 ,some or other of these causes1 he will find1 had betrayed him into a sudden warmth and asperity of expression1 which he is now ashamed and sorry for1 and hath long since retracted and condemned4 ,still further1 at the very time when this infirmity overtook him1 he had no purposed unfriendliness1 no resolved disaffection towards the person he allowed himself to be thus free with4 ,his tongue indeed had offended1 but his heart had scarce consented to the offence4 ,the next day1 the next hour1 perhaps1 he would gladly have done all service1 possibly he would not have declined to hazard his life1 for this abused friend4 ,i appeal1 as the wise author of the text does1 to yourselves1 to the inmost recollection of your own thoughts1 if ye do not know and feel that this which ,i have described hath sometimes been your own case4 ,and what then is the inference from this self-conviction8 ,certainly1 that ye ought in common justice1 to restrain your inclination of prying into the unguarded moments of other men4 ,if your best friends have not escaped your flippancy1 where is the equity of demanding more reserve and caution towards yourself from them8 ,without doubt the proper rule is to suppose1 and to forgive1 these mutual indiscretions1 which we are all ready to commit towards each other4 ,we should lay no stress on these casual discourtesies2 we should not desire to be made acquainted with them2 we should dismiss them1 if some officious whisperer bring the information to us1 with indifference and neglect4 ,to do otherwise is not only to vex and disquiet ourselves for trifles3 ,it is to be unfair1 uncandid1 and unjust1 in our dealings with others2 it is to convict ourselves of partiality and hypocrisy1 ,for thine own heart knoweth1 that thou thyself likewise hast done the same thing4 ,ye have now1 then1 before you the substance of those considerations which the text offers1 for the prevention of that idle and hurtful curiosity of looking into the secret dispositions and discourses of other men4 ,ye see how foolish1 how dangerous1 how iniquitous it is1 to give heed to all words that are spoken4 ,it becomes a man indeed to lay a severe check and restraint on his own tongue4 ,far better would it be1 if all men did so4 ,but they who know themselves and others1 will not much expect this degree of self-government1 will not1 if they be wise1 be much scandalized at the want of it2 since they know the observance of it is so difficult and sublime a virtue2 since they know that nothing less than extraordinary wisdom can1 at all times1 prevent the tongue of man from running into excesses2 since they are even told by an ,apostle1 ,that if any man offend not in word1 the same is a perfect man#ahg4 ,let us then allow for what we cannot well help4 ,and let this consideration come in aid of the others1 employed in the text1 to expell an inveterate folly1 which prompts us to lay more stress upon words1 than such frivolous and fugitive things deserve4 ,let us regard them1 for the most part1 but as the shaking of a leaf1 or the murmur of the idle air3 they rarely merit our notice1 and attention1 more3 or1 when they do1 we should find it better to indulge our charity1 than our curiosity2 ,i mean1 to believe well of others1 as long as we can1 rather than be at the pains of an anxious inquiry for a pretence to think ill of them4 ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,sixth ,,volume4 ,,nichols and ,,son1 ,printers1 ,red ,lion ,passage1 ,fleet ,street1 ,london4 ,,footnotes3 #a --referring to the good effect of this way of teaching on the disciples1 whom it had enabled1 as they confessed1 to understand the things1 which ,jesus had taught them4 #b ,tit4 ii4 #g4 #c ,rom4 xv4 #b4 #d ,they did this with design1 and on principle2 as appears from ,st4 ,austin's discourse de ,doctrin ,christian1 in which he instructs the ,christian preacher to employ1 on some occasions1 inelegant and even barbarous terms and expressions1 the better to suit himself to the apprehensions of his less informed hearers--non curante illo1 qui docet1 quant eloquenti doceat1 sed quant evidenti4 ,cujus evidenti diligens appetitus aliquando negligit verba cultiora1 nec curat quid ben sonet1 sed quid ben indicet atque intimet quod ostendere intendit--and what follows4 ,l4 iv4 p4 #gd4 ,ed4 ,erasm4 t4 iii4 #e #a ,cor4 ii4 #b4 #f ,archbishop ,tillotson4 #g ,heb4 iii4 #b4 #h #b ,cor4 iv4 #e4 #i ,matt4 xi4 #ae4 #aj #a ,pet4 iii4 #c4 #aa #a ,pet iii4 #ae4 #ab ,,alphonsus ,,the ,,wise--,i go on the common supposition1 that this ,prince intended a reflexion on the system of nature itself2 but1 perhaps1 his purpose was no more than1 in a strong way of expression1 7though it must be owned1 no very decent one7 to reprobate the hypothesis the ,ptolemaic1 which set that system in so bad a light4 #ac -- 4 ,see the ,paraphrase and ,comment on this text by ,mr4 ,taylor of ,norwich1 to whom ,i acknowledge myself indebted for the idea which governs the general method of this discourse4 #ad ,nat4 ,deor4 l4 ii4 c4 #ff4 #ae ,sallust4 #af ,plato's ,republic4 #ag ,xenophon's ,inst4 of ,cyrus4 #ah ,rom4 ch4 i4 ver4 #bh-cb4-- -- 4 #ai ,cicero1 passim4 #bj ,felix1 ,acts xxiv4 #be4 #ba ,ch4 ii4 #bf4 #bb ,ch4 iii4 #a4 #bc ,chap4 iii4 #bd ,rom4 vi4 #bc4 #be #b ,cor4 v4 #ae4 #bf #b ,cor4 v4 #ai4 #bg #a ,john ii4 #b4 #bh ,rom4 iii4 #bd4 #bi #a ,tim4 iv4 #aj4 #cj ,rom4 i4 #i4 #ca ,rom4 xv4 #ac4 #cb ,col4 ii4 #aj4 #cc ,ephes4 iii4 #b4 #cd ,john xii4 #dh4 #ce ,luke xix4 #ad4 #cf #b ,peter ii4 #ba4 #cg ,st4 ,john1 xiii4 #a4 #ch ,ch4 xiv4 #a4 #ci ,st4 ,john1 xiv4 #b4 #dj ,ch4 xiv4 #f4 #da ,ch4 xiv4 #g4 #db #a ,cor4 ii4 #e4 #dc ,matt4 xxi4 #bg4--xxii4 #df4--xxvii4 #ad4 #dd ,matt4 xii4 #ch4--xvi4 #a4 #de ,mark iv4 #cd4 #df ,mark iv4 #cd4 #dg ,mark iv4 #aa4 #dh ,matt4 xiii4 #eh4 ,mark ix4 #bc4 #di ,matt4 vii4 #f4 #ej ,mark iv4 #be4 #ea ,john xx4 #bi4 #eb ,isaiah lv4 #h4 #ec ,wisdom1 ix4 #ac4 #ed #a ,cor4 ii4 #aa4 #ee ,rom4 xiii4 #c4 #ef 4 #a ,tim4 vi4 #af4 #eg ,john xiv4 #bb4 #eh 4 ,rom4 xii4 #a4 #ei ,the dispute about ,easter1 in the second century4 #fj ,the dispute about ,images1 in the eighth century4 #fa ,matt4 xi4 #bi4 #fb ,matt4 x4 #cd4 #fc ,job xxxii4 #ba4 #fd ,plutarch1 or whoever was the author of a fragment1 printed among his moral discourses1 and entitled1 4 ,par4 ,ed4 vol4 ii4 p4 #ejj4 #fe ,called ones4 ,see ,grotius in loc4 #ff 4 #fg ,dat nobis et ,paulus brevem 1 sed perutilem4 ,,grotius4 #fh ,rom4 xii4 #ae4 #fi ,rom4 i4 #cb4 #gj #a ,peter iii4 #af4 #ga ,les petites morales2 as the ,french moralists call them4 #gb 4 #gc 4 #gd 4 4 4 #ge ,the integrity of the upright shall guide them4 ,prov4 xi4 #c4 #gf -- #gg ,see more on this subject in the ,,discourse on ,christ's driving the merchants out of the temple1 at the end of the next volume4 #gh ,ver4 #ad4 #gi ,if it be asked1 why their feet8 the answer is1 that it was customary in the east for one to wash the feet of another4 ,and this practice gave an easy introduction to the present enigmatical washing2 which was equally expressive of the information designed1 when performed on this part of the body1 as on any other4 #hj ,grotius saw the necessity of looking beyond the literal meaning of those words--,if ,i wash thee not4 8,mos ,christi1 says he1 est a rebus1 qu adspiciuntur1 ad sensum sublimiorem ascendere40 ,his comment then follows4 8,nisi te lavero1 id est1 nisi et sermone et spiritu eluero quod in te restat minus puri10 c4 ,considering how near ,jesus was to his crucifixion1 when he said this1 one a little wonders how the great commentator1 when he was to assign the mystical sense of these words1 should overlook that which lay before him4 ,surely his gloss should have been1 ,nisi sanguine meo te eluero1 c4--,let me just add1 that the force of these words1 as addressed to ,peter1 will be perfectly understood1 if we reflect that he1 who said to ,jesus--,thou shalt never wash my feet--said on a former occasion to him1 when he spoke1 without a figure1 of his death 7though not1 then1 under the idea of a propitiatory sacrifice1 or ablution7--,be it far from thee1 ,lord2 this shall not be unto thee4 ,matt4 xvi4 #bb4 ,so little did ,peter see the necessity of being washed by the blood of ,christ6 ,and so important was the information now given him in this mystical washing--,if ,i wash thee not1 thou hast no part with me4 #ha ,a remarkable instance will be given1 in the ,discourse referred to above1 at the close of the next volume4 #hb ,mark iv4 #cc4 ,john xvi4 #ab4 #hc ,john xiv4 #bf4 #hd #a ,john i4 #g4 #he ,rev4 i4 #e4 #hf ,eph4 i4 #g4 ,coloss4 i4 #ad4 #hg #a ,cor4 v4 #g4 #hh #a ,pet4 i4 #ab4 #a ,cor4 vi4 #aa4 and elsewhere1 passim4 #hi ,rom4 iii4 #be4 #ij ,luke xii4 #df4 #ia ,rev4 vii4 #ad4 #ib #a ,john4 vi4 #g4 #ic ,matt4 xviii4 #g4 #id ,matt4 vi4 #ie ,ver4 #ab4 #if ,phil4 iv4 #ah4 #ig ,see ,whitby in loc4 #ih ,see passages cited by ,dr4 ,hammond4 #ii #a ,cor4 iii4 #ac4 #ajj #a ,pet4 i4 #g4 #aja #a ,pet4 iv4 #ab4 #ajb ,eccles4 ii4 #e4 #ajc ,heb4 xii4 #a4 #ajd ,heb4 vi4 #d1 #e1 #f4 #aje ,the difficulty in the two concluding verses of this chapter1 arises from a vivacity of imagination in the pursuit and application of metaphors2 a faculty1 in which the ,orientals excelled1 and delighted4 ,they pass suddenly from one idea to another1 nearly1 and sometimes1 remotely1 allied to it4 ,they relinquish the primary sense1 for another suggested by it2 and without giving any notice1 as we should do1 of their intention4 ,these numerous reflected lights1 as we may call them1 eagerly catched at by the mind in its train of thinking1 perplex the attention of a modern reader1 and must be carefully separated by him1 if he would see the whole scope and purpose of many passages in the sacred writings4 #ajf #a ,cor4 iv4 #g4 #ajg #a ,cor4 xiii4 #ajh ,as in the case of the real presence in the sacrament of the altar4 #aji ,as in the case of good works4 #aaj ,an ingenious writer1 who appears not to have been hackneyed in the ways of controversy1 and is1 therefore1 the more likely to see the truth1 in any plain question of religion1 as well as to declare it1 expresses himself1 fully1 to the same effect--8,it is very weakly urged1 that religion should keep pace with science in improvement2 and that a subscription to articles must always impede its progress3 for nothing can be more absurd than the idea of a progressive religion2 which1 being founded upon the declared1 not the imagined1 will of ,god1 must1 if it attempt to proceed1 relinquish that ,revelation which is its basis1 and so cease to be a religion founded upon ,god's word4 ,god has revealed himself2 and all that he has spoken1 and consequently all that is demanded of us to accede to1 is declared in one book1 from which nothing is to be retrenched1 and to which nothing can be added4 ,all that it contains1 was as perspicuous to those who first perused it1 after the rejection of the papal yoke1 as it can be to us ,,now1 or as it can be to our posterity in the ,,fiftieth ,,generation40 ,see ,a ,scriptural ,confutation of ,mr4 ,lindsey's ,apology4 ,lond4 #aggd4 p4 #bbj4 #aaa ,rom4 xi4 #cc4 #aab ,rom4 x4 #ag4 #aac #a ,cor4 ix4 #af4 #aad ,heb4 iv4 #ab4 #aae #a ,cor4 xii4 #g4 #aaf ----potus ut ille ,dicitur ex collo furtim carpsisse coronas1 ,postquam est impransi correptus voce magistri4 ,hor4 #b4 ,sat4 iii4 #bed4 #aag ,john xii4 #dh4 #aah #b ,cor4 iv4 #g4 #aai ,matth4 x4 #af4 #abj ,cic4 ,off4 ,l4 i4 c4 #ca4 #aba ,see the ,story of ,musonius ,rufus in ,tacitus1 ,hist4 ,l4 iii4 c4 #ha4 #abb ,cic4 de ,or4 ,l4 ii4 c4 #ah4 #abc ,bene prcipiunt1 qui vetant quidquam agere1 quod dubites1 quum sit an iniquum3 quitas enim lucet ipsa per se2 dubitatio cogitationem significat injuri4 ,cic4 de ,off4 ,l4 ,i4 ix4 #abd ,matth4 v4 #h4 #abe ,to the same purpose1 ,seneca1 of the old heathen philosophers3 8,antiqua sapientia10 says he1 8nihil aliud1 qum ,,facienda et ,,vitanda1 prcepit3 et tunc long meliores erant viri3 postquam docti prodierunt1 boni desunt4 ,simplex enim illa et aperta virtus in obscuram et solertem scientiam versa est1 docemurque disputare1 non vivere40 ,senec4 ,ep4 xcv4 #abf ,corrumpere et corrumpi1 sculum vocatur4 ,tacitus4 #abg ,frequens imitatio transit in mores4 ,quinctil4 ,l4 ,i4 c4 ,,xi4 #abh ,vitam impendere vero4 ,his motto4 #abi ,mes ennemies auront beau faire avec leurs injures2 ils ne m'teront point l'honneur d'tre un homme vridique en touts chose1 d'tre le seul auteur de mon siecle1 de beaucoup d'autres1 qui ait crit de bonne foi4 ,rousseau1 ,lettre ,m4 de ,beaumont4 #acj 8,une preuve de sa bonne foi1 c'est qu'il ,m4 ,newton a comment l',apocalypse4 ,il y trouve clairement que le ,pape est l',antichrist1 et il explique d'ailleurs ce livre comme tous ceux qui s'en sont mls4 ,apparemment qu'il a voulu par ce commentaire ,,consoler ,,la ,,race ,,humaine de la supriorit qu'il avoit sur elle40 uvres de ,voltaire1 ,t4 v4 c4 #bi4 #ageg4 8,if he ,k4 ,james ,i4 has composed a commentary on the ,revelations1 and proved the ,pope to be ,antichrist2 may not a similar reproach be extended to the famous ,napier2 and even to ,,newton1 at a time when learning was much more advanced than during the reign of ,james8 ,from the grossness of its superstitions1 we may infer the ignorance of an age2 but never should pronounce concerning the ,,folly ,,of ,,an ,,individual1 from his admitting popular errors1 consecrated with the appearance of religion40 ,hume's ,hist4 of ,great ,britain1 ,vol4 ,,vi4 p4 #acf4 ,lond4 #agfc4 #hvo4 #aca ,nil actum credens1 dum quid superesset agendum4 ,lucan4 #acb ,,hippias1 ,,the ,,elean4 ,cic4 de ,oratore1 c4 #cb4 #acc ,,socrates4 #acd #b ,cor4 xii4 #b4 #ace #a ,cor4 xiii4 #b4 #acf ,philip4 iii4 #f4 #acg ,matt4 v4 #ag4 #ach ,,bayle1 ,comm4 ,phil4 ,part ,,ii4 ,ch4 ,,iv4 ,,locke on ,toleration1 ,letter ,i4 ,,warburton1 ,d4 ,l4 ,b4 v4 ,s4 #aa4 #aci #a ,tim4 i4 #ae4 #adj #a ,cor4 xv4 #i4 #ada ,de se tromper en croyant vraie la religion ,chrtienne1 il n'y a pas grand' chose perdre3 mais quel malheur de se tromper en la croyant fausse6 ,m4 ,pascal1 p4 #bbe4 #adb ,plutarch4 ,,brutus4 #adc ,of opening private letters1 and employing spies of state4 ,,clarendon4 #add ,john x4 #cb4 #ade 8,illa in illo homine mirabilia fuerunt1 comprehendere multos amiciti1 tueri obsequio1 cum omnibus communicare quod habebat1 servire temporibus suorum omnium1 pecuni1 grati1 labore corporis1 scelere etiam1 si opus esset1 et audaci3 versare suam naturam1 et regere ad tempus1 atque huc et illuc torquere et flectere2 cum tristibus sever1 cum remissis jucunde2 cum senibus graviter1 cum juventute comiter2 cum facinorosis audacter1 cum libidinosis luxurios vivero4 ,hc ille tam vari multiplicique natur1 c40 ,cicero pro ,m4 ,clio1 c4 iii4 #adf ,juventus pleraque1 sed maxim nobilium1 ,catilin incptis favebat4 ,sallust4 c4 #ag4 ,and again3 omnino cuncta plebes1 ,catilin incpta probabat4 c4 #cg4 #adg #a ,john iii4 #ba4 #adh ,st4 ,ambrose4 ,apud ,whitby4 #adi ,john xviii4 #ca4 #aej ,rom4 iii4 #d4 #aea ,the words 1 and humilis1 are observed to be generally1 if not always1 used in a bad sense by the ,greek and ,latin writers4 #aeb ,philipp4 ii4 #e4 #h4 #aec ,matthew xvi4 #bd4 #aed ,matth4 xxiii4 #cc4 #aee ,mark x4 #ba4 #aef ,for it is with propositions1 as with characters1 in relation to which the language of the true moralist is3 8,explica1 atque excute intelligentiam tuam1 ut videas qu sit in e species1 forma1 et notio viri boni40 ,cic4 de ,off4 l4 ,,iii4 c4 #bj4 #aeg ,prov4 ii4 #d4 #aeh #a ,tim4 v4 #f4 #aei ,prov4 ix4 #h4 #afj ,queis humana sibi doleat natura negatis4 ,hor4 ,i4 ,s4 i4 #ge4 #afa ,eccles4 v4 #aa4 #afb ,prov4 xvi4 #be4 #afc ,prov4 xxiii4 #e4 #afd ,si hoc est explere1 quod statim profundas4 ,,cic4 ,phil4 ii4 #h4 #afe ,quid sumus1 et quidnam victuri gignimur4 ,,persius4 #aff #a ,tim4 vi4 #i4 #afg ,ardua res hc est1 opibus non tradere mores1 ,et cm tot ,crsos viceris1 esse ,numam4 ,,martial1 ,,xi4 vi4 #afh ,matth4 xix4 #bc4 #afi ,ps4 lxii4 #aj4 #agj ,luke xvi4 #i4 #aga #b ,cor4 xiii4 #ad4 #agb #a ,thess4 iv4 #h4 #agc ,acts xi4 #af4 #agd ,eph4 i4 #ac4 #age ,it was the easier to do this1 as the ,heathens had their ,minerva and ,diana1 as well as grosser deities2 and their vestal virgins too2 though1 ,i doubt1 in less numbers than the shameless votaries of the ,corinthian ,venus4 ,see ,,strabo1 ,l4 viii4 p4 #cgh4 ,par4 #afbj4 #agf ,ps4 xlvi4 #d4--lxxx4 #a4--xxvi4 #h4 #agg ,nullis ,,polluitur casta domus stupris4 ,,hor4 ,cum castum amisit ,,polluto ,,corpore florem4 ,,catul4 #agh ,dr4 ,whitby on the place4 #agi ,rom4 vi4 #ba4 #ahj ,job xx4 #aa4 #aha ,prov4 xxi4 #ag4 #ahb ,the poet says well of such stains1 as these2 ,impress resident nec eluentur4 ,,catull4 #ahc ,,suet4 ,j4 ,csar1 c4 #de4 #ahd ,ps4 xxxvii4 #ch4 #ahe ,eccles4 c4 xi4 #i4 #ahf ,pompey1 who burnt the papers of ,sertorius4 #ahg ,james iii4 #b4 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,inconsistent spelling and hyphenation are as in the original4 ,greek words beginning with have had the character replaced with 4