cannot ferve two mafters*; that they, who live in pleasure, are dead, while they live t; that he, who delighted himself splendidly every day, and took this for his portion, lift up his eyes in torment. And are we then willing, both to fail of reward, and fuffer punishment? Perhaps the latter may feem unjust, merely for fpending our days in harmless diverfions. But if otherwise they were harmless, would not a fervant of ours merit punishing, who for his own gratification fhould obftinately neglect his allotted fhare of work in the family? Now we are the fervants of our Maker: and he hath forewarned us, that a flothful fervant shall be deemed a wicked ones. But the life of those, who love pleasure more than God, is fuller of guilt, in proportion as it gives others a more public invitation to live in the fame way. If the rich and great proclaim, that voluptuous amufements are their paffion, and religion their contempt; as it will provoke the better part of their inferiors to think ill of them, which is a very undefirable thing, so it will incline the larger part, without thinking at all well of them, to imitate their example. For if they may behave fo, the conclufion will be boldly drawn, that every one elfe may. And yet the effects of that perfuafion must be infuportable. For how fhall our domeftics, and nearest relations, all we have concerns with, and the body of the people in general, be kept from every thing that is wrong and mifchievous, in the midst of fuch numerous,temptations, if they learn from us to make self-indulgence, unrestrained by the apprehenfions of a future account, their governing principle? Our laws cannot be executed with rigour and legiflators and magistrates will not be thought in earnest, or, if they are, will be thought injurious, when they prohibit what the practice of too many of them fhews, they look upon as the only happy life. People of fashion, efpecially of that fex, which afcribes to itself the most knowledge, have nearly thrown off all obfervation of the Lord's day: perhaps keep fuch hours, that ncither they, nor their families, can go to church, at least in one part of it will vary thofe hours readily for any other purpofe, but by no means for this. And when they have paffed the morning and afternoon in neglect of piety, numbers of them pafs the evening in what they know will be commonly interpreted, and the more for that neglect, an open contradiction • Matth. vi. 24. +1 Tim. v. 6. to to piety. Or if, to avoid fcandal, they fometimes vouchfafe their attendance on divine fervice in the country, they feldom or never do it in town: where patterns of it are peculiarly needful; and from whence accounts of their behaviour will foon be spread to the remoteft places where they have influence. Now by thefe means the Sunday, inftead of being made, to thofe beneath them, the ufefulleft part of their time, by religi ous worship and inftruction, reading and thought; as well as the pleasantest, by rest from labour and friendly intercourse; becomes the moft pernicious. A large proportion of the tradefmen in these two cities ufually spend the whole of it abroad in diversions, often vicious, always coftly and by affecting them then, get a ruinous taste for them throughout the week. The lower fort ftill are ambitious to follow them as close as they can, every day indeed, but on that especially: confume the beginning of it, in ftupid floth, the remainder in lewdness or drunkenness, which impair their faculties and destroy their health; befides intercepting the profits of their labour from thofe, whom it fhould maintain. And if they once come to think gaming alfo allowable on that only time, in which they have leifure for it; the lofers will be yet more thoroughly undone and desperate, and the winners not the richer, but only the more debauched. Every fpecies of wickednefs cannot fail to make a great progrefs amidst thefe licentious principles and practices: which are induftriously propagated, both by the difcourfe of bad men, contrary to all common prudence, and in books alfo, published not only against revealed religion, (which they who disbelieve will few of them believe any, and none to any great purpose) bat against a future recompence of human actions; and suited, in the manner of writing, to every reader, and, in the price, to every parchafer. Such as have learnt thefe leffons, will yield, and no wonder, to the prefent folicitation of each appetite and each fancy, be the confequences what they may. When they are diftreffed, they will venture on whatever crime they think may enable them to go on a little longer: they will endeavour to conceal a first crime by a fecond; and if at laft they cannot evade punishment, they will defpife it. For what is even death, which every one may make as eafy as he pleases, if they neither hope nor fear any thing after it? VOL. II. H We We of the clergy are principally concerned to oppose this torrent of impiety: and I truft we do it with faithful zeal. But the immediate answer to us is, that we are pleading our own caufe; though indeed it is that of the public. And therefore the hearty concurrence of the laity, jointly countenancing, by their examples, their favours. their commendations, their reproofs, by reverence to religion, moderation in pleasures, frugality in expence, diligence in the bufinefs of every one's proper ftation, is highly neceffary: and will complete the bleffing of the fulleft liberty, and moft fatherly adminiftration of government, that ever nation enjoyed; which otherwife we are in imminent danger of abufing, to our own deserved ruin. Yet too great ftri&tnefs may do harm, or difqualify for doing good and according to circumstances, partaking of amusements, that otherwife are not eligible, may be very prudent: befides that fome may be under fuch authority and direction, as may oblige them in duty to do what they cannot intirely approve. And then they fhould endeavour to do it both obligingly and gracefully: but always remember, that they are on flippery ground: never go farther, than is really innocent; never farther, than they need: much lefs, blame or despise thofe, who are unwilling or unqualified to bear a part with them but carefully preferve a juft preference for the higher order of obligations; be humble in the midst of pomp, attentive to ferious reflections in the midft of gaity; do all they can, without expofing themfelves, to guard or bring back others; and feize every opportunity of promoting what is right, where too generally what is wrong abounds. : But they who are not called to enter far into the livelier fcenes of this world, will do very commendably, to fhew by facts, in a freer and opener manner, their fettled perfuafion that happiness confifts in quite other matters; to fhew, that they can enjoy themselves perfectly well, without having any relish for thefe; nay, can abstain from them without difficulty, though they have a relifh for them. And the more they do fo, keeping up their. good humour, the more exemplary they are. But the clergy fhould be patterns of this abstinence beyond all others. For if inftead of being grave and ftudious and laborious in our profeffion, we diffipate ourfelves in vanities, or fink into luxurious delicacy or indolence; the the awe of our character, and the weight of our preaching will be loft: the thoughtlefs will imagine they may fafely step a little farther than we; and thus will fall into palpable fin: while the indifferent to religion and virtue will make it their boaft, that we aim to be as like them, as for fhaine we can; and will blafpheme, on our account, the worthy name, by which we are called*. returns. Poffibly fo many cautions against fondness for pleasure may feem to leave thofe who regard them, in a very joyless and uneafy condition. But indeed they are only plain and very practicable rules for that difcipline of our temper and conduct, which is neceflary for our true happiness even here, and for true happiness even here, and for our eternal felicity hereafter. Chriftian piety allows us, under fuch regulations as are evidently reasonable, every enjoyment of fenfe, every delight of elegant tafte, every exertion of focial cheerfulness; and forbids nothing, but mifchief, madness and mifery. Then befides, it heightens to the utmoft all the nobler tisfactions of the mind: that of fincere good will to all men that of tender complacency in thofe, to whom we are united more nearly whence proceed honourable efteem, and affectionate Or, though we miss the regard we deferve from men, we shall have a reviving confcioufnefs, that we have acted worthily, that we have laboured to promote goodnefs and happiness on earth, that the fins and fufferings of our fellowcreatures are not owing to us. This applauding teltimony of our hearts will indeed be mixed with the grief of many failings but alfo, with the affurance, that our heavenly Father forgives them, for the fake of our gracious Redeemer; with the experience, that he is enabling us to overcome them, by the grace of our inward Sanctifier, and preparing us daily for the bletfednefs, to which he invites us. For fuch mercies we cannot but love him, and whoever doth fo, is in proportion beloved by him. The fenfe of this must give us great compofure about every thing worldly, difdain of every thing vicious, and comfort in going through the very lowest and hardeft acts of duty. We shall pass the days of our pilgrimage in as much delight as the nature of it affords: and when we come to our final abode, every capacity of fpiritual enjoyment, to which we have improved : ourselves here, fhall be inconceivably angmented, and completely filled we fhall be abundantly fatisfied with the fatnefs of God's houfe, and drink of the river of his pleasures*. For in his prefence is the fullness of joy, and at his right hand there are pleafures for evermoret. * Pfal. xxxvi. 8. † Pfal. xvi, II. SER. |