XIV.

SERMON pensations, God is just and good; that the cause of all the troubles we suffer is in ourselves, not in Him; that virtue is the surest guide to a happy life; that he who forsakes this guide, enters upon the path of death; but that he who walketh uprightly, walketh surely; and that he who keepeth the commandment, keepeth his own soul.

SERMON

XV.

On INTEGRITY as the GUIDE of LIFE,

PROVERBS, Xi. 3.

The integrity of the upright shall guide

R

them.

IGHTEOUSNESS and sin are, in this book of Proverbs, frequently contrasted with each other, and the advantages of the former displayed. The righteous man is shewn to be more excellent than his neighbour, as the ways in which he walks are ways of pleasantness, while the way of trangressors is hard. Honour is

represented as attending the one, while

shame is the portion of the

other.

path of the one leads to life; that

The of the

other

SERMON

XV.

XV.

SERMON other to destruction. In the text, an advantage of righteousness is specified, which is not commonly attended to, and which some will not readily allow that it posWe are told by the wise man, that

sesses.

it affords light and direction to conduct, and will prove our best guide through all the intricacies of life. The integrity of the upright shall guide them; or, as it is added, to the same purpose, in a following verse, the righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way. There are many who will admit, that integrity is an amiable quality; that it is entitled to much respect, and in most cases ought to influence our behaviour; who nevertheless are unwilling to allow it the chief place in the direction of their worldly conduct. They hold, that a certain artful sagacity, founded upon knowledge of the world, is the best conductor of every one who would be a successful adventurer in life; and that a strict attention to integrity, as his only guide, would often lead him into danger and distress. In opposition to tenets of this kind, I now purpose to show that, amidst all perplexities and dangers, there is no

XV.

guide we can choose so safe, and so success- SERMON ful on the whole, as the integrity of an upright mind; and that, upon every trying occasion, principles of probity and honour will conduct a good man through life. with more advantage, than if he were to act upon the most refined system of worldly wisdom.

Ir will not take much time to delineate the character of the man of integrity, as by its nature it is a plain one, and easily understood. He is one who makes it his constant rule to follow the road of duty according as the word of God, and the voice of his conscience, point it out to him.

He is not guided merely by affections, which may sometimes give the colour of virtue to a loose and unstable character. The upright man is guided by a fixed principle of mind, which determines him to esteem nothing but what is honourable, and to abhor whatever is base and unworthy in moral conduct. Hence you find him ever the same; at all times, the trusty friend, the affectionate relation, the conscientious man of business, the pious VOL. IV. worshipper,

U

XV.

SERMON Worshipper, the public-spirited citizen. He assumes no borrowed appearance. He seeks no mask to cover him; for he acts no studied part; but he is in truth what he appears to be, full of truth, candour, and humanity. In all his pursuits, he knows no path but the fair and direct one; and would much rather fail of success, than attain it by reproachful means. He never shews you a smiling countenance, while he meditates evil against you in his heart. He never praises you among your friends; and then joins in traducing you among your enemies. You will never find one part of his character at variance with another. In his manners, he is simple and unaffected; in all his proceedings, open and consistent. Such is the man of integrity spoken of in the text. Let us now proceed to show, in what manner, and with what effect, integrity serves for the guide of his life.

EVERY one who has begun to make any progress in the world, will be sensible, that to conduct himself in human affairs with wisdom and propriety, is often a mat

ter