What Reason then can be affigned for Vows of Poverty, when fo much Excellent Duty, and fo much True Happiness may be drawn from Riches? When Thofe, whom God first Qualifies, by his Spirit, to Refemble him in his Goodness, may, Providentially, be Qualified to Refemble him in this Bleffed Fruit of it, an Extenfive Beneficence to Mankind?

3dly, and Laftly, Honour is oftentimes allotted to Good men, by the fpecial Providence of God. And this feems Manifeft from 2 Chron. i. 12. P. xci. 14, 15. and many other places of Scripture. Thus was Daniel advanced to the Honour of being the First Prefident over the Princes, in Darius's Kingdom; and David to the Throne of Ifrael. And the Excellency of their Virtues bore full Proportion to the Eminency of their Stations, and Titles of Honour. Upon This depended the Completion of their Happiness, and their Glory. 'Tis with Honour, as with every Other Talent, That the Happiness arising from it

* Dan. vi. z.

confifts

で

confifts in the Ufe and Improvement of it, and 'tis properly a Bleffing unto Good men Alone; For They Alone can graft upon it, an Affured Expectation of God's Favour. And indeed, They Alone are fecure of This Principal Ingredient in it, the Love and Efteem of Mankind.

Titles of Honour, whether Heredi tary, or, Acceffional, when they are not Supported by Virtue, do lose a great part of their Value; and therefore a great Part of the Tribute, which would, Otherwise, be paid to Them, is Generally withheld from them. Wealth, or, Honour, in the Poffeffion of an Unworthy person, hath much the fame effect upon Mankind, as Bribery hath upon Corrupt Witnesses; It Extorts, from fome men, the Outward Teftimonies and Expreffions of a Deference and Refpect, which, in their Hearts, they Feel nothing of. It is not in Nature to have a Real, Inward Efteem and Reverence, for Vicious, Profligate, Diffolute, and Therefore Dishonourable Perfons. The Deference paid to Them, is only Forced, and Superficial; Whilst That, which is paid

to

to Others, thofe Happy Others, whofe Noble Characters and Noble Qualities do confpire to render them Aimiable and Dear to the Societies of Men, is Voluntary and Generous, the effect of Hearts flowing with Love and Zeal towards

them.

When the Higheft Titles are thus Joyn'd by the Brighteft Virtues, they cannot Fail of raifing the Highest Approbation and Efteem in all the Wifeft and Beft of Men. And Such Honour may well be accounted a Bleffing, which hath excited the Greateft Perfons to the Greatest Actions and Enterprizes, in all Ages of the World. So long as the Defire of it does not proceed from Pride, nor Degenerate into Vainglory; fo long as it is not mens Chief, but Subordinate Aim; fo long as it is Subfervient to the Love of God, and Bounded by the Laws of Religion; all which Circumstances are Suppofed in the Character of a Good man'; That Defire of it is a Natural and Juft Affection, as the Attainment of it is a Proper Refreshment and Reward of Pure and Virtuous Minds.

And the Stability of this Bleffing is
Equal

Y

Equal to the Purity and the Excellency of it. Riches, or Life, may be taken away by Force, or, however, Each of them is the Certain Prey of Devouring Time; But Honour is a Bleffing too Great to be Destroyed by the most Potent and Bitter Enemies: It rifeth the Higher, by the Opposition it meets with, and is so far from yielding to the Cankering Efforts of Time, that it gathers Strength by it's Continuance, and is ever gaining new Degrees of Beauty and Perfection.

Having gone through the Particulars proposed from the Words, I fhould now briefly Apply them to the Occafion of this Difcourfe; And yet, fuch an Application is fo Obvious, that it seems almost needless to Offer it.

What hath been obferved concerning Length of Days, muft Already have affected us with full Joy, under the Thoughts of that Honourable Perfon, whom we here fee attended with the Bleffings of Long Life, without the Burthen of it; Whom God is still pleased to Guard against This Great Cause of Complaint, which is Ufually Incident to Others, in a much Ear

lier Period, That their ftrength is Then but Labour and Sorrow; And, Who is now as Happy, in being Free from the Infir mities of the Mind, as He hath all along been in that Course of Virtue, which is the Neceffary Provifion of fo Valuable a Freedom. I only Mention that Course of Virtue, without Venturing to Offend, by a Particular Account of it; for Good men do Agree with Others of a Quite Different Character, in This Respect, that Neither of them can Easily bear an Account of their Own Lives and Actions.

However; Neither the Fear of Offending the Chastest ears, even by a Detail of plain Truths, on the One hand; nor yet an Utter Abhorrence of the Abominable fin of Flattery, on the Other, should reftrain me from fuggefting the Neceffity of our Offering up Praises to God, for the Beneficial Ufe, which this Noble Hand hath made of Riches, the Second Advantage proposed in the Text. His Generous and Lafting Provifions for the Education of Youth, the Advancement of Learning, and the Defence and Propagation of Religion, Cannot be Concealed, and shall never