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kind, cultivation will never produce much SERM. fruit, either useful or agreeable. There is a natural good fense that distinguishes one man from another, on which all folid improvement must be grafted. Devoid of this, learning will become pedantry; information, will fortify felf-conceit; experience, render folly more confpicuous; and imagined fuperiority, arifing from all those unimproved means of improvement, speedily fubftitute low cunning for genuine wisdom, and odious duplicity for falutary prudence. Against these perverfions we are, therefore, particularly cautioned by being required, at the fame time we are wise as serpents, to be harmless as doves.

Such is the deplorable degeneracy of human nature, my brethren, that even our good qualities themselves, may, by exceffive refinement, or by diverfion from their proper objects, terminate in defects and vices. Exact frugality often leans to avarice; overflowing generofity becomes profufion; rigid temperance affumes the character of aufterity and moroseness. The cafe is the fame

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SERM. with many other virtues, which it is needlefs to enumerate. But it is proper to observe, that perverted talents, or principles, carried to excess, are commonly more pernicious than the mere negative absence of either. Excefs, it is true, is not neceffarily connected with any virtue or mental excellence whatsoever. But, men are prone to extremes, and, in the too eager pursuit of any particular, or fubordinate qualification, proceed to the confines of vice; nay, frequently push their career into the centre of her empire.

With refpect to prudence and fagacity, whether wholly natural or partly acquired, this perverfion, as I have already hinted, in explaining the expreffions of the text, may happen the more easily, that, by putting into our hands a variety of inftruments for the execution of any purpose, whether good or bad, these qualities may tempt the corruption of the human heart to employ them in vicious pursuits. But, we must be harmlefs as doves.

Whatever be our talents, whatever our knowledge,

IX.

knowledge, whatever our penetration, our SERM. experience, or our fagacity, it must be our facred and inviolable maxim, never to use them to the prejudice of our brethren.We muft, on no account, employ them to mislead, to deceive, to opprefs, or to betray. They must never be employed to conceal or to disguise truth, and to recommend error, in order to promote private interest, or the views of party; to rouse the paffions of men to their own and to the public detriment; or to clothe fuperftition or enthufiasm in the garb of religion. They must not be employed to pervert justice and equity to the purposes of iniquity and fraud, to gratify vanity by the oftentatious difplay of fophiftical ingenuity, to acquire preferment or power by the dark arts of infidious politics, or to purchase wealth by prevarication, impofition, and craft. They must not be practised to fhun inconveniences and dangers, when duty requires to face them, to provide a fculking-place, when confcience calls to appear with boldness, or to twist our fentiments into a vicious conformity with those

SERM thofe of others, when duty demands the IX. manly declaration of them. They must

not be practised to flatter folly or vice, because they are powerful or opulent, to encourage villany and profligacy by prostituted complaifance, or to fupprefs honeft indignation, when reverence for God, the love of mankind, a fenfe of becoming dignity, and the best interests of fociety, exact its most articulate and energetic expreffion.They must not be practised to keep down rifing merit, because it threatens competition; to blacken or impair the character already recognised, because its luftre wounds the eye of envy; or to fnatch, for ourselves, our connexions, or our dependents, the rewards and advantages which juftice has affigned to fuperior defert. Our talents and acquirements must be exercised in nothing injurious, nothing dishonest, nothing mean, nothing unbecoming the character of a good man, and a fincere Chriftian. We must be fimple, as the apostle expreffes it, absolutely Simple concerning evil*.

But, we must not reft here. We must

*Rom. xvi. 19.

alfo

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also be wise unto that which is good. It is SER M. evident that the chief reason why the wis dom of the serpent is inculcated, is, that we may thereby be enabled to discharge our duty, whatever it may be, in the most comprehenfive and fuccefsful manner. By means of this quality the peculiar nature of duty is afcertained in every cafe, and we are led to its eafy and complete accomplishment. With the sphere of action, the sphere of prudence and difcernment also enlarges, and their benignant influence, flowing through different channels, fertilizes and adorns every region that lies along its courfe. The value and importance of every good quality rise and extend in proportion to the benefit which it produces. Never, therefore, do eminent talents or diftinguished skill appear with fo much luftre and dignity, as when they are employed in enlightening the world, and in fecuring and increasing human happiness.

It is true, that the precepts, neither of mere morality nor of religion, forbid the advancement of our own intereft and reputa