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shall praise thee. I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips, when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.Whom have I in Heaven, but thee?-And there is none upon earth that I desire, besides thee.* When such language as this expresses the native sentiments of our hearts, we join ourselves in some measure to the angelical choir above, and anticipate the employments of the blessed.

SOME may perhaps imagine that what has been said of the importance and the advantages of drawing near to God, approaches in some degree to mysticism and enthusiasm. I admit, that if religion were represented as consisting wholly of internal devout emotions, the representations of it would be imperfect and false. It is designed to be an active principle, regulating the conduct of life, and exerting itself in good works. But very ignorant he must be of human nature, who perceives not, that in order to produce such effects, it is of high importance to engage the affections and the heart on the side of virtue. It is not by reasonings addressed solely to the understanding, that men's characters are formed, or their general conduct actuated. If you wish to work any considerable effect on their life, you must bring over the affections and inclination to your side. You must not only shew them what is right and true, but make them feel what is desirable and good. If you attempt to make religion so very calm and rational, as to exclude from it all warmth of sentiment, all affectionate and devotional feelings, you will leave it in possession of small influence on conduct.-My son, give me thy heart, is the voice of God; and the voice of reason is, that according as the heart is affected and disposed, such will be the general character and conduct.

The application of the whole subject to the Holy Sacrament, which we are now to celebrate, is natural and obvious. No more solemn opportunity can be afforded us of drawing near to God, than what we there enjoy. All that is encouraging and comforting in christian faith is set before us, in this most effectual proof of God's mercy to mankind, giving up his Son to the death as a sacrifice for our sins. In celebrating the memorial of this great event, we are placed as under the immediate brightness of heavenly light, and under the warmest ray of divine love. If there be any consolation in Christ, any fellowship of the Spirit, any pleasing hope of eternal life and joy, it ought on such an occasion to be drawn forth, and deeply felt. Let us endeavour to kindle at the altar of the Lord, that sacred fire, which shall continue to diffuse its vivifying influence over our

Ps, lxiii. 3-6. lxv. 4. Ixxiii. 25.

hearts, when we go abroad into the world, and mingle again in the ordinary concerns of life. We are now to draw near to God. Let us draw near to him as our Father; but with that reverence and humility, which becomes us on approaching to a Father who is in Heaven. Let us draw near through that great Mediator, by whose merits and intercession alone our services find acceptance at the Divine throne. No man cometh unto the Father but through him, and none who cometh unto God by him, will be cast out.

SERMON LXXX.

ON WISDOM IN RELIGIOUS CONDUCT.

I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way.-PSALM, ci. 2.

WISDOM, says Solomon, excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.* In our present state, there is no situation in which we can, consistently with safety to ourselves, act thoughtlessly and at random. In whatever enterprise we engage, consideration and prudent thought are requisite to bring it to a good issue. On every occasion, there is a right and a wrong in conduct there is one line of action which is likely to terminate according as we wish; and another, which, for certain, will land us in disappointment. If, in the ordinary transactions of life, we cannot prosper without a due exercise of wisdom and prudence, a higher degree of it is certainly necessary in those momentous parts of conduct which regard our everlasting welfare.

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It is indeed confessed that in religious conduct, the fundamental and most important article is sincerity of heart, and goodness of intention. At the same time, let the intentions be ever so pure and sincere, they will be in hazard of falling into some wrong direction, unless they be properly guided by wisdom. Too many instances have appeared, of persons who, setting out in life with fair and virtuous purposes, have been so far bewildered by mistaken forms of goodness, as to be betrayed, first into errors, and then into vices and crimes. In order to act our parts with propriety and steadiness, there must be a due proportion of light in the understanding, as well as of warmth and goodness in the heart. The Psalmist was sensible of this when he declares in the text, his resolution, of not only walking in a perfect, or upright, way, but of behaving himself wisely in

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that perfect way. Of the wisdom or prudence which is necessary to guide and support virtue, I propose to treat in this Discourse. I shall adventure with great plainness and simplicity of language, to propose some practical rules and directions for that purpose; which may be of service to persons, who with good dispositions and intentions, are beginning the career of life and which may, perhaps, deserve attention from persons in every period of age. I begin by observing,

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I. THAT it is most necessary to lay down principles on which we are to form our general conduct. If we set out without principles of any kind, there can be no regular plan of life, nor any firmness in conduct. No person can know where they are to find us; nor on what behaviour of ours they are to depend. If the principles which we pitch upon for determining our course be of a variable nature; such, for instance, as popular opinion, reputation, or worldly interest; as these are often shifting and changing, they can impart no steadiness or consistency to conduct. Other principles there are, which some affect to adopt, founded on a sense of honour, on the beauty and excellency of virtue, and the dignity of human nature. But however fair these

may be in appearance, they will be found ineffectual in many trying situations; unable to repress the violence of contending passions, or to support the heart under many discouragements and sorrows.

The only sure principles we can lay down for regulating our conduct, must be founded on the Christian religion, taken in its whole compass; not confined to the exercises of devotion, nor to the mere morality of social behaviour; but extending to the whole direction of our conduct towards God and towards man. The foundation is to be laid in faith in Christ as the Saviour of the world, through whose merits only we can look for final acceptance with God. We must evince the sincerity of our faith by good works; that is, by a faithful discharge of all the duties incumbent upon us in our several stations of life, continually looking up to Divine grace for assistance in the part assigned us to act; and trusting to that recompense of our present labours, which is promised to the virtuous in a future and better world. -Supposing, that having laid the foundation in such principles, we set forth to act a worthy and virtuous part; resolved that whatever may befal us, till we die we will not remove our integrity from us; that our hearts shall not reproach us so long as we live. I proceed to advise,

II. THAT we begin with reforming whatever has been wrong in our former behaviour. This counsel is the more important, because too many, in their endeavours towards reformation, be

* Job, xxvii. 5, 6.

gin with attempting some of the highest virtues, or aspiring to the most sublime performances of devotion, while they suffer their former accustomed evil habits to remain just as they were. This, I apprehend, is beginning at the wrong end. We must first, as the Prophet has exhorted put away the evil of our doings from before God's eyes; we must cease to do evil, before we learn to do well.* All attempts at reformation of manners are vain, where this is not studied. Let us remember, that as long as the weeds and tares are allowed to remain in the ground, the soil is vitiated by their roots spreading deep and wide; and no good grain will have room to spring up.-Every man who inspects his own character, may learn that there are certain failings, to which, from constitution, circumstances, or long habit, he is prone; termed in Scripture the sins that most easily beset us. To discover these, must be his first care; and his first purpose, if he in truth wishes to become a good man, must be gradually to check, and finally to extirpate them, of whatever nature they are: whether, perhaps, habits of intemperance, unlawful indulgences of pleasure, indirect methods of acquiring gain, or propensions to malice, resentment, or envy. To overcome those evils when they have become inveterate, to pluck up those thorns by the roots, is perhaps the most difficult part of reformation, and therefore what we are generally the most backward to undertake. At the same time it is certain, that as long as, by this tender indulgence to favourite vices, men remain in a divided state between good resolutions and evil habits, they are so far from behaving wisely in a perfect way, that they can scarcely be accounted to have entered on that perfect way; irresolution will be spread over their conduct, and incoherence will mark their character. In order to facilitate so necessary a step in the towards virtue, let me advise you,

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III. To shut up, as much as possible, the avenues which lead to the return of former evil habits. Here is required that exercise of vigilance, self-distrust, and self-denial, which is so often recommended to us in Scripture. There is always some one side on which each of us is more vulnerable than on another. There are places, there are times, there are circumstances, which every man who knows any thing of himself at all, must know will prove the occasions of calling forth his latent frailties, and bringing him into some fatal snare. Then ought that caution of the Apostle to sound in his ears; Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lesi he fall. Let him not only walk circumspeetly, but rather altogether fly the dangerous ground: aware of the viper which lurks under the grass, ready to sting. But presumption to flatter ourselves, and to think that we are able 1 Corinth. x. 12.

Isaiah, i. 16.

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