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SERM. they have in other Cafes, to obtain any II. other good End. In fhort, a rational Crea

ture should act as fuch, and as Religion is undoubtedly his greatest Bufinefs, fo fhould it be likewife his greatest Care. 'Tis true, it is not expected of a Horfe or a Mule, that have no Understanding, to be religious; but Man, who has a reasonable Mind, must act contrary to his Nature if he is not fo; fuch a one can never contradict Religion, till he has first acted contrary to his Reafon, and offer'd manifeft Violence to his Underftanding.And we may add to this likewife, that we profefs ourselves to be Chriftians, and if fo, we don't act at all confiftently, if we are not Men of Religion; for however a lewd, diffolute Life may suit with a Mahometan Scheme of Religion, yet for a Chriftian to live fo, who has engag'd to keep God's Commandments, and to walk in the fame all the Days of his Life, is the oddest Thing in the World; 'tis going against Nature and Principle both, and deftroying the Notions we have of Right and Wrong. But if, after all, People will ftill go on in a vicious Way of Living, and yet nevertheless expect to be happy, tho' they don't concern themfelves at all about Religion, which (as has been fhewn) is the

only

only Means of obtaining it, it lies upon SER M. them to fhew where Happiness is promised II. without it.------Since then a godly and re ligious Life is fo neceffary and becoming in every one who has a future Happiness to fecure; 'tis much more fo in those who are called to any holy Function, because they have ftronger Obligations to it than other Men have. They who give Rules to others, must furely be fuppofed to practise them themselves, if they think to inftruct with Succefs, and be living Examples of every. Precept they teach others; for People will then only be convinced that we deal equitably with them, when we require no more of them than what we ourselves do conftantly perform.

To conclude. A good Life is the Sum of the whole Chriftian Philofophy; and every thing else is to be valued more or less, according as it has more or less Tendency to it: And whatever Fancies People may fet up in the Room of it, which may be always Matter of Difpute, and become Demonstration in one Age, and Nonfenfe in another; yet, as long as the Word of God has any Influence or Authority with Men, the Fear of the Lord will always be Wisdom, and to depart from Evil Understanding.--

This

SERM. This is certainly right and true, whatever II. is not fo. If then we will be wife for ourfelves, let it appear by our Actions. Whe is a wife and knowing Man among you, fays St James, let him her out of a good Converfation his Works with Meekness of Wifdom. This is Religion, or Wifdon, as Solomon loves to call it, that is more precious than Rubies, that muft always be cloathed with the Beauty of Holinefs, and fline forth in the lovely Ornament of a good Life.

Now to him, who is the Lord of all Power and Might, and the Author and Giver of all good Things, let us continually offer up our humble Prayers, that he would graft in our Hearts the Love of his Name, increafe in us true Religion, nourish us with all Goodness, and of his great Mercy keep us in the fame, through Jefus Christ our Lord: To whom with the Father and Holy Ghoft, be afcribed, as is moft due, all Honour, Glory, Might, Majefty and Dominion, henceforth and for

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SERMON III.

JOB iv. 17.

Shall mortal Man be more juft than God? Shall a Man be more pure than his Maker?

N the early Ages of the World, SERM when the Almighty condescended III. to speak to his Creatures, and declare his Will in Dreams and Vifions, thefe Words were fpoken to Eliphaz, in a Vision of the Night, as he was ruminating, in a penfive Manner, upon the Circumftances of what had happen'd to him before on fuch Occafions; and the Reafon of his relating them to Job, was, becaufe he thought he had been too prefumptuous in his Complaints on the Miferies of Life, thereby tacitly accuring the Divine Providence of Injuftice, in appointing him to

undergo

SERM. undergo fo heavy a Burden of Afflictions :
III. For when Job's three Friends came to fee

him, of whom Eliphaz was one, and he
had a long while in vain expected them to
condole with him in his Miseries, and com-
fort him in his Sorrows, he could not forbear
crying out, Let the Day perifh wherein I was
born, and the Night in which it was faid,
There is a Man Child conceived: Let that
Day be Darkness, let not God regard it
from Above, neither let the Light shine up-
on it: Let Darkness and the Shadow of
Death ftain it; let a Cloud dwell upon it;
let the Blackness of the Day terrify it: As
for that Night, let Darkness feize upon
it
let it not be joined unto the Days of the
Tear;
let it not come into the Number of
the Months: Because it but not up the Doors
of my Mother's Womb, nor hid Sorrow from
mine Eyes; for now should I have lain
ftill and been quiet, I should have slept then,
and have been at Reft with Kings and
Counsellors of the Earth, which built defo-
late Places for themselves. There the Wick-
ed ceafe from Troubling, and the Weary be
at Reft; there the Prifoners reft together,
they hear not the Voice of the Oppressor ;
the Small and the Great are there, and the
Servant is free from his Mafler. At which
Complaint

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