fy;-a sin, by which, contrary to all the workings of humanity within, he shall ruin forever the deluded partner of his guilt ;-rob her of her best dowry;→ and not only cover her own head with dishonour, but involve a whole virtuous family in shame and sorrow for her sake, surely, you'll think, conscience must lead such a man a troublesome life :. -he can have no rest night nor day from its reproaches.

Per

Alas! conscience had something else to do all this time than break in upon him: as Elijah reproached the god Baal, this domestick god was either "talk❝ing, or pursuing, or was in a journey, or, perad"venture, he slept, and could not be awoke." haps he was gone out, in company with HONOUR, to fight a duel;-to pay off some debt at play ;—or dirty annuity, the bargain of his lust.-Perhaps, conscience all this time was engaged at home, talking aloud against petty larceny, and executing vengeance upon some such puny crimes as his fortune and rank in life secured him against all temptation of committing so that he lives as merrily,-sleeps as soundly in his bed ;—and, at the last, meets death with as much unconcern,-perhaps, much more so, -than a much better man.

Another is sordid, unmerciful;-a straithearted, selfish wretch, incapable either of private friendships or publick spirit.-Take notice how he passes by the widow and orphan in their distress; and sees all the miseries incident to human life without a sigh or a prayer!-Shall not conscience rise up and sting him on such occasions? No.-Thank God, there is no occasion. I pay every man his own;—

I have no fornication to answer to my conscience,

no faithless vows or promises to make up ;-I have debauched no man's wife or child.Thank God, I am not as other men, adulterers, unjust; or even as this libertine who stands before me.'

A third is crafty and designing in his nature.View his whole life,-'tis nothing else but a cunning contexture of dark arts and inequitable subterfuges, basely to defeat the true intent of all laws, plaindealing, and the safe enjoyment of our several properties. You will see such a one working out a frame of little designs upon the ignorance and perplexities of the poor and needy man:-shall raise a fortune upon the inexperience of youth,—or the unsuspecting temper of his friend, who would have trusted him with his life. When old age comes on, and repentance calls him to look back upon this black account, and state it over again with his conscience; -conscience looks into the statutes at large,-finds perhaps no express law broken by what he has done ; -perceives no penalty or forfeiture incurred;sees no scourge waving over his head,-or prison opening its gate upon him.-What is there to affright his conscience ?-Conscience has got safely entrenched behind the letter of the law, sits there invulnerable, fortified with cases and reports so strongly on all sides,—that 'tis not preaching can dispossess it of its hold.

Another shall want even this refuge;-shall break through all this ceremony of slow chicane ; scorns the doubtful workings of secret plots and cautious trains to bring about his purpose.-See the barefaced villain how he cheats, lies, perjures, robs, murders-Horrid! But indeed much better was not to be expected in this case ;-the poor man was in

the dark!-His priest had got the keeping of his conscience, and all he had let him know of it was, That he must believe in the Pope, go to mass,— cross himself, tell his beads,-be a good catholick; and that this in all conscience was enough to carry him to heaven. What?-if he perjures ?-Why he had a mental reservation in it. But if he is so wicked and abandoned a wretch as you represent him, if he robs or murders, will not conscience, on every such act, receive a wound itself?-Ay,-But the man has carried it to confession, the wound digests there, and will do well enough,-and in a short time be quite healed up by absolution.

O Popery! what hast thou to answer for !-when, not content with the too many natural and fatal ways through which the heart is every day thus treacherous to itself above all things,-thou hast wilfully set open this wide gate of deceit before the face of this unwary traveller,-too apt, God knows, to go astray of himself, and confidently speak peace to his soul, when there is no peace!

Of this, the common instances which I have drawn out of life are too notorious to require much evidence. If any man doubts the reality of them, or thinks it impossible for man to be such a bubble to himself, I must refer him a moment to his reflections, and shall then venture to trust the appeal with his own heart. Let him consider in how different a degree of detestation numbers of wicked actions stand there, though equally bad and vitious in their own natures;-he will soon find that such of them as strong inclination or custom have prompted him to commit, are generally dressed out and painted with all the false beauties which a soft and flattering

hand can give them; and that the others, to which he feels no propensity, appear, at once, naked and deformed, surrounded with all the true circumstances of folly and dishonour.

When David surprised Saul sleeping in the cave, and cut off the skirt of his robe, we read, his heart smote him for what he had done.-But, in the matter of Uriah, where a faithful and gallant servant, whom he ought to have loved and honoured, fell to make way for his lust (where conscience had so much greater reason to take the alarm)-his heart smote him not !-A whole year had almost passed from the first commission of that crime, to the time Nathan was sent to reprove him; and we read not once of the least sorrow or compunction of heart which he testified during all that time, for what he had done,

Thus conscience, this once able monitor,-placed on high as a judge within us,-and intended by our Maker as a just and equitable one too,-by an unhappy train of causes and impediments,-takes often such imperfect cognizance of what passes,-does its office so negligently,-sometimes so corruptly, that it is not to be trusted alone and therefore, we find, there is a necessity, an absolute necessity, of joining another principle with it, to aid if not govern, its determinations.

So that, if you would form a just judgment of what is of infinite importance to you not to be misled in, namely, in what degree of real merit you stand, either as an honest man,-an useful citizen, -a faithful subject to your king, or a good servant to your God,-call in religion and morality.Look What is written in the law of God?-How

readest thou ?-Consult calm reason and the unchangeable obligations of justice and truth :-What say they?

Let conscience determine the matter upon these reports,--and then, if "thy heart condemn thee "not,"--which is the case the apostle supposes,-the rule will be infallible :--" Thou wilt have con"fidence towards God;"--that is, have just grounds. to believe the judgment thou hast passed upon thyself is the judgment of God; and nothing else but an anticipation of that righteous sentence, which shall be pronounced hereafter upon thee by that Being, before whom thou art finally to give an account of thy actions.

"Blessed is the man," indeed then, as the author of the book of Ecclesiasticus expresses it," who is "not pricked with the multitude of his sins.--Bless"ed is the man whose heart hath not condemned, "and who is not fallen from his hope in the Lord. "Whether he be rich," continues he, " or whether " he be poor,-if he have a good heart," (a heart thus guided and informed)—" He shall at all times ❝ rejoice in a cheerful countenance.-His mind "shall tell him more than seven watchmen that sit "above upon a tower on high."-In the darkest doubts it shall conduct him safer than a thousand casuists, and give the state he lives in a better security for his behaviour, than all the clauses and restrictions put together, which the wisdom of the legislature is forced to multiply ;-forced, I say, as things stand; human laws being not a matter of original choice, but of pure necessity, brought in to fence against the mischievous effects of those consciences which are no law unto themselves; wise.