This univerfal ruling principle, and almost invincible attachment, to the interests and glories of the world, which we see first made fo powerful a stand against the belief of chriftianity, has continued to have an ill effect, at least, upon the practice of it ever fince ;and therefore, there is no one point of wisdom, that is of nearer importance to us, than to purify this grofs appetite, and restrain it within bounds, by lowering our high conceit of the things of this life, and our concern for those advantages which misled the Jews.To judge juftly of the world,-we must stand at a due distance from it ;—which will discover to us the vanity of its riches and honours, in fuch true dimensions, as will engage us to behave ourselves towards them with moderation. -This is all that is wanting to make us wife and good;-that we may be left to the full influence of religion;-to which christianity fo far conduces, that it is the great bleffing, the peculiar advantage we enjoy under its inftitution,—that it affords us not only the most excellent precepts of this kind, but also it fhews us those precepts confirmed by most excellent examples.-A heathen philofopher may talk

very elegantly about defpifing the world, and, like Seneca, may prefcribe very ingenious rules to teach us an art he never exercifed himfelf: -for all the while he was writing in praise of poverty, he was enjoying a great estate, and endeavouring to make it greater.-But if ever we hope to reduce thofe rules to practice, it must be by the help of religion.-If we would find men who by their lives bore witness to their doctrines, we must look for them amongst the acts and monuments of our church,—amongst the first followers of their crucified Mafter; who fpoke with authority, because they spoke experimentally, and took care to make their words good,-by despifing the world, and voluntarily accounting all things in it lofs, that they might win Christ.-O holy and blessed apoftles!-bleffed were ye indeed, -for ye conferred not with flesh and blood, for ye were not offended in him through any confiderations of this world;-ye conferred not with flesh and blood, neither with its fnares and temptations.-Neither the pleasures of life, or the pains of death laid hold upon your faith, to make you fall from him.-Ye had your prejudices of worldly grandeur in

common with the rest of your nation;-faw, like them, your expectations blasted;-but ye gave them up, as men governed by reason and truth.-As ye furrendered all your hopes in this world to your faith, with fortitude,fo did ye meet the terrors of the world with the fame temper.-Neither the frowns and difcountenance of the civil powers, neither tribulation or diftrefs, or perfecution, or cold, -or nakedness,-or famine,-or the fword, could feparate you from the love of Chrift.Ye took up your croffes chearfully, and followed him;-followed the fame rugged waytrod the wine-prefs after him;-voluntarily fubmitting yourselves to poverty,-to punishment, to the fcorn and reproaches of the world, which ye knew were to be the portion of all of you who engaged in preaching a mystery so spoken against by the world;-fo unpalatable to all its paffions and pleasures,and fo irreconcileable to the pride of human reafon. So that ye were, as one of ye expreffed, and all of ye experimentally found, tho' ye were made as the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things, upon this ac

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count;-yet ye went on as zealously as ye out.-Ye were not offended, nor afhamed of the gofpel of Chrift ;-wherefore should ye? -The imposture and hypocrite might have been ashamed;—the guilty would have found caufe for it;-ye had no caufe,-though ye had temptation.-Ye preached but what ye knew, and your honeft and upright hearts gave evidence,--the ftrongeft,-to the truth of it; for ye left all,-ye fuffered all-ye gave all that your fincerity had left you to give. Ye gave your lives at laft as pledges. and confirmations of your faith and warmeft affection for your Lord.-Holy and bleffed men!-ye gave all,-when alas! our cold and frozen affection will part with nothing for his fake, not even with our vices and follies, which are worse than nothing;-for they are vanity, and mifery, and death.

The state of chriftianity calls not now for fuch evidences, as the apoftles gave of their attachment to it.-We have, literally speaking, neither houses, nor lands, nor poffeffions to forfake; we have neither wives or children, or brethren or fifters, to be torn from;-no rational pleasure, or natural endearments to

give up. We have nothing to part with,but what is not our interest to keep,-our lufts and paffions. We have nothing to do for Chrift's fake-but what is moft for our own; —that is, to be temperate, and chaste, and juft, and peaceable, and charitable,-and kind to one another.-So that if man could suppose himself in a capacity even of capitulating with God, concerning the terms upon which he would fubmit to his government ;and to chufe the laws he would be bound to obferve in teftimony of his faith;-it were impoffible for him to make any proposals which, upon all accounts, fhould be more advantageous to his interefts,-than those very conditions to which we are already obliged; that is, to deny ourselves ungodlinefs, and to live foberly and righteously in this prefent life, and lay fuch restraints upon our appetites as are for the honour of human nature,- the improvement of our happiness,-our health,our peace, our reputation and fafety. When one confiders this representation of the temporal inducements of christianity,— and compares it with the difficulties and discour