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the royal pfalmift of Ifrael employed in the worship of God; thofe facred fervors, running through all his divine compositions, that continue to animate the devotion of good men in every age. Let not the ftrength of your paffions, then, or the vivacity of your fenfibilities to pleasure, make you despair of attaining to a new life, or even of reaching the fummits of virtue. Enter speedily, and in earnest on the arduous labour. And in this, as in every other duty, the promife of God will still remain to be your confolation, and your aid, "my grace is fufficient for you."

T

AMEN!

DISCOURSE VI.

ON INDUSTRY.

DELIVERED ON THE SUNDAY PRECEDING THE
COMMENCEMENT, 1797.

ROMANS XII. 11.

Not Slothful in Business.

HE law of Chrift not only reaches to

TH

the principles of conduct in the heart, but extends to the whole detail of our active duties. Among thefe it inculcates industry, and diligence in business, not only by many direct precepts, but by the allufions and images which it employs to characterize the christian life. It represents it as an arduous conflict, as an active race, as a ftate of inceffant labour and vigilance.

Some weak or fuperftitious minds have imagined that all this ar dor is to be employed only in devotion, and those duties that ter

minate immediately upon God, while they fuppofe it hardly respects the affairs of civil, of focial, or domeftic life. On the other hand, juftice, charity, fobriety, industry are effential and important duties of the chriftian law. In the order of life, indeed, they form the moft numerous clafs of our duties, men have the moft conftant ufe for them, they are most directly related to the general interest and felicity of the world, which is the great end of the divine government. Activity and diligence in the affairs of life may, it is true, proceed from improper motives, and be directed to improper ends. Men may be diligent in the bufinefs of the world, and yet be deftitute of the grace of God: but, it may be laid down as an immutable truth in religion that no one can be a good man who is not induftrious in fome useful calling.

Industry is the virtue of which I purpose to treat on the prefent occafion; in doing which I fhall point out both its necellity, and its advantages.

It is required of us by God-it is rendered neceffary by our relations to fociety-it

is requifite to the improvement of our own nature-it is intimately connected with other virtues-and it is indifpenfable to the best enjoyment of life. Each of these ideas I fhall explain and extend a little before I apply the subject to the chief defign of our present meeting.

I. In the first place, it is required of us by God. This appears not only from his holy word, but from the whole fabric and order of the univerfe, and from the organization and ftructure of our own nature, which are his work. Wherever he manifefts his power, all things are full of movement and energy. The mighty orbs that compofe the univerfal fyftem wheel on in an inceffant courfe, and preferve unbroken the order of day and night, of feed time and harvest. Every atom is in motion, and is perpetually affuming new forms of being. That man might not be idle, his Creator hath furnished him with a vast assemblage of astonishing powers, fitted for an immense variety of uleful ends, and which indeed can be preferved in a found ftate and brought to the perfection for which they were evidently intended, only by employment

and exercise. When we fee a constant and beneficent activity every where established by God in the conftitution of nature, it is an indication of his will too clear and unambiguous to be misunderstood even by the moft careless obferver. Were the powers with which man is endued given by him in vain? Shall we fuffer them to ruft in our poffeffion, and thereby fruftrate the benevolent defigns of the Creator? The opportunity and the means of doing good either to ourselves or others, as they are bestowed by him, and are the indications of his will, point out to us a facred law of duty. As long as any good end can be answered by our activity, and that is as long as we exist, we are under inviolable obligations to industry.

The fame spirit breathes throughout the word of God. Diligence in fome useful business is reprefented as effential to the character of a good man. The apostle, in his inftructions to Timothy hath faid, “if any provide not for his own, and efpecially for thofe of his own houfe, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.” In defcribing the character of thofe widows

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