ble protestant to subdue the lufts of anger, intemperance, cruelty, and revenge, to appear before his Maker with that preparation of mind which becomes him. The operation of being sprinkled with holy water, is not fo difficult in itfelf, as that of being chafte and spotlefs within-confcious of no dirty thought or difhoneft action. This a much shorter way to kneel down at a confeffional and receive abfolution than to live fo as to deferve it-not at the hands of men-but at the hands of GoD—who fees the heart, and cannot be impofed on -The achievement of keeping Lent, or abstaining from flesh on certain days, is not fo hard, as that of abftaining from the works of it at all times-efpecially as the point is generally managed amongst the richer fort with fuch art and epicurism at their tables. and with fuch indulgence to a poor mortified appetite that an entertainment upon a fast is much more: likely to produce a furfeit than a fit of forrow.

One might run the parallel much farther, but this may be fufficient to fhow how dangereous and delufive these mistakes are, how apt to miflead and overfet weak minds which are ever apt to be caught by the pomp of fuch external parts of religion. This is fo evident, that even in our own church, where there is the greatest chastity in things of this nature —and of which none are retained in our worship, but what, I believe, tend to excite and aflift it-yet fo ftrong a propenfity is there in our nature to fenfe

and fo unequal a match is the understanding of the bulk of mankind, for the impreffions of outwardi things that we fee thoufands who every day

mistake the fhadow for the fubftance, and, was it fairly put to the trial, would exchange the reality for the appearance.

You fee this was almoft univerfally the case of the Jewish church-where, for want of a proper guard and distinction betwixt the means of religion and religion itself, the ceremonial part in time ate away the moral part, and left nothing but a fhadow behind.

'Tis to be feared the buffooneries of the Romish. church bid fair to do it the fame ill office, to the difgrace and utter ruin of Christianity wherever popery is eftablished. What then remains, but that we' rectify these grofs and pernicious notions of religion, and place it upon its true bottom, which we can only do, by bringing back religion to that cool point of reafon which firft fhowed us its obligation-by always remembering that GOD is a fpirit-and must be worshipped fuitable to his nature, i. e. in spirit and in truth-and that the most acceptable facrifice we can offer him is a virtuous and an upright mind -and however neceffary it is, not to leave the ceremonial and pofitive parts of religion undone-yet not like the pharifee to reft there and omit the weightier matters, but keep this in view perpetually, that though the inftrumental duties of religion are duties of unquestionable obligation to us-yet they are ftill but INSTRUMENTAL DUTIES, conducive to the great end of all religion-which is to purify our hearts and conquer our paffions—and, in a word, to make us wifer and better men- -better neigh bours-better citizens-and better fervants to God. To whom, &c.

SERMON VII.

Vindication of Human Nature.

ROMANS XIV. 7.

For none of us liveth to himself.

THERE is not a fentence in fcripture, which strikes a narrow foul with greater astonishment;—and one might as eafily engage to clear up the darkest problem in geometry to an ignorant mind, as make a fordid one comprehend the truth and reasonableness of this plain propofition-No man liveth to himfelf! Why?-Does any man live to any thing else? -In the whole compafs of human life, can a prudent man steer to a fafer point?-Not live to himself! -To whom then? Can any interests or concerns

which are foreign to a man's self have such a claim over him, that he muft ferve under them,-fufpend his own pursuits,-step out of his right course, till others have paffed by him, and attained the feveral ends and purposes of living before him?

If, with a selfish heart, fuch an inquirer fhould happen to have a fpeculating head too, he will proceed, and ask you, Whether this fame principle which the apostle here throws out of the life of man

is not in fact the grand bias of his nature?- -That however we may flatter ourfelves with fine-fpun notions of difinterestedness and heroifm in what we do; were the most popular of our actions stripped naked, and the true motives and intentions of them fearched to the bottom; we fhould find little reason for triumph upon that score.—

In a word, he will fay, that a man is altogether a bubble to himself in this matter, and that after all that can be faid in his behalf, the trueft definition that can be given of him is this, that he is a selfish animal; and that all his actions have fo ftrong a tincture of that character, as to show (to whomever elfe he was intended to live) that in fact he lives only to himself.

Before I reply directly to this accufation, I cannot help obferving by the way, that there is fcarce any thing which has done more differvice to focial virtue, than the frequent reprefentations of human nature under the hideous picture of deformity, which, by leaving out all that is generous and friendly in the heart of man, have funk him below the level of a brute, as if he was a compofition of all that was meanfpirited and felfish. Surely 'tis one ftep towards acting well, to think worthily of our nature; and as in common life the way to make a honeft man, is to suppose him so, and treat him as fuch ;-so here, to fet fome value upon ourselves, enables us to support the chara&er, and even infpires and adds fentiments of generofity and virtue to thofe which we have already preconceived. The fcripture tells, that GOD made man in his own image,--not surely in

the fenfitive and corporeal part of him, that could bear no resemblance with a pure and infinite Spirit —but what resemblance he bore was undoubtedly in the moral rectitude, and the kind and benevolent affections of his nature. And though the brightnefs of this image has been fullied greatly by the fall of man in our first parents, and the characters of it rendered ftill lefs legible by the many fuperinductions of his own depraved appetites fince,—yet 'tis a laudable pride and a true greatnefs of mind to cherish a belief, that there is fo much of that glorious image ftill left upon it, as shall restrain him from bafe and difgraceful actions; to answer which end, what thought can be more conducive than that of our being made in the likeness of the greatest and beft of Beings? this is a plain confequence. And the confideration of it should have in fome measure been a protection to human nature, from the rough usage she has met with from the fatirical pens of fo many of the French writers, as well as of our own country, who, with more wit than well meaning, have defperately fallen foul upon the whole fpecies, as a set of creatures incapable either of private friendship or publick fuirit, but just as the cafe fuited their own interest and advantage.

That there is felfishness and meannefs enough in the fouls of one part of the world, to hurt the credit of the other part of it, is what I fhall not dispute againft; but to judge of the whole from this bad fample, and because one man is plotting and artful in his nature, or a fecond openly makes his pleasure or his profit the fole centre of all his defigns,-or be