Temptation, and makes us fufceptible of ill SERM. X. Impreffions. When Steadiness, the Anchorage of the Soul is once loft, she becomes the Sport of the Paffions, and is carried away with every Wind. From this Fountain, from that amazing Folly of our Great Ones in running after every public Entertainment, how trifling and ridiculous foever it may be, has flowed that fashionable Indifference and Difregard for every Thing that is Serious and Sacred. The Day, which is more immediately set apart for the Service and Worship of God, is generally profaned; and an Habit of Gaming has extinguished every Sentiment of Devotion. Nor does the Misfortune end here: Inferiors are proud to form themselves upon the Model of their Superiors; and when thofe, who are bound by all the Ties of Gratitude to that God, who giveth them all Things richly to enjoy, to advance the Interefts of Religion, and to enlarge it's Empire, ftamp a Credit upon Vice and Irreligion; by this Means a Gate is opened to all Manner of Profaneness: Men commonly thinking it fome Excufe for their Crimes, if they can plead the Example of their Betters in Favour of them. What SERM. X. What then? will fome One fay; is this your Way to Happiness? Muft we bid Adieu to all Diverfions? By no Means I would not be understood to decry Amusements in general; I only condemn them, when they take up too much of our Time, and interfere with nobler Pursuits. For certainly We were not placed in this World, like the Leviathan in the Deep, only to take our Paftime therein. There are Duties to be performed by Us; and, as a Motive to our Obedience, the great Lawgiver has made thefe Duties and our Happiness confiftent with each other: they go Hand in Hand, and the Pleasure which results from Virtue is a fufficient Recommendation of it to our Practice. Who ever relieved the Indigent without feeling within himself the greatest Complacency and Satisfaction ? Compare the Pleasures of Sobriety and Temperance with thofe of Rioting and Excefs; the sweet Sleep of Labour and Induftry with the broken and disturbed Slumbers of Idlenefs and Luxury, and Reafon will foon convince you which deferves to have the Preference. We may therefore lay it down as a Maxim of undoubted Truth, that none is a greater greater Epicure than the true, fincere Chri- SERM. X. fian; None are greater Self-deniers than the abandoned in Pleafure; as they cut themselves off from the most valuable Enjoyments; as they contract a Littleness of Soul, and a Difrelish and Infenfibility to every generous Sentiment of Humanity and Goodness; as they must be obliged to a thousand Trifles to fill up the mighty Void of Thought, to fhut out that importunate Intruder Self-reflection, and to keep off that Sullennefs, which must come upon a Mind confcious of no intrinfic Worth; and when fome Years, each more flat and infipid than another, are thus fpent, they have no Reason to value this Life, but merely because they are afraid of a future. The Conclufion of all is, Happiness confifts in our placing it upon true and true and proper Objects. We have seen, that the Luft of the Flesh, the Luft of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life, cannot fecure it to Us. Let us therefore seek for it, where it is only to be found, in the Practice of Virtue and Religion. And pure and undefiled Religion is this, to relieve the Diftreffed, to have an univerfal Charity for all Men, and to keep ourselves unspotted from the World. SERMON HR 'OWEVER unequal the Difpenfa- SERM. XI tions of Providence, upon a carelefs and tranfient View, View, may seem to be; yet, upon a more close and accurate Survey, we fhall find a greater Equality therein than we were aware of. Thus, for Inftance, the Men in whose Compofition Fire and Spirit are the predominant Ingredients, have generally much nobler Defigns, and are capable of greater Attainments, than thofe of a phlegmatic and more difpaffionate Make. But then the fame Life and Energy, which pushes. on the former to undertake generous and heroic Actions, often precipitates them into fatal Exceffes. If they are more than the |