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SER M. fequences of fome falfe fteps, into which your paffions, or your pleasures, have betrayed you, pursued you through much of your life; tainted, perhaps, your character, involved you in embarraffiments, or fünk you into neglect ?

It is an old faying, that every man

is the artificer of his own fortune in the world. It is certain that the world feldom turns wholly againft a man, unless through his own fault. Godliness is, in general, profitable unto all things. Virtue, diligence and industry, joined with good temper and prudence, have ever been found the fureft road to profperity; and where men fail of attaining it, their want of fuccefs is far oftener owing to their having deviated from that road, than to their having encountered infuperable bars in it. Some, by being too artful, forfeit the reputation of probity. Some, by being too open, are accounted to fail in prudence. Others, by being fickle and changeable, are diftrusted by all.The cafe commonly is, that men feek to afcribe their difappointments

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appointments to any caufe, rather than SERM. to their own mifconduct; and when they can devife no other caufe, they lay them to the charge of Providence. Their folly leads them into vices; their vices into misfortunes; and in their misfortunes they fret against the Lord. They are doubly unjuft towards God. In their prosperity, they are apt to ascribe their fuccefs to their own diligence, rather than to God's bleffing; and in their adversity, they impute their diftreffes to his providence, not to their own misbehaviour. Whereas, the truth is the very reverse of this. Every good and every perfect gift cometh from above and of evil and mifery, man is the author to himself.

When from the condition of individuals, we look abroad to the public ftate of the world, we meet with more proofs of the truth of this affertion. We fee great focieties of men torn in pieces by inteftine diffenfions, tumults and civil commotions. We fee mighty armies going forth, in formidable ar

· ray

SERM. ray, against each other, to cover the XIV. earth with blood, and to fill the air

with the cries of widows and orphans.

Sad evils these are, to which this miferable world is exposed.—But are thefe evils, I beseech you, to be imputed to God? Was it he who fent forth flaughtering armies into the field, or who filled the peaceful city with masfacres and blood? Are thefe miferies any other than the bitter fruit of men's violent and disorderly paffions? Are they not clearly to be traced to the ambition. and vices of princes, to the quarrels of the great, and to the turbulence of the people?Let us lay them entirely out of the account, in thinking of Providence; and let us think only of the foolishness of men. Did man controul his paffions, and form his conduct according to the dictates of wisdom, humanity and virtue, the earth would no longer be defolated by cruelty; and human focieties would live in order, harmony and peace. In thofe fcenes of mifchief and violence which fill the

world,

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world, let man behold, with shame, the SER M. picture of his vices, his ignorance, and folly. Let him be humbled by the mortifying view of his own perverfeness; but let not his heart fret against the Lord. From the external condition, let us proceed,

II. To confider the internal state of man. It is certain that much disquiet and mifery may be found there, although his outward condition appear undisturbed, and easy. As far as this inward disquietude arifes from the ftings of conscience, and the horrors of guilt, there can be no doubt of its being felf-created mifery; which it is altogether impofible to impute to Heaven. But, even, when great crimes, and deep remorse, are not the occafions of torment, how often is poifon infused into the moft flourishing conditions of fortune, by the follies and the paffions of the profperous? We fee them peevish and restlefs; corrupted with luxury, and enervated by ease; impatient of the smallest

disappointment;

SERM. disappointment; oppreffed with low XIV. fpirits, and complaining of every thing

around them. How many Hamans, Hazaels, and Herods, are there in the world, who, from what they fuffer within, pass their days in more vexation and mifery, than they who undergo the hardships of poverty? Dare fuch men, in their moft difcontented moments, charge the providence of Heaven with miseries of their own procuring? Providence had put into their hands the fairest opportunity of paffing their life with comfort. But they themfelves blasted every comfort that was offered; and verified the prediction, that the profperity of fools shall deftroy them.*

As it is man's own foolishness which ruins his profperity, we must not omit to remark, that it is the fame cause which aggravates and embitters his adverfity. That you fuffer from the external afAlictions