the man whofe fingle aim is to obtain the approbation of God. He will continue firm and unfhaken, amidst the greatest sufferings; whilft the hypocrite, like the bafe multitude who followed Christ only for the loaves, will be offended, and fall off, when a day of trouble comes.I fhall only add,, in the

5th and last place, That this divine principle will make a man easy and satisfied, whatever be his outward condition in the world. He knows that his lot is appointed by God, and his only anxiety is to perform that part which hath been affigned to him: being fully affured that God, who is no refpecter of perfons, will graciously accept his fincere endeavours to please him, whether his station be high or low, whether his circumstances be rich or poor. His only concern is, that Chrift may be magnified in his body. Like a determined traveller, he takes the road as he finds it, and makes no complaints, provided it lead him to the end of his journey.

These are some of the advantages which would flow from a fincere and steady defire

of

of pleafing God, and him only.—But to fet thefe advantages in a more striking light, let us a little examine the oppofite principle, and take a view of the man whose great aim is to obtain the approbation of his fellow-creatures.-Confider then,

ift, To what a drudgery he fubjects himfelf, and what a strange and inconsistent part he must act. He makes himself the fervant of every man, whofe cenfare he fears, or whose praise he covets. He renounceth his own will and reafon; and to whom? Not to God, who requires nothing but what is holy, just, and good; but to creatures like himself, ignorant, perverfe, and capricious. He who is refolved to please men, muft follow them through all their jarring inconfiftent humours. He muft undo to-morrow what he does to-day; he muft affume a different appearance in every company; he must be the fervant of fervants, contemptible in the fight of God, and often defpifed by thofe very men whofe approbation he courts. For it is to be obferved, that refpect and efteen are fooner found by an honeft indifference about them,

than

than by an anxious pursuit of them. They who are fatisfied with the approbation of their heavenly Father, who feeth them in fecret, are for the most part rewarded by him openly, according to what the wife man faith, "When a man's ways please the Lord, "he maketh even his enemies to be at peace "with him." Whereas it holds almost univerfally true, that men lofe respect in proportion as they are obferved to court it with anxiety, and fink thereby into greater contempt than otherwife they would have done. But,

2dly, Let us fuppofe that they obtain what they covet fo earneftly; How trivial is the acquifition!" Verily," faith our Lord concerning men-pleafers, "they have their re"ward." Ah! poor reward! to obtain the favour and friendship of dying men, instead of the approbation of God, and the teftimony of a good confcience; to remember, in hell, that they were well fpoken of on earth, and that the fentence of their Judge was the first thing that undeceived their fellow-creatures as to their true character. This is the whole amount of their gain, even fuppofing

supposing that they fucceed in their pursuit: -But I must now add, in the

3d place, That this is only a fuppofition; for fo great is the difficulty of pleafing men, that, after all your pains, it is ten thousand to one but you fhall fail in the attempt. The very number of those whom you would pleafe, renders it almost impoffible to fucceed in it. We cannot at one time obferve all who observe us, and expect to be pleafed by us. We are like a perfon who has but a few pieces of money in his pocket, and a crowd of beggars about him. If, according to his best judgement, he divides the whole among the moft needy, that he may please God, he is fure of attaining his end. But if he attempts to manage fo as to please them, he will be miferably disappointed. For though the few that shared of his bounty, may poffibly be satisfied with their proportion; yet the rest, who got nothing, will revile, and perhaps curfe him, as penurious and unmerciful. Befides, the different parties and interfering interests of men, makes it impoffible to please all. If, in any cafe you join with one party, the other, of course,

will be offended: if you keep yourself dif engaged from either fide, you will probably incur the refentment of both: or, if you think to keep the good-will of both by trimining, making each believe that you are on their fide, befides the bafeness of the practice, which must fet a man at irreconcileable variance with himself, you must live in a perpetual fear of a discovery; and when you are detected, both will hate you worse than they do each other.-Nay, in the

4th place, Should you give up the idea of obtaining univerfal favour, and content yourselves with pleasing a few; yet fuch is the mutability of mens tempers, that your fuccefs, even in this limited attempt, is very precarious. For how variable is the mind of man? ever shifting about, and alternately pleafed and difpleafed with the fame thing. When you have spent the best of your days in building upon this fand, one blast shall throw down the laborious fabric in a moment. For difficult as it is to gain the favour of men, it is still more difficult to preserve it, or to regain it when it is loft. Serve them as fubmiffively as

you