into his Manners, must be Partakers with him in his everlafting Torments. Let us not, upon this important Occafion, make use of the common Artifice, whereby Men evade the Force of all moral Inftructions. When any Vice is treated and expofed, we immediately single out fome Perfon who is notorious for it, and make the whole Application to him, wiping our own Mouths, and acquitting our felves, who appear at firft View to be much less concern'd. Let us not, I fay, delude our felves with this Artifice. Our own Reformation is neareft to us. Would the inferior Dealers in Scandal reform their Conduct, and openly discountenance this Practice wherefoever it occurr'd, the more eminent ones, meeting with fo many Rebuffs, would be greatly discouraged; their Sphere of Activity would be much contracted, and their Reign still shorter than it is; and we might R 3 hope

hope to fee them soon as much avoided, or rather as eagerly pursued on all hands, as Highway-men and Robbers, who are by far less frequent and less pernicious to Society.

DISCOURSE XII.

Moderation ftated and explained.

PHIL. iv. S.

Let your Moderation be known unto all Men. The Lord is at hand.

T

HE Word in the Original, which is here tranflated Moderation, fometimes fignifies Meekness, a yielding and difpaffionate Temper, a Readiness to forgive Injuries, and to be reconciled to our Enemies. It is alfo fometimes used for Moderation; in which Senfe I fhall discourse upon it more at large, and enforce the Duty injoin'd from

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the

the Motive in my Text, The Lord is at band.

By Moderation then, we are to underftand fuch a Conduct as keeps in the Middle-way, avoiding the Extremes on either hand; neither coming fhort, nor exceeding, in any Particular. There is no Character or Circumftance of Life whatsoever, in which we are not liable to err; to be immoderate; to deviate from the Middle-path, the Line of Duty; and it is a common Obfervation, That thofe Perfons who find themselves in one Extreme, whilft they endeavour to avoid that, run into the very oppofite. From one Extreme to another, is become a Proverbial Saying. And if Men, upon the Discovery of one Piece of Immoderation, and in their Endeavours to avoid it, are thus apt to tranfgrefs on the very oppofite Side, we need not wonder, that the generality of the World, who perhaps have never given

them

themselves much Care or Thought about the Matter, live in a continued, uninterrupted Extravagance; are always cutting the Line of Duty, or flying further from it, and never make three Steps directly forward.

It must be allow'd, that it is very difficult, if not impoffible, for fuch frail and ignorant Creatures as we are, to know the exact Mean, in all Cafes, or perhaps in any. In things relating to our own Welfare and Preservation; to our Neighbour's; to the Community, there are so many Particulars abfolutely out of our View, that we can never be thoroughly certain in the Choice of our Actions, that this Action will directly promote our Purpose in either Relation, more than any other Action somewhat differently circumstantiated; yet the grofs Extremes are as diftinguishable as Light and Darkness; which, when mixed and blended together, are nevertheless not

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