And accordingly

we afk mercy of God, we fhew it to man. the fcripture joins clofely together fafting and giving alms; which therefore we fhould join too, each according to his ability; but always remembering, that no one part of our duty whatever will be accepted as an equivalent for tranfgreffing any other; but we must break off our fins by righteousness, as well as our iniquities by fhewing mercy to the poor *, if ever we expect that our charity should avail towards procuring our pardon.

And now would we but employ the prefent folemnity, in determining confcientiously to practise these things; befides the good fruits, it could not fail to produce in each of us fingly; we might hope, on very just grounds, to experience nationally the fame happy effects of it, which we read the Jews did, from making the fame determination, upon hearing the admonition of the text. They gathered themselves together, and they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers. And they fware unto him with a loud voice: And all fudab rejoiced at the oath. For they had fworn with all their beart, and fought him with their whole defire, and he was found of them: And the Lord gave them reft round about +.

* Dan. iv. 27.

† 2 Chron. xv. 10, 12, 14, 15.

SER

SERMON

CXVIII.

(Preached on a General Faft.)

THE DUTY OF HUMILITY AT ALL TIMES, MORE ESPECIALLY ON OCCASIONS OF NATIONAL DISTRESS.

1 PET. v. 6,

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that be may exalt you

in due time.

HUMILITY of heart and behaviour is a duty, so deeply

founded in the nature of man, that though we knew of no power above us, we ought yet to think modeftly of ourfelves, from a consciousness of our infirmities; and pay a mutual deference one to another, in proportion to the different pre-eminences, be they ever fo fmall, by which we are feverally distinguished. But the least apprehenfion of a perfect being fuperintending us, muft furely magnify beyond expreffion the fenfe, how very imperfect we are; and convince us, that the utmost reverence, of which we are capable, towards fuch a one, if fuch a one there be, will fall vastly short of what we owe. Now the existence of a powerful and wife, a juft and good, ruler of all, is, at firft fight, a poffible thing. And were we sure of no more, the notion is fo refpectable in itself, fo beneficial to human fociety, and fo peculiarly comfortable to every honest mind, that passing it over with a scornful ne'glect, instead of attending to it seriously, would be haughtiness of spirit, blameworthy and shocking to a great degree. But the reality of this notion is undeniably proved, by the plainest obfervations on every part of the universe, and the strictest inquiries into its general conftitution; by the natural prepoffeffions of common men, the acuteft reasonings of speculative

men,

men, and the most univerfal confent that ever any invifible. truth obtained of all men. Yet farther, to leave no plea for ignorance of it or its confequences, the Creator hath made himself known to his creatures by express revelation; and declared what he is, what he expects from them, what he hath decreed concerning them. How monftrous a disposition of foul muft it be then, that can pride itself in standing out against fuch evidence of fuch a doctrine; can take upon it to censure the works of the Almighty, without understanding a fingle part of them thoroughly; can triumph in the thought of an ungoverned and fatherlefs world, of wickedness unpunished, and virtue unrewarded, and hold thofe in utter contempt who entertain better hopes !

Our nation affords, I fear, more than a few perfons guilty even of fuch pride againft God as this. But it affords multitudes of a fort, if poffible, yet more unaccountable, who believe in him, and flight him. Acknowledging a Sovereign Lord of the world, without standing in awe of him, is doubtless a most astonishing inconsistency; and yet I conceive it will appear, on inquiry, the main source of those great and many fins for which we are met here to exprefs our concern. Now, if this be our cafe, a little reflection will shew it to be a very dangerous one: and the apoftle hath pointed out the only cure, that fince, as the preceding verfe teaches, God refifleth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble, we should bumble ourselves unfeignedly under his mighty hand, which hath been, and is, in feveral refpects, heavy on us; that fo, inftead of depreffing us lower ftill, he may exalt us again in

due time.

There are not many comparatively, but, in their cooler hours at least, believe the Author of Nature to be alfo the wife and juft Lawgiver and Ruler of mankind. Nay, lamentable as the apoftacy of our days hath been, the generality ftill entertain a perfuafion, grounded on the firmest proofs, that he hath notified the conditions of eternal felicity by Jefus Chrift. But, having this knowledge of God, do they glorify. bim as God? Do they pay any homage to him? Do they cultivate any regard for him? Do they confider him as the

Giver

• Rom. i. 21.

Giver of all Good, to whom their thanks are due for every thing they enjoy; as the Judge of the whole earth, who shall reward every one according to his works? Will they, in obedience to that reafon which he hath beflowed on them, refift their vicious appetites and paffions? Will they, on the authority of that revelation which he hath fuperadded, receive any thing, but what they can fee of themselves to be true; or do any thing, but what they can fee of themselves to be requifite? Is it not indeed their ftated practice to set their own inclinations and fancies above all his affertions and laws; difdaining to mind what is right or wrong, even when it relates to this life; and much more to be swayed by the tendencies, which doctrines or precepts may have, to fit them for the happiness of another?

Nay, fuch as imagine themfelves perhaps very fteady be lievers, and fufficiently good Chriftians, do not many of them, though lefs profeffedly, and without diftinctly seeing it, yet almost as effectually, make their choice, juft as they like, in what things their Christianity fhall confift; and what they will go on to think or practise, however plainly forbidden in any one's judgment but their own. Are they at all willing to feck, with serious humility, what the gospel teaches? Are they withheld from any fin which it forbids, merely by the fear of their Lord and Mafter? Do they perform any duty which it enjoins, merely from love to their Redeemer? Try them but in one point. The facred writings have repeatedly directed a regular attendance on public worship and instruc tion yet they neglect it perpetually, on pretences for which they would neglect fcarce any one thing befides: when they condescend to come, they would usually be understood to do it as matter of prudence, or propriety, and compliance with custom, but by no means of obedience to God. And, in ge neral, they fubftitute the fashions and ufages of what they call the world, that is, of the perfons with whom they defire to pleafe, in the place of the divine commands. This wretched rule they follow against their confciences firft; to this, by degrees, they bend their confciences afterwards; and when once they have accomplished that, they will not reflect, they will not hearken, they will not bear the mention of an argument or hint to the contrary, but exclaim against it as ab5 furd,

:

furd, before it can well be brought out, let reafon or scripture fay what they will; till at laft, not even yet renouncing their faith, they have hardly a fingle good impreffion from it left; no gratitude to God, no hope in him, no dread of him; no thought of themselves in earnest as his creatures; nor any recollection how profligate a treatment this is of our Maker, our Saviour, of the Holy Spirit of grace. We do not know, I believe, nor fufpect very often, how inconfiderable God is become in our eyes, and how near advances we have made to what is, in effect, mere atheism. But we have cheated ourfelves with disguises, and shifted between religion and irreligion, till we have no perception whereabout we are. And it is high time for us to fix, once for all, which we will stand to. For if the Almighty deserves any regard, he deserves a moft dutiful and univerfal one. Will we therefore pay him that, or will we avow paying him none?

But were many of us, whofe appearance is more decent, to be examined, what there is in us beyond appearance; were many, who have fome inward restraints and pious feelings, queftioned how far they extend, and if there be not mixed with them a much lefs indeed, but ftill a very criminal neglect and contempt of the Supreme Being, what do they think the refult would be? Were fuch to be asked, how often they pray to him in private, or whether they remember perhaps when they did fo laft; with what attention they pray at fuch times, or whether hurrying over a fet of unmeaning words contents them; what care they take in his house, that their hearts join in the things they fay, or improve by thofe they hear; how often they meditate, as in the presence of God, on their duty, and their condition with regard to another life; whether in truth they almost ever think of a future ftate, as their principal concern, or have not inwardly chofen their portion here; whether they indulge no fecret immorality, are chargerble with no injuftice or unmercifulness; what expreffion, or what tincture, there is in their common converfation and behaviour of a Chriftian fpirit; what zeal they bave, what expences they are at, what methods they encourage, what pains they take for promoting the present and eternal welfare of their fellow-creatures; how muft they anfwer? Nobody hath a right, it may be, to put fuch questions VOL. III. . :

PP

to