IT is the excellence of our rational nature that by it we are capable of living to fome known end, and of governing our lives and conduct by fome rule; whereas brute creatures neceffarily live and a& at random, juft as the prefent appetite influences them. Let us then, my brethren, make the most of this our prerogative, by proposing to ourselves the noblest end of human life, and engaging in fuch a courfe of actions as will reflect the greatest honour upon our naturé, and be productive of the most folid and lasting happiness, both in the performance and review of them.

Agreeably to this, let the principal ufe we make of our understanding be to difcover what the great end of life is; and then let us ufe the refolution and fortitude that is either natural to us, or acquired by us, in fteadily conforming ourfelves to it..

But

But as the regular investigation of the rule of life, from the light of nature only, may be tedious and perhaps at last unfatisfactory, let us, without waiting for the refult of fuch an inquiry upon the prin-, ciples of reason, take a more clear and fure guide, the holy fcriptures, in fo important a subject, and fee, afterwards, whether reason and experience will not give their fanction to that decision.

The great end of human life is negatively expreffed by the apostle Paul in my text. None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to bimfelf; and, if we attend to the connection of these words, we fhall find what, in the apostle's idea, is the true end to which men ought to live.

The apostle is here treating of a controversy, which had arifen in the christian church, about the lawfulness of eating meat facrificed to idols, and keeping holy certain days, together with fome other ceremonious obfervances, and exhorting both parties to do nothing that might give offence, or be a fnare to the other, left, by their means, any one should perifh for whom Chrift died.

As the beft foundation for mutual tenderness and charity, he reminds them that both parties acted, with regard to all ritual obfervances, as they imagined was the will of Chrift. He that obferveth a day obferveth it to the Lord; and be that obferveth not a day, to the Lord be obferveth it not. And after giving his fanction in the fullest manner to this

máxim, and deciding, with refpect to this particular cafe, that all chriftians ought to act according to the will of Chrift, and confult the good and the peace of their fellow-christians, he declares in general, that no man liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself; but whether we live, we live unt the Lord, or whether we die, we die unto the Lord; that is, in all our actions our views fhould not be directed to ourselves, but to the intereft of our holy religion. And as the chriftian religion has for its pbject the happiness of mankind (fince Christ came to bless us in turning us away from our iniquities), it is the fame thing as if he had faid, the great scope of all our conduct fhould be the real welfare of all to whom our influence can extend.

We fhould therefore, my brethren, according to this apoftolical maxim, by no means confine our regards to ourfelves, and have our own pleasure, profit, or advantage in view in every thing we undertake; but look out of, and beyond ourselves, and take a generous concern in the happiness of all our brethren of mankind, making their forrows our forrows, their joys our joys, and their happiness our purfuit: and it is in this difinterested conduct, and in this only, that we fhall find our own true happiness.

That this is the true rule of human life, will appear, whether we confider the courfe of nature without us, the fituation of mankind in this world,

or take a nearer view of the principles of humannature. And we fhall likewise find that several con-fiderations drawn from the holy scriptures will further confirm and illuftrate this maxim of human condu& which was firft fuggefted by them.

1. This difinterested conduct of man is most agreeable to the courfe of nature without us. There is no part of the creation, which will not, if it be viewed attentively, expofe the selfishness and narrowmindednefs of men. For, among all that infinite variety of things and creatures which prefent themfelves to our view, not one of them appears to have been made merely for itself, but every thing bears a relation to fomething else. They can hardly be faid to afford any matter for contemplation fingly, and are most of all the objects of our admiration when confidered as connected with other things. The primary ufes of things are few, but the fecondary uses of every thing are almoft infinite. Indeed, the fecondary ufes of things are fo many, that we are loft in the multiplicity of them; whereas we can give no answer, if we be asked what is the primary use of any thing, but this general one, which will equally fuit every thing, that every creature which is capable of happiness was made to enjoy that fhare of it which is fuited to its nature.

Now, what do we mean, when we fay that the feveral parts of nature are adapted to one another, but that they are made for the ufe of one another? I fhall mention only a few of thefe mutual relations

and ufes, beginning with thofe parts of nature which are the most remote from one another, and whofe mutual relations and uses are the leaft obvious, and proceeding to thofe in which they are more obvious. The fun, the moon, the planets, and comets, are strictly connected, and combined into one system. Each body, though so exceedingly remote from the reft, is admirably adapted, by its fituation, magnitude, and velocity in its orbit, to the state of the whole, in those respects and many others. This connexion, probably, also extends to the remoteft bodies in the univerfe: fo that it is impoffible to say, that the withdrawing of any one would not, in fome respect or other, affect all the reft.

The clouds and the rain are defigned to moiften the earth, and the fun to warm it; and the texture and juices of the earth are formed fo as to receive the genial influences of both, in order to ripen and bring to perfection that infinite variety of plants and fruits, the feeds of which are depofited in it. Again, is not each plant peculiarly adapted to its proper foil and climate, fo that every country is furnished with thofe productions which are peculiarly fuited to it? Are not all plants likewise fuited to the various kinds of animals which feed upon them; fo. that, though they enjoy a kind of life peculiar to themselves, and all the influences they are expofed to be adapted to promote that life, they themfelves

are