tion, indifferent where he finds truth, and prepared to follow it wherever it can lead him. He is offen difciplining his heart, fearching into the principles of conduct within him, and labouring to detect his faults in order to rectify them.

Further. Uprightnefs includes in it candour, fairness, and honefty in all our tranfactions with our fellow-creatures. An upright man may be depended upon in all his profeffions and engagements. He never, in any affair, goes beyond the limits of juftice and equity. He never deceives or overreaches. He is true to his promifes, and faithful to every truft repofed in him. All his gains are the gains of virtuous induftry. All falfehood and lies, all low cunning and frádulent practices are his abhorrence. In fhort; he maintains a ftrict regard to veracity in his words, and to honour in his dealings. He adheres ftedfaftly in all circumftances to what he judges to be righteft and beft; and were it poffible for you to look through his foul, you would fee the love of goodness predominant within him. You would fee benevolence and piety governing his thoughts. You would fee him within the inclofure of his own breaft, as honeft and worthy as he is on the open ftage of the world.

Such is the character of the man who walks uprightly. I am next to fhow you how furely he walks.

In order to acquire a juft notion of this, it is proper we fhould take into confideration, first,

the

the fafety which fuch a perfon enjoys with refpect to the happiness of the prefent life. Nothing is plainer than that, if we regard only our temporal intereft, an upright courfe is the fafeft courfe. In order to be fenfible of this, you should think of the troubles which men very often bring upon themfelves by deviating from integrity. It is very difficult to go on for any time in difhonefty and falfehood, without falling into perplexity and distress. A man in fuch a courfe fufpects every body, and is fufpected by every body. He wants the love and efteem of his fellow-creatures. He is obliged to be continually on his guard, and to use arts to evade law and juftice. He walks in the dark along a crooked path full of fnares and pits. On the contrary, the path of uprightness is straight and broad. It is fmooth, open, and eafy. He that walks in it walks in the light, and may go on with refolution: and confidence, inviting rather than avoiding the infpection of his fellow creatures. He is appre-/ henfive of no dangers. He is afraid of no detection. He is liable to none of the caufes of fhame and difgrace. It is an advantage to him to be obferved. and watched. The more narrowly his conduct is examined, the more he will be loved and refpected.

A perfon, for inftance, who, in the affairs of trade, deviates from truth and honour, is likely to ink into great calamities. Want, and trouble,

and infamy often prove his lot. Most of us have been witneffes of this. How many inftances are there of perfons who, forfaking the plain path of uprightnefs, have entangled themselves beyond the poffibility of being extricated, and involved their families in the deepeft mifery; but who probably, had they been honeft, would have escaped every difficulty, and paffed through life easily and happily? We know not, indeed, what we do, when we turn afide from virtue and righteousness. Such a train of confequences may follow, as will iffue in the lofs of all that is valuable. It is paft doubt, that, in every profeffion and calling, the way of uprightness is the most free from perplexity. It is the way of peace and fatisfaction. He that keeps in it will at leaft avoid the pain of a reproaching confcience. He is fure of enjoying his own appro-bation; and it may be expected, that his worldly. affairs will go on fmoothly, quietly, and comfortably.

This puts me in mind of defiring you to confider particularly, that an upright conduct is commonly the most fure way to obtain fuccefs in our worldly concerns. You will obferve, that I fay it is the moft fure way; not that it is the forteft. There are many more expeditious ways of getting money and acquiring fortunes. He that will violate the rules of justice, or break the laws of his country, or not fcruple to take falfe paths, may eafily get

the

the start of an upright man, and rife in a little time to wealth and preferment. It is often in a man's power, by a base action, to introduce himfelf at once into ease and plenty. But wretched are thofe men who fecure any worldly advantages by fuch methods. There is a canker at the root of their fucceffes and riches. What they gain is unfpeakably less than what they lofe. It is attended with inward anguifh, with the curfe of heaven, and inconceivable future danger. But though it must be thus acknowledged, that there are shorter ways to profit and fuccefs than by walking uprightly, there are certainly none fo fure. Univerfal experience has proved that (agreeably to a common and excellent maxim) "honefty is the best policy." It may be flow in its operation; and, for this reafon, many perfons have not patience enough for it. But it is in the end generally certain. An upright man must recommend himself by degrees to all that know him. He has always the greatest credit, and the most unembarraffed affairs. There are none who are not difpofed to place a confidence in him, and who do not choose to deal with him. The dif advantages, therefore, already mentioned, under which he labours, are counterbalanced by many great advantages. He may not be able to thrive fo faft, nor perhaps fo much as others. He is obliged to deny himself the gains which others make by the wrong practices common in their trade; and, on

this account, he may be under a neceffity of contenting himself with fmall gains. But it must be confidered, that he can feldom fail of a tolerable fubfiftence, attended with comfort and the truest enjoyment of himself. Though his gains may be fmall, they are always fweet. He has with them an eafy confcience, the bleffing of God, and fecurity againft numberlefs grievous evils. And the fmalleft gains of this fort are infinitely preferable to the greatest gains that can be obtained by wrong methods.

Thus you fee that, with respect to our interest in this world, he that walketh uprightly walketh furely.-Let us next confider the fecurity which an upright conduct gives with respect to another world.

After this life is over, we are to enter on another world. The moft fceptical principles give us no fufficient reafon for denying this. Whatever may be true of the order and administration of nature, it must be possible that there should be a future state. And, if there is, it is highly probable, that it will be a state of much greater extent and longer duration than the prefent. Nothing, therefore, can be of more confequence to us than to know by what means we may fecure the best condition and the greatest safety in it: And it is not poffible to doubt, but the practice of religious goodness is the proper means to be used for this purpofe. If any thing is

clear