SERM. you do great injuftice to religion. For, by dividing its parts from one another, you never fail to expofe it to the censure of the world: And perhaps, by this fort of partial and divided goodness, religion has fuffered more in the efteem of mankind, than by open profligacy. The unbeliever will fcoff at your piety, when he sees negligent of moral duties. The bigot will decry all morality, when he fees you pretending to be a follower of virtue, though you be a despiser of God. Whereas he who fears God, and is at the fame time juft and beneficent to men, exhibits religion to the world with full propriety. It fhines in his conduct with its native fplendour; and its rays throw a glory round him. His character is above reproach. It is at once amiable and venerable. Malice itself is afraid to attack him; and even the worft men refpect and honour him in their hearts. This too is the man whofe life will be most peaceful and happy. He who fails materially either in piety or in virtue, is always I. always obnoxious to the anguish of re- SERM. morse. His partial goodness may flatter him in the day of fuperficial observation; but when folitude or diftrefs awakens the powers of reflection, he fhall be made to feel, that one part of duty performed, atones not for another which is neglected. In the midst of his prayers, the remembrance of injuftice will upbraid him with hypocrify; and in the diftribution of his alms, the prayers which the poor put up for him, will make him bluth for his neglect of God. Confcience will fupply the place of the hand coming forth to write over against him on the wall, Thou art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting*. Whereas he who holds both faith and a good confcience, who attends equally to the discharge of his duty towards God and towards man, enjoys, as far as human imperfection allows, the sense of fairness and confiftency in conduct, of integrity and foundness of heart. The man of mere morality, is a stranger to all the delicate and refined pleasures of devotion. C 2 * Dan. v. 27. SERM. devotion. I. In works of beneficence and mercy, he may enjoy fatisfaction. But his fatisfaction is deftitute of that glow of affection, which enlivens the feelings of one who lifts his heart at the fame time to the father of the universe, and confiders himself as imitating God. The man again who refts folely on devotion, if that devotion open not his heart to humanity, not only remains a stranger to the pleafures of beneficence, but muft often undergo the pain arifing from bad paffions. But when beneficence and devotion are united, they pour upon the man in whom they meet, the full pleafures of a good and pure heart. His alms connected him with men; his prayers with God. He looks without dismay on both worlds. All nature has to him a benign afpect. If engaged in active life, he is the friend of men; and he his happy in the exertions of that friendship. If left in retirement, he walks among the works of nature as with God. Every object is enlivened to him by the sense of the Divine prefence, 气 I. prefence. Every where he traces the be- SERM. neficent hand of the Author of nature; and every where, with glowing heart, he hears and anfwers his fecret voice. When he looks up to heaven, he rejoices in the thought that there dwells that God whom he ferves and honours; that Saviour in whom he trufts; that Spirit of grace from whose inspiration his piety and his charity flow. When he looks around him on the world, he is foothed with the pleafing remembrance of good offices which he has done, or at least has studied to do, to many who dwell there. How comfortable the reflection, that him no poor man can upbraid for having withheld his due; him no unfortunate man can reproach for having feen and defpifed his forrows; but that on his head are defcending the prayers of the needy and the aged; and that the hands of those whom his protection has fupported, or his bounty has fed, are lifted up in fecret to blefs him! Life, paffed under the influence of fuch difpofitions, naturally leads to a happy end. SERM. end. It is not enough to fay, that faith I. and piety, joined with active virtue, con- But |
