SERMON XXVI.

Advantages of Chriftianity to the World.

ROMANS 1. 22.

Profefling themselves to be wise, they became fools.

THERE is no one project to which the whole race of mankind is so univerfally a bubble, as to that of being thought wife; and the affectation of it is fo vifible, in men of all complexions, that you every day see some one or other so very folicitous to eftablish the character, as not to allow himself leisure to do the things which fairly win it art and ftratagem to appear fo in world, than what would fuffice to truth.

expending more the eyes of the make him fo in

It is owing to the force of this defire, that you fee, in general, there is no injury touches a man so fenfibly, as an infult upon his parts and capacity. Tell a man of other defects that he wants learning, induftry or application,he will hear your reproof with patience.-Nay you may go further: take him in a proper season, you may tax his morals, -you may tell him he is irregular in his conduct,

-paffionate or revengeful in his nature-loofe in his principles;-deliver it with the gentleness of a friend,poffibly he'll not only bear with you, -but, if ingenuous, he will thank you for your lecture, and promife a reformation;but hinthint but at a defect in his intellectuals,-touch but that fore place,—from that moment you are looked upon as an enemy fent to torment him before his time, and in return may reckon upon his refentment and ill-will for ever; fo that, in general, you will find it fafer to tell a man, he is a knave than a fool, and stand a better chance of being forgiven for proving he has been wanting in a point of common honesty, than in a point of common fenfe.

Strange fouls that we are! as if, to live well, was not the greatest argument of Wisdom; -ind, as if what reflected upon our morals, did not most of all reflect upon our understandings!

This, however, is a reflection we make a shift to overlook in the heat of this purfuit; and thoughwe all covet this great character of wisdom, there is fcarce any point wherein we betray more folly than in our judgments concerning it; rarely bringing this precious ore either to the test or the balance: and though 'tis of the last confequence not to be deceived in it, we generally take it upon truft, feldom fufpect the quality, but never the quantity of what has fallen to our lot. So that, however inconfiftent a man fhall be in his opinions of this, and what abfurd measures foever he takes in confequence of it, in the condu& of his life-he

ftill fpeaks.comfort to his foul; and, like Solomon, when he had leaft pretence for it,-in the midst of his nonfenfe, will cry out and fay,-That all my wif dom remaineth with me..

Where then is wifdom to be found? and where is the place of underflanding?.

The politicians of this world profeffing themselves wife, admit of no other claims of wifdom but the knowledge of men and business; the understanding the interefts of ftates,the intrigues of courts ;the finding out the paffions and weakneffes of foreign minifters and turning them,, and all events to their. country's glory and advantage.

Not fo the little man of this world, who thinks the main point of wisdom, is to take care of himfelf; to be wife in his generation ;-to make ufe of the opportunity, whilft he has it, of raifing a fortune, and heraldizing a name. Far wide is the fpeculative and studious man (whofe office is in the clouds) from fuch little ideas :-Wisdom dwells, with him, in finding out the fecrets of nature;founding the depths of arts and fciences;-meafuring the heavens :-telling the number of the ftars, and calling them all by their names: fo that, when, in our bufy imaginations, we have built and unbuilt again God's ftories in the heavens, and fancy we have found out the point whereon to fix the foundations of the earth, and in the language of the Book of Job, have searched out the corner-ftone 'thereof, we think our titles to wisdom built upon the fame bafis with thofe of our knowledge, and that they will continue for ever..

The mistake of these pretenders is shown at large by the Apoftle, in the chapter from which the text is taken-Profeffing themfelves Wise; in which expreffion (by the way) St. Paul is thought to allude to the vanity of the Greeks and Romans, who being great encouragers of arts and learning, which they had carried to extraordinary heights, confidered all other nations as Barbarians, in refpect of them. felves; and amongst whom, particularly the Greeks, the men of ftudy and inquiry had affumed to themfelves, with great indecorum, the title of the Wife Men.

With what parade and oftentation foever this was made out, it had the fate to be attended with one of the moft mortifying abafements which could happen to Wifdom; and that was, an ignorance of thofe points which most concerned man to know.

This he fhows from the general ftate of the Gentile world, in the great article of their misconceptions of the Deity; and, as wrong notions pro duce wrong actions, of the duties and fervices they owed to him, and in courfe of what they owed to one another..

For though, as he argues in the foregoing verfes,

The invifible things of him from the creation of the world might be clearly feen and underflood, by the things that are made that is-Though GoD, by the cleareft difcovery of himself, had ever laid before mankind fuch evident proofs of his eternal Being,

his infinite powers and perfections, fo that what is to be known of his invifible nature, might all along be traced by the marks of his goodness, and

the vifible frame and order of the world:

-yet, fo utterly were they without excufe,that though they knew GOD, and faw his image and fuperfcription in every part of his works,—yet they glorified kim not. So bad a ufe did they make of the powers given them from this great difcovery, that inftead of adoring the being thus manifefted to them, in purity and truth, they fell into the most grofs and abfurd delufions,-changed the glory of the... incorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible men,-to birds,to four-footed beafts ank‹: creeping things:-Profefing themselves to be wife, they become fools. All their fpecious wifdom was but a more glittering kind of ignorance, and ended in the most dishonourable of all mistakes,in fetting up fictitious-gods to receive the tribute of their adoration and thanks.

The fountain of religion being thus poifoned, no wonder the stream fhowed its effects, which are charged upon them in the following words, where he defcribes the heathen world as full of all unrighteouf nefsfornication, covetoufnefs, malicioufnefs, full of murder,--envy,debate,——

malignity,whifperers,-backbiters,-haters of GOD,-proud,boafters,--inventors of evil things,difobedient to parents,-without underftanding, without natural affection,-implacable, unmerciful!-GOD in heaven defend us from..

fuch a catalogue!

But thefe diforders, if fairly confidered, you'll fay,.. have in no age arifen fo much from want of light, as a want of difpofition to follow the light which God.