ruin is from themselves, and that they eat the fruits which their own hands have watered and ripened.

Confider, in the third place, That the religious and moral man (one of which he cannot be without the other) not only takes the fureft courfe for fuccefs in his affairs, but is difpofed to procure a help which never enters into the thoughts of a wicked one; for, being conscious of upright intentions, he can look towards heaven, and with fome affurance, recommend his affairs to God's bleffing and direction:— whereas the fraudulent and difhoneft man dares not call for God's bleffing upon his defigns,or, if he does, he knows it is in vain to expect it. Now, a man who believes that he has GOD on his fide, acts with another sort of life and courage, than he who knows he stands alone ;like Efau with his hand against every man, and every man's hand against his.

The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry,but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

Confider, in the fourth place, That in all good governments, who understand their own intereft, the upright and honeft man ftands much fairer for preferment, and much more likely to be employed in all things where fidelity is wanted :-for all men, however the cafe ftands with themselves, they love at leaft to find honesty in those they truft; nor is there any usage we more hardly digeft, than that of being outwitted and deceived.- This is fo true an ob servation, that the greatest knaves have no other way to get into bufinefs, but by counterfeiting honefty, and pretending to be what they are not; and when

the imposture is difcovered, as it is a thousand to one but it will, I have just said what must be the certain confequence,for, when fuch a one falls,he has none to help him-so he seldom rises again.

This brings us to a fifth particular, in vindication of the text, That a virtuous man has this strong advantage on his fide (the reverse of the laft), that the more and the longer he is known, fo much the better is he loved-fo much the more trufted,-fo that his reputation and his fortune have a gradual increafe; and if calamities or crofs accidents fhould bear him down- (as no one ftands out of their reach in this world,)—if he should fall, who would not pity his diftress-who would not ftretch forth his hand to raise him from the ground!—Wherever there was virtue, he might expect to meet a friend and a brother. And this is not merely fpeculation, but fact, confirmed by numberlefs examples in life, of men falling into misfortunes, whofe character and tried probity, have raised them helps, and bore them up, when every other help has forfook them.

Laftly, to fum up the account of the temporal advantages which probity has on its fide,-let us not forget that greateft of all happiness, which the text refers to, in the expreffion, of all its paths being peace, peace and content of mind, arifing from the consciousness of virtue, which is the true and only foundation of all earthly fatisfaction; and where that is wanting, whatever other enjoyments you beftow upon a wicked man, they will as foon add a cubit to his ftature as to his happinefs.In the midst of the highest entertainments-this, like the hand

writing upon the wall, will be enough to spoil and difrelish the feast;-but much more fo, when the tumult and hurry of delight is over-when all is ftill and filent, when the finner has nothing to do but attend its lashes and remorfes ;-and this, in spite of all the common arts of diverfion, will be often the cafe of every wicked man ;-for we cannot live always upon the stretch;-our faculties will not bear constant pleasure, any more than conftant pain ;— there will be fome vacancies; and when there are, they will be sure to be filled with uncomfortable thoughts and black reflections. So that, setting afide the great after-reckoning, the pleasures of the wicked are over-bought, even in this world.

I conclude with one obfervation upon the whole of this argument, which is this

Notwithstanding the great force with which it has often been urged by good writers, there are many cafes which it may not reach,-wherein vitious men may seem to enjoy their portion of this life,and live as happy, and fall into as few troubles as other men and therefore, it is prudent not to lay more ftrefs upon this argument than it will bear :-but always remember to call in to our aid, that great and more unanswerable argument, which will answer the moft doubtful cafes which can be ftated, and that is, the certainty of a future life, which Chriftianity has brought to light. However men may differ in their opinions of the usefulness of virtue for our prefent purposes, no one was ever fo abfurd as to deny it ferved our beft and laft intereft,-when the little interefts of this life were at an end :-upon which

confideration we fhould always lay the great weight which it is fitteft to bear, as the ftrongest appeal, and most unchangeable motive that can govern our actions at all times. However, as every good argument on the fide of religion fhould, in proper times, be made ufe of,-it is fit fometimes to examine this, -by proving, virtue is not even destitute of a present reward, but carries in her hand a fufficient recompence for all the self-denials fhe may occafion :-she is pleasant in the way-as well as in the end ;-her ways being ways of pleasantnefs, and all her paths peace. But it is her greatest and most distinguished glory, that fhe befriends us hereafter, and brings us peace at the laft; and this is a portion fhe can never be difinherited of :-which may God of his mercy grant us all, for the fake of JESUS CHRIST.

SERMON XXIX.

Our Converfation in Heaven.

PHILIP. III. 20. 1ft Part.

For our converfation is in Heaven.

THESE words are the conclufion of the account which St Paul renders of himself, to juftify that particular part of his conduct and proceeding-his leaving fo ftrangely, and deferting his Jewish rites and ceremonies, to which he was known to have been formerly fo much attached, and in defence of which he had been fo warmly and fo remarkably engaged. This, as it had been matter of provocation against him amongft his own countrymen the Jews, so was it no less an occafion of furprise to the Gentiles;—that a person of his great character, interest and reputation,-one who was defcended from a tribe of Ifrael, deeply skilled in the profeffions, and zealous in the obfervances of the traiteft fect of that religion; -who had their tenets inftilled into him from his tender years, under the inftitution of the ableft mafters;—a pharifee himself,-the son of a pharifee, and brought up at the feet of Gamaliel; one that