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check to that profane and atheistical spirit of drollery and scoffing at religion, which hath got abroad in the world. Alas! do men consider what it is which they make the butt of their scoffs and reproaches? Have they nothing else to exercise their wit and vent their jests upon, but that which is the most noble and excellent thing in the world? What design can they propose unto themselves by this kind of impiety? Would they have religion banished from the face of the earth, and forced to retire for shame? What a goodly world should we then have of it! what a fine harmony and order of things! Certainly the earth would then become a kind of hell, with tumults and seditions, rapines and murders, secret malice and open frauds, by every vice and every calamity. It is only some little remainders of piety and virtue in the world that keep it in any tolerable condition, or make it possible to be inhabited. must not these be wretched and woful enemies to mankind, who do what they can to reduce the world to such a miserable condition! But let them do what they will, they but kick against the pricks: religion hath so much native lustre and beauty, that notwithstanding all the dirt they study to cast upon it, all the melancholy and deformed shapes they dress it in, it will still attract the eyes and admiration of all sober and ingenuous persons; while these men study to make it ridiculous, they shall but make themselves so. And O that they would consider how dear they are to pay for those dull and insipid jests wherewith they persecute religion, and those who practise it or recommend it! What thoughts are they like to have of them when

persons,

And

sickness shall arrest, and death threaten them; when the physicians have forsaken them, and the poor despised minister is called in, and they expecting comfort from him they were wont to mock; and perhaps it is little he can afford them! "O that they were wise, and understood this; that they would consider their latter end!"

There are others who have not yet arrived to this height of profaneness, to laugh at all religion, but do vent their malice at those who are more conscientious and severe than themselves, under presumption that they are hypocrites and dissemblers. But besides that, in this they may be guilty of a great deal of uncharitableness; it is to be suspected that they bear some secret dislike to piety itself, and hate hypocrisy more for its resemblance of that, than for its own viciousness; otherwise, whence comes it that they do not express the same animosity against other

vices?

Hither, also, may we refer those expressions which sometimes drop from persons not so utterly debauched, but which yet are blasphemous and profane—that this man is too religious; as if it were possible to exceed in these things. What! can a man approach too near to God? Can he be too like his Maker? Is it possible to be over-perfect, or over-happy? I confess a man may over-act some parts of his religion, and be too much in some particular exercises of it, neglecting other as necessary duties. But this is not an excess of piety, but a defect of discretion; and reason would teach us rather to pardon men's infirmities for their pious inclinations, than to blame piety for their infirmities.

:

Let me therefore entreat you all, especially those whose birth and fortunes render them more conspicuous in the world, to countenance holiness, which you see is so excellent; and beware that you do not contribute to that deluge of wickedness that overfloweth the earth, by scoffing at the most serious things in the world and if I obtain this, I shall make bold to beg one thing more, but it is in your own favours, that you would abandon, also, every kind of impiety in your own practice, since in it every vile ruffian may vie and contend with you. In other cases, you forsake modes and customs when they become common. Wickedness is now the most vulgar and ordinary thing in the world: shift, I beseech you, the fashion, and embrace piety and virtue, wherein none but excellent persons shall rival you. Learn to adore your Maker; and think it not below you to stand in awe of Him who can rend the heavens, and make the foundations of the earth shake, who needs but to withdraw his mercies to make you miserable, or his assistance to reduce you to nothing. Study to ennoble your souls with solid knowledge and true wisdom; with an eminent greatness of mind, and contempt of the world; a great liberty and freedom of spirit; an undaunted magnanimity and courage; an extensive charity and goodness; a venerable temperance and purity; an amiable meekness and humility: so shall you render yourselves honourable, and more excellent than your neighbours in this world; and be partakers of immortal honour and glory in the world to come. Amen.

SERMON II.

THE INDISPENSABLE DUTY OF LOVING OUR

ENEMIES.

LUKE iv. 27.

"But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies."

WHILE we travel through the wilderness of this world, much of the comfort of our pilgrimage depends upon the good correspondence, and mutual services and endearments of our fellow-travellers : therefore our blessed Saviour, whose precepts are all intended for our perfection and felicity, fitted to procure to us both the good things of this world, and that which is to come, has taken special care to join and unite the minds of men in the strictest bonds of friendship and love: he hath been at great pains by his precepts, and by his example, by earnest persua sions and powerful motives, to smooth our rugged humours, and calm our passions, and take off the roughness and asperity of our natures, which hinders us from joining and cementing together. Now, were we to converse with none but such as are Christians in earnest, we should find it no hard matter to live in concord and love, we should meet with no occasion of quarrel and contention, and should only be obliged

to love our friends, because all men would be such. But well did our Saviour know that his part was to be but small in the world, that many would oppose the profession, and many more would neglect the practice of that religion which he taught; and that his followers, besides common injuries incident to others, were to meet with much enmity and hatred for their Master's sake: and therefore, that amidst all these storms they might maintain that constant serene tranquillity, that amiable sweetness and benignity of spirit, without which they could neither be like him, nor happy in themselves; he was pleased to enjoin such an ardent affection and charity towards all men, as no neglect can cool, no injury can extinguish. To love those who have obliged us, is that which nature might teach, and wicked men practise; to favour those who have never wronged us, is but a piece of common humanity; but our religion requires us to extend our kindness even to those who have injured and abused us, and who continue to do and wish us mischief; and that we never design any other revenge against our most bitter and inveterate enemies, than to wish them well, and do them all the good we can whether they will or not: for unto those that hear him, our Saviour saith, "Love your enemies."

But, alas! how little is this minded by the greater part of those who call themselves Christians! other precepts are broken and slighted, but this industriously baffled and discredited by us. In other cases we acknowledge our fault, but study to qualify and excuse it by the frailty of our nature, or violence of a temptation,-(we are all sinners, it is a fault indeed; but who can help it?) Now, though these excuses,