the characters reprefenting our duty to men are SER M. oftner in view, and fo more frequently furbished as IV. it were and brightened, than those which exprefs, our duty to GOD; being, I fay, more frequently reflected upon, they are more put into practice. And therefore here men are apt to take up, faying, "I do that which is juft, honeft, and fair "before men, and there are none that can charge "me with the contrary." And fo they think

their cafe is very good.

INDEED there are feveral things concurring to make fuch principles, as point out to us the duties we owe to man, more influential upon practice. As for inftance, men have fenfible kindneffes from one another, which work upon ingenuity, and fo influence to a fuitable behaviour to them that fhew fuch kindneffes. When they receive a kindness from the hand of a man, it is from a visible hand. They fee who doth them. good. Though there is a thousand times more good done them by the invifible GoD, but his, invifible hand they take no notice of.

AGAIN, they are fenfible continually of their need of men. All perfons fenfibly find they need fome other, for they cannot live alone. They are not only obliged to a mutual dependence upon one another, but they are very fenfible of it; and therefore are apt to carry it fo much the more fairly to men, as those who stand in need of one another.

VOL. I.

F

BESIDES,

BESIDES, men find a fenfible advantage from the reputation of a fair, juft, and honest carriage to others. "If I have not the repute "of being a perfon kind, good-natured, and "well-humoured, I fhall have no friend; no body will converse with me, but be shy of me. If I have not the reputation of being a just man, honeft and fquare in all my dealings, "I fhall have no trade, no one will trust me, "every one will be afraid to have to do with "me." These confiderations difpofe us to good behaviour towards one another.

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FINALLY, men are frequently fenfible of hurt or fome great inconveniencies accruing to them, if at any time they mifbehave themselves to others. They that are morofe and churlish do often fall upon tempers as crofs-grained and perverse as their own, and fo meet with fuch measure as they bring. If they be quarrelfome, it falls out fometimes that there are those who will quarrel with them, and will not take an af front at their hands. And though there are fome that scorn the tutorage and inftruction of fear, which fhould govern them in the conduct of their affairs; yet many others are more prudent, and are not apt to follow the hurry of their own pride and inclinations. They confider how much it concerns them, not to provoke those who will right themselves, nor to injure those who will be fure to meet with them one time or other. Yea, those who are more confiderate will be very cautious how they make any man their enemy,

IV.

enemy, even the meaneft; for no man is fo mean SER M. but it may be fome time or other in his power to do him a fhrewd turn.

- SUCH inducements there are, I fay, as these unto a fair and unexceptionable deportment towards men, whom we fee and converfe with every day. And with this men are inclined to take up their reft; contenting and fatisfying themselves with this, that they carry it to others, so as that none have any great reason to find fault with them, and thereupon think that God will find none neither.

(2.) THERE is alfo a pronenefs in mankind, as we observed, to take up with formality in the matters of religion. For what befides formality can there be in the religion of those who love not GOD? If I pretend to worship him and not love him, though I spend all my days upon my knees will it fignify any thing as to real religion? But because this is more eafy, that is, bodily exercife than that of love, or an inclination of mind and heart to GOD, it is natural to take up with it for that reason, and to reft there.

THE Pharifees among the Jews, one would think should not have been to feek where religion really lay; but, alas! where did they place theirs? In ceremonial fanctity, in washing their hands before they did eat bread, in cleansing their cups and platters, and in frequent purifications of themselves; all which they made to be as fignificant things, as the inftituted rites of worship by GOD himself. Moreover they were very F 2 exact

I.

VOL. exact in tithing mint, rue, and all manner of herbs, while in the mean time they passed over judgement and the love of GOD". What a strange overfight was this! that the Pharifees, thofe devout men, those zealous pretenders to the greatest ftrictness in the obfervance of the law of GOD, as well as to the profoundest knowledge of it, even beyond all other men, fhould be guilty of fuch an overfight as to pafs over the fum and fubftance of it, to wit, the love of God! And yet our Saviour fpeaks of it as their common character. If then the Pharifees, thofe knowing and strict men, as they would be thought to be, were in fuch an error as this fo commonly, we may well conclude that the fpirits of men are generally prone to acquiefce in the mere externals of religion, and to take up with the outfide thereof without ever going any further. They think their cafe is well enough with GoD if, now and then they bow the knee, compliment him in duty, and put on fome face and fhew of devotion while in the mean time the love of GoD is an unthought-of thing. So that how many muft fay, if they would speak as their cafe truly is, “I "never thought that the love of God must go "into my worship." Since then the proneness of mankind to acquiefce in a fair and civil deportment, and in the mere formalities of religion proceeds from one common, fixed caufe, to wit, the want of this divine principle of love, it is neceffary that we confider the matter, left we our felves be thus dreadfully impofed upon.

r Luke x1. 42.

AND.

AND now to conclude this first part of our SER M. fubject, it appears, that temptations to atheism IV. muft needs find great advantages in the temper of men's fpirits, while they are fo depreffed and overborne by fenfe. For its effence, particularly of practical atheism, confifts in the alienation of the heart from GOD. And how easy a step is it from hence to fpeculative atheism, when a man has lived fo long without GOD* in the world! For if he does not love GoD whom he hath not feen, for the fame reafon he will not fear him; neither hope, nor rejoice in him as his chief good. How obvious is it for fuch a man to entertain fuch a thought as this?" Is it not as good to "fay, there is no GOD, or I will own none; as

to say there is no one that I will love or fear, "nor any one with the thoughts of whom my "heart is at any time affected?"

LET us therefore hence take occafion to admire the patience, and much more the bounty of GOD towards his revolted creatures in this world. How wonderful is it that he fpares and maintains, them alfo! that he should make conftant provifion for fuch as put the higheft affronts and indignities upon him, by loving and preferring his own duft, before him who formed it into what it is by exalting the work of his hands above him; and finally, by profufely beftowing their affections on the creature, but none upon GOD the great Creator of all! Do not we think this is a thing not to be indured? and do not we wonder that it is actually indured? and that men are permitted

DR

COLL

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OXON