being deprived of that Sting of Guilt, which other wife will for ever attend upon them. In fuch a World as ours is; with fuch a Nature as Man must be content with; furrounded with the Temptations of Profperity, and the Trials of Adverfity; Who would not wish to be under the Influence of a Motive, which may preferve the Dignity of his Nature, at the fame Time that it guards and increases his Virtue. In every Age of our rational Life, and every Circumftance of it, We more and more, as We pass, want the friendly Affiftance of fuch a Motive. The Innocence of Childhood quickly vanishes, and is fucceeded by the Voluptuousness of Youth: and in This, a Torrent of ungoverned Paffions often threatens to carry all that is good before it. In the more advanced Years of Life, the Purfuits of Ambition or Luft of Power and Advancement, take place; not without Danger of the Man's changing Truth, Sincerity, and Honesty, for Art, Diffimulation, and Deceit. And in Old Age, the Power of Avarice often fhews itfelf in too abfurd a Manner to be defcribed. This is the general State of Man. And therefore, Every Man may justly be faid to have fo much need of fuch a Motive to fortify Him, that he will, too probably, fail without it. But SERM. VI. SERM. But They who are, by their Situation in VI. Life, furrounded with more Temptations, and Opportunities than Others, have, of all Men, the greatest Neceffity for fuch a Guard and Defense: Or, in other Words, They who have most Temptations to forget the great Day of Accounts, have, of all others, the strongest Reafons not to do it. Those who see little around them, befides the Hoards of Wealth, or the Gaieties of Power and Profperity; whose Stations raise them above the common Level, and put them out of the way of many of the móral Advantages Others may meet with ; whofe Riches and Power invite the Smoothnefs of Flattery, but check the Freedoms of true Friendship; and whofe exalted Degree of Life removes them from the leffer Fears or Motives which fometimes weigh with others: What remains for Thefe, who lye moft open to the strongest Trials of this Life, those of Profperity, and Pleasure; of Profit, or Superiority; but to be allarmed into a Behaviour quite different from that of Felix, now before Us? Not to content themselves with hearing These Truths, and feeling a little prefent Commotion of Soul upon them; not to throw off the Confideration from the prefent certain Time, to an uncertain Futurity; but to enter feriously into their own Breafts; to think in ear neft neft of a Being fuperior to Themfelves as S ER M. much in Power, as in all other Perfections: VI. and particularly to reprefent to themselves that Solemn Judgment to come, in which They have an equal Concern with the Meaneft of all their Fellow-Creatures; and in which they muft appear as free from all Diftinction of Superiority, as the lowest of Mankind. The Strength, or Multitude, of the Temptations which have here furrounded Them, will then increase the Glory and Crown of their Virtue but not take away the Guilt of the Contrary, in the Eyes of Him, who will judge all Men according to their Works. ; In a word; If the Men in high Stations of every Sort; and the moft involved in the Affairs or Pleafures of Life, would but, now and then, find or force an Interval; wearied, as they must sometimes be, with the Hurry of Business, or tired with the Circle of Amusements; if They would, I fay, now and then retire from all thefe; and think seriously of the Dignity and End of their Beings, and of their appearing in Judgment before that GOD whom They can neither deceive nor refift; This would teach Them to defpife every Inftance of Power, Profit, or Pleasure, inconfiftent with Duty and Mcrality. This would give eternal Peace to their own SERM. Own Minds; and make their Example a Light, VI. and an Incitement, to All below; who are ever looking up to Them, and forming their Manners on the Model of Those above them. And thus might Virtue, by degrees, fpread itself through the Inferior World; and the Number be increased of Such as may be Happy both here and hereafter. of Of CONSISTENCY in all our A R- SERMON VII. GALATIANS ii. ver. 18. For if I build again the Things which I destroyed, I make myself a Tranfgreffor. N the Verses going before this, we have a s ERM. very remarkable Inftance of St. Peter's VII. Misconduct, in contradicting, by Doc trine as well as Practice, what He himself had taught to be the Defign of the Gospel; to the great Prejudice of it amongst the Gentiles; and this, out of Fear of fome Zelots amongst the Jews: as appears evidently from St. Paul's Reproof, when He said to him, before all, (ver. 14.) If Thou, being a Jew, liveft after the Manner of the Gentiles, and |