Care, and yield yourselves Servants of Righteouf nefs unto God. Chufe ye therefore this Day, whom ye will ferve.

And there are indeed Multitudes, that would give fufficient Proofs of having made a Choice, and a very ill one, if running headlong into Wickedness merited the Name of chufing it. But rational Choice presupposes due Confideration: whereas these poor Wretches have fuffered themselves to be led on blindfold, by Example and Custom, unexamined Appearances and ungoverned Inclinations, with no more Notion of inquiring, whether they are in the right Road, than if there were no other at all. Or if ever they have deliberated, they have done it unfairly or fuperficially; or upon some one Point of their Behaviour, not the whole; and perhaps, only which of two interfering Defires, both of them wrong, they fhould gratify. But furely the first Division of human Conduct is into religious and irreligious. Which of these two we ought to prefer, is the Question that we are to begin with: and it will be time enough to confider, in what Way we shall be bad, after we have examined, whether it is not our Wisdom to be good.

. Rom. vi. 13, 19.

d Josh, xxiv. 15.

In this most important Inquiry an imperfect View of things may eafily deceive us, and doth in Fact deceive the Generality of Mankind. We must therefore be very careful to lay before ourfelves the whole of what is to be expected, hoped or feared. But indeed both our own Paffions and Appetites, and the Opinions and Practices of the World, will be fure to remind us abundantly of what makes in Favour of prohibited Indulgences. And confequently, in order to keep our Judgment upright, we must be diligent in reprefenting to ourselves what makes against them. And we cannot poffibly do it in a better Method, than that of the Apostle, addreffing himself to the Roman Converts: What Fruit. bad then in those things, whereof ye are now afhamed? for the End of thofe things is Death.

ye

In these Words is propofed to our serious Thoughts,

I. The prefent Unprofitableness of Sin.
II. The Shamefulness of it.

III. The Punishment, which awaits it.

I fhall be able in this Difcourfe to confider' only the firft Point, The Unprofitableness of Sin, even at prefent. And for this he appeals to the Hearts and Confciences of those, with whom

ye

then in

Some

whom he argues; What Fruit had thofe things? well knowing they must own, that upon Trial they had found none: a Confeffion, which very few have ever failed to make, when after a Life, spent in Wickedness, they came to reflect coolly, what real Advantage they had gained by it on the Upfhot. The Language of those, who will be prevailed on to balance that great Account, is almost univerfally the fame, which Elibu in Job ascribes to the Penitent, I have finned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not ̊. may imagine this to arife from a Difpofition, which we have, to be discontented; and to think, after a while, any other Way better, than that which we have chofen. But how comes it to pass then, that no pious and virtuous Man was ever known, calmly and deliberately, to make the fame Declaration concerning his manner of Life? Nothing hath been more common in all Ages, than for the Wicked to acknowledge their Miftakes and their Mifery, and exhort others to take Warning by them. But the Good, as foon as ever they had Time to become habitually fuch, have always pronounced themselves eafy and happy; and

thought it the greatest Kindness, that they could do to thofe, whom they loved the moft tenderly, to beg they would tread in their Steps. Now, in other Cafes, we look on the agreeing Teftimony of thofe, who have experienced what they affirm, as being decifive. Why then should we diftrust them in this alone; and obftinately infift upon trying what they forewarn us aloud will be fatal? Indeed, have not fome of us tried much too far already? And, for God's fake, let us afk ourselves, what Fruit we have had from it, and what we are likely to have, in cafe we proceed further.

But if we will reckon the Experience of others incompetent, and our own imperfect, let us confider the natural Tendency of Sin. Should we be unable to difcover from thence, why it should do us Harm, we may doubt whether it doth the Harm, that we are told, or will go on to do the Harm that we have hitherto felt from it: but if we see, that in its Nature it must be unprofitable and hurtful, as well as learn from the Experience of others and our own that it is fo, then surely nothing will be wanting to convince us.

Now we all know, however apt we are to forget it, that Reason is the principal Part of

our

our Frame: thence therefore if we are made with any Wisdom, we must expect the principal Part of our Happiness: and yet every Sort of Wickedness is abfolutely contradictory to Reason. Undutifulness to an almighty Superior, and Ingratitude to a gracious Benefactor, fuch as God is; Unkindness to our Relations and Friends, Hard-heartedness to Perfons in Distress, Injustice or Inplacability to any one, or Ufeleffness to thofe, who are ufeful to us: degrading ourselves below the Rank of our Nature, and living only or chiefly to brutal Appetites, though we are men; or to trifling Pleasures, though we have Capacities for much worthier Employments: all these things are evidently unreasonable and unfit, as any thing can be. And what Advantage or what Quiet can we hope in disobeying that Principle, which was plainly defigned to rule us?

Befides, our Affections were doubtlefs originally intended to accord with Reason: and, though much disordered by the Fall of our first Parents, yet in a confiderable Measure they do fo ftill. Now can we question, but that Diforder is the Cause of Mifery to us here? And if so, the greater we make it by Acts of Sin, the greater our Mifery will be; and the more