IV.

bleft part of the creation; this is an SERM. object, that every wife and good man, "muft, one would think, furvey with a fenfible and frong complacency, and "God himself with approbation and calm delight."

I SHALL only add, in the last place, that a just notion of this important truth, that God is our Father, naturally tends to inspire a strong fenfe of our own bonour, a contempt of mean compliances and irregular exceffes; joined with an ardent emulation to excel in every thing that is praise-worthy and amiable, and raise our virtues to the highest pitch of purity and perfection. When any one pursues the contrary courfe, to what I have now recommended, he evidently wanders from the eternal rule of right, from nature, and the law of his creation; he follows error quite habited and adorned with spurious decorations; which, thus difguifed, throws a mift before the moral fenfe, and entertains the fancy with groundless hopes and fplendid amusing prospects, but muft of neceffity terminate

be

SERM. in remorse and confufion. "He may IV. « a perfon of fome account, nay, perhaps, of eminence and diftinction, a

mong those whofe imagination is e"qually vitiated, and who are, jointly "with himself, the votaries of vanity "and libertinifm; but entirely forfakes "the only path that can lead to true dignity: He may be a lively, pert, un

meaning, unanxious animal; but must "be an unhappy reasonable creature, and "a degenerate child of God." Let us demonftrate, then, that we are truly wife, by improving in ourfelves, and others, the lively and habitual influence of this principle that we are of divine extraction. Let us affert and vindicate the ho

nour of our nature. Let us disdain to be inslaved to appetite, the groffer and baser part of it. Let it be our ultimate ambition, in proportion to the extent and scope of our faculties, to be perfect, as our Father who is in heaven is perfect. Then may we expect, in conformity to the example of Jefus Chrift, who is stiled the firft-born among many brethren, to afcend

to

to his Father and our Father, to his God SE RM. and our God; there, in manfions of un- IV. clouded light and joy ineffable, to be crowned with transcendent rewards and honours. To this purpose are the words of St. John, with which I fhall conclude this discourse: Beloved, now are we the John ii. fons of God, and it

doth not yet appear

what we shall be; but we know, that when he shall appear, we shall be like him : For we shall fee him as he is: And every man, that hath this hope in him, purifieth bimfelf, even as he is pure.

2, 3.

SER

SERMON V.

Of Murder, and the Cuftoms and
Vices leading to it.

T

EXODUS XX. 13.

Thou shalt not kill.

HESE words are much bet- SERM.
ter rendred in an older tran- V.

flation of the Bible thus:

Thou shalt do no murder. For all killing, or taking away the life of a man, is not unjustifiable; and therefore it could never be reprefented as a crime, univerfally, by any commonly wife and equitable, and much lefs by a divine law; but murder is abfolutely prohibited. The VOL. III.

H

lat