SERM." turn men from the evil of their ways, and to fave CCXII. "their fouls from death;" to be ready to fupply

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men's outward wants and neceffities, to comfort them

in their forrows, and to relieve them in their affliction and distress.

And these works of compaffion and charity are perhaps more particularly intended here in the text, for fo the Chaldee paraphrafe interprets these words of Solomon, as a precept of charity, rendering them thus, "Do all thou canft, according to thy utmost ability

in alms and charity:" for nothing but this will turn to our account in another world; no other way of laying out our eftates will be of any advantage to us in the future ftate. And though I do not think Solomon did here intend to exclude any part of religious practice, yet he might very well have a more efpecial eye and regard to this, as one of the principal inftances and beft evidences of a true and fincere piety, according to that of St. James, chap. i. ver. last, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Fa"ther is this, to vifit the fatherlefs and widows "in their affliction." To be fure, our SAVIOUR lays mighty weight upon it, by making it the great article upon which men fhall be tried at the judgment of the great day. And indeed no religion is to be valued, that wants humanity and compaffion; for fo far as it departs from this, it departs from the true nature of GOD and religion.

So that it is a vaft work which lies upon our hands, and which every one of us, from the highest to the loweft are engaged in; this business of religion, this care of our whole man, and of our whole duty, of the inward frame and difpofition of our minds, and of all our words and actions, "to keep our hearts with all dili"gence," and carefully to obferve and govern all the inclinations

inclinations and motions of our fouls, and to "order our SER M. CCXII. "whole conversation aright;" in a word, to do GOD all the fervice, and men all the good that poffibly we can, while we are in this world. This is the first.

2. And because "in many things we offend all, " and there is no man that finneth not," another part of our work and care is, in cafe of tranfgreffion and miscarriage in any part of our duty, to exercise repentance for it, that fo we may be reconciled to GOD, and at peace with him.

It

And this is abfolutely neceffary, because our life and happiness depend upon it, and "except we repent, "we must perish," and be miferable for ever. cannot be denied, but that this work of repentance is very harsh and unpleasant, like the taking of phyfic and searching into a wound; but because it tends to our health and fafety, and is the neceffary way and means to a better condition, this severity must be submitted to, if we defire to be cured, and have a mind to be well; and the fooner we make use of this remedy the better, we shall find fo much the lefs difficulty and pain in the cure.

And there is great reason why we should frequently exercise and renew our repentance, because our failings are frequent, and in one kind or other we offend and provoke God every day; especially when we are coming to the holy facrament, in which we folemnly renew our covenant with GOD, and promise him better obe-dience for the future; we fhould examine our lives more strictly, and call our fins more particularly to remembrance, and exercise a moft folemn and deep repentance for them; this is the way to keep our accounts in a good measure even. And this furely is great wisdom, to provide that we may have no long account to make up, no great fcores to wipe off, when

we

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CCXII.

ERM. we come to be overtaken by sickness, and to lie upon our death-bed; that " innumerable tranfgreffions" unrepented of may not then "compafs us about, and ftare us in the face, and fill our fouls with fear and confusion, with horror and amazement in a dying hour; that an unfupportable load of guilt may not then lie upon our minds, and opprefs our confciences, when we are least able to bear it, and most unfit to deal with it, when we may not have time to call our fins particularly to remembrance, and to exercife a particular repentance for them, and yet perhaps a general repentance may not be fufficient, and available with GOD for the pardon and forgiveness of them.

Therefore we fhould exercise ourselves much in this work of repentance in the days of our health, when we are fitteft for it, and when it will be moft acceptable to GOD, and when the fincerity of it will be moft evident and comfortable to us, when we may know it to be true by the real and certain effects of of it, in the change and amendment of our lives. Whereas a death-bed repentance is infinitely hazardous, becaufe we may not perhaps have time and opportunity for the exercise of it; or if we fhould have that, yet hardly can we have opportunity for the trial of it, whether it be fincere or not, and confèquently muft needs die very uncomfortably, and in great doubt and anxiety of mind, what will be our fate and doom in another world.

So that it is a great work which lies upon our hands, and equally concerns every one of us. The bufinefs of religion, which confifts in the ftrict care of our duty to GOD and man, and in the frequent exercife of repentance for the fins and mifcarriages of our lives; and we may confequently judge, how great a care and diligence a work of fo much difficulty and of to great moment and importance, does require and call for at our hands. But befides this we muft, in the II. Place

CCXII.

II. Place likewife be diligent in our particular SER M. calling and charge, in that province and station which, GOD hath appointed us, whatever it be; whether it confifts in the labour of our hands, or in the improvement of our minds, in order to the gaining of knowledge for our own pleasure and fatisfaction, and for the use and benefit of others: whether it lie in the fkill of government, and the administration of public juftice; or in the management of a great eftate, of an honourable rank and quality above others, to the best advantage for the honour of GOD, and the benefit and advantage of men, fo as by the influence of our power and estate, and by the authority of our example, to contribute all we can to the welfare and happiness of others.

For it is a great mistake to think that any man is without a calling, and that God does not expect that every one of us should employ himself in doing good in one kind or other. Some perfons indeed, by the pri vilege of their birth and quality, are above a common trade and profeffion, but they are not hereby either exempted or excufed from all business, and allowed to live unprofitably to others, because they are fo plentifully provided for themselves: nay, on the contrary, they have so much the greater obligation, having the greater liberty and leifure to attend the good of others; the higher our character and station is, we have the better opportunities of being publicly use ful and beneficial; and the heavier will our account be, if we neglect these opportunities. Those who are in a low and private condition, can only fhine to a few; but they that are advanced to a great height above others, may, like the heavenly bodies, difpenfe a general light and influence, and scatter happiness and bleffings among all that are below them.

VOL. XI.

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And

SERM.
CCXII.

per

And as they are capable of doing more good than others, fo with more ease and effect; that which fons of an inferior rank can hardly bring others to, by all the importunity of counfel and perfuafion, as namely to the practice of any virtue, and the quitting and abandoning of any vice, a prince and a great man that is good himself, may eafily gain them to, without ever speaking a word to them, by the filent authority and powerful allurement of his example. So that though every man have not a particular profeffion, yet the highest among men have fome employment allotted to them by GoD, fuitable to their condition, a province which he expects they should adminifter and adorn with great care.

The great bufinefs of the lower part of mankind is to provide for themfelves the neceffaries of life, and it is well if they can do it, with all their care and diligence; but those who are of a higher rank, their proper bufinefs and employment is to difpenfe good to others; which furely is a much happier condition and employment, according to that admirable faying of our SAVIOUR, mentioned by St. Paul, "It is a more blef

fed thing to give, than to receive." Those of meaner condition can only be men to one another, and it were well if they would be fo; but he that is highly raised and advanced above others, hath the happy opportunity in his hands, if he have but the heart to make nie of it,, to be a kind of Gop to men.

Let no man then, of what birth, or rank, or quality foever, think it beneath him to ferve Gor, and to be ufeful to the benefit and advantage of men; let us remember the Son of Con, a perfon of the highe quality and extraction that ever was, who spent himfelf wholly in this bleffed work of doing good, toiled and laboured in it as it had been for his life, fubunit

ted