- bodily infirmity here? Why art thou envious? "Why art thou malicious? Why art thou in"temperate? And canft thou think, that fafting "alone can atone for a bad life? If the envious "man doth not become friendly-hearted; the 66 angry man, meek; the covetous man, moderate; "the vain-glorious man, humble; the intemperate "man, chaste, and fober; tho' their whole lives "were one continued fast, yet still would they be

unjustified before God. God requires not mor"tification for its own fake. Could we be good "without mortification, mortification were need"less. But because human nature is negligent, "and prone to pleasure; its bad inclinations muft "be corrected. Chrift is not fo ftrict about fast

ing, as about a holy life. He does not fay, “Learn of me, for I fafted forty days, and forty "nights: but Learn of me, for I am meek and "lowly in heart. These things," fays the holy father, "I fay, not to depreciate fafting, or any "other kind of ufeful feverity: only I am forry "to fee, men lay the ftrefs upon what is leaft "neceffary; while mercy, charity, piety, and tem

perance, are neglected.-Let us then," he concludes, "fet a guard upon our ears, our eyes, and

"our minds; and fully perfuade ourselves, that "the best faft is abftinence from vice."

Thus far the words of this pious man; fo full to the purpose, so reasonable, and truly christian, that I shall add nothing, but an earnest recom mendation of them to your serious attention.

SERMON XXXIII.

JAMES, i. 12.

BLESSED IS THE MAN THAT ENDURETH TEMPTATION; FOR WHEN HE IS TRIED, HE SHALL RECEIVE THE CROWN OF LIFE, WHICH THE LORD MATH PROMISED TO THEM THAT LOVE him.

WE

E have in this paffage an intimation of that grand order of Providence, in the government of the world, which we acknowledge under the name of a state of trial.

In confidering the subject I shall first point out a few of the chief paffages of fcripture, which relate to this ftate; and fecondly make fome obfervations which it fuggefts.

By a state of trial we mean that kind of discipline, which God hath appointed to prove and perfect G 4

the

the virtue of his rational creatures. It confifts in fuch temptations, as arife from profperityfrom adversity- from riches-from poverty-from power from obfcurity, and all the various circumftances of human life. Or, in other words, this world is a school, in which God leads us forward to a superior station, by fetting difficulties before us, which we are to conquer. Indeed this is the only way, in which we can obtain religious conduct. The world is a warfare. How is military glory acquired? Only by conquering oppofition. The very existence of virtue in the fame way depends on the oppofition it meets. Who would not be honest, if he had no temptation to be a knave? Who would not be sober, if he had no temptation to drunkennefs? It is vanquishing temptation, that forms the virtuous action. To this end, we are every where befet with temptations; and we must either conquer them; or they, us that is, when we have temptations to oppose, we must either be virtuous by oppofition-or vicious, by giving way.

Now tho' an exprefs declaration, that mankind are in a ftate of trial, is nowhere found either in the old, or new teftament, yet in the hiftory and precepts of both, it is plainly the leading idea.

Our

Our first parents, tho' favoured beyond any of their posterity, were yet placed in a state of trial. This ftate, it is true, was a very eafy one, compared with ours. As they were the only inhabitants of the world, the temptations arifing from gain, power, or pleasure, could afford them little ground of trial: and yet that they fhould be placed in fome trial was God's intention. Nothing can be conceived more fuited to their peculiar circumftances, than the fimple trial, in which they were placed and however flight the eating of a forbidden tree may appear to us, it was an act furely of great difobedience in them; and muft certainly be confidered as containing a high degree of guilt. They were placed in a state of happiness-they had an upright nature given them-the trial was flight -the penalty clear-and under all thefe circumftances the punishment was proportionably great.

Their trial, no doubt, was continued after their fall; and was then, of course, a more difficult one; as the encreafing world afforded a variety of more temptations to tranfgrefs.

One of the next great inftances of trial, which we meet with in the bible-hiftory, was in the cafe of Abraham, when God ordered him to depart from his own country into a foreign land. His trial