heavenly Canaan: and therefore it is a folly to amufe ourselves with thofe vain objects that occur; which only serve to retard our journey, and oftentimes to put us out of the way. The figure of this world paffeth away, as well as we all things here below are tied to the wheel of time, which never ftands, but is in a perpetual motion, and hurries all fublunary things, and its felf alfo, to their feveral ends. One man fucceeds another: the former generation makes room for the fubfequent, and one age begins where another ends. So that we live in a region ignorant of stability, and from the beginning accustomed to viciffitudes. Upon this ground, the two great apostles diffuade Chriftians from fetting their hearts upon any thing here below for oftentimes they will not obtain what they defire, and never experience the fatisfaction they expect for how can a heart, made for God, be really fatisfied with any thing upon earth? A heart, able to contain an ocean of blifs in heaven, can never be filled with a drop of pleasure; nor a fpirit with thofe delights, that only affect the fenfes. And befides, God knows! all thofe follies, we are pleased to call pleasure, are as fhort as empty. If they take not their flight before we die, they muft leave us on our death-bed. And what profit fhall we reap from the paft, but a certain conviction, that we have been wretchedly deceived?

It is therefore wholfome advice of St. Peter, to behave ourselves as ftrangers and pilgrims; to look upon all things here, as pilgrims do upon those objects that prefent themfelves on the way, merely in paffing, without concern or affection: if God is pleafed to favour you with temporal conveniences, thank him for the bleffing, and ufe it to his honour, not to his prejudice, and your own ruin. Give your heart to him, and never enflave it to

any

any creature: it is too fmall to be divided ; and unless you give it him entire, you give him nothing: you cannot fettle it upon creatures, and raise it up to heaven for St. Paul tells us, a fenfual man taftes not those things that are spiritual, and therefore exhorts all, to live in the world, as if they were out of it; to poffefs temporal things without affection; to use them with moderation, and leave them with indifference; to fear nothing but fin, and love nothing but God; for nothing can withdraw us from God, but fin; and nothing can put us in poffeffion of him, but love. Therefore no temporal concerns must so take up our thoughts or time, as to leave no room for those of our fouls. And if they endanger our falvation, or, in St. Peter's phrafe, war against the foul, we must abfolutely forfake them.

Some objects war against the foul openly fuch are all those that tempt to fin, and allure us under pretence of pleasure or profit: fuch as cannot be desired, without a crime; nor enjoyed, without rebellion against God and heaven, and against our own fouls. These we must abfolutely forgo: they not only war against the foul, but ftab it: they rob it of fanctifying grace, cut off its title to heaven, and expofe it to the juft anger of an offended Deity. Others are lefs dangerous indeed, but ftill they war against the foul, by withdrawing it from the practice of thofe virtues Christianity prefcribes; which perfect the foul, and prepare it for a glorious reward hereafter. These we may enjoy, but with moderation, according to the rules of right reason, not of paffion and fenfuality; which, by obferving no mean, neither in their flight or purfuit, turn the moft innocent fatisfactions into unlawful enjoyments.

St. Peter not only exhorts Christians to refrain fram all carnal defires, but also to practise all

manner

manner of virtues: and this not merely for their own advantage, but to wipe off an unjust imputation, laid to their charge by the Gentiles, that their doctrine was fcandalous, and their religion impure. Having your converfation honeft among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evil-doers, they may by your good works, which they shall bebold, glorify God in the day of vifitation. The Nicolaites (fprung from one of the first deacons) gave ground for thefe afperfions. Their tenets were impure; their lives as bad as their doctrine. That had nothing of the Chriftian but the name. How

ever, their crimes reflected on the orthodox Church, which, bearing the fame name, was fuppofed, by the Gentiles, guilty of the fame enormities. To thefe St. Peter writes, and conjures them to confute the calumny by the fanctity of their lives: For fo is the will of God; that with well-doing, ye may put to filence the ignorance of foolish men.

The articles of our belief are true, and its morals the most fublime. Nothing can be more conformable to reason, nothing more conducing to the highest perfection. They teach us our duty to God; they regulate our conduct to our neighbour: nor do they only direct our exterior actions, but bridle our very thoughts. So that did our lives correfpond to our laws, this world would be turned into a paradife: we should enjoy a tafte of heaven on earth, and be both happy here and hereafter. At our baptifm we vowed to fquare our lives by the maxims of the gofpel: by this we became Christians, that is, followers of Chrift, and members of his Church. However, notwithstanding all these vows and promifes, all these obligations of intereft, duty and gratitude, too many give occafion, by their loose lives, to the enemies of Chriftianity, to blafpheme our religion. It is true, did we judge of the truth of religion by the practice of the greatest part of

its

its profeffors, we fhould be at a stand, and perchance condemn all; malice being fo apt to draw inferences from practice; and to conclude, That religion teaches corrupt morals, whofe profeffors practise them. We ought, therefore, to ftand upon our guard; to walk with caution and circumfpection; and fhew by our manners the purity of our faith. Our Saviour pronounces a fevere Wo upon those, who fcandalize their neighbour : Wo to that man by whom the offence cometh and then certainly more than a fingle Wo will fall upon thofe, who cast a scandal upon our Saviour himfelf.

And can we throw a more affronting one on his fanctity, than by perfuading his enemies, by our conduct, that he teaches what we practise, and that his doctrine is no lefs reprehenfible than our manners? This is, once more, as much as in us lies, to expose his facred body to the cross, his perfon to blafphemy, and his honour to all the defaming obloquy of his enemies.

Indeed, would the enemies of Christianity take the pains to examine its principles, they might blame our fenfuality, but not our religion, much less the author of it. And they might perchance juftly upbraid us, as St. Stephen did the Jews, Ye have received a law, not by the difpofition of angels, but immediately from God, and yet have not kept it, Acts vii. 57. But ftill a regular life is the shorteft way to filence our adverfaries, and to defeat their ignorance or malice: and this St. Peter infifts upon, as the most proper to rescue our profeffion from flander and prejudice: For fo is the will of God, that with well-doing, ye may put to filence the ignorance of foolish men.

And therefore he conjures the Christians to confute the charge of treafon laid upon them by the Gentiles with fo much clamour. Submit your felves

to

to every ordinance of man for the Lord's fake: whe ther it be to the king, as fupreme: or unto governours, as unto them that are fent by him: for fo is the will of God. You must obey your prince, not out of a principle of intereft, but of duty; not out of the fear of punishment; but a fense of religion: For fo is the will of God. You must neither contemn his orders, nor revile his person.

Because Chrift has redeemed us with his precious blood, fome pretended, in the apostles days, as well as ours, he had difcharged us of all fubjection: that all Christians ftood upon the fame level, and confequently, that no body had authority to command, no body an obligation to obey. St. Peter affures us indeed, we are free; but then he tells us alfo, that thofe, who ftretch their freedom fo far, abufe the favour, and ufe their privilege to cover their malice. As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of malicioufnefs, 1 Pet. ii. 16. Chriftian liberty exempts us from the flavery of fin, from the bondage of our paffions; but not from fubjection to thofe, whom God has placed over us. We must obey their commands, and obferve their laws, when juft, and hear their voice, as God's, whofe vicegerents they are on earth, out of a principle of conscience, not out of fear of punishment; as the fervants of God.

In fine, honour all men; love the brotherhood ; fear God; honour the king; is the apoftle's command. Regulate your conduct by a piety, publick, univerfal, and exemplary; especially before people of another perfuafion; who pry into your actions, to criticife and traduce them. Give no occafion to malice to decry your religion; but edify all by an irreproachable behaviour: that by your good works, which they shall behold, they may glorify God in the day of vifitation.

Oh, my Redeemer! I beg a thousand pardons for all the fcandals I have caft upon the religion thou