they should fet it out to the best Advantage, making it by all exemplary Virtues and Graces to appear so charming to those they converse with, that they may fall in Love with it. I beseech you, says St. Peter, 1 Ep.ch.2. as Strangers and Pilgrims, (being as it were v. 11, 12. in a strange Country, and amongst many Enemies) abftain from flefbly Lufts, which war against the Soul, having your Converfation honeft among the Gentiles. Honeft; how is that? Why laudable, commendable, honourable, fuch as may be well thought of among the Gentiles; juft as St. Paul useth the fame Phrafe in the 12th of the Romans, Provide things honeft in the fight of all Men; v, 17. that is, take Care that all your Matters be fo decently managed, as that they may be approved of, and well reported among Men. And this Senfe the following Words of St. Peter do confirm, That whereas, fays he, 1Ep.2.1 2. they, viz. the Gentiles, Speak against you as evil Doers, they may by your good Works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the Day of Vifitation.

Here then is the

Province that is committed to all of us; this is the Work that God hath put us upon : We are to adorn the Doctrine of God our Tit. 2. 10. Saviour in all things. We are to recommend our Religion to all about us, not only by living free from Blame, but by abounding in all Virtue, and in all good Works. Hear, I pray, what St. Peter speaks to this Purpose in the 3d chapter of his first Epistle, quoting

V. 10.

V. 11.

V. 12.

quoting a Paffage out of the Pfalms; He that will love Life, and fee good Days, let him refrain his Tongue from Evil, and his Lips that they fpeak no Guile. Let him efcher Evil, and do Good: Let him feek Peace, and enfue it. For the Eyes of the V, 13. Lord are over the Righteous; And who is be that will harm you, if ye be Followers of that which is good? There is certainly great Senfe and Reafon in thefe Advices ; and all the Men in the World cannot prefcribe more effectual Methods for the procuring a peaceful, happy Life to a Man's Self, or Bleffings to his Country, than these are: For by thus doing, we take the surest Way not only to recommend ourselves to Men; but, which is more than that, we take the fureft Way to approve ourselves to God, who certainly both takes care of his Church and us; and who doth fo order the Affairs of the World, that he will never fuffer any thing to come to pafs upon Earth, but what fhall prove for the Good of his Church, and of all particular Perfons, who truly love and fear him.

а

Let us all therefore apply thefe Rules to ourfelves. Let us live up to our Principles. Let us not barely make a Noise and a Talk of what we believe and profefs; but let us fhew to all the World, that we have the true Faith of Chrift among us, by bringing forth fuch Fruit in our Lives, as his holy Doctrine and Religion doth naturally tend

to

to produce among Mankind. Let us do
nothing that is bad, nothing that hath even
the Appearance of Evil.
to be unjust, or even hard
with, let us forbear it.

Whatever seems to those we deal Whatever looks

20.

like Knavery or a Trick, let us avoid it. Let our Words and Actions be all of a Piece, being true to our Words, and fincere in our Profeffions of Kindness. Let us be ready to do Acts of Humanity, and Kindnefs, and Charity, as often as they fall in our Power. Let us forgive Injuries, and endeavour to heap Coals of Fire on the Heads Rom. 12. of thofe that do them; that is, by our generous obliging Treatment of them, melt them into Reconciliation and Friendship with us; for that is the Method, they fay, of melting the hardest Metal, by heaping Coals of Fire on the Top of it. Let us be regular in all our Converfation, fetting Examples of Piety and Devotion, of Temperance and Purity, of Moderation and Contentedness, of Humility and Affability, and Meeknefs to all above us. In a word, Whatever things Phil. 4. 8. are true, whatsoever things are just, whatfoever things are lovely, honeft, and of good Report; if there be any Praife, any Virtue, let us follow these things. This is the true and proper Way both to fecure ourselves, and to do Honour and Service to our Religion in all Times whatfoever. Who shall Pet.3.13. harm you, if ye be Followers of that which is good? The Chriftian Religion is a Thing

fo

fo amiable, and its Precepts fo extremely agreeable to the Nature of Mankind, that where-ever they are lived up to, they will by degrees mollify the Heart of the moft obdurate, and conciliate Love and Respect, at least Tenderness and Compaffion from all forts of Men. Let the Times be what they will, the better a Man lives, the more upright and juft, the more humble and peaceable, the more devout and charitable, the more innocent and virtuous he is, the better he is like to fare in this World. But however that happens, this Comfort fuch a Man hath, that he is of all others the fittest to conflict with a Storm: And if it pleases bleffed, unfpeakably bleffed fhall he be, for exceeding great fhall his Reward be in the other World.

God that he fall under it,

માં.

DISCOURSE VI.

The Danger of Cloaking or Diffembling our Sins. Confeffion of Sins neceffary to Repentance. What fort of Confeffion that must be.

[Delivered in Two Sermons.]

PROV. xxviii. 13.

He that covereth his Sins fhall not profper:
But whofo confeffeth, and forfaketh them,
Shall find Mercy.

T

HIS is undoubtedly one of those
Texts of Scripture which is re-
ferr'd to in the Exhortation be-
fore Morning and Evening Ser-

vice in our Common-PrayerBook" Dearly beloved Brethren, the "Scripture moveth us in fundry Places, to acknowledge and confefs our manifold "Sins and Wickednefs, and that we fhould

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