SERM. difcerned. The mind must be set apart and XXXII. fanctified for this; it must be intirely given up to it, and the main current of a man's thoughts must run habitually that way; then he will be able to bring all these things out of the treasure of his heart, when it is thus enriched and become a choice repofitory of virtue and holiness.

But befides that true piety enlarges our thoughts, it gives them an additional force and vigour beyond the ftrength of our reasons and the power of words; and it is fure that nothing makes its way fo forcibly to the hearts of others, as that which comes from the bottom of our own. As the devil when he affumes the form of an Angel of light, fo is a wicked man when he goes about to recommend virtue and describe the power of godliness. He is a strange unnatural mixture of the two most difagreeing things in the universe, and a monfter made up of a refemblance of Heaven and Hell. A man confcious to himself of fecret unrepented guilt, of unmortified paffions, and appetites in their full natural ftrength, when his lips go without his heart, his words must turn upon himself and fly in his face, and he is, though otherwife of great abilities and endowments, at best but as founding brass and a tinkling cymbal, nothing but noife, without any sense or feeling of what is fpoke. His fpeaking on divine fubjects is ftrained and unnatural, and no diffimulation or hypocrify can come up to the genuine air of fincere piety. For as there is fomething in vice and wickedness that makes

a discovery of itself, and can hardly be con- SER M. cealed, fo there is something in fincere religion XXXII. that cannot be counterfeited. When the mind is ftrongly impregnated with a sense of God and goodness, and the breaft warmed with religion, it affects the very lineaments of the face; it breaks through the eyes and looks, and gives an expreffive paffion to the countenance; when the mouth thus fpeaks out of the abundance of the heart, it infpires others with its fentiments and affections, and the man breathes out his foul with his words.

But of all virtues, that which a preacher is immediately concerned to fecure, is that of a pure intention. Without this, whatever the fuccefs be to others, the reward is loft to ourfelves; we fell it all for the breath of men; perhaps but of a few whose gust we have chanced to hit. We prostitute the noblest employment to the pooreft ends; and those who are given to this vanity, make it much more to themselves than it really is. They think of it without those weakneffes that are vifible to difcerning judgments, who see all their faults; and without that allay of envy which is never appeased but with the facrifice of the object that troubles it, as it proved in the case of our Saviour; it was for envy they delivered him. And yet he had nothing to be envied but his life and his discourses, for no man envies a miracle; he never spoke but to do good, and declined the praise of men, as much as was confiftent with the exercise of his ministry; infomuch that it was remarkable of him, that

SER M. after his miracles and difcourfes, he withdrew XXXII. himself from applaufe, betook himself to re

tirements and receffes to avoid it. He gave fufficient demonftration that he had eloquence enough to have brought about any worldly defigns; that he had the hearts and paffions of men at his command, and could work them up to what height he pleased, fo as to turn and wind them irresistibly to any thing but virtue and holiness. He could have prevailed on them to make him a King, and could have proceeded from thence to the empire of the world. The devil faw this, and this was at the bottom of that temptation when he promised him all the kingdoms of the earth if he would fall down and worship him. But he anfwers him, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou ferve, and therefore he could make use of this irrefiftible power of perfuafion no farther than it was for the fervice of God, and promoting of the great ends of religion. His kingdom was not of this world, and accordingly he was fo far from ferving any temporal defigns by it, that he had no where to lay his head. Here is a glorious example before us! and O! that we could imitate our great mafter in this divine virtue, who fays of himself, I feek not my own glory, there is one that feeks and judgeth, meaning the searcher of hearts, who fees whither we direct all our discourses, who alone can bless them with fuccefs here, and give them an eternal reward of glory hereafter.

FINI S.