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So that, upon the whole, when we have examined the true flate and condition of human life, and have made some allowances for a few fugacious,, deceitful pleasures, there is scarce any thing to be found which contradicts Job's description of it-Whichever way we look abroad, we see some legible characters of what Gon first denounced against us, "That in forrow we should eat our bread, till we return to the ground from whence we were ta

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But some one will say, Why are we thus to be put out of love with human life? To what purpose is it to expose the dark fide of it to us, or enlarge upon the infirmities which are natural, and confequently out of our power to redress !

I answer, That the subject is nevertheless of great importance, fince it is neceffary every creature should. understand his present state and condition, to put` him in mind of behaving fuitably to it.-Does not an impartial farvey of man the holding up this glass to show him his defects and natural infirmities, naturally tend to cure his pride, and clothe him with humility, which is a dress that best becomes a shortlived and a wretched creature? - Does not the confideration of the shortness of our life convince us of the wisdom of dedicating fo samall a portion to the great purpofes of eternity?

Lastly, When we reflect that this span of life, short as it is, is chequered with so many troubles, that there is nothing in this world springs up, or can

* N. B. Most of these reflections upon the miseries of life are. taken from Woolafton.

be enjoyed without a mixture of forrow; how insenfibly does it incline us to turn our eyes and affections from so gloomy a prospect, and fix them upon that happier country, where afflictions cannot follow us, and where God will wipe away all tears from off our faces for ever and ever! Amen.

SERMON ΧΙ.

Evil-Speaking.

JAMES 1. 26.

If any man among you feem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, that man's religion is vain.

OF

F the many duties owing both to God and our neighbour, there are scarce any men so bad, as not to acquit themselves of some, and few so good, I fear, as to practise all.

Every man seems willing enough to compound the matter, and adopt so much of the system, as will least interfere with his principal and ruling paffion; and for those parts which would occafion a more troublesome oppofition, to confider them as hard sayings, and so leave them for those to practise, whose natural tempers are better suited to the struggle. So that a man shall be covetous, oppreffive, revengeful, neither a lover of truth, or common honesty; and. yet, at the fame time shall be very religious, and so sanctified, as not once to fail of paying his morning and evening sacrifice to God. So, on the other hand, a man shall live without God in the world, have neither any great sense of religion, or indeed pretend to have any, and yet be of nicest honour, confcientioufly just and fair in all his dealings. And here it is that men generally betray themselves, deceiving, as the apostle says, their own hearts; of which the inftances are so various, in one degree or other, throughout human life, that one might safely say, the bulk of mankind live in such a contradiction to themselves, that there is no character so hard to be met with as one, which, upon a critical examination, will appear altogether uniform, and in every point confiftent with itself.

If fuch a contraft was only observable in the different stages of a man's life, it would cease to be either a matter of wonder or of just reproach. Age, experience, and much reflection, may naturally enough be fuppofed to alter a man's sense of things, and fo entirely to transform him, that not only in outward appearances, but in the very cast and turn of his mind, he may be as unlike and different from the man he was twenty or thirty years ago, as he ever was from any thing of his own species. This, I fay, is naturally to be accounted for, and in fome cafes might be praise worthy too; but the obfervation is to be made of men in the fame period of their lives, that in the fame day, sometimes in the very same action, they are utterly inconsistent and irreconcilable with themselves. Look at a man in one light, and he shall seem wife, penetrating, difcreet, and brave; behold him in another point of view, and you fee a creature all over folly and indifcretion, weak and timorous as cowardice and indiscretion can make him." A man shall appear gentle, courteous, and beneva

lent to all mankind; follow him into his own house, may be you fee a tyrant, morose and savage to all whose happiness depends upon his kindness. A third, in his general behaviour is found to be generous, disinterested, humane, and friendly :-hear but the sad story of the friendless orphans, too credulously trusting all their little substance into his hands, and he shall appear more fordid, more pitiless and unjust than the injured themselves have bitterness to paint him. Another shall be charitable to the poor, un. charitable in his cenfures and opinions of all the rest of the world besides; temperate in his appetites, intemperate in his tongue; _ shall have too much confcience and religion to cheat the man who trusts him, and, perhaps, as far as the business of debtor and creditor extends, shall be just and scrupulous to the uttermost mite: yet, in matters of full as great concern, where he is to have the handling of the party's reputation and good name the dearest, the tenderest property the man has he will do him irreparable damage, and rob him there without mea-fure or pity.

And this seems to be that particular piece of in-confiftency and contradiction which the text is levelled at, in which the words seem so pointed, as if St. James had known more flagrant instances of this kind of delufion, than what had fallen under the observation of any of the rest of the apostles; he being more remarkably vehement and copions upon that fubject than any other.

Doubtless some of his converts had been notoria ously wicked and licentious in this remorseless prac-

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