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which can relate only to the Jews, may either mean a promise of long life to each individual, who obferved the precept: or, of ftability to the whole nation upon the general obfervance of it: which is perhaps a better interpretation.

The five next commandments are prohibitions of the most capital crimes, which pollute the heart of man, and injure the peace of fociety.

The first of them forbids murder, which is the greatest injury that one man can do another; as of all crimes the damage in this is the moft irreparable.

The feventh commandment forbids adultery. The black infidelity, and injury which accompany this crine; the confufion in families, which often fucceeds it; and the general tendency it hath to deftroy all the domestic happiness of fociety, fain it with a very high degree of guilt.

The fecurity of our property is the object of the eighth commandment.

The fecurity of our characters, is the object of the ninth.

The tenth restrains us not only from the actual commiffion of fin; but from thofe bad inclinations, which give it birth.

After the commandments follows a commentary upon them, intitled, "our duty to God," and "our duty to our neighbour;" the latter of which might more properly be intitled, "Our duty to our neighbour and ourselves."-Thefe feem intended as an explanation of the commandments upon Chriftian principles; with the addition of other duties, which do not properly fall under any of them. On thefe we fhall be more large.

The first part of our duty to God, is, "to "believe in him;" which is the foundation of all religion, and therefore offers itfelf first to our confideration. But this great point hath been already considered.

The next branch of our duty to God, is to fear him. The fear of God is impreffed equally upon the righteous man, and the finner. But the fear of the finner confifts only in the dread of punishment. It is the neceffary confequence of guilt; and is not that fear, which we confider as a duty. The fear of God here meant, confifts in that reverential awe, that conftant apprehenfion of his prefence, which fecures us from offending him.-When we are before our superiors, we naturally feel a refpect, which prevents our doing any thing indecent in their fight. Such (only

in a higher degree) fhould be our reverence of God, in whofe fight, we know, we always ftand. If a fenfe of the divine prefence hath fuch an influence over us, as to check the bad tendency of our thoughts, words, and actions; we may properly be faid to be impreffed with the fear of God.

If not, we neglect one of the beft means of checking vice, which the whole circle of religious reftraint affords.

Some people go a step farther; and fay, that as every degree of light behaviour, though fhort of an indecency, is improper before our fuperiors; fo is it likewife in the prefence of Almighty God, who is fo much fuperior to every thing that can be called great on earth.

But this is the language of fuperftition. Mirth, within the bounds of innocence, cannot be offenfive to God. He is offended only with vice. Vice, in the lowest degree, is hateful to him: but a formal fet behaviour can be neceflary only to preferve human diftinctions.

The next duty to God is that of love, which is founded upon his goodness to his creatures. Even this world, mixed as it is with evil, exhibits various marks of the goodness of the Deity. Most men indeed place their affections too much upon it, and rate it at too high a value: but in the opinion even of wife men, it deserves fome eftimation. The acquifition of knowledge, in all its branches; the intercourfe of lociety; the contemplation of the wonderful works of God, and all the beauteous fcenes of nature; nay, even the low inclinations of animal life, when indulged with fobriety and moderation, furnish various modes of pleasure and enjoyment.

Let this world however go for little. In contemplating a future life, the enjoyments of this are loft. It is in the contemplation of faturity, that the chriftian views the goodness of God in the fulleft light. When he fees the Deity engaging himself by covenant to make our fhort abode here a preparation for our eternal happiness hereafter-when he is affured that this happiness is not only eternal, but of the pureft and most perfect kind-when he fees God, as a father, opening all his ftores of love and kindness, to bring back to himfelf a race of creatures fallen from their original perfection, and totally loft through their own folly, perverfenefs, and wickednefs; then it is that the evils of life feem as atoms in the fun-beam; the

divine nature appears overflowing with goodness to mankind, and calls forth every exertion of our gratitude and love. That the enjoyments of a future ftate, in whatever those enjoyments confift, are the gift of God, is fufficiently obvious: but with regard to the government of this world, there is often among men a fort of infidelity, which afcribes all events to their own prudence and induftry. Things appear to run in a ftated courfe; and the finger of God, which acts unfeen, is never fuppofed.

And, no doubt, our own induftry and prudence have a great fhare in procuring for us the bleflings of life. God hath annexed them as the reward of fuch exertions. But can we fuppofe, that fuch exertions will be of any fervice to us, unless the providence of God throw opportunities in our way? All the means of worldly hap. pinefs are furely no other than the means of his government. Mofes faw among the Jews a kind of infidelity like this, when he forbad the people to fay in their hearts, "My power, and the might of my hands hath gotten me this wealth:" where as, he adds, they ought to remember, "That it is the Lord who giveth power to get wealth."

Others again have objected to the goodnefs of God, his permiflion of evil. A good God, fay they, would have prevent ed it; and have placed his creatures in a fituation beyond the diftreffes of life.

With regard to man, there feems to be no great difficulty in this matter. It is enough, furely, that God has put the means of coinfort in our power. In the natural world, he hath given us remedies againft henger, cold, and difeafe; and in the moral world, against the mifchief of fin. Even death felf, the laft great evil, he hath fhewn us how we may change into the most confummate bleffing. A fate of trial, therefore, and a future world, feem cafily to fet things to rights on this head.

The mifery of the brute creation is indeed more unaccountable. But have we not the modefty to fuppofe, that this difficalty may be owing to our ignorance? And that on the ftrength of what we know of the wifdom of God, we may venture to truft him for those parts which we cannot comprehend?

One truth, after all, is very apparent, that if we fhould argue ourfelves into aheim, by the untractablenefs of thefe bjects, we should be fo far from getting

rid of our difficulties, that, if we reafon juftly, ten thoufand greater would arife, either from confidering the world under no ruler, or under one of our own imagin. ing,

There remains one farther confideration with regard to the love of God, and that is, the measure of it. We are told we ought to love him "with all our heart, with all our foul, and with all our ftrength." Thefe are firong expreffions, and feem to imply a greater warmth of affection, than many people may perhaps find they can exert. The affections of fome are naturally cool, and little excited by any objects. The guilty perfon, is he, whofe affections are warm in every thing but religion.The obvious meaning therefore of the expreffion is, that whether our affections are cool or warm, we fhould make God our chief good-that we fhould fet our affec tions more upon him, than upon any thing elfe--and that, for his fake, and for the fake of his laws, we fhould be ready to refign every thing we have, and even life itfelf. So that the words feem nearly of the fame import with thofe of the apoftle, "Set your affections on things above, and not on things on the earth." Gilpin

$160. Worship and Honour of God.

Our next duty to God is, to worship him, to give him thanks, to put our whole truft in him, and to call upon him.

Since the obfervance of the fabbath is founded upon many wife and just reasons, what have they to answer for, who not only neglect this inftitution themselves, but bring it by their example into contempt with others? I speak not to those who make it a day of common diverfion; who, laying afide all decency, and breaking through all civil and religious regulations; spend it in the moft licentious amusements: fuch people are paft all reproof: but I fpeak to thofe, who in other things profess themselves to be ferious people; and, one might hope, would act right, when they were convinced what was fo.

But our prayers, whether in public, or in private, are only an idle parade, unless we put our trust in God.

By putting our trust in God, is meant depending upon him, as our happiness, and our refuge.

Human nature is always endeavouring either to remove pain; or, if ease be obtained, to acquire happiness. And thofe things are certainly the moft eligible, which

in thefe refpects are the most effectual. The world, it is true, makes us flattering promises: but who can fay that it will keep them? We confift of two parts, a body, and a foul. Both of thefe want the means of happiness, as well as the removal of evil. But the world cannot even afford them to the body. Its means of happinefs, to those who depend upon them as fuch, are, in a thousand inftances, unfatisfying. Even, at beft, they will fail us in the end. While pain, diseases, and death, fhew us, that the world can afford no refuge against bodily diftrefs. And if it cannot afford the means of happiness, and of fecurity, to the body, how much lefs can we fuppofe it able to afford them to the foul?

Nothing then, we fee, in this world, is a fufficient foundation for truft: nor indeed can any thing be but Almighty God, who affords us the only means of happiness, and is our only real refuge in distress. On him, the more we truft, the greater we shall feel our fecurity; and that man who has, on juft religious motives, confirmed in himself this truft, wants nothing else to secure his happiness. The world may wear what afpect it will: it is not on it that he depends. As far as prudence goes, he endeavours to avoid the evils of life; but when they fall to his fhare (as sooner or later we must all fhare them) he refigns himfelf into the hands of that God who made him, and who knows beft how to difpofe of him. On him he thoroughly depends, and with him he has a conftant intercourfe by prayer; trufting, that whatever happens is agreeable to that just government, which God has established; and that, of confequence, it must be best.

We are injoined next " to honour God's holy name.'

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The name of God is accompanied with fuch ideas of greatness and reverence, that it fhould never país our lips without fuggefting thofe ideas. Indeed it should never be mentioned, but with a kind of awful hesitation, and on the most folemn occafions; either in ferious difcourfe, or, when we invoke God in prayer, or when we fwear by his name.

In this laft light we are here particularly injoined to honour the name of God. A folemn oath is an appeal to God himfelf; and is intitled to our utmoft refpect,

were it only in a political light; as in all human concerns it is the strongest test of veracity; and has been approved as fuch by the wisdom of all nations.

Some religionifts have difapproved the ufe of oaths, under the idea of prophanenefs. The language of the facred writers conveys a different idea. One of them fays, "An oath for confirmation is an end of all ftrife:" another, "I take God for record upon my foul: and a third, "God is my witness.'

To the use of oaths, others have objected, that they are nugatory. The good man will fpeak the truth without an oath; and the bad man cannot be held by one. And this would be true, if mankind were divided into good and bad: but as they are generally of a mixed character, we may well fuppofe, that many would venture a fimple falfehood, who would yet be ftartled at the idea of perjury *.

As an oath therefore taken in a folemn manner, and on a proper occafion, may be confidered as one of the highest acts of religion; fo perjury, or falfe fwearing, is certainly one of the highest acts of impiety; and the greatest dishonour we can poffibly fhew to the name of God. It is, in effect, either denying our belief in a God, or his power to punish. Other crimes with to efcape the notice of Heaven; this is daring the Almighty to his

face.

After perjury, the name of God is moft difhonoured by the horrid practice of curfing. Its effects in fociety, it is true, are not fo mischievous as those of perjury; nor is it fo deliberate an act: but yet it conveys a ftill more horrid idea. Indeed if there be one wicked practice more peculiarly diabolical, than another, it is this: for no employment can be conceived more fuitable to infernal fpirits, than that of spending their rage and impotence in curfes, and execrations. If this shocking vice were not fo dreadfully familiar to our ears, it could not fail to ftrike us with the utmoft horror.

We next confider common fwearing; a fin fo univerfally practifed, that one would imagine fome great advantage, in the way either of pleasure or profit, attended it. The wages of iniquity afford fome temptation: but to commit fin without any wages, is a ftrange fpecies of infatuation.

*They who attend our courts of juftice, often fee inftances among the common people of their afferting roundly what they will either refufe to fwear; or, when fworn, will not affert.

-May

-May we then afk the common fwearer, what the advantages are, which arife from this practice?

It will be difficult to point out one.Perhaps it may be faid, that it adds ftrength to an affirmation. But if a man commonly ftrengthen his affirmations in this way, we may venture to affert, that the practice will tend rather to leffen, than confirm his credit. It fhews plainly what he himself thinks of his own veracity. We never prop a building, till it becomes ruinous. Some forward youth may think, that an oath adds an air and spirit to his difcourfe; that it is manly and important; and gives him confequence. We may whisper one fecret in his ear, which he may be affured is a truth-Thefe airs of manlinefs give him confequence with those only, whofe commendation is difgrace: others he only convinces, at how early an age he wishes to be thought profligate. Perhaps he may imagine, that an oath gives force and terror to his threateningsIn this he may be right; and the more horribly wicked he grows, the greater object of terror he may make himself. On this plan, the devil affords him a complete pattern for imitation.

Paltry as thefe apologies are, I fhould fuppofe, the practice of common fwearing has little more to say for itfelf.-Those however, who can argue in favour of this fin, I fhould fear, there is little chance to reclaim. But it is probable. that the greater part of fuch as are addicted to it, act rather from habit, than principle. To deter fuch perfons from indulging fo pernicious a habit, and to fhew them, that it is worth their while to be at fome pains to conquer it, let us now fee what arguments may be produced on the other fide.

In the first place, common fwearing leads to perjury. He who is addicted to fwear on every trifling occafion, cannot but often, I had almost faid unavoidably, give the fanction of an oath to an untruth. And though I should hope fuch perjury is not a fin of fo henious a nature, as what, in judicial matters, is called wilful and corrupt; yet it is certainly stained with a very great degree of guilt.

But fecondly, common fwearing is a large ftride towards wilful and corrupt perjury, inasmuch as it makes a folemn oath to be received with lefs reverence. If nobody dared to take an oath, but on proper occafions, an oath would be reseived with refpect; but when we are ac

cuftomed to hear fwearing the common language of our ftreets, it is no wonder that people make light of oaths on every occafion; and that judicial, commercial, and official oaths, are all treated with fo much indifference.

Thirdly, common fwearing may be confidered as an act of great irreverence to God; and as fuch, implying also a great indifference to religion. If it would difgrace a chief magiftrate to fuffer appeals on every trifling, or ludicrous occafion; we may at least think it as difrespectful to the Almighty.-If we lose our reverence for God, it is impoffible we can retain it for his laws. You scarce remember a common fwearer, who was in other respects an exact chriftian.

But, above all, we fhould be deterred from common fwearing by the pofitive command of our Saviour, which is founded unquestionably upon the wickedness of the practice: "You have heard," faith Chrift, " that it hath been faid by them of old time, thou shalt not forfwear thyself: but I fay unto you, fwear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne, neither by the earth, for it is his footstool: but let your communication" (that is, your ordinary converfation) "be yea, yea, nay, nay; for whatfoever is more than these cometh of evil."-St. James alfo, with great emphafis preffing his master's words, fays, "Above all things, my brethren, fwear not; neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay, left you fall into condemnation."

I fhall just add, before I conclude this fubject, that two things are to be avoided, which are very nearly allied to fwearing.

The firft is, the ufe of light exclamations, and invocations upon God, on every trivial occafion. We cannot have much reverence for God himself, when we treat his name in fo familiar a manner; and may affure ourselves, that we are indulging a practice, which muft weaken impreffions, that ought to be preferved as ftrong as poffible.

Secondly, fuch light expreffions, and wanton phrases, as found like fwearing are to be avoided; and are often therefore indulged by filly people, for the fake of the found; who think (if they think at all) that they add to their difcourfe the spirit of fwearing without the guilt of it. Such people had better lay afide, together with wearing, every appearance of it. Thefe

appearances

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$161. Honour due to God's Word--what it is to ferve God truly, &c.

As we are injoined to honour God's holy name, fo are we injoined alfo "to honour his holy word."

By God's holy word we mean, the Old Teftament and the New.

The books of the Old Teftament open with the earliest accounts of time, earlier than any human records reach; and yet, in many inftances, they are ftrengthened by human records. The heathen mythology is often grounded upon remnants of the facred ftory, and many of the Bible events are recorded, however imperfectly, in prophane history. The very face of nature bears witnefs to the deluge.

In the history of the patriarchs is exhibited a most beautiful picture of the fimplicity of ancient manners; and of genuine nature unadorned indeed by fcience, but impreffed strongly with a fenfe of religion. This gives an air of greatnefs and dignity to all the fentiments and actions of thefe exalted characters.

The patriarchal history is followed by the Jewish. Here we have the principal events of that peculiar nation, which lived under a theocracy, and was fet apart to preferve and propagate the knowledge of the true God through thofe ages of ignorance antecedent to Chrift. Here too we find those types, and reprefentations, which the apoftle to the Hebrews calls the fhadows of good things to come.

To thofe books, which contain the legislation and history of the Jews, fucceed the prophetic writings. As the time of the promife drew ftill nearer, the notices of its approach became ftronger. The kingdom of the Meffiah, which was but obfcurely fhadowed by the ceremonies of the Jewish law, was marked in ftronger lines by the prophets, and proclaimed in a more intelligible language. The office of the Meffiah, his miniftry, his life, his actions, his death, and his refurrection, are all very distinctly held out. It is truc, the Jews, explaining the warm figures of the pro

phetic language too literally, and applying to a temporal dominion thofe expreffions which were intended only as defcriptive of a fpiritual, were offended at the meannefs of Christ's appearance on earth; and would not own him for that Meffiah, whom their prophets had foretold; though these very prophets, when they ufed a lefs figurative language, had defcribed him, as he really was, a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief.

To thefe books are added feveral others, poetical and moral, which administer much inftruction, and matter of meditation to devout minds.

The New Teftament contains firft the fimple history of Chrift, as recorded in the four gofpels. In this hiftory alfo are delivered thofe excellent inftructions, which our Saviour occafionally gave his difciples; the precepts and the example blended together.

To the gofpels fucceeds an account of the lives and actions of fome of the principal apoftles; together with the early state of the chriftian church.

The epiftles of feveral of the apostles, particularly of St. Paul, to fome of the new eftablished churches, make another part. Our Saviour had promised to endow his difciples with power from on high to complete the great work of publishing the gofpel: and in the epiftles that work is completed. The truths and doctrines of the chriftian religion are here ftill more unfolded, and inforced: as the great fcheme of our redemption was now finished by the death of Christ.

The facred volume is concluded with the revelations of St. John; which are fuppofed to contain a prophetic description of the future ftate of the church. Some of thefe prophecies, it is thought on very good grounds, are already fulfilled; and others, which now, as fublime defcriptions only, amufe the imagination, will probably, in the future ages of the church, be the objects of the understanding also.

The laft part of our duty to God is, "to ferve him truly all the days of our life."

"To ferve God truly all the days of our life," implies two things: first, the mode of this fervice; and fecondly, the term of it.

First, we must ferve God truly. We muft not reft fatisfied with the outward

* See the subject very learnedly treated in one of the first chapters of Jenkins's Reasonableness of Christianity, action;

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