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to all the present nations of the earth, and the world shall be filled with the glory of God, as the waters cover the sea.

6. In the view of this subject, we may see what great benefit saints are to the world, in the several generations in which they live. Corrupt as the world has always been, there has never been one generation entirely destitute of some good men, who exerted their pious and powerful influence for the benefit of it. Adam, the father of all mankind, was a great benefit to the generation in which he lived; Seth was a great benefit to his generation; Enos was to his generation; Cainan was to his generation; Mahalaleel was to his generation; Jared was to his generation; Enoch was to his generation; Methuselah was to his generation; Lamech was to his generation; and Noah was eminently beneficial to the whole human race, in his generation. The lives of many other pious men are clearly delineated in the sacred history, and their extensive usefulness in their several generations recorded for the instruction of all future ages. Abraham was eminently useful not only to his own generation, but to his own nation and the world in general, while he lived; and he has been useful ever since his death to this day, and will be so to the end of time. Isaac and Jacob were blessings to their generations; Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Hezekiah, Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah were all extensively useful in their several generations. All the patriarchs, prophets and good men that ever have lived, have been real blessings to the generations in which they lived; they have been the light of the world and the salt of the earth; they have drawn down the blessings of God upon themselves and upon the world; and they have equally averted divine judgments from falling upon the ungodly, who hated, opposed, persecuted and slew them. We and all other men now living, considered as nations, or as individuals, are indebted to the good men who have gone off the stage for the blessings we now enjoy, whether public or private, temporal or spiritual. All the great and important events which have taken place from generation to generation, have been connected with the prayers and services of the good men who have lived in each generation.

7. In the view of this subject, we may see that sinners always have been and are the troublers of the world. They are the Achans, that have obstructed, and, in ten thousand instances, defeated the happy influence of the pious and the virtuous. Look at Nimrod, Pharaoh, Balaam, Jeroboam, Manasseh, Haman, and more modern enemies of all righteousness. What immense mischief have they done in their several generations! How much blood have they shed, and how many evils and calamities have they brought upon the world! Mi

nor sinners have all been united with them, and exerted all the influence they have had, in dishonoring God and injuring their fellow men. All sinners are by nature hostile to God and to the world. They have no right to say, as they often do, that it does not concern others how they feel, what they believe, or what sinful courses they pursue; for they are accountable to God only for their piety, or impiety. But no person can live in this world, without either doing good to himself and others, or doing evil to himself and others. Every man must be a friend or an enemy to God, and a friend or an enemy to the world; and an enemy to God and to the world is a troubler of the world. The connection between one person and another, and one generation and another, is very intimate, and infinitely interesting. This ought to be realized by both saints and sinners. Saints have reason to be concerned about sinners, and exert themselves for their temporal and especially their eternal benefit. And sinners have reason to be concerned about saints, who must necessarily do them good or do them harm. If their intercessions for them do not do them good, they will become intercessions against them. This was the effect of Elias's intercessions in a day of declension in Israel. Sinners in this generation need to take heed what part they act, because it will have a serious influence upon themselves, and upon the next and future generations.

This subject now calls upon parents to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Their instructions, restraints, examples, and prayers, may be the means of saving the souls of their children from death, and of preparing them to act a pious, wise, and useful part on the stage of life. But if they neglect their duty to their children, they may be sources of sorrow to themselves, and of great evil in the world, in generations to come. And what class of men have more declined in duty, than parents? And what class of men have more need of reformation? They are entreated to reform.

This subject calls as loudly upon children, as upon parents. Whether you have been well educated by your parents or not, your imperious duty is, to remember, love, and obey your Creator. If you have been well educated, you have no excuse for the neglect of duty; and if you have not been well educated, you are to be pitied and blamed for the neglect of duty.

SERMON XXXII.

THE USEFULNESS OF GOOD MEN.

NOVEMBER 12, 1826.

FOR he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. - LUKE, vii. 5.

A NUMBER of men may unite together for a good, or a bad purpose. When they unite for a bad purpose, they are properly a combination; but when they unite for a valuable and important purpose, they are properly called a society. This word is always taken in a good sense, though used in a very extensive latitude. Society may signify ten men, or twenty, or twenty thousand, or as many millions as can be united. There is a gradation in societies from the smallest to the largest. A church is a society; and so is a town, or a county, or a province, or a state, or a kingdom, or an empire. The same man may be a member of one, or of more different societies. The centurion mentioned in the text, was a member of the Roman empire, a member of the province of Judea, and probably a proselyte of the Jewish church. One of this man's servants lay at the point of death. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him to come and heal his servant. These respectable men, in order to conciliate Christ to the centurion, represented him as an excellent member of society. "When they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: for he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with them." This was a practical approbation of the amiable character of the centurion, which is worthy of the universal approbation of mankind in all ages,

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and naturally suggests this important truth to our present consideration.

That it becomes all men to seek the general good of society. I shall show first, what it is to seek the general good of society; and then, that it becomes all men to do it.

I. Let us consider what it is to seek the general good of society.

If society signifies any body of men who are united for some valuable and benevolent purpose, then all human societies are really consistent with each other; and a man who really seeks the good of that society to which he belongs, does really seek the good of society in general. Indeed there is no other way for an individual to seek the general good of society, but by seeking the particular good of those particular societies of which general society is composed. In this view, it is proper to speak of men's seeking the general good of society at large. Having premised this, I proceed to observe,

1. That to seek the general good of society, men must sincerely desire that good as an ultimate object. The worst member of society may desire the general good of society, when he apprehends it will have a favorable aspect upon himself; and he may seek the general good in that view of it. But this is not desiring the general good as an ultimate object, or because he loves the members of society in general. The centurion appears to have desired the general good for its own sake. "For," said the elders of the Jews, "he loveth our nation." His love to that nation led him to desire their general good as an ultimate object. And nothing but real benevolence to any society will uniformly dispose men to seek the general good of it.

2. Men's seeking the general good of society, implies their seeking that good in preference to their own. As the interest of one man may be more valuable than the interest of another, so the general interest of society is always more valuable than the interest of any particular person. This being the case, there is a just foundation for every individual to prefer the general good of society before his own personal happiness. And since there are many cases in which public and private good may come in competition, it is the part of every individual to give up his private good, just so far as the public good requires it.

The good centurion preferred the general good of that society to which he belonged, before his personal property. He built them a synagogue. This leads me to say,

3. That men's seeking the general good of society farther implies their actually using all the proper means in their power to promote it. The general good of society demands some

thing more than the good wishes or good desires of individuals; it demands their wise and vigorous exertions. When men really seek an object, they employ all the proper means in their power to obtain it. They do not rest in faint desires or feeble wishes; but actually take pains to reach the end they are seeking after. So the seeking the general good of society, implies the using of those means which are suited to attain it. All men, indeed, are not equally capable of advancing the general good of society. There is a wide difference in the personal qualities, the bodily strength, in the mental powers, in the outward circumstances, and in the various stations, relations and connections of mankind. But they are generally capable of being useful members of society, and of promoting the general good, in some way or other. None have reason to imagine that they sincerely seek the general good, unless they are willing to exert themselves to promote such a great and desirable object. We are not apt to believe that any person desires any thing within his power, unless he exerts his power to attain it. It is, therefore, natural to conclude, that men's seeking the general good of society implies the three things that have been mentioned: desiring it as an ultimate object; preferring it to personal interest; and using all proper means in their power to promote it. I proceed to show,

II. That it becomes all men to seek the general good of society. This will appear from a variety of considerations.

1. Men were formed for society. It is one important end for which they were created rational beings. No man was made solely for himself; and no man is capable of living in the world totally independent of society. The wants and weakness of mankind render society necessary for their convenience, safety and support. God has formed men with different powers and faculties, and placed them under different circumstances, that they might be able to promote each other's good. Some are wiser, richer, and stronger than others, that they may direct the conduct, supply the wants, and bear the burdens of others. Some are formed for one, and some are formed for another employment, and all are qualified for some useful business, which is conducive to the general good of society. The whole frame and contexture of mankind makes it appear that they were designed to live in society. The power of speech, or the faculty of communicating their ideas to each other, is peculiar to the human species, and indicates the Creator's design in their creation; but without society, language would answer no valuable purpose. Besides, all mankind are naturally fond of society. And, though some have supposed that all human societies have originated from necessity, yet there is no good

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