Saviour. Such be your feelings, your cordial confeffions! And finally, let your obedience be rendered to Chrift. Be moral for his fake: be moral for the fpecial purpose of pleafing God through him. If your morality be without that main purpose, hope not for its acceptance. If you do your alms that you may have glory of men, you may obtain that glory. And in that glory you have your reward; the reward your oftentation fought; the only reward which you fhall receive: you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. If If you are honeft for the fake of your worldly advancement, you may gain advancement; and in that advancement you have the reward which you pursued, the only reward which integrity fuch as yours fhall pollefs. If your leading motive for cultivating amiable tempers, and manifefting kindness in domeftic life, is that you may render your relatives and connections attached to you, you may win their attachment; and in that attachment you have your reward, you have the remuneration which you defired, the only recompence which you will receive. You have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. How different is the meed of the fervant of Chrift!

Nor

Not the flightest act of self-denial, not the lowest deed of justice, not the gift of a cup of cold water; not the humbleft manifeftation, in whatever form, of moral rectitude, for the fake of the Lord Jefus, fhall lofe its

reward.

C 2

SER.

SERMON II.

On the EviLs refulting from FALSE PRINCIPLES of MORALITY.

ISAIAH, viii. 20.

To the Law and to the Teflimony! If they Speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no Light in them.

IT

T happens almost of neceffity, and under fome points of view the circumftance must be deemed a misfortune, that erroneous principles which prevail in morals lead, in various inftances, to the fame conclufions. which flow from principles that are found. The wifdom of God has fo closely connected and bound up the obfervance of moral duties with the welfare and the peace of fociety, that any principle which, in its immediate confequences, fhould be generally fubverfive of the rules of integrity, justice, and kind

ness ;

nefs; nay, which fhould not apparently difplay a favourable countenance to fome branches of moral rectitude, would not attain extensive and lafting influence in a country moderately enlightened. The true conclufions inferred from falfe principles will be intimately blended with imperfections and mistakes. The coin will be debased by a large portion of alloy but it will preferve a fufficient femblance of the precious metal to become current among the careless, and to acquire fome credit with all except accurate obfervers. In proportion as thefe conclufions are confiftent with any of the moral precepts of Scripture, they win the apparent fanction of the word of God for the principle from which they are derived. Whenever they deviate from the fcriptural rule, it is always on the fide of relaxation. Hence again, the principle advances in the estimation of the world.

Here," men exclaim, "is a fober and “rational criterion of moral conduct. Here "is morality, ufeful, but not puritanical; "correct, but not rigid: fecuring the inte"refts of fociety, but not pufhing matters to extremes: upholding the rule in ordi

nary cafes, but liberally conceding every "needful exception; and regarding with "due c3

"due lenity the erring agent who, under "the influence of temptation, adopts the exception when it might have been more "prudent to have obferved the rule."

In an early part of the preceding discourse I had occafion briefly to allude to the three erroneous principles of morality, which, in the prefent day, are prevalent among ourfelves, expediency, honour, and cuftom. Several of their effects may deserve distinct confideration. But fome few words muft previously be affigned to remarks on the principles themselves.

Expediency, borrowed from the storehouse of fceptical philofophy, and placed, by its wifeft defenders, as nearly as might be done, on a Chriftian foundation, pronounces that an action is right or wrong accordingly, as it tends to promote or to diminish general happiness. Whatever is expedient is right, Every moral precept is fubject to exceptions. And of the expediency of regarding or difregarding the precept every man is in every cafe to judge for himself.

Honour, as a principle of action, refers to the estimation of the clafs of fociety in which the individual moves, and particularly of the higher ranks, whofe opinions will ever be of the moft preponderating

influence,