290 The nature and extent of visible religion.

ance upon the ordinances of Christ's inftitution is made light of, or defpifed, by many of every rank; if the name of God is profaned and abufed by unholy converfation; it is then the duty of every real fervant of God, publicly to manifeft his esteem and love for divine ordinances, and to maintain the highest reverence for the holy name of God in his difcourfe and language. And, if I am not mistaken, the very meaning of making our light to fhine before men, is, to be doubly watchful in all fuch cafes, not only on our own account, but alfo on account of others; or, as our Saviour expreffes it, that they may fee our good works for inftance, not only to efteen the inftitutions of Chrift in the gospel, for their tendency to promote our fan&tification and comfort, but even when these purposes might be at least as well obtained in another way, at particular times; yet to attend carefully upon public ordinances, that we may contribute our part to preserve the respect that is due to them: or, in the other cafe fuppofed, when profane fwearing is com mon and prevalent, to difcover the deeper reverence for the holy name of God, and use the utmoft caution in the whole of our converfa. tion, to avoid every doubtful expreffion, or any thing that may have a tendency to infnare the unwary, or confirm the wicked in an evil course. You will probably conclude, that my mentioning these two inftances arifes from a perfuafion

that

that these fins prevail remarkably among us in the prefent age, and your conclufion is juft. I fhall add one more to them, viz. voluptuoufnefs; either exceffive fenfuality and intemperance, or at least a pleafing of the flesh, with a total neglect of mortification and felf-denial. And be affured, my brethren, you are particularly called upon, by the exhortation in the text, in these and every other inftance of the like kind, not to lose your horror of fin by the frequency of it, but, according to the exhortation of the apostle Paul, to be "blamelefs and harmless, "the fons of God, without rebuke, in the midst "of a crooked and perverfe nation, among "whom ye fhine as lights in the world."

In the 2d place, In order to make your light fhine before men, you must act an unexceptionable part in all fuch cases as your conduct falls most immediately, and most fully, under the obfervation of others. I have faid above, that the exhortation, in its full extent, includes the whole of visible religion. But there are fome cafes in which our conduct is comparatively more visible than in others, and more immediately fubjected to the examination of the world. As there are fome places more confpicuous and expofed to public view than others, fo are there alfo fome perfons in the whole of their deportment, and fome actions of the fame

* Phil. ii. 15.

perfons.

292 The nature and extent of visible religion.

perfons. It is the last of these that chiefly relates to my prefent fubject. Are you not fenfible, then, that in thofe actions which fall most immediately under the obfervation of others, the greatest caution and circumfpection is necessary? It is from these that the judgement of men is chiefly formed of profeffing Chriftians, and the character fixed which they must bear in the world. With refpect to other actions, men proceed more upon conjecture, and therefore will not, even themselves, lay fo much stress upon their obfervations; but in fuch as are wholly fubjected to their view, their conclufions are peremptory. If you ask, what are thofe actions that fall most immediately under the observation of others? I anfwer, they are many. Moft of those of which our neighbour is the object; particularly all relative duties, and also the government of the tongue. Although thofe who are converfant with you, may make fhrewd gueffes, by what they fee in your outward deportment, whether you are conftant in fecret devotion, or ferious and fervent in public, they must still labour under much uncertainty. But a neighbour will quickly and certainly know, whether you are friendly or selfish, froward or peaceable; a wife muft know, whether he hath an affectionate hufband, and a husband whether he hath a dutiful wife; a fervant muft know, whether he is under a reasonable and gentle, or a capricious and cruel mafter; and a mafter, whether

whether he hath a fubmiffive and diligent, or an idle and flothful fervant. The fame thing holds with respect to every other relation. And as to the government of the tongue, the world muft know whether your conversation is pure and inoffenfive at all times, and profitable, as oppor. tunities present themselves; or if it is frothy, unprofitable and vain, rash, peevish, passionate, unchaste, or cenforious. As therefore, in the language of our Saviour, a city that is fet on an hill cannot be hid; fo a Chriftian, in these cafes, cannot be concealed. And I hope I may be allowed to fay, without being thought to put the fhadow of religion for the fubftance, or prefering the form to the fpirit, that he ought, in all fuch cases, to be particularly watchful that nothing may escape him, which may, in its confequences, tend to the difhonour of God, or the ruin of the fouls of men.

In the 3d place, In order to make your light to shine before men, you must be careful in the discharge of fuch duties as are most acceptable to others. It is felf-evident, that if there are fome of the duties which we owe to our neighbours more acceptable to them than others, nothing will more recommend religion to their efteem, which is the design of a shining converfation, than the faithful discharge of fuch duties. Now, that there are some duties more acceptable to mankind than others, is very evident; and none will call it in queftion, who reflect up

294 The nature and extent of visible religion.

on the different reception given to thofe duties which promote mens temporal intereft, and thofe which restrain or punish their crimes. The one clafs of thefe procures the love and efteem of all without exception, whether good or bad; the other often provokes the refentment and inflames the paffions of the vicious, who make fo great a part of the world Reflect alfo what a different reception is usually given to a covetous hard hearted oppreffor, or to a fraudulent unjust man, on the one hand; and to a profane fwearer, a drunkard, or defpifer of religion, on the other. The firft is hated and fled from by all; the laft is freely careffed by many, and indeed often by thofe from whofe profeffion a more equal and impartial deteftation of vice and wickedness might have been expected. This is easily to be accounted for, if we confider that worldly intereft is the idol of by far the greateft part of men, and that there is too ftrong a bias to it in the very beft.

From this it is plain, that he who would make his light to fhine before others, must be extremely careful of fuch duties as are most acceptable to them, particularly juftice and integrity in all his dealings; and fuch justice as, if poffible, may be beyond difpute, and to the conviction of all. There was a very great beau

ty

and dignity in the language of Samuel to the children of Ifrael, when he was able to appeal to themfelves, as to the unblameablenefs of his

conduct