cence will be known. You will cheerfully fulfil your duty to God and man. You will be kept in the hour of temptation-and in the hour of death. You will make glad your fellow-men, and the city of God. But if you waver in religion, it will be a fure fource of vexation. Profperity will be the fnare of your fouls. You will forfeit the only fupport of affliction. Your duty, if attended at all, will be by constraint. You will lie open to the tempter. Man will despise you. God will abhor you. How will you meet the laft enemy? How will you ftand before the Son of man, when he fhall come in his kingdom?

I can think of nothing fo important to those who are beginning life, nothing so estimable, as stability of character-nothing more ignominious, or of a more baneful aspect on the whole business, intercourse and enjoyment of life, than inftability, or having no opinion of your own, or none to which you will be conftant. He that walketh uprightly walketh furely. His opinions and his hope have a fure foundation. His fteps are ordered by the Lord. God will guard where he leadeth. The path of the juft fhines more and more. To him there arifeth light in the darkness. His end is peace. But the diffembler, he who halteth between variant opinions, "leaves the paths of up"rightness, to walk in the ways of darkness. His "ways are always crooked and froward. He hateth "the light. His way is as darkness, he knoweth not "at what he ftumbleth." Diffemblers, prevaricators, double-minded men, grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. They are as the troubled fea. They are driven away in their own wickedness.

Is not a character for unblemished, inflexible integrity to be preferred to oftentation, formality, artifice, inconftancy and circumvention? If it is, then halt not between two opinions. Think not that you can have made choice of religion, if you are not fixed in your choice-if winds and floods will overthrow your foun

dation. The arts of deceit and fraud may procure the diffembler fuch things as his foul lufts after-wealth, fame, power. But his triumph is fhort. What is his hope, when God taketh away his foul? He has an inward confcioufnefs of the bafenefs of his own views; or would not take fo much pains to conceal them. Frequently, when he thinks himfelf fafe, and therefore is unguarded, his dark defigns are brought to light. His fubterfuges coft him much trouble. After all, he does not think himself safe.

Make a decided choice in religion. Commit the keeping of your fouls to Chrift, to be faved on his terms. Do not indulge a fingle wifh that these terms. may be lowered and accommodated to your appetites. Stand faft in the Lord. Let your unreferved refpect to the doctrines and duties of religion, your ftedfastnefs and abounding in the fruits of it, fhew that you affume the profeffion from deep conviction and strong affection, as to God, and not to men. You believe that it has God for its author, and will train you up for fulness of joy in his presence. Why fhould you waver? why be ashamed? why be weary, faint and decline? In due feafon ye shall reap, if ye faint not. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and his reward is with him. Now the just fhall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

SERMON V.

THE TRUE PRINCIPLE OF VIRTUE.

COLOSSIANS iii. 23.

AND WHATSOEVER YE DO, DO IT HEARTILY, AS TO THE LORD, AND NOT TO MEN.

THE

HE defign of the present discourse is to explain and establish the true principle of virtue. The text now read recommends an unfeigned, fupreme regard to the approbation of God as this principle.

We will, FIRST, explain the fubject before us. Whatfoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men. This is a principle of univerfal extent, and invariable influence. It alike refpects great and small duties: It is a principle of fidelity to God, and men, and our own fouls-fidelity to one talent, two or five. Whofoever allowedly commits any fin, or omits any duty, under an apprehenfion that it is fmall, is not governed by the fear of God in other and greater matters; and is, moreover, in much danger of proceeding from fmall to great fins.

Further, the precept before us inculcates acting from Chriftian principles. "Whatsoever ye do in word or "deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus❞—as his fervants, in obedience to him, with a view to the divine acceptance through him, in an humble dependence on his strength, in imitation of his pattern. For ye ferve the Lord Chrift. Actuated by the principles of his religion, all ranks of men confider themfelves as under law to him, indebted to him as Mediator for their privileges and hopes, and under the strongest en

gagements, in all things, to feek the glory of God by him. A A cup of cold water may be given in the name of a difciple. Our Lord knoweth what is in man. For he fearcheth the reins and hearts. He obferves whatfoever we do, whether we do it heartily, and in his name. Our attention to, or neglect of his difciples, as fuch, he particularly confiders as fhewn to himself.

A fupreme regard to the approbation of God, thro' the Mediator of his appointment, our Prince as well as Saviour, is the principle of Chriftian virtue. By him we believe in God, whofe meffenger of grace he was"whom he raised from the dead, that our faith and

hope might be in God"-whom all men are commanded to "honor even as they honor the Father." To live by the faith of the Son of God is to do whatfoever we do, in word or deed, in the name of the Lord Jefus or, in other words, to do it heartily, as to the Lord.

With the heart man believeth unto righteousness. If we believe in Jefus as the Son of the Bleffed, and reverence him accordingly-if we cultivate toward the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift the reverence, love and gratitude which he claims, the principles and hopes of the gospel will have commanding influence in all relations and circumftances of life-far other principles and hopes than earth and time fuggeft-as much fuperior as are the immortal interefts of the foul to thofe of a mortal body.

Our inward principles, motives and affections are of utmost moment. Religion regulates these as well as the visible converfation: It fuppofes that we are accountable to a Being glorious in holiness, to whom all things are naked and open, even the thoughts and intents of all hearts; whofe glory fhould be our great end, whatever we do. In the view of his tribunal, it is indeed a finall thing to be judged of man's judg

ment.

Doing whatever we do as to the Lord, does not imply an indifference to the opinion and efteem of our

fellow men. The latter may extend the influence of our example our opportunity to do good. But to human confiderations we can allow no other than subordinate and fubfervient influence. The fervant of God, the difciple of Jefus, whatsoever he does, pays a fuperior, unreferved and fixed regard to his Maker and Redeemer. In all his relations and intercourse with mankind, the divine approbation has commanding influence. Whatsoever he does, enjoys or fuffers, God is glorified. Worldly hopes or fears cannot feduce or dismay him.

This is not a fictitious, but a real character. We mean not that any are exempt from imperfection and without fin. The blemishes which have been found in fome of the best characters afford this caution, "Let "him that thinketh he ftandeth, take heed left he "fall." This notwithftanding, they could appeal to the fearcher of hearts as a witnefs of their general integrity. "Conscience teftified, that in fimplicity and "godly fincerity, by the grace of God, they had their "converfation in the world."

II. We proceed to establish the propofition, that an unfeigned, fupreme refpect to the approbation of God is the true principle of virtue.

The existence of a fuperior power, fuppofed to be perfectly acquainted with the fprings and principles of our actions, and to whom we must give account, is a point in which all nations confent. With this is neceffarily connected a fenfe of moral obligation. To fulfil fuch obligation is to act from principles, and pursue ends, which the Being with whom we have to do will approve. Being moral agents and probationers, it is a clear and indifpenfible duty, that we act from fuch principles, and purfue fuch ends.

If reverence of a Deity and moral Governor be taken away, where is public faith? On this fuppofition, an oath for confirmation is altogether unmeaning, or in the highest degree impious. "Where is the fecurity