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tween a naked affent to truth, and a deep SER M. affecting impreffion of the fubject, as of the XV. highest dignity and worth, or of the utmost confequence to ourfelves; the former, be it ever fo firm, frequently reviewed, and carefully attended to, hath no influence at all on the fprings of action: Thus we know there are many speculative truths discovered by diligent obfervation and abftract reafoning, moft certainly believed, and very entertaining to the mind, which yet have no relation to, nor any effect on practice; but there are certain instincts or determinations in our nature, which fet all its active powers a-work, and without first moving them, no object can have any share in determining our conduct, or can engage our purfuit, whatever light it may appear in to the underftanding. There is a determination in the human mind to approve of moral excellence, and affections to it are a part of our conftitution; felf-love alfo is infeparable from our nature; but neither of these operateth neceffarily in the best manner, and to their producing their proper and regular effects. The objects must be fet in a juft light, which is the province of faith; We cannot help approving moral rectitude and goodness when it is fairly reprefented; but it is in Cc4

our

SER M. our power, by inveterate prejudices, to viXV. tiate our tafte, and even harden our hearts into an infenfibility of the beauty of holiness. In like manner it is impoffible to extinguish the defire of happiness; but it is poffible, and indeed too ufual, to pervert and mifapply it, fo as to prefer trifles to things of the greatest moment, and, instead of a wife attention to our true intereft, to pursue low and tranfitory enjoyments, as if the whole of man, the all of his happiness, confifted in them; which proceedeth not from want of felf-love, but mifplacing it; and through the influence of corrupt partial affection misjudging the means whereby our true happinefs is to be attained. Upon the whole, then, the true notion of faith, as a principle to walk by, is compleated in these three articles, a right understanding of religious truths, thofe, I mean, which are effential and directly tend to a good life, an attentive confideration of them, and receiving them in love. This faith is a moral virtue, indeed the root of all moral virtues; fo it is always reprefented in fcripture, and fo it is properly injoined as the refult of all our moral obligations: For as the due exercise of our rational powers will directly lead us to the knowledge and belief of the great fundamental

damental principles of religion, and nothing SER M. can be more apparently our duty, as men, XV.

than to apply our minds to the ferious confideration of them, fo the affections planted in our hearts will even naturally terminate on them, as excellent in themselves, and of the greatest importance to our happiness, if the course of these affections be not wilfully and obftinately obftructed by violent contracted prejudices and prepoffeffions.

Having now finished the explication which I propofed of these two directly oppofite principles, faith and fight, I leave it to yourselves to judge which is the more reasonable and becoming you. In governing ourselves, and taking the measures of our conduct by the one, that is, fight, we only provide for the lower part of our nature, and for a very short duration; all our cares are employed about the enjoyments of the body, of the fenfes, and the imagination, of a tranfitory life which is but the infancy of our being; the fuperior powers of our minds are neglected, or not exercised in a proper manner, and to answer the ends they were defigned for. What a difparagement is it to reafon, capable of discerning sublime truths, and entertaining the mind with high pleasure, to be used wholly in

SERM. the fervice of this animal life and its inte

XV. refts? And how deplorable is the condition

of the human heart, when its beft affections, capable of yielding the nobleft enjoyment, are altogether uncultivated and unexercised? How unworthy of an immortal fpirit are the views of the men who walk by fight? the men whofe profpects do not reach beyond the limits of this fhort and uncertain life? One would think a regard to the dignity of our nature, and the rank it holdeth in the creation, fhould raise a refentment against fuch difhonour done to it. Hath God allied us to the world of spirits, and made us capable of contemplating the noblest objects, even himself, and of being like him, which the fcripture calls partaking of a divine nature; and fhall we chuse to confine our views to this earth, and to have our portion in it? Let us at least wisely confider where our true interest lieth, and what is the course of life in which we may expect the greateft happiness. It is impoffible, if we would, to extinguith the powers of reafon and confcience altogether; if we do not fuffer them to reign, they will at leaft reproach us for the indignity done them, fo feverely, as to pall the pleasures of life, and make us feel the most bitter and inward

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inward pains, which Solomon calleth wounds SER M. of the fpirit, and faith, no man can bear XV. them. And as we cannot help having anxious foreboding thoughts of futurity, no man can fatisfy his mind, upon rational evidence, that he shall not subsist in another state after this life is ended; what defence is there against the dismal apprehenfions of unhappiness in it? So that our condition in walking by fight, is both mean and miferable. But faith exalteth the human nature, and raiseth it to the divine likeness; it enlargeth the intellectual powers, entertaining them with objects which, though unfeen, are certain, and of the most tranfcendent excellence, fuch as God himself, the beauty of holiness, and the glories of another world; it is the fubftance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not feen; maketh the invisible Deity, with all his amiable perfections, intimately present to the mind, the fubject of its most affectionate and delightful contemplations; and it is fully convinced, not in the way of an enthufiaftic wilful perfuafion, or fuperftitious bigottry, but by a calm attentive confideration of rational evidence; the mind, I fay, is fully convinced that there is an important reality in the happinefs of good men in a future ftate; upon

this

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