we owe to Almighty God, as well as the SERM. good offices which ought to be performed II. to our fellow-creatures; for reverence, love, gratitude, and obedience, to the best of beings, our conftant benefactor, and the rewarder of them that diligently feek him, will appear as agreeable to the voice of reafon, as that we should preferve the rights of, and be beneficent to, them who are made of one blood with us, with whom we are joined in the communion of the fame na, ture, linked together by common wants, and a mutual capacity of fervice; and who have the fame claim of good offices from us, as we have from them.

Again; there is eternal truth in all God's teftimonies; they are founded on felf-evident maxims... If we reduce what hath been already faid concerning the excellence and equity of the main effential parts of our duty, into the form of propofitions, fuch as, that the fear and love of God, justice, beneficence, gratitude, and fobriety, are better than the contrary, no man is so stupid and perverse, as not to affent to them in his own mind, however gainfaying his inclinations and paffions may be. We need go no farther than plainly to propose them,

SER M. and, indeed, we can go no farther, they

II.

are so evident; I queftion whether any argument that can be used is clearer than the propofitions themselves.

There is another notion of excellence, confidered as the measure of perfection which belongs to any particular kind of being, or whereby it is fitted for its proper end. Thus, thofe things are esteemed excellent which in the best manner, and with the greatest exactness serve the purposes they were defigned for, or which come up to the standard of their particular kind, and ftill, upon a comparison, those are faid to excel, which come nearest to it. Now, I have shewn, in a former discourse, that religious virtue juftly claims the pre-eminence in the quality of wifdom as far excelling whatever may pretend to that Character, and as ferving nobler and more important purposes than any other kind of wisdom doth. But the highest sense of excellence abstracteth from any particular use, or any particular ftandard, that which abfolutely on it's own account, and without reference to any end is to be valued; it is its own end, and our esteem ultimately terminateș upon it; and this is peculiar to moral excellence, which irresistibly commands our appro

approbation without regard to any ufe or any SER M. benefit which can be fuppofed to accrue II. from it. In all the variety of circumstances wherein men can poffibly be placed, and in all the views we can take of it, righteoufness will still appear excellent to a reasonable nature and attract its efteem.

I come in the second place, after the example of Solomon, and other facred writers, to compare the Doctrines and precepts of wisdom or religious virtue with other things which are most valued by Men, and to fhew their fuperior worth. That thefe writers do illustrate the excellence of wisdom in this manner is plain; at the 11th verfe of this chapter it is faid, Wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things that may be defired are not to be compared to it, and, ver. 19, My fruit is better than gold, yea than fine gold, and my revenue than choice filver. And Chap. iii. 14, 15. The merchandize of it is better than the merchandize of filver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things thou canft defire are not to be compared to her. The Pfalmift often declares his efteem of God's laws, as far furpaffing thousands of gold and filver, and, fob xxviii. from ver. 5. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall

SERM. filver be weighed for the price thereof; it II. cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir,

with the precious onyx or the Saphir. The gold and chryftal cannot equal it, and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearl, for the price of wisdom is above rubies: the topaz of Ethiopia fhall not equal it, neiShall it be valued with pure gold. To state the comparison rightly, it would be proper to inquire into the grounds upon which these things are valued with which wisdom is compared, and preferred to them; and it feems to be this, that in the present state of human nature commerce is neceffary, confifting in an exchange of the produce of the earth in different parts of it, and the fruits of mens industry. Since the comfort and conveniency of life cannot be fufficiently provided for by the fingle care and labour of one; and we are all fenfible of this, for a great many hands are employed about even that with which we are fed and cloathed; and fince no one part of the earth is fo compleatly furnished with all which may be useful, but it may be the better for what others can fpare; which reafon determines diftant nations to traffick on this account, I fay, commerce is neceffary; and to make it more easy and advanta

geous,

geous, there is, by general confent, a com- SER M. mon standard or measure established, by II. which all things are valued which are exchanged; and fo Solomon fays, Ecclef. x. 19. Money anfwereth all things. It is this which maketh money itself so much valued, because a man finds that ordinarily it is capable of procuring him the greater abundance of those things which tend to render his condition eafy and to please his appetites. What maketh gold more precious than the pebble or iron? It is because it can be fold for more, and by its price command a greater variety of things which belong to the conveniency and pleasure of life. And, because I would not diminish any thing from its value, and I am fure I need not, in order to prove the point before us, that is, to fhew the fuperior excellence of Wisdom, let it be added, that it may be confidered as affording men the means and opportunity of doing and receiving good of a higher kind, that is, of virtue itself.

But, now, to fhew the truth of what the authors mentioned fo conftantly and folemnly affirm, that wisdom is better than rubies, pearls, or whatever elfe can be defired in this world; firft, let it be obferved, that

none