gion to that cool point of reafon which firft fhewed us its obligation-by always remembering that GOD is a fpirit-and must be worshipped fuitable to his nature, i. e. in spirit and in truth-and that the most acceptable facrifice we can offer him is a virtuous and an upright mind-and however neceffary it is, not to leave the ceremonial and pofitive parts of religion undone-yet not like the pharifee to reft there-and omit the weightier matters, but keep this in view perpetually, that though the inftrumental duties of religion are duties of unquef tionable obligation to us-yet they are ftill but INSTRUMENTAL DUTIES, conducive to the great end of all religionwhich is to purify our hearts--and conquer our paffions-and, in a word, to make us wiser and better men-better neighbours-better citizens-and better fervants to GOD.

To whom, &c..

SERMON VII.

Vindication of Human Nature.

THERE

ROMANS XIV. 7.

For none of us liveth to himself.

HERE is not a fentence in fcripture, which strikes a narrow foul with greater aftonishment;-and one might as easily engage to clear up the darkest problem in geometry to an ignorant mind, as make a fordid one comprehend the truth and reafonablenefs of this plain propofition-No man liveth to himself! Why?-Does any man live to any thing elfe?-In the whole compafs of human life, can a prudent man fteer to a fafer point?-Not live to himself!-To whom then?-Can any interests or concerns which are foreign to a man's felf have fuch a claim over him, that he must ferve under them,-fufpend his own

purfuits,-ftep out of his right course, till others have paffed by him, and attained the feveral ends and purposes of living before him?

If, with a selfish heart, fuch an enquirer should happen to have a speculating head too, he will proceed, and afk you whether this fame principle which the apostle here throws out of the life of man, is not in fact the grand bias of his nature?That however we may flatter ourselves. with fine-spun notions of difinterestednefs and heroifm in what we do; were the most popular of our actions stripped naked, and the true motives and intentions of them fearched to the bottom; we fhould find little reafon for triumph. upon that fcore..

In a word, he will fay, that a man is altogether a bubble to himfelf in this matter, and that after all that can be faid in his behalf, the trueft definition that can be given of him is this, that he is a felfish animal; and that all his actions have fo ftrong a tincture of that character, as to fhew (to whomever else

he was intended to live) that in fact he lives only to himself.

Before I reply directly to this accufation, I cannot help obferving by the way, that there is scarce any thing which has done more differvice to focial virtue, than the frequent reprefentations of human nature under this hideous picture of deformity, which, by leaving out all that is generous and friendly in the heart of man, has funk him below the level of a brute, as if he was a compofition of all that was mean-fpirited and selfish. Surely, 'tis one step towards acting well, to think worthily of our nature; and, as in common life the way to make a man honeft, is, to fuppofe him fo, and treat him as fuch;-fo here, to fet fome value upon ourselves, enables us to fupport the character, and even inspires and adds fentiments of generofity and virtue to those which we have already preconceived. The fcripture tells, That Gop made man in his own image,-not furely in the fenfitive and corporeal part of him, that could bear no resemblance with a pure and infi

nite Spirit-but what resemblance he bore was undoubtedly in the moral rectitude, and the kind and benevolent affections of his nature. And though the brightness of his image has been fullied greatly by the fall of man in our first parents, and the characters of it rendered ftill lefs legible by the many fuperinductions of his own depraved appetites fince,-yet 'tis a laudable pride and a true greatness of mind to cherish a belief, that there is fo much of that glorious image still left upon it, as fhall restrain him from bafe and difgraceful actions; to anfwer which end, what thought can be more conducive than that of our being made in the likeness of the greatest and best of Beings? This is a plain confequence. And the confideration of it should have in fome measure been a protection to human nature, from the rough usage she has met with from the fatirical pens of so many of the French writers, as well as of our own country, who with more wit than well meaning have defperately fallen foul upon the whole fpecies, as a