infamous. The Scripture expressly declares, that, in the day of judgment, it will be more tolerable for some criminals than for others; and not obscurely insinuates, that the future examination of the righteous will be in proportion to their virtue.

CHAPTER III.

OF THE NATURE AND FOUNDATION OF PARTICULAR VIRTUES.

EVERY duty has an object; and the objects of duty are, the Deity, our fellow-creatures, and ourselves. Into three classes, therefore, man's moral duties may be divided.

SECTION I.

Of Piety, or the Duties we owe to God.

538. THE first part of piety is, to form right notions of God, as the greatest, wisest, and best of beings. All men, who are capable of reflection, must be sensible, that this is a matter of infinite importance for if our opinions concerning him are erroneous, our sentiments of the duty we owe

him will be so too, and our whole moral nature must be perverted. Every considerate person, therefore, will be careful to obtain the fullest information possible with respect to the divine existence and attributes. To be indifferent about this, which is beyond comparison the most important part of knowledge, is inexcusable; and the ignorance is criminal which proceeds from such indifference. And if ignorance of God was without excuse in some ancient heathen nations, as the Scripture warrants us to believe, it must be highly criminal in us, who, both from reason and from revelation, have the best means of knowing what God is, and what he requires us to believe concerning him. How far the deplorable condition of many of the human race, with respect to false religion, barbarous life, and an exclusion hitherto unsurmountable from all the means of intellectual improvement, may extenuate, or whether it may not, by virtue of the great atonement, entirely cancel the imperfection of those to whom, in this world, God never was, or without a miracle could, be known, we need not inquire. It is enough for us to know, that for our ignorance we can plead no such apology; and that the righteous judge of all the earth will never impute to his creatures misfortune and misery, which they neither did bring upon themselves, or could avert when brought; especially that greatest of all misfortunes, invincible ignorance of God and their duty.

539. The second part of piety is, to cherish right affections suitable to those right notions of the divine nature. These affections are, veneration of his infinite and incomprehensible greatness; adoration of his wisdom and power; love of his goodness and mercy; resignation to his will; gratitude for his innumberable and inestimable benefits; a disposition to obey cheerfully all his laws; fear, in the apprehension of his displeasure; joy, in the hope of his approbation; and a desire to imitate him as far as we are able, and, with wellmeant, though weak endeavours, to second the purposes of his providence, by promoting the virtue and happiness of our fellow-creatures. They who believe in the infinite goodness, greatness, wisdom, justice, and power of the supreme being, will acknowledge, that these glorious attributes do naturally call forth, and ought reasonably to call forth, the pious affections above mentioned; and that, not to cultivate those affections, or to encourage evil passions inconsistent with them, must be, in the highest degree, criminal and unnatural.

540. A third part of piety is worship; or the outward expression of these pious affections in suitable words and behaviour. Of this great duty, I observe, in the first place, that it is quite natural. Good affections, when strong, as all the pious affections ought to be, have a tendency to express themselves externally: where this does not appear, there is reason to apprehend that the affections are Bb

VOL. I.

weak, or wanting. If a man is grateful to his be nefactor, he will tell him so; if no acknowlegements are made, and no outward signs of gratitude manifest themselves, he will be chargeable with ingratitude. When we admire the wisdom, and love the goodness, of a fellow-creature, we naturally shew him respect, and wish to comply with his will, and recommend ourselves to his favour; and we speak of him, and to him, in terms of esteem and gratitude: and the greater his wisdom and goodness, the more we are inclined to do all this. Now, God's wisdom and goodness are infinite and perfect; and, if we venerate these attributes as we ought to do, it will be neither natural nor easy for us so to conceal that veneration, as to prevent its discovering itself externally. It is true, that the omniscient being knows all our thoughts, whether we give them utterance or not: but, if expressing them from time to time in words is by him required of us as a duty; if it is beneficial to ourselves; and if, as an example, it has good effects on our fellow-men; no argument can be necessary to prove the propriety of the practice.

541. Let it therefore be considered, that worship, properly conducted, tends greatly to our improvement in every part of virtue. To indulge a pious emotion, to keep it in our mind, to meditate on its object, and with reverence and in due season to give it vocal expression, cannot fail to strengthen

it: whereas, by restraining the outward expression, and thinking of the emotion, and its object, seldom and slightly, we make it weaker, and may, in time, destroy it. Besides, the more we cons template the perfections of God, the more we must admire, love, and adore them, and the more sensible we must be of our own degeneracy, and of the need we have of pardon and assistance. And the wishes we express for that assistance and pardon, if they be frequent and sincere, will incline us to be attentive to our conduct, and solicitous to avoid what may offend him. These considerations alone would recommend external worship as a most excellent means of improving our moral nature. But Christians know further, that this duty is expressly commanded; and that particular blessings are promised to the devout performance of it. In us, therefore, the neglect of it must be inexcusable, and highly criminal.

542. It being of so great importance, we ought not only to practise this duty ourselves, but also by precept and example, avoiding however all ostentation, to encourage others to do the same. Hence one obligation to the duty of social and public worship. But there are many others. One arises from the nature and influence of sympathy, by which, as formerly observed (§ 221), all our good affections may be strengthened. To join with others in devotion tends to make us devout, and should be done for that reason. Besides,