ferving and establishing their profperity. SERM.. These are inftances, than which, if we III. take in all circumstances, none ever were, or can be, more great and heroical; and had they been found among the old Greeks or Romans, they would have been celebrated with the moft labour'd and magnificent encomiums. But when men fet themselves to magnify the powers of reafon, and run down revelation, every thing, in the latter, has a low and invidious turn given to it; the most godlike virtues lose their luftre; and the most exalted scheme of morality is debas'd and vilified; as in the cafe we have been confidering, Christianity is reprefented as being defective for what is its chief excellency, and renders it vaftly preferable to any system of moral philofophy, or any institution of religion, that ever appeared

in the world.

Let us then be perfuaded to cultivate, to the utmoft, difinterested and univerfal benevolence; for what is the perfection of our religion must also be the rectitude and honour of our nature.--Let our conftant aim be the VOL, I. F good

SERM. good of mankind.--Let us enlarge our III. minds, daily, from little narrow preju

dices, that all our private pleasures, our friendships, our regards to our country, may be regulated with a view to this as their ultimate end.-Nay, if it were poffible, we should extend our thoughts beyond our own species, and take in the whole univerfe of rational beings; for the more unbounded scope we give to our generous benevolence and compaffion, the more truly noble it is; and the more nearly do we resemble the supreme fountain of goodness, whofe tender mercies are over all bis works.

SER

SERMON IV.

Of the image of God in man; or the excellency of human nature.

GEN. i. ver. 7. the former part. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him.

T

HERE is no part of know- SERM, ledge more confiderable than IV. a right knowledge of human nature: It is of the utmost importance towards the regular conduct of life; and all the errors of mankind in point of morality, i. e. the most fatal errors that reasonable creatures can be guilty of, are certainly owing to their

SERM, not understanding, or not seriously conIV. fidering, their own frame and conftitu

tion: And yet it may well be wonder'd at, that men should be fuch great strangers to the defign of their own nature, and of all the objects of knowledge, know the leaft of themselves; of themselves, I fay, whom they are fond of even to excefs, and whofe welfare they neceffarily defire, but while they continue in this ftate of ignorance cannot pursue: For unless we examine into our own make, and confider the powers and capacities wherewith we are endued, and the ends which the great Author of our being defign'd us for, 'tis impoffible we should understand our duty, or our happinefs.

Indeed, human nature has been reprefented in fo bafe, difagreeable, and monfrous a form, that the contemplation of it muft needs be frightful and fhocking to a generous mind; as having loft its noble powers of reafon and liberty, and being the feat of nothing but irregular, impure, and mischievous paffions; as incapable of any thing that is good and vir

tuous, and prone to all manner of viceSE RM. and wickedness.--And if this were true, IV. who could take any fatisfaction in looking into himself, when he must behold fuch a hideous picture of deformity?— But, thanks be to God, the honour of our nature may be cafily vindicated from fuch unjust reproaches, as will, I hope, evidently appear from the enfuing dif courfe; and, befides, fuch an account of it is, in its direct confequences, of the utmoft prejudice to the interefts of religion and morality: For as, on the one hand, a right fenfe of the dignity of human nature infpires great defigns, leads to the most beneficent, generous, and godlike actions, and is a ftrong prefervative from every thing that is vile and dishonourable; fo, on the other, when it is described as having nothing excellent or amiable in it, and as a complication of mean-spiritedness, ill-nature, ignorance and vice; and when, upon this foundation, injustice, cruelty, ingratitude, pride, revenge, and the worst of villanies are represented as natural to mankind; this has a manifeft tendency to encourage their F 3 dege