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which contradicts Job's defcription of it--Which ever way we look abroad, we fee fome legible characters of what God first denounced against us, "That in forrow we should eat our bread, till we returned to the ground, from whence we were taken."

But fome one will fay, Why are we thus to be put out of love with human life? To what purpose is it to expose the dark fides of it to us, or enlarge upon the infirmities which are natural, and confequently out of our power to redress ?

I answer, that the fubject is neverthelefs of great importance, fince it is neceffary every creature fhould understand his prefent ftate and condition, to put him in mind of behaving fuitably to it.Does not an impartial furvey of man—the holding up this glass to fhew him his defects and natural infirmities, naturally tend to cure his pride and cloath him with humility, which is a drefs that beft becomes a fhort-lived and a wretched creature ?Does not the confideration of the fhortnefs of our life, convince us of the wisdom `D 2

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of dedicating fo fmall a portion to the great purposes of eternity?—

Laftly, When we reflect that this fpan of life, fhort as it is, is chequered with fo many troubles, that there is nothing in this world springs up, or can be enjoyed without a mixture of forrow, how infenfibly does it incline us to turn our eyes and affections from fo gloomy a profpect, and fix them upon that happier country, where afflictions cannot follow us, and where God will wipe away all tears from off our faces for ever and ever? Amen.

SERMON.

SERMON XI.

On EVIL-SPEAKING.

AMES i. 26.

If any man among you feem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

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F the many duties owing both to God and our neighbour, there are scarce any men fo bad, as not to acquit themselves of fome, and few fo good, I fear, as to practise all.

Every man seems willing enough to compound the matter, and adopt fo much of the system, as will leaft interfere with his principle and, ruling paffion, and for thofe parts, which would occafion a more trouble

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troublesome oppofition, to confider them as hard fayings, and fo leave them for thofe to practife, whofe natural tempers are better fuited for the struggle. So that a man fhall be covetous, oppreffive, revengeful, neither a lover of truth, or common honesty, and yet at the fame time, fhall be very religious, and fo fanctified, as not once to fail of paying his morning and evening facrifice to God. So, on the other hand, a man fhall live without God in the world, have neither any great fenfe of religion, or indeed pretend to have any, and yet be of niceft honour, confcientiously just and fair in all his dealings. And here it is that men generally betray themfelves, deceiving, as the apoftle fays, their own hearts; of which the inftances are fo various, in one degree or other throughout human life, that one might fafely fay, the bulk of mankind live in fuch a contradiction to themselves, that there is no character fo hard to be met with as one, which upon a critical examination, will appear altogether uniform, and in every point confiftent with itself.

If fuch a contraft was only obfervable in the different ftages of a man's life, it would

would ceafe to be either a matter of wonder, or of just reproach. Age, experience, and much reflection, may naturally enough be supposed to alter a man's fenfe of things, and fo entirely to transform him, that not only in outward appearances, but in the very caft and turn of his mind, he may be as unlike and different from the man he was twenty or thirty years ago, as he ever was from any thing of his own species. This, I say, is naturally to be accounted for, and in fome cases might be praise-worthy too; but the obfervation is to be made of men in the fame period of their lives that in the fame day, fometimes in the very fame action, they are utterly inconfiftent and irreconcileable with themselves.-Look at a man in one light, and he shall seem wife, penetrating, difcreet, and brave: behold him in another point of view, and you fee a creature all over folly and indiscretion, weak and timorous, as cowardice and indifcretion can make him. A man shall appear gentle, courteous and benevolent to all mankind; follow him into his own house, may be you fee a tyrant, morofe and favage to all, whofe happiness depends

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