thing foreign to our nature: they are in the power of the infinite chances and viciffitudes of human life. But the moral treasures of man, chriftian virtues, will attend him through all the ftages of his existence.

I. Ir is ftrange, any mistake should be made among chriftians, in a cafe, that is capable of fo obvious a distinction; and it is a pity, that there should be a neceffity to prove the lawfulness of worldly care, in a life, fo much difturbed and convulfed by the exceffes of this fpirit.

BUT the enthufiaft has his unreasonable claims upon Providence; and the idle and extravagant, bleffing his stars that he is not one of the covetous whom God and man abhorreth, lives a burden to the community, and thus equally trefpaffes against the laws of the gospel and the order and appointment of na

ture.

THOUGH

THOUGH GOD manifeftly fuperintends the course of human affairs, yet his Providence generally exerts itself only in supporting, affifting and bleffing those natural means of self-provifion, with which he has endued us in different proportions according to the exigences of a connected state.

He that gave us wants, and at the fame time gave us feet to move, hands to work, and heads to contrive; has plainly intimated to us, that we must use these powers, as inftruments, under the bleffing of his Providence, for our fupport.-Society could not otherwise fubfift. For society is nothing but the circulation and exchange of mutual labour and service: it is a great machine, the welfare of which depends upon the co-operation of all the parts: and he, who fits down unactive and useless in this bufy fcene, is a clog and prejudice to the whole, and offends against the laws of the common author of this conftitution.

AND

AND the fcripture is so far from countenancing a neglect of the great natural duty of industry, upon any pretence, that I know of no duty which is more strongly and repeatedly enforced. For even when we were with you, (faith St. Paul) this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat; ii. Thef. iii. 10. and elsewhere, we befeech you, (fays he) that ye ftudy to be quiet and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, that ye may walk honeftly and have lack of nothing. i. Thef. iv. II, 12. *

INDEED, industry is one of the principal virtues, which can be exerted by the lower orders of mankind: it is the trust and talent, for which they are accountable

* ENTHUSIASTS have confidered the text as forbidding all worldly labour: labour NOT for the bread that perifbeth. In fact, the fcripture often expreffes things abfolutely, which are to be understood comparatively. Let us NOT love in word neither in tongue, BUT in deed

and

countable, to the common Judge. In an humble, honeft, contented discharge of it, their principal duties confift; and in this, they are fo far from having any just reason to murmur or repine, that they are truly more happy, than the greatest and most splendid pageants of fortune.

and in truth. i. John, iii. 18. Did the apoftle mean to forbid all outward expreffions of civility? The gospel enjoins the contrary in a hundred places. He meant only to recommend inward love as of most importance and value. I defired mercy and NOT facrifice. Hof. vi. 6. Every one knows that sacrifice was a neceffary part of the Jewish worship. The prophet then means, that GOD loves mercy more than facrifice. Let no man Seek HIS OWN, but every man ANOTHER's wealth. i. Cor. x. 24. I think there is no man who would wish, at least the scripture permits no one, to explain this text as exclusive of all felf-love. Chrift fent me NOT, (fays St. Paul) to baptize BUT to preach the gospel. i. Cor. i. 17. And yet, he did baptize as we fee in the verses before.

He meant that

his great object was to preach the gofpel, and leave the adminiftration of the rite to minifters of inferior character, as we see St. Peter actually did, Acts, x. 48. Baptism is (according to St. Peter) NOT the putting away of the filth of the flesh, BUT the answer of a good confcience towards God. i. Peter, iii. 21. Barclay confiders this as forbidding the outward form entirely: how juftly, the reader may determine from the above fimilar forms of expreffion, to which others might be added.

fortune. Let them only obferve: Let them call to view the awful time, when high and low shall be fummoned to give an account of their respective offices in life. When the mighty ones of the earth are to be ftrictly examined "what "haft thou done with all that wealth "and power which I committed to thy

charge, what naked haft thou clothed, "what hungry haft thou fed, how "much haft thou engroffed in the nar"row gulph of thy avarice or thy fen

fuality" (dreadful queftions! heavy account!)—they will have lefs to reckon for, for they received less" Lord, I "received but one fmall talent, and I ex"ercifed it; I was contented in my low "condition, I was honeft and induftri

ous; I did all the little good that lay "in the power of my hand to do; I "fuffered no temptation to divert me "from my duty, and no idle bufinefs "to draw me from thy houfe and fer*' vice."

II. BUT