fort as it is capable of being; and gently conduct us to a world where there is no room for doubt, where we shall no longer fee through a glafs darkly, but, in the actual prefence of God, find our faith juftified, and our hopes converted into certain and everlasting enjoyments.

SERMON VIIL

GOOD INTENTIONS the leaft fallible Security for GOOD CONDUCT.

PROVERBS, xi. 3.

The integrity of the upright shall guide him.

THE

HE most valuable knowledge is the eafieft to be obtained. Such is the knowledge of our duty. It is engraven on the tablets of our hearts; it is written in the plaineft language of the Scriptures; it is taught by parents, preceptors, and preachers; it is explained and enforced by an infinite number of books, most of which are easily attainable, and intelligible by all who fincerely defire to procure and understand them.

Life has often been compared to a journey. But he who goes a journey, if he knows the way, or is directed by intelligent guides, seldom deviates from the right road. How

happens

happens it then that many who are perfectly acquainted with the road of life, fhould wander fo far from it, as often to be entirely loft, always to be perplexed and embarraffed? The truth is, man obscures the light within him by his own devices, and puzzles the most obvious directions which he receives, by foolish comments, subtleties, and refinements. His pride leads him to wish to be wife above that which is written, and to render that which is abundantly plain, obfcure and difficult by the perverfion of ingenuity.

It is indeed certain, that many plain and illiterate men are much more conftant in the performance of their duty, than the learned, the refined, and the fashionable. It has been faid that fince learned men have multiplied, good men have decreased. It is evident that improvement in piety and good morals has not always kept pace with improvement of underftanding. True learning indeed has been fuppofed, with great probability, to be particularly favourable to virtue; but false learning, pretenfions to learning without the reality, fuperficial attainments in fcience, and erroneous philofophy, are found by experience to be rather favourable to vice. The writers against religion have been for the most part men of

great

great pride and audacity; but in learning little better than fciolifts, and in judgment, rafh and unfound. They have often perplexed

both themselves and their readers, till both have fallen into a state of intellectual darkness leading to despair.

It therefore becomes the profoundest scholars and philofophers, amidst all their improvements, to retain that native fimplicity, which, in the amiable ftate of infancy, we ufually poffefs, and which our Saviour himself particularly loved; of fuch is the kingdom of Heaven. It has pleased a benevolent Providence to reprefent the outlines of our duty fo clearly, that the honest peasant can discover them by fincere endeavours, no less fully and perfectly, than the profound ftudent by diligent investigation. The ftudent will indeed know how to discourse on the fubject of his duty, to make nice diftinctions where there is little difference, and to determine cafuiftical doubts; but I repeat, that in the great high road of found morality and unadulterated religion, he will not have much, if any advantage over him who poffeffes an honeft, though uncultivated mind, plain sense, and true fimplicity. He ought therefore to be humble; and however he may fpeculate on indifferent

fubjects,

fubjects, to confine himself to the dictates of his heart and confcience, in all which concerns his relative, perfonal, and religious duty.

I fhall endeavour to evince, in the following remarks, that an honest mind is the best qualification for finding and for practising all that is neceffary to recommend us to the favour of God, and to fecure happiness both in the prefent and in a future ftate.

The children of this world conduct all their fchemes of pleasure, profit, and ambition, by the arts of cunning, and the maxims of worldly policy. They value themselves for the character of fhrewd men; fuch as are able to devise stratagems, and to turn the fimplicity of the honeft and unfufpecting to their own advantage. They have so strong an inclination to duplicity, that they had rather obtain a point by artifice, though it is equally attainable by an open conduct. Their whole lives are spent in contrivance. They pause not to enjoy, even when they have obtained their object. They see some plausible scheme, by which they may be enabled to improve their fuccefs. They go on ever anxiously pursuing fome diftant object, and confequently for ever dreading a disappointment, and often feeling one.

Such