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SERMON XI.

PROVERBS xxiii. 17, 18.

Let not thine Heart envy Sinners; but be thou in the Fear of the Lord all the Day long.

For furely there is an End, and thine Expeltation fhall not be cut off.

T is with fome Perfons no fmall Dif

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couragement to Religion, that many wicked Men flourish greatly, and are very fuccessful in the World. When the ungodly profper, have Riches in Poffeffion, and enjoy

VOL. II.

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the

the present Pleasures of Sin without any prefent Punishment of it,---weak unfettled Minds are too strongly tempted to conclude, that Virtue is an injudicious Choice; that they have washed their Hands in Innocency, and cleanfed their Hearts in vain. But let the Words of Wifdom, let the Voice of Solomon prevail with us to fufpend our Judgment, till the Matter be carefully examined. Prefent Profperity is no Proof of abfolute Happiness. The whole of a Man's Existence is to be confidered, before you can fafely pronounce on the Goodness, or Badness of his Condition. Because Sentence against an evil Work is not executed speedily, we are not therefore warranted to conclude, that there is no Difference in the Iffues of Guilt and Innocence ;---that all Things come alike to all, or that there is one and the fame ལ་ Event to the righteous and to the wicked, (Ecclef. ix.2.) The Criminal is reprieved but not pardoned. Let not thine Heart envy Sinners, but be thou in the Fear of the Lord all the Day long. For furely there is an

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End,

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End, and thine Expectation shall not be cut off plonos

That it may be feen what little Reason there is to envy the Pleasures and Succeffes of bad Men, let us confider

1---The utmoft Advantages of a Life of profperous Wickedness.

2--What Reason we have to be constant in the Fear of God, because there is furely an End, and the Expectations of good Men fall not be cut off.

The Sinners of the Text are the Men of fuccefsful Wickedness, who profper in their Vices, and riot in the Pleafures of Guile: Men who pay no Homage to God, who neither remember him as the Giver of all Good, to whom their Thanks are due for every Thing they enjoy, nor as the Judge of all the Earth, who shall reward every one ac

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farding to his Works: Men, in fhort, who have forgot their Maker and their Redeem

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er, whofe God is Gain, and whofe Pleasure is their. Law.

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Now let it be fuppofed, that these Sinners

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by a Life of profperous Vice fhould gain all the Inftances of Happiness, which this World can furnish furnish ---the most moft extended Power, the most comprehenfive Poffefsion 1of Riches, whatever the World can give, borg human Nature here enjoy.---And this, perhaps, may be thought a very fatal Con"ceffion, poffibly enough to bribe innumerable Chriftians out of all their Virtue, and

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"Religion. For indeed the great Body Tranfgreffors are contented to make ShipIl wreck I ad of Faith, and to fin at a much chea

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per Rate, and cannot hope to gain but a very inconfiderable Part of this World in Ex

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change for their Souls. But granting still to Sinners the largest poffible Success and Prof

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perity, there is much Reason to pity and but very little Cause to envy them.I men

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