and treatment, cannot be habitually exercised toward our neighbours, without holding a strict rein over that felf-love, felf-will, and self-intereft, which incline us to prefer ourselves to others, and which deftroy that equity of difpofition, without which it is impoffible to do to others what we would feel to be due to ourselves in their circumftances. Thus then it appears manifeft, that the two great commandments of love to God and love to mankind, which contain the fum of the morality of the Gofpel, include in the very nature of them the exercise of self-denial. Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world, fays the Apoftle John*; for if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Let us then accuftom ourselves in the early periods of life not only to cultivate every pious, friendly, and worthy difpofition, but to put forth our whole ftrength in restraining those imaginations, defires, and paffions, which are apt to prevail over all the finer affections of our nature. Let VOL. II. * 1 Epift. ii. 15. us SER M. XXV. XXV. SERM. us maintain a perpetual conflict with those lufts which war against the soul. Let us acquit ourselves like men and be strong. Let us fight the good fight of faith, fo that we may finish our courfe with joy, and attain that crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give at the great day to all those who wait for his fecond and glorious appear ance. Practical Leffons to the Young, founded on the Neceffity of Self-denial. [Preached in the College Chapel.] MATTH. xvi. 24. Then faid Jefus unto his difciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himfelf, and take up his cross and follow me. Na former difcourfe from thefe words SER M. of our bleffed Saviour, it was pro IN a former dif was pofed, I. To shew that no person can be justly entitled to the character of a truly virtuous and worthy man, or, in other words, to the character of a good Chriftian, without the exercise of felf-denial in many inftances. This was illuftrated at fufficient length: and I now proceed, as was then proposed, X 2 II. To XXVI. SERM. XXVI. II. To point out fome important practical leffons to be learned from this doctrine. And here, in the First place, Let us be upon our guard, lest we flatter ourselves with a fond but false perfuafion, that our character is good, worthy, and acceptable to God, merely because we frequently feel good difpofitions ftirring in our bofoms; and because we are confcious that we love, nay that we admire, whatever is virtuous and praife-worthy: for furely these fair appearances may be found in perfons who indulge themselves in fuch gratifications, and in fuch actions as are altogether incompatible with a truly virtuous character. It is a common, but it is a very delufive, nay a very dangerous perfuafion, that virtuous practice will follow of course, wherever good difpofitions operate in the breaft, and wherever the beauty of moral excellence ftrikes the imagination and fills the heart with delight. These things may be, and no doubt are great helps to virtuous practice; but they are not fecurities for it. The leaft reflection may fatisfy us, that the tendency of good difpofitions and a warm love of vir tue XXVI. tue may be overcome, nay frequently is SERM. overcome, by the ftrength of oppofing paffions. And every one who has obferved human life, must be fenfible that there are men to be found who spend many years, perhaps the greatest part of their lives, in pleafing inquiries and delightful fpeculations, about the perfections, the providence, the moral government of God, and about all the various and beautiful forms in which virtue appears in the lives of the greatest and best of mankind; and yet these very perfons continue all their lives the most abfolute flaves to the meanest and worst of paffions. Thus we can, not only conceive it a posfible thing, but find real inftances in life, of men who can form the highest ideas of friendship in fpeculation, and defcribe the offices, the excellencies, and advantages of it in such a manner, as shall strongly strike those who hear and read them, while yet these very persons are altogether incapable of those difinterefted actions which alone can prove them to be real friends. Let us therefore beware of this fource of felf-deceit. Let us hold it as a maxim juftified |