Will, to understand our Dependance upon him, his Benefits to us, and his Goodness, from whence they come? Hath he not planted in us a Senfe of Juftice and Gratitude, and fhewn us the Difference between Good and Evil, and given us Freedom to chufe the one and refuse the other? It is not needful to dispute Men into a Belief of what they feel. But what can be more naturally inferr'd from all this, than that God hath made us to take Pleasure in doing as we ought? And it is impoffible but that our Conscience should applaud and commend us, comfort and cherifh us for fo doing, that is, for acknowledging the Perfections of God in all that we do, for being just to our Creator, regardful of his Authority, and thankful for his Benefits, for trufting in fo wife and good a Providence, for doing his juft and holy Will, and that because he hath fhewn us thefe Things may and ought to be done. Confider therefore how great Happiness God has made thee capable of, nay, were it not for this, thou wert capable of little or none at all. Look upon the reft of the Creatures, thofe that God has put under thee for thy Ufe and Service. They are indeed profitable to the World in fome degree, but they do not know it; They are of good Ufe more or lefs, but they do not understand it; They act according to the Law of their Maker, but they cannot take

any

any Pleasure in it, they cannot reflect upon it, and applaud themselves for it; They have not this, without which there is no Happiness that deferves to be fo called, that they understand they do well. The Pleafure of well-doing, and the Confcience of Virtue, is one of the greatest Advantages we have of all Things beneath us. It is that for which our Natures are fram'd, and upon which their good Condition depends, the mere Lofs whereof is not to be recompens'd by fenfual Lufts and Bodily Pleafures, which are the Portion of Beafts: But the contrary will produce great Mifery. That Knowledge and Underftanding which would have congratulated and joyed us, had we done our Duty, will reproach and vex us for not doing it. That Confcience which might have told thee that thou haft done well, will undoubtedly tell thee that thou haft done ill, which when there is no Opportunity of profitable Repentance, is one of the greatest and moft infupportable Griefs to which our Nature is liable. In that Senfe therefore the Saying of the wife Man is certainly true, He that increaseth Knowledge increafeth Sorrow. For he that understands his Duty, and doth it not, that conceives the Reafons thereof, but his Will and Affections are not prevail'd upon by them, the more he understands the former, the more he comprehends the latter

he

he is but the more difquieted, he is fo much the more a Vexation to himself. The Knowledge of Moral Good and Evil, how our Actions ought to be governed, and why this is to be done, and that to be avoided by us, in order to our Happiness, will cer tainly procure Sorrow and Vexation of Spirit to every Man that holdeth the Truth in Unrighteoufnefs, and knows how to do well, but doth it not, efpecially when his Knowledge by natural Reasoning and Senfe is confirm'd by Experience. So greatly injuri ous is he to his own Soul that deprives himself of the trueft Joys that belong to his Nature, and inftead of that Happiness creates to himself a guilty Confcience, Anguish of Mind, and a bitter Repentance. And therefore, unless it be indifferent whether we turn our natural Freedom into a Caufe of Pleasure and Delight in our felves, or of Sorrow and Wretchedness, we are ftrongly obliged, upon the Account of our own Souls, as we would not injure them in the highest Degree, and wrong them as much as they can be wrong'd, to the diligent Practice of every Duty to God, our Neigh bour, and our felves.

H

2dly, By this alfo we are capable of true Honour and Praife, and by the contrary we incur Shame and Difgrace, an Evil of which we are very fenfible, and the reafon of it is the fame with the former, becaufe we chuse

to

to be what we ought, if we are fo; if we are not, we refuse to be fo when we might. No Actions can bear Praise or Difpraise but those that proceed from Freedom. Works of Art, and Effects of natural Neceffity, are capable of neither, because it is impoffible for them to be otherwise than they are, and to do otherwise than they do. It is inconfiftent with their Nature to be fway'd by Reasons, to be prevail'd upon by Arguments, to follow good or evil Counfels. If we commend the Sun for fhining, or the Rain for falling on the parched Ground, or the Magnificence of a Structure, or the good Contrivance of a Machine, we only exprefs the State and Condition of thefe Things, but the true Praise ftill is meant to that Reason and Will that made them fo: And of this God hath made us capable, he hath fo framed us, that upon our true Service perform'd to him he might make good Account of us, and think well of us at prefent, and fay to us at laft, Well done, good and faithful Servants. In the mean time it is the moft effectual Way to be well efteem'd of by Men, amongst whom Wifdom and Virtue hath ftill obtained the Reputation, when they had the feweft Followers. It is by the Appearance of Honefty that ill Men come to gain the Favour and Efteem of the World. None but Fools have neglected to carry a Face of Religion

and

and Confcience, that would be generally thought well of. An openly vicious and irreligious Man counts falfly upon a good Name, let him ufe what other Ways he will to be popular. The Hypocrite is better advised, that covers his Deformity with a Mask of Honefty and Piety, but it is very difficult to keep it on for a great while together. It feldom happens to any one Man to deceive the World all his Days; his Covetoufness and Unrighteoufnefs, his conceal'd Iniquities, do at laft break forth, notwithstanding all his Art and Pains to hide them ftill, and then he pays for his ufurp'd Efteem amongst Men heretofore with treble Infamy and Difgrace: whilft the truly righteous Man is fafe in his Integrity from the Fear of any deferved Ignominy and Shame, is always willing and pleased to appear what he is, and is fure to be then best thought of when he is beft understood; but whatever Ill-will or Contempt he may chance to meet with from vain and foolish Perfons, he is fure his Integrity will be faithfully acknowledg'd, and fully own'd and commended by his great Maker, the all-wife and Almighty Sovereign of Angels and Men, whofe Judgment is unerring, whofe Praise reflecteth the highest Honour upon every one that obtaineth it, and implies the true Worth and Goodness of what he fo highly approves. But as thofe that

honour