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forego the prefent, or a much greater pleasure, rather than lay the foundation of a character fo vicious and contemptible.

From what has been faid may be explained alfo the nature of habitual virtue. By the definition of Virtue, placed at the beginning of this chapter, it appears, that the good of mankind is the subject, the will of God the rule, and everlasting happiness the motive and end of all virtue. Yet in fact a man fhall perform many an act of virtue, without having either the good of mankind, the will of God, or everlasting happiness in his thoughts. How is this to be understood? in the fame manner as that a man may be a very good fervant, without being conscious at every turn of a particular regard to his master's will, or of an express attention to his master's intereft; indeed your best old fervants are of this fort; but then he must have served for a length of time under the actual direction of these motives to bring it to this: in which fervice his merit and virtue confist.

There are habits, not only of drinking, swearing, and lying, and of fome other things, which are commonly acknowledged to be habits, and called fo; but of every modification of action, fpeech, and thought. Man is a bundle of ha

bits. There are habits of industry, attention, vigilance, advertency; of a prompt obedience to the judgment occurring, or of yielding to the first impulse of paffion; of extending our views to the future, or of refting upon the prefent; of apprehending, methodizing, reasoning; of indolence and dilatorinefs; of vanity, selfconceit, melancholy, partiality; of fretfulness, fufpicion, captiousness, cenforiousnefs; of pride, ambition, covetoufnefs; of over-reaching, intriguing, projecting. In a word, there is not a quality, or function, either of body or mind, which does not feel the influence of this great law of animated nature.

II. The Christian religion hath not ascertained the precife quantity of virtue neceffary to fal

vation.

This has been made an objection to Chriftianity; but without reafon. For, as all revelation, however imparted originally, must be tranfmitted by the ordinary vehicle of language, it behoves those who make the objection to shew that any form of words could be devised, which might exprefs this quantity; or that it is poffible to conftitute a ftandard of moral attainments, accommodated to the almost infinite diversity

which

which fubfifts in the capacities and opportunities of different men.

It seems most agreeable to our conceptions of justice, and is confonant enough to the language of fcripture, * to fuppofe, that there are prepared for us rewards and punishments, of all poffible degrees, from the most exalted happiness down to extreme mifery; fo that "our labour " is never in vain ;" whatever advancement we make in virtue, we procure a proportionable acceffion of future happiness; as, on the other hand, every accumulation of vice, is the "treafuring up of fo much wrath against the day "of wrath." It has been faid, that it can never

*«He which foweth sparingly fhall reap also sparingly; "and he which foweth bountifully fhall reap alfo bounti"fully." 2 Cor. ix. 6.-" And that fervant which knew his "Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did accord"ing to his will, fhall be beaten with many stripes; but he "that knew not, fhall be beaten with few ftripes." Luke xii.

47, 48.-" Whofoever fhall give you a cup of water to "drink in my name, because ye belong to Chrift, verily I "fay unto you, he fhall not lose his reward;" to wit, intimating that there is in referve a proportionable reward for even the smallest act of virtue. Mark ix. 41.-See alfo the parable of the pounds, Luke xix. 16, &c. where he whose pound had gained ten pounds, was placed over ten cities; and he whose pound had gained five pounds, was placed over five cities.

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be a juft œconomy of Providence, to admit one part of mankind into heaven, and condemn the other to hell, fince there must be very little to choose, between the worst man who is received into heaven, and the best who is excluded. And how know we, it might be answered, but that there may be as little to choose in their conditions?

Without entering into a detail of scripture morality, which would anticipate our subject, the following general pofitions may be advanced,

I think, with fafety:

1. That a state of happiness is not to be expected by those who are conscious of no moral or religious rule. I mean those, who cannot with truth fay, that they have been prompted to one action, or withheld from one gratification, by any regard to virtue or religion, either immediate or habitual.

There need no other proof of this, than the confideration, that a brute would be as proper an object of reward as fuch a man; and that, if the cafe were fo, the penal fanctions of religion could have no place. For whom would you punish, if you make fuch a one as this happy?— or rather indeed religion itself, both natural and revealed,

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revealed, would ceafe to have either ufe or au

thority.

2. That a state of happiness is not to be expected by thofe, who referve to themselves the habitual practice of any one fin, or neglect of one known duty.

Because, no obedience can proceed upon proper motives which is not univerfal, that is, which is not directed to every command of God alike, as they all stand upon the fame authority.

Becaufe, fuch an allowance would in effect amount to a toleration of every vice in the world.

And because, the ftrain of fcripture language excludes any fuch hope. When our duties are recited, they are put collectively, that is, as all and every of them required in the Christian character. "Add to your faith virtue, and to vir

tue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, "and to temperance patience, and to patience "godlinefs, and to godlinefs brotherly kindness, "and to brotherly kindness charity." * On the other hand, when vices are enumerated, they are put disjunctively, that is, as feparately and feverally excluding the finner from heaven. "Nei"ther fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers,