things may create a diflike, and kind of averfion to them, even in the minds of those, who at the fame time cannot but efteem them, confidered as men of fincere piety and virtue, or stripped of thofe blemishes and imperfections. It must farther be allowed, that bad men, whether in high or low ftations, may occafionally have an averfion to the wife and honeft, confidered as standing in oppofition to their unrighteous, ambitious and avaritious defigns. In which cafes, however, it is more properly faid, that they have an inordinate and criminal love to their intereft, or to power and worldly honors, than that they have any real diflike to those good men, confidered as fuch For they rather esteem them in their hearts, even while they would be glad to have them out of their way. Thus alfo bad men, whether of high or low degree, may occafionally have fome dirty jobs, and wicked work to do, in which none will ferve them, except dirty, lying, "leud fellows of the bafer fort;" whom they carefs for that very end, while they frown upon, and keep at a distance from, honest men Not because they inwardly esteem the former, or dislike the latter, as fuch. For those they ftill defpife, while they employ them in fuch work, and these they honor in their hearts, tho' they will not do, but rather obftruct it. As profane and vicious as the world is, there are in fact but very few, if any perfons in it, fo abandoned as to hate or despise a good and virtuous man, only for being fo; nay, as not to have an inward efteem for him, and a fecret contempt for R 4 thofe

those that are of profligate principles and morals. So that if you are truly pious and virtuous; efpecially if your religion is open and manly, free from fuperftition, fournefs and enthusiasm, and from any great fingularities and oddities, you may depend, not only upon the refpect and efteem of all the wife and virtuous in general, but also upon that of the foolish and vicious, with a very few exceptions, Whereas, on the other hand, if you are vicious and profligate, you may be affured that you will be fecretly despised, not only by the good, but even by the generality of the wicked themselves.

4. As to what was faid in the objection, about men of bad morals being countenanced in fome countries, while the virtuous and good have been neglected, after public edicts or proclamations which gave reason to expect the contrary; this is cafily to be accounted for upon the principles laid down above-Either the true characters of these persons refpectively, were not known; or elfe the promoters of the former, and neglecters of the latter, had fome particular finifter and difhonourable ends to anfwer by fuch a conduct; which has doubtlefs fometimes been the case— But, by the way, there cannot be a clearer teftimony given to the esteem and honor that are actually due to religion, in the opinion of the world, or of that dif-approbation and contempt which are due to vice, than fuch public acts, edicts or proclamations for the encouragement of the former, and for discountenancing the latter; how often foever the world has been deceived in

paft

past ages, by the honourable, excellent and royal AUTHORS of them-Tho' in all governments, other circumstances being alike, those persons who were fuppofed to be the wifest and best, have in general actually had the preference given them, in all ages.

5. ANOTHER undeniable proof of the general esteem there is in the world for virtue and religion, is hypocrify. How many perfons, tho' wholly deftitute of the reality," the power," yet put on the "form of godlinefs," merely for the fake of their credit and reputation in the world? If an homely bird decks herself out in the rich plumage of the peacock, it is doubtlefs in order to make a better appearance in the eyes of fpectators, than she could in her own-Wicked men know, that if they appear in their own proper colours, they must be contemned, if not fhunned and detefted by most people; even by those that are in the fame " cage of unclean and hateful birds" with them. They therefore diffemble, turn impoftors, and adorn themselves, if I may fo exprefs it, with the feathers, and more refpectable plumage of religious, honest men; that they may enjoy at once the reputation of religion, and the imaginary gains and advantages of unrighteousness. There would be no occafion for hypocrify, and therefore no hypocrites, if wicked and profligate men were generally as much esteemed and honoured as the good; any more than there would be counterfeit coin, if there were none genuine, that was commonly valued, and that paffed current in the world. So

† Rev. XVIII. 2,

that

that hypocrify itself, that odious fin, is, in fome fort a ftanding witnefs for God and religion, in all ages and countries; as well as a proof of the general esteem there is for virtue, how little foever there may be of the practice, It is a tacit confeffion of the fuperior excellency and honor of true religion; and that vice cannot well keep itself in countenance, even in this wicked world, without putting on fome appearance of virtue. And if vice avails herfelf thus of the credit of religion; yet he does homage to her for it, tho' unwillingly. For hypocrify is a kind of tribute which the former, with an awkward and shameful reluctance, pays to the latter, her acknowledged fuperior, from one generation to another, in all ages and all nations.

eye

6. WHY do you, my young brethren-No, I will not fay, You-But, why do the vicious and profligate chufe fecrefy and darkness, as the fittelt occafions for perpetrating their crimes? Why are they that are drunken, ufually "drunken in the night," rather than in the day? Why does "the of the adulterer wait for the twilight?" Why does that of the thief and affaffin commonly do the fame? In a word, why do vicious men in general chufe to fin in fecret, rather than openly; and, as far as may be, to conceal their vices from the world, unless it is, because they know the world in general dislikes vice, and efteems virtue; if not practically, yet in opinion?

7. DID you ever know any perfon that was addicted to flander and defamation, pretend to

reproach another, by accufing him of loving or fearing God of honouring Jefus Chrift, and keeping his commandments;of observing his own promifes, and fpeaking nothing but truth; of loving his neighbour as himself, and of being honeft, fober and virtuous in his whole converfation? They that deal in defamation, understand their wicked art, and the fentiments of the world, much better than to fay these things of any One by way of reproach; which they know would be the highest praise and commendation.

8. To put this matter at once in the fairest and ftrongest light, let me afk you the following queftion Suppofe you had fome mortal enemy, whom you would be glad to ruin; and particularly, whom you defired to fee despised and detested by mankind in general; which do you think would contribute the moft effectually to this end, to reprefent him as a wicked and impious, a vicious, faithless, debauched and profligate perfon ;-One that neither feared God, nor regarded man: Or, as One that was truly pious and fober, upright and virtuous;in a word, a fincere chriftian both in principle and practice? If you were determined to hurt your enemy's reputation as much as you could; if you were under no checks or reftraints of confcience, and if you were fure to be believed by the world, in whatever you faid of him, which of these two very opposite characters would you give the hated perfon? You can be at no lofs for an answer to fo plain a queftion: And that very answer, which

you