fame time live as if I had never received fuch impreffions? fhall I be an angel in fpeculation, and a brute in practice? Where is the wisdom of that? Every wife man will be confiftent with himfelf: there will be a harmony between opinion and practice: his actions will correfpond to his ideas of things. To have good and rational fentiments, whilst we fuffer not ourselves to be governed by them in the courfe of our lives, is fo far from being any glory or credit to us, that on the contrary it is a shame and reproach: but to lay down just maxims, and then act agreeably to them, this is to be wife indeed; 'tis to quit ourfelves like men; and to demonftrate that we are reasonable beings, and have more understanding than the beasts of the earth, or the fowls of heaven.

God hath fent us into the world to glorify him, and do good to our fellow creatures. Now is it not wisdom to fulfil the defign of our beings? What should we think of an ambaffador who fhould be fent to a foreign court to negotiate fome important affair on which the fate of a kingdom depended, and when he comes thither fhould neglect that, and treat about a matter of little

or

or no confequence? fhould we not esteem him a very weak and foolish man? We are all fent by God into this world: and the errand which he hath fent us upon, is to work out our own falvation, and to make preparation for our eternal ftate. Therefore how foolish and unwife fhould we be, what a mean unworthy part fhould we act, and how much below the dignity of our natures, if we should neglect the care of our fouls, which is the one thing needful; and entangle ourfelves in the cares of this world, which will not only be unprofitable, but alfo fink us into ruin and perdition?

(2.) Practical religion is wisdom, because it is an imitation of the best and most perfect beings. That man is wife who follows a good example. But what greater examples are there, what more worthy of imitation, than those of angels, of Christ, and of God himself? To be religious, is to live the life of angels. They worship God with the ut moft zeal and activity. They do his commandments, bearkning unto the voice of his word; Pfalm CIII. 20. They are pure and holy; they are kind and beneficent. The fcripture reprefents them as miniString

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Bring Spirits, fent forth to minifter for thofe who fhall inherit falvation and can there be a more charitable employment than that? Thus religion is an imitation of angels. But more than that; it is an imitation of Jefus Chrift our blessed Saviour, who is the image of the invifible God. His life was a life of devotion, of purity, of charity, of meekness and humility. He did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth. He went about doing good, both to the bodies and the fouls of men. His breaft glowed with a holy zeal for the honour of God. The zeal of God's boufe had eaten him up. It was his meat and drink to do the will of his heavenly father. And as he did the will of God with the utmost chearfulness and alacrity, fo he fuffered it with great patience and conftancy. He was a man of forrows, and acquainted with griefs: he led a poor and miferable life, and endured a cruel and ignominious death: yet he never once murmured against providence, but entirely acquiefced in the will of his father, faying, not my will but thine be done. Thus religion is an imitation of the Son of God. And moreover, 'tis an imitation of the bleffed God himself.

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A God of truth, and without iniquity, juft and right is he; Deut. XXXII. 4. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works; Pfalm CXLV. 17. He is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and he cannot look on iniquity; Habakkuk I. 13. He is gracious and full of compaffion, flow to anger, and of great mercy. He is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works; Pfalm CXLV. 8,9. He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil: he maketh his fun to rife on the evil and the good, and fendeth rain on the juft and the unjust: Luke VI. 35. and Matt. V.45. Thus religion. is an imitation of God.

Now what greater wifdom can there be, than to imitate fuch bright and perfect patterns? ? It must be the wifdom

of a man to ftrive to raise his nature to the highest pitch that it is capable of being raised unto. Now this is exalting it to a high pitch indeed, to bring it up to the pattern of angels, of the Son of God, and of God himself.

(3.) Practical religion is wisdom, because it is the way to obtain peace and fatisfaction of mind. That man is wife who confults his own eafe and tranquillity. Now religion is the fureft founC 2

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dation of comfort. What can difcompose a man, who acts agreeably to the dictates of his reafon, and the laws of his maker? What can disturb him, who hath God for his friend, and expects heaven for his reward?

Religion may be confider'd in divers views and put it in what light you will, ftill peace of confcience will appear to be the natural effect of it. If we confider it as the acting fuitably to our make, and in conformity to our reafon; peace must be the result of it confidered in that view. For it is natural for an intelligent being to be at reft within itself, when it is conscious of having done things that are worthy and becoming its nature, and which might be expected from it.

Again: if you confider religion under the notion of obedience to God's laws, ftill peace must be the confequence of it; for obedience will procure the favour of that being whom we obey. If we keep God's commandments, he will approve and reward us: and is not that a foundation for peace? Yes furely, and not for peace only, but for joy and triumph too. If we have any notion what a being God is, we must needs