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Lastly, A mercenary and selfish Temper; which fhews a little, narrow, contracted Heart, wrapped up in itself, and (Urchin-like) fhut faft to all the World befide; whereas the Heart of a good man is open and generous, dilated with univerfal Benevolence, and longs to diffuse Joy and Gladness all around it.

Such difpofitions as thefe are univerfally odious and offenfive, and lead to actions that are much more fo; and therefore ought carefully to be guarded against and avoided by every one that would keep his Confcience void of Offence towards all men.

6. We fhould take care to give no Offence to others, by the abuse of those Talents which we enjoy more than they. If we have more Health, Understanding, and Learning, better Parts, and a better Eftate than others, and grow vain and arrogant, felf-fufficient and capricious on account of these, and undervalue and despise others merely for the want of them; this gives just and great Offence, and fhews, that we are very unworthy of the Talents we thus abufe.

Lastly, We should take care how we give Offence in any of those several Relations in Life wherein Providence hath placed us,

whe

whether they be fuperior or inferior ones; but by a conscientious regard to the Duties and Obligations of our refpective Characters, feek at once to conciliate the Favour of Men, and secure the Bleffing of GOD, which he hath pronounced on those that study the things which make for Peace.

And having thus opened to you the nature of the Duty commanded in the text, and fhewed you with what Restrictions it must be taken, and in what Latitude it is to be practifed, I fhall conclude now,

Laftly, With a fhort Exhortation to it. Unhappy it is, and a flagrant proof of the degeneracy of the present Age, that the greateft Glory of a Chriftian's character should ever be mentioned by Christians themselves in a way of contempt. An honest, quiet, inoffenfive man, is an expreffion often used, at once to denote and excuse some fuppofed intellectual Defect. Which, I think, infers too great a Compliment to Pride and Villainy; as if there could be no good sense without them. However, notwithstanding the abuse of Language, and the force of false Names, let us but adhere to the fentiments

of

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SERM. of Scripture, Reafon and common Senfe, I. and we shall foon be convinced, that the craf

tieft Villain is the greatest Fool, and the meek and harmless Chriftian the wifeft Man. It is true, Inoffenfiveness and Prudence do not always go together; no more do Wit and Wickedness: but ftill a Man of the loweft Talents, with a pure and honest Heart, will always be efteemed (degenerate as the World is) a more valuable Perfon than one whose Abilities are much greater, but whose Honefty is much less.

I shall recommend this duty of an inoffenfive Conduct from two confiderations, and fo conclude.

1. The first is from the Example of our great Lord and Master, Jefus Chrift. Which is not only our greatest Motive to it (for as his Difciples we profefs to imitate him) but at the fame time will be our beft Direction in the Practice of it. In his Life and Temper we see it shine in all it's perfection; and under all those due Restrictions beforementioned. He was not ashamed to maintain the Cause of GOD and Truth at the expence of his own Peace and Fame; nor afraid to oppofe and reprove the proud Priests and bigotted

I.

gotted Pharifees, though he knew he fhould SERM. give them Offence and incur their Hatred by fo doing. Here he fhewed the Courage of a Lion; in other cafes all the Meekness of a Lamb: and hath taught us, by his great Example, to temper the wisdom of the Serpent with the innocence of the Dove, without the Venom of the one, or the Silliness of the other.

And what! have we no Abmition to be like our divine Master, in his wife Temper and Conduct? Shall we be for ever imitating the Follies and Foibles of weak, deluded men, which will lead us wrong, and never regard that perfect pattern which we know will lead us right? Is this wife or reasonable? ——and when he so often calls us to imitate him--calls us with the voice of a Friend, and the bowels of a Saviour, to give him this testimony of the Love we so often profess to bear him!

When we fee others then acting contrary to the Life and Temper of Jesus, and we find ourfelves inclined to imitate them, let us conceive him faying to us, as he once did to Peter

-What is that to thee? follow thou Me.

2. He who makes no confcience of offending Men, will make no confcience of offend

ing

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Nay, herein he actually does of fend him. A juft occafion of Offence given to them, is a real Offence offered to him: because it is a wilful violation of his Laws, which in the most express manner have forbidden it. To keep a Confcience void of Offence towards GOD, we must keep one void of Offence towards man. The only way to grow in favour with both.

To conclude this character of a Chrif→ tian is fo frequently recommended in the Gospel of Chrift, fo fignally exemplified in the Life of Christ, contributes fo much to our present Peace and future Hopes, and is in itfelf fo excellent and beneficial, and withal fo eafily attained by the help of a little common care and circumfpection, that nothing but an Ignorance of, or Inattention to, these things, can be the reason that fo little stress is laid upon it in proportion to its great Importance. As we defire then to be confiftent Chriftians, and have a further evidence of our Sincerity, let us refolve, by the grace of GoD, to make it one conftant Rule of our future Practice.

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