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I

502

CHRISTIAN-MORALITY,.

VIZ.

CSERM. XS?E.

But that

I

may

more eflèctually

guard

every

christian

against

all the

dangers and temptations

that

may

attend a

good

name, and

honour

in the

world,

I

would conclude

the discourse with these four advices:

I. Make

not

the

praise

of

men

your chief

aim

or de-

sign in

any thing you

do:

But

let

it

be

your

first

and

chiefest

care to

approve

yourselves.

to

God and your

own

consciences.

Do

those actions

that

are worthy

of

praise

and

whether the

world

acknowledge

it

orino, your

souls

will find

inward peace,

your labour of

love

shall

not

be

forgotten of God,

"

he

is

faithful

who

bath

promised,

"

-.

Ileb.

x.

23.

IL

If

you

are

so

happy

as to

obtain the

esteem

of

nien,

seta

guard

upon your

soul,

lest

pride.

and vanity

take

occasion to arise

and

skew themselves.

Have a

care lest Satan the

tempter

gain an

Advantage

against

you

by

the

.fruits

of

your virtue

and the eminence

of your

graces. Pride;

is

such

a cursed

twining

weed,

it

will

sometimes

root

itself

in

virtue

and

honour,

:it

.will

grow

up

to an equal

height,.,

and

make

its

:supporters

wither

and

die,

.

III..

Let

all

the

honour

you

acquire

among

men, be

improved

to

the

honour of your God and

Saviour.

If

you make

your

own

applause your great

end,

Jesus

will

say to .you

another

day, as he

did

once

to

the pharisees,

"

Verily

I say

unto

you,_ ye

have

your

reward,"

lliat.

vi.

5,

16.

The

praise

of

men

will

be

your

whole

recom-

pence, and there

is

nothing

More remains for you.

'Whensoever

therefore

you receive

applause

from

the

world, make the world

know

that

it

was

not

the man

but

the

christian

that

practised

the

virtue, and gained the

praise.

"

Not

I,

but

the grace

of God

which

was

with

me."

1

Cor,

xv.

10.

if

you

so

manage

all,

your laudable

actions,

that

Jesus

Christ.

and

his

name

may gain

some

honour

by

them, this shall

turn

to

your praise and

glory

in the day

of

Christ, as

well as

to

the

praise

of

God

your

Saviour.

IV.

When

the

providence

of God

and

his

grace have

favoured

you se

far

as

to gain

a good

character

in

the

world, have a

care

of

every

thing

that

may

impeach

your

honour,

or

sully

your reputation. Remember

the

lesson

that

Solomon

teaches

you from

so

contemptible a

thing

as a

dead

fly;

a

few

of

them

will

".cause

the

pint-

4