Serm.io. is regaired betweenMan andman? 237 nature, for anyman towrong anotherfor his orvn advantage, than to un- dergoe the greateft inconveniences. And again ; Non enim mihi e/I vi- tamel utiltor, quam animi talis effeEtu neminem , at violem commodi mei grata. Nor is any life moredear andprofitable to me , than filch a temper and difpofition of minds as that I would not wrong any man, for my own advantage. Again , Tollendum eFt in rebus contrahendis omne mendacium. No kinde of lying muff to ufed in bargaining. And to -mention no more ; Alec ut emu maims, nec ut vendat quicquam fnsu- labit ; aut dimulabitvirbonus ; Agoodman will not counterfelt, or con- ceal any thing, that he may buy the cheaper, or fell thedearer. And 'yet further to check our pronenefs to defpife Mo: :ghteoufnefs, I cannot but mention an excellent paffage to this purl .:,' ti which I have met with, in a Learned manof our own Nation. Two things ( faith he ) pnakf, up a Chrifan, a true Faith , and an honefi Converfation, Mr. Hiles: and though theformer ufuallygives us the Title , the latter is the firer ; fortrue Profeonwithout an honey! Converfation , not only faves not, brat increafeth our weight of punifhment ; but agood life without true profefon, though it brings usnot to Heaven , yet it leflens the meajure of our judge- ment, fo that a Moral man fo called is a Chriftian by the Purerfide. And afterwards, 1 confefs (faith he) 1 have not yet made that proficiency in the Schools of our Age, as that Icouldfeewhy the fecond lab/e, and the 411s of it are not as properly the parts of Religion and Chriflianity , as the AEts and obfervationof the firfi ; if I mifiake, then it is St. James that bath abufed me, for he defcribing Religion by its proper At-Is tells us , That pure Religion, and undefiled before God , and the Father is this, to vilit the Fatherlefs and the Widow in their affliv`tion , and to keep himfelfunfpottedfrom the World ; fo that that thingwhich in an e e- clal refined Dialed of the new C'hriflian Language , fignifies nothing but Morality and Civility, that in the L9nguageof the Holy Ghoft imports true Religion, Mark 12.33,34. When the Scri''e told Chri(+, that to love God with allthe heart, &c. Andoar neighboursas our(elves, was more than whole burnt offerings and facrifices ; it is faid , when 7efus fate that he anfwered difcreetly , he faidunto him thouart not far from the King- dome of God. They that would have a Religionwithout Moral righte- oufnefs,talk indifcreetly,and are farther from the Kingdom of God than a nicer Moral man. If we neglea this part of Religion, we difparage the Gofpel, and abufe our profeflîon, we are but pretenders to Chiliia- laity. Plutarch fpeaks fomewhere to this purpofe, he had rather pone- rity (hould fay, Therewas never fuch a man as Plutarch, than that he was a vicious, or cruel, or unjufl man. Hh2 1
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