Senn CVIII. An Argument for Repentance, 27 what can poflibly be imagined to be the profit or pleafure of this Vice ! Senfual pleafure in it there can be none, becaufe it is not founded in the temper of the Body : a Man may be naturally prone to Anger or Luft 5 but no Man I think is born with a fwearing Conflitution. And there is as little Profit as Pleafure in it for the common and trivial rife of Oaths makes them perfe&ly infignificant to their end, and is fo far from giving credit to a Man's Word, that it rather weakens the Reputation of it. Thirdly, Thofe Vices which pretend to be of advantage to us, when all Ac- counts arecall up, and all Circumfiances duly conuder'd, will be found to be quite otherwife. Some Vices pretend to bring in profit, others toyield pleafure; but upon a thorow examination of the matter, there pretences will vanilla and come to nothing. TheVices which pretend tobe moll profitable are Covetoufnefs and Opprefiì- on, Fraud and Falfhood, and Perfidioufnefs: but if we look well into them, we [hall find thateither they do not bring the Advantagesthey pretend to bring ; or that the inconveniences which attend them are as great or greater, than the Ad- vantages they bring ; or elfethat the Pra&iceof the oppofite Virtues would be of much greater Advantage to us. I. Some of there Vices do not bring the Advantages they pretend to do. Co- vetoufnefs may increafe aMan's Ellate, but it adds nothing to his Happinefs and Contentment ; for tho' his Ellate grow never fo much, his want is (till as great as it was before, and his care and trouble continually greater ; fo that fo long as he continues Covetous, the moreRich, the Ids Happy. And then for Fraud and Falfhood ; they are not of that real andláfting Advan- tage, that cunning but fhort-fighted Men are apt to imagine. Nothing is truer than that of Solomon, The lying tongue is but fr a moment. A Man can pra&ile the Arts of Falfhood and Deceit but for a little while, before they will be difco- vered ; and when they are difcovered, they are fo far from being any Advan- tage to him, that they turn to his prejudice, and the cunning Man begins tobe in a bad cafe, and he that was wont to over-reach others, is at lair caught him- felf. 2. Several of there Vices are attended with Inconveniences, as great or greater than the Advantages they bring. Ifa Man increafe his Filate by Injuftice and Op- prefliion, yet he lofeth his Reputation. Befides that all fraudulent and unjufi courfes are apt to entangle a Man in a great many Inconveniences, and to expofe him to troublefome Suits, for the keeping of what he hath unjaftly gotten ; it is very often feen, that what is gotten by Injuflice is fpent in Law ; and tho' it may be thofe whom he bath wronged never recover their right, yet firlt or laft the unjufi Man is put to more trouble and vexation about it, than the thing is worth. This Solomon obferves, Prov. 15. 16. In the revenue ofthe wicked there it trouble. The perfidious Man by betraying a Friend or a Trutt, may perhaps make frame prefent Advantage: but then by fuch a Villany'he makes himfeif odious to all Mankind, and by this means, at one time or other, prevents himfeif of greater ad- vantages which he might have had another way ; and perhapsat NI is miferably crufh'd by thofe whom he betrayed, who in the change And revolution of hu- man Affairs, may fome time or other have the opportunity of being revenged. 'Or elfe, a. ThePra&ice of the oppofite Virtues would be offar greater Advantage to us. Truth and Fidelity are in common experience found to be a better and furer way of thriving, and more like to laft and hold our, than Fraud and Falfhood and asHonefly is a furer way of railing an Eftate, fo it brings along with it grea- ter fecurity of the quiet enjoyment of it. There is never any real occafion, and feldom any colour and pretenceof bringing fuch a Man into trouble for which reafon Solomon lays, Better is the little which the righteous Man bath, than great pof- feffons without right : becaufe, rho' it be but little, yet it will wear like Steel, and he is like to enjoy it quietly, and may increafe it ; whereas the unjufi Manis con- tinually in danger of lofingwhat he bathgotten. E a And
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