352 tH}4ISTIAN MÓRALITY, Vlñ. [SERM. XXIe and takes no care to perform them. All commerce and traffic is confounded, and the laws of it dissolved by a person of this shamefnl conduct. He that loses his credit and honour by this sort of falsehood, cuts himself off from manyof the blessings ofcivil society, and stands as it were excommunicated from the friendship, the com- pany, and commerce ofhis neighbours among whom he dwells. His character becomes hateful amongmen, and his name is a word of scandal and infamy. But where a man is true to his word, and punctual in all his corres- pondencies, how fair is his reputation ! How honourable is his name ! And he stands entitled to all the blessings of the society where he resides. I might borrow arguments also from the light of nature, to shew what an excellent virtue is that of con- stancy ; how useful in the whole course of life, how ho- nourable a naine does it gain a man in the world ! With what a happy regularity his affairs proceed both in his household and in his shop or business of life ! He main- tains a. sacred and steady peace of mind, and all men bless him : But the character of a fickle, wavering, inconstant man,is always mean and contemptible : he is compared toa weather-cock that is blown about byevery wind ; and is name is thus exalted or stuck on high, there to become a more public mark of jest and ridicule. The third thing I proposed, is to consider what are those additional arguments that might be drawn from the gospel for the practice of this truth and sincerity, this faithfulness and constancy : For the gospel doth not only confirm all the duties ofmorality that the light of nature dictates, and establish all the reasons of them that the light of nature more feebly proposes, but it adds also many arguments and motives to enforce the same virtu- ous practices, which the mere light of nature knows no- thing of; and I shall represent all these advantages of the gospel here. But I will not overload yonr memory with particulars, and therefore I shall speak them more gene rally, and heap them together ; and may your souls and mine feel the united force of them ! It is a gospel of truth we profess, even the eternal truth of God revealed to men concerning our salvation. and his glory. There are a multitude of scriptureswhere the gospel itself is called the truth, and the word of
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=