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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 many
of
the
blessings
of
civil
society,
and stands
as
it
were
excommunicated
from the friendship, the com-
pany, and
commerce
of
his
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
to
a
weather
-cock
that
is
blown
about
by
every
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
of
morality
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
scriptures
where
the
gospel
itself
is
called
the
truth,
and the
word
of