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SEAM.

XXIX.]

A.

GOOD

REPORT,

&C.

481

kind, and the public

honour of

Christ. This

is

a

thing

óf

good

report

in.

the

church.

and,.in

the

world,

and it

will

turn

to

our

own

honour

in

the day

of

the

Lord.

But

let

no

man deceive

himself,

and

vainly imagine

that

he may lay

claim to

the

honour

of

a

public spirit,

because he spends

half

his days

in'

places

of

public resort,

and

in

fruitless

enquiries and chatterings

about

the af-

fairs

of

government,

and

the business

of

the

state;

per-

haps

he

extends

his

care

also to Muscovy

and Persia, as

well

as

Great

Britain,

while

the

care of his

shop

is

a

little

thing.with

him,

the business

of

his

study or counting-

house

is

forgotten, and

his family

complains

of

woeful

neglect: -Nor are

public

affairs

mended

by

all

his

imper-

tinence.

[If

this

sermon,

be

too long,

it

is

best divided

here.]

III.

Regularity

in

the .conduct

of our

affairs

is

a

be-

coming

character, and

will

gain

us

a

good name amongst

men.

As there are

many and various

duties

that belong

to

the

natural, the

civil,

and

the religious

life

;.

it

is

a

piece

of

eminent

wisdom to

appoint proper

seasons

and

rules

for

the performance

of

them; nor

should

we

think

it beneath

us,

as

far

as possible, to

govern ourselves by

those

rules,

and

keep

to

our

own

appointed seasons;

otherwise

all

our

affairs

will be

ready

to

run into

cori-

fusion;

one

duty

will

be

apt

to

intrench upon another,

and

some

-of

the duties

of

life

or

godliness

will

be

neg-

lected, or quite forsaken, under

a

pretence

of

want

of

time.

One

thing

that

intrenches upon the regular

hours

and

orders of life,

is

a trifling

and dilatory

temper,

putting

off

necessary

business,

whether

it

be work.

or devotion,

till

the

last moment;

and then,

if

the least accident in-

tervenes,

we

have

not

left

ourselves sufficient time to

perform

it.

These are the

persons

who

are frequently

found

in.

a

hurry and

confusion,

because

they have

neg-

lected

to

do the

proper

work in

the

proper

season.

Their

business

is

always

done

in haste,

and

often unfinished.

These

are

they

who

keep

no

appointments,

who

are sel-

dom

true

to

their

hour,

who

make

their

friends wait

for.

them upen

all occasions; who

often create uneasi-

ness

to all the company,

and put

a whole family

out

of

order.

What

an

unbecoming behaviour

is

this

!

What

an

ill:

aspect

it

bears

!

especially

if

,these

delayers

are in

VOL.

I.

a