II. in his own eye, as well as in that of the SERM. public. Hence, it is common for many, especially for those in the higher claffes of life, to take much praise to themselves on account of their fenfibility, though it be, in truth, a fenfibility of very defective kind. They relent at the view of mifery when it is ftrongly fet before them. Often too, affected chiefly by the powers of description, it is at feigned and pictured diftrefs, more than at real misery,that they relent. The tears which they shed upon these occafions they confider as undoubted proofs of virtue. They applaud themselves for the goodness of their hearts; and conclude, that with fuch feelings they cannot fail to be agreeable to Heaven. At the fame time, these transient relentings make flight impression on conduct. They give rife to few, if any, good deeds; and soon after such persons have wept at fome tragical tale, they are ready to ftretch forth the hand of oppreffion, to grafp at the gain of injuftice, or to plunge into the torrent of criminal pleasures. This fort of sensibility affords no more than a fallacious claim SERM, claim to virtue, and gives men no ground II. to think highly of themselves. We must inquire not merely how they feel, but how their feelings prompt them to act, in order to afcertain their real character. I SHALL conclude with obferving, that fenfibility, when genuine and pure, has a ftrong connection with piety. That warmth of affection, and tenderness of heart, which lead men to feel for their brethren, and to enter into their joys and forrows, should naturally dispose them to melt at the remembrance of the divine goodness; to glow with admiration of the divine majefty; to fend up the voice of praise and adoration to that Supreme Being who makes his creatures happy. He who pretends to great fenfibility towards men, and yet has no feeling for the high objects of religion, no heart to admire and adore the great Father of the univerfe, has reafon to diftruft the truth and delicacy of his fenfibility. He has reafon to fufpect, that in fome corner of his heart there lodges a fe cret II. cret depravity, an unnatural hardness and SERM. calloufnefs, which vitiates his character. -Let us ftudy to join all the parts of virtue in proper union; to be confiftently and uniformly good; juft and upright, as well as pitiful and courteous; pious, as well as fympathifing. Let us pray to him who made the heart, that he would fill it with all proper dispositions; rectify all its errors; and render it the happy abode of personal integrity and focial tenderness, of purity, benevolence, and devotion. SER SERMON III. On the IMPROVEMENT of TIME. SERM. III. GENESIS, xlvii. 8. And Pharaoh faid unto Jacob, How old art ΤΗ thou? IME is of fo great importance to mankind, that it cannot too often employ religious meditation. There is nothing in the management of which wifdom is more requifite, or where mankind display their inconfiftency more. In its particular parcels, they appear entirely careless of it; and throw it away with thoughtless profufion. But, when collected into fome of its great portions, and viewed as the measure of their continuance in life, they become sen III. fible of its value, and begin to regard it SER M. with a ferious eye. While day after day is wafted in a courfe of idlenfs or vicious pleasures, if fome incident fhall occur which leads the moft inconfiderate man to think of his age, or time of life; how much of it is gone; at what period of it he is now arrived; and to what proportion of it he can with any probability look forward, as yet to come; he can hardly avoid feeling some secret compunction, and reflecting seriously upon his ftate. Happy, if that virtuous impreffion were not of momentary continuance, but retained its influence amidst the fucceeding cares and pleasures of the world! To the good old Patriarch mentioned in the text, we have reafon to believe that fuch impreffions were habitual. The queftion put to him by the Egyptian monarch produced, in his anfwer, fuch reflections as were naturally fuited to his time of life. And Jacob faid unto Pharaoh, the days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life |