or thinks himself in the faireft way of acquiring, but is liable to be loft by Ten Thousand accidents, wholly out of all Mortal Power either to forefee or prevent. And yet the Uncertainty of this World is not more notorious than (without the Light of Religion) is the Uncertainty of what fhall be hereafter. And therefore what a confus'd and wretched State muft that Life needs be,which at present hangs every minute in doubt and uncertainty of every good thing it either wifhes or enjoys; & which must shortly terminate, as an Atheistical Philofopher exprefs'd at his Death, in a great Leap into the Dark? Now this being allow'd, as it cannot be deny'd, to be the prefent condition of the World; fhould we not efteem it a mighty advantage to be exempted from the common lot, and to find fome fure-footing, fome certainty in this unfecure and flippery Pilgrimage upon Earth? and at the fame time to be deliver'd from the Darknefs and Perplexities of a Future State? In all the difficultys that attend Human Life, in all the changes and chances of this Frail, Unftable and Perillous Condition of Mortality, to have One plain Guide to direct us, One ftrait Path, that if we refolutely ftick to it and are entirely purpos'd, neither for Hopes nor Fears, Danger nor Intereft, ever to fwerve from it, will infallibly lead us to

Safety

Safety and Security, how unvaluable a Bleffing muft this needs be? How would it put us out of the reach of thofe Evils, to which Man is born as Naturally as the Sparks fly Upward? How fafe and fearless would it make Profperity? How eafy, nay how comfortable, nay how advantageous, nay how glorious would it render Adverfity? In every Itate of Life, in every alteration of Circumftances and Outward Accidents, how fteady, how unconcern'd, how conftant to ourselves, (which is the chief Glory of a great Mind,) would it make and preferve us! But above all, what unfpeakable Confolation would it afford to have a bleffed Affurance of Future Glory, to have our Minds establish'd with Confidence towards God and Hopes full of Immortality? Now this fhort, but very comprehenfive faying of the wifeft of Men, this plain but useful Obfervation in my Text, will ferve, if well con fider'd and duely practis'd, to all those great purposes I have mention'd. Religion Only can reftore us to that State of fecurity which was at first forfeited by Sin. Righteousness and Integrity, the governing all our Actions by the fixt and unalterable Principles of Confcience and Honefty, and ever adhereing ftedfaftly to our Plain Duty, whatever temptations there may be to draw us from it, is the Only wife, the Only fafe Course, that

will never fail to bring us to the Journeys end, that we contend for, Happynefs; that will make our Way, (be it never fo befet with hardships) paffable to us; and when our Travel is over, moft certainly bring us Peace at the laft. And that Man can never be truly miferable, can never but be full of Security and Comfort, tho' all the Calamities and Difgraces and Poverty and Pain, that the Devil was fuffer'd to inflict upon Holy Job, fhould by permiffion of the fame Providence, be his Lot, who can truly fay with that fame Holy Man (Job 27.5, 6.) Till I dye I will not remove my Integrity from me; My Righteousness I hold faft and will not let it go, My Heart fhall not reproach me fo long as I live. David affures us He that do's these things fhall never Fall; for, as his Son fpeaks in my Text, Walking Uprightly be walketh Surely.

The Phrafe which the Wife Man here makes ufe of, Walking Uprightly, may be taken either in a more wide and general, or else in a more restrain'd and particular Senfe.

If we take it in the first Senfe, as Uprightnefs and Righteoufnefs fignify ufually in Scripture all manner of Holyness and Virtue, (εν ἢ δικαιοσιώη συλλήβδίω πᾶσ ̓ ἀρετή ἐςι) by Walking Uprightly will be meant at large the guiding all ones Actions by the Rules of Religion, an Uniform and Exact Obedience to all the Laws of God.

If

If we take it in the fecond more restrain'd and proper fignification, as Uprightness fignifies Juftice, Integrity and Sincerity; by Walking Uprightly will be meant more particularly a conftant ufe of Honefty, Plainnefs and Simplicity in all our Dealings, in Oppofition to Guile and Hypocrify, Craft and Worldly Wisdom.

And in both these Senfes it will be easy to fhew that Walking Uprightly is walking Surely. I begin with the Firft.

Now he may juftly and properly be faid to walk Surely, who can fecure a happy Event to his Actions against all Contingencies or Chances whatever. And that the Man who acts conftantly according to the dictates of Religion and Virtue can do so, will be Evident from the Principles upon which all his Actions are grounded; which are Thefe, That there is an Almighty and Allwife Being that overlooks and takes account of all that is done upon Earth; A God who, tho' his Throne is in Heaven, yet his Eyes behold, his Eyelids try the Children of Men. And that this God has appointed a Day of Recompence and a Future ftate either of Happiness or Mifery, each Eternal, to be the Portion of every Man according to the Quality of the Works that he do's here in the Flefh. From which Principles he naturally gathers, that it is his chiefeft Intereft,

his only Concern, fo to act in this World, as to obtain the endless Happynefs, and efcape the Everlafting Mifery of the other. And can there be a more Infallible and Sure Conclufion than this? When a Man is perfuaded that he Acts always in the fight of his Judge, from whom he expects a certain Retribution of Blifs, or Woe to all Eternity; is there any thing in the World can give him any Security or ground of Confidence, but the performing the Duties to which Glory and Immortality are annex'd, and efchewing the Evils to which Shame and Destruction and Eternal Death are as infeparably link'd? No certainly. When he is once convinc'd of the Truth of thefe Principles, there is no other way but this of promifing to himself any manner of safety as to his Everlafting State; and as to whatever may be had on This fide of That State, What will it profit him to gain the whole World and to lofe his own Soul? To act fo contrary to a Man's own Eternal Intereft, is to act against Natural Reason, as well as Reveal'd Religion; and to contradict Nature, as well as to defy Grace. This is so plain, that it need not, one would think, be infifted upon, that granting the firft Principles of the Upright Man to be True, namely that there is an Allfeeing God, who will certainly bring all Mankind to Judgment, that then He who

has