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your holy ambition to excel in it. You cannot murmur without being guilty of reproaching God, because he hath made you what you are; becaufe, he formed you men, and not angels, archangels, er feraphims. Had he annexed effential privileges to the highest ranks, fubmiffion would always be your lot, and you ought always to adore, and to fubmit to that intelligence, which governs the world but this is not your cafe. God gives to the great men of the earth an exterior, tranfient, fuperficial glory; but he hath made, you share with them a glory real, folid, and permanent. What difficulty can a wife man find by acquiefcing in this law of providence?

Derive from the truths you have heard concluons of vigilance. Instead of ingenioufly flattering yourfelf with the vain glory of being elevated above your neighbour, or of fuffering your mind to fink under the puerile mortification of being inferior to him, inceffantly inquire what is the virtue of your station, the duty of your rank, and ufe your utmost induftry to fill it worthily. You are a magiftrate: the virtue of your ftation, the duty of your rank, is to employ yourself wholly to ferve your fellow fubjects in inferior ftations, to prefer the public good before your own private intereft, to facrifice yourfelf for the advantage of that state, the reins of which you hold. Practife this virtue, fulfil thefe engagements, put off felfintereft, and deyote yourfelf wholly to a people, who entrust you with their properties, their liberties, and their lives. You are a fubject: the duty of your rank, the virtue of your flation, is fubmiffion, and you should obey not only through fear of punishment, but through a wife regard for order. Practise this virtue, fulfil this engagement, make it your glory to fubmit, and in the authority of princes refpect the power of God, whole minifters and reprefentatives they are. You are a rich, man: the virtue of your itation,

the

the duty of your condition, is beneficence, generofity, magnanimity. Practife thefe virtues, difcharge thefe duties. Let your heart be always

moved with the neceffities of the wretched, and your ears open to their complaints. Never omit an opportunity of doing good, and be in fociety a general refource, and univerfal refuge.

From the truths, which you have heard, derive motives of zeal and fervour. It is mortifying, I own, in fome refpects, when one feels certain emotions of dignity and elevation, to fink in fociety. It is mortifying to beg bread of one, who is a man like ourselves. It is mortifying to be trodden under foot by our equals, and, to fay all in a word, to be in ftations very unequal among our equals. But this economy will quickly vanifh. The fashion of this world will presently pass away, and we fhall foon enter that bleffed ftate, in which all distinctions will be abolished, and in which all that is noble in immortal fouls, will fhine in all its fplendor. Let us, my brethren, figh after this period, let us make it the objec of our most conftant and ardent prayers. grant, we may all have a right to pray for it! God grant, our text may be one day verified in a new fenfe. May all, who compofe this affembly, mafters and fervants, rich and poor, may we all, my dear hearers, having acknowledged ourfelves equal in effence, in privileges, in deftination, in laft end, may we all alike participate the fame glory. God grant it, for his mercy's fake.Amen.

God

THE WORTH OF THE SOUL.

MATTHEW xvi. 26.

What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

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My brethren, before we enforce the truths, which Jefus Chrift included in the words of the text, we will endeavour to fix the meaning of it. This depends on the term soul, which is ufed in this paffage, and which is one of the moft equivocal words in fcripture; for it is taken in different, and even in contrary fenfes, fo that fometimes it fignifies a dead body, Lev. xxi. 1. We will not divert your attention now, by reciting the long lift of explications, that may be giren to the term; but we will content ourselves with remarking, that it can be taken only in two fenfes in the text.

Soul may be taken for life; and in this fenfe the term is ufed by St. Matthew, who fays, They are dead, who sought the young child's soul, chap. ii. 20. Soul may be taken for that fpiritual part of us, which we call the soul by excellence; and in this fenfe it is ufed by our Lord, who fays, Fear not them, which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him, which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell, chap.

x. 28.

If we take the words in the first fenfe, for life, we put into the mouth of Jefus Chrift a propofition verified by experience; that is, that men confider life as the greatest of all temporal bleffings, and that they part with every thing to preferve it. This rule hath its exceptions; but the exceptions confirm the rule. Sometimes, indeed, a difguft with the world, afprinciple of religion,

a point of honour, will incline men to facrifice their lives; but thefe particular cafes cannot prevent our faying in the general, What shall a man give in exchange for his life?

If we take the word for that part of man, which we call the soul by excellence, Jefus Chrift intended to point out to us, not what men usually do, (for alas! it happens too often, that men facrifice their fouls to the meanest and most fordid intereft) but what they always ought to do. He meant to teach us, that the foul is the nobleft part of us, and that nothing is too great to be given for its ransom.

Both thefe interpretations are probable, and each hath its partizans and its proofs. But, although we would not condemn the first, we prefer the laft, not only because it is the most noble meaning, and opens the most extenfive field of meditation; but becaufe it feems to us the most conformable to our Saviour's defign in fpeaking

the words.

Judge by what precedes our text. "What is a man profited, if he fhall gain the whole world, and lofe his own foul?" Jefus Chrift spoke thus to fortify his difciples against the temptations, to which their profeffion of the gofpel was about to expofe them. If by the word foul we understand the life, we fhall be obliged to go a great way about to give any reasonable fenfe to the words. On the contrary, if we take the word for the spirit, the meaning of the whole is clear and cafy. Now it feems to me beyond a doubt, that Jefus Chrift, by the manner in which he hath connected the text with the preceding verfe, used the term soul in the latter fenfe.

Judge of our comment alfo by what follows. "What fhall a man give in exchange for his foul?" For, adds our Lord immediately after, the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with bis angels; and then be shall reward

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