deceived, as this infamous pretence to honour in too many of their betters. Having thus fhewn you the weakness and uncertainty of those principles which fome men fet up in the place of confcience, to direct them in their actions; I fhall now endeavour to prove to you, that there is no folid, firm foundation of virtue, but in a conscience directed by the principles of religion. There is no way of judging how far we may depend upon the actions of men, otherwife than by knowing the motives, and grounds, and causes of them; and if the motives of our actions be not refolved and determined into the law of God, they will be precarious and uncertain, and liable to perpetual changes. I will fhew you what I mean, by an example. Suppofe a man thinks it his duty to obey his parents, because reason tells him fo, because he is obliged by gratitude, and because the laws of his country command him to do fo if he ftops here, his parents can have no lafting fecurity; for an occafion may happen, wherein it may be extremely his interest to be difobedient, and where the laws of the land can Jay no hold upon him: therefore, before fuch a man can fafely be trufted, he muft proceed farther, and confider, that his reafon is the gift of God; that God commanded him to be obedient to the laws, and did, moreover, in a particular manner, enjoin him to be dutiful to his parents; after which, if he lays due weight upon thofe confiderations, he will probably continue in his : duty duty to the end of his life; because no earthly interest can ever come in competition to balance the danger of offending his Creator, or the happiness of pleafing him. And of all this his confcience will certainly inform him, if he hath any regard to religion. Secondly, Fear and hope are the two greatest natural motives of all mens actions. But neither of thefe paffions will ever put us in the way of virtue, unless they be directed by confcience. For, although virtuous men do fometimes accidentally make their way to preferment, yet the world is fo corrupted, that no man can reasonably hope to be rewarded in it, merely upon account of his virtue. And confequently, the fear of punishment in this life, will preserve men from very few vifince fome of the blackeft and baseft do often prove the furest steps to favour; fuch as, ingratitude, hypocrify, treachery, malice, fubornation, atheism, and many more, which human laws do little concern themselves about. But, when confcience placeth before us the hopes of everlasting happiness, and the fears of everlasting mifery, as the reward and punishment of our good or evil actions, our reason can find no way to avoid the force of fuch an argument, otherwise than by running into infidelity. ces; Lastly, Confcience will direct us to love God, and to put our whole truft and confidence in him. Our love of God will infpire us with a deteftation for fin, as what is of all things moft contrary to his divine nature; and if we have an entire confidence in him, that will enable us to fubdue and defpife all the allurements of the world. It may here be objected, If confcience be fo fure a director to us Chriftians in the conduct of our lives, how comes it to pass, that the ancient Heathens, who had no other lights but thofe of nature and reafon, fhould fo far exceed us in all manner of virtue, as plainly appears by many examples they have left on record? To which it may be answered: First, thofe Heathens were extremely ftrict and exact in the education of their children; whereas, among us, this care is fo much laid aside, that the more God has blessed any man with eftate or quality, juft fo much the lefs in proportion is the care he takes in the education of his children, and particularly of that child which is to inherit his fortune; of which, the effects are vifible enough among the great ones of the world. Again, thofe Heathens did, in a particular manner, inftil the principle into their children, of loving their country; which is fo far otherwife, now-a-days, that of the feveral parties among us, there is none of them that feem to have fo much as heard whether there be such a virtue in the world; as plainly appears by their practices, and especially when they are placed in thofe ftations where they can only have opportunity of fhewing it. Laftly, the most confiderable among the Heathens did generally believe rewards and punishments in a life to come; which is the great principle for confcience to work work upon whereas, too many of those who would be thought the moft confiderable among us, do, both by their practices and their difcourfes, plainly affirm, that they believe nothing at all of the matter. Wherefore, fince it hath manifeftly appeared, that a religious conscience is the only true, folid foundation, upon which virtue can be built, give me leave, before I conclude, to let you fee how neceffary fuch a confcience is, to conduct us in every station and condition of our lives. That a religious confcience is neceffary in any ftation, is confeffed even by those who tell us, that all religion was invented by cunning men, in order to keep the world in awe. For if reli gion, by the confeflion of its adverfaries, be neceffary toward the well-governing of mankind; then every wife man in power will be fure, not only to chufe out, for every ftation under him, such persons as are most likely to be kept in awe by religion, but likewife, to carry fome appearance of it himself, or else he is a very weak politician. And accordingly, in any country, where great perfons affect to be open defpifers of religion, their counfels will be found at last to be fully as deftructive to the state as to the church. It was the advice of Jethro to his fon-in-law Mofes, to provide able men, fuch as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, and to place fuch over the people: and Mofes, who was as. wife a statesman, at leaft, as any in this age, thought fit to follow that advice. Great abili ties, without the fear of God, are most dangerous inftruments, when they are trusted with power. The laws of man have thought fit, that those who are called to any office of truft, fhould be bound by an oath to the faithful discharge of it: but an oath is an appeal to God, and therefore, can have no influence, except upon those who believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those that feek him, and a punisher of those who disobey him and, therefore, we fee the laws themfelves are forced to have recourfe to confcience in these cafes; because their penalties cannot reach the arts of cunning men, who can find ways to be guilty of a thousand injuftices, without being difcovered, or at leaft without being punished. And the reafon why we find so many frauds, abuses, and corruptions, where any truft is conferred, can be no other, than that there is fo little confcience and religion left in the world; or, at least, that men, in their choice of inftruments, have private ends in view, which are very different from the fervice of the public. Befides, it is certain, that men who profess to have no religion, are full as zealous to bring over profelytes, as any Papift or Fanatic can be. And therefore, if those who are in ftation high enough to be of influence or example to others; if thofe (I fay) openly profess a contempt or disbelief of religion, they will be fure to make all their dependents of their own principles; and what fecurity can the public expect from fuch perfons, whenever their interefts or their lufts come into competition with their duty? |