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finking Expences of Lewdness and Uncleannefs are. In a word, it is Vice only that is the chargeable thing; it is only Shame and Repentance that Men buy at fuch coftly Rates. Godliness is faving, and full of good Husbandry; nor has it any known or unknown Ways of fpending, except it be those of Charity; which, indeed, in proper fpeaking, are not fo much Expence, as Ufury; for Money fo laid out, doth always, even in this Life, return to us with Advantage.

The Fourth and laft Means I mentioned of Thriving in the World, was, The keeping a good Correspondence with all those, in mhofe Power it is to hinder or promote our Affairs. This every Body knows to be a prime Point in Policy; and indeed it is of a large extent, and of continual ufe. No Man can be fuppofed fo independent on others, but that as he is fome way beholden to them for all that he has, fo he ftands in need of their Help and Concurrence for all that he hopes for. Men do not make their Fortunes of themselves, nor grow rich by having Treasures dropped in their Laps; but they do it by the Benefit of Human Society, by the mutual Affiftances and good Offices that one Man performs for another. So that whoever intends to thrive in the World, it, above all Things, imports him so to carry himself towards all that he hath any Commerce with, fo far to fecure their Favour and Goodwill, that they may be obliged not to deny him any of thofe Affiftances, which the Exigency of his Affairs calls

for

for at their Hands. But now, how this should be done any otherwise, than by being truly Just and Honeft, by abftaining from Violence and Injury, by being True to our Trust, and Faithful in performing our Contracts; and, in a Word, by doing all thofe good Offices to others, which we expect they should do unto us, which, as our Saviour tells us, is the Sum of Religion; is a very hard thing to conceive.

The Usefulness, or rather the Neceffity of fuch a Behaviour as this, in order to the gaining the good Opinion of others, and fo ferving our own Ends by them, is fo univerfally acknowledged, that even those that make no real Confcience of these Things, are yet nevertheless, in all their Dealings, forced to pretend to them. Open and Barefaced Knavery, rarely ferves a Man's turn in this World; but it is under the Mask of Vertue and Honefty, that it ufually performs thofe Feats it doth;. which is no less than a Demonftration of the Conduciveness of thofe Things to promote our Temporal Interefts: For if the mere Pretence to them, be a great Advantage to us for this purpose, it cannot be imagined, but that the Reality of them will be a greater. Certainly the Power of Godliness will be able to do more than the Form alone; and that if it were upon no other account than this, that no Man that is but a mere Pretender to Honesty, can long hope to keep his Credit among Men. It is impoffible to act a Part for any long Time; let him carry it never fo cunning, his Vizor

will fome time or other be thrown off, and he will appear in his true Colours; and to what a World of Mischiefs and Inconveniencies he will then be expofed, every one that knows how hated, how detefted, how abandon'd by every one a Knave and a Villain is, may eafily determine. I hope I need fay no more to convince you, that Religion is the best Policy; and that the more hearty and conscientious any Man is in the Practice of it, the more likely he is to Thrive and Improve in the World.

So that I may now proceed to the Second General Point to be spoken to, which is, The Profitableness of Religion for the attaining a good Name and Reputation. How very much it conduceth to this purpose, will appear from thefe Two Confiderations:

First, It lays the fureft Grounds and Foundations for a Good Name and Reputation.

Secondly, Men are generally fo juft to it, that it rarely miffes of a good Name and Reputation: The Firft is an Argument from Reafon; the Second, from Experience.

First of all, Godliness layeth the trueft Foun-` dation for a fair Reputation in the World. There are but Two Things that can give a Man a Title to the good Opinion and Refpects of Men; the inward Worth and Dignity of his Perfon, and his Usefulness and Serviceablenefs to others. The First of these challengeth Mens. Efteem, the other their Love. Now both these Qualities Religion and Vertue do eminently poffefs us of.

For,

For, Firft, The Religious Man is certainly the most Worthy and Excellent Perfon; for he, of all others, lives moft up to the great End for which he was defigned, which is the natural Measure of the Goodness and Worth of Things.

Whatever External Advantages a Man may have, yet if he be not endow'd with Vertuous Qualities, he is far from having any true Worth or Excellence, and confequently cannot be a fit Object of our Praife and Efteem; because he wants that which should make him Perfect and Good in his Kind. For it is not a comely Perfonage, or a long Race of Famous Ancestors, or a large Revenue, or a multitude of Servants, or many fwelling Titles, or any other Thing without a Man, that fpeaks him a Compleat Man, or makes him to be what he fhould be: But the right ufe of his Reafon, the employing his Liberty and Choice to the beft Purposes, the exercifing his Powers and Faculties about the fittest Objects, and in the moft due Measures; thefe are the Things that make him Excellent. Now none can be faid to do this, but only he that is Vertuous.

Secondly, Religion alfo is that which makes a Man moft Useful and Profitable to others; for it effectually fecures his Performance of all those Duties whereby both the Security and Welfare of the Publick, and also the Good and Advantage of particular Perfons, is most attained.

It makes Men Lovers of their Country, Loyal to their Prince, Obedient to Laws: It

is the fureft Bond and Prefervative of Society in the World: It obliges us to live peaceably, and to fubmit ourselves to our Rulers, not only for Wrath, but also for Confcience fake: It renders us modeft and governable in Profperity, and refolute and courageous to fuffer bravely in a good Caufe, in the worst of Times: It teacheth us to endeavour, as much as in us lies, to promote the Good of every particular Member of the Community, to be inflexibly upright, to do hurt, to none, but good Offices to all; to be charitable to the Bodies and Souls of Men, to do all manner of Kindneffes that lie within our Power: It takes off the Sowrnefs and Morofe. nefs of our Spirits, and makes us Affable and Courteous, Gentle and Obliging, and willing to embrace, with open Arms, and an hearty Love, all Sorts and Conditions of Men.

In every Relation wherein we can stand to one another, it influenceth upon us, in order to the making us more ufeful: It makes Parents kind and indulgent, and careful of the Education of their Children; and Children loving and obedient to their Parents: It makes Servants diligent to please their Masters, and to do their Work in Singleness of Heart, not with Eye-fervice, as Men-pleafers, but as unto God; and it makes Masters gentle and forbearing, and careful to make Provifion for their Family; as those that know they have a Mafter in Heaven, that is no Respecter of Perfons. In a word, there is no Condition or Capacity, in which Religion will not be fignally

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