for God is prefent:here, my auditors, is produced an intereft, which, weighed against every other, preponderates by infinite degrees; an interest which it requires but little capacity to comprehend, and no extraordinary fenfibility to feel; an intereft which points to nothing of less magnitude, or shorter duration, than everlasting happiness, or ruin; an intereft, in fine, adapted to the plaineft conceptions and deepest folicitudes of the foul. Whether you speak of focial ties, or political inftitutions, or motives of health, reputation,' quiet, and the reft of that clafs; their influence on practice must unavoidably be deficient. Some of them reach only to particular actions, conjunctures, and modifications of life: none of them neceffarily affect the whole of existence: none of them are commensurate with the poffible attainments and immortal faculties of man; and they are each unaccompanied with that awful, univerfal, never-ceafing importance and majefty, which can alone ·VOL. II. A a

fecure a legitimate, entire, and endless dominion over the understanding, the confcience, and the heart.

Do I mean to infinuate, that either moral or prudential confiderations are of no ufe in cafes of a critical nature? Far from it. The celebrated Hebrew Youth, in refifting the blandifhments of his mafter's wife, did not only urge the dread of difpleafing the Omniprefent Divinity, who, ke knew, was then his Witnefs, and would at laft be his Judge, but argued with great force on the principles of ingenuity, gratitude, fidelity, and honour; principles originally implanted by the fame Hand, frequently addreffed in Holy Writ, as we have found on former occafions, and perhaps entitled to a little more attention than is given them in the discourses of fome public inftructors. The truth is, that Religion adopts into her family allthe focial and all the private Virtues. To nurfe and train them, to regulate and

affift their operations, is among her chief cares; nor does fhe difdain to ftrengthen her interest in the minds of men by any innate propenfion to goodness, or any happy influence of education; all which the traces to the appointment of her Parent God, and employs as fo many fubordinate means of leading her children to Him. But obferve, I beseech you: while fhe allows to every one of them its full value, fhe ftill infifts, that they fhall all have their "waiting eyes towards her," as both their miftrefs and their patronefs, for fupport, for countenance, and direction.

Among the temporal motives to a right behaviour which she also proposes, I just named Reputation. There was, not very long ago, a period when, it must be owned, a regard to that object, and others connected with it, thofe of credit, bufinefs, and general acceptance, produced very de-> fireable and extenfive effects on the conduct of men, of young men especially who

were fetting out in the world, and who depended for their fuccefs chiefly on their character. I fay not that every view of this fort is now neglected. God forbid. But I do fay, that its efficacy is much less diffufive than formerly, that the love of honeft fame does not actuate near fo many of mankind as in better ages. An avowed contempt of chastity, prudence, frugality, and moderation in the male fex, and I am tempted to add, an open renunciation of domeftic duties and enjoyments among the other, in favour of diverfion, drefs, cardtables, and continual gadding, offend but a few minds, in comparison of those that would have feriously condemned them, when the nation was lefs rich, and lefs polished.

you

But I go farther, and fay, that if will fuppofe the fouleft characters to be clothed in the trappings of wealth, or of grandeur, or to be connected with those who are, or yet boldly to affume an air of

confequence, to which they have not the fmalleft title, they fhall often be received with complaifance, if not kindness, by men of unquestionable probity, but who, if they had equal fortitude, would fhun them with deteftation.

I go ftill farther, and obferve with aftonishment, not only that the generality can look upon the worst offenders with a fmiling face, or at leaft with a placid indifference, not only that the feeling of indignation at vice in thofe who are not guilty of it, and the feeling of fhame in those who are, feem nearly annihilated; but that there are many who can make flagrant iniquity a fubject of merriment. It has been thought, that when Virtue falls into fuch difrepute, as to frighten people from efpoufing her caufe, left they fhould be ridiculed for their pains, it indicates the laft ftage of public depravity. But the period in which we live, appears to have proceeded a length till now un