ate in these relations; hast thou no sense of what thou owest to thy first Parent, thy highest Sovereign, thy greatest Benefactor? Can it be consistent with true virtue or honour, to value thyself upon thy regard to inferior obligations, and yet to violate that which is the most sacred and the most ancient of all? When simple instinct teaches the Tartar and the Indian, together with his alms and good works, to join his prayers to that Power whom he considers as the source of good, shall it be no reproach in the most enlightened state of human nature, and under the purest dispensation of religion, to have extinguished the sense of gratitude to Heaven, and to slight all acknowledgment of the great and the true God? What does such conduct imply, but either an entire want, or a wilful suppression, of some of the best and most generous affections belonging to human nature? Surely, there must be an essential defect in that heart which remains cold and insensible, where it ought to be affected most warmly. Surely such a degree of depravity must be lodged there, as is sufficient to taint all the other springs of pretended virtue,

But besides this, I must contend, in the second place, That where religion is neglected, there

can be no regular nor steady practice of the duties of morality. The character will be often inconsistent; and Virtue, placed on a basis too narrow to support it, will be always loose and tottering. For such is the propensity of our nature to vice, so numerous are the temptations to a relaxed and immoral conduct, that stronger restraints than those of mere reason, are necessary to be imposed on man. The sense of right and wrong, the principle of honour, or the instinct of benevolence, are barriers too feeble to withstand the strength of passion. In the tranquil seasons of life these natural principles may, perhaps, carry on the ordinary course of social duties with some regularity. But wait until some trying emergency come. Let the conflict of passions arise. Let the heart be either wounded by sore distress, or agitated by violent emotions ; and you shall presently see, that virtue without religion is inadequate to the government of life. It is destitute of its proper guard, of its firmest support, of its chief encouragement. It will sink under the weight of misfortune; or will yield to the solicitation

of guilt.

The great motives that produce constancy and firmness of action, must be of a palpable and striking kind. A divine Legislator, uttering his voice from heaven; an omniscient witness, beholding us in all our retreats; an Almighty Governor stretching forth his arm to punish or reward, disclosing the secrets of the invisible world, informing us of perpetual rest prepared hereafter for the righteous, and of indignation and wrath awaiting the wicked : These are the considerations which overawe the world, which support integrity and check guilt. They add to virtue that solemnity which should ever characterise it. To the admonitions of conscience they give the authority of a law. Co-operating with all the good dispositions of a pious man, they strengthen and ensure their influence. On his alms

you can have no certain dependence, who thinks not of God, nor has joined prayer to his charitable deeds. But when humanity is second

piety, the spring from which it flows is rendered, of course, more regular and constant.--In short, withdraw religion, and you shake all the pillars of morality. In every heart you weaken the influence of virtue: And among the multitude, the bulk of mankind, you overthrow its power.

ed by

Having thus shown that morality, without devotion, is both defective and unstable, I proceed to consider the other extreme, of prayers without alms, devotion without morality. In

every age the practice has prevailed, of substituting certain appearances of piety in the place of the great duties of humanity and mercy. Too many there have always been, who flatter themselves with the hope of obtaining the friendship of their Creator, though they neglect to do justice to their fellow-creatures. But such persons may be assured, that their supposed piety is altogether of a spurious kind. It is an invention of their own, unknown to reason, unknown in the word of God. In Scripture we are ever directed to try our faith by our works, our love of God by our love of men. We are directed to consider piety as a principle which regenerates the heart, and forms it to goodness. taught that in vain we address any acts of homage to Christ, unless we do the things which he saith ; and that love, peace, gentleness, goodness, meekness, and temperance, are not only the injunctions of his law, but the native fruits of his spirit. * If therefore, while piety seems ardent, morality shall decline, you have full reason to believe, that into that piety some corrupting ingredients have entered. And if

We are

• Luke, v. 46. Gal. v. 22.

ever your regard to morality shall totally fail; if while you

make

many prayers, you give no alms; if while you appear to be zealous for God, you are false or unjust to men ;

if

you are hard or contracted in heart, severe in your censures, and oppressive in your conduct; then conclude with certainty, that what you had termed piety was no more than an empty name. For as soon, according to the Scripture similitude, will bitter waters flow from a sweet fountain, as such effects be produced by genuine piety. What

you

have called by that name, resolves itself into one or other of three things. Either it is a hypocritical form of godliness, assumed in order to impose on the world; or, which is the most favourable supposition, it is a transient impression of seriousness, an accidental melting of the heart, which passes away like the morning cloud and the early dew ; or, which I am afraid is too often the case, it is the deliberate refuge of a deluded and superstitious, but at the same time a corrupted mind. For all men, even the most depraved, are subject, more or less, to compunctions of conscience. It has never been in their

power to withdraw totally beyond the reach of that warning voice, which tells them that something is necessary to be done, in order to make