pity and to affift others in their diftrefs. He never added weight to the troubled mind, but, with a tender and a liberal hand, poured balm into every wound. Be thou then merciful to thyfelf, as thou art hereafter to be judged, and judge of him with candour and commiferation.

3dly, Let us all frequently call to mind the various acts of hard-heartedness and cruelty of which we have been guilty; and let us refolve, in the first instance, to make all the atonement in our power, and in fincere penitence refolve, as we expect mercy, never for the future to indulge or gratify a cruel difpofition. Pain and mifery are horrible evils. Let us take care never to inflict either, that we may not fuffer in like manner but let us strive to keep our conscience void of offence both towards God and towards man, generously and honourably refolving to deny ourselves that pleasure which may give another pain; and, with the largest and most abundant compaffion towards animated nature, let us ever ftrive to keep innocency, and to take heed unto the thing that is right, for that fhall furely bring us peace at the last.

L 3

Το

To conclude.

If we would be happy, we must endeavour to imitate the Almighty God in all his imitable perfections, particularly in his attribute of mercy. We must endeavour to follow the example of our bleffed leader and captain, Jesus Christ the Lord, who would not break even the bruised reed, who prayed for his very murderers, and who invited them moft kindly, by the apoftle St. Peter, to repent and to be converted, that their fins might be blotted out. Fill us, O Lord, with this charitable and heavenly temper of mind, and grant that we may never cruelly mifufe thy creatures, which thou haft committed to our charge, nor hesitate to forgive our fellow-fervant the fmall fum of an hundred pence, fince we must all, with fhame and confufion, acknowledge ourselves to be in debt to thee, far more than the fum of ten thousand talents And grant, O Lord, as we do from our hearts forgive every one his brother their trefpaffes, that we may all of us receive the perfect remiffion of our fins, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Now to God the Father, &c.

SER

SERMON IX.

ON EN V Y.

PROV. xxvii. 4.

Who is able to ftand before envy?

Y this question, Solomon feems to have

BY

thought that no man can ftand before Envy; that every virtue withers at its approach. True, indeed, it is, that where, there is an enterprifing virtue, there Envy, with a thousand various tongues, is loud in babble; but as its noife ferves only to proclaim that virtue, it is, perhaps, in this case, no misfortune to be envied. Nevertheless, happy is the man, who is far aloof from this restless, this pernicious evil; happy, if he may live out of the glare of this world, in the fhade of obfcurity and contentment,

where envy hath no refidence, no poffeffion, But, alas! what fhade, what gloomy cell, can entirely hide us from its fearch? Where hath it no haunt? It is as visible in the cloister as in the palace. The meanest cottager envies his neighbour, or his master, as much as the statesman his rival or his fuperior. All ranks and degrees of men are infected with it. It is a general evil, and, therefore, it should be generally opposed. Now, that we may properly be aware of it, and guard ourselves against it, fuffer me,

ift, To define, and then to discourse at large upon it.

2dly, I shall submit to your confideration fome few rules for its prevention and extinction.

Mr. Locke fays, that "Envy is an uncasiness of mind, arifing from the confideration of a good we defire, which is obtained by one who, we think, fhould not have had it before us." I may alfo add, that Envy is a base attempt to pull down another's virtue below its own meannefs and contemptibility. Herein it widely differs from that noble principle of the foul called Emulation, which although it ftrive against fuperiori

ties, yet it is bold in confcious honour, and it ever hath integrity for its fhield, Emulation is the true and fterling mark of magnanimity. It dwells only in great minds, and it is the fpring and fource of heroic virtue. But Envy is an illiberal, a fordid, a bafe fpirit. Emulation urges us on to the attainment of that virtue, which is offered to all; but Envy discovers the vile and malicious means by which we may pull back those that are before us. The one, with generous fervour, strives to become great and good, and it blushes at its own weakness and delay; but the other, 'arrogant and flothful, rails at fortune, and with a certain irritability of temper that wounds only itself, it satirizes, it repines at every success but its own. It fhall, indeed, happen, that an envious man betrays not even the fainteft defire to mount up to the height and grandeur of another, but only employs himself in the blighting, and in the deftroying of a profperous exaltation. Surely, this employment must be moft vexatious and unprofitable; and, therefore, he who cherishes this vice in his bofom, is and must be wretched, not, indeed, because of his own unworthiness,