in the bud, and (where the wound is otherwise irremediable) stopping the contagion by an exemplary punishment : approving themselves faithful to their truft, to their country, and to their God.

2dly. We may infer how much happier it is for the commonalty that they are within the reach of human laws, than it is for those who by birth or power are above it fince by the terror or fmart of legal punishments they are ftopped in their career, and often brought to a true sense of their folly and wickedness, and of course to a fincere and hearty repentance and final falvation: Or, at least, fhould they escape with impunity, have it not in their power to diffuse the vicious in

fection

fection fo wide as might be done from a more elevated fituation.-But, more especially,

3dly, Let it be a warning to all, of high or low degree, that even the venerable and religious Eli and his whole family were cut off in one day; his fons for their actual fins and the evil example they fet the congregation; and the aged father for his remiffness and lenity in the discharge of his parental, prieftly, and judicial authority. And though no fignal vengeance should overtake us in this life; yet let us remember, that there are eternal torments prepared for the wicked in the next : that however we may congratulate ourselves upon our having evaded human laws by dexterity or privacy,

or

or overawed them by power; yet at the fupreme judicature at the laft day, omniscience will discover all our fecret fins, infinite truth will determine the precise nature and heinousness of them, infinite juflice will pafs an impartial fentence; and omnipotence will inflict an adequate punishment. And, although philanthropy (the love of human-kind) fo prevalent in other cafes, may not have force enough to influence our examples in refpect of the evils we may thereby bring on our fellowcreatures; yet, furely, the actual enticing them to fin ought to be care fully, religiously avoided, if it were only out of regard to the heavier punishments which we should justly deferve on that account. For as one, by converting a finner from the

error

error of his ways, and faving a foul alive, fhall hide a multitude of his own fins, and fhare a larger degree of happiness in heaven: so it is reasonable, it is just, that another, who inticeth an innocent perfon to fin, or deludes him by the false glare of an evil example, fhould feel a more intense degree of torment in hell.

:

Confider yourselves, therefore, as lights fet upon an hill, not to mislead your fellow travellers, but to conduct them in their way to the celeftial Canaan and may your light so shine before men, that they may fee your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven; which God of his infinite mercy grant, through Jefus Chrift.

SERMON IV.

DEUT. XXX. 15.

See, I have fet before thee this day, life and good, and death and evil.

T

HESE few words are the fum

of Mofes's elaborate and pa

or in

thetic exhortation to the Ifraelites in the wilderness, juft before he was going to resign both his command and his life together: and contain the fanction of his legislation; plainer words, the motives which fhould induce them to obey those. laws, which God had been pleased. to deliver to them by him; a fanction, founded on the nature of man and the attributes of God; and mo

tives