1 VII. manly foldier has quitted his poft in this SERM. life, who fhall reftore him to his duty? how fhall he wipe off the ftain of his difobedience, or reconcile himself to his divine commander ? All that can be expected therefore, from a deed fo daring, muft be, that we fhall rush with added guilt into the prefence of our judge; that our scene of mifery will only be changed, and instead of the impotent rage and malice of weak man, we fhall incur what is infinitely more dreadful, the wrath of the living God. Why does the wicked man fhun darkness and folitude, but because there, he knows, man (on whom he trufts) will not be, but God may be there, whom he hath offended? He is afraid of every part of nature, because every part was made by that Being whom he hath provoked, and for ought he knows may rife up against him, and vindicate their Creator. He is afraid, therefore, K 4 VII. SERM. fore, where no fear is. The wicked, fays Solomon, flees when no man purfueth. It is part of the curfe which attends on guilt, that it always makes men cowards : it makes them fee dangers where there. are none, and feel calamities which are never inflicted. Since then, my brethren, fuch and fo dreadful are thofe wounds which are inflicted on the fpirit of man, what grand specific fhall we find to foften and relieve them? Surrounded as we are with miseries, both of the foul and body, both natural and acquired; thus befet with evils and calamities on every fide, to whom shall we apply for fuccour and redress? Is there, as the prophet says, no balm in Gilead? is there no physician there? Let us hear what reafon and religion, thofe great phyficians of mankind, will prefcribe unto us. And first, then, in regard to natural and corporeal evils, the common lot and portion of mortality, VII. mortality, it may not be improper to SERM. obferve the mutual actions of mind and body on each other in this life; which fhould make us extremely careful to preferve a proper temperament in both. When our weak frame is afflicted with diforders, it is impoffible for the foul abfolutely to preferve its tranquility. Not all the affluence of fortune, nor the acquifitions of fame or power, can extirpate the sense of pain. All that the mind can do in regard to the infirmities of nature, is to prevent, if poffible, what it cannot cure, and to foften what it cannot remove. Temperance, therefore, may preferve us from many disorders; and if men were as careful to acquire and preserve health, as they are to accumulate riches and honours, they would not fo often lament the want of it. But those natural and unavoidable evils, which it is not even in the power of temperance and VII. SERM. and virtue to prevent, refolution and courage should teach us to bear. To fhrink beneath the flighteft touch of calamity, to yield to the fofteft preffure, betrays a weakness of foul that debafes our nature, an infirmity unworthy of an immortal spirit. We are placed by our great leader in a poft of danger, and it is our duty to maintain it against all oppofition, if we hope from him preferment or reward. Let us not, then, be tamely borne down the stream of adverfity, but endeavour to ftem the torrent. If we refift evil, like the author of it, it will flee from us: let us fight the good fight, exert all our ftrength, defend ourselves against every attack with all the power we are mafters of, and then if we fall, we fall with honour, and if we rife, we rife to glory. But after all, the great preservation of happiness, the only impenetrable armour which can shield us from VII. from the blows of fortune, and turn afide SERM, the arrows of affliction, is virtue. Nothing can heal the wounded fpirit but the balm of innocence: by this alone the health of the foul can be preserved; by this alone it can be restored. If thou art fatigued with the toils and labours of this life, she will give thee reft; if thou art heavy laden with the afflictions of it, she will refresh thee; he that hath her, need not fear what man can do unto him. Are we forrowful? this is Joy: Are we poor this is riches: Are we fick? ? this is health. This, and this alone, can fuftain all our infirmities; this will fupport us under every calamity, in pain, fickness or adverfity, in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment. But laftly, my brethren, to our innocence and virtue, we must be careful to add an entire confidence in, a firm reli ance |