will vanifh; and if he have nothing which can then bring him peace, he will find it a time of great diftrefs. He hath thrown his happiness behind him. Were you to fee a man exchange a gem for a pebble-or an estate for a rattle, what name would you find ftrong enough to denote his folly? Whatever name you would give him, endeavour to find one, which expreffes a thousand times more folly, to denote him, who gives up his peace at the laft, for the fake of any pleasure, which his paffage through life can give him. The gem, and the eftate are worldly things; and cannot be compared with the eternal nature of those things, which will bring a man peace at the laft.

Keep

LXXXIV.

Keep innocency, and do the thing that is right, for that hall bring a man peace at the last.Pfalm xxxvii. 38.

F this world were to laft for ever, we need only

enquire, what would bring a man peace for the prefent. Peace at the laft would be out of the queftion. But as this world is not to laft for ever, it is the part of wisdom furely to confider, what will bring us in the happiest manner to the end of it-or, in the words of the text, what will bring us peace at the laft.

As it must be fomething therefore that has connection with another world, it is evident, that the things of this world are excluded. Its riches, honours, and pleasures have certainly no connection with a state of future happinefs; and therefore cannot bring us peace at the laft.

Lifelefs forms alfo, and ceremonies-outward profeffions of faith, and zeal for this, or that feetare all matters, which have little connection with a

future

future flate of happiness, and generally ferve the

purposes only of this world.

cannot bring us peace at the laft.

These therefore

External actions likewife, prayers-alms-giving -and pious donations, unless connected with the heart, are all of the fame kind. They have refe rence only to this world, and cannot therefore bring a man peace at the last.

In fhort, to attain this defireable end, we are to look only within ourfelves. Thofe holy difpofitions, which are formed in the heart on gospel-principles, and ready to break out into action, whenever opportunity ferves-are connected with a future ftate of happiness-will furvive this world— and are alone through the merits of Christ, what can bring a man peace at the laft.

Fudge

LXXXV..

Judge not, that ye be not judged.-Matthew vii. 1.

WE

E have here a rule guarded by a threat. Let us examine both. The rule is judge not-be not cenforious in examining and publifhIng your neighbour's faults.

But how far does the rule extend? Are we allowed to cenfure crimes? Or fuch crimes only as have been judicially examined? Or may we examine levities, and ridicule the fmaller failings of our neighbour? In all these matters the fcripture is filent. It cannot indeed defcend to particulars. It gives us a general rule, judge not; and God almighty has given us the faculty of reafon to detail this rule while our confciencies allow, or difallow the liberties we take. The injury, that enfues to our neighbour's character from the indulgence of this liberty, feems to be the criterion of the plus or minus in the offence.

Such is the rule, let us next confider the threat: Judge not, that ye be not judged.-By the letter

then

then of this threat it fhould feem, that whatever our other offences may be, the tenor of our fentence shall be altogether guided by our mode of judging others.

But this cannot poffibly be the cafe: for tho cenfuring others may in many cafes be a great offence; yet it is by no means equal to many other offences. The fact seems to be, that this severity is expressed in a jewish proverb, (with the fome meafure that ye mete, it shall be meafured to you again*) which being applied to different cafes, takes its precife meaning from the different modes of malignity in each cafe.

The antithefis alfo was much in ufe among the Jews. The reward, or punishment due to different virtues, and vices, is expreffed often under a fimilarity of idea: and tho with no great exa&ness, yet liable to no mifapplication. They that mourn, fhall be comforted. They that hunger after righteousness, shall be filled. And in the fame manner, they that judge, fhall be judged.—It is evident therefore that the expreffion in the text, muft not be interpreted in the full extent, which the form of the words holds out; but only that a punish, ment equal to the offence, fhall certainly follow.

See LIGHTFOOT's Heb, and Talmud, Exercitat, in Locum

He