misfortune in the moral world rouse the fupine from their dangerous flumber, drive away mists and va pours from the eyes, and awaken the torpid to new powers and action, fharpen the dull feelings of the palfied finner, and restore to life the spiritually dead. Far be it then from us to let fufferings and tribulations flacken our confidence in the unalterable and never-failing goodness of our Father in heaven! No, even they are effects and proofs of it. No, with filial reverence will we accept the cup of forrow from his parental hand, and never doubt, even whilft drinking out its bitter dregs, that it is wholesome medicine, by which he restores us to health and life.

SERMON XXXIX.

The Value of a good Reputation.

GOD, who art the father and benefactor of us

all; who hast given us and still art ever giving us, poor and mean as we are of our ourselves, fo many proofs of thy peculiar esteem and providence, intimating thereby that we fhould likewise mutually esteem, cordially love, and reciprocally promote, as far as in us lies, the happiness of each other, as thy children, as members of one family. To this end haft thou fo intimately connected us together; made us all in fo many refpects dependent on each other, and planted in our hearts fo powerful an impulfe to fympathy and benevolence. How kind and righteous is thy will, o God, and how happy were it for us, if we conftantly fulfilled it with pleasure and fidelity! Forgive us, merciful Father, that we fo frequently behave as difobedient

children

children towards thee, and as foes to each other. Teach us better to understand our common connections and our proper advantages, and more strictly to obferve the duties of juftice, of equity, of humanity. Replenifh us with a fincere efteem for whatever our brethren may poffefs of good and excellent; and grant that we may never be misled by levity, by envy, by hatred or by vanity, to speak or to do any thing that may disturb them in the pof feffion of the endowments and bleffings bestowed on them by thee, or may injure or offend them in any other respect. Bless to this end the meditations we are now about to begin. Cause us to be fo convinced of the value of the good reputation of our neighbour, that we may henceforth make it to us an inviolable law never purposely to injure it in any manner whatever. This we implore of thee as the disciples of Jefus Chrift, our bleffed lord and faviour, humbly concluding our petitions in his name and words: Our father, &c.

PROVERBS Xxii. 1.

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than filver or gold.

ERY often it happens that a man is negligent

VERY

and careless about matters of great importance, only because he is ignorant of their value, or not sufficiently attentive to it; or because he conceives not the privation of them to be fo prejudicial and irre parable as it really is. This is but too frequently the cafe in regard to the time allotted us to pafs on earth. It is not believed or confidered to be destined to affairs, on the fuccefsful tranfacting whereof, not only our welfare in this world depends, but likewise our condition in that which is to come. It is not believed or confidered, that this precious time is very liable to be loft, that loft time can never be recalled, and that the benefits which we fuffer to escape us by the wafte or the abuse of it can be compenfated by nothing. It is not believed or confidered, that each day, each hour of life, when regarded in its connection with futurity, is of the ut most importance, that it may frequently be decifive. Hence it is that most men are so prodigal of their time; hence fo great a part of it is trifled away either in doing nothing, or in childish amusements;

hence

hence it is that concerns of the greatest confequence, are fo much neglected; hence it is that one day is fuffered to pass after another, one month after an. other, one year after another, before a man seriously fets about his improvement and his everlasting falvation.

Juft as we do with our time, fo do we not unfre quently with the good name of our neighbour. It not always happens, it happens indeed but rarely, that we fay and do fuch things as are prejudicial to our neighbour's fame from wickedness and a defire to hurt. But it is not believed or confidered that fo much depends upon it; that it is fo eafily injured or loft, and that this damage can fo feldom be repaired or made good. It is not believed or confidered, that thereby not only the well-being and comfort of the particular persons against whom the offence is committed are disturbed, but even the good of the whole fociety is injured in various ways. Hence it is, that a man fo often gives full licence to his tongue in judging of his neighbour; fo often facrifices truth to wit, and christian affection and forbearance to the defire of pleafing; fo often utters harmful or ambiguous expreffions of others, without being fully perfuaded that they are well-founded, or making himself the flighteft reproaches thereon. This being the cafe, my friends, there can be no better means of attacking this failing, and of rendering us more circumfpect on this matter, than by representing it in its real complection, and thus to

2

excite