He is a Man that looks upon his Office ra ther as a Burthen, than a Preferment and therefore he is wonderfully folicitous about the well discharging it. His Care and Study is chiefly employed upon the Publick and he rather fuffers the Mifcarriage of his own AN fairs, than that the Community by his Neg ligence hould receive any Prejudice..While others are doing their own Bufinefs, he is watching for the common Good; for he al ways remembers that he is a publick Perfon, and that the Time and Strength that God af fords him, are not his, but theirs by and for whom he is intrufted. monedeim

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He is a Man that employs all his Power and Intereft, as much as is poffible, for the Main tenance of the Worship and Service of God, and the Defence and Encouragement of the true Religion For he confiders God, as the firft and principal Perfon to be refpected sin all Governments and Societies, as being inot only the Author, but the Head of them And he remembers that Religion doth fo much influence the Civil State, that the Happiness and Ruin of Cities and Kingdoms are link'd with the well or ill Management of itzi e

And in Pursuance of this his Zeal for God and Religion, he takes Care, as much as in him lies, to encourage thofe Perfons that are Virtuotis and Good, and tod fupprefs, and bring out of Credit all Vice and Debauchery, all Impiety and Irreligion all, Faction and Diforder, together with the Maintainers and Abettors of them/cody lo admit bei SH

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He is a Man, that effectually makes good Job's Character of himself, who was alfo a Magiftrate: He puts on Righteousness, and it Job 29. cloaths him, his Judgment is a Robe and a Dia 14, &c. dem: He is Eyes to the Blind, and Feet he is to the Lame He is a Father to the Poor, and the Caufe which be knoweth not be fearcheth out : He breaketh the Jaws of the Wicked, and pluck ith the Spoil out of his Teeths

He is a Man that looketh upon himself to have a Truft both with Reference to thofe above him, and thofe under him: And there fore he is careful to carry himself with an even steady Hand, with refpect to both; ftu dioufly endeavouring, both to preferve his Allegiance to his Prince, and his Fidelity to the Publick: neither invading the Rights of the one, nor injuring the Liberties of the other?!

He is one, that, next to the Honour of God, ftudies the Peace and Quiet of the Place where he is concern'd. And therefore as on one hand he is watchful in fpying out Dangers, and quick in applying fuch Remedies to them as are proper in the Place and Station he holds fo on the other fide, he neither takes nor gives the Alarm upon every flight Surmife, or po pular Apprehenfion. He makes the best of all Things that happen; and by his Prudence and Moderation, endeavours to extinguifh growing Flames, rather than add Fewel to them; to calm and allay Mens Jealoufies and Animofities, rather than to excite and increase them. Uls35ནྟིཏྭཱ

Laftly, To conclude; He is a Man that fears God, that honours the King; that is obfervant of the Laws; that is true to the Government; and that meddles not with them that are given to Change.

Having thus given you an Account of the Upright Man, under the feveral principal Relations in which he ftands; I come now, in the Second Place, for the Comfort of all that are fuch, and for the Encouragement of all others to endeavour to be fuch; to fet forth the Advantages and Privileges, that fuch a Man enjoys in evil and dangerous Times. To the Upright there arifeth Light in Darkness.

Darkness, as I told you before, is a Word by which the Scripture expreffeth any kind of Streights, or Difficulties, or Adverfities. Thus Job 15. 21. Darkness is there oppofed to Profperity; thus, Lam. 3. 2. I am the Man (faith the Prophet) that have feen Affliction; by the Rod of his Wrath he hath led me and brought me into Darkness. And thus likewife, to name no more Texts, Joel 2. 2. The Day of God's Vifitation upon Jerufalem, is called a Day of Gloominefs and Darkness; a Day of Clouds and thick Darkness.

This now being the Notion of Darkness; when it is faid in the Text, To the Upright Man. there arifeth Light in the Darkness; by Light. we may understand any one of thefe Three Things; that is to fay,

By Light, we may underftand Light for his Guidance and Direction; and then the Senfe is, That in critical and perillous Times, the Up

right Man of all others, will be best enabled to order and manage his Affairs.

Or Secondly, By Light, we may underftand Safety and Defence, as the Word is fometimes taken in Scripture; and then the Sense is, That in evil Times the Upright Man walks moft free from Danger; He, of all others, may expect Security and Protection in a common Calamity.

Or Thirdly, By Light we may understand Peace and Joy (as that likewife is another ufual Senfe of the Word,) and then the Meaning is, That in evil Times, let Things happen as they will, though it fhould be the Fortune of the Upright Man to be opprefs'd in the Crowd; yet this Happiness he will always have, that his Mind will be at perfect Eafe and Peace: nothing shall ever difcompofe him, but in the midst of his Suffering his Heart fhall be replenished with perpetual Comfort.

In any one of these Senfes the Text may be taken, and in all the Three it fails not to be made good to the Upright Man.

Firft, To the Upright Man there arifeth Light in the Darkness, taking Light for Guidance and Direction. Be the Times never fo dark, he hath this Happiness, that he is rarely at a Lofs how to fteer his Courfe. He finds his Way eafily, when other Men are quite bewildred; and he readily expedites himself out of fuch Difficulties as thofe that act by other Principles, find themfelves grievously intangled with. This is a Thing that should migh

tily recommend the Practice of Uprightness, efpecially in evil Times; and that it is really attended with this Advantage, muft needs be acknowledged upon thefe Two Accounts.

First, To an Upright Man, his Way lies plainer, and is more eafily feen and dif covered. ..i

And Secondly, He hath a greater Light to fee it by, than thofe that take other Measures in the Management of their Designs.'

First, The Upright Man, of all others, moft cafily fees his Way, for it lies plain and even, and ftrait before him. Whereas the Ways of Vice and Wickednefs are extremely crooked, full of Windings and Turnings.!.

! Whoever purfues evil Defigns, and is a Slave to bafe Affections, muft neceffarily intangle himself in infinite Labyrinths, through the Course of his Life. For having feveral Ends to purfue, and thofe many times incon fiftent one with another, it cannot be avoided but that in many Circumftances he lights into, he will be extremely at a loss how to be have himself. If he go this Way, then will fome thing come to Light, which he ftudioufly endeavours to conceal; if he go that way, then he difobliges fome Man or fome Party, whofe Intereft is neceffary to fupport him; if he go a third Way, he deftroys that which is his main Defign. At what a Lofs now in fuch a Cafe as this, muft a Man needs be in the determining himself? Upon what a Rack is his Understanding put, to get fairly rid of thefe Difficulties? And yet fuch Dilemma's

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