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II. The next Thing I have to recommend to you, from these Words of the Apostle, is Univerfal Honesty and Justice, and Righteousness in your Conversation. What foever Things (faith he) are True, whatsoever Things are Honeft, whatfoever Things are Juft; think on thefe Things.

You fee I join these two Words Honeft and Juft together, as importing the fame Thing. Though yet I am aware that the Word we here render Honeft, is often used in another Signification, that is to fay, for Grave or Venerable: But fince that other Signification falls in moft properly under my last Head, I wave it here, and take the Word as our Tranflation renders it.

Indeed, it is vain to expect any Advantage. from our Profeffion of the Truth, if we be not fincerely Just and Honeft in our Actions.

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Whofoever can allow himself in the Practice of any Difhoneft, Knavish, Indirect Dealing, let that Man be never fo Orthodox in his ef and Opinions, yet I am fure he is no Christian.

O therefore, let me exhort you all, whatever Interests you have to ferve; whatever Dealings you are to engage in, to be always ftrictly Juft and Upright in your your Converfation. Ufe no Tricks, practife no ill Arts for the ferving your Ends; but in all your Transactions with Men, deal with that Simplicity and Integrity and good Confcience., that becomes those who would be accounted the Disciples of him who was the moft Innocent, the most Sincere, and the leaft Intriguing Perfon in the World.

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Affure yourselves, no Difhonifty can profper long. Whatever Turns you may serve by it at prefent, yet you will bitterly repent of it fome time or other. But Righteoufnefs and Justice doth establish a Man's Ways: And the upright Man, though he is not always the richeft, yet always walketh moft furely. And as for the final Event of Things; remember this, that God Almighty has pronounced, that no Unrighteous Men, no Covetous, no Lyars, no Extortioners, fhall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. But to go on.

III. The next Thing I have to exhort you to, from the Words of my Text, is the Practice of Purity. For after the Apoftle hath recommend. ed the pursuit of Things that are True, and the Things that are Honeft and Juft, he next adds the Things that are Pure; meaning hereby, that we should study to be Pure, and Chafte, and Temperate both in our Hearts and Lives; avoiding all Exceffes, and Lewdnefs, and Senfuality.

And if he thought it convenient in that Age of Strictnefs and Severity, and Devotion, to put the Chriftians in Mind of this, I am fure it is not only convenient but neceffary to do it, in this Age of ours, when Luxury and Debauchery, when Whoredom and Drunkenness, and all Sorts of Vices that are contrary to Purity, are grown to that Height among us, that we feem to defy God Almighty by our impudent Practice of them, and provoke him to give us up to Deftruction.

I pray God make the whole Nation deeply fenfible of the Folly and Wickedness, as well

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as of the Danger and dreadful Confequences of thefe Practices. And as for you who are here prefent, let me befpeak you in the Words of the Apoftle; Dearly Beloved, I beseech you, a's Strangers and Pilgrims, to abftain from Flefbly Lufts, which war against the Soul. I beseech you, as you have any Honour for your Lord and Mafter, as you have any Regard for the Prefervation of a Senfe of Religion in your Minds, as you have any Concern for your Health, for your Eftates, for your Families'; as you have any Refpect to the Publick, that Effeminacy and Sottishness and Difeafes, may not be entailed upon our Pofterity. our Pofterity. Laftly, as you love your own Souls, and hope ever to fee the Face of God in Heaven, Learn to live Soberly, Learn to live chaftely, Learn to Practice Purity and Temperance in all your Converfation. Avoid Whoredom and Drunkennefs, as you Would the Plague; for certainly they are the worft of Plagues to them that use them: For other Plagues do only put our Bodies in Danger, but thefe do endanger both our Souls and Bodies. Nay, as to the one (I mean our Souls) they will prove certain inevitable Deftruction, without Repentance and Reformation.

I know thefe Things are made flight Matters of, by a great many among us: But affure yourselves, God will not account them fo; it is certain he will not, if we may believe his Word; for it is there told us exprefly, that Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge. And withal, that neither Adulterers, nor Fornicators, nor unclean Perfons, nor Drunkards,

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fball ever inherit the Kingdom of God, or of Chrift.

IV. I proceed to the laft Head of Advice, that is given in my Text. The Apostle having inftanced in Three Things neceffary to be daily thought upon and purfued by all Chriftians, viz. Truth, and Honefly, and Purity, leaves off to meddle any farther with Particulars, and fums up the reft of his Advice in Generals. And that Sum comes to this, That as we are Chriftians, we should not only take care of the Three forementioned Things, but fhould make it our Bufinefs to improve ourfelves in every other Sort of Virtue; nay, in every other fort of Thing that is Praife-worthy, or that is well efteemed of among Mankind. So that really it fhould be the Endeavour of our Lives, to render ourselves as excellent, and as exemplary for all Sorts of amiable Qualities, as it is poffible for Men to be in this World.

This I take to be the full Meaning of those Four Expreffions that follow in my Text, Whatfoever Things are Lovely, whatfoever Things are of good Report; if there be any Virtue, if there be any Praife; think on thefe Things.

And now, Brethren, fee from hence what your Obligations are. You that have fuch a glorious Light vouchfafed you, fuch unvaluable Promifes, fuch mighty Affiftances made over to you by the Gofpel of Chrift; you muft in Reason imagine, that in Return of thefe great Advantages, great Things are expected from you.

It will not fatisfie your Engagements, that you do believe and profess the Gospel; that. you do no Wrong to your Neighbours; that you are neither given to Lewdness nor Drunkennefs; (though yet even thefe, as the World goes, are very great Things; and could all Men that profefs Chriftianity, truly say this of themselves, we should fee Heaven upon Earth.) But your Chriftianity obliges you to afpire after greater Things: you must get yourselves poffeffed of the whole Circle of Vertues; you must be Kind and Charitable, as well as Just and Honeft; you must be Modeft and Meek, and Humble, as well as Temperate and Chafte.

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Nay, not only fo, but you are to labour after all these feveral Virtues in the full Latitude and Extent of them, even to that Degree, that every Thing which hath but the Appearance of Evil, is to be avoided by you. You are not only to abftain from Acts of Injuftice, but even from doing a hard Thing to any one; you are not only to keep yourselves within the known Limits of Temperance and Chastity, but to avoid all thofe Things that border upon the Vices oppofite thereunto; and fo as to all other Inftances: If any Thing be of ill Report, and looks infamously to the fober Part of Mankind; why that very Confideration is enough to deter you from the Practice of it: For you are to recommend your Religion to all the Men in the World, by all the Ways that are poffible.

In a Word, you are to endeavour to be as
A VOL. I.

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