hands, that ye may have lack of nothing§." But enough has been advanced on this point. You are, I am persuaded, convinced that it is a duty, which you owe to yourselves and your families, to be industriously engaged in some lawful occupation. As doing justly implies diligence in business, so it also comprehends a right use of the profits resulting from that diligence.That person is evidently robbing himself and his dependants, who squanders away his property in a thoughtless, or extravagant manner. Let every individual, therefore, who expends his property to gratify himself in mere worldly pleasures, in carnal indulgences, in vain and unsuitable apparel, and im gluttony and drunkenness, know assuredly, that he is not doing justly. Ah! when it shall be said to these characters, "Give an account of thy stewardship, forthou mayest be no longer steward"-what will they do, and what will they answer? Persons of this description are so numerous, that I cannot avoid compassionately asking them— "Wherefore do ye spend your money for that which is not bread, and the profits of your labour for that which satisfieth not?" Such a conduct if we confine our attention merely to THIS life, manifests the height of folly. How dreadful therefore must be the consequences, in reference to the life to come! § Romans, xii. 12. 2 Thess. iii. 11 & 12. I Thess. iv. II. This duty further implies, that in, our dealings with others, we should speak justly; that is, in perfect consistency with truth. The person to whom a falsehood is spoken, is in danger of being imposed upon. He is led by it to indulge expectations which have no foundation-to experience hopes which cannot be realized-and to adopt measures, which eventually may prove injurious. Whenever therefore any are guilty of falsehood in their dealings with others, they are acting very unjustly. Hence I do not hesitate to say, that doing justly requires that you ought not, at any time, in the concerns of trade, to speak falsely in commen dation of the goods which you wish to sell, nor in dispraise of those which you are attempting to purchase. Nor ought you unjustly to depreciate your neighbour's articles of sale, with a view of getting an opportunity of vending similar property of your own. Equally unfair is that conduct, which endeavours by false representations,, either in buying or selling, to impose upon the ignorance or unskilfulness of fellowtradesmen. In all such cases, you would exhibit a far too striking resemblance of the unjust trader, which Solomon describes, "It is naught, it is naught," saith he, "but when he isgone his way, then he boasteth*." * Proverbs, chap. xx. ver 14. See then, my beloved hearers, that "you never go beyond or defraud a brother in any matter; for the Lord is the avenger of all such*." Further, if the duty under consideration implies speaking justly, it must necessarily comprehend acting so. And this, in all our actions, of course includes a total renunciation of that which is unjust, and a strict observance of that which is just. In order to avoid that which is unjust, it is needless to observe that we must utterly renounce the more glaring iniquities of the age, We all know, that the commission of forgery, private stealth, and the maliciously injuring of another's possessions, would brand us with the appellation of unjust characters all our days. It is however of great importance to remind you, that, in order to be free from this appellation in the sight of our all-seeing Judge, we must altogether abstain from many smaller acts of injustice. We must on no occasion take an advantage of our neighbours' wants and necessities, in our dealings with them, To impose upon a needy individual, merely because his pecu liar circumstances render it absolutely necessary for him to buy or to sell certain commodities, is a gross violation of that golden rule, "Whatsoever ye would that * Thefs, chap. iv. ver, 6. men should do to you, do you even so to them." Nor must we at any time, indulge in those deceitful practices of adulterating articles of sale, or of making a bargain for one description of goods, and then deliver another of an inferior kind. The encouraging, or conniving at, others in acquiring unlawful gains, whether they be servants, or partners in trade, must also be utterly avoided. On every occasion of this nature, we should certainly expose ourselves to that degrading censure, "When thou sawest a thief, thou consentest unto him." The use of false weights and measures is an abo mination to the Lord, and as gross an im position as can be exercised. I need not say, that such practices are a scandal to human nature, and in the word of God are reprobated in the strongest terms. The awful state of those, who are guilty of this deceit in transacting business, is strikingly described by the prophet Amos" They said, when will the sabbath be gone, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and falsifying the balances by deceit? The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, surely I will not forget any of their works. Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation, and the Pfalm 1. ver. 18, end thereof shall be a bitter day.*" It may be also. remarked that FRAUDULENT bankruptcy is a gross violation of the laws of justice; and consequently ought never to be countenanced. So many and great are the evils with which this practice is connected, that it appears truly astonishing, that any, who call themselves christians, can be guilty of it. Lies, perjury, and dishonesty are the necessary effects of such a proceeding. The involving ourselves in debt by extravagance, indolence, or rashness; or a pushing of business beyond what our abilities and property can justify, is a conduct of a similar nature, and ought to be conscientiously avoided. In cases of legal bankruptcy, the withholding any part of the stock from the creditors, or a refusal of the full payment of their just claims, if at any future time we should be able to satisfy these claims, is likewise an act of great injustice, and merits severe reprehension, "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due," says Solomon, "when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.t" But we must not only abstain from what is unjust, but also actually perform that which is just. After the preceding remarks, it seems unnecessary to observe, that one im • Amos, chap. ix. ver. 5, 7, 8, and 10, |