good rulers, who were qualified for their high stations, these distinguishing traits in our national character have been long preserved, and are not yet entirely lost. It has been owing, under God, to our wise, faithful and pious rulers, that we have been conducted through every stage of our national existence to the high rank which we lately held among the nations of the earth. No people have been from the beginning blessed with greater civil, religious and literary advantages than those which God has liberally bestowed upon us. These call for our unfeigned gratitude to the Father of mercies, and the giver of every good and perfect gift which we have enjoyed, and do still enjoy. Nor can we discharge this great debt of gratitude, unless we use all proper means and exertions to transmit our civil and religious privileges to future generations. In the next place, the present peace is a signal favor in itself considered. It has put a stop to the effusion of human blood and the calamities of war, and given us more opportunity to attend to our national dangers, and to use our best efforts to avert them. We shall be the most ungrateful, as well as unwise people, if we suffer ourselves to bear the most unjust burdens when it is completely in our own power to obtain justice. Our past success in maintaining our invaluable rights is an encouraging motive to meet every difficulty, and surmount every obstacle, in the way of attaining the freedom and happiness which never fail to flow from a good administration of a good government. Finally, let us carry our case to God, and implore him to guide and assist us in all our efforts to secure the great objects of our desires, our hopes and pursuit. He can guide the people in the choice of their rulers, and guide the rulers in the choice of their public measures. He has the hearts of both rulers and subjects under his supreme control. He can remove the inveterate prejudice and infatuation which have so long blinded the minds and governed the conduct of well-meaning partisans. Let us therefore not only give thanks to him for the public and private, civil and religious, favors which he has so plentifully bestowed upon us in days past; but also offer up prayers, and supplications, and intercessions, for our President, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. SERMON XX. THE INFLUENCE OF A GOOD HEART UPON THE CONDUCT OF MEN. APRIL 4, 1819. A WISE man's heart is at his right hand. -ECCLES. X. 2. SOLOMON had a clear and discriminating knowledge of all the powers and faculties of the human mind. He knew the distinction between the understanding and the heart; and it was his decided opinion, that the heart, and not the understanding, is the leading faculty of the soul. This appears from his own conduct. When he took the reins of government into his own hands, he most fervently prayed, that he might have “a wise and understanding heart." Though he had the best understanding of any man in the world, yet he durst not lean upon it, or confide in it, to direct him in duty. He knew the heart to be the governing principle of action, and that his own heart would have a greater practical influence upon him than his understanding. Accordingly, we find he lays more stress upon the heart than any other sacred writer. He divides the whole world into wise men and fools, and grounds the distinction, not on the understanding, but on the heart. He calls every person wise, who has a good heart; and every one a fool who has a bad heart. By a wise man he always means a good man; and by a fool he means a bad man. This may help us to understand the meaning of the text. "A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left." A wise man's heart means a good heart, and a foolish man's heart means a bad heart. As the left hand is unused to and unfit for action, so a bad heart is unused to and unfit for duty. But as the right hand is always ready and prompt for action, so a good heart is always ready and prompt to duty. The wise man's meaning may be easily understood by any one, who can distinguish his right hand from his left. To drop the metaphor, his plain and obvious meaning is this: A good heart fits men for every kind of duty. I shall II. Show that a good heart fits men for every kind of duty. I. A good heart is something which comprises all moral goodness, or every thing truly virtuous and excellent. God has a good heart, and his good heart comprises all his moral perfections. His heart consists in perfect benevolence. "God is love." His love comprises holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. So a good heart in man consists in true benevolence, and comprises every holy and virtuous affection. And for this reason, the Scripture calls a good heart a perfect heart, a pure heart, an honest heart, an upright heart, a wise and understanding heart. These various epithets denote that variety of holy affections which compose a good heart. A good man's heart feels properly towards all beings and objects in the universe, so far as it is acquainted with them. It loves every thing lovely, and hates every thing hateful. It suffereth long, and is kind; it envieth not; it vaunteth not itself; is not puffed up; doth not behave itself unseemly; seeketh not its own; is not easily provoked; thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things; it never faileth in a single point of duty. It is, in a word, directly opposed to a bad heart, in all its feelings, desires, and pursuits. It is love to God, obedience to his law, submission to his government, confidence in his faithfulness, and hope in his mercy. prompts to every duty, and restrains from every sin. These are the scriptural and essential characteristics of a good heart. I now proceed to show, II. That a good heart fits men for every kind of duty. 1. A good heart fits men for all religious duties. Though there is religion in the performance of every duty, yet all duties are not, strictly speaking, religious duties. These are duties of a certain kind; among which the reading of the Scriptures, devout meditation, and the calling upon God in prayer, may be considered the principal. A good heart evidently fits men to read the Scriptures. These were indited by the spirit of holiness, and ought to be read with the same spirit with which they were written. Though the doctrines of the Bible are plainly revealed, and approve themselves to every enlightened conscience; yet a 37 VOL. II. corrupt heart blinds the understanding and conscience, and prevents multitudes from understanding what they read in the Scriptures. But a good heart prepares every one to read them understandingly and practically. It not only renders men more capable of understanding the doctrines and duties of divine revelation, but makes them very willing to know the mind and will of God in his word. This Solomon abundantly teaches in his writings. He says, "The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge." Again he says, "The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge." Again he says, "Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning." Again he says, "The wise in heart will receive commandments." Again he says in the name of wisdom, "All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; they are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge." Again he says, Again he says, "If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God; then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path." And again he says, "A wise man will hear, and will increase in learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels; to understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings." A good heart is always candid and open to divine truth, and willing to know the doctrines and duties enjoined in Scripture; which fits men to read the Bible with pleasure and spiritual profit. Hence David so often prays, in the 119th psalm, to be taught the knowledge of God's will to his word, and to be enabled to behold wondrous things out of his law. And hence the apostle exhorts men to be renewed in mind in order to know the will of God. "Be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." If men would only read and hear the word of God with a good and honest heart, they would very easily and thoroughly understand the duties and doctrines of christianity. A good heart always fits men to read, understand, and apply the scriptures. Devout meditation is a religious duty; and a good heart fits men to meditate upon God and divine things with peculiar pleasure and satisfaction. A holy heart delights in meditating upon holy and heavenly objects. David's did; for he repeatedly says to God, "I will meditate of all thy works." "I will meditate in thy precepts." "I will meditate in thy statutes." "I will meditate in thy word." of God," shall be sweet." "My meditation of him," that is, Prayer is another religious duty of the first importance, and a good heart is the very spirit of grace and supplication. The effectual, fervent, prayers of Noah, Job, and Daniel, and of all other good men mentioned in the Bible, flowed from a good heart. Nothing, without this, can fit men to call upon God in a sincere and acceptable manner. Indeed there is no public, private, or secret religious duty, that can be properly performed without a pious heart. God looks at the heart in all religious services; and it is only a pure and upright heart that can prepare men to worship him in spirit and in truth. 2. A good heart fits men for all secular as well as religious duties. While men live in this world, they are obliged to attend to worldly affairs. This is a duty which God has required. He commands men to labor six days in a week. A good heart fits men for every secular employment. It disposes them to propose a right end in all their secular concerns, which is, the glory of God and the good of their fellow creatures. So far as men are guided by a good heart, they act from noble and benevolent motives in all their pursuits. They perform their daily business as a daily duty. Whatever they do, they do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men. They realize that the common concerns of life must be pursued, as pre-requisite to all other duties; and in subordination to their more important spiritual interests. This sanctifies all their labors, and renders their plowing, and sowing, and reaping, and all their other secular employments, acceptable to God. Besides, a good heart makes men cheerfully and delightfully perform their secular business. Though it be naturally a burden and the fruit of the curse; yet since God has ordained that they shall live by the sweat of the brow, and support themselves and others by actual labor, they are willing to exhaust their health and strength in promoting the designs of Providence and the general good of mankind. 3. A good heart fits men for all social duties. They are formed for society; and are under a necessity, on account of their mutual dependence, of maintaining a social intercourse with one another. Familiar conversation is a duty which is common to all persons; and a good heart is the best guide in the discharge of this duty. They are all accountable for every word they speak. They ought to weigh their words, and let no communication proceed out of their mouths but that which is good, to the use of edifying. And if their hearts be good, their conversation will be good. "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." The heart always moves the |