SERMON IX.

The mischiefs of flavish complaifance, and cowardice.

PROV. xxix. 25. former part. The fear of man bringeth a Snare.-

"T

IS wifely ordered by the Au-SERM. thor of our being, that every IX. paffion of the foul may not only be of great ufe to us, if its natural defign and tendency be regularly pursued, but is capable alfo, by being perverted, of caufing much vexation and misery to ourselves, and injury to our fellow creatures: For this is a demonstra

SERM. tion, founded in nature, and obvious to IX. the meaneft capacity, of the neceffity of felf-government, and that we should take the utmost care to keep all our affections and appetites within those bounds, which the Creator hath prefcribed. Thus, for inftance, the defire of happiness, and averfion to pain and misery, which works fo ftrongly in all mankind, is evidently, in itself, of the highest advantage; but if we form wrong notions of the happiness which we ought ultimately to purfue, and the evils we should chiefly avoid, it will as certainly prove fatal to us. Again, the paffion of fhame, is an excellent prefervative from bafe and difhonourable actions, and nothing is a. ftronger guard and fecurity to our virtue and innocence than this, when regularly exercised, and employed about proper objects; but a falfe frame, which is influenced more by the opinions and customs of men, than by the eternal differences of things, a false shame that breaks our fpirits, and makes fuch tame cowards of us, that we have not refolution enough to ftand up for the honour of God, and the immutable obligations

of

of virtue; nor, confequently, to affert and SERM. maintain the dignity of our reasonable IX. nature; this, I fay, neceffarily destroys every thing that is praise-worthy and generous in us, and must betray us into innumerable errors in practice, which are not merely inconfiftent with integrity, but will render us, to the laft degree, vile and contemptible.

And the fame may be faid of fear: While it proceeds upon right principles, and is proportioned to the weight and moment of the evils about which it is converfant, it must be calculated to ferve the most beneficial purposes, as it warns us where our greatest danger lies, and strongly prompts us to avoid it: But the cafe is quite otherwife when it forms imaginary dangers, and alarms with falfe terrors; ---when fancy or corrupt paffion, and not the reason of things, is the foundation and root of it ;----when we fear natural evils, which, under the direction of an all-wife providence, may be over-ruled for good, more than moral, which tend neceffarily and invariably to the mifery and ruin of the rational creation; and the cenfures and frowns

SERM. frowns of men, whose wisdom, power, and IX. duration is confined and limited, more than

the displeasure and vengeance of the Almighty and eternal God; for then our fears will infallibly turn us aside from our duty, and be attended with most pernicious confequences, as for the sake of avoiding leffer and comparatively trifling evils, we shall run ourselves upon others that are infinitely more dreadful : Which fhews us the vaft importance of looking well to our principles of action, and indeed of making this our first and chief care; because if the prevailing principles of our minds are corrupt and vitious, 'tis, in the nature of things, impoffible that our practice fhould be virtuous and regular. Evil principles of action, as long as they are entertained and indulged, as neceffarily produce a wicked life, as any other caufes do their natural and immediate effects; and therefore till they are corrected and altered, 'tis in vain to expect any reformation in the outward conduct. This is the ground of Solomon's obfervation in the text, which

I

I now proceed to confider more particu- SERM. larly, in the following method.

I. I fhall fhew what we muft under-
ftand by the fear of man.

II. In what fenfe it bringeth a fnare.
And,

III. Offer fome remedies against it.

J. I am to explain what we must understand by the fear of man. The fear of man I take in its largest fenfe, not only as implying the fear of those positive evils and punishments, which the power and vengeance of man can inflict, but a reverence of human authority, and cuftoms, and a dread of the cenfures, and reproaches of our fellow-creatures. But that I may talk diftinctly, and without confufion, upon this fubject, it may be proper briefly to fhew, that this phrase, when it is ufed, as in the text, in a criminal fenfe, must be understood with some caution and limitation. For,

ift. There is, undoubtedly a reverence due to human authority in all points that do not exceed the juft bounds of it: and VOL. I.

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the

IX.