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Give the vengeance due

To the valiant crew.

Behold! how they tofs their torches on high,
How they point to the Perfian abodes,

And glitt'ring temples of their hoftile gods!-
The princes applaud, with a furious joy;

And the king feiz'd a flambeau, with zeal to destroy: Thais led the way,

To light him to his prey;

And, like another Helen-fir'd another Troy.

Thus, long ago,

Ere heaving bellows learn'd to blow,
While organs yet were mute;

Timotheus, to his breathing flute

And founding lyre,

Could fwell the foul to rage-or kindle soft defire.
At laft, divine Cicilia came,
Inventrefs of the vocal frame.
The sweet enthusiast, from her facred store,
Enlarg❜d the former narrow bounds,

And added length to folemn founds,

With Nature's mother-wit, and arts unknown before. Let old Timotheus yield the prize,

Or both divide the crown: He rais'd a mortal to the fkies;

She drew an angel down.

PART

PART II.

LESSONS IN SPEAKING.

SECTION I.

ELOQUENCE OF THE PULPIT.

T

I. On Truth and Integrity.

RUTH and integrity have all the advantages of appearance, and many more. If the fhow of any thing be good for any thing, I am fure the reality is better; for why does any man diffemble, or feem to be that which he is not, but because he thinks it good to have the qualities he pretends to for, to counterfeit and dissemble, is to put on the appearance of some real excellency. Now, the best way for a man to seem to be any thing, is really to be what he would feem to be. Befides, it is often as troublefome to fupport the pretence of a good quality, as to have it; and if a man have it not, it is most likely he will be difcovered to want it; and then all his labour to feem to have it is loft. There is fomething unnatural in painting, which a skilful eye will easily discern from native beauty and complexion.

It is hard to perfonate and act a part long; for, where truth is not at the bottom, nature will always be endeavouring to return, and will betray herfelf at one time or other. Therefore, if any man think it convenient to feem good, let him be fo indeed; and then his goodness will appear to every one's fatisfaction: for truth is convincing, and carries its own light and evidence along with it; and will not only commend us to every man's confcience,

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confcience, but, which is much more, to God, who fearcheth our hearts. So that, upon all accounts, fincerity is true wifdom. Particularly, as to the affairs of this world, integrity hath many advantages over all the artificial modes of diffimulation and deceit. It is much the plainer and eafier, much the fafer and more fecure way of dealing in the world; it hath lefs of trouble and difficulty, of entanglement and perplexity, of danger and hazard, in it; it is the fhorteft and nearest way to our end, carrying us thither in a ftraight line; and will hold out, and laft longeft. The arts of deceit and cunning continually grow weaker and lefs effectual and ferviceable to thofe that practife them: whereas integrity gains ftrength by ufe; and the more and longer any man practifeth it, the greater fervice it does him, by confirming his reputation, and encouraging thofe with whom he hath to do to repofe the greateft confidence in him; which is an unspeakable advantage in bufinefs and the

affairs of life.

A diffembler muft always be upon his guard, and. watch himself carefully that he do not contradict his own pretenfions; for he acts an unnatural part, and ́ therefore must put a continual force and restraint upon himfelf: whereas he that acts fincerely, hath the easiest talk in the world; because he follows nature, and fo is put to no trouble and care about his words and actions; he needs not invent any pretences beforehand, nor make excufes afterwards for any thing he hath faid or done.

But infincerity is very troublesome to manage. A bypocrite hath fo many things to attend to, as make.his life a very perplexed and intricate thing. A liar hath need of a good memory, left he contradict at one time what he faid at another. But truth is always confiftent with itself, and needs nothing to help it out; it is always near at hand, and fits upon our lips, and is ready to drop out before we are aware; whereas a lie is troublefome, and one trick needs a great many more to make it good.

Add to all this, that fincerity is the most compendi ous wisdom, and an excellent inftrument for the speedy dispatch of bufirefs. It creates confidence in those we have to deal with, faves the labour of many inquiries, and

and brings things to an iffue in a few words. It is like travelling in a plain beaten road, which commonly brings a man fooner to his journey's end than by ways, in which men often lose themselves. In a word, whatever convenience may be thought to be in falfehood and diffimulation, it is foon over; but the inconvenience of it is perpetual, because it brings a man under an everlasting jealoufy and fufpicion, fo that he is not believed when he speaks truth, nor trusted when perhaps he meanshonestly. When a man hath once forfeited the reputation of his integrity, nothing will then ferve his turn, neither truth nor falfehood.

Indeed, if a man were only to deal in the world for a day, and should never have occafion to converse more with mankind, never more need their good opinion or good word, it were then no great matter (as far as fefpects the affairs of this world) if he spent his reputation all at once, and ventured it at one throw. But, if he be to continue in the world, and would have the advantage of reputation whilft he is in it, let him make use of fincerity in all his words and actions; for nothing but this will hold out to the end. All other arts will fail; but truth and integrity will carry a man through, and bear him out to the laft.

II. On Doing as we would be Done unto..

HUMAN laws are often fo numerous as to escape our memories; fo darkly fometimes, and inconfiftently. worded, as to puzzle our understandings; and they are not unfrequently rendered ftill more obfcure by the nice diftinctions and lubtile reasonings of those who profess to clear them: fo that, under thefe feveral difadvantages, they lofe much of their force and influence; and, in fome cafes, raife more difputes than, perhaps, they determine. But here is a law, attended with none of these inconveniences; the groffeft minds can fcarce mifapprehend it; the weakest memories are capable of retaining it no perplexing comment can eafily cloud it; the authority of no man's glofs upon earth can (if we are but fincere) fway us to make a wrong conftruction of it. What is faid of all the gofpel precepts by the evange lical prophet, is more eminently true of this: "It is an

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high-way; and the wayfaring man, though a fool, fhall not err therein."

It is not enough that a rule, which is to be of general ufe, is fuited to all capacities, fo that, wherever it. is reprefented to the mind, it is prefently agreed to; it muft alfo be apt to offer itfelf to our thoughts, and lie ready for prefent ufe, upon all exigencies and occafions. And fuch, remarkably fuch, is that which our Lord hererecommends to us. We can scarce be so far surprised by any immediate neceffity of acting, as not to have time for a fhort recourfe to it, room for a fudden glance as it were upon it, in our minds; where it refts and sparkles always, like the Urim and Thummim on the breast of Aaron. There is no occafion for us to go in fearch of it to the oracles of law, dead or living; to the code or pandects; to the volumes of divines or moralifts: we need look no further than ourselves for it: for (to use. the appolite expreffions of Mofes), "This commandment which I command thee this day, is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou fhouldft fay, Who fhall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the fea, that thou fhouldft fay, Who fhall go over the fea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayeft. do it."

It is, moreover, a precept particularly fitted for prac tice; as it involves in the very notion of it a motive stirring us up to do what it enjoins. Other moral maxims propose naked truths to the understanding, which ope rate often but faintly and flowly on the will and paffions, the two active principles of the mind of man: but: it is the peculiar character of this, that it addreffeth itfelf equally to all these powers; imparts both light and heat to us; and, at the fame time that it informs us cer. tainly and clearly what we are to do, excites us allo, in the most tender and moving manner to the performance of it. We can often see our neighbour's misfortune, without a fenfible degree of concern; which yet we cannot forbear expreffing, when we have once made his condition our own, and determined the meature of our obligation

towards

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