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fooner or later, will find the world to be a fcene of disappointment. Some men find out this truth early. Others are many years in finding it out. And many never find it out at all, till at the close of life, it forces itself upon them. Happy is that man, who can learn this great truth at a cheaper rate than by fuffering from it-who can be convinced before disappointment convinces him. Such a man is above the world. The world cannot hurt him. To him it is of no confequence, whether it flatters or frowns. And though it is the height of religion only, which can carry us thus far-much farther than the generality of people go, yet every endeavour is fomething; and, by the bleffing of God, and holy hope in the joys of religion, we may arrive, by degrees, at greater attainments.

Then again, as to pride, it is certainly a most uneafy companion. The proud man never meets with that respect which he thinks his due. He has fo high an opinion of himself, that all the respect you can pay him, falls fhort of what he thinks you fhould pay him, and all the deficiency becomes matter of distress. In short, no man can enjoy what he really is, when he thinks himself something more than he is. Nor can any man enjoy himself,

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himself, when he puts his happiness in the hands of others.

But perhaps example may be inftructive in this point alfo. There is a story in Scripture strong to our purpose. It is the ftory of Haman, contained in the book of Efther.

Haman was the next perfon in the kingdom of Perfia to the king himself. Every thing that wealth and power could give, Haman poffeffed. But-there was one thing, which, amidst all his poffeffions, cruelly hurt him. It is true, he was a bad man, and wanted the joys of religion: but the joys of religion entered not into Haman's ideas of happiness. That was not the matter. His happiness was all centered in the things of this world. He had them all; but yet ftill was unhappy. What then could be the caufe of his unhappiness? -He was afhamed to tell. The text fays, he reftrained himself; that is, he was ashamed, like other fools of the fame kind, to let the world fee his folly. But, when he got among his particular friends, the mighty fecret came out. Mordecai, the Jew, had not paid him that reverence which he expected.

Now, you can all fee the folly of Haman, in fuf

fering

fering the happiness of his life to be thus disturbed by such a trifling incident, as the want of a bow from Mordecai the Jew. But yet the cafe is not fo uncommon as to furprise us. There is fomething in human nature that teacheth us all to believe, we are of more confequence than we really are. Hence arise a number of those little quarrels and disgusts, and offence taken at trifles, which we often see among people even in the lowest ftations. Few of us have that modest opinion of ourselves which we ought to have. There is nothing indeed fo trifling, my good neighbours, which pride cannot turn into as ridiculous an offence, as the want of a bow from Mordecai the Jew.

Now poornefs of fpirit, which is recommended in the text, is the proper cure of all these evils. It renders us mild and gentle, and humble and contented. It is the very garb of a Chriftian-that wedding-garment, which every one of us must put on who attends his Lord.

Let us then clofe with the text-clofe with it in the fulness of our hearts-Blessed are the poor in fpirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven-It

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is peace

is theirs in every fenfe of the words. Theirs and quietness on earth-theirs is that holy difpofition, which is the foundation of every Chriftian virtue-theirs is all the happiness of this world; and all thofe joys which are promifed in the next.

SERMON X,

MATT. V. 13.

YE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH.

WHAT our Saviour means by falt, is very

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plain. As falt is a prefervative against corruption, whatever corrects the wickednefs of the world, may be called the falt of the earth.-This is eafy; but there is rather a difficulty in afcertaining to whom the expreffion is applied. Some think Jefus fpoke only to his immediate difciples; and in them, to the minifters of the Gofpel. Others fuppofe, he addreffed Christians in general. As all Chriftians, I conceive, may be of use to each other in correcting their feveral faults, I fhall take the words in their more enlarged fenfe: and dividing mankind into higher and lower ranks, I fhall first shew you how the former; and, fecondly,

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