SERMON XVII.

The Righteous Man the best Friend to the Community.

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PROV. xii. 26. former Part.

The Righteous is more excellent than his Neighbour.

Y the Righteous in the LanBguage of Scripture, especially of David and Solomon, is in

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tended the religious Man; one who fears God, and efchews Evil; who applies himself to the Discharge of all perfonal and relative Duties, from Convictions of Confcience, and a A a 2 Senfe

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Senfe of the divine Authority which enjoins them And confequently, by his Neighbour here, placed in Oppofition to him, must be meant a Man of the contrary Character, one who careth not for God, but pursues the Interefts or Pleasures of the World, without any Regard to his Authority, or the Rules he has prescribed to the Actions of Men. The Excellency here afcribed to the former of these Characters, may refer either to the perfonal Happiness attending it, or its beneficial Influence on Society. In this laft View I fhall at present confider the Aphorifm before us, and as equivalent to this Propofition, That a Man of Religion and Virtue is a more ufeful, and confequently a more valuable Member of a Community, than his wicked Neighbour. A Truth which feems to have found the Contradiction of the Scorner, even in Solomon's Reign; and therefore we cannot wonder to find it opposed by Persons of the fame Character in any other Age, or under any other Adminiftration, though as wife and juft as his. For Religion will never be without Enemies, nor thofe Enemies be wanting in Endeavours

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Endeavours to expofe it to the Contempt or Averfion of Mankind. Solomon, we may prefume, at least in the wifer and better Part of his Reign, acted in his Royal Character as he often in this Book advises his Son; and made the Difpenfations of his Juftice and Favour an Encouragement to the Good and Virtuous, and a Discountenance and Reftraint to the Libertine. But his Example, as a Preacher, is more properly before us in this Place: And when the Overflowings of Ungodliness make us afraid, the Minifters of Religion cannot better discharge their Duty of oppofing it, than by afferting and enforcing the Conclufions of this great Prince, deduced with the Affiftance of infpired Wifdom from long Experience, and an atten tive Obfervation on the Tendency and Events of human Actions. And the Truth and Juftice of his Reflection in my Text, in the View I proposed to confider it, will appear to us if we obferve,

I. IN General, the Neceffity of Virtue and Religion to the Ends of civil So

ciety.

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It will yet more diftinctly appear if we obferve,

II. IN a more particular Application, how these Qualities fit and difpofe Men for the most useful Discharge of the feveral Offices and Relations of focial Life. I will add,

III. A RELIGIOUS Motive to value and efteem Persons of this excellent Character, because by their Piety and Prayers the Bleffing of God is derived on the Community.

I. IN Contradiction to my firft general Obfervation, it has been offered us, among the refined Productions of the prefent Age, that Vice is a Thing highly beneficial to Society, derives on it so many Advantages that publick Happiness would be imperfect without it. Now we may admit in Support of this Paradox, that if there were no vicious Men in the World, we should not want to be protected by civil Government from them. We will alfo admit that fome Advantages may arise to Society

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from the Vices of Men, either as they occafion good Laws, or awaken a due Execution of them; or as the Example, or Nature of his Punishment may render a Criminal of fome Service to the Publick. But then it must be remembred, that these are purely accidental Confequences from Vice Its natural and proper Effects are all Evil, the very Evils which Government was defigned to redrefs; and the Advantages that any Time happen to arise from it, are owing wholly to the Wif dom and Virtue of thofe in Authority. Should the Magiftrate be fo weak or corrupt as to approve and encourage Vice, and leave it without Reftraint or Correction, the Effects of it would foon be felt in the Confufion of the Society. But to make fhort with this Argument, let us ask the Libertine himself, whether he would chufe to live in a Community, where all profefs and are without Restraint allowed to gratify every Paffion, without any Regard to the Peace or Interefts of their Neighbours. If Vice, as he pretends, i. e. if Luft and Violence, if Fraud and Rapine be really in themselves beneficial to the Society,