SERMON XXVI.

ON HONESTY.

BY

ALEXANDER MACWHORTER, D.D.

Minister of the First Presbyterian Church, Newark, NewJersey.

HEBREWS xiii. 18.

We truft we have a good confcience in all things, willing

to live boneftly.

HAT kind of beauty which arifes from harmony

THAT

and proportion, is in no writings fo vifible or fo perfect as in the Holy Scriptures. The religion therein revealed to mankind, is a fyftem of perfect and univerfal order and harmony. There is fuch a facred connection between the truths and duties, fuch a regular dependence of one part upon another, that any difadjustment or neglect of one, mars the general fymmetry, and produces a measure of deformity and confufion. There is a juft and univerfal tendency in the whole, to the fame uniform effect and end; and every particular truth and duty unites

to

to promote the ultimate defign of the whole. In this fystem there is no interference in the feveral branches of truth or duty; one truth or duty does not juftle out another; each has its proper place and proper confequence; and therefore calculated in infinite wifdom to answer the general and great intention, which is the glory of God and the perfection and felicity of intelligent creatures. Those truths and duties, which relate to God, ftand as the first principles of the system; thofe, which relate to ourfelves and our neighbour, arife as infallible and neceffary confequences from thefe. And fo ftrict and certain is the connexion, that the whole is injured by an infringement of the confequences, as of the principal parts.

Thus is true religion defcribed in the facred oracles; and thus it is when transferred to the heart by the operations of the Holy Spirit. Religion in the heart, in fome good degree, correfponds to religion in the word, as face answers to face in a glass. As the truths and duties of religion promote piety to God, and an holy regard to the Lord Jesus Christ, so they also produce a due respect to, and a practical obfervance of every focial virtue. Hence, how beautiful and amiable is a truly religious character! One branch of religion doth not exclude another; a Chriftian's refpect and duty to God is fo far from injuring, that above all things it promotes his duty to his neighbour. It is the Divine commandment, that he should love his neighbour as bimfelf; and he that loveth God, will keep his commandments.-On the other hand, duty and respect to his neighbour, or the practice of social duties will never preclude or diminish his regard to God, or the duties of devotion. Every duty holds its proper place in the general fyftem. Love to God, and faith in Chrift Jefus, oblige us to treat our neighbour with propriety; and our honeft and virtuous conduct towards our neighbour

B b

bour will never allow us to enjoy the approbation of our own minds, or to have a good confcience, without a fupreme regard and duty to God.

From this view of things, it is evident, that all appearances of religion are defective and wrong, which do not promote the duties incumbent upon us in our focial connections as men and Chriftians. The more religion reigns in the heart towards God, the more love and duty will increase towards our neighbour; with more care and diligence will the focial duties be cultivated and discharged. That religion, which is of the operation of God, purifies the heart from the old leaven of malice, wickednefs, dishonesty and unrighteoufnefs, and forms the foul to the love and practice of candour, charity, goodness, integrity and uprightnefs. All religious affections and exercifes, unaccompanied with the moral virtues, are delufive and fpurious. Holiness and focial virtue are infeparable in the nature of things, and in the revelation of heaven to man. The former cannot exist without the latter, nor can the latter be genuine and durable without the former. Some perfons. in great zeal and apparent warmth in religious and devotional exercises, will fpeak meanly of morality and focial virtue, and others again will cry up morality and focial duties as all in all. But both these are deviations from that real religion which fecures peace of confcience, and leads to everlafting life. The Holy Scriptures teach us, that the practice of piety, godliness, focial virtue and morality, are all beautifully connected, and go hand in hand. They no where admit of fuch notions of religion as exclude morality, nor such a preference and practice of morality as weakens or fuperfedes the obligations of religion in its moft exalted branches or fpiritual exercises. Each mu ef it due nfluence on the Chriftian life in all proper exercife, f.ames and practice. Accordingly

མ ི

we find our Lord and his Apoftles always inculcating the duties of both tables upon their hearers. Our divine Redeemer, when he exhibits a comprehenfive view of the whole duty of man, and of the requifitions of Heaven, does it in this manner: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyfelf. And the great St Paul, the fuppofed author of this epiftle to the Hebrews, who was eminent for his displaying and dwelling upon the doctrines of grace, is no lefs diftinguished for his enforcing the focial virtues, and enjoining the duties of morality. He recommends them in general, agreeably to the example of his Mater, in love to our neighbour; and he enlarges throughout his letters upon every particular branch of focial and relative duty. And here, in the words of our text, with great propriety and energy, he recommends the virtue of honefty.-This is a part of Christian morality of a fuperior kind. Without it

we cannot expect the favour of God, the friendship and esteem of mankind, nor peace in our own minds, in moments of fober reflection. When the Apostle hopes, with regard to himself and thefe Hebrew Chriftians, that they had a good confcience, he ftrongly intimates, that the goodness of their confcience arose from the difpofition they had to practife this amiable and neceffary virtue. We trust we have a good confcience in all things, willing to live boneftly. Sincere defires and endeavours to live honeftly, both procure a good confcience, and are evidences of it. A good confcience is a fweet companion, and a continual entertainment; it brings in a large revenue of tranquillity, fatisfaction, joy and confolation, to the breaft in which it dwells, under the frowns of the world, and all the varying afpects of Divine Providence. Honesty is a Chriftian virtue of a very general nature; it extends to all the relations which take place among the Bb 2 children

children of men: But, in particular, it refers to our commerce, bargains, promises and dealings, one with another. It is truly a melancholy recollection, that there are fo many violations of this virtue among mankind, especially among them who name the name of Christ, and have thereby obliged themselves to depart from all iniquity. The confiderations by which it is recommended to us from reason and religion, however convincing and numerous, are not always powerful enough to impress the conscience, and hold us to the fteady obfervation of honefty in our conduct. Such is the degeneracy of human nature, and fo deeply are the feeds of depravity implanted in our fouls, that flight occafions oftentimes prove victorious temptations to dishonesty, weaken our regards to righteousness, and lead us to injure our fellow-creatures. But to render our confciences more tender,-to enable them more faithfully to perform their office,-to cause us to avoid and abhor difhonefty more, and to ftrengthen our refolutions in favour of integrity, let us a little, in the

Firft place, open the fountains from whence dishonesty flows.

Then, fecondly, mention fome confiderations and motives to induce us to be confcientiously honeft in all our employments, bufinefs and converfation.

Firft, In order to illuftrate the excellency and importance of this virtue of honefty, we fhall point out fome of the fountains from whence the oppofite vice flows, or fome of the chief caufes of dishonesty. Oppofites frequently illuftrate each other to great advantage. The beauty and charms of Chriftian virtue gain ftrength, by aroufing in us an indignation and abhorrence of mean,

bafe,