and you will have no occafion for concealment or diffimulation. Men form bafe defigns and commit criminal actions, and then call in the aid of lying, that their crimes may pafs undiscovered: thus guilt is doubled only that it may be concealed. Do always that which you would not be afhamed to confefs to all mankind; be in reality what you would have the world think you, and you will have no use for falfehood and deceit. I will conclude in the words of the Pfalmift:

"What man is he that loveth life, and feeketh many days that he may fee good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile."

The

The Fear of Man a dangerous

Snare.

PROVERBS XXix. 25.

The fear of man bringeth a fnare.

It cannot be the defign of Solomon in thefe words to difcourage every kind of folicitude concerning the opinion which others entertain of us, and every degree of attention to the prefervation of our good name. The love of reputation, and confequently the dread of infamy, is certainly a natural and useful principle. To be deftitute of this principle is to want one of the most effectual guards of virR 3

tue,

tue, and one of the most powerful incentives to great and meritorious actions, We must not, then, fuppofe that the wife man intended, in the maxim of the text, any thing farther than to prevent the mifapplication or abuse of a natural principle, by teaching, that where a regard to the approbation, or a fear of the cenfure of men becomes predominant, there is danger left it fhould betray the perfon who is under its controul into a criminal violation of duty. Whenever it happens that there is an interference between the claims of confcience and religion and thofe of the fenfe of honour and love of fame, fo that a man cannot fecure the approbation of his own mind and the favour of his Maker without hazarding his intereft in the good-will of fome of his fellow-creatures, or expofing himself to ridicule or cenfure, then " the fear of men becomes a fnare;" and he who, in fuch a cafe, has not the fortitude and piety to hazard the difpleasure or

contempt

contempt of a mortal like himself, rather than expofe himself to the righteous judgment of Heaven, falls by this fnare.

It may be of fome ufe to us all, and especially to the young young and unexperienced, to be apprised of the numerous hazards to which virtue is expofed from this quarter, and to be reminded of the most effectual expedients for fecuring ourselves from the fuares which arise from the fear of man.

Different fituations create, in this refpect, different temptations. There have been times in which the profeffors of true religion could not publicly avow their principles, and adhere to the pure worfhip of the one true God, without expofing themselves to fevere fufferings; when they were required to renounce their creed, and profess opinions and conform to practices contrary to their judgment and conscience, at the peril of liberty, property, and life. In these circumftances it required no common share of integrity and refolution to follow the R 4 path

path of duty through all the terrors of perfecution; and, therefore, it was then no unufual thing to fee men of unsteady principles and timid tempers making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience. There have been times, on the other hand, in which high profeffions of zeal and fanctity have been the most effectual means, not only of gaining popularity, but of being advanced to stations of diftinction and emolument. Worldly interest and religious profeffion were then on the fame fide of the balance; and it was no wonder if multitudes feized the fortunate opportunity of ferving God and Mammon at the fame time-if there were then more of the appearance of piety than of the reality. The temptation then was to pretend to more religion than a man really poffeffed: accordingly men, at that time, talked about religion more than they practifed it: this was the age of hypocrites.

These times are now past: public opi