when enacted, are, through the perverfeness of the people, of very little efficacy.

These are not the effects of the love of our country. Nor the infamous practice of fmuggling, and other mean arts, by which the laws for raising a revenue for defraying the neceffary expences of government, are evaded. Yet it is notorious, that the avowed principal of numbers of perfons in trade, is, That all is well got, that is got by cheating the king, as they abfurdly talk. For defrauding the public revenue, is in effect defrauding the people, who pay it, and making it neceffary for the government to lay additional taxes, and to clog and incumber trade and induftry, to make up the deficiencies occafioned by the depredations of a fet of lawlefs people, the plague and ruin of fair traders. It is amazing, that rational creatures can contrive fo effectually to blind their reason, and ftupify their confcience, as to bring themselves to argue, that though it is confeffedly unjuftifiable and wicked in a fon to difobey his parent, yet there is no harm in difobeying that authority, which is higher than the parental, I mean, that of the law of the land; that, though it is wrong to cheat or lie, there is no harm in taking a falfe oath at the custom-house, by which the guilt of perjury is incurred; the revenue, or more properly the nation, robbed; and the fair trader injured.

People may deceive themfelves, as they please: But there is hardly any worfe fpecies of vice, than difobedience and infolence to fupreme lawful authority. Nor will any perfon be fit for a future ftate of peace, regularity, and perfect obedience to the univerfal Governor, (without which there can be no happiness) who has in this ftate habituated himself to lawlefs oppofition and contempt of government..

To raise an oppofition or rebellion in a country against the fupreme authority, except upon moft powerful caufes and motives, is a crime of as horrid and complicated a kind, as any to which human wickednefs is capable of proceeding. For the confequences of a general difturbance in a state, are the perpetration of all kinds of iniquity. And where fo dreadful a confequence is

foreseen,

foreseen, it is evident, nothing lefs than the prevention of a total fubverfion of rights and privileges, civil and religious, of which the laft is much the most important, is a fufficient plea for disturbing the general peace. This was confeffedly the cafe at the Revolution in 1688. But thofe men, who delight in mifreprefenting a government, and making them odious and vile in the eyes of the people, and do all they can to thwart and embarrass their measures, merely because themselves have no thare in the emoluments of place and power, are the pefts of fociety.

One of the greatest curfes of our nation, and of liberty in general, is that of our unhappy divifions and parties in religion and politics. As for the firft, it is a fubject of too ferious and important a nature to be made a mere badge of faction, or a bone of contention. The defign of religion is to improve and dignify our natures, to correct our errors in judgment, and to regulate our lives. And whoever applies it as a tool of ftate, as an artifice for aggrandizing himself or his friends, and a cloke to conceal his fecular views, is guilty of proftituting the most facred thing in the world to the vileft ules. As for political parties, it is notorious, that those who affume to themselves the moft fplendid titles of being on the patriot fide, or country-intereft, and against the court, as their cant is, generally make a clamour for pretended liberty, and the good of their country, only to have their mouths ftopped with a place or a penfion; and that, on the other hand, thofe who ftand up in defence of all the meafures of thofe in power, without diftinction, only do fo with a view to get, or to keep fome emolument. As it is inconceivable that either one or the other party fhould be conftantly in the right, or invariably in the wrong, you may conclude, that whoever inclines univerfally for or against either fide, without ever altering his opinion, is either a man of very mean abilities, or has fome indirect fcheme in view. The trimmer, who gives his vote fometimes with one fide, fometimes with the other, according to the view he has of the confequences, is the only man of integrity. And I cannot help advifing my

readers

readers to look upon all parties, and all who make either religion or politics a party-affair, in the fame light, and to keep clear of all fides alike; making it their business to confult the real good of their country, and the real welfare of their fouls, without any eye to the fordid gains of corruption, or any defire to fight the battles of either party.

To conclude, our duty to our country comprehends all the relative duties; and we are to facrifice private intereft, family, and life itself to it, when called upon; and are to obey its laws in all cafes, where they do not clash with the only fuperior authority in the universe, I mean the Divine.

Next under the authority of national government is the parental. The propriety and neceffity of fubmiffion to parents appears from confidering, that it is evidently neceffary, that fome perfon, or perfons, should undertake the care of children in the helpless time of life; and that none are fo proper as the parents. In confequence of this, it is neceffary that children, before they come to the use of reason, be governed by authority, and there is none fo natural as that of parents; it is therefore their part to return the reciprocal duties of love, gratitude, reverence, and obedience to thofe who have taken care of them, when no one elfe would undertake that office. And it being once made the appointed courfe and order of things, the law of filial duty is not to be broke through by the children on account of a failure in the parents in difcharging their duty; nor, contrariwife, are parents to give up the care of their children, though they fhould turn out untowardly. Obedience to parents extends to all things that are confiftent with the laws of our country, and of God, both which authorities are fuperior to that of parents.

The duty of parents to their children is briefly to take care that proper provifion be made for their bodily intereft, by food, clothing, and education; and more efpecially for that of their minds, by forming them, from the earlieft years, to virtue and religion.

The duty of fpiritual paftors to their people, is to do whatever is in their power for the good of the fouls

2

committed

committed to their charge, by preaching, catechifing, counselling, or writing. However improper it may be thought for a layman to enlarge upon this relative duty, it cannot be improper to refer to one, from whom directions on this head will come with unexceptionable authority; I mean the apoftle Paul in his Epiftles to Timothy. The duty of people to their paftors, is to fhew them a great deal more reverence and gratitude than is commonly done in England.

The duty of inftructors of youth is briefly to fill the place of parents in forming thofe configned to their care by the parents, to ufefulness in life, and happiness hereafter. The duty of young perfons to their governors and teachers is obedience, and diligence in endeavouring to improve themselves, while under their care; and gratitude and love to thofe, by whose faithful diligence they had the opportunity of becoming wife and good men. And the duty of gratitude to parents and teachers on this account will be binding upon thofe who have been the objects of their care, not only for life, but to eternity.

The duty of mafters to fervants, is to pay them according to engagement; to treat them as fellow-creatures, though in an inferior ftation; and to take care, that they have opportunities of knowing their duty and means of happiness. That of fervants to mafters is faithfulness, diligence, and obedience in all lawful cafes.

This

The duty of husbands to wives, is the tendereft love, and warmest defire of their happiness in life, and to eternity. That of wives to husbands, befides reciprocal love, takes in obedience in all lawful things. arifes from the confideration of the priority of creation, and fuperior dignity of the male fex, to which Nature has given the greater ftrength of mind and body, and therefore fitted them for authority. But as, on one hand, it is not the part of a good wife to conteft the authority of her husband, fo neither is it of a good hufband to ftand up for the privilege of his fex, while he fhews little of the tenderne fs which is due to the weaker. This is, in fhort, a ftring never to be touched;

for

for it always introduces difcord, and interrupts the matrimonial harmony.

Love is the fulfilling of the whole duty mutually owing by collateral relations, as brothers, fifters, and the like. And fuch perfons may eafily know whether they do their duty to one another, by confidering how people behave to thofe they really love.

In friendship, of which I have treated in the firft book, the duties are mutual love, fidelity, fecrecy, and a defire of promoting one another's happiness both fpiritual and temporal. Virtue is the only foundation of friendfhip. The commerce of the wicked is rather to be called a combination or confpiracy against mankind, than friendship.

The duty of the rich to the poor, is feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, vifiting the fick, and in general fupplying the wants of the neceffitous. Thofe to whom the Divine Providence has been diftinguishingly bountiful, are to confider themselves as flewards of the good gifts of Heaven, which they are not to lavish away upon their own extravagant lufts, but to diftribute to their diftreffed brethren. Nor ought they to think of this as an act of generofity, or almoft of fupererogation, as many feem, by their oftentatious way of giving charity, to do. It is not what they may do, or let alone. It is not to be carried to what length they pleafe, and no farther. They are expected to give all they can give, and then to think they have done only what they ought. Since to do lefs, if we will take our Saviour's own word for it, is a neglect which will exclude from future blifs. There is indeed great prudence to be used, that a judicious choice of objects may be made, and that the charity given may not prove a prejudice, inftead of an advantage. If what is given ferves to fupport in idleness and debauchery, it had much better be withheld. Care is alfo to be taken, that our charity be not given for fashion, oftentation, or any other view, but obedience to God, and benevolence to our fellow-creatures. In as far as any other confideration has influence, in fo far the real excellence of fuch good works, is leffened in the fight of Him, who fearches the heart.