of any one of them, without the most disgraceful inconsistencies in our conduct. But he whose single aim is to please God, in some measure resembles the Father of lights, "with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning "-" His path is as the morning light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." His character is still brightening; he advanceth from one degree of grace to another; and is every moment drawing near to the enjoyment of that God, whose approbation he constantly sought.

In the 3d place, The divine principle mentioned in my text, would produce an universal obedience to the laws of God, because they are but various ways of compassing the important end at which it aims.

The man who is truly animated with it, will, like David, have a "respect to all God's commandments;" and, instead of complaining that they are grievous, will rather rejoice, in being furnished with such a variety of opportunities for promoting the glory of his heavenly Father. This divine principle will have influence upon him in the most secret retirement, as well as when he acts in the open view of the world. The hypocrite, who courts the approbation of men, may be very exact and punctual in the outward exercises of religion; but he who seeks to please God, will not rest in these. He knows that his Father seeth him in secret; he rejoiceth in the thought of it, and therefore omits no duty that bears the stamp of his authority; yea, his heart is as much engaged in the severest acts of self-denial, as in those instances of obedience which are accompanied with the most immediate pleasure and advantage.And this leads me to observe,

in the

4th place, That a sincere desire of pleasing God, would likewise lessen the difficulties of obedience, and support us under all the sufferings to which our duty may at any. time expose us.-Perhaps our duty may be accompanied with much pain and trouble in the world; perhaps, like

Paul, we may be shamefully intreated, and, like the rest of the Apostles, looked upon as the filth and offscouring of all things. But still the Christian reasons thus:‹ What are these things to me? Is it not better to please God, than to indulge this corrupt flesh, or to seek the ' approbation of man," whose breath "whose breath is in his nostrils ?" Should I please men, I could not be the servant of Christ. Those hardships and difficulties which I now suffer, will soon be at an end; and though my good things are not in this life, yet hereafter I shall be com'forted in that state, "where the wicked cease from 'troubling, and the weary are at rest." Was I not 'forewarned by my blessed Saviour, that the way to his 'kingdom lay through many tribulations; and shall I now faint, because I find it to be so? Where can I enjoy so good an opportunity of shewing my regard to my Lord, as by serving him, now that I am brought to the * test? He is now saying to me, as once he said to Peter, "Lovest thou me, more than these ?" Awake then, O my soul, and answer with that Apostle, "Thou, Lord, who knowest all things, knowest that I love thee;" and I adore thy goodness in granting me this opportunity of ⚫ testifying the strength and sincerity of my love, to thy glory and my unspeakable comfort.' Such will be the sentiments of the man whose single aim is to obtain the approbation of God. He will continue firm and unshaken, amidst the greatest sufferings, whilst the hypocrite, like the base multitude who followed Christ only for the loaves, will be offended, and fall off, when a day of trouble comes.I shall only add, in the

5th and last place, That this divine principle will make a man easy and satisfied, whatever be his outward condition in the world. He knows, that his lot is appointed by God, and his only anxiety is to perform that part which hath been assigned to him: being fully assured that God, who is no respecter of persons, will graciously accept his sincere endeavours to please him, whether his

station be high or low, whether his circumstances be rich or poor. His only concern is, that Christ may be magnified in his body. Like a determined traveller, he takes the road as he finds it, and makes no complaints, provided it lead him to the end of his journey.

These are some of the advantages which would flow from a sincere and steady desire of pleasing God, and him only. But to set these advantages in a more striking light, let us a little examine the opposite principle, and take a view of the man whose great aim is to obtain the approbation of his fellow-creatures.Consider then,

1st, To what a drudgery he subjects himself, and what a strange and inconsistent part he must act. He makes himself the servant of every man, whose censure he fears, or whose praise he covets. He renounceth his own will and reason; and to whom? Not to God, who requires nothing but what is holy, just, and good; but to creatures like himself, ignorant, perverse, and capricious. He who is resolved to please men, must follow them through all their jarring inconsistent humours. He must undo to-morrow what he does to-day; he must assume a different appearance in every company; he must be the servant of servants, contemptible in the sight of God, and often despised by those very men whose approbation he courts. For it is to be observed, that respect and esteem are sooner found by an honest indifference about them, than by an anxious pursuit of them. They who are satisfied with the approbation of their heavenly Father, who seeth them in secret, are for the most part rewarded by him openly, according to what the wise man saith, "When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." Whereas, it holds almost universally true, that men lose respect in proportion as they are observed to court it with anxiety, and sink thereby into greater contempt than otherwise they would have done. But,

2dly, Let us suppose that they obtain what they covet

so earnestly. How trivial is the acquisition!" Verily," saith our Lord concerning men-pleasers, "they have their reward." Ah! poor reward, to obtain the favour and friendship of dying men, instead of the approbation of God, and the testimony of a good conscience; to remember in hell that they were well spoken of on earth, and that the sentence of their Judge was the first thing that undeceived their fellow-creatures as to their true charac ter. This is the whole amount of their gain, even supposing that they succeed in their pursuit.But I must now add, in the

3d place, That this is only a supposition; for so great is the difficulty of pleasing men, that, after all your pains, it is ten thousand to one but you shall fail in the attempt. The very number of those whom you would please, renders it almost impossible to succeed in it. We cannot at one time observe all who observe us, and expect to be pleased by us. We are like a person who has but a few pieces of money in his pocket, and a crowd of beggars about him. If, according to his best judgment, he divides the whole among the most needy, that he may please God, he is sure of attaining his end. But if he attempts to manage so as to please them, he will be miserably disappointed. For though the few that shared of his bounty, may possibly be satisfied with their proportion; yet the rest, who got nothing, will revile, and perhaps curse him, as penurious and unmerciful. Besides, the different parties and interfering interests of men, makes it impossible to please all. If, in any case, you join with one party, the other, of course, will be offended: if you keep yourself disengaged from either side, you will probably incur the resentment of both: or, if you think to keep the good will of both by trimming, making each believe that you are on their side; besides the baseness of the practice, which must set a man at irreconcileable variance with himself, you must live in a perpetual fear of a discovery, and, when you are detect

ed, both will hate you worse than they do each other.Nay, in the

4th place, Should you give up the idea of obtaining universal favour, and content yourselves with pleasing a few; yet such is the mutability of men's tempers, that your success, even in this limited attempt, is very precarious. For how variable is the mind of man? ever shifting about, and alternately pleased and displeas ed with the same thing. When you have spent the best of your days in building upon this sand, one blast shall throw down the laborious fabric in a moment. For difficult as it is to gain the favour of men, it is still more difficult to preserve it, or to regain it when it is lost. Serve them as submissively as you can, yet some cross accident, some failure in gratifying their unreasonable expectations, may suddenly turn all your honours into disgrace, and leave you to complain, as Cardinal Wolsey did, Had I served God as faithfully as man, he would not thus have forsaken me in my old age." Nay, the perverseness of many is so great, that they require contradictions ere they will be pleased. If John come fasting, they say," he hath a devil:" if Christ come eating and drinking, they say, "Behold a man gluttonous and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans, and sinners." If your judgment and practice be accommodated to your supe riors, some will call you supple and temporizing: if it be otherwise, you will perhaps be reproached as discontented and seditious.

Thus you see, that it is impossible to please all men, or even any considerable number of them at one time. Nor have we cause to wonder at this, when we consider, that our blessed Saviour himself, notwithstanding his perfect innocence and wisdom, was more reviled than any man. Can you do more to deserve the favour of men than Christ did? or can you expect to please those who are displeased with God himself? For is not God daily displeasing men in the course of his providence? and what