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certainly reward or punish us in Proportion to our good or ill Performance in it. Now, although the Advantages which one Man poffeffeth more than another, may, in some Sense, be called his Property with refpect to other Men, yet, with refpect to God, they are, as I faid, only a Truft; which will plainly appear from hence. If a Man doth not use those Advantages to the Good of the Publick, or the Benefit of his Neighbour, it is certain he doth not deserve them; and confequently, that God never intended them for a Bleffing to him and, on the other Side, whoever doth employ his Talents as he ought, will find, by his own Experience, that they were chiefly lent him for the Service of others; for to the Service of others he will certainly employ them.

THIRDLY, If we could all be brought to practise this Duty of fubjecting ourselves to each other, it would very much contribute to the general Happiness of Mankind: For this would root out Envy and Malice from the Heart of a Man; because you cannot envy your Neighbour's Strength, if he maketh Ufe of it to defend your Life, or carry your Burden; you cannot envy his Wisdom, if he giveth you good Counsel; nor his Riches, if he fupplieth you in your Wants; nor his Greatness, if he employeth it to your Protection. The Miseries of Life are not properly owing to the unequal Distribution of Things; but God Almighty, the great King of Heaven, is treated

like the Kings of the Earth; who, although, perhaps, intending well themselves, have often moft abominable Minifters and Stewards, and those generally the vileft, to whom they entrust the most Talents. But here is the Difference, that the Princes of this World see by other Men's Eyes, but God fees all Things; and, therefore, whenever he permitteth his Bleffings to be dealt among those who are unworthy, we may certainly conclude, that he intends them as a Punishment to an evil World, as well as to the Owners. It were well, if thofe would confider this, whofe Riches ferve them only as a Spur to Avarice, or as an Inftrument to their Lufts; whofe Wisdom is only of this World, to put falfe Colours upon Things; to call Good, Evil, and Evil, Good, against the Conviction of their own Consciences; and, laftly, who employ their Power and Favour in Acts of Oppreffion or Injustice, in mifrepresenting Perfons and Things, or in countenancing the Wicked to the Ruin of the Innocent.

FOURTHLY, The Practice of this Duty of being fubject to one another would make us reft contented in the feveral Stations of Life wherein God has thought fit to place us; because it would, in the beft and eafieft Manner, bring us back as it were to that early State of the Gospel, when Chriftians had all Things in common. For, if the Poor found the Rich disposed to supply their Wants; if the Igno

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rant found the Wife ready to inftruct and direct them; or, if the Weak might always find Protection from the Mighty; they could none of them, with the leaft Pretence of Justice, lament their own Condition.

From all that hath been hitherto faid, it appears, that great Abilities of any Sort, when they are employed as God directeth, do but make the Owners of them greater and more painful Servants to their Neighbour and the Publick: However, we are by no means to conclude from hence, that they are not really Bleffings, when they are in the Hands of good Men. For, firft, what can be a greater Ho nour than to be chofen one of the Stewards and Dispensers of God's Bounty to Mankind? What is there, that can give a generous Spirit more Pleafure and Complacency of Mind, than to confider, that he is an Inftrument of doing much Good? That great Numbers owe to him, under God, their Subfiftence, their Safety, their Health, and the good Conduct of their Lives? The wickedeft, Man upon Earth, taketh a Pleasure in doing Good to those he loveth; and therefore, furely, a good Christian, who obeyeth our Saviour's Command of loving all Men, cannot but take Delight in doing Good even to his Erięmies, God, who giveth all Things to all Men, can receive nothing from any; and thofe among Men, who do the most Good, and receive the feweft

Returns,

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Returns, do most resemble their Creator; for which Reafon, Saint Paul delivereth it as a Saying of our Saviour, that it is more blessed to give than to receive. By this Rule, what must become of thofe Things which the World valueth as the greatest Bleffings, Riches, Power, and the like, when our Saviour plainly determines, that the beft Way to make them Bleffings, is to part with them? Therefore, although the Advantages which one Man hath over another, may be called Bleffings, yet they are by no Means fo in the Senfe the World usually understandeth. Thus, for Example; Great Riches are no Bleffing in themselves because the poor Man, with the common Neceffaries of Life, enjoyeth more Health, and hath fewer Cares without them. How then do they become Bleffings? No otherwise, than by employing them in feeding the Hungry, cloathing the Naked, rewarding worthy Men, and, in short, doing Acts of Charity and Generofity. Thus, likewife, Power is no Bleffing in itself, because private Men bear lefs Envy, and Trouble, and Anguish without it: But, when it is employed to protect the Innocent, to relieve the Oppreffed, and to punish the Oppreffor, then it becometh a great Bleffing. And fo, laftly, even great Wisdom is, in the Opinion of Solomon, not a Bleffing in itfelf; for, in much Wifdom is much Sorrow; and Men of common Understandings, if they ferve God, and mind their Callings, make

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fewer Miftakes in the Conduct of Life, than those who have better Heads. And yet, Wifdom is a mighty Bleffing, when it is applied to good Purposes; to inftruct the Ignorant, to be a faithful Counsellor in publick or private, to be a Director to Youth, and to many other Ends needlefs here to mention.

To conclude:

God fent us into the World to obey his Commands, by doing as much Good as our Abilities will reach, and as little Evil as our many Infirmities will permit. Some he hath only trufted with one Talent, fome with Five, and some with Ten. No Man is without his Talent, and he that is faithful or negligent in a little, fhall be rewarded or punished, as well as he that hath been fo in a great deal.

Confider what hath been said, &c.

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