if a man be faithful to his convictions respecting these things, we may justly call him a faithful man ; but, if he neglect God, and pour contempt upon the Lord Jesus, and disregard his eternal interests, and labour in every possible way to silence the remonstrances of his own conscience, is he faithful ? No, indeed ; he is a traitor to God and to his own soul. If he be truly upright before God, he will give to the concerns of his soul and of eternity the attention they demand ]
2. Faithful to their engagements in things relating to man —
[Without supposing any express compact voluntarily en- tered into between man and man, there is of necessity a mu- tual obligation lying upon every man to perform the duties of his place and station. As husbands or wives, parents or chil- dren, masters or servants, magistrates or subjects, all of us have some line of conduct prescribed to us ; and, as members of one great body, are bound to perform our proper office for the benefit of the whole. Every person feels this in relation to others ; and would account himself very injuriously treated, if any should violate towards him the duties of their station : and, consequently, every one must owe to others the treatment which he himself claims at their hands. Now, a faithful man considers this, and will labour to do unto others as he, in a change of circumstances, would think it right that they should do unto him. But if a man consult nothing but his own inte- rests and inclinations, and make his own will the only rule of his conduct, can he be called " faithful?" Is he not as much bound to observe the commandments of the second table as those of the first? His obligation to both the one and the other of them is unalterable ; nor can either the one or the other in any wise be dispensed with. Religion and morality must go hand in hand. Neither of them can supersede the other ; nor can either of them exist without the other : and he who is faithful in one, must of necessity be faithful in both.]
For the encouragement of such characters, I will proceed to state,
II. What are the peculiar blessings reserved for them —
Truly " the faithful man shall abound with bless- ings"—
[I might here enumerate thousands of blessings, if time would admit of it; but I will specify only three: the appro- bation of God ; the testimony of a good conscience ; and a blessed hope of immortality and glory But how shall