rf „ m*m ^ ^ PRINCETON, N. J. ty. Collection of Puritan Literature. Division Section Number iiuiuiiiiwitfiiriirik w- ,■'*"" T.K&tin Scu/f. SERMONS On the Molt Interesting RELIGIOUS, MORAL, AND PRACTICAL SUBJECTS. By the late Reverend and Learned Mr. ISAAC KIMEER. Printed from his own Manuscripts. To which is prefixed, Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the AUTHOR. LONDON: Printed by, and for C. and J. Ackers, in St. Jobjfs-Sireeti And Sold by J. Noon, at the White-Hart, in Cheapfide\ and R. Bald w in, at the Rofe, in Pater --JS t M.DCCXVJ. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/mostintOOkimb '- ''^C^-i John Keeling,, £^; One of His Majesty's Juftices of the Peace for the County of Middle/ex. SIR, ;HE Author of the following Difcourfcs, who was person- ally known to You, was a- dorncd and a&uated by all thofe mild A 2 and DEDICATION. and fociable qualities, which never fail of endearing a man to his fellow creatures; and the principles and maxims therein inculcated and in- forced, are a lively reprefentation of his own honeft mind. How naturally, Sir, then, am I directed to a Patron, in You, for this Volume ; a Patron, who, by his inte- grity, and univerfal charity, unfet- tered by the narrow prejudices of party or opinion ; by his great love to his fellow creatures, and his daily ex- ercife of the greateft and noblefl: of the Chriftian virtues, plainly proves the poffibility of living up to thefe heavenly precepts. All that have the pleafure to know You, to live with- in the fphere of Your activity, will readily abfolve me of adulation in what I have advanced ; and as to the envious, the malicious, the ill-tem- pered, and the fplenetick, they can- not. DEDICATION. not, it is plain, relifli thefe juft en- comiums ; for it is the undoubted charaderiftick of bad minds, that, having no title to praife themfelves, they can neither conceive, nor will acknowledge, the juftice with which it is given to the good and the de- ferving. The kindnefs, the generality, with which You have encouraged the fub- fcription to thefe remains of my Fa- ther, would, indeed, have been fingly a motive for this Dedication ; but give me leave, Sir, to fay, with all that honeft warmth of gratitude that has taken poffeflion of my heart, I am proud, to the laft degree, that Your name appears before them, as You are really an example of all thofe exalted graces it was their defign to infpire. That You may continue long, the delight and comfort of your Family A 3 and DEDICATION. and Friends ; and, as a Magiftrate, to be a terror to evil doers, and a praife to them who do well', and that, after participating , of every bleffing this mortal life can afford, You may reap the reward of all Your virtues, in another and better (late of exiftence, is the fincere prayer of, S I R, Tour mojl obliged \ Mojl obedient y And mojl humble Servant, Edward Kimber. MEMOIRS O F T H E Life and Writings Of the Reverend Mr. ISAAC KIMBER. THE Author of the following dif- courfes, was born at Wantage, in Berkfijire, on December i, 1692, and received the rudiments of a learned education from the Reverend Mr. Sloper, then mafter of a private grammar-fchool in that town -, and who had, fome years before, the maf- terfhip of the free-fchool there ; but was turned out, by the biihop of the diocfcfe, upon the evidence of a bufy informer, for fcrupling to take the oaths to the government. This gentleman, as our Author was very frequently ufed to fay, bating the peculiar principles he held, was a mod worthy man, an excellent tutor, and had the happinefs of inftrudting fome youths, who afterwards made a great figure in the learned world ; amon2;ft whom was the late very excellent Prelate, Dr. But- ler, Bifhop of Durham. Under Mr. Sloper he made a confiderable progrefs in the Gfeek A 4 and viii Memoirs of the Life and and Latin tongues, in which he was much forwarded by the kind aid of Mr. Jo?ies, the very learned paflor of the Baptifl Church at Wantage, who, taking a particular liking to him, made him his companion ; and, in his fociety, he has often told me, he fpent fome of the happieft moments of his life. Mr. jfones was a man of fome fortune, and had a well-chofen library, to which his pupil had free recourfe -, and as he was alfo much turn- ed to mathematical purfuits, his young friend reaped great profit from his converfation : And, perhaps, to his intimacy with Mr.JoM, may, in great meafure, be afcribed his incli- nation to the miniftry ; tho' indeed it was what his parents wifhed he would direct his mind to, and for which he feemed pecu- liarly defigned, by his ferious, thoughtful temper, which was vifible in his earlieft youth, and his natural love of virtue and fo- briety, and abhorrence of every thing trifling, vicious, or prophane. With the flock of knowledge he had ac- quired in the country, he came up to London to perfect himfelf in the languages, under Pro- feftor Ward of ' Grejham College, and in acade- mical exercifes under the direction of the Reverend Mr. John Ea??ies, F. R. S. And the Reverend Mr. Jofeph Burroughs has given ample teftimony of the fwift progrefs he made under thefe excellent inftrudors * , a tefti- mony * Sec that gentleman's fermon occasioned by his death, p, 23. Writings of the Author. ix mony the more to be relied upon, as that learned gentleman was witnefs to, and encou- raged him in, his ftudies. When he had qualified himfelf for the mi- v niftry, he was very particularly patronized, by the Hon. Jofeph Col/ett, Efq; late Gover- nor of Fort St. George in the Eajl-Indies > and, to the converfation of that gentleman, and his brother, Mr. Samuel CoIletty whofe chriftian labours have endeared him to all good men, he ufed to afcribe the eftablifh- ment, in his mind, of thofe generous fenti- ments of univerfal love and charity, that en- mity to impofition and perfecution, in matters of mere faith, which governed him through- out the remainder of his life : For he ufed to confefs, that he had imbibed fome narrow Cahiniftical notions in the country, either from his parents, or his beloved paftor, which, when his reafon was better informed, he de- parted from with opennefs and ingenuity. It is not my bulinefs, in the fhort compafs I have allotted myfelf, to give a minute detail of every hardfhip, and they were many, that our Author endured at his firiT; fetting out in life ; the dictatorial manner in which he was treated by fome bigots, on the one hand, which gave exquilite pain to his mind, and the conceflions his rnodefty and dependency forced from him, to thofe of a more free way of thinking, on the other, he ever remem- bered with regret. His marrying at twenty- five Memoirs of the Life and five years of age, before he had gained a fet- tlementin the world, fubjected him ftill more to the humours of others, which the gentle - nefs of his difpofition gave him not the power or courage to contradict : But I would not be underftood that he was ever guilty of any criminal compliances ; no, he maintained his integrity and his virtue untainted, thro' the whole courfe of his life. If, however, he met with harm and unchriftian treatment from fome perfons, he was fully recompenced in the conftant friend/hip of other valuable, efteemed patrons, amongft whom he ever fpoke with a particular veneration of the late Dr. Hunt, Mr. afterwards Sir Nathaniel Hodges, Dr. Gale, and fome others, whofe lofs he never mentioned, without being melt- ed even to tears. As he did not meet with the encourage- ment he expected as a minifter, he very ear- ly engaged in the bufinefs of a writer, and one of the fir ft productions he gave to the world, was the Life of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scot/and and Ire/and, in octavo, printed for Meffis. Brotherton and Cox. This piece met with a very good reception from the publick, and has paffed thro' feveral editions, univer- fally efteemed for its-ftile and its impartia- lity ; and as the Author's name was not made publick, tho' it was always known to his friends, it was at firft very confidently afcrib- ed Writings of the Author. xi ed to Dr. Gibfon, Bifhop of London. Soon after, he was concerned with Meffrs. Bailey, Hodges, and Ridpath, in compiling a hiftory of England r,in four volumes in 8vo. which was printed for Meffrs. Midwinter, Fayram, Bat- ley, Sec. in 1722, the 3d and 4th volumes of which were folely his, and a large impreflion was difpofed of. A few years afterwards, he wrote the life of Bifliop Beveridge, which is prefixed to the folio edition of his works, of which he was the Editor. In the year 1724, he was called to the paf- toral charge, in conjunction with Mr. Samuel A£lon,-5X Namptwicb in Chejhire; but as his go- ing there was preceeded by an attempt to fetter his mind with fubferiptions to, and impositions of articles of faith, fo his abode was rendered uneafy, for the three years he officiated amongft them, by the untoward and perverfe fpirits of fome of the principal perfons of the congre- gation 5 and, I remember, his intimacy with the worthy incumbent of the parifh, and Mr. Vandrey, the Prejbyterian mini Iter in that town, was infinuated as a crime, in that it betokened his hanging loofe to fome funda- mental points which they thought effential to church-communion and falvation. I mention this inftance, as a fpecimen of many other as wife objections againft his conduct, from which fome of them thought themfelves war- ranted to withdraw their promifed fubferip- tions from him, either in whole, or in part ; and xii Memoirs of the Life and and a principal perfon, then near eighty years of age (by whofe promife of leaving an an- nuity to the congregation, at his death, for the better fupport of their minifter, he had been principally induced to quit London) once more entering into the marriage ftate, and threatening not to leave them one farthing, he found he could no longer fupport his fa- mily upon the fcanty pittance his falary was reduced to, and determined, after much con- flict within himfelf, to leave them, which, after many altercations on both fides, he exe- cuted at the latter end of the year 1727. The modeft chearfulnefs of his behaviour during his refidence at Namptwich, had fo en- deared him to moft of the principal people there, of all parties and perfuafions, that his departure was very much regretted ; and, in- deed, when he took leave of the congrega- tion, which he did in a pathetick farewel fermon, moft of them wept. His affection to them was very great, and it mull: be faid that moft of them loved and reverenced him. Upon his return to London y he officiat- ed, as morning preacher, or affiftant, to his much loved and learned friend, Dr. John Ki?7ch *, in Old Artillery -Lane, and, occa- fionally, at Pin?iers-Hall, for Dr. Hunt , and was alfo engaged in correcting the prefs, and other literary bufinefs* for Mr J ^'ohn * By whom, upon his death-bed, he was recommended as his fucceflbr; but the hiftqry of his beirg rejected, is too long to be infer ted. Writings of the Author. xiii John Darby, and others. At the fame time he compiled a periodical pamphlet, called, The Monthly Chronicle, which fub- fifted from January, 1728, to May, 1732, and then was dropped. In part of this pe- riod, he was likewife concerned with Mr. Drew, of the Union Fire-Office, as his affif- tant, and fupported thefe various labours with a quiet and even temper, and a chearful mind, tho' vifited with a very fore affliction in his Wife's being deprived of her reafon ; a mif- fortune, which, he fometimes v/ould hint, was brought on, by her deep fenfe of the ill treatment he had met with at Namptwich. This malady had two feveral ftages ; for fome years it difplayed itfelf in ravings and fury, by which his perfon was often endan- gered, and then funk into an indolent kind of frenzy, which continued all the reft of her life. As they had been a remarkably happy couple, this misfortune lay very heavy upon him, and put him to various and great ejxpences, even beyond what his circurnftances could well fupport ; but a patient fubmiffion to, and firm truft in Providence, enabled him to bear a fad complication of diftrefTes, like a man, and a christian. His love for her feemed ra- ther encreafed by this dreadful vifitation ; and, after twenty years and upwards, that (he con- tinued thus afflicted, her death gave him the mod poignant forrow lie ever felt, and, in fome mcafure, contributed to haften his own. In xiv Memoirs of the Life and In the year 1731, he was concerned in a periodical work, of which Mr. Charles Ackers was one of the proprietors, and that worthy Gentleman, once kindly and humanely en- quiring into his circumftances, and finding them very narrow, generoufly offered to make room for him, as corrector, at his office. With him he continued for two or three years, and then his old mafler, the learned Dr. Wardy pitching upon him, in conjunc- tion with the Rev. Mr. Edward Sander cock > to carry on his grammar-fchool, near Moor- Fie/dsy which he quitted in their favour, he con fen ted to his leaving him. This femina- ry had always been in high eftimation, from the great character of the mailer -, and the prices paid by the fcholars . were very confi- derable. They carried it on for fome time with fuccefs *, but, by one means or other, it beginning to decreafe in the number of pupils, Mr. Sander cock quitted it to Mr. Kimber, who held it fingly, for a- bout half a year, and then was obliged to re- linquifh it. And now, he again recurred to his faft and faithful friend, Mr. Ackers, who reinflated him in his former place, and it rnuft be faid to the honour of the learned gentleman he difcharged, to make room for him, that far from fhewing any refentment thereat, he afterwards did him many confi- derable fervices. It is natural and reafonable to make mention here, of that firm and fet- tled Writings of the Author. xv tied friendfhip between Mr. Ackers and our Author, which was his main iupport through the remainder of his days. That Gentleman, who venerated his virtues, and loved his per- fon, made it his ftudy to render him as eafy and happy as his fituation would allow; nor was his ion Mr. John Ackers^ at all behind hand, in treading in his father's fteps. It may be faid, the friendly affiftance of the former, was ever extended to his mod prefix- ing neceffities ; and thofe good offices were returned by a fincere and thorough attach- ment on his part -, and fuch tender and delicate fentiments, that to mention their names in a difrefpedtful way, though in the moft diftant manner, could never be born by him with any tolerable degree of patience, and was ever a motive for his quitting the mofl favoured company. Indeed, it feemed to be the conftant ftudy of that whole family, to do every thing in their power to oblige him ; the late Mrs. Mary Ackers loved him as a father, and the prefent Mrs. Margaretta Maria Ackers^ ever mewed him refpeel: and deference, and after his de- ceafe, difplayed the utmoft regard to his me- mory. As the bufinefs he was engaged in, de- manded his conftant attendance, he had not latterly thofe opportunities of feeing his old friends, which he formerly enjoyed, and be- ing, by thedecav of his fight3 and the negkfl: " of xvi M e m o i r s of the Life and of that denomination of diffenters to which, by principle, he was attached*, entirely con- fined to fedentary labour, he feldom appeared in the pulpit, except when called upon by the Rev. Mr. Burroughs, whofe name he never mentioned, but with an accent of the high- eft and moft fervent afte&ion, the late Rev. Dr. James Fofter and Mr. Jofepb Mor- ris, his bofom friend, who juft lived to regret his departure, and the Rev. Mr. Bar- ron, of Deptford. In the year 1740, he wrote the reign of his prefent majefty, which is added to the laft edition of How- ell's Medulla Hijl.Ang. and foon afterwards, an Hiftory of Etigland, in one volume Svo, printed in 1745, for Mr. Thomas Cox, which will hereafter, perhaps, be efteemed, by competent judges, the beft Abridgment of the Englijh Hiftory extant. The literary performances, that, during the laft twenty years of his life, he either prepared for the prefs, or lent his afliftance to, one way or another, would be too numerous for men- tion ; as his judgment in thofe matters was confulted by all ranks of Authors; and, but that the diforder of his wife, the follies and misfortunes of his children were always a dead weight upon his labours, would, in con- junction * This is not intended as a reflection ; though I could much enlarge in the proof of it. Particular perlons amongll them, were ever ready to do him tervice, and actually did confer repeated favours upon him, of which he ever retained a due lenfe. Writings of the Author. xvii junflion with his con flan t employs, at leafl have afforded him competency, eafe and happinefs in his declining days. It would be difficult to add any thing to the character already given of him by the Rev. Mr. Burroughs, in the difcourfe before quoted, or to give a better idea of his man- ner of preaching, and the following difcour- fes 5 they indeed will beft difcover the ami- able difpofition of the Author. If he fuf- fers at all by this pofihumous publication, all the fault refts with me -, though I honeftiy recurred, to what I knew were his lateft fentiments, in fele&ing the fermons that com- pofe it. Mr. Burroughs § want of health ren- dering it impoffible for him to undertake the friendly office, which otherwife, he wTould willingly have performed, and the death of Mr. Morris, who had engaged in it, threw them into my hands, and, at the dehre of Charles Ackers, Efq; whole regard to his friend's memory, was the motive of their being prefented to the world, I willingly be- came the Editor. No doubt is to be made, that, if the author had prepared them himfelf, for the prefs, many luxuriancies would have been pruned, and many additions made, and the language would certainly have been more improved -, for, this I may affure the pub- lick, that no liberties were taken in making alterations or additions, and that they were faithfully printed verbatim frcm the author's own manufcripts, Edward Kiml TO THE MEMORY Of the Reverend and Learned Mr. ISAAC KIMBER. FAIN wouki a Mufe, by thee fir ft taught to (bar, In plaintive lays, thy fudden lofs deplores Paint the diftrefsful pangs each bofom fwells, Where pining grief, where gloomy forrow dwells : But reafon pleads— 'Tis felfifh all, and vain, Tho' lofs to us, thy change, to thee 'tis gain ; Thy faith ihou'fl kept — the dreadful ftrife is pall:, And crown'd with blifs, thy joys fhall ever laft. See Friendfhip droops, the trickling tear defcends, And burfting fighs thy dolefome hearfe attends ; Thus art thou wail'd, who knew'ft the ev'ry art To footh, to meliorate, to chear the heart. In thee the Israelite indeed was feen, No guile thy foul dilguis'd, deform'd thy mein ; All fair, all pure, thy mental worth Hill fhone, And made each breaft that knew thee all thy own. Wifdom, bright radiance, Science, urg'd thy flight, Thro' all their flow'ry paths, to heaven and light j Learnt thee, with fond avidity, to rife, To claim an int'reft with thy kindred Ikies ; To fpurn the idle toys of mortal care, And place thy firm, thy fure dependance there. Warm On the late Rev. Mr. Isaac Kimber. Warm in Religion's caufe, her ftcady friend, Thy precepts ftrove our hearts, our lives t' amend -, And free from heat, or fuperftitious zeal, Clearly the facred truths thou did'ffc reveal ; Thy doctrines with thy lov'd example fquar'd, So much admir'd, fo copy'd, fo rever'd. Enamour'd with the tafk, the Mufe would ftray, Thy private worth, thy virtues all difplay ; Would weep, lov'd, honour'd made, in thy deceafe, A Sage that footh'd the gentle hours of peace ; That through our fouls, with irrefifHefs fway, Darted unfully'd reafon's forceful ray : But let thefe pages fpeak thy heav'nly mind, By every Chriflian, focial grace refin'd ; Where thy great Master's laws, all pure, divine, % With added powers of mild perfuafion mine. Freed from the ills that wait this wretched life, Its toils perpetual, wafting cares, and ftrife, Safe art thou landed on th'im mortal more, Where pains, where weaknefs, difcords vex no more. And, ah ! when Providence with wife defign, Shall call us hence, may we thy concert join ; And fafe arriv'd in thofe bright realms of day, Have all our earthlv forrows wip'd away ! Edward Kimber. A LIST O F T H E SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. A. CHARLES Ackers, Efq; 20 Copies. Mr. John Ackers, deceafed, 20 Copies. Mrs. Margaretta Maria Ackers. Mrs. Dorothy Ackers. Robert Abercrombie, Gent. Mr. Thomas Agate, of Dichaiing. Mr. John Allcock. Mr. JBenjamin Afhby. Mr. R.obert Atkins, of Lewes, Suffix, Mr. Daniel Auften, of Lewes , Suffix. Mr. Ambrofe Auftin, of Staplehurft. Mr. B. RICHARD Rowdon Baynham, Efq; deceafed. Mr. Walfingham Beazly. Rev. Mr. Jofeph Burroughs. Rev. Mr. Charles Bulkeley. Rev. Mr. Sackville Spence Bale, of TVithyam, Mr. Richard Baldwin, jun. 12 Copies. Mr. John Barnham, of Norwich. Williams Bucknel, of Kingjlorr, Gent. Mr. William Burcombe of King/ton. Mr. Chriflopher Bamford, of Kingflon. Mr. William Brown. Mr. Peter Brown, of Linficld. Mr. Nath. Brown, of [Ajfricbtith Mr. John Beadle, oi F aimer. Mailer A LIST of the Subscribers, Mafrer John Bacon. Mr. Emanuel Bowen. Mr. Thomas Bowen. Mr. Ifaac Bafire. Mr. Stephen Baylis. Mr. John Boyce. Mr. John Brooke. Mr. Jofhua Bridges. Mr. John Burchett. Mr. Edward Berry. Mr. Edward Bowman. Mr. Henry Bennett. Mr. John Ball. Mr. Thomas Beynon. Mr. Francis Byrn. Mr. Francis Beaie. Mr. Jofeph Brayne. Mr. James Burton. Mr. Robert Bartholomew. Mr. Thomas Blyth. Mr. William Bacon. Mr. Samuel Billings. WILLIAM Caflon, Efq; 6 Copies. Mr. William Caflon, jun. 4 Copies. Mr. Thomas Caflon. Mrs. Elizabeth Caflon, fen. Mrs. Elizabeth Caflon, jun. John Collet, M. D. Mr. John Chancellor. Mr. John Crowder. Mr. Woodhoufe Coker. Mr. Thomas Cheflbn. Mr. John Chapell, of Klngjlon. Mr. Michael Chatfield, of Dkhallng. Mr. John Cope. Mr. John Chippendale. Mr. Richard Cicel. Mr. John Cox. Mr. Richard Cox. Mr. William Cox. a 3 Mr. A LIST of the Subscribers* Mr. John Coleman. Mr. John Coleman. Mr. Peter Collingridge, Mr. Thomas Cufhee. D. REV. John Doughty, M. A. Minifter of St. James, Clerkenwcll. Mr. Edward Davenhill. Mr. Jofeph Dickinfon. Mrs. Cefhfhabah Dobfon. Mifs Elizabeth Dobfon. Mr. John Durant* of" Yarmouth. Mr. William Durant, of Yarmouth* Mr. William Durant, of Yarmouth. William Dry butter, of Kingjion, Gent. Mr. Robert Dowfett. Mr. John Douglafs. E. MR. Evans, Mr. James Exelby, Jen. Mr. William Earlom. Mr, Humphrey Elmes. Mr. Charles Everard. F. REV. Mr. Henry Finch, of Norwich, Mr. Abraham Farren. Mr. Jeremiah Forth, of Kingjlon. Mr. William Farmer, of Kingflon, Mrs. Mary Forfter. G. SI R Crifp Gafcoyne, Knt. and Alderman, George Grew, Efq; Timothy Graves, Efq; Mrs. Elizabeth Graves. George Gordon, Efq; Mr. Jofeph Goding, fen. of Kingjion. Mr. Edward Golding, of Kingjlon. Mr. Edmund Goodall, of Kingjlon, Mr. Philip Glafs. Mr. Robert Goadby, of Sherbcm, Mr, A LIST of tlic Subscribers- Mr. John Gibfon. Mr. John Godfrey. H. SIR Jofeph Hankey, Knt. and Alderman, Jacob Harvey, Efq; William Harvey, £fq; Samuel Clay Harvey, Efq: Coemd. Haverkam, Efq; Mr. John Harrifon, 2 Copies. Captain Jofeph Hickfon, jun. of Hull, Mrs. Bridget Haughton, 2 Copies. Mr. Thomas Hughes. Mr. Robert Hawkins. Mr. Thomas Halliwell. Mr. Ofwald Hofkyns. Mr. Robert Harvey. Mr. Thomas Hurford. Mr. George Haynes, of Kingfton. Mr. William Hobbs, of King/ion. Mr. John Haberkorn. Mr. Thomas Hyde. Mr. James Hyde. Mr. William Hallam. Mr. William Hale. Mr. James Haynes. Mr. Matthew Hunter, of Lewes> Stiffen, Mr. William Huett. Mr. John Hart. Mr. Henry Hutfon. Mr. William Hodgfon. Mr. Mark Hurlock. c L HARLES Jemmet, of King/Ion^ Gent, Hugh Jordan, of King/Ion, Gent. Mrs. Eliz. Inwood, of Kingjlon. K. JOHN Keeling, Efq; 6 Copies, Mrs. Anne Keeling, jofeph Keeling, Efq; 4 Copies. a 4 Matter A LIST of the Subscribers. Matter John Keeling. Mr. Grantham Killingworth, of Norwich. Chriftopher Kelly, Gent. Surgeon. Mr. Thomas Kilburn. Mr. John King, tf Kingjion. Mr. Thomas Kitchin. Mr. William Kent. Mr. John Kitchin. Mr. Thomas Kitchin. Mr. Michael Kirby. Mr. George Kitchen. Mr. Tobias Kleineri. L. JAMES Haughton Langflon, Efq; 2 Copies. Mr. Thomas Lifter. Mr. Thomas Lowe, 2 Copies. John Linfield, of Kingjion, Gent. Mr. Richard Ledger, of Kingjion. Mr. Thomas Ledger, fen. of Kingjion, deceafed, Mr. Benjamin Lunn. Mr. Ezekiel Lofty. Mr. Robert Lewis. Mr. Edward Lawrence. Mr. Briant Lodge. M. GEORGE Macauley, M. D. Mr. Thomas Marlton. Mr. William Morgan, of Kingjion. Mr. Thomas Millis, of Kingjion. Mr. Thomas Mercer, Surgeon, at Lewes, Suffix. Mr. Robert Mercer, of Lewes, Suffer. Mr. Richard Mercer, of Lewes, Suffix. Mifs Sufannah Molden, of Norwich. Mr. Stephen Marks, of Kingjion. Mr. Richard March. Mr. William George Morris. Mr. William Moore. Mr. John Mills. Mr. Richard Mafon. Mr. Mills. A LIST of the Subscribers. N. GEORGE Nelfon, Efq; Alderman. Rev. Mr. Daniel Noble. Edward Nettlefoldv of King/ion, Gent. Mr. Edward Nettlefold, jun. of Kingjlon. Mr. William Nettlefold, of Kingjlon. Mr. Ralph Nicholls, of Sunbury. Mr. William Newman, of IVeJI bam- Abbty* Mr. John Noon. Mr. William Newell, Mr. William Neaft. Mr. William Nicholls. Mr. William Northall. M o. R. Henry Oborne, Surgeon. Mr. John Oed. ^>|ILBERT Pilkingtpn, of LincolnJhirt> Efq; \j Edward Pawlet, Efq; Mr. Bartholomew Paine. Mr. Stephen Preacher. Mr. Edmund Popplewell. Mr. Richard Poartman, of Kingjlon* Mr. John Pigott, of Kingjlon. Mr. John Pickett, of Kingjlon. Mr. Thomas Peters, of Kingjlon, Mr. John Penner, of Kingjlon. Mrs. Denny Price. Mr. Samuel Pullin. Mr. Samuel Price. Mr. William Payne. Mr. Matthew Poole. Mrs. Piers. Mr. John Pearfon. Mr. William Pentlow. R. JOHN Rowlls, Efq; of Kingjlon. Mr. Sewell Roades, of Kingjlon. Mr. Thomas Riley, of Kingjlon. Mr. Thomas Ryley, of Hampton-Wick. Cap- A LIST of the Subscribers. Captain William Reynolds. Mr. Edward Reynolds. Mr. James Reynolds. Mr. Thomas Rofoman, 2 Copies. Mr. Thomas Ridout. Mr. Jeremiah Ridout. Mr. Thomas Romaine. Mrs. Mary Reeves. Mr. George Rollos. Mr. William Rayment. Mr. William Rogers. Mr. John Robinfon. Mr. Samuel Reckfter. Mr. Ralph Royle. Mr. William Rolfe. RE V. Mr. John Sparrow, Re&or of Kettleburgh, in Suffolk. Chnilopher Smart. M. A. Mr. George Sedgly, Mr. Nehemiah Stokes. Mr. Samuel Smart. Mr. William Stagg. Mr. William Smith, of Kingjlon. 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Ms. Thomas Weatherill. Mr. William Whitehoufe. Mr. George Watfon. Mr. Jofeph Waine. Mr. James Whifkin. Mr. James Woods. Y. R I CHARD Yerbury, of Kingfton, Efq; Rev. Mr. William Young, of Yarmouth, THE THE CONTENTS. SERMONS I, II. The Fear of God, a fundamental Duty. Prov. xiv. 27. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the fnares of death, Page 1,15 SERMON III. The Love of G 0 d infured by Righteoufnefs. Psal. cxlvi. 8. lat. part. The LORD /oveth the righteous. 32 SERMON IV. The great Duties of Chriftianity, recom- mended and explained. Jude ver. 20, 2r. But ye, beloved, building up yourfehes on your mofi holy faith, praying always in the Holy Ghofi, keep yourfehes in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord J ejus Chrijl unto eternal life. 53 SER- C O N T E N'T 8. SERMON V. The Nature and Obligation of Prayer. i TjHEss. v. 17. Pray without ceajing. Page 85 SERMONS VI, VII. The Lovclinefs and Efficacy of Chanty. 1 Cor. xiii. 4 — 7. Charity fuffereth long, and is kind-, charity ■ envieth not ; charity vaunteth not itfelf] is not puffed up. Doth not behave itjelf un- fecm/x, feeketh net her own, is not eafily pro* voked, thinketh no evil, Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. Bear- ish all things, hclieveth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 108, 125 SERMONS VIII, IX. Humility and Mecknefs Chriftian Virtues. Matt. v. 3. Blejfed are the poor in fpirit j for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 142, 162 S E R M O N X. The Fruits of the Spirit. Galat. CONTENTS. GALAT. V. 22, 23. But the fruit of the f pi r it is love, joy> peace \ long-J'uffering, gentlenefs, goodnefs, faith, meehiefs, temperance : Againjl Juch there is no law. * Page 186 SERMON XI. God our Saviour and Deliverer. Psal. 1. 15. And call upon me in the day of trouble -, I will deliver thee, and thou fialt glorify me. 206 SERMON XII. Christ manifefted, and Obedience to him commanded. Matt. xvii. 5. lat. part. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed ; hear ye him. 242 SERMON XIII. Of being, by God, in Christ. 1 Cor. i. 30. But of him are ye in Chrifl Jefus, who of God is made unto us wifdom, and rightcoiijhefs, and fanftif cation, and redemption. 266 SER- CONTENTS. SERMON XIV. Christ the Light of the World. John viii. 12. The?! fpake Jefns again unto them, faying, I am the light of the world : He that follow- eth me, /hall not walk in darknefs, but fall have the light of life. Page 290 SERMONS XV, XVI, XVII. Salvation wrought by the Grace of God. Titus ii. 11, 12. For the grace of God that bringeth falvation, hath appeared to all men, teaching us, that denying ungodlinefs and worldly lujls ; we Jhould live fiber l\\ :*fiy, and godly in this prefent world. 309, 332, 355 S E R M O N XVIII. The Vanity and Uncertainty of Human Life. James iv. 14. lat. part. For what is your life? It is even a vapour , that appear eth for a little ii?ne, and then vanifh 076 S E R M O N XIX. The F : all V. Enjoyments. 4 1 John CONTENTS. i John ii. 17. And the world pajfeth away, and the lujl there- of: but he that doth the will of God, abideth for ever. Page 394 SERMON XX. Proofs of the Refurre&ion and Final Judg- ment. Acts xvii. 31. Becaufe he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteoujhefs, by that man whom he hath ordained ; whereof he hath given affurance unto all men, in that he hath raifed him from the dead. 4 1 7 S E R- SERMON I. The Fear of GOD, a fundamental Duty. Prov. xiv. 27. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the fnares of death. WHOEVER makes the leaft obfer- Serm, vation, muft fee that there is a 1. great deal of mifery in the world ; *--*-— and there is reafon to think that there is much more mifery than appears to common obfervers, being hid from their eyes by fplendid and gay outfides. Now all this mifery, whether apparent or other- wife, is occafioned by vice, or by men's act- ing otherwife than reafon, and truth, and righteoufnefs require. By vice, I fay, ei- ther in ourfelves or others : If we are vicious ourfelves, and do not repent, this will infal- libly bring real mifery upon us, both in this ftate, and in any other we may exift in ; if we are virtuous, and yet fuflfer, this is occa- fioned ufually by the vices of others, who are injurious, oppreffive and unreafonable. B Indeed 2 The Fear of God, Serm. Indeed fome kinds of mifery, as ficknefs and I. deaths are the natural refult of our prefent *-— v-— ' flate ; but even this flate of mankind is de- clared in revelation to be occafioned by fin, i. e. the fin of our firft parents, by whom death, and all its attendants came into the world ; and many of thefe inconveniencies may be heightened and increafed by vices and irregularities of our more immediate ances- tors. Now vice being of fuch a pernicious nature both to ourfelves and others, being the occafion of fo much mifery in this world, and of all the mifery that is, or may be in a future flate, we ought by all means to avoid, or timely to forfake fuch a deflrudive thing, and the means of avoiding it fhould be mofl highly efleemed, regarded, and attended to by us. The word of God chiefly furnifhes us with thefe means of avoiding fin and vice, but the firft and principal of thefe, and which includes all others, is that mentioned in our text, viz* the fear of God ; The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life% to depart from the flares of death. I fhall here, I. Confider and explain the fear of the Lord. II. Shew the benefit, advantage and ne- cefiity of that principle, in its being a fountain of life, to depart from the fnares of death. i I. I a fundamental Duty. 3 I. I am to confider and explain the fear Serm. of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is a foun- I. tain of life, &c. v— -v— ' 1 By the fear of the Lord we are fometimes to underftand the whole of religion and vir- tue -y and fome particular parts of it are fome- times to be underflood hereby, the caufe be- ing put for the effeft , as religion and righ- teoufnefs are the effect of, or flow from the true fear of God. Thus, Pfai xxxiv. 1 1, &c. Come, ye children, hearken unto me -, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that defireth life, and loveth many days, that he may fee good ? keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from f peaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good -, feek peace, and purfue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, &c. So that the fear of the Lord which the Pfalmift would teach men, was to be righte- ous, to depart from all evil, and to do good ; as this was the proper, natural, and genuine effect of the true fear of God. And fo we may understand it in our text, that the fin- cere practice of religion and righteoufnefs in all its parts, which flows from the fear of God, is a fountain of life, to depart from the fnares of death ; or that the fincere practice of virtue will preferve men from mifery and death, and lead them to life and happinefs, But I would chufe here to underftand the principle itfelf, of the fear of God, and in that view to treat of it -, which indeed makes no B 2 material 4 The Fear of God, Serm. material alteration in the fenfe of our text : I. For to fay that religion and righteoufnefs, or *— -v~> the avoiding evil and doing good, which are the eflfedt of the fear of the Lord, preferve men from mifery and death, and lead them to life and happinefs, is much the fame as to fay, that the true fear of God in the heart, as it preferves men from fin, and difpofes them to the fincere practice of righteoufnefs, is itfelf, by this means, a. fountain of life to depart from the fnares of death. This principle then, viz. The fear of the Lord, is an awful and reverential refpedt and regard to God, according to his mod excel- lent nature and perfections, and the relation we {land in to him ; it is a fixed and habitual reverence of him in our hearts, as the firft, fupreme and eternal being, who is felf-exif- tent and independent, from everlafting to everlafting, who gives being to all perfons and things, and by whom they all fubfift and are fuftained and preferved, who himfelf poffefies all pofiible perfe&ions, and is the fupreme author, and firft caufe of whatfo- ever has exifted, or does, or fhall exift : And as the divine perfections do infinitely tran- fcend the powers of any creature, or of all creatures put together, fo they who truly fear God, have a greater awe and reverence of him than of any, or all beings befides. I {hall here a little fpeak to thofe perfe&ions which render God the juft object of our fear i and a fundamental Duty. 5 and reverence, or confider under what cha- Serm. rafters they who truly fear him do more efpe- I. cially regard him, viz. as an almighty, om- \ — /— ^ nifcient, moft holy, juft and good being. 1. They who truly fear God regard him as an omnipotent or almighty being, and fear him, or have an awful reverence of him from that confideration ; that he has all power, and can do whatfoever he pleafes ; that it is in vain for any one to refift him, there being no wifdom, or understanding, or counfel, or power that can be of the leaft effedt againft him \ that no one can ever harden himfelf againft him and profper, and that his ene- mies who will not fubmit to him, fhall one time or other be forced by his terrible judg- ments to fubmit to him. Thus the Pfalmiji fays, How terrible art thou in thy works ! through the greatnefs of thy power fk all thine enemies fubmit themfches unto thee, Pfal. lxvi. 3. and, v. 7. He ruleth by his power for every his eyes behold the nations ; let not the rebellious exalt themfelves. The omnipotence of God, or his almigh- ty power, fufficiently appears by his works : His eternal power and godhead may be un- derstood by the things that are made ; which they who truly fear him do ferioufly confi- der, and are from thence induced to retain in their hearts, and exprefs in their conduit the higheft reverence of him : They confider, that he who made the heavens and the earth, B 3 and 6 The Fear of God, Serm. and all things therein by his almighty power, I. can by the fame power ftrike offenders dead, ^ — «r— > and whenever he pleafes, can execute his juft judgments upon them for their fins. The power of God, as it appears in his works, is often in fcripture urged as a fufficient argument to in- duce men to fear him.. Thus, Jer. v. 22. Fear ye not ??ie, faith the Lord ? will ye not tremble at my prefence, who have placed the fund for the bound of the fea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pafs it, &c. And, PfaL xcvi. 4, 5. The Lord is great, and greatly to be praifed.-, he is to be feared above all gods : for all the gods of the nations are idols -, but the Lord made the heavens. And again in that beautiful paf- fage, PfaL lxxxix. 6. — 13. Who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the fons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord f God is greatly to be feared in the af- fembly of the faints ; and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. O Lord, God of ho/is, who is a ftrong Lord like unto thee^ or to thy faithful round about thee f thou rulefl the raging of the fea ; when the waves thereof arife, thou flillefl them. Thou hafl broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is fain ; thou hafl fcattered thine enemies with thy ftrong arm. The heavens are thine, the earth alfo is thine -, as for the world, and the Julnefs there- of, thou haft founded them ; the north and the fouth thou haft created them : Tabor and Her- mon fhall rejoice in thy Name. Thou haft a mighty a fundamental Duty. 7 mighty arm ; ftrong is thy hand \ and highSERM. is thy right-hand. Certainly fo great, power- I. ful and almighty a being ought greatly to be *-— v — ' feared 5 and they who truly fear him, do fear and reverence him, and have regard unto him, as fuch an one ; agreeably to our Savi- our's exhortation to his difcipies, Mat. x. 28. Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the foul : but rather fear him who is able to deflroy both foul and body in hell. 2. They who truly fear the Lord, have their minds Lmpreffed with an awful fenfe of his omnifcience, and regard him as a being who knows all things, is acquainted with all our ways, with all our words and actions, and fees into the moft fecret thoughts and deiigns of all hearts. God is every where prefent, all things are naked and bare before his eyes, with whom we have to do, and not the mod fecret thing can efcape his know- ledge : He is as perfectly acquainted with us as we are with ourfelves, and it is a mod foolifh and vain thing to think that even the moft fecret workings of our minds can be hid or concealed from him. All this is moft ele- gantly and truly fet forth in Pfal. exxxix. 1. — 12. Lord, thou haft fe arched me, and known me : thou knowefl my down-fitting and mine up-rifmg -, thou underflandefl my thought afar off\ thou compaffefi my path, and my ly- ing down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, B 4 but 8 The Fear of God, Serm. but lo, O Lord, thou knoweft it altogether. I. Thou haft befet ??te behind and before, and laid \~~*-s thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me , /'/ is high, 1 cannot attain unto it. Whither jhall I go from thyfpirit? or whither Jliall I flee from thy prefence ? if I afcend up into heaven, thou art there : if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermofl parts of the fea ; even there Jhall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand jhall hold me. If I fay, furely the darknefs Jhall cover me , even the night Jhall be light about me. Tea, the darknefs hideth not from thee > but the night fhineth as the day : the darknefs a?id the light are both alike to thee. Now, as fuch an omnifcient, all-feeing and heart-fearching God ought greatly to be feared, fo they who truly fear him, do feri- oufly regard him as fuch a one ; they confi- der him as one who fearches the hearts and tries the reins, even to give every one accord- ing to his works, and according to the fruit of his doings , that the darkeft coverts, and the moft fecret retreats for the commiffion of fin, cannot efcape his cognizance, and that there is no deceiving or mocking of him, no eluding his penetration, or impofing upon his all-feeing eye. Thefe thoughts make a folid impreffion upon their fpirits, and fuitably arTeft their hearts. 3. They a fundamental Duty. 9 3. They who truly fear God, do regard Serm. him as the moft holy being, as a being of I. the moft perfed: rectitude, who is of purer u~v~> eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on fin with the leaft allowance or approba- tion -j but, on the contrary, has a moft per- fect hatred of fin, and bears the utmoft, the moil irreconcileable averfion to it. He is holy in all his ways, and righteous in all his works ; he is light, and in him is no darknefs at all : He is righteous and loves righteoufnefs, and no iniquity can ever dwell with him. Who therefore JJjall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy Name, for thou only art holy, Rev. xv. 4. And as God is on this account likevvife greatly to be feared, becaufe he is fach an holy being, fo the true fear of him implies a regard to him as fuch an one. 4. His juftice in punifhing finners, is ano- ther confideration, that impreffes the minds of thofe that fear him, and makes them have an awe and reverence of him. They confider that he is, and will be juft, in con- demning the wicked, as well as faithful in re- warding the righteous ; that as he is a holy being and hates fin and diforder, fo he is a juft being and will punifh it : That as he al- ways does what is juft and fit and right, fo, as it is juft and fit that impenitent finners fhould be punifhed, he will undoubtedly punifh them. Hence they fear his threat- nings 10 The Fear of God, . nings and his judgments, and ftand in awe of his Majefty. Indeed, if there was no- thing but ftridt juflice in the divine being, without any mixture of mercy, he would not be that amiable being as he certainly is : But there is a harmony in all the divine at- tributes ; his juflice and his mercy are per- fectly confiftent : If it be fit for an all-wife being to fhew mercy upon any one, he will (hew mercy -, and if it be fit for him to punifh, he will punifh : We are fure, that as God is an all-wife being, he does not adt arbitrarily, or by fovereign will arid plea- fure alone, without any reafon : He un- doubtedly acts according to the higheft rea- fon, and does nothing contrary to, or with- out reafon ; though we cannot always pre- tend to fee the reafon of his proceedings, which will be fully manifefled at lad. But as we are endued with forne degree of rea- fon, fo we are capable of judging of the reafonablenefs of many things -, and among the reft, we may be fure, that it is highly reafonable, that they who go on without repentance, in the wilful tranfgreffion of God's laws, or in acting unreafonably or wickedly, fhould be punifhed at laft ; and fo we may be fure they will be punifhed, as the word of God fufficiently declares in thofe many threatnings of mifery and eter-^ nal deftruction to wilful and impenitent finners. Now, this being the cafe, God being a fundamental Duty. n being thus juft in punifbing fin, the fear of Serm. him muft imply our duly and ferioufly re- I. garding him as iuch an one. v-*-v~* 5. As the true fear of God, which his fervants are poffefled of, is not a flavifh fear, but an ingenuous, free, rational, and filial fear, fo it muft include the confidering him as a perfectly good being, from whom they receive all the good they enjoy, and from whofe hand muft come all the good things they hope for : If he was only almighty, omnifcient, and the like, he might be the objedt of our dread ; but as he is at the fame time good, and kind and merciful, the confideration of this, joined with his other attributes, mull: render him the object of a truly ingenuous fear. This is fufficiently intimated in many places of fcripture, asjer. v. 24. Neither fay they in their hearts ; let us now fear the Lord our God, that givetb rainy both the former and the latter in his feafon ; be referveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harve/l. Here you fee the good provi- dence of God in taking care of his crea- tures, is fuppofed to be a proper ground of fearing him, /. e. having a reverential and grateful regard to him. And in PfaL cxxx. 4. his goodnefs in pardoning the fins of the fincerely penitent is made to be the main ground of this truly religious fear of him : But there is forgivenefs with thee, that thou yjl be feared. If God was an inexorable being i 2 The Fear of God, Serm. being, who refufed to pardon the fins of I. thofe who fincerely defire to repent of them i— >r-~J and forfake them, we might be filled with perpetual horror and terror, but could not have an ingenuous and truly laudable fear of him ; this nothing but the confideration of his goodnefs, joined with his other perfections, can create in us. And where there is fuch a fear and reverence arifing from the confide- ration of his goodnefs, perfons will be ex- ceeding cautious of offending him, and mod defirous and fludious to pleafe him, leaft they fhould prove ungrateful to their beft friend and benefa&or, and mould expofe themfelves unlefs they repent, to his more fevere difpleafure, and a heavier condemna- tion, for abufing and flighting his exceeding great grace and goodnefs. But, 2dly, As a fenfe of the divine per- fections, fo a fenfe of the relation that there is between God and us, does alfo imprefs the minds of thofe who truly fear and reve- rence him. Thus they confider him, as their great creator, and themfelves as his creatures, who receive their being from him, and in him continually live and move and have their being. They reverence him as the author and firfl caufe of all things, who has fearfully and wonderfully made us all, and is the God of the fpirits of all flefh. Again, they confider him as their conftant preferver who upholds our fouls in life, fupports them and a fundamental Duty. 13 and fuftains them by his good providence, Serm. and by his influence, continues them in be- I. ing. They alfo confider him as the great <-^v~' orderer and difpofer of all things, who can do with them, and for them, as it feemeth good in his fight : And as their fupreme and rightful governor and lawgiver, who has the moft juft and rightful authority over them, and is able to fave or to deftroy, ac- cording as they obey or diibbey his equita- ble laws. Hence they tremble at his word, and ftand in awe of it, as the Pfalmift did, Pfal. cxix. 161. My heart ft andeth in awe of thy word. Finally, they confider him as their great and almighty and impartial judge, who will righteoufly difpenfe rewards to the good, and punimments to the bad, and who has all power to bring men before his im- partial tribunal, and to execute upon them whatever his juft judgment {hall determine. The Apoftle Peter exhorts the chriftians to fear from this very confideration, 1 Ep. i. 17. v And if ye call on the Father, who without re- fpe£l of perfons judgeth according to every mans work, pafs the time of your fojourning here in fear. Now fuch confiderations as thefe do prevail in the minds of all thofe who truly fear God : They regard him and reverence him as almighty, as all-knowing, as moft holy, juft and good ; and as their creator, preferver, governor, lawgiver and judge. They not only know and are con- vinced 14 The ^ear of God, s®rc. Serm. vinced that thefe glorious perfections belong I. to God, and that he is thus related to them$ t^-v— ...; but they fo ferioufly confider thefe things, as that they make deep and lafting impref- fions on their minds, whereby they gain a fixed and habitual reverence of God in their hearts, which prevails over all other confi- derations, and duly influences their conduct. This then is the fear of the Lord, which is as a fountain of life to depart from the fnares of death. Which happy advantages of this principle, I (hall confider in my next dif- courfe, SER- SERMON II. The Fear of GOD, a fundamental Duty. Prov. xiv. 27. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the fnares of death. IN treating on thefe words, I propofed, Serm, I. To confider and explain the fear of <— -v— ' the Lord. IL To mew the benefit, advantage, and neceffity of this principle, in its being a fountain of life tcmdepart from the fnares of death. The firft of thefe was the fubjecT: of my former difcourfe; in which I ob- ferved, that by the fear of the Lord, we are fometimes to underftand religion, virtue, and righteoufnefs, as flowing from thence. Thus the Pfalmift fays, Come ye children, hearken unto me, 1 will teach you the fear of the Lord, and mews, in the following words, that The Fear of God, that this fear of the Lord was to depart from evil and do good, &c. But I chofe to treat here of the principle itfelf, or the fear of the Lord as feated in the heart, from whence the practice of righteoufnefs does proceed. This fear of God, is an aweful and reveren- tial refpect and regard to him, according to his moft excellent nature and glorious per- fections, and the relations he ftands in to us. It is a fixed, a habitual reverence of him, as the firft fupreme, felf-exiftent, independent, and eternal being, and as poifeffing all poflible perfections, fome of thefe perfections which render God the object of our religious fear and reverence, I infifted more particularly upon ; and fhewed, that they who truly fear him, do confider and regard him as an omnipotent almighty being, who has all power in him- felf, and can do whatfoever he pleafes ; as an omnifcient being, who knows all things, is acquainted with all our ways, with all our words and actions, and with the moft fe- cret thoughts and defigns of our hearts; who being every way prefent, has all things naked and open before him, and nothing hid from him -, as is moft beautifully declared, PfaL cxxxix. beginning. Again, they fear and reve- rence him, as a moft holy, juft and righteous being, as a being of perfect rectitude, who hates ail fin, vice and diforder, and will af- furedly punifh it, as he has moft juftly threatned -, as he loves righteoufnefs, and will a fundamental Duty. 17 will afTuredly reward it according to his gra- Serm. cious promifes. And fo they who fear God II. regard him alfo as a Being perfectly good, ' — - — ' with whom there is forgivenefs that he may be feared -, and the confideration of this, with the other perfections, creates in them not a fervile fear, dread, and horror, but an ingenuous filial fear and reverence, which fills their minds with the moft agreeable fenfations, and fweetly inclines and at- tracts them to the practice of virtue and righteoufnefs. I then mentioned fome of thofe relations be- tween God and us, which thofe who truly fear him, are pofTefTed with a due and lively fenfe of, and fear him upon thofe confiderations ; fuch as his being our great Creator from whom we receive our being, our kind and conftant preferver by whom we are conti- nued in exiftence 3 our fupreme and right- ful governor and lawgiver ; and our juft and impartial judge. They who truly fear God, do not only know that he is poiTeffed of thefe perfections, and (lands in thefe relations to us ; but are impreffed with a ftrong and lively fenfe thereof: They fo ferioufly confi- der thefe things that they make deep and lading impreffions upon their minds, where- by they gain a fixed and habitual principle of the fear of God in their hearts, which prevails over all other confiderations, and du- ly influences their conduct. C In i8 The Fear of God, Serm. In this manner I more largely confidered II. and explained this principle, the fear of the <— - v — ' Lord ; and come now, 2(IIy, To treat of the nnfpeakable benefit, and advantage, and indeed, neceility of it, from what is faid of it in our text j it is a fountain of life, to depart from the Jnares of death. The plain fenfe of which words is in ge- neral this, that the fear of the Lord is the iburce, original, or caufe of thofe things, or leads to the practice of thofe things which tend to life, and preferves from thofe things which tend to death. And, 1/?, Let us confider how the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, or leads to thofe things which tend to life. This it muft do ; inafmuch as where this principle is in truth and fmcerity, it infpires men with an ardent defire, and puts them upon diligent- ly endeavouring to do thofe things that pleafe that moft excellent and glorious being whom they fear, in order to their being approved and accepted of him -, and as they know that they cannot be approved of God with- out the practice of righteoufnefs and true goodnefs, they will take care to practice thofe in fincerity, or to keep God's com- mandments wherein rigliteoufnefs and virtue are enjoined. Llence thefe things are fre- quently in fcripture joined with the fear of God, to mew that they proceed from it, or 1 are a fundamental Duty. are the genuine effects of it ; as Ecclef. xii. 13. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. And Acts x. 35. He that feareth him, and worketh righteoufnefs is accepted with him. But more particularly, that the fear of the Lord tend- eth to life, or leads to thofe things, which tend to life, appears, 1. In that it will put men upon acting ac- cording to reafon, and the dignity of their na- ture, which they have received from God: He that fears God does not look upon himfelf to be his own, but to be his Creator's who, he is fenfible, has a juft propriety in him, and right over him ; and as he knows he received all his powers and faculties from him, and de- pends continually on him for the continuance of them, and that he is accountable to his great Creator for the ufe or abufe of them, he will take care to ufe them to the ends for which they were given, and to glorify God in his body, and in his fpirit, which are his, in the fincere practice of righteoufnefs and piety, prefenting his body unto him a living facrifice holy and acceptable to him, and yielding his members inftruments of righte- oufnefs unto holinefs. The wicked are re- prefented, Pfal. xii. 4. as faying, With our tongue will we prevail, our lips are our own, who is Ford over us ? Thefe have no fear of God before their eyes : But on the other hand, the righteous who fear God, look up- C 2 on 20 The Fear of God, SeRM. on their body and ipirit and tongue, and all Ht their members, powers and fatuities not to ^^ — ; be their own, fo as to ufe them as they lift, but to be the Lord's, their great maker and preserver, to be ufed for the ends for which he gave them, viz* in conformity to the rules of righteoufnefs, piety, charity, and temperance, which he has preicribed. 2. The true fear of God will put men upon acting right in every condition and re- lation that they are placed in by providence. He who fears God, regards his providence, and confiders him as the great governor of the world, as the fupreme orderer of his creatures, and as the wife difpofer of all events ; and whilft he is thus perfuaded, and is duly fenfible hereof he will acknow- ledge God's hand in every ftation of life he paffes through, and will be difpofed to behave himfelf agreeably to it, or to dis- charge the duties that fuch a ftation requires. He will look upon himfelf as made by God a member of the great body of mankind ; and as fuch will endeavour to do juftly, and in his ftation to be a good member of focie- ty. He will look upon the relations he may fuftain of hufband, father, fon and brother, mafter or fervant, and the like, to be the effect of that wife conftitution of things, which God has fettled ; and' fo will endea- vour, in obedience to his Creator whom he fears, to difcharge the duties of thofe feve- i ral a fundamental Duty. 21 ral relations. If he be in adveriity, lie S 1 will be contented and humble himfelf un- H. der the mighty hand of God ; and if c — „ — 1 he enjoys profperity, he will be/ thank- ful to God for it, and will have fuch a fenfe of the duties of that ftation, that he will honour the Lord with his fubftance, and will be rich in good works towards them that are in want, confidering, that He that opprejfeth the poor, reproacheth his maker -, but he that honour eth his maker, hath mercy on the poor ; as v. 3 1 of this chapter, where our text is. 3. The true fear of God will put men upon enquiring after every fignification of his will, and yielding obedience to it. Thus it will make them reverence the word of God, which contains the revelation of his will ; it will difpofe and incline them to ftudy this word, that they may know what God requires of them ; to practice real re- ligion and virtue in all its parts, which that word enjoins ; and to make ufe of all thole means that are therein prefcribed for keep- ing up and increafing the life of religion in them ; thus they will confcientioufly wor- fhip God publickly and privately, and by that means will be more and more difpofed and inclined to every other part of their duty. Now by thefe means is the fear of the Lord a fountain of life ; as it puts us upon C 3 acting 2 3 i he Fear ol God, Serm. ading according to the dignity of our na** II. ture, the conditions and relations we are ' — /-—' placed in, and the precepts of the divine word ; for if we thus act, we fliall act righteouily ; and in the way of righteoufnefs is life, and in the path-way thereof there is no death, Prov. xii. 28. Now this life, which the fear of God tends to, by leading us in the way of righteoufnefs, may be con-? iidered in three refpects. 1. It tends to health and life in a proper fenfe here. Not that the moll: righteous can expect to live for ever here, or that eve- ry righteous man fliall out-live every wicked man : We are not thus to drain this matter 5 but the meaning is, that a virtuous conduct, which is the effect of the fear of God, has a natural tendency to fecure our health and life, fo long as it Jhall plcafe God to continue them unto us, in that it fecures us from ma- ny things which tend to hurt our health, and to fhorten our days ; as v/ill be more fully confidered when we come to fpeak of the fnares of death. A found heart, fays So- lomon, is the life of the fleflo, ro. 30. of the chapter, where our text is : And again, ch. x. 27. The fear of the Lord prolan get 'h days. 2. The. fear of the Lord undoubtedly tends to life in a moral or fpiritual {tnit : For the work of righteoufnefs, which it leads to, is peace, and caufes the greateft comfort and joy in our' minds, the greateft ferenity and a fundamental Duly. 23 and fatisfa&ion. They who truly fear God Serm. may hope in him and truft in him ; and II. hope and truft in God, will caufe the moft ' — -v — ' deiirable calmnefs of mind even in outward troubles, and will make us rejoice even in tribulations. Though the righteous who fear God cannot live for ever, yet they have hope in their death. For, 3. The fear of God tends to life eternal in the world to come, which is fully re- vealed in the gofpel of Chrift. True piety and righteoufnefs the efiedt of the fear of God, naturally tends to peace and happinefs, fuppofing a future ftate : To he fpiritually minded is life and peace. And this future ftate is plainly diicovered and repeatedly promifed in the gofpel, which is declared to be an everlafting ftate. To them who by patient continuance in well-doing, feek for glory, honour, and immortality, as they who truly fear God do, he will gracioufly give eternal life, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Thus have we coniidered the fear of the Lord, as it is a fountain of life ; which will more fully appear if we confider, 2dly\ How it prefer ves from the fnares of death. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the fnares of death. The fnares of death are fin and vice, im- piety, injuftice and intemperance, or what- ever leads to them. Thefe bring men, C 4 1, To The Fear of God, i. To death in a proper fenfe oftentimes in this life, either inflicted by the civil ma- giftrate, who for the good of the commu- nity is appointed of God to be a terror to evil doers, or occafioned in a natural way, as difeafes and death are the natural confe- quences of fome vices. Of both thefe, we have too many fad inftances. How many do we fee, that by the practice of vice bring themfelves to an untimely violent death by the hand of publick juftice ? And how many are there that, by intemperance and excefs of various kinds, bring incurable difeafes and death upon themfelves ? Of the former kind we may fuppofe the Pfalmift to fpeak, PfaL lv. 23. Bloody and deceitful men Jhall not live out half their days. And of both kinds we may underftand the words of the wife man in that forecited Prov. x. 27. The fear of the Lord prolongeth days, but the years of the wicked ft all be jhortened. 2. Sin and vice always occaflon death in a moral fenfe ; whence perfons immerfed in vice are faid to be dead in trefpajfes and fins. And when our Saviour fays, Let the dead bury their dead, he means, let thofe who are morally or fpiritually dead, bury their friends who are naturally dead. By this death, in a mo- ral fenfe, I underftand either that ftupidity, fenfeleffnefs and funk ftate, or that trouble, anguifh, guilt, fear and confufion of mind, which are occafioned bv fin and vice : Thus the a fundamental Duty. 25 the wicked have either their confciencei fearedy Serm. as it were, with a hot iron, or are like the II. troubled fea, when it cannot rejl, whofe wa- ters cajl up mire and dirt, and there is no peace unto them. 3. Sin and vice will certainly bring upon men the fecond death in the world to come. They naturally tend to unhappinefs and mi- fery, fuppofing a future ftate ; to be carnally minded is death : And this future ftate of the wicked is plainly threatened in the gof- pel, wherein we are affured, that the wicked J ha II periJJj, and that they Jhall be punijhed with evcrlajling dejiruffion, and that they who live after the fiejh jhall die. Thus have we confidered how fin and vice are the fnares of death ; and come now, 2. To con fid er how the fear of the Lord tends to preferve men from them. 1. It does this, inafmuch as it is a con- ftant check upon our paflions and appetites. Thefe, though good in themfelves when under the conduct of reafon, and given us for wife ends, and fuited to our prefent ftate, yet mull be acknowledged to be the fource of all the diforders that are in the moral world, when they are either placed upon undue objects, or run out into excefs ; both which are moft likely to be prevented by the true fear of God, for that will make us coniider ourfelves fo under the government and authority of the Almightv, as that we lhall 26 The Fear of God, Serm. foall be juftly afraid of indulging our appe- IL tites and paffions in thofe inftances which he has forbidden, or to any excefs which is in itfelf unlawful. 2. The fear of God tends to preferve us from thofe temptations which arife from the different ftates of profperity and adverfity. The temptations arifing from thefe are very great ; which Agur was fo fenfible of, that he prayed againft them both, Prov. xxx. 8, 9. — Give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for me , left I be full and deny thee, and fay, who is the Lord ? or left 1 be poor and ftcal, and take the name of my God in vain. And Solomon fays, The profperity of fools Jhall deftroy the?n, Prov. i. 32. The rich are apt to be proud, and co- vetous, and fenfual, and oppreflive , and the poor are expofed to many temptations ; but the true fear of the Lord will preferve them both from thofe follies, irregularities and vices that are fo incident to their different ftates : So that the rich man who fears God will be humble, and temperate, and chari- table, confidering himfelf only as a fteward intruded with a talent which he muft give an account of to his great Lord and Mailer. And the poor man who fears God will be patient, and contented, and refigned to the will of God, and will take care to avoid thofe irregularities which thofe of his ftation are fo exceedingly prone to. 3. The a fundamental Duty. 27 3. The fear of the Lord will preferve men Serm. from the ill effects of bad company, and II. from the evil advice and foilicitations of wick- ed men. He who truly fears God will a- void bad company as much as poffible, know- ing of what a pernicious nature it is ; and will be rather a companion of all them that fear the Lord, as David fays he was, PfaL cxix. 63. I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. And if he iliould happen, thro' neceffity, or otherwife, to be caft among bad company, the true fear of God will be a fovereign pre- fervative from the bad effects of their ex- ample, their advice or foilicitations. Such an one will not walk in the counfel of the un- godly, and if finners entice him, he will not confent ; according to Solomons advice, Prov. i. 10. — 15. My jon> if firmer s entice thee, confent thou not. If they fay, come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without caufe : Let usjwallow them up alive as the grave, and whole as thofe that go down into the pit : We jhall find all precious fubjlance, we 'Jhall fill our houfes with fpoil : Caft in thy lot among us, let us all have one purfe. My fin, walk not thou in the way with them, refrain thy foot from their path. And as to wicked foilicitations, fee how Jo- feph, by means of the fear of God, was en- abled to refid them, when he faid to his mif- trefs, 2 8 The Fear of God, S e R m. trefs> How can I do this great ivickednefs, and II. fen agai?2jl God ? Gen. xxxix. 9. 4. To this we may add, that the fear of God preferves from the temptations that a- rife from cuftom and general pra&ice, or from fafhionable vices. If we could fuppofe any one vice to obtain as a fafhion or cuf- tom all the world over, he who fears God, being fenfible it is a vice, would in that in- flance dare to be entirely fingular. Great numbers of examples are apt to have great influence ; but he who truly fears God will not follow a multitude to do evil. When Nehemiah had the example of all the gover- nors that went before him, who enriched themfelves by oppreffing the people, he faid, But this did not I, becaufe of the fear of God, Neh. v. 15. 5. The fear of the Lord preferves from the temptations that arife from the fear of men. The fear of man, fays Solomon, bring- eth a fnare, Pro v. xxix. 25. But from this fnare does the fear of God fecure us : So that if our hearts are truly pofTefled of this fear, neither the defires, nor commands, nor threats of our fuperiors will be of any weight with us, if they be contrary to the commands of God : We (hall rather chufe to difpleafe all men than to difpleafe him 5 yea we fhall chufe rather to fuffer any thing from men than to offend or fin againft God ; according to our Saviour's command, Fear not them - who a fundamental Duty. 29 who kill the body, but are not able to kill the Serm. foul ; but rather fear him who is able to de- II. flroy both foul and body in hell, Matt. x. 28. And St. Peters iftEp. iii. 14, 15. — Be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled ; "but fanflify the Lord God in your hearts. Thus have we feen how the fear of the Lord preferves from the fnares of death, by preferving us from the temptations that arife from our own paffions and appetites, from the different ftates of proiperity and adverii- ty, from the example, advice and follicita- tions of wicked men, from cuftom and ge- neral practice, and from the fear of men. And that it thus preferves from fin itfelf, is implied in feveral places vof fcripture, where the avoiding fin is reprefented as the effect of it ; as Pfal. iv. 4. Sta?id in awe, and fin not. Prov. iii. 7. Fear the Lord, and depart from evil. And, chap. xvi. 6. it is exprefly faid, that by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. Having thus feen the excellency of this principle, and how neceffary and effectual it is to preferve us from fua and death, and to lead us to righteoufnefs and life, I mall con- clude, by earneftly exhorting you to culti- vate this principle in yourfelves and others. If you have been carelefs and fuperficial in this matter, it is high time now to attend to thofe confiderations that may give you a fettled and habitual reverence for your great 30 The Fear of God, Serm, great Creator ; for on this depends your true II. comfort here, and happinefs hereafter. And if you have attained to this happy frame of mind, and your hearts are poffeffed with this falutary principle, do you labour to improve it and preferve it. To this end often meditate on the divine power, fovereignty, juftice and goodnefs,and on the relation you (land in to the divine Being, as your creator, your preferver, your rightful Lord and governor, and your judge and final rewarder, that fo you may ftand in awe of him and fin not. Will you not be afraid to offend an all-powerful, all- knowing, holy and juft God 5 yea will you not have a generous fear of offending him who is the chief good, and who has manifeft- ed his goodnefs to you in various and even innumerable inftances, and particularly in the redemption wrought out for you by Jefus Chrift. And as you fliould labour to culti- vate this moft excellent principle of the fear of God in yourfelves, fo you mould labour to implant it and improve it in others, as you fhould feek the good and welfare of others as well as your own. Particularly, labour to inftil this principle in your children, or any that you are immediately concerned for. Would you have your children be preferved from the temptations of an evil world, en-* deavour then betimes to teach them the fear of the Lord, and that will preferve them. Would you have them enjoy comfort in their minds a fundamental Duty. 31 minds here, and eternal happinefs hereafter, Serm. then labour to poffefs their minds with the II. fear of God, that they may remember their *-~-v— v Creator in the days of their youth, and may fear to fin againft him. This in all likeli- hood will be a folid and abiding principle of virtue in them, and will preferve them from the dangerous and deftructive paths of vice -y when matters of mere {peculation and doubt- ful difputatiou in religion will ferve for little elfe than to confound them -, but the true fear of God is a folid and rational thing, and will be to all who are pofleffed of it, a foun- tain of life, to depart from the Jhares of death. SER- SERMON III. The Love of God infured by Righ- teoufnefs. Psal. cxlvi. 8. lat. part. The LORD loveth the righteous. ALL men are naturally defirous of hap- pinefs, and thereupon are conftantly feeking after it, and labouring to have it in their poffeffion, and purfuing thole methods for the obtaining of it, which, according to the notions they have of it, feem likely to bring them to the enjoyment of it ; but the mifery of it is, that a great part of mankind have entertained wrong notions of felicity, and confequently take the wrong way to at- tain to fo deferable a poiTeffion, and fo delude and deceive themfelves, and inftead of true felicity, gain only real mifery in the end. They place happinefs in the gratification of their paffions, in fenfual delights and plea- fures, in riches or honours, or carnal, and even finful enjoyments, and hence their whole time and ftudy are employed in con- triving The Love of God, H$c. 2 3 trivlng how to get thefe things into their Serm. poifemon, which are fo far from yield- III. ing true happinefs, that they are frequent- ly and moil: commonly attended with, or followed by pain and anxiety, and uneaiinefs of mind -, or however, the enjoyment of them being uncertain, and at beft but fhort, they muft needs be far from conferring true and perfect felicity. Whatever any one chief- ly, and above all other things, defires the enjoyment of, in that he places his hap- pinefs ; which if it be any earthly object, it will miferably deceive him, and come vaftly fhort of affording him real felicity. Where then mail we reft ? where mall we find fuch perfect and conftant fatisfadtion and tranquillity of mind, as co'nftitutes true happinefs ? Truly no where, but in our Crea- tor himfelf. It is only God that can fill our minds with real and fubftantial joy and plea- fure and fatisfadlion, and in whom we can thoroughly acquiefce 5 and confequently, it is he alone, that can make us truly happy. All pleafures and enjoyments fhort of him, are but fo many traniitory delufions and vain appearances of felicity, which, if we chufe not God for our fupreme happinefs, will in the end, but leave us fo much more miferable, uneafy and unfatisfied. What- ever miftaken notions many have entertain- ed, who are guided by the heat of their paf- fions, and not by reafon -, true happinefs is D no The Love of God, no where to be found but in God himfelf, and that in the enjoyment of his love and favour and bleffing, and the like ; hence the Pfalmift tells us, In favour is life, PfaL xxx. 5. And again, his loving- kindnefs is better than life, Pfal. lxiii. 3. and he fre- quently extols the happinefs and bleflednefs of them whofe hope is in the Lord, whole expe&ation is from him, and who have him for their God. Thus in this Pfalm, after having refolved to praife God as long as he lived, and having expofed the vanity of trufting in man, and expeding help or fuc- cour from any thing fhort of the divine fa- vour, he breaks out into exultation at the happinefs of thole who make God their truft, ver. 5. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, and whofe hope is in the Lord his God ; and he enlarges on this happinefs, from the consideration of God's power and works, his faithful nefs and truth, and his mercy, mewed to men in their va- vious affli&ions, ver. 6, 7, 8. Which made heaven and earth, the fea and all therein is : which keepeth truth for ever, which executeth judgment for the oppreffed, which giveth food to the hungry : The Lord loofeth the prifoners, the Lord openeth the eyes of the blind, the Lord raifeth them that are bowed down ; and ver. 9. The Lord pre ferveth the f rangers, he relievetb the father lefs and widow. Certainly he muft be happy, who has this God, fo powerful, 1 and infured by Righteoufnefs. 35 and righteous, and merciful a being for hisSFRM- portion. Now, as true happinefs is no III. where to be had but in God, in his love and favour, fo the only way to obtain this felicity is by being righteous, by fincerely addicting ourfelves to the practice of righte- oufnefs and holinefs, which alone is well pleafing to God : And therefore, as the hap- pinefs of thofe whom God loves and favours is frequently extolled in fcripture, fo it is the righteous who are ever faid to enjoy this blef- fednefs. And thus in our text, that we might know who are thofe truly happy perfons who are interefted in the divine love and favour, the Pfalmift adds, The Lord loveth the righ- teous. 'Tis the righteous who poflefs this happinefs. Now, in treating on thefe words, I mail, I. Confider who are thofe righteous per- fons whom the Lord, Jehovah, is faid to love. II. What we are to underftand by his lov- ing them, or what this expreffion in- cludes. III. How it appears that the Lord thus loveth the righteous. I. Who are thofe righteous perfons whom the Lord loveth ? Now, it is certain that none are perfe&ly righteous, for we are all finners in fome de- D 2 gree The Love of God, gree or other, in fome inftance or other, w have all finned, as the Apoftle fays, and come J/jort of the glory of God ; and in this fenfe the wife man's observation holds good, EccL vii. 20. There is not a jujl man upon earth* who doetb good, and fmncth not. By the righ- teous therefore we are to understand, fuch whofe difpofition is agreeable to the will of God, and the general courfe and tenour of whofe adions is conformable thereunto, who will and defire that which is well pleafing to God, and fincerely endeavour to pradife accordingly ; it is neeeffary that our minds be rightly difpofed for holinefs, and that we have a fincere love to, and defire after righ- teoufnefs for its own excellency, and becaufe well pleafing to God, if we would pradife it as we ought, viz. fincerely, and would obtain the character of righteous perfons ; for in all our adions God chiefly regards the inward fprings and motives of them -, if therefore, from a right temper and difpofi- tion of mind we endeavour to obey his com- mandments, to live as he would have us, and to follow after holinefs and righteoufnefs, if we make his law the rule of our lives, and fincerely endeavour to conform ourfeives there- to in every refped, (for 'tis necefTary we mould endeavour to obey all God's commandments) we are the righteous perfons meant in the text, whom God loves. But more particularly, that we may know who are righteous, we may infured by Righteoufnefs. 37 may confider righteoufnefs with refpect toSERM. the rule of it, and to the objects of it, The III. rule of righteoufnefs is in general the law of — v~— > God, which law is exprefied by the light of nature, and in divine revelation, i. Thofe who are righteous, endeavour to conform themfelves to the light of nature, to thofe natural notices they have, or may have, of virtue, and righteoufnels, and goodnefs, by the reflection of their own minds, and the ufe of the reafon that God has endued them with, by the confideration of the feveral re- lations they ftand,in, and what is agreeable thereto. Thus many among the heathen, who had only the light of nature, and were under no other law than the lav/ of their rea- fon, many, I fay, among thefe, fincerely en- deavoured to live according to this law of their nature, tho' they had no pofitive reve- lation from God ; tho* they had not the law, they did by nature the things contained in the law, and were a law unto themfelves : And fuch as thefe are to be looked upon as righ- teous perfons whom God loveth ; for as the apoftle Peter fays, In every nation, he that feareth God, and worketh righteoufnefs, (which he that fincerely endeavours to live according to the law of nature does) is accepted with him, Acls x. 35. 2. The divine revelation is another rule of righteoufnefs to thofe that have it, and they are righteous who fincere- ly endeavour to live agreeably thereto. There D 3 are 38 The Love of God, Serm. are two revelations which God gave to men, III. one to a particular nation, or body of men, as the law of Mofes, or the old teftament to the yews, and the other promifcuoufly to all men, as the gofpel, or new teftament -, and thofe were laid to be righteous among the Jews, or under the old teftament, who con- formed to the law of Mofes, and to thofe particular directions which God gave them from time to time by his prophets, who obeyed not only the precepts of morality con- tained in their law, but alfo the pofitive pre- cepts thereof : Thus Zechariah and Eliza- beth are faid to be both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinan- ces of the law blamelefs, Luke i. 6. And thofe God accounts righteous under the gof- pel, who, believing in his Son Jefus Chrift, fubmit themfelves to his authority, and fin-» cerely comply with the precepts of the gof- pel. Who are conformed to the new crea- tion, in righteoufnefs and true holinefs ; who keep the commandments of God, and have that faith which workeih by love 5 who not only obey the precepts of morality contained in the gofpel, but conform to the pofitive com- mands thereof, and fo endeavour to fulfil all righteoufnefs. 3. We may confider righ- teoufnefs with regard to the objects on which it is exercifed. The word Righteoufnefs is ufed fometimes in a ftrict fenfe, to denote juftice and equity between man and man, and thofe are infured by Righteoufnefs. 39 are faid to be juft and righteous who give Serm. every one his due : But here, by the righte- HI. ous, we are to underftand thofe who fmcere- ly obey all God's commandments, with re- fpedt either to God immediately, our f elves, or our neighbour, i/l, Thofe who are righ- teous, fincerely perform the duties that re- flect God immediately, or have due regard to his worfhip and immediate fervice. Righ- teous perfons are religious perfons ; they maintain piety, and live a godly life ; they love God with all their heart, and foul, and mind ; they truft h\ him, and they fear him, and reverence his name and authority ; they pay all homage and adoration to him, and afcribe to him all poffible perfections 5 they pray conftantly to him -, they praife and magnify his name, and in every thing give thanks unto him 5 they worftip htm in/pint and in truth, and ferve him with reverence and godly fear -, they worfhip him privately and publickly, and ftill give glory to his name ; they fincerely endeavour to obey his commandments, and direct all their actions to his glory. idly\ Thofe who are righte- ous, have always a due regard to the govern- ment of themfelves ; they obferve what is a- greeable to the dignity of their nature, and to the will of God -, in this refpect they live foberly in the world -, they keep all their paflions and appetites within due bounds ; they maintain temperance and moderation in D 4 the 40 The Love of God, SERM.the ufe of all worldly enjoyments -, they are III. humble, and modeft, and patient, and con- tented 3 they avoid all excefs, all unlawful gratifications, and manage themfelves in all refpe&s with holinefs and fobriety. 3^/y, Thofe who are righteous, confcientioufly ob- ferve the duties they owe to their neighbour, or to all men ; they render to every one his due, they give every one his own, and are juft and equitable in all their dealings -y they wrong none, defraud none, opprefs none, but do to others as they would be dealt with themfelves -, and they are not only juft and honeft in their dealings, but they (incerely love all men -> they love their neighbour as themfelves, they defire his welfare, and en- deavour by all means to promote it -, they maintain charity for all men, and are ready on all occaiions to do them good -, they are merciful, and kind, and companionate, and beneficient, ready, according to their ability, to adminifter fuitable helps to every one. Thus charity and beneficence is fometimes called righteoufnefs, as, 2 Cor. ix. 9. He hath difperfed, he hath given to the poor> his righi eoufnefs remaineth for ever, i. e. his bounty, liberality and munificence : So, ver. 10. Now he that mini/1 ret b feed to the fower, doth minifter bread for your food, and multiply your feed fawn, and increafe the fruits, of your right eoufnefs, i. e. of your liberality. Thus we fee who are the righteous, viz, thofe infured by Righteoufnefs 41 thofe who fincerely endeavour to obey allSERM, God's commandments, and to perform the III. duties they owe to him, themfelves and their neighbour -, and thefe, cither fuch as have made this the conftant practice of their lives, or fuch as after a courfe of fin have fincere- ly repented and turned to God, and fo bring forth thefe fruits meet for repentance; both thefe come under the denomination of righ- teous perfons, and are fuch as God loves. Both indeed are but imperfectly righteous, but their fincerity, tho' imperfect, is gra- cioufly accepted thro' Jefus Chrift ; fo that they are treated as if they were perfectly righteous. II. I come now in the fecond place, to confider what we are to underftand by God's loving the righteous, or what is included in it. 1. Hereby we are to underftand, that God approves, accepts of, and is well pleafed with the righteous. Righteoufnefs is what he approves, and is agreeable to his will, con- fequently he muft like and approve of thofe who make it the practice of their lives ; as the practice is acceptable and well pleafing to him, fo thofe who maintain it muft ne- ceffarily be fo too; Rom, xiv. 17, 18. The kingdo?n of God is ?iot meat and drink, but righteoufnefs, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghofl : for he that in thefe things ferveth Chrifi, is acceptable to God. The righteous have 42 The Love of God, Serm. have the divine acceptance and approbation ; III. God refpedts them, and likes them, and takes delight and complacency in them, Prov. xi. 20. Such as are upright in their way are his delight : He efteems them, and accounts them precious in his fight ; he juftifies them, and pardons their fins, and remits all their traftfgreffibfiS : The divine approbation fup- pofes the pardon and remiflion of fins ; the moil righteous have need of this bleffing, as having been guilty of fin in fome re- ipeft or other, and being ftill liable to be overtaken in a fault -y and God fails not to grant this favour through Jefus Chrift to every fincere penitent, who makes righteouf- nefs the main fcope and defign of his life. Thus, when David had declared the blefled- nefs of him whofe tranfgrejfions are forgiven, ■whofe Jin is covered, and to whom the Lord will not impute iniquity, that we might know who is partaker of this bleffing of remiflion of fins, he adds, and in whofe fpirit there is no guile, (no deceit or wickednefs) 'tis fuch a perfon that has his fins forgiven, PfaL xxxii. 1, 2. The divine approbation and acceptance of the righteous, includes alfo the approbation and acceptance of all their religious fervices. The wicked are an abomi- nation to the Lord when they tread his courts, but the fincere worfhip of the righteous is grateful and acceptable to him -, he is well pleafed with their praife and thankfgivings, and infured by Righteoufnefs. and gracioufly hears and anfwcrs their pray- ers and fupplications, i Pet. hi. 12. The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers. Pro v. xv. 8. The prayer of the upright is his delight. idly, The love of God to the righteous, fuppofes that he favours and bleffeth them, and does them good in every refpect in this life ; that he takes care of them -, that he watches over them for good ; that his kind providence attends them, and is engaged for them, and prefides over all their affairs, to order them for the beft. The care that God takes over the righteous is varioufly expreffed in fcripture. Thus, he preferveth them, de- fendeth and keepeth them in all their ways, he is their field, and their fortrefs, and their high tower ; his name is a firong tower, the righteous runneth into it, and is fafe. Pfal. xxxvii. 28. The Lord loveth judgment, and forfaketh not his faints ; they are preferred for ever. Pfal. cxlv. 20. The Lord preferveth all them that love him. Prov. ii. 7, 8. He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly : he keepeth the paths of judgment, and preferveth the way ofhisfai?2ts9 So alfo he delivers them when they are in trouble and adverfity, he refcues them from evil, and fets them at liberty from their affli&ion ; this is expreffed, Pfal. xxxiv. 17. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth them, and deliver eth them out of all their troubles. And, ver, 19. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord deli- ver eth 44 The Love of God, Se r m. vereth them out of them all And, PfaJxxxvln III. 39, 40. The falvation of the righteous is of c/^'V the Lord -, he is their Jirength in time of trouble, and the Lord jl: all help them, and deli- ver them ; he ft hall deliver them from the wick- ed^ and fave them, becanfe they trujl in him. He alfo provides for them, and fupplies all their wants, he fuffers not the righteous to want any good thing ; Prov. x. 3. The Lord will not fuffer the foul of the righteous to fa- mijlo. And, chap. xiii. 25. The righteous f.aietb to -the fatisfying of his foul And tho' many that are righteous may have lefs world- ly fubftance than the wicked, yet they en- joy the bleffing of God with it ; and fo a little that a righteous man hath, is better . than the riches of many wicked. God alfo fupports and ftrengthens the righteous under all their infirmities ; PfaL xxxvii. 24. Tho1 he (/. e. a good man) fall, he fall not be ut- terly cajl down ; for the Lord upholdeth him with his ha??d. And finally, he guides and dire&s them in all their ways, he layeth up found wifdom for the righteous, as the wife Man fays ; and as the Pfalmift fays, Ihe Jleps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Thus God favours and does good to the righteous in every refped: ; and his bleffing and fa- vour*^ manifefted to them, not only in profpen^^but even in the midft of afflictions and adveriity ; when he chaftifeth them, and fuffers trouble to come upon them, he does it out of love, and with a defign to do them good; infured by Righteoufnefs. 45 good ; and accordingly he maketh their af- Serm- fliclions, as well as every thing elfe, to III. work together for their good, for their real profit and advantage. Rom. viii, 28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love Gcd, to them that are the called according to his purpofe. But, 3. The love of God to the righteous, fup- pofes a future reward of happinefs and glory in the world to come to be conferred on them. This was indeed but obfeurely hin- ted under the old teftament, but in the gof- pel it is moft clearly revealed, Jefus Chrift having brought life and immortality to light. We are herein told of a glorious reward of eternal life and happinefs to be given to the righteous, that they {hall rife again to a blef- fed immortality, and enjoy eternal glory, ho- nour and peace in heaven ; that their natures fhall be rectified, and perfectly reftored ; and that they (hall have every thing that is good, excellent and delirable to enjoy, and that for ever 5 and finally, that they (hall be eternal- ly happy, and hie/Ted in the enjoyment cf the divine prefence, in which isfitllnefs of 'joy , and pleafures for evermore. Thus we fee what is included in this expreffion, 'The Lord hveth the righteous^ viz. that he approves, efteems, and is well pleafed with them 3 that he delights in them, and juftifies, and par- dons, and accepts them ; that he bleileth them,, and taketh care of them in this life, and 46 The Love of God, Serm. and maketh all things to work together for III, their good -y and that he will confer on them eternal happinefs and glory in the world to come 5 and finally, give them the perpetual enjoyment of himfeif, beyond which no- thing can be defired or expected. III. I come now in the third place, to confider how it appears that the Lord loveth the righteous. 1 . This is plain from the nature of things ; God loveth righteoufnefs, and therefore lo- veth the righteous. Righteoufnefs is entire- ly agreeable to the nature of God, he is per- fectly holy and righteous, and there is no unrighteoufnefs in him ; he is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works > and there- fore righteoufnefs, wherever it is found, muft needs be grateful and well pleafing to him, and confequently he muft love, and efteem, and delight to blefs and reward them who fincerely maintain it : The righteous Lord lo- veth righteoufnefs, and therefore his counte- - nance does behold the upright 3 and then, if we confider that righteoufnefs is a conformi- ty to the law of God, he muft certainly be pleafed with thofe who fincerely obey his law. 2. It appears that God loveth the righte- ous, from feveral and almoft innumerable declarations of holy fcripture, of his love, and favour, and good-will towards fuch. The holy fcriptures are the word of truth, the infured by Righteoufnefs. 47 the word of God himfelf, and therefore we Serm-> may depend on what is therein afferted as to this matter. The feveral paffages I have already quoted concerning God's preferving, delivering, upholding and bleffing the righ- teous, are fo many teftimonies of his love to them ; but I (hall cite two or three more : Gen. xviii. latter end, Abraham is interced- ing with God for Sodom, and God, in an- fwer to his queries, tells him firft, that if there "were fifty righteous perfons in Sodom, he won Id /pare all the place for their fakes ; and then, if there were but forty five, and fo down to ten , he would not defiroy it for their fake ; which Ihews what a wonderful regard God has for the righteous. Job xxxvi. 7. it is faid, He (*. e. God) withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous Pfal. i. 6. The Lord knoweth ( i. e. approveth ) the way of the righteous. Pfal. v. 12. For thou, Lord, wilt blefs the righteous, with favour wilt thou com- pafs him as with ajhield. Ifa. iii. 10. Say ye to the righteous, that it Jkall be well with him. Rom. ii. 7. To them, who by patient conti- nuance, in well-doing jeek for glory, honour and immortality, (God will render) eternal life. But to quote all the places wherein the favour of God is declared to the righte- ous, would be to tranfcribe a great part of the fcriptures. Therefore, 3. It will appear that God loveth the righteous, if we confider the particular in- ftances The Love of God, fiances of his favour fhewn to fuch ; tho* there are many, very many examples in fcrip- ture of righteous perfons peculiarly favoured and blefled of God, I mall content myfelf with mentioning three or four remarkable ones, i/l, Noah, who was a juft man, and perfect in his generation, and walked with God, to whom God faid, Thee have I Jeen righteous before me in this generation ; and whom the apoftle Peter calis a preacher of rightecufnefs ; was fo beloved of God, and found fuch favour in his eyes, that when a deluge was brought on the world of the un- godly, he and his family alone were prefer- ved. 2dly, Lot, whom the apoftle Peter calls juft Lot, and that righteous man, was fo favour'd of God, the Lord was fo merciful to him, that when he deftroyed the wicked city where he dwelt, he fent him away, and fee ured him. ^diy, Shadrach, Mefiech, and Abednego, who were the fincere fervants of God, tho' they were call: into a burning fiery furnace for the fake of true religion, by the peculiar favour and miraculous power of God, received no hurt, ^tkly, Daniel, who was remarkable for his piety, temperance, and juftice, when, thro' the malice of his enemies he was caft into a den of lions, was miraculoufly preferved by God, who fent his angel and fhut the lions mouths, fo that he received no hurt. Thus it plainly appears that God loveth the righteous. And infured by Righteoufhcfs. 49 And now, having thus briefly confidered §erm. thefe words, I fhall conclude with a refkc- III. tion or two on what has been faid. 1. We may here fee the exceeding great happinefs of truly righteous perfons. They are beloved of God, and fo are entitled to all manner of felicity. How happy muft they be who are beloved of their Creator ! of him who rules and governs all things ! How bleiT- ed are they who are beloved of him who is omnipotent, who is all-wife, whofe goodnefs is unbounded, and who keepeth truth for ever ; who never wants power, nor flcill, nor will to help them, and do them good ! The love of God carries in it all manner of happinefs : Thofe whom God loves are ap- proved and accepted of him, and have their fins forgiven ; thofe whom God loves are fa- voured and bleifed in every refpecl by him here, and have the reward of. eternal glory conferred on them in the world to come. Finally, thofe whom God loves have him for their portion, for their God, and he will be their exceeding great reward -, and the righteous being the perfons whom God loves, are thus inexpreflibly happy. Well there- fore might the Pfalmift fay, Blejfed are the undejiled in the way : who walk in the law of the Lord. Blejfed are they that keep his, tefti- tnonies, and thatfeek him with the whole heart. 2. Let us refleft a little on the mifery of the wicked. As the righteous are beloved E of co The Love of God, SERM.of God, fo they only are ; for the wicked, HI. and him that doeth violence, his foul hateth -y *-— v — •> not that he hateth any as they are his crea- tures for any natural infirmities, but only as having revolted from him and goodnefs. As wickednefs is contrary to righteoufnefs, fo the wicked will meet with the quite contra- ry treatment from the hands of God to what the righteous fhall meet with : God difap- proves and is difpleafed with the wicked ; they are under the guilt of their tranfgreflions, and their prayers, and whatever fervice they perform to God, will be rejected with indig- nation ; whilft they continue in a finful courfe, their very prayers are an abomina- tion. And then the wicked have no title to the divine bleffing on their affairs in this life 5 and will be fo far from being happy in the favour of God, in the world to come, that they mall be miferably banifhed from his prefence, and fentenced to punifhment and everlafting deftru&ion. The wicked have God for their enemy ; and how unhappy muft they be who have their Creator againft them, in whofe favour alone true happinefs is to be found ? But then, by the wicked, we are to underftand fuch as obftinately con- tinue in wicked courfes, not fuch as fincere- ly repent, nor thofe, the general bent of whofe difpofition and behaviour is right, tho' attended with many weakneffes and imper- fections, many flips and failings, many in- advertencies infured by Righteoufnefs. 51 advertencies and imprudences, and many fins S e r m. and deviations from their duty, which they m. are heartily forry for. The infirmities of fuch, as are otherwife fincere and good, are not to be called vvickednefs ; and to the in- firmities of fuch,God will be merciful. There are many places of fcripture where the mifer- able ftate of the wicked is oppofed to the happy condition of the righteous ; as, Pfal. i. 6. The Lord knowcth the way of the righ- teous, but the way of the ungodly Jhall per if j. Pfal. xxxiv. 15. The eyes of the Lord are upo?i the righteous, &c. And in the next verfe, The face of the Lord is againft them that do evil. Pfal. cxlv. 20. The Lord preferveth all them that love him, but all the wicked will he defroy. So in the verfe following our text. But the way of the wicked he turneth ap fide down. Finally, the anger and difplea- fure of God is as fully declared in fcripture againft the wicked, as his love and favour to the righteous -, and there are many inftances of his fevere judgments already executed on them, as the deftru&ion of the old world, Sodom and Gommorrah, &c. 3. To conclude, Let us all be exhorted to follow after righteoufnefs. The confide- ration of fo great happinefs as the righteous partake of, mould certainly induce us thus to do. If the Lord loveth the righteous, how fhould we all endeavour to be of this charac- ter ? If therefore we have made righteoufr:rs. E 2 our 5 2 The Love of God, &*c. Serm. our practice, let us perfevere in it, that fo we III. may keep ourfelves in the love of God. And if we have hitherto continued infin,and negledted righteoufnefs, or turned from it, let us, con- fidering the dreadful mifery of fuch a ftate, fpeedily turn from our fins by repentance, and addidl ourfelves to a holy and righteous con- verfation for the future, and then God will gracioufly, for Chrift's fake, account us righ- teous perfons, and we fhall be beloved by him. Finally, Let us all make holinefs and righteoufnefs our conftant practice ; let us live foberly^jujily and godly in the world, and have our converfation as becomes the go/pel of Chrijl ; and then, being beloved of God, we fhall be entitled to his favour and blefiing here, and to eternal happinefs hereafter, to a crown of righteoufnefs , which the Lord the righteous judge fhall give us at that day ; and not to us only, but to all them alfo that love his appearing. SER- SERMON IV. The great Duties of Christianity, re- commended and explained. Jude, ver. 20, 21. But ye, beloved, building up yourfehes on your mo ft holy faith, praying always in the Holy Ghofty keep yourfehes in the love of Gody looking for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrijl unto eternal life. THE Son of Man had no fooner fowed Serm, the good feed, but the enemy fowed IV". tares amongft it. As Jefus Chrift was the author of a mod holy difpenfation, and as multitudes were really converted from a fin- ful to a pious life by his and his apoftles preaching, and fo became true and fincere fubjects of his kingdom; fo the adverfary foon introduced fome very pernicious doc- trines and corrupt practices, endeavouring to mix them with the pure and uncorrupt doctrine of our Saviour, and brought men into the church, and under a profeffion of chriftianity, who, having no regard to the E 3 chriftian The great Duties of Chriftianity, chriftian life, but living loofely, and at ran- dom, as if they were fubjecl: to no law, or under no reftraint, were a reproach and fcan- dal to their piofeffion, and occafioned the way of truth to be evil fpoken of. The de- fign of this fhort epiftle of St. Jude, was to preferve the fincere and pious chriftians, to whom he wrote, from being feduced and corrupted by this fort of men, who were in- deed as fpots in their feafts of charity, or their love feafts, as ver* 12. he tells them, ver. 4. That there were certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation ; or, as it may be more fafely and truly rendered, were before of old defcribed, or characterized, as deferving this condemnation ; or, of whom it was before written, that this Jhould be their condemnation', (ungodly men as Enoch long before defcrib- ed them in thofe who lived in his time) turning the grace of our God into lafciviouf- ncfs, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jefus Chrift , i. e. denying them in their works and practices, as the apoftle fpeaks, Tit. i. ult. They profefs that they know God, but in works they deny him, being abo- minable and difobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. St. Jude, effectually to guard the chriftians from fuch an apoftacy, fhews the certainty of the condemnation of fuch men, in the example of the difobedient, If raelites, ver. 5. of the fallen angels, ver. 6. and of Sodom and Gommorrah, ver. 7. Then from 1 the recommended and explained. 55 the 8th to the 16th verfe, he farther de-SERM. fcribcs their character, denounces judgments IV. againft them, and foretels their condemna- tion. After which, .addrefling himfelf to the fincere chriftians, he fays, Bt/t, beloved, remember the 'words which were fpoken before of the apoftles of our Lord Jefus Chriji -, how that they told you there fiould be mockers in the la/1 time, who jhould walk after their own un- godly lujls. (Thefe be they whofeparate themfelvesy who go out from us, becaufe they are not of us, as the apoftle John fpeaks ; or, who diftinguifh themfelves from others as more fpiritual, where- as they are truly fenfual, and have not the fpi- rit, or any fpiritual difpoiition. Then come in the words of our text, as a prefervative againft the infection that the evil manners and cor- rupt converfation of thefe men might other- wife convey to them : But ye, beloved, build- ing up your f elves in your mojl holy faith, pray- ing in the Holy Ghojl, keep your/elves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chriji unto eternal life. Here we have, I. The main thing they are exhorted to, or the principal fcope of this exhorta- tion, and that is, that they would keep themfelves in the love of God. Keep yourfelves in the love of God. II. The means of doing this recommend- ed to them ; that they might keep themfelves in the love of God, they E 4 were The great Duties of Chriftianity, were to build up the mf elves on their mofl holy faith, and to pray in the Holy Ghojl. III. The happy effect hereof, which mould be an encouragement to them to keep thernfelves in the love of God ; if by this means they kept thernfelves in the love of God, they might look for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrijl unto eter- nal life. But ye, beloved, building up y our f elves on your mojl holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghofl, keep yourfdves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrijl unto eter?tal life. I. The main and principal fcope of this exhortation is this, that they fhould keep thernfelves in the .love of God. Here we are to confider this love of God, what it is to keep ourfelves in it, and when we t may be faid to do this. The love of God here may admit of two acceptations. i. It may be underitood of that love wherewith we are to love God. We mould love the Lord our God with all our heart, with ' all our mind, and with all our Jlrength ; this there is the higheft reafon for, and this we are often exhorted to ; and the love of God may fignify this love, the love, efteem and affection we have, or ought to have, for the divine Being, our Creator, Preferver and Be- nefactor, the firft and befl being, the author and recommended and explained. 57 and giver of all good. This is the frequent Serm. Meaning of this phrafe, the love of God, in IV. fcripture. Thus, 1 John v. 3. For this is the love of God, that ye keep his command- ments ; by the keeping the commandments of God, we manifeft the fincerity of our love to him. So, chap. iii. 17. But whofo hath this world's good, and feetb his brother hath ?ieedy and Jhutteth up his bowels of companion from him, hew dwelleth the love of God in him ? i. e. How can fuch a man as that be faid to love God ? Thus our Saviour fays to the Jews, But I know you, that you have not the love of God in you ; or, that ye do not love God, John v. 42. And, to add no more, the love of God is to be taken in the fame fenfe, Luke xi. 42. But wo unto you Pharifees ; for ye tithe mint and rue, and all manner of herbs ; and pafs over judgment, and the love of God. Thus then by the love of God is often meant our love to him, or that love wherewith wc mould love him. And certainly as we are obliged to love God, fo we fhould keep our- ielves in this love, we mould perfevere in it, we mould continue in it, Vve mould not on- ly love him for fome time, but always ; our love to him mould be conftant, we mould love him as long as we live. And without doubt, our thus continuing in the love of Gcd, our continuing to love him, and pre- ferving and maintaining a lincere, hearty and prevalent affe&ion to him ; is the moft like- 5 8 The great Duties of Chriflianity, Serm. ty nieans to preferve us from being led away j V. with the error of the wicked, and to prevent our being feduced and corrupted by their evil counfels, and bad examples. As the fear of God, our fear of him, fo the love of God, or our love to him, is an excellent means to preferve us from falling into fin ; they who truly love the Lord will undoubtedly hate evil. And fo this fenfe of the love of God may feem agreeable enough to the apoftle's defign in this place, which was, to preferve the chriftians from falling in with fome evil and vicious perfons among them, as I have obferved ; in order to which he might be fuppofed to exhort them to preferve in their hearts a fincere love to God. However, I am apt to think this not the fenfe of the phrafe here. But, 2. The love of God may fignify his love to us. Thus, 1 John iii. 16. Hereby per- ceive we the love of God > becaufe he (viz. Chrift) laid down his life for us. And, chap. iv. 9. In this was manifefled the love of God towards us> becaufe that Godfent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live thro him. Here the love of God fignifies his love to us : And fo it does, Rom. viii. ult. where the apoftle is expreffing his aflurance that no power whatfoever {hall be able to feparate them from it : For 1 am perfuaded, fays he, that neither deaths nor life, nor angels , nor principalities , nor powers, nor things prefent, nor things to come^ recommended and explained. 59 come, nor height, nor depth, ?jor any other ere a- Serm. ture, jhall be able to feparate us from the love IV. of God, which is in thrift Jejus our Lord \ i. e. from his grace and favour. And in that well known valediction of the apoftle, 2 Cor. xiii. ult. The grace of our Lord J ejus Chrifl, and the love of God, and the coimnunion of the Holy Gkojl, be with you all. .Thus then the love of God fignifies alfo his love to us ; and this I take to be the fenfe of the phrafe in our text, where the apoftle exhorts the chriftians to keep themfelves in the love of God 5 for the love of God is as often, if not oftener, ufed in this fenfe, than in the other -y and befides the phrafe of keeping our- felves in it agrees better with this fenfe of the words y for this we read of abiding and con- tinuing in the love of Chrift, which is to be underftood of his love to us, or the love wherewith he loves us; as John xv. 9, 10. As the Father hath loved me, fo have I loved you : continue you in my love. If you keep my commandments, ye Jhall abide in my love , even as I have kept my Father s commandments, and abide in his love. And as abiding or conti- nuing in the love of God, is abiding or con- tinuing in his favour ; fo keeping ourfelves in the love of God, feems to be a phrafe of juft the fame import. And fo this keeping ourfelves in the love of God, is not fo much the means of our efcaping the errors and vices of the wicked, as the effect of our efcaping thofe The great Duties of Chriftianity, thofe errors and vices. For as thofe who in- dulge themfelves in fuch courfes do lofe the favour of God, and forfeit his love, fo thofe who preferve themfelves from fuch practi- ces, and keep themfelves pure of fuch vices, do of confequence, at the fame time, keep themfelves in the love of God. Thus then, by the love of God, we are to understand his love to us, the love wherewith God loves us, or in other words, his favour, benignity and loving-kindnefs. This love includes the di- vine approbation and acceptance -, thofe whom God loves, he approves and accepts of; he pardons their fins, admits them to the privi- lege of being his people, and fervants, and children, and gracioufly accepts all their re- ligious performances. This love is a love of complacency, and it fuppofes that God takes delight in the perfons who are the objects of it ; that he likes them, and is well-pleafed with them. There is indeed a love of pity, and compafiion, and benevolence, which God is declared to have towards all men, even the worft of finners; but the love we are fpeaking of, is fuch a love, as only the righteous enjoy, which fuppofes the divine complacency, ap- probation and acceptance. Again, this love includes the divine bleffmg ; they whom God fo loves are bleffed by him, he does them good after a peculiar manner, orders all their affairs for the beft, and makes all things work together for their good in the end. Whether recommended and explained. 61 Whether they have little or much of thisSERM. world's good, whether they are in profperity jy. or adverfity, whether they are afflicted, or otherwife, they ftill enjoy the divine bleff- ing ; God is their friend, who always de- figns their good 5 he is their fhield, their fup- port and flay, the ftrength of their heart, and their refuge in all times of trouble, and delivers them whenever it is for their real good to be delivered. Finally, this love of God fuppofes perfons being entitled to the promifes of a future reward, of eternal life, glory and blifs j the effect of this love is the divine bleffing here, and eternal happinefs in the divine prefence hereafter. This then is the love of God that we are exhorted to keep our- felves in ; and furely this is a matter of the higheft importance and concern to us. The love of God is more valuable than any thing befides, whatever we want, if we enjoy but his love, we are happy, and can want no- thing that is truly good for us : In his favour is life, and his loving-kindnefs is better than life. And as we ought in the firlt place to get an intereft in his favour and loving-kind- nefs, fo we fhould above all things take care to keep ourfelves in it. Keep yourfehes in the love of God, i. e. pre- serve yourfelves in it ; as you have at prefent an intereft in his love, endeavour to fecure that intereft, to preferve that invaluable pri- vilege. Behave yourfelves fo as that you may continue 62 The great Duties of Chriftianity, continue in the divine favour, that you may j ill enjoy the loving-kindnefs of the Lord, and mav always be of that happy number who have a fhare in his love ; that you may abide in his favour, and as he has loved you, he may continue to love you, may ftill ap- prove, and accept, and delight in you, may always delight to blefs you, and to do you good, and you may continue to be of that happy number, for whom the heavenly re- ward is gracioufly defigned. Take heed left by following the wicked in their ungodly practices, you fail of the grace of God, you lofe his favour, and forfeit your intereft in his love -, but do you preferve fuch a tem- per, and perfevere in fuch a practice, that you may always be beloved of him, and may be happy in his love both here and in the world to come. This is the import of this exhortation, Keep yourfehes in the love of God-, which beicg lb eafy, plain and mani- feft, I fhail infift no longer upon it. And fhall only obferve farther, that if we keep ourfelves in the love of God, we muft conftantly avoid what is hateful and difplea- fing to him, and muft perfevere in that which he loves, and likes, and is well-pleafed with. Hateful practices will make us hateful in the fight of God ; we thereby proclaim ourfelves to be his enemies, and fo muft expofe our- felves to his anger and difpleafure. If we love that which God hates, we cannot ex- pect recommended and explained. 63 peel: to be loved of him ; and therefore, if S e r m. we would continue in his love, and abide in IV. his favour, we muft continue to avoid that which he hates and is difpleafed with. And farther, we muft continue to do what he loves, and likes, and is pleafed with; we muft perfevere in a conformity to his will, muft always love that which he loves, and pra&ife the things he requires of us. God loves thofe, and only thofe who love him, and if we would keep ourfelves in his love and favour, we muft continue to love him. Now, they who love God do love that which he loves, and do that which is well-pleafing in his fight, and agreeable to his will -, no- thing fhort of this will prove us to be real lovers of God, whom he will love and fa- vour, and blefs, and reward ; and therefore if we would keep ourfelves in the love of God, and continue in his favour, we muft perfevere in that which he likes and approves, and muft preferve fuch a temper and conver- fation as is agreeable to his will. Having thus confidered the main and principal Scope of this exhortation, Keep your [elves in the love of God, I come now, II. To confider the means prefcribed and recommended for the doing of this ; which was, the building themf elves up in their moji holy faith, and praying in the Holy Ghojl. But ye, beloved, building up yourjehes in your mojl holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghojl, keep your- 64 The great Duties of Chriftianity, S e R M. your/elves in the love of God. I mall confider IV. each of thefe apart. And, I. Building up yourfehes in your mofi holy faith. Here we may confider what we are to underftand by this faith, what by building up ourfelves on it, and how the building up ourfelves on our moft holy faith is a means of keeping us in the love of God. 1 . As to this faith, called here your mofi holy faith \ by it we are to underftand the whole dodtrine of the gofpel, or revelation of God's will, which Chrift and his apoftles have made to the world. This we are often to underftand by faith, in the epiftles of the apoftle Paul. And this feems to be the meaning of it in the fecond epiftle of Peter, an epiftle parallel to this of St. fude, ver. 1. — To them that have obtained like precious faith with us, through the righteoufnefs of God, and our Saviour Jefus Chrift. But it is very plain, that by the wTord faith, we are to un- derftand the dodlrine of the gofpel in the third verfe of this very epiftle of St. fude, where, fpeaking to the chriftians, he fays, Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the commoii fahation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you, that ye Jhould earnefth co?itend for the faith which was once delivered to the faints. The word faith is ufed but once more in all this epiftle, and that is in our text, building up yourfehes- on your recommended and explained. 65 your mojl holy faith ; and it feems mod rea- Serm. fonabie to underftand it here in the fame IV. fenfe : And the do&rine of the gofpel is called faith, becaufe it is propofed as a thing to be believed, embraced, and firmly de- pended upon ; and becaufe it requires obe- dience, as proceeding from a fincere faith in God, fuch as Abrahams was, and declares that we are jufliiied by fuch faith, and not by the deeds of the law. 2. What are we to underftand by build- ing up ourfelves in this faith ? The church of God is often reprefented under the notion of a building, which you know confifts of a foundation and a fuperftrudture : Thus we are faid to be built upon the foundation of the apcflles and prophets, i. e. upon their doctrine and miniftry, Jefus Chrift him/elf being the chief corner-ftone, Eph. ii. 20. This is mod commonly to be underftood of the whole church, called alfo the body of Chrijl ; and as the feveral members of it make up one re- gular body, whereof Chrift is the head, fo they may be confldered as making up one regular building, in a beautiful order, fym- metry, and proportion of parts, whereof Je- fus Chrift is the foundation, or chief corner- ftone. Thus in the two laft verfes of the forecited Eph. ii. In whom, i. e. in Chrift, oil the building fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord \ in whom you clfo are builded together for an habitation of F God- 66 The great Duties of Chriftianity, Se rm. God through the /pint. And fo i Pet. ii. 5, IV. Ye alfo as lively Jl ones, are built up a fpi ritual houfe, &c. And as this is faid of the whole church collectively, fo it may be faid of every particular chriftian, that he is built upon Jefus Chrift, upon the faith of him, upon the doctrine of the gofpel, as his foun- dation. But then as buildings are capable of improvements and additions, the fame foun- dation remaining, fo we may, and ought to improve ourfelves in our mod holy faith, having laid that as a foundation, and begun to build upon it, we mould go on to build upon it, and fhould be daily making im- provements in our fpiritual building, that it may become ftiil more regular, exact and fuitable to the foundation. And when we thus endeavour to improve in the gofpel of Chrift, to grow in grace, and in the know- ledge of him, then we may be faid to build up ourfelves in our moft holy faith. And this improvement may refpect our know- ledge, our confirmation and eftablimment in the Gofpel, our temper and difpofition, and our practice. ijl, This improvement may refpect our knowledge ; we mould endeavour to improve in the knowledge of the gofpel, we mould acquaint ourfelves more and more with it> and mould labour after a more thorow un- derftanding in all the parts of it, and the connexion that is between them, and the de- pendence recommended and explained. 67 pendence they have one upon another. ISerm. mean, we mould do this, fo far as is necef- IV. fary to influence us more and more to obey '^S*\~\J the precepts of it, and to ftir us up and en- gage us to the practice of true piety. This fort of improvement in knowledge is often called edification, or being edified in fcrip- ture, and as it tends to piety and true good- nefs, fo it is called edification of God, or god- ly edifying ; as, 1 Tim. i. 4. Neither give heed to fables, and endlefs genealogies, which minijler quejlions rather than godly edifying which is in faith. Thus then we mould im- prove in the knowledge of the gofpel, we mould endeavour to acquaint ourfelves more and more with the nature and defign of it, with the true end of ChrifYs coming into the world, with the precepts, promifes and threat- nings of his difpenfation -, with the feveral duties it requires of us, and the ftrong mo- tives, and high encouragements it gives to the practice of them. And this is one way of building ourfelves up on our moil holy faith • when we remain not as babes, unfkil- ful in the word of righteoufnefs, but endea- vour to be as grown men, who, by reafon of uie, have their fenfes exercifed to difcernboth good and evil. idly, This improving in the gofpel, figni- fled by the phrale of building up ourfelves on our moji holy faith, may refpedt our confir- mation and eftablifhment therein ; when we F 2 are 68 The great Duties of Chriftianity, Serm. are more and more fettled and confirmed in IV. the belief and profeffion of it ; and to this, the attaining to a good degree of knowledge in it, does very much conduce -, for fuch perfons are not as children, liable to be toffed about with every wind of doctrine. Thus the apoftie Paul rejoiced to behold the fted- faftnefs of the Colofjians faith in Chrift, Col. ii. 5. and verfes 6, 7. he fays, As ye have therefore received Chrift Jefus the Lord, fo walk ye in him ; roofed and built up in him, and ejiablijked in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thankf giving. And, Rom. xv. 2. when the apoftie fays, Let every one of us pie of e his neighbour for his good, to edification : By edification here he feems to mean confirmation, or eftablifhment in the faith. %dly, This fpiritual improvement refpects our temper and difpofition. When we not only knew and believe the gofpel, but en- deavour to form our minds and tempers by it, and to have our affections and difpofitions more and more agreeable and conformable to it. When the great truths of the gofpel make deeper impreflions upon us, and more and more influence us j\ when we not only know our duty better, but have a greater will to it ; when we are more and more transformed by the renewing of our mind j when our temper, frame and difpofition, our difires, inclinations and affections, our pur- pofes, recommended and explained. 69 pofes, aims and defigns become more and Serm- more and agreeable to the genius, temper and IV. fpirit of the gofpel, then we may be laid to build up ourfelves on our moil holy faith. And this, 4^/j/v, Leads to the other improvement in the gofpel, viz. improving in the practice of it. When we improve in the temper and fpirit of the gofpel, we mall of confequence improve in the life and converfation which it recommends. And this, together with the former, is the beft improvement in the gof- pel of Chrift, the moft valuable fenfe of building ourfelves ud on our moil: holy faith, without which all other proficiencies and im- provements will fignify nothing. The in- creafe of our knowledge will not avail us, if our temper and converfation be hot mended and improved • and they ought always to be mended and improved in proportion to our knowledge. Indeed, the more we know of the gofpel, and the more we are eftablifhed in the belief of it, the more likely it is that our minds and practice fliould be reformed by it ; and we mould make this fort of improve- ment in the gofpel the great end of all other improvements -, our principal aim and endea- vour mould be to gain more of the chriman temper and fpirit, to walk more worthy of the Lord unto all-pleafing, and to be mere fruit- ful in every good work ; and, in mort, to add to our faith virtue, and to virtue know- F 3 &> 70 The great Duties of Chriftianity, S f r m . tf4£d% avd to knowledge temperance \ and fa IV. temperance patience ', and to patience gcdlinefs, and to godlinefs brotherly kindnefs, and to b) o- therly kindnefs charity. Thus we have feen how we fhould build ourfelves up on our moft holy faith, or what we may understand by that expreffion. Ill, The third thing here to be confidered is, how the building ourfelves up on our moft holy faith is a means of keeping in the love of God. This is owing to its being a moft holy faith. God is a moft holy being, and this being the nature of God, the faith on which we are to build ourfelves up being a moft holy faith, muft be agreeable to this holy nature of God -, and fo whilft we are conformed to this moft holy faith, we (hall enjoy the divine love and favour, and the more we are conformed to it, the more of that love and favour we fhall enjoy. The Gofpel of Chrift is a moft holy difpenfation, and fo is the moft perfect pattern of the di- vine mind 3 the precepts of it are holy; the ex- ample it propofes to us is holy, and the whole defign of it is to advance holinefs ; and holi- nefs being that which God loves, thev who obey the gofpel, who copy after that divine inftitution, and have their mind and conver- tion conformed to that holy difpenfation3 muft of confequence be loved of God,, and enjoy his favour and approbation. More particularly, 2 lA recommended and explained. 71 1/?, The gofpel teaches us to avoid all fin Sfrm. and vice, whatibever is contrary to his will, IV. or difpleafing in his fight. It forbids and condemns all unrighteoufnefs, impiety and intemperance ; it teaches to deny ungodlinef and worldly lufts, and to depart from iniquity. Thefe are the things which God hates, and for which his wrath will fall upon the chil- dren of difobedience ; and they who conform to the gofpel, and build themfelves up on their moft holy faith, do hate and abhor all fa ch things as thefe ; and fo hating that which God hates, and avoiding that which God would have them avoid, they will efcape his difpleafure, and will have an intereft in his love and favour. God is angry with the wicked every day, and the wicked, and him that doth violence, his foul hateth 3 but the gofpel teaches us to avoid all unrighteouf- nefs and wickednefs, to mortify the deeds of the body, to crucify the flefli with the affec- tions and lufts, to purify ourfelves from all filthinefs of the flefh and fpirit, to put off anger, wrath, malice, blafphemy, impurity, intemperance, and all other vices ; and final- ly, to abftain from all that is difpleafing to a holy and righteous God, or contrary to his nature and will ; and the more we build up ourfelves on this mod: holy faith, the more we hate, and forfake, and avoid all fuch things. F 4 2*7v, The great Duties of Chriftxanity, idly, This moil holy faith, the gofpel of Chrift, not only teaches us to avoid all fm and vice, all impurity and unrighteoufnefs, and whatever is difpleafing to God, hut it teaches us the practice of all virtue, righte- oufntfs, and goodnefs, and whatever is well- pleafing to God, and agreeable to his holy nature and will. I have fbewn you, that if we would keep ourfelves in the love of God, we mud avoid what he would have us avoid, and muft do what he would have us do ; and this the gofpel recommends to us ; for it teaches us, that denying ungodli?jefs and worldly ■ lufts, wejhould livefoberly, righteoufy, and godly in the world. The gofpel teaches what is really acceptable and weil-pleafingtoGod. The king- dom of God is not meat and drink, but right eouf nefs and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghojl ; and he that in thefe things ferveth Chrijl, is accepted with Gcd, and approved of men. So that he wh o makes it his buiinefs to comform to the gof- pel, or to build up himfelf on that moil holy faith, is fuch a one as God would have him to be, and fo muft be loved of him, and en- joy his favour. The gofpel teaches us to be humble ; and God refijleih the proud > but gi? veth grace, or fheweth favour, to the humble. The gofpel teaches us to be kind, charitable and beneficent, and liberal according to our ability ; and Gcd loves a chearful giver, and with fuch faenfees he is well p leafed. It teaches us to be fincere and upright -, and the righ- teous recommended and explained. 73 tectts Lord loveth right eoufnefs, his countenance Serm. doth behold the upright 5 and the prayer of the IV. upright is his delight. It teaches us to be righteous ; and the Lord loveth the righteous. It teaches us to be pure in heart ; and they are bleffed, becaufe they fhall fee God, and enjoy his favour forever. Finally, it teaches us to be holy in all manner of converfation ; and the apoflle John declares, that if we walk in the lights as he is in the lights we have f el- lowjhip with him, a?id the blood of Jefus Chrijl his Son cleanfeth us from all fin. Thus the building ourfelves up on our moft holy faith is a means of keeping us in the love of God ; yea this very thing, as it refpecls our temper and converfation, does actually keep us in the love of God. And if we would be always kept in the love of God, we muft be always building ourfelves up on our moft holy faith. idly, The other thing recommended as a means of keeping us in the love of God is, praying in the Holy Ghofi. But ye, beloved^ building up y ourfelves in your moft holy faith \ praying in the Holy Ghofi, keep yourfelves in the love of God, praying in the Holy Ghofi. iji, Some have thought that the apoflle here refers to the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghoft which were then common in the churches, among which prayer was one ; for as chriftians ufed then to fing, and to deliver doctrines, and to fpeak to edification, and to ex- 74 The great Duties of Chriftianity, Serm. exhortation, and to comfort, by an extraqr- IV. dinary gift, fo they ufed to pray by an ex- traordinary gift, i. e. by infpiration ; and this being fo common at that time, the apoftie may well be fuppofed to refer to it in this expreffion, Praying in the Holy Ghoft. But, idly\ We may understand here the ordi- nary afliftance and influence of the Holy Ghoft, which all good men partake of in prayer, as well as in all other duties. And fo the meaning may be, praying with thofe motions and defires which are excited, with thofe affe&ions which are raifed, and with that temper and difpolition of mind which is wrought and preferved by the Holy Ghoft, fo as that we may be fuitably affected with the confideration of the being we pray to, with our own frailties, and with the things we pray for, may fincerely defire them, and may be difpofed to make a right ufe of them. ^dly, Poflibly this may be underftood of a man's own fpirit, and we may read it thus, Praying with a holy fpirit, i. e. with a holy temper and difpofition of mind. In this fenfe I am inclined to underftand the words, 2 Cor.vi. 6. for all the other things there mentioned were perfonal te the apoftie, and it is not fo natural to fuppofe that the Holy Ghoft fhould be inferted between* them : Let us therefore, inftead of the Holy Ghoft > read a holy fpirit y and fee how it will ftand then : By purenefs, by knowledge > by long-fuftfering, by recommended and explained. 75 by kindnefs, by a holy fpirit, by love unfeigned -, Serm. underftanding by a holy fpirit, a holy tem- IV. per and difpofition. For thus the word fpi- rit is often ufed for a man's mind, temper and difpofition. So our Saviour tells his dif- ciples, Te know not what fpirit ye are of. In- deed a holy fpirit, fignifying the temper and difpofition of a man's mind, founds a little harfh, becaufe we are not ufed to it ; but why may not the fpirit of a good man be called an holy fpirit, as well as a faithful fpi- rit, an humble fpirit, a contrite fpirit, a meek and quiet fpirit, and the like ? efpecially fince we read of the falsification or holinefs of the fpirit) of being renewed in the fpirit of our mind, and of being holy both in body a?id fpi- rit ; for as humble in fpirit is the fame with an humble fpirit, fo holy in fpirit is the fame with an holy fpirit. And the apoftle may very well exhort to pray with an holy fpirit, or a pure heart, fince if we regard iniquity in our heart, God will not hear us ; and the apoftle Paul exhorts to lift up holy hands in prayer, 1 Tim. ii. 8. Having thus confidered this phrafe, let us now fee how fuch prayer may be a means of keeping ourfelves in the love of God. 1. In its own nature it tends to this. Sin- cere prayer, I fay, in its own nature, tends to keep us in the love of God. For it is mighty ferviceable towards keeping up a right frame, temper and difpofition of mind to- wards 7 6 The great Duties of Chriftianity, Serm. wards God, and preferving the life of reli- IV. gion in us. It confirms and increafes good habits, and pious and fuitable fen fations of mind, which are mod likely to produce fuit- able actions, and an agreeable converfation. When men caft off prayer, and neglect to make their folemn addreffes to God, it is no wonder if they grow cold, indifferent and carelefs in all other parts of their duty. But if we keep up prayer, and do not faint in that holy exercife, we mail be likely to keep up fuitable apprehenfions of God, of his power, wifdom, his holinefs, and his good- nefs 3 and to have our minds fuitably impref- fed and affected with divine things j and fo we mall be difpofed to be holy as God is ho- ly, to love him, and reverence him, and obey him, in doing which we mail be kept in his love. 2. Sincere prayer is a means of keeping us in the divine love and favour, inafmuch as it is a means of our obtaining help, and af- fiftance, and ftrength, and direction from God. If God did not afford us his help, we might foon be overcome by temptation, and drawn into finful courfes, and fall from his favour ; but his (Irength is fufficient to uphold us, his fpirit is fufficient to preferve us, and his wifdom is fufficient to direct us. But he requires us to addreis him for thefe invaluable advantages and favours -y and if we fincerely do fo, we may expect to meet with fufficient recommended and explained. 77 fufficient help, afiiftance and direction in our Serm. chriftian courie. For if we being evil, as our IV. Saviour fays, know how to give good gifts un- to our children, how much ?nore will our hea- venly father give the holy fpirit to them that cfk him. And St. fames fays, If any man lack wifdom, let him afk of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not ; and it fljall be given him, James i. 5. Thus we fee that iincere and upright prayer is a means of preferving us in the divine favour. III. I come now, in the third place, to confider the happy effect of all this, which mould be an encouragement to us to endea- vour by this means to keep ourfelves in the love of God. If by building ourfelves up on our moft holy faith, and fincere prayer, we keep ourfelves in the love of God, we may then look for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift unto eternal life 5 looking for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift u?ito eternal life, Hereby is fignified the compleat falvation that (hall be brought to them at the revela- tion, the fecond coming of Jefus Chrift 5 when to them that look for him, he floall appear the fecond time without fin unto falvation. This is the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift -, thus the apoftle prays for Onefphorus, 2 Tim. i. 18. The Lord grant unto him, that he ?nay find mercy of the Lord in that day. And tru- ly this falvation is a great and an unfpeak- able mercy, if we confider that we were all finners, *? 8 The great Duties of Chriftianity* Serm. finners, and on that account in amoft mifer- IV. able condition, or might juftly have been fo. We might have been banifhed from the pre- fence and enjoyment of God for ever, inftead of being admitted to that glorious and moft delightful viflon ; we might have been pu- nifhed inftead of being rewarded, andmiferab- ]y deftroyed inftead of being faved. And cer- tainly that fuch finful, unworthy and ill-de- ferving creatures fhould be made partakers of the falvation which is in Jefus Chrift, with eternal glory, is unfpeakable grace and mer- cy. And this is the mercy of cur Lord Jefus Chrifiy becaufe he is the immediate author of this falvation. He did and fuffered a great deal for it here ; he died for our fins, fhed his blood that we might be juftified, and par- doned, and faved from wrath thro' him, was delivered for our manifold offences, and raifed again for our jufiificaiion \ and thus bei?ig made ferfedl he became the author of eternal falvation to all them that obey him He is the captain of cur falvation, and was made perfedl thro 'fuffer* i?:gs ; and now he is able tojave all to the utter- mofl that come unto God by him-, feeing he ever livethto make intercefjion for them. As he fuf- fered and died to procure this falvation for us, fo he will powerfully fave and reward us here- after. Thus then this is the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift, 'tis his grace, 'tis his love. And the grace and mercy of God appears in a wonderful manner in providing fuch a Savi- our recommended and explained. 79 our for us, and ordaining him to be the captain S e r m. of our falvation. The mercy of God, as well IV. as the mercy of Chrift, is difplayed in faving us, 'tis the grace of God which brings falva- tion to us, and he of his abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the re* fur reel ion of Jefus Chrift from the dead. We fhould now a little more diftincftly conlider this gracious and merciful falva- tion. 'Tis ijly a falvation, a deliverance from all evil, from all fin and mifery, from all the afflictions and diforders which we fuffered here, and from that mifery and punifhment which was the juft defert of our fins in ano- ther ftate. 'Tis a deliverance from the wrath to come, from everlafting deftrudtion, and from death eternal, and from all kind of con- demnation. And certainly this is great grace and mercy, even if it terminated here. To deliver the guilty from the juft punifhment of their crimes, to fave the miferable, who were made fo by their own fin and fault, is certainly an act of ftupendous grace and mercy. But this is not all j this mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift extends farther yet -> it is mercy unto eternal life. Eternal life is procured for us by him, and he will beftow it at his fecond coming on all thofe who love his appearing, who fhall live and abide for ever, and be for ever happy. Chrift has pur- chafed an inheritance for us, even an inheri- tance that is incorruptible ', and undefled, end that The great Duties of Chriftianity, that fadeth not away, referred in heaven for us. He will give eternal life unto all his fheep, and unto all his fincere difciples and followers ; they fhall obtain eternal glory, honour and peace, everlafting reft and hap- pinefs, and perpetual and uninterrupted joys and delights in the divine prefence. They fhall be with Chrift, and fhall behold his glory, they fhall be like him, and fhall fee him as he is, and fhall have their vile bodies changed, and made like unto his glorious bo- dy. Finally, they fhall dwell for ever in the regions of light and blifs, where God fhall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there fhall be no more death, neither forrow, nor crying, nor any more pain ; but all things fhall be well with them, and they fhall enjoy a perfection of body and mind, and fhall re- ceive a glorious and eternal reward ; for God himfelf will be their exceeding great reward, and their everlafting portion. This is the mercy of our Lord J ejus Chrijl unto eternal life, which all thofe who keep themfelves in the love 'of God may look for : They may firmly believe it, they may hope for it and expedt it, and they may rejoice in hope of it \ they may hope to the end for the grace that fhall be brought unto them at the reve- lation of Jefus Chrift ; and rejoicing in hope of this Glory, may rejoice even in tribula- tions, waiting patiently for their deliverance and lalvation, They who have their conver- fation recommended and explained. 81 fation in heaven, and fo lead a life agreeable S e r m. to the gofpel, having an intereft in the divine IV. love and favour, may look for, and expert, ^ — v— - » the Saviour, the Lord J ejus Chrift, who/hall change their vile body, that it may befajhioned like unto his glorious body, Phil. iii. 20, 21. This is the happy privilege of all thofe who build up themfelves on their mod holy faith, and fo continue in the love of God. As God loves them he will certainly reward them, and they may have the comfortable hope and joyful expectation of it. This hope and ex- pectation is the bleffed effedt and confequence of their keeping themfelves in the love of God, by a fincere conformity to the gofpel in heart and life. To which purpofe is that in Tit. ii. n, 12, 13. For the grace of God which bringeth falvation hath appeared to all men ; teaching us, that denying ungodlinefs a?2d worldly lujls, we Jkould live foberly, right eouf ly and godly in the prefent world ; looking for the blejfed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour J ejus Chri/L Thus then they who building themfelves up on their moft holy faith, keep themfelves in the love of God, may look for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift unto eternal life. I fhall now briefly apply what has been faid, and fo conclude. 1 . We may obferve here the reality of a divine affiftance. Perfons, in order to keep themfelves in the love of God, are to make G ufe 82 The great Duties of Chriftianity, Serm. ufe of prayer; they are to pray that God IV. would keep them in his love, or that he would fo far influence and affift them, as may be neceffary to their keeping themfelves in his love. Praying to God in this cafe, in order to our continuing in his love, muft fup- pofe fome divine affiftance. And indeed, this is a thing fufficiently intimated in fcrip- ture in abundance of places -, particularly in the epiftle to the Philippians, God is faid to work in us both to will and to do according to his good pleafure. And it is a great comfort and fatisfadion to us that there is fuch divine affiftance afforded to us in the difcharge of our duty ; and that we may be affured, when God requires any thing of us, if we are not able of ourfelves to do it, he will enable us to do it, or will grant us all neceffary affif- tance for that purpofe. 2 . We may obferve, that in order to our perfeverance, or keeping ourfelves in the love of God, fomething is neceffary to be done on our part, which if we do not, we (hall not continue in the love of God. This exhor- tation would be altogether needlefs and im- pertinent, if all was to be done in us and for us, and nothing was to be done by us. How could the apoftle with any propriety fay, Keep your/elves in the love of Gody if they could do nothing towards keeping themfelves in it ? Certainly, as we ought to pray for the divine affiftance, (o we mould ufe our own i endea- recommended and explained. 8 5 vours, and do what we can ourfelves : as the Serm. ycry praying for divine affiflance fuppofes our IV. doing fomething. As there could be no room for prayer in this cafe, without fuppofing fome divine affiflance to be obtained, fo there could be no place for it if all were divine af- fiflance, and we could do nothing ourfelves. Let us therefore remember that tho' God works in us to will and to do of his good plea- fare, yet we are to work out oar own fahation with fear and trembling. Therefore, 3. Let us be exhorted to keep ourfelves in the love of God, and to that end to build up ourfelves on our mofl holy faith, and to pray to God continually. If any of us are fo unhappy as to be under the difpleafure of our Maker, as I hope we are not, let us give ourfelves no reft till we are reconciled to him, and have obtained an interefl in his love and favour. And if we are fo happy as to be in his favour, let us endeavour to continue in it, let us keep ourfelves in the love of God. And in order hereunto, let us build up our- felves on our mofl holy faith, and be ftill making proficiency in the gofpel of Chrift. Let us be going on unto perfection -, for if we do not go forward in our chriflian courfe, we fhall be in great danger of going back- ward. Let us endeavour to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savi- our Jefus Chrift ♦, and to that end, let us ap- ply ourfelves to the word of God, that word G 2 of 84 The great Duties of Chrillianity, &c* Serm. of his grace, which is able to build us up, and IV. to give us an inheritance among all them that are fan&ified. Let us read it and ftudy it, and exercife ourfelves in it, and make ufe of all means for improving it. Let us ufe dili- gence, care and circumfpedion in our chrif- tian courfe. This we are frequently exhor- ted to 5 and indeed there is great need of it, confidering what difficulties, oppofitions and temptations we often have to encounter with, and how prone we are to grow carelefs and remifs. Finally, Let us implore divine aid and affiftance, and let us always make ufe of it, and co-operate with it, that we may al- ways keep ourfelves in the love of God. Let us avoid fin, which is hateful and difpleafing to him, perfevere in holinefs and righteouf- nefs, and then we may look for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift unto eternal life, and may be allured, that neither death nor life, nor angels ', nor pr'mcibalities, nor powers, nor things prefent, nor things to come, nor height, nor. depth, nor any other creature, Jhall be able tofeparate as from the love of God, which is in Chriji ftfus our Lord. SER. SERMON V. The Nature and Obligation of Prayer. i Thess. v. 17. Pray without ceafing. THE apdftle in this epiftle, exprefles 3 E R M in a wonderful manner, his love and y affeflion towards the church of the Thejfa- lonians ; they were dear unto him upon the account of their ready reception of the gof- pel, of their fteady and firm adherence to the chriflian faith, and the many fufferings and perfecutions they had chearfully endured for the fake of it : hereupon he commends them, and thanks God on their behalf; and forafmuch, as they were ftill expofed to various and fore trials, and met with great oppolition in their holy profeffion, he ex- prefles his tender concern for their perfe- verance, and prays earneftly, that God would preferve them, and build them up in their mojl holy faith> and make them abound in the exercife of all holy and religious duties ; and then he briefly fhews them the nature G 3 and 86 The Nature and Serm. and defign of the chriftian difpenfation, and V. tells them, that the will of God was their fan&ification, and that they were called un- to holinefs, which he therefore eameftly ex- horts them to follow after ; and in the clofe of the epiftle, he propofes fome brief ex- hortations to feveral chriftian duties, among which, is that in our text, Pray without ceafing. As the chriftian religion moil: ftri&ly en- joins all manner of pious and holy exercifes, and moll plainly discovers to us the nature of all thofe duties that God requires us to perform, fo it affords the beft and noblefl encouragements to the practice of them : we are therein allured of the favour of God, if we (incerely endeavour to do thofe things which pleafe him ; the moft valuable and glorious promifes are therein made to the righteous, and an eternal reward of the high- eft happinefs affured to them who preferve a holy converfation. The duties, that imme- diately refpedl God, ourfelves, and our neigh- bour, are in the cleared manner propofed, with the higheft reafon inforced, and by the greateft encouragements recommended to us in the gofpel, wherein we are taught to live foberly, righteouily and godly in the world. Whatever is agreeable to the true light of nature, to the relation we ftand in to the divine Being, and the obligations we are under Obligation of Prayer. 87 under to one another, is the general defignSERM. of the doctrine of Chrift. V. As all duties, even thofe which refpedt ourfelves or our neighbour, have an ultimate regard to God, as they refult from the con- dition he has placed us in in the world, are performed in obedience to his will, and di- rected to his glory, fo there are fome that immediately refpecl God himfelf, which follow from the relation we are in to him, as he is our Creator, our fupreme gover- nor and continual benefactor ; which duties contain the worfhip and fervice that is due to him from us, who are rational creatures dependent on him : and thefe duties, which immediately regard the divine Being, and are of a moral nature, are various, fuch as love to him, truft in him, praifmg of him, praying to him, giving thanks to his name, and the like. That which we are exhorted to in our text, and commanded to continue in, and which therefore we are to treat of at this time, is the duty of prayer, the rea- fonablenefs and morality of which duty is evident, and the ufefulnefs and advantage of it in every condition very great, and mofl highly to be efteemed. In treating on thefe words, I mail mew what prayer is, and wherein it confifts ; how it is to be performed by us, fo that it may be accepted of God, and anfwer its end 5 what we are to understand by praying with- G 4 out 8S The Nature and Serm. out ceafing ; and why we are thus to be V. found in the practice of this duty. I. We are to confider what prayer is, and wherein it confifts. And here I (hall not infill upon all the feveral parts, that are ufually reckoned in prayer, fuch as confef- lion, thankfgiving, and the like 3 but fhall confine myfelf to that, which is chiefly fig- nified by this word, viz. petition, which is alfo intended by it in this place, for thankf- giving is enjoined in the following verfe, in every thing give thanks. Prayer then is our addrefiing God in a way of petition or requeft, wherein we afk things of him, and- defire him to do fuch and fuch things for us ; it is, as the fcripture fpeaks, a making known our requejis unto God\ not that we are to think, that we inform God by our prayers -> for as all things,fo every ftate and chxumftance of ours, is perfectly known to him, and he knows what things we have need of before we afk him. But in prayer we humbly prefent our cafe before him, which he was perfectly acquainted with before, and fupplicate his goodnefs for thofe things we ftand in need jof. Many are our neceffities, and various are our wants -y as we are de- pendent creatures, and live in a finful and miferable world, we ftand in need of many things, and God, who is our Creator, is all- fufficient and able to fupply all our wants ; and fuch is his goodnefs, that he is ever in- clined Obligation of Prayer. 89 elided to beftow his bleffings on his crea-SERM. tures. There are many bleffings neceffary y. to be obtained by us, and many evils to be avoided ; the bleffings of life are to be fought at the hands of God, and thofe that are ne- ceffary for our fouls, and relate to the life to come, mould always be the fubjedt of our prayers and fupplications 5 thus we mould pray for the forgivenefs of our fins, for the holy fpirit, for help againfl temptations, for deliverance from evil, and the like -, and in every thing by prayer and fupph 'cation , we fiould make known our requejls unto God* We are likewife not only to pray for our- felves, but for one another, as the apoftle James advifes, ch. v. ver. 1 6. Pray one for another ; and this we mould do for all men, and for all ranks and conditions of them, 1 Tim. ii. i, 2. I exhort therefore that firft of all, fupplications, prayers, intercefjions and giv- ing of thanks be made for all men ; for kings , and for all that are in authority. We mould pray for bleffings on our neighbour, where- by I mean all our fellow-creatures ; for their temporal and eternal welfare ; and from our prayers, we mould not exclude even our enemies, Mat. v. 44. Pray for them that de- fpitefully ufe you and perfecute you. Prayer is either fecret, by one's felf, or private in one's family, or publick with others in an aiTembly or congregation -, it is certainly our duty to attend on publick prayer, and to maintain oo The Nature and Serm. maintain prayer in our houfes j and he that V. does not make confcience of praying by himfelf in'fecret, is alfo very unworthy of the' chriftian name. We ought frequently, and as we have opportunity, to exprefs our defires to God, between him and ourfelves, and to pour out our heart before him in fe- cret, Mat. vi. 6. But thou when thou pray eft > enter into thy clofet> and when thou haft Jhut thy door, pray to thy father which is in fe- cret^ and thy father which feeth in fecref, /hall reward thee openly. True prayer is the prefenting the defires of our heart to God ; and though words are neceffary when we join with others in this duty, yet ftill we muft remember that it is the heart that God regards, in this duty as in all others, and by ourfelves, it is indifferent whether we ufe words in prayer or not ; as God does not need our words, io neither does he refpeft our prayers ever the more for them ; our defires are fufficiently known to him, and the filent railing of our minds to him, is well-pleafing in his fight. As words are not effential to prayer, fo we ought not to think that God is moved by entreaties, as we are, and much lefs that our much fpeak- ing fhould prevail upon him to hear us -, though great bleffings are obtained by prayer, yet it is not that God is moved or prevailed upon to change his mind, but it is his will that thofe, who pray to him as thev ought, fhould Obligation of Prayer. 91 Should have their prayers anfwered, andSERM, thofe favours beflowed on them, as are pro- mifed to fuch as are found in the fincere ex-' ercife of this duty ; and hereupon we are cautioned againft much fpeaking and vain repetitions in prayer, Mat. vi. 7, 8. But when ye pray, ufe not vain repetitions, as the heathen do, for they think that they fiall be heard for their much fpeaking j be not ye therefore like unto them, for your father knoweth what things ye have ?ieed of before ye ajk him. So in Eccl. v. 2. Be not rajh with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hafty to utter any thing before Cod, for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth, therefore let thy words be few. And therefore farther, we are not to understand by the parable of the unjuft judge, Luke xviii. 1, &c. and the im- portunate friend, Luke xi. 5, &c. as if God was to be moved by our importunity ; but the defign of thofe parables, which alone is to be obferved in difcourfes of that nature, is, to prevent our being difcouraged from the exercife of prayer, or the throwing it wholly off, becaufe it is not prefently an- fwered. As to the manner of prayer, though I am far from cenfuring thofe who ufe a fet form prepared by others, which I believe many a fincere christian does , yet as our wants are various, and cannot well be com- prehended in fet forms compofed by others, I think it moft proper to ufe one's own ex- preffions . 92 The Nature and Serm. prefiions in prayer, as they plainly and na- V. turally flow ; and if we read the fcriptures *-— v— ' diligently, we (hall from them be furnifhed with the beft and mod: fuitable matter for prayer upon all occafions. Thus have I (hewn you what this duty of prayer is, viz. that it is a fupplicating the divine goodnefs for the beftowing of all manner of bleflings upon ourfelves and others j the ferious humble and fervent ex- preffion of our defires to God, to which the promife of a bieffing is mofl gracioufly made. II. We 'are now to confider how we ought to behave ourfelves in prayer, or what qualifications are neceflary to our prayers, in order to. render them acceptable. That our prayers may be accepted, we mould have fomething more than the bare outward form of devotion ; a fuitable difpo- fition of mind, and an agreeable life is ne- ceflary, for without thefe, our prayers will do us no good. More particularly therefore, i. If we would have our prayers ac- cepted, they muft be attended with holinefs and obedience to all the divine precepts. We cannot expect that our prayers mould be anfwered, and mould have the divine ap- probation, unlefs we preferve a good and pious difpofition of mind, and endeavour to be holy in all manner of converfation ; if we go on in a courfe of fin againft God, we Obligation of Prayer. 93 we may well think he will not hear our Serm. prayer ; if we negledt to obey his righteous V. precepts, and refufe to walk in his ways, it is but reafonable and juft that he fhould re- ject our petitions and difregard all our cries : but if we. endeavour fo to walk as to pleafe God, he will alfo be pleafed with our pray- ers, and we need not doubt but they will be accepted of him. God is the mod holy Being, and to him only we muft direct our prayers, and the way to have them anfwered is certainly to be holy as he is holy. So far is God from anfwering the prayers of the wicked, fo far are the fupplications of fuch perfons from being acceptable or well-pleaf- ing to him, that he is difpleafed and angry with them, when they pray unto him ; hence he tells the Jews, If i. 15. When ye (pre ad forth your hands , I will hide mine eyes from you, yea when ye make many prayers^ I will not hear. And the reafon is aflipned, your hands are full of blood : they were guil- ty of great cruelty and injustice, and defiled with abominable pra&ices. Impurity, un- righteoufnefs and fin are contrary to the ve- ry nature of God ; certainly then he cannot be pleafed with thofe who follow fuch prac- tices, and if he is difpleafed with them, he will not grant them their requefts : but thofe who efchew evil and do good, who fol- low after holinefs, piety, and charity, and obey the divine precepts, will have their prayers 94 The Nature and Serm. prayers accepted, and gracioufly anfwered, V. for the eyes of the Lord are over the righte- ous, and his ears are open unto their pray- ers, tho' his face be againft them that do evil. When we make our prayers to God, we fhould lift up holy hands to him, for if we regard iniquity in our heart, he will not hear us. If we pray to the divine Being, and do not at the fame time love and follow after holinefs, our prayers cannot be fincere ; for while we draw near to him in prayer, we, by finning againft him, remove our hearts far from him, and certainly without finceri- ty no duty is regarded and accepted of God -, for it is the heart that God refpefts in all the duties we perform to him, and therefore he denounces judgments upon the Jews, tho' they drew near to him with their mouth, and honoured him with their lips, becaufe they removed their heart far from him, I/a. xxix. 13. That God regards only the pray- ers of the righteous, whilft he is difpleafed with, and rejedls thofe of the wicked, is ma- nifeft from the nature of things, and from many places of holy fcripture. If we con- fider the nature of things, we fhall find, that as God is holy, he muft neceflarily be dif- pleafed with unholy and unrighteous practi- ces, and confequently with thofe who fol- low them, and live in the exercife of them ■, and if fo, it cannot be that he fhould be pleaf- cd with any of the addreffes of fuch perfons, and Obligation of Prayer. 95 and confequently their prayers will not be re- Serm. garded -, and then, as it is molt reafonable V. and juft that we mould obey the commands of God, he will certainly be juft in denying the petitions of thofe who refufe to obey them} but as holinefs and righteoufnefs is agreeable to the divine will and law, they will certainly have the divine approbation who live a holy and righteous life, and con- fequently their prayers will be accepted. This is alfo plain from holy writ : The Pfalmift fays, If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me, Pfal. lxvi. 18. And we are told, Prov. x. 24. that the defire of the righteous ft all be granted. And in Prov. xv. 8. we have both thefe together, The fa- crijice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the up?~ight is his delight. So in ver. 29. The Lord is far from the wicked, but he heareth the prayer of the righteous. And in Prov. xxviii. 9. 'tis faid, He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer fall be abomination. I will conclude this particular, by telling you, that if you would have your prayers anfwered, you muft exercife the duty of forgiving one ano- ther -, and this I mention particularly, be- caufe our Saviour has io particularly and ftridtly enjoined it, and has aflured us, that the prayers for the forgivenefs of our fins will not be heard without it, as in Mark xi. 25, 26. And when ye f and, praving, forgive ; *7 The Nature and if you have ought againft any ; that your Fa- ther alfo which is in heaven may forgive you your trefpajfes ; but if you do not forgive, 'nei- ther will your Father which is in heaven for- give your trefpajfes, 2. If we would have our prayers accepted, they muft be joined with faith, or a true be* lief of the divine promifes. The promifes of God, which all refult from his goodnefs, are the foundation of our prayers, for the fubject of prayer ought to be that which is agreeable to his will ; which tho' it be known but in part from the light of nature, is fully reveal- ed in the holy fcriptures, and contained in thofe divine promifes therein made. The pro- mifes that relate to this life are more general, relate not fo much to particular cafes, and give us to underftand little more, than that all things fiall work together for good to the?n that love God, which is indeed fufncient \ but the promifes of bleffings relating to the life to come are more particular and exprefs ; and therefore, when we pray for any particular thing relating to this life, it is proper that we fhould afk it with fubmiffion to God's will, or with this condition, viz. if it be accord- ing to his will, becaufe we know not the will of God with refpecl to fuch a particular cafe -, but if we pray for the bleffings of the world to come, fuch as the forgivenefs of our fins, fanclification, eternal life, and the like, we may afk them abfolutely, or with- out Obligation of Prayer. 97 out adding any fuch condition, becaufe we Ser.m- know from the word of God, that thefe V. things are agreeable to his will. Seeing there- fore that God has made thefe many great and precious promifes to us, it becomes us to ex- ercife faith in them, and to have a firm de- pendence on them, when we fupplicate for the bleffings contained in them ; for God re- gards the prayers of thole who believe his pro- mifes, and make them the ground of their petitions -, but the prayers of thefe who are wavering and uncertain, are of little account : As without faith it is impojjible to pkafe God, fo unlefs our prayers are attended with faith, or a belief of the divine promifes, they are not likely to be acceptable to him. The a- poftle James's words are very obfervable to this purpofe, chap. i. 5, 6, 7. If any of you lack wifdom, let him ajk it of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it fhall be given him > but let him afk in faith, nothing wavering, for he that waver eth is like a wave of the fea, driven with the wind and tojfed ; for let not that man think that he fhall receive any thing of the Lord. 3. If we would have our prayers accepted, we muft offer them up in the name of Chrift. Jefus Chrift is the only mediator between God and men 3 he came into the world to die for us, that we might be juftified by his blood, and receive the remifiion of fins ; and he now appears in the prefence of God for H us, The Nature and us, and makes continual intercefiion for us at his right-hand -, and it is thro' him that all our duties are accepted of God, and all our prayers heard : Therefore, as we ought to have refpec~t to Chrift for the acceptance of all our religious performances, fo more particularly we ought to offer up prayers to God in his name, that both thole fervices of ours may be accepted, and we may obtain the bleffings we pray for, and which are purchafed for us by Chrift. God himfelf teiliried of Chrift, that he is his beloved Son, in whom he is well pleafed -, him he always heard on earth, as he does now in hea- ven, and he is conftituted our head, and the captain of our falvation -y we ought therefore thro' him to prefent ourfelves and all our re- ligious fervices to God, and then we need not doubt of their being accepted; and as under the difpenfation of the gofpel it is required, that in all refpects we worihip God thro' Chrift, fo it is agreeable to this difpenfation to offer up our prayers in his name, as our Saviour directed his difciples a little before he left the world, John xvi. 23, 24. And ih that day xejhall ajk me nothing. Verily \ verily I fay unto yoUy whatjbever yefiall ajk the Father in my name, he will give it you : hitherto ye have ajked nothing in my name -y ajk, and ye Jkall receive, that your joy may be full. And, ver. 26. At that day ye ff:all ajk in my name. 1 III. Obligation of Prayer. ro III. I come now to fhew, what we areSERM. to underftand by praying "without ceafing. V. It would be ridiculous to understand here- by, that we fhould do nothing elfe but pray. But, i. Thefe words may intend, that we fhould always be in a difpofition for prayer, and ready for the exercife of it on all occa- fions ; that we mould always have our hearts prepared for this duty, and be of f ach a frame and temper of mind as is neceffary to it, and will put us upon the exercife of it in every condition and circumftance. We fhould al- ways have a due fenfe of our manifold wants, the relation we ftand in to God fhould al- ways influence us, and engage us to the per- formance of this, as of all other duties, and a belief of the divine goodnefs, power and providence fhould ever imprefs our minds ; we fhould walk humbly with God, fhould retain in our minds a fenfe of our dependence on him, and fhould alway have our expecta- tion from him. We mould be always pre- pared to call upon him, and to fend up our defires to him in every condition and occur- rence of life; in all difficulties, dangers, exi- gencies and afflictions, we mould be ready to invoke his aid and direction, to fupplicate his goodnefs, to deprecate his judgments, and to implore his falvation; and, finally, to make our prayers and fupplications to him at all times, and upon all occafions : And this-feems to be the meaning of watching un- H 2 to ioo The Nature and SERM.t0 prayer, which we are frequently exhort- y# ed to. 2. By thefe words, Pray without ceafing> we may underftand, that we mould perfevere in this duty, and by nothing be difcouraged from the exercife of it. Prayer is not to be made for ibme part of our life, and then to be left off and laid afide, but we mould go on to call upon God, and mould pray unto him as long as we live. We mould take care, that after we have been zealous and di- ligent in the ufe of prayer for fome time, we do not faint and grow weary of it \ but we fhould be ftill placing our hopes in the di- vine promifes, and ftirring up and encourag- ing ourfelves to conftancy and perfeverance in the practice of this. duty. We fhould con- iider that we are here in a ftate of trial, and therefore, tho' things fhould fometimes not go very well with us, we ought ftill to truft in God, and depend upon his goodnefs,and in this truft and confidence to prefentour Applications to him. Tho' we may not prefently receive the anfwer of our prayers, we mould not let this diicouiage us, for God oftentimes defers the anfwer of them, to exercife our faith and patience, our truft in him, and dependence upon his promifes. We mould therefore confider, that God is good, and merciful, and faithful, and that all his promifes are fure, and will in his due time be fulfilled $ that fo, tho' we may meet with many dark dtf- Obligation of Prayer. 101 difpenfations, we may notwithstanding be en- Serm. couraged to hold on in this neceffary and V. comfortable duty ; for thus we are exhorted ' — v— -* to continue in prayer, or to perfevere in it ; and we are told, Luke xviii. i. that our Sa- viour fpoke a parable to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint, /. e. fo to truft in God, and to depend upon his promifes, as never to be difcouraged from the exercife of prayer. 3 . We fray without ceafing> when we keep up a courfe of prayer, and negleft not the ordinary performance of it. We ought not only to take care, that we do not wholly dif- ufe prayer, but we fhould frequently, and as often as our affairs permit, call upon God, and commit our ways to him in prayer. There are indeed no fet times certainly pre- ferred for prayer, neither will the various circumftances of perfons admit of any cer- tain rule in this affair ; but then we fhould make confeience of performing this duty as often as we can ; and as our wants are daily, and we have daily need of favour, fuccour and affiftance from God, we fhould endea- vour, if we can, to be found in the exercife of this duty every day -y and the morning and evening are certainly very proper feafons for this purpofe. This pradice of daily prayer is not without example in holy fcripture. Thus David \ Pfal. lv. 16, 17. fays, As for me, I will caH upon God: and the Lord jkall fave H 3 me% i c 2 The Nature and Serm. me. Evening and morning, and at noon will V. / pray and cry aloud, and he Jhall hear my voice. And thus we are told, that Daniel kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and give thanks before his Lord, as he did afore time, Dan. vi. 10. IV. I come now briefly to mention the reafons why we (liould thus be found in the exercife of this duty of prayer. i. Prayer is a moral duty, and exprefly commanded in the word of God. There are fome things commanded in the divine word, that are not of a moral nature, and thefe we (hould by no means be obliged to, if they had not been thus commanded ; but the moral duties that are thus recommended to us in the holy fcriptures, we fhould be in- difpenfibly obliged to perform, if they were not exprefly commanded by God, for fuch duties as are founded on reafon, are known by the light of nature, and refult from the nature of things. To worfhip God is cer- tainly a moral duty,, and not only the wor- fhip of God in general is taught us by the light of nature, but the feveral parts of his worfhip may fairly be deduced from thence -, and hereby we are taught, that prayer is a part of the worfhip we owe to God ; for, as he is our all-fufficient and bountiful Creator, and we are creatures dependent on him, we ought certainly to look for him for all things we want, and confequently to pray unto him for Obligation of Prayer. 193 for the bellowing of them: This therefore Serm. being a moral duty, we are neceflarily oblige- V. ed, all of us, to be found in the practice of *— -s,~- ' it ; as we are alfo, upon the account of its being exprefly injoined in the word of God. 2. We mould pray without ceafmg, becaufe we are in continual need of blefrings from God, and prayer is the way to obtain them. Whatever we enjoy, we cannot properly call our own, for as we receive all we enjoy at the hands of God, fo he can deprive us of it when it pleafes him ; and we not only de- pend upon God for the continuance of the bleffings we enjoy, but we are in daily want of many favours from him, we need his di- rection, his affiflance, and his bleffing at all times in the affairs of this life, and things re- lating to our bodies, and we depend on him for the reception of all fpiritual good ; and this being fo, we have continual occafion, not only to pray to him for the fecuririg to us the things we already enjoy, but alfo for the be- flowing of fuch good things as we actually ' want. Thus, as we are daily expofed to temptations, we mould daily pray for ftrength and deliverance ; and as we often fin againit God, fo we mould continually addrefs him for pardon and forgivenefs. And if we thus implore the divine goodnefs for the things we always want, it is certainly the way to obtain them ; according to many divine pro- mifes, particularly, PfalA. 15. Call upon me H 4 in TC/t The Nature and S e r m . in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and V. thou Jhalt glorify me. And very fuitable to this purpofe are the words of our Saviour, Mat. vii. 7 — 1 1. AJlz, and it p hall be given you ; feek and ye Jhall find ' : knock, and it Jhall be opened unto yen. For every one that ajketh receiveth \ and he that Jeeketh ftndeth ; and to him that knocketh it Jhall be opened. And, ver. 1 1 . If ye, being evil, know how to give goo4 gifts unto your children, how much more Jhall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that afk him ? 3. We fhould keep up the exercife of prayer, becaufe it will be a means of pre- ferring the life of religion, and maintaining holy habits and affections. Thofe who neglect the practice of this duty will infallibly be- come indifferent and careiefs in the matters of religion, and will, in time be very little difpofed to piety, and have little or no heart to the exercife of all other religious duties. Thofe who thus forfake God, by neglecting to call upon him, are very likely to be for- faken of him, and fo liable to depart from him in all other refpects. Prayer being a mo- ral duty, as well as commanded in the di- vine word, a bad confeience, and bad difpo- fitions of mind feem to be the neceffary ef- fects of the neglect of it. But, on the con- trary, if any one be diligent and conftant in the ufe of prayer, he will by degrees gain much life and vigour in the ways of God -3 while Obligation of Prayer. 105 while he prays to the divine Being, he will Serm. have his mind impreffed with an awful fenfe of his greatnefs and fovereignty, and of his dependence on him, and fubje&ion to him -, his trufl in God, and hope in his divine pro- rnifes will be revived and ftrengthened, and he will by this means, in habituating him- felf to the exercife of this duty, have all ho- ly habits and devout feniations of mind kept up and increafed, and be readily difpofed to the practice of every good work. Thus have I briefly gone through what I propofed to confider -, and now, for a conclusion, I fhall only add a brief exhortation to this duty. We have feen what obligations we are un- der to the performance of this duty of prayer, and of what great advantage the exercife thereof will be to us : Let us therefore, as many of us as have been negligent in this re- fpecl, be exhorted to apply ourfelves with fincerity to call on God ; and thofe of us who have ufed ourfelves to the practice of this duty,, let us take care that nothing may caufe us to leave off this holy duty \ but as God is fo good and gracious to us, as not on- ly to permit us, who are finners, but alfo to encourage us to pray unto him, and as prayer is a moral duty which is taught us by the light of nature, let us not be fo ungrateful, let us not be fo wicked, as wholly to neglect it ; but let us fupplicate the divine goodnefs for ourfelves and others 5 let us with refigna- tion 106 The Nature and SERM.tion to the will of God afk the bleflings of V. this life at his hand, and let us with confi- dence, and from a firm belief of the divine promifes, pray to him for the blefimgs that pertain to the life to come ; let us often, and upon every occafion, be lifting our hearts to God, and, as frequent as we can, let apart fome time for folemn prayer ; let us be ready to join in publick prayer , let us pray in our families, and above all make confcience of fecret prayer -, and let us not purfue this courfe for fome time, and then grow weary and leave it off, but let us imitate Cornelius, who prayed to God always ; let us ever be difpoied to this duty, and perfevere in the praflice of it -y and above all, let us maintain iuch a converfation, and lead fuch a life, as will render our prayers acceptable unto God -, let us abftain from fin, and follow after ho- linefs and righteoufncis ; if we pray to God, and at other limes take liberty to profane his, name, can we think that our prayers will be grateful to him ? V/ill he, who is altogether holy and pure, take notice of their petitions, who allow themfelves in wanton and impure practices ? and have we any reafon to expedt that God will favour us in granting our re- quefts, if we are unrighteous and uncharit- able, and negledl to love and do good one to another ? Or can we pray fincerely for others, as we ought, whilfl we want a charitable and forgiving temper of mind ? Let us therefore, from Obligation of Prayer. 107 from a due consideration of thefe things, be Serm. induced to apply ourfelvcs to the practice of V. all good works, and then we {hall approve 1 ourfelves fincere in calling upon God. Let us lift up holy hands unto him ; let us pray in faith, and offer up our petitions in the name of Chrift, and then our prayers will be accepted, and will be anfwered fo far forth as will be for our good in this life, and will at laft, as all other good works, be graciouf- ly rewarded by him, who is the rewarder of all tbofe that diligently feek him. SER- SERMON VI. The Lovelinefs and Efficacy of Cha- rity. i Cor. xiii. 4 — 7. Charity fuffereih long, and is kind; charity envieth not ; charity vaunteth not itfelf, is not puffed up. Doth not behave iff elf un- feemly, feeketh not her own, is not eajily pro- voked, thinketh no evil. Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. Bear- eth^ all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. TH E apoftfe is here defcribing a tem- per and difpofltion of mind which is frequently recommended in the gofpel, which becomes all men, and which all chriftians efpecially, ought to endeavour to maintain, to wit, a fincere good- will and unfeigned love and affedlion towards one an- other, and to all mankind, which is here fig- nified by the word charity. He recounts fe- veral of the properties, and genuine effe&s of this The Lovelinefs, &c. 109 this virtue, to which all its other properties Serm. may be reduced, whereby the excellency and reafonablenefs of it moft plainly appear. Before we confider thefe properties, it may not be amifs briefly to mew the particular oc- cafion of the apoftle's treating of this chriftian duty in this place, and how what he here fays {lands with the reft of his difcourfe. We muft know then, that befides other dif- ferences in this church of Corinth, they fell out one with another about the ufe and ex- ercife of their fpiritual gifts in their affem- blies, one contending that his ought to have the preference and precedence, and another his. This was the occafion of great difor- ders amongft them, and tended to create ill- will and refentment in their minds one againft another, contrary to that chriftian charity which they were obliged by the gofpel to preferve inviolable -, as it ihould feem by that exhortation in chap. xiv. 20. where, treating of this their difference, the apoftle fays, Brethren, be not children in underjland- ing: Howbeit, in malice, be ye children, but in under/landing be men. The apoftle begins his difcourfe upon this fubjedt of their diffe- rence, viz. the ufe of their fpiritual gifts, with the 1 2th chap, and continues it to the end of the 14th. He in the 12th ufes feve- ral arguments to convince them of the un- reafonablenefs of their emulation ?nd ftrifein this affair, and to bring them to a better tem- per no The Lovelinefs and Serm. per of mind; as that they were at firft all VI. alike idolaters, one no better than another ; and that now they were alike fpiritual men, having all believed in Chrift, and owned him, which could not be done but by means of the fpirit of God : That all thofe various gifts were of one and the fame fpirit, by the fame Lord, and wrought in them by the fame God, who worketh all in all \ and that they were given only for the edification of the church, and not to be an occafion of ftrife and contention about fuperiority and precedence on the account of them ; and fo they were all ufeful and neceffary in their place, as the various members of the body were all neceffarv to the feveral diftindt func- tions in it. In the laft verfe of the chapter, he exhorts them to covet earneftly the belt gifts, which may tend moft to the advantage and edification of others ; or, as fome un- derftand it, he blames them for the ftrife and emulation that was among them about their feveral gifts ; reading it thus, But ye covet eamejily the beji gifts, or contend one with another whole particular gift is beft, and fhould have the preference ; and yet, fays he, ljhew unto you a more excellent 'way ; a way that will infallibly tend to your own and others good and edification, much more than the gifts you fo earneftly conteft about, which are of no value if this excellent thing be wanting. He proceeds in the 13th chap, to fet Efficacy of Chanty. 1 1 1 fet before them this moft excellent way, toSERM. wit, charity, or fincere and unfeigned love VI. and good-will one towards another, and be- (y\"vj gins with (hewing the abfolute neceffity of it : Tbo' 1 /peak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I am become as founding brafs, or a tinkling cymbal. And tho3 I have the gift of prophecy, and under- Jland all myferies, and all knowledge -, and tho' I have all faith, fo that I could remove moun- tains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And thd I bcflow all my goods to feed the poor, and thd I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. The a- poftle here reckons up the things that were moft highly efteemed among the Jews, and afferts they are all nothing worth without charity. They fpoke of ibme of their wife men as understanding the language of the angels, of as being moft eloquent, or as rooters up of mountains, by which they meant doing great and difficult things, or fol- ving high and difficult queftions ; prophecy was in very great efteem with them, and they held that alms -giving (which might proceed from a defire of vain glory, or other mean, motives) delivered men from hell, and that martyrdom for the law atton'd not only for their own fins, but even for the fins of the whole nation : But the apoftle declares all thefe things to be nothing without charity. The apoftle, having (hewn the neceffity of charity, H2 The Lovelinefs arid Serm, charity, goes on in the words of our text, to VI. defcribe it by its properties and effects, fome of which feem to be tacitly oppofed to the contrary temper that had too much prevailed among the Corinthians, and afterwards fays, that it never faileth -> whereas the gifts of tongues and prophecy, and the like, would hereafter ceafe, and give way to a more perfect ftate ; and in the laft verfe he gives it the preference even to faith and hope : And now abideth faith, hope, charity, thefe three -, but the great ejl of thefe is charity. In the 14th chapter he exhorts them, feeing they were zealous offpi- ritual gifts, to feek to excel to the edifying of the church, and prefers prophecy before fpeak- ing with tongues, and in the end gives them fome directions for regulating the exercife of thofe gifts in their publick alTemblies. And thus we have feen the order and connexion of this difcourfe of the apoflle's, which is con- tained in thefe three chapters, and how his defcription of charity is introduced -, whicli excellent and comprehenfive virtue we come now to confider : And fhall, I. Say fomething to the feveral properties of it here mentioned by the apoftle. II. Recommend it, as here defcribed, to the fludy and purfuit of all chriftians. I. It may be requifite to enlarge a little upon the feveral properties of this virtue of charity, Efficacy of Charity. i i 3 chanty, this mutual good-will, love and af- Se r,m« fediion. 1. It fuffers long. 2. Is kind. 3. VI. Envieth not. 4. Faunteth not it/elf, ?ior 2>^~v— * puffed up. 5. Behaves not itfelf unfeemly. 6. Seeketh not her oven. 7. Is not eafily pro- voked. 8. Thinketh no evil. 9. Rejoiceth not in iniquity r, but rejoiceth in the truth. 10. Bcar- eth all things ; or, as it fhould be rendered, covereth, or concealeth all things. 1 1 . Belie- veth all things. 12. Hopeth all things. 13. Endureth all things. 1 ft, Charity Juff'ereth lo?ig, bears injuries patiently, forbearing thofe who do them ; is not forward to render evil for evil, to re- venge any .affront, or to exacl juft punish- ment for a crime ; but difpofes us to put up wrongs, to forgive thofe who offend us, to pafs by indignities offered to us, and to bear with the follies and weakneffes of men. They who are poffeffed of charity are of a forbear- ing and forgiving temper ; are far from reta- liating or meditating any revenge ; are not foon tranfported into refentment, and will feem a great while to take but little notice of thofe things which others would prefendy feek fa- tisfa&ion for. Charity makes men forgetful of injuries, and flow to demand reparation, and difpofes them to deal tenderly with them from whom they fuffer the greateft abufes and wrongs. I need not tell you that I am not fpeaking of the behaviour of nations one towards another, which chriftianity concerns I not 114. The Lovelinefs and S e r m. not itfelf with, but of particular perfons. The VI. charitable man does not preiently take all advantages againit his neighbour, nor moleft him for every little offence ; he does not ex- a£t all the fatisfa&ion that the rigour of the law allows him, is not hafty by violent mea- fures to recover his jufl debts, and 'does not prefently break off friendfhip for the firft fault. We are ready all of us to bear with, and forgive the mifcarriages of thofe whom we heartily love : If therefore we are poffef- fed of true chriftian charity, or a fincere af- fection to all men, we mall be difpofed to overlook and pafs by their offences and mif- demeanours, and patiently to expecl: their amendment. Charity caufeth us to endure provocations with much patience, before we conceive any difpleafure againft others j it teaches us to fuffer a great many wrongs and affronts, rather than proceed to extremities which I join together, becaufe of their near fignincation in our tranflation. Vaunteth not itfelf; it may be rendered, doth not behave itfelf rafhly ; is not rafh, .heady, or precipitate in fpeaking of, or acfling to- wards others ; but is wary and confiderate in this affair, and ufes deliberation as in a mat- ter of the greateft moment. But, to follow our tranflation, charity vaunteth not itfelf, is not infolent, affuming and domineering, does r not Efficacy of Charity. 119 not arrogantly impofe on others, nor impe- Serm. rioufly di&ate to them, as if we only were VI. worthy to be regarded 3 but is modeft and ' governable, and eafy to be perfuaded, and willing to yield to others when it fees they have reafon on their fide. This vaunting, and foolifh, and giddy elation of mind, is the caufe of manifold difturbances in the world, and in the church, when men fond- ly take upon themfelves to prefcribe to others, and arrogantly fet up their opinions as a ftandard for every body elfe. But charity does not thus vaunt itfelf 3 nor, as it follows, it it puffed up. Pride and haughtinefs pro- ceeding from a too great opinion of our- felves, caufes us to flight and defpife all o- others, which is certainly contrary to true charity. Proud perfons fo admire themfelves, and their own imagined perfections, that they look down upon all the world with con- tempt, and can fee no excellency in any but themfelves : Hence they are apt deeply to re- fent the lead feeming difrefpecl: mewed to them, and are angry if every one does not efteem them according to the high opinion they have of themfelves. But love or cha- rity makes us humble and lowly-minded, teaching us to put a due value upon the en- dowments and accomplishments of others, and not to magnify ourfelvcs, or to think of ourfelves more highly than we ought to think, but to think foberly. Humility is an I 4 infeparabie i 20 The Lovelinefs and SERM.infeparable property of true charity, and VI. therefore is frequently joined with it, in the apoftle's exhortations, particularly in the forecited paffage in Col. iii. 12. Put on there- fore (as the elect of God, &c.) bowels of mercies, ki?idnefs, humblenefs of mind, meek- nefs, long-fuffering : And in the foremention- ed Eph. iv. 2. -With all lowlinefs and meek- nefs, with long-fuffering, forbeariiig one ano- ther in love. There can be no true charity without humility, and the charitable man, who is truly fo, is always a humble man. Charity is not puffed up. 5thly, Charity behaves not itfelf unfeemly ; never treats others rudely in words or actions, nor permits us to reproach or vilify them. It gives no abufive or contumelious language, nor endeavours to difparage or defame any. It can refute the errors of thofe whom we differ from, without any opprobrious or dis- graceful reflections, and anfwer their argu- ments, and (hew that they are in the wrong, without reviling their perfons, or calling them names. This it will by no means do ; it will give noneedlefs provocation, and as it will do no evil to others, fo neither will it fpeak evil of them. It will behave itfelf re- fpectfully and in a becoming manner towards all, without any ill-natured actions, or bitter revilings. It teaches us to put away all bit- ternefs, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, 1 and Efficacy of Charity. 1 21 and evil-fpeaking, and to avoid all virulent SeRM. railing and fevere reflections ; for it behaves VI. not itfelf unfeemly towards any in words or actions. 6thly, Charity fieketb not her own ; in- clines us to have a lincere regard to the good and welfare of others, and not merely to mind our own profit or advantage. A cha- ritable man is not felfim, ftingy and narrow- fpirited, caring for none but himfelf, and re- garding not how it fares with other men, fo he does but live in eafe and plenty 5 but as he de- fires, fo he docs all he can to promote the well- fare of others : He exercifes bounty and libera- lity, if it be in his power, and as he has oppor- tunity does good to all men. He does good to others, though thereby he receive not the leaft advantage to himfelf, befides the plea- fure of doing it. Chriftian charity obliges us to be kind and beneficent even to the unthankful and the evil, and to the poor who are unable to make any returns : It teaches us to lend hoping for nothing again, nay, to do good to tkofe who return evil for it, and to purfue the benefit and edification of others, though with fome lofs to ourfelves. We mould not pleafe ourfelves in gratifying our own appetites and pafiions to another's prejudice, but rather mould pleafe our neigh- bour for his good to edification, and fhould not look every one on his own things only, but every 122 The Lovelinefs and Serm. every man alfo on the things of others ; for VI. this is the mind which was in Chrift Jefus, who emptied himfelf, and laid afide his glo- ry, and fuffered even the death of the crofs for the good of mankind. 7thly, Charity is not eajily provoked , does not foon fall into a violent fit of anger, is not highly exafperated, and breaks not out into furious and ungovernable paffions on any occafion. Charity's fufFering long, does efpe- cially refpedt revenge ; but this that it is not eajily provoked^ refpe&s the paffion of anger, which charity teaches us to regulate and govern, fo as that, in the firft place, we may not be fuddenly inflamed upon every flight fault of our brother, may not be ea- fily angered upon every trivial occafion ; but may be flow to anger, and abftain from wrath, as much as we can. A charitable man is not apt to pick quarrels or to fall in- to a paffion upon every little occafion ; but is fo eafy in his carriage, that it is no hard matter for a man to live with him, without ever offending him. We .have but little love for thofe whom we cannot at all bear with , and if we are tranfported with paf- fion and refentment, upon every little flip or mifcarriage, it is a fign our charity is very defective. When we have juft occafion of of- fence given us, charity will not fuffer us to fall into immoderate paffion, or to be Efficacy of Charity. 123 be tranfported by blind rage and fury, be-SERM. yond the bounds of reafon and religion. VI, Our anger, how juft foever, fhould never make us injure the perfon offending > it fhould never break out into fury, and we fhould never be fo far exafperated, as to fuf- fer our paffion to betray us into any unrea- sonable and rafh a&ions, or to hurry us into any indecency or excefs : But we fhould ever ftudy to keep this paffion within the bounds of reafon, fo as to let that govern it, and then it will never tranfgrefs the li- mits of Charity. 8thly, Charity thinketh no evil; is not jealous or fufpicious, does not endeavour to blaft mens good adtions and reputation, by imagining and furmifing fome fecret evil, or bad defign ; but puts a favourable conftruc- tion upon every thing, and always judges the beft. When a man falls into any vice, cha- rity, inftead of aggravating the matter, will, if poffible, find cut excufes to leflen the ag- gravation. It will be fo far from aggra- vating thofe injuries which our neighbour may have done us, that it will be ready to find out fome charitable conftru&ion or other, and to devife fome apology for him. It will not permit us to furmife or fufpeft that evil of others which we do not know ; nor will it cenfure their mifcarriages as done out of malice, or with ill intentions. Fi- nally 5 it never judgeth any man to be worfe than 12 4- The Lovclinefs, &c. SERM.than the tenour and courfe of his vifible ac- VI. tions declare him. But farther, perhaps thefe words may be thus rendered, cha;ity does not meditate, devife or defign evil, to wit, againft our neighbour. It is far from wronging or injuring any, or doing any thing to their difadvantage. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour ', Rom. xiii. j o. The remaining properties of charity, I mail leave to another difcourfe, and mall conclude this, by briefly exhorting you to follow after the virtues we have been treating of, and to avoid the contrary vices. Let us put on bowels of mercies, kindnefs, humblenefs of mind, meeknefs, long fuffering> and be difpofed to further the welfare of all, and to do them good as we have opportu- nity : This is the true chriftian temper and practice, which will yield the higheir. fatis- fadlion in this life, and will be a means of preparing us for eternal happinefs in the next. Let us therefore avoid all thofe vices that are contrary to this heavenly and divine difpofition, and lay afide all ungoverned anger, all judging and cenfuring, all cla- mour and evil-fpeaking, all pride and haugh- tinefs and envy ; and let us perfevere in that excellent temper and practice we have been in part defcribing ; that fo being the followers of Chrift here, we may at laft have an abundant entrance minijlred to us into his everlafiing kingdom. S E R M. SERMON VII. The Lovelinefs and Efficacy of Cha- rity. i Cor. xiii. 4 — 7. Charity fuffereth long, and is k'md -, charity envieth not -, charity vawiteth not itfelf, is not puffed up. Doth not behave itfelf un- Jee?nly, feeketh net her own, is not eafily provoked, thhiketh no evil, Rejoiceth not in iniquity* but rejoiceth in the truth. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. IN treating on thefe words, I propofed, 5 E R M> VII. ' I. To fay fomething to the feveral pro- perties of charity here mentioned by the apoftle. II. To recommend it, as here defcribed, to the ftudy and purfuit of all chriflians. By charity or love, the apoftle means a iincere good-will or kind affe&ion one to- wards another, or to all mankind. Indeed, he 126 The Lovelinefs and SERM.he is here recommending mutual charity VII. among chriftians, and preffing them, by all this difcourfe, fincerely to love one another ; but that this virtue in its true extent, is to be referred to all men, fo that we fhould maintain good-will and a kind affection to- wards all, is plain from what our Saviour has taught us, to wit, that we ftould love our neighbour as our/elves, and that all men, however they differ from us, are to be efteemed our neighbours, fo as that we fhould have the fame good-will towards all, and the fame readinefs to do them good, as the Jews had towards their neighbour, pro- perly fo called, or their brethren of the fame nation and religion. And the apoftle Paul exprefly extends the virtue of charity to all men, i Thejl iii. 12. And the Lord make you to increafe and abound in love one towards another p, a?id towards all men. St. Peter al- fo, when he fpeaks of adding to brotherly- kindnefs charity, by the former means a fin- cere love to all chriftians as chriftians, and by the latter, an unfeigned affection and good-will to all men as men. And indeed all thefe properties of charity, or virtues contained under it, here mentioned by the apoftle, are fuch as ought to be extended to all men, and to be exercifed towards all as there is occafion, or we have opportunity. Some of thefe virtues, as genuine fruits and true properties of charity have been already con- sidered ; Efficacy of Charity. 127 fidered ; which I (hall but briefly mention, Serm. and then proceed to the confederation of VII. thofe which remain. 1 ft. Charity Jufferetb long. They who are endued with It exercife long-fuffering, are of a temper which inclines and difpofes them to bear injuries patiently, and to forbear the authors of them ; are not of a fierce, hafty and revengeful difpofition, apt to render evil for evil, to fludy retaliation or meditate re- venge ; but are patient towards all, who have either injured them, or owe them any thing, and flow in proceeding to extre- mities ; had rather fuflfer a hundred evils than do one, are of a forbearing and for- giving temper, endeavour to overcome evil with goody to reclaim thofe who have dis- covered any ill-will towards them, by foft and kind methods, and bear with the weak- nefles, overfights and indifcretions of man- kind. 2dly, Charity is kind. They who are pof- feflTed of it, are kindly affe&ioned towards others, are of a mild, friendly, courteous, affable and refpeftful temper and carriage, and as far as pofiible, ufeful and beneficial to all. 3dly, Charity envieth not ; does not mur- mur and repine at the welfare of others, but on the contrary, is well pleafed with it, rejoiceth with thofe who rejoice, and is glad when our neighbour thrives, or does well. His 128 The Lovelinefs and Serm. His happinefs is an addition to ours, if we VII. have true charity, and we are fo far from grudging at his profperity, that it is what we moft fincerely defire and wifli for. 4thly, Charity vaunteth not itfelf, is not fluffed up. It is not iniolent, aituming and domineering, but modett and ti actable, eafy to be perfuaded, and willing to yield to others, when it fees they have reafon on their fide. It is not proud, haughty and fupercilious, which temper is altogether in- confiftent with charity, forafmuch as it is al- ways attended with contempt of others, un- dervaluing and defpifing them and their endowments, which muft render a man in- capable of expremng that kindnefs, love and refpect to them, which true charity requires and includes ; but charity is humble and lowly-minded, teaching us by having fober and modeft thoughts of ourfelves, duly to efteem others, and to put a juft value on their endowments and qualifications. In lowlinefs of mind, we mould ejleem each other better than ourfelves^ fo as to look on ourfelves in the matter of charity, to be as it were their i^rvants, and be as ready to help and aflift them, as if we were their fubjedis and fervants -, for that cannot always refer to judgment, but to the temper of mind and the practice confequent on it. 5thly, Charity behaves not itfelf unfeemly ; never treats others rudely in words or actions. It Efficacy of Charity. 129 It gives no abufive languge, nor endeavours Serm. to difparage or defime any. It will give VII. no needlefs provocation* and as it will do no evil to others, fo neither will it fpeak evil of them. But it behaves itfelf civilly and refpedtfully towards all, without any bale actions or bitter revilings. 6thly, Charity feeketb not her own. It in- clines men to have a fincere regard to the good and welfare of others, as well as to their own. They who are truly poffeffed of it, are not felfiih, ftingy and narrow~fpi~ rited, caring for none but themfelves, and regarding not how it fares with other men> fo that they do but live in eafe and plenty ; but as they heartily defire, fo they do all they can to promote the welfare of others, being willing even to deny themfelves, for the fake of a more publick good, and hav- ing the mind which was in Chrift Jefus, who, for the good of mankind, humbled bimfelfi and became obedient unto deaths even the death of the crofs. 7thly, Charity is not eafily provoked ; does not ibon fall into a violent fit of anger, is not highly exafperated, and breaks not out into furious ungovernable paffion on any oc- cafion. Anger is frequently the caufe of mens doing a great deal of milchief to others ; if therefore we are poffeffed of true charity, and fincerely love all men, we (hall be very careful how we fall into anger at K all, 130 The Lovelinefs and Serm. all, and when we receive any juft provoca- VII. tion, fhall endeavour fo to govern our paf- iion, that it may not tranfport us with blind rage and fury, beyond the bounds of reafon and religion. 8th.lv, Charity thinketh no evil, is not in- clined to ill interpret, is not jealous or fufpi- cious of other men, but puts a favourable conftrudtion on all their anions, and always judges the beft. It is far from cenfuring and condemning others 5 it will not fuffer us to furmife or fufpecl that evil of other men which we know nothing of 5 nor wilL it accufe them of erring thro' obftinacy, or cenfure their mifcarriages as done out cf malice or with ill intentions. In fhort, it never thinks amifs of a man for difference in opinion only, nor judges any one to be worfe than his moral a&ions declare him. I now proceed to confider the remaining properties of charity, which have not yet been fpoken to, and are thefe following, Re- joicetb not in iniquity y. but rejoicetb in the truth \ beareth all things ; believetb all things > kcpeth all things ; endureth all things. In the gth place therefore, Charity rejoi- ceth not in iniquity, but rejoicetb in the truth. It rejoicetb not in iniquity, in any evil done to, much 4efs by others -, it fuffers us not to be pleafed with the evil actions of other men, or with any ill ftories, or malicious insinu- ations concerning our neighbour. On the 2 con- Efficacy of Charitv. 131 contrary, a man endued with charity, is fen- Serm. fibly troubled when others do amils, and it VII. is a great grief to him to behold the fins and follies that are committed in the world. As he has a fin cere regard to the temporal and eternal welfare of others, he is very forry when by their wicked courfes they endanger both the one and the other, and go the ready way to make themfelves miierabie, both here and in another flate. It is a great affiidtion to him to confider the prevailing of vice in the world, whereby fo much calamity and mifery is introduced 5 and nothing troubles him more, than to fee men a&ing fo very contrary to their real and true intereft. He is pafiionately affected with forrow for other mens crimes, and is fenfibly grieved to hear any thing amifs of his neighbour. But he rejoices in the truths rejoices with others when they do well, when they live righteoufly, and obey God, and make confeience of their du- ty in every refpect ; truth being often ufed for righteoufnefs, or the whole of our duty. The charitable man takes pleafure in the good actions of others, and delights to fee them live virtuous and holy lives, exprefs a fincere regard to the will of God, and act agreeable to the excellent faculties they are endued with. He rejoices when men do as they ought to do, and by the purfuit of virtue and eoodnefs, take the right method to fecure K 2 their 132 The Lovclinefs and Serm. their prefent and future happinefs and com- VII. fort. It is a ieniible pleaiure to him, to fee men acting agreeable to their rational make, and chriflians living according to the gofpel, which, by way of eminence, is called the truth. See 3 John, ver. 4. 1 have no greater jevy than to hear that my children walk in the truth. So, 2 Epift. ver. 4. I rejoiced great- Is that I found of thy children walking in truth. Charity begets in us a complacency and in- ward pleaiure to behold truth and righteouf- nefs, piety and goodnefs prevailing in the world, and to fee men yielding obedience to the gofpel of Chrift. A charitable man bears company with the angelick hoft in their joy for the conversion of every finner, and is icn- iibly pleafed with thofe excellent qualities and difpolitions he finds others endued with. How far then are they from charity, who like nothing: better than to hear fome bad ftory of their neighbour ; who watch for o- thers faults, divert themfelves with their fins and failings, and curioufly pry into mens actions, on purpofe to difcover fome mifde- meanours, that they may have the bafe and inhumane pleaiure of proclaiming and di- vulging them. But, lothly, Charity heareth all things. It had been more rightly rendered, covereth, or con- cealeth all things ; i.e. it is not forward to rip up and lay open the faults of others, but dif- pofed Efficacy of Charity, 133 pofed to hide and conceal them. It chufesSERM. rather to caft a veil over the failings and im- VII. perfections of other men, than to publifh and proclaim them. If we are poiTeffed of true charity, it will incline and difpofe us to con- ceal the evil we know of others, we mall not be of a forward, bufy temper, fo as nced- lefly to reveal our neighbours faults, but mall labour by all means to hide and cover them, unlefs his own or others good makes the dif- covery of them nccefTary. Love, indeed, docs not hinder us from warning and reproving thofe who are guilty of notorious crimes, but rather puts us upon it ; but then we mould do this privately between them and ourfelves alone : Before others we mould rather take notice of what is good and commendable in. them, and we mould avoid, as much as pof- fible, the fpeaking evil of anyone behind his back. Charity obligeth us to make a favour- able reprefentation of others, and to fpeak of them as much as poffible to their advantage, to cover their failings, to hide their imper- fections, and to conceal their crimes, fo far as is confident with the fafety and welfare of other men ; and to take all opportunities to commend them, rather than needlefsly to de- fame them, and fpeak all the evil we know of them. Love bidet h the multitude of Jim. How deftitute are they then of true charity, who not only forward ly divulge their neigh - K 7 bours The Lovelinefs and bours faults and imperfections, but lay to their charge what they are novvife guilty of, and make it their bufinefs to Dander and backbite them, to load them with calumny, and iniinuate all that is bad concerning them. i ith iy, Charity kclievcth all things ; all the good it hears concerning others, or has the leaft probable ground for. It believes well of all fo far as vifible actions will permit, and never prefumes to judge mens hearts, and pry into their fecret intentions. We eafily believe things to be as we before wifh them to be -, charity therefore being a wifhing well to all men, mud needs incline us to be- lieve well of them too. But, in the next place, Charity hopeth all things ; difpofes us to hope well concerning others, tho' their actions at prefent give us fome ground to doubt. Charity inclines us ftill to hope the beft concerning men's de- figns and intentions, tho' there may be fome reafon to queftion their truth and fincerity. When a man fins, charity hopes it is out of weaknefs, or furprize, or inadvertency, and not out of wilfulnefs, or a wicked difpofi- tion. And tho' our neighbour be at prefent bad, charity inclines us to hope for, and not to defpair of his repentance, and of confe- quence to endeavour his amendment by all proper methods. In the la ft place, Charity enditreth all things ; patiently bears with every thing, tho' grievous Efficacy of Charity. 135 grievous to be borne, and perfeveres not with- Serm. itanding in the exercife of thofe good offices VII. which are proper effects of it. It will never <- — /— J be wearied or tired out, will never ceafe from being kind and well-affected to our brother, by reafon of any provocation whatfoever. Love thinks nothing too much to do, nothing too hard to fuffer for the good of others ; nay it makes any duty or labour eafy and pleafant ; it eafily furmounts all difficulties, and tri- umphs over all oppofition : Tho' we meet with great ingratitude, and unworthy returns from thofe who have received any favour from us, yet love is not apt to repent of the good it hath done, but ftill perfeveres, la- bouring to overcome evil with good* This now is that charity, that love, good- will and affection, which we ought to be poffeffed of, and to preferve one towards an- other, and towards all men. And having thus confidered the feveral properties of it, let me now, II. Briefly recommend this moft excellent way to the itudy and purfuit of all chriflians -, and fo I mall conclude. This charity, or loving affection and good- will one towards another, is what all men ought to be poffeffed of; but all chriftians who enjoy the excellent revelation of the gofpel, wherein this virtue is mod earneftly recommended, and by the higheft arguments K 4 and 136 The LoveUnefs and S e r m. and motives inforced, are efpecially concern'd VII. to maintain it, and to excel in it. And yet, with grief be it fpoken, fcarce any body of men have been, and are more deftitute of charity than the chriftians, tho' the primi- tive chriftians were indeed remarkable for it. What violence, opprefnon and perfecution have chriftians pradlifed one againft another ? What biting and devouring, what judging and cenfuring, what ftrife and envying, and fall- ing out about bare opinions and fpeculations have there been among them 5 fo that if men were to judge of chriftianity by the behaviour of the generality of its profeiTors towards one another, and towards other men, they would .be apt to efteem that which is in truth the heft, the worft religion in the world ? But I hope we have not fo learned Chrlfi 3 however, I fhall beg leave at this time, in a few words, to recommend this virtue of charity to your conftant care and practice. This virtue is moft excellent in itfelf, and moft agreeable to reafon and the nature of things. The loving of one another, and ex- erciiing of charity one towards another, is what the light of nature itfelf moft ftrongly teaches, we being all made of one blood, having the fame common nature, and being .liable to the fame common necefilties. How reafonable and neceftary is it that we fhould bear with and forgive others, and be kind, helpful Efficacy of Charity. 137 helpful and ufeful to others, when we our- Serm. ielves ftand in need of the fame treatment. VII. A cruel and uncharitable, a fierce, malicious and revengeful fpirit, that cares not what mifchief it does to others to gratify its own vicious temper, this, I fay, debafes our na- ture, finks us beneath its original dignity, and makes us more like wild beafts than men -, tho\ as has been obferved, lions do not devour lions, nor tygers tygers, but only thofe of a different fpecies ; whereas men of this temper perfecute and devour one ano- ther. But charity, on the contrary, or a fincere love and good-will towards all, is a heavenly and divine difpofition, enobles our nature, and raifes us into a likenefs with God, who is love, whofe tender mercies are over all his works, and who is kind, and does good to all, even to the unthankful and the evil. In fhort, there is nothing more noble and generous than a univerfal love and good- will to all men ; nothing more admirable than mildnefs, gentlenefs, and long-fuffering ; nothing more becoming than benignity and kindnefs ; nothing mere excellent and ho- nourable than being ufeful to all as far as lies in our power. Befides, nothing tends more to procure refpect and efteem amongft men, than a kind, gentle and condefcending tem- jv.r, that ftudies to oblige, and rejoices to do I. This temper will alfo yield our minds the g° The Lovelinefs and M.the highefh fatisfaction in this life, and will VII. alone fit us for the heavenly ftate, where u — /-—J perfect love and charity for ever dwell. But more efpecialiy, that we may be induced to ' follow after charity, and to increafe and a- bound in love one towards another, and to- wards all men, let us consider how frequent- ly, how particularly, and how frrongly this virtue is recommended to us in the gofpel of Chrift, which is the rule that all chriftians ought to walk by. Our Saviour, again and again, commands it, and his apoftles mod earneftly prefs and inculcate it. Our Lord teaches us, that one of the two great com- mandments of the law is this, Thoufjalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf Matt. xxii. 39. and inforces charity to our enemies by the ex- ample of our heavenly Father, chap. v. 44, 45. But I jay unto you, Love your enemies, biefs them that curfe you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who defpitefuily life you and perfecuie you ; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven ; for he maketh his fun to rife on the evil and on the good, and fendeth rain on the ju/l and on the unjuft. And, ver. ult. Be ye therefore perfecJ, i. e. in kindnefs and goodnefs, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfecl. And St. John, by the fame great example, moves chriftians to love one another, 1 John iv. 7, 8. Beloved, let us love one another \ for love Efficacy of Charity. 139 love is of God> and every one that loveth, /jSerm. born of God, and knoweth God. He that lo- VII. veth not, knoweth not God ; for God is love. y — <~> Our Saviour alfo declares this love or charity one towards another to be the diftinguifliing badge of his difciples, at the fame time that he exprefly commands it, John xiii. 34, 35. A new commandment I give unto yen, that ye love one another ; as I have loved you, that ye alfo love one another. By this fhall all men know that ye are my difciples, if ye have love one to another. The love of God in Chrift is likewife propofed as a pattern for our love, and as an inducement to it, Eph. iv. ult. And be ye kind o?ie to another, tender-hearted, for- giving one another^ even as God for Chrift1 s fake hath forgiven you. 1 John iv. 1 r. Be- loved, if God fo loved us, as to fend his Son to be the propitiation for our fns, we ought alfo to love one another. The love of Chrift alio is fet before us with this defign, EpL v. 2. And walk in love, as Chrift alfo hath loved us, and hath given hi mf elf for us an of- fering and afacrifice to God for a fweet fmell- ing favour. John xv. 12. This is my com- mandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. The apoftlePW recommends this virtue in the ftrongeft manner, Col.iil 14. And above all thefe things put on charity, which is the bond of perfect nefs. Rom. xiii. 8. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another 3 for he 140 The Lovelineis and Serm.& that loveth another hath fulfilled the law, VII. And, ver. 10. Love worketh 720 ill to his neigh- <~-v-^ hour, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And in the laft verfe of the chapter, wherein is our text, he gives it the preference to faith and hope : And now abideth Jaith, hope, cha- rity, thefe three, but the greatejl of thefe is charity. The feveral particular virtues which charity takes in, and are here mentioned as properties of it, are alfo very frequently re- commended, and ftridtly enjoined by Chrift and his apoftles. We are told in the gofpel, that if we forgive not men their trejpajfes, nei- ther will our heavenly Father forgive us ; and that we JJjould not judge lefl we be judged, nor condemn lefl we be condemned, and the like. Thus then we fee how much chriftians are concerned to follow after chriftianity ; and that we may be thoroughly convinced of the abfolute neceffity of it, let us once more con- fider what the apoftle fays at the beginning of the chapter, with which I mail conclude ; Tho\ fays he, I J peak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am be- come as founding brafs, or a tinkling cymbal. And thoy I have the gift of prophecy, and un- derfland all myjlcries, and all knowledge -, and tko I have all faith, Jo that I could remove mountains, and have no charity, I am nothing. And tho I be flow all my goods to feed the poor, (out of vain glory, or fuperftition, or the like) and Efficacy of Charity. 141 and tho I give my body to be burned, or die a Se rm. martyr for religion, (which was reckoned VII. the higheft immediate exprefiion of regard i--v-^ to God) tho* I do all this, and have not cha- rity, a fincere good-will, and unfeigned af- fection or love to all mankind, it profiteth me nothing. S E R- SERMON VIII. Humility and Meeknefs Chriftian Virtues. Matt. v. 3. Bleffed are the poor in fpirit -, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, Serm. ' I ^HE defign of our Saviour's preaching VIII. J[ was to reform the hearts of men, and correal the internal difpofition of their minds, and by that means to amend their practice, and redtify their outward adtions. He knew that if the tree was good, its fruit would al- fo be good, and if the tree was corrupt, its fruit would be corrupt -, and therefore that men might bring forth the fruit of good works, of a virtuous and holy converfation, he exhorts them to become really good, and to have their very minds reformed. He tells us, that out of the heart proceeds all manner of wickednefs, and fuggefts, that we fhould purge the heart from all corrupt defires and perverfc inclinations, and aim at fmcerity and purity Humility and Meeknefs, ©V. 143 purity there, that fo the heart being honeft SeRM- and good, we might out of the good trea- VIIL fure of it bring forth good things, as an evil man, out of the evil treafure of his heart, brings forth evil things. Thus, in this ex- cellent fermon on the mount, our Saviour frequently intimates, that we mould have an efpecial regard to the heart, and be very watchful over it ; he teaches fincere piety and righteoulhefs as flowing from thence, making it the feat of all virtue and goodnefs, and the fpring and fountain of all good acti- ons, and a holy life and converfation ; and plainly enough fuggefts thro* the whole, ac- cording to Solomons advice, that we mould keep cur hearts with all diligence, feeing out of them are the ijfues of life. And moreover he informs us, that whatever good things we do, they will by no means be acceptable to God, nor meet with his approbation, unlefs they are performed in fincerity, i. e. from the heart. Accordingly he begins this his moil admirable difcourfe, wherein he gives us, as it were, a tranfcript of the law of na- ture, and lays down the chief laws of his kingdom ; he begins it, I fay, with recom- mending to his difciples and followers fuit- able difpofitions, and holy and regular habits of mind. Our text is the firft of thefe eight aphorifms, or, as they are commonly called, beatitudes, which {land at the head of this fermon, and are, I doubt not, well known to ail 144 Humility and Mceknefs Serm* all of you, wherein he pronounces thofe blef- VIII. fed or happy, who are poor in fpirit, who ;u-v— J mourn, and are truly forry for their fins, who are of a mild and meek difpofition, who hunger and thirft after righteoufnefs, or are truly inclined, and are earneftly defirous to be good and virtuous in their whole conver- fation, who love mercy, and whofe temper of mind moft ftrongly inclines them to mer- ciful actions, who are pure in heart, are peace-makers, and are perfecuted for righ- teoufnefs fake. Here we may obferve, that as moft of thefe aphorifms muft be fuppofed to refer primarily to the temper and difpofi- tion of the mind, from whence fuitable ac- tions will neceffarily flow ; fo the fixth does exprefly relate thereto, BleJJed are the pure in hearty as does alfo our text, which is the firft fentence in our Lord's fermon, as well as the firft of thefe aphorifms, Blejfed are the poor in fpirit y for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And what good reafon our Lord had to place this firft, we fhall fee hereafter. The words naturally lead us to confider, I. The character of the perfons who are pronounced bleffed, The poor in fpirit. II. Wherein their bleflednefs confifts, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. I. We are to confider and explain the character of the perfons whom our Lord here Chriftian Virtues. 14.5 here pronounces blefied •> bleffed are the poor Serm. infpirit. VIII. The addition of the words infpirit, plain- < — -v — -> ly fhews that we are not to underftand this of the ftate and condition of perions with re- gard to our outward circumftances, but, as has been already obferved, of the temper and difpofition of their minds : And what this temper and difpofition is, will be beft feen, by comparing this phrafe, pcor in fpirit, with the fame or like phrafes in other places of fcripture, and chiefly in the old Teiiamcnt, from whence this expreflion feems to be ta- ken. We have the very fame phrafe, only with the addition of fome other words, in Ifa. lxvi. 2. I mall begin with the firft ver. "Thus faith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footflool : where is tbeboufe that ye bid id unto me ? and where is the place of my rejl ? Then it follows, For all thofe things hath mine hand ?nade, and all thofe things have been, faith the Lord : but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite fpir it, and trembleth at my word. It will be proper to obferve here, that tbo* in our translation the word poor be disjoined from fpirit, and feems not to relate to it, yet it may be read thus, to him thai is of a poor and contrite fpirit ; or, to the poor and con- trite infpirit, joining poor as well as contrite with fpirit, and fo we have the phrafe ex- actly as in our text, only the word contrite L joined 146 Humility and Meeknefs m. joined with it. Now, by the poor and con- VIII. trite in fpirit in this place, it is pretty plain ' — ^-J we are to underifand one who is mean and low in his own eyes, and of a penitent and fubmiffive difpofition ; and particularly, by poor in fpirit, one of a truly humble mind. And this will very fully appear from the pa- rallel place, IJa. lvii. 15. For thus faith the high and lofty One that inhabit eth eternity, whofe name is Holy, I dwell in the high and btily place, with him alfo that is of a contrite and humble fpirit, or is contrite and humble in fpirit, to revive the fpirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Here we have contrite in fpirit, as in the forecited paffage, and humble in fpirit plainly anfwers to poor in fpirit. The like phrafe we have in Prov. xvi. 19. Better is it to he of an humble fpirit with the lowly, than to di- vide the fpoil with the proud. And, Prov. :ix. 23. A mans pride fkall bring him low, but honour fall uphold the humble in fpirit . This alfo is the ufual expreffion whereby the Jewijh writers reprefent the humble man, viz. that he is poor, low, or contrite in hii fpirit. Accordingly they have thefe fayings, Be thou humble in fpirit towards all men : He that is humble, or poor in fpirit is worthy of honour, and the Holy Ghofi will reft upon him : And, Great are the humble, or poor in fpirit in the fight of God. Thus then by poor in fpirit in tbe old Teftament and the Jewijh writers, Chriflian Virtues. 147 writers, we are to underftand one of a truly Serm. humble and lowly fpirit, who is not confi- VIII. dent and prefumptuous, not proud and haughty, arrogant and ambitious, not felf- conceited nor high-minded, nor of a world- ly, vain-glorious, afpiring temper $ not puffed up, whatever his circumftances or abilities are, but modeft in his opinion of himfelf, and low in his own eyes, and humble in heart towards God, and towards ail men. And no doubt but fuch perfons are meant by the poor in fpirit in our text, it being a He- brew phrafe, and very likely taken by our Saviour from the old Teftament. And thus alfo both the Greek and Latin fathers under- ftood it. The papijis fenfe of thefe words hardly deferves to be mentioned, that by the poor in fpirit are to be under flood fuch as vo- luntarily quit their riches and poiTeffions, and chufe a ft ate of poverty for the freer exercife of their religion, as fome monks and hermits formerly did, and as the begging friars of that communion pretend now to do; for certainly all who would partake of the blef- fednefs mentioned in our text, are indifpen- iably concerned to be in fome mcafure poor in fpirit, but the papifts will not fay that all chriftians are obliged to turn mendicants for that end ; for then all other catholicks mud be excluded the kingdom of heaven. And that we are not here to underftand the poor, properly fo called, appears not only from the L 2 addition 148 Humility and Meeknefs S f R m. addition of the words in fpirit, as we before VIII. obferved, bat alfo from hence, that the poor here fpoken of are actually pronounced blef- fecl, becaufe theirs is the kingdom of heaven, which is not true of all thofe who are poor in a proper fenfe, or are deftitute of riches and worldly pofTeffions, many, and as it is to be feared the greateft part of them, being of fuch a difpofition, and leading fuch lives, as render them unfit to enter into the king- dom of God. Befides, if the poor in tem- porals were here meant, the rich who did not forfake their poflefiions, would feem to be excluded from the kingdom of heaven ; whereas St. Paul only requires them not to be high minded, nor truft in their wealth, but in the living God, and to be rich in good works, in order to their laying hold on eter- nal life. Indeed, there are many gracious declarations in the word of God to the poor of this world for their comfort and fupport, but then they belong only to thofe of them who are alfo poor in fpirit, who love God, and keep his commandments, and behave themfelves fuitably to the condition they are in. It may be faid, that our Saviour, in the place parallel to our text, Luke vi. 20. omits the words in fpirit, when he fays, Blejfed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God ; but here we are either to understand the poor in fpirit, or fuch as patiently endured poverty, or the lofs of all things for the fake of Chrift -, for Chriftian Virtues. 149 for thefe words are immediately directed to Serm- the difciples. This phraie is no where elfe VIII. to be found in the new Teftament, but there is one very near akin to it, and of much the fame fignification ; it is in Matt. xi. 29. where our Lord fays, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart ; lowly in heart. This paifage may far- ther confirm the fenfe we have given of the expreffion in our text ; for as the word here translated lowly does, when ufed bv itfelf, fig- nify one who is poor, and in low, mean, and afflicted circumftances in the world j as for inftance, James i. 9. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted -, where the word certainly relates to a perfon's ftate and condition, but when joined with the words in heart, lowly in heart, it fignifies one of a truly humble mind and difpofition ; fo the word tranflated poor does, when alone, fig- nify one in a poor and mean condition with refpect to the things of this world ; yet, when the words in fpirit are added to it, we are undoubtedly to underftand thereby one of a humble and lowly fpirit. Thus, I think, I have fufficiently (hewn the meaning of this exprefilon, poor in fpirit, and that our Sa- viour intends thereby thofe who are of a tru- ly humble, modefl: and lowly difpofition : I would adjoin to what has been faid, that the poor in fpirit may alfo fignify thofe who fet light by the riches and poffeffions of this L 3 world, i^o Humility and Meeknefs Serm. world, have a mean regard to them, and a VIII. low opinion of them, and are far from truft- ing to them, from fetting their hearts upon them, or placing their happinefs in them. And this, and the fenfe we before gave, may very well ftand together. Having thus confidered the proper import of this phrafe, I fhall now more particularly treat of the temper of mind exprefied there- in. I. As it includes our humility with regard to the divine Being. II. As oppofed to feif-conceit, and a high opinion of ourfelves on any account. III. As oppofed to ambition, and afpiring after honour, dignity and power amongft men. IV. As oppofed to an inordinate love of wealth and worldly poffeffions. I. We may confider this chara&er, poor in fpirity as it regards our humble and lowly deportment towards the divine Being. As humility in our whole carriage is required of us, fo it is necefiary we fhould humble our- felves before God, and have low and abafing thoughts of ourfelves in his prefence, or whenever we confider ourfelves with relation to him. We fhould always be deeply fen- iible of our manifold fins againft him, and our great unworthinefs to receive good things at Chriilian Virtues. 151 at his hands, and fliovild be truly humbled 8 r h in a fenfe thereof. We fliould confeis and VIII. acknowledge our trail Igreffions again;! the i— — w — J Lord, fliould take flume to ourfelves on that account, and fliould with the utmoft humi- lity afcribe it to his mercy that we are not confumed. We fliould humbly beg pardon of him for all our iniquities, and with the mod lowly devotion of mind fliould implore the forgivenefs of them. The penitent pub- lican in the parable does truly reprefent one who is poor in fpirit, Luke xviii. 13. And the publican ftanding afar off] would not lift up fo much as his exes unto heaven, but fm: upon his breaft, faying, God be merciful to me a firmer. As we have all finned, and come fhort of the glory of God, and in many things we all offend, this fliould be matter of great abafement to us, and fliould caufe us to humble ourielves before that God whole laws we have broken, whofe honour we have violated, and whofe favour we have juftiy forfeited ; we fliould confeis with the greateft abhorrence of ourfelves, that we have finned againft heaven, and in his fight, and have thereby rendered ourfelves unworthy of the lead of his mercies. We fhould take care that we have not fo high an opinion of our own righteoufnefs, as to forget we have in many things come fhort of our duty, and done thole things which we ought not to have done ; but the fenfe of our great un- L 4 worthinefs, ic2 Humility and Meeknefs Sr k m. worthinefs, and of our manifold fins and VIII. failings, fhouid always be matter of great humility to us, and make us lay ourfelves low in the fight of God. And as we fhouid humble ourfelves before God in a fenie of our fins, fo we fhouid always be fenfiblc of our neceffary dependence on him for our ve- ry being, and every thing we enjoy -, we fhouid look upon ourfelves as nothing with- out him, and as miferable without his fa- vour ; as he is the fole giver of all good, and the only fource of all happinefs $ in all the comforts we partake of, we fhouid fay, Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name, O Lord, give glory. A man who is poor in fpirit is empty of himfelf, and fees all his fufficiency is of God, who is the only felf- fufficient and all-fufficient Being ; he ac- knowledges all his happinefs to be the effect of divine grace, and humbly looks up to the giver of every good and perfect gift for fuit- able aids and fupplies and afliftance ; he trufteth in the Lord with all his heart, and leans not to his own underftanding, accord- ing to Solomons advice, Prov. iii. 5. He acknowledges God in all his wavs, and looks upon him as his great guide, comforter and inftructor, and his exceeding great reward. And farther, he reverences the divine autho- rity, and fincerely fubjefts himfelf thereun- to ; he owns the right his Creator has over him, and does not reckon himfelf his own matter : Chriftian Virtues. 153 mafter ; he trembles at the divine word, and Serm. with the greateft humility, as well as the VIII. greateft readinds, obeys the divine precepts. Thus he walks humbly with God, and with the greateft fubmiflion has regard to bib holy will in every thing, fie alio humbles him- lelf under the divine chaftiiements, and pa- tiently fubmits to them ; he quietly refigns himfeif to the diipoial of the Almighty, and the language of his foul is, // is the Lord, let him do . him good-, and, I will bear the indignation of the Lord, for I have fumed againfi him. He confiders thac God afflicts him for his profit, and fo he humbly hopes in him, and quietly waits die iflue. [y bears his correcting hand, and fubmits to it, as knowing that he is pummel lefs than his iniquities have defer- vcd. He is more troubled and grieved for the fins which may have occafioned his af- fliction, than for the affliction itfelf, and the only uie he makes of it, is humbly to repent of thofe fins, and with the utmoft caution to avoid them for the future. This humble patience under God's hand feems to be efpe- cially intended in the forecited lviith chap, of If a. ver, 1 5. I dwell in the high a?id holy place, wi;h him alfo that is of a contrite and humble Jpirit, to revive the fpirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. And the ckriftians are certainly exhorted to it, in fames iv. io. Humble yourfelves in the fight of 154 Humility and Meeknefs Serm. of the Lord, a?id he flail lift you up. And, VIII. I Ptf- v» 6. Humble yourf elves therefore wi- der the mighty hand of God, that he mav ex- alt you in due time. II. The temper of mind recommended in our text, may be confidered as oppofed to felf-conceit and a too high opinion of our- felves on any account. Men are very prone to overvalue themfelves and to admire their own parts, endowments, qualifications, and poffeffions. Self-love which is natural to us all, and which is a good thing in itfelf, if it be rightly governed and kept within its due bounds, this felf-love, I fay, is very apt to make us put a higher value upon our own abilities a»d attainments than they really de- ferve, and think more highly of ourfelves than we ought to think. But they who are poor in fpirit avoid this excefs, and think mo- deflly and foberly of themfelves, and of the qualifications they are endued with. They do not arrogate* to themfelves what they really have not, nor think themfeves wifer and better than they really are. They have not fo conceited an opinion of their own wif- dom and prudence, as to think they can never ftand in need of the counfel and di- rection of others ; nor are they fo righteous in their own eyes, as to fancy themfelves better than every body elfe ; they do not fo truft in themfelves that they are righteous, as to defpife and contemn others, as the i pre Chriftian Virtues. 155 proud and haughty Pharifee did, Luke xviii. Serm. 11. who faid, God, I thank thee, that I am VIII. not as other men are, extortioners, unjujl, adulterers, cr even as this publican. On the contrary, a man who is poor in fpirit, thinks modefliy, meanly of himfelf and of his own endowments and qualifications , and however accompli (lied he may be, he is not puffed up, is not filled with high fwelling thoughts, nor captivated with felf-conceited- nefs or a vain elation of mind. We are not indeed to think that we have not thofe qua- lities which we really have, this cannot be, and therefore they who pretend to this, have only a feigned humility. But whatever our parts, abilities, or endowments are, of which we muft needs be confcious, we ihould not be proud of them, nor puffed up with a fond conceit of them, or defpife others who want them. We fliould think that fome, though not all others, may be wifer and better than ourfelves, and may be capable, in fome refpect or other, to inftruct or inform us, which inflruction, we fliould never be above receiving and attending to, if it be offered us in a proper manner $ for if we are, it mews that we are full of our- felves, and too much taken with the ad- miration of our own attainments, and fo are far from being poor in fpirit. One of that character is fo far from being puffed up with high thoughts of himfelf, that he is not 156 Humility and Meeknefs Serm. not much moved when others fpeak meanly VIII. of him, though without caufe ; he is pleafed and fatisfied, as he may lawfully be, that he has fome excellency or good qualification, without being proud or aftefted, or making a vkin oftentation of it. And as he is not puffed up with a fond opinion of his parts, fo neither is he with his ftate and condi- tion ; he is not proud of his riches, he does not think he has thereby a right to defpife and contemn thofe who are under him, but he condefcends to men of low eftate, and is kind, courteous, affable and refpeclful to his inferiors. In ihort, a man who is poor in fpirit, fees and acknowledges his own de- ficiencies, and whatever his endowments are, or whatever his condition be, he is not puf- fed up, is not wife in his own eyes, nor righteous in his own light, nor great in his own efteem; according to the apoitle's words, Rom, xii. 16. Be of the fame mind one towards another , mind not high things, but co?idefce?id to men of low eftate 5 be ?iot wife in your own conceits. III. We are to confider the temper of thofe who are poor in fpirit, as oppofed to ambition, and afpiring or hunting after ho- nour, dignity and power amongft men. This is called the pride of life, by the apoftle "John, which therefore muft certainly be in- confiftent with true humility and lowlinefs of mind. The difciples of Chrift muft not aim Chriftian Virtues. 157 aim at greatnefs and power in the world ;Serm. Chriit taught them, that he that was great- VIII. eft amongft them fhould be fervant to the <— ~y— J reft, and himfelf fet them an example of it j it would therefore very ill fuit with their character, who are thus to humble them- felves, to court worldly honour, grandeur and dominion : Not but that a difciple of Chrift may lawfully execute the office of a magiftrate or civil governor 5 but there is a great deal of difference between accepting of this when called to it, or even feeking after it, with a defign purely to do good, and being ambitious of it, only for the fake of the power, honour and grandeur that at- tends it. The former is very confiftent with chriftian humility, or being poor in fpirit, but the latter is not ; as may be feen, Matt. xviii. 1, 2, 3, 4. At the fame time came the difciples unto Jefus, faying, Who is the great- est in the kiftgdom of heaven. (Another evan- gelift tells us, that they had difputed among themfehes by the way, which of them foould be the greatejl. They had entertained the no- tion of a temporal kingdom to be fet up by our Saviour, as all the Jews beiieved the kingdom of the Meffiah would be, and they thought, that they, being his firft difciples and followers, fhould be preferred before every body elfe, and be chief minifters of ftate in that kingdom, which they thought was to lord it over all the world. But fee how 158 Humility and Meeknefs Serm. how excellently our bleffed Lord corrects VIII. their miftaken notions, though at that time, C^^Vit had little effed: upon them.) And Jefus called a little child unto him, and fet him in the midjl of them, and /aid, Verily I fay un- to you, except ye be converted, i. e. from this ambitious and worldly temper, and become as little children, or like them who have no ambition, no worldly views or defigns, ye fid all not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whofoever therefore fall humble himfelf as this little child, or be as free from ambition and defire of worldly grandeur, the fame is greate/l in the kingdom of heaven. Thus then the truly poor in fpirit, are free from ambi- tion, from afpiring after worldly greatnefs, and courting honour amongft men. They have fo great a value for the honour that cometh from God only, that they very little regard the honour of men, and their hearts are fo fet on the heavenly kingdom and crown of glory that fadeth not away, that power and dignity, and grandeur in the world, appear to them very inconfiderable things. They are content to move in a low fphere, and have no relifh for worldly pomp and greatnefs ; and can fay with the Pfalmift, Pf cxxxi. 1,2. Lord my heart is not haugh- ty, nor mine eyes lofty ; neither do I exercife myfelf in great ?natters, or in things that are too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted Chriftian Virtues. 159 quieted myfelf as a child that is weaned of his S e R m. mother ; my foul is even as a weaned child. VIII. IV. The temper of mind expreiTed in this phrafe, the poor in fpirit, may be confider- ed as oppofed to the inordinate love of wealth or worldly poffefiions. Wealth is that which anfwers all things in this world, or relating to the body, which procures all manner of gratifications, furnimes all kinds of worldly pleafure, and gains honour, efteem, and power in the world ; and there- fore it is that men fo generally covet after it, and are fo indefatigable in the purfuit of it ; and it is certain that worldly minded men place all their happinefs in it. But it is far otherwife with thofe who are truly poor in fpirit ; they place their felicity in other more durable enjoyments, and fo have their minds as far as their cafe will permit, difengaged from thofe vain perifhing things, fet light by them, and are, comparatively, very indiffe- rent about them. They do, indeed, with Agw\ de/lre a competency, but beyond that, are not much concerned. If they are rich in this world, they truft not in thofe uncer- tain riches, but in the living God : Their poffeilions do not make them high-minded, do not make them have ever the higher opinion of themfelves, or ever the meaner of other men ; but they condefcend to men of low eflate, and carry themfelves cour- teoufly, affably and gently towards the mean- eft 160 Humility and Meeknefs Serm. eft of mankind. They do not contemn nor VIII. defpife the poor members of Chrift's body, but acknowledge them for their brethren, and with all humility, treat them as fuch, and are willing and ready to leave all their poffeffions for Chrift's fake. And if the poor in fpirit, are alfo poor in this world, they are fatisfied that they are rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which God hath promifed to them that love him. They have learnt with St. Paul, in whatever Jlate they are to be therewith content : They know how to fuffer need as well as how to abound \ they envy not the rich man in his poiTeffions, his fine gardens, ftately houfes and rich furni- ture ; but placing their chief happinefs in God, and fetting their affections on things above, they are very eafy without thofe earthly advantages and accommodations. As Providence has placed them in a low con- dition in the world, they do not murmur or repine at it, but are content to be inferior to other men. If they have an opportunity put into their hands of gaining more of the good things of this life, they will thankfully make ufe of it ; but if not, they contentedly re- fign themfelves to the will of God, and are very eafy in his difpofal of their affairs, as knowing that he will caufe all things to work together for their good. They make not hafte to be rich in an unlawful way, and are not difcontented and uneafy with their pre- fent Chriftian Virtues. 161 fent ftate, railing their minds beyond theSERM. pcriihing enjoyments of this world to the VIII. true riches of the heavenly kingdom. They are contented to fuffer want and the lofs of all worldly things for ChrihVs fake, as know- ing that they have in heaven a better and an enduring fabjlance. They are not captivated with an inordinate love of the wTorld5 but exercife a holy contempt of it, and fet not their affections on things on the earth, and fo have an even and quiet temper of mind in all ftates and conditions, being neither puffed up in profperity, nor cart down in adverfity and want. The poverty of this world will be patiently borne by one who is poor in fpirit, his mind being prepared as well for that as all other circumftances. Thus we fee who are the poor in fpirit, whom Chrift pronounces bleffed. My next work will be, to confider that wherein their bleffednefs confifts, theirs is the kingdom of heaven -, which, with the application, muft be left to another difcourfe. And now let us all endeavour to be of this character, to be lowly in heart and hum- ble in fpirit, and to difcover this temper in our whole converfation, walking humbly with God, and behaving with humility to- wards men, and being patient and content in every ftate : For bleffed are the poor in fpi- rit ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. M S E R- SERMON IX. Humility and Meeknefs Chriftian Virtues. Matt. v. 3. Blejfed are the poor in fpirit ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. N treating on thcfe words, I propofed to confider, I. The charadler of the perfons, who are here pronounced blefTed, or happy by our Saviour, the poor in fpirit. II. That wherein their blefiednefs coniifb, theirs is the kingdom of heaven. I. As to the character of the perfons, the poor in fpirit \ I endeavoured to fet that be- fore you in its proper light in my foregoing difcourfe. I fhewed you that it was a He- brew phrafe, and feems to be taken by our Lord from the old Teftament -, and by com- paring it with the fame, or like phrafes there, I Humility and Meeknefs, &Pc. 163 I think it plainly appeared, that by the poor Serm. in fpirit, we were to underftand fuch as are IX. of a truly humble and lowly fpirit, who are not confident and prefumptuous, not felf- conceited or high-minded 5 not proud and haughty, arrogant and ambitious, nor of a worldly, vain-glorious, afpiring temper; not elevated or puffed up, whatever their cir- cumftances or abilities are, but model! in their opinion of them (elves, low in their own eyes, humble in heart towards God, and towards all men, and patient and con- tented, how mean or afflictive foever their condition be in this world. I mall juft re- peat the pa'ffagcs then quoted to make out this fenfe, If a. lxvi. 2. For all thofe things hath mine hand made, and all thofe things have teen, faith the Lord 5 but to this man "will I look , even to him, that is foor, and of a con- trite fpirit, and that trembleth at ?ny word : Here I obferved, that we might read the words thus, To him that is of a poor and contrite fpirit ; or, To the poor and contrite in fpirit : And fo the phrafe is exactly the fame with that in our text, only the word contrite is joined with it. And to mew that humble in fpirit, was meant by poor in fpi- rit, I compared this with a parallel place in If a. lvii. 15. For thus faith the high and lofty one that inhabit eth eternity, whofe name is ho-* ly, I dwell in the high and holy place-, with him alji that is of a contrite and humble fpi- M 2 n't, Humility and Meeknefs rit, or is contrite and humble in fpirit, to revive the fpirit of the humble ', and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Here we have contrite in fpirit, as in the force ited paffage, and humble in fpirit, plainly anfvvers to poor in fpirit, which muft therefore iignify the 'the fame thing. The other paffages cited to confirm this fenfe, were, Prov. xvi. 19. Better is it to be of an humble fpirit with the lowly, than to divide the fpoil with the proud. Prov. xxix. 23. A mans pride foall bring him low, but honour fiall uphold the humble in fpirit. And Matt. xi. 29. where our Sa- viour fays, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. As the word tranflated lowly, when alone, fig- nifies one in a poor, mean and low condi- tion, but when joined with heart, as here, lowly in heart, one of a truly humble and lowly mind ; fo the word poor, which by it- felf expreffes only a man's outward circum- ftances, when joined with fpirit, as in our text, poor in fpirit, muft be fuppofed to fignify a tru- ly humble man, who has mean, low and abaf- ing thoughts of himfelf, who thinks not more highly of himfelf than he* ought to think, but forms a fober and modeft opinion of himfelf, and of all his endowments and qua- lifications, who is neither puffed up in prof- perity, nor impatient, uneafy and difcontent- ed in low chcumftances, who is void of the pride of life, and a ftranger to all afpiring thoughts Chfiftian Virtues. 165 thoughts and ambitious defires, who is nei- S e r m. ther worldly nor high-minded, but main- IX. tains an even temper of mind, and ajuft in- ^ — v~- J differency in every (rate, and is of an hum- ble fpirit towards God and man, not fcorn- ing to exercife condefcenilon towards his in- feriors, be their circumftances ever fo mean, nor difdaining to exprefs all due deference towards thole who are in any refpecl his in- feriors. This is the man who is poor in fpirit ; which character we more particular- ly confidered, 1. As it includes our humili- ty with regard to the divine Being. 2. As oppofed to felf-conceit and a high opinion of ourfelves on any account. 3. As oppofed to ambition, and afpiring after honour, dig- nity and power amongft men. And, 4. As oppofed to an inordinate love of wealth and worldly poffeffions. 1 . I confidered this temper of mind as it includes humility towards the divine Being. Thus we mould always humbly acknow- ledge our neceflary dependence on him for our very being and every thing we enjoy ; we mould look upon ourfelves as nothing without him, and as miferable without his favour, and in all the comforts we partake of, mould fay, Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory : And as we neceffarily depend on him, we mould hum- bly look up to him for all fuitable aids and fupplies both for our natural and fpiritual M 3 life, 166 Humility and Mceknefs SERM.life, and fliould with all lowlinefs of mind IX. have all our expectation from him, and ac- •— -v — ' cording to Soldmori"s advice, fliould trujl in the Lord with all our heart :, and lean not to cur own under/landing. We fliould be fen- fible of our wants and infirmities, and that our help is in God alone. We fliould al- fo be truely humbled before God, in a fenfe of cur manifold fins againft him, and our great unworthinefs to receive any good things from him ; fliould humbly con- fefs our tranfgreflions unto him, and with the mod lowly devotion of mind, implore the forgivenefs of them. The penitent pub- lican in the parable, truly repreients one who is poor in fpirit, Luke xviii. 13.- He ftanding afar off] would ?iot lift up fo much as his eyes to heaven, but f mote upon his breafi, faying, God be merciful to me a finner. A man who is thus truly poor in fpirit, does alfo humble himfelf under the divine chaf- tifements ; he patiently fubmits to them, and humbly refigns himfelf to the will and difpofal of the Almighty -, he acknowledges he is puniflied lefs than his iniquities have defcrved, patiently bears the divine hand, and has the mod humble and reverential re- gard to the divine inftruction from thence. idly, We confidered the temper of mind recommended in our text, as oppofed to felf- conceit and a too high ooinion of ourfelves on any account. They who arc poor in fpi- rit, Chriftian Virtues. 167 rit, think modeftly and foberly of them-Sr.RM. felves, and of the qualifications they are en- IX. dowed with. They do not arrogate to them- felves what they really have not, nor think, themfelves wifer and better than they really are. They have not fo conceited an opi- nion of their own wifdom and prudence, as to think they can never ftand in need of the advice and direction of others -> they are not fo righteous in their own eyes, as to fancy themfelves better than every body elfe, or to defpife and contemn their neighbours, as the proud, felf-righteous Pharifee did 5 nor however profperous their worldly circum- ftances are, do they think themfelves fo raifed above others, as to look down upon them with contempt, or treat them with haughtinefs and fcorn. On the contrary, the truly poor in fpirit, think modeftly of them- felves in every condition, and however ac- complimed they may be, how great foever their internal or external qualifications and advantages are, they are not puffed up, but are void of all high, fwelling, conceited thoughts of themfelves, and free from all vain elation of mind. $dlyt The character in our text was con- sidered as oppofed to an ambitious temper of mind, to afpiring after worldly greatnefs and authority, and courting honour amongft men. Thofe chriftians who are truly poor in fpirit, have, after the example of our Sa- M 4 k viour i68 Humility and Meeknels Serm. viour, fo great a value for the honour that IX. cometh from God only, that they very little regard the honour of men ; and their hearts are fo fet on the heavenly kingdom, and the crown of glory that fadeth not away, that power, and dignity, and grandeur in the world, appear to them very inconfiderable things. They are content to move in a low fphere, and have no relifh for worldly pomp and greatnefs ; and if they fhould happen to be raifed to it, they will not be puffed up, nor will they make any farther account of it, than as it gives them an opportunity of being the more ferviceable to their fel- low creatures, and doing the greater good to mankind. Our Saviour efteems thofe to be the greateft in his kingdom, who become the greateft fervants to their fellow chriflians; and this is the temper of thofe who are truly poor in fpirit. In (lead of aiming at power and authority over others, and de- iiring to bear a great fvvay in the world, or in the church -, they condefcend to men of low eftate, and count it their greateft hap- pinels to be ferviceable even to the meaneft of mankind, however others may think it below their character and ftation, and count it an abaling and leffening of themfelves fo to do. 4/,6/v, We confidered the temper of thofe who are poor in fpirit, as oppoied to the in- ordinate love of wealth, and worldly pof- feflions. Chriftian Virtues. 169 feffions. Such perfons place their felicity in Serm. other more durable enjoyments, and fo have IX. their minds as far as their State here will permit, difengaged from thofe vain perifh- ing things, fct light by them, and are com- paratively very indifferent about them. If they are rich in this world, they trull; not in thofe uncertain riches, but in the living God; and if they are poor and in low circumstan- ces, they are fat is tied, feeing they are rich in faith, a?td heirs of the kingdom "which God has promifed to them that love him. They count themfelves happy only in being rich towards God ; and without this, how great worldly treafure foever they heap up, they are fenfible they (hall be in a moit miferable condition. Having thus fhewn who are poor in Spi- rit, whom our Lord pronounces bleiTed, I come now, II. To confider wherein their bleffed- nefs does coniiSt, which is expreSfed in thefe words, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God, (for they are fynonymous expref- fions) has two Significations in fcripture. 1. We are frequently to understand by it, the kingdom of the MeSTiah in this world, with all the laws and precepts, and all the benefits and privileges thereof, or in other words, the graciou:, difpenfation of the gof- pel, which our bleiied Saviour came into the yio Humility and Meeknefs SERM.the world to ered and eftablifh. In this IX. fenfe we are to take it, when it is faid, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, the kingdom of God is within you, or among you, the king- dom of God is come unto you, and the like ; as alio when our Saviour and his apoftles, are faid to preach the gofpel of the kingdom, the gofpel of the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of God. Thus we are to underftand it, where it is faid, the jews thought the king- dom of God JJjould immediately appear, and this is meant by it in moft of our Lord's parables, when he likens the kingdom of heaven to fuch and fuch things : And in- deed, this is the import of the expreffion in moft places of the gofpels. The Meiliah was propheiied of, under the character of a king or prince, and it was faid, that he Jhould have a kingdom given to him. Therefore by the kingdom, in a peculiar fenfe, the yews un- derftood the reign and government of the Meffiah ; and it is called the kingdom of heaven, and the kingdom of God, becaufe the God of heaven appointed and gave it to him. Thus Pf ii. 10. Tet have I fit my king up- on my holy hill of Zion. And Daniel fays, There was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom, Dan. vii. 14. And our Saviour expreffes himfelf thus to his difciples, / ap- point unto you a kingdom as my Father hath appointed unto me. Thus then the kingdom of heaven, fignifies the kingdom of the Mef- fiah Chriftian Virtues. 171 fiah in this world, which God fet up bySERM. him, in order to reduce men to obedience IX. and fubjsction to his holy will and authority, to the true fpiritual wormip of himfelf, and the exercife of piety and virtue, and as a means of conferring all fpiritual bleffings upon them ; for this kingdom is not of this world, is not a worldly adminiftration, but is a fpiritual kingdom, as are alio the rules and laws and privileges of it, which are con- tained in the new Teftament, and were pub- lifhed by Chrift himfelf and his apoftles. zdly, In many places of the new Teftament, by the kingdom of God, or of heaven, we are un- doubtedly to underirand the heavenly king- dom, or the kingdom of glory, the ftate of everlafting happinefs into which the righ- teous mail be admitted, and the eternal re- ward of glory prepared for them in heaven. Thus Mat. v. 1 o. Biejjed are they that are per- fected for righteoufnefs fake -y for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. That by the kingdom of heaven, we are here to underftand the kingdom of glory above, may appear from the 1 2th verfe, Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven ; for fo perfecuted they the prophets which were before you. So Matt. vu. 21. Not every one that unto me, Lord, Lord, jhall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the of my Father which is in heaven. The vords mew plainly what is here meant Humility and Meeknefs meant by the kingdom of heaven : Many will Jay unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophefied in thy name, and in thy name have call out devils, aitd in thy name done many wonderful works ? And then will I profefs unto them, I never knew you, depart from me all ye that work iniquity : Which is plainly fpoken of the future ftate. See alfo Luke xii 32. where our Lord fays to his dif— cipks, Fear not little fiock, for it is your Fa- tbers good pleafure to give you the kingdom. To the fame purpofe it is faid, I'hen jhall the righteous fine forth as the fun in the kingdom of their Father, Matt. xiii. 43. And in this fenfe, it feems, we are to underftand the words, 1 Cor. vi. 10. Know ye not that the unrighteous (hall not inherit the king- dom of God? And Gal. v. 21. of the which I tell you before, as I have alfo told you in time pafl, that they which do fuch things, jhall not inherit the kingdom of God. And thus we read of the heavenly kingdom, 2 T'im. iv. 18. And the Lord Jhall deliver ?ne from every evil work, and fhall prefervc me unto his heavenly kingdom. Now, as in ma- ny places of fcripture, by the kingdom of heaven, we are to underftand the coming of the Meffiah, to erect his kingdom in this world, or the difpenfation of the gofpel, and in others, the kingdom of glory, or the ftate of the bleiTed in the world to come; fo die- where the expreflion is ambiguous^ and may fignify Chrifiian Virtues. 173 fignify cither the one or the other, or both Serm. may be included in it. Thus in our text, IX. where it is faid, Blejfed are the poor injpirit% for theirs is the kingdom of heaven -, though it be uncertain which was principally in- tended by our Saviour, the fpiritual kingdom he was to fet up by his preaching in this world, or the (late of eternal happineis and glory, which the good and righteous (hall enjoy in the heavenly kingdom hereafter, yet it may be truly faid of the poor in fpirit, that theirs is the kingdom of heaven, in both fenfes. 1/?, Then, the poor in fpirit are bleffed, be- cause the kingdom of the Meffiah in this world, or the gracious difpenfation of the gof- pel, belongs to them. They only are prepared and difpofed to enter into this kingdom, they only are the true and proper fubjects of it, and they alone can enjoy the bltffings and privileges thereof. The poor in fpirit are of a teachable difpofition, and apt to receive in- ftruction when it is offered to them -, and when fo heavenly and divine a doctrine as that of our Saviour is fet before them, they will with all readinefs of mind embrace the fame. They have nothing in them that is contrary to this doctrine, no worldly views but in fubordination to piety and virtue, no high and conceited thoughts of their own wifdom and attainments, no eager deiires af- ter the honours and riches of this world ; and Humility and Meeknefs andfo that holy religion which teaches men to deny themfelves, to fet light by the things of this world, and to have a fuperior regard to the bleffings of a future life, will meet with a ready and grateful reception from them. It is no wonder that men of worldly minds, of ambitious defires, and of a proud, felf-con- ceited, felf-righteous difpofition, fhould re- ject that doctrine which teaches them hum- bly to acknowledge and repent of their fins, to be fpiritually minded, to live as grangers and pilgrims in the world, not to love the world, nor the things that are in the world, as the luft of the flejh, the luft of the eyes, and the pride oj life, but to mortify all fuch de- fires, and bring down all fuch high thoughts: Whilft they continue of fuch a temper, they cannot embrace fuch a holy and fpiritual inflitution in fincerity ^ but their minds will be alienated from it, and they will have no manner of inclination towards it. Thus the proud and worldly pharifees, who had fo high an opinion of themfelves, who were fo wife and holy in their own eyes, who trujled in themfelves that they were righteous, and de- fpifed others, who fought for praife and ho- nour amongft men, and were worldly mind- ed, and vain-glorious ; always oppofed the pure and fpiritual doctrine of the gofpel, which was perfectly agreeable to him who delivered it, who was meek and lowly in heart. They rejected the counfel of God againft them- Chriltian Virtues. 175 themfelves, they reproached and derided our Serm. bleffed Saviour, and were fo far from be- IX. lieving on him, or heartily embracing his doctrine, that they perfecuted him and fought to deftroy him. And indeed, as our Lord fays, how could they believe, wbc receipted honour one of another , and fought not the ho- nour that comes from God only, John v. 45. Thus alfo the evangelift tells us, that the reafon why thofe rulers who were convin- ced of the truth of our Saviour's doctrine, did not confefs him, was, becaufe they loved the praife of men more than the praife of God> they were fond of applaufe and honour amongft men, and attached to worldly great- nefs, and therefore could not endure to fub- mit to that religion, which taught them fo great humility and felf-denial. So true is that faying of our Saviour, Except ye be con- verted, and become as little children, ye jkall * not enter into the kingdom of heaven ; as in- deed we cannot, unlefs we are free from pride, ambition and worldly mindednefs, as they are. But if we are fo humble and low- ly and difinterefted, our temper of mind be- ing agreeable to the religion of the gofpel, we fnall readily fall in with it, and heartily embrace it. God defigned his gofpel for fuch perfons, and not at all for the proud and worldly, and ambitious, and felf-con- ceited, whil'ft they continue fuch ; and there- fore he has entirely fuited and adapted it to a the 176 Humility and Meekncfs Serm. the former, and of confequence it cannot IX. be agreeable to the temper of the latter ; who cannot therefore receive it in fincerity, whilft they remain of fuch a temper, though the others certainly will ; fee for this pur- pofe, Matt, xi 25. At that time Jefus an- swered and/aid, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earthy becaufe thou haji hid thefe things from the wife and prudent ; or, that having hid thefe things from the wife and prudent, fuch as are poffefled of carnal world- ly wifdom, or are wife in their own eyes, thou haft revealed them unto babes, the hum- ble and lowly minded, who are as little chil- dren, void of felf-conceit, worldly wifdom, ambition or deiire of vain-glory. Our Sa- viour concludes, Even fo, Father, for fo it feemed good in thy fight \ this muft be agree- able to his mind and will, who refijleth the proud, but giveth grace, or iheweth favour to the humble. And God is faid to hide the gofpel from the wife and prudent in their own conceit, not becaufe he has not made it known to them, but becaufe he has con- trived it to be of fuch a nature, that whilft perfons continue fo, they will not, they can- not heartily embrace it, and give themfelves up to the direction of it. And he is faid to reveal it to babes, the humble and lowly in their own eyes, becaufe it is fo Anted to their temper and difpofition, that they will readily embrace it when made known to them Chriftian Virtues. 177 them. Thus then it maybe truly faid of Sera: • the poor in fpirit, that theirs is the kingdom of IX. heaven, or the kingdom of the Median, be- *-— -v— -^ caufe their humility rendering them teach- able, fubmiffive and obedient, prepares them to enter into this kingdom ; and, I may add farther, makes them true and faithful fub- jects of it, or living members of Chrifl's bo- dy. And the bleffings and privileges of this kingdom, as remiiiion of fins, and the like, belong only to the humble, penitent contrite man, Luke iv. 18. The fpirit of the Lord is upon me, becaufe he hath anointed me to preach the go/pel to the poor, i.e. the poor in fpirit, he hath fent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and reco- vering of fight to the blind, to fet at liberty them that are bruifed. 2. The poor in fpirit are bleffed, becaufe theirs is the kingdom oj heaven, i. e. the king- dom of glory, or ftate of eternal life and happinefs in the world to come. The king- dom of the Meffiah terminates in this ; con- fequently, they who are the real and iincere fubje&s of his kingdom here, will undoubt- edly have a fhare in the glorious kingdom a- bove. And as the poor in fpirit, the truly humble and lowly minded, are prepared to enter into Chrifl's kingdom on earth, and are true and real fubje&s of it, fo they are pre- pared for the heavenly kingdom, and will, without doubt, obtain an entrance into it. N Humi- 178 Humility and Meeknefs Sir m. Humility, or lowlinefs of mind towards God IX. and men, is neceffary to the practice of all other virtues, and prepares and difpofes us to the exercife thereof -y it makes thofe things, thofe worldly concerns, which would other- wife be a temptation to us, and hinder us in the way of our duty, to have very little in- fluence upon us, and caufes us to value above all things the divine approbation : It makes us regardlefs of all earthly coniiderations, of riches, honour and praife among men, when they fland in competition with our duty, as they often may, and renders perfons fufcepti- ble of good advice and inflruftion. The poor in fpirit are teachable and governable, being not puffed up with an opinion of their own wifdom > and having the greater!: regard to the honour that comes from God only, they feek above all things to pleafe him, and by the praftice of holinefs, righteoufnefs and goodnefs, to fecure his approbation. Now, as holinefs is the only way to happinefs, and the promife of eternal life and glory is made to the humble penitent, who is fo forry for his fins as to forfake them, which is one pro- perty of the poor in fpirit \ and to fuch as en- deavour to pleafe God, which the truly humble alone are fincerely inclined to, they, and they only, are the perfons who, accord- ing to his promife, will fecure to themfelves a title to that eternal life, glory and blefTed- nefs. Thus then the kingdom of glory in 1 the Chriftian Virtues. 179 the world to come belongs to the poor inSERM. fpirit, and they will undoubtedly be raifed to IX. a fhare in it. How happy and bleffed then ' — /-—> muft they be ? For this kingdom, as has been faid, is that ftate of eternal life and happinefs which God has prepared for them that love him, to be enjoyed after this life. And who can exprefs, or conceive the happinefs and glory of this ftate, when the poor in fpirit mall be delivered from all manner of evil, from all forrow and affliction, and (hall be exalted to the poffeffion of the higheft felici- ty, in the enjoyment of God's favourable pre- fence, and that for ever. Thus we fee the bleflednefs of thofe who are poor in fpirit ; theirs is the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of the Meffiah here, and of glory hereafter. And this is agreeable to many other expref- fions of fcripture, wherein God's peculiar re- fpedt and regard is expreffed to the humble perfon. Thus it is faid, He reffteth the proud, but giveth grace, or favour, to the humble. And in the forecited paffages from Ifaiah, God fays, To this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and contrite in fpirit, and trembleth at my word. And, That he dwells with him who is of a contrite and humble fpirit, to revive the fpirit of the humble, a?id to revive the heart of the contrite ones. And thus our Saviour fays more than once, He that exalteth himfelf pall be aba fed, but he that humbkth himfelf fall be exalted. N 2 Havine 180 Humility and Meeknefs Having thus confidered thefe words of our Saviour, I fhall now conclude with a word or two of application. i . Hereby we fee that, in conferring the bleffing of the gofpel, God does not regard the outward circumftances of perfons with refpect to the things of this life, but the tem- per and difpofition of their minds. As he does not refpedt the perfon of the rich, fo neither does he of the poor. He does indeed confi- der the ftate of thofe who are oppreffed with power, and will, no doubt, make all reafon- able allowances for them in the next life. But, as to an acftual fnare in the benefits of the gofpel, poverty no more entitles a man to it than riches. In fhort, it matters not whe- ther a man be rich or poor in this world, fo he be but poor in fpirit ; tho' it muft be ac- acknowledged, that, upon many accounts, it is more difficult for a rich man to preferve this temper of mind, than for one that is poor. 2. We may fee from what has been faid, that this temper of mind, which our Saviour intends by being poor in fpirit, is truly noble- nefs of fpirit. By the poor in fpirit we are not to underftand perfons of a mean and fordid fpirit, fuch as by any confideration are induced to do what is really unfitting, and does not become them as rational creatures, who ftoop to any little, mean and fordid tricks for their worldly advantage, and bafe- ly flatter men in power, and fervilely contri- bute Chriftian Virtues. i8r bute to bring about their ill defigns thro1 fear Serm. or defire of gain, or any fuch low, mean and IX. unworthy principles or motives. But, on the contrary, the poor in fpirit are fuch as are truly humbled for their fins againft God, and walk humbly before him, and have his fear prevailing in their hearts beyond all other coniiderations ; as are not vainly puffed up with any imaginary or real excellency, whe- ther internal or external, but think foberly and modeftly of themfelves, and their attain- ments and qualifications -, who are not of an ambitious and worldly temper, but prefer in their hearts the honour that comes from God only, and the joys of an eternal ftate, before the vain pomp and pleafures of a tranfitory and periiliing world. And certainly nothing can be more agreeable to right reafon, no- thing expreffes a truer greatnefs and noble- nefs of mind than this ; as it is moft unrea- fonable and abfurd for fuch dependent, indi- gent, unworthy creatures as we, in fuch a vain and perifhing ftate, to be proud, and haughty, and conceited of our own abilities, and greedy after fuch tranfitory. honours and enjoyments as thofe of this world arc. 3. We may hence fee what good reafon our Lord had to begin his fermon with de- claring the bleflednefs of the poor in fpirit, feeing this difpofition of mind is a needful propogation to all chriftian virtue, and abfo- N 3 lutely 182 Humility and Meeknefs lutely necefTary to the practice of the feveral parts of it, efpecially to thofe he mentions in the verfes immediately following. We can- not mourn for our fins as we ought, unlefs we are poor in fpirit, unlefs our hearts are truly humble under a fenfe of them. Meek- nefs and gentlenefs towards all men is infe- parably joined with this temper of mind, and meeknefs and forbearance are altogether in- confiftent with pride and haughtinefs -, there- fore the wife man oppofes them one to the other, when he fays, 7^ patient in fpirit :, i. e. the meek and gentle, is better than the proud in fpirit. And humility and meeknefs are join- ed together by the apoftle, Eph. iv. 2. With all lowlinefs and meeknefs, with long-fuffering, forbearing one a7iother in love. They who are righteous in their own eyes will not hun- ger and thirft after true righteoufnefs, but they who are fenfible of their defers herein, and convinced of the neceffity of it, as the poor in fpirit are, will certainly with the ut- moft diligence apply themfelves to the pur- fuit of it. Humility is alfo necelTary to mer- cy and charity, and therefore it is faid, that charity vaunt eth not itfelf is not puffed up. This humble difpofition of mind is an infe- parable propagator of true charity, nor can we be truly merciful and charitable without it ; and therefore it is frequently joined with It in fcripture ; particularly, Col. iii. 12. Put on Christian Virtues. 183 on therefore, [as the elect of God, holy and be- Serm. loved) bowels of mercies, kindnefs, humblenefs IX. of mind) meeknefs, long-fuffering, &c. Nor can we be pure in heart, iincere, and void of all corrupt and perverfe principles, with- out being poor in fpirit, and preserving true humility of heart. And nothing tends more to peace and concord among men than humi- lity and lowlinefs of mind; as nothing is more apt to inflame mens breads on every little oc- caiion with anger and refentment, and to cre- ate animofities and contention amongft them, than pride, , ambition, and the like 5 there- fore Solomon fays, He that is proud of heart ftirreth up Jlrife, Pro v. xxviii. 25. And in another place, Proud and haughty [corner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath , fo far is a proud perfon from being a peace-maker. Finally, A man who is of a proud difpoii- tion, who is high-minded, worldly and am- bitious, is not very likely to be willing to fufFer for righteoufnefs fake ; but he who is poor in fpirit, who is humble and lowly minded, who has a mean regard to ail the riches and honours of this life, and fets his affection on things above, and the ftate of e- ternal happinefs and glory hereafter to be en- joyed by the righteous -, fuch a perfon, I fay, will be willing to fufFer any thing, even death itfelf, when called to it, for the fake of Chrifi and his gofpel, which gives him the promife of that glorious life. N 4. Thus 184 Humility and Meeknefs Serm. Thus then we fee how neceffary this tern- IX. per of mind is to the difcharge of all chriftian duties. Let us all therefore, whatever our outward condition be, whatever our attain- ments and qualifications are, ferioufly endea- vour to preferve true humility of mind, or to be poor in fpirit. Let thofe who are ridi in this world give fpecial heed to this, foraf- much as they are in moft danger of having their minds corrupted in this refpedr, and falling into the contrary temper of pride, am- bition, haughtinefs and contempt of others, or of covetoufnefs and worldly mindednefs. Many, inftead of being poor in fpirit, are poor fpirited, or narrow fpirited, whereas they ought to do good, to be rich in good works, to be ready to diftribute, and willing to communicate. This is the befl difcovery of fuch perfons being poor in fpirit, the beft proof and demonftration of it. And then as to thofe who are poor in this world, they ought to look upon godlinefs with content- ment to be great gain -y and therefore mould be contented with their condition, as know- ing that God has chofen the poor of this world, rich in faiths and heirs of that glorious king- dom he has promifcd to thofe that love him. Finally, let us all endeavour to be poor in fpirit, and humble in heart towards God and all men, and fpiritually and heavenly minded, Inftead of worldly minded, that fo being pre- pared , Chriftian Virtues. 185 pared, and truly difpofed for the exercife ofSERM. all chriftian virtues, we may, in the fincere IX. practice thereof, have true comfort and fa- **- v— - ' tisfaction in our minds here, and at laft be exalted to the pofleffion and enjoyment of e- ternal life and glory in heaven ; for blejfed are the poor in fpirif, for theirs is the king- dom of heaven. SER- SERMON X. The Fruits of the Spirit. GALAT. V. 22, 23. But the fruit of the fpirit is love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentlenefs, goodnefs, faith, meeknefs, temperance: Againjl fuch there is no law. AS In the beginning of chriftianity the unbelieving Jews were the moft vio- lent perfecutors of Chrift's difciples, and the moft zealous oppofers of the chriftian faith -, fothofe of them who believed, and owned jefus to be the Meffiah, ufually caufed the greateft difturbance and diforder in the church, whilft out of an exceffive veneration for circumcifion, and the other Jewijh cere- monies, they were for mixing Judaifm with chriftianity, and being not contented with their own pradtice in this refpeft, they were for impofing the legal obfervances on the Gentile converts, giving out, that unlefs they were circumcifed, and kept the law of Mofes, they could not be faved ; that they could not be The Fruits of the Spirit. 1 87 be juftified by faith alone, without the deeds Serm. of the law, and that they could have no part X. in the Meffiah's kingdom, unlefs they fub- jefted themfelves to Mofes as well as unto Chrift. And as the Jews were difperfed thro' mod places of the world, fo in almoft every church of the Gentiles there were ma- ny of them, fome whereof being, as was faid, fo zealoufly affe&ed towards the law, caufed fuch differences and diforders upon the account of it in the feveral churches they belonged to ; which the great apoftle of the Gentiles, in moft of his epiftles, was con- cerned to compofe and rectify. Thus in the churches of Galatia, who were converted by the apoftle's miniftry, there were fome Jews who endeavoured to bring the Gentile chriftians under the JewiJJ) yoke, and were for impofing circumcifion on them ; in which matter they had influenced many of them, and almoft corrupted them from the fimplicity which is in Chrift ; and forafmuch as they had a great refpedt for the apoftle who called them unto the grace of Chrift, or converted them to chriftianity, the better to prevail on them to fubmit to cir- cumcifion, thefe Jewi/Jj chriftians insinuated that he was for it alfo. Thus not only ma- ny were turned from the truth of the gofpel, but this caufed great debates, contentions and divifions among them, and tended to over- throw 1 88 The Fruits of the Spirit. Serm. throw that chriftian charity which they were X. obliged by the gofpel to maintain. To prevent and cure thefe evils, the a- poftle writes this epiftle to them, wherein he firft defends himfelf againft the forefaid infi- nuation, viz. of his, being for circumcifion, and fhews that it is utterly falfe and ground- lefs ; and then by feveral arguments he dif- fuades them from fubjecfting themfelves to the law of Mofes, and eftablifhes jufliiication by faith, or by the gofpel only ; and foraf- much as the differences among them had caufed great alienation of mind and afifedion in them one from another, he exhorts them in the end to love and charity, and cautions thofe who underftood their chriftian liberty, not to ufe that liberty for an occalion to the flefh, to uncharitablenefs, ftrife and difor^- der, the works of the flefh, but by love to ferve one another, feeing all the law was ful- filled in this, Thou (halt love thy neighbour as thyfelf And, to fet forth7 the evil of hatred, ftrife and uncharitablenefs, he gives a cata- logue of the works of the flefh, wherein he joins thofe vices with the moft enormous crimes ; and to prevail on them to maintain a charitable and loving difpofition, he tells them that this, together with other virtues and ex- cellent difpofitions, is the fruit of the fpirit; But the fruit ofthefpirit is love Joy, peace, long- fuffering, gentlenefs, goodnefs, faith, meehnefi% temperance : Agahijl fuch there is no laiv. It The Fruits of the Spirit. i8g It may be very proper, in the firjl place, Serm. to confider what we are to underftand by the X. fpirit, which thefe virtues are faid to be the fruit of. By tbefpirit> the apoftle fometimes means the holy (pint that was given to all christi- ans, and thefe virtues may be faid to be his fruit, inafmuch as he reneweth our mind, and fandtifieth us, influences and excites us to, and afiifts us in the practice of them. But fometimes by the fpirit the apoftle un- derftands the gofpel, or the chriftian reli- gion, which he calls fpirit, in oppoiition to the law or jfewifh oeconomy, which he ftiles fief ; thus, Rom. viii. 8, 9. So then they that are in the fief cannot pleafe God : But ye are not in the fief, but in the fpirit. It is cer- tain that, chap. vii. 5. by being in the flefh, the apoftle means being under the law in its carnal and literal fenfe, without having any regard to Chrift. And tho' in the foregoing verfes of this viiith chap, he ufes fief and fpi- rit for the two different principles in man, it is very common with the apoftle, when he has made ufe of a word, to ufe the fame word prefently after, tho' in fomewhat a different fenfe. But it is very plain that by fiejh and fpirit, Gal. hi. 3. are meant the law and gofpel \ Are ye Jo foolif ? having begun in the fpirit, are ye now made perfeci by the fief ? The difpenfation of the law may be called fief, becaufe it confifted moftly of carnal or- dinances, 190 The Fruits of the Spirit. Serm. dinances, of ceremonies and fleftily rites and X. obfervances, and the gofpel may be called 'fpirit, as it contains the fpiritual meaning of the law, in oppofition to its carnal and literal fenfe, 2 Cor. iii. 6. Who alfohath made usable minijiers of the new t eji anient ^ not of the letter , but of the fpirit, i. e. not of the letter of the law, or the bare literal meaning of it, but of the fpirit of the law, or the fpiritual fenfe of it, which is Chrift or the gofpel, Chrift be- ing the end of the law for righteoujhefs to every one that believeth : Or the difpenfation of the gofpel may be called fpirit L, becaufe of the plentiful effufion of the holy fpirit under it, and the promife of its influence and afliftance to them that believe and embrace it. And if we confider this to be meant by fpirity it is certain that thefe, and fuch like, things are the fruit of the gofpel, as it is the defign of it to promote and propagate thefe virtues > as it every where prescribes and enjoins them, requires and excites men to the pradtice of them ; as it gives all manner of encourage- ment to them, and affords all neceffary influ- ence and affiftance herein 3 fo that the gof- pel in all refpe&s tends to produce thefe ex- cellent effects, and thefe virtues are altogether agreeable to it. But, in the next place, by the fpirity the apoftle frequently intends that principle in men, which being renewed and ftrengthened by the fpirit of God, and duly attended to, direds, leads and inclines them to The Fruits of the Spirit. i g i to that which is good; as by JJeJJj he often Serm. means the oppofite principle, viz. thofe ir- X. regular paffions, appetites and defires which incline and hurry men on to fin. This is what the apoftle commonly underftands by jlejh zn& fpirit in moft difcourfes of this na- ture, and the latter he alfo calls the fpirit of the mind, Eph. iv. 23. And be renewed in the fpirit of your mind, the inward man, Rom. vii. 22. For I delight in the law of God, after the inward man, the mind, and the law of the mind, ver. 23. But I fee another law in my members warring agatnjl the law of my mind. And, ver. 25. So then with the mind I myfelf ferve the law of God. By thefe ex- pressions the apoftle means the principle of right reafon, or that principle which under- ftands, fuggefts, and prompts to what is right, and juft, and good -, and he confiders it in chriftians as renewed, fan&ified and af- fifted by the holy fpirit of God. In this fenfe the wovA fpirit is for the moft part to be taken in that difcourfe of the apoftle's which we have Rom. viii. and thus it feems moft natural to underftand the word in this place ; for by the jlef, ver. 1 9. to whofe works the fruit of the fpirit is in our text oppofed, he certainly means the contrary principle, viz. all irregular motions, inclinations and habits; and, ver. 17. thefe principles are plainly in- tended, for the flejld lufteth agai?ift the fpirit, and the fpirit againft the jlejh : and thefe are contrary The Fruits of the Spirit. ' contrary the one to the other, fo that ye cannot do the things that ye would; or, as it ought to have been rendered,^ that ye do not the things that ye would. Now, if we take the word fpirit in our text in this fenfe, as is moft rea- sonable, it is certain that thefe virtues, which the apoftle mentions, are the produdt of this principle, that they flow from it as their fource, and are entirely agreeable to it. And we mud not think that all the fruits of the fpirit are here fet down by the apoftle, for he mentions thofe only that were moft fuit- able to his purpofe ; tho' all manner of vir- tues, all the duties that refpeft God, our- felves and one another, all piety, holinefs and righteoufnefs, are indeed the fruit of the fpi- rit, and the proper effedts of a mind renewed by the fpirit of God -, the fruit of the fpirit is in all goodnefs, and righteoufnefs, and truth ; but our work at this time is to con- fider only thofe virtues here mentioned by the apoftle, as the fruit of the fpirit. I. Therefore the firft fruit of the fpirit mentioned by the apoftle is love. Love to God is certainly the fruit of the fpirit, is a- greeable to the higheft reafon, and efpecially required in the gofpel ; we fhould love the Lord our God with all our heart \ with all our foul> with all our mind, and with all our Jlrength : But here we are to underftand the apoftle of love to men, as the word love, or charity, The Fruits of the Spirit. 193 charity, put abfolutely, does moft common- Serm. ly fignify 5 and that the apoftle means chari- X. ty or love to men, may appear, if we con- fider his defign of making mention of it af- ter this manner, he was {peaking to them who were divided in their affeftions, whofe diffenfions and difputes had caufed ftrifes and animofities amongft them, and who upon this account began to be at enmity one with another, and to bite and devour one another ; and his defign was to let them know how contrary this difpofition and temper of mind was to the temper and fpirit of the gofpel, and how difagreeable to a mind renewed by the holy fpirit, whereupon he tells them, that the fruit of the fpirit was love, which was quite contrary to that hatred, envy and ftrife which was beginning to be among them, which were no other than the fruits of the flefh. Thus the apoftle in the precedent verfes exhorts them to love one another, and warns them of the danger of the contrary difpofition, vet, 13, Sec. life not liberty for an occafion to the flfo, but by love ferve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this ; thou foalt love thy neigh- bour as thyfelf But if ye bite and devour one another^ take heed that ye be not confilmed one of another. This I fay then, walk in the fpirit, and ye Jkall not fulfil the lujl of the flejh, &c. I fliall not ftand to explain this virtue of charity, every one knows what it is to love O him- 194- The Fruits of the Spirit. SERM.himfelf, and how he is influenced by this X. love ; and he ought to love his neighbour as himfelf, to maintain fuch a good-will and af- fedtion to him as to himfelf, and to difcover it in the like inftances upon all occalions. The properties of this virtue, of this good- will and affection, and kind diipofiaon, are fet down by the apoftle, i Cor. xiii. 4, — 7. It is often ufed for the whole of our duty to- wards our neighbour, and contains fome of the virtues that follow in our text, two of which are expreily mentioned by the apoftle as the properties of charity, when he fays, charity fuff'ereth lo?2g, and is kind. But we are not now to confider thefe under this head. Charity is moft exprefly commanded, moft ftridtly and frequently enjoined in the gofpel ; it was the defign of the gofpel to recommend and promote it ; it is agreeable to the dic- tates of reafon, and is the true chriftian fpi- rit. The apoftle exhorts above all things to fut on charity, which is the bond of perfeBnefs. Charity is to be extended to all men, even to our enemies ; and we are efpecially ex- horted to maintain it towards our chriftian brethren ; our Saviour moft earneftly re- quires it, and his apoftles, by his direction, frequently recommend it in the ftrongeft manner, we mould love one another with a pure heart fervently, and fhould walk in love, as Chrijl loved us. II. The The Fruits of the Spirit. 195 II. The fecond fruit of the fpirit men-SERM- tioned by the apoftle is joy, a calm and X. cheaful difpofition, a glad and joyful tern-'- — v— J per of mind. The gofpel affords the bed grounds for joy and gladnefs, and the new creation fpoken of by the apoftle, tends every where to fecure it. A chriftian by fub- duing his lufts and irregular paffions, frees his mind from the greateft difturbance and unealinefs, and by acquiring virtuous ha- bits and dilpofitions, lays a foundation for folid comfort and joy, and for a happy, calm and chearful mind. Joy is a very defirable thing, and that which all men would wil- lingly pollers -, but there is no joy fo ex- cellent as the fpiritual joy of a chriftian. Worldly joy is very mean, uncertain and tranfitory, and of little account ; but the true, valuable, folid and lading joy, is that of a good man, who rejoices in God, in a fenfe of his favour, and in hope of his glory. Holy habits and difpofitions which are the fruit of the fpirit, of a mind renewed and fanclified by the fpirit of God, naturally caufe this happy temper, this ferene, calm and chear- ful frame -, and thofe that are truly religious, that fear and love God, and obey all his commandments, and walk after the fpirit, will experience a fenfible plesfure, arifing from the conformity to the divine will and will have the higheft joy and fatfsfadtion from a fenfe of their Maker's approbation. The O 2 divine 196 The Fruits of the Spirit. Serm. divine promifes in the gofpel of pardon X. and future happinefs to all who repent < — v — » and turn to God, who forfake the works of the flefh, and walk after the fpirit, are matter of the higheft joy and fatis- fa&ion to all fuch perfons : And the ho- ly fpirit of God that dwells in the faith- ful, caufes the greateft peace and tranquillity in their minds ; they have the higheft joy arifing from his divine confolations. The kingdom of God confifts among other things, of joy in the Holy Ghoft. They who re- ceived the word with much affliction, ne- verthelefs received it with joy of the Holy Ghoft. Chriftians are exhorted to maintain this holy joy, 1 Thejf. v. 16. Rejoice ever- more. Phil. iv. 4. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I Jay rejoice. Thus the fruit of the fpirit is joy ; whereas forrow, uneafinefs, anxiety and mifery is the fruit of the flefh. As thofe who follow the lufts of the flefh, caufe trouble and uneafinefs to themfelves, thofe who follow the fpirit, and obey its dic- tates, are blefTed with inward comfort, joy and fatisfaftion, joy and tranquillity of mind. And it feems, the apoftle in fome refpecft, oppofes this happy frame to the hatred and envy mentioned among the works of the flefh, which are indeed the worft kind of fadnefs and uneafinefs. III. The third fruit of the fpirit is peace, i. e. concord and unanimity, or a quiet and 1 peace- The Fruits of the Spirit. 197 peaceable difpofition and deportment; a tern- Serm. per of mind that is for maintaining concord X. and friendmip, that is averfe to quarrel and difcord, and falling out with one another, is for compofing differences and living quiet- ly with all men. The fpirit of the gofpel is a peaceful fpirit -, peace is frequently re- commended in the gofpel, and the followers of it are required, as much as in them lies, to live peaceably with all men : The kingdom of God is righteoufnefs and peace, and thofe who are renewed in the fpirit of their mind, are of a quiet, calm, compofed and pacifick temper, and follow after the things that make for peace. The wifdom that is from above is peaceable, tending to peace and con- cord, and teaching to live a quiet and peace- able life. Contrary to this peace and con- cord which the gofpel recommends, and the fpirit of Chrift. teaches, is a turbulent, paf- fionate, quarrelfome and contentious difpo- fition, difcord, ftrife and variance, and the like ; a temper of mind that is for picking quarrels, for caufing differences and difturb- ances, and putting all things into diforder j thefe are the works of the flefh ; but the fruit of the fpirit is concord and peace, a quiet and pacifick temper and carriage -y the gofpel requires us to be peace-makers, to have peace one with another, and to follow peace with all men, O 3 IV.Ano- 198 The Fruits of the Spirit. IV. Another fruit of the fpirit, is long- fuffering ; a patient bearing of injuries, and forbearing thofe that do them. Thofe who practice this virtue are not foon in a paffion, are not eafily tranfported into refentment upon every occafion ; but they defer their -anger, are difpofed to put up injuries and wrongs done them, bear long with the mifcarriages of men, and make not hafte to tender evil for evil, to revenge any affront, or to exact ju ft punifhment for a juft crime. They will be ready to pafs by indignities of- fered them, and even to forget wrongs done to them, they will not be forward to reta- liate, nor rigoroufly to exact fatisfaction for every damage they may unjuftly fuffer -, but will bear patiently with thofe that have of- fended them, and be ready to forgive them. Chriftians are exhorted to exercife this virtue, and the consideration of the forbearance and long fuffering of God towards them, mould induce them to do the like by others, Eph. iv. 2. With all lowlinefs and meeknefs, with longfuffering, forbearing one another in love. Col. iii. 12, 13. Put on therefore (as the elecl of God, holy a?td • beloved) bowels of mercies, kindnefs, humblenefs of mind, meeknefs, long- fuffering ', forbearing o?ie another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel againjl any ; even as Chrijl forgave you, fo alfo do ye. V. Gentlenefs or kindnefs, is another fruit of the fpirit ; a fweet, kind, courteous and The Fruits of the Spirit. 199 and affable difpofition and demeanour. Serm. Chriftianity does not make men to be of a X. four, ill-natur'd and crabbed temper, but reforms their nature, makes them refpe&ful, kind and courteous, and infpires them with fweetnefs of difpofition ; a mild, conde- fcending and refpedful carriage becomes a chriftian, the gofpel requires it, and it is en- tirely agreeable to the fpirit of it : He ought not to be morofe and fallen, tefty and peev- ifh, haughty and difrefpedtful, but fhould be of a fmooth, tradable and kind difpofition, and mould carry it towards all with a be- coming refpect. VI. The next fruit of the fpirit men- tioned by the apoftle, is goodnefs. All man- ner of moral goodnefs is certainly the work of the fpirit ; but here we are to under- ftand beneficence or liberality, or doing good to others ; this is a virtue where- by we contribute to the relief, help and fupport of our neighbour, and do him all the good we can ; as the fruit of the fpi- rit is love, fo goodnefs or beneficence muft be the fruit of the fpirit, for this is no other than the efFedt of fincere love to our neigh- bour ; this duty of doing good to others, is very often recommended in the new Tefta- ment, e. g. Gal. vi. 10. As we have there- fore opportunity let us do good unto all me?i, efpecially unto the?n that are of the houfiold of }aith. 1 Tim. vi. 18. That they do good > that O 4 2GO The Fruits of the Spirit. S e R m. they be rich in good works, ready to diftribute, X. willing to communicate. Heb. xiii. 16. But to do goody and to communicate forget not, for with fuch facrifices God is well p leafed. The gofpei requires us to do good to all men as we have opportunity, even our enemies, as our Saviour bids us do good to them that hate us. We mould give to them that are in want, according to our ability, and mould cbntri- bute what we can to the relief of their ne- ceffities, we mould help them every way as we are capable, and mould do them good in every rcfpecT: ; and this every one that im- partially follows the dictates of his mind and of the holy fpirit in the fcripture, will cer- tainly do, for the fruit of the fpirit is good- nefs. VII. Another fruit of the fpirit is faith, i. e. fidelity or faithfulnefs , thus the word is rendered, Tit. ii. .10. Not purloining, but /hewing all good fidelity. The gofpei teaches us to live juftly, and to fpeak truth with our neighbour. We mould be true to our word, mould make good our promifes, fliould be faithful in the management of any affair we are entrufted with, and mould be juft and honefi in all our dealings ; we fliould prac- tice no deceit or falfhood, fliould make ufe of no arts to circumvent and deceive, and mould take care that we never prove falfe to our truft , we fliould conflantly maintain truth, fliould preferve integrity and upright- nefs, The Fruits of the Spirit. 20 1 nefs, and fhould fliew all good fidelity inSERM. the management of whatever is put into their hands. VIII. The next fruit of the fpirit is meeknefs-. This is pretty much of the fame nature with fome of the fame virtues that we have treat- ed of before, efpecially long-fuffering and gentlenefs; but I fhali neverthelefs fay fome- thing of it here. Meeknefs then is a quiet and mild difpofition, that is averfe from wrath and anger, and from cruelty and fierce- nefs, and from rendring evil for evil , it takes injuries and affronts patiently, and is very little moved at them, and is averfe from revenge and retaliation ; it chufes oftentimes to give up its right, rather than to proceed to extremities, and endeavours to overcome evil with good. This virtue we are often exhorted to, and our Saviour fays, Blejfed are the meek, for they fall inherit the earth, Matt. v. 5. IX. The laft virtue mentioned by the apoftle, as the fruit of the fpirit, is tempe- rance, continence, or a command pver one's felf. This virtue confifts in bridling and re- straining our paflions and appetites, and keeping them within due bounds, fo as not to gratify them beyond what is lawful -y fo that moderation in eating and drinking, and in the ufe of all worldly enjoyments, is here required, and every excefs whatfoever to be avoided, every unlawful gratification, and every 202 The Fruits of the Spirit. Serm. every kind of excefs, is contrary to this vir- X. tue of temperance, all chaftity and modera- tion are included in it, and it confifts in the due government of one's felf in every re- fpec~t. We are often exhorted to abftain from every impurity, and to avoid every ex- cefs ; our Saviour charges his difciples to take heed left their hearts be overcharged with forfeiting and drunkennefs, and cares of this life. And the apoftle Peter exhorts to add to knowledge temperance ', 2 Epift. i. 6. This is a moft necefTary and comprehenfive virtue, and what all they who are renewed in the fpirit of their mind, endeavour to maintain. Thus have we briefly confidered thefe nine fruits of the fpirit, viz, love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentlenefs, goodnefs, faith, meeknefs, temperance. The apoftle con- cludes, Againjl fuch there is no law, sealx roov tqi&twv, againfl fuch things, or thefe and the like virtues, there is no law, they being agreeable to all law. The preceeding catalogue of vices, or of the works of the flefh, have all law againft them, and are con- demned by it : The apoftle mentions the law of Chrift in particular, as being againft them, when he fays, of the which I tell you before, as I have alfo told you in time pafl, that they who do fuch things, fall not inherit the kingdom of God. But thefe and the like fruits of the fpirit, thefe virtues, are altogether agreeable to the law of nature, to the moral law of the Jews, and The Fruits of the Spirit. 203 and to the gofpel, or the law of Chrift, IoSerm. that there is no law againft them, but each X.. law is entirely for them. We may alfo un- w-v~-» derftand thefe words, againft fuch there is no law, of perfons who maintain thefe vir- tues, againft fuch perfons, viz. as exercife thefe virtues, or bring forth fuch fruits of the fpirit, there is no law ; there is no law to condemn fuch as walk thus after the fpi- rit, fuch perfons are approved of God, are taken into his favour, and ftand juftified be- fore him, and fo are not under condemna- tion. The apoftle fays, The law was not made for a righteous man, but for the lawlefs and difobedient, for the ungodly, and for fm- ners, for unholy and profane, &c. 1 Tim. i. 9. The law was not made to condemn the juft man, but to reftrain and condemn the wicked. Thus have we conlidered thefe words of the apoftle, and now to conclude. 1 . Hereby we fee that the gofpel by lead- ing us to holinefs, and bringing us to the exercife of virtue, tends to our real comfort here, and happinefs hereafter. It is the de- fign of the gofpel to reduce men to the practice of holinefs, righteoufnefs and good- nefs, to this end, are all the precepts and exhortations, promifes and threatnings of the gofpel, and for this purpofe, the holy fpirit is promifed to renew us in the fpirit of our mind. Now certainly, the greateft pleafure, comfort and fatisfaftion arifes from the ex- ercife 204 The Fruits of the Spirit. SERM-ercife of thefe virtues, and therefore the a- X. poftle tells us, that joy is one of the fruits of the fpirit ; and as this joy is derived to the mind from the exercife of thofe virtues whillt here, fo they are followed with the reward of eternal felicity and glory in the world to come. There is no law againft them who practice thefe virtues, and fo they fhall not come into condemnation ; and as they have the divine approbation, they fhall be eternally happy in his prefence, where there is fulnefs of joy and pleasures for ever- more. Thus the gofpel by leading us to holinefs, leads us to true comfort here, and happinefs hereafter. 2. Let us all endeavour to bring forth the fruit of the fpirit. Let us walk after the fpirit ;, and not after the jlefh. The fruit of the fpirit is in all goodnefs, a?id righteoufnefs, and truth , let us therefore follow after thefe things, and fo walk as children of light ; let us abandon all the works of the flefh, as knowing, that they who do fuch things, fhall not inherit the kingdom of God, and let us abound in all the fruits of the fpirit, that we may efcape condemnation, for againft fuch there is no law : Let us exercife thefe virtues in particular that we have been treating of j let us love all men, love our enemies, and love one another. Let us follow peace with all men, let us exercife long-fuffering and forbearance, and be of a kind, cour- teous The Fruits of the Spirit. 205 teous and affable difpofition, for charity fuf- Serm. fereth long and is kind. Let us do good to X. all as we have opportunity, and let us live v— -^ — ' righteoufly, let us obferve truth, and be faithful in all we do. Let us be poffefTed of true chriftian meeknefs, and let us be tem- perate in all things. And that we may bring forth thefe fruits, let us be renewed in the fpirit of our mind, let us attend to the gof- pel, and pray for the affiftance of the holy fpirit ; that in the exercife of thefe virtues, we may have comfort, joy and fatisfadtion in our own minds here, and may attain to eternal felicity hereafter -y for there is no condemnation to them who thus walk after the fpirit, and though to be carnally minded is death, to be fpiritiially minded is life and peace. S E R. SERMON XI. God our Saviour and Deliverer. Psal. 1. 1$. And call upon me in the day of trouble ; I will deliver theey and thou jhak glorify me. AS God is a being of moft perfect goodnefs, fo he takes pleafure in communicating his goodnefs to his crea- tures, the works of his hands : And fo great is his goodnefs towards the children of men, that notwithstanding their mani- fold fins and trangreffions againft him, he is pleafed to beftow innumerable bleflings upon them : So that all the advantages and comforts we enjoy, muft be the effedt of his rich grace and exceeding great mercy ; fince it muft be acknowledged, that by our fins, we have rendered ourfelves juftly ob- noxious to his difpleafure, and have deferved judgments at his hands rather than bleflings, and evil rather than good. We are indeed liable to many evils in this ftate, as well as to enjoy a great deal of good ; but then with God our Saviour and Deliverer. 207 with regard to the evils we may fuffer, it isSerm. declared, that God does not afflict, nor grieve XI. the children of men : Oar fins therefore muft be the occaiion of them $ and farther, they are defigned by our good and gracious God and merciful Father, for our real good and happinels in the end. No ajflitlion, indeed, for the prefent feemeth to be joyous but grievous -> neverthelefs it yieldeth afterwards the peaceable fruits of righteoufnefs to them that are exer- cifed thereby y fo that all the afflictions that God fends, or permits to come upon us here, are as fo many corrections and chaftife- ments from the hands of our heavenly Fa- ther, defigned for our amendment, and for our real advantage, to fet us at a greater diftance from fin, and to give us the greater averfion to it, and to caufe us to have a greater regard to and be more in love with our duty for the future. And when afflic- tions and troubles have had this blefled ef- fect, and this valuable end is anfwered by them, when we are really made better, and are brought to a due fenfe of our duty there- by ; then God is ufually pleafed fome way or other, as he fees to be molt fit, to deliver his fervants out) of them ; which deliverance fhould likewife fo affect them as to engage them to exprefs their gratitude to their great deliverer* and benefactor, by a more ex- act conformity to his will, and endeavour to glorify him in their whole converfation ; according 20 8 God our Saviour and Deliverer. Serm. according to what is faid in our text: A?td XI. call upon me in the day of trouble ; and I will deliver tbee, and thou /halt glorify me. Thefe words are to be underftood as fpoken by God to the people of IfraeL And indeed this whole Pfalm was defigned for the in- ftru&ion of that people, to teach them what they fhould do, and what they fhould not do, wherein the true fervice of God confift- ed, and what was in itfelf indifferent, and was no real part of it, though • impofed for fome particular end and purpofe. The Jews, as well before, as in our Saviour's time, were fo weak or fo corrupt, as to lay more ftrefs upon the ceremonial precepts of the law refpe&ing facrifices, and the like, than upon the moral part of it, which command- ed thofe things which in themfelves were only acceptable to God. They thought to pleafe God by the multitude of their facri- fices, by being nicely fcrupulous and exact in the obfervation of rites and ceremonies, and even by exceeding in them ; but did not duly confider, that it was only judgment, mercy and faith, or the love of God, that was truly acceptable to him, and fo they too commonly neglected thofe weightier matters of the law, and the more they neglected thofe, the more they thought to pleafe and atone the Almighty by thofe carnal ordi- nances which were only impofed on them till the time of reformation. Their erring fo God our Saviour and Deliverer. 209 fo grofly in this matter, was one main rea-SERM. fon, that fo many prophets were railed up XL among them ; whole bulinefs we may per- ceive it was, in many of their fermons or orations to the people, to teftify of what mean accouut their Sacrifices and ceremonies were in the fight of God, when they gave way to cruelty, injuftice and opprefiion, and other immoralities ; that their nicety and exactnefs, and abounding in thofe matters, would profit them nothing at all, if they were not really good and virtuous, and did not yield a lincere obedience to thofe pre- cepts of morality which God had given them, and which enjoined thofe things which were really and intrinfically, and in their own nature good and well-pleafing in his fight ; and that therefore being lefs folici- teous about their new-moons and fabbaths, their facrifices and carnal oblations, they fhould apply themfelves chiefly to the prac- tice of real virtue and righteoulhefs, real re- ligion and piety ; and mould make it their main bufinefs to follow that which was tru- ly good, to do jujlly, and love mercy, end walk humbly with God, behaving themfelves fuitably towards him, and ferving him in fuch a way as is mofl agreeable to his mo- ral perfections. To inftruct them in thefe matters, was likewife the defign of this pfalm, as I have obferved. In it God him- illf is reprefented as their inftruflor ; and P who 210 God our Saviour and Deliverer. Serm. who would not hear when God teaches? XI. When the divine Being vouchfafes to in- *' firucr, us for our good, how ready fhould we be to learn and obey ? His appearance on this account, and fummoning the people together to hear him, is moft magnificently delcribed in the fix firft verfes, The mighty God} even the Lord hath fpoken, and called the earth (or the land) from the rijing of the fun unto the going down thereof (i. e. from the eaft and from the weft.) Gut of Zion the perfection of beauty, God hath Jhined. Our God fall come and fall not keep filence -, a fire fall devour before him, and it fall be very tempejluous round about him. He fall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people, q. d. What God has to declare to his people, is fo folemn and important a thing, that heaven and earth fhall be called upon to bear record, or wit- nefs to it ; as is ufual in folemn cafes, to ftir up attention in thofe whom the difcourfe does concern : Thus Deut. xxxii. i. Mcfes fays, Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will f peak; and hear O earth, the words of my mouth. And Ifaiah, chap. i. 2. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath fpoken ; 1 have nouri/hed and brought up children, and they have rebelled againf me. The Pfalmift then goes on thus : Gather my faints together unto me \ thefe that have made a covenant with me bvfacrifce, i. e. the Houfe of Ifrael: And God cur Saviour and Deliverer. 2 i 1 And how they made a covenant with God Serm. by facrifke, we may all fee, Exod. xxiv. XI. 4 — 8. And M'jfes wrote all the words of the Lord , and rofe up early in the morning, and built an altar under the hill, and twelve pil- lars, according to the twelve tribes of Ifracl. And he fent young men of the children of If rael, which offered burnt- of Wings, and facri- feed peace-offerings of ex en unto the Lord* And Mofcs took half of the blood, and put it in bafons -, and half the blood he fpr inkle d en the altar. And he took the book of the cove- nant, and read in the audience of the people ; and they /aid, All that the Lord hath Jaidy will we do, and be obedient. And Mofes took the blood and (pr inkle d it on the people, and faid, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all thefe words. Thus the hpufe of Ifrael made a covenant with God by facrifice, whence it is, that they are here fummoned under this character : Gather my faints together unto me> thofe that have made a covenant with me by facrifice. And the heavens foail declare his righteoufnefs -y for God is judge himfelf, Selah. God being there reprefented as appearing, and the people gathered together to hear him, he folemnly declares to them what were the things that were well-pleafing un- to him, and wherein his true fervice con- lifts ; not in facrifices, external oblations, or any kind of ceremonies, but in prayer, P 2 thankf- 212 God our Saviour and Deliverer. Se RM.thankigiving and obedience, or in a iincere XI. and right difpolition and behaviour towards him : And full, he in a very beautiful and elegant manner, fets before them the vanity of their multitude of facrifices, when they placed their religion in them, or thought by that means alone to pleafe God, ver. y — 13.. Hear, O Ifrael, and I will tejiify againjl thee: I am God even thy God, I will not reprove thee for iky facrifices, or thy burnt- offerings, to have been continually before me j (or as it may be read) they have been continually before me. / will take no bullock out of thy houfe, nor he-goats out of thy folds. For eve- ry beafl of the for eft is mine, a?id the cattle upon a thoufand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains -9 and the wild beajls of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee ; for tfye world is mine, and the fulnefs thereof. Will I eat the fieflj of bulls, or drink the blood of goats f After he had thus expofed their pompous ceremonial wor- ship, he commands them to apply them- felves to the practice of thofe things, which were truly in themfelves acceptable to him, ver. 14, 15. Gfjcr unto God thank] giving, i. e. Acknowledge with a luitable temper of mind all his mercies and favours towards thee, and pay thy vows unto the moft high ; (perform that obedience which thou haft vowed and proniiied unto him.) Ifrael vowed obedience to God, as in that fore- cited God our Saviour and Deliverer. 2 r 3 cited paffage in Eotod* xxiv. when they laid, Serm. All that the Lord hath /aid, will we do, caul XL be obedient. Chiiilians vow obedience to God in their baptifm : And it is ufual for perfons under affliction, to refolve and pro- mife, that they will, tor the uiture, live in obedience to God's commands. Now this obedience, which we lie under a natural ob- ligation to perform, antecedent to any ex- preis promifes or engagements of our own, yet becomes more incumbent upon us, from iuch promifes and engagements, whenever, or however made -> and therefore fuch refo- lutions, vows and proteftations of obedience to God, we are above all things concerned to make good and perform Offer unto God tbankfgiving, and pay thy vows unto the mofl high j which words are followed by thofe of our text. And call upon me in the day of trouble ; / will deliver thee, and thou J halt glorify me. Thefe words then are fpoken to the nation or people of Ifrael-, but, neverthelcfs, they contain matter of very ufeful inftruction for all people, perfons and times ; and therefore I have chofen to treat of them at this time. By their connexion with the foregoing verje% we may fee what are the qualifications that are neceffary in perfons who would call upon God, or pray unto him after an acceptable manner, lb as to have their prayers heard, and their requefts granted. It is very cer- 3 tain God our Saviour and Deliverer, tain that God does not regard the prayers of fome peribns, but has a gracious refpect to the prayers of others. They whofe prayers God will not hear, are the wicked and un- godly, who love fin, and live in the practice of it. If I regard iniquity in my heart \ fays the Pfalmift, the Lord will not hear me. And tho' fuch perfons be ever fo exact in the ob^ fervance of rites and ceremonies, yet that will avail nothing towards rendering their prayers acceptable to God ; for even the fa- ct'i fie es of the wicked are abomination to the Lord-, and tho' here perfons under fuch qua^ lifications, as we fhall mention prefently, are exhorted to call upon God, and are allured that he will hear them ; yet, where thofe qualifications are wanting, how punctual fo- ever men may be in outward ceremonious worfhip, it is declared that their prayers will fignify nothing; for to fuch perfons God fays, I/a. i. 15. When ye fpread forth your bands, I will hide mine eyes from you ; yea, when ye make many prayer s, I will not hear. See likewife the ver. following our text, But unto the wicked God faith, What hajl thou to do to declare my ftuttttes, or that thou Jhouldejt take my covenant in thy mouth ? That thou fhouldeft plead or make mention of the co- venant between me and thee, which thou haft broken, and continueft flill to break. But then they whofe prayers God will hear, are the penitent, the humble, the obedient, and God our Saviour and Deliverer. 215 and the righteous. God often indeed is ToSerm. gracious as to hear the prayers of thole who XI. have continued a great while in a courfe of fin ; but then it is upon their repentance and refolutions of amendment, when they hum- ble them f elves before God, and from a fenfc of their fins are truly humble for them, and difpofed to forfake them. The facrifices of God are a broken fpirit \ a broken and a con- trite heart, O God, thou wilt not defpife, fays the Pfalmift, Pfal. li. 17. The prayer of the upright is his delight ; his eyes are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers ; vvhilft the facrifice of the wicked, of thofe who continue in a courfe of fin, is an abomination to the Lord, and his face is a- gainfi them that do evil, or that continue to do fo without repentance. So that he hears only the prayers of the righteous, or of thofe who are lincerely difpofed and refolved to be fo j whilil he rejects the prayers of tl\e wick- ed, and of hypocrites, who, whilft they pretend obedience to God in rites and cere- monies, do not fcruple to difobey him in thofe things which above all things elfe he requires of them. And therefore, after he had expofed their numerous facrifices and ce- remonies, he fays, Offer unto God thdnkf- giving, or a confeflion (as it is in the origi- nal) which may fignify either a confeflion of praife to God in a grateful acknowledgment of his mercies, as it often does, or a penitent P 4 con- 2i 6 God our. Saviour and Deliverer. Serm. confeffion of fin : Offer unto God a confejjion, XI. and pay thy vorws unto the Mojl High -, and call upon me (or then call upon me) in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou ju it glorify me, q. d. Do not think that I will regard the multitude of thy facrifices, fo as to be induced thereby to hear thy prayers in diftrefs, and deliver thee from trouble, whilft thou continuefl to tranfgrefs my laws, and difobey my will ; but, inftcad of offer- ing fo many facrifices and burnt-offerings to me, offer the facrifice of a thankful, devout and penitent mind, and perform that obedi- ence to my commands, which thou haft vowed and promifed ; and then call upon me in the time of thy diftrefs, and I will gra- cioufiy regard and hear thy prayers, and will deliver thee ■, but take care, when thou art delivered, that thou teftify the fincerity of thy repentance and turning to me, by glori- fying me thy deliverer, as thou oughteft to do. Here then, if, The people of Ifrael are exhorted and commmanded to call upon God in the day cf trouble, /. e. with a fuitable temper of mind to pray to him in times of difficulty, danger, diftrefs and anxiety) for protection, prefervation and deliverance 5 for this is the frequent meaning of calling upon God in fcripture, which is fo manifeft, that I need not turn you to particular places for theproofof.it. zdly, God promifes, upon their God our Saviour and Deliverer. 217 their thus calling upon him, or praying ioSerm. him, to refcue, deliver and fave them ; I XI. will deliver thee. ^dly. It is declared what ufe they fhould make of the divine delive- rance and falvation j they mould glorify God thereupon, mould render all praife, honour and obedience to him. IwiH deliver thee, and thoufialt glorify me. Now, in farther treating on thefe words, I fhall endeavour to mew, I. That God is the Saviour, the great pre- ferver and deliverer of men. II. That therefore in times of danger, dif- trefs, affliction and calamity, we mould implore his falvation and deliverance. III. That when God is gracioufly pleafed to fave and deliver us, it mould be our greateft concern, as it is our indifpen- fable duty, to glorify him in all our actions. I. I am to mew that God is the Saviour, the great preferver and deliverer of men. Now this will appear from reafon, from ex- perience and observation, and from the holy fcriptures. i/?, That God is the great Saviour and de- liverer of men, may appear from reafon, and the confederation of the divine providence, the reality of which may be very eafily pro- ved. As God made and'created all things, and 2i 8 God our Saviour and Deliverer. S e R m. and 'tis by his influence that they are conftant- XI. ly fupported, upheld and maintained, fo it is «— -V-— ' moft reafonable to think, that he rules and governs, that he orders and difpofes all things in fuch manner as in his wifdom he knows to be moft meet and fit. The providence of God is as certain, as that all things were cre- ated by him : And as from this vifible frame of things, and from our own exiftence, we may moft rationally conclude that there is a God, who by his power made all things, and ftill upholds and fuftains them by his in- fluence -, fo we may as rationally conclude, that this great author and maintainer of the univerfe is concerned to manage and conduct all the parts of it, and to order them all for the beft. God is an omniprefent being ; he is every where, he fills all places, all perfons and things ; in him we live, and move, and have our being ; he is almighty, has all power, and can do whatfoever he pleafeth ; and he is omnifcient, he has a perfect knowledge of all perfons and things, and is thoroughly ac- quainted with their feveral natures, conditions and circumftances ; and fo nothing is want- ing in him, as to his prefence, his power, or his (kill, for managing and difpofing the con- cerns of all his creatures $ he is abfent from none of them, for he is every where prefent ; nothing is too great for his power, for he can do every thing ; nothing is hid from his knowledge, for he knows all things ; fo that 2 if God our Saviour and Deliverer. 219 if any thing be wanting in him, it muft be Serm. a will to take care of his creatures ; but this XI. we are fure cannot be wanting in him, fince he is a being perfectly good, as may be de- monftrated from his very nature, or thofe natural perfections which we are fure he pof- feffes in a manner far above our conceptions. And it is inconilflent with reafon to ima- gine, that a being pofTeffed of iuch perfec- tions, and who at the fame time muft be all-wife, and perfectly good, and righteous ; I fay, it is inconfiitent with reafon, and the higheft abfurdity, to fuppofe that fuch a be- ing mould not extend his care to all the works of his hands, fo as to govern them, and to order and difpofe them in the fitteft manner, according to their natures, and his own moft wonderful perfectnefs. It is true, he ufually works by jfecond caufes ; but even thefe are not only originally ordained, but are conftantly upheld and directed by him, and he has often interpofed in an extraordi- nary manner, contrary to the ufual courfe of them. Now as the divine being extends his care to all his works, fo he does to this earth, or our world in particular, and to every thing in it ; and as his care is exercifed over the in- fenfitive, and the brute creation, fo man, the mod excellent part of his workmanfhip in this lower world, is efpecially interefted there- in. He prefervefh men and beajl, but man in an efpecial manner, whofe moral actions God 220 God our Saviour and Deliverer. Ser M.God has a principal regard to ; and if he XI. does not reward or pun if n them here, he will do it hereafter. Divine providence is chiefly, and in an eminent manner, concern- ed for nations, communities and bodies of men, in which mankind fubfifts ; but yet it is really concerned like wife even for every in- dividual per ion. / 2 whole is preferable to a part, fo God takes the chiefeit care of the whole ; but yet not the leaft part is ex- cluded from his care. As nc row falls on the ground without hi we may be certain that not a man does, who is of more value than many fpanows. And let not any one think, that the diforders that appear in human affairs are any juft objection to the reality of a providence 5 for mod of thefe diforders arafe from the vices and follies of men, or are the natural and penal effects of them y otherwife they are moftly but feem- ing, and not real diforders. The providence of God has frequently been feen in bringing evils and calamities, or permitting them to come upon a people for their wickednefs ; which, unlefe they have made themfelves really ripe for deftruction, are defigned for their reformation ; and they are always de- figned for the good of thofe about them, that, being warned, they may avoid their crimes, and fo efcape the punimment. And as the care our Maker has for us appears in Various instances in doing us good in many refpedts, God our Saviour and Deliverer. 221 refpects, continually providing for us, andSERM. the like ; fo it is particularly exercifed in pre- XI. ferving us in the midit of the many dangers we are liable to, and delivering us from thofe miferies, afflictions and calamities that actual- ly invade us. Deliverances and prefervations are certainly fome of the main instances of that divine providence which is continually engaged for our good 5 the care the divine Being exercifes over us, being the effect of his love, and kindnefs, and good-will to- wards us, muft frequently difcover itfelf this way, and indeed, as often as in his wifdom he fees it to be fit. Now, as the kind pro- vidence of God extends itfelf to all men, fo it is particularly and more eminently engaged for thofe who fear, and love, and ierve him, and with a fuitable temper of mind call upon him in their trouble and diftrefs: He is pe- culiarly nigh unto them that call upon him, to all them that call upon him in truth ; and his eyes are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers -, if he does not deliver them out of trouble, he will be with them in trouble, to fuftain, and ftrengthen, and comfort them, to revive their hearts, and to uphold them with the right-hand of his righteoulhefs ; and whenever it is for their real good to be delivered, he will deliver them ; which is all we need understand by the promife in our text, when applied to particular perfons, Call upon me in the day of trouble^ 222 God our Saviour and Deliverer. Serm. trouble y I will deliver thee \ Tho' when un- XI. derftood as belonging to the people of Ifrael, (as it was really a prornife made to them, as we have feen) then it may be underftood ftri&Iy and abfolutely, according to the ma- ny temporal promifes made to that people, that it they did really humble themfelves, and return to the Lord with their whole hearts, then God would return unto them, and would deliver them from thofe temporal evils and calamities which he had brought upon them for their fins. But this by the by ; from what has been faid, we may fee, that as the providence of God extends over all, fo he muft be the great Saviour, pre- ferver and deliverer of men. o.dh\ This may alfo appear from experi- ence and obfervation. Every prefer vation and deliverance that we experience ourfelves, or obferve others to have been blefled with, every falvation, or remarkable providence of that nature that we are witneffes of, or that we hear or read of, is a fenfible and plain demonftration, that God is the great prefer- ver and deliverer of men. For prefer vations and deliverances from evil and calamity, however brought about by fecond caufes, are originally owing to God ; he is the firft and fupreme caufe of them. If we or any are delivered and prefer ved, it is God that is our great deliverer and preferver. As it is to him that we originally owe all the good things God our Saviour and deliverer, 223 things we partake of, or enjoy, fo we ought Serm. to acknowledge, that all our deliverances XI. and ialvations, of what kind foever they be, v- — fo that as they were fometimes more remarkably punifhed, fo they were at other times more remarkably faved and delivered than other nations. But notwithstanding this, God was then, as well as now, the God of the Gen- tiles as well as of the yews, and his provi- dence was often feen in preferving and deli- vering them alfo. And then, as to particu- lar perfons, we have many inftances of fig- nal deliverances that God was pleafed to fa- vour them with -, as in the cafe of Noah, Lot, Shadrach, Mejheck, and Abe cine go, Da- niel, Paul, and other faints and fervants of God. 224 God our Saviour and deliverer. Serm. God. And tho' fuch miraculous deliverances XI. are not fo common now, yet we may, per- haps, have obferved many in our time, and fome, even of our acquaintance and friends, have experienced very merciful prefervations and deliverances. And then, as to ourfelves, I believe there is fcarce one of us, but has known, in fome degree or other, what trouble and affliction is, either of a fpiritual or tem- poral nature, and has been, in fome degree or other, delivered from it. Some of us, it may be, have been caft down and dejected, and troubled from a fenfe of our fins, and the apprehenlions of the divine difpleafure, and God has delivered us from our fears by the gracious promifes of his word, and has fpoken peace to our fouls, when we have been under the greateft anxiety and trouble. Some of us, it may be, have had the fen- tence of death in ourfelves, and have been railed up again -y others have met with dif- appointments, difficulties and perplexities in their worldly affairs, and have at laft had them fettled to their fatisfadtion ; and again, others, perhaps, have been under fears and apprehenfions on the account of near and dear relations and friends, and have been de- livered from thofe fears and apprehenfions. Now thefe and other inftances of deliverances and falvations, which we have experienced ourfelves, or have obfcryed in others, do plainly God our Saviour and Deliverer. plainly fhew, that God is the great prefer- ver and deliverer of men. But, 3*//v, This is farther manifeft from the a- bundant declarations of holy fcripture. As reafon, and experience, and obfervation prove that God is the deliverer and preferver of men, fo this is the voice of the holy fcriptures, which every where celebrate and proclaim his goodnefs on this account. Thus he is very frequently called a Saviour both in the old and new Teftament ; as i Tim. iv. 10. For therefore we both labour, and fuffer reproach* becaufe we trujl in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, efpecially of thofe that be- lieve. Thus he is itiled the preferver of men, Job vii. 20. I have fnncd, what fl: all I do unto thee, O thou preferver of men ? And {o he is faid to preferve man and bead, FfaL xxxvi. 6. Thy right eoufnefs is like the great mountains, thy judgments are a great deep , O Lord, thou prefervefl man and beajl. It fol- lows in the next vcrfe, How excellent is thy loving-kindnefs, O God? therefore the children of men put their trujl under the Jkadow of thy wings. Thus David often calls God his de- liverer, FfaL xl. ult. But I am poor and needy* yet the Lord thinketh upon me , thou art my help and my deliverer, make no tallying, O mv God. And he often celebrates the goodnefs of God in delivering men, Ffal. cvii. 17, — 20. Fools, becaufe of their tranfgrefjion* and becaufe of their iniquities* are affi tied : Their Q_ foul 226 God our Saviour and Deliverer. SzRMiJbuI abhor rcth all manner of meat-, and they XI. draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble ; he faveth them out of their dijlrefjes : He fent his word and healed them ; and delivered them from their deJlrnBions. And God is in an efpecial manner the deliverer of the righteous : Thus it is faid, Pfal. xxxiv. 19. Many are the af- flictions of the righteous , but the Lord deliver- ed them out of them all, i. e. either here or in another (late. Thus then we fee, both from reafon, and the reality of the divine providence, from experience and obfervation^. and from the numerous, repeated, and ex- prefs declarations of the holy fcriptures, that God is the great faviour, preferver and deli- verer of men ; and that fahation is of the Lord. II. I come now to fliew, That as God is our preferver and deliverer, we ought, in times of danger, diftrefs, affliction and ca- lamity, to implore the divine deliverance and falvation. That this is a duty, I think, can " hardly be denied by any who believe the pro- vidence of God : For tho' it is true, that whether we prayed or no, an all-wife and all-good being would do every thing for the beft ; yet it is as true, that fome qualifica- tions are neceffary in us, in order to a right and fuitable reception of his favours, and un- lefs wTe are in fome meafure prepared for them, we have no good reafon to expect them : God our Saviour and Delivered 227 them : And how our minds can be prepared S f r m. to receive them, nnleis we are difpofed humb - XL lv to aik them at God's hands, I know not. As we depend on God for every good thing, and we live on his bounty and kindnefs, lb we ought to look up to him for the enjoy- ment of all bleffings, and to afk of him whatever we {land in need of; and as it is by him that we are laved and delivered from evil and danger, and without him we cannot be fo delivered and faved, it mull certainly be our duty, as well as intereff, in all times of difficulty and diftrefs, whether of a pub- lick or private nature, moil: humbly and ear- neftly to pray, that he would be gracioufly pleafed to deliver us out of it. God delights to beftow his bleffings in this way, viz. the way of prayer, becaufe it fuppofes us to be qualified, and rightly difpofed and prepared to receive them, and to be fit objects of his favour, which they who have no regard to God as the great author of all our comfort and happinefs cannot be. And therefore if this duty of prayer be rightly performed and praciifed, it is moif. likely to be crown 'd with fuccefs. Thus in our text, God commands the Ifraclites to call upon him in the day of trouble, and thereupon promifes to deliver them ; but that is, if they call upon him in fincerity and truth, and with a fuitable tem- per and difpofition of mind. Now, if we would perform this duty acceptably, and par- Q^2 ticuiarly 228 God our Saviour and Deliverer. Serm. ticularly would have our prayers in the time XL of national affliction, whether from war, fa- mine, or peftilence, gracioufly heard and anfwered, they muft proceed from a pure heart ; for if we regard iniquity in our hearts, God will not hear us, as we obferved before ; they muft be joined with a fenfe of our paft follies and tranfgreffions, whereby we have not only deferved the calamity we for the prefent labour under, but much greater, and with a fenfe of God's righteoufnefs in af- flicting us : They muft be attended with re- folutions of amendment, or a fincere defire to forfake the evil ways we have walk'd in, and hearty purpofes and endeavours to walk fo for the future as to pleafe God ; they muft be joined with a humble hope and truft in God, whofe tender mercies are over all his works ; and with refignation to his will, and a patient waiting for him : For after all we muft acquiefce in the will of God, and fhould be ready to fay with our Saviour, Not my will, but thine be done. And we have the example of David for a patient waiting for God, PfaL xl. i. / waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. In fhort, we may learn from a heathen king, the king of Nineveh, with what tem- per of mind we fhould pray to God in times of danger, difficulty and diftrefs ; for after he had commanded all to cry mightily unto God, he adds, Tea, let them turn every one from God our Saviour and Deliverer. 229 from his evil way, and from the violence that Serm. is in their hands-, who can tell if God will turn XL and repent, and turn away from his fierce an- ger, that weperijhnott Jonah iii. 8,9. If with this temper and difpofition of mind, with thefe holy purpofes, refolutions and en- deavours, which we have mentioned, we pray to God under affliction, we then glori- fy him in affliction -, and io it is likely that God will deliver us, that we may ftill farther glorify him. If it be objected, that things being under the influences of fecond caufes, will have their natural courfe, whether we pray or not -, I anfwer, that many of thefe caufes are very much hidden from us, and for ought we know, God, or invifible be- ings commiflioned by him, may frequently act above them, or contrary to them, or, however, may in an extraordinary manner direct and difpofe them. Therefore, as we ought to pray to God in every condition for every thing we want, fo more efpecially fhould we in times of affliction and diftrefs for deliverance from it. There are many examples of this in the holy fcriptures, viz* of pious men and fincere penitents, who prayed earneftly for the divine prefervation and de- liverance, as David, Paul, &c. And we are often called upon to the exercife of this duty; Be careful for nothing, fays the a- poftle, but in every thing by prayer and flip- plication, with thankfgiving^ let your requeft 230 God our Saviour and Deliverer. Sfrm.^ made known unto God, Phil. iv. 6. And XL in the Lord's Prayer we are taught to pray, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. In fhort, as this is a natural du- ty, fo it is very frequently recommended and inculcated in the word of God. Finally, As the divine bleffing is promifed to thofe who call upon God in lincerity and truth, io it is frequently declared, that God delivers fuch as lb pray unto him ; and there are many in fiances of fuccefs in the fincere exercife of this duty. Thus, Pfal. xxxiv. 4. / fought the Lord, fays David, and he heard me, and delivered me out of all my fears. Ver. 6. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard himy and faved him out of all his troubles. Ver. 17. The righteous cry, and the Lord hear- eth, and delivcreth them out of all their trou- bles. A.nd it is frequently repeated in the cviith Pfal. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble ; and he delivered them out of their dijireffes. Thus we fee that it is both our duty and intereft to implore the divine deli- verance and falvation in times of affliction, calamity and diftrefs ; and that if we do this with a fuitable temper of mind, it is the moil likely way to obtain deliverance from them. III. When God is gracioufly pleafed to fave and deliver us, it mould be our great- eft concern, as it is our indifpenfible duty, to glorify him on this account. This even gnu:- God our Saviour and Deliverer. 231 gratitude obliges us to. It is in many re-Sr, r.m. ipccls incumbent upon us to glorify God 5 XI. we are obliged to it by our relation to him, and dependance on him, as his creatures. As we receive our very being from him, and all the good we enjoy is owing to him, as the original author of it -, fo it fliould be our chief bufinefs and our principal care to glorify him, and to render to him, to the be ft of our power, according to the bene- fits he has beftowed upon us ; though {till, all that we can do, will come vaftly fhort of what is due to him. To glorify God is one main end of our being -, we were made to glorify him, and he lias laid us under innu- merable obligations fo to do ; and among the reft, the deliverances he is pleafed from time to time to favour us with, do loudly call upon us to glorify him. Salvation, wc have heard, is of the Lord} if at any time we are faved and delivered, (as in fome fenfe we conftantly are) it is God who (lives' us and delivers us ; and certainly we fhall be guilty of the worft ingratitude, if we ara not hereby induced to honour and glorify him, our great preferver and deliverer. If we forget his benefits herein, we fhall have juft reafon to fear, that he who once gfa- cioufly preferved and delivered us, will do fo no more, but will leave us to be overwhelm- ed with the terrible apprehenfions of his wrath, and fo perifh under the burden of 232 God our Saviour and Deliverer. Serm. our afflictions and calamities. The great end XL and defign of God in preferring and deiiver- \~ -% — ' ing us is, that we might live to his glory, and might {hew forth his praifes ; I 'will deliver ihee> fays he to Ifrael, and thou foalt glorify me 5 or, that thou mighteft glorify me : Not that any advantage accrues to the divine Be- ing hereby, far be it from us to. think that; but all this is required for our own good. Now we glorify God, 1/?, When we praife him, and give thanks unto him for his mer- cies. 2dly> and chiefly, when his goodnefs induces us to become his fincere fervants, and to live in obedience to him. Both thefe are expreffed together in the lafl verfe of this Pfalm. Whofo offereth me praife , glorifieth me ; and to him that ordereth his converfation aright ', will I Jhew the falvalion of God. lfi} We glorify God for the deliverances and falvations he is pleafed to favour us with, when we praife him and give thanks unto him for them. Hereby, we in a fo- lemn manner, acknowledge him to be our deliverer, and exprefsly afcribe to him the glory that is due unto his name on that ac- count. As we ought to pray fpr deliverance from diftrefs, and prefervation from dangers, fo we ought to return the mpft humble and hearty thanks to God, when we are fo de- livered and preferved, and mould blefs and praife his name for it. As in every thing we mould give thanks, fo we mould < cially God our Saviour and Deliverer. 233 cially in this, and not forget the divine be- Serm. nefits to us in this refpecl:, fo as to negledt to XL render praife on this occafion to him to whom all praife is due. We are exhorted, in the verfe preceding our text, to offer unto God thankfgiving% and pay thy vows unto the mojl high 5 and David is frequently refolving to blefs and magnify the name of God for the falvations he had been favoured with. Pf. xxxiv. beginning, I will blefs the Lord at all times , his praife fijall continually be in my mouth y and, ver. 3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together : It fol- lows in the next verfe, I fought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. This it what he was fo earneft in bleffing the Lord for, and calling upon others to join him therein. Thus alfo Pf cxvi. 12, 13, 14. having experienced a wonderful deliverance, he breaks out, What fl:all I render unto the Lord for all his bene- fits towards me ? I will take the cup offalva- tion, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord, now in the prefence of all his people. And, ver. 17. he fays, I will of er to thee, the facrifice of thankf- givi??g, and call upon the name of the Lord. 6ee alfo Pf. ciii. beginning, Blefs the Lord, O my foul, and all that is within me, blefs his holy name , Blefs the Lord O my foul, and forget not all his benefits : who forgiveth all thine iniquities : who healeth all iky difafes : who God our Saviour and Deliverer. who redeemcth thy life from definition ; who crowneth thee with loving- ki /nine fs and tender mercies, &c. As we ought to blefs God for all the advantages and comforts of life, which he is the original author of ; fo it is highly reafonable we mould praife and magnify him, when we efcape any danger, are delivered from any calamity, or releafed and freed from any affliction. As there can- not be a right temper of mind towards God, where prayer is wanting, fo none can be rightly difpofed and affected towards him where praife and thankfgiving for mercies are wanting. Thus then one inftance of glorifying God, is by offering praife and thankfgiving unto him. zdly> We chiefly, and above all, glorify God for his falvation and deliverance, when we are thereby induced to become and continue his fincere fervants, and live in obedience to him : When we order our converfation aright before him, and are fo mindful of the vows and promifes we made in the time of our affliction as to perform them : When our refolutions of amendment do not go off with our trouble, but iffue in fincere endeavours to be holy in all manner of converfation. When a fenfe of the divine goodnefs in de- livering us, does fo continue on our minds, as conftantly to difpofe us to walk fo as to pleafe God. This is, after all, the beft and the God cur Saviour and Deliverer. 235 the only effectual way of glorifying God, Serm. when we praiie him not only with our lips XI. but in our lives. And this effect, all the in- fiances of the divine goodnefs fhould have upon us, viz. to make us more holy, more obedient to the will of God, more kind, and merciful, and charitable to our fellow- creatures ; and finally, more like God in all his moral perfections. Particularly, we fhould be induced by the love of God in delivering us out of our troubles and afflictions, to comfort others under their afflictions, and to contribute what we can towards delivering them out of them. Thus we fhall be mer- ciful as our heavenly Father is merciful-, and thus we fhall anfwer the end of God's deli- vering us, which is, that we may be to his glory, by being farther uieful and exempla- ry in the world, and may be induced by his goodnefs and mercy extended to us, to love him more, and ferve him better than ever we did before j and finally, to be filled with the fruits cf righteouJhefsy which are by J 'ejus Cljrify unto the praife and glory of God. Thus we fee that when God is gracioufly pleated to fave and deliver us, it fhould be our greateft concern, as it is our indifpenfable duty, to glorify him on that account, by of- fering praife and thankfgiving unto him, and more efpecially by ordering our converfation aright before him. God our Saviour and Deliverer. I (hall now proceed to make fome appli- cation, and fo conclude. i. If God be fuch a being as we have mentioned, fuch a Saviour and deliverer, then how happy are they who have an ef- pecial intereft in him, and have him for their God ? Who can fay, this God is my God, this Saviour is my Saviour, this deliverer is my deliverer ! O happy is the man who is in fuch a cafe, whofe God is the Lord, the Lord Jehovah, in whom iseverlaftingftrength. And who is this happy man, but the fincere- ly righteous man, who endeavours all he can to obey the commands of God, and to be like unto him. The righteous have a pecu- liar intereft in God, and he takes a fpecial care of them. The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous ', arid his ears are open unto their prayers ; he loveth the righteovs, and his coun- tenance does behold the upright. He is efpe- cially concerned either to protect and preferve them, or to uphold and fuftain them, or to fave and deliver them, or finally, to make all things work together for their good > to guide them through all the various changes and occurrences of life, and to bring them at laft unto glory. His providence, indeed, is univerfal, and extends over all his works ; and even the wicked partake of many of the kind inftances of it : He does good unto all, even unto the unthankful and the evil ; he caufeth God our Saviour and Deliverer. 237 caufetb his fun to Jhine on the evil and on the Serm. goody and fendeth rain on the jn/i and on the XL unjujl. But all this is in a general way, and notwithftanding this, the face of the Lord is againfl them that do evil, whilft they conti- nue to do it ; and he is angry and difpleafed with the wicked every day. But the good and righteous are interefted in his favour, and his power, and wifdom, and faithfulnefs, is engaged for them ; his providence is peculi- arly concerned for them ; and though they may not be diftinguifhed from the wicked, in the enjoyment of outward bleffings here, yet they may be fure, that God does what he knows to be fitted and beft for them, and if they continue his fincere fervants, will guide them by his cGiinfely a? id afterwards receive them to glory. This the righteous may depend upon, this they may humbly expect, and even lay claim to, by virtue of thofe gracious promifes that God has mad€ to them. Now, to have fo good and gracious a being, fo wife a protector and preferver, and fo powerful a Saviour and deliverer, en- gaged for them, muff give them the greateft comfort, joy and fatisfaclion , fuch perfons may be joyful in the Lord, and be glad in him at all times, and fo are in a truly happy condition. O therefore, let us become the iincere fervants of God, that we may be thus entitled to his fpecial care, providence and God our Saviour and Deliverer. and protection ; for happy is every one whofe God is the Lord. 2. Let us here take occafion to reflect a little on that great and wonderful delive- rance which we enjoy through the gofpel of Chrift. We have been treating chiefly of temporal deliverances and falvations from trouble and affliftion here ; and though the goodnefs of God is very often feen in this, yet this is nothing, when compared with that great, that eternal falvation, which the gofpel brings, and which God lent his Son into the world to procure for us. Through Chrift in the gofpel, we obtain deliverance from fin, from the habits and reigning power of it, and from the guilt and punifhment of it ; he gave himfelf for us, that he might re- deem us from all iniquity, as you lately heard ; being juftified by his blood, we are faved from wrath through him, are delivered from condemnation, and have all our fins for- given ; if we take care to lead a life agree- able to the gofpel, to walk not after the flefh, but after the fpirit : And he will at laft redeem us from death, and ranfom us from the power of the grave, and deliver us from hell and eternal deftruclion ; and this falvation which We obtain, and (hall obtain through Chrift, will be joined with eternal glory. O therefore, let us give thanks unto the Father of mercies, and God of all con- folation, God our Saviour and Deliverer. 239 folation, who has delivered us from the pow- S e r m. er of darknefsy and has tranjlated us into the XL kingdom of his dear Sou. 3. Let us endeavour to glorify God for all the deliverances and falvations he is pleafed to favour us with, and efpecially for this laft great one we have mentioned. Let us blefs and praife him, who continually pre- ferves us, and redeems our life from de- ftruction, who has delivered our foul from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling. Let us never forget the loving-kind- nefs of the Lord, nor the many mercies he has extended to us, but let us call upon our fouls, and all that is within us, to blefs and praife his name, on the account of them. Let a grate- ful fenfe of his exceeding great goodnefs in delivering and preferving us be continually upon our mind, that we may make men- tion of his loving-kindnefs upon all occa- sions ; and more efpecially that we may be induced to glorify him in our whole life and converfation. Let his goodnefs lead us ef- fectually to repentance, and induce us fo to walk as to pleafe him. It may be in the time of our affliction and diftrefs, we refolved and promifed to ferve the Lord if he would fpare and deliver us; O therefore, let not thefe vows and promifes be forgotten, but be feri- oufly remembered and confidered by us, fo as to be put in practice. How can we think of God our Saviour and Deliverer. of going on to offend our kind preferver and merciful deliverer ; how can we be guilty of fuch bafe ingratitude, how can we be fo wicked, yea, how can we be fuch enemies to ourfelves ! For if we go on in fin, after fuch wonderful expreffions of the divine goodnefs to us, we have jufl reafon to fear, that God may fend yet greater calamities upon us, than thofe we have been delivered from, and which is faddeft of all, that we fhall at laft periih in our fins ; for as to the deliverance which the gofpel brings, how fhall we efcape ! There- fore let us not be fo foolifh, wicked, and un- grateful j but let us turn to the Lord with our whole hearts, and endeavour to fhew forth his praifes, who hath faved and deliver- ed us, not only with our mouths, but in our life and converfation, which fhould be con- ftantly directed to his glory, who has done fuch great things for us. Laflly, If we would make ufe of the divine deliverances and falvations, which we have experienced, then we may depend upon the goodnefs of this great deliverer for the future. We have heard how we fhould behave our- felves fo as to glorify God in affliction, or in a day of trouble, and with what temper of mind we fhould call upon him for deliverance 5 and alfo, how we fhould behave ourfelves, fo as to glorify him when we are delivered. If therefore, upon our fincere prayer, we have been God our Saviour and Deliverer. 241 been delivered from any trouble or affliction, Serm. or may be hereafter delivered ; this may give XL us very great encouragement to hope ftill in God ; and hereby our trull and confidence in him, may be ftrengthened and increafed : But this cannot be, unlefs we endeavour to make a right ufe of the divine deliverance vouchfafed unto us, and to live to the praife and glory of that God, who has faved and delivered us. Let us therefore, be efpecially careful to do this, and then we may hope and truft in God as long as we live -7 may expect relief and comfort from him, under all the evils we may be ftill liable to, and deliver- ance from them, whenever it may be for our real good ; and, finally, may be fure that we mall (hare in the great deliverance and falva- tion, which Chriil: is the author of, to all them that obey him : For the Lord will /peak peace to his people, and to his faints ; but then, if they would fecure thefe bleffings, let them not turn again to folly. R SER SERMON XII. Christ manifefted, and Obedience to him commanded. Matt. xvii. 5. lat. part. This is my beloved Sony in whom I am well pleafed 5 hear ye him. IN the foregoing chapter we are told, that our Saviour, coming into the coafts of Cefarea Philippic aiked his difciples, what opinion men generally entertained concern- ing him, and who they gave out he was ? Whereto they anfwered, That fame faid he was John the Baptift -, fame Elias -, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. Where- upon he afked them again, who they thought he was ? And when Simon Peter anfwered, that he was the Chri/l, the Son of the living God, Jefus pronounced him bleffed, and gave him a promife, that he mould be one of the chief minifters in his kingdom ; but withal charged his difciples, that they fhould tell ?io man, that he was Jefus the Chrijl : For all 4 this Christ manifcfted, &*c. 243 this was faid privately, and if our Saviour, or Serm. his intimate friends and conftant followers XII. had given out in exprefs terms, that he was <— -v— ' the Meffiah, by which word the Jews un- derftood a temporal and worldly king, who was to rule over them, they would thereby, from their conftant hatred and dillike of him, have taken advantage againft him before his hour was come ; this therefore our Lord, with admirable wifdom and prudence, con- ftantly guarded againft. And here, therefore, that he might direct his difciples thoughts from what they had been talking about, in relation to his being the Meffiah, and might beat them off from the falfe expectation of a temporal kingdom to be fet up by him, he begins,wr. 2 1 , to acquaint them, that he muft fuffer many things at feriifalem, and at laft be killed • and, ver. 24, that his followers muft be fo far from expecting temporal ad- vantages, power, and grandeur under his go- vernment, that they muft deny themfelves, and take up their crofs, and lofe their lives for his Like. To induce them to which, he lets before them the confideration of the laft judgment, and of the future rewards and pu- nishments to be adminiftred by him, ver. 25, 26, 27. For ivbofoever will fave his life yJl: all ? it : And whpfoever will lefc bis life for my '.■\ Jhallfind it. For what is a man profit- ed, if be jlmll gain the whole world, and lofe own joid ? Or what Jhall a man give in R 2 exchange 244 Christ manifefted, and S E K M . exchange for his foul ? For the Son of man XIL fhall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels : Aid then he jhall reward every man according to his works. And to confirm this, that he fhould at laft execute this part of his government, he tells them, that there were (bine /landing there \ which jhould not tafle of deaths till they f aw the Son of man coming in his kingdom, i. e. till they faw him fetting up his fpiritual kingdom, in the difpenfation of the gofpe!, or more thoroughly eftabliming his kingdom, in the deftruftion of the Jewijh polity. And of this his glory and authority, he gives them, fix days after, a fort of a type or representation in his transfiguration, of which we have an account in the beginning of the following chapter. After fix daysy Jefus takctk Peter, James, and John his bro- ther, and bringeth them up into an high moun- tain apart, and was transfigured before them : And his face did fine as the fun, and his rai- ment was white as the light. And behold, there appeared unto them Mofes and Elias talk- ing with him. Then anfwered Peter, and f aid unto Jefus, Lord, it is good for us to be here : If thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles ; one for thee, and one for Mofes, and one for Elias. While he yet [pake, behold, a bright cloud overjhadowed them, and behold, a voice of the cloud, which J aid, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed , hear ye him, &c. Obedience to him commanded, 24.5 &c. Mofes and Ellas muft give way to Chrift, Sekm* the end of the law and the prophets. XII. In the words of our text wc have, I. A teftimony of God the Father con- cerning his Son Jefus Chrift, This is my beloved Son7 in whom I am well pkafed, II. His command, grounded on this tefti- mony, hear ye him, which was given immediately to the three difciples then with Jefus, but belonged alfo to the reft of his difciples, and concerns us all, who have the gofpel offered to them, with fuflkient evidence and authority -y only there is this difference, that the apoftles and other difciples then heard him im- mediately, having perfonal converfation with him j but we muft: hear him in his word, which his fervants, who had the holy fpirit to bring all things to their remembrance, which he had faid unto them, have faithfully committed to writing. I. That we may be induced to hear the Lord Jefus Chrift, let us consider the tefti- mony that God here gives of him ; This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed. As if he had faid, this perfon, Jefus of Na- zareth, is he of whom Mofes in the law, and the prophets did write ; he, whom 1 all a- long defigned and promifed from time to R 3 time 246 Christ manifefted, and SERM.time to fend into the world, to declare my XII. will to men, and whom you Jews have al- ways expected, viz. the Mefliah, whom I have Tent to be the Saviour of the world, and the divine teacher of men ; and in him I am well pleafed> i.e. I approve of him, and like him well, his undertaking and proceeding is entirely agreeable to' my mind 5 he came to do my will, all that he fays and does is ac- cording to my will, and by my authority. Thus our Saviour's coming into the world was well-pleafing to God, in token whereof he fent a multitude of the heavenly hoft to Celebrate his birth. His dodtxine was well- pleafing to him, and therefore he gave him works, even miraculous works to perform, which fhould bear witnefs to the truth of his miffion. Thus our Saviour fpeaks, John viii. 29. He that fent me is with me: The Father hath not left me alone -, for I do always thofe things that pleafe him. His laying down his life was agreeable to his will, as our Saviour again fpeaks, John x. 17. Therefore doth my Father love me, becaufe I lay down my lifi\ that 1 might take it tip again. In token of this, God raifed him from the dead, and ex- alted him at his own right-hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, and gave him a name which is above every name, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church. Thus John the Baptift fays, The Father loveth the So]}, and hath given all things into his hand, John Obedience to him commanded. 247 John iii. 35. But, to return, let us confider Sr R m. a few things, whereby it appears, that Jefus Xli. Chrift is the Meffiah, or Son of God, whom ^— v— * we ought to hear, according to this divine teftimony. 1. All the prophecies relating to the Mef- fiah were exactly fulfilled in our Lord Jeius. The old Teftament contains many prophecies concerning the Meffiah, fome more obfeure, and fome more plain and clear, and thefe ail agree to our bleiTed Saviour ; they exadly anfwer to the feveral circumftances of his birth, life, death, refurre&ion, and the like, and fome of them can agree to no other. It will be too long to infill: on all thofe prophe- cies of the old Teftament that were fulfilled in our Saviour, or to fhew the agreement between thofc prophecies and all the circum- ftances of his appearance ; I fhall only men- tion fome that are mod obvious and remark- able. As to his defcent, he fprang from Abraham, and from Judah, and from Da- *vid> according to the feveral promifes that were made to them, that the Meffiah mould be of their race. As to the time of his birth, it was certainly agreeable to Jacob's prophe- cy, Gen. xix. 10. The fcepter Jhall not depart j££j. from Judah, ' &c. and to the account we have of Daniel's weeks -, and he was born while the fecond temple was yet (landing, accord- ing to the prediction of Hagga;, chap. ii. ver. 6, &c. The place of his birth was Beth- R 4 Jehem 248 Christ manifefted, and S erm Jehem of Judea* agreeable to Micatis prophe- XII. cy, chap. v. i. and as to the manner of his birth, he was born of a virgin, according to the prophecy of Ifaiah* chap. vii. 14. and then the meannefs of his condition here, is fo far from being an argument oi Ins not being the Meffiah, that this character was frequent- ly foretold of the Meffiah ; particularly very largely in If a. liii. and as to his death, with the circumftances of it, and his refurreclion, thefe are in feveral places of the prophets pre- dicted concerning the Meffiah. Thus all the prophecies that related to the Meffiah, did exactly agree to Jefus of Nazareth* our Saviour 5 and fome of them fo agreed to him, as that they could agree to no other perfon. 2. Several teftimonies were given of him by voices from heaven, and by heavenly glo- ry furrounding him ; God in exprefs words declared him to be his beloved Son* and fo tes- tified that he was the Meffiah. We have three inftanccs, inthegofpel, of God's fpeak- ing to our Saviour, and certifying his miflion from heaven. The fir it is at his baptifm, when he was juft entring on his publick mi- niftry, at which time alfo the Holy Spirit vifibly bore witnefs to him, Matt. iii. 16, 17. And Jefus* tyben be was baptized* went tip firaightway cut of the water , and lo* the hea- vens were opened unto him* and he jaw the Spirit of God defending like a dove (not in the fhape of a dove; but defcending as a dove de- fends) and lighting upon him ; And lo* a voice from Obedience to lam commanded. 24.9 from heaven, faying , This is my Moved Son, in S e r m> whom lam well pleafed. The fccond inftancc XII. is at his transfiguration, when the fame words were heard from heaven by Peter, James and John, with the addition of the precept, bear xe him, as in our text ; and at this time he was alfo clothed with glory ; he was trans- figured before them, and his face didfkinem the fun, and his raiment was white as tight, Matt. xvii. beg. The laft inftanceis juft be- fore his paffion, John xii. 28. where, when he prayed, Father, glorify thy name, we are told, There came a voice from heaven, faying , I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. To thefe teftimonies from heaven may be added what came to pafs at his crucifixion, as the extraordinary darknefs, the rending of the vail, the earthquake, &c. which, when the centurion, and they that were with him faw, they faid, Truly this was the Son of God. 3. That Jefus was the Mefiiah, or Son of God, appears by his miracles, and wonder- ful works, of which his life, during his mi- niflry, was full. Thefe were convincing proofs of his divine million, and made it plainly appear, that he came from God, Our Saviour did the works of his Father, which mewed that he was fent by him, and made it mod reafonable to believe that he was the Mefiiah. John v. 36. But I have greater witnefs than that of John -, for the works that the Father hath given me to finijh, the 250 Christ manifefted, and Serm.A fame works that I do bear witnefs of me, XII. that the Father hath fent me. The miracles v— -v— > of Chrifl were very numerous, and were fo open and manifeft, that his greateft adveria- nes could never have the face to deny them. We have many general accounts of his mi- racles in the gofpel, for they were too many to be all particularly recorded : He healed the fick, cured the lame, cleanfed the lepers, gave fight to the blind, and hearing to the deaf, caft out devils, and raifed the dead, and all this with a word, or a touch ; this general account we often have, but many particular miracles are alfo recorded, which come under all thefe heads. And befides thefe miracles which he wrought on perfons, he did many other wonderful works ; he turned water into wine, ftilled tempefts, fed the people miraculoufly, and the like. And thus was Jefus of Nazareth a man approved of God, by miracles, and wonders, and figns which God. did by him. And, as the apoftle Peter fpeaks, God anointed him with the Holy Ghofl, and with power. 4. That Jefus is the Meffiah, or Son of God, appears by his refurre&ion from the dead ; which article the apoftle chiefly in- filled on the belief of, it being neceffary to the belief of his being the Meffiah, and of confequence caufing this belief. Our Savi- our had more than once told his difciples, that, as he fhould be put to death, fo he would Obedience to him commanded. 251 would rife again the third day ; and as that, Serm. fo this came to pafs according to his pre- XII. didions > as he was put to death by the Jewst fo on the third day he revived, and God raifed him from the dead. If our Saviour had not rifen again, the credit of his million, and coniequently of his do&rine, would foon have failed ; his enemies would have tri- umphed over him, and his friends would have looked upon themieives to be difap- pointed -, for after his death they foon fell in- to doubts and perplexities of mind, and they would no doubt have quickly forgotten him, h#ad he not fhewn himielf to them alive a- gain. See how doubtful the two difciples fpeak of him in their journey to Emmaus, Luke xxiv. 21. But we trujiedy that it had been he which Jhould have redeemed Ifrael : They believed once that he was the Meffiah, but now their hopes of him were almoft ex- tinguifhed, they knew not v/hat to think of him. But on the third day, as I faid, after his death, he in an awful and glorious man- ner rofe from the dead, and appeared to his difciples ; and fo baffied the infults of his adveriaries, and revived the hopes of his pious friends, and confirmed them in the belief that he wTas the Meffiah, by frequent con- verfe with them, at times, for forty days. Thus was that expreffion in the Pfalms made good in him, Thou art my So?i> this day have J begotten thee. And he was declared to be the 252 Christ manifefted, and Serm. the Son of God with power, by the refurreftion XII. from the dead, Rom. i. 4. To this may be added, his aiceniion into heaven in the fight of his apoftles. 5. To the fame purpofe we muft confider the miraculous effufion of the Holy Ghoft on the day of Pentecoft, and at other times. Our Saviour had often promifed his difciples, that he would fend the Holy Spirit to them from the Father ; and certainly, if he had not been the Son of God, in whom he was well plea- fed, he could never have made this promife good 5 if he had not been the Meffiah, h

XII. and put it in practice and perfevere in it. 3 *, We fhould hear him only. We fliould hear no one eife in religious matters \ hear them for infl ruction, but not to build our faith upon what they fay ;\ve . ild own no other Lord over our confei- . 5 ; he only has power to make laws in gion, or the fcrvice of God, and he only ought to be obeyed herein. The command- ments of men, in the worship of God, mould be difregarded by us \ their promifes and threatenings in religious matters fliould not affect us. If any one will pretend to teach us, by adding to Chrift's laws, and by tak- ing from them, or any ways altering them, we fliould difregard him, and turn away from him, and not hear him in it : Neither fhould we hear any one that would interpofe his own interpretation of Chrift's laws on us \ for that is but making Chrift's laws his own laws, and claiming that refpect from us that is due to Chrift only. But let us not call any one rabbit Or ?najler on earthy feeing one is our mafler> even Ghrifl. \thly^ The/ I have all along almoft taken this to be the import of the words, it may neverthelefs be proper to mention it by itfelf, viz. that we ought to hear the word of i'ft fo, as to do it. All our hearing fliould .: order to our inftrudlion, and all our inftru&ion Obedience to him commanded, 261 Inftruftion mould be in order to practice. 5>EfcM' Thus JameS) chap. i. 22. Be ye doers cf the XII. word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own felves, Sec. And our Saviour likens him that hears his fayings, and does them, to a wife man, and declares the fafety, {lability, and happinefs of fuch a one ; but he that hears his fayings, and does them not, he likens to a foolifli man, whofe end will be miiery and ruin, Matt. vii. 24, 25, 26, 27. Thus have I confidered the duty of hearing Chrift the Son of God. I mall now conclude with a few ferious reflections on what has been faid. I. We fee here the truth and certainty of the chriftian difpenfation. 'Tis the Son of God, who is the author of it, whom God bore witnefs to from heaven. This very in- ftance of the transfiguration the apoftle Pe- ter makes ufe of, to prove the certainty and divine authority of the chriftian religion ; 2 Pet. i. 16, 17, 18. For we have not fol- lowed cunningly devifed fables, when we made k?jown unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift, but were eye-witnejfes of his majejly -, for he received from God the Fa- ther honour and glory, when there came fuch a voice to him from the excellent Glory, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleafed : And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy S 3 mount. 262 Christ manifeftcd3 and Serm* mount. And if we confider further the ful- XII. filijient of prophecy, the miracles that our A — * — ' Saviour wrought, his refurrection from the dead, the effuiion of the Holy Spirit, the miracles of his followers, and the reafonable- nefs and goodnefs of the chriflian doctrine itfelf, the truth and certainty of it mull: evi- dently appear. 2. We may hence infer the excellency of the chriflian doctrine. One would certainly conclude, that the more excellent the perfon is, the more excellent would be the difpen- fation of which he is the author ; and as the Son of God is the moll: excellent perfon that ever appeared in the world, fo the chriflian religion, eftablifhed by him, is certainly moil excellent. Thus the author to the Hebrews goes about to argue the excellency of our ©economy, from the excellency of ChrifYs perfon, chap. i. 1, 2, &c. God, who at fun- dry times, and in divers manners, fpoke in time pajl unto the fathers by the prophets, hath, in the laji days, fpoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom alfo he made the worlds, &c. 3. We may hence alfo conclude, the fufficicncy of the chriftian difpenfation. Cer- tainly the Son of God would not come into. the world to give us an imperfect revelation of the will of God, I mean fuch a revelation, would not anfwer the ends for which it was; Obedience to him commanded. 263 was defigned ; far be it from us to think fo Serm. of our blefied Saviour ! But he has declared XII. to us, all that is neceffary in order to our eter- nal happinefs : There is nothing wanting in his precepts, nothing in the matters of belief that he has revealed -y there is nothing want- ing in his threatenings, nor deficient in his promifes ; but there is enough in the gofpel to make us wife unto falvation, for therein all the couniel of God is contained. 4. How much then are they to blame, who hear others befides Chrift 5 who fol- low the commandments, and traditions, and interpretations of men inftead of the laws of Chrift ; who are not contented to have Chrift alone for their mafter, but mull join others with him, as if his do&rine was not fufiicient : Certainly this is to reflect dis- honour upon Chrift, as if he was not a Suf- ficient, or faithful, or intelligible lawgiver, but we muft be forced to have recourfe to men for a fupplement to his revelation, or for the interpretation of his laws. Let chris- tians be amamed of this, and confider how much they dishonour the Saviour by this practice. But, 5. How much more wicked yet are they, who are fo bold as to make and de- fend innovations in the chriftian religion ; to fet up human inventions in the room of Chrift's laws, and to impoic their own in- S 4 terpretations 264 Christ manifefied, and SERM.terpretations for chriftian dodrine : This is XII. fo far from hearing Chrift, that it is down- right rebelling againft him > it is to take his authority out of his hands, and to fet them- felves up in his place. Therefore, leaving all fuch pra&ices, and all fuch teachers, let us, 6. Blefs God for the wonderful reve- lation that his Son has given us : Let us praife him for fending fuch a teacher and in- ftrudlor ; let us give him thanks for the won- derful difcovery of his grace in the gofpel, and for the means of falvation which he has afforded us. Let us blefs his name for the moft excellent precepts and inftrudtions that our Saviour has given us -, for the threaten- ings he has denounced to deter us from fin, that we may efcape eternal death, and for the promifes he has made to encourage us to holinefs, that we might obtain life everlaft- ing. And, La/l/y, Let us all obey this divine com- mand, viz. to hear the Son of God. Let us hear him in his precepts, in his promifes, and in his threatenings, and in every thing he fays unto us. Let us- attend to the holy fcriptures, wherein the dodtrine of Chrift is contained, that we may be thoroughly ac- quainted with it. Let us hear Chrift with impartiality, let us hear him with diligence, }ct us hear him only, rejecting all other au- thority in matters of religion. Finally Obedience to him commanded. 265 Finally, Let us hear the words of Chrift, Serm. fo a6 to do them, and to obey his command- XII. ments 3 that we may not be fo unhappy as to deceive ourfelves, but being not forgetful hearers, but doers of the may be blejfed in our deed* SER- SERMON XIN. Of being, by God, in Christ. i Cor. i. 30. But cf him are ye in Chriji Jefus, who of God is made unto us wifdom, a?id righteouf- nefsi and jhiBification, and redemption. Serm.' I ^ H I S epiftle was written to the be- XIII. J[ Severs in Chrift, at Corinthy a famous city of Achaia, where a very confiderable church was planted by the apoftle's mini- stry : He tarried there for fome time, preaching Chrift to the Jews and Gentiles, and had converted many to the faith. But in the (pace of fome years abfence, as it com- monly fell out in many churches, certain perfons, or as it rather feems, one certain perfon, got in amongft them, and caufed great diforders in this church of Chrift, by en- deavouring to draw off their minds from the apoftle, and by raifing a fadtion againft him, cunningly infinuating fome defedt in his con- dud:, carping at his behaviour towards them, and endeavouring to reprefent him mean and little Of being, by God, in Christ. little in their eyes, and by this means feek- ing to advance himfelf in contempt of the apoftle, corrupting their faith and practice, and caufing heats, contentions and divifions amongft them. And the better to effect this his felfifli and worldly defign, he addreffed himfelf, it feems, to them in fine, artful and lofty fpeeches, making a great (hew of wifdom -, whicH4 took very much with the Corinthians, and was very likely to draw them afide, and this made them conceited, and puffed them up with pride for this their leader, and drew them into a contempt of the apoftle's plain and honeft way of preach- ing the gofpel. This fad effect it already had upon fome amongft them, whom this falfe apoftle had actually drawn to his party, and others were in danger of being prevailed up- on and feduced by him, which gave occa- fion to the apoftle of writing this epiftle to them, wherein he treats them mildly and warily, for fear of offending them, and vin- dicates himfelf from thofe unjuft and invidi- ous reflections that were caft on him, by this ill defigning perfon ; endeavouring to pre- ferve thofe, who ftill adhered to the truth, from being influenced by him, and to re- claim thofe whom he had led aiide, into thofe great and foul diforders. And in the beginning of this epiftle, after he had told them, that he was acquainted with their divifions, had pathetically exhorted them to unity, 268 Of being, by God, in Christ. SERM.unity, and let them know, that he was fo XIII. &r from letting himfelf up for a leader or head of a party amongft them, that he thanked God he had baptized but two or three of them, left any mould fay he had baptised in his own name : He begins to ftrike at the root of that, which the falfe apoftle fo much boafted of, and whereby he feeked to gain applaufe amongft them, viz. that which he calls wifdom of words. He jfhews how difagreeable the fine and artful ilrains of eloquence, or the enticing words of man's wifdom were to the plain doctrine of Chrifl crucified, and in a wonderful man- ner declares, how God fet afide all human wifdom and art, in the firft publishing of the gofpel to the world, and inftead of that, made ufe of a plain and undifguifed way of preaching, and the power of miracles to re- commend it ; that fo the chriftian faith might not (land in the wifdom of men, but in the power of God. And to cut of all glorying in men, and to induce them to glory in the Lord only, he tells them, in the words of our text, Of him, i. e. of Gody are ye in Cbrifl jcfus^ who of God is made unto usy wifdom^ and righteoufnefs, and fanBif cation and redemption. In treating of which words5 I (hall endeavour, I. To mew what is meant by being in Chrift jefus. II. How Of being, by God, in Christ. 269 II. How it is of God, that perfons arc in Serm. Chrift jefus. XIII. III. To explain the bleffings of the gof- pel here enumerated, wifdom, righteonf- nejs, fanct if cation and redemption. I. What are we to underftand by being iii Chrift Jefus ? Now, Perfons are faid to be in Chrift Jefus, when they believe in him, and acknowledge the dodrine of the gofpel. This feems to be the meaning of this phrafe, in the feve- ral places of fcripture where it is ufed. Whatever further fenfe may be commonly put upon it, perfons are faid to be in Chrift, as they are profefled chriftians, without a direct regard to any other character, whereby fome chriftians are diftinguifhed from others. Some that are in Chrift, live difagreeable to character, or to the gofpel, which they pro- fefs, and will come under the condemnation of it, as is implied, Rom. viii. 1. where the apoftle tells us, There is no condemnation to thofe. in Cbriji Jefus, who walk not after the fefi, but after the fpirit. Whatever deno- minates a man a chriftian, upon the account of that, he is faid to be in Chrift ; and as believing in Chrift, and prcfeffing the gofpel, denominate a man a chriftian -, fo he is faid to be in Chrift on thefe accounts, though fomething more be neceflary to the cha- racter of a fincere or good chriftian, viz. a chriftian 270 Of being, by God, in Christ. Serm. chriftian life and conversation. So then be- XIII. ing in Chrift, according to the fcripture man- ner of exprefiion, Signifies being chriftians, believing and profefling the gofpel. Thus the apoftle fpeaks of Andronicus and "Junius ', that they were in Chrift before him, Rom. i. 6, 7. i. e. they were believers, and profeffed chriftians before him, and fo we read of the churches of Judea which were in Chrift, u e. were chriftian churches ; and the apoftle fays, he knew a man in Chrift, i. e. a man who was a chriftian, caught up into the third heaven. A man that only believes, and makes no profeflion of the gofpel, as many of the Jews did, can hardly be faid to be in Chrift, as he cannot properly be called a chriftian ; both are necefTary to the character of being in Chrift, andjfor obtaining the falvation of- fered in the gofpel, according to Rom. x. 9. If thou Jhalt confejs with thy mouth, the Lord J ejus, and Jhalt believe in thine heart, that God hath raifed him from the dead, thou Jlsalt be faved. Thus therefore, when the apoftle fays, Of him are ye in Chrift J ejus, it is as if he had faid, it is of God, 'that ye are chriftians, or brought over to the faith of Chrift. II. I am next to mew, how it is of God, that perfons are in Chrift Jefus 5 particular- ly, how it was of God, that thefe Corinthi- ans, and the reft of the fir ft chriftians, were in him. And here we may do well to take 4 . notice, Of being, by God, in Christ. 271 notice, that this is not at all (aid, to exclude S e r m, man's free choice, but does altogether fup- XIII. pofe it ; and indeed, though many who had it offered to them, freely embraced it -3 yet others, who had it offered to them, with equal advantages from God, did as willfully reject it. When therefore it is faid to be of God, that perfons are in Chrift Jefus, thus much is to be underftood by it, viz. that their being in Chrift, is wholly of God's ap- pointment ; and that he propofed the chri- ftian religion to them with fuch marks and characters, as entirely recommended it to their choice, and rendered it altogether fit for a ra- tional mind to embrace. But more particulaly, ijl> The whole chriftian religion or the gofpel is from God. The entire defign and contrivance of it, from the beginning to the end, is of him. All the parts of this won- derful difpenfation, owe their original to his good pleafure, and their fanction to his divine authority. This religion is altogether of his appointment ; not any part of it is of human invention, or derived from hu- man pleafure and authority, but God is the author of it in every refpect. He defigned, from the beginning, to kt up this difpenfa- tion, and gave frequent promifes of it, from one time to another : And he, at laft, fent his Son into the world, in the likenefs of jinful jfle/h, to tranfacT: with men, and to make z clear revelation of his will to them. And all the 272 Of being, by God, in Christ, Serm. the works, that our bleffed Saviour did on XIII. earth, were the works of him that fent him : All the words that he fpake, were the words of his heavenly Father : All the precepts, that he delivered, were his precepts : All the promifes he made, were his promifes : All the threatenings, which he denounced, were his threatenings : Finally, the terms of falvation, which he propofed, were agreea- ble to the will of God, and entirely of his appointment : And fo the whole chriftian difpenfation is from him only. In the gof- pel, Old things are paji awayy and all things are made new, and all things are of God, and he is the author of the new creation. And thus the apoftles followed not cunningly devifed fables^ when they made known to the world the power, and coming, and doc- trine of Jefus Chrift, but delivered things that were certain and truly divine. What- ever religion we embrace, if the religion it- felf be not of God, our embracing it will lignify nothing, as being not of God nei- ther; but the chriftian religion being of God's appointment, our being of this religion, /. e. our being in Chrift, muft be of God. 2dly, It is of God, that men are in Chrift Jefus, in that he defigned, and pur- pofed from the beginning, to call them to fal- vation by faith in Chrift. It is plain from the old Teftament, that the Meffiah was promifed to the jfaw 5 and it is certain* that it Of being, by God, in Christ. 2-3 it was of God, that any of them were in Serm. Chrift. And as to the Gentiles, whom XIII. the apoftle here chiefly intends, who were the greater part of this church at Corinth^ and whofe equality with them under the gofpel, the Jews commonly cavilled at ; as to fome of them, } fay, it is alfo certain, that God defigned, from the beginning of the world to call them to the faith of Chrift. Of this there are fome obfeure hints in the old Teftament, which, indeed, made it not fo plain, but that it was juftly efteemed a myftery, till the time of the gofpel, the re- velation whereof to him the apoftle fo much glories in : For it was then fo plainly reveal- ed, that God had all along a defign to call the Gentiles to be his people, by faith in Chrift Jefus, that the apoftle very frequent- ly, in lofty and glorious expreflions, extols this wonderful grace. Particularly, 2 Tim. i. 9. Who hath faved us, and called us with an holy calling, not accordi?ig to cur works, but according to his own purpofe and grace, which was given us in Chrift Jefus, before the world began, the whole chri- ftian religion is of God -y it was the divine purpofe, that they, with other Gentiles, fhould be called to the faith of Chrift 5 and it was owing to the divine power and operation ac- companying the gofpel, that they were pre- vailed on to embrace it. III. I come now to fpeak a little to the bleffings of the gofpel, as they are here rela- ted by the apoftle, when he fays, 'who of God is made unto us, i. e. us chriftians, us believers, us who are in Chrift Jefus, wif- dom> and righteoufnefs> and fanttijication, and redemption. Of thefe I fhall briefly treat in their order. 1/?, The Of being, by God, in Christ. 277 ifty The firft bleffing, which the apoftle Ser m. mentions, which we have by Chrift under XIII. the gofpel, is wifdo?n, i. e. he, by the dif- coveries, which he has made, and the in- ftructions he has given in the gofpel, teaches men the trueft and bed wifdom : Which will appear, if we confider the excellent know- ledge, that the gofpel of Chrift conveys to us; for the gofpel may be coniidered, as contain- ing a clear revelation of the prophecies con- cerning the Meffias, and his kingdom, a full declaration of the will of God, with refpedt to what he requires of us, and a difcovery of the higheft happinefs, together with the means, whereby we may come at the en- joyment of it. They who are in Chrift, may have the knowledge of thofe things from the gofpel, which if we confider, we fhall fee, how Chrift is indeed made wif- dom to fuch. — 1. The prophecies of the old Teftament relating to the Meffias, were by the gofpel, opened and explained. Many prophecies were from time to time delivered concerning the Meffias, his coming, and what he was to do on earth, the greatnefs and bleflings of his kingdom, the extent of his government, and the like ; which were, indeed, fufficient to make thofe earneftly expert him, to whom thefe prophecies were committed, but gave little or no hope to the greater part of mankind, and were delivered in terms fo obfeure and difficult to be under - T 3 flood 8 278 Of being, by God, in Christ. Serm. flood, as that thofe who had them, could XIII. form but very dark and uncertain notions of what was contained in them, till their com- pletion at the Median's coming. Then, in- deed, they who thought not of any fuch thing, could fee plainly, that Chrift ought to have fufFered, and to have rifen from the dead on the third day ; they who dreamt of temporal and worldly advantages under the Mefiiah's government, were made feniible that his kingdom was not of this world, but that the adminiftration of it, and the privi- leges and bleffings, that belonged to it, were altogether fpiritual : Then, they who before imagined that the benefits of his kingdom fhould be confined to the nation of the Jetcs, or at lead, that they were chiefly to be en- joyed by them, were made to underftand, that the Gentiles were to have not only a fhare, but an equal part with the Jeivs therein. Such glorious things were Signi- fied in the predictions relating to the Mef- fias, that many prophets, and righteous men, and kin^s, defired to fee and hear them. The things contained in the myflerious pro- phecies of the old Teftament, were fo ex- cellent, that the apoftle calls them the wif- dem of God, which under the gofpel was manifefted to them, and by them to the world, 1 Cor. ii. 7, &c. We /peak the wif~ dom of God in a mxftcry, even the hidden wif- . ich God ordained before the world, un- to Of being, by God, in Christ. 279 to our glory : Which none of the princes ofSERM. this world knew -, for had they known it, XIII. they would not have crucified the Lord of glo- ry. But as it is written, Rye hath not nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath pre- pared for them that love him ; but God hath revealed them unto us by his fpirit. And the myflery of the calling of the Gentiles to be God's people, through faith in the Meffias, which, in other ages, was not made known unto the fons of men, the apoftle particu- larly glories in, as being revealed to them, and by them made known to all nations. — 2dly, We may alfo confider the gofpel of Chrift, as containing a full and clear declara- tion of the will of God, with regard to what he requires of us ; and the knowledge of the divine will in this refpedt, is certainly to be efteemed moft excellent. The perfection of our nature confifts in our conformity to the divine will, which makes us, as it were, like God -, and the more of this will we know, the more certainly we may become like to our Creator ; but nothing can give us fo ex- adl a knowledge of this will of God, as the gofpel of Chrift, wherein a full difcovery of it is made. The Gentiles had only the light of nature, which was divers ways very much obfcured, to lead them to the knowledge of the divine will ; and the revelation of God's will to the Jews, was defigned to be fub- T a. fervient 280 Of being, by God, in Christ. Srrm. fervient to the introduction of a more clear XIII. and full revelation of it by the gofpel, where- in the whole counfel of God is contained. For therein, whatever it is hiswill we fhould believe and practice, is difcovered to us. The will of God with regard to our faith, or what we ought to believe, is fo clearly expreffed in the gofpel, that if men would but come to it with an unprejudiced mind, they could not mifs of it. And as to our converfation and pra&ice, it is certain, that by the gofpel of Chrift, we may be thorough- ly furnifhed unto all good works. The gof- pel teaches us to worfhip God in fpirit and in truth ; to love our neighbour as ourfelves, and by what ads we mould difcover this love; to govern ourfelves, in all refpecls as we ought, and, finally, to maintain a converfation eve- ry way agreeable to the divine will, to deny all ungodlinefs and worldly lujls. The gofpel teaches us, that the wifdom which is from above , isfirfl pure, then peaceable, gentle, and eafy to be entreated, — idly, We may conflder the gofpel under this view alfo, viz, as con- taining a difcovery of the higheft happinefs, and giving us all proper directions, with re- gard to the means, whereby we may come to the enjoyment of it. He is certainly a wife man, who propofes to himfelf a good end, and makes ufe of fuitable methods to attain it : This wifdom, in the higheft de- gree, the gofpel of Chrift teaches -, whilft it lets Of being, by God, in Christ. 281 fets before us no lefs than eternal life, a blefs- Se r m. ed immortality, a crown of glory, and an XIII. everlafting inheritance \ and teaches us to be- lieve in him, and to repent of our fins, and to follow after righteoufnefs, in order to obtain it. Our Saviour has not only declar- ed to us the will of God with refpecl: to our duty, but has made known to us his will with refpecl: to our happinefs -, and by him faith and a holy converfation is declared to be the way to come at the enjoyment of it ; which he has not only defcribed plainly in the gofpel, but has given us all proper mo- tives to ftir us up to it ; has warned us of the danger of temptation, and taught us to ufe diligence and circumfpection in order to e- fcape it. Finally He has admonifhed us to avoid all fin, which is followed with mifery and death, and to follow after holinefs, the end whereof will be everlafting life. Thus are we made wife unto falvation thro' faith which is in Chrift Jefus, or by the chriftian religion -y and fo have I (hewn you how Chrifi is made to us wifdom -, and he is made fo to men in thefe refpe&s, by his teaching and preaching whilft he was on the earth, by giving his holy fpirit to the apoftles, to bring all things to their remembrance which he had faid unto them, and by fending them forth to preach the gofpel to all the world. 2d7v, The fecond blefling mentioned by the apoftle which we have by Chrift under the gofpel, is righteoufnefs ; Chri/i is made unto 282 Of being, by God, in Christ, Serm. unto us right eoufnefs. Whereby indeed may XIII. be meant, that we are made righteous by *• — /— ^ Chrift, or reduced to the practice of righ- teoufnefs ; feeing the gofpel contains the moft perfect rule of righteoufnefs, requires us fin- cerely to follow it, and gives us all neceftary affiftance therein. But I rather take righ- teoufnefs here to fignify that juftification Which is frequently mentioned in fcripture, whereby the divine grace or favour abfolves men, who fincerely embrace the gofpel, and perfevere in the faith of Chrift, from the guilt of their tranfgreffion, and treats them as if they were perfectly righteous per- fons. The apoftle tells us, 'that all have fin- ned, and come foort of the glory of God: As all were finners, fo all had forfeited eternal life, and were liable to everlafting death , and confequently, whatever they afterwards did, yet, being finners, they muft flill re- main liable to death, and could not, by their own works, procure life eternal for them- felves. True indeed, we all die in Adam, as the apoftle fpeaks ; but befides this, we have all deferved death by our own tranf- greffions ; we are all finners, and if ever we are juftified, it muft be of the divine grace or favour. And thus it hath pleafed God to appoint a righteoufnefs, or method of juf- tification for us in the gofpel, even that which is by faith in Chrifl. The Gentiles, tho' they Were never under the law of Mofes, yet were all Of being, by G o d, in Christ. 2 3 3 all under fin j and tho' the Jews had theSERM. law, yet it was plain, that by the deeds of the XIII. law 770 flefo could be jnftijied in ike fight of' God ; but now, as the apoftle fays, the r teoufnefs of God without the laiv is man felted, being witnefjed by the law and the prophets ; even the righteoufnefe of God, which is by faith of J ejus Chrift, unto all, and upon ad them that believe ; for there is no difference ; for ail have fumed, and come jhort of the glory of God. Being Jujlified freely by his grace, thro the redemption that is in J ejus Chriji, Rom. iii. 21, &c. In this justification our fins are forgiven, and our tranfgreffions pardoned; nay, this j unification confifleth in the re- miffion of our fins ; as, Rom. iv. 6, 7, 8. even as David alfo defcribeth the bleffed- nefs of the man unto whom God imput- eth righteoufnefs without works, faying, Bleffed are they whofe iniquities are forgiven^ and whofe fins are covered ; blefjed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute fn. And they who are thus juftified, are entitled to eternal life, or a bleffed immortality, as if they were perfectly righteous perfons, Tit. iii. 7. That being juftified by his grace, we Jljould be made heirs, according to the hope of eternal life. This j unification we obtain by the death ofChrift, who offered himfelf a fa- crifice for fin ; he was made Jin, i. e, a fin- offering for us, that we might be made the righteoufnefs of God in him. And all who fincerely 284 Of being, by God, in Christ. Serm. fincerely believe in Chrift, or embrace the XIII. gofpel, are thus juftified. And thus is Chrift made to us righteoufnefs. ^dly, Another bleffing we receive by the gofpel of Chrift, is fanctification , Chrijl is made unto us fandlificatibn. This word fig- nifies a fetting apart, or feparating from com- mon ufe, and devoting to God : And by this expreflion may be meant, that by Chrift we are fet apart to be the people of God. Thus the apoftle, fpeaking of thefe chriftians at Corinth ', fays, To them that are janffified hi Chriji J ejus, called to be faints, ift Epift. i. 2. And thus the apoftle Peter fpeaks, ift Epifl. \u 9. Ye are a chofen generation, a roy- al priefthood, an holy nation y a pecidiar people. Before our Saviour's coming, the Jews only were bleffed with this privilege of being the people of God ; but under the gofpel the Gentiles were to be made equal with them in this privilege, they were to be fellow heirs, and of the fame body, and partakers of the promife of God in Chrift y and thus the a- poftle tells them, that they are no more gran- gers and foreigners, but fellow- citizens with the faints, and of the houfhold of God, Eph. ii. 19. And tho' before Chrift's coming the foundation of this privilege to the Jews, and that which diftinguifhed them from others of God's people, was their voluntary fubjection to the law of Mofes ; now, under the gofpel, both Jews and Gentiles become God's people no Of being, by God, in Christ. 285 no otherwife than by faith in Chrift -, thisSERM. only is the ground of this privilege now, and XIII. by this only we are entitled to this high cha- racter, We are all the children of God by faith in Chrift Jefus. Thofe among the Jeii and they, who were unbelieving, were re- jected from being his people ; and this privi- lege the Gentiles only enjoyed by faith. But, 2dly, Seeing we are fet apart to God, with a defign that we fhould lead holy and pious lives, therefore by fandification is often fig- nified a holy and righteous converfation ; and Chrift may be faid to bejnade to us fanffift ration, as he leads us to the practice of holinefs and righteoufnefs, which he does by his word and by his fpirit. And the gofpel of Chrift leads us to holinefs, as therein his pure and holy example is propofed to us, holy pre- cepts and commands are enjoined us, holy exhortations, admonitions and inftru&ions are given us, the threatenings of it deter us from a vicious praclice, and all manner of encouragement to a holy converfation are therein fet before us 3 and our Saviour fan&i- fies us by his fpirit, in that he fends it to us, to difpofe us to piety, and to affift us in the practice of holinefs ; to influence and purify our minds, and to excite us to the fincere performance of every duty. Thus is Chrift made to us fanSfiJi 'cation. tfhly, 286 Of being, by G o d, in C h r i s t. Serm. 4*%, The laft benefit mentioned by the XIII. apoftle which we have by Chrift under the gofpel, is redemption ; he is made to us re- demption. Now, Chrift is our Redeemer, in delivering us, i. From a finful flate. 2. From a flate of mifery and death, the confe- quence and defert of fin.— 1/?, Jefus Chrift delivers men from a iinful flate. This I have already fpoke fomething to under the head of fanclification ; and it is what the a- poftle exprefles, Tit. ii. 14. Who gave him- f elf for us, thai he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himfelf a peculiar people zealous of good works. Thus the a- poftle Peter fpeaks of being redeemed from a vain confer fat ion, ift Epift. i. 18. Redemp- tion in this fenfe, viz. from a finful ftate, is certainly true of all us fincere chriftians, but is moft eminently feen in the deliverance of thofe who firft embraced chriftianity, efpe- cially the Gentiles, from their finful courfe ; for the Gentiles were dead in trefpaffes and fins, walking according to the courfe of this world ; but Chrift delivered them from the prefent evil world, viz. from the wicked caftoms and corrupt manners of the world, and from all ungodly commerce with it, and fo redeemed them from their vain converfa- tion. This alfo implies deliverance from the power and dominion of fatan. They were before led captive by him at his will, but were now recovered out of his fnare, and by the faith of Chrift had overcome him. 2dly, Chrift Of being, by God, in Christ. 2S7 Chrift redeems us from mifery and death, S r, the confequence and de_ert of fin. This re- XIII. dernption is not indeed accomplished in this world, but will be in that which is to come. Sin has fubjecled us to man}7 calamities and afflictions, and even to death itfelf; but they who (incerely believe in Chrift, and obey the gofpel, tho' they die, (hall not die for ever, .death will not hold them always, but whilft the wicked rife again to be condemned to the fecond death, they will rife again in glory to a happy immortality ; when death jhall be /wallowed up in victory, and they fhall fay, O death, where is thy jling ? O grave, where is thy viclory? This is what the apoftle means, when he fays, We groan within our fives wait- ing for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of cur body, Rom. viii. 23. when the faints fhall be perfectly delivered from all the ca- lamities, miferies, afflictions and inconveni- encies of this mortal (late, and (hall be en- tirely happy in the fruition of the heavenly glory for ever. Thus have I briefly (hewn how Chrift was made to thofe, with other chriftians, wif» dom, in oppofition to the wifdom of the world, which the falfe apoftle made fo much of ; righteoufnefs, in oppofition to the righ- teoufnefs which is of the law, which the jfews vainly fought to be juftiried by ; fancii- fi cation, in oppofition again to the Jews, who thought they were to continue the people of God on the old foundation, viz. the obfer- varj 288 Of being, by God, in Christ. SERM.vance of Mofess law, and that the Gentiles XIII. could not be the people of God, without fubmitting to this law, (for, as it feems, this falfe apoftle was a Jew.) And, lajily, re- demption, in delivering them from a ftate of fin and death ; whereas the redemption or de- liverance of the Jews was a temporal and worldly redemption. Let us now make a few reflections on what has been faid, and fo conclude. i. Hereby we may fee the excellency of the gofpel, or of the chriftian religion. For thefe ineftimable bleflings we have been treat- ing of, are all conveyed to us by the gofpel. The gofpel of Chrift furniflies us with ex- cellent, folid and ufeful knowledge, with the beit difcoveries, with the trueft wifdom , is able to make us wife unto falvation ; it brings us to a righteoufnefs of God's appointment, whereby we may be juftified -, by it 'we have the privilege of becoming God's people, and are made partakers of eternal redemption j and what greater bleflings can there be than thefe ? 2. Let us glory in God only. This is cer- tainly moft reafonable, for it is of him that we are in Chrift, and it is of him that Chrift is made all this to us. Let us not therefore be like fome among thefe Corinthians , who were apt to glory in men : This advice the apoftle gives, Cor. iii. 21. Therefore let no man glory in men ; but let him that gloriethy glory in the Lord. Cor. i. 31. Let us glory in Of being, by God, in Christ. 289 in God, thro' our Lord J ejus Chrift, /5ySERM. whom we have now received the attornment ; XIII. and let us give thanks to God, and blefs and u^-v—^ praife his name, for this his wonderful grace. 3. To f conclude, hereby we fee what kind of life is required of us. Doubtlefs we ought to lead a life agreeable to that difpen- fation by which we receive fo great bleffings : And as 'tis plain, from the bleffings we have been treating of, that nothing but holinefs and righteoufnefs is agreeable to the gofpel, fo we ought to live a holy and pious life. Let us therefore adt agreeable to the wifdom that our blefTed Saviour teaches, and do whatfo- ever God commands. As God is pleafed to juftify us by his grace, let us not be fo un- grateful and wicked as to continue in fin, but let us make it our bufinefs to follow after righteoufnefs. As we are the people of God by faith in Chrift, let us walk agreeable to this character 5 let us be holy in all manner of converfation. And, finally, as we are re- deemed by the blood of Chrift, let us take care that we return not to a finful courfe ; but let us perfevere in the faith of Chrift, and maintain a holy life, that fo we may e- fcape the punifhment of the wicked, and may obtain the falvation which is in Chrift Jefus, with eternal glory. U SER- SERMON XIV. Christ the Light of the World. John viii. 12. Then fpake fefus again unto them, 'faying, I am the light of the world: He that follow- eth me, fiall not walk in darknefs, butjl:all have the light of life. Serm. /^\UR bleffed Saviour was now at Je- XIV. V^/ rufalem, it being the feaft of taber- nacles. We read of his going thither out of Galilee, in the 10th verfe of die prececding chapter -, But when his brethren were gone up, then went he alfo up unto the feaft, not open/v, but as it were in jeer et. But tho' he went up thus privately, it was not long before he dis- covered himfelf in carrying on that great work he came into the world about, viz, teaching and inftrudling mankind ; for, ver. 14. it is faid, Now about the mid/l of the feaft, Jefus went up into the temple, and taught. This enraged the priefts and pharifees, as it always did, they being unwilling to have the people Christ the Light of the World 291 people brought off from that fuperftition S e R m. which produced fo much gain to them, and XIV. fo they fent officers to take him -, notwith- ftanding which, in the laft day, that great day of the feaft, fo called becaufe of the great folemnity of it, it being the cuftom for the Jews then to compafs the altar feven times with branches in their hands, and with great pomp, to bring water from the fountain of Si bah into the temple, finging thefe words of the prophet Ijaiah, With joy jhall ye draw water from the wells of fahation. On that day, Jefus taking occafion from this ceremo- ny, flood and cried \ fayingi If any man thirfl, let him come unto me and drink. He that bc- lieveth on me, as the fcripture hath /aid, out of his belly jhall flow rivers of living water. The Evangelifl, in the following verfe, ver. 39. informs us, that he /pake thus of the fpi- rit, which they that believed on him Jhould re- ceive -, for the Holy Ghojl, fays he, i. e. the extraordinary effufion of it, was not yet given, becaufe that fejus was not yet glorified. Our Saviour continuing thus to teach till night drew on, retired then to the mount pf Olives ; And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him -> and he fat down and taught them again 5 as in the 1 ft and 2d verfes of this 8th chapter. But the fcribes and pharifees, who always ftudied to interrupt him in this divine work, and to draw him into fnares, that they might U 2 have Christ the Light of the World. have whereof to accufe him, and render him unacceptable to the people, whofe falvation he was endeavouring to promote, whilft he was thus intent upon instructing thofe that came about him, brought to him a woman taken in adultery, and telling him, that Mofes in the law commanded them that fu'ch mould be ftoned, afked him, What he faid to it ? This they /aid, fays the Evangelift, tempting him, that they might have to accufe him. But he behaved himielf in fuch a manner, as that he foon fham'd and got rid of thofe trouble- fome and ill-defigning men. And having got over this interruption, he fell again to his work of teaching the people, as wre are informed in our text. Then fpake Jefus a- gain unto them, faying, I am the light of the world ; he that follow eth me, f:all not "walk in darknefs, but foall have the light of life. Our Saviour is often fpoken of under the character of light, efpecially in this gofpel of St. John. Thus, chap. i. 9. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that Com- eth into the world ; or, which coming into the world lighteth every man. That was the true light, i. e. Chrift was the light by way of eminence, in the higheft and moft excellent fenfe ; otherwife, John the Baptift is called a burning, and a fhining light -, and our Sa- viour tells his difciples, they are the light of the world. But the light which John the Baptift communicated to men by his preach- ing, Christ the Light of the World. 293 ing, was far inferior to that which our Lord'sSERM. difcourfes and doctrine imported, and the a- XIV, poftles received all the light they imparted to <— ■% — ! the world from Chrift himfelf: So that he was the true light, as being fo in an eminent and exalted fenfe. And thus our Saviour fpeaks of himfelf, chap. ix. 5. As long as I am in the worlds I am the light of the world. And, chap. xii. 46. very agreeable to the words of our text, Jam come a light into the world, that whofoever believeth on me> jhould not abide in darknefs. And truly it is with the higheft reafon he afllimes this character to himfelf, if we confider his moft excellent doctrine, and perfect example, whereby men have their understandings enlightened, have every thing that is neceffary for them to know, fet in its true light, and are directed how to act, in order to the obtaining the moft valuable end, which his gofpel alfo fets before them. Let us therefore, according to the words of our text, I. Confider more particularly in what re- flects Chrift is the light of the world : 1 am the light of the world. II. The benefit and advantage accruing to his fincere followers thereby : He that followeth me Jhall not walk in darknefs, out fall have the light of life. U 3 1. In 294 Christ the Light of the World. Serm. I. In what refpefts is Chrift the light of XIV. the world ? God lent him into the world for that purpofe, and how did he anfwer the defign of his million ? I/?, Jefus Chrift is truly the light of the world, in that he hath plainly difcovered and declared to men how they, being finners, and under the difpleafure of God, may be deli- vered out of that unhappy ftate, and reftored to the divine favour and acceptance. This is a thing of the utm-oft importance for us to know, as the fen fe of the divine difpleafure carries in it the greater!: mifery, and the fa- vour, acceptance, and approbation of our Maker fuppofes the higheft happinefs. In his favour is life, and his loving-kindnefs is better than life 5 and without his favour we can never be happy, but muft be in a moft dreadful and rniferable condition. Therefore nothing is more neceffary, nothing can be more grateful and pleafing to us, if we have a right judgment and apprehenfion of things, than to know, and be thoroughly affured how we may regain the divine favour and accept- ance, which we have forfeited by our fins, If men indeed had never finned, they would never have reafon to doubt of the divine fa- vour, but might be certain, fo long as they did nothing but what was well-pleafing to God, that he would continue favourable and propitious to them -, but as they have all Jin- ned, and come Jhort of the glory of God, the way Christ the Light of the World. 295 way of being reftored to his favour is not of Serm. itfelf fo plain and certain, as to admit of no XIV. doubt or queftion. It is certain that, in fuch u->^-j! a cafe, the light of nature would fugged the mod probable v/ay of being reftored to the divine acceptance would be by repen- tance and a fincere reformation : But that the light of nature was not altogether fatisfactory upon this point, may poftibly be concluded from the various facrifices and ceremonies a- mong the heathen, whereby they endeavour- ed to appeafc their offended deities. Befides, a perfon may have fome reafon to fay with himfelf, How do I know whether it be con* fiftent with the honour of God, which, as lawgiver and governor of the world he is con- cerned to preferve, with the ends of his moft wife government, and the good of the vari- ous orders of beings under him, to pardon my wilful and repeated breach of his laws, tho' upon the moft fincere repentance ? I am indeed perfuaded, that his nature is kind and good ; but how can I be perfectly affured, without all doubt or fcruple, that it is con- fident with his other perfections, particular- ly the relation he ftands in to his creatures, as lawgiver and governour, to accept of my repentance ? And if it be not confident with all his perfections, it is confident with none, forafmuch as they all perfectly harmonize. Now Jefus Chrift, in the gofpel, has diffi- dently delivered us from all doubts of this U 4 nature ; 296 Christ the Light of the World. Serm* nature; for therein we are plainly taught, XIV. that repentance is the fure way of being re- ftored to the divine favour, and having our fins forgiven, are hereupon called, encouraged and excited to repentance, and informed wherein it truly confifts, and are fully allur- ed that God will accept of it, not abfolute- ly, but upon the account of the death and facrifice of his own dear Son, who died for our fins, and gave his life a ranfom for us ; fo that, as none can be pardoned and faved without repentance, fo neither are we par- doned and faved wholly upon the account of it, but with regard had to Jefus Chrift, who is the propitiation for our tins : And accord- ingly it was ordered in the divine wifdom, that repentance and remiffion of fins fhould be preached in his name among all nations. And this method of forgivenefs, and being reftored to the divine favour and acceptance, which is declared in the gofpel of Chrift, does moft effectually exclude all doubts and fcruples about the certainty of fuch forgive- nefs and acceptance ; fince hereby the ho- nour of God, as governour of the world, is as well preferved, and his laws as effectually fecured from contempt, and the ends of the divine government as well anfwered, as if the offenders themfelves had fuffered the pu- nifhment of their own tranfgreffions. Thus then Jefus Chrift is truly the light of the world) inafmuch as he has difcovered and declared Christ the Light of the World. 297 declared to finful men, in the gofpel, theSERM. certain way of their being reftored to fo de- XiV. iirable and neceffary a bleiling as the divine favour, acceptance and approbation; and has afforded to us therein all fuitable means, ad- vantages and affiftances, in order to our re- pentance and reconciliation with God. 2(il)\ Jelus Chrift is the light of the world, in declaring to us the whole will of God, with refpect to our duty, delivering to us fuch excellent rules and directions for our whole conduct, and fliewing us how to be- have and act in every refpect, in every ca- pacity, relation and condition. The light of nature might, indeed, have inftructed men in the feveral parts of their duty, and God gave them their reafon for that purpofe ; and yet it mufl be acknowledged, that our rea- fon is very liable to be perverted, and the light of nature very much obfeured, through paffion or prejudice, through a courfe of vice, the prevalency of bad cuftom, or the ftrength of evil habits. And this was truly the cafe of almoft all mankind, before the glorious gofpel of Chrift appeared amongft them. And as to any particular revelations that God be- fore made to any part of mankind, they were very imperfect and deficient in this refpect, and came vaftly flhort of that real piety, true righteoufnefs and univerfal goodnefs, that is recommended, in the preaching of our Sa- viour and his apoftles. In the gofpel, we are 2()$ Christ the Light of the World. Serm. are perfectly taught how we ought to walk XIV. and to pleafe God ; by this rnoft excellent revelation we are thoroughly furnifhed unto all good works. Jefus Chrift has declared to us every thing, that becomes us as ra- tional creatures, all the duties we owe to God, ourfelves, and 'our neighbours, has taught us to live foberly, righteoujly and god- ly in the world ; to be good and kind, and merciful, and charitable • has fet all the parts of virtue, all the duties of morality in their proper light, and recommended them with the utmoft advantage. By his gofpel we may plainly fee every thing that ought to be avoided by us, what is difpleafing to God, and unbecoming our rational make ; and therein, every thing that is agreeable to the divine will, to the dictates of right reafon, and to the feveral relations we ftand in, is plainly and clearly expreffed, and after the mod: fuitablc manner enforced and recom- mended. And our Saviour is the light of the world in this refpedt, not only by his heavenly and divine doctrine, but by his pure and fpotlefs example, which was perfectly free from all vice and diforder, and in which the higheft piety, the greateft goodnefs, and all the parts of the mod confummate virtue, did mod plainly and confpicuoufly appear. 3^/y, Jefus Chrift is the light of the world, inafmuch as he has revealed to them the glorious reward of eternal life, to be beftow- ed Christ the Light of the World. 299 ed on all thofe who fincerely love and obeySERM. God. A future (late, in general, may very XIV. probably be concluded from reafon, though not certainly known ; but the nature, man- ner and duration of this ftate, were much more uncertain. Hence though the heathen had fome notion of fuch a ftate, yet they were generally very wild in their conceits about it, and had very grofs apprehenfions concerning it. And the notices of a life to come, in the old Teftament, are very rare and obfcure. But the revelation of Jefus Chrift is full of the promifes and affurances of it, plainly declares, that it will be ever- lafting, and, in great meafure, informs us of the nature and manner of it, and the means of bringing it about, namely, by a refur- redlion, which is one of the principal arti- cles of the doctrine of Chrift, and very much infifted en through the whole gofpel. Thus our Lord Jefus Chrift has brought life and immortality to light through the gofpel, 2 Tim. i. 10. And to encourage us to repent, and perfift in a holy and righteous converfation, he has given to us the exceeding great and precious promifes of eternal glory and never- ending felicity. He has told us, That the righteous flo all enter into life eternal, fall come forth out of their graves, unto the refurre£lio?i of life, floall Jhine as the fun in the kingdom of their father, and fhall poffefs the glories and joys, and delights of heaven for ever. His 300 Christ the Light of the World. Serm.His gofpel informs us, of an iiiheritance that XIV. is incorruptible and undefiled, and fadeth not away, which is referved in heaven for his fincere followers, and that they who by pa- tient continuance in well doing, feek for glory , honour, and immortality, fhall receive the reward of everlafting life, and obtain eternal glory, honour and peace. In this blifsful ftate, the holy fcriptures acquaint us, we fhall enjoy the continued favour and glorious pre- fence of the Almighty; fhall be with Chrift, where he is, and fhall behold his glory -y fhall fee him as he is, and be like unto him, in happinefs, in immortality, and in glory, hav- ing our vile bodies changed and made like unto his glorious fyody. And this glorious and everlafting ftate is not only promifed and exprefly declared in the gofpel by Chrift and his apoftles, but he has given us the utmoft affurance of it in his own moft glorious re- furrettion from the dead, and afcenfion into heaven ; bleffed therefore, for ever blejfed, be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrifly who according to his abundant mercy, has be- gotten us again unto a lively hope, by the re- furreBion of Jefus Chrift from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, referved in heaven for us. Thus have we feen how and in what refpefts Chrift is the light of the world. And come now, II. To Christ the Light of the World. 301 II. To confider the great benefit and ad- Serm. vantage accruing to his fincere followers XIV. thereby. The things wherein Chrift light to the world, as they have been confi- dered by us, are certainly moft ufeful and advantageous -, they therefore, who fincerely follow him, muft find the benefit and advan- tage of them. The advantage that they receive from Cbrift's being the light of the world, is expreffed in thefe words ; He that follow- eth me, fliall not walk in darknefs, but Jhall have the light of life. To follow Chrift here, muft certainly fignify more than a bare local following of him ; for many who fo follow- ed him, did it more out of regard to their bellies, than to any thing elfe, becaufe they eat of the loaves and were filled, as we read, John vi. 26. But he who follows Chrift here, is fuch an one as has a fincere regard to what Chrift, who is the light of the world, teaches; who believes in him and obeys his doctrine, is one of his fheep, one of his fincere dif- ciples. Now fuch an one as this, flail not walk in darknefs, but flail have the light of life. Darknefs, as it is ufed metaphorical- ly, has feveral fignifications in fcripture. It fometimes fignifies great affliction, diftrefs and perplexity, as light is ufed for comfort and a profperous ftate of affairs, Ifai. 1. 10. Who is a?ncng you that fear eth the Lord, that obey eth the voice of his fervant, that walkeih in darknefs and hath no light ? let him tn<(l % in 302 Christ the Light of the World. Serm,/« the name of the Lord, and fax upon his XIV. God. And, Lam. iii. i, 2, I am the man that hath feen affliction by the rod of his wrath : He hath led me and brought me into darknefs, but not into light. Now though thofe who follow Chrift, are not exempted from out- ward afflictions and calamities, yet upon the divine and heavenly precepts of the gofpel, they may very well furmount all anxiety, trouble and perplexity of mind, and may enjoy comfort, peace and fatisfaction in the midft of their worldly troubles, J oh. xvi. 33. Thefe things have I fpoken unto you, fays our blelTed Saviour to his difciples, that in me ye might have peace ; in the world ye fhall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have over- come the world. Darknefs is alfo frequently ufed for a ftate of ignorance ; and certainly they who follow Chrift as they ought, who come to the light which mines in his word, and attend to fo heavenly and divine an in- ftrudtor, cannot be ignorant of any thing that is either neceffary or proper for them to know. Though they were fometimes darknefs, they are now light in the Lord. They cannot be ignorant of their duty, nor of the terms of the divine acceptance, nor of the rewards of the future life, which are neceffary to carry them on in the way of righteoufnefs and obedience. But, in the lad: place, dark- nefs is very often ufed for fin and vice, prac- tifed in a ftate of ignorance, and walking in darknefs, Christ the Light of the World. 303 darknefs, moft commonly lignifies following Skrm, and living in fuch finful and vicious pra&i- XIV. ces. Thus, 1 Jo/mi. 6. If we fay that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darh- tiejs, we lie, and do not the truth. It follows, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowjhip one with another ^ and the blood of J ejus Chrifi his Son, cleanfeth us from all Jin. So in Prov. ii. 13, 14, 15. Who leave the paths of upright nefs, to walk in the ways of darhufs ; who rejoice to do evil> and delight in the jrowardnefs of the wicked ; whofe ways are crooked, a) id they froward in their paths. Accordingly, when our Saviour fays, he that followeth me, fall not walk in darknefs, his meaning feems to be, he that has a due regard to my doctrine, mail not live in the practice of vice, fhall not fol- low finful and unlawful courfes. Chrift's doctrine is quite contrary to fuch things ; confequently, they who adhere to it, will e- fcape them, and vvhilft they continue to ad- here to it, will not be overcome by them. Our Saviour adds, but fall have the light of life \ he that followeth me fall not walk in darknefs, but fall have the light of life. A- greeable to this phrafe, St. John fays, chap. i. 4. In him was life, and the life was the light of men ; whereby they had the knowledge of this life eternal, and were directed in the way that leads to it. Now they who fol- low Chrift, fall have the light of life, u e. lfti While they faithfully adhere to, and obey 3C4 Christ the Light of the World. SERM.obey his dodtrine, they fhall fafely go on XIV. in the way that leads to life ; and, zdly\ They who follow Chrift fiall have the light of life, i. e. have the comfortable and delight- ful hopes and profped: of this bleffed and glorious life. They fhall be able to rejoice in hope of the glory of God, and may know that when their earthly houfe of this taberna- cle is dijfblved, they have a building of Gody a houfe not made with hajids^ eternal in the hea- vens -, and that when Chri/l, who is their life jhall appear •, they fhall then alfo appear with with him in glory. They who obey Chrift may be certain, that they fhall be glorified with him; and being like him in holinefs here, that they fhall be like him in an im- mortal life, in never-ending glory and felici- ty in the world to come, when they fhall fee him as he is, and behold his glory. Thus Chrift being the light of the world, they that follow him, who obey his dodtrine, and conform to his example, pall not walk in darknefs, but Jhall have the light of life. Let us now conclude with a reflection or two on what has been faid. 1. Hereby we fee the excellency of the gofpel, or of the chriftian difpenfation, which has fo excellent a teacher and inftrudlor for its author, and is attended with fo good and happy effects. Light we know, is one of the chief bleffings and comforts of life ; but light of the mind is far more valuable and Christ the Light of the World. 305 and excellent than that of the body, as theSERM. mind is more excellent than the • body : But XIVr. this fpiritual light, this light of the mind, is imparted to us through the gofpel, is com- municated to us from Chrift, the light of the world, from his heavenly doctrine and di- vine example. As light is moft pleaiant, fo darknefs is a moft uncomfortable and me- lancholy thing ; but bodily darknefs is no- thing to the darknefs of the mind, the darknefs of ignorance and vice ; and from this mod: unhappy ftate are we delivered by the glorious gofpel of Chrift. There is fitch an excellent light diffufed through the whole of it, that they who heartily em- brace it, and give themfelves up to the direction of it, and fo are the difciples and followers of Chrift, Jhall not walk in dark- nej}y but Jhall have the light of life. Je- fus Chrift in the gofpel, has called us to repentance, has laid down the moft ex- cellent rules and directions for a holy, righteous and pious life, and given us the higheft encouragements thereunto : And thus he has fhewn us, how we, who are finful creatures, may, through him, be re- ftored to the favour of God. how we may continue in his favour 5 and lias moft fully declared, that God's favour, to the iteous, is not confined to this world, but will be enjoyed by than in an ever- X 306 Christ the Light of the World. Sr rim. lading flate, which will make them ever- XIV. laftingly happy. How excellent then, how glorious a difpenfation muft that of the gofpcl be, which reveals and dilcovers fuch excellent things to us ? Let us, therefore; blefs God, who in granting us the gof- pcl, has bleffed us with all fpiritual blef- iings, who has called us out of clarknefs into this his marvellous light ; who has vouchsafed to fpeak to us by his Son, and by him to make known to us the riches of his grace, his good and acceptable, and perfect will, and whatever is neceffary to bring us to the enjoyment of eternal life, glory, and felicity. 2. Having this glorious light of the gof- pel by Jefus Chrift, Let us walk as chil- dren of light. The greater the light is which we enjoy, the greater will our con- irmtion be, if we a£t not agreeable to it. If, whilft the light of the gofpel mines upon us, we continue to walk in the ways of darknefs, and being captivated by vi- cious habirs, love darknefs rather than light , arid do not turn from it, by a hearty re- pentance, our cafe will be much worie than if we had never enjoyed the gofpel. This is the condMnationy lays our blefled Sa- viour, that light is cotne into the nmrld^ and loved d ther than Ug ht^ becdufe ~/r evih For every one that z Christ the Light of the World. 307 -doth evil, hateth the light, neither comet h /^Serm. the ligbty left his deeds Jhould be reproved. XIV. But he that doth the truth, come/h to the light, that his deeds may be made manifeft, that they are wrought in God, according to his mind and will, John iii. 19, 20, 21. Let us therefore, above all, endeavour to purge our hearts from the love of vice ; this wo rnufl of neceflity do, if we would receive any advantage from the glorious revelation of the gofpel. And this being done, let us always have recourfe to this light, that we may direct all our actions by it. Let us not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that we ??tay prove what is that good and- perfect, and acceptable will of God -, and, being fatisfied what this will is, let us heartily comply with it, catting oft all the works cf darknefs, and putting on the armour of light. Let us follow Chrift as his iheep, and faithfully adhere to his holy gofpel, and then we mall not walk in the ways of darknefs, but obeying his doftrine, and walking as he walked, (hall have the light of life, the glorious profpedt of life eternal, and of happinefs that will never end; and, finally, fliall, at lad:, be fecured from that ftate of everlafting darknefs, death, perdition, which fliall be the portion of all impenitent finners, and fliafl be eter- X 2 nallv 308 Christ the Light of the World. SERM.nally happy in a kingdom of perfect light XIV. and glory. Chriftian holinefs is the fure way to hap- pinefs, and the promife of eternal life and glory is annexed to fincere piety and righ- teoufnefs -, and Chrift's doctrine teaching and recommending this holinefs, piety and righteoufnefs, they who obey it, and adhere to it, i. e. who follow him, do certainly walk in the "way that Icadeth to life. SER- SERMON XV. Salvation wrought by the Grace of God. Titus, ii. n, 12. ' For the grace of God that bringeth fahation> hath appeared to all men, teaching us, that denying ungodlinefs and wordly lufls -, we jhoidd live foberly, righteoufy, and godly in this prefent world. THE main defign of the gofpel, orgERM( chriftian difpenfation, is to promote XV. holinefs and righteoufnefs, to recommend and enforce true practical religion, and to re- duce men to obedience to God, and the ex- ercife of their duty in every refpedl. Hence, as the gofpel reveals the moft wonderful and ftupendous grace and goodnefs of the divine Eeing towards us, his unworthy creatures -y fo, at the fame time, it calls us to the ferious con- fideration and fincere practice of our duty, ac- cording to every condition and circumfiance, X 3 and 310 Salvation wrought by SeRM. and the feveral relations we ftand in ; and con- XV. tains all the rules of a holy life and converfa- tion. All the moil excellent benefits of it are offered to us, and are to be enjoyed by us, only as we believe, and repent, and turn to God, and fincerely comply with his will. The grace and mercy of God, difplayed in this wonderful difpenfation, is propofed to us with a view to encourage us to a holy life ; and is made ufe of, in the gofpel, as a moft powerful and forceable argument and motive to fuch a converfation. This is the Tenure of the whole new Teftament, and it is with this view that the words of our text in par- ticular are introduced j as may be feen if we confider the foregoing .verfes. In the firft chapter the apoftle had given Titus an ac- count of the evil converfation, and corrupt dodrine of fome falfe teachers, who exceed- ingly troubled the churches of the Cretans, among whom he was left by the apoftle, that he might fet in order the things that were wanting, and ordain elders in every ci- ty : And in the following chapter he direds Titus how to teach and ad, in oppofition to thefe falfe teachers. In the firft verfe he gives him a general exhortation, But fpeak you the things which become found doclrine \ and in the following verfes he explains it, by applying it to the feveral ages and conditions of men, and fliews what he means by the things which become found doff rine : That the aged the Grace of God. 311 aged men be fiber, grave, temperate, found /)/Serm. faith, or in the faithful dilcharge of their du- XV. ty, in charity, in patience. The aged women ' — v— J likewife, that they be in behaviour as becometh holinefs, not falfe accufers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things -, that they ?nay teach the young women to be fiber, to love their hujbands> to love their children, to be difcreei, chafe, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own hujbands, that the word of God be ?70t blafphemed. Young men likewife exhort to be fiber-minded. In all things jkewing thy I elf a pattern of good works ; in doctrine JhewSng uncorruptnefs, gravity, fincerity, found fpeech, or good wholfome difcourfes, tending to pro- mote true piety and virtue, that cannot be condemned ; that he that is of the contrary f pi - rit may be ajhamed, having ?io evil thing to fay of you. Then he returns, Exhort fer- vanis to be obedient to their own mafcers, and to pleafe them well in all things -, not an fiver - i?ig again, ?wt purloining, but jkewing all good fidelity ; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things : Which la it words, that they may adorn, &c. or among all men, tho' they refer more immediately to the fervants fpoken of jail before, yet they may be underftood to refer to all thoie wiiofe duties the apofile had likewife reckoned up. And then, as a mod forcible argument, i the lincere practice of thefe and all other du- ties, he adds, in the words of the text, X4 312 Salvation wrought by S f, f m. the grace of God which bringethfalvation, hath XV. appeared to all men, teaching us, uschriftians, or believers in Chrift, that denying ungodli- nefs and worldly tufts, we ficuld live foberly, rigteoujly, and godly in this pre/hit world. In treating on which words, I mall con- fider, I. What we are to underftand by this grace of God. II. The character that is here given of it, it bringcth fahation. III. Its appearance. IV. How it appeared to all men. V. What it teaches. VI. How this appearance of the grace of God is an argument for our leading a holy and righteous life. VII. The happy confequence of our lead- ing fuch a life, according to the gofpel ; we may then look for that blefed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour J ejus Chrift. I. What are we to underftand in this place by the grace of God ? The grace of God fignifies his favour, love and mercy, his kind affection and good-will • and by it here, we are to underftand, either that grace and favour of God which is difcovered in the gof- pel, or, which comes to the lame thing,, the gofpel itfelf which reveals it. i. If the Grace of God, 313 1 . If we are to take the grace of God here Serm. in a proper fenfe, we are to underftand by it XV. that grace and favour in particular which he has difplayed in the gofpel, his grace in Chrift Jefus, that kind affection and good-will in the divine Being towards men which the gof- pel reveals. The favour of God is indeed ihewn to us, and to all his creatures in feve- ral refpedts ; his kindnefs and good-will to- wards us, is clearly {ttn in the good things of this life, which by his bounty we partake of, and in all the bleflings of his providence : But his love, and mercy, and kindnefs, which is difplayed to us in the gofpel thro' Chrift Jefus, furpaffes all the reft, is the greateft and mod wonderful ; and therefore may be, as it often is, by way of eminence called, the grace of God, or the farconr of God. But, 2. The grace of God in this place may, by a very eafy metonymy, fignify the gof- pel, in which this wonderful grace and fa- vour is revealed ; that gracious difpenfation which Chrift, by the appointment of his Fa- ther, is the author of. And in this fenfe we may underftand it, not only of that part of the gofpel which precifely reveals the grace and favour of God, but of the whole com- plex and conftitution of the gofpel, as, to- gether with the revelation of this grace, the manner of its conveyance, and the conditions to be performed on our part, in order to re- ceive benefit by it, and the like. All this together 314 Salvation wrought by Serm. together may very well be called the grace of XV. God, for this whole difpenfation is founded in his grace, has its rife from it, and is the effect of it. It is purely of the divine grace that, upon our believing, and repenting, we may par- take of the blefiings of the gofpel, and may have a fhare in the benefits of the divine fa- vour. Thus then, by the grace of God in this place, I rather think we are to under- ftand the whole difpenfation of the gofpel, which is the effect of the greateft grace and favour. Thus the gofpel is called in other places, particularly, 2 Cor. vi. 1. We then as workers together with him, befeech you alfo, that ye receive not the grace of God in vain -y i. e. that ye receive not the gofpel in vain ; which they do who perfift not in the belief and profeffion of it, or do not conform to what it requires. So, Heb. xii. 15. Looking diligently >, left any man fail of or fall from, the grace of 'God \ i. e. from the gofpel. Thus alfo it is called the word of his grace ; as, A5is xx. 32. A?id now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace. It is fometimes called grace abfolutely ; as, John i. 17. For the law was given by Mofes, but grace and truth came by fcjus Chrift, i.e. the gofpel, as appears by its being put in con- tradistinction to the law, and by the word truth, the gofpel being alfo frequently called the truth. It is alfo called the grace of Chrijl ; as, Gal. i. 6. I marvel that you are fo foon re- moved the Grace of God. 315 moved from him that called you to the grace ofS e r ;,i, Chrift, unto another gojpel. So then, by the XV. grace of God in our text, wc are to under- ftand the gofpel, or the covenant of grace in Chrift, which is called the grace of God, upon the account of his wonderful favour therein difplayed. II. We are next to confider the character that is here given of this grace of God, or the gofpel, it bringeth falvation ; the grace of God that bringeth fahation, i yjx^c, t£ 0gy n taAfcioi, the falutary, or falutiferous grace of God. The grace and favour of God reveal- ed in the gofpel very well deferves this title, forafmuch as that grace tends to our falva- tion, and is fhewn in faving us. And the gofpel itfelf may well be called falutiferous, forafmuch as it reveals and offers to us, and brings with it, to them that embrace it,* even the greateft deliverance and falvation. Thus the gofpel is called the word of falvation, Adts xiii. 26. To you is the word of this falvation fent > the gofpel of falvation, Eph. i. 13. After that ye heard the word of truth, the gofpel of your falvation ; and is laid to be the power of God unto falvation, Rom. i. j6. It is alio fometimes called falvation ; thus, by this word we are to underftand the gofpel, Acls xxviii. 28. Be it known therefore unto you, that the falvation of God is fent unto the Gen- tiles, and that they will hear it. And, Heb. ii. 3. How Jl:all we efcape if we negleB fo great 3i -6 Salvation wrought by Serm. great falvation, which at the Jirft began to be XV. jpokcn by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that hear him ? i. e. if we neglect the gofpel which brings fo great falvation. Now the falvation which the gofpel brings will ap- pear to be moft excellent and great, if we confider that it confifts in a deliverance from a finful ftate, and from a ftate of mifery and death, the confequence and defert of fin, and in our being raifed to eternal life, and a flate of everlafting felicity in heaven. i. The gofpel delivers men from a finful ftate, from the power and dominion of fin ; it turns them from a finful courfe, from the practice of impiety and unrighteoufnefs, and reduces them to a holy and righteous conver- fation, and gives them the privilege of be- coming the people of God. From the time that fin entered into the world, by the dis- obedience of our firft parents, it continually increafed and got ground, and at length fo prevailed, that the generality of mankind had forfaken the true God, and given themfelves up to idolatry, and all manner of vicious and abominable practices , they had abandoned truth, and righteoufnefs, and gcodnefs, and by fulfilling their unlawful defires, and fol- lowing their depraved inclinations, were funk far below the dignity of their nature, and had contracted habits very unbecoming be- ings of fuch a make and conftitution. But the defign of the gofpel was to reform finful men, the Grace of G o d. 3 * 7 men, to deliver them from the power and Serm. prevalency of vice and idolatry, and to make XV. them the fincere worfhippers and fervants of God. The Son of God was manifejiedy that he might dejlroy the works of the devil ; that he might reclaim men from a courfe of vice, and a life of impiety, to the obedience they owe to God, and the practice of piety and holinefs -, he came to teach us our duty, and to enforce it by all fuitable motives, to lead men to repentance, and to turn from their iniquities, from idolatry and fuperftition, to the worfhip of God, and from fin to the practice of righteoufnefs. And as it was the defign of the gofpel thus to fave men, by turning them from their fins, fo this was the happy effect of it amongft thofe who fincere- ly embraced it, and put themfelves under its purifying influence; for fuch perfons, of ido- laters, became worfhippers of the true God, of wicked and unholy, became holy and righteous : The Gentiles who believed, tho' they were fometime darknefs > were now light in the Lord ; were turned from darknefs unto light ;, and from the power of fat an imto God ■> were delivered from the power of darknefs, from their idolatrous ftate, and were trans- lated into the kingdom of Chrift ; and they who were foolifh, difobedient, deceived, fer- ving divers lufhs and pleafures, and lived in all manner of abominable practices, when the gofpel came to them, and they put them- felves Salvation wrought by felves under it, by a hearty reception of i\ became, as it were, new creatures, cafting off thofe works of darknefs, and returning from the practice of fin to a holy and righteous converfation. The deliverance of the Gen- tiks\ from their heathen ftate of idolatry and apoftacy from God, and their being brought back into his kingdom, under the gofpel, which is called their falvation, is expreifed in a very fublime and lofty manner by the a- poitle, in his epiftle to the Ephe/ians, chap, i. 19, 20. And (that ye may know) what is the exceeding great nefs of his power to us- ward who believe \ according to the working of his mighty power, which he worked in Chrijl, when he raifed him from the dead, and jet him at his own right-hand in the heavenly places. He goes on in the 2d chap. And you hath he quickened who were dead in trefpafjes and fins ; wherein in time pajl ye walked according to the converfe of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the fpirit that now worketb in the children of difobedience ; among whom alfo we all had our converfation in times pajl, or lived in the lujls of our fie jo, fulfill- ing the dejires of the fe/h, and of the mind-, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others, i e. as other Gentiles : But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in fins, hath quickened us together with Chrijl, (by grace ye dre faved) and hath ra the Grace of God. 319 raifed us up together, and made us fit together Serm. in heavenly places, or in the kingdom of God, XV. in, or thro', Chrifi J ejus. Thus the Gentiles were at firfl faved by the gofpel, were deli- vered from their finful flate, and made alive unto God 5 and thofe of the Jews, who be- lieved, were thus faved, being turned from their iniquities : And even now, all who fin- cerely embrace the gofpel, are enabled to e- fcape the pollutions of the world, and to live holy, righteous, and pious lives. Thus then, the gofpel brings falvation from fin, or de- liverance from its power and dominion ; it turns men from fin unto God. But, 2. The falvation which the gofpel brings, confifls in the remiffion of fins, and delive- rance from mifery and death. As thofe who embrace the gofpel are delivered from a fin- ful ftate, fo they have all their fins forgiven, their trail fgrefiions pardoned, and their ma- nifold offences againilGod remitted and pafs'd by. Nothing is more plainly revealed, or more exprefsty promifed in the gofpel, than the forgivenefs of fins to all that repent and believe in Chrifi: 5 and this benefit, this un- fpeakable favour, is declared to be given thro' Chrifi, for his fake, and on the account of his death, and the fhedding of his blood : He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the Jin of the world; he was delivered for our of- fences, he gave himfelf for our fins, and was made Jin, of a fin-offering, fir us $ and it is thro' Salvation wrought by thro' him that the remiffipn of fins is offered to us in the gofpcl. By him all that believe arc juftified from all things, from which the Jews could not be juftified by the law of Mofes : And in him we have redemption thro his bleed, even theforgivenefs of fins. And then, as by the gofpel men receive the remiflion of fins, fo of confequence they are freed from the punifliment of them, from mifery and death, and all the difmal effects of their tranf- greflions. As all men have finned, fo they have deferred death, and made themfelves liable to mifery and punifliment, as the juft reward of their crimes and offences againft God : But the gofpcl brings falvation and de- liverance from all this evil ; Chrift gave him- felf 'that he might redeem us from all iniquity, i. e. from the punifliment of all our iniqui- ties ; he redeemed the Jews from the curfe of the law, and refcued the Gentiles, as ma- ny of them as believed, from the dements of their crimes. The gofpel brings eternal re- demption to all fincere, penitent believers, fo that tho' they die the temporal death, 'they mall not die the fecond, u e. the eternal death ; they (hall not perifh, but fhall be de- livered from everlafting deftruction, from the wrath to come, and from all that evil and mifery that their fins have juflly deferved. 3. The gofpel brings falvation in that, by it, we have the promife of eternal life, and a bleffed and glorious immortality in the world to the Grace of God, 321 to come. As all men have finned, fo theySiRM. have come fhort of the glory of God -, but the XV. gofpel reftores men to this glory. As by the gofpel we receive the remiflion of our fins, fo by it we are made heirs to an eternal inhe- ritance, 'an everlafting kingdom, a crown of life and of glory, that fadeth not away, which we fhall certainly enjoy, if we live as the gofpel teacl.es. As thole who fincereiy be- lieve and embrace it, and repent of their fins, are reftored to the favour of God, and his acceptance and: approbation here, fo, if they perfevere in well-doing, they (hall be eter- nally happy in his prefence in the heavenly kingdom. Chrifr has brought life and immor- tality to light thro the gofpel ; and as thole who believe in him, fo as to obey him, are delivered from a ftate of mifery and death, fo they fhall live for ever, and fhall enjoy e- ternal happinefs. Eternal life is frequently promifed in the gofpel, and there are many paffages in it that denote the perpetual felicity and glory of that ever enduring ftate. AsChrifl was delivered to death, for our offences, that we might obtain the forgivenefs of our fins -, fo he was raifed again for our juftification, that we might be affured of a refurre&ion to everlafting life, and a happy immortality. By the gofpel, fincere chriftians are made the children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Chrift, and fo fhall be glorified with him ; and fhall re- Y ceive Salvation wrought by ceive an inheritance that is incorruptible , and undejikd, and thatfadeth not away j when tbeir natures mall be raifed and perfected, their fa- culties reftored, and their bodies glorified, they mall have every thing that is truly deiireable and delightful to enjoy -y mall jhine forth as the fun in the kingdom of their heavenly Fa- ther, and iliall be for ever compleatly happy in his favour and prefence. Thus we fee what a falutary, or falutiferous difpenfation the gofpel is ; it delivers men from the power and dominion of fin, faves them from the condemnation and punimment of it, and raifes them to a ftate of eternal felicity. III. We are now to confider the appear- ance of this grace of God ; the grace of God that bringeth falvativn, hath appeared, lire- (pccvvy appeared confpicuoufly and clearly, with luftre, brightness and fplendor. Now the grace of God appeared, i . In the appearance and coming of Jefus Chriit. God Jo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, as the efTeft: of his won- derful grace, and to men he fent him into the world ; and as the grace of God was clearly feen in the appearance of Chrift it- ielf, fo, when he came, he, by his preach- ing, plainly revealed the gofpel of falvation : This was the firft clear difcovery of the grace of God, upon which all the future difcove- ries of it were founded. The grace of God was difplayed in all the circumftances of our i Saviour's the Grace of God. 323 Saviour's appearance, in his coming into the Serm. world in the likenefs of finful fleih, in his XV. dwelling among men, in his preaching, and in his works, in his iufferings, death and re- furre&ion. The love of God to men was fhewn in a very glorious manner, in fending fo high and beloved a perfon, as his only be- gotten Son, into the world in fo mean and humble a condition, to converfe with fuch finful and unworthy creatures : The riches of the divine grace were difcovered in our Sa- viour's preaching, which preaching was fully confirmed by his miracles and wonderful works. The kindnefs and love of God ap- peared towards men, in the higheft manner, in the fufferings and death of this mod excel- lent perfon -, God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet Jinners drift died for us. And the truth and certainty of all this is manifeft in his refurredion from the dead. Thus we fee that the grace of God appeared in or by our Saviour's appear- ance, according to what is faid, 2 Tim. i. 9, 10. Who hath fdued us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpofe and grace, which was given us in Chrift ffm, before the world began ; but is now made manifeft by tloe ap- pearance of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, who hath aboliftjed death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gfpeL And, 1 John iv. 9. the apoftle fays, In this was Y 2 manifeft ed X 324 Salvation wrought by Serm. manifejled the love of God towards us, becaufe N> God jent his only begotten Son into the world* that we might live through him. 2dly, The grace of God, or the gofpel, appeared by the preaching of the apoftles. As the apoftles preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, whilft our Saviour was on earth, fo after his refurreclion, and afcenfion, they, according to their commif- iion, preached it as actually come ; they preached the gofpel, and faithfully publiflied every part of it, they neglected not to de- clare the whole counfel of God ; as they had learnt the gofpel from Chrift, fo, according to his command, they made it known to others. That any might be acquainted with the gofpel, it was neceffary that they fhould hear it, but how jhould they hear without a freacher ? Therefore Chrift fent forth his apoftles to preach the gofpel, and the gofpel appeared not only by the preaching of the twelve apoftles, but alfo very eminently by the preaching of the apoftle Paul, and of multitudes of the firft chriftians. See Tit. i. 3 . But hath in due times, manifejled his word through preaching, which is committed unto me, according to the commandment of God cur Saviour. %dly, The grace of God, or the gofpel, appeared by the miracles that accompanied the preaching of it. Thus the gofpel ap- peared beyorid conrradidtion to be the true grace the Grace of God. 325 grace of God, for this was an undeniable SeRM. evidence of its divine original and authority. XV. Men might have talked of the grace of God, and have pretended to a divine com- miffion for the publishing of it ; but there could be no good proof of this, without the power of miracles. This preaching of a new difpenfation from God, without mira- cles, would leave what was preached alto- gether uncertain, and would be of none or very little effeft : But true and real mira- cles, together with the fitnefs of the doc- trine, are an undoubted evidence of a dif- penfation coming from God. Therefore as Chrift wrought miracles for the confirma- tion of his miffion, to declare this grace of God, and the difciples alfo while he was on earth, fo when after his refurre&ion, he fent them forth to preach the gofpel, he furnifh- ed them with a power of doing wonderful works in his name, that their heavenly doc- trine might, by this means, have its due in- fluence on the minds of men. And thus the apoftles, wherever they came and preached, wrought miracles : By which means the grace of God, in the gofpel, and the truth of that difpenfation, appeared in a moft glo- rious and confpicuous manner, and with fuch a light, as by none, but wilful finners, could be unheeded or difregarded. Thus we are told, that the Lord gave tejiimony to the ivord of his grace, and granted Jigns and Y 3 wonders 326 Salvation wrought by S £ R m. wonders to be done by the apoftles hands , Acts XV. xiv. 3. And the apoftle Paul fays, My fpeech, my preaching "Was not with enticing words of maris wifdom, but in demonjlraiion of the Jpi- rit of power ', 1 Cor. ii. 4. /\.thly, The grace of God, or the gofpel, appeared, and does (till appear in the wri- tings of the apoftles and evangelifts. At the firft, men received the doctrine of chriftia^ nity from the mouths of the apoftles ; but even then, as the apoftles could not be al- ways in all places, for fear their doctrine fhould be corrupted in their abfence, they committed the gofpel to writing -y by which means alfo it was ftill farther pro- pagated and difplayed, and thus it is con- veyed down to us. We have nothing elfe to have recourfe to, for the doctrine of the gofpel, but thofe facred writings ; we have no infallible teacher to confult, as in the a- poftles times ; oral tradition being fo very uncertain, is juftly of no force ; and there is no need of it, for the fcriptures contain all things neceflary for faith and practice. Thus have we confidered how the grace of God, or the gofpel appeared. We come now, IV. To confider how it appeared to all men ; The grace of God which bringeth fal- vation, hath appeared to all men. if, It appeared to men of all nations, to Jews and Gentiles. This is agreeable to the antient prophecies : St. Luke has thefe words from the Grace of God. 327 from Tfaiah, Luke Hi. 6. And all flefl?, i. ^.Serm. all men, Jhall fee the f ah at ion of God. And XV. St. Paul, from the fame prophet, has thefe words, / have fet thee, i. e. the Mefliah, toi be a light of the Gentiles, that thou fhouldefl be for falvation unto the ends of the earth, Acts xiii. 47. And, according to thefe prophecies, Chritt fent out his apoflles to preach the gofpel to all nations; he fent them, indeed, before his refurreclion, only to the lofl fheep of the houft of Ifracl, and com- manded them, faying, Go not into the "way of the Gentiles, cm i into any city of the Samari- tans enter re not. But after his refurreclion, he enlarged their commifiion, and fent them to all the nations of the Gentiles, as well as to the Jews: As, Matt, xxviii. 19. Go ye% therefore, and teach all nations. Mark xvi. 1 5. And he faid unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gofpel to every creature, or to all mankind, L?uke xxiv. 47. And that repentance and remifjion of fins, fJmdd be preached in his name among all nations, begin- ting at jerufalem. And fo, Acts i. 8. And yc fjjall be witnefjes unto me, both in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermojl part of the earth. And the apoftle fays, by whom we have received grace and apoftlefnp, for obedience to the faith among all nations. And, accordingly, the apoflles ex- ecuted their commiffion and preached the Y 4 gofpel 328 Salvation wrought by S e R m. gofpel to all nations. Thus we read, Mark XV. xv i. ult. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with Jigns following. And the apoftle fpeaking of the preaching of the gofpel, fays, "their found went into all the earh, and their words unto the ends of the world, Rom. x. 18. And in his famous doxoiogy, at the end of this epiftle, he ex- preffes himfelf thus, Now to him that is of power to jlabliffd you, according to my gofpel, and the preaching of Jefus Chrijl, according to the revelation of the myjlery, which was kept fecret, fmce the world begun ; but now is made manifjl, and by the fcriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlafting God, made known to all na- tions, for the obedience of faith. I mall men- tion only two places more ; in Col. i. 6. the apoftle, fpeaking of the gofpel, fays, which is come unto you, as it is in all the world. And •\ 23. fpeaking of the fame gofpel, has thefe words, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof 1 Paul am ?nade a minijler. Thus we fee that the gofpel appeared to men of all nations. idly, The grace of God appeared to all men, fo as that wherever it was preached, it was declared to belong to all degrees and conditions of men, and even to every indi- vidual that would accept of it. It was de- clared the Grace of G o d. 329 clared to belong to all degrees and conditions Serm. of men, mafters and fervants, young and XV. old, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, noble and ignoble -, it was preached to all thefe indifferently, as belonging to them all : No degree or condition of men was except- ed : No difference made between them with refpect to the offers of the gofpel, and the enjoyment of its bleffings and privileges, if they did but fincerely embrace it. This is intimated by the apoftle, Col. iii. 11. Where there is neither Greek nor yew, cir- cumcifion nor uncircumcifion, Barbarian, Scy- thian, bond nor free, but Chrijl is all and in all. So, Gal. iii. 28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female ; for ye are all one in Chrijl Jefus. And then it was alfo de- clared to belong to every individual that would accept of it ; as no condition of men, fo no individual was excepted ; but in this refpedl alfo it was offered indifferently to all. The language of the gofpel is, Ho, every one that thirfteth, come ye to the waters ; Whofoever Jhall call on the name of the Lord, jkall be faved ; Whofoever believeth on the Son cf God, Jhall not perijh, but Jhall have ever- lafting life : So that the gofpel excludes none from a ihare in its privileges, but thofe who exclude themfelves by unbelief, and perfift- ing in a finful courfe. Thus we fee how the grace of God, chat bringeth fa hat ion > hath ap- peared 330 Salvation wrought by Serm,^^ to all men. I fhould now come to XV. fhew, from the following verfe, what this gofpel teaches, but I (hall leave this to ano- ther difcourfe ; and fhall conclude this, with a word or two of application. i. Hereby we fee, that our falvation is originally of meer grace. It is the grace of God, that brings the falvation we have defcribed. The gofpel itfelf, the whole dif- penfation of it, is all of grace, and if fo, the falvation promifed therein muft be of grace too, and proceeds originally from the free favour of God : We could have merited no fuch bleffing at his hands, by any works of ours. Thus the apoftle fpeaking of the fal- vation of the firft chriftians, efpecially of the idolatrous Gentiles, fays, After that the ki?id- nefs and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared ; not by works of right eoufnefs which we have done, but according to his mercy he javed us, by the wafiing of regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Ghof, which he Jhed on us abundantly, through J ejus Chrijl our Sa- viour, that being jiijlified by his grace, we flould be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life, Tit. iii 4. — 7. 2. Let us blefs and praife God for this his wonderful grace. This we have great rea- fon to do, if we confider the wonderful fal- vation it brings to us. The happy effeds of this grace are not confined to this life, but extend to the life to come, where, if we abufe T the Grace of God. 331 abufe it not here, it will put us in the pof-SERM. feffion of eternal happinefs. Let us, there- XV. fore, blefs God for his kindnefs towards us, in Chrift Jefus 3 let us bleis him for the gra- cious difpenfation of the gofpel, and for the everlafting confolation of good hope he has given us through his grace. 3. To conclude. Let us live anfwerable to this grace of God ; let us have our con- verfation as it becomes this holy gofpel. Tho1 the gofpel falvation is originally of mere grace, yet it is not fo of grace, as that God will fave us though we live as we lift. No, we are required and called upon, to work out our fahation with fear and trembling, as knowing, that without holinefs> no man fall fee the Lord, Let us, therefore, follow after holinefs, and endeavour to a- bound in all good works. Let us take heed, we turn not the grace of God into lafci- vioufnefs, nor abufe this his kindnefs to- wards us, which will be to our greater con- demnation : But if we would be happy in the world to come, let us be holy in this, let us obey the commands of God, and live as the gofpel teaches 5 and how that is, I (hall fhew more particularly, in my next difcourfe. S E R- SERMON XVf. Salvation wrought by the Grace of God. Titus ii. i r, 12. For the grace of God that bringeth falvation, hath appeared to all men, teaching us, that denying ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, we Jhould Hvefoberly^ righteoujly, and godly in this prefent world. Serm. IN treating on thefe words, I propofed to XVI. X confider, I. What we are to underftand by this grace of God. II. The character that is here given of it, it bringeth falvat ion. III. Its appearance. IV. How it appeared to all men. V. What it teaches. VI. How this appearance of the grace of God is an argument for our leading a holy and righteous life* The Salvation wrought, &c. 333 The four firfl of thefe we have already Serm. confidered. And as to the firfl we told you, XVI. that the grace of God fignifies his favour, love, and kind affection towards us ; and that by it here we are to underftand either, in a proper fenfe, that grace and favour of God in particular, which he has difplayed in the gofpel, or, by a metonymy ^ the gofpel itfelf wherein it is revealed, which comes to the fame thing. And, if we take it in this fenfe, it fignifies the whole oeconomy and confuta- tion of the gofpel. As to the fecond, I told you, that the grace of God, or the gofpel, brings falvation, forafmuch as, 1/?, It delivers men from a finful ftate, from the power, and reign, and pollution of fin \ it turns them from a finful courfe, from the practice of impiety and un- righteoufnefs, and reduces them to a holy life and converfation. This was moft clear- ly feen in the beginning of the gofpel, in turning away many of the Jews from their iniquities, and in delivering the Gentiles from their idolatrous ftate, which is called the power ofdarknefs, and bringing them to the acknowledgment and worfhip of the true God, and the practice of holinefs and righ- teoufnefs ; and is (till feen in the lives and converfations of the fincere profefibrs of the gofpel. 2dly, It brings falvation, in deliver- ing men from the condemnation and punifh- ment of fin, inafmuch, as by it, we have the remifilon 334 Salvation wrought by Serm. remiffion of fins, and are faved from mifery XVI. and death, the confequence and defert of our tranfgreffions. Thus the Jews were deliver- ed from the curfe of the law, and the Gen- tiles, from the demerits of their crimes, and all who embrace the gofpel have their fins for- given, are delivered from the wrath to come, and (hall not be hurt of the fecond death. ^dly, The gofpel brings falvation, in that by it we have the promife of eternal life, and a bleffed and glorious immortality in the world to come. As all men have finned, fo they have come fhort of the glory of God, but the gofpel reftores men to this glory. Chrift has brought life and immortality thro the gofpel ; by it believers, who walk not after the fejh, but after the fpirit, are made the children of God> and if children , then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Chrift, and fo fhall be glorified with him, and fhall receive an inhe- ritance that is incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away. As to the third thing, viz. the appearance of the grace of God, or the gofpel. I told you, that it appeared, l/l, In the appearing and coming of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son. The grace of God was difplayed in all the circumftances of his ap- pearance. His kindnefs and love to men was fhewn in a very glorious manner, in fending fo excellent and beloved a perfon into the world the Grace of God. 335 world in fo mean and humble a condition, to Serm. converfe with fuch fmful and unworthy crea- XVI. tures ; the riches of the divine grace, and the whole doctrine of the gofpel was difplayed in our Saviour's preaching, which preaching was fully confirmed by his miracles and won- derful works : The divine philanthropy ap- peared in the higheft manner in the fufferings and death of this glorious perfon ; and the truth and certainty of all this is manifeft in his refurrection from the dead. zd/y, The grace of God, or the gofpel, appeared by the preaching of the apoftles, and others of the firft chriftians -, according to what is faid, Tit. i. 3. But hath in due times manifejled his word thro preaching. As the apoilles preach- ed that the kingdom of 'God 'was at hand, whilft our Saviour was on earth, fo after his afcen- fion, they, according to their commiffion, preached it as actually come ; they preached the gofpel, and faithfully published every part of it -, they neglected not to declare the whole counfel of God. ^dly. The grace of God, or the gofpel, appeared by the miracles that ac- companied the preaching of it. Thus the gofpel appeared, beyond all contradiction, to be the true grace of God, for this was 'an un- deniable evidence of its divine original and authority. As our Saviour wrought miracles for the confirmation of his miffion, and the difciples alfo, while he was on earth, {o} when after his refurrection he lent them forth 336 Salvation wrought by Serm. to preach the gofpel, he furniihed them with XVI. a power of doing wonderful works in his *■ — /— ' name, that their heavenly do&rine might, by this means, have its due influence on the minds of men. And thus the apoftles, wherever they came and preached, wrought miracles ; by which means the grace of God in the gofpel, and the truth of that difpenfation, appeared in a moft glorious and confpicuous manner, and with fuch a light and luflre, as by none, but wilful finners, could be un- heeded or difregarded. qthly. The grace of God, or the gofpel, appeared, and does ftill appear in the writings of the apoftles and e- vangelifts. At the firft men received the dodtrine of chriftianity from the mouths of the apoftles ; but even then, as the apoftles could not be always in all places, left their do&rine fhould be corrupted in their abfence, they committed the gofpel to writing; by which means, alfo, it was ftill further propa- gated and difplayed ; and thus it is conveyed down to us, thus it appears to us. As to the fourth thing, viz. How the grace of God appeared to all men ; I told you, that it appeared, i/?, To men of all nations; to Jews and Ge?itiles. This was a- greeable to the antient prophecies. Chrift fent his difciples, before his refurredtion, on- ly to the loft fieep of the houfe of Ifrael, and commanded them, faying, Go not i?ito the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans the Grace of God. Samaritans enter ye not : But, after his refur- reclion, he enlarged their commiffion, and fent them to all the nations of the Gentiles, well as to the Jews. And accordingly the apoftles executed their commiffion, and preached the gofpel to all nations. 2dlyy The grace of God appeared to all men, fo as that wherever it was preached, it was decla- red to belong to all degrees and conditions of men, and even to every individual that would accept of it. V. I come now to confider what this grace of God, or the gofpel, teaches : And here I (hall confider, ijl, The things that it teaches. Z.dly> Kow it teaches them. i. We are to confider the things that the gofpel teaches ; it teaches us, that denying ungodUnefsy and wordly lujls, we Jhculd live foberh\ righteoujly, and godly in this prefent world. Thefe words briefly contain the whole of what we fhould avoid, and what we fhould pra&ife. The whole chriftian life is com- prifed in them. i . The grace of God teaches us to deny ungodlinefiy and worldly lujls. And here I fhall confider, i/?, What we are to under- fland by nngodlinefs> and worldly lu/ls. idly. What it is to deny them. i. What are we to under (land by ungod- linefs, and worldly lu/ls ? ]//, By ungodlinefs, ctazCeHz, we are to un- derstand, the want of that veneration that is Z due 33 8 Salvation wrought by Sefm. due to God, or whatever is contrary to thg XVI. worfhip, homage and refpect that we owe unto him. Which is, i. All idolatry, fu- perftitipn, and falfe worfhip. Idolatry may well be called ungodliiitfs, forafmuch as it is a forfaking of the true God, and the giving of that worfhip and honour to idols and falfe gods which is due unto him only : Hence the Gentile world, who were univerfally addi&ed to this vice, are, by way of eminence, called the ungodly. And as idolatry, fo fuperfiition, and all manner of falfe worfhip, fuch as is neither justifiable by the light of nature, nor any where appointed in the divine word, may very juftly come under this character, which, tho' it may fecm to fhcw a greater veneration of God, does really proceed from, and dis- cover unworthy thoughts and apprehenfions concerning him and his government, and fo may very well be called iwgodiinefs. 2. All ftupid ignorance and fenfeleffnefs of God, all atheiftical and unbelieving thoughts concern- ing God, his providence, and the like, and ali unbecoming apprehenfions of his nature and attributes, are the ungodlinefs which we ought to deny. Many, who by the ufe of their reafon and divine revelation might come to the knowledge of their Creator, remain not with (landing carelefsly ignorant of him ; And others, willingly entertain unbelieving thoughts of him, ftudy to evade the force of rhe proofs of his exiftence, which, to un- 4 prejudiced the Grace of God. 339 prejudiced reafon, are inofi: clear and mani- Serm. left, and willingly doubt of his providence in XVI governing the world, and ordering the affairs of his creatures : And others again, tho' they believe all this, yet have willingly im- bibed corrupt and unworthy apprehenfions of God, and of his attributes, of his juftice, goodnefs and mercy, and the like • making him in effect to act unjuftly, thinking he will not be fo juft as to punifh wilful fin, and yet he will be fo merciful as to pardon thofe who wilfully continue in it. Now all thefe are in fome degree or other ungodly. 3. All prac- tical irreligion and profanenefs ; fuch as per- jury, or forfwearing one's felf; taking the name of God in vain, or to no purpofe; all profane and rafh fwearing in common con- verfation ; all vile fcoffing and jeering at re* ligion, which is too commonly practifed by many ; all contempt of the divine word, and difrefpect fhewn to the divine precepts ; all neglect of religious worfhip, publick or pri- vate, and the like : All this is that ungodli- nefs which the grace of God, or the gofpel, teaches us to deny. 2dYv, As to wordly lu/ls, by them we are to underfhnd, 1. All intemperance and ex- cefs, all gluttony and dfunkennefs, all inor- dinate gratifications of our pailions and appe- tites, all unlawful pleafure afifing from car- nal and fenfual enjoyments, from luxury and uncleanefs, and the like. 2. All immode- Z 2 rate 34° Salvation wrought by S e r m. rate defires after, and love to the things of this XVI. life ; the fetting our affection on things on the earth ; all covetoufnefs, and inordinate love of wealth, and riches, and worldly poffef- fions ; all unjuft, and unlawful ways of get- ting and encreafmg thefe things -, all oppref- fion, extortion, rapine, couzening and cheat- ing ; all inordinate defires after worldly goods; all immoderate purfuits after them ; all truft- ing in them; all exceffive joy in the poffeffion of them ; all perplexing and tormenting fears of lofing them ; and all exceffive grief for be- ing deprived of them. 3. All pride and am- bition ; all high thoughts of ourfelves, prid- ing ourfelves in ornaments and drefs, or any thing die ; and all eager defires after high titles, and places of honour and dignity in the world. Thefe, and fuch like, are the feotyux*! lir&vuioiL) the worldly hifts, fpokenof in our text \ which are the fame with what the apoitle John calls the the hjl of the fejhy the luji of the eyes, and the pride of life y or the luft of pleasures, the luft of riches, and of making a fine appearance in the world, and the luft of power, dignity and authority ; and thefe he after calls the luji oj the world. Thus we fee what we are to underftand by ungodlinefs and wwldk lujls. We are, 2. To confider what it is to deny them, as the grace of God teaches ; teaching us, that denying ungodlinefs and worldly lujls. Now, to deny ungodlinefs and worldly iufts, the Grace of God. 34.1 lufts, is to renounce and forfake them, andSERM. take care that we never more admit them XVI. in our heart or converfation : And fo it is the fame with repentance, which is the wrork of our lives, wherein we forfake our former evil ways and finful courfes, and de- ny ourfelves for the future the pleaiure we ufed to take in them. Thus to deny ungod- linefs, is to forfake and depart from what- ever is contrary to the true worfhip of God, and to that veneration and refpect which we owe to him -, it is to abftain from idolatry, fuperftition, and all faife worfhip ; to banifh from our minds all atheiftical and unbelie- ving, all unbecoming and irreverent thoughts of God, of his attributes, his word, his pre- cepts, his promifes, and his threatenings 5 to renounce the love of any thing when it ftands in competition with the love of God, and all confidence in any thing fhort of him, and to free our converfation from all prophanenefs, irreligion, and rebellion againft God. And to deny worldly lufts, is to deny ourfelves of all unlawful defires and delights, of all finful pleafures and enjoyments. It is to avoid all intemperance and excefs, all fenfuality and impurity ; to renounce the love of the world, all earthly-mindednefs, covetoufnefs and un- lawful gain 3 and to fupprefs the motions of pride and ambition that are apt to arife in us, and which are cherifhed by the men of this world. Thus the grace of God teaches us to Z 3 deny 34 2 Salvation wrought by Serm. deny ungodlinefs and worldly lulls, and to avoid XVI. whatever is contrary to our duty to God, our- »-^v~-r felves, or our neighbour. And we fliould, ac- cording^, flee from idolatry, and renounce all irreligion and profanenefs : We fliould abjlain from fltjhly lujls, which war againjl the foul -, fhould mortify the deeds of the body, and Jhoidd crucify, the flefi with the affections and luffs; we fhould Cafi off the works of darknefs, and walk honefily, as in the day, not in rioting and drunkennefs, not in chambering and wan- tennefs, not in Jlrife and envying $ but fould put on the Lord Jefus Chrifl, and make no provifienfor the flejh, to fulfil the lifts thereof •> wejhould mortify our members which are upon the earth -, fornication, uncleannefs, inordinate affection, evil concupifcence, and covetoufnefs, which is idolatry. We fliould take heed and beware of covetoufnefs, and that our hearts be not overcharged with furfeiting and drun- kennefs, and cares of this life. And we fliould remember to deny all ungodlinefs and worldly lufls ; not only fome fins, but all are to be forfaken and avoided ; we fliould therefore renounce ungodlinefs in every inftance of it, find fliould mortify and crucify every vicious lufL and everv unlawful defire and practice : It iliould be the work of our lives to do this, not only to purge our converiation from fin, but to root it out of our hearts -3 we fliould always hate and abhor it ; iliould keep at a diftartce, and tin fhould ■ ' take the Grace of God. 343 take care that we never admit of any thing, $* any defire or pra&ice, that is contrary to the XVL will and word of our Creator. Thus we have confidered the firft thing that the gof- pel teaches, viz. denying of ungodl'mejs and worldly lujls. 2dly, The gofpel teaches us to live foberly, righteoujly, and godly in this prefent world. It not only teaches us a negative religion, {hew- ing us what we fhould deny and abftain from, as all ungodlinefi and worldly lujls -y but alfo requires pofitive holinefs and obedience to all the divine precepts, even all manner of good works : For under thefe three heads, the whole of our duty is contained 5 fobrie- ty, refpedting the government of ourfelves -, righteoufnefs, comprehending the duties we owe to our neighbour ; and godlinefs, con- taining under it all the duties that refpedl God immediately. And thefe duties muft not be feparated from one another ; it will not avail to be fober, unleis we are alfo righ- tpous ; nor to be fober and righteous, unlefs we are alfo godly : They mud be all prac- tifed together, and that as long as we live, during our abode in this prefent world ; we muft live foberly, righteoujly, and godly > in this prefent world. I (hall confider thefe du- ties in their order. And, 1/?, Concerning fobriety; the gofpel teaches us to live joberly. This virtue confifts in the Z 4 due 344 Salvation wrought by Serm. due government of ourfelves, and is difco- XVI. vered in feveral inftances. i/?, One main part of fobriety and tem- perance, whereby we moderate all our ap- petites, and our ufe of worldly pleafures and enjoyments. Thus as to eating and drink- ing, we mould confider that the true defign of them, is the fuflentation of nature, and the prefervation of life and health, and mould never ufe them other wife than is confident with thefe ends ; and all the pleafures we allow ourfelves in, both as to the nature and meafure of them, mould be fuch as are juftifiable by reafon, and will never need our repentance ; as will neither hurt our bo- dy nor debafe our mind, nor render us un- fit for the fervice of our Creator. Thus we are bid to add to our knowledge temperance, and temperance is faid to be one of the fruits of the fpirit. In this fenfe fobriety is op- pofed to intemperance. 2dly> Another main part of fobriety is in moderating our love to all earthly things, and having a fuperior regard to the things of heaven. Our defire of worldly poffeffions and enjoyments, mould not be too eager and intenfe ; our purfuits after them mould be moderate, our joy in obtaining them, and grief, in cafe we ihouid be deprived of them, fhould be kept within due bounds. We mould not let our hearts on thefe periming but ihouid fet our affeclions on things the Grace of God. 345 things above, fliould place our happinefs in Serm. them, and do our utmoft to obtain them. XVI. In this fenfe, fobriety is oppofed to fordid- nefs and earthly-mindednefs. 3^//y, If we would live foberly, we muft keep all our paffions within their proper bounds and limits : We muft not let our love or our hatred, our joy or grief, or any other paflion, grow unruly and exorbitant, and exceed the bounds of reafon. But efpe- cially the paflion of anger mould be careful- ly guarded, which, if it grow exceflive, as it very eafily does, if it be once admitted, is no better than a fhort phrenzy or madnefs, exceedingly difturbing the mind, and difor- dering the body, and producing often very difmal effects. And thus fobriety is oppofed to all inordinate paflions. 4#6/v, Sobriety alfo difcovers itfelf in con- tentment with our outward (late and condi- tion j fo, that though we are in mean and low circumftances, our mind is eafy, ferene and quiet, we readily acquiefce in the difpo- fal of divine Providence, and are kept from murmuring and repining, becaufe we are not in fo good a condition as others. Thus the apoftle fays, that godlinefs with contentment is great gain -, and he had learnt in what- foever ftate he was, therewith to be content, to have a felf-fufficiency and fulnefs in the midft of the greateft want 5 and he exhorts the christians to be content with fuch things as 2 4.6 Salvation wrought by Serm. as t bey have. Thus fobriety may be confi- XVI. dered, as oppofed to difcontent and uneafi- nefs, at our outward circumftances. Stbfyy Modeity and humility is alfo ano- ther great in (lance of fobriety $ whereby we have mean and low thoughts, and a modeffc opinion of ourfelves, are not wife in our own conceits, are not high-minded, nor puf- fed up with a vain and fond opinion of our own abilities and acquirements ; but keep all thoughts, concerning ourfelves and our at- tainments, within the bounds of reafon. Rom. xii. 3. For, I fay* through the grace of God given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himfelf more highly than he ought to thinks but to think foberly, accord- ing as God has dealt to every man the meafure of faith. In this fenfe, fobriety is oppofed to pride, bthly, This virtue alfo difcovers itfelf in patience and conftancy under afflidion ; whereby we bear all our fufferings with an even and calm temper of mind ; are not ruf- fled nor difordered thereby, nor moved from the way of piety and holinefs. In this fenfe fobriety is oppofed to impatience. Thus we fee what is that fobriety which the gofpel teaches. zdly, The fecond thing which the gofpel teaches us to pra&ife, is righteoufnefs ; it teaches us to live righteoujly. Under this head the Grace of God. 347 head is contained all our duty to our neigh- Serm. bour, as juftice and charity. XVI. 1/?, The firft branch of our duty to our neighbour is juftice, which confifts in giv- ing every one his due, in paying every one his own, and being faithful and true to our word. Thus the apoftle exhorts, Render therefore to all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due, cujlom to whom cu/lom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour. We fhould be juft and honeft in all our deal- ings with one another, fhould take care that we injure none in any refpetft, that we do no wrong, that we do no injuftice or vio- lence to any, that we bring no evil or harm upon him, that we hurt him not in his per- fon, in his reputation, in his eftate, or in any refpect whatfoever. Thus all men ought to behave towards one another ; but there are fome particular duties, that refult from particular relations : Thus the wife fhould be fubjedr. to her hufband, and the hufbands fhould love their wives, and fhould not be bitter againft them -} children fhould obey their parents, and parents fhould take care of their children j fervants fhould pleafe their mafters, and be faithful in their bufi- nefs, and mafters fhould give unto their fer- vants that which is juft and equal \ fubjects fhould obey their governors in all lawful things, and governors fhould protect their iubjects, idly, 348 Salvation wrought by Serm. 2dly, The fecond branch of our duty to XVI. our neighbour, is charity, which is of very large extent, for we fhould love our neigh- bour, i. e. all men, as ourfelves. Accord- ingly, we fhould avoid all difrefpect, all ill- will, envy and maiice againft our neigh- bour -, and fhould maintain a kind, tender and companionate refpect for him ; fhould bear no grudge, rancour or hatred in our breaft againft any, but mould have a lincere love, a hearty affection, a conftant and un- feigned good-will towards all men. We fhould alfo maintain a kind, refpeftful and courteous behaviour towards others ; our words and geftures mould be as inoffenfive as pofiible, void of all reproach and reflec- tion, of all wrath and anger, of all haugh- tinefs and fcorn, and the like ; and we fhould exercife a mild and gentle, a condefcend- ing, courteous and affable demeanour to- wards them : Charity behaves not itjelf un- feemly, gives no reproachful language, makes ufe of no opprobrious or difgraceful reflec- tions, treats no one rudely in words or ac- tions, but ufes a becoming and refpe&ful carriage towards all. In the next place, we fhould do ail the good we can to every one : We fhould help thofe who need our help, as far as our ability will permit ; we fhould contribute to the fupply of others neceflities, as we have opportunity, and fhould endea- vour to promote their temporal and eternal > welfare the Grace of G o d. 349 welfare. The apoftle fays, As w^w^-Serm- portunity, let us do good to all men, efpecially XVI. to thofe who are of the houjkold of faith. We mould be compaflionate towards them that are in mifery, mould fympathize with them, and commiferate them in their misfortunes and afflictions, and mould, like the merciful Samaritan , endeavour to relieve them. We fhould fludy to further our neighbour's good in every refpecT, fhould take care of his re- putation, and if we know any thing amifs of him, we mould be ready to conceal it ; for charity covereth, or concealeth all things, 7roLvlct c?tyu> and love hideth all fins : We (hould do him all the good we can in his perfon and eftatej for charity is not fo felfifh, as to feek her own merely. Finally, We mould be ready to give him advice and counfel, to pray for him, and to do him good in his foul and body ; we mould de- fire and rejoice in, and to our utmoft pro- mote his welfare in every refpect. Further- more, Chriftian charity obliges us to avoid judging, cenfuring or condemning others. Our bieffed Saviour mod flriclly prohibits this judging and cenfuring ; Judge not, fays he, and ye fiall not be judged, condemn not, and ye Jhall not be condemned, Luke vi. 37. This practice is mod unreafonable and un- chriftian, and altogether contrary to that love and charity which we owe to one ano- ther. We fhould hope the beft, and believe the 350 Salvation wrought by Serm. the beft we can of all, and mould be ready XVI. to put the moft favourable conftrudtion pof~ iible upon all their adtions -, Charity thinketh no evil, or is not difpofed to think evil, Cha- rity believeth all things, and hopeth all things > it is ready to believe that good of others, that it has but the leaft ground for, and when there is fome reafon to doubt of a man's fincerity, it ftill hopes the beft. To conclude this head, chriftian charity obliges us to forgive one another, andto be ready to pafs by injuries that we may have fuftered. This duty of forgiving one another, is moft ftri&ly enjoined by our Saviour, and with- out it, our charity is looked upon as imper- fedt. Thus have we confidered the duties to be performed to one another, which the gofpel teaches, in teaching us to live righ- teoujly. It teaches us to do to others, as we would reafonably expedt and defire others to do to us. 3 Worfhipping and adoring him. 6thly, Obeying all his commandments. i/?, One main inftance of piety, is in loving God, in having a fincere affeftion to him, the Grace of God. 351 him, ardent defires after him, a hearty efteem Se r HL and value for him, taking delight and com- XVI, placency in him, rejoicing in him, and the like. Thus we mould love God fincerely, and above all peribns and things befides, with a prevailing affection and fuperlative re- fpecl. As he is the mod excellent Being and the chief good, he is certainly to be prefered before all, both in our judgment and affection ; and as he is our fupreme Be- nefactor, he undoubtedly deferves our great- eft love and refpect 5 we mould chufe him and cleave to him above all, and place all our happinefs in him. Thus we are com- manded to love the Lord our God, with all our heart 1 with all our foul, with all our mi?2d7 and with all our Jlrength, i. e. with a fincere and prevalent affection. idh\ Godlinefs confifts in fearing God- As we ought to love God, fo we fhould alfo fear him, mould have awful and reverential thoughts and apprehenfions of his divine ma- jefty, mould be duly impreffed with a fenfe of his excellency, of his exceeding great power and glory, and mould have a dread of his fovereignty and fupreme authority over us. The fear of God, is fo efTential to godlinefs, that it is often put for the whole of it -, and certainly, without it, we can have no true piety at all. We fhould fandify the Lord" of hofts in our hearts, and mould make him our fear and our dread -, fhould have 352 Salvation wrought by SERM.have an awful fenfe of his attributes, and a XVI. due reverence of his authority, and fhould fear to offend him in any refpect. 3*//y, Another part of piety, is truft and confidence, and hope in God -> whereby we quietly commit ourfelves to him, firmly de- pend on him, and expect the enjoyment of all good from him- We are often called on to truft in God, and to place our confidence and our hope in him: And truly if we con- sider his goodnefs and all-fufliciency, the many promifes he has made to us, in his word, and the aflurance he has given us of his love and grace, and mercy in Chrift Je- fus, we have abundant reafon and encourage- ment to truft and hope in God. qthly, Another act of piety or godlinefs, is confeffing or ackowledging God before men. This is an external act of piety, as the others were internal. And certainly wherever true piety is in the heart, it will difcover itfelf in fuitable words and actions. In this confeffion and acknowledgment, we openly take the Lord Jehovah to be our God, we own his name and ways, and pub- lickly declare ourfelves both in words and actions, to be his fervants ; we are not afhamed of him, of his Son Jefus Chrift, nor of his gofpel, but willingly profefs ourfelves fubjects to it, and publickly avow ourfelves to be the people of God. Sthly, the Grace of God. 353 $lhly\ One material aft of piety or godli- Serm. nefs, is worshipping and adoring God. This XVI. is both internal and external, performed by the mind together with the body, which difcovers the veneration we have for the di- vine majefty, and the difpofition of the mind towards him, by humble and reverential geftures, fuch as kneeling, proftration, un- covering the head, lifting up the hands and eyes to heaven, and the like ; which geftures we read of in fcripture, as thofe, by which the fervants of God teftified their inward veneration for him. Now in this adoration, and worfhip, as we humbly afcribe all pof- fible perfections to the divine Being, and bow our minds in a fenfe of them, fo we pray to God and requeft bleflings from him, and give him thanks for thofe we have al- ready received, and blefs and praife his great and glorious name. And we fhould always remember to worfhip him through the Me- diator Jefus Chrift. La/l/y, True piety is difcovered in obeying all the commands of God, in obeying them as his commands, in complying with his or- dinances, as his ordinances, in having re- fpedt to all his precepts, as his precepts : Thus, even the duties we owe to ourfelves, and our neighbour, become a part of piety, as they are performed in obedience to God. And fo much for the things the gofpel teaches -, I ihould now come to confider how A a it 354 Salvation wrought, &c. SERM.it teaches ' them ; but this, with what re- XVI. mains, I mall leave to another difcourfe, and mall conclude this, by exhorting you feri- oufly to confider, and put in practice the virtues and duties I have briefly defcribed to you, and to perfevere in the practice of them. Let it be your conftant care to abftain from all thofe vices, that are contrary to fuch a ho- ly converfation, even to deny all ungodlinefs and worldly lufts. Do you abhor that which is evil, and abftain from all appearance of it, and cleave to, and hold faft that which is good. Let fobriety, righteoufnefs and godlinefs, adorn your whole converfation ; that walking thus agreeably to the gofpel, you may, with comfort, look for that blejfed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great Gody a?7d our Saviour J ejus Chrijl ; and may not be ajhamed before him, at his coming ; but being of the number of thofe who do the will of his heavenly Father, may have en entrance adminijiered to you abundantly in- to his everlajling kingdom. SER- SERMON XVII. Salvation wrought by the Grace of Go D. Titus ii. u, 12. For the grace of God that bringeth falvation, hath appeared to all men> teaching us> that denying ungodlinefs and worldly lufts ; we jhould live foberly, right eonJl)\ and godly in this prefent world. I N my firft difcourfe on thefe words, I S e r m. confidered, XVII. I. What we are to underftand by this grace of God. II. How it brings falvation. III. Its appearance. IV. How it appeared to all men. The Nth thing to be confidered was, What this grace of God, or the gofpel teaches. And the Vlth> How this appearance of the grace of God is an argument for our leading a holy and righteous life. A a 2 Under 356 Salvation Wrought by Serm. Under the fifth of thefe, I propofed to XVII. confider, 1/?, The things themfelves which the gofpel teaches. 2dlyy How, and by what methods it teaches them. The firft of thefe was the fubject of the fecond difcourfe ; wherein I told you, that the gofpel teaches, 1//, To de?iy ungodli- nefs and worldly lujls, 2dly, To live jbber- ly, righteoujly and godly \ in this prefent world. 1. The grace of God, or the gofpel, teaches to deny ungodlinefs and worldly lujts. To deny ungodlinefs> i. e. to renounce, for- fake and abftain from all idolatry, fuperfti- tion and falfe worfhip 3 all unbelieving and atheiftical, all unbecoming and unworthy thoughts of God \ and all practical irreli- gion and prophanenefs. And worldly lujls, i, e. all intemperance, wantonnefs and excefs ; all inordinate defires after, and love to the things of this world 5 and all pride and am- bition. 2. The gofpel teaches us to live fiber -ly, righteoujly and godly in this prefent world. Under thefe three heads of fobriety, righ- teoufnefs and godlinefs, is contained the whole of our duty in relation to ourfelves, our neighbour, and to God. Sobriety con- tains our duty with refpedt to the govern- ment of ourfelves ; and confifts in tempe- rance, whereby we moderate all our appe- tites, and our ufe of worldly pleafures and enjoyments 5 in moderating our love to all earthly the Grace of God. 357 earthly things, and having a fuperior regard Serm- to the things of heaven -y in keeping all our XVII. paffions within their proper bounds and li- mits, as our love, our hatred, our joy or grief, but efpecially the paffion of anger ; in contentment with our outward ftate and con- dition ; in modefty and humility ; and in pa- tience and conftancy under affliftion. Righ- teoufnefs contains our duty to our neighbour, as juftice and charity ; juftice, whereby we are bound to give every one his due, to pay every one his own, and to injure none by any means, nor in any refpeel: : Charity, whereby we are obliged fincerely to love all men, to bear a kind affe&ion to them, to ihew a kind, refpedtful and courteous beha- viour to them ; to do them all the good we can ; to avoid judging, cenfuring and con- demning one another, and to forgive one ano- ther. Godlinefs contains our duty with re- fpecfl to God ; and by it we [are obliged to love the Lord our God with all our heart, to fear and reverence him, and to trull and hope in him, to confefs and acknowledge him before men, to adore and worfhip him, to pray and give thanks to him, and to obey all his commandments. 2. I come now to confider, how and by what methods the gofpel teaches us thefe things. ijl> It teaches thefe things, by the many precepts and exprefs commands of it. If we A a 3 examine 358 Salvation wrought by Ser m. examine the gofpel of Chrift, we (hall eaiily XVII. find that it contains not only a difcovery of the divine grace or favour to men, but alfo many precepts and commands, which ftridt- ly require us to maintain holinefs, i. e. a virtuous, fober and pious life, and to order our converfation aright in every refpect with regard to God, ourfelves, and our neighbour. The gofpel, by no means, gives liberty to men to live as they will, nor does it in the leaft countenance a licentious and vicious life, but requires, and exprefly enjoins fobriety, righ- teoufnefs and piety, and purity and integrity in all our actions. Some of the commands of the gofpel are very comprehenfive, and en- join this holinefs in general, as, Rom. vi. 19. Yield your members fervants to righteoufnefs, unto holinefs. Heb. xii. 1 4. Follow peace with all men, and holinefs. 1 Pet. i. 15, 16. Be ye holy in all manner of converfation 3 an d be ye holy, for I am holy. And as holinefs con- lifts In the exercife of the virtues which are mentioned in our text, in living fober l\\ righ- teoufly and godly in the world, lb whatever precepts enjoin holinefs or virtue in general, they mud be underftood to enjoin all thofe virtues, and all the particular duties contained under them. And as there are many of thefe general commands in the gofpel, fo there are many particular ones that enjoin the exercife of fobriety, righteoufnefs, charity, and godlinefs in particular. Thus in fome parts the Grace of God. 359 parts of the gofpel we are commanded to love Serm. the Lord our God with all our heart, with all XVII. our foul, with all our mind, and with all cur Jlrength% to fear and reverence him, to adore and worfhip him, and to perform the feveral duties that immediately refpedt him ; to pray to him, to bleis and praife his name, and to return him the thanks that are due for the many bleffings he bellows upon us. In other places we are commanded to be juft and righteous, to give every one his own, and to render to every one his due, and to injure none by our words or actions ; to be cha- ritable and beneficent, to love our neighbour as ourfelves, and to do good to all as we have opportunity : And, finally, Whatfoever things we would that men Jhould do to us, to do fo even to them. And again, elfewhere we are required by the precepts of the gofpel, to exercife all thofe duties that relate to the government of ourfelves ; to be fober, chafte, and temperate, humble and modeft, patient and contented, and the like -, to take heed to ourfelves, that our hearts be not over-charged, and to fet our off e£f ions on things above, and not on things on the earth, and to order all our thoughts, words and actions in a becom- ing manner. Finally, We are in the gofpel mofl flrictly required to depart from all ini- quity, to abftain from flefhly lufts, to aban- don a finful and impious courfe of life ; and, as in our text, to denv ungodlinefs and worldly A a 4 lufls j 360 Salvation wrought by SERM./^i and we are exprefsly and frequently XVII. commanded to follow after righteoufnefs, ho- linefs, piety, charity and iobriety, and all manner of good and commendable adtions. How often is the performance of good works enjoined us in the gofpel, and the practice of holinefs and virtue urged mod' plainly and exprefsly therein ? We are there commanded to mortify the deeds of the body, to crucify the flejh with the affections and lujls, and to walk after the fpirit -, to oppofe all the di&ates of corrupt and inordinate affecftions and paf- iions, and to walk in newnefs of life. All the precepts of the gofpel are holy, and en- join holinefs in every refpedt ; and fo it teaches us, by precept, to de?iy all ungodlinefs and worldly hefts, and to live joberly, righteoufyy and godly in this prefent-world. 2dly, As the gofpel teaches us thefe things by precept, fo it does by example, the holy and fpotlefs example of Jefus Chrift, the founder of it. Our bleffed Saviour, while he was on earth, inftrudted men, and was a light to them, not only by his doctrine, but by the holinefs, and perfed: purity of his con- vex fation. His whole life was, as it were, one continued aft of goodnefs, holinefs and charity, and a continual exercife of the mofh enlarged piety and virtue. He was holy, harmlefsy undeftled, and fepar ate from fmncrs ; he became a familiar example of holinefs and righteoufnefs to us, and; his converfation on earth the Grace of God. 361 earth is frequently propofed for our imitation. Serm. He gave us remarkable instances of piety in XV 1L his whole life, and {hewed us, by his ex- ample, how we ought to reverence and wor- ship God, and wherein his true fervice does confift y he was a bright and glorious pattern of righteoufnefs, charity and meeknefs ; he went about doing good, and fpent his life in acts of kindnefs, and in works of charity and mercy. He was innocent and companionate, peaceable and gentle, was always doing good to the fouls and bodies of men, and pro- moted the true welfare of all with whom he converfed. His life was altogether fpotlefs and unblameable, and his converfation was entirely free from all kind of diforder ; he did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth y he injured none, but did good unto all, even to his greateft enemies and perfe- cutors. His mind was not difordered by any irregular paflion or appetite, nor his conver- fation polluted by any vicious practice : Tho' he was fubjeel: to the innocent infirmities of human nature, yet he was perfectly free from fin, and was never guilty of any irre- gularity, but his converfation was altogether holy and pure, and all kind of virtues ap- peared moft confpicuous in him y he main- tained holinefs in every refpect, and made the will of his heavenly Father the rule of all his actions ; nothing but conformity to the divine will, and obedience to the divine law, 3 was 362 Salvation wrought by Sikm* was to be feen in him ; every thing that is XVII. finful and unlawful was conftantly avoided by him, and he was addidted only to what is good, and juft, and holy. His example, in the higheft manner, recommended fobrie- ty, righteoufnefs and godlinefs -, and, as I faid, is frequently in fcripture propofed for our imitation ; as, Eph. v. 2. Walk in love, as Cbrift alfo hath loved us. Phil. ii. 5. Let this mind be in you, which was alfo in Chriji Je- fus. 1 John ii. 6. He that faith he abideth in him, ought himfelf alfo fo to walk, even as he walked. 1 Pet. ii. 21, 22, 23. Chriji al- fo fuffe red for us, leaving us an example, that we Jhould follow his fleps ; who did no fin, nei- ther was guile found in his mouth ; who, when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he fiiffered he threatned not, but committed him- felf to him that judgeth right eoufly. Thus then Jefus Chrift, the author of the gofpel, being perfectly holy and pure, and his ex- ample being frequently recommended to us in it, we are certainly thereby taught to be holy in all manner of converfation, even to deny ungodlinefs and worldly lujls, and to live foberly, 7'ighteoifly, and godly in this prefent world. 2dly, The gofpel teaches us thefe things, in that it every where acquaints us, that it was the defign of this difpenfation to pro- mote them. The defign of the gofpel is de- clared to be, not only our falvation from the con- the Grace of God. 36? condemnation and punifhment of fin, but al- S f r m. fo, and in order thereunto, from the power XVII. and dominion of it, and the promotion of ho- linefs and righteoufnefs in the world ; that we might be delivered from the pollution and diforder of our minds, and turned from an irregular and finful converfation ; that we might be fet free from the dominion of our tranfgrefiions, and might ferve God in holi- nefs and righteoufnefs all the days of our life. The gofpel acquaints us, that the defign of God in fending his Son Jefus into the world, was to turn men from their iniquities, as well as to deliver them from the wrath to come -, and that our Saviour came, not only to make an atonement for fin, but to en- courage and advance holinefs and piety, and to reduce men to the practice of righteouf- nefs 5 not only to redeem us from all iniquity, or from the punifhment of our crimes, but to purify wzto himfelf a peculiar people, zeal- ous of good works -, to purge us from the de- filement of our iniquities, as well as to ob- tain for us the pardon of our tranfgrefiions : And accordingly his doctrine and example, and all his actions, manifeftly tended everyway to difcourage and difcountenance ungodlinefs and unrighteoufnefs, and to recommend a ho- ly, righteous and pious life. Finally, We may fee, by the whole current of the gofpel, that holinefs is the defign of this glorious difpen- fation, and that righteoufnefs, piety, fobrie- Salvation wrought by . ty, and all kind of good works, are all along aimed at in it. Ic is declared in the gofpel, that God has not called us unto uncle annefs, but unto holinefs ; and that his defign therein is, that we mould be holy, and without blame be- fore him in love : It is faid, that we are his workmanfoip, created in Chrijl J ejus unto good works, which God has before ordained^ that we jkould walk in them, Eph. ii. 10. And therefore the difcourfes of our Lord himfelf, as alfo the writings of his apoftles, abound every where with exhortations, en- couragements, expostulations and intreaties to the performance of good works, and the ex- ercife of a religious and holy courfe of life. Thus the gofpel teaches us to deny ungodlinefs and worldly lujls, and to live foberly, righ- teoujly, and godly in this prefent world, by teaching us, that it is the defign of the gof- pel that we mould fo do. \thly, The gofpel teaches men to deny un- godlinefs and worldly lujls, by the threatenings that are therein denounced againft all who perfift in fuch courfes. The gofpel threatens the wicked with the fevereft punifhment. Impenitent finners, who refufe to turn from their fins, and to betake themfelves to a holy life, mail not only be deprived of the happi- nefs and glory promifed in the gofpel, but fhall be condemned to the greateft pain, mi- fery and deftrudtion in the world to come ; and this the gofpel plainly declares. There we the Grace of God. 365 we read, that the Lord J ejus flail be revealed Serm. from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flam- XVII. ing fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gofpel of our Lord Jefus Chrifl ; who flail be punijhed with everlafiing definition from the prefence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power \ 2 ThefT. i. 7, 8, 9. In the gofpel, the wrath cf God is revealed from heaven againjl all un- godlinefs and unrighteoufnefs of men, who hold the truth in unrighteoufnefs. There it is de- clared, that God will render indignatioyi and wrath to them that are co?2tentious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteoufnefs \ and that tribulation and anguifh flail be upon every foul ■of man that doth evil, of the Jew firjl, and clfo of the Gentile. In the gofpel we are in- formed, that God will reward every one ac- cording to his works ; and he affures men, that except they repent, they fljall all perifl : We are told, that the impenitent man trea- fures up to himfelf wrath againft the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judg- ment of God. Now, if the gofpel declares, that perfons who perfift in a finful courfe mall be rewarded according to their works, i. e. fhall not only lofe the glory of the righ- teous, but fhall have the fevereft punifhment inflicted on them, one would reafonably ex- pect:, that all to whom the gofpel appears, with evidence and authority, fhould be de- terred from fuch a practice hereby, as many have 366 Salvation wrought by Sf. RM.have been and are; and thus the gofpel XVII. teaches men to deny ungodlinefs and wor/dlv lufls. StHy> The gofpel teaches men to do thus, and to live fiber ly\ righteoujlyy and godly in the ivorld> by the many great and glorious pro- mifes therein made to perfons who fo live. The gofpel contains various promifes of par- don and falvation, of eternal felicity and glo- ry in the world to come ; and all the pro- mifes are declared to belong to them who repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance, and to them only. The re- million of fins is undoubtedly annexed to re- pentance ; this is plain from feveral fcrip- tures ; John preached the baptifm of repen- tance for the remiffion of fins ; the apoftles were fent to preach repentance and remiffion of fins to all nations ; and the apoftle Peter exhorts the Jews to repent and be converted, that their fins may be blotted out. Now it muft certainly be a very great encouragement to repentance, that the forgivenefs of fins is promifed to it, and that God will pafs by our tranfgreffions, and forbear to punifh us for them, if we repent and turn from them, and bring forth fruits meet for repentance : But the gofpel affures us, that we (hall not only have our fins forgiven, *. e. be deliver- ed from the punifhment of them, if we thus repent, but be raifed to the enjoyment of the higheft happinefs and glory, and that for ever, the Grace of God. 367 ever, if we perfevere in well-doing. TheSERM. promifes of eternal life and glory are made XVII. only to the righteous, to thofe who follow after holinefs, to thofe who fincerely obey the laws of Chrift, to thofe who mortify the deeds of the body, and have their fruit unto holinefs -, and certainly this mull be a great encouragement and inducement unto repen- tance, and new obedience, to forfake fin, and follow after righteoufnefs in all the parts of it. 6thly, The gofpel teaches us to deny un- godiinefs and worldly lufls, and to live foberly, righteoufly, and godly in the world, by means of the influence and affiftance of the Holy Spirit. The gofpel not only commands, and enjoins, and recommends holinefs, but alio promifes and affords all fuitable afiiftance for that purpofe. It is certainly a moft difficult thing for any that have been accuftomed to finful practices, and have thereby contracted many vicious habits, to call: off fuch practi- ces, and to conquer fuch irregular difpofi- tions ; but, tho' this be fo hard a matter, God has affured us in the gofpel, that he will grant his gracious affiftance to them who fincerely defire, and endeavour to do his will, to enable them to avoid fin, and to execute all the parts of their duty •> and there is fuch an influence, and facred energy conveyed to men thro' the gofpel, as is fufficient to dif- pofe, and prepare their minds, and to a (lift them Salvation wrought by them to obey the divine precepts. We have, in the gofpel, the promife of the Holy Spi- rit, by whofe influence, and afMance, we may be enabled to forfake that which is evil, and to cleave to that which is good. God has engaged, in his word, to afford us his gracious help, whereby we may be prepared to withfland all temptations, and has affured us, that he will enable us to go thro' all af- flictions that we may endure for the fake of a good confcience. He, by his grace, or fa- vour, which is conveyed in the gofpel, gives men all neceffary affiftance for repentance, to enable them to turn from fin, and to cor- rect their vicious habits > and affords his fer- vants all fuitable help and ability to continue in the exercife of their duty, which fhould certainly be an inducement to them to ufe their utmoft endeavours herein ; as the a- poflle makes ufe of it as an argument to per- fuade them to it, Phil. ii. 12, 13. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my prefence only, but now much more in my ab- fence, work out your own falvation with fear and trembling ; for it is the Lord who work- ethin you both to will and to do of his good pleafure, i. e. do you endeavour earneftly to avoid fin, and to perfift in the practice of your duty, feeing God gracioufly excites, dif- pdtes, and enables you fo to do. Thus have weTe^n how, and by what methods the gof- peT teaches us to deny ungodlinefs and worldly lujls, the Grace of God, 369 hijlsy and to live fiber ly, right eoujly and godly, S e r m. in this prefent word. It teaches us this by XVII. precept, by example, by the manifeft and conStant defign and fcope of it, by the threatenings and promifes of it, and by the influence and aSiiitance of the holy fpirit. VI. I come now to the fixth and laft thing, which is to confider, how this appearance of the grace of God or the gofpel, is an argu- ment for our leading a holy and righteous life. This may appear, in great meafure, from what has been already obferved ; but I fhall add fome further considerations. 1/?, The grace of God thus appearing, and teaching us thefe things, is an argument for our leading a holy and righteous life, if we confider the fufficient knowledge of our duty, and of the nature of fuch a life, that we may have thereby. Thofe to whom the gofpel has appeared, are inexcufable, if they lead not a holy life, feeing this gives them fo clear a view of it, contains fo plain a declara- tion of the will of God, with refpedl to our duty. Indeed, the light of nature might have instructed us in the chief parts of our duty ; but notwithstanding this, it is certain, that before the gofpel of Chrift was pub- lished to the world, the light of nature was very much obfcured, through the conftant pra&ice of vice, the prevalency of bad cuf- tom, and the Strength of evil habits ; and we may very well think, that without fiich a B b difcovery 37° Salvation wrought by S erm. difcovery of our duty, as the gofpel of Cftrift XVII. contains, a man, though honeft and iincere, may, by the perpetual example of thofe about him, and the force of an inveterate cuftom, be very eafily led into many mif- takes in this refpect. But they who have the gofpel, have no excufe for the neglect of their duty > for this contains fo clear a ma- nifestation of it in every refpect, that it muit argue either great negligence or wickednefs, if we conform not to the practice of it. By the gofpel we may plainly fee every thing that mould be avoided by us, what is dif- pleafing to God, and unbecoming our na- ture ; and therein, every thing that is agree- able to the divine will, and ought to be praclifed by us, is plainly and clearly ex- preffed. The gofpel teaches us fully and exprefsiy how we ought to walk to pleafe God j it not only defcribes our duty in ge- neral, gives us a complete view of our duty 5 but acquaints us with all the feveral parts of it : It teaches us how we ought to worfhip God, and what difpolition of mind becomes us towards our great Creator ; it lets us know how we ought to carry it, in every refpeel-, to one another, and what duties are required of us in the feveral relations we ftand in ; it fhews us how to govern our- felves, and how we ought to hehave our- felves, in every condition : Finally, no part of our duty is omitted in the gofpel, but every the Grace of God. 371 every thing that is requifite for us to per-SERM. form, (o clearly expreiied, that we cannot XVII. be unacquainted with it, without being guil- ty of wilful ignorance. Now, as the more plainly our duty is declared to us, the more inexcufable we fhall be, if we conform not our practice to it -, fo this appearance of the grace of God, or the gofpel, is an argument for our leading a holy and righteous life, forafmuch, as hereby, we have the plaineft declaration of our duty. zdlyy The grace of God thus appearing, and teaching thefe things, is an argument for our leading a holy and righteous life, forafmuch as the divine authority appears fo manifeftly therein. As God is the only fu- preme Being, our Creator and rightful Go- vernor and Lawgiver, his authority ought to be had in the greateft veneration and refpedt by us : But as God is the author of the gofpel, and accordingly, what it teaches, the divine authority teaches, when men neglect to comply with it, and on the contrary live an unholy life, they defpife and trample up- on their Creator's fupream authority, than which there cannot be a greater, nor more heinous crime : Therefore, on the contrary, feeing the authority of God appears in the gofpel, and in what it teaches, we fhould lincerely comply with it, that is, with a ho- ly, righteous and pious converfation, that B b 2 thereby 37 2 Salvation wrought by SERM.thereby we may teftify our juft veneration XVII. for the fupreme authority. 2 Jefus 3 let us praiie him for the gracious dif- penfation of the gofpel, and for the difco- very of his will therein contained. 4. To conclude. Let us all live as the grace of God, or the gofpel teaches y let us lead a life as it becomes the gofpel of Chriit, and be holy in all manner of converfation, as knowing that without holinefs no man J): all fee the Lord. If we turn the grace of God into lafcivioufnefs, we fhall receive the great- er condemnation y but if we would obtain the falvation that is in Jefus Chrift with eter- nal glory, we muft be holy in this life. Let us, therefore, fincerely forfake fin, and ab- stain from every kind of evil, and addidt our- felves to the pra6tice of holinefs. Finally, Let us deny all ungodlinefs and worldly lujisy and live Jbberly, righteoujly, and godly, in this prefent "world. %3* The Author intended a fourth Difcourfe on this Text, to explain the Seventh Head enumerated in the firji Sermon , but never compofsd it. B b 4 SER- SERMON XVIII. The Vanity and Uncertainty of hu- man Life. Preached at the Funeral of Mrs. Elizabeth Milton *, at Namptwich., in Chefhire, on March jo, 1726. James iv. 14. lat. part. For what is your life ? It is even a vapour, that appear eth for a little time, and then vanijheth away. SERM.fTpHIS epiftle was writ both to the be- XVIII. J^ lieving and unbelieving Jews, to thofe who had embraced the faith of Chrift, and thofe who had not. And, in the beginning of this chapter, the apoftle feems to fpeak to the latter fort of Jews, who, as Jofephus ob- ferves, were about this time fallen into great contentions, quarrellings and fightings in eve- ry * Third wife, and relia of the Great Author of Paradise Lost, whoconlUntly attended our Author's miniftry. The Vanity and Uncertainty, ®c. 377 ry city, and almoft in every family, not only Serm. in judea, but in other places where they XVIII. were difperied. Hence the apcftle, taking **-¥*" -1 notice of this their disorderly carriage, fays, From whence come wars and fightings among you ? Come they not hence, even of your lujls% or pleafures, that war in your members'? 21 lufty and have ?iot , ye kill, and defire to have* and cannot obtain , ye fight and war, yet ye have not, becaufe ye ajk not , ye ajk and re- ceive not, becaufe ye ajk amifs, that ye may confume it upon your lujls, or pleafures. The jfewsy at this time, were vehemently defirous of freedom from paying tribute to the Ro- mans, and of dominion and authority over the reft of the world, agreeable to the no- tions they had conceived of the Meffiah, that he fhould fet up a temporal kingdom, and bring all nations into fubjedlion to them : For the fake of this worldly defire, they fell out with all who were not of their mind, they quarrelled, and fought, and even killed, and yet they could not obtain the things they fo much defired, becaufe they did not con- cern themfelves to afk, or enquire, whether they were agreeable to the mind or will of God : And tho' they afked, yet they did it from very ill principles, and for bad purpofes and defigns, viz. that they might confume it upon their lufts, might make their dominion over the world fubfervient to their luxury, and the gratification of their vicious lufts and defires 5 378 The Vanity and Uncertainty Serm. defires ; might live in wealth and plenty, in XVIII. eafe and pleafure, in worldly grandeur, pomp and fplendor. Then he fpeaks to thefe kn- fual and worldly-minded perfons, as adulte- rers, and adultereffes ; idolatry being fre- quently reprefented under the notion of adul- tery, and this love of the world, and making mammon their god, being no better than the heathen idolatry, and as much a departing from God, as appears by what the apoftle fays in this place j Ye adulterers, and adulte- rejfes, know ye not that the friendjhip of the world is enmity with God? IVhofoever there- fore will be a friend of the worlds is the ene- my of God. He goes on, and afks them, Do ye think that the Jcripture faith in vain, The fpirit that dwelleth in us lufteth to envy t There being no fuch expreflion to be found in the old Teftament, fome read this verfe thus, Do ye think that the Jcripture Jpeaketh in vain ? viz. again ft this fenfual and world- ly temper ; The fpirit, viz. the fpirit of God, that dwelleth in us, doth he lufi unto envy ? making two queftions of it. It follows, Bui he giveth more grace, i. e. the fpirit of God that dwells in us, is (0 far from lulling to en- vy at the good and welfare of others, that he ftill beftows greater degrees of favour on men : Wherefore he, or it, i. e. the fcripture, faith, God refifteth the proud, but giveth grace, or favour, unto the humble. Having men- tioned this happy privilege of the humble, he of Human Life. 379 he takes occafion, in the words immediately Serm. following, to exhort them to the virtue of XVIII. humility, Submit your/elves therefore to God ; v — •— -* it follows, refill the devil, and he will fly from you, i. e. oppofe and withftand his tempta- tions, who is the author and promoter of thofe envyings and fightings among you, and he mail not prevail over you. He proceeds with his exhortations in the 8th vcrfe, Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you : cleanfe your hands, ye fmners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded, i. e. he would have you draw nigh to God by prayer, repentance, and obedience; or to believe the gofpel, and fo to draw nigh to God, thro* Jefus Chrift, by whom both Jews and Gentiles have accefs unto the Father 5 he would have them cleanfe their hands from violence and injuftice ; and exhorts them who were divided in their af- fections between God and mammon, or the wavering chriftians who were divided, as it were between Judaifm and chriftianity, ei- ther of which may be underftood by the JV-iu^oz, or double-minded, to purify their hearts from the love of the world, which either hindered them from embracing the gofpel, or tended to draw them off from it. Then, continuing his difcourfe to the unbe- lievers and back-fliders, he fays, Be affliffed, and mourn, and weep : Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heavinefs, h e. at the thoughts of the miiery and cala- mity 3 So The Vanity and Uncertainty Serm. mity that was coming upon the Jews, not XVIII. only in Judea, but in all places where they were (tattered abroad. Then he exhorts them again, to humble them/elves in the fight of the Lord, and he would lift them up. In the i ith and 12th veries, he directs his dif- courfe chiefly to the Jewif chriftians ; Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that f peak- eth evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, fpedketh evil of the law>. and judgeth the law : But if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to five, and to de/lroy : Who art thou then that judge fl another ? The Jewijh chriftians were very apt to judge and cenfure the Ge?ttile believers for their non-obfervance of the law ofMofes, faying, that unlefs they were circum- cifed, and kept that law, they could not be faved : Now, the law never requiring the cbfervance of the things contained in it of the Gentiles, their cenfuring them for their non-compliance with it, was, in effect, paf- iing a cenfure on the law, as if it were faul- ty, and defective, on that account' : And as God never made the commands of the law obligatory to the Gentiles, it was prefumption in any to make them fo, or to pretend, that, without conforming to it, the Gentiles could not be faved ; for God is the only lawgiver, who is able to five, and to de/lroy. From ver. 13. to the^end of the chap, he fharply reproves fuch . worldly-minded perfons, as for- of Human Life. 381 forgetting their own mortality, the uncer- Sk r m, tainty of all earthly things, and their necef-XVlIJ, fary dependance on the divine providence, were fo prefumptuous as to refolve and pur- pole to do fo, without regard to the divine will, as if life, and the advantages of it, were in their own power, and at their own com- mand. Go to nowy ye that fay. To day or to- morrow we will go into Jucb a city, a?id con- tinue there a year, and buy, and fell, and get gain : Whereas ye know not what Jhall be on the morrow : For what is your life ? It is even a vapour that appear eth for a Utile tinie, and then vanijheth away. For that ye ought to fay, If the Lord will, we jhall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boa/lings, viz. concerning the time to come ; all fuch rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, i. e. after thefe warn- ings and inftructions he had given them, and doth it not, to him it is fin. Having thus confidered the fcope and con- nexion of the words of our text, I (hall now return to the confideration of them. For what is your life ? It is even a vapour that appear eth for a little time, and then vanijheth away. . Thefe words very emphatically exprefs the vanity of human life. When the apoftle fays, What is your life ? he feems to be at a lofs for fomething vain, empty, and tranfitory e- nough to compare it to -, he prefently likens it 382 The Vanity and Uncertainty SERM.it to a vapour, or gives it that name, // is XVIII. even a vapour. As a vapour rifes fuddenly, ' — v— — 'is ieen but a little while, and then vaniuhes or difappears, fuch is the life of men in this world, they enter upon the ftage, and make a fhew for fome time, and then die, go hence, and are no more. Here it 'will be proper, 1/?, To confider the certainty of death, or how certain it is that our lives will one time or other have an end. . We are not to abide here for ever ; there is no fixed or lading ftate for us in this world, but the time will come, when death fhall remove us hence 5 we carry about with us bodies that are naturally liable to corrup- tion, and mud, of confequence, at lafl: yield to it ; as we cannot fecure ourfelves from ficknefs and difeafes, fo it is not in our power to ward off the ftroke of death, to which all muft of neceffity fubmit. There is nothing we are furer of than death, that we muft one time or other leave this world, and all its enjoyments. As we appear for a while in this world, fo the time will come, when, like a vapour, we fhall difappear, and be no more. Conftant obfervation, and daily ex- perience, fhews this to be the lot of all men. How many of our near relations, familiar ac- quaintance, and deareft friends, with whom we have intimately converfed, are now re- moved from our fight and company, and lodged in the filent grave, never to return to us of Human Life. us more : We are continually hearing of fome S £ u m, or other who are taken hence, and fpectacles XVIII. of mortality are daily before our eyes, of which we have jult now had an instance ; as fome are always coming into the world, fo others are daily, and even hourly, departing out of it. Mankind are continually palling away by death ; this has been their Hate from the beginning of the world, and will be lb to the end of it. The longelt livers have at lall had an end put to their lives ; antedilu- vian patriarchs, who lived fo many handred years, were forced, after all, to fubmit to death's irreliftabie power. One generation paf- feth away, and another generation ccmeth^ and none mull expect to continue for ever, Thole who have been, now are not; and thofe who now are, will hereafter have no being in this world. Death is the way of all flelh, the inevitable portion of ail men : As we all became mortal in Adam, and it is appointed for all men once to die, fo there is not a man living who lliall not fee death ; not one will be able to deliver his foul from the hand of the grave, which is the houfe appointed for all living. All ages, degrees, and conditions of men are alike liable to this fate, young and old, learned and unlearned, good and bad, high and low, rich and poor; One dieth in his full llrcngth, being ivh:: eafe and quiet, his breafii .ire full of milk, and his fanes a)~e moijkned with marrozv ; and 384 The Vanity and Uncertainty Serm. dieth in the bitter nefs of his foul, and never XVIII. eateth with pleajure -, they foall lie down alike in the dufi, and the worms J hall cover them, Job xxi. 22 — 26. Death is common to every one ; all the living affuredly know that they muft die, and how many years foever we live here, we mail at laft go the way of all flefh, whence we mall not return. Thus, zsjob fays, chap, xiv. 10. Man dieth, and wajleth away ; yea man giveth up the ghofi, and where is he? So that, we fee, every one will fome time or other have an end put to his life here, and muft unadvoidably fubmit to the univerfal conqueror, death. But, idly, As we muft certainly one time or other leave this world, and our lives muft have an end, fo the life of every one is at longeft but very fhort and tranfitory. Our days here are but few, and our time here is but very ftiort ; when a few years are come, we (hall certainly go the way whence we fhall not return. What are three or four- fcore years, when we ferioufly reflect on them ? and yet in that fpace, or thereabouts, all the prefent race of mankind will be cer- tainly extinct. How fleeting and tranfitory a thing then is the life of man, when the ut- moft term of it, generally fpeaking, does not exceed feventy, or eighty years ? Accord- ing as the Pfalmift fpeaks, The days of our years are three fcore years and ten ; and if by rcafon offrength they be fow fcore years, yet is their of Human Life. 385 their Jlrength labour and for row ; for it is foon Serm. cut off, and we flee away. The life of the XVIII. patriarchs was much longer than ours, and yet theirs was in itfelf but fhort. How very fhort therefore is man's life at this time ? Thofe who live longeft, when they look back on the time they have paft over, it will appear to them as a dream. As we have no lafting continuance in this world, fo the time of our continuance here is very fhort ; as we muft not abide for ever, fo we cannot abide long in it. As death will certainly come upon us all, fo it will foon come upon us ; and as we can by no means entirely efcape it, fo it is in vain for us to think of putting it far from us. Our lives pafs on very fwiftly, and haften to their final period ; every day brings us nearer and nearer to our exit out of this world, and we are continually hafting to our latter end. The brevity and fleeting ftate of human life is fet forth in fcripture after a very affe&ing manner -y as, Job xiv. j, 2. Man that is bom of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble : He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down, he fleeth alfo as a flmdow, and continueth not. And, ver. 5, &c. of the forementioned xcth Pfal. Thou Car- rie fl them away as with a flood, they are as afleep ; in the morning they are as grafs which groweth up : In the morning it flourijheth and groweth up ; in the evening it is cut down a?id wither eth. And, ver. 9. For all our days are C c faffed 386 The Vanity arid Uncertainty Serm. prf/ftd ctway in thy wrath ; we fpend our yean XVIII. 'US a tale that is told. Again, fob vii. 6, 7. My days are fwifter than a weaver s fhuttle, and are (pent without hope -, O reme?nember that my life is wind. Chap. viii. 9. Our days upon earth are a f:adow. Chap. ix. 25, 26. JSfow my days are fwifter than a pojl ; they flee away, they fee no good : 'They are pa fed away as the fwift flips, as the eagle that hafeth to the prey, 1 Chron. xxix. 15. Our days on the earth are as a fjadow, and there is none abiding. Pfal. xxxix. 4, 5. Lord, make me to know mine end, and the meafure of my days, what it is, that 1 may know how frail I am. Behold, thou haft made my days as an ha?id- bread^h, and mine age is as nothing before thee. Pfal. ciii. 15, 16. As for man, his days are as grafs ; as a floiuer of the field Jo he flour if heth : For the wind paffeth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof jh all know it no more. And, to recite no more, Pfal. cxliv. 4. Man is like to vanity ; his days are as a fiadow that paffeth away. So fhort, fo fleeting and tran- fitory is human life, if we confider it in the utmoft extent of it. But, 3^/v, It is much more fo, if we confider the uncertainty of it. As our lives, at longeft, are very fliort, fo they may be much fhorter than we are willing to imagine ; for death does not come upon all at the fame age, but cuts down perfons of all ages, from the oldeft to the younizeft. Nothing is more certain than of Human Life, 387 than death, but the time of its approach isSerm. to us uncertain ; whether it may be iboner XVIII. or later we cannot tell -, and it may as wrell be fooner as later. The days of our years are indeed threefcore years and ten, or four- fcore years ; but, alas ! how many are there who do not live out half thefe days, who are taken off even in the bloom of their years. Our lives are at beft but very frail and uncertain 5 every man at his beji jlate is altogether vanity, Pial. xxxix. 5. We can- not promiie to ourfelves one day, no nor one hour longer to live in this world ; not one moment of time is in our power, but it all depends on the divine pleafure. We may indeed bring death upon ourfelves much fooner than otherwife it would have come ; but, after all our care, we cannot infure the lead time to ourfelves. How many are there who die fuddenly, tho' they were well, and in health, but juft before ? And we know not but this may be our cafe. How many un- forefeen accidents are there that may bring us to our end ? And how many diftempers and difeafes are wre liable to, which may fudden- ly feize upon us, and end in death ? Death affumes innumerable forms and ihapes, and has various Ways of affaulting us ; fometimes with greater violence and fury, and fome- times more flowly and deliberately, and we mall certainly one time or other be forced to fubmit to it -, but when, or howT, we know C c 2 not. 388 The Vanity and Uncertainty Serm. not. So very uncertain and precarious is hu~ XVIII. man life, that whatever our prefent ftate or condition be, we cannot be fure of the leaft time to live : Our time is in God's hands, and is known to him alone, and thofe bounds he has fet we cannot pafs. In fhort, we know not how foon, or how fuddenly we may be made to yield to the ftroke of death -, how foon, or how fuddenly, our life may have an end 5 even before we are aware, we may be removed hencQ, and be no more. Thus then our life is a vapour, which will certainly difappear, will fhortly difappear, and . may very quickly and fuddenly difappear. Let us now make a few reflections -on what has been faid. 1/?, If our life be fo fhort and uncertain, we may from hence fee the vanity of all worldly things. The vanity of life fhews the vanity of all enjoyments here. When- ever death comes upon us, as it fends us out of the world, it puts an end to all earthly things with refpect to us. As therefore life is fhort, thefe things, viz. all worldly actions and employments, pleafures and delights, poffeflions and enjoyments, are but of fhort continuance, and will foon end ; and as our life is uncertain, fo thefe things are very un- certain to us. Indeed they are very uncer- tain and precarious of themfelves, fuppofmg we continued in the world ; all earthly riches, honours, and enjoyments are fading and pe- rishing of Human Life. 389 riming things; we may have them to-day, Serm. but may be deprived of them to-morrow ; XVI II. they are liable to every accident, and the greateft uncertainty ; they may foon pafs a- way from us, or, however, the pleafure of enjoying them may foon be loft. But death adds much to the vanity and uncertainty of of them ; they can be enjoyed by us no longer than we continue in the world ; and how fhort and uncertain the time of our abode here is, we have already confidered. Death will put an end to all earthly pleafures and enjoyments ; as we pafs out of the world, thefe things will certainly pafs away from us ; we mail leave them all behind us, and {hall never return to them more. Well there- fore might the Pfalmift fay, Surely every man wa/keth in a vain jhew \ furely they are dip- quieted in vain, he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not "who frail gather them, Pfal. xxxix. 6. 2dly, If our life in this world be fo fhort, and uncertain, how great is the mercy and goodnefs of God in providing for us, and promifing to us everlafting life in the world to come. Mankind is naturally defirous of immortality, but as we are liable to death here, we mould all our life-time have been fubject to bondage, through the fear of it, if God had not provided a remedy again ft this evil and vanity, by fetting before us a life to come, or an eternal ftate after a refur- C c 3 re&ion. 390 The Vanity and Uncertainty Serm. reftion. He fent his Son into the world, XVIII. that whofoever believes in him, Jhould not pe- rifli, but have ever lofting life. Chrifl Jefus has brought life and immortality to light by the go/pel, and has by his death and relurrec- tion, delivered us from the fear of death, and the bondage of corruption. Though they who believe in him fhall die, they fhall not die for ever, but fhall be raifed again, and fhall receive the adoption, to wit, the re- demption of their bodies. As we have here no continuing city, God has provided one for us in the heavenly kingdom ; and all fincere chriflians may know, that when their earth- ly houfe of this tabernacle is dijjblved, they have a building of God, an houfe not made with hands eternal in the heavens. BlefTed be God, therefore, who of his abundant mer- cy, has begotten us again to a lively hope, by the refur recti on of Jefus Chrifl from the dead -, to on inheritance incompatible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, which is rejcrved in heaven for us. ^dly, If our lives here are fo fhort and uncertain, how ought we, with fpeed, to prepare for our great change by death, and the future flate of immortality, happinefs and glory, in the world to come. They who repent not of their fins here, will be mife- rable in the future ftate ; but all fincere pe- nitents, who do works meet for repentance, will, according to God's gracious promife, be of Human Life. 391 be eternally happy. As, therefore, wecanSERM. call no time to come our own, and our lives XVIII. are (o uncertain, how ought we to improve the prefent time for our repentance and turn- ing to God, and to make ufe of all opportu- nities in preparing ourfelves more and more, by the exercife of virtue, for the bleffed and eternal ftate above. We have but a little time to work in, and this time is very un- certain, and we have a great and moft im- portant work to do for our fouls ; how then mould we lay hold on every opportunity, and improve every feafon for our eternal welfare, and not delay and put off our re- pentance, and the fervice of God from one time to another ? The time prefent is the only time we are fure of; let us, therefore, improve this time, for working out our own falvation, left, if we mould not, we fhould be matched hence unprepared 5 for then our ftate will be moft dreadful, and the lofs we have brought upon ourfelves will be irre- trievable. 4ibly> If our ftate here be fo fickle and uncertain, then let us fet light by the things of this world, by all the pleafures and en- joyments thereof, and let us fet our affection on the things above, which are of everlaft- ing continuance. What folly is it for any to fet their hearts on that which is fo very un- certain and precarious, and which they are fure, in a little time, to leave ? Wilt thou fet C c 4 thine 392 The Vanity and Uncertainty Serm. thine eyes upon that which is ?iot? fays Solo- XVIII. moru If we were to abide here for ever, and were not defigned for a more excellent ftate, it would not be ftrange, that we fhould fet our hearts on earthly enjoyments ; but feeing this is not our reft, and there is no continuance for us here, we fhould not fet our affe&ion upon this perifhing and vain world, fhould not mind the uncertain en- joyments of it y but fhould defire and fet our hearts upon the felicity of the everlaft- ing kingdom, and afpire after thofe heaven- ly and divine delights which never ceafe -y we fhould look upon all the pleafures, riches and honours of the world, to be vain and empty things, and fhould learn duly to e- fteem and value the fubftantial and lafting enjoyments of the heavenly ftate; fhould endeavour to be weaned more and more from the one, and to be more defirous of the other. Sthfyy If our time be fo uncertain, wc fhould, in all worldly bufinefs, purpofes and refolutions, have regard to the divine will and difpofal ; and fhould fay, if the Lord will, we jl:all live> and do this or that, ac- cording to the apoftle's advice in the con- text. We fhould be fo mindful of our own frailty and mortality, and of the divine power and fovereignty herein, as not to pur- pofe or undertake any thing rafhly, as in our own time and ftrength, as thofe did whom of Human Life. 393 whom the apoftle here reproves: We fliould Serm. not boaft ourfelves of to-morrow, feeing we XVIII. know not what fhall be on the morrow, or what a day may bring forth. Laftly, To conclude : Let us be frequent- ly meditating on death, that will certainly be our lot, on the fhortnefs and uncertainty of life, and the vanity of all worldly things ; and let the prefent difpenfation which occa- fioned this difcourfe, particularly induce us fo to do. This is a very proper and necef- fary fubjeft for our thoughts, and would . yield us unfpeakable advantage -, ferious con- federation on the vanity and uncertainty of our prefent ftate, will put us upon making fuitable preparation for death, and for the life to come ; will tend to difpofe the mind to virtue, and to prepare it for thofe excel- lent employments, which will yield eternal fruit. Let us, therefore, often meditate on thefe things, not putting far from us the evil day, but dill remembering our latter end, that we may be induced fpeedily to repent, and to exercife ourfelves in doing the will of God, in order to the obtaining eternal life and glory in heaven ; for though the world pajfeth away, and the lnjl thereof^ and our lives here are as a vapour which fuddenly difappears, yet all they who do the will of God, fhall abide for ever, in the incorrupti- ble manfions of blifs and glory. SER- SERMON XIX. The Frailty of all Worldly Enjoy- ments, i John ii. 17. And the world pafeth away, and the lujl there- of: but he that doeth the will of Gcd> abideth for ever. Serm. TPySCOURSES that treat of the va- XIX. JL^ nitY'> uncertainty and tranfitory nature of human affairs, of all worldly poffeffions and enjoyments, can fcarce ever be out of feafon. As daily experience and obiervaticn witnefleth to this truth ; as the ferious con- iideration of it, and frequent meditations upon it, are neceflary to induce us to feek our reft and happinefs in another ftate ; and as men generally, notwithftanding, are ve- ry thoughtlefs about it, and appear to have but flight impreffions from it, it muft, with- out doubt, be moft fit and proper, to take all opportunities to put them in mind of it, to recal their thoughts to moft ferious con- templations The Frailty of, ®c. 395 temptations upon it, to fhew them how they Serm. ought to be affe&ed thereby, and what in- XIX. fluence it ihould always have on their life and converfation. Among all the feafonable warnings and admonitions in the facred writings, none gives us a more affedling account in general, of the inftabilky and vanity of all worldly tilings, than the words I have now read to you -, which alfo contain a remedy again ft this vanity, and fhow how this unhappinefs may be furmounted, and are therefore very proper to be infifted on. But that we may come regularly to them, we mud obferve, that in the 15th verfe, the apoflle is cautioning chriftians againft an inordinate 2ffe&ion to the things of this life ; Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world-, and as a rea- ion of this dehortation, he adds, If any ?nan love the world, the love of the Father is not in him -, and, in the following verfe, he goes on further to fhew, that the inordinate love of the world and the love of God, muft needs be incoiififtent, forafmuch as thefe are op- pofite one to the other ; For all that is in the world, all that is in vogue and efteem there, viz. the luji of the fefo, the luji of the eye, and the pride of If, all intemperance, covetouihefs and ambition, is not of the Fa- ther, but is of the world. And then as a further inducement, not to fet their affection on 396 The Frailty of Serm.oii things on the earth, he adds in the words XIX. of the text, And the world pa [Jet h away, and the lujl thereof: but he that doeth the will of Gody abideth for ever. In treating on which words, I fhall, I. Confider the vanity and perifhing na- ture of all worldly things, from the former part of the verfe, And the world paffeth away, and the luft thereof II. The remedy againft this vanity, con- tained in the latter part of the verfe, But he that doeth the will of 'God \ abideth for ever. I. Let us confider the tranfitory and pe- rilling nature of all earthly things, exprefs- ed in thefe words, The world paffeth away% and the lujl thereof Though the word world admits of various fenfes in fcripture, it is eafy to fee, that by thefe expreffions, is meant, that the ftate of affairs in this life, is very fleeting and tranfitory, of a decaying and perifhing nature, of a (hort continuance, and will foon end : And we fhall confider the firft of thefe expreffions in three re- fpects. The world paffeth away. ift> It is always varying ; it is in a conftant flux and alteration. 2d!y, It fo paffes away, as in time, to have a final period and entire dif- folution. 3*//y, (which more nearly con- cerns us) It pafles away, fo as to have an end all Worldly Enjoyments. 397 end with regard to every particular perfon, Serm. at his death. XIX. 1/?, The world is in continual flux and al- teration, and fo is ftill paffing away. It is in a very variable and changeable condition. There is no fettled and fixed ftate here, nei- ther with regard to perfons nor things, they are unavoidably fubjedt to change, and never continue long the fame. There is, and has been from the beginning, a conftant courfc of fucceffion of perfons in the world, fome continually dying, and others coming up in their ftead. No generation mull: expecl to continue for ever, but all muft, in a few years, ceafe in their courfe, and leave the earth to -the next fucceeding. Thus thofe who have been, now are not ; they who now are, in a little time, will not be s and they who fhall arife, muft ftill undergo the fame fate, muft die, and give place to others that come after them. Our fathers are gone, and we are rifen up in their ftead, and in a ftiort time, we muft go off the ftage, and leave it to be a&ed upon by others. Thus, as the wife man fays, one generation pafjeth away, and another generation cometh ; fo it has been from the beginning of the world, and fo it will be as long as the earth remains. All the prefent inhabitants of the earth, who are now in the world, will in three or four- fcore years, or a very few more, be cer- tainly extinct, which is a very aweful confi- deration, The Frailty of deration, though fo little thought on by us, and a new race will fucceed, but for no longer a time than the former ; and fo on to the end. And as it is thus with regard to men, or perfons, fo it is with refpedt to the things of this world : They are all mu- table and changeable, and never continue long in one fituation ; what perfons poflefs to-day, they may be deprived of to-morrow, or in a very fhort time ; they may be rich and at eafe at one time, poor and in trouble at another time : Grief often fucceeds joy, pain fucceeds pleafure, and ficknefs health ; pofleflions pafs from one owner to another, and what one generation has acquired, ano-* ther generation enjoys. Thus the world is always in a tranfitory condition, in a con- tinual flux and alteration, and all that cometh is vanity. 2dfy, The world fo pafleth away, as in time to have a final period and entire diffo- lution. As now there is a conftant fuccef- fion in the world from generation to gene- ration, fo, after a time, there will be an end put even to fuch fucceffion ; and with re- gard to the prefent ftate, mankind will be no more. As the world is ever pafling away, in its fluctuating and changeable con- dition, fo hereafter it may be faid, that it is actually palled away, there being an end put to the ftate of aifairs here, and all things being entirely diflblved. Thus we read fre- quently all Worldly Enjoyments. 399 quently of the end of the world, which, Serm: though it has other fignifications in fcripture, XIX. yet fometimes fignifies this grand period we are fpeaking of: When not only the ftate of things here, the affairs and transactions, the works and devices, the pleafures and en- joyments of this world fhall have an end, but the earth itfelf, the flage whereon thefe things were tranfa&ed, fhall undergo a fur- prizing alteration, be removed, and together with its heaven or air, fhall be diffolved, and that by fire. This is very plainly declared in fcripture, 2 Pet. iii. 7. The heavens and the earth which are now, by the fame word are kept in fore, refervcd unto fire again)} the day of judgment ', and perdition of ungodly men. And, verfe 10. The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night ; in the which the, heavens fall pafs away with a great ?ioife% and the elements fall melt with fervent heat, the earth alfo, and the works that are therein f: all be burnt up. And lb, ver. 12. Looking for, and hafing unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire, fall be diffolved, and the elements fall melt with fervent heat. And to this purpofe alfo, is what we read, Heb. i. 10, n, 12. And thou Lord, in the beginning, haft laid the founda- tion of the earth ; and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They fall per 'ij: h, but thou remainef ; and they all fall wax old, as doth a garment -, and as a vcfiure fait thou 3 fild 4CO The Frailty of SfcRM. fold tbem up, and they jhall be changed-, but XIX. thou art the fames and thy years jail not. Thus we fee that the world fo paifeth away, as that at lafl, it fhall fuller a final diflblu- tion, and an entire period fliall be put to the prcfent ftate of things. God who made it, can as cafily deflroy it, and according to his word, will deflroy it. 3^/v, The world pafleth away fo as to have an end, with refpedt to every particular per- ion at his death. This, as I laid, more nearly concerns us, for tho' the world may not he actually at an end in our time, yet death, with regard to us, and every particu- lar perfon, is equivalent to it j for when we die, the world is ended as to us, or any action, concerns, or enjoyments we fliall have in it again : We (hall never return to our former pofleffions, to our former rela- tions and friends, to our former works and employments, to our* former pleafurcs and enjoyments, we (hall never return to them more. We fliall never act a part more in this world, or in this prefent ftate of things. When we lie down in our graves, we fhall not rife till the heavens be no more ; we fliall not av nor be railed out of our fleep : We fliall not return to our houfe, and the place that knew us fliall know us no more. New, that the world palleth thus a- way, daily experience lliews ; there is no- thing we are furer of than death, conftant 7 obfer- ail Worldly Enjoyments. 401 obfervation proves it to be the lot of every S v R M* one : As it is appointed unto men once to XIX. die, fo there is not a man living who (hall not fee death ; none will be able to deliver1 foul from the grave. Thus the world pnfTeth away with regard to every one ; fot we fliall all certainly pais oUt of it, and leave it behind US. And truly it pafTeth thus a- way very fwiftly ; everv day bring? us nearer and nearer to our exit out oi it, and wc are continually hading to our latter end. Our day r are but few, and they are fwiftcr than el pojl, and Jlce away ; they are pajjed away as the fwiji J hips, as the eagle ha firth to the prey. Man is like to vanity, and his days are as U Jhadoiv, that pajfeth away -, in fuch c;;pref- fions as thefc is the frailty of human life fet forth in fcripture. Our lives at longed arc very fhort, confiding of but very few years : When a few years are come, we iliall cer- tainly go the way whence we iliall not re- turn , for the days of our years are but three- f core years and ten \ and if by reafon offlrcngth they be four/core years, yet is their Jlrength but labour and forrow, for it is foon cut off and we flee away. But how many are there who do not live out half thefc days, who are ta- ken off even in the bloom of their years ? For as our lives are fhort, fo they are very uncertain, there is not one day, nor hour, of it to come that we can be lure of. How fleeting and tranfitory, how frail and uncer- U d tain 402 The Frailty of Serm. tain is human life, /'/ is even a vapour, thai XIX. appear eth for a very little time, and then va- J nijheth away. How many are there who die fuddenly ? and we know not but this may be our lot. How many unforefeen accidents are there that may bring us to our end ?. And if not fo, how many difeafes are we liable to, which often may end in death ? And this is applicable to every age of man, and to all ranks and conditions : The young die as well as the old -y thofe who are rich and in profperous circumftances, as well as the poor and miferable ; kings as well as their fubjefts. For God judgeth thofe that are high : One dieth in his full ftrength, or in the ftrength of his perfection, being wholly at eafe and quiet -, his breafts, or as it may be read in the original, his milk- pails, are full of milk, and his bones are moijlened with mar- row (he has health and profperity, and yet he dies, all the goods of body and fortune,) and another dieth in the bittemefs of his foul, and never eat eth with plea fur e : They fall lie down alike in the difl, and the worms jhall co- ver them, Job xxi. 22 — 26, This ilate of mortality, which all men are alike fubject to, is very frequently exprefTed and very pa- thetically complained of in fcripture, parti- cularly, Job xiv. 1, 2. Man that is born of a woman, is of few days and full of trouble ; he comeih forth like a flower, and is cut down ; be feeth alfo as a fhadow3 and continueth not. And, all Worldly Enjoyments. 403 And, verfe 10, Man dieih and wajleth away ;Serm. ye, man giveth up the gkojl, and where is he? XIX. So, PfaL xxxix. 4, 5. Lord make me to know ' — v~' mine end, and the meafure of my days, what it is ; that I may kuow how frail I am. Be- hold thou haft made my days as an hand-breadth, and mine age is nothing before thee : verily every ?na?i at. his bejl eflate, is altogether vani- ?iity. Again, Pfiil. ciii. 15, 16. the Pfalmift fays, As for man his days are as grafs 3 as a fower of the field, fo he fiouri/ljeth : For the wind pajfeth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof fall know it no more. A paf- fage like to which, we have, I/a. xl. 6, 7. All fief j, i. e. all men, is grafs, and all the gocdlijiefs thereof, is as the flower of the field : The grafs wither eth, the flower fddeth \ be* caufe the fpirit of the Lord bloweth upon it : furely the people is grafs. Thus we fee, we are all frail and mortal, and muft certainly die and leave this world, and that in a little, a very little time ; and fo the world will, in erFecl, be ended with regard to us, and every particular perfon : So true is this affertion of the apoftle, The world pajfeth away. He adds, and the lujl thereof As the world paffeth away, fo the world paffeth away, fo as to have an end. By the luft of the world, we are to underfland thofe things which he mentions more particularly in the foregoing verfe, viz. the lujl of the fief, the lujl of the eyes j and the pride of life ; which Dd 2 are The Frailty of • are faid to be of the world, and fo are the fame, with what he here calls in general the luft of it. By the luft of the flefli,. it feems, we are to underftand, all voluptuous enjoy- ments which tend to fenfuality and intempe- rance ; by the luft of the eyes, the deiire of riches, of gold and filver, (lately houfes, fplendid furniture, and the like, which tend to gratify the eye ; and by the pride of life, the defire of places of dignity, high titles, all the honour, glory and fplendor of the world, which tends to gratify our pride and ambition. Thefe are all fading and perifh- ing things, and will foon pafs away ; both the things that are lufted after, or minifter to our lufts, and the lufts themfelves, the pleafure that is taken in the poffeffion and enjoyment of fuch things, i. The things that minifter to our lufts, or are lufted after, are all tranfitory, decaying and perifhing things -y fuch as the riches, honours and pleasures of the worlds and the like ; thefe are all very precarious, and will, in a very fhort time, certainly leave us, thefe things which are feen, are but temporal : We muft not expect to enjoy them always, for daily experience fhows, how vain, fickle and un- certain they are. As for riches, they are not for ever, they are defervedly called uncer- tain riches, they make themfelves wings, and flee away as an eagle towards heaven, as the wife man expreffes it : As for honours, thofe who all Worldly Enjoyments. 405 who enjoy them (land in flippery places ;Serm. Man being in hcnonry abidcth not : And as XIX. for the obje&s that gratify our carnal and fenfual appetites, they are fading and perish- ing things. And then, 2. As the things that are lulled after in this world, are vain and tranfitory, fo the pleafure that is taken in the enjoyment of them, is tranfitory too, and very fhort-lived : When the things that mi- tt ifter to our lufts ceafe, the pleafure taken from the gratification of them muft ceafe of courfe. And this may be while we live ; the pleafures, honours and enjoyments of this world may leave us before we leave it ; we can be fecure of nothing here, though we remain in the world -, thofe who are rich, and live in all honour and pleafure, may live to be poor and defpifed, and mife- rable ; men often outlive their wealth, their honours, and their delights ; but if thefe fhould continue as long as they live, they may be rendered altogether uncapable of enjoying them, or receiving any pleafure from them. They are none of them a fe- curity again ft pain and ficknefs, which blunt the edge of all delight?, and fpoil their relifh ; and fo grief, trouble and anxiety, often fuo- ceed fenfual pleafure and voluptuous enjoy- ments. But however, this is certain, that the things of the world can be enjoyed by us no longer than we continue in it ; and how fhort and uncertain the time of our D d 3 abode The Frailty of abode here is, we have already confidered. Death will put an end to all earthly plea- fares and enjoyments j as we pafs out of the world, thefe things will certainly pafs away from us : We fhall leave them all be- hind us, and fhall never return to them more. Well, therefore, might the Pialmift fay, Surely every man walketh in a vain Jhew ; Surely they are di [quieted in vain ; he heapcth up riches, and knoweth not who Jhall gather them, Pfalm xxxix. 6. And very ob- fervable to this purpofe, is what he elfe- where fays, Pfalm xlix. 10. Wife men diey likewife the fool and the brutifh perfon perifi, and leave their wealth to others. And a little lower, verfe 16, 17. Be not thou afraid, when one is made rich, when the glory of bis houfe is increafed : For when he dieth, he fhall car- ry nothing away ; his glory fhall not defend after him. And the apoftle fays, We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out, 1 Tim. vi. 7. Thus we fee that the world pajfeth away, and the luft thereof. II. I come now to confider the latter part of the verfe, which containeth a remedy again ft this vanity, or fhews us how we may fur- xrsount it \ but he that doeth the will of God, abideth for ever. And here I fhall confider, 1/?, The perfons ; they that do the will of God. idly, Their happinefs and privilege -9 ihey abide fr ever. I, As all Worldly Enjoyments 407 1. As to the perfons, who arc they that S firm. do the will of God P They who do the will XIX. of God, are luch as do what lie requires of — v— ; them, for his will is often put for what he will have us to perform. Now, this will of God is e^preffed and declared two ways ; by the light of nature, and in the holy fcrip- tures. i/?, The will of God as to what he would have us perform and do, is expreiTed by the light of nature. Our reafon may dis- cover, and that very eaiily, in many refpe&s, what our Creator requires of us : As it teaches us that he is perfectly good, and juft, and holy, fo it will naturally infer, that he re- quires us, his creatures, to follow, according to our capacities, what is agreeable to thefe per- fections ; and will, upon ferious reflection, inform us what more particularly comes un- der thefe characters, according to our feveral conditions and relations. It will teach us what is good, and what is evil, what is juft, and what is unjufr, what is vice, and to be avoided, and what is virtue, and to be fol- lowed, in mofl particular inftances, if we carefully attend to it, and make ufe of it ; and whatever rio;ht and unnmudiced reafon mall fugged to us in this matter, is the will of God ; and it is eafy to fee when our rea- fon is prejudiced by any previous paiiion. But then, 2dfy, The will of God is declared in his holy word. This contains and makes known whatever he requires of us. Some D d 4 things 4c8 The Frailty of 8erm, things are exprefly faifl in fcripture to be ths XIX. will of God ; as juftice, mercy and piety, Micah vi. 8. He hath jhewed thee, O man> u bat is good -, and -what doth the Lord require cf tkee, but to d$ jufUy^ and love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? So holinefs, purity and fobriety is the will of God, I The/. i v. 3 . For this is the will of God, even your fa notification, that ye fiould abjiain from for- nication. And it is the will of God that we praife him and give thanks unto him, chap* v. 1 8. In every thing give thanks ; for this is the will of God in Chrijl Jtfus concerning you. And, i Pet. ii. 15. the apoflile lays, For [0 is the will of God, that with well- doing ye may put to flence the ignorance of foolijh men. But, befides this, every particular pre- cept, or command in the holy fcripture is exprefiive of the divine will, and (hews what God requires of us. Thus then thofe who do the will of God, are fuch as fincerely conform to what he has enjoin'd, both by the Hgfet cf nature, and in his holy word. They are fuch as endeavour to form juft notions of their duty, and to practice accordingly. They follow the free and impartial dictates of right reafon, with regard to what they mould do, and what they mould avoid. They confidcr what is agreeable to the nature of things, and to the feveral relations they ftand in, and make thai the rule of their converfation. iher, they are fuch as conform to what he all Worldly Enjoyments. 409 he requires in his word, who make that the Serm, rule of their adtions, and endeavour to obey XIX. all the divine commands therein delivered ; who avoid and abftain from whatever he has forbidden, and fincerely comply with what he has made their duty. More particularly, they are fuch who deny ungodlinefs and world- ly htfts, and live fiber ly, right eoujly and godly in the world-, they for fake fin, and follow after holinefs. They worfhip God in fincerity, and make confcience of performing all the duties of religion -, they preferve a due reve- rence for his fupreme majefry, and pay all homage and adoration to him ; they pray to him, and praife his holy name, and give him humble and hearty thanks for all his mercies and favours. They alfo fincerely perform, the duties they owe to their neighbour; they love their neighbour as themfelves ; they ab- flain from all unjuft and unrighteous adtions, and maintain juftice and equity in all their dealings ; they are of a kind and good difpo- tion, and exercife works of charity and mer- cy j they are fo far from injuring any, that they fincerely defire the true welfare of all, and fincerely endeavour to do to others, as they would have others to do to then. And then, as to the government of themfelves, they maintain temperance and fobriety, hu- mility and patience, contentednefs and mo- deration in the ufe of all worldly things ; abiiain from all impurity and excels, preferve 41 o The Frailty of Serm. prefer ve a holy converfation, fet their af- XIX. feftion on things above, and not on things on the earth. Thus we fee who they are that do the will of God, viz. fuch as obey his commandments, and ferve him in holinefs and righteoufnefs. But let it be obferved,. that we fliould do this will of God from the heart ; we fhould be fincere in it, mould be conftant in it ; fliould oppofe the cuftoms and examples of the world for the fake of it, and mould let no worldly confideration what- soever, no reproach or perfecution turn us afide from it. 2. We come now to confider the happi- nefs and privilege of fuch perfons, they abide for ever : He that doth the will of God, abideth for ever, or, fhall abide for ever. This is put in oppofition to the world's paffing away. Tho* the world, and all worldly things are tranlitory and fading, and will have an end, and worldly men, who mind nothing but this world, mall perim, yet he who fincerely obeys God, and does his will, fhall endure for ever. But how do thofe who do God's will abide for ever ? Do they not die, and leave this world as well as other men ? True, they do fo > but tho' they abide not here for ever, they fhall live for ever in the world to come ; they fhall rife again, and that to immortality. All men indeed fhall rife a- gain, and be reftored to life ; but the wicked ihall rife, only to be condemned to a fecond death all Worldly Enjoyments. death, to be puniflied with everlafting de- struction ; whilft the righteous, or thofe who do the will of God, (hall rile again to life eternal. This happy ftate was pnrchafed by Chrift, and revealed by him, he brought life and immortality to light thro the go/pel -, and it is all along declared to belong to fuch as fincerely do what God requires of them, and to fuch only eternal life is indeed the gift of God through J ejus Chri/i our Lord; but it is given only to fuch as have their fruit unto holinefs. See Matt. vii. 21. Not every one that faith unto me, Lord, Lord, Jhall enter into the king- dom of heaven ; but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven, (he mail enter into the heavenly kingdom.) So, Matt. xxv. ult. Thefe Jhall go away into everlafting punijh- ment -, but the righteous into life eternal. And to the fame purpofe is that, John v. 28, 29. — The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves jhall hear his voice, and Jhall come forth 5 they that have done good unto the rejurreciion of life ; and they that have done evil, unto the refurreclton of damnation. And fo we read, Rom. ii. 6, 7. your God, Who will render to every man according to his deeds; To them, who by patient continuance in well- doing, Jeek for glory, and honour, and immor- tality ; eternal life. Thus they who do the will of God fliall abide for ever in heaven, Jhall have ever la fug life, and jhall obtain an inheritance thai is incorruptible i undfled, and. 2 thai The Frailty of that fadcih not away* They ft all not be fub- ject to the vanity and death as they were in this tranfitory world ; but having obtained the adoption, to wit, the redemption of their bodies, by a refurre&ion, they ftall triumph over death, ftall live for ever, and ftall enjoy a ' bleffed immortality. I fay, a bleffed immor- tality ; for as they ftall abide for ever, fo all good things will abide with them for ever ; as they ftall live for ever, fo they ftall be for ever happy : Evil and trouble ftall never come near them, they ftall be continually free from pain, anxiety and forrow ; eternal reft and peace ftall be their portion, and per- fect joy and felicity ftall ever attend them. They ftall have a crown of glory that fadeth not away, ftall perpetually folace themfelves with the various delights of the heavenly kingdom, and ftall be eternally happy in the pre fence of God, in which there isfulnefs of joy } and at whofe right -hand there are plea- Jures for evermore. Thus have we briefly confidered thefe words of the apoftle, and ftall now conclude with a word or two of application. i . Hence we fee what folly it is to fet our hearts on worldly things. We have heard how tranfitory and uncertain thefe things are, and how foon they have an end ; the world pafcih away, and the lujl thereof; all the riches, honours and enjoyments of this world are fading and perifting things j we may have them all Worldly Enjoyments. 413 them to-day, but may be deprived of them Ser m, to-morrow ; they are liable to every acci- XIX. dent, and the greateft uncertainty ; they may foon pais away from us, or, however, the pleafure of enjoying them may foon be loft. Thus uncertain and tranfitory are the things of this world, even fuppofe we continue in it ; and therefore, if we go no farther, it would be great folly and imprudence to fet our minds too much upon them. But this is not all ; for earthly things are not only in themfelves of a tranfitory and perifhing na- ture, but, when death comes upon us, we are fure to leave them all ; and, as it is mofl certain that we muft all die, and that in a very little time at furtheft, fo we know not but we may die much fooner ; our lives are at beft but very uncertain, and we may even fuddenly be fnatched from all our enjoyments here. And this makes it the height of folly and madnefs for any one to pleafe himfelf overmuch with fuch things, especially if we confider that a certain ftate of felicity is fet before us in the world to come. And yet how many are there, how many that profefs ftrict chriftianity are there, whofe adionsdif- cover that their afFe&ions are inordinately fet on worldly things, and that they place their happinefs too much on the enjoyment of them ? Elfe, what means all their immode- rate purfuits after them, their exceffive joy in the poffeffion of them, and their exceffive grief 414 T^e Frailty of S e r m. grief when they are deprived of them ? I fay, XIX. exceffive ; for to be moderately affected with thefe things, is certainly lawful. Moderate and due care about the things of this life is very requifite and commendable, and is cer- tainly our duty ; but when any one goes fo far in the puriuit of them as to neglect things of higher concern, and places all his happi- nefs in thefe perifhing things, he is certainly guilty of a great folly and crime. What fol- ly is it for us to let our hearts on that which is fo very uncertain, and which we are fure in a little time to leave ? If we do thus, as the apprehenfions of parting from it will make us ftill uneafy in the pofTeffion of it, fo the certain lofs of it, at laft, will fill our minds with immoderate grief and anxiety, and we fhall have nothing beyond it to raife our expectations to. 2. We may here fee the excellency of true religion. This provides a remedy againfl all the inconftancy and vanity of earthly things ; The world pajfeth away, and the lujl thereof, worldly men, who mind nothing but the world, lhall perifh, together with their lufts -, but he that doth the will of God, he that fin- cerely addicts himfelf to a pious, holy and righteous courfe of life, and endeavours to obey all God's commandments, he Jhall abide for ever, fhall have everlafting life, and a bleffed and glorious immortality. God has gracioufly promifed this to fuch perfons, and they all Worldly Enjoyments. 415 they fhall certainly enjoy it. And the excel- Serm, lency of true religion will yet further appear, XIX. if we confider, that as thofe who practife it mall certainly be for ever happy in heaven, fa they may have fuch a bleffed hope and true profpect of it, as will bear them up amidffc all the troubles of this life 5 they may fo re- joice in hope of the glory of God, as that no affliction fhall call: them down, no evil mall terrify them ; but, having their firm truft ia God, and the comfortable expectation of fu- ture blifs, they fhall never be moved, but may be eafy in the hands of divine provi- dence, in the midft of the greater!: publick afflictions, calamities and defolations. 3. To conclude therefore -, let us be in- duced to fet light by the things of this world, and, by the exercife of religion and virtue, to feek a more fixed and fettled ftate of happi- nefs in the world to come. Let us not fet our affection on earthly things, feeing they are fo vsin, tranfitory and perifhing ; but fince a durable ftate of felicity is propofed to us, let us raife our minds to that, and, by doing the will of God, endeavour to obtain it: Let us fet our affections on things above, and in the way of our duty feek them -, in the way of our duty, I fay, for without holinefs no man flail fee the Lord. Let us do the will of God jtrom the heart, feeing fo great a reward is promifed to them that do it. Let us devote ourfelves fincerely to his fervice, and make con- The Frailty of, confcience of obeying all his commandments ; let us follow after righteoufnefs and holinefs, charity and fobriety, and have our converfa- tion as becomes the gofpel of Chriji -, and let us perfift in this courfe, notwithstanding all oppo- sition ; and if we have in any refpedt deviated from it, let us return to it again. If we thus do we fhall not only have our hearts fixed, trufting in God here, but fhall be eternally happy in the world to come ; we fhall un- terrified behold the heavens and the earth on fire, when all the wicked fhall be deftroyed ; fhall be preferved from the difmal effe&s of this conflagration, and fhall be for ever with the Lord, in the enjoyment of confummate blifs and happinefs. SER- SERMON XX. Proofs of the Refurreilion and Final Judgment. Acts xvii. 31. Bccaufe he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteoufnefs, by that man whom he hath ordained , whereof he hath given ajfurance unto all men, in that he hath raifed him from the dead. THESE words are part of that ex- Serm. cellent fpeech, which the apoftle Paul XX. made to the men of Athens, a famous and learned city of Greece. He being fent forth by the Holy Ghoft, had preached the gofpel in many towns and cities, and converted many to the faith, and then returned to Antioch, from whence he was firft fent out ; and after fome time, he determined to go again, and vifit the brethren in every city, where he had preached the word of the Lord 5 and paffing through many places, he, at length, came to The[falonicay where he E e preached Proofs of the Refd.rrc&ion preached the gofpel to the Jews, as his manner was, wherever he came, to preach the word firft to them. By his preaching, fome were induced to believe, but thofe who believed not, made a great difturbance in the city upon his account, and raifed a tumult again ft him, and Silas his companion. Hereupon, the brethren immediately fent them away by night unto Berea > and when they were come thither, they preached there alfo in the fynagogue of the Jews, and con- verted many. But when the Jews of Thef- falonica, had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither alfo> and flirred up the people j and then immediately the brethren fent away Pauly to go as it were to the fea. And they that con- duced him brought him to Athens, where, whilft he waited for Silas and cTimotheus> his fpirit was ftirred in him, when he Jaw the city wholly given to idolatry, which put him upon difputing in the fynagogue with the Jews, and with the devout perfons, and with them that met with him. Whereupon cer- tain of the Epicureans and Stoicks encoun- tered him, and brought him to Areopagus, and demanded of him an account of his doc- trine. Then the apoftle, in a very excellent fpeech, declares to them, him whom they ignorantly worshipped, reproves their fuper- ftition and idolatry, and, at laft, tells them, that though God had, indeed, winked at thoie and Final Judgment. 419 thofe times of ignorance, yet now he com- Serm. mands all men every where to repent, Be- XX. caafe he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteoufhefs, by that man whom he hath ordained \ whereof he hath given ajfurance unto all men> in that he hath raifed him from the dead. That there is a judgment to come, may be gathered from the confideration of the juftice of God, as alio of his goodnefs. We can have no notion of a fupreme Being, without conceiving, at the fame time, that he is perfectly juft and righteous, and per- fectly good ; and as he is fuch an one, he muft be alfo a lover of righteoufnefs and goodnefs, wherever it is found, and muft conftantly hate what is contrary to it 5 and confequently that he will not acquit and re- ward the wicked, the obftinate and refracto- ry tranfgrefTors of his laws, and condemn and punilh the good and righteous, thofe who turn to him, and fincerely endeavour to obey his commandments ; or that he will not fuffer perfons of fo different difpoiitions. and behaviour, to go always undiftinguiftied, without putting any difference between them, by fhewing his indignation again ft the wick- ed, and giving tokens and pledges of his love and favour to the righteous: But where do we find this difference made in this life ? Are not the righteous fubject to as many troubles, ca- lamities and afflictions as the wicked ? And E e 2 do Proofs of the Refurre&ion do not the wicked enjoy as much eafe and profperity as the righteous ? So that, as the wife man fays, No man knoisieth either love or hatred by all that is before them. For all things come alike to all \ there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good and to the clean, and to the wiclean ; a?td as is the good, fo is the firmer, Ecclef. ix. i, 2. Some good men, do indeed, live profperoufly and happily here ; but then may we not ob- ferve as many of the wicked and ungodly fo living? and many wicked men are afflict- ed and diftreffed, but are there not as ma- ny righteous in the fame circumftances ? Yea, it is commonly feen that the righteous are moftly afflicted and troubled, and the wicked moftly enjoy eafe and pleafure, and a profper- ous ftate of affairs ; Their firength is firm, as the Pfalmijl fpeaks, they are not in trouble as other men, fieither are they plagued like other men. For the righteous are not only liable to more common calamities than the wicked, but are alio very frequently much perfecuted, injured and diftreiTed by them. Now this being confidered, it is plain, that if God be juft and righteous, if he has a regard to his own honour, as governor and lawgiver, and to the good of the whole order of beings under his government : If he be good, and muft needs love them who fincerely love and obey him, and have a juft regard for his. honour and authority ; if God be fuch an one, and Final Judgment. 421 one, I fay, as he certainly is, it is plain, Serm. that feeing the courfe of affairs in this world, XX. is fo uncertain, as that we cannot by it, difcern between the good and the bad ; and if we confider it in itfelf, there is fuch an unequal diftribution of profperity and adver- iity here, that the good are moftly afflicted, while the evil are commonly in a fiourifhing condition ; there muff be a time of retri- bution after this life, when all (hall give an account to their Creator, and be rewarded according; to their works : When a manifeft difcrimination mall be made between the juft and unjuil, when the wicked ihall no more be happy, nor the good miferable 5 but thefe be rewarded, and the others juftly punifhed. But as the future judgment may thus be proved by reafon, from the confideration of the juftice and equity of the divine Be- ing, together with the unequal diftribution of affairs in this life, fo it is frequently ex- preffed and afferted in the divine revelation. This judgment was fpoke of in very ear- ly times of the world, by Enoch the fe- venth from Adam, who prophefied, faying, Behold the Lord comeih with ten thou/and of his faints, to execute judgment upon all, &c. fude 14, 15. It is ipoken of by the wife man, and there are many hints of it in the prophets : But in the new Teftament, it is moft clearly and exprefsly afferted, and often laid down as a main article of the chriftian E e 3 faith, 422 Proofs of the Refurreftion Serm. faith, and a mod important truth. Our Sa- XX. viour often fpeaks of it in a very folemn man- ner, and gives us fome defcription of it, Matt. xxv. 31. to the end. The refurreclion of the dead and the eternal judgment, are reckon- ed by the apoftle, two of the firft princi- ples of the doctrine of Chrift, Heb. vi. 2. and, accordingly, all the apoftles in their preaching, infilled very much upon this, as the apoftle Paul does in this his fpeech to the heathen, telling them, that God had appointed a day in the which he "would judge the world in righteoufnefs, by that man whom he had ordained; whereof he hath given af- Jurance unto all men, in raifmg him from the dead. Here we have, in the fir ft place, the fu- preme Author of this judgment, to wit, God j it is God, who has appointed the time for this judgment ; and our Saviour tells us, he had referved the knowledge of this time to himfelf, Matt. xxiv. 36. But of that day and hour (or time) knoweth no man, no3 not the angels in heaven, but my Father only. It is he who has ordained the per- fon, wrho is to be his reprefentative in this judgment, and he, at the time appointed, will judge the world by this perfon. Thus God is the fupreme judge of the world ; he will judge men by Jefus Chrift. The apoftle calls him the judge of all, Heb. xii. -<2. To God the judge cf alL And the Father is and Final Judgment:. 423 is faid to judge according to every mans wori> S e r M. 1 Pet. i. 17. As God is our fupreme crea- XX. tor, our fupreme lav/giver and governor, fo he will be our fupreme judge ; the judg- ment to come, is ordained and decreed by him, and will be managed and executed by his authority ; and as he has an original right to be our judge, fo he has originally in himfelf, all perfections neceflary for fuch judgment. He is omnifcient, he knows all things ; he is acquainted with all our ways ; beholds all, even our moft fecret actions, and knows the very thoughts and defigns of our heart : He jearcheth the heart and trieth the reins, even to give to every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of bis doings : He is almighty ; has power and authority ; is able to bring all men before him, and to execute on them whatever his juft judgment mall determine: He is perfectly juft and righteous ; he has no refpect to perfons, and fo will* impar- tially reward every cne according to his works. In the next place, wre are to confider the perfon whom God has ordained to be the immediate judge of the word. He has ap- pointed a day hi the which he will judge the world, by that man whom he hath ordained. This perfon by whom God will judge the world, is Jefus Chrift our Saviour, who came into the world, and fuffered, and died E e 4 for 424 Proofs of the Refurreciion SERM.for it. Though God be the fupreme judge XX. of all men, yet he will not judge them im- diately, but by his Son Jefus Chrift ; hence this work of judging the world, is often afcribed to Chrift in the gofpel, he being appointed and conftituted the immediate judge of it : Hence we are told by our Saviour, that the Father judgeth no man, but hath com- mitted all judgment unto the Son, and hath given hi?n authority to execute judgment > John v. 22^ — 27. And the apoftle Peter, Ads x. 42. fays, that they were commanded to preach un- to the people, and to teflify, that it was he, that is, Chrift, who was ordained of God to be the judge of quick and dead. As he is our lawgiver and governor, as God has made him both Lord and Chrift, and has exalted him at his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, fo it is very agreeable, that he fhould alfo be conftituted our Judge ; as he humbled himfelf for our fakes, and came into the world to procure for us, and offer to us the terms of falvation j fo is it re- quisite that he fhould be authorifed to de- termine our ftate at laft, according as we have behaved ourfelves here, and have com- plied wjth, or rejected thefe terms ; and as this judgment, this great work of judging the world, is committed to Chrift, fo he is every way fitted and qualified for this vaft undertaking ; he has all manner of abilities that are neceffary for the difcharge of fo im- portant and Final Judgment. 425 portant an office; his wifdom and know-SERM. ledge, his power, his juftice, equity and XX. impartiality render him every way capable of it ; he has all power given to him in heaven and on earth ; he can fearch the reins and the heart, and fo will judge, not ac- cording to outward appearance, but by the heart ; he will examine into the fecret fprings and motives of a&ion, will weigh every cir- cumflance of them, and will judge accord- ingly ; he will judge with equity and im- partiality , he will not refpedt the perfon of any ; of the proud, or rich, or honourable, nor of the poor and low, and defpifed -y it is impoffible he fhould be impofed on ; no bribes will corrupt him ; he will, by no means, be induced to do unrighteoufnefs in judgment : Thus, as Chrifl is ordained to this high office, fo he is every way a fit per- fon for it. And when the time comes for him to execute it, he will come in great glory, in heavenly pomp and fplendorj he will come in his Father's glory, in his own glory, and will have the glorious company of the heavenly hofts for his attendants, Matt. xxv. 3 r . When the Son of man Jhall come in his glory , and all the holy angels with ' him, then Jhall he fet upon the throne of his glory. 'The Lord himfelf fays the apoftle, Jhall defend from heaven with a fljout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God : He Jhall be revealed from heaven with 426 Proofs of the Refurrection Serm. with his mighty angels > in flaming fire. This XX. is his iecond coming, fo often fpoken of in the new Teftament. Though his firft com- ing was in a mean and low condition -y this his appearing will be in the greateft glory and majefty. Thus have we feen who is ordained of God to be judge in this great day. In the next place, let us confider the per- fons to be judged, which are all the world. God has appointed a day in the which he will judge the world, i. e. all men, high and low, rich and poor, young and old, noble and ig- noble, and even every individual of every age and nation. In this judgment, every man mall be rewarded acccording to his works : At this great day, all nations fiall be gathered before the Son of man to be judged^ Matt. xxv. 32. The apoftle fays, Wefhall all fi and before the judgment-feat ofChriji, and eve- ry one of us, fhall give account of himfelf to God. No peribn will be excepted; none will be excufed; none will be fo mean, as not to be then taken notice of, how obfcurely foever they lived here ; they will not then lie hid, but will be difcovered and brought to judgment; none will be fo great, fo rich, or fo potent, as to be able to efcape this impartial trial ; but the rich, the mighty, and the honoura- ble, the kings and princes, and judges of the earth, will all be fummoncd to this aw- ful tribunal, finally, all, of whatfoever rank, ilation and Final Judgment. 427 ftation or condition in this world, of whatfo- Serm. ever nation, party, or per fuafion, both Jews and XX. Gentiles, bond and free, good and bad, fhall ftand before Chri ft, to be judged in this great day. Again, the perfons to be judged, are faid to be the quick and the dead ; Chrift is or- dained of God, to be the Judge of quick and dead, 2 Tim. iv. 1 . I charge thee there- fore, before God, and the Lord Jefus Chri/l, who JJ:all judge the quick and the dead at his appearing, a?id his kingdom. 1 Pet. iv. 5. Who J hall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. Some will be alive at the coming of Chrift, and thofe fhall all be judged j and befides all the dead, all that have died from the beginning of the world, to that time, will alfo be brought to judg- ment -, and to this end, they muft rife again, they muft come forth of their graves, and be reftored to life. The refurrection, muft of necefiity, precede the laft judgment : Hence the apoftle, in his enumeration of the firft principles of the chriftian doctrine, places it before it, Of rcfurrec7ion of the dead, and of the eternal judgment. And John, in his vifion of this folemn tranfa&ion, fays, tfhejea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell, i. e. the grave, delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged' every man according to their works, Rev. xx. 13. After they are raifed, they fhall, together with thofe who were alive at thrift's coming 428 Proofs of the Refurredlion Serm. coming, be brought in a folemn manner be- XX. fore his tribunal, and be made to appear there, 2 Cor. v. 10. For we mnjl all appear before the judgment feat of Chrijl. The things for which we muft be judged, are all things with regard to our behaviour here in this life : We muft appear before Chrift's tribunal, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. ijly We muft give an account of all our ac- tions, of all that we have done and tranfacled here. Some addid: themfelves to the practice of good works, to holy and religious actions, and to charitable and righteous deeds, and others to the practice of thofe things that are wicked and unlawful. Now an account will be required of us in the day of judgment, of what kind our aftions are, whether they be good or evil, that we may be rewarded or punifhed accordingly. Thus Enoch pro- phefied, that the Lord would come to exe- cute judgment upon ally and to convince all that are ungodly of all their ungodly deedsy which they have ungodlily committed. And we fhall be judged, not only for thofe deeds that are more open and manifeft, but alfo for our moft fecret adlions, that come not within the obfervation of our fellow creatures, Ecclef xii. 14. For God jhall bring every work into judgment y with every fecret thingy whether it be goody or whether it be evil. 2dl)\ and Final Judgment. 429 idly* We mall give an account of ourSERM. words. Men are apt to make very light of XX. their words, efpecially thofe that are fpoken in a jefting and merry way, but it is certain, that by our words, we may do a great deal of good, or a great deal of hurt ; and that ill words fpoken in jefr, may be very perni- cious and deflrudtive of piety and virtue, and therefore, it is reafonable, that we mould be judged even for our words -, as our Sa- viour tells us we mall, Matt. xii. 36, 37. But I fay unto you, that for every idle word that men foall /peak, they fhall give account thereof in the day of judgment : For by thy words thou fhalt be jujlified, and by thy words thou fhalt be condemned. By idle words, we are not to underftand all words that do not immediately tend to the good and edification of others, but falfe or flanderous, or fuch like wicked words, that tend to the hurt, injury and defamation of others -, and it is reafonable we mould gfive an account of fuch words as thefe. Enoch fays, The Lord cometh to convince men of all their hardfpeeches, which they have fpoken againjl him, as well as of all their ungodly deeds. ^dly^ We mail give an account in the day of judgment, of the fecret defigns, purpofes and intentions of the heart; perfons may have very bad intentions, and yet may never be able to accomplim their wicked defigns ; but neverthelefs, they are as guilty in the fight "of 430 Proofs of the Refurrection SERM.of God, who fearcheth the heart, as if they XX. had actually perpetrated the evil defigned by them, and fhall be judged accordingly ; yea, oftentimes, a very bad delign lies hid under a good action ; and this will by no means prevent a perfon that has fuch an ill inten- tion, from being accountable for it : God will judge even the fecrets of men by Jefus Chrift. See alio what the apoftle fays, i Cor. iv. 5. Therefore judge nothing before the time^ until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darknefs, and will make manifefl the counfels of the hearts. ^thly, We fhall alfo give an account for our omiffion of duties, or the neglect of thofe things that God requires of us : It is cer- tainly a fin to neglect what God has com- manded, as well as to do what he has for- bid : As therefore, the omiffion of duties makes us criminal, we (hall, without doubt, be judged for it. Thus in our Saviour's de- fcription of the laft judgment, Matt. xxv. he affigns the omiffion of what thofe perfons ought to have done, as the reafon of their condemnation, verfe 42, 43. For I was an hungredy and ye gave me no meat ; I was thir/iyy and ye gave- me no drink : I was a Jiranger, and xe took me not in ; naked, and ye clothed me not , fck and in prifon, and ye vi/ited me not. In the next place, let us take notice, that the apoftle fays, God will judge the world in right eoufnefs. and Final Judgment. 431 righteoufnefs. There is no doubt, but thisSFRM. judge of all the earth will do right -, and this XX, "he will do in this great day, by affigning every one his portion of happinefs or mifery, according to his works ; he will, without re- flect of perfons, judge according to every man's work ; and will reward them accord- ing to it ; he will reward them according to the nature or quality of their works, as they are good or bad, by giving eternal life and happinefs to the righteous, and inflicting mi- fery and eternal death on the wicked ; he will reward them according to the degrees of their works, by beflowing a greater de- gree of happinefs upon thofe who have ex- celled in goodnefs and piety, and rendering them more miferable, who have been more wicked. Where there is an honeft mind and good difpofition, he will make all reafonable allowances for frailty, infirmity and tempta- tion, and he will have no regard to a fair outward appearance, where fincerity and an upright mind is wanting. He will judge equitably according to the feveral circum- ftances and conditions of men, and the dif- ferent advantages that they enjoy. Thus our Saviour declares, that it fhall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, and for the land of Sodom, in the day of judgment, than for Chorazin, Bethfaida and Capernaum, who had the advantages of his preaching and miracles. Finally, God will judge men by the difpen- 2 iation 43 2 Proofs of the Refurreciion Serm. fation they were under ; he will not judge XX. thofe by the law, who were never under the «— -v— —'law; neither will he judge them by the gofpel, who never heard of it : But as the apoflle fays, As many as have finned without law, Jhall alfo perifh without law -, and as many as have finned in the law, Jhall be judged by the law : And I may add, what is agreea- ble to reafon and the gofpel, that as many as have finned under the gofpel, or having the gofpel, mall be judged by the gofpel. Thus will God judge the world in right eoufnefs by the man whom he hath ordained. The apoftle adds, Whereof he hath given affura?ice unto all men, in that he hath raifed him from the dead. The refurreciion of Chrifl is a fufficient confirmation of this truth, that God will judge the world in righteoufnefs by him. For, \Ji, His refurredion is the pledge of ours, and what mould we rife again for but to be judged ? God has fhewn his pow- er in railing Chrifl: from the dead ; and the fame power is able alfo to raife us, and by the refurredlion of Chrift, it appears that our refurreciion is defigned. But, idly. The refurreciion of Chrifl is a confirmation of his whole doctrine, and the judgment to come being a chief part of his doctrine, it muft be a confirmation of this in particular : Our Sa- viour often infifted on this judgment, and told his difciples, that he was ordained of God, to be the judge of the world -y and God by raifing i him and Final Judgment. 433 him from the dead, confirmed this dodtrine, S e r M; and fhewed that what he faid was true. XX. Thus have I confidered thefe words, and fhall now conclude with a brief exhortation* Let us often meditate on the day of judg- ment -, let us by the confideration of it, be induced to repent of our fins and turn to God, and to keep a ftri& watch over all our adtions. Let us often meditate on the day of judgment, this is a very awful fubjedt, and of very great concernment to us all, it being by this judgment, that our whole fu- ture ftate will be determined and fixed certainly; therefore, we fhould allow it a chief place in our thoughts. Shall the light of nature teach us in part, that God will call all men to an account ? And fhall the chriftian revelation, fo abundantly con- firmed by miracles, moft: exprefsly and fre- quently infift upon it, as a matter of the laft importance ? Shall God give us full af- furance of the certainty of it, by raifing Chrifl from the dead ? And fhall not we think it a matter worthy our moft ferious medita- tion ? Certainly as deaths fo the judgment to come, is a very awful thing, and fhould frequently be remembered and thought on by us. An ; we fhould be induced thereby to repent of our fins, and to turn to God. The apoftle fays, God now commands men -every where to repent^ becaufe he hath appoint- ed a day^ in the which he will judge the world F f 431- Proofs of the Refurre&ion S e r m. in rightecuf?iefs. Certainly then the confide^ XX. ration of this judgment fhould be an in • ducement to us to repent} in this judgment God will reward every one according to his works ; if therefore, we per fid in a courfe of fin and difobedience to his laws, what fentence can we expect to have paffed on us, but this dreadful one, Depart from me ye curfed, into ever 'lafiing fire \ prepared for the devil and his angels. But if we repent and have our fruit unto holinefs, we mail hear that joyful fentence, Come ye blefjed of my Father, inherit the ki?igdo?n prepared for ycu, from the foundation of the world. Let us alio, by the confederation of this judg- ment, be induced to keep a ftricl: watch over all our ways ; and be careful how we fpeak, act, or deiign ; if God will bring every work into judgment, with every fecret thing, how careful mould we be that all our actions may be agreeable to his law, and fuch as will be approved by him \ if we muft give account of every idle word in the day of judgment, how mould we take care that we Jin not with cur tongue ; that we lie not one to another ; that we are net guilty of flandering or backbiting our neighbour; and that none of our exprtf- fions, not even tbofe that are fpoken in jeft and for diverfion, may offend againft chari- ty, purity and true religion : As God knows the very thoughts and defigns of our heart, and and Final Judgment. 435 and will call us to an account for themjSERM. let us maintain fincerity and uprightnefs XX. there. For if our heart condemn us> God is greater than our hearty and knoweth all things : But if our heart condemn us not, we may have boldnefs in the day of judg- ment, fhall have confidence towards God, and fhall allure our hearts before him* FINIS. Lately Publifoed> Price SIX-PENCE, Stedfajinefs not in vain in the Service of Chriji. AS E R M O N preached at Bar- hican, in London, February 9, 1754- on Occafion of the Death of the Reverend Mr. Isaac Kimber. By JOSEPH BURROUGHS. Printed for J. Noon, at the IVhite-Hart, in Cheapfitk, Stedfqftnefs not in vain, in thefervice of Cbrift. A SERMON preached at BARBICAN in L 0 N D O JV, Feb. 9. MDCCLV. on occafon of the death of the reverend Mr. ISAAC KIMBER. By JOSEPH BURROUGHS. LONDON: Printed for J. Noon, at the White-Hart., mCbeapJide. M DCCLV. [3] i Cor. XV. 58. Therefore my beloved brethren^ be ye ftedfafty immoveable^ always a- bounding in the work of the Lord'y forafmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain 171 the Lord. HE vcrfe immediately preced- ing this text contains one of the practical improvements of the do&rine of a happy refurreftion of the faithful : which is, their obligation to be thankful to God, who through Jefus Chrift gives them the victory over death, confidered as the conlequence of fin. The words which I have now read contain ano- ther practical improvement of the fame doc- trine : and fignify 5 that fince the blefled God has through Jefus Chrift provided for our con- queft over fin, and over death which is the wages of it, and has fecured a refurredtion to A 2 a a happy immortality for all thofe who fol- low the directions of Chrift's holy gofpcl ; they who profefs to be his difciples ought to go on with a fteady, immoveable refolution of mind, in all that courfe of duty which the gofpel prefcribes; and fhould abound in all that work which it requires, notwithstanding any difficulties which may attend it ; becaufe they could not fail of feeing, that a refurrec- tion to an eternal life of complete felicity would abundantly compenfate all the difficul- ties, whatfoever they were, which in this fhort life they might fufiFer in the courfe of their duty. This I take to be the true connexion and general view of the words, which I propofe to confider more particularly. Some indeed feem to be of opinion ; that, when the apoi- tle exhorts the Corinthian chriftians to be fted- fafl and immoveable^ he exhorts them to be fledfaft and immoveable in the beleif of the docTxine of a refurredtion. To me it aooears more probable, that he exhorts them, from the consideration of the £ood evidences he had given that there would be a happy refurrec- tion of the faithful, to perfevere fteddilyin all that work and duty, which as chriftians was required of them ; becaufe from the doctrine he had been delivering they plainly faw, that their labour would not be in vain. According to which interpretation, thev were to be fled- 14 [ 5 3 fajl and immoveable in the fame work, in which they were to abound. The text confifts of thefe two parts, which I fhall distinctly confider : the exhortation to a courfc of duty, attended with fome difficul- ty : and the encouraging motive to perfevere in it. I. The exhortation to a courfe of duty, at- tended with fome difficulty. Be ye (ledfaji, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. The work of the Lord, in which they were to abound, and to be Jledfajl and immoveable, is the whole courfe of a christian's duty ; piety towards God, righteoufnefs and benevo- lence towards men, and fobriety and temper- ance with regard to worldly enjoyments. This is the work of the Lord ; the lervice in which Chrift, our Lord and Mafler, expects we fhould be employed, if we would approve ourfelves his faithful fervants. This is what the falutary grace of God in the gofpel has taught us : the denying of ungodlinefs and worldly lujls, and the living foberly, right eouf ly and godiily in this prefent world. Now though this is the wifeft courfe we can take, the mod fitting and reafonable in it- felf, and the happieft upon the whole, as it will give the mod fatisfaction to our own minds upon fure foundations, and will iecure our moft important interefts for the time to come j [6] come ; yet we fliall iind it a work and a la- bour : and moreover we fhall find Ibme dan- gers as well as difficulties attending it, which will require the utmoft of our jledfajlnefs and refolution to oppofe and overcome. Nothing is more fitting and reasonable, than that we fhouid be ferio'ufly religious towards God ; reverencing him as the moft perfect of all beings, the creator, preferver and fupreme governor of the whole world -> giving him our affections, as the beft of all beings, and par- ticularly as our own conftant unwearied -bene- factor 5 yeilding him hearty thanks for the daily and hourly inftances of his bounty -> praying to him for the fupply of our wants ; and chearfully fubmiting ourfelves to the con- duct of his providence. It is likewife very fit- ting and reafonable, that in the relations wherein God has placed us to each other we jfhould exemplify righteoufnefs and benevo- lence, as we would defire that others fhouid be juft and kind to us. And if we only con- fulted the health and foundnefs of our bodies, the peace and comfort of our minds, and the preventing of innumerable bitter difappoint- ments, it is fitting and reafonable that we ihould moderate our affections towards the uncertain enjoyments of this world. All thde things, which contain the fub- itance of our whole duty, are highly fitting xnd re-i (unable, and tend to fecure our true 3 happinefs ; [7 ] happinefs, both in this life and in that which is to come. But it will require fome watchfulnefs over ourfelves, to engage us in the Jieady practice of thefe duties. And befides that there may arife in our minds a hankering inclination after ibmething or other not confident with our duty, and a wearinefs in the courfe of religious practice -, there are dangers like wife arifing, partly from the crafty infinuations of evil companions, and partly from violent oppofition. There are numbers of men to be found, who will not bear the reflraints of religion themfelves, and have wrought up their minds into fuch averfion againit it, and contempt of it, as to take pains to expoie and ridicule it. Men of this character, when they fee a perfon ferioufly inclined, and making confcience of his duty, are ready enough to tell him, that he does wrong in laying reftraints upon na- tural inclinations ; that every natural inclina- tion mud be right, and fit to be indulged ; that fince there are pleafures to be enjoyed in this world, and within our reach, it is fit we fhould enjoy them while we can ; that what is to come is out of fight and uncertain, and that we need not give ourfelves any concern about it ; and that if we will be wife we fhall lay hold of the prefent opportunities for pleafures or riches or honour and power, every one taking care for himfelf, and leaving others to fhift for themfelves. Tis Tis plain, that fuch reprefentations can be made by none but thofe, who look upon the animal part of the human conftitution as the principal ; and the intelligent mind as intend- ed, not to govern the appetite, but only to provide the more exquiiitcly for its gratifica- tion. If men did in earned: believe them- felves to be the creatures of a Being fupreme- ly wife, they could never entertain fo abfurd a thought. But it is evident, not only that many act as if they did believe this abfurdity ; but that too many are to be found, who throw ftumbling blocks of this kind in the way of the ferious and confeientious ; ridi- culing efpecially the duties of piety and of fo- briety, the one as meer fuperftition, and the other as cruelty and felf punifhment. And though fuch reprefentations may be fhocking at firft to ferious minds, which have been trained up to quite other thoughts in a reli- gious education -, yet in youth efpecially there is great danger : and that from this one thought ; that they are now coming into the government of themfelves, and that it is not fit they fhould always be under the reftraints which they furFered in childhood -y that in the exercife of fuch liberties as thefe they fhall be mailers indeed, and under no fuch controll as that to which they have been accuftomed. And even to perfons more advanced in years, if the principles of religion have not been well fettled in the heart, by mature and frequent con- c 9] cohfideration, there will be danger whenever fuch infinuations are laid in the way. Here therefore we fee the feafonablenefs and fitnefs of the apoftle's exhortation, to htjledfiift and immoveable in the adherence to our duty, from the confideration, that our labour fl: all not be in vain. And by thefe two words, fiedfafi and unmoveable, I look upon the apoftle to mean the fame thing. It is an exhortation to firmnefs and conftancy. And the reafon-why we mould be thus firm and conftant, that is to fay, the aiiurance that oar labour Jhall not be in vain, but that all our re- ligious reflraints mall be confidered and am- ply rewarded, will, if we give it its due weight and force, vaflly overbalance all fuch empty infinuations. But there are further dangers attending a courfe of religion and virtue ; the dangers of perfecution. And perfecution appears in very different fhapes ; and afls with different de- grees of violence. Sometimes the providence of God permits his faithful fervants to fuffer open violence, to the lofs of fubftance and li- berty, and even life itfelf. Sometimes perfe- cution appears cheifly in that contempt and reproach, which hitherto we have coniidered only as the infinuation of evil men, to deter ferious minds from a religious courfe. Men who turn their minds in earned to religion, and are for pradiiing of it in its various parts according to the dictates of their confidences, B do [ ">] do actually and frequently meet with that contempt, which the fcorners pretend religion deferves. They are defpifed for their ftrict- nefs. They are meanly thought of, neglected and difregarded ; not only by others, but too often by their friends ; not only by fuch as have no ferious fenfe of religion, but too often by fome who have a love for it, but are too narrow and contracted in their opi- nion concerning fome things which relate to it, or elfe are for allowing themfelves liber- ties which other confcientious minds cannot come into. Now this contempt, efpecially if we take in the confequences which it often brings along with it, to the depreffing of a man's circumftances in the world, as wrell as greiving his mind, is real perfecution. And either in this way, or in fome other way, the apoftle Paid has affured us, that all who nmll kve gcdlily in Chrijl J ejus Jhall fuffer per- fecution. 2 Tim. iii. 12. There is therefore good ground for the apoftle's exhortation to be liedfafl and im- moveable in the work of the Lord, in which we engage when we profefs ourfelves to be chriftians. If we will approve ourfelves of that character, we muft maintain a firmnefs and refolution to go on in our duty, notwith- ftanding all the unwelcome confequences re- lating to the things of this world. And all this we fhall do, and (hall fhew the trueft wifdom in it, if we confider the powerful i argu- [ M ] argument, that our labour J L all be fo jar ft being in vain, that it will be abundantly re- compenced. Which is the true meaning of the laft words of the text, delivered by the apoftle in a manner of fpeech, which im- plies more than it expreiTes. But in this fir ft part which we are now coniidering, the apoftle further exhorts the Corinthian chriftians, not only to be Jledfajl and immoveable, but always to abound in the work of the Lord, By which words I un- der (land, that he would have them always forward and ready, without any reluctancy ; proceeding in their ^orh in fuch a manner as to iliew, that they took a delight and plea- fure in it. He exhorts them not to be con- tent with the thought, that in the difcharge of a particular duty they had done what, ac- cording to the Uriel: letter of the word, was aired of them ; but to perform with plea- fa: e and delight whatever they beleived to be the mind of God relating to it. It was the falfe giofs of the Scribes and Phaniees upon the law of God delivered by MojeSj that if they refrained from killing their neighbour, they fulfilled the whole or that law which fays* Thou /halt do no murder. But our Saviour fhewed, that herein they on- ly difcovered the backwardness of their own hearts from anfwering the real intention of law 5 which was, to reftrain and prevent all y towards fuch miichief, as well as B 2 [ I* j the very action of murder itfelf : Mat. v. 22, particularly 'all unreafonable anger and oppro- brious language. And with the like falfe glofs they would evade the duty of honowing parents -y encouraging their followers to fuffer their parents to ftarve, if they could but have it to fay, that what might have been ufeful to them was before- hand dedicated to facred ufes 5 Mat. xv. 5. Thus they made the com- mandment of God of no effeB by their tradition. But tliis was becaufe their hearts were alie- nated from the love of God's law : other wife they would not -have laid fuch (tumbling blocks in the way of thofe, who were obliged and inclined to pra&ife it. It is the direct contrary to this principle, which the apoftle exhorts to in the text. He exhorts us to abound in the work of the Lord : which we can never do without taking de- light in it. And there is that in the divine commands themfelves, which calls for this delight, which juftly claims our efteem and affection. And farther there is that fure re- compence and reward awaiting the faithful obedience to them, which is a fufficient en- couragement for abounding in the practice. And that is what the apoftle more immedi- ately refers to in the text. The mention of this leads me therefore to confider II. The encouraging motive to perfc- vere in that courie of chriftian duty, which the [ *3] the apoftle in the text calls the work of the Lord. The motive is, ye know that your labour h not in vain in the Lord. This is fpoken to chriftians, who had been taught the certainty of the dottrine of a hap- py refurre&ion to the perfevering faithful ; of which the refurre&ion of Chrift Jefus, our judge and re warder, was a happy pledge. Chrift had, in the name of God his heavenly Father, taught his followers a holy doctrine, and appealed to the many mighty works which he wrought, that it was God who fent him to teach it. He fuffered many indig- nities and hardships in the courfe of preach- ing this dodtrine : and declared to his difci- ples, that at length he mould fuffer death for it : but he allured them, at the fame time, that he mould rife again, and advance his faithful followers, after their death, to that eternal life of complete happinefs, which in the courfe of his do&rine he had fo often promifed for their encouragement. Now this refurre&ion to an eternal life of complete happinefs, is that encouraging mo- tive to be Jledfa/l, perfevering and abounding in the work of the Lord, which I am more particularly to confider. We are not to imagine, that the meer rifing from death, and being reftored to life, is the whole of that future bleffednefs, which (hall prove that our labour in the Lord is not in C »4] in vain. Any one who has thoroughly con-* fidered how great is the bleffednefs of that eternal life, which Chrift fo often promifed to his followers, would never choofe to re- turn to fuch a life as he had led in this world ; if upon the refurre&ion he had his choice which life to lead. 'If a raifed chriilian was to return to the fame kind of life he had led before, and even were affured that he fhould maintain his in- tegrity ; yet it mud be through fo many fnares and difficulties, and attended with fo many forrows, partly relating to his own in- firmities, partly arifmg from the natural frail- ty of all worldly enjoyments, partly from the weaknefs, the faults and the fufferings of his friends and relatives ; that he could never choofe to live fuch a life over again, when he had the profpect of that happy life to which the faints will be railed. If he might, upon returning to this world, live longer in it than Methifelah himfelf did, and enjoy more of its riches, and pleaiures and greatnefs, than ever any man did enjoy : yet he would at once reject it, for the hope of that life, which ihall be the portion of the raifed juft ; becaufe of the infinite difference between the happinefs of the one life and the other -y befides that life in this world muff at length be broken off by death, whereas the life, which the faints mail lead after the re- furrection mall never have a period. Let us, there! c ; [ '5 ] therefore fpend a few moments in consider- ing the life itfclf, and the character of eter- nity annexed to it ; that we may fee how true it is, that the Jledfaji perfevering chriftian (ball find his labour in the Lord is not in vain. i. Let us confider the life itfelf. And we fhall find, that it is a life more fuited to the nobler part of our conftitution, thofe facul- ties which raife us above the inferior, meer animal part of the creation, and render us ca- pable in fome meafure of knowing the great- eft and beft of ail Beings, and of enjoying his favour. The animal part of our con ft i- tution, being allied to the mind, does in this prefent life give us many hindrances from progrefs in that kind of knowlege, which is mod fuited to its dignity, and of greateft importance. We mould fee more of the won- ders of divine wifdom and power and good- nefs, in the government as well as in the crea- tion of the world, if our appetites towards earthly enjoyments did not prevent us. We mould fee more of the beauty and excellency of what is really good, and tafte the pleafure of fuch difcoveries, if our animal inclinations did not darken our minds, and vitiate our re- liih. By means of this darknefs and this falfe tafte, we are often betrayed into actions which are contrary to our duty and our true intereft -, which bring remorfe upon fober reflection. And befides that upon fuch oc- ftons [ i6] cafions we cannot juflify to our own minds what we have allowed ourfelves to pra&ife, whereby confufion is introduced inftead of peace ; befides this, there is attending this re-* morfe a fenfe of the difpleafure of that moil perfect being, our creator and rightful gover- nor, to whom we are accountable for our whole conduct, and our conflant benefadtor to whom we are indebted for whatever we are and whatever we poffefs. Whatever dis- appointment or trouble we meet with, ari- iing from the natural frailty and imperfection of the enjoyments of this life, is moll of all aggravated and inhanced by reflections of this kind; which are fufficient to make a man unhappy in the greateft affluence of worldly profperity. And even if upon the whole we maintain a better character than that of de- fpifers of religion : yet every fault into which we are betrayed takes off Something from the comfort and happinefs of the life we lead here below ; and confequently muft be faid to cut off juft fo much from life itfelf in the fenfe in which we often, and not improperly fpeak of it, when we fay, concerning joyful people, that they are alive, and concerning the heavy hearted, that they are lifelefs. But that life, which the faints mall enjoy after the refurreftion, will be free from all thefe difturbances ; and therefore will be more properly called life, than that which we pafs through here below. For befides that there will C *7 ] will be none of thole obje&s, the defire after which betrayed them here into folly ; the fpi- rit will have its proper rule over the inferior part of the conftitution. Nor will the railed happy have any evil company to follicite them. to evil courfes, or to miflead their minds to a wrong choice. They will contract no guilt; and CQnfequently be troubled with no re- morfe. There will be no terrifying appre- h en (ion of God's difpleafure ; but a joyful fenfe of his complacency, as approving the faithful care they have exercifed, upon the whole, to maintain their integrity in the ftate of trial. And this, together with the regular employment of the faculties of the mind, without interruption from the impediments of animal nature, or any kind of forrow, with the vail increafe of knowlege in the works of the great creator and the wonders of his pro- vidence, and the enlarged views of that wif- dom and righteoufnefs and goodnefs, where- by he governs the world, and together with the full fatisfaction of the fitnefs of yellding to him their heft affections, will give to their condition the name of life, in the molt ge- nuine and proper fenfe of the word • as there will be aBhity, the molt regularly and mod joyfully employed, without any interruption from forrow or dilbrder. 2. Let us confider the character of eter- nity additional to the nature of the life itfelf which the railed faints (hall lead : and then we ftiall fee, that it is ftill more properly C called [i3] called life, becaufe it will never be broken Dff by death. A mortal, that is to fay a dy- ing life, is a fort of inconfiftency. And fuch is the life we lead here below. We are dying from the time we enter upon life : and death is continually making its approaches towards us. If this were the cafe of the raifed faints ; or if they could have any apprehen- fion that this was their cafe , the happinefs of their life would be very much diminished. But upon their refurreclion, Death will be /wallowed up for ever : which phrafe, for ever, is the plain meaning of the apoftle, when in the 54th verfe of this chapter he renders the words of the prophet Ifaiah, xxv. 8. agreeably to our tranflation, Death is J wallowed up in victory. Our Lord Jefus Chrift overcame death not only for himfelf, but for his followers : and we therefore, if we perfevere his faithful followers, that is, according to the words of our text, if we 2xz ftedfaji, unmoveahle, always abounding in the work of the Lord, mall reap the fruits of this victory in everlafling life : we mall ever enjoy a life which is fit always to be defired, and the lofs of which could never be recompenfed. Judge now, whether the apoftle had not good reafon to fay to christians, who had been taught the certainty of a happy refur- reclion to the perfevering faithful, Ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Every chriftian, who believes this doclxine, knows afiuredly, that the labour of the faith- ful is not ni vain. He knows, that it is To 7 far [ <9 ] far from being in vain, that it will be recom- penfed beyond all power of exprefiion or conception. And fuch figures of fpeech, in- cluding in the defign much more than is ftricYly and literally contained in the words, are frequent in the New Tefcament. And now, my brethren, which of the two fhall we choofe; which fhall we prefer? Shall we choofe fin, which is the work of the Devi!, and the wages of it, which is death : or fhall we choofe the courfe of chriftian duty, pre- fcribed by our Lord and Matter ; and eternal life, which is the gift of God through him to all who Jiedfaftly perfevere in that courfe ? It is true, by a refolute perfeverance in this chrif- tian courfe, and by abounding in the work which as chriftians we engage in, we may be expofed to fome difficulties : we may meet with contempt and reproach from fome of our acquaintance : we may poffibly have the greif to be meanly thought of by fome whom we heartily love, and whofe favour we are very deiirous to retain. But confider, that the freindftip of this world is enmity towards God : and that confequently, if, to court the favour of any mortal man, or fociety of men, we venture to do that which we know our impartial judge difapproves and abhors, or refufe to do that which we verily beleive he requires ; we deftroy the peace of our own minds, for the fake of that which can never make us a recompence. What is the freind- fhip of frail dying man, when compared with C 2 the [ 20] the complacency of the all-perfect and ever- living God ? And what is the lofs of fuch freindfhip, when compared to the difpleafure of the greateft and wifeft and beft of be- ings, our rightful governor and injured bene- factor 3 whole prefent obfervation we cannot avoid, and whole judgment we can by no means efcape ? But confider again the life itfelf, which the railed faints fhall lead, and fee if you can find in your hearts to forego it for any, or for all ; enjoyments of this life ; or whether it is poflible to be expofed to any miferies in this world, which the bleffednefs, the eternal bleflednefs of that life will not abundantly recompenfe. I have already mentioned contempt and re- proach. But fuppofe that in this tranfitory flate your fufferings fhould be abundantly greater ; fuppofe that for your ftcdfaflnefs in what you beleive to be your duty, you fhould be reduced to poverty, or confined to a pri- fon, or even deprived of life itfelf, winch has been the cafe of many of Goci's faithful fer- vants : what is all this when laid in the ba- lance againft that far more exceeding and eter- nal weight of glory, which even thefe afflidiions themfelves will * work out for you ? And if it is worth your while, to fuffer the greateft and moil: bitter afflictions here, rather than forego eternal life: what is there in any or all the fhort-lived enjoyments of this * 2 Cor. i\\ <-. i8. [ 21 ] this world, to be fet in competition with that everlafting complete happinefs, which is to be enjoyed in the prefence cf God ? Is there any thing in the pleafures of fenfe, even thofe which are lawful and not imbittered with re- morfe, comparable to the high fatisfaction of an eftabliihed regularity of mind, making continual increafes in the nobleft knowlege, and the raviming delight of God's compla- cency ? Is there any honour and dignity to be enjoyed among dying men, themfelves at- tended at the belt with many infirmities and follies, comparable to the approbation of the eternal God, the wifeft and moft righteous and holy, the greateft and moil: powerful, and the mod abundantly good, and, in one word, the moft abfolutely perfect of all beings? And what is there in all the riches we can heap up here on earth, which after all we mull leave behind us, to compare with that rich treafure of a well fu mimed mind, and that ceafelefs fund of joy which will arife from the thought, that its happinefs fhall be increaflng to all eternity, a happinefs fuited to the dig- nity of its nobleft faculties and powers? It is eafy to fee what choice a wife man would make. Man, in his bejl ft ate here up- on earth, is altogether vanity. But they, who jl:a\l be accounted worthy to obtain the future world and the refurreciiori from the dead, (to fpeak in our Saviour's own words, Luke xx. 35, 36.) will he equal to the angels. They will enjoy as complete a happinefs in all refpects, as [ 22] as their exalted faculties will be capable of; greater than eye hath feen, or ear heard, or ever entered into the heart of man to conceive. And this complete happinefs will be the por- tion of thofe, who (hall be found jledfajl, im- moveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Let us therefore, labour earneftly after thofe habits, of piety, of righteoufnefs and univerfal benevolence, and of moderation with refpect to earthly enjoyments, which conftitute this character. Let us allure our- felves, that the character of jledfajl and im- moveable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord, will never be attained by mere fits and flarts in religion, or any flight and low attainments in any thing that is good ; but muft arife, with the affiftance of divine grace, from habits, fettled by frequent and ferious confideration. And if we do in earneft turn our hearts this way -, if we make thefe good things the fubjedt of our fincere defires as well as frequent meditations, and do in earneft aPK the aids of God's heavenly grace : thefe habits, the pledges and the beginings of a complete everlafting felicity, will be fixed within us. We fliall then be kept by the pow- er of God through faith unto falvation ; and fhall, while we continue here below, be ready for every good work, and increafe in our ufe- fulnefs the longer we live, befides retaining an inward peace and joy in our minds. Thus thall our conqueft of fin be fecured ; and an entrance Em'] entrance will be mini fired to us abundantly in- to the everlajling kingdom of our Lord and Sa- viour Jefus Chrijl. When any of our pious friends are removed from us by death, it is a comfort to have rea- fon to beleive, that this will be their portion -, that as they were Jledfaft and immoveable, and abounded in the work of the Lord, fo their la- bour in his fervice will not be in vain. And this we have good reafon to beleive con- cerning our deceafed brother, the reverend Mr. Ifaac Kimber, whofe death is the occa- fion of my difcourfing on this fubjedl. His fiedfajlnefs in what he beleived to be his du- ty, under manifold difcouragements, deferves to be remembred with honour. And becaufe his merit was not duly regarded in his life- time, I do for that very reafon choofe to take the more notice of him now. He was born in the year 1692, at Wan- tage in Berk/hire : and coming thence to London, applied himfelf to the learned lan- guages under the dire&ion of Dr. John Ward, profeffor of rhetoric at Grefiam College, and to academical ftudies under that of the reverend Mr. John Eames. Of both thefe excellent inftrudtors he always fpoke with high refpedt : and under their guidance made the fwifteft progrefs in a great variety of learning, that I ever obferved in the like com- pafs of time , efpecially confidering the diffi- culties with which from the begining he ftruggled, [ ?4 3 ftruggledj which would have difcouraged moft mir orn 2;oino; on. He discovered a ge- nius capable of receiving any kind of know-. is worth the feeking* conyerfation was always grave and fe- ri ..■■?, but without any mixture of morofenefs c ination to difpleafe. To fay that lie n of great integrity, is to give only rt of his character. And yet even the maintaining that, under a long feries of difficult trials, deferves a high commendation. But he took delight in doing the good that lay in his power. The grand view, to which he made all his ftudies fubfervient, was the do- ing good to the fouls of men in preaching the gofpel of Chrift. And in this view his cheif iludy was that of the holy Scriptures them- felves, which he made the foundation of all his public exercifes. His real worth was known to very few. But that was owing to his great modefty and diffidence of himfelf. A much fmaller de- gree of abilities and attainments would have made fome forward men much courted and honoured. He had not, in his public miniftrations, all that livelinefs, which is fo attractive in a popular fpeaker : and to this his circum- flances might in fome meafure contribute. But it was evident, that he chofe the foft and inftructive, rather than the affectionate and moving manner of acldrefs. The vifi- blc aim of his difcourfes was to inflrucl: the mind, C H ] nund, and to Regulate the practice, rather than to inflame the paffions. As in deliver- ed rot truft to his memory, ib the fhprtnefs of his fight was a gfeat d advantage to him ; efpeciaily in the latter part of his life, when one of I es was become ufelefs. But th is that ftren; of judgment ; lar connexion in : which v make their way to attentive hear- er ; fitch a one, I could be de- lighted with I brines of tl I in ftreir native i for he directed all his dHcourfes that way. I look upon it as a lofs to the public, that a propoial, mach| not many ; fter in: entrance on the mi- niftry, for printing ( of his fermons, W had feen the light, red. whatever mi^ht be thought of his manner of fpeaking, (and it was laid of the apofUe * Paul himfelf, that his bodlk prefence wth «z id bis Speech c ) that vet his writings were weighty. He was called to the jiaftoral care here in U&ndon, in conjunction with a minifter, who is fince deceafed. But whether it was aopre- bended that the fociety could not well main- tain two, or whatever elfe was the reafon ; the conjunction was rejected after it had been agreed to. And afterwards, in the year 1724, he was actually joined with another mini- fter, at a considerable diftance in the count! D * 2 Cor. x. 10, [26] But the perverfe difpofitions of fome with whom he had to do, and his own fteady re- folution, not to comply with any meafures which would difturb the peace of his con- fcience, prevented his flaying long there. He was fo much affected with the uneafinefs of that fituation, that in one of his letters he told me, he 10 as afraid it had hurted his mind. Which a man of his calm temper and inoffenfive behaviour could never have faid, if he had met with tolerable treatment. For it was remarkable in him, that he ftudioufly forbore faying an unkind thing even concerning thofe from whom he fuffered moil ; was uneafy at any harm reflections againft them •> and though he did from principle abhor the fpirit of impofition, and had felt the effects of it, yet he would make the heft apology he could for thofe, whofe forward ignorant zeal prompted them to the exercife of it. After his return to London, he miniftred fiatedly at two places, in the quality of af- fiftant. But fo it fell out, that the two fo- cieties agreeing afterwards to meet in one and the fame place, no room was left for his fur- ther fervice ; and thereby he was cut off from the benefit he ufed to reap from both. I mention this as one of the many difficulties and difcourag;ements which fell to his mare. From this time, which was many years agoe, he miniftred only occafionally; and was oblig- ed, for his neceffary fupport, to betake him- felf to a fedentary employment, which con- 2 lined [ 27 J fined him to clofe application of the mind, without giving opportunity for fuch bodily exercife as mould fecure his health. He bore this and all his other troubles with an equality of mind, which has often raifed my admiration. And though, as has already been obferved, the difficulties with which he ftruggled were probably the occafion of his not being fo lively in the pulpit as otherwife he would have been, which very thing brought upon him the further difcouragement of feeing himfelf to many hearers unacceptable : yet in converfation he always maintained an agreeable, innocent chearfulnefs : nor did I ever hear one word of repiniLg at the dif- pofals of providence drop from his mouth. And from what I have feen of him, now for near forty years intimate acquaintance, I make no doubt to afcribe this to principles of reli- gion, firmly fixed and eftablifhed in his heart. Some of the lTiarpeft of his trials arofe from his exceeding great tendernefs of affedion to his near relations. Of which I mail mention only that one fore affliction, which not only prevented his enjoying comfort in the neareft relation of all, but did for upwards of three 7 J. and twenty years bring continual forrow upon him, and fometimes danger. The neceffity of fometimes confining the dear partner of his life, of whom he was infinitely fond, befides the great charge of it, efpecially as his ck- cumftances were always far from plentiful, mull: f 23 ] mail; hatfe given that exercife of patience^ which is better conceived than cxpreiTed. Upon the whole, I cannot forbear faying : that few, if any, of my acquaintance have borne a ieries of continual difficulties and dis- couragements in fo exemplary a manner as lie has done : which is the reafon of my &oin£ fo far out of my ufual way in enlarging upon his character. He has adorned that condition of life, which God was pleaied to allot for his portion : and has given his furviving freind's good reafon to hope, that his labour in the Lord is not in vain -, but that he will (Line with a diPdnguifhed luftre. in that upper world, where the fervants of God will be accounted of, not according to the figure they made here below, but according to the regard which they mewed, in the time of trial, to the wife and righ- teous, the good and gracious govemour of fell. His removal was very fudden ; by an apo- plectic fit; which feized him but about eight hours before his death, and left him the op- portunity only of fpeaking a very few words, wherein he earneftly recommended himfelf to the mercy of God through Jefus Chrift : after which he never opened his mouth or his eyes. How happy is it to be always ready ! May that be the cafe of us all ! And for that purpofe let us take care, that we be ftedfaft and im- moveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord ; for af much as we know that our labour Jhall not be in vain in the Lord. FINIS. M I TMWlrtTTTTir-JBITTI " ^