ones and we must never hope to be amended or accepted, unlefs we take the way to be fo, which God hath marked out. But neither muft we hope, that a formal use of the means will be fufficient, without ferious care to attain the end. Now the end of the commandment is charity, love to God and man, out of a pure heart, and of a good confcience, and of faith unfeigned; which words exprefs the very fame temper with thofe in the text. If then these be the things, which mankind have need to learn, and God expects; it should be remembered, that they are taught in perfection by the fcripture revelation, and the methods of acquiring them too: that neither the one nor the other, were ever taught, without revelation, either generally, or statedly, or without grofs defects and errors: and that they, who reject this way of inftruction and worship, have not pretended to fubftitute any other; but fhewn, by neglecting the commands, and tranfgreffing the restraints, of natural religion, that their disregard to Christianity proceeds from bad motives; and will produce, in proportion as it increases and spreads, the very worst effects, Whoever, therefore, is indeed concerned for true virtue and moral piety, will affectionately esteem those incomparable leffons of each, which the gospel affords him: and whoever hath at all a due fenfe, how very often he hath violated, on one occafion or another, the dictates of both, will rejoice from his heart in thofe affurances and means of forgivenefs for what is past, and affistance in what is to come, with which nothing but the gofpel can blefs him. For, however thoughtlefs offenders may flatter themselves, every confiderate mind must fee and feel, that fin deferves punishment, and repentance is not innocence; that pardon and grace are not debts, but voluntary favours; and God alone can inform his creatures with certainty, on what terms he will bestow them, and to what degree. Now he hath accordingly informed us, that only faith in Christ, working by love, availeth any thing †, and that shall intitle us to every thing. But then faith is not mere belief; nor is love mere admiration, of the advantages and promifes of the gofpel: but being moved by these to an uniform practice of its laws is the fingle evidence ལྟ evidence which proves their genuinneefs: and unhappily is the very attainment of which the generality of men fall fhort. Some there are, who retain the name of Chriftians, and feem to think it their due, though perhaps they scarce remember the time, when they performed any one act of Chriftian devotion, at least in private. On public worship, it may be, or fome part of it, they do attend fometimes, to fave appearances, or in hope of entertainment, or from a confufed notion of its being, they scarce know why, a duty: but without the least conception, almost, of any further difference, between having religion, and having none. Others, that make a confcience, fuch as it is, of part of what they are commanded, have no regard at all to the reft: but they will be pious without virtue, or virtuous without piety; or they will chuse, just as they fancy, which of the laws of either they will obey, which they will not. Even the more truly good seldom think of aspiring to eminence of goodness: and they, who in many respects attain high perfection, often fail, most unhappily, of adding the beauty of holinefs to the reality of it, by an amiable and obliging deportment and converfation. Thus it comes to pass, that fome despise religion, as ufelefs; and others are disgusted with it, as harsh and disagreeable: that not a few of its profeffors will find it contribute only to their heavier condemnation ; and many of those who are entitled to reward will obtain a much inferior reward to what they might have done; and all owing to the neglect of thinking, as they ought, on the important virtues recommended in the text. We give much attentention to low and tranfitory things; too much, it may be feared, to finful and forbidden ones. We must know thefe excellent qualifications to be the worthieft objects of our thoughts: why should they not alfo be the most conftantly prefent to them? But suppose they were, it is of no more use to think with fpeculative delight on the precepts, than the privileges of the gofpel: but we fo muft confider both them and ourselves, as diligently to examine, and faithfully bring to account (for this the word thinking on strictly denotes in the original) our duty and our practice under each article; and compute the goodness of our condition, not by the fhare that we poffefs, either of the gay, or the folemn trifles, to which alone men commonly attend; but folely by the refult of this momentuous inquiry, made made with great impartiality, and with earneft prayer for the divine illumination. Nor will thinking on our spiritual state, merely enough to know it, benefit us; without thinking ef fectually how to mend and improve it: by imploring God's pardon for every thing wrong, and ascribing to his grace every thing right in us; and asking and ufing his future affiftance, to withstand all temptation, and increase in all goodness. Thefe things, therefore, think on and do: and the God of peace shall be with you*. Phil. iv.. SER SERMON XXXVIII. ON THE DIVINE INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE. 2 TIM. iii. 16, 17: All fcripture is given by infpiration of God: and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for inftruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. MAN AN is by nature ignorant and thoughtless: and therefore wants information and admonition. He is also prone to evil, and averfe from good: and therefore wants reftraint from the former, and incitement to the latter. Without the affistance, which we receive one from another in these refpects, we fhould be wicked and wretched beyond imagination. But though we should be most defective in a state of folitude, yet we are very deplorably fo, even when joined to the beft advantage in fociety. Many points of the utmost moment, relating both to our present and future condition, we either cannot difcover at all, or not with certainty many, which we might, not even the wifer, much lefs the greater part, have in fact known and thofe, which hardly any could fail to perceive, all have, more or lefs, failed to regard. Most of these things are vifibly mens own fault: and the reft are no imputation upon God. For unquestionably he may with juftice place any of his creatures in as low a state, both of underftanding and moral ability, as he pleafes: provided he requires from them, as he certainly will, only in proportion to what he hath given. And even his infinite goodness cannot oblige him to beftow on them greater VOL. I. favours, 3 I favours, than his infinite wisdom fees to be proper: which it is no wonder fhould act upon reafons, to us unsearchable. But the lefs we have ground to expect, the more thankfully we ought to receive whatever notices, encouragements or warnings, he may vouchfafe more immediately from himfelf. Now we have in our hands a book, which we call the Bible containing accounts of various communications made to mankind by their Creator from the beginning; but principally through the hands of Mofes and the prophets; of Jefus Chrift and his disciples; together with great numbers of most important confequences from thence refulting. Both parts of this book are credibly affirmed to be written by perfons, who muft in the main have known the truth or falfehood of what they fay none of whom have given grounds to fufpect their veracity; but many, the strongest poffible grounds to rely on it. They fupport the authority of the doctrines and precepts delivered there by exprefs prophecies and public miracles, recounted there alfo: which prophecies have, moft of them, undeniably been fiace fulfilled, nor do any appear to have failed; and which miracles, though they could never have been acknowledged if they had not been real, were, fo far as we can learn, denied by no one, either at the time when they were said to be done, or long after. On the contrary, the Old Teftament hath always been admitted as true and genuine, by the whole Jewish nation: and the Pentateuch in particular, ufed as the law of their country; though it appoints more things. than one to be done, fo utterly and vifibly contrary to human policy, that they must proceed from Him, whofe extraordinary Providence alone could make them practicable with fafety; and others, too contrary to human inclinations for men to have chofen, without being fure that God required them. And as to the writers of the New Teftament, it is ftill more certain, that their works were published near the time and in the places, where they affirm the events, which they relate, came to pafs that they agree surprisingly well, though in general they were unlearned perfons, and plainly had not concerted their ftory together: that they led pious and virtuous lives: that they were willing to fuffer death for the fake of their teftimony. And accordingly the whole Chriftian church from its rife embraced their narrations with a faith,, which neither artifice nor perfecution were able to overtum, or keep it from prevailing |