fide; what shall it profit a man if he gains the SER M• whole world and lofe his own foul? And what XIV. Shall a man give in exchange for his foul?

Now by as much as these great motives to religion in general are rendered more strong and powerful by the Gospel, so far is all morality advanced to a higher pitch by it: It must neceffarily make men more strictly just and upright, more religious and reserved, more chaste and temperate; and make them more afraid of offending God or man by the committal of any fin or wickedness whatfoever; or any way to provoke that vengeance which now they are affured will overtake them in another world; and this is improving morality into christianity, so that by thus practising morality in the true perfection of it, men become good chriftians.

These motives to all virtue and goodness are fo far improved by the Gospel, that they can never fail of their effect, when they are duly confidered and applied; and it is no derogation from the ftrength and power of them, that they work upon fo few in the world. God hath made no provifion for the falvation of any one who will not think, and confider; and who will not think to purpose too. These things of another world, by a strange fallacy of our fight, appear to be at a mighty distance; and therefore must be made prefent to the mind by meditation, and frequent application of them to our confciences: Juft as far as we confider them, fo far they

will

SER M. will influence us, and no farther; and they XIV. who will not be at the trouble and pains,

and uneafinefs to do this, will be eternally undone, only for want of the fame application of their minds to religion, which is common in the ordinary affairs of this life. A man may bring himself perfectly under the power of these motives with half the trouble, and anxiety, and thought, by which he gets an eftate, or an employment; and yet he lofes heaven and happiness for want of it : It is just as a man lets his mind run, where his treasure is, there will his heart be. If his heart is fet upon the riches, or fplendor, or vanities of this world, the whole current of his thoughts will be that way; all his paffions and affections will be exercifed upon them, and these alone will move and turn him, and have an abfolute command over all the powers of his mind: But if he fets his heart upon the things of another life, then the motives of the Gofpel take place; they get the poffeffion of his foul; they ftrike his imagination with a lively vigour : The promises encourage him under the greatest uneafinefs; and the terrors of the Lord give a check to the first motions of fin; his mind dwells upon them, and they are ever ready to be applied upon all affaults of temptation: And thus the fuccefs of these motives is according to the ufe we make of them; the more we think of them, the more they will fway us; and if we never think of them, they will never move us. As

men

.

men fet themselves to the work of religion, SE R M. and make it their business and the great fub- XIV. ject of their thoughts, fo they will underftand and relish the things of another life; they will be reconciled to them, till at last they are pleased and delighted with the contemplation of them: But on the contrary, if they bend their thoughts another way, fo as to neglect the attainment of virtue and goodness; they will flight and despise these spiritual motives; they will grow into a contempt and disregard of them; they will lofe all sense and feeling of them; till at last they are easy in their ignorance and their impiety, and value any, the least trifling worldly knowledge, beyond

them.

And from hence appears the neceffity and excellence of an abstracted piety, and frequent retirement for meditation, fo it runs not into frenzy and fuperftition; because without a good degree of it, these motives to virtue and holiness can never work a due effect upon our fouls. No man whatever, who thought often enough of everlasting burnings, and confidered how much reafon he had to believe the truth and certainty of them, would ever continue in the known practice of any one wilful fin. And any one who, by frequent meditation, hath impregnated his imagination. ftrongly with the glorious promises of another life, would never think any pleasure, this world affords, too great to be quitted for them. I fhall conclude with the words of St.

Peter,

SER M. Peter, 2 Epif. iii. 10, 11, 12. which we are XIV. to depend on for a great truth, because they fo far exceed all that ever was spoken upon that fubject before; and therefore were they not true, he had not been able to have spoke them. If the particulars of what is said had fallen within the sphere of human understanding, it would have been known before; and its being fo long concealed is a sufficient evidence, that we have them from divine revelation; the words are thefe, The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the beavens fhall pass away with a great noife; and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth alfo, and the works that are therein, Shall be burnt up: Seeing then that all these things Shall be diffolved, what manner of perfons ought ye to be in all holy converfation and godliness: Looking for and baftening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire Shall be diffolved; and the elements fhall melt with fervent beat?

SERMON

SERMON XV.

Chrift came to fulfil the Law.

MATTH. v. 17.

Think not that I am come to deftroy the Law or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

M

Y defign from these words was, to SER M. confider in what fenfe Chrift came to XV. fulfil the moral law; and what the true nature of that improvement is, which morality or the law of nature received from the Gofpel. I think it hath already appeared that it is not fo much in kind, as in degree: The means by which our Saviour improved the law of nature, I obferved, were adapted to the two faculties in man, which were blinded and depraved, namely the understanding, and the will: And they were thefe ;

1. By his explaining the law of nature, or moral law, in a greater latitude than ever it was received or understood before, fince our original state of innocence.