bargain and a mad exchange, for any temporal gain SERM. and advantage to lose the things that are eternal? LXIX. And for the pleasing of ourselves for a little while, to make ourselves miferable for ever?

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وو

If we confefs ourselves to be "pilgrims and stran"gers on the earth," and are perfuaded of the promises of GOD concerning an heavenly country," where we hope to arrive after "the few and evil days " of our pilgrimage" are over; let us not, by complying with the humours of strangers, and the vicious customs and practices of an evil world, bar ourselves of our hopes, and banish ourselves from that happy place, to which we all profess we are going. We pretend to be travelling towards heaven: but if we " make shipwreck of faith and a good confci

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ence," we destroy our own hopes of ever arriving at that happy port. We do not live up to our ex-pectation of a future happiness; if the unseen glories of another world do not raise us above all the temptations and terrors of sense. Our faith and hope have not their due and proper influence upon us, if they do not govern our lives and actions, and make us stedfast in the profession of our holy religion, and in the confcientious practice of it. St. Paul reasoned himself into this holy resolution, from the hopes of a blessed refurrection, Acts xxiv. 15, 16. "I have

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hope," says he, "towards GOD, that there shall " be a refurrection of the dead, both of the just and “ unjust ; ἐν τύτῳ δὲ, for this cause therefore, I ex" ercise myself always to have a confcience void of offence, towards God, and towards men."

VI. And lastly, if we be sojourners and travellers in this world; we should often think of our end, and carefully mind the way to it. Our end is everlasting happiness, and the direct way to it is by

N 2

مسك

SERM. a constant and fincere and universal obedience to the LXIX. laws and commandments of God. And this itself

is so plain a way, that a fincere and honeft man can hardly err in it. And therefore we must not fuffer ourselves to be led and trained out of it, upon any pretence whatsoever; not by the wildfire of pretended illuminations and enthusiasms; not by the confident pretence of an infallible guide, that will needs shew us another way, and perfuade us to follow him blindfold in it. Let us not quit the infallible rule of God's word, to follow any guide whatsoever. " If

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an apostle, or an angel from heaven, preach any " other doctrine" and way to heaven, " let him be "accursed." He who is "the way, and the truth, " and the life," when he was confulted with about the way to eternal happiness, knew no other but this. For when the young man afked him ; " good master, " what good thing shall I do, that I may inherit "eternal life?" His answer was, "If thou wilt enter " into life, keep the commandments." It is true indeed, that by reason of our corrupt inclinations within, and powerful temptations without, this way (efpecially at our first setting out) is rugged and difficult. So our Lord hath forewarned us, telling us, that "strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that lead"eth to life," and that "there be few that find it;" therefore we should "strive to enter in," take great care and pains to difcern the right way, and to overcome the difficulties of our first entrance into it; and should often pray to God as David did, Pfal. cxix. 19. " I am a stranger in the earth; hide not thy com" mandments from me;" and Pfal. cxxxix. 23, 24. " Search me, O GOD, and know my heart; try me, " and know my thoughts; and fee if there be any " wicked way in me; and lead me in the way everThus,

lafting."

Thus, if we would always have our end in our SERM.

eye, it would both be a direction to us in our way, and an encouragement to quicken our pace in it; there being no more powerful motive to a good life, than to be affured, that, " if we have our fruit unto holiness, our end shall be everlasting life."

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LXX.

1

SERMON

LXX.

The prefence of the Messias, the glory of the second temple.

HAGGAI II. 6, 7, 8, 9.

For thus faith the LORD of hosts, yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land: and I will shake all nations, and the defire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory, faith the LORD of hosts. The filver is mine, and the gold is mine, faith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house Shall be greater than of the former, faith the LORD of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, faith the LORD of hosts.

THE

HE author of this prophecy was the first of the three prophets, which God sent to the people of Ifrael after the captivity; and this prophecy contains several messages from God, to the

N3

princes,

1

LXX.

SER M-princes, and elders, and people of Ifrael, in which he reproves their slackness and negligence in the building of the temple, and encourageth them thereto, by the promise of his assistance; and tells them, that however in respect of the magnificence of the building, and the rich ornaments in it, it should be incom

parably short of Solomon's temple, (which some that were then alive had seen in its glory) yet in other respects it should far excel it; for the time would come, that this second temple should be graced with the prefence of the Meffias, which would be a greater glory to it, than all the riches of Solomon's temple.

And this is fully expressed in the words which I have read unto you, "thus faith the LORD of hosts, " yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the "heavens, and the earth, and the fea, and the dry "land: and I will shake all nations, and the defire " of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house " with glory, faith the LORD of hosts. The filver " is mine, and the gold is mine, faith the LORD of "hofts. The glory of this latter house shall be " greater than of the former, faith the LORD of "hosts; and in this place will I give peace, faith "the LORD of hosts."

Now, that it is some very great thing which is here foretold and promised, for the honour of this second temple, no man can doubt, that considers in what a folemn manner it is here expressed; this great and glorious title, "the LORD of hofts," being no less than five several times used within the compass - of these four verses; the like instance whereto is not, perhaps, in the whole bible: " thus faith the LORD " of hofts, yet once, it is a little while, and I will "shake the heavens, and the earth," ver. 6. "And

I will fill this house with glory, faith the LORD of

5

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hofts,"

LXX

" hofts," ver. 7. "The silver is mine, and the SERM. "gold is mine, faith the LORD of hosts," ver. 8. And twice ver. 9. "The glory of this latter house " shall be greater than of the former, faith the LORD " of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, faith "the LORD of hofts." So that by the folemn manner of expreffing it, we may imagine, that it is some very great thing which is spoken of, and such as the like had never been before; and such was the "in"carnation and coming of the Meffias."

I know that the modern, Jews will by no means have this text to be understood of the Meffias, and not without cause; for he that is spoken of in the text, was to come into the second temple, which hath now been destroyed above 1600 years ago; and they do not believe the Meffias to be yet come; and therefore whatever shift they make, they must interpret this text, of fome other person than the Meffias: but then it is plain for what reason they do so, it being evident from their own Talmud, that the ancient Jews did understand it of the Meffias; but being hardened in their unbelief, they pervert all those texts whereby they might be convinced, that Jesus our bleffed SAVIOUR was the true Meffias.

And indeed, whoever carefully confiders the several expressions and circumstances of this prediction, cannot understand it of any other. To make this evident, I shall explain the several expressions in the text, " thus faith the LORD of hosts, yet once, it is "a little while." "Yet a little while," so it is in the Hebrew, "yet once more," so the LXXII render it, and so it is quoted from the LXXII in the new teftament. Heb. xii. 26. and this sense the Hebrew word may likewife bear, and our tranflation of the text takes them both in,

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yet once it is a little

If