Nor should we ftop at confidering what our faults have been; that alone would be a fpeculation of little use; but proceed to think what must follow from them. Indeed, have we not already fome of us found our characters, our fortunes, our healths, impaired by them? Or, at least, will they not of neceffity, in a little time? Hath not the happiness we promifed ourselves from our tranfgreffions, proved very infignificant, or very short-lived! Have they not often brought upon us dreadful angaifh and diftrefs; and fometimes forced us into most destructive methods of trying to get rid of the torment of thought? Or, how joyfully foever we go on at prefent, yet the further we go, muft not our return be more difficult; and unless we return, our end more deplorable? Nay indeed, will not the lefs blameable, the allowable indulgences of this world, if we purfue them eagerly, and live chiefly to them, exclude or wear out from our fouls, thofe impreffions of, and attentions to serious piety, which alone will bring us peace in our last hour? We can affect, it may be, to talk of death with much indifference, but have we in earnest brought it near to us, and confidered what it is? An immediate paffage, without recall, into that state, where small and great shall stand before God; who, as furely as he governs the world with justice and wisdom, will bring every work inta judgment, with every fecret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil, and recómpence us all according to our use of every talent committed to us. Are we then prepared against that day? Ready for the fearcher of hearts, were he to call us now to our final account? If not, do we reflect how foon we may be called, how foon we muft, and what the confequences will be for ever? Do we then at length refolve against all fin, all occafions of fin, all fupinenefs and negligence from this time forwards? Are we unfeignedly forry that we have refolved it no fooner? Are we deeply fenfible, that, in all we have done amifs, we have provoked á most holy God; and have no claim to pardon, much lefs to happinefs hereafter, but through the mercy procured by our bleffed Redeemer? And will we accordingly fly to him alone, with an humble faith in the atonement of his death, and the

efficacy

Eccl. xii. 14.

efficacy of his grace; or boldly hazard all, on the fufficiency of our own ftrength, which hath deceived us so often; and the imagined merits of our own righteousness, or our own repentance, imperfect and defective as they both are?

Think not any of these harsh and ill-natured queftions; they are the very friendlieft that can be propofed. Think them not gloomy and melancholy inquiries; they are the ground-work of all true comfort. No one indeed hath a right to require an answer to them from another; but God hath full right to command, as he doth, by his word and the preachers of it, that every one put them home to his own foul. They carry ftill more terror to thofe, who are bound by their office to utter them, than to those who fit and hear them; but terror inexpreffible to all who provide not to answer them well; and joy inexpreffible to all that do. Let us therefore confcientioully fearch and try our ways, and turn unto the Lord our God. Let us beg of him fervently, to fhew us what manner of perfons we have been, are, and ought to be; and say to him, in the words which he himself hath dictated, Who can tell bow oft be offendeth? O cleanse thou me from my fecret faults. Try me, O God, and feek the ground of my heart: prove me, and examine my thoughts. Look well, if there be any way of wickedness in me, and lead me in the way everlasting t.

Lament. iii. 40. † Pf. xix. 12.

Pf. cxxxix. 23, 24.

SER

SERMON CIV.

PARDON, GRACE, AND EVERLASTING LIFE, TO BE OBTAINED ONLY THROUGH the Merits of THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

2 COR. V. 21.

For be bath made him to be fin for us, who knew no fin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

T

HESE words contain that great article of the Chriftian faith, that the death of our bleffed Saviour hath obtained for us pardon, grace and everlasting life; which important truth is fo ftrangely difregarded, even by many who call themselves his difciples, that I think it neceffary

1. I. To confute the prejudices that lead men to think slightly of their need of the fatisfaction which he made on our behalf, before I proceed

II. To explain and defend this part of the Christian doctrine.

I. Our condition, with respect to God, is infinitely the most important of all our concerns, for we are abfolutely in his power alone; and the forgiveness of our fins is the moft important article in that condition.. Were we innocent creatures, we could only doubt what happiness we had to hope for from him; and about that we might be, though not indifferent, yet free from anxiety. But as we are all guilty, the first question, and a very alarming one, is, what punishment we have to fear? Thoughtleffhefs and partiality may indeed difpofe us to imagine, that however right in speculation the laws of religion and virtue may be, yet in practice great allowance is due to inclination, this being as truly part of our nature as reafon. And when perfons find many others that feem to judge in the fame manner (efpecially if some of

them be of that rank, which is admitted in most things to fet the pattern), then, in companies together, they can go almost any lengths; decide in a moment, that this is fuperftition, and that precifenefs; that fuch reftraints are abfurd, fuch others unneceflary; and take fancy and fashion, mixed together as it happens, for the only rules of life, without a finglereflection whether they are acting as they ought, or the least apprehenfion, that, if they are not, any harm will follow, provided they guard against a few present inconveniences. Yet many of these perhaps are people of confcience in fome things, but in others, they despise all mention of it; and, for the most part, if they behave tolerably well to their fellowcreatures, have scarce the notion of any duty they owe to their Creator, at least beyond the mere propriety of attending his worship now and then, in compliance with a custom that is not yet quite worn out.

a

Now, would but fuch men venture on a very fafe thing, little ferious thought, they would foon perceive, that, though inclination is a part of our nature, yet every inclination must not be gratified, for this would be mifchievous both to all around us and to ourselves that therefore we ought to have fome rule, which to indulge, and which to restrain: that fancy and fashion can never be the rule; for both are continually varying, and would often lead us to difhonour and ruin : that we have within us a natural sense of right and wrong, which paffes judgment with authority on our actions, frequently whether we will or not; and that, if it be in many cafes obfcure and weak, our bufinefs is to improve and ftrengthen it that the great and wife Being, who hath made. us and all things, muft intend we should behave suitably to this consciousness which he hath given us, and obey whatever commands he may think fit to fuperadd; that both his holiness and his goodness oblige him, as the Sovereign of the world, to preserve due order amongst his fubjects, by recompencing them as they deferve; for that fome actions deferve well, and fome ill, we every one of us inwardly feel.

Yet we are very apt to perfuade ourselves, that it is beneath him to look fo low as the paffions and follies of fuch inconfiderable creatures as we are. But I intreat you to confider: Is there, upon earth, that creeping thing, that weed, VOL. III

that

that smallest particle of dead matter, which God hath not formed with inexpreffible wifdom, and doth not govern by ftated laws, which have all their force from the never-ceafing exertion of his power? And how can we doubt then of his governing the rational, that is, the nobleft part of his creatures; by laws equally adapted to them, by precepts, rewards, punishments? What is there worthy of him to do, if this be not? But indeed, he hath both affured us of his doing it, and we experience that he doth it. We perceive his injunctions and prohibitions within us; we pass his fentence on ourselves when we do amifs; we undergo corrections of his appointment, when we fuffer for what we have done; and by thefe fpecimens of his juftice now, he warns us of the full execution of it hereafter. For if wickednefs efcape, and finally triumph, in one fingle instance, then is God no longer infinitely perfect, but partial or impotent, like one of us. Earthly princes confine their care to the most important points, becaufe attending to every point is not below them, but above them. The nearer they can approach towards it, the livelier images they are of him, who bumbleb himself to behold the things that are in heaven and earth *, and who numbereth the hairs of our heads †, and weighs every thought of our hearts. Let not good perfons be terrified at this, for he knows whereof we are made, and is merciful to them that fear him ‡. But let the inconfiderate, the rafh and the bold, learn from it, both to be cautious how they act, and to recollect how they have acted. We feem very commonly to think, that the fins of our former days lofe their guilt in proportion to their distance, and are gradually annihilated as the impreffion of them wears out of our minds. But with God what is paft is not gone. On the contrary, unless we entitle ourselves duly to forgivenefs, it remains on record an indelible evidence against that day, when the books shall be opened, and the dead be judged out of the things which are written in them §.

It greatly concerns us therefore to look back on all our faults, that we may fee diftinctly what our true condition is. Probably enough, on a fuperficial inquiry, the verdict may be highly to our advantage. But our bufinefs is to make a thorough

* Pf. cxiii. 5, 6. + Matth. x. 30. Pf. ciii. 13, 14. $ Rev. xx. 12.