the force that is against us is finite and limited, but the Almighty God is on our side, and fights for us; and every one of us may say with St. Paul, I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.

3. The promise of eternal life and happiness, if duly considered, hath a mighty force in it to take us off from the love and practice. of sin, and to encourage our obedience and patient continuance in well doing. The assurance of enjoying unspeakable and endless happiness in another world,and of escaping extreme and eternal misery, one would think, could not fail to bear down before us all the difficulties and discouragements in the way of our duty. If this make no impression upon us, it will be in vain to use any other arguments: if neither the hopes of perfect and perpetual happiness, on the one hand; nor the dread of eternal sufferings, on the other; will prevail upon us to cease to do evil and to resolve to be good, there is no hope that any words can be used, any arguments offered, to work upon us. He that is not to be allured by such hopes, nor terrified by such fears, is proof against all the force of persuasion in the world.

I have done with the two things I proposed to consider. All that now remains is to make some useful reflections upon what has been said; as,

First, If we expect the blessings and bene

fits of these exceeding great and precious promises, we must be careful to perform the conditions which are indispensably required on our parts. It is a great mistake, and of very pernicious consequence to the souls of men, to imagine, that the Christian religion is only a declaration of God's good will to us, without any expectation of duty from us; this is an error into which one would think hardly any could fall, who have the liberty to read the Bible, and who attend to what they read.

The three great promises of the Gospel are very expressly contained in our Saviour's first Sermon upon the Mount. There we find the promise of blessedness often repeated; but always made upon certain conditions plainly required on our parts; as, repentance, humility, righteousness, mercy, peaceableness, meekness, patience. Forgiveness of sins is likewise promised; but only to those who make a penitent acknowledgment of them; who ask forgiveness for them; and are ready to grant that forgiveness to others, which they beg of God for themselves. The gift of God's Holy Spirit is also there promised; but it is upon condition of our earnest prayer to God.

St. Paul gives us the sum of the Gospel in very few and plain words, declaring upon what terms we may expect that salvation which is there offered to all men: The grace of God, says he, which bringeth salvation, hath

appeared unto all men; teaching us, that deny ing ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this world; looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. And then adds, These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority; intimating, that though men were very averse to this doctrine, it ought to be inculcated with great earnestness, and those who opposed and despised it, to be severely rebuked; and with great reason, because the contrary doctrine most effectually defeats the whole design of the Christian Religion.

Secondly, From hence we learn, that if the promises of the Gospel have not this effect upon us, to make us partakers of a divine nature, it is our own fault. God is always ready to do his part, if we fail not in ours. There is a divine power and efficacy goes along with the Gospel, to make way for the entertainment of it in the hearts of men, where they put no bar to it but if they obstinately hold out against the force of truth; if they will resist the motions, and quench the light of the blessed Spirit, it will be withdrawn from them. The Gospel would raise us to the perfection of virtue; and the promises of it are admirably

fitted to relieve the infirmities of human nature, to renew us after the image of God, in righteousness and true holiness, to take us off from sin, to allure us to goodness, and to assist and encourage us in the practice of it; but if we will not comply with the gracious design of God in the Gospel, and suffer these promises to have their due influence upon us; we wilfully deprive ourselves of all the blessings and benefits of it; we reject the counsel of God against ourselves, and receive his grace in vain.

Lastly, If the promises of the Christian Religion are apt in their own nature, to make us like to God, to make us good, just, merciful, patient, and holy in all manner of conversation; to purge us from our iniquities, and to make us a peculiar and excellent people, zealous of good works; if this be the proper tendency of the Gospel and the promises of it, how does it upbraid the degenerate state of the Christian world at this day, which so abounds in all kinds of wickedness and impiety? We are so far from that pitch of goodness and virtue, to which the Christian Religion designs to raise us, and which the apostle here calls the divine nature, that a great part of us are degenerated into beasts and devils, wallowing in abominable and filthy lusts; indulging ourselves in malice and hatred, strife and discord, revenge and cruelty, sedition and disturbance of the public peace, as if the grace of God had

never appeared to us, to teach us the contrary. And therefore it concerns all those who call themselves Christians, to demean themselves in a proper manner, for the honour of their religion, and the salvation of their souls; to have their conversation as becometh the Gospel of Christ; and by departing from the vicious practices of this present evil world, to do what in them lies to prevent the judgments of God which hang over us; or, if they cannot do that, to save themselves from this untoward generation.

SERMON XX.

ON SINCERITY.

JOHN i. 47.

Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.

THE whole nation of the Jews were Israelites by natural descent, being the seed of Jacob or Israel; but in a special and more excellent sense, none were esteemed the true posterity of Israel, but those who resembled this father of that nation in the sincerity of his piety, and the simplicity of his temper and disposition; so that to be an Israelite indeed, is to be