what may be efteem'd no more than a common Inadvertency.

THESE Confiderations fhould make us extremely jealous of ourselves, and our whole Behaviour; becaufe Careteffness in Duty naturally hardens into Stubbornness, Stubbornness ftifles God's Grace within us, and deftroys the very Principles of our Spiritual Life. The worst of Men were once under and fufceptible of gracious Impreffions; but inafmuch as they neglected to give due Attention to thofe Impreffions, they were left to themfelves, and having quite quenched God's Grace within them, nothing could remain but a certain fearful looking-for of Judgment, and fiery Indignation to devour them.

It is therefore our Duty to be always attentive to the Motions of God's Grace, and to be ever laborious to improve them to all Purposes of Chriftian Holiness, for which they were given. This will open a blissful Communication between the Bleffed Spirit and our Souls, engaging for us a ready Support in all our Wants, a fubftantial Comfort in all our Diftrelles, and a transforming us into the Likeness of

his blessed Self, and bringing us forwards to that Inheritance, which was purchased for us by Christ's Merits, and fecured to us by that Gospel-Regeneration, which the Holy Ghoft, the third Perfon in the ever glorious Trinity, worketh out in the Souls of all the Faithful.

MAY it please that Bleffed Spirit of God to prepare us for his Reception, and evermore to grant us large Portions of his Grace, through Jefus Chrift. Amen.

VOL. II.

E SERMON

VI

SERMON IV.

ROM. V. 19.

For as by one Man's Difobedience many were made Sinners; fo by the Obedience of one fhall many be made Righteous.

A

BUNDANCE of Errors in Religion arife from Men's taking the Doctrines of it in a partial View: Our Faculties indeed at the beft are very narrow and fhort-fighted, yet not to fo great a Degree, as to prevent our coming to a fufficient Knowledge of Religious Truths, provided we would be but careful to examine and compare together the Whole, which the Striptures VOL. II.

E 2

fay

fay concerning them: But when one Article feems to interfere with another, we are always more ftrongly affected by one of them; and thereby a Doctrine, which is made up of both thofe Articles, is generally represented under a Predominancy of one, tho' it ought to be reprefented under an harmonious Concurrence of them both; ex. gr. The fpiritual State of Man turns upon Sin and Grace; and by dwelling long upon either of thofe Articles feparately, we may be liable to fall into dangerous Errors: Let a Mind which loves to indulge itfelf in gloomy Profpects, be frequent and large in confidering the Baseness of our Corruptions, and the Foulness of its own actual Tranfgreffions, Clouds of Blackness and Horror will be continually rifing fo thick as to exclude all the comfortable Displays of the other Article, and the Scene will at laft end in utter Defpair: Let a Perfon of another Caft of Mind employ himself in contemplating the Luftre and free Effufions of Divine Grace, Brightness will break in upon the Soul like the Rifing of the Sun, will infenfibly dispel every gloomy