its Comforts; powerful it is to establish, SERM. I. ftrengthen and fettle that Faith, which its own Power first begat, and powerful to enable the Man of God to work Righteoufnefs, to pull down the ftrong Holds of Sin and Satan, and to bring every Thought, and Imagination under Obedience to Chrift. Thus by Grace are we faved through Faith, from first to last, for by this Faith we first turn from Sin to God, herein we ftand, herein we conquer, and fo attain to the End of our Faith, even the Salvation of our Souls. But

Secondly, If fuch and fo powerful be the Gospel of Chrift, even the Power of God unto Salvation, one would be apt to think cautionary Dehortations concerning the Sin and Danger of being afhamed of it almost needlefs; but this is not fo, for there is a Cross and a Reproach attending it, to exercise the Faith and try the Fidelity of the Servants of Chrift, who is upon this Account no less a Rock of Offence, than a Rock of Salvation to many. Human Respects have always been a great Snare even to Perfons of a good good Difpofition, in the Ways both of Virtue and Godliness, which

SERM gave Occafion to that Caution of the Son of

1

Sirach, "That we fuffer not the Reverence "of any Man to caufe us to fall." And this will hold true of the Gofpel of Chrift, in a more efpecial Manner, as the Genius and Spirit of it are directly contrary to those which govern the World: Hence it is that God and the World, i. e. People who live only to Time, and follow the Propenfions and Gratifications of corrupt Nature, are all along spoken of in the New Teftament as contrary the one to the other: The World is there faid to lie in Wickedness, and therefore we are commanded neither to love nor to be conformed to it: And forafmuch as the Refpect and Praife of worldly People cannot be acquired nor preferved, unless in fome measure our Thoughts be as their Thoughts, and our Ways as their Ways, we find a Wo denounced against thofe, whom all Men fpeak well of: But as the pious Mr. Burkit obferves, "The World has all along taken effectual care, by their cruel Mockings, bitter Reproaches, and fharp Invectives, to free Chrift's faithful Servants from the Danger of this Wo." Had we a particular Hiftory of the Old

World,

World, I doubt not but this Obfervation SERM. 1.
would stand verified in the Treatment of
Enoch and Noah, as it does in that of Lot,
the Patriarchs, and the Prophets, of Chrift,
the Apostles, and most other eminent Preach-
ers of Righteoufnefs downwards, confirm-
ing St. Paul's Affertion, that, "As he who

was born after the Flesh perfecuted him
who was born after the Spirit in Times
paft, fo it is now.”

In vain we plead the Establishment of Chriftianity, under the Protection and Countenance of the civil Power, to evade the Force of this Truth. Rulers may compile good Articles, and good Canons, and frame wholesome Laws for the Government and Polity of the outward Church, but the Spirit and Power of Godliness, they can neither give nor fecure Refpect to: A pleafure-loving, fenfual, finful World, must upon Principle be at Enmity with the Children of the Kingdom, who have turned their Backs upon what they idolize, and have fet their Faces full for Zion; and confequently the Reproach of Christ will never fail to be the Badge of the true Chriftian's Difcipleship; for this he is prepared, and in fo many Places exhorted and encouraged to en

dure

SERM. I.dure the Crofs, and defpife the Shame, af ter the Example of his bleffed Mafter.

Beware then, O Chriftian, how thou promifeft to thyfelf Eafe and Security here, faying, Peace; Peace; for thou art engaged in a Warfare which ends not on this Side the Grave, and therefore thou must perfevere in the Combat like a valiant Soldier, and be faithful unto Death, as thou expecteft to receive a Crown of Life. Beware how thou feedeft thyfelf with vain Hopes of the Riches and Honours of this World, whilft fo confiderable a Share of them is lodged in the Hands of its own Children, and which are therefore a Kind of forbidden Fruit, which thou can't hardly touch, without wounding thy Confcience: Confider, thou art a Pilgrim on thy Way to a better Country, and needeft but little for thy Journey; much would be an Incumbrance, and perhaps thou haft already more than thy Master had, and yet he was therewith content: And as to the Favour and Friendship of the World, it would only prove a Snare to thee, for thou canst no more please two Mafters, fo contrary by Nature, and in the Services they require of thee, than thou canft reconcile Light with Darkness, Why

then

then do we go on halving it betwixt God SERM. I. and Mammon, catching at heavenly Things with one Hand, and at earthly Things with the other; let us be cold or hot, let us declare for God or Baal. If we worship the Beast in our Hearts, why do we refuse to receive his Mark in our Foreheads? Or if we are really Difciples of a crucified Mafter, why do we flinch at bearing the Cross after him, seeing it is Honour enough for the Servant to be as his Lord? Nor will he own them at the last Day, who are now asham'd to confefs him before Men in a Life and Conversation becoming the Gofpel. Befides, whilft we ftand ballancing betwixt Christ and the World, our Lives are more miserable than those of the very brute Beafts; The almoft Chriftian is crucified betwixt Heaven and Earth, without having any Portion in the good Things either of this Life, or of that which is to come. Thus we seek to avoid the Reproach of the Cross of Chrift, which would fet our Hearts at Liberty, and enrich us with spiritual Bleffings, and fo fall under the Reproach of Confcience which worketh Sorrow and Death, and enflaves us to the most tormenting Fears: We affent unto the Truth with

the