SERM. overborne by temptation, hurried by the stream of the II. world, and liable to the strokes of fortune.

If he propoundeth to himself thence the enjoyment of pleasure, he will alfo much fail therein: for in lieu thereof he fhall find care and trouble, furfeiting and disease, wearisome fatiety and bitter regret; being void of all true delight in his mind, fatisfaction in his confcience; nothing here being able to furnish solid and stable pleafure.

If he fancieth fafety, he deludeth himself: for how can he be safe, who is destitute of God's protection and fuccour; who is the object of Divine wrath and vengeance; who is affailed by many fierce and powerful enemies; whom the roaring lion is ready to devour; whom death 1 Theff. v. and sudden destruction are coming to seize upon; whom guilt threateneth, and hell gapeth for; who without any guard or fence ftandeth expofed to fuch imminent, fuch horrid and ghaftly dangers?

3.

Prov. x. 29.

Prov. xxv.

If he thirst for liberty, he will be fruftrated: for he can be no otherwise than a flave, while he continueth impious; Auguft. fervus tot dominorum, quot vitiorum, a fave to fo many mafters as he keepeth vices: a flave to himself and his own lufts: carrying about with him the fetters of unsatiable defire, being hampered with inconfiftent and irregular affections.

28.

Eafe he cannot obtain, being oppreffed with unwieldy burdens of fin, of care, of trouble; being toffed with Ifa. lvii. 20. restless agitations of luft and paffion; being like the troubled fea, which cannot reft, whofe waters caft up mire and

dirt.

If he meaneth to get wisdom, he is out: for wisdom and impiety are incompatible things. All his knowledge is vain, all his fpeculations are no better than dreams, seeing he erreth in the main point, and is not wife to fabvation.

He is, in fine, extremely mistaken, and in all his projects will be lamentably difappointed, whoever fancieth any true profit without piety: he never can attain to be fo much as wealthy; but drudge and plod what he can,

II.

must be a beggar, and a forlorn wretch. For how can he SERM. be any wife rich, who doth want all the best things, the only valuable things in the world, which any man may have, which any good man doth poffefs? How can he be rich, who is deftitute of the most needful accommodations of life; who conftantly feedeth on the coarsest and most fordid fare, (the dust of pelf, the dung of fenfuality;) who hath no faithful or conftant friends, (nothing earthly can be fuch ;) who is master of nothing but dirt, or chaff, or fmoke? Whereas alfo riches do confift, not in what one enjoyeth at present, (for that can be little,) but in a prefumed ability to enjoy afterward what he may come to need or defire; or in well-grounded hopes that he shall never fall into want or diftrefs. How can that man be rich, who hath not any confidence in God, any interest in him, any reason to expect his bleffing? yea, who hath much ground to fear the displeasure of him, in whose hand all things are, and who arbitrarily disposeth of all? Piety therefore is the only profitable thing, according to just esteem. She is more precious than rubies, and all the Prov.iii. 15. things we can defire are not to be compared to her. Upon this account it is moft true, what the Pfalmist affirmeth,

A little that the righteous hath is better than great riches of Pf. xxxvii. the ungodly.

IV. That commendation is not to be omitted, which is neareft at hand, and suggested by St. Paul himself to back this affertion concerning the univerfal profitableness of piety; For, faith he, it hath the promife of the life that now is, and of that which is to come: that is, God hath promised to reward it with bleffings appertaining to this mortal life, and with those which concern the future eternal ftate.

As for the bleffings of this life, although God hath not promised to load the godly man with affluence of worldly things, not to put him into a splendid and pompous garb, not to dispense to him that which may ferve for pampering the flesh, or gratifying wanton fancy, not to exempt him from all the inconveniences to which human nature and this worldly ftate are fubject; yet hath he promised

16.

SERM. to furnish him with whatever is needful or convenient for II. him, in due measure and season, the which he doth best understand. There is no good thing which a man naturally defireth, or reasonably can wish for, which is not in express terms propofed as a reward, or a result of piety.

Prov. x. 6.
Deut.

xxviii. 8.

XXX. 9.

Pf. lxxxiv.

11.

In general, it is declared, that Blessings are upon the head of the juft; that, No good thing God will withhold from them that walk uprightly; that, whatever otherwise doth fall out, it affuredly fhall be well with them that fear Ecclef. viii. God; that, Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord, that Ifa. iii. 10. walketh in his ways:-happy fhalt thou be, and it shall be Pf. cxxviii. well with thee; that, There shall no evil happen to the juft; (Prov. viii. that, All things work together for good to them that love 35.) God. Prov. xii. 21.

12.

1, 2.

Rom. viii.

28.

Prov xiii.

25.

Particularly, there are promised to the pious man,

A fupply of all wants. The Lord will not fuffer the foul Prov. x. 3. of the righteous to famish. The righteous eateth to the fatiffying of his foul. There is no want to them that fear God. Pf. xxxiv. The young lions do lack, and fuffer hunger; but they that xxxiii. 19. Seek the Lord fhall not want any good thing.

9, 10.

xxxvii. 3, 19. xxxiii.

18.

cxii. 7.

A protection in all dangers. The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; to xxxiv. 20. deliver their foul from death, and to keep them alive in xxxvii. 28. ・famine. There shall no evil befal thee, neither shall any xci. 10, 11. plague come nigh thy dwelling: He fhall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Guidance in all his undertakings and proceedings. Pf. xxxvii. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord—none of his fteps fhall flide.--In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

23, &c.

Prov. iii. 6.

(Prov. xi. 3.5. xvi. 3.) Pf. xxxvii.

5.

Pf. i. 3.

Job xxii.

Success and profperity in his defigns. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pafs.--What foever he doeth, it shall profper.Thou fhalt decree a thing, and it shall be established; and the light shall shine upon thy ways. The Lord fhall command a bleffing upon thee in thy ftorehouses, and in all that thou Prov. xxiii. fetteft thine hand unto. Thine expectation shall not be cut off.

28. Deut.

xxviii. 8.

12.

18.

II.

Comfortable enjoying the fruits of his industry.-Thou SERM. fhalt eat the labour of thine hands.

2.

Satisfaction of all reasonable defires. The defire of the Pf. cxxviii. righteous fhall be granted. Delight thyself in the Lord, Prov. x. 24. and he shall give thee the defires of thine heart. He will Pf. xxxvii. fulfil the defire of them that fear him: he will hear their cxlv. 19. cry, and will fave them.

4.

Firm peace and quiet. The work of righteousness fhall Ifa. xxxii. be peace; and the effect of righteoufnefs, quietness and 17. affurance for ever. Great peace have they which love thy Pfal. cxix. law. The fruit of righteousness is fowed in peace.

165.

James iii.

Pfal. xcvii.

11.

Joy and alacrity. Light is fown for the righteous, and 18. gladness for the upright in heart. In the tranfgreffion of an evil man there is a fnare: but the righteous doth fing and Prov. xxix. rejoice.

6.

Support and comfort in afflictions. He healeth the Pf. cxlvii. 3. broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. Be of good Pfal. xxxi. courage, and he shall ftrengthen your heart, all ye that hope xvii. 14. in the Lord.

24.

Deliverance from trouble. Many are the afflictions of Pr. xxxiv. the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. 19. He keepeth all his bones, not one of them is broken.

xxxvii. 39.

Preservation and recovery from mishaps, or miscarriages. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly caft down : Pf. xxxvii. for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

34.

Prov. xxii.

Pf. cxii. 1.

Preferment of all forts, to honour and dignity, to wealth and prosperity. Wait upon the Lord, and keep his Pr. xxxvii. way; and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land. By hu- 34. mility and fear of the Lord are riches and honour. Bleffed 4. is the man that feareth the Lord-wealth and riches are in his houfe. The upright shall have good things in poffef- Prov. fion. If they obey and ferve him, they shall jpend their days Job xxxvi. in profperity, and their years in pleajure. The tabernacle 7) of the righteous fhall flourish.

3.

xxviii. 10.

Job xxxvi.

11.

Prov. xiv.

11.

ix. 11. iii. 1. 2.16.

Long life. The fear of the Lord prolongeth days. By me thy days fhall be multiplied, and the years of thy life Prov. x. 27. Shall be increased. Let thine heart keep my commandments: for length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add unto thee.

SERM.

II.

Prov. x. 7.

25.

A good name enduring after death. The memory of the juft is bleffed.

Bleffings entailed on pofterity. His feed fhall be mighty Pl. xxxvii. upon earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed. 26. cxii. 2. The root of the righteous fhall not be moved.

6.)

(Exod. xx. Thus is a liberal dispensation even of temporal goods Prov. xii. 3. annexed by God's infallible word unto the practice of piety. It is indeed more frequently, abundantly, and exProv.xi. 31. plicitly promised unto God's ancient people, as being a xxviii. 1. conditional ingredient of the covenant made with them, vii. 12. xi. exhibited in that as a recompence of their external per

Deut.

13.

17.

Rom. viii. 18.

formance of religious works prescribed in their Law. The Gospel doth not fo clearly propound it, or so much insist upon it, as not principally belonging to the evangelical covenant, the which, in reward to the performance of its conditions by us, peculiarly doth offer bleffings fpiritual, 2 Cor. iv. and relating to the future state; as also scarce deserving to be mentioned in comparison to those superior bleffings. Yet as the celeftial benefits, although not openly tendered in the Jewish Law, were yet myftically couched therein, and closely defigned for the spiritual and hearty practisers of religion; fo is the collation of temporal accommodations to be understood to belong to all pious Christians: there is a codicil, as it were, annexed to the New Teftament, in which God fignifieth his intention to furnish his children with all that is needful or convenient for them. His providence hath not ceafed to watch over us, his bounty doth not fail toward us even in this refpect; his care will not be wanting to feed us and clothe us comfortably, to protect us from evil, to prosper our good undertakings. Hence doth he command us to care for 1 Pet. v. 7. nothing, but to caft our care upon him, to recommend our Phil. iv. 6. bufnefs to him, because he careth for us; he will never forMatth. vi. fake us; he will hear our prayers, and help us. Hence 1 Tim. vi. we are enjoined not to truft in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. Hence 2 Pet. i. 3. it is said, that The divine power hath given us all things pertaining unto life and godlinefs, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. Hence it is

Heb. xiii. 5.

25.

17.