SER M. obferving fome Precepts, and allowing ourIV. felves at the fame Time in the Neglect of others, but keeping the whole Law, i. e. the Law in all it's Branches, fince be who offends in one Point is guilty of all, James ii. 10. ร Thus ftands the fincere Man, the Man without Guile, affected towards God: Towards his Neighbour he will have the fame Simplicity of Mind. He will not profefs any thing in Words or Behaviour, but what is agreeable to his inward Sentiments, nor pretend any greater Kindness or Love, than what he knows he really bears towards him. In a Word, to be an Ifraelite indeed, like Nathanael in the Text, we must speak as we think, do what we pretend, perform what we promife, and upon all Occafions be, what we would feem and appear to be. 2 And however rare this Character may be, or however hard, and difficult to come up to it; yet it is what we must all labour after, to qualify even our best Performances. Not that we are to imagine, we can come up to our Duty, or live entirely free from Sin: That was what our Saviour could not fay of Nathanael:He pronounced hot of him, that he was without Sin, but without Guile: i. e. he finned not perverfly, or rafhly, or wilfully against againft God, nor otherwife than through the s ERM. Weakness and Infirmity of his Nature. To IV. be without Guile and Sin both, 1Pet. ii. 22. is a Character that was never given but of one, our Bleffed Saviour, whom, though we are to imitate as far as we can, yet on him must we rely to make up, at laft, for numberlefs Tranfgreffions, and infinite Deficiencies. 1 Therefore we are to fet before us, as a Pattern or Example, not of a Man that never fell, but of a Man that never meant to fall. Slips and Failings, attended him: But Slips of Inadvertency, not of Defign. And it is here we must imitate him: It is in this, that all that would be Ifraelites indeed, or rather Chriftians indeed, muft copy after him: viz. in the Sincerity of his Intentions, and Integrity of his Deeds. For fuch are the Qualities of a Man without Guile: And such every Chriftian is expected to be; viz. to be fincere, conftant, and uniform in the Duties of Religion; to give up the whole Man to the Obedience of God's Laws, and the whole Man for his whole Life, to the thorough Obedience of all his Laws. This must be at leaft, the Defign of a Chriftian; and his conftant Endeavours; fince otherwise, he will not have fo much as Sincerity, and Integrity, to entitle him SERM, him to the Merits of Christ, which Sincerity alone can atone for his Failings. To convince In fhewing the Neceffity of the Dispositions abovementioned, I fhall begin with Sincerity: Under which I imply, the giving up ourfelves wholly, Mind as well as Body, to the Service of God; to mean within, what we make a Show of without: To pay him a true and undiffembled Service, in Oppofition to Hypocrify, which is a falfe and feigned Pretence of ferv ing bim, when in Reality our Defign is to ferve ourselves. And this is the more neceffary, because God has been fo gracious, in many Instances, as to make our Duty and Interest to depend on each other. Infomuch, that al-> though we have no Devotion or Love to God, we may yet perform (and with feeming Zeal) many Things which he commands, and abstain very cautiously from many Things which he has forbidden, because we gratify ourselves by IV. by doing so. A Man may be chaste and tem- SERM. perate for Inftance, not out of Obedience to the feventh Commandment, but because he is covetous, and will not be at the Expence of his Lufts and Debauchery. He may put on again the Appearance of Religion, for the fake of deceiving, and impofing upon the World. As the Hypocrites (against whose Practices our Saviour warns us) gave Alms, and prayed, and fafted, not with any true, religious Intent, but only that they might be feen, and bave Glory of Men, Matt. vi. 2, 5, 16. But this fure is not Obedience, but Mockery. It will not entitle our Performances to Reward, except it be to the Portion of Hypocrites and Sinners. In fhort, do what we will, although it be not with an Hypocritical Intent; yet, if the Command of God be not the Motive of our doing it, it is no Instance of our Virtue: Because it would have been done, although God had faid nothing concerning it: And confequently, in our performing it, we confidered not him but our ownselves: And what Service do we perform to God, in following the Bent of our own Inclinations? To render what we do, acceptable to him, we must do it, not because our own Credit or Intereft requires it, but because the Divine Command SERM. Command enjoins it. Our inward Defign For it is there the Pfalmift tells us, God re"quireth Truth; i. e. in the inward Parts, Pfal. li. 6. For the Lord (faith Samuel) feeth not as Man feeth; for Man looketh on the outward Appearance, but the Lord looketh on the Heart, 1 Sam. xvi. 7. And therefore faith Solomon, Keep thy Heart with all Diligence, for out of it are the flues of Life, Prov. iv. 23: Meaning that unless the Heart be pure, all Conformity of the outward Man is but meer Hypocrify, nor will there be any constant Stability in it. For the Righteous Lord trieth (faith the Pfalmift) the very Hearts and Reins, Pfal. vii. 10, and lxiv. 10. and therefore they must be the upright in Heart, that fball glory. All this plainly fhews, that God accepts not a heartless Service, nor thinks himfelf honoured by what was never intended for him. This is what both the Old Testament and New inculcates: And now Ifrael, what does the Lord thy God require of thee (faith Mofes) but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his Ways, and to love him, and to ferve the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul? -For the Lord your God is God of Gods, and Lord of Lords, a great God, |