CXII.

affurance enough in themselves of the truth of the SER M. thing, to prefs it upon others with any great confidence, and therefore it was not likely to have any great efficacy upon the generality of mankind.

As for the jewish religion; tho' that supposed and took for granted the rewards of another world, as a principle of natural religion; yet in the law of Mofes there was no particular and exprefs revelation of the life of the world to come; and what was deduced from it, was by remote and obfcure confequence. Temporal promifes and threatnings it had many and clear, and their eyes were fo dazzled with thefe, that it is probable that the generality of them did but little confider a future ftate, till they fell into great temporal calamities under the Grecian and Roman empires, whereby they were almost neceffarily awakened to the confideration and hopes of a better life, to relieve them under their prefent evils and fufferings; and yet even in that time they were divided into two great factions about this matter, the one affirming, and the other as confidently denying any life after this. But the gospel hath brought "life and immortality to light," as we are affured from heaven of the truth and reality of another state, and a future judgment. The Son of GOD was fent into the world to preach this doctrine, and rofe again from the dead, and was taken up into heaven for a visible demonstration to all mankind of another life after this, and confequently of a future judgment, which no man ever doubted of, that did firmly believe a future ftate.

The fum of all that I have faid is this; the gofpel hath plainly declared to us, that the only way to falvation is by forfaking our fins, and living a holy

and

SER M. and virtuous life; and the most effectual argument in

CXII.

the world to perfuade men to this, is the confideration of the infinite danger that a finful courfe expofeth men to, fince the wrath of GOD continually hangs over finners, and if they continue in their fins, will certainly fall upon them, and overwhelm them with mifery, and he that is not moved by this argument, is loft to all intents and purposes.

All that now remains, is to urge this argument upon men, and from the ferious confideration of it, to perfuade them to repent, and reform their wicked lives. And was there ever age wherein this was more needful? when iniquity doth not only abound, but even rage among us; when infidelity and profanenefs, and all manner of lewdnefs and vice appears fo boldly and openly, and men commit the greatest. abominations without blushing at them; when vice hath got fuch head that it can hardly bear to be checked and controlled, and when, as the Roman hiftorian complains of his times, ad ea tempora, quibus nec vitia noftra nec remedia pati poffumus, perventum eft; "things are come to that pafs, that we can "neither bear our vices, nor the remedies of them." Our vices are grown to a prodigious and intolerable height, and yet men hardly have the patience to hear of them; and furely a disease is then dangerous indeed, when it cannot bear the severity that is neceffary to a cure. But yet, notwithstanding this, we who are the meffengers of GOD to men, to warn them of their fin and danger, muft not keep filence, and spare to tell them both of their fins, and of the judgment of GOD which hangs over them; that "GOD will vifit for these things," and that "his "foul will be avenged on fuch a nation as this,"

CXII,

at least we may have leave to warn others, who are SER M. not yet" run to the fame excefs of riot, to save "themselves from this untoward generation." "GOD's judgments are abroad in the earth," and call aloud upon us, "to learn righteousness."

But this is but a small confideration, in comparison of the judgment of another world, which we who call ourselves chriftians, do profefs to believe, as one of the chief articles of our faith. The confideration of this fhould check and cool us in the heat of all our finful pleasures; and that bitter irony of Solomon should cut us to the heart; "rejoice, O

young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart chear "thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the "ways of thy heart, and in the fight of thine

eyes; but know that for all these things GOD "will bring thee into judgment." Think often and feriously on that time, wherein "the wrath of "GOD," which is now "revealed against fin," fhall be executed upon finners; and if we believe this, we are ftrangely ftupid and obftinate, if we be not moved by it. The affurance of this made St. Paul extremely importunate in exhorting men to avoid fo great danger, 2 Cor. v. 10, 11. "We "must all appear before the judgment-feat of "CHRIST, that every one may receive the things "done in the body, according to what he hath done, "whether it be good or evil. Knowing therefore "the terrors of the LORD, we perfuade men.' And if this ought to move us to take fo great a care of others, much more of ourfelves. The judgment to come is a very amazing confideration; it is a fearful thing to hear of it, but it will be much more terrible to fee it, especially to those whofe

دو

SERM. guilt muft needs make them fo heartily concerned CXII. in the dismal confequences of it; and yet as fure as

I ftand, and you fit here, "this great and terrible

day of the LORD will come, and who may abide "his coming!" what will we do, when that day shall surprize us careless and unprepared! what unspeakable horror and amazement will then take hold of us! when "lifting up our eyes to heaven, we "fhall fee the Son of man coming in the clouds of it, "with power, and great glory;" when that powerful voice which fhall pierce the ears of the dead fhall ring through the world, "Arife ye dead, and come "to judgment;" when the mighty trumpet shall found, and wake the fleepers of a thousand years, and fummon the difperfed parts of the bodies of all men that ever lived, to rally together and take their place; and the fouls and bodies of men which have been fo long strangers to one another, fhall meet and be united again, to receive the doom due to their deeds; what fear fhall then furprize finners, and how will they tremble at the presence of the great judge, and" for the glory of his majesty !" how will their confciences fly in their faces, and their own hearts condemn them, for their wicked and ungodly lives, and even prevent that fentence which yet fhall certainly be past and executed upon them. But I will proceed no further in this argument, which hath fo much of terror in it.

I will conclude my fermon, as Solomon doth his Ecclefiaftes, chap. xii. 13, 14. "Let us hear the "conclufion of the whole matter: fear GOD, and "keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man; for GOD fhall bring every work "into judgment, and every fecret thing, whether

ε

it be good, or whether it be evil." To which I will only add that serious and merciful admonition of "a

greater than Solomon," I mean the great judge of the whole world, our bleffed LORD and SAVIour, Luke xxi. 34, 35, 36. "Take heed to yourselves, left "at any time your hearts be overcharged with furfeiting, and drunkennefs, and the cares of this life, and fo that day come upon you at unawares. "For as a fnare fhall it come on all them that dwell "on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye there"fore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted

66

worthy to escape all these things that fhall come "to pafs, and to ftand before the Son of man : to whom with the FATHER, and the HOLY GHOST, &c.

SERMON CXIII. Knowledge and Practice neceffary in religion.

JOHN xiii. 17.

If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

WO things make up religion, the know- SER M.

Tledge and the practice of it; and the firft is

wholly in order to the fecond.; and God hath not revealed to us the knowledge of himself and his will, merely for the improvement of our understanding, but for the bettering of our hearts and lives; not to entertain our minds with the speculations of religion and virtue, but to form and govern our actions. "If ye know these things, happy are ye ye do them."

VOL. VII.

D

if

In

CXIII.