CXIII.

charitable actions of a good life; and Gop will ac- SERM. cept no man to eternal life upon any other condition. So the apostle tells us moft exprefly, Heb. xii. 14. "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, "without which no man fhall fee the LORD."

Secondly, as God hath made the practice of religion a neceffary condition of our happiness, fo the very nature and reafon of the thing makes it a neceffary qualification for it. It is neceffary that we become like to GOD, in order to the enjoyment of him; and nothing makes us like to GOD, but the practice of holiness and goodness. Knowledge indeed is a divine perfection; but that alone, as it doth not render a man like GOD, fo neither doth it dispose him for the enjoyment of him. If a man had the understanding of an angel, he might for all that be a devil; "he that committeth fin is of the devil,' and whatever knowledge fuch a man may have, he is of a devilish temper and difpofition: "but every "one that doth righteousness is born of GoD." By this we are like GoD, and only by our likeness to him, do we become capable of the fight and enjoyment of him; therefore every man that hopes to be happy by the bleffed fight of GOD in the next life, must endeavour after holiness in this life. So the fame apostle tells us, 1 John iii. 3. 66 every man "that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even "as he is pure." A wicked temper and difpofition of mind is, in the very nature of the thing, utterly inconfiftent with all reasonable hopes of heaven.

Thus I have fhewn that the practice of religion, and the doing of what we know to be our duty, is the only way to happiness.

VOL. VII.

E

And

SERM.

CXIII.

And now the proper inference from all this is, to put men upon the careful practice of religion. Let no man content himself with the knowledge of his duty, unless he do it; and to this purpose I fhall briefly urge these three confiderations.

First, this is the great end of all our knowledge in religion, to practise what we know. The knowledge of GoD and of our duty hath fo effential a refpect to practice, that the fcripture will hardly allow it to be properly called knowledge, unless it have an influence upon our lives. I John ii. 3, 4. Hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that faith I know “him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a "liar, and the truth is not in him."

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Secondly, practice is the beft way to increase and perfect our knowledge. Knowledge directs us in our practice, but practice confirms and increaseth our knowledge, John vii. 17. "If a man will do the "will of GOD, he fhall know of the doctrine." The best way to know GoD, is to be like him our felves, and to have the lively image of his perfections imprinted upon our fouls; and the best way to understand the chriftian religion, is ferioufly to fet about the practice of it; this will give a man a better notion of chriftianity, than any fpeculation can

Thirdly, without the practice of religion, our knowledge will be fo far from being any furtherance and advantage to our happiness, that it will be one of the unhappieft aggravations of our mifery. He that is ignorant of his duty, hath fome excufe to pretend for himself: but he that underftands the chriftian religion, and does not live according to it, hath no cloke for his fin. The defects of our know

ledge,

ledge, unless they be grofs and wilful, will find an eafy pardon with GoD: but the faults of our lives. fhall be feverely punish'd, when we know our duty and would not do it. I will conclude with that of our SAVIOUR, Luke xii. 47, 48. "That fervant "which knew his LORD's will, and prepared not "himself, neither did according to his will, fhall "be beaten with many ftripes; for unto whomfo"ever much is given, of him much fhall be requi"red." When we come into the other world, no confideration will fting us more, and add more to the rage of our torments than this, that we did wickedly, when we understood to have done better; and chofe to make our felves miferable, when we knew so well the way to have been happy.

SERMON

CXIV.

Practice in religion neceffary, in proportion to our knowledge.

LUKE xii. 47, 48.

And that fervant which knew his LORD's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, fhall be beaten with many ftripes: but he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, fhall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will afk the more.

IN

N profecution of the argument which I handled s ERM. in my last difcourfe, namely, that the know. CXIV. ledge of our duty, without the practice of it, will

8 ERM. not bring us to happiness, I fhall proceed to shew, CXIV. that if our practice be not answerable to our knowledge, this will be a great aggravation both of our fin and punishment.

And to this purpose, I have pitched upon these words of our LORD, which are the application of two parables, which he had delivered before, to ftir up men to a diligent and careful practice of their duty, that fo they may be in a continual readinefs and preparation for the coming of their LORD. The first parable is more general, and concerns all men, who are represented as so many servants in a great family, from which the LORD is abfent, and they being uncertain of the time of his return, fhould always be in a condition and pofture to receive him. Upon the hearing of this parable, Peter enquires of our SAVIOUR, whether he intended this only for his difciples, or for all? To which question our SAVIOUR, returns an answer in another parable, which more particularly concerned them; who, because they were to be the chief rulers and governors of his church, are reprefented by the stewards of a great family, ver. 42. "Who "then is that faithful and wife fteward, whom his "LORD fhall make ruler over his houfhold, to

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give them their portion of meat in due feafon ?" If he discharge his duty, "bleffed is he," but if he fhall take occafion in his LORD's abfence, to domineer over his fellow-fervants and riotoufly to wafte his LORD's goods, his LORD when he comes will punish him after a more fevere and exemplary

manner.

And then follows the application of the whole, in the words of the text," and that fervant which "knew

CXIV.

"knew his lord's will and prepared not himself, SER M. "neither did according to his will, shall be beaten "with many ftripes." As if he had faid, and well may fuch a fervant deferve fo fevere a punishment, who having fuch a truft committed to him, and knowing his lord's will fo much better, yet does contrary to it; upon which our SAVIOUR takes occafion to compare the fault and punishment of those who have greater advantages and opportunities of knowing their duty, with those who are ignorant of it; "that fervant which knew his lord's will, and "prepared not himself, neither did according to it, "fhall be beaten with many ftripes: but he that "knew not, but did commit things worthy of

ftripes, fhall be beaten with few ftripes." And then he adds the reafon and the equity of this proceeding, "for unto whomfoever much is given, of "him fhall be much required; and to whom men "have committed much, of him they will afk the "more."

The words in general do allude to that law of the Jews, mentioned Deut. xxv. 2. where the judge. is required to fee the malefactor punish'd according to his fault, by a certain number of ftripes; in relation to which known law among the Jews, our SAVIOUR here fays, that "thofe who knew their "lord's will, and did it not, fhould be beaten with

many ftripes: but thofe who knew it not, fhould "be beaten with few ftripes." So that there are two obfervations lie plainly before us in the words.

First, that the greater advantages and opportunities any man hath of knowing his duty, if he do it not, the greater will be his condemnation; "the fervant which knew his lord's will, and prepared

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