Judge, who is bound by Laws and Rules of Justice; and juft it is, that they who have been guilty of greater Sin, should be fentenc'd to greater Punishment. Our Saviour makes this Point clear in the 11th of St. Matth. where he tells the Jews who rejected his Gospel, that it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the Day of Judgment than for them; and in St. Luke 12. 47. he declares, that that Servant who knew his Mafter's Will and did it not, fhall be beaten with many Stripes, but he that knew it not, fhall be beaten with few, for unto whom much is given, of him shall be much required.

And this leads me to the Second Use to be made of the foregoing Doctrine, and that is, to excite us to an univerfal Obedience to the Laws of Chrift; for He is the Author of eternal Salvation to them only that obey him. It is most just and reasonable that He who has procur'd fo great a Benefit for us, fhould prefcribe the Conditions upon which we are to receive it, and these are all laid down in his holy Gofpel, which is the Law of our Christian Profeffion. Every Chriftian is bound to comply with these, and every Christian is able to do it if he ufes his beft Endeavours.

But

But when a Man is indolent, and difinclin'd, he is apt to fancy that many things are extream difficult, which to a willing Mind would be eafy, every Mole-hill is then a Mountain, and he cries with Solomon's Sluggard, that there is a Lion in the Way, when perhaps it is nothing but his own Shadow. To obviate thefe Pretences I will venture to affirm, 1ft, That the Duties required in the Gospel are all practicable. 2d, That they are all reasonable. 3d, That they are all profitable.

Will any

ift, They are all practicable. Will Man tell me that he cannot be honeft and just in his Dealings, and true to his Promises? And that he cannot avoid lying, cheating and stealing? Does he not fet his Wits at Work, and oftentimes take more Pains to be a Knave, than it would coft him to be honest? Will he fay that he cannot be fober and temperate if he had a mind to it? Will the Wine come if he does not call for it, or will his Hand go to his Mouth if he does not direct it? But he cannot govern bis Will; that is to fay his Will is not free, or in other Words, his Will is not his Will. Indeed he may proceed fo far, as to have neither

C 3

Gen. 39. 9.1

neither Reason, nor Confcience, nor Freewill, no, nor Hands nor Feet to make use of; when it is come to this, he is not fo properly to be call'd a Man as a Beaft; but while he was Mafter of his Reafon, he had a Power furely over his own Hands. Or will he tell me that he cannot forbear curseing and swearing, and prophaning God's holy Name? I would only afk him how he can spend his Breath fo idly to the Offence of God, and all good Men, without any Profit, or Credit, or even the Temptation any natural Appetite ?

of

Or will he fay that he cannot preserve his Purity and Chastity? Let him but remember the Story of Joseph, and he must allow it to be poffible. How can I do this great Wickedness and Sin against God, is a Thought that will preserve every Man, if he has a mind to be preferv'd.

There are indeed fome other Points of Christian Virtue that are extreamly hard and ungrateful to Flesh and Blood; fuch as taking up the Crofs, and foregoing not only all our worldly Interefts, and all the Comforts of Life, but even Life itself for theSake of Christ; that these have been done, and may be done, the noble Army of Martyrs are fo many

Witnesses; but these are not stated but occafional Duties, and God be thanked that our Virtue is not put to this fevere Trial, we may fit under our own Vines and Figtrees, and do all that is required of us; and fhould we be call'd to the fiery Trial as our Ancestors were, we may with the fame Affiftance from above, endure them with equal Conftancy and Fortitude.

I do not deny that it will coft us fome Pains to be good Chriftians. To fubdue our Appetites and Paffions, and keep them within just and reasonable Restraints: To break offill Habits and Customs, are Works of fome Trouble and Difficulty; and fo is every great and laudable Undertaking in Life. The best Things are the hardest to come at: Men do not get Eftates, Honours, and Employments, and even their very Pleasures without Labour and Pains taking; and would they do nothing for the Saving of their Souls, and fecuring an eternal Inheritance? If the Pains and Pleasures that are to follow this Life, are much the greatest and longest, furely it is but common Prudence, and common Senfe, to give our felves the greatest Trouble about these : And even this Trouble is the lefs confidering.

2dly, That all the Commands of the Gospel are in themselves moft reasonable. To love God above all Things who gave us our Beings, and daily fubfifts us; to love our Neighbours, and do them all the Good we 'can; to be fober and temperate in our Enjoyments; to govern our Tongues, and our Hands that they do no Mifchief; to render every Man his due, to be frequent in paying our Refpect and Homage to our great Creator and Governor; to pray to him for what we want, and praife him for the Benefits we receive; these are all fit and reafonable Things for us to do. It is what the very Light of Nature directs Men to perform, the Volumes of the heathen Philofophers are full of this, and the Gospel has for the most Part, only refin'd upon these Virtues, and made them plainer and clearer, by new Lights, and ftronger by new Motives and Obligations. So that Christianity is no arbitrary Inftitution arifing from mere Will and Power, but is in Truth what St. Kam. 12.1. Paul calls it, our reasonable Service.

3d, and Laftly, As our Saviour's Commands are all practicable and reasonable,