Images de page
PDF
ePub

X.

dation for Hope to every Man upon their $ & M. Principles.

But this is not the Cafe; for they must allow that God is a wife and righteous, as well as a good Governor of the World, and confequently must be concerned to vindicate the Honour of his Laws, by punishing disobedient and obftinate Tranfgreffors. A Governor made up of meer Goodness and Mercy, could be no Governor at all; for it is abfurd to call that a Government, where every Subject may do what he pleases with Impunity. The Laws of fuch a Government would ceafe to be Laws, and become meer Rules and Directions for living, which every one might observe or not, just according to his Inclination. To say that it became the Wisdom of God to threaten Offenders, but that his Goodness will interpofe in the End, and hinder the Punishment, is to say that God is not wife, for if he were, he would certainly have taken care not to let these Men into the Secret. The greatest Comfort therefore that a repenting Heathen, or a modern Infidel can have, being drawn from the meer Goodness of God, he is dealing deceitfully with himself if he does not put Wisdom and Justice into the other

Scale,

X.

SIR M. Scale, which will give as much Caufe for Fear. And furely that must be a comfortless Situation, that hangs betwixt Hope and Fear of what shall be a Man's Portion hereafter.

The latter Argument for Virtue, drawn from the Beauty and Excellency of it, which makes it a Reward to it felf, was indeed finely difplayed and painted by the heathen Philofophers, who for want of a better, made the most of this. And upon Tempers virtuously inclined it had fome Effect, because to fuch, Virtue is more cafy. But wicked Men always treated this as meer declaiming; and the Experience of all Ages has fhewn that this Argument was weak and ineffectual to ftop the Career of vicious Appetites and Propenfities.

But the Chriftian is a much happier Man, for his Hope is built upon a furer Foundation than the meer Goodness of the fupreme Being. He refts his Hope upon the exceeding great and precious Promifes of God, which give him the utmoft Security of his future Reward. And as this is the only fecure Ground of Hope and Comfort, so it is the nobleft Motive to a good Life. For 1 John 3. 3.every Man that hath this Hope in him, purifieth

X.

rifieth himself even as he is pure. And there S ER M. cannot poffibly be a stronger Encouragement to him to be stedfaft, unmoveable, and always abounding in the Work of the Lord, than this Affurance, that his Labour shall not be in vain in the Lord, 1 Cor. 15. last.

Let any Man produce me fuch Motives to a virtuous Life, and fuch Grounds of Hope and Comfort out of Socrates, and Plato, and Seneca, and I will give up the Christian Religion, for Philofophy and the Religion of Nature.

Allowing then that it will coft us fome Trouble and Pains to govern our Paffions, and fenfual Appetites, and live foberly, temperately and chaftly; and that by rendring to all their Dues, by paying our just Debts, and doing Acts of Charity, we fhould reduce thofe Funds that fupport Luxury; and Equipage, and the Pride of Life, nay that by being strictly honest and just we should leave our felves a bare Support, or hardly that; which is to practise Righteousness; and that we should conquer our Idlenefs and Averfeness to Devotion, and oblige our felves to be conftant both in our private and publick Worship of God, without which we cannot live godly; I say,

allowing

SERM. allowing that all this will cost us much X. Pains and Trouble, yet fhall we not be great

1

Gainers in the End, and will not the blessed
Hope that is here set before us, abundantly
make us amends for all this? Men will rife
early and fit up late, and deny their Sleep,
their Food, and their Recreations, in pur-
fuit of their worldly Advantages, and think
themselves well paid if they happen to fuc-
ceed. And if they will take no Pains to
please and serve God, and to deny their Lufts,
and to live up to the Rules of the Gospel,
and the holy Religion they profefs, if they
will cast away
this bleffed Hope, there is no
Help for it; their Ruin, their eternal Ruin
is their own Choice, and they run into it
with their Eyes open.

SERMON

SERMON XI.

On the Refurrection of
CHRIST.

LUKE 24. Part of the 5th and 6th
Verses.

11

Why feek ye the Living among the Dead? He is not here, but is rifen.

T

XI.

HE Occafion of these Words is $ER M. briefly this: On the first Day of the Week, which was the third from our Saviour's Crucifixion, Mary Magdalen with other devout Women came to his Sepulchre with fweet Spices and Odours which they had prepared for anointing his Body. They had forgotten, or mifunder

« PrécédentContinuer »