[4]

AT

SERMON II.

PREACHED AT

BOW-CHURCH,

On the 30th of January, 1675.

I Tim. iv. 8.

Godliness is profitable unto all things, having a promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to

come.

T

Hefe words are the enforcement of an Exhortation which St. Paul had made to Timothy in the Verse beforegoing, which was that he fhould Avoid prophane and Old-wives Fables; meaning those impious and fuperftitious Doctrines, and the carnal and unchriftian Obfervances that were grounded upon them fome of which he had mentioned in the beginning of this Chapter) which fome at that time did endeavour to introduce into Chrifti

Christianity and instead of applying his mind to these, that he should rather Exercife himself unto true Godliness.

This was the Exhortation. The Arguments wherewith he enforceth it are Two: First, The Unprofitableness of these Carnal and Superftitious Doctrines and Practices. Bodily exercise (faith he ) profiteth little. Secondly, The real usefulness of folid Vertue and Godliness to all the Purposes of life. Godliness is profitable to all things, having a promise of this Life, as well as of that which is to come.

I fhall not here meddle at all with the former part of the Apoftle's Exhortation or the Argument that hath relation to it; but fhall apply my felf wholly to the latter, craving leave most plainly and affectionately to prefs upon you the Exercise of Godliness, upon thofe Grounds and Confiderations on which the Apostle here recommendeth it.

Indeed to a Man that confiders well, it will appear the most unaccountable thing in the World, that among all thofe feveral Exercises that Mankind bufie themselves about, this of Godliness fhould be in fo great a measure neglected; that Men should be fo diligent, fo industrious, fo unwearied, fome in getting Estates, others in purveying for Pleafures, others in learning Arts and Trades, All in fome thing or other relating to this fenfible World; and fo few should

study

ftudy to acquaint themselves with God, and the Concernments of their Souls, to learn the Arts of Vertue and Religious Converfa→ - tion.

: Certain it is, this Piece of Skill is not more above our reach than many of those other things we fo induftriously pursue; nay I am apt to think it is more within our pow→ er than most of them. For in our other $ Labours we cannot always promise to our felves certain fuccefs, A thousand things t may intervene which we know not of, that may defeat all our plots and defigns though never fo carefully laid; but no Man ever setriously undertook the Business of Religion but he accomplished it.

Nay farther, As we can with greater certainty, fo can we with lefs pains and difficulty promife to our felves fuccess in this affair, than we can hope to compass moft of our worldly defigns which fo much take up our thoughts. I doubt not in the leaft but that lefs labour, lefs trouble, lefs folicitude will ferve to make a Man a good Christian, than to get an Estate, or to attain a competent skill in Humane Arts and Sciences.

And then for other Motives to oblige us to the ftudy of Religion,we have incompara→ bly more and greater than we can have for the pursuit of any other thing. It is certainly the greatest Concernment we have in the World. It is the very thing God fent us

into the World about. It is the very thing that his Son came down from Heaven to inftruct us in. It is the very thing by which we shall be concluded everlastingly happy, or everlastingly miferable, after this life is ended.

These things well confidered, we may justly (I fay) ftand amazed, that Men fhould be fo prodigiously fupine and negligent in an Affair of this nature and importance, as we fee they generally are.

If there can any account be given of this matter, I fuppofe it must be fome fuch as this, That the things of this World, upon which we bestow our Care, our Time, our Courtship, are present to us. We fee them every day before our Eyes; we taste, we feel the sweetness of them; we are fenfible that their enjoyment is abfolutely neceffary to our present well-being: But as for fpiritual matters they lie under a great disadvantage. They appear to us as at a great distance. We do not apprehend any present need we have of them: Nor do we fancy any sweetness or relish in them. Nay, on the contrary, we form the most frightful and difmal Images of them than can be. We look upon them not only as flat, and unfavoury; but as things which if we trouble our heads too much about will certainly ruin all our designs in this World. We think Religion good for nothing but to spoil good

good company; to make us melancholy and mopish; to diftract us in our Bufinefs and Employments; and to put fo many restraints upon us, that we can neither with that freedom nor fuccefs purfue our Temporal Concernments, which we think neceflary to our happiness in this World.

But let us suppose things to be thus with Religion as we have fancied, yet cannot I this be any reasonable Excufe for our carelefness about it. What though there were no visible Benefit by a religious life in this World? What though the rewards of our pains about it were only in reverfion? Yet fince a time will come when it will be our greatest Interest to have been heartily Religious, is it not a madness now to neglect it? What tho' Religion be a course of life difficult and unpleasant; a way ftrewed with Briers and Thorns; a way which if we follow, we are certainly loft, as to our hopes of any thing here? Yet fince a Time will certainly come when we fhall with that we had been good Chriftians, though we had loft our right eyes and our right hands upon the condition; when we shall wish that we had purchased Vertue, tho' at the rate of the lofs of the whole World: For God's fake why fhould we not be of the fame mind now? Who but Fools and Children but will look upon that which fhall certainly and unavoidably