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manifold imperfections in our very beft duties and fervices; infomuch that we fhall be forced to make the fame acknowledgement concerning them, which Solomon does concerning the imperfection of all things under the fun; that which is crooked cannot be made Straight, and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. And when all is done, we have all of us reafon to fay, not only that we are unprofitable fervants, having done nothing but what was our duty to do; but have caufe likewife, with great fhame and confufion of face, to acknowledge that we have been in many respects wicked and flothful fervants, and fo very far from having done what was our duty to do, that the greatest part of the good which the moft of us have done, is the leaft part of the good which we might and ought to have done.

The practice of religion, in all the parts and inftances of our duty, is work more than enough for the beft and greatest mind, for the longest and best ordered life. The commandment of God is exceeding broad; and an obedience in any good measure equal to the extent of it, extremely difficult. And after all, as the man in the gospel said with tears to our Saviour, concerning the weakness of his own faith, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief, Mark ix. 24. : fo the best of men may fay, and say it with tears too, concerning every grace and virtue wherein they excel moft, "Lord, I afpire, I endeavour after it, be thou "pleased to affift my weakness, and to help me by thy grace continually to do better."

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The fum of all is this, If we be careful to do our beft, and make it the conftant and fincere endeavour of our lives to please God, and to keep his command. ments, we fhall be accepted of him; for God values this more than whole burnt-offerings and facrifices, more than thousands of rams, and ten thousands of rivers of oil because this is an essential part of religion, To love God with all our hearts and minds, and Strength, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. The duties comprehended in these two great commandments, fincerely practifed by us, (though with a great deal of imperfection), will certainly be acceptable in VOL. V. N

the

the fight of God, in and through the merits and mediation of Jefus Chrift the righteous. Bleffed are they (faith St John very plainly, in the conclufion of that obfcure book of his revelation) Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, Rev. xxii. 14.

I fpeak now to a great many who are at the upper end of the world, and command all the pleasures and enjoyments of it; but the time is coming, and (whether we think of it or not) is very near at hand, when we fhall fee an end of all perfection, and of all that is defirable upon earth, and upon which men are apt to value themselves fo much in this world; and then nothing but religion, and the confcience of having done our duty to God and man, will ftand us in ftead, and yield true comfort to us. When we are going to leave the world, how shall we then with that we had made religion the great bufinefs of our lives; and in the day of God's grace and mercy, had exercifed repentance, and made our peace with God, and prepared ourfelves for another world; that after our departure hence, we might be admitted into the prefence of God, where is fulness of joy, and at whofe right hand are pleafures for evermore!

Let no man therefore, of what rank or condition foever he be in this world, think himself too great to be good, and too wife to be religious, and to take care of his immortal foul, and his everlafting happinefs in another world; fince nothing but this will approve itself to be true wifdom at the laft. All other things will have an end with this life; but religion and the fear of God is of a vast extent, and hath an influence upon our whole duration, and, after the courfe of this life is ended, will put us into the secure poffeffion of a happinefs which fhall never have an end.

I will conclude this whole difcourfe with those words of our bleffed Saviour, If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. Which thou, who art the eternal spring of truth and goodness, grant that we may all know and do in this our day, for thy mercies fake in Jefus Chrift; to whom with the Father, and the Holy

Ghoft,

Ghost, be all honour and glory, dominion and power,

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The nature and influence of the promises of the gospel.

2 PETER I. 4.

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promifes; that by thefe ye might be partakers of the divine nature:

THE

The first fermon on this text.

HE connection of these words with the former, is fomewhat obfcure; but it seems to be this. The Apostle had in the verfe before faid, That the divine power of Chrift hath by the knowledge of the gopel given us all things that pertain to life and godlinefs; that is, by the knowledge of the gofpel we are furnished with all advantanges which conduce to make men happy in the next life, and religious in this; and then it follows, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promifes. Whereby; this feems to refer to the whole of the foregoing verfe; as if it had been faid, "Chrift by the gospel hath given to us all

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things that conduce to our future happiness; and "in order thereto, all things which tend to make "men holy and good." Or elfe, life and godliness are, by a Hebraifm frequent in the New Testa ment, put for a godly life. And then among all thofe things which conduce to a godly life, the Apoftle inftanceth in the promises of the gofpel, which do fo directly tend to make men partakers of a divine na♣

ture.

In the handling of thefe words, I fhall,
N 2

Firf

First, Confider the promises here spoken of: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promifes.

Secondly, The influence which these promises ought to have upon us: That by thefe ye might be made partakers of a divine nature.

First, We will confider the promises which are here fpoken of: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promifes. And because the chief promifes of the gospel are here intended, I fhall take occafion from this text to handle the doctrine of the promifes, which is frequently difcourfed of in divinity, but not always fo clearly ftated. And to this purpose it will be proper to take into confideration these four things..

1. What the promises are which are here fpoken of: Whereby are given unto us promises.

2. Why they are faid to be fo great and precious : Exceeding great and precious promifes.

3. We will confider the tenor of thefe promises.

4. When men are faid to have a right to them, fo as they may apply them to themfelves. Thefe four heads will comprehend what I have to fay upon this argument.

I. What the promifes are which the Apoftle here fpeaks of: Whereby are given unto us promifes. And no doubt, the Apoftle here intends thofe great and excellent promifes which Chrift hath made to us in the gospel. So that, to fatisfy ourselves in this inquiry, we need only to confider what are the principal promifes of the gofpel. Now the great promises of the gospel are these three.

1. The promife of the free pardon and forgiveness of our fins, upon our faith and repentance.

2. The promife of God's grace and holy Spirit to affift our obedience.

3. The promife of eternal life to reward it. 1. The promife of the pardon and forgiveness of our fins, upon our faith and repentance. The gospel hath made full and clear promifes to this purpose, that if we believe the gofpel, and will forfake our fins, and amend our wicked lives, all that is past

fhall

fhall be forgiven us, and that Chrift died for this end; to obtain for us remiffion of fins in his blood. The light of nature, upon confideration of the mercy and goodness of God, gave men good hopes, that upon their repentance God would forgive their fins, and turn away his wrath from them. But mankind was doubtful of this, and therefore they used expiatory fa crifices to appeafe the offended Deity. The Jewish religion allowed of no expiation, but for legal impurities, and voluntary tranfgreffions, fuch as proceeded from ignorance and inadvertency; but not for fins of prefumption, and fuch as were committed with an high band. If men finned wilfully, there was no facrifice appointed by the law for fuch fins. But the grace of the gospel juftifies us from the greatest fins, upon our faith and fincere repentance. So St Paul tells the Jews, Acts xiii. 38. 39. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of fins: And by him all that believe are juftified from all things, from which ye could not be juftified by the law of Mofes. There was no general promife of pardon, nor way of expiation under the law; perfect remiffion of fins is clearly revealed, and afcertained to us only by the gofpel..

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2. Another great promife of the gofpel is, the pro⚫ mife of God's grace, and Holy Spirit, to affift our o 'bedience. Our bleffed Saviour hath promised, that our heavenly Father will give his Holy Spirit to them that afk him. It is true indeed, there was a peculiar promise of the Holy Ghoft to the Apostles and Chriftians of the firft ages, which is not now to be expected, namely, an extraordinary and miraculous power, whereby they were qualified to publish the gospel to the world, and to give confirmation to it. But now that the Christian religion is propagated and fettled in the world, the great end and ufe of thefe miracu lous gifts is ceafed. But yet the Spirit of God doth ftill concur with the gofpel, and work upon the minds of men, to excite and affiit them to that which is good. And though this operation be very fecret, fo as we cannot give an account of the manner of it, N-30

yet

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