I fhall make but an Inference or two, as briefly as poffible, and conclude.

If then Wilful Infidelity and Folly be linkt so close together, let us be no longer Fools but Wife; and what Wisdom is, Holy Job tells us, or rather God himself, for unto Man He fays, the Fear of the Lord, that is Wisdom; and to depart from Evil is UnderStanding. Since we may arrive to the worst and last Degree of Infidelity, as has been fhewn, by going on in our Sins, and falling in love with our fleshly Lufts; let it be our chiefest Study, our firft Business, to Subdue and Mortify them; let us Root out those Evil Inclinations that corrupt and darken our Minds. Let us have an especial Care of continuing in any One known and wilful Sin, for whoever does fo, has made one Step towards his departing from the living God, does at least say in his Heart, in his Wishes, whether he is aware of it or no, There is none. To how great a degree of Atheism may a Man be therefore advanc ing before he perceive it? for the Heart, as the Prophet fays, is deceitful above all things, who can know it? Does not this then deserve our strictest guard? is not Solomon's Counfel highly neceffary? My Son keep thy Heart with all diligence. Ought we not to watch with the utmost Circumfpection against this damning Sin of Infidelity, that fo fubtilly

and

and unobfervedly creeps into Our Hearts? Ought we not, with Indignation, to throw out those Traytors within us, Our wicked Affections, that open the Door, and let in the Enemy into Our Bofoms? Let us all then Confcientiously fet about this Work, let us banish all thofe Vices that betray us, those Lufts that blind us, those inordinate Defires that make us ftrive against the Truth of Religion. Let us cleanse our Confciences from dead Works, and then, and not till then, we may hope to be fill'd with a Living Faith. And then let us add to our Faith Virtue, and fo proceed from Faith to Faith; from Faith Believing, to Faith Obeying; from Faith Enlighten'd by Knowledge, to Faith Working by Love. Being Actually exercis'd, and daily converfant in Religion, will give us a furer and more fatisfactory Notion and Feeling of it, than the most elaborate Writings of Divinity; will make us more intimately and entirely perceive it, than those that have Read or Writ much of it, or heard or made long Discourses about it. Let us pour out our earnest Prayers, that God would by his Grace take from our Affections the Natural Pravity and Malice, whereby we are made Enemies to Spiritual Notions; that we may receive the Truth, not only in the Light, but the Love of it. And then let us make the Experi

ment

ment of a Holy and Virtuous Life, doing the Will of God, that we may know of the Doctrine, and truft Our Saviour to make good his Word, in giving more Light to Our Souls, if we thus feek it after the Method He himfelf has prescrib'd to attain it.

Lastly, Since it has been fhewn, how much the Will is concern'd in Faith, Let us have an Extreme care of cheating ourselves with this ordinary Excufe, this too common Pretence, Belief is not in our Power, we would Believe if we could. Let no Man thus deceive his Own Soul, but let him examine feriously his Own Mind, whether he speaks Truth to himself or no, when he fays, He would believe. Let him, I fay, deal fincerely with himself, and enquire impartially, whether He does not with for, and favour the fide of his Lufts against Religion; whether these Doubts and Obfcurities arife from the Nature of the things to be confider'd, or from the Prevarication of his Senfual Defires; whether he is not fway'd by fome indirect Means, that seem to have no Influence upon him, fome private Favourite Confideration, which he is loath to own, but which governs him effectually': Let him, as he values his own Salvation, do himfelf this Juftice, make this nice Search into himfelf; and he will by it perceive the Deceitfulness

H

fulness of his own Heart, and will find his Dulness to proceed, not from want of Abili ty but Will; like that of thofe, of whom the Prophet complains, Who bear, yet will not understand, and feeing, fee, yet will not perceive; because their Heart is waxed grofs, and their Ears are dull of hearing, and their Eyes have they clos'd, left they should fee with their Eyes, and hear with their Ears, and under ftand with their Hearts, and be converted. Let him not then plead Inability to Understand or Believe, but Remember that generally all our Ignorance and Unbelief is Wilful, for want of Will to do God's Will; and with dread and awe confider, that when Ignorance shall come to be pleaded in the Day, when Christ fhall come to judge the Secrets of Men's hearts, it may then amount to no better Excuse, than if inftead of faying We were unable to comprehend his Doctrine, we fhould alledge in our Juftification, that we were un willing to obey his Law. What a Sentence fuch a Plea justly deferves, is easy to conceive; but that it may never be by any of Us Experienc'd, Let us take efpecial beed, Brethren, left there be in any of Us fuctí an Evil Heart of Unbelief.

SERMON V.

The Lord is Rifen indeed.

HESE Words are the Glad Tydings, which the two Difciples,

that were going to Emaus, brought

back with them to the Eleven that were affembled at Jerufalem, full of anxious Thoughts and Difquiet, and scarce daring to believe the Return of their late Crucify'd Lord. But as exprefs and pofitive as they are, they are yet the Words of those very Men, whom but just before we find confounded and overwhelm'd with Doubt and Despair, and saying, But We thought this had been He, who bould have Redeem'd Ifrael. The Words of Them, who look'd upon the first Relation of Mary Magdalen and the H 2 other