the power of his laws may influence as far as that of his providence to mankind. Now fuch an hunger and thirst after rightcoufness as this, will fhew it felf in a true Chriftian, by a pious industry and chearful contribution toward all good works which may promote religion; for it is not only a lazy lifeless with that all things were better than they are, but a vigorous application as much as in him lies to make them fo, by taking care for the due instruction and difcipline of his own family in matters which concern their spiritual intereft; a careful and religious education of his children; a charitable and difcreet advifing and reproving of his friends; the giving away good books for inftruction of the poor and ignorant, or reclaiming the vicious; the forwarding charity-fchools; contributing to foreign miffions for the converfion of infidels; and, in fhort, the endeavouring by all wife and ufeful ways to bring religion into practice, and to difcountenance vice, and break the power of wickedness in the world. "Tis fuch an earnest difpofition and application to all this, as may be called an bungring and thirsting after it, and that in imitation of our bleffed Lord, whofe meat it was to do the will of God, and to finish his work. * II. I am now to fhew you that those are truly bleffed, who hunger and thirft after righteoufnefs, in the fenfe above explained. And this will appear to you by the confideration of that particular bleffing promised to them, for they shall be filled. By which is to be understood these three things. (1.) THAT fuch as thus hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be fure to obtain what they defire. And this, FIRST, with regard to himself and his own fpiritual improvement. As it is a great torment to * John iv. 34. a man a man to defire vehemently, and labour earnestly, and yet to be difappointed; fo it is, on the other hand, a great felicity and bleffing to have his defires anfwered, and his endeavours crowned with fuccefs. And there is no man fo fecure of that, as he who places his affections on things above. The great defign of God from the beginning of the world was, that all mankind might serve him in holiness and righteousness, and be accordingly rewarded by him; and he in his eternal wisdom has contrived wonderful ways to effect this. He has imprinted the law of righteousness upon the hearts and confciences of men; he has bound it up with their reason and understanding; he has fent his Son into the world to promote the practice of it, both by instructions and his own example; by his holy Spirit he begins the good work of grace where it is not, and cherishes it where it is begun; he is concerned for the neglect of righteoufnels, and waits long and patiently 'till it be undertaken and accomplish'd; and, in a word, he offers grace and falvation, and invites us earneftly to accept of it, and has inftructed us by written laws and precepts in the way of righteoufnefs: And can we imagine, after all, that he will refufe it to fuch as heartily defire and endeavour after it? We cannot fay fo much for the bleffings of this prefent life; a man is not fure to obtain what he defires and endeavours after of the things of this world. * The race is not always to the fwift, nor the battel to the Strong, nor bread to the wife, nor riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all. Tho' art and industry do naturally tend to make men rich, yet they are often blafted in the event. Experience is a ftanding evidence of this, that neither fraud nor honefty, righteousness nor unrighteousness, the most Eccl. ix. II. likely endeavours, nor the most diligent application, can effectually command the things of this world. But it is not fo with the bleffings which are better worth enjoying. There is no defeat in the endeavours after righteousness. A man cannot be disappointed who labours to be virtuous; the love and defire of the thing does naturally enforce the practice, and the practice brings on the habit, and the habit is continually ftrengthned by the influence of God's holy Spirit, 'till it be finally confirmed and rewarded in glory. God often refuses to hear the prayers even of a good man, when he prays for temporal bleffings, and he refufes it in kindness but he never refufes to grant the requcft of fpiritual bleffings, at least he never does it in mercy. *If thou crieft after knowledge, fays Solomon, and lifteft up thy voice for understanding, if thou feekeft her as filver, and fearcheft for her as for hid treasures, then halt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God; then fhalt thou understand righteoufnefs, and judgment, and equity, and every good path. God, like a wife and affectionate Father, will only give us thofe things which are good and profitable for us; and those he will not refuse us. If ye being evil, fays our Saviour, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more fhall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that afk him? And what are thefe good things? Are they the good things of this life? These indeed are at his difpofal, and he does many times beftow them upon thofe that afk him; but not always, St. Luke acquaints us what that good thing is, which God will not deny to those who afk it of him, and that is the grace and affistance of his holy Spirit, to make thofe good who defire to be fo; ‡ How much more shall your heavenly FaMatth. vii. II. ‡ Luke xi. 13. ther * Prov. ii. 3, 4, 5. ther give the holy Spirit to thofe that afk him? For fo this* Evangelift relates that paffage. Men may indeed render themselves incapable of this gift, and fo be rejected when they pray for it; but God deals thus only with obftinate and rebellious finners, who by a long habitual courfe of grofs and wilful fin, have fo far quenched the Spirit, that it will never again kindle in their hearts; and in judgment he rejects their prayer, because they have all their lives rejected the tenders of his grace and mercy, and their repentance now is probably not fincere but they are frighted into it by the near approach of death, and thoughts of hell, and ftings of an upbraiding confcience, which foretels their doom. It is the proud only whom God refifts, the men who either fcornfully defpife religion, or think they have enough of it already: But ftill be gives more grace to the humble, to fuch as are fenfible of their own infirmities, delight in virtue, and long to be what God would have them. If therefore you have not out-finned the grace of God by a long and obftinate refiftance; if you are defirous yet to be reconciled to God, and to return into the way of righteousness, and will endeavour heartily to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, try whether God will not accept you. Encounter that lust which is the ftrongeft, which has hitherto led you captive upon all occafions; watch that temptation which does the most easily prevail upon you, and fee whether it be not poffible (through that grace of God which you may have for afking) to withstand it firft, and after to fubdue it. Be affured that God will never deny you the affiftance of his Spirit, if you pray for it heartily, and improve it vigorously. He therefore that hungers and thirfts after righteouf * Matth. vii. 21, 22, 23, &c. t * Theff. v. 19. ness nefs (understanding by it his own fanctification and improvement) fhall be filled, fhall certainly obtain what he defires, in all neceffary measures at least, even in this present life. And, SECONDLY, Extending this defire to others as well as to our felves; to the promoting piety and virtue, the fear of God, and practice of religion in our families, neighbourhood, or elsewhere, by all thofe charitable methods mentioned towards the conclufion of the first general head of this difcourfe; where we defcrib'd that branch of hungring and thirsting after righteoufnefs, we have good reafon to hope for fuch a bleffing of God upon it, that we may fee the travel of our fouls, and be fatisfied; may fee it do fome good at leaft, tho' not fo much as we defire; and that at length we may meet with many fouls in glory, who will blefs God for making us the happy inftruments of refcuing them from their fins, and bringing them to heaven. But this I fhall not enlarge upon, because the event is not fo fure as the reward of our labours in it, and the piety of our defires are: For they may reject the means of grace, tho' we may offer them, and be rewarded for our good endeavours. But farther, (2.) THOSE that hunger and thirft after righteoufnefs fhall be filled, and in being fo be bleffed, they fhall find a comfortable relish and fatisfaction in what they do obtain. They fhall not only get what they defire, but they fhall be fatisfied with what they get. It is the vanity of all the bleffings of this life, that tho' enjoyed they do not anfwer expectation; they fall fhort of what we thought 'em, and leave us ftill uneafy: For as they are only perishing enjoyments of this world, they cannot in the very nature of them fatisfy the hunger and thirft of an immortal foul; in the tafte and relifh of them they are embitter'd with many unpleasant mixtures of trouble in one kind or other, and in the poffef |