fhortfightedness, and want of integrity in human lawgivers, make it oftentimes neceffary to vary their laws, but as God is free from all these blemishes, as there is in him no variablenefs nor fhadow of turning, fo in the Gofpel laws which he has established, there are no mistakes, no infirmities to require an alteration; they are a full, perfect, and perpetual standard of all our actions, to which all nations fhould bow and obey.

To these excellencies let us alfo join the fublimity and usefulness of these laws. In three short chapters of the New Testament are contained more noble and fublime doctrines, than the whole body of heathen philofophy can fupply us with, upon first fight indeed they appear fo eafy and familiar, that we may be induced to think,

that we ourselves could have been the authors of them; but upon enquiry we shall find, that the most acute and diligent spirits among the antients, after a whole life spent in the study of virtue, could, with all the advantages of human literature, produce nothing which deserved to be put in the scale against Christianity,

Philosophy, indeed, whatever figure it might make before Christ appeared in the world, and his laws were promulged, did upon that promulgation very fenfibly decline, and must have entirely dropped to the ground long before it did, had not fome profeffors of it, more artful than honeft, transplanted many of the Chriftian precepts into their systems, and embellished them with virtues not their own,

To

To the foregoing motives to Obedience to the Gospel laws, let us laftly add, the usefulness of them.

They are calculated to promote at the fame time our virtue and happiness, to make us at once better and happier men. They have a natural tendency to promote peace on earth and good will among men, as well as to advance the glory of God on high; they do not only pave our way to Heaven, but if religiously obeyed, will make our life here an Heaven upon earth.

On the whole, the Gofpel laws are reafonable and juft, clear and concife, confiftent and uniform, fixt and immutable, fublime and useful; they are given by that God to whom our fervice is due, through the mediation of that Saviour to whom we have the greatest obligations, fo that in

point

point of duty and reafon, gratitude and intereft, we are bound to perform a chearful, ready, and univerfal Obedience to the will of God, as it is manifested in those laws contained in the Gospel of his fon. Notwithstanding which potent ties, we find it extremely difficult, and without the af fiftance of God's grace impoffible, to keep ourselves from falling; and therefore we are taught by our Saviour to pray to God that his will may be done in earth as in Heaven, to make us fenfible that without his grace we cannot fo perform it, and even with it, in many things we offend all. How thankful therefore fhould we be to God, who has appointed a remedy for our weakness, and how joyful should we be to apply it, making up for the imperfection of our Obedience, by the fincerity of our Repentance. Such a courfe will not only greatly redound to our temporal peace, but

is alfo the only means, through Christ's blood, to entitle us to eternal glory; and the only way to become fharers of the hap piness of Angels in Heaven, is to be fincere though imperfect imitators of their Obedience in earth.

I proceed now to confider the other duty included in doing God's will, namely, a patient and chearful fubmiffion to whatever difpenfations God is pleafed, in the course of our lives, to lay upon us.

It is not in our power indeed to disappoint God's designs and reverse his decrees, but it is in our power, and too often in our practice, to murmur and repine at them. By Submiffion therefore we are to underftand that virtue which enables us to appear, in all ftations and under all circumstances, with an equal and refigned tem

per,