must be so far Materials to work upon: Whilst a Teacher keeps close to thefe, his Scholar goes on with him hand in hand; he is fo far antecedently prepar'd and difpos'd to attend to and concur with him; and if he can be prevail'd upon to attempt the Reformation of that Vice which either his Education, Ćonversation, Constitution, or Circumftances of Life have led him into, then will he be further difpos'd to hear and embrace other Duties and Offices; ceafing to do evil, he will with great ease learn to do well. But where the favourite Vice is ftill indulg'd, there is no poffible Progress or Improvement to be made; all Inftructions, Exercifes, or Difcipline whatsoever, are not only of no Effect in this Cafe, but are really hurtful and mischievous; as they divert the Attention of the Mind from its proper Business; as they engage it in a false Righteousness, and introduce E 4

de

deceitful Hopes and Reliances, a Security much more defperate and irreclaimable than any degree of open and wilful Wickednefs. Such was the State of the Scribes and Pharifees, Hypocrites, who trufted to their being the Children of Abraham, and the Discharge of Ceremonial Injunctions; and by adhering to these things, by their fubftituting them in the Place of real Virtue, they shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against themselves, and even the Publicans and Harlots enter in before them, Matth. xxi. 31.

Now though this Repentance appears, I hope, after what has been faid, a Doctrine of the utmost Plainnefs and Simplicity, and feems fo obvious, that one would think the common Reason of Mankind could not poffibly miss of it; yet we find it is in fact little taken notice of by the ancient Moralifts and Philofophers.

phers. The Cafe of notorious and profligate Sinners, of Publicans and Harlots, and the proper Method of reclaiming them, are usually untouch'd and unobferv'd by these ancient Sages: For though Repentance is a natural Method, the great Inducements to it are peculiar to Revelation.

1

DISCOURSE IV.

Directions for Reading the Scriptures.

JOHN V. 39.

Search the Scriptures, for in them think ye have eternal Life.

T

ye

HESE Words are address'd to the Jews, and spoken of the Scriptures of the Old Teftament; but must be in Proportion more applicable to us, as we have Life and Immortality, in a more eminent manner, brought to Light through the Gospel.

I shall

I fhall therefore, without any further Preface, inforce the Duty of Searching the Scriptures, especially thofe of the New Teftament, from the Motive affign'd in my Text, Because in them we think we have eternal Life.

And Secondly, I fhall lay down some Rules, which may be of use to us in this Business, and help to promote this End of our Searching them.

The Man who thinks at all, cannot restrain his Thoughts from launching forth into Futurity. Our State here is fo fhort, fo confus'd, and dif proportion'd to our Capacities, that our Natural Reafon fuggefts to us another, and our Natural Defires clofe with this Suggestion, and long after it. That Death puts a final Period to our Existence, is the most shocking Propofition; we recoil at the

Thought,