table to him, all thofe Things that are Praiseworthy, and tend to the Perfection of our Nature, and the Reputation of Christ's Religion.

Let us make it the End of our Actions, not to feek ourselves, but his Glory; every Day to grow better and better, and in every Occurrence to confider, not what may lawfully be done, but what is moft becoming a Difciple of Fefus Chrift to do. In a Word, whatever is best in any Action; whatever most serves the End of Piety; whatever tends most to the Credit of our Religion, and the Benefit of others, let us confider that, and act accordingly.

And thus, I am fure, to defign and act, is moft fuitable to the Nature and Genius of our Chriftian Religion; Nay, indeed, it is the Principal Law and Commandment of it.

The Defign of Chriftianity, is not to adjust the precife Bounds of Vertue and Vice, Lawful and Unlawful, which is that that a great many among us fo greedily hanker after. For the best that could have come from fuch a Defign, had been only this, that Men, by this Means, might have been fairly inftru&ted, how they might have avoided the being bad; tho' they never became very good. But the Design of Chriftianity, is to make Men as good as they can poffibly be; as devout, as humble, as charitable, as temperate, as contented, as heavenly-minded, as their Natures will allow of in this World. And for the producing this Effect, the exact distinguishing the Limits of

the

the feveral Vertues, and their oppofite Vices, fignifies very little.

The Laws of our great Mafter are not like the Civil Municipal Laws of Kingdoms, which are therefore wonderful nice, and critical, and particular in fetting Bounds to the Practices of Men, because they only look at overt Actions; fo that if a Man do but keep his Actions within the Compafs of the Letter of the Law, he may be accounted a good Subject, and is no way obnoxious to the Penalties which the Law threatens.

If our Religion had been of this ftrain, we fhould, without doubt, have had a World of particular Laws and Precepts, and Directions about our Actions, in all emergent Cafes, more than we now have: And we might as eafily have known from the Bible, what was forbidden unlawful Anger, what was exceffive Drinking, what was Pride and Luxury in Apparel, and the like; as we now know by the Statute-Book, what is Burglary, or Murther, orTreafon. But there was no need of these Particularities in the Inftitution of Chrift Jefus. His Religion was to be a Spiritual Thing. And the Defign of it was not to make us chaft or temperate, or humble, or charitable, in fuch a Degree; but to make us as chaft and temperate, as humble and charitable, as pure and holy in all our Converfa tion, as we poffibly can be.

This, Ifay, was the Defign of Chrift's Religion. It was to be the higheft Philofophy that was ever taught to Mankind. It was to make us the most excellent and perfect Crea

Creatures, as to Purity of Mind and Heart, that Human Nature is capable of. And therefore it hath not been fo accurate and particular in prefcribing Bounds to our outward Actions, because it was abundantly enough for the fecuring them, to oblige us to the highest Degree of inward Purity.

And this it hath done above all the Laws and Religions in the World. It teacheth us to abhor every Thing that is evil or impure in all the Kinds of it, in all the Degrees of it; and in all the Tendencies towards it; and to lay out ourselves in the Purfuit of every Thing that is honeft, that is lovely, that is Praife-worthy, and of good Report among Men.

If this now be the Defign of our Religion, and these be the Laws of it, I leave it to you to judge of thefe Two Things: Firft, Whether it doth not highly concern all of us that profefs this Holy Religion, to endeavour, in all our Converfation, to be as holy and as vertuous as we can, and to do as much Good as we can, and not to content ourselves with fuch a Degree of Honefty and Vertue, as is juft fufficient to the rendring us not vicious? And then, Secondly, Whether, if we do thus endeavour, we can eafily be at a Lofs, in diftinguishing between Good and Evil, Duty and Sin, in any Inftance? and confequently, Whether we can be much in Danger of ill ufing our Liberty, and fo tranfgreffing upon that Account?

I have been longer upon this firft Head than I intended, but I fhall make amends for

it, by difpatching the Two following, in fo much the fewer Words. And indeed, after fo large an Account as I have given of the general Rule, there is lefs need of dwelling upon particular ones.

II. In the Second Place, in order to the right Ufe of our Liberty, and fo fecuring our felves from falling into Sin, through mistaking the Measures of Good and Evil; this will be a good Rule to propofe to ourselves, namely, That in Matters of Duty, we should rather do too much, than too little : But in Matters of Indifferency, we should rather take too little of our Liberty, than too much.

First, As to Matters of Duty, my Meaning is this; That where the Laws of God have generally and indefinitely commanded a Thing, but have not fet down Rules about the par ticular Measures and Proportions of it; in that Cafe it is advisable, rather to do more than we are perhaps precifely bound to do, that fo we may be fure we have performed cur Duty, than by being fcanty in our Obedience, to run the Hazard of falling fhort of our Duty.

Thus for Inftance, Our Lord in the New Teftament, hath often and folemnly commanded us to pray. But neither he nor his Apoftles, have any where told us how often we are to pray; only they have bid us pray frequently. In this Cafe now a Man that makes a Confcience of performing his Duty, will take all Occafions and Opportunities of lifting up holy Hands, and devout Affections to his heavenly

heavenly Father: However, he will not fail, at least once every time he Rifeth, and once every Time he goes to Reft, to offer up a folemn Sacrifice of Prayer and Praife. Lefs than this, I fay, he must not do, for fear he break the Commandment of praying frequently, praying continually. But more than this it will become him to do, in order to the giving himself Satisfaction, that he hath fully performed it.

Thus again, To give Alms to the Poor, is an indifpenfable Duty of our Religion. But what Proportion of our Substance we are to give away in Alms and Charity, is no where fet down; but is wholly left to our Discretion. Now in this Cafe, it is certainly much more advisable to give liberally, and largely, and plentifully; even as much as our Condition in this World, and the Neceffities of our Families can allow; though by fo doing, we shall prove to have given in greater Abundance than we were ftrictly obliged to: Than by giving fingily and pinchingly, now and then a little Pocket-money or fo, to run the Hazard of being Tranfgreffurs of the Commandment, and having our Portion among the covetous and unmerciful.

There is no Damage comes to a Man by doing the former; but, on the contrary, a great deal of Good For God never fails bounteously to reward the bountiful Hand. But there is both Damage and infinite Danger in the latter. And thus we are to practife in all othef Duties

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