of our Eafe, and a defire to be free from Cares and Burthens, than of any true Noblenefs of Mind. If we would live to excel lent purpose indeed, if we would fhew true Bravery of Spirit, and true Piety towards God, let us live as our Bleffed Lord and his Apoftles did. Let us not fly Temptations, but overcome them; let us not fit at Home, amufing ourselves with our pleafing Contemplations, when we may be useful and beneficial Abroad. Let us fo order our Devotions, towards God, that they may be a Means of promoting our Worldly Bufinefs and Affairs, and doing Good among Men. Let us take our fit Times of Retirement and Abstraction, that we may the more freely converfe with God, and pour out our Souls before him; but let this be only to the end, that we may ap pear Abroad again more brisk and lively, in vanquishing the Temptations that come in our way, and more prompt and readily dif pofed to every good Work: This is to imitate our Lord Jefus, to walk as we have him for an Example. This is a Life more fuitable to the Contrivance and the Genius of his Religion, which is more accommodated to Cities and Publick Societies, than to Cloysters and Defarts. And, laftly, This is to walk in a Conformity to his Command, who hath bid us make our Light fo to fbine before Men, that Mat.5.16. they may see our good Works, and glorify our Fa ther which is in Heaven.

But, Fourthly and Laftly, If it be a Thing fo neceffary that every Man fhould do Good

in

in his Life, as hath been represented, then how much to be reproved are they, that do no Good 'till their Death? That live fcrapingly and uncharitably, and ufelefly to the World, all their Lives long, and then when they come to die, think to Atone for their Sins and Neglects of this kind, by fhewing fome extraordinary Bounty to the Poor, or devoting fome part of their Eftates to Publick or Pious Uses.

I must confess, this kind of proceeding, doth to me seem juft like the Business of putting off a Man's Repentance to his Deathbed. It is abfolutely neceffary, that a Man fhould repent, though it be never fo late; and so it is, that he fhould do Good: If he have done little Good in his Life, he is bound, as he loves his Soul, to fhew fome extraordinary uncommon Inftances of Charity, and a Publick Spirit, when he comes to die. But then it is here, as it is with the long delaying of Repentance, the deferring it fo long, has robbed the Man of the greatest Part of the Praise, and the Comfort he might have expected from it. His Rewards in Heaven will be much lefs, though his good Deeds fhould be accepted, but he is infinitely uncertain, whether they will or no. be a very great Act of Generofity and Charity, that can obtain a Pardon for a whole Life of Uncharitableness.

It muft

Let us all, therefore, Labour and Study to do Good in our Lives, let us be Daily giving Evidences to the World, of our kind and charitable

charitable Difpofition, and let not that be the First which is difcovered in our Laft Will and Teftament. If God hath bleffed us with Worldly Goods, let us distribute them as we fee Occafion in our Life-time, when every one may fee we do it voluntarily; and not ftay, 'till we must be forced to part with them, whether we will or no; for that will blaft the Credit of our good Deeds, both with God and Man.

I have faid enough concerning the First Point, recommended in the Text, viz. doing Good. I now come briefly to treat of the other, that is, Rejoicing, which is equally a Part of the Bufinefs of this Day.

There is no Good (faith Solomon) in any Earthly Thing; or there is nothing better for any Man than to Rejoice and to do Good.

The Rejoicing here recommended, is capable of Two Senfes, the Firft more General, and more concerning us as Chriftians; the other more Particular and which more immediately concerns us, as we are here met upon this Occafion.

In the First Place, by Rejoicing, we may take to be meant, a conftant Habit of Joy and Chearfulness; fo that we are always contented and well pleased, always free from. those Anxieties and Difquiets, and uncomfortable Reflections, that make the Lives of Mankind miferable. This now is the Perfection of Rejoicing, and it is the utmost degree of Happiness that we are here capable of. It must be granted, indeed, that not

many

many do arrive to this State; but yet, I doubt not but that it is a State that may be attained, at leaft in a great measure, in this World. Otherwise the Holy Men in Scripture, and particularly the Apoftles of our Lord, would never have recommended it to us fo often Theff. s. as they have done. Rejoice evermore, faith St. Paul to the Theffalonians. And to the Phil. 4.4. Philippians, Rejoice in the Lord always; and again, I fay, Rejoice.

16.

The way to attain to this happy Condition, doth confift chiefly in thefe Three Things: Firft, A great Innocence and Vertue, a behaving ourselves fo in the World, that our Consciences shall not reproach us. This St. Paul lays as the Foundation of Rejoicing. This 2 Cor. 1. (faith he) is our Rejoicing, the Teftimony of our Confcience, that in Simplicity and godly Sincerity, I have had my Converfation in this World. It is in vain to think of any true folid Joy, or Peace, or Contentment, without a hearty Practice of all the Duties of our Religion, fo that we can fatisfie ourselves of our own Sincerity before God.

12.

And then, Secondly, To make us capable of this conftant Rejoicing, befides the Innocence of our Lives, there must go a firm and hearty Perfuafion of God's particular Providence; a Belief that he not only dispenseth all Events that come to pafs in the World, even the moft inconfiderable; but that the Measure of the Difpenfations of his Providence, is infinite Wisdom and Goodness, and nothing else: So that nothing doth or ever can hap

pen

pen to us in Particular, or to the World in General, but what is for the beft. Now when we firmly believe this, and frequently attend to it, how can we be either folicitous for the future, or difcontented at the prefent Events of Things, let them fall out never fo cross to our Defires and Expectations? This is the best Antidote in the World (and an effectual one it is) against all Trouble and, Vexation, and Uneafinefs, that can happen to us upon any Occafion whatsoever; to wit, the Confideration that all Things are managed by an infinitely Wife and Good God, and will at last prove for the best, how unaccountable foever they appear to us at prefent. And this is that which the Wife Man infinuates in the Verfe before the Text, when he faith, that God hath made every thing beautiful in his Seafon.

Thirdly, Another Requifite, both for the procuring and preferving this continual Chearfulness and Rejoicing, is, A frequent and fixed Attention to the great Rewards of the other World, which God hath promised to all that truly love him, and endeavour to pleafe him. This Confideration will extreamly add to our Comfort, and contribute to our Rejoycing, under all the Miseries and Afflictions that we can poffibly fall into, namely, that whatsoever Condition we are in here, we fhall certainly, in a little Time, be in a most happy and glorious one, and the worse our Circumftances are in this Life, the greater (if we be Good) fhall be our Happi

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