the Extirpation of Heresie are more immediately concerned Of this Nature are the Doctrines of Equivocation and Mental Reservation and the Lawfulness of such Artificial ways of Lying to avoid the Danger of the Law when they are brought before Heretical Magistrates and this is the common Doctrine of the most learned Casuists of all Orders in the Church of Rome And such likewise are their Doctrines of the Lawâ—ulness of extirpating Hereticks by the most barbarous and bloody Means and of breaking Faith with them tho' given by Emperours and Princes in the most publick and solemn manner both which are the avowed Doctrines of their General Councils and have frequently been put in Practice to the Destruction of many millions of Christians better and more righteous than themâ—elves But we have not so lâ—arned Christ who have heard him and been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus They who are rightly instructed in the Christian Religion are so far from thinking it lawful to do any thing that is evil to bring others under suffering that they do not allow it in any Case whatsoever no not for the Cause of God and Religion and to free themselves from the greatest Sufferings that can be inflicted upon them 3. Provided also that we do trust the Providence of God and do indeed commit our selves to it relying upon his Wisdom and Goodness and entirely submitting and resigning up our selves to his Will and Disposal both as to the Degree and the Duration of our Sufferings believing that he will do that for us which upon the whole matter and in the final issue and result of things will be best for us That Blessing wherewith Moses the Man of God blest the People of Israel before his Death doth belong to good Men in all Ages He loveth his People and all his Saints are in his hand Deut. 33. 3. Innumerable are the Proâ—ises in Scripture concerning the merciful Providence and Goodness of God towards those who trust in him and hope in his Mercy Psal 32. 10. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked But he that trusteth in the Lord mercy shall compass him about Psal 33. 18â— 19 20 21 22. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him Upon them that hope in his mercy To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine Our soul waiteth for the Lord he is our help and our shiâ—ld For our heart shall rejoyce in him Because we have trusted in his holy name Let thy mercy O Lord be upon us according as we hope in thee Psal 34. 22. The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants And none of them that trust in him shall be desolate Psal 37. 39 40. But thâ— salvation of the Righteous is of the Lorâ— he is their strength in the time of trouble And the Lord shall help them and deliver them He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in him Psal 31. 19. O how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the Sons of men Psal 55. 22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee He shall never suffer the rightâ—ous to be moved Psal 125. 1. They that trust in thâ— Lord shall be as mount Zion which cannot be removed but aâ—idâ—th for ever Esa 26. 3 4. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusâ—eth in thee Trust ye in the Lord for ever For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength 4. Provided yet further that we pray earnestly to God for his Gracious Help and Assistance for his merciful Comfort and Support under Sufferings that he would be pleased to strengthen our Faith and to encrease and lengthen out our Patience in proportion to the Degree and Duration of our Sufferings All the Promises which God hath made to us are upon this Condition that we earnestly seek and sue to him for the Benefit and Blessing of them Psal 50. 15. Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Ezek. 36. 37. After a great Deliverance and many Blessings promised to them this Condition is at last added Thus saith the Lord God I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them And this likewise is the tenor of the Promises of the New Testament Mat. 7. 7. Ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you And in this very Case that I am speaking of God expects that we should apply our selves to him for Spiritual Wisdom and Grace to behave our selves under Sufferings as we ought Jam. 1. 2 3 4. Where speaking of the manifold Temptations that Christians would be exercised withal he directs them to pray to God for Wisdom to demean themselves under Persecutions with Patience and Constancy and Chearfulness My Brethren account it all joy when ye fall into divers Temptations meaning the Temptations and Tryals of Suffering in several kinds Knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience But let patience have its perfect work And because this is a very difficult Duty and requires a great deal of Spiritual Skill to demean our selves under Sufferings as we ought therefore he adds in the next words If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him And this earnest application we are to make to God for his grace and seasonable help in time of need not to put him in mind of his Promise but to testifie our dependance upon him and expectation of all good from him And we must likewise use great importunity in our Prayers to God to assist us and stand by us in the day of Trial and the hour of Temptation And therefore our Saviour heaps up several words to denote the great earnestness and importunity which we ought to use in Prayer bidding us to ask and seek and knock And to shew that he lays more than ordinary weight upon this Matter and to encourage our importunity he spake two several Parables to this purpose the first Luke 11. 5. of the Man who by meer importunity prevailed with his Friend to rise at midnight to do him a kindness which our Saviour applies to encourage our importunity in Prayer ver 9. And I say unto you ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you The other is the Parable of the importunate Widow and unjust Judge related by the same Evangelist Luke 18. 1. with this Preface to it and he spake a Parable unto them to this end that Men ought always to pray and not to faint And to speak the truth they seem at first sight two of the oddest of all our Saviour's Parables if the
unexperienced Men and those who have taken no great pains with themselves imagine what Thought and Consideration what Care and Attention what Resolution and Firmness of Mind what Diligence and patient continuance in well-doing are requisite to make a truly good Man such a one as St. Paul describes that is perfect and entire and wanting nothing that follows God fully and fulfils every part of his Duty having a Conscience void of offence towards God and towards Man Who is there among us that is either wise enough for his own direction or good enough for the peace and satisfaction of his own Mind that is so happy as to know his Duty and to do it as to have both the Understanding and the Will to do in all things as he ought After our best Care and all our Pains and Endeavours the most of us will still find a great many defects in our Lives and cannot but discern great and manifold imperfections in our very best Duties and Services insomuch that we shall be forced to make the same acknowledgment concerning them which Solomon does concerning the imperfection of all things under the Sun that which is crooked cannot be made streight and that which is wanting cannot be numbred And when all is done we have all of us reason to say not only that we are unprofitable servants having done nothing but what was our duty to do but have cause likewise with great shame and confusion of face to acknowledge that we have been in many respects Wicked and Slothful Servants and so very far from having done what was our duty to do that the greatest part of the good which the most of us have done is the least part of the good which we might and ought to have done The Practice of Religion in all the Parts and Instances of our Duty is work more than enough for the best and greatest Mind for the longest and best order'd Life The Commandment of God is exceeding broad and an Obedience in any good measure equal to the extent of it extreamly difficult And after all as the Man in the Gospel said with tears to our Saviour concerning the weakness of his own Faith Lord I believe help thou my unbelief Mar. 9. 24. So the best of Men may say and say it with tears too concerning every Grace and Virtue wherein they excel most Lord I aspire I endeavour after it be thou pleased to assist my weakness and to help me by thy grace continually to do better The Summ of all is this If we be careful to do our best and make it the constant and sincere endeavour of our Lives to please God and to keep his Commandments we shall be accepted of him For God values this more than whole Burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices more than thousands of Rams and ten thousands of Rivers of Oâ—l because this is an essential part of Religion To love God with all our hearts and minds and strength and to love our Neighbours as our selves The Duties comprehended in these two great Commandments sincerely practised by us though with a great deal of imperfection will certainly be acceptable in the sight of God in and through the Merits and Mediation of Jesus Christ the Righteous Blessed are they saith St. John very plainly in the conclusion of that obscure Book of his Revelation Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the Tree of Life Rev. 22. 14. I speak now to a great many who are at the upper end of the World and command all the Pleasures and Enjoyments of it but the time is coming and whether we think of it or not is very near at hand when we shall see an end of all perfection and of all that is desirable upon Earth and upon which Men are apt to value themselves so much in this World and then nothing but Religion and the Conscience of having done our Duty to God and Man will stand us in stead and yield true Comfort to us When we are going to leave the World how shall we then wish that we had made Religion the great business of our Lives and in the Day of God's Grace and Mercy had exercised Repentance and made our Peace with God and prepared our selves for another World that after our departure hence we might be admitted into the presence of God where is fulness of Joy and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore Let no Man therefore of what Rank or Condition soever he be in this World think himself too great to be good and too Wise to be Religious and to take care of his Immortal Soul and his Everlasting Happiness in another World since nothing but this will approve it self it to be true Wisdom at the last All other things will have an end with this Life but Religion and the Fear of God is of a vast extent and hath an influence upon our whole duration and after the course of this Life is ended will put us into the secure Possession of a Happiness which shall never have an end I will Conclude this whole Discourse with those words of our Blessed Saviour If ye know these things happy are â—e if ye do them Which thou who art the Eternal Spring of Truth and Goodness grant that we may all know and do in this our day for thy Mercies sake in Jefus Christ to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory Dominion and Power now and for ever Amen A SERMON ON 2 PETER I. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature THE Connection of these words with the foâ—mer is somewhat obscure but it seems to be this The Apostle had in the Verse before said that the Divine Power of Christ hath by the knowledge of the Gospel given us all things that pertain to Life and Godliness that is by the knowledge of the Gospel we are furnish'd with all Advantages which conduce to make Men happy in the next Life and Religious in this and then it follows whereby are given unto â—s exceeding great and precious Promises Whereâ—â— this seems to refer to the whole of the foregoing Verse as if it had beeâ—â—â—id Christ by the Gospel hath given to us all things that conduce to our Future Happiness and in order thereto all things which tend to make Men holy and good Or else Life and Godliness are by a Hebraism frequent in the New Testament put for a Godly Life And then among all those things which conduce to a Godly Life the Apostle instanceth in the Promises of the Gospel which do so directly tend to make Men Partakers of a Divine Nature In the handling of these words I shall First Consider the Promises here spoken of whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises Secondly The influence which these Promises ought to have upon us that by these ye might be made partakers of
us and when Men find the Condition in themselves they will without any great perswasion take Comfort from the Promise and apply it to themselves but till they discern the Condition in themselves it is impossible for a Man that understands himself to apply the Promise to himself for till the Condition be performed he hath no more right to the Promise than if such a Promise had never been made And 't is so far from being a Sin in such a Man to doubt of the benefit of such a Promise that it is his Duty to do so and no Man that understands himself and the Promises of God can possibly do otherwise Therefore 't is a vain and groundless trouble which perplexeth many People that they cannot apply the Promises of God to themselves whereas the true ground of their trouble should be this that they have not been careful to perform the Condition of those Promises which they would apply to themselves the other is an endless trouble let them but look to the Condition and the Promise will apply it self I speak all this on purpose to free Men from those perplexities wherewith many have entangled themselves by false apprehensions of the Promises of God either as if they were not made to us upon certain Conditions to be performed by us or as if any Man could comfortably apply them to himself before he hath performed those Conditions upon which God hath made such Promises For if Men will believe that which is not true or expect things upon such terms as they are not to be had they may trouble themselves Eternally and all the World cannot help it I have now done with the First thing I propounded to speak to namely the Promises which are here spoken of The Second thing viz. what Influence these Promises ought to have upon us that by them we may be made Partakers of a Divine Nature I shall reserve to another Opportunity The Second SERMON ON 2 PETER I. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature I Made entrance into these words the last Day in the handling whereof I proposed to do these two things First To consider the Promises here spoken of Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises Secondly The Influence which these Promises ought to have upon us that by these ye might be partakers of a Divine Nature The first of these I have done with and proceed now to the Second viz. The Influence which these Promises ought to have upon us Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises that by these ye might be partakers of a Divine Nature Not that we can partake of the Essence and Nature of God as some have blasphemously affirmed pretending in their canting and senseless Language to be Godded with God and Christed with Christ In this sense it is impossible for us to partake of the Divine Nature for this would be for Men to become Gods and to be advanced to the State and Perfection of the Deity But the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth frequently in Scripture signifie a temper and disposition and to be partakers of a Divine Nature is to be of a Divine Temper and Disposition to have our Corrupt Natures rectified and purged from all sinful Lusts and irregular Passions and from all Vicious and Corrupt Affections and therefore it follows in the Text having escaped the Corruption that is in the World through Lust and besides this giving all diligence add to your Faith Virtue and to Virtue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godliness and to Godliness Brotherly-kindness and to Brotherly-kindness Charity So that we are made partakers of a Divine Nature as the Apostle here explains it these two ways by cleansing our selves from the Lusts of the Flesh which the Apostle here calls the corruption or defilement which is in the World through Lust and by a diligent endeavour after all Christian Graces and Virtues Faith and Temperance and Patience a sincere love of the Brethren and an Universal Charity and good-will towards all Men. And that this is the proper influence and efficacy of the great Promises of the Gospel upon the hearts and lives of Men the Apostle St. Paul fully declares to us 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having thâ—refore these Promises Dearly Beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the Flesh and Spirit that is from the lusts of the Flesh and of uncleanness and from all evil and corrupt affections of the Mind such as Wrath Envy Malice Hatred Strife Revenge Cruelty Pride and the like perfecting holiness in the fear of God that is continually aspiring still more and more after further degrees of Holiness and Virtue and goodness which are the great Perfections of the Divine Nature And thus by a constant and sincere endeavour to cleanse our selves from all impurity of Flesh and Spirit and by practising all the Virtues of a good Life we shall by degrees raise and advance our selves to a Godlike temper and disposition imitating in all our Actions the Goodness and Mercy and Patience and Truth and Faithfulness of God and all those other Perfections of the Divine Nature which are comprehended undâ—r the term of Holiness This is that which the Apostle here calls partaking of a Divine Nature or as our Blessed Saviour expresseth it to be perfect as our Father which is in Heaven is perfect This the Gospel designs to raise us to and one of the great Instruments whereby this is effected are those exceeding great and precious Promises which I have insisted upon And they are capable of effecting it these two ways First By way of internal Efficacy and Assistance and Secondly By way of external Motive and Argument Both these ways some or other of these Promises have a mighty influence upon us if we be not wanting to our selves to raise us to a Godlike temper and disposition that is to the greatest perfection of Virtue and Goodness which we are capable of in this Life First By way of internal Efficacy and Assistance And this influence the Promise of God's Holy Spirit and of the gracious help and assistance thereof hath upon the Minds of Men inclining them to that which is good and enabling them to do it For the Holy Spirit is promised to us in consideration and commiseration of that impotency and weakness which we have contracted in that degenerate and depraved Condition into which Mankind is sunk to help us who are without strength to recover our selves out of that evil and miserable state into which by wilful transgression we are fallen to quicken us who are dead in Trespasses and Sins as the Scripture expresseth the Condition of unregenerate Persons to raise â—s to a new Life and to cherish this Principle of Spiritual Life which is commonly weak at first and to carry it through alldiscouragements and oppositions to
things are without us they neither constitute our Being nor are â—ssential to our Happiness but our Souls are our selves and the loss of them is our utter ruine and destruction So that nothing is to be regarded by us with equal Care and Concernment as the Salvation of our Immortal Souls that is that we may be rescued from Eternal Misery and Everlastingly Happy in another World And can we be at too much cost and pains upon such a design to escape so dismal a Condition so dreadful a ruine as that of Body and Soul to all Eternity Can any Man be concerned enough to bring about so great a good to himself or can he purchase it too dear whatever he give or part with for it a good so desirable and so durable as our being Happy for ever When we purchase the things of this World the Riches and Honours of it at the expence of so much Time and Care and Trouble we pay dear for Trifles and Fancies but Eternal Happiness is a Jewel of so inestimable a Price that a Wise Merchant will have it at any rate and sell all that he hath to purchase it Of such value is the Kingdom of God and next to it is Righteousness which is the only Way and Means whereby this Kingdom is to be attained and therefore to be sought by us with the greatest diligence and earnestness For that which is the only Means to a great and desirable End and which alone can make us capable of that End and which in truth is a degree of it is valuable next to the End and almost equally with it and such is Righteousness in respect of the Kingdom of God it is the only means to it it is that alone which qualifies us and makes us capable of Happiness nay it is an essential ingredient into it and that which does in a great measure constitute the Happiness of Heaven For that temper of Mind that Conformity and likeness to God which Holiness and Righteousness brings us to is the true Foundation of our Happiness and according to the best apprehensions we have now of it is the very formal Cause and Essence of our Blessedness So St. John tells us 1 Joh. 3. 2. It doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him that is we do not now distinctly understand wherein the Happiness of the next Life consists we are not able to frame a clear and perfect Idea of it but this we know in general that it consists in our likeness to God in a conformity to the Moral Perfections of the Divine Nature which are exprest by the name of Purity and Holiness and therefore every one that hopes for the Happiness of Heaven must endeavour after Holiness every Man that hath this hope in him must purifie himself even as he is pure So that the things which I am pressing you to seek after are most effectually recommended by telling you what they are the Kingdom of God is Eternal Life and Happiness and his Righteousness is Universal Holiness and Goodness without which no Man is qualified for this Blessed State Now if there be any thing better than Goodness any thing more desirable than a Happiness which haâ—h no bounds nor no End do not mind them nor look after them but if there be not then certainly these aâ—e worthy of the Care and Endeavour of our whole Life Secondly Another Consideration that should very much excite and quicken our Endeavour and Diligence in seeking these things is the difficulty of obtaining them This I confess is no Encouragement but it is a very good Motive and Argument to whet our industry in seeking these things when we plainly see that they are not to be had upon other terms And this Consideration our Saviour useth to quicken us to strive and to contend earnestly for Eternal Life Mat. 7. 14. because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth to Life and few there be that find it And Luke 13. 24. Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able Seeking here in opposition to striving is a faint and weak Endeavour which will not carry us through this narrow and difficult passage and this is the reason why many miscarry who make some attempts towards Heaven but they do not strive they do not put forth any vigorous Endeavours to get thither Now the difficulty of attaining Eternal Happiness ariseth from the difficulty of the Way and Means to it and it is therefore hard to attain the Kingdom of God because it is hard to attain his Righteousness As desirable as it is it must be acknowledged very difficult for a Man to raise himself to that temper and disposition of Mind so to subdue his Lusts and govern his Passions to bridle his Tongue and order all the Actions of his Life as is necessary to qualifie him for Happiness and to make him fit to be admitted into the Kingdom of God And this difficulty is chiefly in our selves but greatly increased by temptation and opposition from without Chiefly I say in our selves from the strong biass of our Evil and Corrupt Inclinations and the strong power of vicious Habits and Customs which when they are grown inveterate do Tyrannize over us and make us perfect Slaves and lead us Captive at their pleasure so that our Nature must be quite changed and as the Apostle expresseth it we must be renewed in the Spirit of our Minds our Souls must be new moulded and fashioned we must be as it were Created and Born again before we can enter into the Kingdom of God In this our Saviour is positive and peremptoâ—y Joh. 3. 3. verily verily I say unto you except a Man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God This difficulty indeed is greatest at first but it is considerable afterwards 'till a through Change be made and new Inclinations planted in us and the contrary habits of Grace and Virtue be super-induced And that which increaseth the difficulty is outward Temptation and Opposition from the World and the Devil which to withstand and resist requires great Courage and Resolution great Watchfulness and Guard over our selves But yet for our Comfort these Difficulties are not insuperable to that Grace and Assistance which God is always ready to afford to us upon so good an Occasion and to so good a purposeâ— greater is he that is in you than he that is in the World And this I am sure is Matter of great incouragement to us that tho' the difficulty â—f working out our Salvation be great yet if we do in good earnest set about it God is ready to assist and second our sincere Endeavours to work in us both to will and to do of his own goodness and so to prevent us with his gracious Favour and to further us with his continual Aid that
finally by his Mercy we may obtain Eternal Life Thirdly Another powerful Argument to Care and Diligence is the fatal Danger of Miscarriage in a Matter of so great Concernment We may do many things in Religion and take some pains to get to Heaven and yet fall short of it The Rich young Man in the Gospel our Saviour tells us was not far from the Kingdom of God and he broke with our Saviour only upon one Point he was too much addicted to the World and loth to part with his great Possessions and distribute them in Charity to the Poor and thereupon he left our Saviour and for any thing that we find never returned to him again If the World govern and bear sway in our Hearts if we mind Earthly things first and make these our chief Care and Design the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness shall not be added unto us iâ— we will not mind them in the first place they are too good to be Accessories And if upon any one point we miscarry either out of love to the World or affection to any other Lust or Vice that we are loth to part withal our miscarriage is fatal and the ruine which we bring upon our selves irreparable for the Soul once lost is lost for ever If we have neglected the opportunity of working out our own Salvation while we are in this World it will never return into our power again Death will shut the door against us and we shall never see the Kingdom of God Fourthly It is a mighty encouragement to us to consider that if we sincerely seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness there is not only a fair probability of obtaining them but all the security we can desire Men may be in good earnest for the things of this World may love them with all their Hearts and Souls as we see too many do and seek them with all their might and strength and yet after all their Endeavours may be shamefully frustrated and disappointed of their End There are many Examples of this kind daily before our eyes and yet Men are not discouraged from seeking these things A fair probability nay almost a possibility of attaining them is enough to a Worldly-Minded Man to drudge and toil for them Why the same Affectionâ— the â—ame Zeal the same unwearied Endeavour to serve God and to save our Souls would Infallibly bring us to Heaven It was a sad but true Saying of Cardinal Wolsey when he was leaving the World Had I been but as careful to please God as I have been to serve my Prince he would not have forsaken me now in the time of my gray hairs Nay it is to be hoped that less Diligence and Care about the Concernments of our Souls and another Life than many Men use about the things of this Life will secure our Eternal Happiness or else it is to be feared that but very few would be saved And who would not place his Industry and Endeavour upon a Design in which he is sure not to miscarry if he do but heartily and in good earnest pursue it Especially when it will be of infinite greater advantage to him than any Design he can propound to himself for this World If a Man may be certainly Happy for Ever upon the same or easier terms than he can ordinarily compass any of those little Designs which Men propose to themselves in this World who would not seek that which is most worthy the having and which he is surest to obtain Fifthly and Lastly the Encouragement here in the Text is not inconsiderable that if we seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness all these things shall be added unto us This certainly is a very tempting Consideration for who would not be glad to reconcile the enjoyment of this World with the hopes of Heaven and Eternal Happiness But Men do not generally like our Saviour's Method they would seek the things of this World in the first place and get to Heaven at last they would be content to seek the one and have the other cast in and conferred upon them without their seeking But this will not be granted this way will not do And yet our Saviour hath gone as far as one would think could in Reason be desired he hath promised that if we will make Religion and the Salvation of our Souls our first and chief Care that all these things shall be added unto us So that the Design of going to Heaven and being Happy for ever is no ways inconsistent with a competent portion of the things of this Life Godliness the Apostle tells us hath the promise of this Life and of that which is to come The business of Religion the practice of a Holy and Virtuous Life is no hindrance to a Man's thriving in his Temporal Estate nay in many Respects it is apt to promote and advance it by engaging us to diligence in our Calling and by deriving the blessing of God upon our honest and lawful Endeavours by obliging us to the strict and constant practice of Truth and Justice and Fidelity in all our Dealings and Commerce which are the best way to establish a clear and solid Reputation and good Esteem among Men which is an unspeakable advantage in Business and at the long run one of the best and most lasting Instruments of Prosperity and Success Besides that Religion frees a Man from those Passions and Vices which do naturally tend to dissipate and ruine Mens Estates as Intemperance and Lewdness which are every way chargable Vices and do not only take Men off from Business and render them unfit for it but waste their Estates and bring many other inconveniencies upon their Persons and Families Religion makes Men meek and peaceable and inoffensive in word and deed which is a great security against chargeable Suits and Contentions and all sorts of Injuries and Affronts from others Among all the Beatitudes of our Saviour he only promiseth Temporal Happiness to Meekness Blessed are the Meek for they shall inherit the Earth They who provoke and offend no body are likely to be least disturbed and disquieted by others in their Possession and Enjoments who will harm you saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 3. 13. if ye be followers of that which is good Some may be so perverse as to persecute a Man for his goodness but it rarely happens most Men have not only a kindness but a veneration for true goodness By all these ways Religion naturally tends to the Temporal Prosperity of Men and the promoting of their wellfare and happiness even in this World besides that the Providence of God is very peculiarly concerned for good Men and a special Blessing attends them in all their Undertakings So that excepting the Case of Persecution which God will particularly Consider and Reward in another World the Religious and good Man who sincerely seeks the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness stands as fair and is upon as good terms for all