nearer we resemble him the more we shall enjoy of him in which the Happiness of our future State doth consist 'T is a State of perfect Purity and Holiness and consists in repeated Acts of Love and Zeal and Devotion and therefore the better fitted and prepar'd we are in this World by furnishing our Souls with vertuous Habits and those Divine Qualities of Humility Meekness Charity c. the more capable we shall be of partaking of those heavenly Pleasures Psal 16.11 Which are at Gods right hand for evermore Our time in this World was given us for this very Purpose that we might furnish our selves with such Vertues and Graces those wedding Garments which will render us fit Guests for the Marriage of the Lamb. 'T was easie for me to demonstrate that every Vertue has an influence upon our future Happiness and is a necessary Qualification which we must obtain before we are capable of enjoying it but this would take up too much time at present Dr. Scot in his Christian Life Part. 1. and has been already largely treated on by an excellent hand I shall therefore only remark That nothing can be more absurd than to frame a Notion of our future State from the Pleasures and Delights of our present Condition Or to take those figurative Descriptions of it which we meet with in the Holy Scripture in a literal Sence Our Saviour Christ has plainly told us That in Heaven we shall neither eat nor drink Mark 12.25 nor marry nor be given in marriage A sensual Paradise might reasonably be expected by a Turk or Pagan but not by a Christian whose Religion teaches him to Crucifie the Flesh with the sinful Lusts and Desires of the same It permits him indeed the moderate use of the good things of this World to render his Pilgrimage more easie and his Journey to Heaven more comfortable But yet it teaches him that his chief Happiness ought not to be plac'd in transitory Delights that they are Joys of a more Sublime Nature Such as neither eye hath seen 1 Cor. 2.9 nor ear heard neither hath it enter'd into the heart of man to understand which God hath prepared for those who love and serve him such Blessings as are agreeable to our immortal part such as the blessed Society of Saints and Angels and the Spirits of just Men made perfect the Vision of God in which our Souls being transform'd into his Image will be continually delighted and transported in admiring and adoring the Perfections of their Creator If therefore we hope to be Happy hereafter Heb. 12.14 we must practise Holiness in this Life For without Holiness no man can see God We must make it the business of our Lives to keep our Passions within their due Bounds and under the Government of our Reason to mortifie our immoderate Appetites and exercise our Graces such as Faith Hope Patience and Charity This is that Godliness which has the Promises of the Life that now is and that which is to come And now what remains but that every one who hears me this day be perswaded to embrace this pleasant Course of Life And methinks there should need no more Arguments to prevail with you presently to enter upon it since I have already prov'd that it is unquestionably both for your temporal and eternal Interest For what doth God require of you which is not highly just and reasonable What doth he command you But to do Justice to love Mercy Micah 6.8 and to walk humbly with your God i. e. to live up to the Dignity of your Natures and to Act as becomes reasonable and dependent Beings Consider what can you wish for which is not to be obtain'd by observing the Precepts of Religion Length of days are in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour she shall give thy head an ornament of Grace Pror 3.16 and a Crown of Glory Exalt her and she shall promote thee and bring thee to Honour it shall be an Ornament of Grace to thy head and as a Chain about thy neck What Allurement can there be in the Pleasures of Sin which are but for a Season and perish even in the Enjoyment that you should prefer them before those which flow from a vertuous and religious Life And now may not God justly expostulate with us as he did with the People of Israel and Judah Isa 5.4 What could I have done to my Vineyard which I have not done unto it What more probable and more rational Methods could God have taken to perswade us to be Good and by consequence Happy than he has made use of He has address'd himself both to our Hopes and Fears he has plac'd eternal Happiness on one hand and eternal Misery on the other And moreover has strow'd our way to Heaven with the good things of this Life And now if notwithstanding all that God has done for us we resolve to be miserable and to take even Hell by force we have nothing to blame but our own stupendious Folly We can't sure be so silly as to imagine that God reaps any benefit by our Service or that our Praises make any addition to his Glory Job 35.6 for as Elihu very well argues If thou sinnest what dost thou against him or if thy transgressions be multiply'd what dost thou unto him if thou be righteous what givest thou him or what receiveth he at thy hand thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art and thy righteousness may profit the son of man And therefore 't is evident that 't is only our Welfare God seeks 't is our Good he is so sollicitous for and as he made us at first with a Design to communicate Happiness unto us so he still retains the same gracious Intentions towards us And shall not we be wise for our selves Shall we willfully and obstinately go on to defeat all the gracious Purposes of his Mercy and Goodness to trample under feet the Blood of his dear Son and grieve his Holy Spirits Shall not these Cords of a Man be able to move us Shall neither our eternal nor our temporal Interest have any influence upon us This would certainly be such unaccountable Folly and monstrous Ingratitude as no considering Person can be Guilty of Let me therefore beseech you by the Mercies of God Rom. 12.1 that you present your Bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is but your reasonable Service Let me beg and entreat of you in the name and for the sake of your blessed Lord and Redeemer that you would so far consult your own Interest as to lead a pure holy and devout Life which is the only way to pass your time chearfully and comfortably in this World And to make sure of everlasting Happiness in the world to come SERMON II. PSALM CXIX 59. I thought on my Ways and turned my Feet unto thy Testimonies THERE is nothing which with greater Reason hath
of Jesus Christ and pray incessantly for the continuance of God's Favour and Assistance without being puff'd up with an over-weening Opinion of your own Abilities or casting an envious Eye or a disdainful Look on the Attainments of other Men. These are the Chief and Principal Fruits of the Holy Spirit and are the necessary Effects of saving Grace Gal. 5.22 And if after a diligent Search and serious Enquiry it plainly appears that you are possest of these Qualifications you may then and not otherwise be secure that you have truly God's Grace even the Grace of Life 2. If you find you have true Grace endeavour to cherish and encrease it For though God has promised That his Grace shall be sufficient for us yet this is a Promise made good only to such Persons who perform the Condition annexed to it that is who joyn their own Endeavours with it This is the Duty on our part to be perform'd which if neglected will intercept the Emanations of God's Grace grieve the Holy Spirit and provoke him to depart from us and forsake us if therefore we would keep that Grace which God has given us we must cherish and improve it we must hearken to its Motions obey its Commands comply with its Councels and pray that God would continue and encrease it to us Let us Pray for all such Mercies both Temporal and Spiritual as we stand in need of but let us make our most fervent and frequent Addresses at the Throne of Grace for the Blessed Influences and Assistances of God's Holy Spirit and beg of God instantly that he would be pleas'd to give us his Grace to enlighten assist and comfort us in all our Exigences and to teach and enable us to make a due Use and right Improvement of all other Mercies Thus much in the General but more particularly 3. Let us learn to be thankful for that measure of Grace which God has bestow'd upon every one of us since 't is such as God sees sufficient for us and as much as will enable us to work out our Salvation If David can slay the Philistine with a Sling and a stone what need has he of Saul's Armour If God enables us to perform what he requires of us what occasion have we for any irresistible Impulse or any force upon our Wills When we may be sav'd like Rational Creatures by God's Grace in Conjunction with our own Endeavours why should we expect to be driven on by a blind Instinct or Fatality If our Gifts are sufficient to subdue our Spiritual Enemies and obtain Heaven we ought to be content and thankfully acquesce in the Bounty of our good God and liberal Benefactor We are taught indeed to covet earnestly the best Gifts 1 Cor. 12.31 and to strive continually to grow in Grace but having done our Endeavours we ought to rest satisfy'd with that Measure and Proportion of Grace which God is pleas'd to impart to us If our Neighbour has greater Gifts than we have it 's a Sign that he has made more use of them that his Nâ—cessities are greater his Duties Temptations and Tryals more weighty frequent and troublesome whether therefore we have ordinary Grace let us neither repine at God nor be dejected in our selves nor envy others Or whether we have extraordinary Grace let us not forget God or be puft up 1 Cor. 12.11 or despise others for this diversity of Gifts proceeds from the same Spirit distributing to every Man as he will 4. Let us hence learn to endure Temptations and Afflictions patiently For though our Afflictions at the first sight appear never so grievous and insupportable yet God has promis'd that he will lay no more upon his Servants than they are able to bear he will proportion his Assistance to their Wants and give them Strength to undergo that Burthen he is pleas'd to lay upon them His Grace will be sufficient for them What good Man can undergo greater Troubles and Calamities than St. Paul did And yet through the Grace of God he was not only supported under them but he arriv'd to so high a Degree of Trust and Confidence in God as to make them matter of Joy and Satisfaction and to Glory in them Where that long Catalogue of Afflictions is introduc'd with this Preface Seeing that many Glory after the Flesh 2 Cor. 11.18 I will also Glory And let us but summon up our Christian Courage and Resolution let us but put forth that Strength which God has given us and pray to God fervently and uncessantly to give us his Grace and Blessing and there can no Affliction befall us which we shall not be enabled to go through with and at last see a Happy and Comfortable end of it we shall receive the benefit of it in this World and obtain the Reward of our Patience in the next And therefore 5. and Lastly We may from hence learn to refer the Success of our Prayers unto God If we do not presently receive an Answer to our Petitions let us not despond or conclude that God either doth not hear or will not grant a favourable Answer to our Requests for there may be many Reasons why God may defer the giving us those Mercies we pray for and sometimes to deny us those things which we think good and convenient for us Perhaps there may be a Defect in our Prayers we may not have pray'd with sufficient Fervency Piety and Perseverance Perhaps the thing we pray for is not expedient for us or God sees it will be more for our good to be without it and in all these Cases though he denies our Requests Gal. 6.9 yet he consults our benefit and advantage Let us not therefore be weary of well doing considering That at last we shall reap if we faint not our Prayers will return into our Bosoms loaden with Blessings And in the mean while it may be sufficient to support and comfort us to consider that God deals with us after the same manner he did with many holy Men and eminent Saints whose Examples are recorded in the Holy Scripture for our Instruction David tho' a Man after God's own Heart yet by much Weeping Fasting and Praying 2 Sam. 12. could not obtain the Life of his Child And Samuel though a Prophet of the Lord could not prevail with God to continue the Kingdom upon Saul and his Posterity St. Paul in the Text 1 Sam. 16.1 though one of the Apostles of our Saviour Christ and though he not only pray'd thrice but offer'd up vehement Supplications and Prayers could not obtain an Exemption from the buffetings of Satan When therefore we offer up our Prayers and Supplications to God let us always make our Requests with Resignation and Submission to the Divine Pleasure and after the Example of our Blessed Saviour annex this Condition to all our Petitions Nevertheless not as I will Mat. 26.39 but as thou wilt And then if God doth not see fit to give
our Ways as to turn our feet unto God's Testimonies Which God of his Mercy grant for the sake of our blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ our Lord. SERMON III. 2 TIM III. 5. Having a form of Godliness but denying the Power from such turn away THIS know saith St. Paul Ver. 1. That in the last days periolous times shall come because of the wickedness of Men as he goes on in the second Verse for Men shall be lovers of their own selves covetous proud boasters blasphemers and all which he comprehends under one Character in the words of the Text Having a Form of Godliness but denying the Power And this is the chief Reason why the times would be so perilous because the greatest part of these wicked Persons should conceal their Crimes under a Form and shew of Godliness Were they professedly and openly wicked there were some Ingenuity even in their Impudence because they could not be tax'd or upbraided with Hypocrisie Were they covetous proud blasphemers without a shew of Zeal and pretence of Religion then all Men might plainly discern and detect them Psal 55.12 and from an open Enemy I would have hid my self says David Shelves and Quicksands that have Lights always burning to discover them by are the more easily avoided and we are forewarn'd against the Dog that barks first But these Deceivers of whom St. Paul speaks have a fair and glorious outside tho' they are foul within These workers of Iniquity cry Lord Lord and are great Professors of Religion They put on the Form of Godliness tho' they deny the Power thereof and therefore they have the greater Sin From hence it is that they are the more dangerous Company and we have the greater Reason to observe the Caution laid down in the Text from such turn away Having a Form of Godliness but denying the Power from such turn away From these words I shall shew I. What is here meant by Godliness what by a Form and what by the Power of it II. That we may have a Form without the Power of Godliness III. How we may discover whether we have the Power of Godliness or else only the Form of it IV. And Lastly how far we must turn away from such as have only the Form but not the Power of Godliness 1. What is here meant by Godliness what by a Form and what by the Power of it Godliness in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a devout and sincere Worship of the only true God in Spirit and in Truth both inwardly and outwardly according to his Word Or to describe it more fully and expresly 1 Tim. 1.5 'T is an earnest Love of God out of a pure Heart and a good Conscience and Faith unfeigned whereby we are incited to glorifie God and to do good towards Men So that in this one word is imply'd our whole Duty towards God and Man This is express'd by St. 1 Tim. 2.2 Paul by leading a quiet and peaceable Life in all Godliness and Honesty 1 Tim. 4.8 This is that Godliness which is profitable unto all things and has the Promises of the Life that now is and that which is to come By a Form of Godliness is meant an outward Resemblance a colourable shew or likely appearance of Godliness when a Man puts on the Face and outside of Religion Acts and Mimicks it so well as to deceive and impose upon those who converse with him who judging according to the outward appearance believe him to be an honest holy and religious Man tho' in truth he is nothing less He may not only deceive others but delude himself also and be confidently perswaded that he is the Child of God and one of the chief Favourites of Heaven when indeed he is a Servant of the Devil and a Firebrand of Hell And in truth the Form must be like the Pattern or else it is no Form at all for we do not say a Picture or Statue is such a Man's Picture or Statue unless it bears a lively Resemblance of his Looks and Person Thus a Form of Godliness must be such a shew and outside of Religion as is of the same hew and complection with true Religion and a lively Portraicture of it tho' in many Respects it falls short of the Power of Godliness which implies that Force and Efficacy that internal Principle and Spring of Action which is well express'd by the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby a Man is made as St. 1 Tiâ—â— 41 8.12 Paul says An example of Believers in word in Conversation in Charity in Spirit in Faith in Purity and has the Grace of God which bringeth Salvation teaching him to deny ungodliness and worldly Lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world If a Man has Charity in Conversation Faith and Purity in Spirit so as to deny all worldly Lusts and to live soberly in himself and righteously towards others and godly towards his Maker and Redeemer Then is his Soul and Body entirely subject to the Cross of Christ then his Form of Godliness proceeds from the Power of it And this is that Power of Godliness which works mightily unto Salvation And this Power of God is most evidently seen in reducing the most Stiff-neck'd and Hard-hearted Sinners in prevailing with them to leave their beloved Sins and bosom Vices and in beating down and subduing the most stubborn and unruly Passions such as Pride Envy Malice and Revenge those Sins our corrupt Nature is most subject to and in making so great a Change in us that we do not seem to be the same Men. The Lyon becomes a Lamb and the Serpent a Dove a natural Man a Man wholly Spiritual and a Servant of the Devil a Child of God He aims at new ends Acts by new Principles and is ready to expose his Life by giving his Testimony to those Truths which before were foolishness unto him And therefore the Gospel is call'd Rom. 1.16 the Power of God unto Salvation to every one that believes This is that Power of Godliness which those Hypocrites mentioned by St. Paul in the Text are without here 't is they are defective which brings me to shew 2. That the Form of Godliness may be without the Power of it And this is confirm'd by many other Texts of Scripture We are forewarn'd that we do not look to the outward appearance 2 Cor. 11.14 for the Devil can transform himself into an Angel of Light and then 't is no wonder that his Servants can put on the guise and appearance of the Children of God There are numerous instances set down in the Holy Scripture sufficient to convince us of this Truth We are told that a Man may pretend to be sent from Heaven and yet Preach another Gospel than that which our Saviour reveal'd to the World and hereby deserve an Anathema Nay he may Preach the true Gospel with such force of Reason and wonderful Efficacy
to refrain from good Works because a Papist hopes to merit by them I 'll learn from a Turk to die for my Religion and to search the Scriptures from a Jew Our Saviour makes the unjust Steward's Wisdom a Pattern for his Disciples The Ox and the Ass are made use of to teach Men Gratitude and the Pismire Wisdom Nay we may learn Diligence and Care of our eternal Salvation from the Devil himself Who compasseth the whole Earth 1 Pet. 5.8 and walketh about like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour 2. Let us bear with them in things indifferent following after those things which make for Peace and where we lawfully and with a good Conscience may becoming all things to all men Zech. 8.19 that we may save some In short we must love both Truth and Peace i. e. both of them in Conjunction one with the other We must so love Peace as not to lose Truth in matters substantial And so love Truth as not to break Peace in matters indifferent Lastly Let us turn away and avoid only that which is evil in them this is of the same Import with that Caveat which our Saviour gave to his Disciples against the Scribes and Pharisees To beware of their Leven i. e. all that is sour and infectious which will spread the Contagion and propagate the mischief Let us distinguish the good from the bad the light from the darkness Let the one be call'd day and the other night Let the one be imitated and the other avoided Eph. 5.11 Let only the unfruitful works of darkness be rejected But let us welcome the Light and embrace Love and imitate the good where-ever we meet with them And if we do so then Mercy and Truth shall meet together Righteousness and Peace shall kiss each other Truth shall flourish out of the Earth and Righteousness shall look down from Heaven Yea the Lord shall shew Loving-kindness for his Salvation is nigh unto them that fear him that Glory may be in our Land Amen SERMON IV. PROV XIX 25. Smite a Scorner and the Simple will beware and reprove one that hath Vnderstanding and he will understand knowledge THE Proverbs of Solomon are a Collection of wise Sentences and Apophthegms grounded upon the long Observation and ripe Experience of one of the most Potent Princes and wisest of Men And since Proverbs in general are observ'd to contain the Wisdom of all Nations therefore we may reasonably expect to find a rich Treasure of Divine Truths in those of which Solomon was the Author or else by Collection made his own All the Books of the Old Testament may well be compar'd to a fruitful Soil but this of the Proverbs abounds with a more rich Vein and is of the greater Use because it contains Precepts accommodated to all the Necessities of humane Life for the most part they have no coherence but are set down just as they came to the Mind of the inspired Author The Verse which I have read to you is of the nearest Importance and shews us the prudent use which a wise Man makes of a friendly Reproof and what great advantages he reaps by it Reprove one that hath understanding and he will understand knowledge i. e. 't is a Sign of a Wise a Good and an understanding Man to take Reproof patiently and thankfully to give an attentive Ear to it to be very quick-sighted in discovering his own Faults when they are laid open to him and very diligent and industrious in reforming himself Reprove one that hath understanding Psal 55.32 and he will understand Knowledge From which words I shall shew I. The Excellent use which a wise Man makes of a friendly Reproof II. The great Difficulty of performing this friendly Office III. I shall lay down some Motives to engages us to set about it And IV. Give some Rules and Directions for a right Management of our selves in the Execution of it And first of the excellent Use which a wise Man makes of a friendly Reproof Prov. 25.12 As an Ear-ring of Gold and an Ornament of fine Gold so is a wise Reprover upon an obedient Ear which is thus Paraphras'd by a Right Reverend Father of our Church A good Man will not think himself reproach'd but rather oblig'd by a prudent Reproof which meeting with an attentive considering and patient Mind makes a Man take it so kindly that he esteems him who bestows it as much as if he had hung a Jewel of Gold or put the richest Ornament about his Neck There is nothing harder to find than a true Friend and he is the truest and best Friend who will most impartially Reprove us for our Faults shew us the Errors of our Lives discover to us those Rocks on which we split and faithfully tell us when we do amiss and therefore this is one way of making a Friend of an inveterate Enemy by taking notice what fault or weakness he upbraids us most with and accuses us of and thus by coming to the knowledge of our Errors we take the first step towards the Amendment and Reformation of them And if Reproof is so useful from an Enemy how much more beneficial may it be made from a Friend Who will both inform us when we go astray and set us in the right Path who will conceal our Faults from other Men and yet impartially expose them to our own View who knows first how to Lance and lay open the Sore and then to apply a fit Remedy to it Certainly he who has got such a Friend is possess'd of an inestimable Treasure and there is requir'd only an understanding Mind and a sanctify'd Heart to make him capable to receive Benefit by his Advice But alas For the most part Self-conceit is so prevalent in us that we doat even upon our Blemishes and Imperfections because our own we fall in Love with our own Pictures tho' never so deform'd and ugly and there is no readier and surer way to disoblige us than by performing the most friendly Office in the World the giving us a faithful Glass to behold our selves in and setting our Actions in a true Light This seems to be such an Act of Superiority as few Men can admit of for tho' we must give the Pre-heminence to others in Riches and Power and the Gifts of Fortune yet few Men are willing to believe any one is more Wise Prudent and Discreet than themselves And therefore II. It must needs be a very difficult Task to perform this kind and friendly Office and that in Respect either 1. Of the Reprover or 2. Of the Person who is to be reproved And first I shall consider the Difficulty of it with Respect to the Reprover For 1. A Wise and good Man and such Persons are only fit to Reprove others is for the most part too modest to reprove other Men. Either he has too low and mean Opinion of himself and his performances or else he is desirous
Faith which he formerly persecuted and from an Enemy to become a Martyr for the Christian Religion Consider him now as a Christian and then you will find him remarkable for the exact Government of his Life his Graces his Afflictions his Infirmities 1. He was remarkable for his austere Life and Conversation Like one who strove for the Mastery he abstain'd from all things which might hinder him in his Christian Course 1 Cor. 9.27 1 Cor. 15.10 beating down his Body and bringing it into subjection he labour'd more abundantly than all the rest of the Apostles travelling from Nation to Nation from City to City never wearied with Preaching never baffled with Opposition never tired with disputing and all this thro' the Grace of God which was sufficient in him 2 If you would take a Survey of his Graces you may read That he prophesied he spake with Tongues he wrought Miracles what shall I say he was enlightned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with an abundance an Excess a multitude of Revelations he was caught up into the third Heaven 2 Cor. 12.4 and heard words which it was not possible for Man to utter These were such Privileges such evident Demonstrations that he was belov'd of God and a Favourite of Heaven that nothing could keep him from being puft up with them but an extraordinary measure of God's Grace with which he was endow'd And as God's Grace was sufficient for him in Prosperity so 3. Did it support him in a day of Adversity and Affliction he was as he himself tells us 2 Cor. 11.23 24 25. in stripes above measure in Prisons frequent in Deaths oft Of the Jews five times received he forty stripes save one thrice was he beaten with rods once was he stoned thrice he suffered shipwrack a night and a day he was in the deep in Journeyings often in perils of Waters in perils of Robbers in perils by the Heathen in perils by his own Countrymen in perils in the City in perils in the Wilderness in perils in the Sea in perils amongst false Brethren in Weariness and Painfulness in Watchings often in Hunger and Thirst in Fastings often in Cold and Nakedness c. And at last after Forty years Persecution he was beheaded at Rome had not the Grace of God been sufficient for him he could not have suffered so courageously nor have gloried in his Sufferings with such Christian Bravery nor have promis'd himself the Crown of Righteousness with such an earnest Hope and stedfast Assurance And Lastly we have his Infirmities there was sent him a Thorn in the Flesh S. Chryso the Iliack Passion Tertul. the Head-ach Cyprian some Bodily Disease as the Messenger of Satan to buffet him by which some of the ancient Fathers understood some bodily Disease and Infirmity but the generality of Interpreters with more Probability affirm That by this Thorn in the Flesh is meant not any particular Evil but all manner of Temptation by which the Devil strove either to undermine his Faith or to beat him from it And that he might get the better of all these and be more than a Conquerour God Promises him his Grace and assures him that it should be sufficient for him and we find by the Consequence that it had its desired Effect This Grace of God was sufficient to keep him humble when he beheld the most glorious Revelations and was rapt up into the third Heaven to support him amidst the most grievous Tribulations and Afflictions to strengthen and confirm him under Temptations and tho' by earnest Prayer he could not obtain a present Deliverance from his Temptations yet by the Grace of God he reap'd the Fruit and Benefit of them an Addition of Grace and spiritual Strength whereby he was enabled to obtain the Victory over them in this World and an eternal and never-fading Crown of Glory in the next And now what remains but that we make a right Improvement of all these Considerations and direct our Thoughts from the Contemplation of these words in the General to consider the influence they ought to have on our particular Lives and Conversations And to this end I shall endeavour to draw such Inferences as naturally flow from the Truths already deliver'd And 1. 'T is the Interest of every Man to state the Case plainly between God and his own Soul and to examine his own Heart whether he has got saving Grace or no for since this alone is sufficient to support a Man in Affliction and to keep him steady under all the Turns and Vicissitudes of humane Affairs it certainly behooves every one to be well assured that he is possess'd of this Jewel of great Price especially since 't is so frequently counterfeit ed and Men are so ready to impose upon themselves and deceive their own Souls and to embrace the shadow of Religion instead of the Substance Try and examine well your selves know you not your own selves that you must have this true saving Grace of God unless ye are Reprobates Take heed all things are not according to the outward appearance the Prince of darkness often transforms himself into an Angel of Light A Man may hear and read God's Word and pray frequently and fervently and yet not have the true Gift of Understanding and Spiritual Wisdom He may saith the Apostle Give his Body to be burnt 1 Cor. 13.1 2 3. and all his Goods to feed the Poor and yet not have the Gift of Love he may have a Faith sufficient to remove Mountains and yet be nothing he may have all Knowledge and all Prophecies and the tongue of Men and Angels to utter it and yet be only a sounding Brass and a tinkling Cymbal But a true saving Grace will discover it self by such Effects as these by a sincere Love to God a fervent Charity to your Neighbour and a sober Meekness in the Estimation of your selves If you have a sincere Love to God you will avoid Evil and do Good out of such Principles and Motives as these because the one is pleasing the other hateful in the sight of God because Sin debases our Nature and provokes God to withdraw his Grace from us and grieves his Holy Spirit If you have fervent Charity to your Neighbour you will Love him for God's sake because he enjoyns it and maintain an universal Charity for all Men as well Enemies as Friends Luk. 6.13 you will Love those who hate you bless those who Curse you and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you If you have sober Meekness and a just Valuation of your selves you will have a low and mean Opinion of your Self and your Performances and readily acknowledge your own Frailties and be sensible of your Infirmities and confess that naturally you are insufficient for every good work 1 Cor. 15.10 and that 't is from God's Grace alone that you are what you are You will rely on the infinite Mercy of God and the sole Merits