bellion against God: a dreadful crime always, but singularly heinous and fatal in the present case; because these ordinances are calculated throughout solely for our good, temporal and spiritual, present and future; and nothing else can secure us the same advantages. The Gospel, besides comprehending, and expressing more clearly, the whole of natural religion, superadds also, such assurance of pardon, such means of grace, and such glorious promises of eternal bliss to body and soul; that little do they consider their own interest, who would rest their case, if they could, on the mere conjectures of unassisted reason which, though sufficient to render the condition of those tolerable, who have no other guide; yet must be owned, in comparison, to leave sinners much room for fear, and afford but small foundation for lasting hope. Indeed, with these new advantages, Christianity brings in some new precepts also: but none of them burthensome; and all of them conducive to our happiness, here and hereafter; provided we not only acknowledge the dominion we are under, but, which is the second and last point, obey it.

There are few who totally reject religion: but few also, who receive it thoroughly and effectually. Some trusting to the notional belief and formal practice of merely revealed truths and duties, allow themselves to despise, and occasionally to neglect moral obligations. This was the great error of the Jews in our Saviour's days: as in truth it hath been of Christians in general ever since: and there cannot be a more pernicious one. But of late, especially in this nation, great numbers have fallen into the opposite error. Professing the highest value for morals, they have little or none for piety. Even that which nature dictates, they hardly shew any real concern for: and

as absolute a contempt of the doctrines and appointments of Scripture, though it may be all the while they think they believe in Scripture, as they could do, if they denied it. Now very seldom will either the practice, or even the notions of morality, in such persons, be near so perfect as they should be. For disregard to God or to any of his commands, will soon bring on a farther disregard, both of right behaviour towards our fellow creatures, and right government of ourselves: till acknowledging virtue to be his law, we shall acknowledge nothing as virtue but what we like; leave out all uneasy restraints, put in all agreeable indulgences; and so have an excellent rule of life in pretence, perhaps in imagination, but in reality none at all. Or supposing this to be otherwise : yet the duties we owe to him who hath made us by the word of his power, to him who hath redeemed us from guilt and misery by his blood, to him who is ready to purify us by his perpetual influences, must be the principal ties we are under: and did the conscientious observance of them contribute ever so little, (though indeed it contributes more than any thing) to the good order of this world; still it is indispensably necessary to a purpose of far greater moment, preparing our hearts for the employment and happiness of the world to come. strangely mistake our case, if we measure every thing, as we are apt to do, merely by its influence on the present life. This whole scene of things is a state of education and discipline only; we are forming and training up, by the laws of our Saviour's kingdom here, to such a temper and spirit, as may render us for ever blessed in it hereafter. No wonder, if now, in our condition of infancy, we see not the reason and use of every step taken with us.

We

Being sure we are in kind and good hands, our duty and our wisdom is to give up ourselves entirely to God's disposal. For we know not what we do, when we presume to slight any part of what he hath prescribed only this we know, that offending in one point, is both in reasonable construction and in probable consequence, being guilty of all *.

Religion, though ever in substance the same, hath been proposed to mankind in different shapes, as the reason of things in different ages required. Under whichsoever of these dispensations we had lived, our business had been, humbly to conform ourselves to it, and carefully to improve ourselves by it, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless †. But as we are happily reserved to the fullest and clearest, the most rational and amiable exhibition of faith and duty that the world ever saw or will see; we are surely bound to embrace it with peculiar joy; to obey from the heart every injunction of so gracious a Master, as our blessed Redeemer; and which is the end of all, make such a progress in real inward devotion, benevolence, purity, and humility, as will bear a due proportion to the advantages that we enjoy. For it cannot be, that after those demonstrations of love, and those means of improvement, which God hath given us in his Gospel, he should only expect us to be as good as heathens and yet are we not often worse? But in vain do we call ourselves Christians, if names and forms be the whole of our Christianity: in vain do we call the holy Jesus Lord, unless, by doing such things as he commands, we become such as he was. To this therefore, if we have any sense of gratitude, the love of our Saviour must constrain us: * James ii. 10. + Luke i. 6.

to this, if we have any concern for happiness, the fear of our Judge must compel us. For, as the

Apostle, just before the text, hath most truly observed, none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself: for whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord*. In both states we are absolutely his property, and entirely at his disposal. If we obey him, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he will also deny us †. Let us therefore always bear in mind his own awful words: I am he, that liveth, and was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen: and have the keys of death and of hell.

* Rom. xiv. 7, 8. † 2 Tim. ii. 12.

Rev. i. 18.

SERMON XVI.

ACTS X. 40, 41.

Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly. Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.

THE resurrection of our blessed Lord being the principal fact, on which he himself put the proof of his divine authority; and being that fact in particular, of which he especially appointed his Apostles to be witnesses to mankind; it concerns the Christian cause very nearly, that the evidence of this point should be undeniable. And accordingly it is obviously plain, that no impostor would ever have appealed to a method of trying his pretensions, that required his being put to death before it could decide any thing and that no enthusiast would ever have conducted himself in so calm and prudent a manner, and taught so rational a doctrine, as our Saviour did. It is equally plain, that his followers could never be deceived, and imagine their master alive again when he was not. They could not be deceived by their hopes and expectations, for they own they despaired of it. They could not be deceived for want of opportunities to find out the truth: for they declare, that he appeared a great number of times, to several