THough it is not without a very senfi­ble concern, that I appear before you upon the present occasion, that I find my self so near being separated from those, with whom I have convers'd in five years Ministry, and from whom I have receiv'd such obliging instances of affection, as shall ever be precious to my memory; yet since neither the respect I so justly owe you, nor the deference we pay to a prevailing cu­stome, will suffer me to wave the melan­choly task, of taking a solemn and publick [Page 2]leave. I thought I could not more proper­ly address to you, than in these words of the great Apostle of the Gentiles. They are a part of his farewel Sermon, which he made to the Elders of Ephesus and Miletus, among whom he had gone preaching the King­dom of God: He foresaw that this would be their last meeting, and that they to whom he spake should see his face no more, and therefore thought himself obliged to transfer the care of them, to him who was best able to sup­port and defend them; and to commit the guidance of them to that Gospel of his, which was both capable of establishing them in the truth, and of intitling them to that reward which is the consequence of it: and now Brethren (says he) I commend you to God and to the word of his Grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance, among all them which are sanctified.

Blessed be God, the circumstances of our parting, are not so dismal as those of the A­postle and his friends; instead of not seeing one anothers faces any more; I trust we shall have many happy opportunities, of keeping [Page 3]up a mutual correspondence and intimacy: However, since providence has thought fit to withdraw me, from the more immediate care of the spiritual concernments, I cannot better express my sollicitude for your welfare, I cannot consign you into bet­ter hands, than by commending you to God for favour and protection, and to the word of his Grace for counsel and instruction.

And here I must entreat that you would not expect from me, a discourse that is me­thodical and artificial, that is the result usually of well compos'd thoughts, not the product of a mind under disturbance and perplexity: I shall only take the words just as they lye before me, and expound them to you with all the plainness imaginable, and

First, my Brethren, I commend you to God.

Whatsoever dangers may at any time a­larm you, whatsoever apprehensions or af­flictions you may lye under, if you have but recourse to an all-sufficient Guardian, if you find your selves intitled to his favour and protection, you have then got such a re­fuge as will never fail you, but will enable [Page 4]you in all difficulties to be more than conque­rors. Can any condition be supposed so miserable, wherein the eye of a father will not look upon you? can any estate be so wretchedly forlorn, wherein the bowels of a Redeemer will not yearn over you? can any circumstances be so deplorable, as to set bounds to a goodness which is infinite? can any of those friends whose assistance you may value, whose support and succour you may depend upon, produce such evidences of their kindness towards you, or shew such strong credentials of an unalterable affecti­on, as those which you have received from your almighty benefactors. Was it not he who drew you out of the dark womb of nothing? is it not in him that you live and move and have your being? has not his care­ful providence continually watched over you? are you not indebted for whatever you enjoy, to him that is the giver of every good and perfect gift? has not his goodness been exerted wonderfully in your behalf, and magnified its self by most remarkable mercies? does not he compassionate all your [Page 5]necessities, favourably accept of your im­perfect performances kindly overlook your manifold infirmities, and patiently bear with your grosser provocations? is he not wil­ling to be reconciled whensoever you of­fend him? not ready to cast you off in an­ger, upon every the least transgression of your duty? but waiting for your submis­sion with gentleness and long-suffering, and opening his arms wide to the returning pe­nitent? and how then can you wish for a more affectionate Protector? to whose ten­derness can I recommend you more justly than to his? but farther, have not his wis­dom and his power been frequently exerci­sed, in securing you against all the malice of your enemies, whether in private strata­gems or open violences? is it not he that brings the counsel of the heathen to nought, and makes the devices of the people of none ef­fect? is it not he that does whatsoever pleases him, in heaven and in earth, and in all deep places? Can any thing frustrate or disap­point his intentions, with whom all Wisdom is for ever? or pretend to oppose the irresisti­ble [Page 6]force of him that is girded about with strength? Has he not many times unravel­led all the secret designs, which your in­triguing Adversaries had levelled against you; and turned the wisdom of their wise men into foolishness? Has he not often baf­fled and defeated all their boasted might, with his own right hand, and with his out­stretched arm? Has not he over-ruled the most unlikely events, and made all things work together to you for good? Either obvia­ting all inconveniences by his wise dispen­sations, or else overcoming them by his powerful assistance? And how then can you desire a more available Guardianship? To whose conduct can I resign you more se­curely than to His? Can the care of your safety be better consulted than by him, who is not only your best of friends, but the most fitly qualified for exercising that of­fice? Can the summ of your concerns be more assuredly reposed, than upon bound­less Wisdom and unlimited Power? Such is the Protector to whose patronage I com­mend you, disposed by his Goodness, quali­fied [Page 7]by his Wisdom, and enabled by his Power, to support and sustain you under the greatest exigencies, and to give you a happy issue out of all your adversities. May then that God, whose mercy is over all his works, whose knowledge is unfathomable by humane Reason, and whose power de­lights to be glorified in our weakness be your merciful Saviour and mighty Deli­verer; may he be your firm support in all extremities, your constant refuge in all ne­cessities, your certain comfort in all cala­mities; and as he influenced you by his good Spirit, to those offices of love which I have received at your hands, so may he reward all the kindness you have shewn me seven fold into your own bosomes. This will God most assuredly perform; unless you render yourselves uncapable of the sweet refreshings of his goodness, by not paying a due obedience to his commands, nor walking by the rule which he pre­scribes; and therefore, my brethren, I commend you

[Page 8]2dly, To the word of his Grace.

The Law (says the Apostle) was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ. The Gospel is a most comfortable conveyance of the divine love and favour to us; it is a Covenant made up of mercy and tenderness, free from all the burthen­som hardships and uneasinesses, with which the legal dispensation was clogg'd and en­cumber'd: In this God seems to have laid aside his absolute prerogative, and to con­sult at once the ease and the delight of his servants; the bloody initiation of circumci­sion, is exchanged for the milder Sacrament of Baptism; expensive Sacrifices are abolish­ed, that prayers and praises may succeed them, and the dreadful menace, of draw not near lest I consume thee, is turned into the obliging invitation, of come unto me and I will give you rest. Well then may a mes­sage of such comfortable importance, de­serve to be stiled the word of his Grace, since it exhibits to us the most gracious promises, it holds forth to us the most desireable re­wards, it prescribes the most reasonable [Page 9]measures of obedience, and the most easy methods of reconciliation. By this we are allowed to recover our selves, when through humane frailty we at any time fall, to re­instate our selves in the favour of our God, and regain our forfeited interest by a sincere repentance; by this we are adopted into his own family, and put on the character of his Favourites and Sons; by this we are ad­mitted to a free access, to a kind of intima­cy and familiarity with our God; by this we are made capable of celestial entertain­ments, and of tasting the powers of the world to come. These are some of those inestima­ble priviledges, of that word of Gods Grace to which I commend you; and I cannot con­sign you over to any thing more valuable, but to what I have already, even to God himself. I exhort you therefore to adhere carefully to those admirable rules which it lays down for your direction; to attend heedfully to the lessons which it gives; to make that the standard of all your actions, and to let your whole conversation be a­greeable to that model. The excellency of [Page 10]the doctrines which it would establish, is enough to recommend it to any prudent considerer; what can more considerably exalt your nature, than that universal puri­ty which it prescribes? what can more ef­fectually preserve Society, than that impar­tial Justice which it exacts? what can more secure your health and vigour, than that strict temperance which it requires at your hands? what can more promote mutual amity and concord, than that obliging be­nignity which it would infuse into your natures? Thus if you would but examine the Doctrines which it contains, you would find it to deserve your most serious obser­vation. But if you farther reflect upon the person that delivered it, you will find fresh arguments for the fixing it in your esteem: God who in times past spake to your fathers by the Prophets, hath in these later days spoken unto you by his Son; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express I­mage of his person, deserves your attention to what he delivers, more than any other person of a less elevated quality. I say unto [Page 11]you, is his constant form of speaking, with which he ushers in his most weighty instru­ctions; and a due contemplation of the majesty of the Speaker, should make you attend to what he utters with a becoming reverence and respect. Again, the vast im­portance of the things imparted in it, should forcibly oblige you to value it as you ought: This explains to you the nature and the attributes of God, and shews you his way of dealing with the sons of men; this gives you a prospect into the invisible world, and makes you acquainted with that land of spirits; it shews you by what methods God will dispence his unconcei­vable rewards or punishments; and gives you directions by which you may be ena­abled to secure to your selves the former, and to avoid the latter: the mighty mo­ment therefore of the matters which it treats of, is sufficient to engage you to an awful attention; but farther yet, the inti­mate concern which you your selves have in those sacred truths which the Gospel unfolds to you, should powerfully engage [Page 12]you to give heed to its directions: it con­tains no account of foreign news or idle transactions, to which you may either listen or turn a deaf ear, without any con­siderable consequences to your selves; but rules for the management of your own lives and conversations; precepts which exact your own obedience; your own interest is at stake in every part of it; and an eternal portion of happiness or misery will be your own lot, according as your application to the duties it enjoins, is more or less serious and considerate: The immediate depen­dance therefore which you have, upon that word of Grace to which I commend you, should abundantly perswade you to pay a due regard to it. These are some of those strong and considerable motives, which I hope will incline you to put a just value upon the maxims and instructions of Chri­stianity.

Give me leave to instance in some peculiar duties in general, which I would recommend more particularly to your practice and per­formance; and the first that I single out shall [Page 13]be Humility, because it is the necessary prepa­rative for all other graces and perfections of the soul: Repress, I beseech you, all unnatural swellings of the mind, all extravagant opi­nions of your own self-sufficiency, copy the example of your Saviour and learn of him, for he was meek and lowly in heart: avoid that Pride which was a tempter even to the De­vil himself; which changed that brightest created resemblance of the Deity, into a loathsom and detested Fiend: This it was that lost us Paradice, and exposed the whole race of miserable mankind to the heavy wrath of an offended God; but as by Pride the humane nature fell, so by Humility it rose again; and what was lost by the vani­ty of the first Adam, was regain'd by the condescension of the second. Let then this grace be your darling favourite, let it al­ways be your bosom jewel, which tho here it may look meanly, like a Diamond in the Ore, yet will shine hereafter with an amazing lustre, and be the brightest ornament of your immortal Diadem. Another Grace in which I must entreat you to be conversant [Page 14]is Charity; I mean that part only of this comprehensive duty, which is employed in relieving the necessities of such as want. Forfeit not, I conjure you, that well deserv'd Commendation of being one of the most charitable Parishes within the City; keep up that Distinction above most others, which your large Contributions upon any signal occasion have given you by the con­fession of all Unprejudiced Observers. This is a vertue so amiable in its self, that the pleasure which results from its perfor­mances, were enough to make any one enamour'd of it, though no other reward were consequent upon it; and therefore it is hard to find a Man who has once been charitable, and ceased afterwards to be so: the very satisfaction which arises from the action, being sufficient to retain him in the practice of it; and yet such is the good­ness of Almighty God, that he has affixt rewards both temporal and eternal, to that which is so amply its own recompence: this will cover a multitude of your faults, and cast a veil over your numerous transgressions; [Page 15]this will give a value to all your other good deeds, which without charity are nothing worth: this is that by which you must be tried and sentenced in the great and terri­ble day of the Lord, and this is that only which will accompany you to heaven, and make up a part of your everlasting felicity. Let this then be your constant entertain­ment, let it be made your business, as it will be your delight, and it will liken you to the Angels, who still minister to our ne­cessities, and resemble you to your Saviour, who went about doing good. A third duty to which I shall more especially exhort you, is Peace. Remove (I adjure you) all that bitterness of spirit which is wont to incline people to quarrels and animosities; let all narrow distinctions be done away of Par­ties and of Factions, and converse toge­ther with brotherly affection, under the comprehensive characters of Men and Christians. Bear with one anothers errors and infirmities, endeavour to overcome with meekness and affability, and never to exasperate with sowreness and reproaches: [Page 16]This is an obliging temper of mind, which will make even your enemies to be at peace with you, and will shame them into kindness and condescension; if a Brother be overtaken in a fault, whether it be an error in judg­ment or in practice, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, and if it is possible as much as in you lies live peaceably with all men; avoid all malicious invectives and back-bitings, all reflecting stories and ill-natur'd raillery; and endeavour by your favourablest and most charitable construction to make the best of one anothers failings; so will you find by a happy experience, how good and pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, and will have a title to those bene­fits which attend it, for there God has pro­mised his blessing and life for evermore Let this then be at once your employment and your pleasure, and it will possess you of that precious Legacy which our dying Savi­our left to his Disciples, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you; and will also con­duct you by the surest method to that peace of God which passeth all understanding. A [Page 17]fourth duty which I think my self more par­ticularly obliged to recommend to you, is Loyalty and Obedience to the present Govern­ment. Give not way, I beseech you, to any little uneasinesses, which the present circumstances of affairs may lay upon some of you; do not murmur or repine at every disappointment cast not the blame of una­voidable miscarriages, upon those who are concerned in the management of affairs; but contentedly resolve such unexpected oc­currences into the over-ruling Providence of an All-wise God: Let nothing tempt you to speak evil of dignities, or lavishly to censure the conduct of your Governors: be con­tented to think, that God can chuse for you as well as your selves, and pay a chear­ful obedience to the King he has set over you, who consents to bear the burthen of a war in his person, which touches you on­ly in your purses; contribute readily to the support of those Forces, which are well em­ployed to keep the danger from your doors; and think not much to give some part of your fortune for the security of the rest, [Page 18]and your Religion into the bargain. Then will God give his blessing to you as the due reward of your submission to his Will, by whom Kings reign and Princes decree justice; and he himself will not fail to acknowledge that respect, which is paid to his image and his substitute. These then are some of those more useful duties, which whilst you I commend you to the word of God's grace, I have thought fitting out of that to recommend to your practice; and may that word of grace so thrive within your hearts, that it may take root downwards, and bring forth fruit upwards; may it sh [...]d abroad within your souls the more eminent graces and fruits of the spirit, such as Humility, Charity a peaceable disposition, and a hearty obedience to the Government which you live under; that so the good seed which has been carefully sown which was plant­ed and watered by my unworthy Ministry, may, by God's assistance; have a suitable encrease; and may not lie dead or ineffectual in any amongst you, but produce; according to the several measures of his grace, in some a hun­d [...]d-fold, in some sixty fold, in some thirty [Page 19]fold. This will commend you more successfully to God, than all my endeavours are capable without it, and will both be able of itself to build you up here, and [...] here after to give you an inheritance among all them [...] are sancti­fied. I shall briefly consider these two great advantages, which our due regard t [...] the word of Gods grace, is here said to be able to impart unto us, and then I shall make haste to a conclusion. And

1st. A due regard to the word of Gods grace, is able to build us up. This is a Me­taphor taken from a House, and it gives us to understand thus much, that in order to our deserving the commendation, of being built up by the word of Gods grace, there are two necessary qualifications required, without which no edifice can be thought compleat; and those are a foundation and a superstru­cture: that which in a spiritual building an­swers to the former of these, is faith; and that which is agreeable to the latter, is a good life and conversation; for, to believe rightly, and to act accordingly, comprehends the whole duty of a Christian.

[Page 20]1st then, I say, in this spiritual building, there must be faith as a foundation. God, who is a wise and skilful Master-builder, will not allow his House to be built upon the sand, but takes care to have it founded upon a rock; as knowing that a failure in that principal part, can never be redressed by any thing done afterwards: let the other parts be ma­naged with never so much care, let them be beautified and adorned with never so much cost, yet cannot all this make amends for the first miscarriage; it will be but a gayety of short standing, overwhelm'd by the violence of the first storm that shocks it: Unless our faith be stedfast and unmoveable, unless it be settled beyond wavering and doubtfulness, it will never be able to sustain the weight of those good works which must be raived upon it: But the word of Gods grace, the Gospel of our Saviour, is able to fix our faith so firmly and unalterably, as that it shall be subject to no variableness, neither shadow of turning: it carries with it such a power of conviction, and the divine autho­rity shines through it so clearly, that who­ever [Page 21]attends to it seriously and without pre­judice, must needs be convinced by the de­monstration of the spirit; and therefore, my brethren, if any amongst you find their saith at any time to be tottering and unsteady, I commend you then especially to the word of Gods grace, apply your selves to it with the great­est assiduity; and God, who is never want­ing to those, who are not first neglectful of him and of themselves, will not fail to assist you with such a portion of his Spirit, as will enable you to profit by that, and will make that able to build you up. But as this spiritual building must in the first place have faith for its foundation, so must it

2dly, Have a good life and conversation for the superstructure. A foundation is but useless of it self, and only supposes the folly of the undertaker, unless he proceeds to compleat the work, and finishes the upper stories for ornament and use; and thus faith also is dead and insignificant, and serves on­ly to enhance the guilt of him that has it, unless it be made the ground-work of good actions, and has a happy influence upon the [Page 22]course of our whole life. Our Saviour tells us, that when any man begins to build a tower, he ought to compute whether he have sufficient to finish it; lest haply after he have laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him: and it is upon this very occasion, that he speaks this signi­ficant parable, namely to expose the folly of those men who attempt to enter upon a course of piety, and are not so far masters of their resolutions as to go through with it, and persevere in it to the end. These men perhaps are willing to give their assent to all the mysteries contained in the Gospel to confess the truth of whatever it affects, and not to call in question the equity of any of its doctrines; and this they think is sufficient for them, without ever applying themselves to the practice of those duties, which it strictly requires of all believers; they are contented indeed to be speculative Christi­ans, but it is upon the condition that they may be practical Atheists; but this deserves no better a character, than the knowing, of our Masters will without the doing it, and we are as­sured [Page 23]that the consequence of that shall be many stripes. In vain then shall we plead, that we believe the Gospel; in vain shall we a­vow our selves to be professors of Christia­nity, unless our practice be answerable to our profession, and our faith is manifested by our works; our Saviour will declare that he knows us not, and will say to us, depart from me ye workers of iniquity: we may make our passionate addresses at the door, and with repeated exclamations cry, Lord, Lord, open unto us; but we shall be turned away as the foolish Virgins were, because our Lamps have not been filled and trim'd. But the Go­spel of Christ is such a light unto our steps, and lantern to our paths, as if we attend to it with a becoming reverence, will direct our feet into the ways of godliness: we shall there see, if we are not willfully blind, that the de­sign of our Saviours coming into the world, was not barely to inform our understanding, but chiefly and most especially to regulate out practice; that his business was not to form a set of Disputants; who should con­test and wrangle about points of controversy, [Page 24]but to purifie to himself a peculiar people zea­lous of good works: it will convince us that all the promises of the Gospel, all the gra­cious overtures which it exhibits, have this express condition annexed unto them, that we lead a pious and a godly life. When­ever therefore, my Brethren, at any time you find your selves in danger to be misled by your lusts, into the commission of any gross enormity, I then especially commend you to the word of Gods grace; and advise you to betake your selves to that set of Sacred Ora­cles, which will give you such assistance as may baffle your temptations, and prove it self able to build you up.

But there is, secondly, another advantage, which a due regard to the word of God's grace is here said to be able to impart unto you, it is able (says the Text) to give you an inheritance among all them which are sancti­fied.

And this is an advantage of so considera­ble a value, as is sufficient to engage you to a due regard, if the word of God's grace had nothing else to recommend it. To have an [Page 25]inheritance among all them which are sanctified, and to share in that possession which is re­served for Gods Elect, what a noble privi­ledge ought this to be esteemed, and how zealously should you contend to qualifie your selves for it! There are two things considerable in the description of it. 1. That it is said to be an inheritance: and 2. That it is such among all them which are sanctified. 1. then, It is said to be an inheritance; and this shews you the certainty of that posses­sion, the surest tenure is that of inheritance; and especially amongst the Jews, it was looked upon as a thing sacred, and not to be alienated upon any occasion: thus Na­both chose rather to expose himself to the King's anger, and to that unjust prosecution which cost him his life, than he would trans­gress against this solemn custom, by parting with the Vineyard which he desired; the Lord forbid it me (says he) that I should give thee the inheritance of my fathers. Yet this secure and unalterable title is that by which you are allowed to make your claim; and it is upon a due regard to the word of Gods grace, that the right we pretend to is ground­ed [Page 26]and established; it is that which gives you the happy assurances of your being heirs of God, and co-heirs with Christ; from thence you gain that spirit of adoption, by which you cry Abba, Father; and if you are led by the directions which that gives, you shall find your selves thereby made members of that general Assembly and Church of the first born, whose names are written and registered in heaven; and happily admitted to be com­mon partakers of the glorious liberty of the children of God. But 2dly, This is an inhe­ritance among all them which are sanctified. No­thing that is unclean can gain any admit­tance into this most holy and immaculate fellowship; purity of life is the only qualifi­cation by which you may be fitted for this blessed society: Those who would be looked upon as the brethren of Christ, must put on him, and wear his resemblance; and who­ever has his hope in him, must purify himself even as he is pure. This is what the word of God's grace, inculcates to you almost in eve­ry page: he that will ascend into the hill of the Lord and abide in his holy place, must have clean hands and a pure heart; if you expect [Page 27] that God should be a father unto you, and that you should he his sons and daughters, you must come out from among the wicked and be sepa­rate, and not touch the unclean thing: having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the sear of God. Thus if you give a careful attention, to these and such other rules and instructi­ons, which are every where contain'd in the word of Gods grace, you will find that suffi­cient to secure to you these advantages, you will find it able to give you an inheritance a­mong all them which are sanctified.

Thus in a confused and indigested man­ner (such as my present concern will give me leave to make use of) I have touch'd upon all the material observations, which the words of my Text have furnished me with­al; and having all along applied them to your more particular use, I shall add nothing more to what I have said already. I shall only offer up, as I am in dispensably obliged, by all the ties of gratitude and duty, my most hearty prayers to Almighty God, that he would sanctify to you all what I have [Page 28]now been preaching, and what at any time heretofore I have delivered to you; that so being defended by the protection of your God, and fully instructed by the word of his grace, you may be built up and established in your holy profession here, and have your inheritance hereafter among all them which are sanctified

Give me leave to conclude the whole with St Paul's exhortation to his Corinthians: Finally, brethren, farewel be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peace shall be with you. To him the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three persons but one God of love, be ascribed all honour, power, might, majesty and domi­nion, henceforth and for evermore.

Amen.