IN the first Verse the Apostle asserts, that whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, that is, so believes as to act suitable to his Belief, is born of God; he is become a Child of God by partaking of his Nature, and stamped with his Like­ness; and every one that loveth him that be­gat, i. e. God his Heavenly Father, loveth him also that is begotten of him, hath a true hearty Kindness for all that are God's Chil­dren. And then in the second Verse, by this, saith he, we know that we love the Chil­dren of God, and consequently that we are born of God, if we love God and keep his Com­mandments; that is, if we so love him as to keep his Commandments. And indeed, if we do not so love him, we do not love him at all, and consequently we do not love his Children, nor are we his Children our selves; of which he gives a full Proof in the Text; for this is the love of God, that [Page 2] we keep his Commandments; and his Com­mandments are not grievous.

In which Words, you have First an Account of the Love of God, what it is; This is the love of God, that we keep his Com­mandments: and Secondly, a Motive to en­gage us to the Practice of it, and his Com­mandments are not grievous.

I begin with the first of these, the Ac­count of this Love of God, what it is; This is the Love of God, that we keep his Com­mandments. By the Love of God here we are not to understand God's Love to us, but our Love to God, as is plain by this, because 'tis placed in our keeping his Com­mandments. This is the Love of God, that is, this is the natural Effect and proper Ex­ercise of the Love of God; for it is certain that keeping God's Commandments is not the Affection of Love to him, but the Ef­fect of it. So that the Meaning of the Words is this, this is the most genuine Ex­pression and inseparable Effect of our Love of God, that we obey his Laws. And hence our Saviour makes this the proper Tryal and Proof of our Love to him, If ye love me, keep my Commandments, John xiv.15. for this he tells us, ver. 23. is the necessary Con­sequence of our Love to him; If any man love me, he will keep my words, i. e. this will [Page 3] most certainly be the Effect of his Love to me, that he will be obedient to my Will. And by this he plainly tells us he will judge of the Sincerity of our Friendship to him, John xv.14. Ye are my friends, if ye do what­soever I command you. From all which it is evident, that the most proper and chara­cteristical Expression of our Love to God, is our keeping his Commandments. And indeed considering that God is our Sove­raign Lawgiver, there are no Actions by which we can so naturally express our Af­fection to him, as by those of Obedience and Submission to his Laws; and therefore we find in Scripture, that to love God, and obey his Laws, and to hate God and dis­obey them, are generally used promiscu­ously for one another, and that for very good reason; for here our Love and Ha­tred of God are not considered as conversant about God as God (in which sense perhaps there is no Creature in the World can be said to hate him) but as conversant about him as Lord and Governour of the World; as he gives Laws to Mankind, whereby he commands them what to do, and forbids them what to avoid. And in this Sense, to love God is to love him as Governing and Commanding, and as such, we can no other­wise express our Love to him, but by [Page 4] keeping his Commandments. But for the farther clearing of this, I shall in Prosecuti­on of the Argument do these two Things:

• I. Shew you that wheresoever the Love of God is, it will most certainly prove a Principle of Obedience to him.
• II. That the Love of God is in it self the most perfect and effectual Principle of Obedience.

1. That wheresoever the Love of God is, it will most certainly prove a Principle of Obedience to him. And this, I doubt not, will evidently appear, if we consider that all the natural Expressions of our Love, as it is terminated upon God, do of their own accord finally resolve themselves into Obedience to his Will. For Love, where­soever it is hearty and sincere, always expres­ses it self in such Symptoms as these;

1. In industriously endeavouring to re­semble the Beloved.

2. In conforming the Will, Designs, and Intentions, to the Will, and Designs, and Intentions of the Beloved.

3. In a solicitous Care of avoiding those Things which may any ways displease or distaste the Beloved.

4. In a chearful Readiness to undergo any thing, be it never so hard or difficult, for the sake of the Beloved. All which [Page 5] Expressions of our Love, when it is ter­minated upon God, do most naturally run into Obedience to his Will.

1. If we love God, our Love will ex­press it self in endeavouring to resemble him. For every Man esteems what he loves to be lovely, and we naturally wish that that were in our selves which we esteem to be lovely in another; that so be­ing like him, we may appear as lovely in his Eyes as he doth in ours. And so if we love God, we must necessarily esteem him exceeding lovely and amiable, and that which we esteem and love as lovely in him, we cannot but wish for and desire in our selves out of a natural Affectation of Love­liness: And that he may have the same Reason to love us as we have to love him, we must needs desire to resemble him in all those amiable Things that do endear him to us. But now those Beauties in God be­ing all of them only moral, which are the immediate Objects of our Love to him, are capable of being transcribed by Imitation, and made ours by copying and writing after them in our Actions; so that if we hearti­ly desire to partake of them, our Desire will necessarily engage us to imitate them; for how can we be said heartily to desire that Good which we may have, but will [Page 6] take no Care to acquire? I confess, did we love him for his Eternity, or his Power, or his Immensity, we might wish to be like him, but all in vain; because in these Per­fections we are not capable of imitating him: But the Beauties for which we love him, are his Goodness, and Wisdom, and Righteousness, and Mercy, and the like; all which being imitable by us, we may, if we please, derive into our selves, and tran­scribe into our own Natures. So that if we love God, we must necessarily desire to re­semble him in those Things for which we love him; and those things being all of an imitable nature, our Desire of resembling him will oblige and excite us to a careful and constant Imitation of him. But now to obey God, and to imitate him in those Moral Perfections for which we love him, are one and the same thing. Thus when I obey God in being universally just and righteous towards himself and all his Crea­tion, I imitate him in that essential Justice and Equity of his Nature, which is the eternal Rule of all his Actions. When I obey him in doing good to all that are with­in the Reach of my Charity, I imitate him in the overflowing Bounty and unlimited Goodness of his Nature. In a word, when I obey him in forgiving those that injure [Page 7] me, I imitate him in his boundless Mercy, and Readiness to forgive Offenders. And in fine, all our Obedience is comprehended in being pure as he is pure, and holy as he is holy; in being good as he is good, just as he is just, merciful as he is merciful: For though the Acts and Expressions of these Moral Perfections in us are in many Instan­ces different from what they are in God, by reason of that Difference of Natures, Re­lations, and Circumstances that there is be­tween him and us; yet the Perfections in general are of the same kind in him and us, though the particular Expressions of them are various by reason of those accidental Differences. For though he doth not do all those particular Actions which he re­quires of us, and consequently we in do­ing those Actions cannot be said to imitate the same Actions in God; yet we imitate God in the general, in doing those Actions which he himself would have done, had he had our Natures, and been in our Relati­ons and Circumstances. Thus God doth not pray, because he hath none superior to him; nor humble himself, because he is infinitely great and perfect; nor practise Chastity and Temperance, because he is a pure Spirit, and hath no Commerce with bodily Affections; and consequently we in [Page 8] doing of these Actions cannot be said to imitate the same Actions in God, because he doth not the same. But he constantly doth whatsoever is reasonable for him to do as God, and as Governour of the World, and never varies in the least Punctilio from the eternal Rules of Equity and Goodness; by which he gives a glorious Example unto all his Reasonable Creatures, to excite both Angels and Men to do what is fit and rea­sonable for them in their several States and Relations: And what is reasonable for us Men to do, he hath declared to us in his Laws; so that by obeying his Laws we imitate God in the general, by doing what is reasonable for us; though what is rea­sonable for God and us, whose Natures and Relations are so different, be not the same in all particular Instances. So that in gene­ral you see, to obey and imitate God is but the same Thing in other Words. Where­fore since the Love of God doth necessarily include a Desire of resembling him, and that Desire necessarily produces a constant and vigorous Imitation of him, and that Imitation is all one with obeying him; it hence necessarily follows, that if our Love of him be sincere, it must finally resolve into Obedience. For how can I love God, and not think him lovely? How can I [Page 9] think him lovely, and not desire to be like him? How can I desire to be like him, and not take Care to imitate him? And how else can I imitate him, but by obeying him?

2. If we love God, our Love will con­form our Wills, Designs, and Intentions to the Will, Designs, and Intentions of God. For Love always unites the Will of the Lover to the Will of the Beloved; and if it be mutual, it twists them together into one Will, and confounds all their Discords into a perfect Harmony; because Love doth ne­cessarily conclude in it Benevolence, which consists in an unfeigned Will that all may go well with him whom we love; that he may enjoy every Good that he wills, and accomplish every Desire, Design, and Inten­tion, so far as it is good and reasonable for him. So that supposing that the Beloved be but his own Friend, that he wills and designs and pursues nothing but what is really good and grateful to him; the Lover, as such, ought necessarily to conspire with him in the same Will, and Designs, and Pursuits. If therefore we heartily love God, we cannot but will what he wills, and de­sign and intend what he intends and de­signs; every Motion of that first great Mo­ver will be an effectual Law to govern all [Page 10] our Motions, and our Wills, and Desires, and Designs, and Intentions, like the lesser Wheels of an Automaton, will presently run at the first Impulse of that great Master-Wheel without the least Rub or Hesitati­on, and in despite of all the Contentions of a rebellious Flesh, and all the Counter-stri­vings of a perverse ungovernable Heart, our Love will so captivate our Wills to God's, that between him and us there will be but one Will, and End, and Interest. And our Wills being thus subjected to him by the invincible Necessity of Love, all our inferior Powers, like smaller Garrisons when the Master-Fort is taken, will presently sur­render of their own accord. For no Man can be a Rebel to God whether he will or no; because the Will is the commanding Principle, and hath such an absolute Empire over all our Actions, that 'tis impossible for us to do what we will not. So that if we will and design what God wills and de­signs, our Practice must necessarily be con­formable to his Will, so far as we know and understand it; for as God's Will gives Law to ours, so our Will gives Law to our Actions, and so by consequence the Will of God must be the Soveraign Law whereby both are regulated and determi­ned. From hence therefore it is evident, [Page 11] that if we sincerely love God, we shall will as he wills; and that if we will as he wills, we shall act as he would have us; and therefore for any Man to say that he loves God while he wills contrary to his Will, or that his Will is reconciled to God's while he acts contrary to his Commands, is gross Hypocrisy and deep Dissimulation: For as the Love of God resolves necessarily into an Union of Wills with him, so that Union of Wills resolves necessarily into Obedience to his Laws.

3. If we love God, that Love will ex­press it self in a solicitous Care of avoiding every Thing that may displease or distaste him. For the greatest Ambition of Love is to appear lovely and amiable in the Eyes of its Beloved; and that it may do so, it doth most studiously avoid whatsoever may be displeasing or distastful to it; and most industriously endeavours to adorn it self with all those obliging Graces that are apt to endear and recommend it. And so if we love God we cannot but desire to be lovely in his Eyes; and that Desire, if it be sincere and hearty, must necessarily engage us to an endeavour of acquiring whatsoever is amiable and pleasing, and of avoiding whatsoever is hateful and grievous to him. But now Vertue and true Goodness [Page 12] are the only Beauties that do endear us to God, and render us lovely in his Eyes, and Sin and Wickedness the only Deformities for which he hates and abhors us: For his Love and Hatred are not regulated like ours, by the unaccountable Impulses of a mutable Fancy, but by steady and eternal Rules; so that he can never love what he once hated, nor hate what he once loved. For the Immutability of God's Love and Hatred consists not in this, that he always loves and hates the same Persons, but that he always loves and hates Persons for the same Reason and Motive. And indeed that Love is but a foolish Fondness, that Hatred but an unreasonable Antipathy, that, without any reasonable Motive, always determines on the same Person: And if God loves and hates our Persons upon rea­sonable Motives, his Love and Hatred would be fickle and mutable, if when those Motives cease his Love and Hatred should con­tinue. If he should continue to love us when the Reason is wholly ceased that first moved him thereunto, he must either love us for no Reason, which would be a foolish Fondness, or he must love us for contrary Reasons, which would be Fickle­ness and Inconstancy: And therefore when God ceases to love and hate the same Persons [Page 13] when the Reason of his loving and hating them ceases, it proceeds not from the In­constancy, but the Immutability of his Love and Hatred; for though they may change their Objects, yet they can never change their Reasons. For the Reasons of God's Love and Hatred are in the Objects whom he loves and hates; and therefore if he changes the Objects of his Love and Hatred, and when they themselves are changed, if he love a Person whom he hated when that Person is changed from hateful to lovely; or hate a Person whom he loved when that Person is changed from lovely to hateful; it is not he that changes, but the Persons who are the Objects of his Love or his Hatred: For amidst all Changes of Objects, his Love and Hatred are eternally the same, because they are eternally fixed and determined to the same Reasons. But now his Love be­ing naturally founded in Likeness, what can we suppose should be the Reason of God's Love or Hatred to us, but only our Likeness or Vnlikeness to himself? For if we resem­ble him in that Goodness, and Truth, and Purity, and Justice, which are essential to his Nature, he must needs love us for his own sake, because we partake of his Na­ture, and are allied to him by a Similitude of Temper and Perfections. But then [Page 14] when we are not only unlike, but contra­ry to him; when we are impure, spightful, and malicious; when we are false, unrigh­teous, and unreasonable; he hath an Antipa­thy against us founded in his very Nature, and he can no more love us whilst we are so contrarily disposed to him, than he can hate himself. Wherefore since there is no­thing can render us lovely in God's Eyes but only our resembling him in Purity and Goodness, nothing can render us hateful, offensive, and distastful to him, but our be­ing impure, and wicked, and unlike him; it hence necessarily follows, that we can no otherwise render our selves amiable to him, no otherwise avoid offending and grieving him, but only by keeping his Command­ments; for therein all those Graces are en­joined wherein our Resemblance of him consists; and all those Vices are forbid that are contrary to him, and do deform us in his Eyes. So that by doing his Will, we imitate his Nature; and shall acquire such a god-like Temper of Mind, as will render us more glorious and lovely in his Esteem, than if we were decked with Stars, or cloathed in a Robe of Sun-beams; whereas on the contrary, by disobeying his Will we contract such an Vnlikeness and Contrariety to him, as renders us more offensive to him [Page 15] than the most loathsome Deformities in Na­ture. For in God's eyes there is nothing ugly but Sin, nothing amiable but Virtue and true Goodness. Wherefore since our Love of God necessarily includes an earnest Desire of rendring our selves lovely and amiable in his Esteem, and since we have no other way to accomplish this Desire but only by keeping his Commandments; it hence necessarily follows, that we cannot sincerely love him whilst we disobey him. For with what Confidence can we pretend to love him, when it is indifferent to us whether we render our selves lovely or loathsome to him; when by disobeying his Will we wilfully contract those Deformi­ties which we know he abhors, and which are more odious in his Eyes than any of the most loathsome Spectacles in Nature? Is it possible that true Love should consist with taking Pleasure in the only Things that can grieve and offend its Object? Or were there ever such Lovers heard of, that affected the Deformities that were most hateful to the Beloved? No, no; he that heartily loves, must desire to be beloved; and he that de­sires to be beloved, must desire to be love­ly. Wherefore since nothing is lovely in God's Eyes but what is like God, and we cannot be like him, unless we keep his [Page 16] Commandments; what an Immodesty is it in us to pretend to love him while we chuse to disobey him?

4. And lastly, If we love God sincerely, we shall be ready chearfully to undergo any Thing for his sake, be it never so hard and difficult: For Love is a bold and vigo­rous Passion, it makes weak Things strong, and turns Cowards into Heroes, and warms and animates the Heart with such a generous Fire, as disdains all Opposition, and cou­rageously out-braves the greatest Dangers and Difficulties. For he that loves hear­tily would do any Thing for the sake of his Beloved; and then measuring his Strength by the Greatness of his Desires, he thinks himself able to do whatsoever he will. So strongly doth this Passion transport Nature beyond the Bounds of its Abilities, inspi­ring it with such Force and Vigour as that scarce any thing is able to withstand it. If therefore we love God sincerely and hear­tily, our Love must necessarily resolve into Obedience to his Will, be it never so hard and difficult: For our Love will so enliven and animate our Endeavours of serving him, and carry us with such Spirit and Ala­crity through all the weary Stages of our Duty, that it will be our Meat and Drink to do his Will; and there is no Instance of [Page 17] Obedience, be it never so hard and diffi­cult, but our Love will smother, and render it not only easy, but delightful. For what I do for him whom I love, I do for my self, his Pleasures being mine, and our Wills, and Ends, and Interests being involved in one another. So that if my Love be in any Measure intense and cordial, I shall do his Pleasure and perform his Will with the same Complacency and Delight as if I were doing my own; and whatsoever Difficul­ties I meet with in serving him, I shall encounter them with Joy, that I am fur­nished with Opportunities of expressing the Zeal and Sincerity of my Love to him. So that to pretend to love God, and yet to boggle at the Difficulties of obeying him, is the most shameful Hypocrisy in nature; for if we did as highly love him as we pre­tend, our Wills would be so swallowed up in his, that it would be our Joy and Recreation to serve him, and the very Thought that we are doing what is pleasing and grateful to him, would level all the Mountains of Difficulties in our way, and render them not only accessible, but easy. He therefore that stumbles at every Straw, and startles at every Difficulty in Religion, must be a notorious Hypocrite if he pretend to the Love of God: for where true Love is, [Page 18] Difficulty is so far from daunting it, that that animates and encourages it, and in­stead of blunting its Activity, whets and renders it more keen and vigorous; because the greater the Difficulty is, the greater is its Opportunity of manifesting its own Sin­cerity, and thereby of recommending it self to its Beloved; the Joy of which not only ballances, but endears all its Pains and Trouble. Hence the Apostle tells us, that there is no fear in love, and that perfect love casteth out fear, 1 John iv.18. It inspires us with such Bravery and Courage, that there is no Difficulty in our Obedience to him whom we love, that can daunt or ter­rify us. Wherefore since this is a necessary Property of the Love of God to make us ready to undergo any Thing for his sake, this also must necessarily resolve into the keeping his Commandments; for if we are willing to do any thing for God, we shall surely be willing to obey him; and though our Obedience in some Instances may be difficult, yet our Love, if it be real, will conquer its way through them all.

And thus you see how all the essential Properties of the Love of God do finally resolve into Obedience; from whence it is evident, that wheresoever the Love of God is, it will most certainly prove a Principle of Obedience.

[Page 19]II. I proceed now to the second Head of Discourse, which was to shew, that the Love of God is it self the most perfect Princi­ple of Obedience. Not that I think all other Principles in their own nature bad; for God himself hath proposed other Principles of Action to us besides this of Love; he hath denounced his fearful Threatnings against us to alarm our Fear; that by that we may be moved to obey him, and propounded his glorious Promises to us to excite our Hope, that that may be a Spring and Prin­ciple of Obedience in us. And certainly that can be no bad Principle which is exci­ted in us by divine Motives: but yet it is most certain, that there is no Principle whatsoever can be acceptable to God, that is quite separated from Love to him; for that which makes it acceptable is this, that it is a Principle of Vniversal Obedience. But now the Love of God being the greatest Instance of our Obedience, that can be no Principle of universal Obedience that is wholly separated from it. 'Tis true, the Religion of most Men begins upon a Prin­ciple either of Hope or Fear, and it cannot be denied but they are very good Begin­ners; but yet till by these we are induced to love God as well as to practise all other Duties, we are by no means pleasing and [Page 20] acceptable to him: So that though the Fear of Punishment and the Hope of Reward are good Ingredients in the Principle of our Obedience, yet till they have some Inter­mixtures of Love with them, they can make no Claim to the divine Acceptation. There may be indeed, and at first there generally is, much less of Love in this Principle of Obedience than of Hope and Fear, whilst yet the whole Composition is very acceptable to God; for the lowest De­gree of cordial Love, intermixed with our Hope and Fear, will leaven and consecrate them into an acceptable Principle of Obedi­ence; but still the less Love there is in it, the more weak, and languid, and imperfect it is, and in all its Progresses towards Per­fection its Maturity is to be measured by the Degrees of Love that are in it; and till our Love is arrived unto that Degree of Ardency as to become the predominant Motive and Master-Ingredient in it, our State in Goodness is very slow and imperfect. So that in short, the Principle of our Obe­dience is more and more perfect the more of Love there is in it, and the less of Hope and Fear; and when Hope and Fear are all swallowed up in Love, and that is the sole Spring of Action within us, then it is the Principle of Heaven, and the Soul that acts [Page 21] and animates the Religion of the Spirits of just men made perfect. But to convince you how much our Obedience is perfected by Love, I shall briefly give you these follow­ing Instances of it:

• 1. It rendereth our Obedience univer­sal and unconfined.
• 2. Spritely and chearful.
• 3. Natural and easy.
• 4. Constant and steady.

1. Love renders our Obedience universal and unconfined. When Men are acted on­ly by a Principle of Fear, they must be ve­ry narrow and stingy in their Religion; for they will be sure to do no more than just what is necessary to quiet their Fears and calm their Consciences; and because they do not like what they do, but are meerly forced upon it by the Terror and Anguish of their own Minds, therefore, if they can, they will find some Way to pacify their Consciences without doing it, or at least with doing as little as may be, or with do­ing that only which they like best, and is most agreeable to their vitiated Tempers. Thus Persons of sour and morose Natures, when they are acted meerly by the Terrors of their Consciences, commonly betake themselves to some little affected Singulari­ties and Severities in Religion; they will [Page 22] put on some distinguishing Garb, and tip their Tongues with some peculiar Phrases, and screw their Faces into a most devout and mortified Figure; they will condemn themselves to a State of Silence, and retire from all the Pleasures and most innocent Festivities of Conversation; they will frown all good Humour out of their Houses, and will not endure so much as a Smile in their Families, especially on the Lord's-Day; and take a world of Care and Pains to moap their Children into unsociable Statues, and to train them up in the Religion of pensive Looks, and solemn Faces, and ejaculated Eyes; for this is such a Reformation as is suitable to their sour and surly Natures; and therefore with this they will seek to bribe their Consciences to connive at all their black and devilish Inclinations. Thus also it is usual for Slanderers and Backbiters, con­tentious and censorious Persons, when they are under an Agony of Conscience, to list themselves into some Sect or Party, where, under a Pretence of being the only People of God, they may consecrate their most unhallowed Passions, and rail and backbite with Zeal and Devotion; where they may spit all their Venom in spiritual Gossiping, and freely employ the Talent of their Ill-nature in damning and censuring those they [Page 23] dissent from; for this is such a Conversion as best agrees with their cankerous Inclina­tions, so that if they can but cheat their Conscience with it, that and their beloved Lust will be very well reconciled. Thus also the covetous and griping Oppressor, when he cannot otherwise still the Cries of his Conscience, will betake himself to some of the cheaper Exercises of Religion; he will fast and pray, hear Sermons, and receive Sacraments, because all these Things he can do without intrenching upon his Vice; he can say his Prayers for nothing, and save Money by keeping a Fast, and eat and drink at the Sacrament gratis; all this is so cheap a Religion, that it costs him nothing to maintain it, and so his covetous Mind hath no Reason to grudge at it; so that if his Conscience will be but satisfied with this, his Lust and that may shake hands and be Friends. And to name no more, thus when the intemperate and lascivious Person is dogg'd by the Fears of his guilty Mind, it is usual for him to sigh and mourn, and make woful Confessions of his Sins; and when he hath done so, to endeavour to persuade himself that this is true Repen­tance; which if he can do, he may sin on securely, provided he doth but perpetually keep himself in this Circle of repenting and [Page 24] sinning, and sinning and repenting; but if he cannot so cheat himself, he will next fly to the Sanctuary of a partial Reformati­on, and disband the Vices he can best spare, that so he may keep his more beloved ones in Pay; hoping that by a Sacrifice of some few of his Sins, he may make an Atone­ment for all the rest. Thus when Men are only acted by their Fears, they will find some way or other to contract their Religion into so narrow a Compass, that it shall be sure not to intrench too far upon the Liberties of their Lusts. For he that doth a Thing out of Fear is averse to the doing it, and that Aversation will so stint and limit him, that he will contrive all Ways to do as little as he can, and still the less he is forced to do, the better he will be pleas'd.

But Love is that great Soul that acts and animates the whole Body of Religion, and equally diffuses its Influence through every Part and Member of it; for the Will of the Beloved is the Law of the Lo­ver, and every Thing pleases him, that is pleasing to him whom he loves. So that if we love God, we shall do what he com­mands, because it is his Will and Pleasure; and that Reason extends equally to all as well as to any Instances of Obedience; and [Page 25] therefore if the Motive of our Obedience be this, that it is God's Will and Pleasure, we must necessarily obey him, so far as we un­derstand, in every Thing that is so. For if we love God, there will be such a Consent and Harmony between his Will and ours, that we shall be best pleased with what pleases him; and being so, our Obedience will be no longer limited by any particular Likes or Dislikes of our own, which will then all vail and prostrate themselves to God's sovereign Pleasure, and so there will be nothing but that to set Limits and Bounds to our Obedience. So that then we shall be so far from contriving how to escape doing his Will, that we shall be rea­dy to court all Opportunities of pleasing him, and be so passionately desirous of do­ing what we think is grateful to him, that we shall not only perform what he requires by explicite Command, but be ready to comply with the most secret Notices and Intimations of his Pleasure, and to do what­soever we think will please him when it is performed, whether it be commanded or no.

2. Love renders our Obedience spritely and vigorous: For it is certain, there is no Passion in humane Nature so active and vi­gorous as that of Love▪ for in this all the [Page 26] other Passions are seated as in their common Root and Principle, and like so many Streams, though they run several Ways and in different Chanels, yet do they all issue out of one common Spring, and that is Love. For the Love of our selves is the Parent of all our Passions; 'tis that which makes us hate what is contrary to us, and desire and hope for whatsoever is pleasant and agree­able. And when we love any particular Object, and our Wills are pleasingly affe­cted with the Beauty of it, if it be a Thing that is possible for us to enjoy, that excites in us a Desire of Enjoyment, if together with the Possibility there be a Probability of enjoying it, that excites Hope and Expe­ctation; but if there be not, that excites Fear, and this Hope and Fear being exalted to their highest Degree, turn into Confidence and Desperation. If any Difficulty oppose it self to our Enjoyment, that excites Cho­ler, and Courage, and Boldness; and if we surmount those Difficulties that hindred our Enjoyment, that excites Joy and Exul­tation of Mind. Thus Love, you see, as soon as it is taken with the Beauty of an Object, immediately kindles its Desires, ex­cites its Hope and Fear, and carries the Fire into all the Passions which hold of its Empire; so that having the united Force [Page 27] of all the other Passions at its Beck and Command, its self must needs be extreme­ly potent and vigorous; and consequently when it is terminated upon God, and be­come the reigning Principle of our Obedi­ence to him, there is no Passion in our Natures can have that Influence upon us to make us active and vigorous in the doing of his Will, as this may reasonably be suppo­sed to have; because when we are under the Command of Love, that having in it the Force of all our other Passions, must ne­cessarily move and act us with all their uni­ted Influence. And when the separate Force of all our Passions, like so many single Threads, are twisted into one Cord, with what a potent, I had almost said omnipotent Vigour must they draw and attract us? When our Love of God shall all at once awaken in us the Desire and Hope of enjoy­ing him, the Fear and Displeasure of losing him, the Resolution and Courage to charge through every Difficulty that opposes our Fruition of him; and our Obedience shall be all at once informed and animated with the united Force of all those mighty Passions; how active and vigorous must it needs be? For the Wise Man tells us, that Love is as strong as Death, Cant. viii.6. that 'tis an equal Match for the all-conquering King of [Page 28] Terrors, to whose Power the mightiest Things do stoop: And indeed it must needs be strong when it hath all the Force of Humane Nature in it, and is winged with the united Vigour of so many strong and active Affections. Hence the Apostle attributes a constraining Vertue to it, 2 Cor. v.14. For the Love of God constraineth us; it sweetly tyrannizes over all our Faculties; and by a willing Violence forces and capti­vates us into Obedience. But when a Man is acted only by a Principle of Fear, he must needs drive on heavily in the Course of his Obedience; because what a Man doth out of Fear, he would not do; so that he acts with Aversation, and moves all along coun­ter to his own Inclinations, and hath not the joint Concurrence of his other Affecti­ons as he hath when he acts out of Love; and consequently his Passions thwarting and crossing one another, do retard and hin­der each others Motions. So that though the Motion of Fear doth finally prevail, yet it is so broken and weakned by the counter-motions of Inclination, that it can­not act us with that Spriteliness and Vigour as otherwise it would do: for whilst our Fear gives Wings to us, our Inclination hangs a Clog at our Heels, which wearies those Wings, and slackens and retards their [Page 29] Flight. Whereas, on the contrary, when we are acted by Love, there is no Counter-motion within to let and hinder us, but all our Passions unite and conspire, and like the inferior Orbs of Heaven move harmoni­ously with Love the first Great-mover, be­cause there is nothing within to check or allay it, and so we move on freely secundo flumine, with the full and uninterrupted Cur­rent of our Natures. So that Love, you see, is a most active and vigorous Soul; it makes us all Life, and Spirit, and Wing, and animates our Religion with such a spritely Flame, as nothing is able to con­troul or suppress. If therefore we were but once throughly informed with the Love of God, this would so enliven us, that there is nothing in Religion would be too hard for us; this would turn Toils into Recreations, and Difficulties into Pleasures, and make us so nimble and agile in our Obedience, that we should run the ways of Gods Com­mandments, as David said he would do, when God should enlarge his heart with the love of him, Psal. cxix.32. And whereas lan­guid Souls, enfeebled with the want of this generous Passion, find Impossibilities, and complain of Impotencies, and make a stop; we should go on and conquer with an in­vincible Power. Thus Love, you see, is [Page 30] the most spritely and vigorous Principle of Obedience.

3. Love renders our Obedience free and chearful and voluntary. He who obeys God only from a Principle of Fear, obeys him against his Will; he takes down his Duty as sick Men do Physick, with Loathing and Reluctancy, and only submits to it as a more tolerable Penance than the present Hor­ror that he feels, and the after-Damnation that he fears; he only chuses it as the least of two Evils, that is, as a Thing that he hates, though not in so great a Degree as he doth those greater Evils which he knows are inseparable to his not chusing it: And while it is thus with him, it is impossible he should obey with any Freedom or Ala­crity. For how can a Man chearfully com­ply with what he hates, or become a Volun­teer to that which is his Torment? He may labour indeed at his Duty, and tug hard, like a Gally-slave, at the Oar, but alas! 'tis sore against his Will; he would fain be at his Lust again, but that he is chained to his Duty, and kept in Awe by that flaming Scourge that is held over him; so that he is perfectly pressed to serve God, and like an unwilling Victim is dragged to his Al­tars. Now though this may be a good Be­ginning of Religion, which through the [Page 31] Passion of Fear doth usually make its first Entrance into the Soul, yet if it stop here, and doth not pass forwards into Love, it is but half way, and will never be able to obtain an entire Possession. For whilst we obey God meerly out of Fear, we want one half of our Religion, and that is Love, which is that Half too wherein the Subje­ction of our Souls to God consisteth; for while we only fear him, that may constrain us to an eternal Homage and Obedience; but 'tis Love alone that can inthrone him in our Wills, and make us Volunteers in his Service. But when once this divine Fire is inkindled within our Breasts, it will by Degrees melt away all our secret Repug­nancies and Aversations to our Duty, and so mould and temper our Wills to the Will of God, that at last our Obedience will be no longer a Burthen to us, but we shall run to our Duty with the same Compla­cency and Delight, as we do now to our Pleasures and Recreations, and do the Will of our Father upon Earth as it is done by our Brethren in Heaven; who being all in­flamed with Love to him, do find a Hea­ven of Joys in serving and adoring him. For if we did heartily love God, 'tis im­possible but we should feel a Pleasure in pleasing him; our Wills would so sympa­thize [Page 32] with his, that we should feel his Joys and taste his Pleasures; and those Things only would be irksom and ungrateful to us, which we know do grieve and distaste him. For Love turns Service into Wages, and pays her self with the Pleasures of plea­sing; she counts all Commands Favours, and is highly satisfied with the Honour of obeying; and if she can but accomplish the Pleasure of her Beloved, she thinks her self wholly recompensed for all her tedious Toils and Labours. And certainly if our Souls were but inspired with any considera­ble Degrees of this Heavenly Passion, we should find such Pleasure in pleasing God, as would for ever engage us to serve him; for then every Service that we rendred him would be a free Sally of an enamoured Will, and so our Hearts would be wrapp'd up in every Duty, and our Souls would still be ascending Heavenwards, like the An­gel that appeared to Manoah, in the Flames of all our Sacrifices. So that this Excel­lency also Love hath above all other Prin­ciples of Obedience, that it renders our Obedience most free, most chearful, and voluntary.

4. And lastly, Love renders our Obedi­ence constant and steady. When a Man's Religion is only animated with Fear, as it [Page 33] is weak and languid while it lives, so it ge­nerally hastens to an untimely Period. For Fear is a Passion so burthensom to humane Nature, that we cannot but desire to quit and discharge our selves of it as soon as pos­sible may be; and accordingly the Apostle tells us, that there is torment in Fear, 1 Joh. 4.18. for it separates the Soul from the En­joyment of her self, and gives such an un­grateful Tang to all her Pleasures, that she can find no Rest or Satisfaction in any Thing so long as she is haunted with it. Now when that which is the Principle of our Re­ligion is a Burthen to us, we cannot but en­deavour, if possible, to ease our selves of it; which we cannot otherwise do, but either by going forwards to Love, or by returning back again to sinful Presumption. For as for Fear, it is like the Wilderness through which Israel passed, a Place where there is no abi­ding with Content and Satisfaction; so that we must go back again into Egypt, or forwards to Canaan, or be content to sit down in Mi­sery and Disquiet. For we can never be at Rest, till our Fear is either sweetned with an Intermixture of Love, or stifled with vain Hopes and ungrounded Presumptions: And there being so many Arts of Self-deceiving in the World, and skinning over the Wounds of Conscience, if Men do not speedily cure [Page 34] their Fear by Love, they will soon find some other Way to extinguish it; either they will promise their Consciences a future Amend­ment, or else they will presently amend by Halves, or else they will take Sanctuary in some false Notions in Religion, that tend to secure them in their Sins, and render them quietly wicked: These or some other Ways they will find to quit themselves of this trou­blesome Passion; and then when the Weights of their Fear are down, the Wheels of their Religion will stand still immediately. So that you plainly see, that bare Fear can ne­ver be a lasting and steady Principle of Reli­gion; and that because it is so troublesome, that Men will not long have the Patience to endure it.

But as for Love, that is naturally a most sweet and grateful Passion; it sooths and ra­vishes the Heart, and puts the Spirits into a brisk and generous Motion; and so long as it continues pure Love, is always attended with Joy and Pleasure: And being so in it self, it is much more so when it is terminated upon God. For all the Disquietudes of Love arise from the Imperfections of its Object; either the Person beloved is coy and cruel, which im­bitters the Love with Sorrow and Regret; or else he is fickle and inconstant, which in­flames it with Rage and Jealousy. But when [Page 35] our Love fixes upon God, it hath neither of these Causes of Disturbance; for he is infi­nitely loving unto all that love him, and he never changes the Objects of his Love, un­less they change, and prove fickle and uncon­stant in their Affection to him. For whilst he hath the same Reason to love, his Love is always the same, and is as constant and im­mutable as his Being. So that in the Love of God there is no Reason for any of those Griefs and Jealousies that are so commonly inter­mingled with carnal Loves and Affections; for it being fixed upon an Object that doth so well deserve, and will so amply requite it, it can find nothing there but infinite Causes of Pleasure and Complacency: For the Ob­ject of our Love being infinitely lovely, and infinitely loving, the Affection must needs be unspeakably pleasing and grateful. So that the Love of God, you see, must needs be sweet and serene, and productive of the most delightful and ravishing Emotions, there be­ing nothing in him but what tends to its greatest Content and Satisfaction; and being so, it must necessarily prove a most lasting Principle of Obedience to him; because wheresoever it is, it is always attend­ed with such substantial Pleasures and De­lights, that there can be no Temptation to extinguish it; for so long as we feel no­thing [Page 36] in it but what is highly grateful to our Natures, we shall be so far from using Arts to quit our selves of it, that we shall think it our greatest Interest to promote and increase it. For still the more we love him, the better we shall be pleased; and the better we are pleased, the more we shall endeavour to love him: And so our Pleasure and our Love will mutually provoke and augment one another, till both are arrived to the utmost Height of their Perfection. Thus the Love of God, you see, is a lasting Principle; 'tis a Fire that can live upon the Fuel which it self creates; and maintain it self for ever in Strength and Vigour, by feeding upon the Joys and Plea­sures which it produces: So that if this be the Principle upon which we do obey, our Reli­gion must needs be lasting and steady; be­cause it is acted and animated by a Principle that is so.

Having thus demonstrated the Proposition in the Text, That wheresoever the Love of God is, it will express it self in Obedience to his Will; I shall now conclude the whole with some practical Inferences.

1. From hence I infer, how necessary it is to the very Being of Religion, to keep up good Thoughts of God in the World; because without such, Men will never be able to love him; and without Love, they will never be [Page 37] reduced to a through Submission to his hea­venly Will. For it is by Love alone that God reigns in our Hearts, and doth both ac­quire and preserve the Empire of our Souls. We may be awed into a forced and fawning Submission, meerly by the Dread and Terror of his Power, and be obliged to serve him, as the Indians do the Devil, for fear he should do us a Mischief, and tear us in pieces; but this is meerly the Religion of Slaves, who are forced to undergo one Evil for fear of another, and to do what they hate for fear of suffering what they cannot endure. And as Slaves do generally hate those whom they fear, and even whilst they are fawning and cringing to their imperious Masters, had much rather cut their Throats if they could do it with safety; so when Men are acted in their Obe­dience to God meerly by a slavish Dread of his Vengeance, they generally hate him whilst they obey him; and if it were in their power, would rather ungod him, and pull him down from his Throne, than render him those Homages which they dare not with-hold. Now is it possible, that he who knows the Hearts of Men, and sees the in­most Workings of their Minds, should ever be pleased with such a base and sordid Religi­on; a Religion that is conjoyned with such an inveterate Hatred to his Person and Go­vernment, [Page 38] and restrains Men only by the Fear of Punishment from flying in his Face; a Religion that is wholly founded in Passion, that causes us to hate him, as well as to fawn upon him; that carries in it a secret Antipathy to his Nature and his Laws, and would much rather vent it self in an open Rebellion, than in a forced Submission, had it but Power enough to defend it self from his Fury? And yet this is the best Religion that Mankind is capable of without the Love of God. So that if ever we intend to keep up a generous Religion in our Souls, such as becomes free-born Minds to offer to the great Sovereign of the World; we must be sure to purge out all those sower and rigid Noti­ons of God that represent him any ways un­lovely to us.

2 ly. Hence I infer, how miserably those Men are mistaken, that make any Thing a Sign of their Love to God, but what tends to their keeping his Commandments. There are too many Persons that are apt to measure their Affection to God and Christ by the meer Impressions of sensitive Passion, because up­on some moving and affecting Representati­ons of those amiable Objects, they feel in themselves the same sensitive Emotions as they are wont to do when they fall in Love with other Things; that is, if they feel their [Page 39] Spirits soothing and ravishing their Hearts, and their Hearts diffusing and opening them­selves to let in those soft and amorous Spirits, they conclude themselves presently infinite­ly in love with God, and with their Saviour: Whereas many times all this is meerly the Effect of an amorous Complection, tinctured and inflamed with Religious Ideas, and is commonly as remote from the Virtue of Love, as Light is from Darkness, or Heaven from Hell. For as there are many Men who are sincerely good, that yet cannot raise their sensitive Passions in their Religious Exercises; that are heartily sorry for their Sins, and yet cannot weep for them; and do entirely love God, and delight in his Service, and yet can­not move their Blood and Spirits into the ravishing Passions of sensitive Love and Joy: So on the other hand there are many gross Hypocrites that have not one Dram of true Piety in them, who yet in their Religious Exercises can put themselves into wonderous Transports of bodily Passion; who can pour out their Confessions in Floods of Tears, and cause their Hearts to dilate into Rap­tures of sensitive Love, and their Spirits to tickle them into Extasies of Joy. Which is purely to be resolved into the different Tem­pers of Mens Bodies; some Tempers being naturally so calm and sedate, as that they are [Page 40] scarce capable of being disturbed into a Passion; others again so soft and tender, and impressible, that the most frivolous Fancy is able to raise a Commotion in them. And hence we see that some People can weep most heartily at the Misfortunes of Lovers in Plays and Romances, and as heartily rejoyce at their good Successes, though they know that both are but Fictions and mere Ideas of Fancy; whereas others can scarce shed a Tear, or raise a sensitive Joy at the real Calamities or Prosperities of a Friend, whom yet they love a great deal better than others can be suppo­sed to do their feigned and Romantick He­ro's. And yet because of these sensitive Tran­sports which Men do sometimes feel in them­selves, when their Fancies have been chafed a while with a pathetical Description of God, they presently vote themselves his Friends and Lovers; whereas in Truth, that which commonly moves their Affection, is not any thing real either in God or in Christ; but some sensual Beauty attributed to them in fanciful Descriptions, that smites their car­nalized Fancies. For generally we find that it is a Metaphorical God and Christ that such Men fall in love with; they set up an Idol of God and Christ in their Fancies, and dress it in such carnal Metaphors and Allusions, as their sensual Minds are most apt to be taken [Page 41] with; and then imagin that it smiles on them, and kisses and caresses them, with all the pretty endearments of a doating Lover; whereupon they grow so extreamly fond of it, that they are not able to forbear hugging and dandling it: But alas poor Men! they hug the Cloud instead of the Godess; and while they think they have God and Christ in their Arms, embrace nothing but a Specter of their own Fancies: For let but any other Person, though it were only the Hero of a Romance, or the Lover of a Play, be but de­scribed to them in the same Language, and the same glistering Allusions, and they shall experience in themselves the same Passion for them as they have for their God and their Saviour. Thus in the Roman Nunne­ries and Monasteries we generally find the Monks fall in Love with the Virgin Mary, whilst the Nuns are all enamoured with Jesus Christ; that is, they chuse the Objects of their Love according to the different In­clinations of their Sexes; and the Reason why they chuse so differently, is no other than this, that they both frame to them­selves such different carnal Ideas of the diffe­rent Objects of their Love, as are most suit­able and agreeable to their carnal Inclinati­ons; but very commonly neither the Monk loves the Virgin Mary, nor the Nun, Jesus [Page 42] Christ; but they both meerly doat upon the different Images of their own Fancies; which do not at all represent those divine Beauties for which those sacred Persons do so well deserve to be beloved. And thus it is too commonly among our selves, when yet we pretend to be zealous Lovers of God. Wherefore unless we have a mind to deceive our selves, let us no longer depend on such fallacious Evidences as these; but let us try our Love of God by his own Touch-stone; and that is our Obedience to his heavenly Will. If any man love me, saith our Savi­our, he will keep my Words, Jo. xiv.23. and ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I com­mand you; for this, saith St. John, is Love, that ye walk after his Commandments, Eph. ii.6. For the Love of God and of Christ being a rational Love, is only to be valued by those rational Effects it produces in us; if it trans­form us into the Image of God, and makes us love what he loves, and hate what he hates; these are much more certain Indica­tions of our Love to him, than the most ra­vishing Effects of sensitive Passion. For though our Hearts were melted into a Trans­port and Fondness to him, yet so long as our Hearts and our Practices are incomply­ant to his Will and Laws, he will look up­on us, and deal with us as Hypocrites and [Page 43] Enemies; and esteem all our sensitive Fond­nesses towards him, but as the base Flatteries of Judas; who kissed him, and then betrayed him.

3 ly. Hence I infer, what the great Rea­son is why God doth so strictly enjoyn us to love him. For there is no Command what­soever so often repeated in Scripture, as this of loving God; Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul: What doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to love him? O love the Lord all ye his Saints! Take heed therefore to your selves that ye love the Lord your God. These, and a world of other reiterated Injunctions of Love, do we meet with in the Sacred Pages. But how comes this to pass? Doth God need our Love, that he so importunately calls for it? Or doth it contribute any thing to his Happiness, to see himself beloved by all this great World of Beings; which he hath made, and which he hath endued with the Capacity of loving him? No, no; though doubtless the best Thing we can give him is our Love, yet he is too happy in himself to need any thing of ours: For he is a bottom­less Fountain of Happiness, circumscribing all those Blisses that he can need or desire within the boundless Circle of his own Being. Or doth he court our Love meerly that he [Page 44] may glory in the Number of his Lovers, and pride himself in those infinite Flames that concenter in him? No, nor this neither; for he is so infinitely glorious in himself, that no Act of ours can either add to, or substract from his Glory; which amidst all the Halle­lujahs of Angels and Saints, and all the Blas­phemies of Men and Devils, shines with the same unvaried Splendour and Brightness; and is neither diminished by our Hatred, nor improved by our Love. Well then, if nei­ther of these be the Reason, what is it? 'Tis true, the Thing is infinitely reasonable in it self, That he who is so lovely in himself, should be beloved; and that all our Affecti­ons should be united in him, who is the Fountain of all our Beings and Well-Beings: And God who is the Author of our reasonable Faculties, cannot but desire that we should act reasonably; and love that best, which best deserves to be beloved. But is there not some particular End for which God doth so earnestly crave and exact our Love? Yes, doubtless there is; and such as is every way worthy of him that hath proposed it. For it cannot be supposed that a Being infinitely wise, should ever act without End or Aim; but God being infinitely happy, cannot be sup­posed to propose any End for his own Ad­vantage; because that would imply, that [Page 45] he wants or desires some Good that he hath not; and consequently, that he is not hap­py. But then he being infinitely good as well as happy, we cannot imagin what other End he should have of his Actions, but only to do good to his Creatures, and promote their Happiness; and consequently, the End and Reason for which he doth so im­portunately demand our Love, is not to add any Thing to himself, but to do good to us; for our goodness extendeth not to God, as the Psalmist tells us, xvi.2. And though the Love of God be a very great Perfection to our Natures, yet Job tells us, that it is no gain at all to God, that we make our ways perfect, Job xxii.3. But though it is none to God, yet it is an infinite Gain to our selves; and that is the End and Reason for which he requires it: For, as I have already shew'd you, of all the Principles of our Obedience to God, Love is the most pregnant and fruit­ful. Now God requires us to obey him for our own Good, he having enjoyned us nothing but what tends to the Perfection and Happiness of our Natures; and he re­quires us to love him, that so we may the more intirely and perfectly obey him; and thereby more speedily arrive to that Happi­ness for which his infinite Goodness hath de­signed us. So that all the profit both of our [Page 46] Love and Obedience, accrues to our selves; 'tis we only that reap the Fruit of our own Virtues; we only that are exalted by those Homages that we render to our Maker; for he is as happy without our Love, as he is with it; and all those united Flames of Angels and Saints that meet and concenter in him, add not one spark to the infinite Element of his Happiness; which were not infinite, could it admit of Increase: But the Lovers themselves are glorified by their Love; and because they are so, God requires and exacts it. For our Love being the great Soul of our Obedience, and our Obedience the ne­cessary Means of our Happiness, the Profit of both must necessarily redound to our selves: and 'tis we only that must be in­riched and glorified by them. For this Rea­son therefore God requires our Love, that it may be a living Principle to Obedience; and that being so, it might accelerate our Happi­ness; for he whose Love of God is but ar­rived to the Degree of a reigning Principle of Obedience, so as that his Obedience pro­ceeds more from his Love than from any other Passion, doth already border on the heavenly State, and is within the Confines of Perfection. For as for the Inhabitants of Heaven, they are all acted by pure Love; which makes their Obedience pure and per­fect: [Page 47] They see God face to face; and by their Sight are all inflamed with Love to him; and by their Love are winged with everlasting Vigour and Readiness to serve him; and all their Aversations to his Hea­venly Will being swallowed up in perfect Love, they not only obey without Mur­muring, but with infinite Ravishment and Pleasure; and never feel themselves more in Heaven, than while they are serving, praising, and adoring him. This is the happy State of those heavenly Lovers; and to this we are approaching with full Speed, while we obey from a Principle of Love: For Love will carry us on with Wind and Tide, from one Degree of Perfection to another; and whilst poor slavish Souls that are acted mainly by their Fears, are faign to tug at the Oar, and yet creep on but slowly, and by insensible Degrees; we shall run forwards with Ease and Speed; and get more ground at one stroak, than they can in twenty. For in one good Action performed out of Love, there is more Virtue and Good­ness, than in a hundred of those whereunto we are dragged by our own Fears and Terrors; because as the Degrees of Evil, so the Degrees of Good in all Actions, are to be measured by the Degrees of Will that are in them; and doubtless in those good Acti­ons, [Page 48] that have Love for their Principle, there is much more of Will than in those that proceed from Fear and Terror; and consequently, our Nature being perfected by good Actions, and more or less perfected by them, the more or less of Goodness they have in them, must needs be much more perfected by the good Actions of Love, than by those of Fear. Whilst therefore we are acted in Religion by the Love of God, our Souls are upon the Wing to Perfection, and in a swift Tendency to the heavenly State; we are already in the Neighbourhood of glorified Saints and Angels; and if we con­tinue our Course, shall soon be fit for their Society and Converse. This therefore is the great End and Reason why God doth so importunately claim our Love, because this of all others is the most perfective Principle of our Natures, and consequently the most conducive to our Happiness.

4 ly. And lastly, from hence I infer, of what vast Importance it is to us in Religion, to love God. For you plainly see, that Love is not only a Principle of Obedience, but that of all others it is the most efficacious and ope­rative; that it doth not only engage us to keep God's Commandments, but that it enables us to keep them most universally, and vigorously, and chearfully, and con­stantly. [Page 49] So that what the Apostle saith of brotherly Love, is more universally true of the Love of God, that it is the keeping of the whole Law, Rom. xiii.10. that is, causally and virtually it is. For so Love is that universal Cause which within its fruitful Womb contains all the Particulars of our Obedience, and is naturally productive of them all; So that virtually it is all Religion; it is Godliness, and Temperance, and Charity, and Humility, and Righteousness, and Pati­ence; being the common Cause and Parent of them all. For Love hath an universal Respect to the Will of the Beloved; it doth not chuse what is easie and refuse what is hard, but likes what God likes, and disapproves of what he hates; his Will being the great Reason of all its Choices and Refusals: And whatsoever things in particular are distastful and difficult to us, by its powerful Oratory it renders pleasant and easie. For he that serves God out of Love, serves him with Delight; and he that serves him with De­light, hath no Clog to incumber him; none of those Aversations and Antipathies to his Service; that do so load and depress unwilling Minds; he doth not row against the Cur­rent of Nature, but acts with the full Incli­nation of his Mind, and so feels little or no­thing of Drudgery in his Religion; and be­ing [Page 50] carried on with a full Tide of Delight, he goes easily and chearfully down with the Stream. Of such vast Importance is the Love of God to our Religion, that it not only produces it, but renders it easie and pleasant; so that without some Degree of this, our Religion can have neither Being nor Well-being; and it is as possible for us to live without a Soul, and to be nourished with­out Food, as it is for our Religion to be, and to thrive without the Love of God.

Wherefore if ever we would be Religious indeed, if ever we would connaturalize Re­ligion to our Souls, so as to render it easie and delightsome to us; let us endeavour to kindle this heavenly Fire within us; and certainly if we heartily endeavour it, we cannot fa [...] of success. For there are so many mighty Reasons to engage us to the Love of God, so many invincible Attractions in his Na­ture, and in his Love towards us, as cannot but affect us if we seriously ponder and con­sider them. For how can I reflect upon that amiable Nature of his, in which there is an harmonious Concurrence of all Beauties and Perfections; where Wisdom and Good­ness, Justice and Mercy, and every lovely Thing that can claim or deserve a rational Affection, are contempered together in their utmost Degrees of Perfection? How I say, [Page 51] can I steadily reflect upon such a Nature as this, without being charmed and captivated with the Love of it? How can I think of that stupendous Love which he hath expressed towards me, in giving me my Being, and all the Blessings I enjoy; in preparing a Hea­ven of immortal Joys for me, and sending his Son from thence to conduct me thither, without being all inflamed with Love to him? Wherefore let us seriously set our selves to the Contemplation of God, of the Loveliness of his Nature, and of his infinite Kindness to us and all his Creation. Let us repeat the Thoughts of these Things upon our Minds, and never give over pressing our selves with those infinite Reasons we have to love him, till we feel the heavenly Fire be­gin to kindle within our Breasts; and then let us never give over feeding and blowing it with these divine Considerations, till it rise up into a triumphant Flame. And then we shall feel our selves animated with a new Soul, and inspired with so much Life and Activity in Religion, as that from our Expe­rience we shall be able to subscribe to the Truth of the Text, This is the Love of God, this the most natural Expression and insepa­rable Effect of it, That we keep his Command­ments.

I Proceed now to the next Part of the Text, viz. the Motive by which this obedient Love of God is enforced; and his Commandments are not grievous: [...], they are not heavy, or burthen­some; they have no such Weight or Diffi­culty in them, as ought in reason to discou­rage us from keeping them. For in these Words the Apostle seems to anticipate an Ob­jection; alas if this be the Love of God to keep his Commandments, what Man is able to love him? for if his Commandments are not absolutely impossible, yet are they at least so extremely difficult, that scarce any Man can have the Courage to undertake the Performance of them. This, saith our Apostle, is a mighty Mistake, or a wretched Pretence for Mens Sloth and Idleness; for verily and truly the Commands of God have no such Difficulty in them, but are in them­selves very gentle and easie to be born. And with this Assertion our blessed Saviour doth [Page 53] most perfectly accord, Mat. xi.30. My yoke is easie, and my burthen is light. And the Prophet David makes it not only easie, but delightful, Psal. xix.8. The Statutes of the Lord are right, rejoycing the heart; the Com­mandments of the Lord are pure, enlightning the eyes. And then in the 10 th Verse he tells us, that they are more to be desired than gold, yea than much fine gold; and sweeter than ho­ney, or the honey-comb. So far they are from being Toils and Burthens, that in Reality they are Pleasures and Recreations. But farther to demonstrate this Truth to you, That God's Commands are not burthensome and difficult, I shall do these two things.

• I. Shew you that they are facile and easie in themselves.
• II. That Christ by what he hath done, hath rendred them much more facile than they are in themselves.

I. That the Commands of God are facile and easie in themselves: And this will evi­dently appear if we consider,

• 1. That whatsoever they enjoyn hath some natural Good appendent to it.
• 2. That every Thing which they enjoyn is highly agreeable to our reasonable Na­tures.
• 3. That They are all perfective of our Natures, and conducive to our Happi­ness.
• [Page 54]4. That in themselves they are plain and simple, and direct, and have no Intrica­cies or Labyrinths in them.
• 5. That they are all so inseparably con­nected to one another, that they mutu­ally promote and help forwards each other.

1. That whatsoever they enjoyn hath some natural Good inseparably appendent to it, to sweeten and endear it. The great and wise First-Mover hath so ordered Things in the Course of Motion which he hath esta­blished, that such and such Actions should be ordinarily attended with such and such Effects and Consequents; and this is one great Way by which he hath signified to the World his Dislike or Approbation of humane Actions by the Effects and Consequents which he hath chained and annexed to them. If in the Course of Things which he hath esta­blished, such an Action be ordinarily attend­ed with a good Effect, he thereby signifies his Approbation of it, and declares that it is his Will and Pleasure that we should do and persevere in doing it: But if the Con­sequents which in the Course of Nature are ordinarily linked to such an Action are evil and hurtful, he thereby declares his Dislike and Abhorrence of it; and that it is his Will and Pleasure that we should carefully and [Page 55] constantly avoid it. For the great Author of our Beings hath so framed our Natures, and placed us in such Circumstances and Re­lations, that there is nothing vicious but is also injurious to us; nothing virtuous but is advantagious; and in this the Good and Evil of all humane Virtues and Vices do consist; and 'tis purely for this Reason, why he for­bids the one and commands the other; be­cause he is our Friend, and would not have us neglect any Thing that tends to our Good, nor do any Thing that is hurtful and inju­rious to us; and because he knows that while we are thus framed, and do continue in these Circumstances and Relations, it is impossible but Virtue should be an Advan­tage, and Vice a Mischief to our Natures. And indeed the great Sanction of the Law of Nature, is nothing else but that natural Good and Evil which is ordinarily conse­quent to the Actions which it commands and forbids. For when God had no other­wise revealed himself to the World than only by the established Course and Nature of Things, that was the only Bible where­by Mankind could be instructed in his Will and Pleasure; and there being no Threats or Promises antecedently annexed unto bad and good Actions, his Will and Pleasure con­cerning our doing or avoiding them, was [Page 56] only visible in those good or bad Effects and Consequences, which in the Course of Na­ture he had made necessary to them. And indeed the Moral Good and Evil of all Acti­ons, is finally to be resolved into the natural Good and Evil that is appendent to them; for therefore our Actions are morally good, because they are naturally beneficial to us; and therefore are they morally evil, because they are naturally prejudicial and hurtful; and those that are neither of these, are in­different Actions; and stand in the middle between Good and Evil. And indeed this Distinction of Actions by their Effects and Consequents, is in most Particulars so plain and sensible, that all the World hath taken Notice of it: For whereas all good Actions have an apparent Tendency either to the Publick Good, wherein our own Private is involved, or to our own animal and sensitive Good, our Quiet, and Health, and Reputa­tion, and Prosperity; or to the Perfection of our rational Natures, and the sovereign Plea­sure and Happiness of our Minds; all bad Actions tend directly contrary, either to the Damage and Ruine of the Publick-Weal, or to the Hurt and Prejudice of our animal and sensitive Felicity; to the diseasing of our Bodies, the staining our Names, or the im­poverishing our Estates; or to the defacing [Page 57] and blemishing the Beauty of our rational Natures, and the Interruption and Distur­bance of all the Pleasures and Felicities of our Minds. And this Distinction of good and evil Actions is so immutably fixed in the Nature of Things, that it can never be obliterated, until God wholly alters the Course of his Creation, and impresses quite contrary Laws of Motion on it. For so long as we continue what we are in the same Nature and Circumstances, and Relations to God and one another, Righteousness and Godliness, Humility and universal Love must necessarily be good for us; and their Con­traries bad and destructive to our Happiness.

Now this wise and excellent Constitution of Things doth very much tend to the faci­litating of Virtue and Goodness to us. For when Things are so constituted that it is be­come our Interest as well as our Duty to pursue Virtue and eschew Vice; when that which distinguishes our Duty from our Sin, is the good that it doth us, and the apparent Tendency it hath to our Happiness; this, if we love our selves, must needs very much endear and recommend it to us: For now we serve our selves in serving our Maker, the substance of all whose Injunctions is no more than this, that we should pursue our own Happiness by doing all those Things [Page 58] which are necessary thereunto. I confess had he made those Actions which are our Sins to be our Duty, we had then some Reason to complain; for then we should have been bound in pure Obedience to God to damnify our selves; and like the wretched Priests of Baal, to cut and slash our own Bo­dies and Souls meerly to humour and gratify the Divinity whom we adore; then in o­beying him we must have acted our own Tra­gedy, and made our selves miserable in pure Loyalty to our Maker. For there is such an inseparable Bane clings to all vicious Acti­ons as necessarily renders them destructive and venomous; and we may as soon clip off the Sun-beams with a Pair of Scissers, as se­parate Vice from its mischievous Conse­quences. But now when the Sum of all that God requires of us is to be good to our selves, and Friends to our own Happiness; to do what is beneficial, and avoid what is hurtful to us; when every Command of his is an Instance of his Love to us, and exacts nothing of us but what we would have done of our own Accord, had we but known what is good for us as well as he; and loved our selves as well as he loves us: In a word, when at the End of every good Action there stands some natural Good beck­ning and inviting us to it; and at the End [Page 59] of every bad One some natural Evil to warn and affright us from coming at it; so that we cannot run from any Duty into any Sin, without leaving a Benefit for a Mischief, and leaping out of some Degree of Happiness into some Degree of Misery: When things I say are thus, as it is apparent they are, with what Conscience can we complain that our Duty is burthensome and uneasie? This therefore is one great Reason why God's Commands cannot be grievous, because they require nothing but what is beneficial, and forbid nothing but what is hurtful and inju­rious to us. And sure no Man can have Rea­son to complain, that is forbid Poyson, and commanded to eat nothing but what is whol­some and nourishing.

2 ly. Another Thing that facilitates the Commands of God is this, That they are highly agreeable to our reasonable Natures. And hence the Apostle calls the whole of our Religion a reasonable Service, Rom. xii.1. And for the Truth of this I dare appeal to any considering Man in the World, whe­ther those Virtues which God hath enjoyned be not in their own Nature far more reason­able than any of the Contrary Vices; whe­ther (supposing there be a God that made and governs the World; and from whom we derive our Beings, and all the Blessings [Page 60] we enjoy or expect) it be not much more reasonable in the Nature of the Thing, that we should worship and revere, and love and honour, and obey him, than that we should neglect and despise, blaspheme and rebel against him; or whether we can behave our selves so unworthily to One that hath deserved so well at our hands, without doing the great­est Violence to our own Reason; whether since we are all of us reasonable Beings, and our Reason is the noblest Ingredient of our Natures, it doth not much better become us to subject our blind Passions and Appe­tites, to those eternal Rules of Temperance which Right Reason prescribes, than to let loose the Reins to them, and suffer them to run headlong into all Excesses and Riots; whether since we are incorporated into the great Society of Mankind, it be not much more conducive to the Good of the Whole to behave our selves justly and honestly, chari­tably and obliging one towards another, than to defraud and oppress, malign and persecute one another. I dare appeal to any Man that hath ever thought twice of these Matters, whether in point of Reasonableness, the Ad­vantage is not wholly on the side of Virtue; yea, and whether the opposite Vices compa­red with these Virtues, seem not as extrava­gant as the wildest Freaks of a Mad-man, [Page 61] compared with the wise Managements of a Minister of State. But I need not appeal to particular Men in this Matter, since all the reasonable World is agreed in the point, and the Men of all Ages and Nations, and Re­ligions, how much soever in other points they have dissented from one another, yet in this have still been unanimous, That Virtue is the wisest and most reasonable Thing in the World, and Vice the most absurd and irra­tional; and this not only in the general, but in all those particular Instances of Virtue and Vice which Christianity commands and for­bids. For excepting the two Sacraments, and believing in Jesus Christ, and the Ob­servation of the Lord's Day, which are the instituted Means of our Religion, there is nothing made Matter of Duty to us, but what all the wise World had long before pronounced most highly fit and reasonable.

This therefore must needs render the Commands of God very easie to us, that they do so perfectly agree with our reasonable Na­tures, and require nothing of us either to be done or avoided, but what the Reason of every wise Man would have obliged him to, whether God had commanded it or no. So that now to facilitate our Duty, we have the full Concurrence of our Reason, which upon due and impartial Consideration can­not [Page 62] but approve and recommend it to us as the most reasonable Thing in the World; and if it be so, how is it possible that it should be in its own Nature grievous? Is it so hard a Matter for Men to act like Men, and not to live their own Reverse and An­tipodes? Is it such a mighty Burthen to com­ply with the most genuine Inclinations of our Nature, and to swim with the full Tide and Current of our Reason, in obeying those Commands which are so far from offering any Violence to our Faculties, that they have their full Consent and Approbation? Let Men say and teach what they please, 'tis as apparent as the Sun, that the Difficul­ties of Religion commence not so much upon the Stock of Nature, as of Education and evil Habits and Customs; for in all other Instances, that which is natural is always fa­cile and easie; and if Reason be the Nature of a Man, Religion must be either natural or unreasonable. So that Religion disagrees with us upon no other Account, but only because we disagree with our selves; and it just so far crosses us, as we do the Current of our own rational Natures. We have sophisticated our Natures with the Intermixtures of sen­sual and devilish Habits, and they are these that the Commands of God do agrieve; and so 'tis not the Man that is so burthened with [Page 63] Religion, but 'tis either the Beast, or the De­vil that is in him.

3 ly. Another Thing that facilitates God's Commands is this, That they are mightily furthered and promoted by all the natural In­stincts and Passions of human Nature. There are certain Propensions in human Nature an­tecedent to all Reason and Discourse, that seem to be implanted in us by the wise Au­thor of our Beings, for no other End but on­ly to minister to Virtue and Religion; such in particular are Self-Love, the Love of Truth, and of Pleasure, Commiseration and Gratitude, and Affectation of Praise; all which do dis­cover themselves in us in our early Infancy, before we are capable of discoursing our selves into them. For even in young Infants you may observe a great Inclination to de­fend themselves, and to repel Injuries, which proceeds from the Principle of Self-love that is in them; a vehement Desire of what seems good to them, and a great Displeasure when they perceive themselves deceived; the la­ter of which must proceed from their Love of Truth, as the former from their Love of Goodness. Again, when they see a mise­rable Object, or one whom they think so, they presently bemoan it, and express by their Actions a very earnest Desire to de­fend and relieve it; which proceeds from [Page 64] that natural Commiseration that is in them. Again, as soon as they are able to distin­guish Faces and Persons, we see they ex­press the greatest Love and Fondness to those that tend and feed them, and do them most good; which is a plain Expression of their natural Gratitude. And as soon as they understand the Meaning of Words or Actions, they shew themselves highly pleased when they are commended and applauded, and much grieved and ashamed when they are derided and exposed; which plainly disco­vers their natural Affectation of Praise. These and such like Instincts and Propen­sions there are found in human Nature, which being well managed and improved by our Reason, prove excellent Instruments of Vir­tue and Religion; and do very much facili­tate and further our Practice of them. For this our natural Self-love being guided by our Reason, doth strongly incline us to serve and obey God, who being the most power­ful Agent in the World, can do us the great­est Good if we please him, and the greatest Hurt if we affront and provoke him; so that as we love our selves, it concerns us to use all reasonable Ways to endear and recon­cile our selves to him. Thus our natural Desire of Good, if conducted by our Reason, will incline us to do the best Actions, since [Page 65] from these the greatest Good will necessarily redound to us; and our Love of Truth by good Management may be easily improved into Honesty and Sincerity, and an univer­sal Abhorrence of Vice upon the Account of those notorious Cheats and Impostures that are in it. Thus also by the Bias of our na­tural Commiseration, we are strongly incli­ned to Charity and Beneficence, and univer­sal Love; and by its own innate Gratitude our Nature is propense to the Love of God, who is our Sovereign Benefactor; to honour and obey our Parents, and do all the Acts and Offices of a noble and generous Friendship. And to name no more, thus by our natural Affectation of Praise we are strongly incli­ned to do praise-worthy Things, and conse­quently to exercise our selves in all those ami­able Virtues, which by common Consent are lookt upon as the Graces and Ornaments of human Nature. Thus by all those Instincts that God hath implanted in our Natures, we are inclined to Virtue, and Obedience to his Will: And for this Reason chiefly hath he implanted them in us, because they are excellent Instruments of Religion, having in them such a natural Aptitude and Prone­ness to facilitate our Duty by inclining us to it, and to farther us in Holiness and Virtue. I confess, there are none of these Instincts [Page 66] but may be improved into Vices; nor is there any Thing so good, but what may be perverted to very bad Purposes: And if Men will abuse themselves, and willfully deboach the Instincts of their Nature, there is no Remedy for their Folly; and they must thank themselves when they feel the dismal Effects of it. But this I think is plain, that there are no Propensions in human Na­ture, but what are much more improvable into Virtue than into Vice; and if Men would but use themselves well, and as it becomes reasonable Creatures to do, they would doubtless find themselves very much farthered in their Duty by the natural In­stincts which God hath implanted within them. And this is a mighty Advantage on Virtues side, that it is thus aided and assist­ed with all the Instincts of our Natures; which like obedient Handmaids, are most readily inclined to execute its Commands, and minister to its Pleasure and Interest. How then is it possible that Religion in it self should be burthensome and grievous to us, when the Propensions of our Nature do so fairly comply with it, and it is helped for­wards and promoted by all their united Force and Influence? 'Tis difficult indeed for a Man to go against the Grain; but to act according to Nature, to follow our own [Page 67] Propensions, and to do what we are inclined to by natural Instinct, is doubtless the easiest Thing in the World.

4 ly. Another Thing that makes those Virtues which God Commands to be easie is this, that they are all so inseparably con­nected to one another, that they mutually promote and help forward each other; For all the Virtues are so mutually concatenated, that the stirring of any one Link moves the whole Chain. Thus for Instance, the true Knowledge of God naturally inflames the Soul with the Love of him; and then the Love of him insensibly transforms her into the Image of his beloved Goodness; for he that loves God must needs be inamoured with that divine Goodness which is the Root of his Love: And while he is ravished with the Sweetness of his Good Will, the Unde­servedness of his Grace, and the Clemency of his Pardon, an heavenly Spirit steals into his Soul, and he loves, and becomes like God so both at once, that like a Wedg of Steel, he is transformed into the Likeness of the Fire that heats him; and is all inflamed and inlightened at the same Moment. And as he burns with Love, so he resembles the Goodness that set him on Fire, and becomes pure as that is pure, and holy as that is holy, and just and merciful as that heavenly Origi­nal [Page 68] is which he copies and transcribes. Thus wheresoever the Love of God is, it hath all the god-like Virtues attending it; and that being the first Link in the heavenly Chain, whensoever it moves, it communicates Mo­tion to all the rest. For he that heartily loves God, will love those whom God loves; and so the Love of God will draw Brotherly-Charity after it; and he who loves those whom God loves, will be just and righteous in his Dealings and Deportment towards them; and so Brotherly-charity will draw Righteousness after it: And he that demeans himself justly and righteously towards others, will neither undervalue them, nor overvalue himself; and so Righteousness will draw Hu­mility after it: And he that doth not over­value himself, is fairly disposed to be sober in all his Passions; and so Humility draws Temperance and Sobriety, and Meekness after it. Thus one Virtue smoothens the Way to another, and makes it not only possible but easie; for there is such a near Neighbour­hood between these heavenly Sisters, that when we are arrived at one, we pass insen­sibly to the next; and so on by Degrees, till we are gone round with them all. For though there be not an immediate Depen­dence of every Virtue upon every one Vir­tue, so as to make it necessary for a Man to [Page 69] have all Virtues in every Moment that he hath one; for a Man may be charitable, and yet not presently humble; as he may be just, and yet not immediately temperate: Yet there is so near a Dependence between them, that one always disposes the Mind for an­other; this Virtue always makes way for its next Neighbour, and that for its next, and so on all around the whole Circle of Virtues. Thus Humility naturally disposes the Mind to Meekness, Meekness to Charity, Charity to Ju­stice, Justice to Devotion, (which is giving God his Due) and Devotion to Heavenly-minded­ness and Contempt of the World; and so all along there is a gentle and easie Transition from one to t' other. Now this must needs mightily facilitate the Virtues of Religion, that they are so nearly confederated to each other, and so do naturally contribute to each others Assistance. For whereas if it were not for this there would still be the same Dif­ficulty in practising the second Virtue as there is in practising the first, and in practi­sing the third as there is in practising the se­cond, and so every single Virtue would be equally difficult; now the main Difficulty lies in the first we begin with, for by pra­ctising of that we shall be so well disposed for the next, that afterwards we shall go on with much more Ease and Pleasure; for [Page 70] the first Virtue being set a going, like the First-moving Heaven, will communicate its Motion from Orb to Orb, from one Virtue to another, till the whole Sphere whirls round in an harmonious Order. Thus all the Vir­tues you see do naturally lighten and ease one another, and every one contributes some­thing to make every one more easie; so that had we but the Courage to begin to practise them, we should find they would every day grow more easie and easie to us, and that not only because we should be more and more Habituated to them, but be­cause they being mutually allyed to one an­other, the stronger they grow the more vi­gorously they must farther and promote each other.

5 ly. And lastly, Another Thing that makes the Virtues that God hath commanded us easie is this, that in themselves they are plain and simple and direct, and have no Intricacies or Labyrinths in them. As for Sin and Wickedness it is an inextricable Labyrinth, in which the further a Man goes the more he will perplex and lose himself; it is a bound­less Wilderness whose Paths do all thwart and cross one another. For all Vices consist in Extremes, and are either the Excesses or Defects of Virtue; so that there are two Vi­ces to one Virtue, and both are Extremes [Page 71] thwarting and running counter to one ano­ther. Now amidst this great Diversity and Contrariety of Vices the Sinner must needs be extremely amazed and distracted; for his Lusts are so infinite that he can see no End of them, they do so cross and interfere with each other that while he humours one he displeases another. For in gratifying his Sordidness he affronts his Pride, and in feed­ing his Covetousness starves his Sensuality; so that his wretched Soul wanders among in­finite Cross-ways, and is miserably distra­cted by its own contrary Desires, which, like Acteons Hounds, are continually wor­rying and tearing her in pieces. But all the Paths of Virtue lie strait forwards be­tween the vicious Extremes, and like Pa­rallel Lines do never interfere with one ano­ther; they never raise any contrary Desires, nor distract our Minds with inconsistent Pas­sions; but all their Motions are regular and uniform, conspiring with and promoting one another. For the Truth of it is, Virtue is all but one intire Thing, much like the Center of a Circle, which though many Lines are drawn from it round about, and it is look'd upon sometimes as the Term of this Line, and sometimes of that, yet it is one Term to them all, and is in it self undivided: So is Virtue but one intire Perfection, though [Page 72] it seem to be diversified in regard of the ma­ny Affections that it moderates, and the several Actions which it doth produce; And though its Precepts and Actions are many, yet they are all ordinated to one End, and in that they are united as well as in the Prin­ciple from whence they proceed. And up­on this Account there can be none of those perplexing Intricacies in the Paths of Virtue as are ordinarily found in the Ways of Sin, because they are all of them direct and strait, leading from one Principle to one and the same End; And the Principle and End of our Motion being one, 'tis impossible but our Designs, Desires and Pursuits should be simple and uniform; and consequently the whole Force of our Souls being bent one Way, we must needs proceed with more Alacrity and Ease than we can possibly do when 'tis divided and dispersed among so great a Multiplicity of Ends and Objects as Vice proposes to us. So that here is one great Advantage that Virtue hath above Vice in respect of Easiness, that whereas almost in every bad Action a Man hath a different End, now to satisfy this Lust, and anon the contrary; in every virtuous one his End is always the same; and whereas the former acts variously and inconsistently, and his Desires frequently clash and run a tilt at [Page 73] one another; the later always moves direct­ly and uniformly, by one and the same Rule towards one and the same End. And whereas many Vices are in themselves full of Intanglements, Virtue is always plain and open, and free. As for Instance, how do we perplex and intangle our selves by Lying and Knavery, consuming the Pleasure of our Lives within a winding Maze of little Tricks and intricate Contrivances? And what shameful Retreats and false Colours, what Fucus's and Daubings are we feign to use to avoid Contradiction and Discovery? Whereas were we but honest and sincere in our Professions and Actions, our Way would be open and easie, and uniform; wherein we might pursue all our Ends by the directest Means, and need never wander about in the Labyrinths of a mysterious Subtilty; where we may walk without blushing in the Sight of the Sun, and in the View of the World, and have no Occasion to skulk into Coverts and Retirements. And the same may be said of Ambition, and Covetousness, and Pride, and wandering Lust, Vices that are usually full of great Intreagues and Mysteries; whereas the Contrary Virtues are all plain and simple, and have nothing of Difficul­ty or Intricacy in them. This therefore is a great Advantage that Virtue hath in [Page 74] Respect of Ease, that it is plain and uni­form, and simple and direct. And so I have done with the first Thing proposed, which was to shew you that God's Com­mands in themselves are facile and easie. I now proceed

2. To the second Thing, which is to prove that our blessed Saviour by what he hath done, hath render'd them much more easie than they are in themselves. Now there are these Four Things which our Saviour hath contributed to the facilitating the Com­mands of God.

• 1. The Assistance of his Holy Spirit.
• 2. The Influence of his own Example.
• 3. The merciful Indulgence and Condes­cension of his Gospel to the Weakness and Infirmity of our Natures.
• 4 ly. The glorious Rewards he hath pro­mised us upon our sincere Obedience.

1. To the rendring of God's Commands easie, he hath contributed the Assistance of his Holy Spirit. For he hath promised to give his Holy Spirit unto every one that asks; and therefore though our Nature of it self be extremely weak, and not able of it self to stand under the easie Burthen of its Duty, if we will but struggle and do what we are able, he is engaged by promise not to suffer us to sink▪ For if by doing what we can, [Page 75] it is in our Power to engage him to enable us to do what we cannot, it is certainly in our Power to do all; for though in our own Strength we cannot do all, yet if we please, it may be in our Power to do more than all through him that will strengthen us, if we will but do what we can.

2 ly. To the rendring of God's Commands easie, he hath also contributed the Influence of his own most holy Example. For by his own most perfect Obedience to the Commands of his Father, he hath not only set us a Co­py to write after, but he hath also given us most convincing Evidence that our Obedi­ence is both possible and honourable. That it is possible we see by what he hath done, and it is certain that what hath been done may be done; that it is honourable we see by his doing of it; for certainly so great a Per­son as the Son of God, would never have stooped to an inglorious Obedience. So that the Example of our Saviour not only encou­rages our Obedience, but crowns and digni­fies it; and renders it a fit Object both of our Endeavour and Ambition: For by do­ing himself what he requires of us, he hath plainly demonstrated not only that it may be done, but also that it highly becomes us to do it. Thus the glorious Example of our Saviour whilst it directs our Obedience, doth [Page 76] at the same Time excite and encourage it. For he conversed among Men with a mo­dest Virtue, such as was suitable to an ordi­nary Course of life. His Piety was even, constant, and unblamable; complying with civil Society, and a secular Conversation. It broke not forth into high Transports and Seraphic Expressions; but was such as was both fit and easie for Mortals to imitate. His Virtue consisted not in prodigious Fastings, or high Abstractions from Sense, but in a life of Justice and Temperance, Humility and Charity, and Patience; that is, in such a Life as was not only proper, but possible for us to lead. And by this Means he hath transmitted to us the more of an imitable Virtue; for he did not out-run the Capaci­ties of Men in prodigious Expressions of San­ctity and Virtue; but complied with our Weakness, and kept pace with our Strength, that so he might entertain us all along with the Comforts of his Company, and the In­fluences of a perpetual Guide. And as that Rule of Faith which he hath propounded to us is fitted to our Understandings, be­ing very short, easie and intelligible; so the Copy of Manners which he hath set before us is not only fitted with Excellencies wor­thy, but also with Complyances possible to be imitated. And therefore how efficaci­ously [Page 77] must such a glorious Example contri­bute to the facilitating the Commands of God to us, since it doth not only point us to our Duty, but also excite us to perform it; and that both by its Condescension to our Strength and Capacity; and by the plain Demonstration it gives, that our Duty is both possible and honourable?

3 dly. To the rendring of God's Com­mands easie to us, our Saviour hath also con­tributed the merciful Indulgence and Con­descention of his Gospel to the Weakness and Imperfection of our Natures: For in his Gospel he hath mercifully considered our State, that we are but frail imperfect Crea­tures, that are very prone to act inconsider­ately, and to be ever and anon surprised in this great Hurry of Temptations; and there­fore in his holy Gospel he hath made Provisi­on for us accordingly, that is, he hath pro­portioned our Burthen to our Strength, and taken the Measure of our Duty by our Ca­pacities. For all that he hath required of us as the Condition of our eternal Salvation is only this, that we should honestly endeavour to understand what he commands and for­bids us, and that we should not live in the wilful Neglect of any known Duty, or in the wilful Commission of any known Sin; and if we do this he hath engaged himself to make [Page 78] such a merciful Abatement for our Infirmi­ties and Inadvertencies, and Follies and Sur­prises, that they shall never rise in Judg­ment against us so as to exclude us from eter­nal Happiness. So that now there can be nothing our Duty that is naturally impossi­ble, nothing necessary to our eternal Happi­ness that is morally impossible; that is, that cannot reasonably be expected from us, con­sidering our State and Circumstances; and what is neither of these cannot be supposed to be very grievous and burthensome. For unless we account it hard that we are not left at Liberty to be obstinate Rebels to our God and Saviour, and with an audacious Forehead to reject what they command, and pursue what they forbid, it is certain there can be no such Thing as a Burthen or Griev­ance in all our Religion.

4 thly. And lastly, To the rendring of God's Commands easie to us our Saviour hath contributed the Promise of a glorious Reward upon Condition of our sincere Obe­dience: And this is such a vast Contributi­on to the Ease of our Duty, as is sufficient to turn it all into Jubilee and Recreation. For when I seriously consider that after I have spent a few Moments here in the noble Exercises of a sincere Piety and Virtue, I shall be translated into a Region of immor­tal [Page 79] Pleasures, where, in the Society of my God and Saviour, of Angels and of blessed Spirits, I shall spend an Eternity in one con­tinued uninterrupted Act of rapturous Love and Joy and Pleasure; where, in a perfect Freedom from all the Arrogancies of Flesh and Blood, and from all the Vexations of an ill-natured World, I shall live as happily for ever as all the Joys of an everlasting Heaven can make me; in a word, where I shall have nothing else to do, but to converse with the most happy Lovers, and to bear a part in that ravishing Consort of Praises and Halelujahs, wherewith they laud and cele­brate the Fountain of all their Happiness: I say when I consider these Things, me­thinks I am enabled by those glorious Hopes and Expectations to scorn and despise all Difficulties, and, if need require, even to embrace the Flames of Martyrdom: But as for those gentle Toils of watching and pray­ing, of keeping a constant Guard upon my self and contending against the Stream of my own depraved Inclinations; Lord! how inconsiderable they appear to me; And how heartily do I pity those miserable crest-fallen Souls that tamely suffer themselves to be frighted out of Heaven by such harmless Scare-crows. Thus while I stand on the Tiptoes of my Hope, and see Heaven at my [Page 80] Journeys End, I over-look all Rubs and Hardships in my Way, and pass on trium­phantly without minding them. And in­deed when the Reward of our Obedience is so great, so infinitely transcending the De­sert of it, I am astonished to think that ever any reasonable Being should be so shameless and immodest, as to take any Notice of those trifling Difficulties that are in it: For with what Conscience can we account any Thing hard, the Reward whereof is a Crown of immortal Glory? How can our Voyage be troublesome, when our Port is the Indies of Pleasure? No, no; the Work can never be hard that hath Heaven for its Wages, the very Prospect whereof is enough to recon­cile us to all the Difficulties in the Way to it, and to carry us through them not only with Ease but with Triumph. For he that hath Heaven for his Haven must be infinitely peevish if he quarrels at a rough Sea, and doth nor bless the Storms and Winds that are driving him thither.

And thus I have proved to you at large that the Commands of God are not grievous, and that both because they are easie in their own Nature, and are made much more easie by our Blessed Lord and Saviour.

But after all that hath been said, I do foresee a material Objection that will be [Page 81] made against this Discourse, and that is this; That it contradicts the universal Experience of Mankind. For do not the Generality of those Men that have attempted a religious Life find by Experience a great deal of diffi­culty? Are they not forced to strive and wrastle with themselves, and to do the great­est Violence to their own Inclinations? Are they not forced to keep themselves under a severe Discipline, to pray earnestly, and watch diligently to prevent the Surprises and Incursions of those Temptations that continually way-lay them wheresoever they are, and whatsoever they are about? And do they not many times find the difficulties so great, as that they are quite beaten off and utterly disheartned by them?

All this I confess is very true, and may very well be so without any Prejudice to the Argument in hand; for we have not been discoursing of what Religion may acci­dentally be, but of what it really is in it self. The Light in it self is pleasant to the Eye, but yet it may accidentally be grievous if the Eye be sore or weak, and not able to en­dure its Splendor. And so Religion, though in its self extremely easie, yet it may and of­ten doth become accidentally difficult to us, by Reason of those sinful Prejudices against it which we do too often contract in the [Page 82] Course of a sinful Life But 'tis an unreason­able Thing for Men to measure the Easiness of God's Laws not by their own intrinsick Nature, but by the Reluctancy and Oppo­sition which they find in their own Hearts a­gainst them. For to a Man in a Fever e­very Thing is bitter, but yet the Bitterness is not in the Honey he tasts, but in the Gall that overflows his own Palate. And so to a vicious Man every Virtue is a Burthen, but the Burthensomness is not so much in the Virtue as in his own Repugnancy to bear it. For I have already proved at large that Re­ligion is every way agreeable to humane Na­ture, and therefore there can be no other Reason why it should not agree with us, un­less it be that we disagree with our selves. We spoil our own Natures and do degenerate from the humane Nature into the brutal or diabolical; and what wonder is it that the Religion of a Man should be a Burthen to the Nature of a Beast or a Devil? But if we would take but a little Pains to retrieve our selves and weed out those unnatural Habits with which our Nature is over-grown, we should find that our Religion and That would very well accord, and then that which is our Burthen would become our Recreation. I confess before this can be ac­complished, we must take a great deal of [Page 83] Pains with our selves; we must watch and pray, and strive and contend, and undergo the severe Discipline of a sorrowful Repentance, if ever we mean to recover our Natures a­gain. But for God's sake consider Sirs, there is now no Remedy for this, and you may thank your selves for it; for you must undergo great Difficulties, take which side you please. If you resolve to continue as you are, you must be most wretched Slaves to your own Lusts; you must tamely sub­mit to all their tyrannical Commands, and run and go on every Errand they send you; and though they countermand each other, and one sends you this Way, and another the quite contrary; though Sloth pulls you back, and Ambition thrusts you forwards, and Covetousness bids you save, and Sensuality bids you spend; though Pride bids you strut, and Flattery bids you cringe, and there is as great a Confusion in their Wills and Commands as there was in the Language of the Brick-layers of Babel; and though in such a Huddle of Inconsistencies you are fre­quently at your Wits end, and know not what to do, yet you must be contented to endure the Hurry, and if you cannot do all at once, you must do what you can; and when you have done so, 'tis a thousand to one but there will be as many of your Lusts [Page 84] dissatisfied as satisfied: And in the mean time while you are thus hurried about in the Crowd of your own sinful Desires, your wretched Conscience will ever and anon be alarming you with its ill-boding Horrors, and griping and twinging you with many an uneasie Reflection. Thus like miserable Gally-Slaves you must tug at the Oar, work against Wind and Tyde, and row through the Storms and Tempests of your own Con­science; and all this to run your selves upon a Rock, and invade your own Damnation. So that considering all, I dare say the Toil of being wicked is much more insupportable than that of a holy Life; and which is sad to consider, it hath no other Issue but eternal Ruin; for the wages of Sin, saith the Apostle, is death, Rom. vi.23. And methinks it should be very uncomfortable for a Man to work so hard for nothing but Misery, and even to earn his Damnation with the sweat of his Brows; especially considering, that the Toil and Drudgery of a sinful Life hath no End. For though Custom and Habit ren­ders all other Things easie, yet by accustom­ing our selves to do Evil, we add to our Toil and render those cruel Taskmasters, our Lusts, more tyrannical and imposing; for still the more we gratify them, the more craving they will be, and the more impati­ent [Page 85] of denyal, and so by working for them we shall but increase our own Toil, and still acquire new Degrees of Labour and Drudg­ery. But as for the main Difficulty of Re­ligion, it chiefly lies in the Entry to it; for there we must shake hands with all our dar­ling Lusts, and bid them adieu for ever; and to persuade our selves throughly to this is the main Difficulty of all; for then, to be sure, they will cling fastest about us, and use their utmost Oratory to stagger our Re­solution, and the old Love we have born them, and the dear Remembrance of the Pleasures which they have administred to us will make our Hearts relent and our Bowels yearn towards them. But if with all those mighty Arguments wherewith our Religion and our Reason furnishes us, and all those divine Assistances which we are en­couraged to ask, and if we do, are assured to obtain, we can but conquer our Reluctan­cies, and heartily persuade our selves to part with them; this is the sharpest Brunt in all our spiritual Warfare; for now if we do but keep the ground that we have gotten, and maintain our Resolution against the Temptations that assault it, our Lusts will every day grow weaker and weaker, and that Pleasure and Ease, that Tranquility of Mind and Peace of Conscience which we shall feel [Page 86] accruing to us out of the Discharge of our Duty, will by Degrees so indear and con­naturalize it to us, that at last it will be much harder for us to sin than to obey. Wherefore let us stand no longer, like naked Boys, shivering upon the Brinks of Religion, wishing that we were in, but afraid to ven­ture; but let us consider seriously, resolve sincerely, and then leap in boldly; and though at first we may find it difficult to swim a­gainst the Stream, and stem the Tyde of our own bad Inclinations; yet if we can but hold out couragiously a while, we shall feel the Current slacken by Degrees till the Tyde of Nature turn, and run the contrary Way; and then we shall be carried on with Ease and Delight, and swim chearfully and plea­santly down with the Stream. For when once we have conquered the bad Inclina­tions of our Nature, Religion will be a migh­ty Ease and Refreshment to us, and we shall feel a thousand times more Pleasure and Satisfaction in it than ever we did in all our sinful Enjoyments; so that then we shall find the Truth of the Text, and be able to pronounce from our own Experience, that God's Commandments are not grievous.

I Have already handled two of those four Topicks from whence I intended to demonstrate the Goodness of God, viz. his Nature, and the Works of his Crea­tion; of the First of which I discoursed, up­on the former Part of the Words: Thou art good. Of the Second upon the later; Thou dost good. But now because the Doings, or Operations of God include his Providence as well as his Creation, and God doth good in that as well as in this; no doubt but the Psalmist in these Words had a respect to the one as well as the other.

I proceed therefore to the Third Topick, from whence it doth most evidently appear, and that is his Providence. Thou dost good, i. e. thou dost good in the great Works of thy Providence, and thereby thou dost ma­nifest the Goodness of thy Nature, in that as thou didst create a World to great and good Purposes, so thou dost still continue to do good to it in upholding and governing it by a most gracious Providence. Now in the [Page 145] Managment of this Argument I shall do these two things.

• 1. Give you some general and comprehen­sive Instances of Gods doing good in the Works of his Providence.
• 2. That though there may be some Things in the World that to us seem to be very ill and hurtful, yet it is infinite­ly unreasonable for us to suspect the Goodness and Beneficence of the divine Providence.

First, I shall give you some general and comprehensive Instances of Gods doing good in the Works of his Providence; and they are these Four.

• 1. His upholding Things in that good Course and Order wherein he first cre­ated them, excepting only when the publick Good of his Creatures requires him to interpose.
• 2. His continuing Mankind under an aw­ful sense of Religion, notwithstanding the great Degeneracies of human Nature.
• 3. His supporting of Government in the World, notwithstanding the violent Tendency of our corrupt Nature to Anarchy and Confusion.
• 4. His contributing to the Invention and Improvement of all those useful Arts and Sciences that are in the World.

[Page 146]1. His upholding Things in that good Course and Order wherein he first created them, excepting only when the publick Good of his Creatures requires him to interpose. That that Order and Course of Things which God first established in his Creation was exceeding good and beneficial to it, I have proved at large in my former Dis­course; and that God still continues the same good Will to us is apparent, since he still continues things in the same beneficial Course and Order wherein he first created them. For we see the Heaven and the Ele­ments still as kind to us as ever; the Sun, Moon and Stars do still run the same Courses, and still they cherish and refresh us with the same benign Influences; and though for six Thousand years together they have been perpetually visiting us, and spending the liberal Alms of their great Creator upon us, yet to this Day they are neither wearied, nor exhausted; but still continue to do us good with the same Freedom and Vigour as when they first danced round the World, and sang together for Joy. The Fire, and Air, and Earth and Water are still as liberal to us as ever, and do supply us with the same Necessaries of Life as they did from the first Moment of their Being; and though for so many Ages we and innumerable other Ani­mals [Page 147] have been liberally maintained out of these vast Store-houses of Nature, yet still we find them replenished with an in­exhaustible Fulness. So that still not only the Earth, but all the other Elements are full of the Goodness of the Lord; yea, and though in their Qualities they are quite con­trary to one another, yet are their Animosi­ties so tempered by the gracious Providence of Heaven, that they all live together like Brethren in unity, and the Dryness of this drinks not up the Moisture of that, nor doth the Cold of the one quench the Heat of the other. The Fire invades not the Air, nor the Water the Earth, but every one keeps within its proper Bounds; and though in sundry Places the Water be above the Earth, yet contrary to its own Nature which is to flow and expatiate it self, it doth only over­look its Banks, but doth not overflow them, being bounded by that merciful Providence, which in mere Pity to the Inhabitants of the Earth, says to its proud Waves, hitherto shall ye go, and no further. So that in short the Continuation of the regular Motions of the Heavens, of the Vicissitudes of Seasons, and alternate Mutation of Bodies, of the safety of the whole Vniverse, notwithstand­ing the rude Clashings of turbulent Matter, and of the exact Symmetry of all the Parts [Page 148] of it in Despite of the frequent Rencounters of so many contrary Principles, shews not only the Power and Presence of some great Mind, but is also a plain Evidence of the Continuation of his Care and good Will to the World. And as he hath continued the inanimate World in that most excellent Course and Order wherein he first created it, so he hath still preserved all those innu­merable Species of Animals which he first gave Being to; so that in so many Ages and among so many Chances there is not one Kind of them hath either failed, or perish­ed, or become less capable of Happiness, or less furnished with Means and Abilities of obtaining it. So that his Providence is no­thing else but a constant Repetition of the Goodness of his Creation; and all the Dif­ference between them is only this, that in the one he made all Things Good, in the other he continues them so. 'Tis true, God hath left himself at Liberty when Occasion requires immediately to interpose in the Course of Nature, and to vary from the Order of his Creation. And indeed unless he had done so, he would in a great Mea­sure have tyed up his own Hands, and in­capacitated himself from Governing the World; but yet he never makes Use of this Liberty but for very good Reason, to [Page 149] serve some very great and excellent End of his Government; either to punish some notorious Sinner, or some very sinful Peo­ple, that so by their Example others may be warned from treading in their Footsteps; or to deliver or preserve some eminently virtuous Person, or Nation, that thereby others may be incouraged to imitate and transcribe their Virtues; or lastly, to con­firm and ratify by some miraculous Effects some necessary Revelations of his Will to the World: Unless, I say, it be to serve some such excellent Ends as these, he never inter­poses by his absolute Power to make the least Interruption in the established Course and Order of the Vniverse. And as soon as ever he hath obtained the good Ends that he aims at, he withdraws his Hand, and im­mediately remits Things to their primitive Course and Order. So that if Gods Crea­tion be good, as I have largely proved it is, his Providence must needs be so too; be­cause it continues the Course and Order of the Creation, and never interrupts, or va­ries it, unless it be to do some great Good to the World. Thus God in his Providence doth continually spread forth the mighty Wings of his Goodness over all his Creati­on, and thereby reaches out Perseverance to the Being and the Happiness of every Creature.

[Page 150]2. Another Instance of his doing good in this great Work of his Providence is his con­tinuing Mankind under an awful Sense of Religion notwithstanding the great Dege­neracies of human Nature. It is very strange to consider how this heavenly Spark hath been kept alive in the midst of such a vast Ocean of Impiety as hath over-spread the World; for considering into what mon­strous Barbarism Mankind have immersed themselves, how miserably they have de­faced their own Nature, and blotted out their Reason; insomuch that in several A­ges and several Parts of the World they have had scarce any other Remains of Hu­manity in them, but only their Language and their Shape: I say, considering these Things, it is impossible but all Sense of Re­ligion must long e're now have been ex­tinguished in us, had not the divine Pro­vidence from Time to Time been exceed­ing careful to cherish and revive it: And this it hath done by very strange and extra­ordinary Methods; sometimes by inflicting strange and amazing Judgments upon great and notorious Offenders; sometimes by showering down miraculous Blessings and Deliverances upon virtuous and good Men; sometimes by raising up eminent Examples and Preachers of Righteousness, such as [Page 151] the Patriarchs among the Jews, and the Phi­losophers among the Gentiles; sometimes by making immediate Revelations from Heaven, and confirming the Truth of them by mira­culous Effects; and sometimes by permitting evil Spirits to appear to possess the Bodies of their Enthusiasts, and to deliver Oracles by them; which though it sometimes tended to promote false Religions among Mankind, yet did always prove instrumental to cherish and enliven the Sense and Belief of a Divinity. By these and such like powerful Methods hath the good Providence of Heaven from time to time revived in us the dying Sense of Religion, and in Despite of our selves continually kept us under its Aw and Restraints; which if it had not done, we should have immediately run headlong into the most deplorable Confu­sions and Disorders. For not only our eternal, but our temporal Interest too is bound up in Religion; for this is the Foundation of all hu­man Society, and of all the Blessings that re­dound from it; 'tis this that gives Life and Se­curity to all those Pacts and Covenants by which Men are linked to one another, and in­corporated into regular Societies. For if once Men were abandoned of all Sense of Religion they would own no other Law but that of their own Interest, and esteem themselves no longer obliged by their Oaths and Covenants [Page 152] than 'tis their Interest to keep them; and he that thinks himself bound to be honest no longer than he needs must, will by the same Principle be obliged to be a Knave as soon as he can. So that if once Men could disingage themselves from the Sense of Religion and the Tyes of Conscience, all those Pacts and Co­venants, which are the Cement of Society, would presently be dissolved and rendred insignificant; for what will it signify for Men to take Oaths and Covenants of Fideli­ty to any Society, since whether they take them or no, they will be faithful so long and no longer than 'tis their Interest to be so. And this vital Cement that unites us being dissolved, our Society will soon disband of its own Accord, and we, like the Parts of a dead Body having lost the Soul that united and hold us together, shall immediately dis­perse our selves and fly abroad into Atoms, and out of an eternal Distrust and Diffi­dence of one another, having no Religion or Conscience to secure each others Honesty, shall be forced to withdraw like other Beasts of Prey into Dens and secret Retire­ments, and there live poor and solitary, as Bats and Owls, and subsist like Vermin by robbing and filching from one another. And in this deplorable Condition we should be forced to wander about the World naked [Page 153] and destitute both of all the mutual Aids and Assistances of each other, and of all the bles­sed Hopes and supports of Religion, which are the only Comforts and Refreshments that in such a calamitous State our wretched Natures would be capable of. So that with­out the Sense of Religion we should be of all Creatures the most wretched and miserable. And this the good God foresaw very well, which made him so careful to inspire us with an awful Sense of Religion; and when through the Degeneracy of our Nature it was in so much Danger of being utterly extinguished, to awaken and revive it a­gain from Time to Time by the wise and gracious Methods of his Providence, that so we might live happily here as well as here­after, by enjoying the Blessings of each others Society, and the continual Supports and Comforts of Religion: For it is to him that we owe our Sense of Religion, and 'tis to our Sense of Religion that we owe all the Conveniencies and Comforts of our Lives. How much Reason therefore have we to admire and adore the good Providence of God, that hath taken so much Care of us; that would not suffer us to make our selves the most wretched and miserable of all Beings; that hath been so vigilant to rouze and a­wake us when we were nodding into a le­thargick [Page 154] Stupidity, and sleeping away all the Happiness and Comfort of our Lives; in a word, that hath kept Religion alive in us in Despight of all our Attempts to ex­tinguish it, and would not suffer us to de­stroy the Foundation of our own Happiness!

3 dly. Another Instance of the Goodness of God's Providence to us, is his supporting of Government in the World, notwithstand­ing the violent Tendency of our corrupt Na­tures to Anarchy and Confusion. If we re­flect but a little upon the depraved Natures of Men, what ungovernable Passions they carry about with them, how sick they are of every Yoak, and how impatient of every Restraint; how greedily they covet an un­bounded Liberty, and how much the great­est Part of Men are of this violent Temper; it will afford us matter of sufficient Astonish­ment to think how Government and good Order could be so long preserved as it hath been among such a sort of wild and extrava­gant Creatures; especially considering how much more numerous the governed Party is than the Governing, and how apt the Government it self is to be rendred odious by ill Management, by the Tyranny and Op­pression of those that sit at the Stern, and the perpetual Factions and cross Humours and Interests of the inferior Ministers of State: [Page 155] I say, considering all these Things, 'tis a Wonder how the Ship of Government should live so long as it hath sayled in the midst of such Tempests and Hurricanes; and doubtless long ere now it must have been swallowed up in Anarchy and Confusion had it not been guarded by the Providence of that God, who, as the Psalmist tells us; stills the noise of the Seas, and the noise of their Waves, and the tumult of the People, Psalm lxv.5. And how much his Providence hath been concerned in securing of Government in the World, is evident from the Care it hath taken to keep Men under an awful sense of Religion, which is the main Foundation upon which Government leans, and with­out which it must necessarily sink into Ruin and Confusion; for, together with Religion away go all Principles of Loyalty; and when these are all gone, their Obedience to Go­vernment will wholly depend upon their Interest, and consequently whensoever it is their Interest to rebel, they have no Obliga­tion at all to restrain them. And as Provi­dence hath been very careful to secure the main Foundations of Government, so it hath been no less careful to infatuate the Coun­cels, and bring to light the dark Contrivances, and baffle the open Attempts of those that have sought to undermine it; and this in [Page 156] such a remarkable manner, that all the World hath taken peculiar Notice, and all Histo­ries abound with innumerous Instances of it. And in all the Rises and Falls of the Em­pires of the World there hath ever been ob­served a most astonishing Concurrence either of such happy or unhappy Accidents, as have very much furthered their approaching Fates; which is a notorious Evidence how much God is concerned in the securing of the Go­vernments of the World, in that he doth so immediatly interpose in their Rises and Falls; and whensoever in his just Displeasure he pulls down one, he always takes Care to establish another in the Room of it, lest through too long Interregnums the Nations of the Earth should insensibly crumble into Anarchy and Confusion, and finally involve themselves in all the consequent Mischiefs of it. For the Subversion of Government, like the opening of Pandora's Box, must ne­cessarily let loose a swarm of Miseries into the World; for without Government wrong­ed Innocence can never be righted, invaded Property can never be retrieved; but every Man will be exposed to every Man's Lust, which must immediately involve us into a State of War, in which like so many Dogs we should try all our Right by our Teeth. Into such a miserable State would Mankind [Page 157] be reduced, if God did not uphold the Go­vernments of the World. So that whatso­ever Benefits we receive from the Govern­ments under which we live, we owe it all to the divine Providence; by whose Pro­curement it is that Kings reign, and Princes decree justice, Prov. viii.15. 'Tis to this bles­sed Cause that we are to attribute our sitting safely under our own Vines, and peaceably enjoying the Fruit of our Labours; that we are not banished from Society, and exposed to the Spoils and Ravages of those that are mightier than our selves; that we are not be­come more savage than Wolves to one another, and that the whole World is not converted into a Commonwealth of Cannibals: For this would be the consequence of the Disso­lution of Government, and that would be the Consequence in all probability of God's withdrawing his Providence from the World.

4 thly, And lastly, Another Instance of the Goodness of God's Providence to us is its contributing to the Invention and Im­provement of all those useful Arts and Sci­ences that are in the World: For if we seri­ously consider the prodigious Numbers of these wherewith the World doth abound, and wherein the Generality of Mankind are imployed; we are never able to ima­gin [Page 158] how they could have all been invent­ed and improved as they are, without the Direction of an Almighty Providence. For had not the divine Providence prolonged the Lives of the first Inventers of them to such a prodigious Age as it did, they would not have had Time to collect Experiments enough whereon to found any certain The­orems of natural Science. How could they have measured the Motions of the heavenly Bodies, or given any tolerable Account of their slow Revolutions, if they had not lived so many Hundreds of Years as they did? And though the Rudiments of proportion are lodg­ed in our Minds, yet it is not imaginable how Men could ever have improved them into so many various Practices, of Arithme­tick, Musick, Geometry, and Mechanicks, had they not been at first either inspired by God, or had a long Space of Time allowed to re­duce them into Rules of Practice. And he that shall but seriously consider how far out of the Road of ordinary Experience many of the most useful Arts of the World lie, such as Writing and Printing, by which a Man may talk with his Friend a thousand Miles Distance, and converse with the World when he is dead and gone, will find suffici­ent Reason to attribute the Invention of them to the Sovereign Direction of the divine Pro­vidence; [Page 159] without which neither am I able to imagin how the medicinal Virtues of sun­dry Herbs and Vegetables and Minerals could have been discovered, which now are of great Use to us, since even these also do lie exceedingly remote from common Observa­tion. And when I also consider how many Things are requisite to the compleating of the most useful humane Arts, and what Intri­cacy and Mystery there is in them, insomuch that in many Cases we are not able to give any Reason why this or that Cause in our Art should produce this or that Effect; I must needs conclude, that the Invention and Improvement of them hath been exceed­ingly promoted by the wise Providence of God. And what Reason have we to adore and admire its unspeakabl Goodness towards us, that by instructing us in so many ex­cellent Arts hath not only found sufficient Im­ployment for the greatest Part of Mankind to subsist by, but hath also taught us mu­tually to assist one another with all Kinds of Commodities and Conveniencies of Life! So that now we want nothing that either Nature or Art can supply us withall, the good God having furnished us, not only with Materials to work upon, but also with Art and Skill to manage and contrive them to the best Advantage. One would have [Page 160] thought it had been sufficient for him to have created a World for us, and therein to have furnished us with all that is neces­sary for our Being and Subsistence, and so left it to our selves to use and apply his Bles­sings as we pleased; but that he should condescend to instruct us in so many Arts of improving his Blessings, how to dress and cook them to the best Advantage, and one way or other to render the meanest of them all useful and beneficial to our selves and others, is such a gracious Condescention of Goodness as for ever deserves our Praise and Admiration. And so I have done with the first thing proposed, which was to shew you what apparent Instances there are of the Goodness of God in his Providence to­wards us.

2. I proceed to the next Thing proposed, which was to shew you that though there be some Things in the World that to us seem to be very ill and hurtful, yet it is in­finitely unreasonable for us therefore to sus­pect the Goodness and Beneficence of God's Providence; that because we see such an un­equal Distribution of good Things to bad Men, and bad Things to good Men, and do find so much Sin and Wickedness in the World, and so great a part of Mankind over-run with so much Barbarism, Super­stition [Page 161] and Idolatry; because, I say, we see and find such Things as these in the World, we have no Reason at all to charge the Pro­vidence of God. For let us consider,

• 1. That the Irregularities and Evils which God permits in the World are not the Effects of his Providence, but of the Choices and Actions of free Agents.
• 2. That many Things seem evil to us in the World, because we take false Mea­sures of Good and Evil.
• 3. That many other Things seem evil to us in the Course of God's Providence, meerly because we often mistake bad Men for good, and good Men for bad.
• 4. That many Things seem Evil to us in the Course of God's Providence, be­cause we are acquainted but with a small Part of the World, and do judge of what is good and evil for the Whole by what we find is good or evil for this small Part.
• 5. That many other Things seem evil to us in the Course of God's Providence, because we judge of them by their pre­sent sensible Effects, and are not able to comprehend the universal Drift and Connexion and Dependence of them.
• 6. That many other Things seem evil to us in the Course of God's Providence, [Page 162] meerly because we understand very lit­tle of the other World.

1. That the Irregularities and Evils which God permits in the World are not the Ef­fects of his Providence, but of the Choices and Actions of free Agents. That there is such a Thing as Sin in the World is by no Means to be charged upon the Provi­dence of God; for that neither commits a­ny Sin it self, nor impels or necessitates any others to commit it. Let no Man say when he is tempted, he is tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any Man, Jam. i.13. 'Tis true, he per­mits us Men, whom he hath made free A­gents, to act freely; and if there were no Fault at all in making of free Agents (as certainly there was not) what Fault can there be in permitting them to act congruous to their own Natures? And is it just that God's Providence should be blamed, be­cause it doth not metamorphose free Agents into necessary ones; that is, because he doth not unmake what he hath made, and sub­vert the Laws of his own Creation? or is it reasonable that we who are the only Authors of Sin, should blame the Providence of God for suffering us to be so? For if Sin be an Evil, it is an Evil to us; and consequent­ly we are much more concerned to prevent [Page 163] it, than the Providence of God; and if when we may, we will not do it, it is unreasonable that we should blame God for not forcing us to prevent it whether we will or no. So that all the Quarrel we can have against God's Providence is only this, that it doth not tie our Hands, and fetter our Liberty in the Chains of an Adamantine Necessity; that is, that he doth not undo his own Work­manship, and thereby confess himself over­seen in his Creation of us, when there is no kind of Reason for it. For I beseech you, what hurt is it for Men to be made free Agents, and left to their own Choice whe­ther they will be happy or miserable? And if it was no Fault at all for God to make us so, what Reason have we to blame him for con­tinuing us what he made us? If therefore while he continues us free Agents we will needs chuse what is evil, and misimploy the Talent of our natural Liberty, the Fault is ours and not God's, and we may thank our selves for all the bad Consequents of it; and since not only Sin but most of the other Evils that are in the World proceed from our ill Use of our own Liberty, we ought in all Reason to charge them upon our selves, and not upon the good Providence of God.

2 ly, That many Things seem evil to us in the Course of God's Providence that are [Page 164] not so in themselves, by Reason that we commonly take false Measures of Good and Evil. We think it a very great Evil, for Instance, that good Men are not blessed with great Plenty and Abundance, and that bad Men are; because we imagin Plenty and Abundance to be a very great Good, and the contrary a very formidable Evil: And this makes us blame the Providence of God, be­cause we see the good Things of this World so promiscuously distributed without any Discrimination of Persons; whereas in re­ality Plenty and Abundance approaches nearer to the Nature of an indifferent Thing than of a very great and desirable Good. For if we consult our own Experience, we shall find that all worldly Goods are just what we make them, and that they do as common­ly prove Plagues as Blessings to the Owners of them; that they intangle their Affecti­ons, insnare their Innocence, disturb their Peace, provoke and pamper their extravagant Lusts, and betray them first into Luxuries, then into Gouts or Dropsies, Catarrhs or Consumptions; and these most commonly prove the Effects of outward Abundance. So that in it self 'tis almost of an indifferent Nature, and doth good or Hurt to us ac­cording as we use and improve it; and threfore though God sometimes suffers good [Page 165] Men to want, and bad Men to enjoy it, we have no Cause to quarrel at it; for he un­derstands the just Value of things, though we do not; he knows that the best of world­ly Things are bad enough to be thrown away upon the worst of Men, and so expres­ses his scorn of the admired Vanities of this World by scattering them with such a care­less Hand, and indulging the Enjoyment of them to the most despicable Persons. So that we ought to conclude, that he sets no great Value upon them, since he concerns him­self no more in their Distribution; for why should he partake in the Errors of vulgar Opinion by expressing himself so regardful of these Trifles as to put them in golden Scales, and weigh them out to Mankind by Grains and Scruples?

3 ly, That many other Things seem evil to us in the Course of God's Providence that are not so, merely because we often mistake bad Men for good, and good Men for bad. For I dare say that that Observation upon which we ground our Quarrel against the Providence of God, viz, that it fares worst with the best, and best with the worst of Men, is not half so general as we make it; for it is to be considered that generally we pity the miserable and envy the prosperous, and these Passions of ours do commonly bribe [Page 166] our Judgments, and make us think worse of the one and better of the other than either of them do deserve. For, those whom we pity we are inclined to love, and those whom we love we are inclined to think well of; and if we think well of them whether we have Reason for it or no, we conclude that God ought to be as fond of them as we: As on the contrary, those whom we envy we al­ways hate, and those whom we hate we are inclined to think ill of; and if we think ill of them we think that God is obliged to think so too. And because we are so un­reasonably inclined by our Passions to pass such false Judgments upon Men, is it fit that we should quarrel at God because he doth not judge as unreasonably as our selves; or because he doth not reward and punish Men according to the sentence that our blind Pity or Envy passes upon them? If we could but strip our selves of all Passion, and were but able to judge of Men, not by what they appear, but by what they really are; I doubt not but we should find that even in this Life it fares best with the best, and worst with the worst of Men; but since we are not competent Judges of this Matter, we should have a Care of reproaching the Providence of God with a Maxim that hath no other Foundation in the Nature [Page 167] of things, but our own fallacious Observa­tion.

4 thly, That many Things seem evil to us in the Course of Gods Providence that are not so, because we are acquainted but with a small Part of the World, and do judge of what is good or evil for the Whole, by what we find is good and evil for this small Part. We are never able to compre­hend how far the Dominions of the divine Providence extend, nor how many Or­ders of Beings as well above as below us are concerned in its Empire and Government; but unless we could do this, we cannot be capable Judges of what is good or bad in the general Course of its Actions. For that is good or bad in the Providence of God, that is good or bad for its whole Empire and Do­minion; and though this or that may be an Inconvenience to this or that Part of it, yet these particular Inconveniencies may be a great Convenience to the Whole. As for Instance; suppose a Man should come in­to the Country of Syberia, which is a great Part of the Empire of Russia, whither that Emperor is wont to banish all great Malefa­ctors; he would there find the Inhabitants in a most miserable Condition, they being there exposed to Hunger and Cold, and perpetual Slavery. So that if a Man should [Page 168] judge of the whole Empire by this Part of it, he would conclude that Emperor to be a most savage Tyrant, and his Country to be the most miserable Place in the World; whereas in Reality all the other Parts of that Empire are rendred more happy by the Miseries of this Place, which serve to strike an Aw into all the other Subjects of it, and to restrain them within the Bounds of their Loyalty and Duty. And so unless we had as full a Prospect of the whole Dominion of Gods Providence as we have of this lit­tle Spot of it, we ought not to censure his Government of the Whole by the little In­conveniencies that occur in his Govern­ment of a Part; for in such a vast Domi­nion, as God's is, there may be a thousand good Reasons, that we know not of, why some Parts of it should be more unhappy than others; and if in some particulars he incom­modes this Part for the publick Commodity of the Whole, we are so far from having any Reason to complain, that we ought in all Justice to praise and adore his Goodness for it. It is enough for us that we under­stand so much of Gods Nature as we do, and have such apparent Instances of his Goodness in the Works of his Creation and Providence; and therefore if we in this lit­tle Part of Gods Empire suffer some small [Page 169] Inconveniencies, we ought to bless and a­dore his Goodness for those greater Goods we enjoy, and to rest satisfied with this, that our particular Inconveniencies may for all we know be great Conveniencies to the Publick.

5 thly, That many other Things seem evil to us in the Course of Gods Providence, be­cause we judge of them by their present sen­sible Effects, and are not able to compre­hend the universal Drift and Connexion and Dependence of them. For, as I have already shewn you in the former Discourse on this Argument, there is a continued Jun­cture and Dependence from first to last be­tween all the Actions and Contrivances of divine Providence, and every one hath a Relation to every one from the Beginning to the End of all that mighty Chain of Causes whereof it consists. So that 'tis im­possible to judge rightly of one Part of Pro­vidence separately from the rest, because we see not the Relation it hath either to what went before, or to what is to follow after; and though singly considered it may be hurtful, yet in Conjunction with all the rest it may be exceedingly advantagious. He that looks only on the first Links of that curious Chain of Providence in the History of Joseph, will be apt to entertain a [Page 170] very bad Opinion of the Whole; first he is thrown into a desolate Pit, then sold a Slave, then falsely accused, then cast into Prison: Lord, what a tragical Prologue is here! But then take all those Things in Conjunction with what follows, and you shall presently see that Scene clear up, and all those sad Preparations ending in a joyful Conclusion. And if we consider that most glorious Part that ever Gods Providence acted on the Stage of the World, viz. the History of our blessed Saviour; how dark and gloomy doth the former Part of it look, if we view it separately from the Antecedents and Consequents of it? Surely, if any Thing would justify our hard Censures of God's Providence, it would be the beholding of such a rare and excellent Person exposed to so many Miseries and Calamities; to see him cast forth to the wide World as a help­less Prey to the Rage of his Enemies, to be­hold him hanging upon the Cross, deserted of his Friends, mock'd and tormented by his barbarous Murderers, and in the most bitter Agonies breathing out his white and innocent Soul: O good Lord! What a dismal Prospect of thy Providence is here? But stay a little, let us but see the glorious Light that in Con­clusion broke out of this dismal Darkness; first he is raised from the Dead, then he as­cends [Page 171] up to Heaven, where at the right Hand of his Father he reigns an eternal King in full Power and Authority to give Gifts unto Men, and bestow those immortal Re­wards on them which he purchased for them with his Blood. So that though singly and apart the first Scenes of this great Providence were very dismal and affrighting, yet con­sidered altogether, how beautiful and har­monious doth it appear? So true is that of the Preacher, Eccles. 3.11. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: Also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. And therefore because we are not able to see from the Beginning to the End of God's Providence, it is an unreasonable Thing for us to censure the Whole, because of some seeming Inconveni­encies that we see in those Parts of it that lie before us. Let us stay but till the wind­ing up of the Bottom, till all is finished, and Present it one intire Piece to our View, and then we shall have leave to censure, if we can find any Reason for it.

6 thly, And lastly, many other Things seem evil to us in the Course of God's Pro­vidence which are not so, merely because we understand very little of the other World. It seems to us a mighty Evil in Providence [Page 172] that so great a Part of the World is left in Darkness and Ignorance, and in so great a Measure deprived of the vast Advantages of true Religion; but how do we know how God will dispose of them in the other World, what Abatements he will make them, and by what Measures he will judge them; whether he will not allow them some farther Time of Tryal, and so make good to them there whatsoever hath been wanting to them here? But whatsoever he doth or will do, this we may be sure of, that he will damn none but those that are first self-condemned, but those that knowingly and willingly miscarry; and if so, then he will ex­act of them but in Proportion to their Abi­lities, and will not require Brick where he hath given no Straw. But which way so­ever he deals with them, to be sure first or last he will not be wanting in any Degrees of Kindness to them that are fit either for a wise Sovereign to grant, or a reasonable Sub­ject to demand; and if he will do so (as undoubtedly he will) how unreasonably do we complain of his Providence towards us? And though in this Life, we see many good Men reduced to a very calamitous Con­dition, yet how do we know how necessary this may be to the securing of their Happi­ness in the World to come? For since our [Page 173] main State and Interest is in that other World, there is no doubt but the Provi­dence of God over us doth chiefly Respect that; and if so, how unreasonably do we censure it upon the Score of the present E­vils it exposes us to, when we know so lit­tle of the future State, to which all its Transactions do chiefly relate? Wherefore, let us forbear a while till we come into the other World, and understand the whole De­sign and Contrivance; and then we shall see that all will be right and well, yea and infinitely better than ever we could ima­gin. But for us to censure now, when we know so little of our future State, which is the main and ultimate Scope of Providence, is just as if a Man should pass his Judgment on a Picture when he sees nothing of it but some few rude Lines and very imperfect Strokes. Let us have but the Patience to suspend our Judgment a while till God hath finished the whole Draught, and given it all its natural Colours and Proportions, and then I am sure we shall see Cause enough forever to admire his Skill, and adore his Wisdom and Goodness. And thus you see by apparent Instances how good God is in his Providence towards us, and how unrea­sonable it is for us to censure his Goodness notwithstanding all those seeming Evils that happen in the World.

[Page 174]And now what remains but that with all Humility and Chearfulness we resign up our selves into the Hands of our most mer­ciful Father, concluding, as most certainly we may, that whatsoever he doth with us, or howsoever he disposes of us, it will be all for our good in the later End, if it be not through our own Default. For where can we be safer than in the Hands of an Omni­potent and Omniscient Goodness, a Good­ness that knows what is best for us, and wills what it knows to be so, and doth whatsoever it wills. Surely in such Hands our Condition is a thousand times better and safer than if we had full Power to effect our own Wishes, and all the Events that con­cern us were in our own Disposal. And if God should shake us off from all Depen­dence on him, and resign up the whole Conduct of our Affairs into our own Hands; if he should say to us, since you mislike of my Conduct I will no more intermedle with you, or any thing that concerns you; take your selves into your own Disposal and manage all your Concernments as you please: If I say, he should do thus with us, we should be left in a most forlorn and deplorable Condition, and unless we were wholly abandoned of our own Rea­son as well as Gods Providence, we should on our bended Knees resign up all into his [Page 175] Hands again, and beseech him for his Pity and his Mercy sake to do any Thing with us that will consist with his Goodness; to scourge and chasten us for our Froward­ness as much and as long as his own father­ly Bowels will endure it; rather then give us up to our own Conduct, or leave our Af­fairs in the Disposal of our own blind and precipitant Wills. For so long as God is so powerfully and so wisely good as he is, it is the Interest of every Creature in Heaven and Earth to be at his Disposal, and to take up that self-resigning Prayer of our Saviour, Father, not our Wills, but thy Will be done. For since God wills our good as much or more than our selves, it must doubtless be our Interest that his Will should take place whensoever it stands in Competition with ours; because he doth not only wish well to us as much as we do to our selves, but he knows what is best for us a great deal better than we. Wherefore let us learn in all Con­ditions to repose our Minds in the good Pro­vidence of God, and to satisfy our selves in its Managment and Disposal of us; for whatsoever Condition it may bring us into whilst we are wandring through this Vale of Tears, this is most certainly and eternally true, that God is good, and doth good,

THE Three first Topicks from whence I undertook to prove the Goodness of God, I have already handled on another Text, and shewed 1 st, from his Nature, 2 ly, from his Creation, and 3 dly, from his Pro­vidence, That he is infinitely good. I pro­ceed now to the 4 th, and last, viz. from Principles of Revelation, the main of which is comprehended in the Text, God so loved the World, &c.

It is indeed a most glorious Instance of the Goodness of God, that when he had im­printed his Laws upon our Nature in such legible Characters, and given them such ap­parent Sanctions in the Nature of Things; having made such a sensible Distinction be­tween Moral Good and Evil, by those natu­ral good and evil Consequents which he hath inseparably intailed on them: And when Mankind by their wilful Wickedness and [Page 177] Inadvertency had almost obliterated the Law of their Nature, and extinguished their natural Sense of Good and Evil, and im­mersed themselves in the most barbarous Im­pieties and Immoralities: Notwithstand­ing all this that he had done for us, and we against our selves, he should still be so kind and compassionate as to put forth a new Editi­on of his Laws, and reveal his Will anew to us in such an extraordinary manner; that when he had implanted a Light in our Na­tures that was sufficient to have directed us into the several Paths of our Duty, and we by our own Neglect and Abuse of it had al­most extinguished this Candle of the Lord in us, and consequently involved our selves in Midnight Darkness and Ignorance; he should then be so compassionate as to hang out a Light from Heaven to us to rectify our Wanderings, and guid our Feet in the Paths we should walk in, was such a glori­ous Expression of his Goodness as for ever deserves our most thankful Acknowledg­ments. But then that he should not only reveal to us what he had before imprinted on our Nature, and we had most unworthi­ly rased out and obliterated; but also dis­cover so much more to us than ever we did or could have known by the Light of our Nature; that he should not only repeat his [Page 178] former Kindness to us, which we had so shame­fully abused, but make such stupendous Ad­ditions to it as he hath done in the Revelati­on of his Gospel; that manger all those Impie­ties and Provocations by which for so many Ages we had excited his Patience, he should not only so love us as to restore to us the Light which we had almost extinguished, but to give his only begotten Son, that whoso­ever believeth in him should not perish, &c. is such an amazing Instance of Goodness as can hardly be reflected on without an Exta­sy of Admiration.

In which Words you have God's reveal­ed Love and Goodness to the World measur­ed by a two-fold Standard.

• 1. By the Greatness of the Gift which he hath bestowed upon the World; God so loved the World, that he gave his only be­gotten Son:
• 2. The blessed End for which he did be­stow him; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I. I begin with the first of these viz. the Greatness of the Gift, by which the Greatness of his Love to us is measured; God so loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son: [...], he gave him; that is, he delivered him up from out of his own Bosom and everlast­ing [Page 179] Embraces; for so Eph. v.2. it is [...], he gave himself for us, or delivered up himself for us, for so we render the Word [...], who was de­livered for our offences, Rom. iv.25. Now what a stupendous Expression of God's Love this was, will appear by considering these six Things, which are all of them expressed or implied in the Text;

• 1. That he gave him up who was not only the greatest, but the dearest Person to him in the whole World.
• 2. That he gave him up for Sinners.
• 3. That he gave him up for a whole World of Sinners.
• 4. That he gave him up to become a Man for Sinners.
• 5. That he gave him up to be a miserable Man for Sinners.
• 6. That he gave him to be a Sacrifice for the Sins of Sinners, that so he might not only with more Effect but with more Security to us, interceed for our Par­don.

1. The Greatness of God's Love and Goodness towards us appears in this, that he gave up for our sakes not only the great­est but the dearest Person to him in the whole World; for as the Text tells you, it was his only begotten Son. Which Phrase doubt­less [Page 180] imports a much higher signification than his being begotten in the Virgins Womb by the Overshadowing of the Holy Ghost. For though it cannot be denied but in Scripture he is called the Son of God, sometimes up­on the Account of this his divine Genera­tion in the Virgins Womb, and sometimes up­on the Score of his being ordained by God to the Messiaship; sometimes because he was raised by God from the Dead, and sometimes because he was installed by him into his Me­diatorial Kingdom: Yet upon neither of these Accounts can he be properly called the only begotten Son; for upon the three last Ac­counts sundry others have been as properly begotten by God as our Saviour; some ha­ving been installed by him into great and emi­nent Offices; others raised from the Dead; o­thers truly ordained by him his Messiah's, or a­nointed Ones; so that upon neither of these Accounts can he be stiled the only begotten Son, others having been thus begotten as well as himself. And as for the first, his being conceived by the Holy Ghost in the Virgins Womb, this was not sufficient neither to in­title him the only begotten; because though it was indeed a miraculous Production, yet was it not so much above the Production of the first Man as to place him in that singular Eminence. For the forming of Adam out of the [Page 181] Substance of the Earth was altogether as mi­raculous a Production as the forming of Christ out of the substance of the Woman; and there­fore since Adam is called the Son of God, Luk. 3.38. because God immediately formed him of the substance of the Earth; he had there­by as good a Right to the Title of God's only begotten Son as Christ himself had; be­cause God immediately formed him of the substance of a Woman. Wherefore his pe­culiar Right above all others to this glorious Title of God's only begotten Son must neces­sarily be founded upon some higher Reason than this, that is, upon some such Reason as is wholly peculiar to himself. For if he be really and truly God's only begotten Son, all other Persons whatsoever must necessa­rily be excluded from that Claim; and con­sequently he must be so begotten of God as no other Person is, or ever was: And to be- so begotten of God, is to be begotten by him by a proper and natural Generation, which is nothing else but a vital Production of another in the same Nature with him, from whom it is produced; even as a Man begets a Man, and every Animal begets an­other of the same Kind and Nature with it self: And thus to be begotten of God, is to be begotten into the same divine Nature with himself; to derive or communicate [Page 182] from him the infinitely perfect Nature and Essence of a God. And in this Sense only our blessed Saviour is the only begotten Son of the Father, as being generated by him from all Eternity into the same Nature, and com­municating from him his own infinite Es­sence and Perfections; in which sense he is truly the only begotten Son, because in this Sense, and in this only, none is or was, or ever shall be begotten of the Father but him­self.

When therefore it is said that he gave his only begotten Son, the Meaning is this; he gave up that infinitely great and dear Son of his, that is, his natural Image and Resem­blance; that only Son to whom from all Eter­nity he hath communicated his own most perfect Essence and Nature. If then it was so great an Instance of Abraham's Faith and ardent Love of God at his Command to offer up his only Son Isaac, a Son, who though how hopeful soever, yet who fell infinitely shorter of the Perfection of our Saviour than the Light of the Glow-worm doth of the Light of the Sun; what an astonishing Mi­racle of Love was it in the great Father of the World to give up his only begotten Son; a Son whom he had begotten in his own divine Nature, and to whom he had com­municated all the infinite Perfections of his [Page 183] own Being; a Son who was the most perfect Image of himself, who was infinitely power­ful and wise and good, and differed from him in nothing but only in being his Son; who had the Fulness of the Godhead dwelling in him, and whom, being infinitely perfect as himself, he loved as infinitely as his own Per­son, and consequently could as easily have given up himself for us, as he did, that dear­ly Beloved in whom his Soul was so well pleased? Who but a God of infinite Love and immeasurable Inclination to do good to his Creatures, would have given them such an inestimable Jewel out of his Bosom; a Jewel wherein all the Brightness of the Di­vinity did sparkle, and which upon that Ac­count was as dear and precious to him as his own Life? And hence we find the Apostle valuing the Greatness of God's Love to us, by the Greatness and Dearness of the Person whom he gave up for our sakes; in this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the World, that we might live through him, 1 Joh. iv.9. And indeed without this Con­sideration of his being the only begotten Son of God by eternal Generation and Commu­nion of Nature with him, God's Love in giving him up for us would not be compa­rably so considerable as it is. For if, accord­ing [Page 184] to the Doctrin of the Socinians, he should only have caused a Man to be born for us after another manner than other Men are, and then have delivered him for our sake; there would have been no such great Ex­pression of his Love in this Way of redeem­ing us, more than what must have appear­ed should he have chosen to redeem us any other Way. To have redeemed us indeed, by what Means soever, would have been a most glorious Expression of his Love and good Will to us; but since the Scripture hath raised the Consideration of God's Love high­er from the Dignity of the Person whom he sent to redeem us, by how much high­er the Dignity of this Person is, by so much greater is the Estimation of his Love. But if the Dignity of Christ's Person, as the on­ly begotten Son of God, consisted meerly in being a Man born into the World in such an extraordinary Manner, this would have made such an inconsiderable Addition to his Love in redeeming us, that he would have much more agrandized his Kindness to us to have offered up an Angel of Heaven for us, though of the most inferior Order, than to have thus delivered up his only begotten Son. But to offer up his natural Son to whom he had communicated his Nature, his Son who was God co-eternal and co-essential with him­self, [Page 185] was a more transcendent Expression of his Love to us, than if he had unpeopled Heaven for our sakes, and delivered up to us the whole Quire of Angels, Archangels and Seraphims.

2 ly, The Greatness of God's Love and Goodness towards us appears in this also, that he gave up his only begotten Son for us when we were Sinners: And this is implied in that Expression, God so loved the World; that is, the World as it then was, a base, depraved, and degenerate World; for of this very World whom God thus loved, the Apostle gives this extream bad Character, the whole World lieth in Wickedness, 1 Joh. v.19. And St. Paul distributing the whole World into Jews and Gentiles, pronounces univer­sally concerning them, that they were all under Sin, Rom. iii.9. So that in giving up his Son for such a World as this, he must ne­cessarily give him for Sinners. And certain­ly should we measure God's Goodness by our own, this Consideration is enough to render his giving his only begotten Son for us a most incredible Expression of it; that when by our Sins we had provoked him be­yond the Sufferance of any Patience but his own; when in Despight of all those innu­merable Mercies wherewith from Time to Time he had sought to oblige us, and mau­ger [Page 186] all those Stupendous Judgments with which from one Generation to another he had endeavoured to curb and restrain us; when he had used so many effectual Arts to reclaim and amend us, and we by our own Obstinacy had bafled and defeated them all, and in stead of mending grew worse and worse under all his powerful Applications; one would have thought that now at last, in stead of trying any further Experiments on us, he might have been sufficiently pro­voked to give us up, as Physitians do their Patients when they are past all Hope of Re­covery, and so let us alone to perish in our own Obstinacy. And doubtless if after all these Provocations we had known that he had intended to send his Son into the World, our own Guilt and Consciousness would have made us conclude that the Design of his sending him was only to ruin and destroy us, to extirpate the whole Race of us from the Face of the Earth, that so his Creation might be no longer scandalized with the Re­membrance of such a Generation of Mon­sters. But now that after so many repeated Affronts and Rebellions, and in the midst of so many loud-crying Guilts that perpetu­ally rang in his Ears, he should still persevere to love us in such a transcendent Degree, as to part with what is nearest and dearest to [Page 187] him for our sakes, even his only begotten Son out of his Bosom, is such an astonishing Expression of his Goodness to us, as we can never sufficiently magnify and admire. Had Mankind been as innocent as they are guilty before God, had their Virtues been as great and as numerous as their Crimes were; yet to send his great Son down from Heaven to visit them, had been such an In­stance of condescending Goodness in him as would have justly merited our everlasting Praise and Remembrance; but to send him down to Sinners, to such a Race of obsti­nate and incorrigible Sinners, and that not to destroy but to save them; to obtain for, and tender to them a Kingdom of immortal Pleasures, and use all possible Means safely to conduct them thither; Lord, what a Mi­racle of Love is this! And hence the Apostle estimates this prodigious Instance of the Love of God, by the Vndeservingness of those upon whom it was exercised; but God, says he, commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet Sinners Christ died for us, Rom. v.8.

3 dly, The Greatness of God's Love and Goodness towards us appears in this also, that he gave up his only begotten Son for the whole World of Sinners; he did not con­fine and limit this great Design of his Good­ness [Page 188] by granting a monopoly of it to a few particular Favourites, but settled it as a pub­lick Charter upon the whole Corporation of Mankind; for he so loved the World, says the Text, that he gave his only begotten Son; that is, for the benefit of the World. For how could his giving of his Son have been an Expression of his Love to the World, if he had not given him for the publick Bene­fit of the World? Had his Design been to restrain his Gift to a few particular Persons, whom he had designed to rescue from the general Shipwrack, the Text must have run thus, God so loved some particular Persons in the World, that he gave up his only begotten Son. For to make that an Instance of his Love to all which he designed only for the Benefit of a few, is to pretend a Love to the greatest Part of Men which he never intended them; for that by the World here he means the whole World, he himself assures us, 1 Joh. ii.2. And he is the Propitiation for our Sins: And not for ours only, but also for the Sins of the whole World. And what he means by the whole World, he tells us in the same Epistle, 1 Joh. v. The whole World lieth in Wickedness. So that this whole World that lies in Wick­edness, is that whole World for whose Sins Christ is a Propitiation; and that whole World for whose Sins Christ is a Propitia­tion, [Page 189] is the World whom God so loved, as to give his only begotten Son for. But the Apostle yet more expresly tells us, that the head of every Man is Christ, 1 Cor. xi.3. And if so, then every Man is a Part of Christ's Body; and if so, then every Man hath a Communion in the Benefits of his Blood; for Ephes. v.23. he is said to be the Saviour of the Body; and more expresly yet, Heb. ii.9. it is said, that by the grace of God he tasted death for every Man. So that the Scripture hath as emphatically declared the universal Extent of this great Gift of God's Love, as it was possible for it to do in any human Words; and methinks 'tis strange that any Men should presume to restrain it, when they have no other Defence for so doing but only an odd Distinction that makes the whole World to signify the smallest Part of it, the Body of Christ to import a few particular Atoms of it, and every Man to denote one Man of Ten Thousand.

Behold then the immense Goodness of God, that hath not only given up his Son, for Sinners, but for a whole World of Sin­ners, and excluded none but those who ex­clude themselves from the Benefits of this mighty Donation! That hath planted this heavenly Tree of Life in the midst of a sick and sinful World, and hath not confined or [Page 190] inclosed it for the Use of a few selected Pati­ents; but laid it open for all Comers, that whosoever would, might take of its Fruit, and eat and live for ever. O good God! How vast is thy Love, that hath thus impartially diffused it self over such a wide World of Sinners, that in this stupendous Gift of thy Son had so kind a Respect to every Indivi­dual, and made no Exception of any how sinful and unworthy soever, that will but comply with the merciful Terms and Con­ditions of it?

4 thly, The Greatness of God's Love and Goodness towards us appears also in this, that he hath given up his only begotten Son to become a Man for Sinners. For what­soever he was upon God's giving him up, he was what God gave him up to be; and therefore since upon God's giving him up he became a Man, it necessarily follows that he gave him up to become so. And indeed since God had such a merciful Design as to send his Son into the World to reform and save it, it was highly convenient for us, though not for him, that he should come to us in our own Natures, not only that he might consecrate human Nature that had been so miserably desecrated and prophaned; but also, that he might endear himself to us by the great Honour he did us in assuming our [Page 191] Natures; and that having our Passions, and being in our Circumstances he might by his own Practice give us an Example how to govern the one, and how to behave our selves in the other. Had he come down from the Heavens inrobed with Splendor and Light, and preached his Gospel to us in the midst of a Choir of Angels from some bright Throne in the Clouds, this indeed would have been more convenient for him, as be­ing more suitable to the natural Dignity and Majesty of his Person. But the All-merciful Father in the Disposal of his Son consulted not so much his Convenience as ours; he knew well enough that should he have sent his Son to us in such an illustrious Equipage, his Appearance amongst us would have been more apt to astonish than to instruct us, and to have fixed our Thoughts in a profound Admiration of his Glory than to have directed our Steps in the Paths of Vir­tue and true Happiness; and that it would be much more for our Interest that he should conduct us by his Example than a­maze us by his Appearance; and therefore that he might do so, he sent him to us in our own Natures, that so going before us as a Man he might shew us by his Exam­ple what became Men to do, and direct us by the Print of his own Footsteps. Since [Page 192] therefore he assumed our Nature purely for our sakes, what a stupendous Instance of God's Goodness was this; that for the sake of a World of miserable Sinners he should be content that his own most dear and most glorious Son should condescend to become a Man, and to empty himself into our Na­ture; that he who by the Divinity of his Nature was exalted more above that of the highest Angel than that is above the lowest Animal, should personally unite himself to a Handful of Dust, and marry his Divinity to the Infirmities of our Nature; that he whose Throne was in the Heavens, and be­fore whose sacred Feet the whole Choir of heavenly Angels lie prostrate, should abase himself so low, as to come down among Mortals, and associate himself with Com­panions so unworthy of him? O good God! When thou hast condescended so low, what is there thou wilt not condescend to, to do good to thy Creatures? But this is not all, you shall see him stoop lower yet; For

5 thly, The Greatness of God's Love and Goodness towards us appears also in this, that he gave up his only begotten Son to be­come a miserable Man for Sinners. It would have been some Abatement to his mighty Condescention, if when he sent him down among us in our Nature he had made him [Page 193] supream visible Monarch of the World; if he had crowned him with all the Splendors of an earthly Condition, if he had ushered him into the World in a triumphal Chariot with all the Kings of the Earth either prostrate before him or chained at his Chariot-Wheels: This though a vast Condescention in the eternal Son, yet would not have been so low as it was to be born of a poor Mother, to be educated as a Carpenters Son, to be ex­posed to Want and Penury, to the Contempt of every sordid Wretch, and the perpetual Persecutions of a borish and ill-natured Rable; and yet this was the wretched State to which God humbled his own dear Son for our sakes. For the Design of his Humiliation being to raise us, the most merciful Father consulted not so much what was for his Ease, as what was for our Benefit; for he knew well enough that should he have introduced him into the World in earthly Pomp and Magnificence, it would not have been so well for us; that we were too Ambitious al­ready of the Vanities of this World, and that that had been the great Snare that had intangled and ruined us; and that therefore it was necessary when his Son came among us, he should take us off from our over-eager Pursuit of them, disgrace and expose them to us by his own voluntary Refusal of them; [Page 194] that by seeing him trample on them when they lay all at his Feet we might learn to despise them, and be at length convinced what foolish Bargains we make when we sell our Innocence and our Happiness for such insignificant Trifles. He thought it much more necessary for us, that his Son should ex­ercise his Virtue than display his Greatness among us; and therefore he placed him in such Circumstances of human Life, where­in by his own Example he might copy out to us the noblest Pattern of holy living. For of all States, that of Affliction affords the largest Sphere to exercise human Virtue in; and therefore in this State out of his good Will to us he placed his own Son, that here­in he might set us a Patten of Obedience to Superiors, and Contempt of the World; of Patience and Courage and Meekness and Re­signation to the Will of God; that so by his Example we might be excited to the Exercise of all those passive Virtues, which are not only most glorious, but most diffi­cult to human Nature; and that by behold­ing how mean and yet how good he was, we might all become more ambitious of being good than great in the World.

Now what an amazing Instance of God's Goodness is this, that meerly for our sakes, and to promote our Happiness; he should [Page 195] depress his own Son into such a miserable Condition, that he who was in the Form of God, who thought it no Robbery to be equal with God, should, by the Appointment of his own Father to whom he was so infinitely dear, make himself of no Reputation, take on him the Form of a Servant, become a Man of sorrows ▪ and acquaint himself with Griefs; and all this to put himself into a better Capacity of doing good to the World? Good God! When I consider with my self that once there was a Time when thou didst send thy blessed Son from Heaven to assume my Nature; that therein he dwelt upon this Earth and conversed with such poor Mortals as my self; that he suffered himself to be despised and persecuted, and by thy own Appointment wandred about like a poor Wretch naked and destitute of all those Comforts which I abundantly enjoy, and all this that he might the more effectu­ally do good to a World of ill-natured Sin­ners, methinks this wonderous Prodigy of Love not only puzles my Conceit, but outreach­es my Wonder and Admiration: And though it be a Love that exceeds my largest Thoughts, such as I have infinite Cause to rejoyce in, but could never have had the Impudence to expect; yet while I stand gazing on it, methinks I am like one that is [Page 196] looking down from a stupendous Precipice, whose Height fills me with a trembling Horror and even oversets my Reason.

6 thly, And lastly, The Greatness of God's Love and Goodness towards us appears al­so in this, that he gave his only begotten Son to be a Sacrifice for the Sins of miserable Sin­ners; and this is plainly implied in that Expression, he gave his only begotten Son: For in the two Verses foregoing the Text, our Saviour foretells his own Death; for as Moses, saith he, lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have eternal Life; and then it immediately follows, for God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son, that is, he gave him to be lifted up upon the Cross, even as the Serpent was lifted up by Moses in the Wilderness; that so by his precious Death and Sacrifice he might make an Atonement for the Sins of the World: And accordingly he is said to be delivered up for our offences, Rom. iv.25. even as the Sacrifice was delivered up at the Door of the Tabernacle to propitiate God for the Sins of the Offerer. For to compleat the propitiatory Sacrifices under the Law three Things were requisite; first, the offer­ing of it at the Door of the Tabernacle; the [Page 197] slaying of it, and the presenting of its Blood either within the Holy of Holies, or else­where, all which were found in the Sacrifice of our blessed Saviour. First, he offered him­self to God as a willing Victim for the Sins of the World. Hence Joh. xvii.19. for this cause, saith he, do I sanctify my self, that is, offer up my self as a Sacrifice to thee; for so in Levit. xxii.2, 3. and sundry other places, to hallow or sanctify any Thing to the Lord denotes the offering it to him in Sacrifice. And accordingly we find that that Prayer by which Christ consecrated himself to the Lord, Joh. xvii. was much like that by which the High Priest did consecrate his Victims before the Altar on the great day of Expiation; for as he, before he slew the Sacrifice, did first commend himself and his own Family; then the Family of Aaron and the whole Congregation to the Lord; so our Saviour, in this excellent Prayer whereby he sanctified himself to his Father a Sacrifice for the Sins of the World, first commended himself to him, then his Apostles, then all those who should afterwards be­lieve in his Name; which having done, he went forth presently to the Place where he was apprehended, and carried to Judgment and condemned to Death. Then as a pro­pitiatory Sacrifice he was slain for our sins, for [Page 198] so St. Peter tells us, Ephes. ii.24. he bore our Sins in his own Body on the Tree; that is, that natural Evil of a most shameful and pain­ful Death was inflicted on him for our Sins, that so he might make an Expiation for them, and free us from the Guilt and Punishment that was due to them. Hence in that Pro­phecy of him, Isa. liii. we often meet with such Expressions as these, surely he hath born our Griefs, and carried our Sorrows; he was Wounded for our Transgressions, he was Bruised for our Iniquities: The chastisement of our Peace was upon him, and with his Stripes we are Healed. The Lord hath laid on him the in­iquity of us all: For the transgression of my peo­ple was he stricken: Thou shalt make his Soul an offering for Sin, and he shall bear their In­iquities: He was numbered with the Transgres­sors, and he bare the sin of Many, and made intercession for the Transgressors: All which Expressions do plainly imply that what he suffered he suffered for our Sins as a Sacri­fice substituted in the Room of us who were the Offenders, that so he might make Expiation for us, and obtain our Pardon from his Father. And accordingly in the New Testament he is said to be made a Curse for us, to be our Ransom and Propitiation, to redeem and reconcile us, and obtain the Remission of our Sins by his Blood; to die [Page 199] for us and for our Sins, and to be our Pro­pitiation; all which Expressions being ap­plyed to the Sacrifices of Atonement under the Law, and from them derived upon our Saviour do plainly denote him to be a Sacri­fice of Atonement for the Sins of the World. And then lastly, there is the pre­senting of his Blood for us in Heaven, and in the Virtue thereof his interceeding for us with his Father. And hence the Blood of Christ, as it is now presented in Heaven, is called the blood of Sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of Abel, Heb. xii.24. In which he plainly alludes to the High Priest's sprinkling of the Blood of the Sa­crifice in the Holy of Holies, which was a Type of Christs presenting his Blood for us in Heaven, as you may see, Heb. ix.7. com­pared with the 11th and 12th Verses. Verse 7th he tells us that the High Priest entered not into the Holy of Holies without blood: But then Verse 12th it is said that Christ with his own blood entred in once into the holy place, ha­ving obtained eternal Redemption for us. And in Virtue of this Blood, which he poured out as a Sacrifice of our Sins upon the Cross, he now pleads our Cause at the right Hand of his Father, and ever lives to make Intercession for us. So that you see the Death of Christ had in it all the necessary [Page 200] Ingredients of a propitiatory Sacrifice for the Sins of the World; and having so, what a prodigious Instance is it of the Love of God to us, that rather than destroy us, he would give up his own Son to be a Sacrifice for us? I do not deny, but if he had pleased he might have pardoned and saved us without any Sacrifice at all; but he knew very well that if he should do so, it would be much worse for us. He knew that if he should pardon our Sins without giving us some great Instance of his implacable Hatred of them, we should be too prone to presume upon his Lenity, and thereupon to return again to our old Vomit and Uncleanness; and therefore though it would have been more for the Ease and Interest of his blessed Son to have pardoned us without any Sa­crifice at all, yet such was his Love to us, that because he foresaw that this Way of pardoning would prove fatal and dangerous to us, he was resolved that he would not do it without being moved thereunto by the greatest Sacrifice the World could afford him, and that no less a Pro­pitiation should appease his Wrath against Offenders than the Blood of his own Son; that so by beholding his Severity against our Sins in this unvaluable Sacrifice of the Blood of his Son, we might be sufficiently terrified [Page 201] from returning again to them, by the very same Reason that moved him to pardon them; that we might not think light of that which God would not forgive without such a vast Consideration, but might tremble to think of repeating those Sins, the Price of whose Pardon was the dearest Blood of the Son of God. Hence is that of the Apostle, Rom. iii.25, 26. whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his Blood, to declare his Righteousness, that is, his righteous Severity against Sin, for the remission of Sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his Righteousness; that he might be just, that is, sufficiently severe against the Sins of Men so as to warn them from returning, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. So that now he hath reduced Things to an ex­cellent Temper, having so provided, that neither himself nor we might be damnified; that we might not suffer by our doing again what we have done; and that he might not suffer by our doing still the same; that he might be what he is, a pure and a ho­ly Saviour; and that we might be what we ought, dutiful and obedient Subjects. Now what an amazing Instance of God's Love is this, that he should so far consult the good of his Creatures as to Sacrifice his own Son [Page 202] to their Benefit and Safety? How inexpres­sibly must he needs love us, that for our sakes could behold his most dearly beloved Son hanging on the Cross, covered with Wounds and Blood, forsaken by his Friends, despised and spit on by his Barbarous Ene­mies; that could hear him complain in the Bitterness of his Soul, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And yet suffer him to continue under that unsufferable Ago­ny till he had given up his white and innocent Soul an unspotted Sacrifice for the Sins of the World: Yea, that notwithstanding the infinite Love that he bore him, and the piteous Moans that his Torments forced from him, was so far from relieving him, that for our sakes he inflicted upon him the utmost Misery that human Nature could bear; that so having an experimental Sense of the most grievous Suffering that Man­kind is liable to, and being touched with the utmost Feeling of our Infirmities, and in all Points tempted like unto us, he might carry a more tender Commiseration for us to Heaven, and know the better how to pity us in all our Griefs and Extremities. For in all things it behoved him, saith the Apostle, to be made like unto his Brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest, Heb. ii.17. Hear O Heavens, and [Page 203] give Ear O Earth, and let all the Creation attend with Astonishment to this stupendous Story of Love, which so far exceeds all the heroick Kindnesses that ever any Romance of Friendship thought of, that no less Evi­dence than that of Miracles could have ever rendred it credible. Well then might the Apostle say, herein is love, not that we loved God, for after such vast Obligations this is no great Wonder, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our Sins, 1 Joh. iv.10. And thus you see what an unspeakable Instance of the Love of God, his giving his only begotten Son is. I shall now conclude this Argument with a few practical Inferences from the whole.

1. From hence I infer what monstrous Ingratitude it would be in us to deny any Thing to God that he demands at our Hands, who hath been so liberal to us as to give up his only begotten Son for our sakes. O blessed God! If it were possible for us to do or suf­fer for thee a thousand Times more than at present we are able, what a poor Return were this for the Gift of thy Son, that un­speakable Expression of thy Goodness? And can we deny thee any Thing after such an Instance of Love, especially when thy De­mands are so gentle and reasonable? When he requires nothing of us but what is for [Page 204] our good, and the Requital he demands for all his Love to us, is only that we should love our selves, and express this Love in doing those Duties which he therefore enjoyns, because they tend to our Happiness; and avoiding those Sins which he therefore for­bids, because he knows they will be our Bane and Poyson? Can any of my Lusts be as dear to me as the only begotten Son was to the Father of all things? And yet he parted with him out of Love to me; and shall not I part with these for the Love of him? How can we pretend to any Thing that is modest or ingenuous, tender or appre­hensive in humane Nature, when nothing will oblige us, no not this astonishing Love of God in sending his Son from Heaven to live and die Miserably for our sakes? Lord! What do thy holy Angels think of us? How do thy blessed Saints resent our Unkindness towards thee? Yea, how justly do the Devils themselves reproach and upbraid our Base­ness; who, bad as they are, were never so much Devils yet as to make an ungrateful Return of such a vast Obligation?

2 ly, From hence I infer how desperate our Condition will be if we defeat the End of this Gift of the Son of God, and render it ineffectual to us. For God hath no more Sons to bestow upon us, he being the only [Page 205] begotten of his Father; Heaven and Earth are not able to furnish him with such an­other Gift to bestow upon us; and if he should lay a Tax upon all his Creation to raise one great Contribution to the Happiness of Man­kind, and exact the utmost of every Crea­ture that it is able to Contribute, it would all fall infinitely short of what he hath done for us in this inestimable Gift of his own Son. So that if this prove ineffectual, it is beyond the Power of an omnipotent Bounty to re­lieve us. For though God can do all Things that can be well and wisely done, and do not imply a Contradiction; yet this can be no Relief at all to us, who reject his Son, and refuse to be made happy in the gracious Method which he hath prescribed to us. For after this mighty Gift of his own Son to save us according to the Method of his Gospel, there remains nothing more to be done for us, but either to save us whether we will, or no; or else to make us happy in our Sins, and save us notwithstanding our Continuance in them; the former of which can neither be well nor wisely done, because by saving us against our Wills he must deal with us in such a Way as is repug­nant to that Law of Liberty that is implant­ed in our Natures, and use us not as Free, but as Necessary Agents. And if considering all [Page 206] things, it was best and wisest that he should make us free Agents, then it can neither be well nor wise to govern us as necessary ones; since by so doing he must alter the Course of our Nature, and consequently swerve and decline from what is best and wisest, which would be to do Violence to the Per­fection of his own Nature. And then as for the latter, he cannot do it; because it implies a Contradiction. For to make Men happy in their Sins, is to make them happy in their Miseries; Misery being as inseparable from Sin as Heat is from Fire, and as intimately related to it as the Son is to the Father; and consequently he may as possibly make a Father without a Son, as a Sinner without Misery. When therefore God hath done all for us that can possibly be done, and we by our own Obstinacy have rendred all ineffectual, we are beyond the Power of Remedy, and must necessarily perish in our Sins. And when we have no other Hope to depend on but this, that the All-wise God will undo his own Workmanship, and un­ravel our Nature by governing us contrary to the most wise Constitution of it; or that the All-powerful God will effect Impossibilities, and do that for us which is not an Object of Power, how deplorable and desperate must our Condition be? Wherefore, as you would [Page 207] not run your selves beyond the Reach of all Mercy, and excommunicate your own Souls from all Hope of Salvation, be now at last persuaded to comply with Christ's Coming, which was to reduce you from the Error of your Ways, and to bring you to a serious Repentance.

IN these Words you have the Love of God measured by a twofold Standard; first by the Greatness of the Gift which he hath bestowed upon the World, God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son; Secondly, by the blessed End for which he did bestow him, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, &c. The first of these I have already gone through, and now I shall proceed to the Second, viz. The blessed End for which he gave his only begotten Son, That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

In which Words you have also two very great Instances of God's infinite Love and good Will to Mankind; the First is his im­posing upon us such a gentle, and easie, and merciful Condition, That whosoever believeth in him. Secondly, His proposing such a vast Reward to us upon our performing of this Condition.

[Page 209]I begin with the first, viz. His imposing upon us such a gentle and easie, and merciful Condition, That whosoever believeth in him should not perish. In the Management of which I shall do these two Things:

• 1. Shew you what it is that is included in this Condition, whosoever believeth in him.
• 2. How good God hath been to us in ma­king the Condition which he hath imposed upon us so gentle and merci­ful.

1. What is it that is included in this Con­dition? To which I answer in general, that believing in Christ doth not only denote a naked Assent to the Truth of this Propositi­on, That he is the Son of Cod, and the Mes­senger of Gods Mind and Will to the World, and the Saviour of Mankind; but that it also includes whatsoever is naturally consequent thereunto. For thus it is very ordinary with the Scripture to express the natural Effects and Consequents of things by their Causes and Principles. This is the love of God, saith the Apostle, that we keep his Commandments, 1 Jo. v.3. whereas in strictness of Speak­ing, our keeping his Commandments is on­ly the Effect or Consequence of our loving him. So Prov. viii.13. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; whereas indeed this is only [Page 210] the Effect, or Consequence of the Fear of the Lord. Thus by knowing, and hearing, and remembring of God the Scripture usually expresses the consequent Effects of them, Thus Act. xxii.14. The God of our Fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldst know his Will; that is, that thou mayst not only know it, but by thy Knowledge mayst be suitably affected with it; (for it was not to a bare contemplative Knowledge of it that St. Paul was chosen:) and then it follows, and see that Just one, and shouldst hear the voice of his Mouth; that is, that hearing the Voice of his Mouth, thou shouldst there­by be induced to obey it; for he was not meerly to hear Christ speaking to him out of the Heavens, but that hearing him he might submit to his Will, and become his Apostle to the World. Many other Places I might easily give you, where the natural Effects and Consequents are in Scripture ex­pressed by their Causes and Principles. And thus also Faith or Believing whenso­ever it is used in Scripture to signify the Condition of the Gospel-Covenant always imploies its natural Effects and Consequents, that is, sincere and universal Obedience to those Rules of Holy Living which the Go­spel prescribes; for this is the most natural Effect of our believing in Jesus Christ. And [Page 211] hence it is called the obedience of Faith, Rom. xvi.26. that is, the Obedience which springs from Faith, as from its Cause and Principle; And accordingly, Rom. x.16. you find that to believe and to obey the Gospel signifies one and the same Thing; But they have not all obeyed the Gospel, saith he; for Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our re­port? that is, who hath believed it, so as to obey it? So that wheresoever Faith is men­tioned singly as the Condition of the Gospel-Covenant, it is apparent it must be under­stood in the largest Sense, as comprehending that Obedience which is the Effect and Con­sequence of it. So 1 Joh. v.1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God; that is, whosevever so believes the Truth of this Proposition as to practise up­on it, and govern his Life and Actions ac­cording to the Tenour and Direction of it, is truly a Child of God. For he who be­lieves Christ to be the Messias, but continues obstinately disobedient to his Laws, is so far from being truly and really a Child of God, that he thereby becomes ten Times more a Child of the Devil; for, saith the Apostle, If I have all Faith, and have not Charity, I am nothing; and Gal. v.6. For in Jesus Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing, nor Vncircumcision, but Faith which worketh by [Page 212] Love; and if so, then Faith it self is nothing abstracted from this blessed Effect of it, i. e. working by love: For in Gal. vi.15. he tells us that Circumcision is nothing, but the new Crea­ture; by which new Creature he means an obedient Temper and Disposition of Mind, as he plainly tells us, 1 Cor. vii.19. Cir­cumcision is nothing, and Vncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the Command­ments of God. So that by these different Variations of expression it is apparent, that by Faith as significant in the Account of Christ, he always means a working Faith, the Effect of which is the new Creature, or keep­ing the Commandments of God. And so I have done with the first Thing proposed, which was to shew you what is included in this Condition, whosoever believeth in him, which you see is not to be confined to a bare and naked Belief of him, but must be extend­ed further, even to that whole Course of Obe­dience which is the natural Effect of such a Belief. So that whosoever believes in him, is as much as if he had said, Whosoever so believes in him, as sincerely and universally to obey him.

2. I proceed now to the next Thing, which was to shew you how good God hath been to us in making the Condition which he hath imposed upon us, so gentle and mer­ciful; [Page 213] and this will appear if we consider these five Things.

• 1. That he hath put nothing into this Condition but what is in its own Na­ture exceeding good for us.
• 2. That he hath most mercifully propor­tioned the Whole to the present State and Circumstances of our Nature.
• 3. That he hath rendred the Whole al­most necessarily consequent to our believ­ing in Jesus Christ.
• 4. That to beget that Belief in us, he hath given us the most plain and con­vincing Evidence.
• 5. That to render this Belief operative, he hath engaged himself to assist, actu­ate, and inliven it by his ow immediate Concurrence.

1. That God hath put nothing into this Condition but what is in its own Nature ex­ceeding good for us. For there is no Pre­cept in all the Gospel but what contains ei­ther some effectual Means or apparent In­stance of what is morally and eternally Good; and whatsoever is morally good is naturally so. For the moral Goodness of Things con­sists in the Fitness and Reasonableness of them, and that which is the moral Good, or Duty of Men consists in doing that which is eternally fit and reasonable for them, con­sidering [Page 214] the Frame and Circumstances of their Natures, and the different Relations wherein they are placed in the World. But now for Men to do what is eternally fit and reasonable, is naturally good for and beneficial to themselves; because by so do­ing they perfect and advance their Na­tures, and accomplish their own Satisfaction and Happiness. For our Reason being that proper Character of our Natures that distinguishes us from all sublunary Be­ings, and sets us in a Form of Being above them; the Perfection of our Nature must necessarily consist in being perfectly reason­able; in having our Vnderstandings informed with the Principles of right Reason, and our Wills and Affections regulated by them; and when once we are released from the Slaveries of Sense and Passion, and all our Powers are so perfectly subdued to this su­perior Principle of Reason, as to do every Thing that it commands, and nothing that it forbids, and we chuse and refuse, and love, and hate, and hope, and fear, and delight, ac­cording as right Reason directs and dictates; then, and not till then we are come to the full Stature of perfect Men in Christ Jesus. Now all the Duty of the Gospel being a reasonable Service, as the Apostle calls it, Rom. xii.1. the End and Tendency of it must be to habitu­ate [Page 215] us to live according to the Laws of right Reason, which is all one as to advance us to the Perfection of reasonable Beings; and being once arrived at this, we shall find unspeakable Satisfaction from within our selves, and feel a Heaven of Joys springing up within our own Bosoms. For when once our disjointed Powers are set in Order, and all our Faculties reduced to their natural Subordination, our Nature will be in perfect Rest and Ease, being freed from that un­natural Violence and Oppression under which it now groans, and cured of all those Spasms and Convulsions of Mind which are the inseparable Effects of its Lapse and De­generacy. And all the Motions of our Wills and Affections being regulated by the eter­nal Reason of our Minds, with what de­lightful Relishes and sweet Gusts of Plea­sure shall we taste and review our own Acti­ons, they being always such as our best and purest Reason doth approve of with a full and ungainsaying Judgment? So that God's Commands, you see, being all of them most reasonable must necessarily tend to the Perfection and Happiness of our Nature; besides, that they generally promote even our sensitive Happiness, our Pleasure, and Profit, and Reputation in this World. Now what a most endearing Instance is this of [Page 216] God's Goodness towards us, that he should make our Benefit the Measure of our Duty, and oblige us to nothing but what is for our good; that he should so far concern himself in our Happiness, as to impose it upon us under the Penalty of his severest displeasure, and to inforce his Laws with such inviting and such dreadful Sanctions, only to secure us from running away from our own Mer­cies? So that to be a Christian, is in Effect nothing else but only to be obliged to be kind to our selves, and bound in Conscience to be happy: Good God, that thou shouldst be so infinitely Zealous of our Welfare as to make the Means of it the only Matter of thy Laws, and to promise such vast Re­wards, and denounce such dreadful Punish­ments against us for no other Reason but only to affright and allure us out of Misery into Happiness! That thou shouldst hate our Sins so implacably, only because they are our irreconcilable Enemies, and be so infinitely pleased with our Obedience, only because it leads to our endless Bliss and Per­fection! And that it is thus, is so plain and apparent, that we cannot but acknowledge it a most convincing Instance of God's in­finite Goodness towards us,

2 ly, That God hath most mercifully pro­portioned this Condition to the present State [Page 217] and Circumstances of our Naure. He saw very well into what a deplorable Condition humane Nature was reduced, how its Strength was broken, and its Health and Vigor impair'd and decayed; how its Reason was clouded, and all its Faculties depraved; how apt it was to be surprized, and to act unadvisedly; sometimes for Want of Time, sometimes for Want of Order and Distin­ction in its Thoughts; how much it was hindred from acting regularly by intervening Accidents, and how it was weakend and de­termined by the bad Habits and Necessi­ties it had generally contracted: and seeing it reduced to this sad State, he hath most graciously accommodated its Burthen to its Strength, and taken Measure of its Du­ty by its Ability to discharge it. For though in his Gospel he requires that we should per­fect holiness in the fear of God, and be perfect, as our Father in Heaven is perfect, that is, that we should advance to the utmost De­grees and Improvements in Virtue that our Natures are capable of; yet he requires this of us under such moderate Penalties as are no ways destructive to our eternal Happi­ness, such as the hiding his Face from us, and other such like paternal Severities and Castigations; his correcting us with the Rod of temporal Judgments, and abating us in the [Page 218] Degrees of our future Happiness proportion­ably to our moral Defects and Non-improve­ments, which Penalties though they are suffi­cient to quicken our Endeavours, and excite us still to a farther Progress from one Degree of Virtue to another; yet are they not such as do excommunicate us from Heaven, or disseize us of the Reward of our honest and sincere Obe­dience. And indeed should God have been severe in marking what we do amiss, and exacted of us under the Penalty of Damna­tion the utmost Degrees and Improvements that are possible for us to attain, no Flesh would be saved; it being morally impossible for us in this degenerate State to do always the utmost Good, or avoid the utmost Evil that we are able; and therefore out of a tender Regard to the Weakness and Infir­mity of our Nature, he hath only forbid those Neglects and Miscarriages under this Declaration that they are inconsistent with the Sincerity of our Submission and Obedi­ence to him. But as for our moral Defects and Infirmities and Surprises, though so far as it is in our Power to avoid them, they are truly Sins against the Law of Perfection, and as such we ought to lament, and beg Pardon for them; yet, Thanks be to a mer­ciful God, we shall only be chastned for them here, that we may not be condemned with the [Page 219] World, as the Apostle expresses it, 1 Cor. xi.32. and reap less Happiness in the other World for having sowed less Degrees of good than we might, and ought to have done in this; as the same Apostle in 2 Cor. ix.6. 'Tis true indeed, as for wilful Sinners, he hath concluded them (as it is very reasonable he should) under the Sentence of eternal Death; for should he let such go unpunished, he must e'en resign up his Government, and leave the wretched World in a State of Anar­chy and Confusion; but yet to these he hath extended as much Kindness, as was possible for a wise and gracious Governour to do; for he hath not so irrecoverably concluded them under this direful Sentence, but that still he doth indulge to them the saving Re­medy of Repentance, having for the sake of Jesus, and his all-sufficient Propitiation bound himself by Promise to pardon and receive into his Favour every wilful Sinner in the World, if he will but repent of what is past, and amend for the future. Thus to save the miserable World he hath gone to the utmost Borders of what is fit and reasonable, and done as much for us as it was possible for the Justice and Rectitude of his Nature to admit of; for should he have proceeded any further he must have pardoned impeni­tent, Sinners which he could not have done [Page 220] without allowing and incouraging their Re­bellion: And to pardon an Offendor that persists in his Fault, that is neither sorry for it, nor willing to amend it, is utterly in­congruous to all wise Rules of Government, and cannot be practised by any Govern­ment either divine or humane without endan­gering its own Foundations. What then is there beyond this that we can modestly ask, or God wisely grant? If God had summoned us to his Privy Council in Heaven, and there promised to grant us any Terms of Salva­tion that we our selves could think fit to propose to him, surely the utmost that any modest Man could have asked would have been only this; Lord! Be but so merciful as to consider the Weakness and Infirmity of our Natures so as not to cast us off for every Neg­lect or Miscarriage that was only possible for us to avoid: And if at any time we should be such Wretches as knowingly and wilfully to Of­fend thee, be but so gracious as to receive us again into thy Favour whensoever we heartily repent and amend: This is the utmost that we can request at thy Hands, and for this we will praise thee on the bended Knees of our Souls, and adore thy Goodness for ever and ever: Why now all this he hath freely granted us of his own Accord; and is not this a most amazing Instance of his Goodness, [Page 221] that of his own free Motion he should thus indulge to us the utmost Mitigations that we could have modestly desired, and condescended so far to our Weakness, that without an unpardonable Impudence we cannot desire him to condescend yet fur­ther.

3 dly, That he hath rendred the Perform­ance of the whole Condition of our Salvati­on almost necessarily consequent to our be­lieving in Jesus Christ: For in that Reve­lation of his Will which he hath made by Jesus Christ he hath pressed the Performance of this Condition upon us with such irre­sistible Arguments, as must needs prevail wheresoever they are heartily believed and duly considered. What Man can be so stu­pid as to trample upon Christ's Law, that firmly believes and considers those glorious Rewards it proposes to all that sincerely obey it? What pleasures of Sin can seduce that Man from his Duty who is firmly per­suaded that after a few Moments Obedience he shall swim in Rivers of Pleasures that flow from God's right Hand for evermore? How can any Man have the Courage to violate the Laws of our Saviour, who hearti­ly believes and considers those direful Pu­nishments which he hath denounced against the Transgressors of them? And what E­vils [Page 222] or Miseries can scare that Man from his Duty, that is chained so fast to it by the Consideration of that Wrath of God which is revealed from Heaven against all Un­righteousness and Ungodliness of Men? How can any Man love his Sins any longer, that believes and reads that bloody Story of them that is written in the Agony and Passi­on of the Son of God? When we consider that he was delivered for our Offences, and that our Sins were the principal Actors of all that woful Tragedy; that they were these that betrayed, arraigned, and condemned him; that borrowed the Throats of a barbarous Rabble to cry out Crucify him, Crucify him; that buffeted and scourged him with the Hands of the rude Soldiers; that gored his Sides with the Spear, pierced his Temples with the Thorns, rent his sacred Hands and Feet with the Nails that fastned him to the Cross; how can we believe and consider that our Sins did thus barbarously treat the best Friend we have in the World without be­ing all inflamed with Indignation against them? Again, how can we reflect upon that dreadful Displeasure God expressed a­gainst our Sins in this dismal Example of Sa­crificing his own Son for them, without be­ing filled with Horror, and struck into a trembling Agony at the Thought of them? [Page 223] Once more, How can we be so desperatly fool-hardy as to go on in our Sins, if we believe and consider the Article of the Day of Judg­ment, wherein we must give an Account of whatsoever we have done in the Flesh whether it be good, or evil, and stand or fall to all Eternity according as we have dis­charged or neglected this great Condition of our Salvation? These are such mighty Ar­guments, as one would think, it were im­possible for Men firmly to believe, and yet not be persuaded by them. Thus God in his Mercy and Goodness to us hath furnished the Revelation of his Son with such preva­lent Motives, that our believing in him al­most necessarily draws after it the Perform­ance of the whole condition of our Salvati­on; for upon our believing in Jesus, and considering his Proposals, we are compas­sed round about with so many puissant Rea­sons to submit our selves to his Laws, as (one would think) all the Temptations of the Devil and the World are not able to resist. So careful hath God been to secure us from Sin and Misery, that knowing the Force of our natural Reason to be so weak to secure us, he hath sent us down these fresh Auxiliaries from Heaven, by whose Assi­stance, if we do but trust to and imploy them, we may easily repulse all the Temp­tations [Page 224] of Sin, and fight our Way through all the Difficulties of our Duty. For this is the Victory, saith the Apostle, by which we overcome the World, even our Faith, 1 John v.4. which Words are urged by him as an Instance of the Easiness and Gentleness of our Obedience to the Gospel, which is the Condition of our Salvation; for v.3. saith he, this is the love of God, that we keep his Com­mandments, and his Commandments are not grievous. Well, but how doth this appear? Why saith he, for every one that is born of God overcometh the World, and this is the Vi­ctory that overcometh the World, even our Faith. For who is he that overcometh the World, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God, v.5. So that he proves the ea­siness of the Gospel Commands by this Argu­ment, that the keeping them depends upon that Faith by which we believe Jesus to be the Son of God. By this means therefore God hath mercifully rendred the Condition of our Salvation easie to us by rendring the Per­formance of it so necessarily consequent to our believing in Jesus; in which how good he hath been to us will evidently appear, if we consider.

4 thly, That to beget this Belief in us he hath given us the most plain and convincing Evidence; viz. the Evidence of those mi­raculous [Page 225] Works wherewith he accompanied the Ministry of our Saviour and his Apostles, and sealed and confirmed it to the World; which of all Kinds of Evidence is the most apt to convince, and persuade the World of the Truth of any divine Revelation; for this Kind of Evidence appeals to Mens Senses, and is such an Argument as they may see and touch and handle; and Men are ge­nerally apt to give more Credit to their own Senses than to the clearest Inferences and Deductions of Reason. And indeed the Generality of Men are hardly capable of any other Notices of Things but what are immediatly impressed upon them by the Ob­jects of their Sense; for they have not Skill enough to compare simple Terms so exactly with one another as to compound them into true Propositions, and then to infer from every such Proposition its natural Conse­quents and Deductions. These are Things that require a great deal more Art and Lei­sure, than Mens Educations and Affairs will ordinarily afford them. But Miracles are Things that are obvious to Mens Senses, and from them to infer a divine Commission in the Person that works them, is not only possi­ble but very easie to the most vulgar Under­standing. For Miracles being the visible Ef­fects of a divine Power cannot be supposed [Page 226] to be wrought by any but Persons that are divinely commissionated, and he that shews me an immediate Effect of God's Power gives me that in Token that he came from God. So that the Argument of Mira­cles, you see, is the most plain and intelli­gible of all others; and as it is so, it is the most powerful to convince and persuade Men. For whereas had our Saviour prov­ed his Doctrins in a Way of rational Dis­course and Inference, he must have prov­ed them all singly and apart by distinct and different Arguments, which would have been so tedious that the Vulgar would never have Leisure enough to attend them, nor yet Capacity enough to retain them; but by this Argument of Miracles he proved them all at once, because his Miracles were a Token that the God of Truth did approve his Doctrin; and it cannot be supposed that the God of Truth would have so visibly ap­proved of his Doctrin in the Gross, had any Part or Proposition of it been false and erro­neous. Thus God out of his infinite Good­ness hath not only revealed his everlasting Gospel to us, but hath also taken the most effectual Course to convince and persuade us of the Truth of it. He hath set his own Almighty Power at Work to still the Seas, and raise the Dead, to cure the Blind and [Page 227] Lame and Diseased, to change and vary the Course and Order of his Creation, and all this for no other Purpose but to persuade Mankind of the Truth of those glad Tidings which he revealed from Heaven to them by his own Son. And as he hath given us the best Evidences to convince us of the Truth of his Gospel, so he hath taken the most effectual Course, to continue and perpetuate it to the World. For first, he raised up sundry Eye-witnesses who conversed with our Savi­our, and beheld his Miracles, and after they had seen him risen from the Dead, and ascend­ed up into Heaven, did openly publish and testify them to the World, and finally con­firmed and ratified their Testimony by lay­ing down their Lives for it; which was as high a Confirmation as could possibly have been given of the Truth of it. But lest after all, the World should suspect them, God also furnished them with the Gift of Miracles, and continued that Gift as an Heir­lome to their Successors for Three Hundred Years together; that so as the Testimony of the first Eye-witnesses was confirmed not only by their Martyrdoms, but by their Mi­racles also; so it might still be handed down from them through the successive Genera­tions in the same infallible manner till it was spread over all the World, and needed no [Page 228] farther Martyrdoms, or Miracles to confirm it. O blessed God! What care hast thou taken, first to provide, and then to secure the Evidences of our holy Religion, that all Generations might have sufficient Motives of Credibility; and that Mankind might still have abundant Reason to believe in thy Son to the End of the World, when they shall see him come down from Heaven to Judgment? How easie therefore hath God rendred the Condition of our Salvation to us, when he hath not only rendred the Per­formance of it so necessarily consequent to our believing in Jesus, but also to beget this Belief, in us hath given us such abundant Evidence? How can we sufficiently admire and adore his Goodness that hath been so infinitely solicitous to secure our Happiness, and hath so contrived Things that we cannot heartily believe his Gospel and not be per­suaded by it to comply with the Terms of our Salvation; nor yet impartially consider the Evidence of his Gospel, and not heartily believe it? And yet as if all this were not enough,

5 thly, And lastly, to render this Belief operative and effectual, he hath engaged him­self to assist, actuate, and enliven it by his own immediate Concurrence. Provided we use our own honest Endeavour he hath [Page 229] assured us again and again that he will give his Holy Spirit to every one that asks; that he will work in us to will and to do, if we will but take care to work out our own Salvation with fear and trembling; and that to him that hath, i. e. makes an honest Improvement of that Strength that he hath, it shall be given, and he shall have more abundantly. So that though one would have thought he had done suf­ficiently for us before in giving us such abun­dant Evidence to beget in us an hearty Be­lief of his Gospel, and such prevalent Motives to persuade us to submit to it, and comply with his gracious Proposals; yet such was his Goodness to us, such his importunate Care of our Welfare, that he could not stop here, nor think that yet he had done enough for us till by an irrepealable Promise he had obli­ged himself to us to co-operate with us, and by the immediate Influences of his Grace to bless and succeed our honest Endeavours. So that we can no sooner attempt our own Re­stauration, no sooner set our selves in the way to our Happiness, but the good God is immediately present with us, exciting our Fath, fixing our Consideration, animating and encouraging our poor Endeavours, and supply­ing us with all manner of Grace and Assi­stance that our State and Necessities require. Nay, and many and many a Time, while [Page 230] we are Sleeping on in our wretched sinful Secu­rity, he comes in Pity to visit us, and ever and anon suggests good Thoughts to our Minds to rouse and awake us out of those fatal Slumbers, to enliven our Faith, and call up our Consideration; nay, and often­times he doth so urge, and second, and re­peat those Thoughts to us, that by being so haunted with their Importunities, we are forced to fix our Minds on them whether we will or no. And though we like ungrate­ful Wretches do many times stifle his good Motions, and turn a deaf Ear to his Calls and gracious Invitations to Happiness; yet doth he not presently give over, but whilst we are running away from him, we hear a Voice behind us calling after us to return; and though we still run on, yet still he follows us with his Importunities through the whole Course of our sinful Life, till ei­ther he hath brought us back, or we have run our selves past all Hope of Recovery. These are Things, I dare say, that every Man in the World, one Time or other, hath had sensible Experience of. And is not this a strange Condescention of Goodness to see the God of Heaven and Earth thus courting and wooing a Company of impotent Rebels to lay down their Arms, and accept his Grace and his everlasting Preferments? And [Page 231] though they reject his Motions, and stop their Ears to those still Whispers of his that secretly invade their Souls; yet to consider how he still solicits and importunes them, as if he would take no Denyal, and were resolved not to let them alone till he had persuaded them to be happy; O good God! what prodigious Stories of Love are these? What strange amazing Condescentions to thy wretched undeserving Creatures? And now after all this what can the Lord our God do more for us that is consistent either with his own Wisdom, or with the Free­dom of our Natures? He hath done all that can be done to draw us to Heaven, and if that will not do, it is by no Means fit that he should drag us thither; since it would be a most mean unreasonable Conde­scention in him to force us to be happy when we are unwilling to accept it, and to prosti­tute the Reward of Piety and Virtue to those that scorn, and reject it.

And now to conclude this Argument; from hence I infer how monstrously un­grateful those Persons are who complain of the Difficulty and Burthensomeness of this gentle and merciful Condition of our Salva­tion: When in so many Instances it is appa­rent how merciful God hath been in impo­sing such a Condition upon us. In the Name [Page 232] of God what would you have Sirs, would you have Heaven drop into your Mouths, while you lie still and do nothing? Or can you think it is fit that so vast a Reward should be prostituted to the lazy Wishes of such Drones and Sluggards, as do not think it worth the labouring for? That those golden Fruits should hang down from Hea­ven to us on an overladen Bow, to be cropt by every idle Wanton Hand, that will stretch forth it self to take and eat it? Sure­ly no reasonable Creature can be so senseless, as to entertain such a wild and fond Conceit. Well then, would you have God admit of such a Condition of Salvation, as includes in it a Licence to enjoy your Lusts, and gives you Liberty to be as wicked as you please? But alas! if God should be so fond of your Salvation as to offer Violence to his own Nature and Government, by yielding to your Sins, and granting you a free Dispen­sation to enjoy them; yet it is impossible in the Nature of the Thing; because your Sal­vation will not consist with it. For to be saved from Misery whilst we are let alone to enjoy our Sins is a Contradiction, and so not the Object of any Power, no not of Om­nipotence it self. For Sin it self is the great­est Misery that human Nature is liable to; 'tis this that convulses all its Faculties, that [Page 233] racks and stretches them out of Joint, and distorts them into an unnatural Figure and Position; 'tis this that makes us our own Re­verse, transposes our Head with our Feet, and makes our Reason truckle to our Sense; our intellectual Faculties that were made to govern, to serve those brutish Passions and Appetites which Nature designed to be their Vassals; which is such a barbarous Vio­lence to the very Frame and Constitution of our Nature, as will, whensoever we re­cover out of our lethargick Stupidity, be as sensibly dolorous to our Souls, as Racks, or Wheels, or Catasta's to our Bodies. So that for God to save us from Misery whilst he suffers us to continue in our Sins, is altoge­ther as impossible as it is to save us from burn­ing, whilst he suffers us to continue weltring in the Flames of Fire; and to make us well in Sickness, or easie in Diseases are not more repugnant to the Nature of Things, than 'tis to make us happy in our Sins; and yet this is the only Matter we complain of, that God will not allow us a free Dispensation to be wicked in that which is the Condition of our Salvation. O blessed God! How is it possi­ble thou shouldst ever please such froward, peevish, and ungrateful Creatures, who will never be satisfied unless thou performest Impossibilities, and makest Contradictions [Page 234] to be true for their sakes? For shame there­fore let us no longer complain, that the Condition of our Salvation is too hard and rigorous; but since God hath been pleased to condescend so low to us, as to indulge us whatsoever is consistent with our Salvation, let us admire and adore his Goodness, and with our Souls inflamed with Love and Gra­titude to him, chearfully undertake what he hath so mercifully enjoyned us.

I Am now upon the latter Part of this Text, that whosoever believeth in him, &c. In which there are two great In­stances of God's Goodness to us: First, his imposing upon us such a gentle and mer­ciful Condition, that whosoever believeth in him: Secondly, his proposing to us so vast a Reward upon the Performance of it; should not perish, but have everlasting Life. The first of these I have handled already, and now I proceed to the second, viz. the vast Reward he hath proposed to us upon the Performance of this merciful Condition. And in this you have

I. I begin with the first of these, that whosoever believeth in him, might not perish.

In prosecution of which Argument I shall do these three Things;

• [Page 236]1. Shew you what is meant by perishing here.
• 2. By what Right we were concerned in, and obliged to it.
• 3. What unspeakable Goodness God hath discovered to us in freeing and absolving us from this Obligation.

1. What is meant by perishing here, or not perishing? That whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, that is, that whoso­ever believes in him might be pardoned, or absolved from the obligation of perishing for ever, to which his Sins have rendred him justly liable. For that by this Phrase [...], he should not perish, or be destroyed, is not meant the Annihilation or Destruction of our Beings, as the Socinians and some others imagin, is evident by its being opposed to everlasting Life, which, as I shall shew you hereafter, doth not denote our mere Con­tinuance in Life and Being for ever, but our Continuance in a most blissful and happy Life for ever; and consequently the Destruction that is here opposed to it must not denote our eternal Discontinuance to be and live, but our living most wretchedly and miserably for ever. And indeed wheresoever Death, or Destruction is spoken of in Opposition to eternal Life, this is apparently the Sense of it. So Rom. vi.23. The wages of Sin is death, [Page 237] but the Gift of God is eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now that by Death here is understood a State of endless Misery and Suffering, in Opposition to that State of endless Happiness which eternal Life implies, is evident; because he cannot mean the first Death, which consists in the Separation of the Soul from the Body; for though this were originally the Wages of Sin, yet in it self it is not so now, but the necessary Con­dition of our Nature; for whether we Sin or no, we must undergo it, being obliged to it by the irreversible Decree of our Maker. But the Death here spok­en of is the Effect of our own personal Sin, without which we are not liable to it, as you may plainly see v. 21. What fruit had ye then in those things, (i. e. those Sins) whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things, or Sins, is Death. Where­fore since it cannot be meant of the first, it must be meant of the second Death, which St. John makes mention of Rev. 2.11. He that overcometh, shall not be hurt of the second Death. And what that is, the same Au­thor tells you Rev. 20.14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire: This is the second Death; that is, this Lake of Fire, or the Torments and Miseries which con­demned Sinners endure in it, is the second [Page 239] Death; for so he explains himself v. 10. And the Devil that deceived them, was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the Beast and the false Prophet are, and shall be tormented Day and Night for ever and ever. And this is that Death which is opposed to the immortal Rewards of the Blessed, as you may see Rev. 21.7, 8. He that overcometh shall inherit all things, that is, all those im­mortal Recompences which God has pre­pared for virtuous Souls. But the fearful and unbelieving, &c. shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstrone: Which is the second Death.

And as Death, when opposed to eternal Life, denotes a State of endless and continued Misery, so doth Destruction also. So Mat. 7.13, 14. Broad is the way that leadeth to Destruction. Narrow is the way which leadeth unto Life: By the later of which it is grant­ed on all hands he means Life eternal; and that by Destruction he means a State of endless Misery, is evident from Matth. 10.28. but fear him which is able to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell; which according to St. John's Exposition, Rev. 20.10. is to torment them Day and Night for ever and ever. And this destroying in Hell our Savi­our elsewhere expresses by casting into Hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched; where [Page 238] their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quench­ed; which is as plain a Description of an endless State of Misery as Words can ex­press; for how is it possible that Annihila­tion should signify either a Fire that never goes out, or a Worm that never dies: So also, 2 Thess. 1.9. who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, meaning the wicked Persecuters at Christ's coming to Judgment. Now that by that everlasting Destruction he means a State of endless Suffering and Torment is evident, if we consider the Description which our Saviour gives of that Punish­ment to which the Wicked shall be senten­ced at the last Day; Go ye cursed, saith he, into everlasting Fire, Matth. 25.41. And lest we should fancy that 'tis the Fire only that is eternal, but not the Punishment, v. 46. of that Chap. And these, saith he, shall go away into everlasting Punishment: but the Righteous into Life eternal. And that they do actually exist in this Fire, and continue in the Torment of it is evident by those A­ctions that are therein attributed to them, such as weeping and wailing and gnashing of Teeth, Matth. 13.42, 50; which Actions are plain Indications not only of their sub­sisting in this everlasting Fire, but of the extream Horror and Anguish they shall [Page 240] therein endure. And as this Fire is said to be everlasting, so the Everlastingness of it is described so as to exclude all Limits, and prescind from all Determinations. For Fire must be extinguished e're it can cease to burn, and therefore that which cannot be extinguished can never end; but such is that Fire whereunto the Wicked are condemned at the Day of Judgment; so Matth. 3.12. whose fan is in his hand;— but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable Fire. And that the Sufferers shall be no more extinguished than the Fire that burns them, is evident from Rev. 14.11. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever. And they have no rest day nor night. And how can the smoke of this Fire be said to be the smoke of their torment ascending up for ever and ever, unless they exist in it for ever and ever; especially considering what follows immediately after, they have no rest day nor night? Which Expression is the same with that by which the same Author signifies the eternal Happiness of good Men; so Rev. 4.8. They rest not day and night, saying, holy, holy▪ holy; and Rev. 7.15. The are before the Throne of God, and serve him day and night in his Temple. And if Day and Night here, when applied to the State of Heaven, de­notes the continued blisful Employment of [Page 241] happy Souls there forever; then for the same Reason, when 'tis applied to the State of Hell, it must denote the continued Miseries of the Damned there forever. Well then, if the Fire of Hell be everlasting, yea if it be so absolutely everlasting as that it is unquencha­ble; and if those that are cast into it shall be tormented for ever and ever, all which the Scripture doth directly teach; then it ne­cessarily follows, that the Wicked must sub­sist in their Miseries for ever, and be co-eternal with the Flames that torment them. The Reason therefore why that future Pu­nishment to which our Sins do consign and oblige us, is called by the Name of Destru­ction, Perdition, and Death, is not because it puts a final Period either to our Being or Subsistence, as some fondly Dream; but because it forever separates and disjoyns us from God, who is the better and the nobler Life of Man, and from all those sweet Per­ceptions of Comfort and Pleasure, of which Life is the Principle. And there is no Lan­guage, Phrases, or Expressions can be sup­posed to patronize a contrary Opinion, since the same Scriptures which say that the Wicked shall be destroyed, and perish, and die, say also that they shall be tormented with never-dying Pains, as they plainly and frequently do. This I have the longer in­sisted [Page 242] upon; because it is a very dangerous Thing for Men to be deceived in this Matter, not to know the worst of the Consequents of their own Follies, but to expect an easier and a shorter Hell than ever they are like to find. And so I have done with the first Thing proposed, viz. what is here meant by perishing, and proved to you at large that hereby is meant living miserably forever.

2 dly. I proceed now to the next Thing proposed, viz. how we came to be con­cerned in, and obliged to this dreadful Pe­nalty? To which I answer, that originally we were hereunto obliged by the Law of our Nature; for Man being naturally an immortal Creature, must necessarily be for­ever liable to the natural Effects of his own Actions; and therefore since Misery is the natural Effect of sinful Actions, if we conti­nue Sinners forever, we must necessarily continue miserable forever; And if God should have inflicted no other Miseries upon wicked Souls when they are separated from their Bodies than what are necessarily con­sequent to their own Wickedness, these would be an Hell of insufferable Torment to them. So that from the very Immortality of our Natures we are capable of everlasting Perseverance in Sin, and from our everlasting [Page 243] Perseverance in Sin we are fatally damned to evelasting Misery. And as by the Law of our Natures we are thus bound over to eter­nal Punishment, so are we also by the po­sitive Sentence and Determination of God, who hath not only obliged us to obey him under the Penalty of enduring forever the Miseries that are naturally appendent to our Sins, but hath added thereunto all those positive Torments which the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, and the Horrors of outer Darkness do imply: For so in his Word he hath plainly declared to us that if after he hath tryed us to the utmost, we will not be reclaimed, but are so desperate as to proceed in our Wickedness maugre all the Arts and Methods he can use to reduce us, he will at last shut us up in a State of endless and irreversible Torment. And this is no more than what he might very justly and right­fully do; for he being the Supream Law­giver of the World, hath an immutable Right to enforce his Laws with such Penalties as are sufficient to secure them from being vio­lated by his Subjects; for otherwise he would be defective in his Power of Legisla­tion; for how could he have sufficient Power to make Laws, if he had not Right to en­force them with sufficient Penalties? But we that are his Subjects being so apt to offend, [Page 244] and so extreamly liable to Temptations thereunto, no less Penalty could be sufficient to secure our Obedience than that which is eternal; for which Reason he hath enforced his Laws with the Threatning of it. And if God thought no less than the Threatning of eternal Punishment necessary to deter Men from their Sins, what less than the Ex­ecution of that Threat can be sufficient to render them Examples of his Severity a­gainst it? For Threats without Executi­on are but mere Scare-crows; and it is high­ly unreasonable for us to be afraid of any Threat, which we have Reason to conclude shall never be executed upon us. Where­fore, since the Sovereign Lord and Govern­our of the World hath in himself an unali­enable Right to enforce his own Laws by what Penalties he pleases, and since to en­force them in the highest Degree he hath established them under the Penalty of eter­nal Torment; it is no less reasonable for him to execute this Penalty than it was to threa­ten and denounce it; otherwise his Threats will be altogether insignificant. For the End of legal Threats is to terrify the Sub­ject from Disobedience; but since we are assured that God will do nothing but what is just and reasonable, why should we be terrified at any Threats of his, which he cannot as rea­sonably [Page 245] inflict as denounce against us? Nor is it any Blemish to the divine Goodness, that he hath threatned such an heavy Punish­ment against those that transgress his Laws; for since he hath injoyned us no­thing but what is for our good, and tends to our Happiness; and since the End of his Threats is to oblige us to observe his In­junctions; it hence necessarily follows, that the more terrible his Threatnings are, the more he obliges us by them to pursue our own Happiness. And certainly for God to lay his Creatures under the strongest Obli­gations to be happy, is so far from being a Blemish to his Goodness that it is a most glorious Expression of it; and if we will be so obstinate as to incur that direful Penalty under which he hath obliged us to be happy, it is but just and reasonable that he should inflict it upon us, and make us feel for­ever the rueful Effects of our own Folly and Madness. Wherefore since we had all broken his Laws, and wilfully render­ed our selves guilty before him, we there­by became most justly obnoxious to this most dreadful Penalty of perishing forever. And thus you see by what Right we were concerned in, and obliged to this Penalty.

[Page 246]3 dly, I now proceed to the third, and Last Thing proposed, which is to shew you the unspeakble Goodness that God hath expressed to us in that Way and Method which he hath prescribed to release us from this Obligation of perishing forever. For the Way and Method prescribed by him is this, to send his own most blessed Son to suffer in our Stead, that so we repent­ing of our Sins and forsaking them, might upon the Account of his Sufferings be released from this Obligation to eternal Punishment. And hence Christ is said to put away Sin by the Sacrifice of himself, Heb. ix.26. that is, to make Expiation for it, even as the Jewish High Priest did by those Sacrifices which he offered. And ac­cordingly, Col. i.14. it is said, that in him we have Redemption through his Blood, even the forgiveness of Sins; that is, upon Conditi­on we heartily and sincerely repent of them. For, if we walk in the light, saith the Apostle, as he is in the light; that is, if we forsake our Sins, and become pure as he is pure, and holy as he is holy; we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all Sin. This therefore being the Way and Method which God hath prescri­bed to release us from the Obligation to eternal Punishment, what an unspeakable [Page 247] Love and Goodness he hath herein expressed to us will evidently appear by the Consi­deration of these four Things.

• 1. His admitting of another to suffer in our Stead.
• 2. His exacting such a Suffering for the Price of our Pardon, as was most effe­ctual to secure us from sinning again.
• 3. His consenting that his own Son should submit to this Suffering.
• 4. His chusing to grant Pardon to us up­on his Suffering as a Sacrifice for our Sins.

1. One very great Instance of God's Love and Goodness to us in this Method of Par­don is his admitting of another to suffer in our Stead. Had he been pleased, he might have exacted the Punishment of the Crimi­nals, and made the Offenders smart forever in their own Persons; yea, and this he might have justly done notwithstanding the best Reason they could render him to the contrary. For the best Reason a Sinner can render why he should not be punished, is his hearty Repentance; for next to being perfectly innocent, the best Thing we can do, is to reform when we have done amiss; but yet this doth not at all diminish the Guilt and Demerit of our past Transgressions. For Repentance doth not at all alter the [Page 248] Nature of the Act, nor make it less evil, nor less deserving of Punishment; and there­fore since the Act it self obliges us to Pu­nishment, our Repentance of it doth no way cancel the Obligation. 'Tis true, God might if he had pleased, have pardoned us upon our Repentance without any other Reason or Motive; but it is certain, that Repentance is not a sufficient Reason to move him to declare a Promise of Pardon to a sinful World, it being no way consist­ent with the Safety either of divine or hu­mane Governments, so far to encourage Of­fenders as to indemnify them universally by a publick and standing Declaration merely upon their future Repentance and Amend­ment; because by such a Declaration they must let loose the Reigns to all manner of Licentiousness. For if Subjects are now so prone to transgress when they have so much Reason to expect a severe Punishment for it, how much more prone would they be, were their Governours so easie as to assure them beforehand that the Punishment due to their Crimes should be immediately remitted up­on their unfeigned Repentance? Where­fore, since our Repentance is no sufficient Reason to oblige God to pardon us, and much less to move him to make a Promise of Pardon to us; and since this is the best [Page 249] Reason that we can offer in our Behalf, to move him thereunto; it hence necessarily follows, that if he had pleased, when once we had broken his Laws, he might have just­ly executed upon us that eternal Punish­ment which he had threatned, notwith­standing all we could have done to move him to the contrary. But such is his inex­pressible Goodness towards us, that to put himself into a Capacity of pardoning peni­tent Sinners with Safety to his Govern­ment, and of making a publick Grant of Pardon and Indemnity to them, thereby to encourage them to repent, he hath gra­ciously admited another Person to suffer in our Stead; that so neither their Persons might be ruined, nor yet their Sins be un­punished, and that he might sufficiently ex­press to them his Severity against their Sins without exposing them to the eternal Smart of it. For though the Suffering of this Per­son, as I shall shew you by and by, was a sufficient Reason to move God to forgive us upon our unfeigned Repentance, yet it was no such Reason as did necessarily oblige him thereunto; for if he had pleased he might have righteously exacted our Punishment at our own Hands, and made us forever rue for our own Folly and Madness; but such was his Goodness towards us, that for the [Page 250] Sufferings of the Innocent he hath mercifully acquitted the Punishment due to Offenders, and so scourged our Sins upon the Back of our Saviour; for though he suffered for us, yet we suffered not in him, our Persons were not at all damnified by those bitter Agonies which he endured for our Sins; so that to a wonder of Mercy they have been so severely punished as 'tis fit they should, and yet we who were the Authors of them never felt the Smart. Blessed God! How merciful hast thou been to thy Creatures, that hast thus found out a Way to distinguish the Sin from the Sinner, and so to punish the one, as to let the other escape? For by his gracious Admission, Christ hath once suffered for Sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, 1 Pet. iii 18.

2 ly, Another Instance of God's Love and Goodness to us in this Method of Pardon, is his exacting such a Suffering for the Price of our Pardon as is most effectual to secure us from sinning again, which is a plain In­stance of the mighty Care he hath taken to pardon us in such a way as might be most for our future Security. For it would have been no way proper for the wise Governour of the World to grant a general Pardon to Offenders without some sufficient Reason moving him thereunto. Now that Repen­tance [Page 251] which is the best Reason we can of­fer him is not sufficient, I have already shewed you, because it is not sufficient to secure his Government, in the good Man­agement whereof the Welfare of all his Sub­jects is involved. For his Laws requiring nothing but what is for our good, 'tis truly our Interest to be kept under a strict Obedi­ence to them; so that should he pardon us upon any Reason that is not sufficient to se­cure his Government and our Obedience, it would be a publick Nuisance and Damage to Mankind; and consequently the greater the Reason is that moves him to pardon us what is past, and the more it enforces our Obedience for the future, the greater is the Goodness which he expresses in pardoning us, and the more it conduces to our Welfare and Happiness. But now upon what high­er Motive could he have made a Grant of Pardon to us than upon the most meritori­ous Sufferings of his own Son for us? For since nothing that we could do was a suffi­cient Reason to move him to promise to us the Forgiveness of our Sins, it was requisite that something more should be done for us by some other Person, and the greatest Thing that any other Person could do for us to move God to forgive us, was to suffer in our Stead; because hereby not only a publick [Page 252] Acknowledgement is made of what we have deserved for our Sins, but something of the Punishment due to them is paid as a publick Satisfaction to the Law. So that if God pardons us upon such a Reason, he doth by the same Act express his most ten­der Mercy to us, and his implacable Severity a­gainst our Sins; for by pardoning us upon the Sufferings of another in our Stead, he expres­ses his hearty Good-Will to us, and openly signifies how unwilling he is to ruin us. But then by exacting the Sufferings of another in our Stead, before he will be induced to grant a Pardon to us, he manifests to us how implacably he hates our Sins, and how in­exorably severe he is against them. But then if he pardon us upon this Reason of an­others suffering in our Stead, then the great­er and more excellent the Person is that suf­fers for us, the greater Reason he hath to forgive us upon it. For such as the Person is that suffers, such is the Moment and Value of his Suffering; because the End of all such vicarious Punishments being only this, to give such an Example of the Severity of Governours against Offenders, as may be sufficient to vindicate the Honour of the Law, and secure the Obedience of the Subject; the Value of his Suffering, who thus suf­fers for us must consist in this, that it is a more [Page 253] or less exemplary Signification of the Severity of the Lawgiver against our Sins for which he suffers; and doubtless it would be a higher Signification of God's Severity against our Sins not to pardon us but upon the Suffer­ings of an innocent Angel, than not to par­don us but upon the Sufferings of an inno­cent Man. What a most exemplary Signi­fication then is this of his Severity against our Sins, that he would not pardon us but upon the Sufferings of his own most inno­cent Son; who being the greatest Person in all the Creation, did by his suffering in our Stead exhibit the greatest Instance of God's Severity against our Sins that could possibly have been given by any Person whatsoever that was capable of suffering for us? So that his suffering in our Stead was apparently the best and highest Reason that could possibly have been given to move God to pardon us, and consequently his pardoning us in such a Way and upon such a Reason is a most glo­rious Instance of his Goodness towards us, and of that tender Regard he hath of our Welfare. For now in the very Method of his pardoning us what is past, he hath taken a most effectual Course to secure our Obedi­ence for the future, that very Reason that moved him to pardon us being the greatest Reason that can be urged to terrify us from [Page 254] sinning again. For what Consideration is there that can fill us with greater Horror against our Sins than this, that the Guilt of them is so great and heinous that the most merciful Father would never have forgiven them, had not his own most glorious Son suffered for them in our Stead? And in­deed had not God thus provided for the se­curing of our Obedience in the very Method of his Pardon, his Grace in pardoning us would have been very insignificant; for our Welfare and Happiness being all bound up in our Obedience, our Pardon without this could not have secured us from being miserable. So that if in the Method of his Pardon he had not so manifested his Severi­ty against our Sins as to discourage us suf­ficiently from sinning again, his very Mer­cy and Compassion would have proved de­structive to us; because it would have en­couraged us to Sin on, and thereby to make our selves miserable. For Sin and Misery are so inseparably interwoven, that all the Pardon God can give us while we continue in our Sins is not sufficient to prevent our being miserable; but such hath been his Goodness towards us, such his Care to pre­vent our Sin and Misery, as that in the ve­ry Reason that moves him to pardon us, for what is past, he gives us a most terrible [Page 255] warning not to Sin again. For he that can behold such a dreadful Spectacle as the Son of God dying for Sin, and yet Sin on, is a valiant Sinner indeed, and may with the same Courage follow his Lusts into the Flames of Hell. So careful hath the good God been to plot and contrive for the Wel­fare of his Creatures, that he would not so much as pardon them when they had of­fended him, but in such a Way as was most for their Security and Good.

3 dly, His consenting that his own Son should submit himself to this Suffering, is another great Instance of his Goodness to­wards us in this method of pardoning us. That he should not only admit of a Sacri­fice to bear our Transgressions and suffer in our Stead, but that himself should provide one for us, and such a one too as his own most dear and precious Son, is such a Miracle of Love and Goodness as the whole Crea­tion cannot parallel. For though Mankind had provoked him to that Height that none but a God of infinite Patience could have born it, yet such was his Unwilling­ness to inflict that direful Punishment upon them which he had justly threatned, and they had justly deserved, that notwith­standing all their Demerits he was still ve­hemently inclined to be propitious to them. [Page 256] But then how to save them, and at the same Time so to manifest his Severity against their Sins as was needful to preserve the Au­thority and Honour of his Laws that had threatned Destruction to them, was the great Difficulty; for should he have whol­ly omitted the Punishment, he would have very much undervalued the Authority of his Laws in the Esteem of his Subjects, the main security of their Authority being the Punishment annexed to them; but on the contrary should he have exacted the utmost of the Punishment, he must have destroy­ed the whole Race of Men, we being all Offenders in his Sight. In this Extremity therefore, that he might pardon such a World of Sinners with safety to his Go­vernment, it was highly necessary for him to exhibit to the World some dreadful Ex­ample of his Severity against them, such as might be sufficient to prevent Offenders from taking any Encouragement from his par­doning them to offend again. But to make a Sinner such a great Example of his Seve­rity against the Sins of others was impossible, because his own Sins may deserve the ut­most Severity that God can inflict upon him; and therefore among our selves who were all Sinners there was no Person could be found fit to be made such an Example of [Page 257] his Severity against the Sins of the whole World. And if an innocent Angel should have freely offered up himself to bear our Punishment, and Suffer in our Stead, his Suffering in our Room would not have so sufficiently expressed Gods Severity against the Sins of a whole World of Sinners, as was convenient; for what great Severity would it have been to have exacted the suf­fering of one innocent Angel, in lieu of that eternal Punishment that was due to a whole World of Men? Wherefore it being high­ly convenient, that the Dignity of the Per­son who suffered for us should be such as might render his Suffering in some Degree proportionable to the Punishment due to our Sins, that so his Suffering in our stead might be as exemplary to the World, as if we our selves had suffered to the utmost of our De­sert, and there being no Creature of that Dignity either in Heaven or Earth; in this Extremity, the eternal Son of God himself interposes, and freely offers to unite himself to our Natures, and therein to suffer in our Stead, upon Condition that on our unfeigned Repentance and Amendment a free Charter of Pardon might be granted for all our past Provocations. So that now an Expedient being proposed by which God might both pardon our Sins, and sufficiently manifest [Page 258] his Severity against them, to secure the Au­thority of his Laws, and deter us from sin­ning again; though he saw how dear an Expedient it would prove, that it would cost him the most precious Blood of his own Son; yet such was his tender Pity towards us, so great his Unwillingness to ruin us for­ever, that he freely complyed with the Mo­tion, and consented that his Son should be sacrificed for the Sins of the World. And hence it is said, that he spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, Rom. viii.32. And the Reason why he deliverd him up, as he tells us, v.3. of the same Chapter, was to condemn Sin in the Flesh, that is, to pro­nounce in the Suffering of his own Son for it, what a dreadful Punishment it deserved, and how much his Soul was incensed against it, that would not pardon it without such a mighty Propitiation. How inexpressibly gracious therefore hath God been to us, that when for the securing the Authority of his Laws it was so necessary to condemn our Sins, rather than condemn them in our own personal Punishment, he should chuse to condemn them in the sufferings of his own Son? It was a great Instance of his Goodness towards us to admit of another to suffer for us, in our stead; but to admit of his own Son, who is the Darling of Heaven and the [Page 259] Delight of his Soul, and not only so, but freely to give and deliver him up for us, and amidst all the yearnings of his fatherly Bow­els towards him, not to spare his precious Life when it was to be made the Price of our Redemption, is such a Miracle of Love as transcends all Hyperboles.

4 ly and lastly, his choosing to grant Par­don to us upon the Sufferings of his Son as a Sacrifice for our Sins, is also another great Instance of his Goodness to us in this Way of pardoning us. For the End of granting Pardon to Sinners upon their Repentance being to encourage them to repent, it was highly convenient to grant it to them in such a Way and upon such Reason, as might most effectually assure them thereof. And considering what was the general Per­suasion of Mankind in this Matter, there was no such effectual Way to secure them of Pardon upon their Repentance, as this of granting Pardon to them upon the Motive of a Sacrifice for their Sins. For however it came to pass I know not, but it was a Principle generally received by Men of all Nations and Religions, that to appease the in­censed Divinity it was necessary; First, that some Sacrifice should be made to him for their Sins, and then that some high Favourite of his should intercede with him in their Be-; [Page 260] half; upon which were founded those two great Rights of Propitiatory Sacrifices, and worshiping of Demons, which made up a great Part of all the Heathenish Religions in the World. For as for Propitiatory Sacri­fices, they were generally used not only by the barbarous, but by the most civiliz'd Heathens; which Sacrifices they devoted un­to God to be their Proxies in Punishment, to undergo the Punishment that was due to them for their own Sins. And hence is that of the antient Poet, Cum sis ipse nocens, moritur cur Victima pro te? — When thou thy self art the Offender, for what Reason should the Victim die for thee? And Porphery tells us that the first Rise of the Sacrifice of Animals was, Abstin l. 4 [...], certain Occasions requiring that a Soul, should be offered up for a Soul, that is, the Life of a Beast for the Life of a Man; for it was the constant Opinion that the more worthy the Sacrifice which they offered, the more effectual it was to appease their offend­ed Divinities. And hence in many Places, the ordinary Sacrifice of Attonement which they offered, was the Lives of Men; and though this indeed was most used in the most barbarous Countries, yet in Cases of great Danger and Extremity the Greeks and Romans, themselves did frequently Sacri­fice [Page 261] humane Lives to their Gods; for so it is recorded of the Romans, that when their City was in great Danger of being taken by Hanibal, they sacrificed a Man to their Tutelar God: And Servius tells us of the Mas­silians, that in Time of Pestilence one of the poorer sort was wont to offer himself to be sacrificed for the whole City; who being for a whole Year nourished with the purest Meat, was then led about the City adorned with sacred Vestments and Cathartick Herbs, the People following him making solemn Execrations that the Plague might be re­moved from the City and fall upon his Head; which done, they offered him up in a Sacrifice. And in other Places they offered up pure Virgins of the noblest Fa­milies, to propitiate their angry Gods; and elsewhere, as Servius tells us, they were wont to cast a Man into the Sea with this Imprecation, [...], that is, be thou our Purgament, or Redemption. So also it is said of the Athenians, that they maintained some of the most unprofitable and ignoble of their People, that so when any great Calamity befell the City, they might offer them up in Sacrifice to appease their Gods. And that Passage of Caesar con­cerning the Gallic Nation is very observable, that in Cases of great Danger and Calami­ty [Page 262] they either devoted themselves to the Altar, or else offered up some Man in their Stead; quod pro vita hominis nisi homi­nis vita reddatur, non posse Deorum im­mortalium Numen placari arbitrantur; that is, thinking that the immortal God's would never be appeased unless they offered up to them the Life of a Man for the Life of a Man: All which is an Evidence that they not only thought Sacrifices necessary to appease God, but that they also believed the better the Sa­crifice was, the more effectually it did ap­pease him. Nor did they think it less ne­cessary that there should be some Interces­sor between them and the Supream Divinity to Solicite their Cause, and render Sin pro­pitious to their Desires. And hence it was the general Doctrin of their Divines, that 'twas great Prophaneness for any thing that was earthly and sinful immediately to ap­proach that Pure and Divine Being; but that the Demons were to be the Mediators and Agents between him, and mortal Men, [...], as Plato in his Sympos. expresses it; that is, God is not approached by Men, but all the Commerse, and Intercourse between him and us is performed by the Mediation of Demons. So that howsoever they came by this Prin­ciple [Page 263] it is apparent that they generally be­lieved both Sacrifices and a Mediator to be necessary Means to reconcile them to God, and that without these they could not satis­fy themselves that God would be propitious to them, no not upon their Repentance and Reformation. Some good Hopes they might have, and it is apparent they had, from the Goodness and Benignity of the Divine Nature, that if they forsook their Sins God would not be inexorable to them, at least they could not tell but they might find Mercy; but yet they durst not absolutely trust to this without devoting some other to suffer in their Stead, and engaging some other to intercede in their Behalf. And therefore we see that when the King of Nineveh upon Jonah's Preaching obliged his People to Fasting and Repentance, the utmost Encouragement he could give them was only this; Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not, Jonah iii.9. Wherefore to give us the highest Assurance of Pardon if we repent, God hath been so infinitely good to us as to choose that very Method of reconciling us to himself, which we had chalked out to him, and to meet with us in our own Way, thereby to give us a fuller Assurance of his most gracious and merciful [Page 264] Intentions to us; for how could he have better satisfied the Anxiousness and Jealousy of our guilty Minds, than in granting us our Pardon in that very Way, wherein we did so universally hope for and expect it? Good God! How indulgent hast thou been to thy poor Creatures, that wast not only so rea­dy to pardon them upon their Repentance, but so careful to give them the most effectual Assurance of it; that so thou might'st re­move all discouragements out of the Way to our Amendment and Happiness? For doubtless the Reason why he took this Way of Pardoning us more than another, was not only because it was best in it self, and most for the Interest of his own Go­vernment; but also because of all others it was the most effectual to satisfy our guilty Fears, and assure us of his merciful Inten­tions to receive us into Favour again upon our Repentance and Amendment. For when Mankind were so unanimously agreed in this Belief, that without a Sacrifice and a Mediator he would not be appeased, how could he more effectually have convinced our Mistrust of his Mercy, than by send­ing his own Son to be our Sacrifice and Me­diator; to die for our Sins upon Earth, and intercede for our Pardon in Heaven? So that if now we will heartily repent of our [Page 265] Sins and forsake them, we have all the se­curity of Mercy that we can desire; our God being attoned by the noblest Sacrifice that ever was, and interceded with, on our Behalf by the most powerful and prevailing Mediator. Having therefore such an High Priest over the House of God, we may safely draw near with a true Heart, in full assurance of Faith, as the Apostle expresses it Heb. x.21, 22. Thus you see how good and gracious God hath been to us in the Way and Method which he hath prescribed of pardoning our Sins, and releasing us from the obligation of Punishment for ever; which is so wise and good, and every way God-like, that I think, had I no other Rea­son to believe the Christian Religion, but only this wondrous Contrivance of pardon­ing Sinners revealed in the Gospel, this would have been enough to persuade me that none but a God could be the Author and Contriver of it. And now I shall con­clude this Argument with a few Inferen­ces.

1. From hence I infer what a very great Evil Sin is, seeing it is such an Evil as binds us over to perish for ever, and such as no­thing can make Expiation for, but only the precious Blood of the Son of God; such, as our Saviour must die for, or our Souls must [Page 266] have suffered for, to all Eternity. How different therefore are our Thoughts from God's! We think it a Matter of Sport and Laughter, a Thing to Play, and make Mer­ry with; but God, who knows the inmost Nature of things, looks upon it as a Thing of such a black and horrid Nature, as that nothing but the Blood of our Souls, or the Blood of his Son can make Expiation for. O blessed God! Had we but such Thoughts of our Sins as thou hast, how should we start and tremble at the Sight of them, and with what Horror and Amazement should we reflect upon them? Surely if all the Devils in Hell should stand round about us in the most gastly Shapes and Appari­tions, it would not put us into half that Agony of Fear, as would the Sense and Remembrance of our own Guilts and Follies. For had we but a Window into Hell to look through and see what unsufferable Tor­ments the damned Ghosts undergo there for those Sins we make so light of; how they burn and roar in those Flames of Lust, a­bout which we like silly Flies do sport and dally; or had we but the Cross always stand­ing before our Eyes with the Son of God hanging on it for those Sins that are our Recreation, sighing and groaning out his in­nocent Soul in Torment and Agonies to ex­piate [Page 267] those Faults which we commit with so much Greediness and Pleasure; surely either of these sad Spectacles would be suf­ficient to cool our Courage, and to make us affraid of ever sinning more. Why then should not our Belief of these Things have the same Effect upon us, as the Sight and Sense of them must needs be supposed to have? O my Soul, why should I be so mad as to hug and embrace my Lusts any lon­ger, when I believe the Evil of them to be so great as that the merciful Father would never have forgiven them, had not his own most blessed Son born their Punishment, and freely submitted himself to suffer for them in my Stead; yea, and which I verily believe he will never Pardon yet, unless I heartily repent of, and forsake them; but notwithstanding all that his Son hath suffer­ed to make Expiation for them, will yet pursue and prosecute them with the most direful effects of an endless and omnipotent Vengance?

2 ly, Hence I infer the Certainty of our perishing for ever, if we do not repent of our Sins and forsake them. For if God would not have forgiven them upon our Repentance, unless an Expiation had been made for them by the Blood of his Son; how can we imagin that he will now for­give [Page 268] them whether we repent of them or no? When all that could be obtained for us from our offended God by the vocal Blood and Wounds of his own Son, (whose Lan­guage was a thousand Times more effectual for us, than all the Retorick of Angels could have been) was only this, that if yet we would heartily repent and amend, we should certainly find Mercy and Favour at his Hands; can we be so assured as to hope for any more? Is it likely, that our obsti­nate Continuance in wilful Rebellion against him should be a more prevalent Advocate for us, than the most eloquent Blood of that innocent Lamb, which spoke better Things for us than the Blood of Abel? Will he be more indulgent to our Sins than he was to the obedient Sufferings of his own Son, whose Blood cryed Mercy, Mercy, with a Voice more moving and persuasive than the united Prayers of a World of sinful Creatures could have done, though they had been washed in Floods of penitent Tears? Let us not therefore be so fond as to presume, that when the utmost that God would grant us for his own dear Son's sake, was to receive us to Mercy upon our unfeigned Repen­tance; he will now for our own sakes par­don us whether we repent or no. And since at the powerful Intreaties of the Blood [Page 269] of Jesus he hath indulged to us as much Mercy as was fit for him to grant, and much more than we could ever have ho­ped for, let us not be so immodest as to ex­pect any farther, but fix this as an eternal Verity in our own Minds, that either our Sins, or our Souls must perish; and then if after all that he hath done for us we will continue wicked, there is no Remedy but we must be miserable for ever.

3 dly, And lastly, Hence also I infer how inexcusable we are if we now perish in our Sins, now God hath done such great Things for us, and contrived such an excellent Way to pardon us. So that now there can be nothing wanting to the Accomplishment of our Pardon, but only our own Repent­ance and Reformation; for God and our Saviour have done all that is to be done on their Part; our Saviour hath suffered for us, and God hath accepted it as an Ex­piation for our Sins. And now the whole Matter sticks at us, and there is nothing wanting, but only our Repentance; and if we will not Repent, and thereby inti­tle our selves to that merciful Pardon which God and our Saviour have prepared for us, there is none can be blamed for our Ruin but our selves: For when Inquisition shall [Page 270] be made for the Blood of our Souls, the only Cause of our Ruin will be found to be this, that we were wilfully and obsti­nately impenitent. What then shall we be able to say for our selves, when we come to plead for our Lives at the Tribunal of God? Shall we plead that our Condition was hopeless and desperate, we being bound over for our past Sins to an irrevocable Damnation? Alas! With what Confi­dence can we plead this, when God had been so merciful as not to exact of our own Persons the Penalty which his Law had denounced against us; but graciously ad­mitted another to suffer for us, and upon his suffering promised to forgive us if we would heartily repent? Or can we pretend that by this gracious Indulgence of his he encouraged us to Sin on, and gave us Rea­son to hope that he, who without our Re­pentance had remitted so much of the Seve­rity of his Laws as to admit another to suffer in our Stead, might as easily be in­duced to remit all whether ever we re­pented or no? Why how could he have more effectualy discouraged us from sin­ing on, when he would admit of no less Suffering, but what, considering the Great­ness of the Person who underwent it, was as dreadful an Example of his Severity a­gainst [Page 271] Sin as if he had damned for ever a whole World of Sinners? Or will you urge that you thought it in vain to return, since by your former Sins you had for ever forfeited the Favour of God? For though there was some Hopes that he might be in­treated to pardon, or remit your Punishment; yet 'twas in vain to hope that after so ma­ny Provocations he would ever be through­ly reconciled again, so as to receive you in­to Grace and Favour. But when by send­ing his own Son to die for us, he had given us so plain a Proof of the Sincerity of his Affection towards us, with what face can we suspect his Kindness? For is it likely that he who was so good as to give his Son for us whilst we were in Impenitence, should be so implacable as to deny his Love to us upon our Repentance and Amend­ment? Was it not a much higher Act of Love to give his Son for Sinners, than to receive poor prostrate Penitents into Favour? He then who was so free to do the former, we might well imagin would be much more free to do the latter. Or lastly, Dare we plead for our selves, that considering the Anxiousness and Jealousy of guilty Minds, God had not given us such Securi­ty of his Readiness to pardon and be re­conciled [Page 272] to us, as was requisite to dispel all those Fears and Doubts by which we were discouraged from Repentance and Amend­ment? But how weak and groundless this Plea is, will soon appear to all the World, when it shall be considered what an effectu­al Course God took to obviate all our Doubts and Fears by pardoning us in our own Method, namely, upon the Motive of a Sacrifice, and Intercession of a Media­tor; especially of such a Sacrifice and Medi­ator as his own Son: For let him be never so severe and stern, yet 'tis impossible he should be inexorable to the vocal Blood and importunate Intercessions of that dear Person, whom he loves above all the World. And now when God had so contrived the Method of his pardoning us, as to take from us all Occasion either of presuming upon his Mercy whilst we continue impe­nitent; when he hath taken such an effe­ctual Course to raise both our Hopes and Fears, which are the Springs of our Action, to their highest Pitch and Capacity, and given us the greatest Certainty that the Na­ture of the Thing will bear, that he will punish us for ever if we Sin on, and par­don, and receive us into Favour if now at last we will repent and return; what can we [Page 273] say for our selves, if in Despite of all this we will run from Mercy whilst its Arms are open to embrace us, and leap in­to Hell with our Eyes open, and we see it gaping ready to devour us?

I Am now upon the last Branch of the Text; which is to shew you the great Goodness of God to us in promising to us such a vast Reward upon our per­forming such an easie Condition as our be­lieving in Jesus Christ; in which Reward there is first, the privative Part of it, or the Misery it rescues us from, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish; Secondly, the positive, or the Happiness it instates us in, but have everlasting Life. In the manage­ment of which I shall do these two Things;

• 1. Shew you why this Reward is term­ed Everlasting Life.
• 2. How unspeakably good God hath been to us in proposing to us such a vast Re­ward.

1. Why this Reward is stiled by the Name of Everlasting Life; For it is very usual with Scripture to express all the Bles­sings it promises to Men by the Name of Life; for thus by Life the Old Testament [Page 275] very frequently expresses those temporal Blessings, which are therein promised and proposed: So Deut. xxx.15. See, I have set before thee this day, Life and Good, and Death and Evil; in which he plainly re­fers to those temporal Blessings and Curses, which he had proposed to, and denounced against them, Chap. xxviii. for so v.19. of this Chapter he explains himself, I call Hea­ven and Earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you Life and Death, Blessing and Cursing: Therefore chuse Life, that both Thou and thy Seed may live. So Levit. xviii.5. Ye shall keep my Statutes and my Judgments: Which if a Man do, he shall live in them; that is, he shall enjoy all those temporal Blessings, which I have therein promised: For so Ezek. xx.21. their living in them is opposed to his pou­ring out temporal Judgments upon them. And hence the Statutes of the Mosaic Law are called the statutes of Life, in which whoso­ever walks, shall surely Live, and not Die, Ezek. xxxiii.15. And as these temporal Blessings promised in the Old Testament are common­ly expressed by Life, so those eternal Bles­sings promised in the New Testament are ve­ry frequently expressed by Life also. So Mat. xviii.8. It is better for thee to enter in­to Life halt or maimed, rather than having [Page 276] two Hands or two Feet, to be cast into ever­lasting Fire. So also Mat. xix.17. If thou wilt enter into Life, keep the Command­ments. And Joh. iii.36. He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting Life: And he that believeth not the Son, shall not see Life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. And be­cause the Blessings which the Gospel pro­poses are not temporal but eternal; there­fore that Life by which they are expressed is stiled eternal, everlasting, and immortal: For so 2 Tim. i.10. We find Life and Im­mortality joyned together; and Rom. vi.22. Ye have your fruit unto Holiness, and the end everlasting Life; and Vers. 23. The gift of God is eternal Life. Now that it is not called eternal Life merely as it is a State of endless Being and Existence, is evident; because Being and Existence are indifferent Things abstracted from all sense of Happiness and Misery; but eternal Life is proposed to us as a Thing that is infinitely desirable in self, as being the Crown and Reward of all our Obedience; for which Reason it is called the crown of Life, Jam. i.12. And therefore the Reason why the everlasting Blessings of the Gospel are expressed by Life are,

1. The everlasting Blessings of the Gospel are called Life, because Life is the most inestimably precious of all the Blessings we enjoy. For without Life there is nothing can be a real Blessing to us, nothing that we can tast, relish, or enjoy: And this the Devil knew well enough when he pro­nounced so confidently, Skin for Skin, yea all that a Man hath will he give for his Life, Job ii.4. Now it is usual with Scripture to describe the Blessings of the future State by Things that are of the greatest Value among Men, by Riches and Treasure, by a Crown and a Kingdom, by a Paradise, or a Garden of Pleasure; but as if all these were too faint and dim to represent the true Value of that blessed State, it is stiled Life also, which is much more valuable than either, yea than all those Things together. And hence the Apostle calls it a more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory, 2 Cor. iv.17.

2. It is called Life, because Life is the Root of all our Sense of Pleasure and Hap­piness. For without Life we are nothing else but a Lump of stupid and insensible Flesh, incapable of perceiving either Plea­sure [Page 278] or Pain. So that all Sensation being founded in Life, and all Pleasure a sweet and grateful Sensation; by a very easie Figure the natural Effect and Operation of Life is expressed by Life. And indeed all the Advantage of living consists in living in a Sense of Pleasure; and therefore it hath been very much disputed among Philoso­phers, whether this temporary State of ours, in which there is so great an Intermixture of Pain with Pleasure, and Misery with Happiness, doth not better deserve the Name of Death than Life; and those of them who thought it more liable to Misery than Hap­piness, affirmed it to be a State of Death, and strictly maintained this Paradox, that at our Birth we die into a worse State than Non-existence, and at our Death are born into a true and proper State of Life. But they who counted our present Life to be intermixt with more Pleasure than Misery, esteemed our present Existence a Priviledge deserving the Name of Life; which is an Argument that both placed all the Privi­ledge of living in those pleasant Perceptions that are founded in it. And thus also ac­cording to the Scripture Philosophy to live, as it imports Advantage to us, is to live in a State of Joy and Pleasure; so Psal. xxii.26. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: They shall [Page 279] praise the Lord that seek him; your Heart shall live for ever, that is, you shall so a­bound with Matter of Joy and Praise that your Hearts shall be satisfied and contented for ever. So Joh. xiv.19. Because I live, ye shall live also; that is, because I rise from the Dead and live for ever, ye shall rejoyce and be glad. So also 1 Thes. iii.8. For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord; that is we rejoyce in your Constancy and Perseve­rance, for so it follows immediately after, For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before God? How properly therefore may the future State be expressed by Life, since 'tis the proper Scene of Happiness where Joy and Pleasure doth for ever abound; where there is an inexhaustible Spring of pure un­mingled Delights issuing forth in Rivers of Pleasure from God's right Hand for ever? So that if there be any Thing worthy of the Name of Life, it is the blisful State of those happy Souls above, who live in the continued Sense of all those unspeakable Joys and Comforts that an everlasting Heaven imports.

3 dly, And lastly, it is called Life, because Life is the Principle of all Activity. 'Tis this that inlivens all our Instruments of Action, and communicates Motion to all our Fa­culties [Page 280] and Powers. And hence the State of Heaven may well be called the State of Life, because 'tis a State of the highest Ac­tivity, wherein all our Faculties act with unspeakable Vigour, are freed from all that Weight of Sin and Matter that here do continually clog and incumber them, and entertained with such agreeable Objects as do perpetually imploy and exercise them to the utmost of their Strength and Activity: Where infinite Truth and infinite Goodness being always in our View and Prospect, will continually draw forth the utmost Force of our Vnderstandings, Wills, and Af­fections in the most rapturous Contempla­tion, Fruition, and Embracements of that all-glorious Object in which we behold them; So that we shall not only Act suitably to the Genius of our rational Natures, but in every Act shall exert our utmost Activity, and know, and love, and rejoyce, and delight as much as ever we are able. Wherefore since in that blessed State we shall be all Life and Spirit and Wing, since all our ra­tional Faculties shall be most incessantly and vigorously imployed about the most a­greeable and consentaneous Objects, we being converted as it were into pure Acts of Know­ledge, and Love, and Joy, and Satisfaction; our State and Condition may be very well [Page 281] expressed by Life, which is a most vigorous Principle of Activity. So that as Life is the most inestimable Jewel we have, as it is the Root of all our Sense of Pleasure, and the Principle of all our Activity, it doth most properly express the infinite Value, Pleasure, and Activity of that blisful State which God hath prepared to reward our Obedience. And so I have done with the First Thing proposed, which was to shew you for what Reason the eternal Rewards of the Blessed are so frequently expressed by everlasting Life.

2. I proceed now to shew you in the se­cond Place, how unspeakably good God hath been to us in proposing such a vast Reward upon the Performance of such an easie Con­dition. In the Management of which I shall first discourse of this Reward absolutely, and shew you how great it is in it self. Se­condly, comparatively, and shew you how great it is in Respect of the Condition upon which it is promised.

1. We will consider it absolutely how great it is in its self. And here I do not pretend to give you a perfect Map of all the Beati­tudes of that heavenly State; for that is a Talk fit only for an Angel, or a glorified Spirit; all I aim at is to give you such an imperfect Account of it as God hath thought fit to im­part [Page 282] to Mortals in the Scripture, which though it fall infinitely short of the Thing it self, yet is doubtless the best and utmost that our narrow Capacities can bear. In short therefore concerning this blessed State, God hath revealed to us, that it includes these six Things:

• 1. A perfect Freedom from Evil and Mi­sery.
• 2. A most intimate Enjoyment of him­self.
• 3 A most endearing Fruition of our glori­fied Saviour.
• 4. A most delightful Conversation with Angels and glorified Spirits.
• 5. The infinite Glory and Delightfulness of the Place, wherein all these Felicities are to be enjoyed.
• 6. The endless Duration of this most bles­sed and happy State.

1. Everlasting Life includes a most per­fect Freedom from Evil and Misery. For so we find the State of the Blessed in Heaven described, that they hunger no more, neither thirst any more; that the Sun lights not on them, nor any heat, that is, that they are no longer liable to the scorching Heats of Per­secution; but that God hath wiped away all tears from their Eyes, Rev. vii.16.17. And hence also Heaven is called a State of Rest, [Page 283] Heb. iv.9, 11. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. Let us labour there­fore to enter into that rest: Which denotes this State to be a perfect Sabbath, and Jubile of Redemption from all Evil and Misery. For as soon as the Souls of good Men de­part out of this corporeal State in which they now live, they are immediatly released from all those bodily Passions of Hunger, and Thirst, and Pain, and Diseases whereunto they are now liable by Reason of their Vnion with the Body; and having in a great Mea­sure conquered their Wills while they were in the Body, and subdued them to the Will of God, they shall immediately commense into an high Degree of Perfection. For be­ing freed from the Incumbrances of Flesh and Blood, from the Importunities of their bodily Passions and Appetites, and the Temp­tations of Sensuality that do now continually sollicit them, they shall no longer be liable to those Irregularities of Affection that do here disturb the Tranquility of their Minds; and their Actions and Affections being al­ways regulated by their Reason, their Consci­ences shall be no longer bestormed with those Terrors and Affrightments, which nothing but the Sense of Guilt can suggest to them; but enjoy a perpetual Calm and Serenity. And being thus freed from all Evils and [Page 284] Disquietudes both from within and without, they shall be at perfect Ease, and for ever enjoy a most undisturbed Repose. O blessed Day, when I shall take my Leave of Sin and Misery for ever, and go to those calm and blisful Regions, whence Sighs and Tears and Sorrows and Pains are banished for ever more!

2. Everlasting Life includes a most inti­mate Enjoyment of God ▪ For God being a rational Good, is capable of being enjoyed by rational Beings no otherwise than by Knowledge, and by Love, and by Resem­blance; all which Ways he hath pro­mised that we shall enjoy him, when once we are arrived into that blisful State. For as for the Knowledge of him St. Paul tells us, that whereas now we see through a Glass dark­ly; we shall then see him Face to Face: And whereas now we know in part, then we shall know even as also we are known, 1 Cor. xiii.12. and St. John tells us, that we shall see him as he is, 1 John iii.2. Which expressions must needs import such a Knowledge of him as is unspeakably more distinct and clear than a­ny we enjoy in this present State. For then the Eyes of our Minds shall be so invigora­ted that we shall be able to gaze on the Sun without dazling, to contemplate the pure and immaculate Glory of the Divinity with­out being confounded with its Brightness; [Page 285] and our Understandings shall be so exalted that shall we see more at every single View than we do now in Volumes of Discourse; and the most tedious Trains of Inference and De­duction. And enjoying a most perfect Repose both from within and without, we shall have nothing to disturb or divert our greedy Con­templations, which having such an immense Horizon of Truth and Glory round about them, shall still discover farther and farther, and so entertain themselves with everlasting Wonder and Delight. For what an infinite Pleasure will that all-glorious Object afford to our raised Minds, which then shall no longer labour under the tedious Difficulties of Dis­course, but like transparent Windows shall have nothing to do but only to receive the Light, which freely offers it self unto them, and shines for ever round about them; when every new Discovery of God, and of those bottomless Secrets and Mysteries of his Na­ture shall enlarge our Capacities to disco­ver more, and still new Discoveries shall freely offer themselves as fast as our Minds are enlarged to receive them! This doubt­less will be a Recreation to our Minds in­finitely transcending all that we can conceive or imagin of it, especially considering that all our Knowledge shall terminate in Love, that sweet and grateful Passion that sooths [Page 286] and ravishes the Hearts, and dissolves it in­to Joy and Pleasure: For God being infi­nitely good and amicable, the more we know him the more Cause and Reason we have to love him. When therefore we are arrived to that Degree of Knowledge which the be­atifical Vision implies, we shall find our Hearts inflamed with such a vehement Love to him as will issue into an unspeakable Delight and Satisfaction, and even overwhelm us with Extasies of Joy and Complacency, for if those divine Illapses, those more immediate Touch­es and Sensations of God, which Good Men do sometimes experience in this Life, do so affect and ravish them that they are even forced into Triumphs and Exultations; how will they be wrapt and transported in that State of Vision, when they shall see him so immediately, and love him so vehemently, and their Souls shall be nothing else but entire Globes of Light and Love, all irra­diated and inflamed with the immediate Ef­fluvia's of the Fountain of Truth and Good­ness? But alas! As these Joys are too big for mortal Language to express, so are they too strong for frail Mortality to bear; and if we but for one Day or Hour should see God, and love him as those glorified Spirits do, we should questionless die with an Ex­tasy of Pleasure, and our glad Hearts being [Page 287] tickled with such insupportable Joys, by en­deavouring to enlarge themselves to make Room for them, all would quickly stretch into a Rupture. But then as our Know­ledge of God shall terminate in the Love of him, so both together shall terminate in our Resemblance of his Perfections; for having so immediate a Prospect of his Beauties, and being so infinitely enamoured with them, with what inexpressible Vigour must we imi­tate and transcribe them? And our Imita­tion being invigorated with such a clear Knowledge and such a vehement Love, can­not fail of producing the described Resem­blance; so that the more we know God, the more we shall love him; and the more we know and love, the more we shall imitate and resemble him. So that then both our inward Motions and outward Actions will be all most pure and perfect Imitations of God which will produce such an exact Agree­ment between his Original and our Copy, that whilst we interchangably turn our Eyes to God and our selves, and compare Beauty with Beauty, it will fill our Minds with unspeakable Content to see how the Image answers to the Prototype, what a sweet Harmony and Agreement there is be­tween his Nature and our own. For if from our Love of God there must necessarily re­sult [Page 288] to us such ineffable Joy and Complacen­cy, what a ravishing Delight will it afford us to see the Signatures of those adorable Beauties for which we love him, stampt and impressed upon our own Natures; when the Glory that shines about, and inflames us, shall shine into us and become our own; and those amiable Ideas of him which are impressed upon our Understanding, shall stamp our Wills and Affections with their own Resemblance! For so the Apostle tells us it shall be, 1 John iii.2. For when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. Lord, how must our Souls be enlarged and widened to be able to contain all those mighty Joys that must necessarily spring from our Fruition of thee! And to what a Degree of Happiness shall we be ad­vanced, when we shall be entertained with all the delights that the Enjoyment of an in­finite Good can afford us, and have Hearts great enough to contain them all without being overcharged with their Weight and Number!

3 dly, Everlasting Life includes a most endearing Fruition of our glorified Saviour. And certainly this is none of the smallest In­gredients of that blisful State, that we shall ever be with our blessed Lord; as the Apostle expresses it, 1 Thes. iv.17. For herein it is [Page 289] evident the same Apostle placed one great Advantage of his future State; for so he tells us, he had a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better, Phil. i.23. And indeed 'tis impossible but it must be a vast Addi­tion to the Happiness of all vertuous and grateful Souls to see this blessed Friend and Benefactor, who came down from the Bo­som of his Father, and for their Sake ex­posed himself to a miserable Life, and shame­ful Death; to see him sitting at his Father's right Hand crowned with Majesty and Ho­nour, surrounded with the whole Choir of Angels and Saints, like a Sun in the midst of a Circle of Stars. How must it needs re­joyce the Hearts of all the Lovers and Fol­lowers of this blessed Lamb, to see such a hap­py Change of his Circumstances! To see him that was formerly despised and spit on, and so unworthily treated by an ill-natured World, adored and worshiped, praised and admired by all the Court of Heaven, and ce­lebrated with the Songs of Cherubins and Se­raphims, of Arch-angels and Angels, and the Spirits of just Men made perfect; to behold him, that hung upon the Cross, and poured out his Blood there in Groans, and Agonies meerly to make miserable Sinners happy, ad­vanced to the highest Pitch of Splendor and Dignity, and made Head and Prince of all [Page 290] the Hierarchy of Heaven. Verily methinks though I were excluded from that happy Place, and had only the Priviledge to look in and see my blessed Lord and Saviour, it would be a most heavenly Consolation to me to behold the Glory and Honour and Hap­piness with which he is surrounded, though I were sure never to partake of it; and the Communion I should have in the Joys of my Master, the sweet Sympathy in all his Pleasures would be a Heaven at second Hand to me, and I should feel my self unspeak­ably happy in being a Spectator of his Felici­ty and Advancement. But Oh! When that dear and blessed Person shall not only permit me to see his Glory, but introduce me into it; when his blessed Mouth shall bid me Wel­come, and pronounce my Euge bone Serve! well done Good and Profitable Servant, enter in­to thy Masters Joy; when I shall not only see his beloved Face, but be admitted into his sweet Conversation, and dwell in his Arms and Embraces for ever; when I shall hear him record the wondrous Adventures of his Love, through how many woful Stages he past to rescue me from endless Misery; how will my Heart spring with Joy and burn with Love, and my Mouth overflow with Praises and Thanksgivings? O blessed Jesu! How happy will the Day be when I who am [Page 291] loaded with so many vast Obligations to love thee, shall be introduced into thy Pre­sence, to see thy Glories, and Sympathize in thy Joys, as thou didst in my Miseries; to thank and praise thee Face to Face for all those Wonders of Love with which thou hast obliged me, and to bear a Part in that heavenly Song, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and bles­sing; who hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, our of every Kindred, and Tongue, and People and Nation, Rev. v.9, 12.

4 thly, Everlasting Life includes a most delightful Conversation and Society with Angels and glorified Spirits. For when we come to the City of the Living God, the hea­venly Jerusalem, the Apostle tells us, what our Society will be, viz. an innumerable company of Angels, the general Assembly and Church of the first-born, God the judge of all, the Spirits of just Men made perfect, and Je­sus the Mediatour of the new Covenant, Heb. xii.22, 23, 24. Lord, what glorious Soci­ety is here! Society in which there is no­thing intermingled, but what is Heavenly and Divine; it being altogether composed of the best and wisest and noblest Beings in the World. For as for the blessed Saints and Angels, they are all most perfectly re­fined [Page 292] from all that Folly and Peevishness, Disguize and Dissimulation which is the Bane of humane Conversation; their Un­derstandings are exceeding large and compre­hensive, and their Charity and Goodness is full as extensive as their Knowledge: And in such a Conjunction of Wisdom with Goodness, what an excellent Society must there needs be produced? For as their great Goodness must needs render their Conver­sation most free and amiable, so must their great Knowledge and Wisdom render it no less profitable and delightful; and as the lat­ter must needs instruct them in all the wise Arts of Endearment, so the for­mer must needs oblige them to use and im­prove them to the utmost. O how heaven­ly therefore must their Conversation needs be, whilst 'tis thus managed by pure Wis­dom and most perfect Love; whilst the most glorious Knowledge is the Scope, and the most ardent Friendship the Law of all their Converse! Who would not be wil­ling to leave a foolish, froward, and ill-natu­red World, for the blessed Society of those wise Friends, and perfect Lovers? And what greater Happiness can we desire, than to spend an Eternity in such sweet Conversati­on! Where we shall hear the deep Philoso­phy of Heaven freely communicated in the [Page 293] wise and amicable Discourses of Angels and glorified Spirits, who mutually impart the Treasures of each others Knowledge with­out any Reserve or Affectation of Mystery, and freely philosophize without wrangling Disputes, or peevish Contentions for Victo­ry; where Wisdom is the Entertainment, and Love and mutual Endearments the Welcome; where there is Harmony without Discord, Communication without Disputes, and everlasting Discourse without Wrangling. O happy Day! When I shall depart from this impertinent and unsociable World, and all my good old Friends that are gone to Hea­ven before me, shall meet me on the Shores of Eternity, and congratulate my Arrival to that blessed Society! Where I shall freely converse with the Patriarchs and Prophets, the Apostles and Martyrs, and be most inti­mately acquainted with all those brave and generous Souls, who have recommended themselves to the World by their glorious Examples; where Angels and Arch-angels shall be my familiar Friends, and all those illustrious Courtiers of the great King of Hea­ven shall own me for their Brother, and bid me welcome to their Masters Joy, and none will disdain my Company though ne­ver so much above me in Glory and Per­fection; but from the highest to the lowest [Page 294] will all receive and entertain me with the tenderest Indearments of heavenly Lovers.