fuch an unblameable Life, that the Law of SERM. Man can take no Hold of our Actions; and IX. not only fo, but to approve ourselves in the Sight of God, who takes Cognifance of those Actions which escape the Knowledge of Men, who paffes Sentence upon the most fecret Thoughts and Intents of the Heart. Not that any Man can live fo exactly, as not to offend God in Deed or Thought; even St. Paul, himself, came fhort of this; but that this is the Mark at which we ought to aim, and that we ought to endeavour to come as near it as poffibly we can, and to live (as far as the Frailty and Infirmity of Nature will permit) without offending God or Man. And, therefore, St. Paul fays, that he exercised himself in this, which implies,

III. THAT it was his daily Task and chief Employment, it took up the greatest Part of his Time and Thoughts; from which, we may infer, that he had not wholly effected and brought it about; he had not obtained fuch an abfolute Victory over his Lufts and Corruptions, but that he was forced to ftand upon his Guard, and to watch and pray, that he entered not into fuch Temptation, as would be too hard for him. Every good Chriftian in this World is in a State of Warfare, he

SERM. will find continual Oppofition from his
IX, fpiritual Enemies; he must wrestle not only

with Flefh and Blood, but against PrinciEph. vi. palities, against Powers, against the Rulers

12.

Eph. vi.

13.

of the Darkness of this World, against fpi-
ritual Wickedness in High-places. We shall
meet with Temptations fufficient to exer-
cife all our Strength, and be forced to call
in the Affiftance of God's Grace, and im-
plore his Mercy and Forgiveness, for our
many Frailties and Miscarriages. To exer-
cife ourselves, then, to have a Confcience void
of Offence, imports thus much, that we
keep a continual Watchfulness over all our
Thoughts, Words, and Actions; that we
fummon up
all the Strength we have, em-
ploy all the Powers of our Bodies, all the
Faculties of our Souls, and offer up our
most fervent Prayers to God, befeeching
him to protect and defend us, and fo to
ftrengthen us, that we may be able to
refift those Temptations we daily meet
with, and walk in the Way of his Com-
mandments; that, having done all, we may
be enabled to ftand, and, to keep a Confcience
void of Offence, both toward God and
toward Men. And that we may do
thus,

IV. LET

1

IV. LET us obferve these following SE RM. Directions.

1. ENDEAVOUR to get your Confciences rightly informed: For, unless you know what the Law commands, it is impoffible you should live up to it; unless you know what your Duty is, you cannot poffibly put it in Practice. And although Ignorance may be a fufficient Excufe, where it is invincible, for Men's not knowing, and by Confequence, not performing their Duty; yet where Ignorance proceeds from our own Default, for Want of enquiring what our Duty is, it will be fo far from being an Excufe, that it will aggravate our Crime, and increase our Damnation.

THE fundamental Articles of our Faith are fo plainly revealed and clearly expreffed, that they may be understood by any one who has but common Senfe, and is not biaffed, by Intereft, Paffion, or fome corrupt Affection; for whatsoever is not plainly re vealed, can be no fundamental Article of our Faith; and whatsoever Opinions must be deduced from these by a Train of Confequences, which lie open to Errors and Mistakes, we may safely be ignorant of them, without incurring the Penalty of eternal Damnation. It is true, that we ought to be very careful, rightly to in

form

IX.

SERM. form our Confciences in Points of leffer IX. Confequence; because an Error, in these Matters, may fometimes betray us into very dangerous Opinions, and finful Practices; Error is very fruitful, and of a teeming Nature; it feldom ftops where it begins, but brings forth more of its Kind, and, as it is faid of Seed fown upon a fertile Soil, produces fometimes thirty, fometimes fixty, and fometimes an bundred Fold. So neceffary is it to have our Understandings rightly informed, if we would keep a Confcience void of Offence; for, fince Confcience doth imply the Comparing our Actions with the Rule, it is impoffible but our Actions fhould be crooked and irregular, if the Rule is fo; or, at leaft, if we do not apprehend it aright.

2. Do not allow yourselves in the least Sin. Do not allow yourselves in the Neglect of any Duty, which the Divine Law commands, nor in the Execution of any Thing which it forbids; for, fince Men will take amifs a Word or Gesture, which is designed to affront them, much more will God be offended with the leaft Sin, which is knowingly and wilfully committed: The Authority, Wifdom, and Holiness of God's Law are equally violated by a leffer Breach of our Duty, as by that

which is more heinous, and the Ingrati- SERM. tude is greater; for it must needs argue a IX. very little Value and Efteem for the Love and Favour of God, to hazard it upon every trifling Temptation, and a very little Fear of his Anger, to provoke and offend him for fome little Advantage; befides, if we once come to esteem any Sin to be little, we shall foon be brought to believe every Sin to be fuch. For never any Man was wicked all of a fudden, the Sinner at first is timorous and flothful, till by Degrees he contracts an Habit of finning; and, by allowing himself in the lighter Breaches of his Duty, he goes on, till by little and little, at last, he arrives at the highest Pitch of Impiety: Our own Self-love has fuch an Influence over us, that, if we indulge ourselves in the least Sin, we shall foon make no Confcience of the most prefumptuous Breaches of our Duty; it is therefore the fafest Way to crush this Cockatrice in the Egg, and to fupprefs the first Sparks of Evil, before they break out into a Flame.

"

FARTHER, confider, that the frequent Repetition of fome one fmall Sin may, in the Weight of the Guilt, be equal to the Commiffion of a greater; as many fmall Pieces of Silver are equal, in Value,

to