whatever Man or Woman among us does do that, that Perfon is certainly elected; and whoever doth otherwife, is certainly, by the Decrees of God, a Reprobate; that is to fay, he having rejected God's Grace, God will reject him at the last Day.

This now is all that we can, conclufively and pofitively, pronounce concerning God's Decrees, and thus much we may pronounce, and this is enough, both to fatisfy our Scru ples, and to excite our Induftry. It is certain by God's Word, that every one of us may be faved, nay, fhall be faved everlastingly, if we be fincere in our Endeavours after it. I do not fay, if we do all that we can do towards the obtaining Salvation, for that perhaps no Man doth; but if we be fincere in that Degree, that the Infirmity and Degeneracy of human Nature will ordinarily allow us: If we use the fame Sincerity and Industry, in recommending our felves to God, and our Lord Jefus, and procuring our own everlasting Salvation, that Men ordinarily and customarily do, in profecuting any great Affair in the World, that they have set their Hearts upon: I fay, whofoever is thus far fincere as to his fpiritual Concernments, shall undoubtedly go to Heaven. And fure this is enough, abundantly enough, to filence all the Doubts,and Fears,and Perplexitics of the most timorous Perfons for ever. I hope, they themfelves do not defire to go to Heaven upon cafier Terms, or if they do, they are very unreasonable.

reasonable. And on the other Hand, if we are not thus ferious in our Endeavours to lead a Holy and Chriftian Life, all our other Pretences to Salvation will fignify nothing; it will be in vain to rely upon any other Election than that which is made fure by a lively Faith, and a vertuous Converfation. We are all of us the Elect of God, if we live as becomes the Difciples of Chrift Jefus; but we fhall all be found Reprobates, if we do

not.

O what a Spur is here to our Industry! How careful fhould we be not to rely upon a barren ineffectual Faith, but to adorn our Profeffion by a godly and a religious Life! How diligent fhould we be, to make our Calling and Election fure, by adding to our Faith Vertue, and to our Vertue Knowledge, and to Knowledge Temperance, and to Tem perance Patience, and to Patience Godliness, and to Godliness brotherly Kindness, and to brotherly Kindness Charity; knowing that if thefe Things be in us, and abound, we fhall never be barren nor unfruitful in the Work of the Lord; but an Entrance will be adminiftred unto us more abundantly, into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord Jefus.

I conclude all, with that memorable Saying of St. Paul in the 2d of the Rom. the 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Verfes; all which makes to our purpose: God will render to every Man according to his Works; to them who by patient Continuance in Well-doing, feek for

Glory

Glory, and Honour, and Immortality, eternal Life; but unto them that are Contentious, and do not obey the Truth, Indignation and Wrath; Tribulation and Anguifh upon every Soul of Man that doth Evil, of the few first, and alfo of the Gentile. But Glory, and Honour, and Peace to every Man that worketh Good, to the few first, and alfo to the Gentile; for there is no Refpect of Perfons with God.

May God Almighty give us all Grace fo to behave our felves in this World, that we may, in the other, receive thofe glorious Rewards which our Lord Jefus bath promised to all his faithful Difciples. This God of his infinite Mercy grant, &c.

SER

140

SERMON VII.

Acrs XVI. 31.

Believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou fbalt be Saved.

may remember that I have, not long ago, preached feveral Sermons about religious Trouble of Mind, and I then made it my Bufinefs to give an Account of fundry Points, which thro' their not being well understood, had a great Influence, if not in caufing, yet in the increafing that fort of Affliction, And I told you that, as I had Opportunity, I would go on with this Argument, and fpeak to fome other Points, which often prove Occafion of many Frights and Doubts, to timorous and melancholy Perfons. Having therefore an Opportunity now given me, I mean to proceed where I left off.

Five Caufes of religious Trouble, which arife from the Mifapprehenfion of Things, I have already spoken to, that is to fay,

Firft,

Fir, The Opinion Men have taken up about Desertion, or God's forfaking them. Secondly, The Lofs of their fpiritual Comfort, and the Dulnefs and Deadnefs of their Hearts, as to all religious Duties.

Thirdly, The being haunted with wicked and blafphemous Thoughts.

Fourthly, The extream Fewhefs of thofe that shall be Sayed.

Fifthly, The Uncertainty they are in, as to their particular Election to Salvation.

I now come to confider two other Things, which fome melancholy People do often complain of, and which caufeth them as much Uneafinefs as any other Points I have named: And that is, in the fixth Place, their want of Faith, and in the feventh Place, their not being truly penitent for their Sins.

Faith and Repentance, they know very well, are the great Gofpel Duties, and indeed the only Conditions required to Salvation. And if they want either of these, in what a miferable Condition are they? But yet as Things stand with them, they have neither true Faith, nor true Repentance.

(

Thefe two Things, I fay, I fhall now endeavour to give fome Satisfaction about, by putting both thefe Duties in a fair Light, and fhewing, that good Peoples Uneafineffes and Frights about them, are occafioned purely by their not rightly understanding the Nature of them,

I begin