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ful enemy of our fouls, that would rob us of our present as well as future happiness? How should the confideration of these things make us take heed left there be in any of us an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God? and how ftedfaftly fhould we refolve to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; but to walk as children of light in the ways of true piety and holinefs; and not to delay for ene moment the care of our immortal fouls? For, although God is a being of infinite goodnefs and mercy, and is patient and long-fuffering towards finners, being unwilling that any fhould perish, but that all fhould come to repentance; yet we must remember, that he is alfo infinitely juft, and will affuredly vindicate the honour of his laws. All fin and wickedness is an abomination in his fight. He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity; and, if his wrath be kindled, yea, but a little, what will become of the wicked and ungodly? nothing but a fincere repentance and amendment of life will be fufficient to fecure them from the vengeance, which he has threatened to pour down upon all obftinate and rebellious finners; and true repentance will most undoubtedly avert his anger.

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V. To conclude with the fentiments of a devout and pious divine: The great plea, that men do generally It is in evemake for the wickedness or carelefinefs of their ry man's lives, is this: That it really is not in their power take the neto live up to fuch a state of holiness and virtue, ceary care ⚫ as the law of God obligeth them to: grace is in of his foul. ⚫ them too weak, and their natural corruptions too ftrong, * for their ever being in a capacity, without more affiftance from God, to live ftrict and religious lives: conversion is the work of God, and cannot be wrought by a man's felf: and therefore, till God fhall pleafe to come upon them ⚫ with an irresistible power of his Holy Spirit, they must be contented to live as they do; nay, they muft unavoidably live fo.' Now it is readily granted, that without God's grace no man can do any thing; and we grant likewife, that it is very probable their circumftances may be fuch, that it is not morally poffible, unless they had greater ftrength and more grace than they have, on a fudden to live as they

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ought to do; for their bad principles are really more powerful than their good ones; but yet, in the mean time, we must needs tell them, that they are not mere ftocks and ftones. How much reason foever they have to complain of the infirmity or degeneracy of their natures, yet fome things they can do towards the bettering of them: for instance, though they cannot on a fudden conquer the inward bent and inclination of their minds, fo as to hate all fin, and to delight in virtue; yet they muft needs confefs that they have a power over their outward actions: they can as well (if they think it reasonable) direct their feet towards the church, as to a house of gaming, or drinking, or lewdness: their eyes will ferve them as well to look upon a bible, or a serious difcourfe about religion, as to read a fcurrilous and a prophane book: it is as much in their power (if they pleafe) to yield their ears to the reasonable advice of their fober friends, as to the mad harangues of the diffolute company they keep. These things they must needs acknowledge they can do, if they will: nay, and they can do more than this; for (if they please) they may give themselves time to confider and think of what they read, or what is faid to them, or what their own experience or obfervation of things will fuggeft to their minds; and they can further (if they please) add to their confideration their prayers to Almighty God to direct them, to affift them, to ftrengthen them. And tho' it is certain that all this without God's efpecial grace will not be effectual for the irregeneration and converfion; yet, if they will but do as much as this comes to, we can affure them, that in time they thall have this especial grace, which they now want. In the fame proportion that they use and employ those gifts and powers, which they at prefent have, God will increafe and enlarge them. And the truth of all this is confirmed to us by that memorable faying of our Saviour, which we find in his mouth at several times, and upon feveral occafions: To him that hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have in abundance; but from him that hath not, fhall be taken away even that which he hath. Let it then, above all things, be our great and conftant endeavour to make him our friend, who is the best of beings, the fovereign good and

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happiness of all his creatures, and the fountain and foundation of all our comforts and enjoyments in this life, and of all our hopes and expectations in that which is to come. Let us make religion the great bufinefs of our lives, and, whilst we have time and opportunity, let us prepare ourselves by a life of virtue and righteoufnefs, for that great account which we must one day give. Let not the pleafures and vanities of this world, which will shortly have an end, make us unmindful of the great and momentous concerns of eternity. There fhall in no wife enter into that holy place any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lye; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. And thofe only are the good and virtuous, who have kept themselves from the pollutions of this wicked world, and have led a life of piety and renewed obedience towards God, and of love and charity towards their neighours.

The Prayer.

GOD, the protector of all that trust in thee, who wast pleafed to accept the death and paffion of thy dear Son fefus Chrift for an expiation for the fins of mankind, and a ranfem of their guilty fouls from the torments of hell; grant that I may duly weigh the efficacy of his merits, and faithfully improve the benefits of my redemption. Let not the pleasures of fin betray me, nor the craftiness of Satan deceive me: but do tbou guard and protect me with thy blessed Spirit against all Spiritual temptations; and let me always bave the danger and care of my foul before my eyes, and the torments of the damned frefb in my memory, fo that, by contemplating upon the mifery of others, I may bate their practices, and avoid their punishments, through the all-fufficient merits of Jefus Chrift, my Lord and Saviour. Amen.

THE

OF THE NEW

Whole Duty of Man:

CONTAINING

Our Duty towards GOD.

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I. Of true morality and of the duty of man, as taught by natural and revealed religion; containing the three great branches of our duty to GOD, to our NEIGHBOUR, and to OURSELVES. II. Our duty to GOD is to believe in him, and in his affirmations, commands, promifes, and threatenings. III. To hope in him, without prefumption or defpair. IV. To love him for his excellencies and kindness. V. To fear him rather than men. VI. To truft in him in all dangers and wants. VII. To fubmit to his divine will, both in refpect of obedience and patience, in all his commands and difpofals.

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HE chriftian religion being the means, which God. has appointed for the restoring mankind to his favour, which man had forfeited by his wilful difobedience; and for his recovering the image of God; the Almighty does therein give us a new hope and title to that everlasting hap-. pinefs, for which man was at first created: but this is only to be hoped for on certain conditions, namely, our lively. faith, and fincere and hearty endeavours to obey his will; on the performance or neglect whereof depend our 'eternal happiness and mifery: therefore it is of the greatest importance for us to inquire, what that faith is, and what thofe feveral things are, to which God requires our obedience. But, first, I think it will not be improper to confider what we are to understand by true morality.

a See page 11.

True

True morality, in the largest sense of the word, confifts in acting agreeably to those relations, which we bear mora to our Creator and fellow-creatures. It takes in lity in wha even our duty to our bleffed Saviour and Redeem- it confifts." er; unless either gratitude be no part of morality; or unless he, who was the author of our eternal falvation, be intitled to no gratitude from us. Yet nothing is more common, than to fubftitute fome part of our duty for the whole. Of this we have a pregnant inftance in thofe, whom the world mifcalls mere moral men. A mere moral man, in the language of the world, is one, who lives in a state of open difregard, or at least of fashionable indifference to religion in general; yet fhall do fome generous and good-natured actions, and never be guilty of any flagrant breach of honefty. He shall condemn the man who is wanting in proper returns of gratitude and affection to his fellow-creatures; but he never condemns himself, who continually receives, and never acknowledges the favours he receives from the Author of every good gift. It is abfurd to pretend a love for benevolence; and yet to be regardless of the most benevolent being that is. And it is likewife abfurd to pretend to love him, without a serious examination into his will; never difmiffing what bears that venerable stamp, without a fair and impartial hearing of the evidences for the truth of it. For, on whomfoever the world may bestow the title of moral men, yet an indifferent careleffness, and a wilful neglect to examine into his will and pleasure is no part of morality. Nay, his will, whofe pleasure we must either do, or whofe difpleasure we must unavoida bly fuffer, ought to be the uppermoft confideration of every man. Yet fome may urge, that there are several of strict probity, generofity, and worth, without the leaft tincture of piety. To which I anfwer feveral have from their infancy af sociated the ideas of happiness and efteem; of nifery and difgrace. This makes them decline thofe actions, which may intail infamy and disgrace upon them; and pursue those, which may beget an esteem for them; efteem being to them an effential ingredient of happiness. For which reason they are impatient to have the favourable verdict, which they país upon themselves, feconded and confirmed by the approba

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