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and Distractions continual, no more is required, than a fincere Endeavour of directing his Life in general, by Principles and Rules, which arise from Obedience to the Commands and Will of God, and ultimately tend to the Honour of his Name. And furely we cannot imagine this Condition of Happinefs, to be any difficult, much lefs any grievous Matter, which is the conftant Exercife of Angels now in the fupreme Fruition of their Happinefs. This This conftitutes their prefent Joy, and in this will confift our future Reward, to be admitted to perform continual Acts of Honour and Glory to God in Heaven. To be urged to the Practice of the fame Actions in this Life, ought rather to be esteemed an Anticipation of thofe future Joys, than an Impofition. If it be indeed a Happiness in Angels to be employed in continual Acts of this Nature; if it fhall be hereafter an infinite Favour to us to be admitted to the fame Office; it is now at leaft fome Degree of Happiness to perform that imperfectly, which we fhall then compleatly; and fo much the greater Degree, by how much the more we are intent on it.

But then, That we may not deceive our felves with a falfe Opinion of giving Honour and Glory to God, when we fall fhort of it; that we may not be ranked among thote, of whom God complains, That they Honour him with their lips, but their heart

is far from him; we must take efpecial Care that the Honour and Glory we pay to God be real and unfeigned. The Apostle teacheth us to be fincere in this Duty by affixing an Amen to the end of thefe Words; which is as much as to fay indeed, or may it be fo; may Men fincerely and in earneft give Honour and Glory unto God; may their Hearts agree with their Mouths, and their Actions with their Declarations: Otherwise instead of honouring, we fhall but vilifie and affront God, and deny his Attribute of Omnifcience, vainly imagining that our Hypocrifie is concealed from him, and undifcerned by him.

And indeed no deliberate Sin can be committed without overthrowing our Belief of all the Divine Attributes, and effacing (or at least, for a while clouding) all Notions of Religion arifing from them. By the Commission of any fuch Sin, we difown him to be our King, withdraw our felves from his Government, and refuse to be directed by his Laws. We fet up to our felves and purfue a different end from that appointed by the Laws of our Creation; we wreft our felves out of the Poffeffion of Chrift, by the price of whofe Blood we were redeemed; and deliver our felves to his and our profelfed Enemy, the Devil. We deny him thereby to be a King eternal, who continueth his Government even after Death, and exercifeth fevere Judgment up

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on Sinners, for things done in the Body. We disbelieve the Immutability of his Will, and fondly imagine that he will, in our Favour, reverse his Sentence of Condemnation pronounced against obftinate and deliberate Sinners. We perfwade our felves that we efcape his Knowledge, and are hid from his All-feeing Eye. So fatal and er roneous is every deliberate Sin, that it either deftroyeth, or debafeth for a time, all Principles of true Religion and Notions of a Deity; and thereby becomes a temporary A postacy.

That we therefore may escape the Danger of that unhappiness, let us conftantly keep in Mind the infinite Perfections of God, and our Obligations arifing from them; let us always remember that he is our Creator, our King and our Redeemer; that he will after Death take an exact and impartial Account of our Actions; that he hath decreed Damnation to all obftinate and impenitent Sinners, and will not recall his Sentence; that he knoweth all our Thoughts, and feeth our moft private Motions. Let us frequently call these things to Mind, and A&t as if we had them continually before our Eyes; fo fhall we give Honour and Glory to God in our Lives; fo may we without the Check of our own Confciences confefs his Glorious Attributes with our Mouths; and fo fhall we be admitted to fing Glory and Honour to him eternally in Heaven: Which God grant for the fake of Jefus Chrift our Lord.

SERMON

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SERMON

IX.

Preach'd March 17, 1683. at Lambeth Chapel.

Pfal. XCV. 7, 8.

To Day if ye will hear his Voice, Harden not your hearts.

TH

HERE is no greater Argument of the miferable Condition of Mankind fince the Fall of Adam, no fuller Demonftration of the Dominion of the Flesh over the Spirit, of which the Scripture fo often complains, than the willful Omiffion of those means, which are at the fame time allowed to be the only way to Happiness. This Happiness all Men earnestly defire; and none are ignorant that the Conditions of it are Repentance and Obedience; all acknowledge this to be highly reasonable and abfolutely neceffary; yet all find and deplore in themselves a continual averfion to fet immediately upon the ferious Practice of these Conditions.

They flatter themselves indeed with fome hopes at least of attaining the propofed Hap

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piness; and by the hopes of this fupport themselves, whenfoever they give their Souls leave to entertain any ferious Reflections. The Scripture and their own Conscience tells them, That thefe Hopes are vain, while they continue in Unrepentance; yet they deferr their Repentance from Day to Day, and fondly imagine that it will never be too late to fet upon it; they are loth to fix the time of this neceffary Duty, and fay to their Souls, hitherto thou haft ferved the Lufts of the Flesh, and Temptations of the World; henceforward, from this very moment, abandon them, and devote thy felf to God.

Wifely therefore hath the Church in all Ages, ever fince the Apoftles time, fet apart a folemn time, in every Year, which we call Lent; wherein all Chriftians fhould be taught, and obliged to attend more diligently upon the Execution of their Duty; to enter into a more ferious Confideration of their Eternal Intereft, and be exhorted to begin a refolute Oppofition of their Lufts and Paffions, by inuring themselves to a severe Exercife of Holinels and Vertue; by denying to gatifie the Luft of the Flesh in its inordinate Defires, and it it be otherwife untameable, to reduce it by Maceration, or other fober Aufterities.

By this means Sinners are induced to bethink themselves in earneft of their forlorn State and Condition; and, what they were always unwilling to fix themfelves, the time

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