ing are not inconfiderable: that the best of men are no more exempt from temptations, than others; but may poffibly be tried with a larger share of them, and fuch as are harder to be withstood that every one therefore ought, in every part of life, to prepare for them; and no one, merely on account of his fuffering ever fo many, to doubt of the favour and love of God: that allurements to evil may perhaps befet us with peculiar importunity in the entrance upon our christian course; but, if we refit them faithfully then, may ceafe in a great meafare afterwards; and God's grace enable us to go fafely and honourably through the fevereft conflicts of any other kind: that retirement and meditation, fafting and prayer, are the right preparatives against all folicitations to lin; which yet may come upon us in the very midt of our religious duties, and ftricteft obfervances; nay, Satan may feek advantage from them to mislead us that if, even at fuch times we are not secure, much lefs are we fo in the midst of the cares and purfuits, but especially the pleasures of life; by thoughtless indulgence of which, we invite and aid the tempter, whom we ought to fhun and oppose: that we should never venture out of the plain road of duty, to supply the most urgent neceffities: never run into needlefs danger, in hope of extraordinary deliverance; never accept the greatest advantages, when offered as the price of our innocence; that riches, and honours, and power are the most dangerous of trials, being referved for the laff in the cafe of our bleffed Lord and whoever can reject them inftantly with indignation, when offered on finful conditions, as he did, is far advanced in the road to perfection: that laying up the doctrines and precepts of icripture in our hearts, ready for ufe, is providing the best defence against our spiritu al enemies; yet that fcripture itself may be eatily perverted to mifguide us, unless we carefully interpret one part of it by another, and every one by the defign of the whole that the effectual way of dealing with all evil fuggeftions, is to repel them with an immediate, and thort, and determinate anfwer, founded on God's word; and that permitting them to reply to us, and plead with us, is only giving them a handle to deceive and destroy us: that they, who are led by the provi dence of God to meet difficulties, will, if they afk it, be filled with the Spirit of God to go through them; and fo with the VOL. II.

Bb

temptation

temptation he will alfo make a way to efcape: or, to speak in St. James's words, that if we refit the devil, he will flee from us: and if we draw nigh to God, he will draw nigh to ust. That fince we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one, who was in all points tempted like as we are, we may come boldly through him to the throne of grace, and find help in time of need. But then, as he was tempted without fint, we must imitate, though we cannot equal him; and really, though not perfectly in this life, conquer fin alfo for only to him that overcometh will be grant to fit with him in his throne§. Yet, as the tempter departed from our Lord himself only for a feason, we are not to imagine, that he will ever depart wholly from us: but may ftill comfort ourselves, that if we put on the armour of God, and wreftle against bir as we ought, we shall be able to ftand against all his wiles||: nay, every attempt to weaken our virtues, fhall only prove a wholesome exercise to ftrengthen and improve them; till at length, having fought the good fight of faith, we shall lay bold on eternal life¶; and not only the angels, who minifter to us now affistance in our conflict, fhall join with our fellow faints in applauding our victory, but the captain of our salva. tion§§ himself acknowledge us openly for his good and faithful foldiers and fervants++. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them who love him‡‡.

§ Rev iii. 21.

| Eph. vi. 11, 12.

SS Heb. ii. 10. tt Matth. xxv. 21. 2 Tim. ii. 3. James i. 12.

SER

SERMON LVIII.

THE MISERY AND UNHAPPINESS OF A SENSUAL AND WORLDLY

SPIRIT.

PHIL. ii. 21.

For all feek their own, not the things which are Jefus Chrift's.

THESE

HESE words contain both an account what the practice of mankind is, and alfo an intimation what it fhould be. And therefore, in difcourfing upon them, it will be proper, I. To confider what is meant by feeking our own. things. II. What by feeking the things of Jefus Chrift.

III. To explain and prove, the affertion, that all feek the former, not the latter.

IV. To fhew what we are to learn from it.

I. Secking our own things, is purfuing our own inclinations and fancies, or imagined worldly interest. And many ftrange fancies people of all ranks indulge. Some never ask themfelves, whether the courfe which they are taking is likely to be for their good: others never flacken it, though from time to time they strongly fufpect it is not. Often they adopt, without examination, the opinions of thofe about them, whom yet they are far from efteeming and either will not fee,, that better judges think differently; or do fee it, and will not regard it, but follow custom blindfold, even against their own liking. Or it may be, they think a little, But think short; neither to the end; nor to any confiderable part, even of the prefent life; imagine what pleafes now, must always pleafe; and what brings no inconvenience yet, will never bring any. Indeed, ufually it is their principle point, to acquire the things which others wish for, though visibly of no real use; and they are vehement for whatever will make them envied as happy perfons, though it produce little elfe than vexation and guilt. Some will not truft even their own experience against their prepoffeffions; but force themselves to believe, that the lives which they lead muft needs be delightful, though they feel the

contrary

contrary. Many lose the opportunities, and even the [relish, of moderate and rational pleasures, by a wild pursuit of vifionary and extravagant ones. Nay, there are fome, who not only follow wrong ways, but, as the text hath it, feek them go purposely out of the plain road, as it were, in fearch of misery. It were much to be wished, that all thefe were more ftudious of their intereft, even their temporal intereft, than they are: it might be one step towards becoming what they ought. But fill the most faithful and affiduous worshippers of the world's great idols, applause, advancement, profit, power, entirely miftake, if they hope that any of these things will either fecure them lafting enjoyment, or preferve them from acute mifery, A little reflection difcovers, that happiness confifts in somewhat stable and inward: whence the more thoughtful have learned to feek it in themselves. But, alas! when we infpect ourfelves, what a mixture do we find, of ignorance which we cannot enlighten, of weakness which we cannot ftrengthen, of wrongness which we cannot fet right! Befides that all creatures, as fuch, are effentially infufficient for their own happinefs; there is by nature a void within us, which must be filled from above, or we must remain for ever craving and unfatisfied. Let us therefore look upwards, and confider,

II. The things which are Jefus Chrift's: the benefits that he hath procured for us, with the knowledge of them that he hath communicated to us. And indeed what have we of value, that is not his? Some have pretended they could investigate all the doctrines, the duties, the rewards of religion completely by their own reason, and form themselves to a fuitable difpofition by their own ftrength. But the history of heathenifm clearly fhews, that no one ever did this; nor probably there. fore ever would. The one true God was fcarce known. Falle deities of the worst characters were adored, instead of him, with rites that seldom, if ever, mended their votaries, often corrupted them. The common rules of focial life were by no means throughly understood; as the fhocking cuftom of expofing children to perish, the barbarous combats of gladiators, the promiscuous and unnatural practices of lewdness, publicly allowed, give dreadful proofs. But the internal virtues of the heart were still lefs regarded; and they who feemed poffefed of them, ascribed the merit wholly to themfelves: very few faid so much as the Pharifee, God, I thank thee, that I am not

as other men are; fcarce any with the publican, God be merci ful to me, a finner §. Yet how continually are the best of men guilty of faults! But they had hardly any notion of the univerfal need of repentance, or any name for humility of foul. Forgiveness of injuries was very unfteadily taught: benevolence to enemies lay yet farther out of fight. Courage injuriously exercifed, patriotifm fhewn by invading the rights of their neighbours, and numbers of other fplendid fins, paffed for heroic excellencies. There was very little hope of future bliis to give men spirit in doing what was right, and lefs fear of future judgment to deter them from what was wrong. Such were the best instructed nations: and fuch, or worse, had we been probably now, but for the compaffion of Jefus Chrift. Indeed without him we fhould never have known, till too late, how bad our condition was. The real state of mankind, with refpect to God, was, in a great measure, unknown to them, till he underwent what he did, at once to lay open to us our danger, and to free us from it on most equitable terms. Even the mysterious parts of what he taught for this purpose lead us to reverence the divine wisdom, and think modeftly of our own; while the more diftinctly intelligible direct us to every thing that is right and fit.

The gospel hath laid the foundation of our duty in that pleafing and thankful veneration of God, which his creating bounty, his providential care, his redeeming mercy, excite : and which tends to inspire us, with a deep concern for whatever we have done offenfive to him, an earnest desire of obeying his commands, an humble fenfe that we need his affiftance, a firm perfuafion that he will grant it to us, a cheerful reliance on him for every thing that we want, in regard to this world or the next. This excellent frame of mind must powerfully fupprefs irregular appetites of fenfe, immoderate defires of wealth, vain fondness for pomp and pre-eminence, anxious cares about worldly events. And on fuch love of God chriftianity builds its fecond great commandment, love of our neighbour: : a duty, enjoined in a higher degree, and carried to a greater extent, though ftill a reasonable one, in fcripture, than in any other inftitution of religion. It prescribes the moft accurate and tender attention to the obligations which refult

from

6 Luke xviii. 1', 13.