from the Practice of Gaming, though it be not made to appear to him, that it is exprefly and explicitly forbid by any Law of Jefus Chrift.

7

So that you fee, that in thofe Points where there are Difputes on both fides, when the Confideration is concerning the Obligation, or the Lawfulness of an Action; there is no Difficulty, no Difpute at all, when the Confideration is only concerning what is best and most fitting to be done; concerning what is most agreeable to our Duty, and moft conducive to the Honour of God and Religion as to that Action: That is evident enough in all Cases; nor is any Man at a Lofs for finding it out. And that is the Principle which I fay every fincere Lover of God governs himself by; and which I would have us all to propose to ourfelves for the Rule of our Actions, in order to the fecuring us from thofe Snares and frumbling Blocks, to which the Affinity between Vertue and Vice, Lawful and Unlawful, will otherwife expofe us.

Let us not ftand upon Points with God Almighty, as if fo much was his, and fo much was our own; as if we were to share ourselves between his Service and our own Pleafures and Profits, and the like; and were refolved not to pay him any more Respect or Love, than what fome exprefs Law doth exact at our Hands. entirely devote ourselves to his do not only all thofe Things which we are strictly bound to do, or else we are Tranf greffors; but all thofe Things that are accep

Letter of his But let us fo Service, as to

table

table to him, all thofe Things that are Praifeworthy, and tend to the Perfection of our Nature, and the Reputation of Chrift's Religion.

Let us make it the End of our Actions, not to feek ourselves, but his Glory; every Day to grow better and better, and in every Occurrence to confider, not what may lawfully be done, but what is moft becoming a Difciple of Jefus Chrift to do. In a Word, whatever is best in any Action; whatever moft ferves the End of Piety; whatever tends moft to the Credit of our Religion, and the Benefit of others, let us confider that, and act accordingly.

And thus I am fure to defign and act, is moft fuitable to the Nature and Genius of our Chriftian Religion; nay, indeed it is the Principal Law and Commandment of it.

The Defign of Chriftianity, is not to adjuft the precife Bounds of Vertue and Vice, Lawful and Unlawful, which is That that a great many among us fo greedily hanker after. For the beft that could have come from fuch a Defign, had been only this, that Men, by this Means, might have been fairly inftructed, how they might have avoided the being bad, tho' they never became very good. But the Design of Christianity, is to make Men as good as they can poffibly be; as devout, as humble, as charitable, as temperate, as contented, as heavenly-minded, as their Natures will allow of in this World. And for the producing this Effect, the exact diftinguifhing the Limits of the

feveral Vertues, and their oppofite Vices, fignifies very little.

The Laws of our great Mafter are not like the Civil Municipal Laws of Kingdoms, which are therefore wonderful nice, and critical, and particular in fetting Bounds to the Practices of Men, because they only look at overt-Actions; so that if a Man do but keep his Actions within the Compass of the Letter of the Law, he may be accounted a good Subject, and is no way obnoxious to the Penalties which the Law threatens.

If our Religion had been of this ftrain, we fhould, without doubt, have had a World of particular Laws and Precepts, and Directions about our Actions, in all emergent Cases more than we now have: And we might as easily have known from the Bible, what was forbid den unlawful Anger, what was exceffive Drinking, what was Pride and Luxury in Apparel, and the like; as we now know by the StatuteBook, what is Burglary, or Murther, or Treafon. But there was no need of thefe Particularities in the Inftitution of Chrift Jefus. His Religion was to be a Spiritual Thing. And the Defign of it was not to make us chast, or temperate, or humble, or charitable, in fuch a Degree; but to make us as chaft and temperate, as humble and charitable, as pure and holy in all our Converfation, as we poffibly can be.

This, I fay, was the Defign of Christ's Religion. It was to be the highest Philofophy that was ever taught to Mankind. It was to make us the most excellent and perfect Crea

tures,

tures, as to Purity of Mind and Heart, that Human Nature is capable of. And therefore it hath not been fo accurate and particular in prefcribing Bounds to our outward Actions, because it was abundantly enough for the fe curing them, to oblige us to the higheft Degree of inward Purity.

And this it hath done above all the Laws and Religions in the World. It teacheth us to abhor every Thing that is evil or impure in all the Kinds of it, in all the Degrees of it, and in all the Tendencies towards it; and to lay out ourselves in the Purfuit of every Thing that is honeft, that is lovely, that is Praife-worthy, and of good Report among Men.

If this now be the Defign of our Religion, and thefe be the Laws of it, I leave it to you to judge of these two Things. First, Whether it doth not highly concern all of us that profefs this Holy Religion, to endeavour, in all our Converfation, to be as holy and as vertuous as we can, and to do as much Good as we can, and not to content ourselves with such a Degree of Honesty and Vertue, as is juft fufficient to the rendring us not vicious. And then, Secondly, Whether, if we do thus endeavour, we can eafily be at a Lofs, in diftinguishing between Good and Evil, Duty and Sin, in any Inftance? and confequently, Whether we can be much in Danger of ill ufing our Liberty, and fo tranfgreffing upon

that Account?

I have been longer upon this firft Head than I intended, but I fhall make amends for

by dispatching the Two following, în fo much the fewer Words. And indeed, after fo large an Account as I have given of the general Rule, there is lefs need of dwelling upon particular ones.

II. In the Second Place, In order to the right Ufe of our Liberty, and fo fecuring ourfelves from falling into Sin, through mistaking the Measures of Good and Evil; this will be a good Rule to propofe to ourfelves, namely, That in Matters of Duty, we should rather do too much than too little: But in Matters of Indifferency, we should rather take too little of our Liberty than too much.

First, As to Matters of Duty, my Meaning is this; That where the Laws of God have generally and indefinitely commanded a Thing, but have not fet down Rules about the particular Measures and Proportions of it; in that Cafe, it is advifable, rather to do more than we are perhaps precifely bound to do, that fo we may be fure we have performed our Duty; than by being scanty in our Obedience, to run the Hazard of falling fhort of our Duty.

Thus for Inftance, our Lord in the New Teftament, hath often and folemnly com-. manded us to pray. But neither he nor his Apoftles, have any where told us how often we are to pray; only they have bid us pray frequently. In this Cafe now, a Man that makes a Confcience of performing his Duty, will take all Occafions and Opportunities of lifting up holy Hands, and devout Affections

to