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ESES ES EL ES ESES

SERMON II.

Preached at

BOW-CHURCH,

On the Thirtieth of January, 1675

1 TIM. iv.. 8.

Godliness is profitable unto all Things,
having a Promife of the Life that now
is, and of that which is to come.

HESE Words are the Enforcement
of an Exhortation which St. Paul had
made to Timothy, in the Verfe before-

going, which was, that he should avoid prophane and old Wives Fables; meaning thofe impious and fuperftitious Doctrines, and the carnal and unchriftian Obfervances, that were grounded upon them (fome of which he had mentioned in the Beginning of this Chapter) which fome at that Time did endeavour to introduce into Chriftianity: And instead of applying his Mind to thefe, that he fhould rather exercife himself unto true Godliness.

This was the Exhortation. The Arguments wherewith he enforceth it are Two:

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First, the Unprofitableness of these Carnal and Superftitious Doctrines and Practices. Bodily Exercife (faith he) profiteth little. Secondly, The real Usefulness of folid Virtue and Godlinefs, to all the Purposes of Life. Godliness is profitable to all Things, having a Promise of this Life, as well as of that which is to come.

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I fhall not here meddle at all with the former Part of the Apoftle's Exhortation, or the Argument that hath relation to it; but fhall apply myfelf wholly to the latter, craving leave moft plainly and affectionately to prefs upon you the Exercife of Godliness, upon thofe Grounds and Confiderations on which the Apoftle here recommended it.

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Indeed, to a Man that confiders well, it will appear the most unaccountable thing in the World, that among all thofe feveral Exercifes that Mankind bufie themselves about, this of Godliness fhould be in fo great a measure neglected; that Men fhould be fo diligent, fo induftrious, fo unwearied, fome in getting Estates, others in purveying for Pleafure, others in learning Arts, and Trades, all in fome thing or other relating to this fenfible World; and fo few fhould study to acquaint themselves with God, and the Concernments of their Souls, to learn the Arts of Virtue and Religious Converfation.

Certain it is, this Piece of Skill is not more above our Reach than many of those other Things we fo induftrioufly purfue; nay, I am apt to think it is more within our Power than moft of them; for in our other Labours we cannot always promife to ourselves certain Suc

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cefs: a Thousand Things may intervene which we know not of, that may defeat all our Plots and Designs, though never fo carefully laid but no Man ever seriously undertook the Bufinefs of Religion, but he accomplished it.

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Nay, farther, As we can with greater Certainty, fo can we with lefs Pains and Difficulty promise to ourselves Succefs in this Affair, than we can hope to compafs most of our Worldly Defigns, which fo much take up our Thoughts. I doubt not in the leaft, but that lefs Labour, lefs Trouble, lefs Solicitude will serve to make a Man a good Chriftian, than to get an Eftate, or to attain a competent Skill in Human Arts and Sciences.

And then for other Motives, to oblige us to the Study of Religion, we have incomparably more and greater than we can have for the Pursuit of any other thing. It is certainly the greatest Concernment we have in the World. It is the very Thing God fent us into the World about. In it is the very Thing that his Son came down from Heaven to inftruct us in. It is the very Thing by which we shall be concluded everlastingly Happy, or everlaftingly Miferable, after this Life is ended.

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Thefe Things well confidered, we may juftly (Ifay) ftand amazed, that Men should be fo prodigeoufly fupine and negligent in an Affair of this Nature and Importance, as we fee they generally are.

If there can any Account be given of this Matter, I fuppofe it must be fome fuch as this, that the Things of this World, upon

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which we beftow our Care, our Time, our Courtship, are prefent to us. We fee them every Day before our Eyes; we tafte, we feel the Sweetnefs of them; we are fenfible that their Enjoyment is abfolutely neceffary to our prefent Well-being. But as for Spiritual Matters, they lie under a great Difadvantage: They appear to us as at a great Distance: We do not apprehend any prefent need we have of them: Nor do we fanfy any Sweetness or Relish in them: nay, on the contrary, we form the moft frightful and difmal Images of them that can be. We look upon them not only as flat, and unfavoury; but as Things which if we trouble our Heads too much about, will certainly ruin all our Designs in this World. We think Religion good for nothing but to spoil good Company; to make us Melancholy and Mopifh; to diftract us in our Bufinefs and Employments; and to put

fo many Restraints upon us, that we can neither with that Freedom nor Succefs, purfue our temporal Concernments, which we think neceffary to our Happiness in this World..

But let us fuppofe Things to be thus with Religion as we have fanfied, yet cannot this be any reasonable Excufe for our Carelefnefs about it. What though there were no visible Benefit by a Religious Life in this World? What though the Rewards of our Pains about it were only in Reverfion? Yet fince a Time will come when it will be our greatest Interest to have been heartily Religious, is it not a Madness now to neglect it? What tho' Re▲ ligion

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ligion be a Couffe of Life difficult and unpleasant; amWay ftrewed with Briars and Thorns; a Way which if we follow we are certainly loft, as to our Hopes of any thing here? Yet fince a Time will certainly come when we fhall wifh, that we had been good Chriftians, though we had loft our right Eyes and our right Hands upon the Condition; when we shall wifh, that we had purchased Virtue, tho' at the rate of the Lofs of the whole World: for God's fake why should we not be of the fame Mind now? Who but, Fools and Children, but will look upon that, which fhall certainly and unavoidably be, with the fame regard, as if it was now prefent? for

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But, indeed, this is not the Cafe of Religion This Bufinefs of Piety is not fo formidable, as we often reprefent it. It is no fuch Enemy to our Temporal Designs. It is a very innocent Thing, and will do us no harm; tho we look no farther than this prefent World. It will hinder none of our Delights or Plea fures; but will allow us to gratify every Appetite that God and Nature hath put into us. And if any Man doubt this, let him name that natural Defire, which the Chriftian Religion doth forbid, or any way hinder the innocent Satisfaction of: I am confident he fhall be able to name none. Since this is the Cafe then, how much more Childifb than Chil dren, fhall we appear, if we make fo little reckoning of it? How inexcufably Foolish fhall we be, if we will not be at fome Pains to poffefs ourselves of that which will be no D

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