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Heart; and the Nature of Duty, which is an inward Principle; and the Nature of the Heavenly Felicity, for which an impure Soul is utterly unqualified and indifpofed.

2. The great Advantages of Chriftianity beyond the Jewish Religion, make it very reasonable that higher Degrees of Righteousness and Holiness fhould be required of us than of them; or elfe, why have we more perfect Precepts? why a more Noble Pattern? why have we better and clearer Promises? why more Powerful Means of Grace? why a greater Effufion of the Spirit? is it not moft equitable that according to the Talents entrufted, the Encrease fhould be expected? that Chrift fhould do more for promoting Holiness than Mofes; and that Chriftians should be more perfect than Jews?

V. And so now I come in the laft Place, as I propofed, to draw fome Inferences from this Doctrine for our Edification both in Faith and Good Morals. On which, not being straitned in Time, I shall take the Liberty to dwell longer than usual.

Inf. 1. §. 1. The First Inference I fhall draw is this. Is Chrift for a much higher Degree of Moral Righteoufnefs than the Scribes and Pharifees, the stricteft reckoned of all the Jewish Sects? then we come nearest to the Spirit of our Mafter Chrift, when by our Life and Doctrine we are the greatest Promoters of Chriftian Morals. It is plain our Saviour recommended both the most Extenfive, and the moft Intenfive Holinefs; an Holiness the most extended to all Manner of Duties, and the highest Degrees of it. In this let us Chriftians ftrive to imitate our Mafter, and employ our Zeal not only, nor fo much in Specula

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tive, as in Practical Points; and therefore upon Head let me leave with you these few fhort Advices.

1. Of all Notions in Religion, beware of those which undermine Chriftian Practice. The learned Author of the Whole Duty of Man has writ a whole Book to detect and expose those Principles, called, The Caufes of the Decay of Chriftian Piety; I wish it were more seriously perufed; for we can never be too much upon our Guard against them.

2. Let this Obfervation teach you, that Good Morality is Good Christianity; for by Morality, I hope ye do not mean only a fair Outfide, but the Inward Principle too of the Love and Fear of God; and a careful watching of our Hearts and Thoughts, and keeping a good Conscience before God.

3. From the fame Principle it will follow, that good Moral Preaching is good Christian Preaching. I am fure this was the Practice both of our Saviour and of the Prophets and the Apoftles, in their Discourses; and this is what tends moft to Edification; I mean to the Purifying our Hearts, and Reforming our Lives; and therefore if our Difcourfes have a vifible Tendency to holy Practice, they ought not for this to be flighted as dry Morality; but rather fo much more regarded than if they entertained you with either unintelligible Cant, or high Speculation, concerning the most abftrufe Points of Mystery and Controverfy.

4. From the fame Principle too it will follow, that a good Moral Life is one of the truest Characters of a good Christian, and as St James obferves, one of the fureft Signs of true Faith. Yet there is a fort of Men in the World, who pretend mightily to the Spirit, that are as yet to learn the

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Principles of Common Honefty. They cannot be depended on for the Truth of what they say, nor the Fidelity of what they promife, nor for the Fairness of their Accounts, or the Honefty of their Work; they will lie, cheat, equivocate, opprefs and exact; they are covetous, hardhearted and uncharitable, cenforious, envious, proud and imperious; Matters of Morality are too little and inconfiderable for them to mind; as if it were poffible to be a good Christian, and yet not a good Moral Man,

Inf. §. 2. The Character here given of the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees, that it is fuch as will bring us fhort of Heaven, fhould make us afraid of our own State; especially if we confider what fort of Perfons the Pharifees were; for they were not only clear of fcandalous Vices, fuch as Curfing, Swearing, Whoredom, Drunkenness, Sabbath-breaking, and fuch other. Vices as the Rakes and Debauchees of the World allow themselves in; but were exemplary for many other good Things, as the Pharifee makes his Boaft in the Parable, Luke xviii. 11. God, I thank thee, that I am not as other Men are, Extortioners, Unjuft, Adulterers, or even as this Publican. Ifaft twice in the Week, I give Tithes of all I poffefs. These Pharifees, had they lived in our Days, might have paffed for very good Chriftians. I am fure there are many among us, who fall fhort of them; and therefore we have all Reason to look with a jealous Eye on ourselves, and to examine ourselves very narrowly, to make fure that we be in the State of fuch a Righteoufnefs, as may exceed that of the Scribes and Pharifees. In order to which there are Two Things I

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would recommend. 1. The Firft is, to make fure that we do not fall fhort of it. They were a careful People as to the Exteriour, which had a very good Shew of Gravity and Religion. There are a great many I wish we could perfuade to go thus far, who are now Scandals to their Profeffion, by their profane Talking, and loofe Living; who, if it were not for the Name of Chriftians, might as well be Pagans and Heathens; nay, would have been thought Scandals among fome more civilized Heathens. The external Part is not to be neglected, altho' our Care is not to stop there, but to go on to the Interiour, the New Man in the Heart, which is next to be recommended. Secondly then, if we would have our Righteoufnefs to outftrip the Pharifees, let it be contrived not fo much for Oftentation in the Sight of Man, as inwardly to please God. Be diligent in fecret as well as exemplary in publick Devotion: Refrain from ill Things as well when there is no Eye upon you but God's, as if you were in the Prefence of ever fo awful Company. Do good with a pure Eye to him; and beware of Sounding the Trumpet of thy Praise thy felf, or contriving the fame to be founded by others. Meditate more on thy Faults, than on thy good Deeds; the one will move thee to Repentance, which is always wholfome, always neceffary; the other will be like dead Flies in the Ointment of the Apothecary, Eccl. x. 1. which will caufe thy beft Works to fend forth a stinking Savour. But when I advise you frequently to think on your Faults, I hope ye understand it is to be with a Spirit of Mourning and Repentance for them; not to please and delight your felves with the Thoughts of your for

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mer Follies; for this is to reiterate and act them over again in your own Fancies and Imaginations; one of the worst Acts of the carnal Mind, as bad as contriving new Mischief. Above all Things study inward Humility, Purity, Modefty, and the Fear of God, if ye would exceed this Pharifaical Righteoufnefs. And because this Righteoufnefs of theirs feems to me chiefly to owe it's Original to one Vice, which is very fruitful in fuch Opinions as that Sect produced, I fhall give you a little Description of that, and quickly have done. The Vice I mean is Spiritual Pride, with which both thefe Pharifees of old, and many their Followers of latter Days, both in our own Church and in the Church of Rome, have been acted. It is from this Pride that they were fuch great Party Men, that, as our Saviour fays, they would compafs Sea and Land to make one Profelyte, Matt. xxiii. 15. and when they had made him, they took Care to infpire him fo with Rage and blind Zeal, that he became twofold more the Child of Satan than themselves. O beware of this Party Spirit, which is a Spirit full of Uncharitableness, Cenforiousness, Pride, Fury and Cruelty; and has produced Abundance of strange Tragedies in the World. It was from the fame Spirit of Pride, that they affected to be Dictators in all Matters of Religion; their Opinions were the Standard of Orthodoxy, they must have the chief Seats in the Synagogues, Matt. xxiii. 6, 7, 8. and they muft be called of Men, Rabbi, Rabbi, that is, they affected a Superiority of impofing their Judgment on the World; and had not the Humility and Modesty to learn any Thing of others. This is a dangerous Piece of Spiritual Pride, and is good

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