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Pofitively.

1. He is a Worker of Iniquity, who gives up himself to any Courfe of Sin, and lives in it without Repentance, and true Endeavours of Amend

ment.

2. He is a Worker of Iniquity, whofe Refolutions and Endeavours of Amendment are fo faint, that he is continually relapfing into the fame Sins; he moves indeed, but it is like the Sluggard upon his Bed, or like the Door upon its Hinges; he is much in the fame Place ftill; his imperfect Embryo's of Refolutions feldom breaking out into vigorous Endeavours, or making any good Progrefs in the Practice of Chris ftian Virtue.

To conclude: We may obferve from the whole, that a fincere Obedience to the Precepts of Chrift, is the fureft Mark of a good Christian; that the living in the Practice of Vice, is the greatest Herefy; and what makes all Errors and Herefies dangerous is the bad Influence they have on Christian Practice. And therefore the only fafe Way is, to follow the Advice of St. Peter and St. Paul in this Matter, with which I shall conclude, 2 Pet. i. 5. Giving all Diligence, let us add to our Faith, Virtue; and to Virtue, Knowledge; and to Knowledge, Temperance; and to Temperance, Patience; and to Patience, Godlinefs; and to Godliness, Brotherly Kindness; and to Brotherly Kindness, Charity. For if thefe Things be in us, and abound, they will make us that we shall neither be barren, nor unfruitful, in the Knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift. And according to the. Advice of St. Paul, Tit. ii. 12. Denying

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[SERM. Denying Ungodliness and worldly Lufts, let us live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent World; looking for that bleffed Hope, and the glorious Appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jefus "Chrift, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all Iniquity, and purify unto himfelf a peculiar People, zealous of good Works. This is the Way to make our Calling and Eletion fure; for if ye do these Things ye fhall never fall; for fo an Entrance fhall be miniftred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. For which, God of his infinite Mercy prepare us all in due Time, for his dear Son's fake.

To whom, &c.

SERMON

SERMON XX.

MAT. VII. 24.

Therefore whosoever heareth thefe Sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wife Man, which built his Houfe upon a Rock: V. 25. And the Rain defcended, and the Floods came, and the Winds blew, and beat upon that Houfe: and it fell not, for it was founded upon a Rock.

V. 26. And every one that heareth thefe Sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish Man, which built his House upon the Sand.

V. 27. And the Rain defcended, and the Floods came, and the Winds blew, and beat upon that Houfe: and it fell, and great was the Fall of of it.

TH

The Firft Sermon on this Text.

HIS is our bleffed Saviour's Conclufion of his divine Sermon on the Mount: .In which, by a lively Similitude, he endeavours to leave upon his Hearers Minds and Memories, and to prefs home upon their Hearts and Confciences, the abfolute Neceffity of reducing into Practice the Doctrine which he had been delivering,

But

But though this is the principal Scope of this Conclufion, there are feveral other Truths of great Importance, which are here likewife taught by our Saviour, well deferving our Confideration; which I shall endeavour to obferve diftinctly, as they lie in Order, before I come to this main Scope of the Difcourfe, the Neceffity of living according to the Doctrine of this excellent Sermon.

I. The first Thing which prefents it felf to our Obfervation, is a Connexion of this part of the Difcourfe with the foregoing, in the first Particle therefore. Therefore whofoever heareth thefe fayings of mine, &c. The Doctrines láid down in the immediate Context were exceeding apt to infer this Conclufion: namely, that there is a great Day a coming, in which every one's Sincerity or Hypocrify fhould be tried and examined to the utmoft; that many falfe Hopes from Faith, and an high profeffion, and great Gifts, and an employing of them in Chrift's Service, would be trusted to, and depended upon, which yet would be all found to be but broken Reeds, if separate from their own personal Obedience to his Precepts: That all the Workers of Iniquity, if they have ever fo many other plaufible Pleas to offer in their own Defence, hall be detected, and rejected without Mercy, in that great Day of Accounts. Now from these Premifes, it follows clearly, that he is a very unwife Man, who beftows his Pains, and places his Hopes in his Knowledge, or Faith, or Profeffion, or in his Gifts, or in the great Efteem he acquires in the World, if he neglects the

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main Thing, a fincere Obedience to the Laws of the Gofpel. Such a Perfon our Saviour here compares to a foolish Builder, who built his House only for a fair outward Shew, but not for durable Service; only for fair Summer Weather, but not to hold out against Storms; for fo foon as they come, the Houfe proves ruinous, and the fall of it is both fudden, and very great and irreparable. So fhall it be with all fuch who profefs Chriftianity, but endeavour not to live fuitably to their Profeffion; their Labour will be all loft, and their Hopes diffipated, both fuddenly and irretrievably: whereas, the confcientious Liver, according to the Precepts of Christianity, who confidered well, and firmly believed the Gofpel Promifes and Threatnings, and built his Hopes upon them in their true fenfe, believing firmly that God would not be mocked, and therefore applied himself with a vigorous Application to form his Heart and Life according to his holy Laws, shall ftand firm both against all great Temptations in this World, and in the great Tryal in the Day of Judgment.

So much for the Connexion, in which have fhewed you both the Premifes and the Conclufion, that ye may perceive how aptly they hang together.

II. The fecond Thing I obferve from the Words is, that our Saviour's Sermon on the Mount contains all Things which were then neceffary to Salvation; and that they who were inftructed in it, and confcientiously practifed according to the Directions of it, were in a fafe

way

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