moft Part of Men. Mens natural Defires are carried towards Health, Food, Raiment, Life and Liberty, Peace and fuch like: But the more rational Sort of Men, seek after fome Shadow of Wisdom and Virtue. Yet the Generality of Men, both high and low, have extravagant illimited Defires toward Riches, Pleasure, Preferment; and all that we have spoken, is inclosed within the narrow Compass of Mens Abode here, which is but for a Moment; So that, if it were poffible, that all these forementioned Defires and Delights of Men, could attend any Man for the Space of an hundred Years, tho' he had the Concurrence of the Streams of the Creatures to bring him in Satisfaction, tho' all the World fhould bow to him and be fubject to the Beck of his Authority, without Stroke of Sword, tho' all the Creatures should spend their Strength and Wit upon his Satisfaction. Yet do but confider what that shall be within fome few Years, when he fhall be fpoiled of all that Attendance, denuded of all external Comforts, when the fatal Period muft close his Life, Peace, Health and all; and his poor Soul alfo, that was drowned in that Gulf of Pleasure, fhall then find itself robbed of its precious Treasure, that is, God's Favour, and fo remain in everlafting Banishment from bis Prefence. Do ye think, I fay, that Man were happy Nay! O happy Lazarus, who is now bleffed in Abrabam's Bofom, who enjoys an Eternity of Happiness, for a Moment's Mifery. But my Beloved, you know that it is not poffible, even to attain to that imagined Happiness here. All the Gain that is found, is not able to quit the Coft and Expence of Grief, Vexation, Care, Toiling and Sweating that is about them. But if you would be perfwaded, there is that to be found eafily, which you trouble yourselves, feeking elsewhere: And believe me, tho' the general Apprehenfion of Men be, that Peace, Plenty, Preferment and Satisfaction in this Life, to compense their Pains, is more easily attainable than Fellowship and Communion with God; yet I am perfwaded, that there is nothing more practicable than the Life of Religion. God hath condemned the World under Vanity and a Curse. and that which is crooked, can by no Art or Strength be made ftraight; but he hath made this attainable by his gracious Promifes, even a bleffed Life, in approaching near to himself the Fountain of all Life. And this is a certain Good, an univerfal Good, and an eternal Good. It will not disappoint you as other Things do, of which you have no Affurance for all your Toilings. This is made more infallible to a Soul that truly seeks it in God. It is as certain, that they cannot be ashamed through Fruftration, as that he is faithful. And then it is an univerfal Good, one comprehensive of all, one eminently and virtually all Things creaated, to be joined to the infinite Allfulness of God: This advanceth the Soul to a Participation of all that is in him. This is Health, Pfal. xlii. lait, Prov. iii. 8. This is Light, Jobn. viii. 12. It is Life, John xi. 25. Liberty, Jobn viii. 36. Food and Raiment, fa. Ixi. 10. and John iv. 14. And what not? It is Profit, Pleasure, Preferment in the fuperlative Degree, and not scattered in fo many various Streams, which divide and diftract the Heart, but all combined in one. It is the true Good of both Soul and Body, and fo the only Good of Man. And lastly, it is eternal, to be coetaneous with thy Soul: Of all other Things it may be faid, I bave seen an. End End of them, they were and are not; but this will furvive Time, and all the Changes of it, and then it will begin to be perfect, when all Perfection is at an End. Now from all this, I would exhort you in Jefus Chrift, to ponder thofe Things in your Hearts, and confider them in Reference to your own Souls, that ye may fay with David, It is good for me to draw near to God. That which all Men feek after, is Happiness and Well-being. Men purfue nothing but under the Notion of Good; and to complete that which may be called Good, there is required fome Excellency in the Thing itself, and then a Conveniency and Suitableness to us, and these jointly draw the Heart of Man: But the great Mifery is, that there is so much Ignorance and Mifapprehenfion of that which is truly Good; and then, when any Thing of it is known, there is fo little ferious Confideration and Application of it to ourselves; and this makes the most Part of Men wander up and down in the Pursuit of divers Things, which are not that true Good of the Soul, and fet their Hearts on that which is not, until they find their Hearts fall down, as wanting a Foundation, and then they turn about again to fome other Vanity. And fo the Wanderings and Strayings of Men are infinite, because the By-ways are innumerable, tho' the true Way be but one. Yea, the Turnings and Toilings of one Man are various and manifold, becaufe he quickly lofes the Sent of Happiness in every way he falls into, and therefore must turn to another. And thus Men are never at any folid fetting about this great Business, never refolute wherein this Happiness confifts, nor peremptory to follow it; but they Auctuate upon uncertain Apprehenfions, and diverfe Af . fections, until the Time and Date of Salvation expire; and then they must know certainly and furely, the inevitable Danger and irrecoverable Lofs they have brought themselves to, who would not take Notice of the fure Way, of escap ing both Wrath, and attaining Happiness, while it was to be found. Well then, this is the great Business we have here to du; yea, to make the Circle the larger, it is that great Business we have to do in this World, to know wherein the true Well-being and eternal Welfare of our Souls confifts, and by any Means to apply unto that, as the only Thing neceffary, in regard of which, all other Things are Ceremonies, Cir cumftances and indifferent Things. And to guide us in this Examination and Application, here is one Man, who having almoft made Ship-wreck upon the Rocks which Men commonly dash upon, and being by the Lord led fafely by, and almoft arrived at the Coaft of true Felicity; he fets out a Beacon, and lights a Candle to all who fhall follow him, to direct them which Way they shall steer their Courfe. Examples teach more effectually than Rules, it is eafy for every Man to fpeak well upon this-Point in general, and readily all will acknowledge, that here it is, and no where else: But yet all this is Outcrying by the con trary Noife of every Man's Practice. Thefe general Grants of Truth, are recalled in the Converfations of Men, therefore they cannot have much Influence upon any Man: But when we hear one fpeak, and fee him walk fo too; when we have the Example of a most wise Man, who wanted not thefe worldly Expectations, which other Men have: So that, he not only propones it to us, but after much ferious Advisement, after U uw mature mature Confideration of all that can be faid of the Wicked's best Estate, and the Godly's worst, fetting down refolute Con clufions for himself. It is good for me to draw near to God; yea, fo determinate into it, that if none of the World fhould be of that Mind, he would not change it; tho' all should walk in other Ways, he would choose to be rather alone in this, than in the greateft Croud of Company in any other. Now, I fay, when we have fuch a Copy caft us, a Man of excellent Parts in Sobriety and Sadness, choosing that Way, which all in Words confefs to be the beft; fhould not this awake us out of our Dreams, and raife us up to fome more Attention and Confideration of what we are doing? The Words you fee, are the holy Refolution of a holy Heart, concerning that which is the chiefeft Good. You fee the Way to Happiness, and you find the particular Application of that to David's Soul, or of his Soul to it. We fhal Speak a Word of the Thing itfelf, then of the Commendation of it, then of the Application of it. For the Thing itself, drawing near 40 God, it gives us fome Ground to take a View of the Pofture in which Men are found by Nature, far off from God. Our Condition by Nature, I cannot fo fitly exprefs, as in the Apoftle's Words, Epb. ii. 12. Without Chrift, Aliens from the Common wealth of Ifrael, Strangers from the Covenant of Promife, baving no Hope, and without God in the World. A deplorable Eftate indeed, hopeless and helpless; no Hope in it, that is the Extremity of Mifery, the Refufe of all Conditions. Without Chrift, and witbout God. O! thefe are Words of infinite Weight: Without thofe, without whom it is fimply impoffible to be happy; and without whom it is not poffible but to be miferable, without the Fountain of Light, Life and Confolation, without which there is nothing but pure Darkness, without any Beam of Light; nothing but Death, without the leaft breathing of Life; nothing but Vexation, without the least Drop of Confolation. In a Word, without these, and wanting thefe, whom if you want, it were good to be spoiled of all Being; to be nothing, if that could be, or never to have been any Thing. Men will seek Death, and cannot find it. O! what a Lofs and Deprivement is the Lofs of God, which makes Death more defirable than Life; and not to be at all, infinitely preferable to any Being. Now, it is true, that the bringing in of Multitudes within the Pale of the visible Church, is fome De gree of Accefs and Nearnefs to God; for then they become Citizens (as to external Right) in the Common wealth of the Church, and have the Offers of the Promifes made to them; in respect of which vifible ftanding, the Apoftle fpeaks of the whole Church of Epbefus. But now ye are made near who were far off, Ver. 13. notwithflanding, that many of them were found afterwards to have left their firft Love, Rev. ii. But yet, Beloved, to fpeak more inwardly, and as your Souls ftand in the Sight of God; the Generality of those who are near Hand in outward Ordinances, are yet far off from God in Reality, without God and without Chrift, as really as touching any Soul-feeling, as those who are altogether without. The Bond of Peace and Union was broken in Paradife, Sin diffolved it, and broke off that Nearnefs and Friendship with God; and from that Day to this Day, there hath been an infinite Distance and Separation be many Miles diftant from their Bodies, and they cannot keep any Conftancy in this Approach of Prayer to God, cannot walk with him in their Conversation, or carry him along in their Meditation. But there is one Point of Eftrangement and Separation fuperadded to all, that there is no Man can come near to God, with out an Oblation and Offering of Peace; that there is no approaching to him, but as to a confuming Fire, except we can bring a Sacrifice to appease, and a Pre ces: There the Difference ftands, we cannot draw near to walk together, till we be agreed. And truly, this unto Man is impoffible, for we have nothing fo precious as the Redemption of our Souls, nothing can compenfe infinite Wrongs, or fatisfy infinite Juftice. Now, this feems to make our Nearness again defperate, and to put Men furtheft off from Hope. betwixt God and Man. The Steps and Degrees of it are many, there is Darknefs and Blindnefs in Mens Minds: Such Ignorance naturally poffeffeth the Multitude, fo that it wholly alienates them from the Life of God, Eph. iv. 18. For what. Fellowship can Light, that pure Light, have with fuch grofs Darknefs as is among us? This certainly is the Removal of that Sun of Righteouf nefs from our Souls, or the Impofition of the Clouds of Tranfgreffion, that makes it fo dark a Night in the Souls of Men.fent to please him for our infinite OffenAnd then there is nothing but Enmity and defperate Wickedness in the Heart of Man, and this keeps the ftrong Hold of the Affections, Rom. viii. Jer. xvii. There cannot be a further Elongation or Separation of the Soul from God, than to turn fo oppofite in all Inclinations and Difpofitions of his holy Will: For the Distance between God and us, is not local in the Point of Place; for whither Shall we go from him who is every where? And thus he is near Hand every one of us; but it is alfo real in the Deformity and Repugnancy of our Natures to his holy Will. But add unto this, that being thus feparated in Affection, and disjoined as it were in natural Difpofitions, we cannot draw near to God in any Ordinance, as the Word, Prayer, &c. Tho' we may, as that People, draw near with our Lips, and ask of him our Duty, and feem to delight to know him; yet there is this natural Incapacity, and Crookedness in the Heart of Man, that it cannot truly approach unto the Father of Spirits, with any Soul Defire and Delight. But their Hearts are removed far from me, Ifa. vi. 9. Mat, iv. 12. Ions of him, and the great Design is more think Men might obferve, that their Souls act not in religious Bufinefs as they hould, but that they remove their Souls Notwithstanding, this is the very Purpofe of the Gofpet, preached from the beginning of the World, to remove that Distance, and to take Impediments of meeting out of the Way; for that great Obstruction, the want of a Sacrifice, and Ranfom, the Lord hath fupplied it, he himself hath furnished it: And it was the great Design carried on from the beginning of the World; but as the Sun, the nearer he is, the more the Earth is enlightened; fo here, first fome dawning of Light appears, as a Messenger of Hope, to tell that the Redeemer fhall come, that the true Sacrifice shall be flain, then fill the nearer his own appearing, the clearer are the Manifeftati opened up, till at length he breaks out in Glory from under a Cloud, and shews himself to the World, to be that Lamb Uuu 2 - of of God that should take away the Sins of the World. And now as the Apoftle to the Hebrews fpeaks, Chap. vii. 19. The Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better Hope did, by the which we draw nigh to God. All the Sacrifices and Shadows that were under the Law, did but point at this perfect Ranfom; and the Way of Accefs to God through a Mediator was not fo clear; but now the Matter is made as hopeful as is poffible, the Partition-wall of the Law's Curfes, the Hand-writting against us is removed on the Cross, the Enmity flain, the Distance removed by the Blood of the Crofs, being partly filled up by his Defcent into our Nature, partly by his lower Defcent in our Nature to fuffer Death. And this is the favoury Oblation that we have to prefent to God, and may have Boldnefs to come nigh because of it. And when once our Access is made by the Blood of Jefus Chrift, then we are called and allowed to come ftill nigher, to cleave and adhere to him as our Father, to pray unto him, to walk with him; then we should converfe as Friends and Familiars together, then draw nigh to his Light for Illumination, and to him as the Fountain of Life, for quickening, to place our Delight and Defire in him, to forfake all other Things, even our Wills and Pleasures, and to lofe them, that they may be found in his; to converse much in his Company, and be often in Communication with him, and Meditation upon him. This is the very Delign and Subftance of the Gofpel; it holds forth the Way of making up the Breach between Man and God, of bringing you nigh who are yet afar off, and nearer who are near hand. Oh let us hearken to it. SERMON VI. Prov. xxvii. 1. Boaft not thyself of To-morrow, for thou knoweft not what a Day may bring forth. TH HERE are fome peculiar Gifts that | by Reason of Man's Fall into Sin, these God hath given to Man in his are quite difordered, and turned out of firft Creation, and endued his Nature the right Channel; and therefore, as the with, beyond other living Creatures, right Improvement of them would make which being rightly ordered and impro- Man happy, fo the wrong Imployment ved towards the right Objects, do ad of them loadens him with more real vance the Soul of Man to a wonder-Mifery, than any other Creature: I mean, ful Height of Happiness, that no other God hath given to Man two notable fublunary Creature is capable of. But Capacities, beyond other Things; one |