Ser. 41. without us; not the real excellencies of our nature, but the accidental ornaments of our fortune. If they defcend upon us, they are the privilege of our birth, not the effect of our wifdom and industry; and those things, in the procurement whereof we had no hand, we can hardly call our own: and if they be the fruit of our own prudent industry, that is no fuch matter of glorying; because men of much flower understandings do commonly outdo others in diligence and drudging, their minds lying more level to the low defign of being rich.

At the best, riches are uncertain: Charge them (fays St. Paul) that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches. Men have little reafon to pride themselves, or to place their confidence in that which is uncertain, and even next to that which is not. So the wife man fpeaks of riches, Prov. xxiii. 5. Wilt thou fet thine heart upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings, they fly away as an eagle towards heaven. He expreffes it in fuch a manner, as if a rich man fat brooding over an estate till it was fledged, and had gotten itself wings to fly away.

So the

But that which is the most stinging confideration of all is, that many men have an evil eye upon a good eftate; fo that, inftead of being the means of our happinefs, it may prove the occafion of our ruin. fame wife man obferves, Ecclef. v. 13. There is a fore evil which I have feen under the fun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. And it is not without example, that a very rich man hath been excepted out of a general pardon, both as to life and estate, for no other visible reafon but his vaft and overgrown fortune. So Solomon obferves to us again, Prov. i. 19. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. why should any man be proud of his danger, of that which one time or other may be the certain and only cause of his ruin? A man may be too rich to be forgiven a fault, which would never have been profecuted against a man of a middle fortune. For thefe reasons, and a great many more, let not the rich man glory in his

riches.

And

II. I proceed to confider, what it is that is matter of true glory: But let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he underftandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercife loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousnefs in the earth: for in these things I delight, faith the Lord.

That he understandeth and knoweth me. Here are two words used to express the thing more fully, understanding and knowledge; which feem not only to import right apprehenfions of the being, and providence, and perfections of God; but likewife a lively fense of these things, and affections fuitable to these apprehenfions.

That he underftandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord; that is, the creator and the fovereign governor of the world.

Which exercife loving-kindness, judgment, and righteouf nefs in the earth.

The best knowledge of religion, and that which is the foundation of all the reft, is the knowledge of the divine nature and perfections; especially of those which are most proper for our imitation. And fuch are those mentioned in the text; loving-kindness, and judgment, and righteoufnefs. Which we may diftinguifh thus. Lɔving-kindnefs comprehends God's milder attributes, his goodness, and mercy, and patience. Judgment fignifies his feverer dealings with men, whether in the chastisement of his people, or in the remarkable punishment of great offenders for example and warning to others. Righteoufnefs feems to be a word of a larger fignification, and to denote that universal rectitude of the divine nature which appears in all the administrations of his providence here below for the text fpeaks of the exercise of these perfections in this world: Which exercife loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.

Several of the perfections of the divine nature are incommunicable to a creature, and therefore cannot be thought to be proposed to us for a pattern: as, selfexistence, independence, and all-fufficiency; the eternity and the immensity of the divine being; to be the original caufe of all other things, and the fovereign governor of the whole world: for God only is fufficient VOL. II.

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for

Ser. 41. for that; and to be a match for all the world, a nec pluribus impar, is not a motto fit for a mortal man. A creature may fwell with pride till it burft, before it can ftretch itself to this pitch of power and greatnefs. It is an unfufferable prefumption, and a fottifh ignorance of the neceffary bounds and limits of our being, to think to refemble God in these perfections: this was the ambition of Lucifer, to afcend into heaven, and to be like the Most High.

In our imitation of God, we must still keep within the ftation of creatures; not affecting an independency and fovereignty like God, and to be omnipotent as he is: Job xl. 9. Haft thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? as God himself argues with Job.

For in these things I delight, faith the Lord. God takes pleasure to exercise these perfections himself, and to see them imitated by us; and the imitation of these divine perfections is our perfection and glory. In comparifon of which, all human wisdom, and power, and riches, are fo far from being matter of glory, that they are very defpicable and pitiful things. Knowledge and fkill to devife mifchief, and power to effect it, are the true nature and character of the devil and his angels; thofe apoftate and accurfed fpirits, who in temper and difpofition are most contrary to God, who is the rule and pattern of all perfection.

I fhall only make two obfervations or inferences from what hath been faid, and then apply the whole difcourfe to the great occafion of this day. And they are thefe:

1. That the wifeft and fureft reasonings in religion are grounded upon the unquestionable perfections of the di

vine nature.

2. That the nature of God is the true idea and pattern of perfection and happiness.

1. That the wifeft and fureft reafonings in religion are grounded upon the unquestionable perfections of the divine nature; upon thofe, more efpecially, which to us are moft eafy and intelligible; fuch as are thofe mentioned in the text. And this makes the knowledge of God, and of thefe perfections, to be fo ufeful and fo valuable;

becaufe

because all religion is founded in right notions of God, and of his perfections; infomuch that divine revelation itself does fuppofe these for its foundation, and can fignify nothing to us unless these be firft known and believed. For unlefs we be firft firmly perfuaded of the providence of God, and of his particular care of mankind, why fhould we fuppofe, that he makes any revelation of his will to us? Unless it be first naturally known, that God is a God of truth, what ground is there for the belief of his word? So that the principles of natural religion are the foundation of that which is revealed: and therefore nothing can in reafon be admitted to be a revelation from God, which does plainly contradict his effential perfections.

Upon this principle a great many doctrines are, without more ado, to be rejected; because they do plainly and at first fight contradict the divine nature and perfections. I will give a few instances instead of many that might be given.

In virtue of this principle, I cannot believe, upon the pretended authority or infallibility of any perfon or church, that force is a fit argument to produce faith. No man fhall ever perfuade me, no not the Bishop of Meaux, with all his eloquence, that prifons and tortures, dragoons and the galleys, are proper means to convince the understanding, and either Chriftian or hu man methods of converting men to the true religion.

For the fame reason I cannot believe, that God would not have men to understand their publick prayers, nor the leffons of fcripture which are read to them: because a leffon is fomething that is to be learned; and therefore a leffon that is not to be understood, is nonsense; for if it be not understood, how can it learned?

As little can I believe, that God, who caufed the holy fcriptures to be written for the inftruction of mankind, did ever intend, that they should be locked up and concealed from the people in an unknown tongue.

Least of all can I believe that doctrine of the council of Trent, that the faving efficacy of the facraments doth depend upon the intention of the priest that administers them which is to fay, that though the people believe and live never fo well, yet they may be damned by fhoals,

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fhoals, and whole parishes together, at the pleasure of the priest; and this for no other reafon, but becaufe the priest is fo cross and fo cruel that he will not intend to fave them.

Now, can any man believe this that hath any tolerable notion either of the goodness or justice of God? May we not appeal to God in this, as Abraham did in another cafe? Wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked? That be far from thee to do after this manner : Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Much more, to deftroy the righteous for the wicked, and that righteous and innocent people fhould lie at the mercy and will of a wicked and perverfe prieft, to be faved or damned by him, as he thinks fit: That be far from thee: Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? For, to drive the argument to the head, if this be to do right, there is no poffibility of doing wrong.

Thus, in things which are more obfcure, we fhould · govern all our reafonings concerning God and religion by that which is clear and unquestionable; and fhould, with Mofes, lay down this for a certain principle, All his ways are judgment; a God of truth, and without iniquity, juft and right is he and fay with St. Paul, Is there then unrighteoufnefs with God? God forbid; and again, We know that the judgment of God is according to truth.

:

2. The other inference is this, That the nature of God is the true idea and pattern of perfection and happinefs; and therefore nothing but our own conformity to it can make us happy. And for this reason, to understand and know God, is our great excellency and glory, because it is neceffary to our imitation of him, who is the beft and happieft being. And fo far as we are from resembling God, fo far are we diftant from happiness, and the true temper of the bleffed: for goodnefs is an effential ingredient of happinefs. And as without goodness there can be no true majefty and greatnefs, fo neither any true felicity and bleffednefs.

Now, goodness is a generous difpofition of mind, to diffufe and communicate itself by making others to partake of our happiness, in fuch degrees as they are capable for no being is fo happy as it might be, that hath not the power and the pleafure to make others happy.