I.

Sunday be, may well be concluded to be but that Hope of the hypocrite, which Job affures us fhall perish.

Despair.

25. But there is another way of tranfgreffing this duty, befides that of Prefumption, and that is by Defperation; by which I mean not that which is ordinarily fo called, viz. the defpairing of mercy, fo long as we continue in our fins; for that is but just for us to do: But I mean fuch a Defperation as makes us give over endeavour, that is, when a man, that fees he is not at the prefent such a one as the promises belong to, concludes he can never become fuch, and therefore neglects all duty, and goes on in his fins. This is indeed the finful Desperation, and that which, if it be continued in, must end in destruction.

26 Now the work of Hope is to prevent this, by fetting before us the generality of the promises, that they belong to all that will but perform the condition. And therefore, though a man have not hitherto performed it, and fo hath yet no right to them, yet Hope will tell him, that that right may yet be gained, if he will now fet heartily about it. It is therefore ftrange folly for any man, be he never fo finful, to give up himself for lost, when, if he will but change his course, he fhall be as certain to partake of the promises of mercy, as if he had never gone on in those former fins.

27. This

I.

27. This Chrift fhews us in the parable Sunday of the Prodigal, Luke xv. where we fee that fon, which had run away from his father, and had confumed the portion given him in riotous living, was yet, upon his return and repentance, ufed with as much kindness by the father, as he that had never offended, nay, with higher,and more paffionate expreffions of love. The intent of which parable was only to fhew us, how graciously our heavenly Father will receive us, how great foever our former fins have been, if we shall return to him with true forrow for what is paft, and fincere obedience for the time to come: Nay, fo acceptable a thing is it to God, to have any finner return from the error of his ways, that there is a kind of triumph in Heaven for it, There is joy in the prefence of the Angels of God over one finner that repenteth, Luke xv, 10. And now, who would not rather choose by a timely repentance to bring joy to Heaven, to God, and his holy Angels, than by a fullen Defperation to please Satan, and his accurfed fpirits; especially when by the former we fhall gain endless happiness to our felves, and by the latter as endless torments?

Motives.

28. A third duty to God is LOVE: There Love, its are two common Motives of Love among men; the one the goodness and excellency of the perfon, the other his particular Kindness and Love to us: And both these are in the highest degree in God.

29. Firft.

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God's Ex

Sunday 29. First, He is of infinite Goodness and Excellency in himfelf; this you were before cellency taught to believe of him, and no man can doubt it that confiders but this one thing, That there is nothing good in the world, but what hath received all its goodness from God; his goodness is as the fea, or ocean, and the goodness of all creatures but as fome fmall treams flowing from the fea. Now you would certainly think him a mad man, that fhould fay, the fea were not greater than fome little brook; and certainly it is no lefs folly to fuppofe, that the goodness of God doth not as much (nay, infinitely more) exceed that of all creatures. Befides, the goodnefs of the creature is imperfect, and mixed with much evil; but his is pure and entire, without any fuch mixture. He is perfectly holy, and cannot be tainted with the leaft impurity, neither can be the author of any to us; for tho' he be the caufe of all the goodnefs in us, he is the caufe of none of our fins. This St. James exprefly tells us, chap. i. 13. Let no man fay when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth be any man.

His Kind nefs tous.

30. But, fecondly, God is not only thus good in himself, but he is alfo wonderful good, that is, kind and merciful to us. We are made up of two parts, a foul and a body, and to each of thefe God hath expreffed infinite mercy and tendernefs. Do but confider

A

what

what was before told you of the SECOND Sunday COVENANT, and the mercies there- L in offered, even Chrift himself, and all his benefits, and alfo that he offers them fo fincerely and heartily, that no man can miss of enjoying them but by his own default. For he doth moft really and affectionately defire we should embrace them, and live as ap pears by that folemn oath of his, Ezek. xxxiii. 11. As I live, faith the Lord, I have no pleafure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live: Whereto he adds this paffionate expreffion, Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die? To the fame purpofe you may read Ezek. xviii. Confider this, I fay, and then furely you cannot but say, he hath great Kindnefs to our fouls. Nay, let every man but remember with himfelf the many calls he hath had to repentance and amendment; fometimes outward by the Word, sometimes inward by the fecret whispers of God's Spirit in his heart, which were only to woo and intreat him to avoid eternal mifery, and to ac cept of eternal happiness; let him, I fay, remember thefe, together with thofe many other means God hath used toward him for the fame end, and he will have reason to confefs God's Kindnefs, not only to mens fouls in general, but to his own in particular.

31. Neither hath he been wanting to our bodies; all the good things they enjoy, as

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health,

Sunday health, ftrength, food, raiment, and whatever I. elfe concerns them, are merely his gifts; fo that indeed it is impoffible we should be ignorant of his mercies to them, all those outward comforts and refreshments we daily enjoy, being continual effects and witneffes of it and though fome enjoy more of these than others, yet there is no perfon but enjoys fo much in one kind or other, as abundantly fhews God's mercy and kindness to him in refpect of his body.

Love, De

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6.32. And now furely you will think it but reasonable we should love him, who is in all refpects thus lovely: Indeed this is a duty fo generally acknowledged, that if you should afk any man the queftion, whether he loved God or no, he would think you did him great wrong to doubt of it; yet for all this, it is too plain, that there are very few that do indeed love him; and this will foon be proved to you, by examining a little what are the common effects of love, which we bear to men like our felves; and then trying whether we can fhew any fuch fruits of our love to God.

Fruit of 33. Of that fort there are divers; but, for fire of fhortnefs, I will name but two. The firft is pleafing a Defire of pleafing; the fecond, a Defire of enjoyment. These are conftantly the fruits of Love. For the firft, 'tis known by all, that he that loves any perfon, is very defirous to approve himself to him, to do whatsoever he