they stand charged (as I have observed) with another criminal Difpofition, in doing all their Works to be feen and praised by Men: Which Defire of Vain-glory poifoned their very beft Actions, destroyed their whole Merit, and entitled them to no other Reward than that of Hypocrites; for as they laboured to gain the Efteem of Men, fo our Saviour told them, they should receive their defired Reward in this Life.

It is certain, that to make any Creature our laft End, is attributing to it that Honour which is due to God alone, who, as he is the first Caufe, fo is he the last End of all Things. All Creatures void of Reafon are immediately directed to this End by God himself: They all act, move, or reft according to the System established by the eternal Wifdom, and are but so many Inftruments and Executioners of God's unchangeable Decrees: But Man having received a rational Soul, and being endued with a Free-will, has a Capacity within himself of choofing the End and Motive of his Actions: But this Capacity is charged with an indifpenfable Obligation of directing them to that End, for which he was created; and fince this is no other than God himself, when ever he acts upon any other principal Motive than that of pleafing Almighty God in this Life, and enjoying

joying him in the next, he fwerves from the End of his Creation, he debafes himfelf, injures his Creator, and fubverts, as far as in him lies, the Order of Providence : And this was precifely the Crime of the Pharifees, in doing all their Works meerly to gain the Applaufe and Efteem of Men.

If then you afk, how this great Evil may be avoided? I answer, that the best, and indeed the only effectual Means to fe cure ourselves against it, is to purify our Hearts from all inordinate Affection to Creatures. The Reafon hereof is clear, because in every Thing we do, we are apt to have the greateft Regard to the Object we love moft. So that whoever is ftrongly affected with any Thing of this World, is in great Danger of performing the main Body of his Actions, for the Love of that Object. This was the very Cafe of the Pharifees: For they had a paffionate Love for the Efteem of Men, and therefore they performed all their Actions to acquire that Efteem. This was the Idol of their Hearts; this they prefer'd before Almighty God; to this they facrificed all those outward Works of Piety and Virtue, which if they had been performed for the Love of God, would have entitled them to an eternal Reward.

Whence

Whence it follows, that every Man's predominant Love is as a Biafs upon his Heart, which continually moves and turns it to the proper Object of that Love; and therefore if our Hearts were clear from all inordinate Affection to Creatures, we should have no earthly Biafs to turn away our Intention from Almighty God; nay, we fhould then most certainly love God above all Things; and whoever regards Almighty God as the Object of his principal Love, will eafily perform all his Actions for Love of him; that is, with a fincere Intention to please him in this Life, and a hearty Defire to poffefs him in the next. For what can be more eafy than a fincere Defire to please a Person whom we fincerely Love? What more eafy than to aim effectually at the everlafting Fruition of an Object, with the Love whereof our Hearts are ftrongly and fovereignly poffefs'd? So that the Rectifying of our Intention, in the Performance even of the moft ordinary Duties, is not fodifficult a Thing as fome feem to make it.. Love, and do what thou wilt, fays St. Austin, meaning the Love of God: Because that Love will of itfelf lead us to the Intention. we ought to have in every Thing we do; and we shall be in no Danger of feeking with the Pharifees the Efteem of Men pre

ferably

ferably to that of Almighty God, if we fincerely love him above all Things.

However, we must observe, that this Intention, though never fo pure, of pleafing God in every Thing, cancels not the Obligation we have of contenting and pleafing one another, according to the Order esta blished by Almighty God. Servants are doubtless bound to endeavour to please their Mafters, Children their Parents, and married Perfons owe this Duty reciprocally to each other. But my Meaning is, that we are bound to comply both with these and all other Duties, principally upon this Motive, because Almighty God requires them of us: So that a fincere Defire to please God, and obey his Holy Will must always be the principal End even of those Actions, whereby we seek to please and content one another.

.

I fhall therefore conclude with this, excellent Inftruction our Saviour gave to the Pharifees, hac oportuit facere, & illa non omittere. It behoveth us to do the one, and not omit the other. We muft imitate the Pharifees fo far as to be exact with them in the Performance of all outward Duties, that by our good Example, we may mutually encourage one another in Piety and Virtue: But we must also be careful to rectify our Hearts by a fincere Intention and

effectual

effectual Defire to pleafe God, and obey his holy Will in the Performance of them: We must follow them in a diligent Practice of the Duties of the Religion we pro fefs; but we must avoid their Oftentation, Arrogance, and Pride. Finally, we must imitate their Zeal for the Converfion of Souls, their Juftice in paying to every one what is due to him, and their Charity to the Poor: But we muft beware of their Uncharitableness in judging, cenfuring, or defpifing our Neighbour. And thus our Virtue will now abound more than theirs, and our Reward be proportioned to it hereafter.

The XLIVth ENTERTAINMENT.

The Danger of Luke-warmness.

I would thou wert either cold or hot. But because thou art luke-warm, and neither cold nor hot, I will begin to fpue thee out of my Mouth.. Rev. iii. 15, 16.

TH

HESE Words reprefent the Dangerous Condition of luke-warm Chriftians: For they import no lefs, than that

the