SERM, to which, 2. Who the willer is to whom we muft fubXXXVI. mit.

1 Theff. iv.

3.

1. What is the will of God? Is it any thing unjuft, unworthy, or difhonourable, any thing incommodious or hurtful, any thing extremely difficult or intolerably grievous, that God requireth of us, to do or bear? No: he willeth nothing from us or to us, which doth not beft become us and most behove us; which is not attended with fafety, with ease, with the folideft profit, the faireft reputation, and the sweetest pleasure.

Two things he willeth; that we fhould be good, and that we should be happy; the first in order to the second, for that virtue is the certain way, and a neceffary qualification to felicity.

The will of God, faith St. Paul, is our fanétification: What is that? what, but that the decays of our frame, and the defacements of God's image within us, fhould be repaired; that the faculties of our foul fhould be restored to their original integrity and vigour; that from most wretched flaveries we fhould be tranflated into a happy freedom, yea, into a glorious kingdom; that from defpicable beggary and bafenefs we fhould be advanced to substantial wealth and fublime dignity; that we should be cleansed from the fouleft defilements, and decked with the goodlieft ornaments; that we should be cured of most loathsome diseases, and fettled in a firm health of foul; that we should be delivered from those brutish lufts, and thofe devilish paffions, which create in us a hell of darknefs, of confufion, of vexation, which difhonour our nature, deform our foul, ruffle our mind, and rack our confcience; that we should be endowed with thofe worthy difpofitions and affections, which do conftitute in our hearts a heaven of light, of order, of joy, and peace, dignify our nature, beautify our foul, clarify and cheer our mind; that we fhould efchew thofe practices, which never go without a retinue of woful mischiefs and forrows, embracing those which always yield abundant fruits of convenience and comfort; that, in fhort, we fhould be

come friends of God, fit to converfe with angels, and SERM, capable of paradise.

XXXVI.

God, faith St. Paul again, willeth all men to be faved: 1 Tim. ii. 4. he willeth not, faith St. Peter, that any man should perish. 2 Pet. iii. 9. He faith it himself, yea, he fweareth it, that he hath no plea- Ezek. fure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked should xxxiii. 11. turn from his way and live. And what is this will? what, but that we should obtain all the good whereof we are capable; that we should be filled with joy, and crowned with glory; that we fhould be fixed in an immovable state of happiness, in the perpetual enjoyment of God's favour, and in the light of his blissful presence; that we fhould be rid of all the evils to which we are liable; that we should be released from inextricable chains of guilt, from incurable stings of remorfe, from being irrecoverably engaged to pass a difconfolate eternity in utter darkness and extreme woe? Such is God's will; to fuch purposes every command, every difpenfation of God (how grim, how rough foever it may feem) doth tend. And do we refufe to comply with that good will; do we fet against it a will of our own, affecting things unworthy of us, things unprofitable to us, things prejudicial to our best interests, things utterly baneful to our fouls? Do we reject the will that would fave us, and adhere to a will that would ruin us; a foolish and a fenfelefs will, which, flighting the immenfe treasures of heaven, the unfading glories of God's kingdom, the ineffable joys of eternity, doth catch at specious nothings, doth pursue mischievous trifles; a fhadow of base profit, a smoke of vain honour, a flash of fordid pleasure; which paffeth away like the Ecclef. vii. mirth of fools, or the crackling of thorns, leaving only foot, ". black and bitter, behind it?

But at least ere we do thus, let us confider, whose will

it is that requireth our compliance.

5.

It is the will of him, whose will did found the earth, and rear the heaven; whofe will fuftaineth all things in Pf. cxlviii. their existence and operation; whose will is the great law Apoc.iv.11. of the world, which univerfal nature in all its motions doth obferve; which reigneth in heaven, the bleffed spirits

SERM. adoring it; which swayeth in hell itself, the curfed fiends XXXVI. trembling at it: and fhall we alone (we pitiful worms crawling on earth) presume to murmur, or dare to kick against it?

18.

It is the will of our Maker, who, together with all our other faculties, did create and confer on us the very power of willing and fhall we turn the work of his hands, the gift of his bounty, against him?

It is the will of our Preferver, who, together with all that we are or have, continually doth uphold our very will itself; fo that without employing any positive force, merely by letting us fall out of his hand, he can send us and it back to nothing: and shall our will clash with that, on which it fo wholly dependeth; without which it cannot fubfift one moment, or move one step forward in action?

It is the will of our fovereign Lord, who, upon various indisputable accounts, hath a just right to govern us, and an absolute power to dispose of us: ought we not there1 Sam. iii. fore to say with old Eli, It is the Lord, let him do to me as it feemeth good to him? Is it not extreme iniquity, is it not monstrous arrogance for us, in derogation to his will, to pretend giving law, or picking a station to ourselves? Do we not manifeftly incur high treafon against the King of heaven, by fo invading his office, ufurping his authority, fnatching his fceptre into our hands, and fetting our wills in his throne?

It is the will of our Judge, from whofe mouth our doom muft proceed, awarding life or death, weal or woe unto us: and what sentence can we expect, what favour can we pretend to, if we presumptuously shall offend, oppose that will, which is the fupreme rule of justice and fole fountain of mercy?

It is the will of our Redeemer, who hath bought us with an inestimable price, and with infinite pains hath rescued us from miferable captivity under most barbarous enemies, that obeying his will we might command our own, and serving him we might enjoy perfect freedom: and fhall we, declining his call and conduct out of that

unhappy state, bereave him of his purchase, frustrate his SERM. undertakings, and forfeit to ourselves the benefit of fo XXXVI. great redemption ?

It is the will of our beft Friend; who loveth us much better than we do love ourselves; who is concerned for our welfare, as his own dearest interest, and greatly delighteth therein; who, by innumerable experiments, hath demonstrated an excess of kindness to us; who in all his dealings with us purely doth aim at our good, never charging any duty on us, or difpenfing any event to us, fo much with intent to exercise his power over us, as to exprefs his goodness towards us: who never doth afflict or Lan. iii.33. grieve us more against our will, than against his own defire; never indeed but when goodness itself calleth for it, and even mercy doth urge thereto; to whom we are much obliged, that he vouchfafeth to govern and guide us, our service being altogether unprofitable to him, his governance exceedingly beneficial to us: and doth not fuch a will deferve regard; may it not demand compliance from us? To neglect or infringe it, what is it? is it not palpable folly, is it not foul difingenuity, is it not deteftable ingratitude?

So doth every relation of God recommend his will to us; and each of his attributes doth no less: for,

It is the will of him, who is most holy, or whose will is effential rectitude: how then can we thwart it, without being stained with the guilt, and wounded with a fense of great irregularity and iniquity?

It is the will of him, who is perfectly juft; who therefore cannot but affert his own righteous will, and avenge the violation thereof: is it then advisable to drive him to that point by wilful provocation; or to run upon the edge of neceffary severity ?

It is the will of him, who is infinitely wife; who therefore doth infallibly know what is best for us, what doth most befit our capacities and circumstances; what in the final refult will conduce to our greatest advantage and comfort: fhall we then prefer the dreams of our vain

SERM, mind before the oracles of his wifdom? fhall we, forfak. XXXVI. ing the direction of his unerring will, follow the impulse of our giddy humour?

It is the will of him, who is immenfely good and benign; whofe will therefore can be no other than goodwill to us; who can mean nothing thereby but to derive bounty and mercy on us: can we then fail of doing well, if we put ourselves entirely into his hands? are we not our own greatest enemies, in withstanding his gracious intentions?

It is, finally, the will of him, who is uncontrollably powerful; whofe will therefore must prevail one way or other; either with our will or against it, either fo as to

bow and fatisfy us, or so as to break and plague us: for, Ifa. xlvi.10. My counsel, faith he, shall stand, and I will do all my pleafure. As to his dispensations, we may fret, we may wail, we may bark at them; but we cannot alter or avoid them: fooner may we by our moans check the tides, or by our cries ftop the fun in his career, than divert the current of affairs, or change the ftate of things established by God's high decree: what he layeth on, no hand can remove; what he hath deftined, no power can reverse: our anger therefore will be ineffectual, our impatience will have no other fruit, than to aggravate our guilt and augment our grief.

Dan. v. 23.

As to his commands, we may lift up ourselves against them, we may fight ftoutly, we may in a fort prove conquerors; but it will be a miserable victory, the trophies whereof shall be erected in hell, and ftand upon the ruins of our happiness; for, while we insult over abused grace, we must fall under incenfed juftice: if God cannot fairly procure his will of us in way of due obedience, he will furely execute his will upon us in way of righteous vengeance; if we do not furrender our wills to the overtures of his goodness, we must submit our backs to the strokes of his anger: he must reign over us, if not as over loyal fubjects to our comfort, yet as over ftubborn rebels to our confufion; for this in that cafe will be our doom,