doth according to all the abominations that the SERM. wicked man doth, fhall be live? all his righte- II. oufnefs that he hath done shall not be mention'd, in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his fin that he hath finned, in them shall be die. Having thus fhown what it is to do the will of God, it is not neceffary to spend time in proving that it is the only ground on which we can hope to be approv'd by him at last, and to enter into the kingdom of heaven. The fcripture declarations on this head are fo very plain and exprefs, there can remain no doubt with chriftians who will give themfelves leave to confider it. And, indeed, if we look into our own hearts, attending carefully, and without prejudice to what they will fuggeft, we shall find that it is only their teftimony concerning the fincerity of our obedience, or the persevering practice of righte ousness, virtue and charity, which can give us confidence towards God. It was this that comforted Hezekiah under the apprehenfions of death *. He would appeal to God himself as the witness of his integrity, Remember, Lord, how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and done that which E 3 is Ifai. xxxviii. 3. SERM. is good in thy fight. And this is the general II. doctrine of the Apoftle John, which our own minds must confent to *: For if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and knoweth all things. But if our hearts condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God. Let us, then, apply ourselves diligently to the keeping of God's commandments for our establishment in this refolution, and this courfe of life; let us improve the gofpel miniftrations, never fet them up in oppofition to it, as a pretence to the favour of God; for fo we shall certainly deceive ourfelves. Remember the words of our Saviour parallel to thofe in my text: Then shall ye begin to fay at the last day, we have eaten and drunk in thy prefence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall fay, I know yon not whence you are; depart from me you. that work iniquity. * 1 Ep. iii. 20, 21. + Luke xiii. 26, 27. SER SERMON III. The Caufes and Danger of Self- Mat. vi. 22, 23. The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be fingle, thy whole body shall be full of light: But, if thine eye be evil, thy whole body fhall be full of darkness. ` If therefore the light, that is in thee be darknefs, how great is that darkness? S the bodily eye is of great use and im- SERM As portance to the animal life, to the III. direction of its powers, and to the enjoyment of it;* if a man walk in the day he stumbleth not, because he feeeth the light of this world; if he walks in the night he stumbleth, because there is no light in him; and this is an article of great moment to the comfort of our prefent condition; for truly the light is fweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold * John xi. 9, 10. E 4 the SERM. the fun; fo, there is an interior eye of the mind III. of equal importance and usefulness to the di ་ rection of our highest capacity, and to the chief ends of our beings, which is the fenfe of good and evil, both natural and moral ; or, the judgment of the foul concerning their difference, and the methods of pursuing the one, and avoiding the other. This last is the fubject of our Saviour's inftruction in the text, under the allufion of the fingle and the evil eye, in confequence of which as these are in fact the different conditions of men, they are either wifely and justly guided to the true perfection and happiness of their nature, or in a ftate of ignorance, fatal misconduct, and mifery. There are certain conditions neceffary that the natural organ of fight may properly do its office: It must be duely framed, and its parts regularly difpos'd, as generally it is, for nature feldom errs in her productions; and it must be free from a mixture of corrupt humours with which the eye more frequently happens to be vitiated, and, which experience teaches us, has unhappy effects upon the fight; for in that cafe the object appears double or inverted, or is dimly and confufedly perceived, fo as not to afford a juft direction to the affections or active powers which in their exercife depend upon it. In like manner SERM. This leads me to obferve, First, What, I think, neceffary to be confidered in order to our understanding aright our Saviour's moral inftruction here, namely, that there is a great dif parity between the cafe of the external fight, and the distempers to which it is liable, and the judgment of the mind with which it is compared. External vifion does not depend upon our own choice; nor are we either to be prais'd or blam'd for it; an obstruction in the eye-fight may be a man's infelicity, it is not his fault; but in the other cafe we are strictly and properly agents, charg'd with the care of ourselves, and with the improvement of our own powers and faculties, fo that we may attain their true ends. Here, |