ment, and endeavouring to reconcile an ap- SERM. pearance of right to felfifh intereft or inclina- III. tion.

Fourthly, in order to prevent felf-deceit and find out the truth more exactly, it may be expedient to fubftitute another perfon in our own place; confider how we would judge if the cafe were a neighbour's to whom we are indifferent; perhaps a fault, a moral blemish might be more eafily fpied, and a mote in a brother's eye better difcerned than a beam in our own. It might be profitable too, to change the judge, as well as the party to be tried. Make the fuppofition that a per. fon intirely difinterested, were to hold the enquiry, knowing as perfectly what paffes in our minds, as we do ourselves; nay, fuppofe a malicious enemy to have that province who would curiously pry into every fecret corner to detect the most latent corruption; furely a well-govern'd felf-love makes it more our intereft to discover our faults, in order to amend them, than hatred could make it his intereft, in order to expofe them. And,

Laftly, let us always earnestly implore the affiftance of divine grace, that we may be led into the knowledge of the most important religious truths, and be preferv'd from fatal

SERM. errors and darknefs. As on the one hand III. there is an awful judgment of God which the fcripture expreffes by giving men up to ftrong delufions, hardening their hearts, for the punishment of their unbelief and difobedience, and leaving them to walk in their own counfels; fo, on the other hand, there is nothing more agreeable to the will of God and the benignity of his nature, than to give inftruction to honeft minds fincerely difpos'd to receive and faithfully to improve it. He is the Father of lights, from whom every good and perfect gift comes down, and he will give liberally, without upbraiding to every one who is fenfible that he wants wisdom, and afks it from him ; nor is there any petition we can address to him with greater confidence of being heard, if we ask not amis, but with an upright intention to know that we may do his will. In this his faithful fervants have given us an example which we ought to imitate, and have good encouragement to hope for fuccefs, David prays in the 26th Pfalm, Examine me O Lord! and prove me, try my reins and my heart. And in the 139th Pfalm, 23d and 24th verses, this is the application he makes of his excellent me

ditations,

III.

ditations of God's omniscience, particularly SERM. his intimate knowledge of the hearts and ways of men, Search me, O God! and know heart, try me and know my thoughts, and See if there be any wicked lead me in the way everlasting.

my

way in me, and

SERMON IV.

Of Chriftian Fortitude.

SERM.

IV.

2 Pet. i. 5.

And befides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godlinefs; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity.

T

HE apostle having, in the preceding verfes, fhewn the great things which God hath done for chriftians, his divine power has given them all things that pertain unto life and godliness; he hath called. them to glory and virtue; rather it should berendered, by glory and virtue, meaning the glorious, effufion of the Holy Spirit on the apoftles, and the mighty powers thereby communicated to them, which were a great confirmation of the gofpel; as a farther illuftration of the favour confer'd upon us, the Father and his

Son

Son Jefus Chrift have given us exceeding SERM. great and precious promifes, and the invalua- IV. ble advantage to be obtained by these promises is that by them we might be partakers of a divine nature, having efcaped the corruption, that is in the world thro' luft. The apostle, I fay, having laid this foundation, proceeds to exhort the chriftian Hebrews to ftedfaftness and growth in all the chriftian graces; and we have here fet before us an excellent fummary of practical chriftianity, of those things, which, if they be in us and abound, we fall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift. What is here translated, befides all this, is by very good expofitors understood to fignify, and for this caufe, according to which fenfe the connection is clearer. The glorious benefits which divine grace has beftowed upon us are indeed the strongest motives to diligence in every duty; we should therefore labour af fiduously in God's service, and in those things which tend to the perfection of our nature, because God has brought the bleffed end' within our view, and has laid fuch a foundation for our hopes and for making our endeavours fuccefsful.