Being God is, will be very defirous of SERM. the Continuance of his Favour, and very I. unwilling to do any thing which may difplease him; and, fecondly, He, who reflects upon his Juftice, muft needs conclude, that he will certainly punish him, according to his Demerits, if he goes on wilfully and obftinately to offend him; as alfo that his Power is fo great, that he is able to inflict what Punishment he pleases upon him, and not only to kill the Body, but to deftroy both Body and Soul in Hell fire.

2. THE other Part of the good Man's Character is, that he obeys the Voice of God's Servant; he hearkens diligently to the Word of God preached, and performs whatsoever he apprehends to be his Duty. For the Prophets of old not only foretold Things to come, but interpreted the Law, and expounded it to the People: And, under the Gospel, the Ministers of Chrift fucceed the Prophets in their Calling and Office; and, therefore, Preaching in the New Teftament is called Prophefy- 1 Cor. ing. He, therefore, is reputed a truly good xiv. 6. and religious Man, who conftantly frequents the public Worship of God, is a diligent Hearer of the Word; and, not only a Hearer, but a Doer of the fame;

SERM.

I.

he obeys whatfoever God reveals to him, by his Servant, to be his Duty. He doth not take up his Religion, either from Education, or Cuftom, or any low and mean Intereft, but he attentively hearkens to the Word of God preached, he examines the Truth of what he hears, he treasures it up in his Mind, and brings forth the Fruits of it in an holy Life and Converfation; the End of his hearing the Voice of God's Servant, is not to tickle his Ears with fome eloquent Oration, curious Remark, or the grateful Turns of Thought or Language; much lefs to cenfure the Preacher, or, to pick out fomething to find Fault with (though generally without Cause, or any tolerable Reason) but that he may be put in Mind of what he already knows, and prevailed upon to live accordingly; that his Affections may be enlivened, his Love to God inflamed, his Hatred against Sin increafed, and in short, that he may conform his Life more exactly to the Rule of God's Word, be a better Man, and a better Chriftian.

THESE are the Ends which we ought to propofe to ourfelves, when we enter into the Houfe of God; and, unless we do fo, we fhall lofe the greatest Part of that Benefit and Advantage, which we

I.

26, 27.

might otherwise reap by the Hearing of his SERM, Word. For though God may bestow upon fuch Men, as are bare Hearers of the Word, and only make an outward Profeffion of Religion, many Bleffings in this Life, (as in the Cafe of Abab, who, though he is re- 1 Kings corded, not only to have done Evil, butxi. 25. to have fold himself to do Evil in the Sight of the Lord, yet because he humbled himself before God, put on Sackcloth, and went foftly; God promifes that he would not bring upon him the Judgment he threatened in his Days. I fay) though God is fometimes pleased fo far to encourage the bare outward Profeffion of Religion, and to reward the first Steps and Approaches towards Holiness and a good Life; yet this will not be a sufficient Foundation to build our Trust upon in this Life, nor our Hopes of Happiness hereafter; he that would have fure Grounds to rely upon God's Protection, must obey the Voice of his Servant. And therefore, Fearing God, and Obeying the Voice of his Servant, are, in the Text, both put together; for he, that truly fears God, will yield a fincere Obedience to his Commands: And, on the other Hand, an univerfal and evangelical Obedience can proceed from no other Principle,

B 3

than

I.

SERM. than a filial Reverence and Fear of God, Having thus confidered the Character of the good Man in the Text, I proceed,

II. To the Duty injoined him: Ta truft in the Name of the Lord, and to stay himself upon his God. Let him trust in the Name of the Lord, i. e. Let him trust in the Lord, for, in the Holy Writ, the Name is frequently put for the Person, because every Perfon is diftinguished by Matt. i. his Name; they fhall call his Name Emmanuel, i. e. he fhall be an Emmanuel, or a. God with us, as the Word in the OriAnd the lame Man is faid to be made whole through Faith in the Name of Christ, i. e. through Faith in Chrift. And thus, Let him trust in the Name of the Lord, is as much as to say, Let him trust in the Lord.

23.

Aas iii. ginal fignifies.

16.

Now to trust in God, is to depend on him for all the Bleffings of this Life, and a better; to rely on him for Protection from all Dangers, and Deliverance out of all Calamities. And, that this is our Duty, is evident, not only from many plain Texts of Scripture, but from the Light of Nature itfelf. For, if there is a God who governs the World, who can do what best pleafes him, and will perform whatsoever he has promised us; common Reafon tells

tis, that we ought to crave his Help and SERM. Affiftance, in every Thing we perform; I. to rely on his Word, and to affure ourfelves that he will defend all who caft themselves under his Protection; he will keep them in perfect Peace, whofe Minds are ftayed upon him. He is obliged to do this, by the Goodness of his Nature, as well as his own free Promises: For a good God, and a gracious and beneficent Being, must needs take Delight in doing Good to his Creatures, and filling all their Capacities with the Streams of his Bounty; he is never better pleased, than when his poor, indigent Creatures qualify themselves to receive those Bleffings, which he so plentifully fhowers down upon them: On the Contrary, God is reprefented in Holy Scripture, as very much grieved and troubled, when Men, by their Sins, defeat the gracious Purposes of his Love, and render themselves uncapable of those Favours he defigned to bestow upon them, And, if there is no greater Pleasure to a good Man, than to do Good to others, if he is kind and tender-hearted, and ready to relieve the Neceffities of his indigent Brother, shall not God (who is the Source and Fountain of all Good, and made Mankind on Purpose to communicate B 4

Hap