SERM. a feal of the covenant with God which every VI. man of Ifrael under a fevere penalty was obliged to bear; it was always held in great veneration; and the Jews, in their degenerate times, laid an undue stress upon it, as what would fecure them the favour of God, and all the peculiar advantages which he had promifed. It was the prevailing opinion, even among thofe of that nation who had embraced chriftianity, that they were ftill obliged to use it; and fome pleaded for an abfolute neceffity of it to their acceptance. If then, circumcifion availeth nothing, it could never be pretended that any other Mofaic rite was of importance; which is perfectly agreeable to our Saviour's own doctrine; for he laboured continually to call the Jews off from their attachment to the ancient ceremonies, and their fatal error of placing religion in fuch things as external purifications, making broad phylacteries, and tithing mint, annife, and cummin; and fheweth them that real religion lay in, and their acceptance depended upon, the weightier matters of the law, judgment, and mercy, faith, and the love of God.

But, perhaps, it may be thought that although the ceremonies of the Old Testament are of no confequence in the christian

religion, there are ceremonies of the gospel, SERM. that is pofitive external inftitutions, con- VI. cerning which we ought not to make the fame judgment, fuch as baptifm and the Lord's-fupper. It is very true that the for mer are abolished, and these are in force, and will continue so to the end of the chriftian difpenfation. But the question before us doth not relate to the obfervance of any outward ritual institutions, but the moment and importance of them in the chriftian religion, confidered as fet against and as they may be feparated from righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. And, in that fense, the kingdom of God is not being baptized in the name of Chrift, or eating that bread, and drinking of that cup, which are the external fymbols of his body and blood; for the apostle, 1 Cor. x. telleth us, that the Ifraelites were baptifed into the religion of Mofes, which was the way of fal vation, and they ate fpiritual meat, and drank fpiritual drink, that is, they ate the manna, and drank the waters of the rock that followed them in the wilderness, which were typical representations of Chrift; and yet with many of them God was not well pleased which he mentioneth as a warning to chritians that they do not, trufting to outward

SERM. privileges, and placing their religion and their VI. hope in them, abandon themselves to immoral and wicked practices, which must

end in their ruin. The truth of this doctrine is not only evident from many exprefs declarations of fcripture, but it will appear to every man's reafon that it cannot be otherwife, if we carefully attend to our most obvious notions of the Deity and of natural religion; but this we shall be better convinced of when we have confidered,

2dly, In what the apostle faith the kingdom of God doth confift, namely, righteoufnefs, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. By righteoufnefs here is meant univerfal fincere religion and virtue. Sometimes, indeed, in the fcriptures the word is used in a more restrained fenfe for that which is ftrictly called justice, as diftinguished from godlinefs and fobriety; but here, as in many other texts, it fignifieth the entire and universal rectitude of our affections and works. There are certain invariable measures of right and wrong fixed in the nature of things, made manifest to us by the voice of our confciences, written in our hearts, and very plainly declared in the word of God. To these we ought to conform our difpofitions and our practice, and it is the main defign of the gospel that we fhould. For, the grac

grace that bringeth Salvation hath appeared, SER M. teaching us to deny ungodlinefs and worldly VI. lufts; and to live foberly, and righteously, and godly, and that we should be diligent in every good work, in all the parts of our duty, in the practice of all religious virtues which relate to God, our neighbours, and ourselves, all which my text comprehendeth in one word, righteousness.

The kingdom of glory, which is nothing but the kingdom of grace confummated ; they differ only in degrees; that kingdom of glory, I fay, or the heavenly state, is righteousness in perfection; this is the best idea we can form of it; the integrity and perfection of the human nature in a moral fense restored, and the image of God compleatly repaired. Righteousness is the qualification in his fervants for the blissful vifion of God, and it is the very fubftance and effence of felicity; that likeness to God and refemblance of his moral excellencies, which fhall fully fatisfy, and be the spring of the pureft perpetual joy. To this purpose the apostle John faith, 1 epiftle iii. 2. we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we fhail fee him as he is. Like him in truth, like him in purity, and in goodnefs, and, in one word, righteous as he is.

What

SERM. What should the beginning of the heaVI. venly kingdom be, that is, real vital chriftianity, but the beginnings of righteoufnefs, fincere though unfinished virtue? The gofpel is accomodated to an imperfect state of human nature. Though it giveth no countenance or indulgence to any moral defect, on the contrary, in the most earnest manner preffeth purity of heart and conversation, yet it giveth the greatest encouragement to the finners, who are fincerely disposed to reform, to caft off the inglorious yoke of fin, and to become new creatures. It declareth forgiveness, not that we may continue in fin, but that we being dead to fin fhould live to God; it containeth the moft powerful motives to determine our judgment, and work on thofe affections which God hath planted in us; it offereth gracious affiftance to our feeble powers, and, by the influences of his fpirit, God worketh in us both to will and to do, that thus we may be induced and encouraged to work out our own falvation, to cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and of the Spirit, and to forfake all wicked ways, unrighteous doings and thoughts, and return to the paths of virtue; and having entered into them, that we may hold on our way in

defiance