thoughtful about that which is of greateft SER M. moment; and confidering this life as tranfi- XII. tory and uncertain, that the time will foon come, we know not how foon, when we must give an account of our stewardship, and be no longer ftewards, let us take the measures of our present behaviour, by the seasonable forefight of a future ftate; let us neglect, in comparison, things which are confeffedly of little value, and give all diligence to make our calling and election fure, that fo an entrance may be miniftered abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift: By virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godlinefs, brotherly kindness, and charity, means which the nature of things and the word of God direct, let us feek after eternal life, letting no opportunity flip for our making proficiency in knowledge and for doing good.

As this is evidently what reafon will direct us to, if we apply it to the affairs of religion, fuppofing them to be of that importance, which we all profefs to believe they are; fo it is greatly to the reproach of the children of light, that they fuffer themselves to be fo far outdone by the children of this world. Shall thefe take fo much pains, employ their thinking powers in fo much con

trivance,

SERM. trivance, and their hands in fo much labour,
XII. rifing early and fitting up late in purfuit of

perishing vanities? And fhall christians take
little thought for eternity; and be negligent
of the proper means of fecuring to themselves
durable riches and righteousness, that good part
which cannot be taken away from them? Our
Saviour's reproof plainly fheweth, that the
fact is fo, for that is evidently the meaning of
thefe words, the children of this world are in
their generation wiser than the children of light;
but how fhall it be accounted for? We cannot
imagine that chriftians are more unattentive to
their intereft, than other men, or more de-
ficient in understanding, especially being fo
well inftructed as they are by their great
mafter. We must therefore fuppofe, that the
defect lieth in their perfuafion concerning the
things which they profefs, as the
great foun-
dations of the religious life, or in the weakness
of their affections to them. And this is the
truth of the cafe: What he often faith to his
own apostles, may be justly applied to all his
followers, they are too flow of heart to believe
what is spoken in the scriptures; and their de-
fires, abated by remaining affection to things
on earth, culpable in the degree of it, are not
as earnest as they should be to attain the per-
fection of righteousness, and to be with Chrift

which is far better than all the enjoyments of SERM, this world. In a word, imperfection cleaveth XII. to every principle of religion in us, to faith, and to the love by which it worketh, producing fruits whereby our heavenly father is glorified, and by which we are prepared for glory with him. But let us, my brethren, remember the words of the Lord Jefus, and urge upon our minds his ftrong perfuafives to diligence in working out our own falvation; let us count nothing in this world too dear to part with for everlasting habitations; let us endeavour to conquer our indolence with all the other infimities of our nature, and all the temptations wherewith we are furrounded, running with patience the race which is fet before us; thus we shall fhew ourselves men, acting a rational confiftent part; we shall verify our profeffion by our practice, thereby doing it all the honour we can; and shall lay up a good foundation against the time to come, that we may lay hold on eternal life.

The second observation, is, that riches and other gifts of providence are but little in comparison with the greater and more fubstantial bleffings which God is ready to bestow on his fincere and faithful fervants; that thefe inferior things are committed to chriftians as to stewards for the trial of their fidelity, and

SERM. they who improve them carefully to the proXII. per ends for which they were given, are intitled to the greater benefits which others forfeit, and render themselves unworthy of, by negligence and unfaithfulness. This is the meaning of the 10th and 11th verfes. He who is faithful in that which is leaft, is faithful alfo in much; and he who is unjust in the leaft, is unjuft alfo in much; if therefore, you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? By unrighteous mammon, or, the mammon of unrighteoufnefs, our Saviour doth not mean ill-gotten: wealth, or that which is acquired by injuftice: I know of no use which chriftianity alloweth us to make of that, if we have any of it; it is neither to be employed for the purposes of charity, nor our own fupport and enjoyment, but to be given all away, that is, by making reftitution, which juftice indifpenfably requireth; but by unrighteous here is fignified deceitful, which our Saviour elsewhere pronounceth to be the character of all riches, however acquired; they always have a greater appearance of good than is found in them, they difappoint fuch as truft in them, and fruftrate the expectation of those who earnestly pursue them. And here at ver. r the unrighteous mammon is

opposed, not to honefty on the part of the SER M. poffeffor, but to the true riches. The com- XII. parison is between the goods of fortune, as they are called, riches, honour, power, health, ftrength, and all other temporal advantages and conveniencies of the prefent life, which are given promifcuoufly to men of whatever characters, good or bad; between thefe, I fay, and the fpecial bleffings which are promised to the fincere, the gifts of grace, the forgivenefs of fins, the illumination, the affiftance and joy of the holy ghost, and eternal life, all fummed up in the favour of God and the privileges of his kingdom: and the former are declared to be leaft, the other, much; the former, the deceitful mammon, the other, true riches. Now this judgement given by our Saviour, must be supposed to be affented to by all the children of light, that is, all truly religious perfons; it is with them a fundamental principle, amounting to no more than this, that there is a reality and a gain in godlinefs, that the concerns of the foul are infinitely preferable to thofe of the body, and the happiness of an immortal state much more to be valued than present enjoyment. If it be not fo, religion is to be given up as mere vanity and an empty dream, the inftruction of wifer atheism is to be heard

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