SERM. favour of God, enter deeper into the foul, XII. and by its effential frame, are a never failing fpring of joy and confolation to it in every ftate of existence.

It is very furprizing that a man, who fo much loveth and is devoted to himself, be-> ing naturally and neceffarily fo determined, fhould be fo ignorant, as many are, what that felf really is, and thereby be misled to place his affections on something else instead of it. By the leaft attention every man will fee, that what is meant by himself is the fame perfon or intelligent agent, the thinking confcious I, which remaineth unaltered in all changes of condition, from the remembrance of his earliest thoughts and actions to the prefent moment. How remote from this are riches, power, honour, health, strength, the matter ingredient in the compofition of the body, and even its limbs, which may be all loft, and felf ftill the fame? These things, therefore, are not our own, meaning by that, what most properly and unalienably belongeth to ourselves; we hold them by a uncer tain, precarious tenure, they come and go, while the fame confcious thinking being, which is ftrictly the man himself, continueth unchanged, in honour and difhonour, in riches and poverty, in fickness and health, and

all

all the other differences of our outward ftaté, SERMAnd as we are not fecure of continuing in XII. poffeffion of these things, for which reafon they are not our own or belonging to ourfelves, feeing what is fo cannot be feparated from us; fo the remembrance of them when past can give us no pleasure: What satisfaction hath the mind on reflecting on former external enjoyments? The remembrance of having abused them is bitter; the remembrance of having poffeffed them is but joylefs and infipid. Nay, if they remain with us, what comfort can they afford the mind in its greatest need? Efpecially when we ftand upon the verge of life, and awful eternity lieth before us. How little pretence, then, have these things to be called our own? How little worthy of our earnest defires and cares?

But on the contrary, a ftate of religious virtue, which it is the intention of christianity to bring us to, and which is the immediate effect of improving our talents diligently and faithfully, that kingdom of God which is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft; this is of a quite different kind, it entereth into our very felves, and closely adhereth to us; it improveth our nature, refineth and enlargeth its nobleft powers; it is

fo

SERM. fo much our own, as to become our very
XII. temper, and the ruling bent of our minds;

there is nothing we are more directly con-
fcious of in ourselves, than good difpofitions
and good actions proceeding from them,
and the consciousness is always accompanied
with delight. The good man is therefore
fatisfied from himself, becaufe his fatisfaction
arifeth from a review of his goodness which
is intimately his own: And though our Sa-
viour feemeth here to reprefent it as given
(indeed God is the original Author of all
good gifts, the powers of our nature are de-
rived from him, and all our enjoyments) yet
the foul cannot but efteem fincerely good
affections and works, as the real inward ex-
cellencies of its nature; and they are a laft-
ing spring of pleasure to it; it enjoyeth them
not only when present but past, they are a
fupport under incumbent calamities, and fill
the mind with confidence of a good iffue
and future happiness, because it is impoffible
not to think that the fupreme Power, who
governeth the world, is pleafed with them,
And thefe gifts and calling of God are with-
out repentance, for, as our Saviour faith, the
living water which he giveth, the falutary doc-
trine of the gofpel deeply imprinted on the
heart, tranforming it, and producing real in-

ward

ward religion, shall be a well of water fpringing SER M. up unto everlasting life. Let us, therefore, be XII. faithful in the little now committed to us, and diligent in improving the opportunities we enjoy in our state of trial and discipline; fo fhall we have in the prefent time an hundred fold recompence, of that which is our own, the increasing perfection of our nature, and true fatisfying enjoyment, and in the world to come an exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

SER

SERMON XIII.

Of the BLESSEDNESS of the pure in Heart.

SERM.

XIII.

MATT. V. 8.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall

A S

fee God.

S man is a rational and moral agent, his felicity must principally depend on moral qualities, efpecially because they are not only the highest perfection of his nature, and the best improvement of its powers, but they bring him nearest to God the fountain of all excellence and bleffednefs, are the most exact refemblance of his original glorious perfections which the creatures are capable of, and the moft immediate preparation for his favour; in other words; there is a neceffary connection between virtue and happiness; a virtuous and religious temper of mind and tenor of life is, as St. Peter calleth it, a participation of a divine nature, the likeness of the divine moral