of

We have cause to give God thanks, that fo far as revelation is neceffary to convey any thing by way fuperaddition to the light of God's creation; to the principles whereof, God made us in the moment of his creation; God hath not left us to vain fuppofition, nor to the ungrounded gueffes of fond minds i but you have it clearly, plainly, fully, fatisfactorily laid down in holy fcripture; fo that religion is the cleareft and most felf-evident thing in the world; but if a man do not enquire into the reafon and grounds of his perfuafion; if he gives himself up to drudge in the world, and refer himself in his religion to other men's fenfe, delivering himself to a party; I will affure him he is not religious, not in that which he receives, though it may be materially true in religion: for he doth not receive it as becomes a difciple of reason, much lefs of religion; for it might have been falfe, or the contrary, for any thing he knows; and for the felf-fame reason that he admitted this as truth, he might have admitted the contrary, if fo be the party, with which he doth compromife, had offered it.

The truly religious are not idle bodies, but they do exercise themselves in the higheft and nobleft employment; and their work is to affect the inward man; and we are wont to fay, that in competition the body is nothing, it is but the foul's mansionhoufe; every man's mind is the man.

I will conclude all in a few words, to recommend religion to the reafon of your minds.

1. It doth relieve us in the cafe of the greatest evils that we are in danger of ; and the greatest evils

we

we are expofed to, are the guiltiness of our confciences, and malignity of our minds.

2dly. Religion doth poffefs us of the trueft inward

good.

6 C

3dly. It reftores us to the object of our happiness, and to our ultimate end.

First, Religion doth relieve us in refpect of the greatest inward evils that we are liable to, viz. guiltiness in our conscience, and malignity in our minds ; which, if not removed, we must of neceffity be miferable, as a man must be miserable tho' he lie upon a bed of down, if he be fick and diftempered, and cannot be cured of internal malady. Now these two are internal evils, that are greater than any other internal evils in the world: a wound in the conscience, guiltiness in the mind; the worm of confcience, the fting of fin; these two are the life of hell. And then the other great evil is malignity, rancour, malice and poifon in the mind; and this mars our natures, fpoils our difpofitions and tempers, and puts us at a distance and abhorrence of God and goodness, and makes us harmonize with the devil and fin. Now there is no way to be relieved in refpect of these internal evils but in the way of religion, and by the blood of sprinkling, for the cleanfing our confciences by way of attonement, and by the operation of the fpirit, for the renewing, repairing and reftoring our natures: that's the firft.

Secondly, It poffeffes us of the trueft inward good, and that in three particulars. I. Satisfaction to a man's mind; and content, all the world will fay, is one of the greatest goods; what is better to a man,

than

than his mind's fatisfaction? And in the way of religion, a man's mind is fatisfied; for he understands upon what grounds and in what way; and he fees before him, and knows what he is to trust to. 2. Religion is restorative to the nature of man, and what is more to any man than to be internally whole? If a man hath an internal disease, an internal wound, or any inward ulcer in his mind; to restore him to perfect health and ftrength, this is done in the way of religion. 3. It is pacifying to a man's confcience : for what is more dreadful than the torments of a man's own breast? When a man's heart akes, though he be applauded and adored by by-ftanders, yet his heart akes because of his guilt; he finds internal wounds. He may fly from the world, but he cannot fly from himself; the wicked flees when no man pursues : and it is obferved, that guilt in a man's breaft, is a prophet that foretells future evils; art thou come to call my fins to remembrance? But innocency is ftout, rifes up in its own defence: but when a man is faulty, his heart will not ferve him.

Thirdly and lastly, Religion restores us to the object of our happiness, to our ultimate end. So faith the Pfalmift, Pfalm xvii. 15. I will behold thy face in righteousness: I fhall be fatisfied when I awake with thy likeness. We must be reconciled in temper and difpofition, to the nature, mind and will of God, and the law of everlasting goodness, righteoufnefs and truth; or else it will come to what Solomon faith, can two walk together that are not agreed? In this fenfe is that verified which Solomon fays of wisdom, her ways

155

are ways of pleafantness, and all her paths are peace, Pro.

iii. 17.

Thus have I given you an account of this full and pregnant scripture, that doth contract and epitomize our religion, comprehends the moral part of religion, that which in part will make us like God; and if these things be received into a temper, complexion and conftitution of foul, we fhall become God-like, and partakers of the very nature of God.

DISCOURSE LXXX.

The importance of forgiveness of fin, and it's certainty to the penitent.

ACTS xiii. 38.

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you forgiveness of

fin.

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Hat we may the better eftimate, of what cons fequence this is to us; and how much we are beholden to the divine goodness, for this great benefit of pardon and forgiveness; let us look into the evil that we are rid and difcharged of, by this act of God let us look into the nature and quality of fin.

Sin, as it reflects upon God, is an act either of neglect, or contempt. And how fhall we anfwer it, if

we

we be guilty upon either account? If either we neglect our bounden duty, or caft contempt and fcorn upon our fovereign? by whofe power we are raised out of nothing, into being; at whofe pleasure we are continued in being; and at whofe appointment we fhall go out of these beings that now we have: and it will not be in our power to withhold our fouls from him, one moment, tho' the state and welfare of them to all eternity, did depend thereupon.

Let us alfo confider, what fin is in it felf. It is a violation of the rule of righteoufnefs, the law of heaven; from which God himself, (who is cloathed with omnipotency, in whom is the fulness of power and liberty) never did vary, from eternity; nor will, to eternity for, the throne of God is established in righteousness. What, then, do we think it is for us, forry creatures, to take upon us, to controul the immutable and unalterable law of everlafting righteoufnefs, goodness, and truth, upon which the universe depends?

Then again fin, in respect of by standers, is a thing of very bad confequence, and of ill influence; because of the prejudice of example. For, we are more apt to follow example, than to live by rule: and nothing is more frequent, than for men to pretend ufe, cuftom, and practice, even against an eftablished law: and we justify our felves, as we think, by doing as others do; and that we are not fingular and alone in what we fay and practise.

That which we call moral evil, is a thing of the greatest ugliness and deformity in the world. The filthiness of fin is express'd in fcripture under the

names