SERM. if a man be industrious in ufing the means VIII. of religion, and practising its rules, it is his intention to get the knowledge of it, and perfection in it; if he patiently continueth in well-doing, and is ftedfast and unmoveable, abounding in the work of the Lord, he knoweth and expecteth his labour shall not be in vain. But, on the contrary, let his profeffion be ever fo good, and if he flatters himself that his love of wisdom is great, and his defires and hopes of the reward of it very ftrong, yet if he doth not deny ungodliness and worldly lufts, and live foberly, righteously, and godly, in this world; if instead of crucifying the flesh with its affections and lufts, he giveth up himself to work wickedness with greedinefs; the practice of that person giveth his profeffion the lie, he deceiveth himself, and his pretended religion is vain. Not every one who maketh the loudest and moft pompous profeffion, or, as our Saviour expreffeth it, who faith unto him, Lord, Lord, pretending the greatest refpect to him, is the greatest proficient in wisdom, the most approved difciple of Christ, and the best qualified for entering into the kingdom of heaven: But he who is laborious in good works, and is continually endeavouring to do the will of God. Many,

faith our Lord, shall strive to enter in, and SERM fhall not be able. God hath fhewn us the VIII. particular path wherein we must walk, and the course we must run; it is not by being induftrious in uncommanded rites, voluntary humility, and will-worship; nor yet by a formal repetition of external fervices, even though they be of divine institution, but the plain way of holiness; being righteous before God, and walking in all the ftatutes and ordinances of the Lord blameless. There is an established progress in religious virtue, and the path of the juft is as the Shining light, which fhineth more and more unto the perfect day; and there is, according to the declarations of God's word, an established connection between holiness and eternal life, which is really nothing else than the perfection of holiness. We may as well pretend to diffolve the heavens and the earth, to alter the frame of nature, as to change that conftitution in the moral world, fixed in the eternal and invariable counfels of the

great lawgiver; as the prophet Jeremiah, chap. xxxiii. reprefenteth the covenant God made with Ifrael as immutable, like what he calleth the covenant of the night and of the day, and the ordinances of heaven. The defires and the hopes of men, who

SER M. make any profeffion of religion at all, are VIII. generally fet upon the reward of it under the notion of a great happiness, which indeed God propofeth in order to encourage and engage us to diligence. But the truth is, to feek it; and to feek wisdom or religion itself, is just the same thing; and the facred writers always take care to teach us, that in vain shall we hope to obtain the crown of glory, unless by the practice of holiness, or walking in the paths of virtue: 2 Tim. ii. 5. If a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned except he friveth lawfully, according to the rules of the course; that is, in the prefent cafe, by a careful abftinence from all fin, and abounding in the exercise of every virtue.

Laftly, Being thus folicitous, and having made a choice of the beft means, diligence, or feeking early, importeth ufing them frequently and with spirit and vigour. The fcriptures often warn us against sloth, and, particularly, Solomon in this book, giveth us a very clear and lively defcription of that difeafe of the mind which debafeth it, wafteth its ftrength by an infenfible but fatal confumption, and burieth its natural active. powers in a vile ftupidity. It is true what he for the most part defcribeth under that

name,

name, and earnestly difuadeth from, fhew- SER M. ing its unhappy tendency, is idleness and VIII. inactivity in temporal affairs, which is itself folly and wickedness; but it may be eafily applied to the business of religion, in which we cannot hope to make any progress, without an earnest and vigorous application; for these are prejudices to be conquered, temptations and infirmities to be refifted, and, in the generality of men, corrupt customs and foolish opinions to be unlearned, which will require mature confideration and care, both in the study and the practice of wisdom. The criminal negligence by all means to be avoided is, either the total omiffion of our duty, or the fuperficial and fpiritlefs performance, both which proceed from the fame indisposition of mind, they are equally faulty, and obstruct our proficiency in wifdom.

A ferious attention to the frame of our nature, and the present conftitution of things, will convince us that induftry is very becoming fuch creatures as we are. From the relation and dependance of things, and the uses they serve in the systems of nature, we infer the defign of them; and if that way of reasoning be just, nothing will appear more plain to any confiderate person, than that

SERM. the powers and capacities of our nature,
VIII. now in a ftate of weakness, a kind of in-

fancy, are to be improved by use, and car-
ried on by degrees to maturity in their best
and nobleft accomplishments, that is, in
knowledge and virtue. And our bleffed Sa-
viour, the great master of our religion,
whose precepts are perfectly agreeable to
reafon, hath injoined industry to his difci-
ples that they may grow up to perfection;
the method he prefcribeth of advancing in
religion to the ftature of perfect men, as the
apostle speaketh, is, by a careful confidera-
tion, and study, and practice; it is by use
that we have our internal fenfes exercised to
difcern good and evil; and by use we ac-
quire a facility in the practice of patience,
temperance, godlinefs, and all the other
chriftian graces.
Such diligence is efta-
blished by a perpetual and univerfal law of
christianity, which bindeth every disciple
of the Lord Jefus ; and in proportion to it
he hath declared, that their rewards fhall
be, when he cometh to reckon with his
fervants, and render to every man according
to his works. He hath entrusted them all
with talents, diftributing to them as he hath
thought fit, according to their several abi-
lities; but a price is put into the hand of