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SERM. without any means of defending itfelf, pre IX. ferving its rights, or protecting its inhabi

tants: Juft fo is the man in whom reafon

and confcience have loft their force, and no more maintain their dominion over the lower affections; he is a prey to every temptation, having no defence against it; fierce paffions, with an impetuous fury, drive him (and he hath no power to refift them) just as ships are driven by a tempeft. In this cafe it is impoffible to attain to wisdom or virtue, and to make any progrefs in it, for it is the beft exercise of reafon. Religion is a reasonable service, and liberty is effentially neceffary to it; for without willingness, or a free choice (every one is fenfible) there can be no fuch thing as religion or virtue. Though we may very well conceive moral goodness, indeed, the moft perfect, without what Solomon calleth rule over our own fpirit, or a mastery over paffions and other infirmities; because there is no fuch thing, no affections or difpofitions of a contrary tendency in the most perfect being; nor doth goodness neceffarily include it: Yet in the imperfect state of the human nature, the measure of virtue dependeth on, and is proportionate to the degree of our conqueft over the frailties, the felfifh affections and paffions

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fions of our own minds; and it may be SERM. juftly faid, not only that rule over the spirit IX.

hath a connection with wisdom in the moral and religious fenfe, but that it is the very thing itself.

This, my brethren, giveth us juft occafion to confider with regret the degeneracy of mankind; Solomon faith, Ecclef. vii. 29. That God made man upright, but they have fought out many inventions. The integrity of our nature confifteth in the dominion of the fuperior powers, and the subordination of the appetites and paffions to them; but it is deformed when, on the contrary, the lower affections get the ascendant, and reason and confcience are dethroned, which experience as well as the fcripture fheweth to be the unhappy cafe of finners who are difobedient, and deceived, ferving divers lufts and pleafures, the brutal part ruleth over the man 3 paffions indulged become untractable and impetuous; and cuftom in finning is a principle ftrong as nature itself. The prophet reprefenteth the difficulty of reforming habitually vicious and wicked men, by comparing it to a natural impoffibility; Jer. xiii. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots, then may ye alfo do good who are accustomed to do evil?

But,

SERM. But, in the next place, I propose to our IX. ferious thoughts the unspeakable obligations

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we are under to the mercy of God for the gracious contrivance of the gofpel, the principal defign of which is to recover us to liberty, or to felf-dominion; to restore the juft empire of reafon and confcience, and to free us from the intolerable and most ignominious fervitude of fin. That which our bleffed Saviour intended to lead us to, is, a deliverance from the power of our lufts and paflions, base and cruel masters; and though we have the principles in our conftitution, which, duly improved, might bring us to that ftate of freedom, yet confidering how impotent we were become, God faw it needful, and we are greatly indebted to him for it, by a fignal and gracious interpofition to 'carry on that work. To this purpose what could be better defigned? God hath shewed us what is good by a clear revelation; true bra wifdom is taught by a law, not left to be found out by reafon, which in the greateft part of men is weak, and its light very much obfcured; and a fanction is added of the greateft force to ftrike, our minds, and determine us to obedience. Eternal life is promised to the fincere, and everlasting deftruction is threatened against impenitent fin

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ners.

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ners. To encourage and animate us in fhak- SERM, ing off the yoke of fin, and returning to God, IX. the hope of forgiveness is confirmed by the facrifice of Christ's death, in whom God hath declared himself well pleased, and reconciled to finners who obey the gofpel; and the fpirit is promised and given to help our infirmities, and where the fpirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, 2 Cor. iii. 17. The tendency of his affiftance and operations, and of the whole christian miniftration, is to rescue finners from the moft reproachful and painful bondage of fin, and teach them to rule over themselves, to deny felf, not reafon and confcience, the power of which is re-established by the ministration of the Spirit, but the extravagancies of paffion, and the irregular defires of the flesh and of the mind. Let us, therefore, having fo great encouragement, be prevailed with to use our best endeavours that we may more and more understand and accustom ourselves to this difcipline, that fo making conftant proficiency in wisdom, we may enjoy the fruits of it here in pleasantness and peace, and have the affured hopes of the reward which God hath promised hereafter to the wife, Dan. xii. 3. That they shall fhine as the brightness of the firmament, not in outward fplendor, but true fubftantial glory.

SERMON X.

The PROUD and SCORNFUL incapable of attaining to WISDOM.

SERM,

X.

PROVERBS XIV. 6.

A fcorner feeketh wisdom, and findeth it not.

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F wisdom or religious virtue be the nobleft accomplishment of the human nature, most suitable to fuch beings as we are, in itself tranfcendently excellent, and upon a comparifon far more valuable than all we çan defire in this world; if it will afford the truest and most fubftantial pleasures to our minds while we live here, and the best profpect of future felicity in the enjoyment of the divine favour, yet without any real difadvantage to our present outward interest ; all which I have endeavoured to fhew in difcourfing from several paffages in this book: If, I fay, it be fo, then certainly they who are convinced of this, fhould use their utmost endeavours in the constant pursuit of wifdom; they fhould refolutely thwart every

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