fes, was ftedfaft, and every tranfgreffion received a just recompence of reward, how shall we escape, if we neglect fo great falvation; which at the first began to be Spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that beard him; God alfo bearing them witnefs, bath with figns and wonders, and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost *. To whom, with the Father and the Son, &c.

Heb. ii. 2, 3, 4.

SER,

SERMON CIX.

THE CERTAINTY OF DIVINE AID BEING IMPARTED TO ALL MEN WHO FEAR GOD, AND ENDEAVOUR SERIOUSLY TO OBSERVE HIS MORAL PRECEPTS.

JOHN xiv. 15, 16, 17.

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.

Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, becaufe it feeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know bim; for he dwelleth with you, and fhall be in you.

UR bleffed Lord might very poffibly defign to compre

OUR

hend, in this promife, all the benefits which the Holy Ghost was to confer on his followers. But his expreffions plainly fhew, that he had chiefly in view, not the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, but the directing and comforting influences of his grace. For thefe alone are given to all, who love Chrift, and keep bis commandments: Thefe alone were to abide with Chriftians for ever: Thefe alone the world could not receive, because they would not suffer themfelves to fee or know them: and though, in appearance, a lefs illuftrious, they are, in reality, a more important gift than thofe of tongues and miracles. For though the latter were powerful means of making religion believed, the former only can bring it to be practised; and therefore it is highly neceffary to teach and incul cate the doctrine of inward grace; that men may earnestly pray for it, faithfully use it, and heartily rejoice in it. Some indeed have abufed the perfuafion of God's working in them

to a neglect of working out their own falvation*. Some have mistaken the feelings of an enthufiaftic warmth for teftimonies of the Divine Spirit; fome have done extravagant, and others wicked actions, under pretence of his direction. But as their afcribing too much, can never warrant our afcribing too little to his influence on our hearts; and error is best confuted, not by maintaining the oppofite error, but by fetting forth the truth, I fhall therefore endeavour,

I. To fhew the credibility of this influence from reafon : II. To give a more certain and full account of it from fcripture:

III. To reconcile it with experience: And

IV. To make fuitable inferences from the whole.

I. To fhew its credibility from reafon; which, however needlefs, if men regarded fcripture as they ought, may be ufeful in difpofing them to regard it more than they do.

A little infpection into ourselves, will convince us what imperfect creatures we are, and how poorly qualified for the practice of piety and virtue. We have indeed, by nature, a general knowledge of our duty, and very juft motives to it, with fome difpofitions in its favour. But then, on the other hand, we have much inattention to religious truths, and great prejudices against them; we have many bad inclinations to mislead us; we have an indolence that lets them eafily pre vail over us; we are in a world full of ill examples and vicious maxims of life; of enticements to unlawful pleasures, provocations to immoderate refentment, temptations to ambition, envy, covetousness, every fin. And fometimes a number of these enemies are combined together fo ftrongly, and attack us fo unprepared, that a much greater force than the ordinary powers of the human mind, would be very unlikely to ftand against them. And when once they overcome us, every fall makes way for another; the fenfibility of eonfcience decays, good affections are ftifled, wrong paffions inflamed, wrong cuftoms formed, and reason, habituated to be over-powered, yields at length without ftruggle. Now, what is there to be expected, for the future, from men unaffifted in thefe circumftances? It does not follow, indeed, that they

will

Phil, ii, 12, 13.

will always go on uniformly to destruction, without fome intervals of better purposes and endeavours. From time to time their eyes shall be opened, their fears alarmed, excellent refolutions made, and, for a while, perfevered in moft zealoufly. But too foon this fervour cools, our vigilance abates, a thousand things happen to put us off our guard; and one thing alone, trusting in our own seeming strength, is fufficient to lull us into a security that will prove fatal. Sinful inclinations and habits always retain a stronger party within us. than appears; and, when we least think of it, fnatch a favourable opportunity, and recover their empire, perhaps more abfolutely than before. After fome experience of this kind, men come indeed to have lefs confidence in themfelves. But what is the ufual confequence? Why, that not looking beyond themselves, at the very time of forming good purposes, they scarce hope to keep them; and fo their efforts grow daily more heartless and faint, till at last they become quite weary of the fruitless trouble; and, it may be, instead of trying any longer to be good, labour to perfuade themselves, that they neither need, nor can be fo.

This is plainly (ask your hearts if it be not) the common courfe of things; the daily event of the combat between mere human virtue, and the trials which this world throws in its way. Yet all the while it is an evident truth, that the very end of our being is the practising of thefe duties, which we find fo difficult, and the rooting out of thefe fins, to which we feel ourfelves fo prone. Now, what God hath made us for, he must fome way have provided we should be able to do, in fuch measure as he will accept. He moft clearly fees the dangers to which we are expofed, and the poor degree of ftrength and preparation with which we meet them. The never-ceafing influences of his providence preferve and actuate every part of the material world. And can we imagine, that he, who is always taking care of all his other works, down to the very meaneft things on this earth, will difregard. the most important thing in it, the eternal interests of the fouls of men? It would be injuring his goodness, his holiness, to think fo.

It is true, beings endued with free will and choice, as we are, must not be acted on fo as to destroy it, but suitably to

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their nature.

And how many fuch methods may there be within the reach of infinite wifdom and power? He who hath given us all the inward principles we have, cannot he, at pleasure, repair their decays, reftrain their vehemence, rectify their diforders? He who hath eftablished the ways by which his creatures communicate their minds one to another, muft not he be able to communicate himfelf to them, when he judges it proper; to reprefent the beauty of goodness, the deformity of fin; to fuggeft proper motives of duty and intereft; to turn their attention from dangerous objects; to inspire them with religious and virtuous affections; to bring into their minds juft and wife rules of conduct; and all this at such times as shall be most needful for our reformation, our fafety, our improvement? Thefe invifible operations of God in our minds, are plainly no more inconfiftent with our liberty, than the fecret or open perfuafions of our fellow mortals are. And therefore it is perfectly credible, that as we, who have fo little goodness, are prompted by it however to advife and affift each other, he, who is abfolutely good, will not refufe his gracious help, in fuch cases as really want it; and especially to fuch perfons as humbly defire it, and honestly make use of it; for carelefs and presumptuous finners have by no means the fame ground to hope for aid from a je and holy God. But to what degree he will either frengthen the former, or admonish the latter, is entirely beyond human knowledge: only this we know, that he may do what he will with his own; and will do always what he fees to be wifeft and beft.

Nor is the perfuafion of God's enlightening and affifting men to perform their duty, a notion ftarted in thefe later ages of the world; but, from early times, the best and most confiderate, even of the Heathens, have held and taught this doctrine and all men every where implicitly own it, by offering up prayers to Heaven for direction, how they should at for help and fuccefs in their attempts; of which prayers, the faith of a divine interpofition is the only poffible ground. Thefe things, put together, muft furely, at leaft, prepare us to receive more readily, and with more entire confidence in it, that fuller light, of which I now proceed