SERM. perfonally to their edification, the principal XV. charge he had to give them is in the words

of my text, only let your converfation be as it becometh the gospel of Chrift. This in all events would turn to their account, and give him pleasure, whether he were present with or abfent from them. As we must be fenfible that the direction concerneth all chriftians, at every time and in every condition wherein they can be, I will, without any farther introduction, endeavour to explain it, by fhewing what kind of converfation doth become the gospel, and then the motives whereby we are urged to it, or I will show you what on our part is becoming the gospel, both in fact and in reafon, what it actually demandeth from its profeffors, and what obligations they are under to fatisfy its demands.

It is evident that chriftianity being a practical inftitution, and a law given to men for regulating their moral conduct, the defign of it can only be fulfilled by their obedience. It was not merely, and principally intended to rectify the opinions of mankind, and give them juft fentiments concerning things, however important, which they did not understand before; far lefs was it to form a party by the christian name, and to separate fome from others by diftinguishing badges,

Badges, and merely external privileges; but SER M. the end of the gospel commandment is XV. the practice of virtue, and charity out of

a pure
heart. It ought to be taken for gran-
ted, as generally agreed to by mankind, and
indeed the christian religion supposeth rather.
than proveth it, that there is fuch a thing as
a neceffary difference between right and
wrong, or moral good and evil; the fenfe of
it is deeply engraven on the minds of men,
producing joy and self-applause when they
do what is good, as a consciousness of evil
is attended with inward reproach and con-
fufion. This the apostle calleth the work of
God's law written in men's hearts, and it is
the foundation on which all moral institutions
reft, and from which they derive their force.
But the knowledge of morality was very.
much obfcured in the world, or the human,
capacity of attaining to it was not duly im-
proved; for it is certain that, at least, the
vulgar notions of piety and virtue were very
defective, some of them extremely obscu-.
red. By the vanity of their thoughts the fool-
ifh hearts of men were darkened, and that
which might be known of God, being mani-
fefted by his works, they were ignorant of;
mifled by their own contracted prejudices,
they run into grofs mistakes concerning the
divine

Dd 4

SER M. divine nature, and the divine operations and XV. conduct towards the creatures; they chang

ed, as the apostle faith, the glory of the incorruptible God into images made like to corruptible man, and even to birds and fourfooted beafts, and creeping things; they had most abfurd opinions concerning the moral attributes of the deity, imagining that he, or rather they, for they fuppofed a plurality, was like themselves, proud, fierce, lascivious, cruel, and revengeful; in fhort almoft every human vice had a patron among the Gods. Now, must not the fenfe and the natural motives of religion and virtue be by this means in a great measure defeated and rendered ineffectual? and fo it was in fact. For it is a difmal account which the facred writers give us of the Gentile world, that it was dead in trespasses and fins. True piety was loft in fuperftition and idolatry, and in confequence of their falfe worship, they were given up to vile affections, to work all manner of wickedness with greediness, even to do those things which were reproachful to the human nature.

But fince it pleased God to reveal his will to mankind by Jefus Chrift, to declare unto them the remiffion of fins upon the gracious terms of their repentance and amendment,

ment, and fince he hath taught them jufter SER M. fentiments concerning himself, his nature XV. and attributes, and concerning his government of the reasonable creatures, and every part of their duty to him, to themselves, and to one another, that revelation ought to be the rule of their actions; and a conversation becoming it is the very reverse of a converfation according to the former lufts of men in ignorance; it is fuch a one as is agreeable to the inftructions and the rules he hath given them, comprehending the worship of him in spirit and truth, the offices of justice and charity, with a proper rule over our own fpirits, keeping the selfish appetites and paffions under a strict discipline, and a moderate use of worldly enjoyments. Converfation is a word we frequently meet with in fcripture, and it fignifieth the tenor of a man's life morally confidered, or the courfe of his deliberate actions, with a regard to the rule, the principles, and the motives, by which it is directed, and the ends which it purfueth; thus we read of an upright and a vain, a holy and a filthy conversation; a converfation by the grace of God in fincerity and godly fimplicity, fet in oppofition to that which is conducted by fleshly wisdom. Every man being a rational and a free agent is fuppofed

SERM. fuppofed to have a power of determining. XV. his own conduct, and therefore is accounta

ble for it. We are conscious to ourselves of acting voluntarily, and that our works depend upon our own choice, which maketh us to reflect on them with felf-approbation or remorfe, and this leadeth us into the idea of a moral obligation and a rule by which we ought to govern ourselves,

These are the actions which properly conftitute what the apoftle calleth our converfation, and the gofpel being given as a law to direct them, a converfation becoming it must be fuch a one as it requireth in the whole of our behaviour; the conforming every part of our practice to its inftructions.

precepts

and And therefore to understand aright the exhortation in the text, we may take a brief view of what christianity enjoineth upon the feveral comprehenfive articles which the apostle mentioneth in his fummary of the doctrine taught us by the grace that bringeth falvation, namely, fobriety, righteousnefs, and godlinefs whereby we shall fee that the gofpel extendeth as a rule to our whole converfation.

First then, all the virtues comprehended in fobriety, fuch as chastity, temperance, con

tent