SERMON X. Defires, and they come, will he fend them away empty ? 'Tis abfo!utely impoOibJ for him who is incarnate Love and,Mercy, to defpifc and reject the Soul that look; e htm, that longs and Janguifhcs after him, and will Ue ever unfatisfied without llim ro In ~1ort, rhe precious Promifes in the Gofpcl, of the. Par~on of Sin, and ete;nal Sa!vntwn, are fo propofed to us, that the Hope of returmng Smners may be cherifh'd and confirm' cl,_ and the Prefumption of fecure Sinners may be d;~lh'd and controul'd While"'? are m this middle State, the fear of Caution, join'd with the lively hope of Mercy, 1s. the mo(l congruous TeD)per, an.d becomfllg the Brea(l of a Chrifiian. The ~~h" cle~~n;'~'~:J:~'tv:,~,~~~'~!al)a~l,:r,•::f'!t ~P\~~;'\~ /ik~1i~ ~~i~ F~~Z-:1:~':~ cv:~~ if not lightncd, wdl certainly_fink ~nd penfl1. Fcarlcfs Secunry expofes to aiJ the TemptatJons that gratify the Carnal Appctlles: defponding Fea r caufes a neglccrofrhe Remedy. If there be no fea. of Puniflnnent, or no hope of Pardon, the Confequences are equally fatal. 3· 'Tis neceffary in order to the bringing Men to Chriit, to remove their carnal Pre. judices. The fir!! and mo(l fear'd Difficulties are, That ftrious Religion will be a damp to all their Joys, a harfl1 and unreafonable Re!lr.int of their Liberties a Bar againit all the Advantages of the World : the fickly f.1ncy is frighten'd at th~ thoughts of tlus. If the way to Heaven were fnortand fa~r, Men would hke 1t; but 'tis lpng and deep, and they arc difcourJ.ged, as the ljraelites with the tedious and trou.bkfome Wildernefs, before their arrival at the Land of Promifc. Accordingly Carnal Men caft a flanderous Shade upon Religion, as a melancholy, fevere and joylefs Difcipline. Now we may rec1ific thefe Mi!lakes by the Light of Scripture, of Rcafon, and of Expenence. aS ~il~,.;r~~~~~r~~':';~ac~~cl~f,~ ti~~r:~~e,vr;G~ fro:.rrf:~,n~l-ec:z;11;{n~~et;•;;~; Ways, 1s joyful to the renewed Soul. Let us take a right View of. the Drvine Corn. mands, the Sum of the.m is this, That Men would be happy here, and for ever. \Ve are commanded to !mow Godand Jefus Chrijl, this is Olfr Life: to trufl: in him, this ~l~~~n~t~~~\~n~0? 1 ~~d 1i~~:tn~~~\~~t ~;~ma~~g~a~~3°;l~G~~ ~gj!tf', t~~em;~ ~'l~ch~~~~a~~~~a~~~;l~l;e~~~~:~:i~~~~ i~~~:tl~,fo;;,a~l~st~h;~a~c~~n ilc'i\ ?f\~~s,;:~~:: manclcd to obey his Laws; and our Saviour a!Turcs us, his Toke is eajj, and bis B1mlrn is liglJt: 'tis an cafy and eating Yoke, that frees us frcm the moft cruelllondage of Sin and Satan. And will not Men believe the Teitimooy of Eternal Truth, rather than their fond Fancies and corrupt Appetites? We arc commanded to hear his Word~ and is it not a Happinefs to be directed in the way to cverlafiing Life ? We are corn~ manded to pray co;Uinuafly ; Is it not a blelfed Privilege that poor Du(! may addrels their Requefts to the Lord Almighty, the Po{[ej[or of Hea'!Jen and Earth, with an AOurance, that thole Petitions are moft pleafing to him, that are for his mo(l excellent Bleffings? llef•denhis, nothmg 1s forbid but finful P!cafures that will end in eternal_ Torments: finful Profits, the gaining of the Worlcl, with the lofs of the Soul' the Gain is nothing. and the Lofs is infinite. Now where are the Chains and Fetters that are fo hard and he1vy as Carnal Men complain of? All his Commands ~re Precepts of Happiuels. ( 2.) This TcUimony of Scripture, Carnal Men efieem a notorious Paradox: they C<tn tall:e no P1c:lfi!res but what are fl:eep'd in Senle. Take away the Enricings and JJ!andilltments of the Carnal Appetites, they undcrftand no other. Plcafure: which is fuch a Deceit, as if a fick Perfon who feels no P!eafure but in the foft and cafy Inter· millions of hisDifeafe, ll10uld conclude if he were entirely freed from it, he lhould be deprived of all Pleafurc. Whereas the P!cafure of Health is far more defirable and con!lant. The Angels are abfolutely exempt from the Defires of our carnal Faculties, and without carnal Fruitions, but arc ever blcffetl and joyful in rhc dired Potfeflion of what is good, not in the relief from Evils either nJtural or accidental, as Hunger and Thir!l, or Sicknefs and Pain. P!cafure refults from the futablenefs between the preceptivc Faculties and the ObjeCts that affeCt them : if there be no harmonious Proportion, there will be no Mufick, no De1ig1t. Now 'tis true, whi le Flefh is the prevailin~ Ingredient in a i\1an? he. only relifhes the Sarisfactions of the Senfes: he cannot enJOY God, he cannot deiJght 10 doing his Will, no more than a Swine can in clean Pafiurc, wi~ofe n.atural Property ftrongly inclines it to wallowin the Mire. But when the Soul 1s clanfied and purged by the great Refiner, how fubhme and fatJsf~mg a Pleafure does it feci in the. Love of God and in his Service! As in natural Fccdmg, when the Palat 1s m 1ts due Temper, ' ~
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