36 SERMONS upon Senn.7. of Man, the Things which God hathprepared for them that leve him. Lailantius faith of the Heathens, Virt:ste vim non fenti nt, copes proemiam ignorant : They feel not the Power óf Vertue, becaufe they are ignorant of the Reward of Vertue. Life and Glory, and the great things to come, are powerful Motives 3 can you meet with the like elfewhere ? All Creatures feek their own Perfelìion. Philofophy is to feek of a lure Reward and Encouragement 4. Our many Advantages in Chrift. We have not only Encouragement offered, but Help and Afïiftance. Chrift hath purchafed Grace to make us holy; r Pet. 2. , 24. Who his own fellf bare our Sins in his own Body on the Tree, that we being dead unto Sin, might live to Righteaufnefe; by whole Stripes ye were healed. He bath not only purchafed the Rewards of Grace, to wit, that God fhould not deal with us in Sove- raignty; but purchafed the Abilities of Grace, redeemed us from a vain Converfation. 1 Pet. 1. x8. By his Death the Covenant is made a Teftament, and all the Precepts are turned into fo many Promifes and Legacies. Chrift will give what he requireth. All Excufe is taken away from Lazinefs, and Wickednefs is no longer allowed the Plea of Weaknefs. There is Help offered in Chrift. g. Terrible Threatnings. The Word is impatient of being denied, it would have Holinefs upon any Terms. There isfomewhat propounded to our Fear, as well as our Hope : Not only the Lofs of Happinefs 5 Heb. 12.14: Follow Peace with all Men, and Holinefi, without which no Man Jball fee God; which is Lofs enough to an ingenuous Spirit : But the Forfeiture of the Soul into eternal Torments, without cafe, without end ; Go, ye Curled, into everlafiing Fire. God hath a Prifon for obftinate Creatures, a Worm that never dies, a Fire that never goes out. Whole Heart doth not tremble at the mention of there things ?. We cannot endure the Torment of one Night under a Feaverifh Diftemper 5 how (hall we think of lying down in everlafting Burnings ? 6. The Word preffeth all this with fuch a Majefty and Power, that it aflonilheth the Confcience, and maketh the Hearts and Souls of Men to quake within them. Felix trembled at the mention of Judgment to come. There is fo much of God in the Word, that if it doth not renew Men, it doth reltrain them, maketh them tremble, where it bath leali force, it cometh with fuch a manifeftation of divine Authority upon the Con. fcience. Latlantises faith, Nihil ponderis habent ijla Pracepta, quia font human. ' There is no fuch Majefty in humane Precepts. Nemo credit, quia tam fe hominem putat of qui au- divit, pans ilium qui predicat, Man is not aftonifhed by Man. Verba dedi, verba reddid . But now the Word of God fearcheth the Heart, pincheth the Confcience, and where it worketh leaft, it maketh Men to quake within themfelves. It is faid, Mat. 7. 28, 29. The People were aft oniJbed at Chriifes DoeSrine, for he taught them as one having Authority, and not as the Scribes. God's Word conieth with'Evidence and Convi &ion upon the Confcience, that they admire the Power of it ; there is Sovereign Majefty in it, the Draught is like the Author. Thus you fee what a powerful Inftrument the Word is, even in á moral way,therefore the fitteft Means whereunto God (hould join his Affrftance to work on the Heart of Man. 7.3f r. Of Information. r. It informeth us what a TreafureTrutii is, and what a value we ( hould put upon it. There are two Things in the World that God is very tender of, his Truth, and his Saints. In the Controverfy about Toleration, Men, on the one fide, have urged the danger of medling with Saints; on the other fide, others have urged the value of Truth. If the whole Controverfy did depend upon this Ifì'ue, which are to be moft refpe &ed, the Truth, or the Saints, fnce God is tender of both ? it would Coon be decided : For betides this, that it is ftrange that they only who are called Saints, fhould be afraid of a vigorous Profecution and Defence of the Truth; it is clear Truth mutt have the Preherhmence, for it is Truth that maketh Saints, and we had need be more tender of the Root than of the Branches. 2. ,It informeth us, that out of the true Religion there is no Salvation, becaufe there is no true Holinefs, and without Holinefs no Man (hall fee God. Heb. 12.14. Fallow Peacewith all Men, and Holinefs, without which no Man 'Ball fee God. It is not without Peace, the Neceffity is not laid upon that, but Holinefs; for Peace is often broken for Striltnefs fake : A Man that is faithful and fincere, may have little of the World's refpe&. But now without the true Religion there is no Holinefs, that's clear. Hence'tis faid, Saniifythem by thy Truth. There may be Civility, and the Exa &nefs of a moral Courfe, counterfeit Grace; but there can be no,true Sanitification, becaufe the Heart cart,
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