J 5 6 SERMONS upon Serm. XXIV. liiftent with all conceit of merit. But what is the reafon of this difference, that the one Mould be Wages, the other a gracious Gift. Firft , Our evil works are our ownit wholly evil, therefore merit death , as work doth wages; but the good we do is neither ours , nor is it perfect, and is done by them that have a demerit upon them, that have deferved the contrary by reafon of fin, and might look for punifhment rather than reward. Secondly , There is this difference between fin and obedience, that the hainoufnefs of fin is always aggravated and heightened by the proportion of its objea, as to ftrike an Officer is more than to ftrike a private perfon, a Judge more than an ordinary Offi- cer , a King molt of all. Thence it comes to pats, that a fin committed againft God deferveth an infinite punifbment , becaufe the Majefty of God is defpifed : but on the other fide, the greater God is, and the more glorious, the greater obligation lyeth up- on us to love him and ferve him ; CO that the good that we do for his fake , being the more due , God is not bound by any right of Juftice , from the merit of the action it felf, to reward it , for here the greatnefs of the Obje& leffeneth the merit and value of the A &ion ; for whatever the Creature is, it oweth it felf wholly to God , who gave us our Being , and Hill preferveth it 3 fo that we cannot lay any obligation upon him, Luke 17. IO. When ye fball have done all thofe things which are commanded you, fy, We are unprofitable fervants, we have done that which was our duty to do. Punif lament is na- turally due to evil doers; but God is not by natural Juftice bound to reward us , but only inclined to do fo by his own goodnefs, and bound to do fo by his free Promife and Covenant. Arifiotle teileth us, Children cannot merit of their Parents, all the kind - nefs and ,duty they perform to them , is but a juft recompence to them , from whom they have received their Being and Education : much lefs can we merit ought of God, it is his meer grace and fupereminent goodnef, that appointed fuch a reward to us; that grace which firft accepted us with all our faults, doth Rill crown us, and beftow glory and honour upon us. Z1f a. See how God doth befet us on every fide : to fence and bound us within our duty , .there is a threatning of eternal Death; to invite us to go on in our way , the promife of eternal Life and Glory. Surely both Motives fhould be effeftual, our whole life is a flight from wrath to come, and a running for refuge to take hold of the bleffed hope let before us in our purfuit after eternal Life: Prov. 15. 24. The way of life is above to the wife, that he may depart from hell beneath. We are frill running further from Hell, and approaching nearer to Heaven, the more we hate and avoid fin, the further we go from the pit of everlafting Deftru &ion; and the more we give our felves to Holi- nefs, the nearer Heaven every day, our Right is more fecured , and our hearts more prepared. More particularly we have by this conjoyned motive a great help againft Temptations. The World tempteth us either by the Delights of Senfe, or by the Ter- rors of Strife t therefore God propoundeth this double Motive, the Terrors of ever - lafting Death, and the Joys of everlafting Life, that we may counterbalance Terrors with Terrors, and Delights with Delights, as LiAe 12. 4, 5. Be not afraid of them that kill the body , and after that have no more that they can do. But 1 will forewarn you whom you (hall fear : fear him, which after he hash killed, hatb power to call into Bell, yea, I fay unto you, Fear him. On the other fide, dam. 5. 5 re have lived in pleafure upon earth , and been wanton, ye have nourijhed your felves as in a day of (laughter. Luke 16. 25. Son, remember that in this life thou receivefi thy good things, and likewife Lazarus evil things ; but now he is comforted , and thou art tormented: they are excluded from the pleafures at Gods right hand for evermore. Or elfe quite crois, as the World tempts us by, the hopes of tome fenfual contentment, fo we may refrft the Temptation by the belief of everlafting Death, Rom. 8. 13. If ye live after the flefh, ye 'hall dye. Surely this fhould make us abftain from all finful pleafures, how much foever we are addi&ed to them. So as theWorld tempteth us with the fears of Tome temporal vexation, the believing of everlafting Life fhould help us to bear the evils of our pilgrimage, or fuffe- ranee for welldoing : 2 Cor. 4. 17. Our light afflutiron, that is but for a moment, worli- eth for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Thus are we environed on the right hand and on the left. Z1fe a. From thisConjun &ion let us learn, that God is both a righteous Judge, and a gracious Father: r Pet. I. 17. If ye call on the Father, who without re ffeif of perfans judgeth according to every mans work He bath his gifts for the godly, and punifhments for the wicked. All our claim is Grace, the punilhment of the wicked is due debt, the Sentence of Gods Law bath made k their due; but yet our reward is not the lets lure, though it be more free. 2. Let
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