Serm. XXXIV. 241 SERMON XXXIV. Honefty the heft Prefervative againft dangerous MiftakesThe Seto el Sermon on in Religion. this Text. JOHN. NTH. 17. If any Man will do his Wills he )hall know of the DoEirine, whether it be of God, or whether I (peak of myfell IMacle Entrance into thefe Words the Taft Day ; in which our Saviour declares to us, that an honett and fincere Mind, and an hearty Defre and Endeavour to do the Will of God, is the belt Securityand Prefervative againft dangerous Errors and Miftakes in Matters of Religion ; icfv 7is .9 A.,ri vrmév, if any Man defire to do bis Will, he fhäll know of the DoElrine, whether it be of God, or- whether I (peak ofmyfell: . . Now there are (I told you) Two great Miftakes in Religion : To rejeEí any thing which really is from God ; and to receive and entertain any thing as from God, which is not really from him. And therefore I propofed from this Text to thew how a fincere Delire and Endeavour to do the Will of God, is a Security to Men againft both thefe Dangers, namely, upon thefeTwo Accounts. ail, Becaufe he who fincerely defires and endeavours to do the Will of God, is hereby better qualified and difpofed to make a right judgment of Spiritual and Di- vide Things; and that for thefe Two Reafons. I. Becaufe fuch a Perfon hath a truer NotionofGod, andDivine Things. He that refembleth God moft, is like to underftand him heft, becaufe he finds thofe Perfetti- ons, in form meafure, in himfelf,, which he contemplates in the Divine Nature ; and nothing gives a Man fo fure a Notion fThings, as Pra&ice and Experience. II. Becaufe fuch a Perfon is more impartial in his Search and Enquiry after Truth, and therefore more likely to find it, and to difcern it from Error. That Man Only Rands fair for the Entertainment of Truth, who is under the Power and Dominion of no Vice or Luft, becaufe he hath nothing to corrupt or bribe him, to feduce him and draw him afide in his Enquiry after Truth : He bath no manner of Concernmentthat the contrary Propofition should be true, having the Indifferency of a Traveller, and no other Intereft, but to find out the right way to Heaven, and to walk in it. But if a Man be biafs'd by any Luft, and addifted to any vicious Pra&ice, he is then an interefted Perfon, and concern'd to make a partial Judgment of Things, and is under a great Temptation to Infidelity, when the Truths of God are propofed to him ; becaufe, whatever theEvidence for them be, he cannot but be unwilling to own the Truths of thofe Doftrines, which are fo contrary tohis Inclination and Intereft. Secondly, Another Reafon why they who fincerely defireto do theWill ofGod, have a greater Security in difcerningTruth from Error, is, becaufe the Providence of God is more efpecially concern'd to preferve fuch Perfons from dangerous Errors and Miftakes, in Things which concern their Eternal Salvation. When Men are of a teachable Temper, of an humble and obedient Frame of Mind, God loves to reveal himfelf, and his Truth to them, Pfal. 25. q. The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek; will he teach his way. The proper Difpofitio.: of a Scho- lar, is to be willing to Iptrn ; and that which in Religion we are to learn ; is, le hat is thegood and acceptable Will ofGod, that we may do it ; for Pra&ice is the end of Knowledge ; Ifye know thefe things (faith our Saviour) happy are ye ifye Jo them. It is neceffary toknow the Will of God ; but we are only happy in the I i doing
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