Serm. XL . Religion, our firll andgreat Concernment, 2SI and Controverfy ; becaufe the former are unqueflionably good, the latter doubt- fully and uncertainly fo, All thefe things ought to be çonfider'd, and are of great moment to make a Man ffncerely and wifelyReligious. For Men may keep a great flit about Come Parts of Religion, and be very careful and diligent, zealous and earneft about the Means and InftrumentsofReligion, and in the Exercifes of Piety and Devotion and yet bedeftitute of the Power and Lifeof it, and fall fhort of that inward, and real, and fubftantial Righteoufnefs, which alone can qualify us for the King- dom ofGod. The Fifth and laft Dire &ion I would give, is this ; That we have a particular regard to the great Duty of Charity, or Alms-giving, this being very frequently in Scripture called Righteoufnefr, as being an eminent Part of Religion, and a great Evidence of the truth and fincerity of our Piety. And this our Saviour particularly dire&s to, as the way to the Kingdom of God, Luke 12. 3.3.. After this general Exhortation, to feek the Kingdom of God, he inftanceth in Charity, as the dire& way to it; give Alms, provide for your felves Bags that wax not old, a Treafure in the Heavens, that faileth not. And elfewhere our Saviour (peaks of this Grace and Virtue, as that which, above all others, will make way for our Admiffion into Heaven, Luke r6.9. Ifay untoyou, make to your felves friendsof the Mammon of Vnrighteoufnefs, that whenye fail, they may receive you (or ye may be received) intoeverlafling Habitations. And St. Paul calls it, laying in flore for our f Goer a good Foundation ; or (as the Word may better be render'd in this Place) a good treafure againfl the time to come, that we may lay hold on Eternal Life, a Tim. 6. 59. St. Yames fpeaks of it, as a main and molt effential. Part of Religion, and the great Evidence of a true mad fincere Piety, jam. 1. 27. . Pure Religion, and undefiled before God and the Father, is this ; to vi/ît the Fatberlefr and Widows in their Afflillion. Finally, our Lord infranceth in this, as the very thing whichwill admit us into, or (hut us out ofHeaven ; by the Performance whereof we (hall be abfolved, and for the Negle& thereof we (hall be condemned, in the Judgment of the Great Day, Mat. 25. So that this Part of Righteoufnefs or Religion, ought, in a more efpecial manner to be regarded by us ; becaufe up- on the Performance or Negle& of this Duty, our Eternal Happinefs doth fo muchdepend. The Fourth and laft Thing only remains to be fpoken to ; which is, to fet be- fore you the moll proper and powerful Motives and lncouragements, to the minding of this great Intereft and Concernment. But this will be the Subje&of another Difcourfe. 0 o SER-
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