Serm. LXIX. árad ít.c cbmfi/íence with free Grace. him, we cannot fee him as he is, and if we fhould be admitted into Heaven, we could not find any pleafure and happinefs in communion with him. Blefedare the pure in heart (lays our Saviour ) for they Jhall fee God. Without Holinefs ( fags the Apoftle) no man fball fee the Lord. And indeed, it is in the very nature of the thing impofíìble, that a wicked Man ( whilst he remains fo) fhould ever be happy, becaufe there can be no agreeable and delightful Society between thofe that are of a quite contrary temper and difpofition to one another, between him who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, and a finful and impure Creature. For what fellowfhip (faith theApoftle) can righteoufnefs have with unrighteoufnefs? what communion bath light with darknefs, or God withBelief? that is, with the wicked and difobedient. Till we become like to God in the frame and temper of our minds, there can be no happy fociéty between him and us; we could neither delight our felves in God, nor he take any pleafure in us; for he is not a God that bath pleafure ìnwìckednefs, neither /hall evil dwell with him. The wicked ¡ball not frond in his fight, he háteth all the workersof iniquity. It cannot be otherwife, but that there mutt be an eternal jarring and difcord between the righteous and holy God, and wicked and unrighteous Men. Iwill behold thy face (lays David) in righteoufnefs. There is no lookingGod in the face, uponany other terms. If we have been workers of Iniquity, God will caft us out of his, fight, and in great anger bid us todepart from him; and we alto (hall defire him to depart from us, as being unable tobear the fight of him. So that there is great reafon why Holinefs and Obedience fhould be made the Conditions of Eternal Life and Happinefs, fince in the very Nature of the thing it is fo neceffary a Qualification for the bleffed fight and enjoyment of God, who is the Caufe and Fountain of Happinefs. I come in the Fifth and laft place, To (hew that this Methodand Means of our Salvation is no prejudice to the Law of Faith, and to the free. Grace and Mercy of God declared in the Gofpel. The Gofpel is called the Law of Faith, and the Law of Grace, in oppofition to the Jewith Difpenfation, which is called the Law, or Co- venant of Works, becaufe it confifteth fo much in .external Rites and Obfervances, which,were but types and fhadows of good things to come, (as the Apoftle calls them in this Epiftle; ) and which when they were come, that Law did expire of it felt, and was out of date, the obligation and obfervance of it was no longer neceffaryg but a better Covenant, which was eflablifh'd upon better Promi- fes, came in the place of it, and Men were jufrified by Faith, that is, by fincere- ly embracing the Chriftian Religion, and were no longer under an obligation to that external, and fervile, and imperfeet Difpenfation, which confifted in Cir- cumcifion, and in almoft an endlefs number of external Ceremonies. Thefe are the works of the Law fo often fpoken of by St. Paul, concerning which the yew.t had not only an opinion of the neceffity of them to a Man s juftification and Salvation, but likewife of the Merit of them, in oppofition to both which opi- nions, St. Paul calls the Covenant of the Gofpel, the Law of Faith, and the Law of Grace. But there is nowhere the leaft intimation given, either by our Saviour or his Apoftles, that Obedience to the Preceptsof the Gofpel (which are infubftance the Moral Law clearedand perfe&ed) is not neceffary to our acceptance with God, and the obtaining of Eternal Life; but on the contrary, ''cis our Saviour's exprefs Dire&ion to the young Man, who ask'd, what good thing he fhould do, that be might obtain Eternal Life; If thou wilt (fays he) enter into Life, keep the Commandments; and that he might uhderftand what Commandments he meant, he inftanceth in the Precepts of the Moral Law. And indeed , the whole tenour of our Saviour's Sermons, and the Precepts and Writings of the Apoftles, are full and exprefs to this purpofe. Not every one that faith unto me, Lord, Lord, (hall enter into the Kingdomof Heaven: but he that doth the Will of my Father which is inHeaven. Whofoever heareth thefe fayings of mine (that is, thefe Precepts which I have delivered) and doth them not, Iwill liken him to a foolifh man, who builthis Houfe. upon the fand, and the rain defcended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that Rafe, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. T t t 2 If 5 o7.
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