christian religion has opened to you the knowledge of a new world-a state of happiness beyond what the heart of man can conceive; and God hath promised you through Chrift, an inheritance in this happy state, if you will qualify yourselves properly for it. But there are certain conditions, in this cafe as in the other, to be performed. This future world, we are affured, is a place of infinite purity; and to prepare ourselves for it, it is neceffary we fhould fit loose to the pleafures of this present world, and form ourselves, as the apostle speaks, after the pattern of heavenly things-that we fhould copy after those perfections, and endeavour after that fpirit, which was in Chrift Jefus our Lord. For he came into the world to fhew us the way to heaven; and to teach us that kind of temper, which must qualify us for it. Hence therefore fomething more than strict juftice, and common charity are required of us. We must love our enemies-we must do good to them that hate us, and bless them that defpitefully ufe us, and perfe cute us. Thus you fee, that common virtues would do very well, if we were intended only to live in this world; but as we are intended hereafter to live in the the kingdom of heaven; and as more purified affections are neceffary to our living there, it is furely reasonable that we should obey thofe laws, which teach us how we are to get there, and how we are to live there. Have I made this matter quite plain and easy to you?-that when Chrift opened the kingdom of heaven to mankind, he expected from them better lives, more charity, more piety, and more devotion, than if they had been only intended to live in this world. As the chriftian religion opens our views, it of courfe alters our motives. Surely therefore you must allow it to be as reasonable, and conducive to your happiness, to perform the conditions required to obtain this heavenly inheritance, as it would be to accept the conditions neceffary to inherit a large estate-that is, on a fuppofition, you believed the reality of the one, as firmly as you believed the reality of the other. I shall now therefore proceed to fhew, which was the fecond point I was to lay before you, that we are fufficiently enabled to perform the conditions, which the gospel requires. First, then, as God hath given us a reasonable law, he hath likewife made us reasonable creatures, that that we may see the reasonableness of this law; and the mischief of tranfgreffing it. The brute fees only the present time. Man has the power of reviewing the past, and foreseeing the future. By reflection he gains experience from his own errors, and from the errors of others. He fees the confequences of his actions. He knows as well, as if it had actually happened, that fuch and fuch evils will follow fuch and fuch fins. He knows, if he lead an idle life, his family must starve-that drunkenness will ruin his health, and his affairsthat if he steal, he is in danger of the law. He knows alfo, if he be not an infidel, that a life of piety will be rewarded hereafter; and a life of wickedness punished. Again, he feels, he has the power of doing a thing, or of not doing it. He can either liften to his reason, and his confcience, when they inform him that such a thing is right; or he can listen to his appetites, and paffions, when they allure him to things, which are pleasant only. Thus far God almighty hath enabled us to go by the force of thofe natural powers, with which he hath entrusted us. But we must always remember, that our own powers are of little value in our fpiritual contests with vice, unless unless aided by divine grace. When we talk therefore of our own power, to refrain from fin, and do good; it must always be understood to mean by the affiftance of the holy fpirit of God. It is the true doctrine of the gospel, that without God we can do nothing-but that with him all things are poffible. And hence it is chiefly, that Christ's yoke may be called eafy, because whatever our difficulties are in this ftate of trial, in which God hath placed us, his holy spirit will always be ready proportionably to affift us. But our own endeavours are necessary; and prayer to God for his affiftance is neceffary. Without both thefe, we cannot expect it. For if we beg God's grace, and neglect to use it—if we beg his affiftance in mortifying our lufts, and paffions, and yet do not contribute our own endeavours, the fcriptures tell us, that God's fpirit will not always ftrive with man. He gives us the power to do what is right, because he is a juft God: but he hath laid no restraint upon us, because he hath made us reasonable creatures. Thus I think it fully appears, that the christian religion is both reasonable, and conducive to our happiness; and that we all are fufficiently enabled to practise it, firft by the use of our own reafon; and fecondly, by the affiftance of God's holy spirit. Chrift's Christ's yoke therefore, one should think, cannot be very difficult. But fome may fay, our Saviour himself has told us, that it is difficult-that ftrait is the gate, and narrow the way, that leads to life; and that the fcriptures every where fpeak of fighting, striving, wrestling, labouring, and watching. And is there nothing difficult in all this? Is this the eafy yoke, and light burden, which our Saviour promises? In answer to this, let me remind you of what I mentioned at the beginning of this discourse, that it is all along supposed, if we have led wicked lives, the first setting out in a new course must always be attended with difficulties. Paffions and ap petites, that have long been unrestrained, will certainly be reftlefs and uneafy, for want of their favourite objects: but this is not to be laid to the account of religion, but in fact to the want of it. Religion is indeed peace, and happiness: but not till the habit of it is formed. A man is not to expect the peace of religion, till he become religious. If you should be asked, whether it were a difficult thing to make a clock; or to play upon an inftrument of mufic; or to paint a pic, ture? How would you anfwer fuch questions? Why it is a very difficult thing to thofe, who know nothing |