God above others. This was not made good to them in this world; for they confessed that they were frangers and pilgrims on the earth. Where then is the bleffing spoken of, and fignified by the great words of that promife, that God was their God? They met with no fuch condition in this world, as was answerable to the greatness of the promife. From hence the Apostle argues, that they had a firm perfuafion of a future happiness: For they that fay fuch things, declare plainly that they feek a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; fince he hath prepared for them a city. And though the promise of God to Abraham did immediately defign the land of Canaan, and the earthly Jerufalem; yet the Apostle extends it to that which was typified by it, viz. an heavenly country, the Jerufalem which is above, which, at the 10th verfe of this chapter, is called a city which hath foundations, whofe builder and maker is God. And now, feeing God hath defigned and prepared fo great a happiness for them in another world, well might he be called their God, notwithstanding that they were ftrangers and pilgrims on the earth; that is, though the full meaning and importance of this promise was not made good to them in this world, yet it was accomplished to the full in the happiness which was defigned for them in another life. And God need not be afbamed to be called their God; implying, that if nothing had been meant by it beyond this world, this promife, of God's being their God, would have fallen fhamefully fhort of what it feemed to import. And this I conceive to be the true reason why our Saviour lays fo much weight upon this promife, as to pitch upon it for the proof of the refurrection; that is, of a future ftate of happiness in another world.

There are many confiderations apt to perfuade good men of another life after this: as, that mankind is generally poffeffed with this hope and perfuafion; and that the more wife and virtuous men have been, the more plainly have they apprehended the hopes of immortality, and the better have they been contented to leave this world, as if, feeing farther than other men, they had a clearer profpect of the happiness they were entering upon; but, above all, that God hath made our con

dition in this world fo troublesome and unfettled, as if he had defigned on purpose to make us feek for happinefs elsewhere, and to elevate and raise our minds to the hopes and expectation of a condition better and more durable, than any that is to be met with in this world; which, confidering the goodness of God, and his gracious providence and care of good men, is a thing of itfelf extremely credible.

Having thus, as briefly as I could, difpatched the two particulars which I propounded to fpeak to for the explication of the text, I fhould now fhew what influence thefe confiderations ought to have upon our lives and practice.

And if this be our condition in this world, and these our hopes and expectations as to another life; if we be frangers and pilgrims on the earth, and look for a better country, that is, an heavenly: this ought to have a great influence upon us, in thefe following refpects, which I fhall at prefent but very briefly mention.

1. Let us intangle and incumber ourselves as little as we can in this our pilgrimage; let us not engage our affections too far in the pleafures and advantages of this world; for we are not to continue and fettle in it, but to pafs through it. A little will ferve for our paffage and accommodation in this journey; and beyond that, why fhould we fo earnestly covet and feek more?

2. If we be ftrangers and pilgrims, then it concerns us to behave ourselves blamelefsly and inoffenfively, remembering that the eyes of people are upon us, and that thofe among whom we live, will be very curious and obfervant of our manners and carriage.

3. Let us be chearful and patient under the troubles and afflictions of this prefent life. They who are in a ftrange country must expect to encounter many injuries and affronts, and to be put to great difficulties and hazards; which we fhould endeavour to bear with that. chearfulness, as men that are upon a journey use to bear foul ways and bad weather, and inconvenient lodging and accommodations.

4. The confideration of our prefent condition and fa ture hopes fhould fet us above the fondnefs of life, and the flavih fear of death. For our minds will never be

raised to their true pitch and height, till we have in fome good meafure conquered these two paffions, and made them fubject to our reafon. As for this prefent life, and the enjoyments of it, what do we fee in them, that fhould make us fo ftrangely to dote upon them? Que lucis miferis tam dira cupido? This world at the best is but a very indifferent place; and he is the wifest man that bears himself towards it with the most indifferent affection; that is always willing to leave it, and yet patient to stay in it as long as God pleases.

5. We should always prefer our duty and a good confcience before all the world; because it is in truth more valuable, if our fouls be immortal, and do furvive in another world. For (as our Saviour argues) what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lofe his own foul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his foul? And thus St. Paul reafoned with himself from the belief of a refurrection of the just and unjust: For this caufe (faith he) I exercife myself alway to have a confcience void of offence both toward God, and toward men.

6. Laftly, If we be fojourners and travellers, we fhould often think of our end, and carefully mind the way to it. Our end is everlasting happinefs, and the way to it is a conftant, and fincere, and univerfal obedience to the commandments of God. When the young man in the gofpel inquired of our Saviour the way to eternal happiness, faying, Good mafter, what good thing fball I do, that I may inherit eternal life? his anfwer to him was, If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. We may easily mistake our way; for ftrait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it. Therefore we should often pray to God as David does, Pfal. cxix. 19. I am a ftranger in the earth, hide not thy commandments from me; and Pfal. cxxxix. 23. 24. Search me, O God, and know my heart : try me, and know my thoughts; and fee if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

SERMON

204

SERMON

LXIX.

Good men strangers and fojourners upon earth.

HE B. xi. 13.

And confeed that they were ftrangers and pilgrims on the earth.

The whole verse runs thus:

Thefe all died in faith, not having received the promifes, but having feen them afar off, and were perfuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were Strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

I

The fecond fermon on this text.

Have lately in this place (upon a particular day and occafion) begun to handle these words; I fhall brief

ly give you the heads of what hath been already delivered, and proceed to what remains. And that which I defigned from this text was, to reprefent our present condition in this world, and to awaken our minds to a due fenfe and confideration of it. It is the fame condition that all the faints and holy men that have gone before us were in in this world; and we may all of us fay with David, Pfal. xxxix. 12. I am a ftranger with thee, and a fojourner, as all my fathers were.

It is very frequent, not only in fcripture, but in other authors, to represent our condition in this world by that of pilgrims and fojourners in a far country. For the mind, which is the man, and our immortal fouls, which are by far the most noble and excellent part of ourselves, are the natives of heaven, and but strangers and pilgrims here on the earth; and when the days of our pilgrimage fhall be accomplished, are designed to return to that hea venly country from which they came, and to which they belong. And for the explication of this metaphor, I infifted only upon two things, which feem plainly to be defigned and intended by it.

1. That

1. That our condition in this world is very troublefome and unfettled: They confeffed that they were ftrangers and pilgrims on the earth.

2. It implies a tendency to a future fettlement, and the hopes and expectation of a happier condition, into which we shall enter when we go out of this world.

And these I told you are two very weighty and useful confiderations; that we fhould both understand our prefent condition in this world, and our future hopes and expectation after our departure out of it; that fo we may demean ourselves fuitably to both these conditions; both as is fit for those who look on themselves as pilgrims and fojourners in this world, and likewife as it becomes those who feek and expect a better country, and hope to be partakers of a blessed immortality in another world. I. That our condition in this world is very troublefome and unfettled; and this is principally intended by the metaphor of strangers and pilgrims. Such was the life of the Patriarchs here fpoken of in the text; they had no conftant abode and fixed habitation, but were continually wandering from one kingdom and country to another; in which travels they were expofed to a great many dangers and fufferings, affronts and injuries; as we read at large in the hiftory of their travels in the Old Teftament. And fuch is our condition in this world; it is often troublesome, and always uncertain, and unfettled fo that whatever degree of worldly felicity any man is poffeffed of, he hath no fecurity that it shall continue for one moment.

II. Our condition in this world being a state of pilgrimage, it implies a tendency to a future fettlement, and the hopes and expectation of a happier condition into which we fhall enter fo foon as we leave this world. For fo it follows immediately after the text: They confeed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth: for they that fay fuch things, declare plainly that they feek a country. They that fay fuch things; that is, they that acknowledge themfelves to have lived in fuch reftlefs

and uncertain condition in this world, travelling from one place to another, as the Patriarchs Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob did; and yet pretend to be perfuaded of the goodness of God, and the faithfulness of his promife, in VOL. IV.

S

which