GOD had not declared this in his word, the confide- SERM. ration of God's effential holiness and justice would ccvII. fufficiently affure us of it. But befides this, in the very nature and reason of the thing, holiness and goodness is the neceffary and only proper qualification for happiness. Without the bleffed fight and enjoyment of GOD we cannot be happy, and holiness and goodness can only qualify us for this. For happiness is a state which results from a temper and difpofition of mind fuited to it; and where this is wanting, the man is no more capable of happinefs, than he that is fick is of eafe. Virtue and goodness are so essential to happiness, that where these are not, there is no capacity of it. These make us like to God, who is the fountain and pattern of all happiness; and if we be not like to GOD, we can have no enjoyment of him. And a wicked man, if he could steal into heaven, into the fight and prefence of God, would from the temper and difpofition of his own mind, fo unfuitable to that holy place and company, be extremely miserable, even in the manfions of the bleffed. Such a temper of mind, fuch a polluted and guilty conscience, as a finner carries with him out of this world, will accompany him, and remain with him in the other; and guilt is always reftlefs and full of torment, and though GOD fhould not punish it with any pofitive infliction of pain, would of its own nature make a man forever miferable. So that it is a vain dream and imagination, that any man without the practice of ho- . liness in and virtue in this life, can be happy in the other. A fincere and thorough repentance of all our fins will indeed clear our confciences of guilt, and by the mercy of God make us capable of happiness: but it does this by changing our minds, and reconciling them to Gg 4 holiness SERM. holiness and goodness, in firm purpose and refolution of a new life; and by changing our lives and actions too, if there be opportunity for it; but till this change be wrought, either in firm purpose, or in real effect, it is impoffible we should be happy. And though I will not deny but this may be done by a deep repentance, and fuch as GOD fees would prove fincere, in the last act of our lives: yet it is extreme madness to run fuch a hazard, because we may be cut off from the opportunity of it; or if GOD fhould afford us time and grace to that purpofe, it is the hardest thing in the world to have any comfortable and well-grounded affurance of the fincerity of it. So that very little hopes of heaven and happiness can be given upon any other terms, than the general and conftant courfe of a holy and virtuous life; and leaft of all to those who have all their life long refolved to venture their everlasting happiness, upon the infinite uncertainties of a death-bed repentance at the laft. But, II. The truth of this propo fition, that "they which "have believed in GoD, fhould be careful to maintain good works," or that faith and the virtues of a good life ought to go together: I fay, the truth of this will yet be more evident, if we confider the great end and defign of the chriftian religion in particular, which was to reform the world, to purify the hearts and lives of men from corrupt affections and wicked practices, to teach men to excel in all kinds of virtue and goodness. And this is every where in the new teftament moft exprefly declared. The great promise of bleffedness is made to the virtues of meekness, and patience, and peaceablenefs, and purity, and righteoufnefs, as our SAVIOUR exprefly teacheth in that excellent fermon of his upon the mount, which is the fummary of the chri stian religion. Ephef, iv. 17,18,&c. "This I fay there- SERM. "fore, and testify in the LORD, that ye henceforth," CCVII. that is, now that ye have embraced christianity," walk "not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their "mind, having the understanding darkned, being alie"nated from the life of GOD through the ignorance "that is in them, because of the blindness of their "heart: who being paft feeling, have given them"felves over unto lafcivioufnefs, to work alluncleannefs "with greediness. But ye have not so learned CHRIST: "if fo be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in JESUS; that ye put off, concerning the former converfation, the old man, "which is corrupt according to the deceitful lufts; "and be renewed in the fpirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after Gop is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting "away lying, fpeak every man truth with his neigh"bour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry "and fin not, let not the fun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole, fteal "no more; but rather let him labour, working with ❝ his hands the thing which is good, that he may have "to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt com"munication proceed out of your mouth, but that "which is good to the ufe of edifying, that it may "minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the "HOLY SPIRIT of GOD, whereby ye are fealed "unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and ❝ wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be 66 put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, &c." So that you fee, that unless there be an univerfal reformation of heart and life, we have not "fo learned CHRIST as the truth is in JESUS." we SERM. we do not rightly understand the gofpel, and the 23, 24. "But the fruits of the SPIRIT," of that SPIRIT which the chriftian religion endows men withal, " is love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, temperance; and they that are CHRIST's, have cru"cified the flesh with the affections and lufts;" that is, they that profess themselves christians, are obliged to endeavour after all these virtues, and to put off the contrary lufts and vices. Phil. iv. 8. "Finally, brethren, "whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are "honest, whatsoever things are juft, whatsoever things " are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatfoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, " and if there be any praise, think on these things." St. James likewife declares to the fame purpose the genuine effect of chriftianity, which he calls "the "knowledge and wisdom which is from above." James ii. 13, 14, 15, 17. "Who is a wife man, and "endowed with knowledge amongst you? let him fhew "out of a good converfation his works with meeknefs "and wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and ftrife "in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the "truth. This wisdom defcendeth not from above; "but is earthly, fenfual, devilifh." And " the wisdom "that is from above, is firft pure, then peaceable, gen"tle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrify." To which I will add but one text more, which is the fum and comprehension of all the rest, and it is chap. ii. of this epiftle to Titus, ver. II. II. "The grace of "GOD," so he calls the doctrine of the gospel, "the "grace of God which brings falvation unto all men, I "hath "hath appeared, teaching us that denying ungodlinefs SERM. "and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, and righ- CCVII. "teously and godly in this present world." I might proceed particularly to fhew, that the whole difpenfation and doctrine of the gofpel, and all the parts of them, are calculated to raise and exalt humane nature to the highest pitch and perfection of virtue and goodnefs, and effectually to reform the spirits and lives of men. The difpenfation of the gospel, or the christian religion, confifts in God's merciful condefcenfion to fend his own and only Son in our nature, to live among us, and to die for us. The doctrine of the gofpel confifts in the things to be believed; the duties to be practifed by us; and the arguments and encouragements to the practice of thofe duties. Now I fhall briefly fhew, that the design of every part, both of the difpenfation and doctrine of the gospel, is to reform the minds and manners of men, and to engage them to the practice of all virtue and goodness. And, I. For the difpenfation of the gofpel, by which I mean the gracious method which the wisdom of GOD hath pitched upon for the falvation and recovery of mankind, by fending his only begotten Son into the world in our nature, to live among us, and to die for us. So that the principal parts of this difpenfation are these three: 1. His incarnation, or appearing in our nature. 2. His life. 3. His death and fufferings for us. And I fhall fhew, that the great defign of all this was to reform mankind, and make them better. 1. For his incarnation. The great design of his coming into the world, and appearing in our nature, was |