a law unto themfelves in thefe matters. And, there fore, the apostle faith, that God is not far from every one of us, Acts xvii. 27. and that the invifible things of God are clearly feen from the creation of the world, and thofe things that he hath made, Rom. i. 20. So that they who deny his eternal power and godhead, are without excufe.

II. They who are greatly careless and neglective of God, cannot say that they have kept the ways of the Lord, &c. For, two things are abfolutely neceffary to the ftate of religion; and wherein we ought to take great care; to wit, judgment of right, and confcience to do accordingly. The judgment of what is right and wrong; true, and false; good, and evil; do require great care, diligence, and pains. Nay, let me ask you, what there is in the whole life of man that is valuable, or worthy, but doth require care, pains, induftry, and diligence? Go over the feveral employments of the world. The husbandman plows, and fows, and doth every thing neceffary to his land, before he expects a crop. Take the merchant in the way of his trade; he walks from east to west, and fends his goods far and near, for the increase of his wealth. What diligence and care do men take, to preferve life, and to maintain themselves in health and ftrength, and provide for their families? to get an estate, and to keep it? We fee, in every thing that is to be done for the concerns of this life, there is care and caution to be used. And, fhall there be no care, no pains, no diligence, nor industry used, to govern our faculties; to moderate our appetites, for the feveral ufes and purposes of religion, which is of the

highest

highest concernment of all others? Wherefore, in the first place, to the state of religion, and in order to uphold and maintain the fame; there must be care taken, to difcern the difference between good and evil; true and falfe; right and wrong. For these are the great points of religion. At the knowledge of these, religion begins. And this is every body's charge, according to his capacity, opportunity, and ability. And this is as neceflary to preserve us from cheats and impoftures, as to know our liberty. Our first work is to establish in ourselves a throne of judgment, throughly to know and understand our duty, and what is to be done, what to be avoided: and, then, in point of practice and choice, to obferve this difference. And, if this be not done, our religion is to little purpose. For it comes all to one; not to make any difference in things, or not to obferve that difference. The first thing in religion, is, to refine a man's temper and the fecond, to govern his practice. If a man's religion do not this, his religion is a poor flender thing, and of little confideration: 'tis then, only a naked profeffion, and fit to give him a denomination. I fay, fuch a man's religion is but of little value; for, it hath no efficacy, but, falls short of the very principles of nature. For they do conftantly attain their feveral effects. moon, the stars; fire, air, earth, and never fail to act according to their feveral principles, and to attain their feveral effects. The fun, hath not failed for fix thoufand years, infomuch, that we are furer of its rifing and fetting, than we are of ourfelves. Now, fhall all the principles in inferior natura throughout

certainly and The fun, the

water; these

throughout the whole creation, regularly, constantly, and certainly attain their effects? And, fhall there be only a failure in the principles of reason, and religion ?But to proceed.

III. Whofoever doth voluntarily confent to known iniquity; I am fure, this text cannot be verified of fuch a perfon. Men that do wittingly, and willingly confent to that which their judgment tells them, at that time, is evil, are reprefented in fcripture as finning with a high hand, and with a stiff neck, and to refift the holy fpirit; and to commit the great tranfgreffion, Jer. xvii. 23. Acts vii. 51. Pfal. xix. 13. Now, of these, the first fort never made any entrance into religion. As for the fecond, if they do any thing worthy of religion, 'tis rather by chance, than of choice. As for the third, they pass into a clean contrary state.

The first of thefe, to wit, thofe that are fundamensally ignorant, they ftumble at the very threshold; because religion, in every degree, begins at fome meaJure of knowledge; for, can a blind man judge of colours? No more can a man that is fundamentally ignorant be faid to be religious. And, as for those that are greatly careless, and neglective; it is uncertain what they will do, that do not act by rule, and upon confideration. But, as for the third fort; those that give their confent to that which is evil, these pass into the contrary ftate, and take a courfe to root out of their minds the very feeds of goodness that were sown: for, so, contrary acts are apt to do. No habit doth abfolutely determine the act, tho' it doth greatly difpofe and incline to the action. Yet a habit may be utterly loft. If a man do, for a long time forbear

forbear all acts of religion, he is wanting to that which fhould continue the habit. And, if there be contrary acts, the contrary habit will be begun; and the more they are, the more will the contrary difpofition be increased. So that, in time, the habit of virtue fhall not only be weakened, but wholly wrought out, and the contrary habit brought in.

This is the course of things in nature. Every habit begun, is greatly weakened by a bare forbearance of acts; for, every thing must be conferved in the way it was produced. A difpofition is first introduc ed by fome acts: and, if you do not introduce act upon act, the difpofition will fail. For, things that are not brought to a state of perfection, will return back again, if they be not maintained in the fame way that they were produced. Therefore, the towardliness of fome perfons to virtue, is, by intermiffion of acts, abated: and, when they come to put forth contrary acts, it is quite expelled. And this is the ground and foundation of Achitophel's counsel to Abfalom, 2 Sam. xvi. 21. He bids him do a lewd act that he might be confirmed in his wicked defign he had against his father. Therefore, let us clofe with that good advice which Jefus, the fon of Syrach gives, Ecclef. xxi. 2. Flee from fin, as from a ferpent.

The leaft that can be expected from religion, and confcience to God, is, that by means thereof, men be kept from giving their confent to known iniquity, and be enabled to escape the pollutions of the world. If the creation below us, by their natural inflinct, always do thofe things that are regular, and attain their end: fhall not these higher principles of reafon

Q 3

and

and understanding do the like, and always preferve us from known evil, and determine us to that which is morally good? The principle of reafon, knowledge, and judgment, is the highest principle, and transcendent to all others. The principle by which the fun doth enlighten the world, is not to be put in competition with the reason of mind and understanding: to which if we add, the aid of God's grace, which doth never fail, (for he doth prevent us with his grace;) it is a fhame and reproach to us, if we vary from the rule and measure of virtue; fin against our own light and confcience: and do worse, when we know bet

ter.

I fhall now proceed to declare the purpose and intent of religion: what it aims at, and how it doth affect the fubject. And that I will do, in these parti

culars.

how

I will confider religion, in its motion towards God: -What it doth in the perfon in which it is : how it appears, and carries itself towards others, even to the whole creation; but more especially, towards them with whom we daily converse : religion ftands affected towards the things that are without us, or about us; either the necessaries, and conveniencies, or fuperfluities of life: and what religion doth, when it is finally victorious, and overcomes the world.

Of these I fhall treat; but not feverally, and diftinctly. Nor will I undertake to give you a particular account of thefe, in the order I have now laid them; for, this would be, to make this text the whole bible. I will therefore speak of them in conjunction,

as