ing upon us, much less afcertain to us this greateft of our outward enjoyments. Again, we often fee the highest honours exchanged for the lowest abafements, and contempt; fo the rich man is frequently reduced to poverty, the healthy man laid upon a bed of languifhing; and the man who stood in the first rank of dignity, is foon debafed to a low degree; whence we may cry out with the preacher, vanity of vanities, and all is vanity, which does not tend to the care of the immortal foul. For, Is always corruption. The body itself, to which alone fuch comforts tending to are fuited, is ever tending toward the duft, and will foon be ftripped of all fenfation of all worldly things, and entirely lòfe the relifh of those things, that once had been moft agreeable to it. And yet no man is exempt from this debt; we must all go down to the filent grave, and can carry none of thofe things along with us; and all their pleafure and ease, if it fhould happen to laft fo long, must then have its end. Whereas III. On the other-hand, that, which ferves the intereft of our fouls, is most lafting and is never taken from us, whose state hereafter will be determined by our behaviour in this life; heaven or hell, happiness or mifery, will be our final portion, just as death finds us; as foon as death ftrikes, we either are in torments or go to paradife; either become the companions of devils, or the affociates of holy angels, and fo remain to all eternity; and therefore our greatest care fhould be to avoid the one and obtain the other. How the state of the foul is deter mined. We are often determined in the affairs of this life by the hope and fear of things to come; as all our purfuits, and most of our actions, are for the fake of fomething future, and not yet in fight; that is, either to prevent fome evil feared, or to obtain fome good defired; for, in the beginning of life, people apply themselves to become mafters of fome profeffion, or trade, or bufinefs, in hopes of a livelihood, or of ferviceableness, when they arrive at riper years, tho' they are not fure they shall ever live to be mafters of what they labour after, nor certain of fuccefs in the most prudent steps they can take to accomplish the end of their worldly expectations, expectations, of which we have far lefs certainty than of an immortal state; fhall it be faid, that we shall be lefs diligent in the care of our fouls, whofe affairs are not fo uncertain? For, tho' we therein act upon a future prospect, yet divine promise ascertains us of fuccefs in the way of the gofpel of Jefus Chrift. Wherefore, tho' the benefit is future, that is no reason to abate our zeal in profecuting it. I have observed, that reafon does not prevail to flacken man's endeavours for his worldly gain: how unreasonable then must they be, who have the advantage of a better hope in our aims for another life, and neglect the means to attain that happy flate? Again, it can be no excufe for a man to fay, that he cannot comply with that felf-denial, mortification, and other chriftian duties, which are acceptable to God through Jefus Chrift, and without which the foul languifheth, is fick, and his faith is dead: for he cannot be ignorant of that plain rule of wif dom, to decline a prefent pleasure for one equal to it of longer continuance; or to fubmit to a prefent inconvenience, to prevent one more lafting; or to obtain a more lafting good, tho' there fhould be no difference in the things them felves, but only in their duration. Thus a wife man will never refufe to go through a short course of phyfick in an ill habit of body upon a fair profpect of procuring a regular state of health thereby; nor neglect to give a small fum of money in hand, upon fecurity of enjoying a good inheritance in a few years after and hall he neglect to take proper care of his foul, to cleanse it from all impurity, and to prepare it for the enjoyment of that blessed state of eternal happiness, which is promised to all those, who love God and keep his commandments? defireable. pro Efpecially knowing that the most lafting things Why eternal below, bear no proportion to eternal happiness. If happiness is we measure them with eternity, they are as nothing; and a minute compared with our whole lives is no portion in comparison of time and eternal duration. Therefore whatever is temporal, is incapable of giving full fatisfaction, because it may be taken from us. So when we are upon an inquiry after happiness, we may difcern at first, that earth fays, it is not in me; for, every thing here is perifhing, and muft foon have an end. Thus 2 4 The ing upon us, much less ascertain to us this greatest of our ou ward enjoyments. Again, we often fee the highest honou exchanged for the lowest abasements, and contempt; so th rich man is frequently reduced to poverty, the healthy ma laid upon a bed of languishing; and the man who ftood i the first rank of dignity, is foon debafed to a low degree whence we may cry out with the preacher, vanity of vanities and all is vanity, which does not tend to the care of the im mortal foul. For, Is always The body itself, to which alone fuch comfort tending to are fuited, is ever tending toward the duft, and corruption. will foon be ftripped of all fenfation of all worldly things, and entirely lofe the relifh of those things, that once had been moft agreeable to it. And yet no man is exempt from this debt; we must all go down to the filent grave, and can carry none of those things along with us; and all their pleafure and cafe, if it should happen to laft fo long, must then have its end. Whereas III. On the other-hand, that, which ferves the intereft of our fouls, is moft lafting and is never taken from us, whose state hereafter will be determined by our behaviour in this life; heahell, happiness or mifery, will be our final portion, juf as death finds us; as foon as death ftrikes, we ther are in torments or go to paradife; eithe come the companions of devils, or the affe holy angels,c How the ftate of the foul is deter mined. fore our greateft care f remain to all eternity e to avoid the one ver live to b pectati there should be no difference the petnam all thofe, who l pecially knew as fhall fincereke them eternally which is designed to re, they endeavour to vealed in his word, and Make them capable of eterheaven. the wick That it is in every man's power to take the ne ments of a devout and pious din do generally make for eir lives is this, That it wer to live up to fuch a state , as the law of God obligeth them too weak, and their nastrong, for their ever being in more affiftance from God, to live strict converfion is the work of God, and canby a man's felf, and therefore till God f pon them, with an irresistible power c ceflary care of his foul. с The continuance of happiness is the most fatisfying character of it; and the eternity of mifery the most bitter ingredient thereof. It is impoffible to be perfectly happy with the profpect of an end before one. This confideration would magnify inferior delights, to think that we should never be deprived of them and light afflictions, with eternity written upon them, could not be borne: what then shall we think of perfect happiness and complete mifery, both of the highest kind, and both eternal, and in one of which mankind must live for ever? Oh! then let us apply to ourselves the force and evidence of that question, What is a man profited, if he should gain the whole world, and lofe his own foul? Or, what will a man give in exchange for his foul? Therefore Perfuafives the foul. From the nature of the first covenant. IV. As the portion of the body at the last day to the care of must follow the condition of the foul, it is our greatest interest to confider the present state of human nature, and the means by which alone it is poffible for us to be made happy. Man was made holy and upright by God; but, having by his voluntary tranfgreffion, and wilful difobedience, fallen from him, did presently fink into a corrupt and degenerate, into a miferable and curfed condition, both in refpect to this life and to that life which is to come: fo thus being become a finner, he is not only deprived of the image of God, but is liable to his justice; and as fuch, God cannot take pleasure in him and that man that dies before he is reftored to his favour, must be separated from him, and be for ever miferable. And As man could not recover himself, nor raise himself out of his own ruin; and as no creature was able to do it, the mercy of God pitied our misery, and his wisdom devised this expedient to reconcile his mercy and justice, viz. that no man fhould on account of original fin be eternally miferable, except through his own fault: and his goodness refolved, that the Son of God should undertake this work, and fatisfy the offended juftice of the Almighty, and repafr the ruined nature of mankind. Thus And of the God did enter into a new covenant with man, fecond cove by way of remedy for what was paft and could not be undone, which, as may be fully collected nant. from |