of our Saviour; No Man can ferve two Masters; for either be will hate the one and love the other, or elfe be will hold to the one and defpife the other; ye cannot ferve God and Mammon: Mat. 6. 24. Where the Commands of two Matters are contrary and inconfiftent (as 'tis in the prefent Cafe) 'tis impoffible to ferve both. The Service of Mammon requires us to addict our Hearts and Affections to this World; the Service of God calls them off, and would have. them fix'd on a better: Now we muft either renounce God or Mammon, Chrift or the World; for if we flick to the one we must forfake the other; their ways are fo different, that none can follow both.

Now here, if we would confult the great Rule of Reafon. and Religion, there could be no difficulty in determining our Choice; for that wills, that the chiefeft Good fhould have our chiefeft Efteem and our choiceft Affections: Now God being our Supreme and chiefeft Good, and the eternal Glories of the next World infinitely furpaffing the perishing Trifles of this, no wife Man can be at a lofs which way to incline.

Chufe then, my Brethren, whom you will follow, God or Mammon, Chrift or the World: you cannot, you fec, ferve both; and tho the odds be vaftly great, yet you must renounce the one or the other.

But why fhould I prefs this? You that are baptiz'd have already made your Choice; for you therein promise to forfake the World, and continue Chrift's faithful Servants to your Lives end; and you must be, not only fickle, but falfe or unfaithful, if you hearken to Satan's Temptations, or be led away by the Vanities and Allurements of the World. Wherefore, to draw to a Conclufion, let me advise you not to love the World, or the Things of it, but manfully to refift and renounce both. To this end confider,

That the World is a very tempting and dangerous Foe, and has great Advantages upon us, its Glories are all prefent, and in view, and fo more apt to inveigle and engage the Affections; and tho the Happiness of Heaven infinitely tranfcends them, yet prefent things are apt to affect more, and draw ftronger, than much greater things that are future and at a distance: and therefore we are to live more by Faith, which is the Evidence of things not feen, than by Sight, which is so eafily dazzled and misled by vain Appearances.

Befides,

Befides, the World has not only Smiles and Flatteries to allure, but Frowns and Threats to affright us into its Service; if it cannot draw us into Luxury and Pride, by Affluence and Plenty, it will tempt us to Envy and Difcontent, by the Straitnefs of a meaner Condition: and therefore we have great need to watch and pray against an Enemy, that has fo many Stratagems to circumvent us.

But above all, Let us often call to mind the Example of our bleffed Saviour, who refus'd the Offer of all the Kingdoms of the World, and the Glory of them, when made to him upon unworthy Terms. From this great Example, we may learn to reject the greatest Honours and Preferments of the World, when inconfiftent with the Glory of God and our own Salvation; chufing rather to fuffer Affliction with the People of God, than to enjoy the Pleasures of Sin for a feafon.

Moreover, to wean us from the World, let us often think of the Vanity and Vexation of Spirit that attend allthings under the Sun, together with the inconceivable Joy and Happiness that accompany the things above. Make these things by Faith and Meditation always present to you; this will raife you above all Allurements of the World, and in a great measure help you to overcome them: for this is the Victory that overcometh the World, even your Faith; 1 John 5. 4.

Finally, Brethren, whenever you are affaulted by any of the Baits or Temptations of the World, call to mind your Baptifmal Engagement; remember you are under a Vow to renounce and forfake them, and cannot now yield to them, without being false to your Saviour, and injurious to your own Soul.

DISCOURSE XIII.

I PET. ii. II.

Dearly beloved, I befeech you as Strangers and Pilgrims, abftain from fleshly Lufts, which war against the Soul.

H

AVING difpatch'd the two firft Enemies we renounce in Baptifm, viz. the Devil and the World; I come now to the

Third, and that is, the Flesh, with all its finful Lufts. And this is the more dangerous, becaufe 'tis an Enemy within us, that has gotten the Poffeffion, and fo is not fo eafily repuls'd or vanquifh'd. The Devil and the World are without us, their Affaults are vifible, and may therefore be the better refifted and overcome; but this is a Traitor in our Bofom, that fets upon us unawares; its Darts are invifible, and wound without being feen. The two former work by this, which is ever too ready to join iffue with them and to betray us into their hands. This therefore is an Enemy that we must be more efpecially arm'd against: to which I fhall direct from the Words read, Dearly Beloved, Ibeseech you, &c.

In the Verses immediately foregoing the Apoftle minds us of that exceeding great Honour and Dignity, to which we are advanc'd by being Chriftians; ftyling us, ver. 9. A chofen Generation, a royal Priesthood, a holy Nation, a peculiar People: and minding us, ver. 10. That tho we were once in the state of Heathens, yet now we are the People of God; having obtain'd this Mercy by being receiv'd into his Church and Favour. And being thus highly honour'd, he wills us not to do any thing unworthy of ourselves, nor debafe the Dignity of our holy Profeffion. And because the greatest danger is from the Lufts of the Flesh, he befeeches us here, as Strangers and Pilgrims, to abstain from fefbly Lufts which war against the Soul. In treating of which Words I must fhew,

First, What are thofe fleshly Lufts we are to abstain from. Secondly, How we are to renounce or abftain from them. Thirdly, The Obligations that lie upon all Chriftians so to do.

First then, What are thofe finful Lufts of the Flesh that we are to renounce or abftain from? In anfwer to which,

By Flesh here we are to understand, not only that carnal Part or Mafs of Flefh which we carry about us, but likewife all thofe Senfes and animal Faculties that belong to it, and are common to us with other Creatures.

By the Lufts of the Flefh, we are to understand all the Defires, Affections, Motions, or Appetites of that fleshly Part, or proceeding from any of thofe Senfes and Faculties that appertain to it; which Defires are commonly carry'd out after thofe things that are moft pleafing to this carnal Part, craving chiefly fuch as may gratify any Sense or Faculty of it.

By the finful Lufts of the Flefh, we are to understand the exorbitant and irregular Defires of the Flesh; whereby it affects what it fhould not, and is carry'd out after what is forbidden.

Before the Degeneracy or Fall of Mankind, these Defires and Affections of the Soul were all orderly and regular, plac'd upon right Objects and kept within due Bounds: but fince they are become very extravagant and diforderly; and till they are fpiritualiz'd, and brought under the managery of Reason and Religion, are evil, only evil, and that continually; Gen. 6. 5.

Infomuch that in this natural State, Reafon is over-born by vicious Inclinations, and led into Evil by a fenfual Appetite; by which means the Affections are either fet upon wrong and unwarrantable Objects, or if better plac'd, run into Inordinacy, and Excefs; whereby Men abufe and pervert what otherwife in the moderate Ufe was permitted unto them.

In fhort then, By the finful Lufts of the Flesh, are meant all thofe extravagant Motions or Defires of the carnal Appetite, whereby being allur'd by fome pleafing Baits or Suggeftions, it inclines to, or faftens upon, fome things which God has forbidden, or else exceeds in the immoderate Ufe of what were otherwise lawful and permitted to them.

Thefe

Thefe are in general thofe flefhly Lufts, from which we are here advis'd to abftain: if you defire a more particular Account, St. Paul has given a Catalogue of them, and reckon'd them up to our hand; Gal. 5. 19, 20. The works of the Flesh are manifeft, which are thefe, Adultery, Fornication, Uncleanness, Lafciviousness, Idolatry, Witchcraft, Hatred, Variance, Emulations, Wrath, Strife, Seditions, Herefies, Envyings, Murder, Drunkenness, Revellings, and fuch like.

Where Adultery leads the Van, which is the Incontinence of marry'd Perfons, or the Violation of the Bond of Wedlock this juftly ftands in the Front of this black Lift, it being the worst and fouleft of all fleshly Lufts, and difcovers a brutifh and profligate Mind; for 'tis a finning against the Remedy appointed in this Cafe, and prevents the Course allow'd to allay and extinguish such impure Flames.

Next to this follows Fornication; which is the Incontinence of fingle Perfons, and making the Members of Chrift, to become the Members of an Harlot, Now, tho this be not altogether fo bad as the former, yet 'tis justly to be reckon'd among the finful Lufts of the Flefb, being a defiling and unhallowing of thofe Bodies, that ought to be kept as Temples of the Holy Ghoft; and proftituting that to bafe and dirty Purposes, which fhould be confecrated and devoted to God's Service.

After this comes Uncleanness; by which is meant all Impurity of Mind, all vain and luftful Thoughts and Defires, together with thofe leud and unclean Practices that were antiently us'd as facred Rites to the Idols and falfe Gods of the Heathens.

To this is added, in the next place, Lafciviousness; by which is meant all Wantonnefs of Behaviour, difcover'd either by Words, Gestures or Actions; all Delight in filthy and obfcene Communication, whether by fpeaking it our felves, or hearing it from others. All thefe are to be reckon'd and renounc'd among the finful Lufts of the Flesh.

Next to this comes Idolatry; by which we are to underftand all worshiping of falfe Gods; and more especially, the paying thofe foremention'd leud and obfcene Rites to them: to which may be added, the Placing that Love, Delight and Confidence in any other thing, which is due to God only; as the covetous Man doth in Mammon, which in Scripture is ftil'd Idolatry.

To