course of religion, by very different sorts of men. That is, a | thereupon; as politicians, or as prophets, they can value design for this world, and a design for the world to come: themselves greatly upon such foresight; but here is the some are religious only with a design for this world; to wit, true foresight that sees into eternity. that I may carry it fair with men in this world, or with that sort of men which I think fittest, and have some inducements which lead me to associate with, to apply myself to them, and to have their good opinion, and have a good reputation among them; I am willing, therefore, to be as they are, and to do as they do; here is a design for this world driven in religion, and the actions and duties of it; not (it may be) to gain; but there may be many worldly designs, besides that of gain; worldly repute and credit among those whose opinion I most esteem, and put a value upon, and to whom, therefore, in such a way, I think to approve and recommend myself. But there is also a design driven in religion for the world to come. And this is the true and proper design of religion. And where the former only is designed, we can hardly ever comprehend in our thoughts a more horrid frightful case; when a man is doing the great sacred acts of religion, without a design for their proper end, and in mere subserviency to some mean and inferior design, by how much the less that is, or the lower the design is, or by how much the less is to be got by it, so much is religion the lower debased; being thereby put into a subverviency to that which, it may be, shall be worth nothing to men; that I shall never gain by one way or other: and yet, I choose to do acts of religion; or to do these, and not take other acts thereof; or, to do these I do in this or that form; and do all in accommodation to some secular purpose and design: but the eternal purposes of religion are forgotten, neglected, and never thought of by me. This is to prostitute the most sacred, venerable thing imaginable, (religion,) to the meanest and most despicable end. How is this to be answered for, or wherein can we possibly conceive a more horrid sort of sacrilege than this? The acts of religion have a sacredness in them; but I aliene them from their proper end. This I do not, in order to the serving of God; not in order to the saving of my soul; or not in reference to an eternal state; but I do it to please my own present humour, or my friend's humour. Is this that indeed which we will resolve our religion into? Such trifling with religion is that which will be dearly accounted for at the last day. To do that which we ought to do for pleasing and glorifying of God, and saving our souls in the day of the Lord Jesus, we cannot tell why, or for what reason, will come to a fearful reckoning at last. We ought to bethink ourselves at all such times, when we are thus assembled; What am I here to-day for? Why did I come to this place this morning? Why did I take upon me to make one, and bear a part in a Christian religious assembly? Did I do it as one that hoped for salvation, and expected eternal life in this way? Was it that I might draw so much nearer to God, and be so much the more acquainted with him, and fitted for that state which I profess to hope for? But again, Inference 6. We may further learn, that there is a very great sagacity belonging to the new creature, and the regenerate state; we are saved by hope; this imports the new creature, those that are born of God in order to eternal life, to be a very sagacious sort of creatures. The new creature is a very foreseeing creature; it is in this, eminently distinguished from other creatures, even of the same rank and order in God's creation; to wit, merely human creatures: whereas others look merely, or only, to the present, here is a strange foresight in this sort of creature that is born of God, by which it eyeth and looketh towards salvation, and eternal blessedness. As soon as it is born, "It is begotten again to a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto an inheritance reserved in heaven for it," 1 Pet. i. 3. The new creature hath a hope belonging to its essence; as soon as it begins to be, and breathe, it begins to hope. It is born to the hope of immortality and eternal life. We ought to consider this, and a great judgment is to be made of our own state, by what we find instilled into ourselves of that spiritual sagacity and foresight. There are many that are apt to be foreseeing (and value themselves greatly upon it) of temporary events, the probability of such and such events, and love to discourse and reason That is the best, and clearest, and strongest sight that can see furthest; that overlooks (it may be) the concernments of to-morrow, of this year and the next, within the bounds and compass of time; yea, looks beyond all time, penetrates into eternity, beholds the judgment-seat, the Judge sat, the books opened, the dead raised, and men disposed severally to their eternal states. The new creature, that divine birth, which fetcheth its original immediately from God, this is its sagacity; with such sagacity and foresight it is endowed. We are saved by hope," we have a hope by which we expect to be saved, which penetrates into the unseen futurities of an everlasting state. And, Inference 7. We may hereupon conclude too, That there is a certain generosity, a nobleness, a greatness of mind, that doth belong unto a regenerate person. The new creature, one that is born of God, by which he is borne up above all this world, tramples upon it, scorns its smiles, smiles at its frowns, and scorns, despiseth its threats and terrors, looks still beyond it and above it. What is all this world to me? A shadow, a despicable vanity! My great concernments lie above in a superior world, in a remoter world. This is generous and great. Oh! saith one that is born of God, I cannot live at the common rate, I cannot live upon this country fare, I must fetch in all the provisions I live by, from day to day, from heaven; eat heavenly food, and drink heavenly drink, such meat and such drink as the world affords not; for such a prepossession, and such a pre-occupation, there is by hope of the felicity of heaven, and of the heavenly state. They do support this frail mortal life as others do; but they have another life that is to be supported in another way, and by other means; and in reference to which they find an unsuitableness in all things under the sun, as we should in gravel for our meat, and puddle for our drink; so that if you ask such a one, what he lives by, as to the maintenance of that nobler life that is in him, he will answer, by hope. a This is You may possibly (some of you) have heard and read of great prince and general, who, upon a conquest, dis pensing great largesses among his soldiers, was asked, And what, sir, do you reserve for yourself? Why, hope, saith he. I, for my part, live upon hope. I give away all that I have now got, and live upon the hope of more. the generosity and nobleness of mind that is in-wrought into a regenerate person. When he becomes so, he despiseth all things under the sun as a portion, as a final terminative good, and lives upon hope. And this we must come to, if ever we come to know what it is to be Christians. It is too little understood (I am afraid to this day) what it is to be a Christian, though we have long borne that name. Are not we told, they are a sort of people called out of the world? They are not of this world," (saith our blessed Lord, in that eoncluding solemn prayer of his, when he was going out of the world,) “even as I am not of this world," John xvii. 16. Oh, what a horrid thing would it be to contradict our blessed Lord, in the sense of our own hearts! He saith, "they are not of this world;" but here is one answering, Aye, Lord, but I am of this world; one with this world, united to it: I savour the things of the world, as the men of the world do; I choose with them, and enjoy with them: a fearful thing from the sense of our hearts, to contradict our blessed Lord! to have him say, "They that are mine are not of this world, as I am not of this world ;" and we be forced to say, concerning ourselves, Yes, but we are of this world, and related to this world more than any other, and savour the things of this world more than any other. There are sundry other inferences more that I intend now to go through, but there is one thing for the present I would shut up with, though I do therein anticipate and prevent myself; that is only to recommend this one thing to you, as a piece of solemn counsel and serious consideration, that you will labour to get your souls possessed of this principle, and direct it towards its final object; let it reach forth even unto the very last of the object that it is to be taken up about; for this we must know, that there are intermediate objects, and there is that at length which is most finally final. But hope hath its strongest and most | riously and earnestly mind the great business of our own powerful influences, as it doth reach furthest, reach into salvation, and more deeply concern ourselves about it. I a most glorious eternity; and makes us say within our- am sure such hope can never signify any thing with them, selves, I hope to be there ere long. What a wonderful in order to salvation, who are not concerned about their thing would it be, if we could always worship under such salvation, that mind no such matter. I am very little willa hope! what mighty vigour would it infuse into our re- ing to be much in repetition of any thing that hath been ligion, to say to every one that meet together in such an said to you formerly; but, if I would repeat any thing, I assembly; We meet together in hope and expectation of can do nothing that is more fit to be reconsidered, than having our eternal abode with that blessed society above, what I told you upon the first inference; that, if hope in the mansions of glory that are prepared already in our have such a tendency to our salvation, despair must have Father's house! To have this hope live in us, what life a like tendency to our destruction. If souls are to be would it not transfuse through all our duties, and through saved by hope, they are in greatest danger to be lost by dethe whole course of our religion! spair. I say, what I told you upon that head, to wit, that there are two sorts of despair; a silent, calm, stupid despair, and a strong, raging despair. And what a pleasant relish would it give to all our present mercies, such as we have greater occasion more solemnly to bless God for; when we have matter of praise laid before us, and offered to us, as we have at this day! We have heard of the great success God hath blessed and crowned them with, who have been fighting his battles of late, especially in a neighbouring kingdom. It is a great thing to say, Blessed be God that hath done so much, and I hope will do more, and will enable them to carry on the work further; and I hope beyond all that, that I shall be one of the saved community at last. What spirit and life would that add to our prayer and praise! There are a great many that are in despair about their salvation, who never think they are, and in whom it makes no noise; to wit, that are without any real vivid hope concerning their salvation; and the vacancy of hope, right hope, in a subject to which it belongs, is to be called by the name of its contrary, despair. According to the known and most common agreed rules of reasoning, in such matters; those souls that are dead towards God, and their own eternal concernments, have no hope in God, and are really sunk in despair, and are likely to be lost and And on the other side, what a damp and diminution perish by it, if mercy do not seasonably mend their case. would it be to all our matter of praise, and to the praise- And, in what I am now pressing you unto, hope, to get fulness of our spirits, to say, I have heard, indeed, that it implanted and improved to its proper purpose; I would things have gone pretty well of late in Savoy, in Ger- be loth to be mistaken, as if, in pressing to hope, I pressmany, and greatly well in Ireland; but all this while I ed to security. And indeed I would hardly think that any have no hope of being saved; I have no hope of things one that hath the understanding of a man, that will use going well with me hereafter; things may go well here, thought, can be guilty of so gross a mistake; for sure there for aught I know, with them to whom I wish well; but I is the widest and broadest difference imaginable between have no hope that things will go well with me for ever, or security and hope. The hope of salvation, of eternal life, in an everlasting state. What a damp is this to the great and eternal well-being! What! is there any thing in this praisefulness of a man's spirit, and what a diminution to like security? Such a hope is a positive thing, a real the present matter of his praise! It is an insignificant and great something; security is but a vacuity of fear and thing for me to put in my rejoicing with their joy, who are care about a man's own concernments; and that is a mere pleased with any such good successes as these; and in the nothing. What? I beseech you, is there no difference mean time to be forced to say, Alas! there is a dreadful between something so great, a something and nothing? doom hanging over me, and over my soul; I have nothing | Such a hope is a most lively, powerful, active principle, in me that looks like a principle of the divine life; and wheresoever it is; and mightily stirs in the soul, and yet I am sure that life must be now begun in me, that must makes it mightily bestir itself, in the pursuit of its end: be connected with eternal life. A present spiritual death security, as it is nothing, so it doth nothing; it puts the hath no connexion with eternal life, it must be a spiritual soul upon doing nothing, lets it still be dead, and unconlife, of which this hope (as you have heard) is so great a verted; care for being saved who will for them, for their principle, that shall end in life eternal. parts they do not. There is no likeness between these two things, security and such a hope. SERMON XXII.* Rom. viii. 24. We are saved by hope. I HAVE made some progress in the use, and some instructive inferences I have recommended to you; and more I did intend to add, but I shall now waive them, intending to make all the haste I can to go through what I most principally intended on this subject. And, that which remains is to direct to the serious and most earnest (in that way which may be the most probable) endeavour of getting this noble principle implanted, cultivated, and improved, amongst us towards this its high and glorious end, our own salvation. And, because (as hath been largely shown you) this great principle (Hope) contributes thereunto, both by the influence that it hath in order to the conversion of the unconverted, and by the influence that it hath upon the perseverance of the converted; therefore the tenor of my discourse herein must be suitable hereunto, and must respect both these sorts of persons; but so as that I do hope each may find their own concern in each part of the following discourse, while yet the several parts may more principally and directly respect the one sort or the other. And, Direction 1. The direction I shall give you, (and which will certainly concern us all,) is, that we may all more se Preached September 13th, 1691. But now if I do not prevail with you, as to this first direction, the throwing off security, and minding more seriously, and in good earnest, the concerns of your souls; my labour is lost, and your souls are lost; and if I gain not this first point among you, all that is said and designed is to no purpose. But can any, upon sober consideration, think that it is a likely matter that salvation is so common as the neglect of it is? Or, are men in a likely way to be saved, that so generally disregard any such thing, think of no such matter from day to day, and from year to year? Is that imagination agreeable to Scripture calls and warnings? Strive to enter in at the strait gate, that leads to life. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. What! are all such words from the mouth of God, and by his inspired servants, only sown to the wind, thrown among men into empty air? If we would consider things reasonably, and with sober understandings, nothing would be more obvious to us than to bethink ourselves, that contraries have all their place in the same subject, not in divers: and thus in this case so it must be, so it ought to be; this being a matter of moral consideration, that wherever there ought to be hope, there ought to be fear too; the exigency of the case requiring it. And while matters do yet hang dubiously, (as they will do more or less, with all of us in this region of mortality,) we shall never be past all danger, nor all appearances of it; there will be no more perfection of assurance, than perfection of holiness. Doth the Scripture say in vain to us, that we are to be saved by hope? And doth the same Scripture, the same word of God, say to us, Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling? Sure there is no repugnancy between these things, but a necessary agreement, a most necessary agreement. And, as contraries do always exist only in the same subject, so in lower degrees they do always co-exist in it, exist in it together: and therefore, where there is hope, there ought to be fear, in reference and respect to the concernments of our salvation; for we are not to think, that the one of these scriptures doth exantlate the other, and make it lose its force and signify nothing; this being a word given to men in mortal flesh, this divine word that we have in this book, we must know that it concerns men, and is to be applied to them in accommodation to the state in which they are; and in reference whereunto it is written. And, therefore, the state of none is so desperate as theirs, who, in reference to the affairs of their salvation, have neither hope nor fear; as they that mind it not, have neither the one, nor the other. And, because of the weight and mighty importance of this thing, I shall insist upon it; and press this a little, before I go further, by some considerations. As, 1. That to be unconcerned about the affairs of our salvation, is continually to stifle a most natural principle; we have no principle, no notion, that is more natural to us, than that we have something about us that cannot die, that | is made for eternity, and for another state after this. I cannot now stand to prove to you the mortality of the soul; my subject doth not lead me to it: but it is that we all profess to believe, and which we pretend to believe of ourselves, unless we could disprove it and plainly evince the contrary; and, I would fain know how any man would go about to disprove that he is a creature made for another state after this. How will he prove himself to be nothing but a mortal creature? How will he prove, that let him be never so like a beast, he shall die like a beast too? How will he prove that? And that the ultimate end, which man was made for, is attainable in this earthly state? How will any man go about to prove this? If he would prove himself a beast, the evidence of things will repugn, and fly in his face. It is only not thinking that makes men adventurous in a matter of this import. Oh! how dismal a thing is it, when, instead of the hope of salvation, all that a man hath to relieve himself is, the hope of annihilation, a hope of his running into nothing; that instead of blessedness, he hath no other hope, but only of no being! But consider (I say) that by this, here is a continual stifling of a most deeply natural principle; for there is no man that would fain abolish the thoughts of that immortal nature he hath about him; but still they will recoil upon him. This spirit that God put into man by his own inspiration, carries with it a secret consciousness of its own immortality; and there can be no disbelief hereof, or opinion of the contrary, that is not conjoined with a great formido opposite, a certain misgiving and fear that it will at last prove otherwise; but, in the mean time to own such a principle as that, (as among us it is generally owned,) and yet to have the habitual temper of a man's soul be directly opposite thereunto; to wit, in an unconcernment what shall and may become of him, in an everlasting state; this is the most intolerable thing that we can suppose the human nature liable to. A most unsufferable absurdity, that I should have such a fixed apprehension and sentiment about me that I know not how to get rid of, and yet the habitual frame of my mind, and the whole course of my practice, run directly contrary to it. And then, 2. As unconcernedness about our salvation doth oppose this principle in the very nature of man, (than which none is more deeply fundamental,) so it doth reproach the dignity of the human nature, as well as oppose the light of it. It reproacheth the dignity and honour of the human nature. They are continually throwing contempt upon their own nature, that live unconcernedly about their future state and eternal salvation. If we would but consider this matter seriously, who is there that would not be ashamed to have this written in his forehead, I do not care what becomes of my soul to all eternity? Who would not be ashamed to carry that character visible to every man? To proclaim nimself one that thinks he is of no greater or nobler allay in the creation of God, than a brute creature? Whence is here a regret to avow and own such a principle, but only that we think it to be ignominious? If there be not these explicit thoughts, there is such a secret sense, that it would be an ignominious thing, a reproachful thing. But how accountable is this, that a man should not be ashamed of the thing, and yet he is ashamed of the profession of it? Men are not ashamed of the thing; to wit, to be careless of, and unconcerned about, their own souls, and their eternal salvation; they go from day to day without any suitable regret within themselves for their own carelessness and negligence, and yet they would be ashamed to avow an unconcernedness to all the world. There is no rational account to be given, why men should be ashamed of the profession of such a thing, and yet not be ashamed of the thing itself. To go every day from morning to night, without any care, thought, or concern, what shall become of my soul, as to eternal salvation hereafter; never to have the soul smite them about this thing, from day to day, and from week to week; and be ashamed, to feel a loathness in their own minds, to avow infidelity, and profess mere brutality, that I am nothing but a mere brute animal; how unaccountable is this! Indeed, the great iniquity in this matter is this: that men do not more allow themselves to study and contemplate themselves; that they do not labour to have more reverential thoughts even of the very nature of man; I mean the primitive nature of man. There is nothing indeed more despicable and hatefu. than corrupt and vicious nature. That precept of that noted heathen, that we reverence ourselves and our own nature, it needs inculcation. And, as to this very particular thing of hope towards God, (with which unconcernedness about our salvation and future felicity it is plain cannot consist,) there have been higher and more raised thoughts about it, and about the nature of man, in reference hereunto, with some from whom one would little expect it, than is usual among Christians themselves. I cannot but reflect again and again upon that of Philo the Jew, who tells us, that hope towards God is that which doth most properly belong to the nature of man: so that, (as he speaks,) (the evelpist,) he that hath this hope easiest and most familiar to him, is only to be counted a man; but the (dyselpist,) he that finds an aversion in him to such actings of hope towards God, is scarcely to be counted a man; hardly to be looked upon as one that is partaker of a rational nature; so high was the notion of human nature laid with some such in those days. But now, where there is nothing else but a daily stupid unconcernedness in men about the affairs of their souls, and their everlasting state, there is even among such (though they bear the name of Christians) such a contempt of themselves, and such an indignity done to the nature of man, as many that have not been Christians would have been ashamed of. And, 3. Such an unconcernedness about our salvation, it is a continual disobedience to a most natural divine law. We ought to account, that where no other law than that of our own natures is, that yet such do live properly under the obligation of a law: for I beseech you consider, do you think that God is not governor of the rest of the world, as well as he is of Christendom? And how doth he govern reasonable creatures without a law?"They that have not a written law, are a law to themselves," Rom. ii. 14, 15. And heathens tell us of a nata and a scripta lex, and where there is not a scripta there is a nata: a law that is born with us, a law written in our hearts, are expressions common to Cicero, and to the apostle Paul; and therefore light about this matter in some degree hath been common to men. There is no more deeply natural law upon men, than that of self-preservation; and if the soul of man be the man, or the chief of man, the principal thing in man, do you think it doth not lie under the obligation of a law to preserve itself, to endeavour to save itself, to keep itself, as far as it can, from being lost and miserable to eternity, since it is capable of eternity? And therefore consider, 4. That God cannot but be highly provoked, when the authority of this law, of which he hath impressed on the very soul of man and wrought into his nature, is continually violated. Consider it, for he cannot but be highly provoked with it; "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven, against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;" where the apostle's discourse is about natural truth, about those dictates of it, that they might be saved. See his expostulations with sinners about this: Despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering? not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance: but, after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up to thyself wrath, against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his works?" Rom. ii. 4,5. The patience of God is intimated to have generally that aptitude in itself to induce men to consider and take up thoughts of returning; and most expressly, when the Gospel commenteth upon it, and tells men of its design. Why was not thy careless soul, that heard the Gospel the last Lord's day, cut off before this Lord's day? Why? the patience of God is leading it to repentance: so we are directly instructed to interpret. 'My brethren, (saith that other apostle,) count the long-suffering of God salvation," 2 Peter iii. 15. Do you put that construction and sense upon it? Make that interpretation to yourselves, Why am I spared? I have been careless of God and my own soul so long, year after year, why am I spared? The apostle doth teach you to reckon, and make an estimate, why it is, what you are to count it is for; "Count that the long-suffering of the Lord is salvation," (2 Peter iii. 15.) to wit, that he is designing your salvation in all this indulgence, and sparing mercy, that he exerciseth towards you. And it is highly aggravated guilt, when there is not only a continual resistance of the authority, but an offending constantly against the kindness, of a divine constitution. And, truth that lie naturally and universally in the minds of | God doth exercise towards men hath this kind design with men; as the notions concerning God do, that he instanceth in, in what immediately followeth; and concerning right and wrong, even unto men; with which is contempered the obligations that lie upon every man in reference to himself; because the duty we owe to other men is measured by that which we owe to ourselves, the whole law being comprehended in love. And that comprehensive principle being thus given by our Lord himself, to wit, "We are to love the Lord our God, with all our hearts, souls, minds, and might; and to love our neighbours as ourselves:" which therefore involves, firstly, and in the highest place, this care for ourselves. And since in the common acknowledgment of all, our souls are our most principal and chief selves, a love to our souls, and care for them, must needs be one of the great principles of natural truth; for the violation whereof the wrath of God is revealed; to wit, against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold this truth in unrighteousness. To have such truths as these, always lying in my mind and soul, and continually to run counter to them, how provoking is it! When I consider the law of nature as God's law, and that by which he governs that part of the world which hath no other law, and that the obligation thereof is perpetual and eternal, and can cease no where; to be guilty of continual violations of this, is to tear the foundations of the Divine government. And therefore it is not strange that wrath should be revealed from heaven against men, upon such an account; that they hold such truths in unrighteousness, and stifle and counteract it, through the whole of their course, from day to day. And to bring this down to our own particular cases and concernments: to wit, if a man arise in the morning, and all his care for the following day is, what shall I eat, and what shall I drink, and what shall I put on, and how shall I make a gainful bargain for this world, to advance my estate, and the like? and no proportionable care or concernment is taken for his soul, or its salvation, all the day. This (I say) is to live in a continual violation of one of the most deeply fundamental laws of his own nature, for which the wrath of God is provoked and revealed against men, for such ungodliness. There doth not need a Gospel to bring such men under a doom, but it doth bring them under a heavier doom being superadded. That Gospel wherein life and immortality are brought to light, to wit, into a closer and brighter light; that is, whereas the light of the pagan Gentile world is but a twilight, a dubious light, in comparison of that which we have in the Gospel, concerning the future eternal states of men; therefore this super-addition must heighten men's doom. And then again, 5. This is to be considered too, That in such an unconcernedness about our salvation, we do not only offend against the authority of the Divine law; but against the goodness and kindness of it, which is an unspeakably higher and more aggravated offence. Oh! that this might but enter into our souls, to consider how much there is of goodwill towards men in laying upon them the obligation of such a law, which as it was first written in our own nature, so it is over and over, and more expressly, written again in his word! "Strive to enter in at the strait gate." Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." A law in various forms and expressions so often repeated. Oh! that it might be considered, how much there is of kindness and benignity in it towards them, whom it doth so much concern! how much there is of good-will and favourable propensions expressed, when the primary design of the Divine law is to bring us to be happy creatures; that we should have laws laid upon us to be happy. This is the purport of the whole, as if the merciful Lawgiver should but speak this sense, (as indeed he hath spoken in his word, often and often, over and over, most fully,) Oh! be kind to yourselves! do not give up yourselves to perish. You have intelligent immortal spirits about you, that are capable of the same felicity with angels, those glorious creatures above. Do not abandon these spirits of yours unto remediless ruin, in a total neglect and unconcernedness about the salvation of your souls! do not plunge and sink them into an endless and incurable misery! We are taught to account, that the very patience that 6. You ought to consider, you are not your own. And though every one is obliged to intend, with the greatest earnestness, the salvation of his own soul, yet he is not to do it principally and supremely as his own; for God's interest is higher, and more principal in us, than ours can be in ourselves. And therefore, whereas we have a trust incumbent upon us from God, about ourselves, and the affairs of our own souls, he hath required us (though he be our supreme Keeper) to keep ourselves, to keep our own hearts with all diligence. Though our Lord Jesus Christ be our supreme Saviour, our great Saviour by office, yet we are required to save ourselves. Though God in Christ is our supreme Ruler, yet we are told too, that "he that hath not rule over his own spirit, is as a city broken down, and without walls." We have, by Divine charge and command, a care incumbent upon us about our own selves, about our own souls; but he is our owner, we are not our own owners. It is a most horrid thing, when men will not be brought to know their owner. "The ox knoweth his owner," Isa. i. 3. And what? will not man know his owner? Will not these reasonable intelligent souls of ours know their owner, to whom they belong, who he is that styles himself the God of spirits, even of the spirits of all flesh? So that our having spirits in flesh, embodied spirits, is no diminution to his interest in us, and detracts nothing of it. When these spirits of ours are sunk into flesh, yet he is the God of the spirits of all flesh: they are his, he is the God of them. Then are we to consider besides, that inferior, secondary, subordinate interest that we have in ourselves, and our own souls: we are (I say) to consider God's superior interest in them, whose creatures we are. Then they who live in a total neglect and unconcernedness about the salvation of their souls, what answer will they be able to make to the most high God, when he comes to demand of them; "What have you done with my creature that I put under your care, in so great a measure? I trusted thee with the keeping and care of a soul, an immortal soul, an intelligent, spiritual being, stamped with my own natural image. I gave thee a soul capable of loving me, capable of being finally happy in me, capable of being, throughout an eternity, employed in the adoration and love of the eternal God. Í gave thee such a soul, what hast thou done with it? What! hast thou made that soul all the time it dwelt in that body, only a drudge to vanity, only to serve as a slave to sensual and brutish inclination?" God was to have eternal honour from those souls of ours, by our eternal love and adoration and praises of him, and joining with the glorious assembly, the innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect, in these exercises. And when the wretched creature comes to give an account to God, as he must do; "Why hast thou robbed me of the eternal honour, glory, and praise that is due to me from this creature of mine? Why, instead of taking that way, by which it might be associated with the glorious inhabitants in heaven, hast thou taken that way by which it must come to herd itself with devils, and go to be employed an eternity, in cursing and blaspheming its Maker? Why hast thou thus used a soul which I gave thee, who am the Father of spirits? Was that soul of thine, while it dwelt in a body of flesh, capable of nothing but gratifying and pleasing brutish desires? capable of no higher thoughts than what are suitable to the body, to eat and drink, and to be clothed with ? Was it capable of no thoughts of God? no thoughts of a future felicity? Why hath that soul been so injuriously, so abusively treated? I must have an account of my own creature, that should have honoured me, by the eternal love and fruition of me." Sure these considerations should awaken us a little to that which I first recommended to you by way of direction, that we may, through the grace of God, agree in a resolution, more to mind the concernments of our salvation, than we hitherto have. It may be a great many will think themselves very innocent as to this matter, and not apprehend that there needs so much care about their souls and eternal concerns; but is not that to make our own imaginations superior to the determinations of God's express word? Doth that look as if he thought such a matter could be overcome, when he bids us, (as you have heard,) "Strive (the word signifies, be in agonies) to enter in at the strait gate." When any in that but now mentioned Scripture, have it made as the distinguishing character between them that shall finally be saved, and them that perish; that the one sort do, by patient continuance in well-doing, "seek for glory, honour, and immortality," till they actually have eternal life and the other sort "do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness," are contentious against the truth; and therefore are to expect nothing but "indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish," for ever. and it becomes so much the more a lively and potent thing in us. And do I need to tell what its supreme and ultimate object is? Our best good must be our highest hope, "And now and you can be in no doubt what that is. (Lord) what wait I for? my hope is in thee," Psal. xxxix. 7. " Why art thou cast down, oh! my soul? why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God," Psal. xlii. 5, 11. and xliii. 5. He must be to us, in respect of our hope, (as in respect of our choice, and love, and delight,) our only one. "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth I desire besides thee," Psal. lxxiii. 25. This is plain and out of question, God is to be our highest hope. But concerning this, we are to note further, That it is God, as he is, most perfectly to be enjoyed in the most perfect state, that is to be the object of our hope: some shadow of which truth was in the mind of that noted philosopher, when he speaks of felicity, as that which is to be enjoyed in the most perfect state of life. But it is that which we are most deeply to consider, when we design God for the great object of our hope. It must be as he is to be enjoyed most perfectly, to wit, in the best and most perfect state. It is plain that that state is here referred to in this context, and in the text itself, if you will judge its reference by the context. Look to the words that do immediately precede; see whither their aspirings do aim and tend. "We who have received the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our bodies; for we are saved by hope." The hope of the final felicity and blessedness of that state, when there should be a perfect redemption of the body. It is a hope of felicity, which will be in its perfection, after being raised from the dead. And this the apostle, by another significant name, calls the adoption; to wit, the solemn manifestation of the sons of God, as was the expression a little above, and as is intimated in another place. "Now we are the sons of God, but it doth not yet appear what we shall be," 1 John iii. 1. Our sonship, and the glory and dignity of our adopted state, is not yet displayed or discovered what it is; but it shall be; and the time is coming when it shall: so that the like thing is intimated here, as did obtain among the Romans, to wit, that adoptions were with them two-fold. There was a private adoption that was preparatory, and leading to a following public one. Such a one doth first in private pitch upon such a person as he adopts for his own son, and afterwards there is a public notification thereof in foro; here it was declared with public solemAnd it is in this latter sense, and in accommodation thereunto, that this perfect state of the sons of God is called the adoption. And is it not a very strange thing, that about inferior ends, men should think themselves concerned and obliged to use very great diligence; and every man is praised and commended among his neighbours, as he bears the character of a diligent man, an industrious man in his business? but that in reference to our last end, the universal end, the end of ends, that men should allow themselves in a universal carelessness and neglect, when every thing is greater as it approacheth nearer to the last end? There is a subor-nity. dination of ends, but as any end comes nearer to the last, so it is greater, and the last greatest of all. Now that men should think it very reasonable to be very careful to get estates, to preserves their lives, and live well in the world, and yet think it reasonable to be negligent how they shall live for ever; what inconsistencies are these! There wants nothing but communing with ourselves, to make us apprehend and understand this, and to make ourselves uneasy to ourselves, till we find a redress. And this word would be an everlasting witness against us, if we should not depart now with a resolution (in dependance on the grace of God) more to mind the concernments of our salvation than ever we have done. SERMON XXIII.* Rom. viii. 24. We are saved by hope. I SHALL now proceed in giving you further directions for the getting this noble principle cultivated and improved. And to that end, in the next place, Direction 2. We should labour to extend our hope to its highest and utmost object, its supreme and ultimate object. According as we stretch it further, it works more, • Preached September 20th, 1691. And as we are to take heed lest any temporary or terrene thing should be designed by us, as the main and terminative object of our hope; so that that which is in its kind higher and better, and most noble and excellent, we must take heed lest itself be made the final term of our hope, in any state of imperfection, that things even of that kind do yet lie under. "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are miserable creatures," 1 Cor. xv. 19. Our hope must shoot forward into another state, we must cast anchor into that which is within the veil, Heb. vi. 19. Even this anchor of hope. And again, Direction 3. We must labour to have our minds well informed concerning that state which our hope is finally to terminate upon; not to content ourselves with a confused general idea of some great felicity hereafter, in another world, and after this life; but we must labour, as distinctly as we can, to apprehend what it is, and wherein it consists and lies; for our hope will be in its operations proportionably lively and vigorous, as our apprehensions concerning its objects are distinct and clear; our souls cannot be attracted, and drawn, and enlivened, and raised, by obscure and shadowy apprehensions only of that which we make its final object. And we are not in greater danger of wronging ourselves in any thing more than here, and about this matter. The generality of men, the generality of them that live under the Gospel, and that call themselves Christians: oh, how little is understood among them of the truly Chris |