him short, and prohibit him all irregular and exor-. bitant actions fince they are fo contrary to human nature and fuch a difturbance in God's government: and fince there is nothing in inferior nature, but what is regular and conftant, from the first moment of its creation, to this hour. There is turpitude in every act of fin yet fins differ for there are feveral degrees of fin; for fins are aggravated orabated by the difpofition, capacities, and principles of the agent that commits them. As

1. If there be clear light, and fulness of liberty then it is fin with a high hand.

2. If fin be committed in doubtfulness and uncertainty, then it weakens and difables confcience. Great regard is to be had to the innocence and tenderness of our own mind. The wife man in Ecclefiafticus faith, thou haft no friend in all the world fo near to thee as the reason of thy own mind, therefore never treat the reafon of thy mind unhandsomely. Treat kindly thy home reprover; there is no friend truer to thee, nor can do thee better fervice, therefore hear it's voice, and give it fatisfaction. 3. If men fin through confusion of thoughts, then may be faid we were not ourselves. One may fay we were but half ourselves, when we did it.

it

4. If we fin by misapprehenfion or mistake; then we did not intend that, but another thing, when we did it.

5. If we did it by an assault, or fudden suprifal, then it was as well another's fault as ours.

6. If upon provocation, heat of paffion, and we revoke it as soon as we return to ourfelves; by this

we

we make it morally void and null: for you do revoke and morally undo, that which you repent of.

7. If men fin by fonie careleffnefs, negligence, and indiligence; if we recompence it by after care, and diligence upon this coftly experience; this alfo helps to excufe.

I conclude with two words of admonition to two forts of perfons.

First, To the atheistical, and profane, I earnestly recommend to them the re-examining of things; and if they do not pretend to infallibility, I beg of them to confider their former thoughts and refolutions. Think again, whether the great things of religion may not be realities, viz. the being of a God, the immortality of the foul, the effential difference of good and evil; and future rewards and punishments. At least do not practife against the fense of these things; but return, and use thy reafon, which if not vitiated and prepofleft, will fatisfy the native fenfe of the mind. To fay nothing now of fcripture (which fpeaks enough of affurance of what it declares; fo that they which read itwill not eafily fhut their hands of it, ifthey intend to be wicked;) reafon hath fo much to fay for these great things, that the obftinate are put upon it, to blind and blot out thofe reasons. and arguments, which they know not what to fay to, nor how to answer; which stick as fo many goads in their fides. No man but he, who is habitually evil, and hath dethroned his reafon, and confederated with the enemy of his mind, can fatisfy himself, that there is no reafon to fatisfy him to fear thefe great things, viz. the being of a God, the immorta

lity and eternity of the foul, and future punishments. If then these things be real, have not finners run a wild courfe? I will only tell them,

1. That many, who have as madly refolved, have before their deaths found caufe to alter their judg ments in these matters, and thought it their safeft way to deprecate their offence.ew sharane i

2. However they make shift to stifle the voice of confcience at prefent, and go on to fin; fome others, who have fometime done the like, have never had any true enjoyment of themselves after fuch wounds made in their confcience, and breach of their peace; but either fell into confufion of thought and perplexity of mind, or diftraction, and have been fometimes their own executioners, and have made an end of themselves; rather then endure the reproofs of their confciences, have rid themfelves out of the world."

3. Those that are of raised intellectuals, of refined morals, of fober reafon, would not have upon them the guilt of fome mens fins (however they may efcape judgment in this world) for all the titles, powers and revenues which such men enjoy in the world. It will only give fuch, reason to know, that notwithstanding their own incompetent judgment concerning themselves, that is true even of them, which is faid by Samuel concerning the wicked fons of Eli; they have made themfelves vile, and contemptible. So are thefe profane and atheistical perfons; they are base in the fight of God, and in the fight of wife men for wickedness doth difrobe any man

of:

of his excellency, and makes him vile and contemptible.

Secondly, To perfons engaged in ways of religion. If thefe be real and fincere in their profeffion, they are in a state of reconciliation with God; and if in a ftate of reconciliation with him, then let them be true to the terms of friendship, and not do acts of enemies in the state of friendship. Let them that name the name of Chrift, depart from iniquity. Where God Speaks peace to his people, let them not return again to folly, Pfal. lxxxv. 8. To the fear of God, in fcripture, is always adjoined the efchewing of evil; and this is the character God gives of an upright man, Fob i. 8. It is effential to religion, to walk according to the difference of good and evil. There are other things which have the use and confideration of the means in religion, which I call the inftrumental part of religion but religion itself, doth iffue in holinefs, uprightnefs, integrity, and feparation from iniquity.

VOL. L

DIS

DISCOURSE IX.

The DANGER of UNFAITHFULNESS to GOD.

HE B. iii. 12.

Take heed, brethren, left there be in any of you, an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

R

ELIGION is highly concerned in two things; the judgment of truth, and the confcience of right and he doth fubftantially upon account of religion, that is wanting in either of these.

fail

I fhall now confider the reafons of this caution in the text, Take heed, brethren, &c. We are highly concerned to be cautious and wary, upon a fourfold

account.

1. From those things that are within us.
2. From things that are about us.

3. From the great confequence and importance that truth and goodness hath unto our fouls.

4. From not a poffibility only, but a probability of failing, and miscarrying, if care be not taken; and the greatness of the evil, if we do fall fhort.

1. We had need to be things that are within us

wary, because of thofe for if once we consent ourselves with evil, we

to iniquity, and acquaint put ourselves out of an indifferency to good and e