Ex Libris 
 C. K. OGDEN 
 
 1 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 I
 
 r 
 I
 
 PRACTICAL 
 
 DISCOURSES 
 
 UPON OUR 
 
 S A V I U R's 
 
 SERMON 
 
 On the MOUNT. 
 
 In Eight VOLUMES. 
 
 BY 
 
 OF SPRING BLACK ALL, D. D. 
 Late Lord Bifhop of Exeter. 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed by R. H. for THOMAS 
 in the Inner-Temf le Lane. 1717
 
 -
 
 
 THE 
 
 /. # 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 DISCOURSE XII. 
 
 The Duty of Peace-making explained. 
 
 M A T T H. v. 9. 
 
 .fff=aa^^ 
 
 >Ltjfed are the Peace-makers, for thy Jhall 
 be called the Children of God. 
 
 Page i. 
 
 DISCOURSE XIIL 
 
 The Duty of Peace-making explain'i 
 
 - 
 
 TextJJ/W, 
 
 p. 39. 
 
 Aa DIS- 
 
 
 
 
 194G423
 
 The Contents. 
 
 DISCOURSE XIV. 
 
 The BlefTednefs of the Perfecuted for 
 
 Righteoufoefs Sake. 
 ,i x ^r J ^J ^J 
 
 M ATTH. V. 10, II, 12. 
 
 Blefled are they which are .perfecuted for 
 Highteoufnefs Sake, for theirs is the 
 Kingdom of Heaven. 
 
 Blejfed are ye when Men Jhall revile you. 
 and persecute -you, and Jhall fay all 
 manner of Evil again/I you jfo^kj0- 
 rny Sake : 
 
 Rejoycc and be exceeding glad, for great 
 is your Reward in Heaven, for fo per- 
 fecuted they the Prophets which were be~ 
 fore you. 
 
 $ 73 
 
 DISCOURSE XV. 
 
 The Bleflfednefs of the Perfecuted for 
 Righteoufnefs Sake. 
 
 Text Kid. 
 
 p. in. 1 
 
 DIS-
 
 The Contents. 
 
 DISCOURSE XVI. 
 
 ,. 
 
 All Chriftiaus, as well as the Clergy, 
 
 are the Salt of the Earth, the 
 
 Light of the World, &c. 
 
 MATTH. v. 13, 14, 15; 
 
 ; 
 
 Ye are the Salt of the Earth; but if the 
 Salt have loft its Savoury wherewith 
 Jkattit be, faked? It is thenceforth good 
 fir'ndtKing, but to be caft out and 
 trodden under Toot of Men. 
 
 Te are the Light of the World: A City 
 that is fet on a Hill cannot be hid. 
 
 Neither do Men light a Candle, and put 
 it under a Bujhel^ but on a Candle- 
 flick, and it gheth Light unto all that 
 are in the Houfe. 
 
 DIS-
 
 The Contents. 
 
 DISCOURSE XVII. 
 
 The Method of making our good 
 Lives ufeful to Others. 
 
 M A TTH. v. 16. 
 
 Let your Light fojhine before Men, that 
 they may fee your good Works ^ andglo- 
 rife your Father which if in Heaven. 
 
 p. 183, 
 
 DISCOURSE XVIII. 
 
 The Method of making our good 
 
 Lives uieful to Others,- and 
 
 the Motives to it. 
 
 Text Ibid. 
 
 P-2I7' 
 
 DIS-
 
 The Contents. 
 
 DISCOURSE XIX. 
 
 The Law and the Prophets fulfilled by 
 Chrift. 
 
 M A T T H. V. iy 3 l8, 
 
 Think not that I am come to deftroy tie 
 Law or the Prophetr, I am not come to 
 deftroy, but to fulfil. 
 
 For verily I fay unto you, till Heaven and 
 Earth paft, one jot, or one tittle, Jhall 
 in no wife pafi from the Law, till all 
 be fulfilled. p. 25?. 
 
 DISCOURSE XX. 
 
 What Commandments are of Perpetu- 
 al Obligation to Chriftians. 
 
 M A TTH. v. 19. 
 
 Whomever therefore Jball break one of the fe 
 leafl (Jbmmandments, and Jhall teach 
 Men fr>, be Jhall be called the Lea ft in 
 the Kingdom of Heaven j but whofoever 
 Jhall do and teach them, the lame foall 
 be called Gnat in the Kingdom of Hea- 
 ven* p. 299. 
 
 BIS.
 
 The Contents. 
 
 DISCOURSE XXI. 
 
 No Sin Venial either in the Teacher or 
 the Pra&ifer. 
 
 Text Ibid. 
 
 P-33J- 
 
 DISCOURSE XXIL 
 
 .What is Pharifaical Righteoufnefs 3 and 
 wherein itjs deficient. 
 
 M A T T H. v. 20. 
 
 For I fay unto you, That except your Rigk- 
 teoufnefs jkaH exceed the Righteoufnefi 
 of the Scribes and Pharifee^ yejhall in 
 no cafe enter into the Kingdom of Hea- 
 
 p. 367. 
 
 W5&
 
 DISCOURSE XII. 
 
 The Duty of Peace-making ex* 
 plain'd. 
 
 M A T T H. V* 9. 
 
 BlefTed are the Peace-makers, for 
 
 JJ J 
 
 they Jhall be called the Chil* 
 dren of Cod. 
 
 N fpeaking to thefe Wof ds I 
 have formerly proposed to do 
 thefe two Things. 
 
 1. To fhewtyfroare the Perfohshere 
 fpoken of j The Peacemakers And, 
 
 2. To fliew both the prefent Blejfed- 
 nefs and the future Reward of fuch Per- 
 fons. Bleffed are the Peace-maker^ for 
 they Jhall be called the Children of God, 
 
 ' y; : . 
 
 .1 B i,T0
 
 The DUTT of 
 
 i. To fhew who are the Perfons here 
 fpokenof, and pronounc'd BlelTed j The 
 Peace-makers. And they are in general 
 fuch as are of a peaceful and quiet 
 Temper, by which they are inclin'd 
 both to live peaceably themfelves, and 
 to promote and preferve Peace among 
 others. 
 
 But for the farther Explanation of the 
 Nature of this moft excellent Grace, I 
 proposed in the handling of this Head ,- 
 
 1. To fhew more fully, in general, 
 wherein this peaceful Temper of Mind 
 does confift ; and what are the general 
 Fruits and Effects which it is apt to pro- 
 duce, and whereby it will fhew it felf 
 in the outward Converfation. And, 
 
 2. To fhew more particularly, how this 
 Duty of Peace-making may be difchar- 
 ged; or what are the moft probable 
 and hopeful Means both of keeping our 
 felves in Peace, and of preferving and 
 making Peace among others. 
 
 But before I began to difcourfe on this 
 laft Point, I premised this one thing 
 (which I now think fit to remind you 
 
 of
 
 Peace-making Explain d. 
 
 of again) IMS* That what I intended to 
 fay upon this Subject ihould be only 
 relating to the Duty of private Men j 
 not of Governors, or Magtftrates ; altho' 
 yet in truth they have the greateft Sharfe 
 of all in this Duty $'. their Power to 
 preferve and maintain Peace in the 
 World, being much more than the 
 Power of private Men. Neverthelefs, 
 feeing that to know and pradile our 
 own Duty, is all that belongs to us, I 
 judg'd it altogether needlefs, and what 
 might rather do Hurt than Good, to 
 preach to Subjects and private Perfons 
 (fuch as compofe this Audience) the 
 Duty of Governors and publick Perfons* 
 A private Man, then, as I told you 5 
 may be confider'd, i. As a Member of 
 the Catholick Church, or a Citizen of 
 the World 5 2. As a Member of a particu- 
 lar Church or Nation. 3. As a Member 
 of a leifer Society, or (if I may fo call it) 
 Corporation, confiding of his Neighbour- 
 hood and Acquaintance j and, 4. As a 
 f ingle Man, fubfiftmgby himfelf: And ac- 
 cordingly, I propofed to ihew diftinftly; 
 B 2 I. What
 
 The DUTT of 
 
 i. What a private Man ought to do 
 towards the obtaining or preferving the 
 Peace of the whole World, or of the 
 Catholick Church -, 2. What he ought 
 to do in. order to the making or prefer- 
 ving Peace, in that particular Church or 
 Nation to which he belongs,- 3. How 
 he may beft preferve or make Peace a- 
 mong his Neighbours and Acquaintance ; 
 And, 4. By what Means he may molt 
 probably keep him felf in Peace. 
 
 And the two firft of thefe Heads I 
 have already fpoken to ; I proceed now 
 to the third 5 viz. 
 
 3. To ihew how a Private Man may 
 beft preferve and make Peace among 
 his Neighbours and Acquaintance. 
 
 But before I go about to do this, it 
 will be needful firft to remove an obvi- 
 ous Objection which may be made a- 
 gainft the whole that can be faid upon 
 this Subject; and which, if true and 
 well-grounded, would indeed render all 
 farther Difcourfe upon it altogether 
 ufelefs. 
 
 For
 
 Peace-making Explained. 
 
 For it may perhaps be doubted by 
 fome, whether or no it can be any pri- 
 vate Man's Duty to labour to preferve 
 Peace, or to compofe Differences among 
 others ; nay, whether in endeavouring 
 it, he does not rather tranfgrefs his own 
 Duty, and go beyond his Bounds. 
 
 For, firft, The Apoftle exprefly con> 
 mands us toftudy to be quiet ; and in or- 
 der thereto exhorts every Man to do his 
 own Bufinefi ; i Thef.iv. n. feeming 
 to intimate thereby, that the medling 
 with other Mens Bufinefs is inconfiftent 
 with our own Peace and Quietnefs. 
 And elfe where, viz. in 2 Theff. iii. u. 
 And i Tun. v. 13. the fame Apoftle fe- 
 verely reproves all thofe, both Men and 
 Women, who are Bufibodies in other Mens 
 Matters. St. Peter likewife joyns thefe 
 Bufibodies with very ill Company, in 
 i Pet.iv. 15. thereby feeming to inti- 
 mate that they are not much inferior to 
 them in Guilt : Let none of you fuffer as 
 a Murderer, or as a Thief, or as an Evil- 
 doer, or as a Bufibody in other Mens Mat- 
 ters, Now, how (it may be asked) can 
 B 3 any
 
 The DUTY of 
 
 any Man labour to reconcile the Diffe- 
 rences of his Neighbours, without con- 
 cerning himfelf with their Affairs j with- 
 out buiying himfelf in their Matters ? 
 And accordingly, what is more com- 
 mon than for a Man, when he offers 
 himfelf to this Work, to be put off with 
 fuch Speeches as thefe by the conten- 
 ding Parties $ Let us alone; Go and mind, 
 your own Bufinefi , Meddle with what 
 belongs to you > flay till you arc fent for. 
 and the like ? 
 
 Moreover, Did not (it may be farther 
 ask'd) our bleffed Saviour himfelf, and 
 *hat too when he was de/ir'd to decide 
 a Controverfy between two Brothers, 
 ivho could not agree how to divide their 
 Inheritance, fairly excule himfelf from 
 the Office ? Lukexii. 13, 14. One of the 
 Company faid unto him ; Mafter, fpeak to 
 wy Brother, that he divide the Inheritance 
 with me. And he faid unto hi?^ Man? 
 Who made me a Judge or Divider over 
 you ? How then can it be our Duty to 
 do that yvhich he decliad to do ? 
 
 And
 
 Peace-making Explained. 
 
 And, laftly Doth it not (it may be 
 asked ftill farther ; Doth it not) very 
 often happen, that he who interpofes 
 himfelf to reconcile the Differences of 
 others, and to part thofe that are fight- 
 ing, inftead of making them Friends, on- 
 ly draws upon himfelf the Hatred and 
 Anger of them both ? At leaft, of him 
 by whofe Fault the Contention began ? 
 So it happened to Mofes, Exod. ii. 1 1 . 
 yvho when he fa w two of his Country- 
 men driving together, would fain ba*oe 
 fet them at one again , Saying, Sirs, Ye are 
 Brethren, why doyeWrong one to another? 
 But he who did his Neighbour Wrong 
 thruft him away, faying, Who made thee 
 a Ruler and a Judge over uf ? And 'tis 
 certain that many a Man has receiv'd a 
 Blow, or a Wound, and fome their 
 Death, by only endeavouring to part a 
 Fray. And therefore the Wife Man takes 
 Notice, and forewarns Men of the 
 Danger they run by thus concerning 
 themfelves in other People's Quarrels, 
 in Pm;. xxvi. 17. He thatpaffeth by, and 
 wsddleth with Strife belonging not to hiw, 
 
 T> 1* 
 
 fl L f J 
 
 "
 
 Tie Dt/TT of 
 
 if like one that taketh a Dog by the 
 Earr. 
 
 From all which it may feem to ap? 
 pear, that it is neither Duty nor Pru- 
 dence, for a private Man ever to en- 
 gage himfelf in other Mens Quarrels ; 
 not even fo much as to give himfelf any 
 Trouble to endeavour to make them at 
 Peace. But that the beft Way is, if 
 "Neighbours will fall out and quarrel, 
 for a Man to let them alone to fight it 
 put by themfelves, and to keep hinv 
 felf as far as he can out of Harm's Way. 
 
 Neverthelefs, After all that hath been 
 riow offered on that fide, I can't but 
 fuppofe that Peace-making is always a 
 good Office, and in fome Cafes a necef- 
 fary Duty ; Qtherwife our Saviour would 
 not have encourag'd Men to it with a 
 Promife of BlefTing and Reward , And 
 if it ever be a Duty at all, it muftbe fo 
 when our Neighbours and Acquaintance 
 are at Variance ; whofe Good and Wel- 
 fare we are mqre efpecially oblig'd to 
 promote; and whofe Quarrel^ more 
 than other People's^ are likely to have 
 
 an
 
 Peace-making Explained. 
 
 an ill Influence upon our own Affairs, 
 and to give Disturbance to our own 
 Quiet and Security. 
 
 Befides ; We are obliged in Duty to 
 love our Neighbour at ourfelves ; But the 
 Love of ourfelves naturally inclines us 
 to feek our own Welfare, and in order 
 to it to preferve our own Peace > And 
 therefore if we love our Neighbours in 
 the fame Degree, or after the fame; 
 Manner, that we do ourfelves, we can't 
 but alfo defire their Peace , and confe- 
 quently, as we have an Opportunity and 
 Ability, endeavour to preferve and pro- 
 mote it. For how can we be thought 
 heartily to love our Neighbours, and tp 
 <defire their Welfare, if we fuffer them 
 to devour and deftroy one another, 
 when it is, or we believe it to be, in 
 our Power to hinder it ? 
 
 It is plain therefore, in the firft Place, 
 that thole Texts of St. Peter and St. 
 Paul before cited, which fo feverely 
 cenfure and condemn Pragmaticalnefs, 
 or Bufying ourfelves in other Mens 
 Jvlatters, are not to be fo interpreted,
 
 20 The D UTT of ' 
 
 as if it were unlawful for a Man to eru 
 4eavour to preferve and promote his 
 Neighbour's Welfare; It can't be fuch 
 Jkifying ourfelves in other Mens Matters 
 as this, which the Apoftles meant to 
 blame; but fuch Pragmaticalnefs only 
 as is finful and uncharitable, which pro- 
 ceeds from ill Principles, and tends to 
 work Mifchief to our Neighbours. But 
 tho' we may not fet our Neighbour's 
 Houfe on Fire, yet, furely, if it be on 
 Fire, we may without incurring any 
 Blame help him to quench it. And 
 therefore by the fame Reafon, tho' we 
 may not fo meddle in our Neighbour's 
 Matters as to fet them at Variance, we 
 may furely, when we fee them at Va- 
 riance, endeavour to make them at 
 Peace, and not incur any Blame for fb 
 doing. Nay, indeed, in endeavouring this 
 (provided we affume not an Authority 
 over them which we have not) we do 
 not intrude ourfelves into other Mens 
 Bufinefs, but are truly doing our own . 
 for we are only difcharging a neigh- 
 Office to our Neighbours; we 
 
 are
 
 Peace-making Explained, n 
 
 are only doing what Charity and Bro- 
 therly Love obliges us to. 
 
 But that the Practice of Peace-ma. 
 king was not meant to be difcouraged 
 by any of thofe Places before cited, will 
 more clearly appear, if we confider each 
 of them diftin&ly. 
 
 The firft Place cited in the Objection 
 was that of St. Paul, in i Thejf. iv. n. 
 Study to be quiet, and to do your own Bfa 
 fineff. 
 
 To underftand the true Meaning and 
 Pefign of which Words, we muft look 
 back to the pth Verfe, Af touching Bro- 
 therly Love, (fays the Afoftle) ye need not 
 that I write unto you- y For ye yourfehes 
 are taught of God to love one another. 
 And indeed ye do it towards all the Bre- 
 thren which are in all Macedonia. But 
 ws befeech you. Brethren, that ye increafe 
 won and more. The Afoftle, you fee, 
 blames them not for that Charity which 
 had put them upon doing good Offices to 
 others; Nay, he commends them for 
 it, and befeeches them to increafe in 
 this great Duty or Vertue more and more.
 
 12 The DUTT of 
 
 And therefore thofe Words which fol- 
 low immediately after, and that ye ftudy 
 to be quiet and to do your own Bufinefi, 
 can't be fo underftood as if by their 
 charitable Endeavour to promote the 
 Good of others, they would be turbu- 
 lent and troublefome, and meddle with 
 what did not belong to them ; but they 
 only contain a Caution againft fuch 
 Meddling as is the Effecl: of Idlenefs ; 
 the Meddling with other Mens Matters, 
 not with a Defign to benefit them, but 
 only to employ ourfelves. And this is 
 farther confirmed by the Words imme- 
 diately following, that ye do your own 
 Bufinefi, and work with your own Handr, 
 a* we commanded you. This was to do 
 their own Buflnefs, it was to be diligent 
 in their proper Callings , and fuch Di- 
 ligence is a moft effectual Means to 
 keep Men from Meddling more than 
 needs in the Affairs of others. 
 
 The fame is alfo plainly the Defign 
 of thofe Words in 2 Theff. iii. 2 . where 
 the Afoftle oppofes Bufibodie.^ to fuch 
 as work honeftly for their own Living j
 
 Peace-making Explain d. 13 
 
 and intimates that they which neglect 
 their own Bufinefs are the moft likely 
 to give Difturbance to their Neighbours. 
 They work not at . all, but are Bufibqdie^ 
 and walk disorderly. 
 
 And 'tis likewife the fame Fault 
 which he finds with the young Widow?, 
 in iTim.v. 13. who being maintain'd 
 by the Church out of the Poors Cheft, 
 fo that they were not under an Obliga- 
 tion to work for their Living, and not 
 caring to fpend their Time, as they 
 ought to have done, in Prayers and 
 Devotions, did for Want of other Em- 
 ployment make a Trade of Gofliping, 
 and Going about from one Houfe to 
 another, carrying Tales, and .fowing 
 Difcord among their Neighbours. They 
 learn, fays he, to be idle, wandr ing about 
 from Houfe to Houfe ; and not only idle, 
 but Toilers alfo and Bufibodies ; fyeaking 
 thingr which thy ought not : That is, 
 entertaining themfelves and others, either 
 with loofe and wanton Stories, or elfe 
 with uncharitable Tales and Surmifes 
 concerning their Neighbours. 
 
 Peace-
 
 i 4 The DUTT of 
 
 Peace-making being therefore (as has- 
 been fliew'd already) the Effeft of Cha- 
 rity and Brotherly Kindnefs, is plainly 
 not condemned in any of thefe Places 
 as a needlefs or blameable Meddling in 
 other Mens Matters : But the only thing 
 that thefe Texts find Fault with, is fuch 
 a Pragmaticalnefs as is the Effeft of 
 Idlenefs, or the Caufe of Mifchief to 
 others, or the Occafion of Men's Neg- 
 lecting their own proper Bufinefs or 
 Duty. 
 
 And laftly ; It is evident that St. Pe- 
 ter, in that Place where he forbids us to 
 fuffer as Murderers, or Thieves, or E<u/7- 
 DoerSy or Bufibodies in other Mem Mat-* 
 ten, means by Bufibodies fuch only as 
 meddle with other Mens Matters in 
 fuch a manner as to be punifhable upon 
 that Account in humane Courts of Ju- 
 fUce$ Let none of you fuffer as aBufibodjs 
 but I am perfuaded it never was forbid- 
 den, or made punifhable, by the Laws 
 of any Nation, for Men to endeavour 
 to promote Peace and Good-will among 
 Neighbours. Peace-makers therefore are 
 
 not
 
 Peace-making Explain d. 1 5 
 
 not the Bufibodies there fpoken of, the 
 Bufibodies there meant being fuch only 
 as were Evil-doers too,- for they are 
 joyned together by the Apoftle-, Let none 
 ofyoufuffer as an Evil-doer, or as a B tip- 
 body. They were therefore either fuch 
 as St. Paul fpeaks of in the Places before- 
 mention'd, who neglecting the Works 
 of their Callings, did fpend their Time 
 in fowing Difcord among their Neigh- 
 bours,and making Mifchief in the World : 
 or elfe rather, they were (as the Word 
 aMMTpoeififfxfivos then ufed does moft pro- 
 perly fignifie) iuch as aflum'd to them- 
 felves a Power aad Superiority over 
 others without lawful Commiifion, or 
 fuch as extended the Power they had 
 beyond it's juft Bounds, and invaded 
 another's Jurifdiction. But a Man may 
 be a Peace-maker, and yet not do 
 this : I fay, even a Private Man (for 
 'tis of fuch only that I now fpeak) may 
 endeavour to preferve and make Peace 
 among his Neighbours, as a private 
 Man, without affuming to himfelf any 
 Authority over them, or invading &fe 
 
 Ma-
 
 The PUTT of 
 
 Magiftrate's Office ,- as I ihall ihew by 
 and by. 
 
 Thus it appears that there is no Text 
 of Scripture forbidding private Men to 
 be Reconcilers of the Differences of their 
 Neighbours; altho' there are indeed 
 fome which may be wrefted to this Pur- 
 pofe by fuch as would willingly be re^ 
 leas'd from a Duty which they are loth, 
 either thro' Lazinefs or Want of Charity^ 
 to undertake. 
 
 But the main thing of all obje&ed 
 againft it was the Example of our Lo*d. 
 For if it be lawful for a private Man to 
 concern himfelf in reconciling Differen- 
 ces bet ween his Neighbours^ it may well 
 enough be ask'd, what made ourBlefTed 
 Saviour, even when he was defired to 
 be an Arbitrator in a Difference between 
 two Brothers, to wave and decline the 
 Office ? Doth it not hence plainly appear 
 that Peace-making is not the Duty of 
 private Men ? For if it had, furely our 
 Saviour, 'who came to fulfill all Rights- 
 oufneff, and to be a Pattern thereof to 
 the World, would not have omitted fo 
 
 fair
 
 Peace-inaking Explain d. 
 
 fait- an Opportunity of Difcharging this 
 Office. Nay farther, Doth it not hence 
 appear that a private Man can't under- 
 take the Office without Meddling with 
 other Mens Matters in fueh fort as he 
 ought not j and afluming to himlelf the 
 Authority of a Magiftrate ? For this our 
 Saviour's Anfwer to the Man's Requeft 
 may feem to import ; Man, Who made 
 me a Ruler or a Divider over you ? 
 
 But to take off fomewhat the Force of 
 this Objection, (before I come to make 
 a direcl: Anfwer to it) I defire it may 
 be confidered, That St. Patil, who cer- 
 tainly uiiderftood our Lord's Mind, and 
 alfo fpake by Infpiration of the Holy 
 Ghoft, feverely chides the Corinthian^ 
 who,if any Difference happened between 
 them, were prefently for trying it out 
 at Law in the Courts of the Heathens ; 
 and advifes them rather to ftand to the 
 Arbitrament of fome wife and difcreet 
 Man among themfelves : i Cor. vi. 5, 6. 
 Is it fa fays he, that there if not a wife 
 Man among you-, no not one., thatfiall be 
 able to judgp between his Brethren 1 But 
 Q Brother 
 
 ."
 
 i8 The DUTT of 
 
 Brother goeth to Law with Brother ,and that 
 'before the Unbelievers. In which Words 
 he plainly taxes them with two Faults ,- 
 One was, that they were fo apt to quar- 
 rel and fall out about fmall and trifling 
 'Matters - 3 as appears from the following 
 ,Words : Now therefore there if utterly a 
 Fault among you, becaufe ye go to Law 
 one with another : Why do ye not rather 
 take Wrong ? Why do yt not rather fiffer 
 yourfehes to be defrauded? The other 
 Fault was, that when the Difference was 
 about fomewhat confiderable, they did 
 not rather 'put the Matter to the Arbi- 
 tration of ibme wife Perfon among 
 themfelves. I ffeak to your Shame^ fays 
 he, Is there not a wife Man among you ? 
 i. e. Not one that is able to decide your 
 Differences, but that you muft needs carry 
 them before the Magiftrate ? Now if they 
 did 111 in carrying their Caufes before the 
 Magiftrate, it plainly follows, that fome 
 of themfelves, who were all private Men, 
 (for there were no Chriftian'M.agiftratesm 
 thofe Days) might have decided thefe 
 Differences, without invading the Magi- 
 ftrate's Office and Authority. Fo*- cer- 
 tainly
 
 Peace-making Explained. 
 
 tainly he would not have advifed them 
 to put their Differences to the Arbitra- 
 tion of ibme of their Brethren, who (as I 
 faid) were all private Men > if indeed 
 it had been unlawful for a private Man, 
 at the Requeft of both Parties, to have 
 undertaken the Office. 
 
 It is plain therefore that this was not 
 the Reafon why our Saviour refused it: 
 But either, 
 
 i . Firft of all, Becaufe he was at that 
 Time otherwife employed, and in a 
 Bufmefs of far greater Moment, and 
 more publick Concern , preaching the 
 Things pertaining to the Kingdom of 
 God > fo that to have gone about to 
 decide this Difference then, would have 
 been an unfeafonable Interruption of his 
 Difcourfe. Or, 
 
 2. He might at that time decline it 5 
 becaufe he perceiv'd that the Man came 
 to him, prompted by Covetoufnefs> and 
 a Defire of having a greater Share of the 
 Inheritance than was his Due. Speak to 
 my Brother., fays he, that he divide the 
 Inheritance : i. e. (for fo his Words may 
 C 2 be
 
 20 The PUTT of 
 
 be underftood) Speak to him to give me 
 . a Part of that Inheritance to which he, 
 by Law, is fole Heir. And that *this 
 was his Meaning is the more probable, 
 becaufe our Saviour immediately took 
 Occafion from hence to warn Men 
 againft Covetoufnefs, in the very next 
 Verfe : And he faid unto tbem^ Take heed, 
 and beware of Covet oufnc ft. Or, 
 
 3. He might then refufe to judge 
 between this Man and his Brother, be- 
 caufe the Man came to him alone, and 
 ieem'd as if he meant to engage him to 
 be a Party rather than a Judge, and give 
 the Caufe for him without giving the 
 other a fair Hearing. Speak to my Brc- 
 therj fays he, that he divide the Inheri- 
 . lance. He ihould have faid ; Hear what 
 my Brother has to fay why he refufes to 
 divide the Inheritance, and what I have 
 to fay why he fhould do it ,- and then 
 judge between us. Or, 
 
 4. A Reafon why he wav'd concer- 
 ning himfelf to decide this Difference, 
 might be, becaule the Man came to 
 him, not as to a private Perfon, to de- 
 cide
 
 Peace-making Explain d. 2 1 
 
 cide their Differences, by Arbitration ; 
 but as to a Perfon inverted with fecular 
 Power and Authority ; prefuming (ac- 
 cording to the general Opinion and Ex- 
 pectation of the ^ews) that if he was 
 the "MeJJlaSy which his Miracles feem'd 
 to prove him to be, he was alfo to be a 
 Temporal Prince. And this his Opi- 
 nion of our Saviour, feems to be own'd 
 by the Way of his Addrefling him. 
 Mafter, fays he, (peak to my Brother - y /. e. 
 Lay thy Command upon him, to divide 
 ibe Inheritance with me. And if this was 
 the Man's Meaning, then our Saviour's 
 refufing to concern himfelf in the Bufi- 
 nefs, was, in effed, only a Difowning 
 himfelf to be a temporal Kingj or a 
 Declaration that his Kingdom was not of 
 this World : Who made me, fays he, a 
 Ruler and a Divider? i. e. I have no 
 Commiflion from God to exercife that 
 fecular Power which thou thinkeft me 
 inverted with. Or 3 
 
 5. Laftly, Our Saviour might well 
 
 then decline the Office, altho' not un- 
 
 lawrul to be exercifed by a private. Man, 
 
 C 3 yet
 
 22 The DUTT of 
 
 yet as not expedient to be undertaken 
 by him at that time j becaufe the Jews^ 
 who watch'd all Occafions to entrap 
 him, and were veiy defirous to have 
 whereof to accufe him to the Roman 
 Governor, would very probably have 
 readily taken hold on fuch an Occafion 
 as this ; and have laid it to his Charge 
 that he affected the Kingdom j for it 
 was upon a far lefs Ground than this 
 would have been, that they afterwards 
 accus'd him of Treafon before Pontius 
 Pilate. 
 
 For fome or other of thefe Reafons, 
 I fay, it is moft likely that our Saviour 
 did decline to take upon him to decide 
 the Controverfy between the two Bro-r 
 thers : And therefore all that can be 
 argued from this n'ngle Example, is no 
 more but only this ; That to labour to 
 make Peace among Neighbours, is not 
 always fuch a neceflary Duty, as that a 
 Man is bound to neglect all other Bufi- 
 neffes for it ; or, but that in fome Cafes 
 a Man may lawfully and wifely rerlife to 
 take upon him the Office of an Arbitrator 
 
 between
 
 Peace-making Explained. 2 3 
 
 between two Neighbours that are at 
 Variance. But it doth not by any Means 
 appear from this Example, that it is in 
 general either unlawful, or not a Duty, 
 to leek to make Peace among Neigh- 
 bours ; which may be attempted feve- 
 ral other Ways, without in any manner 
 thrufting in, or fb much as offering our- 
 felves to be Judges between them. 
 
 But againft the Practice of this Duty, 
 it was farther urged in the Objection, 
 That the Office of Peace-making is many 
 times very dangerous to a Man's felf ,- 
 and to confirm this, thofe Words of 
 Solomon were cited: He that faffeth by, 
 and meddkth with Strife belonging not to 
 hint, is like one that taketh a Dvg by the 
 Earr. 
 
 But to this 'tis eafily anfwered, That 
 this Place needs not be fo underftood, 
 as if it meant to condemn, as rafh and 
 dangerous, our concerning ourfelves 
 fo far about the Strifes of others, as to 
 endeavour by fair Means to put an End 
 to them : It may more reafonably be 
 pnderftood, as meaning only to con- 
 C 4 demn.
 
 The DL7TT of 
 
 demn fuch a Meddling with the Strifes 
 
 of others, as engages us to take one Part, 
 
 and to help and aflift that againft the 
 
 other. As if a Man, when two Dogs 
 
 were fighting, fliould hold the one while 
 
 the other worried him. And he that 
 
 does thus, does indeed meddle with Strife 
 
 that belongeth not to him ; /. e. He en- 
 
 gages himfelf in a Strife, and makes 
 
 himfelf a Party, when he might have 
 
 been at Quiet : He confequently runs 
 
 himfelf into needlefs Danger , and is 
 
 truely like the Man that Solomon there 
 
 fpeaks of, who taking a Dog by the 
 
 Ears, can neither eafily keep his bold, 
 
 nor without Danger let it go : He will 
 
 not be able fo readily to difengage him- 
 
 felf from the Contention, as he did 
 
 thruft himfelf into it. 
 
 Or if we underftand thofe Words as 
 fpoken of a Man who only endea- 
 vours to part them that are Quarreling, 
 yet it is not all fuch Meddling which 
 the Wife Man condemns, but only the 
 Meddling with Strifes which belong not 
 to us i L e. which we are not deiired to 
 
 accorn^
 
 Peace-making Explained. 
 
 accommodate, or which we have not 
 Wifdom or Authority enough to put 
 an End to. He that paffeth by, and med- 
 dlcth with Strife belonging not to him , /'. e. 
 who will needs take upon himfel 
 without any Call or Warrant, to judge 
 between others, having neither Power, 
 nor Skill, nor Authority to difcharge 
 the Office. 
 
 And indeed, fo much is certainly true 
 that no private Man fliould haftily in- 
 terpofe himfelf to be an Arbitrator in 
 any Difpute or Conteft between others ; 
 for that is to affame to himfelf an Au- 
 thority over them, when really he has 
 none. And it is no Wonder that fuch 
 proffered Service is many times refufed 
 with Scorn by both Parties: 'Tis no 
 Wonder, I fay, when a Man raflily 
 thrufts himfelf into Office, and proffers 
 of his own Accord that he will be a 
 judge and Determiner of every Strife 
 or Difpute that happens between his 
 Neighbours, if fometimes his Service 
 be with Anger and Difdain rejected ; 
 and he be anfwered as Mofet was, Who
 
 The DUTT of 
 
 wade tbee a Ruler and a Judge over us ? 
 For Men generally love to be Matters of 
 their own Actions, and do not care to 
 be. cenfured and controuled even by 
 them that have lawful Authority over 
 them j and much lefs by thofe that have 
 not. But if a Man be chofen by both Par- 
 ties to end their Strife, and they have a- 
 greed to ftand to his Determination, it is 
 then no Arrogance nor Preemption at 
 ali in him, nor what is likely to gain 
 him any ill Will from them, to accept 
 of the Office, and to ufe his beft Skill 
 to decide their Difference as fairly and 
 juftly as he can. 
 
 But there are alfo feveral other Ways 
 and Means of promoting Peace among 
 Neighbours, bef ides arbitrating and judg- 
 ing between them , which any private 
 Man may make Ufe of without incur- 
 ring the Blame of needlefs Meddling j 
 without arrogating to himfelf undue 
 'Authority ; without running himfelf 
 into Danger, or drawing on himfelf the 
 ill Will or Difpleafure of any ^ which 
 therefore a l^ove of Peace will both 
 
 readily
 
 Peace-making Explain d. 27 
 
 readily fuggeft to him, and ftrongly in- 
 cline him to put in Practice. For, 
 
 i. Firft of all, Whofoever is defirous 
 to preserve Peace among his Neighbours, 
 will be careful to avoid, and endeavour 
 as much as he can to difcourage and pre- 
 vent in others, thofe Pradices which 
 are the ufual Means of raifing Quarrels 
 artd Contentions among Men. Such 
 are, efpecially, Backbiting, Whifpering> 
 Tale-bearing, Slander, Detraction, and 
 the like. For, as the Wife Son ofSyracb 
 obferves, A Backbiting Tongue bath dif- 
 quieted many, and driven them from Na- 
 tion to Nation ; Strong Cities hath it ful- 
 led down, and overthrown the Houfef of 
 great Men : Whofo hearkeneth to it jhall 
 never find Reft, and never dwell quietly. 
 Curfe the Whifyerer and Double-tongued, 
 for fitch have deftrofd many that were at 
 Peace. And to the fame Purpofe the 
 "Wife Solomon alfo obferves, Prov. xviii. 8. 
 That the Words of a Tale-bearer are as 
 Wounds ; that they go down into the inner- 
 moft Partf of the Belly. And^Prov. xvi. 28. 
 That a froward Man foweth Strife, and,
 
 28 The DUTT of 
 
 feparateth chief Friends. Ii^ 
 deed, the neareft Relations, the ftri&efi 
 Friendihips, the moft intire Love, and 
 the firmeft Peace, have been difTolv'd by 
 fuch Men. And I believe moft of the 
 Quarrels and Contentions that have been 
 in the World, and have ruin'd Families, 
 and deftroy'd Kingdoms, have been oc- 
 calion'd at firft by the private Whifpers, 
 or more open Detractions of flandering 
 and backbiting Tongues. 
 
 Whoever therefore isdefirousthat they 
 who live about him fhould continue in 
 Peace, will efpecially take Care not to 
 report of one Neighbour to another any 
 thing that is falfe , not, \vithout very 
 good Reafon, any thing, tho' true, which 
 may any ways tend to make ill Blood 
 between them ; and he will likewife 
 difcountenance and difcourage others., 
 who, whether out of Malice, Envy, or 
 ill Will, or merely out of Idlenefs, and 
 a prating talkative Humour, make it 
 their Practice to carry about Tales from 
 one Neighbour to another, whereby 
 their Love and Good-will tpwards each 
 
 Other
 
 Peace-making Uxflaitid. 29 
 
 other is by Degrees cooled and extin- 
 guiihed. A peaceable-minded Man will 
 be fure never to fovv the Seeds of Dil- 
 fention among his Neighbours. And, 
 
 2 . In cafe there be any DhTention al- 
 ready begun among them, a peaceful 
 Man will be fure fo to behave himfelf 
 as not by any Means to inflame their 
 Anger and ill Will towards each other, 
 or to widen their Breaches, or foment 
 and encourage their Differences. 
 
 And if all Men would but behave 
 themfelves with this Prudence and Cau- 
 tion towards their Neighbours that are 
 at Variance ; if they would but be per- 
 fuaded only to let them alone, even this 
 only would go a great Way towards the 
 fhortening of thole Quarrels which hap- 
 pen among Neighbours: For Humane 
 Nature in general is not fo very bad as 
 fome have reprefented it; 'tis not fo 
 very quarrelfome and contentious, fo 
 fierce and outragious, as fome Men 
 (judging, it may be, all others by them- 
 felves) would make us believe it is. 
 But moft of the little Strifes and Con- 
 tentions
 
 3 o The DUTT of 
 
 tentions which happen among Neigh- 
 bours, would foon ceafe and die of their 
 own Accord, if fome bufy and ill-natur'd 
 People (pretending, it may be, to be 
 Friends to both Parties) did not blow 
 the Coals of Contention, and throw on 
 frelh Fewel when the Fire was near ex- 
 piring, by aggravating to each the Injury 
 or Unkindnefs of the other, and by re- 
 porting frefh Tales of each to the 
 other to renew the Quarrel. For as Solo- 
 mon obferves, Pro<v. xxvi. 20, 21. As 
 Coak arc to burning Coals^ and as Wood 
 to Fire fo is a contentious Man to kindle 
 Strife. Where no Wood /V, the Fire gosth 
 out $ fo where there is no Talebearer the 
 Strife ceafeth. Thus and thus lias he 
 ufed you j (fays the Makebate) this and 
 this has he faid of you : I wonder how 
 you can bear it fo tamely : If you were 
 a Man of any Spirit, you could not put 
 it up : Had he ferv'd me fo, I'd have 
 made him repent it before this: Had 
 I been fo bafely dealt by, I'd lofe my 
 Life in the Quarrel, but I'd be reveng'd ; 
 and the like. And when by fuch Speeches 
 
 he
 
 Peace-making Explain d. 
 
 lie has pretty well heated and irrita- 
 ted one fide, he as readily goes, and 
 fays all the fame things to the other, 
 till that be heated to the fame Pitch, 
 and then he hopes his Sport will begin. 
 Were it not, I fay, for fome fuch Per- 
 fons as this, who delight to fow Strife 
 and Difcord among Men, and to fo- 
 ment their Neighbours Quarrels^ rnoft 
 of their Contentions would in a ihort 
 time ceafe of themfelves, as the Firfe 
 goes out when the Fewel is fpent. So 
 that it would do a great deal towards 
 the Preferving Peace among Neighbours, 
 if the Standers-by would but be periua- 
 ded not to blow the Coals of Conten- 
 tion, nor to ftir up the Fire when it -was 
 almoft out. But, 
 
 3. If the Contention be fo hot and 
 fierce that it is not likely to ceafe of 
 its own accord, he that is a Lover and 
 Maker of Peace will then endeavour to 
 incline both Parties to Coolnefs and 
 Moderation. If thou blow the Sparky it 
 JJiall bum j and if ibou fpit upon it, itjhall 
 be quenched , lays the Wife Hebrew, and 
 
 boih
 
 32 The PUTT of 
 
 both thefe came out of thy Mouth. By 
 which he feems to intimate, that as the 
 ufual Means of raiflng and fomenting 
 Quarrels among Men., is by what pro- 
 ceedr out of the Mouth^ viz. by Words, 
 by carrying Tales 3 by aggravating Of- 
 fences, by perfuadirtg to Revenge j 
 fo the likelieft Means to make them 
 ceafe, is alfo by what proceeds out of the 
 Mouth ; i. e> by Words too ; Not fuch 
 indeed as the other, but by foft and 
 gentle Intreaties, by reprefenting to each 
 Party the Smallnefs and Inconfiderable- 
 nefs of the Things they quarrel about - 
 and the great Benefits and Advantages 
 of Peace 5 and by Ihewing them how irt- 
 confiftent it is with Peace to take Of- 
 fence at every thing, to interpret every 
 thing in the worft Senfe, to give Ear 
 to Slanderers and Backbiters, and to 
 lay hold on every Occafion of Quarrel- 
 ling that is offered. But, 
 
 4. Laftly, If the Paffions of any of 
 our Neighbours who are at Variance be 
 fo hot and enflam'd on both Sides, that 
 gentle Words and fair Intreaties are not 
 
 fufficient
 
 Peace-making Explain d. 33 
 
 fufficient wholly to fupprefs them, they 
 may ferve however in good Mealiire to 
 allay them. And therefore when a Man, 
 defirous to make Peace among his 
 Neighbours, fees that they are refolv'd 
 to fight it out, and that.no Means which 
 he can ufe are fufficient to hinder them, 
 he will then endeavour that their Con- 
 tention may be ended with as little 
 Hurt to both as is poflible. And to 
 this end he will labour to periiiade them 
 to defer the Matter in Dispute to the 
 Decifion of fome wife Neighbour (where- 
 by with lefs Charge, and probably more 
 to the Satisfaction of both Parties, the 
 Strife may be ended ) rather than to 
 try it out at Law : becaufe tho' a Law- 
 Suit may determine a Controverfy, it 
 very rarely leaves the contending Parties 
 in Peace and Charity. 
 
 Thele are fome of the Means whereby 
 even a private Man may promote Peace 
 and Good-will among his Neighbours. 
 I might have mentioned fome others* 
 or have been more particular in treating 
 of thefe : But a peaceful Mind and com- 
 
 [Vol.II.] D mon
 
 34 The PUTT of 
 
 mon Prudence will readily fiiggeft to a 
 Man what are the moft likely Means of 
 making Peace between others, confider- 
 ing the Circumftances he himfelf is in, 
 and the Nature and Difpofition of the 
 Perfons he has to deal with. 
 
 All therefore that I fhall now add on 
 this Head, {hall be only a Word or two 
 to excite you to the Putting in Practice 
 thefe, or whatever other Rules and Me- 
 thods of Peace-making your own Pru- 
 dence may fugged : To which Purpofe 
 I defire thefe three things may be con- 
 ildered : 
 
 1. That by making or promoting 
 Peace among Neighbours, we do a 
 Work that is very .pleafmg to God $ 
 who, as our Church ftiles him, is The 
 Author of Peace and Lo^er of Concord ^ 
 and for which he will plentifully reward 
 us. For fuch, (ays our Saviour, jhall be 
 called the Children of God. 
 
 2. That we fhall alfo hereby di 
 charge a kind and charitable Office to 
 our Neighbours, for which we fhall de- 
 ierve, and moft probably have their 
 
 Thanks
 
 Peaces-making ~Ex$l&irid. 35 
 
 Thanks alfo : For tho' poffibly while 
 they are in the Heat of Contention, 
 they may give an angry of reproachful 
 Word to thofe who endeavour to -put 
 a Stop to their Fury $ yet afterwards, 
 when they become cool, they will <ii- 
 cern the Kindnefs that was intended 
 them, and look upon the Peace-maker 
 as their beft Friend. Whereas, on the 
 contrary, they that fow Difcord, and 
 foment Quarrels, however -they may 
 for a fhort time curry Favour with both 
 fides, by carrying about Tales from one 
 to the other, will, when their Practices 
 </ome once to be diicover'd, be moft 
 affuredly hated by both ; and alfo be 
 juftly efleem'd by all others, the Pefts 
 and Plagues of Mankind. 
 
 3 . Laftly, It may be farther confider- 
 -ed, That tliey who promote and pre- 
 ferve Peace among their Neighbours, 
 do in the Event reap alio the Benefit of 
 it themfelves j for while it is calm 
 about them, they alfo may live quietly., 
 which 'tis impoffible they fhould do, 
 inoffenfive foever their own Be- 
 D 2 haviour
 
 36 The DUTT of, &c. 
 
 haviour be, fo long as all is Storm and 
 fTempeft round about them. 
 
 And betides, it will be very hard for 
 any Man to keep himfelf from taking 
 Part with one fide, at leaft from being 
 thought fo to do i efpecially when a 
 kind Look, a friendly Word, or even 
 an A& of common Humanity to one, 
 will be thought by the other a taking 
 Part with him. 
 
 Thus I have fhewn how a private 
 Man may contribute towards the Pro- 
 curing the Peace of the whole "World, 
 or of the Catholick Cliurch ; and efpe- 
 cially of that particular Church and 
 Nation whereof he is a Member : And 
 now alfo, more particularly, how he 
 may promote Peace among his Neigh- 
 bours and Acquaintance. 
 
 It yet remains to be fhewn how a 
 Man ought to behave himfelf fo as to 
 keep himfelf in Peace. 
 
 But the Handling of this Point, and 
 what elfe remains to be fpoken of from 
 thefe Words, I ihall defer to another 
 Time. 
 
 T H E-
 
 
 
 
 THE 
 
 DUTY 
 
 O F 
 
 
 
 Peace-making Explain' d. 

 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 
 
 The Duty of Peace-making ex- 
 plain'd. 
 
 M A T T H. V. p. 
 
 led are the Peace-maker -jr, for 
 they /hall be called the Chil- 
 dren of God. 
 
 N fpeaking to thefe Words I 
 I^HI have formerly proposed to do 
 
 thefe two Things. 
 
 i . To ihew who are the Perfons here 
 fpoken of, and pronounced Blefled ; 
 The Peace-makers. And 3 
 
 i. To fiiew both the prefent Bleflfed- 
 nefs and the future Reward of fuch 
 Perfons j Bleffed are the Peace-makers, 
 for they Jball be called the Q)ildren of 
 God. ' 
 
 i. And in Difcourfing on the firft of 
 
 thefe Heads, after feveral other things 
 
 D 4 faid
 
 4o ^ The PUTT of 
 
 faid for the Explanation of the Duty 
 here recommended, I came to {hew 
 how it may beft be difcharg'd by us ; 
 'And particularly, i. What ,a private Per- 
 fon (for I confm'd my Difcourfe only to 
 fuch) ought to do towards the obtain- 
 ing or preferving the Peace of the 
 whole World, or of the Catholick 
 Church. 2. What he ought to do in 
 order to the making or preferving Peace 
 in that particular Church or Nation to 
 which he belongs. 3 . How he may beft 
 preferveor make Peace among his Neigh- 
 bours or Acquaintance. And, 4. By 
 what Means he may moft probably keep 
 himfelf in Peace. 
 
 And the three firft of thefe Points I 
 have already jfpoken to ; I proceed now 
 to the fourth, 'viz. 
 
 4. To fhew how a Man ought to be- 
 have himfelf, fo as to keep himfelf in 
 Peace. 
 
 And that it is our Duty to endeavour 
 this, as well as it is our Intereft, that 
 our Endeavours ihould be fuccefsful, is 
 a Point which I fuppofe will not be 
 
 quef-
 
 Peace-making Explained. 41 
 
 queftioned j efpecially, becaufe it is 
 elfwhere very exprefly commanded, as 
 particularly inJM.xii. 14. Follow Peace 
 with all Men^ in Rom. xii. 18. If it be 
 fojjlble^ as much a^Ueth in you, live peace- 
 ably with all Men ; and (to name no 
 more) i Theft, iv. u. Study to be quiet. 
 Study this, /. e. make it your Bufinefs , 
 Be content to fpend a good deal of Time 
 and Pains to procure your own Peace. 
 But the Word in the Original is ftill 
 more expreflive of the moft pailionate 
 Defire of Quietnefs, and the moft 
 induftrious Diligence to procure it. 
 $iAoTifAr<rfti fovxftw, it might have been 
 rendred, Be ambitious of Quietnefi, or, 
 Contend for Peace as earneftly as others 
 do for Honour and Victory. 
 
 Befides, If it be our Duty (as I have 
 Ihewn it is) to preferve and promote, 
 as much as we are able, the Peace of 
 others, it muft needs be fo, much ra- 
 ther, to preferve and promote our own 
 Peace : For our Love to ourfelves is 
 the Meafure of that Love which we 
 are to have for others. We are oblig'd 
 
 to
 
 The DUTT of 
 
 to love our Neighbours as ourfefoei ; not 
 tttote, not better than we do ourfelves : 
 We are therefore obliged at kaft as, 
 much in Duty (and I'm fiire much more 
 in Intereft) to preferve our own Peace 
 and Quiet, as we are that of other 
 Men. 
 
 Taking it therefore for granted that 
 to feek our own Peace is one Branch of 
 that Duty, to the Performance of which 
 our Saviour here pronounces a Bleffed- 
 nefs; I come now to ihew how it may 
 be difeharg'd : Particularly j 
 
 1. What lies on us to do to maintain 
 and preferve Peace between ourfelves 
 and others. And, 
 
 2. In cafe the Peace between us be 
 already broken, what lies on us to do 
 in order to the renewing it. 
 
 i. I Hull ihew what lies on us to do 
 in order to the keeping and preferving 
 Peace between ourfelves and others. 
 
 Now the only fure Ground of a Jail- 
 ing Peace, between two Perfons, or 
 two Societies of Men, is a mutual Love 
 and good Wills for if once they come
 
 Peace-making Explain d, 
 
 to bear inward Hatred to each other, it 
 can't be long before they will break out 
 into open A&s of HofHlity. Whoever 
 therefore is denrous to keep himfelf in 
 Peace and Quietnefs, muft efpecially be 
 very careful to avoid all thofe PraclJces 
 which are naturally apt to provoke 
 others to Paflion and Revenge, and to 
 excite their Hatred and Ill-will to- 
 wards him y For, Hatred ftirreth up Strife, 
 as the Wife Man obferves, Prov. 10. 12. 
 Jt naturally tends to raife Difturbancej 
 and the moft trifling Matter in the 
 World is fufficient to fet Men a quar- 
 relling when once they are inwardly 
 difaffe&ed towards each other: When 
 once they are by their inward Hatred 
 difpos'd to take occafion of Quarrelling, 
 they can never long want Occafion $ fo 
 that, inihort, whoever would keep him- 
 felf in Peace, muft abftain, not only 
 from doing real Injuries to others, but 
 likewife from thofe things which are 
 generally accounted and taken as In- 
 juries j and if he does fo, he may rea- 
 fonably hope none will be difpos'd to 
 {iurt or injure him. cc For
 
 44 The DUTY of 
 
 " For (as is well obferv'd * by one 
 " that has written on this 
 
 j$'Kf$ " Su % ft ) if we wil1 be 
 
 confervingPeace, juft tO Ourfelves WC 
 
 cc {hall find that very rare- 
 xc ly any one fpeaks ill of us without 
 <c Caufe, or takes delight to hurt and 
 " vex us only for Wantonnefs j but we 
 <c muft always contribute fomewhat to- 
 cc wards it ourfelves ; and if we give 
 cc no immediate Caufe 5 at leaft we do 
 <c it afar off. We commit without 
 " thinking, a thoufand little Faults 
 <c againft thofe with whom we live, 
 " which difpofe them to take in ill 
 <c Part, -fucli things as otherwife they 
 u would have pafs'd by, had they not 
 cc already in their Mind given Enter- 
 cc tainment to fome Difguft. In fine, 
 C (fays he) it is almofl always tme, 
 <c that if we are not belov'd 'tis our 
 <c own Fault,- 'tis we who have not 
 * c known how to make ourfelves be 
 fo." 
 
 That therefore, if it be poffible, we 
 may not incur the ill Will of -any, that 
 
 we
 
 Peace-making Explain d. 45 
 
 we may not give them juft ground to 
 hate us, that if we cannot actually live 
 in Peace with all Men, it may not be 
 thro' any Fault of ours that we, <io not> 
 it is neceffary (as I laid) not only that 
 we forbear doing real Wrongs and Inju- 
 ries to others, but likewife that we for- 
 bear all fuch Practices as People are 
 generally apt to take ill, as Judging 
 them (and that not without Reafon) to 
 be the Fruits and Effects of our Hatred 
 and Difaffection towards them: For 
 when once a Man is perfuaded that we 
 don't affect him, it is not to be expec- 
 ted that he fhou'd affect us; and when 
 People are difaffected towards each 
 other, it is not to be expected that they 
 fhould long live in Peace, becaufe any 
 the leaft Occaiion is then fufficient to fet 
 them a quarrelling. 
 
 Now thofe Practices which next to 
 real Injuries are moft apt to breed and 
 foment Difcord among Men, and which 
 therefore are with all Carefulnefs to be 
 avoided by a Lover of Peace, are fuch 
 as thefe : j. Backbiting, Whifpering,and 
 
 De-
 
 4 6 The tiUTT of 
 
 Detraction. 2. A Readinefs to give ear 
 to Backbiters and Talebearers. 3. Re- 
 viling, and Reproachful Language. 
 4. Needlefly contradicting the Opinions, 
 and thwarting the 'Humours of other 
 Men. And, laftly, fneddling more 
 than we need to do in other Mens 
 Matters. 
 
 I fay therefore, 
 
 (i.) If we would preferve and main- 
 tain Peace with others, it is highly ne- 
 ceflary, in order to this, that we care- 
 fully abftain from Backbiting, Whifper- 
 ing, and Detraction, and all fuch Prac- 
 rtkes : For there is nothing that Men 
 are generally more concerned about 
 than their Reputation : They are 
 commonly very fenfible of the leaft 
 .Wound that is given to that. And 
 therefore the Wife Son of Syrach advifes 
 very well, EC clef. xix. 9. Whether it be 
 to a Friend or a 'Foe, talk not of other 
 Mem Lives, and if thou canft without 
 'Offence, 'reveal them not^ for he heard and 
 cbfertfd thee, and when Time cometh he 
 will hate thee$ i. e. he will fliew his 
 
 Hatred
 
 Peace-making Expiated. 47 
 
 Hatred of thee, by the fenfible 
 itj the firft Opportunity he has. 
 
 Nor does this Pradice make a Man 
 hated only by thofe whom by this 
 Means he hurts, but likewife by all luch 
 as -know his Way and Practice. They 
 hate him (altho' they themielves were 
 never hurt by him) as a common Ene- 
 my to Mankind, as a pubJick Peft to Hu- 
 mane Society. A Whifyerer (lays the 
 fame Wife Man, 21. 28.) defiletb his own 
 Soul, and wheresoever he dwetteth will be 
 hated. Even they who may fometiines 
 make life of iuch a Man to ierve a pre- 
 fent Turn, will yet look upon him as a 
 bafe and unworthy Peribn, and will 
 never dare to truft him as a Friend, be- 
 caufe they will have all the Reafbn that 
 can be to think that he who is fb ready 
 to tell them an ill thing of -another, 
 will be as ready to gratify -another by 
 reporting fome ill Tale of them. Such 
 an one therefore, 'being the 'common 
 Objeft of all Mens Hatred, can never 
 reafonably hope to enjoy a lafting Peace. 
 
 (a.) It 
 
 -^
 
 48 The DUTT of 
 
 .'/ (2.) It is further neceflfary, for the 
 Prefervation of our own Peace and Quiet, 
 that we be not ready or forward to give 
 ear to Backbiters and Talebearers. 
 Whofo hearkeneth to a Backbiting Tongue 
 (fays the fame Wife Hebrew) fiall never 
 find Reft., and never dwell quietly. 
 
 For, befides that, 'tis very hard for a 
 Man who knows a great many ill things 
 of his Neighbours, (as he muft needs do 
 who gladly liilens to all the ill Stories 
 he can hear) always to conceal what 
 he knows of them, and never to be 
 tempted upon any Occasion to divulge 
 fuch things concerning them, as will draw 
 upon him their Hatred and Ill-will : Be- 
 fides this, I fay, it can hardly be fup- 
 pofed that any Man fliou'd be very defi- 
 rous to hear fo much 111 concerning 
 others, unlefs he had a Defign to report 
 it again, or to make ufe of it fome 
 other way to their Huit j fo that the 
 very hearkning to fuch Tales, and 
 efpecially the Pumping and Enquiring 
 them out, looks like a Preparation for 
 War on his fide 5 which being obferv'd
 
 Peace-making Explain d. 4P 
 
 by the other., will of courfe make them 
 to ftand on their Guard, and difpofe 
 them to be ready to fall out and quar- 
 rel with him whenfoever they can find 
 an advantagious Occafion. 
 
 Moreover, the veryLifming to Tale- 
 bearers is a fare Sign that the Man has 
 already no true Love for thofe whom 
 he is fo willing and defirous to hear 
 jfpoken ill of j for no Man can well en- 
 dure that any whom he has a Kindnefs 
 for, fhould be reprefented to him under 
 an ill Character , and therefore the 
 giving ear to fuch Reports concerning 
 others, muft needs be a likely Means of 
 Cooling their Love and Affection to- 
 wards him. 
 
 Add to this. That the hearkmng to 
 Talebearers fupplies a Man with the 
 Grounds of Hatred and Averfion towards 
 others j fo that by Mning to, and en- 
 quiring out ill things concerning them, 
 we plainly ihew that we have a mind 
 to hate them more than we have yet 
 Caufe for, which being difcovered, will 
 of courfe provoke them CO hate and 
 
 VoLIL] E
 
 50 The DUTY of 
 
 malign us as much. And when two 
 Perfons hate one another, and do thus 
 ftrive every day to encreafe their Hatred 
 of each other, the Fire of Contention, 
 tho* it may for a while be fmother'd, 
 can't be long before it breaks out into 
 an open and unquenchible Flame ; 
 Difcord will neceflfarily foon follow from 
 flich nourijQiing of Hatred. 
 
 (3.) Another thing to be moft care- 
 fully avoided by every Man that would 
 preferve himfelf in Peace, is, all re- 
 proachful and reviling Language, ail 
 Words or A&ions that argue Contempt 
 and Slighting of others, all bitter Jetting 
 and infiilting Behaviour : For there is 
 hardly any Principle more common to 
 Mankind than Self-love, and Self-con- 
 ceit, and (which follows from thence) 
 a Defire to be efteem'd and relpected by 
 others in fome Meafure fuitable to that 
 good Efteem which they have of them- 
 ielves : And therefore there is nothing 
 that Men are generally apt to take more 
 ill, to be more offended at, to be more 
 jndin'd to revenge, than fuch reviling 
 
 and
 
 Peace-making Explain d. 
 
 and opprobrious Speeches as at once 
 both intimate to themfelves that they 
 are not Perfons fb deferring as they 
 thought, and alfo ferve to leffen that 
 Efleem and good Opinion which, as they 
 fuppofe, others had of them before. 
 
 And accordingly we may obferve that 
 moft of the Strifes and Quarrels that 
 happen among Men, are firft occafion- 
 ed by fome harih Words arguing Con- 
 tempt and low Efteem. Men can gene- 
 rally bear a real Injury and Wrong more 
 patiently than they can an iniulting or 
 opprobrious Word. And I believe there 
 have been more Friends loft by a bitter 
 Jeft than by real A&s of Diskindnefs. 
 And to this agrees that Obfervation and 
 Advice of the Wife Man., Prov. xxii. 10. 
 Caftout theScorner, and Contention Jhall go 
 out } yea., Strife and Reproach Jhatt ceafe. 
 
 Befides, Scornful Language or Be- 
 haviour, as it intimates Contempt oft 
 that Perfpn in particular towards whom 
 it is ufed, fb it alfo argues a general 
 Vanity and Pride in the Perfon that ufes 
 it : whence the Wife Man calls him fraud 
 2 and
 
 52 The DUTY of 
 
 and haughty Scorner. Now there is no 
 Quality that Men do more generally 
 hate in others than Pride ,* fo that he that 
 allows himfelf in reproachful Lan- 
 guage or contemptuous Behaviour to- 
 wards others, is doubly an Enemy .to 
 his own Peace, /. e. not only in provo- 
 king to Anger and Revenge thofe whom 
 he directly affronts, but alfo in drawing 
 tipon himfelf a general Dm 1 ike and Ha- 
 tred from all thofe who are acquainted 
 with his way of Converfation. And 
 thus Solomon obferves, Pro'V. xxiv. 9. The 
 Scorner is an Abomination to Men. Even 
 they who like the Jeft, will yet con- 
 ceive a great Diflike of the Man: They 
 who may be glad perhaps that the other 
 is contemned, will yet abominate that 
 proud and haughty Temper which in- 
 clined him fo to expofe his Neighbour 
 to Contempt and Scorn. Thus the 
 Scorner becomes an Abomination to Man. 
 He can really be belov'd-by none,- he 
 will moft certainly incur the actual 
 Jiatred of a great many : And a Man 
 
 that
 
 Peace-fhakmg Explain d. 53 
 
 that is generally hated, can never rea- 
 fonably hope to live long in Peace. 
 
 (4.) Another thing to be carefully 
 avoided by us, if we would not incur the 
 Hatred and Difpleafure of others^need- 
 lefly contradii&ing their Opinions., or 
 thwarting their Humours. 
 
 For Men generally love to be Ma- 
 tters of themfelves, and can hardly en- 
 dure to be controurd even by thofe who 
 have Authority over them 5 and much 
 lefs are they able to bear being oppos'd 
 and contradicted by their Equals or In- 
 feriours. 
 
 For whoever contradicts and thwarts 
 another, efpecially if it be in a Notion 
 that the other is very confident or 
 fond of, takes upon him to know more 
 than the other does, and in effect tells 
 him that he is not fo wife as he takes 
 himfelf to be - t and thefe are things that 
 Men do not care to hear of from any 
 Perfon, and leaft of all from thofe who 
 are inferiour to them in Age or Qua- 
 
 Jity. 
 
 E 3 Not
 
 The PUTT of 
 
 Not that we are bound to affent to 
 every thing that another fays, for this 
 we can't do unlefs we think he fpeaks 
 reafon, nor yet are we bound to pretend 
 to be of his Mind when we are not, for 
 that would be Lying or Diflimulation, 
 and fo can't be a Part of our Duty : But 
 neverthelefs, I fay, that feeing there is 
 nothing that Men do generally take more 
 heinoufly, and are more apt to quarrel 
 for than for being contradicted, we 
 ihan't need to do this neither, unlefs 
 there be very great Reafon for it, that is, 
 unlefs the Error which they have em- 
 braced be fuch as we conceive will be 
 very prejudicial to them, and then al- 
 fb, when we do think it necelfary to 
 oppofe and contradict them, we ought 
 always to do it in fuch a mild and gentle 
 Manner as to exafperate them as little 
 as is poffible. 
 
 (5.) Laftly, In order to the living 
 peaceably with others, there is nothing 
 that ought to be more carefully avoided 
 by us than the concerning ourfelves 
 needlefly, (that is, more than we are 
 
 bouruj
 
 Peace-waff#g Explain' d. 
 
 bound in Duty or Charity to do) in 
 other Mens Bufinefs,- for to do fo is 
 generally very diftailful to Men, who 
 think themfelves wife and able enough 
 to manage their own Affairs without 
 others Advice or Help : .And to offer to 
 give them Directions before we are de- 
 iired to do it, as it argues an over- 
 weaning Opinion of ourfelves, fo it im- 
 plies a flight Efteem of them, as if we 
 thought them not capable of dispatching 
 their own Bufinefs - y which is a thing 
 that, whether it be true or falfe, Men 
 do not care to be told of, and which 
 they can never hear without great 
 Difpleafure. And therefore the Apoftle 
 in i Theff. iv. 1 1. preffing the Practice of 
 living peaceably with others, immedi- 
 ately mbjoins as a neceffary Means of 
 doing it, that we fhould mind our own 
 Bufinefs : Study to be quiet> fays he, and 
 do your own Bufinefs ; plainly intimating, 
 that fuch as will needs be medling 
 with other Mens Matters, farther than 
 they are in Duty bound to do, are more 
 likely to incur their Hatred, than topro 
 E 4 curs
 
 The DUTT of 
 
 cure their Thanks for fo doing. And to 
 the fame Purpofe St. Peter, i Pet. iv. 1 5. 
 forbidding us to fuffer as Bufibodies in 
 other Menr Mattery plainly intimates, 
 that if we will be Bufibodies, we muft 
 expeft to fuffer ; and that if we will not 
 let others alone in their own proper 
 'Affairs and Concerns, they will as little 
 fuffer us to be quiet. 
 
 But it may happen, after all our Cau- 
 tion to give no Offence to others, that 
 fomething may yet be faid or done by 
 us that may give them Occafion to fall 
 out with us i or it may happen that they 
 whom we have to deal with may be of 
 fuch a contentious Spirit as to pick a 
 quarrel with us, tho* we never gave 
 them the leaft Occafion : In which Cafe 
 it is both our Duty and our Intereft, 
 and what a Love of Peace will naturally 
 incline us to, to ufe our utmoft Endea- 
 vour to renew the Peace that has been 
 broken, and to obtain a Reconciliation 
 with them. And by what Means and 
 s we ought to endeavour this, was
 
 Peace-making Explain' d. 57 
 
 the next Thing I propounded to ihew, 
 
 2. What Courfe we ought to take 
 and ufe in order to the Renewing the 
 Peace between ourfelves and others in 
 Cafe it has been broken/ And, 
 
 (i.) In Cafe it was broken thro' our 
 Fault, our Duty is plain, namely, to 
 offer full Satisfaction for any Wrong or 
 Injury that has been done by us to any 
 other : For this is no more than we 
 are in ftricT: Juftice bound to do. But, 
 
 (2.) If the Quarrel begun thro' their 
 Fault only, what lies on us to do in 
 order to procure a Reconciliation with 
 them, is, 
 
 i. To debate the Cafe calmly with 
 them ; to defire to know of them what 
 Reafon they had to hurt or injure us ; 
 what Caufe or Provocation we ever 
 gave them to quarrel with us : For, as 
 I obferv'd before, it feldom happens 
 that Men fall out for nothing j and the*' 
 perhaps we never gave thofe that are at 
 Enmity with us any real Caufe, yet 
 ibjne Expreffion or Action of ours mit
 
 5$ The DUTY of 
 
 tmderftood, or fbme falfe Report that has 
 been made of us to them, was probably 
 the Occaiion of their firft Injury : For 
 whether they had Caufe or no, it is not 
 to be fiippofed that they would have 
 been Enemies to us unlefs they had 
 thought they had Caufe , and therefore 
 before we can expect that they fhould 
 be fully reconcil'd to us, we muft fhew 
 them their Miftake, that the Thing 
 they took fo ill, was either a falfe and 
 flanderous Tale ,- or, if true, that it was 
 not fo meant and intended by us as they 
 took it to be: And when they fhall 
 lee, by a calm and friendly Debate of 
 the whole Matter, that they have no 
 Caufe to bear us Hatred, their Hatred 
 will quickly cool and die of its own 
 accord : And therefore we are advis'd 
 by Solomon in Pwv. xxv. 9. to Debate 
 our Caufe with our Neighbour himfelfc 
 as the readieft and likelieft Means of 
 composing any Difference that has 
 happened between us. But, 
 
 2. If we can't put an End to the 
 Difference this way, we ought then 
 
 to
 
 Peace-making Explain d. 
 
 to perfuade our Adverfary, if it be poffi- 
 ble, to refer the Matter in Difpute 
 between us to fome wife and indifferent 
 Perfon to judge of, rather than try it out 
 at Law ; for tho' a Law-Suit may de- 
 termine a Controverfy, fuch Determi- 
 nation rarely creates Peace, but even 
 when the Difpute is over, the Anger, 
 the Malice, and the Paflion generally 
 continue, nay, moft commonly they are 
 increas'd : For he that overcomes after 
 a long and fharp Conteft, can hardly 
 forbear infulting, than which nothing is 
 more apt to provoke the other's Paflion ,- 
 and he that is caft in his Suit, tho' he is 
 forc'd to fubmit, will hardly ever be 
 able to love his Conquerour j fo that he 
 will fubmit no longer than till he can 
 recover Strength, and get an Oppor- 
 tunity to renew the Fight, and to take 
 his Revenge ; whereas in moft of thofe 
 Cafes, of Words, or Trefpaffes, or fmall 
 Injuries, that Men go to Law about, 
 the Matter might have been fo ended 
 by a friendly Arbitration, that both 
 Sides Ihould have been fatisfied with the 
 
 Equity
 
 6o The DE7TY of 
 
 Equity of the Decifion ; and the Con- 
 teft not having been fo long and fierce, 
 the Vi&ory on either Side would not 
 have been fo great, nor the Defeat fo 
 fliameful, but that both might have 
 been glad that the Difpute was fo well 
 ended. 
 
 3. Another Means of procuring a 
 Reconciliation with thofe that are in 
 Contention with us, is by plainly Ihew- 
 ing them that tho' for the Maintenance 
 of our own Right againft unjuft Ufur- 
 pation, we are forced to ftand it out 
 with them, becaufe it would be fuch a 
 Damage to us to yield our Right as we 
 may not, it may be, well able to fuftain, 
 yet that all that we mean, is only to fave 
 ourfelves from Harm, not in the leaft 
 to hurt or damage them , that howfo- 
 ever they are affe&ed towards us, we 
 -are neverthelefs in perfect Charity with 
 them, heartily wilhing and defiring their 
 Welfare : And this we may clearly 
 manifeft (even while the Contention be- 
 tween us lafts) feveral ways^ elpecially; 
 thefe two : 
 
 (') By
 
 Peace-making Explained. 
 
 (i.) By a&ing only defenfiveryj ta- 
 king all the prudent Care we can to 
 preferve ourfelves from Hurt, and yet 
 at the fame time purpofely dropping 
 and letting flip all thofe Opportunities 
 that we have of hurting our Adverfary. 
 And, 
 
 (2.) By being ready upon all Occa- 
 fions (even while the Contention be- 
 tween us continues) to do our Adver- 
 fary any friendly or charitable Office $ 
 according to the Apoftle's Advice, Rom. 
 12. to verfe 20. If thine Enemy hunger, 
 feed him, and if he thirflf,gi e ve him drink ; 
 for by fo doing (fays the Apoftle) thou 
 Jhaltheap Coah of Fire upon hi f Head ^ that 
 is, fuch Behaviour towards him will, if 
 any thing, melt and foften him into 
 good Temper. Your behaving yourfelf 
 to him fo friendly, Will, if he has the 
 leaft Spark of Goodnefs in him, work a 
 Change in his Mind, and make him 
 throw off all his Enmity towards you, 
 when he fees fo plainly that you bear 
 none to turn, JBut, ; 
 
 4. Laftl>%
 
 The DUTT of 
 
 4. Laftly, Whatibever Means or Me- 
 thod we can think of to procure a Re- 
 conciliation with thofe that are at Vari- 
 ance with us., it is neceffary that we 
 put it in Practice immediately, that is, 
 as foon as ever the Contention is begun, 
 becaufe the longer any Difpute lafts, 
 the more eftrang'd Men grow in their 
 Minds towards each other, and thofe 
 Conceflions, on the one Part or on the 
 other, which would probably have been 
 fufficient to have put a full End to the 
 Controverfy, when it firft brake out 
 between them, will often avail nothing 
 towards it, after that, by a long and 
 iharp Contention, their Paffions on each 
 fide are inflam'd and heighten'd, and 
 the Injuries that have been done on both 
 fides, by way of Retaliation, flnce the 
 Quarrel firft began, are perhaps ten 
 times greater than the firft Injury was 
 that occafion'd the Contention. The 
 Strife that might eafily have been put 
 an end to when it firft brake out, will 
 then be very hard, perhaps impofTible, 
 to be compos/d. Thus 'tis obfarv'd by 
 
 the
 
 Peace-making Explain d. 
 
 the Wife Man-Prov. xvii, 14. The Begin- 
 ning of Strife if as when one letteth out 
 Water^ that is, 'tis like a fniall Breach 
 in a Sea-bank, which the longer it con- 
 tinues unrepair'd, wears every Day ia 
 much wider : And the Advice which he 
 grounds upon this is the fame with that 
 which I have now given,- therefore (fays 
 he) leave off Contention before it be medled 
 with , that is, before it comes to be a 
 compleat Quarrel, before both Parties 
 are warmly engaged in it ; becaufe then 
 it will be much harder to break it ofl 
 than it was at firft to have prevented it. 
 
 And now I have finiflied the firfl 
 general Head of my Pifcourfe on theie 
 Words, which was, to ihew who are 
 thePerfons here pronounced Bleffed, The 
 Peace-waken. 
 
 I proceed now to the Second, which 
 was, 
 
 2. To fhew both the prefent Blefled-' 
 nefs, and the future Reward of fuch 
 Perfons. Bleffed are the Peace-tnakerr ; 
 for theyjhatt be catted theChildren of God, 
 
 - '3&;j 
 
 *, There
 
 The PUTT of 
 
 i. 'There is a prefent Bieffednefs be- 
 longing to fuch Peribns, Bleffed are the 
 ~Peace-?nakerr. And they are blelfed even 
 at prefent, in that while they are 
 employed in this good Work, endeavour- 
 ing to make and preferve Peace with, 
 and among others,, they enjoy great 
 Peace and Tranquility in their own 
 Minds. The Fruit of Righteoufnefi is 
 fown in Peace., of them that make Peace, 
 fays St. James, Chap.iii. and 18. And 
 if their Endeavours work the defired 
 Effed:, it will be then a farther Addition 
 to their prefent Bleffednefs, that they 
 will thereby be put into, or kept in, 
 Poffeifionof the greateft Bleiling upon 
 Earth : For what Health is to the Body, 
 that is Peace to the outward Eftate : 
 With it we may bear almoft any Incon- 
 yeniencies of Life, and without it, the 
 Enjoyment of all other out ward BJeilings 
 \vill be flat and infipid, will yield us 
 no Relifli, will do us no Good. And 
 thefe things alone, viz. that Peace within, 
 which we fliall certainly have, and 
 thatPea.ce witfaputj which we are very
 
 Peace-making Explain 1 d. 65 
 
 likely to have, if we are of a peaceable 
 Temper, are, I think, a fufficient En- 
 couragement to the Practice and Exer- 
 cife of this Virtue. Bleffed are the Peace- 
 makers. But, 
 
 2. Befides the prefent BlelTednefs 
 which the Exercife of this Grace con- 
 fers, there is alfo a great Reward an- 
 nex'd thereto by the -Divine Promife. 
 Bleffed are the Peace-makers., for theyjhall 
 be called the Children of God* 
 
 They fhall be called fo, fays our Sfa 
 incur : But is that all ? Does their Re- 
 ward confift only in an empty Name, in 
 a meer Appellation? Is all that they 
 will get by their Love and Study of Peace 
 only a Name of Honour ? They fltall be 
 called the Children of God : But what 
 will they be the better only for being 
 call'd fo ? Will a meer Title of Honour 
 make them happy ? 
 
 I anfwer : This is more than fb : It 
 is not a Shadow, but a Subftance, which 
 is here held forth to us ; there being in- 
 deed much more fignified in theie Words 
 than is exprefs'd : For they Jhall be called, 
 F in
 
 66 The DUTY of 
 
 in the Scripture-ufe of the Phrafe, figni- 
 fies, theyjball be. Thus in Ifaiah Ivi. 7. 
 'tis (aid, My Houfejball be called a Houfe 
 >/ Prayer ; wliich Words of the Prophet, 
 as cited in Luke xix. 46. are thus ex- 
 preis'd, MyHoafg is the Houfe of Prayer. 
 And the Afoflle fpeaking of the Calling 
 of the Gentiles., and citing a Prophecy 
 of it in Hofeab, exprelTes it thus ; Where 
 it wa6 faid unto them, ye are not my Peo- 
 ple, there Jbdl they be called the Children 
 of the Living God : But in the Pro- 
 phecy kfel 'tis j I will fay to them which 
 were not my People, thou art my People. 
 And ib again in i ^ohn iii. i. Behold, 
 fays the Apoftle, what Manner of Love 
 the Father hath beftowed upon tff, that we 
 Jhould he called the Sow of God : But that 
 by our being called the Sons of God, he 
 meant not the Name only, we learn 
 from the fame Apoflle, in John i. 12. 
 As many as rece'wd him, to them gave he 
 Power to become the Sons of God. And 
 this fame is, without Queftion, our Sa- 
 viour's Meaning in the Text, They^w// 
 be catted, that is, iheyjbatt be the Chil- 
 dren
 
 Peace-making Explain d. 67 
 
 dren of God, for fo at the 45th Verfe of 
 this Chapter, where he perfuades to the 
 Love of Enemies (the fame in Eflfec-^ 
 or, at leaft, a Branch of the fame Duty) 
 by this very Argument , he alters the 
 Phrafe, faying. Love your Enemies, &c. 
 that ye may be the Children of your Fa- 
 ther which is in Heaven. 
 
 And yet, tho' this Phrafe, they Jhall 
 be called the Children of God, may feem 
 at firft Sight not to fignifie fo much 
 as if it had been faid, they Jhall be fo ; it 
 may in truth be well enough underftood 
 to fignifie fomewhat more, namely this; 
 That fuch ihall not only be the Chil- 
 dren of God, but that it fliall alfo 
 plainly appear that they are fo. They 
 ihall not therefore only be called the 
 Children of God , but they ihall really 
 be fo ; and they ihall not only be the 
 Children of God, but they ihall alfo be 
 called fo ; /. e. It fliall be fo evidently 
 that they are the Children of God, that 
 all the World ihall be forc'd to ac- 
 knowledge it. The Time will come 
 when even thofe Som of Thunder, who 
 F * love
 
 The PUTT of 
 
 love to make Mifchief where-ever they 
 come, and to fet the World into a 
 Flame ; and who have now thefe gentle 
 Peace-makers in the greateft Contempt, 
 accounting them no other than eafy and 
 good-natnr'd Fools ; fhall plainly per- 
 ceive, and by the clear Evidence of 
 Truth be forc'd to acknowledge their 
 Miftake j according to that Obfervation 
 of the IVtfe Hebrew - y Then they repenting 
 and groaning for Anguijh of Spirit, jhall 
 fay within themfetoes, This was he whom 
 we had fometimes in Derifion, and a Pro- 
 verb of Reproach. We Tools (then it Ihall 
 be) accounted, hif Life Madnefi, and his 
 End to be without Honour : How is fa 
 now number* d among the Children of God y 
 and his Lot is among the Saints ? 
 
 Thus now we have feen the Mean- 
 ing of the Phrafe, They Jball be called the 
 Children of Gody but we have not yet 
 fully feen the thing fignified by it. Be- 
 "caufe, as to be called the Children of 
 God, is not an empty Title > fo to be 
 the Children of God, is not only 
 a Matter of meer Honour, but likewife 
 
 of
 
 Peace-making Explaind. 9 
 
 of great Benefit and Advantage : For 
 Heaven and eternal Life is undoubtedly 
 the thing fignified by this ; as it had 
 been by all the Promifes in the fore- 
 going Verfes. As therefore they Jhall be 
 called the Children of God^ fignifies, that 
 they Jhall be fo $ fo that they Jhall be the 
 Children of God,, fignifies, that they fliall 
 receive a Portion among his Children. 
 For the fame Title that a Son has to in- 
 herit his Father's Eftate ; the fame Title 
 that the Heir of an earthly Crown has 
 to fucceed in the Kingdom , the fame 
 have they who are the Children of God 
 to inherit the Kingdom of God. And 
 thus we are exprefly taught by the 
 Apoflle, 'Rom. viii. 16, 17. The Spirit itfelf 
 beareth Witnefs that we are the Children of 
 God ; and if Children., then Heirs Heirs 
 of God, and Joint-Heirs with Chrift. And 
 St. John means the fame., in i Efift. iii. 2, 
 Now are we the Sons of God ^ and it doth 
 not yet affear what we Jhall be ; but we 
 know that when he Jhall appear y we Jhall 
 be like him. To conclude. 
 
 Well may thefe Perfons be .called the 
 F 3 Children
 
 7 o The PUTT of, &c. 
 
 Children of God, which do fo much re- 
 femble him, who is the God of Peace ; 
 and which are fo very like to his Son 
 Jefvs Chrift, the Prince of Peace. And 
 they who are fo like to himfelf, 
 and to his dearly beloved Son, muft 
 needs be highly favoured and belov'd by 
 him j for Likcnefs does naturally create 
 Love. He will therefore, no Doubt, 
 own fuch for his Children, and alfo give 
 them the Portion of Sons $ beftowing 
 upon them in this Life that Blefling of 
 Peace which they endeavour after, and 
 in the next, admitting them to be Par- 
 takers of his eternal Reft and Peace. 
 
 And that this may be the blefled Por- 
 tion of us all, God of his great Mercy 
 grant, for the Sake of our Lord Jefus 
 Cbrift, to whom, (jrc. 
 
 THE
 
 
 THE 
 
 BLESSEDNESS 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 PERSECUTED 
 
 FOR 
 
 Righteoufnefs Sake. 
 
 
 
 .
 
 -i j 
 

 
 73 
 
 DISCOURSE XIV. 
 
 TheBlefTednefs of the Perfecuted 
 for Righteoufnefs Sake. 
 
 M A T T H. V. IO, II, 12. 
 
 Blejfed are they which are perfe- 
 cted for Righteoufnefs Sake, 
 for theirs is the Kingdom of 
 Heaven. 
 
 Bleffed are ye when Men flail 
 revile you and perfecute you, 
 and Jhall fay all manner of 
 Evil againft you falsly for my 
 Sake : 
 
 Rejoyce and be exceeding glad, for 
 great is your Reward in Hea- 
 ven, for fo perfecuted they the 
 Prophets which were before you. 
 Everal ftrange Paradoxes had 
 been uttered by our Saviour 
 before, of which we have al- 
 ready treated ; but this laft feems much 
 
 the
 
 74 The Bleffednefi of the Persecuted 
 
 the ftrangeft of all j for when he pro- 
 nounced a Blejfcdneff to thePotrr in Spirit , 
 to the Mournerf., to the M#?, to the 
 Hungry after Right coufnefr, to the Mm7- 
 ji^ to the Peaceable, and the like, he 
 give indeed a Judgment quite different 
 fora the common Judgment of Men, 
 who rather account thofe happy who 
 are of an high Spirit, who live in Mirth 
 and Pleafure, whofe chief Aim is to be- 
 come great and rich in this World, and 
 who in all other Refpe&s are quite 
 contrarily qualified to thofe whom our 
 Lord calls Bleffed,* but here in the 
 Text when he pronounces thofe blefied 
 that are perfected, he may feem to 
 thwart not only the common Opinion 
 of Men, but alfo common Senfe and 
 Re^fon,' his Proportion may feem to 
 Ibihe a Contradiclion in the very Terms, 
 no lefs than if he had declared the un- 
 fortunate happy, the miferable blefled, 
 and Pain and Pleafure to be the fame 
 thing ; for what is it to be perfecuted 
 but to be vexed and affli&ed, to fuffer 
 the Loft of Liberty, of Goods,or, it may 
 
 be,
 
 for Righieoufnefi Sake. 75 
 
 be, of Life itfelf ? And if he who 
 fufTers thefe Evils is neverthelefs a happy 
 Man, who is there that can be called 
 miferable or unhappy ? Perfecution im- 
 plies in it Pain and Lofs, and all other 
 Evils that can be fuffered, and how can 
 it be affirmed that he who differs all 
 the Evils that can be fuffered, is never- 
 thelefs Blefled ? And yet this is what our 
 Saviour here affirms, Bleffed are the Per^ 
 fecuted ; And to confirm the Truth of 
 what he here aflerts, and to give us {till 
 greater Aflurance of it, he repeats it 
 over again in the very next Verfe ; 
 Bleffed are ye when "Men foall revile you^ 
 and perfecute you, andjhallfay all manner 
 of Evil a-gainft you., faljly, for my Sake . 
 Rejoycc, fays he, for this, and be exceed- 
 ing glad y and of what our Saviour fo 
 exprefly affirms, of what by doubling 
 his Affirmation of it, he fo fully affures 
 us, we ought not to make any Doubt, 
 altho' we could not reconcile the Truth 
 of his Propofition to our own Reafon. 
 Jf he fays, the Perfecuted are BlefTed* 
 we may be fure they are fo a altho' their 
 
 Blefled-
 
 7 6 The Bkffednefs of the Perfecuted 
 
 Bleffednefs were altogether invifible and 
 indifcernible to others 5 for we may be 
 miftaken in our Judgment, who can 
 judge only by outward Appearance ; we 
 may account thofe happy, who in a 
 true Judgment are extremely wretched 
 and miferable ; but his Judgment is in- 
 fallible, and according to Truth ; and 
 therefore feeing he allures us once and 
 again that the Perfecuted are Bleffed, 
 doubling his Affirmation to denote the 
 Certainty thereof, there can be no 
 Doubt made of the Truth of it by thofe 
 who believe that he that uttered it is 
 Truth itfelf, as our Saviour is called, 
 John xiv. 6. 
 
 But neverthelefs, becaufe it is eafier 
 to believe upon rational Motives than 
 with an implicit Faith, and our Faith 
 is fo much the ftronger as it is founded 
 upon clearer Evidence, I ihall now pro- 
 ceed to make fome Proof of the Truth 
 of the Proportion, that the Perfecuted 
 areBieffedj .IMS. thofe perfecuted whom 
 our Saviour here fpeaks of, fuch as are 
 perfecuted foiRighteottfncfs Sake : Ble/Jed 
 
 are
 
 for Righteoufneff Sake. 
 
 are they which arc perfect dforRighteoufne ft 
 Sake, for theirs if the Kingdom of Heaven. 
 In difcourfmg on which Beatitude, I 
 lhall obferve the fame Method that I 
 have done in all the foregoing ones j /. e. 
 
 1. I fhall ihow who are the Perfons 
 here fpoken of, and to whom the Blef- 
 fednefs and Reward of the Text belongs, 
 the Perfecuud for Righteoufneff Sake. 
 And, 
 
 2. I fhall fhow wherein confifts the 
 Bleflednefs, and what is the Reward of 
 fuch Perfons ; BUffed are they, fays our 
 Saviour, for theirs is the Kingdom of 
 Heaven. 
 
 And I fliall ground my Difcourfe of 
 this Subject chiefly on the firft of thofe 
 Verfes which I have chofen for my 
 Text, the two following Verfes being 
 for Subftance only a Repetition of the 
 fame thing , and there being nothing that 
 is peculiar in them, but what I ihall 
 have Occafion to take Notice of, and 
 confider, in difcourfing on the firft Verfe 
 only, in the Method before laid down. 
 
 
 i. Then,
 
 78 The Bleffedneff of the Perfected 
 
 i. Then, I am to ihow who are the 
 Perfbns here fpoken of, and to whom 
 the Bleflfednefs and Reward of the Text 
 belongs, the Perfecuted for Eighteoufnefi 
 Sake-* Bleffed arc they which arc perfecuted 
 for Righteottfnefs Sake. And here I fhall 
 ihow, 
 
 1. What it is to be perfecuted; and, 
 
 2. "What it is to be perfecuted for 
 Righteoufnefs Sake. 
 
 i. What it is to be perfecuted,- and 
 the proper Signification of the Word is, 
 to4)e followed, or purfued, as Enemies 
 are when they fly away from the Battle : 
 But our Saviour himfelf has explained 
 what he means by it here, in the next 
 Verie, where repeating the. fame Propo- 
 fition, with a particular Application 
 thereof to his Difciples, whofe Lot he 
 knew it would be to fuffer Perfecution 
 in this World, he expreflfes it thus: 
 Bleffed are ye, fays he, when Men flail 
 revile you, and perfecute you y andjhallfay 
 all manner of Evil againft you, which 
 Defcription of Perfecution, he further 
 enlarges in Lukevi. 22. when repeating 
 
 again
 
 for Righteoujnefs Sake. 79 
 
 again the fame thing, he fays thusj 
 Bleffed are ye when Men Jhall hale you, 
 and when they Jhall federate you from their 
 Company, and Jhall reproach you, and cajl 
 cut your Name as evil. And in another 
 Place, i>/3. Luke xxi. 12. foretelling die 
 Perfecutions which were to be&l his 
 Difciples, he faith to them; They/Ml 
 lay their Hands on you, and perfecute you, 
 delivering you up to the Synagogue*, and 
 into Prifonf and fo?ne of you flxdl they 
 caufe to be put to Death. From which 
 Places it appears, that to be perfecuted, 
 is to fuffer any Kind of Evil from the 
 Cruelty or Injuftice of other Men j they 
 are perfecuted by other Men who are 
 hated by them, becauie Hatred worketh 
 all manner of Mifchief to the Perlbn 
 hated; but tbey efpecially are perfe- 
 cuted, who do actually fuffer thole 
 Mifchiefs, which the Hatred of qthers 
 towards them doth prompt them to 
 infli& j who are defamed and fpoken ill 
 of; who are reproached and reviled $ 
 who are deprived of their Eftates ; who 
 are detained in Prifon ; or who are pvt 
 
 to
 
 80 The Bleffednefi of the Perfected 
 
 to Death by others. Theie are the 
 Perfected. 
 
 But now it is certain, that fuch Per- 
 ; fecution confidered in itfelf is not a 
 Bleilmg i nay, on the contrary, 'tis 
 evident, that to fuffer fuch Perfecution, 
 if it be not enough to make a Man 
 unhappy, muft at lead very much abate 
 and leflenhis Happinefs, and that, gene- 
 rally fpeaking, they are more Blelfed 
 who do not fuffer thefe and fuch like 
 Evils, than they which do j and there- 
 fore our Saviour in the Text doth not 
 fay in general,Bleffed are the Perfecuted, 
 but he adds a Qualification, which does 
 and which indeed alone can, make Per- 
 fecution a Bleffing, viz-, if it be for 
 Rigfcteoufnefi Sake, Bleffed are they which 
 are Pe rfecittedfor Righteoufncft Sake. And 
 this was the next thing I was to enquire 
 into, i)iz. 
 
 2. What it is to be perfecuted for 
 RightecufnefsSake; And this Qualification 
 of a blefled Perfecution, our Saviour 
 himfelf hath alfo explained in the next 
 Words , Bleffed arc ye, when Men jhall 
 
 revile
 
 for Righteoufneff Sake. 81 
 
 revile you and persecute you, andjhallfay 
 all Manner of Evil again/I you, falfly, 
 for my Sake : From which Place it ap- 
 pears, that there are two Conditions re- 
 quifite to render Perfecution a Bleffed- 
 nefs, viz. i. That it be unjuft and 
 wrongful, that we do not deferve thofe 
 Evils which we faffer; and, 2. That 
 the Ground and Occafion of our being 
 hated and perl edited, be our ftriff Adhe- 
 rence to the ProfeJJwn or Pratfice of our 
 Religion. 
 
 i. I fay, That to render Perfecution 
 a BlerTednefs, it is requifite, that it be 
 unjuft and wrongful, that we do not de- 
 ferve thofe Evils which we fufter from 
 others. BlefTed are ye, fays our Sa- 
 viour, when Men fliall fay all Manner 
 of Evil againft you, falfly ; fo that if a 
 Chriftian fuffers for his evil Deeds, his 
 bare Profelfion of the Chriftian Religion 
 will not make him a Martyr, nor con- 
 fecrate his Sufferings, and make them 
 a Means of increafing his future Felicity : 
 Nay, I add further, that a Man may 
 fuffer for Confcience Sake, and yet not 
 G be
 
 82 The Bleffedneff of the Perfected 
 
 be a Martyr, i. e. if his Confcience be 
 mifguided, and if in a true Zeal for God; 
 but a. Zeal without Knowledge, he does 
 fuch Things as do juftly render him ob- 
 noxious to the Punifhment of humane 
 JLaws. Thus a Jefuited Papift, or a 
 Fanatical Enthufiaft may think that he 
 does God and Religion good Service, 
 by railing a Rebellion againft his Prince, 
 whom he accounts a Heretick, or by 
 otherways endeavouring to depofe, de- 
 throne, or aflaffinate him ; but this is his 
 Miftake, to think that the Caufe of God 
 or Religion, can be, or ought to be pro- 
 moted by any unwarrantable Means ; 
 and Treafon and Rebellion, and the 
 Murdering and AiTafTmating of Sovereign 
 Princes, who are God's Vicegerents, and 
 accountable to God only for their Mi 
 behaviour, (if indeed they do misbehave 
 themfelves) thefe Practices, I fay, (what- 
 ever the Motives are thereto) are evil 
 Deeds, and fuch as are juftly puniihable 
 by humane Laws $ becaufe the Tolera- 
 tion of fuch Practices is inconfiftent with 
 all Governmentj and the Peace of all 
 
 civil
 
 for Righteoufneff Sake. 83 
 
 civil Societies , and therefore he who is 
 perfecuted for any of thefe Enormities, 
 i. e. who luffers any Evil in his Body or 
 Goods, or is put to Death, is not the perfe- 
 cuted Perfon to whom the Blefiednefs of 
 theTtfxf belongs; becaufe,however his mif- 
 guided Confcience may make him think 
 otherwife,yet hisDeeds are really evil, and 
 fuch as deferve to be punilhed : So that he is 
 not punilhed wrongfully or unjuftly, altho' 
 he be perfecuted for his Confcience ; for 
 it is only fuch as are falfly accufed of thole 
 evil Deeds for which they fuffer, whofe 
 Perfecution is blelfed; Blefled are ye 9 
 when Men Jhall fay all Manner of Evil 
 againft you falfly ; if the evil Deeds they 
 were accufed of were really done by 
 them, and their Accufation were true, 
 they would have no Title to any Ble 
 fednefs by their Sufferings ; fuch may be 
 Canonized by the Pope, and made Saints 
 in the Roman Calendar, as Thomas Becket 
 was in former Times, for his moving 
 Sedition in the State in the Behalf of the 
 Church, or, as in latter Times Garnet, 
 one of the chief Actors in the Gunpow- 
 G 2 der-Plot
 
 84 The Blcjfidneff of the Perfected 
 
 der-Plot, was, for the Part which he had 
 in that moft horrid and deteftable Con- 
 fpiracy, for which he differed ; but fuch as 
 thefe are none of God's Saints j they will 
 not be Canonized by him ; they will 
 have no Portion in his heavenly King- 
 dom upon this Account, and for their fo 
 differing j and therefore St. Peter ear- 
 neftly exhorts thofe Chriftiam to whom 
 he writes, i Ep. iv. 15. to add Innocency 
 of Life, to the Purity of their ProfeiTion $ 
 Let none of you., fays he, fuffer as a Mur- 
 derer, or as a Thief, or M an Evil-doer, 
 or of a Bufy-body in other Metis Matters- ; 
 and then he adds, Yet if any Man fitffsr 
 ar a Cbnftian, let him not be afljamed, in- 
 timating, that no Man can differ as a 
 G.riftian who differs for his rvil Deeds. 
 And this leads me to difcourfe of the 
 other Condition of our Suffering, which 
 I faid, was requifite to make us bleffed 
 for being perfecuted, viz. 2. That the 
 Ground of our being hated and perfe- 
 cuted, be our ftritt Adherence to the 
 frofcjjlon or Prattice of our Religion , I 
 fay, either to the ProfeJJion ofthe.Chrif- 
 
 tian
 
 for Righteoufneff Sake. 85 
 
 tian Religion, or of ibme neceffary and 
 important Article of it ; or elfe to the 
 Pratfice of fome neceffary and indifpen- 
 fible Duty of Chriftianity 5 for both thefe 
 are mentioned in the Text. Blejjed are 
 ye, fays our Saviour, 'Ver. IT. when 
 Mcnjhall revile you, andferfecuteyou, &c. 
 for my Sake, I. e, for your being my Dif- 
 ciples j but in the foregoing Verfe where 
 he had exprefTed the fame Senfe, he 
 does it in thefe Words j BlefTed are they 
 which are perfecuted for Rightcoufnefr 
 Sake, i. e. for their doing their Duty, 
 for their living ftri&ly according to the 
 Rules of the Gofpel. 
 
 And this Condition of a bleflfed Per- 
 lecution., T/'js.That it was tobe for Cbrifl, 
 or for Rigbteoufneff Sake, was necelTary to 
 be added to the foregoing one, *u/z.That 
 our Sufferings be wrongful and unjuft ; 
 becaufe their Wrongfulnefs and Injuftice 
 alone is not fufficient to intitle us to the 
 Glory and Reward of Martyrdom. 
 
 For there hath been many a Map put 
 
 to Death wrongfully, i.e. byfalfe'Wit- 
 
 cefsj and being accufed of fome capital 
 
 G 3 Crime
 
 86 The Bleffedneft of the Perfected 
 
 Crime of which he was really innocent $ 
 whofe Suffering, neverthelefs was not a 
 Martyrdom j nay, whofe Suffering., tho' 
 wrongful in itfelf 3 becaufe he had not com- 
 mitted that very Crime for which he fuf- 
 fer'd,yetwas really highly juft and defer- 
 ved upon other Accounts ; for it is often- 
 times fo ordered by the wiieProvidence of 
 God, which rarely fuffers fome very noto- 
 rious Crimes to efcape examplary Punifli- 
 ment in this World, thathe who commit- 
 ted a Murder, in which he was not found 
 out, conies afterwards to be hang'd for a 
 Theft of which really he was not guilty. 
 I fay, if there be any Credit to be given 
 to the dying Confeflions of fuch Male- 
 factors, it is a Thing that has often hap- 
 pen'd in the World, that a Man who 
 has committed Murder, or fome fuch 
 heinous capital Crime, and either by the 
 Secrecy of the Facl:, or by Flight, did 
 efcape the Punifhment of it, has come 
 afterwards to be executed upon a frefh. 
 Accufation brought againft hijn for fome 
 other capital Crime, in which Cafe, ne- 
 verthelefs, his Puniihment ( with Re- 
 fpeft to humane Juftice ) is wrongful 
 
 and
 
 for Righteoufneff Sake. 87 
 
 and undeferved, becaufe he had not 
 committed that very Crime for which 
 he fuffered, fo that his Accufation was 
 falfe, and his Condemnation upon it 
 unjuft. 
 
 But it is not ( as I faid ) only a 
 falfe Accufation, or a wrongful Suffer- 
 ing alone that makes a Martyrdom, and 
 renders a Perfecution bleffed, for even 
 a Heathen and an Infidel as well as a 
 Chriftian may be put to Death wrong- 
 fully,/.?, for a Crime which henevercom- 
 mitted, and if he be a Chriftian that fo 
 fuffers, yet his untimely Death is only 
 his Calamity and Misfortune, in Cafe 
 the fame were occasioned by a Miftake 
 of the Witnefs, or by fome private 
 Grudge and Malice that the falfe Accufer 
 bore to his Perfon, or by fome temporal 
 Advantage which he promifed to him- 
 felf thereby, meerly in fuch Suffering, 
 altho' it be wrongful, there is no Bief- 
 fednefs, for that, as I faid, is reftrain'd 
 in the Text only to thofe wrongful Suf- 
 ferings which come upon us for Q>r//Fs 3 
 or for Righteoufnefi Sake. 
 
 G 4 i. For
 
 88 The BleJJednefs of tbe Perfected 
 
 i. For CbrijFt Sake. Blefled are ye 
 when Men fhall revile you and perfe- 
 cute you, &c. for my Sake y /'. e. for 
 your being Cbriftianty for your owning 
 and profefling my Religion; or, as 
 St. Peter expreffes it in the Place before 
 cited, wben ye fuffer at Chriftians. 
 
 And thefe indeed are the moft joyful 
 Sufferings, this is the moft bleffed Per- 
 fecution of all, and which we fee doth 
 moft clearly intitle us to the Glory and 
 Reward of Martyrdom, when we fuffer 
 Shame and Reproach, Pain and Lofs, or 
 Death itfelf, for the Name of Chrift, for 
 our profefTing his Religion, and owning 
 ourfelves to be his Difciples, and pub- 
 lickly aiTerting the Truth of his whole 
 Doctrine againft Atheifts or Infidels, or 
 of fome main and important Article of 
 it, againft fuch as have notorioufly cor- 
 rupted the Faith of Chrift. 'Tis a glo- 
 rious Cauie that we are then engaged 
 in, when we are Champions for Cbrift y 
 and 'tis the higheft Act of Love and 
 Duty to our Saviour, when for his Sake, 
 and rather than renounce, difown, or 
 
 dilTemble
 
 for Righteoufnefi Sake. 89 
 
 diflemble his Religion, we give up our 
 felves to fuffer the Lofs of all Things 
 that are dear to us in this World ; 'tis 
 this that fets a Value upon our Suffer- 
 ings ( which in themfelves are very in- 
 conflderable, being only, as the Apoftle 
 ttiles them, Ugh Afflictions which are 
 but fur a Moment ) 'tis this, I fay, which 
 fets a Value upon them, and makes 
 them fo highly efteemed and fo amply 
 rewarded by Cbrift, that 'tis upon his 
 Account that we fuffer them, and that 
 our voluntarily and cheerfully undergo- 
 ing them, is the beft Expreffion that we 
 can make of our Affedion to our Lord 
 and Matter. But, 
 
 2. As they are bleffed that are per- 
 fecuted for drift's Sake, /. e. for own- 
 ing and profefiing his whole Dodrine and 
 Religion, fo are they likewife who are 
 per fe cute d for Rigbteoufneft Sake, i. e. 
 for doing their Duty in any Point, for 
 their difcharging a good Conference; 
 who willingly fuffer any Evil that can 
 be inflicted upon them in this World 5 
 {>y unjuft Men, rather than commit any 
 
 Sin,
 
 go The Blejfidneff of the Perfecuted 
 
 Sin, BleJJed are they which are persecuted 
 far Righteoufnefs Sake -, and this St. Peter 
 calls fuffering for Evil-doing, and declares 
 the patient Endurance of fuch Sufferings 
 to be highly pleafing to God. i. Epift. ii. 
 20. If when ye do well,, andfufferfor 
 it, ye lake it patiently, this is acceptable 
 with God. 
 
 And thus a great many may be inti- 
 tled to the Ble fling and Reward of the 
 Text, whofe Lot it is to be born and 
 to live in Chriflian Countries, and among 
 fuch only as make Profeifion of the Chrif- 
 tian Religion, and are called by the 
 Name of Chrift ; for even among thofe 
 that call themfelvesCM'//?VDifciples,there 
 are many (too many, God knows) who 
 make no Confcience at all of living ac- 
 cording to the Rules and Precepts of the 
 Gofpel ; there are too many profefling 
 the Qsriftian Faith, that outdo even the 
 worft of Heathens in the "Wickednefs 
 and Immorality of their Lives, and who, 
 either to make their Party the ftronger, 
 and fo to fave themfelves from Reproach 
 and Infamy, or elfe meerly out of a 
 
 Hatred
 
 for Righeoufneft Sake. 91 
 
 Hatred of God and Religion., fet them- 
 ielves to laugh Religion out of the 
 World, by loading with odious Nick- 
 Names, and Terms of Scorn and Re- 
 proach, all fuch as they fee are ftridly 
 confcientious in every Thing, and exa& 
 and regular in their whole Converfation ; 
 and there is now, and always, almoft 
 in all Ages, has been, fuch a ftrong Party 
 of thefe prophane Scoffers at true 
 Piety and Virtue, that it is almoft im- 
 poflible for a true and fincere Chriftian, 
 even in a Chriftian Country, wholly to 
 avoid all Perfecution for Righteoufnefs 
 Sake j if they cannot hurt him in his 
 Body or Eftate, becaufe he is defended 
 and protected from their Malice by the 
 Laws of his Country, they will at leaft 
 do him what Hurt they can in his Repu- 
 tation, by forging Slanders, or venting 
 Untruths concerning him j or, if they 
 can do nothing worfe to him, they will 
 at leaft revile and reproach him, terming 
 his true Zeal for God, Heat and Bigottry, 
 or a religious Frenzy > his Stridnefs of 
 Life, Hypocrify ; his Charity and good 
 
 Works,
 
 92 The Blefjedneff of the Perfecuted 
 
 Works, a Deiire of Vain-glory, and the 
 like. 
 
 And this alfo is a Sort of Perfecution 
 for Righteoufnefs Sake, as well as 'tis 
 to fufferPain orLofs of Goods, or Death 
 itfelf, for the keeping of a good Con- 
 fcience - y nay, this very Sort of Perfe- 
 cution is particularly mentioned in the 
 Text, and a BlefTednefs and Reward an- 
 nex'd thereto, BleJJed are ye when Men 
 foall revile you y and fytak all Manner of 
 Evil again ft you faljly for my Saks. Rejoyce 
 and be exceeding glad for great is your 
 'Reward in Heaven. 
 
 Nay, I add further, that this Perfe- 
 cution by the Tongues of profligate Men, 
 which, considering the Wickednefs of 
 many pro felling thtChriftian Faith, all that 
 ^ill live godly in Chriftjefus, are as liable 
 to fuffer now, even in a Chriftian Coun- 
 try, as the Primitive Chriftian^ who 
 lived among the profefled Enemies of 
 the Gofpel, were to fuifer thofe other 
 forts of Perfecution confifting in the 
 ConnTcation of their Goods, the Inv 
 prifonment of their Bodies, or the Lofs 
 
 of
 
 for Righteoufneff Sake. 93 
 
 of their Lives j I fay, this Perfecution 
 by the Tongues of the wicked, by the Re- 
 proaches and Revilings, and opprobrious 
 Nick-names, which they love to caft on 
 all thofe, whofe Stridnefs of Life they 
 conceive is a Reproach to their own 
 Loofnefs, this is a ibrt of Perfecution, 
 which I believe is as prevalent now to 
 deftroy the Power of Godlineft out of the 
 World, as even Whippings and Im- 
 prifonments, Racks and Gibbets, were 
 in former Times to extirpate the Pro- 
 fjjion of the Chriflian Faith , and I be- 
 lieve there were not more in proportion, 
 who, in thofe Times of Eery Trial, were 
 by Fear of Perfecution deterr'd from em- 
 bracing the Chriftian Faith, thin there are 
 now, that are feared from the Practice 
 of a Chrifttan Life, by the Fear of that 
 Reproach and Contempt which they 
 fancy a ftrict Piety and Religion would ex- 
 po fe them to i nor were there, I believe, 
 Men in thofe Days, who having once 
 embraced the Ooriflian Religion, did 
 in Times of the feverefl Perfecutions 
 fall away a than there are now-a-days 
 
 of
 
 94 The BleJJednefs of the Perfected 
 
 of thofe, who having been virtuoufly 
 and religioufly brought up, and going 
 out into the World with a tender Con- 
 fcience, and a ftrift Senfe of Duty and 
 Religion, have been laugh'd out of their 
 Conscience and Piety by the profane 
 Scorners of all that's good, and have 
 chofen rather to run to all Excefs of 
 Riot with them, than to bear their Re- 
 proaches ; till at length they themfelves, 
 naving their Conference fear'd and har- 
 den'd by degrees, and proceeding from 
 oneWickednefs,and from one Degree of 
 Wickednefs to another,have from walking 
 in the Counfel of the ungodly, and (landing 
 in the Way of Sinners ', come at laft alfo to 
 fit down in the Seat of the Scornful^ and to 
 become Perfecutors of others. So that 
 tho' this Text may at firft Sight feem to 
 be improper to be handled in a Cbriftian 
 Country as ours is, when (God be thank- 
 ed) the Chriftian Religion is eftabliihed 
 by Law, fo that there is now no 
 apparent Danger of our fuffering fuch 
 Perfections as the Apoftles did, yet in 
 truth it can never be unfeafonable, to 
 
 difcourfe
 
 for Righteoufneft Sake. 95 
 
 difcourfe of this Subject, and to encou- 
 rage Men to the chearful Suffering of 
 Perfecution for Righteoufnefs Sake, by 
 the Confideration of the great Blefled- 
 nefs and Reward of it j becaufe all Times 
 are more or lefs Times of Perfecution : 
 And that faying of the Apoftle ever has 
 been, and 'tis to be feared ever will be 
 true as long as the World lafts, 2 Tim. 
 iii. 12. All that will live godly in Chrift 
 Jefufyjkallfuffer Perfecution : If they are 
 not perfecuted in their Body or Goods, 
 'tis very likely they will be in their good 
 Names j and if they are not perfecuted 
 for their Profelfion of the Chriftian Faith, 
 yet if they are perfecuted and reviled 
 for their ftricl: and confcientious Practice 
 of the Duties of a Chriftian Life; 'tis 
 the fame thing, and this is as much a 
 Perfecution as the other. And, I fay, 
 that to be thus perfecuted was not the 
 Lot only of thofe Chriftiam who lived 
 in the Time of the Heathen Perfecutions, 
 but is likewife more or lefs the Lot of 
 all ftrialy pious and good Men at all 
 Times; and that Servant which now is 
 
 turned
 
 96 The BleJJedneff of the Perfected 
 
 turned out of a good Service, becaufe 
 he will not minifter to and ferve his 
 Mafter, in cheating and over-reaching 
 his Neighbours, or becaufe he will not 
 do any other Wickednefs which his 
 Mafter commands him, is as truly per- 
 fecuted for Righteoufnefs Sake, as they 
 were in the primitive Times, whole 
 Goods were confifcated, or who were 
 turned out of a gainful Office becaufe 
 they wereCbtiftians : And he who now- 
 a-days will not drink to excefs, or refufes 
 to join with his Company in any other 
 finful Extravagance, and is for that Rea- 
 fonjeer'd and reviled and laughed at by 
 them, as a fcrupulous Preciiian, or ex- 
 cluded their Company as an unwelcome 
 Gueft, this Man, I fay, is as truly per- 
 fecuted for Righteoufnefs Sake, as they 
 were, who in the primitive Times were 
 derided for their being Chriftiaw, and 
 had their Names caft out as evil, for the 
 Sake of that Religion which they pro- 
 feffed : Andlnftances of fuch Perfecution 
 for Righteoufnefs Sake as thefe, there 
 are., and always have been, innumerable, 
 
 even
 
 for Rigbteoujneff Sake. 97 
 
 even in the moft peaceable Times., and 
 in thofe Places where the Cbriftian Re- 
 ligion is the eftablilhed Religion of the 
 Country,- fo that whatever Place or 
 Time we live in, we muft exped: to 
 be thus perfecuted by wicked Men, if 
 we are reiblved to adhere clofe to our 
 Duty, and to keep a good Confcience 
 in every thing. 
 
 And this methinks fhou'd be Encou^ 
 ragement enough to us, to be ftrift and 
 exad in doing our Duty, and careful to 
 avoid all Compliance with the finful 
 Cuftoms of the World, or of the Age 
 we live in ; that if upon this Account we 
 fliou'd be reproached and reviled by the 
 Multitude of Sinners, as 'tis very 
 probable we ihall be, their Scorn and 
 Contempt of us, their Jeers and Re- 
 proaches, or whatever other ill Ufage 
 we fuffer from the wicked World, upon 
 the account of our obftinate and im- 
 moveable Virtue, will in the Condufion 
 turn to our great Advantage, we being 
 thereby intitled to the blelTed Reward 
 of Martyrdom : For Blejjed arc ye, fays 
 
 [Vol. II.] H" our
 
 9 8 The Bleffednefs of tie Persecuted 
 
 our Saviour, when Men jhall revile you 
 and pcrfecute you, and Jhall fay all manner 
 of Evil againft you falfly, for my Sake, or 
 jor Righteoufneft Sake. Rcjoyce and be ex- 
 Deeding glad y for great is your Reward in 
 Heaven. 
 
 And thus now having fhown who are 
 the Perfons to whom the Bleflednefs 
 and Reward of the Text belongs, viz. 
 the persecuted for Right eoufneff Sake, or 
 for the Sake of Cbrift, I fhould proceed 
 in the fecond Place to {how wherein 
 confifts the Bleflfednefs, and what is the 
 Reward of fuch Perfons, theirs is the 
 Kingdom of Heaven, and great is their 
 Reward in Heaven. 
 
 But becaufe the handling of that 
 Head wou'd take up too much time at 
 prefent, I ihall conclude this prefent 
 Difcourfe with briefly removing a Diffi- 
 culty that may be thought to arife from 
 there being any Blefling or Reward at all 
 promifed to liich Men. 
 
 For it may be faid, that nothing is 
 properly the Subject of Reward but 
 Virtue, and that all Virtue is Matter of 
 
 Choice,
 
 for Rigbteoufneff Sake. 99 
 
 Choice, and is therefore rewarded be- 
 caufe it was chofen ; but that the fuffer- 
 ing Perfecution for Righteoufnefs Sake, 
 is not a Matter of Choice, but rather of 
 Chance, or, to fpeak more truly, of 
 Providence, and confequently of Ne- 
 ceflity ; for 'tis God's Providence only 
 which fo orders theCourfe of theWorld, 
 that one Man of ftrid: Piety and Virtue 
 ihall be hated and perfecuted for his 
 Goodnefs, and that another Man per- 
 haps equally pious and virtuous, fhall 
 neverthelefs live in perfect Peace, and' 
 be beloved and refpeded by all that 
 know him: What Re?fon is there then, 
 that there ihou'd be any Difference in 
 the Reward of th'efe Perfons who are " 
 fuppofed to be found and ftrong in the 
 Faith, and equally ftrift and unblame- 
 able in their Lives t and why ihou'd 
 this difference of their Reward depend 
 upon an Event which it was not in the 
 Power of the one to avoid, nor lawful 
 for the other to chufe For this I take 
 for granted, that no Man ought to ruri 
 himfeif into Perfecution, qr to provoke 
 H 2 the
 
 loo The Bkffednefi of the Persecuted 
 
 the World to ufe him ill : Nay, rather it is 
 every Man's Duty, how ftout and 
 couragious foever he thinks himfelf, to 
 decline Perfecution, if he can do it 
 without betraying his Caufe, and by 
 lawful and warrantable Means - y accor- 
 ding to that Advice of our Saviour, 
 Matth. x. 23. When they Perfecute you in 
 this City, flic ye to another. Seeing there- 
 fore it is not in any Man's Choice to be 
 perfecuted for Righteoufnefs Sake, why 
 fliou'd his being fo perfecuted contri- 
 bute to the Encreafe of his Reward ? 
 
 In anfwer to which it may be faid, 
 that the BlelTednefs and Reward of the 
 Text are not promifed merely for fuch 
 as are perfecuted for Chrift's or for Righ- 
 teoufnefs Sake, but to fuch only as bear 
 thefe Sufferings with Courage and Pa- 
 tience, and who, notwithfranding all the 
 Perfecutions they fuftain, continue firm 
 and conftant in the Belief and Profeflion 
 of their Chriftian Faith, and in theExer- 
 cife of a Spirit of Piety and Virtue j and 
 this is a Matter of Choice, this is truly 
 and properly a good Work, and confe- 
 
 quently
 
 for Righteoufneft Sake. 
 
 101 
 
 quently by Virtue of God's gracious 
 Promife has the fame Title to a Reward 
 that any other Chriftian Grace or Virtue 
 has j merely to be perfecuted for Chrift J f 
 Sake is no Commendation, becaufe it is 
 not what \^e chufe (or -indeed ought to 
 chufe) but only an Accident that befalls 
 us; and many that have been perfecuted 
 for (thrift's Sake, have not been bleifed, 
 nor have ever received the Reward here 
 promifed, becaufe they fainted in the 
 Day of their Adverfity ,< and when they 
 were put to the Trial, bafely deferted the 
 Caufe that they had undertaken ; but 
 to be ftout and couragious under Perfe- 
 cution, to abide the fiery Trial, to endure 
 the Go/}, to defyife the Shame, and 
 to continue faithful unto Death, this is 
 a great Commendation, and an laftance 
 of generous and heroick Virtue, and 
 therefore may very congruoufly be re- 
 compenc'd with a greater Reward. 
 
 But to this perhaps it will be further 
 objected, that this however is not a Vir- 
 tue which it is in every Man's Power 
 to exercife, becaufe every Man has not 
 H3 Qc-
 
 ic2 The BleJJedneff of the Perfected 
 
 Occafion to exercife it, for a Man cannot 
 bear Perfecution patiently, and cou- 
 ragionfly, if it be not his Lot to be 
 perfecuted at all ; fo that tho' indeed 
 the Exercife of Patience and Courage 
 under Perfecution beaMatter of Choice, 
 and confequently an Inftance of Virtue, 
 yet this depends upon another tiling, 
 which is not a Matter of Choice, but an 
 Event that depends entirely upon the 
 Providence of God ; and it may perhaps 
 feem a little unequal, that when there 
 are two Men equally Pious and Virtu- 
 ous, one fhou'd attain a much greater 
 Reward than the other, only becaufe it 
 was his Lot to be called forth to Perfe- 
 cution, v/hereas had the other alfo been 
 put to the fame Trial, he wou'd have ac- 
 quitted himfelf as well, he wou'd have 
 been as Couragious and Conftant as the 
 other was. 
 
 But to this it may b e anfwered, 
 
 i. That what is here prefumed, 'viz. 
 
 that fome who are not called forth to 
 
 fuifer for Chrift, would, if they were 
 
 failed forth to it 3 bear their Perfecution
 
 for Righteoufneft Sake. 1 3 
 
 with as much Courage and Patience., 
 and continue as conftant to their Pro- 
 feifion as any that have fuffered; this I 
 fay, tho' it be a Thing that may charita- 
 bly be believed, yet is what no Man in 
 the World can be certain of - y for as 
 there have been a great many who have 
 been thought of fmall Courage, that 
 yet when they have been put to the 
 Trial, have acquitted themfelves be- 
 yond Expectation j fo there have been 
 many others on the other fide, who have 
 been very well conceited of themfelves, 
 and of whom the World alfo -has had 
 great Expectations, that they who have 
 proved the ftouteft Champions of the 
 Chriftian Caufe, who yet in the Event 
 when they were put to the Trial, have 
 fainted and given out at the firft Onfet, 
 and not been able fo much as to look 
 Perfecution in the Face ; whether there- 
 fore any of thofe who are not tried, 
 wou'd acquit themfelves well if they 
 were tried, we cannot tell, God only 
 knows : And this I'm fure is a Thing 
 that may reafonably enough be thought, 
 H 4 that
 
 104 The BleJJednefs of the 'Persecuted 
 
 that as when a General of an Army has 
 any hard and dangerous Exploit to be 
 formed, he picks out of his whole 
 Army,fuch as he knows to be flout and 
 valiant Men, leaving the reft, of whofe 
 Courage he is not fo well affur'djto other 
 Services of lefs Difficulty and Hazard ; 
 fo> I fay, it may reafonably enough be 
 thought, that who God calls forth, 
 Ibme as Champions for his Caufe, de- 
 iigning to expofe them to the foreft 
 Trials and Perfecutions , he makes 
 Choice of thofe who he knows are beft 
 able to abide that Trial ; and that the 
 Reafon why he puts not others to the 
 fame Trial, is becaufe he knows their 
 Weaknefs, and that tho' they may be 
 as fincere in their Profeifion as any are, 
 they are not fb ftout and couragious as 
 fome others are, and fo being faithful 
 to his Promife, he will notfuffer them 
 to be tempted above what they are able. 
 But, 
 
 2. It may be further anfwered, that 
 tho' it were certainly true that many 
 that are not called to Suffering, and fo 
 
 are
 
 for Rigkuoufnep Sake. 105 
 
 are not in a Capacity of obtaining the 
 moft glorious Crown of Martyrdom, 
 if they had been called to it, wou'd 
 have born their Sufferings with Cou- 
 rage, and have refifted even unto Blood ; 
 I fay, tho' this were certain, yet they 
 that are not called to this hot Service 
 wou'd have no Reafon at all to complain, 
 becaufe that Reward which they will 
 receive for their Obedience and Fidelity 
 in the fafer Station wherein they are 
 placed, will be infinitely greater than 
 even Martyrdom itfelf could challenge 
 by way of Merit. 'Tis true indeed, being 
 not called to Martyrdom, they cannot 
 have the Martyr's Crown ; but they will 
 neverthelefs have a Crown that is far 
 more glorious than any Martyr can de- 
 ferve ,- and therefore they can have no 
 Reafon to envy the greater Reward of 
 thofe that have been called to harder 
 Servi ce . Eternal Life if the Gift of God., 
 as the Afoftle fays, even our beft Services 
 cannot merit it j and when we have 
 done all we can> we are taught by our 
 to fay, we are unprofitable Ser- 
 vants,
 
 1 0(5 Tl)e Bleffednefs of the Perfecuted 
 
 <vantr. Seeing therefore Heaven, and all 
 the Degrees of Happinefs in Heaven, 
 are God's Gift, and even the loweft De- 
 gree of heavenly Happinefs cannot by 
 Way of Merit be claimed by the beft 
 of Men, why fliou'd we not allow to 
 God the fame Liberty which we our- 
 felves fliould challenge, of doing what 
 he will with his own, and beftowing 
 his free and unmerited Gifts, on what 
 Condition and in what Meafure he 
 pleafes ? There is therefore manifeftly 
 no Injufiice, nothing at all to be com- 
 plain Vi of by any, in God's aligning to 
 Martyrs a greater Re ward than to others, 
 altho' Martyrdom itfelf be not a Matter 
 of Choice, but of divine Aflignation and 
 Providence. 
 
 For thus it is alfo among Men of this 
 World : All the Soldiers of an Army, 
 for their Pay only, are liable to be com- 
 manded on what Service the General 
 pleafes ; and it is no Man's Duty to 
 offer himfelf to a dangerous Enterprife; 
 nay, if any private Soldier quits his 
 Station, and runs himfelf uncommanded^ 
 
 upon
 
 for Righieoufnefi Sake. 107 
 
 upon a dangerous Adventure, he de- 
 ferves Reproof, rather then Commen- 
 dation for his fo doing, becaufe he is 
 guilty herein of the Breach of military 
 Difcipline and Order; but if the Gene- 
 ral himfelf picks him put, and orders 
 him to ftand in the Front of a Party 
 \vhichhe has commanded on a dangerous 
 Attack, and he behaves himfelf therein 
 Valiantly and Couragioufly, it is very 
 congruous for the General to give him 
 fomewhat more than his Pay, in Recom- 
 pence for the greater Hazard which he 
 ran of lofmg his Life,- and this, altho' 
 the Poft he ferved in was not chofen by 
 himfelf, but afligned him by his Officer ; 
 and any other Soldier, who was not 
 commanded on the fame Service, wou'd 
 be thought a very unreafonable Man if 
 he fliou'd complain as if he were hardly 
 dealt by, that he had not the fame Gra- 
 tuity given him, upon Pretence that if 
 be had been commanded in the Service, 
 he flioud have behaved himfelf as vali- 
 antly as the other did. 
 
 By
 
 io8 Tie Bkffednefs of the Perfected, &c. 
 
 By the fame Reafon therefore ) if God 
 thinks fit to chufe out one Man to fuffer 
 Perfecudon for Righteoufnefs Sake, and 
 permits another as Righteous as he, and 
 perhaps as Couragious too, to enjoy 
 his Religion and Confcience in Peace, 
 this laft can have no Reafon to envy 
 the other his greater Reward, in recom- 
 penfe for the harder Service that he 
 was put to, efpecially feeing that Re- 
 ward which he himfelf will receive at 
 God's Hand, for the eafie Service which 
 he was put upon, will be infinitely 
 greater than he cou'd have merited or 
 claim'd at God's Hand, tho' he had been 
 put to endure an hundred Martyrdoms. 
 
 Thus I have fhown who are the 
 Perfecuted for Righteoufnefs Sake, and 
 the Reafonablenefs of their having an 
 extraordinary Bleffednefs and Reward 
 a&gned them, altho' the Perfecution 
 that they fuffered was not a Thing 
 chofen by themfelves. 
 
 But wherein confifts their BlerTednefs, 
 and what will be their Reward, x l ihall 
 endeavour (God willing) to ftow the
 
 THE 
 
 BLESSEDNESS 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 PERSECUTED 
 
 FOR 
 
 Righteoufnefs Sake.
 
 Ill 
 
 DISCOURSE XIV. 
 
 The BlefTednefs of the Perfecuted 
 for Righteoiifhefs Sake. 
 
 M A T T H. V. IO, II, 12. 
 
 Bleffed are they which are perfe- 
 cuted for Righteoufnefs Sake, 
 for theirs is the Kingdom of 
 Heaven. 
 
 Bleffed are ye when Men flail 
 revile you and persecute you, 
 and flail fay all manner of 
 Evil againft you falsly for my 
 Sake. 
 
 Rejoyce and be exceeding glad, for 
 great is your Reward in Hea- 
 ven, for fo persecuted they the 
 Prophets which were before you. 
 
 His is the Eighth and laft of the 
 Beatitudes 5 and becaufe it con- 
 tains a ftranger Paradox, than 
 any of the foregoing, our Saviour there- 
 fore.
 
 1 1 2 The Bleffidnefs of the Perfecuted 
 
 fore, the more fully to afTure us of the 
 Truth of it, repeats it twice over, for, 
 i. He declares in general that all which 
 are perfecuted for Righteoufnefs Sake are 
 blefled, and ihall be greatly and plen- 
 tifully rewarded j Verfe 10. Blcffsd are 
 thy which are perfecuted for Righteoufnefs 
 Sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven : 
 And then applying this Doctrine to his 
 Difciples, whofe Lot he knew it would 
 be to fuffer great Perfecutions for his 
 Sake, he repeats it over again, and fur- 
 ther explains and enlarges upon it, re- 
 newing alfo to his Difciples in particular 
 the Promife which he had before made 
 in general to all that are perfecuted for 
 Righteoufnefs Sake, in the Words imme- 
 diately following at the nth and i2th 
 Verfes : BleJJed are ye when Menfoall re- 
 vile you and persecute you, and J/oall fay all 
 Manner ofEvilagainft youfalflyformySake. 
 Rejoyce and be exceeding glad, fcr great is 
 -your Reward in Heaven, for fo~ perfecuted 
 they the Prophet r which were before you. 
 
 Seeing therefore. thefe two laft Ver- 
 fes of the Text contain in Subftance the 
 
 fame
 
 for Righeoufmfi Sake* 
 
 fame Do&rine that had been delivered 
 in the firft, only differently expreffedj 
 and more largely infifted upon, I {hall 
 ground my Difcourfe chiefly on the firft 
 Verfe of the Text, only taking Occafion 
 by the Way as I go along to explain and 
 confider whatever is peculiar in the two 
 latter. 
 
 And I have already in a former Dif* 
 courfe on thefe Words proposed to handle 
 thefe two Points : 
 
 I. To Ihew who are the Perfbns here 
 fpoken of, and to whom the BlefTednefs 
 and Reward of the Text belongs, T/ 
 thofe that are persecuted for Righteoufnefi 
 Sake. And 5 
 
 II. To fhew wherein confifts the Btefi 
 fedntff, and what will be the Reward of 
 thofe Perfons, BleJJed are they which, 
 &c. of Heaven. 
 
 i. I propounded to ihew^ who are 
 the Perfons here fpoken of ? and to whom 
 the Bleffednels and Reward of the Text 
 belongs^ *u/2. thofe that are ferfecuted 
 for Righteoufnefi Sake j and this Point I 
 have already handled, having ihewn, 
 I. What it is to be perfected, and 
 
 yol.IL] I
 
 1 14 The Bleffednefi of the Perfecuted 
 
 2. What it is to be perfecuted for Righ- 
 teoufneft Sake ; for, 
 
 T. To be perfecuted, I told you, is 
 to fuflfer any Manner of Evil from the 
 Cruelty and Injuftke of otherMen, either 
 in our Body, in our Goods, or in our 
 Reputation and good Name : They are 
 perfecuted who are reviled and re- 
 proached, Blejfed are ye when Menjhall 
 revile you,, and who are bely'd and flan- 
 der'd, and when they fall fay all Man- 
 ner of Evil againft you falfly ; but the 
 greateft Perfecution of all, is when our 
 Goods are confifcated, when our Live- 
 lihood is taken from us, when our Bo- 
 dies are imprifon'd, or tortur'd, or when 
 we are put to a violent Death. But now 
 it is certain, that merely in being thus 
 perfecuted, there is no BleiTednefs ; and 
 therefore our Saviour does not fay in ge- 
 neral, BlefTed are the Perfecuted ; but 
 he adds a Limitation, he fubjoins a Qua- 
 lification that is requisite to turn fuch 
 Perfecution into a Blefling 5 it muft be 
 for Right ecufnefs Sake , BleJJed are they 
 which are perfecuted for Righteoufnefs 
 Sake. 
 
 2. Which
 
 for Righteoufnefs Sake. 115 
 
 2. Which Qualification or Condition 
 of a bleffed Perfecution implies in it 
 (as I told you) thefe two Things : 
 
 1. That our Perfecution be unjuft and 
 groundlefs, that the Evil andPunifhment 
 that we fuffer be not merited or defer- 
 ved by us., for our evil Deeds j Bleffed 
 are ye, fays our Saviour, when Men Jhall 
 revile you and perfecute you, and Jhall fay 
 all Manner of Evil againft you falfly; for, 
 as St. Peter fays, if we do Evil, and fuffer 
 for it, there is no Thanks due to w for that ; 
 no Perfecution or Suffering is bleffed, 
 which is deferved. 
 
 2. Another Thing implied in this 
 Qualification or Condition of ableifed 
 Perfection, is, that it be for Chrift, or 
 for Righteoufnefs Sake; for every Man 
 that is put to Death wrongfully is not a 
 Martyr : But thatPerfecution only which 
 entitles us to the Bleflmg and Reward of 
 the Text, is when the Ground and 
 Reafon of Mens Malice and Hatred to- 
 wards us is our ftri& and clofeAdherence 
 to the Profefllon and Practice of the 
 Chrijlian Religion ; when we are there- 
 
 I a fore
 
 n6 The Bleffedneff of the Perfected 
 
 fore perfecuted as Hereticks becaufe we 
 are Chrtftiaw and Orthodox , and are 
 therefore puniihed asEvil-doers, becaufe 
 we will not do any Evil : Blejfid are ye 
 when ye are perfecuted for my Sake, fays our 
 Sarviourjjex. 1 1 . and bleffed are they which 
 are perfecuted for Righteoufnefi Sake, 
 Ver. jo. Tis only the Caufe of our 
 Sufferings that confecrates them, and 
 'tis only a Perfecution raifed againft us 
 for Chrifl , or for RigJjtecufnefi Sake, 
 which if patiently born by us, can en- 
 title us to the Blefling and Reward of 
 the Text. 
 
 And now having feen who are the 
 Perfons here fpoken of, to whom the 
 Blefling and Reward of the Text be- 
 longs, the Perfecuted for Righteoufnefs 
 Sake, I proceed to the fecond Thing 
 propounded, which was, 
 
 II. To ihew wherein confifts the pre- 
 fent Bleffednefs, and what will be the 
 future Reward of thefe Perfons $ Blef- 
 Jed are they, fays our Saviour, for theirs 
 is the Kingdom of Heaven, 
 
 i. I Hull 
 
 **'>-i '' i-
 
 for RigUeoufneft Sake. 1 17 
 
 i. I fliall fliew wherein their prefent 
 BlefTednefsconlifts/ornotwithftandingall 
 their Sufferings,which makes their Condi- 
 tion feem in the Eye of the World (which 
 judges only by out ward Appearance) very 
 wretched and deplorable, they are yet 
 neverthelefs blefTed even at prefent, our 
 Saviour here exprefly affirms ; Bleffcd are 
 they which arc perfected for Right eouf- 
 nefi Sake 5 and bleffed are ye when Men 
 Jhall revile you and -persecute you for my 
 Sake : Rejoyce and be exceeding glad. 
 
 And the prefent Bleffednefs of fuck 
 as fuffer Perfecution for Righteoufnefs 
 Sake confifts chiefly in thefe Six Things. 
 
 i. That fuch have their evil Things 
 in this World, and fo have all their good 
 Things referved in Store for them 
 againft another Life, and this alone is 
 indeed a great Bleffednefs, forafrnuch 
 as the Things, of this Life, whether 
 they be good or evil, are not worthy to 
 be compared with the good or evil Things 
 of the other Life - y for what are all the 
 gpod Things of this Life, but only the 
 I I .
 
 1 1 8 The BleJJedneff of the Perfected 
 
 Gratification of our carnal Defires, the 
 Pleafures and Delights of the Body, 
 which are all of them very unfatisfactory 
 in themfelves, and befides are but of a 
 very fhort Continuance at beft, becaufe 
 our Life itfelf is fo ? And what are the 
 evil Things of this World? they are (as 
 the Apoftle fays, and that is the moft 
 that can be made of them) but light 
 Afflictions which are but for a Moment: 
 Even Martyrdom itfelf is only the un-t 
 dergoing that Death to Day, which 
 perhaps otherwife we muft have under- 
 gone to Morrow ; to be lure, not very 
 long hence, by the Courfe of Nature; 
 and that too, it may be, by a Difeafe 
 that wou'd have put us to a greater and 
 a longer Pain than any that our Tormen- 
 ters do inflict But now, on the other 
 fide, the good Things of the other Life 
 are perpetual Joy and Felicity, the moft 
 perfect and confummate Pleafure, with* 
 out any Mixture of Pain, and that to all 
 Eternity ; and the evil Things of the 
 other Life, are a Worm that never 
 arid a Fire $#t Jkall never be quenched.
 
 for Rigbteoufaefs Sake. 1 19 
 
 Seeing therefore the good and evil 
 Things of this Life and of the next are 
 fo vaftly difproportionable, and they 
 that have their good Things here may 
 juftly fear they will be all their Portion, 
 and they who receive tlieir evil Things 
 here may reafonably expect their good 
 Things hereafter, even eternal Comfort 
 and Refreshment, it is plainly a Bleflmg 
 and a juft Ground of Comfort, to have 
 all our evil Things here, and to live in 
 a joyful Expectation of our Portion of 
 good Things in the other Life. 
 
 2. Another Inftance of the prefent 
 BleiTednefs of thofe which furfer Perfe- 
 cution for Righteoufnefs Sake, confifts 
 in the great Honour that is done to 
 them, by God's choofing and fingling 
 them out to be the Champions for his 
 Caufej in his putting them upon the 
 moft difficult, and confequently the 
 moft honourable Piece of Service, where- 
 in if they acquit themfelves well, they 
 will acquire eternal Glory and Renown ; 
 for thus it is in earthly Warfares, no pri- 
 yflte Soldier may put himfelf upon a bo!4
 
 The Bleffednefs of the Persecuted 
 
 and dangerous Adventure , but if he, 
 with fome few others, be chofen out of 
 the whole Army for fome Piece of Ser- 
 vice that requires extraordinary Strength 
 and Courage, this is always accounted 
 a great Honour done to him, a Sign that 
 his General has a great Efteem of him, 
 and repofes more than ordinary Truft in 
 his Fidelity and Valour : And thus it is 
 in our fpiritual Warfare, the common 
 Soldiers of ChrifHanity, are by God's 
 wife and good Providence, who knows 
 their Strength, or rather their Weak- 
 nefs, left to encounter fuch Tempta- 
 tions as are common to Men ; but thoie 
 whom God picks out for extraordinary 
 Service, to wreftle with Principalities, 
 and Powers, to encounter fore Perfe- 
 cutions, or to undergo Martyrdom - 
 thefe are fuch as he has furniihed or 
 will endue with extraordinary Grace and 
 Strength, fuflkient to enable them to 
 come off victorious in this bloody Con^ 
 flic} : This therefore is a great Honour 
 done them, a iingular Privilege be- 
 jftowed upon them, and in which they
 
 for Right eoufneff Sake. 1 2 1 
 
 may juftly glory, as an Expreflion of 
 God's fingular Favour towards them. 
 
 And this Notion the Afoftles and pri- 
 mitive Chriftiant had of the Perfecutions 
 and Sufferings that befel them for Chrift's 
 Sake y they were fo far from reckoning 
 them a Grievance and Burden impos'd 
 upon them., that they accounted it a 
 great Favour and Honour done to them, 
 that they were called thereto j thus faith 
 the Apoftk 9 Phil. I. 29. Unto you it if 
 given in the Behalf of Qwift y not only to 
 believe on hi???, but alfo to fuffer for his 
 Sake their Call to be Chrifliam was in- 
 deed a great Privilege, but it was a 
 confiderable Addition to this Honour, 
 that they were alfb called to be Con- 
 feffors or Martyrs ; Unto you it is given, 
 &c. And thus the Afoftles themfelves 
 efteemed it, who therefore (as you may 
 fee, Atfs v. 41.) when they had been 
 imprifbn'd, and after that beaten by 
 Order of the Jewifh Sanhedrim., and 
 fhi&ly commanded not to fpeak any 
 more in the Name of Jefus, departed 
 from the Prefence of the Council, rejoycing 
 
 that
 
 122 
 
 The Bleffedneft of the Perfecuted 
 
 that they were counted worthy to fuffer 
 Shame for his Name. And what they 
 did, St. "Peter tells us it is reafon- 
 able every good Chriftian fliould do> 
 
 1 Efifl. iv. 1 6. If any Man fuffer M a 
 
 , Chriftian., let him not be afhamed, 
 
 Vid.Halls , J , ;. , .- _ , ,. 
 
 Med.p.6. but let him glorify God on this 
 Med < 40 ' Behalf. 
 
 3. Another Thing wherein confifts 
 the prefent BlefTednefs of fuch as are 
 perfecuted for Righteoufnefs Sake, is 
 in that great Confolation which they 
 receive from God under their Afflictions, 
 in Proportion to the Greatnefs of their 
 Sufferings, whereby they are enabled 
 to bear them not only with Patience 
 but Cheerfulnefs : Thus the Afoftle fays, 
 
 2 Cor. i. 3, 4, 5. Bleffed be God, e'ven 
 the Father of our Lord Jefits Chrift^ the 
 father of Mercies., and the God of all Com- 
 fort., who comforteth its in all our Tribu- 
 lation, that we may be able to comfort them 
 which are in any Trouble, by the Comfort 
 wherewith we ourfefoes are comforted of 
 God, for as tye Sufferings ofQhrift abound 
 
 ^ in
 
 for Righteoufneft Sake. 123 
 
 in ftf, fo our Consolation alfo aboundeth by 
 On/2. 
 
 And of the Truth of this, altho' there 
 had been no Scripture-Promife for it, 
 \ve might be aflured from the Hiftory 
 of the Ancient Martyrs, and Sufferers 
 for Chrift j it being impoflible that 
 any Man, merely by the Strength of 
 Nature, ihould be able to fuftain thole 
 various Sorts of Tortures which they 
 were put to by their cruel Tormenters, 
 and which they, even the weakeft of 
 them all, the Women and the Children, 
 endured, with the fame Unconcerned- 
 nefs, as if they had felt no Pain at all ; 
 nay, with as much Cheerfulnefs and 
 Alacrity, as if they had been then in the 
 Enjoyment of the moft ravifliing De- 
 lights ; fo that it plainly appears, that 
 the Confolations which they received 
 from God under their Sufferings, were 
 much greater than to counterbalance 
 the Pain that they endured in them, 
 and that upon the whole Matter, their 
 Sufferings were rather a Bleflednefs to 
 than an Unhappinefs, that they 
 
 were
 
 1 24 The Eleffednefs of the Perfected 
 
 were rather lefs than more miferable for 
 their Sufferings. 
 
 4. The Perfecuted for Righteoufnefs 
 Sake, are alfo blefled upon the Account 
 of that Satisfaction which they have in 
 their own Minds, and which naturally 
 refults from the Confideration of a 
 Man's having done his Duty, efpecially 
 in any hard or hazardous Inftance of it ; 
 for there is no Comfort or Pleafure in 
 the World like that of a good Con- 
 fcience ; but the greater Difficulty, and 
 the more Oppofition we meet with in 
 doing our Duty, the greater is the Joy 
 and Delight that arifes from the Victory; 
 what deferves greater Commendation 
 from others, yields alfo greater Satis- 
 faction to ourfelves, for we cannot but 
 alfo applaud ourfelves when we are con- 
 fcious that we do well in any Thing, 
 and the more noble and heroick the Act 
 of Virtue is, we muft of Courfe be fo 
 much the more pleafed and fatisfied 
 with ourfelves, for our having atchiev'd 
 and accomplifhed it , And this inward 
 Joy and Satisfa&ioa of Mind 3 wou'd be 
 
 alone
 
 for Righteoufneft Sake. 125 
 
 alone (if there were no other Reward) 
 a diffident Recompence for the Pain of 
 any bodily Affliction. But, 
 
 5. What doth yet yield further Com- 
 fort, and is another Inftance of the 
 BleJOfednefs of thofe which fufter for 
 Righteoufnefs Sake, even at prefent, is 
 the AiTurance which they have thereby 
 that they are the Children of God, and 
 highly favoured and .beloved by him ; 
 according to that of the Author to the 
 Hebrew f 9 in the mh Chapter of that 
 Epiftle, where he at large profecutes 
 this Argument from the jth to the i3th 
 Verfe. Ye have forgotten (fays he) the 
 'Exhortation which jpeaketh unto you as 
 unto Children; my Son, defpife not thou 
 the.Qjaftening of the Lord, nor faint when 
 -thou art rebuked of hitri; for whom the 
 Lord loveth he chafteneth, and fiourgeth 
 ewry Son whom he receiveth. Jfye endure 
 Chaftening, God dealeth with you as with 
 Sow, for what Son, if he whom the Father 
 chafleneth not, &c.* .But, 
 
 6. And laftly, The great Bleffednefs 
 of all, of thofe whigh fuffer forRigh- 
 
 teoufheft 
 -- -*- -"
 
 ,126 The BleJJednefs of the Perfecuted 
 
 teoufnefs Sake, coniifts in the alTured 
 Hope which they have thereby of en- 
 creaiing their Reward in another Life, 
 according to that of the fame Author 
 to the Hebrews, c. x. v. 34. Te took joyfully 
 "the ff oiling of your Goods, knowing in your- 
 felves that ye have in Heaven a better and 
 a more enduring Subftance. 
 
 And this leads me to difcourfe of the 
 other Thing propounded to be fpoken 
 to under this Head, which was, to fliew, 
 
 2. What is the future Reward of thofe 
 which fufter Perfecution for Chrift, or 
 for Righteoufnefs Sake, and that is ex- 
 prefTed in the Text two Ways ; theirs is 
 the Kingdom of Heaven, Ver. 10. and 
 great if their Reward in Heaven, Ver. 12. 
 The firft is a Promife of certain Felicity 
 to them that are perfecuted for Chrift 
 or Righteoufnefs, and the fecond is a 
 Promife of greater Felicity for their 
 being fo perfecuted, than they wou'd 
 (according to the Terms of the Gofpel- 
 Covenant) have been capable of, if it 
 had been their Lot to have lived in better 
 * Jimes ; and that confirmed by the Ex- 
 ample
 
 for Righteoufnefs Sake. 127 
 
 ample of the ancient Prophets that fuf- 
 fered the like Perfecution; for fo ptrfe- 
 cutcd they the Prophets which were before 
 you. 
 
 i. There is a Promife of certain Fe- 
 licity to thofe that are perfecuted for 
 Righteoufnefs Sake, Theirs is the King- 
 dom of Heaven. Heaven is indeed the 
 Thing promifed to all the Virtues and 
 Graces mentioned in the foregoing 
 Verfes, as I have already fliew'dj but 
 this is the cleared Promife of it of all 
 them, and there was fome Reafon for it, 
 T/. becaufe this is the moil difficult 
 Inftance of Obedience, the mod heroick 
 Aft of Virtue, the fureft Argument of 
 Love to Chrifty and the moft noble Ex- 
 preflion of it, for which Reafons it was 
 expedient, that for the Encouragement 
 of Men to undertake this hard Service,- 
 they fhou'd be animated by a clearer 
 and more exprefs Promife of a future 
 Reward ; Theirs if the Kingdom of 
 Heaven. 
 
 Neverthelefs, we are not fo to under- 
 {land this Prpmife, as if the fuifering 
 
 Perfe-
 
 I 2 8 The Bleffedneff of the Perfecuted 
 
 Perfecution for our Profelfion of the 
 Chriftian Religion, wou'd make Amends 
 for a wicked Life ; or, as if the Pra&ice 
 and Exercife of our Virtue, and in cafe 
 we were for the fame expos'd to Suffer- 
 ing, wou'd give us as good an Affurance 
 of the Happinefs and Joys of Heaven, as 
 a conftant Continuance and Perfeverance 
 in all Well-doing ; for, on the contrary, 
 \ve are told exprefly by St. Paul, That no 
 Perfecutions or Hardihips, no not Mar- 
 tyrdom itielf, will avail us any Thing, if 
 we have not a Love for God and for our 
 Neighbour, /'. e. if we are deficient in 
 any Duty towards them j for Love if the 
 -fulfilling of the Law-, and if we have fuch 
 a Love for God and our Neighbour as 
 we ought to have, we cannot be know- 
 ingly wanting in any Duty towards them : 
 Thus, I fay, he tells us exprefly, i Cor. 
 xiii. 3. Tho 1 I be flow all my Goods to feed 
 the Poor, and tho* I give my Body to be 
 burned, and have not Charity, it frofiteth 
 me nothing. 
 
 .The Meaning therefore of this Pro- 
 mife of the Kingdom of Heaven to fuch 
 
 as
 
 for Rigbteoufnefs Sake. \ 29 
 
 as are perfecuted for Righteoufnefs Sake, 
 is this ; i. That if they are really righte- 
 ous and good Men that fufferPerfecution, 
 their Perfecution in this World will give 
 them fuch Affurance of a future Felicity 
 in Heaven, as without this, (considering 
 the Frailties and Infirmities of even the 
 beft of Men) they cou'd not well attain 
 to; and, 2. That that Reward which 
 they wou'd have received in Heaven for 
 their Piety and Virtue, tho' if they had 
 not been perfecuted, and which others 
 of the like Piety and Virtue who are 
 not perfecuted, will receive, will be 
 much increased by their Sufferings; that 
 the Reward of their Virtue will be the 
 greater in the other World, becaufe 
 they fufter for it here > for 'tis not only 
 promifed them, that they {hall have a 
 Part or Portion in God's heavenly King- 
 dom, their r is the Kingdom of Hea-ven ; 
 but likewife, that they fhall have a bet- 
 ter Portion there than other Men, great 
 if your Reward in Heaven - y i. e. your 
 Reward in Heaven {hall be greater upon 
 the Account of thofe Perfecutions which 
 [Vol. IL] K you
 
 130 The Blejjednefs of the Persecuted 
 
 you fuffered upon Earth, than otherwife 
 it would have been. 
 
 And of this Increafe or Addition of 
 Reward to fuch as fuffer Perfecution 
 for Righteoufnefs Sake, there are, be- 
 (ides the Text, many other exprefs 
 Promifes in holy Scripture : Thus in 
 Mat. xix. when St. Peter had put this 
 Queftion to our Lord, Ver. 27. Behold 
 we have forfaken all and followed thee, 
 what flail we have therefore ? he anfwers 
 in the next Verfe, Verily, I fay unto you, 
 that ye which have followed me in the Re- 
 generation, when the Sen of Man flail fa 
 in the Throne of his Glory, ye alfo Jball fit 
 upon twelve Thrones, judging the twelve 
 Tribes of Ifr^L 
 
 And that this Promife of an extraor- 
 dinary Reward might not be underftood 
 as belonging only to his twelve Aftftfa, 
 he adds, Ver. 29. And every one that 
 loath forfaken Houfes, or Brethren, or 
 Sifters, or Father, or Mother, or Wife, or 
 Children, or Lands, for my Name's Sake, 
 flail receive an hundred fold, and flail 
 Merit ei^erlafting Life. And to the 
 
 fame
 
 for Righteoufneft Sake. 1 3 1 
 
 fame Purpofe we are told by the.Apoftle y 
 2 Cor. iv. 17. that our light Affliffion^ 
 which if but for a Moment., worksth for 
 zft a far more exceeding and eternal Weight 
 of Glory. 
 
 Now, what this far more exceeding 
 and eternal Weight of Glory is, we can- 
 not fay, becaufe we know not yet what 
 is the common Glory of Heaven, or 
 wherein the Felicity of the other World 
 does confift j but in general we are told, 
 that the eternal Happinefs of every good 
 Man in Heaven will be greater than 
 can be now conceived, according to that 
 of the Afoftle^ Eye bath not feen, nor Ear 
 heard, neither have enter d into the Heart 
 of Man., the Things which God hath pre- 
 pared for them that love him $ if there- 
 fore the leaft Degree of heavenly Hap- 
 pinefs be inexpreffible, and allb uncon- 
 ceivable by us now while we continue 
 in this mortal State, it would manifeftly 
 be a vain Attempt, to go about to de- 
 icribe, or to give an Account of the 
 Degrees of this Happinefs, or to ihew 
 wherein coniifts the greater Glory of the 
 K 2 Crown -
 
 132 The Bleffedneft of the Perfecuted 
 
 Crown of -Martyrs, above that of other 
 Cbriflidns ; we muft be content there- 
 fore to ftay till we come to Heaven to 
 know the full Meaning of this Promife, 
 great is their Reward in Heaven, for till 
 we know what will be the Reward of 
 a common Difciple of Cbrift, we cannot 
 know which will be the greater Re- 
 ward of thofe that fufter Perfecution or 
 Martyrdom for Chrift ; but this we 
 know, being afTured thereof by the 
 Apoftle, Rom. viii. 17. That if we fuffer 
 with Chrift, we Jhall alfo be glorified to- 
 gether j and this is abundantly fufficient 
 to encourage us to bear all the Afflic- 
 tions and Sufferings that can befal us for 
 ChriJFs, or Righteoufnefs Sake; not 
 only with Patience, but with Chearful- 
 nefs and Rejoycing, forafmuch as the 
 Sufferings of this prefent Time are not 
 worthy to be corn-fared with the Glory that 
 Jhall be revealed in its, and thus we are 
 frequently exhorted in holy Scripture, 
 by St. James i. 2. My Brethren, count it 
 all Joy, when ye fall into divers Tejnpta- 
 tions j by St. Peter, i Ep, iv. 15. Be- 
 loved,
 
 for Righteoufnefs Sake. 133 
 
 loved, think it not flrange concerning the 
 fiery Trial which if to try you, as tho fojuc 
 ftrange Thing happened unto you, but re- 
 joyce, inafmuch as ye are Partaken ofChrift'f 
 Suffering^ that when his Glory JJiall be 
 revealed, ye may be glad alfo with exceed- 
 ing Joy ; and by our Saviour himfelf in 
 the Text, Blejjcd are ye when Menfoall 
 revile you and perfccute you, and foall fay 
 all Manner of Evil againft you fal/ly for 
 my Sake : Rejoyce and be exceeding glad, for 
 great is your Reward in Heaven. 
 
 Thus I have {hewn who are the Per- 
 fons here fpoken of, to whom the 
 BlelTednefs and Reward of the Text be- 
 long, the Perfecuted for CkriJFs or for 
 Rightcoufnefs Sake, and wherein confifts 
 the BlefiTednels, and what is the Reward 
 of flich Perfons, bleffed are they, for 
 thcin is the Kingdom of Heaven., and 
 great is their Reward in Heaven ; and fo 
 I have finiihed all that I propounded to 
 do in difcourfmg on thefe Words. 
 
 I (hall therefore now only briefly 
 
 mention two or three ufeful Inferences 
 
 hat may he drawn from what hath 
 
 K 3 been
 
 1 34 Tk Blejftdneff of the Persecuted 
 
 been laid upon this Subject, and fo con- 
 clude. And, 
 
 i. From what is here in -the Text 
 plainly intimated, and might from other 
 Texts of Scripture be abundantly prov'd, 
 if I had now Time for it, TW& that 
 there are Degrees of Glory and Happi- 
 nefs in the other World, and that fome 
 {hall be recompenced with a greater 
 Reward than others, we may learn, 
 that it is not only our Duty, but our 
 greateft Intereft alfo, to dedicate our- 
 felves and all our Powers and Faculties, 
 wholly and entirely to the Service of 
 God, and the Practice of Piety and 
 Virtue, to begin a good Life in our 
 Youth, to perfift in it in our Manhood, 
 and to continue in the fame till old Age, 
 and to the Hour of our Death, to lofe 
 as little Time from Religion as is 
 poflible, and to do as much Good as 
 ever we can while we live in this 
 World. 
 
 For by the fame Reafon that the 
 frown of Martyrs, and fuch as fuflfer 
 Perfection for Righteoufnefs Sake, 
 
 wilj
 
 for Righteoufneff Sake. 
 
 will be more glorious, becauie they are 
 by God's Providence put upon harder 
 Duty than others, by the fame Reafon, 
 or indeed with greater Reafon, may it 
 be juftly expe&ed, that they that volun- 
 tarily put themfelves upon the Practice 
 of -tne ftrideft Piety and Virtue, and for 
 the Sake of Religion, choofe to deny 
 themfelves thofe Liberties which they 
 might lawfully take, and dedicate their 
 whole Liie to the Service of God, be- 
 ginning a Courfe of Piety when they are 
 young, and continuing in the fame to 
 the End of their Days : I fay, it may 
 reafonably be expected, that tho' others 
 that are fincere in their Profeffion, altho' 
 not fo fteddy and conftant in their Obe- 
 dience, or altho' they came in later to 
 God's Service, will be receiv'd to Mercy, 
 .and greatly rewarded, yet that thefe 
 fhall be recompenfed wich much higher 
 Degrees of Happinefs, that their Crown 
 fhall be more fplendid and glorious 
 than the others $ and this is a Point 
 which we are alfo exprefly taught in 
 Scripture, viz. that at the Day of Judg- 
 K jnent,
 
 1 36 The BleJJednefs of the Perfecuted 
 
 ment, Every Man Jkall receive according 
 as his Works have been, that he that fow- 
 eth fparingly jhall reaf alfo fparingly, and 
 that he that foweth bountifully Jhall reaf 
 alfo bountifully ; [ cc that he that by the 
 <c good Improvement of his Lord's Ta- 
 <c lent hath gained Ten or Five Pound?, 
 cc lhall in Proportion to his greater In- 
 cc duftry be promoted to the Govern- 
 cc ment of Ten or Five Cities", ( as this 
 is parabolically exprefTed , Luke 19*) 
 the Consideration of which fliould there- 
 fore make us not content ourfelves with 
 any Degrees of Virtue lefs than the 
 utmoft that we can poflibly attain to, 
 but as the Afoftle exhorts, i Cor. 5. ult. 
 To be ftedfafl and unmoveable, and always 
 abounding in the Work of the Lord, for* 
 afinuch as we know that our Labour 
 ( how great foever it is ) Jhall not be in 
 vain in the Lord. 
 
 2. If flich as are perfecuted may ne~ 
 verthelefs be blefled , as our Saviour 
 here afTures us, all thofe are, who are 
 perfecuted for Righteoufhefs Sake - 3 this 
 may ferve as a fufficient Anfwer to that; 
 
 moil
 
 for Righeoufneft Sake. 137 
 
 moft popular Obje&ion of the Atheiftr 
 againft the Being and Providence of God, 
 taken from the Adverfities and Afflic- 
 tions that do oftentimes befal the belt 
 Men in this World ; for from hence they 
 argue, that there is no God or no Pro- 
 vidence fuperintending the Affairs of this 
 World, becaufe if there were, theyfup- 
 pofe, that good Men wou'd always, as 
 in Reafon they ought, fare much better 
 than wicked Men, the contrary to which 
 is a Thing that to Appearance does 
 oftentimes happen. But now this Ob- 
 jection is founded upon this Suppofition., 
 that Mifery and Adverfity are the fame 
 Thing that Afflictions and Happinefs 
 are, incompatible, and that whofbever 
 is perfecuted or afflided, muft needs 
 alfo be unhappy, for unlefs this be fup- 
 pofed, the Obje&ion is of no Force , and 
 how very falfe this Supposition is, we 
 are plainly taught in the Text, which 
 aflures us, that good Men are fo far 
 from being in a worfe State at prefent, 
 becaufe they are more afflicted than 
 others, that, on the contrary, if their 
 
 Afflictions
 
 138 The Bklfidnefs of ike Persecuted 
 
 Afflictions befal them for the Sake of 
 their Goodnefs, they are thereby ren- 
 dred more blefled, than otherwife they 
 would be ; Blejfid are they wtich are psr- 
 fecuied for Righiecufneft Sake., and bleffed 
 are y? when Men Jball persecute you for 
 my Sake : Rejoyce and be exceeding glad, 
 But, 
 
 3. If this were not fo, if the Objection 
 were thus far grounded upon Truth, 
 and the Perfecuted and Affl'ded were 
 really, while under their Sufferings, in 
 a worie Condition than others, the Ob- 
 jection wou'd neverthelefs be of no 
 Force j becaufe that Time in which 
 they fuffer, and are confequently more 
 unhappy than others, is fo very fiiort, 
 that it is not confiderable, in Compa- 
 rifon with the whole Time of their Ex^ 
 iftence and Duration, and when this 
 fliort Time is over, they will not only 
 be luppy for ever after, but alfo much 
 more happy hereafter , becaufe more 
 miferable and afflicted here, their light 
 Affliction, which is but for a Moment, 
 working for them a far ?nore exceeding and 
 
 eternal
 
 for Righreoufneft Sake. 
 
 eternal Weight of Glory , fo that, all 
 Things confidered, good Men, how 
 much foever they are afflicted here, 
 are not more unhappy, but indeed, 
 infinitely happier, not only than wic- 
 ked Men, but alfb, than they them- 
 felves wou'd be if they had not 
 been fo afrlided ; ib that there is mani- 
 feftly no Ground at all of objecting 
 againft Providence upon this Account, 
 as if the Adminiftration of Things were 
 not juft and equal, nor confequently 
 ordered and managed by a wife and good 
 Being, as we believe God to be,- for 
 if any had Reafon to complain, it wou'd 
 be thofe that fufter Perfecution unjuftly, 
 and are hardlier dealt by in this World, 
 than they deferve ; but they, as our Sa- 
 <viow here affures us, have much greater 
 Reafon to rejoyce and be exceeding glad, 
 becaufe great it their Reward in Heaven. 
 But, 
 
 4. And laftly, What may be here 
 inferred and argued, from the Perfecu- 
 tions and Afflidions that befal even good 
 Men in this World, is the certain and 
 
 inevitable 
 
 V ' ' ' "
 
 140 The Bleffcdneft of the Perfecuted, &c. 
 
 inevitable Punifhment of wicked Men 
 in another World, and confequently 
 how much it is our Intereft, to keep 
 ftri&ly to our Duty, and to preferve a 
 good Confcience in every Thing, how 
 much foever we may happen to fuffer 
 by it here, and this is the Inference which 
 St. Peter draws from hence, i Ep. iv. 16* 
 &c. with whofe Words I ihall conclude : 
 If my Man (fays he) fuffer as a Omftian, 
 let him not be afhamed, but let him glorify 
 God on Ms Behalf-, for the Time is come, 
 that Judgment muft begin at the Houfe of 
 God, and if it fir ft begins at its, whatjhall 
 the End be of them that obey not the Gofpel 
 of God? And if the Righteous fcarcely be 
 faved, where Jhall the Ungodly and Sinner 
 appear? Wherefore let them that fuffer 
 according to the Will of God, commit the 
 keeping of their Souls to him in Well-doing, 
 as unto a faithful Creator. 
 
 And to God our Creator, Redeemer, 
 and Comforter, the Father, Son and 
 Holy Ghoft, three Perfons and one God, 
 be given, as is raoft due, all Honour, 
 Glory and Praife, now and fpr ever. 
 
 CHRIS-'
 
 CHRISTIANS 
 
 In GENERAL 
 THE 
 
 Salt of the Earth, 
 
 AND 
 
 Light of the World.
 
 DISCOURSE XVI- 
 
 All Chriftians, as well as the 
 
 Clergy, arc the Salt of the 
 
 Earth , the Light of the 
 World, 0V. 
 
 M A T T H. V. Ij, 14, 15. 
 
 Te are the Salt of the Earthy 
 but if the Salt have loft its 
 Savour, wherewith (hall it be 
 Baited ? It is thenceforth good 
 for nothing, but to be caft out 
 and trodden under Foot of 
 Men. 
 
 Te are the Light of the World: 
 ^4 City that is fet on a Hill 
 cannot be hid, 
 ' 
 
 Neither 
 '
 
 144 Qjriftians in general 
 
 Neither do Men light a Candle, 
 
 m and put it under a Bufkel, but 
 
 on a Candle ft ick, and it giveth 
 
 Light unto all that are in the 
 
 Houfe. 
 
 UR Saviour having -in the for- 
 mer Part of this Chapter, (of 
 which I have already treated) 
 exhorted his Difciples to the Pra&ice of 
 feveral Cbriftian Graces and Virtues, 
 annexing a peculiar Bleffednefs, and 
 promifmg a proper Reward to each of 
 them, proceeds in the Words which I 
 have now read to you, to enforce the 
 Practice of them all, and alfo of all 
 other Chriflian Virtues and Graces, by 
 an Argument or Motive that is more 
 general, and which obliges as much to 
 one Virtue as to another, and is indeed 
 a very ftrong Motive to all the Duties 
 of an holy Life : And this Argument 
 he draws from the peculiar Obligation 
 lying on thofe to whom he then fpake, 
 to be Examples and Patterns to the 
 [World of all Sorts of Virtue, which 
 
 Obli^
 
 the Salt of the Earth, &c. 
 
 Obligation he grounds upon the Cor- 
 fideration of that Place and Station 
 which they were fet in $ and this he ex- 
 preffes by four Similitudes j i. He likens 
 them to Salt} Tc (fays he) arc the Salt 
 of the Earth j 2. To the Sun j Ye are 
 the Light of the World ; 3. To a City 
 built on the Top of an eminent Hilly A 
 City that if fet on a Hill cannot be hid ; 
 and, 4. To a lighted Candle > Men do 
 not light a Candle and put it under a 
 Bufhel, but on a Candlcfli.k, and it gi<vetb 
 Light to all that are in the Houfe. 
 
 In Difcouriing on which Words I 
 {hall do thefe tvyo Things : 
 
 1. Confidering whom thefe Words 
 were fpoken to by our Saviour, or be- 
 fore what Company our Saviour preach- 
 ed that Sermon of which thefe Words 
 are a Part, I fhall enquire what Perfbns 
 were hereby meant to be compared to 
 and refembled by Salt, by the Sun, by 
 the City on an Hill, and by a lighted 
 Candle. And, 
 
 2. I fhall briefly explain every one 
 of thefe Similitudes ; fhewing, as I go 
 
 [Vol. II.] L along,
 
 146 Chriftiam in general 
 
 along, how fitly the Perfons meant to 
 be hereby refembled are likened to thefe 
 Things j what are the Duties incumbent 
 upon them, refulting from that Like- 
 nefs ,- and upon what Accounts the Per- 
 fons likened thereto are obliged to the 
 Difcharge of thefe Duties. 
 
 i. Considering whom thefe Words 
 were fpoken to by our Saviour , or be- 
 fore what Company our Saviour preach'd 
 that Sermon of which thefe Words are 
 a Part, I iliall enquire what Perfons 
 were hereby meant to be compared to 
 and refembled by Salt, by the Sun, by 
 the City on an Hill, and by a lighted 
 Candle : Te are the Salt oftheEarth ; 
 Te are tie Light of the World, &c. 
 
 And the Reafon of making this En- 
 quiry is, becaufe fome Commentators 
 on the Place have delivered it as their 
 Opinion, that the Perfons hereby meant 
 are only the Guides and Paftors of the 
 Church, the Minifters and Preachers of 
 the Goffel ; that they are the Salt of the 
 Earth, that they are the Light of the 
 World, and that they are moft fitly re- 
 
 ^ : fembled
 
 the Salt of the Earth,, &c. 147 
 
 fembled by a City on an H/7/, and by a 
 burning Candle: The Confequence of 
 which Opinion, if true, muft be this, 
 that the, Minifters of the Gofpel are 
 indeed obliged to all thofe Duties which 
 may be thought to refult from their 
 being fo fitly refembled by thefe Things, 
 but that other Chrift : anr are not fo 5 
 that is, in plain Words, That none 
 but only the Clergy are obliged to be 
 exemplary in their Lives, and to be 
 Patterns of good Works to others : 
 For the Perfons to whom thefe Words 
 were firft fpoken were the Afoflles of 
 our Lord ,- 'twas to them therefore that 
 he faid, Te are the Salt of the Earth, ye 
 are the Light of the World, &c. 'Twas on 
 them confecjnently that he meant to 
 lay an Obligation to be in fiich manner 
 ufeful to Men in their Spiritual Life 3 
 as Salt and the other Things here men- 
 tioned are to them in their natural Life ; 
 or that if any other Perfons are oblig'd 
 to the fame Duty, they are only thofe 
 that fucceed them in the fame Office of 
 Governing and Inftruding the Church of 
 thrift. L 2 And
 
 148 Chriftiam in general 
 
 And thus much indeed muft be gran- 
 ted, that thefe Similitudes do more 
 fitly reiemble fome Perfons than they 
 do others, and confequently that there 
 is a ftrider Obligation lying on fome 
 Perfons than on others, to the Duties 
 hereby meant to be enforc'd, and that 
 their Deficiency therein is more inex- 
 cufable, and more feverely punifhable 
 than the like Deficiency in other Perfons 
 is. 
 
 And particularly, it muft be granted, 
 that they who are placed in the Office 
 of Spiritual Guides, that is, the Paftors 
 of the Flock of Chrifl, and the Ministers 
 of his Goipel, are in a more efpecial 
 Manner bound to gcf before others, and 
 to fhew them the right Way, as well 
 by their Example, as by their Dodrines ,- 
 and that if they give any Scandal by 
 their ill Example, their Sin is greater 
 than another Man's would be, and that 
 their Puniihment will be alfo more 
 fevere. 
 
 And it muft likewife be further 
 granted, that when our Saviour fTrft 
 
 utter'd
 
 the Salt of the Earth, &c. 149 
 
 uttered thefe Words, he fpake them to 
 his 'Apoftfc% whom he defign'd to employ 
 in converting Men to the Chriftian Faith- 
 in order to which, it was as neceflary 
 that they fhould be holy and exemplary 
 in their Lives, as that they fhould be 
 found in their Doftrine, and powerful 
 in their Preaching ; and that all the Mi- 
 nifters of the Gofpel, their SucceflTors in 
 that Office, are likewife under the fame 
 ftrid Obligation to be unblameable and 
 exemplary in their Lives. 
 
 But then, on the other Side, That 
 our Saviour fpake thefe Words, Te are 
 ths Salt of the Earth, and the Light of 
 the World, &c. to his Apoftles, only as 
 Apoftler, and not likewife as Difciples ; 
 Or, that he fpake them only to his 
 Apoftles., and not likewife to all others 
 (if any others there were) then prefent ; 
 Or that the Similitudes here ufed and 
 apply'd to them, do belong to and be- 
 fit them only and their Succeflbrs in the 
 Work of the Miniftry ; fo that confe- 
 quently the Dodrine or Inftruction 
 grounded thereupon, and inferred from 
 JL 3 thence
 
 150 Chriftians in general 
 
 thence contains the Duty of none but 
 only of the Governors and Paftors of 
 the Church : Thefe Things I utterly 
 deny , and that for thefe plain Reafons : 
 i. Becaufe (as has been formerly 
 obfeiVd) when our Saviour preached 
 this his Sermon upon the Mount, of 
 which my Text is a Part, he had not 
 yet chofen his Apoftles, for the Choice 
 and Appointment of them we meet 
 with afterwards at the tenth Chapter 
 of this Evangelift So that tho' it be 
 fuppofed, that there were no other Per- 
 fons prefent at this Sermon, but only 
 thofe Men whom our Lord de/ign'd 
 to make Apoftles, and Preachers of the 
 .Word; yet, confidering that he had 
 not then appointed any of them to this 
 Office, it can't reafonably be fuppofed, 
 that any of the Directions now given 
 them were fuch as they would not be 
 obliged to obferve, or until they ihould 
 be, appointed thereto : It is not rea- 
 fonable to think, that he fpake to 
 them only as Apoftks or Preachers, 
 
 when
 
 the Salt of the Earth, &c. 151 
 
 when as yet he had not made them 
 fuch. But, 
 
 2. It is evident (as has likewife 
 been before obferved ) from the firft 
 Verfe of this Chapter, that there were 
 prefent at this Sermon many others, 
 beiides thpfe who were then defign'd, 
 and afterwards appointed to be Apoftlft 
 or Preacher?, even all the then Difcifles 
 of Cbrifl ; all that either had already 
 own'd him to be the NleJJias, or that 
 came with an honeft Mind to hear 
 what Proofs he had to offer that he 
 was fo. There followed him ( fays the 
 Evangelift, at the laft Verfe of the 
 foregoing Chapter ) great Multitudes of 
 People from Galilee, and from Decaf olis y 
 and from Jerufakm, and fro?% Judea y 
 and from beyond Jordan. And then 
 immediately it follows, at the firft 
 Verfe of this Chapter ; And feeing the 
 Multitudef, he went up into a Moun-? 
 tain : He went thither, not to retire 
 and withdraw himfelf from them $ there 
 is no Reafon to think that was his De- 
 iign 3 fpr there is po Mention made, as 
 L 4 there
 
 1 5 2 Chriftians in general 
 
 there fometimes is, that he fent the 
 Multitude away j but rather, he moved 
 thither, that being on a Effing-ground, 
 he might be the better feen and heard 
 by that his numerous Auditory ,- for it 
 follows immediately, and when Joe was 
 fate, bis Difclples came unto bint, i. e. 
 they fiock'd round about him , and 
 placed themfelves conveniently to hear 
 him ; and that by bir Difciples, more 
 were meant than only the Twelve, and 
 the Seventy, feems evident, not only 
 from their being called by St. Luke, 
 the whok Multitude, but efpecially from 
 what our Evangel/ ft obferves at the 
 Conclusion of this Sermon ; The People 
 were aftonijhed at bis Dcdrine-^ in which 
 Words it is plainly imply'd, that all tbe 
 People, (/. e. as many of them as 
 would, none being fent away, or exr- 
 eluded the AfTembly ) had been the 
 Auditors of his whole Sermon ; and 
 therefore all the Directions here given, 
 ( being given without any Reflraint or 
 Limitation ) muft in Reafon be under- 
 $ood ? ^s meant fQ be given to all 
 
 that
 
 the Salt of the Earth., &c. 153 
 
 that were there prefent, who either had 
 already, or fhould at any Time after, 
 profefs them! elves his Difciples. 
 
 3. It is farther evident, that the 
 former Part of this Sermon, (of which 
 we have already treated) contains fuch 
 Doctrines, and fuch Doctrines only, as 
 all Men are alike concerned to pra&ife, 
 and for the Practice whereof, all fhall 
 be alike rewarded , Bleffed arc the Poor 
 in Spirit, Bleffed are they that mourn, 
 Bleffed are the Meek, &c. Thefe Blef- 
 fings belong not only to Apoftler, or 
 Prophets, or Evangeliftf, or Paftors and 
 Teachers, but to all Chriflians, that have 
 thefe Qualifications. And even in the 
 Verfes juft before the Text, where ( as 
 here) our Lord addreffes himfelf to 
 thofe that were then his Hearers, fay- 
 ing, Bleffed are ye when Men jhall re- 
 vile you, and perfecute you. Great ir 
 your Reward in Heaven, yet, that he 
 meant not to confine this Promife of 
 Bleffednefs and Reward, only to his 
 Apoftler, or to their Succeffors in the 
 Pffice of the Miniftry, but defign'd it 
 
 to
 
 154 Chifliam in general 
 
 to all thofe, whether Paftors or People, 
 who either then, or in After -Ages, 
 ihould be perfecuted for his Sake, ap- 
 pears from the Verfe foregoing thofe 
 Words, wherein he pronounces the fame 
 Bleffednefs to all Ckriftians in general, 
 whole Lot it fhould be to be perfecuted 
 for the Caufe of Chrift and his Religion ; 
 BleJJed are they winch are perfecuted for 
 Right eoufne ft Sake, for theirs is the King- 
 dom of Heaven. 
 
 And it is likewifef further evident, 
 that the whole remaining Part of this 
 Sermon wherein our Saviour adds to, 
 and improves the moral Law given to 
 the Jews in fundry Inftances, contains 
 Matters of Doctrine, and Rules of Life, 
 in which all Chriftians are alike con- 
 cern'd j for it is, without all Doubt, 
 the Peoples Duty, as well as the Paftorr-, 
 to avoid caufelefs and immoderate An- 
 ger, to forbear reviling and opprobrious 
 Speeches j to be pure and chaft in their 
 Minds as well as Bodies ; to abftain 
 from Revenge ; to love their Enemies ; 
 and the like, 
 
 When
 
 the Salt of the Earth, &c. 
 
 When therefore, it is thus evident, 
 that both the former Part of the Sermon, 
 and all that follows after, belong to all 
 Cbriflians alike , and declare and prefs 
 fuch Duties only, as all the Difciples of 
 Chrifl are equally obliged to obferve j 
 what good Reafon can there be to 
 imagine, that juft thefe Words, which 
 come in between, Te are the Salt of the 
 Earthy and ye are the Light of the World, 
 &c. were defign'd by our Lord to be 
 fpoken only to his Afoftle^ as fuch, 
 that is, as then ordain'd, or defign'd to 
 be afterwards ordain'd, to the Office of 
 the Miniftiy j and in them, to thofe 
 that were to fucceed them in the fame 
 Office, when he had undoubtedly all 
 the fame Auditors to this, that he had 
 to the foregoing and following Parts 
 of his Sermon ; and when he exprefles 
 no Deiign to confine this Part of the 
 Sermon, more than any of the reft, to 
 fome few of them only ? 
 
 The only Reafon, I think, that is, or 
 can be pretended for it, is this, that 
 thpfe Appellations, Te are the Salt of the 
 
 Earthy
 
 Chriftianr in general 
 
 Earth, and ye are the Light of the World., 
 and like a City on an Hill, and a burning 
 Candle, feem to befit the Minifters of 
 the Gofpel better than they do others ; 
 that thefe Things may more truly and 
 properly be affirm'd of them, than they 
 can be of Chriftiant in any other Station. 
 In Anfwer to which, therefore, it may 
 be confidered ; 
 
 4. Laftly, That however thefe Ex- 
 preiftons may be thought more proper 
 to be ufed to them than to others, 
 yet they are not improper to be ufed 
 to Chriftians in any other Office ; and 
 that they are ( at leaft fome of them ) 
 exprefly fo ufed, and apply'd in other 
 Places of Scripture ; fo that confe- 
 quently, tho' it may be faid, (and I fee 
 no Harm in allowing that ) that the 
 Minifters of the Gofpel are more ftrongly 
 obliged to be exemplary in their Lives 
 than other Men, yet it is alfo a neceflary 
 Duty, incumbent on all Chriflians of 
 what Station, Degree, or Office foever, 
 to endeavour to fhew themfelves Pat- 
 terns of all good Works to all other 
 
 Men,-
 
 the Salt of the Earth, &c. 157 
 
 Men i for in Luke xiv. 34. when (as the 
 Evangdift exprefly obferves at the 2jth 
 Verfey) there were great Multitudes 
 with him, our Saviour ufes the fame 
 Similitude of Salt, and applies it to all 
 his Hearers, that is, to all his Difciples- 
 Salt is good y but if the Salt have loft us 
 Savour., wherewith Jhall it be feafoned ? 
 And fo likewiie, what our Saviour here 
 affirms of thofe to whom he fpake, 
 that they were the Light of the World^ 
 is no more than St. Paul exprefly affirms 
 of all Chriftiam, Phil. ii. 15. and from 
 thence he infers the fame Duty which 
 our Lord here exhorts to : For thus he 
 fays y fpeaking to all Chrifliam , the 
 People, as well as their Paftors, That 
 ye ?nay be blameleft and harmleft, the Sony 
 of God without Rebuke, in the midft of a 
 crooked and ferverfe Nation, among whom 
 ycjhine as Lights in the World. And tho* 
 I am not indeed aware that the other 
 Similitude, that of a City on an Hill, is 
 any where, unlefs in the Text, fpoken 
 of, or apply'd to Chriftiaw in general, 
 yet that it might 3 not improperly, be 
 
 fo
 
 1 5 8 Chriflians in general 
 
 fo apply'd, is evident enough , for as a 
 City fo fituated draws all Mens Eyes 
 towards it, fo does the Chriftian Church, 
 fo does any Society of Chriftiam, efpe- 
 cially in a Country of Infidel^ of Turkf, 
 or Heathens i that Purity, and Excel- 
 lency of Do&rine, which they, above 
 all others, pretend to believe, and do 
 believe, and do profefs, makes their 
 Behaviour and Converfation more nar- 
 rowly watch'd and infpected by fuch as 
 are Enemies to their Profeflion, and 
 every notorious Irregularity in the Life 
 of a Chriftian, draws a Reproach upon 
 his Religion, and makes it evil fpoken 
 of among the Gent He f $ the Confideration 
 whereof adds a frefh Obligation on all 
 that profefs this holy Religion, to adorn 
 their Profefllon by an holy and exem- 
 plary Converfation. 
 
 From all that hath been faid therefore^ 
 I think it plainly appears, that tho' the 
 Duty which our Lord grounds upon, 
 and argues from, thefe Similitudes of 
 Salt y of the Sun, of a City on an Hill., 
 of -a lighted Candle, be fuch as the 
 
 Guides
 
 the Salt of the Earth, &c. 1 55? 
 
 Guides and Paftors of the Church are 
 indeed more ftrongly obliged to than 
 others , becaufe if they fail therein, 
 their Example gives the greateft Scan- 
 dal., yet the fame is a Duty, alfo ftri&ly 
 incumbent upon all Cfyriftittrit whatfo- 
 ever, according to that of the Afoftle^ 
 2 Tim. ii. 19. Let every one that namctb 
 the Name ofChrift, depart from Iniquity. 
 And fo much may ferve to have 
 fpoken on the firft Head of my Dif- 
 courfe on thele Words, which was, 
 by confidering whom they were fpol^en 
 to, or before what Company this Ser- 
 mon was preached ,- to enquire what 
 Perfons our Saviour here meant, to 
 compare to Salt, to the Sun, to a City 
 on an Hill, and to a lighted Candle. He 
 fpeaks here, I have ihewn of all his 
 Difciples, of all that profefs the Faith of 
 Chrift, they are every one of them fitly 
 and properly enough refembled by thefe 
 Similitude 5^ they are confequently 
 every one of them oblig'd to praife 
 the Duty which our Saviour infers, and 
 argues from hence ; that is, (for that is 
 
 the
 
 1 60 Chriftiam in general 
 
 the Sum of the Duty argued from 
 hence, as it is laid down at the i6th 
 Verfe ) to be very regular and exem- 
 plary in their whole Life and Conver- 
 fation y as will more fully appear from 
 what I fhall fay in difcourfing on my 
 fecond Head, which I come now to 
 Ipeak to j viz. 
 
 2. To explain briefly every one of 
 thefe Similitudes, and as I go along, to 
 fliew how fitly the Perfons meant to 
 be hereby refembled are likened to 
 thefe Things ; what are the Duties in- 
 cumbent upon them , refulting from 
 that Likenefs ; and upon what Accounts 
 they are obliged to the Difcharge of 
 thefe Duties. I begin with ;the firft of 
 them. 
 
 i. Te are the Salt of the Earth. Now 
 the Virtue of Salt, you know, is to 
 feafon and give a good Reliih to Meats, 
 and to preferve them from Corruption ; 
 when therefore our Saviour refembles 
 his Difciples to Salt, faying, Te are the 
 Sale of the Earth, his Meaning is, that 
 he defigned that tjiofe which did then, 
 
 or
 
 the Salt of the Earth., &c. 161 
 
 or fliould afterwards believe, on him by 
 the Preaching of the Gofpel, fliould 
 perform the fame Office to the reft of 
 Mankind that Salt does to Meats ; that 
 is, that they fhould by their Perfuafion, 
 by their Example, and by whatever o- 
 ther Means fhould lie in their Power to 
 ufe, endeavour to feafon the Manners 
 of Men with the wholfome Doctrines 
 and Precepts of Chriflianity, and to 
 preferve them from the Corruption and 
 Putrefaction of Sin. 
 
 This then is the Duty which, by this 
 Refemblance of Salt., he prefles upon all 
 his Difciples, <viz. That they ihould 
 both by the Savourineft of their Speech 
 ( as St. Paul expreffes it, Col. iv. 6. ) 
 that is, by their wholfome Inftru&ions 
 and good Advice, Let your Speech be al- 
 way with Grace, feafoned with Salt .- 
 And alfo by the Savourinefs of their 
 Liver, that is, by the Innocence, Un- 
 blamablenefs, and exemplary Piety of 
 their Converfation, endeavour to gain 
 Profelites to the Chriftian Religion ; that 
 is, not only to the ProfefTion of the 
 
 [Vol. II.] M Faith
 
 1 62 Chriftiam in general 
 
 Faith of Chrift, but likewife to the O 
 bedience of Faith, to the Pradice of all 
 the Virtues of a Holy and Chriftiun Life. 
 And this Duty our Saviour expreiTes 
 in the following Part of the Verfe (keep- 
 ing ftill to the Metaphor of Salt ) by 
 fliewing the great Reafonablenefs of it, 
 and the fevere Punifhment that they 
 would incur, if they fhould be negli- 
 gent or failing therein. 
 
 (i.) The great Reafonablenefs of it; 
 Jf y fays he, the Salt have loft its Savour, 
 wherewith Jhall it be falted? That is, // 
 you yourfelves, who profefs my pure and 
 holy Religion, and efpe daily, if thofe 
 of you whom I ihall appoint to preach 
 it, (hall neverthelefs be wicked and 
 corrupt in your Lives, your State and 
 Condition will be of all Mens the moft 
 incorrigible and deiperate : For other 
 Things that are flat and infipid, may by 
 Salt have a good Reliili and Tafte infu- 
 fed into them : Or, if they are fubjeft 
 to Corruption and Putre&dicn, they 
 may by Salting be preferved ; but if the 
 Salt itfelf lofes its Savour, there, is no- 
 thin g
 
 the Salt of the Earth, &c. 163 
 
 thing that can give that a Relifh; or, if 
 that be corrupted and fpoiled, there is 
 nothing that can reftore it to its priftine 
 Soundnefs : So a wicked Heathen may 
 be reclaimed from his vicious Life by 
 the Truths and Precepts of the Gofpel. 
 Innumerable were the Inftances of fuch 
 Converfions in the Primitive Times of 
 Chriftianity : But a wicked Cbriftlan is 
 in a much more incorrigible Condition ; 
 becaufe there are no Arguments by 
 which he might be perfuaded to a good 
 Life, but fuch as have been' already 
 urg'd upon him, and proved ineffectual > 
 there can be no Reafons offered to him, 
 to induce him to Repentance and A- 
 mendment of his Life, but fuch as he 
 has heard already, and hardned himfelf 
 againft: His Recovery is confequently 
 an Event, that may much rather be de- 
 fpair'd of, becaufe there can be no Re- 
 medy tried upon him, but what has 
 been tried already without any Succefs. 
 And this, I fuppofe, was what was 
 meant by St. Peter. 2 Epift. ii. 20., 21. 
 If after thy ba^2 efcaped the Pollution! 
 M a flfr
 
 164 Omftians in general 
 
 of the World thro" the Knowledge of the 
 Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, they are again 
 entangled therein and overcome, the latter 
 End is worfe with them than the Beginning. 
 For it had been better for them not to have 
 known the Way of Righteoufneft, than 
 after they have known it, to turn from the 
 holy Commandment delivered unto them. 
 This is the firft Argument by which our 
 Saviour, from the Refemblance which 
 his Difciples bear to Salt, urges the 
 Necelfity oftheir being holy and unblame- 
 able in their Lives, becaufe if they be- 
 come corrupt, there is no Means left 
 likely to reftore them to their former 
 Soundnefs. 
 
 2. The fecond is taken from the 
 Confederation of the great Punifhment 
 they will incur, if they are negligent or 
 failing in the Duty here prefs'd upon 
 them, If the Salt have loft its Savour , 
 it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to 
 be cafl cut, and trodden under Foot of 
 Men. It is good for Nothing. Other 
 Things, if they are fo corrupted and 
 fpoiled, that they will not ferve for the 
 
 Uie
 
 the Salt of the Earth, &c. 165 
 
 Uie which they were firft defign'd for, 
 may, however, ferve for fome good 
 Ufe or other ; Wine, tho' it be decay- 
 ed, and no longer fit to be drunk as 
 Wine, is neverthelefs ufeful as Vinegar > 
 Money, if fo crack'd or broken that it 
 will no longer pafs in Payment as cur- 
 rent Coint, is neverthelefs valuable, as 
 Gold, or Silver, or fuch other Metal as 
 it was made of - y and even an old worn 
 Garment, fo ragged and threadbare that 
 it will neither cover nor keep warm the 
 Body, is neverthelefs of fome Ufe ftill, 
 for if it will ferve for no other Pur- 
 pofe, yet at leaft it will help to make 
 Dung : But Salt, if by lofmg its Salt- 
 nefs it be not fit for its prime Ufe, is 
 thenceforward of no Ufe at all j it is 
 neither jit for the Land, nor yet for the 
 Dunghill, as our Saviour obferves, Luke 
 xiv. 25. 
 
 And this is the Cafe of a wicked 
 Chriftians He is the moft unprofitable 
 Creature upon the Face of the whole 
 Earth j he ferves for no Purpofe but 
 only to do Hurt in the World, and of 
 M 3 that
 
 1 66 Cbriftl am in general 
 
 that indeed he does a great Deal, much 
 more than he could have done if he 
 had not been a Ckriftian. For the open 
 Sins that he is guilty of while he lives 
 in the Profefiion of a pure and holy 
 Religion., are more fcandalous and in- 
 fe#ious than other Men's ; the Wicked- 
 nefs of a Chriftian's Life cafts alfo a 
 Blemifh and Reproach upon that holy 
 Religion which he profejfes, and gives 
 great Prejudice againft it to fuch as 
 were otherwile weil-difpofed to em- 
 brace it j fa that he is fo far from Dif- 
 chargmg the Duty that was incumbent 
 upon him as a Chriftian, <viz. of Better- 
 ing the Lives and Manners of other 
 Men, that he does the quite contrary; he 
 contributes very much to the Spoiling 
 and Corrupting of the World ; and if 
 he was not a Cbriftian by Profeflion, he 
 .could not do fo much Hurt by his evil 
 Example as now he does. 
 
 As therefore Salt, having loft its Sa- 
 vour, is good for nothing, and is there- 
 fore caft forth and trodden under Foot of 
 Men; fuch alfo will be the moft de- 
 
 ferved
 
 the Salt of the Earth, &c. 167 
 
 ferved Doom that will be pafs'd by 
 God upon all wicked Chriftianr, who 
 hold the Truth in Unrighteoufneft, as we 
 are told in Matth. xxv. 30. Cafl ye the 
 unprofitable Servant in outer Darkneff, 
 there jliall be weeping and gnajhtng of 
 Teeth. 
 
 And fo much of the firft Similitude 
 here us'd by our Saviour, and apply'd 
 to his Difciples, Te are the Salt of the 
 Earth, and of the Obligation thence 
 resulting, which lies upon all Chriftians 
 to be exemplary to others in their 
 Lives and Converfations : Which Duty 
 if they fail in, and much more if they 
 give Scandal to others by their wicked 
 Example, they are like Salt that has Lft 
 itf Savour, good for nothing $ nay, they 
 are very hurtful and pernicious, and in 
 Proportion to the greater Mifchief that 
 their evil Example does in the "VVorid, 
 becaufe they are Chriftiaw, they will 
 receive a feverer Punifhment. 
 
 2. The fecond Thing to which our 
 
 Saviour here likens his Difciples, is the 
 
 Sun,Te are the Light of the World: And by 
 
 M 4 this
 
 1 68 Chriftiam in general 
 
 this likewife he meant to admoniih 
 them of their Duty, and to excite them 
 to it i Namely this , That as the Sun by 
 its Light difpels the Mifts of Darknefs, 
 wherewith the Earth was before over- 
 fpread, fo it was the Duty of his Dif- 
 eiples, by difperfing that Knowledge of 
 the Gofpel wherewith they themfelves 
 were enlightned, to inftrud the Igno- 
 rant World ; to teach them both by 
 their Exhortation and Example the fame 
 Way of Life, which they themfelves 
 had been fet into, to cure the Blindnefs 
 of their Minds, and to reduce them 
 from the Error of their Ways, to an 
 Acknowledgment of the Truth. As 
 ye are tie Light of the World, ye ought 
 to give Light to it. 
 
 It muft indeed be granted, that this 
 Saying, Te are the Light of the World, 
 was more especially true of the Afof- 
 tier, and their Succelfors, the Guides 
 and Paftors of the Church, whofe fole 
 and proper Bufinefs it was, and is, by 
 publick Preaching, to inftrucl: Men in 
 the Knowledge and Practice of Chrifl's.
 
 the Salt of the Earth, dec. 169 
 
 Religion j but there is no Neceffity of 
 confining the Similitude, and the Duty 
 refulting thence, to them only j becaufe 
 it may likewife, in fome Senfe, be moft 
 truly affirm'd of all Chriftianf, in every 
 Age, that they are the Lights of the 
 World.> and fo, as I noted before, the 
 Afoftle exprefly calls them in Phil. ii. 
 15. the Confequence of which is, that 
 it is the Duty of every Chriftian y a Piece 
 of Service which every Difciple of 
 Chrift owes to his Lord, an Inftance of 
 Charity which every Servant of God 
 ought to exprefs to his Fellow-Servants, 
 to endeavour, fo far as he is able, to 
 free all other Men from their Ignorance 
 and Blindnefs, and to bring them into 
 the fame glorious Light, wherein they 
 themfelves are placed. Which Duty, 
 if he induftrioufly fets himfelf to per- 
 form, and is fuccefsful therein, he will, 
 for a Reward of his Work of Piety and 
 Labour of Love, be tranfplanted from 
 Earth to Heaven, and from being a 
 Light of this lower World, become a 
 much more glorious Light in the other 
 
 .World,
 
 17 o Chriftianr in general 
 
 World, filming forth with great Splen- 
 dor to all Eternity ; according to that 
 of the Prophet Daniel^ Dan. xii. 3. They 
 that be wife jhall flrine as the Brightness 
 of the firmament., and they that turn many 
 to Righteoufnefi, as the Stars for ever and 
 ever. Te are the Light of the World. 
 
 3. The third Thing to which our 
 Saviour here compares his Difciples, 
 thereby ftill farther inftru&ing them in,, 
 and exciting them to the fame Duty, is 
 a City on an Hill^ A City., fays he, that 
 is fet on an Hill cannot be hid. The far- 
 ther Defign of our Saviour^ in which 
 Similitude, beyond what was either ex- 
 prefled, or very plainly implied, in the 
 two former, I take to be, to put his 
 Difciples in Mind, that their Behaviour 
 would be more narrowly watch'd and 
 infpeded, than other Men's commonly 
 is ; that they were placed in fuch an E- 
 nrinence, by reafon of their profefling a 
 purer Religion, and pretending to great- 
 er Light and Knowledge than other 
 Men, as would draw the Eyes of all 
 the World towards them, to watch and 
 
 ( obferve
 
 the Salt of the Earth, &c. 171 
 
 obferve whether their Lives were an- 
 fwerable to their ProfefTion, and whe- 
 ther their Converfation was as much 
 better than other Mens, as their Religi- 
 on was : So that confequently their Be- 
 haviour, whether good or bad, would 
 probably have a great Influence on the 
 Minds and Manners of other Men. That 
 if their Converfation was unblameable, 
 as the Beauty and Comlinefs thereof 
 would be much taken Notice of, fo it 
 would alib very probably draw over 
 many Profelites to their Religion ; but 
 that, on the other Side, if their Behavi- 
 our fhould be in any Refpeft diforderly, 
 the Eminence they were ieated in would 
 be a Means of difcovering the fame to 
 all that were round about them, not 
 only to them that were near, but like- 
 wife to them that were afar off; fo 
 that their ill Example would give much 
 greater Scandal to the World, and be, 
 by many Degrees, more peftilential and 
 infectious than the like Misbehaviour 
 in other Men, whofe Actions lay not fo 
 
 open
 
 *7 2 Cbriflianr in general 
 
 open to View and Obfervation as their 5 
 did. A City that if fet on an Hill cannot 
 be hid. 
 
 And this alfo was more efpecially 
 true of the Apoflles, and firft Profeflbrs 
 of the Chriflian Faith, the Novelty and 
 Singularity of their Profeflion, as well 
 as the wonderful Works wherewith it 
 had been introduced., had fixed all Mens 
 Eyes upon them, and this Circumftance 
 of their Condition, their being placed 
 fo very much in Sight, was a very good 
 Reafbn why they ihould be more than 
 ordinarily circumfpeft in their Behavi- 
 our j becaufe, if they fhould be guilty 
 of any notable Mifcarriage, they might 
 be lure it would be prefently obferv'd 
 by their Adverfaries, and that they 
 would readily take Occafion from thence 
 to blafpheme and reproach their moft 
 holy Religion. 
 
 But neverthelefs, it is likewife in 
 great Meaiure true of all Chriftiaw, in 
 all Ages of the World, that they are 
 like a City on an Hill., which cannot be 
 lid-, their Profefling a pure Religion, 
 
 mud
 
 the Salt of the Earth y &c. 
 
 muft needs make their impure and 
 wicked Lives the more taken Notice of; 
 fo that the very fame Sins muft be much 
 more fcandalous in a Cbriftian, than 
 they would be in any other Man : For 
 if a Man, who makes no Profelfion of 
 Religion, lives as without God in the 
 World, 'tis not much to be wonder'd 
 at : And if a Man that profelTes a Reli- 
 gion that allows of any Wickednefs, 
 allows himfelf in that Wickednefs 
 which he thinks his Religion allows of a 
 'tis no more than might be expeded ; for 
 the Man but a&s like himfelf, and his 
 Practice is agreeable to his Principles : 
 But if we who profefs ourfelves the 
 Difciples of the holy Jefits, and who 
 are baptifed into a Religion which al- 
 lows of no manner of Wickednefs, do 
 neverthelefs equal, if not outdo, the 
 word of Heathen^ in the Impurity and 
 Immorality of our Lives, our Wicked- 
 nefs being fo contradictory to our Pro- 
 felTions of the ftricleft Holinefs, muft 
 needs be the more remarked, and reflect 
 
 a 
 
 ' 

 
 174 Chriftiam in general 
 
 a Dilparagement upon our Religion it- 
 felf. 
 
 And I make no Queftion, but that 
 the fmall Progrefs that Chriftianity has 
 made in the World in thefe latter Ages, 
 is chiefly owing to this, *viz. to the Of- 
 fence that is taken by Jews, Heatbenr y 
 Turks, and other Infidel^ at the wicked 
 Lives of Chriftians : For our profeffing a 
 Religion enjoining the greateft Purity, 
 makes our Impurity more apt to be ta- 
 ken Notice of; and how much foever 
 our Religion may commend itfelf by 
 its Precepts, or we may commend it to 
 others in our Difcourfe, they that are 
 Strangers to the Grounds and Reafons 
 of it, will hardly be perfwaded that it 
 is a better Religion than their own, fo 
 long as they fee that it does not make 
 us better Men than they themfelves 
 are. 
 
 But this Similitude may be apply'd 
 ftill farther j for, even of a City built 
 upon an Hill, no Part of which is, or 
 can be hid, there are however fome 
 Parts more eminent and confpicuous 
 
 than
 
 the Salt of the Earth, &c. 175 
 
 than others, and on which confequent- 
 ly Men are more apt to fix their Eyes, 
 T/. thofe high Buildings , or lofty 
 Towers which over-top the reft. 
 
 And fo it is in the Chriftian Church ; 
 the whole is like a City on an Hill, ma- 
 king a goodly Shew at a Diftance, and 
 thereby railing an Expectation in the 
 Traveller to find ftill greater Satisfaction 
 in the Sight, when he {hall make a 
 nearer Approach to it,- but there are 
 fome particular Members of the Chrifti- 
 an Church, who being in a more emi- 
 nent Station than others, lie more open 
 to have their Behaviour obferved ; and 
 whofe Example, be it good or bad, is 
 probable to have a greater Influence on 
 others ; and if good, will more credit, 
 adorn, and commend, if bad, will 
 more difgrace and difparage, that Reli- 
 gion which they make Profeflion of. 
 
 Now, who they are that may moft 
 fitly be reckon'd as Towers, or high 
 Buildings, in this Chriftian City, (whofe 
 Behaviour is coniequently likely to be 
 firft, and fartheft off, and moft curioufly 
 
 obferved)
 
 Chrifliam in general 
 
 obferved) is very obvious to conceive ; 
 namely, firft, Magiftrates of all Sorts, 
 Civil and Ecclefiaftical, thefe are as the 
 higheft Towers of all, and moft in 
 yiew j of a Degree lower than thefe, 
 are all the Governors and Paftors of the 
 Church, and all Perfons of Quality, De- 
 gree or Eftate , above the common 
 Rank j and next to thefe may be reck- 
 on'd all Fathers and Matters of Fami- 
 lies, who, whatever Quality or Degree 
 they are of, are ftill alike Superior to 
 their own Children, and their own Ser- 
 vants, and all others that have Depen- 
 dence upon them. On all thefe there- 
 fore, who are either in Authority, or 
 Place., or Dignity, above others, the 
 Duty implied in this Similitude of a City 
 on an H/7/, is moft ftrongly incumbent ; 
 they are obliged to a more than ordinary 
 Watchfulnefs over themfelves, ( and Cir- 
 cumfpection in their whole Behaviour, 
 becaufe they have more Eyes upon them 
 than others have j and the leaft Slips or 
 Failings in them will be readily fpy'd 
 out, and as readily imitated by their 
 
 Subjects
 
 the Salt of tie Earth, &c. 177 
 
 Subjeds and Inferiors : They ought to 
 be more cautious than others of not 
 giving ill Example, becaufe their ill 
 Example will give greater Scandal , and 
 more careful than others to give good 
 Example, becaufe their -good Example 
 will not only fet a Pattern to others, 
 but alfo afford them good Encourage- 
 ment to follow it. Whatever is done 
 by fuch as are in any eminent Station 
 above others will be more narrowly ob- 
 ferved, and more readily imitated, by 
 them that are of lower Rank; fo that 
 if they go aftray, they lead whole 
 Shoals after them to Deftrudion, and if 
 they go right, their Example may very 
 probably induce many others to take 
 the fame good Courfe. The blefTed 
 Confequence of which will be, that 
 they will thereby greatly increafe their 
 own Reward. But, 
 
 4. Laftly, There is yet another 
 Thing to which our Saviour, in the 
 Text, likens his Difciples, and that is, 
 a lighted Candle. The Defign of which 
 Similitude is in general the fame with 
 
 tV61. II.] N
 
 1 7 8 Qoriftians in general 
 
 thofe foregoing, <viz. to excite them to 
 an exemplary Piety aijd Virtue,- only 
 whereas the .three former Similitudes 
 had only prefcriVd or iinply'd the Duty, 
 this alfo intimates the Means whereby 
 it may be difcharg'd, T/3. by a publick 
 and open Practice of Virtue, by not en- 
 deavouring to hide .or conceal our good 
 Example, as if we were afraid or afha- 
 med to be thought fo good Men as we 
 really are,- like Jofepb of Arimatl)ea y 
 who, tho' a Difcifle of Q.-rift, yet was 
 fecretly fo, for fear of the jewf ; or, Ni- 
 codemu^ who, for the fame Reafon, as 
 may be fuppofed , came to Jefm by 
 Night} whereas he ought rather to 
 have chofen to come to him in the open 
 Noon-Day, to the Intent that he might 
 be both ' feen and imitated by others. 
 For a Work of Darknefs ought indeed 
 ( if it can be ) to be kept in Darknefs, 
 becaufe the fewer there are that fee it, 
 the lefs Hurt will the Example do ,- but 
 Virtue, the more publick it is, the bet- 
 ter y the clearer Light it is fet in, the 
 more beautiful will it appear ; and the 
 
 more
 
 ( 
 
 the Salt of the Earth, &c. 179 
 
 more there are that fee it, the more (it 
 may be hop'd) will be induc'd to imi- 
 tate it. We ought therefore to be fo 
 far from endeavouring to conceal our 
 good Works, as if we were aiham'd of 
 them, that we fhould. rather (fo far, I 
 mean, as it may be done without Pride, 
 or Affectation of worldly Glory) pub- 
 lifh and proclaim them, thereby to gain 
 Credit to our holy Religion, and to ex- 
 cite others to follow our good Exam- 
 ple : For, as our Saviour here fays, Men 
 do not light a Candle, and then put it un- 
 der a Bujhely but on a Candleftick, that 
 it may ghe Light unto all them that are 
 in the Houfe - t And upon this he imme- 
 diately grounds that Exhortation in the 
 following Verfe, with which, as con- 
 taining the Sum and Subftance,^ and the 
 proper Ufe of all that has been laid, I 
 iliall conclude my prefent Difcourfe, 
 Let your Light fojhine before Men, that 
 they may fee your good Work, and glorifie 
 your Father which is in Heaven. 
 
 
 
 N 2 THE

 
 
 
 I 
 THE 
 
 METHOD 
 
 Of MAKING our 
 
 GOOD LIVES 
 
 USEFUL to Others.
 
 y. ,*\ x\ >, .-ft. 
 
 .( v 
 
 ^- r . 
 a. i 
 
 cj J- U i I 2 ' U
 
 
 DISCOURSE XVII 
 
 . 
 
 The Method of making our 
 good Lives ufeful to others. 
 
 MATTH. v. 16. 
 
 Let jour Light fo (him before 
 Mm, that they' may fee your 
 good Works, and glori fie your 
 Father which is in Heaven. 
 
 |||||N the three foregoing Verfes, 
 Ij|| our Saviour had compared his 
 Difciples, ftrft' tb Stilt ^ the 
 chief Ufe of which is to give a Relifh 
 to Meats, arid to prefefve them from 
 Corruption j fecondly to the Sun^ the 
 benign Influence whereof infttfes Warmth 
 and Life into the Blower World ; thirdly, 
 to a City on an Hill., the high Situation 
 whereof is apt to draw Men's Eyes to- 
 N 4 wards
 
 184 The Method of making our 
 
 wards it, and to put them upon enqui- 
 ring concerning it; and, fourthly, to 
 .a lighted Candle, which ferves for no 
 Ufe, if it be cover'd with a Bujhely or 
 put under a Bed; but if it be fet, (where 
 it ought to be ) on a Candle/lick, gives 
 Light to them that are in the Houfe, and 
 fupplies, in good Meaiure, the Want of 
 that greater Light j and here in the 
 Text he fums up the main Delign of 
 all the aforementioned Similitudes in a 
 brief and plain Exhortation, (borrowing 
 an ealy Metaphor from the Similitude 
 that was laft named ) Let your Light fo 
 flrine before Men, that they may fee jour 
 good Works, and glorifie your Father which 
 if in Heaven. 
 
 In Difcourfing on which Words, I in- 
 tend, 
 
 I. To explain the Duty here pre- 
 fcrib'dj and> 
 
 II. To urge fome Motives to per- 
 fvvade to the Practice of it. 
 
 I. I
 
 good Liver ufeful to others. 185 
 
 I. I am to explain the Duty here pre- 
 fcrib'd ; Let your Light fo jh'me before 
 Men, that they may fee your good #W.r, 
 and glorifie your Father which if in Hea- 
 ven. 
 
 And I take it, that thefe Words do 
 not diretHy enjoin any fingle Duty , 
 either of Piety, Juftice, or Charity ; 
 but they rather fuppofe, that we are al- 
 ready fully inftruded in every Duty, and 
 careful to difcharge all the Parts of an 
 holy and virtuous Life $ and what they 
 teach and prefcribe, is, the Means and 
 Method whereby we may make our 
 conftant Practice of Piety and Virtue, as 
 Well ufeful to others, as profitable to 
 ourfelves ; viz. by fo ordering our 
 Converfation, that our Piety and Vir- 
 tue may become exemplary to others, 
 fo that by feeing our good Works, they 
 may be incited and encouraged tp imi- 
 tate us therein. 
 
 What (I fay) the Text prefcribes, is 
 not this or that particular good Work, 
 but a general Aim and Defign that we 
 ought to have in every good Work that 
 
 we
 
 1 86 The Method of making our 
 
 we do, of Inftruding and Bettering 
 others, and gaining Glory to God there- 
 by : That we fhould not fatisfie ottr- 
 felves with barely doing what we i are 
 commanded, but Ihould fo contrive the 
 Doing of our good Works, that God 
 may be glorified, and our Neighbour 
 edified: That by the fame Afts and 
 Exercifes of Piety and Virtue, by which 
 we endeavour to work out our own 
 Salvation, we fhould alfo feek to pro- 
 cure and farther the Salvation of other 
 Men : That our Converfation fhould be 
 not only innocent, but alfo difcreet j 
 not only fuch as we can juftify to our- 
 felves, but likewife fuch as we can juf- 
 tify to the World; not only agreeable 
 to the Dodrine of the Gofpel, but alfo 
 fudras may adorn our holy Profeffion, 
 and be apt to gain Profelytes to it. This 
 I take to be the general Defign and 
 Meaning of the Precept in the Text; 
 Let your Light fofoinv before Men^ that 
 they ?nay fee your good Worfa, and gtorife 
 your Father which if in Heaven. 
 
 But
 
 good Liw ufeful to others. 187 
 
 But this Account of the Meaning of 
 the Text, tho' it be true., yet is not full 
 and particular enough to direct our: Prac- 
 tice^ beqaufe it only fhews the Aim 
 and Defign that we ought to have, but 
 dpe.s not teach: us. how we may accora- 
 plifh the fame. 
 
 In order therefore to the farther and 
 foller Explication of this general Pre- 
 cept, and to render: it more; readily, 
 practicable, I fhall. reduce it to fome 
 Particulars, by laying;down fome Rules 
 and Directions., which it may reafon- 
 ably be thought are implied in it, 
 a-rjd were meant by ^ our Saviour to be 
 hereby, enjoined* beeaujfe they, are fuch 
 as feem to be nec.eilajy.to be obferved, 
 .in- order.: tOL tlie oibtaining of that End; 
 which are he-re -taught to aim, at. And, 
 
 i. Firft of all, this Precept, Let your 
 Light fo jJrine, before Men y that -they may 
 fee- youy good. Jfferfa plainly- fuppoie s 
 , we oitght.nojt: to; affect a v folitary, 
 
 i too much retired LJfe;; or, ( to ufe 
 Satviottr's. own; fepreilion in the 
 thai :vwcihoiild: not ./> 
 our
 
 1 88 The Method of making our 
 
 our Candle under a Bujhel, but on a Can- 
 dleftick, that it may give Light to ihent 
 that are In the Houfe. For how is it 
 poflfible that our Piety fliould: quicken 
 others., if they do not fee it? or that 
 our good Example ihould make them 
 better if we hide ii- from them ? If 
 therefore it be our Duty to'Jhine'-Of 
 Lights- in the World., and by a holy and 
 exemplary Life, to endeavour to bring 
 others to a Liking and Imitation of the 
 fame good Courfe, ( which is certainly 
 what our Saviour here meant to enjoin) 
 it is evident that the Way and Method 
 to obtain this End, is not to retire from 
 the Society of Men., and to live alone 
 in a Cloifter or a Defart. This is ib 
 very plain, that it can't be needful to 
 add any Thing more for the Proof of 
 it. 
 
 But neverthelefs, becaufe fome pious 
 and devout Perfons have fpoken and 
 written largely in the Commendation 
 ef a private and folitary Life, as if that' 
 were the moft perfect and divine Way 
 of 'Living; whence alfo they have ap- 
 *io propriated
 
 good Li'vef ufeful to other?. 189 
 
 propriated to fuch as live thus, the 
 Name of Religioufj as if all that were 
 not fliut up in a Cloifter, or a Cell^ 
 were prophane and irreligious, or at 
 leaft in a much lower Form of Godli- 
 nefs, and not near fo well employ 'd as 
 the others ; I think it may not be amifs 
 (for this Reafon) to enlarge a little upon 
 this Subjed, and to Ihew that this fbli- 
 tary and reclufe Way of Living is fo far 
 from being more perfect, or more ex- 
 cellent, than the other, that as 'tis an 
 Argument of Weaknefs to chufe it, fo 
 it is not indeed to be either commen- 
 ded, or even fo much as allowed of, in 
 any but fuch as are weak : For there is 
 no Virtue pra&is'd by thofe that live re- 
 clufely, but what may alfo be pracHs'd 
 by fuch as live and converfe in the 
 World,- but, on the other fide, they 
 who live in Towns and Cities, and oon- 
 verfe freely and friendly with other 
 Men, have frequent Opportunities of 
 excercifing many Virtues, which they 
 that live reclufely are, for want of fuch 
 Opportunities., not in a Capacity to per-, 
 form. He
 
 The Method of making vttr 
 
 He indeed who lives all alofle in a 
 Cave, or a Wildernefs, having few &f 
 thofe Conceram-eiits in the World, 
 about which other Men are commonly 
 very bufiiy employ'd, has iiiore Tiine, 
 and greater Leifure, for Prayer and Me- 
 ditation, and fuch-like private Exerci- 
 fes of Religion : But feeing we are born 
 for others, as well as for ourielves, and 
 have a Duty to perform to our Neigfo- 
 bour as well as to God, and are obli- 
 ged by Nature and Chri/Hanity to have 
 Love for others, and confequently to 
 endeavour to promote their Welfare 
 and Happinefs in this World, and efpe- 
 cially to advance, for far as We are able, 
 their fpiritual and eternal Good , lie 
 that chufes a folitary and retired Life 
 (even tho' he lives as well, and does as 
 much Good, as 'tis poffible for a Man to 
 do in that State) yet while he is diligent 
 in one Duty, muft neglect, in fome 
 Meafure, another, that is altogether as 
 neceffary, or rather more fo : For we 
 are told in Scripture, that God will 
 Mercy and not Sacrifice, or Mercy 
 
 rather
 
 good Lives ufefal to others. 
 
 rather than Sacrifice ; and therefore there 
 is no Reafon why this Hiould be thought 
 a more excellent or perfect Way of li- 
 ving than the other. 
 
 It is plain that our bletfed Saviour, 
 one End of whofe Coming into the 
 World was to give us an Example of 
 holy Life, and who was undoubtedly 
 the moft perfect Pattern of Holinefs that 
 ever appeared in the World, did not 
 cloifter up himielf, or live retired from 
 the reft of the World., except only at 
 fome certain Times, when he with- 
 drew from Company for the freer Exen. 
 cife of his Devotions ; (and that Man 
 is indeed too much in Company, who 
 is never alone , and too bufy, who can 
 fgare no Time from his fecular Em- 
 ployments for Prayer and Meditation: 
 But I fay otherwife, our Saviour ) af- 
 fected not a folitary and unadive Life ^ 
 but went about doing Good, and conver- 
 fed freely with other Men, and difdain- 
 ed not the Company of the worft of 
 Men, when he was in Hope of doing 
 that Good by converfing with them : 
 
 Info-
 
 The Method of making our 
 
 Infomuch that, you know, he was upon 
 'this Account flandered by his Enemies, 
 as a Friend of P-ublicam and Sinnw . 
 and I would to God we were all fuch 
 Friends to them as he really was, that 
 we would make it our Endeavour, as 
 he did, to feek and io fave that which is 
 loft : But fuch Friends we can't be to 
 them, fuch Good we can't do them, if 
 we ihun all Company, and chufe to 
 live quite alone by ourfelves. Our 
 Light cannot Jhine before Men., if we co- 
 ver it, neither can they fee our good 
 Works if we purpofely hide them from 
 their Sight. 
 
 Thus much indeed muft be granted, 
 that 'tis very convenient for fuch as are 
 weak in the Faith, and not well groua- 
 ded in their Religion ; or who, having 
 been before veiy much corrupted in 
 this wicked World, have newly under- 
 taken a good Life, and fo are ftill in 
 great Danger of being drawn away to 
 their former evil Courfe, by the Per- 
 fwafion and Example of their former 
 wicked Companions j ('tis, I fay, very 
 
 conve-
 
 good Liver ufeful to others. 
 
 convenient and advifeable for fucH as 
 thefe) to retire from the World for 
 fome Time, till they ihall have con- 
 fittn'd their Faith by Prayer and Confl- 
 deration, till they ihall have broken off 
 their bad Acquaintance by fufficient Ab- 
 fence, till they ihall have wean'd them- 
 felves from their old and beloved Sins 
 by Difufe, and till by continual Exerci- 
 fing themfelves unto Godlinefa they ihall 
 be grown up to fome Strength and Per- 
 fection therein : But when they ihall 
 have well ferv'd thefe Purpofes by their 
 Retirement, their Solitude is no longer 
 to be commended ; 'tis time for them 
 then to go abroad, and to do Good $ 
 and much more Good they may then 
 do abroad, than they can do in a re- 
 clufe State. And if after this, they 
 itill chufe to continue in their former 
 Retirement, the beft Thing I think that 
 can be faid of them is this, that they 
 take up with a lower Degree of Good- 
 nefs, when they have a fair Opportuni- 
 ty put into their Hands of attaining to 
 greater Perfection , and that they do not 
 [Vol. IL] O make
 
 194 The* Method of making our 
 
 make fuch Emprovement of their Ta- 
 lent as they might have done ; the Con- 
 fequence of which will be, that they 
 will alfo fall as much fhort of that 
 great Reward which they -might have at- 
 tained. 
 
 2. Another Rule or Direction very 
 requifite to be obferved, in order to the 
 obtaining of that End which we are here 
 taught to aim at, viz. the Glory of 
 God, in the Conversion and Salvation 
 of Men : And which confequently we 
 may reafonably think was meant to be 
 enjoin'd by our Saviour in this Precept, 
 Let your Light fojhine before Men., that 
 they may fie your good Work* ^ is this, that 
 we fo contrive tlie Doing of our good 
 Works before Men, that not only the 
 Works themfelves may be feen, but the 
 Goodnefs of them may likewife ap- 
 pear. 
 
 Now the Goodnefs of any Work con- 
 fifts in two Things, i. In the Matter of 
 it, when the Thing itfelf is Good, 
 when it is agreeable to the Law of 
 God, .when 'tis a Thing that God has 
 
 command-
 
 good Lives ufeful to other f. 195 
 
 commanded to be done: And, z. In the 
 Mind and Intention of the Doer, when, 
 the Reafon why he does it, is becaufe 
 God has commanded it, when he does 
 it out of a Principle of Obedience to 
 God, and his only, or at leaft his chief, 
 Defign in the doing it, is to recom- 
 mend himfelf to God's gracious Accep- 
 tance. 
 
 Now the firft of thefe, viz. whether 
 the Work that we do be materially 
 Good, is eafy to be known by all thafc 
 fee it : But the fecond, viz. whether 
 we do it with a good Defign, and out 
 of a right Principle, can be known by 
 Men ( who can judge only by outward 
 Appearance) no farther than we our- 
 felves are pleas'd to difcover to them 
 what our Defign is in it, and what Prin- 
 ciple we a<5t upon 9 and therefore that 
 the Goodnefs of our Work may be 
 fully feen, it is requifite that our De- 
 (ign and Principle fhould (fo far as is 
 pofTible) lie as open to Men's Views as 
 the Aftion itfelf. 
 
 O 2
 
 The Method of making our 
 
 We ought not therefore to be ever 
 afhamed of owning and profeffmg our 
 Religious Fear of God ; we fhould not 
 ever befhy of declaring publiekly, when- 
 ever a proper Occafion is offer d 5 that 
 Confcience towards God is the Principle 
 of all our Adions; that -the Reafon why 
 we do this or that, or why we do not 
 othf rwife, is becaufe we are peHiiaded 
 that- that is a Duty, or this a Sin ; that 
 it is our firm Refolution, not willingly 
 to be wanting in any Duty, nor know- 
 ingly to confent to any Sin, and that it is 
 this our ftedfaii Refolution of Obedience 
 to the Will of God, that inflames us in 
 every thing that we do, and not tempo- 
 ral In tereft, or any other wordly Confi- 
 deration. This is what ought to be, and 
 this is what, if it really be fo, we ought 
 not to be afhamed or fhy to own ; be- 
 caufe no Action, how good foever in it 
 felfj or how publicldy foever it be done, 
 is a good Example to others, unlefs it be 
 done, and, if there be a proper Occafion, 
 be alfo own'd to be done upon a right 
 principle, viz, a Principle of Religion. 
 
 Thus,
 
 good L ivet ufeful to others. 197 
 
 Thus, for Inftance, if a Man on any 
 publick Occafion of Charity, as fuppofe 
 in giving to a Brief, fliould give very 
 largely, but at the fame time ihould de- 
 clare, that the Reafon why he gave fo 
 much was becaufe his Neighbours-, of 
 
 i O -> 
 
 the fame Quality and Degree with him- 
 ielf had given fo ; he would not in this 
 Aft of Charity, give any Example o* 
 Charity, but only of Complaifance or 
 worldly Prudence : For in declaring 
 that he gave fo much, only becaufe others 
 had given fo, he does in effaft declare, 
 that if little had been given by others, 
 he would have given lefs than he did> 
 and that if others had given nothing, 
 neither wquld he : And if fo, 'tis plain his 
 Gift was not a Fruit or Effect of Charity, 
 but only an Ad of neighbourly- Compli- 
 ance j that he did not give what he 
 gave out of Pity and Compaflion to his 
 neceifitous Brother, but only to avoid 
 the Imputation of Avarice ,- that he did 
 not give becaufe he thought it was his 
 Duty to give, but becaufe he thought 
 it would paye been a Difcredit to him 
 O 3 not
 
 ip8 The Method of making our 
 
 not to have given as others had done : 
 So that his Alms, which confider'd in it 
 felf was really a Work of Charity, yet 
 being given upon thefe worldly Confide- 
 rations, was not an Act of Charity in 
 him, nor an Example of Charity to 
 others. 
 
 Or thus, again : If a Man that is really 
 Sober and Temperate out of Duty to 
 God, yet does not own that this is his 
 Principle, and that the Reafbn why he 
 is always careful to keep himfelf fober 
 is, becaufe he will not commit a Sin 
 his Aft of Sobriety is no Example of 
 Sobriety. Nay, on the contrary, if when 
 he rerufes to ftay longer with thofe who> 
 he fees, defign a drunken Bout, he only 
 pretends urgent Bufmefs as the Reafon 
 of his leaving them fo foon : Or, if 
 flaying Ml in their Company, he never- 
 thelefs ftifly refufes to drink with them 
 to excefs, pretending only Weaknefs, cir 
 fridifpofition of Body, as the Reafon of 
 his refufing his Cup ; in thus leaving 
 them, or thus refufing to keep the 
 Round with them ? he is fo far from gi- 
 ving
 
 good Live f ufeful to others. 199 
 
 ving to others an Example of Tempe- 
 rance, that he rather gives them an Ex- 
 ample of the contrary. For when he 
 only pretends Bufmefs as the Reaibn of 
 his leaving them, he does as good as 
 fay, that if he had not had fuch urgent 
 Bufinefs to call him away, he would 
 have {hid longer with them : And when 
 fie pretends only Indifpoiition of Body, 
 as the Reafon of his refufing the Cup, he 
 does in effect grant, that if he had not 
 been fo Indifpofed, he would have kept 
 Pace with them in their Excels , which 
 tacit Conceflion of his affords greater 
 Encouragement to them to continue 
 their Excefs, and to others to follow 
 the fame Courfe, than his own perfonal 
 Sobriety, which they have Reafon to 
 believe is grounded only upon Temporal 
 and Prudential Confiderations, does to 
 make them Sober out of a Principle of 
 Confcience : And that Sobriety which is 
 not grounded upon a Senfe of Duty, and 
 a Fear of Offending God, is not the 
 Virtue of Sobriety, nor properly a good 
 Work. 
 
 04 So 
 
 .
 
 200 
 
 The Method of making our 
 
 So that if what the Man pietends be 
 true, and it be indeed only Bufinefs, or 
 Care of his Health., that keeps him fober, 
 his Sobriety, being apparently no Vir- 
 tue in him, can't be an Example of Vir- 
 tue to others. Nay, fuppofing the con- 
 trary, viz. That Confcience and a Fear 
 of Offending God, be indeed the true 
 Reafon of his Sobriety, yet while he 
 gives out only thofe other R.eafons, tho' 
 his Work be manifeft, yet the whole 
 Goodnefs of it is concealed ; and fo all 
 that others can learn from his Example, 
 is only to mind their Bufinefs, or to take 
 Care of their Health, and not the Vir- 
 tue of Sobriety, for that he purpofely 
 conceals and hides from them v and 
 feems unwilling that they ihould difco- 
 ver it. 
 
 From all which it appears, that thofe 
 ^good Works only are Exemplary, the 
 Caufes whereof are as vifible as the 
 Aciions themfelves -, when it is not 
 more manifeft that we do the thing 
 that is good, than 'tis that we do it out 
 of a Religious Principle ; and confe- 
 
 quently
 
 good Liver ufeful to other?. 
 
 20L 
 
 quently that to the Difcharge of the 
 Precept in the Text, the gaining Glory 
 to God by the Exemplarinefs of our 
 Lives, it is requifite not only that our 
 Work be materially Good, and that it 
 be done in the Sight and Pre fence of 
 others, that they may take Example by 
 it , but alfo that we freely own and 
 declare to the whole World, that we 
 do it out of Confcience toxvards God, 
 and not out of any worldly Confidera- 
 tion; Following herein the Example of 
 the Patriarch fflfifk wno being earneftly , 
 Sollicited by his Miftrefs to lie with her, 
 thought it not enough barely to reiiR- 
 the Temptation, or to give out as the 
 Reafon of his not Confenting, ( which 
 yet he might have done, and a good 
 Reafon enough, if there had been no 
 other, it would have been) the Danger 
 that there was of his Matter's Difcovering 
 their Difhonefty, and the great Mifchief 
 that might thence accrew to both of 
 them $ but laid the Strefs of the Bufi- 
 nefs where it ought to be laid - 3 How 
 can I do this great Wickedneft^ and fin 
 dga'mft God .? And
 
 202 The Method of making our 
 
 And this is truly to give good Ex- 
 ample ; this is to Let our Light fojbine 
 before Men, that they may fee our good 
 Work; <viz. when we not only do what 
 is Good, but alfo boldly own the Re- 
 ligious Principle that Influences our 
 Lives. 
 
 And indeed, on the other fide. If 
 while we are really the Servants of 
 God, we are yet afham'd to appear fo, 
 and are unwilling to be thought fo by 
 others,- and altho' we do the Things 
 that God Commands, becaufe he Com- 
 mands them, would yet rather have it 
 thought that we do them upon other 
 Accounts - y as if we reckoned that it 
 would be a Shame, and a Difparagement 
 to us to be taken for Men of Religion 
 and Confcience ; we may juftly fear that 
 our good Works will in the Event be as 
 unprofitable to ourfelves as they are to 
 others, and may reafonably look to be 
 puniflied for them rather than reward- 
 ed: According to that Threatning of 
 our Saviour, in Markvni. 28. Whofoe- 
 *ver jball be qfhamed of me, and of my 
 
 Word*,
 
 good Lives ujeful to others 203 
 
 Words , in this adulterous andfinful Gene- 
 ration, of him foall the Son of Man be 
 ajhamed, when he cojneth in the Glory of 
 his Father, with the holy Angels. 
 
 3. Another Thing requifite to make 
 our Piety and Virtue exemplary, and 
 to excite and ftir up others to an Imita- 
 tion of it (and which confequently may 
 well be under/food as a Direction meant 
 to be included in this general Precept, 
 Let your Light fo pine before Men, that 
 they may fee your good Works, ) is this> 
 that we fhould endeavour all we can, 
 by our own prudent Carriage and Be- 
 haviour, to make Piety and Virtue feem 
 amiable and lovely in the Eyes of Men. 
 And then true Virtue and Goodnefs 
 makes the beft Shew, and appears moft 
 amiable, when it is fhewn /imply, in 
 its own proper Shape and Colour, with- 
 out any of that artificial Cloathing, 
 wherewith it is commonly drefs'd up 
 fcy Hypocrites, and fuch as pretend to 
 more Religion than they really have. 
 
 Nay indeed, I believe there is no- 
 thing in the World that does more pre- 
 judice
 
 2P4 The Method of making our 
 
 judice fome Men againft Religion, than 
 that falfe Notion of it, which they 
 happen to have taken up from obferving 
 the Carriage and Behaviour of thefe 
 hypocritical Pretenders to it : For they 
 fee that thofe who make the loudeft 
 Noife about Religion, are very com- 
 monly Men of four Tempers, of me- 
 lancholick Looks, of fevere and grave 
 Deportment : That they aftecl: to talk 
 all in Scripture-Phrafe, and to thruft in 
 Religious -Difcourfe ( as we ufe to fay) 
 by Head and Shoulders that they are fe- 
 vere Cenfurers of others, and will not 
 allow of a Jeft, or a Smile, pr any 
 Pleafantnefs in Converfation, as Savour- 
 ing of too great Lightnefs ; that tjiey 
 condemn, as unlawful, even the moft 
 innocent Recreations and Divertife- 
 ments, and feem to judge all that Time 
 mifpent, which is not employ'd in Pray- 
 er or Reading, or in fome fuch godly 
 Exercife : Such, I fay, they obferye is 
 the Carriage and Behaviour of many of 
 thofe who make the loudeft Pretences 
 to Religion., and alfume to themfelves, 
 
 exclu-
 
 good Liiw ufeful to other f. 205 
 
 exclufively of all others, the Name of 
 the godly Party ; and fo forming a No- 
 tion of Religion, from thence they be- 
 come greatly prejudic'd againft it ; and 
 if this be Religion, it is a thing that 
 they can by no Means ever like or ap- 
 prove of : For they, it may be, are na- 
 turally of a fanguin Complexion, and 
 of a chearful Temper ; and if they 
 can't be religious and chearful too, they 
 had rather be without Religion than 
 have their Tempers fpoil'd by it; or, 
 they, it may be, are as yet in the Heat 
 of Youth, their Spirits are light and 
 active, and they have a quick Senfe of 
 Pleafure $ and therefore, if they can't 
 be religious without bidding adieu to 
 all Mirth and Delight, and becoming 
 as grave and ferious as old People natu- 
 rally are , they'll e*en put off all 
 Thoughts of Religion to that Age of 
 Gravity and Serioufnefs, which they 
 think is fitteft for it, and fuits belt with it. 
 But now all this Diflike of Religion, 
 is in Truth grounded upon a falfe and 
 miftaken Notion of it ; and Religion it- 
 
 felf
 
 -zotf The Method of making our 
 
 felf is not fuch a Bug-bear as it appear- 
 ed to them in that hypocritical Drefs, 
 in which they happened to view it : 
 For a Man may be virtuous, and yet 
 pleafant; he may be ftridly religious, 
 and yet chearful ; he may be truly and 
 thoroughly a good Man, and yet appear 
 in Drefs, in Garb, in Look, in common 
 Difcourfe and Converfation, and the 
 like, juft as other Men do : He may be 
 a very good Cbriftian y and yet not ceafe 
 to be a good Companion j and, in fine, 
 he may, even in his Youth, put on all the 
 Gravity of a Qyriftian y and yet not put 
 on that Sournefs and Morofenefs which 
 is oftentimes the Infirmity of old Age : 
 For true Religion does not confift in a 
 peculiar Garb, in an affe&ed Phrafe, in 
 a fingular Behaviour, in a down Look, 
 in Sighing and Sobbing, and a whining 
 Tone, and fuch like Fooleries, but in 
 the rational and manly Worlhip of the 
 true God, and in an hearty Love and 
 Good-will to Men. He hath jhewed 
 thee y Man, what is good; and what 
 doth the Lord thy God require of the., but 
 
 to
 
 good Lives ufeful to others. 207 
 
 to do juftly-> and to love Mercy, and to 
 walk humbly with thy God? and in all 
 this, there is nothing that Men can di. 
 like, I am fure there is nothing therein 
 that thfey can defpife. 
 
 If therefore we would have our Light 
 fo Jhine before Men, that they feeing our 
 good Works, may be incited to imitate 
 our Example : If we would gain Pro- 
 felites to Virtue and Religion, we 
 fhould not (at leaft not in our publick 
 Behaviour) affecl: needlefs Aufterities; 
 we fliould take Care that Religion do 
 not (as it does in a great marjy) four our 
 Tempers, and make us peeviih, frow- 
 ard and ill-natur'd j we fhould be as 
 complaifant to others as we can be 
 with a good Confcience, and endeavour 
 to pleafe all Men, as far as we can do 
 it without offending God. We ihould 
 rather fometimes take Part with others 
 in their innocent Sports and Recreati- 
 ons, ( tho' to do fo be againft our own 
 Inclination) than, by our ftudioufly and 
 conftantly avoiding the fame, give them 
 Occafion to think that Religion con- 
 demns
 
 208 The Method of making our 
 
 demns all^Sport and Recreation. We 
 fliould rather fometimes even force our- 
 felves to Mirth and Pleafantnefs, (altho* 
 our own Temper be naturally grave and 
 melancliolick) than give them Qccafion 
 to think, that our Melancholy is the 
 Efrecl: of our Religion j and that a Man 
 can't be religious and chearful too. 
 
 Thus, I fay, we ihould endeavour 
 (as St. Paul exhorts ) to pleafe every 
 JVk;z his Brother, for bis Good, to his Edi- 
 fication -. We ihould endeavour all Ways, 
 as well by our Example, as Difcourfe, 
 to reprefent Religion under the moft 
 lovely Charader; we fhould carefully 
 avoid giving any Occafion to Men to 
 think, that they can't be truly religious 
 without bidding adieu to all the De- 
 lights and Pleafures of this Life; or 
 that they can't be the faithful Servants 
 of God, without rendring themfelves 
 juftly ridiculous to the World for their 
 humorfome and fantaftical Singularity. 
 Thus, I fay, we fliould endeavour both 
 by our Difcourfe, and by our own wife 
 Converfation, to beget a true and lovely 
 
 Notion
 
 good Lives ufeful to other*. 2 09 
 
 Notion of Religion in Men's Minds- 
 this is the Way to adorn our Profeflion, 
 this is the likelieft Means we can life 
 to induce other Men to embrace it. 
 
 For when Men lhall fee that they 
 may be both merry and yt)ife t that they 
 may be truly religious, and yet not be 
 always talking of Religion ; that they 
 may be ftri&ly confcientious, and yet 
 not nicely fcrupulous - y that they may 
 be in every relpecl: good Men, and yet 
 not be ridiculous for their Precifenefs j 
 and, in a word, that they may have 
 their Conversation in Heaven^ and yet not 
 be unfit for Converfation upon Earth j 
 it may reafonably be hoped, that fuch a 
 fair Reprefentation of Religion as this 
 will induce a great many to become 
 Profelites to it, and that feeing our good 
 Works 9 thGy will be perfwaded to become 
 Followers of the fame. 
 
 In order to which it is farther requi- 
 fite, ( and therefore this may be laid 
 down as another Rule or Direction 
 meant to be prefcribed in this general 
 
 [Vol. II.] P Pre-
 
 210 The Method of making our 
 
 Precept, Let your Light fo ffiine before 
 Men, that they may fee your good Works.) 
 It is farther requisite, I fay, 
 
 4. That with a general Care to order 
 .our whole Converfation aright, fo as 
 not to give ill Example in any Thing, 
 we Ihould have a fpecial Regard to thofe 
 IJuties of Religion which are of a pub- 
 lick Nature, and proper to be per- 
 form'd in the Sight and Prefence of o- 
 ther Men, and that we be ftri&ly regu- 
 lar and conftant in the Performance of 
 them. 
 
 Such efpecially is the publick Wor- 
 ihip of God, in thole Times, and at 
 thofe Places which are appointed for it; 
 which therefore can't at proper Oppor- 
 tunities be neglected, or without rea- 
 fonable Excufe omitted, without Breach 
 of the Precept in the Text, command- 
 ing us to let our Light jhine before Men. 
 Let m confider one another to provoke unto 
 Lo*ve and to good Works , fays the Author 
 to the Hebrews, Chap. x. 24. which 
 Precept is in Senfe and Effect the fame 
 
 with
 
 good Liver ufefid to others. ait 
 
 With this in the Text, Let your Light fo 
 Jhine before Men., that they may fee your 
 good Works i and then he adds immedi- 
 ately, as one fpecial Inftance of this 
 Duty, the duly frequenting the Publick 
 AfTemblies, for the Worihip of God; 
 Not forfeiting the Affembling of oarfefoes 
 together, as the Manner of fbme if. 
 
 And this they fhould do well to con- 
 fider ferioufly of, who upon any trifling 
 Occafion, and many Times upon no 
 Occafion at all, do keep from Church. 
 
 For tho' they ihould ufe all the fame 
 Prayers at Home, or in their Clofets, 
 that are ufed in the Church, and tho' 
 they fhould read at Home the very fame 
 Portions of Scripture that are read 
 there, and tho' they fliould pafs all thfe 
 reft of the Church-time at Home in the 
 Reading of fome good Book, treating 
 perhaps of the very fame Subject that is 
 treated of by the Minifter in the Church 
 ( and yet I fear there are but few of 
 thofe that make a Cuftom of ftaying 
 from Church, who do ordinarily fpend 
 P a the
 
 212 
 
 The Method of making our 
 
 the Church-time at Home fo well as 
 this i but, I fay, if they fhould always 
 employ tl.emfelves thus at their Homes 
 in the Hours of publick Worfhip, ) yet 
 this however would not be quite fo 
 well as if they had been then at Church. 
 For, even fuppofing that by thus em- 
 ploying themfelves at Home in the 
 Church-time, they might edify them- 
 felves as much as they might have done 
 at Church (which yet is not true) it is 
 plain however that they do not thereby 
 fo much edify tjieir Neighbours : They 
 may get a great deal of Good to them- 
 felves by thefe private Exercifes of Re- 
 ligion, but they do no Good at all 
 thereby to others : Their Prayers, and 
 their Reading, may profit themfelves 
 much, but their Example cannot profit 
 the World; their Candle ', tho' it burn? 
 clear, and ihines bright, yet being bid 
 thus under a Bufhel> when it ought to 
 have been/k on a Candleftick, gives no 
 Light to their Neighbours. So that in 
 doing for Subflance all the fame Things 
 
 at
 
 good Lives ufeful to other*. 213 
 
 at Home, which fhould have been done 
 at Church, they perform but only half 
 their Duty, being at the fame time ma- 
 nifeftly deficient in that other half 
 which is here enjoyn'd making their 
 Light fo JJjine before Men, that others 
 feeing their good Works, may glorifie their 
 Father which is in Heaven. 
 
 5. Laftly, As there are fome Duties 
 of our Religion of a publick Nature, 
 and which therefore are not at all ex- 
 emplary unlefs they be done in Publick ; 
 fo there are others which have a pecu- 
 liar Aptnefs to procure Love andEfteem 
 to them that practice them, and inCon- 
 fequence to procure a Liking and 
 Efteem alfo to that Religion which 
 teaches and enjoins them : In order 
 therefore to the Attaining of that End 
 which we are here directed to aim at> 
 *viz. the gaining Glory to God by the 
 Exemplarinefs of our Lives, it is more 
 efpecially requisite, that we give our 
 Minds to the Study and Exercife of 
 thefe Virtues. 
 
 P 3 v But
 
 3.14 The Method of making our &c. 
 
 But it would take up too much 
 Time now to enquire what thefe Vir- 
 tues are, and to ihow how much our 
 Religiori is adorned and credited, and 
 commended thereby > and therefore I 
 Jhall defer the handling of this Head, 
 with what elfe remains, to another Op- 
 portunity. 
 
 THE
 
 THE 
 
 METHOD 
 
 Of MAKING our 
 
 GOOD LIVES 
 
 USEFUL to OTHERS; 
 JndtheMO T1VE Stoit.
 
 . 
 
 DISCOURSE xvra. 
 
 The Method or making our 
 good Lives ufefiil to others ; 
 
 And the Motives to it. 
 
 . 
 
 WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW'fV'WWVV 
 
 MATTH. v. 16. 
 
 Let your Light fo fhine before 
 Men, that they may fee your 
 good Works, and glori fie your 
 Father which is in Heaven. 
 
 H E S E Words ( as I have al- 
 ready noted ) contain the 
 practical Inference or Con- 
 cluflon, which our Saviour draws from 
 the three foregoing Verfes, wherein he 
 had compared his Difciples to Salt, to 
 the Sun, to a City on an Hill, and to a 
 lighted Candle ; and efpedally from the 
 laft Verfe of thefe three, wherein having 
 
 noted
 
 2i8 The Method of making our 
 
 noted the Incongruity of covering a 
 Candle with a Buftxl, and the Ufeful- 
 nefs thereof when fet on a Candleftick, 
 he here, borrowing a Metaphor from 
 that Similitude, infers a Duty incum- 
 bent on all his Difciples, *viz. to be of 
 the like Ufe to the reft of the World, 
 by the Exemplarinefs of their Lives 9 
 that a Caudle fet on a Candleftiffi, is to 
 thofe that dwell in the Houfe ; Let your 
 Light, &c. 
 
 In difcourfing on which Words I pro- 
 pofed to do thefe two Things j 
 
 I. To explain the Duty here pre^ 
 fcribed : And, 
 
 II. To urge fome Motives to per- 
 fwade to the Pradice of it. 
 
 I. To explain tie Duty here prefcri- 
 bed, and this I propofed to do by redu- 
 cing this general Precept, to fome more 
 particular Rules and Directions ; fuch 
 ?s it may reafonably be thought were 
 - r/eant by our Saviour to be hereby en- 
 join'd, becaufe they are fuch as feem ne- 
 
 'cefifary
 
 good Li-re f ufeful to other '.r, &c. 219 
 
 ceflary to be obferved, in order to the 
 Attaining of that End which we are 
 here taught to aim at. 
 
 And four of thefe Dire&ions I have 
 already mentioned, and treated of, 
 
 i. That we Ihould not affe& a foli- 
 tary, and too much retired Life - y to do 
 fo is truly to put the Candle under a 
 Bujbel 
 
 i. That we ihould be always free in 
 owning the Religious Principle that In<- 
 fluences our Lives j that fo not only 
 the Works themfelves that we do, but 
 alfo the Goodnefs of them may ap- 
 pear. 
 
 3. That we fhould endeavour by our 
 own prudent Carriage and Behaviour, 
 and particularly by avoiding all endiefs 
 Aufterities, and affe<fted Singularities, to 
 beget in Mens Minds fuch a Notion of 
 Religion, as may not be fearing and 
 difcouraging to them, fuch as may make 
 it appear to them (as indeed true Reli- 
 gion is) manly, and rational, and wor- 
 thy of their Choice. And, 
 
 4r That
 
 220 
 
 The Method of making our 
 
 4. That we ihould be efpecially 
 ftri&ly regular and conftant in the Per- 
 formance of all thofe Duties of Reli- 
 gion which are of a publick Nature, 
 and are proper to be performed in the 
 Sight and Prefence of others. 
 
 I add now in the fifth and laft Place, 
 
 5. That there being fome Duties of 
 our holy Religion, which have a fpecial 
 Aptnefs to procure Love and Efteem to 
 them that pra&ife them, and by Confe- 
 quence to procure alfo a good Liking 
 to that Religion which teaches and en- 
 joins them, this Precept of our Saviour^ 
 commanding us to let our Light Jhine 
 before Men, may reafonably be under- 
 ftood as meaning to enjoin a particular 
 Care, and a more than ordinary Stricl- 
 nefs and Conftancy in the Difcharge of 
 all fuch Duties. 
 
 And to this Purpofe is that Exhorta- 
 tion of the Afoflle in Phil iv. 8. Whrt- 
 foew Things are true, that is, evidently 
 and undeniably Good ; Whatfoever 
 Things are honeft^ that is decent, comely 
 or venerable i Whatfoever Things are
 
 good Lives ufeful to others, &c. 221 
 
 iuft, that is manifeftly reafonable, fair 
 or equitable j Whatsoever Things are 
 pure, that is, cleanly and graceful, and 
 for that Reafon delightfome to the Be- 
 holders i Whatfoever Things are lovely, 
 that is, apt and likely to render a Man 
 beloved by his Neighbours, and well 
 accepted to thofe among whom he 
 lives i Whatfoever Things are o/ good 
 Report, that is, are generally well fpo- 
 ken of, and apt to procure the good 
 Word of others ; If there be any Virtue, 
 that is, any Practice, the Goodnefs 
 whereof is fo clearly evident by the 
 Light of Nature, as to be readily ac- 
 knowledg'd by all ; and if there be any 
 Praife, that is, any Practice that is uni- 
 verfally efteem'd Laudable and Praife- 
 worthyj think on thefe Things, that is, 
 let your Thoughts be chiefly fix'd upon, 
 and your Endeavours chiefly bent to 
 thefe i give your Minds to the Study 
 and Exercife of thefe Virtues above all 
 others. 
 
 And the Reafon of this Advice is 
 plain, TJ2. becaufe tho 1 there is indeed 
 
 no
 
 222 'The Method of making our 
 
 no Virtue^ or good Work., of any kind 
 that may be negle&ed without Sin, yet 
 other Virtues are neceflary only as Du- 
 ties, they are necerTary to be done., on- 
 ly beeaufe we can't difcharge a good 
 Conference towards God, while we are 
 Failing in them ; but thefe, thefe lovely 
 thefe honourable Virtues, thefe Works 
 of good Report, thefe Virtues and Gra- 
 ces which attract Efteem, and procure 
 Veneration and Refpeclj thefe, I fay^ 
 are neceffary , not only as Duties to 
 which we are diredly obliged by thofe 
 particular Precepts which enjoin them ; 
 but likewife as Ornaments and Graces 
 to our Profeflion, as ferving to beget in 
 others a liking to our Religion, as a good 
 Means to help to fpread and propagate 
 it in the World, and to make Profelites 
 to it. By thefe we do not only exercife 
 that Religion which we profefs, but we 
 commend and adorn it : According to 
 that Exhortation of the fame Afoflle in 
 Tit. ii. 10. to adorn the Dcttrine of God 
 our Saviour in all things 
 
 And
 
 good Lives ufeful to others, &c. 223 
 
 And it may be confiderM, that that 
 Exhortation is there fpecially given to 
 Servants., that is, to Perfons of the 
 lowed Rank, and meanefl Condition : 
 Now certainly if it was the Duty even 
 of thefe to endeavour .to adorn that 
 holy Religion which they profefs'd, it is 
 much rather the Duty of thofe who 
 are of better Fafhion and fuperior De- 
 gree, to do the fame j that is of Ma 
 ters of Families, of great Men, of Ma- 
 giftrates, of all that are advanc'd high 
 in Dignity above others, or have Powef 
 and Authority rover others : Such as 
 thefe are more efpecially oblig'd to a- 
 dorn the Religion which they profefs; 
 becaufe they are of all others in the 
 beft Capacity of doing it, becauie their 
 Examples lie moft open to be taken 
 Notice of, and are moft likely to have 
 an Influence upon others. 
 
 It is therefore plainly the Duty of all 
 ChriftianS) for if it be even of the loweft 
 (as the Apoftle there expreily teaches) 
 much rather is it fo of thofe who are in 
 an higher Station, to adwn the Doctrine of 
 
 Chrift,
 
 224 The Method of making our 
 
 Chrifl, that is, by the Beauty and Order- 
 linefs of their Lives, to endeavour to 
 make that Religion which they are go- 
 vern'd by, appear worthy of all Accepta- 
 tion, and thereby to prepoffefs Men in 
 its Favour ; that fo they may hear, with 
 an Inclination and Defire to be convinced 
 ( or at leaft without any Prejudice ) 
 thofe Arguments that are offer' d for the 
 Proof of it ; which if they do, they 
 can't fail to be convinced by them. 
 
 And therefore, there being ( as was 
 faid) fome Cbriftian Virtues and Graces 
 which have a peculiar Beauty and Com- 
 linefs, which approve themfelves to 
 every Man's Confcience, which as being 
 amiable even at the firft Sight, and uni- 
 verfally praiied and fpoken well of, 
 have a fpecial Aptnefs to beget a Liking 
 and Efteem, and a fort of Prejudice for 
 that Religion which enjoins the Practice 
 of them, it is plainly our Duty ( and a 
 Duty which the Precept in the Text 
 commanding us to make our Light 
 jliine before Men, meant to lay upon us) 
 to have, in the Courfe of our Lives, a 
 
 parti-
 
 good Lives ufeful to others, &c. 225 
 
 particular Regard to thefe Virtues, and 
 a fpecial Care not to be deficient there- 
 in : And of this Kind are thefe four 
 which follow j I don't mean thefe only 
 (for there is a Beauty and Gracefulnefs 
 in every Chriftian Virtue ) but I mean 
 thefe more efpecially, viz. Temperance, 
 Juftice, Meeknefs, and Charity. 
 
 i. Temperance, or Moderation in 
 the Ufe of Meats and Drinks $ this is 
 not only a neceffary Duty of Chriftiani- 
 ty, but it is alfo plainly an ornamental 
 Virtue it renders lovely and beautiful 
 the Perfon that is endued with it 5 it 
 makes him refpeded and reverenced by 
 all that know him : For a Man that eats 
 and drinks only for Neceflity, to repair 
 the daily Decays of his Body, not to 
 pleafe his Palate, not to fatisfie the 
 Cravings of a luxuriant and extravagant 
 Appetite, lives as becomes a Man, and 
 upholds the Dignity of his Nature, 
 and maintains that Dominion which the 
 rational Part of him, his Soul, ought to 
 have over the bmitifh Part of him, his 
 Body. Hence, when we would give a 
 
 [Vol. IL] Q, good
 
 our 
 
 226 The Method of making 
 
 good Character of any Perfon in one 
 "Word, we often do it by this., we fay 
 he is a 'very fober Man> and in faying 
 this of him, we think we fay enough to 
 recommend him to the Efteem and Re- 
 fpeft of all j for if he be a fober Man, 
 he is one that has his Wits, and his 
 Reafon, always about him ; he is there- 
 fore fit to be employ'd in any Buiinefs he 
 is capable of, and will not fail the Ex- 
 pectation of thofe that employ him ,- 
 whereas, an Intemperate Perfon, who is 
 a Slave to his Palate, and drinks away 
 his Reafon, turns a wife Man into a 
 Fool, and a Man into a Beaft , and is 
 therefore more vile and defpi cable than 
 other Fools, and than other Beafts, be- 
 caufe his Folly or Want of Reafon is the 
 Effect of his own vitious Choice, where- 
 as theirs was the Lot of their Crea- 
 tion. 
 
 Such is the natural Turpitude of the 
 .Sins of Intemperance, that even they 
 that do too freely allow themfelves 
 therein, yet cannot hardly but be fenfi- 
 ble that their Way of Life is a Reproach 
 
 and
 
 good Liver ufeful to others, &c. 227 
 
 and a Difcredit to them ; and therefore 
 very rarely (unlefs they are hardned in 
 their Wickednefs, and paft all Shame) 
 do they care that the World fhould 
 know what fort of Men they are. They 
 that be drunken are drunken in the Night , 
 fays the Apoftle. And if upon any Oc- 
 caflon a Character were to be given of 
 them, they would take it heinoufly ill 
 of him, who ihould make ( tho' very 
 truly) their Drunkennefs a Part of their 
 Character. 
 
 But a Part of their Character it muft 
 be, if it be true ,- becaufe 'tis what 
 with all their Care and Endeavour they 
 can't conceal from the Knowledge of 
 the AVorld. And that's another Reafon 
 why it ihould be thought that by this 
 Precept, commanding us to be gpod 
 Examples to others, we are more efpeci- 
 ally oblig'd to the Practice of Tempe- 
 rance, viz. becaufe the Vices of Intem- 
 perance are, of all others, moft mani- 
 feftly contrary to good Example, upon 
 this Account, becaufe they can't be hid > 
 becaufe the natural Effects of them, 
 2 which
 
 228 The Method of making our 
 
 which are evident to all, I mean that 
 Sottifhnefs, that Stupidity, that ridicu- 
 lous Folly and Childiihnefs, which they 
 introduce, plainly difcover to all, the 
 Caufe by which they are produced ; ib 
 that how cloie and fecret foever the 
 Man might be in the Aft of Intempe- 
 rance, it is neverthelefs as publick as if 
 it had been acted in all thofe Streets 
 which he afterwards paries thro', or in 
 all thofe Companies which he after- 
 wards happens to be in j for his fbttifh 
 Look, his wry Walk, his trembling 
 Hand, his ridiculous and antick Beha- 
 viour, his faultering or broken Speech, 
 his profane, obfcene or foolifh Talk, 
 every Thing that he fays, tells, and 
 every Thing that he does, {hews the 
 World, where he has been, and how he 
 has been employ'd j fo that a Man can't 
 be Intemperate, efpecially in Drinking, 
 but he muft be fcandaloufly fo; and 
 what is commonly faid of him, (unleis 
 he be one that is quarrelfome in his 
 Drink,) that he is no Body's Foe but 
 his own, is moil evidently falfe, for he 
 
 hurts
 
 good Li'vef ufeful to others, &c. 229 
 
 hurts every Body that knows him, or 
 con verfes with him ; at leaft, there is 
 great Danger that they may be infe&ed 
 by his ill Example $ and by the Scanda- 
 loufnefs of his Behaviour he alfo brings 
 a Reproach and Difparagement upon the 
 holy Religion which he profeffes. 
 
 2. Another very graceful and adorn- 
 ing Virtue, the Practice whereof is apt 
 to render a Man beloved and refpe&ed 
 by all thole among whom he lives, and 
 by Confequence to beget alfo in others 
 a good Liking to, and a high Efteem 
 for, that Religion by which he is influ- 
 enc'd and governed, is Juftice ; exact 
 Juftice and Honefty in all our Dealings, 
 and Faithfulnefs in Difcharging all our 
 Trufts. And therefore in the Place al- 
 ready cited, Tit, ii. 10. where Chriftian 
 Servants are exhorted to grace their 
 ProfeiTion, this Way of their doing it is 
 particularly mentioned. Not Purloin- 
 ing, but Jhewing all good Fidelity, tbat 
 they ?nay adorn the Dottrine of God our 
 Saviour in all Things 
 
 
 
 Q3 In
 
 230 The Method of making our 
 
 In order therefore to the obtaining 
 that End, which in the Text all Chrifli- 
 ans are requir'd to aim at, that is., that 
 we may gain Glory to God, by making 
 the Light of our good Example tojhine 
 before Men, there is plainly nothing 
 more needful than this, that we be 
 fquare and exad in all our Dealings, 
 punctual L in the Performance of all our 
 Promifes, and faithful in the Execution 
 of all our Trufts. 
 
 For whatever Opinion or Perfwafion 
 Men are of in the ipeculative Points of 
 Religion, Juftice and Truth, Fidelity, 
 and fair Dealing, are what all People 
 like, approve and commend, at leafl in 
 others i and even they who for filthy 
 Lucre's Sake allow themfelves in the 
 Practice of Frawd and Falihood, yet 
 dare not offer to juftifie their own Prac- 
 tice j they may find their Injuftice gain- 
 fill, but they can't think it reputable ; 
 What they chiefly truft to is their Cun- 
 ing, by which they hope they may fp 
 contrive their Doing of Wrong, as not 
 to be found out j but if it fhould be
 
 good Liver ufeful to others, &c. 231 
 
 difcovered, they are fenfible it muft 
 bring upon them an indelible Re- 
 proach. 
 
 There being therefore a great many 
 Religions, and Se&s of Religion in the 
 World j and the greateft Part of Man- 
 kind being not in a Capacity, or not 
 having Leifure enough to examine into 
 the leveral Grounds of each of them, 
 there is plainly nothing that can more 
 recommend any Religion to the general 
 good Liking of fuch as are ignorant of 
 the Grounds and Reafons of it, than the 
 remarkable Juftice, Truth, and Fideli- 
 ty of thofe that profefs it: For thefe 
 focial Virtues being commendable a- 
 mong all, and of daily Ufe, if there be 
 any one Sort or Se of religious Pro- 
 fetors that is remarkable above the 
 reft for the conftant Exercife of them ; 
 all indifferent and difcreet Perfons will 
 for this Reafon only, have a better Opi- 
 nion of them than of the reft j and will 
 be readily inclin'd to think, that theirs is 
 the beft Religion, becaufe it makes them 
 honefter Men than the reft are. 
 
 Q.4 And
 
 232 The Method of making our 
 
 And this, without doubt, was one 
 great Help towards the fpreading of 
 Chriftianity in the World ib very faft as 
 it did fpread at the firft Preaching of the 
 Gofpel. It was then feen and obferv'd 
 by all, that as many as gave up their 
 Names to Gm'ft, tho' they had been 
 before Thieves and Covetous, Unjuft 
 and Extortioners , did immediately , 
 upon their embracing Chriftianity, be- 
 .come quite other Men, fo that it could 
 not be doubted but that this Change in 
 their Manner of Life was wrought by 
 the Power of that Religion which they 
 had newly embraced $ and the Obferva- 
 tion of this quickly begat in fuch as 
 were well dilpofed a general good Li- 
 king to the Religion, even before they 
 had been inftm&ed in the Grounds and 
 Reafons of it, and inclined them to give 
 a ready Ear to the Proofs that were of- 
 fered of its Truth and Divinity ; and 
 thefe being very ftrong and convincing, 
 all that heard them without Prejudice 
 were quickly perfwaded by them. 
 
 But
 
 good Li-vet ufeful to others, &c. 233 
 
 But the Arguments for the Truth of 
 the Cbriftian Religion are the fame now 
 as formerly, and as ftrong now as ever, 
 and yet now we fee they prevail little 
 or nothing; very few Converts to Chrif- 
 tianity are now ever heard of: For 
 which, I believe, a better Reafon can 
 hardly be given than this. That tho' 
 Chriftianity be the fame excellent Re- 
 ligion that it was then, the Lives and 
 Manners of Chriftians now-a-days are 
 not fo excellent as they were formerly ; 
 fo that (to keep to the Point I am now 
 fpeaking of) tho' there has been in thefe 
 laft Ages, by Reafon of the great In- 
 creafe of Trade and Navigation, a much 
 better Opportunity of fpreading Chrif- 
 tianity into the remote Parts of the 
 World, than ever there was heretofore, 
 yet this Opportunity has rather hin- 
 der'd the Growth of Chriftianity, than 
 promoted it j and all for want of that 
 Truth and Fidelity, and that juft and 
 fair Dealing in Trade, which our Reli- 
 gion indeed ftri&ly enjoins, but few that 
 outwardly profefs Chriftianity, do now 
 
 make
 
 234 The Method of making our 
 
 make much Confcience to practife : For 
 how is it likely that a Turk^ a Heathen^ 
 or an Indian^ fhould have any Inclinati- 
 on to turn Chriftian, when he fees ( and, 
 I fear, 'tis a Thing too often to be feen) 
 that thofe Cbriflians with whom he 
 trades, are not fo fair in their Bargains, 
 fo true in their AiTertions, fo faithful to 
 their Promifes, and fo fquare and ho- 
 neft in their Dealings, as many even of 
 the Infidek themfelves are ? What rea- 
 fonable Inducement can he have to lend 
 a willing Ear to thofe Arguments where- 
 by the Chriftian would perfwade him to 
 embrace Chriftianity, when, as he may 
 well think, ( judging of the Nature of 
 the Religion, from the Manners of thofe 
 that profefs it ) he can't embrace -it 
 without renouncing thofe Principles of 
 moral Juftice and Honefty, which were 
 taught him by the Light of Nature 
 only? 
 
 This therefore is a Matter that high- 
 ly concerns us all, ( tho' indeed more 
 efpecially thofe that travel into foreign 
 Parts, or have any Traflkk or Dealings 
 
 with
 
 good Liver ufeful to otherf, &c. 235 
 
 with Men of other Religions,) to take 
 fpecial Care of, viz. That we do not 
 by any Falftiood or Injuftice in our 
 Dealings with them, prejudice them 
 againft our Religion, or give them Qc- 
 cafion to blafpheme it. \ 
 
 But let us revive that Truth and 
 Juftice, that Honefty and Fidelity, that 
 Uprightnefs and Siqglenefs of Heart, 
 which the Chriftians in the Primitive 
 Times were fuch eminent Examples of, 
 and then we may hope to fee now a 
 more fpeedy and general Converfion of 
 Men to our moft holy Faith than ever 
 there has been in former Ages; then 
 may we look for a quick and punctual 
 Accomplifhment of thofe many ancient 
 Prophecies in the Old Teftament, as well 
 as NeWj concerning the Enlargement of 
 the Kingdom of Cbrift, upon which we 
 ground a Hope, that there will be yet, 
 before the End of the World, a general 
 Converiion of all Nations to the Chrif- 
 tian Religion. 
 
 3 . Another Cbriftlan Grace or Virtue, 
 Jiighly Ornamental to all that are^ en- 
 dued
 
 236 The Method of making our 
 
 dued with it, is Meeknefs or Humility, 
 together with all the Branches and Ex- 
 preffions , all the Fruits and Effects 
 thereof ; every one of which is lovely 
 and amiable, and apt to endear, and 
 render beloved and refpected, the Per- 
 fon in whom they are obferv'd j fuch 
 are, Gentlenefs, good Temper, Eafi- 
 nefs of Accefs, Affability in Difcourfe, 
 courteous Behaviour, a Readinefs to do 
 Kindnefs, Contentednefs in our Condi- 
 tion, Orderlinefs in our Station, and 
 the like. 
 
 Thefe Branches and Fruits of Humi- 
 lity of Mind and Carriage, are every 
 one of them exceedingly taking, and 
 very apt to procure Love and Efteem ; 
 they are all of general good Report, 
 they are commended and fpoken well 
 of by all ; fo that there can be nothing 
 more proper to recommend our holy 
 Religion to Mens Efteem, than the 
 careful Practice and Exercife of thefe 
 Virtues : For even they who know no- 
 thing of the Grounds and Reafons of 
 our Religion, yet can't but fee and ac- 
 
 knovvledge a
 
 good Lives ufeful to others, &c. 237 
 
 acknowledge, that it is a Religion wor- 
 thy of God, when they obferve how 
 much it does adorn and beautify the 
 Lives of thofe that are irifluenc'd by it 5 
 when they take Notice how orderly and 
 ufeful it makes them in every State and 
 Condition of Life that they are in j and 
 a general Liking of our Religion, and 
 a good Inclination towards it, muft 
 render them much more eafy to be per- 
 fwaded of its Truth. 
 
 And accordingly we may obferve ? 
 that there is not any Motive whereby, 
 in the facred Writings, we are more 
 frequently exhorted to the Practice and 
 Exercife of thefe Virtues of Humility, 
 than we are by the Confederation of 
 that Love and Efteem that they will 
 gain to us, and that Credit and Re- 
 putation which they will, in Confe- 
 quence, procure to our Religion. 
 
 Thus in i Pet. v. 5. we are exhorted 
 in general to be cloathed with Humility ; 
 by which Expreflion 'tis intimated, that 
 Humility does adorn and fet us off in 
 the Eyes of Men, more than any Drefs 
 
 or
 
 238 The Method of making our 
 
 or Apparel can do. And the fame 
 Thing is again intimated in the third 
 Chapter of that Epiftle, at the 3d and 
 4th \erfes, where the Apfftle, reproving 
 the Vanity of Women in affeding to 
 fet themfelves off by a fine Drefs, hath 
 thefe Words, Whofe Adorning let it not 
 be that outward Adorning of Plaiting the 
 Hair, and of wearing of Gold., or of 
 putting on of Apparel; but let it be the 
 hidden Man of the Heart, in that which 
 if not corruptible, even the Ornament of 
 a meek and quiet Spirit. Fcr after thif 
 Manner in old Time the holy Women adorn- 
 ed themfelves. And this fame Advice is 
 alfo given them by St. Paul, in i Tim. 
 ii. 9. Let Women adorn themfelves in mo- 
 deft Apparel, with Shamefaftneft and So- 
 briety. In all which Places, Modefty 
 and Humility, and the lovely Fruits of 
 'thefe Graces in the outward Behaviour, 
 are recommended as the bed Orna- 
 ments to fet ourfelves off in the Eye of 
 the World, and to gain to ourfelves 
 univerfal Love and Refpe&. 
 
 And
 
 good Lives ufeful to other ^ &c. 2-39 
 
 And what Love and Refpecl: we gain 
 to ourfelves by thefe Virtues, we do, 
 by Confequence, alfo gain to our Re- 
 ligion : For the fame Things for 
 which we ourfelves are commended and 
 belov'd, our Religion, which has this 
 good Influence upon our Behaviour, 
 will likewife be approved, and well 
 fpoken of. And therefore in other Pla- 
 ces thefe fame Virtues are perfwaded to 
 by that Confideration, 'viz. that there- 
 by we lhall procure a fair Efteem, and 
 a general good Liking, to our Religion. 
 Thus in i Pet. iii. i, 2. that fame Mo- 
 defty which, in the two next Verfes, is 
 recommended to Women, as an Orna- 
 ment to themfelves, is there perfwaded 
 to, as what would likewife adorn and 
 -recommend their Religion. Likewife, 
 ye Wives, be in Subjection to your own 
 Husbandry that if any obey not the Wordy 
 they alfo majy without the Wordy be won 
 by the Conservation of the Wises ; while 
 they behold your chaft Conservation coupled 
 with Fear. And thus alfo Servants are 
 exhorted to be fubjecl; and obedient to 
 
 their
 
 240 The Method of making our 
 
 their Matters, (which is a Fruit of Hu- 
 mility) that thereby they may prevent 
 that Blame which would be caft upon 
 the Chriftian Religion., if thofe that em- 
 brac'd it fhould behave themfelves dif- 
 orderly in the Stations wherein Provi- 
 dence had placed them 5 i Tim. vi. i* 
 Let as many Servants as are under the 
 Toke count their Maften worthy of all Ho- 
 nour, that the Name of God, and Us 
 Dcffrine, be not blafyhemed. And exhort 
 Servants to be obedient unto their own 
 Waft'crs, and to fleafe them well in all 
 Things, that they may adorn the Doc- 
 trine of God our Saviour, fays the fame 
 Apoftle. Tit. ii. 9, 10. 
 
 4. Laftly, Another Virtue or Grace, 
 in the Exercife whereof it is our Duty 
 to be very conftant and exemplary, 
 thereby to procure Love and Efteem to 
 ourfelves 3 and by Confequence, Credit 
 and Liking to our holy Religion, is 
 Charity, as it includes all the Offices of 
 Kindnefs and Companion, all the Ads 
 and Exprelfions of Bounty and Benefi- 
 cence. 
 
 The
 
 good Livef ufeful to other*, &c. 241 
 
 The diligent Pra&ice of all Virtues 
 of this Kind, is fo manifeftly compre- 
 hended in this general Precept, Let 
 your Light fo Jhine before Men, that they 
 may jee your good Works ^ and glorific your 
 Father which if in Hea/ven ; that our 
 Church in the Offertory of the Commu- 
 nion Service has placed this Text among 
 thofe other Portions of Holy Scripture, 
 whereby ihe means to exhort to Works 
 of Mercy and Charity ; as if {he 
 thought that this was the prime Mean- 
 ing of it, or rather the only Thing in- 
 tended by it, that we Ihould abound in 
 Works of Mercy and Charity ; with an 
 Aim to gain Glory to God, and Repu- 
 tation to our Religion thereby. 
 
 And if this was not the only Thing here 
 meant, (as indeed I believe it was not) 
 it is neverthelefs, moft undoubtedly, a 
 confiderable Part, and a main Ingredi- 
 ent of the general Duty hereby prefcri- 
 bed j there being no one Duty of 
 Chriftianity that does fo much adorn 
 our Profeflion as this 5 no Grace or Vir- 
 [Vol. II.] R tue
 
 242 Tfo Method of making our 
 
 tue that fingly does fo much tend to 
 commend our holy Religion to the 
 Efteem and Practice of thofe that are 
 yet Aliens to it, as that diflfufive Boun- 
 ty, and unlimited Charity which is en- 
 join'd by it, and carefully practifed by 
 all the true ProfefTors of it. For by thif, 
 fays our Saviour, Jhall all Men know that 
 ye are my T>ifcipkr> if ye have Love one. 
 for another. 
 
 'Twas this, I mean the remarkable 
 Bounty and Charity of the Primitive 
 Cbriftians, which brought Chriftianity 
 into Credit at firft, as much, nay per- 
 haps more, than the frequent Miracles 
 that were then wrought for the Confir- 
 mation of it : For Miracles may be 
 counterfeited j and Miracles have been 
 wrought, or at leaft have feem'd to be 
 fb, by falfe Prophets, for the Confirma- 
 tion of a falfe Religion : But there could 
 be no reafbnable Caufe to doubt, but 
 that that Religion was from God, which, 
 befides its Confirmation by Miracles, 
 did fo manifeftly better the Tempers of 
 
 all
 
 good Liver ufeful to other?, &c. 243 
 
 all thole that embraced it ; which made 
 them fo kind and loving, and fo ready 
 to do all Good, not only to one ano- 
 ther, but even to their Enemies and 
 Perfecutors; which difpofed them to 
 fpend their Time, and their Wealth, to 
 procure the Eafe, the Comfort, and the 
 Happinefs of their Neighbours, which 
 made them readily to fell even Koufes 
 and Lands, and deveft themfelves of all, 
 when le& than all that the Rich hud 
 was not fufficient to fupply the Necefli- 
 ties of the Poor ,- and, in a Word, which 
 made them in their Temper, Difpofi- 
 tion, and Practice, fo like to God him- 
 felf, of whom we have all this natural 
 Notion, that he is an iniinitely kind, 
 good, merciful, benevolent, and bene- 
 ficent Being. 
 
 And by the fame Means by which 
 Chriftianity fTrft gained Credit in the 
 World, by the fame, I fay, muft the 
 Reputation thereof be upheld that is, 
 by our Abounding in Works of Mercy 
 and Charity. 
 
 R2 AH
 
 244 The Method of making our 
 
 All other Virtues and Graces do real- 
 ly make us better in ourfeives ; but 
 'tis Chanty which chiefly, and more 
 than any other fmgle Grace, makes us 
 appear better to others : This attracts 
 Love and Efteem from all that behold 
 it j and they that like not our Cbriftian 
 Profeflion for its own Sake, becaufe it 
 lays flich Reftraints upon them as they 
 are unwilling to be under, yet can't 
 
 chufe but like it for thofe 
 fycsflkl manifold goodly Fruits and 
 
 Effeds of Charity which it 
 produces in the World. 
 
 And now having, as I fuppofe, faid 
 enough for the Explication of the Duty 
 here enjoin' d, I fhould have gone on im- 
 mediately to urge fome Motives to in- 
 duce to the Pra&ice of it, but that 
 there is one Difficulty in the Way which 
 feems neceiTary to be firft removed, and 
 that is this ; That the Precept in the 
 Text , Let your Light fo JJoim before 
 Men, that they may fee your good Works, 
 and the Explication thereof which has 
 
 been
 
 good Liver ufeful to other T, &c. 245 
 
 been now given, have an Appearance of 
 directly contradicting what our Saviour 
 teaches in the next Chapter : For there, 
 at the firft Verfe, he bids us take heed 
 that we do not our Alms before Men to be 
 feen of them ; at the fifth Verfe he com- 
 mands us, when we praj, not to be as the 
 Hipocrites are, who love to ftand Praying 
 in the Sinagoguer, and in the Corners of 
 the Streets, that they may be feen of Men . 
 but to enter into our Clofet, and to Jhut 
 the Door, and to fray to our Father in 
 fecret : And at the fixteenth Verfe, he 
 condemns the Hipocrites , who when 
 they faft are of a fad Countenance, that 
 they may appear unto Men to faft ; and 
 commands his Difciples to put on them 
 the fame Look that they have at other 
 Times, that they appear not unto Men 
 to faft, but unto their Father which if 
 in fecret. 
 
 Now how, it may be ask'd, are thefe 
 
 Things reconcileable ? How can we be as 
 
 publick in the doing of our good Works 
 
 as we are here, and yet as private and 
 
 R 3 .- fecret
 
 246 The Method of making our 
 
 fecre t as we are there dire&ed to be ? How 
 can we let our Light fo jbine before Men, 
 that they may fee our good Works, and 
 yet not do our Righteoufnefs before Men> 
 to be feen of them ? 
 
 But this Difficulty will, I fuppofe, be 
 clearly removed.) and thefe Texts eafily 
 reconciled, by coniidering thefe two 
 Things : 
 
 i. That what our Saviour there con- 
 demns in the Pharifees y and forbids in 
 his Difciples, was not their doing in 
 publick fuch A&s of Virtue and Religi- 
 on as were of a publick Nature, but 
 their publilhing and proclaiming thofe 
 which ought to have been kept fecret : 
 For he does not blame them for Pray- 
 ing publickly in the Temple, at the 
 Hours appointed for Prayer ; but only 
 for putting up their private Petitions 
 (which were more proper for a Ciofet) 
 in Places of publick Concourfe, and in 
 the Corners of the Streets : Neither does 
 he condemn them for Appearing to faft 
 on a pibiick Faft-Day, but only for 
 publifhing their private Fails, 
 
 Now
 
 good Livei ufeful to others, &c. 247 
 
 Nowthefe are dearly diftind Things, 
 and both good in their proper Seafons : 
 For it is necefTary fometimes to give 
 Alms publickly, to give a good Exam- 
 ple of Charity to others ; and all other 
 Times to give Alms privately, to ap- 
 prove our Sincerity to God, and our 
 own Confciences: It is neceflfary fome- 
 times to pray publickly in the Church, 
 the Place appointed for Divine Worfhip, 
 in the Ajftmblies of the Upright., and with 
 the Congregation j thereby to own pub- 
 lickly our Dependence upon God, to 
 confefs his Name before Men, and by 
 our united Prayers to obtain at his 
 Hands publick Bleflfmgs : But when our 
 Confeffions or Petitions are more pecu- 
 liar to ourfelves, then a Clofet, with 
 the Door Ihut, is a more proper Place 
 than the Corner of a Street, or than 
 even the Temple itfelf : And thus alfo, 
 laftly, it is necefTary fometimes, T/. 
 on Days appointed for folemn Fafting, 
 to faft publickly, and to appear to do 
 ib $ and at other Times to keep private 
 R 4 Fafts,
 
 248 The Method of making our 
 
 Fafts, between God and ourfelves, and 
 let the World know nothing of them. 
 Thefe Duties therefore being clearly 
 diftinft, and both neceffary in their re- 
 fpectively proper Seafons, the Text, 
 which commands the pubiick, and thofe 
 other Places in the next Chapter, which 
 command the private, Exercifes of Re- 
 ligion, are by no means contrary or re- 
 pugnant to each other. 
 
 2 . It may be confidered farther, That 
 the Ground and Reafon for which our 
 Saviour here in the Text commands the 
 pubiick Exercife of Religion and Vir- 
 tue, and for which Hypocrites do make 
 a pubiick Shew of more Religion and 
 Virtue than really they have, are clear- 
 ly different : For they, when they give 
 an Alms, founded a Truwpet, and call'd 
 together a Concourfe of People to fee 
 them j and when they pray'd,they pur- 
 pofely chofe fuch Places to pray in a$ 
 were moft in View } and whenever they 
 farted, they took Care, by D'sfiguring 
 their Faces, to let the World know it : 
 
 And
 
 good Liver ufeful to others, &c. 249 
 
 And why? our Saviour tells us, that 
 they did all this, that they might have 
 Glory of Men : This was their ulti- 
 mate End, to gain Praife and Applaufe 
 to themfelves, and to advarice their 
 worldly Intereft thereby : And we alfb 
 ( we are plainly fo commanded in the 
 Text) are to make our Light to fo 
 Jhine before Men., that they may fee our 
 good Works, but not to the Intent that 
 we ourfelves may gain Honour and Re- 
 putation thereby, not that we may have 
 Glory of Men ; (for if that be our only 3 
 or ultimate -End, that will be alfo our 
 only Reward.) But what we are to aim 
 at in fo letting our Light to Jhine before 
 Men, is a much greater and nobler De- 
 (ign ; not meerly that we ourfeives may 
 appear more glorious, but that fo being, 
 and fo appearing-, our Light may ferve 
 to direct, and our Example to inftrucl: 
 others - 3 what we. are ultimately to aim 
 at is not that we ourfelves may have 
 Glory of Men, but that God may be 
 glorified in us, that Men feeing our good 
 
 Work*
 
 The Method of making our 
 
 Works, may glorifie our Father which is in 
 Heaven. 
 
 And this makes a very clear and 
 wide Difference between the Practice 
 which bur Saviour here commands , 
 and that which in the next Chapter he 
 condemns : The Actions are indeed to 
 Appearance the fame, but the Ends are 
 clearly different. The Hypocrite does 
 his Works that they may be feen of 
 Men, with no farther View but to gain 
 Praife and Applaufe to himfelf, God is 
 not in all his Thoughts : And the good 
 Cbriflian likewii'e fo does his Works that 
 they be feen of Men, but not with any, 
 much lefs with only, a felfifli Defign 
 but he does the Works becaufe God has 
 commanded them, and he does all the 
 fame good Works at other Times when 
 he knows he is feen by none but God . 
 and when he chufes to do them in the 
 Sight of the World, as judging it moft 
 proper fo to do, yet even then 'tis only 
 that other Men may by his Example be 
 taught and encourag'd to do the fame, 
 
 and
 
 good Lives ufefttl to other?, &c. 251 
 
 and that God may thereby be more 
 glorified. 
 
 This Difficulty therefore being thus 
 removed, I come now to what I propo- 
 fed to do in the fecond Place, 
 
 II. To urge fome Motives to the 
 Pradice of the Duty here laid upon us; 
 Let your Lig?>t y &c. And to avoid Te- 
 dioufnefs, I {hall at prefent urge no 
 other but what are fuggefted in the laft 
 Words of the Text, That they may fee 
 your good Works^ and glorifie your Father 
 which if in Heaven. In which "Words 
 the highly probable Effe& of our J^-acti- 
 fing the Duty is hinted at as a good 
 Reafon to engage us to it. As if it 
 had been faid, " If you are careful to 
 cc make your Light fojhine before Men, 
 " that they may fee your good Works., 
 " they will fo clearly difcern the Beau- 
 " ty of Holinefs and Virtue in your 
 cc Example, as to be in Love with it, 
 " and fo be incited to imitate and re- 
 tenable you therein -, the bleflfed Con- 
 
 ^ c fequence
 
 252 27tf Method of mating our 
 
 K lenience of wtrch will be, that God 
 cc will be glorified in their Converfion 
 cc arid Salvation. 
 
 And the natural Tendency of good 
 Example to provoke others to good 
 Works, and the great Probability there 
 is, th.it ? t will have this Effed: upon fome, 
 1 at leuft, if not upon all that fee it, is in- 
 deed a very powerful Inducement to 
 the Difcharge of the Duty here en- 
 join'd 5 - becaufe if it has this Effeft, we 
 ihall by thus letting our Ligbt Jhtne he- 
 fore M?/, bring the greateft Glory to 
 Godj do the greateft Kindnefs to our 
 Neighbour, and obtain the moft ample 
 Reward to ourfelves: Any one of which 
 Confiderations alone is, and therefore 
 much rather are they all together, fuf- 
 ficient to engage to the careful Practice 
 of th^ Duty. 
 
 i. I fay, we fhall thereby bring the 
 greateft Glory to God : For if we can^ 
 by our good Example, be a Means of 
 Converting thofe that fee our good 
 Works from a Courfe of Sin to a Life 
 
 of
 
 good Lives ufeful to others, &c. 253 
 
 of Righteoufnefs, the Confequence of 
 that will be, (i.) That God will be 
 glorified by their Mouths > they upon 
 whom this bleffed Change is wrought; 
 will have great Caufe to magnifie and 
 praife the Name of God, for his Grace 
 and Goodnefs to them: (2.) That he 
 will be glorified in their Lives, which 
 they will thenceforward wholly dedicate 
 to, and fpend intirely in his faithful 
 Service ; and herein, fays our Saviour, is 
 my Father glorified, that ye bear much 
 fruit : And laftly, that he will be alfb 
 glorify'd in their Salvation, when being 
 pardon'd and juftified, and admitted in- 
 to his glorious Prefence, they {hall fpend 
 their whole Eternity in Singing forth 
 his Praifes. 
 
 And what greater, what nobler De- 
 fign can we propofe to ourfelves, than 
 to bring Glory to Gode This is the 
 End of the whole Creation j God 
 made all Things for his own Glory, and 
 every Thing that he has made declares 
 his Glory and Greatnefs. This in parti- 
 cular
 
 254 The Method of making our 
 
 cular was the End for which he made 
 Man, the only Creature of this lower 
 World that is able a&ively to give Glo- 
 ry to God by exprefling his Praife , and 
 this, as the Afcflle teaches us, is the 
 End that we ought to aim at in all our 
 A&ions, i Cor. x. 31. Whether therefore 
 ye eat or drink, or wbaifoever ye do> do all 
 to the Glory of God. 
 
 2. If our good Example {hall have 
 this blefTed Effect upon others, if it 
 fhall provoke and ftir them up to the 
 fame good Works, we Ihall alfo do 
 them the greateft Kindnefs that 'twas 
 poflible for us to do them. We reckon 
 it indeed a great Kindnefs (and fo it is) 
 to refcue and redeem a Man from any 
 bodily Pain or Danger ,- but it muft 
 needs be a much greater to preferve his 
 Soul from eternal Detraction 5 and this 
 is what we fhall do, if by the Light of 
 our Example we inftrudfc,- if by the In- 
 fluence of it we incite and encourage 
 him to Well-doing. And fo St. James 
 tells us, in Jam. v. 19. Brethren, if any 
 
 of
 
 good Lives ufefal to others, dec. 255 
 
 of you do err from the Truth, and one ton- 
 vert him, let him know that be which 
 convert eth or Sinner frojn the Error of his 
 Way, Jhall fa*ve a Soul from Death, and 
 Jhall bide a Multitude of Sins. And, 
 
 3. Laftly, We ihall alfo hereby great- 
 ly increafe our own Reward. For thofe 
 good Works which are done 1 by ano- 
 ther, in Imitation of our Example, 
 will be placed to our Account as well 
 as his, as being in great Meafure owing 
 to us. And thus, by a dextrous Ma- 
 nagement, we may by our good A& ob- 
 tain the Reward of many, and receive 
 an Addition of Glory, for the good 
 Works of other Men done by the In- 
 fluence and Encouragement of our Exam- 
 ple. According to that of the Prophet 
 Daniel, Dan. xii. 2. They that be wife 
 foalljhine as the Brightness of the Firma- 
 ment, and they that turn many to Right e- 
 oufneff as the Stars for ever and ever. 
 
 Let therefore your Light fo jloine before 
 Men, that they may fee your good Works^ 
 and glorifie your Father which if in Hea- 
 ven. And
 
 256 The Method of making our, &c. 
 
 And to God the Father, God the 
 Son, and God the Holy Ghoft, three 
 Penbns, and one God, be given, as is 
 moft due, all Honour and Glory, now 
 ana ior ever. Ajnen. 
 
 THE
 
 THE 
 
 LAW 
 
 AND THE 
 
 PROPHETS 
 
 FULFILLED BY 
 
 CHRIST.
 
 
 -si
 
 MP 
 
 DISCOURSE XIX. 
 
 The Law and the Prophets ful- 
 filled by Chriit. 
 
 MATTH. v. iy, 18. 
 
 Think not that I am come to de- 
 firoy the Law or the Prophets, 
 I am n5t come fo dejtroy, but 
 to fulfil 
 
 For verily I fay unto you, till 
 Heaven and Earth fafs, one 
 jot, or one tittle, (hall in no 
 wife fafs from the Law, till 
 all be fulfilled. 
 
 H E S E Words being a Part of 
 our Saviours Sermon upon the 
 Mount, which is fill one intire 
 and continued Difcouife, fire probable 
 S a to
 
 260 The Law and the Profhets 
 
 to be fome way conne&ed to the Con- 
 text, and by obferving their Connexion 
 we {hall beft come to underftand their 
 Meaning. 
 
 And if we confider them as connec- 
 ted with the foregoing Part of the Ser- 
 mon, (of which I have already treated,) 
 the Defign of them ieems to be to an- 
 fwer an Objection, which he faw fome 
 might be apt to make againft his Per- 
 fon, and againft the Authority he pre- 
 tended to, from the Nature of that 
 Do&rine which he had before deliver'd ; 
 for there, in the "Beginning of this Chap- 
 ter, he pronounces a Bleflfednefs, and 
 promifes a Reward, to feveral Graces 
 and Virtues, of fome of which there 
 feems to have been no exprefs mention 
 made in the Books of the Old Te,fta- 
 ment j and on the other fide he makes 
 no mention at all, nor gives any Com- 
 mand concerning, many Things which 
 the Law had exprefsly enjoin'd ; fo that 
 his Preaching had not been at all like 
 that of the Scribes and Pharifees, whofe 
 
 Way
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. ai, 
 
 Way it was to ground their Difcourfes 
 upon fome Places of the Law, and to 
 infift chiefly upon the .ritual and cere- 
 monial Part of it : Upon this therefore 
 it was very likely that fome object, that 
 moft certainly he was not a Teacher 
 fent from God, feeing he negleded the 
 Old, and went about to eftablifli a 
 New Religion ; to which therefore he 
 anfwers, by pofitively denying, that it 
 was his Intention to teach any Thing 
 contrary to what Mofef, and the Pro- 
 phets, had taught; think not, i. e. do 
 not, by any Thing I have faid, be in- 
 duced to fufped or believe, that I am 
 come to deftroy the Law and the Prophet f. 
 
 Or if we confider the Words as re-' 
 fpeding chiefly the following Part of 
 the Sermon, wherein our Lord explains 
 and enlarges upon divers Precepts of 
 the Law, and enforces the Practice 
 thereof, then the Defign of them feems 
 to be to ferve as a Tranfition from the 
 former Part of his Sermon to that which 
 follows after : Or feeing they may be fo 
 S 3 aptly
 
 ^6^ The Law and the Prophets 
 
 aptly connected both with the foregoing 
 and following Words, I fee no Reafon 
 why we may not think they were de- 
 figned for both thefe Purpofes, /. e . both 
 to anfwer an Obje&ion which might be 
 raifed againft him, from what he had 
 faid before, and alfo to prepare the 
 Way for what he was then about fur- 
 ther to fay ; and that his Hearers might 
 receive, without any Prejudice, that In- 
 terpretation of the Law which he was 
 then going to give them : In order to 
 both which Ends, it was very proper to 
 acquaint them, that the Defign of his 
 being fent into the World, was not to 
 abrogate the Law which they were then 
 under, but only to give them the right 
 Interpretation of it, and to enforce the 
 Pradice of it afreih ; think not, &c. . 
 'And that he might more confirm them 
 in the Belief of what he had faid, he 
 proceeds in the next to declare, that as 
 it had not been his Defign -to difannul 
 and make void the Law and the Pro- 
 fo neither would it be the De- 
 fign
 
 fulfilled by CHR 1ST. ^ 16 
 
 fign of any true Prophet that foould 
 ever be fent by God into the World, 
 as long as the World ftioultf la'ft ; fo 
 that by this they might in part judge, 
 whether any Perfon, pretending to In- 
 fpiration, was truly fent from God, or 
 not; for that if he went about to re- 
 kafe Men from thofe Duties which 
 had been before bound upon them, by 
 the Law of God, it might be certainly 
 concluded, that he was not a true Pro- 
 phet,- for 'till Heaven and Earth pafi, 
 fays our Saviour , i. e. as long as the 
 World lafts, one jot, or one tittle jhall in 
 no wife pafi front the Law, 'till all be 
 -fulfilled, i. e. till the End or Confumma- 
 tion of all Things. 
 
 This feems to be the general Defign 
 of the Words, to declare, That he 
 himfelf was not fent into the World, to 
 make void the Law and the Prophets, 
 and that God never would fend any one 
 after him, into the World, upon this 
 Errand. Think not that I am> &c. - 
 fulfilled. 
 
 S 4 But
 
 264 Tbe Law and tie 
 
 But for the further explaining of the 
 Words, ar\d fliewing the Truth, and the 
 Ufe of them, I fliall do thefe following 
 Things: 
 
 I. I fliall require, what is here 
 meant by the Law and the Prophetr. 
 
 II. I fliall fliow, what it is to deftroy 
 them. 
 
 III. I Hull fliow, what it is tofulfl 
 them. 
 
 IV. I fliall fhow, that nothing that 
 our Saviour faid, or did, while he was 
 in the World, did deftroy them, or 
 did tend thereunto. 
 
 V. That all that he faid, or did, 
 in the Courfe of his Miniftry, was 
 with a Defign to fulfil them, and 
 that he a&ually did fulfil them. 
 
 VI. That no other Prophet was 
 ever to be fent into the World after 
 him, with a contrary Defign. And, 
 
 VII. AndLaftly,! fliall drawfome 
 practical Inferences from the whole. 
 
 I. I
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. 
 
 I. I fliall enquire, what is here meant 
 by the Law., and the Profhetf. And by 
 the Law., when 'tis diftinguifhed from 
 the Prophets, we are to underftand the 
 five Books of Mofes, or that Law which 
 was given to the Jews by Mofer, which 
 is ufually diftinguiih'd into three Sorts, 
 ' i. the natural or moral Law, that is, 
 that Part of the Law, which prefcribed 
 the Duties of Piety and Devotion to- 
 wards God, and of Juftice and Charity 
 towards Men, and of Temperance, So- 
 briety, and Chaftity : 2. The judicial 
 Law, /'. e. that Part of the Law which 
 refpefted the Adminiftration of publick 
 Juftice, by the civil Magiftrate ; which 
 prefcribed what Proof ihould be taken 
 of fuch Crimes as were injurious and 
 hurtful to Society, and what temporal 
 Punilhments ihould be inflicted for 
 them : And, 3. the ceremonial Law, i. e. 
 that Part of the Law which ordained 
 the Rites and Ceremonies of publick 
 Worfhip, which prefcribed the Time, 
 the Place, the Manner of performing 
 
 it,
 
 266 TBe Law and the Prophets 
 
 it, and fiich other Gircumftances as 
 were not eflfential to the Worihip, btit 
 were only requifite to be obferved for 
 Order and Uniformity Sake ,- thefe ar? 
 the three main Parts of the : Law of 
 Mfl/k, given to the Jewr y and altoge- 
 ther are called the Law. 
 
 And by the Prophetr, we are to un- 
 derftand the other Books of the Old 
 Tcftament y which were written by the' 
 Prophets who fucceeded ftfofef, Until 
 the Coming ofChrifts and of their Wri- 
 tings, fome Parts are only Explications, 
 or Reinforcements of the Law, that 
 had been given Ity Mofes, and other 
 Parts are Prophecies of Things that 
 were to come $ and of thefe laft, the 
 greater Part refpeded the Meffiat, who' 
 was to appear irr the World in the lat- 
 ter Days.---- 1 proceed now in the fecond 
 Place, 
 
 H. To fliow, what it is to deftroj 
 the Law, and the Prafhe'ts ; to dcftroy, 
 the" Word, in the Original, fignifies to 
 abrogate, to difaftntjl, to make void ,- 
 
 and
 
 fulfilled h CHRIST. 267 
 
 and thus to deftroy the Law, if by it 
 we underftand the moral Law, is to 
 releafe Men from! the Obligation that 
 was before laid on them to the Duties 
 of Piety, Juftice, Charity, arid Sobrie- 
 ty ; if by it we underftand the judicial 
 Law, then to deftroy the Law, it is to 
 introduce a new Form of Political Go- 
 vernment, to prefcribe new and diffe- 
 rent Methods of adminiftring Juftice 
 among Men ; or if we underftand this 
 Place of the ceremonial Law, then to 
 deftroy the Law, it is to abrogate the 
 Rites and Ceremonies that were then 
 in Ufe, or to inftitute others in their 
 room : And to deftroy the Prophets, is 
 either to give a new Interpretation of 
 the Law, different from what they ha*! 
 given, or to deny the Truth of their 
 Predictions, or to defeat, and put by* 
 the Accomplishment of thofe Events 
 
 which they foretold j This is to de- 
 
 flroy the Law and the Profhets : And 
 therefore, 
 
 III. To
 
 268 The Law and the Prophets 
 
 III. To fulfil the Law, and the Pro- 
 phets, srx^pwfl-ai, to accomplifli and per- 
 fect them, muft be the quite contrary 
 to this, /. e. to practife all thofe 
 Things which were enjoin'd by the 
 Law, and to teach other Men to practife 
 the fame, to exact rather greater De- 
 grees of Righteoufnefs than the Law 
 did, and to bind Men to the Perfor- 
 mance thereof, by ftronger Obligations , 
 this is to fill up, and to perfect the 
 Law, and to fulfil and accomplifh the 
 Prophets, /. e. the other Books of the 
 Old Teftament, is to keep to that fame 
 Interpretation of the Law which they 
 had given j and fo far as in us lies to 
 contribute towards the Accomplilhment 
 of thofe Events which they had predic- 
 ted. I proceed now in the fourth 
 
 Place, 
 
 IV. To {how, that in the Senfe be- 
 fore given of the Phrafe, our Saviour 
 did not deftroy the Law, and the Pro- 
 phets j /. e. that nothing that he faid or 
 did, while he was in the World, did 
 
 tend
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. 269 
 
 tend to deftroy or difannul them ; think 
 not that I am come to deftroy the Law, 
 and the Prophetf. And for the Proof of 
 this we are to confider, i. The Life 
 and Converfation of our Saviour; and, 
 2. His Doffrine, by neither of which he 
 did deftroy them. 
 
 i . Not by his Life and Converfation, 
 for that was in every refpeft Spotlefs 
 and Unblameable , according to the 
 Law then in force , he did no Sin, nei- 
 ther was their any Deceit in his Mouth ^ 
 he ftriftly obferved all the three Parts 
 of the Mofaical Law , the moral Part, 
 in an exacl: Performance of all Duties 
 to God and Man ; the judicial Part, in 
 not affuming, or arrogating, any judici- 
 al Authority to himfelf, nor fo much 
 as accepting the fame when it was 
 offered to him j for when the People 
 would ha've taken hitn by Force, and made 
 Urn a King., he withdrew himfelf from 
 them i and when the Jews had brought 
 to him a Woman taken in Adultery, and 
 deiired him to give Judgment concern- 
 ing
 
 2.7 The Law and the Prophets 
 
 ing her, he declined the Office, as not 
 belonging p Jiim, being but a private 
 Marij as he .did likewife the giving 
 Judgment between two Brothers, who 
 could not agree at)out dividing their 
 Inheritance : He obferved like wife, very 
 punctually, the ceremonial Part of the 
 Law, for he was Circumcifed the Eighth 
 Day, as other Children were, that were 
 born of Jewi/h Parents ; by which Ce- 
 remony of Imitation he became a Debtor 
 to keep that whole, (as St.Paul fpeaks) 
 and in the Courfe of his Life, he ob- 
 ferved all the other Rites and Ceremo- 
 nies appointed by Mofer ; nothing was ever 
 .objefted againft l?im upon this Account 
 by the Jews, but only, that he was nof 
 fuch a rigorous Obferver of the reft of the 
 Sabbath, as they recjs.on'4 themfclves ob- 
 liged to be : But from this Accufation 
 Jie clearly juftified himfelf, by Ihowing 
 out of the Law, and the Prophets, that 
 they mifunderftood the Precept of 
 the Sabbath > and that the fame was 
 not meant to forbid doing Works pf 
 
 Necef-
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. 271 
 
 NeceiTity or Mercy on the Sabbath 
 Pay j for which only it was, that they 
 judged him to be a Breaker of the 
 Sabbath : 
 
 And, 2. as our Saviour did not by his 
 Life and Convention deftroy the Law ? ' 
 /. e. tranfgr.efs it in any Point; fo neither 
 did he .deftroy it by his Dodfrine, /. e. 
 by teaching other Men to tranfgrefs it, 
 or by declaring that they were not obli- 
 ged to keep it : For, 
 
 i. As to the moral Law, or that 
 part of the Law of ^/lofes whiclji pre- 
 icribed the Duties of natural Religion 
 to pod, our Neighbour, and ourf elves,- 
 there is not any one Precept of the Gof- 
 pel which can be thought to evacuate 
 jrhis j there is not in the whole Qofpel 
 ithe leaft Licence givejn to Men, to tranf- 
 grefs ^ny Precept of it -, but the whole 
 of our Saviour jyas ,( as t;he 
 jtty.es it ) a ~Dottrine according to 
 a^id \y,tiich teaches w to detq 
 all Ungodl'tncfts and worldly Luft?> aydtp 
 live foberly, righteoujly, $ftd gp t dly, in this 
 frefent World : And," ' 2. As
 
 The Law and the Prophets 
 
 2. As to the judicial Law of Mo(er 9 
 which prefcribed the Forms and Me- 
 thods of adminiftring publick Juftice 
 among the Jews, our Saviour made no 
 Alteration at all in that ; he left it juft 
 as he found it, and was fo far from in- 
 ftituting a new Pplicy, qr making 
 new Laws, relating to Civil Govern- 
 ment, that he always declared. That 
 his Kingdom was not of thlf World, and 
 that he had no Command given him, 
 by his Father, to a flume a fecular Au- 
 thority, or exercife a civil Jurifdiction 
 among Men : And, 
 
 3. And Laftly, as to the ceremonial 
 Part of the Law, which is the only 
 Part of it in which it can be pretended 
 that our Saviour made any Innovation 
 by his Doctrine, fo far was our Lord 
 from aboliihing that, or teaching the 
 Jewf, among whom he lived, that it 
 was abolifhed , that as he lived in the 
 ftrict Obfervations thereof himfel fo 
 he taught the fame to others; as you 
 may fee, Mat. viii. 4. when having cur'd 
 
 a Mais
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. 273 
 
 a Man of his Leprofy, he immediately 
 gave him this Charge - y See., fays he, that 
 thoit tell no Man b but go thy Way, faew 
 thyfelf to the Prieft, and offer the Gift 
 that Mofes commanded for a Testimony 
 unto them. Thus it appears that our 
 Saviour did not deftroy the Law, and 
 the Prophets : I proceed now in the 
 5th Place, 
 
 V. To fhow that he did fulfil them ; 
 think not that 1 am come to deflroy the 
 Law and the Prophets $ I am not come to 
 'Deftroy, but to Fulfil., i. e. (as was faid 
 before) to accomplifli, to cornpleat, to 
 perfect them. All that he faid and 
 did in the whole Courfe of his Miniftry 
 was with a Defign and had a Tendency 
 to fulfil them. 
 
 And the Truth 6f this will readily; 
 appear, if we briefly run over again 
 the Particulars already mentioned. And, 
 
 Firft of all, he fulfilled the moral Law, 
 or that Part of the Law of Mofes which 
 commanded the Duties of Natural Reli- 
 gion, partly by freeing it from thofe falfe 
 
 [Vol. II.] T and
 
 274 The Law and the Prophets 
 
 and loofe Interpretations, which the 
 Pharifeef and Jewijh Doctors had put 
 upon it, who, as our Lord obferves, 
 had in many Inftances, made 'void the 
 Law of God by their Tradition! ; partly 
 by obliging his Difciples to higher De- 
 grees of Holinefs and Virtue than the 
 Law had exprefsly enjoin'd j many In- 
 ftances of which we meet with in the 
 remaining Part of this Chapter, [of which 
 (God willing) we will in due Time Dif- 
 courfe ,-] and partly by reftraining Men 
 from thofe Liberties, which being con- 
 trary to that Purity and Perfection 
 which the Law defign'd, were never- 
 thelefs permitted to the Jews, becaufe 
 of the Hardnefs of their Hearts ; feveral 
 Inftances whereof we meet with in the 
 Gofpel, as in the Cafe of Polygamy, 
 Divorce, Revenge, and the like. 
 
 2. He alfo fulfilled the judicial Law ; 
 fo far was he from deftroying, that he 
 rather added to that, by threatning to 
 thofe Crimes which were hurtful and 
 prejudicial to Humane Societies, much 
 
 feverer
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. 275. 
 
 feverer Penalties than the Law had 
 threatnedto inflict; for thus, whereas the 
 Law had threatned Death only, to Murr- 
 der, and that too only a Temporal Death) 
 and had not pafTed any Cenfure upon 
 the lefTer Degrees of, and Approaches 
 towards, this great Crime, our Lord 
 exprefsly threatens eternal Death , 
 not only to him that ihould kill his 
 Brother, but alfo to him who fhould be 
 angry with him without juft Caufe, or in 
 an undue Meafure, or that fhould Hurt 
 or Wound him even by the Stroke of 
 his Tongue by reproachful and reviling 
 Language ; as you may fee at the 2ift 
 and 22d Verfes of this Chapter > and 
 feveral other Inftances of the like Na- 
 ture I might mention. 
 
 3. He alfo fulfilled the Ceremonial 
 Law j not indeed by multiplying and 
 increafing the Number of Ritual and 
 Ceremonial Obfervances, or by obliging 
 Men more ftrongly to obferve thofe 
 Which Mofes. had before Ordained ; but 
 by ftri&ly commanding that inward Puri- 
 T 2 ty,
 
 ij6 The Law and the Prophets 
 
 ty, that Cleannefs of Thought, and Un- 
 corruptnefs of Manners, of which the 
 legal Purifications enjoined by the Law 
 of Moftfj were only a Shadow and a 
 Figure. He alfo perfected and fulfilled 
 this Part of the Law, by accomplilhing 
 thofe Things in his own Perlbn, which 
 had been prophecied and foretold of 
 him in Types and Shadows, by the 
 Ceremonies enjoined by M0/^r. Thus 
 our Saviour perfected and fulfilled the 
 whole Law. 
 
 2. He alfo fulfilled the Prophets, by 
 doing and fuflfering all thofe Things 
 which the Prophets had foretold con- 
 cerning him j there was fcarcely any 
 Thing that our Saviour did or fuffered, 
 which had not been predicated before 
 by the Prophets, and which was not 
 the Accompliihment of fome ancient 
 Prophecy concerning the MeJ/iaf, as 
 may be eafily obferved by any one 
 that carefully reads over the Hiftory 
 of the Gofpel, throughout all which 
 the Evangcli/l? do frequently remark, 
 
 that
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. 277 
 
 that this or that Thing was faid or done by 
 him, that it might be fulfilled which was 
 fpoken by this or that, or the other Pro- 
 phet concerning Chriftj and there is 
 not any one Prophecy concerning the 
 Meffias in any of the ancient Prophets, 
 which, if we carefully read over the 
 Hiftory of our Saviour's Life and Suf- 
 ferings, as the fame is Recorded by the 
 four Evangaliftfy we may not find ex- 
 actly accomplilhed in and by him ; 
 even that which is the only Thing that 
 the Jews can object againft his being 
 the Mcjjiar, and a Teacher fent by God, 
 viz. that by the preaching of the Gpfpel, 
 the Ritual and Ceremonial Law ofMofef 
 is declared to be aboliihed (though, as 
 I obferved before, our Saviour did not 
 exprefsly abrogate or abolifh it, but 
 only by his own Appearance, who was 
 the Subftance, did make the Shadow 
 to vaniih and difappear) I fay, even this 
 very Thing had been exprefsly foretold by 
 the Prophets in many Places, particu- 
 larly by the Prophet Jeremy ^ Ch. xxxi. 31. 
 T 3 Pehold
 
 278 The Law and the Prophet r 
 
 Behold the Dayr come, faith the Lord, 
 that I will make a new Covenant with 
 'theHoufe of Ifrael, and with the Houfe 
 -of Judah, not according to the Covenant 
 which I made with their Father^ in the 
 Day that I took them by the Hand^ to bring 
 them out of the Land of Egypt. But this 
 JJoall be tbe Covenant that 1 will make with 
 them in thefe Dayf, faith the Lord: I will 
 put my Law in their inward Part.^ and 
 'Write it in their Hearts, and will be their 
 'God, and they JJjall be my People. And 
 fo much for the fifth Thing propofed, 
 that all that our Saviour faid and did 
 while he was upon Earth, tended to 
 fulfil the Types and Prophecies, and to 
 perfect and compleat the Rules of holy 
 Living .that were delivered by Mofes 
 and the other Prophets; I am not come 
 to deftroy the Law and the Prophet!, but 
 to fulfil 
 
 VI. The fixth Thing propofed was 
 to ihow, that no other Prophet was 
 ever to be fent into the World aftei; 
 Chrifl, with a contrary Defign; /'. e. to 
 
 evacuate
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. 275? 
 
 evacuate Mens Obligation to the Prac- 
 tice of Holinefs and Virtue > and this 
 is what our Saviour exprefsly Teaches, 
 or at leaft what does neceflfarily follow 
 from his Words, in the id Verfe of 
 the Text ,- Verily I fay unto you, till Hea- 
 ven and Earth faff, one jot or one tittle 
 foall in no wife pafs from the Law till all 
 be fulfilled ; which Jaft Claufe, till all be 
 fulfilled, may be expounded in two 
 Senfes > for, firft, the Word rf//, may be 
 referred to the Law before mention'd, 
 as if it had been faid, till all the Law be 
 fulfilled., and then the meaning will be, 
 that no Part of the Law was to be 
 abrogated or abolifhed, till that was ac- 
 complilhed which was fignified by it; 
 intimating, that when it was Ip accom- 
 plifhed a then it would be of no longer 
 Obligation ; that then 5 without any ex- 
 prefs Abrogation, it would of its own 
 accord (as it were) die and vanifh j and 
 this being the Cafe of the ceremoniaf 
 Law of Mofes, it plainly follows, that 
 fhe Afoftles of our Lord, who taught 
 T 4 that
 
 180 The Law and the Prophet f 
 
 that the ceremonial Law of Mofes did 
 no longer oblige., were not Deftroyers 
 of that Law, but only declared Matter 
 of Fad, *viz. ; that the Law at the firft 
 giving of it, was not defigned to con- 
 tinue for ever, but only till it was ful- 
 filled, /'. e. till thofe Events were come 
 to pafs of which the Ceremonies en^ 
 joined in that Law, were Types and 
 Shadows, and moreover, that at the firft 
 Delivery of it, it was only defigned 
 to oblige the Jewr, while they were 
 a peculiar People, feparate from all 
 other Nations, fo that confequently 
 when the Partition Wall was broken 
 down, and the Gentiles were admitted 
 into the Church, and all, both Jews and 
 Gentile?, were become one Fold under one 
 Shepherd, Jejuf Chrift, it was impoffible 
 that that Law fliould be any longer 
 obliging ; becaufe the Nature of it 
 plainly fliewed it to ,be fuch, as was 
 fitted only to the Jewijh State 5 for 
 what need was there of the difcrinii- 
 nating Sign of Circumciflon, to diftin- 
 
 guiih
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. 281 
 
 guifh between Jews and Gentiles, when 
 there was no longer any Difference be- 
 tween Jews and Gentile^ but they 
 were all alike Partakers of the fame 
 Grace of God in Chrifl Jefas ? Or how 
 fhould that Precept be any longer obli- 
 ging, which commanded all the Male? 
 to appear three Times a Year before God in 
 Jerufalem, when the Church was difper- 
 fed fo far over the whole Habitable 
 Earth, that it would take up the greateft 
 Part of the Year, for thofe who live in 
 remote Countries from Judea^ to make 
 fo much as one Journey thither, and to 
 return Home again ? And the like might 
 be ihewed in many other Inftancesj 
 and therefore the Afoftks, who declared 
 that this Part of the Law, confifting in 
 Types and Shadows, did no longer ob- 
 lige, when Chrift, the Subftance, was 
 come, and that being fitted only to the 
 Nation of the Jews, it fhould not ob- 
 lige the Gentiles, (I fay, the Apoftler, in 
 declaring this) did not abrogate that 
 Law, but only ihewed that it was ex-
 
 382 The Law and the Prophets 
 
 pir'd, and that it was at firft but a Tem- 
 porary Law, which was of Courfe to 
 <Iie and grow obiblete, when the Time 
 for which it was made was run out ; one 
 jot or one tittle Jhall in no wife pafs from 
 tie Law, till all be fulfilled ; /. e. till 
 the Time for which it was made be 
 expired ; and that (as to the ceremonial 
 Part of the Jewifo Law) was, when 
 our Saviour had finifhed all that was 
 foretold of him by thofe Types, and 
 when the Jews were no longer to con- 
 tinue a feparate and peculiar People 
 diftinft from the Gentiles ; when thefe 
 Things happened, (as they did in the 
 Days of the Afeftki) then all that 
 Part of the Law \vzsfulfillcd, and fo was 
 to pafs away; neither was there any 
 Need of an exprefs Abrogation or Repeal 
 of it, becaufe being made at firft only 
 to continue till that time, it did then 
 of itfelf expire, juft as a Law made 
 only for Time of War ceafes when the 
 War is at an End, and after a Peace is 
 made j it is not then deftroyed or abro- 
 gated^
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. 283 
 
 gated, but it expires ; the Reafon for 
 which it was made then ceafing, the 
 Law itfelf likewife ceafes, when all 
 that is accomplilhed for which the Law 
 was made, the Law continues no lon- 
 ger to oblige i and thus it. was with the 
 ceremonial Law of Mofes, our Saviour 
 did not exprefsly repeal it, but he ful- 
 filled it , he put an End to that State 
 of Things, during which only that Law 
 at the firft making of it was defigned 
 to oblige, and then it paffed away. 
 But, 
 
 2. That Claufe, till all be fulfilled, 
 may be otherwiife underftood, viz. as 
 referring to the End of the World, to 
 the Confummation of all Things, one 
 jot or one tittle fhall not pafs from the 
 Law fug v Travis ygvvjr^/, till all Tbittgf 
 .be done, that is, till the World be 
 at an End, or, as he had faid at the 
 Beginning of the Verfe, till Heaven and 
 Earth; i. e. this prefent World, pafi 
 .away, and be diflblved ; thus long our 
 .Saviour here alfures us the Law fhall 
 
 continue
 
 2 84 The Law and the Prophet f 
 
 continue and be in Force, /'. e. the mo- 
 ral Law, or that Part of the Law 
 which teaches the natural Duties owing 
 to God, our Neighbour, and ourfelves, 
 for if we underftand the Claufe, till aft 
 be done or fulfilled, in this Senfe, it is 
 evident, that this Perpetuity of the Law 
 muft be underftood only of the moral 
 Law, not of the judicial Law, which 
 perfcribing Rules of Government, and 
 Adminiftration of Juftice to the Jewr, 
 ceafed of Courfe when the Jews ceafed 
 to be a People $ nor of the ceremonial 
 Law, which being only a Shadow of 
 Things to come., expired and was outdated, 
 when the Things typified and fignified 
 thereby were accomplilhed, as has been 
 fhewed already ; but the moral Law, 
 which prefcribes natural Duties, or for- 
 bids things which are naturally Evil and 
 Sinful, this our Saviour here afTures us 
 Ihall continue and be in Force for ever, 
 till ihe End and Consummation of all 
 Things^ and till Heaven and Earth do 
 fafi away, and be diflblved. From 
 
 whence
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. 28? 
 
 whence it plainly follows, that as our 
 Saviour himfelf did not come to deftroy 
 this Law., fo neither will God ever 
 fend any MefTenger into the World 
 upon this Errant j and the Proof of this 
 was the fixth Thing propounded. I 
 proceed now, in the laft Place, 
 
 VII. Briefly to draw fome ufe- 
 ful Inferences from what had been 
 faid, and fo conclude. And, 
 
 Firftof all, what has been faid on this 
 Subject may ferve to confirm our Faith 
 in the Belief of this great Truth, (in- 
 deed the fundamental Truth of our 
 whole Chriftian Religion) viz. that 
 Jefus was the Chrift; Thefe things 
 alone, viz. that all the Types of the 
 Law, and Predictions of the Prophets, 
 were fulfilled and accomplifhed in our 
 Saviour, and that the Doctrine which 
 he taught was not any ways contrary 
 to the Rules of Piety, Juftice and So- 
 briety, which had been delivered by 
 JM0/r and the Prophets, were abun- 
 dantly fufficient to prove him to be the
 
 2 86 The Law and the Prophet 
 
 y although he had not had the 
 Atteftation of Miracles over and above i 
 but hi* Miracles alone, though they had 
 been ten times more and greater than 
 they were, would not have been fuffici- 
 ent to prove it, in cafe he had not 
 anfwered the Character which the Pro- 
 phets had before given of the Mejfaih 
 or in cafe he had taught a Do&rine 
 that was contradictory to. former Re- 
 velation, or not agreeable to the eter- 
 nal Law of Reafbn written in our 
 Hearts , and therefore our Saviour him- 
 felf, who fometimes appeals to his Mi- 
 racles as a Proof of his Divine Million ; 
 as in Job. v. 36. The Works which the- 
 Father hath given me to finiJJ^ the fame 
 Work; that I do, bear Witnefi of inc,, that- 
 the Father hath fent. me $ at other times 
 appeals to the Teftimony of the ancient 
 Prophets concerning him ;. as Joh. v 39.. 
 Search the Scripture*, for in them ye think 
 that ye have eternal Life, and they are 
 they which teftify of me ; and at other 
 times to the Purity of his Do&rine , 
 
 as
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. 287 
 
 as Job. vii. 1 8. My Dottrine is nut mine., but 
 
 his that fent me. And then to prove 
 
 this, he adds. He that fpeaketh of him- 
 felf, feeketh hit own Glory ,- but he that 
 feeketh his Glory that fent him, the fame 
 is tme> and no Unrighteoufnefs is in him. 
 
 Had he wrought never ' fo many Mi- 
 racles, yet if his Doctrine had been 
 wicked, or contradictory to natural 
 Religion, he ought not to have been 
 received as a Prophet : Or again, if he 
 had only wrought Miracles for the Con- 
 firmation of a true Doctrine, and iucii 
 as was agreeable to former Revelations, 
 tho' this would have fufficed to have 
 proved him to be a true Prophet, it 
 would riot have been fufficient to prove 
 him to be the MeJ/uif foretold by the 
 Prophets, unlefs thofe Things which 
 they had prophefied concerning the 
 MeJJias> had been alfo accompliihed in 
 him. But when his Miracles were 
 fuch , as plainly argued that he was 
 aflifted by a fupernatural Power, and 
 when by the Purity of his Doctrine it 
 
 appeared
 
 288 The Law and the Prophets 
 
 appear'd that he was not affifted by 
 evil Spirits in the working of his Mira- 
 cles, for they would never have helped 
 him to deftroy their own Kingdom ; 
 when, I fay, the Miracles that he 
 wrought were fuch as fliow'd plainly 
 that God was with him, and when the 
 Do&rine and Religion that he taught 
 was a Religion wprthy of God, and 
 when, befides all this, all the Types of 
 the Law and Predi&ions of the Prophets 
 were exactly verified in him, all thefe 
 Things together were an irrefragable 
 Proof and Demonftration not only that 
 he was a Teacher fent from God, but 
 that he was the Prophet which Mofes 
 himfelf had foretold, and which all the 
 Prophets had fpoken of, even the 
 "Mejfias, the Saviour of the World. 
 
 2. It may be further inferred from 
 the foregoing Difcourfe, that whoever 
 now-a-days, or at any time hereafter, 
 does or ihall teach any Doctrine tend- 
 ing to make the Practice of Holinefs 
 and Virtue unnecefTary, is a falfe Pro- 
 phet,
 
 fulfM by CHRIST. 
 
 f>het, and by no Means to be heafkned 
 to j for our Saviour > himfelf, here plain- 
 ly teaches, that it was not his Defign 
 to deftroy the Law , but rather to 
 raife it higher, to perfect and compleat 
 it, and to exacl: of Men greater Degrees 
 of Holinefs-than they were before obli^ 
 ged to j and he like wife declares, that 
 the Law, which he had interpreted in 
 its true Senfe, and had fet fo high, fliall 
 remain in Force as long as the World, 
 laftsj and therefore whoever goes a- 
 bout, by Publilhing any loofe and licen- 
 tious Doctrine, to evacuate or deftroy 
 this Law, as the Gnofticfo, and other 
 Hereticks., did irt the primitive Times^ 
 and as the Papifts> and other Setfarier, 
 ftill continue to do in our Times, is 
 manifeftly a falfe Teacher, and by no 
 Means to be hearken'd to by us, even 
 altho' he fhould pretend to do, nay^ 
 not altho' he ihould really do, many 
 Miracles^ to induce us to believe him ; 
 for this very Cafe was foretold by our 
 Saviour, that after him there fnould 
 [Vol.11.] U arife
 
 2po The Law and the Prophets 
 
 arife falfe Chrifts, and falfe Prophets, who 
 Ihould Jhew great Signs and Wonders, 
 infomuch, that if it were pojfible they 
 dould deceive the very Elett. Mat. xxiv. 
 24. In this Cafe therefore we are not 
 1 only to mind, whether or no Men re- 
 ally do the Miracles that they pretend 
 to do ; but alfo, whether their Doctrine 
 be agreeable to the Principles of natu- 
 ral Religion, and to the Truth of the 
 Scripture, and in Cafe it be not fo, the 
 greateft Miracles ought not to induce 
 us to embrace it - y and thus the Jews 
 were warned by Mofes, Deut. xiii. i, 
 2, 3. If there arife among you a Prophet , 
 or aDreamer of Dreams, and giveth thee a 
 Signer a Wonderland the Signer the Won- 
 der, come to faff, whereof he fpake unto 
 thee, faying, let us go after other Gods 
 which thou haft not known, and let us 
 ferve them, thou flmlt not hearken to the 
 Words of that Prophet, or that Dreamer 
 of Dreams ,- for the Lord your God fro- 
 veth you, to know whether you love the 
 Lord your God, with all your Heart, and 
 with all your Sonl 
 
 3. From
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. 29 1 
 
 3. From what has been faid it fur- 
 ther appears, that they do greatly mif- 
 take theDefign of our Saviours Coming 
 into the World, and the Nature of the 
 Chriftian Religion, who think that he 
 came to do our Work for us, and to 
 perform perfect Righteoufnefs in our 
 ftead, and that nothing more is required 
 of us, but only to receive him for our 
 Saviour, and to apply his Merits to our- 
 felves by Faith, and to rely wholly on 
 what he hath done for us : It is true 
 indeed, after all that we can do, we 
 muft rely only on the Goodnefs of God, 
 and the Merits of Chrift, for Salvation, 
 becaufe our Obedience, at the beft, is 
 very imperfect ; and befides, if it were 
 never fo perfect, it could not merit any 
 Thing at God's Hands j but the Merits 
 of Chrifl will never be applied, by 
 him, to any but fuch as take him for 
 their King, as well as for their Saviour; 
 and fubmit themfelves to be guided and 
 
 O 
 
 governed by his Laws ; and fo far are 
 
 his Laws from difcharging Men from 
 
 U 2 the
 
 29 2 The Law and the Pvofhets 
 
 the Duties of Morality, or giving them 
 any Licenfe to Sin, that they are really 
 much ftri&er than any that had been be- 
 fore given, and require greater Degrees 
 of Holinefs and Virtue than were ever 
 before required : So far was he from 
 making void the Law, that he efta- 
 blifh'd itj he came not to deftroy , but 
 to fulfil. 
 
 4. And Laftly, It therefore appears 
 further, from what hath been faid, that 
 if any Man thinks himfelf not obliged 
 'by the Law, which enjoins good 
 Works, but that fo long as he believes 
 in Chrifty he may live, and act, as he 
 pleafes himfelf - 3 he is fo far from being 
 a better Cbriftian upon this Account, 
 that if he practifes according to this 
 Opinion, he fo far renounces his Chrif- 
 tianity, and forfeits all the Privileges 
 he was entitled to by his Baptifm , and 
 this is the Inference which our Saviour 
 himfelf draws from theie Words of his 
 in the Verfe following the Text, Think 
 not that I am come .to deftroy the Law,, 
 
 and
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. _ 293 
 
 and the Prophet f, I am not come to deftroy, 
 but to fulfil j for verily I fay unto you, 'till 
 Heaven and Earth pafs> one jot, or one 
 tittle, {hall not faff from the Law 'till all 
 be fulfilled j and then he adds, as an In- 
 ference, or Corollory, from hence, 
 Whosoever therefore Jhall break one ofthefe 
 leafl Commandment?, or Jhall teach Men 
 fo, he flail be called the leaft in the King- 
 dom of Heaven ; but whofoever Jhall do 
 and teach them, the fame Jhall be called 
 great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 
 
 be added in the Chriftmas 
 Holy-Days. 
 
 5. Laftty. Confidering the prefent 
 Seafon, I think it will be very proper 
 to mention this one Inference more 
 from what hath been faid, viz. that 
 the Defign of our Saviours Coming 
 being, ( as he himfelf here teaches us ) 
 not to deftroy the Law, but to fulfil it, 
 our Remembrance, as at this Time, of 
 his Coming, ought to be fiiitable to 
 this Defigp of it. 
 
 V J Seeing
 
 294 Th e Law and the Prophets 
 
 Seeing therefore., he came not to de- 
 ftroy the Law, /. e. not to releafe Men 
 from the Obligation they were before 
 under to the Duties of Morality., but 
 to/ fulfil it, /. e. to require of Men a 
 ftri&er Purity and Righteoufnefs than 
 had been before enjoin'd, it is very ab- 
 liird and incongruous, that we fhould 
 (as a great many do) make this Seafon 
 let apart for the folemn and religious 
 Commemoration of our Saviour's Com- 
 ing into the World, an Occaflon and 
 Opportunity ; 'tis yet much more ab- 
 furd and incongruous, that we fliould 
 think it ( as I fear fome do ) an Excufe 
 for our greater Licentioufnefs. 
 
 Quite otherways are we taught by 
 the Afoflle , Tit. ii. n.'with vvhofe 
 Words I ihall conclude : The Grace of 
 God, that bringeth Sahation, hath appear- 
 ed unto all Men., teaching us, that denying 
 UngodUnefs and worldly Luftr, we Jhould 
 live foberly^ rigbteoufly, and godly, in thit 
 prcfent World , looking fof that bleffed 
 Hope, and the glorious Appearing of the 
 
 great
 
 fulfilled by CHRIST. 195 
 
 great God y and our Saviour Jefur Chrift, 
 who gave himfelf for ur, that he might 
 redeem us from all Iniquity, and purifie 
 unto himfelf a peculiar People zealous of 
 good Works. 
 
 Therefore, Rev. i. 6. Unto him that 
 loved w, and wajhed us from our Sins in 
 his own Blood) and hath made us Kings 
 and Priefts unto God, and his father^ to 
 him be Glory and Dominion for ever and 
 ever. Amen. 
 
 
 u 4 WHAT
 
 WHAT 
 
 COMMANDMENTS 
 
 ARE OF 
 
 b 
 
 Perpetual Obligation 
 
 iTQ 
 
 CHRISTIANS. 
 
 vvvvvvvvvvvvvvmnnmF
 
 199 
 
 DISCOURSE XX. 
 
 at Commandments are of 
 Perpetual Obligation to 
 Chriftians. 
 
 MATTH. v. 19. 
 
 Whosoever therefore fhall break 
 one of thefe lea ft Command- 
 
 J *J J 
 
 merits, and Jhall teach Men fa 
 he Jhall be called the Lea ft in 
 the Kingdom of Heaven > but 
 whofoever Jhall do and teach 
 them, the fame jhall be called 
 Great in the Kingdom of 
 Heaven. 
 
 O R the Underftanding of 
 
 * thefe Words, it will be 
 
 needful to enquire. 
 
 J.
 
 What. Commandments are of, 
 
 I. What Commandments they are 
 which our Lord here fpeaks of. 
 
 II. What he means by thefe leafl 
 Commandment T, or the leaft of thefe 
 Commandments. 
 
 III. What he means by being caWd 
 the Leaft, or Great, in the Kingdom 
 of Heaven. And, 
 
 IV. What he means by coupling, 
 as he does, in both Claufes of the 
 .Text, our Doing a Thing ourfelves, 
 with our Teaching Men to do the 
 fame Thing , fflhofower, fays he, JW 
 break thefe Commandments, and foall teach 
 Men fo ; and in the latter Claufe, 
 Whofoever Jhall do, and teach them. 
 
 I. What Commandments they are which 
 our Lord here fpeaks of, and calls thefe 
 Commandments. Whofoever therefore fo all 
 break one of thefe Commandments. 
 
 Now the Word therefore, WThofoewr 
 therefore Jhall break them, plainly ihews, 
 the Words of the Text have a Con- 
 
 nexion
 
 Perpetual Obligation to Chriftiam. 301 
 
 nexion with, and Dependance upon, 
 what had been faid before j and confe- 
 quently, that for the right Underftan-*- 
 ding of them, we muft fee what it was 
 that had been faid in the preceeding 
 Sentence. 
 
 And the Words immediately forego- 
 ing, [of which I difcourfed the laft 
 Time] are thefej Think not that I am 
 Come to deftroy the Law, and the Prophet r, 
 I am not come to deftroy, but to fulfil. For, 
 verily I fay unto you, till Heaven v and 
 'Earth faff, one jot, or one tittle flail in 
 no wife fafs from the Law, till all be ful- 
 filled. And then it follows, Wbofoever 
 therefore Jhall break one ofthefe leaft Com- 
 wandmentt, &c. 
 
 By which Connexion it plainly appears, 1 
 that the Commandments here ipoken 
 of, are the fame which had been fpokea 
 of in the foregoing Words, and which 
 our Saviour there fays, he came not to 
 deftroy but to fulfil , and of which he 
 further affirms, that they ihall be ever 
 obliging, even until the End of the 
 
 "World;
 
 302 What Commandments are of 
 
 World j 'Till Heaven and Earth faff, 
 one jot, or one tittle, jhall in no wife faff 
 from the Law. 
 
 But what Commandments are thefe. 
 which are thus perpetually obliging ? 
 
 Are they the Ceremonial Command- 
 ments of the Law, Circumcifion, Sacrifi- 
 ces, New Moons, Sabbaths, legal Purifica- 
 tions, and fuch like ? No, for thefe are 
 already fulfilled, being only Shadowy 
 of which Chrift is the Subftance And 
 therefore being already fulfilled in 
 Chrift, fo far is it from being now a 
 Sin not to obferve thefe Precepts, that, 
 on the contrary, the Obfervation of 
 them would be, in Effed, and by fair 
 Interpretation, a Renouncing our Chri- 
 ftianity; for fliould we now obferve 
 thofe Ceremonies which were Types 
 of Chrift, and were defigned to point 
 him out when he fhould come into the 
 "World, this would be in Effect to deny 
 that Chrift is already come in the Flefh; 
 for if we believe him already come, 
 what Need, or what Reafon, can there 
 
 be,
 
 Perpetual Obligation to Cbriftians. 303 
 
 be, to ufe now thofe Ceremonies which 
 were inftituted at firft only as Types 
 and Prefigurations of Chrift. 
 
 Are they then the Judicial Command- 
 ments of the Law which our Saviour 
 here meant? I anfwer, not thefe nei- 
 ther j for thefe were given at firft only 
 to the Jews., and were never defign'd 
 to oblige other Nations, any further 
 than as they are grounded upon Equity 
 and Reafon, which indeed all Nations 
 ought to have a conftant Regard to in 
 the making of all their Laws, for the 
 Prefervation of Property and Juftice and 
 Peace among their Subjects. But then 
 the fame Laws which are very Neceffary 
 or Expedient for thefe Purpofes in one 
 Kingdom or Commonwealth, may be 
 very inconvenient or unfuitable in ano- 
 ther i And therefore, the Lagiilative 
 Power of every Nation muft herein have 
 Confideration of the peculiar Temper 
 and Genius of their own Subjects, and 
 muft fuit their Laws thereunto ; feeking 
 to maintain Peace and good Order among 
 
 them,
 
 304 IFhat Commandments are of 
 
 thenij by fuch Means as are likely to 
 be moft effe&ual. And there are not, 
 perhaps, two Nations in the whole 
 iWorld, to which exa&ly the fame Form 
 of Government, and exa&ly the fame 
 Methods of adminiftring publick Juftice, 
 would be in all Refpe&s the beft. In 
 fhort therefore, the Judicial Laws of 
 Mofef were by the Wifdom of God 
 himfelf fuited to the Jewijh Nation, 
 and fo, while they continued a Nation, 
 were obliging to them j for it would 
 have been unpardonable Prefumption 
 in them to have gone about to correct 
 the Divine Legiflature. But thefe Laws 
 can't now be thought obliging even to 
 the Jews themfelves, now that they 
 are difperfed among other Nations, and 
 mutt, whether they will or no, be go- 
 vern'd by, and fubjecl: to, the feveral 
 Laws of the feveral Countries, in which 
 they fojourn j and much lefs an they 
 be thought obliging to other Nations 
 to which they were never given* 
 
 It
 
 fcrpctual Obligation to Chnftians. 305 
 
 It remains then that the Command- 
 ments here fpoken of, muft be the Moral 
 Commandments of the j^z#//&Law, which 
 do in truth continue now in the fame force 
 that they ever were ; and are fo far from 
 being abolifh'd by our Saviour^ that on the 
 contrary, they are advanced and improved, 
 as will be feen in handling the remaining 
 part of this Chapter. Thus far thejewijb 
 Law, and the Ckriftian Law, are the fame j 
 what were Moral Duties under the Law, 
 are now no lefs Duties under the Gofpel j 
 and what were Sins then, as Breaches of 
 thofe Duties, are Sins ftill, and ever will 
 be fo while the World lafts. The truth is, 
 thefe Commandments, though they were 
 a part of the Law given by Mofes, yet were 
 not (properly fpeaking) given by that 
 Law, becaufe they had been long before 
 given to all Mankind by the Law of Na- 
 ture y and other Nations, to which the 
 Law of Mofes was not given, were oblig'd 
 to obferve and keep them as much as the 
 Jews were. The Gentile?, which had not 
 the Lrtzjy, were by Nature taught to do 
 thefe things contained in the Law, as the 
 [Vol. II.] X Apoftle
 
 306 What Commandments are of 
 
 Afoftle fpeaks j and whenever they fail'd 
 to do them, they were condemn'd by their 
 own Confciences. And thefe, being Laws 
 founded upon eternal Reafon, muft be for 
 ever obliging. 
 
 But then, be/ides thefe Natural Laws, 
 there are alfo fome pofitive Command- 
 ments given by our Saviour to all his Dif- 
 eiples, of like nature with thofe Ceremo- 
 nial Laws which were given to the Jews 
 by Mofet, only With this difference ,- That 
 whereas they had reference to the Meffiah 
 that was then to come* and were Types 
 and Prefigurations of Cbrifl ,- thefe have re- 
 fpect to the Meflkb that is already come, 
 and are Tokens and Expreflions of our Be- 
 lief that Jefrs was the Cbrifl. And thefe 
 Commandments are only two, viz. Bap- 
 tifm and the Lord's Supper :. Which tho r 
 (confidering the nature of them) they are 
 only Ceremonial Obfervances, (becaufe 
 they are not good in themfelves, but only 
 becaufe they are commanded ) yet now, 
 being commanded to all Chriftian^ and 
 being alfo fuch Inftitutions as are fuited to 
 the ftate of the whole Chriftian Church, 
 
 they
 
 perpetual Obligation to Chnftians. 307 
 
 they will be obliging as long as there is a 
 Ckriftian Church ; /'. e. to the end of the 
 World. 
 
 Thus you fee what are the Command- 
 ments that our Lord here fpeaks of: They 
 are either the Moral Precepts of the Law, 
 as expounded, enlarg'd, and amplified in 
 the Gofpel ; or elfe they are the Sacra- 
 ments of the Chriftian Religion ; Baptifm, 
 by which we are entred and initiated into 
 the Chriftian Church -, and the Supper of 
 the Lord, by partaking of which we pro- 
 fefs our Faith in the Crucified jefits, and 
 call to mind his bitter Sufferings on our 
 behalf, and with Thankfulnefs commemo- 
 rate the fame. 
 
 I proceed now in the Second place : 
 
 2. To enquire what our Saviour here 
 means by thefe leaft Commandments, or 
 the leaft of thefe Commandments. 
 
 Now if we confider the Authority by 
 which the Commandments were given, in 
 this refped: they are all equal, one is as 
 great as another : For he which fat d> Thou 
 Jhalt not commit Adultery., faid alfo, Do not 
 fteal: fpd he who commanded us to wor- 
 X 2 Jhip
 
 t 
 
 308 What Commandments are of 
 
 fliip God, and to love one another , has 
 likewife commanded us to be baptiz'd in 
 his Name, and to continue the memory 
 of his Paflion by partaking of his holy Sup- 
 per. And therefore feeing the enacting 
 Authority is in all cafes the fame, no 
 Commandment laid upon us by this Au- 
 thority, can in this refpect be thought 
 greater or lefs than another j but it is a Sin, 
 and as plainly a Sin, and as much a Sin, 
 wilfully to neglect a Precept of positive 
 Inftitution, as to tranfgrefs a natural 
 Law. 
 
 The difference therefore between the 
 Commandments, upon the account of 
 which one may be faid to be greater or lefs 
 than another, muft be, I think, either, 
 i . In the Subject-matter of the Command- 
 ments, as one thing may be more or leis 
 neceffary in itfelf than another thing : Or, 
 i. In the different manner in which the 
 Divine Authority is imprefs'd upon the 
 Commandments ; as one thing may be 
 commanded by God directly, another thing 
 only indirectly, and by confequence. Or, 
 3. In the difference that may be in the ef-
 
 perpetual Obligation to Chnftians. 309 
 
 fed: of the Tranfgreilion of any Law j as 
 the Breach of one Commandment may be 
 of much more hurtful and mifchievous 
 confequence, than the Breach of another 
 may be. 
 
 For the clearing of which Diftinclions, 
 I lhall give an Inftance or two of each 
 kind. 
 
 i . Then , I fay , one Commandment 
 may be greater or lefs than another in re- 
 gard to the Subject-matter of it. For one 
 Commandment may exprefly enjoin the 
 doing of a thing that is neceilary in itfelf, 
 and which was fo antecedently to the 
 Commandment ; whereas another Com- 
 mandment may enjoin the doing of a thing, 
 which if it had not been commanded by a 
 pofitive Law, would not have been a ne- 
 ceffary Duty. 
 
 And in this refpecl the Moral Precepts 
 of the Law are greater than the Ceremo- 
 nial., and by confequence the Ceremonial 
 are lefs than the Moral j /'. e. they are Pre- 
 cepts, which in companion with the Mo- 
 ral Precepts., are of lefs Worth and Dig- 
 riity. And this diftindion our Saviour him- 
 X 3 felf
 
 310 What Commandments are of 
 
 felf approves of, and confirms, in "Matth. 
 xxiii. 23. where., comparing the Ritual and 
 Ceremonial Precepts of the Law with the 
 Moral, he calls thefe laft the weightier 
 matters of the. Law : Wo unto you., fays he, 
 Scribes and Pharifees, Hypocrites -, for ye fay 
 tithe of Mint, and Anife^ andCummin y and 
 have omitted . the weightier matters of the 
 Law, Judgment., Mercy and Fidelity. Not 
 that thefe laft alone would have been fuf- 
 ficient, and if they had done thefe, they 
 would have incurr'd no blame for omitting 
 the other - y for our Saviour himfelf affirms 
 the contrary in the Words immediately 
 following , TJoefe things ought ye to have 
 done, and not to leave the other undone. 
 They were both alike necelfary to be 
 done, becaufe they were both alike com- 
 manded j but they were not both alike 
 neceflary to be commanded : And there 
 would have been no fault in omitting a 
 Ceremony of the Law, in cafe it had not 
 been commanded by a positive Law $ but 
 there would have been a fault in omitting 
 the Moral Duty, although the fame had not 
 .been enjoin'd by the written Law : And 
 
 there-
 
 p&fttual Obligation to Chriflians. J 1 1 
 
 therefore., whenever there happened a cafe 
 wherein the Moral Duty and the Cere- 
 mony could not be both difcharg'd, the 
 Ceremony was to give place to the Moral 
 Duty ; the Ceremony was to be omitted, 
 that the Moral Duty might be perfbrm'd. 
 And fo our Saviour himfelf determines in 
 the cafe of David's eating the Skew-bread? 
 which was forbidden to be eaten but by 
 the Priefts only ; that he did not fin in do- 
 ing fo, becaufe the Prefer vation of a Man's 
 Life was a greater Good than the obfer- 
 ving a Ceremony ; and in the cafe of the 
 Sabbath, on which the ftrid Reft that was 
 enjoin'd, did not make it flnful to do Works 
 of Neceflity and Mercy. And in all fuch 
 cafes lie declares in general, that Mercy is 
 more pleafing to God than Sacrifice. 
 
 2 . One Commandment may be faid to 
 be greater or lefs than another, in regard 
 to the different manner in which the Di- 
 vine Authority is imprefs'd upon them - 3 as 
 one thing may be commanded by God di- 
 re&ly, and another thing only indirectly, 
 and by confequence, As for inftance : 
 
 X 4 A Fa-
 
 What Commandments are of 
 
 A Father commands his Son to fay his 
 Prayers duly and conttantly, to be dili- 
 gent in reading the Scripture, to frequent 
 the Church, or the like ; and the fame 
 Man alfo commands his Son to go and work 
 in his Vineyard^ or to do fome other world- 
 ly Bu/inefs. Or again, a Matter com- 
 mands a Servant to be Honeft and Juft, 
 Sober and Temperate j and the fame 
 Mailer likewife lets him a Task to do in 
 the way of his Trade or Bufinefs ; and 
 commands him to fee that it be well done. 
 Jt is certain now that in both thefe cafes, 
 that $on or Servant who does as his Father 
 or Matter bids him, does, in obeying them, 
 do the Will of God, and difcharge his 
 Duty to Gocl - y and that that Son or Ser- 
 vant who neglects to do as he is bidden, 
 does therein tranfgrefs his Duty to God, 
 as well as to his earthly Father or Matter, 
 becaufe it is the Will and Command of 
 God, that Children fhould obey their 
 Parents, and Servants their Matters ; in 
 fome fenfe therefore all thefe things may 
 be fliid to be divine Laws ; and yet there ;$ 
 plainly a manifett difference between them, 
 
 i and
 
 perpetual Obligation to Chriftians. 3 1 3 
 
 and the divine Authority is not imprefs'd 
 upon all thefe things in a like manner. For 
 thelnftances firft mentioned in both cafes, 
 viz. Prayer, Reading, frequenting the 
 Church, Honefty, Juftice, Temperance and 
 Sobriety, thefe are the fubje&s of an im- 
 mediate divine Command, they are com- 
 manded by God directly and exprefly,- 
 but the other inftances, <viz. thofe laft 
 mention'd in both the cafes before men- 
 tion'd, as working in the Vineyard, doing 
 the Task that was fet, difpatching fome 
 worldly Bufmefs that was appointed, or 
 the like ; thefe things are not command- 
 ed by God directly and exprefly, but only 
 by confequence j and they become Duties 
 only by vertue of thofe general Precepts, 
 whereby Children and Servants are com- 
 manded to obey in all things their Fathers 
 and their Matters : So that whereas the 
 former are Duties to all Mankind, thefe 
 latter are Duties only to fome few ; for it 
 is every Man's Duty, as well as mine, to 
 be conftant in religious Exercifes, and to 
 be True, and Juft, and Temperate ,- but to 
 work in the Vineyard, or to do this or 
 
 that
 
 314 What Commandments are of 
 
 that or the other particular worldly Bufi- 
 nefs, the' it be my Duty, and what I am 
 bound to do in Confcience towards God, 
 in cafe my Father or Mafter commands 
 it, is not another Man's Duty, whofe 
 Father or Mafter has not commanded him 
 to do the fame thing. And, again, 
 whereas it is the Will of God only that 
 makes th6 former to be Duties, it is the 
 Father's or Matter's Will that makes thefe 
 latter to be Duties ; for it is the Son's 
 Duty to be conftant in Prayer and Reading, 
 altho' his Father fays nothing to him 
 about it ; and it is the Servant's Duty to 
 be Juft and Temperate, altho' his Mafter 
 Ihould allow him to be otherwife ; but 
 it would not be the Duty of either of 
 them to difpatch this or that worldly 
 Bufmefs which they are fet to, unlefs the 
 Father or Mafter had declar'd his Will to 
 have it done j and upon their declaring 
 their Pleafure, and giving forth their 
 Command, this becomes the Son's or the 
 Servant's Duty, which was not fo before j 
 and then they fin againft God, if they do 
 not perform it j becaufe tho' the thing it- 
 
 felf
 
 perpetual Obligation to Ckrijtians. % 1 5 
 
 felf was not commanded by God, it was 
 commanded them by God to obey their 
 Father or Matter in all lawful things. In 
 refpect to which difference, one of thefe 
 Commandments may be faid to be greater 
 than another, and it may reafonably be 
 deem'd a lefs Fault in a Son or Servant to 
 tranfgrefs his Father's or Mailer's Com- 
 mandment, in a matter that was before in- 
 different, than in a matter which had been 
 before the immediate fubjeft of a divine 
 Command. But, 
 
 3. Laftly j One Commandment may 
 alfo be faid to be greater or lefs than an- 
 other, with refpecl: to its confequences ; 
 as the TranfgrelTion of one divine Law 
 may be of more hurtful and mifchievous 
 confequence than the TranfgrelTion of an- 
 other Law may be. 
 
 As for inftance j the fame divine Au- 
 thority which has forbidden Murder, has 
 alfo forbidden Theft ; but it is not fo great 
 a damage to a Man to lofe fome of his 
 Goods, as 'tis to lofe his Life ; and there- 
 fore in this refpeft, the Law forbidding 
 Murder may be faid to be a greater Com- 
 mandment
 
 What Commandments are of 
 
 mandment than the Law forbidding Theft. 
 And by the fame reafon, the Laws againft 
 Fornication, and Lying, and Evil-fpeaking, 
 and immoderate Anger, tho' they are all 
 divine Laws as much as any other are, 
 may yet be faid to be lefs Command- 
 ments, than thofe which forbid Adultery, 
 and Perjury, and Slander, and Falfewitnefs } 
 and Murder, and fuch like Crimes, which 
 are plainly of more hurtful confequence 
 than the other are. 
 
 Thus I have fhewn in what refpedls, or 
 upon what accounts fome of the Com- 
 mandments may be faid to be lefs, and 
 others greater ; but as they are all divine 
 Commandments, the Authority enading 
 them is the fame, and we are as much bound 
 to obey one as another $ and the wilful 
 Breach or Tranfgreffion of any one is no 
 more venial or ' excufable, than the like 
 Tranfgreffion of any other is. 
 
 And fo our Saviour plainly teaches us 
 in the Text, where he fays, that wbofo- 
 ever Jhall break one of the fe haft Command- 
 ments^ ffiall be called leaft in the Kingdom of 
 Heaven i and that, whomever fo all do them., 
 
 i. e.
 
 perpetual Obligation to Chriftians. 
 
 i. e. the leaft as well as the greateft 5 he 
 that makes Confcience of doing them all, 
 the fame Jhall be called great in the Kingdom 
 of Heaven. 
 
 And this was the next thing I was to 
 enquire into, *viz. 
 
 3. What our Saviour means by thefe 
 Phrafes, by being called the Leafl : , or 
 Great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 
 
 And, Firft, By the Kingdom of Heaven 
 in this place we are, I think, without all 
 doubt, to underftand that ftate of Glory 
 and Happinefs which is prepared for good 
 Men in the other World, 
 
 And therefore, Secondly ^To be Great in 
 this Kingdom, is nothing elfe but to be 
 admitted to greater degrees of Glory and 
 Happinefs in the other World j and on the 
 other /ide, to be Little in this Kingdom, 
 is to be plac'd in a lower degree of Hap- 
 pinefs - y and to be Leaft in this Kingdom, 
 is to have no place in it at all, to have no 
 part or portion thereof, but to be utterly 
 and for ever excluded from thofe eternal 
 Joys., He may truly be faid to have the 
 leaft of any thing, who has nothing at all 
 
 of-
 
 318 What Commandments are of 
 
 of it, for he that has any part of it, be it 
 never fo little, has more than he that has 
 none. "Minimus ^ocabitur^ he ihall be 
 called Leaft, that is minijrie vocabitur, he 
 fliall not be called at all> he fliall have no 
 Name or Inheritance there at all, fo fays 
 Caftalio upon the place. 
 
 But there are but only two great Lots, 
 a good and a bad j there are but two only 
 ftates in the other World, Heaven and 
 Hell j and therefore by this Phrafe, He 
 foall be called Leaft in the Kingdom of 
 Heaven, there is more meant than is ex^ 
 prefs'd -, for they that are leaft in the 
 Kingdom of Heaven, in the fenle which I 
 have before given of that Phrafe, /'. tf.they 
 that fhall have no Portion at all there, muft 
 have their Portion elfewhere, and that can 
 be only in the Lake which burns with 
 Tire and Brimflon for ever and ever. 
 
 But it is not faid here of the one fort, 
 that they ihall be the leaft, or of the other 
 fort, that they ihall be great in the King- 
 dom of Heaven j but only that they fliall 
 be call'd fo j What's the meaning of 
 that? 
 
 I anfwerj
 
 perpetual Obligation to Chrijtians. 3 x 9 
 
 I anfwer j There is likewife more here 
 meant than is exprefs'd. For to be caird y 
 is in the Scripture Phrafe the fame as tQ 
 be. One inftance or example of which we 
 have had already at the yth Verfe of this 
 Chapter, where it is faid of the Peace- 
 makers that they are blefled^ becaufe they 
 fhall be called the Children of God ; /. e. be- 
 caufe they are the Children of God, who 
 is the God of Peace. And fo in Luke i. 
 35. it is faid by the Angel concerning 
 our blefled Saviour , That holy thing which 
 jhall be born of thee> Jhall be called the Son of 
 God 5 i. e. He ftiall be the Son of God, for 
 fo without doubt he was -, he was fo the 
 Son of God as none elfe ever was or will 
 be, The only begotten Son of God, as he is 
 frequently ftiFd in holy Scripture. 
 
 And abundance of other examples there 
 are of this in the holy Writings j by which 
 it may appear, that, to be called, Signifies 
 much more in the Hebrew Stile, than we 
 in Englijh do commonly mean by that 
 Phrafe $ that to be called, is the fame as 
 to be ; fo that when it is here faid of fome, 
 that they ihall be catted the Leaft in the 
 
 Kingdom
 
 JlO W^f Commandments are of 
 
 Kingdom of Heaven, the meaning is, that 
 they {hall be the leaft ,- and they, as I faid 
 before, are the leaft who have no Portion or 
 Inheritance at all in that Kingdom j and 
 on the other fide, that when 'tis here faid 
 of others, that they Jhall be called great in 
 the Kingdom of Heaven, the meaning is, 
 that they {hall be great there, i. e. that their 
 Portion in Heaven {hall be larger, their 
 Glory there more bright and refplendent 
 than other Men's. 
 
 There is now only one thing more re- 
 maining to be enquired into $ And that 
 
 4. What our Saviour means by coupling, 
 as he does, in both claufes of the Text, 
 our own doing a thing with our teaching 
 other Men to do the fame thing. Who- 
 foever fhall break the fe Commandments, and 
 teach Menfo ; and whofoever JJoall do and 
 teach them. 
 
 By this it fliould feem, that altho' a 
 Man be himfelf a Tranfgreffor of any of 
 the divine Laws, yet fo long as he is con- 
 tented to be wicked by himfelf, and does 
 not perfuade or entice, or any other ways 
 
 encourage
 
 perpetual Obligation to Chnftians. 
 
 encourage Men to do the fame Wicked- 
 nefs, he may hope well of himfelf , be- 
 caufe the Threatning is made not to them 
 that do only break fome of God's Con> 
 mandments themfelves, but to them that 
 break them, and teach Men fo : And on 
 the other fide, it jlhould alfo feem, that 
 'tis a thing little worth in God's account^ 
 for a Man to be very exad and regular in 
 his own practice, unlefs he be alfo a 
 Preacher of Rigbteoufnefi j becaufe the 
 promife of being great in the Kingdom of 
 Heaven, is not made to them that do on- 
 ly do the Commandments, but to them 
 that both do, and teach them ; Whofoever 
 jhall do, and teach them> the fame jhall be 
 called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 
 
 And greater without doubt he fliall be 
 in the Kingdom of Heaven, who both does 
 and teaches the Commandments, than he 
 that only does them 5 becaufe this Zeal 
 in teaching them to others, and in per^ 
 fuading, prefling and encouraging others 
 to keep them, is an Argument and Ex- 
 preflion of greater Love to God, than it 
 is to be only careful to do the will of God 
 [Vol. II.] Y our-
 
 32.2, What Commandments' are of 
 
 ourfelves, and at the fame time very un- 
 concern'd and indifferent whether others do 
 it or not , and the more a Man loves God, 
 the more, without doubt, will he be lov'd 
 by God, and receive for his^ greater Zeal, a 
 greater Reward. 
 
 But then, as to the other thing that was 
 inferr'd from the form of Speech here us'd . 
 Whofoe'verjhall break any ofthefe Command- 
 ments, and /hall teach Men fa <viz. That 
 a Man may hope well of himfelf, altho* 
 he be not fo exa& and punctual in his own 
 Obedience as he ought to be, fo long as 
 he lets others alone, and does not tempt, 
 entice, teach or encourage them to tranf- 
 grefs the Will of God ; becaufe the 
 Threatning here is made not to them that 
 do only break thefe Commandments, but 
 to them that break them, and teach Men 
 fo : This, I fay, is an opinion for which 
 there is no ground or foundation in Scrip- 
 ture or Reafon ; nor would there feem to 
 be any ground for it in this Text, if the 
 words were tranflated as they might and 
 fliould be.
 
 perpetual Obligation to Chriftians. 
 
 For, as is well pbferv'd by Grytius upon 
 the place, a Conjunction is oftentimes us'd 
 in Scripture for a Disjunction, */, for % and-> E X - ' f 
 for 0r, of which he gives feveral inftances, Le**vJ 
 but I'll name but one of them ; 'tis in De t- xvii - 
 Mattb. xii. 37. By thy words thoufoalt be 
 juftified, and by thy words thou Jhalt be con- 
 demn* d: 'Tis evident that there, and fig- 
 nifiesor -, as if it had been faid j By thy 
 words thou Jhalt be juftified, or by thy words 
 thou Jhalt be condemned. And it had been 
 better if the words of the Text had been 
 fo render'd ; Whofoever Jhall break one of 
 the leaft of thefe Commandments^ or JIwU 
 teach Men fo, he Jhall be leaft in the King- 
 dom of Heaven. 
 
 For this indeed is the truth ; he that 
 allows himfelf in any known Sin, is a 
 wicked Man ; and he that teaches, or any 
 other ways encourages another to commit a 
 Sin, is likewife a wicked Man j for he is 
 partaker with the other in that Sin that he 
 tempts him to j and no wicked Man hath 
 any Portion in the Kingdom of Heaven $ 
 and he may very well be faid to be leaft 
 t*. in 
 
 .
 
 314 What Commandments are of 
 
 in the Kingdom of Heaven, who will 
 have no Place or Inheritance there at all. 
 
 And if we do but believe this, that 'tis 
 a damnable Sin, either wilfully to tranf- 
 grefs any Law of God ourfelves, or to 
 teach any others to tranfgrefs it ; there is 
 no hurt in believing that to 1 do both is much 
 worfe Ml, and that they will have the 
 faddeft Portion of all in the other Life, 
 Rom. i. W h ( as the Apoftle fpeaks) knowing the 
 2 * Judgment of God^ that they which commit 
 fuch things are worthy of Death, not only do 
 thefame^ but have Pleafure in them that do 
 them. 
 
 This then is the Doctrine which we are 
 here taught by our Saviour ; that in the 
 other World there are different degrees 
 both of Mifery and Happinefs ; and 
 that they that allow themfelves in the 
 TranfgrefTion of any one of the Command- 
 ments of God, or teach other Men to 
 tranfgrefs the fame, even tho' it be what 
 they account the lea ft, or what may in 
 fome refpects be truly accounted the leaft 
 of the Commandments, fliall have no 
 Portion in the Kingdom of Heaven, and 
 
 confequently
 
 perpetual Obligation to Chriftians. 
 
 eonfequently fliall have their Portion in 
 the Kingdom of Darknefs ; but that if they 
 not only tranfgrefs the fame themfelves, 
 but likewife teach ^ or any other ways 
 encourage other Men to do fo, their Por- 
 tion fhall be ftill worfe. And on the 
 other fide, that they who are very exad 
 and regular in their own Behaviour, not 
 allowing themfelves fo much as in one 
 known Sin, tho' it be in the Opinion of 
 the World never fo finall a Sin; and do 
 likewife ufe their beft endeavour to bring 
 all other Men to the fame fenfe of their 
 Duty, fliall receive a reward in Heaven 
 that will be proportional to the greatnefs 
 of their Love, and the fervency of their 
 Zeal. They fhall be great in the Kingdom 
 of Heaven. 
 
 This I fay is the Doctrine of the Text* 
 for the Proof of which there is no need of 
 urging any Arguments, or of producing 
 any other evidence but the Text it felf j 
 'tis enough, that 'tis a Do&rine plainly 
 taught by him, who was a Teacher fent 
 from God, and who alfo was himfelf the 
 Truth i 'tis enough that it was taught by 
 Y 3 him
 
 What Commandments afe of 
 
 him who is appointed by God to be the Judge 
 iff Quick and Dead ; and who was there- 
 fore the beft able to acquaint us by what 
 Rules he \vill proceed in pafling Judg- 
 ment upon Men. 
 
 All therefore that now feems needful to 
 be done, is to make fome application of 
 this Doctrine, and to draw fome inferences 
 from it in order to practice. And this is 
 what I jihould now proceed to do,- but 
 having been already fo large in the expli- 
 cation of it, I'll trefpafs no further upon 
 your Patience * at prefent, than only while 
 I mention one plain inference that natu- 
 rally follows from what has been faid , 
 and which I the rather chufe to mention 
 now, hoping thereby to forward the Col- 
 lection now to be made for the Poor,as has 
 been cuftomarily done upon the laft Sun- 
 days in Term. It is this: 
 
 If they ihall have no Portion in the 
 Kingdom of Heaven, who live in the wil- 
 ful neglect even of the leaft of the Com- 
 mandments of God, as our Saviour here 
 
 plainly 
 
 * On a CoJMlcn dy at Sf, Dimfhns, Weft, London.
 
 perpetual Obligation to Chriftians. 3 17 
 
 plainly teaches ; much lefs can they reafon- 
 ably look to be admitted thither, who 
 neglect the weightier matters of the 
 Law, and knowingly allow themfelves 
 in the breach of the greateft of all the 
 Co mmandments. 
 
 And which of the Commandments of 
 God they are that may reafonably be ac- 
 counted the greateft, I have already 
 ihewn in the foregoing Difcourfe; they 
 are either, i. fuch as command thofe 
 things which are good in themfelves ; or, 
 2. fuch as have the Divine Authority in the 
 plaineft and fulleft manner imprefs'd up- 
 on them; or, 3. fuch as command thofe 
 Duties, the performance of which is of 
 the greateft confequence and concern- 
 ment j aad in all thefe refpefts, I think I 
 may truly fay, that there is no other 
 particular Commandment greater than 
 that which commands Bounty to the Poor. 
 For, 
 
 i. 'Tis plain that Charity to the Poor 
 
 and Needy is a Duty of Natural Religion ; 
 
 'tis not, as a Rite or Ceremony, good, only 
 
 becaufe commanded > but was therefore 
 
 Y 4 com-
 
 32.8 What Commandments. are of 
 
 commanded, becaufe it was good : It was 
 good antecedently to any positive Precept 
 concerning it ; it was a Duty taught by the 
 light of Nature to thofe who had no light 
 of Revelation, and which carries its own 
 Reafon along with it. 
 
 i. The Precept commanding Charity to 
 the Poor, is likewife a Commandment 
 upon which the Divine Authority is in the 
 plaineft and fulleft manner imprefs'd, and 
 is in that refpet, if not the greateft, yet at 
 leaft as great as any : For there is no Duty 
 more plainly, more frequently enjoin'd in 
 Holy Scripture, than this is ; there is none 
 on which there is greater weight and ftrefs 
 laid in Scripture than on this -, there is no 
 good Work wherewith God has declared 
 himfelf more highly pleas'd, than with 
 this : He has told us he would have Mercy 
 and not Sacrifice., or Mercy rather than Sa- 
 crifice : And to do good., and communicate., 
 forget not, fays the Afoftle^ for with fetch 
 Sacrifices God is well f leafed : And in the 
 account which our Saviour himfelf has gi- 
 ven us of the manner of Proceeding at the 
 great Day, in the xxy th Chapter of St. Mat-
 
 perpetual Obligation to Chriftians. 3 2, 9 
 
 thew, the only thing he mentions as to be 
 then enquired into, ( and which therefore 
 we may be fure will not be then omitted 
 to be enquired into) is whether Men have 
 been careful or neglectful in the Perfor- 
 mance of this Duty ; and according to this, 
 he fays. Sentence {hall pafs-upon them ei- 
 ther to Salvation or Damnation : Come ye 
 Blejfed of my Father, will the Judge then 
 fay to them on his right Hand, inherit the 
 Kingdom -prepared for you For I was hun- 
 gred, and ye gave me Meat j thirfty, and ye 
 gave me Drink j a Stranger, and ye took me 
 in : Naked, and ye clothed me : fick, and in 
 Prifon, and ye came unto me. And, Go ye 
 Curfed, will he then fay to them on his 
 left Hand, into everlafling Fire For I was 
 an hungred, and ye gave me no Meat : 1 was 
 thirfty, and ye gave me no Drink : A Stran- 
 ger, and ye took me not in : naked, and ye 
 clothed me not : fick, andinPrifon, and ye 
 vifited me not. It feems by this as if our 
 eternal Doom depended folely upon our 
 Difcharge of this Duty, or Failure therein: 
 moft certain therefore it is that it depends 
 
 very
 
 J JO What Commandments are of 
 
 very much thereupon, perhaps more than 
 upon any other one thing. And, 
 
 3. Laftlyj The Precept of Charity to 
 the Poor, is likewife as great as any other 
 particular Commandment, if not greater, 
 in regard to the effects and confequences 
 of our difcharging or neglecting it : For 
 the Subject-matter which this Duty is chief- 
 ly exercis'd about, is, the NecefTaries of 
 Humane Life ; The Bread of the Needy is 
 
 xi^ai. f^sr Life* %s tne $ on f &'*<& he that 
 defraudeth him thereof, is a Man of Blood. 
 If we give of our Bread to the Hungry, and 
 . fatisfy their Wants out of our Abundance, 
 we are to them as in God's place, we are, 
 under God, the Prefervers of their Life. 
 And on the other fide, feeing a Man may 
 be faid to do what, being in his power to 
 hinder, he does not hinder, if we with- 
 hold good from him to whom it is due, (and 
 there is nothing more due to any Man, 
 than neceffary Relief is to thofe that want, 
 from fuch as are able to give it) by fuch 
 Defraudation, we become Acceflaries at 
 leaft, if not Principals, in that Pain and 
 
 Mifery,
 
 perpetual Obligation to Chriftians. 
 
 Mifery,or untimely Death, which, for want 
 of fuch needful Relief, they are forc'd to 
 undergo. The difcharge of this Duty is 
 therefore plainly of the greateft concern- 
 ment, feeing that by Charity we fave, by 
 Uncharitablenefs we deftroy Life, which 
 is by much the greateft and moft valuable 
 of all worldly Goods. 
 
 And now, I hope, I need fay no more 
 to incite you to the conftant Exercife o 
 this Duty on all fit Opportunities ; but 
 only to repeat once more the Inference 
 which I before drew from the Text, in the 
 Words wherein I before deliver'd it ; viz. 
 That if they ftiall have no portion in the 
 Kingdom of Heaven, who live in the wil- 
 ful neglect of any, even though the leaft 
 of the Commandments of God, (which is 
 what our Saviour here plainly teaches) 
 much lefs can they reafonably look to be 
 admitted thither, who negleci the weigh- 
 tier matters of the Law, and knowingly 
 allow themfelves in the breach of any of 
 thofe Commandments of God which may 
 with good reafon be accounted the great- 
 eft:
 
 3 3 & 
 
 Commandments, &c. 
 
 eft : And fuch an one, I hope., you are now 
 perfuaded the Precept of Charity is. 
 
 What other things may be properly and 
 ufefully inferred from the Do&rine deli- 
 liver ? d by our Saviour in the Text, I ihall 
 defer fpeaking of till another opportu- 
 nity.
 
 .. . 
 
 N O 
 
 SIN VENIAL 
 
 Either in the 
 
 Teacher or the Prattifer.
 
 '3V Al 

 
 DISCOURSE XXI. 
 
 No Sin Venial either in theTeacher 
 or the Praftifer. 
 
 MATTH. v. 19. 
 
 therefore Jhall break one 
 of thefe lea/} Commandments^ 
 and Jhall teach Men (o, he Jhall 
 be called the leaft in the Kingdom 
 of Heaven : but whofoever JhaH 
 do , and teach them , the fame 
 Jhall be called great in the King- 
 
 dom of Heaven. 
 
 J 
 
 HAVE already in a former Dif- 
 courfe given an Account of 
 the Meaning of thefe Words : 
 Having fhewn, i. What Com- 
 mandments they are which our Lord here 
 fpeaks of, whofoever fhall break thefe Com- 
 
 mandments*
 
 Sin Venial either in the 
 
 mandments. 2. What he means by thefe 
 leafl Commandments, or the lea ft of thefe 
 Commandments: In fpeaking to which 
 Point, I ihew'd in what refpe&s, or upon 
 what accounts one Commandment may be 
 faid to be greater or lefs than another ; for 
 as to the Divine Authority ena&ing them, 
 it is certain that they are all equal, 3. I 
 have alfo ihewn, what our Saviour means 
 by being called the leaft, or great, in the 
 Kingdom of Heaven. And, 4. laftly, 
 What he means by coupling, as he does in 
 both Claufes of the Text, our doing a thing 
 ourfelves, with our teaching other Men to 
 do the fame , Whomever jhall break one of 
 the leaft of thefe Commandments, and jhall 
 teach Men fo-> and., whomever Jhall do, and 
 teach them. 
 
 And the Sum of what I faid upon all 
 thefe Heads, was this ; That the Com- 
 mandments, on the Obfervation or Breach 
 of which our eternal Doom depends, are 
 the Moral Precepts of the Law, which our 
 Saviour (as he fays in the foregoing Verfe) 
 came not to deftroy, but to fulfil ; /. e. to en- 
 large and reinforce ,* together with thofe 
 
 peculiar
 
 Teacher or the Praftifer. 
 
 peculiar Rites of drift ianity which he him- 
 felf did inftitute, <viz. Baptifm, and the 
 Lord's Supper : That of all thefe Com- 
 mandments of God, now in force, they 
 may with good reafon be accounted the 
 greateft, firft, which enjoin the doing of fuch 
 things as are in themfefoes moft neceilary to 
 be done ; fecondly, thofe which have the 
 Divine Authority moft plainly, and moft fully 
 imprefs'd upon them ; and, thirdly, thofe 
 which are in their confequences of the 
 greatefl concernment to be fulfill'd : That to 
 be CALL'D great, or little, in the Kingdom 
 of Heaven, is, in the Scripture-ufe of that 
 word, the fame as to BE great, or little ; 
 and that they are great in the Kingdom of 
 Heaven who are admitted to the Enjoy- 
 ment of the higheft Degrees of Heavenly 
 Happinefs, and they little who are admit- 
 ted to lefs j but that they who are called 
 leaft, are fuch as have no Portion there at 
 all : And laftly, that the Copulative Parti- 
 cle, and, is here, as 'tis frequently elfe- 
 where in Scripture, us'd disjunfffy j As if 
 our Saviour had faid, Whomever Jhall break 
 one of thefe lea ft Commandments, or fhall 
 [Vol. II.] Z teach
 
 No Sin Venial either in the 
 
 teach Men fo ; for moft certain it is, that 
 they who da either of thefe things, /'. e. 
 who either break the Commandments 
 themfelves, or teach other Men to break 
 them, have no Inheritance in the Kingdom 
 of God ; though they that do both thefe 
 things, will be fentenc'd to the greateft 
 Torments, 
 
 This then, as I told you* is the Doctrine 
 that we are here taught by our Saviour ,- 
 That in the other World there are diffe- 
 rent degrees both of Happinefs and Mifery j 
 and that they that allow themfelves in the 
 Tranfgrelfion of any one of the Command- 
 ments of God, or teach other Men to- 
 tranfgrefs the fame, even though it be 
 what they account the leaft, or what may 
 in fome refpects be truly accounted the 
 leaft of the Commandments, (hall have no 
 portion in the Kingdom of Heaven, and 
 eonfequently mall have their portion in the 
 Kingdom of Darknefs r But that if they 
 not only tranfgrefs the fame themfelves, 
 tut likevvife teach, or any other ways en- 
 courage other Men to do fo, their portion 
 ihall be , A; U worfe. And, on the other 
 
 fide,
 
 Teacher or the Practifer. 
 
 fide, That they who are very exact and 
 regular in their own Behaviour, not allow- 
 ing themfelves fo much as in one known 
 Sin, though it be in the opinion of the 
 World never fo fmall a Sin, and who do 
 like wife life their beft endeavour to bring 
 all other Men to the fame Senfe of their 
 Duty, fhall receive a Reward in Heaven 
 that will be proportional to the Greatnefs 
 of their Love, and the Fervency of their 
 Zeal ,- They fhall be great in the Kingdom 
 of Heaven. 
 
 And there is no need (as I told you) of 
 urging any other Proof of the Truth of this 
 Dodrine, but only the Authority of him 
 that delivered it , for he that taught this 
 Dodrine, is the fame who is. appointed by 
 God to be the Judge of Quick and Dead j 
 and therefore was the beft able to acquaint 
 us by what Rules he will proceed in paf- 
 fing Judgment upon Men. 
 
 What is therefore more needful to be 
 done, is to make Application of this Doc- 
 trine, and to draw fome Inferences from it 
 in order to Practice : And that's what I de- 
 fen at this time to do. And, 
 
 Z 2 i. Firft
 
 34 No Sin Venial either in the 
 
 i. Firft of all ; If a Man that allows 
 himfelf in the Tranfgreflion of any one of 
 the Commandments of God, even though 
 it be of the leaft of them, has no Portion in 
 the Kingdom of Heaven, as our Saviour 
 himfelf here teaches j it plainly appears 
 from hence. That there is no Sin whatfo- 
 ever that is venial in its own nature-j (as 
 the Roman Doctors teach) /. e. That there 
 is no Sin whatfoever, but what if it be 
 feen, and known, and allow'd of, renders 
 the Perfon guilty thereof obnoxious to the 
 eternal Torments of Hell, unlefs it be time- 
 ly repented of and forfaken. 
 
 This indeed is not fo much an Inference 
 from the Text, as the true Senfe of the 
 Text itfelf other wife exprefs'd j and there- 
 fore I can't but wonder how any can dare 
 to aflert and maintain the Dodrine of Ve- 
 nial Sins, which is fo exprefly contradic- 
 tory to it. For if any known and wilful 
 Sins can in any reafon be accounted venial, 
 it muft certainly be thofe Sins, which are 
 Tranfgrefllons of thofe Commandments, 
 which in fome reipeft or other may, in 
 comparifon with other of the Command- 
 ments,
 
 
 Teacher or the Praftifcr. 
 
 ments, be call'd fmaller or lefs Command- 
 ments, (for I take it for granted, that they 
 that hold the Diftinction of mortal and 
 venial Sins, will not be fo abfurd as to af- 
 firm, that the TranfgrefTion of the fmaller 
 Commandments is mortal j but that the 
 neglect of the great and weightier matters 
 of the Law is more venial) Taking it 
 therefore, I fay, for granted, as what can 
 with no colour of Reafon be difputed or 
 denied, that if any Sins are venial, they 
 muft be fuch as are Breaches of thofe Com- 
 mandments which may with fome good 
 reafon be call'd and accounted the leaft of 
 the Commandments ; I fay, it is plain from 
 the Text, that no Sins at all are venial ; 
 for thefe, I mean the Tranfgreflions of the 
 leaft of the Commandments, are here expref- 
 ly declared by our Saviour to be mortal and 
 damnable: For, &bojbffWX 3 fays our Lord, 
 jhall break one of thefe leaft, ( or one , even 
 though it be the leaft of thefe) Command- 
 ments, he fliall be leaft in the Kingdom of 
 Heaven > i.e. he ihall be for ever excluded 
 thence. 
 
 Z 3 No
 
 No Sin Venial either in the 
 
 No Words can be plainer againft the 
 Dodrine of venial Sins, than thefe are. 
 And yet as plain as they are, I fear there 
 are a great many who are not Members of 
 the Church of Rome, a great many, J mean, 
 among ourfelves, who profefs the greateft 
 Abhorrence of Popery^ that do yet fecretly 
 hold this moft per nicious Doctrine of Rome y 
 tho' they do not publickly own it : Sure I 
 am, there are a great many among ourfelves, 
 and who pretend to be Men of Religion 
 and Confcience too, that do too freely al- 
 low themfelves in the Tranfgreffion of 
 fome plain Points of Duty ; which there- 
 fore it may be reafonably thought they do 
 out of an opinion, that the Sins which 
 they allow themfelves in, tho^ they can't 
 be juftify'd j yet being (as they think) but 
 fmall Sin.r, will not be feverely punifli'd, 
 will be look'd upon as Infirniities, and ea- 
 fily purg'd away by a general Repentance : 
 Nay, and fometimes too they will not 
 flick to let fall Exprelfions to this pur- 
 pofe. 
 
 Thus I am, fays one Man (I muft own 
 it, becaufe it can't be deny'd) fometimes 
 
 over-
 
 Teacher or the Prattler. 343 
 
 overtaken with Drink, but 'tis not often 
 that I am fo ; J do not make a trade and 
 cuftom of it, as fome do , I never defign 
 it , I never promote it ; I never do drink 
 to excefs but only now and then, when I 
 am hard put upon by the Company, and 
 can't well avoid it - 3 And I hope my Eafi- 
 nefs and Good-nature (for I'm fure 'tis no- 
 thing elfe) will not be imputed to me as a 
 Fault ,- or if this be a Fault in me, I hope 
 'tis fuch an one as will be eafily forgi- 
 ven. 
 
 I am, fays another, I muft confefs, not 
 fo conftant to my Prayers, and Reading, 
 and other Religious Exercifes, as I think I 
 fhould be : But the cafe with me is this j J 
 have a Family to maintain, and am en- 
 cumbred with much Bufmefs, fo that fome- 
 times I forget, and at other times am forc'd 
 to (lubber over my Prayers : But for fp 
 fmall a Fault as this, efpecially, it being 
 occafion'd not by a Forgetfulnefs of God? 
 or Contempt of Religion, but only by a 
 prudent and neceflary Care for thofe whom 
 I am in Duty bound to provide for, I hope 
 it will be eafy to obtain pardon, 
 
 4 I have
 
 344 No Sin Venial either in the 
 
 I have been, fays a third, always very 
 conftant at Church, and have kept the 
 Lord's-day as religioufly as any Man ; but 
 one thing I muft confefs I have been want- 
 ing in, I have never yetftay'd the Commu- 
 nion y For I have had fuch a Senfe of my 
 own Demerits, and fuch a Dread upon me 
 of incurring the Danger of Communica- 
 ting unworthily, that I have not yet dar'd 
 to approach the Lord's Table. This Omif- 
 fion to receive the Holy Sacrament, is in- 
 deed what I can't juftify, (for the Inftitu- 
 tion of it by our Saviour is plain,' and his 
 Command concerning it is exprefs; Do 
 this in remembrance of me ; ) but yet, I hope, 
 in me it may be excus'd ; for 'tis not a 
 prophane Contempt of the Inftitution that 
 keeps me from Receiving, but rather too 
 great Reverence for it : And befides, this 
 I am fure of, that I have in my Mind a 
 very grateful Senfe of the Love of our 
 Saviour in dying for us, and that's the Sub- 
 ftance, that's the thing deiign'd in the Sa- 
 crament of the Lord's Supper > being 
 therefore not wanting in that, I hope I ihall 
 not be condemn'd only for the Qmiflion of 
 a Ceremony. I am a
 
 Teacher or the Prattifer. 345 
 
 I am, fays a fourth Perfon, very induf- 
 trious, as I am bound to be, to get a Li- 
 ving j and ftric-tly and nicely careful to get, 
 what I do get, honeftly : No Man I'm 
 fure can truly charge me with any Falfity 
 or Injuftice in my worldly Dealings : But 
 this I muft own, that what I have once 
 fairly got, I love to keep ; for I don't 
 know what Times may be hereafter j I 
 don't know but that I may have occafion 
 before I die, to ufe upon myfelf all that I 
 have gotten ; and therefore can't per- 
 fuade myfelf (though I know 'tis a Duty 
 that is much preach'd up) to give any of 
 the fruit of my Labours to other Peoples 
 No -, They that han't whereon to live, muft 
 work for their Living, as I do , or, if they 
 can't work, they muft be maintain'd by 
 thofe that have over-grown Eftates, that 
 have more than they know what to do 
 with ; I'm fure it is not fo great a fault in 
 me (if it be any) as it is in them, to give 
 little or nothing to the Poor : In them it 
 may be unpardonable not to part with their 
 Superfluities ; but in me, in my ftrait Cir- 
 cumftances, furely it is venial not to give 
 
 to
 
 No Sin Venial either in the 
 
 to others what J may fo likely come to 
 want myfelf ; and therefore, fince this is 
 my greateft fault, I hope I fhall efcape well 
 enough. 
 
 And innumerable fuch like cafes I might 
 put : For there is no Man but is more 
 inclined to fome Sins than he is to others j 
 and whatever Sin it is that any Man is 
 moft inclined to, and moft free to allow 
 himfelf in, that to be fure will be, in his 
 opinion, (whatever it may be in itfelf, or 
 in the Judgment of others) of all Sins the 
 moft venial, the moft excufable : And upon 
 this ground there are very few even of the 
 greateft Sinners of all, but who are apt to 
 conceive good hope of themfelves, and to 
 prefume, that at the hands of fuch a gra- 
 cious and merciful God as they have to 
 deal with, they fhall eafily obtain Pardon 
 for thofe fmall Faults which they, in their 
 own Judgment, can hardly think do de- 
 ferve any Puniihment at all. 
 
 But now, How vain and ground lefs this 
 Prefnmption is, appears plainly from thefe 
 Words of our Lord ; JFbofomer jhall break 
 one of thsfe leaft Commandments, (/. e. know- 
 ingly
 
 
 Teacher or the Praftifer. 347 
 
 ingly and wilfully) -Jhatt be the leaft in the 
 Kingdom of Hecwen. For thefe words 
 grant to the Sinner all that he can poffibly 
 plead in his own Excufe, and yet con- 
 demn him. 
 
 For what can any Sinner plead for him- 
 felf, in excufe of any known Sin that he 
 lives in, more than is here allow'd, and 
 yet being allow'd, is here plainly declared 
 to be infufficient ? For, 
 
 i. Will he fay that he has but one Faulty 
 that there is bu^ only one Thing for which 
 he can be blamed, that bating this one 
 particular., he is in all other points ftrict, 
 and regular, and unblameable ? 
 
 This., fome may fay, tho' I believe none 
 that allow themfelves in any one known 
 iinful Practice can truly fay foj for I think, 
 'tis not to be imagin'd or conceiv'd, that 
 any Man fhould be blameable in one point 
 only and no more j that a Man fhould 
 ftri&ly and conftantly obfejrye and keep 
 all the Commandments but one, out of a 
 Principle of Duty and Obedience, and 
 towards God, and yet at the 
 fan^e
 
 No Sin Venial either in the 
 
 fame time, knowingly and wilfully, neg- 
 led or tranfgrefs that one, which is as 
 plain as any of the reft, and has the di- 
 yine Authority as fully ftamp'd upon it 
 as any of the reft have. This, I fay, feems 
 to me unconceiveable. 
 
 But however $ be it fo as he fays , 
 allow the matter of his Plea to be true ; 
 grant that there is but only one thing 
 wherein his own Heart condemns him, 
 but one only thing wherein he can be 
 blam'd by thofe who view and confider 
 his Behaviour the moft narrowly and ex- 
 -adly ; yet, if he be indeed blame-worthy 
 for that, I mean, if that one fingle Tranf- 
 greflion be feen and allow'd of by himfelf, 
 if in that fingle inftance his Sin be known 
 and wilful, his Righteoufnefs and Un- 
 blameablenefs in all other points will 
 avail and profit him nothing. For this is 
 the very cafe that the Text fpeaks of- 
 and our Saviour here plainly declares, that 
 he that breaks one of his Commandments, 
 (even tho' it be but one) ihall have no part 
 or portion in his Kingdom. 
 
 And
 
 Teacher or the Pratfifer. 349 
 
 And the very fame thing, upon putting 
 the very fame cafe, we are alfo taught 
 by St. James., together with the reafon of 
 it. Jam.\\. io, ii. Whoforver jhall keep 
 the whole Law, and yet off end in one Point, 
 he is guilty of all. For he that faid, Do not 
 commit Adultery faid alfo, - Do not Kill. 
 Now ifthou commit no Adultery, yet ifthou 
 Kill, thou art become a Tranfgrejfor of the 
 Law. The fenfe of which Argument I 
 take to be this ; that whoever freely allows 
 himfelf in any practice, which he himfelf 
 knows is forbidden by God, does thereby 
 oppofe and refift that Authority by which 
 the Law was made. By any one fuch 
 wilful and prefumptuous Tranfgreflion, he 
 does as good as declare that he will not 
 be fubjecl: to the Authority of God, that 
 he will not have God to rule over him ; 
 fo that confequently, by that one a& of 
 wilful Difobedience, the perverfhefs and 
 difloyalty of his Mind is as plainly dif- 
 cover'd and prov'd, as it would be by 
 many fuch ads - 3 and by his chofen and 
 wilful Difobedience to the will of God, 
 in any one inftance, it plainly appears, 
 
 that
 
 n Venial either in the 
 
 that he has no regard to his Sovereign 
 Authority, and that it is not Duty and 
 Conference towards God, but fome tem- 
 poral reafon or confideration only, that re- 
 ftrains him from tranfgrefling the Law in 
 all other points. For if a Principle of 
 Duty and Confcience towards God, were 
 the true Ground of his carefully obferving 
 any one of the Laws of God, the fame 
 Principle, as it does as ftrongly, would al- 
 fo as effectually oblige him to obferve 
 every other Law that was as plainly en- 
 a&ed and eftablifhed by the fame divine 
 Authority. From all which it plainly ap- 
 pears, that he that is not uniform and im- 
 partial in his Obedience, he that has not 
 the fame regard to every Law of God, 
 which he feems to have to fome of them, 
 ha, in truth, no regard at all to any of 
 them, nor to that divine Authority where- 
 by they are all alike enadted , and fo, for 
 that wilful Tranfgreflion of the Law in 
 one point, may reafonably be judg'd a 
 TranfgrefTor of the whole Law, altho' he 
 does not, in fadfc, tranfgrefs every point of 
 it. But- - 
 
 2. Per-
 
 Teacher or the Prattifer. 351 
 
 2 . Perhaps the Sinner will further plead 
 for himfelf; that as there is but one only 
 point wherein he allows himfelf to tranf- 
 grefs his Duty, fo that alfo is a point of 
 Duty not very considerable ; that he has but 
 one Fault, and that that is but a fmall one; 
 but 'tis an intirely beloved Sin, 'tis a Sin 
 that lie takes great pleafure in, and which 
 it would go very near him to part with ; 
 and therefore, fince he likes it fo well, 
 and 'tis but one> and a little one too, he 
 hopes he may allow himfelf in it without 
 danger. 
 
 But in anfvver to this it may be con ? 
 fider'd; 
 
 1. That no Man is a fair Judge of the 
 fmallnefs of any Sin to which he himfelf 
 is addicted i becaufe every Man is prone 
 to judge in his own Favour, in a cafe 
 wherein he himfelf is concern'd - y and there 
 is no Sin fo heinous, which the Perfon that 
 
 is guilty of it, and takes great delight ' 
 therein, will not be able to fay a great 
 deal to leilen and extenuate. But, 
 
 2 . Suppofing it to be fo as he fays, gran- 
 ting the matter of this Plea alfo to be true.
 
 552. Ato Sin Venial either in the 
 
 iz. that the Sin to which he is moft ad* 
 dided, and would fain have himfelf al- 
 low'd in, is in truth fuch a Sin as, in com- 
 panion with fome other Sins, may reafon- 
 ably be thought but afwall one > yet that 
 this Plea will no more ferve for an excufe 
 than the former, we are plainly taught in 
 the Text. For the Judgment that is here 
 given by our Saviour himfelf is concer- 
 ning this very cafe - y he fuppofes a Man to 
 be an Offender but in one Point, a Tranf- 
 greflbr but of on? Law, and that too in a 
 matter which (at leaft in comparifon with 
 K)ther weightier matters) may be well 
 judg'd to be not very confiderable j and yet 
 the Judgment that he gives of it is this ; 
 that whofoever fliall break one, even of 
 the leaft of his Commandments, fliall be 
 leaft in the Kingdom of Heaven, /. e. lhall 
 have no place there at all. 
 
 It is evident therefore (as I faid) from 
 hence, that there is no fuch thing as a 
 venial Sin , for if the Tranfgreflion of one 
 of the leaft of the Commandments be not 
 venial (which is what our Saviour hereex- 
 prefly affirms) moil certainly the Tranf- 
 
 greffion
 
 Teacher or the Praffifer. 355 
 
 greflion of a greater Commandment can- 
 not be venial ; and if no Sin be venial, 
 then there is no Sin (whatever the matter 
 of it be, or how fmall foever we may 
 think it) but which, if it be feen and 
 known and allow'd of, is fufficient to put 
 us out of a ftate of Grace> and Salvation, 
 to which there is no way of being reftor'd 
 again, but by Repentance ; /'. c. (as the 
 Afoflle exhorts, HeL xii. i .) by laying afide 
 every Weight., and the Sin that dcthfo eafily 
 bcfet us (even that Sin, whatever it is ? 
 which does beft fuit our Temper and 
 Genius, and which of all others we are 
 moft loth to part with) and by running 
 with Patience the Race that is fit before us. 
 For whofoever Jhall break one of thefe leafi 
 Commandment^ fays our Saviour ^ the fame 
 Jhall be leaft in the Kingdom of Heaven $ tie 
 has faid it who is Truth it felf , tfas is his 
 Judgment upon the matter, by whofe 
 Sentence we muft ftand or fall to all 
 Eternity* 
 
 It highly concerns us therefore, to 
 
 Weigh and confider the thing well, and 
 
 carefully to examine our own Hearts^ and 
 
 [VoUL] A a fee
 
 3 54 No Sin Venial either in the 
 
 fee if there be any Sin, which we have 
 a fecret love and kindnefs for -, any Sin 
 that we take delight in, and allow our 
 felves in the practice of ; any Sin, which, 
 as thinking it to be but a fmall one^ we 
 flatter our felves we may live in without 
 danger j and diligently to fet ourfelves to 
 repent of that Sin, as well as of all others ; 
 becaufe otherwife, all our other Labour 
 will profit us little. It may ferve, perhaps, 
 to lelfen our Accounts, and to make fome 
 abatement in the degree of our Torment 
 in the other World, to have kept our 
 felves from great Pollutions > and to have 
 done fome things well ; but nothing lefs 
 than the forfaking of every known Sin, 
 and a confcientious difcharge of every 
 known Duty, is fufficient to afford us a 
 reafonable hope of Bleflednefs j for he, 
 who (as I noted before) is to be our 
 Judge, has already plainly declar'd his 
 Judgment in the cafe, that the wilful 
 Tranfgreflion of any one Commandment 
 is no more venial, than the like Tranf- 
 greflion of any other Commandment, or 
 of -them all-, that whofoever breaks one 
 
 of
 
 Teacher or the Tractifer. 
 
 of his leaft Commandments, fhall have 
 no Portion in his heavenly Kingdom, He 
 foallbe kaft in the Kingdom of Heaven. 
 
 But the Sentence here given by our Sa- 
 fuiour^ is not only againft thofe that live 
 in the love and practice of any Sin them- 
 felves, but likewife againft thofe that en- 
 tice, perfuade, abet, or encourage others 
 in the practice of any Sin \ Whofoever jhall 
 break one of theft leaft Commandment^ or 
 JJoall teach Men fo 3 Jkallbe called leaft in the 
 Kingdom of Heaven. And therefore- 
 
 2. Another thing which we may ob- 
 ferve from hence, in order to practice, is, 
 the great guilt and danger of being any 
 ways acceffayy to the Sins of other Men. 
 
 And this we may be, not only by di- 
 rectly commanding, advi/ing, or by our 
 own example tempting or encouraging 
 others to the practice of any Sin, but al- 
 fo by teaching any Doctrine, or by plea- 
 ding or arguing for any Opinion, which 
 tends, in its confequences, to give Men 
 any encouragement in Sin, or to leflen 
 their Zeal of good Works. Whofoeyer 
 ftall ttacb Mtnfa fays our 
 A ^ *
 
 No Sin Venial either in the 
 
 who ihall teach Men to break any Law 
 of God, lhall be leaft in the Kingdom of 
 Heaven. 
 
 Let us then take heed to ourfefoes, and 
 alfo to our Dothine ; it is St. Paul's Ad-, 
 vice to Timothy ) i Tim. iv. 16. and it-is in- 
 deed a piece of Advice that is fnoft ne- 
 cefTary to be given to thofe who are 
 Preachers and Minifters of the Gofpel, as 
 Timothy was ; it is a Duty, I fay, moft 
 efpecially incumbent upon them, tho' not 
 upon them only, to take heed to them- 
 ielves,that they do not in any point give ill 
 example to the People ; and likewife to 
 take heed to their Do&rine, /. e. to weigh 
 and confider well the natural tendency, 
 the true and juft confequences, of every 
 Point of Doctrine which they teach, of 
 every Notion or Opinion that they main- 
 tain and difpute for. For if a Man be in a 
 miftake himfelf (and whg is there that is 
 not miftaken in fometfiings ?) yet if he 
 does not fee the pernicious confequences 
 of his own Error, and if his Practice be 
 not corrupted thereby, his Error may be 
 
 to
 
 Teacher or the Pratfifer. 357 
 
 to himfeif an innocent Error, and being a 
 miftake of the Underftanding only, may 
 not be imputed to him as a Fault ; but the 
 fame Error or Miftake, which may not be 
 hurtful to the Perfon himfeif that holds it, 
 provided he keeps it to himfeif, and does 
 not endeavour to fpread and propagate it, 
 becaufe (as I faid before) he may not 
 perhaps fee the evil confequences thereof, 
 or does exprefly difown them ; (this fame 
 Error, I fay) may be very pernicious and 
 hurtful to the Perfon who teaches it or 
 pleads for it, endeavouring thereby to 
 perfuade others to it ; becaufe if it be in- 
 deed fuch an Error, as has a natural ten- 
 dency to make Men loofe and carelefs in 
 their Practice, or to give them encourage- 
 ment in any Vice or Sin, they, who by 
 his Reafons or Authority are perfuaded to 
 embrace the fame erroneous Opinion, may 
 receive it with all its juft confequences ; 
 they may fee the tendency that it has 'to 
 encourage Sin, and may by it be en- 
 couraged and embolden'd to commit Sin $ 
 which if they are, the fame Error, the 
 A a 3 bare
 
 Sin Venial^etther in the 
 
 bare belief whereof was innocent and 
 harmlefs in him, will be of fatal confe- 
 quence to them who feceive it from him ; 
 and he himfelf, who would not, perhaps., 
 have incurrd any Punifliment only for his 
 falfe Opinion, in cafe he had kept it tp 
 himfelf, becaufe it had no ill effect upon 
 his own Practice ; yet by teaching and 
 Spreading it, and thereby, in the event, 
 corrupting the Lives and Manners of 
 other Men, who practife according to the 
 true confequences of the .Opinion, ren- 
 jders himfelf obnoxious to that Sentence 
 which our Saviour here declares he will 
 pafs upon thofe who teach Men to break 
 any of his Laws, that they {hall be leaft in 
 ihc Kingdom of Heaven j /. e. that they 
 Jhall have no portion there at all. i 
 
 3. If th^y, who teach Men to break 
 any pf the Laws of the Gofpel, fhall be 
 efxcluded frpm the Kingdom of Heaven ; 
 ianother thjing that we may obferye anci 
 learn from hence is this, that no Dodrine 
 ..that evacuates our obligation to Holinefs 
 jmd yirtue ? or that gives encourage-
 
 Teacher or the Pradifer. 359 
 
 ment to any Vice or Sin, is, or can be a 
 true Dodrine of Omftianity. For 'tis ab- 
 furd to fuppofe that our Saviour fhould 
 condemn any Man for truly teaching and 
 preaching the Doctrines of his Gofpel ; 
 but here in the Text he does plainly con- 
 demn all thofe that teach' Men to break 
 any of the Commandments ; and therefore 
 it plainly follows, that there is no true 
 Dodrine of the Gofpel of this kind, no 
 Dodrine of the Gofpel that can give Men 
 any reafonable encouragement to tranf- 
 grefs any of the Laws or Precepts of 
 it. 
 
 And this may ferve as a Tefl to make 
 a trial of Doctrines by : By this we may 
 be enabled in good meafure to diftinguifh 
 between true and falfe Prophets. For if 
 any Man teaches any Dodrine, which in 
 its true confequences tends to releafe 
 Men from any of the Laws of Clrifl, any 
 Dodrine which makes the pradice of 
 Piety and Virtue unneceilary, any Doc_ 
 trine which makes it appear fafe to con- 
 tinue in the love and pradice of any 
 A a 4 known
 
 360 No Sin Venial either in the 
 
 known Sin, we may be fure that the 
 Do&rine itfelf is falfe, tho ? we are not 
 able to Ihew the weaknefs and vanity of 
 thofe Reafons and Arguments whereby it 
 is fupported ; for 'tis impoflible that that 
 fhould be a true Do&rine, or any part of 
 the Dodrine of the Gofpel, which is of a 
 different kind from all the reft ,- but the 
 Do&rine of the Gofpel is, as the Afoftle 
 ftiles it, a Doftrine according to Godlimft - y 
 i. e. 'tis all of it fo,- and therefore no 
 Doctrine which is, as we may fay, a Dottrine 
 according to Wickednefs, i. e. which teaches, 
 encourages, or allows of any Wickednefs 
 in any kind, can be any. part of the 
 Dodrine of our Saviour, nor can the 
 Perfon that teaches it be a true Prti^ 
 phet. 
 
 4. Laftly, What we may further learn 
 from thefe words of our Saviour, is 5 how 
 much we are oblig'd, not only in Duty, 
 but alfo in Intereft, as well to -teach 
 others thofe good Rules of Life which the 
 Gofpel prefcribes, as to pra#ife the fame 
 ourfelves. Whosoever, fays ^eur Saviour, 
 
 Jhall
 
 
 - - 
 
 Teacher or the Praffifer. 
 
 foall do> and teach them, the fame fhallbe 
 great in the Kingdom off-Leaven. 
 
 Whofoever ftiall do fo, whofoever fhall 
 both doj and teach them ; the obligation 
 to teach them is as univerfal as it is to 
 do them ; and no Chriflian does well and 
 fully difcharge his own Duty, unlefs (ac- 
 cording to his Capacity) he teaches, and 
 (fo far as in him lies) makes other Men 
 pradife the fame. 
 
 Not that 'tis lawful for any Man to in- 
 vade the minifterial Office, who is not 
 calFd and ordain'd thereto ; but there are 
 other methods of teaching and inftrucling 
 others, befides publick Preaching ; for 
 good Advice and wholefome Inftruction 
 may be given with very good fuccefs, by 
 every Mafter of a Family, to thofe of his 
 Houfe j and by every one that is in Au- 
 thority, to thofe that are fubjed to him ; 
 nay, and by every private Man to his 
 Brother, as well as by a Paftor to his 
 Hock;- 
 
 'Tis every Man's Duty therefore, as he 
 is able, and as it comes in his way, to 
 * :/ inftruft
 
 No Sin Venial either m the 
 
 inftruft the Ignorant, to counfel the Un- 
 wary, to reclaim thofe that err from the 
 way of Truth and Righteoufnefs, to re- 
 prove his Brother that offends, and not to 
 fuffer Sin upon him. 
 
 And the more diligent and induftrious 
 we are in doing thefe Offices of fpiritual 
 Kindnefs and Charity to others, the more 
 fully iliall we difcharge our own Duty, 
 the better account fhall we be able to 
 give to God of the Talents he has in- 
 trufted us with, and fhall receive from 
 him a reward proportional to the fervency 
 of our Love and Zeal. For they that turn 
 many. to Righteoufnefs JJoall jhine as the Stars 
 for ever and ever^ as the Prophet Daniel 
 fays f and, whofoewr, fays our Saviour 
 in the Text, jhall do thefe Commandment^ 
 and teach Men fo, he Jhall be called great in 
 the Kingdom of Heaven. 
 
 Which great reward, that we may 
 all of us attain, by a fincere obedience 
 to every Law of the Gofpel, and by a 
 conftant endeavour to promote the in- 
 tereft of Religion ? and the practice of 
 
 Virtue
 
 Teacher or the Praitifer. 
 
 Virtue in the World, God of his Mercy 
 grant, for the fake of our Lord Jefas 
 Chrift: 
 
 To who?n, with the Father, and the Hoty 
 Ghoft, three Perfons and one God, 
 all Honour and Glory* 
 ewer. Amen. 

 
 
 WHAT IS 
 
 Pharifaical Righteoufnefs, 
 
 AND 
 
 Wherein it is deficient. 
 

 
 DISCOURSE XXII. 
 
 What is Pharifaical Righteoufnefs, 
 and wherein it is deficient. 
 
 M A T T H. V. 1O. 
 
 For I fay unto you, That except your 
 Righteoufnefs Jhatt exceed the 
 Righteoufnefs of the Scribes and 
 Pharifees, ye Jkall in no cafe en- 
 ter into the Kingdom of Hea- 
 ven. 
 
 
 UR Saviour at the beginning 
 of this his Sermon upon the 
 Mount, had utter'd feveral 
 ftrange Paradoxes, Truths 
 very hard to be received and credited by 
 thofe to whom he fpake them, when he had 
 pronounc'd thofe to be blefTed,, who in the 
 eye of the World do feem the moft un- 
 happy,- as, the Poor in Spirit $ the Meek ; 
 
 the
 
 i Pharisaical Right eoufnefs, 
 
 the Mourners', the Persecuted; and the 
 like. But what he utters here, did, I fup- 
 pofe, appear to thofe to whom he fpake 
 thefe Words, rather a greater Paradox 
 than any of them. For fuch a profound 
 Veneration had the Jews generally for 
 their Scribif, and efpecially for thofe Of 
 them which were of the Seft of the Pha- 
 rifees ; and fuch an high Opinidn had they 
 of their Wifdom and San&ity, that it was 
 in ufe among them as a Proverbial Saying, 
 That if but two Men only went to Heaven, 
 one of them would be a Scribe^ and the other 
 a Pharifee. How ftrange therefore muft 
 it needs found to them to hear our Saviour 
 faying, That neither one of thefe fhould 
 go to Heaven, nor the other ; neither the 
 Scribe^ nor the Pharife, nor any other Per- 
 fon neither that was not better than either 
 of them , /. e. who was not better than 
 any of thofe were whom they accounted 
 the moft holy, and the moft perfect among 
 the Sons of Men ? And yet this is what 
 he fays in the Text, For I Jay unto you, that 
 except your Righteoufnefi foall exceed the 
 Rigbteotifneff of the Scribes and Pharifee^ ye
 
 c 
 
 and wherein it is deficient. 
 
 ffiall in no cafe enter into the Kingdom of Hea- 
 ven. 
 
 The word. For, at the beginning of the' 
 Verfe, ftiews fome Connexion of thefe 
 Words with the foregoing ; and that this 
 Text was defign'd as a Proof and Confir- 
 mation of fomewhat that had been faid 
 before, either in the Verfe immediately 
 foregoing, or, at leaft, in fome Verfe not 
 much before the Text. 
 
 Now what had been faid in the Verfe 
 immediately foregoing, was this j Whofo- 
 ever Jhall break one of thefe leafl Command- 
 ments, or Jhall teach Men fo, he Jhall be 
 called the lea ft in the Kingddm of Heaven : 
 But whomever Jhall do, and teach them^ the 
 fame Jhall be called great in the Kingdom of 
 Heaven. And then it follows ; For 1 fay 
 unto you, that except your Righteoufnefi Jhall 
 exceed the Righteoujhefs of the Scribes and 
 Pharifees, ye Jhall in no cafe enter into the 
 Kingdom of Heaven. So that underftanding 
 thefe Words as connected by the Particle* 
 For, to thofe Words immediately forego- 
 ing, they feem to be defign'd as an Anfwer 
 to an Objection that the J-ews might be 
 [Vol. II.] Bb * apt
 
 370 
 
 apt to make againft what had been faid in 
 the foregoing Verfe. For our Saviour had 
 faid, that the breaking one of his Command- 
 went*) even though it were the leaft of 
 them, or the teaching Men fo, would be 
 fufficient to exclude from the Joys and Hap- 
 pinefs of Heaven : But if fo, might the 
 jews think and object, the cafe is indeed 
 very hard, and Salvation is much more dif- 
 ficult to be obtain'd than we thought for : 
 For even the learned Scribes, who are beft 
 skilled in the Law - y and they that live ac- 
 cording to the ftri&eft Sect of our Reli- 
 gion, the Pharifees, thefe come not up to 
 this degree of Perfection; they are not in all 
 points fpotlefs and innocent ; they^ in their 
 Practice,do offend in fome things , and they, 
 in their Teaching and Preaching, do not 
 lay the fame ftrefs upon all the Command- 
 ments, but feem rather to give fome fort 
 of Allowance or Indulgence to fuch as they 
 account fmaller Tranfgreffions of the Law , 
 and furely, it can't be our Duty to be wi- 
 fer than our Teachers, and more exact and 
 punctual in our Obedience than they are 
 
 who
 
 and vjherein it u deficient* 37 * 
 
 who are appointed to be our Spiritual 
 Guides and Inftruftors. 
 
 To which Objection therefore our Savi- 
 our replies, by granting the matter or 
 ground of it, (which he knew to be too 
 true) and then denytng the Confequence 
 which they drew from thence j For I fay unto 
 you, thai escceft your -Rigbteoufnefs Jbatt ex~ 
 ceed theRighteoufneft of the Scribes andPha* 
 rifees, yejjjall in no cafe enter into the King- 
 dom of Heaven. 'Tis as if he had faid ; 
 Be it fo as you think ; That theScr/fe and 
 ihePbarifees are not fo faultlefs, neither in 
 their Practice, nor in their Teaching, as I 
 require you to be ; All that follows from 
 hence is, That they are not fo good as they 
 fhould be, and that therefore you muft be 
 better ; that your Righteaitfneff ought to ex- 
 ceed theirs. 
 
 And the "Words thus under/food, Would 
 give me a fair occafion to difcourfe con- 
 cerning the evil Examples of others j and 
 to ihew, that it is our Duty to live by Pre- 
 cept, not by Pattern or Precedent 5 for as 
 much as no Example whatfoever, no not 
 the Example of our Guides and Teachers^ 
 B b 2 flot
 
 WhatisPharifaicalRighteoufoefs, 
 
 not that of the wifeft, (as the Scribes') not 
 that of the beft Men (as thePharifees were? 
 accounted) is fufficient to warrant or juftify 
 us in the Tranfgreflfion of any Law of 
 God. 
 
 But it may be enough jufl to have men- 
 tion'd this at prefent ; becaufe I conceive 
 that the Connexion between thefe Words^ 
 and what had been fpoken before^ is ra- 
 ther between this Verfe and the 17*. 
 
 For there our Saviour had declar'd it to 
 be the Defign of his Coming, not to re- 
 leafe Men from their Obligation to Obe- 
 dience, but rather to increafe it, and ta 
 require a more perfect Obedience, and 
 higher degrees of Holinefs than Men had 
 before thought themfelves bound to attain, 
 or even to aim at > Think not that lam come 
 to deftroy the Law and the T?tofhets : I am 
 not come to deftroy, bin to fulfil. As a Proof 
 of which, he declares at the 1 8 th Verfe, 
 that it was the Will of God, that the Mo- 
 ral Law, or the Law enjoining Works of 
 Piety, Juftice and Charity, fhould conti- 
 nue in force as long as the World ihoulc! 
 laft j For wrily I fay unto you^ till Heaven 
 
 and
 
 and wherein it is deficient. 373 
 
 and Earth pafi, one jot or one tittle Jhallin 
 no wife paft from the Law. Then, as a 
 farther Proof of this, he declares at the 
 jpth Verfe, that this Moral Law was in 
 every part and tittle of it moft ftri&ly obli- 
 ging i that not fo much as one fingle Tranf- 
 greffion of one Law, even though it were 
 of the leaft of all the Commandments, was 
 allow'd by the Gofpel-Covenant which he 
 preach'd j Whofoever jhall break one of thefe 
 leaft Commandments, jhall be leaft in the King" 
 domof Heaven*, i.e. fliall have no Portion 
 there at all. And then, at laft, in the Text, 
 as a ftill farther Confirmation of that fame 
 Truth, that he came not to defray theLdW, 
 but to amplify, enlarge and perfect it, he 
 declares, that none could be his true Dif- 
 ciples, nor would be Partakers of that 
 Kingdom of Heaven which he preach'd, 
 unlefs they were better Men j f. e. more 
 Ariel: and regular in their Life and Conver- 
 fation than even the Scribes and Pharifees 
 themfelves were, who yet were thought 
 to be the moft exad Obferversof theLaw : 
 I came not to deflroy the Law, but to fulfil:* 
 For verily 1 fay unto you, that except your 
 Bb.3
 
 374 What u Pharisaical Right eoufnefs, 
 
 Rigfcteoufnefs Jhall exceed the Righteoufmft 
 of the Scribes and Pharifees, ye /hall in no cafe 
 enter into the Kingdoiri of Heaven. 
 
 In which Words therefore I conceive 
 pur Saviour to fay no more in fubftance, 
 nd }n (effect, than he had faid before in the 
 foregoing Verfes ; when he had declared, 
 that the Moral Law would never be abro- 
 gated, but always continue in force ; and 
 that no Tranfgreflipn of it, in any one point, 
 would be allow'd of ? or difpens'd with. 
 But, however, it was very needful, and to 
 yery gopd purppfe, that he Ihould exprefs 
 this fame fenfe pver again in fuch manner 
 ,,jas he does in the Text $ Except your Rigk- 
 teoufnefsjkall exceed the Righteoufnefi of the 
 Scribes and Pharifees, ye jhall not enter into 
 the Kingdom of Heaven ; becaufe there are 
 yery few Men that can be perfuaded to 
 fet themfelves to aim and endeavour after 
 . fuch ftridft Righteoufnefs as the Law pre- 
 fcribes;. they can hardly induce themfelves 
 {to Relieve, that fo much as, the Law com- 
 ynands ^s necefjfary tp te fione, or even to 
 Jsp airafl at j 'but if they do^fome things 
 iveil 3 and are not fcandalous arid noto- 
 
 ^fV^f ;.;,, . riC. ] -v."- - /> 
 
 riou
 
 and wherein it u deficient. 37 5 
 
 rious Tranfgreilbrs , if they live as well as 
 tlieir Neighbours do, I mean, not as the 
 worft of them do, but as the beft ; if they 
 live as well as thpfe appear to do that are 
 in fair efteem and reputation for Piety and 
 Virtue, and have a good Name and Cha- 
 ra#er in the place where they live, they 
 doubt not but they ihall do well enough ,- 
 and that their Righteoufnefs is fuch as God 
 will accept, though it be not in all points 
 fuch as the Law enjoins. For who is 
 there, fay they, that does every thing that 
 is commanded ? What Man is there upon 
 Earth, that doth good, andfinneth not? See- 
 ing therefore all Men have their Failings, 
 and the beft Men are not without Fault, 
 and even they that are Heirs of Salvation 
 are not made perfect in this World $ we 
 hope that our Failings may be pafs'd over 
 as well as theirs ; that fome Faults may be 
 excus'd in us as well as in them ; and that 
 a lefs Righteoufnefs than that which is per- 
 fect, will be accepted from us, as well as 
 it muft be from others, if indeed there be 
 any at all that {hall be faved : For the 
 Scripture has plainly told us, that there is 
 B b 4 pot
 
 376 WhatisPharifaicalRighfeoufoefs, 
 
 not a juft Man upon Earth, that doth good, 
 and finneth not : And that // God Jhould 
 enter into ftrift Judgment with vs> there is 
 no Man living that could be juft'tfied in his 
 
 Thus, J fay. Men are very apt to conr 
 tent themfelves with a comparative Righ- 
 teoufnefs; and to think that they are righ- 
 teous enough, if they are but as righteous 
 as their Neighbours, efpecially as the beft 
 of them are j though they are confcious to 
 themfelves, not only that they are not in 
 all points fo righteous as the Law directs 
 them to be, but not fo righteous, not quite 
 fo unblameable as they might b$, by ta- 
 king better heed to their ways. They 
 feem to think that Cuftom is the beft In- 
 terpreter of the Divine, as well as in fome 
 cafes it is allowed to be, of Human Laws j 
 and that if they do but yield fuch Obedi- 
 ence to the Commandments as is generally 
 given to them by fuch as are taken to be 
 Men of Probity and Confcience, their Obe- 
 dience will be fuch as the Law intends, 
 though it be not exa&ly fuch as it pre- 
 fcribes j and that they ftall fulfil the de~
 
 
 
 and wherein it is deficient. 377 
 
 fign of the Law, although they do not an- 
 fwer the Letter of it. 
 
 It was therefore j I fay, very needful and 
 expedient that our Saviour, after he had 
 declared the perpetual Obligation of the 
 Moral Law, and that the Obedience re- 
 quir'd to be given thereto was fuch as al- 
 low'd of no wilful Tranfgreflion of it fo 
 much as in one point, fhould then exprefly 
 declare, that thefe Laws of God were to 
 be interpreted according to right Reafon, 
 and the true and proper Meaning of the 
 Words they were deliver 'd in > and not ac.. 
 cording to the Cuftoms and Manners even 
 of the beft Men, unlefs their Practice was 
 in all points agreeable thereto. And be- 
 caufe at that time, when our Saviour fpake 
 thefe Words, the Scribes and Pharifees were 
 the Men that were had in greateft reputa-- 
 tion for Piety and Sanctity ,- and yet our 
 Saviour 3 who had infpeded into their Be- 
 baviour more narrowly, and likewife faw 
 into their Hearts, knew well that they 
 were not fuch good Men as they were ge- 
 nerally taken to be j he therefore inftances 
 particularly in them, and tells his Difci- 
 
 ples,
 
 What u Phanfaical Right eoufnefs, 
 
 pies, that unlefs they did yield a ^ better 
 Obedience to the Laws of God, than even 
 thefe Men did who were the moft fam'd 
 for their Righteoufnefs, their Obedience 
 woijld not be fuch as the Promifes of the 
 Gofpel were made to : For 1 fay unto you, 
 that except your Righteoufnefs JJoall exceed 
 the Righteoufnefs of the Scribes and Pharifees, 
 ye Jhatt in no cafe enter into the Kingdom of 
 Heaven. 
 
 In difcourfing on which Words, I ihall do 
 thefe two things : 
 
 I. I fhall briefly enquire who, said what 
 thefe Scribes and Pharifees were. And, 
 
 II. I fhall enquire, what was their Righ- 
 teoufnefs j and fhew wherein it was defi- 
 denty and confequently, wherein our Righ- 
 teoufnefs muft exceed theirs. 
 
 I. I Ihall briefly enquire who., and what 
 thefe Scribes and Pharifees were. 
 
 And in general, Scribe is the Name of 
 an Office, and Pharifee is the Name of a 
 Se&. The Scribes were, as 'tis now gene- 
 rally thought, only of the Tribe of Levi j 
 Mai. ii. 7. according to that of the Prophet Malachi : 
 JhePriefts Lipsjhouldkeef Knowledge., and 
 
 they
 
 and, wherein it u deficient. 379 
 
 they Jhould feek the Law at his Mouth $ for 
 he if the Meffenger of the Lord ofHofts : But 
 the Phanfees were, or might be, of any 
 Tribe, and were only a Seft of the Jews, 
 which pretended to underftand the Law 
 better, and to keep it more ftrictly than 
 others did ; and were therefore accounted 
 more righteous and more religious than 
 the other Jews. And thusSt.Ptf#/,fpeak- 
 ing of himfelf before his Converfion, fays, 6. 
 that he (who yet was a Benjamite by Tribe) 
 was a Pharifee, and the Son of a Pharifee ; 
 and in another place, That after the moft 
 ftraiteft Sett of their Religion, he Ih'd a Pha- xxvi. 5. 
 rifce. So that it feems, that neither were all 
 the Scribes of the Seel: of the Phanfees ; nei- vid. Aas 
 ther were all the Pharifee /, by Office and x * 
 Profeflfion, Scribes or Teachers of the People. 
 But though it was not fo always, yet it was 
 fo for the moft part -, and therefore in the 
 Hiftories of the Gofpeh, and of the Atts 
 of the Afoftles^ we meet with them moft 
 frequently join'd together, as if they were 
 one and the fame Perfon$ ; and of both of 
 them our Saviour fays, mMattb. xxiii, 2. 
 
 that
 
 What uPharifaical Right eoufnefs, 
 
 that they fat. in MofesV Seat -, The Scribe; 
 and Pharifees fit in MofesV Seat , /. e. they 
 are the authorized Guides and Teachers of 
 the People. 
 
 The Scribes therefore being, upon the 
 account of their Office, the moft efteem'd 
 for their Skill in the Law ; and the Pha- 
 rifees, upon the account of their Seel:, be- 
 ing thought the moft exa# Obfervers of 
 the Law ; and yet the former being known 
 by our Saviour not to have expounded it 
 in all points according to its true meaning, 
 and the latter being known by him not to 
 be fuch exa# Obfervers of the Law as 
 they were taken to be ; he here tells his 
 Difciples, that unlefs, as Teachers, they 
 did expound and teach the Laws of God 
 more truly and faithfully than the Scribes 
 did ; and unlefs, as Scholars and Difciples, 
 they did obferve and keep the fame more 
 pun&ually and exactly than the Pharifees 
 did y their Service would be rejected by 
 God, as maim'd and deficient : I fay unto 
 yotty that except your Righteoufnefs jhall ex- 
 ceed tie Righteoufnefs of the Scribes and Pha* 
 
 ri/ees,
 
 and wherein it is deficient. 381 
 
 rifeeS) ye JJoall in no cafe enter into the King- 
 dom of Heaven. And now I come in the 
 fecond place to what I chiefly defign'd ,- 
 Viz. 
 
 II. To enquire what was the Righteouf* 
 nefs of the Scribes and Pharifees ; and to 
 ihew, wherein it was deficient, and confe- 
 quently, wherein our Righteoufnefs muft 
 exceed theirs. 
 
 And thus much muft be granted to the 
 Scribes and Pharifees, that it was not alto- 
 gether without ground, that they were had 
 in fuch great reputation among the Jews $ 
 for it muft be allow'd them, that they 
 did fome things well, that they had a Form 
 of Godlinefs - } and that they made fuch a 
 {hew and appearance of Goodnefs,^s might 
 eafily deceive thofe into a good opinion of 
 them, who did not very narrowly iiifpeft 
 their Behaviour. 
 
 For if you confider them as Teachers ,of 
 the Law, they were very diligent and ai- 
 fiduous in their Office , They fat in MofesV 
 Seat : They made the Study of the La w 
 their bufinefs ,- and their Expofition of it, 
 though not in all points exact, was yet, in 
 
 the
 
 381 What is Pharisaical Right eoufoefs, 
 
 the main fo found and orthodox, that everf 
 our Saviour himfelf charg'd and exhorted 
 the People to follow their Advice, and to 
 obferve their Directions ; Mattb. xxiii. 
 2, 3. The Scribes and Pharifees Jit in MofesV 
 Seat : all therefore whatsoever they bid you 
 obferve, that obferve and do. They were 
 alfo very zealous, as in inftruding their 
 own People in the Jewijh Religion, fo 
 likewife in endeavouring to gain Profelites 
 to it; for they would comfafs Sea and 
 Land to gain even one Profelite y as our 
 Saviour bears them witnefs in Mattb. 
 xxiii. 15. 
 
 Or if you confider them as Practifers of 
 the Law, they did many things worthy of 
 commendation. For they were, to ap- 
 pearance. Men of great Devotion $ they 
 were very frequent and long in their 
 Prayers j they fafted much and often ; 
 they were very remarkable for their 
 Aufterity, and bodily Mortification j they 
 were likewife very punctual in the dif- 
 charge of the Priefts Dues, paying Tithes 
 of all that they poflefs'd, even of the fmalleft 
 
 Garden
 
 and, wherein it u deficient. 383 
 
 Garden Herbs, [of which it was a quef- 
 tion whether they where tithable or not] 
 They were alfo much noted for their 
 Alms, which they did fo publickly, that 
 all Men might fee their Charity and take 
 example by it. But, above all things, 
 they were moft exact in the obfervation of 
 the Sabbath-day, on which, rather than 
 run the hazard of tranfgrefling the Com- 
 mandment by breaking the Reft of it, 
 they would not allow either themfelves, 
 or others, to do even fo much as works of 
 NecefTity, or very great Charity. 
 
 Such were the Scribes and Pharifees; 
 fuch was their Righteoufnefs, which our 
 Saviottr here requires ihould be exceeded 
 by all his Difciples. But would to God 
 it were at leaft equalFd by all thofe that 
 call themfelves his Difciples ; for if it were, 
 the Chiftian World would not, I'm fure, 
 be quite fo bad as it is ; but if there were 
 not more true Religion in it than there is 
 at prefent, there would be, at leaft, a bet- 
 ter fliew and appearance of it than there 
 is; if there were not lefs Sin than there is
 
 3 84 What is Pharifaical Righttoufnefs, 
 
 now, there would be, at leafl, lefs Scandal ; 
 and they that died in their own Sins only, 
 would have an eafier account to make to 
 Godj than they will have, who by the 
 opennefs of their Wickednefs, and the in- 
 fluence of their evil Example, draw 
 whole Sholes of Sinners along with them 
 into the fame Pit of Deftru&ion. 
 
 But now, If (as St. Peter fays) the 1 
 Righteoits fcarcely be faved y where Jhall the 
 Ungodly and Sinner appear ? if thefe de- 
 inure and Saint-like Pharifees, in whofe 
 Converfation there was no Spot or Blemifli 
 that was very difcernable, were not yet 
 qualified for the Kingdom of Heaven; 
 what will become of thofe, whofe Life is 
 all over (if I may fo fpeak) Spot and 
 Miesh. -Biemifh? who do evil with both Handr, 
 l1 ' 3 ' carneftly, as the Prophet fpeaks ? or who, 
 E P h.iv.,inthe 4foft^ Phrafe, being f aft feeling, 
 l9 ' have given themfefoej over unto Laftiviouf- 
 neft, to work all Undeannefs with greedi- 
 nefs. 
 
 And yet many fuch there are, even 
 among thofe that have given up their
 
 and wherein it is deficient. 385 
 
 Names to Or//?, and have taken upon 
 them his Profeflion, and who would take 
 it ill, if you fliould not allow them to be 
 Chriftians $ indeed, too many fuch there 
 are among us, who are fo far from out- 
 doing the Scribes and Pharifees in their 
 Devotion, that they do - very rarely lift 
 up a Hand or an Eye to Heaven, and 
 fcarcely have God in all their thoughts, 
 unlefs it be to blafpheme and affront him $ 
 too many who are fo far from exceeding 
 them in their Righteoufnefs, that where- 
 as they made Confcience of paying fome 
 dues, thefe make no Confcience of any -, 
 but, whether it be by Fraud, or Robbery, or 
 Sacrilege ; whether it be from God or 
 from Man, from the Poor or from the 
 Rich, that they can get any thing, they 
 matter not, fo that they do but get it for 
 themfelves ; too many, who are fo far from 
 outdoing them in ads of Mortification 
 and Self-denial, that they outdo even the 
 worft of Heathens in ads of Senfuality and 
 Uncleannefs, pradifing with a bare Face, 
 and an impudent Forehead, thofe unclean 
 [Vol. II.] Cc Lufts,
 
 Lufts, which modeft Pagans would have 
 bluili'd at, and being much more frequent 
 and conftant in their finful Excefs of 
 Rioting and Drunkennefs, than the Pha- 
 rifees were in their Faftings j and making 
 it the main defign of their Lives, and the 
 fum of all their Contrivances , by any 
 means, to make provifion for the Flejh, to 
 fulfil the Lttftf thereof: Too many, who are 
 fo far from exceeding the Pharifees in zeal 
 for the Truth, and in endeavouring to 
 gain Profelites to it, that they are more 
 ready to ask Pilate's Queftion, what is 
 Truth ? and that not ferioufly, but fcoffing- 
 ly, not with a defire to be informed, but 
 only with a defign to cavil at and ridicule 
 all the Arguments that are brought for the 
 Proof of Religion, and efpecially of that 
 holy. Religion which they themfelves have 
 been baptiz'd into; which they could 
 heartily wifli were quite baniih'd out of 
 the World, becaufe it is too holy and too 
 good for them, and fuch a Religion as, 
 while they continue in their wicked courfe 
 of Life., they can take no comfort in. 
 
 But 
 1
 
 and, ivherem it it deficient. 
 
 But to run thro' all the particulars 
 wherein the Righteoufnefs of the Scribe f 
 and Pbartfeef did exceed the Righteouf- 
 nefs of a great many that call themfelves 
 Chriftianf, would be endlefs; neither, as 
 I fuppofe, would it be to much purpofe j 
 becaufe if there be any v fuch here (as I 
 hope there are not) who having been 
 baptized into and inftrufted in the holy Re- 
 ligion of the Gofpel, have not been yet 
 perfuaded to go fo far in the way of 
 Righteoufnefs as the old Scribes and Pba~ 
 rifees did, it can fcarcely be hop'd that they 
 fhould now, by any thing that I can fay, be 
 perfuaded to go farther ; and unlefs hey 
 do go farther thau the Scribes and Pbafifee^ 
 they will as furely come ihort of Heaven, 
 as by flaying where they are > but to them 
 that have begun well, and have a good 
 \vill to do all that is neceflary (which, at 
 leaft, is, I will prefume, the cafe of all that 
 are here prefent) it may be hop'd that a 
 Difcourfe upon this Subject may be ufeful, 
 to acquaint them what is ftill wanting, 
 and to perfuade them to purfue fteadily 
 C c 2 the
 
 388 What is Pharisaical Righteoufnefs, 
 
 the good courfe they have taken. For 'tis 
 fome advantage to them that they have 
 gone fo far, if they proceed ; becaufe the 
 more way they have gone already, the 
 lefs they have to go, and their further 
 Progrefs will be ftill every day more eafy 
 and delightful ; but if they reft where 
 they are, they will have loft all the La- 
 bour they have already taken ; and will 
 at laft alfo lofe that Reward, which by 
 a continuance and increafe in well-doing 
 they might have attained. For this was 
 the very cafe of the Scribes and Pharifee^ 
 here fpoken of, fome Righteoufnefs they 
 had, but not enough ; and except our 
 Righteoufnefs fhall exceed theirs, our 
 Saviour tells us, we fliall in no cafe enter 
 into the Kingdom of Heaven, 
 
 What I am now therefore to do, is to 
 Ihew wherein the Righteoufnefs of the 
 Scribes and Pharifees was deficient, and 
 confequently wherein our Righteoufnefs 
 muft exceed theirs, if ever we hope 
 to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. 
 And 
 
 i. They
 
 and wherein it is deficient. 
 
 i. They did fome things wellj but 
 they did not do every thing fo. They 
 had regard to fome of God's Command- 
 ments., but not to others. 
 
 Thus they were very ftrict in keeping 
 the Reft of the Sabbath, but they negleft- 
 ed the Religion of it ,- they> were very long 
 in their Devotions, but then fo much 
 Piety and Religion towards God, they 
 thought, would attone for fome injuftice 
 to Men j Te devour Widows Houfef, fays 
 our Saviour, and for a pretence make long 
 Prayers*, they gave away much in Alms 5 
 but then they had little regard whether 
 what they gave away was their own or 
 their Neighbour's; they gave Tithes of 
 all that they poffefs'd, and .would not 
 wrong the Prieft of fo jnuch as one fpire 
 of Mint or Rue,- but in the meantime 
 they neglected , as our Savwur fays, the 
 weightier matters of the Law, Judgment, 
 Mercy and Faith ; they prefs'd much the 
 obligation that lay upon Men to enrich the 
 Treafury of the Temple, and at the fame 
 time difcharg'd- them from the obligation 
 C,c 3 that
 
 3 90 What is Pharisaica 
 
 that lay upon them, both by the Law o 
 Nature, and by the Fifth Command 
 merit, to honour their Parents, and to fuc ' 
 cour and relieve them when in Want 
 Such was the Righteoufnefs of the Scribes 
 and Pkarifeef) it was partial, maim'd and 
 imperfect ; and that's one Inftance where* 
 in it was deficient, and wherein pur 
 Righteoufnefs mutt exceed theirs. 
 
 For to render our obedience accepted to 
 God, it muft be the beft and the moft 
 perfect that we can give ; it muft be en- 
 tire, and uniform, and impartial. We 
 muft not neglect the weightier matters of 
 the Law , - while we obferve the lefs $ 
 neither yet, on the other fide, may we be 
 fp very attent upon any fomej altho' the 
 weightieft matters of all, as to overlook 
 or wilfully to neglect any other points of 
 plain Duty, altho' they feem not to be 
 Jo very considerable. Tis our Saviours 
 Judgment in the cafe, Mattb, xxiii. 23. 
 Thefe things ought ye to have done 9 and not 
 to leave the other undone j and in the Verfe 
 Text, whofieyer Jhatt break one
 
 and, wherein tt is deficient. 391 
 
 ofthefe leaft Commandments, /hall be leaft in 
 the Kingdom of Heaven. We can't com- 
 mute one Duty for another, becaufe they 
 axe both alike required j For he that faid y ' 
 Thou /halt not commit Adultery , faid alfo, 
 Do not Kill; and he that commanded us 
 to pray, has alfo commanded us to give 
 Alms offuch things as we have; we muft 
 not therefore pick and chufe out of the 
 Commandments thofe which we like 
 beft to obferve ; for this is not to obey 
 God, but to pleafe ourfelves ,- and if Obe- 
 dience to God be the true Principle of our 
 Actions, we fhall obey thofe which are 
 moft contrary to our Inclinations with the 
 fame readinefs and willingrtefs of Mind 
 (altho* perhaps with more ftruggling and 
 firiving with ourfelves) wherewith we 
 obey any of the reft. And indeed, we 
 can have a good affurance towards God 
 upon no other Terms ; For then Jhall I not 
 be ajhmcd, fays the Pfalmfa when I have 
 wlpetf unto all thy Commandments ; Pfal. 
 cxix. 6. and, on the other fide, we are 
 plainly told by St..Jawes, c. ii. i>. 20. that 
 C c 4 who-
 
 3 92. What isPhanfaical Righteoufnefs, 
 
 whofoever Jhall keep the whole Law., and 
 yet offend in one point, be is guilty of all. 
 
 2. Another thing wherein theRighte- 
 oufnefs of the Pharifees was deficient, was 
 this, that it confifted chiefly in Negatives : 
 They had fome care to abftain from what 
 was forbidden, but took little or no care 
 to do what was commanded. Thus the 
 Pharifee in the Gofpel, when he meant to 
 commend himfelf as much as he could to 
 Almighty God, Luke xviii. 1 1 . could fay 
 but very little of his good Actions : Faft- 
 ing, and paying Tithes, were the only 
 things he mentioned, or perhaps could men- 
 tion of this kind - 3 but that which he laid 
 the moft ftrefs upon, and for which he 
 feem'd to think he deferv'd the moft Praife, 
 was his not being guilty of fome very noto- 
 rious Tranfgreflions of the Law : CM, I 
 thank thee, fays he, that lam not as other Men 
 are y Extortioners - } Unjufl^ Adulterers, or even 
 as this Publican. 
 
 And with this fame fort of Righteouf- 
 nefs, a great many Chriftians likewife are 
 very apt to content thernfelyes : Many 
 
 there
 
 and, wherein it is deficient. ^9 J 
 
 there are that have a good opinion of 
 themfelves, and a fair Character among 
 their Neighbours, who yet, if they were 
 put to it to fay all that they could fay in 
 their own Commendation, could fay lit- 
 tle more than this Pharifee did, *uiz. That 
 they are not fo bad as fome other Men 
 are ; no Whoremongers, no Adulterers, 
 no Drunkards, no prophane Swearers, no 
 Thieves, no Extortioners, or the l&e. 
 And thus far it is well; but all this is 
 not enough : He that is not a Whore- 
 monger, will not be judg'd as a Whore- 
 monger j nor will he that is no Drun- 
 kard, be punifli'd as a Drunkard ; no Man 
 iliall anfwer for more Sins than he has 
 been guilty of -, and mighty Sinners fhall be 
 mightily tormented. But if a Man be not 
 a Whoremonger^ or a Drunkard, or a pro- 
 phane Swearer, ftill I fay, fuch a negative 
 Righteoufnefs alone will not fave him. 
 For the fame God who has commanded 
 us to abftain from evil, has alfo com- 
 manded us to exercife ourfelves in all 
 well-doing,- Vef art from evil, anddogood, 
 
 and
 
 394 What is Pharisaical Rtghteou(nefs, 
 
 and dwell .for evermore : So tjie Pfalmijt 
 has exprefs'd the Condition of our ob- 
 taining everiafting Happinefs ; Pfal. xxxvii. 
 27. and in .Pfal. xv. 2. The firft Part of 
 the Anfwer to that Queftion, Lord^ who 
 Jbatt abide in thy Tabernacle, who Jhall dwell 
 in thy holy Hill ? is in thefe Words, He that 
 walketh uprightly, and worketh highteouf- 
 nefr. And the Defcription which the Pro- 
 phet Ezekiel gives of a true and faving 
 Repentance, in Ezck. xviii. 2 1 . is after this 
 manner j If the wicked turn from all his Sim 
 that he hath committed, and keep all my Sta- 
 tutes , and do. -that which is lawful and right, 
 be jhall furely live, he flail not die : H/V 
 TranfgreJJion$ Jhall not be mention d unto 
 him t:\in his Righteoufnefs that he has done, 
 he jhall liyes. And of this kind alfp are 
 the Defcriptions of Evangelical Righte- 
 oufnefs which we meet with in the New 
 Teftament : He that doth Righteoufnefs, is 
 righteous, fays St. John, i Job. iii. 7. And 
 St.Paul in 2 Cor.vii. i. declaring the Evan- 
 gelical Promifes, and fhewing how we 
 may be rr^ade Partakers of thern^ expref- 
 
 fcs
 
 and, ivherein it is deficient. 395 
 
 fes himfelf in thefe Words ; Having therefore 
 thefe Promifes.> dearly beloved, let us clcanfe 
 ourfehes from all Filthinefs both of Flefo and 
 Spirit : That's one part of the Condition j 
 but that is not all, for then he adds, Per- 
 f eft ing Holme fs in the Tear of God. And th e 
 Author to the Hebrews teadies the fame, 
 Heb. xii. i . Wherefore feeing we alfo are 
 compajfcd about with fo great a Cloud ofWtt- 
 nsffesj let us lay afide every weighty and the 
 Sin which doth fo eafily befet us ; (there's 
 our negative Righteoufnefs, which confifts 
 in abftaining from evil ; and then it fol- 
 lows) and lei us run with patience the Race 
 that is fet before us ; ( there is our pofitive 
 or affirmative Righteoufnefs, which con- 
 frfts in the doing of good. ) The laying 
 afide every Weight, the freeing ourfelves 
 from the Incumbrance and Load of Sin, 
 is indeed a thing abfolutely neceflary to 
 be done, becaufe till we have done that 
 we can't run at all : But when that is 
 done, if after that we fit ftill, and keep in 
 the place where we were, we fhall be 
 jie'er the better, we ftiail be never the 
 
 nearer
 
 nearer to our Journey's end ; for that which 
 muft bring us thither, is the running the 
 - Race which is fet before us. 
 I^f 'But it would b6 endlefs to mention all 
 " the Texts of Scripture that might be ci- 
 ted for the Proof of this Point ; and there- 
 fore I fhall at prefent name only one more : 
 ,*Tis in the xxv th of St. Matthew, where 
 our Saviour himfelf relates the manner of 
 his own Proceedings in the Judgment of 
 the laft Day, and the Reafons thereof; 
 Verfe 34. Thenjhall the King fay unto them 
 en his right Hand, Come ye Bleffed of my Fa- 
 ther, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you 
 from the foundation of the World: For I was 
 tinhungred.) and ye gave me Meat ; ihirfty, 
 and ye gave me Drink,, &c. The reafon of 
 this Sentence, you fee, was not becaufe 
 they had not done evil, but becaufe they 
 had done good : 'Tis not faid, Ye were 
 fober and temperate, ye did not eat or 
 drink to excefs; Ye were juft in your 
 Dealings, ye did not wrong, or defraud 
 your Neighbours j Ye did not opprefs the 
 Poor, ye did not rob the Church ; there- 
 fore
 
 and, wherein it is deficient. 397 
 
 fore come ye Bleffed. Such indeed, with- 
 out all doubt, they were on whom this 
 blefled Sentence was pronounc'd; they had 
 been fober, and temperate, and juft ; they 
 had not been Drunkards, or Gluttons, or 
 Whoremongers, or Extortioners, or Sacri- 
 legious Perlbns : If they had, they could 
 fiot have been entitled to this Bleffednefs 
 and Reward : But, I fay, this alone would 
 not have been enough. The fewer Sins 
 indeed a Man is guilty of, the lefs will 
 his Punifliment be in the other World ; 
 and he will cot fuffer as a Thief, or a Mur- 
 derer, or a Drunkard, if. indeed he was 
 none of thefe : But there's no Salvation to 
 be had without doing alfo thofe good 
 things that are commanded* 
 
 And the fcme thing may be inferred 
 from that other Sentence which will then 
 be given upon wicked Men, at the 4i ft 
 Verfe of that Chapter $ Then Jhall the 
 Judge fay unto them on bit left Hand, De- 
 fart from me ye Curfed into e^erlafling Fire, 
 frepared for the Devil and his Angels. Why 
 fo c* Is it faid $ For ye were Whoremon- 
 gers,
 
 39% What isPharifaicalRighteoufnefs, 
 
 gers, or Drunkards, or Thieves, or Mur- 
 derers, or Blafphemers of God, or the 
 like ? No : They might perhaps be fome 
 or other of thefe ; and if they were, their 
 Condemnation to be fure was greater, the 
 more and greater Enormities they had al- 
 low'd themfelves in : But, I fay, it is not 
 there faid that they had been guilty of any* 
 of thefe Sins : The only reafon there gi- 
 ven of their Condemnation, is, becaufe 
 they had been wanting in doing the good 
 that they had been commanded to do : I 
 was hungry, and ye gave me no Meat j I 
 was tbirfly^ and ye ga*ve me no Drink, &c. 
 therefore go ye Cur fed into everlafting Fire. 
 
 Thus alfo then, ourRighteoufnefs muft 
 exceed the Righteoufnefs of the Scribes 
 and Pharifees : We muft have the fame 
 regard to the affirmative that we have to 
 the negative Precepts of the Law $ and be 
 as careful to do the Good that is com- 
 manded, as we are cautious to abftain 
 from the Evil that is forbidden : And af- 
 ter we have efcap'd the Corruption that is 
 in the World through Luft, we muft feek 
 
 to
 
 and, wherein it is deficient. 399 
 
 to promote the Honour of God and the 
 Good of Mankind, by abounding in all 
 Works of Piety and Charity, and embra- 
 cing every opportunity of doing good, that 
 is put into our hands. 
 
 But there are feveral other Inftances 
 wherein the Righteoufnefs- of the Scribes 
 and Pharifecs was deficient, and wherein 
 it muft be exceeded by ours ; which, be- 
 caufe it would take up too much time to 
 mention now, I {hall defer difcourfing of 
 till another time.


 
 
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