SERM. the Curfe, and makes us liable to everlasting IV. Death.

And yet how many are there, who feem as it were to parcel out their Time; and to portion and divide it betwixt God and their Sins ? They obferve a conftant, alternate Courfe of tranfgreffing and repenting, of Sin and Sorrow; always falling when tempted, and forrowful when fallen. Before they are tried, their Purposes are holy, and their Refolutions good: But at the Times when they should put them in Execution, their Strength fails, their good Thoughts vanish and come to nothing. They are never constant either in pious Purposes, or in well-doing. Their Actions are a Medley of good and bad; though their good ones are generally the shortest lived: As the Prophet very elegantly speaks, Their Goodness is only as a Morning Cloud, and as the early Dew it goeth away, Hofea vi. 4. But of an Obedience that goeth but half Way, and breaks off before it has got to the End, another Prophet has plainly told us, what will be the Iffue and Event. When the Righteous turneth away from his Righteousness, and committeth Iniquity, and doth according to all the Abominations that the wicked Man doth: Shall be live? All® bis Righteoufnefs that he hath done fhall not be mentioned;

mentioned; in his Trefpafs that he hath tref SERM. paffed, and in his Sin that he hath finned, în IV. them fhall be die, Ezek. xviii. 24.

A true Ifraelite therefore, who is fenfible of this, as he will yield the Obedience of the whole Man, to the whole Law, fo will he yield it for his whole Life. He will always have in Remembrance of that Saying of our Lord, He that endureth to the End shall be faved, Matt. x. 22. And perfevering to the End in Sincerity and Uprightness, to the best of his Power, he will have all that God requires of him, enough to support his Hopes here, and to secure his everlasting Happiness hereafter. Which was the,

Second Thing I promised to speak to, and which will not require many Words to make it out, I mean the Acceptableness of our Sincerity with God; or, the Sufficiency of it to recommend us to his Mercy and Favour. For what can God require of any of his Creatures more, than the higheft Stretch of thofe Powers, which our fallen and degenerate State hath left us? Through the Weakness and Corruption derived from Adam to all his Pofterity, a full, and perfect, and unfinning Obedience, is more than the best of Men can perform.

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SERM. perform. This therefore, cannot be the Duty IV. which a gracious God will expect from us:

Of his Mercy he has raised up another Adam to do that for us. And therefore, if we are diligent to perform whatever is still in our Power; on him may we rely for fupplying and making up whatever is out of it. But alas, where is the Man fo fincerely, and entirely devoted to ferve and please his Maker, as upon every Occafion and Opportunity laid before him, to make the best use of those Faculties and Abilities he has ftill left, and of that Grace which is offered to his Affiftance? It is much to be feared, that the best of us all, through the Hurries of Life, and Inattention to the Obligations that lie upon us, are led into manifold Omiffions and Sins, which if we had been mindful, it had been in our Power to have avoided; which further Care, and further Diligence, might have guarded againft, and prevented in every Inftance. And yet even here we may humbly hope, that the Sincerity of our Purposes and subsequent Endeavours, mixed up as they are with their Failures and Deficiencies, may be available to the Acceptance, if not of our Deeds, yet of our Faith in Chrift, Reliance on his Merits to atone for our Misdoings. If it shall ap

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pear

pear to God, that our Purposes and Endea-s ERM. vours are really fincere, and that, humanly IV. fpeaking, we have done our best to please him; then I think the Tenour of the New Covenant which he has made to us in the Gofpel, may cheer our Minds, and raise our Hopes that we fhall be accepted of him. For hear what comfortable Words our Saviour Chrift faith to all that truly turn to him, Come unto me all ye that travel and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you, Matt. xi. 28. So God loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him, fhould not perish, but have everlasting Life, John iii. 16. Hear alfo what St Paul faith, This is a true Saying, and worthy of all Men to be received, that Chrift Fejus came into the World to fave Sinners, 1 Tim. i. 15. Hear alfo what St John faith, If any Man fin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jefus Christ the Righteous, who never finned, and 5 he is the Propitiation for OUR Sins, 1 John ii. 1. He will take all our's that we truly repent of, and forfake, upon him, and make full Satisfaction to his Father for them, through his precious Blood which he shed to expiate them, and in virtue of which he intercedes for, and will obtain our Pardon. Therefore, Dear Chriftians,

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SERM. Chriftians, Lift up your Hearts: Be as fincere, IV. as universal, as diligent, and conftant in your

Obedience as you can; avoid falling as much as may be; and whenever you fall, immediately endeavour to rife again: Never fin but through Infirmity, and of those Sins repent: And then may ye hope to have your Lot with those who are redeemed from among Men: In your Mouths, or in your Hearts, shall be found no Guile, but you fhall ftand without Fault before the Throne of God. Which God of his Mercy grant to us all, for the Sake of our great Mediator and Redeemer Jefus Chrift; to whom, with the Father of all Mercies, and his holy, affifting, and fanctifying Spirit, be afcribed all Thanks, Adoration, and Glory, now and for ever, Amen.

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