SERMON XIV.

Chrift came to fulfil the Law.

MATTH. V. 17.

Think not that I am come to deftroy the Law or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

I'

N my laft difcourfe upon this fubject, when S ER M.

I had obferved how this faying of our Sa- XIV. viour's was more immediately and principally spoke of the moral law, I quoted the 23d verfe of the foregoing chapter, wherein it is faid, that Jefus went about preaching the doctrine of the kingdom; as being neceffary to lead us into a right understanding of the whole ftyle of this fermon upon the mount; and confequently into right apprehenfions of that improvement, which morality, or the law of nature, hath received from christianity; which I obferved in the main did confift in tranf ferring that outward obedience, which was the only subject of all laws both of God and

man

SER M. man before, to the inward fanctification of the XIV. mind and confcience, fo that the kingdom of God in the world, which before was an external difpenfation only, is now fet up in men's hearts, i. e. where it was at first, before the corruption of our natures. After this I proceeded to confider by what means this mighty change was effected by our Saviour. And this was,

1. By his explaining the law of nature in a greater latitude than ever it was received or understood before.

2. By making provifion for the performance of it by human nature in fo exalted and elevated a degree.

By this method he applied himself both to the understandings and wills of men, which were the two great faculties weakned and corrupted; and which his business was to rectify and improve. As to the firft, I have already paffed through feveral of those instances of moral duties which our Saviour gives in this difcourfe of his upon the mount, wherein he gives no precepts of virtue intirely new, but rectifies the mistaken judgments of men, tranffers them from an outward deportment to the clearing of that inward fountain from whence they flow. For to proceed where I left off, at the 6th chap. and 19th ver. where our Saviour begins to fpeak against covetousness, and inordinate love of the things of this world. "Tis true this was esteemed a vice among the heathen, and they had very exact notions of

the

the excellence of generofity and beneficence SER M. But then they had no notion of the guilt of XIV. having their minds too fixt and intent upon the pursuit of the riches, and of the grandeur and preferments of this world; and what an univerfal influence that temper would have upon the whole morality of their lives. If they did this with honesty, and used no methods of deceit and falshood; nor attained them by any methods of oppreffion, by fraud, or circumvention, then the more intent and earnest they were in the prosecution of worldly riches and grandeur, they looked upon it to be fo much the more commendable, and those who defpised them did it only because there was not that prefent fatisfaction in them that they seemed to bring, and therefore preferred their ease and quiet beyond them; and valued themfelves for being difengaged from fo great an incumbrance. These were the extremes they ran into; but our Saviour teaches us the middle way, neither to be too intent upon the good things of this life, nor to despise them; though they may be obtained without indirect means, yet even upon this fuppofition, the having our hearts fet upon them is the fin of covetoufnefs, and the having our minds too eager in the pursuit of riches, or too great a complacence in them and dependance upon them when we have them, is utterly inconfiftent with the laws of this spiritual kingdom; we are first to feek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added

unto

SER M. unto us. Accordingly our Saviour's precept here

XIV. all at once takes the mind off from the things of this world; from all those things after which he obferves the Gentiles feek, and lifts it up to heaven where their minds never came. Lay not up for your felves treasures upon earthBut lay up for your felves treafures in heaven, where neither moth nor ruft doth corrupt; which is a familiar way of speaking of another world, as of our home and our eternal abode; and a ftyle as new and exalted as that degree of virtue it recommends, and altogether unknown till used by our Saviour. This love of the world, which before was esteemed in proportion to men's fuccefs, fo it was accompanied with no dishonesty, is in it felf now condemned as utterly inconfiftent with a christian fpirit, for where your treafure is, there will your beart be alfo. Men's hearts and affections were never till now taken off from the things of this world, the objects of our sense and understanding, and placed intirely upon those things of another world which we can neither fee nor understand. So that the main current of our thoughts and bent of our wills and affections must be all that way, infomuch that we fhall purfue the attainment of virtue and holiness with the fame eagerness and refolution and inceffant endeavours with which men pursue the good things of this world. This is to be the chief bufinefs and imployment of our lives, and the things of this world we are to leave to God. The kingdom of God and

his righteousness is to be our main fcope and SER M. aim; and we are to defire the things of this XIV. world to be added to us only in fuch propor-✔ tions as God fhall fee fit by giving a bleffing upon our honeft induftry, with a perfect refignation of all our worldly concerns to the care of providence; of which our Saviour dif courses in a ftrain of eloquence beyond what was ever thought or fpoke before. "Tis true the more refined Heathen had a pretty good notion of the providence of God being concerned in human affairs; but then it was in those that were most important and concerning; and they all imagined it below the dig nity of the Deity to interpofe in the minute and trifling concerns of life, as they esteemed them. All thefe they thought fufficiently pro vided for by the ordinary course of nature, and à general providence. But now we learn that nothing relating to us is below the particular care and notice of the Divinity; every bit we eat is from him; and there is not a hair of our heads can fall to the ground without him, and I think it is impoffible to inftance in any thing of lefs moment to us, fo that even those things are the immediate object of his concern for us, which are too small to fall within our own obfervation.

Now this clear and full revelation of the providence of God concerning itself in the minuteft affairs of human life, as it removes all those doubts and perplexing difficulties relating to it in which the Heathen world was VOL. I.

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