God purify your thoughts. Let the faith of Chrift rule in your hearts. Shew it by its fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Be just, and charitable to your neighbour. Do to others, as you would have them do to you Let us do these things, and then let us call ourfelves Christians: evermore joining, both in heart, and actions, in that expreffive prayer of our Church that all, who profefs, and call themselves Chriftians, may be led into the way of truth; and bold the faith in unity of Spirit-in the bond of peace -and in righteousness of life. SERMON III. MAT. xvi. 26. WHAT IS A MAN PROFITED, IF HE SHALL GAIN WHOLE WORLD, AND LOSE HIS OWN THE SOUL? IF you should see a man placed in fome dangerous fituation on the edge of a precipice, for inftance; whille the ground was crumbling away under his feet—and yet totally unconcerned, you would think no name but that of madness could belong to him.--It is not often, however, that we fee men running thefe furprising risks in worldly affairs. Danger is commonly an alarming circumstance; and, in general, people are cautious enough to avoid it. But there is another kind of danger ftill greater, into which we are all apt to run, without the least apprehenfion -that of deftroying not our lives in this world; but our fouls in the next. -- How How is it then, while we are thus prudent in worldly matters, that we are continually neglecting things of fo much greater importance ?-that we are, on all occafions, fhewing our care for a life that perishes, and pay fo little attention to a life which is to last for ever? Should you be asked, whether you would be at more expence and labour in improving an eftate, of which you had only a very short lease; or of one, which you might possess as long as you lived; you would think the question fcarce deferving an answer. Yet your fouls, and your bodies, you well know, bear the fame relation to each other, that these two different kinds of poffeffion do? These bodies, you know, are only leases, which muft quickly expire: your fouls, if I may fo express myself, are tenures for life. We should be furprized to be asked seriously, whether we believed we had fouls to be faved?— And yet if we had full faith in the article-if we were thoroughly convinced that our fouls can never die, but muft live for ever, either in a state of happiness or of misery; and that this state, through God's mercy in Chrift, depends entirely on ourfelves, we could not well, one should think, be fo negligent about them. Let me then endeavour, first, to give you a view of the danger of a worldly life; and, fecondly, to fhew wherein the care of your fouls confifts. you First then, if this world and the next were on equal terms if they could difplay their feveral offers with equal force-there could be no competition. This world might difplay its riches, its honours, and its pleasures, under all theirgaudy forms: but the glories of eternity, like the fun fhining in his ftrength, would dazzle and obfcure them. The wildom of Providence, however, hath thrown a veil over the future. We are here in a flate of trial. The glories of the next world are therefore purposely hid. We are required to walk by faith, not by fight. But as fight is generally more acute than faith, the things of this world have the advantage. They are feen; the others, at beft, only believed. in this advantage then lies the danger of a worldly life. In general it carries away the best part of our attention. In a degree we may fix our attention both on this life, and on the next: but the question before us is, On which ought we chiefly to fix it? On both we cannot fix it in an equal degree. If you should be asked, why the fame thing cannot, at the same time, be round and fquare, you would have a ready anfwer. These two forms are oppofite in their nature: and it is abfurd to suppose, things oppofite in their nature can agree. Just as oppofite in their nature are the things of this world, and the things of the next. They can never be brought to an agreement. One must have the fuperiority. You cannot fix an equal degree of attention on both. If your hearts are fet on the things of this world, you will make them the chief employment of your thoughts: you will naturally expect your chief happiness from them. If, on the other hand, your hearts are set on the things of the next world, you will make them the chief employment of your thoughts; and will naturally expect your chief happiness from them. It is impoffible therefore to expect your chief happiness from one; and, at the fame time, your chief happiness from the other! This is just the abfurdity of fuppofing a fquare and a circle can agree. As you fee then in what the danger of a worldly life confifts, you should frequently examine yourself on this head. How are your thoughts commonly |