How Chrift brought Life and Immortality to Light.

DISCOURSE XXIV.

2 TIMOTHY i. 10.

And bath brought Life and Immortatality to Light through the Gospel.

former Difcourfes on this Submy ject, I endeavoured to fhew,

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First, That our Lord Jefus Christ hath given us more convincing fatisfying Alurances of the Certainty of a future immor tal Life and Bleffedness, than had been given to Mankind in any former Ages. Secondly, That he hath not only affured us of the Certainty of that future Happiness, Hh 4

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but hath made clearer and more distinct Difcoveries of the Nature and Greatnes of that Happiness, than the World was ever favoured with before.

I proceed now to the Third Thing I propofed in confidering this Subject, which was to fhew, That he hath given us the beft Directions, as to the Way that leads to that future Glory and Felicity, and the Terms upon which it is to be obtained, This is a Matter of very great Importance, and without which all the reft would be of small Advantage or Avail. For, let the Happiness be never fo great and glorious, yet, if we are not well informed how it is to be obtained by us, or if the Terms upon which it is propofed and promised be fo very high and difficult, as to be above what Men in their prefent frail and imperfect State can attain to, even by their beft and fincereft Endeavours, it will be of little Benefit or Comfort to us.

With Regard to the Terms upon which that future Happiness is to be obtained, it feems proper that they fhould be fo ordered, that, on the one Hand, there should not be any Encouragement given to obftinate impenitent Sinners that go on in a Course of presumptuous Sin and Difobedience; and that, on the other Hand, no fincere upright Perfons, that make it their hearty

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and diligent Endeavour to yield a dutiful Obedience to the Divine Commands, in the Practice of true Piety and Virtue, fhould be rejected and excluded from thofe glorious Hopes. And accordingly the Terms of the New Covenant, as declared to us by Jefus Chrift in his Gospel, are fo admirably adjusted as fully to answer both those Ends: For,

First, We are there affured that real Holiness of Heart and Life, or a dutiful Obedience to the Divine Commands, is necessary to our being made Partakers of that future Glory; and that obftinate impenitent Sinners fhall have no Part or Share in it; and we have greater Advantages, under the Gospel, for guiding and affisting us in the Practice of Holiness, than were given to the World before.

Secondly, Though Holiness, or real Piety and Virtue, be reprefented as abfolutely necessary, yet a perfect finless Obedience is not infifted upon as the Condition of our Right to eternal Life; but there is a gracious Provision made in the Gafpel Covenant for pardoning our Sins upon our Repentance, and for the accepting and rewarding of our fincere, though imperfect, Obedience, fo that it fhall, through the rich Grace and Mercy of God in Jefus Chrift, give us a Right to eternal Life. First,

First, We are affured that real Holiness of Heart and Life, or a dutiful Obedience to the Divine Commands,' is neceffary to our being made Partakers of that future immortal Glory and Happiness; and that obftinate impenitent Sinners fhall have no Pa t or Share in it; and we have greater Advantages, under the Gospel, for directing and affifting us in the Practice of Holiness, than were given to the World before. The very Light of Nature and Reason, if duly attended to, leadeth us to conclude, that, if there be a future Happiness referved for any of the human Race, it can only be defigned for the Virtuous and Pure; that God, who is a Lover of Purity and is himself glorious in Holiness, cannot delight in the Vicious and Wicked, in those who allow themselves in a Courfe of wilful Difobedience to his known Commands, and oppose their corrupt irregular Appetites and fleshly Interefts to his holy Will and fupreme Authority. Under the Old Teftament, the abfolute Neceffity of true Piety and Virtue is every-where strongly inculcated, and God's Purity and Holiness, and his righteous Difpleasure against all obftinate prefumptuous Sinners, is displayed in the most lively Terms. Agreeably to these genuine Dictates of Reason, and the uniform Tendency of all the Divine Revelations

velations that were ever given to Mankind, our Lord Jefus Christ hath also, in his Gofpel, made the most exprefs Declarations of the Neceffity of real Holiness and Obedience, in order to our having an Interest in the Favour of God, and efpecially to our obtaining that eternal Life, which he hath brought into fo clear a Light, and of which he hath given fuch ftrong Affurances. He declares, that the Pure in Heart, i. e. they and they only, fhall fee God. Matt. v. 8. That the Wicked shall go away into everlasting Punishment, but the Righteous, all fuch, and none but fuch, as come under that Character, into Life eternal. Matt. xxv.. 46. To a Man that afked him, Mafter, what good Thing fhall I do, that I may have eternal Life? He answered, If thou wilt enter into Life, keep the Commandments. Matt. xix. 16, 17. And, to cut off the vain Hopes and Pretences with which Men might be apt to flatter themfelves, he lets them know that no outward Profeffions, no Gifts or Attainments, how fplendid foever, will recommend any Perfons to the Divine Favour, or intitle them to future Happiness, if they indulge themselves in a Courfe of Sin and Difobedience: Not every one that faith unto me, Lord, Lord, fhall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the Will of my Father which is

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