we already discourfed of, none of you, but even in this life, by the affiftance of God's grace, may reach fo far as to be fincerely holy; that is, to have all the faculties of your Souls reduced, tho' not into a perfect, yet into a very good order and excellent difpofition, fo as to carry yourselves for the main very well and regularly both towards God and man, all the days of your life, neither wilfully committing any fin, not neglecting any duty which is required of you,but ftill endeavouring to the utmost of your knowledge and power to perform universal and conftant obedience to all the commands of God. And this you are bound to believe, that God for Christ's fake will accept of, in lieu of that per-. fect holiness which is required of you: For this is what the Scripture doth plainly affert, Eph. i. 6 1 Pet. ii. 5. And indeed, this is the great priviledge that is offered to us in the gofpel-covenant, or the covenant of grace, that God will accept of our fincere, instead of perfect holiness, by reafon of that absolutely perfect obedience which Chrift hath perform'd in our fteads, or however by the virtue of his merit and mediation for us: By which means, whofoever among you fhall perform fincere obedience to Almighty God to the utmost of your power, it fhall be as acceptable to him in. Jefus Chrift, as the very praifesand service of the holy angels and glorified faints in heaven are. And therefore, although in this life you cannot

be

be fo perfectly holy as they are, yet you may be fo boly in all menner of conversation, that God will accept of you as well as if you were holy in all manner of perfection; though not for any intrinfick virtue or value in your felves or works, yet by reason of Christ's merits and righteoufnels imputed to you, and to all thofe that truly believe in him: For this is that unspeakable benefit which we receive by Chrift, that he helps our weaknesses by his own Almighty Spirit implanted in us and fupplies our defects by his all-fufficient merit imputed to

us.

Thus now you fee how you may all become holy, holy as God is, in all manner of conver fation. I intended in the next place to have prefented you with fome confiderations which might have excited and firr'd you up to the ufe of the faid means, and to the ferious profecution of the holiness we have now been speaking of; but I hope that Labouor may be now Spared: For now you know how to become boly; how to have your headstrong corruptions bridled, and your unruly paffions tamed; how to have your understandings clear'd and your judgments rettified; how to have your confciences cleanfed, and your thoughts refined how to have your wills fantified, your affections regulated, and your whole fouls reduced into an angelick, yea a divine frame and conftitution, fo as to be like, not only to the beft of creatures,

but

but to your most holy Creator himself. Now, I fay, you know this, methinks you should not need any other arguments to move you to put it into execution; but should be more ready to labour after holiness than I can be to perfuade you to it. Howfoever, you fhall give me leave to mind you only of two things, which I hope, if ferioufly weighed, will do the work.

1. CONSIDER, there is no other way imaginable for you to be happy either in this life or that which is to come, but by being holy. Though God bleffed you with large eftates, with great natural parts, and with a confluence of all earthly enjoyments, what will all these things fignify when you go into the other world, and leave them behind you for others to be cheated and enfnared by them as your felves have been? What advantage will you then receive from all those things which you here take so much care and pains about? Surely none at all; nothing but holinefs will then ftand you in any any ftead, without which neither fhall nor can fee God; for you will not be qualified for the contemplation and enjoyment of his divine perfections, un

lefs

you

you be first made holy as he is holy. Do not therefore fool and deceive your felves with groundless and vain conceits of heaven; for I dare affure you, you will never come there, unlefs you be firft made holy, and fanctified throughout.

2. CONSIDER, that none can be happy but D

but he that is first holy, so none can be holy but he shall be happy too; this, many thousands have experienced already, who once were upon earth as we now are, but now they are glorifi-. ed faints in heaven. But how came they thither but by being faints upon earth firft? They were firft holy, and fo they became happy; and this is the way that you must take if ever you defire to go to them. Let me therefore befeech you to dally no longer in a matter of fuch importance as this is; but fet your felves in good earnest upon the ufe of all those means whereby you may become holy as God is holy; which if ye would all do, how happy would you be; How certainly would you then become all glorified faints in heaven, and be as really happy in all manner of perfection hereafter, as you are holy here in all manner of Converfation.

SERMON

The SECOND.

The Holiness of Chriftians, ought to be eminent.

MATT. V. 20.

For 1 fay unto you. That except your Righteoufnels exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees, ye shall in no cafe enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

W

HATSOEVER other things we may differ in, I am fure there is one thing wherein we all agree, and that is, we all defire to be happy: We would be preferved or freed from all grief and trouble, from all care and fear, from whatfoever can either difcompofe our minds, or difturb our reft and quict: Yea, we all defire to have our defires compleatly fatisfied, which feeing we cannot have whilft we are upon earth,hence we all defire to go to heaven, the place fitted and appointed to make men happy. And therefore I am willing to perfuade my felf

that