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fhould fee a charm in meekness and chari ty, there in humility; in this man we fhould fee reason to admire difcretion and command of himself; in that courage and conftancy, affiduity, and perfeverance: nor would it be less useful to us, to observe, how vanity exposes one, and peevishness torments another; how pride and ambition embroil a third; and how hateful and contemptible avarice renders a fourth; and to trace all that variety of ruin, which luft and prodigality, diforder and floth, leave behind

them

And as this kind of observations will fill us with folid and useful knowledge, fo will a diligent attention to the rules of righteoufnefs, and difcretion in all the common and daily actions of life, enrich us with true virtue. Religion is not to be confined to the Church, and to the clofet, nor to be exercised only in prayers and facraments, meditations and alms; but every-where, we are in the prefence of God, and every word, every action, is capable of morality. Our defects and infirmities betray themselves in the daily accidents and the common converfation of life; and here they draw after the very important confequences; and therefore here they are to be watched over, regulated and governed, as well as in our more folemn actions. 'Tis

to

to the virtues or the errors of our common converfation and ordinary deportment, that we owe both our friends and enemies, our good or bad character abroad, our domeftick peace or troubles; and in a high degree, the improvement or depravation of our minds. Let no man then, that will be perfect or happy, abandon himself to his humours or inclinations in his carriage towards his acquaintance, his children, his fervants: let no man, that will be perfect or happy, follow prejudice or fashion in the common and customary actions of life: but let him affure himself, that by a daily endeavour to conform these more and more to the excellent rules of the gofpel, he is to train up himself by degrees to the moft abfolute wisdom, and the most perfect virtue, he is capable of And to this end he must first know himself, and thofe he has to do with; he must discern the proper feafon and the juft occafion of every virtue; and then he muft apply himself to the acquiring the perfection of it by the daily exercise of it, even in thofe things, which, for want of due reflection, do not commonly feem of any great importance. To one that is thus difpofed, the dulnefs or the carelesness of a fervant, the stubborness of a child, the fournefs of a parent, the inconftancy of friends, the coldness of relations, the H

neglect

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neglect or ingratitude of the world, will all prove extremely useful and beneficial; every thing will inftruct him, every thing will afford an opportunity of exercifing fome virtue or another; fo that such a one fhall be daily learning, daily growing better and wifer.

§. 2. The two great inftruments, not of regeneration only, but alfo of perfeverance and Perfection, are the Word and the Spirit of God. This no man doubts that is a Chriftian: and therefore I will not go about to prove it: nor will I at prefent difcourfe. of the energy and operation of the one, and the other; or examine what each is in its felf, or wherein the one differs from the other. 'Tis abundantly enough, if we be affured that the gospel and the Spirit are proper and fufficient means to attain the great ends I have mentioned, namely, our converfion and Perfection. And that they are fo, is very plain from thofe texts which do exprefly affert, that the gospel contains all thofe truths that are neceffary to the clear expofition of our duty, or to the moving and obliging us to the practice of it. And that the Spirit implies a fupply of all that fupernatural ftrength, be it what it will, that is neceffary to enable us, not only to will, but to do that which the gospel convinces us to be our duty. Such

are,

are, Rom. i. 2. For the law of the spirit of life in Chrift Fefus, hath made me free from the law of fin and death. 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17. All fcripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for inftruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Cor. xii. 9. And he faid unto me, my grace is fufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Chrift may rest upon me. 1 Pet. i. 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto falvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. 'Tis needlefs to multiply texts on this occafion; otherwise it were very easy to fhew, that all things neceffary to life and godliness, are contained in the Word and Spirit; that whatever is necessarily to be wrought in us to prepare us for, or entitle us to eternal falvation, is afcribed to the gospel and the Spirit. This truth then being unquestionable, that the gospel and the Spirit are the two great inftruments of Perfection; we may from hence infer two rules, which are of the most univerfal ufe, and of the most powerful efficacy in the pursuit of Perfection. 1. We cannot have too great a value, too great a paffion for the Book of God; nor fix our thoughts and hearts too earneftly upon the truths of

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it. We must imitate the Theffalonians, in behalf of whom St. Paul thanks God, becaufe when they received the word of God which they heard of him, they received it not as the word of men; but as it is in truth, the word of God, I Theff. ii. 13. that is, we muft entertain the gospel, as that which has infallible truth in all its doctrines, uncontroulable authority in all its precepts, a divine certainty in all its promises and threats, and a divine wifdom in all its counfels and directions: and he that thus believes will certainly find the gospel to work effectually in him, as it did in the Thef falonians. What light and beauty will he difcern in all its defcriptions of our duty! what force in all its perfuafions! what majefty, what dignity, what life, what power, what confolation, what fupport! in one word, what heavenly virtue will he difcern in each part of it, and what vaft and unfathomable wisdom in the whole compofure and contrivance of it! how will he then admire it, how will he love it, how will he study it, how will he delight in it! how will he be tranfported by the promises, and awed by the threats of it! how will he be pierced and ftruck through by thofe exaggerations of fin, and captivated and enamoured by those lively and divine defcriptions of virtue he meets in it! how will he adore the goodness of God, confpi

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