Spiritual Pride and Spiteful Cenfures, in Ser. II. Contentions and Difputes, and as Bufybodies in other Men's Matters, whether thefe Matters be publick or private; when, I fay, any of you have reckon'd up what time you have fpent in thefe and fuch like Methods, and find it fo much, that there remains little to be beftow'd on the Honour of God and the Good of Man, little to be spent on the Works of Devotion and of Charity; fuch People will have a dreadful Account to make at the Great Day.

If we would therefore prepare as we ought to do, this is that, that we must do. We muft, like the Ninevites put away every Man the Violence that is in his Hands, and the Violence that is in our Tongues and in our Hearts too: We must lay afide all Wrath and Strife, and Envy and Backbitings, and Evil Speakings, and Injuftice, and Covetous. Col iii. 5. nefs which is Idolatry, and Riot, and Luxury, and Pride, and Vain Glory, and we must labour to practife and abound in Truth, Integrity, Peaceablenefs, Meeknefs, Temperance, Humility, Charity; and to all this we inuft add Devotion towards God, and Faith in our Lord Jefus Chrift, for without thefe we fhall not be able to ftand at the Laft Day.

Vol. II. I have nothing more to put you in mind of as to the Matters that will fall under Enquiry at the Laft Day than this, that the Inward Holiness of the Soul must not be divided or separated from External and. Vifible Righteoufnefs; these are not like those Twins Caftor and Pollux, which live and die by turns, but like thofe Twins in Valerius Maximus, which as they are born together, fo they grow up and die together if they die. The Author to the Hebrews has join'd these together, and let no Man put 'em afunder, as they value the Salvation of their Souls. By him therefore Heb. xiii. (i.e.Chrift) let us offer the Sacrifice of Praife to God continually, that is, the Fruit of our Lips, giving Thanks to his Name. But to do Good, and to communicate forget not: For with fuch Sacrifices God is well pleas'd. And thus I have done with the fecond Motive to our careful Preparation for the Laft Day, taken from the Confideration of the Business we are to meet about, and that is Judgment. I go on to the

15, 16.

3. Inducement to this Duty, which I propos'd from the Confideration of who we are that are to meet God, O Ifrael. It is a certain Truth, Unto whomsoever Luke xil much is given, of him fhall be much re

48.

quir'd.

quir'd. He that fquanders away ten Ta- Ser. II. lents fhall have the Furnace of Hell heated for him nine times more than he

that wafted only one. We have already

confider'd what Account we shall be call'd to as Chriftians, (a) let us now (4) Preachconfider what particular Favours and 1691.

ed in

Mercies God has vouchfaf'd us above other Christians. 'Tis plain we have enjoy'd a very fecure Peace for a long time together, Where are the Fruits of Peace? Where is our Thankfulness to God, who is the Author of Peace? Ifa. xlv. 1. make Peace and create Evil; I the Lord do all these things. Where is our Thankfulnefs to our Governors whom God hath made the Inftruments of our Peace? We have had great Plenty, Where are the Fruits of it? Are the Numbers of our Poor, or the Numbers of their Grievances fewer than amongst other Nations which are not half fo Wealthy as we?

But let us come to Mercies of a higher Nature: We pretend to greater Degrees of Knowledge than many Ages past ever did, and 'tis certain we enjoy a more free ufe of the Gofpel, and profefs the Doctrines of it in greater Purity, fince the Reformation, than our Ancestors have done for above a Thousand Years together: Where are the Glorious Effects

Vol. II. of this Knowledge and Purity? Is there more of Chriftian Plainnefs and Sincerity, is there more of Truth and Righteousness practis'd in this Age than in any paft? Are we more Eminent for Sobriety and Purity, for Meekness and Obedience, than any of our Ancestors? Do the Monuments of our Charity and Piety exceed in Weight and Number all that paft Ages can produce?

Lastly, We of this City do enjoy the Means of Grace, and all Encouragements w to, and Opportnnities of doing Good more richly and plentifully than any People, it may be, this Day under HeaPet. ii Ven: Surely we fhould be a chofen Gene9. ration, a Royal Priesthood, an Holy Nation, a peculiar People; Surely we fhould be a Sanctified, Mortified, Undefiled, Humble, Obedient, Charitable and Devout People: But alafs, what we are, God and our own Confcience know! What do I fay, God and our own Confcience? Alafs! the whole Nation knows. Alafs! almost all Neighbouring People Ifa. iii. 9. know, For the fhew of our Countenance doth witness against us, and we declare our Sin as Sodom, we hide it not. Our Spiritual Plenty has begot a Spiritual Wantonnefs, andour Temporal Plenty a Temporal Luxury. We naufeate the plain

and

and wholsome Truths of the Gospel, as Ser. II. we do plain Meals, or plain Attire and Furniture; and we are as fantaftical in ftarting Novelties and conceited Opinions in Religion, as we are wanton and fanciful in the new Modes and Fashions of our Lufts. Our very Peace, calm and gentle Peace, that fmooths and polishes the Converfation of other People, that foftens and ties Hearts together, has been abus'd even to ulcerate and exafperate our Minds against one another; and there has been nothing more loud than the Voice of Difcontent, and Railing, and Slander, and Contention, in the midst of the profoundest Peace. And are fuch a People fit to meet God in Judgment? O my People, enter into thy Chambers, cover thy felf with Sackcloth, weep in fecret, weep bitterly for thy Sins, leaft thy Iniquities be feal'd up, and thy Tranfgreffions be ingraven in Tables of Steel, and God arife, and his Indignation burn like Fire, and none be able to quench it.

The End of the Second Sermon.