of God, which will incline him to overlook their Errors, and to accept their general good Meaning, and their imperfect Performance, for Righteousness and Holiness. After these Deductions are made in the Proportion that best pleases them, and that best suits their own Condition, they can, without Difficulty, find themselves to be within the Articles of the Peace which the Text promises; and then they are in eager Expectation of being put into the Poffeffion of those good Things, to which they think they have fo well made out their Title.

But as Error naturally produces Error and Falsehood, so these Mistakes are in their Kind exceeding fruitful, and directly lead Men to Misapprehenfions of God, themfelves, and Religion: For as long as Men conceive the Peace and Profperity of the World, and the Enjoyments of it, to be neceffary Attendants upon Virtue and Holinefs, they will be apt to judge of their own Attainments in Religion, and of the Favour of God towards them, according to the Measure of the good Things which they enjoy in this Life: Which can ferve only to fill rich Men and profperous Men with fpiritual Pride and Prefumption, whilft they esteem

efteem their Fortune as the Reward of their Virtue; and poor Men and miferable Men with defponding Fears and Horror of Mind, whilft they look upon their Mifery to be their Punishment, and the fure Forerunner of their Condemnation.

As to the kind Allowances which Men make to their own Vices and Imperfections, whilst they labour to crowd into the Number of those who love the Law, I need not fay of what pernicious Confequence they are; If Men are once perfuaded that little Religion will ferve their Turn, a little shall serve it: It is not likely that those who take Pains to convince themselves and others that a fmall Degree of Righteoufnefs is fufficient for all the Ends of Religion, should be so little of a Piece with themselves as to take Pains to obtain more than what they judge to be neceffary. So that thefe candid Interpretations of the Conditions of Religion feem to lead to as candid a Compliance with the Modes and Fashions of the World; and the fame good Inclinations which tempt Men to expound away one half of their Duty, will as easily tempt them to forget or neglect the other,

To

To avoid these Inconveniencies then it is neceffary to confider,

First, The Nature of the Peace here fpoken of in the Text.

Secondly, Who they are that may be faid to love the Law of God. And,

Thirdly, To illuftrate and confirm the Truth of this Propofition, Great Peace have they which love thy Law.

First, then, it is neceffary to confider the Nature of the Peace here spoken of in the Text,

It is plain the Pfalmift makes this Ob fervation upon the Experience of his own Circumftances and Condition, and the many Trials he had of the Favour and Protection of God; and yet to come at this Conclufion he does not fet forth the great State and Splendor of his Kingdom, or the Triumphs and Glories of his Reign, or describe any Circumftances of the outward and worldly Profperity he enjoyed; which yet he ought to have done, had he intended to infer that worldly Peace and Security, and an Exemption from the Pains and Evils of Life, were the never-failing Bleffings and Reward of Holiness and Obedience. His Life perhaps offered as ample Matter to build fuch

an

an Observation on as any Man's whatever : He was, by the fpecial Appointment of Providence, drawn out of Obscurity, and raised to the Throne of Ifrael: His Life, often attempted by Men, was as often guarded by Heaven; and the Dangers to which he was expofed ferved but to convince him how much he was the Care of the Almighty. When Profperity weakened his Virtue, and at last betrayed him into the crying Sins of Murder and Adultery, he suffered not only under the Lashes of a guilty Conscience, and the Torments of a wounded Spirit, but was humbled likewise under the afflicting Hand of Providence : His Glory was darkened, and his Afflictions and fore. Upon his Repentance the Clouds again difperfed; and he grew happy, as he grew obedient. Thus it feemed good to God to deal with him: But fo far is the Pfalmift from confidering thefe Circumstances of outward Glory, and making a general Rule from his own Cafe, that in the Text he regards only that Peace which he felt and enjoyed during the Course of his Afflictions and Perfecutions; which Peace he found was the undivided Companion of Faith and Obedience in all, even

were many

the

the most afflicting Circumftances of Life. Do but mind what Steps he takes to come at the Conclufion of the Text: He fets out with describing the evil Treatment he met with in the World; Princes, fays he, have perfecuted me without a Caufe: In the next Place he declares what it was that fuftained him under these Perfecutions; But my Heart, fays he, ftandeth in awe of thy Word: I rejoice at thy Word, as one that findeth great Spoil: I hate and abhor Lying; but thy Law do I love: Seven Times a Day do 1 praise thee, because of thy righteous Judgments. This Love of the Law of God, this Conftancy in the Discharge of his Duty, he found was a perpetual Spring of Joy and Comfort in his Mind, amidst all the Varieties and unpromifing Circumstances of Life: And this leads him to fing the Triumphs of Virtue and Religion in this exalted Strain; Great Peace have they which love thy Law, and nothing Shall offend them.

From hence it is evident, that nothing was more diftant from the Pfalmift's Thoughts, than to promise outward Peace or temporal Profperity to the Practice of Virtue; fince he speaks of that Peace only, which the Righteous enjoy in the Day of their

Affliction: