burned. Briers and thorns are not mere unfruitfulnefs under the gofpel, but contempt of it, and affronting it by our wicked lives. When infidelity and contempt of religion appear openly in a nation, and impiety and vice grow impudent and univerfal, even when the gofpel fhineth in its cleareft and ftrongeft light, and the wrath of God, not only in his word, but by his providence, and by terrible things in righteousness, is fo plainly revealed from heaven, against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men; when people are taught their duty, and the true knowledge of God, but will receive no inftruction, but perfift in their lewd and vicious courfes, and commit iniquity with greedinefs; this if any thing, is a juft provocation of Almighty God, to remove his candlestick from fuch a nation as this, and to leave them in darknefs; fince light hath no other effect upon them, but to make them more wild and extravagant. There remains only the

Sixth and last particular, which I mentioned, to be spoken to, namely, What is the way and means to prevent fo difmal a judgment, and to procure, if it may be, a lengthening of our tranquillity, and a longer enjoyment of the means and opportunities of grace and falvation. And our beft direction in this cafe, will be to follow the counfel which the Spirit gives to the feven churches of Afia, to prevent the removing of their candlestick out of its place, that is, their being deprived of the light of the gofpel, which fhone fo clearly among them. He then that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit faith unto the churches. To the church of Ephefus, Rev. ii. 5. Remember from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or elfe I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. To the church of Smyrna, ver. 10. Fear none of thofe things which thou shalt fuffer: behold the devil Shall caft fome of you into prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days: Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. To the church of Pergamos, ver. 16. Repent, or elfe I will come unto thee quickly. To the church of Sardis, chap.

chap. iii. 2, 3. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to dy: For I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou haft received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. To the church of Laodicea, ver. 19. Be zealous therefore, and repent.

You fee what are the means prescribed by the Spirit of God, to prevent the removing of our candlestick out of its place; to be fenfible of our great degeneracy from our primitive piety, and the ftrict practice of religion; and to exercife a deep repentance for it, and effectually to reform, and do our first works. Remember from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do thy first works. And then great vigilancy and watchfulness, that we be not furprised before we are aware: Be watchful ; for if thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief; and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Now watchfulness implies great fobriety and temperance, and is ufually joined with fervent and earnest prayer: Watch ye therefore, and pray always. Next, to hold fast the doctrine which we have received and heard, the faith which was once delivered to the faints, as St. Jude calls it. Remember how thou hast received, and heard, and bold faft. And lastly, Zeal for God's glory, and an undaunted refolution to adhere to it, notwithstanding all dangers and fufferings. Be zealous, fear none of thofe things which thou shalt fuffer; but be thou faithful unto the death.

If we follow this counfel, we may hope, nay, we may be affured that God will ftill continue to us the bleffed means and opportunities of grace and falvation; that our paftors shall not be removed into corners, but our eyes fhall still fee our teachers; that God will not let darknefs come upon us: or if the light of the gospel fhould be obfcured and eclipfed, that it will be but for a little while, and will foon pass over. But if we will not hearken and obey

if we will not repent, and do our first works, we have reason to apprehend, that God will come against us quickly, and remove our candlestick out of its place, and take away that light which we have abufed, and carry it into fome other quarter of the world; and as our Saviour threatens the Jews, that the kingdom of God fhall be taken from us, and given to a nation that will bring forth the fruits of

it.

I fhall only add that counsel given by the Prophet Daniel to King Nebuchadnezzar, and which is very proper for a people and nation, and likewife for particular perfons, for the prevention of 1piritual as well as temporal judgments, Dan. iv. 27. Break off thy fins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by fhewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity. Nothing is fo likely, not only to reconcile God to us, but to turn away his judgments from us, as repentance and reformation of our wicked lives, and the practice of alms and charity. Alms fhall deliver from death, faith the wife man, fpeaking of the benefit that redounds to particular perfons: and by parity of reafon, the charity and alms of a great number may fave a nation both from temporal and fpiritual judgments; charity and alms to the poor, especially thofe that are poor and deftitute, by forfaking all for God and his truth. And nothing gives greater hopes of God's mercy to us, than that general charitable difpofition which appears among us.

What I have faid needs no long application; I fhall therefore do it in very few words. This calls upon the whole nation, and every one of us, to remember from whence we are fallen, and to repent, and do our firft works; and to endeavour to recover that ancient piety and virtue, which flourished in the days of our forefathers, and was fo great an ornament to our holy religion. Bleffed be God, that by his goodnefs, and the protection of a gracious Prince, we ftill enjoy the bleffed means and opportunities of grace and falvation: but if we be ftill unfruitful under them, and will not walk in the light, the just providence of

God

God may have a thousand ways to deprive us of it, and to bring darkness upon us.

And what I have faid in general to the whole nation, and what our Saviour here fays to the Jews, we may accommodate every one to ourfelves, Yet a little while the light is with us, let us walk in the light, while we have it, left darkness come upon us. We know not how long the opportunity of life, as well as of grace, may be continued to us; they may be taken from us, or we may be cut off from them.

The feason of our folemn repentance is now approaching; let us improve it, as if it were to be our laft opportunity of making our peace with God: and let us lofe no time, left we dy in our delay, and in our fecurity we be deftroyed."

I will conclude with the earnest exhortation of the Prophet Jeremiah, chap. xiii. 16. Give glory to the Lord your God, that is, repent, before he caufe darknefs, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and while ye look for light, he turn it into the hadow of death, and make it grofs darkness. To which I will only add the advice of our bleffed Saviour, Luke xxi. 36. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.

170

SERMON CCXLIX.

The folly of hazarding eternal life for temporal enjoyments.

MATTH. xvi. 26.

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lofe his own foul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his foul?

T

HE great question that a wife man puts to himfelf in any defign or undertaking, is this, What fhall I be the better for it, if I obtain what I feek for? If all things fucceed according to my defire, what benefit or advantage will it be to me? Or if I gain in one respect, fhall I not be as great, or a greater lofer in another? When all things are calculated and caft up, what will be the foot of the accompt? Upon the whole matter, and in the final iffue and refult of things, what will be the gain or lofs? For though the advantage appear never fo great in one refpect, yet if this be over-balanced by a greater hazard and lofs in another kind, far more confiderable; it is upon the whole matter a foolish bargain, and a wife man will not meddle with it. And this is the question which our Saviour here puts, What is a man profited? &c.

For the understanding of which words, we must look back to the verfes immediately before, wherein our Saviour tells his followers, upon what terms they may be his difciples, and lift themselves in his fervice, ver. 24, 25. If any man will be my difciple, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Whosoever will fave his life, fhall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my fake, fhall