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Qualities 'Tis true, it is an eafy thing for such a Man to flatter himself, as being nothing near fo bad as fome others, who take the Scorner's Chair, and fet their Mouths against Heaven, and to the Way of Atheism, open Lewdness, and fcoffing at Religion; and therefore he may be apt to think, and to think juftly too, that one and the fame Portion fhall never be affigned them, whose Ways are fo vaftly different. But let him confider, that though they differ ever fo much in other things, they agree in this, that they fet up each of them their own Lufts, and prefer them to the Laws of Almighty God; and therefore they must both expect to be treated as his Enemies, though not in equal Degrees; but they shall each of them find Punishments exactly fuited to their feveral Crimes, and to the feveral Degrees of them in the Future State.

To conclude then: If we are acted with the Spirit of Chriftianity, and truly believe this Doctrine of our Saviour's concerning the Punishments in the other World, and the various Degrees of them, let this influence our Fear, fo as in time, knowing the Danger, we may take Warning, and Flee from this Wrath to come. Of all Fears, This is the most to be dreaded; what fignifie other Things, which end with the Death of the Body, to this, which endures to all Eternity? With me it is a very small thing, fays St Paul, 1 Cor. iv. 3. that 1 fhould be judged of you, or of Man's Judg ment. The great Judgment we ought to think on, and to dread, is the Judgment of Almighty God. Let the ftouteft Sinners confider betimes, how dreadful a thing it is to fall into the Hands of the living God; and let the Sinners of a lower

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Size confider, how comfortless it is, after all the Measures they keep, that they can only expect one of the best Apartments in Hell; being but al moft Chriftians, and not far from the Kingdom of Heaven? Would it not be much better for us to lay afide every Weight, and the Sin which doth so eafily befet us, and to run with Patience our Christian Courfe? Would it not be infinitely more prudent to make our Calling and Election fure, by facrificing that beloved Luft, whatever it is, to our Duty to God Almighty, than to halt between two, and to be under the conftant Apprehenfions that Death may furprize us, before we have finished our Work? The way to make fure is, not to dwell any longer in the Confines, and about the Borders of our finful Courses; but to go in heartily into the Ways of Holiness and Virtue, and of the two, rather to flee to the Heighth of the contrary Virtue, than even to halt in any low Degrees of it: After the Example of Zacchaeus, who being in Danger from Covetoufnefs, went in heartily into the other and fafer Extreme, so to speak, if there çan be any fuch thing as an Extreme in Goodness. For instead of a bare Reftitution (which perhaps he could not exactly have found what it amounted to), Lord, fays he, half of my Goods I give to the Poor: and if I have taken any thing from any Man by falfe Accufation, I restore him fourfold, Luke xix. 8. It would be a very worthy Study in all Men to imitate this Example, not only in this, but in all other Vices; I mean, to flee fo far from the Approaches of fuch Vices, which our Calling, Inclinations, Circumftances, and Temptations lead us to; that it may appear plainly, both to ourselves and others, that we are clearly come off from the

Vices we were endangered by, and have made a good Advance in the contrary Virtues. This is what the firm Belief of a Future State, with the feveral Degrees of Rewards in the one, and Punishments in the other, would naturally lead us to, and fettle us in the Practice of. It would make us ftedfaft, unmoveable, and always abounding in the Work of the Lord; forafmuch as we know that our Labour is not in vain in the Lord, 1 Cor. xv. 58.

So much for the Fifth Thing in the Words, the Degrees of Punishment in the other World. As for the last Thing I took notice of in the Words, Our Saviour's Manner of Interpreting the Commandments; not having now Time for it, I fhall leave it to another Opportunity. Now God blefs what we have heard, and give us a right Understanding in all Things. God deliver us from the Wrath to come, and prepare us for his everlafting Kingdom, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. To whom, &c.

SER

SERMON XII.

MATT. V. 21.

Ye have heard that it was faid by them of old Time, Thou shalt not kill: and whofoever shall kill, fhall be in danger of the Judgment.

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Ver. 22. But I fay unto you, that whosoever is angry with his Brother without a Caufe, fhall be in danger of the Judgment: and whosoever Shall fay to his Brother, Raca, fhall be in danger of the Council: but whofoever shall fay, Thou Fool, fhall be in danger of Hell-fire.

The Fifth Sermon on this Text.

FTER divers Difcourfes on this Text,

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we are now come to the laft Obfervation I made from it; which is a general one, concerning our Saviour's Way of Interpreting the Commandments; namely, that where any Sin is prohibited by any of God's Laws, there all Thoughts, Words and Actions, ufually occafioning the Sin, or tending towards it, are likewise prohibited. This of my Text is the first Inftance of our Saviour's Interpretation of the Commandments in this comprehenfive Sense, and therefore this is as proper an Occafion for handling this Obfervation as we can poffibly meet with again.

In managing this Subject, there are thefe Three or Four Things I propose to myself.

1. To fhew you from the Text and Context, that our Saviour interprets the Commandments in this large comprehenfive Sense.

2. That this is agreeable to the Sense of the Holy Ghost in other Paffages of the Scriptures, not only of the New, but likewise of the Old Testa

ment.

3. What Reason there is that the Laws of God fhould be interpreted in this comprehenfive Senfe.

4. By what Ways and Means we may be affifted in the Regulation of our Thoughts, and in the cutting off all the other Occafions of Sin.

I. First, I am to fhew from the Text and Context, that our Saviour interprets the Commandments in this large comprehenfive Senfe. This he teaches us in as direct and plain Words as can be defired; for from the whole Purport of his Difcourse on this Subject it appears, that the chief Difference between his Interpretation, and that of the Scribes and Pharifees, lay in this, that they interpreted this Precept, Thou shalt not kill, to relate only to the external Act of Killing; but he interprets it to extend to the very Thoughts of the Heart, in which the first Motion of Anger and Hatred is entertained. And fo in the next Commandment which he explains, he is not contented to require only an Abstinence from the grofs Acts of Fornication and Adultery, but proceeds to condemn inward Luft, and even those Gratifications of the Senfes, which ferve to provoke and ftir it up. So that this is not only a Truth to be gathered from his Difcourfe, but is the main Design and Purport of it, and ought to be regarded accordingly.

II. And

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