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driving Things to a Rupture by our implacable wicked Tempers. Has our Saviour added better Sanctions to the Law, by propofing eternal Rewards and Punishments? Let us take Care duly to ponder and meditate upon them, firmly to believe them, and to live under the Power and Influence of that Belief. Let the Day of Judgment, with the Rewards of Heaven, and Punishments of Hell, make a deep Impreffion upon our Spirits, and powerfully influence and govern our Lives. Is there a greater Measure of Grace promised for our Affistance, under the Gofpel, than was promised under the Law, upon our importunate Afking, and diligent Ufing it? Then let us learn diligently to make Ufe of the Means of Grace, Reading and Hearing the Scriptures, Prayer and Meditation, with the Ufe of the Sacraments, that we may obtain Grace; and when we have it, let us be as careful in ufing it, this being the fure Way to obtain more. Laftly, Has the Gofpel furnished us with a perfect Pattern of all Duty in the most Exemplary Life of our Bleffed Lord and Mafter Chrift Jefus ? Let it be our Care attentively to look at this Pattern, and to copy after it, and to confider in every Thing what our Lord did, or would have done in the like Circumftances; and endeavour to do likewife.

3. The laft Ufe I fhall make of this Doctrine, concerning our Saviour's Zeal to keep up the Moral Law in it's Perfection, fhall be to ftir us up to an Enquiry into the State of our own Hearts and Lives, that fo we may, through the Grace of God, bring our felves to be of the fame Spirit and Temper with our Lord in this Particular. We fee what exact Morals are required and expected

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expected of us Chriftians; but, alas, where are they to be found among us? Time was, when a Drunken Christian, a Curfing and Swearing Christian, a Whoring, Cheating, or Lying Christian; nay, even a Covetous, Vain, Proud, Paffionate, Discontented, Peevish, Revengeful Chriftian, would have been thought a most unreasonable Contradiction. Time was, when, according to our Lord's Prescription, the Light of Christians did fo fhine before Men, that the World faw and obferved their good Works, and glorified their Father and Mafter in Heaven. Time was, when the Christian Religion was legible in the Lives of the Generality of Chriftians. But now this rare Spirit is become fo rare indeed, that it is a wonder to find a true Chriftian, I mean one that is throughly fuch, in Life as well as Profeffion. We feem to be ashamed of Religion, and there is fcarce fo much as a Form of Godlinefs left; but Men declare their Sin as Sodom, and hide it not. To find out true Chriftianity, we must not look for it in our Lives, but in our Books and Sermons; for there is nothing more unlike the Spirit and Temper of Chrift, than the Lives of moft of those who are called Chriftians. But let us not deceive our felves; for, as the Apostle St Paul hath told us, If any Man hath not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of his. Rom. viii. 9. And therefore it is neceffary, that we content not our felves with a Speculative Belief of the Christian Doctrine, but that we apply our felves with our utmost Diligence to the Practice of the Christian Morals; as being that which our Saviour lays the greatest Strefs upon; that which he has laboured most to inculcate upon his Disciples; and that which is

the

the fureft Proof of a true Faith, and the most nfallible Sign of our Intereft in Chrift; for he has told us, that he will not at laft own the Workers of Iniquity. A new Life then will be the folideft Ground of our Hope, the greatest Ornament of our Profeffion, the greatest Satisfaction to our own Confciences, and the trueft joining in with the Spirit and Doctrine of Chrift, who came not to deftroy the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfil them. If ye know these Things, happy are ye if ye

do them.

Now to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, &c.

SER

SERMON III.

MATT. V. 18.

For verily I fay unto you, till Heaven and Earth pass, one fot or one Tittle fhall in no wife pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled.

Ver: 19. Whosoever therefore fhall break one of these leaft Commandments, and fhall teach Men fo, be fhall be called the leaft in the Kingdom of Heaven: but whofoever shall do and teach them, the fame Shall be called Great in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Third Sermon on this Text...

Fo

OR apprehending rightly the Meaning and the Coherence of thefe Words, we are to remember what our Lord faid in the Words immediately preceding: Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. I fhall not fpend your Time in the Repetition of what was faid in the Explication of that Doctrine; only put you in mind, that by the Law or the Prophets, is meant the Moral Law, with the Explications of the Prophets. Now to fhew how what our Lord now fays in these 18th and 19th Verfes, depends on what he had faid in the 17th; Two Things he had there afferted, First, That he was not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. Secondly, That he was come to fulfil

them.

them. He begins with the First of these, concerning not abolishing the Law or the Prophets; and handles it in the Words I have read; and then goes on to the other, of perfecting or fulfilling them, in the Words immediately following.

In the First Part, concerning the not abolishing the Law or the Prophets, we have firft our Saviour's Affeveration concerning the Perpetuity of them, ver. 18.

Then, as a Confequence from that Doctrine, we have a Caution to all our Saviour's Disciples, to beware of breaking or evacuating any Part of the Moral Law, either by their Example or Doctrine, ver. 19.

I begin with the First, (which will be fufficient for our prefent Meditation) our Saviour's Affeveration concerning the Perpetuity of the Law; For verily I fay unto you, till Heaven and Earth pass, one fot or one Tittle fhall in no wife pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled. In which Words, we have thefe Three Things to confider.

I. The vehement Form of the Affeveration Verily I fay unto you.

II. The Affertion concerning the Perpetuity of the Law: Till Heaven and Earth pass, one Jot or one Tittle fhall in no wife pass from the Law:

III. The feeming Limitation of that Affertion, till all be fulfilled. Which Three I intend to confider as they lie in Order.

I. As to the First, the Form of the Affeveration, Verily I fay unto you. It is a Form frequently used by our Saviour, when he speaks of Matters of great Confequence, not fufficiently minded, to which therefore he would ftir up the At

tention

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