chafed, the felicity he hath provided for you; and you will foon come to love the restraints and obfervances which he hath appointed, to look with indifference, or fometimes with disgust and abhorrence, on what you have hitherto admired, and find the degree of your fatisfactions unfpeakably encreafed, by changing the nature of them from trifling, difgraceful, and noxious, to rational, noble, and beneficent. Still difficulties there will be, and to fome perfons peculiar ones, in breaking fettled habits, and diffolving the ties by which you have been long held. But God will give you both courage and prudence, to make it easier than you think. Though you will do what is right with steadiness, yet you will do it without oftentation, and with chearful good-humour: fpeak mildly of others, and keep on as good terms with all men as you fafely can. But, if you are too folicitous to please them, you will gradually flide back, and forget, as thousands have done to their eternal ruin, your former convictions. Therefore, whenever you feel any, suffer them not to die away through inattention, or be choaked by cares and pleasures, or blafted by the breath of scoffers: but imprefs them on your fouls immediately and frequently, form refolutions correfponding to them, and confirm these by reading good books, by the conversation and countenance of good perfons, by attendance on God's public ordinances; but especially by fervent private prayer, fuited to your fpiritual condition, with this, out of weakness you will be made frong and without this, the feemingly firmeft human purposes, think as highly of them as you will, can never be effectual. For God refifteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble ↑.

* Heb. xi. 34.

↑ Jam. iv. 6. 1 Pet. v. 5.

SER.

SERMON LX.

ON THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST, and the Effects of THIS EVENT ON THE LIVES AND MANNERS

OF TRUE CHRISTIANS.

COL. iii. 1, 2.

If ye then be rifen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Chrift fitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

THIS day we are met to celebrate the yearly memorial of

Now the ge

our bleffed Lord's rifing from the dead. nuine method of paying honour to every article of our creed, is allowing it the proper influence on our hearts and lives. Christ's refurrection is vain with refpect to us, unless we be raised by it to the faith of a better world; and the firmeft faith of that is vain alfo, unless it excite us to love and feek the things which are above. This paffage of St. Paul therefore is july made one principal part of our Eafter day's fervice: and the degree of our practical regard to it will be the true measure of our improvement by the difcipline of the past feafon, and of God's acceptance of our celebration of the prefent. That each of these then may be such, as we are concerned beyond expreffion that it should, I fhall lay before you the chief motives to a due regulation of our defires and behaviour, in relation to earthly and heavenly objects, which motives arise from confidering ourselves,

I. As rational beings:

II. As believers in God:

III. As difciples of Chrift: on which laft point I fhall enlarge the most, as it deferves.

I. Let us confider ourselves merely as rational beings, who are to live for a while on earth; and fuppofe, that we had no

farther profpect. Then indeed we could not fet our affections on things above: but ftill we might fet them a great deal too much on things below. For, if our attachments to worldly objects be strong, we hall frequently, either purfsue what is hurtful, or be miserable that we dare not pursue it, or enraged at being croffed in our defigns, or dejected on finding small happiness in our attainments: which indeed are incapable of yielding much. The delights of fenfe are deftructive, when indulged to excefs and low and inconfiderable, when conducted with moderation. Wealth and power and rank are acquired with much difficulty, attended with much anxiety, and foon become familiar and taftelefs. Fondness for gay amufe. ments rather makes men uneafy when they are without them, than gives any mighty pleasure in the midst of them: and, unless they manage with uncommon prudence, waftes their for tunes, wears out their fpirits, hurts their chara&ers, expofes them to contempt. Indeed we cannot help on reflection contemning ourselves, for fetting our hearts on any of these gratifications, to the neglect of matters vifibly worthier. But if we follow them to the lofs of our innocence, which generally happens when we follow them earnestly, then we have cause to hate ourselves too, for tranfgrefling the dictates of that inward principle, which we feel ought to rule us, and which rewards us, when obeyed, with that pleafing consciousness of having acted well, which is the trueft fatisfaction we can tafte, though all were to end at death. But even from this enjoyment, without the aid of religion, we can promife ourselves but little. Our failures and imperfections in virtue must be daily mortified our rightest and kindest behaviour will often have ill returns made to it: they whom we love with the moft deferved affection, may be miferable, or may be fnatched from us and if not, we muft very foon leave them, and whatever we value. In fuch circumftances, difengagement is evidently the only way of fecuring any comfort. It will indeed, at the fame time, render our condition flat and infipid: but we can aim at nothing better from the things of this world, without meeting with fomething worfe and if we are not contented with such a state, (as in truth how can we?) our fole remedy is to look beyond it: and confider ourselves.

:

II. Not merely as happening to be inhabitants of the duft of the earth for a few years, we know not how nor why, but

as

as created by the power, and placed under the authority and protection, of a perfectly wife, and holy, and good being, who hath made us capable of knowing and honouring, and there. fore doubtless originally of imitating and obeying, him. On this farther view of things it will plainly appear, that the principle of confcience, which otherwife might often serve only to perplex and disquiet men, is the law of God written in their fouls; and therefore that yielding to it will always end well: generally in this world, but certainly in another; for Here then the which human nature was evidently framed. diftinction between things above and things on earth begins to open, the connection of virtue with happiness becomes manifeft; and excites us to difpife the poor fhort-lived advantages that little minds are fond of; to efteem and practice what is right, be it ever fo difficult, or ever fo unfashionable, and devote our entire exiftence to the adorable author of it. The principal object, beyond comparison, of one who believes in God, muft furely be God himself: and our reverence and love, our dependence and truft, are fo to be placed on him, as on nothing else in his whole creation. But, above all, fhould thefe affections be exerted towards him in refpect of that future recompence which we hope to receive from him. And we are greatly deficient in prudence, as well as gratitude, if we make not that expectation the fupport and the delight of our lives. But then the temper of heaven must be formed in us here, or we can never enjoy it hereafter and therefore, if we would fix our hearts on any thing above to good purpose, we mult fix them on resembling him who dwells there, in purity and benevolent goodness. Cultivation of these difpofitions is both an appointed requifite, and a neceffary preparative for our fupreme felicity: whereas immerfing ourfelves in cares, or diffipating ourselves in pleasures, unrelated to piety and virtue, were they ever fo harmless to thofe around us, muft be pernicious to ourselves; rendering our minds either grofs and fenfual, or trifling and vain; unfit for the enjoyment of fpiritual blifs. Every believer then, were it only of fo much as nature teaches, must think it his primary concern to cherish religious fentiments. And though he were uncertain of the truth of his belief, yet, in a cafe of fuch infinite importance, there could be no doubt of his obligation to chufe the fafer fide. But, without farther guidance, though he were not un

der

der that neceffity, he must be subject to others, and very alarming ones. It doth not appear to the eye of unaffisted reason, what degree, or what duration, of future happiness we might promife ourselves, even were we innocent: much lefs what finners, as we all are, abundantly worfe than most of us think, have to expect from the Lord and Judge of all, to the honour of whofe government repentance and amendment alone may be no adequate fatisfaction, were they in our power, which perfons left to themfelves have too much experience that they are not; yet however, fince we are very fure, that right fenti, ments and behaviour muft make every man's condition better, and wrong ones worfe than, it would be elfe; looking up to God, with forrow for our tranfgreffions, with thankfulness for his mercy hitherto, and humble hope for it hereafter, must be the duty and the intereft even of those who have no other light than their own understandings can afford them. But ftill the obfcurity of their profpe&t muft greatly diminish both their confolation from it, and its good influence upon them, and fill them with dreadful terrors from time to time. God be thanked, therefore, that we are not left in the darkness of natural religion, but bleft with that view of the things above which proceeds from confidering ourfelves,

III. As the difciples of Chrift. If the gospel of Jefus be true, and we have innumerable demonstrations of it, then there is full evidence, that a future ftate of eternal happinefs beyond expreffion is attainable by faith in our dear Redeemer, notwithstanding our paft fius, notwithstanding our present infirmi ties. For having purchafed for us life by his death, he hath given us affurance of it by his refurrection, and, in effect, raif. ed up us at the fame time with himself. If then we be thus rifen with Chrift, where fhall our hearts be but where our treafure is fixed on him, whofe compaflion planned the scheme of our falvation; on him whofe love executed it; on him whofe grace enables us to fhare in it; on that kingdom of glory, in which we fhall reign after death; on thofe heavenly doctrines and precepts, by which we are to prepare ourselves for it in the mean while? That we walk not by fight, but by faith; that we labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for

Matth. vi. 21. Luke xii. 34.

ta Cor. v. 7.

that