seeking happiness by no other means than obedience, trust God for the consequences. Were we but in such a state of mind, we should have one invariable rule to act by, "This is my duty, therefore nothing shall seduce me from it: this is contrary to my duty, therefore nothing shall engage me in it." We should have one general and full answer constantly ready for all temptations, instead of the manifold disadvantages and hazards of debating particulars with each of them singly. Their force must be unspeakably lessened, would we but follow this direction in earnest; never admit an ensnaring second thought to creep in and puzzle a plain case, nor afford time to a vicious desire to argue the point with us, and paint itself out in plausible and inviting colours to deceive us; but, the moment we see it to be vicious, look on it in that sole view, reject it without delay for that sole reason, and think no more of it. Else we shall be all inconstancy and irresolution, distracted between the services of two masters; sometimes preferring one, sometimes the other; then contriving a thousand silly schemes to reconcile both, and entangled by every endeavour in fresh perplexities. Whereas, would we thoroughly give up our whole selves into the hands of our rightful Sovereign, and fix the regard we owe him for the one principle of our conduct; the presence of that thought would awe into silence whatever was opposite to it; our bad inclinations would die away and be forgotten; good ones would spring up, and have nothing to oppose their growth: a better self, a new man created after the image of God would be formed within us, instead of that which we had put off*; and our advances in goodness would be astonishing: like those of the pious Corinthians, whose charitable contributions, * Col. iii. 10. the Apostle declares, were beyond his hopes: but, saith he, they first gave their own selves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God *. This indeed is the only way to be religious, and religion is the only way to be happy. For, the true good of man, let us search for it ever so long, or fancy about it what we please, can never be found where it is not; and is only where our Maker hath placed it. All our capacities for it are of his bestowing our whole being is at his disposal. If we withhold any thing from him, the holiness of his nature, the honour of his government, bind him to convince us of our guilt and folly. If, on the contrary, we resign all to him, he will give us back richly to enjoy, as the Scripture expresses it †, all that is innocent and safe: he will reward us eternally hereafter for abstaining from what would hurt us even here: and it is inconceivably absurd to imagine we can provide for our own interests better, than by intrusting them with him. Nor perhaps in general do men imagine they can but they see what is right and dare not attempt it. A cowardly apprehension of pain in the effort keeps us in the far worse pain of a divided state of mind and life. We avoid some faults, and cannot prevail on ourselves to avoid others. We resolve against all sin, it may be: but cannot resolve against the things that we know will lead us into sin so we leave stumbling-blocks in our own way, and undo every thing as fast as we do it. Then for a while self-reflection causes bitter remorse, but immediately self-indulgence brings forth new transgressions: and, in this wretched circle, we go round and round to our destruction: whereas one thorough determination, well kept, of yielding up all without reserve to God, would extricate us from this laby* 2 Cor. viii. 5. +1 Tim. vi. 17. rinth, and settle us in a firm state of inward peace: the present advantages of the change would be great beyond belief; the future, infinite; and thus the self-denial our Saviour enjoins would appear to be the only true self-love. But then we must not think, that forming such a resolution is all that we need in order to accomplish it. A vain opinion of our own strength is one part of the self that we are to deny else we shall never have strength to any real good purpose. Our blessed Lord assures us, that without him we can do nothing *. St. Paul assures us, that we are not sufficient to think any thing as of ourselves +. And repeated experience hath given us all, I fear, too many proofs of this truth. If then we are wicked, our only way is, that, yielding to the convictions of God's word and Spirit, we apply in the name of our blessed Redeemer for power to deny ourselves and follow him: that through him, as our high priest, we present our souls and bodies a sacrifice to God, beseeching him to accept the gift, to take and keep possession of us. And though we think ourselves ever so good, yet if we imagine we are become such, or hope to continue such, by our own abilities, we deceive ourselves, and know nothing yet, as we ought to know §. By the grace of God I am what I am, saith the Apostle; I laboured more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God, which was with me. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Nay, lastly, if we flatter ourselves, that even by the means of help from above we have attained to a perfection of self Rom. xii. 1. ¶ Gal. ii. 20. denial, or of any other virtue, we mistake our condition, endanger our humility, and neglecting to press forward, shall be driven back. Indeed, though perfection is ascribed to men in Scripture, by way of opposition to characters wilfully and essentially defective *, and of comparison with others of inferior goodness †, and in respect of God's gracious acceptation through Christ Jesus; yet, strictly speaking, the hope of ever attaining it here is vain, notwithstanding that the struggle to advance towards it ought to be incessant: for the nearer the approach the greater the reward. But who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin§? For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not ||. When we put off these bodies, and not before, that which is perfect being come, that which is in part shall be done away ¶. Our understandings shall be thoroughly enlightened, our affections completely purified, our wills entirely conformed to that of our heavenly Father; we shall love ourselves only as bearing his image, and God shall be all in all **. *Job viii. 20. ix. 22. Eccl. vii. 20. + Job i. 1. + Col. i. 28. ** § Prov. xx. 9. 1 Cor. xv. 28. SERMON III. TITUS ii. 6. Young men likewise exhort to be sober-minded. INSTRUCTING men to remember their Creator in the days of their youth, is laying in their hearts the only foundation of every thing good and happy: but the work is far from being completed, when the foundation is laid. Not only the general duties of life are to be built upon it; but the particular duties of every one's condition in life: for these of all others, we are most concerned, and yet often least willing to know and attend to. They should therefore be drawn out, and laid before us as minutely as they well can: and each be called upon to study those more especially, which he is more especially obliged to practise. Now as the several tempers, ranks, and employments of men, and the several relations they stand in to each other, so their several ages also, lay them under peculiar obligations: for which reason St. Peter and St. John in their Epistles address themselves to younger persons, and to elder separately; and St. Paul in this Epistle directs Titus to do the same thing. But though both have much need of admonition, yet the young plainly need it most; as they are just entering into the world, with little knowledge, less experience, and yet scarcely ever any distrust; with lively spirits and warm passions to mislead them, and time to go a great way wrong, if they do not go right. In the |