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bargain and a mad exchange, for any temporal gain SER M. and advantage to lofe the things that are eternal? LXIX. And for the pleafing of ourselves for a little while, to make ourselves miferable for ever?

If we confess ourselves to be "pilgrims and ftran

gers on the earth," and are perfuaded of the promifes of GOD concerning an "heavenly country," where we hope to arrive after "the few and evil days "of our pilgrimage" are over; let us not, by complying with the humours of ftrangers, and the vicious customs and practices of an evil world, bar ourfelves of our hopes, and banish ourselves from that happy place, to which we all profefs we are going.

We pretend to be travelling towards heaven: but if we "make shipwreck of faith and a good confci"ence," we deftroy our own hopes of ever arriving at that happy port. We do not live up to our expectation of a future happiness; if the unfeen glories of another world do not raise us above all the temptations and terrors of fenfe. Our faith and hope have not their due and proper influence upon us, if they do not govern our lives and actions, and make us ftedfaft in the profeffion of our holy religion, and in the confcientious practice of it. St. Paul reafoned himself into this holy refolution, from the hopes of a bleffed refurrection, Acts xxiv. 15, 16. “I have hope," fays he, "towards GoD, that there fhall "be a refurrection of the dead, both of the just and

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unjuft; Tér d, for this caufe therefore, I ex"ercife myself always to have a confcience void of offence, towards GOD, and towards men.'

VI. And lastly, if we be fojourners and travellers in this world; we fhould often think of our end, and carefully mind the way to it. Our end is everlafting happinefs, and the direct way to it is by

LXIX.

SERM. a conftant and fincere and univerfal obedience to the laws and commandments of GOD. And this itself is fo plain a way, that a fincere and honeft man can hardly err in it. And therefore we must not suffer ourfelves to be led and trained out of it, upon any pretence whatsoever; not by the wildfire of pretended illuminations and enthusiasms; not by the confident pretence of an infallible guide, that will needs fhew us another way, and perfuade us to follow him blindfold in it. Let us not quit the infallible rule of God's word, to follow any guide whatsoever. • If

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an apostle, or an angel from heaven, preach any "other doctrine" and way to heaven, "let him be "accurfed." He who is "the way, and the truth, " and the life," when he was confulted with about the way to eternal happiness, knew no other but this. For when the young man asked him; "good master, "what good thing fhall I do, that I may inherit "eternal life?" His anfwer was, "If thou wilt enter " into life, keep the commandments." It is true indeed, that by reafon of our corrupt inclinations within, and powerful temptations without, this way (efpecially at our first fetting out) is rugged and difficult. So our LORD hath forewarned us, telling us, that "ftrait is the gate, and narrow is the way that lead"eth to life," and that "there be few that find it;" therefore we should "ftrive to enter in," take great care and pains to difcern the right way, and to overcome the difficulties of our firft entrance into it; and fhould often pray to God as David did, Pfal. cxix. 19. "I am a ftranger in the earth; hide not thy com"mandments from me ;" and Pfal. cxxxix. 23, 24. "Search me, O GOD, and know my heart; try me, "and know my thoughts; and see if there be any "wicked way in me; and lead me in the way everlafting." Thus,

LXX.

Thus, if we would always have our end in our SERM. eye, it would both be a direction to us in our way, and an encouragement to quicken our pace in it; there being no more powerful motive to a good life, than to be affured, that, " if we have our fruit unto "holiness, our end shall be everlasting life."

SERMON LXX.

The presence of the Meffias, the glory of the second temple.

HAGGAI II. 6, 7, 8, 9.

For thus faith the LORD of hosts, yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the fea, and the dry land: and I will shake all nations, and the defire of all nations fhall come, and I will fill this houfe with glory, faith the LORD of hofts. The filver is mine, and the gold is mine, faith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter houfe Shall be greater than of the former, faith the LORD of hofts; and in this place will I give peace, faith the LORD of hosts.

TH

HE author of this prophecy was the first of the three prophets, which GOD fent to the people of Ifrael after the captivity; and this prophecy contains feveral meffages from GoD, to the princes,

N 3

LXX.

SER M-princes, and elders, and people of Ifrael, in which he reproves their flackness and negligence in the building of the temple, and encourageth them thereto, by the promise of his affiftance; and tells them, that however in refpect of the magnificence of the building, and the rich ornaments in it, it thould be incomparably fhort of Solomon's temple, (which some that were then alive had seen in its glory) yet in other refpects it fhould far excel it; for the time would come, that this fecond temple fhould be graced with the presence of the Meffias, which would be a greater glory to it, than all the riches of Solomon's temple. And this is fully expreffed in the words which I have read unto you, "thus faith the LORD of hosts,

yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the "heavens, and the earth, and the fea, and the dry

land and I will shake all nations, and the defire "of all nations fhall come, and I will fill this house with glory, faith the LORD of hofts. The filver is mine, and the gold is mine, faith the LORD of hofts. The glory of this latter houfe fhall be greater than of the former, faith the LORD of "hofts; and in this place will I give peace, faith the LORD of hosts."

Now, that it is fome very great thing which is here foretold and promifed, for the honour of this fecond temple, no man can doubt, that confiders in what a folemn manner it is here expreffed; this great and glorious title, "the LORD of hofts," being no lefs than five feveral times ufed within the compafs - of these four verses; the like inftance whereto is not, perhaps, in the whole bible: "thus faith the LORD

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of holts, yet once, it is a little while, and I will hake the heavens, and the earth," ver. 6. "And I will fill this houfe with glory, faith the LORD of "hosts,"

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hofts," ver. 7.

LXX.

"The filver is mine, and the SER M. "gold is mine, faith the LORD of hosts," ver. 8. And twice ver. 9. "The glory of this latter house "shall be greater than of the former, faith the LORD "of hofts; and in this place will I give peace, faith "the LORD of hofts." So that by the folemn manner of expreffing it, we may imagine, that it is fome very great thing which is fpoken of, and fuch as the like had never been before; and fuch was the "in"carnation and coming of the Meffias."

I know that the modern, Jews will by no means have this text to be understood of the Meffias, and not without caufe; for he that is fpoken of in the text, was to come into the fecond temple, which hath now been destroyed above 1600 years ago; and they do not believe the Meffias to be yet come; and therefore whatever fhift they make, they muft interpret this text, of fome other perfon than the Meffias: but then it is plain for what reason they do fo, it being evident from their own Talmud, that the ancient Jews did understand it of the Meffias; but being hardened in their unbelief, they pervert all those texts whereby they might be convinced, that Jesus our bleffed SAVIOUR was the true Meffias.

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And indeed, whoever carefully confiders the feveral expreffions and circumftances of this prediction, cannot understand it of any other. To make this evident, I fhall explain the feveral expreffions in the text, thus faith the LORD of hofts, yet once, it is "a little while." "Yet a little while," fo it is in the Hebrew," yet once more," fo the LXXII render it, and fo it is quoted from the LXXII in the new teftament. Heb. xii. 26. and this fenfe the Hebrew word may likewife bear, and our tranflation of the text takes them both in, "yet once it is a little "while." N 4 If