Imatges de pàgina
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neither fhall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the Commandments of the Lord your God which I command you, Deut. iv. 2. And fo again in the 12th Chapter of the fame Book, at the 23d Verle; What Thing foever I command you, obferve to do it, thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. And in like Manner, we Chriftians are exhorted in the New Testament, to be Holy in all kind of Converfation; which is more than is contained in the Commiffion CHRIST gave his Apostles in Mat. xxviii. 20, where he bids them teach Mankind to obferve all Things what foever he had commanded them: Agreeable whereunto is his own Declaration, in the xvth of St. John's Gofpel at the 14th Verfe; Ye are my Friends if ye do whatfoever I command you. And unless we do fo; we fhall neither be bis Friends nor our own; for to indulge ourselves in the Breach of any one of his Commands, will put us in a State of Enmity against him; and fow in us the Seed of Trouble and Difquiet.

What will it profit a Man, to be an Enemy against Immorality and Profanenefs, if he gives himself up to Oppreffion or grinding the Face of the Poor? This alone

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will be fufficient to expose him to the
Vengeance of Heaven, to draw upon him
the Scorn of
good Men, and the Hatred
of bad Men, and make him a Curfe, and
an Astonishment, and an Hiffing, and a
Reproach among all that know him.

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Thus again, if we are addicted only to Covetousness, this Root of Evil will conftantly bring forth its proper Off-fpring, and pierce us through with many Sorrows.

So again, if we take Delight in exceeding the Bounds of Temperance, though we are careful to obferve all other Duties; yet this fingle Tranfgreffion being indulged, will too often engage us in unhappy Difputes, and be frequently the Caufe of Sickness and Pain.

Thus likewife, though we take fo much heed to our Ways as to be fober in our Lives; zealous for God's Worship; and honeft in our Dealings; yet if we make no Confcience of flandering our Neighbours, and speaking Evil of the Absent; from bence alone the Harmony of Converfation will be disturbed, and we muft expect to meet with the mischievous Effects of Difaffection and Ill-will.

Of the lame Nature will be the Confequence of living in any other darling Sin whatsoever; for every one has a Tendency

to destroy the Felicity of Life, either by hurting our outward Condition, or by creating us inward Remorse and Disquiet, or by Both: To which I may add, That 'tis fcarce poffible for any particular Sin to reign in us, without having others to countenance and fupport it. Indeed one ruling Sin naturally begees another; and the more Sin, the more Milery: So that nothing less than forfaking all Sin, and living in universal Obedience can eftablish us in a State of Happiness in this World.

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And the faine Behaviour is neceflary to quality us for the Happiness of the World t-come, for to pick out fome Rules for our Obfervance, and to refufe Compliance with others, is interpretatively to capitulate and make Articles with the Divine Law-giver; which, without Doubt, he will for ever dildain to countenance or yield to.

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Forasmuch as every one of his Laws is enacted by the fame Power, and enforced with the fame Sanctions, every one of them hath an equal Obligation upon the Con fcience as to the Point of Obedience tho' not as to the Priority or Precedence thereof: So that we cannot live in the wilful Violation of any one, without an implicit

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Contempt or Denial of God's fovereign Authority, and becoming liable to the lame Kind, though not to the fame Degree of Punishment, as if we had violated all.

With a little Alteration therefore, thofe conditional Promises and Threatnings which were made to Joshua and the Ifraelites, may be properly applied in a fpiritual Senle to every Christian: If thou wilt obferve to do according to all that is commanded thee; then thou shalt make thy Way profperous, and then thou shalt have good Success: But if thou wilt not obferve to do according to all the Divine Laws, that thou mayst fear this glorious and fearful Name, the Lord thy God, then the Lord will make thy Plagues wonderful. Jofh. i. 8. Deut. xxviii. 58, 59.

Secondly, Our Duty must be done willingly. 'Twas the common Opinion of the antient Greeks and Romans, concerning thofe Victims which feemed to expire with a great deal of Reluctance; or were forcibly dragged to the Altars; that they were unacceptable to their Deities, and portended fome Evil.to them.

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See Bishop Potter's Greek Antiquities, Vol. I. Book 2. Chap. 14. Dr. Kennet's Roman Antiquities, Part II. Book 2, Chap. 47

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felves. A like Judgment may without Superftition be made of those living Sacrifices that we are obliged to prefent unto the Almighty, if they be not offered with a willing Mind; for then they will neither please him, nor promote our own Felicity.

Things which are done grudgingly, out of Compulfion, or from fear of Punishment only, are very troublesome and diftafteful to the Doers of them; can we then justly think, that they will be fatisfactory to him upon whofe Account they are done? If fuch Actions are extremely ungrateful to ourselves, can it reasonably be fuppofed that they will be delightful to GOD? No, he doth not rule over us like a Tyrant, and therefore will have great Provocation to be Angry, if we ferve him like Slaves: He is willing to affift us himfelf in the Obedience of his Commandments, and may therefore juftly expect that our Obedience fhould be ready and hearful.

Unless it is fo, 'tis certain, we do not love him with all our Heart, with all our Soul, and with all our Strength, fuch Love being neceffarily productive of fuch Obedience: But if we do not love God with all our Heart, with all our Soul, and

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