Of / upon our being forcibly conftrained to be virtuous, which is a contradiction, but upon the habits we have attained, or the fetled good dispositions of our minds. And it seems to be the great end of our Trial in this world, that we may attain to such a degree of sanctity, experienced in a variety of Trials, as in God's wisdom appears to be of that genuine fort, which shall eventually persevere, and abide to all eternity. which matter our Lord speaketh in this wife, Luke xvi, 10, 11, 12. He that is faithful in that which is leaft, is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust alfo in much. If ye therefore have been unfaithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, i. e. that which may at any uncertain time be taken from you, and therefore, for the fake of which it is not worth your while to do a wrong or wicked thing, who shall give you that which is your own*? what you are to pofsess for ever, or which you are never to be deprived of. This plainly shews, that we are qualified for honors and trusts in heaven, no otherwife than by our present faithfulness, or the real good qualities of our minds; and that we are now tried in a little, that we may be faithful in much. VI. The Judge of all the Earth hath certainly ballanced our Trials with the greatest exactness and equity, that temptation may not be too violent for our weakness, and yet strong enough to put our virtue to its proper proof. Fleshly lufts war against the foul, but are conquered effectually by tempes rance, or keeping our bodies in subjection. The world allures our minds, but the world of glory is open to full view, to draw our regards thither. If the devil and his angels are permitted to practise his malice in perverting mankind, God hath sent forth a holy and powerful Spirit to illuminate, fanctify, strengthen, and comfort; and hath ordered his Angels, in great numbers, to be miniftering Spirits to the Heirs of Salvation. We may affure ourselves, that we are upon a fair, and even favorable, Trial; for, if we do not neglect our advantages, the means of fecuring our virtue, if we chuse to be virtuous, do far surpass the occafion of vice and fin; and in all our conflicts more are with us, than are against us; God is with us. VII. Our Condition is well adapted to the purposes of moral Improvement. If we confider life as a State of Enjoyment, all is in confufion and diforder, and we are easily mifled into the most foul and fatal errors; but if we take life as a Trial, for the exercise of our virtue, in order to our future advancement, then every part of it will appear to be properly appointed. We have every day opportunities of shewing our fincere regards to God, by giving him the preference to the many appetites and objects which court our affections, and come in competition with him. * Nimium vobis Romana propago Nihilne esse proprium [perpetuum] cuiquam? We Æneid. vi. lin. 870. Ter. Andr. Act. iv. Scen. 3. lin. I. Omne quod habemus, aut mutuum est, aut proprium. Donat. in locum. i We have opportunities enough to learn what is sufficient for us to know. And the obscurities and difficulties in the way of truth, are not designed to debar us from it, but to exercise our integrity in our fearches after it, and profeffion of it. All the calamities of life, pains of body, infirmities, seducements, losses, &c. are occafions of purifying our hearts, by fobriety, humility, repentance, self-denial, patience, &c. And for focial virtues, we cannot suppose ourselves in any situation, where we should have more occafions, or more preffing motives to exercise every species of benevolence towards our fellow-creatures. And if our love to men must surmount both self-love, that deceitful principle in ourselves, and ingratitude, that ugly vice in others, hereby we are obliged to exercise, in the most generous, disinterested, and godlike manner, a virtue of the first rank, and the most necessary to preferment in God's creation. For he is the fitest for business and trust, under the universal Father, who most of all participates of his kind dispositions and good-will towards the whole universe of beings. VIII. Different perfons, as they have different capacities, advantages, and opportunities, and are in different circumstances, conditions, and fituations, are under different Trials. Mat. xxv. 15. Luke xii. 47, 48. IX. God allots to every particular perfon his Trial. He gives our capacities and opportunities, afsigns our circumstances and outward condition, and measures our afflictions and comforts. Therefore whatever our Trials may be, this should calm our uneasy minds, that they are meted out to us, by the fame wise Hand, which created and governs universal Nature. X. Every one will be judged, and receive reward or punishment according to the circumstances of his own particular Trial; and all things relating to it, all advantages and disadvantages, will be weighed in the exacteft ballance, and determined accordingly. Luke xii. 47, 48. That fervant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But be, that was in different circumstances, and knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes, Here observe, that God fully understands the degrees of the guilt, or virtue of particular persons, but we do not, and therefore should be cautious in judging. XI. There are degrees of Trial; or temptation may be more or less intense. The sufferings of the flesh may be raised to such an height of anguish and terror, or its paffions so inflamed, as to suspend the use of thought and reason. XII. God can raise or fink our Trial as he pleases. When he sees fit, he can give a calm and quiet State; and when he pleaseth can raise storms about us, and heat the furnace of temptation seven times more than it was wont to be heated. Job, in his Trial by profperity, acquited himfelf well; and under great pains and poverty, he fined not, nor charged God foolishly. But at length, through the unkind usage of his friends, and perhaps some other concuring circumstances, his Trial began to be so hard, that he opened his mouth, and cursed his day. Whenever the Almighty pleaseth he can permit a Trial that will thake the strongeft faith. Therefore, XIII. No good refolutions or dispositions, no degrees of spiritual strength to Ciūr which we have attained, is an absolute security, that we shall be for the future ftedfast and unmoveable. New, or sudden Trials, stronger than any we have hitherto met with, may shake and stagger the stability of our minds. Let no man imagine, that his former victories will exempt him from a poffibility of falling. It is the will of God, that every man, the best of men, in this State, should be under a conftant neceffity of watching. Wherefore, let us take unto ourselves the whole armour of God, that we may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done, or overcome, all to stand. Eph. vi. 13. XIV. All Trial is attended with danger. And therefore some, if not many, in a State of Trial, may fall into perdition. As wicked angels and men. XV. Our danger is not from God, but from ourselves. God tempteth, or feduceth into fin, no man, Jam. i. 13, 14, 15, for this very good reason, because he cannot himself be tempted with evil, such is his abhorrence and detestation of it; and therefore cannot be inclined to draw any of his creatures into the practice of it. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away from righteousness by his own lust, and enticed to commit fin. XVI. All temptation is vincible to those that are willing to overcome. See Prop. VI. All the admonitions, exhortations, encouragements in Scripture, suppose and support the truth of this propofition. XVII. We are victorious over temptation, not by our own power, but by the grace and power of God. Even when the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak. Mark xiv. 38. We are indeed under the highest obligations to use faithfully the powers we have already received, and no otherwise may we hope to be superior to temptation; but it is not our own wifdom or strength that can preserve and uphold us; for we are directed in revelation to trust in God, and to feek unto him for fuccor and deliverance, which would be impertinent were we fufficient to ourselves. Why fhould we ask help, when we do not want it? God alone is able to keep us from falling, and to stablish us in every good work. Jude 24. 2 Theff. ii. 16, 17. And we are abundantly assured, that he will give strength in proportion to our Trials, and our faithful endeavors; and that our future honors will be great in proportion to the present greater Trials we have surmounted. If we have overcome much, we shall enjoy much. For, observe, the fuccors of Divine Grace do not diminish the quantity of our virtue, or reward. Whatever helps our infirmity may require, our virtue is measured by our own fincere defires and endeavors, to which the Divine Aid is proportioned. So that, in moral construction, it is all one as if we had overcome in our own strength. XVIII. The means of conquering Temptation, on our part, are Watching and Prayer. Mark xiv. 38. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. (1.) Watch. Be not secure; expect temptation, and be sensible of the danger of it, the greatest of all dangers, the loss of the soul. Be not confident of your own strength. Keep out of the way of temptation. Avoid every snare that may intangle your minds. Indulge to no dangerous liberties; make no uncautious approaches towards folly and fin. That may be effected by flow degrees, which a man would never at at first have consented to be guilty of. He that fears falling down a precipice will be sure not to come near it; and he that would extinguish the fire, should withdraw the fuel. Keep thy heart with all diligence; reject every finful thought and suggestion. Keep the body in subjection to reason and religion by felf-denial and abstinence. Beware of an undue attachment to the world. Your life and treasure is in heaven; and there let your hearts be. Let the word of God dwell in you richly by daily meditation. Pfal. cxix. 11. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not fin against thee. (2.) Pray. Not that we may be totally exempted from temptation; for we came into the world for this very end, that we might be tried and tempted. We cannot reasonably expect that God, in our favor, should alter the constitution of the world, or of the human nature; but we should pray, that God would order our Trials in such manner, as will best promote the purity, and probity of our lives. Prov. xxx. 8, 9. Remove far from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me, &c. The wife man doth not prescribe any condition; that did not belong to him; but, in general, is defirous of that situation in life, which God faw would be most favorable to his piety and integrity. Lead us not, suffer us not to enter, into temptation, i. e. fuffer us not to fall under the power and prevalence of temptation. The example of our Lord is of the greatest force to direct and animate us in our conflicts; he took upon him our nature, and went through all our Trials, on purpose to shew us how to behave under them; and to assure us that, imitating his example, we shall at length be partakers of his glory. And thus by his perfect obedience, his obedience unto death, a facrifice highly pleasing to God, he recovered that life and immortality, which Adam forfeited by his disobedience. CHAP. IX. Of Law, or the religious DISPENSATION, ADAM and Eve were under in the GARDEN. EN. ii. 17. But of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Gthou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt furely die. This is Law; clear ideas of which are neceffary to the right understanding of St. Paul's writings. Law is a rule of action, or duty, commanding or prohibiting, given by the Sovereign to moral Agents, with the penalty of death annexed. Tranfgrefs and die, is the language of Law. And therefore every transgressor, the moment he is such, is dead in law; and, for any thing in Law, he must continue so as long as it is true, that he has violated the Law, that is, for evermore. For the Law, which condemns him, can give him no relief; as, in its own nature, it excludes repentance and pardon; neither of which can take place, unless Law is overruled, or the execution of it suspended by the authority and favor of the Sovereign. For Law would not be Law if its sense or language were this, the tranfgreffor, who doth not repent and obtain pardon, shall die. Seeing this would be to allow tranfgreffion by Law, upon the uncertain conditions of repentance, and the Sovereign's mercy. "You may fin with impunity, if you do but " repent, and find favor." And so the Law would be invalidated by itself, as it would allow a conditional tranfgreffion, which would annul the annexed penalty, by suspending the execution of it forever, in expectation of the sinner's repentance, and the Sovereign's forgiveness. For, as the finner may possibly repent in any future time to all eternity, fo the Law could not at any time be executed. Consequently the Law, by this means, would be rendered for ever infignificant, as it might be violated for ever with impunity. Therefore, to be consistent with itself, Law must be conceived in absolute terms, fin and die, subjecting every finner immediately to the penalty of death, which is the curse of the Law. Gal. iii. 10, 13. By this rule the Apostle, having proved that all flesh have fined, concludes, that no flesh, or no part of mankind, can be juftified, or intitled to life, before the Sovereign, by deeds or works of Law. Rom. iii. 20. For the Law works wrath, or subjects the transgressor to death, the curse or penalty of it, Rom. iv. 15. On which account it is very properly called, the ministration, dispensation, or conftitution, of death, 2 Cor. iii. 7. as it is a constitution which affords nothing but rigid condemnation for all tranfgreffors. ther Hence it follows, that death in Law is death eternal, without hopes of a revival or refurrection. For, as before proved, it is the very nature of Law, never to remit the penalty or forfeiture. The Law, which now condemns the criminal, condemns him to death absolutely, and for evermore; the everlasting language of Law to every one that breaks it, and for every breach and tranfgreffion, being this, Thou shalt die. And this is the force of the expreffion תמות מות moriendo morieris, " in " dying thou shalt die," in the Law given to Adam. It doth not speak of the certainty of the event, as if he should certainly die the day he tranfgreffed; for the event shews the contrary; nor that he should become mortal from a change in his conftitution, which is a random conjecture, without any foundation in the nature of his constitution, which was created mortal, or in the force of the words. For the phrafe תמות מות is an Hebraifm, importing that a thing is, or is done, thoroughly, totally, in the most perfect manner, or the most intense degree, and is to be interpreted according to the nature of the subject. As Gen. ii. 16. אָכל תאכל comedendo comedes, " thou mayest freely eat" without any restraint. Chap. xxxvii. 33. טרף טרף יוֹסֵף difcerpendo difcerptus eft Jofeph, "Jofeph is torn all to pieces," or most cruelly torn to pieces. Exod. xxi. 19. ירפא יְרַפֵא et medicando medicabitur, and shalt cause him to be thoroughly healed. Thus the force of the words, " in dying " thou shalt die," is this, thou shalt thoroughly, utterly, totally die, |