likely to carry a great Name in the World, was no more a true Virtue than the Prudence of a covetous Man, that finds out feveral Ways of Gain, or the Juftice of those that dare not wrong their Neighbours, only because they are afraid of a Court of Judicature, or the Valour of a Thief, that gets his Prey with the Danger of his Life.

But indeed fuftin Martyr, and Clemens Alexandrinus, and fome other ancient Chriftians, fpeak more favourably of Socrates, and fome few more Heathens, and contend, that they for the Subftance were Chriftians, tho' they lived before the Revelation of the Gofpel; but then the virtuous Actions and Lives of thofe few did plainly flow from a good Intention and a right End, they had an imperfect Knowledge of God, and what they did was in Confcience of their Duty to him; and moreover, they did that which was good, because it was fo, and of this they feemed to have a very lively Senfe, recommending the Practice of Virtue and Righteoufnefs to Men from the Nature of its own unalterable Excellency; and I would not have any Man go about to difgrace this Principle of well-doing, it feems to be one of the nobleft of all, for God himself does Good, because he loveth Righteousness; and therefore to do well for the fake of well-doing, is to do fo for the fame reason that God does Good. Upon this

Account

Account I reckon that the Doctrine of St. Auftin, which makes all the Virtues of the Heathens to be but fplendida peccata, fo many fplendid Sins, is to be reftrained to the greater Part; for fome feemed to act out of Faith and Confcience, and a Senfe of Duty, but they were very few that did fo; and as for them, it is no Difparagement to Chritianity to fuppofe that they were enabled by the fingular Grace of God to arrive at that Perfection they did, and that they were faved by the Merit of that great Atonement that was made by the Death of Christ, even as those pious Patriarchs and Ifraelites were, who living before the Times of the Meffias, knew very little of the Sacrifice that was to be offered for Mankind.

2. From hence we may learn how much to blame are Chriftians, who fail of a virtuous and pious Intention in well-doing for as it is plain by our Saviour's Inftructi on in the Part of his Divine Sermon out of which I have chofen my Text, how careful he is to rectify our Intentions, and to fet them right, and to keep us from polluting our felves with carnal and worldly Ends, fo this feems to be the great Matter of the Doctrine of Chriftianity; and the Gospel hath laid before us all the true and proper Ends of ferving God, and doing Good in the World. For if we would be mov'd to good Works by Confcience of our Duty to

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God,

God, what Revelations have we had of the Goodness, and all the infinite Perfections of the Divine Nature in the Redemption of Mankind? If by the Faith of Things not feen, what an inestimable Reward doth the Gofpel promife to Obedience and Piety in the Life to come, even the highest Happinefs, promifing us in the mean while no worldly Wealth and Honour, but requiring us to be content with Food and Raiment, and to deny our felves, and to take up the Cross? If by the Excellency of Virtue and Holiness, what lively Expreffions thereof have we in the Doctrine and Life of the holy Jefus? If by the Charity of doing Good to others, what Strefs is laid upon this in the Doctrine of our Saviour? What an Obligation thereunto is his Example, in condefcending even to the Death of the Crofs for our Salvation? What an Encouragement thereunto is that Recompence of Reward, that Joy and Honour, that was set before him, and to which he was exalted, after that he had finished his Sufferings for our Sakes? He that confiders thefe Things, muft needs grant that the great Bufinefs of Christianity feems to be the purifying of Our Intentions, and the planting in us the beft and frongeft Principles of Sincerity. And this doubtlefs was the way to reform a Man's Thoughts, to make us as perfect as this Life will admit, to cleanse us from

all

all Filthiness of Flesh and Spirit too, and to fanctify us throughout in Soul, Body, and Spirit. And fince fo much has been done to bring us to this Perfection, we are the more inexcufable if we are ftill led by Ambition, and Voluptuousness, and Pride, and Vainglory, and Covetousness, and Malice, and fenfual and carnal Ends and Principles.

Wherefore to conclude: Let us, my Beloved, be free, and deal plainly with our felves, examining and enquiring at our own Breafts, how it is with us, and what manner of Perfons we are as to our Ends and Intentions in the best Things we do, and let us make that our great Care and Bufinefs, which seems to be the Care and Bufinefs of the Gofpel, that is, to purify our Intentions, and let us poffefs our felves with a full Sense of the great Ends of Christianity propounded to us, refolving to govern our felves by them in the whole Course of our Lives. This is a thing too much neglected, I doubt, and Men are generally too apt to content themfelves with a cold Carcafs of Religion and Virtue, doing Things that are in themselves commendable, but either out of Custom or worldly Intereft, or the like, but they want the very Life and Soul of Virtue, which is a pure Heart, and a fincere Eye at thofe great Ends, Peace of Confcience, the Honour of their Maker and Saviour, the Salvation of their own

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Souls,

Souls, and the Good of Mankind. But, my Brethren, these are not Things of little moment, wherein we may be fafely deficient: Without an holy Intention of them, all our Doings are nothing worth, they do not make us better, they will not procure the Rewards of the Gofpel for us. Let us confider that it is the vigorous Intention of these Ends, which is neceffary both to the fanctifying of our religious and good Actions, and withal of the natural, and civil, and common Actions of our Lives, and then they are all belonging to God, and will come in for their Reward, and fo make our whole Life rewardable, when all the most confiderable Paffages of our Lives, especially our immediate Addreffes to God, and our Actions of Beneficence to Men, are particularly referred to the Ends of Religion; and all our Actions are animated, and quickned by a general and habitual Reference of all to the fame.

Let us then, my Brethren, fuffer the Exhortation of the wife Man, Prov. 4. 23: Keep thy Heart with all Diligence, for out of it are the Ifjues of Life, that is, keep thy Thoughts pure, and thy Intentions fincere, for upon this depends thy Life, thy Life to God in this World, and thy living for ever With him in the World to come.

SER