of them should be found among Chriftians. These are the Works of Darkness, and fit only for fuch People where the Light of the Gospel never appeared, and who are the Vaffals of Satan, and led captive by him at his Will and Pleafure; but no way becoming the Children of Light, who make Profeffion to believe in our Lord Jefus. But why do I talk of Chriftians? The Heathens themselves (as wretched as their Circumftances were) were many of them afhamed of fuch Practices, and therefore they fhall be our Judges. Many of them, notwithstanding the great Darkness and Ignorance they lay under, notwithstanding the Multitude of ill Examples they had before them, yet have fo preserved the Dignity of human Nature, as to keep themfelves pure from thofe Crimes and Immoralities which I have now been speaking of. Nay, many of them, without any other Power than thofe of Nature, have, thro' the Bleffing of God upon their Endeavours, not only learned to live free from all Taint of open Vice, but have been indeed Patterns of Virtue. Have been exemplary for Juftice and Temperance, for Fortitude and Patience, for Fidelity and Truth, for Munificence and Liberality, for Moderation and Contempt of the World, for a publick Spirit and a zealous Love for their Country. Several fuch Inftances are to be met with, not only among the antient

Greeks

2 Tim. 2. 26.

Greeks and Romans, but among the modern Indians and Japonese, and other barbarous Nations. Oh, how much more in this are they to be commended and applauded, than even fome of us who pass among the better fort of Chriftians! (as Chriftianity now a-days goes.) But what an eternal Shame and Reproach is this to the Generality of us, who in good earnest are not to be named with many of the Pagans for true Virtue and Religion! Is this to walk worthy of the Calling wherewith we are called? Tit. 2. 10. Is this to adorn the Doctrine of God in all Things? They, with all their Ignorance, and all their Errors in Matters of Religion, lived honeftly, had a Sense of God and Virtue. A great many of us, with all our Light, all our Encouragements, all our Affiftances, live like Brutes, like Men without God; Slaves to a thousand Follies, to a thousand Lufts and Paffions: Nay, in truth, I am afraid that even a great many serious Men among us cannot think of feveral of the Heathens, fuch Men as Socrates and Aristides, fuch Men as Cato, and Tully, and Seneca, and a great many more fuch that might be named, without blufhing for Shame that we come fo very far fhort of them, having a thousand times more Knowledge in the Things of God, and more Means, and Encouragements, and Advantages for the improving ourselves in all forts of Virtue, than they had. But let us not deceive our

felves,

felves, God is no Refpecter of Perfons. I Acts 10. heartily wish that thofe poor Heathens, of 34 whom we generally have fo mean an Opinion, may not one Day rife in Judgment against us Chriftians, and condemn us; (not that I wish them ill, but I wish we were better) and that it do not come to pass what our Saviour once told the Jews, Matt. 8. That many hall come from the Eaft, and11, 12. from the Weft, and from the North, and from the South, and fhall fit down with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, in the Kingdom of Heaven; when many of us, who are the Children of the Kingdom, fhall be caft out into outer Darkness, where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of Teeth.

But it is Time to leave this Head, and to proceed. I have hitherto confidered our Vocation in general, as it is the taking upon ourselves the Profeffion of the Chriftian Religion. And by this general Account I have given you of it, you may eafily perceive what great Obligations are laid upon us Chriftians to lead holy, pure, and virtuous Lives above all the Men in the World. And how unworthy we are of our Vocation, and how contradictorily we act to it if we do not. But you will ftill be more convinced of this, if you will enter into a Confideration of the particular Things either done for you, or promifed

by

by you, in the taking this Calling upon your felves.

These therefore I fhall now briefly touch upon, in order to the further fhewing what kind of walking is worthy of our Vocation, and what Obligations we have upon us fo to walk. And this is the fecond Part of my Discourse.

II. Now the Confiderations I would propofe are these following, which I fhall put, as I did the former, in the Nature of Queries. And I beg of you that you will anfwer them to your own Confciences.

1. I beseech you confider what kind of Life should that Man lead, who, thro' the infinite Kindness of the Son of God, is refcued from the Jaws of Hell and Death; is redeemed from the Wrath of God, and the infupportable Vengeance of eternal Fire, which his Sins did justly call for; and this at no lefs a Price than that Son of God laying down his Life, and shedding his most precious Blood, that he might thereby make a Propitiation for us. This now is the Cafe of every Chriftian. And doth it become fuch a one, because he hath been pardoned fo many and fo high Provocations; I fay, doth it become him to go on in his Sins? Doth it become him to take Advantage from the inexpreffible Mercies he hath found, to multiply his Affronts

againft

& 6.

against Heaven, that fo, because Grace hath Rom. 5. abounded, Sin may abound much more? Oh, unnatural, wicked, blafphemous Inference! Sure every Man, who is fenfible what it coft the Son of God to redeem Sinners, might have other Thoughts; and must rather argue thus, that fince our dear Lord Jefus hath, at fo vaft a Price, obtained the Pardon of our Sins, and, by his calling us to his Service, hath given us a Title to that Pardon, we fhould, above all Things in the World, have a Care of new Scores, have a Care of again offending our God, and provoking his Displeasure against us. It is an unnatural Thing to reafon otherwife; and whoever has any Senfe of Ingenuity, cannot but look upon this aftonishing Kindnefs of our Lord, in ranfoming us with his Blood, as the greatest Obligation that could poffibly be laid upon us, to renounce, to abandon, to hate with a perfect Hatred, all Sin and Wickedness in all the Kinds, and even in all the Degrees of it.

2. Again, Pray ask yourselves what kind of Converfation becomes that Man who hath folemnly dedicated himself to God; who hath publickly, and in the Face of the World, profeffed to renounce the Devil and all his Works, the Vanities of the World, and the Lufts of the Flefh, and devoted himself, both Body and Soul, as a living holy Sacrifice for ever to his Creator and Redeemer. And yet this is the Cafe of all

of