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well upon this Subject, If he were obliged to annihilate the Souls of wicked Men, it must be because he is obliged to put them out of that Mifery which they have brought upon themselves by their own Folly and Rebellions; and if fo, fince this must certainly be an Act not of ftrict Juftice, but of Grace and Favour, God must be bound to fhew an Act of Grace and Favour towards Men, purely because they have provoked and rebelled against him; that is, because they have done that which renders them the proper Objects of his Hatred and Indignation; and be obliged to fave Men from that Mifery, which by their ftubborn Difobedience to all his Calls, Admoni-. tions, and Exhortations, and all the gracious Methods his Providence had ufed to preferve them from it, they wilfully have brought upon themselves. To all this, if we add, that as this dismal State has neither prefent Joy, nor future Hope, it must be neceffarily and eternally miferable; and all this, not by any pofitive Act of God, inflicting everlasting Stripes on the Wicked, or loading them perpetually with fresh Torments, as the Objection against his Juftice and Mercy fuppofed, but wholly from their own Sin, which renders them uncapable of the Enjoyment of an holy God, and perpetually excludes them from his blissful Prefence, which, to a Soul that is immortal, and can never die, must be the Source of everlasting Torment; and from the natural Workings of its Faculties, will neceffarily fubject it to the perpetual Gnawings of a despairing Confcience; as might be fhewn more at large, if I had not already left too little Room for,

IV. The

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IV. The fourth and laft Thing I obferved from the Words; namely, The great Duty here enjoined, of entring in at the ftrait Gate, and going by the narrow Way of Christian Virtue; if we intend to be finally happy. That this requires fome vigorous Endeavours, appears not only from the Straitnefs of the Gate, and Difficulties of the Way, here mentioned, but more plainly from the parallel Place in St. Luke, Chap. xiii. 24. Where the Exhortation is worded thus: Strive to enter in at the ftrait Gate: for many, I lay unto you, will feek to enter in, and fhall not be able. It appears plainly from this Exhortation of our Saviour's, that though there are confiderable Difficulties in Religion, yet by Pains and Diligence they are all to be furmounted, through the Affiftance of God's Grace, which, a little before my Text, he had taught us to beg of God by fervent Prayer. Endeavours and Prayers must go hand in hand together; and ye have heard what great Encouragement there is to our Endeavours; no less than a Life of infinite Glory and Happiness; and what Danger, if we neglect them, even an Eternity of the most exquifite Anguish and Mifery; and how many there are who mifcarry for want of due Pains and Endeavour.

What remains then, but that we gird up the Loins of our Minds, and prepare ourselves for working out our Salvation with all Diligence; and begrudge no Time or Pains that is laid out either in ftudying to know, or in learning to practife our Duty, or in avoiding or refifting the Temptations to the contrary Vices, from the

Devil, the World, and the Flesh: Affuring our felves that no Labour is fo well beftowed, or can turn to fo good Account. I fhall conclude with the Words of St. Peter, 2 Pet. i. 5. Giving all Diligence, add to your Faith, Virtue; and to Virtue, Knowledge; and to Knowledge, Temperance; and to Temperance, Patience; and to Patience, Godlinefs; and to Godliness, brotherly Kindness; and to brotherly Kindlefs, Charity. For if thefe Things be in you, and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren, nor unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift.

Now to Him, with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, &c.

SERMON

SERMON XVI.

MAT. VII. 15.

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Beware of falle Prophets, which come to you Sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening Wolves.

V. 16. Ye shall know them by their Fruits: do Men gather Grapes of Thorns, or Figs of Thiftles?

V. 17. Even fo every good Tree bringeth forth good Fruit: but a corrupt Tree bringeth forth evil Fruit.

V. 18. A good Tree cannot bring forth evil Fruit: neither can a corrupt Tree bring forth good Fruit.

V. 19. Every Tree that bringeth not forth good Fruit, is hewn down, and caft into the

Fire.

V. 20. Wherefore by their Fruits ye shall know them.

T

The Firft Sermon on this Text.

HESE Words have an apt Coherence with the foregoing, being a further Profecution of a Defign which our Saviour manages with great Accuracy in the Clofe of this divine Sermon on the Mount: His Defign was to guard

his

his Difciples, and his other Auditors, against every Thing that might prevent or obftruct their Obedience to thofe Precepts of holy Living, which he had given them in the foregoing Part of the Sermon. Thefe fix Verfes which I have read, are a Caution against the bad Influence falfe Prophets or Teachers might have upon us, to turn us away from that Obedience. In the Words we may briefly obferve these three Things:

1. The Caution itself, against falfe Prophets or Teachers, who, howfoever they make in outward Appearance fome fpecious Pretenfions to Piety and Religion, yet inwardly are dangerous Enemies to it; as a Wolf under a Sheep's Skin defigns to make Havock of the Flock.

2. A Mark given how we may difcern false Prophets from true, by the Fruits of their Doctrine on themselves and others.

3. An Illuftration of this Mark, from the Similitude of good and bad Trees and Vines, which in this refemble bad and good Doctrine, that each of them brings forth good or bad Fruit, according to its Kind; and likewife that each of them shall be treated well or ill, according to the Goodness and Badness of their Fruit.

I. I begin with the first, The Caution against false Prophets, ver. 15. Beware of false Prophets, which come to you in Sheeps Clothing, but inwardly they are ravening Wolves. For understanding and recommending of which Caution, it will be neceffary to do these four Things:

i. To

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