we plainly give the Inferior part of our nature the fuperiority-we bring the man into fubjection to the brute. God Almighty hath added a pleasure to the indulgence of all the appetites, neceffary for the preservation of life. Ifeating, for inftance, were attended with no pleasure fafting might be dangerous. This ftimulus is common both to man and beaft; only there is this difference: the beaft never goes beyond its allotted limit; the man turns all his pleasure, beyond the allotted limit, which fhould be the object of felf-denial, into mifchief and wickednefs. When that is the cafe, we, inftead of our bodies, are brought into fubjection. VI. Be mindful of the words, which were spoken before by the holy prophets; and of the commandments of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour. 2 Pet. iii. 2. WE have here obedience to the gospel, enforced by the proof from prophecies; and there is not, I think, a more convincing proof. Cavils have been made against the miracles of the gofpel-against the purity of its precepts, and the myfteriousness of its doctrines; but I fee not how any argument can well lie against prophecy. We have the strongest proof, that the books in which these prophecies are contained, existed many hundred years before the birth of Christ. We are well affured alfo, that they were ascribed to the Meffiah by the ancient Jews. We never heard of any perfon to whom they could be ascribed, but our Jefus ; and with him they coincide as exactly as two parallel lines. I fpeak not of all the prophecies of the Old Testament; many of which are obscure, though easily reconcileable to the great events of the gospel; but I speak of those prophecies only, which are fo plain that no objection can refonably be made to them-On the ftrength of these prophecies, therefore, St. Peter founds the obedience of his converts. His argument is, that if you believe the gospel on this evidence, it follows, that no father cavil is admiffible: the precept, however harsh, must be obeyed; and the doctrine, however mysterious, must be believed. t VII. Pure religion, and undefiled, before God and the Father, is this: To vifit the fatherless and widows, in their affliction; and to keep himself unfpotted in the world.-James, i. 27. THIS is certainly not a compleat definition of religion. Of the three parts-of our duty to God, our neighbour, and ourselves, the first is wholly omitted; and neither of the others is derived, as we know they ought both to be, from faith in Chrift. All therefore which St. James meant to shew in this paffage was, the great value he put on practical religion; which is indeed one of his chief topics through this whole epistle. -In obedience, therefore, to his doctrine, we fhould be very careful never to depreciate good works; nor to preach any doctrine, which may tend to make the common people think lightly of them; as we are here affured, that pure and undefiled religion confifts fo much in them.Our hearers, however, cannot be cautioned too much, AA 3 |