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Prejudices, and fecret Subterfuges; and lastly, to inforce them with a becoming Earnestness, and with all the prudent Ways of Infinuation and Addrefs. A Perfon must have fome Knowledge of Men, befides That of Books, to fucceed well here; and must have a kind of praEtical Sagacity (which nothing but the Grace of God, joined with Recollection and wife Observation, can bring) to be able to represent Christian Truths to the Life, or to any confiderable degree of Advantage. As to the Subject here made Choice of, it is the highest and the nobleft that could be, viz. our Lord's Divine Sermon on the Mount: And as it is here explained with good Judgment, so it appears likewife to be preffed with due Force; in a clear and easy, but yet masculine Style, equally fitted to the Capacities of common Chriftians, and to the improved Understandings of the knowing and judicious. One peculiar Commendation must, I believe, be allowed to our Author, that he happily hit upon a new Key (which Divines before him had not thought on) for the fuller opening the Occafion, the Views, the retired

Meaning

Meaning and Connexion of our Lord's Divine Sermon. Not that the Thought, with Refpect to the Jewish Expectations of a Temporal Kingdom, was at all new: But the Application of it to this Cafe, and the Use made of it for the unravelling fome of the darker Parts of our Lord's Discourse, and the clearing their Coherence; That was new, and appears to be of excellent Service: Particularly, in the Eight Beatitudes, (for the fetting every one of them upon a diftinct Foot, and not running feveral of them, too confufedly, one into another) as alfo in feveral other Texts.

But to return; our Author has, in my Opinion, very aptly joined the Commentator, Preacher and Cafuift all in one: And I cannot but approve the Example he has himself given, and the Model which he has fo handfomly recommended others, for the Compofition of Sermons. It is extremely proper, that the Text and the Sermon fhould not appear as Strangers to each other, but rather

a

In his Dedication to Bishop Robinson, and his Preface.

to

as

as near Kindred, difcovering the fame Features; that fo the Difcourfe itself may almost point out to difcerning Judges from what place of Scripture it derived its Birth. This is certainly right in the general; but is yet fo to be understood as to leave room for excepted Cafes, where Excurfions may be needful on account of fome Special Occafion, Seafon, Circumstances, &c. and where any decent Handle for a neat Tranfition may prudently and properly be taken. But I cannot fay any thing better, or fo well upon this Head, as the Author himself has done in the Dedication and Preface before referred to, and therefore I difmifs it, and proceed.

One Particular I cannot forbear to take notice of (which an attentive Reader may often obferve in the Course of these Sermons) how happy a Talent the Author had in deciding Points of great Moment, in a very few and plain Words, but the Refult of deep Confideration, and difcovering a great Compafs of Thought. I fhall fingle out a few Inftances only, from among many, for a Tafte to the

Reader..

Of

Of the Value of good Works.

"I am apprehenfive, that by our unwary Confutation of the Popish Errors concerning Merit and Supererogation,

we have too much depreciated good "Works themselves: Whereas it is moft "certain, they ought to be highly had "in Eftimation; not only as the genu"ine Signs and Fruits of a lively Faith, but

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as neceffary Conditions of Salvation; "and not only of Salvation, but of our "Growth in Grace, and of our Advance

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ment to higher Degrees of Glory. Here, very briefly, and juftly, is pointed out a dangerous Extreme, with the Rife and Occafion of it, and the proper Cure for it, or Correction of it.

For the justifying the Term Conditions, the Reader, who has any Scruple, may confult Bishop Bull in his Harmonia, &c. and Bishop Stilling fleet in his Answers to Mr. Lobb. Our Author fays That and more, improving and enforcing the fame Thought with two very pertinent and weighty Confiderations.

a Vol. I. Sermon xxi. p. 374

What

What makes a good Work.

"To make any Work a good Work, it " must be 1. Lawful in itself. 2. Suit"able to our Station and Circumstances "in the World. 3. Defigned for promo"ting fomething that is good for the Ser"vice of God, for the good of our Neigh"bour, or the Salvation of our own Souls. 4. Something within the Reach of our own Talents and Abilities. If it wants any of these Conditions, it cannot be one "of thofe good Works meant in my Text. He goes on to explain the feveral Particulars at large, in a very clear and just Manner. A good Work might have been more briefly defined: but it could not have been more wifely, or more diftinctly guarded against every Evafion and Illufion of Self-flattery; whereby many are persuaded that they are doing good Works, while they are really doing Works of Darkness.

2 Vol. I. Serm. XXXI. p. 506.

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