SERM. ferences, as if they were void of the ordinaXX. ry understanding of men.

But the bottom of this is the pride of mens hearts, and the true cause of all that oppofition given to revealed religion, is the great opinion they have of their own stock of knowledge: So that in truth all that contend for natural religion, and oppose reason to revelation, do plainly fet up the wisdom of men in contradiction to the wisdom of God; it is as if they would not be beholden to him for a religion, and would have one of their own or none at all.

But the great blindness of these men is difcernible in nothing more than in this, that they fet up revelation in oppofition to itself, and do not know that they do fo; they oppose it with its own weapons, and fet up one part of it against another: For what they call natural religion, is in truth revealed. They think that the knowledge they have now of these fix points, which are the great concernments of mankind, is from reafon; whereas I have shewn that not one of them is fo, and that we must have had them from revelation or not at all: Nor without revelation could they have that clear notion of all those practical duties which are confequent to them; and yet reafon must be all in every thing with them, when it is plain it cannot give us a fatisfactory account of any one of thofe great truths, upon which, by their own confeffion, the well-being of all mankind depends for ever: So that they had

as

as good say they fee with their eyes, and notS ER M. by the light of the fun. But they would ra- XX. ther be beholden to any thing for this knowledge than the Gofpel; and they will not own that benefit and improvement of knowledge they have received from it, though it is plain they could come by it no other way. They fufpect every thing that is not immediately from themselves; and they doubt the truth of all revealed truths, because they find them not within them; but have a ftrange prepofter-.. ous jealousy that God himself may delude them. And thus, as the fon of Syrach says, many are deceived by their own vain opinion, and an evil fufpicion bath overthrown their judgments.

And thus we see how the wisdom and prudence of this world blinds the understandings of men, so that they cannot difcern the excellency of the myfteries of chriftianity, and the neceffity of them in order to the falvation of our fouls. These notions of their own do fo poffefs the heads and imaginations of men, that they find it very difficult to part with them, and be reconciled to any thing else.

The plainest reafon of men is always the pureft; and as far as men fearch by strength of reafon alone into the depth of things, relating to another world, fo far they stray from the truth; and when we come to another world, we shall find that most of that learning and knowledge which men are proud of here,

was

SER M. was no other than dreams of their imaginatiXX. on, and cobwebs spun out of their own brain.

2. Because of the oppofition between the things of this world and the things of another, about which the understandings of men are employed; the nature of them is very different, fo that men cannot be equally intent upon them both: For the mind of man is not made to look two ways at once any more than his eyes. So that he can no more let his thoughts dwell both upon the things of this world and another, than he can look upwards and downwards at the fame time. And therefore, when the thoughts and inclinations of men are taken up with the things of this life, and full of the knowledge of the world, there is a fort of natural neceffity there should be a neglect and contempt of all spiritual matters.

For we must confider, that the knowledge of the doctrines of religion is a habit, as well as the practice of any of its precepts; and therefore when men will not accustom themselves to the thinking much of religious matters, and that the whole current of their thoughts doth run another way, it is no wonder they are indifpofed for the things of another life, which are to be spiritually difcerned; by which is not meant that any immediate infufion of the fpirit is required in order to this, but that it is neceffary that men fet their minds that way, by taking them off the eager pursuit of worldly knowledge; by diverting their reafon and their imaginations from being fixt and intent upon worldly

worldly wisdom and knowledge, that they SER M. may be employed on fpiritual matters; for XX. otherwise they can never have a true knowledge of them, or be rightly affected with them. So that we need not wonder that people of ready parts and good understandings in other things, are shamefully ignorant in divine matters: It is for the same reason that they are ignorant of any other art or science that they do not give their minds to. Men are now as little to expect fudden inspiration in the neceffary knowledge of religion, as in the bufinefs of their trade or calling; they are to look for nothing more than the ordinary grace of God upon their endeavours.

The knowledge and practice of religion requires thinking and obfervation, and that their reason and understanding be imployed about them with diligence and vigour : So that heaven is to be got as men get riches and worldly policy; they must make it their business, and fet their minds to the work, and refolve to acquire these by the fame methods they do any other habit: And this they muft do with the utmoft ftrength and refolution of their fouls; for, as I obferved before, the prevailing bent of our minds can be but one way at once.

3. Another reason of this faying of our Saviour's, as it refpects the rich and great men of this world, is, because of the great force that the riches and fplendor of this world have to blind mens eyes, and gain upon their affec

SER M.tions. Both the rich and poor, the mean and

XX. great, have many and strong temptations, and

at first thought, one would imagine those of poverty, and a low condition in the world, to be the strongest, and overcome with greatest difficulty; and indeed they are fo in themfelves. But that which makes the difference between these two conditions, in refpect of their difpofition for the practice of virtue and holinefs, is the different nature of those temptations which are incident to profperity and adverfity: For though we fhould allow the temptation of want and mifery to be the stronger, yet thofe of wealth and profperity are the more treacherous and fubtiler, much more apt to gain upon us and have the advantage of the other feveral ways.

I. The temptations incident to a low condition come upon men with open force and commonly rush in all at once, and their greatest violence is felt at first onset. Now this awa

kens mens minds, and calls up all the powers of their fouls; and if they have any spiritual ftrength left they exert it vigoroufly; they are always upon their guard, and difcern plainly every step the temptation gains upon them. But the allurements of a profperous state infinuate themselves infenfibly; they lay all our faculties afleep, and fteal in upon us before we are aware. We take them at first for friends and give them admittance; and we do not fee our mistake till they have us in bonds and

fetters,