2ly, We may hence obferve with St. Paul, that the Wisdom of this world is foolifbnefs with God. When men set up their own Imperfect and corrupt thoughts in oppofition to the revealed Will of God, the notions they are fo fond of, as appearing to be highly Rational, are nothing but the effects of fome wild Paffion or worldly Intereft: For nothing that is Really Wife and True can be opposed to the will and pleasure of him, who is Infinite in Wisdom and Truth. When we call in queftion the Certainty or Equity of what God hath pofitively declared, our Wisdom degenerates into Folly, and our Reason into Madness.

God indeed hath been graciously pleafed fo to contrive and difpofe his difpensations, that the Reason and Equity of them are much more certain and clear, even to our Narrow capacities, than any thing that can be objected against them. And when notions are advanced to the Difhonour of God, and the Detriment of Religion, 'tis Indifpenfably incumbent upon us to oppose Right reason to the Corruptions of it, and vindicate the Di

vine Dispensation: Otherwife 'tis not our bufinefs to fearch into the Reasons of God's proceedings; and much more Unwarrantable is it, much more Infolent and Impious to make our Reason the Judge of him who bestowed it upon us, whose *Judgments are Unfearchable and his ways paft finding out. An unbelieving Pharisee queftions, + How can these things be? and our Blessed Saviour replies, Verily verily I say unto thee, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have feen, and ye receive not our Witness. It is the Divine Testimony that we are to depend upon, and stedfaftly acquiefce in. We find it recorded to the very great honour of the Bereans, That they received the word with all readiness of mind, and fearched the Scriptures daily whether those things were fo. It was the perfection of Sincerity and Piety in them, that they indulged no vain fcruples, admitted of no vain Curiosity about the Reasons of the Divine Administration, but fearched only whether those things were fo, only en

*Rom. xi. 33. † Joh. iii. 9, 11.

+ Acts. xvii. 11. deavoured,

deavoured, by comparing one Scripture with another, to know what was Revealed, and what they found Reveal'd they firmly believed.

We fhould not dare to argue about the Equity of God's Reveal'd will, or the Certainty of what he hath declared fhall be, but reft in a firm Belief, that whatsoever he hath determined is Unexceptionably Juft and Equitable, because he hath determined it, and whatsoever he hath declared that he will do, fhall unquestionably be performed, because he hath declared it. We may by our Reafon examine, and fatisfy our felves in the motives of Credibility, the evidence which God hath given, that the Holy Scriptures are his Word and Will; but all Scruples and Uncertainty, about the Reafonableness of what he hath thus Revealed, are Foolish and Unlawful, Impious and Destructive.

3ly, and laftly, We may hence learn what are the proper Grounds of our obligation to conform our lives to the Gospel of Chrift.

E 2

Doubtlefs

Doubtless after fome time spent in Sincere and Induftrious endeavours to correct and fubdue our Inordinate and Impetuous paffions and inclinations, the fatisfactions of a Virtuous life do abundantly exceed the pleasures of Sin. But Arguments drawn from this confideration, though ever fo artfully contrived and recommended, are of no great force with Habitual Sinners. The excellency of Virtue fimply and abfolutely confider'd, without any relation to God's commands, Confcience and a Future ftate, is commonly flighted and rejected by those, whofe daily enjoyments and delights do, at least in their own opinion, contradict all the fine characters and defcriptions of it. Under the Gofpel we have no occafion for these empty and ineffectual Arguments, grounded upon the beauties of Virtue in this Abfolute fenfe confider'd; and by the use of fuch Arguments alone, or perhaps by the frequent ufe of them, we fhould not a little derogate from the Honour of the Gospel; in which are reveal'd Principles unfpeak

ably

ably more Excellent and Effectual, motives equal to the utmost of our Hopes and Fears, the Engaging expectation of Eternal Happiness, and the Dreadful apprehenfions of Eternal Mifery.

We now know Affuredly, that the time will come, when all Profane and Irreligious Wit, which is now carefs'd with fo much Approbation and Delight, will plainly prove the groffeft and most wretched Folly. The time will come, when all the Pleasures of finful enjoyment will be past and gone, and as if they had never been, upon all accounts but that they will be fucceeded with Endless mifery. The time will come, when all the Troubles and Difficulties of an Holy life shall be Rewarded, at God's right hand, with Joys abundantly furpaffing all that we can now Describe or Imagine; with all the Happiness that we shall even then, when our Faculties are Refined and Improved, be capable either of Enjoying or Defiring. To which Bleffed and Glorious ftate God of his Infinite Mercy bring us all, by the Continu