and by the word wherewith he made them to turn the same creatures into non-existence, it will work the most courageous into a dreadful awe of his power, and excite in us all reverence of his great name. For since, in the idea we have of God naturally, are included all perfections; and since power is a perfection; it is necessary that we suppose him omnipotent, or that all power is in him or derived from him: insomuch that, as he can bestow on us all that is requisite to our felicity and wellbeing, without being engaged to any other for aid or assistance; so also can he spoil us of all the good we be possessed of; or hinder us from all that we can desire, to the rendering us completely miserable and desolate, notwithstanding all the resistance which may be made against him; for all the power of all the nations on earth combined and knit together, are of no moment compared with his, whereof they be but a small part: so that if God once arise, his enemies must be scattered before him. Wherefore it behoveth us all, with a watchful eye and care, as we would avoid utter confusion, to observe his pleasure and to obey his commands.

3. God's will. Now having made out to you that God has a clear knowlege of what is good for his creature, and an absolute, abundantly-sufficient power of dealing with it according to this knowlege, that is, of blessing or eternally torturing it, as it shall behave itself; it is farther necessary, in the last place, to the convincing of any rational being that it behoveth him in every action to have a special regard to the divine promises and threats, to demonstrate how God's will bears a proportion to his knowlege and power; that, as God understands wherein the felicity of his creatures consists, and is able to prosper or blast them, so likewise he is willing on their performing the conditions which he has proposed, or on their disobedience, to let forth his power in their happiness or ruin : which may be gathered from his promises that will be infallibly performed for veracity being one of the attributes of God, and all his attributes being inseparable from his essence, it must follow, that, whatsoever he has promised, we ought to believe he will make it good; because it is inconsistent that he should be God and not be true, or that falsity, which is imperfection, should be found in God, whom we suppose completely perfect.

Now that de facto he has said, he will reward or punish us, according as we be sorrowful for our sins, or continue in impenitency, as it is evident from many particular places of holy writ, so it may be proved from the whole design of the Scripture; which is nothing else but to offer salvation to believers, and decree damnation to those who obstinately go on in the evil of their ways: 'he that believeth shall be saved, he that believeth not shall be damned.'

Thus I have more largely insisted on this head of counsel, (and where no counsel is, the people fall) in order to the good of the soul; and have showed the welfare thereof to depend on God wholly, as well because the great design of every action should be for the preservation of our better part, (for what will it profit a man to gain the whole world, and to lose his own soul?) as that I might accommodate you with a copious number of arguments taken from the divine attributes, to awaken, if not to frighten men into a serious consideration of their latter end, and a speedy use of those means which are agreeable thereunto. Certainly motives derived from the divine omniscience, power, and goodness, should be sufficient to prevail with him, who has not sinned himself below the capacity of a brute, to an intire reformation of his life: wherefore if it be true that God better knows how to promote our happiness than we ourselves, (as he certainly doth,) if he is best able to act what he knows, and most willing to do what he is able, there cannot be the least room for objection, why we should not put ourselves intirely under his protection, and consequently devote both soul and body to his service. And this is that armor I would have you fence yourselves with, the reasons and arguments to be provided of, for the promoting of real goodness, and the putting out of countenance the wickedness and debauchery of a corrupted world; which is nothing else but to do good to the souls of others.

I have already showed what we would, and what we would not have done to ourselves, in general; and that we must do as we would be done by to others in relation to their souls, bodies, reputations, and estates; that we must do good to the soul by intercession to God for it.

2. You are to promote the good of your neighbor's soul by

your example. Whatever is exposed to the view of our own eyes, acts as an example, more powerfully engages our attention, and sinking lower in the mind leaves more lasting impressions behind it; forasmuch as the image of a thing formed by immediate vision, is more adequate, and in distincter order contains more parts of that which it represents, than any idea that can be framed in the brain of what is barely known, by the relation of another.

Mere precepts, without a carriage suitable thereunto, exhibit but a lifeless religion, and men thereby are not more scared from sin than they are afraid of a dead carcass; whereas a life led according to our doctrine is powerful in persuading and convicting the most obstinate sinner; who, although he may sleep under your wholesome instructions, yet by your holy example will awaken at last to a sense of his folly.

The cowardly soldier that was never warmed into any valorous resolutions, by hearing long and handsome orations in praise of fortitude, would be ashamed not to follow the courageous conduct of his general in the hottest pieces of service. Neither can I see any reason why men should believe you are real with them in your advice, when you confute it by a contrary practice. How can I deem him serious with me, in telling it is my duty to be chaste and temperate, that lives himself in open adultery and common drunkenness? Will other men be brought into the opinion that the arguments you urge for justice and mercy, are the secret sense of your soul and the pure issues of your mind, while you yourself act the part of a thief and extortioner, and of one who grinds, as the prophet speaks, the face of the poor? What availeth it to exhort others to be faithful in performing their promises, if you never keep your own? Will men hearken to you in teaching them that it is the command of Christ to do as they would be done unto, if notwithstanding, in all your actions, you manage the interests of self?

Now, it is to be acknowleged they can do but little good, with their perhaps otherwise pertinent and suitable advice, who are the cause of so much licentiousness by their evil conversation add to all which, that the mischievous effect of a bad example is to breed in others a disesteem of religion; for how

can they entertain any brave and generous thoughts of that reli gion which licenses its followers in such profligate courses, and permits that which is forbidden by the natural understanding? for the heathens by the bare guidance of reason only did constantly avoid it. I must either think that religion mean and sordid, which allows men the practice of such villanies, or else think the followers thereof guilty of the basest hypocrisy and dissimulation, that lead lives so wide from what they profess.

So that it is just matter of grief to all good men that it should be as true, as it is little regarded, that none talk more of religion, nor live by it less, than this present age. Insomuch that a pagan who has been a spectator of such dealings cannot think other than that we make religion a mask for our most loathsome miscarriages: since, were we fully persuaded of a future state after this life, and of a God who will severely inquire into every human action, as having irrevocably decreed to make us sharers of eternal felicity if we make good the conditions on our parts required, or of torturing us (supposing our disobedience) with insupportable anguish, this could not but make us very anxious in our deportment and present management of ourselves: forasmuch as all the glories of the world, especially considering the shortness of the time wherein they may be enjoyed, bear so inconsiderable a shadow of proportion to eternity.

Wherefore it will remain, that he must say, either that our religion is repugnant to reason and the principles of government, (as certainly self-interest is,) or else that we disbelieve it. Therefore be pleased to perpend, that if religion ought to be the grand concern of the world, namely, that we all carefully do what God has enjoined in such manner as shall be acceptable to him; and if in those things alone our happiness consists; then to bring a scandal on this religion, as every evil liver necessarily doth, must be so great a piece of ingratitude to God, and so pernicious and deadly to mankind, that in reason it may almost be deemed unpardonable. Let thus much suffice for our behaviour toward our neighbor in respect of the soul.

II. We must do as we would be done by, as to the body. The body is of so near alliance and so closely united to the soul,

that by violence done to one they both suffer, and like partners share in the same misfortunes; which is the reason that if the body be indisposed by a wound or disease, the soul is disabled from doing its office; because any hurt to the body causeth so strong and vehement a sensation in the soul, which we call grief, that in a manner it depriveth it of all power of surveying with any clearness that copious imagery which it has of objects. Wherefore men in pain become unfit for business, by not being able to keep their minds closely attentive to any thing that is long or intricate; and by consequence are debarred the comfortable use of riches or greatness; that is, whatever this world counts either profitable or pleasant.

Forasmuch as through ill-natured passion, a man may do that injury to his neighbor's body, in a moment, which is irreparable, and never to be compensated by all the friendly offices he can do in his whole life after; this consideration ought highly to influence the behavior of churlish masters to their servants, who show less kindness to their man than their beast, and treat him with more blows and less civility than their spaniel; as if they had acquired an absolute power over his body to maim or dismember it at the instance of their brutish inclinations which actions, as they are contrary to Christianity, which commands love and humility, so they would be derided by an infidel or Turk and you would deem the practisers of them either devoid of all reason, or, which is worse, that they always abuse it.

If we do as we would be done by, how comes it to pass that we commit those outrages on other men without regret, that we can ourselves with no patience suffer? Is this any other than a confutation of all the methods of our Saviour, whose whole behavior was full of compassion to his creatures? or doth Christianism inspire men rather with the cruelty of the tiger than the meekness of the lamb? If this be false, as it certainly is, it would not be easy to assign what is more opposite to the principles of our religion than our own practices; for nothing enjoins charity, good nature, and kindness, more than our religion; and nobody observes them less than ourselves. Charity commands us to love our enemies; but we even hate our friends: whereas it enjoins us a benign and gentle carriage to those