we might have Peace and ftrong Confolation in our own Minds, thro' the Hopes of another Life; I fay, fuppofing that all this is done for us by our Saviour (as we are fure it is) will not the Love of God constrain us in this Cafe, with our whole Hearts, to embrace this kind Meffenger, and this kind Meffage from God to our Souls? Will it not be joyful News to every Soul that loves God to hear of fuch a Saviour, fuch a Mediator? Or can any fuch forbear to thank God moft affectionately, for this wonderful Condefcention of his in fending his own Son among us? Can they forbear to yield the most firm Belief, to give the most hearty Entertainment to every Thing that this Son of his doth deliver as the Will of God? Oh! certainly all that love God muft needs be filled with unexpreffible Joy and Satisfaction for this unfpeakable Grace and Favour to us, and muft fo entirely, with Heart and Mind, give into this new Difpenfation that Chrift hath fet on foot, as with the most fervent Zeal to lift themselves among the Number of his Difciples, with the greatest Sincerity to embrace all his Doctrines, to study and inquire into his Revelations, to meditate on his Arguments, to comfort themselves with his Promifes, to inftruct themselves fully in the Duties he hath obliged them to; to fet themselves chearfully and vigorously, with all their Might,

to

to the practising of them: And Laftly, To refolve to own him and his Religion, to truft in him, and to depend upon him as their Lord, their Saviour, their Redeemer, to the laft Breath of their Lives. All this now every one that fincerely loves God will most naturally and neceffarily do, fuppofing that the Gospel of Chrift be propofed to them; I will not fay, with that Fulnefs, and Clearnefs, and Evidence, which God at first gave, but even with that Degree of Evidence that every thinking confidering Man among us may have at this Day.

Away therefore with that Religion which confifts only in the outward Practices of that which we call moral Honesty: There is no Heart nor Life in it; it is a Religion without the fincere Love of God For where-ever that takes place, it will fo entirely poffefs our Minds with the Senfe of what we owe to him, and our Lord Jefus, that it will be the Delight of our Lives, and the greatest Joy of our Hearts, to enjoy Communion with both in all the Inftances of Piety and Devotion which our Saviour hath recommended in the Gofpel. The true Love of God will make us both devout in the Way that Nature teacheth, and alfo in the Way that Jefus Chrift hath taught us in the New Teftament.

But

But I proceed in the third Place to another Inference from my Text, and that is this. Since the great Precept, both of the Law and the Gofpel, is, that we should love the Lord our God with all our Heart, and with all our Soul, and with all our Mind; fince, I fay, this is the firft and great Commandment, then we may fee what little Countenance either the Law or the Gofpel have given to the Doctrines of Merit, and Works of Supererogation, as they are taught in the Church of Rome. It is one of their Doctrines, that the good Works of juftified Perfons are truly meritorious of eternal Life; fo the Council of Trent teacheth and pronounceth an Anathema against all fuch as deny it, or if ye will have it in the Words of the Rhemish Tranflators of the English Teftament, take it thus: "Mens Works, (fay they) done by the "Grace of Chrift, do condignly or wor"thily deferve eternal Joy; fo as Works (6 can be no other but the Value, Defert, "Price, Worth, and Merit of the fame". Thus the Rhemish Teftament.

They have also another Doctrine, that a Man may do good Works more than he is bound to do, more than any Precept of God doth require of him; and these they call Works of Perfection, or Works of Supererogation; and thefe, to be fure, are of all others moft meritorious.

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One would at first wonder for what Reafon these Doctrines were fet on Foot, or what Ends they ferved to; for that they do not any way minifter to the promoting true Piety, is visible enough, because the direct Tendency of them rather is to puff up Mens Minds, and to fill them with Prefumption and Self-Confidence, to make them proud and vain, and affuming, which are Qualities very different from thofe that our Saviour feems to have recommended to us; and the Wonder will ftill encrease, to confider how they have applied thefe Doctrines, and to what a Degree they have extended them; for it is a current received Maxim among them, that a Man may not only merit for himself, but for other Folks; and that if any Man have fuffered more than he deserved, or hath done more good Works than he was obliged to, all those Merits that he obtains hereby over and above what is needful for the fatisfying for himself, are not loft, but may be communicated to others that want them, and fhall really be available to their Good to whom they are thus communicated. I fay, one that looks no farther than the Business of Virtue and Piety, would be apt to wonder much at this ftrange Opinion But then when we are once let into the Secrets of thefe Doctrines, and come to know the true Ufe they are put to, we fhall not be much furprized at them. here lies the Thing; every Man being thus capable

For

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capable of meriting in his Works, and Merits being thus transferrable and communicable to others, here is a plaufible Foundation laid for a Fund or Stock of Merits in the Church; which Fund, or Stock, is to be in the Keeping and Disposal of the chief Paftor; and out of this Fund or Stock, he may fupply every one's Neceffities that hath no Merits of his own, by his Indulgences; and the Effect of these Indulgences are, that they do redeem out of Purgatory: So that Purgatory brought in Indulgences, as they are now ufed; and for the Support of Indulgences, thefe Doctrines of Merits, and Works of Supererogation, were contrived.

But now let us a little look into this DoArine of Merits and Supererogation, and examine it by my Text. Our Saviour's Speech that we are now upon, doth imply, that it is our Duty to love God with all our Hearts, and Souls, and Minds, and to love our Neighbour as our felves; for he faith it is a Commandment, nay, and the firft and great Commandment.

I defire now to know how a Man can be ftrictly and properly faid to merit any Thing by doing that which is his Duty to do; much more how he can be faid to earn or merit fuch a Reward by doing his Duty, as doth amount to a thousand times more in Worth and Value than his Duty comes to? I pray let this be reconciled to the common Principles of Reafon. We own indeed that Q 2 a Man