ty towards those that are in neceffity. 5. Love and good-will towards all men. For the apoftle bids us, add to the love of our brother, general love and good-will. We ought to be in reconciliation with the whole creation of God; to be in a temper to do all the good that lies before us to do. We are not only to confider our relations, friends, and acquaintance, but we ought to bear a general love and good-will, and to imitate God himself, whofe tender mercies are over all his works: and who. caufeth his fun to shine, and his rain to fall on the evil, and on the good. And if these things be in us, and abound, we shall avoid the crying fins of cruelty and unmercifulness; which are fo complained of by all holy men, in all ages of the world; for which both cities and countries have been laid waste and deftroyed, as you may fee from Amos i. and 2. where the prophet faith, for three tranfgreffions, and for four I will not turn away the punishment thereof : and he instanceth in tranfgreffions of this kind; want of mercy, cruelty and oppreffion, and falfenefs between man and man. For though it be true in respect of the object, that fins of impiety are of a higher nature, yet if we confider God's government of the world, and the work that he hath to do, and what his glory is in his creation; then these are the fins that go beforehand unto judgment, fins of unrighteoufnefs. For this is God's doing all to his own glory; to take care in his whole creation that righteousness and truth doth prevail and attain an univerfal empire over the world. And God will controul all thofe, that rife up in opposition to this,

his main end and defign. And fins of this nature feldom pass without a mark of Gods difpleasure, even in this life. And thefe have been reckoned, in feveral places of fcripture, as the caufe why God did destroy populous cities and nations; because faith and truth failed among men ; and because cruelty and oppreffion prevailed. And this is the second thing, in which I have given you only heads, but every one may bring them home, and apply them to great advantage. I have fhewed you wherein piety to God confists, and what is righteousness towards men.

Thirdly, The third is righteousness to ourselves: and that lies in good felf-government, and fitting ufage, both of body, and of mind. To tell you in particular. 1. It doth comprehend in it modesty, and humility that is the foul's temper. 2. Sobriety, that is the mind's balance. 3. Temperance and chastity, and that is the body's fecurity. More particularly. 1. The mind equally poised, free from vanity, conceit, intoxication; and the body ordered according to the rules of reason, and virtue. 2. The foul difcharged of corroding envy, and biting malice, and the body gently used. For as we should not live to feed the beaft, which is done by Epicurism, and giving way to fenfual pleasure so are we to be merciful to our bodies; for Solomon faith, the righteous man is merciful to his beast; and you may the body fo, though Solomon doth not mean fo. And St. Paul speaks of finning against a man's own body, as luxury, intemperance, unchastity, and wantonnefs. 3. The whole man at heart's cafe, through

call

christian

christian courage and refolution, released from anxious perplexing folicitoufness, and repofing in God's protection and providence, charging ourselves only with the use of lawful means; and when we have done our duty, leaving the fuccefs to God, acknowledging our dependance upon him and the need of his bleffing and influence. And by this means, our moderation fhall be known to all men. This is meant by being careful for nothing; and this is to follow our Saviour's direction, take no thought for the morrow, nor for your life, Luke xii. 22. Alfo when our minds are freed from ambition, and affecting great power and wealth, for they that will be rich, fall into temptation, and a fnare, &c. He that makes overmuch haft to be rich, will not be innocent, Jer. xlv. 5. Seekeft thou great things for thy felf; feek them not. And that is a remarkable place, Jer. li. 13. and duly to be confidered; if we will not moderate our defires of wealth and riches, it is faid there that God will put an end to the measure of their covetoufnefs.

Thefe are the things that will preserve us, as from the fins, fo from the plagues of Sodom and Gomorrah. For the apoftle Jude tells us, that the dreadful deftruction of thofe places was brought upon them, for the neglect of these things. These things also will preserve us from the infolence, and fall of the afpiring angels, 2 Pet. ii. 4. who kept not their firft ftation, but ufurping upon God, God caft them down to hell. These things will preferve us from fuch imaginations, and evil thoughts of heart, as brought the univerfal deluge upon the world, as you find, Gen. vi. 5. Now

Now these are inftances of righteousness, wherein the inhabitants of the world are to be inftructed when God's judgments are upon the earth. Then

men are called to all acts of piety to God, of which they were neglective; or from which they were departed. Then are men called to all acts of justice towards one another: and then are men called to all acts of fobriety in the government of their own minds. The contrary to thefe, as they do deform the world, fo they deprave the lives and manners of men, and give God an offence and provoke him. to great displeasure. Now these are the things that belong to the moral part of religion, these are the things which we mean when we speak for real goodness, and holiness. These are the inftances of morality founded in the creation of God, and that arise from the relation that is between God and man; these are grounded in that capacity that man is made unto, being a rational creature, being made intelligent and voluntary; these are rooted in the intellectual nature; so that 'tis as impoffible for the intellectual nature to be without the principles and grounds of thefe, as it is impoffible for the water to be without its natural quality that belongs to it, or the fun without light. or fire without heat; and these acts of fobriety and temperance are grounded upon the conftitution of man, as he doth confist of body and spirit. And these things are correlatives; fo that if there be a God, and if man be his creature, if man be intelligent and voluntary, then all these duties are involved upon him, and man is engaged to the performance of them, and he is degenerate and huge

ly

ly apoftatifed, if he do otherwise.

For intellectual

nature is engaged and obliged to all these things, which are the dictates of right reason, and fober understanding; and while our fouls are in our bodies, nothing is of juster establishment, than that it fhould rule and have the reigning part, that mind and understanding fhould have the government of all bodily motions, dispositions, and inclinations. A man by wisdom, reafon and understanding ought to mafter and over-rule his bodily temper, and conftitution. If he be cholerick, by his bodily temper, he ought to overcome it, by the virtue of his mind. Bodily fenfe is not to ufurp the government of the world; but here the younger is to be fubject to the elder.

. Now from the account that I have given you of the indifpenfible parts and principles of moral righteousness, we may gather how little they understand themselves, who in divinity, decry morality, or that are impatient to hear of it, and fay, that it doth not belong to Chrift. But I have that candor, as to think, that they do not understand the terms, but that they mean fome external ornament; that which we call civility; fuch a thing as doth not die, and colour a man's foul; such a thing as doth not establish a frame, and temper, a conftitution of mind ; fuch a thing as doth not make a man deiform, or reftore a man to the image of God, and make him really God-like. But now these principles of morality are those that do, and nothing else can do it ; yea, these are final, and ultimate to all the doctrine of Chrift; to all matters of faith, and the principles

thereof,