SER M. thither by our earnest prayers; to make fit preparaXXI. tions for his reception and entertainment, (by cleanf ing our hearts from all loathfome impurities,) to make him welcome, and treat him kindly, with all civil respect, with all humble obfervance; not grieving and vexing him by our diftafteful croffnefs and peevishness; not tempting him by our fond prefumption, or bafe treachery; not extinguishing his heavenly light and holy fire by our foul lufts, our damp ftupidities, our cold neglects, our neglects to foment and nourish them by the food of devout meditations and zealous defires: fo let us mind him, as to admit gladly his gentle illapfes, to delight in his most pleasant society, to hearken to his faithful fuggeftions, to comply with all his kindly motions, to behave ourselves modeftly, confiftently, and officiously toward him. Thus fhould we employ our mind, all the faculties of our foul, our understanding, our will, our affections upon the bleffed Trinity, the Supreme of all things above, the Founder of that celeftial fociety, into which as Chriftians we are inferted; the Sovereign of that heavenly kingdom of which we are fubjects; the Fountain of all the good and happiness we can hope for in that fuperior state. To the performance of which duty there be arguments and inducements innumerable; it is the most proper and connatural object of our mind, that for which it is fitteft, and for which it was defigned; the best intelligible, and infinitely most amiable of all things. It is the moft worthy and noble object, the contemplation of which, and affection whereto, will moft elevate, moft enrich, most adorn, moft enlarge the capacities, and moft fatisfy the appetites of our fouls; it is the most sweet and pleasant object, wherein all light, all beauty, all perfection do fhine; the fight and love of which do conftitute Paradise, and beatify Heaven itself. It is the most useful and beneficial object of our mind, which will best instruct us S in what it concerneth us to know, will moft incite s ER M. us to those duties which we are obliged to perform, xxi. will be most efficacious to the begetting in us thofe difpofitions, which are indifpenfably requifite for the attainment and for the enjoyment of that everlafting blifs; unto which that one bleffed Unity and glorious Trinity in its infinite mercy bring us all : to whom be all glory, honour, and praife for ever. Amen. SERMON SERMON XXII. The Unfearchableness of God's Judgments. ROM. xi. 33. How unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways paft finding out! THESE words are the clofe of a disputation, S E R M. wherein St. Paul was engaged with the advocates XXII. of Judaism, concerning God's providence toward his ancient people, in rejecting the greateft part of them upon their refufal to embrace the Chriftian doctrine; and in admitting the Gentile world to favour, upon its compliance with the overtures thereof propofed in the Gofpel. In this proceeding those infidels could not difcern God's hand,' nor would allow fuch a difpenfation worthy of him, advancing feveral exceptions against it: God, faid they, having efpoufed and confecrated us to him-felf; having to our fathers, in regard to their piety, made fo abfolute promises of benediction on their' pofterity having confequently endowed us with fuch privileges and choice pledges of his favour; having taken fo much pains with us, and performed fo great things in our behalf; having fo long avowed, SER M. avowed, fupported, and cherished us; how can it XXII. well confift with his wisdom, with his juftice, with his fidelity, with his conftancy, thus instantly to abandon and repudiate us? Doth not this dealing argue his former affections to have been misplaced? Doth it not implead his ancient covenant and law of imperfection? Doth it not fupplant his own defigns, and unravel all that he for fo many ages hath been doing? Upon fuch accounts did this difpenfation appear very ftrange and fcandalous to them: but St. Paul, being infallibly affured of its truth, doth undertake to vindicate it from all mifprifions, rendering a fair account of it, and affigning for it many fatiffactory reasons, drawn from the general equity of the cafe, from the nature of God, his attributes, and his relations to men; from the congruity of this proceeding to the tenour of God's providence, to his moft ancient purposes, to the true intent of his promifes, to his exprefs declarations and predictions; to the state of things in the world, and the preffing needs of all mankind: such reasons (I say, which I have not time more explicitly to relate) doth the Apostle produce in favour of this great difpenfation; the which did fuffice to clear and justify it from all their objections: yet notwithstanding, after that he had fteered his difcourfe through all these rocks, he thought it safe to caft anchor; winding up the conteft in this modeft intimation, that whatever he could fay, might not perhaps exhauft the difficulty, or void all fcruple; that therefore in this, and in all fuch cases, for entire fatisfaction, we fhould have recourse to the incomprehenfible wisdom of God, who frequently in the course of his providence doth act upon grounds, and ordereth things in methods, tranfcending our ability to difcover or trace: to confider fome caufes and reafons of which incomprehenfibility, and to ground thereon fome practical advices, will be the fcope of my difcourfe: the reafons may be these : |