joice in the Lord always, and again I fay rejoice. As if he had faid, be conftant in reflecting on your Redemption in Christ, and the Inheritance which he has purchased for you, and you will find fuch a Fund of Joy and Comfort as can never be exhaufted. Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I fay rejoice. And indeed, what Words can exprefs that inward Delight and Confolation which muft, almost neceffarily, flow in upon the Mind of the good Man, when he converfes in Heaven? How contemptibly low must all earthly Enjoyments appear to him who is thus exalted? And how great must be the Comfort of expecting from thence the Lord Jefus Chrift, who shall change his vile Body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious Body; according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to fubdue ali Things to himself?

And in concluding then, give me Leave to exhort, to intreat, and to befeech you, to contemplate frequently on your future State, to raise your Meditations from Things temporal to Things eternal, and to have your daily Converfation in Heaven, that you may hereafter enjoy it. Inftead of amusing ourfelves with vain and airy Schemes of our future Success here, which may or may not happen; why should we not more folidly entertain, and more effectually improve, ourselves, by fixing our Thoughts on thofe Succeffes and that Happiness hereafter, which nothing

but

but our own Perfeverance in Sin can deprive us of? Why should we not retire within our own Hearts, and comfort ourfelves with confidering, how great, how glorious, and how unalterably happy we may one Day be; how inexpreffible the Divine Goodness is in its offers to us; and how ineftimable the Love of our bleffed Redeemer, who died to fecure thefe Things for us? Such Contemplations would bring Delight and Profit with them; they would beget in us a very mean Opinion of the World, and all its Enjoyments; would leffen our Complaints, and ftrengthen our Refolutions; and would convince us that the Pursuit of them is indeed the only Thing that is needful.

It is Matter of daily and, perhaps, juft Complaint with us, that our Afflictions here are great, our Comforts fmall, and our Temptations ftrong. And if then, we would either make our Uneafinefs lefs, our Enjoyments greater, or our Temptations weaker; the most effectual Means to do so, is to throw the Certainty and Happinefs of our future State into the Balance against them. And then, we should with great Vigour refift Temptations, if our Eyes were fteadily fixed on the Recompence of Reward; we should find unfpeakable Comforts flowing into the Mind, from confidering the great Goodness of our God; and we fhould find it much more eafy to overlook the Fatigues and Inconveniencies

N 4

conveniencies of our Journey, if we confidered that we have but a little Way to go, and fhall, e'er long, if we faint not, come to our own Home, where all Things are ready and convenient for us.

In a Word, the Grave itself would lofe its Terror, if we frequently remembered, that the fuffering Death, which is but for a Moment, leads the Way to an eternal and exceeding Weight of Glory. And we fhould, as our Apoítle directs us, become stedfaft, unmoveable, and always abound in the Work of the Lord; as well knowing that our Labour will not be in vain in the Lord.

SERMON

SERMON XI.

MATT. vi. 34.

Take therefore no Thought for the Morrow; for the Morrow hall take Thought for the Things of itSelf: Sufficient unto the Day is the Evil thereof.

T

HE firft and chief Aim of the Man of the World is to raise Estates; but the first and chief Aim of the good Man is to do his Duty. The one looks no farther than prefent Enjoyments, and places the Whole of his Happiness in Abundance; the other thinks himself moft concerned to have more diftant Views, and finds, that other Confiderations must be brought into the Account, even of his prefent Happiness, befides barely that of Fortune. They both agree in being fenfible of the Usefulness of the good Things of this Life, and in thinking themselves obliged to make what proper Provifion they can for

themselves

themselves and those about them; but the Difference lyes in the different Degrees of Affection which they place on Wealth; the different Degrees of Care and Anxiety with which they pursue it ; and the different Means they make Ufe of to poffefs themfelves of it. The Man of the World is ever anxious, reftlefs, and diflatisfied, and fears to truft either God or Man with any Part of his Substance. - The good Man refolves all his Labours into the Bleffings of an over-ruling and indulgent Providence, and is therefore quiet and refigned. The one purfues his gain by any Methods whatsoever, which offer themselves to him; the other will promote his Intereft, by fuch Means only as are confiftent with his Religion, and his Duty. And on thefe Accounts therefore, they are oppofite Characters; they pursue different Ends, and tend different Ways.

The one adores his God, the other his Mammon; which the bleffed Jesus tells us in this Chapter, are irreconcileable Masters, and cannot poffibly both be ferved by the fame Man.

And that the Prevalence of Custom, or the Allurements of prefent Pleasures, may not lead us to make a wrong Choice, and prefer the Service of the worft Master of the two, we may learn, what Bounds to fet to our Love of the World, and what Dependance we ought to have on him, who made