First, I fhall fhew wherein this care of religion and of our fouls doth confift. And this I fhall endeavour to do with all the plainnefs I can, and fo as every one that hears me may understand and be fufficiently directed what is neceffary for him to do in order to his eternal falvation.

And of this I fhall give an account in the five following particulars, in which I think the main business of religion, and the due care of our fouls, does confist.

1. In the diftinct knowledge, and in the firm belief and perfuafion of thofe things which are neceffary to be known and believed by us in order to our eternal falvation.

2. In the frequent examination of our lives and actions, and in a fincere repentance for all the errors and mifcarriages of them.

3. In the conftant and daily exercise of piety and devotion.

4. In avoiding thofe things which are pernicious to our falvation, and whereby men do often hazard' their fouls.

5. In the even and conftant practice of the feveral graces and virtues of a good life.

I. The due care of religion and our fouls doth confist in the diftinct knowledge, and in the firm belief and per fuafion of thofe things which are neceffary to be known and believed by us in order to our eternal salvation.

For this knowledge of the neceffary principles and duties of religion, is the foundation of all good practice, wherein the life of religion doth confift. And without this no man can be truly religious. Without faith (faith the Apostle to the Hebrews) it is impoffible to please God: for he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently feek him, Heb.xi.6. Now, these two expreffions of pleafing God, and feeking him, are plainly of the fame importance, and do both of them fignify religion, or the worship and fervice of God; which doth antecedently fuppofe our firm belief and perfuafion of these two fundamental principles of all re ligion, That there is a God, and, That he will reward those that serve him: because, unless a man do first be

lieve

lieve thefe, there would neither be ground nor encouragement for any fuch thing as religion.

And this knowledge of the neceffary principles of religion our bleffed Saviour calls eternal life, because it is fo fundamentally neceffary in order to our attaining of it: This is life eternal, (fays he), to know thee, the enly true God; and him whom thou haft fent, Jefus Chrift, John xvii. 3.; that is, to be rightly inftructed in the knowledge of the only true God, and of his Son Jefus Chrift our Lord. Under which two general heads are comprehended all the neceffary principles both of the natural and of the Christian religion.

And, to the attaining of this knowledge which is abfolutely neceffary to falvation, no fuch extraordinary pains and study is required, but only a teachable difpofition, and a due application of mind. For whatever in religion is neceffary to be known by all, muft in all reafon be plain and eafy, and lie level to all capacities; otherwife we must fay, that God, who would have all men to be faved, hath not provided for the falvation of all men. And therefore, now that the knowledge of the true God and the light of Christianity are spread abroad in the world, all that enjoy the gofpel are, or may be, fufficiently inftructed in all things neceffary to their happinefs unlefs fuch care be used, as is in the church of Rome, to take away the key of knowledge, and to lock up the fcriptures from the people in an unknown tongue; and this, as they pretend, upon a very charitable confideration, only it is to be hoped that it is not true, that the generality of mankind are mad, and have need to be kept in the dark. But, fuppofing men to be allowed thofe means of knowledge which God affords, and hath appointed for us, the great difficulty doth not commonly lie in mens understandings, but in their wills: only when men know these things, they must attend to them, and confider them, that the light which is in their underftandings may warm their hearts, and have its due influence upon their lives.

1

II. The due care of our fouls confifts in the frequent examination of our lives and actions, and in a fincere repentance for all the errors and mifcarriages of them; in a more particular and deep humiliation and repent<

ance

ance for deliberate and wilful fins, fo far as we can call them to our remembrance; and in a general repentance for fins of ignorance, and infirmity, and turprife: in the exercife whereof we are always to remember, that the nature of true repentance doth not confift only in an humble confeffion of our fins to God, and a hearty trouble and contrition for them; but chiefly in the stedfast purpose and refolution of a better life, and, in profecution of this refolution, in actual reformation and amend

ment.

By the conftant exercife hereof, we are put into a fafe condition; provided that we perfevere in this holy refolution and course. But if we ftill retain the love and practice of any known fin; or if, after we have taken up these good refolutions, we return again to an evil course, this is a clear evidence, either that our repentance was not fincere at first, or that we are relapsed into our former ftate: and then our fouls are still in apparent danger of being loft, and will continue in that dangerous ftate, till we have renewed our repentance, and made it good in the following courfe of our lives.

III. The due care of our fouls confifts in the conftant and daily exercise of piety and devotion, both in private and in publick, if there be opportunity for it, efpecially at proper times, and upon more folemn occafions; by fervent prayer to God, and by hearing and reading the word of God with reverence and godly fear; by frequenting his publick worship, and demeaning ourfelves in it with that folemnity and ferioufnefs which becomes the prefence and fervice of the great and glorious majesty of God, who obferves our behaviour, and fees into our hearts; and by receiving the blessed facrament, as often as we have opportunity, with due preparation and devotion of mind.

For these are not only outward testimonies of our inward piety, but they are means likewife appointed by God to improve and confirm us in holinefs and goodness. And whoever neglects thefe duties of religion, or performs them in a flight and fuperficial manner, doth plainly fhew, that he hath neither a due fenfe of God, nor care of himself: for in vain does any man pretend that he does in good earnest defign the end, when he

neglects

neglects the best and most proper means for the attainment of it.

IV. The due care of our fouls confifts alfo in avoiding those things which are pernicious to our falvation, and whereby men do often hazard their fouls. Such in general is the practice of any known fin. By this we do, as it were, run upon the fword's point, and do endanger our falvation as much as a deep wound in our body would do our life: and though fuch a wound may perhaps be cured afterwards by repentance; yet no man that commits any wilful fin, knows the difmal confequence of it, and whither by degrees it may carry him at laft: for, upon fuch a provocation, God may leave the finner to himself, and withdraw his grace from him, and give him up to a hard and impenitent heart, to proceed from evil to worfe, and from one wickedness to another, till he be finally ruined. So dangerous a thing is it knowingly to offend God, and to commit any deliberate act of fin.

More particularly, an inordinate love of the world is very pernicious to the fouls of men; because it quencheth the heavenly life, and fills our minds with earthly cares and designs: it tempts men to forfake God and religion when their worldly interefts come in competition with them; and betrays them to fraud, and falfhood, and all kind of injuftice, and many other hurtful lufts which drown the foul in perdition.

But, befides thefe dangers which are more vifible and apparent, there is another which is lefs difcernible, because it hath the face of piety; and that is, faction in religion; by which I mean an unpeaceable and uncharitable zeal about things wherein religion, either doth not at all, or but very little confift: for befides that this temper is utterly inconfiftent with feveral of the most eminent Chriftian graces and virtues, as humility, love, peace, meeknefs, and forbearance towards thofe that dif fer from us; it hath likewife two very great mifchiefs commonly attending upon it, and both of them pernicious to religion and the fouls of men.

1. That it takes fuch men off from minding the more neceffary and effential parts of religion. They are fo zealous about finall things, the tithing of mint, and anife,

and

and cummin, that they neglect the weightier things of the law, faith, and mercy, and judgment, and the love of God. They spend fo much of their time and heat about things doubtful, that they have no leifure to mind the things that are neceffary; and are fo concerned about little speculative opinions in religion, which they always call fundamental articles of faith, that the practice of religion is almost wholly neglected by them: and they are fo taken up in spying out and cenfuring error and herefy in others, that they never think of curing thofe lufts, and vices, and pallions, which do so visibly reign in themselves. Deluded people! that do not confider, that the greatest herefy in the world is a wicked life, lecrute it is fo directly and fundamentally oppofite to the whole defign of the Chriftian faith and religion; and that do not confider, that God will fooner forgive a man a hundred defects of his understanding, than one fault of his 1 will.

2. Another great mischief which attends this temper, is, that men are very apt to interpret this zeal of theirs against others, to be great piety in themfelves, and as much as is neceffary to bring them to heaven; and to think that they are very religious, because they keep a great ftir about maintaining the outworks of religion, when it is ready to be ftarved within; and that there needs no more to denominate them good Chriftians, but to be of fuch a party, and to be lifted of fuch a church, which they always take for granted to be the only true one; and then zealously to hate, and uncharitably to cenfure all the rest of mankind.

How many are there in the world that think they have made very fure of heaven, not by the old plain way of leaving their fins, and reforming their lives, but by a more close and cunning way of carrying their vices along with them into another church, and calling themfelves good catholicks, and all others hereticks? and that, having done this, they are in a fafe condition? as if a mere name would admit a man into heaven, or as if there were any church in the world that had this fantaftical privilege belonging to it, that a wicked man might be faved, for no other reafon, but because he is of it. Therefore, as thou valueft thy foul, take heed of enVOL. II.

Z

gaging