Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

ment, and to prevent a rifing Objection, SERM. put you in Mind of the fingular gracious XV. Benignity that appears in the Revelations and Conftitutions of our Saviour. For, notwithstanding all that there is of New Duty in his Sermon on the Mount, his Yoke still is eafy, and his Burden light; far lighter and far easier than the Mofaical. All Additions to that he hath more than ballanced, by taking away the whole fervile Load of Ceremonial Obfervances: And upon all our Endeavours he hath poured the Spirit of Life and Cheerfulness, in the Knowledge given of an effectual Expiation of Guilt, and by Confequence a Reconcilement to God, with the perfect Afsurance too of his all-powerful Affistance. But the bleffed Hope of that Kingdom, with the Loss whereof the Unrighteous are threaten'd in my Text, crowns every other Advantage of Christianity. The full Faith of Life and Immortality, which he has brought to Light through the Gospel, muft inlarge and inflame our Powers to the Conqueft and Contempt of whatever Difficulty. Your Righteousness, therefore may (as it muft) exceed, the RighBb 4 teousness

XV.

SERM. teousness of the Jews, tho' the Labour of your Endeavours by no Means exceed theirs. As their Light was comparatively dim, fo was their Faith weaker, and all fpiritual Ability therefore, in Proportion, much inferior to the Christian; the Strength of one being as that of a Man, of the other as that of a Child: And ye know the fame Task is to be reputed hard, or eafy, as the Perfon that muft perform it is ftronger or weaker.

TO HIM therefore, our gracious Lord, that hath diminish'd the Work of his Servants, and inlarg'd the Prospect of their Rewards; Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our Sins in his own Blood, and bath made, and will make us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father; to Him be Thanksgiving and Glory and Dominion for Ever and Ever. Amen.

SERM. XVI.

SERMON

XVI.

An Expofition of our Saviour's
Sermon on the Mount.

PART II.

Of the corrupt Behaviour of the
Scribes and Pharifees.

MA T. v. 20.

I fay unto you, that except your
Righteoufnefs hall exceed the
Righteousness of the Scribes and
Pharifees, ye fhall in no cafe en-
ter into the Kingdom of Heaven. SERM.

PON Confideration of XVI.

our Lord's Sermon on
the Mount, the far great-
er Part (indeed all but
the Introduction and
Conclufion) feems em-

ployed in the Explication of these Words,

and

;

SERM. and the Enlargements natural on Occafion XVI. of the fame. So that they appear to contain the general Propofition, to the Proof and Illuftration whereof the reft is addrefs'd and make, as it were, the Text to the Sermon. THAT ferv'd therefore to anfwer the Question, which his Auditors muft form to themselves : Wherein muft our Righteoufnefs exceed that of the Scribes and Pharifees, that we may escape this Sentence of Exclufion from the Kingdom of Heaven? And the Method of the Difcourfe follows the Nature of Things. For, in the first Place, if the Rule of Righteousness, that is, of Juftice and Goodness, be in any pari imperfect and obfcure; no lefs can be expected, than that the Practice fhould fall at least as much fhort of Perfection. And of this I have already discours'd, enumerating the : apparent Defects of the Mofaical Law, as they are mentioned in this Chapter, and the Precepts given by our Saviour for the fulfilling of it, the making it clear and complete.

But befides, or indeed without Faults in the Law and Rule itself, Mens Manners

may

may fail extreamly, (as thofe of the Pha- SERM. rifees actually did) in Contradiction to the XVI. Holiness and Juftice of their Law, notwithstanding their profefs'd Subjection to it. Now this, we know, may be done two Ways; that is, by acknowledg'd Violations of the Law; or under the Shelter of falfe Interpretations, or Maxims pretended to be founded on the fame. Hence arise those two remaining Heads, which I propos'd before, but was obliged to defer the Particulars till now; one of the corrupt Gloffes and Decifions of the Scribes; the other of the ordinary Tranfgreffions of acknowledg'd Duty by the Generality of the Pharifees, together with the additional Sin of thofe Hypocrifies by which they endeavour'd to cover them from common Obfervation.

As to the former of thefe, I have in a good Measure prevented my felf, by what I offer'd in my late Difcourfe, concerning our Lord's Additions to the old Law. For the greatest Part of them, as I intimated all along, were but fuller Explications of what was ordained from the Beginning. And if these Masters of Ifrael had not

been

« ElőzőTovább »