There are a Hundred more Inftances be fides these Two that I have named, wherein there is such a Latitude left to our Practices, and the Difference between lawful and unlawful, Duty and Sin, lies in fo fmall a Compass, that it is hard to feparate and diftinguish them, unless a Man be both very wife and very honeft.

We have not any Law of God, which defines how often we are to pray; or when it is our Duty to faft; or to what Degree we may be angry; or how we are to govern ourselves as to the Quantity or Kinds of our Meat and Drink; or how far we may comply with the Customs of the World; or how splendid we may be in our Apparel and Equipage; or what Games and Recreations may be used, and how often; or what Rules we are to go by in Buying and Selling, and our other Dealings with Men; or how far we may feek our own, when our Right cannot be obtained without Prejudice to our Neighbour.

In these, I fay, and abundance of other Cafes, we have no exprefs particular Laws of God to fteer and measure our Actions by; nor indeed is it poffible we fhould have: Becaufe what is fit and reasonable to be done. in these Cafes, admits of fo great a Difference from the infinite Variety of the Circumstan ces of particular Men.

What now muft we do in these Cafes ? How must we order ourfelves, that we may perform our Duty, and keep out of Sin?

Why,

Why, in Answer to this, I fay, We have only general Rules to direct us in thefe Matters; and thofe Rules we are to apply to our own particular Cases.

In this Latitude that Things are left in, we are to use our Liberty as carefully, and as prudently as is poffible; taking our Measures from the Principles of Reason, and the general Rules of the Gospel. Now what thofe general Rules and Measures are, it is my Business at this Time to treat of.

And Three Things I have here to propofe for the Use of our Liberty, which will, I think, be a fufficient Direction to us in all Cafes of this Nature; and which if we do carefully observe, we shall never use our Liberty for an Occafion to the Flesh; but we shall both come up to what is our Duty, and shall likewife avoid all those Sins which Mankind are fo frequently betrayed into, through the too great Affinity that there is between Vertue and Vice, and the indifcreet Exercife of their Liberty upon Occafion thereof.

And the First Thing I would poffefs you all with, and which indeed, as it is the móft general, fo it is the beft Advice that can be given in this Matter, is this; That we would endeavour to be heartily honeft and ferious in the Bufines of Religion: That we would fincerely devote ourselves to the Service of God: That we would purify our Minds as much as may be from all fenfual and felfish Principles; and in all our Actions and Purfuits, have more refpect to the doing our Duty, and the approving

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proving ourselves to our great Lord and Mafter, than to any other Confideration.

This is that which St. Paul fo often exhorts us to. Whether (faith he) you eat or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the Glory of God. And again, Whatever ye do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord, knowing, that of the Lord you shall receive the Reward of the Inheritance.

If we could once get ourselves poffeffed of this Probity, this Purity of Mind and Heart, it would better inftruct us in the Use of our Liberty, and teach us to diftinguish between Good and Evil; what is fit to be done, and what ought not to be done, in all Cafes and Emergencies we are concerned in; than all the dry Rules of Cafuiftical Learning, be they never fo carefully and accurately laid down.

When a Man is once arrived to that Holy Temper of Mind, that he heartily loves God and his Neighbour, and has fuch a lively Senfe of the Truth and the Excellency of Chrift's Religion; that he is resolved, that that fhall influence and govern the whole Course of his Life, and that he will do all his Actions, as much as he can, for the Honour of our Lord, and the Advancement of his Service in the World; there can hardly any particular Cafe occur to fuch a Man, in which he will not have Rules and Measures ready at Hand to fteer and direct him in his Proceedings.

Nay, this general Principle alone of doing all Actions to the Glory of God; that is to fay, to

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the

the Honour of his Religion, and the Edification of his Neighbour: I fay, this alone will afford him fufficient Light and Direction for the Government of his Actions in all Contingencies. Because there is no Action he can be ingaged in, but it is at the first fight difcernable, whether the doing of it, or the not doing of it, doth more tend to the Honour of his Religion, or the Good of others.

That which makes the Conduct of a Man's felf in this World, fo nice and difficult a Matter, and has given Occafion to the Difcuffion of fo many Cafes of Confcience, about the Lawfulnes or Unlawfulneß of Actions, is this; that Men are not throughly honest, but halt between God and the World. They have a great Mind to ferve their Pleasure and their Ambition, and their fecular Ends, and yet to ferve God too; and this puts them upon tam pering and trying to reconcile these Interefts together.

Whence it comes to pafs, that the usual Questions that arife about their Actions, are not, What is best to be done, or what is most agreeable to their Duty in this or the other Cafe? But, How far they may go in the Gratification of fuch an Appetite or Paffion, without tranfgreffing the Laws of God? How far they may fatisfy their covetous Defires, without being unjust? Whether they may use fuch Arts or Tricks, in getting or faving, without being Knavish? How far they may drink, and not be drunk? How far they may gratify their Humour of decking and adorning them

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felves,

felves, and yet do no unlawful Thing? How far they may indulge Wantonneß, and yet be Chaft?

Now, as I faid before, fuch Questions as thefe are not eafy to be refolved (nor indeed is the Gospel of Chrift fo contrived, as if it had taken much care whether they were refolved, or no.) But they are really Cafes and Problems that require both Judgment and Learning, and likewife the Confideration of abundance of particular Circumftances, to hav a good Account giyen of them.

But now the Man that doth entirely give up himself to the Conduct of the Spirit, and propofeth nothing to himself in all his Actions but the pure Glory of God: fuch a Man, having none of thefe Worldly fenfual Defigns to ferve in his Actions, can rarely be fuppofed to have any of thefe Questions to put to himself. And confequently he can never be at a Lofs or Uncertainty, how he is to act for want of a Refolution of them; much lefs can he be in Danger of Tranfgreffing the Bounds that God hath fixed to his Actions.

All the Point that fuch a one bath to confider in any Action is, Whether will his doing or not doing fuch an Action, better ferve the Ends of Religion? Which will tend most to his own fpiritual Benefit, and the Profit of his Neighbour, to purfue this Defign, or to let it alone? Whether will be more conducive to the Honour of his Lord, to gratify fuch an Appetite, or to deny it Satisfaction?