SERMON VIII

SERM.
VIII.

TITUS 2. II, 12.

For the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation, hath appeared to all Men;

Teaching us, that denying all ungodliness and worldly Lufts, we hould live foberly, righteously and godly in this prefent World.

B

Y the Grace of God we are to understand in this Place, as in many others, the Gospel of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, which is the highest Manifeftation of the Grace and Favour of God, that was ever made to Mankind. For here only we learn that God fo

VIII.

loved the World, as to give his only begotten SERM Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have ever lafting Life. Here John 3. 16, only we learn that God will pardon our Sins, and restore us to his Favour, upon our fincere Repentance and Amendment. Here only it is that Life and Immortality, things unheard of before, or at least but obfcurely hinted, and rather wifht for than believed by the wifest Men both Jews and Gentils, are brought to light. And here only are 2 Tim. 1.10. to be found the Affurances of a Refurrection to a Life of Glory and Felicity, which God who cannot Lye hath promised to all good Men.

Before this Time, the Grace and Favour of God were limited to particular Perfons or Families in the partriarchal Ages, and afterwards to a particular Nation; but the Grace of God in the Gofpel bringeth Salvation to all Men, to every Nation and Country under Heaven, and to every Man who is ready to embrace it upon Terms that are highly reasonable, and practicable, and these we learn in my Text, viz. the denying of all Ungodliness and worldly Lufts, and living Joberly, righteously and godly in this prefent World.

SERM. In which Words the Duty of every Man who would become a good Christian, is laid down according to its natural Order and Progreffion. He must begin with denying all Ungodliness and worldly Lufts. Every Kind of Wickedness being a Tranfgreffion of God's Law, is in Strictness of Speech Ungodliness, or a want of due Regard to God; and as this is always practised at the Inftigation of Men's Appetites and Lufts, the first Step to be taken in a religious Courfe is to refolve to deny these. For Every one that nameth the Name of Christ, i. e. who would become a good Christian, Tim.2.19. is required in the first Place, to depart from Iniquity. When this Refolution is taken up at the Time of Repentance, the next Step is to fet about the Practice of all Virtue, by living foberly, righteously and godly in this prefent World.

4

In these last Words, the great and effential Parts of the Chriftian Life are fummarily laid down, and distinguished according to their respective Objects; with regard to our own felves, it is Sobriety; with regard to other Men, it is Righteoufnefs; and with regard to God, it is Godliness.

I fhall

I fhall speak to each of these in their Or- SER M. der, beginning

VIII.

ft, With Sobriety. This Virtue confifts chiefly in the Government of our fenfual Appetites and Inclinations, which are the chief Inftruments that betray us into those Irregularities that are contrary to Sobriety. For every Man is tempted when he is drawn James 1. 14: away of his own Luft, and enticed; then when Luft hath conceived, it bringeth forth Sin. In other Places they are called the Lufts of the Flesh, because they rise originally from the Conftitution of the Body; but thorough Habit and long Indulgence, they may at last strike Root into the very Soul, and by an unnatural Operation corrupt her fpiritual Faculties. This is the Perfection of Wickedness, to be wicked in Spite of Nature, and to tranfplant evil Appetites and Defires into the Mind, after the Powers of the Body are decay'd, and can nourish them no longer. It is not altogether improbable that this Degree of Impurity may be the Means of perpetuating its own Punishment, and is partly meant by the Worm that never dies; for unlawful Defires being thus propagated into the Soul, and cherished by Me

mory,

SM.mory, must be a conftant Source of Uneafinefs, when there are neither bodily Powers, nor Objects fit to gratify them.

VIII.

But be this as it will, the Sobriety enjoined in the Text is the only Remedy against all the Mischiefs and Dangers of our fenfual Appetites; I fhall felect three of them as being the principal ones that are apt to betray Men into excess,

The 1ft is, The Appetite for Meat and Drink, in regard to which Sobriety consists in Temperance, or the denial of our Palates.

The 2dis, The Appetite for continuing the Species, called Concupifcence, and here Sobriety is another Name for Chastity.

The 3d is, The Appetite for Riches, and here Sobriety is Contentment.

1, The Appetite for Meat and Drink was implanted in our Natures to excite us to take that Nourishment which is neceffary for the Prefervation of Health and Life. The conftant Waftes in all animal Bodies caused by Action and Transpiration, is fo great, that without fresh Recruits they

muft