against him those bailiffs of the divine justice, the devils, waiting to arrest his soul, and carry it to that prison from whence there is no redemption; and, in a word, hell itself opening her mouth wide to devour him. Then, then he will acknowledge that to be most true, which he had been often told before by the wise, but would not be convinced of it, that to trust to any thing in this world is a perfect folly, to neglect God and eternal things a very madness, and that religion and the fear of God is the only true wisdom. Then he will confess, that one spark of true virtue and grace in the heart, one soft whisper of a good conscience, one glimpse of the light of God's countenance, is more to be valued than this whole world.

But it were to be wished we would understand the vanity of this world at a cheaper rate, and as becomes wise men, by foresight and consideration, and not learn it only from that mistress of fools, sad experience. Yea, let us anticipate and be beforehand with this perfidious world, by breaking off our league with it before it thus miserably disappoints us. Let us now, presently, (if we have not before done it,) entirely devote and give up ourselves to the service of God, and the serious pursuit of eternal things. Let us renew our baptismal vow, and once again in good earnest renounce the world, with all its vanities. And let us do this seasonably, and in due time, whilst we may be accepted of God, whilst we are in such circumstances, that our abandoning the vanities of this world, and the devotion of our hearts and affections to God and heavenly things, may be accounted a free-will offering, and not be a matter of mere constraint and necessity. For let us

not deceive ourselves, God is not mocked, he will not accept of the world's leavings.

The ever-blessed God, the fountain of all happiness, the chief good of man, the most excellent and desirable Being, out of his infinite grace and goodness, from time to time calls upon us in the ministry of his word, and by his providence, to take off our hearts from the things of this world, and offers himself to our acceptance, and even courts us (O, infinite condescension!) to be happy, for ever happy, in the enjoyment of him. Now, if after all this, we still cleave to the lusts and vanities of this world, and prefer them before God the Creator, blessed for ever, and that even to the last, till death is just ready to hale us off from the world, and we can enjoy it no longer; how can we expect, or so much as imagine, that God will bear this affront at our hands, this vile contempt of his most glorious majesty, or ever receive us into his grace and favour?

Let us therefore now, in the day of our health and prosperity, in the midst of the enjoyments of this life, whilst the world smiles on us, and tempts us with its alluring vanities, take off our hearts from it, despise it, and live above it, and heartily choose God for our portion, and set our affections on the things which are above. And then we may be secure, we may depend upon it, that in the day of our distress, even in the hour of death, God will be our God, to stand by us, and to support and comfort us. And the light of his countenance shall make even the valley of the shadow of death bright and lightsome And after death, we shall be received into those regions of bliss, where we shall see and enjoy things that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither

to us.

hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive. To which blessed state God of his infinite mercy bring us all in his due time, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

To whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be ascribed all honour and glory, adoration and worship, now and for evermore. Amen.

SERMON IX."

WHAT THAT WORTHINESS IS, AND WHEREIN IT CONSISTS,

WHICH IS REQUIRED OF THOSE THAT SHALL BE

PARTAKERS OF THE FUTURE HEAVENLY GLORY.

REV. iii. 4.

And they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.

THE A

HE whole verse runs thus: Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

My text is part of the epistle or letter of our blessed Saviour dictated to and sent by St. John, his apostle, to the angel or bishop of the church of Sardis. Wherein our Lord severely reprimands that bishop (and, as it appears, the generality of the church under his government) for great corruptions, both in doctrine and manners, which they were guilty of, ver. 1, 2, 3. But in the verse out of which my text is taken, our Saviour takes notice of some few in that very church, who had kept themselves pure and free from the general and prevailing corruptions of it: Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments. A few names, i. e. a few persons; so the word óvóμata,

a [From a passage in this Sermon concerning the prospect of persecution being removed, it would seem to have been written not long after 1688.]

The Worthiness of the Partakers, &c. 217

names, is used Acts i. 15, and in other places of Scripture.

In the greatest corruptions of the church, God's grace always reserves some few that retain their integrity. Thus in Isaiah's time, when the people of the Jews were generally become so vile, that the prophet, speaking to them and their magistrates, calls them rulers over Sodom and people of Gomorrah; yet even then God had left to himself a small remnant of good men, for whose sake the city of Jerusalem, though as wicked as Sodom, was not destroyed as Sodom was, with a final and utter destruction, Isai. i. 9, 10. When the church of the Jews was so overwhelmed with idolatry, that good Elias thought himself the only man that stuck to the worship and service of the true God; yet even then the Lord could tell him, Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him, 1 Kings xix. 18. In that exceeding numerous and populous nation, there were but seven thousand that adhered to the God of their fathers, just so many, and not one more. In general corruptions, when those few good men that are left are hid, and seem as it were to be lost and swallowed up in the vast multitude of the wicked; yet even then, the all-seeing eye of God finds them out, and not a man of them escapes his gracious and favourable notice; and as the expression of our Lord, concerning those few good men in the degenerate church of Sardis, imports, he knows them all by name, Thou hast a few names in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments. Those names the Lord so knew and took notice of, as to write them