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Show ( 48 ) fucl1 full and well dlablifhed Profpects of a final Reward to Virtue, communicated to Mankind by any other Means; if, I fay, thefe things be fo, as upon Examination you will molt certainly find, what Diligence ought you to ufe, to undedbnd thoroughly and perfeClly this great Rule of Life, and what Care to obey llriClly all the fublime and heavenly Precepts contained in it! 1 charge·you therefore, as you will anfwer it in the great Day of Accounts, that you do not upon any Pretence whatever prefume to venture upon any AC\ion forbidden in it: But that, without offering to. multer up any vain and prefumptuous Reafoning;s, or fophi!lical Apologies, for fitch AC\ions as are exprefly declared in it to be unlawful, you refolve, in fpite of the wretched Raillery of ~he Profane, the Temptations of the World, and even of the Fury of Pcrfecution itfdf, to yield an uninterrupted, an unfhaken, and a blind Obedience to all and every one of its Commandments, the leafl as well as the grcatelt, and the hardelt as well as the eafielt. One of the fatal Delufions, which has colt Numbers of unhappy Mortals their Souls, is the groundlefs Imagination, 1 bar the Divine Mercy i• infir.ite; that God is willing to forgive any thing; and that he will not require much of his Creatutes; but will admit them to Pardon and Happinefs upon the cafy Terms of a Death-bed Repentance, or a few lazy and ineftechtal Wifhes. The Fallhood of thefe Suppofitions appears in almoH every Chapter of the Bible, in which I know of no Latitudes "5llowed us; no Grounds for Prefumption; but find that every where the greateft Purity of HeaFt, and the utmolt StriCtnefs 49 ') StriCtnefs of ConduCt are abfolutely inlifted upon, in order to our having any Chance for Salvation. We are told in Scripture, that the Judge of the World will by no Means clear the Guilty, that is, the impenitently wicked; that he is a confuming Fire; that he is of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity, or look upon Evil ; that the Wicked !hall not Hand in his Sight; but that all, who forget God, !hall be turned into Hell; that the Soul that fins, !hall die ; that without Holincls no Man !hall fee the Lord; that for every idle Word, Men !hall be brought into Judgment; that that Pcrfon's Pretences to Religion are vain, who docs not ·bridle his 1'ongue; that it is neceJliuy to cleanfe ourfdves from all Filthinefs of Flelh, and Spirit, and to perfeCl: Holinefs, that is, to be perfeClly holy; that we mull keep ourfelves unfpotted from the World; that we mult avoid every Appearance of evil ; that we mull lay afide every Weight, and the Sin, that fo eaf11y befets· us, and run the Race ·fet before us; ·that we mult think on, and praClife whatfoever things are true, honclt, pure, ·lovely, and of good Report; that every one, that names the N arne of Chrift, muft depart from Iniquity; that it is neceffary to aCt an honelt l'art, not only in the Sight of God, but of Men alfo, giving no Caufe of Offence to any one; that whoever habitually offends in one Point, is guilty of the whole Law, that is, of infulting the Authority which framed the whole; that we mull therefore have RefpeCt to all the Divine Commandments; that our Converfation in the World muft be in Simplicity and godly Sincerity, not with fle01ly WifJom, but according to the Grace of God ; that whatever we do, F 2 we |