SERM. The like may be faid of that special favour, which was LXX. vouchfafed to the holy Virgin, who was xexapitwuévn, and bleffed among women, for the general good of mankind.

Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη.

Luke i. 28.

The confideration of this point is very useful, and may difpofe us to many forts of good practice.

1. No man should prefume upon God's dealing with him more favourably than with others, as if he were a darling, or favourite; that God will indulge him in the commiffion of any thing prohibited, or in omiffion of any duty.

No man should indulge himself in any thing, upon a conceit, that God will indulge him, or overfee his errors; and that, in this sense, He feeth not iniquity in Jacob.

2. No man should be puffed up with conceit, that God hath a fingular regard to him. For all fuch conceits are groundless and vain; in them men do miferably delude themselves.

No man can otherwise found any affurance of God's 1 John iii. special love to him, than upon a good conscience; testifying, that he doth fincerely love God, and endeavour faithfully to obey his commandments.

19, 21.

Gen. iv. 7.

3. No man should despair of God's favour; feeing God hath no particular averfation from any; but every person hath the fame grounds of hope.

If we can buckle our hearts to obferve our duty, we may be sure to be accepted.

If thou doeft well, shalt thou not be accepted?

4. No man should be discouraged for his condition, or fortune; fince in allotting it to him God had no disfavour, nor did intend him ill.

God hath no less regard to him, than to persons of the most high, wealthy, profperous state.

5. No man fhould repine, murmur, or complain of God's dealing, as if he were unkindly used, more than others for there is no fuch thing. God dealeth alike kindly with all.

6. No man, upon account of his rank, wealth, or worldly advantages, should boast or pride himself; seeing thence he partaketh no more than his meanest and pooreft neighbour, of the principal advantage, God's favour.

LXX.

7. No man, upon fuch accounts, fhould defpife his SERM. neighbour, the brother of low degree: for upon these accounts it appeareth, that the Wise Man faith truly, that Jam.i. 9. Ὁ ταπεινός, He is void of wisdom who defpifeth his neighbour; seeing Prov. xi. 12. no man can be despicable, whom God regardeth; seeing xiv. 21. God, as Elihu faith, is mighty, and despiseth not any; see- Job xxxvi. ing the meanest person standeth on equal terms with the (Jam. ii. 6.). greatest in the eye of God.

5.

lib. vii.

8. Great men fhould not take themselves for another Quorum fafort of creatures, or another race of men than their poor omne vacatis cœlumneighbours; that the world is theirs, and all things are vit. Luc. for them; that they may do what they please; that they are exempted from laws, which oblige others; for in moral and spiritual accounts they are upon a level with others.

They are but fellow-fubjects and fellow-fervants with others; all accountable to the fame Master.

9. Superiors hence fhould be moved to deal fairly, gently, and courteously with inferiors; seeing these are their fellow-fervants, equally confiderable as themselves with the great Master of the family.

This is the ufe, to which St. Paul applieth the confideration:

iii. ult.

Mafters, give unto your fervants that which is just and Col. iv. 1. equal, knowing that ye have a Mafter in heaven Ye mafters, do the fame things unto them, (that is, be Ephef. vi. 9. confcientiously good to them, as they are faithful to you,) forbearing threatening; knowing that your Mafier alfo is in heaven, neither is there respect of perfons with him.

10. This confideration fhould preserve us from superstition, or thinking to please or satisfy God, win his favour, or appease his displeasure, by uncouth ways, which he hath not prescribed to all men; to corrupt him by our facrifices and oblations; our flatteries, glozings, colloguings with him; fo that he will indulge us in any bad thing, or excufe us from our true duty, in regard to those affected fervices.

We do herein but abuse ourselves; for he will not ap- Coloff. ii.

Mic. vi. 7,8.

SERM. prove or accept us upon any other account, than of difLXX. charging our duty, being truly righteous and good.

Job xxxi. 4, 6.

Jam. ii. 1,9.
Prov.

11. It is matter of comfort and fatisfaction to a man, who is conscious of his fincerity, that (whatever his condition and circumstances be) God will have a fair regard thereto, and will not reject him.

It was so to Job; Doth not God fee my ways, and count all my steps?Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know my integrity.

12. The confideration of this point should keep us from xxviii. 21. partial refpects of men.

Not to admire the state of great men, nor to yield them undue deferences, (in prejudice to meaner persons, making greater difference than there is ground for,) not Matt. xxii. to flatter or humour them in an immoderate measure, or unbefeeming manner.

Οὐ μέλει σοι

περὶ οὐδενός.

16. Θαυμάζειν πρόσωπα. Jude 16.

Levit. xix.

15.

This is that which St. James doth urge in his fecond chapter, as a very unequal thing.

We fhould imitate God; we fhould consider that our Deut. i. 17. opinions and affections should resemble his.

xvi. 19.

23. xvi. 5.

Prov. xxiv. As in exterior judgment no respect is to be had to the xxviii. 21. rich above the poor; so neither in the interior judgment or esteem of our mind; to which St. James feemeth to Jam. ii. 9. apply the law; If ye have respect to persons, ye commit fin, and are convinced of the law as tranfgreffors.

13. This fhould keep us from envying at those who have more worldly advantages.

14. It fhould keep us from being offended, or scandalized, or perverted into false notions of God, upon occafion of any mysterious points, or hard expreffions importing abfolute and arbitrary proceedings of God, in predestination or providence. For however they are to be understood, they cannot derogate from the impartial goodnefs and justice of God.

15. This confideration fhould engage us readily to pay due refpect and reverence to princes, to magistrates, to all our fuperiors.

For hence we fee, that the reason why we are commanded to honour and fear them, is, not their worldly

grandeur of wealth or power, (things of fmall confidera- SERM. tion with God;) but it standeth on a more folid ground, LXX. their facred relations to God, as his representatives and officers; who in his name and behalf do administer justice, and protect right and innocence, encourage virtue, maintain order and peace in the world.

Though God doth not favour their perfons as rich and mighty; yet he regardeth his own character imprinted on them; he regardeth his honour and intereft concerned in their respect; he regardeth the public good of mankind, which they are conftituted to promote: he confiders them as the minifters of his kingdom, and inftruments of conveying his benefits to mankind.

Whence he giveth falvation to kings; he by his law, and by his providence, doth guard and secure them from violence, from contempt, from disrespect.

In honouring them, we honour the authority of God,

and the character of divinity ftamped on them; we ferve Rom.xiv.4. ourselves, for whofe fake they are constituted, for whose Eis ¿yadón. good they watch.

It may also engage us the more gladly and fully to yield them their due refpect, to confider, that their condition is not invidious, or their cafe better than other men's; feeing they are accountable to God for the advantages of it; seeing that God hath no regard to them upon account of that greatness which dazzleth our eyes; seeing that for all the burdens they fuftain, for all the cares they take, for all the pains they endure, for our good and public fervice, they can receive fo inconfiderable a recompenfe from us.

Finally, it should engage us to be very careful of our ways, and diligent in our obedience; feeing there is no other way poffible of pleafing God, of gaining his favour and friendship, of appeafing his displeasure, of standing upright, and coming off well in his judgment; this is St. Peter's inference, with which I conclude.

If ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons 1 Pet. i, 17. judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your fojourning here in fear.

SERMON LXXI.

THE DOCTRINE OF UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION
ASSERTED AND EXPLAINED.

6.

I TIM. iv. 10.

-The living God; who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe.

SERM. THERE

are two points of doctrine here plainly afferted LXXI. by St. Paul, which I fhall endeavour to explain and to apply: one, that God is the Saviour of all men; another, that he is peculiarly the Saviour of the faithfula. For the firft,

God in many respects may truly be conceived and called the Saviour of all men; for the word fave doth in a large acception denote the conferring any kind of good; as implying a removal of need, or indigence. Whence God Pfal. xxxvi. is the Saviour of all men, as the universal preserver and Old Tranf. upholder of all things in their being and natural state, as and the it is in the Pfalm: Thou, Lord, favest man and beast, or, as the general benefactor, who is good to all, and whofe Pfal. cxlv. mercies are over all his works; who maketh his fun to rife Matt. v. 45. upon the good and bad, rains upon the just and unjust, is Luke vi. 35. kind and benign even to the ungrateful and evil: or, as

LXX. σώσεις,

Οι σώζεις.

9.

the common affiftant, protector, and deliverer of all men, who in need or diftrefs have recourfe unto him for fuccour and relief, according to what is faid in the Pfalms;

• Θεῖ γὰρ πολλῶν ὄντων, ἐφ ̓ οἷς θαυμάζεται, ἐδὲν οὕτως, ὡς τὸ πάντας ενεργε TETY idiάTATOV. Naz. Orat. 26.