leaft Commandments, and teach Men fo, &c. In order to be excluded from the Kingdom of Heaven, it is not neceffary a Man fhould get into a Pulpit, and there proclaim that it is lawful to lie, to cheat, to defraud, to fing filthy Songs, to break obfcene Jefts, to hate our Neighbour, or to return Evil for Evil; this needs not: Thy Actions, Christian! spread the Poison, and teach the next Man thou meeteft withal, to do as thou doeft; for in break÷ ing fuch a known Command of the Gospel, and being unconcerned, What can thy fellow Chri stian think, but that thou approveft of it? And, fuppofing thou approveft of it, if the Grace of God reftrains him not, he foon begins to think,that what is lawful for thee, may be lawful for him; and thus he learns of thee, though thou doeft not open thy Lips to him. There are few Men fo bold, as in their Words, and Speeches, to defend and juftify things directly contrary to the Will of God in the Gofpel, but you do mifchief enough to the Souls of Men, by your evil Practices. The Mutes, among the Turks, teach by their Gestures much more may Men be taught by Actions; especially where there is already a Difpofition to embrace that which is Evil. Phyficians and Naturalifts talk of transplanting Diseases from Men into Beafts; nay, fome go fo far, as to prefcribe ways to transfer Diftempers from Men into Herbs and Plants. Whether it be fo, I enquire not; but fure I am, that the Difeafes of the Soul are, and may be transplanted and conveyed from one Man to another, even

by

by evil Practices; and this is teaching and making Profelytes to Hell, and to the Kingdom of Darkness, the readieft way to be excluded from the Kingdom of Heaven; which will give me occafion,

IV. To represent to you, what it is to be the least, or to be excluded from the Kingdom of Heaven. Fancy you faw a poor miferable Man starving with hunger, and fo placed, that directly over against him he could fee the richeft Banquet, the most delicate Dishes, huge plenty of Victuals of all forts, the Company eating their fill, and fatiating themselves with all the Variety that Earth, and Sea, and Air can yield; and the poor Wretch that is over against this Company, but a few paces removed from them, unable to get the leaft Morfel of Bread, ready to tear his own Flefh from off his Shoulders; and yet in an utter impoffi bility to get fo much as the Crums that fall from thofe Rich Mens Tables. Do not you' think this would be as great a Torment as can well be imagined? Why, this is the Emblem of being the least, or excluded from the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Soul, that is fo unhappy as to mifs of it, will fee Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his Bofom, be ready to perifh, ready to burft; fee all the Glory and Joy of blessed Creatures before his Eyes, the Delicates, the Dainties, the Pleasures, the Festivals, the rich Entertainments they enjoy and fwim in, paffing before him, and yet not able to touch, not able to G g4 reach

reach the leaft Extremity of all, though his Soul be big with ten thousand defires after them. What a Torment, what a Plague, what a Vexation must this be? What Grief, what Sorrow, what Anguish must this caufe? And if this muft continue to Eternal Ages, what Tongue is able to exprefs the Torment?

And can you after all this, call any of the Commandments of the Gospel little ones, and break them, and pafs by them as if they did not belong to you; and tempt others to do fo too, when this is the high way to be excluded from the Kingdon of Heaven? But

V. Are there no Ambitious Men here? Are there none among you that defire to be Great? Have none of you a mind to be prefer'd and exalted to eminent Places? You must be either yery mortified, or very dull, if Greatnefs can make no Impreffion upon you. Preferment! What is there that is more hunted after? How do many break their Sleep, and fall into Difcontent, and Vexation, because they cannot be advanced? What waiting at Court? What cringing, what bowing to Great Men? What running to this Friend,and to th' other Friend? what Flattery, what Diffembling, what Compliances are used, and all to be Great?

Behold! We can tell you a way to be Great; greater than Cafar, or Pompey, or Alexander; greater than all the Kings or Rulers of the Earth. Great! Where? Not at Court, not in the Camp, or Army: Not in Church-Dignities or Preferments; but great in the King

dom

dom of Heaven. And is not the Kingdom of Heaven a more lofty, and more fpacious Empire than the whole Roman Monarchy, in all its greatest Extent and Glory? It's true, we cannot fhew you this Kingdom, we cannot make it visible to your Eyes; but we can tell you that St. Paul faw it, and Christ did enter into it; and he that hath power to dispose of all the Glories of it, hath fent us to tell you, That you may be great, and he'll make you fo; great as Angels,great as the Worthies of God; greater than Kings, greater than all the Princes of the Earth; greater than all the proud things which make fo great a noife in the World now; and all this, if you will clofe with his Defires; and both do, and teach the Commandments Chrift recommends to in his famous Sermon.

Little they may feem, and contemptible they may appear in the Eyes of the Men that have their portion in this Life. But as little as they may feem to be, your Confcientious and Impartial Refpect to them all, to the least as well as to the greateft, fhall exalt you; exalt you far above all the Glory and Splendor of this World; raife you from the Dunghil, take you out of the Duft, and fet you with Princes, even with the Princes of God's People. If you are great already, this fhall make you greater.

Lay up therefore thefe Commandments in your Hearts,and in your Souls; bind them for a Sign upon your Hands; let them beas Fronttets between your Eyes; teach them your Chil

dren;

dren; fpeak of them when you fit in your Houfes, and when you walk by the way; when you lie down, and when you rife up: Affure all thofe you Converfe with, that these Commandments are Life, and Peace, and Rational, and Equitable, and Juft, and Neceffary, and Health to the Soul; Foretafts of Happiness, and Prefaces to an endless Glory. Thus do, and thus teach; Teach by your Discourses; teach by your Actions; teach by your Example: So Noah taught the unbelieving World, by building an Ark, to the faving of his House, to fave themselves from the Wrath to come: So do you, and build upon the Word of the Son of God, That you fhall be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

SER

1