V I.

SER M. Thus it fhall be when the Body is put off, and the Soul enlarged from it's Prifon. It fhall find itself among Millions of Spirits to which it was a Stranger whilst immersed in Flesh, itself a Kindred Spirit.

2dly, When any wicked Suggestion, into which we are led by no Discourse, without any foregoing Clue of thinking, without any preceding Train of Ideas, arifes in our Minds, we know not how, or from what Quarter, by a fudden Impulse; let us reject it immediately with Abhorrence.

The Scripture never makes it an Excuse, or confiders it as an alleviating Circumftance, that we were feduced by a powerful Tempter; on the contrary, it makes it an Aggravation of the Crime, that we did not difmifs with Abhorrence a Suggestion, which we might reasonably conclude, from the Nature and Tendency of the Thing, proceeded from an evil Spirit. Thus St. Peter rebukes Ananias feverely: Why hath Satan filled thine Heart to lie unto the Holy Ghost?

The Suggestion may indeed arise from the grand Author of Evil, and fo far we are not culpable. But if we cherish and entertain it, we make it our own. The Offfpring might be originally his; but if we adopt it, it becomes our own legitimate Child. And when any good Thought fprings up, let us look upon it as a Beam of Light darting in upon our Minds from

fome

VI.

fome good Angel, or even from the Father SER M. of Lights. Let us improve, cultivate, and ripen it, till it breaks forth into corref pondent Actions.

Laftly, Let us lay it to Heart what a Mifery it must be, to dwell for ever and ever with thofe accurfed Beings, our Tempters here, our Tormentors hereafter; in whom there reigns one genuine Blackness of Malice, without the leaft Beam of Benevolence shed abroad in their Minds: as, on the other Hand, what a Happiness it must be, to have for ever our Converfation with thofe glorified and ennobled Spirits, the immediate Attendants on the Throne of God; bright as the Sun, and numerous as the Stars; in a Place where no Malice, no Rancour, no Pain will find Admittance; but Love unallayed, and the Fullness of Blifs uninterrupted, will reign for ever and ever.

SERMON VII.

Curiofity in unneceflary Matters cenfured and condemned.

SERM.
VII.

JOHN XXI. 22.

If I will, that He tarry till I come, what is that to Thee? Follow Thou me,

TH

HESE Words contain, our Saviour's fignificant Rebuke to St. Peter's curious Inquiry, what would become of that Difciple whom Jefus loved? "If I will that He "live till my coming to the Deftruction of Jerufalem, that does not at all concern you. Your great Concern is to follow "Me; to obey my Precepts, and believe 66 my Doctrines ; all other Knowledge, "but what relates to your Happiness, is

impertinent and vain. That is enough, "without launching out into foreign Inquiries, to engross your Time, and demand your whole Attention."

Indeed it was our Saviour's general
Method when
any curious and unconcerning
Queftion was propofed, inftead of anfwer-

ing it directly, to ftrike off into fome Point
of general Use and Importance that had a
Connection with it. Thus when He was
afked, "Are there few that. be faved?"
Instead of gratifying an idle Curiofity, He
commands them to lay out their Endea-
vour, that they may be of that Number
whatever it be: Strive to enter in at the
ftrait Gate, &c. When the Question was
put to Him: "Who was the greatest in
"the Kingdom of Heaven?" He, inftead
of anfwering them, fet a Child before
them, and told them, that except they had
the Simplicity and Humility of Children,
they should in no wife enter into it. In-
ftances of this Procedure are endlefs; there-
fore I fhall mention only one more;
"Lord,
"did this Man" (whofe Soul we fuppofe
præ-exifted before it entered the Body)
"fin, or His Parents, that He was born
"blind?" Here a Philofopher, full of
Himself, and of His unedifying Notions,
would have been glad of an Opportunity to
have expatiated upon a Speculative Point,
and to have given a decifive Verdict in Favour
of, or against a Præ-existence of Souls:
Our Saviour, who always looked upon fuch
Speculations as foreign to the main Point in
View, leaves the Queftion as He found it,
undetermined; but gives them to under-
ftand, that whatever Evils God fuffered to
take Place upon particular Perfons, they

were

S ER M.

VII.

VII.

SER M. were always productive of fome great and general Good. Neither did this Man fin, nor his Parents; "This Blindness was not ← occafioned either by this Man's Vices, "or his Parent's, but was permitted, that "the Glory of God might be manifested " in Him."

Give me Leave therefore to fhew,

It, The Folly, Abfurdity, and dangerous Confequences of an over-curious Pursuit of Knowledge, any farther than as it relates to Happiness.

IIdly, To confider the Goodness of God in bounding our Knowledge, and shortning our Profpect,

Ift, Our Understanding has it's Boundaries; and when it is arrived at it's full Growth and Height, we cannot, how much Thought foever we may take, add one Cubit to the Size and Stature of it. We may Shorten the Line of our Knowledge, as we may do that of our Lives, by our own Default; but we cannot lengthen the Line of it, any more than we can that of our Lives, beyond the Period affigned by God. The greatest and the leaft Objects equally baffle our Inquiries. Too great and disproportioned an Object embarraffes and overfets the Understanding; too little a one eludes and

efcapes