SERM. World that will be fufficient. No: Follow V. the most useful Calling you can think of, with the utmost Diligence, the ftrictest Honesty, and the highest Honour; yet this, I say, tho' it may gain you Reputation here, will not alone fecure your Happiness hereafter. For the next World has it's proper Business, it's peculiar Employs, as well as this: And unless you mind the one as well as the other, it is impoffible you should ever fucceed in both. You may as well expect to grow rich in this World, by being always at Prayers, or hearing Sermons, or doing Works of Beneficence and Charity only; as you can expect to be happy in the World to come, by minding the Affairs of the present only.

If indeed the Happiness of this World alone will content you; if you think of no Heaven, but what Earth can afford; Why then it is true, Application and Diligence, (fhould God permit them to fucceed, and not awaken you by Disappointments into a Sense of your Mistake) may, it is poffible, procure you that Happiness. But be prevailed on for once, to caft up beforehand the Value of fuch a Happiness, provided you could be fure of it. Call all the Pleasures of the World before you, and afk if any of them can recompence

the Forfeiture of thofe everlafling Felicities, s ER M. which you muft give up for their Sake? Afk, V. if the highest Enjoyments of this World deferve your Affection better, than those of Heaven above? Are they more worthy in themfelves, or beneficial to you; that you can hearken to their Call rather than to your Redeemer's? Do you expect to enjoy them for ever in Quiet, or to be everlaftingly happy by what they can procure? Will they be able to protect you at the Hour of Death? or to plead your Cause at the Day of Judgment? No, no, vain Souls! they do but deceive you with a smiling Look, as you'll find at last by dear Experience. Their Joys and Delights, will in a Moment be pafs'd away, and then will your fhort lived, imaginary Heaven, end in a real, everlasting Hell. So foon will you find true, what you have fo often been told, that, there is another Life to fucceed this, whether you will think it worth your while to fpare Time from this to prepare for it, or not. It is my Duty, however, to be conftantly reminding you, that all the Satisfactions you propofe to yourselves from this World, are deceitful and vain. It is the Heaven above, that muft yield you any true and lafting Content; it is that alone that can fill your Defires.

VOL. III.

K

SERM. Defires. Take then away your Flatteries, V. falfe World, and leave us free for better Thoughts. Thou, Lord, art the Author of all we have, the only Object of all we hope: And therefore, as thou haft prepared a Heaven for us, O may thy Grace prepare us for it! Turn thou, Dear Lord, thy Eyes to us, and with thy Apostle St Matthew, turn and keep our Eyes ftill fixed on thee. 'Tis thee, O gracious and bountiful Saviour, 'tis thee we chufe, and dedicate ourselves to obey thy Call. Thou art our fole and abfolute Lord, be thou our Portion and Affiftance for ever. Do thou,

O Almighty God, who by thy Blessed Son, didft call Matthew from the Receipt of Custom, to be an Apostle and Evangelift; Grant us Grace to forfake all covetous Defires, and inordinate Love of Riches, and to follow the Jame thy Son Jefus Chrift, who liveth and reigneth with thee, and the Holy Ghoft, one God, World without End. Amen.

1

SERMON

SERMON

MON VI.

The Fall of JUDAS, and Election of MATTHIAS.

ACTS i. 23, 24, 25, 26.

And they appointed two, Jofeph called Barfabas (who was furnamed Fuftus) and Matthias. And they prayed and faid, Thou Lord, which knoweft the Hearts of all Men, fhew whether of thefe two thou haft chofen. That he may take Part of the Miniftry and Apostleship, from which Judas by Tranf greffion fell, that he might go to his own Place. And they gave forth their Lots; and the Lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven Apofiles.

W

E this Day commemorate, my good Chriftian Brethren, one of the Heroes of our holy Religion,

an eminent Apoftle, Martyr, and Saint; but one that was called to the firft of thofe Dig

SER M. nities, not immediately by our Lord himself, VI. whilft he was converfant in the Flesh, but fubftituted in the room of one of the original Apoftles, partly by the Election of the rest of the College, and partly by the Influence and Determination of the Spirit's guiding, directing, and clofing the Apoftles Choice. A particular Account of the whole Tranfaction has been read to you, in the Portion of Scripture appointed for the Epiftle for the Day; part of which, I have now read again for my Text: In which you have heard, that after St Peter had in a full Affembly notified the Fall and Death of Judas, and the Neceffity there was, that his Vacancy fhould be fupplied by another chofen out of the Difciples to fill his Room, the Church, in pursuance of what Peter had moved, appointed two, &c. as in the Text to the end of ver. 25. And after the Prayer they gave forth their Lots; and the Lot fell upon Matthias: And he was numbered with the eleven Apoftles.

This is the Scripture, and this the Story, which this Day's Service calls to our Thoughts: And to give it a proper and due Confideration, I propose to speak to it in the following Order.

I. First,