part) were not at all requir'd by Almighty GOD, but they of their own accord both made 'em their Practice, and impos'd 'em as necessary Duties on the People, while at the same time they neglected those greater and weightier Things that He strictly enjoyn'd; as Our Blessed Saviour observ'd to them, and upbraided them withal, telling them plainly, That all they did was not out of pure Love to GOD, and Goodwill to their Neighbours, but out of a conceited Pride and Self endedness, viz. To be regarded and rewarded by Men. That was Their Righteousness, which must be far exceeded and out done by Ours. And to shew how this might be done, I laid down,

III. Some Directions for the Practice of true Religion and Virtue; shewing on the one hand, the great Benefits and Advantages resulting there-from; and on the other hand, What the Nominal Christian (that is, the meer outward Professor of Christianity) may justly expect; whose Righteousness does not exceed, but even comes short of, or at best is like to, that of the Pharisees. Such a false Christian, such an Hypocrite, as he is no true Member of Christ, and consequently has no Share in the State of Grace; so neither can he have any just Reason to hope, he may ever be admitted into the State of Glory: For (saith Christ in the Text) Except your Righteousness shall exceed - &c. Which important Doctrine to inculcate and imprint (if possible) on the Minds of my Auditors then, and Readers now, I drew these Inferences from what was said upon the Text.

1. That from the Drift and Scope of the Christian Religion, we may infer, That we Christians ought to wea our Affections from this Wicked World, and raise them to those excellent Things that are above; the Contemplation of which should lessen in our Esteem, all the Pleasure, Grandeur, and Glory of this lower Orb.

2. That as we are taught by the Christian Religion to love GOD above all things, and Our Neighbour as our selves, so ought we carefully to discharge all Religious Service to Him, on Whom our Life and Happiness entirely depend; doing justly, loving Mercy, and walking humbly with our GOD: as the Prophet speaks, Mic. 6. 8.

3. That when we are under any Trouble or Affliction, there is nothing that can so properly and so effectually comfort us, and give true Joy, Repose, and Tranquillity to our Minds, as the Christian Religion both can and does; it being calculated to set us above the Concerns and beyond the reach of all the Accidents and Calamities of this unquiet World, and to promote our Chiefest Good.

4. That from the Nature of the Christian Religion and the Service it enjoins, we may infer, That as GOD has made our Duty to Him profitable and comfortable to us, and agreeable to our Circumstances and Abilities, so He expects that we should chearfully and heartily perform it. For,

5. That in all our Performances of Christian Duties we ought to be true and sincere, and not as the Pharisees of Old were, whose Hypocrisy and Superficial Devotion we find so much and so severely reprov'd by Our Blessed Saviour in his Gospel.

6. That as we Christians make Profession of the Gospel, so it is expected we should have the Life and Spirit of it in our Souls, and manifest it in our Lives and Conversations; being thereby directed to