I.

any other nation? There are certainly fruits that S ERM. he expects to receive; and therefore we find how express the threatnings are, when these fruits are withheld. Nothing lefs is threatned than the taking of the kingdom of GOD from them, and the giving it to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. Oh the little correfpondency of the hearts and fpirits of men to the defign of the Go1pel! And what a tremendous and melancholy profpect does this afford us!

I SHOULD not be fo afraid of comets and blazing ftars †, nor of all the malice and fubtilty of earth and hell combined together; I should never be afraid of these things, I fay, even though the fubtilty of our enemies was a thousand times greater than it is, if I could but fee fuch a love of the Gospel, joined to the enjoyment of it, as to form the heart and influence the practice. But when I find it is God's way, and exprefs threatning, that where the truth is not loved, there to give them up to strong delufions even to believe a ye, that they might be damned, who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrightoufness", then I confefs, I fear, I tremble.

I KNOW not why we fhould think ourselves exempt from a danger of this kind, when we confider how generally ineffectual the Gospel is among us. Alas! why fhould we expect GoD to be indulgent towards us, in this respect, above VOL. II.

m Math. xx1. 43.

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n 2 Thefs 11. 10, 11, 12.

N. B. The Author here alludes to the famous Comet which appeared in December 1680: and perhaps at the very time when this Sermon was preached.

II.

VOL. all mankind? What have we the Gofpel for, if we never intend our fpirits fhou'd be formed by it? If we have no defign it fhould govern our lives, have not we of this nation reafon to fear, in as much as we do not conform our practice to our religion, that we shall be suffered to conform our religion to our practice? We know there is a religion, too near at hand, that will allow and fquare well enough with the most vicious practice imaginable. Live as loofly as you will and confefs your fins to a prieft, and his abfolution folves all. Surely we have reason to fear left our acting contradictory to the end and design of our religion fhould even lead us to embrace that fottish one of the Church of ROME.

SERM.

SERMON II.

Preached January 23, 1680.

TITUS 1. 16.

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and difobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

'N our last difcourfe we confidered the various reafons and inducements, that lead many perfons to make a profession of religion, even while they are contradicting it in their lives and practice. To which one more might have been added; and that is, they have a foolish thought that by the good they profefs, they fhall fome way or other expiate the badnefs of their conduct. Such a hope as this, as fond as it is, too apparently obtains with a great part of the world. And this I mention, not only as a thing too evident, and confiderable in it felf, but as it moft fitly leads to what I intend in this difcourfe: Which is,

FOURTHLY, To fhew the Vanity of fuch a profeffion, and by confequence the fondness and folly of fuch a hope as is here fpoken of. And in treating on this fubject I fhall fhew, that such a profeffion in perfons of fo immoral a character, fignifies

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VOL. fignifies nothing either to procure them the reII. putation, or the rewards of the religion that they

profefs, or unto which they pretend; I would be understood to say, that it is of no avail to intitle them to the reputation of it amongst men, nor to any reward of it from GOD. These two things we shall distinctly confider.

I. SUCH a blafted, felf-confuted profeffion as this, of which we are fpeaking, is of no fignificancy for fecuring the reputation of being religious amongst men. If it were indeed fo far available as to fecure them fuch a reputation, or to procure them that efteem from men, which is due to those who are in reality, what they profess themfelves to be, that would be but a poor thing, and very little to their fervice. It is a small thing, says the Apostle St. Paul, to be judged by man's judgement. All muft finally stand or fall, by the judgement of a superior Judge, whofe judgement will controul and reverfe all falfe judgements paffed before. Every man must then give an account of himself to GOD. He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, but he is a Few that is one inwardly, whose praise is not of men, but of GOD". If one could never fo effectually recommend one's felf to man, it is not he who commendeth himself, that is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth. And therefore I fhould not think this much worth infifting on, but only with defign to lay the ground of an argument from the less to the greater: That

II.

if fuch a profeffion of religion cannot do that which SER M. is lefs, to wit, intitle one to the reputation of it amongst men; much lefs can it do that which is greater, that is, procure the rewards, which Go D has promised to the conftant and fincere.

WE must understand here, that by fuch evil practices, as can be fuppofed to overthrow a profeffion, and annul the fignificance of it, cannot be meant fuch things as are reasonable to be imputed to the infirmities which are incident to the beft, and confiftent with the most perfect human character: but it must be understood of open hof tilities against Christ and his religion; for doubtlefs the words abominable, and disobedient or unperfuadable, as the word + fignifies, amount to fo much. By the former is to be understood, the heinousness, and groffness of their wickedness; and by the latter, their obftinacy in an evil course. It is true, though the last expreffion the Apostle makes use of in defcribing the perfons whom he cenfures as reprobate to every good work, denotes an evil habit of mind, not always falling under human cognisance and cenfure; yet there is enough in the two former, befides the fymptoms there may be of the latter, to fhew what the men really are. A profeffion therefore, I fay, in men of fuch a character, can fignify nothing, even to this lower purpose, that is, to intitle them to the reputation of religion amongst men. And this will appear from being viewed in feveral lights.

+ ἀπειθεῖς.

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