THE Words are a kind of Pro­verbial Expression, with which our Blessed Saviour very Mat. xi.15 —xiii.9.43. Mat vii.16 Luk. xiv.35, &c. fre­quently concludes his Discourses to his [Page 2] Disciples, the more to engage them to a just Attention to, and Consideration of that holy Gospel which he delivered unto them: And the import whereof we can­not better learn, than from that excel­lent Parable to which they are here sub­join'd.

A Sower went out to sow his Seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way-side, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it: And some fell upon a Rock, and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture: And some fell among Thorns, and the Thorns sprang up with it, and choaked it: And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundred-fold: And when he had said these things, he cried, ‘He that hath Ears to hear, let him hear.’

In which Parable our Blessed Saviour sets forth to us the different success which his Gospel then did, and would ever after be likely to meet with, accord­ing to the different dispositions of those to whom it was Preach'd.

It is indeed an uncomfortable Refle­ction, and, I think I may say one of the greatest discouragements we labour [Page 3] under, in the discharge of our Ministry, to consider how very little benefit, for the most part, all our Endeavours have upon the minds of those to whom we declare the Gospel of Christ. That after all we can do, 2 Cor. v.11. either by the Goodness or Terrors of the Lord to perswade men, yet scarce a fourth part brings any fruit at all to perfection, and even those too in a ve­ry small measure. Some few perhaps there are, who produce a little increase; they hear the word, and consider their duty, and return it thirty-fold in Piety and Good works: But for the sixty, and the hundred-fold, scarce any there are, Mat. xiii.8. that ever arrive at this pitch, or but give us any great cause to hope, that ever they will come up to it.

Instead of fruitless Complaints in a matter of so great consequence both to our Ministry, and to your Salvation, I shall make it my endeavour on this occasion, both for the happier prosecution of my own Duty, and, if it may please God, for the greater benefit of your Souls, plainly to lay before you the cause of this: By resolving it, as both the Autho­rity of our Saviour, and the natural rea­son of the thing its self require I should, into the general indisposition of Men to [Page 4] receive the Gospel. We now, as the Sower in the Parable, scatter the same Seed on all the parts of the Field indifferently: We desire that every one should yield a suitable increase. What can possibly be the cause of that strange variety we find in the product, that one part should bring forth a plentiful crop of Faith and Good works; another either none at all, or but a very small one in comparison, but only this, That the Ground is in some better prepared to receive the Seed than it is in others, and therefore brings forth the Fruit accordingly.

This is the plain design both of the Pa­rable before mentioned, and of that Ex­hortation with which our Saviour here concludes it in the words of the Text, ‘He that hath Ears to hear, let him hear.’

In my Discourse upon which words, that I may pursue the same Method which our Blessed Lord did in his Parable, I will

I. Show you what sort of Hearers they are, to whom the Word is in vain spoken; who are not like­ly to benefit themselves by our Preaching. And

[Page 5]II. Will offer some Rules for the di­sposing of your Souls in such a manner, that by the Grace of God you may be fit to receive benefit by it.

I. I am to show what kind of Hear­ers they are, to whom the Word is in vain spoken, who are not like­ly to benefit themselves by our Preaching.

In pursuance of which Point, I should be infinite should I insist particularly on all those indispositions that are apt to render a man an unprofitable Hearer of Divine Truth. I will reduce this first sort of Auditors to as few Generals as I can, and that with all the freedom and plainness, that both the Nature and End of such an Undertaking require.

1. And the first that I shall mention, is, The Careless Hearer.

It is the misfortune of too many, in the Church of Christ, 2 Tim. iii.5. that in St. Paul's Character, they have a form of Godliness, but are little acquainted with the Power of it. They come to our Assemblies, and hear our Discourses, and for the time are very much affected with them: But they go away, and presently they forget [Page 6] what they heard; their Holy Affections are scattered as a morning Cloud, they grow cold and indifferent as they were before; nor much concern themselves with any farther thoughts of Religion, till the next Sunday comes, and another Sermon again puts them in mind of it. As if the end of all our Preaching were only to make the Service a little the more solemn; to entertain them an hour extraordinary in the Church; and if they did but sit out that, with any tolerable Attention, they had then discharged their duty, they had done all that was required of them.

To such Auditors as these, I would on­ly beg leave to remonstrate how unrea­sonable such a negligence as this is; and of what a dangerous consequence it will most certainly prove to them in the end. Our Discourses in these Places, all of them I am sure should be, and I believe for the most part are, either Explicati­ons of that Duty which God requires of us, or Exhortations to fulfil it; or else to shew the danger and baseness of those Temptati [...]ns, that most usually draw men aside from it. Now all these natu­rally imply an obligation on the part of those that hear us, to do somewhat in [Page 7] pursuance of these instructions: Either to fulfil this Duty, or to fly those sins that are contrary to it; or to watch and arm themselves against those Temptati­ons which they are forewarn'd will other­wise be apt to seduce them from it. And if they neglect to do this, they will be much more inexcusable, than if they had never been instructed by us: What our Saviour once said of the Jews with re­ference to his Preaching, will be found as true now, with respect to ours: If I had not come and spoken unto them, Joh. xv.22. they had not had sin; but now they have no cloak for their sin.

It is not in discourses of this kind as in other ordinary addresses that are some­times made to us: which if they do but afford us some agreeable entertainment for the present, we have our desire; and though we afterwards never trouble our selves with any farther thoughts of them, yet we run no great hazard, nor it may be sustain any Loss by our neg­lect of them.

But when we tell you your Duty, and lay before you the Doctrine by which you are to be Saved, the Case is much otherwise. We speak as the Com­missioners of God; and as the Ambassa­dors [Page 8] of Christ we beseech you to be re­conciled unto Him. The words which we deliver unto you, they are not our own, but His that sent us: they are the rules and measures by which you ought to live, and by your neglect or obser­vance whereof, you must preserve or lose your Souls to all Eternity. The light esteem of what we say, do not mi­stake, it reflects not upon us, but on him whose Ministers we are; whose Gospel we preach, and whose Goodness we set forth, and who therefore will one day call you to a severe account for that lit­tle regard you now shew of what we de­liver unto you. But

2 dly. A second sort of Hearers, who reap but little benefit by all our discourses are, The Curious Hearers.

For such there still are in our days, as well as we read there were heretofore in the Apostles; Who hold mens Persons in Admiration, and esteem the Gospel of Christ more according to the Preachers Eloquence, than its own Authority. One is of Paul, 1 Cor. i.12. another of Apollos, and a third of Cephas; As if the business of our Preach­ing were to please their Fancies, not to instruct their Minds and to reform their Manners; and that simplicity which was [Page 9] once the Glory of the Gospel, —Ib. ver· 17, 18, 19· and 2 Cor. iv.13. were now to be esteem'd the scandal of its Ministers.

Hence it is that so many of our Audi­tors, instead of coming to our discourses as they ought, to hear their Duty, and confirm their Faith, and encrease their Piety, come rather to observe, and cen­sure; The application they make, is not to enter into their Closets, and Meditate upon what they have Heard, and consi­der how they may benefit their Souls by it; and then to beg the assistance of God's Grace to enable them so to do; But to Applaud or Despise the Preacher, according as he has had the Fortune to be liked or disliked by them. There is hardly any defect in the Preacher so small, that is not enough to distast them against the very Doctrine that is delivered: And be the Duty never so clearly and so­lidly established, yet if the Method be not exact, the Style correct, the Subject such as they approve; the Voice, the Action, nay and sometimes the very Look of him that speaks to them, agreeable to their Fancies, all is spoiled, and they are not Edi­fied.

But alas! Who is Paul, 2 Cor. iv.5. or who is A­pollos, or who is Cephas? Are we not all the Ministers of Christ, and your Ser­vants [Page 10] for Jesus sake? Do we not all Preach to you the same common Salvati­on? Is it not the same Gospel that is de­livered by every one of us? What if we have not all of us the same accidental ad­vantages? If another speak to you with more Ornament and Eloquence? Must therefore my Weakness, render the Gos­pel of Christ Contemptible?

I would to God, for your sakes, we were all such as you desire. That we could every one of us not only instruct, but please you too to Edification; 1 Cor. ix.22. that so by any means, if it were possible, we might gain some of you. But yet, in the words of St. Paul, give me leave freely to say of this Curiosity, That verily there is a fault among you. 1 Cor. vi.7. And what wonder if you do not reap that real Ad­vantage we could wish from our instru­ctions, when alas! it is not That you look after: You come with curiosity to gratify an itching Ear, 2 Tim. iv.3. not with true Hu­mility, to increase your Knowledge, and improve your Piety. But,

3 dly, A third sort of Hearers to be considered in this place are, The Carnal and Sensual Hearers: Men, who in their wills and desires are utter Enemies to the Practice of Christianity, however they [Page 11] sometimes comes to be hearers of it.

But as the Great Philosopher hereto­fore when he opened his School of Morali­ty, and began his Lectures with the same reflections I am now making, ex­cluded all vicious and even young men from his Auditory; Aristot. Eth. Nic. lib. 1. c. 1. Esteeming it in vain for him to spend his time in instructing those who were either already engaged in a Course of Sin, or otherwise by the bent and heat of their Age strongly inclined and tempted to it: So may I certainly, with much greater reason, say with refe­rence to our Gospel, That to such as these, all our Addresses will signify but very little. Nor can we reasonably expect men should become such Proficients as we desire, by our exhortations to Piety, till they will begin seriously to dispose their minds to the practice of it.

To preach to a soft Voluptuary, the severe Doctrines of Mortification, and Self-denyal; to an Angry and Impatient Spirit, to bear Injuries, Rom. xii.17. Mat. v.44. Luke xi.41. — xvi.9. not to recompence to any Evil for Evil; to forgive, nay, to love his Enemies: To the Covetous Mi­ser, to Give Alms of such things as he has; and make himself friends in Heaven, by the wise distribution of his unrighteous Mammon upon Earth; what is this but [Page 12] to plow the sand: to sow your seed upon the water? They look upon the Doctrine to be senseless and unreasonable, and the Gospel of Christ foolishness indeed, 1 Co. i.18, 21, 23, 25. if it ex­pects they should obey such kind of Pre­cepts as these.

What therefore our Blessed Saviour once said with reference to his own preaching, I must here beg leave to ap­ply to ours: If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, John vii.17. or whether I speak of my self. If any man will do God's will; if he will sin­cerely resolve to apply himself to the practice of Religion, then he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether we speak of our selves: He shall be fit and prepared to judge of what we speak, whether they are our own words, or the Gospel of Christ, and the Words of Eternal Salvation, that we deliver unto you. Luke viii.14. But till these thorns are first rooted out; ( i. e.) according to the explica­tion which our Saviour gives us in this very Parable; till men have overcome their affections to the Cares, the Plea­sures, the Riches of this World, 'tis in vain to expect that any thing we can say should be able to prevail with them to bring forth fruit unto perfection, Ib. and such [Page 13] as may carry them to everlasting Happi­ness in the next. But,

4 thly, And to close this first point; A fourth sort of Hearers there are, who profit nothing by our preaching, and those yet worse than any I have hitherto men­tion'd, viz. the Malicious Hearers.

A sort of Men, who come to our Churches now, as the Scribes and Phari­sees were wont sometimes to do to our Saviour's Discourses, not to improve themselves, but, if they can, Mat. xxii.15. to intangle us in our Talk.

I shall not need to say, that such Au­ditors as these are not likely to be much benefited by what they Hear. This is not what themselves aim at: their busi­ness is only to find faults, to lie in wait for any thing that they may but be able to make an ill use of, and like to some venemous Creatures, to suck poison out of the most wholsome Flowers. If a word, or an expression chance to fall from the Preacher which they think for their pur­pose, that is sure to be turn'd and scann'd to the uttermost: And though the mean­ing was never so innocent, yet 'tis great odds but by a false conjunction of things with one another, by a convenient alte­ration, and an uncharitable representa­tion, [Page 14] it shall be set forth to the World as some heinous Crime.

And were they always our Open Ene­mies that did this, we should have the less reason to complain of them. We know their Principles, and what a liber­ty it is their Religion gives them, by any means to defame and abuse those whom their Church thinks fit to put the greatest abuse of all upon, in calling them Here­ticks. But for men pretending to be our Friends, and our Brethren, to do the same thing; to bow the knee, and cry, Hail Master, and betray us, this is a piece of treachery that we cannot chuse but la­ment, and heartily beseech God may never be laid to their charge.

I shall not much labour to correct such Auditors, by shewing how mean and scandalous such a practice is: How contrary not only to all the rules of Re­ligion, but even of common Honesty and Humanity. No, rather let them come and search us with all their industry; What is their Sin, will be our Justifica­tion. Nor could we desire any thing bet­ter, were it not in charity to their Souls, than by defying even malice it self to find any just cause of Exception against us, to manifest the more clearly to the [Page 15] World the Innocency and Excellency of our Holy Religion.

There is nothing here done or said, but what we could be glad all the World were conscious of. We have no mystery of Iniquity to palliate, or to conceal. Our Religion and our Selves are every­where the same. What we preach to you in the Pulpit, we speak to you in private; and, if occasion be, we publish it to all the World. Our Sermons, our Writings, our Conversation, are all of a piece. We have not one Doctrine to whisper to those that are initiated, and another to seduce those that are not.

It is not therefore for our own sakes, that we complain of this fault in any of our Auditors. Were that the motive, could we be so wicked as to deliver any thing to you in God's name, and as his Gospel, that we fear'd all the World should be­come privy to, yet were it sufficient to know what kind of Hearers we some­times have, Mat. x.16. to make us at least Wise as Serpents, if not Harmless as Doves. But though we are therefore sufficiently se­cure as to our own Innocence, yet we cannot but be concern'd for our Bre­threns sin. And beseech them, that they will at last be so kind to their own Souls [Page 16] as to consider how great the danger and sinfulness of such Hearing is; what a dishonour it brings to our Holy Religion, what a stop it puts to their Edification now, and how fatally ruinous it will fi­nally prove to their everlasting Salvation hereafter.

But it is time for me to go on to the other part of this Discourse; that so ha­ving hitherto discover'd what the gene­ral Faults of our Hearers are, that so much indispose them to receive that benefit they ought by our preaching, I may now shew

II dly, What Qualifications are requi­red in such a One as will profit himself by these kind of Instru­ctions.

Many are the Qualifications of this kind that might be offer'd; but I think the principal of them may be very well reduced to these four, and which I shall therefore particularly consider: viz. That he who will dispose Himself to be­come a profitable Hearer of these Holy Instructions, must

• [Page 17]1 st, Be Pious.
• 2 dly, Docile.
• 3 dly, Diligent. And
• 4 thly, Earnest in his Prayers to God Almighty, to bless his Word to him, and to teach him to profit by it.

1 st, He must be Pious.

This, I have before observed, Andronic. Rhod. Par. Eth. Nic. l. 1. cap. 4. the very Philosophers required in the Auditors of their Morality: and sure it will be then so much the more necessary in our Hearers, by how much the Rules and Precepts of the Christian Religion are higher, and more repugnant to the sin­ful Lusts and Interests of Men, than what they taught.

Hence we find our Saviour Christ Him­self to have resolved the Cause of the in­fidelity of the Jews into the indisposition of their Hearts, for want of probity and goodness to receive his Gospel. They were engaged in a Course of Pride and Vain glory; they courted the praise and applauses of the People, and they could not endure to hearken to a Religion that would not sup­port their vanity, nor preserve to them the Respect and Honour of the World, which they valued more than the Praise and [Page 18] Glory of God. Jo. v.44. How can ye believe (says he) that receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that com­eth from God only? John v.44. And again, ch. xii ^th. the Holy Apostle tells us, Jo. xii.42, 43. That among the chief rulers also many believed on Christ, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the Praise of Men, more than the Praise of God. And in general, our Saviour Christ says, Jo. viii.47. ch. viii. He that is of God, heareth God's words; ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. Where we find not only the true Character of him who will be a profitable hearer of God's word, viz. that he must be of God, as that Phrase is opposed to what our Saviour had just before said of those men, ver. 44. That they were of their father the devil, and followed the lusts of him; i. e. He must be an honest and upright man, en­dued with such a Probity and Sincerity as becomes a Child of God; but also the reason why others are not qualified to receive the Gospel, viz. That they are of a temper of mind averse from holy things, and therefore not fit to profit themselves by the hearing of them: Ye therefore hear them not, because ye are [Page 19] not of God. And St. John himself in his 1 st Epistle, 1 Joh. iv. ver. 6. col. cum vers. 4, 5. iv.6. gives the same for the reason why their Preaching, as well as Christ's, had so little effect upon some Men; We are of God: He that knoweth God, heareth us; he that is not of God, heareth not us.

And indeed, how can it possibly be, that a man who is not inclined to Piety himself, should be a fit Auditor of a Gos­pel, whose great end it is to promote it?

1 st. He is averse to it; he has no re­lish of what is spoken, nor can endure to hear his Lusts and Affections, his belo­ved Vices, and darling Sins set forth as things that must either be abandoned here, or they will render him for ever miserable. And therefore our Saviour in the same St. John, tells us, John iii.19, &c. that this shall be one part of the worlds condemna­tion, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, be­cause their deeds were evil. For every one that doth evil, hateth the light, nei­ther cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

2 dly. All the Arguments that can be offered for such a one's conviction, stick not at all upon him; they are as unsui­table to his apprehension, as if you [Page 20] would feed a Lion with Hay, or enter­tain an Ass with a Theorem. He has no sense of their force, nor is therefore at all like to be perswaded by them.

To talk to a viciously inclined man, of the baseness and odiousness of his sins, what is this, but in his opinion to argue against his sense and experience? To re­present to him the reasonableness, the pleasure, and comfort of living well, what is it else, but to maintain a Para­dox, and shew a great deal of Skill, only to demonstrate how much may be said for the most incredible things? Heaven is a place which cannot raise his desires, who has not thoughts purified enough to be in love with innocent and spiritual delights. The pleasures of those happy Regions are not suited to the sensual ap­prehensions of such men, as know no attractives, but those of a Mahumetan Paradise: And Hell it self, tho the most formidable consideration of any, yet such as for that very reason, he will be sure to put as far from him as he can; and either fancy that perhaps there is no such place, or if there be, yet ho [...]e it will be time enough hereafter to p [...]o­vide for the escaping of it.

[Page 21]3. And then lastly, for that which is the great end of all religious instructi­ons, the Practice of Piety, and without which, all our knowledg in the Mystery of Godliness will be in vain; this is what such a one is yet more indisposed to, than all the rest. There are many in the world, who can be content to applaud the reasonableness of Piety and Virtue, and will allow of all that we can say in praise of it, that yet when it comes to the trial, cannot endure to put it in pra­ctice. Like the Ground over-run with Thorns in the Parable, they receive the Word with gladness, but the Cares of the world, and the Pleasures of life, choak the seed, so that they seldom bring forth any Fruit unto perfection.

It is therefore absolutely necessary, that he who will be a fit Disciple for the school of Christ, should first dispose himself by a Probity and Integrity of mind, to be willing to follow his Instructions. That he labour sincerely to have a Conscience void of offence, both to­wards God, and towards man. Acts xxiv 16. That he come to our Religious Exercises with a Pious Mind, not to please his Fancy, or gratifie his Curiosity, but to learn true Wisdom, and that in order to Practice. [Page 22] Instead of considering how the Discourse is managed, whether the Preacher per­forms his part as he expected he should, he must employ his Thoughts on more substantial Meditations: In what particu­lar especially the Disc [...]urse came up to his own condition, and how he may best apply it thereunto. If any Vice were re­proved, whether his own Sin be not concerned in it. If any Duty explain'd or encouraged, whether that were not directed by God, to inform his Know­ledg, or to reprove his remissness. If it set forth any of the great Mysteries of our Redemption, or the Glories of Hea­ven, and what we must do to attain to them; to remember that in all these things, God calls upon us to acknow­ledg his Power, and to celebrate his Goodness, who has sent so wonderful and gracious a salvation to us.

This is the true way whereby the Pious Christian may profit himself, even by the meanest of our Discourses; but without such a disposition to receive In­struction, the best seed will in vain be cast away upon us.

2 dly. The next qualification required in a Christian Auditor, as well as in all others, is, That he be Docile.

[Page 23]By which I do not mean, Endued with quick Parts and Abilities to learn; that is the Gift of God, and which sometimes may do more harm than good; but I mean, that he be desirous of Instructi­on, and to that end prepared with such a temper and disposition of mind, as to be willing and ready to pursue the means of it. And to this end more particu­larly,

1 st. That he be Humble, i. e. neither vainly conceited of himself, as if he had no need of instruction; nor esteeming himself to be too great to receive it, even from the meanest Preacher.

There is nothing in the world so great an Enemy to our Proficiency in any thing, as Pride: When men look upon themselves as too great to learn, and as such, neglect and despise the means of Instruction. Indeed I am not so vain, as to think that we are not many times called to speak to those who are much fitter to become our Teachers. But yet neither can I so far undervalue the Go­spel of Christ, which we deliver unto you, as to believe there is ordinarily any Sermon so mean and despicable, but that an humble mind might have profited by it, and have found somewhat at least to [Page 24] exercise his Charity and his Patience, if not to excite his Zeal, and improve his Knowledg.

2. A second thing required to this Do­cility, is, That a man be free from Pas­sion ▪

This disturbs the mind, and blinds the reason, and hinders many times the best Doctrine from producing any suitable ef­fects upon us.

Those who are subject to the com­mand of their own affections, judg more according to the inclinations of them, than to the dictates of right reason. He that espouses a Party or Interest▪ that loves an Opinion, and desires it should be true, easily approves of whatsoever does but seem to make for it; and rejects, almost at all adventures, whatsoever ap­pears against it. How does the Hope and Desire of Honour, or Favour, or Fortune in the World, carry men away to the vilest things for the prosecution of it? And so all the other Passions of the mind; whether it be fear or pleasure, or whatever else be the affection that rules us, they hinder the reason from judging aright, and weighing impartially what is delivered to us; and 'tis great odds, but such an Auditor receives or condemns [Page 25] the Doctrine of Christ, not according as the Authority of Holy Sripture, and the Evidence of right reason require he should, but as his own Passions and In­clinations prompt him to do.

3. A Third thing required to Docili­ty is; That a man be free from Prejudice.

He that will advance any thing in the finding out of Truth, must bring to it that Travellers indifference which the Heathen so long since recommended to the World▪ He must not desire it should lie on the one side rather than the other, lest his desire that it should, prompt him without just reason to believe that it does.

And so in Religion too: He that will make a right judgment, what to believe, or what to Practice, must first throw off all prejudice in favour of his own O­pinion, or against any others: And re­solve never to be so tied up to any Point or Party, as not to be at all times rea­dy impartially to examine whatsoever can reasonably be objected against ei­ther.

How far the want of this does at this day divide the Church of Christ, I would to God, we had not too great reason on [Page 26] all sides to complain. There are many among us so strangely engaged by false principles to an ill cause, that 'tis in vain to offer them the clearest Arguments to convince them.

If you bring them Scripture, 'tis true that must be heard, but then be it never so plain they are not competent Judges of the Meaning of it: and they durst not trust their own Interpretation to tell them that Abraham begat Isaac, if the Church should think fit to expound it otherwise. For such and so plain are many of those passages that we alledg against them, to shew their corruptions in a great part of those things wherein they differ from us.

If you offer them Reason, as clear as the plainest Demonstration; why, that were well: But still Private Reason may Err, and the Church cannot.

Convince them by their Senses, which one would think should convince any body; Desire them to consult the Ver­dict of their own Eyes, and Mouths, and Noses, and Feeling: 'tis no purpose, the Senses may deceive them, but the Church cannot.

Thus have they suffer'd themselves to be conjured into a Circle out of which [Page 27] 'tis impossible ever to Retreive them. Sense, Reason, Scripture, All are of no force against this one Prejudice of their Churches Authority; though at the same time they know not either what the Church is to whom Christ Promises are made, nor where to find it, nor what it has decided, nor wherefore they at all Adventures attribute to their own the Ti­tle of the only true Church.

Such Hearers as these, are Unteach­able, and Unprofitable: And we ought certainly by their Example to beware of such an indisposition as is able to lead men into so strange a Slavery; and make them believe they are never more in the Right, than when they have put them­selves out of a Capacity of ever being so upon any Certain grounds, and other­wise than by meer Chance.

4. A Fourth and last thing required to Docility, is a freedom from Obsti­nacy.

This is a disposition for the most part consequent upon that I the last mentio­ned, and such as wherever it is found, renders a man utterly incompetent to re­ceive any benefit by the best instruction, It is called by St. Paul [...], Rom. i.28. a reprobate mind, Rom. i.28. a mind void [Page 28] of judgment. When men resolve they will not be instructed, but affect igno­rance; and either to keep up a faction, or to serve their present Interests, or to indulge themselves the more freely in their sins, flee both the means and the desire of knowledge.

And this, or somewhat like it, is a­gain the Case of those of the other Com­munion. Who not content with the Pre­judices I before mention'd in favour of themselves and their own Opinions: do moreover engage their proselites by a most Solemn Oath, See Pon­tif. R. Or­do ad re­concil. Haer. never upon any ac­count, or by any Argument whatsoever, to be drawn out of those Errors in which they have engaged them.

Such then is the Nature, and these the Vices that are to be avoided by us, in order to the second Qualification required in a Christian Auditor, viz. Docility.

3. The next I mention'd was, That he must be Diligent.

By which I mean, not only a care­fulness to attend upon all the publick means of instruction which God is pleased to afford us; but yet much more, to ap­ply those means to a right and due End. To be sedulous and diligent in embra­cing the Opportunities of hearing, is in­deed [Page 29] very commendable, and the duty of every Christian; but yet if his dili­gence stop here, he may for all that reap but little benefit by all his Care. He that will be truly sedulous, as he ought to be, Let him,

1 st. When he comes to these Holy Exercises, be very careful that he attend with all his Soul to what is deliver'd; But especially if any thing chance to be spoken in which his Conscience tells him that he was either altogether Ignorant before, or not sufficiently instructed in it.

2 dly, When he has done this, Let him be careful to take the first opportu­nity to retire within himself, and call to remembrance the things that he has Heard: And either by writing, or some other way let him provide for the future preservation of it. But especially,

3 dly, Let him employ his utmost dili­gence in the Practice of what he hears: Let him consider that this is the great end to which all his Knowledge in the Mystery of Godliness is to be referr'd: And that without this, he shall become but the more inexcusable for all the rest; For he who knows his Master's will, Luke xii.47. and does it not, shall be beaten with many stripes.

[Page 30]It was for this that God sent his Son to Preach his Gospel to the World; And 'tis for this that we still are commission'd by him to declare to you your duty, and press you with the strongest Argu­ments, the Hopes and Terrors of Eter­nity, to be careful and sedulous in the performance of it. The End of Christia­nity was not to puff us up, but to Edifie us: To make us Better rather than more Knowing, and more Knowing only that we may be Better. They are not the Hea­rers of the Word that shall be justified before God, but the doers of it. It is but a half Diligence that carries men to Learn their Duty; He is the truly Sedulous Christian indeed who both seeks with all earnestness to know what God re­quires of Him, and then as carefully endeavours to put it in practice.

Now to this end, and to conclude all,

4 thly, He that will Hear as he ought to do, must to all these other Qualificati­ons add his fervent Prayers to God for his Assistance.

It is not an easie matter to become a Perfect Christian: So high and excellent are the precepts of the Gospel, and in ma­ny things so contrary to the Interests [Page 31] and Inclinations of sensual Men; that without some extraordinary Assistance of the Grace of God, we are not able so much as to comprehend any thing of these kind of instructions as we ought to do. But to bring a willing and ready disposition of mind to receive the Word; to become such an Auditor, as not only speculative­ly to learn the great Truths of Christia­nity, but to resolve effectually to put them in practice too; this must certainly be the work of God upon our Hearts, and 'tis his Grace alone that can both en­lighten our Vnderstandings, and incline our Wills.

And here therefore we may see at once, both the necessity of this last dis­position, our Prayer to God for his Grace; and in that, the true cause why so many make no better an Advantage by their Hearing. They come to the Church as if they were going into a Theatre, where they had nothing to do but to attend to what is spoken, to render them every way competent Auditors of it.

But alas! The Divine Truths that are here deliver'd, are above the discernment of the Carnal mind: 1 Cor. [...] 14. Spiritual things must be Spiritually understood: Such Auditors [Page 32] as these, like the Scribes and Pharisees among the Jews, may hear our words as they did our Blessed Saviour's; but they will not be at all the better for them. God must open their hearts, Acts. xvi.14. as he did that of Lydia; and then our addresses will find a suitable admittance, and not pass with­out a due and careful consideration. And our Prayers to God must obtain this, Who will not fail to give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him. Luke. xi.13.

And now, How shall we wonder, if the seed, though never so carefully sown, produce yet but a very mean increase, when God knows for the most part the Ground is so utterly unprepared to re­ceive it? This certainly is a considera­tion that ought to engage every good Christian seriously to search and examine himself, how he is disposed to become a fitting Hearer of the Gospel of Christ.

If you have therefore hitherto come to our Assemblies, without such a due Preparation as you see is thus ne­cessary to qualifie your minds to receive that benefit you ought from these In­structions, let me now earnestly beseech you no longer to deceive your own Souls, but to prepare them in such a man­ner that our Preaching may not be in [Page 33] vain to you. Let not any little, un­worthy designs accompany you to these Holy exercises; But come as befits Chri­stians, with Charity, with Humility, with an Honest and Vpright Heart; sincerely desirous of understanding your Duty, how mean soever the person be that is to deliver it unto you.

But above all come with a firm reso­lution of Practising what you Hear. Re­member that 'tis this Christianity designs in all its instructions; And however our Zeal in these latter days seems unhap­pily engaged, more in the Pursuit of Divine Truth, than in what I could ra­ther wish we did chiefly aim at, the Practice of a Divine Life; yet let us be careful so to maintain the One, as not to prejudice or overthrow the o­ther.

And if we thus sincerely direct all our Hearing to the Glory of God, and our own Everlasting Salvation, we shall not fail to Hear as we ought to do. God will open our Ears, and illuminate our Vnderstandings, and dispose our Wills. The seed that is Sown upon such Ground, shall not fail to Spring up into a Blessed increase; And produce those Fruits of Holiness in this life, which shall final­ly [Page 34] bring us to the Everlasting Joys and Glories of the next.

Which God of his Infinite Mercy vouchsafe unto us, through the merits of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. To whom. &c.

THE Words are part of that great Song which Moses spake unto all the Congregation of Israel imme­diately before his Death, See chap. xxxi.19, 30. and by God's [Page 36] express Command left with them as his last and best Legacy to them and their Posterity for ever.

A Song both in its self so considerable, and so highly esteem'd by them, that they thought no words could be suffi­cient to set forth its Excellency: Inso­much, that we find it at this day chara­cterised by the Jews of our own times, as [...] ‡ See Munster and Fagius on v.1. of this Chapter. Crit. M. Vol 1. the foundation and summary of the whole Law.

In the Verses before the Text, we have a sad and terrible declaration of those Judgments that should hereafter befal them for their Impenitence. And it is not to be question'd, but that this great Prophet, from whom God never conceal­ed any thing that concern'd that peo­ple; had here by so much a more par­ticular prospect of those Evils, that were afterwards to come upon them, as he was now the nearer to be taken from them. And that 'tis from these there­fore, that we must derive at once both the Occasion and Importance of that passio­nate Wish into which the Holy Man here breaks out, in consideration both of their danger and of their insensibility of it, ‘ [Page 37]O that they were wise, that they under­stood this, that they would consider their latter end!’

Whether by their latter end we are to understand that great and terrible de­struction which finally befel both them­selves and their Country, in the loss of Jerusalem: Or, Whether with some, we shall interpret it of God's rejecting of them from his Covenant, from being what they were once, his own peculiar Inheritance: Or, Whether lastly, the more to heighten the Idea, we shall join them both together in the Prophecy, as they were by God united in the Exe­cution; certain it is, That a greater and more amazing instance of the Divine Vengeance upon a particular Nation, has hardly been known from the beginning of the World, than that of their Destru­ction; nor shall there I suppose be any Parallel, to the very end of it.

But it is not my design to enter on any reflection of their Punishment, but to enquire rather what it was, that Moses here so much wishes they would have done, in order to the preventing of it; what that great defect was, which was the Cause of all their Evils.

[Page 38]Now that in one word was Inconside­ration: A fault certainly very great in that people, than which none had ever received more clear and sensible Proofs of the Divine Power and Goodness. They had seen the Miracles by which God had brought them up out of the Land of Egypt; and continued to con­duct them now almost forty years through the Wilderness. They had be­held his Majesty, when himself in that terrible manner that we read in the xix ^th and xx ^th Chapters of Exodus, vouchsa­fed to give them his own Law from Mount Sinai. Nay, that nothing might be wanting to awaken a stupid and in­sensible people, they had known his Judgments too in the punishment of their Sins. They had seen the Destruction which their Fathers had suffer'd, and they were here expresly foretold what Evils themselves and their posterity should hereafter undergo for their impiety. Yet was not all this sufficient to awaken their Consideration to a sense of their danger, and a care to prevent it.

And now I would to God these Jews were the only men we could justly charge with this neglect; and that our own indifferency in the concern of our [Page 39] duty, did not equally tax us with the same Inconsideration. But alas! I fear, were we here to enter on a review, we should find but too just a parallel, both in our danger, and in our incogitancy: And that a very little reasoning upon the Methods of God's Providence, without the help of a Prophetick Spirit, might be more than enough, to make any sober, considering man tremble to think what shall be the consequence of such a gene­ral Insensibility as we have these many years shown, notwithstanding all his Mercies and his Judgments in vain made use of to reclaim us. At least, I hope it will be abundantly sufficient to Apolo­gize for me, if I beg leave, especially at such a Season as this, freely to expostu­late with you in the words of Moses in the Text: ‘O that ye were wise, that ye understood this, that you would consider your latter end!’

In speaking upon a Subject, both in its self so important, and to us so neces­sary; that I may, if possible, not omit any thing that may serve either to excite or to direct the practice of it, I shall endeavour with all the plainness I can, to discourse to you of these Four Things.

• [Page 40]I st. Of the Danger and Mischief of Inconsideration.
• II dly, I will enquire into the Causes of it.
• III dly, I will offer some General Rules for the Practice of Consideration. And
• IV thly and Lastly, Will close all with some Motives that may serve to stir you up to the discharge of your duty, in so great and important an instance of it.

I begin with the First of these.

I. Of the Danger and Mischief of In­consideration.

It has been the usual Method of most Casuists, in enquiring into the Causes of Sin, to expose the Mischief, and ag­gravate the Danger of those particular Temptations that are the immediate occa­sions of it.

Hence there is hardly a man so little in [...]ructed in Morality, that has not learnt to run into an invective against the Interests and Pleasures, the Honours and Riches of this world; that the good Christian must resolve either to aban­don them as much as is possible, or at [Page 41] least, to quit all undue Esteem, and in­ordinate Desire of them.

But the great and Catholic Cause of all our evils, Inconsideration; this is either not at all, or but very lightly touch'd upon by them. So far are men from ex­posing the Danger of it, that I believe there are few who have yet learnt to place it in the number of their Tempta­tions, or that think themselves at all con­cern'd to provide against it.

Very necessary therefore it is, before I proceed to those particular Proposals I am hereafter to make for the removal of this evil, that I should first convince you of the necessity there is of setting about it; to show you, that of all the Artifices of the Devil, this has been the most successful; that whatsoever strength any other Temptations may seem to have, 'tis all derived from the influence of this. In a word, That Riches, and Ho­nour, and Pleasure, and Interest, seduce some particulars only; triumph over the weakness of some certain dispositions that are more peculiarly apt to be mo­ved by them. But that Inconsideration is a general snare, stops not at particu­lars, but carries all before it: The One, Last, Vniversal Cause of all our Sins [Page 42] being no other than this, That we do not consider as we ought, what our Duty is, and what our Obligations are to the Pra­ctice of it.

And 1 st. It cannot be denied, but that this Inconsideration exposes us to eve­ry Temptation which the Devil shall think fit to lay in our way; is very often the Cause that we are tempted at all, but always the reason that we are overcome by the Temptation.

I shall not need to say how many Sins men fall into, for want of considering, and knowing that they were so. I would to God the frequent Excuses that are drawn from this Topick, did not too fully shew, how great a cause this is of our offend­ing. There is hardly a more general Plea in the mouth of every Sinner, than that he meant no harm in what he did, but either he did not know, or he did not think that it was unlawful. But then I am sure we must resolve to lay aside this excuse altogether, and confess it to be as false, as indeed it is for the most part fri­volous; or we must be allowed to con­clude from it, that this want of Conside­ration, exposes men to infinite Tempta­tions, by keeping them in an unwarrant­able [Page 43] Ignorance of what they might have known, and ought to have Consider'd.

But they are not only the Ignorant that are concern'd in this danger. He who knows his Duty the best, is yet oftentimes no less surprized by his Inco­gitancy, than he who is the most Igno­rant of it. The Devil who knows our weakest times, and constantly watches his advantage, never fails then especially to assault us, when he sees we are least upon our Guard, and by consequence least in a condition to resist him. And if by a diligent care of our selves and at­tention to our Duty, we are not as ready and prepared to resist those Temptations which may be apt to sollicite us from it, as we are otherwise well instructed in the duty its self, 'tis evident, that our Enemy will have a very great advan­tage against us; and 'tis odds if for want of being prepared to fight, we are not for the most part overcome by him.

For 2 dly, And which may be alone sufficient to confirm my assertion, that 'tis our Inconsideration that is the real, ultimate Cause of all our sin; be it ob­served, secondly; That there are in our Religion, such Motives, such Engagements to Obedience, that were they but duly [Page 44] weighed, it would be impossible for a man ever to live wickedly.

And indeed he must be a very great instance of this defect I am now speak­ing of, and never have considered any thing at all of his Religion as he ought to do, that can reasonably doubt of what I now say.

Is there any among us that has but once seriously reflected on the Nature of God Almighty: How excellent his Goodness is, how Terrible his Justice? With what an irreconcilable hatred he prosecutes Sin and Sinners for its sake? That he is Omnipotent, and cannot be Resisted: Omniscient and cannot be de­ceived: Nay that he is Present with us, sees our most retired actions, and will one day bring them all to light in pre­sence of the whole World, in the day when He shall judge the world in righteousness. Is there any one here, that has but serious­ly consider'd all this? Let him then say whether it were Possible for the Devil to have been able to draw him into Sin, whilst he had such thoughts as these pre­sent to his mind to oppose to his Temp­tations?

But Christianity carries us yet farther. It shews us a God Incarnate, a God made [Page 45] man on purpose for our Salvation; He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity, Titus ii.11. and purchase to him­self a peculiar people zealous of Good works. It represents to us a Covenant of Grace, Sealed with his own most precious Blood, and into which we have every one of us been solemnly initiated, that is, solemnly Sworn at our Baptism; and the condition wherof on our part we know was this, that we should forsake the Devil and all his works, the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh; and instead of serving these, should obediently keep God's Holy will and Commandments, and walk in the same all the days of our Lives.

I shall not now enquire, how often we have, I believe, the most of us renew'd this Covenant, whether in the Church at the Holy Table, or on other Occasions that have called us to put up our Vows to Heaven. Nor need I add, that 'tis to such a Practice alone as that requires, that God has promised the Blessings of Eternal Glory. But sure I am whosoever will but duly consider the weight and moment of this one Engagement, will find in it an impregnable fortress against Sin, and such as all the Temptations in the [Page 46] World should not be able to overcome.

For to reflect on it only in a Word or two. What is there in all our sins, or in all those Temptations that lead us to them, whose Force and Power would not be utterly overcome by this one serious Consideration?

Where is the Lust that can offer any sufficient, shall I say, or rather any tollerable inducement to comply with it, that may be worthy to compare with our obligations to Love and Obey so Great, and so Excellent a Redeemer? Is there a Passion so darling, or an interest so Va­luable, that the most desperate sinner would in his Cool thoughts be willing to exchange Heaven for it? Or rather, for indeed that is the true Case, would be content for the prosecution of it to go down, it may be the next Moment, into Hell, and there dwell with Ever­lasting Burnings?

No, no: Sin may deceive us by our own carelessness, but it cannot stand be­fore Consideration. It may surprize our Passions, but it can never reconcile its self to our Reason. Nor are our Natures yet become so degenerate, but that a due reflection on our Engagements to Obedience would by the Grace of God [Page 47] soon resolve into a performance of it: And the Hopes of Heaven, and the Ter­rors of Hell; The Vanity of this World, and the Eternity of the Next, once throughly consider'd as they ought to be, so stop our Ears, Psal. lviii.5. that all the Arts of the Charmer, charm he never so wisely, should not be able to open them to his Insinuations.

And for a farther proof of this, and which may be yet another Argument to confirm my Position, that 'tis the want of Considering that is really the great and last Cause of all our Sin: Let me

3 dly, Appeal to the common Practice, and Experience of Mankind: No sooner does any one begin seriously to Consider these things, but he presently becomes a good Christian.

What is it else but this, that makes the very worst of Sinners if they come but into any danger or calamity; if any sickness or affliction befals them; any thing that but stops them in their wild Career so long as to give them only time to cool, and to Consider their Duty, and their great and dangerous deviations from it; what is it I say, but this, that makes these persons presently disclaim their Extravagancies: to confess that [Page 48] they were mistaken in their notions of Vertue and Vice, and had therefore pre­ferr'd the Interests of the One because they had either never known, or never suf­ficiently consider'd the excellency of the Other.

And if perhaps these Pious reflections have not been able afterwards to secure their Obedience, but they have again return'd to the follies they so lately re­nounced; It is not that they are ever the more convinced that they were over-reach'd in the Argument: That Piety and Religion, have not that rea­son on their side which we pretend, and which ought to engage them to the troublesome task of denying themselves, and forsaking all their sensual pleasures, and worldly interests for its sake: No, but only that their danger being remo­ved, they have also lost their Conside­ration with it; and their Incogitancy now again exposes them to those sins, which no sooner shall some new occasi­on call them again to reflect on, but they will be no less ready again to con­demn them, than they were before.

And now though I suppose it may by this time be sufficiently evident how great the Mischief of Inconsideration is; [Page 49] yet for a final demonstration of its danger, I will offer one reflection more▪ and it is,

4. That whatever particular Temptati­ons we may at any time chance to be exposed to, they would all of them have no force at all, but for this one General defect.

For let us not deceive our selves; Pleasure and Riches, and Honour, and Interest, and if there be any other Va­nity besides that is yet more powerful than all these, they are not such omni­potent Temptations as our corrupt af­fections would represent them to us; on the contrary, 'tis certain that they have no force at all but by our own In­cogitancy; to consider them only, were to overcome them.

1 st. For Pleasure: Is it imaginable that the base Voluptuary would pursue that, as he does, did he really reflect what shall in a little time be the End of his Debauches? That yet a few years, at the most, it may be a few months, or days, and all his Enjoyments shall cease; and his Pleasures be exchanged for Pain and Sickness, Impotence and Infirmity, and the rest of those Torments in this Life, that are usually the sad forerunners of his Eternal Punishment in the other?

[Page 50]2 dly, For Riches; the next instance: Were it possible men should take so much Care and Labour to get them, and when they have got them, neither be satisfied with them themselves, nor do good to others, had they ever been ac­quainted with that Treasure in Heaven which the Gospel speaks of, so infinite­ly surpassing all the highest acquisitions here; so much surer to be obtain'd, and for the most part so much easier too; and when it is got, for Ever to be En­joy'd?

3 dly, For Honour, the next Tempta­tion: If there can be such a thing as Ho­nour without Virtue, and that High Pla­ces, and great Titles, and the rest of those trifles that have so long usurped the name, may indeed be allow'd the character of it: What other judgment can any considering man pass upon such Honour but this; That even Christianity apart, it must certainly be a very vain thing to build a man's hopes, and ex­pend himself and his life, upon that, which when all is done, depends upon other mens opinions of, and value for us; who too often give this Honour to the most undeserving Persons, and with whom the truly brave and worthy [Page 51] Man sometimes finds the least share of it.

And then 4 thly, for the Interests of this World; Good God! What can they appear to any serious, considering man, but meer Vanity, who has learnt of his Saviour to ask his Conscience that great and wise Question: Mat. xvi.26. What is a man profi­ted if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul?

Is it not Evident, that in all these, and whatever instances besides can be of­fered of the greatest Temptations, 'tis only for want of Considering that they prevail upon us; and so, that not they, but our own Incogitancy ought to be charged by us as our greatest Danger and Mischief, The one, last, universal Cause of all our Sins.

And now if this be so, then it cannot certainly but be very well worth our while to search a little,

II dly, Into the Causes of this Inconside­ration, the next thing I proposed to speak to.

And the first, and perhaps the most fatal of all others, and which may serve to remove a very dangerous mistake [Page 52] we are apt to make in this affair is, That Men are wont to think they do ve­ry well consider these things, when in truth they do not consider them to any purpose at all.

For indeed, what is that which men now a days to call Considering? If they are sometimes a little serious, if they reflect now and then upon the bu­siness of Religion: If they go to Church on Sundays, and are not scandalously wic­ked the week after; If they receive the Holy Sacrament in its seasons, and when they do so, sit down a while and reflect a little, a day or two, it may be the week before, upon their Sins and their Vanities, and then Sigh, and are Sorry, and resolve to Sin no more, this they call Considering; and this, I fear, is what makes up the Religion of a very great number amongst us.

But alas! this is as far distant from that true Consideration, I would now recommend to you, as the little imper­fect Effects of it, are for the most part inferior to that excellent Piety that would be the certain consequence of the other. 'Tis not every light reflection upon the business of Religion, that is worthy the name of a true Consideration. [Page 53] He that will do this as he ought to do, must resolve to do it throughly: He must search to the very bottome of his Soul; Not a Sin so secret, not a Lust or Interest so dear or profitable to us, but what, to the best of our power, must be en­quired into. Now all the danger of Sin in General, all the black circumstances, and heightning Aggravations of our own Sins in Particular, must seriously be con­sider'd: The Hopes and Terrors of Eternity be throughly weigh'd; What the Goodness of God is, if we will yet repent; What his Judgments will be, if we shall continue to despise the Riches of his Mercy, and Treasure up to our selves Wrath against the day of Wrath. In a word, whatever may serve either to convince us of our Sins and of our Dan­ger, or to engage us to forsake the one, that so we may escape the other, must all be laid before us; till finally, by God's Grace, we are brought in the bitterness of our Souls, to such a sense of our Condi­tion, as shall engage us to a sincere Re­pentance of our Sins, and Obedience to God's Commands. And so work in us that change of Life, which alone is a­ble to save our Souls for ever.

He that gives off before he has done [Page 54] this, He may have thought of his Duty, if you will, but he has not yet consider'd as he ought to do: He may have prepared the way, but he is yet to run. In short, He may have consider'd of Religion as ma­ny now a days do, who read the Holy Scriptures, run through all the various Sects and Parties of Christians, who suf­fer not the least Controversie to escape them, nor a Dispute to arise in which they do not interest themselves; and yet when all is done, have not one jot of real Piety in their Souls: but after a great deal of pains get only that know­ledg which puffeth up, and are yet to learn that Charity which Edifieth.

This is the first, and perhaps one of the most fatal Cheats men commonly put upon their Souls: They flatter themselves that they do very well Consi­der these things, when indeed they do not consider them to any purpose, nor as they ought to do it.

2. A Second Cause of mens Inconside­ration, and but little inferior to the fore­going, either in the danger or the univer­ [...]ality of it, is, That our Consideration is for the most part totally turned another way.

It is a long time since the generality [Page 55] of Mankind seem to have fallen under a very dangerous mistake, That Religion ought not to be looked upon as their Business, but only as a thing by the by: somewhat to entertain their thoughts with upon solemn times, and in their Melancholly hours, but which 'twere unreasonable to expect amidst so great a plenty of other affairs, as the world now abounds with, should ordinarily be made the subject of their thought, and their Consideration.

Thus have we utterly reversed the Maxim of our Saviour, and made not our Salvation, but the business of this World, our Imployments and our In­terests, nay, Good God! our very Vi­ces and our Sins the Vnum Necessarium, the great thing to be taken care of by us: and we are so wholly taken up and en­gaged with these, that we have no lei­sure to think at all, to be sure not to any purpose, and as we ought to do of that.

And now, what wonder if when this is the Case, we see such very sad, 'tis true, but yet such very natural Effects of it? Whilst men reckon the concerns of this present life to be the main of their business, we ought not to be surprised [Page 56] if they consider no more of what may make for a better.

Till this mistake be rectified, we may be troubled indeed to see men so Inconsi­derate, but sure we ought not to admire it. We may with Moses wish, O that they were wise, that they would understand this! But till that be done, we cannot expect they should very much Consider their latter End.

But 3 dly, Another Cause, and which I believe has kept very many from consi­dering as they ought to do, is, That 'tis Vneasie to them; and therefore they do not care to enter upon it.

It is a great disadvantage to Religion, that tho there be really nothing in the World more pleasing or more agreeable to our Rational Natures, than the pra­ctice of it; yet has it something that is rough and uneasie in the first setting out, and which the habitual Sinner cannot without pains and difficulty get over.

He that thrives by Sin, that grows Rich, or Great, or Honourable in the world, by Injury and Oppression, by Fraud and Flattery, will no doubt be very uneasie to embrace a Religion, that requires a Justice and Integrity in all our actions, that forbids all Violence and Rapine, all [Page 57] Artifice and Dissimulation; i. e. all those Methods by which he has been wont to encrease and flourish heretofore.

Again: If a man has been used freely to indulge himself in all that his heart desired; to gratifie his Passions in their wildest irregularities; he will no doubt find it a matter of no small difficulty to deny himself, and resist and do violence to those appetites, which he has been so accustomed to comply with hereto­fore.

So that in effect, whether out of a prevailing interest, or a real fear; whe­ther out of an unwillingness to forsake sin, or a mistaken apprehension of the impossibility of overcoming it, Many, I believe, content themselves to go on without ever considering at all; and hate to reflect on what they are resolved never to reform.

Or, if perhaps this does not carry them so far, as to make them totally lay aside the thoughts of Religion, yet at least, it renders them unwilling to set about it, and so produces a

4 th; And which is the last Cause I shall now mention, of that Incogitancy I am here complaining of; viz. That men are apt to Procrastinate this great [Page 58] Affair; They resolve they will one time or other consider, but never heartily and effectually do so.

This is certainly a very great, and yet I fear a very general fault; and such as perhaps has ruined more souls than any one thing again in the whole world.

It is a hard matter totally to silence Conscience, and stifle all the thoughts of Piety and Religion. But our unhappi­ness is, that when we are thus put in mind of our duty, we either content our selves with some very slight and su­perficial Consideration of it; or else we put off our Consciences, as Felix did St. Paul, to a more convenient Season.

Thus some refer these kind of thoughts to Old Age, and never come to it, but go down into the Grave, before they have made any just provision for it. O­thers, it may be, set it a shorter date, but then still some business or hindrance interposes, and then another time is fix'd, and that too is disappointed; and thus our lives run on, but the great work of Considering is still to come. It may be at length God's Grace is withdrawn, and Conscience grows weary of being any longer importunate, when it has been so often denied. And thus when we thought [Page 59] to have consider'd, we find neither will, nor strength, nor opportunity so to do.

How much the more earnestly may I beg leave to exhort you this day, no longer to defer so great, and to be sure so necessary a work as this; and to that end, that you will pass on with me to the Third Point I proposed to speak to.

III. Of the Practice of Consideration.

The Sum whereof in general will ap­pear from the resolution which I shall give to these Two Enquiries.

• 1 st. How, or after what manner:
• 2 dly. When, or at what times, this is to be done by us.

1 st. For the former of these; how we are to practice this Consideration? I reply, That we must do it by a serious and im­partial Enquiry both into our selves, and into our Religion; by a diligent and strict examination, what our Duty towards God is, and what our own Performances have been, and ought to be of it.

1. As to the former part of this Con­sideration, Our duty towards God: I shall not need say any thing to shew how ne­cessary this is to be well understood by us. I am persuaded there is no one, how negligent soever he may have been in his [Page 60] performance of it, but what is sufficient­ly convinced of his obligations to it.

I will rather complain, that in a mat­ter so necessary, that our Eternal Salva­tion depends upon it, and God be thank­ed so easie too, to the very meanest capa­city, there should nevertheless so many continue in as utter an ignorance of it, as if we too were some of those who encourage a blind Obedience; and esteem an ungrounded Assent, to be the best Faith, and Ignorance indeed the Mother of Devotion.

It has been the fault of many in the practice of this kind of Consideration, to fix their thoughts wholly upon some parts of their Religion, but to take little or no notice at all of the rest. Thus many run away with the Promises of the Gospel, but never consider what they have to entitle them to those Promises. Others, on the contrary, look wholly on the difficulty of its Commands: and as if that had given them a final release from all endeavours to fulfil them, they conclude that 'tis impossible for them ever to be able to live as they ought to do, and that therefore 'tis in vain to try whether they can or no.

Some when they read the great, and no [Page 61] doubt very just Elogies of Faith in St. Paul, stop there, and never trouble themselves either to consider what that Faith is, which S. Paul speaks of, much less to go on to St. James, and there see the necessity of good works too. They sit down contented that they have a right faith: They are members of a Pure, Reform'd Church on the one hand; or else of an unerrable, infallible, Catholick Church on the other, and so all is secure: As if the espousing such or such an Interest or Party, were an un­questionable mark of Election, and all that God requires in order to our Salvation.

Many are the mistakes of this kind, which men are apt to fall into, in the Consideration of their Duty, and to all which I will only offer this one plain Rule for their direction: That whoso­ever will consider it as he ought, must do it universally, he must leave no part of his Religion unexamined; being assured of this, That whatsoever Consideration does any way contribute to lessen Pra­ctice, nay rather, does not very much serve to help and promote it, is false and imperfect; and if he stops there, will certainly deceive and ruin him in the end.

[Page 62]2. For the other part of our Conside­ration, our Selves; two things there are, on which the Practice of it must chiefly terminate; viz.

• 1. What our State is, with reference to what is past?
• 2. How to govern our selves for the time to come?

It would require some longer time than I may presume to allow to this Discourse, but barely to enumerate the several Rules and Cautions to be observed in the doing of this. With what Care and Diligence, with what Exactness and Particularity; in a word, with what Piety and Sinceri­ty we must proceed in all this; and search into the real Grounds we have, ei­ther to hope or fear, and accordingly give God the Glory, whether by a pati­ent continuance in that Piety which we have hitherto practised, or by our Repen­tance for those sins we have unhappily committed.

This is a work which I have always thought the proper business of a Casuist, or if you will, of a Confessor, rather than a Preacher. General Rules seldom come up to particular mens conditions. Nor is it possible for the most exact Discourse, to give any satisfaction comparable to [Page 63] those directions which our Church there­fore exhorts us to seek by a free opening of our Condition to some of those who are appointed by God to be our Guides in these matters.

And to them therefore let me beseech all those who are sensible of any want of farther Instruction in this matter, to ad­dress themselves for such Advice, as nei­ther the Nature nor Limits of this Dis­course, permit me to offer to them. As for the other thing proposed in order to the Practice of this Duty,

2 dly, When, or at what Times this is to be done by us? If the question be concerning the last sort of Consideration I just now mentioned, that of our Acti­ons; 'tis evident that this must be perpetual; because it has so necessa­ry an influence upon all Moral Actions. The same Prudence which directs eve­ry wise man before he acts, to sit down and consider what he is going about, whether it be fit to be done by him, ought certainly yet much more to carry every good Christian to this farther ne­cessary Reflection, Whether it may be done by him? And whosoever ventures upon any Action without this, he may by accident not do ill; but 'tis his good [Page 64] Fortune, not his Praise, that he does not. And were it never so good, yet for want of doing it with that design, and know­ing it to be such, he must not expect that God should ever impute that to him for Righteousness, which he himself did not design or perform with that intent.

As to the other sort of Consideration, That of our State, and of our Duty: What God requires of us, and how we have lived according thereunto? Certain it is, that 'tis absolutely necessary that we should some time or other enter upon it; and then, I suppose, I need not say how very prudent it will be for us not to defer it. For since our Life is but a puff of breath, every day in our Nostrils, and which we can at no time say shall be our own the next moment: surely it will very much concern us not to defer considering how we are provided for ano­ther World, seeing we have so very lit­tle Hopes or security in this.

Repentance is not a Duty that can be discharged in a Moment, and I fear the best among us upon the enquiry will find that we stand in need of a very great one. Now there is no time, no place for Repentance, but only in this pre­sent Life: And should we suffer our In­cogitancy [Page 65] so far to prevail upon us, as to neglect it here, we shall in vain la­ment our sin and our folly to all Eternity hereafter.

If there be therefore any one among us, that has hitherto omitted so great and necessary a Consideration, what shall I say to him? Let him no longer defer it: Nay, but rather in the words of holy David, Psal. 132.3, 4. Let him not go back unto his house, nor climb up into his bed; let him not suffer his eyes to sleep, nor his eye-lids to slumber, till he has begun to set a­bout it.

It were, no doubt, very much to be wish'd, that men would not suffer any day to slip, without this Consideration. There is, I believe, but seldom a day passes, in which we are not guilty of something that may justly call for a par­ticular Repentance, to obtain our forgive­ness. And who can tell, if he lies down to sleep e're he has done this, whether he shall ever rise up to perform it after­wards?

But alas! This is the greatest Instance of all of our Inconsideration. And in­stead of repassing in this manner every day upon our Actions, I fear there are many who go on whole Weeks, and [Page 66] Months, and Years, without ever think­ing at all of it; as if it were enough to practice this duty by the same proporti­ons which some of our modern Casuists have prescribed for that other of the Love of God; some of which have thought it necessary to be done only upon Sundays and Holy-days; others not above once a year; some once in Five years; others at any one time in our whole lives; and lastly, others never at all, either living or dying.

But thô there be then no time so pro­per as the present, for the doing of that which cannot without the greatest dan­ger be deferr'd the least moment; yet some seasons there are, which seem more especially to invite us to it.

Thus 1 st. If old Age be crept upon us, or any Sickness or Danger threaten us with a speedy appearance before God's Tribunal; this ought certainly at the same time that it admonishes us of the shortness of our present life, to call us to an immediate providing for the next.

2. Thô the hand of God be not just upon us, yet if we see his Arm lifted up to strike; if we have some just cause to apprehend any evils or afflictions likely to come upon us: much more if our [Page 67] Country and our Church be in danger for the iniquity of her Children and People within her; this also may be another time that seems on purpose mark'd out to call us to Consideration; to think upon our ways, and how to prevent both our own, and the publick desolation.

But now, 3 dly. If these Evils are not merely apprehended, but are actually upon us; so that we already have begun to bear the punishment of our sins, and may have just cause to apprehend yet more dreadful effects of them; this cer­tainly ought yet more strongly to engage us to such a Consideration.

In such circumstances as these, the worst of men naturally become Religi­ous. God himself could say of the Re­bellious Israelites, Hos. v.15. That in their afflicti­ons they would seek him early. And the Prophet observed of all men in general, That when God's Judgment are in the Earth, Isa. xxvi.9. then the inhabitants of the World will learn Righteousness.

I will only add, 4 thly, And with re­ference to the approaching season; That as the time of Lent has in all Ages of the Church been look'd upon as a season proper for the business of Repentance; so certainly we cannot better prepare for it, [Page 68] than by the practice of this great Prelimi­nary duty of Consideration, without which it will be impossible for us ever to dis­charge it as we ought to do. And however the Godly Primitive Discipline of Publick Confession and Penance, has for the hardness of our hearts, been of late laid aside among us; yet ought we not therefore to be e­ver the less, nay rather we should be the more careful to examine our own souls, and call our ways to remembrance; and by our Private Diligence make some supply of what seems to be acknowledged by our Church, See the Commina­tion used on Ash-wednesday. as wanting to our Publick Discipline.

And to the end I may the better en­force this Practice, which upon all these accounts seems so very proper for us, I will now finally Close all,

IV thly, With some Motives that may serve to stir us up to the fulfilling of our duty, in so great and necessa­ry a part of it.

I have already observed in the begin­ning of this Discourse, That 'tis the want of Consideration that is really the last, u­niversal Cause of all our Sins. And I have just now shewn, That till it be re­moved, it will be impossible for us to re­pent [Page 69] of them. And sure then one would think that nothing more need be said, to engage any sober man to the practice of it.

But I must now go yet farther: For to compleat our Obligation to so necessary a practice, Inconsideration is not only to be charged as the cause of all our evils, but the corrupter of our good too: It spoils our very vertues; insomueh, that were it possible for the unthinking man to fulfil every Command, and not deviate in the least degree from the rules of his duty, all would be in vain; his Inconside­ration alone would ruin him, and his Virtues themselves lose by it not only their Praise, but their very Nature too: Would become at most, but mere indif­ferent Actions, neither worthy in them­selves, nor deserving of any reward for the fulfilling of them.

God Almighty, who has given us our Understandings and our Wills on purpose for his Service, requires the concurrence of them in all our Actions that are intend­ed for that purpose. His Service must be reasonable, or it will not be accepted. He is not to be pleased with what we do by chance; where his Glory is not designed, he looks upon it, that neither [Page 70] is it advanced. And that good which is done without Considering, is but a mere Natural Action, deserves as little praise as a Plant for growing, or a Stone for falling down to its Center; and we may as rea­sonably expect to see one of these pro­moted to Heaven for so doing, as the un­thinking man be judged worthy of it, for any thing he can do.

But, 2 dly. This Incogitancy does not only render us thus obnoxious to God, but it exposes us to the censures of men too: It does not only deprive us of all our pretences to Piety, but even to common Wisdom and Discretion.

He that never Considers in any thing, all the World will say is a Fool; and sure I may well add, That he who Con­siders only in little things, and never thinks in those that are of the highest importance, is not so wise as he should be. But to pretend to be Christians, and to desire Salvation, and yet never reflect what it is to be the One, or how we are to live that we may attain the Other; this is certainly such a combination of Folly and Impiety, that were not sin as great an Enemy to Reason, as it is to Reli­gion, 'twere impossible that any man should ever be guilty of it.

[Page 71]And now when so many engagements concur to recommend this duty, that 'tis impossible for us to approve our selves ei­ther to God or man without it, what shall I say more to stir you up to the pra­ctice of it?

I am, methinks, unwilling so far to comply with the melancholly apprehen­sions of very many, and those not alto­gether without just grounds too, as to desire you to think whether our Cir­cumstances at this time, be not such as may well engage us in the literal import of our Text, to be wise, and consider our latter end, for ought I know, the final end of our selves and our Religion, if we do not by a speedy Repentance reverse that Judgment which God seems ready to pronounce against us for our Incogitancy. I will rather close all with a more excel­lent engagement. Blessed be God, who has made this a Duty as pleasing as it is necessary; as apt to incite our practice, as 'tis fit to be practised by us. For cer­tainly to Consider these things, after all the frightful Idea's men are apt to enter­tain of it, is not only one of the most useful, but one of the most pleasing things in the whole world.

[Page 72]Let me appeal to the experience of those Pious Souls, who by a due per­formance of this Exercise, have their Conversation already in Heaven; are ele­vated above the little Passions and Inte­rests that engage the busie part of man­kind in so much labour and vanity. Who live in this World as if they were not of it; free and quiet in the midst of its di­sturbances; still the same in every estate; who love nothing but God and their Duty, fear nothing but to sin against him, nor desire any thing but to be dis­solved, and to be with him. Whose well-grounded Hopes already secure them of their future Reward; and a Good Con­science so fully justifies them, that neither Death, nor Hell its self, not any evils of this life, or any terrors of the other, are able to disturb the Peace and Calm that is within them.

O happy state! The blessed effect of a serious and frequent Consideration! Where is the Sinner that can pretend to say, he has ever found in any of his ways of Wickedness, a pleasure compa­rable to that Peace and Joy, which such a Christian meets with even in the present course of his Life?

[Page 73]Let the Miser boast his Riches; The Ambitious Man his Honours; let the Vo­luptuary wallow in his sensual and beast­ly satisfactions: But ô Lord! What Va­nity are all these when compared with the solid Comfort and Satisfaction of a Good Conscience: that can reflect freely upon its Actions; can search into the most secret parts of its Life with Joy and Assurance; and delight to compare its Duty and its Practice, and see how Gloriously the One illustrates and sets forth the Other.

Who would not pursue the Happi­ness of such a state, tho' there were no such thing as Heaven and Eternity to follow after? Certainly if Pleasure be that which is to govern our pursuits, 'tis the good Christian that, when all is done, is the only Wise Man; and to Consider, the most delightful practice of any in the World.

Only let us Consider seriously, and as we ought to do: Let us once in our lives be persuaded heartily to experi­ment a Duty, which we have been so often told should be the great Business of them. Let us be willing to be con­vinced; and do our Religion and our Souls so much justice, as to give these [Page 74] things a fair and an Equal hearing.

So shall all those Blessings I have now been speaking of, descend upon us. We shall exchange only, not lose or les­sen our Enjoyments. Whatsoever Plea­sure or satisfaction we have heretofore met with in the ways of Sin, we shall find them all infinitely surmounted in the Practice of Religion. Till finally being fit for Heaven, ripe for Immortali­ty, we shall be Translated from these Excellent, but yet still imperfect Joys here, to those absolute and Eternal Blessings, which neither Eye has seen, nor Ear heard, nor does it enter into the Heart of Man to conceive.

To which God of his Infinite Mercy vouchsafe we may all arrive, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

AMong all the parts of a Christian Institution, which either the Gospel of Christ directs, or we as the Ministers of Christ, 2 Cor. iv.5. and your Servants for Jesus sake, Exhort you to; there is none after the knowledg of [Page 76] our Duty towards God, and what he requires of us in order to our Eternal Salvation, either more necessary to be well understood, or, would men serious­ly apply themselves to it, more easie to be attain'd by us, than how to Arm and Fortifie our selves against those Devices of Satan, whereby he continually En­deavours to Seduce us.

There are few so ignorant in this mat­ter, but are able at least to trace out his most ordinary Temptations, and to discover what it is that the most usually exposes them to Sin. And though he has his Crooked and by-paths too, Devi­ces both more subtily laid, and more dif­ficult to be discern'd; yet a little more vigilancy and care would serve to disco­ver even these also, 1 Cor. iv.5. and to bring to light the most hidden Mysteries of Iniquity.

But though there be then nothing more obvious to a sincere and inquisitive Mind, than to find out these Artifices of the Devil; yet alas! A sad experience shews us, that there is scarce any thing in the World in which men for the most part seem more to betray either their Ignorance or their Inadvertency; Whilst they suffer every the most Ordinary Temptation to overcome them, and scarce [Page 77] an assault so weak can be made upon them, but what is sure to have its effect, and find them altogether unprepared to resist it.

To correct, if it may be, this care­less and supine Temper, so dishonour­able to God, and so dangerous to our own Souls; I shall Endeavour at this time to lay before you some of those Methods whereby the Devil is most wont to lead Men into Sin; That so knowing our danger, we may be the bet­ter able to Arm our Souls against it, Lest Satan should get an advantage of us; For we are not ignorant of his devices.

The Occasion of which Words was this.

St. Paul having in his former Epistle to the Corinthians, See 1 Cor. v.1. commanded them to pronounce a Sentence of Excommunicati­on upon a certain incestuous Man amongst them, who had married his Fathers Wife; had since received an account of a very good effect that this infliction had wrought upon the offending Person; so as to bring him to a great sense both of the Sin he had committed, and of the Scandal which thereby he had given to the Church.

Upon this the Apostle in this his Se­cond [Page 78] Epistle, commands them to take off the Censure under which he lay; and to receive him again into Communion with them, lest being swallow'd up of overmuch sorrow, he should be driven to despair, and so the Devil get an advan­tage against them; and that not only in the ruine of a single Brother, but yet much more by turning that Discipline which was designed for the Edification of the Church, into the Destruction of it; For, says he, we are not ignorant of his Devices.

Were I not resolved against entring on any Point of Controversie in this Place, I should not here want a very fair Occasion to do it. See the Rhemists Annot. on this Chap. Catholick Scriptur. Point 26. of Indul­gences. n. 6. It has been the great Endeavour of those of the Other Communion, to establish on this pro­cedure of St. Paul with this Corinthian, their new and dangerous Doctrine of Humane Satisfactions to be made for Sin, and of the power of the Church to grant Indulgences for the Remission of them. But I desire now to have no other Enemy but that of my Text to en­counter: And the half of whose Devices will be more than enough for our present Consideration, without exposing the Ar­tifices of any Others, how busie soever [Page 79] they too may be to get an Advantage of us. And therefore it shall suffice to re­mark with reference to the Subject be­fore us; That all which can reasonably be concluded from St. Paul's process with this Corinthian, is no more than what we readily allow of; viz. The Exercise of publick discipline for the correction of Open and Scandalous Offenders; and whom the Church has certainly Power both for their Sins to separate from her Society, as the Apostle did this Incestuous Man; and upon a sincere Repentance to release the Censure, and receive them a­gain into Communion, as in this Chapter he ordered them to do this Penitent Co­rinthian.

But now this is neither the Doctrine nor Practice of those who pretend to ar­gue from this place. Their Satisfactions and Indulgences are of another kind than what Canonical Penances and the Relaxation of them will amount to. They suppose that after mens Sins by the Sacrament of Penance are Forgiven to them, so that there is now no more Guilt remaining, nor by consequence any more Obligation to an Eternal Pu­nishment due to it; there continues ne­vertheless an Obligation to Temporal Pu­nishment, [Page 80] to be undergone as a true and Proper satisfaction for Sin, either here, or in Purgatory: and that this the Pope has power to dispence with, by Apply­ing to them the satisfactions not only of Christ, but of all his Saints; who having lived severe Lives, and suffered a great­er Temporal Punishment than was requi­site to satisfie for their own Sins, have left a Stock in Bank to the Treasure of the Church, for the advantage of others; and the Remission of these Temporal Pains, by such an Application, this is that which they properly call an Indul­gence.

And now then we may beg leave to ask, In what part of this History do they find any grounds for all this? Did St. Paul in his former Epistle command the Church of Corinth to impose a Penance on this Incestuous Man to satisfie for his Sin? No; But he commanded them to Excommunicate him for his Offence, to cut him off from the body of the Faith­ful, to whom he had given so great a scandal by his uncleanness.

Or here in this Chapter, does he send him any kind Bull with a plenary In­dulgence for what he had done, to set him free of what Temporal Pain might yet be [Page 81] due for his Offence; and to acquit him of any further trouble now, and of the danger of Purgatory hereafter? Not so neither: But he orders the Governors of the Church to take off the Censure under which he lay; and to receive him a­gain into Communion with them; and to confirm their Love towards him; Lest he should be swallow'd up of over much Grief, and so Satan get an advantage a­gainst Him.

In short, That there is here a plain account of the Exercise of Publick Dis­cipline both in the Excommunicating of this Incestuous Corinthian, and in the Receiving of him again into Communion, this we readily confess. But for the new-inven­tions of Humane Satisfactions to be made for Sin, and of the Power of the Pope to apply one Man's Merits to the Forgive­ness of another Man's Offences; and all this after such a manner, and upon such terms as is now Practised in the Church of Rome, of all this there is not one word either in this, or any other pas­sage of Holy Scripture, but much to the contrary, as might easily be made appear, were I minded to enter on such a Debate.

But it shall suffice me to have remar­ked [Page 82] thus much, for the clearing of the present place from these Abuses. As for those Devices which I am now to consider; viz. By what means and motives it is that the Devil after all our Cautions and Engagements to the con­trary, nevertheless still continues to draw us into Sin; many there are, and I cannot pretend in this Discourse to comprehend more than a very small proportion of them. I will take up those that seem most useful to be remark'd un­der these two Considerations:

• I st. Of those Devices whereby he makes it his business to hinder us in the Discharge of our Duty.
• II dly. Of those Devices whereby he leads us into the Commission of Sin.

I begin with the Former of these, the Consideration,

I st. Of those Devices whereby the Devil is wont to hinder us in the discharge of our Duty.

And here, I shall not insist on those common and obvious Methods which every one knows, tho' few are so care­ful as they ought to be to prevent them; [Page 83] such as carelesness and indifference in the concern of our Salvation; The Love of this World; and of the Honours, and Pleasures, and Interests of it: and which upon this account, St. Paul calls the root of all evil: 1 Tim. vi.10. And St. James plainly tells us is Enmity with God. James iv.4. The Devices I shall now consi­der, are such as have more of Sub­tilty and Contrivance in them; and which by a shew of somewhat that seems to be Good, seduce men many times into a neglect of that Duty, which alone really and truly is so. Now four things especially there are by which the Devil is wont to discourage, and hinder weaker Minds in the discharge of their Duty: viz,

• 1 st, By throwing Prejudices in their way against it.
• 2 dly, By instilling into their Minds False Principles, whereby to cor­rupt the Practise of it.
• 3 dly, By filling them with Doubts and Scruples to discourage them in their Piety.
• 4 thly, By engaging their Zeal in vain and fruitless Strifes and Disputes about Religion, which ought [Page 84] to be imployed on the Practice of it.

1 st. It is none of the least of the De­vices of the Devil, to hinder mens Piety, by throwing of false Pre­judices in their way against the Practice of it.

I need not say what a frightful thing many look upon a Christian course of Life to be, and how difficult, and some­times even impossible they think it, to ful­fil that Duty which God requires of us.

They regard him as a hard and se­vere Task-Master that lays intollerable Burdens upon his Servants, and has pre­pared Eternal Punishments for the least defailure under them. All their thoughts are taken up with those Strict Com­mands of Mortification and Self-denyal, of taking up the Cross, of forgiving and loving Enemies; of despising any losses, shame or other difficulties they may at any time be exposed to for the Sake of Christ and the Preservation of a Good Conscience. Thus they look upon Chri­stianity to be a Religion made up of no­thing but Melancholy Fears, and amazing Dangers; that allows of no Pleasure, suf­fers not the least Appetite to be grati­fied; [Page 85] but denies even the most Innocent and Reasonable Enjoyments; nor promi­ses any Happiness in another World, but upon the severe Condition of being De­spised and Miserable in this.

And now when such are Mens Appre­hensions of Christianity, what wonder if we see so few care to enter on the Pra­ctice of it? But Blessed be God, who has not thus dealt with us. Mat. vii.14. Straight in­deed is the gate, and narrow the way that leads to Heaven, but by the Grace of God it is not Impassable. From the very first entring, it dilates its self, and in a little while becomes no less plea­sant, but much more secure, than that High Road which so many prefer before it.

To be plain, I dare affirm, That a State of Religion is so far from being that four disagreeable State men commonly appre­hend it to be; that on the contrary 'tis the only State that is attended with a real Pleasure and Satisfaction. Godliness is its own reward, even in the present pra­ctice of it: 1 Tim. iv.8. It has the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come. And whosoever will but seriously apply himself to the discharge of it, will soon be convinced upon how good Grounds [Page 86] the wise man once pronounced con­cerning it; Prov. iii.17. That her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths peace.

As for that frightful Idea which so many entertain of Religion, it is wholly founded on their own mistakes of the true Nature and Design of it. For,

1 st. It is utterly false that Christiani­ty denies us any of those Enjoyments, which a Wise man would even desire to Indulge. It allows whatever is truly fit­ting for us, and restrains only those bru­tish excesses, which even Natural Reason and the Principles of Common Morality forbid us to pursue.

Nor 2 dly, Do men any more truly re­present God, than they do his Religion. They look upon him as one who requires great things of us; but they forget that he who requires these things, does also Promise that if we are not wanting in our own Endeavours, he will give us Grace, and Strength, and Ability to ful­fil them. They consider him as a most severe, and Just Judge: But they do not consider, that his Mercy is as Infinite as his Justice; and that he is as ready to make allowances for our Infirmities, and Pardon those Sins we unwillingly Com­mit, as to Punish those Offences which [Page 87] our Malice and our Negligence expose us to. That for this He has sent his own Son into the World, to be Himself the pro­pitiation for our Sins; and to open the way to Heaven by a Gospel of Repen­tance, seeing we could not attain to it by any way of a Perfect and unsinning Obedience. So that now then, let a Chri­stian be but upright and sincere, let him but love God, and delight in his Service, and strive and labour as far as he is able to fulfil it; If he Sins, let him Repent of it, let him confess his Wickedness, and be sorry for his Sins, and humbly Implore God's Mercy to forgive him; and then how Weak and Impotent soever he be, He shall certainly find not only Pardon, but acceptance too with his Blessed Sa­viour for ever.

And then, 3 dly, For what concerns those severe Duties of Christianity, and upon which the strongest prejudices are com­monly raised against it: Besides that they are things infinitely excellent in them­selves, and by a divine assistance far from being burdensome to us; nay, when put in the balance with the reward of Eter­nal Glory, not worthy to be compared with it; 'tis Evident that these Duties are not required either of all Christians, [Page 88] or at all times. How few are there, for in­stance, now a days, that have any occasi­on to put in practice that severest precept of all which our Religion Requires of us; viz, Ma [...]. xvi.24. To deny our selves, and take up our Cross, and follow Christ? These are the Tryals on­ly of some singular Persons, and at some certain Seasons. And whenever God sees fit to call any good men to them, He never fails upon their earnest Prayers to Him, to furnish them with Strength and Grace pro­portionable to bear them.

So that upon the whole, it appears, that all these Prejudices are only the De­vices of the Devil to discourage Men from their Duty; and by the false appre­hension of I know not what imaginary difficulties in the Practice of Religion now, to precipitate them into Real and Eternal Miseries hereafter. But

2 dly. A Second way whereby He hind­ers men's progress in Piety is, by in­stilling such Principles into them, as are apt to corrupt the practice of it.

And here had I the time to insist upon them, I would not doubt to rank in the very first front, those Atheistical conclu­sions which the brisk Disputers of our Age so much abound with; Who not [Page 89] content with the Psalmist's Fool, Psal. xiv.1. to say in their heart, there is no God, dare open­ly dispute against his Being, and with their mouths deny that God whom yet in their hearts they acknowledg, nay whom their fears and terrors into which every the least accident throws them, even testifie to the world, that for all their Gallantry they cannot disbelieve.

Or, because this is the presumption on­ly of a few desperate men, I would beg leave rather to argue a little with some of our more refined Sceptics, the great Assertors of Human Reason, in opposition to the Sacred Authority of Divine Reve­lation. Who allowing of a God, never­theless strengthen themselves in wickedness, by their ungrounded Notions of his Goodness and Justice: Whilst they con­clude it to be inconsistent with either of those Attributes, for him to punish a tem­poral and transient sin, with everlasting Torments; tho committed against an In­finite God, and against the plain terms of a Covenant of Eternal Happiness if we do well, and of Everlasting Punish­ment if we do ill, entred into by us at our Baptism, and at Confirmation made our own act, by our own express consent to it.

[Page 90]Or, lastly, because such too there are amongst us, I would reason with those who argue against the malignity even of Sin it [...] self, and would by their disputes turn the greatest Vices into innocent and indifferent Actions: Whilst from the strong inclinations which they find in themselves to evil, they conclude, that certainly it ought not to be esteemed so very great a fault to pursue the dictates of that Nature which God himself has implanted in us: And that doubtless our Passions were never designed to be mere­ly a snare and a torment to us, as yet they conclude they must be, unless we will al­low it to be lawful for them as freely to indulge them, as they unreasonably con­tend they ought to do.

But all these, and a few others of the like kind, how destructive soever they may be of true Piety, are the Principles of Men not yet beginning to be religious; and by consequence, such as I ought to suppose are needless to be obviated in this Assembly. Those I would now remark, are of another nature, Principles upon which even good Christians do some­times flatter themselves in Wickedness, or at least neglect to live up to that ex­actness of Christian Practice, as they ought to do.

[Page 91]Now such I esteem first of all, that popular mistake by which many persons too easily delude themselves, of a good mind; a desire and an intention to live well, and which they hope shall attone for all their miscarriages, which notwith­standing their good intention, they still continue to commit. This is a Principle which I fear deceives very many in the world. They cannot deny but that they are indeed very great sinners; but yet they are sorry for it, and they desire to live better. But alas! What shall they do? They are weak and impotent as o­thers are; exposed to a thousand Temp­tations every day, and who is there that either does or can withstand them all?

And indeed, where the Intention is so good, as to make men careful and dili­gent in their duty; if they sin only by surprize or incogitancy, and when they do so, repent them truly, and watch themselves more diligently for the time to come; I will not deny, but that here their good Intention may find acceptance with God Almighty. But otherwise, to think that a weak desire, and a vain reso­lution, and a transient sorrow, the usual Piety of those who rely upon this excuse, shall find favour at the Great Day of Ac­counts: [Page 92] This is that Device which the Devil, I fear, deceives many withal, but for which there is not the least ground or colour in the Holy Scripture.

2. And from this proceeds another mistake, and that not at all less dange­rous than the foregoing; which is, To reckon all those sins which after such a good intention they commit, to be sins of Infirmity, and which they perswade themselves may be consistent with a state of Grace now, and with the hopes of Glory hereafter.

Thus if when they commit a sin, their Conscience checks them, and they parly with the Temptation, and strive a lit­tle, and then yield, and then they are sorry and make some transient, ineffe­ctual resolutions of doing better for the time to come, but which all vanish at the very next trial; this they call Infir­mity, and so God knows it is, but such an Infirmity as will by no means excuse the sins which they commit upon the ac­count of it.

Sins of Infirmity are of another kind; they are weak and imperfect sins, when we are either surprized into the Commis­sion of them, or otherwise hurried on by some sudden fear, or other the like [Page 93] powerful Passion or overbearing Tempta­tion, before we have time to consider what we do, or to arm our selves with firmness and resolution against it. But otherwise, where the sin is known, and the Will free, and there was time for de­liberation, and yet we agreed to it, this can by no means be called a sin of Infir­mity: And here the frequency of the Commission, or the easiness of falling, may serve to aggravate indeed, but sure will by no means extenuate, and much less excuse the guilt of it.

I might to these add, 3 dly, those Prin­ciples of the Church of Rome, which I am persuaded, have not a little contribu­ted to mens neglect of true Piety, viz. of being saved by others Performances; of Purgatory and Indulgences, Masses and Prayers for the Dead; of the power of the Priest to absolve sins; and of an imperfect, ineffectual sorrow for sin, suffi­cient to dispose a man to receive the Grace of Absolution; of the efficacy of the Sacraments to obtain their ends, tho the person be not otherwise in a conditi­on to obtain the Grace of God without them; and in which some of them have gone so far, as to declare Contrition to be rather a hindrance than a benefit to the [Page 94] Sacrament of Penance; and one adds plainly, Morin. de Poenir. l. 8. c. 4. n. 26. That the excellence of the Sa­craments of the Gospel in general, above those of the Law, consists in this, That they have freed us from the intolerable yoke of loving God, and being truly sorry for our sins.

I need not after this say any thing of the extravagance of their late private Casuists, remark'd and censured by many of their own Communion, and not long since by the Pope himself, yet still con­tinuing, notwithstanding both, to be but too much applauded by very great num­bers amongst them. But these being Principles against which I hope I need not prepare any one of our Communion; I will instead of all these, mention only one Principle more, 4 thly, By which men often hinder their progress in Piety, and that is a Principle of Compliment and Good Breeding. When they neglect their duty, it may be do that which they know to be contrary to it, but yet rather than be thought rude and precise, rather than they will disturb Company, or be markt out as singular, they will do as others do, and so disobey God, for fear of disobliging men.

That this is a Case which very often [Page 95] occurs in the method of our present Conversation in the World, is not to be denied. Now then consider, I beseech you, what the Contest here is, and what the issue most certainly will be. God and Man are the Parties concerned, and the question is, Whether your Duty towards him, or your Civility towards the other, ought to preponderate? Whether you should go to Heaven with a few, singu­lar, out-of-fashion Christians, or for com­pany sake take the broad road, tho you know that it leads to Eternal Damnati­on? And now when the choice is so plain, methinks it should be no hard matter to persuade men to despise such a Principle as this. To convince them that their Salvation is a concern of too great importance to be submitted to these formalities, and that 'tis to push the Compliment a great deal too far, to be damned rather than be thought ill bred. But

3 dly. A Third Device whereby the Devil oftentimes endeavours to hinder mens progress in Religion, is, by filling their minds with groundless fears and scruples as to their Eternal Salvation.

It is a matter of sad Consideration to [Page 96] think what discouragements many Chri­stians labour under, in the discharge of their duty; who either wanting a Capa­city to receive a satisfaction, or indul­ging a close and melancholly disposition so long, till they are at last incapable of any, live in doubts and fears, and per­plexities of mind, and it may be by de­grees, wholly cast off all thoughts of Religion, since they cannot find any peace or satisfaction in it.

Now tho such troubles as these may much more easily be prevented before they arrive, than removed after; yet there are ways to encounter even this Device too of our Enemy, and to render it of no force to hinder our Piety. To which end,

1 st. If any fears or scruples of this kind arise in your minds, examine your selves, and see whether there be any real grounds or foundation for them. Whe­ther your lives have been such as may give you just cause to apprehend your selves in danger of losing your souls? If there be nothing of this kind which you can discover to support such fears, then consider with your selves, that the tenor of God's Threats and Promises is very [Page 97] plain, and easie to be understood. That he will never condemn any man in ano­ther world, but for living in a disobe­dience to his Commands in This. That our duty is clear and express; and that Conscience, when sincerely examined, will not fail to tell us whether we do truly fulfil it or no. And therefore that, as St. John says, Beloved, 1 Jo. iii.21. if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God. But should the case be o­therwise; should you find your selves in never so dangerous a course of sin, yet still 'tis in your power, by God's Assi­stance, to deliver your selves out of it. And then, There is mercy with God, that he may be feared. Psa. 130.4. So that be your state at the present never so dangerous, yet if you will even now lay hold upon his Mercy, if ye will yet repent and return unto the Lord your God, 1 Joh 19. and confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive you your sins, and the blood of Christ shall cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

But now 2 dly, If your Case be dubious, and neither these nor any other reflecti­ons are able to give you that satisfaction you desire, yet should not this move you to give way to the Tempter; but ra­ther [Page 98] should engage you to set your selves the more diligently to this work; to call in some Spiritual Guide to your assistance; and if upon a sincere opening of your state to him, neither can he find out any grounds for your fears and scruples, your doubts and your apprehensions; you ought then to labour by all means to possess your Souls in Peace; and to conclude, That these Terrors are only the Devices of the Devil to discourage you in your duty, not any real causes for doubt or despair.

And yet 3 dly, Thô neither by these nor any other means you should ever be able totally to overcome these difficul­ties; yet ought not this to make you ever the less careful of going on still in a se­rious discharge of your duty. Nay, on the contrary, it ought to make you the more zealous and diligent in the per­formance of it. A man that lives here all his life in such perplexities, if yet he fulfils that obedience, and pra­ctices that repentance which God re­quires, may nevertheless be saved at the last. But he that upon any of these grounds neglects this, tho he goes on never so securely and comfortably in his [Page 99] evil way, shall certainly fall into ruin and destruction in the end. And since such fears as these, arise from an appre­hension that we do not live so well, nor serve God so sincerely as we ought to do; the best means, when all is done, to re­move them is, if it be possible, to out­live even our own apprehensions, and to serve God so truly and heartily, as not to be able to doubt, but that we shall find a reward for it at his hands.

I shall add but one thing more in this Case, (4 thly,) and it is this. Be not dis­couraged, nor think your Faith imper­fect, or your Religion vain, because you find your selves still attended with some fears and anxieties about your future state. St. Paul not only allows this, but exhorts us, with his Philipians, To work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Phil. ii.12. To be without all con­cern in a matter of such moment, were to be stupid and insensible, ra­ther than religious. And when we come to appear before Christ in Judg­ment, we shall be sentenced, not ac­cording to our own Opinions or Appre­hensions of our selves, whether good [Page 100] or evil, but according to the Since­rity of our Lives, to the Extent of our Charity, and to the Truth of our Repentance. And all these supported and made perfect by the Merits and Satisfaction of a most Gracious and Merciful Redeemer, who will pity and pardon beyond what we are able to ex­press or to conceive. But,

4 thly, And to conclude this Point, The last Device by which the Devil, in these days especially, has endeavoured to hinder our Piety, is, by turning that Zeal into Strifes and Disputes about Religion, which ought to have been employed on the Practice of it.

For indeed, were we now to enquire what the great demonstration of all our Zeal is, both in the Priests and the People, what other account should we be able to bring back than this, That they are all hot and furious for their several particular Opinions; as if the whole Gospel of Christ, and all the Hopes of Eternity, depended on them; but for the Practice of a Gospel-life, for that Devotion, that Charity, that Humility, and Integrity which were once the great Care and Ornament of the Christian [Page 101] Church, these, God knows, are but little regarded by the most of us.

If, 1 st. We consider the Publick Ef­fects of these Controversies to a decay of Piety: What a desolation shall we find too often occasion'd by them? I need not tell you how many Countries have been ruined; what Kings and Princes have been murthered, and banished, and deposed by their own people; what Blood has been spilt; what numbers of honest and innocent people, men, women, and children, have been lost and undone by them. And by a strange Metamor­phosis, Cruelty and Oppression, Falseness and Dissimulation, Deceit and Perjury, all the vilest and most scandalous sins, by the Sacred Power of the Churches In­terest, consecrated into Christian and He­roical Virtues. And to compleat the astonishment, the Holy Martyrs and Confessors have been damned to Hell, whilst their Persecutors have been Saint­ed, and placed in Heaven.

If 2 dly, We look upon these Disputes in themselves only, without regarding any such desperate effects of them: I wish I had no occasion to say how preju­dicial they have even thus been, and [Page 102] without God's Infinite Mercy, might have been much more to our common Christianity: Whilst by the means of these, not only Schisms and Heresies (and even those too, St. Paul reckons among the works of the flesh, Gal. v.20. which whoso are guilty of, cannot inherit the kingdom of God) have crept into the Church; but, Some from these Con­tests have concluded all our Religion to be uncertain; and esteem'd it the wisest way not to join with any of us, till we can somewhat better agree to which of us they ought to go. Others, considering the manner how these Con­troversies have, of late especially, been managed and carried on, have with some colour of reason, been tempted to believe all our Pretences to be only De­ceit and Vision; for that surely did those who stand up in the defence of Religion, believe it themselves, they would never defend their Faith in such a manner, as utterly contradicts all the Morality of it.

Which of the great Articles of Christi­anity have not our modern disputes call'd in question? It is but a very little while since the Mystery of the Sacred Trinity, and the Glorious Incarnation of the Son of God, have again been struck at, by those [Page 103] who plainly shew they care not what becomes of Christianity, if they can­not make their Popish Heresie prevail with it. And that if not in so plain and direct a manner as the Arians and Socinians of our days do; yet in ano­ther no less repugnant to the belief of them. For if the contradictions, as they say, be indeed as great in these, as 'tis plain they are in that other Mystery, or rather as one of their own great defen­ders of it truly called it, Card Perron. That MONSTER of Transubstantiation, to which they are compared; I doubt all considering persons will resolve from the self-evident false­ness of the one, to conclude against the others; rather than from their belief of those, to give up their assent to this.

If we look to the Morality of the Go­spel; let the Heat and the Passion, the Bitterness, and the Evil-speaking; shall I add, and even the fraud and dissimula­tion which have appear'd in these debates, be a sad evidence how destructive such disputes are of true Piety and Religion. Whilst to lessen an Adversary, or to be thought to get the better in an Argu­ment, men value not how or what they write; but seem resolved at any rate to maintain their point, thô for the doing [Page 104] of it they are forced to such shifts, as without God's Infinite Mercy, must lose them their own Souls.

What shall I say to that Epidemical Vn­charitableness that is from hence diffused into the several Parties of Christians? Whil'st every one seems to reckon his Enemy no better then a Heathen and a Publican; and having by their uncharita­ble censures cut him off from the hopes of God's Mercy hereafter, think them­selves afterwards disengaged from all obli­gations even of common humanity towards him now.

I speak not this, as if I meant to accuse those of our Church who have so generous­ly stood in the Gap, and sacrificed their Peace, their Quiet, and their Interests to the defence of an excellent Cause, and a truly Orthodox, Catholic, and Apostolic Church: And much less would I be thought hereby to discourage you from being as zealous for the Faith, and as constant in its defence, as both your duty requires, and as, I bless God, you all of you are this day, and I hope, and am persuaded, will ever be so. But I speak this to deplore the sad state of Christiani­ty, and to bewail [...]se divisions, than which nothing ha [...] [...] [...]ore destructive [Page 105] to the practice of Religion. I speak it, earnestly to beseech and exhort you, even by the Bowels and Mercy of Christ Jesus, that you will be careful to add to your Faith Works: To adorn your holy Profession, by a suitable Conversation: To live to the Honour of your Church, as well as to dispute for it: And seeing ye know what danger these Controversies are apt to bring to the decay of Piety, that you would be careful to prevent them, and not suffer your Zeal for your Faith, ever to carry you to any unchri­stian or unwarrantable measures in the defence of it.

And thus have I set before you some of those devices whereby the Devil is wont to hinder our Piety; I have but just time to mention a very few of the other kind, viz.

II dly, Those by which he is wont to draw us into the commission of Sin.

It has been an ancient Remark, and the reason whereof is so deeply rooted in our very Natures, as may justly make it a first principle in this Enquiry; That Evil, as such, is not desirable. No Man ever commits a sin for sinning sake, but upon the account of some good or other [Page 106] which he either really does, or at least thinks shall accrue to him thereby.

Now 'tis upon this, the Devil founds all his devices to deceive us. He ob­serves our Interests, our Tempers, and Inclinations; what it is that either our Condition, or Circumstances, or Designs in the World render us the most apt to be caught with, and accordingly offers his Temptations to us in such a manner as may be most like to prevail with us.

So that then to arm our selves against those Artifices by which he is wont to draw us into Sin, we shall need no long search, no laborious enquiry into his particular Temptations. Only let us turn our eyes into our own Souls; there let us consider what sins they are we are the most apt to fall into, what passions the most command us, to what irregu­larities our Tempers, or our Circumstan­ces lay us the most open, and this will presently both shew us our danger, and how we ought to fortify our selves against it.

But thô to enter therefore upon all the particular Devices of Satan whereby he leads Men into sin, be a work as needless as it would be infinite; yet some gene­ral remarks there are, which we may [Page 107] do well to make in order to our secu­rity.

And 1 st. It is commonly the first step which the Devil takes towards the lead­ing Men into sin, to perswade them to a Carelesness and Indifference in their duty. Whil'st Men are warm and vigorous in the practice of Piety, zealous of God's Honour, and sincere in the pursuance of what makes for it; 'tis plain the Enemy can get but very little advantage of us. But if instead of this, we live only in a form of Godliness, and regard not the power of it: If we are negligent and un­concern'd for Religion, and take but little notice of what it requires of us; We are then ready for the Tempter to make his Assault upon us: And 'twill be no hard matter to deceive that Man in­to the commission of sin, who is already but very little affected with the sense of his duty, nor takes any great care for the fulfilling of it.

2 dly, Another device whereby the De­vil often gets an advantage of us, not only to hinder our Piety, but even to lead us into the greatest violations of it, is by the Customs and Opinion of the World. I have before observed what Slaves we are, the very best of us, to these things. [Page 108] They corrupt our Practice, and debauch our very Reason and Vnderstanding. And we may at this day find many things in the practice of mankind, become the praise and accomplishment of a Gentleman, which, were we to examine them by the Rules of the Gospel, would be seen to have no part in the Character of a Chri­stian. And then I need not say how fatal­ly dangerous that must be to lead us in­to sin, which is able so far to deceive our very Consciences, as not to be thought to carry any guilt or shame in the commission of it.

And these are such Devices whereby the Devil oftentimes draws men into Sin; I will add only two more, whereby, when once men are engaged in a course of sin, he is wont to strengthen and con­firm them in it: viz. 1 st. An unreasona­ble Hope of God's Mercy; And 2 dly. A vain dependance on their own future Repentance: That is to say, They sin on now, in prospect of amendment hereaf­ter; and then they make no doubt but that they shall find favour and mercy with God, as well as other sinners in the like circumstances have done before them.

[Page 109]But, O God! what a desperate reli­ance is this, whereon to venture all the Hopes and Glories of Eternity! For tell me, O Sinner! whoever thou art that thus projectest a future Amendment, af­ter thou hast taken thy fill of Pleasure, and art no longer able to pursue thy Sins and thy Debaucheries: What security hast thou, that That God whom thou so de­spisest shall continue thy life to thee, and give thee any such Time and Opportu­nity to repent? Canst thou command the Sun that it should stand still, and put a stop to thy days, that thou may'st the more freely follow thy Revels and thy Delights? Or canst thou hope, when thou lyest down on thy last Bed, with Hezekiah, to add a new Series of Years to thy expiring breath, by then lifting up thy profane Heart, and thy deceitful Voice, to That God whom thou hast so long continued to offend?

Nay, but couldst thou do this, and so arrive to the time thou hast assign'd for this Work; Art thou sure thou shalt then be in a Capacity of fulfilling it? There is a time when there shall be no more any opportunity for Repentance, tho' we should have otherwise leisure enough for the accomplishing of it. And sure, if any [Page 110] such is, the most likely to be that Season, which Wicked Men have lay'd out for their return to their duty, in order to their going on for the present in their evil doings. Nor is there any reason why that man should expect Grace to repent at the last, who all his life long has neg­lected and despised the Offers of it.

I will not now say how unfit a time that of Old Age and Sickness is for so great an undertaking: When the Soul as well as Body is feeble and impotent; when the Memory is decay'd, the Reason fails, and our Affections are dull, our Zeal is cold, and all our thoughts taken up with the horrors of Hell, and the sense of those In­firmities under which the Body labours. But sure I am, all these things ought to convince men of the desperate folly, and even madness of such a procrastina­tion; and to engage them, whil'st they have yet the time, to lay hold upon that Mercy, which it may be they shall here­after neither have Grace nor Opportunity to implore.

See this more at large Serm. VI, VII.But I must not pursue these things any further; nor shall I make any Appli­cation of what I have already offer'd: but, without more enlargement, will conclude all with the words of the Church.

[Page 111]O God, Collect for the iv ^th Sund. after Epiph. who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our Nature we cannot always stand up­right: Grant to us such strength and protection, as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ our Lord. To whom, &c.

THese words are not only the Close of this Epistle, but also the Appli­cation of all that the Apostle before had written in it. And for the understanding [Page 114] of them, we must observe, That the de­sign of St. Peter in this Address to the Christians dispersed abroad among the Jews, and now under great temptations either to corrupt or to abandon that Faith that had once been delivered to them, Jude iii. was to exhort and stir them up to a constant continuance in their Professi­on, and not to suffer themselves, whether by the cunning Artifice of Some, or by the open Violence of Others, to be either totally frightned out of their Religion, or to be misled into any false Doctrines, contrary to the Truth and Purity which they had been taught.

In the beginning of the second Chapter, he speaks of certain false Teachers that were crept in amongst them, V. 1. and made it their great endeavour by any means to bring in damnable Heresies. And he foresaw that their wicked Industry would be likely to prove but too fatally succes­ful; for, Many (says he) shall follow their pernicious ways, V. 2. by reason of whom the way of Truth shall be evil spoken of.

And in the next Chapter, he goes on to foretel the near approach of those Judgments which our Saviour Christ had [Page 115] so often denounced against the Jews, and in which those complying Christians were in like manner to be involved. And by both these Considerations, he finally, in the Close of all, stirs them up, both to a Care of themselves, and to a Constancy in their Profession;

Such was the occasion of these words; and the prosecution of them at this time will engage Me to explain the nature, and to exhort you to the practice of two Duties, than which I know none more proper for our serious Consideration; Growth in Grace, and Stedfastness in Reli­gion; and from both which there are but too many Seducers on every hand to turn us aside. I shall pursue both in this following Order.

• [Page 116]I. I will shew you, what the true na­ture of that stedfastness in Religi­on is, to which our Text here ex­horts us.
• II. By what Motives especially it was, that the Apostle stirr'd up the Chri­stians to whom he wrote, and that I would now crave leave to ex­hort you, to such a stedfastness.
• III. How highly both necessary in its self it is▪ but especially how advantage­ous to this great End, that we should all of us endeavour what in us lies, to grow in Grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

And first,

I. What the true nature of that stedfast­ness in Religion is, to which our Text exhorts us, and which I am from thence to recommend to you.

For 'tis not every firmness that deserves the name of a true and rational stedfast­ness: and a man may as well exceed, by a perverse, unwarrantable resolution not to hearken to any Motives, tho' ne­ver so reasonable, to change his Opini­on; [Page 117] as by an unfix'd and irresolute tem­per abandon himself to every wind of Do­ctrine that shall come to turn him aside from it.

Constancy in Religion is a Vertue that, like all others, must be regulated by Prudence. It must be firm, but it must be well-grounded too. And he who would go about at all adventures to recommend a perseverance in that Faith, whatever it be, in which a man has been born and bred, without allowing a just enquiry to be made into the Grounds of it, and even a liberty to forsake it too, should they prove less solid than they ought to be; He may indeed provide for their se­curity who chance to be already in the right way, but shall render it utterly impossible for those that are not, ever to come to the knowledge of it.

It is not therefore such a blind sted­fastness as this, a constancy in our Religion whether it be good or bad, that either the Apostle here means, or that I would now recommend to you. This would be to make a plea for Obstinacy rather than Constancy; whil'st by such a Rule it would be the duty of a Jew to remain a Jew, a Heathen a Heathen; for a Papist or Socinian to continue all their lives Pa­pist [Page 118] or Socinian, no less than for One of the Church of England to be firm and stedfast to the Faith and Communion of it. That which I understand by a true stedfastness, is this: When a man is upon rational and good Grounds evidently per­swaded of the Truth and Purity of his Religion, then to resolve to stick close to it, and not suffer any base, unworthy Motives, to draw him aside from it. Our Religion must first be well grounded, and then it will be true stedfastness to adhere to it. And therefore to give such ne­cessary directions as may suffice for the practice of this Duty, I must distinctly consider it in both its respects, and as it stands in the Middle between the two Extremes of a blind Obstinacy on the one hand, and of a weak Instability on the other; and by either of which, the true nature of it will become equally de­stroy'd.

First then: He that will be truly sted­fast in his Religion, must take heed that he does not mistake Obstinacy for Stedfastness.

This is an Error so much the ra­ther to be remarked on this occasi­on, in that a daily experience sadly [Page 119] shows us at once, both the danger and easiness of such a mistake. It is a strange perverseness in some men, that they make it no less than a mortal sin to have any doubts, though ne­ver so reasonable, of any the least Doctrine they have once been taught to profess. And there is hardly an Immorality so heinous and provoking, so contrary to the Honour of God, and so destructive of Salvation, which their Spiritual Guides will not sooner over­pass, than such a Scruple. Insomuch, that by the express Order of the Church which I am now speaking of, 'tis made a part of mens solemn recepti­on into their Communion, See the R. Pontific. O. d. ad Reconcil. Haerer. Spondeo sub Ana­thematis Obligati­one, M [...] nunquam Quorum­libet sua­sionibus vel quo­cunque a­l [...]o modo ad—Reversurum. Et si (quod absit) ab hâc me uni­tate aliquâ Occasione vel Argumento divisero, perjurii Reatum in­currens, aeternae obligatus poenae Inveniar. &c. the very con­dition of being admitted into a state of Proselytism with them, not only to abjure for the present, all those Tenets which they are pleased to call Here­tical, but also to imprecate upon their heads all the miseries of Eternal Tor­ments, if ever they suffer themselves BY ANY OCCASION OR ARGUMENTS WHATSO­EVER, to be hereafter better instructed.

[Page 120]This is, in good truth, to make a Faction of Religion; 'tis a Combination rather than a Constancy: And what wretched effects it has upon the minds of those unfortunate, deluded men, that have once suffered themselves to be thus engaged, appears in this; That no rational Motives, no Arguments, though never so clear, are almost a­ble to work upon them. The sad Vow they have made, recurs continu­ally upon their minds: They have sworn to continue where they are gone, at all adventures; and therefore they now as obstinately resolve never to return to the Truth, as they once weakly suffered themselves to be sedu­ced from it.

To avoid such an unhappy Obsti­nacy as this, and be constant in our Reli­gion upon such rational Grounds as may justifie us before God and Man, from the charge of a pertinacious firmness, we may please to observe these following di­rections.

1 st. Let our Religion be founded in Knowledg; i. e. Let us be clearly and evidently convinced of the Truth of that to which we do adhere, and then [Page 121] we may be sure we cannot be justly charged with Obstinacy for our adhering to it.

He who takes up his Religion upon trust, that receives all the Articles of his Creed by wholesale; believes as his Church believes, but it may be knows not either what that is, or wherefore he does so; 'tis evident that such a credulous Disciple as this, may be blind­ly obstinate, but he cannot be wisely stedfast in the Faith. A good Christian must be able to give some more rea­sonable account of his Faith than this, if ever he means to be securely firm in the Profession of it. His Creed must be founded on some better Authority than a bare Credulity. And 'twill be a very useless Plea at the last day, that a man believed as his Church believed, when he might have had the opportuni­ty of a better information, should he chance by so doing, to live and dye in a damnable Heresie; unless he can render some tolerable account either wherefore his Church believed so, or at least, wherefore it was that he submitted himself so servilely to her Authority.

[Page 120]But he that believes with knowledg, because he is clearly and evidently perswaded that it is the Truth, need never fear either the danger or im­putation of such an Obstinacy, for his firmness in adhering to his Faith. If, for instance, a Member of the Church of England reads in his Bible those ex­press words of the Second Command­ment, Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, &c. Thou shalt not Bow down to it, nor Worship it; If he looks forward to the History of the New Testament, and there in the Institution of the Blessed Eucharist sees those words, Drink ye ALL of this, in as plain and legible Characters, as those others, Take and Eat; and thereupon resolves never to be prevailed upon, either to Bow down himself before an Image, or to give up his Right to the Cup as well as to the Bread in that Holy Sacrament, what­ever glosses may be made, or preten­ces be used to induce him to either; 'Tis evident that such a Firmness as this, cannot be called Obstinacy, unless these Scriptures be no longer the Word of God, or that no longer a Principle [Page 121] of Scripture, that in matters of plain and undoubted Command, Acts iv.19. we are to obey God rather than man.

And in these and the like instances, where the matter is clear even to de­monstration, there is no doubt to be made, but that such Knowledg will cer­tainly secure us against the charge and danger of Obstinacy. But because all points in debate are not thus Evident, but on the contrary many are not a little obscure; therefore for the securing our selves from danger in our adherence to these too, we must to our Knowledg add,

2 dly, A sincere zeal to discover the truth, with an affectionate Charity to those that differ from us.

In such Cases as this, thô we must be­lieve and profess according to what ap­pears to us at present to be the Truth; yet since the Evidence is not such as to exclude all possibility of our being mis­taken, our adherence to it must be qua­lified with this reserve, neither rashly to censure those who are otherwise minded, nor obstinately to resolve never to change our Opinion, if we should perhaps be hereafter convinced that we ought to do so.

[Page 124]Now in order hereunto, it is not necessary that a Man should either fluctu­ate in his present Faith, or not be firmly persuaded that he shall never see any reason to forsake it. It is sufficient to take off the imputation of obstinacy, that our stedfastness be such as not to exclude either a readiness of being bet­ter informed, if that be possible; or of making, upon all occasions, a strict and impartial enquiry into the Grounds and Reason of our Faith; or even of hearing freely whatever objections can fairly be brought against it. And all this with a sincere desire, and stedfast resolution to discover and embrace the Truth, wheresoever it lies; Whether it be that which we now suppose to be so, or whether it shall be found to be on the contrary side. He who is thus disposed in his mind at all times to receive instruction, and never presumes rashly to condemn any one that is thus in like manner disposed, however otherwise disagreeing in Opinion from Him; need never fear that his firmness is any other than that Wise and Christian stedfastness which our Text requires, not such an obstinacy as both that and we most justly detest and con­demn.

[Page 125]But here then we must look to the other extreme, and take heed, lest for fear of being perversly constant to our Faith, we fall into a weak and criminal Instability. To prevent this, these three things may be consider'd:

• 1 st. That we carefully avoid all Vn­worthy Motives of changing our Religion.
• 2 dly, That we be not too apt to en­tertain an ill Opinion of it.
• 3 dly, That if any Arguments shall at any time be brought against it that may deserve our considering; we then be sure to give Them that due and diligent Examination, that we ought to do.

I st, He that will be stedfast in the Faith, must above all things take heed to arm himself against all unworthy Mo­tives of changing his Religion.

It is very sad to consider what un­christian means are made use of by some persons to propagate their Religion: And a Man need almost no other assu­rance that it cannot be from God, than to see the Professors of it pursue such methods for the promoting of its Interest, [Page 124] as most certainly never came down from above.

Thus, if a Man's fortunes be mean, or his ambition great; If Religion has not taken so deep root in his Soul as to enable him to overcome the flatteries and temptations of a present Interest and Advantage; then there shall not be wanting a seducer presently to shew him, that he must needs be out of the right way, because it is not that which leads to preferment. And 'tis great odds but a good Place, or an Honoura­ble Title, will quickly appear a more infallible mark of the true Church, than any that Scripture or Antiquity can fur­nish to the contrary.

If this will not do, and Interest can­not prevail, then the other governing passion of our Minds, mens fears, are tried. Instead of these allurements, the False Teacher now thunders out Hell and Damnation against us. Nothing but Curses and Anathema's to be expected by us if we continue firm in our Faith. And it shall be none of the Prophets nor his Churches fault, if all the Horrors and Miseries of this present life be not em­ploy'd against us, in charity, to prevent our falling into the Everlasting Punish­ments of the next.

[Page 125]The Truth is, I am ashamed to re­count what unworthy means some have not been ashamed to make use of to promote their Religion, and draw us away from our stedfastness. France and Savoy, Hungary and Germany; The Old World and the New, have all, and that but very lately been witnesses what ways it is that Popery has, and does, and if ever it means effectually to pre­vail, must take to propagate its in­terest: ‘—Animus meminisse horret, luctú (que) refugit.’ Now he that shall be so unhappy as to suffer himself by any of these motives, which a constant Man might and ought to have overcome, to be seduced from the right Faith; he may deserve indeed to be pitied now, but I fear he will hardly be hereafter excused.

But it is not sufficient to secure our selves against this danger. He that will be constant in his Religion, as he ought to be, must see,

2 dly, That he be not too apt to en­tertain an ill Opinion of it.

For if it be Obstinacy on the one hand, not to admit of any Conviction thò never so clear and reasonable; it is cer­tainly [Page 128] a great Weakness on the other, to be affrighted at every shadow of an Argument, and to put it in the power of every little Disputer to prejudice us against our Religion, because one who is its professed Enemy, rails against it, and pretends it is a very ill One.

He would, I believe, be thought a very credulous person indeed, who should begin to stagger and fall into a trem­bling, thô he saw himself upon plain and even Ground, because a bold and fanciful man is very positive that 'tis a precipice. And doubtless that Man is no less to be pitied, that is frighted for fear he should be in the wrong, thô he has the un­doubted Authority of Scripture and An­tiquity, nay, and even of Sense and Rea­son too on his side, as often as every Common-place Trifler shall think fit to run over his division upon the Church, the Antiquity, Succession, Infallibility of it; and, without either Modesty or Proof, call us Hereticks. If Men have Reason on their side, if they have Scripture for what they say, let them on God's Name produce it: We are always ready to consider and to submit to such convi­ctions. But otherwise to think to per­swade us that we are in utter darkness [Page 129] when we see the Sun shining in our faces; That we must be damned for not believing that what we see, and tast, and know, to be but a bit of Bread, is not the Body of a Man; That they are not Infallible, who are actually involved in the grossest Errors; In a word, That our Church had no being before Luther, every Article of whose Faith is founded upon the Authority of the Holy Scrip­tures, and has been professed in all Ages of the Church from the Apostles to this day; this is certainly one of the most unreasonable things in the whole World, and what ought not by any means to stagger our stedfastness.

And now having secured our selves on both these sides, it only remains to pre­serve our Constancy;

3 dly, That if at any time any Argu­ments should be offer'd to us that may deserve our regard, we then be sure to give them that due and wise Examination that we ought to do.

It is a very great Weakness, and in­deed a very great fault in many persons, that if at any time they begin to doubt in their belief of any part of their Faith [Page 130] which they have been taught to profess, they presently abandon their own Guides, and run for satisfaction to those who are the professed Enemies of their Religion. From henceforth they hear nothing but what is ill of their Church; they are taught more and more to su­spect the way that they are in; and then 'tis odds but a very little examination suffices to make them leave it.

This is certainly a very great fault, and will one day prove of very dan­gerous consequence. What such persons may think of changing their Religion, I cannot tell; but sure I am, our greatest Charity will hardly enable us to enter­tain any very comfortable Opinion of them. Nor are they such as those that we either say, or believe may be saved, notwithstanding the errors and corrup­tions of that Church with which they Communicate.

He that will make a safe change from one Religion to another, must not think it enough to enquire into one or two points, and having received a satisfa­ction in them, embrace all the rest at a venture for their sakes; but he must pass distinctly through every Article in debate. He must enquire, not only [Page 131] whether the Church of which he is at present a Member, be not mistaken in some points, it may be there is no Church in the World that is absolutely free from all kind of Error; But whe­ther those mistakes be of such a conse­quence, that he cannot communicate any longer with it on the account of them. When this is done, the greatest diffi­culty will still remain, to examine with the same diligence every Article of that other Church to which he is tempted: For else, thô he should have reason to forsake his own Church, he will yet be but little advantaged if he goes to ano­ther that is as bad, or, it may be, worse than that. If there he should find the most part well, yet so that there are but any One or Two things so Errone­ous as to oblige him to profess what he thinks to be false, or to practice what is unlawful, even this will be sufficient to hinder him from reconciling himself to it. And in all this, there must be a seri­ous, and diligent, and impartial search. There must be no prejudice in favour of the One, or against the Other; no de­sire that the Truth should be on this side, rather than on that: In short, nothing must be omitted, whereby he might [Page 132] reasonably have got a better Information. And to all this Care, there must be ad­ded fervent Prayer to God for his assist­ance. He who falls away from his first Faith on any lesser convicton than this, can never excuse himself from a crimi­nal lightness in a matter of such con­cern. And for him that sincerely does this, I shall, for my part, be content that he should leave the Church of Eng­land, whenever he can be thus con­vinced that any other, but especially that the Church of Rome is a safer way to Salvation.

And this may suffice to have been said to the first particular; What that sted­fastness in Religion is, to which our Text exhorts us. I go on 2 dly to shew,

II. Upon what Motives it was that the Apostle here stirred up the Christians to whom he wrote, and that I am now in like manner to exhort you, to such a stedfast­ness.

Now these our Text reduces to this One General Consideration; That they both understood their danger, and were expresly forewarn'd by his Epistle how careful it would behove them to be, to [Page 133] arm themselves against it: Ye therefore, Beloved, seeing ye know these things be­fore, Beware. And doubtless it is not only a great security, but ought to be also a great engagement to such a vigi­lance, to be thus expresly forewarned of our danger. And he who either neg­lecting or despising the Admonition, suf­fers himself to be seduced from his own stedfastness, must certainly be utterly in­excusable both in the sight of God and Man for his Inconstancy.

But that which will aggravate this neglect yet much more, is the consi­deration of those Motives by which the Apostle here cautions them to Beware, and which therefore I must lay a little more distinctly before you. Now such were especially these two.

1 st. The dangerousness of those sedu­cers that were crept in amongst them: And this not so much in respect of their cunning and diligence, thô that too were considerable; as of the motives they used to draw them from their sted­fastness. There are, it may be, scarce any two things in the World, the weak­ness and corruption of Man's Nature consider'd, more apt to seduce, than an [Page 134] easie Practice, supported with high Preten­ces; when both the way that is offer'd is extremely agreeable to our loose incli­nations, and the Proponent wonderfully confident in the tender of it; And both these St. Peter here tells us, were to be found in the Hereticks against whom he forewarns them: And indeed 'twas upon this account especially, that he seemed to be so apprehensive of their prevailing. For when (says he) they speak great swel­ling words of vanity, II. Chap. ver. 18. they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wan­tonness. And therefore, as he said before, ver. 2. —2. Many shall follow their pernicious, or rather, as both the Original Greek, and our own Marginal Note read it, their loose, their lascivious ways. But,

2 dly. Another danger there was, and that no less to be considered than the foregoing. The Christians to whom he wrote, were under some trial and perse­cution for the Faith of Christ, and these Hereticks who chiefly provided for the ease and quiet of this present life, had found out a remedy against that danger too. They taught, That it was lawful on these occasions to dissemble, or even to deny their Faith, and not to run any such hazards for it. Now this to weak [Page 135] minds could not but be a strong tempta­tion to comply with them. Men, for the most part, are very easie in believing that, which they very much desire should be true. And therefore no wonder if our Apostle thought himself highly concern'd amidst all these dangers, to exhort them to beware, lest being led away with the er­ror of the wicked, they should fall from their own stedfastness.

Such was the state of these Christians; and I shall not need to make any Appli­cation. But now, if as we have seen their dangers, so we shall also consider the Arguments which the Apostle here urges to confirm their Constancy, we shall be forced to acknowledge them to be such, as ought in all reason to have prevailed with them. For,

1 st. As to the temptations before men­tioned, they are indeed but too apt to seduce, because we are few of us so wise or so good as we ought to be: but to an upright and sincere Christian, they will appear exceeding inconsiderable, and e­ven detestable. Confidence and Assurance stagger weak minds: but if destitute of solid reason, they only argue to wise men the vanity of the Undertaker, and [Page 136] render the Man and his Cause the more ridiculous. And for the other dangers, the fear of Persecution, and the looseness of their Morals; he must be a strange sort of Christian indeed, whom such con­siderations can prevail with to fall from his stedfastness, and hardly worth the while for any Church to get or to pre­serve. And tho' I should be glad by any honest and Christian means to promote the Interests, and enlarge the Borders of the Church of England, yet I must con­fess, that I am so little concern'd for such Members as these, that on the contrary I could almost wish that all those who will not be perswaded to live Christianly in our Communion, would be so kind to us as to live Vnchristianly out of it, rather than in it, The loss of Ten thousand such Proselytes would only lessen our number, but neither our Honour nor our Interest; nay, perhaps, would rather help to pro­mote both: For I should then begin to hope, that God had indeed a Blessing in store for us, could I once see these Jonas's cast out, for whose sake, perhaps, it is that the present Storm is fallen upon us; and whose departure from us, may there­fore, for ought I know, be the likeliest means to restore to us the Blessing of Peace and Security again.

[Page 137]But if there be then nothing in these temptations that should draw us aside from our stedfastness, I am sure,

2 dly. There is more than enough in what St. Peter here offers, to engage us to continue firm to it. And because I may not now enlarge my self, I will rather point it out to you, than insist upon it. For,

1 st. It is with us now, as it was with the Christians in St. Peter's time: Those who would draw us away from our sted­fastness to the true Catholic Faith, would bring in dangerous, I am unwilling with the Apostle to say damnable Here­sies, in the stead of it. We do indeed charitably hope, That they who by the Providence of God have been born in a different Communion from us, and bred up all their lives not only in an utter ig­norance of the right Faith, but in an irre­concilable hatred to it; who have been taught to damn us as Heretics and Schis­matics, and to value themselves upon the score of their own pretended Catholicism, if they are otherwise sincere in that Faith which they profess, and repent them truly of their sins, but especially of their uncharitableness to those that differ [Page 138] from them, may, through the extraordi­nary mercy of God, be saved, notwith­standing such their Errors. But for us, who know their delusions; that whil'st they damn all others as Hereticks, they are indeed themselves the most perverse and obstinate that ever were; should we forsake our Truth, and go over to them, that little Argument so often used on these occasions, That we confess men may be saved in their Church, but that they ut­terly deny they can be so in Ours, and therefore that it is better to be on theirs, i. e. the safer side, would stand us in small stead; and for all this Sophistry, we should certainly run a very great hazard of being damn'd for falling away from our own stedfastness. But,

2 dly. A second Motive which our Apostle here offers to engage us to such a constancy, will arise from the considerati­on of the exceeding great punishment that shall be the consequence of such an Apostacy. Now that in this case was so much the more to be consider'd, in that the punishment which St. Peter here speaks of, was to fall upon them even in this present world. The Prophecies of Christ for the Destruction of the Jews be­ing now just ready to be accomplish'd, [Page 139] and in which the Apostatizing Christians were also to be involved. But however, I neither have, nor would desire to have any such prospect with reference to the Seducers and their Proselytes in our days, whose Conversion, tho' I heartily wish, yet, I thank God, I never did, I hope I never shall desire their Destruction: yet certain­ly the Argument ought never the less to be consider'd, because it respects only the Miseries of another life. There is more than enough in the consideration of Eter­nal Torments, to move the most indiffe­rent person both to consider, and, if it may be, to prevent the enduring of them. And however men may please to put the Evil Day far from them, and hope that it shall not, because it is their Inte­rest that it should not, too soon overtake them: yet neither can any of us say how soon it may come upon us; and were it at never so great a distance, yet let us but remember that when it does come, it brings an Eternity along with it, and we shall be forced to confess, That no pre­sent Considerations, how great soever they may seem to be, are yet fit to stand in competition with it.

He must be a very foolish, or a very necessitous man indeed, that would part [Page 140] with the certain reversion of a Thousand Pounds a Year, for the obtaining a pre­sent Peny. And yet such, or rather God knows infinitely greater, is the folly of that man, who for any secular advan­tages whatsoever, sells his Soul; and thereby not only loses his title to all the Joys and Glories of Heaven, but exchan­ges them for a dreadful Portion of Fire and Brimstone for ever.

Blessed Saviour! What is there in all those little Enjoyments men here pursue with so much greediness, that for the sake of them We should deny Thee, and that Faith which must save us when we appear before thee in Judgment! Be­hold! yet a little while, and there We must stand to render a strict Ac­count of all our actions, and receive ac­cording to what we have done in the body, whether it be good or evil. And what then will all these Interests and Advan­tages avail us? What profit shall we then have, tho' we could have gain'd the whole World, when we shall have lost our own Souls for the doing of it? How will it then please us, that we have renounc'd our Faith to preserve those little Enjoy­ments that are now no more; but the sad punishment of the soul Apostacy to [Page 141] which they have tempted us, will conti­nue for ever? Certainly, were the com­plying Hypocrite but capable of reflecting what shall be the end of his Apostacy; could he but once think with the Pro­phet, Who can dwell with everlasting bur­nings? he would need no other motive to convince him of the folly of such Courtly compliance, and to keep him from falling away from his own stedfastness.

3 dly. But the Apostle adds yet another Motive, and which having mention'd, I shall conclude. We have seen the sad, the unspeakable, and what is yet more, the eternal misery of him that falls from his stedfastness. Could I now represent to you the as infinite Reward of the constant Christian; could I delineate to you but a small part of those Joys which are pre­pared for such an One; what an illustri­ous Crown of Glory shall adorn his trium­phant Head to all Eternity: I might then hope to have fully accomplish'd the design of this Exhortation, and to have effectually secured you against fal­ling away from your stedfastness.

But this is an Argument above my Ca­pacity to illustrate. Eye hath not seen, 1 Cor. II▪ 9. nor ear heard, nor does it enter into the heart of man to conceive, what God has pre­pared [Page 142] for them that love him. We have neither thoughts to imagine any thing comparable to its greatness, much less words to express it. And methinks even this should be enough to recommend it to us, that we are not able to express it. That its Excellency so far surpasses whatever experience we can pretend to of any felicity in this life, that we can­not so much as found upon it any tolera­ble apprehensions of the Joys and Glories of the other. At least, this I am sure, that it ought to be more than enough to con­vince you, how incomparably more wor­thy our desires and pursuits such a reward of our firmness is, than whatsoever can be offered to draw us aside from it.

And now having shown you both what it is to be truly stedfast in our Faith, and how great an Obligation there lies upon us so to be; what remains, but that I briefly close all with the last parti­cular I proposed to speak to,

III. How highly necessary in its self, but especially how advantageous to this great end it is, that we should all of us endeavour what in us lies, To grow in Grace, and in the Knowledg of our Lord and Savi­our Jesus Christ?

[Page 143]I could wish I had some longer time to improve, as I ought, this great and useful Exhortation. But I have insisted too long already, and therefore may not enlarge upon it. The duty, in short, re­commended to us is this; That we should seriously endeavour according to our several opportunities, to encrease eve­ry day in our Knowledg and Vnderstand­ing of the Gospel of Christ, and in a suita­ble practice and performance of it. And he who truly makes it his business to do this, need never fear falling away from his stedfastness. His Knowledg will teach him what is the right way, and the Grace of God rooted in his heart, will establish him, that no unworthy Considerations shall ever be able to draw him aside from it.

1. For what concerns the former of these, Knowledg, he must understand but very little of the true Spirit of Christia­nity, that is not able at the first sight to discover the illusion of those false Teach­ers, that are at present the most busie a­mongst us.

* Christianity is a Gospel of Peace and Charity: It commands us to love and to do good to all men even our very enemies. To bless them that curse us, Mat. v.44. to do good to them that hate us, and to pray for those [Page 144] that despitefully use us and persecute us. And can those be its Disciples, who scatter nothing but hatred and malice, confusion and disorder, whereever they come; and make it a matter of con­science to root out and destroy from off the earth, all those that differ from them? The very foundation of whose Religion consists in a Maxim of the most detesta­ble uncharitableness, That all must be damned that are not of their Persuasion?

* Christianity is a wise and reasonable Religion; a Religion becoming a most wise God to plant, and rational crea­tures to embrace. But our new Teachers are for a blind and unreasonable Piety: They are for a Faith and a Worship full of the greatest contradictions: And e­steem the true Character of a thorough-pac'd Believer to be, to believe not only without any just grounds, but even contra­ry to the common Sense and Reason of man­kind.

* Christianity is an honest, an upright, a sincere Religion; a Religion that requires the greatest plainness and simplicity in all our words and actions. And can those be Christians who are wholly made up of Fraud and Dissimulation; who palliate the very Doctrine they profess; deny the [Page 145] very Articles of their Faith, when it is requisite thereby to seduce men to their Party; and plainly show that they value not what they do or say, as often as the mother-interest of their Church requires them to deceive.

* Christianity teahces us to worship but One God ▪ 1 Tim. ii.5. and one only Mediator be­tween God and Man, Christ Jesus. But our New-Masters are not thus content: They set up, if not more Gods, yet I am sure more Objects of their Religious Worship, more Mediators than one; and teach men to address their Prayers more frequently through the Merits and In­tercession of their new Advocates, to whose Patronage they have committed them­selves, than through His who is the true Christians only Advocate, Christ blessed for ever.

* Christianity forbids us to make any graven Images, 2 d Com. the likeness of any thing in Heaven above, to Bow down before it, and worship it. These false Prophets set up their Images in every Church, and bow down to the work of their hands. For this end they consecrate them with ma­ny Abominations. And however some think fit to dissemble it, yet others speak it boldly out, as the Doctrine of their [Page 146] Church, That the very same Religious Worship is to be given to the Cross of Christ, Aquin. & his School. that is paid to Him that suffered upon it.

* Christianity commands us to pray in a tongue which the Church understands, 1 Cor. xiv. that so the unlearned may be able to say Amen at our giving of thanks. Our New Guides direct men to pray in a tongue which to be sure the people do not, and which sometimes even the Priest too that officiates, understands as little as they.

* Christianity is a Religion that teaches men to be meek and humble, not to think of themselves above what they ought to think; but when they have done all, to say, they are unprofitable servants. But our new Teachers have not so learnt of Christ. They know a little better how to value their own performances. Instead of saying they are unprofitable servants, they teach men to value themselves on the account of their Merits; to look upon Heaven to be but an equal recom­pence of their Piety; nay, yet more, that they may live so as to make God a Debtor to them beyond all the Glories of Eternity, and to merit a Crown both for themselves and others.

[Page 147]* In short, for there is indeed no end of the contradiction; Christianity com­mands us to take bread, to bless it, and break it; To take Wine, bless it and pour it out; and eat and drink at the Holy Table in remembrance of that Death and Passion, which our Blessed Saviour once for all underwent upon the Cross for us. But what now do our new Instru­ctors? They tell us here is neither Bread nor Wine to be eaten or drunk; that they are, I know not how, converted into the very Natural Substance of Christ's Body and Blood. That he was not offered up once for all, but is here again as truly of­fered as ever he was upon the Cross: That thereby a new Expiation is made for the Sins both of the dead and the living; and thô our Saviour has as expresly commanded both kinds as either, yet they declare that one is sufficient for the people to partake of, and accordingly they give no more to them.

Thus you see how very little a Know­lege of our Lord and his Religion will suffice to show that there cannot be any just cause for any one to forsake the Com­munion of our Church, to plunge himself into such an abyss of Error and Supersti­tion as this. And then if he be but equal­ly advanced,

[Page 148]2 dly, In Grace too; this will certain­ly secure him, that no base motive, no danger or Interest shall be able to prevail with him so to do.

Let the Seducer display all the seeming advantages of such a change. Let him with his Master the Devil set us up upon the high mountain of our own vain ima­ginations. There let him shew us all the Kingdoms of the Earth, Mat. iv.8. and the glories of them; and to compleat the Parallel, let him, if he can, add too; All these things are mine, and to whomsoever I will, I can give them; if thou wilt therefore renounce thy Faith, and fall down and worship me, all shall be thine. By Grace we shall learn to despise them all: This will convince us, that there can be no true honour in dissembling a mans conscience, and prostituting his Soul, his Religion, and his God, to a little present advantage. That the Riches of this world are but vanity; that the true treasure is in Hea­ven. In a word, That the favour of the greatest Monarch is not worth the pur­chasing, if to obtain that, we must lose the favour of God for ever.

Let him shift the Scene; instead of all these advantages, let him set forth all the dangers that either the Devil can suggest, [Page 149] or his own more furious Zeal invent; By Grace we shall be able to despise even those too. This will teach us, that there is a God in Heaven, who shall laugh them to scorn; and whose Counsel it is, that when all is done, shall stand. That if he pleases to protect us, 'tis not all their malice that can do us the least injury. But that should he either for our Punishment, or our Trial, expose us to their rage, yet still we ought with Moses, Heb. xi.25, 26. to esteem the re­proach of Christ beyond all the treasures of Egypt; and chuse rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

This was the brave resolution of the Saints of old; They were tortured, Heb. xi.35. not ac­cepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Dan. iii. When Nebuchad­nezzar commanded the three Children in Daniel, —15. to worship the golden image which he had set up; they regarded nei­ther the Majesty of the King, nor the Threats of his fiery furnace: —16. They told him plainly, That they were not careful to please him in that matter; —17. that their God, if he pleased, both could and would deliver them out of his hand: But if not, yet Be it known to thee, O King, —18. that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the [Page 150] golden image which thou hast set up. And the same has been the spirit of our fore­runners in the Faith; they have over­come all the fiery darts of the Devil, whilst that Blessed Saviour who first gave the Command, has ever since inspired his followers with strength and resolu­tion to fulfil it; Mat. x.28. Fear not them who can kill the body, and after that, have no more that they can do; but fear him who can cast both soul and body into hell-fire; yea, I say unto you, fear him.

Here then let us exercise our selves. Let us be stedfast to our Faith; and that we may be so, Let us grow in grace, and in the knowledg of our Lord and Savi­our Jesus Christ. The Seducers amongst us are many; they are diligent and watch­ful by any means to draw us into their Nets; and God knows both their Reli­gion and their Arguments are but too much adapted to our Passions and our Interests, and may therefore be but too likely to prevail upon us. But, Ye there­fore, Beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware.

Behold, I have fre [...] set before you this day, Life and Death, your Duty and your Danger; and I am very confi­dent the choice is not difficult. I shall fi­nish [Page 151] all with those words of our Blessed Master, Matt. x.32. and which indeed is the sum of all I am now exhorting you to.

Whosoever shall confess me before men, Matth. x. him will I also confess before my Father which is in Heaven. — 32.

But whosoever shall deny me before men, — 33. him will I also deny before my Fa­ther which is in Heaven.

AS the context at first sight tells us, that the Person here spoken of, was St. Paul; so if we look into the [Page 154] foregoing Chapter, we shall find that he had been not long before sent down from Jerusalem to Caesarea, Acts xxiii. v. 23, &c. by the chief Cap­tain, Claudius Lysias, upon a discovery that had been made to him of certain Jews who had bound themselves under a great Curse, Ib. v. 12, 14, 16. not to Eat nor Drink till they had slain Him.

It was none of the least instances of the blind and furious zeal of those men for their Religion, that as they thought themselves disengaged even from all the Common Offices of Humanity to those that were not of the same Country and Opinion with themselves; so here they look'd upon it to be a piece of merit, a doing of God service, Joh. xvi.2. by any the most base and treacherous means that could be imagined, to persecute and destroy this Holy Man, meerly for having Apo­statized from it.

They saw the mischief that he did them, and they knew not how, other­wise than by his death, to prevent it. His Quality, his Education at the feet of one of their most Learned Rabbins; the zeal he once had for the Jewish worship in opposition to that to which he was now converted; His indefatigable In­dustry in every where drawing others [Page 155] out of those Errors and Prejudices in which Himself had been engaged; In a word, that Astonishing Miracle, by which our Saviour Christ himself from Heaven wrought his Conversion; All these, as they rendred him a most use­ful and blessed Instrument of propaga­ting the Gospel, so did they in propor­tion mark him out as a peculiar object of their Rage. And accordingly we find that they left no Method, whether of open Violence, or private Treachery; either by false Accusation, or secret As­sassination, unattempted to destroy Him.

But the Providence of God was not to be overcome by the malice and wicked­ness of Men. And our Blessed Lord, who so wonderfully called him to his work, did not cease as wonderfully to protect and defend him in it: So that after all their endeavours to entrap him, we find him here more safe than ever from their Violence: In the hands of a Centurion, to secure Him from their Malice, Acts xxiv.23. but not to forbid any of his acquaintance to come or minister unto him.

In this state was our Apostle when Fe­lix sent for Him to hear what he could say concerning the Faith or Gospel of —v.24. [Page 156] Christ. What the particulars of that Sermon were which upon this occasion he made to Him, we are not certainly in­formed. But the sum of it is recorded in the Words of my Text, viz. That it was of Righteousness, Temperance, and the Judgment to come: And those pro­posed to him in so plain and powerful a manner, that he was not able to dis­semble the impression it made upon him, ‘For, as he reason'd of Righteousness, Temperance and Judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answer'd, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season I will call for thee.’

To discourse upon which words in that proper manner that I ought to do, I must desire these two things may be ob­served.

1 st. That the Person to whom St. Paul here address'd himself, was not only a very wicked Man, and guilty in a more particular manner, as I shall presently shew, of those very crimes against which the Apostle here particularly inveighs; [Page 157] but a Heathen too: A Man utterly un­acquainted not only with the Doctrine of Christ, See Gro­tius and Dr. Ham­mond on that Verse, which in our Translation seems to imply quite other­wise, viz. That he had a perfect knowledg of the Jewish Law. verse 24. but also with the profession of the Jews, vers. 22.

2 dly, That to this man St. Paul proposes the Doctrine of a Future Judg­ment, and that dreadful punishment which by consequence should hereafter be pronounced against sinners, not by way of Authority, or as a Revelation which the Gospel had made to the World; but as a point which his own Reason would tell him was most just, and fit to be be­believed. He reason'd, says my Text, before him, of the great obligations that lye upon Men to live justly and soberly, and of the severe enquiry that shall one day pass upon all of us, whether we have lived or no as we ought to do. And then taking of our Text under these Considerations, I suppose I shall pursue the most proper design of it, in discour­sing to you on these four points:

• I st. That the Doctrine of a Judge­ment to come, is so highly reasonable, [Page 158] that the greatest Infidel must be forced to confess the probability of it.
• II dly, That if there be a Judgment to come, and a future state of rewards and punishments, it cannot be doubt­ed but that those who live wickedly now, shall then be in a most wretch­ed and deplorable condition.
• III dly, That however sinners may pre­tend to dissemble their belief of this, and live as if indeed they did believe nothing at all of it; yet the greatest of them cannot chuse but tremble sometimes at the Ap­prehension of it.
• Thô now, IV thly and Lastly, It too often hap­pens to such persons, as we see it did to this unfortunate Man here; That the effect of these terrors is not to bring them to repentance of their sins; but to engage them by any means to put off the thoughts of their future state, which are so troulesome and amazing to them.

But before I enter upon these Parti­culars, there is one thing which I cannot [Page 159] but observe with reference to those other points mention'd in the Text, as part of St. Paul's Discourse before Felix, Righ­teousness and Temperance: And the Ap­plication whereof may serve to reproach the Complaisance of too many of his Suc­cessors among us in the Gospel; whose ten­derness in reproving the Vices of Great Men, and sometimes even their conni­vance at them, do's but very illy agree ei­ther with that great Obligation which our Holy profession lays upon us, or with that admirable Example which the Apostle has here set us for our imitation.

It is the Character which Historians have given us of this Felix, Josephus, Hist. l. 20. That he was a man, who, in his Government, ma­naged his Power with all the Violence and Injustice that can possibly be ima­gined; and breaking through all the Ties of Justice and Continence, had, by the help of one Simon a Magician, Tacitus, Hist. l. 5. gain'd the Affections of Drusilla, the Wife of Azis, King of the Emisseni and lived in a state of Adultery with her.

Now this being the Case of Felix, 'tis plain, that the Subject of St. Paul's Discourse was to remonstrate to him his Injustice, and Intemperance; and let him freely know, That however he might [Page 160] carry it out by his Power and Authority now, yet there was a time coming, a fu­ture Day of Judgment, when he should be called to a severe Account for all his Wickedness.

This was indeed an Address becoming the zeal of an Apostle, and the Spirit of St. Paul. And too plainly shews, how little we have left in us of that Primitive warmth which inflamed this Holy Man, by our different management on the like Occasions.

There can hardly be imagined any greater discouragement to such a free­dom, than what our Apostle here la­bour'd under. To touch an Vnjust Go­vernor in the point of his Violence and Injustice; a lustful Adulterer in the busi­ness of his Incontinence, this one would think should have been a pretty bold un­dertaking for any One. But for Saint Paul, a Prisoner, one that was to appear as a Criminal before him; for him, in­stead of flattering this great Man▪ as his Adversary Tertullus had done: Verse 2. Instead of Applauding the great quietness which the people enjoy'd under his govern­ment, Verse 2. and the very worthy deeds that had been done by his providence, to call him to repent of his Rapine and Cruelty; of [Page 161] his Intemperance and Adultery: and this too in the presence of that very Woman whom he much loved, Verse 24. and for whose sake he had done so many vile things; this was an Honest freedom and plain­ness, becoming an Apostolical Age; but which, I fear, in these days of ours, would be censur'd as rudeness, and in­discretion; any thing rather than a com­mendable Zeal for the Glory of God, and the Salvation of Souls.

But alas! St. Paul had not learnt that tender Application that is now a-days made to Great Persons. He had no In­terest of his own to pursue; and there­fore did not address himself after the manner of those who are more afraid of offending Men, than of displeasing God, and of disparaging their Character. He knew the Doctrine to be seasonable to Felix; and that if he pleased to make a good use of it, it might be profitable too: And he never stood to consider, whether Felix would like it, or no; or whether it might not perhaps provoke him to run to any Extremities against him for his freedom. In short, He had an Vnjust, Adulterous Man to preach to; and he knew nothing so fit to reason of before him, as of Righteousness, Tempe­rance, [Page 162] and the Judgment to come. And had we but the same honest Courage and Indifference that he had, we should speak, not only with the same freedom that he did; but, by the Grace of God, with the same efficacy too: And poor and despicable as we are thought by ma­ny, yet in the power of that Divine Truth which we are sent to preach to the World, make the greatest Sinners tremble to think, That for all these things God will bring them to judgment.

And that this is the Case, is the first thing I am to shew:

I st, That the Doctrine of a Judgment to come, is so highly reasonable, that the greatest Infidel cannot but ac­knowledge the probability of it.

In pursuance of which Point, it is not my Design to shew what Grounds the Holy Scriptures give us for the belief of a future Judgment, which we all of us every day profess as an Article of our Faith, and therefore cannot be supposed any of us to doubt of it. What else do we meet with almost throughout the New Testament, but Exhortations to live well upon this Ground, That God has ap­pointed [Page 163] a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness: Acts xvii.31. Rom. xiv.10. Acts xvii.31. That we must all stand before the Judg­ment-seat of Christ, Rom. xiv.10. That we must All appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ; Every one to receive the things done in his Body, according to what he hath done, whether it be Good or Evil: 2 Cor. v.10. 2 Cor. v.10. What Revelation has there ever been more clearly made, I do not say than this, That there shall be a final Judgment, but of the manner and Cir­cumstances of it? 1 Thess. iv.15, &c. 1 Cor. xv. How the Trumpets shall sound, and the dead arise, and those that are alive be changed. How the just shall be caught up into the air, and the sinners lie groveling below, in vain cry­ing out to the Mountains to fall upon them, and to the Hills to cover them: How the Judgment shall be set, and the Books open'd, and every man judged out of the things contained in those Books, according to his works. Matt. xxv.31, &c. Then shall the Son of Man come in his Glory, and sit down upon the Throne of his Glory: And before him shall be ga­thered all Nations, and he shall separate them the one from the other, as a Shepherd divideth his Sheep from the Goats: and he shall set his Sheep on his right hand, and the Goats on his left: And he shall [Page 164] say to them on his right hand, Come ye Blessed of my Father, inherit the King­dom prepared for you from the foundation of the World. But to those on the left, Depart from me ye Cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his An­gels. And these shall go away into Ever­lasting Punishment; but the Righteous into Life Eternal.

In a word; So particular is the Ac­count which we here find of all the Cir­cumstances of this great Audit, that I scarce know any thing left unrevealed to us, but only the Day and Hour when this Judgment shall be: And which in­deed God has in Mercy kept up from us, that so we might always live in Appre­hension of that, which we can never tell how soon it may arrive.

But this is not that which my Text leads me to consider: And indeed, how­ever it may be useful enough to call upon the most faithful Christians to think sometimes on this future Judg­ment; yet it would certainly be a very needless undertaking to reason with such Persons concerning it, and use any long Arguments to convince them of the fu­turity of it. That which I have now to do, is of a quite different nature; 'Tis [Page 165] to offer such Reasons for the belief of a Judgment to come, as may convince the Greatest Infidel of the probability of it: And shew them that, whether they will believe us in other things, or no, yet here at least they cannot with any rea­son doubt of the Truth of our Doctrine; but must resolve to become Good Men, if they will not be persuaded to become Faithful Christians.

And indeed in this Sceptical Age, in which we now live, it may not, for ought I know, be altogether unseasona­ble, to argue sometimes with Men upon their own Principles. To shew them, that Religion is not a contrivance of State Policy, nor the effect of Priest-craft. That when we discourse of another World after this, and a final Inquest to pass upon all our Actions; and a Vast Eternity of Re­wards and Punishments, according to what they now do, whether Good or Evil; we do not alarm Mens minds with false Fears, and ungrounded Terros, but speak to them a Truth which the very Gentiles themselves have universally ac­knowledged; nay, which their own Consciences will not suffer them to disbe­lieve, however they may sometimes en­deavour to stifle their Convictions, and [Page 166] have the Impudence to deny, what at the same time, with Felix, they trem­ble to think of. In short; That whe­ther we look into the frame and consti­tution of our own Souls within us, or contemplate the Dispensations of God's Providence in the affairs of the World without, they both speak to us this great Truth, That God will bring us to Judgment.

1. If first we look back into the Prin­ciples of the Heathen Theology, what point shall we find more universally ac­knowledged by them, than this of a Judgment to come? This we may see il­lustrated not only in the flights of their Poets, in the Harangues of their Orators, in the Dictates of their Philosophers; and all which have been particularly collected by the Holy Fathers of the Church in their Writings against them, and may be seen at large in the Works yet extant of Justin Martyr, Eusebius, Theodoret and others: But as Tertullian well observes, even in their common Conversation, in which Men usually the most speak according to their Natural impressions, they still testified the same belief: And by calling God to witness and judge of their Actions; by commending [Page 167] themselves and their Cause to God, when they could find no remedy or relief from Men, they plainly shew'd it to be a principle rooted in their very Natures, That there is a God who sees and ob­serves what passes here below; and will one day set to rights all the present seem­ing irregular dispensations of his Provi­dence in the Government of the World, and render to every man according to his Works.

I shall not in this place enter so far in­to this Argument, as to shew you in the particular expressions of the Ancient Hea­thens themselves, how clearly and pe­remptorily they have deliver'd them­selves as to this Point of a Judgment to come. But thus much I suppose I may take the liberty to conclude from what I have already in General observed; That it cannot be deni'd, but that, Christianity set apart, the belief of a future Judgment must be allow'd, even upon the meer Principles of Nature, to be very highly probable, which the Gentiles themselves, without the help of any Divine Revela­tion, have so firmly and universally re­ceived.

And indeed so clear are the Evidences of it, that wheresoever we turn our eyes, [Page 168] whether into the Nature and Constitution of the little World within, or into the Go­vernment and Administration of the great­er without us, we cannot but acknowledg the reasonableness of this belief. For,

2 dly, If we consider the Nature of our own Souls within us, we shall find a Con­science, even in the most wicked Men, that will plainly bear witness to this great Truth.

There is a certain Principle implanted in every one of us, that not only directs and informs us what we ought to do, and what to avoid; but does moreover check, or encourage us, according as what we have done is either Good or Evil. Now upon this Sentence which our Con­sciences here pass upon all our Actions, we find either a pleasure, and confidence, and satisfaction if we have done well; or else a fear, and terrour, and distrust, if we have done ill: And this not with reference to any Reward we are like to receive, or any Punishment we may be in danger of suffering in this present World: The greatest Monarchs being no less sensible of these Motions within, when their Consciences do either approve or condemn them, than the meanest of their Subjects; and both the One and [Page 169] the other, tho' the Action were never so secret, no less than if it had been done in the presence of the whole World.

And what is all this but a plain Evi­dence planted in our very Nature, to keep us in a continual expectation of some ac­count to be given of our Actions in another World, beyond what is done in this. When the long Series of our present Lives shall be reviewed, and our Consci­ences, now our Judges, then become Witnesses, and give Testimony for or against us, according as we have done either Good or Evil.

But that which will be a yet farther Confirmation of this Argument is, That the nearer we approach to our latter End, still the more Powerful and Vigo­rous are these impressions of our own Consciences upon our Souls. How does the Sinner then begin with Horror to reflect upon his Life past; and to hate and fear the Consequence of his Evil doings, when he is just ready to die, and by consequence is passed all appre­hension of any farther inquest in this Life, more than he did at the time of his commission of them? Whilst the Good and Vertuous man embraces Death with such a Quiet and Compo­sure, [Page 170] and oftentimes with such a sensible Joy and Satisfaction, as if he were about to receive some great Good by it, to be sure did not Fear any Evil from it.

This certainly can be nothing else but a still more sensible evidence of the Belief of a Judgment to come, rooted in our very Natures, and that there is to be a Restitution of rewards and Punish­ments in another Life, besides what is made to our Actions in this▪

3. To all which if we add, 3 dly, The farther strength that will be given to this Principle, from the Considerati­on of the present Irregular Dispensations of God's Providence, as they seem to us, in this World, to oblige us to expect some Judgment in the Other; I do not see what the greatest Sceptick can have to oppose against so firm and clear a Demonstration of it.

It is, I presume, agreed among all sorts of Persons that admit the Being of a God, that as he is the Author of all Per­fections in all other things, so he can have nothing Defective, or Imperfect in Himself. That as this World was not at first made by Chance and Fortune, but by a most Wise, and Good, and Powerful God; so neither is it now Go­vern'd [Page 171] by Chance, but by the Providence of the same God who first made it.

Now if God be Infinitely Perfect, then he must be Perfectly Wise, and Just, and Good; and we may as well suppose him not to be God, as not allow him to be all this. But if he be so, and if this World be indeed subject to the Guidance of his Providence, then We must of necessity acknowledg a Judg­ment to come. It being plain, that as the Affairs of men are order'd in this Pre­sent World, they shew but very little sign of an exact Justice and Goodness in the Administration of them. The best Men now being oftentimes the most Unfortunate; and the most Profligate Miscreants, the most happy, in the En­joyments of the Good things of this Life.

Either therefore we must deny that there is a God, altogether; or that the world is Govern'd by Him: Or we must say, that he is not Just and Good, and there­fore minds not what becomes of those that are so, which is in effect to say he is not God: Or else that he is Impo­tent and Ignorant; either does not know how things pass here below, or tho' he [Page 172] does know, yet is not able to redress them; and this again destroys the very Notion of a God, which includes an In­finite Perfection in Power and Knowledge, no less than in Goodness and Justice: Or lastly, If there be a God, and that God does take care of the Affairs of men; and is Good and Just; and has such a Knowledge and Power as we say he has; then it must remain, that there shall be a future Judgment, in which all these un­certain, irregular Dispensations of his Providence, as they appear to us, shall be cleared and set right, and the Good and Bad receive the just recompence of what their Actions here have deserved.

Seeing then we cannot with any rea­son doubt either that there is a God, or that this God is Just, or that his Provi­dence does indeed superintend over the Affairs of the World; and yet 'tis plain that things now are not order'd with so exact a Justice as a Divine Providence does require: It must remain, that nei­ther can we with any reason doubt, but that there is to be a Judgment to come, in which God will make a perfect Demonstration of his Goodness and Ju­stice to every man according to what he has done in the Body, and of which our [Page 173] Consciences, as we have before shown, shall then render a most exact account.

Which being so; I shall not need say much to shew,

II dly. That then it cannot be doubt­ed, but those who live Wickedly now, must expect to be hereafter in a most wretched and deplorable condition.

This is the plain, indeed the necessa­ry Consequence of the foregoing Refle­ctions. For if the very End of this Judgment be, as we have said, to make a great and Eternal Demonstration of God's Justice in his Dispensations towards the Children of men, then in the words of St. Paul, Rom. ii.6. Rom. ii.6, &c. He must render to eve­ry man according to his works. To them who by Patient Continuance in will doing, seek for Glory, and Honour, and Immortality, Eternal Life: Tribulation and Anguish upon every Soul of man that does Evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.

If the present Administration of Af­fairs in this Life, be not exactly accord­ing to the strict rules of Equity and Ju­stice; God permitting the Righteous man [Page 174] to struggle under the Pressures of an Ad­verse Fortune, and the Wicked and Vn­godly to Prosper in their Wickedness; yet may this be very well Reconcilable with his Justice, both because he may have other excellent Ends, to serve by such an Irregularity, and for that he has yet an Opportunity remaining in his hands, abundantly to recompence all the sufferings of the One, and to Punish all the Wick­edness of the Other. And instead of concluding from these Promiscuous events now, that God is not Just, or does not re­gard the Affairs of this World; that he knows not, neither understands how things pass here below, nor has power suffici­ent to Govern them as in Justice he ought to do; I have already shown that we ought rather to infer, That this Life is only a State of Tryal, that the great time of Retribution remains in a­nother World, when all these Irregu­larities shall be set right, and the Good­ness, the Justice, the Power of God be made known in a most severe and ex­act Sentence which shall then pass upon every man, in the day when he shall judge the World in Righteousness.

But if God not only suffers the Wicked to Flourish now, but shall hereafter also [Page 175] let them go Vnpunish'd; if he permits them to enjoy the Fruits of their Sins in this present World; and will take no Care to avenge himself upon them in the next; Gen. xviii.25. How then shall the Judge of all the Earth do right? Or what is there more remaining whereby to justify God in his doings, who thus apparently con­nives at Sinners; and neither asserts his Cause in their ruine here, nor will call them to any account for all their Wick­edness hereafter?

It remains therefore, that as certain­ly as that God is Just, and therefore must some time or other render to every man according to his works, the Sinner shall one day receive a dreadful Sentence of Horror and Misery from that God, nei­ther whose Knowledge he can escape, nor whose Power he is able to withstand: Who sees all his most secret Villanies now, and will hereafter bring him to Judgment for them. But now what or how great that Punishment is which re­mains for Sinners in the other World, this is what we cannot pretend by any Natural way of Reasoning precisely to define. And yet thus much I think even our own Reason may suggest to us.

[Page 176]I st. That it must be some very great Punishment which a long Life of Sin and Impiety, and that too heightned with all the Aggravating Circumstances of being committed against Knowledge, a­gainst the checks of our Consciences to the contrary, it may be against Vows and Resolutions of doing better; nay possibly, against many special means and methods of God's Providence to bring us to Repentance, must deserve, and there­fore in all probability shall receive.

2 dly. That as there are different Kinds and Degrees of Sinners now; All men do not rise up to an equal pitch of Wick­edness, nor begin so soon, nor continue so long in their Evil doings; nor it may be have it in their Power to do so much mischief as other Sinners do; so in all reason we may believe that there shall also be different degrees of Punishment suitable to all these, and some be con­demned to a much more Severe and intollerable infliction than others.

To both which remarks I cannot tell, whether I may not add,

3 dly. That seeing the Soul is a Spirit in its own nature capable of Immorta­lity; having neither any dependance on the Body, nor being exposed to any [Page 177] of those Casualties that are the Causes of the Corruption of all other things which we see Decay and Perish here; and there being no Declaration any where made to us, that it is the Will of God ever to extinguish them after they are gone out of the Body; We may, I think, have some cause to fear, whether our Souls being capable of an Eternal existence, the Puishment also which in that last Judgment they shall be doom'd to, may not be for all Eter­nity.

And all this the Principles of Natu­ral Reason, and the Dictates of our Con­sciences direct us to, and the greatest Infidel must be forced at least to con­fess the Probability of it. And indeed, However Wicked men may endeavour to dissemble their Belief of these things, and live so as if they truly did not give the least credit to them, yet are their Fears many times too strong for them, and discover their Apprehensions, whe­ther they will or no. This is the next Point I proposed,

III dly. That however Sinners may Live as if they Believed nothing [...]f all this, yet the greatest of them [Page 178] cannot chuse but Tremble some­times at the Appprehension of it.

So Felix did, and so we have been told of many others that have done likewise. Men may pretend to out­brave Hell and Eternity at a distance, may laugh at our Discourses concerning another World, and the Judgment that is to pass on all our Actions in it; and make it a Piece of Wit and Gallantry not to believe any thing of them; But I have seldome heard of that man that could look Damnation in the face when he came within prospect of it. There is a certain time when all men begin to acknowledge the Power of Religi­on; and if not to believe a Heaven, yet at least to fear a Hell. Atheism and Profaneness are things that pass well enough while there is no great cause to reflect on the danger of them: Whilst mens Pulse beats strong, their Years run briskly on; their Condition is Easie and Prosperous; they go on in their sins without Controul, and therefore without considering either what they do, or whether they are running.

But no sooner does any Trouble and [Page 179] Adversity come upon them: If their pro­sperity fails them, and the iniquity of their ways begins to encompass them round about; If age and infirmities call upon them to think what they have done, or where 'tis they must next go; but presently all their Schemes and Hypo­theses vanish: They awake as Men out of a deep sleep, and too late begin, if not to convince themselves that there is a Judgment to come, yet to tremble with horror, lest perhaps there should be One.

But alas! What is for the most part the consequence of these Terrors? Is it even now at least to fit and prepare themselves for it? No, They are afraid of a future judgment, and cannot endure the thoughts of it; yet still they neglect to provide against it. This was the last point I proposed to consider, and is evi­dently the sad condition of many of these Men: viz.

IV thly, That the use they make of these reasonings concerning a Judg­ment to come, is not to bring them­selves thereby to a repentance of their Evil-doings; but rather to en­deavour by any means to put off [Page 180] these thoughts of their future state, that are so troublesome and uneasy to them.

There is not perhaps any one thing in the World that ruins more Souls, than this unhappy Method so common with most sinners, of still putting off the bu­siness of Religion to a more convenient season. They cannot endure the thoughts of another World, and that Judgment which we must every one of us undergo in it; They tremble at the reflection of it, and delude themselves with a future prospect of resolving in good earnest to prepare themselves for it; but like Felix in the Text, they put off this work to another Time, without ever fixing when that Time is to come; and it happens to them, as it did to him, that for the most part it never comes at all.

I believe there are but few in the World so wicked as never to have had their lucid intervals of Piety and Reli­gion; nor occasions both to consider of a Judgment to come, and how much it would import them to provide for it. On the contrary, I am apt to think the greatest part of Sinners go on in their sins now, with a confidence and resolu­tion [Page 181] of repenting some time or other: But still some thing or other interposes to prevent their doing of it; and Death overtakes them before they are aware; and they go out of this World or ever they have made the least provision for another.

I shall not need to say how unreason­able such a procrastination is, even upon those Principles of Natural Reason on which I have hitherto proceeded in the managing of this great Argument. For if we have so much reason as we have seen, to believe that there is to be a Judg­ment to come, in which we must render a strict account of all our Actions; and every days experience convinces us of the shortness and uncertainty of our pre­sent life, and the little depend [...]nce we can make upon it for the time to come: If in that judgment the state and condi­tion of sinners shall, without controversy, be very grievous; and there be no way to promise our selves either any peace of Conscience now, or any hopes of Happi­ness hereafter, but only by acting in such a manner, and putting our selves in such a state, that we need not be either a­shamed to live, or afraid to die: It must then certainly be most fit and reasonable [Page 182] for all of us to begin personally to consi­der and do like Men, and no longer con­tinue in those sins which are our torment now, and which, should we chance to die ere we have repented of them, will prove our ruin for ever.

And all this the very light of reason, and the dictates of natural Conscience speak to us to call us to repentance, and to convince us of the Danger and Vnrea­sonableness of the least delaying of it. And if there should chance to be any here present, whose Wickedness and Infi­delity render this discourse as seasonable to them now, as St. Paul's once was to Felix; I cannot but hope they may meet with somewhat in this reasoning that may have the same Effect upon them, but with a better Consequence than the Apostles had upon that wretched Man: may serve not only to awaken their fears of a judgment to come, but to stir them up to an immediate provision for it.

But it is time now to remember, that I am speaking all this while to a Chri­stian Assembly; and therefore to such, as will admit of yet more lively persuasives of a future Judgment; and of the Great and Eternal Torments that await the Wicked after it.

[Page 183]And I shall not need to say how much our Religion has discovered to us, to make the sinner tremble at the apprehen­sion of that dreadful Inquest, which the best Christian cannot think of without amazement.

For indeed, where is the Soul so well established, so secure of its own sinceri­ty, as to be able to endure the Horrors of that day, when the end of all things being come, the World its self shall be­gin to tremble and fall into its ancient Chaos. When the sun, and moon, and stars shall be darkened: the mountains shall quake, and the powers of Heaven be shaken. When the Earth shall be set on fire; the Heavens shall be shrivell'd up as a scroll, the Elements also shall melt with fervent heat. When the Trumpet shall sound, and the Graves be opened, and the Dead arise; and our Consciences begin to fly in our Faces, and represent to us the sins we have committed; the means and opportunities of repentance which we have neglected; and the Everlasting pu­nishment to which we are now just ready to be condemn'd.

O! the terrors of that time, when be­ing distracted with all these amazements, we shall begin in vain to cry out to the [Page 184] Mountains to fall upon us, and to the Hills to cover us! When we shall be able no where to see any hope or comfort re­maining to us. If we look up to Hea­ven, that place which we shall now ne­ver be able to approach; behold there our Judge with all his Holy Angels about him, pronouncing a bitter sentence of In­dignation and Wrath, and Eternal mise­ry against us. If we cast down our eyes below; nothing is there to be seen, but the wretched Companions of our misery; Weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. The fire already bursting out, in which we are to perish, and yet to be preserved alive for ever; and the Devils ready to drag as into that place of Tor­ments.

How shall we then Curse our Sins, that have brought us into this desperate, lost estate? And too late begin to consider the wisdom of those happy men, who have been persuaded timely to think of, and to provide for Eternity. Wisd. v.4 [...] We fools counted their lives madness, and their latter end to be without honour. We once laugh'd at their folly, and smiled to see them pine away themselves in pe­nitential exercises, whilst we freely in­dulged our Ease and our Debauches. [Page 185] But now they are numbred among the Children of God, —5. and their lot is among the Saints.

And now when all these, and infinite­ly more terrors than I am able to express, are included in that one thought of the judgment to come; tell me O wretched sinner! Canst thou hear me reasoning this day before thee of these things, and not tremble at the Apprehension of them? And if the very thoughts of a judgment to come, be thus dreadful to thee now, canst thou yet think thy self uncon­cern'd to provide against that time, when thou and I, and all who are here present, must prepare to appear before it?

Rather, Let this reflection engage every one of us to examine our selves, how we shall then be able to give up our Accounts: And let us so judge our selves, that we may not be condemn'd for ever. Let us, whilst we have yet the time, confess our wickedness, and be sorry for our sins. Let us turn from our evil way, and from the violence that is in our hands, that our iniquity may not be our ruine. Let us fly to our Judge, whil'st we are yet in the way, before we go down into the Grave where there is no repentance.

[Page 186]And if we thus improve the Terrors of the Lord now, we shall hereafter with great confidence expect them: And that great day, so dreadful to the unprepared sinner, shall be to us a day of joy and triumph with all Saints,

Which God of his mercy grant it may be to every one of us, for his dear son Jesus Christ his sake: To whom be ascribed, as is most due, Salva­tion, and Glory, and Power, and Praise, and Dominion, for ever and ever, Amen.

IN which Words we have the result of St. Paul's Discourse before Felix, con­cerning the future Judgment, and the [Page 188] Punishments that should one day be pro­nounced against sinners in it. He had sent for our Apostle, —v.24. who was then a Pri­soner at Caesarea, to hear what he had to say concerning the Faith or Gospel of Christ.

‘And as he reason'd of Righteousness, Temperance, and Judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answer'd, Go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient season I will call for thee.’

It was the usual method of St. Paul in Preaching the Gospel of Christ, in the first place to awaken mens fears, by declaring to them the terrors of a fu­ture state, and the strict account that we must one day render to God of all our Actions; that so being full of Horror at the apprehension of their danger, they might become the better disposed to hearken to those means he was after­wards to propose to them, whereby to secure them against it. And in his se­cond Epistle to the Corinthians, v ^th. 11. he gives us an account how effectual a preparation it commonly made for him to prevail; Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord; i. e. as appears by the foregoing verse, 2 Cor. v.10. this revelation of the future Judg­ment, we persuade men.

[Page 189]He had here in this Felix, a most pro­fligate sinner to deal with. A man in his Tacitus Hist. lib. v. c. 9. says of him, That per om­nem saevi­tiam ac li­bidinem, jus regium servili ingenio exercuit. Et annal. l xii. c. 54. cuncta malefacta sibi impune ratus, tanta potentia subnixo. Government violent and unjust: In his own manners lewd and debauch'd: He had ravish'd another mans Joseph. Antiq. Jud. l. 20. c. 5. pag. 616. Basil. 1544. The Ac­count of which see above, p. 159. Wife out of his bosom, and lived in an open state of A­dultery with her.

And now what so proper to awaken his Conscience, and make him indeed begin to repent him of his sins, as to reason before him of a Judgment to come? What Application so pertinent, as to show him the particular danger of unjust and in­temperate men, that is, such as himself should be exposed to in it. This was cer­tainly the most proper address to such a one; and such was this of St. Paul to Felix: He reason'd before him of Righte­ousness, Temperance, and the Judgment to come.

And behold in my Text, the result of his Discourse, such as in all reason we might expect it should have been, Felix trembled.

[Page 190]And now who would not hope for some good effect from so fair and promi­sing a beginning? And that the next thing we should have heard of, should have been some such question to St. Paul, as the Jews once made on the like occa­sion to St. Peter and the other Apostles, Acts ii.37. Act. ii.37. Men and Brethren, what shall we do? This one might reasonably have been expected should have been the result of his Terror. But alas! We find a much different effect of it. He was indeed amazed to hear of a judg­ment to come; but he could not for all that, resolve so soon to begin to provide for it. He trembled to think what his condition there should be, and very pro­bably he might intend that he would sometime or other very seriously consi­der how he was prepared against it. But he could not presently determine to part with his sins; and therefore he defers the time; he puts off the Apostle to some more convenient sea­son; but we never read that ever that season came, or that he had ever any Admonition given him af­terward, to repent him of his evil doings.

Such was the effect of St. Paul's rea­soning at this time before Felix; and I would to God we had no cause to com­plain, that such is too often the conse­quence of our Preaching to you. That the Knowledg which we have, and the belief which we profess of a Judg­ment to come, were so efficacious to our amendment, that we none of us need­ed to be called upon, no longer to defer it, but to begin in good earnest to consider how to make our Peace with God, and to provide for Eternity. But alas! I fear I have here pitch'd upon a subject never like to be out-dated. And tho it be certainly one of the greatest Contradictions in the world, not only to Scripture and Reason, but to our own Interests too, and to which we are not apt to be so blind, to pretend to believe a judgment to come, and yet nevertheless to neglect to provide for it; yet I know not how, such is the power of our lusts, that they stop our ears against all Arguments, though [Page 192] never so clear and forcible, that would induce us to forsake them; we trem­ble to think what shall be the con­sequence of our sins, yet still we go on in the commission of them.

And now what Argument can I take up more seasonable to the present time, or indeed more fit at all times for our Consideration, than to reason a while of this great and dangerous neglect? To enquire into the Causes which move so many thus to delay their Repentance, and to offer some effectual Arguments that may convince you of the unreaso­nableness of it. In a word, to stir up such an Auditory as this, both from the example of this wretched man in the Text, and from the just cause we may have to fear, lest if we continue with him to put off still the time of our Repentance, we finally perish with him in his Impenitence; to hasten with all the speed we can, to return to our duty, that our Iniquity may not be our ruin.

And this is the design of my present Discourse, wherein I shall

• [Page 193]First, Enquire into the Causes that move so many to delay their Repen­tance, and be still putting off their provision for another World, to some more convenient season. And
• Secondly, shall shew the Danger of so doing:

And by both endeavour, what I can, to engage every one that now hears Me, to a timely, a speedy, or rather to speak more properly, to a present Repentance. And

I st. Of the Causes that move so ma­ny to delay their Repentance; and be still putting off their provision for another World to some more Convenient Season.

Now those, I presume, may well be reduced to these four General Conside­rations. Either

• 1 st. They do not think at all, or not to any purpose, of their Future State, and therefore neglect to pro­vide for it. Or,
• 2 dly, They do not believe there is so great a necessity of Repenting, [Page 194] in order thereunto, as we say there is. Or,
• 3 dly, They suppose they may do this hereafter as well as now. Or,
• 4 thly, Tho' they are convinced both of the necessity of their Repenting, and of the Reasonableness of set­ting presently about it, yet for all that, they cannot so soon re­solve to part with their Sins, and enter on a course of Piety and Re­ligion.

These are some of the Principal Cau­ses that, I presume, may be likely to prompt Men to put off their Concern for another World; and I shall make it my Endeavour with all the plainness that I can, to shew the folly and unrea­sonableness of every one of them. And,

1 st. There are many in the World, who do not think at all, or not to any purpose, of their Future State, and therefore neglect to pro­vide for it.

It is a matter of sad Consideration, to see how very Careless and Secure [Page 195] most men seem to be as to the Business of another World. They Live, if not as those who believe nothing at all of it, yet in such a manner as if they were not in the least danger of miscarrying in their way to it. They think and contrive how to manage their Affairs in this present Life: To Establish their Health, and to Improve their Fortunes, and add still new degrees to their Ho­nours and Dignities. Only the Happi­ness of the other World, that they seem to look upon as hardly worth their Care▪ They leave it as a thing, that it will be time enough to provide for when they begin to come nearer to it; and 'tis no longer worth their while to trouble themselves about the good things of this.

And now what can be more unrea­sonable than such an Incogitancy? To spend all our thoughts and our endea­vours, upon a few Temporal pursuits, that have neither worth nor duration to recommend them to our desires; and in the mean time never to think at all, or at least not to any purpose, of those Joys and Glories that shall continue to all Eternity.

[Page 196]Indeed, had we either never heard of any such thing as a Judgment to Come; or did we not believe that there is such a State as our Religion has re­vealed to us; A State of Everlasting Happiness if we do Well, but of Eter­nal Punishment if we continue to do Ill, there might then be some Excuse for such a neglect. And yet, even in this Case too, we ought to be very sure there was no such thing as another World, before we could reasonably give over the thoughts of it.

He that lives well, and denies him­self some part of that Liberty, he would otherwise indulge himself now, out of the fear and apprehension of another Life that is to come, does at the most run but the little hazard of living a more Reserved and Innocent sort of Life than he needed to have done, if it shall hereafter appear that he was mistaken. Whereas he that confidently presumes there is no such thing as a Future State, and so neglects to provide for it, should it chance to be otherwise, must be for ever Miserable, without all pos­sible means to reform his Error.

[Page 197]But for men to know and believe, that God will bring them to Judgment, Eccl. xi.9. and they cannot tell how soon he may do it: That if they chance to be caught away in the midst of their sins, as they see thousands are every day before their eyes, they shall then be doom'd to the wretched sentence of Everla­sting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels; Mat. xxv.41. and yet still to continue careless and unconcern'd; and not so much as spend a thought how they are prepared to stand before the great Tribunal; This is, doubtless, such a piece of Indiscretion, as may well de­serve our pity and our wonder, but certainly will not need that I should say any thing to expose the desperate folly and unreasonableness of it.

2 dly. Another cause of mens delay­ing their Repentance, is, That they do not believe there is so great a Necessity of Repenting, as we say there is.

This is a Cause which men do not indeed care so openly to profess; but yet such a one as their Actions often­times do but too plainly point out [Page 188] to us. And I wish that even this were all; and that there were not some in the world, whose very Principles seem to lead them into such an opinion, so contrary to the very nature of Christiani­ty, and so fatally ruinous to their own Eternal Salvation.

For 1 st. Not to say any thing now to those wise men of the world, who laugh at all our discourse of another life after this, and of an account to be given of all our Actions before a Divine Tribunal; but to leave them to the con­victions of their own Consciences, which speak loudly to them this great truth, and make them with Felix, still fear what they pretend not to believe: What shall we say to a more refined sort of Dis­putants; who acknowledging a future Judgment, and an Eternal Reward for those that do well, yet extinguish ¹ in great measure all the flames of Hell-fire, and [Page 199] allow of little or no danger for those that do ill. They suppose that the worst that can happen to them, if they should chance to be overtaken in their sins, is but to lose their Portion in the Joys of Heaven, and be for ever annihi­lated; the only danger that, if you will believe them, attends the greatest Sinners in the other World.

But yet still, methinks, since they confess that there is such a place as Heaven, and that there shall be an en­joyment of Honour and Glory there to all Eternity, for those who at that day shall be found worthy of it; even this should be enough to make them think it worth their while to endeavour to procure themselves a share in so much happiness. And however they suppose that the Everlasting Punishment which the Holy Scriptures threaten sinners with, shall be only an Eternal Annihilation; yet since 'tis plain that the same Scrip­tures speak very dreadful things of it; and it cannot be denied, Mat. xiii.42.xxii.13 xxv.41, 46. Mar. ix.43, &c· compared with Rev. xiv.10.xx.10. Rom. ii.5, 6, 8, 9. Add, for the reality of the pains, Mat. xi.24.xxiii.15. Luke xii.47, &c. but that the greatest part of Christians have and do be­lieve that the wicked shall not cease to be, but on the contrary, for ever continue in [Page 200] a state of Misery, which neither any tongue can express, nor any thought conceive; and 'tis certain there are ma­ny passages in the Sacred Writ, that seem very much to favour this apprehension, indeed that cannot without violence be detorted to any other signification; It must certainly be the wisest course, not to be too secure in their own sense, but whether they believe the Torments of the Damn'd to be Eternal or no, yet certainly to live so as if they made not the least doubt of it.

2. But secondly: Another sort of men there are, who by their mistaken Notions of Christianity, have very much contributed to lessen their Opinion con­cerning the necessity of Repentance, that I do not say have utterly corrupted the very nature and practice of it, I mean the Casuists and Confessors of the Church of Rome.

It is a Point commonly disputed a­mong these men, what the precise time is, in which men are bound by the Law of God to Repent? There have been some of them indeed so severe, as to think that a man ought to repent on all the greater So Scotus Festivals of the Church. [Page 201] Others Soto and others. See Escobar sum. The­ol. Exam. iv. de Pae­nit. c. vii. Sect. 2. think that 'tis enough if a man do it against Easter: But the com­mon Opinion is, that this is only to be understood of the external and ritual Repentance of the Church, which consists in Confessing and Receiving the Holy Sa­crament; but that for the true, inward Repentance, Regi­nald. pra­xis fori paenit. l. v. c. 2. Sect. 4. n. 23. Vas­quez. in 3. qu. 86. art. 2. dub. 6. See below. the precise time in which the sinner is bound by the commandment of God to be contrite for his sins, is the imminent Article of a Natural or Vio­lent Death. Insomuch, that some of them doubt not to say, That even for a man to resolve to defer his Repentance, and refuse to Repent for a certain time, is but a Soto in iv. Sent. dist. 17. qu. 2. art. 2. concl. 2. Venial Sin; nay, and others think, Cod. de Paenit. tract. 1. qu. 6. Escobar. summ. Theol. Tract. vii. cap. 7. pag. 780. Lugd. 1659. & pag. 770. ad Quaest. Quando nam quis actum contritionis teneatur elicere. R. Non statim ac peccat; sed stato tempore, nempe in mortis articulo, & in vita ali­quoties si solum jus naturale spectetur, & probabile est quinto quo­que Anno. no sin at all.

And these men, to be sure, in express terms take away the necessity of pre­sent Repentance: But this is not yet all; for when they do come to the time that they think it necessary to put it in practice, even then they find out so ma­ny [Page 202] other Artifices to elude the sincere performance of it, that they who do all which they require of them, yet do not in effect truly Repent.

What else can we make of the allow'd practise of that Church, upon Confession of Sins, and an imperfect Contrition for them, to admit them to Absolution; and so in effect make the whole of this Duty to amount to no more than a lit­tle sorrow for sin, See Esco­bar. summ. mor. The­ol. Tract. vii. cap. 7. n. 92, 93. pag. 781. and a resolution to forsake it; though at the same time they are so far from doing it, that it may be they do not themselves believe that ever they shall make good such their Resolution? And that too, though they have neither any love of God in their hearts, Morinus de poeni­tent. l. viii. cap. 4. n. 15. Lugo de Poenit. disp. v. sect. 9. n. 130, &c. nor otherwise hate their sins, than they are afraid of being damn'd for them.

I need not say how many other De­vices these Men have found out, to free themselves from the trouble of a true Repentance. By Pardons and Indulgences; by Masses and Prayers for the dead; by Consecrated Garments, and Priviledg'd Fra­ternities: and the End of all which, is [Page 203] what I am now complaing of, to make men careless and negligent in the dis­charge of that Piety that God requires of them; and of that Repentance which alone can obtain an effectual forgiveness of their Sins.

But these are not yet all, who by their mistaken Notions of some of the Doctrines of Christianity, have been but too much encouraged to neglect the practise of a Christian life: Others there are,

3 dly, And those of a more near con­cern to us than either of the foregoing, whose Principles seem, without great care, but too naturally to tend to the same neglect. Such are, The Great As­sertors of Salvation by Faith alone with­out Works; of God's Eternal Predestina­tion, and in consequence thereof Mens Absolute Election or Reprobation; Of the slavery of the Will, and its incapacity to do any thing as to the business of our Future state without that special Grace of God, which if men have, then they must needs do Well; and without it, cannot but do Ill; and which God does not afford indifferently to All those to whom the Gospel is preach'd, but to such only as he intends thereby to bring [Page 204] to Faith and Repentance first, and then to Salvation. Now not to dispute with any one the Truth of all these Points, when wisely and soberly stated according to the Authority of the Holy Scripture; that which I say, is this, That all these, and the like Principles, are apt to mis­lead Ignorant and Wicked Men, who are not very well instructed in the true no­tion and understanding of them, to a neglect of their duty; as if the whole work of their Justification were either so secure and setled on the one hand, or else so desperate and impossible on the other, that there was no need of their own Care or Concern about it; nor any reason for them to trouble themselves about that, which if they shall ever attain, no negligence of their own can do them any hurt; if they must not, no care or endeavour can do them good.

4. I shall add but yet one thing more, which, I fear, has led many into a ne­glect of Repentance; and that is, An un­warrantable presumption upon God's Mercy; either that he will afford them time to repent at the last, though they go on for the present in their Sins; or, if he does not, will at least make [Page 205] a very favourable allowance for their Impenitence.

This is an Opinion which Wicked Men do as greedily catch at, as their deplo­rable State renders them greatly in need of it. And indeed far be it from me to lessen any reasonable Hopes of God's Favour to Sinners, who my self stand so much in need of it. No doubt, there is Mercy with God that he may be feared. Psal. cxxx.4. Many are the ways, and Gracious and Excellent the Methods whereby He calls and invites us to Repentance. And if we accept the Invitation, we need not que­stion but that we shall most certainly receive the pardon of our Sins through the Blood of Christ. But then this is not the Question, Whether God will not make very great allowances for our Infirmities, and forgive us, though we have never so long and grievously sinn'd against Him, if we repent at the last. But whether, if we neglect the Oppor­tunities which he affords us of repenting; if with Felix in the Text, we still put off our Consciences to a more convenient season, and at last die in our sins with­out ever repenting of them, God will not then turn his Mercy into Judgment; and whether we ought not therefore to [Page 206] make all the haste we can to repent, lest perhaps he should do so. But,

3 dly, A third cause of mens delaying their Repentance is; That though they do believe it necessary for them to repent some time or o­ther, yet they think this may be done hereafter as well as now.

And this is what most of us are but too apt to flatter our selves with­all. Repentance is, God knows, a me­lancholly duty: It calls us to another kind of life than that we have been used to, or indeed for the most part do at all desire to be acquainted with. He that will put it in practise, must expect to meet with no small difficul­ties in the setting out; and few there are who have Constancy enough to go through them all; and therefore no wonder if we find the generality of Men so little care to set about a work that is so hard and discouraging to the most resolute Undertakers of it. Now 'tis this makes them willing to meet these troubles as late as ever they can: When their years run deep, and their Lusts fail them, and they can no longer pursue the Pleasures of this [Page 207] World, then they suppose it will be time enough to think of the other. And they see no reason, why they may not hope as well to be accep­ted then, as others who in like man­ner have come in at the Eleventh hour, Mat. xx.6, and yet received as great a reward, as those that had born the heat and bur­then of the day. — 12.

But this is indeed as unreasonable a ground for any one to delay his Repentance, as either of the foregoing. For,

1 st, They cannot endure to set a­bout their duty immediately, because of the trouble and difficulty which they apprehend in it. I will not now enquire how they are sure it is so troublesome and difficult a thing to fulfil their duty, as they suppose it to be, seeing they have never yet tried it, to be convinced by their own Experience that it is so. This only I would know; Will it become ever the more easie for their deferring of it? Nay, but on the contrary, I shall hereafter shew, that the longer it is deferr'd, the harder it will prove to us. And were it not so, yet since 'tis necessary some time or other to Re­pent, [Page 208] and so Dangerous to die ere we have done it; Certainly the more dif­ficult a thing it is, the sooner we ought to set about it, whilst we may have yet the time, by the Grace of God, to ac­complish it. And then,

2 dly, For that poor presumption, That others have done this, and yet were saved at the last, and why there­fore may not we be so too? Though I will not say that none who have put off the business of their Repentance to the last, have ever gone to Heaven; yet I must needs say, I fear that but few have done so. I do not remember in all the Holy Scripture more than One In­stance of the Salvation of a dying Peni­tent, and that so extraordinary in all its Circumstances, that it cannot with any reason be made a Precedent by us for the likes Hopes; I mean that of the Thief upon the Cross; And even of Him too it does not appear that ever he deferr'd his Repentance, or put it off purposely to that, as the most conve­nient Season. And for those who came in at the Eleventh hour, and yet were received; I shall only say thus much, That they came in as soon as they were [Page 209] called, and did not refuse to go into the Vineyard at the Third hour, because they thought it was too soon, and their Laziness prompted them to decline their work, till the Heat and Burden of the day was past.

In short, He that delays his Repen­tance upon this prospect, that he may do it hereafter as well as now, ought first to have very well consider'd these two things. 1 st, Is he sure that he shall live to that time which he so warily allots to this great work? For if he be not, then I am sure he lives in danger of Eternal damnation all the while he neglects to enter on a state of Piety and Religion: and chuses rather to ha­zard his Everlasting Happiness, than to put himself upon a Work that yet must be done, or he shall remain for ever miserable. 2 dly, Is he certain, that though he should live to that time, yet that then God will give him Grace to repent? That his Aversion to his duty shall not be greater then, than it is now; and his Unwillingness encrease the more, the older he grows in his Sins and Im­penitence?

[Page 210]What the satisfaction of Mens Lusts may be, I cannot tell: but certainly, if they have any thoughts at all of their Future state, and do indeed believe a Judgment to come, such dangers as these cannot chuse but amaze them; and their disquiets at the Apprehension, that by thus deferring their Repentance they may possibly lose their Souls for ever, infi­nitely outweigh whatever Pleasures they can in the mean time propose to them­selves, by going on a little longer in their Wickedness.

But I must not insist upon these things; and therefore

4 thly, And to conclude this Point: The last cause that moves many to de­lay their Repentance, is, that thô they are convinced both of the Necessity of repenting some time or other, and that it is highly reaso­nable for them to set presently a­bout it, yet when all is done, their Lusts are too strong for them, and they cannot so soon resolve to part with their Sins, and enter on a Course of Piety and Religion.

[Page 211]There is something in the Nature of Sin so fatally bewitching to us, that if once we suffer our selves to be overcome with the Habit of it, 'tis after that, one of the hardest things in the World to recover our liberty, and prevent our selves from being altogether hardned by the deceitfulness of it. John viii▪ 34. He that commit­teth sin, says our Saviour Christ, is the servant of sin. Whether it be that the force and power of an Evil Course gains insensibly upon us, till at last we have no more strength remaining to over­come it; Or, Whether it be that the longer we continue in Sin, the more God's Grace is withdrawn, and the less assistance we have of the Holy Spirit to extricate our selves out of it. But this is plain, that even the best Men find it a hard matter, with all their Industry, to keep themselves from its dominion; and to fulfil their Resolutions, though never so soon taken up, of discharging their duty, and living as becomes the Disciples of Christ.

I do not in the least question, but that we are all of us sufficiently convinced of the reasonableness of what I have now been inforcing, of setting immediately about our duty: and, I believe, there are [Page 212] but few, if any among us, who, if they do not at this time, yet have at least some time or other resolved to do so. But I fear it would be a melancholly re­flection to most of us, to think how lit­tle we have fulfilled these Resolutions hi­therto, and may give us some cause to fear whether we may not be but too likely still to continue in the same care­less and impenitent state for the time to come.

The truth is, in such a degenerate Age as this, wherein Vice is become al­most reputable; and to be religious, e­steem'd pedantry and preciseness: When the Evil Customs of Men have prevailed so far above the Commandments of God, that a Man must yield to be a little Wicked, unless he will run counter to the general practice of the World; and not a little negligent of his duty, to maintain the Company and Conversa­tion of the Times; 'tis not an easie thing for a Man to break through all these diffi­culties, and resolve to save his Soul what­ever censures or troubles he encounters for the so doing. And therefore, though we all of us know well enough what we ought to do, and cannot but be some­times apprehensive of the dangers we [Page 213] run by our not doing of it, yet alas! we still go on in the neglect of our du­ty: Ever thinking and resolving to a­mend, but never able effectually to set about it.

And thus have I given you such a ge­neral prospect as the time would permit, of those Causes that so much indispose Men to a present Repentance: I go on to the other thing I proposed in order to the Cure of it.

II dly, To shew the Danger of deferring the performance of it.

For, if such a delay as this, be not only very unreasonable in it self, but shall be also very fatal in its Consequence; if there be really nothing in all those pre­tences that usually keep men from a pre­sent discharge of their duty, and an in­finite Hazard to be run by it; Sure then we ought to begin immediately to do that which can neither be too soon be­gun, nor at all delay'd without a very great danger: Which we must some time or other do, and which will still grow more difficult and uneasie to us, the longer it is that we put off the do­ing of it.

[Page 214]And, 1 st, Let me ask him that thus ne­glects his Repentance, and thinks it will be time enough to set about it hereafter, when the heat of his Youth is past, and he begins to come to a greater strength of Reason and Discretion, to govern him­self, and to bring his Passions into sub­jection; It may be gives it yet a longer delay, and reserves the business of Religion for the Close of his Life, and an immediate preparatory to the hour of his Death: Is he sure that he shall ever arrive to that time which he thus warily sets out for this great Work? I need not tell you how uncertain our lives are; What Diseases, what Accidents lay siege against us every Moment? And if notwith­standing all this, some do live to a good Old Age; yet how many Thousands there are that fall in the strength and vigor of their years? And we cannot say but that this may be our Condition, as we are sure it has been the Condi­tion of many Others, who, it may be, as much flatter'd themselves with these Projects, as We do now, and are there­fore in vain lamenting their mad Secu­rity in the Concern of their Salvation. [Page 215] But this I must needs say, a greater provocation there cannot be given to God Almighty to cut us off in the midst of our years, and deprive us of that oppor­tunity we so presumptuously set out for to repent in, after a long life spent in Sin and Impenitence, than thus to go on in our wickedness, and designedly to live in a disobedience to his Commands, till we are no longer like to continue in this World.

2. But however, 2 dly, Let us allow of this, that we had by some means or other an Assurance of our lives, and could be certain we should arrive to that Time we thus lay out for the business of Religion. Yet how are we sure that we shall not then be altogether as unwil­ling, and much more unable to repent, than we are now?

1 st, If we consider our selves only upon the Common principles of Nature, without reflecting upon the Grace of God, without which yet we can do no­thing as to the Business of our Duty; Even these will tell us, That the more inveterate any Habit is, the more diffi­cult it is to leave it, and the greater [Page 216] pains it will cost a Man to overcome it. And he who finds it so hard a Matter to conquer his Lusts now, what will he do hereafter, when the Indulgence of many years more shall have rooted them in his very Soul, and made his sins become even natural to him?

2 dly, But then, secondly: If we ex­amine this matter according to the Principles of Christianity, these will shew a yet greater improbability of our repenting hereafter, than at the pre­sent. It being not to be doubted, but that as upon the Use of God's Grace, He bestows a more liberal portion of it; so by refusing and resisting the Mo­tions of the Holy Spirit, God with­draws his hand, and lessens his Grace, and it may be at last totally deprives Men of it.

The truth is, I cannot but think that such Persons as these, who not only continue in the Commissions of sin, but project and contrive for the con­tinuing in it; and therefore put off the Time of their Repentance as a work that may be well enough done hereafter, do in effect despise the Holy [Page 217] Spirit of God, and trample under foot that Grace which should have led them to Repentance. And it must certain­ly be a most daring Presumption in any Sinner, to think, that notwith­standing such a provocation, God will yet attend his leisure, and continue to afford him the Assistance of his Grace for his Salvation at the last, though he has so often, wilfully, and designedly rejected all the Offers of it.

I am sufficiently persuaded, that there is none of us, whom God does not call most truly and sincerely to Salvation; and by consequence, that there is none of us, to whom he has not offer'd such a measure of his Grace, as might enable him to fulfil his Duty, in order thereunto, and perfect his Repentance. But I must confess, I cannot without some concern think, what an unworthy use we have the most of us made of it, and how justly we have deser­ved, that God should at last leave us to our selves, and no longer in vain attend our Amendment.

[Page 218]And O! that we would therefore be persuaded seriously to reflect upon all these things, and no longer go on to expose our immortal souls to such de­sperate hazards, as 'tis plain from all these Considerations we do, every day that we neglect to provide for Eterni­ty! Be it enough that we are not alrea­dy made the fatal Monuments of Abu­sed Mercy: That we are yet on this side Hell, and may if we please, by our speedy Repentance, still prevent those Judgments which our former Impeni­tence has but too justly deserved.

Jer. xiii.16.Let us begin in this our day, to see and to pursue the things that make for our peace, b [...]fore they be hid from our eyes.

Heb iii.13. Let us exhort one another daily, while it is called to day, lest any of us be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin.

Heb iv.1. Let us fear, lest a promise being left us of entring into his rest, any of us should seem to come short of it.

Let us give glory to God, before dark­ness come, and our feet stumble upon the dark mountains.

[Page 219]I conclude all with the words of the Prophet Isaiah, Chap. LV. Vers. 6, 7.

AMong all the Aggravations of sin, there is none greater, than to continue it not only against the checks [Page 222] of Conscience, and the motions of God's Holy Spirit to the contrary, but after many admonitions in vain sent us by his merciful Providence to bring us to Repentance. There are, I be­lieve, but few, if any, in the World, so lost to all the Hopes of Heaven and Eternity, who have not some time or other, been put in mind of their Duty, and invited by God's Grace, to Pardon and Salvation. And if notwithstanding all this, men will nevertheless continue still incorrigi­ble, and harden themselves against all the means that can be made use of to reclaim them, we ought not to wonder, if they are at last given up to the Dominion of Sin, and reserved as monuments of the just Judgment of God, at the day of his glorious ap­pearing.

I will not now enter on any Enquiry what the cause should be, why we who are all of us sufficiently convinced of the necessity of Repenting, and the de­plorable State in which we must ex­pect to be, if we do not some time or other effectually set about it; should yet still for the most part be so very unwilling to Repent.

[Page 223]But because, this is one of the most fatal delusions men are apt to cheat themselves withall, that with Felix here in my Text, they put off this business to a more convenient Season, and by their unseasonable Procrastina­tions in an Affair that of all others ought the least to be defer'd, too often die without ever performing it at all; I will make it my endeavour so to lay before you the Danger of such a Delay, as if it shall please God to convince you not so much of the Necessity of Repenting some time or other, which I take it for granted without my speaking you are all of you already resolved to do, as of the great concern we have immediately to set about it; and do that presently which we must some time or other do, and can never do so Well as now.

And this I shall make appear from these two Considerations;

• I st, Of the great Danger we run by delaying our Repentance.
• II dly, Of the Comfort and Satisfa­ction that will arise to us, from the Conscience of having duly [Page 224] Perform'd it as we ought to do.

I begin with the former of these Considerations,

I st, Of the great Danger we run by delaying our Repentance.

Now that in one Word is this; That whilst we go on continually to put off our Duty and the business of Repen­tance to a more convenient Season; and like Felix in the Text think it still too soon to set presently about it; we run the hazard of never doing it at all, and like Felix, too often die in our Sins and our Impenitence. So that whatsoever danger there is of dying without ever Repenting, the same is the danger which we run by delaying our Repentance. And this I shall make ap­pear,

• 1 st, From the great Shortness and Vncertainty of our present State.
• 2 dly, From the Nature and Difficul­ty of Repentance. And,
• [Page 225]3 dly, From the Method of God's pro­ceeding in the Dispensation of his Grace, as set forth to us in the Holy Scripture.

And 1 st,

That the Shortness and Vncertainty of our Present State, ought to convince us how great a dan­ger we run by Delaying our Re­pentance.

For Proof whereof I shall not think it necessary to entertain you with any Common-place-Argument of the Infirmi­ties of our Nature, and the many Ca­sualties to which our Lives here are perpetually exposed, and against which we can never say we are secure for the next moment. How many Persons have been struck with Sudden Death? What accidents have befallen others to render them wholly unfit for their Duty; so that though they have had a longer warning of their Approach­ing End, yet either by the Intollerable Sharpness of their Pain, or its influ­ence upon their understanding Facul­ties, so as many times to deprive them [Page 226] of all the use of their Reason, and render them utterly uncapable, either to reflect upon their lives, or to re­pent them of their Sins, have been so far indisposed to all the Offices of Re­ligion, that their longer respite has proved of no more advantage to them, than if they had not had the least notice of their approaching End. These are things which every Dis­course of Mortality for the most part abounds with; and a daily Experience renders any long insisting upon them, needless to us.

We live in the midst of the Monu­ments of Death. Psal. cxi.7. Thousands fall every day besides us, and ten thousands at our right hand: And it is only of the Mercy of God that we are yet alive, to consider these things, and to pre­pare to die. And sure then it can­not but be a very great danger, as it is certainly a very great presumption in any Man to neglect this, and de­fer his Repentance to such a Time as he can never be sure he shall live to see.

[Page 227]And this is an Argument which e­very man's own reason will at the first view offer to him to convince him of the danger of procrastinating his Repentance: And such as ought never the less to be consider'd, because it lies so obvious to our understandings, as to be the common Topick of every one in the managing of this Exhorta­tion. But yet, since such is the Infir­mities of our Nature, that we are apt to overlook many times what is the nearest to us; and common Arguments, like other ordinary things, are not usu­ally so much regarded, as otherwise the true weight and value of them would deserve they should be: I will endeavour to improve this useful Re­flection, by desiring these two things may be farther considered in it, and which perhaps are not so commonly at­tended to.

1 st, Whether he who delays his Re­pentance now, out of a prospect that he shall hereafter have time enough to enter upon the practise of it; does not, besides the danger which arises from the common uncertainty of life, [Page 228] and the miseries and casualties that or­dinarily accompany it, to prevent his Repenting at all, expose himself more­over by this very thing to the parti­cular hazard of the Judgment of God, to cut him off in the midst of his Sins. What such Persons as these may think of their putting off their Re­pentance to some future season, I can­not tell; But I must confess, when I consider the full import of it, I cannot but look upon this as one of the most provoking Crimes in the World; Nor do I think it possible for any man to add a higher Aggravation to his Sins, than being admonish'd of his danger, and so far convinced of the necessity of Repenting, as to resolve some time or other to enter upon it; nevertheless still to go on in his Evil way, and desperately resolve not to begin to be religious, till things are come to the very last Extremity, and it is abso­lutely necessary for the saving of his Soul. For,

1 st, He who neglects to repent at the present, out of a presumption that he shall hereafter have Time enough to do [Page 229] it, when Age and Infirmities are crept upon him, and he is no longer in a Condition to pursue the pleasures of his Sins; What does he but in effect de­clare, that the best of his Time is fit to be consecrated to the service of his Sins, and the refuse only to be reserved for God, which he knows not well o­therwise how to dispose of?

I need not say how reproachful a thing this must be to Religion, to e­steem it a Work fit only for that part of our lives in which we are not good for any thing besides. But sure I am, that Man must have a very mean No­tion of God Almighty, who can think him of so Easie a Temper, and so in­dulgent to Sinners, as to be willing to receive them at any rate; and after all the Indignity and Scorn with which they have treated Him all their life-long, to be glad to take them upon their own Terms, and rather than go without them, to accept even of this slight and seeming submission from them.

It must be confess'd indeed, that great is the mercy and long-suffering of [Page 230] God, beyond any thing we are able to express or to conceive. Psal. cxxx.4. But then there is mercy with him, that he may be ser­ved and feared, not affronted and abu­sed by us. His Goodness leads to Re­pentance, but gives no encouragement to our Impenitence. And he who thinks that God will accept the Refuse of his Time, after a long life spent in the ser­vice of sin; and the business of Reli­gion put off on purpose to this last pe­riod, as supposing it would then be soon enough to provide for Eternity; will, I fear, instead of an Acceptance, meet with the same reproof those of old in the like case did, who kept the best of their Flocks, and of their Herds for themselves, and offered to him the Blind, and the Lame, and the Sick for sacrifice; Mal i.8, 10 Mal. i.10.14. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of Hosts, neither will I accept an Offer­ing at your hands. —14. Cursed be the decei­ver that hath in his flock a male, and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: For I am a great King, saith the Lord of Hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

[Page 231]But 2dly. He who thus delays his Repentance, does not only provoke God by continuing at the present in sin, and that too out of an unwarrantable pre­sumption that he shall be accepted at the last, though in the mean time he continues Impenitent; but 'tis plain, has no true Honour for God at all; nor thinks of Repenting even then, be­cause he loves God, and desires to please him, but merely because he is afraid he shall otherwise be damn'd, and lose his Soul to all Eternity. For else, had such a one any real sense of Religion, or did he even then intend in good earnest to set about the practice of it, it is not to be imagined where­fore it is that he at present neglects the performance of it. Nor can any other account be given why he does not be­gin the next moment to be religious, but only this, that he does not truly love God, nor desire to serve him, nor by his good will would ever think of doing of it.

Now this will yet more aggravate the heinousness of such a delay, and be­tray a desperate contempt of the Di­vine [Page 232] Goodness and Wisdom: As if God either were not able to discover our Hypocrisie, and distinguish between a real Penitent, and a pretending Votary; or would otherwise so far connive at it, as to accept of a shadow of Repen­tance, a form of Godliness reserved on purpose for the last business of our lives, and then too put on only be­cause it could no longer be deferr'd, not out of any love to God or Reli­gion, but merely for fear of his Eter­nal Vengeance.

And when such is the desperate Provocation which every Sinner by de­laying his Repentance, adds to all the rest of his Impieties; I cannot but think, we ought seriously to consider, before we venture upon such a Procrastinati­on; or rather, to speak more properly, to keep our selves from deferring our Repentance at all; not only how very little security we have of our lives, up­on the account of the general uncer­tainty of our condition in this world; But whether this very thing of putting off the business of Religion to such a sea­son, may not be a particular means to call down some speedy Judgment upon [Page 233] us, so that we shall never come to that time we designed for this work. But.

2 dly. Should nothing of this hap­pen unto us, yet still it cannot but be very dangerous to defer our Repenting, though never so little, seeing such is the difficulty of performing it, that he who has the longest life, will find it scarce enough to discharge it as he ought to do. And he that puts it off as a work that may be done well e­nough hereafter, in his declining years, perhaps in his last sickness; may possi­bly do somewhat which he may call Repenting, but which 'tis very great odds shall have little in it, more than the Name and Appearance of it.

And this brings me to the Second General Argument I proposed, to shew the danger of Deferring our Duty. viz.

II dly, From the Nature and Difficulty of Repentance.

This is an Argument which I the rather chuse to insist upon on this [Page 234] occasion, because I am apt to believe 'tis the mistake of the true Nature of Repentance that chiefly encourages so many to a delay of it. For sure were men heartily persuaded, that 'tis so great a thing to Repent as indeed it is; that it requires so much Labour and Pains to accomplish it, and can­not presently be known even by our own selves whether it be perform'd as it ought or no; insomuch that should we allow him who has put off his Du­ty for the present, to discharge it tru­ly at the last, yet 'twill be impossible for him till he comes to the Judgment-Seat of Christ, to be sure that he has done so; they would never venture to de­fer it to such a time, in which 'tis next to a Miracle for a man not to mis­carry in it.

Now Repentance, if taken in that proper Notion which the Holy Scrip­tures give us of it, is a change of Mind, in the words of St. Peter, 1 Pet. iii.11. an eschew­ing of Evil, and a doing Good. It con­sists not in a bare sorrow for Sin, or a Desire and Resolution to live better for the time to come, but in a real Conversion. By consequence, to ful­fil [Page 235] it as we ought to do, we must not only be sorry for our sins, and desire and resolve to amend, but we must truly and heartily endeavour so to do. 'Tis a change of life, in which the true per­formance of this Duty consists; and whatsoever comes short of this, when we have opportunity so to do, is not a sincere Repentance, nor will ever be ac­cepted of by God as such.

And when such is the nature of this Duty, I shall not need to say, either how difficult it is to discharge it, or how much Time as well as Labour it will cost us to accomplish it. It is not a little while that will suffice to overcome those vicious habits, which a long practice has rendred almost na­tural to us; to conquer our passions, and bring our most extravagant lusts into subjection to the rules of Religi­on. And we may have just reason to fear by the difficulty we find but of be­ginning this work, how much more pains and trouble it will cost us to bring it to perfection.

Let us add to this, That every Ha­bit, and that of Sin above all others, the longer it is continued in, the more [Page 236] it roots it self in our very Natures, and the greater time and pains it will require to remove it. So that then our Task will increase every day upon our hands; and the longer we neglect our duty, we shall not only have the less time remaining to fulfil it in, but we shall still have the more to do to discharge it as we ought to do.

If therefore we can with any reason suppose, that we shall be able to do all this at the last: If we can indeed se­curely presume that such a change as this is a work fit for our declining years: That when our Memory is de­cay'd, and our Thoughts move slow; When our Reason begins to fail us, and the Infirmities of our Age, and our Sins to surround us; We shall then be in a Condition to look back into all the remote Passages of our Lives pass'd, and to call our selves to an account for all our sins, and raise up our resentments to a true and real Contrition for them; and so to change our very Natures, as from old, Habitual Sinners, to become upon the sudden, New Creatures; from the Servants of Sin, the Children of God; let us then, if we please, put [Page 237] off our Repentance to the last Act; and resolve that it will be time enough for us then to begin to live, when we are just now about to die.

But if we cannot, without the ut­most unreasonableness, imagine that we shall then be able to do all this: If such a change as I have now mention'd, and as the true Nature of Repentance does imply, be a work that will re­quire our best strength and labour to accomplish it, and without some extra­ordinary measure of the Divine Assi­stance, be too much even for that: It must then remain, that tho' we were the Masters of our own time, yet we could not, without a very great danger, put our Salvation upon such a Hazard as this, in which if we should allow it possible for a man to attain unto it, yet to be sure that is all, and 'tis a thousand to one but he comes short of it.

There is yet a third Consideration which I proposed, and which will still more shew the danger of delaying our Repentance, viz.

[Page 238]III dly, From the Method by which God usually proceeds in the di­spensation of his Grace, as it is set out to us in the Holy Scri­ptures.

I have already observed, from the very nature of all Habits in general, that the longer any one goes on in an Evil Course, the more unwilling he will be, and the greater difficulty he will find it to get out of it. But in the Habit of Sin, especially every little de­lay, adds a new strength to our Passions; and those Lusts which at first might more easily have been overcome, be­ing suffer'd by a longer continuance to insinuate themselves into our very Na­tures, get the mastery of us, so that we have neither desire nor ability to rid our selves of them.

No one becomes extremely wicked upon a sudden. When first Men begin to enter upon an Evil Course, they find many difficulties arise on every side to reclaim them from it. Con­science is vigilant, and for the most part very troublesome too. It remonstrates [Page 239] to them the baseness and unreasonable­ness of a Vicious course of life, and it is not without some violence that they break through the restraints of Shame and Modesty to pursue it. Sometimes it sets before them the obligations which their duty lays upon them to fulfil it: How worthy and honourable a thing it is to live Virtuously; what a Credit and Respect it gains a man here, and what a glorious Reward shall be the consequence of it hereafter? Sometimes it calls to mind the terrors of the Lord; and forces them whether they will or no to think of that Time, Eccles. xi.9. when for all these things God will bring them to Judgment: and how they shall then be able to en­dure an Eternity of Torments in that wretched place, Mark ix▪ 4 [...]. where the Worm dieth not, and where the fire never shall be quenched.

Now all these, and many other hin­drances of the like kind, which the Sin­ner meets with in the first beginnings of his Evil Course, are not only so many Barriers which it has pleased God to set in our way to keep us from ruine, but so many helps too to assist us, if we should at any time be enticed to do [Page 240] wickedly, to recover our selves again out of it. But by a longer Continuance in Sin, all these are overcome; and we are not only thereby more deeply en­gaged in the ways of wickedness; but having lost all these Assistances, our re­treat is also rendred infinitely more dif­ficult, than whilst we lay under the re­straints of Shame, and Fear, and Con­science, to reclaim us.

But this is not yet all: for by conti­nuing in Sin, and putting off the time of our Repentance, we do not only diminish our own Natural strength, and thereby render our selves still less able to encoun­ter with it; but what is yet more to be consider'd, we deprive our selves of the Assistance of God's Grace too, without which it will be impossible for us ever to overcome it.

It is laid down by Isaiah as the reason why God forsook his ancient People the Jews, Chap. lxiii. vers. 10. That they rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit, therefore was he turn'd to be their Enemy, and He fought against them. And our Blessed Saviour in his Gospel every-where proceeds upon this measure in the di­spensations of his Grace; that Mat. xiii.12. Mark iv.25. Luke viii.18. —xix.26, &c. to Him [Page 241] who has, i. e. who makes use of, and im­proves what God has already bestow'd upon him, shall be given, and he shall have more abundantly: But from him that has not, i. e. that does not make use of, and improve what he has, even that which he once had, shall be taken away. And however it may sometimes please God in an extraordinary manner to raise up Sinners at the last, and though they continue long in their Wickedness, yet nevertheless still continue his Divine As­sistance to them, to bring them to Re­pentance: yet cannot this be any Ground for any one to rely upon in this mat­ter, seeing it is plain both from the Authority of Holy Scripture, and the Common Experience of Mankind, that in the ordinary Methods of God's Provi­dence, his Grace is withdrawn in propor­tion to Men's neglect of it, till at last they are utterly deprived of it, 2 Tim. ii.26. and gi­ven up to be led Captive by the Devil at his Will.

Hence it is that we sometimes read in Holy Scripture of Persons deliver'd up to a Hardness and Impenitence of heart. Matt. xiii.14. Mark vi.52. John xii.40. Hebr. iii.13. Rom. ii.5. Not that I think God ordains any man to destruction, or denies him such a mea­sure [Page 242] of his Grace as may be sufficient to preserve him from it; But when Men neglect his Offer, and despise and grieve his Holy Spirit; and go on in their Sins, notwithstanding all the methods of his Providence to bring them to repentance; When the measure of their Iniquities is now fill'd up, and they are become ripe for Vengeance; then God is pleased sometimes to withdraw his Grace from them, and seal them up unto destruction: And tho he may sometimes permit them, for other ends of his Pro­vidence, to continue still in this World, yet he no longer continues the Power and Assistance of his Holy Spirit to them, to bring them to repentance.

This I take to have been the Case of Pharaoh after the Sixth Judgment. Till then, Exod. vii.14.viii.19, 32. the Scripture tells us, that He hardned his Heard, or that His Heart was hardned: But when his own Magi­cians confess'd that the finger of God plainly shew'd it self in the Miracles of Moses, and yet he still continued obstinate; then God declares that He hardned him: Exod. ix.12. and caused him to stand, i. e. kept him alive when he had deserved to be punish'd with a [Page 243] quick destruction; for this very end, that he might shew in him his power; Exod. ix.16.

Many are the Declarations of the Holy Scripture that confirm this to us. If we look into the state of the Old World before the Flood; God himself declares, Gen. vi.3. That his Spirit should not always strive with Man: Yet a hun­dred and twenty years, and if they repented not in that time, then He would bring an utter Destruction up­on them.

And in the same manner we find Holy David speaking in the person of God concerning the Rebellious Israe­lites: and which I the rather remark, because Saint Paul applies it, Hebr. iii.12. to the very purpose of what I am now speaking: That because they hard­ned their hearts, and tempted and grie­ved God forty years, therefore he at last sware to them in his wrath, that they should not enter into his rest. And the application which the Apostle makes, is this plain Conclusion; Take heed, Hebr. iii▪ 11. Brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God: —12. But exhort one ano­ther [Page 244] daily, while it is called to day, lest any of you be hardned through the de­ceitfulness of Sin.

And lastly, to mention no more, The same is the Declaration which So­lomon makes in the Name of God, con­cerning the Destruction of hardned and impenitent Sinners, Prov. i. where ha­ving first set forth the Grace of God ready to assist them, if they would repent: verses 22, 23. How long, ye sim­ple ones, will ye love simplicity? And ye scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: Behold, I will pour out my Spirit upon you, I will make known my words unto you: He afterwards declares the just indignation of God against them, if they should still continue obstinate and impenitent; verses 24, 25, 26. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man re­garded; But ye have set at nought all my Counsel, and would have none of my Reproof: I also will laugh at your Cala­mity, and mock when your fear cometh. And again, Verses 28, 29, 30. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they [Page 245] shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For they hated knowledge, and did not chuse the fear of the Lord: They would none of my Counsel; they despised all my Reproof: Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

It were an easie matter to multiply Passages to the same purpose out of eve­ry part of the Holy Scripture. But I have said enough already to shew the danger of delaying our Repentance, from the apprehension of over-passing the time of it; and to warrant that great Conclusion, which I think is generally received by most Christians; viz. That there is to every wicked man, a certain Time, when the measure of his Iniquities being accomplish'd, there shall be no more any space for repentance, nor any farther assistance given them by God, to bring them to it.

Now if this be so, then would I only desire, that these three things might se­riously be consider'd by every one of us.

1 st, Whether he, who being invited by the Grace of God, and the Motions of [Page 246] his Holy Spirit; by the cheeks of Con­science within, and the importunate calls of the Ministers of the Gospel without, to Repentance, nevertheless neglects all these Admonitions, and with Felix still puts off the practice of this duty to some more convenient season; does not there­by grieve the Holy Spirit of God, Ephes. iv.30. and despise his Grace, and affront his Goodness, who thus graciously offers and conti­nues to him the means and opportunities of Salvation?

2 dly, Whether by so doing, he does not provoke God in as high a manner as can well be imagined, no longer to con­tinue his Grace to him, nor to expose his Mercy to contempt, by suffering his Ho­ly Spirit still to strive with such obsti­nate Offenders? And then by conse­quence,

3 dly, and lastly; Whether every such Person may not have just cause to ap­prehend, that by delaying his Repentance, and putting off the business of Religion to a still future opportunity, he shall at last provoke God to withdraw his Grace from him? And seeing when he had the [Page 247] opportunity given him, and was invited to repent, he despised the offer, and ne­glected so to do, God may not hereafter deliver him up to a hardned and impe­nitent heart; Rom. ii.5. and take away that Grace from him, which he has so unworthily abused, and thereby deserved to have no longer continu'd to him.

To conclude: See Matt. xxv.14.28, 30. If in that famous Para­ble of the Talents, there be any application yet remaining to be made of that part of it, in which we find the Talent taken from the unprofitable Servant, and a terrible Sentence of Everlasting Misery pronoun­ced against him for his neglect: Or, in that other of the Fig-tree, Luk. xiii.6. which was to be pruned and digg'd, and then try'd another year; and if still it continued to bring forth no Fruit, then to be cut down, and cast out of the Vineyard: The meaning of both can be no other than this; That he who despising the Grace of God, and the opportunity of Salvation, con­tinues still in his Sins, and improves not those Abilities God has given him to the great ends for which they were bestow­ed upon him, shall at last by a severe, but most just judgment of God, be de­prived [Page 248] of them; and have his neglect punish'd with the loss of God's Grace here, and in the consequence of it, with an Eternal Damnation hereafter.

And this then may suffice to shew, how dangerous it is for a man to put off the business of Repentance at the pre­sent, out of an unwarrantable presump­tion that it will be time enough to per­form it hereafter. But now if the Que­stion be, What a man who has unhap­pily done this, should do? I reply,

1 st, Let him by all means hasten his Repentance all he can; and the longer he has deferr'd it already, the more care­ful and resolute let him be not to put it off one moment longer.

2 dly, Let him be so much the more zealous and diligent in his Religious Per­formances; let his sorrow be the more pungent, his Confessions the more hum­ble, his Prayers the more fervent; but especially his Resolutions and his Endea­vours the more hearty and sincere to break off the course of his Sins, the lon­ger he has continued in them: that so by the extraordinary vigor of his present Endeavours, he may make some kind of reparation for the slowness he has been [Page 249] hitherto guilty of in setting about his duty.

But this is not all: It will, perhaps, be farther enquired; Whether upon the Principle I have now laid down, of the withdrawing God's Grace from such as refuse and reject the offers of it, it will not follow, that such persons as these are to be look'd upon as in a desperate Estate; and therefore that it is in vain for them now to think of repenting at all?

But this is a Question which every man will best be able to satisfy himself about. That he who puts off his Re­pentance now, upon a presumption that it will be time enough to fulfil it here­after, may justly fear the withdrawing of God's Grace from him, I have fully shewn: But that God does absolutely withdraw his Grace from every such Person, I do not say; and whether or no he has withdrawn it from any particular Person, he will presently be able to dis­cern by the state in which he finds his Soul as to the business of Religion.

If his Lusts and his Passions lead him captive at their pleasure; If he has no Affections or Desires remaining after [Page 250] Piety in his soul; if he cares not for God nor his duty, nor can yet per­suade himself either to think of ano­ther world, or to provide for it; These indeed are, though I will not say cer­tain signs of a desperate condition, yet such as may give us just cause to fear whether he be not come into that state, from which there is no Redempti­on, and in which God will no longer give him any Assistance, to return into the way of Righteousness.

But if, on the contrary, he even now begins to come again to himself, and wishes and desires, if it be possible, to be reconciled unto God: If being touch'd with a lively sence of his sins and his obstinacy, he is at last willing to amend, and return unto God with all his heart: Then 'tis plain, that though his Condition may be bad, yet it is not desperate. God has not yet given him up a Slave to the Devil, but still continues to him the benefit of Repen­tance; so that if he be not again want­ing to himself, he may yet hope for a sufficient measure of Divine Grace to bring him by Repentance to Salvation.

[Page 251]But here still there will one difficul­ty more arise, and it is this. How such a Person shall satisfie himself that he is truly penitent; and by consequence that he may depend upon the mercy of God for Pardon, notwithstanding his former Impenitence?

To this I answer, 1 st. If the person who thus repents at the last, be in a con­dition of continuing yet longer in this world, he may then be sure of the since­rity of his Repentance, and of the con­sequent security of his Condition, by the same experience that all others are, viz. by the fruits of it in a constant per­formance of Piety and Good-Works. But now

2dly. If the Question be of a dying Penitent, then indeed it will be a mat­ter of more difficulty to answer it. For if on the one hand I may not be so un­charitable as to conclude at all adven­tures the utter invalidity of such a Re­pentance, because for ought I know, 'tis possible for a man in the very last act of his life, to be struck with such a true contrition for his sins, as might, [Page 252] if he had lived, have produced a real Amendment, and then God who is able to discern this, will consider him accord­ingly: Yet neither on the other, can we ever be sure that such a Repentance is sincere, nor by consequence may we at all Adventures supppose in favour of it.

The truth is, a Death-bed Repen­tance is, in the best prospect we can take of it, exceeding dangerous, and in the case before us, I am afraid despe­rate. Nor have we in all the Holy Scripture, so much as one Example of any one that purposely put off his Re­pentance to this time, and yet was sa­ved upon it; and the Instance of Felix in my Text, is a terrible one to the contrary. He was touch'd with St. Paul's Preaching, and feared the Judg­ment of which he spake. But he put off the Apostle to a more convenient sea­son; and we do not find that ever that more convenient season came, or that he had ever any future call to Repen­tance.

It is not to be question'd, but that if a man be come to this sad pass, he ought by all means to be exhorted to [Page 253] repent, because otherwise to be sure, he must perish, and 'tis possible this may save him. But what that Repentance is, which a wicked man then exercises, we cannot tell, and the effect of it must be left to God's Judgment to declare; and it will be our parts instead of being over-inquisitive into these secrets, to be careful not to expose our selves to a condition so full of danger; in which there is much to be feared, but little Hope, and no Security.

And now, what more remains to en­gage us to a speedy, or rather to a pre­sent Repentance, but that having thus largely shewn the danger of deferring our duty, I very briefly close all with a more excellent Prospect,

II dly, Of the Comfort and Satisfacti­on that will arrive to us from the Consideration of having perfected this great and necessary Work.

This is a Point on which it were as easie to speak great things, as I think 'tis needless so to do. If to Live in a State of Friendship with God, and to be able to look forward into Eternity [Page 254] with Comfort; If to be freed from the stings of Conscience, and the Terrors of Everlasting Punishment, and instead thereof to be full of a well-grounded Confidence that Heaven and all its Glories shall be one day Ours; in short, If there be any such thing as a Felicity to be attain'd either in this World or in the Next, such a Christian as this pos­sesses it all; For he enjoys the Love, the Favour of that God, who is the Great dispenser of all Good both in Hea­ven and Earth.

O the Peace and the Tranquility! The Pleasure, and the Satisfaction of that Man, who lives in such a State as this! Whose Conscience acquits him; whose Innocence supports him in the midst of Dangers; whose Piety and Virtue chear his Soul, and fill it with the most excellent Comforts; whose Present Condition is full of Hope, and whose Future Prospect is to be for Ever Happy.

How will such a Christian as this Tri­umph over all the Miseries, and despise the Blandishments of a vain, uncer­tain, sinful World? Even Death its self the last, and greatest of Terrors, will [Page 255] not be able to amaze him: But rather He will welcome it with a chearful mind, and with St. Paul desire to de­part, Phil. i.23. and to be with Christ; whilst able with him to cry out; 2 Tim. iv.7. I have fought a good fight, I have finish'd my Course, I have kept the faith; Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness, which God the Righteous Judge shall give me at that day.

But O Wretched Sinner! Who by thy unreasonable Delays in a matter of such vast concernment both to thy Present and Eternal Happiness, not on­ly exposest thy self to the danger of Dam­nation in the other World, but deprivest thy self of the only true and real Feli­city of this!

Men indeed may flatter themselves in their Evil doings, and find a great deal of seeming satisfaction in their ways of Wickedness. But when all is done, the Remembrance of this one thing, That in a little time they must die, and come to Judgment, will ever and anon come in and embitter all their Enjoy­ments; and convince them that 'tis the way of Piety that alone is the way of plea­santness, and her paths the paths of peace. Pro. iii.17.

[Page 256]But I must not pursue these Reflecti­ons any farther; I will therefore con­clude this whole Argument, with those excellent Words of the Son of Sirach, Ecclus. v.xviii.

Eccl. v.7. Make no long tarrying to turn unto the Lord, and put not off from day to day.

Ib. xviii. —20. Before Judgment, examine thy self, and in the day of Visitation thou shalt find mercy.

—21. Humble thy self before thou be sick, and in the time of sins show repentance.

—22. Let nothing hinder thee to pay thy Vows in due time, and defer not until death, to be justified.

THE Words are part of that af­fectionate Application, which the Apostle here makes of his excellent Discourse concern­ing the Exercise of Christian Charity, See ch. xiv.1. in that great Instance of Condescension to the Infirmities of our Weaker Brethren, in the foregoing Chapter.

The Occasion of it was this:

There were in those first times, many among the Jews, who tho' they were converted to the Christian Faith, yet still continued zealous for the Law; Acts xv.1. —xxi.20. and not only carefully observed them­selves [Page 260] all the Rites and Ceremonies of it, but would also by any means impose upon all others also, the observance of them. And how earnest they were upon this account, and how much they hated the Gentile Converts, upon whom the Apostles did not think fit to lay any such burden, Acts xv.19, 28. Gal. v.1, &c. many Passages both in the Acts and in St. Paul's Epistles, do sufficiently declare.

But as in all other differences it sel­dom happens that the whole heat of the Controversie rests only on one side; so here, tho' the Jewish Converts were both the first beginners of this Dispute, and the more zealous pursuers of it, yet neither were the Gentile Christians ut­terly without fault in it; but so far stood fast in that liberty wherewith Christ had made them free, Gal. v.1. as not only to de­spise the weakness and ignorance of the others, Rom. xi.18, &c. but to be ready almost even to cut them off from their Communion.

I need not say how dangerous such a Controversie as this might have pro­ved, nor what a stop it might have put to the progress of Christianity, in those first beginnings of the Gospel. Great were the difficulties which the Apostles underwent on this occasion; whilst they [Page 261] endeavoured so to menage themselves be­tween these two Parties, as not only not to offend either, but, if it were possible, to bring them Both to such a temper with one another, that neither the Gen­tile Convert might despise the weakness of his Judaizing Brother; nor the Jewish Votary judge too severely of the Liberty of the Gentile Christian.

And this was the design of St. Paul in the Chapter before my Text. Where addressing himself, as indeed he seems to have done this whole Epistle, to the Gentile Christians; and whom, as ha­ving the truer Notion of their Christian Liberty as to this matter, he therefore calls the [...], the strong in the Faith: Rom. xv.1. v.1. he exhorts them in a most admi­rable Discourse on this Subject through­out the whole Chapter, Ibid. to bear the Infir­mities of the Weak; i. e. not to grieve nor despise them for their mistaken Zeal, but by complying a little, and con­descending to their Infirmities, to endeavour, if it should please God, to draw them out of their Error. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to Edification. Verse [...]. And then con­cludes all in the words of the Text, wherein we have,

[Page 262] First, A hearty Prayer to God Al­mighty, That he would inspire them so effectually with a Spirit of Vnity and Charity, that notwithstanding all their differences, they might joyn una­nimously, both Jews and Gentiles, not only in the same common Worship of God, but with the same hearty affection to one another: ‘Now the God of patience and consola­tion, grant you to be like-minded one towards another, according to Christ Jesus; that ye may with one Mind and one Mouth glorifie God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.’

And, Secondly, an Exhortation, as the final result of his whole Discourse, That they should with all charitable condescension and kindness receive, and love, and assist one another, and not despise, and censure, and deprive one another, either of their Charity, or their Communion; ‘Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the Glory of God.’

[Page 263]In which words, as they thus lye be­fore us in the Occasion and Design of them, there are two things that will offer themselves to our consideration.

• First, An Exhortation to these Dis­senting Christians, and in them to all of us, Not to break either Cha­rity or Communion with one ano­ther, upon the account of such things wherein we may securely differ; but mutually to bear with one another in our differences.
• Secondly,
  See Theodo­ret, Chrysost. Theophylact, &c. in loc.
  An Enforcement of this Ex­hortation, from two of the greatest Considerations that can possibly engage any Christian to an obser­vance of it; viz.
  • First, From the Example of Christ towards us.
  • Secondly, From the greater Glory that will hereby redound to God.

[Page 264]I shall make it my endeavour, with all the plainness that I can, to pursue both the Exhortation and the Enforce­ment in the three following Propositions.

• I. That there may be differences in mat­ters of lesser moment, between very good and zealous Christians, with­out any just reflection either upon the Men, or upon their Religion.
• II. That these differences ought not to hinder such Persons from agreeing together not only in a common Cha­rity, but if it be possible, in a com­mon Worship of God too.
• III. That to this End it is the Duty of all Christians, but especially of those who are the strong in Faith, not only to pray for such a Vnion, but, as they have opportunity, heartily to labour Themselves, and earnestly to stir up all Others, to endeavour after it.

Prop. 1.And, First; That there may be Diffe­rences in matters of lesser moment between very good and zealous Christians, without [Page 265] any just Reflection upon the Men, or upon their Religion.

For proof of which, I think I need go no farther than the very History of my Text. I have already said how great a division there was between the Jewish and the Gentile Converts, about the Ritual Observances of the Law of Moses, and with what a Zeal the Dis­senting Parties managed the Dispute, till they had almost lost their Charity, and made a deplorable Schism in the Church of Christ. And yet I am con­fident no Man will say that this was at all derogatory either to the Truth of their Common Christianity, or to the Infallible Authority with which the Apostles had deliver'd it unto them.

And for the Parties themselves that thus differ'd with one another, that they had a true Zeal on both sides for the Glory of God, and thought it matter of Conscience, the one to observe these Ceremonial Institutions as what God still required of them; the other to refuse any such Imposition, as not only a need­less Burden, Act. xv.28. Gal. v.2. but even repugnant to the Grace of Christ declared to them in his [Page 266] Gospel; S. Paul, in the prosecution of this very Argument, does clearly bear witness to them, Ch. xiv.6. Where he makes use of this very thing as one Rea­son why they should mutually tolerate one another in their Dissensions; viz. That however they differ'd in their No­tions as to these particulars, yet they were both perfectly agreed in the same common Zeal for the Glory of God, and the Discharge of their Duty. He that regardeth the day, Rom. xiv.6. regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

And indeed, either we must say, that all, even the least Points, relating to our Religion, are so clearly and plainly revealed, that no Honest Man can pos­sibly be mistaken, if he will but impar­tially enquire into them; which from the Differences of whole Parties concern­ing these things, 'tis plain they are not: Or else Men's different Capacities, and Opportunities, and Tempers, and Edu­cation consider'd, 'tis in vain to expect [Page 267] that all Good Men should agree in all their Notions of Religion, any more than we see they do in any other con­cerns whatsoever. And who am I, that I should dare to pronounce a Sentence of Reprobation against any one, in whom there appear all the other Characters of an humble, upright, sincere Christian, only because he has not perhaps met with the same Instruction, or read the same Books, or do's not argue the same way; In a Word, because he is not so wise, or it may be, is wiser than I am, and sees farther than I do, and therefore is not exactly of my Opinion in every thing.

Now if this be so, as both the Prin­ciples of Reason conclude it very well may be, and the common Experience of Mankind, not only in the particular concern of Religion, but in most other things assures us that it is: That Men's Understandings are different, and they will argue different waies, and entertain different Opinions from one another, about the same things, and yet may nevertheless deserve on all sides, to be esteemed very good and wise Men for all that: How vain then must that [Page 268] Argument be, which a Late Author of the Church of Rome, Histoire des variations des Eglises Protestan­tes: par Mr. l' Eves­que de MEAUX. The Design of which, may be seen in the Summary of his Pre­face — Les Varia­tions dans la foy preu­ve certaine de fausseté. Charactere des heresies d'estre variables — Ce Cha­ractere reconnu dans tous les Ages de l'Eglise.—Charactere d'im­mutabilitè dans la foy de l'Eglise Catholique. — Que les variations de l'un des partis (de Protestans) est une preuve contre l' Autre, &c. has with so much Pomp revived against us, from our Differences in a few lesser Points of our Religion, to conclude us to be Erroneous in the greater; and that because we are not exactly of the same Opinion in every thing, that therefore we ought to be credited in nothing; that is to say, That because Protestants when they differ, are mistaken on One Side, therefore when they agree, they are mistaken on Both?

1 st. It is certain that amidst all our other Divisions, we are yet on all sides agreed in whatsoever is Fundamental in the Faith, or necessary to be believed and professed by us in order to our Salvation.

There is no good Protestant, but what does firmly believe all the Articles of the Apostles Creed; and embraces the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God, and Rule of his Faith, and readily acknow­ledges [Page 269] whatsoever is plainly revealed therein, and is at all times disposed to submit to any thing that can by any necessary and certain Consequence be proved to him thereby. In short, Our Diffe­rences, whatsoever they are, I will be bold to say, They do no more, nor even so much concern the foundations of Chri­stianity, as those of the Judaizing Chri­stians here did. If their differing there­fore with one another, was no Prejudice to the Truth of their common Christianity then, I would fain know for what Rea­son our Differences, which are lesser, shall become so much a greater Argu­ment against our common Christianity now. But,

Secondly, If our differing from one another in some Points, be an Argument that we are not certain in any; How, shall we be sure that those of the Church of Rome are not altogether as uncertain as we are; seeing we are sure that they do no less differ among themselves, and that in Points too, much more conside­rable than we do?

For to take only one Instance instead of many, and that so considerable, that [Page 270] Card. Praef. ad lib. de Summ. P. T. 1. p. 592. In­golstad. A. 1586. Bellarmin once thought the Sum of Christianity, he meant the Sum of Popery, to consist in it, viz. The Prero­gatives of the Bishop of Rome, both in and over the Church of Christ. * Some there are who hold the Pope to be Head of the Church, by Divine Right: Others the contrary. * Some, That he is Infal­lible: Others, That he is not. * Some, That the Pope alone, without a Council, may determine all Controversies: Others, That he cannot. Now if in these, and many other points of no less importance, they themselves are as far from agreeing with one another, as they can possibly pretend us to be; what shall hinder us, but that we return their own Inference upon them, That seeing they differ among themselves in such things as these, they are so far from that absolute Infal­libility they set up for, that in truth they have not so much as any certainty among them, even in those Points wherein they do agree.

Is it that in their Church, tho, there be indeed as many differences as in ours, yet this makes not against them, Bellarm. to. 1. p. 1377. de Not. Eccl. A. seeing they have a certain Rule, whenever they please, for the composing of them, [Page 271] viz. The Definition of the Pope, and of the Church? This indeed, I find is com­monly said by them: But then certainly, if they have such a ready means, See Mr. Chilling­worth, p. 99, 100. as they say, of Agreement among them, 'tis the more shame for them, that they do not agree; he being much more inexcusably guilty in the omission of any duty, who having a ready means to fulfil it, neglects so to do; than he who has none; or, which is the same thing, does not know that he has any. But indeed they have no means of Ending their diffe­rences, any more than we have; The Holy Scriptures we both of us acknow­ledg to be the Word of God, and an Infallible Rule of Faith; but for any other direction, they are not yet agreed where to seek it: And sure that can be no very good means of Ending all their other Differences, which is it self one of their chiefest Controversies.

Or is it, Bellarm. I [...] p. 1378. [...] That they agree in matters of Faith, and differ only in those things that do not belong to it? Because if they differ about any Point, they for that very Reason, conclude it to be no matter of Faith. But besides the Impenitence of this Answer, which amounts to no more than this, that they do agree in what [Page 272] they do agree, and differ only in those things in which they differ: This is what we say for our selves concerning our Differences; We agree in all those things that are necessary to a Sound and Saving Faith; and if we differ in mat­ters of lesser moment, 'tis no more than what all other Christians have ever done, and what those of the Church of Rome it self at this day do.

So that still it must remain, either that those Differences which were among the Christians of old, and which are among us now, are no Prejudice at all to the common Truth which we profess; or if they be, the Consequence will fall upon those of the Church of Rome no less, that I do not say, and more se­verely, than upon us, and be of the same Force against Their Religion, that it can be against Ours.

But I must carry this Reflection a great deal farther; for,

Thirdly, If once this Principle be al­lowed, That because Men differ in some things, they ought not to be credited in any, what then will become, not only of the Protestant Religion, as it now stands in Opposition to Popery, but even [Page 273] of Christianity it self? For might not a Turk or a Jew, if he were minded to give himself so much trouble to so little purpose as this late Author has done, draw out a large HISTORY of the VARIATIONS of Christians a­mong themselves, from the Controversie of the Text, unto this day; and then by the very same Principle conclude against us all, That we have none of us any certain Grounds for Our Religion, because the differences that are among us, plainly shew, that some of us must be deceived? And to go yet one step far­ther; Might not a Sceptick by the same Rule, argue against all Religion, and even against all Reason too; That the dis­agreement of mankind in these and many other Points of the greatest Importance, clearly proves that there is no certainty in any thing; and therefore that we ought not to rely either upon the one, or upon the other?

It remains therefore, that unless we will overthrow all the measures of Chri­stian Charity towards our Neighbour, and the common Truth, I do not say both of their Faith and of our own, but even of Christianity it self, nay and of all Religion and Reason in general; We [Page 274] must conclude, That good Christians may differ from one another in matters of lesser moment, without any just Re­flection either upon themselves or their Religion.

But here therefore I must desire not to be misunderstood. For when I say, that Christians may, without any dan­ger to themselves, or disparagement to the Truth of their Religion, differ with one another; I mean only, as the Terms of my Proposition expresly shew, in lesser matters; such as do not concern the Fundamentals of Faith, nor destroy the Worship of God; nor are otherwise so clearly revealed, but that Wise and Good Men, after all their Enquiries, may still continue to differ in their Opi­nions concerning them. For otherwise, if Interest and Prejudice blind men's Eyes, and they err because they resolve they will not be convinced; and so by their own Fault continue in Mistakes contrary to the Foundation of Faith, and destructive of Piety: If, for instance, Men will profess to believe but in One God, and yet worship Thousands; If they will read over the second Command­ment, and nevertheless both make and bow down before Graven Images in [Page 275] despite of it; If, whilst they acknow­ledge Christ to have instituted the Blessed Eucharist in both kinds, they command it to be administred but in One; and pray in an unknown Tongue, tho' S. Paul has spent almost a whole Chapter to shew the Folly and Unreasonableness of it: These are Errors in which I am not concerned; and tho I should be unwil­ling, even here, at all adventures to pronounce any Sentence against the Men; yet I must needs say, That Religion can­not be very sound, which stands corru­pted with so many, and such fundamen­tal Abuses.

And this makes the difference between those Errors for which we separate from the Church of Rome, and those Contro­versies which sometimes arise among Protestants themselves. The former are in matters of the greatest consequence, such as tend directly to overthrow the Integrity of Faith, and the Purity of our Worship; and therefore such as are in their own nature destructive of the very Essentials of Christianity. Whereas our Differences do not at all concern the Foundations either of Faith or Worship; and are therefore such in which Good Men, if they be otherwise diligent and [Page 276] sincere in their Enquiry, may differ, without any Prejudice to themselves, or any just Reflection upon the Truth of their common Profession.

Which being thus cleared, in answer to the little Endeavours of one of the latest of our Adversaries against us upon this Account; I go on, Secondly, to shew,

Prop. 2. Secondly, That such differences as these, ought not to hinder such persons from agreeing together, not only in a com­mon Charity; but, if it be possible, in a common Worship of God too.

This is what S. Paul here expresly exhorts these dissenting Christians to, and earnestly praies to God that he might see accomplished in them. That when they came together to the publick Offices of the Church, to offer up their common Prayers and Thanksgivings to Him, they might do it, not only in the same Form of Words, but with the same Affection of Mind too, both towards God, and towards one another: Now the God of patience and consolation, grant you to be like-minded one towards another, according to Christ Jesus; that ye may [Page 277] with one Mind and one Mouth glorifie God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Such was their Duty to one another then; and we ought certainly no less to esteem the same to be our Duty towards one another now: And

1. As to the business of Charity;

God forbid that any Differences in Religion whatsoever, much less such little ones as those we are now speaking of, should ever make us deny that to our fellow Christians. 'Tis true indeed, our Saviour Christ once foretold to his Disciples, That there should rise up Men from among their Brethren, who should upon this account not only put them out of their Synagogues, Joh. xvi.2. but even think that it was a matter of Religion to kill them. But they were Jews, not Christians, who were to do this; and He expresly adds, That 'twas their ig­norance of Him and his Religion that should carry them on to so furious and intemperate a Zeal; For these things, — V. 3. saies he, shall they do unto you, because they have not known the Father nor Me. And we must confess it, to the scandal of our Holy Religion, that there are a [Page 278] sort of Men who call themselves Chri­stians now, that still continue to fulfil this Prophecy in the very Letter of it; who not only cast us out of their Syna­gogues, that we should not much com­plain of; and, as far as in them lies, cut us off from all the Hopes of Salvation too; but, to compleat the parallel, openly arm the whole World against us, and teach Men to believe, that 'tis a Work of Piety to root us out of it; and therefore, that whosoever killeth us, does do God service. But in this, as well as in the rest of their Errors, they give us but the more effectually to under­stand how little they have in them of the true Spirit of Christianity; for sure such things as these they could never do, but only that, as our Saviour in that other case before said, they have not known the Father nor Him. And I hope I shall need no Argument to perswade you not to be mis-led by that, which we all of us so justly lament, as one of the most de­plorable Corruptions even of Popery it self.

Christianity commands us to love our Enemies, and sure then we cannot but think it very highly reasonable not to hate our Brethren; but especially on [Page 279] such an account, as, if it be once admit­ted, will in this divided state of the Church, utterly drive the very name of brotherly Love and Charity out of it: see­ing by whatsoever Arguments we shall go about to justifie our uncharitableness to any Others, they will all equally war­rant them to with-hold in like manner their Charity from us.

There is no honest, sincere Christian, how erroneous soever he may be, but what at least is perswaded that he is in the right; and looks upon Us to be as far from the Truth by differing from him, as We esteem Him for not agreeing with us. Now if upon the sole account of such Differences it be lawful for us to hate Another; we must for the very same Reason allow it to be as lawful for Him also to hate Us. Thus shall we at once invert the Characteristick of our Religion; Joh. xiii.35. By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples, if ye have love one to another; and turn it into the quite con­trary Note: Whilst we make our hatred to our Brother the great mark of our Zeal for our Religion; and conclude him to love Christ the most, who the least loves his fellow Christian.

[Page 280]How much rather ought we to con­sider, with our Apostle, the love of our dear Master to us, even whilst we were yet his Enemies, and love those whom we ought to hope, notwithstanding all their Errors, are yet still his Friends; and not think those unworthy of our Charity, whom we piously presume God will not think unworthy of his Favour? We suppose them to be mista­ken in those things wherein they differ from us, and perhaps they are so; but yet we must consider, that we our selves also are but Men, and therefore may err; and They as verily think Us in the wrong, as we do Them: And, for ought I know, we must leave it to the Day of Judgment to decide the Contro­versie, which of us is in the right. In the mean time, if they are mistaken, I am sure our uncharitableness is not the way to convince them of their Error: but may rather indispose them to con­sider the weight of our Arguments as they ought, whilst they see so little re­gard in our Affections towards them. In short, if we are indeed, what we esteem our selves to be, the strong in the Faith, let us then remember, that tho' Charity be their Duty too as well as ours, yet 'tis [Page 281] to such as We are, especially, that St. Paul addresses the Exhortation of the Text, Verse 1.7. to bear the Infirmities of the Weak; and to receive one another, as Christ also hath recived us, to the Glory of God. But,

2. Such Differences as these, ought not only not to lessen our Charity, but, if it be possible, not to hinder us from joyning together in the same common Worship of God with one another.

This was what these dissenting Chri­stians, notwithstanding all their Heats and Contentions, nevertheless still con­tinued to do. They did with one Mouth glorifie God, even when their Differences would not suffer them to do it with one Heart. They united together in a common Worship of God, tho' they could not unite either in Opinion or Affection with one another.

Indeed where Mens Errors are such as do utterly subvert the very Essentials of our Religious Worship, it is there in vain to hope for any Communion in the Publick Service of God with them. We must not destroy the Principles of Chri­stianity, out of a Zeal to enlarge the Communion of Christians. He would [Page 282] be a very condescending Votary indeed, who for the sake of praying to God with the Papist, would pray to the Blessed Virgin and Saints too with him: Who rather than be excluded their Churches, would bow down before their Images; and not only worship their Host, but even give up his Right to the Cup in the Eucharist, only that he might receive that holy Sacrament in their Company. It is, no doubt, a very desirable thing to lessen the differences of Christians, and enlarge their Com­munion, as far as ever we can: And it has never gone well with the Church of Christ, since Men have been so narrow-spirited as to mix the Contro­versies of Faith, with their Publick Forms of Worship; and have made their Li­turgies, instead of being Offices of De­votion to God, become Tests and Cen­sures of the Opinions of their Brethren. But yet when all is done, the Truths of Christianity must not be sacrificed to the Peace of Christians; nor the Honour of God be given up, to keep up a Vnity and Communion with one another.

But where Mens Differences are in Points that do not at all affect their Re­ligious Service; or not so much, but [Page 283] that God may be very well worshipp'd, and yet Communion with our fellow Chri­stians preserved too; in such cases as this, our dissentions ought not only not to lessen our Charity, but not to break our Vnity neither: We may continue to differ, as the Christians in my Text did; and yet with one Mind, and one Mouth, glorifie God, as St. Paul exhorted them to do.

And this brings me to the Third and Last Point.

Thirdly, That to this End, Prop. 3. it is the Duty of all of us, but especially of the stronger Christians, not only to Pray for such a Union, but also, as they have opportunity, heartily to labour themselves, and ear­nestly to stir up all others to endeavour after it.

I do not believe there is any good Chri­stian so little affected with those unhappy Divisions under which the Church at this day labours, as not both heartily to de­plore them, and to think that nothing could be too much, that might inno­cently be done on all hands, for the redressing of them. But then I am sure the natural Consequence of this must be, what both my Text, and this [Page 284] Discourse are designed to exhort you to; viz. That we ought every one of us, not only heartily to pray for such a Vnion; but also, as we have opportu­nity, earnestly to labour for the attain­ment of it.

Indeed for what concerns the whole Body of the Catholick Church on Earth, so many are the Disputes that have arisen among the several Parties and Communions of it, and some of them in Points so near to the Foundations of Christianity, that whilst Men resolve to keep fast to their Conclusions, and will not suffer the plainest Arguments to convince them of their Errors, 'tis in vain to hope ever to see things brought to such a Temper, as we could wish in that. But especially whilst that part which is the most corrupt, is so far from being wil­ling to concur to any such Vnion, that on the contrary, she has cut off all possibility of attaining it: And by arrogating an un­warrantable Infallibility to her self, and Authority over all others, will neither reform her own Abuses, nor admit any into her Communion, that will not pro­fess the same Errors, in which she her self stands involved. So that here, all we can even wish for, is, that Men [Page 285] would at last be so wise, as tho' they differ in Opinion, yet to love as Brethren, and agree together in a common Charity, till we shall be so happy as to unite in a common Faith and worship of God.

But for us whom it has pleased God, by delivering us from the Errors and Superstitions of the Church of Rome, to unite together in the common name of Protestant, Reformed Christians, would we but as heartily labour after Peace, as we are all of us very highly exhorted to it; I cannot see why we who are so happily joyn'd together in a common profession of the same Faith, at least, I am sure in all the necessary Points of it; and I hope amidst all our lesser Diffe­rences, in a common love and charity to one another, should not also be united in the same common Worship of God too.

I will not now enter into any Di­spute, to shew how little reason there is for any one to separate from the Offices of the Church of England, upon the ac­count of those few Exceptions that have sometimes been offer'd to justifie the doing of it. This is a work both too large for such a Discourse; and besides the design of my present Undertaking. [Page 286] And that one Concession of many of our Brethren themselves, who tho' they continue ordinarily to separate from us, yet nevertheless freely allow of what they call Occasional Communion with us, I think sufficiently shews how little real ground there is for those Scruples, that have so long detain'd them in an unjust aversion to our Worship. Bles­sed be God, who has abundantly justi­fied both the Purity of our Doctrin, and the Innocency of our Worship, not only by the general Approbation of the Reformed Churches abroad, who both freely communicate with us in our reli­gious Offices, and have often given Te­stimony in favour of them; but in the happy Conviction of many at Home, who were once Enemies to our Consti­tution, but who now go with us into the same House of God as Friends.

And indeed the things for which some forsake us now, are no other than what they were in the Beginning of the Reformation; when yet there was no such thing as Separation from our Communion: But on the contrary, the old Non-Conformists themselves, tho' they disliked some things in our Wor­ship, yet freely declared they thought [Page 287] it a Crime to divide the Church on the account of them. And they who at this day separate from us, for the sake of those few Constitutions that have been made for the Order and Decency of our Publick Worship, must for the same reason have separated from all the Churches of the Christian World, for above 1500 years; in none of which they might not have found as great, that I do not say, and much greater, occasion of Offence, than they can in Ours.

But yet, since Mens Scruples are unac­countable, and after all that can be said, they will still differ even about indifferent things, and be afraid many times, where no Fear is; and a too long Experience has already shewn us, That if ever we mean to accomplish that Union so much recommended to us by our Apostle, so advantagious to the Church at all times, but especially at this time so necessary to our Peace and our Establishment, that it seems to be the only way that yet remains to settle and to secure us; and upon all these accounts, so much to be desired by all Good Men, we must seek it by that Rule which St. Paul here proposed to [Page 288] the Dissenting Christians of my Text, We then that are strong in the faith, Rom. xv.1. ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please our selves. I cannot but think it a Reflection becoming every good Christian among us, but in a more especial manner, worthy the Conside­ration of such an Auditory as this, Whe­ther somewhat may not yet be done for the sake of Peace, and to bring things to such a See the Petition of the Archbishop and Bishops to King James ▪ for which they were com­mited to the Tower. TEMPER, that both Order and Decency may still be pre­served, and yet our Vnity no longer broken.

And for Exhortations to so Good and Christian a Work, shall I set be­fore you the Example of our Blessed Saviour recommended to us in the Text, with what a mighty condescension he has treated Us; how he came down from Heaven, Phil. ii.6, 7. and took upon Him the form of a servant, and being made in the likeness of a sinful man, humbled Himself even to the Death upon the Cross for us? How He still bears not only with our Infirmities, but with our Sins too; and by all these wonderful instances of his Love to us, teacheth us, says St. John, How we ought also to love one another? 1 Joh. iv.11

[Page 289]Or rather, shall I shew you, how far such a Blessed Vnion as this, would conduce to the Glory of God, to the Security of our Religion, and to the Pro­motion of Peace and Charity, and Piety among us?

I need not say what a dishonour our Divisions have already brought to the Reformation, nor what a stop they have put to the progress of it Great, to be sure, is the Advantage which our Ene­mies either have, or at least hoped to have made, by those Contests which they have taken so much pains both to bring in, and to keep up among us: And methinks there should need no other Argument to stir up every true Friend to the name of Protestant, to endea­vour all he can to compose our Diffe­rences, than this one thing, That we are sufficiently convinced who they are that we please, and whose Interests we serve, by the continuance of them.

Let us add to this, what great Obligations our Holy Religion lays up­on us, Rom. xiv.19. to follow after those things that make for peace, and whereby we may edifie one another: How our Saviour has set it down as the very Badge of our Discipleship; [Page 290] By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples, Joh. xiii.35. if ye have love one to another: What Exhortations his Apostles have given us; Rom. xii.18. If it be possible, as much as in us lies, to live peaceably with all men. But especially with reference to the differences about Religion, Rom. xvi.17. To mark them which cause divisions and offences, contrary to the Doctrine which we have learnt, and avoid them.

With what a scrupulous care did St. Paul manage himself between the dissenting parties in my Text? What admirable Rules did he lay down for them to walk by? And with what an affectionate earnestness did he enforce them? Phil. ii.1, 2. If there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of Love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any Bowels and Mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same Love, being of one Accord, of one Mind.

And may I not beg leave, tho' not with the Authority, yet with the Charity of St. Paul, to apply all this to those un­happy Divisions that at this day rend in pieces the Church of Christ among us; and beseech you, by all these endearing Considerations, to pursue those things which may make for our Peace; and [Page 291] for the closing of those breaches, which the malice of our Enemies too successfully begun, and our own weakness has too fatally kept up among us.

Never, certainly, was there a time, since the name of Separation was first heard of among us, in which we had greater reason to consider of such a Vnion; or, I hope, a fairer opportu­nity to promise our selves an Accom­plishment of it. Only let us be on all hands as careful to improve it, as I am persuaded we have all of us not only seem'd to desire, but have indeed ear­nestly long'd for it.

Let us shew the sense we have of that wonderful Deliverance God has given us out of the hand of our Enemies, by uniting our selves in the strictest League of Friendship with one ano­ther.

Hitherto we have defended our Church by our Arguments; let us now by our Charity settle and establish it, against the like Dangers for the time to come.

This will indeed render both our selves and our Religion Glorious to the World; and may be a Happy Augury that the blessed time so long wrapped [Page 292] up in sacred Prophecy, is indeed now ready to be revealed: When the Church of Christ being purged from those Cor­ruptions that have so long defaced its Beauty, shall again appear in its primi­tive Purity. When all Heresie and Schism being every where abolished, and the Mystery of Iniquity laid fully open, and the Man of Sin destroyed; true Religion and sincere Piety shall again reign throughout the World; God himself shall pitch his Tabernacle among us, Rev. xxi.3. and dwell with us, and we shall be his People, and he shall be our God.

O Blessed State of the Church Mili­tant here on Earth! the glorious An­tepast of that Peace and Piety which God has prepared for his Church Tri­umphant in Heaven! Who would not wish to see those days, when a general Reformation, and a true Zeal, and a perfect Charity, passing through the World, we should All be united in the same Faith, the same Worship, the same Communion and Fellowship one with another? When all Pride and Prejudice, all Interests and Designs being submitted to the Honour of God, and the discharge of our Duty, the Holy Scriptures shall again triumph over the vain Traditions [Page 293] of Men; and Religion no longer take its denomination from little Sects and Factions, but we shall all be content with the same common primitive Names of Christians and Brethren, and live to­gether as becomes our Character, in Brotherly Love and Christian Charity with one another?

And who can tell but such a Change as this, and which we have otherwise some reason to believe is nigh at hand, may even now break forth from the midst of us, would we but all seriously labour to perfect the Great Work which the Providence of God has so gloriously begun among us, and establish that Love and Vnity among our selves, which may afterwards diffuse it self from us into all the other Parts of the Christian World besides?

But however, whether we shall ever see, I do not say, such a Blessed Effect as this, but even any good Effect at all of our Endeavours here on Earth, or no; yet this we are sure, we shall not lose our Reward in Heaven. When to have contributed, tho' in the least degree, to the healing of those divisions we so un­happily labour under, shall be esteemed a greater Honour, than to have silenced [Page 294] all the Cavils of our Enemies; and even to have pray'd, and wish'd for it, and, where we could not any otherwise have contributed our selves, but to have ex­horted others to it, shall be rewarded with Blessings, more than all the Stars in the Firmament for number.

Now the God of patience and consola­tion, grant you to be like-minded one towards another, according to Christ Je­sus: That ye may with one mind, and one mouth, glorifie God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ:

To Him be Honour and Praise for ever and ever. Amen.

IT is generally agreed by Learned Men, that this Epistle was written by St. Jude upon the same Occa­sion, and to the same Persons to whom St. Peter had not long before address'd his Second; whose Thoughts [Page 336] he pursues, and whose very Words he seems in some places to have tran­scribed. And the Subject and Design of both we have here express'd to us in the words of my Text; viz. to exhort the Christians dispersed abroad among the Jews, neither to sink under those Persecutions that were brought upon them for their Faith; nor to suffer that holy Doctrine which had been so fully and purely deliver'd to them by the Apostles, to be corrupted by the Errors of those pernicious He­reticks, who even already began to creep in among them.

Great was the danger of these Chri­stians, and great the concern of our Apostle for them. To persevere con­stantly in the Faith, at a time when the severest Tryals were made use of to affright them from it; and to pre­serve it in its Purity, when so many subtile Hereticks made it their whole business, by any means, to corrupt the Truth of it. And no wonder if St. Jude thought it not only becoming that Character our Blessed Lord had honour'd him with in his Church, to write unto them, but even necessary for him so to do; and to exhort them, [Page 337] [...], to strive with all their might, and, as our Translation has very well rendred it, To contend earnestly for the Faith which was once deliver'd to the Saints.

For the due prosecution of which words, as they lye before us in the Con­text, I shall consider these Four things.

• I. What that Faith is, which the Apo­stle exhorted them to contend for?
• II. How they were to contend for it?
• III. The great reason they had at that time more especially so to do.
• IV. By what means he advised them to contend for it; that so they might secure their Faith in those dangerous times.

I. What that Faith is which the Apostle here exhorted them to con­tend for?

Now this the Character here given of it in our Text, will clearly shew. 'Tis the Faith which was once deliver'd to the Saints. That Faith which the Holy Apostles had once for all instructed them in, and which therefore both they and all succeeding Ages in the Church were both faithfully to retain, and earnestly to contend for for ever.

[Page 338]So that here then we have a plain account, what the true Christian Faith we are to profess, is, and where we are to seek it? 'Tis not the Faith of this or that Church or Party; 'Tis not the Faith of this or that Country or Century. Let Men and Times make what Changes and Alterations they please in it: The Faith that was once delivered to the Saints, is what we are to contend for, not for any Inventions or Additions of Men that have since been brought into it.

I shall not need to tell you whither you are to go for this Faith: The Spirit of God, by providing us a rule of it; and assisting and directing those holy Men who first preach'd the Gospel to the Saints that then lived, to send it down in writing to all the other Disciples that were to follow after to the end of the World; has sufficiently directed us both whither we are to go for it, and indeed where it is that we can alone be sure to find it. And how­ever Interest has made some of late the better to defend their Errors, and to maintain an usurped Authority over Mens Consciences to pretend to some other Directions: Yet since it is con­fess'd, [Page 339] that the Holy Scriptures were written for that very purpose, that they might be the Rule of our Faith; and St. Paul has expresly told us, 2 Tim. iii.15. That they are able to make the Man of God wise unto Salvation, and throughly furnished to every good work; we shall have little reason to seek to any other Rule, till some good Account can be given why this is not sufficient; or by what Authority it is that they pretend to impose any other of their own invent­ing upon us; and who gave them this Authority?

But however, be the Rule of this Faith what it will, that is not my busi­ness at present to dispute. Let it only be resolved, that the Faith it self must be no other than what was once deli­vered to the Saints, and then I am sure it will be our duty not only readily to receive it, but earnestly to contend for it, be the means of its conveyance what they will.

This is the next thing to be con­sidered by us;

II. How we are to contend for this Faith?

[Page 340]And here if the Question be con­cerning the manner of the Contention, I have already observed, that the Ori­ginal Expression is very emphatical; and implies a great vigour and earnest­ness in the doing of it. To teach us with what zeal we ought to adhere to the Truth, and defend it against all such as would endeavour either to af­fright, or to seduce us from it.

Indeed, whosoever shall consider the great value of that Faith which was once delivered to the Saints; and what our concern is in the preserving of it; will be forced to confess, that we can never be too earnest in our contending for it.

Truth is in all things so worthy and desirable, that a generous Spirit will think he can never prize it enough. We see the greatest Men have made it the whole business of their Lives to pursue it even in the smallest instances; and have thought their labours wor­thily rewarded, if with the greatest Application, and it may be with some danger and loss too, they have but been able to find it out at the last. Much more certainly ought that Truth, which the Son of God himself came down from Heaven to discover; and which, [Page 341] had he not revealed it to us, it would have been impossible for us ever to have come to the knowledge of it, to be most dear to us, and not upon any account to be forsaken by us.

But when to this we shall add, That these Truths are not matters of meer Speculation, only to employ the Mind, and exercise the Soul in the Contemplation of them: That the con­cern here is not a useless Theoreme; which whether we believe or not, we are neither at all the worse now, nor shall be ever the less happy hereafter; but such by our keeping or betraying whereof, we shall finally be Happy or Miserable for ever: That therefore to give up these Truths, is to become the vilest Traditors, the Betrayers not only of our Religion, but of our Souls too, and that to all Eternity; we cannot certainly but think it to be very much our concern to take the advice of the Apostle, and earnestly contend for the Faith that was once delivered to the Saints.

Such is the necessity of this Conten­tion: And two things there were wherein St. Jude here exhorted them to the Practice of it, proportionable to the two great dangers to which I have before [Page 342] said these Christians were then ex­posed.

For, First; The Christians to whom he wrote, were at this time actually under a Persecution for their Faith, and by consequence under great Temp­tations to Apostatize from it. And this danger was by so much the more to be apprehended, for that a sort of Hereticks were crept in among them, who the better to preserve themselves from those Evils which Christianity then brought upon all the faithful Professors of it, had among their other Errors, set up this for one, That it was law­ful in such Tryals to dissemble their Faith, and to escape Persecution for it.