SERMON VI.

MAT. V. 20.

I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT EXCEPT YOUR RIghte, OUSNESS SHALL EXCEED THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, YE SHALL IN NO CASE ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

E often reft fatisfied with a fair outfide. To

WE

be born in a Christian country—to make a public profeffion of the Christian faith-and to lead a life unstained by any notorious fin, is enough to make a good Chriftian. If other people confider us in this light, (and we are very candid to each other,) we are ready enough to take our religion, on trust.

There is a fashion in religion, as in every thing; and if we are in the fashion it is well. In ancient times, when men ftrictly followed the rules of

the

the gofpel, a different kind of religion was in fashion; and fuch people as now often pafs for good Christians, would then have been confidered as fhameful men. A man may now freely indulge the pleasures of life: he may give the world his heart he need not trouble his head with the inten tion, the conditions, the promises, or the threatenings of the gospel-and yet he may be thought a very decent Christian: he may be like his neighbours: he may be in the fashion.

In little matters all this is well. In the trifling affairs of life, we may conform to the manners and cuftoms of the world: we may fuffer fashion to make a change in our cloaths. But, for God's fake, let us confider that religion is exactly the fame now it ever was it admits no fashion; and if we take our measures of it from what we commonly fee practifed in these declining days, we may call it Christianity, if we please; but we may just as well call it any thing else. It is, in general, no more like Christianity, than a modern man of fashion is like an apostle.

The Scribes and Pharifees, under an hypocritical appearance, had these loose notions of religion, Our Saviour therefore holds them out as examples

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to us; and tells us pofitively, that unless our righte oufnefs fhould exceed theirs, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God. It is proper therefore to examine in what their unrighteoufnefs chiefly confifted; that by comparing ourselves with them, we may fee whether our unrighteousness may not be of a piece with theirs.

Let it be remembered, however, that it is not, in general, the most exact way of getting a knowledge of ourselves, to compare our actions with thofe of others. It is commonly a deceitful method. We ought rather to compare them with the word of God. However, as our Saviour himfelf, in this cafe, holds out the Scribes and Pharifees as the objects of a comparison; and has, moreover, given us marks of diftinction, we may be affured, that it is right to make the comparifon. In the following difcourfe, therefore, I fhall first give you the fcriptural character of the Scribes and Pharifees--and, fecondly, draw a fhort compari fon between us and them.

In the first place, the Scribes and Pharisees had loft all sense of religion. Our Saviour applies to

them

them that paffage of the prophet, This people draweth nigh me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. They came indeed to the temple, and nobody lifted up their eyes and hands with more devotion; but they felt nothing of it in their hearts. Our Saviour preached to them, as John the Baptift had done before him; it fignified nothing; they never attended to preaching. They had eyes that would not fee, and ears that would not hear, and hearts that would not understand. Preaching to them was feed fown on ftony ground; it made no impreffion.

What religion they had, if it could in any fenfe be called religion, confifted merely in a few outward obfervances: they tithed mint and cumin, our Saviour tells them, and performed other little ceremonies of the law; while they omitted the weightier matters of it, judgment, mercy, and faith.

The great end of religion is to enable us to refift the various temptations which arife from our different ftations in life, and to fit ourselves for a better world. If we are poor, we fhould be content with our station-live honestly with our neighbours, and bear our lot with refignation to God. This turns poverty into religion. If we

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are rich, we should guard against intemperance, vanity, and hard-heartedness to the poor: this turn riches into a bleffing to ourselves, and a comfort to others.

All this the Scribes and Pharifees knew well enough. They fat in Mofes's feat, and had ftudied the law, as far as knowledge went but with regard to practice, they gave themselves little trouble. The confequence was, that knowledge, without practice, puffed them up. They trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and defpifed others.

Instead of obeying what they knew to be the law of God, they made it their bufinefs to find out explanations to avoid it.-Honour thy father and mother, fays the law. But, faid the Pharifee, if you tell your poor father you intend to dedicate your money to holy uses, you may let him starve. Again, Thou shalt not take God's name in vain, fays the commandment. No, not, God's name in vain, said the Pharifee: but you may innocently fwear by any thing elfe.-And thus too, when the law enjoined love and kindness to our neighbour, the Pharifee would afk, who was his neighbour? Surely not his enemy; and leaft of all a Sa

maritan.

Good