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[SERM. 1. To explain what is meant by false Pro

phets.

2. To confider the external Hypocrify of their Sheeps Clothing. And,

3. Their internal bad Defigns; inwardly they are ravening Wolves.

4. What Caution we are to use against them, when we are exhorted to beware of them.

But before I begin, it is briefly worth the obferving, that this Exhortation is made to the very fame Perfons to whom all the reft of this Sermon is directed; that is, as I fhewed you before, to the Multitudes, and our Saviour's Difciples; not only to the Twelve, but to all the reft who came to learn of Chrift; that is, all Christians, who were called Disciples in those Days. From which Obfervation we may learn, that this Cautiousness against false Prophets, is every Man's Care and Duty. St. John gives the fame Advice to the Chriftians in his Days, to whom he wrote, 1 John iv. 1. Beloved, fays he, believe not every Spirit, but try the Spirits, whether they are of God: because many falfe Prophets are gone out into the World. It feems our Saviour and his Apoftles thought this a Duty not fit to be limited to a Pope and a Council, nor even to the Bishops and Pastors of the Church; but thought it neceffary to oblige every Man, by the Light of Reafon, and the Ufe of the Scriptures, to guard himself as well as he can against Impoftors; as every Man, though he be not a Phyfician, is to guard himself against Quacks and Poisoners. This being premised, I proceed now to the first Thing propofed, viz.

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1: To enquire what is meant here by falfe Prophets; for there is fome Difficulty in this Compellation. The Word Prophets fometimes fignifies those extraordinary Teachers, who had the Gift of foretelling Things to come; and fometimes it is taken in a larger Senfe, for all that publish or interpret the Mind and Will of God, whether they foretel Things to come or not. is in this laft Senfe the Word is to be taken here; for the Thing our Saviour had in View was, to guard them against fuch falfe Teachers, as fhould corrupt the Chriftian Morals, or find out Ways to excufe Men from the Obfervation thereof. By the Word Prophets then, I understand here all Teachers, who interpret or expound the Word of God. By falfe Prophets, are not to be understood all that are any way mistaken, or in an Error concerning divine Things; many Errors are very innocent; and no Perfon being infallible, this would be to make all Teachers ravenous Wolves whenever they fall into any fort of Error or Mistake in religious Matters. But by falfe Prophets here, I think are to be understood either fuch Teachers as lead us into fome very dangerous Soul-destroying Error, whether it proceed from an Error of their Understanding, or not; or rather, fuch as are Enemies (at least in their Capacity of teaching or prophefying) to thofe excellent Morals our Saviour had been delivering; for that (as I have often obferved to you) was the Thing he was driving at in all these Cautions, which he gives in the End of this Sermon, even to fecure their Obedience to what he had taught, and to guard them against every VOL. IV. Thing

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Thing that might hinder or destroy it. Now he forefaw how much this Chriftian Obedience would be endangered from falfe Teachers; of which there has been a great Number fince, whofe Doctrine has proved very pernicious to Christian Morals, and has a plain Tendency to the overthrowing of Holiness and Virtue. And because I think it may both tend to your better understanding what Sort of falfe Prophets are to be meant in this Caution, and likewife to the cautioning you against their pernicious Opinions and Practices, I will give you fome Inftances of the principal of fuch as I think fall under this Caution of my Text.

(1.) First then, Many of the Scribes and Pharifees were fuch falfe Teachers, who taught that we fulfil the Commandments, if we abftain from the grofs Act prohibited by them, though we indulge ourselves in the fecret Pollutions of the Thoughts, nay, even break out into feveral Words and Actions flowing from the inward carnal Principle, and directly leading to those grofs external Actions. For in our Saviour's Senfe, inward Malice and Hatred, and contumelious Words, and provoking injurious Actions, are Breaches of the Sixth Commandment, as well as, though not fo great, as actual Murder. And inward Luft in the Heart, with other impure or obscene Words and Actions, are Breaches of the Seventh Commandment, though they should not break out in the grofs Acts of Uncleannefs. And by a Parity of Reafon, all rafh judging, cenfuring, and, defaming, is a Breach of the Ninth Commandment, as well as falfe Witnefs bearing; and all Difcontent with our own Circumstances,

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Circumftances, and envying thofe of our Neighbour, is a Breach of the Eighth and Tenth Commandments, as well as the more grofs injuring him in any of his juft Poffeffions.

(2.) Thefe fame Scribes and Pharifees were falfe Teachers, or falfe Prophets, when they taught the People to spend all their Zeal about Ceremonies and Circumftantials of Religion, with the Neglect of the great and weighty Matters of Duty. Nay, though they should not expressly or directly teach this latter Part, it is a neceffary Confequence of the former; as he who divides a great Stream into a great many little Rivulets, by fo doing incapacitates it from turning a Mill, or from carrying any great Burden. And in Imitation of this Pharifaical Righteoufnefs, they are falfe Teachers, whoever they are, that in after Ages teach Men to spend all their Zeal about dry Opinions, or empty Ceremonies, neglecting the great and fubftantial Duties of Religion, as, alas, this is the moft fatal Rock that almost all Parties have fplit upon.

(3.) The fame Scribes and Pharifees, and fome other Teachers of thofe Days, were falfe Prophets, when they taught People to depend confidently on their being Defcendants from Abraham, and on their Profeffion of the Jewish Religion, without Renovation of Heart and Amendment of Life. A true Prophet, John the Baptift, feverely exposes this Error, Matth. iii. 7. O Generation of Vipers, fays he, who bath warned you to flee from the Wrath to come? Bring forth therefore Fruits meet for Repentance. And think not to say within yourfelves, we have Abraham to our Father: for Ijay unto you, that God is able of thefe Stones

to raise up Children unto Abraham. And, by a Parity of Reason, they are to be accounted falfe Prophets, whoever they are, that in these latter Ages do teach, that their giving up their Name to any one Church, or any, one Denomination of Chriftians, is fufficient to entitle them to a future State of Salvation, while they themselves continue wicked Livers.

(4.) They are falfe Prophets, who, in their Defcriptions of the Terms of Salvation, give fuch flight Notions of Faith, Repentance, and new Obedience, as tend to feed the falfe Hopes of meer nominal Chriftians and loofe Livers; making Faith to be only a confident Perfuafion that they are the Elect of God, though there are few or no Signs of Election to be found in their Lives: And making Repentance only fome Degrees of Sorrow for Sin, without fincere, and vigorous, and continued Endeavours after Amendment of Life; and making new Obedience, but fome few Degrees of formal, partial, or temporary Obedience, inftead of that hearty, univerfal and conftant Obedience required in the Gospel.

(5.) They are falfe Prophets, who teach People any other falfe Principles, fuch as have a Tendency in them to excufe from the obeying our Saviour's Precepts; of which there are too many, which have been fent abroad in theWorld. I fhall name fome of the chief of them.

(1.) There are many who have taught false and dangerous Doctrines concerning the Decrees of God, as if he had fo abfolutely predetermined from all Eternity whatever comes to pafs in Time, even in the most finful Actions of Men, that it is an eafy Thing from that Doctrine to make

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