Holiness and Exactness of Practice. If that great Zeal Men fhew against Errors, were exerted against Vices; and if the Contention were as great to outdo one another in holy Living, as in having the better in an Argument, we should fee another fort of Progrefs in good Life than we do; but as long as we think ourselves fafe in joining ourselves to fuch a Church or Party, and in contending eagerly for the Faith, and think that, or any Thing elfe, will atone for the Badness of our Lives, this proves one of the most dangerous of Herefies.

I fhall not need to use many Words to convince you either of the Falfhood or Danger of fuch Doctrines; it appearing at first Sight what Havock they make of the Souls of Men; no ravening Wolf, let in among a Flock of Sheep, could make more Destruction than any one of thefe, or fuch like Doctrines, throughly believed, and followed with a Practice fuitable to the falfe Doctrine. And this is the first Thing meant by that Part of the Defcription of falfe Prophets, that inwardly they are ravening Wolves, for it is chiefly true as to the Deftructiveness of their Doctrine.

2. Another Thing I told you was meant by this Character of falfe Prophets, was their cruel, perfecuting Temper; for in nothing more than this, can they refemble the Ravenoufnefs of the Wolf. It is an Obfervation of St. Paul's, that wicked Men, both of old and of late, perfecuted good Men, Gal. iv. 29. As then, says he, be that was born after the Flesh, perfecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even fo it is now. And we

fhall

shall find but few Exceptions to this Obfervation through the whole Course of History. For the better Chriftians Men are, the more they are endowed with a mild and Christian Spirit, and the more remote from Cruelty and Perfecution; and the more obftinate and wedded to their Errors, the more violent they are, and fo much the more for cramming down their Errors with fuch improper Arguments as Perfecution is. The Arians of old, and the Papists of late, have been great Examples of this Truth; bloody, beyond the very Heathen, and meer Wolves amongst Chrift's Sheep. It is true, they think they have a Colour for these their Severities from the old Law of Mofes, for, Deut. xiii. 5. the falfe Prophet, or Dreamer of Dreams, that should entice them after other Gods, is commanded to be put to Death: And, Lev. xxiv. 16. He that blafphemeth the Name of the Lord, is commanded to be ftoned: And from thence they would conclude, that it is lawful to perfecute to Death all that differ from them in Principles of Religion. But to fay nothing now of the Difference between the Law and the Gospel, they do not confider, that those fevere Punishments were only decreed against Apoftates and Blafphemers; but that by no Parity of Reason they can be applied to other Differences in Opinion in religious Matters. Among the Jews themselves, we find great Herefies were tolerated, fo they did not renounce or blafpheme the God of Ifrael; as that of the Sadducees, who denied the Refurrection. It is a prepofterous Argument then, from what is enacted in the Law of Mofes, to ground their fanguinary Laws

S 3

and

and Perfecutions against all Hereticks whatsoever. And this leads me to,

IV. The fourth and laft Thing I observed in this Caution against falfe Prophets; namely, What Endeavours we are to use against them, when we are exhorted here to beware of them.

It is plain from the Mildnefs and Moderatenefs of this Expreffion, Beware of falfe Prophets, or be upon your Guard against falfe Prophets, that they deceive you not with any of their cunning or infinuating Arts and Sophiftry; it is plain, I think, that we are not exhorted here to be upon the Offenfive, but the Defenfive, as to them. We are to fortify ourselves and others, as well as we can, againft the dangerous Doctrines of falfe Teachers; but there is not one Word of letting loofe the Sword of the Magistrate against their Perfons, and of deftroying them, like the Apoftates under the Law, from the Face of the Earth. But fome think, though this Sermon being made to private Men, they were not exhorted to be inftrumental in cutting off falfe Prophets, yet that it is the Duty of the Chriftian Magiftrate to do it: they may think what they will, but I fee no Encouragement for any fuch Doctrine from the New Teftament; in which our Saviour often prepares his Difciples for bearing Perfecution, but not one Word for their inAlicting it, or being active in it: On the contrary, very much to teach them, that they are to be of a different Spirit and Temper, not for deftroying Mens Lives, but for faving them, Luke ix. 56. Taking it for granted then, that the Wariness

here

here enjoined, doth not reach to the shedding of Blood by the carnal Weapon, let us next enquire, what other Endeavours to fortify ourselves against their pernicious Doctrines it comprehends.

1. We are to be upon our Guard, that we be not impofed upon by the feeming Sanctity of the Perfons who vent and propagate thefe falfe Doctrines. We are told from my Text, that they will put on a great Appearance of Harmleffness and Innocence, which being joined to the great Confidence with which they deliver their Opinions, pretending often to immediate Inspiration, this is very apt to impose upon the fimple and unlearned.

2. We are to be upon our Guard against the Doctrines themselves, which are commonly fitted to footh our Pride and Vanity, or fome other of our Lufts and Paffions, and to take off the Dif ficulty of the Way to Heaven, making it smoother and easier than Chrift has made it. Some of thefe falfe Prophets feed Peoples Pride, by perfuading them that there is no fuch Thing as any Order of Men fet apart for the facred Ministry of the Word, or the Care of Souls, but that that is every Man's Bufinefs, as they shall be moved by the Spirit; and this Motion of the Spirit they prove no other Way, but by the Warmness of their Fancy, and the Volubility of their Tongue, though they fpeak ever fo incoherently, and interpret the holy Scripture ever fo widely from the true Senfe and Purport of it. The Apostle St. Paul too, fpeaks of fome who measure Godliness by Gain; and it is well known, this has been none of the leaft of their popular Arts, to infufe their falfe Doctrines, even to

[SERM. teach how all that is fet apart for the Maintenance of divine Service, might be better faved in private Pockets. There have not been wanting fome, who limit all that is faid in the holy Scripture, of Chrift's little Flock, and of the Elect, to their own Se& and Party; the Tendency of which is, to make Men believe, that if they do but come over to them, they are fafe enough; and most uncharitably, that all others are Reprobates.

3. We are to be upon our Guard against the fallacious Arguments they make use of to draw away People from the Profeffion of the Truth: One of the chief of which I cannot forbear mentioning, namely, the Obfervations they make of the bad Lives of a great many of those who frequent our Church; not confidering that our Doctrine is far from approving these, or any other vicious Practices; and that the true Reason why there are fo many bad Livers feemingly of our Church and Religion, is, because it is the Religion and Church by Law established; and whatever Church is established by Law, all the profane, worldly and atheistical People, who are only nominal Chriftians, but really of no Religion at all, do, for their own Ends, flock into it, and thereby do it no real Service, but bring a Scandal and Disgrace upon it.

4. If we would guard ourfelves against falfe Prophets, let us endeavour to be well-grounded and rooted in the Knowledge of the Truth, and in the Reasons upon which our Faith is built. It is a fad Thing that many among us can give no other Reafon of their Faith, but the fame with that of a Turk or a few, namely, that it was the