in faving others, and yet prove Caft-aways ourfelves.

These are the Pretenfions upon which our Saviour tells us many deluded Chriftians will build their falfe Hopes of Heaven. I come,

II. Next to shew, how far fhort all these will fall of Acceptance in the great Day of Accounts: Then will I profefs unto them, I never knew you: That is, I never owned you as belonging to me, or as the proper Subjects of my heavenly Kingdom. Ye were called indeed by my Name, and profeffed the Religion which I taught in the World, and taught the fame to others; but lived all the while in the Practice of fecret Wickedness yourfelves; ye have walked quite contrary to your known Duty, as if ye knew of fome easier Way to Heaven than what ye have been teaching other Men; ye have neither complied with the Terms of Salvation; nor are fuch unfanctified Souls as yours fit for Heaven; therefore depart from me ye Workers of Iniquity.

If Chrift fhould accept of wicked Men in the great Day of Accounts, he must both act quite contrary to all the Declarations and Threatnings of the Gofpel, and contrary to the Nature of the Thing, which makes it impoffible for wicked Men to be happy in Heaven; and contrary to the true Merits of this particular Cafe; for all thefe Things, which they build their Hopes upon, are really fo many Arguments against them, inftead of being Arguments in their Favour.

1. I fay, if Chrift fhould accept of wicked Men in the great Day of Accounts, he must act,

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contrary

contrary to all the Declarations and Threatnings of the Gospel, which do all run in that Strain, that except we repent, we shall all perish; and that Indignation and Wrath, Tribulation and Anguish, Jhall be the Portion of evil-doers; and that there is no Refpect of Perfons with God. And therefore if Men are ever fo knowing and learned; ever fo well gifted, and ever fo famous for their good Parts and Gifts, by the fettled Rules of the Gof fpel, and right Reason, they are to be judged by their Holiness or Wickedness, like other Men, without any Regard to all their other Accom plishments. But,

2. If Christ should accept of wicked Men in the great Day, and admit them to Heaven, he must likewise, contrary to the whole Tenour of the Gospel, renew and change them in the future State, and recal their lapfed Day of Grace, and, by Miracle, make them holy, in order to their being happy. Now what a strange Inverfion of all the Gofpel-Methods must this be, to turn the Time of Retribution again to a Time of Trial and Preparation, and to extend the Means and Day of Grace, which, by the Gofpel are limited to this Life, to the future State ? If fuch a Gap as this were once opened, then farewel all Repentance, and Converfion, and Obedience, and Amendment of Life here; Men would quickly learn to depend on that final Grace of Converfion at the Day of Judg

ment.

But fome may fancy, perhaps, there is no Neceffity of their Converfion or Sanctification; they may, if Chrift pleases, be taken into Heaven in their wicked, unregenerate State. They that think U 2

fo,

fo, have no right Notion of Heaven; the Pleafures there, are fuch as require a great many holy Difpofitions to fit and qualify us for them; Difpofitions of fincere Love to God and Man, which fhall be perfected in that bleffed State, without which we fhould no more be capable of that heavenly Felicity than an ignorant Clown would be capable of the Pleasure of a Mathematical Lecture; or a drunken Sot capable of the Felicity of being perpetually confined to fober Company.

3. If Chrift fhould admit of these wicked Men to Heaven, with all their plaufible Pretenfions, it would be a very unjust Decifion of this Cafe ; because all these Things which they build their Hopes upon, are fo many Arguments against them, and fo many Aggravations of their Crime, instead of being Arguments in their Favour, or Extenuations of their Wickedness. Faith without Obedience has much less to plead for itself than Infidelity; Knowledge joined with Wickednefs is much more inexcufable, than Ignorance joined with the fame; Honours, and Gifts, and Succefs, require higher Degrees of Gratitude, and Obedience, than if the Perfon had been bleffed with no fuch Gifts; for all Gifts both facilitate Duty, and lay greater Obligations on Men to do it; fo that they are more inexcufable than other Men, if notwithstanding all their good Gifts they are as wicked.

So much for the fecond Thing I obferved in the Words; namely, how far thefe Gifts and Services will fall fhort of Acceptance in the great Day of Accounts.

III. The

III. The third Thing I promised to confider is, The main Thing requifite towards the Acceptance of our Perfons and Services; and that is, Obedience to the Laws of God; for without this, all other Pleas will be in vain, and will meet with the dreadful Sentence in my Text; Depart from me ye that work Iniquity. The main Difficulty is, to apprehend rightly the Nature of that Obedience, which is required of us upon Pain of Damnation: For if by Workers of Iniquity be meant, all that are guilty of any Sin, it must be confeffed to be an hard Saying; who can bear it? For clearing of this important Doubt, it will be neceffary both to lay down the Truth, and to clear it from fome obvious Objections.

The Scripture ufes our common Phrases, and takes them in the common Senfe; we commonly diftinguish good and bad Men by their most ufual, and known, and vifible Characters. He that makes Chriftian Duty the Business of his Life, that ftudies it heartily and fincerely, tho' he has not yet attained it to that Perfection, but that he is guilty of many Errors, Faults, and Infirmities, is reckoned a good Man; but he who either chufes the Ways of Sin, or is negligent o or uninduftrious in the Amendment of his Life, is reckoned a bad Man, a Worker of Iniquity. This is the Description of, and Diftin&tion between, a good and bad Man in general. But for your further Satisfaction, I will endeavour to give you the fame more particularly.

First, Negatively.

(1.) He is not reckoned a Worker of Iniquity, who, howfoever he may have been a great Sinher formerly, heartily repents and amends, and

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[SERM. is daily ftriving and taking Pains to grow better and better. The Gofpel gives great Encouragement to all true Penitents; only they must not be reckoned true Penitents who are for delaying and putting off their Repentance and Amendment as long as they can, and then amend as little as they can. True Repentance is no lefs than a fincere Endeavour to forfake all Sin, and to put in Practice all Duty. But then fuppofe the former evil Habits are fo ftrong, that tho' we use our moft diligent Endeavour, we cannot as yet obtain 'a compleat Victory over fome predominant Sin, muft fuch a Perfon be reckoned among the Penitents, or among the Workers of Iniquity? I anfwer, that if this Cafe is truly put, that is, that we ufe our true and hearty Endeavour to overcome every evil Habit, we are certainly in the Number of true Penitents. But we must have a great Care that our Hearts deceive us not in this Matter, For if we do not take Pains to keep out of the Way of Tempta tions; if we do not diligently, affiduously, and importunately beg God's Grace and Affiftance; if after every Lapse we do not strive to reftore and recover ourselves by Repentance, it is little Sign that we are serious and hearty in our Endeavours of Amendment.

2. He is not reckoned a Worker of Iniquity, who endeavours carefully to abftain from all Sin, though when he has done his beft, he will find it true, that in many leffer Things we offend all of us.

3. Every fudden Lapfe, even into a great Sin, doth not conftitute a Man a Worker of Iniquity, if he does not remain in it, but quickly repents and amends. But then,

Pofitively,