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Unto the Wicked, God faith, What haft thou to do to declare my Statutes, or that thou shouldeft take my Covenant in thy Mouth? Seeing thou hateft Inftruction, and cafteft my Words behind thee; and our Lord, Either make the Tree good, and his Fruit good; or elfe make the Tree corrupt, and his Fruit corrupt. 'Tis plain, with refpect to ourselves, we had as good lay by our Affectation and Disguise, seeing things must come to the fame Iffue with or without them, when we appear before God and his holy Angels, in our naked Spirits; when every moral Habit will be as vifible as any bodily Action is now. And with regard to others, our Example could fcarce be more contagious and pernicious.

But the Caution in my Text, tho' it was delivered by our Saviour in the Hearing of an innumerable Company of People, yet was it directed exprefsly to his own true and felect Disciples; who of con

sequence

fequence are by no means exempt from watching and guarding against this Leaven. The moft pure and fpiritual Religion must shew itself outwardly in its proper Fruits, and will be ever far from declining the external Worship, which is enjoined by God and Men; and therefore will be always in danger of doing its Works to be feen of Men, unless it watches diligently over its fecret Purposes and moft retired Intentions. The best of Men are at best so frail, that they can ill bear the Recital of their own juft Praises, nor reflect with fafety on their real Virtues. We should therefore not let our left Hand know what our right Hand doth; but meditate on the Unprofitableness of our beft Service, and the Heinousness of our remaining Corruptions; drive out the old Leaven upon its first Entrance, and make our Vanity matter of Humiliation.

As we are all concerned to beware of this Leaven in ourselves, fo fhould we be able to know and distinguish it in others, left we are enfnared by it unawares, and infenfibly admit its Ferment. The most artful and refin'd Hypocrify cannot poffibly support a uniform Appearance of true Religion, and fo may be eafily feen thro' by the diligent Obferver. Where any one known Sin is indulged, any immoral Habit perfifted in, our Zeal and Noife, our Shew and Affectation must be intirely hypocritical. We should do well to judge ourfelves, as well as others, by this Rule,

The Reasons and Obligations which we lie under, First of all to beware of the Leaven of the Pharifees, which is Hypocrify, are these:

As our Lord treated the Jews fo feverely, we cannot in reafon but con

clude

clude that our Portion must be far more terrible.

This Hypocrify is so far from anfwering any End of Religion, that it is the greatest poffible Obstruction

to it.

It is also a weak and foolish Difguife, because we must be fo foon ftript of it, and expofed by it to greater Shame and Confufion.

The best of Men, by reason of the Frailty of our Nature in its highest Improvements, are concern'd in common with others to beware of it.

And in order to this End, we should endeavour to know and distinguish it

in others.

The Externals of Religion are useful Helps and proper Means to arrive at the Internals: But let us be careful how we mistake the Means for the End, or ufe Signs without Signification. All Means are fo far valuable as they conduce to the End,

and

and no farther. Those who obtain not the End, are in no better State than they who have not the Means; they may poffibly be in a worse. God defireth Truth in the inward Parts; let us there provide it. Outward Affectations only increase the Lye; and the Compliment which Hypocrify pays to Virtue, must fly in its own Face. Circumcifion verily profiteth, if thou keep the Law; but if thou be a breaker of the Law, thy Circumcifion is made Uncircumcifion. Therefore if the Uncircumcifion keep the Righteoufnefs of the Law, shall not his Uncircumcifion be counted for Circumcifion? And shall not Uncircumcifion which is by Nature, if it fulfil the Law, judge thee, who by the Letter and Circumcifion doft tranfgrefs the Law? For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that Circumcifion, which is outward in the Flesh; but he is a Jew which is

one

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