66 and judgement, and by his profeffion alfo, "I SERM. "own it to be a very reasonable thing, that GoD IV. "fhould be loved, feared, and ferved above all." The other does fo, and this is his practice to love and ferve and fear the most high GoD. The one alfo fays; "The wrath of God ought "to be greatly more dreaded than the wrath of man; and that it is a matter of greater mo"ment to please GOD, than all the world be"fide." The other actually does what the other thinks and judges he ought to do. The wicked profeffor, if the question be asked, will acknowledge, that it is much more confiderable to him to fave his foul, than to please the flesh: but the truly good man practices according to this apprehenfion. So that between the wicked man's notions, and the godly man's practice, there is a fair agreement; but, in the mean time, what a difagreement between the perfons themfelves! Thus having fhewn, that persons who make a profeffion, do, notwithstanding their flagitious practices, highly justify the religion to which they pretend; I proceed to the next in. ference. II. WHILST nominal profeffors justify those who are real Chriftians, they evidently condemn themselves. Such profeffors as these muft, of all men in the world, be the moft felf-condemned. Out of thine own mouth, may it be faid of them, will I condemn thee. And the like condemnation a Luke XIX. 22. they VOL. they may expect to hear at laft out of the mouth II. of their Judge. Thou knoweft his will, and ap proveft the things that are more excellent; Thou therefore that makeft thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonoureft thou GOD? fays the Apostle St. Paul, addreffing himself to the Jews of this character. IT were a hard thing to be refolved, if we fhould expoftulate with fuch perfons, and demand of them ; "Pray why do you make any profef fion at all? What tolerable account can you give, why you profess to know GOD; to be "of the true religion, or indeed of any religion *at all? It is true, as to fome they are of the Christian religion by fate, not by choice. They are thrown upon the religion which they profess. They owe their being Chriftians to the external circumstances of their condition. They were born in fuch a country, of fuch parents, it is the religion of the nation where they live, the religion of their ancestors, and it may be they know nothing of another. Many are Chriftians because they cannot help it; but with others it is very plain, that their profeffion is the emanation of internal light; it is the genuine product of the conviction of their own confciences, that this which they profefs must be the true religion. And thus furely all perfons must conclude, who ever fet themselves to confider seriously and im partially its evidence and internal excellence. But the greater part never do this. Whereas if Rom. 11. 18. any IV. any man could be brought once to confider this SER M. point, his profeffion would be the product of his inward light. A light perhaps too weak to govern his practice; but too ftrong to be expelled by force, or extinguished by his own false and delufive reasonings. They profefs those things to be true, which they would be glad in their hearts were not fo. And their light, though it is too weak to rule them, is not too weak to affright them. In a word, it is too ftrong to be mafter'd by any thing they themselves, or others, have to fay to the contrary. I WOULD in this manner appeal to any fuch perfon if he hath the common understanding of a man, with reference to the great articles of his own CREED. You fay, "You believe in GoD "the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and "earth." And, what! is it not moft reasonable, in your own judgement and confcience, that you fhould do fo? It may be you had rather that an article, directly oppofite to this, were true. But do you think it more likely, that this world did fome time or other rife up of itself, than that it was made by an almighty, wife, invisible Being? "You fay, you profefs to believe in his fon Jefus Chrift your Lord." the matter be examined, far believe, that Jefus is the fon of GOD, and is in right and title your Lord; than that he was thortal, and came into the world to cheat mankind? Is it more likely that the Gofpel, of which he was the author, was all a cheat? That his reliVOL. II. D And is not this, if gion, II. VOL. gion, which was fealed by fo numerous and glorious miracles, and brought down to our knowledge in fuch unquestionable records, was an imposture? Is it likely, when he had witneffed that good confeffion before Pontius Pilate, that he sealed it with his blood to deceive the world, or that he died only to mock mankind? If men would confider, their profeffion would certainly be the emanation of their light, and the conviction they have of the truth of what they profefs. They must however be sensible, that this profeffion is a standing teftimony against them. Nay, though they profefs they know not what, nor confider the grounds and reafons of it, yet they are felf-condemned. BUT why do they profefs, if they don't understand? Why do they not understand what they may? They profefs they know God. Either they do know him, or they know him not. If they do not, why do they profess at all? If they do know him to be GoD, what a foul-commanding thought should that be! In Judab is GOD known, and his name is great in Ifrael. Has not Ifrael known GoD? A thing not to be imagined, that he should be ignorant of him. We have then, for the most part, the feminal principles of true religion; which only need to be reflected on, to enable us to discern how reafonable and coherent a frame that of the Chriftian religion is. Which, when we come to apprehend it, and confider its excellent nature, the Pfal. LXXVI. N more more we find it deferves to be confidered; and, S ER M. of confequence, profeffing with the more know- IV. ledge, the greater muft our condemnation be, if our lives are repugnant to it. For can any man believe these two things, that there is a GOD who made heaven and earth, and that Jefus Chrift is his own fon : and after that believe that it is more reasonable to difobey, than to obey that great GOD; or be fubject to him, who bought, us with his blood, and purchased to himself a dominion over them and all mankind? I would, fain fee the man, and hear what he could fay for himself, who profeffing to believe, that there is one Creator of all things, and one Redeemer, who has procured to himself a dominion over all by his death, fhall fay, "I hold all this; but I " will withal hold, that it is a great deal more "reasonable to affront than to obey them." What man would dare to fay fo? Who can believe there is fuch a GoD, who, by the right of creation and redemption, claims a governing power over them; and yet imagine that it can be fafe for them to live in open hoftilities against fo rightful a dominion and irresistible power? In a word, who can fay, "I believe there is a "judgement to come, but I have no need to pre66 pare for it? It is full as fafe to put all to the venture, as to prepare that it may go well with "me in that day." 66 ALL these things confidered, what felf-con-, demning creatures must these profeffors be! Efpecially when the fecrets of all hearts must be opened, D 2 |