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Inexcufableness of thofe Men, that notwithftanding the Gofpel Means of Salvation, that have been fo long afforded them, do ftill continue Infidels in their Judgment, or Immoral in their Lives.

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What will thefe Men be able to say for themselves, when they come to appear before the Judge of the World, at the great Day of Accounts? Will they pretend there was not Force enough, in the Gofpel-evidence, to convince them; or Weight enough in its Motives to reclaim them? Ah, their own Hearts will give them the Lye. They can no longer be able to deceive themfelves. There will be no Unbelievers, no feared Confciences, in the other State. They will then be clearly convinced, that God, for his Part, did all that was neceffary; nay, all that was fit to be done, in order to their Salvation: But they were refolved to shut their Eyes, and harden their Hearts against the gracious Means that were tendred them.

Oh, how will the Rich Man, and his five Brethren in Hell rife up in Judgment against thefe Men? For they only refused to hear Mofes and the Prophets: But these, befides them, have obftinately refused to hear Chrift and his Apostles, who brought abundantly greater Light into the World, than the former did.

Much more, How will the poor ignorant Heathens rife up in Judgment against them, who were deftitute both of Mofes and Chrift. and yet, to the Shame of Chriftians it may

be

be fpoken, have several of them lived better Lives than many of us do.

May we not juftly and fadly apply that Woe which our Saviour pronounced of Chorazin and Bethfaida, to Thousands among us? Woe unto you, Unbelievers; Woe unto you, O obftinate and irreclaimable Sinners; for if the mighty Means of Grace, the mighty Evidence of Truth, had been afforded to Tyre and Sidon, to Sodom and Gomorrha, to Mahometans and Pagans that have been offered unto you, they would long ago have repented in Sackcloth and Afbes. But, I fay unto you, it shall be more tolerable for all thefe in the Day of Judgment, than for you. ...

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God Almighty give us all Grace feriously to confider thefe Things, that we may, by a timely and hearty clofing with his Methods and Defigns for our Salvation, prevent the difmal Confequences of Infidelity and a vicious Life; that fo it may not be our Condemnation at the laft Day, That Light is come into the World, and we have loved Darknefs rather than Light.

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SERMON VII.

Preached at 1. I dari Do

WHITE-HALL,

On the Eleventh of April, 1690.

GALAT. V. 13.

Ufe not Liberty for an Occafion to the Flefb.

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NY one that ufeth to make Reflections upon his own Actions, cannot but obferve, That one of the great Occafions of the Sins he is guilty of in the Course of his Life, is the too free use of his lawful Liberty. AMAså

I do not fay, that any Man doth commit Sin by ufing his lawful Liberty (for that would be a kind of Contradiction:) But, I fay, the ufing our Liberty to the utmoft Pitch and Extent of that which we call Lawful, is the Occafion of a great many Sins that would otherwife not have been committed.

If one fhould offer to tempt a Man that hath any Senfe of Vertue or Religion, to do a thing, that at the firft fight appears Sinful or Wicked; it would certainly be rejected.

Every one that has any regard to God or Goodnefs, would ftart at fuch a Propofal. But here is our Infelicity: A Temptation comes on by degrees. And at the firft we are ingaged in nothing but what is Lawful and Honeft; and accordingly we use that Liberty which Nature and Religion allow usz and fo we proceed on infenfibly in the ufe of that Liberty, till at last we become uncertain whether we have not exceeded the Bounds

of what is Lawful: And by this means we are often caught. Nay, indeed, nothing but this could betray well-meaning Perfons, and fuch as are vertuoufly difpofed, into Sin. Licitis perimus omnes, faid a devout Man! It is by Lawful Things that we commonly mis

carry.

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With great Reafon, therefore, doth St. Paul give this Advice in the Text: Brethren (faith he) ye have been called unto Liberty; only ufe not Liberty for an Occafion to the Flefb.

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There is no doubt, but the Apostle writ these Words upon Occafion of, and with Reference to, the great Controversy that was then on foot among Chriftians, touching the Obligation of the Jewish Law.

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Some, then, thought themselves bound in Confcience, to obferve all the Precepts of Mofes his Law. Other Chriftian's thought they were freed by the coming of Chrift, from all legal Obfervances. The Apostle determines the Cafe in Favour of thefe latter, and declares, That by the Gospel they were called unto Liberty, and were free from all the Mofaical

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Impofitions. But yet, nevertheless, he tells them, they ought to be careful in the Exercife of that Liberty, that they do not use it for an Occafion to the Flefh.

That is to fay, that this Liberty, to which they were called; fhould not minister to any Sin. That they fhould not fo ufe it, as to be a Snare, either to themselves or others. To themselves, by running into Licentioufnefs, and taking Unlawful Liberties. To others, either by affrighting the unbelieving Jews, from the embracing Chriftianity, or difcouraging those that already believe the Gofpel, in the Profeffion of it.

This is the ftrict Sense of the Apostle's Words, as they come in here in the Text, and as they do relate to that Occafion upon which he writ them. But that Senfe, with Reference to that Occafion, is now out of Doors among us: Though the general Advice that is here given, will eternally be good and useful; nay, and always needful to be infifted on in all Ages of the World..

We have none, now, that use their Liberty for an Occafion to the Flesh, as to the Point of the Judaical Ceremonies. But we have abundance that do ufe it fo as to other Matters. Nay, as I faid before, this too free Use of our Liberty in lawful Things, is one of the greatest Sources and Fountains from whence moft of our Irregularities do proceed. And, therefore, I do not know how I can entertain you more usefully upon this Text, than by endeavouring to give you the best Rules I

can,

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