II.

9. AND laftly; The common profeffion of SE RM. religion, in which they seem to bear a part, fuffers by their inconfiftent conduct and behaviour; and it is very unreasonable, therefore, they fhould gain by it. They would gain honour from the profeffion of Christianity, and yet bring a reproach and fcandal upon it. And is it to be fuppofed that their profeffion, in fuch a cafe, should ho nour them? They do the greatest indignity ima ginable to the worthy name which they profess; nay it is blafphemed by them, and through their means is evil spoken of by others.

cr

BUT yet it may be faid, as to all this; " Are "we not then to call fuch Chriftians as profess "themselves to be fuch? Are we not to give them "the name?" Truly controverfies about names are always to little purpose. It is no great matter by what name fuch perfons are called. I am willing to give them all that their profeffion reafonably can be understood to intitle them to. They are, by profeffion, Chriftians. But what can that fignify to any man's being in reality what he does profess himself to be? I will therefore say, fuch an one is a profeffing Chriftian; and what can they make of this? What advantage is it? They are called Chriftians, just with the fame propriety that you would call the picture of a man, a man. Though perhaps not altogether with that propriety neither; for truly a good picture is more like a man, than fuch perfons are like real Chriftians. It is a very bad picture indeed, that would not be more like the perfon, it pre

tende

VOL. tends to reprefent, than many fuch men are to

II. true fincere Chriftians. Poffibly we may call the

carcafe of a man, a man, when it is rotten and ftinking. "Such a man (you fay) lies buried "there;" but you know very well that the corps is not the perfon himself. And yet there' is more propriety in ufing fuch language in this cafe; because fuch an one was a man, but he whom we fpeak of never was a Christian, and GOD only knows whether he ever will be one!

We call fuch perfons Chriftians, in like manner as in a play, or theatrical representation. One we call the Grand Seignior, and another an Emperor, according to the parts they act. In this manner, I fay, we may call the perfons before spoken of, Chriftians; for they perform a part, and make a fhew on the stage of the world' in performing cheap and easy acts of Christianity. Or it is fomething like the compliments of one person to another, to whom he would pretend friendship; and under that pretence hides the greatest malice, till he can have an opportunity of fhewing it with effect.

Now if fuch a profeffion as we have been fpeaking of, will fignify fo little to the purpose mentioned in the beginning of this discourse, the giving of a man the reputation of being religious among men; how much lefs can it fignify to that higher purpose, the intitling him to a reward from GOD? Surely it is lefs poffible to deceive HIM. And whatever advantage is gained in this world by fuch an empty, inconfiftent pro

feffion,

feffion, it is infinitely less than the final reward SERM.

of God, which will be given to those, who both profefs and practice religion in fincerity.

BUT before I proceed to this important point, suffer me to exhort you all seriously to confider of fomething better, than fuch an empty, felf-confuted profeffion as this, to be a fupport to you, in fuch a time as we have lying before us. Surely, in a season of diftrefs, there are no fort of perfons whofe cafe is to be lamented fo much as theirs, who have nothing for a support but only this pitiful thing, this empty felf-confuted thing, we have been speaking of. will give a man's heart, when he comes to fuffer affliction, to fay, "I have been called a Chri❝ftian and a Proteftant; I have profeffed on the

Oh! the cold comfort it

right fide, and have gone on in the right way; but, alas! all the while have been fighting "against the very defign of the religion I have "profeffed, by a contrary life and converfation!" Will this bear up the finking heart of fuch an one in a feason, when the guilt of his former course, through a long tract of time under the Gospel, ftares him all at once in the face?

LABOUR then to do more than barely to profefs to know GOD; fince a bare profeffion will fignify nothing with him, and but little with men. And truly it must fignify very little to yourselves, to your own comfort and confolation in an evil day; when gloominess, blackness and, darkness cover all on every fide. There may then poffibly, if fuch a time fhould come, be

room

II.

VOL. room enough for confideration. Labour thereH. fore to know GOD in good earneft. They that know his name, will put their trust in him . To have fuch a refuge as the eye of God in fuch a world as this is, what folace and fatisfaction does it give the foul of a man! efpecially when there is nothing but darknefs and terror on every hand.

To conclude, I fhall only take notice to you of one paffage in the book of Daniel. And fuch as do wickedly against the covenant fhall be [the king there fpoken of] corrupt by flatteries; but the people that do know their GOD fhall be strong, and do exploits or wonders". These paffages refer to the time, when Antiochus fell with fury upon the Jews. A great many of them, when the afpect of the times was frowning upon their religion, did then prevaricate, and do wickedly against the covenant; that is, turned from their religion and complied with his idolatry; but of fuch of the people as knew their God, it is faid, that they should be ftrong and do exploits. It is a great matter to know GoD in fuch a time. He that has the knowledge of GoD poffeffing and filling his foul, will have God represented to him AS THE ALL IN ALL; and this whole world will be before him, as a vain fhadow, a piece of pageantry, a dream, a vifion of the night. He who is invisible will be always with us, when we once come to be of the number of thofe who know God, in the manner we profess to do it. SERM.

SERMON III.

Preached February 13, 1680.

TITUS 1. 16.

They profess that they know GOD; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and difobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

II.

"I

Now proceed to fhew, that a bare profes fion of religion cannot intitle any one to the rewards of it with God. And the argument is capable of being drawn, as was formerly intimated, from the less to the greater. If it cannot intitle one to a reputation amongst men, much lefs can it to the reward of it with GOD. And it will be conclufive two ways: In the firft place, that the gain and advantage of the rewards of it with GoD, is unfpeakably greater, than the reputation it can give us among men. If then it cannot intitle one to the lefs, it cannot to the greater. And then in the next place, that to deceive men, by fuch a profeffion, is infinitely less difficult than to deceive GOD. They who cannot deceive men by fuch a profeffion, joined with a practice fo grofly wicked as is here expreffed by the Apostle, can furely much less deceive God. There is, even in the minds of men, a judgement concerning them contrary to that profeffion: The tranfgreffion of the wicked fays in my heart, there is no fear of

GOD