VOL. ledge in the Most Hight. He forgets it or does II. not behold it. Strange brutishness! He that formed the eye, fhall be not fee? He that teacheth man knowledge, fhall not be know?" This is to make the omnifcient GOD like a blind deaf idol in a heathen temple, that hath eyes but feeth not, and ears but beareth not ". What a provocation is this? Moreover,

3dly, Ir is moft repugnant to the nature of GOD to make this lying profeffion, and is therefore abominable. To cover hatred with lying lips, fays the wife man, is abominable to the LORD. Even fuch an abomination as his very nature detefts. It is against his nature to prevaricate. For though he is Almighty, yet he is pleased to have this faid concerning him, again and again, in his holy Word, that he cannot lye; nay it is impoffible to him to do fo, notwithstanding his omnipotence. It is a thing fo repugnant to the true GOD, so contradictory to the fincerity and fimplicity of the divine nature, that you can imagine nothing more hateful and provoking.

4thly and LASTLY, It is a participation of the diabolical nature to be an habitual lyar in fuch a cafe as this. For we know the devil is the father of lyes. Why has Satan filled thine heart, fays Peter to Ananias and Saphira, to lye to the Holy Ghoft? It makes a man a devil before GOD, when the habitual course of his profeffion

is

t Pfal. x. 11. * Prov, x. 18.

" XCIV. 7, &c. y Acts v.4.

w Pfal. cxv. 4, 5.

2

is nothing else but a lye. And that it is a lye SEB M. and ought to be so deemed by us, many paffages III. do clearly demonstrate. If a man fays be bas fellowship with GOD, and walketh in darkness, be lyeth and does not the truth: The man who does thus is guilty of a lye in practice; for GOD is light and in him is no darkness at all. So that if any one profeffes he has fellowship with GoD and yet allows himself in works of darkness, he is guilty of a practical lye. He does by his practice give the lye to his profeffion. The word rendered fellowship*, fignifies participation and converfe, but we may understand it in a greater latitude, than to fignify converse with him only, fince it fignifies to have an interest in him, and relation to him, and is therefore of the fame import with knowing GoD. Ifrael fhall Jay my GOD we know thee, but Ifrael hath caft off the thing that is good. There was a laying claim to GOD, as if they had a part or portion in him, when there was no fuch thing. It was but a lye. I know the blafphemy of them who fay they are Jews, and are not, but do LYE. if our Lord had faid; I take it for a high blafphemy against me, and my name; against the religion of which I have been the author, that fuch perfons fhould pretend to be of it, or to belong to me. It is at once a fcandalous lye and blafphemy it felf.

As

VOL. THUS it appears, that they who lead fuch II. wicked immoral lives, are fo far from intitling themselves to the divine rewards by their profeffion, that they only expose themselves feven times more to the wrath of God, than if they had never professed at all. This effectually demon_ strates, to do which was the main design of what has been hitherto faid upon this fubject, the vanity and folly of a mere profeffion of religion, without a fuitable practice, let men's secret motives and views be what they will.

SER M.

SERMON IV.

Preached February 20, 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,

H

AVING in the foregoing discourses fhewn the nature of, as well as the fecret motives to, a mere profeffion of religion, attended with vicious practices; and also the vanity of it both with respect to God and man I fhall now by way of use draw fome inferences from the whole.

I. THAT fuch as make a profeffion do not withstanding their flagitious practices highly juftify the religion, to which they pretend. All that has been faid ferves to this purpose, to let you fee the excellency of religion; and to this even the very worst of men do give teftimony by their profeffion, how inconfiftent foever be their practice...

WISDOM is juftified by the actions of her children, and the teftimony of her very enemies

The

VOL. The testimony of an enemy is, of all others, the II. most convincing, and carries the most demonftrative evidence; because that can never be understood to come from inclination. It is a thing which deferves to be well thought of, that the very worst of men have fuch inward notices and fentiments of things as evidently imports, that the way they hate they cannot but in their judgement approve. Their profeffion is from an emanation of eternal light and truth, let into their minds and confciences. They are of fuch a judgement and cannot be otherwise. Light fhews it self, and cannot but carry evidence with it. Conviction extorts profeffion from those, who confider the grounds upon which the truth of religion is established. So that by the way it is amazing to think, that men fhould hate others for practifing the very things, which they themselves in their own judgement and confciences approve.

WHAT a juftification is this of religion in the fincere profeffors of it? One might even say it confidently to a wicked profane debauched Chriftian, "Thou who hateft fuch and fuch for "their strict walking, and holy conversation, "they do more agree with thee, than thou doft "with thy felf." Thus do but take the real fentiments of the most vicious man, who is a profeffor of the Chriftian religion, and the life and conversation of the godly and virtuous man, and you will find them correfpond well enough one with another. The one fays in his mind,

and