name such persons are called. I am willing to give them all that their profession reasonably can be understood to entitle them to. They are by profession christians. But what can that signify to any man's being in reality what he does profess himself to be? I will therefore say, such a one is a professing christian; and what can they make of this? What advantage is it? They are called christians, just with the same 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 such persons are like real christians. It is a very bad picture indeed, that would not be more like the person it pretends to represent, than many such men are to true, sincere christians. Possibly we may call the carcass of a man, a man, when it is rotten and stinking. "Such a man (you say) lies buried there;" but you know very well that the corpse is not the person himself. And yet there is more propriety in using such language in this case; because such a one was a man, but he whom we speak of never was a christian, and God only knows whether he ever will be one!

We call such persons christians, 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 say, we may call the persons before spoken of, christians; for they perform a part, and make a shew on the stage of the world in performing cheap and easy acts of Christianity. Or it is something 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 shewing it with effect.

Now if such a profession as we have been speaking of, will signify so 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 less can it signify to that higher purpose, and entitling him to a reward from God? Surely it is less possible to deceive him. And whatever advantage is gained in this world by such an empty, inconsistent profession, it is infinitely less than the final reward of God, which will be given to those, who both profess and practice religion in sincerity.

But before I proceed to this important point, suffer me to exhort you all seriously to consider of something better, than such an empty, self-confuted profession as this, to be a support to you, in such a time as we have lying before us. Surely, in a season of distress, there are no sort of persons whose case is to be lamented so much as theirs, who have nothing

for a support but only this pitiful thing, this empty, self-confuted thing, we have been speaking of. Oh! the cold comfort it will give a man's heart, when he comes to suffer affliction, to say, "I have been called a christian and a protestant; I have professed on the right side, and have gone on in the right way; but, alas! all the while have been fighting against the very design of the religion I have professed, by a contrary life and conversation!" Will this bear up the sinking heart of such a one in a season, when the guilt of his former course, through a long tract of time under the gospel, stares him all at once in the face?

Labour then to do more than barely to profess to know God; since a bare profession will signify nothing with him, and but little with men. And truly it must signify very little to your selves, to your own comfort and consolation in an evil day ; when gloominess, blackness and darkness cover all on every side. There may then possibly, if such a time should come, be room enough for consideration. Labour therefore to know God in good earnest. They that know his name, will put their trust in him. Psal. 9, 10. To have such a refuge as the eye of God in such a world as this is, what solace and satisfaction does it give the soul of a man! especially when there is nothing but darkness and terror on every hand.

To conclude, I shall only take notice to you of one passage in the book of Daniel. "And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he (the king there spoken of) corrupt by flatteries; but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits" or wonders, Dan.11.32. These passages refer to the time, when Antiochus fell with fury upon the Jews. A great many of them, when the aspect 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 such of the people as knew their God, it is said, that they should be strong and do exploits. It is a great matter to know God in such a time. He that has the knowledge of God possessing and filling his soul, will have God represented to him as the all in all; and this whole world will be before him, as a vain shadow, a piece of pageantry, a dream, a vision of the night. He who is invisible will be always with us, when we once come to be of the number of those who know God, in the manner we profess to do it.

癞

SERMON III*.

2. I now proceed to shew, that a bare profession of religion

cannot entitle 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 entitle one to a reputation amongst men, much less can it to the reward of it with God. And it will be conclusive two ways. In the first place, that the gain and advantage of the rewards of it with God, is unspeakably greater, than the reputation it can give us among men. If then it cannot entitle one to the less, it cannot to the greater. And then in the next place, that to deceive men, by such a profession, is infinitely less difficult than to deceive God. They who cannot deceive men by such a profession, joined with a practice so grossly wicked as is here expressed by the apostle, can surely much less deceive God. There is, even in the minds of men, a judgment concerning them contrary to that profession: "The trangression of the wicked saith within my heart, there is no fear of God before his eyes."+ It speaks that language, carries that signification with it in the mind and judgment of any common observing spectator. What senti

VOL. V.

Preached February 13, 1680. † Ps. 36. 1.

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timent then must it beget in the mind of God, who sees immediately, and without the intervention of any argument, beholding things just as they lie in themselves! But besides this double argument, from the less to the greater, there are several other considerations, that will evince the same thing. As,

(1.) It it the declared rule of God's righteous judgment, to deal with men finally according to their works, and not merely according to their profession; according to what they do, and not to what they pretend. It is the constant tenour of Scripture, (of which you cannot be ignorant who are wont to read your bibles) that God will in the last day, "render to every man according to his works,"* as it is in sundry places. And in the epistles to the Asian churches, our Saviour putting on the person of a judge, thus addresses himself to the one and the other of them; "I know thy works."+ Immediate cognizance is taken of them, even of those which are most latent; much more of those which are apparent and manifest, as the works we have spoken of, are. Upon this account he makes himself known to them by the description of one "who trieth the heart, and searches the reins, that he may render to every one according to their works." And he is further represented as one who has "eyes as a flame of fire," searching into the very things wherein it takes place. And we are told that in that very day, it is not the saying unto him, "Lord! Lord! that shall entitle any one to the kingdom of heaven; but the doing of the will of God the Father who is in heaven."§ Where our Saviour also further assures us, that those who shall make this profession, without a suitable life and conversation, will be rejected in this awful manner, "Depart from me! I know you not."|||| But under what notion, or for what reason, are they thus to be abandoned? As workers of iniquity. Thus we see their evil works will cast the balance against all their pretences to that which is good.

(2.) We are further to consider, that it is an unreasonable thing to imagine, that God will give men a title, without giving them a capacity for enjoying the rewards of the blessed state. Certain it is, that mere profession qualifies no one for this happiness; therefore it is not reasonable, that it should entitle any one to it. A man is never a whit the more capable by his profession of dwelling with God, in another world; of immediately beholding with satisfaction his blessed, glorious face. To what purpose is a title, where there is no capacity? It would not consist with the wisdom of God, to divide these

*Rom. 2. 6. ↑ Rev. 2. 2, 9, 13, 19. Rev. 2. 23. Rev. 2. 18. § Mat. 7. 21. Ver. 23.

things, which must necessarily concur to one end, namely, to his own glory, and the person's fitness for the enjoyment of Him. Men are wont to be wiser. A title with them fails, when a capacity does. They cease to be entitled to an estate, who by a natural incapacity cannot enjoy it, as for instance, fools and lunatics. Again,

(3.) Their profession is so far from entitling them to the rewards of another world, which belong to those who are sincerely of the true religion; that, being joined with a wicked life and evil practices, it provokes Ged so much the more highly against them, engages the divine wrath and vindictive. justice, so much the more directly to their ruin. And this on several accounts. As,

1. Because such a profession demonstrates, that these persons sin against so much the more light; otherwise what makes them profess at all? They who profess religion, as a great part of the world do not, certainly must be supposed to know more. We do not call them professors of the Christian religion, who were born among pagans, and always have lived as such among them. They who profess Christianity, are supposed to live (and do so for the most part) in the enlightened region; in that part of the world through which the gospellight hath diffused itself. This is therefore a most horrid thing, for the works of darkness, and of the night, to be transacted, where the gospel has made it broad day. And if they, who have opportunity to know more than others, are after ail, vicious and immoral, doth not this highly increase their wickedness? Will not this inflame the wrath of God much more

against them? And if, in fact, they do know more, is not the provocation the greater? Men certainly know something of what they profess, more or less. For as there is not in the natural world, so neither is there in the moral, any such thing as pure and absolute darkness. And when light shines round a man, it makes him the more deeply guilty, that he can find nothing else to do but to commit wickedness. Light got within! What an aggravation is that of a man's iniquities, or the works of darkness! Light shines in his judgment and conscience! Divine and merciful light projects its beams from above into his very soul, where it is held in unrighteousness! This is that which wrath flames against, even the wrath of God; which "is revealed from heaven against the ungodliness and iniquity of men, who hold the truth of God in unrighteousness." Rom. 1. 18. This is most highly provoking, that where divine truth might expect to find a throne, there it should find only a prison. And therefore, what can ensue upon this, but tribulation and anguish, instead of a reward? It is to him