their Children for ever And thus he moves them to set their hearts unto Religion Because it is their Life Whence we have this DOCT. That Religion it is the Life of the Covenant-People of God Our Text and Doctrine deliver the great and universal Reason of the Profession and Practice of our Religion Viz Because it is our Life Religion in the most full and comprehensive notion of it It is that whereby Man is qualified and capacitated to live unto God to live with God to live upon God to see and to injoy God in Christ as the Only and All-sufficient Author of Life and Object of Blessedness and Happiness as his last End and chief Good Religion comprehends Man's Deliverance from all both moral and miserable Evil both Sin Death and Hell as also all both moral and beatifical Good Holiness Happiness Grace and Glory And it is consummated in a perfection of Beatifical Vision and Fruition by the Light and Life of Heaven In the Explication I am to shew 1. That Religion is Life 2. That it is the Life of the Covenant-people of God 1. Religion it is Life that is 1. The true and pure Religion It is originally and only from God the living God the God of all Life who is Life it self in the abstract and the Fountain of Life to all living Religion it ariseth from and is founded in the very Being and Nature of the blessed God If there were no such God there could be no such Religion Religion it is of God both in a way of divine Revelation and in a way of divine Operation It is purely of divine Revelation respecting both the Doctrine of it the spiritual supernatural and saving Knowledge of it It is that whereby God hath revealed himself unto man and whereby man hath that saving Knowledge of God and Jesus Christ his Son which is Life eternal Joh. 17.3 It is that whereby God hath commanded Light to shine out of Darkness and by the enlightening power of his Spirit shined into our hearts and given us the light of the knowledge of his Glory in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Cor. 4.6 It his marveilous Light 1 Pet. 2.9 Religion it is also from God in a way of divine Operation It is the most powerful Effect of the quickening power and operation of the Spirit of God as a Spirit of Life upon the creature hence it is phrased the Life of God Eph. 4.8 Religion it is the most glorious created Emanation of spiritual heavenly and divine Light and Life from God as the fountain of both Psal 36.9 For with thee is the Fountain of Life in thy Light shall we see Light 2. Religion it is also from Christ the Mediator It is founded in the Person Office and Work of Christ The being of Religion the light life good blessedness and happiness of it it is all from the Merit Satisfaction and Intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ and from the power and operation of his Spirit Religion it consisteth in our Faith in Christ and Obedience unto Him and in our practical and experimental Union Communion with his Person and the Application of all his Benefits even eternal Life Thus Religion it is our Life because thereby we are made partakers of Christ who is the Resurrection and the Life Joh. 11.25 The Way the Truth and the Life Joh. 14.6 By having of whom we have Life 1 Joh. 5.12 who is our Life Colos 3.4 Christ is the great PATRON and PROFESSOR of our Religion He hath confirmed it by his own personal Profession and Practice when on earth and is himself the great Apostle and High Priest of our Profession Heb. 3.1 Whence it is most properly called the Christian Religion 3. Religion it is respecting the Principles of it Life The Principles of it are living Principles Principles of Life Religion it is wrought into the hearts of men by the quickening power of the Spirit in that saving work of Grace wherein we are raised from Death unto Life wherein we are passed from Death unto Life 1 Joh. 3.14 Religion it is our spiritual Resurrection and so it is our spiritual Life 4. Religion in the practice of it it is the only way of Life It is by the performance of Religious Duties that men walk in the way of Life Practical Religion it is the narrow way which leadeth to Life Mat. 7.14 It is that way of Life which is above to the wise to depart from Hell beneath Prov. 15.24 It is the Everlasting Way Psal 139.24 5. Religion in the visible external Forms of it in all the religious Institutions Constitutions and Administrations which are of divine Appointment so it is the only Means of Life that whereby God gives Life or works Life In which sence it is said Salvation is of the Jews Joh. 4.22 Religion it is the living Waters the Waters of Life the Tree of Life which gives Life to the Nations Ezek. 47.8 9. Zech. 14.8 Rev. 22.1 2. Where Religion is there are all the Means of Life and the saving Improvement of those Means Where Religion is not there is no Day of Grace no Means of Grace no Life no Salvation 6. Religion it is that wherein and whereby man is brought to God to Christ to God in Christ. It is that whereby we do know God acknowledge him fear him believe hope and trust in him love serve worship and glorifie God and whereby we come to God converse with God have Communion with God and receive all saving Communications from God through Jesus Christ It is that whereby men move and act towards and upon God in and by which God dwells with men on earth it is that whereby we do apprehend cleave unto and live upon God as our Life Deut. 30.20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God and cleave to him for He is thy Life Thus Religion in the Principles of it it is Life in the Practice of it is the Way of Life in the visible and external Forms and Institutions of it it is the Means of Life and respecting the original Object and Ends of it it comes from and leads and brings us up unto God in Christ who is our Life Thus it is demonstrated that Religion is Life Secondly That Religion is Life to the Covenant-People of God that is 1. It is their spiritual Life that whereby they live spiritually It is that whereby every single Saint lives the Life of Grace and Holiness the Life of Faith and New Obedience The spirit and power of Religion in the heart it is Life to the Soul and gives being to the New Creature Rom. 8.6 To be spiritually minded it is Life Hence Religion it is that which makes the People of God a Living People God's People must be a living People Whenever God takes a People to be his People He quickens them with spiritual Life and makes them a Living People Ezek. 37.6 And ye shall live ' and ye shall know that I am
the Lord. V. 14. And shall put my Spirit in you and ye shall live Hence Religion it is Life from the dead to any People Rom. 11.25 What shall the Receiving of them be but Life from the dead The Conversion of the Jews shall be Life from the dead to the World by a general and glorious resurrection of Religion 2. Religion it is the Life of the Covenant-People of God i. e. It gives them their spiritual Being and Constitution under Covenant-Relation unto God It gives a People their spiritual Standing before God as his People his Covenant-People It is the essence and substance of the Covenant Heb. 8.10 For this is the Covenant I will make with the House of Israel after those days I will put my Laws into their mind and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a People taken from Jer. 31.33 Religion in this sence constitutes the Covenant and is the spiritual Constitution of the Covenant-People of God 1 Pet. 2.9 But ye are a chosen Generation a royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculior People It follows V. 10th Which in time past were not a People but now are the People of God Without Religion they were no People but Religion made them the People of God 3. Religion it is the Life of the Covenant-People of God as to their Political Constitution in visible Church-state and Order under the Administration of all Ordinances Religion gives a People their visible Standing under the visible Dispensation of God's Covenant and Administration of his Kingdom as in our Text. For it is your Life and by this thing ye shall prolong your days in the Land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it It was their Religion which gave them a Standing and Settlement in that Land the land of Promise in the full possession of their visible Covenant Interests and Enjoyments as the Covenant-people of God So that it remains a manifest plain Truth from the Word of God that Religion is the Life of the Covenant-people of God The Application follows VSE I. It is for our Information and Instruction in divers Particulars 1. That there is there can be but One only true real Religion and no more Religion hath been is and ever will be One the same unchangeably And because there is but One God but One Lord Jesus Christ One Spirit One work of Redemption One way of Application One Doctrine of Godliness One Faith One Obedience One and the same moral Worship One Covenant of Grace One Covenant-people of God One Family and Houshold of God One State both of Grace and Glory One Life One Heaven therefore consequently but One Religion All the sincere People of God in the World ever have been and ever shall be One in the Profession and Practice of this One Religion whereby all God's Elect are gathered together in One in Christ and perfected both in Grace and Glory unto the completion and perfection of the mystical Body of Christ which is the fullness of Him who filleth all in all Eph. 1.10 23. True it is the Apostle grants 1 Cor. 8.5 that there are which are called gods as there be gods many and lords many So there be that are called religions such religions many But as the Apostle concludes V. 6. but to us there is but One God and One Lord Jesus Christ So ought we to conclude that to us there is but One Religion which is the pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father Jam. 1.27 This is the Religion without which there is there can be no Life or Salvation 2. That this Religion it is the Supreme thing in this lower World viz. because it is in all respects our Life and that nothing else is so Religion in the full and whole nature and notion of it is the most glorious effect and product of divine Wisdom Power Grace Mercy Goodness Truth and Faithfullness yea of the whole divine Sufficiency and Efficiency in the accomplishment of all God's eternal Counsels concerning his own Glory in the Salvation of his Elect. Religion it comprehends all the whole Interest of God of Christ and of his Church and People in this World all that is heavenly spiritual and divine all that is of Heaven upon Earth respecting both State Interest and Enjoyment It gives a Being Standing to all Saints both in Grace and in Glory Oh! Religion it is a marvellous high and heavenly thing All the real worth and excellency that is in the World it is from Religion There would be nothing of God that is of the knowledge of God of the spiritual gracious and saving Presence of God were it not for Religion Those who are without Religion are without God in the World Eph. 2.12 We have no more of God than we have of Religion Again there could have been no Good or Goodness in the World had it not been for Religion The World would have been a meer Vacuum of all good nothing else but a receptacle of desperate Sinners a very Hell of Sin and Misery there could have been nothing of Light or Life or Grace Holiness or Happiness there would have been nothing but Darkness and Death and all kind of woe no news of Heaven no hope of Heaven yea there could have been no Heaven unto fallen Man without Religion Religion doth in a sence give being unto Heaven There had not been such Place or State of Blessedness unto Man neither had Man ever been capacitated to live in Heaven otherwise than by this Religion No wonder then that God by his Word doth extoll it and advance it as the most excellent inestimable invaluable incomparable thing Prov. 3.15 She is more precious than rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to her And it is advanced because it is our Life Prov. 4.13 Keep her for she is thy Life V. 21 22. Keep them in the midst of thy heart for they are thy Life It is Religion that doth make the poor despised Saints of God the Excellent Ones of the Earth Psal 16.3 Prov. 12.26 It is Religion that doth make the Church of God beautifull the perfection of Beauty the Joy of the whole Earth Psal 48.2 Lam. 2.15 Yea an Eternal Excellency Isa 60.15 3. That it is the Infinite Grace Mercy and Goodness of God to any People that He doth give them Religion The greatest part of the World and of the Nations of the World are most miserable without it all the Pagan and Popish World O that so great so much the greater part of Mankind should so ly buried in gross Ignorance and Atheisme without God and Religion 1 Joh. 5.19 The whole World lieth in Wickedness So much the more is the Mercy of God magnified to such People and Nations unto whom He hath granted Religion in the light life and power of it It is the happiness honour and glory of any Nation or People It
after this Generation of Vnconverted Sinners You who are yet in your sins in a state and way of Sin and Death remaining secure and senceless therein who have heretofore and hitherunto slighted neglected and rejected all the Calls of the Gospel and all the Ministerial offers of eternal life through Jesus Christ After all the proposals of life after all the calls commands and perswasions that you have been under to move you to chuse Life You are now this day once more called commanded perswaded yea intreated beseeched and prayed in the Name of the Lord and by the Word of the Lord to chuse Life Our Lord Jesus is most graciously pleased by the Ministry of this Word to exhibit himself in all his fulness and sufficiency of Grace and Life all an Alsufficient Saviour and is crying in this General Assembly unto New-England Sinners to chuse him to come to him that they may have life as once he did by his own personal Ministry in a General Assembly of that People far greater than this John 7.37 In the last and great day of the Feast Jesus stood and cried if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me c. You have been set and have been continued under an extraordinary improvement of all means in this your day of Grace which is continued and protracted beyond the ordinary date of divine patience by an extraordinary protraction of longsuffering in a way of probation and trial God hath been trying and proving of you and waiting upon you a great while But know that his Spirit shall not alwayes strive Gen. 6.3 He hath limited a certain day beyond which he will not wait Heb. 4.7 and upon a supposition that God hath so limited a certain day whereby he hath dated his patience and longsuffering and the period of the present day of Grace unto this Generation of Sinners you may sadly conclude that you live under the latest and last the final and farewel calls and cries of Mercy by the Ministry of the Word that God will not much longer call and cry after you nor strive with you therefore you are warned to flee from the wrath which is to come Mat. 3.7 12. And now also the Ax is laid to the root of the Tree therefore every Tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire You are in extream danger under the power and working of that spirit of unbelief and disobedience to the Gospel which is the Spirit of the times and whereby the Generation that is the generality of Sinners are so strongly inclined and carried out to refuse Life and chuse Death It is much to be feared that many if not the most have already so done and are accordingly in dreadful judgement given up by God unto that fatal choice Psal 81.12 So I gave them up to their own hearts lusts c. O it is high time then now now if ever because you may fear now or never to chuse life to chuse Spiritual Temporal and Eternal Life to make that great comprehensive unchangeable eternal Choice upon which depends not only the Salvation of your own Souls but even the deliverance and salvation of this People and these Churches If you do thus chuse Life all will be well with New-England but if you should refuse generally to chuse Life you will be likely not only to destroy your selves but all posterity it would be fearfully signal if any sinners should be so prodigiously hardened and heightned in their impenitency and unbelief as to be raised unto that presumptuous and desperate resolution with those in the Prophet Isai 22.13 14. Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die I have no other word to leave upon such but that which follows in the next verse And it was revealed in mine ear by the Lord of Hosts surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till you die God is also by this word calling upon his own Servants to chuse Life though you have already made the great and most happy choice of Life for your own Souls last spoken of yet you are further to chuse life that is all the wayes and means of life whatsoever may any way conduce unto the furtherance of the work of Conversion and the progress of Reformation the recovery of the life of Religion Chuse indeed that is chuse it practically make a practical choice of it that is chuse it so as to make it your work You are in this respect not only to chuse life for your selves but for others chuse life for your Families for your Children and Servants Josh 24.15 Chuse you this day whom ye will serve But as for me and my House we will serve the Lord. It was a time wherein all the People were put to their choice and Joshuah chose for himself and his House Again chuse life for the Churches It is with a few of the sincere Servants of God to chuse life for the Churches O chuse the way and work of Church Reformation and all means and helps thereunto Life and Death is in this respect set before Churches if the Servants of God in them chuse life for them the Churches will chuse life Finally chuse life for the People the Servants of God in their several places and stations according to their betrustments ought to chuse life for the People chuse all things that do conduce to the preservation of the life of this People in all the forementioned respects O it is a great thing to be charged and betrusted with the life of a People the visible People of God the publick weal the life of a People hath great dependance upon the Wisdome and Faithfulness of those who are and ought to chuse life and blessing for them Thus God hath set New-England between Ebal Gerazim he hath life and blessing on the one hand death and cursing on the other hand brought us to a Trial what we will chuse it is Gods way and work with us so to do by all his dispensations what the issue will be what exit we shall make upon this trial is awful considerable O that it might be the holy will of the blessed God to chuse life and blessing for us and inable us by his spirit and grace to chuse it for our selves and not suffer us to run upon our own ruin by the fatel woful choice of death Wherein we shall make our selves most inexcusably both sinful and miserable because we have been warned according to the charge that God hath given unto his Watch-men Ezek. 33.3 8. The Trumpet hath been blown and the People have been warned It hath been the greatest care and concernment of those of Gods faithful Watchmen who have had fullest discoveries of our extreamest dangers both by sin and judgement so to discharge themselves as to deliver their own Souls that they might themselves be clear from the blood of all men Hence all
withdrawing our hearts from it or by an Heart-apostacy from God Religion always dyes by the People's Heart-apostacy They set not their Heart aright Their Heart was not right with Him Psal 78.8 37. Their Heart was removed far from Him Isa 29.13 Hence God complains so much every where of their evil Heart their hard impenitent unbelieving stubborn rebellious backsliding revolting whorish Heart whereby they had quite destroyed the life of their Religion Again that we do not desert Religion by slighting neglecting and exposing the visible external Interest and Concernments of it and so not only withdrawing our hearts but our heads and hands also I mean our labours and endeavours in whatsoever ought and is absolutely necessary to be done and performed for the support upholding and maintaining of the visible Interest of Religion Thus the People of old in their Apostacy forsook the Temple and the visible Worship of God and suffered all to fall into a ruine and desolation They deserted the whole Interest of Religion and so destroyed it How much the Spirit the Sins and the Temptations of the Times do incline unto such a deserting or forsaking of Religion we may consider and lay to heart with deep Humiliation For the more close Application of this Admonition let it be considered 1. That when Religion is once decaying and dying is near death even at the point or ready to dye as Rev. 3.2 It is then high time for Professors and a professing People to take heed to themselves that they be no further Accessory to the death of it When the Interest of the World riseth higher and higher all the Sins of the Times grow stronger and stronger and Religion is growing weaker and weaker is already grown so weak that it hath not life strength or power enough left to recover it self It is a fearful question to such a People whether Religion be not gone past hope of Recovery at least in the ordinary way of the improvement of Means Whether ever that Church of Sardis and those other declined Churches were recovered or no by a resurrection of Religion is more uncertain Sure we are they afterward dyed and were buried together with their Religion in their own ruines 2. When Religion dyes all dyes with such a People The death of Religion destroys all kind of Life both the Spiritual and Political Life It destroys Church-constitution Order Administrations yea it destroys the being and standing of a People before God under his Covenant When Religion dyes then Lo-ammi and Lo-ruhamah are born then God saith Ye are not my People and I will not be your God And He will no more have mercy but that He will utterly take away Hose 1.6 8. Thus that People destroyed themselves by destroying of their Religion and remain dead and buried in their Graves unto this day Ezek. 37.1 14. If we should destroy our Religion we should destroy all our Publique Weal all that wherein we have been peculiarly happy as the People of God If once Religion dye there will be nothing but Death Death in our Hearts Death in all our ways of Converse we shall be a dead People Sin and Death do always reign when and where Religion dyes and is destroyed 3. When a People destroy themselves by destroying Religion they perish inevitably utterly most miserably When God doth leave a People to destroy Religion then He hath no Salvation for them By destroying Religion a People do put away Salvation from them and render themselves utterly uncapable thereof If God lot such a Peope alone and execute no outward temporal Judgement upon them they will soon make a miserable end of themselves for they will abuse all their Peace Prosperity Means Mercyes Interests Injoyments unto their own Ruin and incurre all kind of destroying Evils make themselves a Shame a Reproach a Taunt a Curse an Execration and an Astonishment to all People So did that People of old Jer. 24.9 Jer. 25.18 And so they continue to be unto this day No such vile refuse People under heaven as they who have destroyed Religion Such a People must needs perish most hopelessly Ezek. 33.10 If our Transgressions and our Sins be upon us and we pine away in them how should we then live Observe Religion being dead and gone they cast away all hope of Salvation and give up themselves desperately unto Destruction saying How should we then live It is hard to produce an Instance of any People recovered when they have destroyed Religion by a general and total Apostacy from it For it is the utmost height of all Sin Transgression and Provocation which moveth the Wrath of God to arise 2 Chron. 36.16 Vntill the Wrath of the Lord arose against his People till there was no Remedy or no Healing By destroying of Religion a People do fill up their Sin alway till Wrath cometh upon them to the utmost 1 Thes 2.16 To fill up their Sins alway for the Wrath is come upon them to the uttermost Furthermore to destroy Religion it is a sin most directly against our Lord Jesus Christ because Religion it is more peculiarly His His Work His Cause and Interest Therefore to destroy it is a sin which doth expose a People more directly to the dreadfull Wrath and Displeasure of Christ It is the greatest Injury that can be offer'd or done to Him and therefore He will avenge it We know it was the Lord Jesus who did denounce so dreadfully against all the Churches Rev. 2.5 Else will I come unto thee quickly and remove thy Candlestick V. 16. Else will I come unto thee quickly and will fight against them V. 23. I will kill her Children with death and all the Churches shall know that I am He which searcheth the Reins and Hearts and I will give unto every one of you according to your works The condition of a People or Churches is become unspeakably woful and lamentable when Christ who is the only Mediator and Intercessor with God to procure all both temporal and eternal Deliverance and Salvation is turned against them and become their Enemie for He is the most dreadful Enemie concerning whom it is written Exod. 23.21 Beware of Him and obey his Voice provoke Him not for He will not pardon Psal 2.12 Kiss the Son lest He be angry and ye perish from the way when his Wrath is kindled but a little blessed are all they that put their Trust in Him Well then may any People or Churches who have any care or concernment for their own Salvation be surprized with Astonishment unto some degree of Horror under an apprehension of any danger of the death of Religion It is the Infinite Mercy of God to New-England that althô Religion doth languish yet if we be admonished and take warning there is still hope that it may Revive and Live Hence the III. VSE Wherein the Doctrine is to be improved and applied in a way of Exhortation If Religion be our life and if there