Knâ—wing this that our Old Man is crucified with him that the Body of Sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve Sin Likewise reckon ye also your selves to be Dead indeed unto Sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. As if he had said The End of Christs Coming is to turn People from their Sins and that those who persist in their Disobedience resist the Benefits that come by him Let not Sin therefore reign in your mortal Body that ye should obey it in the Lusts thereof Neither yield ye your Members as Instruments of Unrighteousness unto Sin but yield your selves unto God as those that are Alive from the Dead and your Members as Instruments of Righteousness unto God Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves Servants to obey his Servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of Sin unto Death or of Obedience unto Righteousness For when ye were the Servants of Sin ye were free from Righteousness What Fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed for the End of those things is Death But now being made Free from Sin and become Servants to God ye have your FRUIT UNTO HOLINESS and the End Everlasting Life For the Wages of Sin is Death but the Gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. To Conclude nothing can be more apparent then that Freedom from Actual Sinning and giving Newness of Life to the Souls of Men was the great Reason of Christs Coming and the End for which he hath given us out of his fulness of Grace and Truth and Grace for Grace and that to be under Grace and not under the Law is not to have Liberty to do that now which ought not to have been done before as the Ranters interpret it but to be Freed from the Condemnation of the Law First through Remission of the Sins that are past upon Faith and Repentance and next by Fulfilling the Righteousness of the Law in receiving and obeying the Light and Grace that comes by Jesus Christ Very pertinent is that Passage of the Apostle Paul to Titus to our present purpose for it seems to comprehend the End of Christ's Coming the Faith and Duty of his people which our Great Selden after all his Painful Readings and Curious Inquisitions said but a little before his Death was the Most-Weighty Passage of the whole Bible to him as the Bible was the best of Books in the World viz For the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all Men teaching us that denying Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts we should live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World looâ—ing for that Blessed Hope and the Glorious Appearing of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from ALL INIQUITY and purify unto himself a peculiar people Zealous of Good Works In which Comprehensive Passage we find the End of Christ's Coming to be Our Redemption from all Iniquiquity both to blot out our Sins that are past to purify our Hearts from the Sin that remains We have the means that works and brings this Salvation into our Souls which is the Grace and the Way by which this Grace doth accomplish it is by Teaching us to deny Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts and to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World Which has this great Encouragement joyned to it that those who so live have only right to look for that blessed Hope and the glorious Appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ I will add the Testimony of his Beloved Disciple John who has defined to us the End of Christ's Coming thus Whosoever committeth Sin Transgresseth also the Law and ye Know that he was manifested to take away our Sins And to shew that this is understood not only of the Guilt of Sins past but of the Nature and present Power of Sin in Man observe what follows Whosoever abideth in him Christ SINNETH NOT. As if this Apostle had foreseen the present Mischief Christianity labours under both on the side of Evil Men and but too many Mistaken Professors he adds Little Children let no Man deceive you he that doth Righteousness is Righteous even as he is Righteous he that committeth Sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinned from the Beginning Now comes his most express Passage to the Matter in hand For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might DESTROY the Works of the Devil Which is more than the Remission of Sins that are past here is the DESTRUCTION of the Power and Kingdom of Satan They that know not this know not Christ for as we so our Lord is known by his Fruits by the Works which he works in us therefore it is said that His own Works praise him He therefore that lives in Sin denyes Christ by denying the End of his Coming The Fool did not say with his Mouth but in his Heart There is no God yet but too many now adays plead with their Tongues and Pens for Sin Term of Life by endeavouring to shew the Impossibility of overcoming Sin But what saith this Apostle further of the Business Whosoever is born of God doth not commit Sin In this the Children of God are manifest and the Children of the Devil whosoever doth not Righteousness is not of God neither he that loveth not his Brother But if you walk in the Light as God is in the Light we have fellowship one with another and the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all Sin Again He that saith he abideth in Christ ought himself also so to walk even as Christ walked A little lower in the same Chapter he says I have written unto you Young Men because ye are strong and the Word of God abideth in you and ye have OVERCOME the Wicked One I will add one Scripture-Testimony more in the present Case and it is this Herein saith John is our Love made perfect that we may have Boldness in the Day of Judgment because as he is so are we in this World Behold now the true End of Christ's Coming viz. To SAVE FROM SIN and to purge us from all Iniquity that he might present us to God without Spot or Blemish Let us not then Flatter our selves for we shall be the Loosers neither let us make the Impossibility through our Infidelity which a Grain of Sincere Faith can make not only Possible but Easie What has been may be again nay in this Case must be Did the First Christians overcome the VVicked one so must the Last Christians too were those Ages led by the Holy Spirit and taught by the Grace of God to live God-like or like God in the World so must we of these Latter Ages too if we will be blessed forever that having put off the Old Man the Devil and his Works we may put on Christ the new and heavenly
AN ADDRESS TO PROTESTANTS UPON THE Present Conjuncture In II. Parts By a Protestant William Penn. Printed in the Year 1679. TO THE READER Sober Reader THe Present Affairs of this Kngdom are upon a Strong and Unusual Motion to what Point they tend or where they will Center must rest with God that only is Omniscient This makes it Hard either to Write or Speak perhaps I shall be able to do neither without Disadvantage to my self but I will do it with as little to the Matter as I can And truly I say it with some Comfort the Clearing of an Opprest yet Peaceable Conscience prevails more with me than the Safety of Silence And yet I have no Reason to think there is an Hazard in the Case when the Publick Fast secures the Undertaking and that I am sure I propose nothing for my End besides the Glory of Almighty God the Good of Mankind and more especially the Peace and Happiness of my own Country In which if I succeed not it is no more than what hath befallen the Endeavours of Most Excellent Persons we must not measure our Duty by Success Being therefore not discouraged in my self and having a strong Hope that Almighty God will favour this Honest Address with his Blessing I beseech thee Reader peruse it with a Serious and Composed Mind and with that Meekness and Charity which becomes a True Protestant and a Christan to have Thine in Sincerity for the Publick Good W. Penn. AN ADDRESS TO PROTESTANTS UPON THE Present Conjuncture My Friends and Country-men IF ye believe that there is a God that he is Holy Just and Good that he Made us that we Owe our selves to him that he is not Careless of us but the Constant Observer of our Thoughts and Actions and that as he is the Rewarder of them that fear love and obey him so he is the severe Punisher of all such as transgress his Law and break his Righteous Commandments if I say ye believe these things and not only that there is a Final Day of Reckoning but that God even in this World recompences his Judgments upon the Wicked and visit Nations with his hot Displeasure because of their Impiety which hath been the Experience and Confession of all Ages then it belongs to us of these Kingdoms to reflect upon our selves and to take a true View of our Actions since Divine Vengeance is at the door And for the Lords sake let us have a Care in the doing of it since God will not be mocked and that our miscarriage in such an Inquiry will be as only our own Infelicity so of infinite Moment to us I must needs be Plain and Earnest here for if we miscarry in the Search we shall certainly miscarry in the Cure Sin gives the deadliest of all Wounds to Mankind I grieve to say it but 't is too true there is no Wound so slightily healed we rather seek our Ease than our Security like those Fools that love the pleasantest not the safest Potions It is ill at all times to flatter a Man's Self but it is most Fatal about Repentance Something men would keep something men would hide and yet they have to do with that Searcher of Hearts from whom its impossible they should hide any thing This Folly increases our Account endangers our Cure and makes our Condition Desperate if not Irrecoverable O England my Native Country Come to Judgment bring thy deeds to the true Light see whether they are wrought in God or no. Put not off thy self with Hay Straw and Stubble for they will burn and the Fire is at the Door that will consume them he is coming whose Reward is with him and will give every one according to his Works Let us therefore Examine our selves Try our selves Prove our own selves whether Christ be in us or not if his Spirit his Nature his Meekness his Patience his great Self-denyal dwell in us if not we are yet Reprobates yet under the Reproofs of the Almighty the Charge and Guilt of Sin and his Witness in our own Consciences sends up Evidence to Heaven against us every day this I justly fear and take to be our Case Let us therefore strictly look into our Conversations and with an impartial Eye take a view of those Sins that most severely Cry to the Great Judge against us And they appear to me to be of Two Sorts the one relating more particularly to the State the other to the Church if I may without Offence use that Distinction for my Witness is with God I intend not Provocation but Edification Those Impieties that relate more particularly to the State to correct are Drunkenness Whoredoms and Fornication Excess in Apparel in Furniture and in Living Profuse Gaming and finally Oaths Prophaneness and Blasphemy Drunkenness or Excess in Drinking is not only a Violation of God's Law but of our own Natures it doth of all other Sins rob us of our Reason deface the Impressions of Vertue and extinguish the Remembrance of God's Mercies and our own Duty It fits men for that which they would abhor if Sober The Incest Murder Robberies Fires and other Villanies that have been done in Drunken Fits make Drunkenness a Common Enemy to Humane Society It renders men unfit for Trust or Business it tells Secrets betrays Friendship disposes men to be Trappanded and Cheated Finally it spoils Health weakens Humane Race and above all provokes the Just God to Anger who cried thus of Old Wo to the Drunkards of Ephriam the Drunkards of Ephriam shall be trodden under feet they have erred through Wine and through Strong Drink are out of the Way the Priest and the Prophet have erred through Strong Drink they erred in Vision they stamble in Judgment Again Wo unto them that are Mighty to drink Wine and men of strength to mingle strong drink Wo unto them that rise up early in the Morning that they may follow strong drink that continue until night till Wine inflame them and the Harp and the Viol the Tabret and the Pipe and Wine are in their Feasts but they regard not the Work of the Lord neither consider the Operations of his hands Therefore Hell hath enlarged her self and opened her Mouth without measure and their Glory and their Multitude and their Pomp and he that rejoyces shall descend into it Yet you will bear me witness I do not wrong the present Humor of too many in this Nation and those not of the lowest Quality in saying that it is too often the beginning and top of their Friendship it is their Common Diversion and Entertainment I might safely say the Poor of England could be maintain'd by their Excess Oh! hath the God of Heaven given men Plenty for such Ends or will this kind of Improvement of their Worldly Talent give them Peace in the Day of Judgment But that men should do all this without shame nay glory in it too is greatly to be lamented for 't is not only
Conscience to Complain of to such as have Power in their Hands to punish and suppress them I have therefore reserved to speak of Oaths and Blasphemies till last because I take them to be the most Provoking Sin The other Enormities of Drunkenness Whoredom and Excess in Apparel Furniture Feastings and Gaming do more immediately relate to our selves and are therefore Sins against God because they are a Transgression of that Order which he hath placed in the Nature of things but Oaths and Blasphemies must be referred to God himself they are Sins committed more immediately against his Being his Name and the Majesty and Dignity of his Nature It is Horrible to hear how he is called upon about every thing be it never so Trivial yea about nothing and worse than nothing He is Summon'd at their Games their Sports their Obscenities in their Drunkenness Whoredoms Murders Rapines and Treachery there is a Generation that cannot speak without him though they live without him They would make him a Voucher of all their Falshood and a Witness for their Lyes as often as they would have them believed But I tremble to Remember with what Presumption some Men when transported into Rage Invoke him to Damn those they are Angry with yea themselves too and how Impiously they send him at their pleasure upon the Errands of their Vengeance Can there be greater Blasphemy then to dare so much as to think that the Holy Wise and Just God should be the Executioner of their Passion Fury and the Avenger of their Malice and Corrupt Interests And it is Observable that if in any thing they are Cross'd or Disappointed they fall a Swearing Cursing Damning Blaspheming as if the Name of God should make them Satisfaction and that it were a Sort of Ease to them to deliver themselves of a Burden of Oaths But that which aggravates this Evil is the Impudence of the people that commits it they are not Contented to use it at Home and at Ale-Houses and Taverns abroad but in the open Streets Markets and Fairs in the most Notorious Places of Commerce and Traffick to the Dishonour of God the Grief and Offence of Sober Men and the Bad Example of those that are not so But this Shameful Impiety ends not here it has not only prevailed with the Populaâ—â— the Cannale the Vulgar but the Men of Quality the Gentry and the Nobles of the Realm to whom God in his Providence hath been more Propitious placing them at the Distance of Example and Imitation to the Multitude Even those that ought to be the Heads of our Tribes the Leaders of the people whose Virtue should at least keep Pace with their Quality are guilty with this Base Custom and too many of them more concerned in it than the Meanest of the People And to carry this Practice to the Utmost Hight of that Mischief it seems Capable of doing but too many God knows of those in Authority use it even the Men that by Law should suppress it And if Men of Office and Power ought in their several Trusts to be a Terror to Evil-doers methinks they should not suffer the Name of the God of the Nation whom they pretend to worship to be so prophanely us'd and blasphemed and least of all that they should be the Men themselves that Commit the Enormities they should punish To say Truth and with Grief of Soul I speak it so Universal is this Contagion in the Kingdom that not only the Youth but the Children are infected The Boyes of seven Years Old that in my time did not think upon an Oath are now full of their God-damnyou's and God-damn-me's at their Sports and Playes And the Women of our Nation especially those of any Rank who by a Reserv'd Education and the Modesty of their Sex were scarcely ever heard to Curse even what they did not like much less to Swear upon Ordinary Occasions are some of them grown Hardy enough to do Both. At whose Door must all these Mischiefs lie I beseech God to put it into the Hearts of our Superiors to Use their Utmost Diligence to rebuke and suppress this and the like Impieties We profess our selves to be Christians Followers of that JESUS in whose Mouth no Guile was ever found what Precept did he ever give us what Example hath he left us to Countenance this Practice 'T is true he Charg'd his Disciples Not to Swear at all but we cannot think our selves to Obey him when we Swear at Every thing pray consider the great Difference there is betwixt Christ and such Christians Christ is Lord of a more Perfect Law than that which came by Moses that admits of Oaths in some Cases but they were Few and must be kept upon great Penalties This New Law of JESUS takes away Oaths by taking away the Cause and Need of them namely Falshood and Distrust and by planting Plainness Truth and Integrity in the Natures of Men which makes them such Faithful Disciples to him and so entirely Brethren to one another that there seems no farther Use for Oaths among Men under that Qualification Ye have heard of Old Time saith Christ Jesus that Men should Swear not when they please nor yet Swear Vainly No such matter What then Thou shalt not For-swear thy self but Perform thy Vows unto the Lord This was thus far Good it was the Perfection of the Law So it was Not to Kill Not to Commit Adultery but Christ Jesus carries it higher Thou must not be Angry Thou must not look upon a Woman to lust after her Thou must not Swear at all Thou must not do that which was Allowed or Dispensed with under the Law For what the Law could not do through Weakness I am come to do Therefore let your Yea be Yea and your Nay Nay Speak Truth what is more is Needless nay 't is Evil. This is the Doctrine of Jesus Certainly then there can be no Agreement between him and the Swearing Damning Christians of this Age who are so far from Obeying him whose Name they take that they are not come to the Righteousness of the Law that condemns all Vain Swearing but lie under the Heavy Judgment of the Lord for the Breach of his Third Commandment Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him Guiltless that taketh his Name in vain It is esteem'd a Prophanation of things set apart for Divine Worship to imploy them in our Common and Ordinary Services and is it not Prophanation with a Vengeance to suffer the Name of the Great God to be prostituted at Every Turn by Lewd and Debauch'd people Can we be so Careful of our own Names and so Careless of Gods Is it Possible that we can be so Tender of our selves and so Unconcern'd for him for him I say who Made us and gives us Life Breath and Being to whom we Owe our selves and all that we are But that Men to Right
relying upon his Conduct dâ—an Mercies respecting this Life and that to come This is in Scripture called the Gift of God and well it may for it is Supernatural It crosses the Pride Confidence and Lust of man It grows out of the Seed of Love sown by God in the Heart at least it works by Love and this distinguishes it from the Faith of Ill Men and Devils that though they do believe they don't Love God above all but something else instead of God and are full of Pride Anger Cruelty and all manner of Wickedness But this Faith that works by Love that Divine Love which God plants in the Heart it inclines Man and gives him Power to forsake all that displeaseth God and every such Believer becomes an Enoch Translated that is Changed from the Fashion of this World the Earthly Image the Corrupt Nature and is renewed in the Likeness of the Son of God and walks with God The Just shall live by Faith they have in all Ages liv'd by this Faith that is been sustain'd supported preserved the Devil within nor the World without could never conquer them They walked not by Sight but by Faith they had regard to the Eternal Recompense No Visible things prevailed with them to depart from the Invisible God to quench their Love or slacken their Obedience to him the Great Testimony of their Faith in him This Holy Faith excludes no Age of the World the Just Men thâ— Cornelius's in every Generation have had some degree of it 't was more especially the Faith of the Simpler Ages of the World such as those in whom the Patriarchs lived who having not an Outward Law became a Law to themselves and did the things contained in the Law for they believed in God and through Faith obtained a good Report But because that it hath pleased God in Order to Man's Recovery from that grievous Laps Disobedience had cast him into at sundry times and in divers manners to appear to the Sons of men first by his Prophets and last of all by his Son that these several Manifestations have had something peculiar to them very remarkable in them so that they claim a place in our Creed It will not be amiss that we briefly consider them The first was that of the Prophets in which Moses preceded by whom the Law came to the Jews but Grace and Truth to mankind by Jesus Christ The first brought Condemnation the last Salvation the one Judgment the other Mercy which was glad Tidings indeed The one did fore-run the other as in Order of Time so in Nature of Dispensations the Law was the Gospel begun the Gospel the Law fulfilled or finisht They cannot be parted The Decalogue or Ten Commandments were little more than what had been known and practised before for it seem'd but an Epitome and Transcript of the Law writ in Man's heart by the Finger of God This is confest on all hands and in all Ages since This therefore must needs be a Part of our Creed for it relates to that Righteousness which is Indispensible and Immutable The other part of their Constitution that was peculiar to their Politic Typical and Mutable the Gospel is either Unconcerned in it or else ended it by the bringing in of a more Enduring Substance But Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ Grace is opposed to the Condemnation of the Law and Truth to Shadows This is the most-Excellent Dispensation it is ours and it becomes us to weigh well our Interest in it God who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past unto the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son For God so loved the World that after all the World's Provocations by Omissions and Commissions he gave his Only Begotten Son into the World that the World through him might be saved And here Two Things present themselves to our Consideration First the Person who he was what his Authority Secondly his Message his Doctrine what he Taught which though never so Reasonable in it self depended very much in its Entertainment among the People upon the Truth of his Mission and Authority that he was no Impostor but came from God the Promised Messiah This was done Two Ways by Revelation and by Miracles By Revelation to such as were as well prepared and inclined as honest Peter the Woman of Samaria and those that were mov'd to believe him from the Authority in which he spake so Unlike that of the Formal Scribes By Miracles to those that being blinded by Ignorance or Prejudice needed to have their senses struckwith such Supernatural Evidences from many of whom this Witness came that he was the MESSIAH the Christ and SON of GOD. In fine all was done within the Compass of People among whom he daily conversed that was needful to prove he was from God and had God's Message to declare to the World Insomuch that when some of his Disciples were not so firm in their Belief of his Authority as he deserved at their hands he calls his own Works to prove his Commission and convict them of Infidelity If ye will not believe that the Father is in me that he doth these Works by me believe me for the very Works sake Thus he argued with the Jews Say ye of him the Father hath sanctified and sent into the World thou Blasphèmest because I said I am the Son of God if I do not the Works of my Father believe me not this is reasonable he that will Judge the World offers to be Tryed himself he goes on But if I do though ye believe not me believe the Works that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me And he laid the Sin of the Jews upon this Foot viz. That they rejected him after he had made proof of his Divine Mission by such Extraordinary Works As no men among them all could do which to give them their Due they do not deny but shamefully pervert and foolishly abuse by attributing them to the Power of the Devil To which Malice and Slander he returned this Inconfutable Answer A Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand What! cast out Devils by the Prince of Devils 't is a Contradition very Madness it self I have nothing to do now with Atheists or those that call themselves Theists but such as own themselves Christians and shall therefore keep to my Task namely What of the Christian Dispensation is so Peculiar and Important as to challenge of Right the Name of Articles of Faith I say then That the Belief of Jesus of Nazareth to be the Promis'd Messiah the Son and Christ of God sent to restore and save Mankind is the first and was then the Only requisite Article of Faith without any Large Confessions or an Heap of Principles or Opinions resolv'd upon after Curious and Tedious Debates by Councils or Synods and this may be proved both by Example and Doctrine It
but a Moral Man he knows nothing of saving Grace be may be damn'd for all his Morality Nay some have gone so far as to say and preach if not Print That there are Thousands of Moral Men in Hell But 't is worth our while to consider that he that sins is not saved by Grace in that state and that the Virtuous Man is the Gracious Man for 't is the Nature and End of true Grace to make Men so Unanswerable is that Passage of the Apostle to the Romans Therefore if the Uncircumcision keep the Righteousness of the Law shall not his Uncircumcision be counted for Circumcision and shall not Uncircumcision which is by Nature if it fulfill the Law judge thee who by the Letter and Circumcision dost transgress the Law For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly neither is that Circumâ—ision which is outward in the Flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the Heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose praise is not of Men but of God So that he that keeps the Law of God and abstains from the Impurity of the World that is the good Man the Just Liver he is the Apostle's true Jew and Circumcision Wherefore it is not Ill exprest by that extraordinary Man J. Hales of Eton The Moral Man says he is a Christian by the surer Side that is Speculations may fail Notions be mistaken Forms wither but Truth and Righteousness will stand the Test the Man that loves them will not be moved He tells us That the Fathers had that Opinion of the Sincerity of the Life of some Heathens that they believed God had in Store for such his even Saving Grace and that he would make them Possessors of his Everlasting Kingdom And measuring their Satisfaction by the Pleasure I took in reading what the Author both quotes and Comments upon this Subject I will venture to transcribe him at large Viz. Let it not trouble you saith he that I intitle them to some part of our Christian Faith therefore without Scruple to be received as Weak and not to be cast forth as Dead Salvianus disputing What Faith is Quid est igitur Credulit as vel Fides saith he Opinor fideliter hominem Christo credere id est Fidelem Deo esse hoc est Fideliter Dei mandata servare What might this Faith be saith he I suppose it is nothing else but Faithfully to believe Christ and this is to be Faithful unto God which is nothing else but Faithfully to keep the Commandments of God Not therefore only a bare Belief but the Fidelity and Trustiness of God's Servants faithfully accomplishing the Will of our Master is required as a part of our Christian Faith Now all those good things which Moral Men by the Light of Nature do are a part of God's Will written in their Hearts wherefore so far as they were Conscientious in performing them if Salvianus his Reason be good so far have they Title and Interest in our Faith And therefore Regulus that Famous Roman when he endured infinite Torments rather than he would break his Oath may thus far be counted a Martyr and Witness for the Truth For the Crown of Martyrdom sits not only on the Heads of those who have lost their Lives rather than they would cease to profess the Name of Christ but on the Head of every one that suffers for the Testimony of a good Conscience and for Righteousness sake And here I cannot pass by one very General gross Mistaking of our Age. For in our Discourses concerning the Notes of a Christian Man by what Signs we may know a Man to be one of the Visible Company of Christ we have so tied our selves tothis outward Profession that if we know no other Virtue in a Man but that he hath Cond his Creed by heart let his Life be never so prophane we think it Argument enough for us to account him within the Pale and Circuit of the Church On the Contrary side let his Life be never so Upright if either he be little seen in or peradventure quite ignorant of the Mystery of Christ we esteem of him but as dead And those who conceive well of those Moral good things as of some Tokens giving Hope of Life we account but as a kind of Manâ—ohees who thought the very Earth had Life in it I must confess that I have not yet made that Proficiency in the Schools of our Age as that I could see why the Second Table and the Acts of it are not as properly the parts of Religion and Christianity as the Acts and Observations of the First If I mistake than it is St. James that hath abus'd me for he describing Religion by its proper Acts tells us that True Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is to visit the Fatherless and the Widow in their Affliction and to keep himself unspotted of the World So that the thing which in an Especial refine Dialect of the New Christian Language signifies nothing but Morality and Civility that in the Language of the holy Ghost imports True Religion Thus far J. Hales He hath said so much on this Account that there is little need I should say any more yet give me leave to add Did Men mind the Language of the Holy Ghost more than their own Conceits they would not Stile those Moral Men in a way of Disgrace that are not of their Forms it would suffice That those that fear God and work Righteousness in all Nations are accepted of him That Christ himself hath said He that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and of them that work Iniquity Depart from me I know you not My Friends let us not deceive our selves God will not be mocked Such as we sow we shall certainly reap The Tree is known by its Fruits and will be Judg'd according to its Fruits The Wages of Sin is Death Men will find it so and every Man shall receive his Reward sutable to his Worâ—k For People to talk of Special Grace and yet be carried away by Common Temptations it is Provoking to God but to conceit that the Righteous God will Indulge his people in that Latitude which he condemns in other Men is Abominable 'T is Sanctification that makes the Saint and Self-Denyal that constitutes the Christian and not filling our Heads and Elevating our Fancies by applying those Promises to our selves which as yet we have no Interest in though we may think they belong to no body else this Spiritual Flattery of our selves is most pernicious I cannot but say with the Apostle 'T is neither Circumcision nor Uncircumcision Jew nor Gentile this nor t'other thing but the New Creature created after Christ Jesus in Holiness for without Holiness no Man shall ever see the Lord. And what is Holiness but Abstaining from Wickedness and what 's that