unless the Soul be united to God and Christ it neither lives the life of Grace here nor shall live the life of Glory hereafter By this time I hope you see the Reason why Hypocrites and Cast-aways shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven because though they have a name to live though they have many counterfeit Graces proceeding from the Principles of moraliz'd restrained nature yet they are dead for want of this union they are no living members of Christ's Body and therefore shall never reign with Christ as their Head And now as to the Assumption viz. That an outward Profession may be found in Hypocrites and Cast-aways in such men as shall never come to Heaven I cannot give you a more full either proof or illustration than the stories of the Scribes and Pharisees particularly the Pharisees That they were a company of errand Hypocrites we have little cause to doubt because our Blessed Saviour who knew their very Thoughts calls them so even to their faces and confutes them under that notion for a whole Chapter together as you find it Matth. 23. Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites is the burden of it That they were likewise Reprobates and Cast-aways we have great cause to think not only from their obstinate refusal of the Messiah Have any of the Pharisees believed on him But also John 7. 48. because Christ himself assures us Except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes Matth. 5. 20. and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Such were these Pharisees such Hypocrites such Cast-aways And yet if you consult their Character you will find they were as zealous Professors of Religion as any can be nam'd either in the Jewish or Christian State It was no small part of their holiness and whereby they begat an Opinion of Saintship that they were a praying People and often repair'd to God's house as if they had been intimate friends of his and had frequent Communion with him They would extend their Prayers to a very great length which is an Argument they were well pleas'd in the Duty I might tell you of their fasting twice a-week their strict Observance of the Sabbath with other instances which I have not time to enlarge only I must not omit to remind you how precise they were in their Separations from other men Out of a superstitious fear it 's likely lest they should pollute themselves by a mixt Communion And yet these seeming Saints as the Scripture tells us were unnatural to their Parents devour'd Widows houses absolved men from their Oaths were full of Extortion ravening and wickedness and derided the Sermons our Blessed Saviour made because not sorted to their Covetous humour He did not flatter them with stories of their Priviledges no they could do that well enough themselves God I thank thee that I am not as other men but he tells them plainly and roundly of their damned Hypocrisie and of the sad Consequences of it from which all their mock-Devotion would not be able to secure them Ye Serpents ye Generation of Vipers how can ye escape the Damnation of Hell And this brings me naturally to the second Reason That an outward Profession of Religion R. 2. which these Pharisees had without Obedience and amendment of Life which they wanted is displeasing and abominable in the sight of God and therefore is not sufficient to bring us to Heaven That Sacrifices and other Ceremonial Observances under the Law were of Divine Institution is clear and express they being usually deliver'd with this Sanction That Soul that doth not thus or thus observe them shall be cut off from Israel And yet if you consult the writings of the Prophets you will there observe that when these Sacrifices stood in competition with any moral Duty they were so far from being accepted by Almighty God that I find them rejected with the greatest Detestation The Prophet Isaiah is very full and pertinent to our purpose read his first Chapter from the Eleventh to the Twenty first Verse I cannot stay to repeat the whole you may do that at your leisure To what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrifices Bring no more vain oblations your new Moons and your appointed Feasts my Soul hateth when ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many Prayers I will not hear And why all this abhorrence Your hands are full of Blood Wash you make you clean put away the evil of your Doings cease to do evil learn to do well seek judgment relieve the Oppressed judge the Fatherless plead for the Widow To these you may add that noted place Hosea 6. 6. which is likewise cited by our Saviour Matth. 9. 13. I desired Mercy and not Sacrifice The reason of all which is this Because Sacrifices and such like performances were therefore instituted that they might keep men from Sin and the better encourage them to perform moral Duties Now that which Sacrifices were under the Law that are Preaching and Praying and receiving the Sacraments under the Gospel even Ordinances of Divine Institution which are not to be observ'd for any intrinsick worth and value in themselves but only in ordine ad aliud for the better promotion of those two grand Fundamental Duties Piety towards God and Charity towards our Neighbour Wherefore is it that we Pray unto God is it not to bewail and beg pardon for our former neglect of these Duties to implore Divine Grace and assistance that we may perform them better for the future in which endeavours if we are sincere he will then assist us by his Holy Spirit and grant our Petitions Whatsoever we ask we receive of him saith S. John But why not because our Prayers are many or long or loud deliver'd with seeming vehemency and affectation of Spirit but Because we keep his Commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight 1 John 3. 22. So likewise for Preaching Wherefore is it that you come to hear Sermons is it only to entertain your selves with a continu'd well-compos'd Discourse concerning Divine matters which perhaps you leave even at the Door of Gods house and yet can have the confidence to boast of your attainments and tell strange stories of your Conversion and of your former days of Ignorance from which you are now happily translated because you have tasted the Heavenly gift and are followers of the word I would not willingly be here mistaken This is a captious Age and we cannot be too cautious I do not come to decry Preaching or declaim against Sermons it is the abuse of them I endeavour to remove Preaching is necessary and will be of continu'd use in the Church of God it being a blessed Instrument when enforced by the Spirit to open the eyes of the blind to turn us from darkness to light from the power of Satan unto God So that as long as there is Ignorance in
to take good care that their hearts be right in the sight of God in this matter The Devil so he may but deceive them will easily transform himself into an Angel of Light That they are a Praying people that they are frequenters of Sermons we are so far from disliking that we tell them 't is but their Duty and commend them for it But we must withall remind them That there is something else to be done besides Preaching and Praying even the great things of the Law the Duties not only of the First but also of the Second Table which if they must neither be preached up by us nor practis'd by them lest thereby we should too much exalt a Moral state I must tell them and I do it with some dread upon my Spirits we may come to roar in Hell for not being Moral men Not every one c. For the Explication of the words I must shew First What it is to say Lord Lord. Secondly What to do the Will of his Father that is in Heaven To say Lord Lord it is to make an outward Profession by performing external acts of Worship that we are Christians that we believe in Jesus Christ that we acknowledge him for our Lord and look for Salvation by him That this may appear more plain and intelligible I must remind you that there is a twofold Worship or to speak more properly the name of Worship is consider'd two several ways 1. There is Internal Worship which denotes the exercise of those inward Graces whereby the Soul doth shew its dependence upon and Relation unto God as Faith Hope Love Patience c. 2. There is External Worship which comprehends such outward actions whereby the inward Piety and Devotion of the Soul in the exercise of the foremention'd Graces is express'd and cherish'd as Prayer hearing of Sermons Receiving the Sacraments and such outward Duties which are the Marks and Characters of a visible Church and whereby she is distinguish'd from all civil Societies So that the full meaning of this first Clause is this Not every one that saith c. Not every one that is a Member of the visible Church Not every one that is a Professor of Religion Not every one that can Preach or Pray or hear Sermons shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven No there is something more to be done and what that is the latter part of my Text informs you But he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven By the Doing of his Fathers Will is meant the Doing of those Duties of Obedience which his Father hath commanded in his Law particularly the Decalogue Which our Blessed Saviour is so far from destroying that he tells us expresly he came to fulfil it Not by the Addition of any new Precept the Socinian conceit Nor by taking off its Obligation as to the Person of a Believer the Antinomian fancy But First By fulfilling it in his own Person thus it behoveth us to fulfil all Righteousness 2. By a particular explication and wiping off the false Glosses of the Pharisees and other Jewish Doctors 3. By adding new and more spiritual Motives of Obedience to its former Obligations The words thus explain'd do afford us this Observation which I intend the subject of my present Discourse Observ An outward Profession of Religion without Obedience and amendment of Life is not sufficient to bring us to Heaven I shall give you these two Reasons for it First An outward Profession may be found R 1. in Hypocrites and Cast-aways such men as shall never come to Heaven Secondly An outward Profession of Religion R. 2. without Obedience and amendment of life is displeasing and abominable in the sight of God and therefore I argue à fortiori 't is not sufficient to bring us to Heaven The former Reason when put into Logick runs thus That which may be found in Hypocrites and Cast-aways such men as shall never come to Heaven is not sufficient to bring us to Heaven But an outward Profession of Religion without Obedience and amendment of life may be found in Hypocrites and Cast-aways such men as shall never come to Heaven Therefore 't is not sufficient to bring us to Heaven The Major Proposition stands upon this foundation That which gives us a Right and Title to Heaven must be something proper to the called and chosen of God something peculiar to his peculiar People Hence 't is that in Scripture we read of the faith of Gods Elect and amongst our Divines that we hear so often of these Distinctions Common and special Grace Gratia gratis data and gratia gratum faciens The Graces of Illumination and Sanctification The which latter being wrought by the blessed and powerful operation of the Holy Spirit of God after a most effectual but unconceivable manner regenerating and renewing seasoning and sanctifying the hearts of his Chosen though Hypocrisie may make such a semblance as that we who are oblig'd to the judgment of Charity may have probable inducements to perswade us that they are in such a man who hath nothing but their counterfeits yet the inward power and reality of them can never be found in any Hypocrite or Cast-away For such Persons being not united to Christ the Head of his Church cannot possibly have the truth of those spiritual Graces which do necessarily require such an union as the root and fountain from whence they must flow The right understanding of this is of great use in Divinity particularly for a true apprehension of our spiritual Estate and Condition and therefore before we proceed any farther I shall endeavour to make it as plain as I can Now since Spiritual Beings which are of a more abstracted nature are best known by reflecting upon things corporeal we cannot find a more easie way to understand this Spiritual union than by comparing it with the Union of the Body natural with which indeed it hath no small resemblance Every good Christian hath a twofold Life Natural and Spiritual And as his natural Life is twofold 1. Substantialis the Soul it self 2. Accidentalis the real Effects and Operations of it and in this sence it is that when we see a man stretched out in a swouning fainting fit without sense or motion we usually say The man is dead though his immediate recovery doth convince us that his Soul was still united to his Body So likewise his Spiritual life is 1. Substantialis and so the Spirit of Christ or Christ himself who is our Life Col. 3. 4. working in us by his Spirit is our vita Substantialis our essential Life the first Principle of all our Graces and Operations 2. Accidentalis and so Faith and all other Spiritual Graces are call'd our Life As therefore in Naturals unless the Soul be united to it the Body neither stirs nor moves neither sees nor hears nor walks nor performs any other Operation either of sense or motion so it is in Spirituals
mens Understandings or perverseness in their Wills that Apostolical Commission which was intended for the continuance as well as first planting of the Gospel will be still in force Go and teach all Nations When you have well consider'd this I hope you will more favourably receive those Reflections that follow I say it is not the regulated use of Preaching I inveigh against it is this superstitious doating upon Sermons I would willingly rectifie There is more of Popery in this practice would their prejudice but allow me the Reflection than the admired Proselytes of this fancy can easily apprehend 'T is no better whoever considers it than a perfect transcript of their Opus operatum For really these deluded People do talk at such a rate were it pertinent to recite their Discourses as if there were some secret Charm and hidden vertue in this constant hearing and repeating of Sermons whereby their Souls are secured and made impregnable against the Policy of Hell and the Powers of Darkness I cannot now stay to expostulate the Case with them yet I must crave leave to express my wonder that these People who are thus inspir'd with such a zeal for Sermons can yet be so cool and careless so perfectly unconcern'd for the Sacrament of the Lords Body Certainly it is as much our Duty there being as clear a Command for it as there is for Preaching and the Condition of our Souls doth as much nay more require it supposing a sound knowledge in Fundamentals than it doth the hearing of Sermons What is it therefore that makes this difference True Grace in the Heart it cannot be that you know is regular in its motions and hath an equal respect to all Gods Commands to one Duty as well as to another It must be acknowledg'd the infinite Patience and goodness of God that after all our multipli'd provocations he is yet ready to embrace us in the Arms of Love stretching out his hand all the day long intreating us to accept of Peace and Pardon which he is still ready to seal and confirm unto us in the Sacrament of his Blood And is this our requital of so glorious a Majesty thus scornfully to reject such gracious Invitations Do we thus consult our own happiness by neglecting the means of it Art thou sensible O sinner what it is thou dost when thou turn'st thy back upon the Sacred Elements If thou hast not lately consider'd it I 'le remind thee what it is When we present our selves before the Lords Table we do humbly make confession of our former breaches of his Covenant we do earnestly beg pardon for the sake of Jesus Christ the which pardon with much joy and comfort we expect to be now seal'd unto us by receiving the Sacred Elements we do faithfully promise to live better lives for the future and are now receiving strength Grace and the assistance of his holy Spirit to make good our engagements So that in short When the Table of the Lord is ready furnish'd and these Spiritual Dainties provided for you and yet you refuse to Communicate you do in effect thus reply to your Maker I am a Rebel and a Traytor and notwithstanding any Act of Pardon I will stand it out still I am filthy and I will be filthy still I am intemperate and I will be so still I am lustful and incontinent and I will be so still I am a covetous lying deceitful Person and I will be so still I have abus'd God's holy Name by cursing and swearing I have profan'd his Sabbaths and his Sacraments rejected the means of Grace and I will do so still I am proud censorious envious malicious hypocritical schismatical and I will be so still I will cast thy Counsel behind my Back I will hate to be reformed Certainly these are sad Resolutions and such as will not easily be answer'd in another world however men may think to avoid them in this I know indeed there are several Objections wherein men may hope to secure themselves The careless ignorant Person will tell you he is unprepar'd that he is fallen out with his Neighbour and is not in Charity There are others who scruple kneeling are afraid of Pollution by a mixt Communion Pitiful Fig-leaves these easily blown away did they not rather deserve especially in this Place a silent Pity than a serious Confutation Now to conclude the whole with some practical Inferences Is an outward Profession of Religion not sufficient to bring us to Heaven there is then 1. Conviction to all graceless prophane Persons Conviction who are so far from the power of Godliness that they have not so much as the form of it If the Hypocrite with all his Prayers and his Sermons and his zealous pretences for Reformation shall be thrown into Hell where shall the open sinner and ungodly appear If many of those that Prophesie in Christ's name and in his Name have cast out Devils and in his Name have done many wonderful works shall yet be sent packing with that doleful Protestation Depart from me I know you not ye workers of iniquity What may we then think of those that are so far from Prophesying in Christ's name that it is their business by Oaths and execrations daily to blaspheme it Who are so far from casting the Devil out of others that they give him a kindly welcome in their own hearts cherish and embrace all his wicked suggestions and as if they had sworn Allegiance to this Prince of Darkness by their sinful allurements do solicite his cause and make Proselytes for his Kingdom Secondly here is Direction for the trial of our 2. Direction Spiritual Estate and Condition even not to flatter our selves too much or be too jolly upon it though we find in our selves some shew of Godliness some zeal in the performance of outward Duties There 's no one part of practical Divinity of more comfortable use nor indeed any especially of late years more sadly abus'd than the Doctrine of Signs Marks and Characters of a state of Grace The great Benefit of this Doctrine whatever is insinuated to the contrary is easily establish'd by considering That our Souls are more precious than either Bodies or Estates As therefore according to the Principles of right Reason 't is the practice of mankind by the best methods we can to secure these outward concernments so doubtless 't is as highly rational to get as good evidence as the nature of the subject will permit that our Souls which are capable of the highest happiness or extreamest misery are in a secure Estate This Truth though necessary in the Doctrine is many times difficult and perplexing in the practice For though I do little doubt but by the mercy of God assurance of Salvation is attainable in this life and that without extraordinary Revelation at leastwise in such measure and degree as may sustain the Soul of an honest Christian with comfort and secure him from despair yet I do not
think it either so absolutely necessary or so free from fears and doubtings as some perhaps have imagin'd For even supposing it to be true which yet some are pleas'd to dispute that he who is ingrafted into Christ by a lively Faith and so is made a living branch of the true Vine shall bring forth fruit and his fruit shall remain shall be acted by his Grace here and reign with him in Glory hereafter yet since this Union betwixt Christ and the Soul however indissoluble is yet mystical and invisible and can no otherwise be prov'd than à posteriori from those Graces of his Spirit that flow from it and since these Graces even supposing them to be true and sincere and there are many counterfeits are yet but imperfect in this life and consequently the truth and sincerity of them is not always so manifest but that a man may be sometimes deceiv'd in his judgment concerning the same It hence unavoidably follows what betwixt the one and the other the imperfection of the thing and the difficulty of judging that the Assurance which is wholly grounded thereupon and can therefore have no more strength than they can give it must needs be subject to fears jealousies and doubtings It is not therefore to be wonder'd that a Doctrine thus difficult and obscure should through the Devils subtilty and the deceitfulness of our own hearts be deprav'd and abus'd The which abuse is twofold in Thesi and in Hypothesi In Thesi by collecting false Signs and Characters of a state of Grace In Hypothesi by a false application of those that are true The former is usually the fault of our Preachers the latter of the People The complaint would certainly be just if the Digression were not too large should I here occasionally discover what unsound Casuists Physicians of no value some of our late Reforming Divines have shew'd themselves to be Much of whose Temporizing Divinity as may easily appear to him that shall take the pains to examine it was evidently calculated for the Meridian of their own Party One eminent instance whereof is the subject now before us In opposition to which and to prevent mistakes I will give you this Conclusion That cannot be an infallible Mark of true Grace which may be found in an unregenerate and graceless Person It being you know inconsistent with a Propriety to be attributed to any but its own subject Hence I infer which is full and close to our purpose that to be a constant hearer of Sermons or to be able by the help of good natural parts to pray extempore are no such infallible Signs as some Persons have fanci'd since according to their own Writers if they dare believe themselves they are both of them consistent with an unregenerate state Dost thou therefore hear the Word of God with joy Dost thou pray frequently and that with fervor and earnestness Dost thou avoid grosser Sins with care Dost thou oppose against common Corruption with zeal These are indeed thy Duty and thou art to be commended for them these are comfortable Signs but yet no certain and infallible evidences of Grace For what is there in all this that an Hypocrite either hath not or might not do as the instances of Saul Ahab Jehu Herod with several others do evidently prove But here it may be demanded and it is a very profitable enquiry That since the Hypocrite may go thus far in the performance of Religious Duties how shall I be able to discern whether my Duties be sincere or hypocritical such as do proceed from a Principle of true Grace which God will accept or else from a Principle of mere nature which shall certainly be rejected I dare not now engage to give you a clear and satisfactory Resolution to this difficult Question a distinct methodical explication of so high a Point is very unsuitable for the Close of a Sermon But since it falls so naturally in my way that I cannot fairly avoid it I shall endeavour to prescribe some short yet I hope sound Direction what to do in this matter When we discourse about holy Duties there is one thing can never be found in the Hypocrite and therefore by the Rule of contraries 't is a good mark of sincerity 'T is the Universality of our Duties and Graces when we have an equal respect to all Gods Commandments Art thou therefore solicitous about thy eternal Estate as every good Christian ought to be Art thou desirous to be instructed whether thy Duties are perform'd in sincerity yea or no then consider the Universality of them 'T is a Rule amongst Physicians Universalia salutaria partialia ex morbo If Heat and Cold be moderate and constant equally diffus'd over all the Body 't is a good Sign of health but if a man be hot in one part and cold in another if the palms of his Hands burn and the soles of his Feet be cold 't is a shrew'd sign that all is not right but that some Disease is either bred or in breeding And thus it is in Spirituals Art thou brisk and forward in some Duties but as cool and careless in others Dost thou keep a noise and clamor about Preaching and Praying and in the interim canst allow thy self to live in a constant neglect of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Art thou earnest nay even boysterous in Prayer whilest in publick and with the society of others and yet canst be as dead as cool and as formal when in private none being present but God and thine own Soul none to admire thy zeal none to take notice of thy eminent improvements Art thou a mighty stickler for Preaching a great promoter and encourager of Sermons Dost thou even breath after a soul-searching a sin-reproving Ministery Art thou wondrous forward to hear other men told of their faults and yet art angry and impatient to be reminded of thine own Art thou enrag'd when the right string is touch'd when thy sweet beloved Sin is smartly reprov'd Canst thou then say or think that the Preacher might have chose a fitter Text or have handled it more prudently or the like One instance more Doth thy blood even rise when thou hearest another man swear an Oath and yet canst thou be contented at the same time to lie equivocate and cheat to impose upon thy poor innocent Brother who hath more Charity for thee than to think that a man who makes such a glorious Profession as thou dost can so conscientiously cozen him If it be thus and thus and thus with thee look to thy self thou art an arrant Hypocrite and without a serious Repentance art in a wretched Condition To Conclude If thou repentest of one Sin and yet persistest in another If thou obeyest one Commandment and yet breakest another If thou art zealous in one point and cool in another If thou hatest one vice but lovest another flatter not thy self too much thou hast reason to suspect all is not well within But on the contrary if thy Repentance thy Obedience thy performance of Duties thy Zeal thy hatred of Sin and other Graces be universal equally bent upon all Good equally set against all Evil it is a good Sign of the truth of Grace and that thou art no Hypocrite but a Child of God FINIS