and only by this way we must be saved if ever we come to Heaven Another Foundation can no Man lay He that believeth not shall be damned Let him be what he will Righteous or Wicked 't is a great Error to think that Christ's Merits make our Services or Performances meritorious though 〈◊〉 are accepted thereby when they flow from Faith yet not as the Spring or procuring Cause of our Justification To close with this let me add one thing further which shews the Danger these Persons are in This Errour is a capital One 't is to err in a main Fundamental of Religion and therefore Heresy a damnable Principle And hence the Apostle calls it a subverting the Souls of such who receive it And it was also from hence God gave the Jews up to Judicial Blindness i. e. because they went about to establish their own Righteousness and did not submit to the Righteousness of God According as it is written God hath given them the Spirit of Slumber Eyes that they should not see and Ears that they should not hear That must needs be a dangerous Evil that provokes the Holy God thus to leave and give up a Person to blindness of Mind and final Impenitency for such must needs perish of necessity Therefore in the last place it follows that the state of these People is worse than it was when they were no Professors of Religion at all but were openly wicked and prophane Sinners these unclean Spirits are worse than the first And from hence let all take heed how they mix Law and Gospel together in the case of Justification If by Grace then is it no more of Works otherwise Grace is no Grace But if it be of Works then it is no more Grace otherwise Work is no more Work There is no mixing of the Merits of good Works and the free Grace of God together but one of these doth exclude and destroy the Nature of the other for if Election and Justification were partly of Grace and partly of or from foreseen Works then Grace is no Grace and Works no Works For whatsoever proceedeth of Grace as one observes that cometh freely and not of Debt but whatsoever cometh by Merits or Works that cometh by Debt But now Debt and free Grace or that which is free and absolutely by Grace and that by desert are quite contrary things therefore to say Men are Called and Justified partly by Grace and partly by Works or by whatsoever is done by the Creature this were to put such things together that cannot agree for 't is to make Merit no Merit Debt no Debt Works no Works Grace no Grace and so affirm and deny one and the same thing Therefore how absurd a thing is it for Men to mix the Law and Gospel together in this sense or make that which is the Creature 's Act or Work a procuring Cause of acceptance and Justification in God's sight seeing it utterly destroys the nature of Grace and so consequently the glorious Design of God's eternal Purpose in Jesus Christ and that blessed Covenant of his confirmed by the Mediator thereof Where the Creature is wholly abased and the free Grace of God alone exalted Man is not a co-worker or co-partner with God therefore those Principles that have a natural tendency so to do ought to be abominated by all good Christians But it is objected That we are said to be justified by Faith and also that Repentance is required as a Condition of Salvation c. 1. I answer Some put Faith in the room and place of perfect Obedience to the Law and that Faith which they speak of they affirm is the sole Act of the Creature But this certainly is a grand Errour for it would make our Justification to be still by Works and so destroy the Nature of God's free Grace for that which is the Creature 's Act is all one with the Creature 's Work 't is but to change one Work of the Creature to another from an external Work of the Life to an internal Work of the Heart For as Mr. Cary well observes 'T is Christ's perfect Righteousness and Obedience only which is put into the room and place of ours to justify and save us and his Sufferings take away the Curse which our Disobedience brought upon us Faith therefore is only the instrumental Cause of our Justification 't is only as an Instrument or Way of our receiving and applying the Righteousness of Christ if it justifies as a Condition of the New Covenant as Works were required under the Old and as that act or work injoined on our part to be done by us as Antecedent to the benefit of the Promise that would make our Act or Work the formal Cause of our Justification and so render the Terms of the New-Covenant much of the same Nature with the Old Faith is not our Righteousness in it self as a Work but in relation to Christ the Object of it or as an Act of receiving and applying his Righteousness and Merits as Eating nourisheth though it be the Meat that doth it in this sense Him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly his Faith is counted for Righteousness And now whereas the Apostle James speaks of Works justifying and not Faith only Jam. 2. 24. it is easy to be comprehended and the great Apostle of the Gentiles and he reconciled Paul speaks of the Cause of our Justification before God and James of the Signs of our Justification before Men or shews how our good Works justify our Faith The one speaks of the Imputation of Righteousness the other of the Declaration of our Righteousness or one speaks of the Office of Faith the other of the Quality of Faith the one speaks of the Justification of the Person the other of the Faith of that Person the one speaks of Abraham to be justified the other of Abraham already justified Moreover 2. That Faith by which we are said to be justified is as much the Free-Gift of God's Grace to us as Christ is the Free-Gift of his Grace for us and hence Faith is called the Gift of God Eph. 2. 8 9. and also a Fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. And as it is a Grace wrought in us so also such a Grace that was promised to us as part of Christ's Purchase To you it is given saith the Apostle in the behalf of Christ not only to believe but also to suffer for his sake that is it is given freely of God's meer Grace yet upon the account of Christ's Merits and Mediation Their believing in Christ was not in their own Power No Man can come to me that is believe in me except it were given unto him of my Father And all that the Father hath given to me shall come unto me that is believe on me And again No Man can come unto me except the Father which sent me draw him
THE Counterfeit Christian OR The Danger of Hypocrisy Opened in TWO SERMONS Containing an EXPOSITION of that Parabolical Speech of our Blessed Saviour Matth. xii 43 44 45. When the Unclean Spirit is gone out of a Man c. By BENJAMIN KEACH Author of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pastor of the Church of Christ meeting on Horsly-down in Southwark Ezek. 33. 31. And they come unto thee as the People cometh and they sit before thee as my People and they hear thy Words but they will not do them for with their Mouth they shew much Love but their Heart goeth after their Covetousness Mat. 23. 25. Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites 2 Pet. 2. 21. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of Righteousness c. London printed and are sold by John Pike at the upper end of Bread-street just by Cheap-side and by the Author at his House near Horslydown in Southwark 1691. Price stitch'd 6d To the Reader IT is more than a Year since I began a Morning-Exercise on the Lord's-Day at seven a Clock when I entred upon an Exposition of all the Parables and express Similitudes contained in the four Evangelists according to the measure of Light and Knowledge received though by reason of a Journey into the Country it has not been continued The Explication of this Parabolical Speech of our Saviour I have been prevailed with to make publick And if this meets with Acceptance I may in a short time publish Proposals for printing the whole which in regard of the greatness of the Charge cannot be done but by Subscriptions And though I must confess my Ability to perform so great a Work to be much inferiour to many others yet by God's Assistance I shall do what I can And the Consideration of the kind Acceptance my other Labours have had amongst God's People has caused me to take the more pains God having blessed the Writings of divers of his Servants to the Conversion of many Souls and Comfort of others yet if I have not sufficient encouragement from Christian Friends I must desist this great Essay Reader The second Sermon I have much enlarged scarcely half of it was delivered when preach'd thinking to have preached a third time upon the Text but was prevented by laying down that Lecture for the Reason afore-mentioned Neither have I been so large on other Parables already opened nor intend to be on those I purpose to explain so that the first Sermon is rather a proper Specimen of the whole Work than the second As touching some part of this dark Parabolical Saying of our Saviour I may differ in my Conceptions 't is probable from divers Men 〈…〉 inclined 't is like to believe that the Man or Men here mentioned are such only that Satan overcomes after they have made a profession of Religion with the same scandalous Sins and so they turn with the Dog to their old Vomit I grant this may be true in respect of some of them yet I do not believe the Lord Jesus intends to shew hereby they do all after manner fall from their 〈◊〉 Religion and Profession 'T is evident to me he applies it to the Pharisees and other People of that Generation but many of them never became openly Prophane yet was their State worse by many degrees than whilst they abode under the Power of gross and scandalous Sins and died in their Vnbelief and Hypocrisy which 't is to be feared many now do If the Scope of the 〈◊〉 be considered That our blessed Saviour designed by this Parable to see 〈◊〉 the State of the Pharisees is evident as may be seen if you begin at the 24th Verse of the Chapter where they charged him with casting out Devils by Bâ—â—lzebub the Prince of the Devils From whence his 〈◊〉 an occasion to set forth the sadness of their Conditions 〈…〉 Zeal and outward Sanctity shewing 〈◊〉 Vers 33 34 35. that their Hearts were not made good but like an Evil and corrupt Tree Then soon after follows these words When the Unclean Spirit is gone out of a Man c. Reader I shall not trouble thee further what Weakness thou findest in these Sermons I hope Chairty will 〈◊〉 it If any Profit thou shalt receive thereby bless God and be 〈…〉 of resting in a Form of Religion being not brought into 〈◊〉 Union with Jesus Christ nor under the Power of true 〈…〉 let me have a part in thy Prayers who is 〈…〉 them being attended with many Troubles and 〈…〉 but doubt not but God will make them all work together for good and will at last I hope through his infinite Grace bring to his quiet peaceable and everlasting Rest His poor Servant thy unworthy Friend and Brother in the Gospel BENJ. KEACH From my House near Horsly-down this 27th of the 3 d Month called May 1691. ERRATA PAge 33. line 28. for Pride read Proud c. l. 34. for regulate r. regular l. 35. blot out by P. 35. l. last f. they r. we and f. thereby r. there â—â— The Counterfeit Christian OR The Danger of Hypocrisy CONTAINING An Exposition of that Parabolical Speech of our Saviour Mat. 12. 43 44 45. SERMON I. When the unclean Spirit is gone out of a Man he walketh through dry places seeking Rest and finding none Ver. 43. Then he saith I will return into my House from whence I came out and when he is come he findeth it empty swept and garnished Ver. 44. Then goeth he and taketh with him seven other Spirits more wicked than himself and enter in and dwell there and the last State of that Man is worse than the first Ver. 45. THIS place of Holy Scripture is generally acknowledged to be hard to be understood most Expositers and Annotators I have met with say but little to it Some call it a Parable and others a parabolical Speech or a Similitude By the Scope and Coherence of the place it is evident our Saviour setteth forth by it the direful State and Condition of the Scribes and Pharisees and other People of the Jews who boasted of their external Holiness or seeming Sanctity they being not prophane or notorious Sinners or as they themselves foolishly said Not Extortioners unjust or Adulterers like as the Publicans were Luke 18. 11. Yet the Lord Jesus sheweth by this Parable how they were deceived for though they were delivered from that prophane and debauched unclean Spirit yet was their State worse than the State of gross and wicked Sinners which is signified by the entering into them seven other unclean Spirits worse or more wicked than the first that were gone out of them That the Words may be applied to them and other People of that Generation is evident from the sequel of ver 45. Even so shall it be with the People of this froward Generation Yet no doubt our blessed Saviour in this place may have Reference to a Man in the like State or as Beza
necessity of Faith and Regeneration These are not only averse to all humane Innovations and Traditions of Men and so contend for God's Holy Institutions in respect of his visible Worship as I told you before but seem to be inlightned very much into that internal Work of God's Grace upon the Soul c. but never come themselves under those saving Operations of the Spirit but rest in the Speculative Knowledg of those Mysteries and are meer empty and formal Persons and Strangers to that Divine Life and sacred Change of which they speak and yet possibly may not be throughly convinced of that deceit and delusion they are under but may hope all is well with them but since they are not savingly renewed but only reformed having not Jesus Christ dwelling in their Hearts nor the Power of the Holy Ghost to enable and influence their Souls in the performance of their Duties and in mortification of their Sins and Corruptions they are frequently overcome by Satan and horrid Evils prevail and predominate in them by which means they bring great reproach upon Religion and all those who do profess it hence the Apostle calls this sort the Enemies of the Cross of Christ Phil. 3. 18. and this further aggravates their Sin and Misery for whilst openly prophane and not pretending to Religion and Godliness they could not injure the Name of God nor expose the Gospel and Professors thereof to that scorn and reproach as now they do Sinners openly wicked though notorious and vile Enemies to God yet the hurt and wrong they do is especially to their own Souls but these by their carnal earthly Prâ—â—â— loose and formal walking hinder the promulgation of the Gospel and Conversion of the Souls of Men besides their weakning the Hands and grieving the Hearts of the truly Godly Moreover they also pollute and defile too often the Church of Jesus Christ and bring great trouble upon the same Hence there is in most Congregations who keep up a strict and regular Discipline 〈◊〉 so much church-Church-work which makes the Communion of the Saints the more uncomfortable to them for though it cannot be denied but sincere Persons may fall under Sin and Temptation and so all the trouble of Churches and Reproach that falls upon Religion doth not arise from these counterfeit Christians or formal Professors yet doubtless the chiefest part of them do It is said Offences will come but wo to them by whom the Offence comes From all which considerations their state seems worse in many degrees than before Sixthly The wicked Spirit or abominable Sin that some of these Mens Souls are also possessed with is Legality And though this clearly appears by what I have already said yet I shall speak a little more fully and distinctly unto it All that these Persons do and perform is in a legal Spirit and that I may shew you what I mean by Legality in short it is this i. e. They act and do for Life look upon themselves to be under a conditional Covenant and whilst they live up to that Law or Rule which they judg they are bound to observe and keep in order to Justification they have Peace rendring the Gospel and Covenant of Grace by their false Apprehensions of it no better than a legal Ministration or conditional Covenant as was hinted before in respect of another sort of Men For like as the Jews of old acted in a legal Spirit and sought to be justified by the Works of the Law so these perform all their Services and Duties in the same Spirit viz. not from Life or a Divine Principle of Saving-Faith but for Life To keep the Commandments of God and live religiously is absolutely necessary But then this must be done from a renewed Nature and flows from Faith it being the proper Effect or Fruit thereof but to strive to live a sober and holy Life and obey God's Precepts and rest upon their so doing and look to be accepted with God and justified thereby is that which too many of this sort of People do and this is to act in a legal Spirit Possibly a Man may say I know I cannot perfectly keep the Law but I will do by the help of God what I can and wherein I through weakness do transgress the Lord is merciful and I trust will forgive me But let me remember what God saith viz. That he will in no wise clear the Guilty Moreover what the Law saith it saith to them that are under the Law that all Mouths may be stopped and the whole World become guilty before God 'T is evident as God will not forgive an impenitent Person so he will not forgive the Penitent except they believe in Jesus Christ 'T is not for the sake or worth of Repentance that God forgives any Man the Penitent as well as the Impenitent are guilty all have broke the Law all are under Sin and Wrath Repentance will not do a holy Life will not do Prayer and hearing Sermons will not do By the Deeds of the Law and by any thing we can do no Flesh shall be justified If Men believe not on Christ let them be what they will Professors or Prophane they shall die in their Sins God pardons no Sinner as a simple Act of his Mercy without a respect had to the Satisfaction Christ hath made to his offended Justice by his Death And hence it is that the Apostle saith All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God being justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood to declare his Righteousness for the remission of Sins that are past through the forbearance of God Therefore God doth not accept of our Obedience in keeping the Precepts either of the Old or New Testament and forgive all our Deviations as a meer Act of his Mercy for if this way Righteousness and Justification were attainable 't is evident Christ died in vain as I said before for could not God have done this if Christ had never come to shed his precious Blood I remember some Years ago I heard of a Man who lying on his Death-bed when a Godly Person desired him to look out for a Christ answered He had lived a godly Life all along and why said he do you tell me of a Christ or to that effect He thought 't is evident none needed a Christ but prophane Persons and I fear many are of his Mind tho they express it not as he did with their Tongues But possibly some may say We do not think that our Righteousness justifies us any otherwise than through Christ ' s Merits To which I answer 'T is not throug our personal Righteousness though joined or coupled with Christ's Merits that we are justified but through the personal Righteousness of Christ alone and the Merits of his Blood received by Faith 't is in this way
it would or might carry them away to all horrid Words and Blasphemy And then presently after brings in this parabolical Speech When the unclean Spirit is gone out of a Man c. 'T is not a speaking of hard words against Christ and the Holy Ghost but a speaking them as the Pharisees did out of spite designing to destroy him and render him odious This is dangerous 1. 'T is a sinning wilfully after a Person has received much knowledg it is a Sin knowingly committed against the operations of the Holy Spirit casting contempt or highest reproach upon Christ and the Holy Ghost contrary to the rational Convictions of their own Consciences 2. There is also it appears Malice against Christ and his Spirit in the Hearts of those Men who are guilty of it they are said to do despite to the Spirit of Grace they desert the Assemblies where he manifesteth his Gifts and Graces they reject him viz. the Holy Spirit with them and treat as one observes his Gifts and Motions as if they were mere Delusions and Impostures of an evil Spirit and this is done wilfully out of Malice to Christ his People and Religion 3. Also doubtless Apostacy is another ingredient thereof in some they fall away c. they utterly disown that Religion they have professed 4. Final Impenitency appertaineth to it likewise for what Sins we truly repent of we shall be forgiven But of these 't is said 'T is impossible to renew them again to Repentance because God is withdrawn from them and hath left them for ever so that no Means used can do them any good As God will not renew them again so none else can do it they sin therefore without remorse of Conscience after they have made shipwrack of Faith and that seeming good Conscience they once had for Paul intimated he had a good Conscience before he was converted or whilst a Pharisee Act. 23. 1. But those who are unsound at Heart who do not fall away from their seeming Holiliness and profession of Religion and so die not in Apostacy yet if they never come to be savingly wrought upon or to pass under a Divine Change they all nevertheless perish in Hypocrisy so that every way their State and the State of all of them is and will be at the last miserable And from the whole we may note That the State of the Self-righteous and Pharisaical Persons is far worse than the State of gross and prophane Sinners These are sick and know it not wounded but see no need of a Physician Sinners but see no want of a Christ They may conclude they are converted and therefore seek not after Conversion We always think his State is sad who though mortally wounded yet feels no pain Some Sinners are said to be past feeling their Enemy is hid in them they think he is gone when 't is no such thing for he another way has faster hold of them than ever 'T is a hard and difficult thing to bring a Pharisaical Person one that looks upon himself to be a religious Man to see his woful State and Condition Men may be civilized and make a great Profession of Religion and go for Saints on Earth that are not such in the sight of God in Heaven We may also from hence infer 'T is a most dangerous thing to make a Profession of Religion without true Regeneration be first wrought in the Soul better be no Professors at all than not so as to be sincere Hypocrisy is a most cursed and dangerous Sin these Persons Satan hath commonly the strongest hold of of all others The State of sincere Christians is happy though Satan doth attempt to get into them and destroy them yet he cannot do it there is no abiding for him he may foil them but cannot give them a final fall though they fall they shall rise again Satan cannot be said to be quite thrown out of that Man's Heart where the true Grace of God is not implanted nor the Soul renewed None but the Lord Jesus who is stronger than Satan can bind this strong Man armed and set the Soul at liberty Where the Heart is not changed Satan can return in one way or another at his pleasure he takes them captive at his Will Mortality or all external Gifts and common Graces though it may seem to sweep the House yet is the House empty and all is but like a vain Shew or Garnish all Reformation is nothing without Regeneration APPLICATION This may inform us of the Cause and Reason there is so great Reproach brought upon Religion and on the Ways of God and on the People of God by some who profess the Gospel Alas many of them who are called Saints we may justly fear are but counterfeit Christians such who never experienced a true Work of Grace they may have knowing Heads but unsanctified Hearts And from hence it is there are so many proud Persons in many Congregations who with brazen Foreheads will brave it out with impudent Faces in the presence of Christ's faithful Ministers and though reproved and told of their cursed Pride and abominable Dresses high and shameful Towers hateful to God and good Men yet reform not will not deny themselves of their filthy Lusts tho the Name of God and Religion is exposed to great Reproach and Contempt thereby and the Hearts of sincere Christians wounded and mourn for it bitterly before the Lord. If they had but a spark of true Grace could they ever stand it out thus against the Gun-shot of Heaven How fearless do they seem under the ratling Peals of the Thunder of Heaven They regard not the whetted Sword of the Almighty nor the bending of his dreadful Bow nor mind the Arrows that are just upon the String who is ready to send forth his Anger with Fury and his Rebukes in Flames of Fire Moreover from hence it is also there are so many covetous earthly and hard-hearted Professors and Members in Churches Alas you may tell them of this abominable Sin a thousand times over and all to no purpose their Hearts 't is to be feared are set upon their Covetousness they love the World more than the Word nay more than God or Jesus Christ and yet under a Cloak of Religion shelter themselves as if all was well and they good Christians And because they covet no Man's Goods but their own and so are not guilty of Theft they conclude they are not chargeable with this Sin of Covetousness though Christ's poor Members are not regarded the Naked are not clothed nor the Hungry fed nor the Sick visited They will give something 't is true but not according to the Need and Necessity of the Poor nor according to their Ability nor is it out of Love to Christ nor to his poor Saints neither they give what they do give may be to free themselves from Reproach or to quiet their own Consciences