140 S ER M O N S upon the S E R M. XVII. Carnal men are often defcribed by their Omiflions, to be without God, Eph. 3. 12. Pfal. to. 3, 4. The wicked through throride of their heart will not Peek after God ; God is not in all their thoughts: Jer. 2. 32. None ffirreth up himfelf to reek after God: And, (a.) Partly becaufe thefe are molt apt to harden us more : Foul fins fcourge the Confcience with remorfe and fhame, but theft bring on infenfibly fleightnefs and hardnefs of heart ; and therefore Chrift faith, Publicans and Harlots /hall enter into the Kingdom of God before Pharifees that reflect in a fuperfrcial Righteoufnefs, but neglelted Faith, Love and ud ment, Math. 21. 30. And, (3.) Partly becaufe Omions make way for Commi ion of evil, Pfal. 14. 4. They that called not upon God, eat up his People like Bread : They lye open to grofs fins, that do not keep the heart tender by a daily attendance upon God. If a man do not that which is good, he will foon do that which is evil, Yoh. 2. 53. Oh then let us bewail our unprofitablenefs, that we do no more good, that we do fo much negle& God, and no more edifie our neighbour, fo that Gods belt gifts lie idle upon our hands. Fifthly, The firfl and main evil of fin was in the Omifion : Jer. 2. 13. My people have forfaken- me the Fountain of living waters : Jam. I. x4. Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own tuft, and inticed. Firft inticed from God, and then drawn away to. fin, therefore the work of Grace is to teach as to deny, ungod- linefs and worldly infls, Tit. 2. 12. By Ungodlinefs is meant, not denying God, but negle&ing God ; there our chief milchief began : for when we do not look upon God as our chief good, then we feek Happmefs in the Creature. V S E. To (hew that if the unprofitable Servant be cart into Hell, what will become of them that live in open fins, that b1d defiance to God ? 2. To condemn the 'unprofitable lives of many ; they live as if they had only their Souls for Salt to keep their Bodies from ftinking ; Cumber the ground, Luk. 53. 7. Do not good in their Relations, are neither comfortable to the Bodies nor Souls of others : Certainly how mean and low foever you be in the world, you may be ufeful ; Dorcas made Coats for the poor : Servants may adorn the Gofpel, Tit. 2. so. 3. If fins. of Omion be fo dangerous, we may cry out with - David, Pfal. r9. Who eau anderfand his Errours? The Children of God offend in theft kind of fins, oftener than in the other kind ; they are not guilty of Drunkennefs, or Unclean- nefs, but of Omiffron of good Duties, or fleight performance of them : Paul complaineth, Rom. 7. x8, 19. For I know that in me, that is, in my fefh there dwell - eth no good thing; for to will is prefent with ma, but how to _perform that which is good, I find not ; for the good that I would, I do not : And fhould not you com- plain likewife? A Child is not counted dutiful becaufe he doth not wrong and beat his Father, he muff alfo give him that Reverence that is due to him. Alas, how many Duties are required of us to God and Men, the negle& of which we fhould humble our felves before God for ? SERMON
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