20 SERMONS uponthe SERM.III. Lord faith of the Church of Sardis, Rev. 3. 1. 7hou haft a Name that thou lively, and art dead. Do not reft in this, that you have a Name to live ; God judgeth not as man. judgeth : Man judgeth according ter outward appearance, but God judgeth ac- cording to the reality of the thing. Many have the Name without the Thing. Ifa. 48. 2. For they 'call themfelves of the holy City, and flay themfelves upon the Gad of If- rael: That is, they.get themfelves a Name, to be his People ; but they have not the Thing its felf. On the other fide, we read of fome, that are Ifraelttes indeed, yohn I. 47. Some areonly fo in the fhew and outfide, and fome are Difeiples in- deed, gob. 8. 31. fo in reality ; others are fo in pretence only. There is no true ground of folid Comfort but in this, in being real Difciples : fo yoh. 8.37. we read of force that were free indeed. The yews had the Name of free men, but were not free indeed ; flood upon their Liberty, they were in bondage to no man. Some are Religious indeed, humble indeed, fear God indeed : when a man hath gotten the Thing, he may referre himfelf to God for the Name. a. Do not ref? in a common work of Grace. Look,. as in the Beafts there is fome little tinaure of Reafon ; fo in Temporaries there is fomething that looks like Paving Grace, but is not ; fomething that refembles it, and looketh mofe like it ; yet 'tis but the fhadow of Grace, not true Grace it Pelf. Hiftorical Faith is the íhadow of true laving .Faith. There are force outward Lineamentsof Repentance, in Ababs Humiliation, and yudas his Compunaion ; of fpiritual Affe&ion in Herod's delight in yohn and the /foray ground received the Word with joy : And force Phew of Refor- mation there was in thofe that efcaped the pollutions of the world. Therefore if you reft here, without a powerful! and inward affeaing of the whole Heart, you may come fhort of glory. The Grace of Temporaries is good in its kind, but muft not be refted in : 'Tis good in its kind, 'tis like priming the Poft, to make it recep- tive of other colours ; 'tis an inchoate, imperfeft thing. They are affefed almoft with the fame feeling the Godly are, come very near. How nice a point is that wherein the Temporary and the real Chriftian differ ! Both pray with forrow, !rear with joy, perform duties with fore enlargement and fweetnefs : Simili fere fenfu afficiuntur : Yet as two Hills may feem very near at the top, when their bottoms are far diftant one from another ; fo there Operations may feem near together, when in the bottom and root they much differ. . There motions argue Gods Spirit working on them, not dwelling in them ; aáuated they are with the Spirit of Chrift affrfting, but not reforming ; as an Angel fometimes appears in an affumed Body. But 'tis dangerous to reft in this, it maketh our fin and Judgement the greater, if after a mite we reft in a common work. Hiftorical Faith, if not growing into a Caving found Faith, 'tis a kind of mocking of God, and an Hypocrites portion. As for in- fiance : We profefs to believe him Omnifcient, yet fear not to fin in his prefence ; Omnipotent, yet cannot depend upon his Alfufficiency ; to believe a day of Judge- ment, yet make no preparation for our Account. Tit. 1. 16. Mens fins and Judge- ments are aggravated according to the fente they have had of Religion, and fo their latter end may be werfe than their beginning, 2 Pet. 2. zo. And fad it will be for thofe that from hopeful! beginnings fall off from God. I will tell you, a man may live and die with a temporary Faith and Affeaions to God and Holinefs, without making any vifible Apoftafe, and yet have no found Faith of the right Conftitution : Yea, if you regard what little rooting Grace hath in mens hearts, how weak, their Pulf beateth thisway, how ftrong their Affe&ions are to the World and the things there- of, how little they can vanquifh the cares and fears of this world, and the tempta- tions that arife from voluptuous living ; 'tis to be feared the far greateft part of Chriftians are but Temporaries. 3. Oh then f be fure to get this truth of Grace into your Hearts; let your Hearts be effeEtuallyy fubdued to God, let there be a Principle of Life Pet up in them: Re- ligion refpeas our Principles as well as our Performances: 2 Tim. r. S. The end of the Commandment is Charity, out of a pure Heart, and a good Confcience, and Faith un- feigned. There mutt be a renewed Heart as the fountain, a well informed Confci- ence as our guide, and Faith unfeigned as our great encouragement': And fo all a&s of Charity to God and men, are accepted with God as a piece of Obedience done to him. If we will not regard the Manner, God will not regard the Matter. Oh then get this renewed Heart, and a lively Faith, and an awakened Confcience This is to get oyl into your Yefels, and if once you get this, it will never fail, but increafe exceedingly, like the Sareptan's OY1. But
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