Sean. LXX. ' ChOian Lije confider.q. tion and hope ; when they !hall find themfelves call out of Heaven, who they thought had out-done all others in Religion, and were the only Members of the true Church, and the Children andHeirs of the Kingdom ; and thatl fee others, whom they thought to be out of the Pale of the true Church, and excluded from all terms of Salvation, come from all Quarters, and find free Admidion into Hea- ven ; and (hall find themfelves fo grofly and widely miflaken, that thole very Per- fons, whom they thought to be lag, and of all others farthefl from Salvation, íhall be firft ; and they themfelves, whom they took for theChileiren of the King- dom, and fuch as íhould be admitted into Heaven in the firft place, !hall be re- jected and call out. So that by feeking to enter,we may underfland all thofe things which Men may do in Religionupon which they íhall pretend to.lay claim to Heaven, nay and confidently hope to obtain it ; and yet than be thamefully difappointed, and fall íhort of it. Whatever Men think, and believe, and do in Religion, what Privi- leges foever Men pretend, what Ways and Means foever Men endeavour to ap- peale the Deity, and to recommend themfelves to the Divine Favour and Accep- tance, all this is but feeking to enter in, and is not that /!riving which our Savi- our requires. If Men do not do the will of God, but are workers of Iniquity, it will all fignify nothing to the obtainingof Eternal Happinefs. Our Saviour here inflanceth in Mens Profeflion of his Religion, calling him Lord, Lord ; in their perfonal Familiarity and Converfation with him, by eating anddrinking in his Pretence and Company ; in their havingheard him preach the Do&rine of Life and Salvation, Thou haft taught in our fireets ; in their having prophefied, and wrought great Miracles in his Name and by his Power, Have we notprophefied in thy Name ? and in thy Name call out devils ? and in thy Name done many wonderful works ? Thefe were great and glorious Things which they boafled of ; and yet nothing of all this will do, if Men do not the Will of God ; notwith- (landing all this, he will fay unto them, I know ye not whenceye are, depart from me, ye workers of Iniquity. And by a plain Parityof Reafon, whatever elfe Men do in Religion, what At- tempts foever Men may make to get to Heaven, upon what Privileges or Pre- tences foever they may lay claim to eternal Life, they will certainly tall ilhort of it, if they do not the will of God,' but are workers of Iniquity. My bufinefs there< fore at this time í11a11 be, to difcover the feveral falfe Claims and Pretences which Menmay make to Heaven, and yet (hall never enter into it. And to this purpole I ¡hall inflance in feveral Particulars, by one or more of which, Men commonly delude themfelves, and are to entertain vain and ill grounded hopes of eternal Salvation. aft, Some truft to the external Prof-di-ion of the true Religion. adly, Others have attained to a good degree of Knowledge in Religion, and they rely much upon that. idly, There are others that find themfelves much affe ted with the Word of God, and the Doltrines contained in it. 4thly, Others are very flrift and devout in the external Wor(hip of God. sthly, Others confide much in their being Members of the only true Church, in which alone Salvation is to be had, and in the manifold Privileges and Ad- vantages which therein they have above others of getting to Heaven. 6thly, Others think their great Zeal for God and his true Religion, will cer- tainly facto them. 7thly, Others go a greatway in the real Practice of Religion. 8thly, Others rely much upon the Sincerity of their Repentance and Conver- fion, whereby theyare put into a Rate ofGrace, and become the Children of God, and Heirs of everlaflingLife ; and being once truly fo, they can never fall from that State, fo as finally to mifcarry. La/fly, Others venture all upon a Death -bed Repentance, and their Importuni- ty With God to receive them to Mercy at the lafl. I ilia!! briefly, go over thefe particulars, which are the feveral ways whereby Men feek to'enter into Heaven, and hope to get thither at laft ; and !hall thew thw 527 1 MO
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