Serm.L.XXI. Chrigian Life confider'd. 529 upon an Infirument ; far they hear thy words, but theydo them not. Mark 6, a.o. tt is Paid that Herodhad a great revenge for john the Baptift, that he obfervedhim, andheard him gladly ; but yet for all that, he continued the fame cruel and bad Man that he was before. And in the Parable of the Sower, Matth. 13. zo. there are one fort of ,Hearers mention'd, who, when they heard the word, received it with joy; but having no root in themfelves, they endured but fora while, andwhen Tri- bulation or Perfecution arifeth, becaufe of the Word, prefently they are, offended There are many Men who have fudden Motions in Religion, and are mightily ofeded for the preterit : but it mutt be a rooted and fixt Principle, that will en- dure and hold out againft great Difficulties and Oppofition. Alls 24. a,g. it is fait that when St. Paul reafonedofRighteoufnefs, andTemperance, and yudgment to come, Felix trembled; and nothing is more frequent, than, for Men to be migh- tily flartled at the Preaching ofthe Word, when their Judgments are .convinced . and born down, and their Confciences touched to the quick; a lively reprefenta- ìion of the Evil of Sin, and the infinite Danger of a finful Courfe, may ftir up the Paffions of Griefand Fear, and dart fuch flings into the Confciences of Men, is may make them extremely refilefs and unquiet, and work force good Thoughts and Inclinations in them ,towards a better Courfe; and yet like Metals, when the heat is over, that they may be harder for having been melted down. 4thly, Others thew great Striélnefs and Devotion in the worllip' of God, and this they hope will be accepted,and cannot fail to bringthem to Heaven: and yet force of theworft of Men have been very eminent for this. The Pharifees were the moft exail People in the world inmatter of external Ceremony and Devotion, and yet for all this, our Saviour plainly tells them, that they were fartherfrom the Kingdomof God than thofe who Teemed to be fartheft, than publicans and Harlots; and that becaufe they were fo very bad,under fogreat apretenceofDevotion,there= fore theyfhouldreceive thegreater Damnation. Not but that External Devotion is a,neceffary expreflion of Religion, and highly accepted to God, when it proceeds from a pious anddevout Mind, and when men arereally fuch in their Hearts and Lives, as their external Devotion reprefents them to be: But when the outward Garb of Religion is only Madea Cloak for Sin and Wickednefs, when there is nothing within to anfwer all the Shew that we fee without, nothing is more odious and abominable to God. Thefe are mere Engines and Puppits in Religion, all the Motions we fee without pro- ceeds from an artificial Contrivance, and not from any inward Principle of Life i and as no Creature is more ridiculous than an Ape, becaufe the Beaft makes force pretence to human Shape; fo nothing is more fulfome thanthis hypocritical Devotion, becaufe it looks likeReligion, but is the fartheft from it of any thing in the World. sthly, Others confidevery much in theirbeing Members oftheOnly true Church, in which alone Salvation is tobe had, and in the manifold Priviledges and Advan- tages which they have thereby above others, of getting to Heaven. Thus the 5tews confined Salvation to themfelves, and looked upon all the reft of the World as excluded from it. And not only fo but they believed that by one means or other every Ifraelite thould be faved. So that they were the 7ewifb Catholick Church, out of which there was no hope of Salvation for any. The fame Pretence is made by Tome Chriftians at this day, who engrofs Salva- tion to themfelves, and will allow none to go to Heaven out of the Communion of their Church ; and have fo ordered the matter, that hardly any that are in it can mifcarry. They are Members of an Infallible Church, which cannot polli- bly err in Matters of Faith, they have not only eat and drunk in Chrifl's prefènce, but have eat and drunk his very Corporal Prefence, the natural Subflance of his Flefh and Blood ; they have not only our bleffed Saviour, but innumerable other Interceflors in Heaven ; they have not only their own Merits to plead for them, but in cafe they be defective, they may. have the Merits of others a(ììgned and made over to them, out of the infinite Stock and Treafure of theChurch, upon thigh they may challenge Eternal Life, as of right and due belonging to them ; y y and
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