Serm;CLI. _._ the Power of Gödlinefs. tion. God who is a Spirit, mull be worfhip'd with our Spirits. He experts from reafonable Creatures a reafonable Service, and that Service only is reafonable, which is didated, by our underftandings, and accompanied with our hearts and affe&ions : alnd 'to worfhip him otherwife, is to offer a Sacrifice without a heart, it is to offer the lame and the blind in facrifice, which would be an affront to our governour, much more to the great Kingof the world. Whatever we do in the Service. ofGod; we-muff do it heartily as to the Lord, becaufe he is the fearcher ofhearts, and all things'are open, and naked to the eyes of hint, with whomwe have to do. II. He hath only a Form of Godlinefs, that ufeth only- the means of Religion, without regard to the end and effect ofthem.. AMan may exercife his underftand- ing in the Service of God, and his heart may be touched, and his Affeftions mo- ved in Prayer, andat the hearing of God's Word, and the receiving of the Sacra- ment, and yet this may be but a Form ofReligion, if it go no farther. Ifwe do not forfake thofe fins we confefs to God, and daily beg the pardon of ; ifwe do not truly and heartily endeavour that we may live godly and righteous and fober lives, as well as pray that we may do fo; ifthe Counfels and Dire&ions of God's Word have not an influence upon our lives ; if webe nor awed by the threatnings ofit to leave our fins, and encouraged by the promifes of it to cleanfe ourfelves from all filthinefs of flefh and fpirit, and to perfèíi holinefs in the fear of God ; we ufe the Means of Religion to no purpofe, and we difcredit the Inflitutions of God, becaufe we make no proficiency under them. We are juft like the Difciples of thofe formal Profeffòrs of Religion, whom the Apoftle defcribes after the Text, who are ever learning : But never able to corn to the knowledge of the truth. It feems they ufed the means of InfiruCtion, and continued to ufe them, they were ever learning; but all this while they were under the dominionoffin, and thepower of their tufts ; they were laden with fin, and led away with divers lulls, and fo they never attain'd to that which the Apoftle calls the knowledge of the truth, that is, fuch a knowledge of the Doctrine of Chrift, as is accompanied with a fuitable praftice, according to that of our Saviour, yob. 8.3 t. Ifye continue in my word, that is, if ye pra&ice my Doltrine, then are ye my difciples indeed, andye_Pall know the truth, and the truthfhall makeyou free. Then men come to the knowledge of the truth, when it frees them from the flavery of fin. If our knowledge have not this eflelt, it fignifies nothing, and does not deferve the name of knowledge, becaufe we know nothing in Religion as we ought toknow. t John 2. 2, 3. fpeaking of the knowledge of Chrift, Hereby do we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He thatfaith he knows him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a bur, and the truth is not in him. III. He hath only a Form of Religion, who is grofly and knowingly defective in the praftice of any part of it. And this fort of Perfons are thofe, whom the Apoftle particularly intended here in the Text. For fuch were theywhom he def- cribes by this Character, that they had a form of Godlinefs, but denied the power of it. Under thegarb of Religion which they had put on, they were grofly faulty in their lives and praftice, and mainly defe&ive in many of the effential duties of Chriftianity ; they were felfifh and covetous, vain-glorious and defpifers ofothers, calumniators and flanderers, undutiful to their Superiours, and unthankful to thofe that had obliged them, fierce and ill-natur'd, treacherous and falfe to their word, perfecutors of thofe that were good, filthy and fenfual ; not that every one ofthem had all thefe Vices, they are fo many and grofs, that no cloak of Religion could have cover'd them; but the Apoftle means that among thofe that made an empty Profeflion of Religion, thefe Vices were vifible, fomeof them inone, and force in another. And the living in anyone of thefe, or any other of the like nature, is inconfiftent withChriftianity. The power ofReligion appears chiefly in the fub- duing of thefe Lults, and in the exercife and praftice of thofe Graces and Virtues which are contrary to, theft. Here the very heart and life of Religion lies, and thefe are the Veins in which it runs ; and if there be a failure in any of thefe main Virtues ofa Chriftian life, it is a plain cafe, that we aredeftitute ofthe Power 335.
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