PART 35. SERMON XVI. 229 are not, to bring to nought the things that are, that no flesh might glory inhispresence; 1 Cor. i. 27, &c. II. It is another occasion of _stumblingor shame in the gos- pel of Christ, that some of the professors of it are viciousin their lives. " Will you believe such a gospel, says an infidel, that does not restrain the professors of it front the worst of sins ?" This, I confess, gives it great dishonour among the men of the world, and is sometimesready to shake the faith of younger çhristians ; they know not how to go on farther in christianity, for such and such that made great profession, you see how they are fallen: This is a common temptation of the devil ; it is a fre- yuent snare, and there hathbeen many a pious soul that hath been in danger of being caught thereby. The vices of some profes- sors were great even in St. Paul's days : There were someamong the Philippians ; Phil. iii. 18. " Of whom I have told you Often, and now even weeping, that they walk as enemies to the cross of Christ, and cast scandal and shame upon it. It makes my eyes flowwith tears, andmy soul bleed within me to hear of it : The gospel of Christ is so much dishonoured by these means." But if we takea nearer view, we shall see that no doctrine Aught to fare the worse, because some wicked mon are professors of it. It was not,counted adiscredit to philosophy,that some of the professors of it, whohated the gospel, were vicious in their lives. I would ask the deist new, is there any ground to disbe- lieve natural religion, because there are some that make profes- sion of it are fallen into great sins ? Thegospel itself teaches us to denyall ungodliness and worldly lusts, and doesnot indulge one of them. And theyare said to be enemies to the cross of Christ, when their conversation is all earthly, when their God is their belly, andtheir glory istheir shame. This is no fault of the gos pel, for they felt not the power of it. Nor is there any religion or profession in the world that would have liad any followers at all by this time, if men must have entirely cashiered that religion, because there have been some persons vicious that have been professors of it.' There is no sect, no religion in the world, though the institution and the rules of it have been ever so pious, but what has produced some persons that have been vicious' in their lives. But this Cavil is still parried on, and urged with muchvehe- pence. " If the gospel of Christ were a religion so heavenly, And so divine in its original, at youpretend, surely the nations that profess it would eminently exceed all other nations in piety, . in justice and goodness : whereas the nations that now a-days embrace christianity, are not at all superior to the Mahometans, nor to someof the heathens, either in dutythat relates to God or Wan : And if we may give credit to ancient history, the virtues of
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