PART it. SERMON XVI. 235 christianity cast it of, is not because they found any just reason of blame either in its principles or rules ; but because they think it too strict for them, and it curbs their vicious appetites more than they like. I will allow, that perhaps there may be some persons who have abandoned the christian religion from a wantonness offancy, from ,a licentiousness of thought, from a pride of reasoning, and who make it their glory to have thrown off the bonds of their education, and to have obtained the honour of free thinkers, or from a presuming conceitthat they must comprehend every thing in their religion, and will believe nothing that hath mysteries in it. Such vain principles as these may have influenced some minds, and given them up to apostacy ; But, I fear, far the greatestpart of thosewho forsake the gospel, have been tempted to it by the ,power of their lusts, which the gospel would re- strain ; and some of these persons upon their death-beds have confessed it too. This is also sufficiently visible in the world, that when men have long professed this gospel and forsaken it, they seldom grow more pious, more sober, more honest or good than before ; but, on the contrary, they generally have indulged vicious excesses, and neglected all piety, and this is rather a ground of glory to the gospel than a just reason of shame. If these persons had generally grown moreholy, if they had feared God more afterwards than ever they did before, if they had more aimed at the glory of God, and loved him better, when they forsook Christ and his gospel, then we might have some reason to suspect this gospel was false, and a mere mistake or imposture. But when these persons growmore unjust than before, love their neighbour less, are become more sensual, more selfish, disregardGod more than they didbefore ; I repeat it again, this is 'rather a ground of glory to the gospel of Christ, than of shame. Demas hath forsaken us, saith Paul, because he loved this present world; 2 Tim. iv. 10. A covetous Demas is nogood argument why St. Paul should forsake Christ, or be ashamed of the gospel. And the apostle hasshewn thatthose who havemade shipwreck of their faith, have parted with agood conscience too, and losttheir virtue ; 1 Tim. i. 19, 20. But there is another answer which the apostle John gives to this objection in his first epistle, chap. ii. ver. 19: They went out from us, but they were not ofus; for f they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. They might make á profession of the gospel, andperhaps give a real assent to the truths and doctrines of it by the convincing influence of miracles and human reason,
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