i.ART lrt. SERMON XVII. 247 The heathen world may be ashamed of their doctrines and their religion ; the heathen worshippers may be ashamed of their sacrifices, their superstitions, and their forms of devotion; for they have no power tosave theirsouls ; And many of themwere indeed brutish and shameful. Mahomet, the founder of the Turkish religion, may be ashamed of his alcoran, and volumeof fables and incredible lies ; all his followers may be ashamed of their prophet, and of the sensual paradise that he promises them. The Jews, under the eye of Christ, and the sun-beams of the gospel, may be ashamed of the vain traditions of their rabbins which were never divine : and even -of their old rites and cere- monies which Moses gave them ; for all these are nowbutweak and beggarly elements ; the Spirit of God calls them so ; Gal. iv. 9. They have now no power to save souls, since God bath abo- lished them; nor indeed had theyever any power but what they borrowed from this gospel of Christ, which lay concealed in them : But let none of us that believe and profess the gospel of Christ, be ever ashamed of any of the doctrines, or precepts, or promisesof it ; for they are all holy, they are,all heavenly; all of them have divine power accompanying them to lead souls t. salvation. II. Learnhence the truemethod of obtaining christian cou- rage ; courageto-profess thegospel ofChrist against allopposition : It is by getting it wrought into your hearts and lives by christian experience, and not by learning a mere form of words in a road of education and catechism. You must feel it as thepower of God to your salvation, or you will never suffer much for it : Let it be an ingrafted word able to save your souls; James i. 21. and then it will hardenyour faces against all blaspheming adversaries, and the terrors of apersecuting world : then you will be able to render a most powerful reason why you are bold to profess this gospel, and to answer everyone that asks you a reason of the hope thatis in you; you will be able to oppose those that set themselves against the gospel of Christ, when you feel this divine spring of courage within you. I have encouraged you before, to acquaint yourselves with reasons and arguments that may defend your religion, and sup- port your faith : But hours of temptation may come, when all theknowledge and learned furnitureof your head, all the argu- ments that are treasured up in your memory, and all the reason- ings that your invention can supply ' you with, will hardly be able tokeep your faith and hope firm and stedfast ; for Satan goes before you in skill and rational argument ; and though your argil- _ ments are strong and solid, yet he may baffle you by his hellish sophistry, and thus cheat you of your faith, and your hope, and your heaven, if you have not got this gospel wrought into your
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=