1 DISCOURSE V. 815 profession of the religion of Christ, against the general oppo- sition of the world, and the danger of prosecution in those primitive days, was reasonably counted as sufficient an evidence of inward repentance, faith and true religion, as many weeks or months of outward visible piety and virtue might be in our day, because the profession of Christ is no matter of hazard and difficulty, as it was then. Far the greatest part ofchristian professors in that agewere real inward christians, and all of them pretended and appeared to be se, on which account the apostles, in writing to them, give them those glorious titles and characters, belongingproperly to none but real saints. Nor can we justly suppose the apostle would give such sublime and blessed titles and characters, to persons who were openly vicious and profane, under this spiritual dispensation of the gospel, whatever belief they professed of christian principles. I would only ask upon this occasion, whether, if St. Paul were to write a letter to all that profess the christiau religion in London, at this day, all the ignorant, the stupid, the careless and profane wretches who dwell in that great city, wherein the greatest part are visibly unholy, or at least have no visible ap- pearances of holiness : I would ask, whether he would bestow these sacred titles upon them, and call them holy brethren, elect of God, sanctified in Christ Jesus, faithful and beloved of God? Surely, no; he could not do it ; and therefore these sacred titles were given to the primitive christian churches, not as typically holy, but as professing themselves to be really and inwardly holy and religious, and in a judgment of charity ap- pearing so to be. Objection II. But were not many of these sacred and glorious titles given to the whole churchor nation of the Jews, the greatest part of which were so wicked, that our Lord and St. Paul agree, but few of them should be saved ; Mat. vii. 14. Rom. ix. 27. Answer. The Jewish church and state were distinguished from other people and nations, by such an ex- ternal and typical holiness, as was ¡designed to be an emblem òf the invisible church, which was really and inwardly holy ; and therefore these titles are given them only in an external, figurative, and typical sense, as having the outward emblems of those divine qualities, privileges and favours, which really and inwardly belong only to the church invisible ; for the foun- dation both of their church and state was not so much as laid in a profession of inward holiness, but in being the seed ofAbraham, and conforming to outward ceremonies. It was a much more carnal dispensation than that of the NewTestament, and there- fore it was an outward emblem of what is more real and spiritual under the gospel. XIV. As the apostles, when they write to Gentile christian
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