timent then must it beget in the mind of God, who sees immediately, and without the intervention of any argument, beholding things just as they lie in themselves! But besides this double argument, from the less to the greater, there are several other considerations, that will evince the same thing.

As,

(1.) It it the declared rule of God's righteous judgment, to deal with men finally according to their works, and not merely according to their profession; according to what they do, and not to what they pretend. It is the constant tenour of Scripture, (of which you cannot be ignorant who are wont to read your bibles) that God will in the last day, "render to every man according to his works,"* as it is in sundry places. And in the epistles to the Asian churches, our Saviour putting on the person of a judge, thus addresses himself to the one and the other of them; "I know thy works."+ Immediate cognizance is taken of them, even of those which are most latent; much more of those which are apparent and manifest, as the works we have spoken of, are. Upon this account he makes himself known to them by the description of one "who trieth the heart, and searches the reins, that he may render to every one according to their works." And he is further represented as one who has "eyes as a flame of fire," searching into the very things wherein it takes place. And we are told that in that very day, it is not the saying unto him, "Lord! Lord! that shall entitle any one to the kingdom of heaven; but the doing of the will of God the Father who is in heaven."§ Where our Saviour also further assures us, that those who shall make this profession, without a suitable life and conversation, will be rejected in this awful manner, "Depart from me! I know you not." But under what notion, or for what reason, are they thus to be abandoned? As workers of iniquity. Thus we see their evil works will cast the balance against all their pretences to that which is good.

(2.) We are further to consider, that it is an unreasonable thing to imagine, that God will give men a title, without giving them a capacity for enjoying the rewards of the blessed Certain it is, that mere profession qualifies no one for this happiness; therefore it is not reasonable, that it should entitle any one to it. A man is never a whit the more capable by his profession of dwelling with God, in another world; of immediately beholding with satisfaction his blessed, glorious face. To what purpose is a title, where there is no capacity è It would not consist with the wisdom of God, to divide these

*Rom. 2. 6. 2. 18. § Mat. 7.21.

Rev. 2. 2, 9, 13, 19. Rev. 2. 23.
Ver. 23,

Rev.

things, which must necessarily concur to one end, namely, to his own glory, and the person's fitness for the enjoyment of Him. Men are wont to be wiser. A title with them fails, when a capacity does. They cease to be entitled to an estate, who by a natural incapacity cannot enjoy it, as for instance, fools and lunatics. Again,

(3.) Their profession is so far from entitling them to the rewards of another world, which belong to those who are sincerely of the true religion; that, being joined with a wicked life and evil practices, it provokes God so much the more highly against them, engages the divine wrath and vindictive justice, so much the more directly to their ruin. And this on several accounts. As,

[1] Because such a profession demonstrates, that these persons sin against so much the more light; otherwise what makes them profess at all? They who profess religion, as a great part of the world do not, certainly must be supposed to know more. We do not call them professors of the Christian religion, who were born among pagans, and always have lived as such among them. They who profess Christianity, are supposed to live (and do so for the most part) in the enlightened region; in that part of the world through which the gospellight hath diffused itself. This is therefore a most horrid thing, for the works of darkness, and of the night, to be transacted, where the gospel has made it broad day. And if they, who have opportunity to know more than others, are after all, vicious and immoral, doth not this highly increase their wickedness? Will not this inflame the wrath of God much more against them? And if, in fact, they do know more, is not the provocation the greater? Men certainly know something of what they profess, more or less. For as there is not in the natural world, so neither is there in the moral, any such thing as pure and absolute darkness. And when light shines round a man, it makes him the more deeply guilty, that he can find nothing else to do but to commit wickedness. Light got within! What an aggravation is that of a man's iniquities, or the works of darkness ! Light shines in his judgment and conscience! Divine and merciful light projects its beams from above into his very soul, where it is held in unrighteousness! This is that which wrath flames against, even the wrath of God; which "is revealed from heaven against the ungodliness and iniquity of men, who hold the truth of God in unrighteousness." Rom. 1. 18. This is most highly provoking, that where divine truth might expect to find a throne, there it should find only a prison. And therefore, what can ensue upon this, but tribulation and anguish, instead of a reward? It is to him

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THE VANITY OF A FORMAL

who knows his master's will and does it not, that many (SER. III. stripes do belong, Luke 12. 47. In like manner, we find the apostle James speaking, "To him that knoweth to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin," Jam. 4. 17. And our Saviour saith thus to the pharisees, "If ye were blind ye should have no sin: but now ye say you see, therefore your sin remaineth." John 9. 40, 41. say the rulers. They took it for a great reproach not to be What! "are we blind also?" thought very discerning. But, says our Lord, "It had been well for you if you had been blind; for since you are so knowing, your sin remains, and you are absolutely inexcusable."

By how much

[2] It follows of consequence, that they sin with malice who can allow themselves to join wickedness with their profession; and outface, as it were, the light of that truth, which directly teaches them otherwise. For, in the case now supposed, the interest of Christ and his religion has already, as it were, fought its way through all the outworks; and there is now no further opposition but the fortress of the heart, the seat of love or hatred, of kind propensity and inclination to God and Christ, or of enmity and malice to them. siness now lies wholly at the door of the will. The buthe more of the will, by so much the more of enmity and malice there is in sinning. By how much the more of light, so much the more of will; and the more profession there is, so much the more of light. In this series do these things lie. "If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there is no more sacrifice for sin." Heb. 10. 26. you sin against this sacrifice, you are not to expect another. If Your peace therefore is to be made this way, or not at all. And when a man's knowledge, as well as his profession, is against him; and his opposition to God and the design of Christianity is resolved into nothing, but mere will; there is not the least pretence, or the shadow of a reason left to justify his conduct. All things that could have induced me to be at all a christian, should also have induced me to be a true christian. can be no reason brought that a man should be a christian in For there profession, but the same reason will be equally conclusive that he should be one in reality, and in truth. And therefore, when reason, judgment, conscience and profession, go together and are all on one side, how miserably exposed and naked is such a person, who does not fall in cordially with God, in a way of holiness, because he will not! It is with them as with the Jews to whom our Lord that ye might have life." John 5. 40. says, "Ye will not come to me,

[8] It must be the more provoking, because there is hypoerisy in this conjunction. It cannot be without bypocrisy, that

a man should lead a wicked life, and yet profess the true religion. It is very true, it looks like a very gross sort of hypocrisy, that persons should profess religion, and yet lead such lives as are visibly abominable. It is not indeed of the finer sort of hypocrisy ; but by how much the grosser it is, by so much the more insolent it is. The affront is the greater, that a man should sin even in the face of heaven itself, and commit such wickedness as all the world will cry shame of, and this under the cloak of profession. Again,

[4.] There is most perfidious falsehood, and treachery in such a conduct; and therefore it must be the more provoking. For, in this case, men not only sin against law, since all sin is against law, "for where there is no law there is no transgression," (Rom. 4. 15.) but against the covenant too. They who profess to know God, as we have said again and again, profess to be christians. If such therefore lead wicked and immoral lives, they sin as well against the covenant as the law; and in their way of sinning, there is treachery both against Christ, and the God of heaven.

The covenant betwixt God and his people, who are visibly related to him, is illustrated in Scripture by the marriage contract. And those who break it, God threatens "he will judge, as they who break wedlock are judged, with fury and jealousy,' Ezek. 16. 38. Now jealousy is allowed to be the most fervent of all the passions; and distinguished from common wrath and anger, even by this peculiar consideration in the object, the being thus related. And it is observable in what style he speaks afterward. Having discarded his people and cast them off, that they should be no longer related to him; "then," says he, "I will make my fury towards thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee," (ver. 42.) that is, to cease for ever. Thus we see the relation being dissolved, they are no longer the objects of jealousy. Indeed while they continue a professing people there is a visible relation, and conséquently they are objects of jealousy; but when the injured party has sufficiently vindicated himself, this vindictive passion ceases; and whatever anger and resentment may remain, it is jealousy no longer. Again,

[6.] They who join a religious profession and wicked practices together most highly provoke God; because they sin with the highest indignity against God, against Christ, and the religion which they profess. And it is very plain that they do so, in as much as herein they both mock God, and misrepres sent him. They mock his sovereignty, and misrepresent his holiness. It is a plain mockery to him, as he is the Ruler of the world. For men to profess to know God, to own him as their

God, and yet visibly to affront him by the most insolent wickedness; what is this like, but putting on the purple robe, and saying, "Hail Master!" and spitting in his face at the same time? It is in a case similar to this, namely, that a man's reaping according to what he sows, that the apostle warns christians not to deceive themselves. For says he, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap," (Gal. 6. 7.) intimating that they would be greatly deceived, if they expected to reap the reward of eternal life.

Moreover, such a conduct is a horrid misrepresentation of God, particularly as to his holiness; as if he were one who could dispense with his injunctions to men of being really holy, and sincerely good, and be satisfied instead thereof with appearances, with mere shew and pretence. A most odious representation of God, as if he were like the impure deities of the pagan world! You see with what severity he himself speaks in a case like this; "Take heed," says he, "lest there should be among you a man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose hearts turn away from the Lord their God-lest there be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying; I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: The Lord will not spare him; but then the anger of the Lord, and his jealousy shall smoke against that man; and all the curses, that are written in the book, shall lie upon him; and the Lord shall blot his name out from under heaven." Deut. 29. 18, 19, 20. Observe here the provoking thing, on which the emphasis is put. It is that a man should walk in a vain course of wickedness, and yet bless himself in his heart, and say, "I shall have peace for all this." Provoking it must be, because it is a horrid, reproachful misrepresentation of the most holy God; as if he intended to be a patron of wickedness, or as if it were indifferent to God how men lived, or all one to him whether they were righteous or wicked. "And does the sinner indeed think so? I will make him pay dearly for the thought! All the peace and satisfaction that he has taken in that thought, or enjoyed in that delusive dream, shall cost him dear! for because of this shall my jealousy smoke against him."

[6.] To join profession with such a wicked practice, is to make that very profession itself a lie; and a lie, in this case, cannot but have high provocation in it, if you consider these things.

First. Consider it is a lie to him who knows it to be