when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. I delight not in invidious and odious parallels; but I wish there were not some even in our days, and those such as seem to appropriate to themselves the character of the godly and orthodox party, who after the same manner assert the same blasphemy. But thus even the sin of blasphemy may be sheltered under a form of godliness.

But there are some expositors who understand the word Bάop here in a milder sense, and with rẹference to men, as it denotes such as by contumelious speeches maliciously injure the fame and reputation of others, especially their superiors, and those that are in authority over them; which is indeed a grievous sin, and inconsistent with the power of godliness. And it is a sort of blasphemy, as being against God's representatives, and accordingly very severely prohibited, Exod. xxii. 28. Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people. And this vice also is censured in the Gnostics by St. Jude in his Epistle, verse 8. where they are said to despise dominion, and to speak evil of dignities. And even in our days, how many great pretenders to religion are there, who are egregiously guilty of this kind of blasphemy.

5. These formalists are noted by the apostle as disobedient to parents. A very grievous sin likewise, and most opposite to the power of godliness. For let men pretend what they will, he cannot truly honour God the Father in heaven, who doth not duly honour his father, his parents on earth.

But interpreters here well observe, that we are to

collect ex specie genus, from one special sort of disobedience mentioned, viz. disobedience to parents, all disobedience to superiors in general. And indeed all disobedience to superiors, whether natural, civil, or ecclesiastical, whether to parents, magistrates, or ministers of the church, though it may consist with a form of godliness, yet it is utterly inconsistent with the power of it.

6. These formalists are said to be axápioтo, unthankful. Unthankful to God for his manifold mercies; unthankful to men that are their benefactors. A vile sin again, even in the judgment of the heathen, who could tell us, Ingratum si dixeris, &c. When you have said a man is ungrateful, you have said all; you cannot say any thing worse of him.

7. They are said to be arropy, without natural affection. So far were these formalists from Christian charity, which extends to all men, that they were destitute of natural affection, of that love which even nature teacheth men to shew to their own flesh and blood. They were void, not only of true grace, but of good-nature.

8. They are said to be armovdo, truce-breakers: men that make little or no conscience of their most solemn promises, engagements, and agreements, which they make with others, but can break through them all to serve their own interest.

9. They are said to be diáßoλo, false accusers, which is the title of devils. They make no conscience of raising or spreading abroad lies, false and scandalous reports upon innocent persons, to their great prejudice and disadvantage. Alas! how many are there in our days, who though they are great

pretenders to the power of godliness, yet are notoriously guilty of this very grievous sin.

10. And lastly, (to pass by the other vices next mentioned by the apostle, as being some way or other reducible to the former,) these formalists are said to be φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεοι, lovers of plea sure more than lovers of God; i. e. their hearts are set upon their lusts more than upon God or goodness. This indeed is at the bottom of all their other sins before mentioned. For where the sincere love of God above all things is found, it will exclude all the forementioned sins and vices. But where that love is wanting, qua data porta ruunt, there a wide gate is opened for all those evils to rush and break in upon the soul. And therefore where this love of God is wanting, the power of godliness cannot possibly be.

These are the black characters of the men described by the apostle, and of whom he saith in my text, that they have a form of godliness, whilst they deny the power thereof. From whence you may see, what a legion of devils may lurk under the pretended saint, what a troop of the most heinous sins may shelter themselves under a form of godliness.

And thus I have fully (I hope) confirmed and illustrated the proposition laid down, viz. That a man may have a form or show of godliness, when yet he is very far from the power; i. e. the truth and reality of it. Now briefly to apply this whole discourse.

1. Let us take heed of being deceived by such as having a form of godliness, yet deny the power of it. Let us not be cheated by false appearances. Let us not believe every pretender to godliness, but remember that all is not gold that glitters: that the

greatest wickedness may lurk under the most specious form of godliness. Indeed they that affect to make the greatest show of godliness are most of all to be suspected. For the truly good man is humble, content with the testimony of his own conscience, and the approbation of God; and therefore is not so solicitous to set himself out to others to the best advantage, as the hypocrite is.

This caution is the very use of this doctrine, which the apostle himself directs us to in the words immediately following my text: from such, such formalists, turn away; i. e. shun and avoid them. And from the verses next following, it appears the apostle had a special eye to unlicensed, false, and schismatical teachers, who, by a specious form of godliness, endeavoured to seduce men from their lawful pastors, and to draw them from the communion of the church, into house-meetings and private conventicles. Read the sixth and seventh verses, and you would think the apostle foresaw and described the humour of our age. Of this sort (i. e. of men, who having a form of godliness, deny the power of it) are they who creep into houses, and lead captive silly women, laden with sin, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1. They creep into houses. They forsake the public communion, and keep private conventicles in houses, whereinto they creep and insinuate themselves by fair and specious pretences.

2. Leading captive silly women. By a form of godliness, and a fair show of more than ordinary holiness, they impose especially upon the female sex, as being the weaker, and generally of lesser judg

ment, reason, and understanding. In this they imitate the old serpent, the Devil, who began his temptation upon the woman first, and then by her seduced the man also.

3. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth: i. e. they continually hang upon the lips of these schismatical teachers, and are continually hearing and repeating their preachments, so that one would think they must needs learn much; but indeed they never arrive to that solid and substantial knowledge in religion, which, by a constant attendance on their lawful pastors, and their ministry, they might have arrived to.

- O that the men of our age would attend to these words of the apostle, and be so wise at last as to shun and avoid such seducers!

That is the first inference, and you see it is the very use which the apostle himself makes of the doctrine.

2. Let us take heed we deceive not ourselves by a form of godliness, whilst we deny the power of it. Let us often and seriously consider, that we have to do with a God, who is the searcher of hearts, and a trier of the reins, who cannot be imposed upon by any cunning hypocritical artifices of men. No mist that our self-love can cast either upon our own or other men's eyes can darken his sight, but he sees through it into the bottom of our hearts, and our most secret inclinations. Though we may deceive others and ourselves too with false appearances of things, yet we can never deceive him. He knows us far better than we do ourselves. And at the great day of trial, he will thoroughly anatomize us, and lay our very inside perfectly open and naked to the