to theirs, and then we fhall "remember the afflia- SERM LX. "tions of Jofeph," and fay as his brethren did, when they fell into trouble, "We are verily guilty "concerning our brother, in that we faw the an"guifh of his foul when he befought us, and we "would not hear; therefore is this diftress come upon us.'

GOD alone knows what ftorms the devil may yet raise in the world, before the end of it: And therefore it concerns all Chriftians, in all times and places, who have taken upon them the profeffion of CHRIST's religion, to confider well before-hand, and to calculate the dangers and fufferings it may expose them to, and to arm our felves with refolution and patience against the fierceft affaults of temptation; confidering the shortness of all temporal afflictions and sufferings, in comparison of the eternal and glorious reward of them; and the lightness of them too, in comparison of the endless and intolerable torments of another world; to which every man expofeth himself, who forfakes GOD, and renounceth his truth, and wounds his confcience, to avoid temporal sufferings.

And though fear in many cafes, especially if it be of death and extreme fufferings, be a great excuse for several actions; because it may, cadere in conftantem virum, happen to a refolute man: yet in this cafe, of renouncing our religion (unless it be very fudden and furprising, out of which a man recovers himself when he comes to himself (as St. Peter did; or the fuffering be fo extreme, as to put a man befides himself for the time, fo as to make him fay or do any thing;) I fay in this cafe of renouncing God and his truth, GOD will not admit fear for a juft excufe of our apoftafy; which, if it

LX.

SER M. be unrepented of, (and the fcripture fpeaks of re pentance in that cafe as very difficult) will be our ruin. And the reason is; because GOD has given us fuch fair warning of it, that we may be prepared for it, in the refolution of our minds: and we enter into religion upon these terms, with a profeffedexpectation of fuffering, and a firm purpose to lay down our lives for the truth, if GOD fhall call us to it. "If any man will be my disciple," fays our LORD, "let him deny himself, and take up his "crofs, and follow me:" and again, "He that "loveth life itself more than me, is not worthy of "me: and if any man be afhamed of me, and of my words, in this unfaithful generation; of him "will I be ashamed before my Father and the holy "angels."

60

:

And therefore to mafter and fubdue this fear, our SAVIOUR hath propounded great objects of terror to us, and a danger infinitely more to be dreaded, which every man runs himself wilfully upon, who fhall quit the profeffion of his religion, to avoid temporal fufferings; Luke xii. 4, 5. "Fear not "them that can kill the body, but after that have "nothing that they can do but I will tell you "whom you fhall fear. Fear him, who after he "hath killed, can destroy both body and foul in hell; yea, I fay unto you, fear him." And to this dreadful hazard every man exposeth himself, who, for the fear of men, ventures thus to offend GOD. Thefe are the fearful and unbelievers" fpoken of by St. John, "who fhall have their portion in the lake which burneth with fire and brim"ftone, which is the fecond death."

Thus you fee how we are to " hold faft the profeffion of our faith without wavering," against

all

all temptations and terrors of this world. I fhould now have proceeded to the next particular; namely, that we are to "hold fast the profeffion of our faith," against all vain promises of being put into a fafer condition, and groundless hopes, of getting to heaven upon easier terms, in fome other church and religion.

But this I fhall not now enter upon.

SERMON

LXI.

Of Conftancy in the Profeffion of the true Religion.

HE B. X. 23.

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promifed.

LXI.

N these words, I have told you, are contained s ERM. these two parts:

IN

fourth

fermon on

First, an exhortation to "hold fast the profeffion The "of our faith, without wavering." Secondly, an argument or encouragement thereto; this text. "because he is faithful that promised." I am yet upon the

First of these; the exhortation to Chriftians, to be constant and steady in the profeffion of their religion: "let us hold fast the profeflion of our faith * without wavering." And that we might the bet

SERM. ter comprehend the true and full meaning of this exhortation, I fhewed,

LXI.

Firft, negatively, what is not meant and intended by it. And I mentioned these two particulars.

1. The apostle doth not hereby intend, that those who are capable of enquiring into, and examining the grounds and reafons of their religion, should not have the liberty to do it. Nor,

2. That when upon due enquiry and examination, men are settled, as they think and verily believe, in the true faith and religion, they should obftinately refuse to hear any reason that can be offered against their prefent perfuafion: for reafon, when it is fairly offered, is always to be heard. I proceeded in the

Second place, pofitively to explain the meaning of this exhortation. And to this purpose I propofed to confider,

First, what it is, that we are to hold fast, viz. the confeffion or "profeffion of our faith." The ancient christian faith, which every Christian makes profeffion of in his baptifm: not the doubtful and uncertain traditions of men, nor the imperious dictates and doctrines of any church (which are not contained in the holy fcriptures) impofed upon the christian world, though with never fo confident a pretence of the antiquity of the doctrines, or of the infallibility of the propofers of them. And then I proceeded, in the

Second place, to fhew how we are "to hold fast "the profeffion of our faith without wavering;" and I mentioned thefe following particulars, as probably implied and comprehended in the apoftle's exhortation.

1. That

LXI.

1. That we should." hold faft the profeffion of SERM. "our faith" against the confidence of men, without scripture or reason to fupport that confidence.

2. And much more against the confidence of men, contrary to plain fcripture and reafon, and the common fense of mankind; under both which heads I gave several instances of doctrines and practices imposed with great confidence upon the world, fome without, and others plainly against scripture, and reason, and the common fenfe of mankind.

3. Against all the temptations and terrors of the world; the temptations of fashion and example, and of worldly interest and advantage; and against the terrors of perfecution and fuffering for the truth. Thus far I have gone. I shall now proceed to the two other particulars which remain to be fpoken to. 4. We are to "hold faft the profeffion of our "faith," against all vain promifes of being put into a fafer condition, and groundless hopes of getting to heaven upon easier terms, in fome other church and religion. God hath plainly declared to us in the holy fcriptures, upon what terms and conditions we may obtain eternal life and happiness, and what will certainly exclude us from it; that "except ' we repent," (i. e.) without true contrition for our fins, and forfaking of them. "we fhall perifh; that "without holiness no man fhall fee the LORD;" that no fornicator, or adulterer, or idolater, or "covetous perfon, nor any one that lives in the ર practice of fuch fins, fhall have any inheritance "in the kingdom of GOD or CHRIST." There is ás great and unpaffable a gulf fixed between heaven and a wicked man; as there is betwixt heaven and hell. And when men have done all they can to de

"