17.

Adulterers, nor Effeminate, fhall ever enter into the Kingdom of God. So far is he from accounting Fornication, of what Kind foever it be, a flight Business, that he tells us plainly, it is the Sin which most of all unhallows and defiles our Bodies, which are confecrated by our Chriftianity to be the 15, 16, Temples of the Holy Ghoft; and doth fo alienate the Holy Spirit from us, that he will no longer dwell with us, as we have it in the fame Chapter: Nay, fo fevere he is against this Vice in any one who calls himself a Christian, that he chargeth the Corinthians, not to have any Communication, Cor. 5. no not so much as to eat with any Brother who is guilty of it. And as for the primitive Church, wherein the Religion of Chrift was most purely taught and obferved, fo great an Abhorrence had they of these Crimes, that even for one Act of Fornication a Man was excluded from the Congregation of the Faithful, and not admitted again to their Communion, but after a very long and severe Penance. And as for the Sin of Adultery, that was a Sin of fo heinous a Nature, that it was a very great Question in fome Churches, whether any Chriftian who was guilty of it should ever again be reftored to the Peace of the Church.

4. Another reigning Sin among us, and which ought not, upon this Occasion, to be pafs'd by without fome Animadverfion, is, the general (Unconcernedness fhall I fay?

II.

or the) Contempt of Religion, and Things facred, which is every where to be feen. We are grown fo lukewarm and fo indifferent as to thefe Matters, which yet are our greatest Concern in this World, that we can patiently hear Religion affronted and run down; nay, it is well if we ourselves. do not fometimes caft in our Mite to the leffening and expofing of it. What is become of that Face of Devotion that heretofore was to be feen in Families and in private Converfation too? Where is that Care to read God's Word, and to teach it to our Children and Servants, and to perform the Duties of Devotion both at Church and in our own Houfes, that was practifed in former Times? Far am I here from commending the late Times, when a great many made a great Appearance of Religion, and yet acted upon fuch Principles as were contrary to all Religion. And far am I from. giving the leaft Countenance either to fuch kind of Principles, or to fuch kind of Actions. But this I am afraid is true, that our Zeal for the outward Service of God, and the publick Profeffion of Religion, is much. abated, and that we are not fo ftrict in these. Matters as we ought to be, nor as we have. been. And let them who kept up the external and vifible Characters of Religion have been otherwife never fo bad, and never fo hypocritical, yet we have a fad Account to make for our open Profanenefs.

2

Hypo

Hypocrify and Profanenefs, I think, are both equally damnable to the Person who is guilty of them. But yet it is certain to the Publick it doth lefs Hurt to be strict in the outward Profeffion of Religion (tho' in a wrong Way, and to ferve fecular Ends) than it doth to neglect or to defpife Religion, and to live without any Regard or even Pretences to it. This latter will, without doubt, fooner draw down the Judgment of God upon a People. Let all of us therefore, who have any Concernment for our Souls; or if we have not for them, yet who have any Concernment for the Peace and Safety of the Kingdom where we live, take efpecial Care to own God and his Religion in all our Converfation. Let us not be fo foolish as to forfake it, or so timorous as to be rallied out of our Profeffion of it by the Drollery of Atheistical Men. I am confident there are abundance more in this Nation, who have a hearty Senfe of the Truth of Religion, than there are who have not. And is it not a Pity that the Impudence of a leffer Party, who have a very bad Cause, a Cause condemned by all Laws, and all good Men, who have ever been in the World, should either affright or ashame, or any ways put out of Countenance the Practice of thofe Men, who, as they have the best Cause in the World, fo are they more in Number. It is really our Timorousness, and Eafiness, and Defire to comply with

I 4

the

the Humour of our Acquaintance, that makes many of us fo little careful of God's Worship as we are. We have, many of us, better Principles in our Hearts, than we dare own in our Converfation. Is not this a fearful Reproach to us? But let us remember what our Saviour hath faid, He Matt. 10. that confeffeth me before Men, him will I 32, 33. confefs before my Father which is in Heaven. Luke 12. But he that denieth me before Men, him will 8,9. I deny before my Father, and before the Angels of God.

5. Since we are fpeaking of the prevailing Sins of the Age, we ought not to conceal another Thing, which, by reason of its great Commonnefs, is accounted either no Sin át all, or a very flight one; and that is, the great Liberty we take in difcourfing of, fcanning and cenfuring other Mens Actions; the Boldness we make with our Neighbours Reputation and good Name; taking Pleafure in expofing them, and telling Stories to their Disadvantage. This is fo much in Ufe, that it is the Entertainment of most Converfations. We can hardly find Talk enough to furnish out the Civility of a Vifit, but at the Coft of other Perfons. If they be not the Subject of our Discourse, how many of us are there who have nothing to fay? Nor is it the Cuftom to fpare any, but to talk as freely of publick Persons, and to cenfure the Adminiftration of publick Affairs, as if the Perfons were our own Ser

vants, or the Affairs our own domestick Concerns. But this is alfo one of the Customs of the World, which by no means we ought to conform to; for it is against the Genius and Spirit of Chriftianity. It is contrary to that Charity and Kindness, to that Modesty and Peaceableness which our Lord Jefus hath obliged us to. His Law has forbid us to judge or cenfure others, left we be judged ourselves. And his Apoftle has given us in Charge, that we fhould speak Evil of Tit. 3.2. no Man. And therefore leaft of all of thofe who are in Authority.

Matt. 7.1.

Jam.4.11.

6. Another Thing, which is not often taken Notice of, but is really a conforming to the unlawful Cuftoms of the World, is Vanity and Excefs in our Apparel, or in the other outward Circumftances of our Lives. The Humour which most prevails is, to be as fplendid and brave as we can: To carry it out with all the Pomp and outward Shew that our Purfes can reach to; nay, often beyond that, both in our Cloaths, our Equipage, our Attendants and Entertainments, and the like: And all this, that we may be taken Notice of by others, that we may make fome Figure in the World, as the Word is. But we have all this while no Regard either to the Gravity of the Christian Religion, or our own Quality, or Estate, or those more neceffary Expences, which ought to be defray'd by us. This now is against the Chriftian Law, and is a followe