Page images
PDF
EPUB

THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED.

SERMON XXXII.

ROM. ii. 28. 29. For he is not a few which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcifion which is outward in the flesh. But he is a few, which is one inwardly, and circumcifion is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter, whofe praise is not of men, but of God.

HA

AVING, in the preceding discourse, confidered the two firft propofitious which I laid down for illustrating the fecond doctrinal point, I go on to the

III. THAT he is not the true Chriftian who only performs the duties of external obedience, but he who also with them joins the duties of internal obedience. It is not the outward duties of obedience, but those which are inward, which conftitute a true Chriftian. A hypocrite may go the whole round of outward duties, and thus have a form of godlinefs, fo as, to the view of the world, he appears nothing fhort of the true Chriftian.Thus, for inftance,

1. A man may perform the external duties of righteousness and morality towards his neighbour, and yet be no more than an outward Chriftian. He may be just in his dealings with men: Luke, xviii. 11. “The Pharifee ftood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjuft, adulterers, or even as this publican." He may be liberal and abundant in mercy towards the needy, 1 Cor. xiii.3. and yet after all no true Christian. True Christianity makes a good neighbour, makes him abhor every unjust and dishonest thing, it renders him true to his word, and upright in his dealings in the world; but when a man has this and no more, he has but one half, and hardly the half, of what is neceffary to make a true Christian.-Befides this,

2. A man may perform the outward duties of piety towards God, yet after all be but an outfide Christian. For pointing out the hypocrite's attainments in this refpect, I would have you confider,

(1.) That perfons may attend public ordinances, and not only fo, but they may be very punctual in their attendance; they may be far from loitering away Sabbaths at home, or from fatisfying themfelves with a partial attendance, as in Ifa. lviii. 2. "Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forfook not the ordinance of our God." They may behave themselves gravely and attentively, and neither be fleepers nor gazers, far lefs laughers at ordinances, and yet after all nought in God's esteem: Ezek. xxxiii. 31. "And they come unto me as the people, and they fit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them; for with their mouth they fhew much love, but their

heart

heart goeth after their covetoufnefs." They may be at much pains in following ordinances from place to place: John, vi. 24. 26. “When the people, therefore, faw that Jefus was not there, neither his difciples, they also took fhipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus-Jefus answered and faid unto them, Verily, verily, I fay unto you, ye feek me, not because ye faw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled." They may talk well of what they hear, and after all be but outfide Christians : I Cor. xiii. I. "Though I speak with the tongues of men or of angels, and have not charity, I am become as a founding brafs or a tinkling cymbal."-Confider,

(2.) That they may be praying perfons, and fo carry religion into their families, and into their clofets Jer. xii. 2. "Thou haft planted, yea, they have taken root; they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit; thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins." Even fecret prayers, where no eye but the Lord's doth fee, is a piece of bodily exercise, not beyond the walk of a hypocrite, which an awakened confcience may put a perfon upon at first, and other selfish principles may keep them at it. They may be perfons of many prayers, not like those who pray fome, but who indeed pray much: Heb. xii. 17. "For ye know how that afterwards, when he would have inherited the bleffing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance, though he fought it carefully with tears."-Confider,

(3.) That they may not only do much, but they alfo may be fufferers for religion, fuffering not only to the fpoiling of their goods, but even unto death, and yet be naught in God's efteem: 1 Cor. xiii. 3. "And though I give my body to

be

be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." Hypocrify is fuch a falamandar, as can live in the fire of perfecution, of which there have been many inftances; namely, of fuch whom the violent wind of perfecution has not been able to drive off the Lord's way, but the warm fun of profperity has done their business, to their undoing.

3. They may join both the outward of the first and second tables, and yet be but outfide Chriftians. There are fome who are very upright in their dealings with men, yet have not fo much as a form in regard to the duties of piety. Others, who do not neglect duties of piety towards God, but they make no conscience of their duty to their neighbour, but where they apprehend their worldly intereft will drive to it, right or wrong. Perfons may even join both together, and yet be naught in God's esteem. "The Pharifee ftood and prayed thus with himfelf, God I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican; I faft twice in the week, I give tythes of all I poffefs," Luke, viii. 12. "Concerning zeal, perfecuting the church, touching the righteoufnefs which is in the law, blamelefs," Phil. iii. 6.-All this may be, and yet not beyond the boundaries of Pharafaical righteoufnefs: Matth. v. 20. "Except your righteousness exceed the righteoufnefs of the Scribes and Pharifees, ye fhall in no cafe enter into the kingdom of heaven." The reafon of this is manifeft, namely, that all these things being but bodily exercises, are within the compafs of nature, and do not require any fupernatural grace to the bare performance of them; if the confcience be in any measure awakened, perfons may thus be influenced to perform them; and custom may so habituate them, VOL. II.

[ocr errors]

that

that the performance may be confiftent enough with the reign of fin in the heart. But he only is a true Chriftian who joins internal to external obedience; fpiritual exercife to bodily exercise in religion. The infide exceeds the outfide Chriftian in various particulars.-As,

(1.) The infide Christian performs the duties of evangelical obedience, in fubjecting his whole heart and foul to the Lord, as well as the outward man. This is the fpiritual service which declares a man to be a true Christian: “ God is a fpirit, and they that worship him muft worship him in spirit and in truth," John, iv. 23. "For we are the circumcifion, that worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Chrift Jefus, and have no confidence in the flesh," Phil. iii. 3. The bulk of the hypocrite's religion lies in externals, but that of the true Christian's lies in internals, in faith, love, refignation, and other parts of unseen religion. Their chief labour is with the heart, to notice the rifings of corruptions, their bewailing the defects which the world cannot perceive, and mourning over the fin of their nature, the spring of all evil Gal. v. 24. "And they that are Chrift's have crucified the flesh, with its affections and lufts."

(2.) The infide Christian is unreserved and univerfal in his obedience, which the outfide Chriftian never is. They have still some lufts with which they can never part, they reign in them.-Enmity against the power of godlinefs: 1 John, iii. 12. "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and flew his brother; and wherefore flew he him? because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous."-Self-seeking: John, v. 44. "How can ye believe, who seek honour one of another, and feek not the honour that cometh from God only ?"-Bitterness of fpirit, which can

not

« PreviousContinue »