devil! How inconsistent are salt and corruption, God and Belial, Christ and sin, gospel truth and wicked practice! You say God is good, and act as if there were no excellence in him. You say the gospel is true, worthy of all acceptation, and act as if it were false. You say that Christ has magnified the law, and act as if he taught you to despise it. You say that you are seeking heaven, and act as if earth were better.

Unsavory and impure professors are the most useless, pernicious, and hopeless, of all characters. A professor who is very much conformed to the world, who has lost his first love, and has very little of the life and power of religion, is a most unprofitable creature, even though he should prove to be not absolutely destitute of the grace of God; even though he should be saved at last, it seems as if it would be well for the church, and for the world too, if he were removed from them. A man, who, under a peculiar profession of religion, is altogether formal, and wholly destitute of divine grace, is in a still more awful condition, and likely sooner or later to bring open dishonor on the gospel, and eventually to perish for ever. If we who are already members of evangelical churches are yet unconverted, there is less probability of our ever experiencing true conversion, than there is respecting those who never made any pretence to experimental religion. If a man professes to embrace gospel doctrines, and with much light in his head can openly or secretly indulge positive sin, and especially if he can so warp evangelical sentiments as to make himself easy in that wicked life, he is the worst and most hopeless character in the world. What room is there to tremble at Ezek. xxiv. 13, 14. “Because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. I the Lord have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord God."

Dear brethren, let us learn from this representation, what manner of persons we ought to be, in all holy conversation and godliness. What obligations are we under, to purity of

conduct and spirituality of disposition! Let it be perceived that we are the salt of the earth, by our peculiar savor of piety, love, zeal, obedience, resignation, humility, penitence, faith, holiness, brotherly kindness, pity to souls, and heavenlymindedness. Show that you have a savor of heaven while you dwell upon earth. Show that you differ from the carnal mind as much as salt and dirt. Unite truth and holiness in your pursuits, and thus manifest the practical tendency of the gospel; at the same time, remember who only made you to differ; and remember your constant need of divine influence to enable you to answer this character.

Let ministers in particular, though not to the exclusion of Christians in general, be concerned for the good of others. You are the salt that should stop the progress of corruption, season an insipid world, and prevent its utter dissolution and ruin. He is poorly seasoned himself, who is unconcerned about spreading the savor of truth and virtue. O that we may subserve the propagation of evangelical religion! Let this be our chief, yea, almost our only business. Let us be ashamed we have done so little, and have been so unsavory. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that it may minister grace to the hearers." Col. iv. 6. "Have salt in yourselves, and peace one with another." Mark ix. 50. All heartily concurring in the same blessed design; praying God by us to diffuse the good savor of his name.

The world might learn from this representation, what obligations they are under to true Christians. Wicked men would be much more such, if no Christians lived among them; and the divine patience would be soon exhausted.

LIII.

THE WORKERS OF INIQUITY REJECTED AT THE LAST DAY.

MATT. vii. 23.

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

OUR Lord is here drawing to the close of his sermon on the Mount, which he concludes in a very close and practical

strain; such as I fear, if he were to come again in disguise, would make some, who conceit themselves sound believers, reject him for a legal preacher. You will not, however, expect me to alter his words, nor to explain them away; but will readily allow me to lay before you their true and obvious meaning.

He had said, in verse 21, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." There is a sense in which none can call Christ Lord, but by the Holy Spirit; that is, cordially, as being willing he should have the full dominion over the soul. But that is not our Lord's meaning here; nor did he intend to suggest that people might so call him Lord, and then fall away; for he will tell these he never knew them: but he here refers to a mere verbal profession. They who believe with the heart, ought to make confession with the mouth; but no profession will be regarded, except what flows from the heart; and no faith is sincere, but what works by love.

But he that doeth the will of my Father." This declaration does not supercede the necessity of faith in Christ; for this is the commandment of God, that we believe in his Son, and honor the Son even as we honor the Father. "He that seeth the Son, and believeth on him, shall have everlasting life." John vi. 40. The reason of this declaration, therefore, is not because Christians are to be justified before God by the merit of their works, but because true faith is always operative; and we can have no evidence that our faith in Christ is genuine, unless we love to do God's will.

He adds, in verse 22, "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" This shows us how far many will go, who will yet be rejected, however strong their confidence may be they may deceive others, or deceive themselves; but they cannot deceive their Judge.

:

But let us attend to the 23d verse, which teaches us this doctrine: Jesus Christ, at the last day, will certainly disown all such professors of Christianity, as continue workers of iniquity.

FIRST Let us notice the awful fact supposed; namely, That some nominal Christians will be found insincere, and be disowned at last by Christ.

No reflecting man can doubt this, who admits a state of future punishment; because nothing more grossly evil can be committed by Mahometans or Pagans, than by some nominal Christians. While many, whose lives are not scandalously immoral, call themselves Christians, on no better ground than others call themselves Musselmans. Many who have some rational acquaintance with the external evidences of Christianity, grossly misconceive its principal doctrines. And others, whose profession sounds evan

Some

gelical, will be found upon trial, to be hypocritical. of these are detected by the providence of God in the present life. By means of persecution, false teachers, afflictions, prosperity, or temptation. And some will, probably,

never be detected by men, till Christ himself shall discover them at the last day. Many may be very zealous for

gospel terms, who never enter into gospel ideas, nor fall in with the chief design of the gospel; never are concerned for God to be glorified, for the honor of his law to be supported, for sin to be condemned, and saved sinners united to God: though these things are the essential glory, and favorite end of the gospel.

SECONDLY Let us consider the certain detection and rejection of all, who are workers of iniquity.

The reason why Christ will disown some of those, who once professed a regard for him, more or less, will be, that they are found workers of iniquity. All who are saved by him, had committed iniquity, or they would not need his mediation. Yea, some of them were chief sinners, notoriously vile and abandoned transgressors. 1 Tim. i. 16. 1 Cor. vi. 9-11. All were so guilty, that nothing but the death of Christ could render their salvation consistent with the divine glory, and the general good. All will be conscious of enough to prove that their salvation is wholly of grace, and that they needed a great Saviour. Even after conversion, they are conscious of sin, which still dwells within them. In many things they all offend. Many are their transgressions,

Yet

omissions, and defects. Sin too easily besets them. true faith purifies the heart, and produces a real, ardent love to universal holiness, so that there is a plain distinction between saints and the workers of iniquity. But those are to be reckoned workers of iniquity, who habitually indulge themselves in the practice of known sin; whether it be directly against God or man; whether it be openly or secretly; or if it be but one sin, which they cannot part with yea, though they should carefully abstain from the outward practice of any particular sin, yet if it be merely upon worldly motives, and not because their hearts are set against it by the cross of Christ, they will be found workers of iniquity. Sin must be rendered universally hateful to us. We must long to have it mortified and subdued, or we shall be reckoned workers of iniquity. If our end, in embracing Christ, does not correspond with Christ's end in inviting us; even that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and bring us to God,-if we do not love and long for positive holiness, and that in its highest degree, even for absolute perfection; we are workers of iniquity.

And if this

should be our case at last, it will appear that our conversion was never true and genuine. Let our knowledge be ever so great; the outward change, in some respects, what it may; our religious affections, painful or pleasurable, ever so high, various, orderly, and long continued: if, notwithstanding these things, we were never divorced from sin, we certainly were never united to Christ. They who do not hate evil, cannot love the true Christ of God; and must be separated from him, and from all his genuine disciples for It will be to no purpose for you to plead your baptism, or your church-membership; nor for us to plead our preaching, or our usefulness to others. You must depart, and so must I, if we be found workers of iniquity.

ever.

66

Depart from me!" Whose language is this? That of a man like ourselves? Surely not. It seems a strong proof of his divinity. Though that is not our business at the present time. And yet the consideration of his divinity is in point too. For his word will be with authority. If he says, Depart! we must depart. If he said so to the largest planet