you do not believe yourselves? If you believed your religion, you would live according to it. For if the gofpel were every word of it falfe, if there were neither a heaven to be hoped for, nor a hell to be feared after this life, how could many Christians live worse than they do?

As we would not proclaim to the world, that the gofpel is an unholy and vitious inftitution, let us take heed that we bring no fcandal upon it by our lives, left the enemies of our religion fay, as Salvian tells us they did in his time, Si Chriftus fancta docuiffet, Chriftiani fanétè vixiffent: Surely, "if Christ had taught fo holy a do“&trine, Christians would have lived holier lives." Tully tells us, that one of the fhrewdeft arguments that ever was brought against philosophy was this, Quofdam perfectos philofophos turpiter vivere; "That fome great 66 philofophers led very filthy lives." Celfus and Porphyry, Hierocles and Julian, among all their witty invectives against Christian religion, have nothing against it that reflects fo much upon it, as do the wicked lives of fo many Chriftians. The greatest enmity to religion, is, to profefs it, and to live unanfwerably to it.

I am:

This confideration ought greatly to affect us. fure the Apostle speaks of it with great paffion and vehemency: For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cros of Chrift; whofe end is deftruction, whofe God is their belly, whofe glory is in their fhame, who mind earthly things, Phil. iii. 18. 19. A Jew or a Turk is not fo great an enemy to Christianity as a lewd and vitious Christian.: Therefore let me befeech Chriftians, as they tender the honour of their Saviour, and the credit of their religion, that they would conform their lives to the holy precepts. of Chriftianity. And if there be any who are refolved to continue in a vitious course, to the injury and disparagement of Christianity, I could almost intreat of them, that they would quit their profeffion, and renounce their baptifm; that they would lay afide their title of Chriftians, and initiate themselves in Heathenifh rites and fu-. perftitions, or be circumcifed for Jews, or Turks for it were really better, upon fome accounts, that fuch men fhould abandon their profeffion, than keep on a vizard,

which ferves to no other purpose, but to scare others from religion.

3. and lastly, Let us confider the danger we expofe ourfelves to, by not living anfwerably to our religion. And this, I hope, may prevail upon fuch as are not mo ved by the former confiderations. Hypocrites are instanced in fcripture, as a fort of finners that fhall have the fharpelt torments, and the fierceft damnation. When our Saviour would fet forth the great severity of the Lord towards the evil fervant, he expreffeth it thus: He fhall cut him in funder, and appoint him his portion with. hypocrites, Matth. xxiv. 51. So that the punishment of hypocrites feems to be made the measure and standard of the highest punishment. Thou profeffeft to believe in Chrift, and to hope in him for falvation; but in the mean time thou livelt a wicked and unholy life: thou doft not believe, but prefume on him; and wilt find, at the great day, that this thy confidehce will be thy con fufion, and he whom thou hopeft will be thy Advo cate and Saviour, will prove thy accufer, and thy judge. What our Saviour fays to the Jews, There is one that accufeth you, even Mofes, in whom ye truft, John v. 45: may very well be applied to falfe Chriftians, There is one that accufeth you, and will condemn you, even Jefus, in whom ye trust.

The profeffion of Christianity, and mens having the name of Chrift named upon them, will be fo far from fecuring them from hell, that it will fink them the deeper into it. Many are apt to pity the poor Heathens, who never heard of the name of Chrift, and fadly to condole their cafe: but, as our Saviour faid upon another occafion, Weep not for them; weep for yourselves. There is no fuch miferable perfon in the world as a degenerate Chriftian; because he falls into the greatest mifery, from the greatest advantages and opportunities of being happy. Doft thou lament the condition of Socrates, and Cato, and Ariftides, and doubt what fhall become of them at the day of judgment? and canft thou who art an impious and profane Chriftian, think that thou shalt efcape the damnation of hell?.

་་

Doft thou believe that the moral Heathen shall be caft out? and canst thou who hast led a wicked life under

the

the profeffion of Christianity, have the impudence to hope, that thou shalt fit down with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God? No: Thofe fins which are committed by Christians under the enjoyment of the gofpel, are of deeper dye, and clothed with blacker ag gravations, than the fins of Heathens are capable of. A Pagan may live without God in the world, and be unjust towards men, at a cheaper rate, and upon easier terms, than thou who art a Chriftian. Better had it been thou hadft never known one fyllable of the gospel, never heard of the name of Chrift, than that, having taken it upon thee, thou shouldft not depart from iniquity. Happy had it been for thee that thou hadst been born a Jew, or a Turk, or a poor Indian, rather than that, being bred among Chriftians, and profeffing thyfelf of that number, thou shouldft lead a vitious and unholy life.

I have infifted the longer upon these arguments, that I might, if poffible, awaken men to a ferious confideration of their lives, and perfuade them to a real reformation of them; that I may oblige all those who call themfelves Chriftians, to live up to the effential and fundamental laws of our religion; to love God, and to love our neighbour; to do to every man as we would have him to do to us; to mortify our lufts, and fubdue our paffions, and fincerely to endeavour to grow in every grace and virtue; and to abound in all the fruits of righteoufnefs, which are by Jefus Chrift, to the praise and glory of God.

This indeed would become our profeffion, and be honourable to our religion, and would remove one of the greatest obstacles to the progress of the gofpel. For how can we expect that the doctrine of God our Saviour fhould gain any confiderable ground in the world, fo long as, by the unworthy lives of fo many Christians, it is reprefented to the world at fo great difadvantage? If ever we would have Christian religion effectually recommended, it must be by the holy and unblameable lives of those who make profeffion of it. Then indeed it would look with fo amiable a countenance, as to invite many to it; and carry fo much majefty and authority in it, as to command reverence from its greatest enemies,

and

and make men to acknowledge that God is in us of a truth, and to glorify our Father which is in heaven.

:

The good God grant, that as we have taken upon us the profeffion of Christianity, fo we may be careful fo to live, that we may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things that the grace of God, which bringeth falvation, may teach us to deny ungodliness, and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jefus Chrift. To whom, with the Father, and the Holy Ghoft, &c.

SERMON

VIII.

Of the happiness of a heavenly converfation.

F

PHIL. iii. 20.

For our converfation is in heaven.

OR the understanding of which words we need to look back no farther than the 18th verfe of this

chapter, where the Apostle with great vehemency and paffion fpeaks of fome among the Philippians, who indeed profeffed Chriftianity, but yet would do any thing to decline fuffering for that profeffion: There are many that walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies to the cross of Chrift; they cannot endure to fuffer with him and for him; they are fo fenfual, and wedded to this world, that they will do any thing to avoid perfecution. So be describes them in the next verfe: Whofe end is deftruEtion, whofe god is their belly, whofe glory is in their fhame, who mind earthly things. Now, in oppofition to these fenfual and earthly-minded men, the Apostle gives us the character of the true Chriftians: They are fuch as mind heaven and another world, and prefer the hopes

of

of that to all the interefts of this life: Our conversation is in heaven.

For the right understanding of which phrase, be pleafed to obferve, that it is an allufion to a city or corporation, and to the privileges and manners of thofe who are free of it. And heaven is feveral times in fcripture reprefented to us under this notion of a city. It is faid of Abraham, that he looked for a city which hath foundations, whofe builder and maker is God, Heb. xi. 10. It is called likewise the city of the living God, the heavenby Jerufalem, Heb. xii. 22. And the fame Apostle, fpeaking of the uncertain condition of Chriftians in this world, fays of them, that here they have no continuing city, but look for one that is to come, Heb. xiii. 14.

Now to this city the Apostle alludes here in the text, when he fays, Our converfation is in heaven: for the word TONITEUμa, which is rendered converfation, may either fignify the privilege of citizens, or their converfation and manners; or may take in both thefe.

In the firft fenfe, of the privilege of citizens, we find TOMITE, a word of near affinity with this, fometimes ufed: With a geat fum (fays the Captain to Paul) obtained I τὴν πολιτείαν ταύτην, this freedom, Adts xxii. 28. According to this fenfe, av To Toni Tevua may very well be rendered, as Tertullian often does this text, municipatus nofter, our citizenship is in heaven; an allufion perhaps, as the learned Dr. Hammond obferves, to thofe, who though they were not born at Rome, and it may be lived at a great distance from it, had yet jus civitatis Romane, the privilege of Roman citizens. In like manner the Apoftle here defcribes the condition of Chriftians. It is true, we are born here in this world, and live in it: but we belong to another corporation; we are denizens of another country, and free of that city which is above.

In the other fenfe, of the converfation of citizens, we find the verb TONITEU'sobe used towards the beginning of this epiftle: Let your converfation be as it becometh the gospel of Chrift, Phil. i. 27. And why may not the word TOM TEU in the text, without any inconvenience, include both these? as if the Apoftle had faid, There are fome that mind earthly things, and are fo addicted to