good of others, that they may be edified; and we must covet grace, for the good of our own fouls, that they may be faved; for whofoever be bettered by our gifts, yet we fhall mifcarry without grace.

3. A man may have a high profeffion of religion, be much in external duties of godliness, and yet be but almost a Chriftian. Márk what our Lord Chrift tells them in Matth. vii. 21. "Not every one that faith unto me, Lord, Lord, fhall enter into the kingdom of heaven;" that is, not every one that makes a profeffion of Chrift, fhall therefore be owned for a true difciple of Christ. All are not' Ifrael, that are of Ifrael, Rom. ix. 6. Nor are all Chriftians, that make a profeffion of religion.

What a goodly profeffion had Judas? He followed Chrift, left all for Chrift, he preached the gofpel of Chrift, he caft out devils in the name of Chrift, he ate and drank at the table of Chrift, and yet Judas was but a hypocrite. Moft profeffors are like lillies, fair in fhow, but foul in fcent; or like pepper, hot in the mouth, but cold in the ftomach. The fineit lace may be upon the coarfeft cloth.

It is a great deceit to measure the fubftance of our religion by the bulk of our profeffion, and to judge of the ftrength of our graces by the length of our duties. The Scriptures fpeak of fome, who having, "a form of godlinefs, yet deny the power thereof," 2 Tim.iii. 5. Deny the power, that is, they do not live in practice of these graces which they pretend

to

to in their duties: He that pretends to godlinefs by a fpecious profeffion, and yet doth: not practice godlinefs by a holy converfation, "he hath a form, but denies the power." Hugo compares fuch to the oftrich, "Qui alas habet, fed non volat," which hath great wings, but yet ftirs not. Many have the wings of a fair profeffion, but yet ufe them not to move upward in fpiritual affections, and a heavenly converfation. "Loquitur hic ut pifo, vivit:

ut gallonius."

But to clear the truth of this, that a man. may make a high profeffion of religion, and yet be but almost a Christian, take a four-fold evidence.

1. If a man may profefs religion, and yet never have his heart changed, nor his ftate bettered, then he may be a great profeffor, yet be but almoft a Chriftian.

and

But a man may profefs religion, and yet never have his heart changed, nor his ftate renewed.

He may be a conftant hearer of the word, and yet be a finner ftill; He may come often to the Lord's table, and yet go away a finner as he came; we must not think that duties, ex opere operato, can confer grace. Many a foul hath been converted by Chrift in an ordinance, but never was any foul converted by an ordinance without Chrift.

And doth Chrift convert all that fit under the ordinance? Surely no; for to fome the word is a favour of death unto death, 2 Cor. ii. 16.

And

And alfo then it is plain, that a man may profefs religion, and yet be but almost a Christian.

2. A man may profefs religion, and live in a form of godlinefs, in hypocrify, Ifa. xlviii. 1. "Hear ye this, O houfe of Jacob, which are called by the name of Ifrael, and are come forth out of the waters of Juda; which fwear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Ifrael, but not in truth nor in righteousness." What do ye think of these? They make mention of the name of the Lord, there is their profeffion, but not in truth, nor in righteoufnefs, there is their diffimulation: And indeed there could be no hypocrify in a religious fense, were it not for a profeffion of religion; for he that is wicked, and carnal, and vile inwardly, and appears to be fo outwardly, he is no hypocrite, but is what he appears, and appears what he is.

But he that is one thing really, and another thing feemingly, is carnal and unholy, and yet seems to be good and holy, he is an hypocrite. "Hypocrita cup it videri juftus."

Thus the Cafuifts define hypocrify, to be fimulatio Sunctitatis, a counterfeiting of holinefs, and this fits exactly with the Greek word hypokrites, which is from hupokn nomai, to counterfeit, Toller. inftit. Sacred. lib. 8, 9.

And to this purpose, the Hebrews have two words for hypocrites, Panim, which fignifies Facies and Chaniphim, which fignifies counterfeits, from Chanaph, to diffemble; fo that he is an hypocrite that diffembles religion and weareth the face of holiness, and yet is without

the

the grace of holinefs; he appears to be in femblance, what he is not in fubftance; he wears a form of godlinefs without, only as a cover of a profane heart within. He hath a profeffion that he may not be thought wicked, but it is but a profeffion, and therefore he is wicked.

He is the religious hypocrite: religious, because he pretends to it: and yet an hypocrite, because he doth but pretend to it; He is like many men in a confumption, that have fresh looks, and yet rotten lungs; or like an apple that hath a fair skin, but a rotten core. Many appear righteous, who are only righteous in appearance.

And if fo, then a man may profefs religion, and yet be but almoft a Chriftian.

3. Custom and fashion may create a man a profeffor; as you have many that wear this, or that garb, not because it keeps them warmer, or hath any excellency in it more than another, but merely for fashion.

Many must have powdered hair, fpotted faces, feathers in their caps, &c. for no other end, but because they would be fools in fashion.

So many profefs Chriftianity, not because the means of grace warms the heart, or that they fee any excellency in the ways of God above the world, but merely to follow the fashion; I wish I might not fay, it hath been true of our days, because our religion hath been uppermoft, therefore many have profeffed it; it hath been the gaining trade, and then most would be of that trade.

Religion

Religion in credit makes many profeffors, but few profelytes; but when religion fuffers, then its confeffors are no more than its converts; for custom makes the former, but confcience the latter.

He that is a profeffor of religion merely for custom's fake when it profpers, will never be a Martyr for Chrift's fake when religion fuffers.

He that owns the truth to live upon that, will difown it when it comes to live upon him. They fay, that when a house is decaying and falling, all the rats and mice will forfake it; while the house is firm, and they may shelter in the roof, they will ftay, but no longer, left in the decay, the fall fhould be upon them; and they that lived at the top, fhould lye at the bottom.

My brethren, may I not fay, we have many that are the vermine, the rats and mice of religion, that would live under the roof of it, while they might have shelter in it; but when it fuffers, forfake it, left it fhould fall; and the fall fhould be upon them? I am perfuaded, this is not the leaft reason why God hath brought the wheel upon the profeffion of religion, viz. to rid it of the vermine.

: He shakes the foundation of the house, that these rats and mice may quit the roof; not to overturn it, but to rid them out of it, as the hufbandman fans the wheat, that he may get rid of the chaff. The Halcion days of the gofpel provoke hypocrify, but the fufferings of religion prove fincerity.

Now