miferable eternity. In one word, we know that what we admire is vanity, and what we worship is indeed an idol. This being fo, I will infift no longer on this topick; for fince the world bears no competition with God in our opinion, tho' it often rivals him in our affections, we are not to impute the halting of a Laodicean Chriftian to any perfuafion of omnipotence or all-fufficiency, or any thing like Divinity in the things he dotes on, ferves, and worfhips; but we muft find out fome other reafon of it. And that is generally this: we are willing to believe, that our fondness for the world, and our indulgence to the body, is confiftent enough with religion; that it is no violation of our faith, nor provocation to God; nor confequently, prejudice to our eternal intereft; and then 'tis no wonder if we blend and compound religion and fenfuality; and stand divided in our affections; and confequently halt in our fervice between God and the world. To prevent this, I will shew,

2. That this is a great fin; which is fufficiently evident from this fingle confideration, that it fruftrates the efficacy of the gospel and the Spirit, and entirely defeats the great defign of the Chriftian religion. For, 1. Religion has no effectual influence upon the lukewarm himself; the gofpel

gofpel works no thorough change in him; The finner is not converted into a faint; nor human nature perfected by participation of a divine one. 2. The Laodiceans can never offer up to God any gift, any facrifice worthy of him; nor render him any fervice acceptable to him; the kingdom of God is righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft, Rom, xiv. He that in thefe things ferveth Chrift, is acceptable to God, and approved of men. But alas! these

men are almost utter ftrangers to thefe things; a few faint and irrefolute wishes, formal and cuftomary prayers, niggardly and grumbling alms, and an attendance upon God's word, rather out of fpiritual wantonnefs, than devotion; these are the offerings they can make God; and will God be better pleased with thefe, than he was with thofe of frael, that were deformed with maims and blemishes? Mal. i. 8. Offer now thefe to thy governour; will he be pleafed with thee, or accept of thy perfon? faith the Lord of hofts. The Magi, indeed, left their country, and offered gold, frankincenfe, and myrrh to our Saviour, Mat. ii. David would not facrifice to God of that which coft him nothing, 2 Sam. xxiv. 24. The primitive Chriftians offered up to God: prayers and tears, labours and travels; nay their honours, their fortunes, their lives, their blood. But, alas! what have

these

these men to offer? They have not love enough to put them upon any expence; nor faith enough to put them upon any hardfhips,for the fake of God and virtue. For tho they think themselves rich and increafed in goods, and to have need of nothing, yet are they poor, wretched, and miferable, and blind, and naked, Rev. iii. 17. And fhall thefe receive a crown of righteousness? Shall these fhare in the kingdom of Jefus? Shall these partake in the triumph of the laft day? It can never be; they do nothing worthy of the gofpel, nothing wor thy of the Spirit of God; nothing that can entitle them to the benefit of the Crofs of Chrift.

3. The life of the Laodicean Chriftian will never do any credit to religion, or reflect any honour on the gofpel. No man will be ever able to difcern the beauty of holiness, or the power and efficacy of divine truths, from the practice and converfation of fuch an one. Ah! had the carriage of the primitive times been fuch as his, I know not what miracles might have done, I am fure examples would never have made any profelytes. But the Chriftians then acted thofe virtues, which the Pagan only pretended to; and faith in Jefus at chieved thofe victories over the world, which the Jews (fo debauched and stupid

were

were they grown) did in the declension of that state neither understand nor pretend to this was that which made the world admire and love Chriftianity. After thus much faid of the effects of this fort of carriage; I need scarcely put any one in mind, what will be the last and faddeft effect of it; for if our Chriftianity be fuch, that it neither truly fets us free from our bondage to the world and flesh; nor inriches our foul with true and folid virtues; if it neither promote the honour of God, nor the good of man, it must unavoidably follow, that having no true title to God's favour, nor any rational ground, on which to build an affurance of it, we can reap no true comfort or pleasure from religion here, or any reward from it hereafter. Alas! what talk I of comfort and reward? Diftrefs and anguish must take hold of the finners in Sion; and fearfulness must furprise the hypocrite: and from the troubles and miseries of this life, they must go down into the everlasting torments of another. The fcripture is plain; God will fpue them out of his mouth, as he did the Laodicean: he will fhut the gate of heaven against them, as against the foolish virgins that had no oil in their lamps and their hell will have one torment in it, which is incident to no others, that they had once the hopes of heaven; and it is no small

aggra

aggravation of mifery to fall into it, even from the expectation of happiness.

This is not, as I obferved above, to be applied to accidental dulnefs or deadness in duty; nor are the decays or abatements of love, which good men fometimes fuffer, immediately to be pronounced damnable. But yet these are to be put in mind of the danger they are in; and recalled to their former zeal, in the words of the Spirit to the Church of Ephesus; Nevertheless, I have fomewhat against thee, because thou haft left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen; and repent, and do the first works; or elfe I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent, Rev. ii.

4, 5.

CHAP.