preffed and comprized by the beloved apostle John, in thefe words: the luft of the flesh, the luft of the eyes, ⚫ and the pride of life, which (fays he) are not of the Father, but of the world, that lieth in wickednessa.’ §. III. It is a mournful reflection, but a truth no confidence can be great enough to deny, that these worldly lufts fill up the study, care and converfation of wretched Christendom! and, which aggravates the mifery, they have grown with time. For as the world is older, it is worfe; and the examples of former lewd ages, and their miserable conclufions, have not deterred, but excited ours; fo that the people of this, feem improvers of the old stock of impiety, and have carried it fo much farther than example, that inftead of advancing in virtue, upon better times, they are fcandalously fallen below the life of heathens. Their high-mindednefs, lasciviousness, uncleannefs, drunkenness, swearing, lying, envy, backbiting, cruelty, treachery, covetoufnefs, injuftice, and oppreffion, are fo common, and committed with fuch invention and excefs, that they have ftumbled and embittered infidels to a degree of fcorning that holy religion, to which their good example should have won their affections.

§. IV. This miferable defection from primitive times, when the glory of chriftianity was the purity of its profeffors, I cannot but call the fecond and worst part of the Jewish tragedy, upon the bleffed Saviour of mankind. For the Jews, from the power of ignorance, and the extreme prejudice they were under to the unworldly way of his appearance, would not acknowledge him when he came, but for two or three years persecuted, and finally crucified him in one day. But the false christians cruelty lasts longer: they have first, with Judas, profeffed him, and then, for these many ages, most bafely betrayed, perfecuted, and crucified him, by a perpetual apoftacy in manners, from the felf-denial and holiness of his doctrine; their lives giving the lye to their faith. These are they that the author of

1 John ii. 16.

the

the epiftle to the Hebrews tells us, crucify to themfelves the Son of God afresh, and put him to open 'fhame' whose defiled hearts, John, in his Revelation, ftiles, the ftreets of Sodom and Egypt, fpiritually fo called, where he beheld the Lord Jefus crucified, long after he had been afcended. And as Christ said of old, a man's enemies are thofe of his own houfe; fo Christ's enemies now, are chiefly those of his own profeffion they fpit upon him, they nail and pierce him, they crown him with thorns, and give him gall and vinegar to drink." Nor is it hard to apprehend; for they that live in the fame evil nature and principle the Jews did, that crucified him outwardly, must needs crucify him inwardly; fince they that reject the grace now in their own hearts, are one in stock and generation with the hard-hearted Jews, that refifted the grace that then appeared in and by Chrift.

§. V. Sin is of one nature all the world over; for though a lyar is not a drunkard, nor a fwearer a whoremonger, nor either properly a murderer; yet they are all of a church; all branches of the wicked root; all of a kin. They have but one father, the devil, as Chrift faid to the profeffing Jews', the vifible church of that age: he flighted their pretenfions to Abraham and Mofes, and plainly told them, that he that committeth fin, was the fervant of fin. They did the devil's works, and therefore were the devil's children. The argument will always hold upon the fame reasons, and therefore good still: his fervants you are, faith Paul, whom

you obey' and faith John to the church of old, ⚫ let no man deceive you; he that committeth fin is of ' the devil'.' Was Judas ever the better christian, for crying, Hail, Master, and kiffing Chrift? By no means: they were the fignal of his treachery; the token given, by which the bloody Jews fhould know and take him, He called him Mafter, but betrayed him; he kiffed, but fold him to be killed: this is the upfhot of the falfe christian's religion. If a man afk them, Is Chrift

b Heb. vi. 6. Rev. xi. 8. to 45. • Rom. vi. 16.

c Mat. xxvii. f 1 John iii. 7, 8.

d

John viii. 34 Mat. xxvi. 49.

your

your Lord? They will cry, God forbid elfe: yes, he is our Lord. Very well: But do you keep his commandments? No. How fhould we? How then are you his difciples? It is impoffible, fay they; what! would you have us keep his commandments? No man can. What! impoffible to do that, without which Christ hath made it impoffible to be a chriftian? Is Chrift unreasonable? Does he reap where he has not fown"; require where he has not enabled? Thus it is, that with Judas they call him Master, but take part with the evil of the world to betray him; and kifs and embrace him as far as fpecious profeffion goes; and then fell him, to gratify the paffion that they most indulge. Thus, as God faid of old, they make him ferve with their fins, and for their fins tooi.

k

§. VI. Let no man deceive his own foul; grapes are not gathered of thorns, nor figs of thiftles a wolf is not a fheep, nor is a vulture a dove. What form, people, or church foever thou art of, it is the truth of God to mankind, that they who have even the form of godliness, but (by their unmortified lives) deny the power thereof, make not the true, but falfe church: which though fhe intitle herself the lamb's bride, or church of Chrift, fhe is that mystery, or mysterious Babylon, fitly called by the Holy Ghost, the mother of harlots, and all abominations'; because degenerated from chriftian chastity and purity, into all the enormities of heathen Babylon: a fumptuous city of old time, much noted for the feat of the kings of Babylon, and at that time the place in the world of greatest pride and luxury. As she was then, fo mystical Babylon is now, the great enemy of God's people. §. VII. True it is, they that are born of the flesh, hate and perfecute them that are born of the spirit"," who are the circumcifion in heart. It feems they cannot own, nor worship God after her inventions, methods and prescriptions, nor receive for doctrine her

b Mat. xxv. 24. i Ifa. xliii. 24. * Mat. vii. 16. 1 Rev. xvii. 5. * Gal. iv. 29,

vain traditions, any more than they can comply with her corrupt fashions and customs in their converfation. The cafe being thus, from an apostate she becomes a perfecutor. It is not enough that fhe herself declines from ancient purity, others must do fo too. She will give them no reft, that will not partake with her in that degeneracy, or receive her mark. Are any wiser than fhe, than mother church? No, no: nor can any make war with the beaft fhe rides upon, thofe worldly powers that protect her, and vow her maintenance against the cries of her diffenters. Apoftacy and fuperftition are ever proud and impatient of diffent: all muft conform, or perifh ". Therefore the flain witneffes, and blood of the fouls under the altar, are found within the walls of this mystical Babylon, this great city of false christians, and are charged upon her by the Holy Ghoft, in the revelation. Nor is it ftrange that she should slay the fervants, who first crucified the Lord: but ftrange and barbarous too, that fhe fhould kill her husband, and murder her Saviour, titles she seems so fond of, and that have been fo profitable to her; and that she would recommend herself by, though without all juftice. But her children are reduced fo entirely under the dominion of darkness, by means of their continued disobedience to the manifestation of the divine light in their fouls, that they forget what man once was, or they fhould now be; and know not true and pure christianity when they meet it, yet pride themselves to profefs it. Their measures are fo carnal and falfe about falvation, they call good evil, and evil good: they make a devil a chriftian, and a faint a devil. So that though the unrighteous latitude of their lives be matter of lamentation, as to themselves it is of deftruction; yet that common apprehenfion, that they may be children of God while in a state of difobedience to his holy commandments; and difciples of Jefus, though they revolt from his crofs; and members of his true church, which is without spot or wrinkle, notwithstanding their lives

■ Rev. vi. 9.

are

are full of spots and wrinkles; is, of all other deceptions upon themselves, the most pernicious to their eternal condition. For they are at peace in fin, and under a fecurity in their tranfgreffion. Their vain hope filences their convictions, and over-lays all tender motions to repentance: fo that their mistake about their duty to God, is as mifchievous as their rebellion against him.

Thus they walk on precipices, and flatter themselves, till the grave swallows them up, and the judgment of great God breaks the lethargy, and undeceives their poor wretched fouls with the anguish of the wicked, as the reward of their work.

the

§. VIII. This has been, is, and will be the doom of all worldly chriftians: an end fo dreadful, that if there were nothing of duty to God, or obligation to men, being a man, and one acquainted with the terrors of the Lord in the way and work of my own falvation, compaffion alone were fufficient to excite me to this diffuafive against the world's fuperstitions and lufts, and to invite the profeffors of chriftianity to the knowledge and obedience of the daily cross of Chrift, as the alone way, left by him, and appointed us to bleffednefs: that they who now do but ufurp the name, may have the thing; and by the power of the crofs, (to which they are now dead, instead of being dead to the world by it) may be made partakers of the refurrection that is in Christ Jefus, unto newness of life. For they that are truly in Chrift, that is, redeemed by and interested in him, are new creatures. They have received a new will", fuch as does the will of God, not their own. They pray in truth, and do not mock God, when they say, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.' They have new affections, fuch as are fet on things above", and make Chrift their eternal treasure. New faith, fuch as overcomes fnares and temptations of the world's spirit in themselves, or as it appears through others: and lastly, new works, not of fuperftitious contrivance,

• Gal, vi. 15.

P Col. iii. 1, 2, 3.

or