avowing and abetting them in that way which doth beft SERM. fignify our mind and meanings: for men certainly will LXIV. judge of our sense not so much by what we say as from what we do; not by our verbal profeffion or pretence, but from our practice, as the fureft indication of our heart.

Wherefore when they hear us to confess our faith, and fee us act like infidels, they will be forced to esteem us either for fubdolous hypocrites or for inconsistent fools; who affume the name of Chriftians, and pretend to great advantages thence, yet in effect do not mind or regard them; highly commending the rules of our religion, but not at all observing them; greatly admiring the example of our Saviour, but not caring to imitate it; describing heaven for a moft happy place, but not striving to get thither in the fole way which our Lord prefcribeth, of faithful and diligent obedience to his precepts.

Seeing, I fay, this repugnance between our profeffion and our practice, will induce men to charge us with hypocrify or folly; and if the profeffors be taken for counterfeits or fools, the profeffion itself will hardly scape from being held impofture or folly.

Our religion at least will thence be exposed to the cenfures of being no better than a fond device, and a barren notion, unpracticable, ineffectual, and infignificant to any good purpose.

The visible misbehaviour, I say, of Chriftians will affuredly derive obloquy and reproach on Christianity, if not as bad, yet as vain, impotent, impertinent and useless; especially those who are difaffected to it will hence take advantage to infult upon it with contemptuous fcorn; To what, will they say, do your fine rules ferve? what effects do your glorious hopes produce? where are the fruits of that holy faith and heavenly doctrine which you so extol and magnify?

Whereas alfo bad conversation commonly doth not only deprive men of the benefits which our religion promifeth, but doth carry with it hurtful fruits; men that fee or feel them will be apt to impute them to religion.

8 Εἰ δὲ τις ἐλεγχθῇ πράξας τι ἄνομον, ὁ τοῦτος & μόνον ἑαυτὸν ἔβλαψεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ βλασφημίαν προσέτριψε τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ. Conf. Αp. ii. 8.

SERM. If a Christian be unjust, cenforious, factious, anywise LXIV. offenfive or troublesome, although irreligion be the cause of fuch things, yet religion must bear the blame, and they presently exclaim,

"Ινα μή μω

undy.

Rom. xiv. 16.

Quantum religio potuit fuadere malorum.

Whence St. Paul (who as a powerful inftructor doth impress matters of duty by the most proper motives) doth often and upon all occafions urge this confideration; he 2 Cor. vi. 3. chargeth us to give no offence in any thing, that the miniftery (or evangelical difpenfation) be not blamed, or expofed to the cenfure of any captious Momus; he biddeth us to forbear harsh judgment and all uncharitable dealing, that our good be not evil Spoken of; he preffeth the discharge of our duty in each calling and relation, that by 1 Tim. vi. 1. neglect thereof the Gospel be not defamed: Let, faith he, as many fervants as are under the yoke, count their own mafters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blafphemed; and, Let women be discreet, chafte, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own huf1 Tim. v. bands, that the word of God be not blafphemed; and, I will that younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, (so as) to give no occafion to the adversary (that is, to perfons difaffected to Chriflianity) to speak reproachfully (of it): which discourse, by clear parity of reason, may be applied to any other state or relation.

Tit. ii. 5.

14.

Now feriously what greater mischief can we do, what heavier guilt may we contract, than by working dishonour to God's adorable name, than by cafting reproach on God's heavenly truth, than by drawing a scandal on that holy religion, which the Son of God came down from heaven to establish, for the glory of God and falvation of mankind? Surely next after directly blafpheming God, and Rom. ii. 24. defying religion with our own mouths, the next crime is to make others to do so, or in effect to do it by their profane tongues.

δὲ ὑμᾶς.

There remain divers arguments of very great moment, which the time will not suffer me to urge; and therefore I must reserve them to another occafion.

SERMON LXV.

PROVIDE THINGS HONEST IN THE SIGHT OF
ALL MEN.

I

ROM. xii. 17.

Provide things honeft in the fight of all men.

HAVE formerly difcourfed upon this apoftolical pre- SERM. cept; and having declared the meaning of it, (briefly im- LXV. porting that we should have a special care of our external behaviour, coming under the view and obfervation of men, that it be perfectly innocent and inculpable,) I did propofe divers motives inducing to the obfervance of it; but divers others of great importance the time would not allow me to urge; I fhall therefore now proceed to offer them to your confideration.

I did then shew that a regard to the reason and nature of things, to the fatisfaction of our confcience, to the honour of God, and to the credit of our religion, did require from us a good conversation before men; I now farther add, that,

I. The real interest of piety and virtue do exact such a conversation, as the most effectual way of upholding, advancing, and propagating them among men.

Example is a very powerful thing either way, both for attraction to good, and feduction to evil; fuch is the nature of men, that they are more apt to be guided by the practice of others than by their own reason, and more eafily can write after a copy than by a rule; that they

LXV.

SERM. are prone to imitate whatever they fee done, be it good or bad, convenient or inconvenient, profitable or hurtful, emulating the one, and aping the other; that they love to be in the fashion, and will go anywhither in company, prefuming of fupport, defence, and comfort therein; that they will fatisfy their minds and justify their doings by any authority, deeming that laudable or allowable, or at leaft tolerable and excufable, for which they can allege precedents; judging, that if they are not fingular, they are innocent, or however not very culpable; that hardly they will undertake any thing without countenance, whereby their modesty is in fome measure secured, and partners engaged to bear a fhare with them in the cenfure to which their deportment is liable. Hence a visible good converfation will have a great efficacy toward the promotion and propagation of goodness; the authority of that being adjoined to the native worth and beauty, to the rational plaufibility, to the sensible benefit of virtue, will cogently draw men to it; it will be a clear pattern, whereby they fhall be informed what they are obliged and what they are able to perform; it will be a notable fpur, fmartly exciting them to mind and pursue their duty; it will be a vigorous incentive, inflaming their courage, and provoking an emulation to do well.

The vifible fuccour and countenance of many, espousing the cause of goodness by their practice, will affuredly bring it into request and vogue, and thence into current use and fashion; fo juft a cause cannot fail to prosper, having any reasonable forces to maintain it; it will have great ftrength, great boldnefs and affurance, when a confiderable party doth appear engaged on its fide.

Yea, fometimes even the example of a few will do it great fervice; the rarity giving a fpecial luftre to their virtue, and rendering it more notable; according to that intimation of the Apoftle, when he thus doth exhort the Philippians to a cheerful and forward practice of goodPhil. ii. 14, nefs; Do all things, faith he, without murmurings and difputings; that ye may be blameless and harmless, the fons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and

15.

perverfe generation, among whom ye fhine as lights in the SERM. world. LXV.

A good converfation doth notify good men to one another, and draweth them together, and combineth them in a party, for the protection of goodness, heartening and aiding one another therein.

Such advantages goodness doth always need; for it ever hath in the world many adverfaries, ftriving by violent force to beat it down, or by treacherous fraud to fupplant it; who use their authority and interest to suppress it; who by their evil example do feduce from it; who labour by detraction to blaft it, by fcorn and reproach to discourage it, by divers temptations and baits to entice from it; who combining their forces with the wicked spirits, and with the corrupt inclinations of men, do raise a mighty party for wickedness.

Wherefore, to balance fuch oppofitions, goodness doth need friends to maintain it; not only friends in heart, or fecret well-wishers; but open friends, who frankly will avow it, and both in word and deed will ftoutly abet it.

A demure, bafhful, timorous friendship, will rather prejudice than help it; for nothing will more animate its foes to affail and perfecute it, than obferving its friends to slink and sneak: when good men hide their faces, as if they were ashamed of their goodness, then bad men will grow more impudent and infolent in their outrages against it.

Wherefore, if we would have goodness hold up its head, we muft openly take its part; if we would not be guilty of its ruin, we must stand up to uphold it; for whoever openly complieth with fin, or neglecteth his duty, may well be charged with its ruin; fince if thou fo deferteft goodness, another after thy pattern may do the like, and a third may follow him; fo the neglect of it may foon be propagated, until at length it may be quite abandoned, and left deftitute of fupport: if it doth not thus happen, it will as to thee be accidental, and no thanks to thee for its better fortune.

The declenfion of piety is not perhaps more to be