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But what then, are not wicked Men to faft with us, and to pray with us? Yes, certainly. How elfe fhould they ever come to be good? But they must leave off their Wickednefs, or if that cannot be done at once, or in a Moment, they must at least fincerely purpose and refolve againft it, and then put up their Prayers to God. If they do not do this, they affront God. Inftead of praying to him, they defy him, and put a Mockery upon him. For is it not a plain Mockery? Is it not a Defiance of God's Juftice and Holiness, to come, for Inftance, to humble my felf before God for the Sins of the Nation, and to pretend feriously to beg Pardon for my own perfonal Sins, my Whoredoms, my Adulteries, my Extortions, and Oppreffions, my Drunkennefs and Debaucheries, my Hypocrify in pretending a Zeal for Religion, when yet I neither believe or practise any thing of it; and yet, at the fame time, I know in my own Heart that I mean not to forfake one of thofe Sins, but to take the next Occafion that offers it felf to commit them over again? Till therefore we can seriously resolve to quit our evil Courses, to forfake every known wilful open Sin, which we are coufcious to our felves that we live in, let us not think our felves qualified to join in any publick Faft, or to put up our Prayers to God, either for our felves or for the Nation.The Sum of all that I have Said upon this Head is elegantly expreffed

by

by the Prophet Isaiah, Part of whofe Words I have already quoted, and fhall now conclude with the reft. This is the Faft that I have chofen, to loofe the Bands of Wickedness, &c. c. 58. v. 6, 7, 8, 9.

God Almighty give us Grace thus to fast, and thus to pray, that fo we and our Country may have the Benefit of it in this World, and that it may be a Means of promoting. our eternal Salvation in the other.

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SERMON VI.

The feveral Caufes of Mens Miftakes about the Terms of their Salvation, and the Reasons why they deceive themselves into vain Opinions of their own Security.

I JOHN III. 7.

you. He

Little Children, let no Man deceive
that doth Righteoufness is righteous, even
as he is righteous.

S

T. John's Defign in thefe Words, and in the greatest Part of this Chapter, is to convince thofe to whom he writes, of the abfolute Neceffity there is of living a pure and holy Life, if ever they mean to go to Heaven. And this in Oppofition to those Gnoftick Principles that went about in those Days, which pretended to reconcile Chriftianity with immoral Practices. To this End he tells them in the third verse, that говоро

whofoever bath the Hope in him of being happy with Chrift, at his fecond Appearance, must purify himfelf even as He is pure. In the fixth verfe he tells them, that it is in vain to call themselves Chrift's Difciples, if they indulge themselves in any Sin, for whofoever abideth in Chrift, finneth not: And whofoever finneth, (that is, lives in any Courfe of Sin) hath not feen Chrift, nor known kim, how much foever he pretends to the Knowledge of him. In my Text, which is the next Verfe, he goes on to the fame Purpose, Little Children, &c. that is to fay, he only fhall be accounted righteous before God, who practiseth Righteousness in all his Converfation; who is righteous in the fame Manner (tho' not in the fame Degree) as Chrift was. And, laftly, in the tenth verse, In this, fays he, the Children of God are manifeft, and the Children of the Devil: Whofoever doth not Righteousness is not of God. All this is to fhew how infeparable true Holiness is from true Chriftianity, and how indifpenfably neceffary it is that they who would live happily in the other World, fhould live righteoully, and foberly, and godly in this.

But that which I at this time take notice of, and mean to infift upon, is that Preface with which St. John introduceth his Propofition in my Text. Little Children, Let no Man deceive you. If you ask what I gather from hence; I anfwer thus. This Caution

of

9, 10.

.

of his, feems to imply, that altho' of all the Deceits in the World thofe which are about the Terms of our Salvation be the most dangerous, yet nevertheless this is a Matter wherein People are wonderfully apt to be deceived. Mankind are ftrangely prone to find out ways to cheat themselves and others into a Belief that they may appear righteous in God's Account, tho' they are not righteous as Chrift is, and confequently that they may go to Heaven at laft, tho' they continue in their Sins all their Days: And therefore there is very great need that they should be often put in mind of, and often warned against thefe Deceits. This I fay is that which feems to be intimated in this Preface or Caution of the Apostle.

I am the more ready to draw this Inference from this Paffage, because I observe, that when St. Paul in his Writings has Occafion to treat of this Argument, he is wont to give the fame Caution, and in the fame Cor. 6. Language; Know ye not that the Unrighteous Shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived: Neither Fornicators nor Adulterers, nor, &c. fhall inherit the Kingdom of God. Eph. 5. Again. This ye know, that no Whoremonger, &c. hath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of God and of Chrift. Let no Man deceive you with vain Words. Laftly, Be not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a Man foweth, that shall be alfo reap. If a Man Jow to the Flesh, he shall of the Flesh reap Corrup

5, 6.

Gal. 6. 7,

8.

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