Christianity to the fcoffs and taunts of its enemies; and furnishes a fpecious plea to the children of this world, who labour to represent earnestnefs in religion as hypocrify, folly, or fanaticism.

It is faid, and truly faid, that fincere piety is often an inmate in the breaft which is the habitation of enthufiafm. It is to be deplored that fincere piety should ever be linked with an affociate, by the continued operation of whose deluding influence it has frequently been at last extirpated from the bofom. Let fincere piety however be honoured, wherever it may be found. But let not the chaff be valued because of its conjunction with the wheat. Let not the base alloy be counted as a portion of the precious metal. It is also ftated, and occafionally in the shape of an apology, that enthusiasm originates from ignorance unaccompanied by evil defign. The general statement may be grounded in truth. But let every

man who urges it in the first place weigh the language of St. Paul, when that apostle describes himself as the chief of finners: and obferve, fecondly, that he attributes his fin to ignorance (b). I draw no parallel, no comparison, between enthusiasm and persecution. (b) 1 Tim. i. 12-16.

VOL. I.

Bb

But

But I would fervently exhort you to deduce from the expreffions of St. Paul the legitimate and univerfally applicable conclufion: that ignorance, when you are furrounded with means and opportunities of knowledge, is wilful; that wilful ignorance is a fin; and that there is no offence for which wilful ignorance can be pleaded in juftification.

II. Let us now turn our eyes to the oppofite quarter: to men who denominate religion enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm is on principle bufy and loquacious. Lukewarmness, though capable of being roused to a turbulent defence of forms and of its own conduct, is by nature filent and fupine. Hence enthusiasm, in proportion to the relative number of its adherents, raifes a much louder ftir, and attracts far more speedy and extensive notice, than lukewarmnefs. But let the torpid conviction of the lukewarm be contrafted with the illufion of the enthufiaft: and the former will prove itself not less dangerous, and generally, I fear, more deliberately criminal, than the latter.

The lukewarm Chriftian, if according to popular language he is to be called by the name of Chriftian, reduces religion to a ceremonial fervice, devoid of warmth, animation,

and

and fpirituality. Punctilious perhaps in the form of godliness, he denies the power thereof. His lips draw nigh unto God: his heart is far from him (c). Outward obfervances he substitutes for ardent piety; and moral decorum for the fruits of the fpirit. To feek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; to crucify the flesh with its affections and lufts; to live not unto ourselves, but unto Chrift who died for us; these are precepts which in the hands of the lukewarm religionist evaporate into, prohibitions of the groffer vices: and scarcely feem inconfiftent with the toleration of fome one of the groffer vices on condition of a decent abftinence from the rest. That we are justified by faith alone, implies in his creed no more than that in order to fupply the deficiency of his own righteousness as the price of falvation, some acceffion must be borrowed from the righteousness of Chrift. To be tranformed by the renewing of our minds, to be created anew in Chrift Jefus, to be born again of the Spirit; these are phrases which in his estimation import that his heart, by nature fubftantially good, is yet to receive fome improvement from divine grace: that, although the original foundation be in the main fufficiently. folid, fome alterations are needful in the superstructure: that the apartments, necef(c) 2 Tim. iii. 5. Matt. xv. 8. Bb 2

farily

1

farily contracting from daily use a little duft and defilement, require occafional purification. All religious warmth, all active zeal for the glory of God, he decries as enthusiasm and vindicates his coldnefs by declaiming against fanatics. Every degree of exertion for the falvation of men which furpaffes the feantinefs of his own ftandard, he eyes with fufpicion, as the fymptom of a heated brain: and eagerly feizes every pretence for cenfuring the ftrenuous and faithful Christian, in whofe affectionate diligence he reads a reproach of his own inactivity and deadnefs. In lukewarmness every thing tends to deterioration. The heart grows inert, the confcience dull of feeling. Penitence becomes shallow, prayer languid, religious meditation uninteresting, faith feeble and indistinct and unproductive. Sin lofes its heinoufness. Every thing is ftagnant, and verges towards corruption. The vivifying principle feems extinguished.

Against fuch a frame of mind do you won. der that a woe is denounced? Are you aftonished that Jefus Chrift fpeaks of the lukewarm with abhorrence: declares his wish that they were either cold or hot and while they boaftfully proclaim themselves rich and increafed with goods and having need of nothing, affirms them to be naked, and miferable,

12

and

and poor, and blind, and naked; counfels them to buy' of him gold tried in the fire that they may be rich, and white raiment that they may be clothed; and forewarns them that, unless they repent and become zealous, they fhall be utterly caft out for ever? He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit faith to the lukewarm in the churches (d)! Against you, if you are lukewarm, has the Spirit denounced this woe by the mouth of St. John. Against you, if you are a patron of lukewarmnefs in others, if you vilify religion and difcourage the true fervants of the Lord Jesus by attaching to fervent and active piety, to found and enlightened faith, the denomination of enthusiasm; if you thus call evil good and good evil, thus put darkness for light and light for darkness; against you has the Spirit denounced an additional woe by the lips of Ifaiah. Look up to the impending judgement. Be zealous, and repent!

III. Another illuftration of the text is furnished by perfons, who represent a partial conformity to the commandments of God as meriting the appellation of religion and thus alfo by implication ftigmatise the true Chriftian as righteous over-much.