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(2.) Another piece of this Sheeps-Clothing, is a Pretence of great Love to Mens Souls, and a more than ordinary Care and Tenderness for them. This St. Paul obferv'd of the falfe Teachers crept into the Churches of Galatia, of whom he minds the Galatians; They zealously affect you (faith he) but not well: meaning, that whatever Shew of Love and Kindness they make to you, there was nothing under it but Falfhood aud Hypocrify; and in all they fay or do, their Love was not to you, but themselves. For they would exclude you (faith he) that you might affect them: that is, they would fhut you out of the true Faith, that you might admire their Perfons, and embrace their Errors. The fame Cloke is put on and worn ftill by Seducers, who pretend the greatest Kindness when they intend the greatest Mischief, and cover the foulleft Defigns under the fairest Shew of Affection.

(3.) Another piece of this Sheeps-Clothing, is a Pretence to greater Mortification and Self-denial than other, Men. So St. Jerom interprets the Sheeps-Clothing of falle Prophets, by their feeming Rigour and Aufterity of Life. Indeed, all that will draw Difciples after them muft pretend to fomething extraordinary this way; and this hath been a known Way and Method of Deceivers, to raise an Admiration of their Perfons, the better to inftil their Opinions into them for a great Appearance of Strictness and Sanctity is wont to impofe upon unwary People, who are apt to think that fuch godly Men cannot be mistaken, and thence are easily perfuaded to take all they fay for Gospel, and fo implicitely imbibe all their Errors. The Pharifees frequent Faftings and mortify'd Looks drew the People after them, and by thefe Arts falfe Teachers have deceiv'd many : which made St. Paul caution the Coloffians, Let none beguile you with a voluntary Humility, intruding into things which they have not feen, being vainly puff'd up with a fleshly Mind; Col. 2. This is briefly the Sheeps-Clothing, in which false Prophets are faid to come.

But what is the End of their Coming? Why, that the next words declare; Inwardly they are ravening Wolves. Now the Wolf (you know) is a Creature of Prey, it comes not but to kill and to deftroy; its chief Defign is upon the harmless Sheep, whom he feeks firft to divide and then to devour. The ravening Wolf is the worst of its kind, and fignifies one of the greatest Rage and Rapa

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city. And yet our Saviour thought this the fittest Refemblance of the Subtlety and Cruelty of falfe Teachers, who feek to fleece and devour the Flock they pretend to feed. Of this the Pharifees were a plain Inftance, who by their long Prayers devour'd Widows Houfes, and made their long Robes a Covering for all their Rapine and Oppreffion; and this hath been the method of their Followers ever fince, to carry on Rebellion by Pretences of Reformation, and to hide Sacrilege and Schifm under a Cloke of greater Sanctity. And fo tho the outward Appearance be in Sheeps-Clothing, yet inwardly they are ravening Wolves. But how may we know and difcover thefe falfe Prophets and Teachers? Why, that our Saviour informs us: Ye hall know them by their Fruits; do Men gather Grapes of Thorns, and Figs of Thiftles? Such fweet and pleasant Fruit cannot fpring from a dry and different Stock, no more can found Practices proceed from rotten and corrupt Principles. The Rule or Mark of Diftinction here given by our Saviour, for the discovery of falfe Teachers, is, Ye hall know them by their Fruits: 'tis not by the Leaves or Bloffoms of a fpecious Profeffion, but by the real Fruits of a fuitable Practice.

But what are thefe Fruits by which we may know them? Why, 'tis by the Fruits of their Doctrine, and the Fruits of their Lives.

1ft, I fay, falfe Teachers may be known by the Fruits of their Doctrine; not indeed always by the Matter of their Doctrine, for falfe Teachers may fometimes preach Doctrines that are found, orthodox, and true; but by the Ends, Tendencies, and Confequents of them, which are moft properly ftil'd the Fruits of their Doctrine. Such as prophefy'd falfly in God's Name, and, as fome would have them, prophefy'd fmooth Things, Deceits, and Lyes, fowing Pillows under mens Arms to hunt Souls, foothing them in their Iniquities, and faying Peace when there was no Peace, were of old ftil'd falfe Prophets, who daub'd with untemper'd Mortar, as we read in Jeremy and Ezekiel. And fuch are they who ftill flatter Men, efpecially great Perfons, in their Vices and Follies, and deal unfaithfully with them committed to their charge, for By-ends.

There are others who perhaps may preach found Doctrine, but not from good Principles, or for right Ends; viz. not for the Glory of God, or the Good of Mens Souls, but for their own Glory, and to promote fome world

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ly Intereft. St. Paul fpeaks of fome who preach'd Chrift out of Envy and Strife, not of Good-will, but of Contention, and therefore not fincerely; Phil. 1. 15, 16. And we have fome who vent Doctrines tending to the Breach of Peace and Unity in the Church of Chrift, and to promote Sedition, Faction, and Difobedience in it: fuch as thefe are juftly reckon'd in the number of falfe Teachers, who serve not our Lord Jefus Chrift, but their own Bellies. St. James fpeaks of a fort of Wisdom, that is attended with bitter Envying, Strife, and Diffenfion, which leads to Confufion and every evil Work: and this Wifdom, he tells us, defcendeth not from above, but is earthly, fenfual, devilish. But the Wifdom that is from above, is pure, peaceable, gentle, eafy to be intreated, full of Mercy and good Fruits, without Partiali ty and without Hypocrify. By thefe Marks we may try the Fruits of Mens Doctrine, and thereby know the falfe Teachers from the true.

2dly, We may know them by the Fruits of their Lives; for wicked Practices flow from evil Principles, and plainly demonftrate the Falfhood of them. As falfe Premifes always infer a falfe Conclufion, fo a bad Life difcovers the Naughtiness of the Heart, and the Unfoundnefs of the Profeffion. 'Tis true indeed, a wicked Life doth not always denominate a Man a falfe Teacher, for a bad Liver may fometimes preach true Doctrine: in which cafe our Saviour's Direction is, to do as they fay, and not as they do; for they fay and do not.

But for the moft part Mens Practices are futable to their Principles, and the Debauchery of Manners proceeds from the Debauchery of the Mind: tho this, as all other Rules, may admit of fome Exception.

Again, It must be granted, that fome Men may fo artificially colour over and difguife their evil Deeds and Defigns, that 'tis not eafy to difcover the Badness of them; but yet here too the Difguife often drops off, and the Wolf appears under the Sheeps-Clothing; the Cloke in time wears out, and the Hypocrify may be feen through the Thinness of the Covering. But where Mens Wickednefs is more open and fcandalous, where their Lives are vicious or factious, where they manifeftly fow the Seeds of Difcord and Diffenfion, fomenting Divifion and Separation, and thereby kindling mutual Heats and Hatred against one another; there we may fafely conclude them to be none of Chrift's Husbandmen, to fow his good Seed, but fome of Q 3

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Satan's Emiffaries and Inftruments to plant his Tares. Again, Where Men perfuade to do Evil that Good may come, cafting off known Duties, and allowing themselves in apparent Violations both of Divine and Human Laws; these are all evil Fruits, and they whofe Doctrines or Practices lead to the Growth of them, are fome of the falfe Prophets or Teachers, that we are here exhorted to beware of and to avoid.'

But our Saviour goes on to illuftrate these things by the Similitude of a Tree and its Fruit: for having before intimated, that Men do not gather Grapes of Thorns, but of the Vine; nor Figs of Thiftles, but of the Fig-tree, he adds, Even fo every good Tree bringeth footh good Fruit, but a corrupt Tree bringeth forth evil Fruit: meaning, that the Fruit partakes of the Nature and Goodnefs of the Tree from whence it proceeds; fo that if the Tree be good, the Fruit will be good alfo ; but if the Tree be evil or corrupt, the Fruit will be fo too. Even fo good Principles, if firmly rooted in the Mind, will bring forth the good Fruits of found Doctrine and á fuitable Practice; but evil Principles, if got there, will produce the bad Fruits of Error and unfound Practices. St. James explains it by the Similitude of a Spring or Fountain; where if the Waters are pure and clean, it will fend forth, clear and wholefom Streams; but if the Waters be foul and polluted, the Streams that iffue from it must be fo too, for a Fountain cannot at the fame place fend forth sweet Waters and bitter, James 3. 11. In like manner, a good Man out of the good Treasure of the Heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil Man out of the evil Treafure of his Heart bringeth forth evil things; for out of the Abundance of the Heart the Mouth Speaketh: Luke 6. 45. So that as a Tree is known by its Fruit, fo is the Man by his Manners: which is fo true, that our Saviour adds, A good Tree cannot bring forth evil Fruit, neither can a corrupt Tree bring forth good Fruit, But here we must note, that what is here faid of the Tree and its Fruit, muft not be apply'd always to Perfons, but moftly to Principles: for if we apply it to Perfons, it will fometimes prove other. wife; for the beft of Men having fomething of Evil in them, fometimes bring forth evil Fruit, and the worst of Men having fomething of Good in them, fometimes bring forth good Fruit: This is fo evident from the Failings of good Men, and the good Works of bad Men, that it needs no farther Proof. But if we apply it to Principles, it will

ever hold true; for we may fay of evil and corrupt Practices, that they always come of evil Principles; and of good and found Doctrines, that they always come from good Principles: no Opinion truly good can promote any moral Evil, and no Opinion truly evil can advance any moral Good. In this cafe it hath been rightly obferv'd, that the Tree that is once corrupt will always be fo, and nothing but Corruprion can come from it; and the Doctrine that is once good will ftill continue fuch, and never degenerate into Evil. In a word, all that is good cometh from God, the Author and Fountain of all Good; and all that is evil cometh of the Devil, who is the Father and Fountain of all Evil. So that by the Goodness or Badness of the Fruit, we may be able to judg both of Teachers and their Doctrines, whether they come from God, or proceed from the Evil one.

And this we are the more narrowly to fearch and look into, because our Saviour tells us in the next words, that every Tree that bringeth not forth good Fruit, fhall be hewn down and caft into the fire: that is, every one's Principles and Practices fhall fhortly undergo a Trial; they who have built upon the Foundation of Chriftianity, found Doctrines, and the Fruits of a holy Life, which the Apostle compares to Silver and Gold, and precious Stones; all fuch fhall receive a Reward: but they who build upon it the Hay and Stubble of Errors and Divifions, and other corrupt Fruit, fhall fuffer Lofs, and both they and their Works fhall be caft into the fire.

Wherefore by their Fruits ye shall know them, faith our bleffed Saviour: that is, by the Fruits of their Doctrines and their Lives. This is the Teft or Touchftone here given us to try falfe Teachers by; 'tis not by their Words or fpecious Pretences: for not every one that faith unto me, Lord, Lord! hall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doth the Will of my Father, who is in Heaven. Where by faying Lord, Lord! is meant the making an outward or open Profeffion of Chrift, either by being call'd by his Name, as in Baptifm, wherein we own him for our Lord and Mafter; or by calling upon his Name, as in our Prayers, wherein we fay, Lord, Lord! in token of our Subjection to and Dependence upon him. Now this outward Profeffion, or faying Lord, Lord! is not of it felf fufficient to bring us to Heaven; for this may come only from the Tongue or the Teeth outward, without the real

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