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felves with making a fhew of religion, and perForming fuch external rites, as are the diftinguishing badge of the feveral parties of the Chriftian world.

SECONDLY, I am now to fhew you what fuch perfons may be, notwithstanding their profeffion, both in temper and practice, which shall be done briefly by opening the terms of the text. They may be for all that abominable, disobedient, and to every good work reprobate; that is, in one word, inclined to all evil, and averfe to all good. To thefe two things do these several expreffions

amount.

I. THEY are faid to be abominable*, or fhame. fully addicted to all manner of evil. The word, in the original, denotes the heinousness of those practices, in which they allow themselves; and is derived from a word that fignifies to fend forth an offenfive smell. For all fentiments of right and good, are not fo totally loft and obliterated among mankind, but that there are some things which even Pagans would deteft.

II. THEY are faid to be alfo disobedient†, which expreffion imports perfeverance and obstiin an evil course. They will by no means, nacy by no importunity, no arguments whatever be diffuaded from practices fo unjustifiable, and detestable in their own nature. They are refolved to run on whatever it costs them; to continue in fin, and in the profeffion of religion at the fame time, which is the greatest abfurdity imaginable.

SERM.

I.

A 4 * βδελυκτοί.

III, THEY

† ἀπειθεῖς,

II.

VOL. III. THEY are faid, laftly, to be reprobate to every good work; which fignifies a difinclination to every thing that is good, to every thing that is worthy of praise. The word may be taken as it is observed, either actively or paffively, and fo may fignify not only to be disapproved by others, but to disapprove themselves; in which latter fenfe we must, at prefent, principally understand the phrafe. They difapprove all that which claims their approbation and efteem; and are difaffected to all that good, which the religion they profess would oblige them to the practice of. The expreffion therefore does not fo much fignify their omiffion of what is good, as their difinclination to it; but it further denotes that if they do any thing at all in religion, it is what they neither delight in, nor can indure. Every good work is an expreffion of fuch latitude, that it may comprehend all the works of piety, mercy, and common justice. And so it is fit we should understand it in this place. Whatever they do of this kind, their hearts are averse to it, and they bear a difaffected mind to it all. And fuch as are here defcribed, perfons may be found to be, notwithstanding their profeffion.

THIRDLY, We are next to confider, whence it is, or what inducements men have to make profeffion of a religion, which they are refolved to contradict in the courfe of their lives and converfations. And many things may be confidered as inducements or reasons in this cafe, which concur partly in all those who are mere profeffors; though fome

† πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἀδόκιμοι.

are

I.

are of greater force than others to particular per-SR M fons, whom we shall diftinguish from the generality of men of this character.

I. ONE reason why fuch men join a profeffion of religion to a vicious life, is their unapprehenfiveness, and irreverence of an invifible Lord and Judge; whom because they do not fee, they stand in no awe of. Therefore it is that they are not ashamed of that incongruous and inconsistent behaviour towards him, of which they would be afhamed in their deportment towards men. The following expreffion of the Apostle gives us a great deal of light to this purpose, If a man love not his brother whom he hath feen; baw can be love GOD, whom he hath not feen1? Wherein is implied a greater difficulty of loving GOD, than a Chriftian brother; on this account, because GOD is not seen. Man continually falls under our fight and view, we converse with him daily in a way that is obvious to our natural fight, while God is invifible. And as it is in the point, of love, fo is it in all other natural affections; for as men with greater difficulty admit the impreffions of divine love into their hearts, than those of a visible object, fo they do of divine fear; and for this reafon, I fay, because GOD is not feen. Men would be ashamed continually to profefs to one another, what they contradict in practice. Who would not be ashamed to declare himself perpetually fuch an one's friend; and yet, in the mean time, take all opportunities to do him all the mifchief he can?

? 1 John IV. 20.

But

VOL. But as to their carriage to an unfeen GoD, men II. are not ashamed of fuch an incongruity as this.

II. THIS inconfiftent conduct proceeds from the power and malignity of finful inclinations; more especially in things that relate to, and terminate on GOD. Sin has filled the world with enmity, which, it is true, works in men one against another: but more directly, and with greater virulence, against the bleffed God himself; infomuch that they care not what dishonours they throw on his facred name, nor what affronts they offer to his high authority and righteous laws. And though it must be acknowledged, the working of this enmity is great among men towards one another; yet, it is manifeft, it is in general much greater towards the Almighty for were it as common a thing to ftab a man, as it is to wound the name of GoD and to affront his government, the world had been at an end long before this.

III. IT is natural for men to have fomewhat of religion, while a difaffection ftill remains against that which is true; whence it is that they resist, and overthrow the profeffion they make, by a most repugnant practice. It is manifeft, as to the former, that all must be of fome religion or other and so they come to profess, as external circumftances lead them. It has been noted by Hea thens, that no fociety of men can live without religion. Divers have taken notice of it. It is a common paffage of Cicero; "There is no nation "fo barbarous as to be without religion." It feems

Tufcul. Difput. Lib. 1.

I.

feems as if none fuch had fallen within the com.SERM pass of his obfervation. Maximus Tyrius alfo tells us, that "For a man to be without any religi ❝on at all, were as monftrous and unnatural, as ❝for an ox to be without horns, or a bird to be without wings." And fo Plutarch in like manner observes, that "Though there be many ❝ towns and cities without coin, without govern❝ment, as it happens fometimes; yet, fays he, "I never heard or read in my life, of a city "without a temple. And I believe it is as im

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poffible, that there should be a fociety of men "without religion, as to build a city without "foundations t."

HENCE many perfons, both ancient and modern, have thought religion to be the specific difference of man, and not reafon; because there are fo many apparent fpecimens of this in beafts, that in some instances it is hard to diftinguish by this only between the brutal and human nature : whereas religion is peculiar to man, wherein no other fort of creatures do participate. For it is very plain that man, by his felf-reflecting power, difcerns himself to be a depending creature; which neceffarily prompts him to pay homage to fome fuperior being, on whom he thinks himself dependent. And therefore, if many of the Pagans have worshipped for Deities, thofe creatures which they thought moft ufeful to them; it was not

that

* Max. Tyr. Differt. xv11. Sect. 5. Edit. Davif. Lond. 1740. quarto.

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+Plut adverfus Colotem. See this point handled at large by the Author in his LIVING TEMPLE Part I. chap. 2.

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