greatest appearance of devotion, humbly prostrate himself before the throne of his glory, and vow sincere obedience to him in every thing to the best of his power, and the last moment of his life: yet, if he acts contrary to all this, pays no regard to the divine commands, breaks through all the bands of duty and allegiance, whenever his own corrupt inclinations and desires or his Maker's sworn enemies do prompt him to it; will any one believe he is a true and faithful subject of the great King of heaven; that he really owns his transcendent supremacy and dominion over all? Will God accept him as such, and reward him for his fair pretences with his favour and his blessing? Will not both God and man rather look upon and deal with him as a dissembling hypocrite, and most audacious and provoking rebel? He that is indeed persuaded that there is so great and excellent a Being as God, must needs be full of the greatest inward reverence and love towards him; which would naturally produce a most awful duty, and constant, universal obedience to all the expresses of his will; as being paid to one, who has such abundant right to the utmost services that it is possible for his creatures to perform.

And therefore, where it is otherwise, the man's pretending to faith in this article will end in nothing but trembling and astonishment, and he will find, to his eternal misery and sorrow, that God, notwithstanding all his plausible pretences, will account his living in a constant course of rebellion against him, to strike with as much insolence at his divine supremacy and dominion, and be as much a denial of them, as the most blasphemous and atheistical

thoughts or speeches, that ever were uttered or conceived.

For religious faith is entirely in order to religious practice; it is not only an assent to the truth of a proposition, which is common to good and bad men, and to devils as well as saints, (for the devils, we are told, believe and tremble,) but is enlivened and completed by love and duty: it is such as will enable a man to overcome the world, and work righteousness, and engage him in keeping the commandments of God. It will purify the heart, and reform the life of the believer, and render him a true son of the father of the faithful, who perfected his faith as well as demonstrated the truth of it by works of extraordinary obedience. And therefore he is really no believer, whatever he may profess, who is abominable, and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate. But,

Secondly, a man of a wicked life does, in effect, deny the purity and holiness of God, which is another essential attribute of the divine nature.

For, did he really believe that the God he would be thought to worship is an infinitely pure and holy Being, and to whom, consequently, every thing that is corrupt and wicked must be odious and detestable; the end of all worship being to obtain the favour and acceptance of him to whom it is directed, it would certainly be his great endeavour to purify himself from what is so hateful to his God; and acquire that temper and disposition of soul which most resembles him, and will consequently render him most pleasing and acceptable to him; the harmony and agreement of tempers, as every body knows, being the greatest endearment that is pos

sible. And accordingly we see it the constant method of those that would insinuate themselves into the good thoughts and esteem of others, as carefully and nicely as is possible to endeavour to imitate and be like them; and the way of speaking, mien, and behaviour, nay, the very imperfections and vices of great men, that had it in their power to oblige, have, by their indigent creatures, been as artfully and exactly imitated, as if they had been the most attractive graces and excellencies in the world.

Wherefore, he that professes to believe in and worship an infinitely pure and holy Being, as all allow the great God to be, and that in order to the gaining his good acceptance, and partaking of those blessings and benefits which he is wont to bestow upon his faithful servants; common sense will tell him, that he must make it his business to be pure as he is pure, holy as he is holy; that so, that which is the cause of God's eternal complacency in himself, may, according to its proportion, recommend him to his favour. And therefore we are exhorted in the holy scriptures to be imitators of God as dear children, and that in purity and holiness more especially, as being absolutely necessary to our enjoyment of him in heaven. And when St. Paul had been encouraging the Corinthians to resist some temptations they were then under, by telling them that if they did so they should become sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty; he immediately exhorts them to cleanse themselves from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, lest they should be disappointed

e

Ephes. v. 1; 1 John iii. 3; Heb. xii. 14; 1 Pet. i. 15, 16. f 2 Cor. vii. I.

of that high honour and happiness, by contracting an incapacity of receiving and enjoying it, having positively declared, that without holiness no man shall see the Lord.

So that when we see a man, by the wickedness of his actions, contradicting his religious profession, and joining debauchery of manners to the pretences he makes to the faith of a Christian; we may, without breach of charity, pronounce his faith to be vain and dead; it having the form only, and outward show, not the inward power and vital energy of a true belief. And when a man that calls himself a Christian, that is, a worshipper of God in the greatest purity, can yet allow his soul to be polluted with spiritual filthiness, and defiles those hands with wicked practices, which he lifts up to heaven in prayer, and thereby offers an unclean sacrifice to that God who is essentially pure and holy; it is plain he does not really believe him to be so, and shews that he does not by his evil works.

Thirdly, by the same means he denies the omnipresence and omniscience, the justice and omnipotence of God.

For since he has so frequently and expressly denounced the severest woes and punishments to wicked men; did they sincerely believe that he was always present with them, and an eyewitness of their evil deeds, though committed with the greatest secrecy, and in their most private retirements; that he knew the very thoughts of their hearts, which to him are as vocal as the most articulate and loudest words; and was acquainted with all their wicked imaginations, desires and wishes, purposes

g Heb. xii. 14.

and designs, being, as the Psalmist expresses it, continually about their path, and about their bed, and acquainted with all their ways h; and did they not in the least doubt that his justice also was infinite, and would not permit him to spare the obstinately guilty, but urge him to inflict what he threatened; and that his power was irresistible, and able to crush the most potent offenders into irreparable ruin, and blast them for ever, with the least breath of his displeasure; did they really believe all this of the God they profess to acknowledge, they would not dare to commit what would inevitably expose them to such intolerable and endless misery, but shun and avoid it with the utmost care.

Would any man in his wits commit a piece of villainy which would bring him to the rack, or the wheel, or the flames, in the presence of a judge whom he knew to be strictly just, and would by no means spare him, but condemn him forthwith to suffer what the law directs, and send him away to execution, with a charge that it should be done with the utmost severity and rigour, and from which nothing could possibly rescue and deliver him? Surely none but a madman would act at this desperate rate.

Perhaps you will say, the hopes of mercy from him whose compassions are as infinite as his justice, may embolden the sinner to commit the crime, though he cannot expect to conceal it from God, and knows how he has threatened to punish it; but then he cannot but know that mercy will not be shewn to resolute, irreclaimable offenders, as being inconsistent with the wisdom of the great Governor of h Psalm cxxxix. 3.