The works of the pious and profoundly-learned Joseph Mede, B.D., sometime fellow of Christ's Colledge in Cambridge

S. MATTHEW 7. 21.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven.

THERE are three sorts of men in the World: Some which call not Christ their Lord, as Turks, Iews and Infidels: Some which call him Lord, as all Christians; but not all in like manner: for there are two sorts of them, some which call him Lord, and that is all; others which both call him Lord, and do the will of his Father, the administration whereof is committed to him. The first of these three sorts, Those who do not so much as call Christ their Lord, it is plain they cannot be saved; for there is no other name under heaven to be saved by•• but by the name of Christ only.* 1.1 For the second sort, Those who call Christ their Lord, that is, are Christians, and profess to believe in Christ, and hope to be saved by him, and yet do no works of obedience unto God; though such as these may think themselves in a good estate, yet our Saviour here expresly excludes them from entring into the Kingdom of Hea∣ven. But the third sort, which do not only call Christ their Lord, but do the will of his Father, these are the only true Christians; for these there is hope, but for none other: Not every one (saith our Saviour) that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, &c.

Our Saviour foresaw there would be, among those who believed on his Name, such as would think their Faith sufficient, &c. that as for Works they might be excused, having him for their Lord and Captain of their Salvation, who himself had both un∣dergone the punishment due for their sins, and fulfilled that obedience which they should have done; so that now there remained nothing on their part for to obtain Salvation, but to trust and rely upon him, without any endeavour at all to please God by Works, as being now become unuseful to Salvation. If ever there was a time when Christians thus deceived themselves, that time is now; as both our practice sheweth plainly by a general neglect of such Duties of Piety and Charity which amongst our fore-fathers were frequent, as also our open profession, when being ex∣horted to these works of Piety to God and of Charity towards our brethren, we stick not to alledge we are not bound unto them, because we look not to be saved by the merit of works, as they, but by faith in Christ alone: As though Faith in Christ ex∣cluded Works, and did not rather include them, as being that whereby they become acceptable unto God, which of themselves they are not; Or as if Works could no way conduce unto the attaining of Salvation but by way of merit and desert, and not by way of the grace and favour of God in Christ, as we shall see in the handling of this Text. We greatly now-a-days, and that most dangerously, mistake the error of our Forefathers, which was not in that they did good works; I would we did so; but be∣cause they knew not rightly the End why they did them, nor where the Value of them lay: They thought the End of doing them was to obtain eternal life, as a reward of Iustice due unto them; whereas it is only of Grace and Promise in Christ Iesus: They took their Works to have such perfectness in them as would endure the Touch∣stone of the Law of God, yea such Worth and Value as to merit the Reward they looked for; whereas all the Value and acceptableness of our works issues from the Me∣rits of Christ, and lies only in his righteousness communicated unto us and them by

Faith, and no otherwise. But setting aside these errors of the End and of the Value of works,* 1.2 we must know as well as they, That not every one that saith unto Christ, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doth the will of his Fa∣ther which is in Heaven.

Now for the Explication of the Words. To call Christ Lord, is to believe in him, to acknowledge him, to look for Salvation by him, or (as the Scripture expresseth it, Luke 6. 47.) to come unto him; Every one (saith our Saviour there, explaining this very Text we have in hand) that cometh unto me, and heareth my words, and doth them, I will shew you who he is like: where To come unto Christ is put in stead of that which in the former was To say unto him, Lord. The doing of his Father's will is the doing of those works of obedience which his Father hath commanded in his Law, and now committed to his Son, whom he hath made the Head and King of his Church, to see executed and performed by those he bringeth to Salvation. But how, and in what manner, we shall see by and by.

The Text consists of two parts: The one negative; Not every one that saith unto Christ, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven; The other affirmative; But those who do the will of his Father shall only enter thither. But these are so nearly link∣ed together, that they cannot be handled asunder. And the Observations which I shall draw thence depend on the whole Text. The first and chiefest whereof is this, That Faith in Christ without works of obedience and amendment of life is not sufficient for Salvation,* 1.3 and consequently not that Faith whereby a Christian is justified. For if it were, it would save us: If it be not sufficient to save us, it cannot justifie us. This floweth directly from the Text, and cannot be denied; if ye remember what I said before, That to call Christ Lord, is to believe in him.

For the better understanding of this, you must take notice that there is a threefold Faith whereby men believe in Christ. There is a false Faith: there is a true Faith, but not saving: and thirdly, there is a saving Faith. A false Faith is, To believe to attain Salvation through Christ any other way than he hath ordained; as namely, to believe to attain Salvation through him without works of obedience to be accepted of God in him: which is a Faith whereof there is no Gospel. A true Faith is, To be∣lieve Salvation is to be attained through obedience to God in Iesus Christ, who by his merits and righteousness makes our selves and our works acceptable to his Father. A saving and justifying Faith is, To believe this so as to embrace and lay hold upon Christ for that end: To believe to attain Salvation through obedience to God in Christ, so as to apply our selves and rely upon Christ for that end; namely, to per∣form those works of obedience which God hath promised to reward with eternal life. For a Iustifying Faith stayeth not only in the Brain, but stirs up the Will to receive and enjoy the good believed, according as it is promised. This motion or election of the Will is that which maketh the difference between a saving Faith which joyneth us unto Christ, and that which is true indeed, but not saving, but dogmatical and opinio∣native only. And this motion or applying of the Will to Christ, this embracing of Christ and the promises of the Gospel through him, is that which the Scripture (when it speaks of this ••aith) calleth coming unto Christ, or the receiving of him. Iohn 1. 12. As many as received him, to them he gave power (or priviledge) to be the sons of God, even to them that believe on his Name: where, receiving and believing, one ex∣pound another. So for coming; Come unto me (saith our Saviour, Matth. 11. 28.) all ye that are heavy laden, and I will ease you. This last is very frequent. Iohn 5. 40. Ye will not come to me (saith our Saviour) that ye might have life. And Chap. 6. 37. All that the Father giveth me, shall come unto me. Ver. 44. No man can come unto me, unless the Father draw him. 45. Every man that hath heard, and learned of the Father, cometh unto me; and such like. All which express the specification of a saving Faith, which consists in the embracing, receiving and applying of the Will to the thing belie∣ved.

What this embracing, receiving or applying unto Christ is, I will farther make plain thus. He that believeth that Christ is an atonement to God for the sins of all repen∣tant sinners, (and surely he is an atonement for none else,) must repent and turn from all his sins, that so Christ may be an atonement for him; else he embraceth not what he believeth. He that believes that God in Christ will accept and reward our obedience and works of Piety, though short of perfection and of no worth in them∣selves, must apply himself accordingly to do works of Religion and Charity, that God in Christ may accept and reward them. For our Belief is not that saving Belief, until we apply our selves to what we believe. To believe to attain Salvation

through Christ without works of obedience to be accepted in him, is (as I have al∣ready said) a false Faith, whereof there is no Gospel, no Promise: To believe the contrary, That Christ is given of God to such only as shall receive him, to perform acceptable obedience to God through him, and yet not to apply and buckle our selves thereto, were indeed to believe what is true; but yet no saving Faith, because we embraced not the thing we believed as we believed it.

Thou sayest then thou hast Faith, and believest that Christ is the atonement to God for the sins of all such as leave and forsake their sins by Repentance: why then repent thee of thy sins, that Christ may be an atonement for thee. Thou sayest thou hast this Faith, That God in Iesus Christ will accept thy undeserving works and ser∣vices unto eternal life: why then embrace thou Christ, and rely upon him for this end, that thou mayest do works of Piety towards God and Charity towards men, that so God in Christ may accept thee and them unto eternal life.

Now if this be the Faith which is Saving and unites us unto Christ,* 1.4 and no other; then it is plain That a saving Faith cannot be severed from good works, because no man can embrace Christ as he is promised, but he must apply himself to do them. For out of that which hath been spoken three Reasons may be gathered for the necessity of them.

First, It is the end of our Faith and Iustification by Christ, yea the end why he [unspec I] shed his bloud for us, that we being reconciled to God in him, might bring forth fruits of righteousness, which else we could never have done. This is no Speculation, but plain Scripture. S. Peter 1 Ep. 2. 24. telleth us, that Christ his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness. S. Paul, Tit. 2. 11, 12, 13, 14. The grace of God (saith he) that bringeth salvation, hath appeared unto all men; (wherefore?) Teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, and righteously, and godly in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Iesus Christ, Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and pu∣rifie unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These words contain the Summe of all I have hitherto told you; That Christ is therefore given us to be a Pro∣pitiation for our sins, and to justifie us, that in him we might walk before God in newness of life; so to obtain a Crown of righteousness in the world to come.

Answerable is that place Ephes. 2. 10. where the Apostle having told us, v. 8, 9. we are saved by grace, through saith, and not of works, lest any man should boast: he adds presently, (lest his meaning might be mistaken, as it is of too many) That we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Iesus unto good works, which God hath before or∣dained (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) that we should walk in them: as if he should say, Those works of obedience ordained by God aforetime in his Law for us to walk in, which we could not perform of our selves, now God hath as it were new moulded us in Iesus Christ, that we might perform them in him; namely, by way of acceptation, though they come short of that exactness the Law requireth. And thus to be saved is to be saved by Grace and Favour, and not by the Merit of works; because the Foundation whereby our selves and our services are approved in the eyes of God, and acquit∣ted of guilt, (which the Scripture calleth to be justified,) is the mere Favour of God in Iesus Christ, and not any thing in us. And this way of Salvation excludes all boast∣ing: for what have we to boast of, when all the righteousness of our works is none of ours, but Christ's imputed to us; whereby only, and not for any merit in themselves, they become acceptable and have promise of Reward? But that men should be saved by Christ, though they be idle and do nothing, I know no such Grace of God reveal∣ed in Scripture.

Now that in Christ we may perform works of righteousness which God will accept and crown, is plain by the tenour of Scripture. S. Paul, Phil. 1. 11. desires that the Philippians might be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Iesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. And the same Apostle tells the Romans, Rom. 6. 22. That being made free from sin, and become servants to God, they have their fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life; that is, as the Syriack turns it, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. they have holy fruits, whose end is life eternal.

And if we would seriously consider it,* 1.5 we should find, That the more we believe this righteousness of Faith in Christ, the more reason we have to perform works of service and obedience unto God, than if we believed it not. For if our works would not be acceptable with God unless they were compleat in every point as the Law re∣quired; if there were no reward to be looked for at the hands of God unless we could

merit it by the worthiness of our deeds; who that considers his own weakness and in∣sufficiency would not sooner despair, than go about to please God by works? He would think it better to do nothing at all, than to endeavour what he could never hope to attain, and so lose his labour. But we, who believe that those who serve God in Christ have their failings and wants covered with his righteousness, and so their works accepted as if they were in every point as they should be; why should not we of all men fall to work, being sure by Christ's means and merit we shall not lose our labour?

[unspec 2] A second Motive why we should do good works is, Because they are the Way and Means ordained by God to obtain the Reward of eternal life, without which we shall never attain it. Without holiness no man shall see God, Heb. 12. 14. Look to your selves (saith S. Iohn Ep. 2. ver. 8.) that ye lose not those things ye have wrought, but that ye may receive a full reward. The Angel's message from heaven to devout Cornelius was, Thy prayers and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God: whereupon S. Pe∣ter inferred, That in every Nation, he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is ac∣cepted with him, Acts 10. 4, 35. In 1 Tim. 6. 17, 18, 19. saith S. Paul, Charge them that are rich in this world—That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, Laying in store a good foundation against the time to come; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; (ut accipiant, nanciscantur) that they may re∣ceive, or obtain, eternal life.

Hence it is that we shall be judged and receive sentence at the last day according to our works.* 1.6 Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. For inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Lord, how do those look to be saved at that day, who think good works not required to Salvation, and accordingly do them not! Can our Saviour pass this blessed Sentence on them? think they he can? If he should, they might truly say indeed, Lord, we have done no such matter, nor did we think our selves bound unto it; we relied wholly upon our Faith in thy merits, and thought we had been freed from such services. What? do they think Christ will change the form of his Sentence at that great day? No certainly: If the Sentence for Bliss will not fit them, and be truly said of them; the other will, and must, for there is no more;* 1.7 Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels: For when I was hungry, ye gave me no meat, &c. This must be their doom, unless they suppose the righteous Iudge will lie for them.

And it is here further to be observed, That the Works named in this sentence of Iudgment are works of the second Table, and Works of Mercy and Charity; feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick; all Almsdeeds, which men are now-a-days so much afraid of, as if they looked toward Popery, and had a tang of meriting; for now-a-days these costly works of all others are most suspicious: But will it be so at the day of Iudgment? True it is, they merit not the Reward which shall be given them: but what then? are we so proud we will do no works unless we may merit? Is it not sufficient that God will reward them for Christ's sake, though they have no worth in themselves? And thus much of the second Motive why we should do good works, Because howsoever they merit nothing, yet are they the means and way ordained by God to attain the Reward of eternal life.

[unspec 3] The third and last Motive to works of righteousness is, Because they are the only Sign and Note whereby we know our Faith is true and saving, and not counterfeit. For 1 Iohn 1. 6. If we say we have fellowship with Christ, and walk in darkness; we lie, and do not the truth. Chap. 2. ver. 3. Hereby we know that we know him (viz. to be our Advocate with his Father, and the Propitiation for our sins,) if we keep his Command∣ments. And Chap. 3. 7. Little children, let no man deceive you: He that doth righte∣ousness is righteous, even as Christ is righteous. The same almost you may find again, Chap. 2. 29. For if every one that believeth in Christ truly and savingly believes that Salvation is to be attained by obedience to God in him, and not otherwise, and therefore embraceth and layeth hold upon him for that end; how can such an ones Faith be fruitless? How can he be without works, who therefore lays hold on Christ that his works and obedience may be accepted as righteous before God for his sake, and so be rewardable? It is as possible for the Sun to be without his light or the Fire to want heat, as such a Faith to be without works.

Our Saviour therefore himself makes this a most sure and never-failing Note to build our assurance of Salvation upon, Luke 6. 46. where the mention of the words of my Text gives the occasion, Why call ye me Lord, Lord, (saith he) and do not the things which I say? 47. Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doth them; I will shew you to whom he is like. 48. He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: And when the floud arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it; for it was founded upon a rock. 49. But he that heareth, and doth not; is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell, and the ruine of that house was great. Whom these three Motives or Reasons will not perswade to good works, let not my Soul, O Lord, be joyned with theirs, nor my doom be as theirs must be.

A SECOND Observation out of these words,* 1.8 and near a-kin to the former, is, That it is not enough for a Christian to live harmlesly and abstain from ill, but he must do that which is good. For our Saviour excludes not here those only who do against the will of his Father, but those who do not his Father's will. It is doing good which he requireth, and not the not doing evil only. This is an error which taketh hold of a great part of men, even of those who would seem to be religious. He is a reformed man and acquits himself well who abstains from fornication, adultery, who is no thief, no cou∣zener or defrauder of other men, who will not lie, or swear, or such like: But as for doing any works of Piety or Charity, they think they are not required of them.

But they are much deceived: For God requires some duties at our hands, which he may reward, not out of any merit, but out of his merciful promise in Christ. But not doing ill is no service rewardable. A servant who expects wages, must not only do his Master no harm, but some work that is good and profitable: otherwise the best Christian would be he that should live altogether idlely; for none doth less harm than he that doth nothing at all. But Matth. 25. 30. He that encreased not his Master's Talent, though he had not mis-spent it, is adjudged an unprofitable servant, and cast in∣to outer darkness, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth. So also Matth. 3. 10. The tree that beareth no good fruit is hewn down, though it bore none that was evil: The axe is laid to the root of the tree; Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire. Matth. 21. 19. The fig-tree was cursed for having no fruit, not for ha∣ving evil fruit. And the Sentence of condemnation, as you heard before, is to pass at that great day for not having done good works, not for doing ill ones: Go ye cursed, for when I was hungry, ye sed me not, &c. Matth. 25. 41, &c.

THUS having let you see how necessary it is for a Christian to joyn good works with his Faith in Christ; I will now come to shew you How you must do them, hoping I have already perswaded you that they must needs be done.

First therefore, We must do them out of Faith in Christ, that is, relying upon him [unspec 1] only for the acceptance and rewarding of them: for in him alone God is well pleased with us and with what we do, and therefore without saith and reliance upon him it is impossible to please God.* 1.9 We must not think there is any worth in our works, for which any such reward as God hath promised is due: For, alas! our best works are full of imperfections, and far short of what the Law requires. Our reward therefore is not of merit, but out of the merciful promise of God in Christ: which the Apostle means, when he says,* 1.10 We are saved by grace, and not by works; that is, It is the grace and favour of God in Christ which makes our selves acceptable and our works reward∣able, and not any desert in them or us.

Having laid this foundation; The next thing required is Sincerity of heart in doing [unspec 2] them: We must do them out of the fear of God, and conscience of his Command∣ments; not out of respect of profit, or fear, or praise of men; for such as do so are Hypocrites. Not every one, saith our Saviour, that saith unto me, Lord, Lord; but he that doth the will of my Father:* 1.11 Now it is the will of our heavenly Father that we serve him in truth and uprightness of heart: I know (saith David, 1 Chr. 29. 17.) that thou my God triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. And so he said to Abraham, Gen. 17. 1. I am the Almighty God, walk before me, and be thou* 1.12 upright, or, be thou* 1.13 sincere. This manner of serving of God Ioshua commended to the Israelites, Iosh. 24. 14. Fear the Lord, (saith he) and serve him in sincerity and truth: and the Prophet Samuel, 1 Sam. 12. 24. Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart. This sincerity, uprightness and truth in God's service is, when we do re∣ligious and pious duties, and abstain from the contrary, out of conscience to God∣ward, out of an heart possessed with the love and fear of God. It is otherwise called

in Scripture Perfectness, or Perfectness of heart: For it is a lame and unperfect service where the better half is wanting, as the Heart is, in every work of duty both to God and men. And therefore it is called perfectness, when both go together, when consci∣ence as the Soul enlivens the outward work as a Body. And indeed this is all the perfection we can attain unto in this life, To serve God in truth of heart, though other∣wise we come short of what we should: and therefore God esteems our actions and works, not according to the greatness or exactness of the performance, but accord∣ing to the sincerity and truth of our hearts in doing them: as appears by the places I have already quoted, and by that 1 Kings 15. 14. where it is said, that though Asa failed in his reformation, and the high places were not taken down; nevertheless his heart was perfect with the Lord his God all his days.

A note to know such a sincerity and truth of heart by is,* 1.14 If in our privacy, when there is no witness but God and our selves, we are careful then to abstain from sin, as well as in the sight of men: If when no body but God shall see and know it, we are willing to do a good work, as well as if all the world should know it. He that findeth him∣self thus affected, his Heart is true, at least in some measure; but so much the less by how much he findeth himself the less affected in this manner. When we are in the presence and view of men, we may soon be deceived in our selves, and think we do that out of conscience and fear of God, which indeed is but for the fear or praise of men; either lest we should be damnified, or impair our credit, or the like: But when there is none but God and us, then to be afraid of sin and careful of good duties, is a sign we fear God in truth and sincerity, and not in hypocrisie.

The special and principal means to attain this sincerity and truth of heart is,* 1.15 To pos∣sess our selves always with the apprehension of God's presence, and to walk before him as in his eye. Wheresoever thou art, there is an Eye that sees thee, an Ear that hears thee, and a Hand that registreth thy most secret thoughts: For the ways of man (saith Solomon Prov. 5. 21.) are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings. How much ashamed would we be, that men should know how much our hearts and our words and actions disagreed? How would we blush that men should see us commit this or that sin, or neglect this or that duty? What horrible Atheism then doth this argue, that the presence of man, yea sometimes of a little child, should ••••nder us from that wickedness which God's presence cannot? This having of God be∣fore our eyes, and the continual meditation of his All-seeing presence, would, toge∣ther with devout Prayer for the assistance of God's grace, be in time the bane of hypo∣crisie and falshood of heart, and beget in stead thereof that truth and sincerity which God loveth.

[unspec 3] Another property of such obedience as God requires is Vniversality: we must not serve God by halfs, by doing some duties and omitting others; but we must, with David, (Psal. 119. 6, 20.) have respect to all God's Commandments; to those of the second Table as well as to those of the first, and to those of the first as well as those of the second. The want of which Vniversality of obedience to both Tables is so frequent, as the greatest part of Christians are plunged therein, to the undoubted ruine of their fouls and shipwrack of everlasting life, if they so continue.

For there are two sorts of men which think themselves in a good estate, and are not. The one are those who make conscience of the duties of the first Table, but have little or no care of the duties of the second. And this is a most dangerous evil, by rea∣son it is more hard to be discovered; those which are guilty thereof being such as seem religious, but their Religion is in vain. Such were those in the Church of Israel against whom the Prophet Esay declaimeth, Chap. 1. from the 10. verse to the 17. To what purpose are your sacrifices and burnt-offerings? saith the Lord: your oblations and incense are abomination. Your New Moons, Sabbaths, calling of Assemblies, even the so∣lemn meeting, I cannot away with; it is iniquity. Would you know what was the matter? see the words following, Learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Lo here a want of the duties of the second Table.* 1.16 Such is that also of Hosea 6. 6. I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; which is twice alledged by our Saviour in the Gospel against the Pharisee's hypocritical scrupulosity in the same duties of the first Table, with a neglect of the second. But here perhaps some may find a scruple, because that if Sacrifice in this or the like places be opposed to the duties of obedience required in the second Table, it should hereby seem that the duties of the second Table which concern our neighbour should be preferred be∣fore the duties of the first which concern the Lord himself; forasmuch as it is said, * 1.17 I desired mercy, and not sacrifice, that is, rather Mercy, which is a duty of the second

Table, than Sacrifice, which is of the first. I answer, The holy Ghost's meaning is not to prefer the second Table before the first, taking them singly; but to prefer the duties of both together before the service of the first alone: Be more ready to joyn mercy or works of mercy with your sacrificing, than to offer sacrifice alone.

To go on. The duties of the first Table are by a special name called duties of Religi∣on; those of the second Table come under the name of Honesty and Probity. Now as a man can never be truly Honest unless he be Religious; So cannot that man (what shew soever he makes) be truly religious in God's esteem who is not honest in his conver∣sation towards his neighbour: Religion and Honesty must be married together, or else neither of them will be in truth what it seems to be. We know that all our duty both to God and our neighbour is comprehended under the name of Love, as in that Summe of the Law,* 1.18 Love God above all things, and thy neighbour as thy self. This is the Summe of the whole Law contained in both Tables. But S. Iohn tells us 1 Ep. 4. 20. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; which is as much as if he should say, He that seems religious towards God, and is without honesty towards his neighbour; he is a liar, there is no true religion in him.

If you would then know whether a man professing Religion, by diligent frequent∣ing Gods service and exercises of devotion, keeping sacred times and hearing Ser∣mons, be a sound Christian or not, or a seeming one only; this is a sure and infallible note to discover him, and for him to discover himself by: For, if notwithstanding his care of the duties of the first Table, he makes no conscience to walk honestly to∣wards his neighbour; if he be disobedient to Parents and lawful Authority, if he be cruel and uncharitable, if he be unjust in his dealings, fraudulent, an oppressor, a fal∣sifier of Covenants and Promises, a back••••ster, a slanderer, or the like; his Religion is no better than an Hypocrite's: For such was the Religion of many of the Pharisees, whom therefore our Saviour termeth Hypocrites,* 1.19 Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hy∣pocrites. They were scrupulous in the duties of the first Table,* 1.20 they paid tithe even of mint and anise, they fasted twice a-week, they were exact observers of the Sabbath and other ceremonies of Religion; but judgment, mercy, and saith in their conversa∣tion towards men, our Saviour tells them they regarded not.

Besides our Saviour's woe denounced against such, there are Two dangerous Ef∣fects which accompany this evil disease, which should make us beware thereof.

• 1. Those who are addicted to Religion without any conscience of Honesty, are easily drawn by the Devil to many intolerable acts under colour and in behalf thereof, as they imagine. We see it in the Papists and Iesuits, whose preposterous zeal to their Religion makes them think Treasons, Murthers, Rebellions, or any other such wicked acts, are lawful and excusable, so they be done for the good of the Catholick cause, as they call it. And if we search narrowly amongst our selves, we shall light upon some examples of indirect and unlawful courses undertaken otherwhile on the behalf of Religion; and all through want of this conscionable care of maintaining Ho∣nesty towards our neighbour, together with our zeal for Religion towards God. Even as we see an Horse in some narrow and dangerous passage, whilest he is wholly taken up with some bugbear on the one side of the way, which he would eschew, and in the mean time mindeth not the other side, where there is the like danger, he suddenly slips into a pit or ditch, with no small danger to himself and rider: So is it here with such as look only to the first Table, and mind not the second; whilest they go about, as they think, to advance the duties of the one, they fall most foully in the other.
• 2. The second evil is a most dangerous Scandal which follows profession of Reli∣gion without honest conversation towards men: It is a grievous stumbling-block and stone of offence, making men out of love with Religion, when they see such evil Ef∣fects from it and those who seem to profess it. Those who are not yet come on, are scared from coming; resolving they will never be of their Religion, which they see no better fruits of: Those who are entred, are ashamed and discouraged, forsaking the duties of Religion, that they might shun the suspicion of hypocrisie and dishonesty.* 1.21 But woe be unto them by whom scandal cometh. Let us all therefore take heed to adorn and approve our profession by bringing forth fruits, not only of Piety and Devotion towards God, but of works of Righteousness and Charity to our neighbour.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Acts 4. 12.
• * 1.2

  Matth. 7. 21.
• * 1.3

  Observat. 1.
• * 1.4

  Observat. 1.
• * 1.5

  How the Do∣ctrine o•• Faith in Christ in∣cludes the greatest En∣forcement and Engagement to Good works.
• * 1.6

  Matth. 25. 34. &c.
• * 1.7

  Verse ••1.
• * 1.8

  Observ. 2.
• * 1.9

  Heb. 11. 6.
• * 1.10

  E••h. 2. 8, 9.
• * 1.11

  Matth. 7. 21.
• * 1.12

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.13

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.14

  How to know Sincerity.
• * 1.15

  How to attain Sincerity.
• * 1.16

  Matth. 9. 13. & 12. 7.
• * 1.17

  Hos. 6. 6.
• * 1.18

  Matth. 22. 37, 39.
• * 1.19

  Matth. 23. 13, &c.
• * 1.20

  Verse 23.
• * 1.21

  Matth. 18. 7.