which men pretend to draw from religion. I fhall infift particularly upon the latter, because as they are taken from religion it felf, they are by much the more dangerous. When profane people undertake to defend vice with maxims which are manifeftly impious, we ftand upon our guard against them, and we may confute them by the maxims of religion. But when they employ religion and the truths of it, in the defence of vice; the danger of being feduced is infinitely greater.

I fhall reduce the maxims which are made ufe of to authorize corruption to these four orders.

I rank thofe in the first order, by which men endeavour to prove, that holinefs is not abfolutely neceffary.

The fecond order contains thofe which tend to fhew, that the practice of holiness is impoffible.

The third comprehends those which infinuate, that it is dangerous for a man to apply himself to good-works.

The fourth and the last includes thofe which are alledged to excufe corruption.

But as it is not lefs neceffary, to know the remedies against corrup tion, than to discover the causes of it; I fhall not only mention, but as I go on confute those maxims.

I. Although nothing is more clearly afferted in the Gospel, than the neceffity of good-works; yet Chriftians entertain many opinions which deftroy this neceffity, and which confequently open a door to licentioufnefs. The neceffity of good-works cannot be overthrown but one of these two ways; either by faying, that God does not require them; or elfe by maintaining, that tho' God requires them, yet a man may be faved without the practice of them.

1. In order to prove that God does not require fanctity and goodworks, as a condition abfolutely neceffary to falvation, thefe two maxims are abused. 1. That we are not faved by our works. And 2. That faith is fufficient to falvation. The firft of thefe maxims is intended to exclude good-works; and by the fecond men would substitute another mean for obtaining falvation. I referr the difcuffing of these two maxims to the next chapter, because they are drawn from the holy Scripture.

II. Men endeavour to perfuade themfelves, that tho' they neglect holinefs, yet for all that, they fhall not be excluded from falvation. And that which contributes moft to flatter them in this imagination, is first, the notion they have formed to themselves of the mercy of God. God, fay they, is good, and will not judge us with the utmoft rigour. This is faid every day, and it makes every body hope for falvation. The Divine mercy indeed is without queftion, the only ground we have to hope for falvation. But the vileft affront we can offer to that mercy, is to make it an occafion of fecurity. Because God is good and merciful, must not we therefore endeavour to please him? May we freely offend him, because he is good, and we hope he will forgive us?

Those who reafon at this rate, understand very little what the Divine mercy is. They must fuppofe that it extends indifferently to all men without any regard to their obedience or difobedience. But this fuppofition is evidently falfe, and contrary to the holy Scripture. The effects of God's mercy, are promised only to those who fear him and depart from i

evil;

evil; and by confequence, it is a falfe and pernicious maxim, to fay, So much holiness is not neceffary; God is good, and he will not mark feverely what is done amifs. This is to afcribe to God an eafinefs and a connivance, utterly unbecoming the fovereign Judge of the world.

It is faid befides, That God will not judge us rigorously. That indeed, is true; God is indulgent towards us, and the Gospel is a covenant of grace, in which God has a great regard to our prefent condition, and weaknefs. But it is likewife certain, that God will judge us according to the rigour of the covenant of grace; and that no falvation is to be had for those who do not fulfil the condition of the Gofpel; now this condition, is a true faith, inciting us to holiness. This must be granted, and we must acknowledge the neceffity of performing this condition, and of leading a holy life; or elfe the Gofpel is but a jeft; and we must say, that God does not fpeak ferioufly in it; that indeed he prefcribes certain con ditions, that he commands and threatens; but that nothing of all this is to be ftrictly understood; fo that tho' a man does not comply with the conditions which God requires, yet he fhall feel the effects of his clemency. If this is true, there is an end of the Chriftian religion.

2. It will no doubt be replied, That provided a man repents, and afks God's forgiveness, he fhall be faved. This is an unquestionable truth; fo by repentance we mean that, which the Gospel requires, and which confifts in a fincere deteftation of fin, in true converfion and amendment of life. But this is falfe, if by repentance, we mean only a general con→ feffion of fins, accompanied with some fenfe of grief and fear, whereby finners hope at the hour of death, to attone for all the diforder of a vitious life. I would fhew here that this is no faving repentance, but that I am to handle this matter purposely in another chapter.

If men commonly neglect thofe things, which are not very neceffary; they apply themselves much lefs, to thofe which they think to be impoffible. Now this is the notion which men commonly have of piety. It is faid firft, That it is impoffible for a man to be fo holy, and to do that which God commands. A great many like the precepts of the Gospel very well, and acknowledge their juftice and excellency, Would to God, fay they, we could live thus, but we are not able to do it: and being poffeft with this opi nion, they ufe no endeavour to practife those duties which they own to be juft; or to attain to that holinefs, to which God calls them. And indeed, what man would attempt that, which he looks upon as impoffible. Now what is faid of man's incapacity to do good, is very true, when we speak of man confidered barely as man, in the corrupt ftate of nature. But the question is, Whether thofe whom God has refcued out of that ftate, and called to the communion of the Gofpel, are incapable to arrive at that degree of holiness, which he requires of them? The Apoftles gives us another notion of those who know and believe in Jefus Chrift. They represent to us indeed the miserable condition in which men naturally are, and the greatness of their corruption; but they tell us at the fame time, that Chrift is come to deliver them from that ftate, * that a Chriftian can do all things through Chrift, that strengtheneth him: † that he is perfect and throughly furnished to all good works: that he who loves God keeps his commandments, and overcomes the world. This plainly imports,

Phil. iv. 13.

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that we are no longer in that ftaté of corruption and death, wherein man being left to himself, is a flave to fin; or at leaft that we ought to be no longer in that state, after all that which the grace of God has done for us. It is the greatest injury, that can be done to Chrift and his grace, to fay, That his coming, his death, his Gospel, and his Spirit, are not able to fanctify men; and that after they are redeemed and adopted by God, it is impoffible for them to be good, and to do what he commands. If this was true, where would be the power of the Christian religion, and what could we think of God's proceeding when he addreffes his commandments to us? At this rate, he gives us a law, not that we should keep it; but rather to convince us that we cannot obferve it. In this cafe, what will become of our Saviour's precepts, and what are we to think of those pure and exalted morals which he has left us? Evangelical holiness will be nothing elfe but an imaginary and unpracticable fanctity. Thofe ideas of perfection will be but meer ideas, without any reality; like thofe of that philofopher, who form'd a fine fcheme of the best government of a common-wealth; but it was a project which could never be executed. It were to be wished, we might remember, that, thanks be to God, we are no longer heathens; and that men fhould be encouraged, and not difheartened by extravagant maxims and difcourfes. Which is the imitating those cowardly fpies, who after they had viewed the land of Canaan, went about to difpirit the Ifraelites, and to perfuade them, that the conqueft of that land was impoffible.

2. It is not only faid, that we are not able to be fo holy as the Gospel requires; but it is added befides, that God would not have us be fo; that he makes ufe of fin to keep us humble, and to make us feel the conftant need we have of his grace, as well as to kindle in us, the defire of a better and more perfect life. This maxim reprefents corruption as a thing unavoidable, agreeable to the will of God, and in fome measure ufeful. But what can be more falfe than to pretend, that God would not have us to be holy? Why then does he command us to be fo? Why does St. Paul fay, *This is the will of God, to wit, your fanctification? What can be meant by these words of St. Peter, As he who has called you is holy, be ye alfo boly in all manner of converfation; for it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy? If it be faid, that God would have us to be holy, but not perfectly holy, as we Thall be in heaven: I afk no more, Who did ever pretend that we ought to be as holy in this world, as we are to be in the life to come? Nothing elfe is required of men, but that they should be as holy, as God would have them to be, and as holy as his grace enables them to be in this life. To alledge against this, That God would not have us be fo holy; is a ridiculous evafion, which implies a contradiction. Befides, this maxim taken in that fenfe, which it first offers to the mind, feems to make God the author of fin. For it fuppofes, not only that God would not have us to be fo holy, but which is more strange, that he wills the contrary, that he has his views, defigns, and reafons, why he fhould not permit us, to attain that degree of holiness, to which the Gofpel calls us. That is the meaning of these words, That God makes use of fin, to keep us humble, to make us feel the need we have of his grace, and to make us long for another life. If it was faid only, That. God had fome reafons to permit fin:

fuch

fuch an affertion would be true; but those who alledge this maxiin, to excuse themselves from obeying the Gofpel, afcribe to God a pofitive defign; and a direct intention, which renders that obedience impoffible; which derogates from his holiness and juftice, and which is manifeftly contrary to thofe declarations which he himself has made in Scripture. If it were further faid, That our fins ought to humble us, and that they fhould ferve to make us wifer, and more circumfpect for the time to come, and to raife in us a longing after a happier state; this would be very reasonable. But it does not follow from thence, that we are to ascribe to God, thofe views and intentions which this maxim ascribes to him. There is a vaft difference between the design which God proposes to himself, and the event of things. These two fhould never be confounded. Neither ought the natural effect of fin, to be confounded with the confequences of it. The natural effect of fin can be no other but evil; if the confequences of it are not always fatal, and if men reap fome advantage from it, that is, as we fay, by accident. However God has no need of vice to form us to humility; he has other means to humble us, and to make us feel the need we stand in of his grace; without being neceffi tated to let us live under the dominion of fin, to produce thofe difpofitions in us. And there remain ftill even in the very holieft men, matter enough for them to have recourfe to the Divine mercy, and to aspire to a better life, notwithstanding all the progrefs they can make in holiness. This will be fully, cleared in the fequel of this chapter.

3. Here is another maxim which is pretty common; it is faid, That this world is the place of corruption, that this life is the time of fin, and that boliness is referved for heaven. Men's minds are fo infected with this imagination; that we hear it faid every day, even by those who have fome piety; That we live in this world only to offend God, and that we do nothing but fin. But certainly, nothing is more contrary to the doctrine of the Gospel, than this: for tho' it is true, in a found sense, that this world is the place of corruption, and that fin will never be intirely abolished but in heaven; yet that does by no means excufe us from serving and fearing God, as long as we live here. The first thing a Christian ought to know; is that God has placed him in this world, not to offend, but to to glorifie and ferve him. The gofpel tells us, every where, that this life is the time which God gives us to fanctify our felves in. That this earth is the place where Chriftian virtues are to be practifed; that now is the time to labour, to walk, to fight, and to fow, if we intend to obtain falvation; and that whoever neglects thefe duties fhall be shut out of heaven. In the life to come these opportunites will be over, the door will be shut, and the sentence which God fhall pronounce at the day of judgment, will be founded upon that which men do in this life.

Nay, we may draw an argument from the nature of holiness it felf, to demonstrate, that the practice of it is not referred to another life. The greatest part of the duties which God prescribes; fuch as repentance, patience, chastity, fobriety, almsgiving, and hope, cannot be practifed in heaven. Here then, is the time, the place, and the opportunity, to perform these duties. Let us reflect upon what St. Paul fays, in his epiftle to Titus, chap. xi. There he declares, That the grace of God which brings falvation, teaches men to live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent

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world. That is, in this life, and upon earth; and then he adds, looking for that bleffed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our faviour Jefus Chrift. He makes a diftinction between the duty, and the hope of a Chriftian; between this world and that which is to come. This life is the time, and this world the place, wherein we ought to prac tife temperance, juftice, and godliness. It muft not be afked, where the difference then lies, between this life and the other, between grace and glory? For the difference is great and fenfible enough in other refpects. In the next life we fhall be perfectly holy; our holiness will be of another nature than it is here; we fhall be like the angels, and as we shall practife no longer a great many duties, which we practise here on earth, fo we shall exercise many virtues, which cannot be exercised in this life.

4. I ought not to omit here another maxim, which is not only very common, but is likewife moft pernicious, by reafon of the ufe that is made of it. Some fay, That there was always, and that there will always be corruption; that this is the way of the world, that men will always be men, and that the world will not change. It is neceffary to dwell a little upon this maxim, because it is fpecious, and tends as well as the former, to make men believe that corruption is neceffary and unavoidable. It has befides a general influence upon the subject matter and design of this book; for it is to little purpose to defcant upon the fources of corruption, if there is no amendment to be hoped for, I have four things to say upon this maxim.

1. The inference which is made from it is abfurd. For tho' an evil is general, it does not follow, that it is to no purpose to endeavour to keep our felves free from it; unless it were an evil from which men could not poffibly preferve themfelves. There have been always and there will always be diseases in the world; and yet no man hitherto has been fo weak as to maintain, that the precautions and remedies which are used against diseases, are altogether ufelefs. Thus tho' corruption reigns in the world; yet that does not hinder, but that men ought to use those means which God affords them to that end,

2. This maxim is founded upon a falfe supposition, For tho' it is true, that there has been always, and there always will be corruption in the world; yet it ought not to be fuppofed, that this corruption is alike at all times, or that things are always to be in the fame ftate they now are in, This were a falfe fuppofition and contrary to experience, as may easily be proved with respect to the time paft, the prefent, and the future. First, when we reflect upon paft ages, we cannot fay that all times have been alike, in reference to religion, It is not to be denied, but that before Christ's coming, the world was plunged in a general corruption, and that the state of it has been confiderably altered by the preaching of the gofpel. Can any one deny but that the primitive church was purer, than the church which we find in the ninth or tenth century? At this day, tho' there is a general diffolutenefs, yet there is more or lefs corruption in fome places than in others. It is true in fact, that where the gospel is duly preached, and where there is fome order and difcipline left, there appears more piety and religion than in other places. As for the time to come we muft not think it impoffible to restore things to a better fate, or imagine that the world will always continue as it is, tho' the

means