It is to no purpose to go about to perfuade men, that we do heartily entertain the doctrine of Chrift; that doctrine which hath all the characters of piety and ju ftice, of holiness and virtue, upon it; which obligeth men to what foever things are true, whatfoever things are honest, whatsoever things are chafte, whatsoever things are lovely, and of good report, if we have no regard to these things in our lives. He that would know what a man believes, let him attend rather to what he does than to what he talks. He that leads a wicked life, makes a more credible and effectual profeffion of infidelity, than he who in words only denies the gofpel. It is the hardest thing in the world to imagine, that that man believes Chriftianity, who, by ungodliness and worldly lufts, does, deny and renounce it. If we profefs ourfelves Chriftians, it may juftly be expected from us, that we fhould evidence this by our actions; that we fhould live at another rate than the Heathens did; that we who worthip a holy and juft God, fhould not allow ourselves the liberty to fin, as thofe did who worshipped fuch gods as were examples of fin, and patrons of their vices. Thou who profeffeft thyfelf a Chriftian, mayeft. not walk in the lufts of the flesh, and of uncleannefs, as thofe did who worshipped a luftful Jupiter, and a wanton Venus; thou mayeft not be intemperate, as thofe were who worshipped a drunken Bacchus; thou mayest not be cruel and unmerciful, as thofe were who worfhipped a fierce Saturn; nor mayeft thou steal, as thofe did who worshipped a thievifh Mercury. Thou must remember that thou art a Christian; and when thou art ready to debafe thyfelf to any vile luft, confider what title thou beareft, by what name thou art called, whofe difciple thou art; and then fay to thyfelf, Shall I allow myfelf in any impiety, or wickedness of life, who pretend to be inftructed by that grace of God which teaches men to deny ungodlinefs and worldly lufsts? Shall I cherish any finful paffion, who pretend to have mortified all these, and to have put off the old man with his deeds?

It is not being gilded over with the external profeffion of Chriftianity that will avail us; our religion must be a vital principle, inwardly to change and transform us. What the apoftle fays concerning circumcifion, Rom.ii.

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25. we may apply to them that are baptized, and make an outward profeffion of Christianity: Baptifm verily profiteth, if we obey the gofpel; but if we walk contrary to the precepts of it, our baptifm is no baptism, and our Chriftianity is Heathenifm. If by our lives and actions we do contradict that religion which we profess, we do by this very thing prove ourselves to be counterfeits and hypocrites; and that we have only taken up our religion for a fashion, and received it according to custom; we were born in a country where it is reverenced, and therefore we are of it. And the reason why we are Chriftians, rather than Jews, or Turks, or Heathens, is, because the Christian religion had the fortune to come first in our way, and to bespeak us at our en trance into the world.

Are we not afhamed to take up a profeffion upon fuch flight grounds, and to wear about us fuch an empty title? It fhould make our blood to rife in our faces, to confider what a distance there is between our religion and our lives. I remember Tully upbraids the philofophers very smartly for living unfuitably to their doctrines. A philofopher (faith he) is unpardonable, if he mifcarry in his life; quod in officio cujus magifter effe vult, labitur; artemque vite profeffus, delinquit in vita: "Because he is faulty in that wherein he pretends to "be a mafter; and whilft he profefleth an art of living "better than other men, he mifcarries in his life." With how much greater reafon may we challenge Chriftians for the mifcarriages of their lives, which are fo directly contrary to their profeffion? It may be juftly expected, that fo perfect an inftitution as the gofpel is, which the Son of God came from heaven on purpose to propagate in the world, fhould make men more strictly holy and virtuous, and fet the profeffors of it at a greater distance from all impurity and vice, than ever any inftitution in the world did. If a man profefs any other art or calling, it is expected that he fhould be skilled in it, and excel those who do not pretend to it. It is the greateft difparagement to a phyfician that can be, to fay of him, That he is in other refpects an excellent man, only he hath no great fkill in difeafes, and the methods of cure; becaufe this is his profeffion. He might be pardoned for other defects; but the proper

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fkill of his art may justly be expected from him. So for a Chriftian, to fay of him, The worst thing in him is his life he is very orthodox in his opinions; but he is. an ill-natured man, one of very violent paffions; he will be very frequently drunk; he makes no confcience of his dealings; he is very uncharitable to all that differ from him: this man is faulty in his profeffion; he is. defective in that which should be his excellency. He may have orthodox opinions in religion; but, when all is done, there is no fuch error, and herefy, nothing fo fundamentally oppofite to religion, as a wicked life. A Christian does not pretend to have a better wit, or a more piercing understanding, than a Turk or Heathen: but he profefleth to live better than they; to be more chafte and more temperate, more juft and charitable, more meek and gentle, more loving and peaceable, than other men. If he fail in this, where is the art the man boafts of? to what purpose is all this noise and ftir about the gospel, and the holy doctrine of Chrift? If any man profess himself a Chriftian, and do not live better than others, he is a mere pretender and mountebank in religion; he is a bungler in his own art, and unskilled in his proper profeffion. This is the firft, the indecen cy of the thing.

2. Confider how great a fcandal this must needs be to our bleffed Saviour, and his holy religion. The Chriftian religion hath undergone many a hard cenfure for the miscarriages of the profeffors of it. The impieties and vices of those who call themselves Chriftians have caufed many fharp reflections upon Chriftianity, and made the Son of God, and the bleffed Saviour of the world, to wear the odious names of deceiver and impoftor. If a man did defign to do the greatest spite to religion, he could not give it a deeper wound; he could not take a more effectual courfe to difparage it, than by a lewd and debauched life. For this will still be an objection in the minds of those who are ftrangers and enemies to our religion: If the gofpel were fo excellent: an inftitution as it is reported to be,, furely we fhould. fee better effects of it in the lives of those who profess it. When we would perfuade a Heathen to our religion,. and tell him how holy a God we ferve, what excellent patterns we imitate, what spiritual and divine precepts

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of holiness and virtue our religion does contain; may not he reply, Would you have me to believe you, when I fee you do not believe yourselves? If you believed your religion, you would live according to it. For if the gofpel were every word of it falfe, if there were neither a heaven to be hoped for, nor a hell to be feared after this life, how could many Christians live worfe than they do?

As we would not proclaim to the world, that the gofpel is an unholy and vitious inftitution, let us take heed that we bring no fcandal upon it by our lives, left the enemies of our religion fay, as Salvian tells us they did in his time, Si Chriftus fanéta docuiffet, Chriftiani fanéte vixiffent: Surely, "if Chrift had taught fo holy a doc“trine, Christians would have lived holier lives." Tully tells us, that one of the fhrewdeft arguments that ever was brought against philosophy was this, Quofdam perfectos philofophos turpiter vivere; "That fome great "philofophers led very filthy lives." Celfus and Por phyry, Hierocles and Julian, among all their witty invectives against Christian religion, having nothing against it that reflects so much upon it, as do the wicked lives of fo many Chriftians. The greatest enmity to religion, is, to profefs it, and to live unanswerably to it.

This confideration ought greatly to affect us. I am fure the apoftle speaks of it with great paffion and vehemency: For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Chrift; whofe end is deftruction, whofe God is their belly, whofe glory is in their fhame, who mind earthly things, Phil. iii. 18. 19. A Jew or a Turk is not fo great an enemy to Chriftianity as a lewd and vitious Chriftian. Therefore let me befeech. Chriftians, as they tender the honour of their Saviour, and the credit of their religion, that they would conform their lives to the holy precepts of Chriftianity. And if there be any who are resolved to continue in a vitious course, to the injury and difparagement of Chriftianity, I could almoft intreat of them, that they would quit their profeffion, and renounce their baptifm; that they would lay afide their title of Chriftians, and initiate themselves in Heathenifh rites and fuperftitions, or be circumcifed for Jews or Turks: for it were really better, upon fome

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accounts, that fuch men fhould abandon their profesfion, than keep on a vizard, which ferves to no other purpose, but to fear others from religion.

3. and laftly, Let us confider the danger we expofe ourselves to, by not living answerably to our religion. And this, I hope, may prevail upon fuch as are not moved by the former confiderations. Hypocrites are inftanced in fcripture as a fort of finners that fhall have the sharpeft torments, and the fierceft damnation. When our Saviour would fet forth the great severity of the Lord towards the evil fervant, he expreffeth it thus: He shall cut him afunder, and appoint him his portion with hypocrites, Matth. xxiv. 51. So that the punishment of hypocrites feems to be made the measure and ftandard of the highest punishment. Thou profeffeft to believe in Chrift, and to hope in him for falvation; but in the mean time thou livest a wicked and unholy life: thou doft not believe, but prefume on him; and wilt find, at the great day, that this thy confidence will be thy confufion; and he whom thou hopeft will be thy Advocate and Saviour, will prove thy accufer, and thy judge. What our Savour fays to the Jews, There is one that ac cufeth you, even Mofes, in whom ye truft, John v. 45. may very well be applied to falfe Chriftians, There is one that accufeth you, and will condemn you, even Jefus, in whom ye trust.

The profeffion of Chriftianity, and mens having the name of Christ named upon them, will be fo far from fecuring them from hell, that it will fink them the deeper into it. Many are apt to pity the poor Heathens, who never heard of the name of Chrift, and fadly to condole their cafe: but, as our Saviour faid upon another occafion, Weep not for them; weep for yourselves. There is no fuch miferable perfon in the world as a degenerate Chriftian; because he falls into the greatest mifery, from the greatest advantages and opportunities of being happy. Doft thou lament the condition of Socrates, and Cato, and Ariftides, and doubt what fhall become of them at the day of judgement? and canft thou, who art an impious and profane Christian, think that thou shalt escape the damnation of hell?

Doft thou believe that the moral Heathen fhall be caft out? and canst thou, who hast led a wicked life under

the