Father which is in Heaven. It is not profeffing his name, and worshipping and praying to him, that will capacitate us for falvation; nor any thing lefs than a fincere and univerfal obfervance of the precepts he has given us in charge. Much lefs may any one expeal to be faved for his adherence to a felt or party, and bis zeal for promoting its interefts, and especially by unjuftifiable and wicked means. (y) It is certainly good to be jealously affected always; but then we muit be fure it be in a good thing, and (z) according to knowledge; for otherwile the confequents of it may be very terrible. It was (a) St. Paul's zeal that put him upon perfecuting the church of Christ. Yet he was fo far from valuing himself for it, that he calls himfelf (b) the chief of finners, and profeffes of himself, that he was (c) not worthy to be called an apoftle; and for this very reason, because he bad perfecuted the church of God. Men may poffibly please themselves with fuch a zeal, and may think themselves no mean Christians for it; but it is a very indifferent fign, that Chrift Jefus is truly formed in them. Schifms and divifions are fo highly difpleafing to Almighty God, that throughout (d) St. Paul's epiftles, perhaps you will not find any onefin, against which he fo frequently cautions his readers, as against this. And in the antient church it was esteemed of that heinous nature, (e) that martyrdom itself was not thought a fufficient expiation of it. And fuch must therefore be most destructive cafuifts, who can look upon embarking in fo dangerous an evil, as a token of a holy and good mind. It is what fincere and well-meaning perfons may fometimes fall into; but it is certainly no part of their goodness, but a great blemish to it, and a leffening all their brightest virtues. So far iş

(y) Gal. iv. 18. (x) Rom. x. 2. (a) Phil. ii. 6. (b) 1 Tim. L 15. (c) 1 Cor. xv. 9. (d) Rom. xv. 5, 6. and xvi. 17, 18. 1 Cor. i. 10. and iii. 3. and xi. 18. Gal. v. 20. Eph. iv. 3, 4, 5, 6, Phil. ii. 1, and iii. 16.

(e) B. Cypr. Epift. 55 and 60. Chryfoft. in Ephef. hom. 11.

Optat. Milev. c. Parmen. 1, 1.

F

from being any sort of evidence for their justifica

tion and falvation.

Eufeb. Has this zeal for a party ever been laid down, as a teft of our difpofition in order to a future state?

Theod. Never that I know of in fo many words; but the great regard that is ordinarily fhewn to it by those of the fame party, and the encouragement they ufually give to one another, as if all that fuffer'd in fuch a cafe were martyrs for Chrift, seems so naturally to imply it, that this gave me occafion to caution against fuch a felf-deceit.

Eufeb. But feeing there are fo many fects and herefies, divifions and fubdivifions, do not you think, that every one is nearly concern'd to adhere faithfully to what he is fully fatisfied is right, and to promote it to his power, whether by doing or fuffering? And if he ! die for it, may he not look upon this, as laying down his life for Chrift; and confequently may he not reckon himself one of those to whom our Saviour has promifed, that by laying down their (f) lives for bis fake, they fball fave them to all eternity.

Theod. No doubt, every one is nearly concern'd, to (g) contend earnestly for the faith that was once deliver'd to the faints, and to be ready to fuffer and die for it. This is so neceffary, that our Saviour affures us over and over, that such as decline fuffering here for his fake, shall suffer for ever hereafter for their own folly. For this is the plain import of those words of his, (b) Whosoever will save his life, fhall lose it; (i) He that taketh not his crofs, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me; (k) Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, of him fhall the Son of man be ashamed when be fhall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels, with other like expreffions. Wherefore I must beg leave to obferve to you, that what I have said as to this point, was intended only for (ƒ) Mark viii. 35. and Luke ix. 24. (g) Jude 3. (b) Matth,

xvi. 25.

(k) Luke ix. 26.

(i) Chap. x. 38.

thefe purposes. First, to remind perfons that they are to be very well affur'd they are in the right, before they take upon them to appear zealous for their own notions and practices, and those of their party, how numerous foever, and whatsoever fpecious fhew of an unfeigned piety they may make. This they are obliged to take an especial care of, and to use their utmost diligence and impartiality, in order to a right information of themselves, left otherwife they really fin against God, whilft they think themselves (1) doing him fervice; and incur that dreadful woe, which our bleffed Saviour denounced against the Scribes and Pharifees, for their unwearied diligence in profelyting others to their fect, and preffing their wonted ftrictneffes upon them: (m) Woe unto you, fcribes and pharifees, bypocrites: for yo compafs fea and land to make one profelyte; and when he is made, ye make bim twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Next, to caution that they be not contentious and quarrellome, when in the right, but temper their zeal with prudence and gentleness, and a tenderness of heart towards fuch as differ from them; that their zeal, in ever fo juft a caufe, do not tranfport them beyond the bounds of their duty, and put them upon any indirect and unlawful means, for the maintenance of what they have undertaken; ftudying by all fair ways, but none other than fuch, to justify themfelves and their profeffion, as becomes the followers of the meek and holy Jefus. But that which I chiefly intended is, in the laft place, that none ever expect their zeal for the beft of caufes, the weightiest of truths, or the most truly christian doctrines, should ever make atonement for their vices and immoralities. Right principles will by no means fuit wrong practices. And let a man be ever fo orthodox in his belief, or regular in, his worship, or conftant to fome discountenanced chriftian duty, all the concern he can fhew, in behalf of fuch, decried part of his religion, will never recommend him to Almighty God, (7) John xvi. 2. (m) Matth. xxiii. 15.

if in other refpects he allows himself to tranfgrefs his laws. And I have therefore often wonder'd to fee fuch as could fuffer to a great degree, for the fake of a good confcience, to be yet fo unconfcientious as to indulge themfelves in cuftomary fwearing or internperance, cheating, or other like immoral and fhameful courfes. If fuch do not think to make amends, for their loofenefs in one refpect, by their exactness in the other, I cannot tell why they fhould chufe to fuffer as they have done: and yet, if they do think it, they grofly deceive themselves, as they will be fure at length to find to their coft. But I have already infifted too long upon this fifth particular; wherefore I leave it, and proceed: We are by no means to judge ourfelves in God's favour, and heirs of the glory he has promis'd to his faithful fervants, from our regard to men of exemplary piety, and the great veneration we have for them. This, I remember, has fometimes been laid down as a rule, whereby for Chriftians to take a view of the ftate of their fouls. But with how little reafon, will evidently appear, if you but call to mind, that the moft profligate wretches cannot but ever and anon betray the reverence they inwardly bear to fuch as, at other times, they would be thought to have the greatest averfion to, and whom they would represent as fools and madmen, for not running into the fame excess of riot with themselves. Virtue commands a refpect, even from the incorrigibly wicked, which, with all their arts, they cannot fo totally fupprefs, as that it fhall not frequently difcover itlelf. And tho' others, who are not fo entirely devoted to their lufts, may have a greater veneration than thefe, for fuch as they fee truly holy and religious; the moft that can be collected from hence is, that they are not fo wholly abandoned to their vices as thefe; not that they have made fuch proficiency in Chriftianity, as to capacitate them for the heavenly felicity. Nor, farther, may a man reckon bimfelf fafe, purely from his reliance upon Chrift for falvation. A doctrine the holy Scriptures never taught,

tho' some men have! It is true, it is Chrift alone that has purchased this falvation for us; and who freely offers it to fuch as will be prevail'd with to capacitate themselves for it. He calls and invites, and preffes and befeeches finners to be reconciled to God. But then it is to be confider'd, that this being reconciled to God, implies more in it, than a bare reliance upon Chrift. It implies in it no lefs than a hearty and fincere repentance, and amendment of life; which is often (n) injoined in Scripture, and (0) without which there is no poffibility of being faved. And accordingly,

our Lord himself declares, that whofoever (p) will enter into life, must keep the commandments. This is a neceffary condition of the gofpel-covenant, which whofoever does not faithfully fet himself to perform, can have no hope of Salvation. And tho' it be faid, that (q) by the works of the law no flesh fhall be justified, but only by the faith of Jefus Chrift, this is very far from implying, that our juftification, and confequently our Salvation, does not depend upon the works of the Gofpel, when our Saviour and his apoftles fo conftantly teach it does. Not that any fervices we are capable of paying, can any way merit our falvation, this being the purchase of Chrift's blood, and which is to be obtained only through his mediation; but only they are the indifpenfable condition of obtaining it, our bleffed Lord having undoubtedly affured us, that he will beftow it upon no other terms, (r) buɛ of repentance unto life, as well as faith, and dependence upon him for it. And agreeably hereto is the apostle St. Paul to be understood, when he profeffes his defire, (s) to be found in Chrift, not having his own righteoufnefs, which is of the law; but that which is through the faith of Chrift; the righteousness which is of

(2) Matth. iii. 8. and iv. 17. and ix. 13. Mark i. 15. and vi. 12, A&ts ii. 38. and xvii. 30. and xx. 21. and xxvi. 30. Rev. ii. 5. and xvi. 11. and iii. 19.

(c) Mark i. 4. Luke xiii. 3, 5. and xxiv. 47. Acts iii. 19. and v. 31. and xi. 18. 2 Cor. vii. 10. 2 Pet. iii. 9.

(P) Matth. xix. 17. (9) Gal. ii. 16. (r) Acts xx. 21, (s) Phil. ii.9.

God