He hath had many, too many such disciples all along there were such in the apostles' days, of which St. Paul speaks with tears in his eyes, saying, “Many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things." I wish we could not take up the same complaint now. But, alas! we have but too much cause, when the greatest part of those who profess themselves to be Christ's disciples, live not only in the neglect of his discipline, but quite contrary to it; when, instead of loving one another, which he hath made the mark of his disciples ", " they hate and devour one another;" when, instead of "seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness" in the first place, as he hath directed them, they never seek it at all, nor regard it any more than as if there was no such thing to be had; when, instead of that piety and temperance which he hath taught them, they give themselves over to all manner of profaneness and debauchery; when his Divinity is openly opposed, his doctrine contradicted, his service neglected, his Sacraments slighted, his religion turned into schism and faction, and so his sacred name abused by those very persons who profess it. What is, if this be not, to crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and to put him to an open shame?" Woe be to such Christians! It would have been well for them if they had never been baptized; well if they had never been born at all: for what will Christ say to them at the last day? Not, "Come, ye blessed;" but, "Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." 66 But how happy, on the other side, are they who "bear much fruit," and so are his disciples indeed! He looks upon them as his own, and loves them to the end': he takes a particular care of them, and all their 'Phil. iii. 18, 19. John xiii. 35. 7 John xiii. 1. concerns: he prays for them; he prays not for the world, but for them which God hath given him out of the world he is their advocate with the Father, continually making reconciliation and intercession for them; he washeth them from their sins in his own blood, and presents them holy and spotless before God: he gives them his own most Holy Spirit, to lead them into all truth, to direct them in all their ways, and to support and comfort them in all the occurrences of this life; he makes all things work together for their good: he communicates to them his own most blessed body and blood, to preserve both their souls and bodies to eternal life: he is always with them while they live; and, when they die, he receives their souls, or spirits, to himself; and at the last day he will set them on his right hand, and say unto them, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world';" where they shall live with him in glory, and "shine forth as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father 2," for ever. Now what a mighty encouragement is this to us all to "bear much fruit," seeing we shall then be Christ's disciples indeed, and, by consequence, as happy as Christ himself can make us! This, therefore, is that which I would now, in his name, advise you to. You are all baptized into Christ, and so made his disciples; you still profess yourselves to be so; you call upon his name; you hear his word; you own him to be your Lord and Saviour, and hope accordingly to be saved by him: but take heed that after all you be not deceived; as you certainly will be, unless you observe all the rules that he hath set you, and so bear the fruit that he expects from all that are planted in his vineyard for now" the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire "." Remember what he himself hath taught you in the parable of the John xvii. 9. 2 Ib. xiii. 43. ? Acts vii. 59. 1 Matt. xxv. 34. fig-tree: when the master of the vineyard, where it was planted, came year after year, and sought fruit thereon, but found none, he said to the dresser of his vineyard, "Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?" And have a care that this be not your case. Blessed be God, you are all admitted into his Church, and so planted in his vineyard; but you serve only to cumber the ground, and therefore will be cut down ere long, and cast into the fire, unless ye bear fruit. 66 And much fruit" too; for there is more expected from a tree that is planted in a garden, than from that which grows wild in a barren wilderness. It is not enough for you to be like the best of Jews, Turks, or Heathens, that never heard of Christ, or never owned him for their Saviour: you have given up your names to him, professing to be his disciples, to believe and do as he hath taught you; and if you really did so, as he is the best of masters, you would be the best of men; excelling all others, more than they excel the beasts that perish. This, therefore, is that which I must now advise you to do; be no longer careless and indifferent about your religion, as if it was no great matter whether you be of any or no, but mind it in good earnest; follow it with all your might, tread in your Master's steps, by making it your meat to do the will of your heavenly Father, and to finish the work which he hath given you to do, even to glorify him in the world. Study every morning how you may serve God best, and do most good, that day, in the place and station wherein he hath set you, and according to the ability that he hath given you. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things "." Think on them, and do them heartily, 4 Luke xiii. 7. 5 John iv. 34; xvii. 4. Phil. iv. 8. sincerely, constantly; that you may adorn your Christian profession with all the sorts of good works which it requires of you. By this you will glorify God, and shew yourselves to be Christ's disciples indeed: for you will then be as trees that bear much fruit, and will, therefore, be counted worthy to be transplanted ere long into paradise, where you will flourish, and enjoy the fruits of your labour, for ever, through him who is gone before to prepare a place for you, even Jesus Christ, "To whom be glory," &c. SERMON XIII. THE SUFFICIENCY OF GRACE. 2 COR. xii. 9. "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." ALTHOUGH We all desire to go to heaven when we die, yet if we look no farther than ourselves we can see no ground to hope for it; for heaven is a place where none but real saints can come,-such as have clean and pure hearts, and so are fit to live with the holy angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect, and to join with them in praising and enjoying the most high God, the chiefest, the only good: but which of us can say, "I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin1?" If any of us say it, "We do but deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us?." For if we deal truly and faithfully with ourselves, we cannot but find by our own experience, that we are not sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, much less to do any thing that is truly good3; but after all our attempts and endeavours after goodness and virtue, we still come far short of it. Though we delight in the law of God after the inward man,” yet 66 1 Prov. xx. 9. 2 1 John i. 8. 3 2 Cor. iii. 5. |