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wickedness as had been juft represented, there could hardly have been any circumftance added, ftill farther to blacken their character. But there was yet one, hypocrify that put the finifhing stroke to the whole. Amidst these bold impieties, fo contrary to the dictates of reason, as well as of divine revelation, they dare to call themfelves men of God and religion; and under the mask of external obfervances, they securely indulge the most diabolical paffions, and with little or no remorfe perpetrate the moft horrid and fhameful actions. So by their temper and conduct they deny, or contradict the true spirit and power of that religion, the external appearance of which they fondly affume.

The language of the text is fo expreffive, and the uses to which we shall apply it so important, that it will be neceffary to inquire a little more particularly, what is meant by godliness-what by the form and the power of it and who they are who having the one, do yet deny the other. And,

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First, As to godliness. The term properly fignifies right or acceptable worship 2: fo that in the primary sense of it, it is to be reftrained to acts of devotion, such as prayer

9 Εὐσεβεία.

and

and praise. Nevertheless it is commonly used to denote all that part of religion, which respects our temper and conduct towards God. Thus it is to be understood here, and thus it ftands diftinguished from the duties of temperance and justice, in that paffage where the apostle exhorts us to live foberly, righteously and godlily in the prefent world'. Wherefore godliness comprehends in it all the regards, which as creatures we owe to him who hath made us. And fince by fin we are reduced to an apoftate and depraved ftate, and God hath thought fit to give us an extraordinary revelation of his will; it follows that there must of neceffity be a change in some of the material expreffions of our obedience, and in the manner it is to be performed. Faith in the Lord Jefus Chrift, and repentance towards God, are indifpenfably necessary to form the character of the godly. The man therefore who answers to this description, in the fenfe of the facred fcriptures, is he who being reftored to the knowledge and favor of God, converfes with him in his duties, imitates him in his practice, and hopes for ever to enjoy him in heaven; who, fenfible that he hath forfeited the di

Tit. ii. 12.

vine favor, confiders his restoration to it as the fruit alone of the mediation of the Lord Jefus Chrift; and on this principle humbly fears to offend him, and chearfully aims to please him. Such is godliness or internal religion, the nature of which hath in the former discourse been fully confidered. Now,

Secondly, As to the form and the power of it. These are terms which require very little explanation. Some indeed interpret the form of godlinefs in this place, of that rule or directory given us concerning it in the book of God, and which the apostle elsewhere calls the form of found words. And this many have in their hands, who it is to be feared are perfect ftrangers to the thing itself. Nay too many there are, who while they profess a regard to the letter of the bible, take no fmall pains to explain away the spirit of it. But the phrase is rather to be understood of the external obfervances of religion, fuch as the affembling together for the worship of God, and for the celebration of the two folemn inftitutions of the Christian difpenfation, baptifm and the Lord's Supper. These are the forms of

$ 2 Tim. i. 13.

godliness,

godliness, the outward natural and just expreffions of it. Now to these are opposed the power of it, that is, the inward fenfe, feeling and experience of it; that principle, spirit or temper, which animates a truly Christian man, juft as the foul does the body. Such distinction the apostle frequently makes : as when he says to the Theffalonians, Our gofpel came not unto you in word only, but also in power; and to Timothy, Bodily exercife profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things". Not that the form of religion and the power of it are at variance: no, the one, as was just observed, is the natural expreffion of the other. And fo far is the word of God from treating the externals of religion with indifference, that it exhorts us with great earnestness to pay a ferious attention to them, as the proper means with a divine bleffing of begetting, maintaining and promoting the true fpirit of godlinefs. And moft certain it is, that though there may be the form, where there is not the reality of religion; yet there cannot be the reality of religion, where there is not the form of it. But the latter is here opposed to the former to intimate, that the

one is a vain unacceptable useless thing without the other. And from hence we may now eafily collect,

Thirdly, The true character of those who are faid in our text to have the form of godliness, but at the fame time to deny the power of it. They are either fuch who rest in the one, without any regard to the other; or fuch who affume the one, with an hypocritical view of being accounted the real possesfors of the other. As to the first of these, few words are neceffary to give us a just idea of their character. They place the whole of their religion in external rites and ceremonies, vainly imagining that positive obfervances will make them acceptable to God; while they pay no fort of attention to the prevailing temper of their hearts, and can perhaps allow themselves in fome practices, which are abfolutely immoral and criminal. Such there have been, and fuch it is to be feared there now are: nor is it to be doubted that they come within the description in the text. They have no true knowledge of the nature of spiritual religion, and have no juft fense of the importance of it, if they do not even in fpeculation deny it. And then as to those who hypocritically affume the form of religion, in order to gain the applaufe