SERMON IX.

THE SHAME AND DANGER OF BEING CHRISTIANS

WITHOUT CHRISTIANITY.

EZEKIEL xliii. 10.

THOU SON OF MAN, SHEW THE HOUSE TO THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, THAT THEY MAY BE ASHAMED OF THEIR INIQUITIES: AND LET THEM MEASURE THE PATTERN.

THE

'HE laft eight chapters of Ezekiel have respect unto the ftate of the gospel, and unto the New Jerufalem mentioned in the Revelations, as appears from the forty-feventh chapter, and from the name of the city JEHOVAH-Shammah; that is, God is there.

The Holy Spirit having very particularly described the Temple and its ordinances, at the tenth verse he commands the prophet to fhew that defcription to the house of Ifrael, (that is, in a spiritual fenfe, to the Christian Church) that they may measure, that is, take efpecial notice of, the pattern, and be ashamed of their iniquities.

Now; whatever was written aforetime was written for our inftruction, especially what

* See Prov. xxx. 12. Ifaiah lviii. 1. Jer. vi. 16. Matth. xx. 16. Rom. ii. 28. ix. 6. Tit. i. 16. Rev. ii. 5, 9.

was

was purposely defigned for the use of the church of Chrift. This then being by the Holy Ghost commanded as a very proper method of convincing people of their error, to fhew them the pattern they ought to imitate, that they may be afhamed when they fee with their own eyes how fadly they come short of it; I fhall therefore follow this direction, as far as that good Spirit fhall enable me, and fet before you-firft, The pattern which Chriftians ought to follow; what they ought to be; and then, fecondly, the manner how they imitate or follow this pattern.

By which I would hope to convince fuch as have any degree of seriousness or concern for their fouls, that as far as they come fhort of this pattern, fo far they will certainly come fhort of that happiness which God has promised his faithful fervants.

Now, in order to do this more effectually, we fhall confider,

First; What is the great defign of the gofpel:

2dly. What means God has ordained for making that defign effectual:

3dly. What is required on our part towards bringing this defign about.

A plain account of these things will fhew Chriftians to themselves. And when they fee how little they are affected with God's gra cious defign for their good, how little they have complied with the means ordained for

bringing

bringing it about, and how very indifferently they have performed the duties required of them; they may be ashamed of their iniquities, or be left without excufe.

I. And firft; THE GREAT DESIGN OF THE GOSPEL is, in the apoftle's words, to turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God;-that their eyes being enlightened with faving truth, they may fee the wonderful goodness of God to mankind, in offering them happiness eternal upon the most favourable conditions;-that being made fenfible of this, they may give glory to God, and fhew forth his praise by fruits worthy of fuch a favour.

And truly, the favour was fo great, that mankind would hardly have believed it, had not God fent his Son into the world, to affure them, that although they are finners, and that as fuch he cannot take pleasure in them, yet that he is ready to be reconciled to all fuch as, being fenfible and weary of their bad condition, are willing to accept deliverance upon the terms he has prescribed, and are content to be governed by fuch laws as he knows to be neceffary to fit them for that happiness which he designs for them.

And that they may not be at a loss to know how that happiness is to be attained, what are the duties required of us, and how we may be able to perform them, God, by his Son, has given us a full and plain account of

what

what is expected from us; upon what terms he will pardon us; and how we may be enabled to do what he requires of us.

To this end, he has appointed certain ordinances, to the ferious obfervers of which he has promised his infallible bleffing. He has alfo appointed an order of men, whose bufinefs it fhall be, to teach and to explain these things, to exhort chriftians not to neglect fuch offers of mercy,—and to administer those ordinances, which he has appointed for enabling them to overcome all the difficulties they can poffibly meet with.

And that men may not, at their peril, fet light by these ordinances, and those that administer them, because the ordinances are plain, and because they that administer them are men of like paffions with themselves, God hath expreffly declared, that they that defpife them, defpife him, for by him they are fent; and that fuch as will not lay hold of the means of grace which he has ordained, muft not expect his affiftance in this life, or his favour in the next, but shall be punished for ever, for abufing fo great goodness.

The truth of all which the Son of God fealed with his most precious blood; that men might not have any pretence to question the truth of these things, or to flight them.

And to awaken them into a sense of the hazard they run, if they should be fo perverfe as to despise that goodness which should lead

them

them to repent, God has made known to the world this concerning truth, That he will call all men to an account; and that they that have done good fhall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlafting fire. And that thus it will be, though all the world should be so stupid as not to believe or mind it.

This is the defign of the gofpel;-this is the Chriftian's great concern;-this is his work. Let us now confider, how this gracious defign affects the generality of Chriftians.

One would expect, that when life and death are fet before people, there would be no difficulty with them which they fhould choose: that they would be very defirous to be informed what will be expected from them; and be very thankful to those whom God has appointed to inform them, and to be the minifters of their reconciliation with God: and laftly, one would expect a general concern and seriousness, wherever these things are believed.

But, alas! the very contrary to all this is matter of fact. There are but few, in comparison, that give themselves the trouble of laying these things to heart at all. And therefore the generality of Chriftians have no taste, no sense of, no value for, the kindness and love of God, held forth to us in this difpenfation.

It is true, all that live among Christians cannot but hear and know something of these things: