4.

I.

with vain curiofities, or fports, they can hardly lend an SERM. ear to instruction; fo they become unacquainted with the notions of Chriftian doctrine; the which to them are as the feed falling by the way fide, which those fowls of the Matt. xiii. air do fnatch and devour before it finketh down into the earth, or doth come under confideration. Hence is unbelief commonly termed not hearing God's voice, not hearkening to God's word, the din of worldly bufinefs render ing men deaf to divine fuggeftions.

2. Another fource of infidelity is floth, which indifpofeth men to undergo the fatigue of seriously attending to the doctrine propounded, of examining its grounds, of weighing the reasons inducing to believe; whence at firft hearing, if the notions hap not to hit their fancy, they do flight it before they fully understand it, or know its grounds; thence at least they must needs fail of a firm and steady belief, the which can alone be founded on a clear apprehenfion of the matter, and perception of its agreeablenefs to reafon: fo when the Athenians did hear St. Paul declaring the grand points of faith, fomewhat in his discourse uncouth to their conceit falling from him, some of them did fcorn, others did neglect his doctrine; fome A&ts xvii. mocked; others faid, We will hear thee again of this matter ; fo Agrippa was almoft perfuaded to be a Chriftian, but had xxvi. 28. not the industry to profecute his inquiry, till he arrived to a full fatisfaction. A folid faith (with clear understanding and firm perfuafion) doth indeed, no less than any science, require fedulous and perfevering study; so that as a man can never be learned, who will not be ftudious; fo a fluggard cannot prove a good believer.

3. Infidelity doth arife from ftupidity, or dulnefs of apprehenfion, (I mean not that which is natural; for any man in his fenfes, how low foever otherwise in parts or improvements, is capable to understand the Christian doctrine, and to perceive reason fufficient to convince him of its truth; but) contracted by voluntary indifpofitions and defects; a ftupidity rifing from mifts of prejudice, from freams of luft and paffion, from ruft grown on the mind by want of exercising it in observing and comparing things;

32.

I.

SERM. whence men cannot apprehend the clearest notions plainly reprefented to them, nor difcern the force of arguments, however evident and cogent; but are like those wizards in Job v. 14. Job, who meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope at Ifa. lix. 1o. noonday, as in the night.

Deut.

xxviii. 29.

45.

This is that, which is fo often charged on the Jews as cause of their infidelity; who did hear but not understand, and did fee but not perceive; because their heart was gross, and their ears were dull of hearing, and their eyes were closed; this is that núρwσis xapdías, that numbness of heart, which is represented as the common obftruction to the perception and admiffion of our Lord's doctrine: this our Lord blamed in his own Disciples, when he rebuked them Luke xxiv. thus; O fools, and flow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have Spoken! Of this the Apostle doth complain, telling the Hebrews, that they were uncapable of imHeb. v. 11, provement in knowledge, because they were vaspol Tais axoais, dull of hearing for want of skill and use, not having their fenfes exercifed to difcern both good and evil: there is indeed to a found and robuft faith required a good perfpicacy of apprehenfion, a penetrancy of judgment, a vigour and quickness of mind, grounded in the purity of our faculties, and confirmed by exercise of them in confideration of fpiritual things.

14.

4. Another cause of infidelity is a bad judgment; corrupted with prejudicate notions, and partial inclinations to falfehood. Men are apt to entertain prejudices favourable to their natural appetites and humours; to their lusts, to their present interefts; dictating to them, that wealth, dignity, fame, pleasure, ease, are things most desirable, and neceffary ingredients of happiness; fo that it is a fad thing in any cafe to want them: all men have strong inclinations biaffing them toward fuch things; it is a hard thing to shake off fuch prejudices, and to check fuch inclina Matt. xvi. tions; it is therefore not easy to entertain a doctrine representing fuch things indifferent, obliging us fometimes

23.

John vi. 60,

66.

e Acts xxviii. 26.-Ifa. vi. 9. Matt. xii. 14. John xii. 40. Rom. xi. 7, 8, 25. Eph. iv. 18. Ifa. xxix. 10. Ezek. xxi. 2. 2 Cor. iii. 14. Mark iii. 5. vi. 52. viii. 17.

to reject them, always to be moderate in the purfuit and SERM. enjoyment of them: wherefore infidelity will naturally fpring up in a mind not cleanfed from thofe corruptions of judgment.

5.

δυσωπεῖ

σημεία,

· τὰς εὐγνώ

viii. 1.

5. Another fource of infidelity is perverfeness of will, which hindereth men from entertaining notions disagreeable to their fond or froward humour: ὦ γενεὰ ἄπιςος καὶ espapper, O faithlefs and perverfe generation! thofe epi- Matt. xvii. thets are well coupled, for he that is perverse will be faith- 17. lefs; in proportion to the one the other bad quality will prevail. The weapons of the apoftolical warfare (against the infidel world) were, as St. Paul telleth us, mighty to 2 Cor. x. 4, the cafting down of firong holds: fo it was; and the Apoftles, by their difcourfe and demeanour, effectually did force many a ftrong fortrefs to furrender: but the will of où vras fome men is an impregnable bulwark against all batteries durà of discourse; they are fo invincibly ftubborn, as to hold a vers out against the clearest evidence and mightiest force of μoras. reafon if they do not like what you fay, if it cross any Conft. Apoft. humour of theirs, be it clear as day, be it firm as an adamant, they will not admit it; you shall not perfuade them, though you do perfuade them. Such was the temper of the Jews, whom St. Stephen therefore calleth a stiff A&ts vii. 21, necked people, uncircumcifed in heart and ears; who al-Jer. vi. 10. though they did hear the moft winning difcourfe that ix. 26. ever was uttered, although they faw the moft admirable works that ever were performed, yet would they not yield to the doctrine; the mean garb of the perfons teaching it, the spirituality of its defign, the strict goodness of its precepts, and the like confiderations, not forting with their fancies and defires; they hoping for a Meffias arrayed with gay appearances of external grandeur and fplendor, whofe chief work it fhould be to fettle their nation in a state of worldly profperity and glory.

54.

6. This is that hardness of heart, which is fo often re- . presented as an obstruction of belief; this hindered Pha- Exod. vii. raoh, notwithstanding all thofe mighty works performed 4, 22. viii. before him, from hearkening to God's word, and regard- 12. ing the mischiefs threatened to come on him for his dif

15, 19. ix.

I.

SERM. obedience; I will not, faid he, let Ifrael go; his will was his reason, which no perfuafion, no judgment could subdue: this was the cause of that monftrous infidelity in the Ifraelites, which baffled all the methods which God used to persuade and convert them; Notwithstanding, it is said, they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their Pf. xcv. 8. God: whence that exhortation to them; To-day if you Heb. iii. 8. will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

2 Kings

xvii. 14.

9.

And to obduration the disbelief of the Gospel upon the Apostles' preaching is in like manner afcribed; St. Paul, it is faid in Acts xix. 6, the Acts, went into the fynagogue, and spake boldly for the Space of three months, difputing and perfuading the things concerning the kingdom of God: but divers were hardened, Mark xvi. and believed not: and, Exhort one another daily, faith the Apoftle, left any of you be hardened (in unbelief) through the deceitfulness of fin.

Heb. iii. 13. Vid.

14.

7. Of kin to that perverseness of heart is that squeamish delicacy and nicenefs of humour, which will not let men entertain or favour any thing, anywife feeming hard or harsh to them, if they cannot presently comprehend all that is said, if they can frame any cavil, or little exception against it, if every scruple be not voided, if any thing be required distasteful to their fenfe; they are offended, and Ifa.xxx.10. their faith is choked; you must, to satisfy them, Speak to them Smooth things, which nowife grate on their conceit or pleasure so when our Lord discoursed somewhat myfteriously, representing himself in the figure of heavenly bread (typified by the manna of old) given for the world, John vi. 60, to sustain men in life; Many of his difciples, hearing this, 1 Pet. ii. 8. Jaid, This is a hard faying, who can hear it? and from John vi. 61. that time many of his difciples went back, and walked no Matt. xxiv. more with him: this is that which is called being Scan10. xiii. 21. dalized at the word, and stumbling at it; concerning Matt. xi. 6. which our Saviour faith, Blessed is he, whoever shall not be offended in me.

66.

In regard to this weakness, the Apostles were fain in their instructions to use prudent difpenfation, propofing only to fome perfons the most eafy points of doctrine,

I.

they not being able to digest such as were more tough and SERM. difficult: I have, faith St. Paul, fed you with milk, and not with meat; for hitherto ye were not able to bear it—for ye 1 Cor. iii. 2. are yet carnal; and, Ye, faith the Apostle to the Hebrews, Heb. v. 12. are fuch as have need of milk, and not of ftrong meat.

Such were even the Apoftles themselves in their minority; not favouring the things of God; being offended at Matt. xvi. our Lord's discourses, when he spake to them of suffering; and with his condition, when he entered into it.

23.xxvi.31.

8. With these difpofitions is connected a want of love to truth; the which if a man hath not, he cannot well entertain fuch notions as the Gofpel propoundeth, being nowife grateful to carnal fenfe and appetite: this caufe St. Paul doth affign of the Pagan doctors falling into so grofs errors and vices, because they did not like to retain God in Rom. i. 28. their knowledge; and of men's revolting from Christian truth to Antichristian imposture-because they received not the love of truth, that they might be faved: for which caufe 2 Theff. ii. God fhall fend them firong delufion, that they should believe 11. a lie nothing indeed, but an impartial and ingenuous love of truth (overbalancing all corrupt prejudices and affections) can engage a man heartily to embrace this holy and pure doctrine, can preserve a man in a firm adherence thereto.

9. A grand cause of infidelity is pride, the which doth interpofe various bars to the admiffion of Chriftian truth; for before a man can believe, nãv ü↓æμa, every height 2 Col. x. 5. (every towering imagination and conceit) that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, must be caft down.

Pride fills a man with vanity and an affectation of feeming wife in special manner above others, thereby disposing him to maintain paradoxes, and to nauseate common truths received and believed by the generality of mankind.

A proud man is ever averse from renouncing his prejudices, and correcting his errors; doing which implieth a confeffion of weakness, ignorance, and folly, confequently depreffeth him in his own conceit, and feemeth to impair that credit, which he had with others from his wisdom; neither of which events he is able to endure.