our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud,-proud of his understanding and attainments; and though really knowing nothing, yet pretending to superior knowledge, and vain of shewing it, he dotes about questions and strifes of words, is fond of perverse disputings, and therefore continues destitute of the truth k.

False honour and false shame have likewise their influence, where orthodoxy is become a term of reproach; and scepticism, looseness of principles, and infidelity itself, are fashionable qualifications. For want of religious courage and resolution, men are ashamed of the gospel of Christ in an age that treats it with indignity. Hence they dissemble their inward conviction; they affect to have their difficulties and objections; and they affect them so long, till they persuade, not only others, but themselves also, that there is something in them. And as all this is trifling, most presumptuous trifling, in a matter of the last importance, these blind people that have eyes, and these deaf that have ears1, have at last by natural consequence, or just judgment, their eyes blinded that they cannot see, and their ears made heavy that they cannot hear m ̧

Lastly: another cause of scepticism is, a neglect of religious exercises; such as retirement and recollection, devout meditation, application to God in prayer, and all intercourse and acquaintance with him. In the seasons of solitude and pious reflection the passions are composed and silent; the pride of understanding is humbled, the desire of applause

k

1 Tim. vi. 3, 4, 5·

1 Isaiah xliii. 8.

m See Isaiah vi. 10.

and admiration has nothing to support it, the occasions of strife and contradiction are withdrawn, and the contention for victory ceases. The mind prostrates itself in devotion before Him that made it; and, imploring his favour and assistance, is open to the influences of the divine Spirit, and resigns itself up to his guidance and direction. It insists no longer upon its own terms of believing; but remembers, that though there is no merit in a faith without or against reason, yet there is a blessedness belongs to that temper and disposition which is willing to take up with any evidence that is really sufficient, though it be not the greatest that can be imagined: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed". These are the exercises which increase our faith; and it may be left to the consciences of those who are weak and wavering in it, whether their scepticism is not in part owing to their total neglect of them.

To conclude. As we would not have our inquiries into other parts of learning terminate in ignorance and uncertainty, so much less should we be content that this should be the issue of our researches into the truths of the gospel. If other truth is perfective of the understanding, religious truths are so too. But this perhaps is the least part of their commendation; they are worthy of all acceptation upon higher accounts, as the belief of them is amongst the terms of the Christian covenant, and closely connected with Christian practice. And though some of them are of greater importance than others, (as in practical points there are the weightier matters of the law, and therefore matters less weighty,) yet o Matt. xxiii. 23.

n John xx. 29.

are none of them to be despised as useless, or neglected as indifferent. Such a conduct would betray us into fatal mistakes, and lead us into extremes of infinite danger; and therefore, without pretending to model our faith by fancy or humour, let us endeavour, as to fulfil all righteousness, so to have all faith, which we have the means and abilities of acquiring. To this end, it highly imports us to discover and remove the obstacles that stand in our way, and prevent our coming to the knowledge of the truth. If they are no better than what have been suggested, however they may occasion, they can never justify our unbelief. If they are the same, one considerable step is gained, as we have found out the cause of our distemper; and it lies upon ourselves to perfect and complete the cure.

SERMON XII.

2 KINGS V. 11.

But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

YES, he thought so! And because the prophet's behaviour did not answer to what he had previously figured in his own imagination, he turned, and went away in a rage. Naaman was captain of the host of the king of Syria, and a great man with his master; and therefore expected, no doubt, to be received and treated by Elisha with some appearance of pomp and solemnity; such as he imagined suitable to the dignity both of the prophet's character and his own. To be sure, He will come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and, with a good deal of ceremony and show, will recover the leper. But Elisha, without coming out, sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. He had framed in his own fancy a method of recovery, possibly more arduous, but certainly more ostentatious; and the simplicity of this hurt his pride, and provoked his passion; he was wroth, and went away. Deaf however as pride and passion too generally are to the voice of reason, he condescended to hear it even from the mouth of his

servants, when they ventured to represent and reason the case fairly with him. My father, said they, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash and be clean? Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

We have here the example of a man who was in great danger of defeating his own design, and returning home as great a leper as he came from thence, through his own prejudices or premature imaginations. No injury was done to him, no affront intended; but because things were not ordered as he imagined, and beforehand supposed they would be, he fell into a passion; and in the first transports of it determined to depart without complying with the prophet's direction.

Something like this has been the case of many persons besides Naaman the Syrian. It was in a great measure the case of the Jews in general with regard to their Messiah. No people upon earth ever expected any event with so much eagerness and impatience as they did his coming. And yet, when he did come, you all know how he was received and treated, because he did not appear agreeably to their expectations. The ancient prophecies which went before of him, had spoke of a Sceptre and a kingdom, of which there should be no end;-had foretold, that God should give unto him the throne of his father David', and that he should reign in

a Numb. xxiv. 17.

b Isaiah ix. 7.