or because they can point out imperfections, follies and sins in the characters of the best Christians, from thence hastily conclude, that this account of religion is mere ideal or imaginary. For, besides the professions of the worthiest men, and the testimony of the sacred Scriptures, there is the highest reason to suppose, from the account itself, that what is in its own nature so desirable may possibly have an existence. How much then, 2. Is it to be lamented that so little of real religion is to be found in our world! No subject perhaps hath more generally employed the attention of mankind, and yet none hath been more shamefully mistaken, perverted and abused. Some have so curiously refined upon it, and others have talked so much and so loudly about the circumstances of it, that the thing itself hath been overlooked, forgot, and very nigh lost. Can the good man forbear weeping, whilst he beholds this? O sad sight indeed!—the greatest part of the world by far, amidst their ready acknowledgments of the truth of religion, bidding open defiance to it and the rest, most of them, by their very talk about it, hardened into a state of absolute insensibility to it! The plainest thing made a problem by dispute! and a matter the most substantial and important evaporating into mere air and smoke! Lament it, sincerely and heartily lament it, Christian; and with your tears mingle your fervent prayers to God, again to revive the dying interests of his kingdom in the world, and to spread the honours and triumphs of it far and wide. To close the whole,

3. Of what importance is it, that we each of us seriously examine ourselves, upon this question, whether God hath erected his kingdom in our hearts, and in what it consists, whether in word, or in power! Are we the bold opposers of religion? the nominal professors of it only? or the real partakers of the true spirit and temper of it? Unhappy man who ranks under either of the former characters! Remaining in this sad state to the last, he must endure the weight of his iron rod, whose mild and gracious sceptre he hath rejected and despised. But happy, thrice happy he, who, amidst all the remains of weakness and sin which attend him, can from his own experience attest the reality of religion, and to whom others will bear this honourable testimony, that God is in him of a truth.

DISCOURSE II.

THE

THE REALITY OF RELIGION.

2 TIM. III. 5.-Denying the power.

HE nature of serious religion having been considered in the former discourse, let us now enter into a full and particular proof of its reality. At first view indeed, it may seem unnecessary to prove a point, which carries its own evidence with it, and to the truth of which there is in the consciences of most men, I think I may say all, a very strong presumptive testimony. But since it is to be feared there are some, who would fain persuade themselves to question the reality of religion, and since it is notorious that the generality of mankind think very lightly about it; it cannot but be of considerable use to set the argument, plain as it is, in every light it will admit of, thereby to awaken our attention to the thing itself, as well as to remove every shadow of objection which may be urged against it.

It might then be very naturally expected, that our reasoning on this subject should be deduced from some short proposition, which is directly and fully to our purpose: but as Scripture for the most part takes it for granted, that there is such a thing as religion, so it is chiefly employed rather in a diffusive description of the nature of it, than in a concise and express affirmation of its reality. We are therefore obliged to ground our present enquiry on the passage just read, which, though it does not directly assert what we would prove, yet immediately leads us into the unhappy occasions of that scepticism and dissipation of mind, which too generally prevail; and so opens our way to the positive evidence we have of the truth of religion itself.

The apostle had been speaking in the beginning of this chapter, of the last days. A phrase which some interpret of the age immediately succeeding that of the first establishment of Christianity; and which others refer to a more distant period

of the church. But be that as it may, he tells us that in these days there would be perilous times. Times in which persecution on the one hand, and a general dissoluteness of manners on the other, would prevail to such a degree, as very greatly to try the faith and constancy of all the real professors of religion. From whence he goes on to give us the character of these last days. Men shall be lovers of their ownselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, and lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. To all which he subjoins the sad and striking description in our text: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. One would indeed have thought, that when men were arrived to such a pitch of wickedness as had been just represented, there could hardly have been any circumstance added, still farther to blacken their character. But there was yet one, hypocrisy, that put the finishing stroke to the whole. Amidst these bold impieties, so contrary to the dictates of reason, as well as of divine revelation, they dare to call themselves men of God and religion; and under the mask of external observances, they securely indulge the most diabolical passions, and with little or no remorse perpetrate the most horrid and shameful 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 assume.

The language of the text is so expressive, and the uses to which we shall apply it so important, that it will be necessary to enquire 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,

First, As to Godliness. The term properly signifies right or acceptable worship a: so that in the primary sense of it, it is to be restrained to acts of devotion, such as prayer 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 stands distinguished from the duties of temperance and justice in that passΟ Ευσεβεία,

age where the apostle exhorts us to live soberly, righteously and godly in the present world a. Wherefore godliness compreheuds in it all the regards, which as creatures we owe to him who hath made us. And since by sin we are reduced to an apostate and depraved state, and God hath thought fit to give us an extraordinary revelation of his will; it follows, that there must of necessity be a change in some of the material expressions of our obedience, and in the manner it is to be performed. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and Repentance towards God, are indispensably necessary to form the character of the godly. The man therefore who answers to this description, in the sense of the sacred Scriptures, is he who, being restored to the knowledge and favour of God, converses with him in his duties, imitates him in his practice, and hopes for ever to enjoy him in heaven; who, sensible that he hath forfeited the divine favour, considers his restoration to it as the fruit alone of the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ; and, on this principle, humbly fears to offend him, and cheerfully aims to please him. Such is godliness or internal religion, the nature of which hath in the former discourse been fully considered, 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 godliness 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 sound words b. And this many have in their hands, who it is to be feared are perfect strangers to the thing itself. Nay, too many there are, who, while they profess a regard to the letter of the Bible, take no small pains to explain away the spirit of it. But the phrase is rather to be understood of the external observances of religion, such as the assembling together for the worship of God, and for the celebration of the two solemn institutions of the Christian dispensation, baptism and the Lord's supper. These are the forms of godliness, the outward, natural, and just expressions of it. Now to these are opposed the power of it, that is, the inward sense, feeling and experience of it; that principle, spirit or temper, which animates a truly Christian man, just as the soul does the body. Such distinction the apostle frequent

a Tit. ii. 12.

b 2 Tim. i. 13.

ly makes as when he says to the Thessalonians, Our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power a: and to Timothy, Bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things b. Not that the form of religion and the power of it are at variance: no, the one, as was just observed, is the natural expression of the other. And so far is the word of God from treating the externals of religion with indifference, that it exhorts us with great earnestness to pay a serious attention to them, as the proper means, with a divine blessing, of begetting, maintaining, and promoting the true spirit of godliness. And most 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 easily collect,

Thirdly, The true character of those who are said in our text to have the form of godliness, but at the same time to deny the power of it. They are either such who rest in the one, without any regard to the other; or such who assume the one, with an hypocritical view of being accounted the real possessors of the other. As to the first of these, few words are necessary 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 observances will make them acceptable to God; while they pay no sort of attention to the prevailing temper of their hearts, and can perhaps allow themselves in some practices, which are absolutely immoral and criminal. Such there have been, and such 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 just sense of the importance of it, if they do not even in speculation deny it. And then, as to those who hypocritically assume the form of religion, in order to gain the applause of men: however they may talk much of their regards to the power of godliness, it is as evident they can have no firm faith of its truth impressed on their hearts. Nay, their behaviour being in many instances wholly inconsistent

a 1 Thess. i. 5.

b 1 Tim. iv. 8.