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of religion, when we confider how ftrangely they S ER M. allow themselves in malice and envy, in paffion and ranger, and uncharitable cenfures, and evil speaking, in fierce contentions and animofities; who would believe that the great inftrument of these mens religion, I mean the holy bible, by which they profefs to regulate and govern their lives, were full of plain and strict precepts of love and kindness, of charity and peace, and did a hundred times with all imaginable severity, and under pain of forfeiting the kingdom of GOD, forbid malice and envy, and revenge, and evil speaking, and rash and uncharitable cenfures, and tell us fo plainly that the chriftian religion obligeth men " to put off all thefe;" and that "if any man seem to be religious and bridleth "not his tongue, that man's religion is vain ?" Do men read and hear these things every day, and profefs to believe them to be the truths of God, and yet live as if they were verily perfuaded they were falfe? what can we conclude from hence, but either that this is not chriftianity, or the greatest part of us are no christians?

So that if one of the apostles or primitive chriftians should rife from the dead, and converse among us, how would he wonder to fee the face and complexion of chriftianity alter'd from what it was in their days; and were it not for the name and title which we bear, would fooner guefs us to be any thing than chriftians?

So that upon the whole matter, there is no way to quit our felves of this objection, and to wash away the reproach of it, but to mend and reform our lives. 'Till this be done, it is unavoidable, but the vicious manners of men will affect our religion with

obloquy

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SER M. obloquy and reproach, and derive an ill conceit and opinion of it into the minds of men. And I cannot see how christianity can ever gain much ground in the world, 'till it be better adorned and recommended by the profeffors of it. Nay we have just cause to fear, that if GoD do not raise up fome great and eminent inftruments to awaken the world out of this ftupid lethargy, that chriftianity will every day decline, and the world will in a fhort space be overrun with atheism and infidelity. For vice, and fuperftition, and enthusiasm, which are the reigning diseases of chriftendom, when they have run their course, and finish'd their circle, do all naturally end, and meet in atheism. And then it will be time for the great judge of the world to appear, and effectually to convince men of that, which they would not be perfuaded to believe by any other means. And of this our SAVIOUR hath given us a terrible and fearful intimation in that queftion of his; "when the son of man comes, fhall he find faith upon earth?" Our SAVIOUR hath not positively affirmed it, and God grant that we may not make it, and find it true.

And thus I have, by GoD's affiftance, given the best fatisfaction I could, to the most material exceptions I have met with against our bleffed SAVIOUR and his religion. The

IId thing remains briefly to be fpoken to, viz. how happy a thing it is to escape the common prejudices which men are apt to entertain against religion,

bleffed is he whofoever fhall not be offended in "me." And this will appear if we confider these three or four things.

Firft, that prejudice does many times fway and

CXIX.

bias men against the plaineft and cleareft truths. We'SER M. fee in daily experience, what a falfe bias prejudice puts upon mens understandings. Men that are educated in the groffeft errors and fuperftitions, how hard it is to convince them that they are in a wrong way! and with what difficulty are they perfuaded of their mistake! nay they have hardly the patience to be told they are in an error, much lefs to consider what may be offer❜d against it. How do the paffions and lufts of men blind them and lead them afide from the truth, and incline them to that fide of the question which is moft favourable to their lufts and interests? how partially do men lean to that part which makes most for their advantage, though all the reason in the world lie on the other fide?

Now ignorance and mistake are a great flavery of the understanding, if there were no worfe confequences of our errors: and therefore our SAVIOUR fays excellently, that the truth makes men free; ye fhall know the truth, and the truth fhall make 66 you free.'

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Secondly, prejudice does not only bias men against the plainest truths, but in matters of greatest concernment, in things that concern the honour of Gop, and the good of others, and our own welfare and happiness. Prejudices against religion occafion mistakes of the highest nature, and may lead men to fuperftition and idolatry, and to all manner of impiety, nay many times to atheism and infidelity. The prejudices against the doctrine of our SAVIOUR are of another concernment than the prejudices which men have against the writers of natural philofophy or eloquence, or any other human art or fcience. If a man's prejudice make him err in these

matters,

SER M. matters, the thing is of no great moment: but the CXIX. business of religion is a matter of the greatest and weightieft concernment to mankind.

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Thirdly, the confequences of mens prejudices in these things prove many times fatal and deftructive to them. Men may upon unreasonable prejudices reject the counsel of God against themselves," as it is faid of the chief priests and pharifees among the Jews. Men may oppose the truth fo obftinately and perverfly, as to be "fighters against Gop," and to bring certain ruin and "fwift destruction upon "themselves," both in this world, and the other; as the Jews did, who by oppofing the doctrine of the gospel, and perfecuting our SAVIOUR and his difciples, "fill'd up the measure of their fins, 'till "wrath came upon them to the uttermoft." It is easy to entertain prejudices against religion, and by confidering only the wrong fide of things, to fortify our prejudices to fuch a degree, and entrench our felves fo strongly in our errors, that the plaineft and most convincing truths fhall not be able to have any access to us, or make any impreffion upon us: but all this while we do in truth undermine our own happiness, and are fecretly working our own ruin; and while we think we are oppofing an enemy, we are deftroying our felves; "for who hath harden'd himself against GOD" and his truth," and profpered ?" The principles of religion are a firm and immoveable rock, again't which the more violently we dafh our felves, the more miferably we fhall be fplit and fhatter'd. Our bleffed SAVIOUR and his religion have been to many, and are to this day, "a ftone of ftumbling, "and a rock of offence;" but he himself hath told

us what fhall be the fate of those who are offended at S ER M. CXIX. him; "whofoever fhall fall on this stone, fhall be. "broken; but upon whomfoever it fhall fall, it fhall. "grind him to powder." And therefore well might he fay here in the text, "Bleffed is he whofoever "fhall not be offended in me."

Fourthly, there are but few in comparison, who have the happiness to escape and overcome the com mon prejudices which men are apt to entertain againit religion. Thus to be fure it was when christianity first appeared in the world: and though among us the great prejudice of education be removed; yet there are still many, who upon one account or other are prejudiced against religion, at least fo far, as not to yield to the power of it in their lives, Few men are fo impartial in confidering things, as not to be swayed by the intereft of their lufts and paffions, as to keep the balance of their judgments even, and to fuffer nothing but truth and reafon to weigh with them. We generally pretend to be

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pilgrims and ftrangers in the world," and to be all travelling towards heaven: but few of us have the indifferency of travellers; who are not concern'd to find out the fairest and the easiest way, but to know which is the right way, and to go in it. Thus it fhould be with us; our end fhould always be in our eye, and we should choose our way only with refpect to that; not confidering our inclination fo much as our defign; nor choofing thofe principles for the government of our lives, which are most agreeable to our prefent defires, but thofe which will most certainly bring us to happiness at the laft; and that I am fure the principles of the chriftian religion, firmly believed and practifed by us, will do.

Let