year; but for this reason, that there is great gain, but no godliness at all in this doctrine? Why in their public eucharists must the priest only receive in both kinds, and the people be put off with a piece of a sacrament, against the plainest texts of Scripture, and the practice of the catholic church, for at least a thousand years after Christ, (as some of the Romanists themselves have confessed,) but that this tends to the advancement of the honour and estimation of the priest, as being alone qualified to offer up an entire sacrifice of Christ's body and blood? The sacrilegious practice indeed came in first upon the pretence of the doctrine of transubstantiation; but interest afterwards confirmed the practice. Nay their very monstrous doctrine of transubstantiation, though it seems to be fallen on by chance, in a most ignorant age, evidently serves the same design.

Again, to what purpose is there feigned a treasury of the merits of saints in the church of Rome, and that under the pope's lock and key, but to fill his treasury with money? And who hath not heard of their indulgences of pardon to the greatest sins and sinners openly set to sale, and made a trade of? I might pursue the argument farther, if time would permit; but this is sufficient to shew, by the way, that gain, not godliness, is the design of the Roman church, yea, that their gain is their godliness, as St. Paul said of some in his time, 1 Tim. vi. 5. And therefore that we are concerned to take heed to what follows in the same place, from such withdraw. Indeed Christianity, the best of religions, is, as they have taught it, truly become what one of

their popes is said to have called it, only a gainful fable. But I return thither, from whence I have somewhat digressed.

The church of Rome, I say, falsely glories in her being zealous for good works; seeing, as it appears, she evidently and many ways destroys the necessity of them. And yet very many among us are so foolish as to believe the pretence; yea, and to make the preaching up of good works a character of a papist. He is a papist, say they, for he presseth good works; and hence they themselves sit down in an openly vicious, or a careless conversation, in a life either fruitful of wicked works, or barren of good ones; pleasing themselves with I know not what faith, and esteeming themselves the truest protestants in so doing. But what an honour do they hereby do the papists! What a slur do they cast on the reformed churches! To undeceive these men in this grand mistake, let me inform them of this one thing; that the papists are indeed mighty zealous for external works, and works of their own devising, but the most regardless men in the world of those substantial and truly good works, which God hath commanded. They vehemently urge people to their beads, and the repeating of Ave Marys and Pater Nosters, to external abstinences and penances, (if they find them apt to receive their discipline,) to pilgrimages and offerings at the shrines of saints, to the endowment of monasteries and religious houses, as they call them, to a multitude of superstitious fopperies and ceremonies, that require so much time and care for their performance, as to eat out the very heart and life of true piety. And those that will do this drudgery of theirs, (and what

will not men do to be freed from the hard task of inward piety?) they can easily excuse from the truly good and essential works of religion, yea and persuade them to a presumption of meriting heaven, though in the mean while they are apparently men of unmortified affections and vicious lives; especially if they are zealous for the catholic cause, and against those whom they are pleased to call heretics. Nay if they have this zeal, they will forgive them all the rest. This zeal shall be a fiery chariot, to convey even the murderers of their princes, with Elias, to heaven; and make them canonized for saints, and give them a name in the Roman calendar, as red as the blood they have spilt. It is true, some good men there are in the papacy, and as well as they can, declaring against this wretched corruption of Christianity among them. But the common, current, ruling, and prevailing religion of the church of Rome is certainly such as I have described.

But now the true reformed religion (I am sure that of the church of England) teacheth men the necessity of works truly good, of true contrition for their sins, of mortifying their sinful and carnal affections, of all the substantial works of piety, justice, and charity. It teacheth men not to expect heaven and salvation without these; but yet not to think of meriting heaven by them. It plainly teacheth, that for a man to be a protestant against popery, will not serve his turn, unless he equally protest against the sin and wickedness of the world: that to be a member, by profession, of a reformed church, will not save his soul, unless himself be truly reformed in his life and conversation. And if men after all this live vicious lives, as too too many among us do, they have

not the least countenance from the doctrine of the church wherein they live, but are continually under her severe reprehensions and reproofs, and are not suffered to live quietly in their sins; so that if they perish, it is purely their own fault and folly.

To conclude this matter, it is a very difficult task for men to persuade themselves to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, though they are rightly principled, and convinced of the necessity of so doing. What a case then are they in, whose very principles lead them to a vicious life; whose very minds, understandings, and notions of things, are corrupted; who are not yet convinced of the necessity of a holy life! If the light within thee be darkness, saith our blessed Lord, how great is that darkness! Matt. vi. 23. It is impossible for men of such ill principles to live well, unless either their understandings be so weak, as not to discern their consequences, (and then their weakness is their happiness,) or else a very strong inclination to virtue, and a mighty grace in them, conquer and overcome the venom and poison of them.

Wherefore, my dear brethren, let no man deceive you with vain words, but hearken to the word of God, which tells you, that you must not expect to reap in mercy, unless you sow to yourselves in righteousness. Let never either Jesuit or fanatic persuade you to the contrary. Fix and settle in your minds such plain texts of Scripture as these: Except ye repent, ye shall all perish. Luke xiii. 3. Follow peace and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Heb. xii. 14. God will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who

by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, &c. but glory, honour, and peace, to every one that worketh good. For there is no respect of persons with God. Rom. ii. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Fix, I say, and settle these and-such like places of holy Scripture in your minds and memories, and let no sophistry of men or devils ever baffle or dissuade you from so plain a truth. Nay, let not your own hearts deceive you, as they will be apt to do, either by causing you to divert your thoughts from these express declarations of God's will, or to seek out shifts and evasions to elude them. But often call to mind, meditate, and think on these Scriptures. Let them continually haunt your souls, (if I may so speak,) and never suffer you to be at rest, till you have resolved upon a holy life, and engaged yourselves in it. And then happy, thrice happy shall you be; and after you have sown to yourselves in righteousness, a glorious harvest shall you reap from the mercy of God. And this leads me to the second observation from my text, which I shall briefly despatch, and so conclude.

Observ. 2. When we have sown in righteousness, that is, done righteous works, we must not plead any merit of our own in having so done; but must look for the reward of our righteousness only from the free grace and mercy of God.

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy. The reward of the righteous man is every where in Scripture pronounced to be a reward of