Discourses on Divers Texts of Scripture, Discourses 2 · Sermon 2
MAT. 7. 21.Mat. 7. 21.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven; but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
THere are three sorts of men in the world; some which call not Christ their Lord, as Turks, Jews and Infidels: some which call him Lord, as all Christians, but not all in like manner, for there are two sorts of them; some which call him Lord, and that is all; others which both call him Lord, and doe the will of his Father, the administration whereof is committed to him. The first of those three sorts, those who do not so much as call Christ their Lord, it is plain they cannot be saved; for there is no other name to be saved by, but the name of Christ onelyonly. For the second sort, those who call Christ their Lord, that is, are Christians, and professe to beleeve in Christ, and hope to be saved by him, and yet do no works of obedience unto God; though such as these may think themselves in a good estate, yet our Saviour here expresly excludes them from entring into the Kingdome of heaven: But the third sort, which doe not onelyonly call Christ their Lord, but doe the will of his Father, these are the onelyonly true Christians; for these there is hope, but for none other: Not every one (saith our Saviour) that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, &c.
Our Saviour foresaw there would be among those who beleeved on his Name, such as should think their faith sufficient, and that as for works they might be excused, having him for their Lord and Captain of their salvation, who himself had both undergone the punishment due for their sins, and fulfilled that obedience which they should have done. So that now there remained nothing on their part for to obtain salvation, but to trust and rely upon him, without any endeavour at all to please God by works, as being now become unusefull to salvation. If ever there were a time when Christians thus deceived themselves, that time is now, as both our practice sheweth plainly by a generall neglect of such duties of piety and charity, which amongst our Fore-fathers were frequent; as also our open profession, when being exhorted to these works of piety to God, and of charity towards our brethren, we stick not to alledge, we are not bound unto them, because we look not to be saved by the merit of works, as they, but by faith in Christ alone; as though faith in Christ excluded works, and not rather included them, as being that whereby they became acceptable unto God, which of themselves they are not: or as if works could no way conduce unto the attaining of salvation, but by way of merit and desert, and not by way of the grace and favour of God in Christ, as we shall see in the handling of this Text. We greatly now a days, and that most dangerously, mistake the errour of our forefathers, which was not in that they did good works; I would we did so; but because they knew not rightly the end why they did them, nor where the value of them lay: they thought the end of doing them was, to obtain eternall life, as a reward of Justice due unto them, whereas it is onelyonly of grace and promise in Christ Jesus: They took their works to have such perfectness in them as would endure the touchstone of the Law of God, yea such worth and value as to merit the reward they looked for; whereas all the value and acceptablenesse of our works, issueth from the merit of Christ, and lieth onelyonly in his righteousnesse communicated unto us and them by faith, and no otherwise. But setting aside these errours of the end, and of the value of works, we must know as well as they; That not every one that saith unto Christ, Lord, Lord, &c. but he that doth the will of his Father, &c.
Now for the Explication of the words: To call Christ, Lord, is to beleeve in him, to acknowledge him, to look for salvation by him, or, as the Scripture expresseth it, Luke 6. to come unto him, every one, (saith our Saviour there, explaining this very Text we have in hand) Every one (saith he) that commeth unto me, and heareth my words, and doth them, I will shew you who he is like: where to come unto Christ, is put in stead of that which in the former was, to say unto him Lord. The doing of his Fathers will, is the doing of those works of obedience, which his Father hath commanded in his Law, and now committed to his Son, whom he hath made the head and King of his Church to see executed and performed by those he bringeth to salvation. But how, and in what manner, we shall see by and by.
The Text consists of two parts; The one negative; Not every one that saith unto Christ, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven. The other affirmative; But those who doe the will of his Father shall onelyonly enter thither. But these are so nearly linked together, that they cannot be handled asunder: And the observations which I shall draw thence depend on the whole Text; the first and chiefest whereof is this; That faith in Christ without works of obedience, and amendment of life, is not sufficient for salvation, and consequently not that faith whereby a Christian is justified. For if it were, it would save us: If it be not sufficient to save us, it cannot justifie us: This floweth directly from the Text, and cannot be denied; if ye remember what I said before; that to call Christ, Lord, is to beleeve in him.
For the better understanding of this, you must take notice that there is a threefold faith whereby men beleeve in Christ: There is a false faith: There is a true faith, but not saving: and thirdly, there is a saving faith. A false faith is, to beleeve to attain salvation through Christ any other way then he hath ordained, as namely, to beleeve to attain salvation through him, without works of obedience to be accepted of God in him; which is a faith whereof there is no Gospel. A true faith is, to beleeve salvation is to be attained through obedience to God in Jesus Christ, who by his merits and righteousnesse, makes our selves and our works acceptable to his Father.
A saving and justifying faith is, to beleeve this so as to embrace and lay hold upon Christ for that end. To believe to attain salvation through obedience to God in Christ, so as to apply our selves, and rely upon Christ, for that end, namely, to perform those works of obedience, which God hath promised to reward with eternall life: For a justifying faith stayeth not onelyonly in the brain, but stirs up the will to receive and enjoy the good beleeved, according as it is promised. This motion of election of the will, is that which maketh the difference between a saving faith, which joyneth us unto Christ, and that which is true indeed, but not saving, but dogmaticall and opinionative onelyonly. And this motion, or applying of the will to Christ, this embracing of Christ and the promises of the Gospel through him, is that which the Scripture (when it speaks of this faith) calleth comming unto Christ, or the receiving of him, Joh. 1. 12. As many as received him, to them he gave power (or priviledge) to be the sons of God, even to them that beleeve on his Name: where receiving and beleeving one expound another. So for comming; Come unto me (saith our Saviour) all ye that are heavy laden, and I will ease you. The last is very frequent, Iohn 5. 40. Ye will not come to me (saith our Saviour) that ye might have life. And Chap. 6. 37. All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me. ver. 44. No man can come unto me, unlesse the Father draw him. 45. Every man that hath heard, and learned of the Father commeth unto me; and such like. All which expresse the specification of a saving faith, which consists in the embracing, receiving and applying of the will to the thing beleeved.
What this embracing, receiving, or applying unto Christ is, I will farther make plain thus: He that beleeveth that Christ is an atonement to God for the sins of all repentant sinners, (and surely he is an atonement for none else) must repent and turn from all his sinnes, that so Christ may be an atonement for him, else he embraceth not what he beleeveth.
He that beleeves that God in Christ will accept and reward our obedience and works of piety, though short of perfection, and of no worth in themselves, must apply himself accordingly to doe works of Religion and Charity, that God in Christ may accept and reward them. For our beleef is not that saving beleef, untill we apply our selves to what we beleeve. To beleeve to attain salvation through Christ, without works of obedience to be accepted in him, is, as I have already said, a false faith whereof there is no Gospel, no promise: To beleeve the contrary, that Christ is given of God to such only as shall receive him, to perform acceptable obedience to God through him, and yet not to apply, and buckle our selves thereto, were indeed to beleeve what is true, but yet no saving faith, because we embraced not the thing we beleeved, as we beleeved it.
Thou sayest then thou hast faith, and beleevest that Christ is the atonement to God, for the sins of all such as leave and forsake their sins by repentance; Why then repent thee of thy sins that Christ may be an atonement for thee. Thou sayest thou hast this faith, that God in Jesus Christ will accept thy undeserving works and services unto eternall life; why then embrace thou Christ, and rely upon him for this end, that thou mayest do works of piety towards God, and charity towards men, that so God in Christ may accept thee and them unto eternall life.
Now if this be the faith which is saving, and unites us unto Christ and no other, then it is plain that a saving faith cannot be severed from good works, because no man can embrace Christ as he is promised, but he must apply himself to do them. For out of that which hath been spoken three reasons may be gathered for the necessity of them. First, it is the end of our faith and justification by Christ, yea the end why he shed his blood for us, that we being reconciled to God in him, might bring forth fruits of righteousnesse, which else we could never have done. This is no speculation, but plain Scripture. S. Peter 1 …p. 2. 24. telleth us, that Christ his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin, should live unto righteousnesse. S. Paul, Tit. 2. 11, 12, 13, 14. The grace of God (saith he) that bringeth salvation, hath appeared unto all men; (wherefore?) teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, and righteously, and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Iesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purifie unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These words contain the summe of all I have hitherto told you: That Christ is therefore given us, to be a propitiation for our sins, and to justifie us, that in him we might walk before God in newnesse of life; so to obtain a Crown of righteousnesse in the world to come.
Answerable is that place Ephes. 2. 10. where the Apostle having told us, we are saved by grace through faith, and not of works, lest any man should boast; he addes presently, (lest his meaning might be mistaken, as it is of too many) that we are Gods workmanship created in Iesus Christ unto good works, which God hath before ordained (foreign) that we should walk in them: as if he should say, Those works of obedience, ordained by God aforetime, in his law for us to walk in, which we could not perform of our selves; now God hath as it were new moulded us in Jesus Christ, that we might perform them in him; namely, by way of acceptation, though they come short of that exactnesse the Law requireth. And thus to be saved, is to be saved by grace and favour, and not by the merit of works, because the foundation whereby our selves and our services are approved in the eyes of God, and acquitted of guilt, (which the Scripture calleth to be justified,) is the meer favour of God in Jesus Christ, and not any thing in us. And this way of salvation excludes all boasting; for what have we to boast of, when all the righteousnesse of our works is none of ours, but Christs imputed to us; whereby onelyonly, and not for any merit in themselves, they become acceptable, and have promise of reward. But that men should be saved by Christ, though they be idle and doe nothing, I know no such grace of God revealed in Scripture.
Now that in Christ we may perform works of righteousnesse, which God will accept and crown, is plain by the tenour of Scripture. S. Paul, Philip. 1. 11. desires that the Philippians might be filled with the fruits of righteousnesse, which are by Iesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. And the same Apostle tels the Romanes, Rom. 6. 22. that being made free from sin, and become servants to God, they have their fruit unto holinesse, and the end everlasting life; that is, as the Syriack turns it, Sunt vobis fructus sancti, they have holy fruits, whose end is life eternall.
And if we would seriously consider it, we should finde, that the more we beleeve this righteousnesse of faith in Christ, the more reason we have to perform works of service and obedience unto God, then if we beleeved it not: For if our works would not be acceptable with God, unlesse they were compleat in every point, as the Law required; if there were no reward to be looked for at the hands of God, unlesse we could merit it by the worthinesse of our deeds: who that considers his own weaknesse and insufficiency, would not sooner despair, then go about to please God by works? He would think it better to do nothing at all, then to endevour what he could never hope to attain, and so lose his labour. But we, who beleeve that those who serve God in Christ, have their failings and wants covered with his righteousnesse, and so their works accepted, as if they were in every point as they should be; why should not we of all men fall to work, being sure by Christs means and merit, we shall not lose our labour?
A second motive why we should do good works is, because they are the way and means ordained by God to obtain the reward of eternall life, without which we shall never attain it: Without holinesse no man shall see God, Heb. 12. 14. Look to your selves (saith S. Iohn Ep. 2. ver. 8.) that ye lose not those things ye have wrought for, but that ye may receive a full reward. The Angels message from heaven to devout Cornelius was, Thy prayers and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God: whereupon S. Peter inferred, that in every Nation, he that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse, is accepted with him, Acts 10.
Hence it is that we shall be judged, and receive sentence at the last day, according to our works: Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me: For in as much as ye have done these unto one of the least of my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Lord, how do those look to be saved at that day, who think good works not required to salvation, and accordingly do them not! Can our Saviour passe this blessed sentence on them? think they he can? If he should, they might truly say indeed, Lord, we have done no such matter, nor did we think our selves bound unto it; we relied wholly upon our faith in thy merits, and thought we had been freed from such services. What? doe they think Christ will change the form of his sentence at that great day? No certainly: If the sentence for Blisse will not fit them, and be truly said of them, the other will, and must, for there is no more; Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels: For when I was hungry, ye gave me no meat, &c. This must be their doome unlesse they suppose the righteous Judge will lie for them.
And it is here further to be observed, that the works named in the sentence of Judgement, are works of the second Table, works of mercy and charity; Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick; all Almesdeeds, which men are now a-days so much afraid of; as if they looked toward Popery, and had a tang of meriting: For now a-days these costly works of all others are most suspicious; but will it be so at the day of Judgement? True it is, they merit not the reward which shall be given them: but what then? Are we so proud we will doe no works, unlesse we may merit? Is it not sufficient that God will reward them for Christs sake, though they have no worth in themselves?
The third and last motive to works of righteousnesse is, because they are the only sign and note whereby we know our faith is true and saving, and not counterfeit: For 1 Iohn 1. 8. If we say we have fellowship with Christ, and walk in darknesse, we lie, and doe not the truth. Chap. 2. ver. 3. Hereby we know that we know him (viz. to be our Advocate with his Father, and the propitiation for our sins) if we keep his Commandements. And Chap. 3. 7. Little children, let no man deceive you: He that doeth righteousnesse, is righteous, even as Christ is righteous. The same almost you may finde again, Chap. 2. 29. For if every one that beleeveth in Christ truly and savingly, beleeves that salvation is to be attained by obedience to God in him, and not otherwise, and therefore embraceth and layeth hold upon him for that end; How can such an ones faith be fruitlesse? how can he be without works, who therefore lays hold on Christ that his works and obedience may be accepted as righteous before God, for his sake, and so rewardable? It is as possible for the Sun to be without his light, or the fire to want heat, as such a faith to be without works.
Our Saviour therefore himself makes this a most sure and never failing note to build our assurance of salvation upon, Luke 6. 46. where the mention of the words of my Text gives the occasion, Why call ye me, Lord, (saith he) and doe not the things which I say? 47. Whosoever commeth to me, and heareth my sayings, and doth them, I will shew you to whom he is like. 48. He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock. And when the floud arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded upon arock. 49. But he that heareth and doth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell, and the ruine of that house was great. Whom these three motives or reasons will not perswade to good works, let not my soul ô Lord be joyned with theirs, nor my doome be as theirs must be.
A second observation out of these words, and near a-kin to the former is; That it is not enough for a Christian to live harmlesly, and abstain from ill, but he must do that which is good. For our Saviour excludes not here those onelyonly, who do against the will of his Father, but those who do not his Fathers will: It is doing good which he requireth, and the not doing evill only. This is an error which taketh hold of a great part of men, even of those who would seem to be religious. He is a reformed man, and acquits himself well, who abstains from fornication, adultery, who is no theef, no couzener, or defrauder of other men; who will not lie, or swear, or such like: But as for doing any works of piety or charity, they think they are not required of them.
But they are much deceived: For God requires some duties at our hands, which he may reward not out of any merit, but out of his mercifull promise in Christ. But not doing ill is no service rewardable: A servant who expects wages, must not onelyonly do his Master no harm, but some work that is good and profitable: otherwise the best Christian would be he that should live altogether idlely; For none doth lesse harm, then he that doth nothing at all. But Mat. 25. 30. He that encreased not his Masters Talent, though he had not mis-spent it, is adjudged an unprofitable servant, and cast into utter darknesse, where is weeping, and gnashing of treth. So also Mat. 3. The tree that beareth no good fruit, is hewn down, though it bore none that was evill: The axe is laid to the root of the tree, every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Mat. 21. 19. The sigtree is cursed for having no fruit, not for having evill fruit. And the sentence of condemnation, as you heard before, is to passe at that great day, for not having done good works, not for doing ill ones: Goe ye cursed, for when I was hungry, ye fed me not, &c.
Thus having let you see how necessary it is for a Christian to joyn good works with his faith in Christ; I will now come to shew you, how you must do them, hoping I have already perswaded you that they must needs be done.
First therefore, we must doe them out of faith in Christ, that is, relying upon him onelyonly for the acceptance, and rewarding of them: for in him alone God is well pleased with us and with what wee doe, and therefore without faith and reliance upon him, it is impossible to please God. We must not think there is any worth in our works, for which any such reward as God hath promised, is due; For, alas! our best works are full of imperfections, and far short of what the Law requires. Our reward therefore is not of merit, but of the mercifull promise of God in Christ: which the Apostle means, when he says, We are saved by grace, and not by works: That is, it is the grace and favour of God in Christ, which makes our selves acceptable, and our works rewardable, and not any desert in them or us.
Having laid this foundation; the next thing required is sincerity of heart in doing them: we must doe them out of the fear of God, and conscience of his Commandements, not out of respect of profit, or fear, or praise of men; For such as do so are hypocrites: Not every one, saith our Saviour, that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, but he that doth the will of my Father; Now it is the will of our heavenly Father that we serve him in truth and uprightnesse of heart: I know (saith David, 1 Chr. 29. 17.) that thou my God triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightnesse. And so he said to Abraham, Gen. 17. 1. I am the Almighty God, walk before me, and be thou upright, or be thou sincere. This manner of serving God Ioshuah commended to the Israelites, Iosh. 24. 14. Fear the Lord (saith he) and serve him in sincerity and truth: and the Prophet Samuel, 1 Sam. 12. 24. OnelyOnly fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart. This sincerity, uprightnesse and truth in Gods service is, when we do religious and pious duties, and abstain from the contrary out of conscience to Godward, out of an heart possessed with the love and fear of God. It is otherwise called in Scripture, perfectnesse, or perfectnesse of heart: For it is a lame and unperfect service, where the better half is wanting, as the heart is, in every work of duty both to God and men. And therefore it is called perfectnesse, when both go together, when conscience as the soul, enlives the outward work as a body. And indeed this is all the perfection we can attain unto in this life, to serve God in truth of heart, though otherwise we come short of what we should: and therefore God esteems our actions and works, not according to the greatnesse or exactnesse of the performance, but according to the sincerity and truth of our hearts in doing them: As appears by the places I have already quoted, and by that 1 King. 15. 14. where it is said, that though Asa failed in his reformation, and the high places were not taken down, neverthelesse his heart was perfect with the Lord his God, all his days.
A note to know such a sincerity and truth of heart by, is, If in our privacy, when there is no witnesse but God and our selves, we are carefull then to abstain from sin, as well as in the sight of men. If when no body but God shall see and know it, we are willing to do a good work, as well as if all the world should know it. He that findeth himself thus affected, his heart is true, at least in some measure, but so much the lesse by how much he findeth himself the lesse affected in this manner. When we are in the presence and view of men, we may soon be deceived in our selves, and think we do that out of conscience and fear of God, which indeed is but for the fear or praise of men, either lest we should be damnified, or impair our credit, or the like: but when there is none but God and us, then to be afraid of sin, and carefull of good duties, is a sign we fear God in truth and sincerity, and not in hypocrisy.
The speciall and principall means to attain this sincerity and truth of heart is, to possesse our selves with the apprehension of Gods presence, and to walk before him as in his eye: wheresoever thou art, there is an eye that seeth thee, an eare that hears thee, and a hand that registreth thy most secret thoughts. For the ways of man (saith Solomon Prov. 5. 21.) are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his doings: How much ashamed would we be, that men should know how much our hearts and our words and actions disagreed? How would we blush that men should see us commit this or that sin, or neglect this or that duty? what horrible Atheisme then doth this argue, that the presence of man, yea sometimes of a little child, should hinder us from that wickednesse which Gods presence cannot? This having of God before our eyes, and the continuall meditation of his all-seeing presence, would together with devout prayer for the assistance of Gods grace, be in time the bane of hypocrisie and falshood of heart, and beget in stead thereof that truth and sincerity which God loveth.
Another property of such obedience as God requires, is universality: we must not serve God by halfs, by doing some duties and omitting other, but we must with David, Psal. 119. 6, 20. have respect to all Gods Commandements; to those of the second Table, as well as to those of the first; and to those of the first, as well as those of the second. The want of which universality of obedience to both Tables is so frequent, as the greatest part of Christians are plunged therein, to the undoubted ruine of their souls, and shipwrack of everlasting life, if they so continue.
For there are two sorts of men, which think themselves in a good estate, and are not: The one are those who make conscience of the duties of the first Table, but have little or no care of the duties of the second. And this is a most dangerous evill, by reason it is more hard to be discovered: those which are guilty thereof, being such as seem religious, but their Religion is in vain. Such were those in the Church of Israel against whom the Prophet Esay declaimeth Chap. 1. from the 10. ver. to the 17. To what purpose are your sacrifices and burnt offerings, saith the Lord? your oblations and incense are an abomination. Your new Moons, Sabbaths, calling of Assemblies; even the solemne meeting, I cannot away with; it is iniquity. Would you know what was the matter? see the words following; Learn to do well, seek judgement, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherlesse, plead for the widow. Lo here a want of the duties of the second Table. Such is that also of Hosea Chap. 6. I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; which is twice alledged by our Saviour in the Gospel against the Pharisees hypocriticall scrupulosity in the same duties of the first Table, with a neglect of the second. But here perhaps some may finde a scruple, because that if sacrifice in this or the like places be opposed to the duties of obedience required in the second Table, it should hereby seem, that the duties of the second Table which concern our neighbour, should be preferred before the duties of the first, which concern the Lord himself; forasmuch as it is said, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; that is, rather mercy, which is a duty of the second Table, then sacrifice, which is of the first. I answer, The holy Ghosts meaning is, not to preferre the second Table before the first, taking them simply, but to perform the duties of both together, before the service of the first alone: Be more ready to joyn mercy, or works of mercy with your sacrificing, then to offer sacrifice alone.
To go on: The duties of the first Table are by a speciall name called duties of Religion; those of the second Table come under the name of Honesty and probity: Now as a man can never be truly honest, unlesse he be Religious; so cannot that man (what shew soever he makes) be truly religious in Gods esteem, who is not honest in his conversation toward his neighbour: Religion and Honesty must be married together, or else neither of them will be in truth what it seems to be. We know that all our duty to God and our neighbour is comprehended under the name of love, as in that summe of the Law; Love God above all things, and thy) neighbour as thy self. This is the summe of the whole Law contained in both Tables. But S. Iohn tels us 1 Ep. 4. 20. He that saith, I love God, and hateth his brother, is a lier; which is as much as if he should say; He that seems religious towards God, and is without honesty towards his neighbour, he is a lier, there is no true religion in him.
If you would then know, whether a man professing Religion, by diligent frequenting Gods service, and exercises of devotion, keeping sacred times, and hearing Sermons, be a sound Christian or not, or a seeming one onelyonly; this is a sure and infallible note to discover him, and for him to discover himself by: For, if notwithstanding his care of the duties of the first Table, he makes no conscience to walk honestly towards his neighbour; If he be disobedient to Parents, and lawfull Authority; if he be cruell and uncharitable; if he be unjust in his dealings, fraudulent, an oppressor, a falsifier of Covenants and promises, a backbiter, a sclaunderer, or the like: his Religion is no better then an hypocrites: For such was the Religion of many of the Pharisees, whom therefore our Saviour termeth Hypocrites; Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: They were scrupulous in the duties of the first Table, they paid tithe even of mint and annise, they fasted twice a week, they were exact observers of the Sabbath, and other ceremonies of Religion; but judgement, mercy, and faith in their conversation towards men, our Saviour tels them, they regarded not.
Besides our Saviours woe denounced against such, there are two dangerous effects which accompany this evil disease, which should make us beware thereof: First, those who are addicted to Religion without any conscience of honesty, are easily drawn by the Devil to many intolerable acts under colour and in behalf thereof, as they imagine… We see it in the Papists and Jesuits, whose preposterous zeal to their Religion, makes them think Treasons, Murders, Rebellions, or any other such wicked acts, are lawfull and excusable, so they be done for the good of the Catholique cause, as they call it. And if we search narrowly amongst our selves, we shall light upon some examples of indirect and unlawfull courses, undertaken otherwhile on the behalf of Religion, and all through want of this conscionable care of maintaining honesty towards our neighbour, together with our zeal for Religion toward God. Even as we see an horse in some narrow and dangerous passage, whilest he is wholly taken up with some bugbear on the one side of the way, which he would eschew, and in the mean time mindeth not the other side, where there is the like danger, he suddenly slips into a pit or ditch, with no small danger to himself and rider: So is it here, with such as look onelyonly to the first Table, and minde not the second, whilest they go about as they think to advance the duties of the one, they fall most foully in the other.
The second evill is a most dangerous scandall, which follows profession of Religion without honest conversation towards men: It is a grievous stumbling block and stone of offence, making men out of love with Religion, when they see such evil effects from it, and those who seem to professe it. Those who are not yet come on are skared from comming, resolving they will never be of their Religion, which they see no better fruits of. Those who are entred, are ashamed and discouraged, forsaking the duties of Religion, that they might shun the suspition of hypocrisie and dishonesty. But woe be unto them by whom scandall commeth: Let us all therefore take heed to adorn and approve our profession, by bringing forth fruits, not onelyonly of piety and devotion toward God, but of works of righteousnesse and charity to our neighbour.