" T VIII. receive him as more than Man: For we must S.ER M. receive him as the Son of God, whịch hẹ affirmed, and by incontestable Miracles prov'd, himself to be. So great is the Difference: between this Prophet, Jefus, and any one that ever appeared before him. As the Author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews speaks, God, who at fundry Times and in divers Manners, pake, in Time paft, unto the Fathers, by the Prophets; bath, in thefe laft Days, spoken unto us by his Son; whom he hath appointed· Heir of all Things, by whom alfo he made the Worlds: Hebr. i, 1, 2. A Character high and august indeed! and fufficient to justify us in receiving him not merely as a Prophet, but as much more than a Prophet: Nor will that comparative Character exprefs his Dignity: For much more than a Prophet his Fore→ runner John the Baptift was pronounced by Jefus himself to be: Luke vii. 26. Who yet confeffed Jefus to be one mightier than be, the Latchet of whofe Shoes he was not worthy to unloofe: Chap. iii. 16. He was but the Meffenger that was fent before his Face a Matt. xi. 10. Whereas Jefus himself is declared to be THE HIGHEST, the LORD him, felf, whofe Prophet John was, and whose Ways be went before him to prepare, Luke i. 76. SERM, The Prophet then being fo great, fo divine; wej most affuredly, are devoutly to liften, not only to his moral Precepts, but alfo to the feveral Revelations he has made, and the positive Institutions he has commanded us to obferve. It is the fashionable Doctrine indeed at present, that Morality is the whole and fole of Religion; fufficient of itself without Sacraments or Faith: And indeed could we fhew ourselves perfect in the one, without the Helps of the other; there then might fome Room be left for Debate. But did you ever know a Man, I mean a Man who profeffed Christianity, that ever lived up to the moral Precepts contained in the Gofpel, and did not observe the pofitive ones alfo? And who did not, after all, place his Confidence and Truft, not in his own imperfect Performances, but wholly in the Merits of his Bleffed Redeemer? The Queftion perhaps may feem invidious to fome; but as the Subject demands it, I will put it plainly: Did you ever find that they who afcribe fo much to Morality, and fo much prefer it to all the other Doctrines of the Bible; are themfelves fuch fhining Examples of Morality, as you would fingle out and chufe to follow I doubt not in the least, but there : VIII. have been Heathens, and many of them, who, SERM. without the Revelation that we enjoy, have led very exemplary, moral Lives. But how came they to do fo? Why they were Men naturally well difpofed; and therefore they were defirous (because they thought it their Duty) to live up to all the Light they enjoyed And had any further Revelation been made to them; there is no Question but they would have obeyed it: But, having no more, they acted according to what they had: And what further could be expected from them? But is this the Cafe of thofe Free-thinkers. and Deifts that live among Chriftians? Far from it. For thefe Men have Divine Revelation laid before them, and yet difclaim and reject it: And instead of thankfully embracing Christianity,, haughtily despise it. It is a fair Teft then, whereby to judge of the Sincerity of fuch Men, which I have here propofed, viz. When you find them (as you frequently will) vehemently infifting upon the Excellency of Morality, and crying it up in Oppofition to Faith; when instead of reprefenting good Works to be the Fruits of Faith, they fhall contend they may be performed, and be fufficient to Salvation, without Faith; when they shall when they fhall compare moral SER M. Duties and pofitive ones together, and, though VIII. they are both of them abfolutely neceffary, fhall vaftly prefer the one to the other when you hear any Man haranguing thus ; judge of his Words by his own Practice: Recollect with yourfelves his own Manner and Conduct of Life: And if he should prove to have nothing of that Strictness of Honour and Honefty he fo highly extols, (as I fear will generally prove the Case ;) in a Word, if you can discover nothing more of his Confcience, (which he boafts is fo calm and quiet within ;) but that it is ever very noify and troublesome without;-you may then be fure, that the great Stir he makes about moral Religion, in Oppofition to what is revealed; is not done with any Design to advance either, but infidiously to undermine and deftroy both. Be ftedfaft therefore yourfelves to adhere to both: Stop your Ears against whatever fuch wicked and impious Scoffers fhall offer to feduce you, and keep them always open and attentive to that divine Prophet recommended in my Text, and that in all Things whatsoever he shall say unto you, To the doing of which, if the perfuafive Motives I have hitherto fet forth, be not fufficient to induce you; let me, for a Conclufion, 1 + VIII. clufion, read to you once more the laft Verfe SER M. of my Text, which remains still to be confidered, and contains a dreadful Denunciation against all thofe that do it not.-It fhall come to pass that every Soul, which will not bear that Prophet, fhall be deftroyed from among the People. How this Prophecy has been ve rified as to the Jews, I have mentioned before: And I could alfo recount to you many remarkable Examples of Apoftate Chriftians, who, of old and of late Days, have whet and sharpened their Tongues and their Pens against Christianity, which yet have turned against themselves, and fet them forth for a Terror to others. But Cenfures upon any Judgments that happen in this World, I had rather for bear. But of Destruction either in this World, or the next the Text certainly speaks. In one World or the other, it will come to pass, that every Soul that will not hear that Prophet (i. e. Jefus and bis Gospel) shall be deftroyed. Certainly in the next World, if not in this; For this is what Jefus himself has declared. He (faith he) that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my Words, bath one that judgeth him The Word that I have spoken, the fame fhall judge him at the last Day, John xii. 48. That Word which they heard and believed not, shall stand |