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ciples after them, Acts xx. 30. A light and SE RM. inconftant Sort of Men will never be wanting to wheel and turn about with every Wind of Doctrine. The Apostle intimates that fome Men, as it were, lie in wait for Error, nor matter how abfurd and palpable it is, if it has but the Appearance of being new. For the Time (faith he) will come, when they will not endure found Doctrine; but after their own Lufts fhall they heap to themselves Teachers, having itching Ears: And they fhall turn away their Ears from the Truth, and shall be turned unto Fables, 2 Tim. iv. 3, 4. This is a Character which we may obferve generally belongs to all fond Admirers of new-fangled Opinions: And therefore would the Authors of Herefies or the Abettors of Infidelity either now, or at any Time, but enquire into the Quality of their Converts; they would find but little Reason to pride themselves in the Number of them.

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For I have fhewed in the fecond. Place that God fometimes permits Infidels and Hereticks to arife, on purpose to clear and purge bis Church from fuch Members of it as are ufeless and unprofitable. And fhould we examine into those who are at any Time drawn afide by any Heretical or Atheistical Tenets,

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SER M. they would for the moft Part, I doubt, appear to be fuch, as, whilft they professed Christianity, were of no Credit to it, and therefore their leaving it is no Lofs. We may properly apply to them the Words of St. John, They went out from us but they were not of us: For if they had been of us, they would, no doubt, have continued with us: But they went out, that they might be made manifeft, that they were not all of us, 1 John ii. 19. i. e. that they were not all, though Chriftians in Profeffion, Chriftians indeed.

As to ourselves notwithstanding it certainty concerns us to confirm and ftrengthen our Faith in the Articles difputed; that fo we may be able by found Doctrine both to exhort and to convince the Gainfayers, and to put to Silence the Ignorance of foolish Men For I obferved in the third Place, that this was another Advantage defigned by God to his Church from the Permiffion of Herefies. And if fo; it is not to be doubted but that the grofs Infidelity now fpreading among us is a Call to this Duty. For, how it comes to pafs I fay not, but that fo it is, nobody will deny; viz. that the Fundamentals of our Religion were never lefs regarded, nor the Revelations of the Gospel ever less taken

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Notice of, than they have been of late: SER M. What else then could we expect, but that God, if he has ftill any Mercy for us in Store, fhould awaken us to look from whence we are fallen, by fhewing us the Depth we are falling into?

But this rather belongs to a fourth End which, I have faid, Providence has in View in the Permiffion of Herefies, and that is, the punishing his Church for her Careleffness and Neglect, and rouzing her by fuch Punishments from her Lethargy and Sloth. And if this be the Cafe, when, I befeech you, had our Church Reason to fear a feverer Judgment, or when stood it in Need of a louder or harsher Call than now? For many Years past the fame Heresy has fpread, and daily gained ground (I mean the Heresy of Arianism) which was the Fore-runner, we know, of the Ruin and Extirpation of the feveral Churches in the Eaft; and yet the fame Indifference and Unconcernedness has poffeffed our own Church, which then made Way for the Deftruction of the others. And what is the Confequence, we at this Day fee. From our bearing with the Impeachment of the Divinity of our Saviour, the Adverfaries now grow bold and infolent; and having been per

SER M. mitted before to ungod HIM; they now repre

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fent him as an Impoftor and Cheat. How dangerous and dismal therefore does our Cafe appear? We seem to be going beyond Recovery Providence has thought fit to vifit us with a Rod; and we, it is true, have kissed the Rod; but not in order to Reconciliation and the laying it afide, but out of a blind Fondness and Defire to keep it among us.

come.

We seem to think, that becaufe St. Paul fays, There MUST BE HERESIES, that therefore Hereticks are never to be thwarted or oppofed But that is an Inference which the Text was never defigned to fupport. Our Saviour fays, It muft NEEDS BE that Offences come; or it is IMPOSSIBLE but that they wILL But does that oblige us to embrace the Man through whom they come? No, certainly: Wo be unto THAT MAN, our Lord himself fays, Br WHOM the Offence cometh, And therefore though St. Paul afferts in my Text, that there must be Herefies; yet we may undoubtedly rejoin, with our Lord, W be unto thofe who broach and propagate them; Wo in the next World, whatever Encourage, ment they may meet with in this. What the End of them will be, I fhall leave the inspired St. Jude to fay, who also will inftruct us how

we

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we are to regard their Reproaches at prefent, S ER M. and in what Manner we ought to behave ourfelves towards them: Enoch (faith he) the feventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Bebald the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints, to execute Judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly Deeds which they have ungodlily committed, and of all their hard Speeches which ungodly Sinners have spoken against him. But, beloved, But, beloved, remember ye the Words which were spoken before of the Apofiles of our Lord Jefus Chrift: How that they told you, there should be Mockers in the laft Time, who should walk after their own ungodly Lufts. These be they who separate themselves, fenfual, baving not the Spirit, Jude 14-19. But their Sin and their Punishment let us leave to God and their own Souls: And take we heed to ourselves, that we partake neither of one or the other. Let me exhort you earnestly to contend for the Faith once delivered to the Saints, ver. 3. Hold fast (as the Apostle St. Paul advises) the Form of found Words which have heard, in Faith and Love which is in Chrift Fefus. That good thing which was committed unto you, keep by the Holy Ghoft which dwelleth in us, 2 Tim. i. 13, 14. avoiding profane and vain Babblings, and Oppofitions

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