were in the world before. This doctrine of the Chriftian religion is a perfect, and therefore a final discovery of the will of God to man; because it can receive no amendment, therefore it fhall never have any change or alteration,

I will conclude this particular with that inference which the Apoftle to the Hebrews makes, from the confideration of the perfection and unchangeableness of the gospel difpenfation, which he calls a kingdom which cannot be shaken, Heb. xii. 28, 29. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may ferve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a confuming fire. The better and more perfect, and more unchangeable our religion is, the better we fhould be; the more ftedfaftly fhould we perfift in the fincere profeffion and practice of it: and if we do not, the heavier will be our condemnation; For our God is a confuming fire. I proceed to the

Fourth Particular obfervable in the text, viz. The great unreasonablenefs of rejecting this doctrine of the gofpel. It is to make the abfurdeft judgment and choice that is poffible; to prefer darkness before light. Men loved darkness rather than light; that is, they chose rather to continue in their former ignorance, than to entertain the most clear and perfect difcovery of God's will to mankind. And what can be more abfurd and unreafonable, when the difference is fo palpable, and the choice fo plain? That man is blind that cannot diftinguish light from darkness; and he is very perverfe and obftinate, who feeing the difference between them, will choose darkness rather than light. Such was the unreasonableness of those who rejected the gofpel when it was revealed to the world: fince nothing is more clear to an impartial and confiderate man, than that the Chriftian religi gion is the best and most perfect institution, of the greatest and most univerfal concernment to mankind, that ever was revealed to men; and our bleffed Saviour, who was the author and founder of this religion, gave greater evidence that he came from God, than any other Prophet or Teacher that ever was; and the worship

worship of God which this religion prefcribes, is moft agreeable to his nature, being a fpiritual and a reasonable service, fit for men to give and for God to accept. In a word, the precepts of the gospel are more excellent in themselves, and better calculated for the happiness and perfection of human nature; and the motives and arguments to perfuade men to the obedience of thefe precepts, more powerful than thofe of any other religion that ever yet appeared in the world.

So that the difference between the Chriftian religi on, and all others that have been received and profeft in the world, is fo plain and apparent, that nothing but paffion, or prejudice, or intereft, or fome other faulty principle, can hinder any man from yielding his affent to Chriftianity. The comparison is almoft equal to that betwixt light and darkness; and therefore our Saviour had great reason to speak fo feverely of the infidelity of the Jews, who rejected fuch a doctrine, propounded to them with fo much evidence and advantage. And because the Jews are the great fcripture pattern of perverfe infidelity and oppofition to the truth, it will not be amifs to take our eftimate and meafure of the unreasonableness of this fpirit and temper, from the properties and characters which we find of it in the Jews, most of which do ftill infeparably accompany the fpirit of infidelity wherever it is, that as face anfwers face in water, fo does the infidelity of this prefent age refemble that of the Jews in our Saviour's time, in all thofe perverfe and unreafonable qualities which did then attend it; and therefore I fhall take notice of fome of the chief of them, as I find them difperfed. up and down in the hiftory of the New Teftament.

But this, and what remains to be faid upon this argument, I muft referve for another difcourfe.

SER.

108

SERMON CCXLV.

The excellency and univerfality of the Chriftian revelation, with the fin and danger of rejecting it.

JOHN iii. 19.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

The third fermon on this text.

THEN I began to difcourfe on these words,

W I obferved in them feveral particulars.

As,

First, The defcription which is here given of our Saviour and his doctrine, by the metaphor of light. Light is come.

Secondly, The universal influence of this light, Light is come into the world.

Thirdly, The excellency and advantages of the doctrine of the gofpel, above any other doctrine or inftitution, even that of the Jewish religion, which was likewife immediately from God. They are all but darkness, in comparison with this, Light is come into the world; and men loved darkness.

Thefe three I have difpatched, and have entered upon the fourth particular obfervable in my text,

VIZ.

The great unreasonableness of rejecting this dorine of the gofpel. It is to make the abfurdeft judgment and choice that is poffible, to prefer darkness before, light. Men loved darkness rather than light. The difference between the Chriftian religion and all others is fo very plain, that our Saviour had

great

reafon

reason to speak thus feverely of the infidelity of the Jews. And because the Jews are the great fcripture pattern of perverfe infidelity, I propofed the taking an estimate of the unreasonablenefs of this fpirit and temper, from the characters which we find of it in that people, moft of which do ftill infeparably attend the fpirit of infidelity, wherever it is. I fhall therefore take notice of fome of the chief of thofe characters, as I find them difperfed up and down in the hiftory of the New Teftament, and they are these which follow:

I. Monftrous partiality, in denying and rejecting that revelation, which had not only as great but greater evidence, than other things which they did believe, and were ready enough to entertain. They believed Mofes and the Prophets; and the great confirmation which was given to them, was by the miracles which God wrought by them. Thofe miracles they did not fee themselves; but received them from the teftimony of their forefathers, being brought down to them by a very credible and uncontrouled revelation, which they had no reafon to doubt of the truth of; but they themselves faw the miracles which our Saviour wrought, which were more and greater than the miracles of Mofes and all the Prophets, fo that they were eye-witneffes of that divine power which accompanied our Saviour; and yet they rejected him and his doctrine; nay, fo unequally did they deal with him, that after they had rejected him, notwithstanding all the evidence which he gave that he came from God, they greedily received and ran after falfe prophets, who gave no fuch teftimony. So our Saviour foretells concerning them, John v. 43. and fo afterwards it came to pafs, I am come, faith he, in my Father's name, that is, have given fufficient evidence that he fent me, and ye received me not; if another shall come in his own name, him will ye receive. In his own name; that is, without any miracles to prove that he comes from: God.

And to fhew their horrible partiality yet more, after they had refused the cleareft teftimony that God VOL. X.

K

could

could give of him, they were contented to accept of the difagreeing teftimony of two witnesses against him, and upon that uncertain evidence to put him to death.

And this hath been the temper of those that oppofe the truth in all ages, and in all kind of matters. Thus the church of Rome will needs underftand those words of our Saviour, This is my body, in the fenfe of transubstantiation, contrary to the plain intention of them, and in contradiction to the reafon and fenfes of all mankind ; and yet they will not understand the plain inftitution of the facrament in both kinds. And thus the Atheists, who will not believe that there is a God, which made the world, can yet swallow things ten times harder to be believed

as that either the world was eternal of itself, or the matter of it; and that the parts of this matter being in perpetual motion, did after infinite trials and attempts at laft happen to fettle in this order in which we now are; that is, that this admirable frame of the world, which hath all the characters upon it of deep wisdom and contrivance, was made merely by chance, and without direction and defign of any intelligent author; fo partial is infidelity, as to affent to the most abfurd things, rather than believe the revelations of God, or to own thofe principles, which are naturally imprinted upon the minds of men, and have the general confent of mankind.

II. Another ufual concomitant of infidelity is unreafonable and groundless prejudice. The Jews were ftrangely prejudiced againft our Saviour, and that upon the weakest and flightest ground, as that his original was known among them. John vii. 27. Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Chrift cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. Surely they were very ready to take exceptions against him, that would urge this for an objection; for what if his original were known, might he not be from God for all that Mofes was a great Prophet, and yet it was very well known from whence he was; and it was no where faid in the Old Testament that his original should be unknown; nay, on the contrary,