for ends and purposes, he betrays his innocency and commits iniquity.

3. For a man to denominate himself from religion, to pretend the honour of God and his worship, and to serve his own ends; for a man to make use of his religion, or the repute and credit of it, for any other purpose than to fanctify and fave his foul; is to play the hypocrite. And, This is the next thing we are to take heed of (viz.) hypocrify. It is the greateft fign of hypocrify, to use fuch liberty. A man may be mistaken, but he either does or may certainly know what himself means. A man may be short in his religion, but an hypocrite he is not, except he defign ill, and practise upon religion.

4. Let us take heed of backfliding or alteration in judgment when judgment has been well-informed, that we may enlarge our liberty for base ends: let us alfo beware of mean compliances, that we may be the better fit for the guife of this mad world: common practice is the worst kind of teacher. It is good therefore, before we entertain any thing on account of religion or confcience, to take great care, at times. to use much reading, meditation, prayer, conference, that we may have right judgment of truth, that we may know certainly that what we receive on account of religion is an unquestionable truth of God; otherwife it will be harder to fatisfy us, if we be mifperfuaded; for it is easier to introduce light to darkness, and to fcatter darkness, than to difcharge any man. that is conceited of an opinion, or to convince him of an error.

DISCOURSE XC.

God hateth Wickedness.

PSALM V. 4, 5.

Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, &c

I

Have given an account what kind of persons in the fenfe and language of fcripture are to be taken. for wicked. Sinners we all acknowledge ourselves to be; that is, that in fome particulars we fail, are in many things mistaken; that we ftand in need of God's mercy, cannot justify ourselves, nor stand upon our points; but through the grace of God we may thankfully affert, that in fcripture fenfe, if it be no worse with us than fo, we are not ftiled wicked. I have fhewed what those persons are.

Now I fhall fhew that thofe that are wicked workers of iniquity, cannot have to do with God; they ftand at a great diftance from him, and are banifhed from his throne. For as the eye which fees the fun, must be fun-like, i. e. clear as the fun; fo must also the mind that fees God, be God-like, and partake of his holiness. In an impure foul no true notion of God can lodge, no right fenfe of him: we best know God by imitation and resemblance of him; for then we feel him. This is expreffed to the life in that excellent book of wisdom, chap. i. 4, 5. Into a mali

cious foul wifdem fhall not enter, nor dwell in the body that is fubject unto fin. The holy Spirit will remove itfelf from thoughts that are without understanding, and will not abide where unrighteoufness is entertained, for all froward thoughts do feparate the mind from God, ver. 3. Then he adds a reason, ver. 6. For wisdom is a gentle, benign, loving spirit; which agrees with what the apostle fays, Gal. v. 22. The fruit of the spirit is love; unless we use, wife, as the prophet does, (when he challenges, reproves and upbraids) Fer. iv. 22. Wife to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge; foolish people, who have not known God; fottish, who are void of understanding in this fenfe of the prophet, to be wife, is to be cunning in contriving evil, crafty to conceal it; or as the apostle fays, 1 Tim. vi. 20. knowledge, fally fo called; the wifdom of the world, which is folly, madness. But, as Mofes tells his people, Deut. iv. 6. This is your wisdom and understanding in the fight of the nations, which shall hear all these ftatutes, and fay, furely this great nation is a wife and understanding people. So Job xviii. 28. The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding. Prov. ix. 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is underftanding. It is obfervable that in the catalogue of moft horrid, monftrous, and degenerate creatures, of which we read, Rom. i. 30. is placed, without underStanding.

This gives us an account of the Gnoflicks apoftacy from all grounds of reafon; they were without understanding of God; for vice and impurity do corrupt and vitiate the principles of the mind; man by

ufes

ufe, cuftom and practice, works himself into another temper, he does over-ballance natural difpofitions, impreffions and inclinations.

We cannot build upon any report concerning God, which a bad man makes; for if he should speak right of God, he would condemn himself; therefore it is grievous to him to think that of God, which is true, because it is a reproof to himself, he is felf-condemned, he is impatient, unquiet under the account or notion of virtue, he does not defire any fuch explication. Malignity to the mind, is what matter of difeafe is to the body; the one spoils the constitutions of nature, the other abufes the faculties of the foul; lignity spoils the temper of the mind, as matter of disease mars the conftitution of the body; a fick mind is otherwife affected, has another tafte, relish, and inclination, than a man that is in perfect health.

ma

Purity and holinefs is the quality of the divine nature; the filthinefs of iniquity and fin, is the degenerate state of his creatures, at which God takes difpleasure, upon which he does withdraw and leave them. No fuch thing is planted in the nature of man, but this is the creature's own contracted indifpofition by abufe of himself; therefore it is an offence and abomination to God. Goodneís, which is God's perfection; and wickednefs, which is man's acquifition, can no more confift together, than light and darkness, health and ficknefs, foundnefs and rottennefs; therefore it is, that God withdraws from men of wicked and profane fpirits, and that alfo the wicked take no pleasure in addrefs and approach to God; goodness expreffes the ftate and perfection of the di

vine nature, and wickednefs is the acquired temper of the degenerate creature.

Further, This adds to the wretchedness of a degenerate ftate, that perfons of naughty minds have no true thoughts either of God or man; they think of all abroad without themselves, according as they find at home within themselves; Pfal. 1. 21. Thou thoughteft that I was altogether fuch a one as thy felf; for men flatter themselves and are apt to justify what they themselves are, what they do, what they delight in. To inftance in three forts of perfons, the insolent, the spiteful, the crafty. 1. The infolent, ufurper, felf-affumer; fuch think the divine excellency to be self-will, because they themselves affect to be arbitrary, unaccountable, to do as they lift, and to have their will for a law; whereas this can be no rule where any other has a demand of right; this is no reason at all, because I will; where the right of the cafe is otherwife, this is no juftification, I would have it fo. 2. The fpiteful or revengeful; they think it God's privilege to be able to do harm, to crush, to opprefs at pleasure, to keep under: for nothing gratifies bad natures more than to be revenged, or to have others at their pleasure: as on the other fide, it pleases good natured perfons to do courtefies, to oblige by kindness, and acts of good will. But there are those that practife and delight in cruelty, and they think this is God's privilege. I never took up a notion in divinity to determine any of those points that are in controversy, from one that is of a naughty difpofition; for because he does allow himfelf what he is, he is apt to think fo of God; and as he him

felf