XII. The twelfth way to hell, in which many souls are carried on smoothly, and securely, to their own destruction, is, the way of mere civility and moral honesty, wherein men rest as in a safe state, never doubting but a civil life will produce an issue into an happy death. Moral honesty \?, a lovely thing, and greatly tends to the peace and order of the world ; but it is not saving grace, nor gives any man a good title to Christ and salvation. Indeed there
* Satan ascend* by the rib, as by a ladder to the heart. Oregon
A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MAN. 217
can be no grace in tliat soul in which civiUty and moral honesty are not found : but these may be found in thousands that have no grace.
That which ruins souls, is not the exercise of moral virtues, but their reliance upon them : they use their morality as a shield to secure their consciences from the convictions of the word, which would shew them their sinful and miserable state by nature. Thus the Pharisee, Luke xviii. 11, 12. " God I thank thee, that I am " not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as " this publican ;" he blesseth himself in the conceits of his own safety and happiness. Let debauched and profane persons look to it, I am well enough ; though, alas ! poor man, his being less evil, at best, could but procure him a cooler hell, or a milder flame. This was the case of the young man, Matth. xix. 28. and like a young man, indeed, he reasons. He sums up all the stock of his civil life, and thinks it strange if that be not enough to make a purchase of eternal life. What lack I yet? Alas ! poor soul, every thing necessary to salvation : the very first stone was not laid, when he thought the building was finished : And this is the case of mul- titudes, both young and old ; and that which greatly confirms, and settles them in this their dangerous security, is the general, indis- tinct doctrine of some, who pretend to be guides to the souls of others, the scope of whose ministry aims at no higher mark than to civihze the people, and press moral duties upon them, as if this were all that were necessary to salvation : Nay, it is well if some do not industriously pull down the pale of distinction betwixt morality and regeneration, and tell the world, in plain English, That there is no reason to put a difference betimxt such as arc baptized^ and live morally honesty and those that have saving grace ; and they that do so, are only a Jew, who are highly conceited of themselves, and censorious of' all others, whom they please to vote formal, and moral.
This, indeed, is the way to fix them where they are ; if Christ had not taken another method with Nicodemus, and his ministers had not pressed the necessity of regeneration, and the insufficiency of moral Jionesty to salvation, how thin had the number of true con- verts been, though, at most they are but a handful in comparison of the unregenerate !
O that God would bless what follows, to undeceive and save some poor soul out of this dangerous snare of the devil !
The twelfth way to damnation barred, by three considerations.
1. Blind not yourselves with the lustre of your own moral vir- tues, a life smoothly drawn with civility througii the world : for though it must be acknowledged there is a loveliness, and attract- ing sweetness in morality and civility, yet these things ratiier res-
SIS A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MA^J".
pect earth than heaven, and are designed for the conservation of the order and peace of this world, not for your salvation and title to the world to come. Without justice and truth, kingdoms and commonwealths would become mountains of prey, and dens of robbery. Where there is no trust there can be no traffic ; and where there is no truth, there can be no trust. Civility is the very basis of hu- man society ; a world of good accrues to men by it, and abundance of miscliief is prevented by it ; but it never gave any man an inte- rest in Christ, or a title to salvation. The Romans and Lacedemo- nians, who perished in the darkness of Heathenism, excelled in morality ; there is nothing of Christ or regeneration in these things, how much of excellency soever be ascribed to them. Paul, the Pharisee, was a blameless person, touching the law, and yet, at the same time, not only utterly ignorant of Christ, but a bitter enemy to him, and all that were his. Till you can find another way to heaven than by regeneration, repentance, and faith, never lean upon such a deceitful and rotten prop, as mere civility is.
2. Civilized nature is unsanctified nature still ; and without sancti- Jicatwn there is no salvation, Heb. xii. 1 4. Civility adorneth nature,
but doth not change it. Moral virtues are so many sweet flowers strewed over a dead corpse, which hide the loathsomeness of it, but inspire not life into it. " * Morality hides and covers, but never " mortifies, nor cures the corruptions of nature ;" and mortified they must be, or you cannot be saved : take the best nature in the world, and let it be adorned with all the ornaments of morality (which they call homiletical virtues) and add to these all the com- mon gifts of the Spirit, which are for assistance and ministry; yet all this cannot secure that soul from hell, or be the ground- work for a just claim to any promise of salvation : all this is but nature improved, not regenerated. Morality is neither produced as saving grace is, nor works such effects as grace worketh ; there are no pangs of repentance introducing it, it may cost many an aking head, but no aking heart for sin ; no such distressed outcries as that. Acts ii. 37. " Men and brethren, what shall we do ?" Nor doth it produce such humility, self-abasement, heavenly tempers, and tendencies of soul, as grace doth. Cheat not yourselves, there- fore, in so important a concern as salvation is, with an empty sha- dow.
3. Civility is not only found in multitudes that are out of Christ, but may be the cause and reason why they are christless : mistake not, I am not pleading the cause of profaneness, nor disputing ci- vility out of the world ; I heartily wish there were more of it to be found in every place ; it would exceedingly promote the peace,
♦ Abscondit. non abscindit vitia, Lactans.
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