' If among the rabble, if among the noble, if among the rich, if among the learned, a man could have been found that loved holiness, that was stout for righteousness, and that practised uprightness, God would have spared Jerusalem.
* Linshiboth gnolam — paths of eternity, the paths of piety ; the paths of purity are paths of eternity, &c.
170 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
antiquity. Let Papists and carnal superstitious Protestants cry up their superstitious ways as ways of greatest antiquity, yet when they have said all they can, there is no antiquity to that of holiness. The way of will-worship was not the first way of worshipping God in the world. Many carnal men cry out that they are for the good old way, they care not for this new way, they care not for this new religion, as they call it ; they say that we have never had good days since there hath been so much praying, and so much preaching, and so much fasting, and so much printing, and so much ado about close walking with Grod. 'Tis most certain that a carnal religion is best pleasing to a carnal heart ; and this you may see evidently among the Turks, whose religion gives much carnal liberty to the professors of it ; and whose religion promises them a paradise of sensual pleasures in another world. And the same is very observable among the Papists, and all the carnal Protestants in the world, who cry up that for the best religion, and for the true rehgion, and for the good old religion, that is most suitable to their carnal reason, and most pleasing and indulging to their lusts. Socrates is sufficiently condemned for his prescribing of men to worship Grod according to the manner of the country where they lived ; and what was this but to gratify the lust of men, by subjecting the rule of God's worship to the laws and customs of men ? But from the beginning it was not so. Holy Noah, holy Enoch, and the rest of the holy patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, walked only in ways of piety and purity. Holy Abraham, holy Isaac, and holy Jacob, never walked in those ways that are now by loose, formal, carnal, and superstitious persons cried up for the good old way, but in ways of holiuiess and righteousness, I have read of the Cretians, that when they cursed their enemies, they did not wish their houses on fire, nor a sword at their hearts, but that they might be delighted and given up to an ill custom. It is one of the greatest and bitterest curses and woes to be delighted and given up to ill customs ; and the older the custom is of evil, the worse it is ; and ah, how many are fallen under these curses in these days, wherein multitudes are addicted and given up to carnal and superstitious customs, and choose rather to follow an ill custom, though it be never so absurd, irregular, vain, and superstitious, than to walk in a way of peace and holiness ! Well, sirs, shall the antiquity of holiness provoke you to be holy ? Many will do much for antiquity sake ; and why, then, should not you do much for holiness sake ? Holiness is God's firstborn ; it is as ancient as the ancient of days. The way of holiness is gray-headed, and of ancientest institution ; all other ways are but of yesterday; they are but new ways to the way of holinesk And oh that this might alarm you to look after holiness ! The Gibeonites cheated Joshua with their old clouted shoes, and with their old sacks, and old boots, and old garments. Josh. ix. 4, 5 ; and so doth Kome this day cheat and delude multitudes of poor, blind, ignorant souls, with their old cus- toms, and with their old ceremonies, and old traditions, and old inven- tions, under a pretence of the good old way, and the good old religion ; but certainly the way of holiness, the way of purity, is of the greatest antiquity, and therefore, oh embrace it 1 oh, walk in it ! Look, as the stamp of antiquity upon some things is a disparagement and a dis-
HeB. XII. 14,] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 171
honour to them — as an old garment that is past wearing, and an old house that is past mending, and an old ship that is past rigging ; so the stamp of antiquity upon other things is a praise and an honour to them — as old gold, old friends, old manuscripts, old monuments, old scars, and old holiness. The stamp of antiquity upon hohness is the praise and honour of holiness. Look, as it is an honour to a man to be descended of an ancient house ; so it is an honour to a man to be allied to holiness ; because sanctity is of greatest antiquity ; and therefore, above all gettings, get holiness. But,