2. The outward duties and performances of religion, especially the ceremonies of Moses. Those, consisting in external observances, are called flesh; and to have confidence in the flesh is to place our confi- dence in external privileges and duties. For the apostle explainetli himself, ver. 4, ' Though I might also have confidence in the flesh : if any other man thinketh he may have confidence in the flesh, I more.' He was not any whit inferior to any of the Judaizing brethren in out- ward privileges and duties ; yea, had greater cause of glorying in the flesh than any of the pretenders among them. And then instances, in his Jewish privileges, circumcision, his family, his sect — a pharisee ; his partial obedience or external righteousness — ' as to the law blame- less.' To rest on these things, then, for our acceptance with God is to have confidence in the flesh. And elsewhere he saith, Gal. iii. 3, ' Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect in the flesh ? ' when they reverted to the ceremonies of the law. This is called flesh, because they consist in outward things. Corrupt nature is pleased with such things, and doth plead and stand for them.
Doct. That a good Christian doth not place his hope and confidence of acceptance witli God in external privileges and performances.
PniL. III. 3.] THE TRUE CIRCUMCISION. 47
In the first character, a Christian is described by his worship ; in the second, by his joy ; in the third, by his confidence. In handling this point, I shall show you : —
I. What are these externals which are apt to tempt men to a vain confidence.
II. That naturally men are for a mere external way of serving God, and place their whole confidence therein.
III. Why a good Christian should have no confidence in this ex- ternal conformity to God's law.
I. What are these externals in religion which are apt to tempt men to a vain confidence ? They may be refeired to two heads : they are either commanded by God or invented by man — God's externals or man's externals.
1. God's externals : such as he hath instituted and appointed, either in the law of Moses or in the law of Christ. In the law of Moses, such as circumcision, with all the appendent rites. These are called, Heb. ix. 10, ' Carnal ordinances, imposed on them till the time of reformation.' These were to be observed while the institution of them was in force and stood unrepealed, which was done at the coming of Christ : John iv. 23, 24, ' The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.' These made great trouble in the infancy of the church, for the Jews and Judaizing Christians were loth to depart from the rituals under which they were bred and brought up, though Christ fully evidenced his commission from heaven to re- peal those laws, and his apostles strongly pleaded the ancient pro- phecies which foretold it. But these are of no more concernment to us, except to direct us how to behave ourselves in like cases.
2. There are externals in the law of Christ, such as the sacraments — baptism and the Lord's Supper ; hearing of the word, external prayer, and the like. Now the rule is that they must be used, but the outward act not rested in as a sufficient ground of our acceptance with God. Used they must be in faith and obedience, because God hath instituted them under great penalties. As circumcision, while the command was in force : Gen. xvii. 14, ' The man-child whose flesh is not circumcised shall be cut off from his people ; he hath broken my covenant ; ' so baptism : Mark xvi. 16, 'He that be- lieveth and is baptized shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned.' Not want, but neglect or contempt. Therefore, all these duties must be used as means of salvation, and as expressions of the inward truth of our faith in God and obedience to him. We must not cast off ordinances, but yet they must not be rested in as sufficient gi'ounds of our acceptance with God. While circumcision was in force, they relied on it, as it distinguished them from other nations as the genuine seed of Abraham, and so reckoned to be within the covenant. But the servants of God did always disprove^ this vain confidence : Kom. ii. 28, 29, ' He is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh ; but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in
^ That is, ' disapprove. ' — Ed.
48 A DESCRIPTION OF [PlIIL. III. 3
the spirit and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men but of God.' They rejoiced in a shadow wlien they wanted the thing sig- nified, if there were no mortification of sin, or putting off the body of the sins of the flesh. But not only the ajiostle, but the prophet long before disprovethi their vain confidence : Jer. ix. 25, 26, ' Behold, the days come when I will i)unish them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised ; Egyi)t and Edom, with the children of Amnion and Moab, are uncircumcised in flesh, and all the house of Israel is un- circumcif^ed in heart.' God would jiroceed against wicked persou.s and people, circumcised as well as uncircumcised. Were those things spoken to them only, and not to us also ? Surely all may learn from hence that by a bare submission to outward rites we are not approved of God, without minding the true reformation of heart and life, and expecting the pardon of our sins by Jesus Christ. You are baptized, but are you washed from your sins ? You hear the word, but is it the jiower of God to your salvation ? You frequent sacraments, but is the conscience of the bond of the holy oath into which you are entered upon your hearts ? There is more required in Christianity than outward profession, whether in word or deed — namely, the conscience of your tledication to God — or else the work doth not go deep enough : 1 Cor. xiii. 3, ' Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, andhave not charity, it profiteth menothing.' You content yourselves with your tale and number of duties, praying morning and evening, and reading so many chapters ; but where is the spirit and the fruit of all that you do ? • They that are given to fasting think themselves very devout if they fast often, be their hearts never so full of rancour. Many huddle over many prayers, but they do not go from their heavenly Father with a heavenly mind. They give alms, but live loosely. As Michal laid a statue in David's bed, and covering it with David's apparel, made Saul's messengers believe it was David himself sick in bed ; so many ])ersons cover themselves with certain external actions belonging to religion, and the world be- lieveth them truly sanctified and spiritual, whenas, indeed, they are but statues and apparitions of devotion to God. But this is but a vain show, a placing the means instead of the end — the subordinate instead of the ultimate end.