(3.) As to our end. We must live in the nope of the coming of Chri.st and our everlasting glory : Titus ii. 13, ' Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious ai)i)earing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ , ' and Jude, ver. 21, * Keep yourselves in the love of God. looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.'
Mat. XL 18, 19.] of her children. 105
Well, then, as we did at first thankfully accept of our recovery by Christ, and did at first renounce the devil, the world, and the tlesh, and consented to follow his direction, and use his means in order to our final happiness, so we must still persevere in this mind and reso- lution, till our glory come in hand. This is God's wisdom.
Secondly, Let us now see how this counsel of Grod is entertained by the carnal world. It is there despised, slighted, and contradicted. The world is a distracted world ; some neglect God's counsel and never lay it to heart : Heb. ii. 3, ' How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? ' and Mat. xxii. 5, ' But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise.' Some laugh at these things, and make a holy and heavenly life the matter of their scorn and derision : Luke xvi. 14, ' The pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things, and they derided him ; ' and Acts xvii. 32, ' Some mocked, and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter ; how- beit, certain men clave unto him and believed.' There are others who fasten odious reproaches on the godly. And though the Christian religion be so holy and innocent in its design, so agreeable to the nature of God and man, so well contrived to remedy our miseries, and to secure our true and proper happiness, yet the strictness of it is dis- tasted by the world. By the profane, who have nothing to excuse their wickedness, it is counted hypocrisy : ' As deceivers, yet true,' 2 Cor. vi. 8 ; because they cannot condemn the life, they judge the heart. By them who affect the vanities of the world, and have a passionate love for the pleasures and honours thereof ; because the generality of the world are of that mind, they brand it with the imputation of foolish singularity. And the carnal politicians, because it was never yet so well with the world, but some things which God requireth are dis- countenanced, they tax it of disobedience, and they counted Paul as a mover of sedition. Acts xxv. 5 ; and because the operations of grace are above the line of nature, others tax it of fanaticism and enthusiasm. Atheists, who are all for demonstrations of sense, sight, and present things, because Christianity mainly inviteth to things spiritual and heavenly, and to live upon the hopes of an unseen world that is yet to come, they judge it to be a foppery, or mere imposture, or needless superstition. Though both the hopes and precepts of religion carry a marvellous compliance with right reason, yet none of these things move them. Lastly, There are others that malign, ojjpose, and oppugn holiness. There is an everlasting enmity between the two seeds, as between the wolf and the lamb, the raven and the dove ; the world will love its own, and hate those that go a contrary course, John xv. 19 ; ' And as he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now,' Gal. iv. 29 ; and so it will be to the end of the world. When the powers of the world give any rest, yet the carnal seed will be mocking and scoffing, and bringing God's holy ways into contempt, branding them with censures and calumnies. The reasons of this are partly because men are drunk with the delusions of the flesh, and so cannot judge of spiritual things ; partly to excuse themselves. Men will be quarrelling at religion when they have no mind to practise it, and dispute away duties when they are unwilling to perform them ; partly, they take occasion from the failings of God's
106 WISDOM IS JUSTIFIED [Mat. XL IS, 19.
people, tliongli tliere is no reason why they should do so. An art should not he condemned for the workman's want of skill ; hut they do so. If Christians he serious to any deg^ree of sadness, then religion is counted an uncomfortahle thing, it mopeth them. If there he any differences among God's people, hecause of their several degrees of light, oh, then there are so many sects, and factions, and controversies about religion, they suspect all, and are true to none. If any creep into the holy profession, and pollute it with their scandals, then all strictness in religion is but a pretence and im]wsture. If men he strict, and would avoid every ordinary failing incident to mankind, then they are more nice than wise, and this is preciseness and indiscretion. It were end- less to rake in this puddle, and to reckon up all the cavils and excep- tions which naughty men commence against the ways of God.