Use 1. Is to reprove those that can afford a little religion, but cannot afford enough. It may be good words without practice, or practice without principle. Good words without practice : many talk well, their notions are high and strict; but observe them narrowly, and you will find them cold and careless ; like the carbuncle, at a distance it seemeth all on fire, but touch it and it is key-cold. ' Be warmed, be cloathed,' will not pass for charity, nor opinions for faith, nor notions and elevated strains for godliness. You would laugh at him that would think to pay his debts with the noise of money, and instead of opening his purse, shake it. It is as ridiculous to think to satisfy
342 SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. [SER. III.
God or discharge our duty by fine words or heavenly language, with- out a heavenly heart of life, or afford practice without a principle, or an inward disposition or inclination of heart to holy things. It is not enough to do good, but we must get the habit of doing good ; to believe, but we must get the habit of faith ; to do a virtuous action, but we must have the habit of virtue ; to perform an act of obedience, but we must get the root of obedience. The soul must be divested of evil habits, and decked and adorned with habits of grace, and endowed with new and spiritual qualities, before it can have a principle of life in itself. But most men content themselves with a little good affec- tion, that is soon spent : Hosea vi. 4, Ephraim's goodness is like the morning dew, that wets the surface, but is soon dried up. Many have some good things in them, but they want a firm root, which is a habitual inclination towards God. Oh ! the difference that is between a man that forceth himself to do good, and one whose heart is inclined to do good ! He doth not go to it like a bear to the stake, but with a native willingness : he is inclined to think of good, inclined to talk of good and holy discourse ; inclined to pray, to exercise himself to god- liness : the Lord hath put a new nature in him, and he feeleth an internal mover, or an inward impression that moveth him : this is life, but it is little regarded. Many have a show, but life cannot be painted ; otherwise a handsome picture of godliness men may keep up. But what are the reasons of this ?
1. Negligence. They are loath to be at the pains to get grace, to be at the expense of brokenness of heart, and that humble waiting and earnest praying that it will cost us. A form is easily gotten and maintained : painted fire needs no fuel to keep it in ; vanishing affec- tions are soon stirred. A little remorse in a prayer or delight in a sermon they may have ; but it will cost us labour and diligence to have the heart strongly bent towards God : Prov. xiii. 4, ' The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing ; but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.' All excellent things have their incident difficulties, and nothing is gotten without diligence, labour, and serious mindfulness, That which is opposed to common grace is casting off slothfulness, and a diligence to keep some ' full assurance of hope to the end,' Heb. vi. 11, 12.
2. Inconsideration. They do not consider how they shall appear before Christ at the day of judgment. Therefore are they called ' foolish virgins,' because they did not foresee all events to provide against them ; as if the spouse should come later. They thought this oil they had might suffice, or they should have opportunity to get more. Christianity is a business of consideration. When Christ had laid down the terms, he biddeth them ' sit down and count the charges,' Luke xiv. 28. A builder doth but lay the foundation of his shame in his cost, if he be not able to carry on the building ; a war were better never be begun, if we have not means to maintain it. If you mean to build for heaven, to bid defiance against the devil, world and flesh, you must not rashly engage, but deliberately resolve. We must consider the quality of Christ's laws, what visible oppositions there are, that we may knowingly, all difficulties considered, put ourselves into his hands. There is an anxious and serious deliberation neces-
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sary ; otherwise, to leap into profession slightly maketh way for apos- tasy, or else for such a cheap religion which costs nothing, and there- fore is worth nothing.
3. Some unmortified corruption or indulged lust, which hindereth both the indication and prevalency of grace ; the heart divided, touched partly with God and partly with the creature, neither loosed nor unloosed, but between both, can never be sound and upright : James i. 8, ' A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.' A man must purge himself from lusts before he be a vessel fit for God's use, 2 Tim. ii. 20. There is some delight in lawful or unlawful things, that lieth between us and Christ, and is so near and dear to us, as to draw away the heart, at least in part, that the heavenly plantation cannot thrive and prosper in our souls, Luke viii. 14. There is some unmortified root of bitterness : Jer. iv. 3, 4, ' Sow not among thorns ; plough up the fallow ground.' Till God be our scope, religion can never be our work. If the pleasing, enjoying, or glorifying him were more sincerely intended, other, things would come on with more ease and success ; as the water floweth of its own accord if the pipe be not leaky. If the honour of Christ, his glory, will, and command, lie nearest and closest to the heart, then sin would be more loathed than any other thing, more feared, more avoided, and we would follow our work more heartily. We are enlivened in the means, by an unfeigned regarding of the end ; our carelessness cometh from this, that God is only minded as a matter by the by. The end and means always go together. If anything be prized more than God, or equal with him, or apart from him, a little grace and godliness will serve the turn. If God were entirely our end, we would be mainly for him, and most industrious to approve ourselves to him ; if it be not so, something there is that causeth that neglect, that must be found out ; something that cloggeth thy heart, and de- taineth thee from this effectual pursuit ; some lust, the gratifying of which is the delight and pleasure which contents us, and therefore are we cold and slight in religion.