words witliout sense and spiritual affection ; and what is this but to compass God with lies, when the heart is gone after and taken up with vanity ? And then in private worship ; how often in confession of sins do we lie to God ! not that we can speak worse of ourselves than we do deserve, but we do not believe that is true which we confess ; for if we did but confess half so much to a man who is but our fellow-creature, and hath but a drop of indignation against sin, how should we be ashamed ! Thus we often compass God with lies in confession. And then in prayer we pray, but as if we would not be heard. Conscience enlightened tells us what we should pray for, but the carnal heart retracts our prayers ; as Austin, when he prayed against his lusts, Lord, give me strength against my carnal affections, sed noli modo, do not yet, Lord ; he was loth to have his requests granted. We pray out of course, and that is but a lie. As children shoot away their arrows, and never look after them ; so we throw away our prayers, and never mind what comes of them. If a man make a supplication to the king, he would be hearkening what answer the king gave; so if we prayed in earnest, we would be looking after our prayers. And then we give thanks without meltings of heart. Custom and natural light tells us something must be done in this kind, but how hard a matter is it ' to draw nigh to God with a true heart ! ' Heb. x. 22. Though we can- not draw nigh to God with a sinless heart, yet we should with a sincere heart, and come without guile into his presence. Lies in worship are worst of all ; a lie in commerce between man and man is bad ; a lie about worship, to pretend what we are not, is worse ; but a lie in worship, this is to dare and mock God to his face, and God will not be mocked. Again, would we not be accounted better than we are? Where is the man that would be thought as ill as he hath cause to think of himself ? We storm if others should but speak half so much of us as we speak of ourselves to God. Again, doth not rash suspicion make us speak worse of others than they deserve ? Do not we take up reports of others without search, and out of envy blaze them abroad ? In much talk do not unworthy expressions drop from us that cannot be justified ? Are there not many rash promises that we make to God which it may be may suit with present sense, but all things are not considered : Ps. Ixxviii. 36, 37, ' Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues; for their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.' All these things show that we had need to pray with David, Ps cxix. 29, ' Remove from me the way of lying.' Surely, though you should set aside gross lying in a way of testimony, and with an intent to deceive, yet you see there are many ways Avherein we may be guilty of lying; indeed seldom are our speeches the image of our minds, and so we are guilty of this sin which is so odious to God, so contrary to the new nature, and such a blemish to the profession that we have taken upon ourselves. Secondly, The next thing we learn hence is the use of conse- quences. That doctrine, that is not expressed in plain words of scrip- ture, yet is deduced thence by just consequences, is a scripture doctrine. Our Lord proves the resurrection by a consequence : Mat. xxii. 31, 32, ' But as touching the re.surrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of
332 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. XLIX.
Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob ? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.'
Use 1. We learn that in all controversies and the decision of cases genuine deductions are not an obscure proof. The apostle saith of these patriarclis, they ' declare plainly that they seek a country.' The Arians reject the consubstantiality of Christ and the trinity because they are not scripture words. The Donatists called Augustine not the christian, but dialecticuni, the logician, because he argued from consequences in disputing with them. And so nowadays in the controversy about infant baptism, they require plain scripture for it ; we prove it by con- sequence, that they are in covenant, and therefore they have a right to the seal of the covenant ; they are disciples, members of the church, and therefore have a right to the privileges of the church. And so for the sabbath ; we must not instruct God how to set down his mind. The Jews say, If Christ had been the true Messiah, he would have come in such a way as all his own countrymen might have known him ; so will men say. Had this been the mind of God, it would have been more plainly and expressly revealed in scripture ; thus will foolish men give Jaws to God. If a doctrine can be deduced from scripture, it is as much as if it were in express words of scripture.