2. One part of the profession condemneth the other. If we own a God, a Christ, and a life to come, and do not live answerably in all holy conversation and godliness, our belief condemneth our practice ; and if we allow ourselves in those things which we condemn, our judgment is the more just; so that they profess themselves to be christians only for self-condemnation, to be witnesses against them- selves ; their faith condemneth their practice. They believe as chris- tians, yet live as pagans ; as the apostle saith, Titus i. 16, ' Professing to know God, but in their works they deny him.' So while they own Christ they do but mock him. They profess to honour Christ by coming to his feast, but they dishonour him and affront him while they come in their old or ordinary apparel ; as it is an high contempt and
VOL. XVI. B
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18 A SERMON ON MATTHEW XXII. 11-13.
scorn of a great man to pretend to honour him by our attendance, but in sucli an indecent and slovenly manner that our presence is a disgrace to him. Such a contempt of Christ it is while we entitle our- selves christians, and live in such ways as Christ doth condemn : Luke vi. 46, ' And why call you me lord, and do not the things that I say ? ' Cui res nomini suhjecta negatur. Surely they that called him king of the Jews intended it for no honour to him, while they spit upon him and buffeted him. Dicimur christiani in opprobrium. The ungodly lives of christians are a reproach to Christianity. You should adorn, but you disgrace the gospel, Titus ii. 1 0. Religion, as visibly acted and expressed by you, should be found a beautiful thing. Therefore, while you usurp the name of christians, and join in conjunction with the visible church of Christ without a new heart and life, one part of your profession condemneth the other,
3. One part of your profession is abused to corrupt and destroy the other, and the christian name is only taken on to patronise un- christian practices : Jude 4, ' Turning the grace of Grod into lasci- viousness.' They come to the gospel feast that they may the more securely live in their sins, and so make Christ himself the minister of sin, Gal. ii. 17 ; which is a thought to be abhorred by all christians. The heathens took notice of this. Celsus said, That the christian religion was a sanctuary for flagitious persons. Origen answereth him, That it was not a sanctuary to shelter them, but an hospital to cure them. In the notion of the text, ' Go into the highways ; bid them to the marriage ; but yet they must come with a wedding garment, in a decent manner. Therefore they live loosely, either pervert the gospel, or at least do not admit the force of it to prevail upon their hearts : 2 Tim. iii. 5, ' Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.' If you do really believe salvation by Christ, temptations would be of no force ; you would reject the baits of sin with abhorrence and detestation. You could not quiet your consciences with a common, careless course of life ; but you pervert its use or deny its force.
Secondly, The certainty of discovery.
1. When you come as guests to the marriage feast, your business lieth not with men but with God. The king cometh to see the guests ; you may have a garment to cover you before men, but not before God. But when the Lord looketh to the guests, he is the party with whom you have to do. How will you do to escape his eye and search ? Gal. vi. 7, ' Be not deceived ; God is not mocked.' You may deceive men, stop the mouths of men, colour your sin, veil and blind their eyes, and, for aught men can discover, may enjoy the pleasure and profit of your sins and yet escape the shame and imputa- tion of them. Men may hold you innocent, know not how to fasten guilt upon you ; but the all- seeing eye of God will find you out : you cannot escape his accurate search. There is no casting a mist before the eyes of God: Heb. iv. 13, ' All things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.' The prophets in the light of God could discern cheats ; certainly God himself much more : 2 Kings V. 26, ' Went not my heart with thee, when the man turned again from bis chariot to meet thee,' said Elislia to Gehazi. So the
A SERMON ON MATTHEW XXI I. 11-13. 19
blind prophet could spy out Jereboam's wife under her disguise : 1 Kings xiv. 6, ' Why feignest thou thyself to be another ? I am sent unto thee with heavy tidings.' Now, when God seeth things in his own light, surely he will pull the devil out of Samuel's mantle. the heathen out of the christian disguise. The workers of iniquity cannot hide themselves from him : Job xxxiv. 22, ' There is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.'