Hereby was the apostasy completed; for men being grown car- nal and wicked, there appeared no way to keep them up unto the profession of the gospel but by corrupting the whole doctrine and worship of it, that their lusts might be some way accommodated. To this end external things were substituted in the room of things internal, having the same names given unto them; ecclesiastical things in the room of things spiritual; outward offices, orders, and multiplied sacraments, with their efficacy by virtue of the work wrought, in the place of real conversion unto God, purity of heart, with strict. universal holiness; disciplines and corporeal severities in the room of evangelical repentance and mortification ;—nor could the lusts of men have possibly a higher accommodation, whilst any pre- tence of religion was necessary to be preserved. So formerly did wickedness of life lead the way unto apostasy from the truth. And the whole of the papal apostasy may be reduced unto these two heads:— First, An accommodation of the doctrine and worship of the gospel
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100 THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF APOSTASY.
unto the carnal minds and lusts of men, with the state of their con- sciences that ensued thereon; and, secondly, The accommodation of the lusts, ignorance, and superstition of men unto the interests and worldly advantage of the pope and his clergy.
And.herein iieth the danger of this age. The great design of the generality of men is, to live in sin with as little trouble at present, and as little fear of what is future, as they can arrive unto. And there are but two ways whereby such a posture of mind may be attempted.
The one is by obliterating all notions of good and evil, all sense of future rewards and punishments, or of God’s government in the world. ‘This some-in all ages have endeavoured: for “the fool hath said in his heart, There is no God;” and thereon are “they corrupt, and do abominable works,” Ps. xiv. 1. And no age could ever give more instances of this affected atheism than that wherein we live. Neither do any deceive themselves into it, but merely with this de- sign, to live in sin without control from themselves; which is the last restraint they can acquit themselves of. And some of them do please themselves with the attainment of them in the psalmist: “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts,” Ps. x. 4. But God hath inlaid the minds of men, antecedently unto all actings of their wills and affections, with such a tenacious and unanswerable witness to the contrary, that it is very difficult for any to bring themselves unto any tolerable satisfaction this way: for “that which may be known of God is manifest in themselves,” whether they will or no, Rom. i. 19; neither can they free themselves from prevailing apprehen- sions that it is “the judgment of God, that they who commit sin are worthy of death,” verse 32> Wherefore we have not many instances of men who pretend a senselessness of these things out of principle, or that find no disquietment on the account of sin. And by the most of them this is but pretended. Their outward boasting is but a sorry plaster for their inward fears and vexations; nor will the pretended security of such impious persons endure the shock of the least of those surprisals, calamities, and dangers, which human nature is obnoxious unto in this life, much less of death itself. The end therefore mentioned, be it never so earnestly desired, is not this way to be attained.
Another way, therefore, must be found out unto the same end, and this must be by a religion. Nothing but religion can convert men from sin, and nothing but religion can secure them therein. To this purpose is that of our apostle: “In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
ENMITY A CAUSE OF APOSTASY. 101
unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, in- continent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof,” 2 Tim. iii. 1—5, ‘Had they the power of religion in them, they could not give them- selves up unto the pursuit of such brutish lusts; and had they not Some form or other of it, they could not be secure in their practice: for; —
Sin and conscience are stubborn in their conflict whilst imme- diately opposed, conscience pleading that there should be no sin, and sin contending that there may be no conscience; but, as nature is corrupted, they will both comply with an accommodation. Where- fore a device to satisfy sin and to deceive conscience will not fail of a ready entertainment; and this is the design in part or in whole of every false way in religion that men apostatize unto from the purity and simplicity of the gospel. See 2 Pet. ii 18, 19. One way or other is proposed to take men off from the necessity of regenera- tion and the renovation of their nature into the image of God, in
the first place; for this is that lion in the way which deters all sorts of sluggards from attempting any thing seriously in religion. And whereas our Lord Jesus Christ hath placed the necessity of it at the first entrance into the kingdom of God, there is no false way of reli- gion but its first design is to destroy its nature or take away its necessity. Hence some would have it to be only baptism, with the grace it confers by the work wrought; some substitute a moral reformation of life in the room of it, which, as they suppose, is suffi- ciently severe; and the light within makes all thoughts of it use- less ;—for if this point be not well secured, all ensuing attempts to accommodate men with a religion will be in vain; it will still be returning on them, that “except they be born again, they cannot . enter into the kingdom of God.” Internal sanctification of the whole ‘person, the mortification of all the motions of sin that are in the flesh, with that universal obedience which is required unto the life of God, must also be provided for or against, and yet conscience be satisfied therewithal. Wherefore, if you can obtain that persons who live in sin, and are resolved so to do, not troubling themselves about these things, shall suppose that they may be secured eternally in such a way of_religion as you propose unto them,—that what is wanting in themselves shall be done for them by absolutions and masses, and various supplies out of the church’s treasury, with the great reserve of purgatory when things come to the worst,—there is no great fear (especially if some other circumstances fall in also to promote the design) but that you will find them very ductile and pliable unto your desires. Add hereunto, that the ways whereby