To suppose really the least countenance to be given hereunto by any thing that belongs unto the gospel, is to exercise against it the highest despite imaginable. This event, therefore, must and doth principally follow on the undue application of the outward tokens of God’s favour and pledges of eternal blessedness unto men in their sins, by those unto whom the administration of them is supposed to be committed by Jesus Christ. And let none expect a return of a conversation becoming the gospel among Christians until things are so ordered in the church as that none may flatter themselves with a
supposed interest in the promises and privileges of the gospel, who
live not in a visible subjection unto and compliance with all the precepts of it. But whilst all things are huddled together promis-
cuously, and there is no more required to make a Christian than
for him to be born in such a place or nation, and not to oppose the customs and usages in religion which are there established, we must be content to bear the evils of that defection which the world groans under.
III. Great examples of persons exalied in places of eminency giving up themselves unto boldness in a course of sinning,—which have fallen out in all the latter ages of the church,—-have had a signal influence into the increase and furtherance of this apostasy;
202 THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF APOSTASY.
especially they have had so where the persons giving such examples have been such as pretended unto the conduct of religion. See Jer. xxiii 15. It cannot with any modesty be denied but that the flagitious, scandalous lives of many popes and other great prelates of the court of Rome have hurried many into the very depths of atheism, and countenanced multitudes in a careless, voluptuous, sen- sual course of life. And if at any time a man whose ways are made conspicuous by the eminency of his employment,—being, as it were, at the head of all the religion that is publicly professed, and having the chief conduct of it in his hand, as it is in the Papacy in many places,—be vain in his communication, profane in his principles, sen- sual in his course of life, negligent in the duties of his office, no way rebuking open sins, but taking pleasure in them that do them, it is incredible how soon a whole age or generation of professed Christians will be influenced, corrupted, and debauched thereby; for what is the family like to be, when the stewards are such as the evil servant described Matt. xxiv. 48-51? As men are warned every day not to be wiser than their teachers, but duly to obey their guides; so they either cannot or will not, for the most part, see any reason why they should be better than they, or walk in any other paths than what they tread before them. When the sons of Eli, the sons and suc- cessors of the high priest, actually exercising the priests’ office in their own persons, gave the people an open example of profaneness and lewdness of life, the body of the nation was quickly so far cor- rupted as that the judgments of God in the first captivity of the land ensued thereon. The world at present is so precipitate and headstrong in a course of sin, that the best examples are not able in any measure to stem the torrents of it. But if in any place, at any time, encouragements are given unto men by any eminent examples in sinning, helping to remove the remaining curbs of fear, shame, and reputation, impudence in sinning will rise unto an exorbitant and uncontrollable outrage. Hereby, then, hath the defection from holiness complained of been greatly promoted in all ages, for few or none of them have wanted plenty of these examples. Indeed, the first visible degeneracies of Christianity, as they accompanied, so they were occasioned by the open pride, ambition, strife, contentions, and conformity unto the world, that possessed the minds and stained the lives of far the greatest part of the prelates and principal leaders of the church, after it came under the protection of the Roman em- pire, and men thought to purchase an interest in the good things of religion, or at least a representation of them, by giving power. wealth, and honour, unto persons no way better than themselves, whi had got the name and title of the “clergy,” or “ guides of the church ;” for about these things they contended endlessly, to the shame of
OO a
OTHER CAUSES OF THE DECAY OF HOLINESS. 203
Christian religion, and the utter loss in the most of the true real _ power and virtue of it. And in following ages, as things grew worse and worse, the lewd and wicked lives of popes, prelates, and others, signalized unto the world by their power and dignity, did by their examples insensibly bring about a public conformity unto their vices, according as the concurrence of opportunity and ability did enable men thereunto. Wherever, therefore, persons fall within the com- pass of the ministry of the church, or, as guides thereof, are on that account (on what principles soever) exalted into places of emi- nence or dignity, whereby they are made conspicuous and observable, if they do not proportionably excel others in visible exemplary holi- ness, at least if they be not unblamable in such a godly conversation as truly expresseth the grace of the gospel, in humility, meekness, contempt of the world, of sensual pleasures, and of the pride of life, | zeal and diligence in the dispensation of the word, it cannot be but that apostasy from the gospel, as to its power and: holiness, will be kept up and promoted.