Our first direction of this kind is, that we should all labour for a true, real sense of the concernment of the glory of God in this matter, and what is our duty with respect thereunto. Where this is not, men are under the power of that security which is the broad way and wide gate leading unto apostasy; yea, where this is not the first
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242, THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF APOSTASY.
and principal thing wherewith we are affected in any evil that falls out in the world, our hearts are not upright in what we profess.
When God threatened to disinherit the Israelites and destroy the whole congregation as one man, in the wilderness, because of their provoking rebellion, that wherewith Moses, in all the circumstances of his relation unto them and interest in them, was affected withal, was the concernment of the glory and name of God therein, Num. xiv. 11-19. And it was so with Joshua in the sin and punishment of the same people. “What wilt thou do,’ saith he, “unto thy . great name?” chap. vii. 8, 9; words which have been made a public derision in the days wherein we live.
We cannot but have thoughts about these things, for they are the common subject of many men’s discourse: but if our thoughts about them are confined unto a narrow compass, and, so that it be well with us and some few others in whom we are peculiarly concerned, the evil that is come on the world in other places is lightly set by; if we are sensible of no interest of the glory of God, of the honour of Christ and the gospel therein, or are regardless of them,—we are scarce likely to be delivered from that fatal issue whereunto all these things are in an open tendency.
Is it nothing unto us that so many nations in the world, where the profession of the gospel and an avowed subjection of soul and conscience unto Jesus Christ did flourish for some ages, are now utterly overrun with Mohammedanism, paganism, and atheism? Do we suppose these things are fallen out by chance, or come to pass by a fatal revolution of affairs, such as all things in this world are obnoxious unto? Did ever any nation or people under heaven lose the gospel as unto its profession, who did not first reject it as unto its power, purity, and obedience? And is not the glory of God, is not the honour of Christ, peculiarly concerned herein?
Is it nothing unto us that innumerablesouls, who yet continue to make an outward profession of the name of Christ, have so degene- rated from the mystery, holiness, and worship of the gospel, as to provoke the holy God to give them up for so many generations unto the most woful bondage and slavery that ever any of the children of men were cast under from the foundation of the world, without the least hopes or appearance of relief? And is it not to be bewailed that, such is the power of that apostasy which brought all this evil upon them, as that they have not to this day accepted of the punish- ment of their sms, nor been bettered by all that they have under- gone? And doth not that holy name whereby we are called suffer in these things? Is it not on their account evil spoken of? for do not the miseries, the long-continued, woful calamities and oppres- sions of innumerable multitudes of great nations, outwardly profess-
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DIRECTIONS TO AVOID APOSTASY. 243
ing the Chnstian religion, become a snare to the world and a temp-
tation against the truth of the gospel and the power of Jesus Christ? The Jews themselves are not left unto more distresses, nor are more destitute of any pledges of divine protection, nor are more unre- formed under their miseries, than many who are called Christians, upon the account of their apostasy from the gospel. It is true, great distresses and sore persecutions may befall the church in its best state and condition, but then God doth so dispose of all things as that their trials shall evidently tend both unto his own glory and their
- spiritual advantage who are exercised with them; and in the issue
the gospel itself shall never be a loser by the suffering of its sincere
professors. But in those horrible judgments which have befallen
many parts of the apostatized Christian world, nothing offereth itself unto our minds but what is matter of lamentation and temptation. Is it nothing to us that the greatest number of those who are called Christians, and enjoy prosperity in the world, do live in open idolatry, to the unspeakable scandal of Christian religion and im- minent danger unto themselves of eternal ruin?—nothing that so many do openly renounce the humble, meek spirit of Christ and the gospel, endeavouring to persecute, ruin, and destroy other Christians, perhaps better than themselves, because they cannot captivate their souls and consciences in obedience unto their impositions?—nothing to see and hear of all those dreadful effects of this apostasy in all
- manner of outrageous sins that the world is filled withal?
Certainly, if we are not greatly affected with these things, if our souls mourn not in secret about them, if we are not solicitous about the small remainders of the interest of truth and holiness in the world, we are in no small danger ourselves of being, one time or other, car- ried away with the deluge.