2. The _saying, Lord, Lord!_ may, secondly, imply, the doing no harm. We may abstain from every presumptuous sin, from every kind of outward wickedness. We may refrain from all those ways of acting or speaking, which are forbidden in holy writ. We may be able to say to all those among whom we live, Which of you convinceth me of sin? We may have a conscience void of any external offence, towards God and towards man. We may be clear of all uncleanness, ungodliness and unrighteousness, as to the outward act: or (as the apostle testifies concerning himself,) _touching the righteousness of the law_, i. e. outward righteousness, _blameless_. But yet we are not hereby justified. Still this is no more than _saying, Lord, Lord!_ And if we go no farther than this, we shall never _enter into the kingdom of heaven_.
3. The _saying, Lord, Lord!_ may imply, thirdly, many of what are usually stiled good works. A man may attend the supper of the Lord, may hear abundance of excellent sermons, and omit no opportunity of partaking all the other ordinances of God. I may do good to my neighbour, deal my bread to the hungry, and cover the naked with a garment. I may be so zealous of good works, as even to _give all my goods to feed the poor_. Yea, and I may do all this, with a desire to please God, and a real belief that I do please him thereby: (which is undeniably the case of those our Lord introduces, _saying unto_ him, _Lord, Lord!_) and still I may have no part, in the glory which shall be revealed.
4. If any man marvels at this, let him acknowledge he is a stranger to the whole religion of Jesus Christ: and in particular, to that perfect portraiture thereof, which he has set before us in this discourse. For how far short is all this, of that righteousness and true holiness, which he has described therein! how widely distant from that inward kingdom of heaven, which is now opened in the believing soul? Which is first sown in the heart as a grain of mustard-seed, but afterwards putteth forth great branches, on which grow all the fruits of righteousness, every good temper and word and work.
5. Yet as clearly as he had declared this, as frequently as he had repeated, That none who have not this kingdom of God within them, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: our Lord well knew, that many would not receive this saying, and therefore confirms it yet again: _Many_, (saith he; not one; not a few only; it is not a rare or an uncommon case) _shall say unto me in that day_: not only, we have said many prayers; we have spoken thy praise; we have refrained from evil; we have exercised ourselves in doing good: but what is abundantly more than this, _We have prophesied in thy name. In thy name have we cast out devils; in thy name done many wonderful works. We have prophesied_: we have declared thy will to mankind; we have shewed sinners the way to peace and glory. And we have done this, _in thy name_, according to the truth of thy gospel. Yea, and by thy authority, who didst confirm the word, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. For _in_ or _by thy name_, by the power of thy word and of thy Spirit, _have we cast out devils_; out of the souls which they had long claimed as their own, and whereof they had full and quiet possession. _And in thy name_, by thy power, not our own, _have we done many wonderful works_: insomuch that even _the dead heard the voice of the Son of God_ speaking by us, and lived. _And then will I profess_ even _unto them, I never knew you_: no, not then, when you were _casting out devils in my name_. Even then I did not know you as my own: for your heart was not right toward God. Ye were not yourselves meek and lowly, ye were not lovers of God and of all mankind: ye were not renewed in the image of God. Ye were not holy as I am holy. _Depart from me, ye_ who notwithstanding all this, are _workers of iniquity_; ἀνομία. Ye are transgressors of my law, my law of holy and perfect love.
6. It is to put this beyond all possibility of contradiction, that our Lord confirms it by that apposite comparison. _Every one_, saith he, _who heareth these sayings of mine and doth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house_: as they will surely do, sooner or later, upon every soul of man; even the floods of outward affliction, or inward temptation; the storms of pride, anger, fear or desire. _And it fell and great was the fall of it_: so that it perished for ever and ever. Such must be the portion of all, who rest in any thing short of that religion which is above described. And the _greater_ will their _fall_ be, because they _heard those sayings, and_ yet _did them not_.