700.]
ungodliness may be of the least offensive kind : yea, that it shall be so specious, as to assume the appearance, and to gain from many the applause, of piety ; still we ask, What will it avail in the day that God shall judge the world? But it is not true, that the pleasures of sin are so great or so satisfactory. On the contrary, there is no comparison between the peace that flows from piety, and the gratifications that result from any criminal indulgence. " The work of righteousness is peace ; " but " the way of transgressors is hard." And, as to the eternal world,
there can be no doubt Inasmuch then as piety is most
consonant with right reason, and most conducive to our best interests, it approves itself, beyond a possibility of doubt, the genuine offspring of true wisdom.]
Address —
1. Those who live in the allowed violation of any one commandment —
[The world may count you wise : yea, " if you are doing well unto yourselves, (that is, are advancing your own temporal interests,) all men will speak well of youf." But what does God say of you ? " They have forsaken the word of the Lord ; and what wisdom is in themg ?" Ah ! what indeed? To the rich man, whose heart was elated with his temporal prospects, God said, " Thou fool : " and no better character will he assign to you. Think only with what an eye the heart-searching God beholds you ; or what the angels think of your conduct ; or what you yourselves will think of it in a little time ; and you will be at no loss to form a right estimate of it. If you would be truly wise in God's estimation, your obedience to him must be uniform and unreserved11.]
2. Those who profess to be endued with true wisdom —
[If " God have given us an understanding," then we must evidence it by the purity of our hearts and lives. But many there are, who can talk very fluently and speciously about reli- gion, who yet are very far from being wise in the sight of God. Hear the judgment of God himself on this subject: " Who is a wise man, and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts (and these are no uncommon inmates with the professors of religion), glory not, and lie not against the truth." (Let proud, conceited, and contentious professors hear this; They are " liars against the truth.") This wisdom descendeth not from above ; but is earthly, sensual, devilish. " But the wisdom that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to
f Ps. xlix. 18. s Jer. viii. 9. h Matt. vii. 24—27. Deut. iv. 6. VOL. VI. Y