and yet, if impenitent and unbelieving, be consigned over to everlasting perdition. We may have the tongues of men and angels, and have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and have faith so that we can remove mountains, and bestow all our goods to feed the poor, and even give our bodies to be burned ; and yet be destitute of a principle, without which we are no better than "sounding brass and a tinkling cymbalV We may see clearly, that without a principle of real, vital, universal holiness in the soul, no exter- nal services, however good, can find acceptance before God.]
2. That principle is of no avail without practice —
[As men of a Pharisaic cast maintain the error which I have just mentioned; so men of an Antinomian complexion are prone to indulge this of which I am now to speak. They have embraced the Gospel ; they believe in Christ : they see in him a perfect righteousness : they have that righteousness imputed to them: they stand, as they suppose, perfect and complete before God, and are in his sight " without spot or wrinkle or any such thing ; yea, holy and without blemish0." But are they necessarily in the state which this profession seems to imply? The persons reproved in my text offered their sacrifices, and professed to look to that great Sacrifice which those offerings prefigured : but were they therefore accepted of their God ? No: they were essentially defective as to practical religion : under the influence of covetousness and self-indulgence, they neglected to rebuild the temple of the Lord : and therefore all their professions of faith were vain. Thus it is with thousands who rely on the Gospel of Christ for salvation, but neglect to adorn it by a suitable conversa- tion. Their faith does not " overcome the world," and " work by love," and " purify the heart ;" and therefore " their faith, being without works, is dead ; and is in reality no better than the faith of devils d."
Nor let any one imagine that it is only a course of open sin that will thus invalidate the efficacy of his faith. No : if there be in him any secret lust, such as covetousness, or pride, or envy, or impurity, or any other, it will " so defile him e," as to make all his professions of religion vainf." " A right eye or a right hand, which offends" against the principles of vital god- liness, must be parted with, or " it will destroy him, both body and soul, in hell for everg."]
But the reproof here given is yet further useful,
b 1 Cor. xiii. 1—3. c Eph. v. 27.
d Jam. ii. 19, 20. e Mark vii. 21—23.
f Jam. i. 26. g Markix. 43 — 48. with Jam. ii. 10.