The Crown and Glory of Christianity

First, What is this holiness without which no man shall see the Lord? I answer there is a sixfold holiness.

First, There is a Legal holiness: Now a Legal holiness consists [ 1] in an exact, perfect, and complete conformity in heart and life to the whole revealed will of God; and this was the holiness that Adam had in his innocence: and this holiness was immediately derived from God, and was perfect. Adam knew the will of God perfectly (so far as it was revealed to him) and had a divine principle in him of perfect conformity to that blessed will. Adams holiness was as co-natural to him, as unholiness is now to us: and had he stood fast in that glorious condition, we had all been as naturally holy from the womb, as now we are sinful. Adams holiness was as natural, and as pleasing, and as delightful to him, as any way of unholiness can be natural, pleasing and delightful unto us. But this holiness which was Adams choicest sparkling gemm of beauty, and his weightiest crown of glory, is by Satan's policy long since fallen off from Adams head; now if this Legal holiness were the holiness meant in the text, then woe to man that ever he was born; for then no man should ever see the Lord. For by Adams fall all men are gone out of the way, and there is none legally righteous, no not one. Now if we look upon man as fallen from that holiness which was his greatest honor, dignity and excellency, he is become a pile of dust, a puff of wind, saith one, a dream of a shadow saith another, a shadow of smoke, saith a third: a poor silly flea, a worm, a little foul, a curious nothing; yea, man fallen from his primitive glory is become a very vanity, saith the Prophet, Psalm 39.5. Verily, Every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Verily, this asseveration is only used in matters of greatest weight and moment: and notes the reality and certainty of the things delivered. Every man (chol Adam all Adam) Or every Son of Adam, not some man, but every man at his best state ( Nitsab from Jatsab ) that is, in his most settled and composed condition, when he is best constituted and underlaid, when he stands a tiptoe, and is in the heighth and perfection of all creature comforts and contentments, is altogether, not in some measure, but altogether vanity, (chol Hebel) all vanity. Since the fall of Adam every natural man in his best estate is vanity: nay, every man is every vanity: Imagine what vanity you will, fallen man is that, he is a comprehensive vanity: be is an Epitome of all vanity. Man in honor before his fall, was the best of creatures, but since his fall he is become the worst of creatures; by his fall he is fallen below the very beasts that perish, Isaiah 1.3, 4. Prov. 6.6. Jer. 8.7. Matth. 6. He that was once the Image of God, the glory of Paradise, the worlds Lord, and the Lord's darling, is now become a burden to heaven, a burden to himself, and a slave to others, &c. which made One cry out,

By all which, you may easily perceive how far we are off from that legal holiness that Adam had in innocence. Rabbi Solomon makes Adam so high, that he touched heaven with his head. I shall not dispute the certainty of that: but certainly, the higher he was in holiness, the greater was his fall, and ours in him. This Legal holiness was so lost in Adam, that no son of Adam could ever find it since Adam fell: and if this were the holiness without which no man should ever see the Lord, then farewell forever to the sons of Adam. But this legal holiness is not the holiness in the Text.

Secondly, There is an Imaginary holiness, a Conceited [ 2] holiness, an Opinionative holiness, Prov. 30.12. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness: they were very bad, and yet they had a great opinion of their own goodness; they were very filthy, and yet they stood very much upon their own purity; their hands were black, their hearts were black, their works were black, and their ways were as black as hell and yet they durst say that none could say black was their eye: they were filthy within, and filthy without, filthy in body, and filthy in soul, and filthy in spirit; filthiness had quite overspred them, and yet they thought to cover their filthiness with a vizzard of holiness (the worst men are commonly best conceited of themselves.) Ah friends, there hath been no generation wherein there hath not been such a generation of men who have wallowed in sin like Swine in the mire, and yet have kept up in themselves a strong opinion of their own goodness and holiness: this generation had neither their souls nor consciences washed in the blood of Christ, nor sanctified by the spirit of Christ, and yet they gloried in their conceited purity and holiness, as if they had been purified by Christ. There are many that are shining Christians, that are pure golden Christians in their own eyes, that are viler then dross, yea, then smoke in God's eyes, Isa. 65.5. Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier then thou: these are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day: they were very licentious, very ungracious, very rebellious, very Superstitious, very Idolatrous, ver. 2, 3, 4. and yet counted themselves very religious: they were worse then others, and yet thought themselves better then others; they were very bad, and yet judged themselves very good: they were more impure, more profane, and more polluted then others, and yet they reckon themselves more pure and holier then others: they stand upon their comparative goodnesses, and yet at the the same time are charged by God of the greatest wickedness. And thus their kinsmen the Pharisees stand upon their images, forgeries, and outward dresses of holiness, when at the same time they practiced the worst of wickedness, Mat. 23.5. Luke 30. & 18.11, 12. So those in Hos. 12.8. And Ephraim said, yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labors they shall find no iniquity in me, that were sin; or is sin. Ephraim's iniquities were grown ever his head (as may be seen throughout this whole Prophecy) and yet Ephraim cannot bear the being charged with iniquity: it was little less then sin to charge Ephraim with sin, though he was notoriously guilty of the highest crimes: yet he would have you to know that he was as shy of sin, and as clear of sin, as he that was shiest and clearest. Ephraim could give good words when his works were abominable; he could pretend much to innocence, when he was guilty of the greatest impiety: but though Ephraim had his cloak at hand, yet it was too short to cover his sin; for God saw it, and condemned him for it. Chrysostom doth elegantly set forth the blindness and brutishness of such persons. When they lie in the mire (saith he) they think they are besmeared with some sweet ointments: when they are full of Vermin, they vaunt themselves, as if they were adorned with precious stones. And so the Laodiceans were of the same temper of spirit, Rev. 3.17. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing: and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. They had a great opinion of their own goodness, worth, and excellent state, having need of nothing, when they they had nothing of a Christian in them. Thou sayest thou art rich, I but thou dost but say so; thou boastest and braggest of thy riches: as many proud Beggars do of that wealth they have not; for all thou deemest thyself rich, thou art but poor and beggarly. It is man's sin, and judgment, that ever since he ceased to be what he should be, he striveth to seem to be what he is not: Thou sayest thou art increased with goods, and needest nothing; I, but thou dost but say so, thou dost but dream it is so: for thou art ignorant of thine own wretched and lamentable estate; Thou sayest thou art rich, but I know thou art poor and beggarly: if a dram of grace would save thy life, thy soul, thy family, nay, the whole world, thou hast it not: Thou sayest, thou seest: but thou art blind, thou art destitute of spiritual eye-sight; thou seest not thine own wants, nor Christ's worth: thine own emptiness, nor Christ's fullness: thine own sinfulness, nor Christ's holiness: thine own poverty, nor Christ's (riches and) plenty; thine own misery, nor Christ's mercy: thine own insufficiency, nor Christ's all sufficiency: thine own vanity, nor Christ's glory, &c. Multi multa sciunt, se autem nemo: Many know much, but few know themselves, or their own danger, infelicity, or misery: and indeed no misery to this. The Chinese use to say of themselves, that all other Nations of the world did see but with one eye, they only with two; and of this spirit and temper were those blind Laodiceans: they thought they knew all things, when they knew nothing that they should, nor as they should. By all which you may see, that there is an imaginary holiness, a conceited holiness, where there is no real holiness; but an imaginary holiness will bring a man but to an imaginary blessedness; a conceited holiness will bring a man but to a conceited happiness; he that doth but dream that he is holy, he doth but dream that he shall be happy.

Bastards of old were not to inherit, but to be thrust out from among the true heirs, Judges 11.1, 2. Now Jepthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah: And Gileads wife bare him sons, and his wives sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our Fathers house, for thou art the son of a strange woman. Ah Sirs, you that are but bastard Christians, bastard Professors, bastard Believers, bastard Saints, you shall never inherit among the heirs of glory, but shall be thrust out forever from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power, and thrust into utter darkness, because you have pleased yourselves, and satisfied your spirits, and blest your souls in a bastard holiness, in a conceited holiness, Deut. 23.2. A bastard shall not inherit in the Congregation of the Lord: he shall have no fellowship, nor communion with the people of God: the door of Admission shall be shut upon him: The foolish Virgins had but a Bastard holiness, a conceited holiness, an outward dress of holiness: and therefore the door of life, the door of hope, the door of help, the door of grace, the door of mercy, the door of glory was shut upon them. William the Conqueror was much slighted and scorned because he was a Bastard: God and his people will slight such, and scorn such, and turn their backs at last upon such that have no more then a bastardly holiness: and therefore this cannot be the holiness here meant: But,

[ 3] Thirdly, There is an outward, external visible holiness, which includes men's freedom from scandalous vices, and their ordinary performance of religious duties. Now in this sense Zacharias and Elizabeth were both holy persons: for they walked in all the commandments and ordinances of God blameless. And so the Apostles, 1 Thess. 2.10. For ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily, and justly, and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: Answerable to this, is that of the Apostle in 2 Cor. 1.12. For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, Not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-wards. These precious souls behaved themselves holily towards God, justly towards the world, and unblameably towards believers; they were holy in Religious work, they were just in their Civil affairs and Commerce, and unblameable in their private carriage and behavior amongst their familiar and most bosom friends. And this is that the Apostle presses upon Christians in Phil. 2.15. That ye may be blameless and harmeless, the sons of God, without rebuke, (or unblemished) in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation, among whom ye shine (or shine ye) as lights in the world. Christians must be the spotless sons of God: they must have no spots upon them that are inconsistent with Sonship, or Saintship. Now it is certain: without this outward visible holiness there is no happiness, there is no fruition of God in everlasting blessedness: They that pretend their hearts are as good as the best, when their lives are as bad as the worst, shall experience this truth at last to their shame and cost, that without visible holiness here, there can be no fruition of God hereafter.

Yet this must be granted, that a man may be visibly holy, that is not inwardly holy: A man may be outwardly holy, that is not throughout holy: a man may have an outward dress of holiness upon him, that hath not the spirit and vitals of holiness in him: As Judas had, and Simon Magus had, and Demas had, and the Scribes and Pharisees had, Matth. 23.25, 27, 28. We unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye are like unto whited Sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. They were outwardly religious, but inwardly vicious; they had the semblance of sanctity but (inwardly) very full of impurity: They were fair Professors, but foul Sinners; they were gracious without, but impious within. Look as they are the worst of vices that are covered over with the show of virtue: so they are the worst of sinners that cover over their inward filthiness under the vizards of outward holiness. The Egyptian Temples were fair without, but foul and filthy within; such were the Scribes and Pharisees in Christ's days, and such are many professors in our days. It is said of Dionysius the Tyrant, that though he loved not the Philophers, yet he would wrap himself up in their cloaks, that men might have the better opinion of him: So there be many that put on an outward dress of holiness, that wrap themselves up in the cloak of holiness, that so others may take them for holy persons, and yet they love not holiness, they have nothing of real honliess in them; but as he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, but not inwardly: so he is not a holy person who is only so outwardly, but not inwardly; that hath the name of holiness upon him, but hath no principles of holiness in him: though without outward visible holiness no man shall see the Lord; yet a man may have an outward visible holiness, that shall never see the Lord in happiness. I hate him even to hell (saith the Heathen in Homer ) that saith one thing with his mouth, and thinketh another thing in his heart. So God will at last hate that man to hell, yea, cast him into the hottest place in hell, that hath a form of godliness upon him, but nothing of the reality and power of holiness in him. Outward holiness is good, but it must be throughout-holiness that will do a man good to all eternity. It is not the shows but the substance of holiness that will bring a man to everlasting happiness: Meer outward holiness will certainly leave a man short of heaven and happiness: but throughout-holiness will certainly lodge the soul in the bosom of God forever. It is true, all men reach not to an outward holiness; which made Athanasius wish, Utinam omnes essent Hypocritae, Would to God that all were hypocrites: Without all peradventure, it is a very desirable thing that all were outwardly holy: yet all that reach to this, must go farther, or else they will sit down on this side happiness, Mat. 5.20. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven: Now they were much in works of Piety, in works of Charity, in works of Equity, and in works of Curtesie, by which means they gained so much upon the hearts of the people, that it was commonly conceited and voted among them, that if there were but two of all the world that should go to heaven, the one should be a Scribe, and the other a Pharisee. Yet your righteousness must exceed theirs, or the gates of glory will be shut upon you. Their righteousness and holiness was only external, not internal; it was partial, not universal; it was rather circumstantial then substantial: and therefore Heavens doors were double-bolted against them. Heaven is for that man, and that man is for heaven, that is not only outwardly holy, but throughout holy.

Fourthly, There is a Relative holiness; now Relative holiness [ 4] is a special relation which persons or things have unto God. Relative holiness includes two things.

First, A separation of persons or things from common use: [ 1] and thus in the Law, those things were called holy which were separated from common use, and set apart for the Worship and Service of God: As the Oil, Shewbread, First-fruits, Incense, Altars, Vestments; and in this sense the Priests and Levites were called holy, because they were separated from others to serve in the Tabernacle. And in this sense the people of Israel are frequently called a sanctified people, a holy people, &c. The Greek word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 answers to the Hebrew word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which commonly signifies that which is appropriated to a holy use: and this is the proper notion of holiness in the Old and New Testament, as I might show you out of some hundred places of Scripture. Now certainly without this holiness of special separation from the common conversation of the world, there is no seeing of God, nor no fruition of God hereafter, 2 Cor. 6.17, 18. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. God will have no communion with any in this world that are not separated from the sinful practices of the world. God will look upon none, he will own none, he will delight in none, he will acknowledge none, he will receive none for his sons and daughters, but such as are separated from all evil vices, and unholy courses. Suitable to this, is Isa. 52.11. Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean things, go ye out of the midst of her; Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. Estrange yourselves from them that are estranged from God; have nothing to do with them that have nothing to do with God; separate yourselves from them who have separated themselves from God; have no delightful converse with them who have no delightful converse with God; have no bosom communion with them that have no bosom communion with God. Oh Sirs, you are to keep yourselves as pure and clean from others defilements, as you would keep yourselves free from others punishments: He that will imitate others in their sins, shall certainly participate with others in their sorrows. It is true we may live with wicked men in their Cities: but it is as true, we must not lie with wicked men in their enormities. There are many professors that are like the Planet Mercury, good in conjunction with those that are good, and bad with those that are bad; but these wound many at once: God, Christ, the Gospel, and their own credits and consciences: These do virtutis stragulam pudefacere, put virtue to an open shame: And these are deservedly to be shamed by your separating from them, and by your renouncing all intimate communion or fellowship with them. But,

Secondly, As Relative holiness takes in a separation of persons or things from common use, so it takes in a dedication and devoting of them to a holy use. And thus the Nazarites, Temple, Mount Zion, the Sabbath day, and other Festival days are said to be holy under the Law. In short, the whole Jewish Religion did lie in holy times, holy places, holy persons, and holy things; and certainly without this holiness, without this dedicating of ourselves to God, we shall never come to a glorious fruition of God; he that doth not dedicate himself really to God, wholly to God, only to God, and always to God on earth, shall never come to a sight and vision of God in heaven: if we do not give up ourselves to God, God will never give up himself to us, Hos. 3.3. And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days: thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee. God will be only theirs that are really his: and he will be altogether theirs that are wholly his; he will only be a husband to them that dedicate themselves to him, as a wife doth to her husband: he will devote himself theirs, who devote themselves his: he will avouch himself to be theirs who avouch themselves to be his, Deut. 26.17, 18, 19. Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his Statutes, and his Commandments, and his Judgments, and to hearken unto his voice. And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldst keep all his commandments: And to make thee high above all Nations which he hath made in praise, and in name, and in honor, and that thou mayst be a holy people unto the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken. God will resign himself up to them who resign themselves up to him; he will give up himself to them that have given up their names and their hearts to him: He will bestow himself as the greatest pearl of price upon them that shall make a surrender of themselves to him. There is no way to be higher then others, happier then others, more noble and honorable then others, then by making a dedi -gift of ourselves to God. He that dedicates himself to God, dedicates all; he that doth not dedicate himself, dedicates nothing at all. What Eschines once said to Socrates, Others, said he, give thee Gold, Silver, Jewels, but I give thee myself: That must a Christian say to his God, Ah Lord, there are some that give thee their lips, but I give thee my heart; others give thee good words, good expressions, but I give thee the best of my affections: others give thee a few cold prayers, but I give thee my whole soul: and had I as many hearts in my body as I have hairs on my head, I would give them all to thee: for thou art worthy, thou only art worthy. What the King of Israel once said to the King of Syria, I am thine, and all that I have, that must a Christian say to his Christ, I am thine O Lord, and all that I have. A Christian must cry out with him who cried, Lord, I have two mites, a soul and a body, and I give them both to thee. And this was the honor and commendations of the Macedonians, that they gave up themselves to the Lord, 2 Cor. 8.5. Having no better present at hand, they present themselves to God; and certainly there is no present more honorable, dilectable, and acceptable to God then this, of giving up ourselves to God. Well, remember this: That man was never really holy, that is not relatively holy; nor that man will never be really happy, that is not relatively holy: without Relative holiness there will be no vision of God in everlasting happiness: We must be separated from the corruptions and pollutions of the world, and we must dedicate ourselves to God, or we shall never come to a future fruition of God. But,

[ 5] Fifthly, There is an imputative holiness, and that is the holiness of Christ imputed to us. For to prevent mistakes, you may please to take notice that there is a twofold holiness in Christ: first, there is his essential and personal holiness as he is God: Now this essential holiness of Christ cannot be imparted nor imputed to any mortal man; it is essential to him. But Secondly, there is his mediatory holiness, or that holiness which he wrought for us as Mediator. Now the holiness of Christ as Mediator did consist both in the habitual holiness of his person, in the absence of all sin, and in the rich and plentiful presence of all holy and supernatural qualities, as also in the actual holiness of his life and death: by his active obedience, by his subjecting of his heart and life to divine precepts, he perfectly fulfilled the commands of the Law: and by his passive obedience, his voluntary sufferings, he fully satisfied the comminations, penalties, and curses of the Law. Now this mediatory holiness of Christ's is ours by imputation, and by virtue of which we stand recti in curia, justified in the sight of God, 1 Cor. 1.30. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: This Mediatory holiness of Christ reckoned unto a believing sinner, is that whereby he is constituted holy in foro Dei; and upon this account they are said to be all fair, Cant. 4.7. to be without spot or wrinkle, Ephes. 5.25, 26, 27. to be complete in him, Col. 2.10. and to be without fault before the throne of God, Rev. 14.4, 5. And certainly, without this mediatory holiness of Christ there is no appearing before God, there is no glorious vision nor fruition of God. God is a God of that infinite purity and holiness, that no holiness below the imputative holiness of Christ can make a man stand before him, or bring a man to the fruition of him. It was a very sweet and excellent saying of Bernard, when in his own opinion he was at the point of death: I confess (said he) I am not worthy, I have no merits of mine own to obtain heaven by: but my Lord had a double right thereunto; An hereditary right, as a Son, and a Meritorious right as a Sacrifice: He was contented with the one right himself; the other right he hath given unto me; by the virtue of which gift, I do rightly lay claim unto it, and am not confounded. Though we cannot lay claim to heaven, nor to a blessed fruition of God by any inherent holiness in us, it being weak and imperfect; yet we may lay claim to both by the mediatory holiness of Christ imputed to us. As Christ's Essential holiness gives him an hereditary right to everlasting happiness; So his Mediatory holiness gives us a right to everlasting blessedness. The costly cloak (of Alcisthenes ) which Dionysius sold to the Carthaginians for an hundred Talents, was but a mean and beggarly ragg to that embroidered royal Robe of Christ's mediatory holiness, that is imputed or reckoned to us. And therefore as ever you would come to a vision of God in happiness, you must labor to be interested by faith in Christ's mediatory holiness. But,

Sixthly and Lastly, there is an inherent, internal qualitative [ 6] holiness: Now this inherent holiness lies in two things. First, in the infusing of holy principles, divine qualities, or supernatural graces into the soul; such as the Apostle mentions in Gal. 5.22, 23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no Law. These habits of grace which are severally distinguished by the names of faith, love, hope, meekness, &c. are nothing else but the new nature, or new-man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, Ephes. 4.24. These seeds of holiness, these habits of grace are those sweet ointments with which all must be anointed, that shall ever come to a blessed sight or vision of God. You may know much of God, you may hear much of God, you may talk much of God, and you may boast much of your hopes and interest in God, and yet without these habits of holiness, you shall never, come to a blessed fruition of God in happiness; without these feeds of holiness, you shall never reap a crop of blessedness. But,

[ 2] Secondly, This inherent, this qualitative holiness lies in an holy use and exercise of those supernatural graces in a way of holy walking; all holy habits must be brought forth into holy acts; gracious habits must be attended with gracious motions; gracious operations, and a gracious conversation: outward works must be suitable to inward habits; it is with spiritual habits as it is with natural habits; the more they are acted and exercised, the more they are increased and strengthened: holy habits are golden Talents that must be employed and improved. Gracious habits are the candles of the Lord set up in us: and God hath set up those candles of heaven not to idle by, not to sleep by, but to work by, and to walk by. Where there is holiness of disposition, there must be, nay, there will be holiness of conversation; a holy heart is always attended with a holy life: you may separate a man from his friend, but you can never separate (though you may distinguish) acts of holiness from the habits of holiness: now it is certain without this holiness, you shall never come to a sight or fruition of God in happiness. And thus I have shown you what that holiness is, without which there is no hope, no possibility of ever seeing the Lord.

I come now to the second thing, and that is, to prove the truth of the Proposition, viz. That without men are holy, they can never be happy; without holiness on earth, none of the sons of men shall ever come to a blessed vision and fruition of God in heaven. Now this great and weighty truth, I shall make good by an induction of particulars thus.

[ 1] First, God hath by very plain and clear Scriptures bolted and barred the door of heaven and happiness against all unholy ones. Witness 1 Cor. 6.9, 10. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God. Heaven is an undefiled inheritance, and none that are defiled can enter into the possession of it. When the Angels fell from their righteousness, heaven rejected them; it would no longer hold them: and will it now accept of the unrighteous? will it now entertain and welcome them? surely no. Such sinners make the very earth to mourn and groan now, and shall they make heaven to mourn and groan hereafter? Surely no. What though the Serpent did wind himself into an earthy Paradise, yet none of the seed of the Serpent (so remaining) shall ever be able to wind themselves into a heavenly Paradise, witness Gal. 19.20, 21. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I also have told you in time past, that they which do such things, shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Before they go to hell he tells them again and again, that they shall not inherit the kingdom of God. By the Kingdom of God, we are to to understand the kingdom of Heaven, the kingdom of glory: now the kingdom of heaven, of glory, is called the kingdom of God; 1. Because he hath prepared it. 2. Because it is a royal gift that he confers and bestows upon his little, little flock. Augustus in his Solemn Feasts gave trifles to some, and Gold to others: The trifles of this world God often gives to the worst and basest of men; but the kingdom of heaven he only gives to his bosom friends. 3. Because that of, and under him, the Saints hold it and possess it. 4. Because with him they shall forever reign in the fruition of it. And so that in John 3.3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, be cannot see the kingdom of God. To give a little light into the words.

Verily, verily; the Greek is Amen, amen: The word Amen is Hebrew, and in the Old Testament is most commonly used by way of wishing, or imprecation; but here, and in other places of the New Testament, the sense of it is altered from precatory to assertory, or from the way of wishing, to the way of affirming. This phrase, Amen, amen, or Verily, verily, imports,

[ 1] First, The truth and certainty of the things delivered; for the word Amen doth properly signify truth.

[ 2] Secondly, This double Asseveration is never used but in matters of greatest weight and importance; the matters here spoken of, are of a very celestial and sublime Nature.

[ 3] Thirdly, This gemination Verily, verily, is a vehement confirmation of what Christ speaks.

[ 4] Fourthly, This gemination calls aloud for the greatest observation, and most serious attention of the soul to what Christ is a saying.

I say unto thee; I, that thou hast confessed to be a Teacher sent from God; I, that lie in the bosom of the Father; I, that am of the Cabinet Counsel of heaven; I, that know his heart, and all his secrets; I, that am the faithful and true witness and cannot lie; I, that am called the Amen, the truth itself; I, that have the keys of heaven and hell at my own Girdle; I, that open and no man shuts, and I that shut and no man opens; I that shall be your Judge in the great day, I say unto thee, &c.

Except a man be born again; A man, be he old or young, learned or unlearned, high or low, rich or poor, knowing or ignorant, circumcised or uncircumcised, under this form or that, a member of this Church or that, let his disposition be nev • r so ingenuous, and his parts never so high, and his conversation (as to men) never so blameless and harmless; yet except this man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Be born again: Except a man be first unmade, and newmade up again; except he be of an old creature made a new creature, yea, a new creation of God, there is no seeing of the kingdom of God; the whole frame of the old man must be dissolved, and a new frame erected; else there is no heaven to be enjoyed. The kingdom of God is a divine kingdom, and there is no possession of it without a divine nature; a new head without a new heart; a new lip without a new life, will never bring a man to this kingdom of light. That man is for the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of God is for that man, that hath got the kingdom of God within him; if the kingdom of grace do not enter into thee here, thou shalt never enter into the kingdom of glory hereafter. A new heart is for a new heaven, and a new heaven is for a new heart. Except a man be born again, except a man be born from above, and so Cyril interprets that word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . Generation in some sense is from below, but regeneration is only from above, and without this there is no fruition of God above.

He cannot see the kingdom of God. The Scripture speaks of several Cannots.

First, There is a natural Cannot: now every son and [ 1] daughter of Adam is by nature born under a Cannot; they are all born under a cannot believe, a cannot repent, a cannot love God, a cannot walk with God, a cannot see God, a cannot enjoy God, 1 Cor. 2.14. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. A blind man cannot see colors, nor a natural man cannot discern spiritual things: they are too high, they are too sublime for him, they are mysteries that he cannot understand, that he cannot unriddle. The natural man can ascend no higher then nature, as the water can rise no higher then the spring from whence it comes. The Scripture sets such sad souls below the Ox, and the Ass, Isa. 1.3. Take nature civilized, and moralized, refined and raised, sublimated, strengthened, and improved to the utmost, and it cannot enable a man to do a supernatural action; nature cannot act ultra sphaeram, above itself. But,

Secondly, there is a contracted and an habituated Cannot: [ 2] and of this Cannot the Prophet speaks in Jer. 6.10. To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach: they have no delight in it: They had by their carnality, impiety, sensuality, security and obstinacy, contracted upon their poor souls such deafness, wretchedness, unteachableness, and untractableness, that they could neither love the word, nor like it: they could neither take pleasure nor delight in it; nay, they could neither hear it, nor bear it, though it never so nearly concerned the internal and eternal welfare of their souls. And of this Cannot the Apostle speaks in 2 Pet. 2.14. Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices: cursed children. By their riot and excess, by their lasciviousness and wantonness, by their looseness and uncleanness which they had habituated and accustomed themselves unto, they brought upon themselves a cursed necessity of sinning, so that they could not cease from sin: They mourn over sin, and yet they cannot cease from sin: they resolve against sin, yet they cannot cease to sins they pray against sin, yet they cannot cease to sin: they make many promises, vows, and Covenants against sin, yet they cannot cease from sin, their souls being habituated and accustomated thereunto, Jer. 2.20. For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst I will not transgress: (I will never play the harlot more: but were they as good as their word? no,) for upon every high hill, and under every green tree, they wandered playing the harlot. I have read of a man who in the time of his sickness, was so terrified in his conscience for his sins, that he made the very bed to shake upon which he lay: and cried out all night long, I am damned, I am damned, and made many great promises and protestations of amendment of life, if God would be pleased to recover him; In a little while he did recover: and being recovered, he was as base and vile, as wretched and wicked as ever he was before. Custom in sin takes away all conscience of sin, Jer. 13.23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the Leopard his spots? then may he also do good that is accustomed to do evil. The Ethiopian cannot make his black skin white: he cannot change the hew or the color of it by washing; to attempt this is but labor in vain. Nor the Leopard cannot change his spots: no more can a poor sinner that hath habituated and accustomed himself to sin, that is desperately enthralled to sin, turn from his sin: The spots of the Leopard are not in him by accident but by nature: and they are such which no Art can cure, nor water wash off, because they are not only in the skin, but in the flesh and bones, in the sinews and most inward parts. By custom sin hath bespotted not only the skin, the life, the outside of a poor sinner, but also the very heart and soul of a poor sinner, so as that he is never able to wash off these spots. Ambrose reports of one Theotimus, that having a disease upon his body, his Physician told him, that except he did abstain from intemperance, drunkenness, uncleanness, &c. he was like to lose his eyes; his heart being habituated to sin, and set upon wickedness, he answered, Vale lumen amicum, farewell sweet light then. But,

Thirdly, as there is a contracted Cannot, an habituated [ 3] Cannot, so there is a judicial Cannot. The Lord inflicts a judicial cannot upon many persons in judgment: they cannot return from their sins, they cannot withstand a temptation, they cannot lay hold on eternal life, they cannot make sure work for their souls, they cannot leave their bosom lusts, they cannot prefer Christ above all the world, they cannot make provision for eternity, they cannot see the things that belong to their peace, &c. and this Cannot the Lord in wrath hath brought upon them, Isa. 6.9, 10. And he said, Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not: and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; (or anoint, besmeer, lime their eyes) lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert and be healed. They would not see, they shall not see; they would not hear, they shall not hear; they would not understand, they shall not understand: they would not convert, they shall not convert: they would not be healed, they shall not be healed. When men are stiffly and desperately resolved upon their sinful courses, when men grow stubborn, rebellious, licentious, and will willfully wink and shut their eyes against the light, and stop their ears against the truth, God in his just judgment gives them up to dullness, stupidness, blindness, darkness, Isa. 44.18. They have not known nor understood, for he hath shut their eyes that they cannot see; (or he hath daubed up their eyes from seeing) and their hearts, that they cannot understand. God in his righteous judgment casts a judicial Cannot upon them, he hath daubed up their eyes that they cannot see, and he hath shut up their hearts that they cannot understand the great concernments of their souls. Now whilst men lie under these sad Cannots, they can never see the kingdom of God. These three Cannots like a threefold cord, bind poor sinners, so as that they can never come to a sight or fruition of God in grace or glory till they are delivered from these Cannots, by a new birth, by being born again.

See the kingdom of God: that is, they cannot enter into it, they cannot enjoy it, they can have no child's part or portion in it, except they are new born, except they pass the pangs of the second birth. Let their education be never so sweet, their illumination never so great, their profession never so amiable, and their conversation never so unblameable; yet except they are new born, it had been good for them that they had never been born. And thus you see by plain Scriptures, that the Lord hath bolted the gates of glory against all unholy persons.

[ 2] A second Argument to prove, that without holiness, there is no happiness, &c. is this; Without holiness men are strangers to God, and therefore without holiness they cannot be admitted to a co-habitation with God. God loves not to dwell with strangers, nor to associate himself with strangers; now such are all unholy persons, Ephes. 2.12. That at time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel, (or being far removed from the Citizenship of Israel) and strangers from the Covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. Here are five withouts in the words, 1. They were without God the Author of hope. 2. They were without Christ the foundation of hope. 3. They were without the Church (which was contained in the Common-wealth of Israel ) the place of hope. 4. They were without the Covenants of promise. (That is, they were without the precious promises which God in his Covenant had made, and oftentimes renewed with the Israelites, and therefore called Covenants in the plural number) the ground and reason of hope. And Lastly, they were without the grace of hope: they had no hope of communion with Christ, no hope of fellowship with the Saints; no hope of any interest in the promise; no hope of reconciliation to God here, nor no hope of a fruition of God hereafter. And thus you see what strangers they were to the Lord, and to the great concernments of their own souls. God of old would not have strangers come into his Sanctuary: And do you think then that he will ever admit such into heaven? Surely no. Ezek. 44.6.7, 9. And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God, O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations, In that ye have brought into my Sanctuary strangers uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my Sanctuary to pollute it, even my house; when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my Covenant, because of all your abominations. Thus saith the Lord God, No stranger uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh shall enter into my Sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel. Such as had no holiness within, nor no holiness without: such as had no holiness in their hearts, nor no holiness in their lives, God would not have them to enter into his Sanctuary; and therefore certainly such he will never suffer to enter into heaven. If God shuts the doors of an earthly Tabernacle against such as were strangers to him, to his Covenant, to his Church, and to themselves, will he not much more shut the door of his heavenly Tabernacle against such that are strangers to him, and to his Christ, and to his word, yea, that are strangers to their own souls, and to all the concernments of another world? and such are all those that are uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh. Princes Palaces are not for strangers, but for sons, friends, familiars, favorites; no more is the Palace of heaven: we will not admit strangers to cohabit with us: and will • od admit such to cohabit with him, that never had any acquaintance or familiarity with him? Surely no. In history we read of such Towns and Cities as would not admit strangers to inhabit among them: and such a City is that above. It hath been long since concluded, that (In coelo nullus erit alienus) in heaven there shall be no strangers: none shall be admitted into that state, but such as God knows by name. Charon (in Lucian ) requesting Mercurius to show him Jupiter's Palace above; how says Mercurius, that such a caitiff as thou whose conversation hath been altogether with black shades, and impure ghosts, shouldst set thy foot in that pure place of light! what a dishonor and derogation were that to the place! The Application is easy.

[ 3] Unholy persons have fellowship and familiarity with Satan, and therefore doubtless God will have no familiarity nor fellowship with them. As righteousness can have no fellowship with unrighteousness, nor light with darkness, nor Christ with Belial, nor heaven with hell, no more can a holy God have any communion or fellowship with unholy souls: for they are Satan's house, Luke 11.21. he keeps possession of them as a man doth of his house, and hath familiarity with them as a man hath with those of his house: he is their Father, and they are his children, John 8.44. and look what familiarity a Father hath with his children, that hath an unholy devil with unholy souls. A workman cannot be more familiar with his tools, then Satan is with unholy souls, and therefore he is said to work in the children of disobedience; as a Smith worketh in his forge, or as an Artificer worketh in his shop, Ehpes. 2.2. Unholy persons have bosom fellowship with Satan, 1 John 5.19. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness: or in that wicked one the Devil, as the Greek will bear; they lie as it were in the bosom of Satan, as the child lies in the bosom of the Mother, or as the Wife lies in the bosom of the Husband, or as a friend lies in the bosom of his friend: Unholy persons partake with him at his Table, they eat with him, and drink with him, and converse with him, 1 Cor. 10.21. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of Devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's Table, and of the Table of Devils. Ambrose brings in the Devil boasting against Christ, and challenging Judas as his own thus, He is not thine Lord Jesus, he is mine; his thoughts beat for me; He eats with thee, but is fed by me; he takes bread from thee, but money from me: he drinks with thee, and sells thy blood to me. By all which you may see what fellowship and familiarity there is between Satan and a sinner. Now what is this less then blasphemy to assert, that a holy God will have fellowship with them that have fellowship with the Devil? God hath not cast Satan out of heaven, that he may make room for his familiars in heaven: if heaven was too holy to hold unholy devils, it will be found at last to be too holy to hold unholy souls; certainly they shall not lie in the bosom of God, who have the Devil for their bed-fellow.

Fourthly, Unholy persons are full of contrariety to God; [ 4] their natures, principles, practices, aims, minds, wills, affections, judgments, intentions, and resolutions, are contrary to God, his name, nature, being, truth and glory; you may as soon bring East and West, North and South, light and darkness, heaven and hell together, as you shall bring a holy God and unholy souls together. Antipathies will never incorporate; as soon may midnight be married to the noonday, as a holy God embrace an unholy sinner. That unholy persons are made up of contrarieties to God, is most evident, as you may see in Isa. 22.12, 13. And in that day did the Lord God of Hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldnest, and to girding with sack-cloth: And behold, joy, and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine; let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die. These sad souls practice quite contrary to what the Lord calls for at their hands: he calls them to weeping, and mourning; and behold joy and gladness: he calls them to fasting, and behold here is nothing but feasting, carousing, and making merry, and jovial, and that in contempt of God and his dreadful judgments. Unholy persons are like the Rainbow; now the Rainbow is never on that side of the world that the Sun is on; but whensoever it appears, it is still in opposition against the Sun if the Sun be in the East, the Rainbow is in the West, &c. So unholy souls in all t • eir actings and walkings will still be opposite to God; they will still be cross and contrary to him, John 8.38. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your Father. Unholy hearts are full of the highest strains of contrariety and opposition against the Lord. I have read of a King (that Reigned in no very remote part of the world) who having received a blow from the hand of God, took a solemn Oath to be revenged on him; and ordained that for ten years space no man should pray to him, speak of him, nor so long as he was in Authority, to believe in him. O the vanity, the contrariety and blasphemy of this Prince! Now we will not admit such to be about us who are made up of contrarieties to us: and will God, will God? heaven and earth, fire and water, the Woolf and the Lamb, the Winds and the Sea will sooner accord then a holy God, and an unholy heart. There can be no amity where there is a spiritual Antipathy.

[ 5] 5. Fifthly, Without holiness no man can have any spiritual communion with God in this world; he may hear, but he can have no communion with God in hearing without holiness; he may pray, but he can have no communion with God in prayer without holiness: he may come to the Sacrament, but he can have no communion with God in the Sacrament without holiness; he may come into the communion of Saints, but he can have no communion with God in the communion of Saints without holiness: he may read and meditate, but he can have no communion with God in reading and meditation without holiness, Deut. 23.14. For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy Camp to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy Camp be holy, that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee. Keep up holiness among you, and you shall keep me among you, saith God; but if you turn away from holiness, I will undoubtedly turn away from you: a holy God will keep company with none but those that are holy. Holiness is the bond that ties God and souls together: God will cleave close to them who in holiness cleave fast to him: but if he see uncleanness and wickedness among you, he will certainly turn away from you. The holy spirit gives the lie to those that say they have fellowship with God, and yet maintain familiarity and fellowship with sin, 1 John 1.6. If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie. The Apostle dares give the lie to any man (without fearing the stab) who pretends to communion with God, and yet walks in darkness. Men may be much in Ordinances, and yet for want of holiness may have no communion at all with God in Ordinances. Isaiah 1.11.— 18. and though communion with God in Ordinances is the very life and soul of Ordinances; yet multitudes who enjoy Ordinances can content and satisfy themselves without that which is the very life, soul and quintessense of Ordinances. There are many that cry out, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, who have no communion with the Lord of the Temple at all, Jer. 7.4.— 12. Though unholy persons may trade much in Ordinances, yet they will never make any earnings, any advantage by all their trading and stir, because they cannot reach to communion with God in them, which is the only means of being enriched by them. As many men rise early and go to bed late, and make a great deal of stir and do to be rich in the world, and yet for want of a stock nothing comes on it; they are poor still, and beggarly still, and low and mean in the world still. So many rise early, and go late to Ordinances, they exercise themselves much in religious duties, and yet nothing comes on it; their souls are poor, and beggarly, and thredbare still: And no wonder; for they want a stock of holiness to trade with. Remigius a Judge of Lorraign, saith that the Devil in those parts did use to give money to Witches which at first did appear to be good and currant coin, but after a while it turned to dry leaves. Ah Sirs, all duties and Ordinances to a man that wants holiness, will be sound at last to be but as dry leaves, to be sapless and lifeless, and heartless, and comfortless to him. Now if without holiness no man can have any spiritual communion or fellowship with God here, then certainly without holiness no man can have a glorious communion with God hereafter: if without holiness God will not take us into his arms on earth, then undoubtedly without holiness God will never put us into his bosom in heaven. But to proceed.

[ 6] Unholy persons are fools; and what should such do in the presence of God, who is wisdom itself; the fool and the ungodly man, are (Synonomaes) words signifying the same thing in Scripture, Psalm 14.1. The fool (i. e. the wicked, the unholy person) hath said in his heart, there is no God: they are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doth good, Jer. 4.22. For my people are foolish, they have not known me, they are sottish children, and they have no understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge, Prov. 1.7. Fools despise wisdom, and instruction, that is, wicked and ungodly men despise wisdom and instruction: and to show that the world is full of such fools, he uses the word in the plural no less then sixteen times in this book of the Proverbs. I shall open this truth a little more to you, by proving that they have all the characteristical notes and properties of fools: So that one face is not more like another, then a fool is like a wicked man, or then a wicked man is like a fool: For,

First, A fool prefers toys and trifles before things of greatest [ 1] worth: he prefers a brass counter before a piece of gold, a fine Baby before a rich inheritance: an Apple that pleaseth the eye, before a pearl of greatest price; so wicked and ungodly men, they prefer their lusts before the Lord, Isa. 65.12. Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear, but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not. Upon choice they preferred the honors, the riches, the bravery and glory of the world, above their own souls, and the great concernments of another world. Such fools were Laban, and Nabal, in the Old Testament; (whose names by inversion of letters are the same; and the latter signifies a fool) and such were the two rich fools in the New Testament, Luke 12.16.—22. and Chap. 16.19.— ult. I have read of the foolish people of the East Indi • s in the Isle Zeylon, who preferred a consecrated Apes tooth above an incredible mass of treasure. Such fools are all unholy persons, who prefer the toys, the trifles of this world before the pleasures and treasures that be at God's right hand. The world is full of such fools. (Si admores hominum respicias, mundum universum stultorum domum judicabis) saith One, if thou beholdest the manners of men, thou wilt judge the whole world to be a house of fools. Ah friends! What folly to that of men's spending their time, their strength, their lives, their souls in getting the great things of this world, and neglecting that one thing necessary, the salvation of their souls! Matth. 16.26. O! What vanity is it to prefer a smoke of honor, a blast of fame, a dream of pleasure, a wedge of gold, a Babylonish garment, and such like transitory trifles and trash before a blessed eternity!

Secondly, Fools make no improvement of advantages and [ 2] opportunities that are put into their hands, Prov. 17.16. Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it. It is to no purpose to put a price into the hand, if folly be bound up in the heart: if a man had as much wealth as would buy all the grace, all the peace, all the comforts, and all the wisdom in the world; yet if he hath neither wit nor will to make an improvement of his wealth, what good would his wealth do him? To what purpose is the Market open, and good penny worths put into the buyers hands, if the buyer hath neither wisdom nor heart to buy! Unholy persons are such spiritual fools; though they have a price, an opportunity put into their hands, which if improved might make them forever: yet they have no heart to make an improvement of the means and advantages that might do them good to all eternity. Ah what opportunities have unsanctified persons to get changed hearts, renewed natures, purged consciences, reformed lives, to get an interest in Christ, to obtain the favor of God, to procure pardon of sin, to make provision for their immortal souls! But they have no hearts to improve these opportunities, and so by neglecting of them they cut the throat of their own souls: And this will be the worm that will he gnawing of them to all eternity, that they have let slip the opportunities of grace, that they have trifled away the seasons of mercy. Ah Sirs, there is no fool to that fool that hath an opportunity put into his hand to make himself forever, and yet hath no heart to improve it: The hottest place in hell will be the portion of such fools, Mat. 11.21, 22. The little Be so soon as flowers appear, goes abroad, views the gay Diapery and the diversity of the flowery fields, sucks the sweetest of them, fraights her thighs, makes a curious comb, and so betimes hoards up honey in Summer against Winter. And so the little busy Ant in Summer provides food for Winter, Prov. 6.6.7, 8. The Stork, the Crane and the Swallow know their seasons and opportunities, Jer. 8.7. All these poor little creatures are not so much below man in nature, as they are above sinful man in worth, wisdom and work: These improve their Summer seasons, their harvest hours; and yet such spiritual fools are wicked man, that they let slip such seasons of grace and mercy, that cannot be redeemed with ten thousand worlds. Ah how is man fallen from his primitive nobility and glory, that these little busy creatures are propounded as a pattern of diligence and wisdom unto him! The Ancients painted Opportunity with a hairy forehead, but bald behind, to signify that while a man hath it before him, he may lay hold on it, but if he lets it slip away, he cannot pull it back again. There is a great truth in what the Rabbi hath long since said, Nemo est cui non sit hora sua; Every man hath his hour: and he who overslips his season, may never meet with the like again; There are many thousand spiritual fools in hell: that find this true by experience, and therefore now they bewail their folly, but all too late, all too late.

Thirdly, Natural fools are very inconstant, they are never long in one mind: now they are for this, and anon [ 3] for that; now in this mind, and anon in that; their minds are more changeble then the Moon; they turn oftener then the Wether-cock, they are only constant in inconstancy: and such spiritual fools are all unholy persons: For now they are for a righteous cause, and anon they are against it: now they are for God, and anon they are against him; now they are for Christ, and by and by they are against him: now they cry out Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, Mat. 21.9, 15. but did they hold in this mind long? no their mind is presently changed, and they cry out crucify him, crucify him, Luke 23.21. Now they are for the Saints, and anon they are against them: they cry up the Gospel, and presently they make opposition against the Gospel; like the kingdom of Congo who at first kindly embraced the Gospel, but as soon as they found it restrain their lusts and carnal liberties, they made fierce opposition against the Gospel: this week they are for Ordinances, and the next they are against Ordinances: this hour they will forsake their sins, and the next hour they are return to their sins as the dog to his vomit, and as the Sow to her wallowing in the mire, 2 Pet. 2.20, 21, 22. Now they are for this way, and anon for that; now they are for this opinion, and anon for that: now they are for this Religion, and tomorrow they are for another Religion, 2 Kings 17.33. like Baldwin a French Lawyer of whom it is said that he had Religionem Ephemeram, every day a new Religion, but constant to none: This moment you shall hear them bless, and the next moment you shall hear them curse, James 3.9, 10. Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. Lewis the second would swear, and then kiss his Crucifix, and then swear again more confidently, and kiss his Crucifix again more devoutly. Now because this Age is full of such swearing fools, and happily this Treatise may fall into some of their hands, give me leave to say, that it is observable that the word in the Hebrew which the Scripture useth for swearing, is always used in the passive voice 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Nashabange to note (say some) that a man should not swear but when an oath is laid upon him, and he driven to it. The word also hath a signification of seven 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 as having reference (say some) to the seven spirits of God before the throne, before whom we swear, and therefore should never swear but in truth, righteousness and Judgemen, Jer. 4.2. Rev. 1.4. Ch. 5, 6. one day you shall have these spiritual fools these profane fools crying out, O! heaven, heaven, heaven: O! That we may go to heaven; and the next day you shall see them live as if there were neither heaven nor hell: one day with Balaam you shall have them wish, Oh that we might die the death of the righteous! and the next day with Saul you shall have them a persecuting of the righteous to death: one day you shall have them cry out What shall we do to be saved! and the next day you shall see them live as if they were resolved to be damned. Thus these spititual fools like natural fools are always [ 4] fickle and inconstant.

Fourthly, Fools delight to sport and play with such things as are most hurtful, pernicious and dangerous to them, as you all know that have observed anything of natural fools, Prov. 10.23. It is a sport to a fool to do mischief. Fools take as great delight and pleasure in doing mischief, as wise men do in their lawful sports or pastimes: Wisdom is not more a joy and delight to a man of understanding, then mischief and wickedness is a sport or recreation to a fool: It is a great contentment and merriment to a fool to do wickedly, Prov. 14.9. Fools make a mock of sin; they make a jear of that which they should fear more then hell itself; they make that matter of sport which may prove matter of damnation to them: they make a May-game, a pastime of that which may make them miserable to all eternity; they make a mock and flout of that on earth for which the devil will mock and flout them forever in hell. Justice will at last turn over such fools to Satan who will be sure to return mock for mock, jear for jear, and flout for flout: they that love such kind of pastime, shall have enough of it in hell. Now all unholy persons are such spiritual fools, as that they delight, and take pleasure in sin which is the most pernicious and dangerous thing in the world, Psal. 62.4. They delight in lies. Though every lie deserves a stab from God, yet spiritual fools make but a sport of them. Such a one was Thespis (the Poet) who being reproved by Solon for lying: answered him That it was not material, seeing it was but in sport: upon which Solon beating the ground with his staff, replied, If we commend lying in sport, we shall find it afterwards in good earnest in all our bargains and dealings. It is said of Ep • minondas a heathen, that he abhorred mendacium jocosum, a jesting lie; this Heathen in the great day will put such liars to the blush who delight in lies, Isa, 66.3. Ther soul delighteth in their abomination, 2 Thess. 2.12. they take pleasure in unrighteousness, 2 Pet. 2.13. They count it pleasure to riot in the day time, sporting themselves with their own deceivings. Not that there is any real delight in intemperance, for if there were then Heliogabalus an exceeding intemperate person should have been more happy then Adam in Paradise. Apicius was the greatest Glutton that ever was; at length he hanged himself: such shall hang in hell at last, who delight to abuse many at once; the creatures, their Creator, and their own souls and bodies. Well Sirs, Sin is the poison of the soul, the nakedness of the soul, the disease of the soul, the burden of the soul, and if mercy do not prevent, will prove the bane of the soul. O then how great is their folly that delight in it, and that make a sport of it!

Fifthly, Natural fools are taken more with the outward [ 5] shine, luster, beauty and glory of things, then they are taken with the intrinsical virtue, value and worth of them: they are more taken with the shine and luster of gold, jewels and precious stones, then they are with the worth and value of them. So unholy hearts are taken more with the form of godliness then they are with the power, 2 Tim. 2.5. they are taken more with a name to live, with a name of being holy, then they are taken with holiness itself. Rev. 3.1, 2. Multi Christianum nomen ad judicium habent, non ad remedium: Many have the name of Christians to their condemnation, not to their salvation: They are taken more with the outward shine and pomp of duties then they are taken with the spiritualness and holiness of duties; they are taken more with what of man is in duty, then they are taken with that of God which is in a duty; they are taken more with raised notions, then they are taken with raised affections; they are taken more with some witty, rhetorical expressions in duty, then they are taken with the holy movings and breathings of the spirit in duty, Ezek. 33.30, 31, 32. All which speaks them out to be spiritual fools; and indeed no fools to those who are taken more with the shadow of Religion, then they are with the substance of Religion; who are taken more with the outside of godliness then they are with the infide of godliness: for what is this but to be taken more with the outside of the Cabinet then with the treasure that is within; or to be taken more with the purse that holds the gold, then with the gold that is in the purse; and with Democritus the Philosopher to esteem a Room covered [ 6] over with green branches of trees above the royal Palace!

Sixthly, Natural fools are all for the present; they cry out Spend and God will send; they only mind and care for the things of this life; As what they shall eat, and what they shall drink, and what they shall put on; they are all for their bodies, their bellies, their backs: they take no care, they make no provision for their immortal souls. A spruce Roman riding on a lean Jade, was asked by the Censor his reason: he answered, I look to myself, but my man to my horse. So fools look only to their bodies, let who list look to their souls. Such fools are all unsanctified persons: they look only after their bodies, and their outward concerments: they look not at the necessities, miseries and wants of their souls; such were those in John 6.26, 27. who crossed the Seas and followed after Christ for loaves, but never looked after the meat which endureth to everlasting life. And such fools were those in Hos. 7.14. who howled upon their beds for corn and wine: let them have but provender, provant for their bodies, and they care not what becomes of their souls; and such were they in Phil. 3.19. whose God was their gut. And such were the Laodiceans in Rev. 3.14.— 19. who had well fed bodies, but starved souls: whose houses were full of goods, but their hearts empty and void of Christ and grace: who had thread-bare souls under all their purple Robes; who were rich in temporals, but very poor and beggarly in spirituals. And such a one was that rich fool in Luke 12. who only laid up for his body, for this life, but never took care for another life, for a better life; he makes many years provision for his body, and not a days provision for his soul; he talks of living many years when he had not a day, nor a night to live in this world: And being thus foolish in his reckoning, Christ brands him for a fool to all generations, Ver. 20, 21. Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee: then whose shall these things be which thou hast provided! So is he that heapeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God. Every man in the world is a fool, that heaps up treasure to himself, that adds land to land, and house to house, and heap to heap, and bags to bags, and hundreds to hundreds, and thousands to thousands, and is not rich towards God. This age is full of such golden fools, who pamper their bodies, but starve their souls: who trick and trim up their bodies with Gold, Silver and Silks, whilst their souls are naked, and ragged, and destitute of all grace and goodness. The Jews have a story of a foolish woman that took two children to nurse, the one very mean, deformed, crooked, blind, and not likely to live long: the other a goodly, lively, lovely, beautiful child, and likely to live long: now this foolish woman spent all her pains, care, diligence and attendance upon the worst child, never so much as minding or regarding the best child: this age is full of such foolish men and women who having two to nurse, their bodies and their souls, spend their time, their care, labor and pains in making provision for the flesh, in laying up for their bodies, and in the mean while never regard their souls, never look after their souls, though they have the beauty of a Deity upon them, and though they are immortal, and capable of union and communion with God in grace, and of a blessed fruition of God in glory. Surely no fools to these fools.

[ 7] Seventhly, The sharpest and severest course you can take, cannot separate between a fool and his folly. Notwithstanding all your frowns, threats, checks, knocks, &c. A fool will not leave his folly: nay you shall sooner beat a fool to death then you shall beat him off from his folly, Prov. 27.22. Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestell, yet will not his foolishness depart from him: The husk doth not stick so close to the grain of corn, as folly doth to the heart of a fool: there is a possibility of severing the husk from the flower by beating; but there is no possibility of severing a fool from his folly. You see it in Pharaoh, who though he was often in God's mortar, yet he could not be severed from his folly; nay, he did choose rather to be beaten to death; and to see his friends relations, favorites, followers, subjects, and soldiers, with their first born, beaten to death before his eyes, rather the he would leave his folly. And such a fool was King Ahaz, who when God had him in the mortar, and threatened to beat him and his people to death, yet then in his distress he sinned more against the Lord; 2 Chron. 28.22. and therefore for his obstinacy, obdurateness and irreclaimableness, he is branded and markit with a black coal by the Lord to all posterity, This is that King Ahaz. And such spiritual fools are all ungodly persons; let God frown, chide, strike, reprove, correct, yet they will not turn from the evil of their doings: they will rather be consumed and destroyed, then they will be amended or reformed. Jer. 5.3. O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder then a rock; they have refused to return. no smart nor grief, no calamities nor miseries can turn obstinate fools from their impieties, Jer. 6.29. The bellows are burnt, the lead is consumed of the fire; the Founder melteth in vain; (or in vain melting melteth he, trying trieth he) for the wicked are not plucked away. All the cost and charge that God hath been at, all the pains and labor that he hath taken to sever these wicked ones from their wickedness was lost; they would not be refined nor reformed. After God's greatest severity, a spiritual fool will return to his iniquity, Prov. 26.11. As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly, or iterateth his folly. It is true, the comparison is homely, but good enough for those fools to whom it is applied. Spiritual fools sometimes vomit up their sins when they are under terrors of conscience, or under the afflicting hand of God, or upon a dying bed: but still retain a disposition and purpose to return to them again. As some say, the Serpent vomits up his poison when he goes to drink, and then takes it in again. Foolish souls say to their lusts, as Abraham to his servants, Gen. 22.5. Abide you here, and I will go yonder and come again to you. Whatever becomes of their souls, they are resolved to keep close to their sins, Isa. 1.5. And as Aesop's foolish fishes leaped out of the warm water into the burning fire for ease: So these poor fools will rather adventure a burning in hell: then they will attempt a turning from their folly.

Eighthly, Natural fools make the simplest and unhappiest [ 8] exchanges: they will exchange a pearl for a Pippin, things of greatest worth and value for a feather, a ribbon, a toy, a trifle; a house to live in, for a house of clay, or a house of Cards: and like Glaucus a foolish Captain who changed with Diomedes his Armor of Gold for Dioemedes his armor of brass. All unholy persons are spiritual fools; they will exchange spirituals for carnals, and eternals for temporals; they will exchange God, Christ, the Gospel, heaven and their souls for a lust, for the world, nay, for a little of the worlds smiles, pleasures, or profits, Mat. 16.26. and well may he lay claim to a Boat-swains place in Barkleys ship of fools, that will exchange his soul, and his soul concernments for the toys and trifles of this world.

Now do you think, that God who hath within himself all the wisdom of Angels, of men, and universal nature, that he who hath all glory, all dignity, all riches, all treasures, all pleasures, all comforts, all delights, all joys, all beatitudes in himself; That that God who is a super-substantial substance, and understanding not to be understood, a word never to be spoken, that he will have everlasting fellowship and communion with fools! that a God whose wisdom is infinite and unsearchable, will ever debase himself so as to have his royal Palace filled with fools, as to make those his companions in heaven, that he can take no pleasure in on earth! Eccles. 5.4. he hath no pleasure in fools. The wise God would not have his children keep company with fools, Prov. 14.7. Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge: and will he keep company with them himself? Surely no. God hath given it under his own hand, that such shall not tarry in his sight, Psal. 5.5. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight (or as the Hebrew hath it, before thine eyes) thou hatest all workers of iniquity. God will never admit fools to be his favorites: he will at last shut the door of glory against them, Mat. 25.4.—13.

[ 7] A seventh Argument to prove that without real holiness there is no happiness; that without holiness on earth no man shall ever come to a blessed vision or fruition of God in heaven, is this. Unholy persons are to be excluded and shut out from sacred, from special communion and fellowship with the Saints in this world; and therefore without all peradventure they shall never be admitted to everlasting communion and fellowship with God, Christ, Angels and Saints in that other world. That they are to be shut out from having any special communion with the Saints here, is most plain, and evident from several Scripures: take these for a taste, Lev. 10.10. And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, Ezek. 44.23. And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. And because the Priests did not improve their power and interest to preserve the things of God from profaning and polluting, the Lord was very much offended and provoked. Ezek. 22.26. Her Priests have violated my Law, and have profaned mine holy things; they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shown difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. And in Chap. 44.7, 8. God sadly complains that they brought into his Sanctuary strangers uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh: and prohibits such from entering into his Sanctuary, ver. 9. Thus saith the Lord God, No stranger uncircumcised in heart nor uncircumcised in flesh shall enter into my Sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel. God expects that faithful teachers should put a difference between person and person, between the holy and profane, between the clean and the unclean in all holy administrations. Jerem. 15.19. Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou take forth the precious from the vile, then thou shalt be as my mouth; let them return unto thee, but return not thou unto them. Now certainly if under the Ceremonial Law natural uncleanness did exclude and shut out the Israelites from a participation in holy things, then certainly moral uncleanness may justly exclude and shut out Christians from a participation in holy things under the Gospel, Mat. 7.6. Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rent you. Holy things are too precious to be spent and spilled upon swinish sinners. Gospel administrations are precious pearls that must not be given to swine, 2 Cor. 6.17. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you. Profane, scandalous, blind and ignorant persons are very unclean things, and from them we must come out; as we would be in with God, we must be out with them: we must reject them as we would have God to receive us, 2 Tim. 3.5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, from such turn away. Our Savior Christ hied him to the wilderness amongst the beasts, and carried his Disciples with him, holding their fellowship to be less hurtful and dangerous: It is better to live among beasts, then to live among men of beastly principles and beastly practices. Now there are ten sorts of persons that Christians must turn from, that they must have no intimate, no special communion with in this world:

[ 1] First Unbelievers, 2 Cor. 6.14, 15, 16. We should not close with them that have not closed with Christ; nor give ourselves up to them who have not given up themselves to Christ. Every unbeliever is a condemned person: the Law hath cast him, the Gospel hath cast him, and his own conscience hath cast him; and what sacred communion, what delightful fellowship can believers have with condemned persons! Every Unbeliever is under the wrath of the great God; he is under that wrath that he can neither avoid nor abide; and what communion can such have who are under love, with those that are under wrath. Every unbeliever makes God a Lyar. And what children will have communion with such who every day give their Father the Lye to his very face! Every unbeliever doth practically say, Tush there is no such loveliness, or comeliness, there is no such beauty or glory, there is no such fullness or sweetness, there is no such goodness or graciousness in Jesus as men would make us believe: and what is this but to give God the Lie? Tus • there is no such favor, there is no such peace, there is no such pardon, there is no such Righteousness, there is no such Grace, there is no such glory to be reaped by Christ as God and men would persuade us; and what is this, but to tell God he lies to his very teeth? And what ingenuous child can take pleasure in such who are still a spitting in his Fathers face! Every unbeliever is a disobedient person, and therefore unbelievers and disobedient are in the Greek expressed by one word; and what communion can obedient children have with those that are disobedient and rebellious! Every unbeliever is a Pagan, a Heathen in the Scripture dialect; and what communion can those who are of the household of faith have with Pagans and Heathens! Every unbeliever is a Traitor, he commits Treason daily against the Crown and dignity of heaven; and what Loyal Subjects will hold communion with Traitors! Unbelievers are the greatest Robbers, they rob God of his declarative glory (though they cannot rob him of his Essential glory) they rob h m of the glory of his truth and faithfulness; as if he would falsify the word that is gone out of his mouth: as if he were yea and nay; and as if his credit was so low and contemptibe, that he must needs run a hazard that shall trust to him, or roll himself upon him. They rob him of the glory of his goodness and mercy, as if there were any sins too great for him to pardon; or any mercy too great for him to give, or any wrath too great for him to divert, or any debt too great for him to satisfy. They rob him of the glory of his omnipotency and all sufficiency, as if there were something too hard for a God; now what communion can the people of God have with Robbers? with the greatest Robbers, with the worst of Robbers; and yet such are all unbelievers. And therefore let no unbelievers mutter or murmur when the door [ 2] of admission is shut against them. But,

Secondly, Such as have a form, a picture, a mask, a [ 3] vizzard of godliness, but deny the power, 2 Tim. 3.5.

Thirdly, Such as walk disorderly, that live either without a calling, or idly and negligently in their calling: these make Religion odious, by making Religion a mask for their idleness and laziness, 2 Thes. 3.6. Now we command you, Brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every Brother that walketh disorderly Now who they are that walk dissorderly, you may see in verse 11. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busy bodies. Such vagrant Professors that live idly, that will have an ore in every man's boat, a sickle in every man's harvest, a curious eye upon every man's way and work, are to be shut out of the communion of Christians, and to be shunned as a man would shun a Serpent, an ill Air, a contagious disease, or as the Seaman shuns rocks and sands and shelfs. It was a great vanity in Dionysius that would needs be the best Poet; and in Caligula that would needs be the best Orator; and in Nero that would needs be the best Fidler; and so became the three worst Princes, minding more other men's business then their own callings; so it is a very great vanity in many professors to mind more other men's business then their own; from the society of such, Saints must withdraw. No man is too Noble to have a calling; if Iron had reason, it would choose rather to be used in Labor then to grow rusty in a corner. By Muhammad's Law the Grand Turk himself was to be of some Trade. The hour of Idleness is the hour of temptation; an Idle person is the Devils Tennis-ball tossed by him at his pleasure. God ordained the neck of the consecrated Ass should be broken ( Exod. 13.13.) instead of sacrificing him; peradventure because that creature hath ever been the Heroglyphick of sloth and laziness. Among the Egyptians Idleness was a capital crime. Among the Lucans he that lent money to an Idle person, was to lose it. Among the Corinthians Idle persons were delivered to the Carnifex. By Solons Law Idle persons were to suffer death. The Ancients call Idleness the burial of a living man. And Seneca had rather be sick, then idle. Now shall Nature do more then Grace? Shall poor blind Heathens be so severe against Idle persons; and shall Christians embrace them? Shall they not rather turn their backs upon them, and have no communion with them, who think themselves too great, or too good to hold the Plough!

[ 4] Fourthly, Such whose Judgments are corrupt and unsound in foundation truths, Titus 3.10. A man that is an heretic, after the first and second Admonition reject. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump: and what leaven is more infections then that of heresy and error! 2 John 9, 10. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the doctrine of Christ 〈◊〉 hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any 〈◊〉 you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him 〈◊〉 in •• your house, neither bid him God speed. You must have nothing to do with them, who have nothing to do with God; your house must be too hot to hold him who holds not fast to foundation truths, who holds not close to Christ the head. Eusebius reports of John the Evangelist, that he would not suffer Corinthus the Heretic in the same Bath with him, lest some Judgment should abide them both; He that had the Leprosy in his head, was to be pronounced utterly unclean: the breath of the erroneous is more dangerous and infectious then the breath of Lepers: for one infects but the body, but the other infects the soul, and therefore ought more carefully to be avoided. An erroneous mind is as odious to God as a vicious life; and why should it not be so to us also? Certainly we should shun the society of erroneous persons as we should shun a Serpent in the way, or poison in our meat, 1 Tim. 6.5. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withraw thyself: Or as the Greek word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifies, stand off, keep at a distance, as you would from one that hath an infectious disease; or as Sea-men stand off from rocks, or from a Lee-shore. It is recorded by Theodoret, that when Lucius an Arian Bishop came and preached amongst the Antiochians his erroneous doctrines, the people went out of the Congregation, and would not so much as lend an ear to him. In these days there are many old errors new vampt, and old Jezebels (old harlots) new painted. The best way is not to lend an ear to them, but to serve them as they served Jezebel: they gave her no quarter, but cast her down, and trode her underfoot. Errors about the foundation are like the Jerusalem Artichoaks which over-run all the ground where they are planted, and choke the very heart of it. And therefore to be abhorred, avoided, and shunned as a man would shun hell itself. Who but a fool or mad man would exchange one old piece of gold for a hundred n • w counters? and what then shall we think of those who willingly and readily exchange old tried truths for new 〈…〉 ! The society of such must be shunned.

[ 5] Fi ••• lie, Such as cause divisions and discord among the people of God, Rom. 16.17. Now I beseech you, Brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avod them. Mark them, the Greek word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifies such a marking as a watch-man useth that stands on a Watch-Tower to descry an approaching enemy. Ah, with what a wary, with what a watchful, with what a curious, with what a jealous, with what a serious, with what a diligent eye doth the watchman watch all the motions, turnings and windings of the approachiny enemy! with such an eye we should mark them that cause divisions. And avoid them, the Greek word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifies a studious careful declining of them: A man must decline and shun them, as he would decline and shun such persons or things that are most pernicious, dangerous or infectious to him. Divisions are a dishonor to Christ, a reproach to Christians, a blot upon profession, a block in the way of the weak, and a sword in the hand of the wicked; they are Satan's Engines and an inlet to all destruction and confusion. And therefore the Authors of them are to be shunned and avoided.

[ 6] Sixthly, Such Christians as are scandalous and profane in their lives and conversations, 1 Cor. 5.11. But now I have written unto you, not to keep company; if any man that is called Brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an Idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such a one no not to eat: with such a Brother who belies his profession, with such a Brother whose course and conversation contradicts his profession, we must not hold Christian communion. Certainly I may not have fellowship with him at the Lord's Table, whom I may not have fellowship with at my own Table, Eph. 5.11. Have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them, Acts 2.40. Save yourselves from this untoward generation: Wicked company is very dangerous and infectious, 1 Cor. 15.33. Evil communication corrupts good manners. As he that walketh in the Sun will be tanned, and he that toucheth pitch will be defiled; so he that associateth himself with the wicked will be tainted and polluted; Guilt or grief is all you shall gain by bad company, 2 Pet. 2.7, 8. witness Lot, David, Joseph, and Pe • er. By bad company Christians come to lose much of the sweetness, seriousness, goodness and graciousness of their spirits. Gold though the noblest metal, loseth of its luster by being continually worn in the same purse with Silver. Familiarity with vain persons hath much worn off the spiritual luster, beauty and glory that hath been upon many Christians. Bad company will prove a very great hindrance to you in your Christian course, Psalm 119.115. Away from me ye wicked, for I will keep the commandments of my God. I cannot keep my God's commands whilst I keep your company; I shall never do my duty till I abandon your Society. Divine commands will never lie close and warm upon my heart, so long as I give you my hand. How hard is it to keep the commandment of labor among the slothful, or the commandment of diligence among the negligent, or that of liberality among the covetous, or that of humility among the Ambitious, or that of love among the malicious, or that of union among the contentious, or that of chastity among the lascivious, or that of righteousness among the unrighteous, or that of faithfulness among the unfaithful, or that of fruitfulness amongst the unfruitful, or that of thankfulness among the unthankful, or that of faith among the doubtful? &c. But, [ 7]

Seventhly, A seventh sort of persons that Christians must have no intimate, no special communion with, is false Prophets, false Teachers. They are not to give such any house room, 2 Joh. 10.11. nor heart room, Mat. 24, 23, 24.26 They are to shun them and avoid them, Rom. 16.17. It is not safe for a Christian to hear them or to have any communion or fellowship with them. Aristotle writeth of a certain Bird called (Capri-mulgus) a Goat-Sucker, which useth to come flying on the Goats, and suck them, and upon that their milk drieth up, and they grow blind. Ah how many a seeing man hath been made blind, and how many hopeful thriving Christians have had all their springs of love, of life, of sweetness and goodness dried up in them by the slights, deceits, and insinuations of false Teachers! False Prophets have their pithanology, their good words and fair speeches, and subtle devices whereby they blind many souls, and dry up all the spiritual milk and moisture that is in them and therefore they are to be shunned and avoided. But,

[ 8] Eighthly, you must have no intimate, no special communion with such as are obstinate and refractory, and that will not submit to Christ's Rules and Laws, 2 Thes. 3.14. And if any man obey not our word by this Epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed, or that he may turn into himself, as it is in the Orignal. Such as are refractory, must be noted with a brand of infamy; such must be infamous in your eye who look with an eye of contumacy upon any command, or institution of Christ. The Greek word (Semeiousthai,) signifies to note him so as to make a sign (as it were) of him; or to mark him so as to put him to the blush, to put him to shame. The obstinate, the refractory person should be a marked person, you must set a cross upon him, that all may know him, and shun him; the Assemblies of the Saints are honorable, and refractory Christians are to be shut out of them; Matth. 18.15, 16, 17. Moreover, if thy Brother shall trespass against thee, go and t • ll him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy Brother. But if he will not hear thee, (if he be refractory) then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established; And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church: but if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man, and a Publican. He that shall be refractory under private and public admonition, is to be shut out from Church-communion: He that to small faults shall add contumacy, is to be cut off from the Saints Society. We must turn our backs upon him that turns his back upon the Church. As we would keep ourselves untainted, as we would preserve the Church from being infected, as we would not have the name of God blasphemed, and as we would have the refractory Christian ashamed and humbled, we must neither have Sacred nor Civil Society with him.

A ninth sort of persons that Christians must have no intimate, [ 9] no sacred, no special communion with, are fools, Prov. 9.6. Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding. Chap. 14.7. Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge. Chap. 23.9. Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. There is no profit, no pleasure, no delight to be had in the society of fools. Fools are neither capable of doing good, nor of receiving good: and therefore what should good souls do among such! A fool hath neither an ear to hear, nor an eye to see, nor a heart to understand, nor a memory to retain, nor a will to choose, nor affections to embrace anything that is good. And therefore their company is to be shunned and avoided. The society of fools is as dangerous as it is vexations. Proverbs 13.20. He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. The Hebrew word (Jeroange) that is here used, signifies to be broken: yea, to be broken as sometimes an Army is broken by some fierce and sudden surprisal; a companion of fools shall be broken in his credit, in his estate, in his name, in his reputation; yea, in his very wits, for nothing contributes so much to make a man a fool as the company of fools.

The tenth and last sort of persons that Christians must [ 10] have no familiarity, nor society with, are scorners. Such as scorn the Saints, and scorn Religion, and scorn Profession; such who scorn every way of Christ, and every institution of Christ, Prov. 9.8. Reprove not a scorner lest he hate thee: Wise and gracious reproofs are pearls that are not to be cast before scorners. Now certainly, if I may not reprove scorners, then I may not keep company with scorners, Prov. 22.10. Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out, yea strife and reproach shall cease. The scorner must be cast out of your family, and out of your company. Strife and contention, shame and reproach are the scorners attendants, and therefore he that would be rid of them, must cast out him. The Hebrew word (Geresh) here translated cast out, signifies not simply to eject or cast out: but to cast out or drive out, as God did drive Adam out of Paradise, Gen. 3.24. for the word is the same; and this God did as the Rabbins observe, with violence and displeasure. So must the scorner be cast out, or drove out. Look as God did drive out the Amorite and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite before his people, Exodus 34.11. So must the scorner be driven out of the society of the Saints; for the Hebrew word is the same in both places. Look as Sarah would have Abraham to cast out the bondwoman and her Son, Gen. 21.10. so must the scorner be cast out of the company of the Saints; the word is still the same. Look as the Sea casteth up mire and dirt, Isa. 57.10. so should Christians cast out scorners from among them, the word being still the same. The scorner construes everything to the worst; he envies those that excel him; he disdains those that are below him; he is never contented, never satisfied, he is still a quarrelling, still a fretting, and still a perplexing of himself and others; and therefore you must cast him out with scoffing Ishmael, or the house will be too hot to hold you. Cast out the firebrand, and the fire goes out; cast out Jonah, and the storm shall cease; cast out the bondwoman, and her scornful son, and all will be quiet: David's blessed man is desribed by this, that he fits not in the seat of the scornful. Scorners are no companions for blessed men; Of all men the blessed man will never choose the scorner for his Pue-fellow. God himself scorns the scorner, Prov. 3.34. Surely he scorneth the scorner, &c. of all men in the world God casts the greatest contempt and scorn upon scorners, and therefore why should we make such our bosom Associates? And thus you see the several sorts of persons that God hath shut out from the communion of his people: Well Christians, remember this, dead stones must not be laid in a living Temple: No stones but hewn stones were to be brought and laid in the building of Solomon's Temple, which was a Type of the Church of Christ in Gospel days: Certainly such stones, such souls as are not hewn by the word and spirit, are not fit to be laid in Christ's building. In Josiah's days when the Passover was kept, there were Porters at every gate of Jerusalem, that no unclean or uncircumcised ones might enter. And the English Annotations on Rev. 21.27. do say, that in the last Church on earth, discipline in likelihood shall be so strictly executed, that no profane person shall be found there, only elect persons so far as men can Judge. That vain persons are to be shut out from sacred communion with the people of God, is further evident by the Judgment of many approved Authors. As,

Chrysostom saith, that the Table of the Lord is that whereon the carcass is laid, and that we must not suffer chattering Jayes to come thereunto; for only high-flying Eagles are to feed thereupon. Thereupon the same Author protested, that he had rather give his life to a murderer then Christ's body to an unworthy receiver, and rather suffer his own blood to be poured out like water, then to tender Christ's blessed blood to a base liver. And again, Church-officers (saith he) are to keep the Sacrament pure, as a man would keep a pleasant spring clean whereat he useth to drink, not letting the feet of filthy beasts and Swine to puddle it. The same Author further saith, that in the Primitive times when ever tht Sacrament was Administred; a Deacon stood up, and cried in the open Assembly, Holy things to holy men, holy things to holy men, thereby debarring all others that were unholy, and raising the hearts of the holy.

Justin Martyr who was about the year after Christ 150. he lived not above thirty years after St. John, he in his Apology (to Antoninus the Emperor) for Christians, writes thus, In our Assemblies we admit none to the Lord's Supper, but such as being baptized continue in professing the true faith, and in leading such lives as Christ hath taught. There were three things, saith this Author, that were required of them that were to be received to the Sacrament, A New Birth; 2. Soundness in Faith; 3. A promise to live well.

Austin well observes, That as many think the eating of an Apple was but a small sin; So many think that the eating of the Sacrament is but a small sin: But as many horrid sins were wrapped up in that, so are there many wrapped up in this: 1. Here is pride; else no man in his wickedness would presume to come to the Lord's Table 2. Here is Rebellion and Treason against the Crown and dignity of Christ, their hands and lips adore him (as Judas his did) but their hearts and lives abhor him. 3. Here is Theft, and Sacrilege; now if to take away the Communion cup be such a high offense, such horrid sacrilege; what is it then to take the Bread and Wine set apart and sanctified for a holy use by the Lord himself? 4. Here is Murder, the worst murder, the greatest murder, the cruelest murder; thou killest thyself, thy soul, and as much as in thee lies, God's dearest Son. Now certainly, in some respects this sin is a greater sin then Adams was: For 1. Adams Eating was against a Creator, but thine is against a Redeemer: now it is more to redeem a soul, then to create a world. 2. His was against the word of the Lord, thine against the blood of the Lord. 3. His struck at the Covenant of Works, thine at the Covenant of Grace. 4. He eat but once, but thou eatest often.

Yea, Aquinas saith, the Majesty of Church Discipline should never suffer this, to let open and known offenders presume to come to the Table of the Lord.

It was a worthy saying of Bilson an approved Author, Suppose any man (saith he) be he a Prince, if he will not submit himself to the precepts of Christ, but willfully maintain either heresy or open impurity, the Ministers are to admonish him what danger from God is at the door; and if he impenitently persist, they must not suffer him to communicate either in divine prayer, or any holy mysteries among the people of God; but wholly to be excluded the Congregation. Again, not only the lack of the word and Sacraments (saith the same Author) but the abuse of either greatly hazards the weal of the whole Church: yea, casting holy things to dogs, &c. procures a dreadful doom as well to consenters as presumers, it being the way to turn the house of God into a den of Thieves, if profane ones be allowed to defile the mysteries and Assemblies of the faithful.

I, said Calvin, will sooner die then this hand of mine shall give the things of God to the contemners of God.

Mr. Rutherford (that champion for Presbyterie) in his divine right of Church-Government, pag. 520, saith that they are co-partners with the wicked who dispence the bread to them who are knowingly dead in sins. I might multiply many others: but let these suffice: for a close, let me only say, How the Father can be guiltless of the death of his child, that giveth him poison, to drink, with this Caution, that he telleth him it is poison I cannot see. Josephus reports of some that profanely searched the sepulchers of the Saints, supposing to find some treasures there, but God made fire to rise out of the earth that devoured them on a sudden. Now if God's wrath like fire breaks forth to consume such as wrong but the sepulchers of his Saints, &c. Oh then with what flames of fury will God burn up such as abuse not only the Sacrament of his Son, but his Son himself? It was a very great wickededness in Julian to throw his blood in the face of Christ; but for a wicked Communicant to take Christ's own blood as it were running from his heart, and to throw it into he face of Christ, is most abominable and damnable. By all that hath been spoken, you clearly see, that unholy persons are to b • shut out of the special communion of Saints here on earth: and therefore certainly the Lord will never suffer such to have communion with him in heaven; it will not stand with the holiness and purity of God to have fellowship with such in the kingdom of glory, whom he would not have his people have fellowship with in the kingdom of grace.

[ 8] The eighth Argument to prove that without real holiness there is no happiness: that without holiness on earth, no man shall ever come to a bl • ssed vision or fruition of God in heaven, is this, The Scripture that speaks no Treason, stiles unholy persons beasts, yea, the worst of beasts: and what should such do in heaven. Unholy persons are the most dangerous, and the most unruly pieces in the world, and therefore are emblemized by Lions, Psalm 22.21. and they are cruel: by Bears, and they are savage, Isa. 11.7. by Dragons, and they are hideous, Ezek. 29.3. by Wolves, and they are ravenous, Ezek. 22.27. by dogs, and they are snarling, Rev. 22.15. by Vipers and Scorpions, and they are stinging, Mat. 12.34. Ezek. 2.6. by Spiders and Cockatrices, and they are poisoning, Isa. 59.5. by swine, and they are still gruntling, Mat. 7.6. No man in this world is more like another, then the Epicure is like a Swine; the fraudulent person a Fox; the lustful person a Goat; the back-biter a barking Curr; the slanderer an Asp; the oppressor a Wolf; the Persecutor a Tiger; the Seducer a Serpent. Certainly the Irish Air will sooner brook Toads and Snakes and Serpents to live therein, then heaven will brook such beasts as unholy souls are to live there. Surely, God and Christ, and the Spirit, and Angels, and the Spirits of just men made perfect are not so in love with Dogs and Swine, &c. as to put them into their bosoms, or make them their companions. Heaven is a place of too great state to admit such vermin to inhabit there. When Cyneas the Embassador of Pyrrhus after his return from Rome, was asked by his Master what he thought of the City and State; he answered and said, that it seemed to him to be Respublica Regum, a State of none but great Statesmen, and a Common-wealth of Kings. Such is heaven, it is no other State then a Parliament of Emperors, a Commonwealth of Kings. There is not a soul in heaven under the degree of a King, Rev 6.1. and every King there hath a Robe of honor upon his back, a golden Scepter in his hand, and a glorious Crown upon his head: And do you think that it will stand with the State of heaven, or with the State of this Common-wealth of Kings to admit such vermin as as unholy persons are, to be of that noble society, surely no? God hath long since resolved upon it, that no unclean beasts shall enter into heaven, that no dirty dogs shall ever trample upon that golden pavement: All in heaven are holy, the Angels holy, the Saints holy, the Patriarchs holy, the Prophets holy, the Apostles holy, the Martyrs holy, but the Lord himself above all is most glorious in holiness, and therefore all those holy ones do as it were in a divine Anthem sing and say, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory. Now certainly, it would be a hell to these holy ones to have unholy wretches to be their companions. When the holy Angels fell from their holiness, heaven was so holy that it spewed them out, as once Canaan did its (unholy) inhabitants; and therefore certainly there will be no room in heaven for such filthy beasts as unholy persons are. Well, remember this, that all those stinging Expressions and Appellations which disgrace and vilify unholy persons, they were inspired by a holy spirit, and penned by holy Secretaries and enrolled in his holy word, and published by his holy messengers, and all by his holy appointment, who as he is greater then the greatest, and wiser then the wisest, and better then the best: So he is too pure and too holy to eat the words that are gone out of his mouth, or to deny or unsay what he hath spoken, or not to maintain the truth thereof against all gain-sayers. It is prophesied that when the Church shall be restored to her purity and glory, such beasts shall not be there, Isa. 35.9. Ezek. 28.24. The Majesty of Church-discipline shall be such as shall keep out all such beasts. Jerusalem above is too glorious a habitation for beasts, or for men of beastly spirits, or beastly principles, or beastly practices. The City of the great God was never built for beasts. A wilderness and not a Paradise is fittest for beasts.

[ 9] The ninth Argument to prove the truth of the Proposition, is this God; would not have his holy ones in this world to be yoked in marriage with unholy ones, and therefore certainly he will never suffer such to be yoked to himself to all eternity. That God would not have his righteous people to be yoked in marriage with the unrighteous, is most evident by these Scriptures, Deut. 7.3.6. Neither shalt thou make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give to his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy Son: For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. Ezra 9.12. Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons. But did they keep this commandment of the Lord? No, as you may see in the second verse of that chapter: