SERMON LIV.

THE EVIL AND DANGER OF FICKLENESS IN RELIGION.

JOSH. xxiv. 15.

And if it feem evil unto you to ferve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will ferve: whether the gods which your fathers ferved, that were on the other fide of the flood; or the gods of the Amorites, in whofe land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will ferve the Lord.

THE Sovereign difpofer of all things, being refolved to def

troy the inhabitants of the land of Canaan for their impious and barbarous idolatries and unnatural lufts, was pleaf ed to make the Jews, who were a much better, though far from a blameless, people, the inftruments of their deftruction, in order to warn them the more ftrongly against the like fins. Their leader in this awful work was Joshua; who, after he had accomplished it, divided his conquefts amongst them; and then, having received, from the gratitude of the people, an inheritance in his own tribe, no way confiderable, which however was all that he afked*; appears to have retired thither, and spent the rest of his days in an honourable privacy; leaving the administration of affairs, in time of peace, to the ordinary civil magiftrates: till, finding his end approach, he gathered all Ifrael, and called for their elders, their heads, their judges and their officerst; and they prefented themfelves before God. In this folemn affembly, the last he was to fee, requesting nothing for himself or his pofterity, but frily following the example of Mofes, who had in no respect exalted his own defcendants above the reft of the people; he expreffes the strongest folicitude for what he knew the public happiness

* Joh. xix. 49, 50.

+ Chap. xxiv. 1,

to

to depend on; the preservation of true religion, and confequently of virtue, in oppofition to the superstitious follies, and fhocking vices, of the nations round them. To promote this end, the venerable chief recounts to them, by the especial direction of heaven, the miraculous and gracious difpenfations of providence, which their fathers and they had experienced, and he had been so long a conftant eye-witness of; concluding the history with their present happy condition: and his inference from the whole is, now therefore fear the Lord, and ferve him, in fincerity and in truth*. But being fenfible, that mankind are ftrangely apt not to think themselves in a good ftate, when they are in the beft; he proceeds to intreat them, that if any are diffatisfied with the fruits of obferving their prefent religion and laws, they would confider well, under what other, upon the whole, they would wish to be; for under fome they muft. They might, if they pleased, after all he had said, try a change, and take the confequences: but he had feen too much of the benefit of adhering to God, to have the leaft defire of experiencing what would be the effects of forfaking him and his prayer and his endeavour should be, that all under his influence might tread, for ever, in the fame fteps. If it feem evil unto you to ferve the Lord, choose you, this day, whom you will ferve but as for me and my boufe,

we will ferve the Lord.

In these words we have,

I. An intimation of the danger there is, that men may grow weary of true religion.

II. An admonition, that fuch would think seriously what they propofe to exchange it for: and what advantage they expect from thence.

III. The refolution, which prudent men will make, whatever others do to continue in the practice of it themfelves and preserve a confcientious regard to it amongst all that are placed under their inspection.

I. An intimation of the danger there is, that a great part of the world may grow weary of religion, even whilst it is taught in fimplicity and truth.

Undoubtedly one of the ftrongeft prejudices, against it hath arifen from the abfurd, and often hurtful mixtures, with which,

from

Josh. xxiv. 14.

from time to time, it hath been corrupted, either by mistaken or defigning men. Thefe have tempted many to reject the whole, good and bad promiscuously; without feparating what was of God from what was of man. Now, were every thing

elfe to be treated in this manner, not one of the rightest principles of behaviour, or the most valuable bleffings of life, could poffible escape. For what is there on earth, that hath not been frequently misunderstood, perverted and abused, both by weakness and wickedness? It is therefore the groffest partiality, not to distinguish in the case of religion, when we do it in every other: indeed, not to be as zealous for every real part of it, (for they are all highly useful) as against the corruptions it hath unhappily undergone. And yet, even in a country where it is the pureft, fome can allow themselves to talk, as if it were fraud and impofition throughout: can gratify their vanity, defend their vices, or serve their interests, by infifting confidently on the moft groundless and exploded objections; fometimes against all reverence to him who created them; often against the revelation he hath made to them: nay, can fight it as intirely, without being acquainted with the shadow of an objection, as if they had the strongest in the world think it a reafon abundantly fufficient, that they fee others of good figure do fo: and at laft, perhaps, fet themfelves to make it their fcorn, without having once confidered in earnest, whether they ought not to have made it the rule and comfort of their lives.

This is going great lengths; yet not abfolutely the greatest of all. For it hath happened too commonly, that those very things, for which religion ought to be honoured moft, have been the true caufes of mens oppofing and forfaking it. The Jews, for inftance, were difgufted with theirs, because it was too spiritual and refined for them. We, indeed, who are bleffed with one yet more fo, may be tempted to find the contrary fault with that of Mofes. But think what the worship. of the world was at that time: worship of the fun, moon and ftars; brute beafts, stocks and ftones; altars under every green tree, and upon every high hill; ceremonies numberless, unmeaning, immodeft, inhuman. How prodigious a reforma. tion was it then, to introduce, inftead of these mischievous abfurdities, the adoration of one only invifible being, the maker VOL. II.

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of

of all things; and the offering of facrifices to him in one only temple upon earth; with rites and obfervances, few in comparison, and directly pointed against idolatry and superstition! But what was really the merit of their religion, was the ground of their clamour against it : Make us gods to go be fore us*; let us have deities, that we can fee and feel, to carry along with us; was the cry of the people: and whenever they forfook the Lord, it was for these more fubftantial objects of devotion. This may feem unaccountable enough; and yet, amongst ourselves, converts are frequently made to a communion, one of whofe chief recommendations must be, that it ftrikes the fenfes, with images and formalities, pomp and fhew.

But, as fome are prejudiced against true religion for being too rational; many, it may be feared, are averfe to it for being too moral. As long as piety can be made, in any shape, confiftent with fin; whether by trufting in faith without works, or fubftituting works of no value for thofe of real value; or abounding in fome one fort of duties, instead of ho neftly practifing every fort; fo long it may be borne with, But if the teachers of it will affert and prove, and attempt to convince mankind, that no one can be pious, without being uni formly virtuous; then there remains no poffibility of compromifing matters but, if religion will give no quarter to vice, the vicious must give no quarter to religion: a very bad inducement, I own, but a very strong one; and it deferves careful reflection, whether a principal reafon, why christianity is now, more than ever, difregarded, be not this; that now, more than ever, fince the primitive ages, it is fo preached, as to leave no room for being godly and wicked at once. But, however this be, there appears, in general, but too much danger, indeed but too much experience, that men may be tired even of true religion; that it may feem evil unto them, to ferve the Lord their God. Therefore the text contains,

II. An admonition, that fuch, as are difpofed to throw off the bonds of duty to their Maker, would think feriously, what fort of change they are about to venture upon, and how they hope to be gainers by it.

No other course, that they can take, fo much as promifes any good with respect to a future ftate: yet they must own

Exod xxxii. 1,-23.

there

there may be one: nay, if God be either juft, or wife, or good, or true, there will; and if there be, it is the moft important intereft we have, or can have, to be happy in it: yet nothing, but religion, provides against oar being miferable in it. A confideration, which takes little time to exprefs; but very few spend enough in thinking of it; for what are the poor pleasures of this fhort life, compared with the joys or the pains of eternity? but even as to the prefent world, how much freedom foever bad men may effect, fome mafter they must ferve; fome reftraints they must be under, and fome mortifications they must go through. Confider the pursuits of the felfish and ambitious; are not they obliged to fuppress their inclinations, and contradict their paffions, in a thousand inftances, to carry the fingle point of their worldly advantage? Confider the indulgences of the voluptuous and intemperate, the fallies and flights of the wild and extravagant we are apt to say indeed, that they deny themselves nothing: but is it true? Are there not multitudes of things, that all of them with for, and cannot have: and ftill greater multitudes, in proportion as they give their wishes a larger fcope? Is any poffible scheme of life to be carried on, without felf-denial in fome thing or other? Or, if men can, and will, do just as they please at firft; what comes of it? Is it not the perpetual confequence, that they muit fuffer for it at laft; and bear much the heavier burthen, after a time, because they fet out with the refolution of bearing none?

If therefore every method, we can pitch on, hath at least, either its reftraints, or its fufferings; and probably both: which are most reasonable? which are moft beneficial? Thofe of religion and morals, or those of the various mafters, which, on departing from religion and morals, we must obey? It concerns us highly, in fuch a question, not to flatter ourselves, and take things for granted; nor to guefs, and run the rifque, but to examine and choose : whereas the misfortune is, men enter upon a courfe, and follow it their whole lives, without ever deliberately chufing it at all; halting, as the prophet expreffes it, between two opinions, whilst they proceed in one tenor of practice; and that, the wrong one. For the unfafe one is certainly the wrong and, unlefs religion cannot be true, neither impiety, nor immorality, can be fecure. Whoever therefore allows T 2

* 1 Kings xviii. 21.

himielf