Page images
PDF
EPUB

I.

It is apparent from the Nature of this Evil, SERM. That no Cure for it can be hoped for, till the Kingdom of Christ shall be established amongst Christians; and his own Subjects acknowledge Him, by their Practice, to be their King. And, When Christ's Authority is once suffered to fettle the Faith and Worship of Christians; when Obedience to His Commands, under the Conduct of that Faith, is suffered to pass for Religion; when the Rule of every Chriftian Man's Conduct is universally allowed to be his fincere Attention to the Directions of Christ; and Christians are so upright as to take That for their Religion, which they find recommended by their Lord, and his immediate Followers: Then, and Then only, the Faith, and Worship, and Practice, of Christians, will justly be faid to be all restored, and redeemed from the Follies of Superstition. But till this happy Time comes, How great and deplorable an Unhappiness must it be thought, that the very Believing in Jefus Christ, which was proposed to put a stop to all the Superftition in the World, should, by the crafty Designs of fome, and the Weakness of others, be itself made the Inlet and Occasion to that fame Evil, amongst Any that are called by that Holy Name; and to so shameful a Degree, as We fee it to be, in many Nations round about us.

C2

Nothing

1

SERM.

I.

Nothing, I am perfuaded, is wanting, but to uncover the Face of our most Holy Religion: and then, there can be little Doubt, but that It's most dangerous Rival, and powerful Enemy, must fly before it; and that Chriftianity will at length get the better of the Superftition of Christians, as it did at first of the Superstition

of Heathens.

:

Of

Of contending for the FAITH.

SERMON II.

Preached before the KING, March 13, 1719-20.

Epiftle of JUDE, Verse 3. latter Part.

It was needful for Me to write unto You, and exhort You, that Ye should earnestly contend for the Faith, which was once delivered unto the Saints:

I

N order to find out the Nature of what is SERM. very strongly recommended to Christians

in these Words, I propose,

I. To explain the Words themselves.

II. To observe from thence by what Methods we can most effectually answer the real first Design of them. And,

III. From the Whole, to draw such Ob-
servations,

C3

11.

SERM. servations, as may convince Us of the IniquiII. ty, and Folly, of pretending to answer their Design by other and contrary Methods.

I. The Words ought to be explained. And this Explanation ought to be taken from the plain Purport of the whole short Epistle, in which they are; from the Time when it was written; and from the Circumstances of Christianity, and of Christians, at that Time. The Duty, here recommended to Christians, is to contend earnestly for the Faith once delivered to the Saints; that is, in the Language of the Apoftles, to all who professed themselves Christians: the Title of Saints not being, at that Time, appropriated to particular Persons; but, in common, given to All Christians, to put them in mind of their Profession, and what Obligations to Holiness it carried along with it. This Faith, here to be contended for, was the Faith taught and delivered, before this Epistle was written; being spoken of here, as already known and fettled. The Expression of contending earnestly, Επαγωνίζεθαι, is taken from the Contests, Games, and Races, then in Ufe in the Heathen World; in which the Contenders for imaginary Glory strove, with all their Might, againft their Adversaries. But, as amongst these Contenders, there were certain Rules and Orders,

by

by which They were all to be governed in SERM. their Contests; upon pain of forfeiting all Pretense to Victory or Reward, if they tranfgreffed one of those Rules, which were the fixed Laws of those Contests: So, the earnest Conten

II.

tion of Chriftians, for the Faith once delivered, must be governed by those Rules, and kept within those Bounds, and directed by those Laws, which their Great Master, the Judge of the Contest, has declared and established.

If any one, who entered into the Contests, or Games, then common in the Heathen World, pretended to get the better, i. e. to overcome, hurt, or destroy, his Adversary, by any Method, contrary to the Laws fixed by the Governours or Judges of those Contests; He was not adjudged to have the Glory of Conquest, but the Shame of Injustice. And so, in the Christian Contest, if Chriftian Methods are not uniformly and conftantly made use of; the Earnestness of the Contention is only a so much greater Deviation from the Duty of a Christian. One Chriftian may crush or opprefss the Person of Another, 2gainst whom He contends, on Account of fome Differences in Religion: But he cannot contend for the Faith once delivered, so as to reap any Fruit of such Contest, without contending

C4

« PreviousContinue »