A SERMON PREACHED At the public Fast Before his Majesty at Christ-Church in OXFORD.  
By William Chillingworth.  
Published by command since his death.  
OXFORD, Printed by HENRY HALL.. 1644.   
2 TIM. Chap. 3. v. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to Parents, unthankful, unholy,  
Without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontitinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,  
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.  
Having a form of godliness, but dening the power thereof.  
TO a discourse upon these words, I cannot think of any fit introduction, then that wherewith our Saviour someime began a Sermon of his, This day is this Scripture fulfilled. And I would to God there were not great occasion to fear that a great part of it may be fulfilled in this place.  
Two things are contained in it: First, the real wickedness of the generality of the men of the latter times, in the four first verses. For by men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, etc. I conceive is meant, men generally shall be so, otherwise this were nothing peculiar to the last, but common to all times, for in all times some, nay many have been lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, etc. Secondly, we have here the formal and hypocritical godliness of the same times, in the last verse, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; which latter ordinarily and naturally accompanies the former. For as the shadows are longest when the Sun is lowest, and as vines and other fruit trees bear the less fruit, when they are suffered to luxuriate and spend their sap upon superfluous suckers, and abundance of leaves: So commonly we may observe both in Civil conversation, where there is great store of formality, there is little sincerity: and in Religion, where there is a decay of true and cordial piety, there men entertain and please themselves, and vainly hope to please God with external formalities, and performances, and great store of that righteousness for which Christ shall judge the world.  
It were no difficult matter to show that the truth of Saint Paul's prediction is by experience justified in both parts of it, but my purpose is to restrain myself to the latter, and to endeavour to clear unto you, that that in our times is generally accomplished: That almost in all places the power of Godliness is decayed and vanished, the form and profession of it only remaining: That the spirit, and soul, and life of Religion, is for the most part gone, only the outward body or carcase, or rather the picture or shadow of it, being left behind: This is the Doctrine which at this time I shall deliver to you, and the use, which I desire most hearty you should make of it, is this. To take care that you confute, so fare as it concerns your particulars, what I fear I shall prove too true in the general.  
To come then to our business without further compliment, let us examine our ways, and consider impartially what the Religion of most men is.  
We are baptised in our infancy, that is, as I conceive, dedicated and devoted to God's service, by our Parents and the Church, as young Samuel was by his mother Anna, and there we take a solemn vow, To forsake the Devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all the covetous desires of it, to forsake also all the carnal desires of the flesh, and not to follow nor be led by them. This vow we take when we be children and understand it not: and how many are there who know, and consider, and regard what they have vowed, when they are become men, almost as little as they did being children? consider the lives, and public Actions of most men of all conditions in Court, City, and Country, and then deny it if you can, that those three things which we have renounced in our baptism, the profits, honours, and pleasures of the world, are not the very gods which divide the world amongst them, are not served more devoutly, confided in more hearty, loved more affectionately, than the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in whose name we are baptised: deny if you can the daily and constant employment of all men, to be either a violent prosecution of the vain pomp and glory of the world, or of the power, riches, and contemptible profits of it, or of the moment any or unsatisfying pleasures of the flesh, or else of the more diabolical humours of pride, malice, revenge, and such like: and yet with this empty form we please and satisfy ourselves, as well as if we were lively borne again by the Spirit of God, not knowing, or not regarding what Saint Peter hath taught us, That the Baptism which must save us, is, Not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, 
1 Pet. 3 21  but the answer of a good conscience unto God.  
When we are come to years capable of instruction, many, which is lamentable to consider, are so little regarded by themselves or others, that they continue little better than Pagans in a Commonwealth of Christians, and know little more of God or of Christ, then if they had been bred in the Indies. A lamentable case, and which will one day lie heavy upon their account, which might have amended it and did not. But many I confess are taught to act over this play of Religion, and learned to say, Our Father which art in Heaven; and, I believe in God the Father Almighty: but where are the men that live so, as if they believe in earnest, that God is their Almighty Father? where are they that fear him, and trust him, and depend upon him only, for their whole happiness, and love him, and obey him, as in reason we ought to do to an Almighty Father? who if he be our Father, and we be indeed his children, will do for us all the good he can; and if he be Almighty, can do for us all the good he will; and yet how few are there, who love him with half that affection as Children usually do their natural Parents, or believe him with half that simplicity, or serve him with half that diligence? And then for the Lords prayer, the plain truth is, we lie unto God for the most part clean through it, and for want of desiring indeed what in word we pray for, tell him to his face as many false tales as we make Petitions. For who shows by his endeavours, that he desires hearty that God's Name should be hallowed, that is, holily, and religiously worshipped and adored by all men? That his Kingdom should be advanced and enlarged? That his blessed will should be universally obeyed? Who shows by his forsaking sin, that he desires so much as he should do the forgiveness of it? Nay, who doth not revenge upon all occasions, the affronts, contempts, and injuries put upon him, and so upon the matter curse himself, as oft as he says, Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us? How few depend upon God only for their daily Bread, viz. the good things of this life, as upon the only giver of them, so as neither to get nor keep any of them, by any means which they know or fear to be offensive unto God? How few desire in earnest to avoid temptation? Nay, who almost is there, that takes not the Devil's office out of his hand, and is not himself a tempter both to himself and others? Lastly, who almost is there that desires hearty and above all things, so much as the thing deserves, to be delivered from the greatest evil, sin, I mean, and the anger of God? Now beloved this is certain, he that employs not requisite industry, to obtain what he pretends to desire, does not desire indeed, but only pretends to do so: He that desires not what he prays for, prays with tongue only, and not with his heart; indeed does not pray to God, but play and dally with him. And yet this is all which men generally do, and therefore herein also accomplish this prophecy, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.  
And this were ill enough, were it in private, but we abuse God Almighty also with our public and solemn formalities, we make the Church a Stage whereon to act our parts and play our pageants, there we make a profession every day of confessing our sins with humble, lowly, and obedient hearts, and yet when we have talked after this manner, 20. 30. 40. years together, our hearts for the most part continue as proud, as impenitent, as disobedient, as they were in the beginning. We make great Protestations when we assemble and meet together to render thanks to God Almighty, for the benefit received at his hands; and if this were to be performed with words, with Hosannas & Hallelujahs, and gloria patri's, and Psalms and Hymns, and such like outward matters, peradventure we should do it very sufficiently: but in the mean time with our lives and actions, we provoke the Almighty, and that to his face, with all variety of grievous and bitter provocations; we do daily and hourly such things as we know, and he hath assured us to be odious unto him, and contrary to his nature, as any thing in the world is to the nature of any man in the world; and all this upon poor, trifling, trivial, no temptations. If a man whom you had dealt well with, should deal so with you, one whom ye had redeemed from the Turkish slavery, and instated in some indifferent good inheritance, should make you fine speeches, entertain you with Panegyrics, and have your praises always in his mouth, but all this while do nothing that pleases you, but upon all occasions, put all affronts and indignities upon you, would you say this were a thankful man? Nay would you not make heaven and earth to ring of his unthankfulness, and detest him almost as much for his fair speeches, as his foul actions? Beloved, such is our unthankfulness to our God and Creator, to our Lord and Saviour; 
Mat. 21 9 M rk 15.13.14.  our tongues ingeminate, and cry aloud, Hosanna, Hosanna, but the louder voice of our lives and actions is crucify him, crucify him: We Court God Almighty, and compliment with him, and profess to esteem his service perfect freedom, but if any thing be to be done, much more if any thing be to be suffered for him, here we leave him, we bow the knee before him, and put a reed in his hand, and a Crown upon his head, and cry, Hail King of the jews: But then with our Customary sins, we give him gall to eat, and vinegar to drink, we thrust a spear in his side, nail him to the Cross, and Crucify to ourselves the Lord of Glory. This is not the Office of a friend to bewail a dead friend with vain lamentation. Sed quae voluerit meminisse, quae mandaverit exequi, to remember what he desires, and execute what he commands; so said a dying Roman to his friend, and so say I to you, To be thankful to God is not to say, God be praised, or, God be thanked, but to remember what he desires, and execute what he commands, to be thankful to God is certainly to love him, and to love him is to keep his Commandments, so saith our Saviour, joh. 19 If ye love me keep my Commandments: If we do so, we may justly pretend to thankfulness, which believe me is not a word, nor to be performed with words: But if we do not so, as generally we do not, our talk of thankfulness is nothing else but mere talk, and we accomplish Saint Paul's prophecy herein also: Having a form of thankfulness, but not the reality, not the power of it.  
If I should reckon up unto you, how many direct lies every wicked man tells God Almighty as often as he says Amen, to this form of godliness, which our Church hath prescribed. If I should present unto you all our acting of piety, and playing of humiliation, and personating of devotion in the Psalms, the Litanies, the Collects, and generally in the whole service, I should be infinite: And therefore I have thought good to draw a veil over a great part of our hypocrisy, and to restrain the remainder of our discourse to the contrariety between our profession and performance, only in two things; I mean Faith and Repentance.  
And first for Faith, We profess, and indeed generally, because it is not safe to do otherwise, that we believe the Scripture to be true, and that it contains the plain and only way to infinite and eternal happiness: But if we did generally believe what we do profess, if this were the language of our hearts as well as our tongues, how comes it to pass that the study of it is so generally neglected?  
Let a book that treats of the Philosopher's stone, promise never so many mountains of gold, and even the restoring of the golden age again, yet were it no marvel if few should study it, and the reason is, because few would believe it. But if there were a book extant, and ordinary to be had, as the Bible is, which men did generally believe to contain a plain, and easy way for all men to become rich, & to live in health and pleasure, and this world's happiness, can any man imagine that this book would be unstudied by any man? And why then should I not believe, that if the Scripture were firmly and hearty believed, the certain and only way to happiness which is perfect and eternal, it would be studied by all men, with all diligence? Seeing therefore most Christians are so cold and negligent in the study of it, prefer all other business, all other pleasures before it, is there not great reason to fear, that many who pretend to believe it firmly, believe it not at all, or very weakly and faintly? If the General of an Army, or an Ambassador to some Prince or State were assured by the King his Master, that the transgressing any point of his Commission should cost him his life, and the exact performance of it be recompensed with as high a reward as were in the King's power to bestow upon him: can it be imagined that any man who believes this, and is in his right mind, can be so supinely and stupidly negligent of this charge, which so much imports him, as to oversee through want of care any one necessary article or part of his commission: especially if it be delivered to him in writing, and at his pleasure to peruse it every day? Certainly this absurd negligence is a thing without example, and such as peradventure will never happen to any sober man to the world's end: and by the same reason, if we were firmly persuaded that this book doth indeed contain that charge and commission, which infinitely more concerns us, it were not in reason possible, but that to such a persuasion, our care & diligence about it, should be in some measure answerable: seeing therefore most of us are so strangely careless, so grossly negligent of it, is there not great reason to fear, that though we have professors and protesters in abundance, yet the faithful, the truly and sincerely faithful are in a manner failed from the children of men. What but this can be the cause that men are so commonly ignorant of so many articles, and particular mandates of it, which yet are as manifest in it as if they were written with the beams of the Sun? For example; how few of our Ladies and Gentlewomen do or will understand, that a voluptuous life, is damnable and prohibited to them? 
● Tim. 5.6.  Yet Saint Paul saith so very plainly; She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. I believe this case divinely regards not the Sex; he would say, He well as She, if there had been occasion. How few of the gallants of our time do or will understand, that it is not lawful for them to be as expensive and costly in apparel, as their means or perhaps their credit will extend unto? which is to sacrifice unto vanity, that which by the Law of Christ is due unto Charity; and yet the same Saint Paul forbids plainly this excess even to women— also let women (he would have said it much rather to the men) array themselves in comely apparel, 
1 Tim. 2. ●.  with shamefastness and modesty, not with embroidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly apparel; and to make our ignorance the more inexcuable, the very same rule is delivered by Saint Peter also, 1 Epist. 3, 3.  
How few rich men are or will be persuaded that the Law of Christ permits them not to heap up riches for ever, nor perpetually to add house to house, and land to land, though by lawful means, but requires of them thus much charity at least, that ever while they are providing for their Wives and Children, they should out of the increase, wherewith God blesseth their industry, allot the poor a just and free proportion? and when they have provided for them in a convenient manner, (such as they themselves shall judge sufficient and convenient in others) that then they should give over making purchase after purchase, but with the surplusage of their revenue beyond their expense, procure as much as lies in them, that no Christian remain miserably poor: few rich men I fear are or will be thus persuaded; and their daily actions show as much; yet undoubtedly, 
Mat. 19.19.  either our Saviour's general command, of loving our neighbours as ourselves, which can hardly consist with our keeping vainly, or spending vainly what he wants for his ordinary subsistence, lays upon us a necessity of this high liberality, or his special command concerning this matter, 
Mat. 19. 2●.  Quod superest date pauperibus, that which remains give to the poor, or that which S. john saith, 1 Epist. 3, 17. reacheth home unto it, Whosoever hath this world's good, and seethe his brother have need, and shutteth up the bowels of his compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? Which is in effect, as if he had said— He that keepeth from any brother in Christ that which his brother wants, and he wants not, doth but vainly think that he loves God, and therefore vainly hope that God loves him.  
Where almost are the men that are or will be persuaded the Gospel of Christ requires of men Humility, like to that of little Children, and that under the highest pain of damnation? That is, that we should no more over-value ourselves, or desire to be highly esteemed by others, no more undervalue, scorn, or despise others, no more affect pre-eminence over others, then little children do, before we have put that pride into them, which afterwards we charge wholly upon their natural corruption▪ and yet our blessed Saviour requires nothing more Rigidly, nor more plainly than this high degree of humility; 
Mat. 18, ●.  verily, saith he, I say unto you, he speaks to his disciples affecting high places, and demanding which of them should be greatest, except ye be converted and become as little Children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.  
Would it not be strange news to a great many, that not only adultery and fornication, but even uncleanness and lasciviousness; not only idolatry, and witchcraft, but hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, and contentions, not only murders, but envying: not drunkenness only, but revelling, are things prohibited to Christians, and such as if we forsake them not, we cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven? and yet these things, as strange as they may seem, are plainly written; some of them by S. Peter, 1 Epist. 4. chap. But all of them by S. Paul, Gal. 5, 15. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, etc. of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in times past, that they who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.  
If I should tell you that all bitterness and evil speaking (nay such is the modesty and gravity which Christianity requires of us) foolish talk and jesting are things not allowed to Christians, would not many cry out these are hard and strange say, who can hear them? and yet as strange as they may seem, they have been written well nigh 1600 years, and are yet extant in very legible Characters in the Epistle to the Eph. the end of the 4. and the beginning of the 5 chap.  
To come a little nearer to the business of our times, the chief Actors in this bloody Tragedy, which is now upon the Stage, who have robbed our Sovereign Lord the King of his Forts, Towns, Treasure, Ammunition, Houses, of the Persons of many of his Subjects, and (as much as lies in them) of the hearts of all of them: Is it credible that they know and remember and consider the example of David recorded for their instruction, 
1 Sam. 24, 11.  Whose heart smote him when he had but cut off the hem of saul's garment?  
They that make no scruple at all of fight with His Sacred Majesty, and shooting Muskets and Ordnance at Him (which sure have not the skill, to choose a Subject from a King) to the extreme hazard of his Sacred Person, whom by all possible obligations they are bound to defend, do they know (think you) the general rule without exception or limitation left by the Holy Ghost for our direction in all such cases, Who can lift up his hand against the Lords Anointed, 
1 Sam. 2 6 9 Prov. 24.21.  and be innocent? or do they consider his Command in the Proverbs of Solomon, My son fear God and the King, and meddle not with them that desire change? 
Eccles. 8.2.  Or his council in the Book of Ecclesiastes, I council thee to keep the King's Commandment, and that in regard of the Oath of God? or because they possibly may pretend that they are exempted from, or unconcerned in the commands of obedience delivered in the Old Testament, do they know and remember the precept given to all Christians by S. Peter, 
1 Pet, 2, 13  Submit yourselves to every Ordinance of man, for the Lords sake, whether it be to the King as Supreme, or unto Governors, as unto them that are sent by him? or that terrible sanction of the same command, 
Rom. 13, 2.  They that resist shall receive to themselves damnation, left us by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, who then were the miserable Subjects of the worst King, the worst man, nay, I think I may add truly, the worst beast in the world, that so all rebels mouths might be stopped for ever, and left without all colour or pretence whatsoever to justify resistance of Sovereign power. Undoubtedly if they did know and consider and lay close to their hearts, these places of Scripture, or the fearful judgement which befell Cora●, 
Numb. 16.32.  Dathan, and Ab●ram, for this very sin which now they commit and with a high hand still proceed in, it would be impossible but their hearts should smite them, as david's did, upon an infinitely less occasion, and affright them out of those ways of present confusion, and eternal damnation. And then on the other side they that maintain the King's righteous cause with the hazard of their lives and fortunes; but by their oaths and curses, by their drunkenness, and debauchery, by their irreligion and profaneness, fight more powerfully against their party, then by all other means they do or can fight for it, are not I fear very well acquainted with any part of the Bible; but that strict caution which properly concerns themselves in the book of Deut. 23.9. I much doubt they have scarce ever heard of it, When thou goest to Wars with thine Enemies, then take heed there be no wicked thing in thee, not only no wickedness in the cause thou maintainest, nor no wickedness in the means by which thou maintainest it, but no personal impieties in the persons that maintain it. Beloved for the former two, we have reason to be full of comfort and confidence; For what is our cause? What is that which you fight, and we pray for? but to deliver the King and all his good Subjects out of the power of their Enemies, who will have no peace but with their slaves and vassals? and for the means by which it is maintained, it is not by lying, it is not by calumnies, it is not by running first ourselves, and then forcing the people to universal perjury; but by a just war, because necessary, and by as fair and merciful a War as if they were not Rebels and Traitors you fight against, but Competitors in a doubtful Title. But now for the third part of the caution, that, to deal ingenuously with you, and to deliver my own soul, If I cannot other men's, that I cannot think of with half so much comfort as the former; but seeing so many jonasses embarked in the same ship, the same cause with us, and so many Achan's entering into Battle with us against the Canaanites, seeing Publicans and sinners on the one side, against Scribes and Pharisees on the other; on the one side Hypocrisy, on the other profaneness, no honesty nor justice on the one side, and very little piety on the other; On the one side horrible oaths, curses, and blasphemies; On the other pestilent lies, calumnies, and perjury: When I see amongst them the pretence of reformation, if not the desire, pursued by Antichristian, Mahometan, devilish means; and amongst us little or no zeal for reformation of what is indeed amiss, little or no care to remove the cause of God's anger towards us, by just, lawful, and Christian means; I profess plainly I cannot without trembling consider what is likely to be the event of these distractions; I cannot but fear that the goodness of our cause may sink under the burden of our sins: And that God in his justice, because we will not suffer his Judgements to acheive their prime scope and intention, which is our amendment and reformation, may either deliver us up to the blind zeal and fury of our Enemies; or else, which I rather fear, make us instruments of his justice each against other, and of our own just and deserved confusion. This I profess plainly is my fear, and I would to God it were likewise the fear of every Soldier in His Majesty's Army; but that which increaseth my fear is, that I see very many of them have very little or none at all: I mean not that they are fearless towards their Enemies, (that's our joy and Triumph) but that they show their courage even against God, and fear not him, whom it is madness not to fear. Now from whence can their not fearing him proceed; but from their not knowing him, their not knowing his will and their own duty? not knowing how highly it concerns Soldiers, above other professions to be religious, and then if ever when they are engaged in dangerous adventures, and every moment have their lives in their hands, When they go to War with their Enemies, then to take heed there be no wicked thing in them.  
You see, beloved, how many instances and examples I have given you of our gross ignorance of what is necessary and easy for us to know, and to these it were no difficult matter to add more. Now from whence can this ignorance proceed, but from supine negligence? and from whence this negligence, but from our not believing what we pretend to believe? For did we believe firmly and hearty, that this Book were given us by God for the rule of our Actions, and that obedience to it were the certain and only way to eternal happiness, it were impossible we should be such enemies to ourselves, such Traitors to our own souls, as not to search it at least with so much diligence, that no necessary point of our duty plainly taught in it could possibly escape us. But it is certain, and apparent to all the world, that the greatest part of Christians, through gross and wilful negligence remain utterly ignorant of many necessary points of their duty to God, and man: and therefore it is much to be feared, that this book, and the Religion of Christ contained in it, among an infinite of professors, labours with great penury of true beleivers.  
It were an easy matter (if the time would permit) to present unto you many other demonstrations of the same conclusion; but to this drawn from our willing ignorance of that which is easy and necessary for us to know, I will content myself to add only one more taken from our voluntary and presumptuous neglect to do those things which we know and acknowledge to be necessary.  
If a man should say unto me that it concerns him as much as his life is worth, to go presently to such a place, and that he knows but one way to it, and I should see him stand still or go some other way, had I any reason to believe that this man believes himself? Quid verba audiam, cum facta videam? saith he in the Comedy. Potestatio contra factum non valet, saith the Law: and why should I believe, that, that man believes obedience to Christ the only way to present and eternal happiness, when I see wittingly, and willingly and constantly, and customarily to disobey him? The time was that we all knew that the King could reward those that did him service, and punish those that did dis-service, and then all men were ready to obey his commands, and he was a rare man that durst do any thing to his face that offended him. Beloved, if we did but believe in God, so much as most subjects do in their King, did we as verily believe, that God could and would make us perfectly happy if we serve him, though all the world conspire to make us miserable, and that he could and would make us miserable if we serve him not, though all the world should conspire to make us happy, how were it possible that to such a faith our lives should not be comformable? Who was there ever so madly in love with a present penny, as to run the least hazard of the loss of 10000 li. a year to gain it, or not readily to part with it upon any probable hope or light persuasion, much more a firm belief that by doing so he should gain 100000 li. Now beloved, the happiness which the servants of Christ are promised in the Scripture, we all pretend to believe, that it exceeds the conjunction of all the good things of the world, and much more such a portion as we may possibly enjoy, infinitely more than 10000 li. a year, or 100000 li. doth a penny, for 100000 li. is but a penny so many times over, and 10000 li. a year is worth but a certain number of pence; but between Heaven and Earth, between finite and infinite, between Eternity and a moment, there is utterly no proportion, and therefore seeing we are so apt upon trifling occasions, to hazard this Heaven for this Earth, this infinite for this finite, this all for this nothing; is it not much to be feared, that though many of us pretend too much faith, we have indeed very little or none at all? The sum of all which hath been spoken concerning this point is this. Were we firmly persuaded that obedience to the Gospel of Christ, is the true and only way to present and eternal happiness (without which faith no man living can be Justified) then the innate desire of our own happiness could not but make us studious inquirers of the will of Christ, and conscionable performers of it: but there are (as experience shows) very few, who make it their care and business to know the will of Christ, and of those few again, very many, who make no conscience at all of doing what they know; therefore though they profess & protest they have faith, yea their protestations are not to be regarded against their actions, but we may safely and reasonably conclude what was to be concluded, That the Doctrine of Christ amongst an infinite of professors labours with great scarcity of true, and serious, and hearty believers, and that herein also we accomplish St. Paul's prediction, having a form of godliness, but denying the power etc.  
But perhaps the truth and reality of our repentance may make some kind of satisfaction to God Almighty for our hypocritical dallying with him in all the rest; truly I should be hearty glad it were so: but I am so fare from being of this faith, that herein I fear we are most of all hypocritical, and that the generality of professors is so fare from a real practice of true repentance, that scarce one it an hundred understands truly what it is.  
Some satisfy themselves with a bare confession and acknowledgement, either that that they are sinners in general, or that they have committed such and such sins in particular, which acknowledgement comes not yet from the heart of a great many, but only from their lips and tongues: For how many are there, that do rather complain and murmur that they are sinners, then acknowledge and confess it? and make it upon the matter rather their unhappiness and misfortune, than their true fault, that they are so? such are all they who impute all their commissions of evil to the unavoidable want of restraining grace, and all their omis on of good to the like want of effectual exciting grace. All such as pretend that the Commandments of God are impossible to be kept any better than they are kept, and thus the world, the flesh, and the devil are even omnipotent enemies, and that God neither doth nor will give sufficient strength to resist and overcome them. All such as lay all their faults upon Adam & say with those rebellious Israelities (whom God assures that they neither had nor should have just reason to say so) That their Fathers had eaten sour grapes, and their teeth were set on edge. 
Ezek. 18.2.  Lastly all such as lay all their sins upon divine prescience, and predestination, saying with their tongues, O what wretched sinners have we been; but in their hearts, how could we help it, we were predestinate to it, we could not do otherwise?  
All such as seriously so persuade themselves, and think to hid nakedness with such fig-leaves as these, can no more be said to acknowledge themselves guilty of a fault, than a man that is borne blind or lame, with the stone or gout can accuse himself of any fault for being borne so; well may such a one complain and bemoan himself, and say, O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this unhappiness? But such a complaint is as fare from being a true acknowledgement of any fault, as a bare acknowledgement of a fault is fare from true repentance: for to confess a fault is to acknowledge that freely and willingly without any constraint, or unavoidable necessity, we have transgressed the law of God, it being in our Power by God's grace to have done otherwise.  
To aggravate this fault, is to confess we have done so when we might easily have avoided it, and had no great nor violent temptation to it; to pretend any great difficulty in the matter is to excuse and extenuate it: but to say that all things considered, it was absolutely impossible for you to avoid it, is flatly to deny it. Others there are that think they have done enough, if to confession of sin they add some sorrow for it; if when the present fit of sin is past, and they are returned to themselves, the sting remaining breed some remorse of conscience, some complaints against their wickedness and folly for having done so, and some intentions to forsake it, though vanishing and ineffectual. These heat-drops, this morning dew of sorrow, though it presently vanish, and they return to their sin again upon the next temptation, 
〈◊〉. 2.22.  as a dog to his vomit, when the pang is over; yet in the pauses between, while they are in their good mood, they conceive themselves to have very true, and very good repentance; so that if they should have the good fortune to be taken away in one of these Intervalla, one of these sober moods, they should certainly be saved; which is just as if a man in a quartane Ague, or the stone, or gout, should think himself rid of his disease, as oft as he is out of his fit.  
But if repentance were no more but so; how could S. Paul have truly said, 
1 Cor. 7.10.  that godly sorrow worketh repentance? every man knows that nothing can work itself. The Architect is not the house which he builds, the Father is not the Son which he begets, the Tradesman is not the work which be makes; and therefore if sorrow, godly sorrow, worketh repentance, 
2 Cor. 7. 1●.  certainly sorrow is not repentance: the same S. Paul tells us in the same place, that the sorrow of the world worketh death, and you will give me leave to conclude from hence, therefore it is not death, and what shall hinder me from concluding thus also? Godly sorrow worketh repentance, therefore it is not repentance.  
To this purpose it is worth the observing, that when the Scripture speaks of that kind of repentance, which is only sorrow for something done, and wishing it undone, it constantly useth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, to which forgiveness of sins is not where promised. So it is written of Judas the son of perdition, Mat. 27, 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, he repent and went and hanged himself, and so constantly in other places. But that repentance to which remission of sins and salvation is promised is perpetually expressed by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which signifies a through change of the heart and soul, of the life and actions, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Mat. 3, 2. which is rendered in our last translation, Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand: But much better, because freer from ambiguity in the entrance to our Common Prayer Book. Amend your lives, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. From whence by the way we may observe, that in the judgement of those holy and learned Martyrs, repentance and amendment of life are all one: And I would to God the same men, out of the same care of avoiding mistakes, and to take away occasion of cavilling our Liturgy from them that seek it, and out of fear of encourageing carnal men to security in sinning, had been so provident, as to set down in terms the first sentence taken out of the 18 of Ezekiel, and not have put in the place of it an ambiguous, and (though not in itself, yet accidentally, by reason of the mistake to which it is subject,) I fear very often a pernicious paraphrase; for whereas thus they make it: At what time soever a Sinner doth repent him of his sins from the bottom of his heart, I will put out all his wickedness out of my remembrance, saith the Lord; The plain truth, if you will hear it, is, the Lord doth not say so, these are not the very words of God, but the paraphrase of men: the words of God are as followeth— If the wicked turn from all the sins which he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, 
Ezek. 18.21.  and do that which is lawful & right, he shall surely live, he shall not die; where I hope you easily observe, that there is no such word as— At what time soever a sinner doth repent, etc. and that there is a wide difference between this (as the word repent usually sounds in the ears of the people) and turning from all sins, and keeping all God's statutes, that indeed having no more in it but sorrow and good purposes, may be done easily and certainly at the last gasp, and it is very strange that any Christian, who dies in his right senses, and knows the difference between heaven and hell, should fail of the performing it: but this work of turning, keeping, and doing is (though not impossible by extraordinary mercy to be performed at last) yet ordinarily a work of time, a long and a laborious work (but yet heaven is very well worth it) and if you mean to go through with it, you had need go about it presently. Yet seeing the Composers of our Liturgy thought fit to abreviate, Turning from all sin, and keeping all God's statutes, and doing that which is lawful and right, into this one word repenting, it is easy and obvious to collect from hence, as I did before, from the other place, that by repentance they understood not only sorrow for sin, but conversion from it. The same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Mat. 12, 42. is used in speaking of the the repentance of the Ninivites, and how real, hearty, and effectual a conversion that was, you may see Ionas 3, from the 5 to the last verse: The people of Ninive believed God, and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them to the least of them, for word came to the King of Ninive, and he arose from his throne, and he cast his Robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes; and he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Ninive, by the decree of the King and of his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, heard, nor flock, taste any thing, let them not feed nor drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God; yea let every one turn from his evil way, and from the violence which is in their hands; who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away his fierce anger that we perish not?  
Which words contain an excellent and lively pattern for all true penitents to follow, and whereunto to conform themselves in their humiliation and repentance. 
jonah 3, 4.  And truly though there be no jonas sent expressly from God to cry unto us, Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed; yet seeing the mouth of eternal truth hath taught us, that a Kingdom divided is in such danger of ruin and destruction, that, morally speaking, if it continue divided it cannot stand, and seeing the strange and miserable condition of our Nation at this time, may give any considerable man just cause to fear, that as in Rehoboams case, so likewise in ours, 
1 King 12, 24.  The thing is of the Lord, intending to bring his heavy judgement upon us, for our great sins, and our stupid, and stupendious security in sinning, and to make us instruments of his designed vengeance, one upon another, peradventure it would be a seasonable and necessary motion to be made to our King and his Nobles, to revive this old Proclamation of the King of Nineveh, and to send it with authority through His Majesty's dominions, and to try whether it will produce some good effect: who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? Who can tell whether he that hath the hearts of King and people in his hand, and turneth them whithersoever he thinketh best, may not upon our repentance take our extremity for his opportunity, 
Kuk. 19, 42.  and at last open our eyes that we may see those things that belong to our peace, and show us the way of Peace, which hitherto we have not known: but this by the way, for my purpose I observe that this repentance, which, when the sword of God was drawn, and his arm advanced for a blow, stayed his hand, and sheathed his sword again, was not a mere sorrow for their sins, and a purpose to leave them, nay it was not only laying aside their gallantry and bravery, and putting on sackcloth and sitting in ashes, and crying mightily unto God, of which yet we are come very short: but it was also and that chief, their universal turning from their evil way, which above all the rest was prevalent and effectual with God Almighty, for so it is written. And god saw their works that they turned from their evil way, 
●●nah 3.10.  and God repent him of the evil that he said he would do, and he did it not.  
In the gospel of S. Luke, cap. 24. The condition of the new Covenant, to which remission of sins is promised, is expressed by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and that (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉) Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name, which place if ye compare with that in the Gospel of S. Matthew. 
Mat. 28.29.  Go teach all Nations baptising them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all whatsoever I shall command you. It will be no difficulty to collect, that what our Saviour calls in one place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, repentance, that he calls in another observing all that he hath commanded; which if repentance were no more but sorrow for sin, and intending to leave it, certainly he never could nor would have done. And as little could S. Paul Act. 20.21. profess that the whole matter of his preaching was nothing else but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord jesus Christ: It being manifest in his Epistles, he preaches and presses every where, the necessity of mortification, regeneration, new, and sincere obedience, all which are evidently not contained under the head of Faith, and therefore it is evident he comprised all these under the name of Repentance.  
In which words moreover it is very considerable, as also in another place, Heb. 6. where among the fundamentals of Christianity the first place is given to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I say it is very considerable, that though the word may not very absolutely be rendered repentance, yet we shall do much right to the place and make them much more clear and intelligible, if in stead of Repentance we had put conversion as it is in some of the best Latin translations: so for example, if instead of repentance to God Act. 20. and repentance from dead works in the Epistle to the Heb. which our English tongue will hardly bear; we should read conversion to God, and conversion from dead works, every one sees it would be more perspicuous and more natural, whereas on the other side if in stead of repentance we should substitute sorrow (as every true and genuine interpretation may with advantage to the clearness of the sense be put in place of the word interpreted) and read the places sorrow towards God, and sorrow from dead works, it is apparent that this reading would be unnatural, and almost ridiculous, which is a great argument that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, to which forgiveness of sins is promised in the Gospel, is not only sorrow for sin, but conversion from sin.  
And yet if it be not so, but that Heaven may be purchased at easier, and cheaper rates: how comes it to pass that in the new Testament, we are so plainly and so frequently assured, that without actual, and effectual amendment, and newness of life, without actual, and effectual mortification, regeneration, sanctification, there is no hope, no possibility of Salvation?  
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire, So S. John Baptist preaches repentance; it is not then the leaves of a fair profession, no nor the blossoms of good purposes and intentions, but the fruit, the fruit only that can save us from the fire, neither is it enough not to bear ill fruit, unless we bring forth good. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.  
Not every one that sayeth unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven, so our Saviour Matth. 7 21. And again after he had delivered his most divine precepts in his Sermon on the mount (which Sermon contains the substance of the Gospel of Christ:) he closeth up all with saying: he that heareth these say of mine and doth them not) and yet these were the hardest sayings that ever he said (I will liken him to a foolish man, 
Mat. 7, 26.27.  which built his house upon the sand, that is, the hope of Salvation upon a sandy and false ground; when the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blue, and beat upon that house, it fell, and great was the fall of it.  
They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. So S. Paul. Gal. 5.24. they than that have not done so, nor crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts, let them be as sorrowful as they please, let them intent what they please, they as yet are none of Christ's, and good Lord what a multitude of Christians than are there in the world that do not belong to Christ?  

Gal. 5.19.20.21.  The works of the flesh sayeth the same S. Paul, are manifest, which are these, Adultery, Fornication, Uncleanness, Lasciviousness, Idolatry, Witchcraft, Hatred, Variance, Emulations, Wrath, Strife, Seditions, Heresies, Envyings, Murders, Drunkenness, revel, of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. He doth not say, they which have done such things shall not be saved, but manifestly to the contrary— Such were some of you, but ye are washed, but you are sanctified: but he says; they which do such things, and without amendment of life shall continue doing them, shall not be excused, by any pretence of sorrow and good purposes. They shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.  

1 Cor. 6, 9.10.  And again in another Epistle, know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor Adulterers, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor Thiefs, nor covetous, nor Drunkards, nor revilers shall inherit the Kingdom of God. 
Gal. 6.15.   
In Christ jesus (saith the same Saint Paul in other places) nothing availeth but faith: nothing but a new creature, nothing but keeping the Commandments of God; it is not then a wishing but a working faith, not wishing you were a new creature; nor sorrowing you are not, but being a new creature, not wishing you had kept, not sorrowing you bore not kept, nor purposeing vainly to keep, but keeping his Commandments must prevail with him.  
Fellow peace with all men and holiness, 
Heb. 12.14.  saith the Divine Author of the Epistle to the Heb.) without which no man shall see the Lord.  
Saint Peter in his 2. Epistle, 
2 Pet. 1.5.6.7.8.9.  commends unto us a golden chain of Christian perfections, consisting of these links, Faith, virtue, knowledge, Temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, charity: and then adds— He that lacketh these things is blind, and knoweth not that he was purged from his old sins, Let his sorrow be never so great, and his desires never so good, yet if he lack these things, he is blind, and was purged from his old sins, but is not.  
Lastly Saint john, he that hath this hope purifieth himself, 
1 john 3. 3●  even as he is pure, the meaning is not with the same degree of purity, for that is impossible, but with the same kind, the same truth of purity, he that doth not purify himself, may, nay doth flatter himself, and without warrant presume upon God's favour, but this hope he hath not; and again, Little Children, let no man deceive you, 
1 john 3.7.  he that doth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous; And thus you see all the divine Writers of the New Testament with one consent and one mouth proclaim the necessity of real holiness, and labour together to disenchant us from this vain fancy, that men may be saved, by sorrowing for their sin and intending to leave it, without effectual conversion and reformation of life, which, it may well be feared, hath sent thousands of souls to hell in a golden dream of Heaven.  
But is not this to preach works as the Papists do? no certainly; it is not; but to preach works as Christ and his Apostles do it is to preach the necessity of them, which no good Protestant, no good Christian ever denied, but is is not to preach the merit of them which is the error of the Papists.  
But is it not to preach the Law in time of the Gospel? no certainly it is not: for the Law forgives no sins but requireth exact obedience, & curseth every one which from the beginning to the end of his life, continueth not in all things which are written in the Law to do them, 
Gal. 3.10.  but the Gospel says, & accordingly I have said unto you, that there is mercy always in store, for those who know the day of their visitation, and forsake their sins in time of mercy, and that God will pardon their imperfections in the progress of holiness, who miscall not presumptuous and deliberate sins by the name of imperfections; but seriously and truly endeavour to be perfect; only I forewarn you that you must never look to be admitted to the wedding feast of the King's Son, either in the impure rags of any customary sin, or without the wedding garment of Christian holiness; only I forewarn you that whosoever looks to be made partaker of the joys of heaven, must make it the chief, if not the only business of his life, to know the will of God and to do it; that great violence is required by our Saviour for the taking of this Kingdom, that the race we are to run is a long race, the building we are to erect is a great building, and will hardly, very hardly be finished in a day, that the work we have to do of mortifying all vices; and acquiring all Christian virtues, is a long work; we may easily defer it too long, we cannot possibly begin it too soon. Only I would persuade you, and I hope I have done, that that repentance which is not effectual to true and timely conversion, will never be available unto eternal salvation. And if I have proved unto you that this is indeed the nature of true repentance, then certainly I have proved withal, that that repentance wherewith the generality of Christians content themselves, notwithstanding their great professions what they are, and their glorious protestations of what they intent to be, is not the power but the form; not the truth but the shadow of true repentance, and that herein also we accomplish Saint Paul's prediction, having a form of godliness, etc.  
And now what remains but that (as I said in the beginning,) I should humbly entreat and earnestly exhort every man that hath heard me this day, to confute in his particular what I have proved true in the general. To take care that the sin of formality, though it be the sin of our times, may yet not be the sin of our persons, that we satisfy not ourselves with the shadows of Religion, without the substance of it, nor with the form of godliness without the power of it.  
To this purpose I shall beseech you to consider, that though sacrificing, burning incense, celebrating of set festivals, praying, fasting, and such like, were under the Law, the service of God commanded by himself, yet whensoever they proceeded not from, nor were joined with the sincerity of an honest heart, he professeth frequently almost in all the Prophets, not only his scorn and contempt of them all, as fond, empty, and ridiculous; but also his hating, loathing, and detesting of them as abominable and impious.  
The Sacrifice of the wicked is abomination to God, Prov. 15, 8. What have I to do with the multitude of your Sacrifices? saith the Lord, Esay the first, I am full of the  offerings of Rams, and of the fat of fed beasts, when ye come to appear before me, who required this at your hands? Bring no more vain oblations: Incense is an abomination to me, I cannot suffer your new moons, nor sabbaths, nor solemn days, it is iniquity, even your solemn assemblies: My soul hateth your new moons, and your appointed feasts, they are a burden to me, I am weary to bear them; and when you shall stretch out your hands, I will hid mine eyes from you, and though you make many prayers I will not hear, for your hands are full of blood.  
And again, Isa, 66, 3. He that kills an Ox is a if he slew a man, he that sacrificeth a Lamb as if he cut off a Dog's neck, he that offereth an oblation as if he offered Swine's flesh, he that burned incense, as if he blessed an Idol; and what's the reason of this strange aversion of God from his own Ordinances? it follows in the next words, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.  
Terrible are the words which he speaketh to the same purpose in the prophecy of Amos, chap. 5. v. 21, 22, 23. I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies, though you offer me burned offerings and meat offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard your peace offerings.  
Now beloved, if this hypocrisy, this resting in outward performances, were so odious to God under the law, a religion full of shadows, and ceremonies, certainly it will be much more odious to do so under the Gospel, a religion of much more simplicity, and exacting so much the greater sincerity of the heart, even because it disburdens the outward man of the performance of Legal rites and observances. And therefore if we now under the Gospel, shall think to delude God Almighty, as Michall did Saul, with an Idol handsomely dressed in stead of the true David. If we shall content and please ourselves, with being of such or such a Sect or profession, with going to Church, saying, or hearing of Prayers, receiving of Sacraments, hearing, repeating, or preaching of Sermons, with zeal for Ceremonies, or zeal against them, or indeed with any thing besides constant piety towards God, Loyalty and obedience towards our Sovereign, justice and charity towards all our Neighbours, temperance, chastity, and sobriety towards ourselves, certainly we shall one day find, that we have not mocked God, but ourselves, and that our portion among hypocrites shall be greater, than theirs.  
In the next place let me entreat you to consider the fearful judgement which God hath particularly threatened to this very sin of drawing nigh unto him with our lips, when our hearts are fare from him: It is the great judgement of being given over to the spirit of slumber and security, the usual forerunner of speedy desolation and destruction, as we may see in the 29 chap. of Esaiah, from the 9 to the 14 verse, Stay yourselves and wonder, cry ye out, and cry, they are drunken but not with wine, they stagger but not with strong drink: for the Lord hath powered out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes. The Prophets and your Rulers, the seers hath he covered, and after, at the 14 verse, The wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Certainly this judgement if ever it were upon any people, we have cause to fear it is now upon us. For if the spirit of deep sleep were not upon us, how could we sleep so securely, even upon the brink of the pit of perdition? how could we proceed on so confidently in our mirth and jollity, nay in our crying sins and horrible impieties, now when the hand of God is upon us, and wrath is gone out, and even ready to consume us? And if the wisdom of our wise men were not perished, how were it possible they should so obstinately refuse the security offered of our laws, liberties, and religion by the King's Oath, by his execrations on himself, and his posterity, in case he should violate it, by the oaths of all his Ministers, not to consent to, or be instruments in such a violation, by the so much desired Triennial Parliament, from which no transgressor can possibly be secure; and instead of all this security, seek for it by a civil war, the continuance whereof must bring us to destruction and desolation, or else he hath deceived us by whom we are taught, 
Mat. 23.25.  That a Kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.  
Now what was the sin which provoked this fearful judgement? What but that which I have laboured to convince you of, and to dissuade you from, even the sin of hypocrisy? as we may see at the 12 verse: Wherefore saith the Lord, forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their hearts fare from me; and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men, therefore behold I will proceed to do a marvelous work amongst them: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, etc.  
Consider, thirdly, what woes, and woes, and woes, our Saviour thunders out against the Scribes and Pharisees for hypocrisy, Woe be unto you Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites, 
Mat. 25.25.27.29.  and again, and again, Woe be unto you Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites: Beloved, if we be hypocrites as they were, Tithe mint and Cumin, and neglect the weighty matters of the Law, judgement and justice, and mercy, as they did: Make long prayers, and under a pretence devour Widow's houses, as they did: Wash the outside of the dish and platter, while within we are full of ravening and wickedness, writ God's Commandments very large and fair upon our Phylacteries, but shut them quite out of our hearts: Build the Sepulchers of the old Prophets, and kill their successors, in fine, if we be like painted Sepulchers as they were, outwardly garnished and beautiful, but within full of dead men's bones and rottenness, we are then to make account that all these woes belong to us and will one day overtake us.  
Consider, lastly, the terrible example of Ana●●s and Saphira, and how they were snatched away in the very act of their sin, and that their fault was (as the Text tell us) that they lied unto God. Beloved, we have done so a thousand thousand times: our whole lives (if sincerely examined) would appear, I fear, little less but a perpetual lie; hitherto God hath been merciful to us, and given us time to repent, but let us not proceed still in imitating their facts, lest at length we be made partakers of their fall.  
God of his infinite mercy prevent this in every one of us, even for his Son our Saviour Jesus Christ's sake; by whom and with whom, in the unity of the holy Spirit, be all honour and glory to the eternal Father, world without end: Amen.  
FINIS.