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fill the mind with folid joy and comfort, and S ER M. overcome all anxiety and trouble; and fix all XIX. the paffions of our fouls upon the greatest and most substantial good fo firmly, that all the powers of hell and death cannot shake us. These things which they thus defpife we acknowledge to be the depths of the wisdom of God; and therefore we blefs his holy name, who, by the revelation of these truths to us, hath begotten to us a lively hope; and may we all have grace to fhew forth his praise who hath thus called us out of darkness into his marvellous light.

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SERMON XX.

Senfe of Religion more obfervable in the middle and meaner rank of People.

SER M.
XX.

MATT. xi. 25.

I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, becaufe thou haft hid these things from the wife and prudent, and haft revealed them unto babes.

ND thus I hope it hath fufficiently

A appeared, that it is not any want of

reasonableness in revealed religion, that is the true caufe of its not being received so heartily and readily by the wife and prudent men of this world; fince all the wifdom of the whole world befides, is not able to füpply us with any fatisfactory account of thofe great queftions, upon which depends the welfare of mankind.

This is fuch a clear and unconquerable evi-SER M. dence for the divinity and excellency of chri- XX. stianity, that one would think every confidering perfon would embrace it greedily, and entertain it as the greatest bleffing that ever was vouchfafed to human nature. So that the cause of infidelity is not in the religion, but in the men; and this faying of our Saviour's in my text, is not to be understood as if the Gospel were not calculated for the pureft and moft refined reafon of men; and as if parts and learning were in themselves enemies to it, and rendered men indifpófed for the reception of it. The cafe is fo much otherwife, that this very thing will one day be an argument of endless confufion to all the wife and prudent men of the world, that they rejected those truths which were infinitely more agreeable to the pureft reason, than those errors which they are zealous for; and which they would furely have entertained, if there were no temptation to the contrary; they are all the wisdom of God, and that must be agreeable to the trueft wifdom of men.

And therefore now it is plain how God is faid to hide these things from the wife and prudent, not as if he had ordained them purpofely for ignorance and error, with defign to impose upon the credulity of men, as if the Gospel were in truth a net to catch none but unwary and unthinking men, and could gain upon none but fuch as will be cheated into falvation: But because he hath made the nature

SERM.of this light of the Gospel such, that men canXX. not see it through their prejudices. He hath ordered the matter fo, that the plainest reason and common understanding of men shall discern it eafily, when the greatest sophistry and moft intricate methods of human art or science fhall miss it. So that the excellency of these truths shall appear in their juft proportion to the naked eye, when all thofe elaborate opticks which men of a longer reach and larger profpect make use of, fhall fadly misrepresent and disfigure them: For which reafon he declares that he spoke to the Jews in parables, that feeing they might not fee, and that hearing they might not underftand: Not as if it were the defire of God it fhould be fo, pursuant to any eternal decree or purpose of his to reject them; for he would have all men be faved and come to the knowledge of the truth: But because he would deliver the truths of the Gospel after such a manner that an honest unprejudiced mind fhould fee them; when unfincerity and perverfeness should be as a thick cloud over the eyes of men; for to what purpofe fhould they fee that light of the Gospel, whofe vicious inclinations are fo ftrong that they will furely lead their lives in contradiction to it. So that the meaning of our Saviour is this, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou haft ordered thefe divine revelations after fuah a manner, that a plain, honest, well meaning perfon is better difpofed for the reception of them, than the great, and wife,

and

and cunning men of the world: So that it is not SE R M. the imperfection, but the excellency of chrif- XX. tianity is the occafion of this; and it is not any want of power in men to fee this, but their prejudices that will damn them.

And therefore now I fhall proceed to shew what those prejudices are, and what are the true reasons of this faying of our Saviour's, And accordingly,

1. The first reason why the wife and prudent men of this world are blind to the truths of revelation is, because of that haughtiness and vanity of spirit which goes along with all worldly knowledge; there is a pride that is almost infeparable from it, which makes people pofitive, and so to abound in their own fenfe of things, that they difdain every thing that is not agreeable to thofe principles they have once entertained; this we derived from the old Serpent, and had it in exchange for our innocence.

This is the very root and first cause of error in the minds of all thofe who are otherwise of good fenfe and understanding; men of fuch quick parts and sharpness, that there is no impofing upon them in a matter of their private worldly concerns; yet when they think or fpeak any thing with relation to another world, and to those matters which are the great, and common, and eternal intereft of mankind; they reafon fo loosely and incoherently, and make fuch wide and foolish in

ferences,

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