ye more than they? It is true, ye are
called Christians, and ye boast in it. Ye know his will, and can speak of
points of religion, can teach and instruct others, and so have, as it
were, in your minds a form and method of knowledge,--the best of you are
but such. But I ask, as Paul did the Jews in such a case, "Thou that
teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that makest a boast of
the law, through breaking of it, dishonourest thou God?" Rom. ii. 17-23.
Why then, certainly all thy profession and baptism avail nothing, and will
never extract thee from the pagans, with whom thou art one in
conversation. Thy profession is so far from helping thee in such a case,
that it shall be the most bitter ingredient in thy cup of judgment, for it
is the greatest aggravation of thy sin, for through it God's name is
blasphemed. If they had not known, they had not had sin. Pagan's sin is no
sin in respect of Christians. If ye consider Christ's sermon, Matt. xi.,
ye will say Isaiah is a meek and moderate man in regard of him. Isaiah
calls them people of Gomorrah, but Christ will have them worse, and their
judgment more intolerable than theirs. And that not only the profane of
them, but the civil and religious like who believe not in him. Well, then,
here is the advantage ye get of your name of Christianity, of your
privilege of hearing his word daily, ye who never ponder it, to tremble at
it, or to rejoice in it, who cannot be moved either to joy or grief for
spiritual things, neither law nor gospel moves the most part of you. I
say, here is all your gain,--ye shall receive a reward with Gentiles and
pagans, yea, ye shall be in a worse case than they in the day of the Lord.
The civil Christian shall be worse than the profane Turk, and ye shall not
then boast that ye were Christians, but shall desire that ye had dwelt in
the place where the gospel had never been preached. It is a character of
the nations, that they call not on God, and of heathen families, that they
pray not to him, (Jer. x. 25,) and wrath must be poured on them. What,
then, are the most part of you? Ye neither bow a knee in secret nor in
your families, to God. Your time is otherwise employed, ye have no leisure
to pray twice or thrice a day alone, except when ye put on your clothes ye
utter some ordinary babblings. Ye cannot be driven to family worship.
Shall not God rank you in judgment with those heathen families? Or shall
it not be more tolerable for them tha