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their Minds, as well as by their Outward Actions and Profeffions; and therefore thofe, who, on account of fome Temporal Confideration, do not Openly Declare themselves in Favour of Unbelief, and yet are so far Friends to it, as not to Disapprove, and, upon all proper occafions, Declare against it, are, in the Judgment of God, reckon❜d amongst Unbelievers; * For he that is not with me, is against me. They who Sit Still, as Unconcern'd, upon fuch Occafions, may perhaps account their Unconcernedness and their Silence, a Safe and Notable piece of Management; But they would find this a Groundless and a Dangerous Opinion, if they did but fufficiently weigh the force of our Saviour's Declaration; + Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and finful Generation; of him alfo fhall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his father, with the Holy Angels. Such Texts as These ought to be Continually revolved in the minds of

Matth. xii. 30.

t Matth. x. 38.

Thofe

Thofe Persons, who are Apt to ftand Neuter in a cafe, where Neutrality is Culpable and Pernicious; who are fuch Slaves to their own Fears, and to this adulterous and finful generation, that they will not venture, even to Speak in the Defence of their Lord's Honour, or to fhew any Diflike to the Contumelious and Reproachful, the Violent and Pertinacious Oppofition, which is made to the Great Articles of Faith, by a Race of men, who are scarce more a Scandal to the Gospel it felf, than to a Countrey, Profeffing the Belief of it.

'Tis High time for us to be Affected with a Due Sense of these Things, when we are in manifest Danger of being Undone by Them. Let us fearch the Scriptures and Learn, how Heinous a Sin Unbelief is, and then Impartially confider, if we can yet be Impartial in Any thing, whether it is not to be accounted a Leading Occafion of the Heaviest Punishments that fall upon Mankind. Can we Doubt the Malignancy of the Difputers against the Divinity of our Lord, and the other Articles of our Faith, after the Caution

given, by God's Holy Spirit,* against False teachers, who fhall Privily bring n Damnable Herefies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themfelves fwift deftruction.

Wonderful is the Difference of Different mens Difpofitions and Behaviour, under the Profession of the Gospel. At Ephefus, the Sorcerers, upon their Converfion, were fo Pious and Ingenuous, that they brought their books together, and burnt them before all men: Rather than the Records of their Curious Arts, their Sorceries and Incantations, fhould stand in the way of the Gospel, they chose, in Obedience and Honour to the Faith they embraced, to offer them for a Burnt-Offering to the Lord. And fhould it not move our utmost Compaffion to think, that there should be, amongst Us, any Authors or Advocates of Blafphemy and Unbelief, fo Hardy, and fo Tenacious of their Impiety, as Incorrigibly to Perfift in Bewitching the People, and, rather than Burn, or Retract their Curious Books, run

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the Hazard of being, Themfelves, caft into the fire that Shall never be quenched. This Remarkable Caution against Unbelief, given by the Apostle, * deferves to be well and often weighed by all Thofe, who Reject and Difdain the Great Truths of the Gospel, and by all the Favourers of that Contemptuous Oppofition, which is made to Them; Beware, left that come upon you, which is spoken of in the Prophets, Behold, ye Defpifers, and Wonder and Perifh.

3dly, All Kinds of Profanation, obfervable in the World, are Proper Objects of our Deteftation and Sorrow. The Profanation of God's Holy Name is charged, as a Crying Sin, against God's People, and in it are included, Perjury, Common Oaths, Execrations, and every Expreffion which derogates from the Majefty of this Great and Glorious Name, THE LORD THY GOD.

The Profanation of Places Confecrated to God is an Offence, which He hath distinguished, in thefe Words, by the

* Acts xiii. 40, 41.

Prophet

Prophet*; As I live, faith the Lord God, furely, becaufe thou haft defiled my SanEtuary with all thy deteftable things, and with all thy Abominations; therefore will I also diminish thee—A third part of thee fhall die with the Peftilence.

The Profanation alfo of Times Dedicated to God, does incur his Displeasure, and bring Punishments upon a People. To which Purpose, we are thus taught our Duty, and our Danger, relating to the Sabbath, the Violations whereof are Sinful, under the Chriftian, as well as the Mofaical Difpenfation +; I contended with the Nobles of Judah, and faid unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and Profane the Sabbath day? Did not your Fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this City? Yet ye bring more wrath upon Ifrael, by profaning the Sabbath. Thefe words fhould be Maturely confidered, by all Persons, who are addicted to Profaning the Lord's Day, and especially by Those, who run even into the Neglect of the

* Ezek. v. II, 12. † Nehem. xiii. 17, 18.

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