Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: and they that lived at top should die at bottom. My brethren, may I not say, we have many that are tbe vermin, the rats and mice of religion, that would live under the roof of it, while they might have shelter in if: hut when it suffers, forsake it, lest it should fall, and the fall should be upon them: I am persuaded this is not the least reason why God hath brought the wheel upon the profession of religion, namely to rid it of the vermin. He shakes the foundation of the house, that these rats and mice may quit the roof; not to overturn it, but to rid them out of it, as the husbandman fans the wheat, that he may get rid of the chaff. The halcyon days of the Gospel provoke hypocrisy, but the sufferings for religion prove sincerity. Now then, if custom and fashion make many men professors, then a man may profess religion, and yet be but almost a Christian. 4. If many may perish under a profession of godliness, then a man may profess religion, and yet be but almost a Christian. Now the scripture is clear, that a man mav perish under the highest profession of religion. Christ cursed the fig-tree, that had leaves and no fruit. It is said, Matt. viii. 12: hat the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness. Who were these, but they that were then the only people of God in the world by profession, that had made a covenant with him by sacrifice; and yet these were cat out. In St. Matthew you read of some that came and made boast of their profession to Christ, hoping that might save them: Lord, say the)', have we not prophesied in thy nawie, cast out devils in thy name, done many wonderful works in thy name? Now what saith our Lord to this? Then I will profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me. Mark, here are they that prophesy ...