The carnality of religious contention in two sermons preached at the merchant's lecture in…The carnality of religious contention in two sermons preach'd at the merchant's lecture in…

But now upon the whole, when there appears an aptness or disposition to separate these two, Justification and Sanctification from one another, or either of them from abiding in Christ, or to oppose them to one another, or contend about the Priority of the one or the other (when no doubt they go together) and about the Preference or Excellency of the one above the other, which is the more considerable thing: Herein appears much Carnality of Mind, an unsound, injudicious distempered Spirit. And 'tis a like case, as if a Malefactor at the same time is under Sentence, by which he is condemned to die, and under a most dangerous Disease, that appears very probably mortal to him: He has a compassionate Prince, willing to save his Life, and he at once vouchsafes him his Pardon, and provides a very skilful and ⟨p. 54⟩able Physician for the curing of his Disease: The wretched Creature hearing of this, falls a disputing which of these is the greater Favour, to have my Disease cured, or, to have my Crime pardoned; and in the heat of the Dispute he neglects both, looks after neither. This is indeed less supposable, in the instanced case; but how great a Distemper doth it show, that it should be so, in this, which is of so unexpressibly greater importance!

But now upon the whole, when there appears an aptness or disposition to separate these two, Justification and Sanctification from one another, or either of them from abiding in Christ, or to oppose them to one another, or contend about the Priority of the one or the other (when no doubt they go together) and about the Preference or Excellency of the one above the other, which is the more considerable thing: Herein appears much Carnality of Mind, an unsound, injudicious distempered Spirit. And 'tis a like case, as if a Malefactor at the same time is under Sentence, by which he is condemned to die, and under a most dangerous Disease, that appears very probably mortal to him: He has a compassionate Prince, willing to save his Life, and he at once vouchsafes him his Pardon, and provides a very skilful and ⟨p. 54⟩able Physician for the curing of his Disease: The wretched Creature hearing of this, falls a disputing which of these is the greater Favour, to have my Disease cured, or, to have my Crime pardoned; and in the heat of the Dispute he neglects both, looks after neither. This is indeed less supposeable, in the instanced case; but how great a Distemper doth it shew, that it should be so, in this, which is of so unexpressibly greater importance!