SERM. government, conversation, and commerce; fo that nothing I. fhould hinder a man (if he can do it with advantage to

himself and probable fafety) to rebel against his prince, to betray his country, to abuse his friend, to cheat any man with whom he dealeth.

Such are the principles (not only avowed in common difcourfe, but taught and maintained in the writings) of our infidels; whereby the fources of it do appear to be a deplorable blindness, and defperate corruption of mind; an extinction of natural light, and extirpation of good-nature. Farther,

III. The naughtiness of infidelity will appear by confidering its effects and confequences; which are plainly a fpawn of all vices and villanies, a deluge of all mischiefs and outrages upon the earth: for faith being removed, together with it all confcience goeth; no virtue can remain ; all fobriety of mind, all justice in dealing, all fecurity in conversation are packed away; nothing refteth to encourage men unto any good, or reftrain them from any evil; all hopes of reward from God, all fears of punishment from him being difcarded. No principle, or rule of practice, is left, befide brutish sensuality, fond self-love, private intereft, in their highest pitch, without any bound or curb; which therefore will difpofe men to do nothing but to prey on each other, with all cruel violence and base treachery. Every man thence will be a god to himfelf, a fiend to each other; fo that neceffarily the world will thence be turned into a chaos and a hell, full of iniquity and impurity, of spite and rage, of misery and torment. It depriveth each man of all hope from Providence, all comfort and fupport in affliction, of all fatisfaction in confcience; of all the good things which faith doth yield.

The confideration of which numberlefs and unfpeakable mischiefs hath engaged statesmen in every commonwealth to support some kind of faith, as needful to the maintenance of public order, of traffick, of peace among

men.

It would fuffice to perfuade an infidel, that hath a scrap

L

1.

of wit, (for his own interest, safety, and pleasure,) to che- SERM.
rifh faith in others, and with all men befide himself endued
with it.

It in reafon obligeth all men to deteft atheistical fup-
planters of faith, as defperate enemies to mankind, ene-
mies to government, destructive of common fociety; efpe-
cially confidering that of all religions that ever were, or
can be, the Christian doth most conduce to the benefit of
public fociety; enjoining all virtues ufeful to preserve it
in a quiet and flourishing state, teaching loyalty under
pain of damnation.

I pass by, that without faith no man can please God; Heb. xi. 6. that infidelity doth expose men to his wrath and feverest vengeance; that it depriveth of all joy and happiness ; seeing infidels will not grant fuch effects to follow their fin, but will reject the fuppofition of them as precarious and fictitious.

To conclude therefore the point, it is, from what we have faid, fufficiently manifeft, that infidelity is a very finful distemper, as being in its nature fo bad, being the daughter of fo bad causes, the fifter of fo bad adjuncts, the mother of fo bad effects.

But this you will fay is an improper fubject: for is there any fuch thing as infidelity in Christendom? are we not all Chriftians, all believers, all baptized into the faith, and profeffors of it? do we not every day repeat the Creed, or at least fay Amen thereto? do we not partake of the holy myfteries, fealing this profeffion? what do you take us for? for Pagans? this is a fubject to be treated of in Turkey, or in partibus infidelium. This may be faid: but if we confider better, we fhall find ground more than enough for such discourse; and that infidelity hath a larger territory than we fuppofe: for (to pafs over the fwarms of atheistical apoftates, which fo openly abound, denying or questioning our religion) many infidels do lurk under the mask of Chriftian profeffion. It is not the name of Chriftian, or the badges of our religion, that make a Chriftian; no more than a cowl doth make a monk, or the beard a philofopher: there may be a creed in the

I.

Rom. x. 8.

SERM, mouth, where there is no faith in the heart, and a cross impreffed on the forehead of an infidel; with the heart man believeth to righteoufnefs. Shew me thy faith by thy Jam. ii. 18. works, faith St. James: if no works be fhewed, no faith is to be granted; as where no fruit, there no root, or a dead root, which in effect and moral esteem is none at all.

Is he not an infidel, who denieth God? fuch a renegado Tit. i. 16. is every one that liveth profanely, as St. Paul telleth us. And have we not many fuch renegadoes? if not, what meaneth that monftrous diffolutenefs of life, that horrid profaneness of discourse, that strange neglect of God's fervice, a defolation of God's law? Where fuch luxury, fuch lewdness, fuch avarice, fuch uncharitablenefs, fuch univerfal carnality doth reign, can faith be there? can a man believe there is a God, and fo affront him? can he believe that Chrift reigneth in heaven, and so despise his laws? can a man believe a judgment to come, and fo little regard his life; a heaven, and fo little feek it; a hell, and fo little fhun it?-Faith therefore is not fo rife, infidelity is more common than we may take it to be; every fin hath a spice of it, some fins smell rankly of it.

To it are attributed all the rebellions of the Ifraelites, which are the types of all Christian profeffors, who seem travellers in this earthly wilderness toward the heavenly Canaan; and to it all the enormities of fin and overflowings of iniquity may be afcribed.

I should proceed to urge the precept, that we take heed thereof; but the time will not allow me to do it: I fhall only fuggest to your meditation the heads of things.

It is infidelity, that maketh men covetous, uncharitable, discontent, pufillanimous, impatient.

Because men believe not Providence, therefore they do fo greedily fcrape and hoard.

They do not believe any reward for charity, therefore they will part with nothing.

They do not hope for fuccour from God, therefore are they difcontent and impatient.

They have nothing to raise their fpirits, therefore are they abject.

Infidelity did cause the Devil's apostasy.

Infidelity did banish man from Paradise, (trufting to the Devil, and diftrufting God's word.)

Infidelity (difregarding the warnings and threats of God) did bring the deluge on the world.

SERM.

I.

iv. 6, &c.

Infidelity did keep the Ifraelites from entering into Ca- Heb. iii. 19. naan, the type of heaven; as the Apoftle to the Hebrews doth infift.

Infidelity indeed is the root of all fin; for did men heartily believe the promises to obedience, and the threats to difobedience, they could hardly be fo unreasonable as to forfeit the one, or incur the other: did they believe that the omnipotent, all-wife, most just and severe God did command and require fuch a practice, they could hardly dare to omit or tranfgrefs.

Let it therefore fuffice to have declared the evil of infidelity, which alone is fufficient inducement to avoid it.

I Believe, &c.

SERMON II.

OF THE VIRTUE AND REASONABLENESS OF
FAITH.

II.

PET. i. I.

to them that have obtained like precious faith with us. SERM. THE Holy Scripture recommendeth faith (that is, a hearty and firm perfuafion concerning the principal doctrines of our religion, from divine revelation taught, by 1 Pet. i. 7. our Lord and his Apoftles) as a moft precious and honourable practice; as a virtue of the first magnitude, very comHeb. xi. 6. mendable in itself, very acceptable to God, very beneficial to us; having most excellent fruits growing from it, most noble privileges annexed to it, most ample rewards affigned for it.

John xvi. 27.

It is in a fpecial manner commanded, and obedience to that command is reckoned a prime inftance of piety: 1 John iii. This is his commandment, that we should believe; this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath fent.

23.

John vi. 29.

Heb. xi. 6. It is the root of our fpiritual life; for, He that cometh to 2 Pet. i. 5. God must believe; and, Add to your faith virtue, faith St. Peter, fuppofing faith to precede other virtues.

It is the principal conduit of divine grace; for

By it we are regenerated, and become the fons of God;