Now it was that a godly man was diftinguished from an ungodly by this, Let his life have been almost what • it would, that he seemed to maintain the opinions in • vogue, and to abhor the doctrine, which, in some one or two points, might be reputed heretical, or fchifmatical.'

O that we could but see how many and how great defeats Satan hath given to the work of God in the hearts of men! what defolations he hath made by this one evil, controverfy; begot of opinion, and used for it; and how few have contended for the "the faith,

as it was once delivered to the faints!" he must be a man of brass, that could refrain from weeping at thefe calamities. And truly I muft defire to take leave sometimes to bewail this broken condition of Christendom, and to bestow my tears in fecret upon thefe common ruins: and I befeech God Almighty, with a foul fenfibly touched with the mischiefs that naturally flow from this practice, to awaken you to a moft fpeedy and ferious confideration of your present ftanding, and amendment of your miscarriage, in this and all other points that may concern your good, and his glory. Put away wrath! away with clamours! away with arrogance and impatience! let that holy fpirit of God, which we in common profefs to be the "Chriftian's guide," have the ordering of our underftandings in fpiritual things, left ignorance fhould mistake, interest wreft, or prejudice pervert, the fenfe of God's book. For as too many are ignorant of the divine truth through their own concupifcence, and vile affections, that carry them away to the defire of other things, and therefore easily mistake about nice or obfcure matters; fo there are not a few, who come to fearch the fcriptures with prepoffeffed minds, that are forry to meet with a contradiction to their own judgment, instead of being glad to find the truth, and who use their wits to rack out another sense than that which is genuine; which fort of men use the scripture for its authority, and not its sense of truth.

All

All this while, the head is fet at work, not the heart; and that which Chrift moft infifted upon, is least concerned in this fort of faith and Christianity; and that is, "keeping his commandments." For it is opinion, not obedience; notion, and not regeneration, that fuch men purfue. This kind of religion leaveth them as bad as it findeth them, and worfe; for they have fomething more to be proud of. Here is a creed, indeed, but of what? The conclufions of men! and what to do? To prove they believe in Christ, who, it seems, never made them. It had been happy for the world, that there had been no other creeds, than what he and his apoftles gave and left: and it is not the least argument against their being needful to Chriftian communion, that Chrift and his apostles did not ⚫ think fo, who were not wanting to declare the whole 'counfel of God to the church.'

To conclude: if you defire peace, love truth, feek piety, and hate hypocrify, lay by all thofe things called articles of faith, and canons of the church, that are not to be found in exprefs terms in fcripture, or fo plainly authorized by fcripture, as may, with ease, be difcerned by every honeft and confcientious perfon. And in the room of those numerous and difputed opinions, made the bond of external communion, let fome plain, general and neceffary truths be laid down in fcripture terms, and let them be few;' which leads me to the next point, and that is FAITH, which is generally mistaken in the very nature of it.

T

SECT. III.

Of FAITH, and mistakes about it.

HE fecond mifchief that is amongst us, is the 'misunderstanding of the nature of faith;' whence it comes to pass, that men take that for faith, which is not; and fit down in a fecurity pernicious to their eternal happiness. I fhall briefly fay fomething of what is

not

not faith, before I fpeak of that which appears to me to be truly and fcripturally fuch.

The faith of our Lord Jefus Chrift is not only not believing mens opinions and determinations from the facred text, of which I have fo freely delivered myself, but it is not merely the belief even of the things contained in fcripture to be true: for this the devils and hypocrites do, and yet are very bad believers: they refuse not the authority of fcripture: the devil made use of it to Chrift himself; but he would have the explaining and applying of it: and fince he could not hinder the Divine Inspiration, if he may but be allowed the expofition, he hopes to fecure his kingdom. Since then the verity and authority of both history and doctrine may be believed by the devil and hypocrites, that are false to their own faith and knowledge, we cannot, without great injuftice to the faith of our Lord Jefus

Chrift,' which is the faith of all his followers,' allow, that a mere belief of the verity and authority of the history and doctrine of fcripture, is that "true "and precious faith, which was the faints victory over "the world."

Faith, then, in the sense of the Holy Ghoft, is by the Holy Ghost thus defined: viz. "The evidence of

с

things not seen, and the substance of things hoped « for." This is general, and runs through all ages; being received of all forts of Chriftians as a true definition of faith: but, with leave, I fhall exprefs it thus: True faith in God, is entirely believing and trusting in God, confiding in his goodness, refigning up to his will, obeying his commands, and relying < upon his conduct and mercies, refpecting this life and that which is to come.' For a man cannot be faid to believe in God, that believes not what he fays and requires and no man can be faid to do that, who does not obey it, and conform to it; for that is believing in God to do as be fays.' This is in fcripture called the "gift of God;" and well it may, for it is fuper* Eph. ii. 8. d Gal. v. 6.

Heb. xi. 1.

natural;

natural: it croffes the pride, confidence and luft of man it grows out of the feed of love, fown by God in the heart; at least "it works by love:" and this diftinguishes it from the faith of ill men and devils, that though they do believe, they do not "love God "above all," but fomething else instead of God, and are full of pride, anger, cruelty, and all manner of wickedness. But this faith that works by love, that divine love which God plants in the heart, it draws and inclines man, and gives him power, to forfake all that displeaseth God: and every fuch believer becomes "ENOCH," tranflated, that is, changed, from the fashion of this world, the earthly image, the corrupt nature; and is renewed in the likeness of the Son of God, and walks with God. "The juft fhall live by "faith" they have in all ages lived by this faith; that is, been fuftained, fupported, preserved: the devil within, nor the world without, could never conquer them. They walked not by fight, but by faith, and had regard to the eternal recompence: no vifible things prevailed with them to depart from the invifible God, to quench their love, or flacken their obedience to him; the great teftimony of their faith in him.

an

e

This holy faith excludes no age of the world; the just men, the "Cornelius's" in every generation, have had fome degree of it: it was more especially the faith of the fimpler ages of the world, fuch as thofe in which the patriarchs lived, who, having not an outward law, became a "law to themfelves, and did the things " contained in the law;" for they believed in God, and, through faith, "obtained a good report." "g But because that it hath pleased God, in order to man's recovery from that grievous lapfe difobedience hath caft him into, at fundry times, and in divers manners to appear to the fons of men, first by his prophets, and laft of all by his Son; and that these feveral manifeftations have had fomething peculiar to them, and very remarkable in them, so that they claim a place in our

• Heb. ii. 4. f Rom. ii. 14. Heb. xi. 39. VOL. IV.

F

Heb. i. 1.

creed;

creed; it will not be amifs that we briefly confider them.

b

The first was that of the prophets, in which Mofes preceded, by whom the law came to the Jews; but grace and truth to mankind by Jefus Chrift. The first brought condemnation, the laft falvation; the one judgment, the other mercy; which was "glad "tidings" indeed. The one did forerun the other, as in order of time, fo in nature of difpenfation: the law was the gofpel begun; the gospel was the law fulfilled, or finished: they cannot be parted.

The decalogue, or ten commandments, were little more than what had been known and practifed before; for it seemed but an epitome and tranfcript of the "law writ in man's heart by the finger of God:" this is confeffed on all hands and in all ages fince, as the writings of ancient Gentiles, as well as Jews and Chriftians, tell us. This, therefore, muft needs be a part of our creed; for it relates to that righteousness which is indifpenfable and immutable: the other part of their conftitution, that was peculiar to their politic, typical, and mutable state, the gofpel is either unconcerned in it, or elfe ended it, by the bringing in of a better hope and a more enduring fubftance." But grace and truth came by Jefus Chrift:" grace is opposed to the condemnation of the law; and truth, to thadows. This is the moft excellent difpenfation; it is ours; and it becomes us to weigh well our interest in it. Take it in other words of the Holy Ghost. "God, who at fundry times, and in divers man"ners, fpake in times paft unto the fathers by the "prophets, hath in these last days fpoken to us by " his Son.' God fo loved the world, that (after all "the world's provocations, by omiffions and com"miffions) he gave his only begotten Son into the "world, that the world through him might be "faved."

John i. 17.

i Heb. i. 1. John iii. 16, 17.

And