cies, as that he is of infinite Goodnefs and Mercy, Truth, Juftice, Wisdom, Power, All-fufficiency, Majefty; that he difpofes and governs all things. by his Providence; that he knows all things, and is prefent in all places; thefe are by Divines called the Attributes of God, and all these we must undoubtedly acknowledge, that is, we must firmly believe all, thefe divine Excellencies to be in God, and that in the greatest degree, and so that they can never ceafe to be in him, he can never be other than infinitely good, merciful, true, &c.

13. But the acknowledging him for our God. fignifies yet more than this; it means that we fhould perform to him all thofe feveral parts of Duty which belong from a Creature to his God: What thofe are I ain now to tell you..

Faith

14. The first is FAITH, or Belief; not only that forementioned of his Effence and Attributes, but of his Word, the believing moft firmly, that all that he faith is perfectly true. This neceffarily rifes from that Attribute, his Truth, it being natural for us to believe whatfoever is faid of one of whofe truth. we are confident. Now the holy Scriptures being the Word of God, we are therefore to conclude, that all that is contained in them is moft true. 15 The things contained in them are of these four forts: First, Affirmations, fuch are all the ftories of the Bible, when it is faid, fuch and fuch things came fo and fo to pafs; Chrift was, born of a Virgin, was laid in a Manger, &c. And fuch alfo are many points of Doctrine, as that there are three Perfons in the Godhead, that Chrift

Of his Affirmations..

is the Son of God, and the like. All things of this fort thus delivered in Scripture we are to believe moft true. And not only fo, but because they are all written for our inftruction, we are to confider them for that purpose, that is, by them to lay that foundation of Chriftian knowledge on which we may build a Chriftian life.

16. The fecond fort of things Commands. contained in the Scripture, are the Commands, that is, the feveral things enjoined us by God to perform; these we are to believe to come from him, and to be most juft and fit for him to command: but then this belief muft bring forth Obedience, that what we believe thus fit to be done, be indeed done by us; otherwife our belief that they come from him, ferves but to make us more inexcufable.

17. Thirdly, the Scripture conThreatnings. tains Threatnings; many Texts there are which threaten to them that go on in their fins the wrath of God, and under that are contain'd all the punishments and miferies of this life, both fpiritual and temporal, and everlafting deftruction in the life to come. Now we are more ftedfaftly to believe, that these are God's threats, and that they will certainly be performed to every impenitent finner. But then the ufe we are to make of this belief, is to keep from those fins to which this deftruction is threatned; otherwife our belief adds to our guilt, that will wilfully go on in fpight of thofe Threatnings.

18. Fourthly, The Scripture contains Promi- Promifes, and those both to our Bodies and our Souls for our Bodies there

fes.

are

are many promises that God will provide for them what he fees neceffary. I will name only one, Mat. 6. 33. Seek ye firft the kingdom of God and his righteoufnefs, and all these things, that is, all outward Neceffaries, fhall be added unto you: But here it is to be obferved, That we must first feek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, that is, make it our first and greatest Care to ferve and obey him, before this promife even of temporal; good things belongs to us. To the Soul there are many and high promifes; as firft, that of present. cafe and refreshment, which we find, Mat. 11. 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, and ye shall find reft to your fouls: but here it is apparent, that before this reft belongs to us, we must have taken on us Chrift's yoke, become his Servants and Difciples. Finally, there are Promifes to the Soul even of all the benefits of Chrift; but yet those only to fuch as perform the condition required; that is, Pardon of fins to thofe that repent of them; Increase of Grace to thofe that diligently make ufe of what they have already, and humbly pray for more; and Eternal Salvation to thofe that continue to their Lives end in hearty obedience to his. Commands.

19. This belief of the Promifes muft therefore ftir us up to perform the Condition, and till it do fo, we can in no reafon expect any good by them, and for us to look for the benefit of them on other terms, is the fame mad prefumption that it. would be in a Servant to challenge his Mafter to give him a reward for having done nothing by his work, to which alone the reward was promised: you can cafily refolve what Answer were to be

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given to fuch a Servant, and the fame we are to expect from God in this cafe. Nay, farther, it is fure, God hath given thefe promifes to no other end, but to invite us to holiness of life; yea, he gave his Son, in whom all his promifs are, as it were, fumm'd up, for this end. We ufually look fo much at Chrifts coming to fatisfie for us, that we forget this other part of his errand, But there is nothing furer, than that the main purpofe of his coming into the World was to plant good life among men.

20. This is fo often repeated in Scripture, that no man that confiders and believes what he reads can doubt of it. Chrift himself tells us, Mat. 9. 13. He came to call finners to repentance. And S. Peter, Acts 3. 26. tells us, That God fent his Son Fefus to blefs us, in turning every one of us from his iniquities; for it feems, the turning us from our iniquities was the greateft fpecial bleffing which God intended us in Chrift.

21. Nay, we are taught by St. Paul, that this was the end of his very death allo, Tit. 2 14. Who gave himself for our fins, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purifie to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. And again, Gal. 1. 4. Who gave bimself for us, that he might deliver us from this prefent evil world, that is, from the fins and ill cuftoms of the world. Divers other Texts there are to this purpofe; but thefe I fuppofe fufficient to affure any man of this one great truth, that all that Chrift hath done for us was directed to this end, the bringing us to live Chriftianly; or in the words of St. Paul, To teach us that denying ungodlinefs, and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, righteously and godly in this prefent world. 22 Now

22. Now we know Chrift is the foundation of all the promifes; In him all the promises of God are Tea and Amen, 2 Cor.1, 10. And therefore if God gave Chrift to this end, certainly the promises are to the fame end alfo, And then how great an abuse of them is it to make them ferve for purpofes quite contrary to what they were intended? viz. to the encouraging us in fins, which they will certainly do, if we perfuade our felves they belong to us, how wickedly foever we live. The Apoftle teaches us another ufe of them, 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having therefore thefe promifes, let us cleanfe our felves from all filthiness of the flesh and fpirit, perfecting bo linefs in the fear of God. When we do thus, we may juftly apply the promises to our felves, and with comfort expect our parts in them. But till. then, tho' these promifes be of certain Truth, yet we can reap no benefit from them, because we are not the perfons to whom they are made, that is, we perform not the condition required to give us right to them.

23. This is the Faith or Belief required of ustowards the things God hath revealed to us in. the Scripture, to wit, fuch as may anfwer the end for which they were fo revealed, that is, The bringing us to good lives; the bare believing the truth of them, without this, is no more than the Devils do, as St. James tells us, Chap. 2. 19. only they are not fo unreafonable as fome of usare, for they will tremble, as knowing well this. Faith will never do them any good. But many of us go on confidently, and doubt not the fufficiency of our Faith, tho' we have not the leaft. fruit of obedience to approve it by; let fuch hear

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St.