Sunday

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Faith.

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14. The Firft is FAITH, or Belief, not only that fore-mentioned of his Effence and Attributes, but of his Word; the believing moft firmly, that all that he faith is perfectly true. This neceffarily arifes 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 molt true. dil to i

Of his Af-15. The things contained in them are of firmations. thefe four forts; Firft, Affirmations, fuch

are all the Stories 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 is the
Son of God, and the like. All things of this
fort thus delivered in Scripture we are to be-
lieve most true. And not only fo, but be-
caufe they are all written for our inftruction,
Wets
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 Second fort of things contained Commands in the Scripture, are the Commands, that is, the feveral things enjoyned us by God to perform; these we are to believe to come from him, and to be moft juft and fit for him to

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command: but then this Belief muft bring Sunday 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 contains ThreatThreatnings; many Texts there are whichnings. threaten to them that go on in their Sins, the Wrath of God; and under that are contain'd all the Punishments and Mileries of this Life, both Spiritual and Temporal, and everlasting Destruction in the Life to come. Now we are moft ftedfaftly to believe, that thefe are God's Threats, and that they will certainly be performed to every impénitent Sinner. But then the ufe we are to make of this Belief, is to keep from thofe Sins 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 Pro-Promifes. mifes, and those both to our Bodies and our Souls; for our Bodies, there are many Promifes that God will provide for them what he fees neceffary. I will name only one, Matt. 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 observed, that we muft firft feek the Kingdom of God and his Righte oufness, that is, make it our firft and greatest care to ferve and obey him, before this Promife

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Sunday mise even of temporal good things belong to I.

us. To the Soul there are many and high Promifes, as, First, That of prefent Ease and Refreshment, which we find Matt. 11. 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, and ye hall find rest to your Souls, but here it is apparent, that before this Reft belongs to us, we muft have taken on us Chrift's Toke, become his Servants and Difciples. Finally,. There are Promifes to the Soul even of all the Benefits of Chrift; but yet thofe only to fuch as perform the Condition required,, that is, Pardon of Sins to thofe that repent of them; Increafe 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..

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19. This Belief of the Promises must 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 of his Work, to which alone the Reward was promised; you can easily refolve what Anfwer were to be given to fuch a Servant, and the fame we are to expect from God in this cafe. Nay, further, it is fure God hath given these Promises to no other other end, but to invite us to Holi

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nefs of Life; yea, he gave his Son, in whom all his Promises are as it were fumm'd up, for this end. We ufually look fo much at Chrift's coming to fatisfie for us, that we forget this other part of his Errand. But there is nothing furer, than that the main Purpose 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 himfelf tells us, Matt. 9. 13. He came to call Sinners to repentance. And St. Peter, Acts 3. 26. tells us, That God fent his Son Fefus to bless us, in turning every one of us from our 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 also, Tit. 2. 14. Who gave himself for our Sins, 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 himself for us, that he might deliver us from this prefent evil World; that is, from the Sins and ill Cuftoms of the World. Divers other Texts there are to this purpofe; but these 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,

Sunday St. Paul, To teach us, that denying ungodliness I. and worldly Lufts, we should live foberly, righte oufly and godly in this prefent world.

22. Now we know Chrift is the Founda tion of all the Promises; In him all the promifes of God are yea, and Amen, 2 Cor. 1. 20. And therefore if God gave Christ to this end, certainly the Promifes are to the fame alfo And then, how great an abuse of them it is to make them ferve for purposes quite contrary to what they are intended; viz. To the encouraging us in Sins, which they will certainly do, if we perfuade ourselves they belong to us, how wickedly foever we live. The Apostle teaches us another use of them 2 Cor. 7.1. Having therefore thefe promifes, let us cleanfe ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and Spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God When we do thus, we may juftly apply the Promises to ourselves, and with comfort expect our Promises in them. But till then, though thefe Promises be of certain Truth, yet we can reap no Benefit from them, be caufe we are not the Perfons to whom they are made, that is, we perform not the Condition required to give us right unto them.

23. This is the Faith or Belief required of us towards the things God hath revealed to us in the Scripture, to wit, fuch as may anfwer the End for which they were fo reveal'd, that is, the bringing us to good Lives; the bare believing the Truth of them, without