received much good from it; but affuredly cannot be in a worse condition, because others know him. And there is evidently more kindness in making him known to fome, than to none. All, to whom his gospel is preached, be it with more evidence or less, are, or may be, the better for it if they will. Such as firmly believe and obey it, have the highest affurance of pardon, grace and everlasting happiness. Whoever thinks it but probable, hath both a direction and a comfort, which others have not. Whoever by means of it is but ftrengthened in the principles of natural religion, nay whoever hath them but more frequently laid before him, may gain confiderable improvement from it. For even the bare propofal of truth is often efficacious both against ignorance and error.

If ftill it be imagined strange, that this great remedy for our fouls hath been a fecret to so many for fo long a time, is rejected by fome who say they have examined it, and hath little or no good effect on others who profefs to accept it; confider only, what is the cafe of the best remedies for our bodily diseases? Were they difcovered with eafe and immediately? Are all perfons now apprized of them? Is there no room left for doubt concerning them? Do none declare and inveigh against them? Do they anfwer, in every cafe, every good purpose that nature intended them for? We have but too much experience of the contrary. And yet doth all this hinder them from being valuable gifts of providence; or juftify thofe, who defpife or neglect them? If not, why fhould any one be flaggered by fimilar objections, against religion? Nay, fuppofing they did leffen the certainty of it, why fhould he not take beed while he travels through the obfcure and doubtful road of life, to every probability of direction from above, as unto a light that fbineth in a dark place, however faintly it be, until the day-dawn, and the day-ftar arise in his heart*.

This would be our wifdom, though the evidences, which we have for Chriftianity, were of the loweft kind. But what will be the folly and guilt of fcorning it, if after all they should, as they do approach to the higheft! We have not indeed the immediate teftimony of our fenfes for the refurrection of Chrift, for his other miracles, and those of his apostles: but

we

* 2 Pet. i, 19.

we are as fure of them, as we could have been if we had lived within a century or two of their days. For the books of the New Teftament are unquestionably of no lefs authority now, than they were 1500 years ago. And even they, who received perfonally the account of these mighty works from eye-witneffes to them, had perhaps but few of them the attestation of so many concurrent witneffes, as we have, recorded in holy writ. And they could not have in the fame degree (what length of time alone can give completely, and hath given us) the knowledge, that those facts, which were at first delivered to them for true, were not afterwards difcovered to be falfe. We are certain, that christianity, far from being detected, eftablished itself on earth, and triumphed over both Jewish and Pagan unbelief by evidence alone: that many of its prophecies are already fulfilled, and room is left, after so many ages, for the fulfilling of the rest: which last point alone will be found, on due confideration, a remarkable circumftance, and very unlikely to be accidental. Then further: as fome of the arguments for it are grown ftronger than they were formerly, to make amends for fuch as may have grown weaker; fo we have others which must always continue of the fame force: those, which arife from the amiableness, the dignity, the perfection of our Saviour's character; from the excellency and efficacy of his precepts; from the internal marks of genuineness and veracity in the writings of the evangelifts and a postles.

Yet all this proof, we confefs, amounts not to the abfolutely full conviction, which they had, who faw with their eyes, who looked upon, and their bands handled the word of life". It is neither fo obvious, but we may overlook it; nor fo powerful, but, if we take pains, we may refift it. Here then we undergo a test of our fairness and integrity, which, in comparifon at least, the very first chriftians did not. But then, you fee, our gracious Mafter hath proportioned a bleffednefs to it. And befides, they and their fucceffors underwent a much feverer test, which we do not; that of dreadful worldly fufferings for the profeffion of the gofpel. Ours is far gentler, and more eligible only whether we will believe on evidence abundantly fufficient, though not the higheft poffible: whether we will walk by faith, not by fight† ; ́and preferve our loyalty to

our Lord and our God, unfhaken by the false opinions and bad customs of a thoughtless world, by the cravings of fenfual ap petites, and the tumults of irregular paffions and fancies. This is the whole of what heaven requires of us and if we do it but confcientiously for the fhort space, that we have to remain here, the trial of our faith fhall be found unto praise and bonour and glory at the appearing of Jefus Chrift: whom having sot feen, we bave loved; in whom, though now we fee bim not, yet believing we may justly rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: affured of receiving the end of our faith, even the saka tion of our fouls*.

¡ Pet. i. 7, 8, 9.

SER.

SERMON LXXVIII.

SERMON

ON CHRISTIAN FAITH, AND THE PUBLIC AVOWAL OF IT.

ROM. x. 10.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteoufnefs; and with the mouth confefion is made unto falvation.

A Confiderable part of profeffed chriftians go through the world without forming to themselves any fixed rules of action at all: but in fome things follow their own inclination and fancy, how often foever it varies; in others, general cuftom or particular examples, with much indifference, whether they be good or bad and fo they patch up a most inconsistent life; many of them fcarce ever reflecting enough to fee their inconfiftencies; and not a few abfurdly imagining, that human conduct was not intended to be of a piece with it

felf.

Others, who do preferve uniformity of behaviour, have yet no inward principle from whence it flows, beyond reputation or private convenience. Even they who profefs a high regard to morals, and in fome inftances appear to feel it, have too commonly no feeling at all of the strongest moral tie which can be, that which binds us to our Maker; perhaps have never asked themselves in earnest, whether they believe in him : or, if they think they do, have no ferious impreffions of gratitude to the author of all good, of duty to the governor of the univerfe will acknowledge, it may be, when preffed by argument, that all poffible reverence is owing to him; yet abfolutely never worship him in private, and very feldom condescend even to feem to worship him in public. Whatever the hafty Hhh

. VOL. II.

reasonings

reafonings of a partial heart fuggeft to them, they will efteem a law of God and nature. But if any thing unwelcome either to their vanity or their fenfuality be offered to their belief, they will reject it inftantly, as bigotry and folly, without examination. And if their way of thinking and living be but fuch, upon the whole, as recommends them to the indulgence of those who need the fame indulgence; as to any thing further, concerning the regulation of their tempers or behaviour, the means of pardon when they have finned, or of help to do better, there is little occafion, they apprehend, to trouble themfelves.

This view of things cannot but raife compaflionate and melancholy reflections in every pious breast. But what completes the unhappiness is, that while fuch numbers openly def pife religion, great numbers more, who have no doubt of its truth, nor, when they confider, of its importance, are yet so far from being zealous for it, that they feem afhamed of it: either omitting thofe public evidences of their chriftianity, which they know they are commanded to give; or meanly excufing their obfervance of religious duties as weakness or compliance with custom and feldom fhewing in their common converfa. tion near so much concern for that faith, from which they pretend to promife themfelves eternal felicity, as they do for their flightest worldly interefts, not to fay their moft trifling amule

ments.

The Spirit of God therefore, who clearly forefaw, that this, however strange, would be the turn of mankind, that fome would think it needlefs to believe, and others to profess their belief, hath warned men feparately against each of these errors in many places of the New Testament, and jointly against both in the text; which plainly declares, that faith in the gospel is the ground of our acceptance with God at prefent; and that an open acknowledgement of the golpel, in confequence of that faith, is one of the things neceffary to our happiness hereafter. For with the heart man believeth unto righteoufnefs and with the mouth confeffion is made unto falvation.

From these words therefore I fhall endeavour to explain the obligation and importance,

I. O chriftian faith.

II. Of a public avowal of it.