2.

not any of his works, efpecially mankind, without his fpecial care and fuperintendance over them; without whofe will or defigned permiffion, nothing befals us. That this most wife, and just, and powerful God, hath appointed a law or rule according to which, his will is, that the children of men fhould conform themselves; and according to the upright endeavours of the children of men to conform thereunto, he will most certainly give rewards; and according to the wilful tranfgreffions thereof, he will inflict punishments; and that he is a moft strict and infallible obferver of all the ways of the children of men, whether of obedience or disobedience thereunto. 3. That this law and will of his, he hath communicated and revealed unto the children of men in his holy word; especially by the miffion of his Son Jefus Chrift, who brought into the world a full and compleat collection of those holy Jaws of God, whereunto he would have us to conform. 4. That he hath given unto mankind, in and through Christ Jesus, a full manifestation of a future life after this, of rewards and punishment; and according to that law of his, thus manifested by his Son, he will, by the fame Jefus Chrift, difpenfe and execute the fentences of rewards and punishments, and judge every man according to his works. 5. And that the reward of faith and obedience, in that other life to come, fhall be an eternal, blessed, happy eftate of foul and body, in the glorious heavens, and in the presence and fruition of the ever glorious and eternal God. 6. And that the punishment of the rebellious and difobedient unto this will and law of God thus manifested by his Son, fhall be an eternal feparation of foul and body from the presence of God, and the conclufion of them under chains of darkness and everlasting torments in hell fire. 7. And that the Son of God hath given us the greatest affurance imaginable of the truth of this will of God, of this happiness and mifery, by taking upon him our nature, by his miracles, by his death and refurrection, and afcenfion into glory, and by his miffion of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation unto his apostles and difciples, both to inftruct the world in his truth, and to evidence the truth of their miffion from him. 8. That almighty God, though full of justice and severity against the obftinate and rebellious; yet is full of tenderness, love,

and

:

and compaffion towards all thofe that fincerely defire to obey his will, and to accept of terms of peace and reconciliation with him, and is ready upon repentance and amendment, to pardon whatsoever is amifs, and hath accordingly promifed it; and that he hath the care, and love, and tenderness of a father towards us: that in our fincere endeavour of obedience to him, we fhall be fure of his love, favour, and protection; that in all our afflictions and troubles he ftands by us, and will not leave us: that he will moft certainly make good every promise that by Chrift he hath fent unto us, for the life that is prefent, and that which is to come: that the law he hath fent us by Chrift to fubmit unto, is an easy and good law, fuch as will perfect our nature, and fit it to be partaker of his glory and that all his thoughts towards us, in our faithful endeavours to obey him, are thoughts of love, favour, peace, bounty, and goodness. And of this he hath given the greatest affurance that is poffible for mankind to expect or defire, even the fending of his eternal Son into the world, to take upon him our nature, to acquaint us with his Father's will and love, to live a life of want and mifery, and to die a death full of shame and horror, to rife again to difpatch meffengers into all the world to publish the good will of God to mankind, to afcend up into glory, and there to make interceffion for us poor worms, at the right hand of God; giving us alfo hereby affurance of our refurrection, and of his coming again to judge the world, and to receive his obedient fervants into eternal glory. These be fome of those principal objects of that faith that overcometh the world, being foundly received, believed, and digested.

2. As touching the act itself: it is no other than a found, real, and firm belief of thofe facred truths: and therefore it feems that they that perplex the notion of faith with other intricate and abftrufe definitions or descriptions, either render it very difficult or scarce intelligible, or elfe take into the definition or but defcription of it, those things that are but the confequents and effects of it. He that hath this firm perfuafion, will moft certainly repent of his fins paft, will most certainly endeavour obedience to the will of God, which is thus believed by him to be holy, juft, and good; and upon the obedience or disobe

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dience whereof depends his eternal happiness or misery; will most certainly depend upon the promises of God for this life and that to come; for thofe are as natural effects of fuch a firm persuasion, as it is for the belief of a danger to put a man upon means to avoid it, or for the belief of a benefit to put a man upon means to attain it. Some things are of fuch a nature, that the belief or knowlege of them goes no further, but it refts in itself; as the belief of bare fpeculative truths: but fome things are of fuch a nature, as being once truly and firmly believed or known, carry a man out to action: and fuch are especially the knowlege or belief of fuch things as are the objects of our fears or of our hopes; the belief of fuch objects doth naturally, and with a kind of moral neceffity, carry a man out to action; to the avoiding of fuch fears, and the attaining of fuch hopes: and therefore faith and belief in reference thereunto, comes often in the fcripture under the names of hope and fear, as being the proper effects of it. Inftances we have of both, 2 Cor. v. 10, 11. "For we must all appear before the judgment-feat "of Christ, that every one may receive the things done "in his body, according to that he hath done, whether "it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of "the Lord we perfuade men. I John iii. 2, 3.

But

we know that when he fhall appear, we fhall be like "him, for we fhall fee him as he is; and every man that "hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is "pure."

Therefore we need not be fo folicitous touching the nature of faith, what kind of faith it is that must fave us: certainly, if it be a true and real affent of the mind to thefe great truths of God, it must be operative, according to the nature of the things believed which are in order to working; and therefore if it have not that effect, it is not faith nor affent; if it have it but weak and imperfectly, it is evident that the afsent is weak and fluctuating; if it have that effect at fome times, but not at others, it is evident that the affent is fufpended, or intermitted, and not actually exercised at these intermiffions: if a man were really and fully perfuaded, that if he took fuch a journey to-morrow, he should certainly break his leg, he would as certainly not go: or if he were under a

certain

certain perfuafion, that if he took fuch a drink, he should certainly recover his loft health, it were as certain he would drink it: and if a man were actually and fully perfuaded, that if he used fuch a means he should attain everlasting happiness; or, if he fhould commit fuch a fin, he should certainly lofe it; it were fcarce morally poffible, that a reasonable man in his wits, would omit the one, or commit the other.

And to say, this is but an historical faith, and that the devils have as much, they believe and tremble, and they do as fully affent to divine truths as any can do, yet it avails them not; concludes nothing: the reafon is evident, because the salvation to be attained, and the faith which is the inftrument to attain it, concerns them not, neither are they in a state to be advantaged by it; but it is otherwise with men. If I fhould acquaint a stranger that if my fon doth fuch a thing, I will give my fon five pounds; though the stranger believes it as really true as any thing in the world, yet it puts him not upon the action, because as he is not concerned in the reward, so he is not concerned in the means: but according to the belief that my fon hath, it will, or will not put him upon the action if he believe me not, he will not do it at all; if he believe it faintly and doubtingly, he will perform the action accordingly; but if he believe it truly and fully, and fet any value upon the reward, he will perform it cheerfully; for he is concerned in the reward, and in the means to attain it.

Faith therefore is a firm afsent to the facred truths, whether the truths relate to things paft, as that God made the world, that Chrift the Meffiah is come in the flesh, &c. or, to things prefent; as that almighty God beholds all I do, and knows all I think, or that he is a reconciled Father to me in Christ Jefus; or things to come, which principally excite thofe two great movers of the foul, hope and fear, in relation to the future life of rewards and punishments.

V. I come to the fifth thing, viz. How faith overcometh the world, which takes in these two confiderations. 1. How that is, in what degree. 2.. How that is, by what method or means. Touching the former of thefe, namely, the degree of the victory that faith gives, it is

a victory, but not a victory to utter extermination. The Captain of our falvation indeed overcame the world, totally, perfectly, John xvi. 33. Our victory is not compleat,' nor perfect on this fide death; but it is such a victory, as leaves ftill an adverfary to conteft with us, though not to fubdue and conquer us. It is a victory, but not without a continued warfare.

2. Touching the method, whereby our faith overcometh the world, I fhall fay fomething in general, and fomething more particularly, with relation to the world under the former acceptations.

In general therefore, the great method whereby faith overcometh the world, is by rectifying our judgments, and removing those mistakes that are in us concerning the world, and our own condition. 1. Some things there are in the world, which we set an esteem, and value, and love upon, which deferve rather our hatred or deteftation as our fins, the irregularities of our lufts and paffions, and those degenerate plants that arife from them; as pride, ambition, revenge, intemperance, &c. These we account our right hands, and our right eyes, in our state of natural darkness. Faith rectifies this miftake of our judgment, by fhewing us the law and will of God revealed by Chrift, whereby we find that these are our diseases, distempers, and fickneffes, repugnant to the will, image, and command of God; that they are our lofs, and our danger, and our ruin; and therefore not to be entertained, but mortified and crucified. 2. Some things there are in the world, that we may allow fomewhat of our affections unto, but we over-value them. We reckon wealth, and honours, and powers, the greateft happiness imaginable, and therefore intenfely defire them; fickneffes, and afflictions, and injuries, and loffes, the greatest mifery imaginable, and therefore we fear them exceffively, we are intolerably discontented under them. Faith rectifies our mistakes herein, gives a juft value of these things, fhews us the law of God, checking and forbiding immoderate affections or paffions to be exercised about them; affures us that we are, as well under the view and obfervation, as under the care and regiment of the great Lord of heaven and earth, and therefore expects our great moderation in relation to externals,

VOL. I.

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