SERM. affuredly will come to us; for fo our Lord hath promised, XXXIV. That our heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to them Luke xi. 13. which afk it. 4. We fhould endeavour to demean ourselves well toward the Holy Spirit; yielding to that heavenly guest, when he vouchfafeth to arrive, a ready entrance and a kind welcome into our hearts; entertaining him with all poffible respect and obfervance; hearkening attentively to his holy fuggeftions, and carefully obeying him; not quenching the divine light, or the devout heat, which he kindleth in us; not refifting his kindly motions and fuafions; not grieving or vexing him; that fo with fatisfaction he may continue and refide in us, to our infinite benefit and comfort. It should engage us to cleanse ourselves from all filthinefs of flesh and fpirit; that we may be fit temples for fo holy and pure a Spirit to dwell in; left he, by our impurities, be offended, loathe, and forfake us. 5. It is matter of comfort and encouragement, exceedingly needful and useful for us, to confider that we have such a guide and affistant in all our religious practice and fpiritual warfare. If our lufts be ftrong, our temptations great, our enemies mighty, we need not be disheartened, having this all-wife and all-mighty friend to advise and help us his grace is fufficient for us, against all the ftrength of hell, the flesh, and the world. Let our duty be never so hard, and our natural force never so weak, we shall be able to do all things by him that strengtheneth us; if we will but faithfully apply ourselves to his aid, we cannot fail of good fuccefs. THUS far the Author's Sermons upon the Creed. As to the remaining Articles, he hath only left a short Explication of them, like to that upon the Lord's Prayer, &c. And there needed not much more, considering that the Substance of these Articles had been treated of before: that of the Holy Catholic Church, and of the Communion of Saints, in his Discourse of the Unity of the Church, at the end of his Treatise of the Pope's Supremacy; and that of the Forgiveness of Sins, in his Sermons of Justification; and that of the Resurrection of the Body, in his Sermon of the Resurrection of Christ. The Holy Catholic Church. THIS article was, I conceive, adjoined or inferted here, upon occafion of these many herefies and fchifms, which from the beginning continually sprang up, to the danger of Chriftian doctrine, and disturbance of the Church; the introducers thereof meaning thereby to fecure the truth of religion, the authority of ecclefiaftical discipline, the peace and unity of the Church, by engaging men to disclaim any confent or confpiracy with any of those erroneous or contentious people, (who had devised new conceits, destructive or dangerous to the faith, against the general consent of Chriftians, or drave on troublesome factions, contrary to the common order, and prejudicial to the peace of the Church.) Their meaning of this article therefore was, I take it, this: I believe, that is, I do adhere unto, (for belief, as we at first observed, is to be taken as the nature of the matter requireth,) or I am perfuaded that I ought to adhere unto, that body of Chriftians which, diffufed over the world, retains the faith which was taught, and the discipline which was fettled, and the peace which was enjoined by our Lord and his disciples; I acknowledge the doctrines generally embraced by the churches founded and inftructed by the Apostles; I am ready to obferve the received customs and practices by them derived from apoftolical inftitution; I fubmit to the laws and disciplines by lawful authority established in them; I do perfift in charity, concord, and communion with them. And that men anciently fhould be obliged to profess thus, there is ground both in reason and Scripture. In reafon, there being no more proper or effectual argument to affure us that It hath alfo ground in Scripture; which as it foretels that pernicious herefies fhould be introduced; that many falfe prophets fhould arife, and feduce many; that grievous wolves fhould come in, not fparing the flock; that men Should arife, Speaking perverfe things, to draw difciples after them; as they warn us to take heed of fuch men, to reject and refufe heretics, to mark those which make divifions and Scandals befide the doctrine which Chriftians had learnt, and to decline from them; to stand off from fuch men as do štepodidaσxaλeïv, that is, teach things different from apoftolical 1 Tim.vi. 3. doctrine, the doctrine according to godliness; as it enjoins 14. iii. 14. us to hold fast the form of found words heard from the Apofiles; to continue in the things which we have learned 2 Tim.i.13, 17. 1 Cor. xi. 2. and been affured of, knowing of whom we learnt them; to Rom. vi. obey from the heart that form of doctrine into which we were delivered; to keep the traditions as the Apostles de- 2 Theff. ii, livered them to us; to ftand faft, and hold the traditions 15. iii. 6, which we were taught, whether by word or writing; to Strive earnestly for the faith once delivered to the faints; as it enjoins us to walk orderly, to obey our guides, or Jude 3, rulers; to pursue peace, to maintain concord; to abide in charity with all good Chriftians; as it declareth herefies, factions, contentions, and feparations to be the works of the flesh, proceeding from corrupt difpofitions of foul, (pride, covetousness, vanity, rashness, instability, perversenefs, craft, hypocrify, want of confcience;) fo it also describes the universality of them, who stick to the truth, Eph. iv. 3. and observe the law of Chrift, keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; to be one body, knit together, and compacted of parts, affording mutual aid and supply to its nourishment and welfare; joined to, and deriving life, motion, fense, from one Head; informed by one Spirit ; as one house, built upon the foundation of Prophets and Apofles, Chrift himself being the corner flone, in whom all the building is fitly framed and connected; as one family under one mafter; one city under one governor; one flock under one shepherd; one nation or people, subject to the fame law and government, used to the fame speech, cuftom, and converfation; laftly, as one Church or congregation; for, as fometimes every particular affembly of funt etiam Chriftians, and fometimes a larger collection of particular Laici, ibi Ecclefia eft. focieties, combined together in one order, and under one Exh. Caft. government, are termed churches; fo the whole aggre Ubi tres Tertull. gation of all particular churches, or of all Christian people, is frequently called the Church; even as the whole body of those who lived in the profeffion of obedience to the Jewish Law, which was a type of the Chriftian Church, is called xxλnoia, the congregation. In relation to which fociety, these are the duties which we here profess ourselves obliged to, and in effect promise to obferve: 1. That we do and will perfist in the truth of Christian doctrine, delivered by our Saviour and his Apostles, attefted unto by the general confent of all Christians; avoiding all novelties of opinion deviating from apoftolical doctrine. 2. That we are obliged to maintain a hearty charity and good affection to all good Christians. 3. That we are bound to communicate with all good Christians, and all focieties fincerely profeffing faith, charity, and obedience to our Lord; fo as to join with them, as occafion fhall be, in all offices of piety; to maintain good correfpondence and concord with them. 4. That we should fubmit to the discipline and order, fhould preferve the peace, and endeavour the welfare of that part thereof, wherein we live: for what of good or |