were, Subfift, which yet is not; gives a prefent Existence to things yet to come, fets distant Futurities before the Eye of the Soul, and represents them as lively to the Enlighten'd Mind, as if they were before us expos'd naked to our Bodily Eye; giving them thereby the fame Efficacy and Power to excite in us workings fuitable to fuch important Discoveries, as if what we are perfwaded certainly muft be, actually were in Being,and now present in our View. And if this be the Nature of Faith, as from the Apostle's defcription of it we may conclude it is, We need only to confider what those things are, which are thus reveal'd, and of what vaft concern, what mighty im portance to us, to learn in what manner fuch a Belief of them, as has been describ'd, fhould Operate and be to us the EffeAual Inftrument in working out our Sal vation. Certainly the Glorious and Gracious, the Awful and Terrible Objects of our Faith, are fuch as cannot choose, if heartily Believ'd, and actually attended to, but produce in us fuch apprehenfions of God and ourselves as to engage us to the perfecting of Holiness in the Fear of God, 2 Cor. 7.1. and if we have our Fruit unto Holiness,we know the End is Everlasting Life. Rom. 6. 22.

To illuftrate this in fome of the grand and most concerning Points of our Belief.

He that firmly and ftedfaftly Believes, that the Soul that actuates this Body is an Immortal Being, a Subfiftence which fhall and must endure to Eternity; That after Death he must appear before the Tribunal of God and Christ, to answer for the things done in the Body, That from thence he fhall be tranfmitted to a State either of Eternal Happiness, or Eternal Mifery, either to be entertain'd in the Vision of God, in the Fellowship of Saints and Angels, with Joy unfpeakable and full of Glory, or excluded from the fight of God, and treated with the Devil and his Angels, with Torments unexpreffible, Unconceivable, and that to all Eternity This Man, thus actually Believing, if he might gain all the Profits, and Honours, and Pleafures, if he might decline all the Loffes, Disgrace, and Afflictions of this World, will not lofe his own Soul. Confidering that light and momentary things bear no proportion to the exceeding Weight of those that are Eternal, he will forthwith endeavour to lay hold upon Eternal Life, and make hafte to escape the Wrath to come.

He that is fully in his Mind perfwaded, that there is an Omnifcient and Omniprefent God, of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity without infinite Deteftation, yet neceffarily feeing all whatever he does, who about his path,and about his bed, and spies out

all

all his ways, knows his down-fitting and his uprifing, and understands even his thoughts long before; He that in earnest believes this, will not dare in the innermoft Receffes of his Heart to harbour any evil Thought, much lefs to commit any wicked Act, tho' under cover of the deepest Secrefy, and impoffible to be found out by any Mortal Sight: but will demean himself as ever in the Prefence of his Judge, nor prefume to affront him to his Face, and as the Prophet fpeaks, provoke the Eyes of his Glory.

He that believes, that the only Way to Happiness is the Way of Holiness; That the Pure in Heart ball fee God, but that where He is, No unclean thing fhall enter there; having this Fear of being excluded for ever from the Beatifick Prefence, will cleanfe himfelf from all Filthiness of Flesh and Spirit, and having this Hope in Him of feeing God as he is, will purify himself even as He is pure.

Again, He that believes and confiders the Corruption and Impotence of his natural Condition, and the Defign of Chrift's Coming into the World: What he has already done, and what he is ftill doing for him: How that Himfelf, and every Man, is by Nature a Child of Wrath, that Sin reigns in his mortal Body, that he lies under a Bondage from which he cannor redeem, a Guilt from which he cannot acquit himfelf: That no Flesh

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Flesh is juftify'd in the Sight of God; Whofoever, I fay, doth believe this concerning Himself, and on the other Side concerning Chrift, That for this End was he born and for this Caufe came he into the World that he might fave Sinners, That the World thro' Him might be fav'd; That to this End, and to this End only, He came down from Heaven; This was the End of his Conversation upon Earth, His Life and Doctrine, His Preaching and Example; This was the End of his Crucifixion, Refurrection, Afcenfion and Seffion at the Right Hand of God; That by the Sufferings of his Life, and the Inestimable Value of his Blood, the World might be justify'd and redeem'd from the Guilt of their Sins, and refcu'd from the Miseries of the World to come; And that by the Operation of his Doctrine and Example, and the Power of his Interceffion the World might be fanctify'd, deliver'd from the Dominion of Sin, purify'd and prepar'd to be admitted to the Vision of the moft Holy God, and Fruition of the Life to come: I fay, the Man that firmly, and ftedfaftly, and actually believes these things, will not (nay indeed cannot) neglect fo great Salvation: That He will not trample upon the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant, or despise the Spirit of Grace, or crucify afresh the Lord of Glory, and put him to an open

Shame;

Shame; But that for his continual Cleanfing from his paft Tranfgreffions, he will daily refort to the Fountain which Chrift has open'd for Sin, and for Uncleanness, Zech. 13. 1. offering and prefenting his Head and his Heart (his Mind and Affections) to the Blood of Sprinkling; and that for the obtaining of preventing and following Grace to preferve him from lapfing for the time to come, he will throw himself daily at the Feet of that High-Prieft, who is fenfible of his Infirmities, and who fits at God's Right Hand making Interceffion for him, and with Sighs and unutterable Groans he will implore the Affiftance of that Spirit, which belpeth our Infirmities; And that continuing and perfevering in this Course (by the Grace of God, which never faileth them that feek him) he will certainly conform himself to the Commands of Chrift, and compose himfelf to his Example, till at length he be transform'd into his Image; He will add to his Faith, Virtue; and to Virtue, Knowledge; and to Knowledge, Temperance; and to Temperance, Patience; and to Patience, Godliness; and to Godliness, brotherly Kindness; and to brotherly Kindness, Charity; He will go on from Strength, to Strength, untill he appear before God in Glory.

I fay, that whoever he is that from his Heart believes all these things, fuch a Man

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