the good Confession that Christ himself witness'd before Pontius Pilate 1 Tim. 6.13 This was Mary's Creed And this was that the doubting Disciple made upon his Conviction My Lord and my God Joh. 20.20 28. And all this naturally producing Charity and Meekness and such excellent Virtues And the belove Disciple tells us this was the Character of one that is born of God That he should believe that Jesus was come in the flesh And the great Apostle makes this the Sum of all Religion Charity out of a pure heart 1 Tim. 1.5 a good conscience and faith unfeign'd And when the rest of the Apostles and Apostolical men laid down the several Notes for men to judge by whether they should be sav'd or no as Grace and Spirit Decrees and Church and the like they all center here tho express'd by different Names Faith Sanctification Regeneration purifying and cleansing and all Prayers and Sacraments Temples and Altars Discipline and Ceremonies aim at this to guard this short Creed and an honest Conversation That no Age nor Sex Interest nor Party of men might call themselves the People of God except they wrought Righteousness chang'd their Manners and by Evangelical allowance became perfect and holy as their supposed Heavenly Father was And such a Religion as this and this alone is pure and undefiled The Conclusions that follow from this whole Discourse are these Two 1. That if such a Faith as this will save us we are safe and secure in this Church fo England notwithstanding the Damnation that some men denounce against us and the Anger of others that separate from us For this is the Creed of our Church this we firmly and sincerely believe And if these early Christians could be undoubtedly sav'd by the Confession of such a Faith why not we who believe this in the same sense that Christ and his Apostles delivered it and in a more diffused and explained manner as the Christians about the first 300 years taught us in their Three most famous and celebrated Creeds and also what is necessarily presupposed or implied in this short Creed or by natural Consequences deduc'd from it But those things that have no dependance upon or relation to this Creed or endeavoured to be derived from it only by dark or remote Implications and rather seem destructive of it we cannot Christen Articles of Faith or Fundamentals in Religion How comes it to pass that those First Christians could be sav'd by this Faith and nor we upon whom the ends of the World are come Are there Articles of Faith necessary for one Age of the Christian World and not for another Or was there any other Authority given to stamp new Articles for the urgent Necessities of the Church Or how come these new Necessities And why must the narrow way be made narrower still Those that do dissent from our Church could never justly charge any Rules or Doctrines upon it leading to Ill Manners or Impiety but that it reaches universal Justice and Charity towards all and especially all Humble Deportment and Duty to our Superiors And we are sure upon the Word of an Apostle That our Creed is full and firm And if he that believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God we are sure then that we are the Sons of God And with Peace and Security to our Minds and Consciences we may say of our Church which is nothing else but Old Christianity as the Disciples did of its Author the Blessed Jesus Thou art He and we look for no other 2. Let us consider the Nature of the Faith that we rely upon for our Salvation For many are so fond of and dear to their own Persons as to call themselves Saints and Favourites of Heaven who are violent in their false hopes and by force storm Heaven with no other Title than the Mad man of Athens had to the Ships coming into that Port his Fancy or his Frenzy Give a reason therefore of your Hopes and Expectations You perhaps believe That Jesus is the Christ his Person Innocent and his Doctrine Pure but if this be all if it reach not your Lives 't is but the Creed of the Spirits in despair who perhaps do more than you both believe and tremble too Your Passions sometimes are warm and you magnify the Atchivements of your dying Lord extol his Charity court and admire his Promises and the Purchase he hath made for you but will this heat of Devotion alone serve the turn then Hypocrites and other Vicious Persons can be lovers at an equal rate who cannot but admire Jesus who hath secur'd Heaven for them and given them a dispensation for their Vices at the same time You Pray and Communicate you Vow and Resolve and once in a Year you give your Souls a little Physick in the Spring and keep a Lenten Fast 't is well run hitherto but if your Devotion be out of breath not to outstrip and leave your Sins 't is Road and Custom Popular Fame or Slavish Fear but no true Principle or Ground of Hope You Sin and Repent to give your Mind a little ease but you go not forward for you Sin and Repent again and you are got into a Circle and such a round as this will make you giddy that at length by Custom you will scarce know which is Virtue and which is Vice And 't is hard to conceive that Men are fully perswaded that the Flames burn under their Feet and yet make from them only by such dull Paces or that Heaven and a Soul are of that moment yet put them both upon perhaps and peradventures In short no Man's Faith is true no Man's Hope is well-grounded no Man can truly call himself a Son of God except he be baptized into and live in the Jaylor's Faith What is that To make Confession of his Faith and Sins together the Commands and Creed to be equally reverenc'd to make him a true Christian a better and braver Man than the common Lump and Mass of Mankind and to reduce his extravagant Passions to the Regal Authority of Christ Such a Faith this must be that chuseth Christ to be his King as well as his Priest to become his Sacrifice or his Prophet only to tell him Futurities That when Interest and Pleasure come in Competition and rival his Religion and Innocency he can shake Hands with all those and stick fast to his Conscience and his God Such a Faith this is that believes the Incarnation of Christ to condemn Sin in the Flesh Such as believes his Circumcision in order to Mortification and Purity Such as believes his Resurrection not only to ascertain us of Glory but to remind us also of newness of Life Such which makes the solemn Design of the Gospel all the Mysteries of the Blessed Jesus with Prayers Praises and Sacraments and the whole Frame of his Religion not only to assure us of Imortality and to carry our Burthens but to be Arguments and Inducements also for our Obedience here and Preparations for that Divine State we call Heaven hereafter Such that are so minded in their Faith there will be Peace and Salvation upon them and the whole Israel of God and their Hopes will be well founded that when Christ the Author of their Life and their Religion too shall appear they all may appear with him in Glory To whom be all Honour Glory and Praise both now and for evermore Amen FINIS
Antoninus as famous for his Philosophy as for his Empire and several others about the Nature of the Soul and the Justice of Providence whatever strength they have in them as a great deal they have yet are above the ordinary level of Mankind and the Rules and Maxims of their Philosophers for a Virtuous Life as the way to Heaven were many times above sometimes below and some parts of their Religion unworthy of their Practice that they were distracted and confounded among themselves about the best end of Life and the chiefest Good that they drew but imperfect Notions and Features of the first Mover or Supreme Deity and therefore serv'd him by the rude Addresses of the Dii Medioxumi their intermediate Gods and Saints derogatory to his Honour and Greatness And the vulgar World was so enslav'd in their Lusts and Apprehensions that they not only ador'd the Sun or Stars a Lyon or an Oak things that were Great Generous and Useful but like the Sottish Egyptians below their Nature Crocodiles and Monkies Leeks and Onions of which they might have a new Crop of young Gods and Goddesses every Year And besides all this the Pagan had an active Reason and a busy Conscience within and a lively impression of God enstamp'd upon his Soul which he had much abus'd though he could no more utterly deface than put out the Sun and that he should survive this Life and be lash'd and scourg'd crown'd or rewarded in the other World And therefore he cries Allay my Fears and support my Hopes and tell me What must I do to be saved The Christian can prescribe him that Physick which cur'd his own Disease and is approv'd by the Testimony of numerous Converts Believe in the Lord Jesus c. But that he may not wink and swallow this down and cure himself only by a warm Fancy thinking he is well and have no reason for the Prescription the Jaylor here had the mighty Argument of Miracles for his Conversion and all Mankind justly challenge some reason for their Persuasion And therefore the Christian Guide tells the Pagan That the Christian Religion or way of Salvation hath the clearest Evidence on its side being confirm'd by greater and more Miracles than any other Perswasion That its Doctrines are suitable to the reason and dictates of humane Nature highly serviceable to the true Interests of Men here in all Capacities and Relations and an endless Life hereafter That its Authour Jesus had a stupendious Birth his Person Offices and Actions Prophecy'd of long before and exactly fulfill'd in all their due Circumstances A Person he was of an unsullied Life and without any design of secular Interest or Popularity hugely Generous and Charitable to all sorts and degrees of Men who sign'd his Discoveries and Truths with the smartest Agonies and Effusion of his Blood and Crown'd and Confirm'd all his Laws by a greater Wonder his Resurrection from the Grave Who continu'd the Arguments for our Faith in the Mission of his Spirit by the miraculous Gift of Tongues upon his Apostles Men of the greatest Sincerity and Integrity who with the succeeding Ages without any sinister Design convey'd in an undoubted way the History of this Religion to this present Age a way equivalent to the hearing of our Ears and seeing of our Eyes a faithful Tradition supplying our Senses These and many more are the Arguments of our Christian Faith and fit to prevail upon an honest and unprejudic'd Mind What shall the Pagan the Atheist or the doubting Christian who is always for laying the Foundation again but never building up the Superstructure of an holy Life by reason of some particular Vices that he is loth to part withal do to be saved Let them weigh and consider try and examine for the Christian Religion by such Reasons as these hath prevail'd upon the Great and Learned upon all Tempers and Professions of Men and if they will let their Passions and Prepossessions submit to their Judgment they will find Arguments sufficient to believe in the Lord Jesus and to be baptiz'd into the Christian Faith 2. 'T is the Question of a Christian troubled with the Divisions of Christendom not knowing to what Church to adhere The honest Christian sadly finding Religion torn into so many Parts and Pieces and every Division and Sect of Christians confining Christ with all his Privileges and Promises to their private Sect small Fraternities and Cloysters single Families and particular Persons have bestow'd upon themselves the great Names of the only Church and Houshold of Faith and Sentenc'd all the World for Reprobates not within their narrow Bounds and Pale and have chain'd as the Tyrians did their gods to their City Providence and Religion Heaven and Eternity only to their own side and every one with a Damnamus fix'd unto their Creeds The Seed of Isaac in this too much like that of Ishmael he against every Man and every Man against him discharging Censures and Excommunications one against another The plain Christian that thinks a Soul and God infinite Rewards or Miseries are too great to be plaid withal and frighted with the confident pretences of some and acted upon by the sly Methods of others begins to be wavering in his Faith uncertain in his Hopes and Profession and like a bewildred Pilgrim standing where variety of Ways do meet surrounded with Woods and Waters and hearing different Voices crying Come hither and here is Christ go thither and there is Jesus and pointing yonder Lo there lys the way that leads to Sion He begins to tremble and begs of some charitable Guide to lead him by the Hand to the House where Christ dwells asks him the way how we may walk securely What must be do to be saved He is the safest and most faithful Guide that tells him this Believe in the Lord Jesus he is the way the truth and the lise For this is the Summary of the Gospel the Epitome of all true Religion wherein all Christians do agree and a general prospect of that new and living way alone whereby we must be sav'd manifest to Men in the Schools and at the Plow the Learned and Illiterate Faith to whatever God hath revealed in Holy Writ and a Life conformable to his Laws Which Compendium of our Faith when Men of Wit and Interest drew out into longer and smaller Threds and multiply'd Fundamentals defining obscure Notions for Divine-Light and Evident Truth by an Authority more dark than they they sour'd Religion made it a fardle of Perplexities and an indigested heap of Speculations The Apostle forseeing this 2 Tim. 1.13 reminds his Son Timothy to keep close to the form of sound words which was this belief on Jesus and the Doctrine which is according to Godliness Which when Men of Fancy and nice Conception mixt with Secular Designs slighted and contemn'd they ruin'd that Faith that was once deliver'd unto the Saints And when the great Commission was sign'd unto the Apostles
Jaylor's Question here Miserable man that I am What shall I do to be saved The only Balm for this wounded Spirit is such a Faith as this it being the Condition of the New Covenant and our Salvation and the sum of all our Duties and Labour All those other Conceits being Errors and Misapprehensions of the Divine Goodness and Methods of the Gospel For it 's plain to all that whoever believes shall be sav'd and that Man certainly believes who refrains from his vicious Inclinations because Christ commands and can easily judge whether he doth so or no and if he shoul'd mistake in judging too severely of his Condition so long as he hath done his Duty his Mistake may be his Vexation here but never his Damnation hereafter For 't is harsh to conceive of the Divine Clemency that if the Christian hath discharg'd all his Duties and is perfect by an Evangelical Allowance that yet he should be Damn'd because his fear of God may border a little upon Superstition and Scruples and Objections may gnaw upon him not his Pleasure but his greatest Pain Had you Servant faithfully discharg'd all your Commands and paid his Reverence yet was fearful lest he had omitted any thing or done amiss and therefore began to despair of your Favour and Reward Would it not look very cruel to deny him the Reputation of Well done good and faithful servant enter into your masters joy Shall not the Judge of heaven and earth do right Who will try Men at the last Bar not for their invincible Errors Misprisions mortal Fears and Suspicions which are far better than Confidence and Presumption but by Principles and Practice wilful Ignorance and habitual Vices these and these alone will Sentence them into eternal Despair Our merciful High-priest knows and pities our Mold and Frame and the sad Circumstances of humane Life and the Covenant of Grace and its Messias are Prophecy'd of Not to quench the smoaking flax nor break the bruised reed The Justice of our Judge Isa 42.3 and the Goodness of our Advocate will not suffer us to lose our Possession of Heaven though we understand not the nature of the Title and procedures of the Court when by Faith and Repentance 't is made out and in it self and to those knowing and righteous Persons it appears very true Divine Providence many time permitting these Doubts and Scruples in the best of men to make them the more to stand upon their guard to quicken their motions to inflame their Prayers and Zeal and other excellent Purposes And tho they may like Lazarus with his Rags and Sores die in some Errors and Infirmities of Life and in Clouds and uncertainties pass by the Gates of Hell yet they shall not stay there but certainly arrive at Heaven 2. What sort of Faith this is that will save us 'T is such a Faith as is productive of good Works Mercy and Charity change of Manners newness of Life mixt with Modesty and Humilty without pretending Merit or challenging of Heaven We cannot obey except we believe and we do not believe except we obey Faith and Obedience in Scripture-Language being put one for the other both made necessary to Salvation without an idle dispute about the preference Faith is the Radix and Foundation of all Christian Virtues and when these are built upon it it receives its Complement and Perfection without which Faith turns into Romance and Story and will no more avail us to gain Heaven than a Winter Nights Tale. Such a belief as rests only in Speculation would contradict the great End of Christs coming into the World which was to pull down the strong holds of Sin and overturn the Dominions of the Devil this is the way to make them stronger still and enlarge his Power if such a Faith is sound and saving only to believe that Christ hath done so much for us there is nothing left for us to do but only strongly to believe it and admire it and so pass in a full Gale of our own Fancy into another World True Faith operates upon the Believer's mind to abate his Conceit and Pride his Passions and his Lusts to make a surrender of himself to the Government of Jesus to be guided and directed by him to take his Revelations or Pleasure in their whole Compass and Latitude his Precepts and Promises his Commands and Predictions and set an equal value upon all except we think that Christ is in earnest only with some parts of his Gospel and others are only for Scene and Show A natural Religion in some degree obliges Men to Virtue and Goodness and Christ's reveal'd Religion heightned those Virtues to an higher pitch by reason of greater Rewards and the clearer discovery of them and never intended to put bare belief into their place which was the was to make us less Men by being Christians and turn the Royal Law and Liberty into Licentiousness We are to believe under the pain of Eternal Damnation the Divinity of the Son of God Jesues with all his Offices and Undertaking for Makind but as such Truths are very apt and fit to correct our Nature and keep us to our Duties so if they do not attain that end as well to make us live righteously as to think aright to purify our hearts as to clear our heads our Faith will turn into dream our Grace will prove phantastick and our Hopes of Heaven are ill-bottom'd And to our faith be as strong as to remove mountains yet it will be counted only the tinkling cymbal to make a noise and disturb the World and when we knock at Heaven Gates with a great deal of passion crying Lord Lord open unto us the Answer will be Be gone I know you not 3. To evidence that this is a plain and sufficient Answer to this important Question What shall I do to be saved This will appear very true and clear if we consider what the Gospel saith our only Judge and Oracle in this matter If we search the Divine Records we shall easily find that such a Faith as this is laid down as the only necessary Condition of our Salvation And 't is indifferently exprest That if we expectto be sav'd sometimes we must believe sometimes we must obey both for the same design and purpose to tell all men their duty When Christ was therefore ask'd What was the Condition of Eternal Life his Answer was to some That they must believe on him the Promised Messias to others That they must keep the Commands both of them inseparable Duties And when Christ ask'd his Disciples Matt. 16.16 17 18. Whom say ye that I am St. Peter answer'd Thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God Christ replies and tells them Upon this rock upon this Confession I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it This Faith shall somewhere or other last and be the Condition of mens Salvation to the end of the world This was