ought not to pretend any thing against the plain and safe paths of Religion which will entertain us with pleasure all along in the way and crown us with happiness at the end 2 TIM 2.19 Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity THe whole verse runs thus Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal The Lord knoweth them that are his And Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity In which words the Apostle declares to us the terms of the covenant between God and man For the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is here translated foundation according to the usual signification of it is likewise as learned men have observ'd sometimes used for an instrument of contract whereby two parties do oblige themselves mutually to each other And this notion of the word agrees very well with what follows concerning the seal assix'd to it which is very fuitable to a Covenant but not at all to a foundation 'T is true indeed as the learned Grotius hath observed there used anciently to be inscriptions on foundation-stones and the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render seal may likewise signifie an inscription and then the sense will be very current thus The foundation of God standeth sure having this inscription But it is to be considered that though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may signifie an inscription yet it is onely an inscription upon a seal which hath no relation to a foundation but is very proper to a covenant or mutual obligation And accordingly the seal affixt to this instrument or covenant between God and man is in allusion to the custom of those countries said to have an inscription on both sides agreeable to the condition of the persons contracting On God's part there is this impress or inscription The Lord knoweth them that are his that is God will own and reward those that are faithfull to him And on our part Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity Let every one that nameth the name of Christ that is that calls himself a Christian For to name the name of any one or to have his name call'd upon by us does according to the use of this Phrase among the Hebrews signifie nothing else but to be denominated from him Thus 't is frequently used in the Old Testament and sometimes in the New Jam. 2.7 Do they not blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called that is the name or title of Christians and that expression 1 Pet. 〈◊〉 14. if ye be reproached for the name of Christ is at the sixteenth verse varied if any man suffer as a Christian So that to name the name of Christ is to call our selves Christians Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is often taken strictly for injustice or unrighteousness but sometimes used more largely for sin and wickedness in the general And so it seems to be used here in the Text because there is no reason from the context to restrain it to any particular kind of sin or vice and because Christianity lays an equal obligation upon men to abstain from all sin Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity that is every Christian obligeth himself by his prosession to renounce all sin and to live a holy life In speaking to this argument I shall do these two things 1. Shew what obligation the profession of Christianity lays upon men to live holy lives 2. Endeavour to perswade those who call themselves Christians to answer this obligation I. What obligation the profession of Christianity lays upon men to live holy lives He that calls himself a Christian professeth to entertain the Doctrine of Christ to live in the imitation of his holy example and to have solemnly engaged himself to all this I shall speak briefly to these and then come to that which I principally intend to perswade men to live accordingly 1. He that professeth himself a Christian professeth to entertain the doctrine of Christ to believe the whole Gospel to assent to all the articles of the Christian faith to all the precepts and promises and theatnings of the Gospel Now the great design the proper intention of this doctrine is to take men off from sin and to direct and encourage them to a holy life It teacheth us what we are to believe concerning God and Christ not with any design to entertain our minds with the bare speculation of those truths but to better our lives For every article of our faith is a proper argument against sin and a powerfull motive to obedience The whole history of Christ's appearance in the world all the discourses and actions of his life and the sufferings of his death do all tend to this the ultimate issue of all is the destroying of sin So St. John tells us 1 Joh. 3.8 for this purpose was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil But this is most expresly and fully declar'd to us Tit. 2.11 12 13 14. The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works The precepts of the Gospel do strictly command holiness and that universal the purity of our souls and the chastity of our bodies 2 Cor. 7.1 to cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit 1 Thes 5.22 to abstain from all kind of evil 1 Pet. 1.15 to be holy in all manner of conversation They require us to endeavour after the highest degrees of holiness that are attainable by us in this imperfect state to be holy as he that hath called us is holy Mat. 5.48 to be perfect as our father which is in heaven is perfect And all the promises of the Gospel are so many encouragements to obedience and a holy life ◠Cor. 7. ◠having therefore these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit and perfect holiness in the fear of God We are told by St. Peter that these exceeding great and precious promises are given to us that by these we might be partakers of a Divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 having escaped the pollution that is in the world through lust and that we might give all diligence to add to our faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and patience and brotherly-brotherly-kindness and charity And the threatnings of the Gospel are so many powerfull arguments against sin Therefore the Apostle calls the Gospel the power of God unto salvation
to any thing as reveal'd by God cannot be deceiv'd upon supposition that it is so reveal'd or else absolutely that whoever assents to any thing as reveal'd by God cannot be deceiv'd Now although I do not in the Passage forecited speak one syllable concerning Doctrines reveal'd by God yet I affirm and so will any man else that an assent to any Doctrine as revealed by God if it be reveal'd by him is impossible to be false But this is onely an infallibility upon supposition which amounts to no more than this That if a thing be true it is impossible to be false And yet the principal design of Mr. S's Book is to prove this which I believe no man in the world was ever so senseless as to deny But if he mean absolutely that whoever assents to any Doctrine as reveal'd by God cannot be deceiv'd that is that no man can be mistaken about matters of Faith as he must mean if he pretend to have any adversary and do not fight onely with his own shadow this I confess is a very comfortable assertion but I am much afraid it is not true Or else lastly By Faith he understands the Means and Motives of Faith And then the plain state of the controversie between us is this Whether it be necessary to a Christian belief to be infallibly secur'd of the means whereby the Christian Doctrine is convey'd to us and of the firmness of the Motives upon which our belief of it is grounded This indeed is something to the purpose for though in the passage before-cited I say not one word concerning the Motives of our Belief of the Christian Doctrine yet my discourse there was intended to be apply'd to the means whereby the knowledge of this Doctrine is convey'd to us However I am contented to joyn issue with Mr. S. upon both these Points 1. That it is not necessary to the true nature of Faith that the Motives upon which any man believes the Christian Doctrine should be absolutely conclusive and impossible to be false That it is necessary Mr. S. several times affirms in his Book but how unreasonably appears from certain and daily experience Very many Christians such as St. Austin speaks of as sav'd not by the quickness of their understandings but the simplicity of their belief do believe the Christian Doctrine upon incompetent grounds and their belief is true though the argument upon which they ground it be not as Mr. S. says absolutely conclusive of the thing And he that thus believes the Christian Doctrine if he adhere to it and live accordingly shall undoubtedly be sav'd and yet I hope Mr. S. will not say that any man shall be saved without true Faith I might add that in this Assertion Mr. S. is plainly contradicted by those of his own Church For they generally grant that General Councils though they be infallible in their Definitions and Conclusions yet are not always so in their Arguments and reasonings about them And the Guide of Controversies * P. 35. expresly says that it is not necessary that a Divine Faith should always have an external rationally infallible ground or motive thereto whether Church Authority or any other on his part that so believes Here is a man of their own Church avowing this Position that Faith is possible to be false I desire Mr. S. who is the very Rule of Controversie to do justice upon this false Guide I must acknowledge that Mr. S. attempts to prove this Assertion and that by a very pleasant and surprizing Argument which is this The profound Mysteries oâ— Faith he tells us †Faith vind p. 9â— must needs seem to some viz. those who have no light but their pure natural Reason †P. 89. as he said before impossible to be true which therefore notâ—ing but a Motive of its own nature seemingly impossible to be false can conquer so as to make them conceit them really true What Mr. S. here means by a Motive of its own nature seeming impossible to be false I cannot divine unless he means a real seeming impossibility But be that as it will does Mr. S. in good earnest believe that a Motive of its own nature seeming impossible to be false is sufficient to convince any man that has and uses the light of natural Reason of the truth of a thing which must needs seem to him impossible to be true In my opinion these two seeming impossibilities are so equally matched that it must needs be a drawn Battle between them Suppose the thing to be believed be Transubstantiation this indeed is a very profound Mystery and is to speak in Mr. S's phrase of its own nature so seemingly impossible that I know no argument in the world strong enough to cope with it And I challenge Mr. S. to instance in any Motive of Faith which is both to our understanding and our senses more plainly impossible to be false than their Doctrine of Transubstantiation is evidently impossible to be true And if he cannot how can he reasonably expect that any man in the World should believe it 2. That it is not necessary to the true nature of Faith that we should be infallibly secur'd of the means whereby the Christian Doctrine is convey'd to us particularly of the Antiquity and Authority of the Books of Scripture and that the expressions in it cannot possibly bear any other sense And these are the very things I instance in in the passage so often mention'd And to these Mr. S. ought to have spoken if he intended to have confuted that passage But he was resolv'd not to speak distinctly knowing his best play to be in the dark and that all his safety lay in the confusion and obscurity of his talk Now that to have an infallible security in these particulars is not necessary to the true nature of Faith is evident upon these two accounts because Faith may be without this infallible security and because in the particulars mention'd it is impossible to be had 1. Because Faith may be without this infallible security He that is so assur'd of the Antiquity and Authority of the Books of Scripture and of the sense of those Texts wherein the Doctrines of Christianity are plainly delivered as to see no just cause to doubt thereof may really assent to those Doctrines trines though he have no infallible security And an assent so grounded I affirm to have the true nature of Faith For what degree of assent and what security of the Means which convey to us the knowledge of Christianity are necessary to the true nature of Faith is to be estimated from the end of Faith which is the salvation of mens souls And whoever is so assur'd of the authority and sense of Scripture as to believe the Doctrine of it and to live accordingly shall be saved And surely such a belief as will save a man hath the true nature of Faith though it be not infallible And if God have sufficiently
the knowledge of our Creator and of the duty we owe to him the wisdom of pleasing God by doing what he commands and avoiding what he forbids This Knowledge and Wisdom may be attained by man and is sufficient to make him happy And unto man he said Behold the fear of the Lord that is Wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding These words consist of two Propositions which are not distinct in sense but one and the same thing variously express'd For wisedom and understanding are synonymous words here and though sometimes they have different notions yet in the Poetical Books of Scripture they are most frequently used as words equivalent and do both of them indifferently signifie either a speculative knowledge of things or a practical skill about them according to the exigency of the matter or thing spoken of And so likewise the fear of the Lord and departure from evil are phrases of a very near sense and like importance and therefore we find them several times put together in Scripture Pro. 3.7 Pr. 16.6 Fear the Lord and depart from evil By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil So that they differ onely as cause and effect which by a Metonymie usual in all sorts of Authors are frequently put one for another Now to fear the Lord and to depart from evil are phrases which the Scripture useth in a very great latitude to express to us the sum of Religion and the whole of our duty And because the large usage of these phrases is to be the foundation of my following discourse I shall for the farther clearing of this matter endeavour to shew these two things 1. That 't is very usual in the Language of Scripture to express the whole of Religion by these and such like phrases 2. The particular fitness of these two phrases to describe Religion I. It is very usual in the Language of Scripture to express the whole of Religion by some eminent principle or part of Religion The great Principles of Religion are knowledge faith remembrance love and fear by all which the Scripture useth to express the whole duty of man In the Old Testament by the knowledge remembrance and fear of God Religion is called The knowledge of the holy Prov. 30.3 Jer. 10.25 And wicked men are described to be such as know not God So likewise by the fear of the Lord frequently in this Book of Job and in the Psalms and Proverbs And Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another And the fear of God is expresly said to be the sum of Religion Eccl. 12.13 Fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole of man And on the contrary the wicked are described to be such as have not the fear of God before their eyes Ps 36.1 And so likewise by the remembrance of God Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth Eccl. 12.1 that is enter upon a religious course betimes And on the contrary the character of the wicked is that they forget God The wicked shall be turned into Hell Ps 9.17 and all the Nations that forget God In the New Testament Religion is usually expressed by faith in God and Christ and the love of them Hence it is that true Christians are so frequently called believers and wicked and ungodly men unbelievers And that good men are described to be such as love God all things shall work together for good to them that love God Ro. 8.28 Eph. 6.24 and such as love the Lord Iesus Christ Now the reason why these are put for the whole of Religion is because the belief and knowledge and remembrance and love and fear of God are such powerfull principles and have so great an influence upon men to make them Religious that where any one of these really is all the rest together with the true and genuine effects of them are supposed to be And so likewise the sum of all Religion is often expressed by some eminent part of it which will explain the second phrase here in the Text departing from evil The worship of God is an eminent part of Religion and Prayer which is often in Scripture expressed by seeking God and calling upon his Name is a chief part of Religious worship Hence Religion is described by seeking God Heb. 11.6 He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him and by calling upon his name Acts 2.21 Whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved And so by coming to God and by departing from evil In this fallen state of man Religion begins with repentance and conversion the two opposite terms of which are God and Sin Hence it is that Religion is described sometimes by coming to God Heb. 11.6 He that cometh to God must believe that he is that is no man can be religious unless he believe there is a God Is 59.15 sometimes by departing from sin And he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey that is such was the bad state of those times of which the Prophet there complains that no man could be religious but he was in danger of being persecuted II. For the fitness of these two phrases to describe Religion 1. For the first the fear of the Lord The fitness of this phrase will appear if we consider how great an influence the fear of God hath upon men to make them religious Fear is a passion that is most deeply rooted in our natures and flows immediately from that Principle of self-preservation which God hath planted in every man Every one desires his own preservation and happiness and therefore hath a natural dread and horrour of every thing that can destroy his Being or endanger his happiness And the greatest danger is from the greatest power and that is omnipotency So that the fear of God is an inward acknowledgment of a holy and just Being which is armed with an almighty and irresistible power God having hid in every Man's Conscience a secret awe and dread of his infinite power and eternal justice Now fear being so intimate to our natures it is the strongest bond of Laws and the great security of our duty There are two bridles or restraints which God hath put upon humane nature shame and fear Shame is the weaker and hath place onely in those in whom there are some remainders of vertue Fear is the stronger and works upon all who love themselves and desire their own preservation Therefore in this degenerate state of mankind fear is that passion which hath the greatest power over us and by which God and his Laws take the surest hold of us Our desire and love and hope are not so apt to be wrought upon by the representation of vertue and the promises of reward and happiness as our fear is from the apprehensions of Divine displeasure For though we have lost in a great measure the gust and relish of true happiness yet we
will among men a readiness to forgive our greatest enemies to doe good to them that hate us to bless them that curse us and to pray for them that despitefully use us and persecute us And does inculcate these precepts more vehemently and forbid malice and hatred and revenge and contention more strictly and peremptorily than any Religion ever did before as will appear to any one that does but attentively read our Saviour's Sermon upon the Mount And as Christianity hath given us a more certain so likewise a more perfect Law for the government of our lives All the precepts of it are reasonable and wise requiring such duties of us as are suitable to the light of nature and do approve themselves to the best reason of mankind such as have their foundation in the nature of God and are an imitation of the Divine excellencies such as tend to the persection of humane nature and to raise the minds of men to the highest pitch of goodness and vertue The Laws of our Religion are such as are generally usefull and beneficial to the world as do tend to the outward peace and the health to the inward comfort and contentment and to the universal happiness of mankind They command nothing that is unnecessary and burdensome as were the numerous rites and ceremonies of the Jewish Religion but what is reasonable and usefull and substantial And they omit nothing that may tend to the glory of God or the welfare of men nor do they restrain us in any thing but what is contrary either to the regular inclinations of nature or to our reason and true interest They forbid us nothing but what is base and unworthy to serve our humours and passions to reproach our understandings and to make our selves fools and beasts in a word nothing but what tends either to our private harm and prejudice or to publick disorder and confusion And that this is the tenour of the Laws of the Gospel will appear to any one from our Saviour's Sermons and Discourses particularly that upon the Mount wherein he charges his Disciples and followers to be humble and meek and righteous and patient under sufferings and persecutions and good and kind to all even to those that are evil and injurious to us and to endeavour to excell in all goodness and vertue This will appear likewise from the Writings of the holy Apostles I will instance but in some few passages in them St. Paul represents to us the design of the Christian doctrine in a very few words but of admirable sense and weight Tit. 2.11 12. The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appear'd to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world The same Apostle makes this the main and fundamental condition of the Covenant of the Gospel on our part 2 Tim. 2.19 Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity St. James describes the Christian doctrine which he calls the wisdom that is from above by these characters It is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be entreated full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisie St. Peter calls the Gospel 2 Pet. 1.3 4. the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and vertue whereby saith he are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of a divine nature having escap'd the corruption that is in the world through lust and upon this consideration he exhorts them to give all diligence to add to their faith the several vertues of a good life V. 5 6 7. without which he tells them they are barren and unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ I will conclude with that full and comprehensive paslage of St. Paul to the Philippians Whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whatsoever things are of venerable esteem whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure or chast whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue if there be any praise think on these things But the perfection and the reasonableness of the Laws of Christianity will most plainly appear by taking a brief survey of them And they may all be referr'd to these two general heads They are either such as tend to the perfection of humane nature and to make men singly and personally good or such as tend to the peace and happiness of humane Society First Such as tend to the perfection of humane nature and to make men good singly and personally consider'd And the precepts of this kind may be distributed likewise into two sorts such as enjoyn piety towards God or such as require the good order and government of our selves in respect of the enjoyments and pleasures of this life 1. Such as enjoyn Piety towards God All the duties of Christian Religion which respect God are no other but what natural light prompts men to excepting the two Sacraments which are of great use and significancy in the Christian Religion and praying to God in the name and by the mediation of Jesus Christ For the sum of natural Religion as it refers more immediately to God is this That we should inwardly reverence and love God and that we should express our inward reverence and love of him by external worship and adoration and by our readiness to receive and obey all the revelations of his will And that we should testifie our dependence upon him and our confidence of his goodness by constant prayers and supplications to him for mercy and help for our selves and others And that we should acknowledge our obligations to him for the many favours and benefits which every day and every minute we receive from him by continual praises and thanksgivings And that on the contrary we should not entertain any unworthy thoughts of God nor give that honour and reverence which is due to him to any other that we should not worship him in any manner that is either unsuitable to the excellency and perfection of his nature or contrary to his revealed will that we should carefully avoid the prophane and irreverent use of his Name by cursing or customary swearing and take heed of the neglect or contempt of his Worship or any thing belonging to it This is the sum of the first part of natural Religion and these are the general heads of those duties which every man's reason tells him he owes to God And these are the very things which the Christian Religion does expresly require of us as might be evidenc'd from particular Texts in the New Testament So that there is nothing in this part of Christianity but what agrees very well with the reason of mankind 2. Such precepts as require the good order and government of our selves in respect of the pleasures and enjoyments of this life Christian Religion