c. farther from the Papists Doctrine of the Sacrifice of the Mass it follows that our LORD'S Priest hood is not Eternal or peculiar to himself as the Scripture teacheth particularly Heb. 7. Seing many succeed him in the Office Nay it may be inferred by good consequence that Men are preferrable to IESUS CHRIST Himself for the Priest is alwayes preferrable to the Sacrifice and therefore if their Priests are impowred to offer up Iesus Christ they must be esteem'd better then he None was worthy to offer that saerifice which taketh away sin but such an high Priest as was holy harmless undefiled separat from sinners and made higher then the Heavens Heb 7. 26. Wherefore as none could be the sacrifice but IESUS so none other could be the Priest to offer that Sacrifice both the Sacrifice and Priest are one which makes the Opinions of the Papists concerning a sacrifice of the Mass impious and blasphemous It would require a particular Treatise to set forth the corruptions of the Church of Rome in this part of their Worship as the Priest partaking alone the offering it for such are dead the celebrating it in honour of Saints c. And therefore if there were no more but this alone 't were too much to make People leave the communion of that Church But Lastly besides these Impieties mentioned whereof every one is actually guilty who joine in the Worship of the Church of Rome there be a great many other errours abuses and corruptions taught and practised in that Church which all they who keep her Communion must necessarly be reckoned guilty of For as joyning in Worship is a sign of holding Communion so thereby persons testify their belief of and assent to all which that Church with whom they hold Communion teacheth and practiseth as necessary to Salvation Now seeing the Church of Rome requireth all under pain of damnation to believe the infallibility of their Church the Supremacy of the Pope Purgatory Auricular Confession Pennances Indulgences the Insufficiency of Scripture the equal Authority of Unwritten Traditions the unlawfulnesse of Clergy Mens Marrying the necessity of observing Dayes Meats c. Without particular dispensations from the Pope who arrogates to himself a power of rescinding both Humane and Divine Laws these and many more Falseshoods and Absurdities are enjoyned by the Roman Church as Articles of Faith and as necessary to Salvation and therefore who keep communion with her do ipso facto approve of all her Errours and Abominations and must be thought to exclude from Salvation those who refuse to submit thereto for she doth so It will not availe any to say that in their Private judgement they are otherwise perswaded neither have made any expresse Verbal Acknowledgement to the contrary seeing they do that which necessarly import the same Men give their assent by their Actions as well as by their Words and what we cannot approve in our Hearts we ought not to approve by our Profession or Practice Hypocrisy in Religion is damnable and they are Hypocrits who professe what they do not beleive The belief of the Heart and confession with the mouth should not be disjoined neither ought we by our Actions to countenance what we judge false and abominable This I thought fit to say because it is a trick used to gain persons to the Roman Communion if otherwise they cannot be induced to pass them a formal abjuration of the Protestant Doctrine or an expresse consent to all the Tenets of that Church But such would do well to remember and consider that they do the one and the other really and upon the matter as much as if they gave more expresse Declarations I shall conclude with these words of Scripture which certainly are as applicable to the Church of Rome as ever they were or will be to any Come out from among them and be ye separate saith the LORD and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the LORD Almighty 2 Cor 6. 17 18. And again Come out of her my People that ye be not partakers of her Sins and that ye receive not of her Plagues For her sins have reached unto Heaven and GOD hath remembred her Iniquities Rev 18. 4. 5. CHAP. IV. Of the last Words of JACOB'S Vow The Question about the Churches Right to Tithes waved but the taking them away is shewed to be Sacriledge Every Particular Person oweth to GOD a part of his Estate The Proportion considered and some Motives pressing Charity and Alm's-Giving are proposed THat GOD is to be Worshipped and Adored that there should be Endeavours to please Him will be readily acknowledged by All This is the very Dictate of Natural Conscience and who have no Sense thereof nor own any Obligation thereto must needs be very Profligate and Debauched And though it cannot be denyed but that there are such Monsters of Wickedness who have no Fear of GOD before their eyes yet it must be confessed also that the Generality of Mankind as they profess and believe in GOD so they seem to wish and be desirous of His Favour and Good wil. It is not then gross Atheism and Infidelitâ—… which damnes and undoes the greatest part of the World but the Rock upon which Men split most is Hypocrisie and the want of sincerity in serving GOD. They would please him and are content to do something in order to it but yet have not a Heart to ply all that is requisite thus they will observe the smaller and lesser part of the Law but in the mean time slip over what is more Weighty and of Greater Moment they are very ready and willing to pay that Service which is cheap and easie and which puts them neither to great pains nor much cost but what imports and includes either they are averse to and shrink from Some will be very Religious whilst it is counted Religion to hear the Word of GOD to read it and talk of it to pray and to frequent the outward Ordinances of the Gospel but when they are told of denying themselves of taking up the Cross of Mortifying the body Subduing lust Bridling their passions and particularly of distributing their goods to the poor then they discover the Naughtiness Hollowness of their Heart how much they mock GOD and deceive themselves for they look upon these as hard sayings and cannot digest them but with the Young Man in the Gospel they turn away sad and sorrowful Such will seem sometimes to contend earnestly for Heaven but yet they keep a fast hold of the Earth they seem very zealous for the service of GOD so long as it costs them nothing but when Chargeable Expensive Duties are required then they find out many Shifts Excuses they either pretend the non-necessity of them or their own inability and when none of these can be pretended they still delay and put off till another time
useth them for the Conviction of Iacob at this time for upon his first appearance he call'd himself the Lord GOD of Abraham and the GOD of Isaac as you may see v. 13. As GOD made use of Abraham Isaac and Iacob to be his Witnesses in their time so he continued still to use their Posterity for convincing the World of the vanity of their Gods which were generally worshipped and to let them see that he was the true GOD whom all should serve and obey For for this end he wrought so many Wonders for them in Egypt did so strangely plague Pharaoh and his People brought them forth with such a high hand and used many and so great Miracles in settling them in the Land of Canaan For being the Fame of these things could not but reach to all Nations People so who ever heard and seriously considered thâ—…se things might be forced to confesse that he who did them that is the GOD of Israel was a great GOD above all Gods a GOD of Power and Majestie that he was the true GOD and that there was none besides him What other but the true GOD can command the Wind and the Sea the Sun and the Stars and all the Elements and force them to obey his Word Who can make Night and Day when he pleaseth who can change the course of Nature and when he hath done so can easily bring it back again but he who is the Author of Nature and the Creator of all things GOD blessed for ever Wherefore the God of Israel whose Mighty and Wonderful Acts are Recorded in the holy Scripture is the only true GOD And who would be found worshippers of the true GOD must direct their worship to Him All who do not own and acknowledge him are Idolaters for if they reject him the Gods whom they serve and bow down to are only false Gods Vain Devices and Imaginations Now who would be reckoned amongst the Worshippers of this true GOD 〈◊〉 testifie themselves to be such first by owning these special and particular Manifestations whereby he hath revealed and made himself known For as these do certainly point out the true GOD and make a distinction betwixt him and all false Gods devised by Men So 't is only Faith in these Manifestations which must put the difference betwixâ—… the worshippers of false Gods and uncertain Deities and those who do certainly adore the only true GOD. Hence it is that we find the Servants of GOD when they spâ—…ke of Him styling him by these particular manifestations and when they addressed themselves to Him having a special respect to them Thus Iacob called GOD the GOD of his Father and the fear of Isaac Nay it seems evident that GOD would have himself named from these things and worshipped under these designations for when he appeared again to Iacob he called himself the GOD of Bethel where thou anointedst the pillar Gen. 31. 13. and thereafter we find Him when he required of Iacob the accomplishment of this Vow bespeaking him thus Arise go up to Bethel to dwel there and make an Altar unto GOD that appeared unto thee when thou fledst from the face of Esau thy Brother Gen. 35. 1. GODS constant Title under the Old Testament was that of the GOD of Abraham Isaac and Iacob GOD that brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt and they who own'd not these Titles were accounted Strangers to the True GOD There is now another Name and Designation given to GOD sutable to the Gospel dispensation viz. The GOD and Father of our Lord IESUS CHRIST the Reason why GOD takes to Himself these Names and Titles and will have himself acknowledged according to them is because they are particular Denominations and do more directly lead to him The Title of Creator is due to GOD and can belong to none other but they who have worshipped false gods have acknowledged a Creator but who is the true Creator of all things is only owned and adored by those who believe and receive the Revelation of the holy Scriptures They who attend not to the light of the Scriptures and reject their direction if they own a Deity it is onely a Numen vagum an unknown and uncertain God as the Athenians did If GOD had never made any other discoverie of himself then by this outward and visible World then Men would have been only oblidged to worship the Deitâ—… according to that Manifestation But seing it hath pleased him to give other Manifestations for the illustrating of his own glory therefore it is Reasonable and Necessary that these be acknowledged as well as the other and that we adore him out of a respect to these Super added Revelations as well as out of a regard to the Creation of the World And who do it not are so far from owning the True GOD that they oppose and set themselves against him Thus certainly Pâ—…gans and Infidels and such as disbelieve the holy Scripture of the Old and New Testament must be excluded from amongst the Worshippers of the One True GOD. Which I wish were more serioâ—…sly considered for many Persons of this Age content themselves with the belief of a Deity and think they have gone a very great length by acknowledging this though they deny Faith to the Gospel Who are not convinced By the Testimonies of Scripture are as much without excuse as they who will not be perswaded there is a GOD upon the evidence thereof from the existence of other things and the Wiâ—…e and useful Order and Haâ—…monie and Stedfastness which is visible in the World for the rolling over the production of this material World upon blind chance the attributing it to a various tossing and tumbling of Attoms without any Guide or Director as was the dream of Epicurus and Democritus would be no greater absurdity then to think that the Miracles and Prophesies and other things narrated in Scripture the admirable correspondence between the Old and New Tâ—…stament and the excellent Agreement between the Christian Doctrine and the Nature and State of Man when truly considered should not be of God but only a cunningly devised fable â—…nd as for the Truth of Matters of Fact in Scripture there is as much evidence for them as in Reason can be desired and they cannot be called in Question without overturning all Humane certainty every Man acts dayly in his Civill affairs as much upon Trust as he is obliedg'd to by receiving and obeying the Gospel So that Infidelity is a most unreasonable thing And as it is unreasonable so it averts a Man from GOD Who have an evil heart of unbelief depart from the living GOD as the Apostle insinuateth Heb. 3. 13. Theisme Atheisme are somewhat of a kin together and he who is only a Theist may be very soon induced to be an Atheist for though the existence of a Deity may be learned by Natural light yet without the Revealed light of the Scriptures it is hard iâ—… not impossible
are these words this is my Body which in Truth when considered are no Pretext at all because none but such as are Prepossest with the Fancy could understand that to be the Meaning of them such a Mystery and Miracle as Transubstantiation is had need to have been asserted more plainly and clearly that is to say in Terms which do more necessarly import it The Disciples who used frequently to trouble our LORD about the meaning of His Words and to raise Scruples when he spoke of things far more Credible it is not likely that they would have let this go if they had understood him as the Papists do if they had so taken him up as to think that he said what He Reached and what they Received and Eat was not real Bread but that same real Body which was before their eyes they would no doubt enquired farther into the matter and asked how such a thing could be But having a little before in the Celebration of the Passover heard our LORD say of the unleavened Bread according to the Iewish custom this is the Bread of Affliction which our Fathers eat in Egypt they could not understand the Bread now distribut to be his Body otherways then the unleavened Bread was the Bread which their Fathers eat in Egypt to wit not the same reallie but only the Symbol or Memorial thereof Thus it appears that the Doctrine of Transubstantiation is a meer groundless Conceit favoured neither by Sense nor by Reason nor Scripture but flatly opposed by all of them And so though the Bread in the Sacrament be Consecrat to an Holy use and though it serve for Holy ends and Purposes yet as to its Nature and Substance it is still Bread and therefore who worship it worship not GOD but a Creature and a dumb Senseless Creature of it self too which is as gross Idolatry as any can be Neither will it excuse them that they think it to be him who is their GOD for then all Idolatry should be excusable he who Worships the Sun should be excused if he fancied a Deitie therein Mens Opinions will not alter the Nature of things nor make that Justifiable which is of it self Damnable otherways the greatest Crimes may prove no Crimes Nor will it acquit the Papists of Idolatry in worshipping the Host that they intend therein to worship JESUS CHRIST seing their Worship is directed immediatly to another thing otherwayes the Israelites who worshipped the Golden calf might upon the same account be freed of Idolatry And yet the Papists in worshipping the Sacramental Bread are more gross then the Israelites in worshipping the Golden calf For they made not the Calf their GOD neither did they terminat their worship in the Calf it self but used it only as the means of conveying their Worship to the true GOD. Whereas the Papists believe the Bread in the Sacrament to be the very LORD IESUS CHRIST himself and do terminat their Worship in the very Sacrament it self Then which I hardly think there can be a grosser instance of Idolatry produced from among the Heathens whither Ancient or Modern If saith Coster a Popish-Writter the Doctrine of Transubstantiation be not true the Idolatry of the Heathens in Worshipping some Golden or Silver statue or any Image of their Gods or the Laplanders Worshipping a red cloath or the Egyptians an Animal is more excusable then that of Christians Worshiping a bit of bread And another of them saith that if there be nothing but bread in the Eucharist they are all Idolaters Thus they confess that it is the Supposition of Transubstantiation only which can vindicat them from the grossest Idolatry but that there is no such thing to be supposed we have already proved and they who will needs believe a thing not only without all ground but contrarie to all Evidence of Sense Reason and Scripture their Errour is wilfull and neither is it to be excused nor the Practises which they build thereupon to be Extenuated And it will be to little purpose here to have recourse to the Fathers for the Defence of this Opinion for first we are not obliedged to believe any of them contrary to Sense Reason and Scripture And secondly it hath been frequently shewed that they say no such thing for untill about the Eight or Ninth Century this Opinion did not creep into the Church it only entered in with the Worship of Images for which among several others see a late discourse of Transubstantiation But though there were ground for the Doctrine of Transubstantiation and that CHRIST should be really in the Sacrament as the Papists imagine yet according to their Principles it is scarce possible yea I may say altogether impossible to know certainly or to have any assurance when the Bread is truly Transubstantiated or that CHRIST is Really in the Sacrament and therefore who Adore it run alwayes the Hazard of committing the grossest Idolatry which is the most Heinous of Crimes According to the Principles of the Romish Church there can be no Transubstantiation if the Elements be not prepared of due matter viz. The Bread of true Wheat and the Wine of ripe Grapes and neither of them any wayes spoiled or corrupted if the Priest who Celebrats be not a true Priest that is to say Rightly ordained and according to them a great many things are requisite to make ones Ordination valid and it is not possible to know when they are wanting or when they are present but thought he should be a True Priest yet if he intend not seriously the Consecration of the Sacrament or doth not pronounce the words or doth not pronounce them right but doth either mangle or transpose them in all these cases there is no Transubstantiation neither is there any difference betwixt the Elements of Bread and Wine which seems to be consecrat and common Bread and Wine And therefore it is impossible to know when the Bread is Transubstantiated or when not when CHRIST is really present and when he is absent for it is one to an hundred but some one or other of these necessarie conditions of a right Consecration is wanting and therefore also who adore the Sacrament can never be certain that they adore JESUS CHRIST really but instead of him may be paying Divine worship to a meer creature to lifeless Bread and Wine which may perplex the minds and consciences of such as seriously consider the heinousness of the crime of Idolatry To evade this Difficultie they tell us that the Adoration of the Sacrament is always with the supposition of Christ's presence that they adore the Bread upon this condition that it is the Body of IESUS CHRIST But this is a sillie evasion and will never free their Church of Idolatry for it is only Doctours or the Learned who may use these subtilties as for the Vulgar they do not make any such supposition nor do they worship the Sacrament with any such salvo And besides both the One and the Other
next place we must Addresse our selves to GOD by Humble and Hearty Prayer that it may please him to Enlighten the eyes of our Minds to the discerning His Will and the way wherein we should walk For is we do not Pray we are not desirous hereof neither duely Value it and so GOD will not think us worthy of it who Despise or Lightly esteem the Counsel and Direction of the LORD shall be left to wander in the Ignorance and Darknesse of their own Minds But he will lead and guide them in the Paths of Righteousnesse who humbly seek Him But though Prayer be good yet it is not the only Means it must not be neglected but it must not be rested in We must not ask direction as Pilate what was Truth at Christ who when he put the question presently went out and stayed not for an Answer After we have Prayed we should listen attentively to what GOD sayeth we ought to hearken carefully to the voice of GOD. And therefore Thirdly we must search Diligently the Scriptures for they are the Word of God and in and by them he speaketh to us his Will and Pleasure God hath given the Seripture to be a Lamp unto our feet and a Light unto our Path And so who would walk uprightly so as to Please God must follow the Guidance thereof 'Ts true God speaketh also Inwardly by his Spirit to the Hearts and Minds of Men but Ordinarly it is by the outward Means of the Word ' Tts seldom and in some singular Cases only that he speaks to men without the Mediation of the Scriptures However he never speaketh but agreeably to the Scriptures whatever he sayeth any manner of way must be consistent with the Doctrine and Precepts of the Scriptures for GOD neither can nor will contradict Himself Wherefore all inward Suggestions and Inspirations must be examined by the Written word of GOD which as St. Peter speaks in a like case is the surer Word 2 Pet 1. 19. We have Reason to put greater Confidence in the outward Light of the Scriptures then what is inwardly suggested for we may readily deceive our selves here and take the delusions of Satan or our own strong Imaginations for the Inspirations of GOD'S Spirit every one cannot distinguish betwixt them and indeed it is often hard for any to do it but by comparing them to what is delivered in the Scripture which we are sure is from GOD. We must not then be too hasty in concluding our inclination to a thing or aversion from it after that we have prayed fervently to be from GOD unlesse it be warranted by the Word of GOD revealed in the Scripture or at lest no wise opposite to what is there enjoyn'd us The Scriptures are the holy Oracles which deliver the mind of GOD to them therefore we must resort at all times and on all Occasions to know what we should do and by them all Persons of each Sexe Age Condition Imployment may be instructed how to order their conversation aright before GOD. For they are so composed that the Man of GOD by them may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3. 17. 'T is true every one will not find their particular Case Stated and Resolved but either Directly or Indirectly either by expresse Precepts or Paralel and not much different Examples they shall see what may sufficiently inform and resolve them And whoso will give themselves entirely up to the conduct of GOD in his word shall without doubt as we shewed before either by secret Suggestions of the Spirit or by some speciall occurrences of his providence be Particularly directed in the disposall of themselves and their affairs which are of greatest concernment and to which it cannot be expected that the Scripture should speak particularly The meek will he guide in judgement and the meek will he teach his way All the paths of the LORD are Mercy and Truth unto such as keep his Covenant and Testimonies Psal. 25. 9. 10. Thus we have shewed how we should consult GOD and by what means wee may come to be directed by him Now certainly it concerns us very much thus to consult Him and to follow these Means for acquainting our selves with what is proper for us to do The Heathens of old gloried much in their Oracles and used to Consult them in all their affairs though they were so uncertain and Ambiguous that they proved more often Snares to entrap them then Lights to guide them But sure wee have much more Reason to Glory and Rejoyce in this Special Priviledge we have of Consulting the true GOD who neither will deceive others nor can be deceived himself and who hath been Graciously pleased to speak to us so plainly and clearly by his Word and who Promises farther Direction as we stand in need Hereby we are enabled to walk wisely and are shewed the True way of carrying on our Happiness and Peace the Testimony of the Lord saith David is sure making wise the simple the commandement of the Lord is pure enlightning the eyes Psal. 19. 7 8. It was a laudable custome amongst the Iews to ask Counsel of GOD before they began any Enterprise and so it becomes us to resort unto the Scriptures for Counsel and Direction where we shall receive it fully and clearly if we be desirous thereof and follow the Direction prescribed above David no doubt had many Counsellours and yet he preferred the Word and Law of GOD before them all thy testimonies saith he are my delight and Counsellours And again he tells us that he bad more understanding then all his Teachers for GODS Testimonies were his Meditation Ps 119. 24. 99. It is reported of the Heathen Socrates that he pretended to have a certain Spirit or genius which he used as his Counsellour and therefore when ever he was required to speak or to do any thing his usuall answer was si Daemon permiserit if my spirit or genius will suffer Now it is our Happiness that we have a better Counsellour to advise with and therefore also whenso e're any thing is propounded unto us either to our understandings or Wills to be believed or practised let our Answer be with the Psalmist I will hear what GOD the LORD will speak Ps. 85. 8. I will first consult GOD by the Holy Oracles of the Scriptures And if we never conclude or resolve any thing without advising thus with GOD we shall highly honour him and shew an entire regard unto him and also take a Wise and most Profitable Course for our selves But alas As Solomon complains wherefore is there a price in the hand of a Fool to get Wisdom seeing he hath no heart unto it So it may be said to what purpose is it And how little doth it avail us to have the Scriptures seing we make so little use of them and take so little notice of what GOD says to us in and by them How sad is it and what matter of regrate
16. 1 Thess. 5 27. And for the same Reason the rest of the Scripture ought to be read and the Church has been still in use to do so Now the main Reason hereof is not our own instruction but to do honour to GOD for as hereby we own the Scriptures to be from GOD so we solemnly acknowlege our selves bound to hear and obey his word and tye our selves to walk as it diercts us The publick Worship of GOD is not rightly performed when there is no reading of Scriptures and it is all one almost as if they were cast out of the Worship when they are only read while the People are coming to Church but not after they are mett For then the reading is only used for a divertisement to put off the time and not as a Honour or Acknowledgement due to GOD. They understand little of the Nature or end of publick Worship who would have the reading of Scripture laid aside because it can be done at home Such have more regard to their Fancy then to the true honour of GOD and do come to Church rather to feed an impertinent Curiosity and desire of Novelty then to perform a reasonable Service to GOD. Not to speak of the inability of a great many to perform this exercise in Private the reading at home makes not so much for the Honour of the Sciptures and consequently of GOD who is the Author of them Respect to the Majesty and Authority of GOD require that his Will and Pleasure be Promulgate with solemnity and heard with reverence We have an eminent Instance hereof Neh. 8. 5 6. 4thly To the reading of the Scripture was alwayes wont to be joyned Preaching on the Sabbath and other Festival-dayes as appears from the forecited places which custome the Church hath continued and it is most necessary and profitable It shews our deference to GOD and a regard for his Authority when we are willing to hear such as he hath Commissioned to inform us of his Will anent us He that heareth you said Christ to the Apostles heareth me and he that dispiseth you despiseth me and him that sent me Kings and Princes are Honoured or Affronted according as their Servants and message are received now the Ministers are Ambassadours in CHRISTS stead by whom GOD befeecheth People to be reconciled unto himself 2 Cor 5. 20. Reconciliation with God is the Errand on which Ministers are sent and seing the terms of this Reconciliation and the means by which it is wrought are set down in Scripture therefore the subject matter of preaching should be to give the sense and meaning of the Scripture and to exhort to a Complyance with what is there contained Sermons are not ordained to teach men curious things or to tickle them with fine neat speeches but to make them understand the Scriptures to instruct them in the Doctrine thereof and to stirr them up to observe the same thus Ezra preached Neh. 8. 8. And ordinarly in the primitive Church their Sermons were only Explications of such Portions of Scripture as were read in the publick Service together with an Exhortation to obey it The principal design of Preaching is to unfold the meaning of God's Word and to help men to discern the mind of the Lord revealed therein and as these are the best and most Edifying Sermons which discover this plainly and clearly so it is the duty of all to hearken diligently to these instructions and to receive them gladly It speaks out a Love to GOD when we are willing and very desirous to know his will but there is little regard for God where there is no desire to understand what he sayeth to us in and by his word But though the Priests lips should keep know ledge and that it is the peoples duty to seek the Law at his Mouth yet this is not to render the private search and study of the Scriptures useless Guides are ordained to be helps but not to take away our own sight we may find them useful though we do not put out our eyes As the Noble Bereans did we should search the Scriptures dayly whither these things we hear be true or not And this is the more necessary because we are forewarned of false Prophets Every Spirit is not to be believed none ought to be received with an implicit Faith but only the Spirit of GOD all other should be tryed before trusted And it needs be no hard task to try the truth of Doctrines if we lay aside prejudice and search the Scripture impartially A man by applying his eye narrowly especially if he hath the advantage of a Rule will soon discern whither a thing be straight or crooked and it is indeed no less easie to judge in matters necessarie to Salvation 5thly I cannot omit here what was Anciently Universally used though now turned into desuetude among us and it is the Solemn and explicite profession of the Christian Faith by a rehearsal of some Summary thereof as the Apostles or Nicene or Athanasian Creed The expresse declaration of our Faith is much both for our profite and the honour of GOD It is for the honour of GOD that we believe in GOD and in JESUS CHRIST and give our assent to all the truths of the Gospel without this faith it is impossible to please GOD unless our worship be founded on the belief of these things it is altogether unacceptable And it is not only necessary to have this Faith alwayes in our hearts but we must also sometimes openly testify it by confessing the same with our mouths as the Apostle tells us Rom 10. 9. Where he saith that if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the LORD IESUS and shalt believe in thine he art that GOD hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation This is also profitable for our selves for these Creeds are the Badges of Christianity which instruct us in our profession and teach us how to answer every man who asketh a reason of the hope that is in us A frequent repetition of the Creed fixeth the great Articles of our Religion in our mind brings them often to our remembrance and serves to excite us to walk worthy of the Gospel Persons of Honour are careful to behave sutably while they have the signs and badges of their Dignity and Quality upon them and sure it could not but oblidge and quicken us to study a Christian Behaviour if we frequently made a serious and solemn profession of our Faith Lastly the celebration of the LORDS Supper should frequently accompany our other acts of publick worship the Apostles with their Converts did this dayly as we read Acts 2. 42. 46. which practice continued long in the Primitive Church St. Augustine in one of his Epistles to Ianearius says 't was the custome to do so in many places The Council of Antioch condemnes such as