Word; as that God is, that he is the Maker and Preferver of the World, and the like.

A Practical Belief is fuch an Affent as influences our Lives, and makes us act according to our Belief; as when the Belief of a God makes us love, honour, and worship him accordingly. The former refts in the Head, and confifts only in an idle empty Notion of things: The latter finks deeper, and reaches the Heart, which is thereby mov'd to Practices futable to and becoming our Belief And indeed we never rightly believe any divine Truth, till it operate fo far upon our Mind, as to engage us to live and act according to it. This is the Faith by which we believe our Creed, to wit, not an idle, dead, ineffectual Faith, that is deftitute of good Works; but fuch an active, lively Faith that works by Love, and exerts itself in the Fruits of Righteousness and true Holiness.

And therefore when we profefs to believe the Articles of our Chriftian Faith, we must not content ourselves with a barren Notion or Speculation of them, that only floats in the Brain, or ferves merely to move the Tongue to talk of them; but we must have fuch a practical Belief of them, as influences the Will and Affections, and puts us upon the practice of thofe Duties that naturally flow from them: The Word is nigh thee (faith God) not only in thy Mouth to talk of it, but in thy Heart that thou may'ft do it; Deut. 30. 14. The Heart is the Principle of Life and Motion, and the Belief of the Heart is the principal of all Christian Virtues, efpecially thofe that refult from the nature of the thing believ'd. In a word,

To believe, as it ftands in the front of the Creed, is not barely to affent to the Truth of the fundry Articles of it, but to yield fuch a practical Affent to them, as will lead to Actions futable to fuch a Belief.

Thus having fhew'd the full Sense and Meaning of the word Believing, I proceed,

Thirdly, To that particular and perfonal Declaration that every one is to make of it, in saying, I believe. Faith is an internal, immanent A&t, known to no Man but he that believeth; for who knoweth the things of a Man, fave the Spirit of a Man which is in him? And therefore to preserve the Unity of Faith, and qualify us for the vifible Communion of the Church, we are requir'd to make an external Acknowledgment and Profeffion of it: With the Heart

Man

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157 Man believeth unto Righteousness (faith the Apostle) and with the Mouth Confeffion is made unto Salvation, Rom. 10. 10. where not only the Belief of the Heart, but the Confeffion of the Mouth is made neceffary to Salvation. And elsewhere, If thou shalt confefs with thy Mouth the Lord Fefus, and halt believe in thy Heart that God hath raised bim from the Dead, thou shalt be faved. Philip would not receive the Eunuch into the Church, till he had made an open Confeffion of his Faith, Acts 8. 36, 37. And all Adult Perfons are still requir'd to do the fame.

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Now because every one is to be fav'd by his own Faith, and not another's; therefore the Apoftles in compofing, and the Church in rehearfing the Creed, have order'd every one to make a particular Recital of his own Faith, willing every one to say in his own Perfon, I believe. The Minifter beginning it in the fingular Number, makes a Rehearfal of his own Faith; and the People faying it after, and with him in their own Name, make a particular and perfonal Declaration of theirs and by both we see the Harmony and Agreement of the whole Church in the fame Faith. Tis not fufficient then to believe with the Heart, but we must add to it the Confeffion of the Mouth, and make an open and folemn Profeffion of our Faith with the Tongue: This God hath not only requir'd, but esteems himfelf glorify'd by it; Whofo offereth me praife (faith he) bonoureth me, Pfal. 50. ult. And when we unanimoufly publish and declare our Faith in him, by reciting our Creed together, we do (as the Apoftle exhorts) with one Heart and one Mouth glorify our great Creator. Again, by this folemn Confeffion of our Faith together, we confirm one another in it, and build up each other in our most holy Faith; for as one Coal kindles another, fo is one Man's Faith quicken'd and enliven'd by the Profeffion of another's.

Befide, the frequent and folemn Profeffion of it adds an Honour and Grace to the Chriftian Faith; it fhews that we dare to own it at all times, and likewife delight in the hearing and rehearfing of it, which will recommend us to the Author and Finifher of our Faith, and bring us to the end of it, even the Salvation of our Souls: for Chrift him-. felf declares, That whosoever shall confefs him before Men, bim will be confefs before his Father which is in Heaven; Mat. 10. 32. Whereas by concealing, or not confeffing the Truths contain'd in our Creed, we caft a Blemish and

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Part II. Reflection upon them, as if we were afham'd to own, or car'd not to hear of them: And we know who hath told us, That whosoever shall be afham'd of him and his Words, of him fhall the Son of Man be afham'd when he shall come in his own Glory, and in his Father's, and that of the holy Angels; Luke 9. 26. To prevent which, our Church wills us to be fo far from being afraid or afham'd of our Creed, that it requires us not only to ftand to it, but daily to repeat it, to be ever ready to own and defend it, and to make not only a general, but a particular Declaration of our Faith in it; every fingle Chriftian being directed to fay in his own Perfon, I believe. And indeed what our Saviour told him whofe Son was troubled with a dumb Spirit, If thou canst believe, all things are poffible to him that believeth; may encourage every one of us to fay with him, Lord, I believe, help thou my Unbelief. And this will lead me to the

Laft Thing to be confider'd in thefe words, namely, The Reafon we have not only to declare our Faith, but to pray for a Supply of the Defects and Imperfections of it: Help thou my Unbelief. For the best of us may be too juftly fyl'd Men of little Faith: We are befet with many Temp tations that are too apt to weaken it; we have many Avocations, that make us fometimes neglect or forget it: there are many Seducers gone abroad in the World, that labour to corrupt the Faith, fome by adding to it, and impofing new Articles of Faith; others by taking from it, and lopping off fome of its main Branches: and both join in undermining the Creed, and leffening our Belief of it. There are many Allurements in the World, that are apt to draw us from the Faith; befides which, there are many Difficulties and Difcouragements that may fcare and affright us from it: In fhort, there are numberless Opportunities and Occafions of shaking our Faith, and drawing us into Infidelity; and therefore we have great need to pray, that our Faith fail not, and to fay, Lord, help our Unbelief.

And to make thefe Prayers effectual, let us (as we are commanded) daily repeat our Creed, to preferve the Remembrance of it. Let us frequently ftudy and meditate upon it, to preserve the Purity and Integrity of it: And,

Laftly, Let us always abound in thofe Acts of Holiness and Virtue, that flow and may be learnt from it: So fhall

we

we fhortly fee what at present we can only believe, and our Faith fhall be crown'd and swallow'd up in Fruition.

DISCOURSE III.

HEB. xi. 6. the middle part.

He that cometh unto God, must believe that he is, &c.

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AVING explain'd the Act of Believing in the beginning of the Creed, which is to be apply'd to all the following Articles; I am to proceed to the Object of this Faith, and to explain the neceffary Points of it, that are to be thus believ'd by us. And here the

First Article relates to the Being or Exiftence of God, contain'd in thofe words, I believe in God; which being the Foundation of all the reft, and indeed the Groundwork of all Religion, must be well laid, in order to our being built up in this holy Faith: And this I fhall endeavour to do from thefe words; He that cometh unto God, must believe that he is. Where,

By coming unto God, we are to understand our Reception into his Church, and Admiffion to all the Privileges of his House and Family.

By believing that he is, is meant the acknowledging the Existence of fuch an infinite fupreme Being, into whofe Family we are thus admitted. So that the Sense of this firft Article lies in an Affent to the Being and Existence of a Deity; which being imply'd in all that follow, is a proper Beginning of this Confeffion of our Faith. And here omitting all Criticifms upon the Phrafe of believing in, which is fufficiently explain'd in our Text by believing that he is; I muft, for the Explication of this fundamental Article, enquire,

First, Into the Notion of God, or what is to be underftood by it.

Secondly, Into the Grounds and Reafons, upon which the Belief of fuch a Being is founded.

Thirdly,

Thirdly, Being exprefs'd here in the fingular Number, I believe in God; I must add something touching the Unity of the Godhead. And,

Lastly, Conclude with the Duties that refult from fuch Belief.

For the First, Tho we cannot give a perfect Definition of God, it being impoffible for our finite Understanding to grafp or comprehend Infinity; yet we can frame fuch a Notion of him, as may fatisfy us of his Being, and be fufficient to all the Ends and Purposes of Religion: And this Notion is, That he is a Being infinitely perfect,_without the leaft Defect or Imperfection; that he is a Being of himfelf, independent upon any other, upon whom all things elfe depend, which were all made and are still govern'd by him. But the better to conceive of him, we are,

1. To imagine a Being, wherein the Perfections of all, even the nobleft Creatures, are in the highest degree concenter'd and united.

2. We are in our Thoughts to remove from him all manner of Defect or Imperfection, that may be found in any, even the best of them.

3. We are to conceive a First Caufe, that by an infinite Power, Wisdom and Goodness, first made, and ftill preferves and governs all things both in Heaven and Earth. And upon the whole will refult the Notion of a Being eminently and abfolutely perfect, independent and fubfifting of himself; a fpiritual Being, difcerning, underftanding and knowing all things; All-powerful, and able to do what he pleases; All-feeing, and acquainted with all the Thoughts, Words, and Actions of his Creatures; an inexhaustible Fountain of Love and Goodnefs, that provides for the whole World, and orders all things according to the Counsel of his own Will; taking a more particular Care of Mankind, wifely and graciously difpofing all things for their Welfare and Happiness both now and for ever. This is the highest and beft Conception that our finite and fcanty Understanding can frame of fuch an infinite and incomprehenfible Being. From whence I must go on,

Secondly, To confider the Grounds and Reafons, upon which the Belief of fuch an infinite tranfcendent Being is founded. And they are chiefly these five:

1. The admirable Frame, Order and Government of the World.

2. The