SERM. there is nothing more neceffary to be preffed upon the CLIX. greatest part of Chriftians than this; for how few are there, among thofe who profefs to believe the gofpel, who believe it in this effectual manner, fo as to conform themselves to it? The faith which most Christians pretend to is merely negative; they do not disbelieve the gofpel, they do not confider it, nor trouble themfelves about it, they do not care, nor are concerned whether it be true or not; but they have not a pofitive belief of it, they are not poffeffed with a firm perfuafion of the truth of thofe matters which are contained in it; if they were, fuch a perfuafion would produce real and pofitive effects. Every man naturally defires happiness; and it is impoffible that any man that is poffeffed with this belief, that in order to happiness it is neceffary for him to do fuch and fuch things; and that if he omit or neglect them he is unavoidably miferable, that he fhould not do them. Men fay they believe this or that, but you may fee in their lives, what it is they believe. So that the preaching of this faith in CHRIST, which is the only true faith, is ftill neceffary.

I. Infer. "If iepentance towards GOD, and faith in "the LORD JESUS CHRIST," be the fum and subftance of the gofpel, then from hence we may infer the excellency of the chriftian religion, which infifts only upon thofe things that do tend to our perfection and our happiness. Repentance tends to our recovery, and the bringing of us back as near as may be to innocence. Primus innocentiæ gradus eft non peccaffe; fecundus, pænitentia: and then "faith in the LORD

JESUS CHRIST," though it be very comprehenfive, and contains many things in it, yet nothing but what is eminently for our advantage, and doth very much conduce to our happinefs. The hiftorical part

CLIX.

of the gospel acquaints us with the perfon and actions SERM of our SAVIOUR, which conduceth very much to our understanding of the author and means of our falvation. The doctrinal part of the gospel contains what GOD requires on our part, and the encouragements and arguments to our duty, from the confideration of the recompence and rewards of the next life. The precepts of CHRIST's doctrine are fuch as tend exceedingly to the perfection of our nature, being all founded in reafon, in the nature of GoD, and of a reasonable creature; I except only thofe pofitive institutions of the chriftian religion, the two facraments, which are not burthenfom, and are of excellent use. This is the first.

II. We may learn from hence what is to be the fum and end of our preaching, to bring men to repentance and a firm belief of the gofpel; but then it is to be confidered, that we preach repentance, so often as we preach either against fin in general, or any particular fin or vice; and so often as we perfuade to holiness in general, or to the performance of any particular duty of religion, or to the exercife of any particular grace; for repentance includes the forfaking of fin, and a fincere refolution and endeavour of reformation and obedience. And we preach repentance so often as we infift upon fuch confiderations and arguments, as may be powerful to deter men from fin, and to engage them to holiness. And we preach "faith towards our LORD JESUS CHRIST," so often as we declare the grounds of the christian religion, and infift upon fuch arguments as tend to make it credible, and are proper to convince men of the truth and reasonableness of it; fo often as we explain the mystery of CHRIST's incarnation, the hiftory of his life, death, refurrection, afcenfion, and interceffion,

D 2

SERM. interceffion, and the proper ends and use of thefe ; CLIX. fo often as we open the method of God's grace for

the falvation of finners, the nature of the covenant between GOD and us, and the conditions of it, and the way how a finner is juftified and hath his fins pardoned, the nature and neceffity of regeneration and fanctification; fo often as we explain the precepts. of the gospel, and the promifes and threatnings of it, and endeavour to convince men of the equity of CHRIST'S Commands, and to affure them of the certainty of the eternal happiness which the gofpel promifes to them that obey it, and of the eternal mifery which the gospel threatens to thofe that are difobedient; all this is preaching "faith in our LORD "JESUS CHRIST.”

III. This may correct the irregular humours and itch in many people, who are not contented with this plain and wholfome food, but must be gratified with fublime notions and unintelligible myfteries, with pleasant paffages of wit, and artificial strains of rhetorick, with nice and unprofitable difputes, with bold interpretations of dark prophecies, and peremptory determinations of what will happen next year, and a punctual ftating of the time when Anti-christ shall be thrown down, and Babylon fhall fall, and who fhall be employed in this work. Or if their humour lies another way, you must apply yourself to it, by making sharp reflections upon matters in prefent controverfy and debate, you must dip your ftile in gall and vinegar, and be all fatyr and invective against thofe that differ from you, and teach people to hate one another, and to fall together by the ears; and this men call gofpel preaching, and fpeaking of feafonable truths.

Surely St. Paul was a gofpel preacher, and fuch

an

an one as may be a pattern to all others; and yet he SERM. did none of thefe; he preached what men might CLIX, understand, and what they ought to believe and practise, in a plain and unaffected and convincing manner; he taught "fuch things as made for peace," "and whereby he might edify and build up men in "their holy faith." The doctrines that he preached will never be unfeafonable, that men fhould leave their fins, and believe the gofpel, and live accordingly.

And if men muft needs be gratified with difputes and controverfies, there are thefe great controverfies between GOD and the finner to be ftated and determined; whether this be religion, to follow our own lufts and inclinations, or to endeavour to be like Go», and to be conformed to him, in goodnefs, and mercy, and righteousness, and truth, and faithfulness? Whether JESUS CHRIST be not the Meffias and SAVIOUR of the world? Whether faith and repentance and fincere obedience be not the terms of falvation, and the neceffary conditions of happiness? Whether there fhall be a future judgment, when all men fhall be fentenced according to their works? Whether there be heaven and hell? Whether good men fhall be eternally and unfpeakably happy, and wicked men extremely and everlastingly miferable? Thefe are the great controverfies of, religion, upon which we are to difpute on GOD's behalf against finners. GOD afferts, and finners deny these things, not in words, but which is more emphatical and fignificant, in their lives and actions. Thefe are practical controverfies of faith, and it concerns every man to be refolved and determined about them, that he may frame his life accordingly.

And fo for repentance; GOD fays, repentance is a forfaking of fin, and a thorough change and amendD 3

ment

SERM. ment of life; the finner fays, that it is only a forCLIX. mal confeffion, and a flight asking of God forgive

nefs God calls upon us fpeedily and forthwith to repent; the finner faith it is time enough, and it may fafely be deferred to sickness or death; these are important controverfies, and matters of moment. But men do not affect common truths; whereas these are most neceffary: And indeed whatever is generally useful and beneficial, ought to be common, and not to be the lefs valued, but the more efteemed for being fo.

And as thefe doctrines of faith and repentance are never unfeasonable, fo are they more peculiarly proper when we celebrate the holy facrament, which was inftituted for a folemn and ftanding memorial of the chriftian religion, and is one of the most powerful arguments and perfuafives to repentance and a goc life.

The faith of the gofpel doth more particularly refpect the death of CHRIST; and therefore it is called" faith in his blood," because that is more especially the object of our faith; the blood of CHRIST, as it was a feal of the truth of his doctrine, fo it is alfo a confirmation of all the bleffings and benefits of the new covenant.

And it is one of the greatest arguments in the world to repentance. In the blood of CHRIST we may see our own guilt, and in the dreadful fufferings of the Son of GOD, the juft defert of our fins; "he "hath borne our griefs, and carried our forrows, he "was wounded for our tranfgreffions, and bruifed "for our iniquities;" therefore the commemoration of his fufferings fhould call our fins to remembrance, the reprefentation of his body broken, fhould melt our hearts; and fo often as we remember that "his "blood