Yielded up; rather than any part of this Faith ever be Denied. Therefore Turks. and Infidels, who cannot furmount these Difficulties, take 'em quite away, and throw the Gate Wide open: But fo Extended, Leading only to Deftruction; and not to Life everlasting.

Every man naturally defires to Know: and he will not eafily Affent, unless you give him a Demonftration, or fome very probable Reafon. This the Apoftle found; who, tho' he spake miraculously, out of an Infufed, as well as Acquired Learning, and the Gift of Tongues; Yet when he preached Jefus and the Refurrection, There wanted not Scholars and Academics, and fine Wits of the Age, that Derided him, and askt what the Babbler would Say? Act. 17. 18. And when he preach'd Chrift Crucifyed, He tells us, 1 Cor. 1. 23. 'Twas to the Jews a Stumbling-block, and to the Greeks no better than Foolishness. Hence did the old Hereticks take occafion to open the Gate fo Wide, as to let in thereat all their wild Errors; Thofe of Sabellians, Arrians, Neftorians, Eutychians, &c. 'And of Late, have thruft in fome of the fame Stuffing, new dreft by their Apes, our Deifts and Socinians.

But yet, I hope they must not fall un'der this Condemnation of Herefy, who refufe to receive for Doctrines, the Tra

'ditions

ditions and Inventions of men; For "which we have not a word of Command in the Gospel of our Lord. Such as, To make and keep Monaftic Vows; To 'be bound under pain of damnation, to 'Confefs to a Prieft; To make Satisfaction for our Sins; and to Merit Heaven by our goodWorks; And,(which is the mont choaking of all,) To believe that a Bit of "Bread is real God; and to fwallow all thofe monftrous Opinions of Tranfubftantiation, which carry the moft abfurd and Horrid Contradiction. Nor dare we impeach the chief Apoftle for a Heretic, Because he taught, that we are Justified by Faith. Rom. V. 1. and are of them that Believe to the Saving of the Soul. Heb. 10. 'laft Ver. Much lefs, dare we controul our great Lord himself, when he fays, This is the Will of God, that every one who Believeth on the Son may have everlasting Life. Job. 6. 40.

But for good Works, Tho' we dare not challenge Heaven for 'em, nor build our 'Salvation upon 'em; Yet neither dare

we Omit 'em, nor make account to be 'Saved without'em; Nor by any Faith, 'but what is to be demonftrated by 'em. Let it then be Condemn'd for Herefy and lewd Liberty, That only Faith is needful to Salvation; and that no Works can Help, nor any Sins hinder our En

trance.

trance. For we do believe and Confefs our felves, to be under the ftrictest Obligation ftill to take Care, and make Con'fcience of Good Works: And let every one that names the name of Chrift depart from Iniquity: and Live Godly, Righteoufly and Soberly. Because, of whatever Denomi"nation they be, who profefs to Know God, ' and in deeds deny him, Their Enlarging

of the Gate, will never help 'em into 'Heaven: But we muft take it, as our 'Lord has made it; and Believe all his precepts to be right: And where we find not our duty Eafy, we muft ftrive to conquer the Difficulty. And yet after all, 'when we have done our Beft, we will not make our Boaft; But expect to be "Saved only by Grace through Faith: And moft humbly and thankfully accept Eternal Life, as the free Gift of God, through Jefus Christ our Lord.

CHA P. VII.

Of Hope, another part of the Gate of God's Houfe.

TH

Hat Hope alfo has its Straits, we shall find; Whether we consider the Riches of the Reward, or the Poverty of our own

State.

State. For fhould you bid an Illiterate Plebeian, that has no Experience of humane Affairs, Hope, fhortly to have the Learning of Plato or Ariftotle, and the Empire of Alexander or Auguftus; Could you perfuade him, that you did any more than Mock him? And yet that's an Eafter Attainment, than for a Mortal man to arrive at the Wifdom, Power, and Glory of the bleffed Angels in Heaven. For the Plebeian is of the very fame nature with Alexander and Ariftotle, who were both Mortal men. And the Wisdom of the one did not exceed the Measures of a Man: And the Conqueft of the other (tho' call'd the World, ) did not reach to a Third part of the Earth.

But the Hope of Believers Emboldens 'em to look for even an Equality with the Angels of God, Luk. 20. 36. Which is more than for one that goes creeping here on the ground, to be Enabled presently to Afcend, and fly up and down, whither he will, in the Air. For it is, even with his Body, to get above the Heavens, and ftrait-way back again to the Earth; and in his courfe from Eaft to Weft, or whitherfoever he has a mind, To outftrip any Star or Planet, in their swifteft Motions.

Yet further, fhould you bid a poor Boy, the Orphan of beggerly Parents,Hope to be made the Heir of a mighty King, one that he knows not; What would he not do, if

it

it were Poffible for him, ever to be fo Exalted? Yet as vaft as ever founds the Difparity here, ftill the King and the Beggar both are Earth's Children; and they must Dye alike. But the Chriftian Faith affures us, That every man, (tho' never fo Low in the World,) Believing in our Lord, and made a Living Member of Chrift, receives the Spirit of Adoption, whereby he is made alfo a Son and Heir of Heaven: and fhall certainly be poffeffed of all that Kingdom and Glory everlafting.

So great and High is this Hope, that were it but held and Believ'd as it ought, 'Twould make Chriftians as Fearless as Lions, and never tremble at any Dangers: But fay with that Believer, Pfal. 118. 6. The Lord is on my fide: I will not fear what man can do to me. And Pfal. 27. 3. Tho' an Hoft should encamp against me, my heart shall not Fear. And with the Apoftle, Rom. 8. 31. If God be for us, who can be against us? And Phil. 4. 13. I can do all things, thro' Chrift ftrength

ning me.

But O how few do indeed Hope for such High Eternal things; when, alas, they cannot bring themselves to Depend upon God, even for the poor Temporal matters? But Truft to their Craft and their Fraud, and Lying and Stealing, to help themselves. Our Lord has finely check'd and twitted fuch kind of Chriftians, as perplex them