Christian warfare and discipline to teach us to use it as ic ought to be used, and to fubdue thofe Lufts and Corruptions that abuse it, and our felves by it. Again fecondly there is another World without us, the malignant and evil World, the World of evil Angels, and of evil Men; Mundus in maligno pofitus: And the great mifchiefs of this World are of two kinds; viz. 1. Incentives and temptations from it, that are apt to bring the reft of mankind into the evil of fin and offence againft God; fuch as are evil examples, evil commands, evil counfel, evil perfwafion, and follicitations. 2. The Troubles, and Injuries, and Vexations, and Perfecutions, and Oppreffions, and Calumnies, and Reproaches, and Difgraces, that are inflicted by them: And the evil that arifeth from thefe are of two kinds, viz. fuch as they immediately cause, which is great Uneafinefs and Griefs, and Sorrow: And again, fuch as confequently arife from thefe namely, the evil of Sin, as Impatience, Difcontent, Unquietnefs of mind, Murmuring against the Divine Providence, doubtings of it, letting go our Confidence in God, Diftruft, Unbelief, and puting forth our hands to iniquity to deliver our felves from these inconveniences, either by unlawful or forbidden means, by finful compliances with the finful World, by falling in with them to deliver our felves from their oppreffions, perfecutions or wrongs, by raifing commotions, engaging in parties, and infinite more unhappy confequences. And thirdly, there is a third kind of World which is in a great measure without us, namely, the Accidental, or more truly the Providential World in relation to Man and his condition in this World, and is commonly of two kinds, viz. profperous or adverfe. External or worldly Profperity confifts in an accommodate condition of Man in this World; as health of body; comfort of friends and relations; affluence, or at leaft competency of wealth, power, honour, applaufe, good report, and the like. The dangers that fteal upon mankind in this condition, are Pride, Haughtinefs of mind, Arrogance, Vain-glory, Infolence, Oppreffion, Security, Contempt of others, Love of the World, Fear of Death, and defires of diverfion from

the

the thoughts of it, Luxury, Intemperance, Ambition Covetoufnefs, Neglect and forgetfulness, and a low esteem of God, our life to come, and our Duty. 2. Adverfity; as Sickness and Difeafes, Poverty, lofs of Friends and Eftate, publick or private Disturbances or Calamities, and the like: And though oftentimes these are occafioned by the evil or malignant World, yet many times they feem to come accidentally, and are apt to breed Impatience, Dif content, Unquietnefs of mind, diftruft of Providence, Murmuring, Envy at the external felicity of others, and that common difcomposure which we ordinarily find in our felves and others upon like occafions.

IV. The fourth Confideration is, what is this Faith which thus overcometh the World, which is nothing else but a deep, real, full, found perfuafion of and affent unto thofe great truths revealed in the Scriptures of God upon the account that they are truly the Word and Will of the Eternal God, who is Truth it felf, and can neither deceive, nor be deceived, and herein these two matters are considerable, first, What are thofe Divine Truths which being really and foundly believed, doth inable the Victory over the World, or the fpecial objects of that vi&torious Faith; fecondly, What is that Act of Faith or Belief of excellent objects, which thus overcometh the World. 1. For the former of these, although the whole Body of Divine Truths is the adequate object of Faith; yet there feem to be certain fpecial Heads or Parts of Divine Truths, that have the greateft influence into this Victory over the World. I fhall mention fome of them; namely, 1. That there is one moft Powerful, Wife, Gracious, Bountiful, Juft, and All-seeing God, the Author of all Being, that is prefent in all places, knows our thoughts, our wants, our fins, our defires, and is ready to fupply us with all things that are good and fit for us, beyond all we can ask or think hath incomprehenfible Wisdom, and irresistible Power to effect what he pleafeth; that leaves not any of his works especially mankind, without his fpecial care and fuperintendence over them; without whofe Will or defigned Permiffion nothing befals us. 2. That this moft Wife

GA

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and Juft and Powerful God hath appointed a Law or Rule according to which his will is, that the children of Men fhould conform themselves; and according to the upright endeavours of the children of Men to conform thereunto, he will most certainly give Rewards; and according to the wilful tranfgreffions thereof, he will inflict punishments, and that he is a moft ftrict and infallible obferver of all the ways of the children of Men, whether of obedience or difobedience thereunto. 3. That this Law and VVill of his, he hath communicated and revealed unto the children of Men in his holy VVord; efpecially by the miffion of his Son Jefus Chrift, who brought into the V Vorld a full and compleat collection of those holy Laws of God, whereunto he would have us conform. 4 That he hath given unto mankind, in and through Chrift Jefus, a full manifeftation of a future life after this of Rewards and Punishments; and according to that Law of his thus manifefted by his Son, he will, by the fame Jesus Christ, difpenfe and execute the fentences of Rewards and Punishments, and judge every Man according to his works. 5. And that the Reward of Faith and Obedience, in that other life to come, fhall be an Eternal, Bleffed, Happy eftate of Soul and Body in the glorious Heavens, and in the prefence and fruition of the ever Glorious and Eternal God. 6. And that the Punishment of the Rebellious and Difobedient unto his VVill and Law of God thus manifef ted by his Son, fhall be an Eternal Separation of Soul and Body from the prefence of God, and the conclusion of them under Chains of Darkness and everlasting torments in Hell fire. 7. And that the Son of God hath given us the greatest affurance imaginable of the truth of this Will of God, of this Happiness and Mifery, by taking upon him our Nature, by his Miracles, by his Death and Refurrection and Afcenfion into Glory, and by his miffion of the Spirit of V Visdom and Revelation into his Apoftles and Difciples, both to inftruct the World in his Truth, and to evidence the Truth of their miffion from him. 8. That Almighty God, though full of Juftice and Severity against obftinate and rebellious; yet is full of Tenderness,

Love, and Compaffion towards all those that fincerely defire to obey his Will, and to accept of terms of Peace and Reconciliation with him, and is ready upon Repentance and Amendment to Pardon whatfoever is amifs, and hath accordingly promifed it; and that he hath the Care, and Love, and Tenderness of a Father towards us That in our fincere endeavour of Obedience to him, we fhall be fure of his Love, Favour, and Protection; that in all our afflictions and troubles he ftands by us, and will not leave us: That he will moft certainly make good every promise that by Chrift he hath fent unto us, for the Life that is prefent, and that which is to come; That the Law he hath fent us by Chrift to fubmit unto is an eafie and good Law, fuch as will perfect our Nature, and fit it to be partaker of his Glory: And that all his thoughts towards us, in our faithful endeavour to obey him, are thoughts of Love, Favour, Peace, Bounty and Goodness. And of this he hath given the greatest Affurance that is poffible for mankind to expect or defire, even the fending of his Eternal Son into the World, to take upon him our Nature to acquaint us with his Fathers Will and Love, to live a life of want and misery, and to die a death full of fhame and horror, to rife again to dispatch Meflengers into all the World, to publish the good Will of God to mankind, to afcend up into Glory, and there to make interceffion for us poor worms at the Right Hand of God; giving us alfo hereby affurance of our Refurrection, and of his coming again to judge the World, and to receive his obedient Servants into Eternal Glory. Thefe be fome of those principal Objects of that Faith that overcometh the World, being foundly received, believed and digested.

2. As touching the A&t it felf; it is no other than a found, real and firm belief of those Sacred Truths: And therefore it seems that they that perplex the notion of Faith with other intricate and abftrufe definitions or descriptions, either render it very difficult or scarce intelligible, or elfe take into the definition or defcription, of those things that are but the Confequents and Effects

of

of it. He that hath this firm perfuafion will most certainly Repent of his fins paft, will most certainly endeaour Obedience to the Will of God, which is thus believed by him to be Holy, Juft, and Good, and upon the obedience or difobedience whereof depends his eternal happiness or mifery, will moft certainly depend upon the promises of God for this life and that to come; for those are as natural effects of fuch a firm perfuafion, as it is for the belief of a danger to put a man upon means to avoid it, or for the belief of a benefit to put a man upon means to attain it. Some things are of fuch a nature that the belief or knowledge of them goes no further, but it refts in it felf; as the belief of bare fpeculative Truths: But fome things are of fuch a Nature as being once truly and firmly believed or known, carry a man out to Action: and fuch are especially the knowledge or belief of fuch things as are the Objects of our Fears or of our Hopes; the belief of fuch Objects do naturally and with a kind of Moral neceffity carry a Man out to Action; to the avoiding of fuch fears, and the attaining of fuch hopes: And therefore Faith and belief in reference thereunto comes often in the Scripture under the Names of Hope and Fear, as being the proper effects of it. Inftances we have of both, 2 Cor. 5. 10, 11. For we must all appear before the Judgment-Seat of Chrift, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the Terror of the Lord we perJuade men. 1 John 3. 2, 3. But we know that when be shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall fee him as he is; and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as be is pure.

Therefore we need not be fo follicitous touching the Nature of Faith, what kind of Faith it is that muft fave us: Certainly, if it be a true and real affent of the mind to these great truths of God, it must be operative, according to the Nature of the things believed which are in order to working; and therefore if it have not that effect, it is not Faith nor Affent; if it have it but weak and imperfectly, it is evident that the Affent is weak and fluctu