Fides qua eft juftitia fundamentum quam nulla bona opera procedunt, & ex qua omnia procedunt, ipfa nos à peccatis purgat, mentes noftras illuminat. Profper. Καθ ̓ ἑαυτὴν πίςις πλήρης ἐσὶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων, Chryf. III We must not content our felves with one and or more Graces, but muft endeavour to get exercise all manner of Grace and Goodnefs, 1 Pet. i. 15. Tit.ii 11. 12. Eph. vi. 11. Jam. ii. 10. IV. We must give all diligence to be thus tru ly good and pious, juft and righteous, and to get and exercise all true Grace and Virtue. 1. What is it to give ali Diligence? It implies. 1. That we prefer true Grace and Piety in our Judgments before all things ele, Pfal. cxxxvii. 6. 1. Because it is really more excellent, than all other things, Prov. xii. 26. Pfal. xvii 3. Prov. iii. 13, 14,15. 2. Because it is the only needful thing in the World, Luke x. 39,42. Heb. xii. 14 2. That we defire it in our Hearts before all things elfe, Pfal. xix. 9. 10. Pfal. lxxiii. 25. Phil. iii. 8. 3. That we take more Care and Pains, and use all Diligence about it, more than about any thing else, Mar. vi. 33. Alts xxiv. 16. 2 Pet. i. 10. Phil. iii. 14. 2. Why should we ufe fo much Diligence about this? 1. Because it is fo hard and difficult thing to attain it, Mat. xix. 23, 24. Mat. vii. 13, 14. John vi. 27. 3. 1. By reafon of Original Corruption. Of our being accuftomed to Sin, Fer. xiii. 23. 2. 2. If we use all the Care and Diligence we can about it, we are fare to attain it, otherwise not, I Cor. xv. 58. 3. If we do attain it by all our Diligence, it will be abundantly recompenced. And indeed it is the only thing that is worth our Care and Study, 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. Wherein muft this our Diligence be prin- 2. Give your felves conftantly to publick xi. 13. 3. And to reading and hearing the Word of GOD, Rom. x. 17. and Meditation. 4. To the Sacrament. 5. In all these truft only on Chrift, A&s v. 31. 2 PET. i. 5. Add to your faith. "Hat is Faith? WH Faith in Scripture is taken I. For Fidelity or Faithfulness. 1. In God, Rom. iii. 3. 1 John i. 9. II. For a Perfwafion of the Lawfulness of an III. For the Object which we believe, the IV. It is moft ufually taken for the Act of Believing, and fo it is an Affent unto fome Truth upon the Testimony of one that doth affert it. . It is an Affent; and fo not only in the Intellect apprehending, but in the Will receiving and embracing it. Credere eft in Affenfu cogitare, Aug. 2. Unto Truth. Otherwise it is not Faith, but Folly and Delufion,2 Thef. ii. 10, 12. 3. As attefted by another; and so it is diftinguifhed, 1. From Sense; whereby we affent because we see or feel it. 2. From Knowledge; whereby we affent becaufe we know it to be fo, 1. From either 1. From the Evidence of the thing of it with fome known Truth. There are two forts upon which our Faith may be grounded. 1. Humane. Because Men atteft it. Upon this Faith all civil Commerce is grounded. By this we believe Hiftories and other things which we never faw, Job. iv. 39. 2. Divine. Which is certain and infallible, 1 John v. 9. Rom. iii. 4. For, 1. God is of infinite Knowledge,and there- iv. 13. 2. Of infinite Goodness and Truth, that he cannot deceive us, Deut. xxxii. 4. Tit. i. 2. He cannot deny himself, 2 Tim. ii. 13. nor lie, Heb. vi. 17, 18. Being Truth it felf. Hence we have all the Reason in the World to believe what he faith upon that very Account because he faith it, otherwise we give Truth the Lie, 1 John v. 10. How hath GOD revealed and attested any Truth, fo as to make it an Object of divine Faith? 1. GOD fometime revealed his Will im mediately by himself, or an Angel re presenting presenting himself as to Noah, Gen. vi. 2. Sometime by Mofes and the Prophets, by 4. By his Apoftles immediately infpired by 5. Now by the Writings of his Prophets and Apoftles, 2 Tim. iii. 16. John xx. 31. Hence we are faid to be built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Eph. ii. 20. Propheta & Apoftoli fuper quos omnium Ecclefiarum fundamenta locantur, Hieron. Hence therefore the whole Word of GOD is the Object of true Faith; which is therefore defined by the Apoftle. The risas, the Subftance of all the Promises that GOD hath made, and the Exos, Evidence of all the Truths he hath revealed, Heb. xi. 1. 1. The Subftance of things hoped for. 1. Though we have but few good things, yet we hope for many. 2. Our hope is grounded upon the Promife of GOD. 3. Faith is the Subftance of the things we hope for from the Promises of GOD, fo as to give us Poffeffion of them, being as fully perfwaded that we fhall have them, as if we had them already, Heb. xiii. 5,6. Rom. viii. 38. 2 Cor. V.I. 2 Tim. iv. 7,8. |