but this cannot be fo. Ye will be obliged, even though unwilling, to fee and know before it be long whether ye have faith or not. (2.) Ye might fay fomething for yourselves, if it were impoffible for these who want faith ever to come by t; but this cannot be faid. But further, I add, -either you indeed have faith, or ye want it: and which foever of the two be faid, it is certainly your intereft to put the matter to a trial. 3. If ye want faith, then it is your interest to know fo much: For, (1.) One of the greatest im pediments will be taken out of the way of your believing. Nothing fo great a let to faith, as a groundless conceit that one has it already. (2.) Hereby likewife ye will be helped to fee the neceffity of faith: And this, (3.) will put upon the diligent ufe of the means: and who can tell but the iffue fhall be comfortable, and what is wanting may be made up thro' the mercy of God? If ye continue under this deceit, ye are certainly ruined; if ye fee your mistake, ye have at least a peradventure for happiness. Vo Again, if ye have faith; it is paft all doubt your intereft to bring it to trial: For, (1.) Before ye try and find that ye have faith, ye want the comfort of it. Safety indeed refults from the being of faith; for he that believes Thall be faved: but folid peace and comfort refults from the knowlege of our own faith. While we know not that we have faith, we know not but the wrath of God may be abiding on us; we know not but we may be on the way to destruction; we know not but the Lord may turn us next moment into the pit: and what comfort, what peace, can people have in fuch a condition? (2) While we know not that we have faith, God gets not the honour that Ꭲ 3 is is unquestionable due from all believers. As faith is his gift, fo we are indifpenfably obliged to be thankful to him for it: but this we cannot be till once we know that we have faith. Thus God is robbed of the glory due to his name: nay, many times he is fignally difhonoured, by believers their denying his goodness to them, and refufing to acknowlege what he has wrought in them and for them. In one word, it is certain, fooner or later all must be refolved in this question, whether they do believe or not; the only queftion is, Whether it be our intereft to be refolved now, when there is accefs to rectify what is found amifs, and to get what upon fearch is found wanting; or afterwards, when there is no place for altering any thing in your condition? 7. The authority of God fhould in this matter prevail with you, 2 Cor. xiii. 5. Examine your Jelves whether ye be in the faiths prove your own felves; know ye not your own felves, how that Jefus Chrift is in you, except ye be reprobates? God commands exprefly, nay, doubles his com mands to this duty; whereby he at once checks our backwardness to the duty, and infinuates the importance and neceffity of it. 8. To add no more, confider that it is a strong evidence of the want of faith, to neglect an inquiry after it. Such as will not judge themfelves, have reafon to fear that they fhall be condemned of the Lord. Such as have faith, will prize it highly; and fuch as do prize it, will think it worth their while to enquire, whether they have it or not. Since then we have made it appear, to be of fuch near and deep concernment to you all, to try this matter; I fhall now for this end, 1. Set by fome forts of perfons among you, who without all doubt are unbelievers. 2. I fhall fhew fome falfe marks by which fome do deceive themselves. 3. I fhall lay down fome marks whereby ye may know certainly that ye do believe. Now, of these things in order. First we fay, we fhall fet by fome perfons who are, paft all peradventure, unbelievers. There are fome men whofe fins go before them into judgment. Some unbelievers who have their name writ upon their forehead. It is needless to talk of applying marks to them. drunkard or a fwearer try themselves whether they believe or not: we may tell them plainly they do. not believe, and that therefore they are under the wrath of God. Therefore before we proceed to deal with close hypocrites, whofe fins do follow after, we fhall fet afide fome, who without all doubt want faith, and therefore if they continue in that eftate fhall be damned. And, 1. All of you who are grofly ignorant, are to be reckoned among this fort of perfons. How many are there in this houfe, who are grofly ignorant of God, of Jesus Christ, and of themselves; who know no more of these things which do belong to their peace, than if they had been born in Turkey? We are grieved to find such ignorance among you. Well, Oignorant finners, we tell you, in God's name, ye are unbelievers. If we fhould you, when we come to deal with you on a fick bed, or a death-bed, do ye believe? It is strange to think with what confidence you would tell, you do believe. But flatter not your own felves; if ye be grofly ignorant, believers you are not, you cannot be: For, (1.) None can believe unless afk T 4 they they have a new heart and a new fpirit given them; faith being a fruit of the fpirit in a renewed man, and not a fruit of the flesh, or of corrupt unrenewed nature. Now, wherever this new heart is, there is of neceffity the knowlege of God; for a new heart is a heart to know God, Jer. xxiv. 7. (2.) None can believe who know not their need of Chrift. The whole need not a phyfician but the fick. Nor will fuch as do not know their difeafe, ever enquire after one that can cure it. What occafion fhould perfons who are ignorant of their own mifery find for a Saviour? And how can they prize a Saviour, who know not his worth? And how can they embrace him, who neither know that he is offered, nor the terms whereon he is fo? Knowlege is fo neceffary to faith, that it is impoffible it fhould be without it: it is expreffed by knowlege, Ifa. v. 3. By his knowlege ball my righteous fervant justify many. It is fo much allied to it, that the working faith in converfion is expreffed by a tranflation out of darknets into God's marvellous light, Lay afide then, O ignorant finner, all pretences to faith. We, in the name and by the authority of our great Lord and mafter, do discharge fuch of you as are thus grofly ignorant to make any pretenfions to faith; for ye have no reafon to do so, ye have no warrant; and therefore ye do it crofs to the mind and will of God. Now if all who belong to this one fort in this congregation were set by to a corner, how great a multitude of unbelievers, old and young, would we fee? And O how fad a fight would it be to fee you fet by yourselves, and all of you carrying upon you the ftamp and fuperfcription of Satan, ready to be feized by him as his prifoners, and thrust into the pit? 2. All who are openly profane, who live in the habitual and cuftomary practice of open and notorious fins, are to be numbered amongst this fort, who, past all peradventure, are unbelievers. The fcriptures are very plain in afferting this. What is unbelief, if not to deny God? And fure the fcripture reckons fuch as live thus, deniers of God. It is faid of fuch, that they profefs to know God, but in their works do deny him, being abominable, difobedient, and to every good work reprobate, Tit. i. 16. And what can be more exprefs to this purpose, than what the apoftle James difcourfes at great length, chap. ii. A fet of men there were in his day who were profane, but yet had high pretences to faith. These the apoftle there fmartly reproves, and endeavours to convince them that the devils may have as good a claim to faith as they have. Thou believeft, fays he, ver. 19, 20. that there is one God, thou dost well; the devils alfo believe and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead. And ver. 26. For as the body without the Spirit is dead, fo faith without works is dead alfo. And a dead faith is no faith at all. Lay afide therefore, O profane wretch, your pretences to faith. Will ye lie, fteal, fwear, and commit uncleannefs, and yet pretend to faith? Will not our God be avenged of fuch hellish impudence as is this? Sure he will. But to be fomewhat more particular, we do, (1.) Charge fuch of you as are customary fwearers, to lay afide all pretences to faith. Ye are certainly unbelievers; and, as fure as the eternal God lives, fhall be damned, if ye continue in this your impiety. Our lot is caft in an unhappy age, wherein men are grown intolerably bold in blafphc |