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live accordingly. It is not enough to believe well, you run yourself into the greatest hazard unless you be careful to live well, and that this be,t all your life and conversation must be agreeable to the rule of God's word. This is the rule of a christian conversation and practical reformation. Rest not in the form of Godliness, deny. ing the power of it. Stir up an holy zeal, strengthen the things that remain that are ready to die. Be not carried away with the corruptions, temptations, and evil examples of the times, but be blameless and without rebuke, the sons of God in a froward generation § they shall walk with me in white for they are worthy.

Remember ye our brethren in this colony, that we are a part of that body, for which the providence of God hath wrought wonders, and are obliged by and accountable for all the mercies dispensed from the beginning of our fathers settling this country until now. There he spake with us, That the practical piety and serious religion of our progenitors is exemplary and for our imitation,** and will reflect confounding shame on us, if we prove degenerate. The Lord grant that the noble design of our fathers in coming to this land, may not be for. gotten by us, nor by our children after us, even

*Tit. ii, 11, 12.

Tim. iii. 15. Rev.

15.

†Gal. vi. 16. Mic. vi. 8. 12 iii. 19. Rev. iii. 2. Phil. ii.

Rev. iii. 4. Hos. xii. 2, 3. Hos. xii.

4. **2 Tim. i. 5. Job. viii. 8..

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the interest of religion which we can never ex change for a temporal interest without the foulest degeneracy, and most inexcusable defec tion.* To conclude the solemn rebukes of providence from time to time in a series of judgments, and in particular, the general drought in the summer past, together with the grievous disappointment of our military under akıng, the distresses, sickness and mortality of our camp, cannot successfully be improved but by a self-humbling consideration of our ways, and a thorough repent ance of all that is amiss.† So will the God of our fathers be our God, and he will be a wall of fire round about us, and the Glory in the midst of us in this present and all succeeding gener ations. AMEN.

*Exod. xv. 2, 17. Jer. ii. 21. Isa. xxvi. Gen xliii. 33. Zach. ii. 5.

9.

A Confession of Faith.

CHAP. I.

Of the Holy Scriptures.

ALTHOUGH the light of nature, and the

works of creation and Providence, do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; a yet they are not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of his will, which is necessary unto salvation: Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his Church: c and afterwards, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly to writing; d which maketh the Holy Scripture to be most necessary; e those former ways of God's revealing his will anto his people, now ceased. f

a Rom. ii. 14, 15. 1, 2, 3. Rom. i. 32. 21. Chap. ii. 13, 14.

Rom. i. 19, 20. Psal. xix.
Chap. ii. .

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b I. Cor. i.

d Prov.

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Under the name of Holy Scripture, or the word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testament, which are these;

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Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruh, I. Samuel, II. Samuel, 1. Kings, II. Kings, I. Chronicles, II. Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah, Malachi

OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, The Acts of the Apostles, Paul's Epistle to the Romans, I. Corinthians, II. Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I. Thessalonians, II Thes salonians, I to Timothy, II to Timothy, to 1%tus, to Philemon, the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Epistle of James, the first and second Epistles of Peter, the first, second, and third Epistles of John, the Epistle of Jude, the Revela

All which are given by the inspiration of "God, to be the rule of faith and life. g

g Luke xvi. 29, 31. Eph. ii. 20. Rev. xxii. 18, 19. II Tim. iii. 16.

III.

The books commonly called Apocrypha not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of the scripture; and therefore are of ne authority in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings. h

h Luke xxiv. 27, 44. Rom. iii. 2. II Peter, i. 21.

IV.

The authority of the holy scripture, for which it ought to be believed and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God, (who is truth itself) the author thereof; and therefore it is to be received because it is the word of God. i

i II. Pet. i, 19, 21. II. Tim. iii. 16. I. John . 9. I. Thes. ii. 13.

V.

We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the church, to a high and reverend esteem of the holy scripture; k and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole, (which is to give

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