The Life of Faith. could be guilty of it : Much lets that a multitude tbould be found at once fo extreamly good as to promote it, even with their greatett labour and fuffering, and alto fo extreamly Was to joyn together in the plot tocheat the world, in amatter of fuch high importance. Such exceeding good and evil, cannot confifi in any one pr.rfon, much lets in fo many asmutt do fuch a thing. And if fuch a heated brain -tick perfon as Haelkte, Nailer,David,George, or John of Leyden, (hould cry up them Caves upon prophetical and pious pretences, their madnefs bath t{í11 appeared, in the mixture oftheir impious doctrines and practices: And ifany would and could be fo wickcd,God never would or did aflili them, by an age of numerous open miracles, nor lend them his Omnipotency to deceive the world; but left them to the thane oftheir proud attempts, and made their folly known toall. Direct, 4. Study a0 the Evidences of the Cbrii}ian Verity, till their fenfe, and weight, and order, be throughly digefted, under(tood and remembred byyou ; and be as plain andfamiliar toyou, as the lefon rvbichyon bave melt thoroughly learned. It is not once or twice reading, or hearing , or thinking on fuch a great and difficult matter, that will make it your own, for the ['abiding of your faith. He that will un- dertiand the art ofa Sea man, a Souldier, a Mufician, a Phy. fician, &c. fo as to pralife it ; mutt Ludy it hard, and under- nand it clearly, and comprehenfively, and have all the whole frame ofit printed on his mind ; and not only here and ?here a fcrap. Faith is a practical knowledge : We muff have the heartand lifediredcd and commanded by it : We mutt live by it, both in the intention of our end, and in the choice and ufe of all the means : While(t the Gofpel, and the Rcafons of our Religion, are ffrange topeople, like a leffon but half learn- ed, who can expect that they tbould be fettled againfi all temptations which atrault their faith, and able to confute the tempter ? We lay together the proofs ofour Rciigion,andyou read them twice or thrice, and then think that if after that you have anydoubting, the fault is in the want of evidence; and not inyour want of underftandïng : But the life of faith T 2 mud 139
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