The Life of !faith. than we on earth; and it fhould be the beginning ofour eternal life, John 17. 3. Dire& 7. By Faith deliver up your felves to GOD, as your Creator, andyour Owner, and live to him as tbofe that perceive they are abfolutely bis own. The word [GOD] doth lignifie both Gods "epence, and his tbreegreat Relations unto wan, and we take him not fir our God, if we take him not as in thcfe Divine Relations. There- fore God would have Faith to be exprcfíed at our entrance into his Church, by Baptifnt ; b-caufe a believing foul, doth deliver up it felf to God : The fir and greatefl work of Faith, is to enter us tincerely into the holy Covenant : In which this is the lira parr, that we take Godfor our Owner, and refign up our (elves to him, without either exprefs or implicit referve, as thofe that are abfolutely his own. And though thefe words are by any hypocrite quickly fpoken, yet. when the thing is really done, the very heart of fin is broken : For as the Apoftle faith, He that is dead is freed from fin, Row. 6.7. Becaufe a dead man hath no faculties to do evil : So we may lay, He that is refigned to God as his abfolute Owner, is freed from fin , b:- caufe he that is not bir own, hath nothing which is his own and therefore hath nothing to alienate from his Owner. We are not our Own, we are bought with a price (which is the fccond title of Gods propriety in us) and therefore milt glo- rifte God in body and jpirit as being hie, 'Cot. 6. 20. And from this Relation faith will fetch abundant confola= tion, feeing they that by confent, and not only byconf ratnt,are abfolutely his, (hall undoubtedly be loved, and cared for as his Own, and ufed and provided for as bit own He will not negletsk hit own, and thole of his family, who will take us to be work than Infidels, ifwe do fo, i Tim. s. 8. Diret`>t, 8. By Faithdeliver upyour {elves to God, as your So- veraign Ruler, with an abfolute Refolution to learn, and love, and obey his Laws. Though I have often andmore largely fpoken of theft du- ties inother Trcatifes, h mutt not here totally omit them, where I (peakof that Faith in God, which efl'antially confrfl- eth in them. It is a narrow; and foolifis, and pernicious con- scit of Faitha.. which thinkcth it hath no °Woe but pronsifca" set '75
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