i6 The Life of Faith. mifery which you - believe. But the image of faith in felt dc- ceivers, neither warms nor w rks : it conquereth no difficul- ties; it firs not up to faithful duty. It's blind, and therefore f eth not God; and how then (hoald he be feared and loved ? I: teeth not FIdi, and therefore the fen.felefs foal Goes on as fearlefly and merrily to the unquenchable fire, as it he were in the fafef way'. This image of fattfa anuih iateth the mat potent obj;fts, as so any due impr:.lfion on the fbu1. God is as no God , and Heaven as no H aven, to there imaginary Chrifians. Ma Prince be in the room, an image reverenceth him no :,: If mulick and feafling be there, an image finds no pleafure in them. if fireandfword be there, an image fears them not. You may perceive by the fenfelefs neglehftul car- riage of. ungodly men, that they fee not by faith the God that they thould love and far ; theHeaven that they (Ionia leek and wait for.; or the Hell that they thould with all poflible care avoid. He is indeed the true Believerthat (allowing the difference of degrees) doth pray as if he law the Lord ; and fpeak and live as alaies in his prefence ; and redeem his time as ifhe were to die to morrow, oras one that leech :deathap- proach, and ready to lay hands upon him; that begs and cries to God in prayer, as one that forefeeth the day ofjudgement ; and the endlefs joy or mifery that followeth : that befirreth him for everlafing life, as one thatfeetb Heaven and Hell, by theeye offaith. Faith is a fcrious apprehention, and caufeth a ferious converfation : for it is intlead of fight andprefence. From all this you may ealily and certainly infer, I. That true faith is a Jewel, rare and precious : and not fo common as nominal carelefs Chrifians think. What fay they, Are we not all believers? will you make Infidels of all that are not Saints ? are none Chriffians, but thofe that live fo Jfrielly ? Anfwer, I know they are not Infidels by profefon:' but what they are indeed, and what God will take them for, you may loon. perceive, by comparing the defcription offaith, with the infcriptionlegible on their lives. It's common to fay, I do believe: but is it common to find men, pray and live as thofe that do believe indeed ? It is both in works of charity and of piety, that a living faith will (hew it fell. I will not therefore contend, about the name; if you are ungodly, unjujf, or uncharitable,
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