Spiritual PerftE!ion. but our rec,ular trufr in the pardoning Grace of God, necelfar!lr jncJudes our performing the Conditio.'1 of the PromW:; that is, a reliance on Chrill, Jom'd with a fincere re foJu. don to obey him. A particular perfwafion t hat our Sins are pardoned, is not Jufiifying.. Faith: \Ve are c0rnmanded to believe, that we may be pardoned. M any fincere Be - lievers have diftraCling Doubts about their Pardon: The matter being of infinite impor· ranee, they are fea rful in r_he i_nquiri~s of their Tit~e ro_ ir. And others a~c deceived with Prc[umprion infiead of Farrh m Chnfi, and Secum~ mfiead of Peaccwrrh God: And by this we may underfiand from whence the punfymg Vert ue of Farth, as rt ju!lr6es, proceeds ; for it neccffarily _{i.1ppofes us, to b.e under the ~uilt ?f Sin, and in defperare Mifery; that we are obnox10_us to God~ Tnbunal, w~o ts a nglueous and holy )udg: , angry and incens'd for our Sms, aad wtll be a ~evengmg Judge t? all that com_m~e m . their guilty ilate; and that our Pardon and Rrght to E ternal Lr fe are to be ronrely afcrib'd to the fove rai gn Mercy of God, the Original Caufe, and the Blood of Chrijl, Ram. l · '~' the Meritorious Caufe of it. Now Faith works by Love ; the Love of God to us appre.. hended by Faith, and our Love to him, which is the reflexion of his Beams lhining in our H ea rts, and is the powerful Principle of Obedience to him. The well-grounded Beli ef that God will fave us, and bring us to Eternal Glory, does nat urally and nece!Ta· rily infpire the Breafi of a Chriflian with a holy Fear of Si n that provokes him, and a confiant Care to pleafe him in all things. Befides, God in difpenfing his pardoningM ercy, req uires ou r perfeverance io a holy Converfation \Vha t our Saviour faid to the Man miraculoufiy cur'd of his inveterate Di feafe, Brhold, tho, art m:tde whole; Sin John~· '4· no more lrjl a wor{t thing brfalt thu, is virtually faid to every pardon'd Be li ever: When God ff>caks peace to hU prople, ' ti s with ~his Caut ion, Ltt them not return an1 mo~e to (c!IJ. I ·!hall under anorher Head fpeak of Farth, as the Effectual Means of our SanEbficatton; and now wi ll p roceed. . 3· Faith in the di[po[al of all things by the Infallible Providence of God, is one of t hofe umverfal Princip les, thofe prime and great Truths, rich in practical Confequences , that are powerful to compofe and calm our Minds and Hearts in the midfi of the vill· b le di[orders and confufion of thrngs rn the prefent World. The Heathens·meafur'd the Di vine Perfections by the compafs of their narrow Underfiandings. They could not conceive, that one God was able to order all things, and form'd a vall number of Subordinate gods, to whom the care of particular things was Committed . They blafphem'd him in their Imag,nat ions, thinking him to be like Mortal Kings, infu.fficient to govern immediately fever al Kingdoms and Nations, divers in their Culloms and Languages ; who are conllrain'd to manage their Affairs by the number, variety and order of Officers : Vice-Roys to divide the Government, Counfellors to advife about occurrences of Moment, Secretaries to give Commiflions and make Difpatches, Judges to di[penfc the Laws, Military-Officers to prevent Tumults. Others con6n'd his Prefence and Agency to the Heavens, and fequefier'd him from the lower World, the mutable Sphere of the Elements, and of Men and their Actrons, leav ing them under the dominion of Fortune. Others thought that he was fo comem with his own Felicity, that all things without him were diilant from his Thoughts and Care, and that to regard and regulate the multitude of Emergencies in this lower World, would difiurb hi s Felicity. Thus the Profe!Tors of Wr[dom, like the Foolrlb Harpajle that Senee• !pea ks of, who in[cnfi ble of her own blindncfs, always complain'd the Sun w as down and the Houfe da rk, thought all things were left at random, in loofe diforder, and confufi on here below • .Nay forne of the clearefi fpirits, and moll Vertuous among the Heathen, could not reconcile t he Oppreffions and Infelicities of Good Men, and the Profperity of the Wicked, w ith the Rectitude and Equity of the Divine Providence; and exprefs'd t heir Difcontcnts in the Stile and Accent of their Paflions. Of this we have t wo Eminent I n!lances: BrHtm, who with inviolable Integrity, had as a Senator managed the Publick Affairs , and wi th undeclining Courage endeavour'd to recover his Country from I~nom i nious Bondage ; when Vanqui!h'd by the Ufurpers, broke out into a Tragica l Complaint, 0 Yirt11e, I worfhip thee dJ a ji1bjlantial Good, a Deity: b111 o'V;,1111 r1 c1~ thorJ Art an empty Jllame, an Idol. The Emperor Titm, wl10 was the delight of Man~ lui " ' m 11, {td l~iod for his Goodnefs and Beni gnity; furpriz'd with Death in his fl ourifhing Age, ac· >tomen m,.nu! . cus'd Heaven that his Life was unJuftly fnatcht from him. The 1rap and thouf!.ht1 of Cl!'bm'!J"' m•dGod i~ the Government of tl·e W~rd ~re a~ove the ways and thoHghts of mm, M the br&7Jem ;;;,J";,1~;~~~': Are hty,l)(r than the eartiJ. And lf hiS Wifdom had not defcended from Heaven, and dif. rmmmnri. cover'd it fel l in the SanEl uary, We /hor~ld be fooiifb, and like the beajls th4t pai{h. ~'i'i· But the Word o f God a!Tures us, t hat nothing happens in this tumulruous anJ tern- ' 11 ' P' fiuous World, wirhout the Knowledge, the Will, either approving or permiflive, and Efficiency of God fo far as to di[pofe the wor!l Evils by his powerful Providence fuborI i i i 2 dinately
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