38 Of Confiancy in the Profeffion of the True Religion. Vol. I. II. How we are to hold it fall; or what is implied in holdingfait the Profeffon of our Faith, without wavering. I. What it is that we are to hold faft;. namely, the Profe/on of our Faith; i. e. of the Chrillian Faith or Religion: For, I told you before, that this Pro- fèffion or Confeffìon ofour Faith, or Hope (as the Word properly fignifies) is an Allufion to that Profèfon of Faith which was madeby all thofe who were ad- mittedMembers of the Chriftian Church by Baptifin ; of which the Apoílle makes mention immediatelybefore the Text, when he fays, Let us dram near infull ayu- rance ofFaith, havingour hearts fprinkledfrom an evil Confcience, and our Bodies wafhed with pure Water : And then it follows, Let its holdfall the ProfeAn ofour Faith without wavering. The Profé/on of' Faith which we made inour Baptifins, and which by the Ancient Fathers is call'd the Rule of Faith, and which is now contain'd in that which we call the Apofiles Creed,- and which is called by St. Paul, Rom. 6. 17. the Form of Doctrine which was delivered to them ; i. e. to all Chriftians; and 2 rim. s. 13. the Form offound Words ; Holdfall faith he, the Form offound Words, which thou haft heardof me, in Faith and Love which is in Chrifi eefus ; and by St. 7ude, the Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints. So that it is the firft and ancient Faith of the Chriftian Church delivered to them by Chria and his Apoftles, which we are here exhorted to hold fa/t ; the neceffary and fundamental Articles of the Chriftian Faith ; and by confequence all thofe Truths which have a neceffary Connexion with thofe Articles, and are implied in them, and by plain Confequence are to be deduced from them. It is not the doubtful and uncertain Traditions of Men ; nor the partial Didates and Do&rines of any Church, fence the Primitive Times, which are not contained in the Holy Scriptures and the Ancient Creeds of the Chriftian Church, but have been fince declared and impofed upon the Chriftian World, though with never fo confident a Pretence of Antiquity in the Doftrines, and of Infallibility in the Propofers of them : Thefe are no part of that Faith which we are either toprofefr, or to holdfall ; becaufe we have no Reafon to admit the Pretences, by virtue whereof thofe Doéh'ines or Pra&ices are impofed ; being able to make it good, and having effe&ually done it, that thofe Do&rines are not of Primitive Antiquity; and that the Church which propofeth them, bath no more claim to Infallibility, than all other Parts ofthe Chriftian Church ; which fince the Apoftles time is none at all. In a Word; no other Dodrínes which are not fufficiently revealed in Scripture, either in exprefs Terms or by plain and neceffary Confequence ; nor any Rites of Worthip, nor Matters of Praftice, which are not commanded in Scripture, are to be efteemed any part of that Faith in Religion, the profefon- whereof the Apoftle here Commands all Chriftians to hold fait without wavering; much eels any Do&rines or Praftices, which are repugnant to the Word of God, and to the Faith and Pra&ice ofthe drit Ages ofÇhriftianity; of which kind I lhall have occa- liion in my following Difcourfe to initance in feveral Particulars. In the mean time I fhall only obferve, That that Faith and Religion which we profefs, and which by God's Grace we have ever held fall, is that which bath been acknowledg'd by all Chriftian Churches in all Ages, to have been the ancient Catholick and Apoliolick Faith, and cannot (as to any part or tittle of it) be denied to be fo, .evenby,the Church of Rome her felf. I proceed to the í ÍI. Thing which I propofed to confider ; namely, how we are to hold fall the Profeffion ofour Faith, or what is implied:bythe Apoftle, in this Exhortation, to hold fa/t the Profefon of' our Faith, without wavering. And I think thefe following Particularsmay very well. be fuppofed to be implied in it. a. That we Ihould hold All the Profeffon of our Faith, againít the Confi- dence of Men, without Scripture or Reafon to fupport their Confidence. 2. And much more againft the Confidence of Men, contrary to Scripture, and Reafon, and the common Senfe ofMankind. . Againft all the Temptations and Terrors of the World. q.. Againft
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