Seim. CV. Repentance and Faith. Repentance to be a new Do&rine that did come with the Gofpel into the World, becaufe it was never before enforced with this powerful Argument ;. the times of that Ignorance, God'minked at ; but now be calls upon all Menevery where to repent; bccarrfe, &c. When the World was inignoraece, and had not fuch affurance ofa future State, of eternal Rewards and Punifhments after this Life ; the Arguments to Repentance were weak and feeble in comparifon of what they now are, the neceflìty of this Dutywas not fo evident. But now God bath affur'd us of a fu- ture Judgment, now Exhortations to.Repentance have a commanding Power and Influence upon Men; fo that Repentance, both as it is that which is very much preft and inculcated in the Gofpel, and as it bath its chief Motives and Enforce- ments from the Gofpel, may be faid to be one of the great Do£trines of the Gofpel. Qaery 2 Whether the preaching of Faith inChrifi, among thofe who are al- readyChriftians, be at all neceffary ? Becaufe it Teems very improper, to prefs thofe to believe in Chrift, who are alreadyperfwaded that he is the Meas, and doentertain the Hiftory and Do&rive of the Gofpel. llnf The Faith which the Apoltle here means, and which he wouldperfwade Men to, is an effectual beliefof the Gofpel; fuch a Faith as bath real Effe&s upon Men, and makes them to live as they believe ; fuch a Faith as perfwades them of the needofthefe Bleflings that the Gofpel offers, and makes them to delire to be Partakers of them, and in order thereto to be willing to fubmit to thofe Terms and Conditions of Holinefs and Obedience, which the Gofpel requires. This is the Faith we would perfwade Men to, and there is nothingmore neceffary to be preft upon the greateft part of Chriftians than this; for how few are there a- mong thofe who profefs to believe the Gofpel, who believe it in this effe&ual manner, fo as to conform themfelves to it? The Faith which molt Chriftians pretend to, is meetly negative they do not disbelieve theGofpel, they do not confident, nor trouble themfelves about it, they do not care nor are concerned whether it be true or not ; but they have not a pofitive belief of it, they are not poffeft with a firmPerfwafion of the Truthof thole Matters which are con- tained in it ; if they were, fuch a Perfwafion would produce real and pofitive Ef- feas. Every Mannaturally defires Happinefs, and 'tis impoflible that any Man that is poffeft with this Belief, that in order to Happinefs it is neceffary for him todo fuch and fuch things; and that if he omit or negleEt them he is unavoida- blymiferable, that he fhould not do them. Men fay they believe thisor that, but you may fee in their Lives, what it is they believe. So that the preaching of thisFaith in Chrifl, which is the only true Faith, is ftill neceffary. I. Inference. If Repentance towards God, and Faith in the LordJeffs Chrß, be theSumand Subitanee ofthe Gofpel, then from hence we may infer the Excellen- cy of the ChriftianReligion, which infifts only upon thofe things that do tend to our Perfe&ion and our Happinefs. Repentance tends to our Recovery, and the bringing ofus back as near as may be to Innocence. Primus innocentie gradus eft non peccaffe; fecundas, penitencie: and then Faith in the Lord JefitsChri i, tho it be very comprehenfive, and contains many things in it, yet nothing but what is eminently for our advantage, anddothvery much conduce to our Happinefs. The Hifiorical part ofthe Gofpel acquaints us with the Perron and A&ions of our Sa- viour,which conduceth verymuch toour underftanding of the Author andMeans . ofour Salvation. The Dentinal part of the Gofpel contains what God requires on our part, and theEncouragements and Arguments to our Duty, from the con- federation of the Recompence and Rewards of the next Life. The Precepts of Chrift's Doftrine are fuch as tend exceedingly to the Perfe&ion of our Nature, being all founded in Keaton, in the Nature ofGod, and of a reafonable Crea- ture ; I except only thofe pofitive Inftitutions of the Chriftian Religion, the two Sacraments, which arenot burthenfome, and areof excellent ufe. This is the frrfe. IL We may learn from hence what is to be the fum and endof our Preaching, to bringMen to Repentance and a firm belief of the Gofpel ; but then it is to be confidered, that we preach Repentance, fo often as we preach either againft Sin in general,
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