berm. CLXX. Reafonablenef r of Divine Faith. 461 And this will appear upon thefe two Accounts. I. From the Nature and Reafon of the thing. And, z. From the Promifes and Threatnings of God's Word. I. From the Nature and Reafon of the thing. Every Man that believes a God, Ann believe him to be the Supream Good ; and the greateft Happinefs to conuft in the enjoyment of him ; and a feparation from him to be the greateft Mifery. Now God is not to be enjoyed, but in a way of Religion. Holiners makes us like to God 5 and likenefs will make us love him 5 and Love will make us Happy in the enjoyment of him ; and without this it is impofìïble to be Happy. There can be no Happinefs without Pleafure and Delight ; andwe cannot take Pleafure in any thingwe do not love ; and therecan be no love, without a likenefs and fuita- blenefs of Difpofition. So long as God is Good, and we Evil, fo long as he is Pure, and we Unholy 5 fo long as he hates Sit. and we love it ; there can be no happy entercourfe, no agreeable Communion, and delightful Society between God and us. So that if we be Holy, Happinefs will refulr from this temper : and if we be Wicked, we are neceffarily and unavoidably Miferable. Sin feparates be- tween God and us, and hinders our Happinefs5 and it is impofìible that a Wicked Man fhould be near God, or enjoy him. God and a Sinner are fuch two unequal Matches, that it is impofiible to bring them together ; for what Fellow'hipbath Righteoufnefs with Vnrighteoufnef: ? or what Communion hath Light with Darltneß z. Every Man which believes the Revelations which God hash made, cannot but be fatisfied, how much Religion is his Interefi from the Promifes and Threat- pings of God's Word. God in his Word bath in plain and exprefs Terms pro- mifed everlafting Glory and Happinefs to them that obey him 5 and hath threat- ned Wicked Men with Dreadful and Eternal Punifhments 5 to them that bypatient continuance in well-doing, feek for Glory, andHonour, andImmortality, he hash ro. miredEternal Life : but to then that obey not the ,Truth, but obey Vnrighteouf'efi, he bath threatned Indignation, and Wrath, 'Tribulation and Anguifh. Now if we believe the Gofpel, which allures us of another Life afte this, and a future Judg- ment which will determine all Men to a flare of everlafting Happinefs,- or Mifery, we cannot but know it to be our Intereft, by all paffìble Means to endeavour to attain the Happinefs which God hath promifed, and to avoid the Mifery which he bath threatned. All Men naturally delire Happinefs, and dread Mifery and Deftruétion 5 and thefe Defiles and Fears are intimate to our Natures, and can never be feparated from them ; becaufe they flow immediately from thofe Princi- ples of fell-Love, and Pelf- Prefervation, which are deeply rooted in every Man's Heart, and are woven into the very make and frame of his Nature, and will Taft as long as our Beings. And fo long as thefe Principles remain in us, there's no Man that is firmly perfwaded of the Promifes and Threatnings of the Gofpel, but muft believe it to be his higheft Intereft to be Religious. Fear and Hope are the two Pafiìons which govern us ; Hope is as it were the Spur that quickens us to our Duty, and Fear is the Curb that reftrains us from Sin; and the greater 'the Good hoped for, or the Evil that is feared, the greater Power and Influence thefe Paf ions have upon us. Now there cannot be a greater Good, than compleat and everlafting Happinef§; nor a greater Evil, than extream and eternal Mifery. So that whoever believes the Promifes and Threatnings of the Gofpel, bath his hope railed to the expel ation of the greateft Good and Happinefs in cafe of Obe- dience ; and his Fears extended to the expeítation of the greateft Evil and Mifery in cafe of final Impenirency and Difobedience. And a true Divine Faith dotlt contain in it both this Hope and Fear : for a Faith in the Promifes of the Gofpel is nothing elfe, but the hopes of Eternal Life 5 and a belief of the Threatnings of the Gape!, is nothing elfe, but the fear of Hell and eternal Mifery. So that a firm Belief of the Promifes and Threatnings of the Gofpel, muft needs have as great influence upon Men to make them Religious, as the higheft Hopes and greateft Fears can have : and thofe Men that are not moved by the hopes of the greateft Good, nor by the fears of the greateft Danger, are not to be wrought upon in humane ways, nothing will prevail with them. Thus I have (hewn you, what Influence a Divine Faith hath upon Religion ; fcr
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