4.9 The (onattic'n o f the C j o / pet C oTenant, &c. Vo1, I L and emphatical declaration of the inward (ente of his Heart, and thews better what the Man believes, than the moft folemn Profeffion in words. When our Words arc not confirmed by our Aétións, they are but an empty found, and fionifie no- thing. I may allude to that of St. Paul, a Car. a3. 2. Tbd a Man haveall Faith,, yet if he be deftiture of the true Effeft of Faith, Charity, he it but as a founding bcaf; anda tinkling ,cymbal. Sr. games loth very well let forth the inefficacy of fuch a Faith, by this (imilitude. games z. 15, 16, 17, If a Brother or Sifter be na- ked, and deftitute of daily food, andone of youfay unto them, Depart in peace, beyem warmed a:d filled 5 notwithftanding ye give them not thole things which are needful to the body : what dsth it profit ? Even fo Faith, if it bath not works, is dead. Men are not fo cafiiy cozened, as we think they are. Difcerning Men will not be impofed upon and put off with a formal and emptyProfeffion of Faith,when there is nothing, in our Lives to anfwer it. It is not ftanding up in the Church, and profeffing that we believe in God, and in gefus Chriff, that he was Born, and Died, and Rote again, and at the end of the World will come to Judge the Quick and the Dead, that will perfwade Mon that we are Chriftians. Menwill look into our Lives, and examine our Aétions, and enquire into our Converfations ; by rhefe they will judge of the Truth and Reality of our Profeffion. Let us not delude our felves, and think to pafs for Chriftians upon thefe Terms, among any that know how to makea true judgment of things. We may cozen cur felves : but we cannot cheat others, who are not fo partial to us, as we are apt to be to our felves. it is not our winking, that hinders others from feting us. Nay, i go farther, it is not an earneft contending for fundamental Articles of our Chriftian Faith, if we live contrary to them, that will fatisfie any wile Man that we believe them; much lelo an intemperate Zeal for indifferent Opinions in Reli- gion. Such were the Doe-trines concerning the Necefity on the onehand, and the Unlawfulnefs of Circumcifionon the other : but the Affenr to the one Opinion or the other in thefe matters, neither Circumci/ion availeth any thing, nor Vncireumcifon q but Faith that worketh by Love, the new Creature, the keeping of the commandments of God, as the Apoftle in leveral places exprefleth it. Men Rand much upon the titleof Orthodox,by which is ufually underftood,not believing the Do&ringof Chrift or his Apoftles, but fuch Opinions as are in vogue among fuch a Party, fuch Sy- ftems of Divinity as have been compiled in hafte by thofe whom we have in admi- ration ; and whatever is not confonant to thefe little bodies of Divinity, rho' pof- fibly it agree well enough with the Word of God, is Error and Herdic 5 and whoever maintains it, can hardly pals for a Chriftian among Tome angry and per- verle People. I do not intend to plead for any Error; but I would not have Chri- ftianiry chiefly meafur'd by matters of Opinion. I know no fuch Error and Here- fie as a Waked Life. That Man believes the Gofpci belt, who lives moft accord- ing to it. Tho' no Man can have a worfe opinion of the Socinian DoEtrine than I have, yet I had rather a Man fhould deny the iatisfaaion of Chrift ; than be- lieve it, and abide it to the encouragement of Sin. Of the Two 1 have more hopes of him that denies the Divinity of Chrift, and lives otherwife foberly, and righte- oufly, and godly in the World, than of the Man who owns Chrift to be theSore of God, and lives like a Child of the Devil. z. Such a Faith as hath not an anfwerable Life, will be inefecaual to the purpofe of Jultification and Salvation. St. games tells us, it is a dead Faith, and profits no- thing, that no Man is jellified by it, nor will it fave any Man. Chriff it the au- thor of eternal Salvation to them who fo believe his Docarine as to obey it; he will come in flaming fire, to render vengeance, not only to them that do not believe, but to than that do not obey the Gofpel. It will not be (efficient at the day of Judgment, to plead our profeflion of Faith in Chrift, and to fay Lord, Lord, have we not prophe- fledin thy name, andin thy name have Cali out Devils, and in thy name have done many wondrous works ? Doing all this in Chri(i's name, implies that they profefs to believe in him : but notwithftandingall this, if theybe workers of Iniquity, Chrift will fay to fuch, depart from me I know you not. if our Saviour makea true and proper re- prefentation of the Day of Judgment, and the proceedings of it, Mat. 2g. Mens Faith flaail then be tried .by the real Fruits and Effeeis of it ; then the enquiry (hall be
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