They explode all natural difference of good and evil; deriding benignity, mercy, pity, gratitude, ingenuity, that is, all instances of good-nature, as childish and silly dispositions.

All the relics of God's image in man, which raise him above a beast, and distinguish him from a fiend, they scorn and expose to contempt.

They extol power as the most admirable, and disparage goodness as a pitiful thing; so preferring a devil before an angel.

They discard conscience, as a bugbear, to fright children and fools; allowing men to compass their designs by violence, fraud, slander, any wrongful ways; so banishing all the securities (beside selfishness and slavish fear) of government, conversation, and commerce; so that nothing should hinder a man (if he can do it with advantage to himself and probable safety) to rebel against his prince, to betray his country, to abuse his friend, to cheat any man with whom he dealeth.

Such are the principles (not only avowed in common discourse, but taught and maintained in the writings) of our infidels; whereby the sources of it do appear to be a deplorable blindness, and desperate corruption of mind; an extinction of natural light, and extirpation of good-nature. Farther,

III. The naughtiness of infidelity will appear by considering its effects and consequences; which are plainly a spawn of all vices and villanies, a deluge of all mischiefs and outrages on the earth for faith being removed, together with it all conscience goeth; no virtue can remain; all sobriety of mind, all justice in dealing, all security in conversation are packed away; nothing resteth to encourage men unto any good, or restrain them from any evil; all hopes of reward from God, all fears of punishment from him being discarded. No principle, or rule of practice, is left, beside brutish sensuality, fond self-love, private interest, in their highest pitch, without any bound or curb; which therefore will dispose men to do nothing but to prey on each other, with all cruel violence and base treachery. Every man thence will be a god to himself, a fiend to each other; so that necessarily the world will thence be turned into a chaos and a hell, full of iniquity and impurity, of spite and rage, of misery and torment. It depriveth each man of all

hope from providence, all comfort and support in affliction, of all satisfaction in conscience; of all the good things which faith doth yield.

The consideration of which numberless and unspeakable mischiefs hath engaged statesmen in every commonwealth to support some kind of faith, as needful to the maintenance of public order, of traffic, of peace among men.

It would suffice to persuade an infidel, that hath a scrap of wit, (for his own interest, safety, and pleasure,) to cherish faith in others, and wish all men beside himself endued with it.

It in reason obligeth all men to detest atheistical supplanters of faith, as desperate enemies to mankind, enemies to government, destructive of common society; especially considering that of all religions that ever were, or can be, the Christian doth most conduce to the benefit of public society; enjoining all virtues useful to preserve it in a quiet and florishing state, teaching loyalty under pain of damnation.

I pass by, that without faith no man can please God ;' that infidelity doth expose men to his wrath and severest vengeance; that it depriveth of all joy and happiness; seeing infidels will not grant such effects to follow their sin, but will reject the supposition of them as precarious and fictitious.

To conclude therefore the point, it is, from what we have said, sufficiently manifest that infidelity is a very sinful distemper, as being in its nature so bad, being the daughter of so bad causes, the sister of so bad adjuncts, the mother of so bad effects.

But this you will say is an improper subject: for is there any such thing as infidelity in Christendom? are we not all Christians, all believers, all baptised into the faith, and professors of it? do we not every day repeat the Creed, or at least say Amen thereto? do we not partake of the holy mysteries, sealing this profession? what do you take us for? for Pagans? this is a subject to be treated of in Turkey, or in partibus infidelium. This may be said: but if we consider better, we shall find ground more than enough for such discourse; and that infidelity hath a larger territory than we suppose: for (to pass over the swarms of atheistical apostates, which so openly abound, denying or questioning our religion) many infidels do

lurk under the mask of Christian profession. It is not the name of Christian, or the badges of our religion, that make a Christian; no more than a cowl doth make a monk, or the beard a philosopher: there may be a creed in the mouth, where there is no faith in the heart, and a cross impressed on the forehead of an infidel; 'with the heart man believeth to righteousness.' Show me thy faith by thy works,' saith St. James: if no works be showed, no faith is to be granted; as where no fruit, there no root, or a dead root, which in effect

and moral esteem is none at all.

Is he not an infidel who denieth God? such a renegado is every one that liveth profanely, as St. Paul telleth us. And have we not many such renegadoes? if not, what meaneth that monstrous dissoluteness of life, that horrid profaneness of discourse, that strange neglect of God's service, a desolation of God's law? Where such luxury, such lewdness, such avarice, such uncharitableness, such universal carnality doth reign, can faith be there? can a man believe there is a God, and so affront him? can he believe that Christ reigneth in heaven, and so despise his laws? can a man believe a judgment to come, and so little regard his life; a heaven, and so little seek it; a hell, and so little shun it?-Faith therefore is not so rife, infidelity is more common than we may take it to be; every sin hath a spice of it, some sins smell rankly of it.

To it are attributed all the rebellions of the Israelites, which are the types of all Christian professors, who seem travellers in this earthly wilderness toward the heavenly Canaan; and to it all the enormities of sin and overflowings of iniquity may be ascribed.

I should proceed to urge the precept, that we take heed thereof;' but the time will not allow me to do it: I shall only suggest to your meditation the heads of things.

It is infidelity that maketh men covetous, uncharitable, discontent, pusillanimous, impatient.

Because men believe not Providence, therefore they do so greedily scrape and hoard.

They do not believe any reward for charity, therefore they will part with nothing.

BAR.

VOL. V.

B

They do not hope for succor from God, therefore are they discontent and impatient.

They have nothing to raise their spirits, therefore are they abject.

Infidelity did cause the Devil's apostasy.

Infidelity did banish man from Paradise, (trusting to the Devil, and distrusting God's word.)

Infidelity (disregarding the warnings and threats of God) did bring the deluge on the world.

Infidelity did keep the Israelites from entering into Canaan, the type of heaven; as the Apostle to the Hebrews doth insist.

Infidelity indeed is the root of all sin; for did men heartily believe the promises to obedience, and the threats to disobedience, they could hardly be so unreasonable as to forfeit the one, or incur the other: did they believe that the omnipotent, all-wise, most just and severe God did command and require such a practice, they could hardly dare to omit or transgress.

Let it therefore suffice to have declared the evil of infidelity, which alone is sufficient inducement to avoid it.

SUMMARY OF SERMON II.

II PETER, CHAP. I.-VERSE 1.

THE Holy Scripture recommends faith, as a most precious and honorable practice; as a virtue of the very first magnitude; commendable in itself, acceptable to God, beneficial to us, &c.

It is in a special manner commanded; and obedience to that command is reckoned a prime instance of piety: 1 John iii. 23. It is the root of our spiritual life: Heb. xi. 6. It is the principal conduit of divine grace: this shown by numerous quotations. In fine, it is that, which, being retained in a good conscience, and maintained by virtuous practice, keeps us in a state of salvation, and will finally bring us to eternal life; for by grace we are saved, through faith.

That faith should be thus highly dignified, has always appeared strange to the adversaries of our religion; and has suggested to them matter of obloquy against it: reasons assigned. To clear this matter and vindicate the Christian religion from their misprisions, our consideration is called to the nature and ingredients of faith; its rise and causes; its efficacy and consequences.

I. As to its nature: it involves knowlege of the most worthy and important truths; knowlege not otherwise attainable; knowlege in way of great evidence and assurance.

1. Truth is the natural food of our soul, the special ornament of our mind, the proper wealth of reason, &c.: all knowlege therefore, which is in the possession of truth, is much esteemed; and if ignorance, error, and doubt, are defects and deformities of the soul, then that knowlege which removes