VII. especial revelation concerning their salvation,) before S E R M. the late alterations in Chriftendom, was a believer; for before that time it hardly appears, that any man did believe, as they do, that a man cannot fall from grace; and therefore fcarce any man could be asfured, that he should be faved; and therefore scarce any man could be a believer in their sense. Gr. cap. 9. et 13. 8.13. St. Auguftine himself (whofe fuppofed patronage De Corr. et ftands them in fo much ftead upon other occafions) hath often affirmed, that divers have had given them De bon. that faith, that charity, that juftification, wherein if Perlev. cap. they had died, they fhould have been faved; who yet were not faved: which perfons furely, when they were in that good ftate, (admitting them, according to St. Auguftine's fuppofal, to have been in it,) were as capable of knowing their falvation, as any other man can be; yea, St. Auguftine himself (confidering that accidere cuiquam quod poteft, cuivis poteft, what was another man's cafe might be his, there being no ground of difference) could not be more fute of his own falvation at any time, than fuch persons were at that time: according to St. Auguftine's judgment therefore, no man could know that he fhould be faved, (his falvation depending upon perfeverance, which in his opinion not being given to all, muft as to our knowledge, whatever it might be in respect to God's decree, be contingent and uncertain)-it follows, I fay, upon his fuppofitions, yea he expressly affirms it; lib. ii. de bono Perf. Itaque, fays he, utrum quifque hoc (perfeverantia) munus acceperit, quamdiu hanc vitam ducit, incertum eft: Whether any have received this gift of perfeverance while he leads this life, is uncertain. Wherefore St. Auguftine h could not be affured of his own falvation; and therefore (ac b-nec fibi quifque ita notus eft, ut fit de sua craftina converfatione fecurus. Aug. Ep. 121. ad Probam. In hoc mundo, et in hac vita nulla anima poffit effe fecura. Ibid. Quamdiu vivimus, in certamine fumus, et quamdiu in certamine, nulla certa eft victoria. Hier, adv. Pelag. ii. 2. cording SER M. cording to these men's fenfe) he was no believer, no VII. Chriftian; which I fuppofe yet they will not affert, Vid. Amef. cap. 27. adæqua tum. Amef. though it be fo plainly confequent on their own pofition. I might, 4. afk of them, if a man fhould confefs ingenuously, that although he did hope for mercy from God in that day, yet that he was not affured of his falvation, whether fuch a person should be rejected from Chriftian communion, as no believer. It seems, according to their notion of faith, he fhould; fince by his own (in this particular infallible) judgment, it is notorious that he, as being no believer, hath no title unto, or intereft in the privileges of Christianity: but this proceeding would very much depopulate the Church, and banifh from it, I fear, the beft (the most humble and modeft, yea the wifeft and fobereft) members thereof. But fo much I think fuffices for the removal of that new harsh notion, to fay no worse of it. There is another more new than that, devised by Med. lib. i. fome, (who perceived the inconveniences of the former Chriftus notions, yet, it seems, did affect to fubftitute fome tum objec- new fine one in their room,) which if it be not fo plainly falfe, yet is, it feems, more obfcure and intricate: it is this; that faith is not an affent to propofitions of any kind, but a recumbency, leaning, refting, rolling upon, adherency to (for they exprefs themselves in these several terms, and others like them) the person of Chrift; or, an apprehending and applying to ourfelves the righteoufnefs of Chrift; his perfon itself, and his righteoufnefs, as fimple incomplex things; not any propofition (that they exprefsly caution againft) are the objects, fay they, of our faith: they compare our faith to a hand that lays hold upon Chrift, and applies his righteoufnefs; and to an eye that looks upon him, and makes him prefent to us; and by looking on him (as on the brazen ferpent) cures us. But this notion is fo intricate, these phrases are fo unintelligible, that I scarce believe the devifers of them did themselves know what they meant by them; them; I do not, I am fure: for what it is for one S ER M. body to lean upon, or to be rolled on another; what VII. for one body to reach at, and lay hold upon another; what it is to apply a garment to one's body, or a falve to one's wounds, I can easily understand: but what it is for a man's mind to lean upon a perfon, (otherwise than by affenting unto fome propofition he speaks, or relying upon fome promife he makes,) to apply a thing,.otherwife than by confenting to fome propofition concerning that thing, I cannot apprehend, or reach: there is not, as we noted before, any faculty or operation of a man's mind, which anfwers the intent of fuch notions or phrases. Let me put this cafe: Suppofe a great province had generally revolted from its fovereign, whereby the people thereof had all deserved extreme punishment fuitable to fuch an offence; but that the king, moved with pity, and upon the interceffion of his only beloved fon, (together with a fatisfaction offered and performed by him,) fhould refolve to grant a general pardon to them, upon juft, and fit, and withal very easy terms; and that, for the execution of this gracious purpose toward them, he should depute and fend his fon himself among them, to treat with them, by him declaring his merciful intentions toward them, with the conditions, upon compliance wherewith, all, or any of them, fhould be pardoned their offence, and received into favour; thofe conditions being, fuppose it, that firft they fhould receive and acknowledge his fon for fuch as he profeffed himself to be, (the king's fon indeed, who truly brought fuch a meffage unto them from his majefty;) then that they should seriously refolve with themfelves, and folemnly engage to return unto their due allegiance; undertaking faithfully for ever after to obferve those laws, which the faid prince in his father's name fhould propound unto them. Suppofe farther, that the prince in pursuance of this commiffion and defign, being come into the country, fhould there fend all about SER M. about officers of his, enjoining them to discover the VII. intent of his coming, what he offered, and upon what terms; withal, empowering them in his name to receive those, who complied, into favour, declaring them pardoned of all their offences, and reftored to the benefit of the king's protection, and all the privileges of loyal fubjects: fuppofe now, that thefe officers fhould go to the people, and speak to them in this manner: The king makes an overture of pardon and favour unto you, upon condition, that any one of you will recumb, reft, lean upon, or roll himself upon the person of his fon, (reft upon his perfon, not only rely upon his word, that you are to understand,) or in cafe you will lay hold upon and apply to yourselves his fon's righteousness, by which he hath procured of the king his father this mercy and favour for you, (not only being perfuaded that he hath performed thus much for you, this is not enough ;) do you think these meffengers fhould thus well exprefs themselves, or perform their meffage handfomely and with advantage? Should not they do much better, laying afide fuch words of metaphor and myftery, to fpeak in plain language; telling them, that their king's fon (by plain characters difcernible to be truly fuch) was come among them upon such an intention; that if they would acknowledge him, and undertake thereafter to obey him, they should receive a full pardon, with divers other great favours and advantages thereby? The cafe is apparently fo like to that which ftands between God and man, and doth fo fully resemble the nature of the Evangelical difpenfation, that I need not make any application, or ufe any more argument to refute that notion: I fhall only fay, that I conceive these new phrafes, for fuch they are, not known to ancient Christians, not delivered, either in terms or fense, in Scripture; for the places alledged in favour or proof of them by Ames, one of the firft broachers of them, (all we may presume that they could find any-wife seeming VII. seeming to favour their notion,) do not, as, if time S ER M, would permit, might eafily be fhewed, import any fuch thing, but are ftrangely misfapplied-that, I fay, these phrases do much obfcure the nature of this great duty, and make the ftate of things in the Gofpel more difficult and dark than it truly is; and thereby seem to be of bad confequence, being apt to beget in people both dangerous prefumptions and fad perplexities: for they hearing that they are only, or mainly bound to have fuch a recumbency upon Chrift, or to make fuch an application of his righteousness, they begin (accordingly as they take themfelves to be directed) to work their minds to it; and when they have hit upon that pofture of fancy, which they guess to fuit their teachers' meaning, then they become fatisfied, and conceit they believe well, although perhaps they be ignorant of the principles of the Chriftian faith, and indifpofed to obey the precepts of our Lord. Sometimes, on the other fide, although they well understand, and are perfuaded concerning the truth of all neceffary Chriftian doctrines, and are well difpofed to obferve God's commandments, yet because they cannot tell whether they apprehend Chrift's perfon dexterously, or apply to themselves his righteousness in the right manner, as is prescribed to them, (of which it is no wonder that they should doubt, fince it is so hard to know what the doing fo means,) they become difturbed and perplexed in their minds; queftioning whether they do believe or no. Thus by these notions (or phrases rather) are some men tempted fondly to prefume, and other good people are wofully difcouraged by them; both being thence diverted, or withdrawn from their duty: whereas what it is to believe, as Chriftians anciently did understand it, and as we have affayed to explain it, is very easy to conceive; and the taking it fo, can have no other than very good influence upon practice, as both reafon (as we have infinuated) fhews, and |