I Believe, &c.

SERMON I.

OF THE EVIL AND UNREASONABLENESS OF

INFIDELITY.

HEB. iii. 12.

Take heed, brethren, left there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.

I.

IF the causes of all the fin and all the mischief in the SERM. world were carefully fought, we fhould find the chief of all to be infidelity; either total or gradual. Wherefore to dehort and diffuade from it is a very profitable defign; and this, with God's affiftance, I fhall endeavour from these words; in which two particulars naturally do offer themselves to our observation; an affertion implied, that infidelity is a finful diftemper of heart; and a duty recommended, that we be careful to void or correct that diftemper: of these to declare the one, and to press the other, shall be the scope of my discourse.

That infidelity is a finful diftemper of heart, appeareth by divers exprefs teftimonies of Scripture, and by many good reasons grounded thereon.

It is by our Saviour in terms called fin: when he John xvi. is come, he will reprove the world of fin,-of fin, because 8, 9. they believe not in me: and, If I had not come, and spoken John xv. unto them, they had not had fin; but now they have no cloak 22. ix. 41. (viii. 24.) for their fin: and, If ye were blind, ye should not have had ix. 41.

I.

SERM. fin; but now ye fay, We fee, therefore your fin abideth. What fin? that of infidelity, for which they were culpable, having fuch powerful means and arguments to believe imparted to them, without due effect.

2 Theff. ii. 11, 12.

It hath a condemnation grounded thereon; He, faith our Saviour, that believeth not, is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of Goda: but condemnation ever doth fuppose faultinefs.

It hath fore punishment denounced thereto; God, faith St. Paul, fhall fend them ftrong delufion, that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleafure in unrighteoufnefs; and, 2 Theff. i. 8. Our Lord, faith he, at his coming to judgment, will take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift; whence among those, Rev. xii. 8. who have their part in the lake burning with fire and brimfione, the fearful, and unbelievers (that is, they who fear to profefs, or refufe to believe the Chriftian doctrine) are reckoned in the first place; which implieth infidelity to be a heinous fin.

23.

John vi. 29.

It is alfo fuch, because it is a tranfgreffion of a principal 1 John iii. law, or divine command; This, faith St. John, is ʼn aurou, the command of him, That we should believe; this, faith our Lord, is тò epyov të Оs, the fignal work of God, Mark. i. 15. (which God requireth of us,) that ye believe on him, whom he hath fent: that was a duty, which our Lord and his Apoftles chiefly did teach, enjoin, and prefs; wherefore correspondently infidelity is a great fin; according to 1 John iii. St. John's notion, that fin is avoμía, the tranfgreffion of a

But the finfulness of infidelity will appear more fully by confidering its nature and ingredients; its caufes; its properties and adjuncts; its effects and confequences.

I. In its nature it doth involve an affected blindness and ignorance of the noblest and most useful truths; a bad use

* John iii. 18. xii. 45. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τὸ μὴ εἴκειν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς τῷ Χρισῦ, ἀλλὰ γ τὸ ἀπιτεῖν αὐταῖς χαλεπωτάτην ἐπάγει τὴν κόλασιν. Chryf. ad Demal. tom. vi. p. 140.

1.

of reafon, and moft culpable imprudence; difregard of SERM. God's providence, or despite thereto; abufe of his grace; bad opinions of him, and bad affections toward him;

for

iii. 4.

God in exceeding goodness and kindness to mankind hath proposed a doctrine, in itself faithful and worthy of Tit. ii. 11. all acceptation, containing moft excellent truths inftructive 1 Tim.i.15. of our mind and directive of our practice, toward attainment of falvation and eternal felicity; fpecial overtures of mercy and grace most needful to us in our state of finful guilt, of weakness, of wretchedness; high encouragements Lukevii.30. and rich promises of reward for obedience: fuch a doc- Matt. xxiii. trine, with all its benefits, infidelity doth reject, defeating ii. 4. Luke the counfel of God, croffing his earneft defires of our wel- ii. 4. 2 Pet. fare, defpifing his goodness and patience.

37. 1 Tim.

x. 16. Rom.

iii. 9, 15.

Acts iii. 18.

Heb. ii. 4.

47. vi. 7.

To this doctrine God hath yielded manifold clear attef- 1 Pet. i. 10. tations, declaring it to proceed from himself; ancient pre- Luke xxiv. fignifications and predictions; audible voices and visible 44. apparitions from heaven, innumerable miraculous works, Acts iv. 33. Providence concurring to the maintenance and propagation xix. 20. ii. of it against most powerful oppofitions and disadvantages: xii. 24. but all these teftimonies infidelity flighteth, not fearing to give their author the lie, which wicked boldness St. John chargeth on it; He, faith the Apostle, that believeth not 1 John v.. God, hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the teflimony that God gave of his Son.

Many plain arguments, fufficient to convince our minds, and win our belief, God hath furnished; the dictates of natural confcience, the teftimony of experience, the records of hiftory, the confent of the best and wifest men, do all confpire to prove the truth, to recommend the usefulness of this doctrine; but infidelity will not regard, will not weigh, will not yield to reafon.

10.

God by his providence doth offer means and motives inducing to belief, by the promulgation of his Gospel, and exhortation of his minifters: but all fuch methods infi- 2 Cor. v. 20. Acts xiii. delity doth void and fruftrate; thrufiing away the word, 46. turning away the ear from the truth, letting the feed fall 2 Tim. iv. 1. befide us, cafting away the law of the Lord of hofts; in Ifa. v. 24.

Matt. xiii.

SERM. effect (as those in Job) saying to God, Depart from us, for we defre not the knowledge of thy ways.

I.

Job xxi. 14.

God by his grace doth fhine upon our hearts, doth atJohn vi. 44. tract our wills to compliance with his will, doth excite (Rev. iii. our affections to relish his truth: but infidelity doth refift Acts vii. 51. his Spirit, doth quench the heavenly light, doth smother all the fuggeftions and motions of divine grace within

20.)

1 Theff. v.

19.

2 Cor. iv. 4.

17.

5.

us.

What God afferteth, infidelity denieth, questioning his veracity; what God commandeth, infidelity doth not approve, contefting his wifdom; what God promifeth, infidelity will not confide in, distrusting his fidelity, or his power: fuch is its behaviour (fo injurious, fo rude, fo foolish) toward God, and his truth; this briefly is its nature, manifeftly involving great pravity, iniquity, and impiety.

II. The caufes and fources from whence it fpringeth (touched in Scripture, and obvious to experience) are those which follow.

1. It commonly doth proceed from negligence, or drowsy inobfervance and carelefsnefs; when men being Rom. xi. 8. poffeffed with a spirit of flumber, or being amused with fecular entertainments, do not mind the concerns of their foul, or regard the means by God's merciful care presented for their converfion; being in regard to religious matters Acts xviii. of Gallio's humour, caring for none of thofe things: thus, when the king in the Gospel fent to invite persons to his Matt. xxii. wedding feaft, it is faid, Oi è aμeλoavтes άnýλov, they being careless, or not regarding it, went their ways, one to to his field, another to his trade. Of fuch the Apostle to Heb. ii. 3. the Hebrews faith, How shall we efcape, тoιaúτns aμeλńoavtes owτnplas, who regard not fo great falvation, exhibited Prov. i. 24. to us? Of fuch Wisdom complaineth; I have called, and ye refufed; I have ftretched out my hand, and no man reJer. vii. 31, garded. No man: the greatest part indeed of men are upon this account infidels, for that being wholly taken up in pursuit of worldly affairs and divertisements, in amaffing of wealth, in driving on projects of ambition, in enjoying fenfual pleasures, in gratifying their fancy and humour

Ifa. lxv. 12.

lxvi. 4.