<draw near unto him with pure Hearts: He re<veals his Will to us by his Spirit, and writes his Laws in our Hearts.'

OUR Opponent's Difcourfe in p. 68, 69, and to the End of this Section, about a falfe Peace, and the many falfe Suppofitions he makes to fix it upon the Quakers, carry not with them the Appearance of Argument. Were we difpofed to talk after that manner, we could retort with very great Advantage: But 'tis our Business to defend the Truth without Breach of Charity.

Of the Inward Immediate Teflimony of the Spirit.

OUR Adversary afferts, p. 70.

That there may be a real, certain, undoubted Belief of the Truth of Chriftianity, which may fatisfy • a Man's Conscience or Judgment, without the inward immediate Teftimony of the Spirit,' and then tells of feveral outward Teftimonies and Atteftations, fufficient, as he thinks, for that Purpose, viz.

• I. THE external visible Descent of the Spirit ⚫ upon our Saviour at his Baptifm, Mat. iii. 16,17. Which Defcent that Text does not mention that any Body faw, but our Saviour himself. John the Baptift did alfo fee it, as appears, John i. 32. But he places the Ground of his Belief, not barely on that outward Attestation, but on the Teftimony of the Spirit of God inwardly affuring him of its Certainty; for he fays, F 4 v.338

v.33. He that fent me to baptize with Water the fame faid unto me; Upon whom thou shalt fee the Spirit defcending and remaining on him, the fame is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

2. THE Voice then heard from Heaven, as alfo at his Transfiguration.' Mat. xvii. 5. Which Text does not prove, that the three Dif ciples, who heard it, had not a real undoubted Belief of the Truth of Chriftianity before.

3. THE Spirit's Defcent upon the Apoftles at the Day of Pentecoft, and the many wonder•ful Works they were enabled to work by the Spirit,and many other external rational Proofs, as the punctual fulfilling of all the Prophecies of ⚫ the Old Teftament, concerning the Meffiah in the Perfon of Chrift, and of his own Predictions in the New Teftament, concerning his • Death, and Resurrection, and Afcenfion, and fending the Holy Ghost, and the Destruction of Jerufalem, and the wonderful Succefs of his Gofpel. And then adds,

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If we could not have a certain undoubted Belief of the Truth of Chriftianity, without the inward immediate Teftimony of the Spirit, we fhould make the unbelieving Jews, who • would not believe in Chrift, upon the external • rational Evidence he gave them of his being the Meffiah, the Son of God, more excufable, than our Lord told them they would be, John · XV. 22.' Which Text mentions none of thofe outward Teftimonies and Atteftations he has been speaking of; but Chrift's perfonal Prefence with and fpeaking to them. If I had not come and spoken to them they had not had Sin, but

now

now have they no Cloak for their Sin. This Text therefore is nothing to our Adverfaries Purpose, unless he can fhew that the inward immediate Teftimony of the Spirit did not accompany Christ's outward Prefence and Speaking? thing, we fuppofe, he will never attempt.

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He then gives us Inftances of those wicked Men who hold the Truth in Unrighteousness, of Simon Magus, of those who in the Parable are likened to ftony Ground, and of the chief Rulers who believed in Jefus but did not confefs him. Thefe, he fays, believed or affented to the Truth with their Understanding, though it brought forth no Fruit in their Lives.' What an Advocate is here for the Christian Faith, who ranks wicked Men, a Sorcerer, the Hard-hearted, and Hypocrites, among Believers, and would infer that fuch Men had a real certain undoubted Belief of the Truth of Chriftianity. Suppofe a Church made up of fuch Believers, wherein would it differ from a Synagogue of Satan? But to imagine them a Church of Christ, would imply a Communion between Light and Darkness, and a Concord of Chrift with Belial. And indeed to enroll wicked Men, for their meer hypocritical Affent to the Truth of an Hiftory, into the Number of the Chriftian Church, and to exclude out of the fame, pious fober and virtuous Perfons, for not believing an Hiftory they never heard, is a Method very unlike to profelyte a reasonable Man to Christianity. But the holy Scriptures give another Description of true Faith, which they make productive of good Works, by which 'tis to be known, as a tree by its Fruits, for which reafon we must still leave thofe People our Adverfary has given Inftances of, among the Class of Unbelievers, who have no real certain and undoubted

belief of the Truth of Christianity; but at moft, an Hypocritical, Uncertain and Wavering one; fuch as fhall never entitle a Man to receive aay Thing of the Lord. James i. 7.

WICKED Livers, notwithstanding all their Noise and Talk about Orthodoxy in Religion, are of all Men the most Heterodox. (x) He that would know faith Archbishop Tillotson, what a Man believes, let him attend rather to what he does, than what he talks. He that leads a wicked Life, makes a more credible and Effectual profeffion of Infidelity, than he who in Words only denies the Gospel.

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(y) He may have Orthodox Opinions in Religion, but when all is done, there is no fuch Error and Herefie, nothing fo funda• mentally oppofite to Religion, as a wicked • Life.

IF any Man profefs himself a Chriftian, and ⚫ do not live better than others, he is a meer Pretender, and Mountebank in Religion.

THE Devils, faith the (z) Homily, know and believe, that Christ was born of a Virgin; that be fafted forty Days and forty Nights, without Meat and Drink; that be wrought all kind of Miracles, declaring himself very God. They be• lieve alfo that Chrift for our fakes fuffered a moft painful Death, to redeem us from everlasting Death; and that he rose again from Death the third Day;

(x) Sermons on several Occafions. Edit. 1671. p. 257 () Ibid. p. 261.

(2) Third Part of the Sermon of Salvation.

Day; they believe that be afcended into Heaven, and that he fitteth on the Right Hand of the Father, and at the laft End of this World fhall come again and judge both the Quick and the Dead. Thefe Articles of our Faith the Devils believe, and fo they believe all things that be written in the New and Old Teftament, to be true: and yet for all this Faith, they be but Devils, remaining ftill in their damnable Eftate, lacking the very True Chriftian Faith. For the Right and true Chriftian Faith, is not only to Believe that Holy Scripture, and all the aforefaid Articles of our Faith are true; But also to have a fure Trust and Confidence in God's merciful Promises, to be faved from everlafting Damnation by • Chrift; whereof doth follow a Loving Heart to obey his Commandments. And this True Chriftian Faith, neither any Devil hath, nor yet any Man which in the outward Profeffion of •his Mouth, and in his outward receiving of the • Sacraments, in coming to the Church, and in all • other outward Appearances, feemeth to be a Chri• ftian Man, and yet in his Living and Deeds fheweth the contrary. For how can a Man have this True Faith, fure Trust, and Confidence in God, that by the Merits of Chrift his Sins be forgiven, and he reconciled to the Favour of God, ⚫ and to be partaker of the Kingdom of Heaven by Christ, when he liveth ungodlily, and denieth Chrift in bis Deeds? furely, no fuch ungodly Man ⚫ can have this Faith and Trust in God.

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PAGE 71. He afferts, that We may have • a real certain Belief of the Authority of Scripture, which may fatisfy our Confciences, without the inward immediate Teftimony of the • Spirit; And

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