ception will be flighted and tranfient, and the CHAP. Judgment curfory and precipitate; it can fuf- XVIII. pend, or wholly deny the Efforts of the Paffions and Members, which are the Executioners of its Pleasure, its Courtiers and Servants in daily Waiting; fo that there shall be Eyes, and yet they fee not, and Ears, and yet they hear not Or, if it has the Curiofity to be more exactly inform'd of the Matter through the other's Inspection and Discernment, it can fincerely con-tinue the Search longer, or renew the Enquiry oftner: Still after Judgment given, and after it can't help joining in an affent of Approbation, it may nevertheless fufpend or hinder all effectual affent of Application, or Determination of the executive Powers and Affections to proper Word, and Deed. It may be convinc'd perhaps for the prefent, and yet nothing fuitable follow the Con-> viction, for want of Probity of Mind, call'd in' Scripture, an honest and good Heart (the Heart being therein affign'd as the Faculty of effectual believing) for entertaining the Truth in the Love of it's Defign and Purpose, for renewing the Mind, and all the bad Actions proceeded from it, with the HEART Man believeth unto Righteoufnefs; according to Solomon, incline thine HEART to: understand. I own therefore, there is no Virtue! in this fort of fpeculative Perceiving, Judging, or Inferring belonging to believing, no more) than in doing the fame ever fo rightly with respect to any Object in Aftronomy. This is but the opus operatum, the mere Carcafs of Faith without any thing of the Spirit or Soul of perceiving judging, or inferring. Oudè, & ̃àpesy, καὶ κακία ἐν πείσει, ἀλλὰ ἐν ἐνεργεία, M. Anton.

CHAP. Lib. IX. 16. Neither Virtue nor Vice confift in XVIII. Speculative Perfuafion, but practical Efforts.

THE Virtue then, and then only commences, when the Will, knowing the Intention and Bufinefs fuch Truths and Doctrines have with it, receives them not with a fimple Affent, or Approbation, as to Matter of Fact of the Truths, but with a chofen Inclination, cherishing Approbation or Perfuafion, with a cordial Application correfponding, and effectual to the other Purpofe; not to doubtful Difputation, but in a pure Confcience; perceiving who recommends, and commands, and for what Intention; judging how reasonable the Obedience, how incomparably excellent to its true Intereft; inferring the neceffary Duty, Salvation, Self-prefervation, and eternal Happinefs in it; refolving to cleave ftedfaftly to it, and hold it faft; and in that Refolution to profess it openly. And accordingly enter into publick Engagement and folemn Covenant fo to do; plighting, renewing, and repeating Fœderal Faith and Perfonal Fidelity, to continue in that good Faith and do the good Works of it; fo making that, which was obligatory before, ftill more uniformly obliging, and more constantly binding to the whole Behaviour; in order to be entitled to the ineftimable Benefits and Promises of the New Covenant or Teftament between God and finful Man, founded in the Mediator of that Covenant, and Teftator of that Teftament, Jefus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

BESIDES as the great Archetype of Virtue, the Image of God in Man, confifts in his Conformity more to the Will than the understanding

Faculty

Faculty of God, it must be improved more here CHA P. from the Virtues of our Will, than the Enlarge. XVIII. ment of our Understanding; which is rather our pofthumous Privilege, than a neceffary Duty. in this imperfect State of Perception.

It is not the believing that the Nature of Virtue is fo and fo conftituted, or confists in such or fuch Particulars, that ever makes a Man virtuous; or that Propofition, that Jefus Chrift is the Meffiah, which makes an upright Believer; unlefs it intentionally comprehends and is actually unfolded to his feveral Offices. Burnet de Fid. & Off. pag. 151, acknowledges that to be but an imperfect, and no more than an inceptive Principle of Chriftianity, and that the Need of a Mediator, Interceffor, and Redeemer is founded in the Degeneracy of human Souls. Nor does an Historical believing his Prefence in the World, teaching Doctrines, working Miracles, Dying, Rifing, Afcending to Heaven, merely as a matter of Fact, conftitute the requifite Faith; for that is a mechanical Faith unavoidable in a Chriftian Country, more fully incident to the believing Devils, than to the Half-embracers and Half-rejecters of it upon Earth: Though they affent ftrongly and perceive fo clearly, they perceive nothing in it, but the Inflammation of their own Doom, they judge and infer nothing but the eternal Despair of being the worse for the fame, Caufe enough to make them tremble; and is it not a devilish Folly for any, either by hating, or not ufing it, to make their Faith as fatal to themselves as it is to the other? Have they not Reafon to tremble?

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CHAP. ll con

XVIII,

IT is therefore, notwithstanding it is the Gift of God as to the Object of it *, an active Perfuafion of the Mind in a fruitful Application of that Means unto Virtue, that makes it Virtue or Chriftian Faith; whether that Persuasion regards the different States of another World, more efpecially the Recompence of Reward, or Truft in God's Promifes and Providences; or refpects the Forgiveness of Sins, Acceptance of our Prayers and fincere Endeavours thro' the Mediator. If the Perfuafion of the Mind regards the Lawfulness of an Action it is called Faith, and whatfoever religious Action is not of that fort of Faith, is Sin to him that thinketh any Thing to be unclean, to him, it is unclean. When a Man does what his well-inform'd Confcience tells him is unlawful, he is felf-condemn'd and felf-divided, which is an internal Herefy, let him be of what particular Church he pleases.

Now the End and Defign of the Chriftian Inftitute of the Knowledge of Chrift, or Faith in him as Mediator, being to renew the Mind in a better Knowledge of the Religion of the End, and an explicit Knowledge of the only true Religion of the Means, in order to regulate Man's whole Conversation in the Sight of God; and to effect that in the firft Source of that Converfation, towards rectifying and governing the Will in its moral Choice and Election, and directing it in its Application of the Means to the End; the Treasures of the Wisdom of God in

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Eph. ii. 8. 1 Cor. ii. and in many other for the Object, Acts vi. 7. Rom. i. 5. xvi. 26. x. 6. Gal. i. 23. iii. 2, 23, 25. Eph. iv. 5. + Rom, xiv. 23.

Places ftands

iii. 27, 31. 1 Tim. iv. 6.

him are difplay'd to the Understanding as the CHA P. moft important Truth; and the Will is likewife XVIII. addrefs'd to as the most important Intereft. If the Proposal, in all its Neceffaries, is very plain, and the Understanding can't help perceiving and judging, that the Meaning of the Truth is moral, and the Defign faving, it is by fo much the greater Commendation of it, as it is not a Matter of Subtlety, but Sincerity and Honesty to be a Chriftian, which depends chiefly upon the Will; tho' there is no Virtue in phyfically be lieving the Truth as Truth, which upon due At tention and Inquiry can't but be believed and affented to; yet to believe and affent to it mo rally, and embrace it with the Will, is Virtue and Duty, and the very first Principle of Virtue. "For this Reafon, Virtue, which is the proper Happiness and Perfection, is call'd apery, i. a alper, a Name which hath great Affinity to a Word that fignifies eligible, not only be "caufe Virtue is properly the Object, but allo "because it is the Effect of our own Choice." Simplic. on Epit. c. i.

As the Truth is an enlightning Principle of Piety, Virtue, and all Morality, the Will can help, as it too commonly does, receiving it to that Ufe and Purpose, whilft the Understanding could not help receiving and acknowledging it as Truth: And therefore when the elective Power of the Mind entertains and applies it as fuch, it must be its Virtue and Commendation; and confequently not to do fo, must be wicked and im moral: It is called Mark vii. 22. å poσúvy Foolishnefs, deftructive Imprudence; when a Perfon knows better Things but follows them not, which proceeds from the Heart and defiles the Man.