tion to the unity of Faith, he must needs be imagined to have appointed fome external expreffion and communication of it: efpecially confidering that the found of the Apoftles was to go forth unto the ends of the world, and all nations to be called to the profeffion of the Gofpel, and gathered into the Church of Chrift; which cannot be performed without an acknowledgment of the truth, and a profeffion of Faith, without which no entrance into the Church, no admittance to Baptifm. What doth hin- Acts viii. der me to be baptized? faith the Eunuch. And 36, 37. Philip faid, If thou believeft with all thine heart, thou mayeft. And he anfwered and faid, I believe that Jefus Chrift is the Son of God. So believing with all his heart, as Philip required, and making profeffion of that Faith, he was admitted. (z) For with the Rom. x. 10. heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confeffion is made unto falvation. The belief of the heart is the internal habit refiding in the Soul, and act of Faith proceeding from it, but terminated in the fame. The confeffion of the mouth is an external fignification of the inward habit or act of Faith, by words expreffing an acknowledgment of those truths which we believe or affent to in our fouls. (a) The ear receiveth the word, Faith cometh by hearing; the ear conveyeth it to the heart, which being opened receiveth it, receiving believeth it; and then out of the abundance of the heart the mouth Mat.xii.34. Speaketh. In the heart Faith is feated; with the tongue confeffion is made; between these two falvation is (b) completed. If thou shalt confefs with thy Rom. x. 9. mouth the Lord Fefus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be faved. This faith of the heart every one ought, and is prefumed to have; this confeffion of the mouth every one is known to make, when he pronounceth thefe words of the CREED, I believe; and if true, he may with comfort fay, (c) the word of Faith is Rom. x. 3. nigh me, even in my mouth and in my heart: firft in my

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heart

10.

heart really affenting, then in my mouth clearly Pfal. exi. and fincerely profeffing with the Prophet David, I have believed, therefore have I spoken. Thus briefly from the fecond confideration concerning confeffion implied in the first words I believe, we shall pass unto the third confideration, of the neceffity and particular obligation to fuch a confeffion.

25.

If there were no other argument, yet being the object of Faith is fuppofed infallibly true, and acknowledged to be fo by every one that believeth, being it is the nature of Truth not to hide itself, but rather to defire the light that it might appear; this were fufficient to move us to a confeffion of our Faith. But befides the nature of the thing, we fhall find many arguments obliging, preffing, urging us to fuch a profeffion. For firft, from the fame God, and by the fame means by which we have received the object of our Faith, by which we came under a poffibility of Faith, we have also received an express Pet. iii. command to make a confeffion of the fame Be ready, faith St. Peter, always to give an answer to every man that afketh you a reafon of the hope that is in you; and there can be no reafon of hope but what is grounded on Faith, nor can there be an answer given unto that without an acknowledgment of this. Secondly, it is true indeed that the great promises of the Gospel are made unto Faith, and glorious things are spoken of it; but the fame promises are Rom. x.10. made to the confeffion of Faith together with it; and Mat. x. 32. we know who it is hath faid, Whofoever shall confefs me before men, him will I confefs also before my Father which is in Heaven. Befides, the profeffion of the Faith of one Chriftian confirmeth and edifieth another in his, and the mutual benefit of all layeth an obligation upon every particular. Again, the matters of Faith contain fo much purity of doctrine, perfuade fuch holiness of life, defcribe God fo infinitely glorious, fo tranfcendently gracious, fo loving in himself, so merciful in his Son, fo wonder

ful

ful in all his works, that the fole confeffion of it glorifieth God; and how can we expect to enter into that glory which is none of ours, if we deny God that glory which is his? Laftly, the concealing those truths which he hath revealed, the not acknowledging that Faith which we are thought to believe, is fo far from giving God that glory which is due unto him, that it dishonoureth the Faith which it refufeth or neglecteth to profess, and cafteth a kind of contumely upon the author of it, as if God had revealed that which Man fhould be ashamed to acknowledge. Wherefore he that came to fave us hath alfo faid unto us, Whosoever shall be ashamed of Lukeix.26. me and of my words, of him shall the Son of Man be afhamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in bis Father's, and of the holy Angels. Such a neceffity there is of confeffion of Faith, in refpect of God, who commanded it, and is glorified in it; in refpect of ourselves, who fhall be rewarded for it; and in respect of our brethren, who are edified and confirmed by it. Which neceffity the wisdom of the Church in former ages hath thought a fufficient ground to command the recitation of the CREED at the (d) firft initiation into the Church by Baptifm (for which purpose it was taught and expounded to thofe which were to be baptized immediately (e) before the great folemnity of Easter), and to require a particular (f) repetition of it publickly, as often as the facrament of the Eucharift was administered, and a conftant and perpetual inculcation of the fame by the (g) Clergy to the People.

And as this neceffity is great, as the practice ufeful and advantageous; fo is the obligation of believing and confeffing particular, binding every fingle Christian, obfervable in the number and person expreffed, I believe. As if Chrift did question every one in particular, as he did him who was born blind, after he had reftored him his fight (and we

are

38.

23, 24

Joh. ix. 35, are all in his condition), Doft thou believe on the Son of God? every fingle Chriftian is taught to make the fame answer which he made, Lord, I believe. As if the Son of God did promife to every one of them which are gathered together in his name, what Mar, ix. 17, he promised to one of the multitude, whofe Son had a dumb fpirit; If thou canft believe, all things are poffible to him that believeth; each one for himfelf returneth his anfwer, Lord, I believe; Lord, help my unbelief. Not that it is unlawful or unfit to use another number, and instead of I, to say, We believe: for taking in of others, we exclude not ourselves; and addition of charity can be no difparagement to confeffion of Faith. St. Peter answered for the twelve, Joh. vi. 69. We believe, and are fure that thou art that Chrift, the Son of the living God. For though Chrift immediately replied that one of them had a Devil, yet is not St. Peter blamed, who knew it not. But every one is taught to exprefs his own Faith, because by Jam. v. 16. that he is to ftand or fall. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much for the benefit of his Brother, but his Faith availeth nothing for the juftification of another. And it is otherwife very fit that our Faith fhould be manifefted by a particular confeffion, because it is effectual by particular application; therefore muft it needs be proper for me to fay, I believe, and to make profefGal. ii. 20. fion of my Faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Being then I have described the true nature and notion of Belief, the duty of confeffing our Faith, and the obligation of every particular Chriftian to believe and confefs; being in these three explications all, which can be imaginably contained in the firft word of the CREED, muft neceffarily be included; it will now be eafy for me to deliver, and for every particular perfon to understand what it is he fays, and upon what ground he proceeds, when he begins his confeffion with these words, I

believe,

believe, which I conceive may in this manner be fitly expreffed.

Although those things which I am ready to affirm be not apparent to my fenfe, fo that I cannot say I fee them; although they be not evident to my understanding of themselves, nor appear unto me true by the virtue of any natural and neceffary caufe, fo that I cannot fay I have any proper knowledge or science of them; yet being they are certainly contained in the Scriptures, the writings of the bleffed Apostles and Prophets; being thofe Apoftles and Prophets were endued with miraculous power from above, and immediately infpired with the Holy Ghoft, and confequently what they delivered was not the word of Man, but of God himself; being God is of that univerfal knowledge and infinite wisdom, that it is impoffible he fhould be deceived; of that indefectible holiness and tranfcendent rectitude, that it is not imaginable he should intend to deceive any man, and confequently whatfoever he hath delivered for a truth must be neceffarily and infallibly true; I readily and stedfastly affent unto them as moft certain truths, and am as fully and abfolutely, and more concerningly perfuaded of them, than of any thing I fee or know. And because that God who hath revealed them hath done it, not for my benefit only, but for the advantage of others, nor for that alone, but also for the manifestation of his own glory; being for thofe ends he hath commanded me to profefs them, and hath promised an eternal reward upon my profeffion of them; being every particular perfon is to expect the juftification of himself, and the falvation of his foul, upon the condition of his own Faith; as with a certain and full perfuafion I affent unto them, fo with a fixed and undaunted refolution I will profefs them; and with this faith in my heart, and confeffion in my mouth, in respect of the whole body of the CREED, and every Article and

particle