The prudence of faith is indeed the only prudence considerable; all other prudence regarding objects very low and ignoble, tending to designs very mean or base, having fruits very poor or vain. To be wise about affairs of this life (these fleeting, these empty, these deceitful shadows) is a sorry wisdom; to be wise in purveying for the flesh,' is the wisdom of a beast, which is wise enough to prog for its sustenance; to be wise in gratifying fancy is the wisdom of a child, who can easily entertain and please himself with trifles; to be wise in contriving mischief, or embroiling things, is the wisdom of a fiend, in which the old serpent, or grand politician of hell, doth exceed all the Machiavels in the world: this, as St. James saith, is earthly, sensual, devilish wisdom;' but the wisdom of faith, or that 'wisdom which is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good works.'

8. In fine, the embracing Christian doctrine doth suppose a mind imbued with all kinds of virtuous disposition in some good degree; for seeing that doctrine doth highly commend and strictly prescribe all virtue, he must needs be a friend to all virtue, and a devoted servant thereto, who can heartily approve and like it: his eye must be sound, and clear from mists of bad prejudice, who can ken the beauty, and bear the lustre of it; his palate must be pure from vicious tinctures, who can relish its sweetness; his heart must be void of corrupt affections and desires, who sincerely doth affect it, and firmly doth cleave thereto; his conscience must be good, who can hope for the excellent rewards which it proposeth, who can stand proof against the terrible menaces it denounceth; his intentions must be upright, who dareth offer them to be scanned by so exact rules; his life must in good measure be blameless, who can present it before the bar of so rigorous judgment; he must be a man of much goodness, ingenuity, and integrity, who can think it expedient, who can be content and willing that such a doctrine be accounted true, which so plainly discountenanceth, which so peremptorily condemneth, which so severely punisheth all kinds of wickedness; for He,' as our Saviour saith, and he alone, who doeth the truth, doth come to the light, that his deeds may be manifested.' Faith therefore, and good con

science, are well by St. Paul so often coupled as inseparable associates.

Where now are they, who wonder that faith is so commended, doth find such acceptance with God, and is so crowned with reward; who would banish it from the company of virtues, and out of all moral consideration; who would have it taken for an involuntary act, forced on the mind, and issuing from dry speculation? for seeing so many excellent dispositions of soul are its ingredients, essentially connected with it; seeing so many noble acts of will do concur to its production ; seeing it hath so many choice virtues inseparably adherent, as previous or concomitant to it; it is no wonder that they should moralise it, should render it very considerable, so capable of praise, so worthy of recompense.

If we therefore do believe, because we will apply our minds to regard our best concerns, because we will yield due attention to the declarations and overtures of God, because we will take the pains to weigh the reasons persuasive of truth, because we look on things with an indifferent eye, and judge uprightly about them, because we have the courage, the patience, the prudence, the innocence, requisite for avowing such truths; then surely faith is voluntary, and therefore very commendable.

Whoever indeed will consider the nature of man, or will consult obvious experience, shall find that in all practical matters our will or appetite hath a mighty influence on our judgment of things; causing men with great attention to regard that which they affect, and carefully to mark all reasons making for it; but averting from that which they dislike, and making them to overlook the arguments which persuade it; whence men generally do suit their opinions to their inclinations; warping to that side where their interest doth lie, or to which their complexion, their humor, their passions, their pleasure, their ease doth sway them; so that almost any notion will seem true, which is profitable, which is safe, which is pleasant, or anywise grateful to them; that notion false, which in any such respect doth cross them: very few can abstract their minds from such considerations, or embrace pure truth, divested of them; and those few who do so, must therein most employ

their will, by strong efforts of voluntary resolution and patience disengaging their minds from those clogs and biasses. This is particularly notorious in men's adherence to parties, divided in opinion, which is so regulated by that sort of causes, that if you do mark what any man's temper is, and where his interest lieth, you may easily prognosticate on what side he will be, and with what degree of seriousness, of vigor, of zeal he will cleave thereto a timorous man you may be almost sure will be on the safer side; a covetous man will bend to that party, where gain is to be had; an ambitious man will close with the opinion passing in court; a careless man will comply with the fashion; affection arising from education or prejudice will hold others stiff; few do follow the results of impartial contemplation.

All faith, therefore, even in common things, may be deemed voluntary, no less than intellectual; and Christian faith is especially such, as requiring thereto more application of soul, managed by choice, than any other; whence the ancients, in their description of it, do usually include this condition, supposing it not to be a bare assent of the understanding, but a free consent of the will: Faith,' saith Clemens Alexandrinus,* is a spontaneous acceptance, and compliance with divine religion ;' and, To be made at first was not in our power; but God persuadeth us to follow those things which he liketh, choosing by the rational faculties which he hath given us, and so leadeth us to faith;' saith Justin the Martyr.+

The same is supposed in holy Scripture; where of believers it is said that they did ȧoμévws, gladly, or willingly receive the word, and they received it μerà đáons πpoðvμías, with all willingness, or readiness of mind.

And to defect of will infidelity is often ascribed: Ye will not come unto me,' saith our Saviour, that ye might have life; and, How often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!' and, 'The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding, ↑ Just. Mart. Apol. ii. (p. 58.)

* Clem. Strom. ii. p. 265.

and they would not come :' and, 'Of this,' saith St. Peter of some profane infidels,' they are willingly ignorant, that by the word of God the heavens were of old :' and of the like St. Paul saith, That they received not the love of the truth, but

had pleasure in unrighteousness.'

Indeed to prevent this exception, that faith is a forced act, and therefore not moral; or to render it more voluntary and worthy, God hath not done all that he might have done to convince men, or to wring belief from them: he hath not stamped on his truth that glaring evidence, which might dazzle our minds; he doth not propose it armed with irresistible cogency; he hath not made the objects of faith conspicuous to sense, nor the propositions thereof demonstrable by reason, like theorems of geometry: this indeed would be to depose faith, to divest it of its excellency, and bereave it of its praise; this were to deprive us of that blessedness, which is adjudged to those who believe and do not see; this would prostitute wisdom to be defloured by the foolish, and expose truth to be rifled by the profane; this would take from our reason its noblest exercise, and fairest occasion of improvement; this would confound persons fit to be distinguished, the sagacious and the stupid, the diligent and the slothful, the ingenuous and the froward, the sober and the vain, the pious and the profane; the children of wisdom, which are apt to justify it, and the sons of folly, who hate knowlege; the friends of truth and virtue, and the lovers of falsehood and unrighteousness.

God therefore hath exhibited his truth, shining through some mists of difficulty and doubt, that only those who have clear eyes, who do look attentively, who are willing to see, may discern it; that those who have eyes may see, and those who have ears may hear.' He meaneth this way of discovering his mind for a test to prove our ingenuity, for a field to exercise our industry, for an occasion to express his goodness in crowning the wisdom and virtue of good believers; that the trial of your faith,' saith St. Peter, 'being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable

and full of glory.' He meaneth also thence to display his justice in punishing the slothful, the vain, the perverse, the profane; that, as the Apostle saith, all men might be judged, who believed not the truth-but had pleasure in unrighteousness' hence, There must of necessity be scandals,' said our Saviour; hence our Lord was set for a mark to be contradicted, that the thoughts of many hearts might be revealed;' and, There must be heresies,' saith St. Paul; why? that they which are approved (oi dóxiμo, persons that can bear the test) may be manifested.'

God dealeth with us as he did with his ancient people. He, to assure them of his gracious protection and providence over them, or to persuade them of the truth of what he by Moses taught them, did before their eyes perform stupendous works in their behalf, affording them miraculous deliverances from their enemies, and prodigious supplies of their needs; the sight of which did extort a temporary belief; Then,' it is said, 'they believed his words, and sang his praise;' and, when 'Israel saw that great work which the Lord did on the Egyp tians, the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.' Yet withal God suffered divers things to fall out, to humble them,' as it is said, ' and to prove them, and to know what was in their heart, whether they would keep his commandments, or no:' the result of which dispensations was, that they being inconsiderate, impatient, and refractory, ⚫ believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation;' they despised that pleasant land, and gave no credence to his word :' so God dealt with that typical people; and in like manner doth he proceed with us: he hath ministered signal attestations to the gospel; he hath dispensed arguments abundantly sufficient to convince well disposed minds of its truth; but he hath not cleared it from all scruples, which may disturb the froward or the delicate; he hath not exempted it from all scandals which may disgust the perverse and stubborn; he hath not prevented all exceptions or cavils devisable by curious or captious wits against it; he hath not guarded it wholly from the malicious opposition of those, whose interest it might seem, in favor of their vices and follies, to impugn it: just it was, that to such the gospel should be a stone of stumbling, and a rock of of