rial of the creation-rest, from the seventh-day Sabbath, to be kept on the Lord's day, which is the first, with the commemoration of his resurrection, and our redemption, in the solemn worship of his holy assemblies.

Sect. 18. III. The most brief summary of the christian religion, containing the essentials only, is in the sacramental covenant of grace; wherein the penitent believer, renouncing the flesh, the world, and the devil, doth solemnly give up himself to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as his only God, his Father, his Saviour, and his Sanctifier, engaging himself hereby to a holy life of resignation, obedience, and love, and receiving the pardon of all his sins, and title to the further helps of grace, to the favour of God and everlasting life. This covenant is first entered by the sacrament of baptism, and after renewed in our communion with the church, in the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ.k

So that the christian religion is but faith in God, our Cre ator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, producing the hope of life everlasting, and possessing us with the love of God and man: and all this expressed in the genuine fruits of patience, obedience, and praise to God, and works of charity and justice unto man.

Sect. 19. That all this religion might be the better understood, received, and practised by us, the word of God came down into the flesh, and gave us a perfect example of it in his most perfect life; in perfect holiness and innocency, conquering all temptations, contemning the honours, riches, and pleasures of the world; in perfect patience, and meekness, and condescension, and in the perfect love of God and man.'

When perfect doctrine is seconded by perfect exemplariness of life, there can be no greater light set before us to lead us out of our state of darkness into the everlasting light. And had it not been a pattern of holy power, wisdom, and goodness; of self-denial, obedience, and love; of patience, and of truth and prudence, and of contempt of all inferior things, even of life itself, for the love of God, and for life eternal, it would not have been a full exemplification of his doctrine, nor a perfect revelation of it to the world. Example bringeth doctrine near our senses, and thereby maketh it more clear and powerful.

k

Matt. xxviii. 19; Rom. viii. 1, and vi. 4; 1 Pet. iii. 21, 22; Heb. vi. 2. Acts ii. 38, 41; Tit. iii. 5; 1 Cor. xi. De modo Baptizandi antiquo vide Walafridum Strabon. de rebus Eccles. c. 26. p. (Bibl. Pat.) 691.-Et. Ivon. Carnol, serm. de sacram, Neophytorum, pp. 767, 768, &c.

John xiii. 15; 1 Pet. ii. 21.

Sect. 20. It is the undertaken office of Jesus Christ, to send the Holy Spirit into believers' minds, and to write out the substance of the law upon their hearts, and give them such holy and heavenly inclinations, that it may become as it were a natural law unto them, and they obey it with love, facility, and delight, though not in perfection till they arrive at the state of perfection.m

So much to show what the christian religion is.

CHAP. IV.

Of the Nature and Properties of the Christian Religion.

HAVING understood the matter and words of the christian religion, before I proceeded any further, I thought it meet to pass a judgment upon the nature, temperament, constitution, and properties of it." And therein I found that which must needs be a great preparative to belief.

Sect. 1. And first, I found that it is a most holy and spiritual religion, resolved into the most excellent principles and ends, glorifying God, and humbling man, and teaching us the most divine and heavenly life, in the love and patient service of our Creator.

1. It is most holy, for it calleth us up entirely unto God, and consisteth in our absolute dedication and devotedness to him. 2. It is most spiritual, leading us from things carnal and terrene; and being principally about the government of the soul, and placing all our felicity in things spiritual, and not in fleshly pleasures with the Epicureans and Mahometans, it teacheth us to worship God in a spiritual manner, and not either irrationally, toyishly, or irreverently; and it directeth our lives to a daily converse with God in holiness. 3. The principles or it are the three essentialities of God in unity, viz., the infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; and the three grand relations of God to man, as founded in his three most famous works, viz., as our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Regenerator or Sanctifier; and the three great relations arising from creation, and

m John iii. 5, 6, and‐vii. 38, 39; Gal.iv. 6, and v. 18, 25; Rom. viii. 9, 13; 2 Cor. iii. 3, 4; 1 Cor. vi. 11, aud ii. 10, 11; Jer. xxxi. 33; Psalm i. 2; 2 Pet. i. 4; 1 John iv. 7, and v. 4, 18.

"Nihil est ad defendendum Puritate tutius: nihil ad dicendum Veritate facilius.-Ing. Ámbros.

also from redemption, viz., as he is our Owner, our Ruler, and our Benefactor, or chief Good and End. 4. The ends of the christian religion, I find, are proximately the saving of man from Satan, and the justice of God; the sanctifying them to God, and purifying them from sin, the pardon of their sins, and the everlasting happiness of their souls, in the pleasing and fruition of God for ever. In a word, it is but the redeeming us from our carnal self, the world, and the devil, to the love and service of our Creator. 5. Nothing can be spoken more honourably of God in all his perfections, in the language of poor mortals, than what the christian religion speaketh of him. 6. And no religion so much humbleth man, by opening the malignity, both of his original and actual sin, and declaring the displeasure of God against it. 7. It teacheth us who once lived as without God in the world, to live wholly unto God, and to make nothing of all the world in comparison of him. 8. And it teacheth us to live upon the hopes of heaven, and fetch our motives and our comforts from it.o

Sect. 2. I find that the christian religion is the most pure, and clean, and utterly opposite to all that is evil.

There is no virtue which it commendeth not, nor duty which it commandeth not, nor vice which it condemneth not, nor sin which it forbiddeth not.

The chief thing in it which occasioneth the rebellion and displeasure of the world against it, is the purity and goodness of it, which is contrary to their sensual nature, and as physic to their licentious lives would it indulge their vices, and give them leave to sin, they could endure it.P

Sect. 3. Particularly it most vehemently condemneth the grand vices of pride, worldliness, and sensuality, and all their polluting and pernicious fruits.

1. No religion doth so much to teach men humility, and

Nulla major ad amorem invitatio, quam prævenire amantem: et nimis durus est auimus, qui, si delectionem nolebat impeudere, nolit rependere.— August. de Cat. rud. In eo quod amatur, aut non laboratur, aut labor amatur-August. de san. Vid. Ad Divos adeunto castè; pietatem adhibento, opes amovento: qui secus faxit, Deus ipse vindex erit. Leges Rom.-In Cic. de Leg. 2. p. 237.-Significat probitatem Deo gratam esse, sumptum esse removendum.-Ib. p. 239.

P Christianus nemo rectè dicitur, nisi qui Christo moribus, prout valet, coequatur. Maxim. Christiani nomen frustra sortitur, qui Christum minimè imitatur: quid enim tibi prodest vocari quod non es, et nomen usurpare alienum ? Sed si Christianum te esse delectat, quæ Christianitatis sunt gere, et meritò tibi Christiani nomen assume.-August. de vita Christiani.

make pride appear an odious thing. It openeth the malignity of it, as it lifteth up the mind against God or man: it con. demneth it as Satan's image: it giveth us a multitude of humbling precepts and motives, and secondeth them all with the strangest example of condescension and lowliness in Christ, that was ever presented to the view of man. Whereas, I find, even in the most famous of the Roman heathens, that a great deal of pride was taken for a virtue, and men were instructed and exhorted to be proud, under pretence of maintaining and vindicating their honour; and true humility was taken for disgraceful baseness, and men were driven from it by the scorn, not only of the vulgar, but of philosophers themselves.

2. And there is no religion that is fitted so much to the destruction of worldliness, or of the love of riches, as Christianity is: for it teacheth men most effectually the vanity of the world; it appointeth them a holy life, so hateful to worldly men, as will occasion them to feel the vexation of the world; it openeth to them the hopes of a life so much better, as may teach them to take all the wealth and glory of this world for a shadow, a feather, or a dream. It condemneth worldly love, as the sin inconsistent with the love of God, and the certain mark of a drossy, unsanctified, miserable soul. It setteth before us such an example of Christ, as must needs shame worldliness with all true believers.

3. And for sensuality, it openeth the shame of its beastiality, and maketh the carnal mind and life to be enmity to God, and the contrary to that spiritual mind and life, which is the property of all that shall be saved: it strictly and vehemently condemneth all gluttony and excess of drink; all rioting and timewasting, needless sports; all fornication, and ribald talk, and wanton carriage, words, or thoughts: whereas I find among heathens and Mahometans, that inordinate sensuality was much

a Ille verè Christianus est, qui omnibus misericordiam facit, qui nulla omnino movetur injuriâ; qui alienum dolorem tanquam propium sentit; cujus mensam pauper non ignorat; qui coram hominibus inglorius habetur, ut coram Deo et angelis glorietur: qui terrena contemnit, ut possit habere cælestia; qui opprimi pauperem se præsente nou patitur, qui miseris subvenit, &c.-August. de Vita Christi.

Omnis creatura cum bona sit, et bene potest amari, et malè; benè scilicet ordine constituto, malè ordine perturbato.—August. de Civ. Dei. Omnium malorum affectuum principium est Philautia; finis autem Superbia: Philautia amor est, quo corpus complectimur, rationi non consentaneus, Hanc qui amputaverit, eadem opera, omnes affectus ex ea orientes abscidit.—Ma.rim. de Charitat.

:

indulged excess of eating and drinking was made a matter of no great blame time-wasting plays were as little accused, as if men had no greater matter to do in the world, than to pass away time in some sensual or fantastical delight: either by fornication, or many wives at once, their lust was gratified; and so their minds were debased, polluted, and called down and made unfit for spiritual contemplation and a holy life. From whence, no doubt, it came to pass, that they were so dark about things spiritual and divine, and so overspread with errors about many plain and necessary things.

Sect. 4. There is no religion which so notably detecteth and disgraceth the sin of selfishness, or so effectually teacheth selfdenial as the christian religion doth.

It maketh man understand the nature of his corrupt, depraved state, that is, a falling from God to self; and that his recovery lieth in returning from self to God. It showeth him how selfishness is the principle of divisions, enmity, wrath, contentions, envy, malice, covetousness, injustice, oppression, wars, uncharitablenes, and all the iniquity of the world: and, how self is the grand enemy of God and man, and of the public good and peace; and contrary to the love of God and our neighbour, and the commonwealth. It giveth us so many precepts for self-denial, as no other religion did ever mention, and such an example of it in Jesus Christ, as is the astonishment of men and angels; and, therefore, all other religions did in vain attempt the true purifying of heart and life, or the pacifying of the divided minds of men, while they let alone this sin of selfishness, or lightly touched it, which is the root and heart of all the rest.

Sect. 5. No religion doth so much reveal to us the nature of God, and his works for man, and relations to him, as the christian religion doth.

And, doubtless, that is the most excellent doctrine, which maketh known God most to man's mind; and that is the best religion, which bringeth man nearest to his Creator in love and purity. Few of the heathens knew God in his unity, and fewer in the trinity of his essential primalities: many questioned his particular providence and government; they knew not man's relation or duty to him, while they were distracted with the observance of a multitude of gods, they indeed had none. Though God be incomprehensible to us all, yet is there a great deal of the glory of his perfections revealed to us in the light of