DocT. I. That it is the duty of Christi- ans to be settled in the doctrine of faith. It is the apostle's prayer, 1 Pet. v. 10. *' The God of all grace, stablish, strength- en, settle you." That they might not be meteors in the air, but fixed stars. The apostle Jude speaks of ' wandering stars,' V. 13. They are called wandering stars, because, as Ai'istotle saith, " They do leap up and down, and wander into several parts of the heaven ; and being but dry exhala- tions, not made of that pure celestial matter — as the fixed stars are — they often fall to the earth." Now, such as are not settled in religion, will, at one time or other, prove wandering stars ; they mil lose their former strictness, and wander from one opinion to another. Such as are unsettled are of the ti'ibe of Reuben, ' xmstable as water,' Gen. xlix. 4. ; like a ship without ballast overturned with every wind of doctrine. Deza writes of one Belfectius, whose reli- gion changed as the moon. The Arians had every year a new faith. These are not ' pillars' in the temple of God, but ' reeds' shaken every way. The apostle calls them ' damnable heresies,* 2 Pet. ii. 1. A man may go to hell as well for heresy as adul-
tery. To be unsettled in religion, argues want of judgment; if their heads were not giddy, they would not reel so fast from one opinion to another. It argues lightness : feathers will be blown every way, — so will feathery Christians, — Triticum non rapit ventus, inanes pal(EJactantur, C"VPR. Tliere- fore such are compared to children, Eph. iv. 14. " That we be no more children, tossed to and fro." Children are fickle, — sometimes of one mind, sometimes of ano- ther ; nothing pleases them long ; so un- settled Christians are childish ; those truths they embrace at one time, they reject at a- nother ; sometimes they like the Protestant religion, and soon after they have a good mind to turn Papists. Now, that you may labour to be settled (as Ignatius) in the faith, in unsettled times of settled judg- ments :
1st. It is the great end of the word preached, to bring us to a settlement in re- ligion. Eph. iv. 11, 13. " And he gave some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the edifying of the body of Christ : that we henceforth be no more children." The word is called ' an ham- mer,' Jer. xxiii. 29. Every blow of the hammer is to fasten the nails of the build- ing ; the preacher's words are but to fasten you the more to Christ, — they weaken themselves to strcnjrthen and settle you. This is the grand design of preaching, — not only for the enlightening, but for the establishing of souls, — not only to guide them in the right way, but to keep them in it. Now, if you be not settled, you do not answer God's end in giving you the ministry.
2d. To be settled in religion is both a
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A PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE
Christian's excellency and honour. It is his excellency ; when the milk is settled it turns to cream ; now he will he something zealous for the truth, walk in close com- munion with God ; and his honour, Pro v. x\'i. 31. " The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it he found in the way of righteous- ness." It is one of the best sights, to see an old disciple, — to see silver hairs adorn- ed witli golden virtues.
3d. Such as are not settled in the faith can never suffer for it; sceptics in religion will hardly ever prove martyi's ; they that are not settled do hang in suspense, — when they think of the joys of heaven, then they will espouse the gospel, — but when they think of persecution, then they desert it. Unsettled Christians do not consult what is best, but what is safest : " The apostate (saitli Tertullian) seems to put God and Satan in balance, and lia\dng weighed both their services, prefers the devil's ser%'ice, and proclaims him to be the best master ; and in this sense, may be said to ' put Christ to open shame,' " Heb. vi. 6. They will never suffer for the truth, but be as a soldier that leaves his colours, and runs over to the enemy's side ; he will fight on the devil's side for pay.
4th. Not to be settled in the faith, is highly provoking to God. To espouse the truth, and then to fall away, brings an ill report upon the gospel, which will not go unpunished : Ps. Ixxviii. 57, 59. " They turned back, and dealt unfaithfully ; when God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel." The apostate di'ops as a wind- fill I into the devil's mouth.
5th. If ye are not settled in religion, you will never grow. We are commanded ' to grow up into the head, even Christ,' Eph. iv. 15. But if we are unsettled, no grow- ing : " the plant which is continually re- moving never thrives." He can no more grow in godliness, who is unsettled, than a bone can grow in the body that is out of joint.