2. Show what is the scope of the apostle, and why he mentions only God"s being and bounty.
3. Show how the place is to be explained.
1. That this general faith is not enough ; for two reasons — [1.] Partly because more is elsewhere required : John xvii. 3, ' This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and. Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent' This and nothing else is eternal life ; that is, the means or way to life eternal.
The knowledge of Christ is every way made as necessary to salvation as the knowledge of God, for indeed without Christ we can never come to enjoy God. There is a great gulf betwixt him and us ; all gracious commerce is broken off between God and the fallen creature, and there- fore, John xiv. 6, 'Xo man can come to the Father but by me.' In the fallen estate of man there is need of a mediator. Man in innocency might immediately converse with God ; God loved his own image iu Adam ; and what could a just and holy man fear from a just and holy God ? But now of God's creatures we are made his prisoners; we can expect nothing from his mercy, because he is just ; and therefore if the creature would have comfort, another principle must be taken in ; we must not only know God to be the true God, but Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. The great inquiry of the whole world is, wherewith shall I please God ? Micah vi, 8, ' Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God ? ' How shall he give his justice content and satisfaction ? Solomon saith, that when man had lost his
74 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XL [SeR. XXIV.
innocency, he was full of inventions : Eccl. vii. 29, ' God hath made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions.' Man at first had wisdom and light enough to guide him to happiness, hut ever since we liaveheen given to roving and fond counsels, and we seek here and there liow to return to that happiness we had lost. But among all the inven- tions of man he never found out a sufiicient ransom to. expiate sin, to reconcile us to God, to sanctify human nature, that we may again hold commerce with heaven ; so that there is somewhat more required than a sight of a divine essence, and a general belief of his rewards ; even the knowledge of Christ, without whom there is no salvation.
[2.] Partly because many that never pleased God may go so far ; as the devils that are condemned to everlasting chains of darkness, and the heathens that are altogether ignorant of Christ, and carnal chris- tians that never felt the saving efficacy of his grace. The devils believe God's essence and his everlasting recompenses. His essence : James ii. 19, ' Thou believest that there is one God, thou doest well ; the devils also believe and tremble.' The devils themselves are under the awe and dread of this truth. There may be atheists in the world, but there are none in hell ; the devils believe there is a God, and they could never exempt and free themselves from the horror and thought of it. So they believe his recompenses: Mat. viii. 29, 'What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of God ? art thou come hither to torment us before the time ? ' The devils have some sense of the day of judgment, though they cannot hope for any release, and can look for nothing but an increase of torment; yet they know there is a time coming, and they treniljle for the present at the thought of it. So for heathens ; they believe that God is, and that there are some rewards ; though their belief of these things be very weak and imperfect, and mingled with falsities and absurd conceits of their own, yet they had some knowledge of the reward of virtue. Epictetus requireth two things that are necessary to piety — 6p6a^ V7ro'\.7]-yJreL<i irepl ©ecov e'^ecv, &)? ovrcov, /cal hiKovvrwv ra o\a Ka- Xco? Kai. hiKa'm^ — That we should conceive of the gods, first as being, then as guiding all things with goodness and j ustice. So J^^lian saith, That the \ ery barbarians did affirm that there was a God, and that he liad a care of all human affairs, to reward what was good, and to punish what was evil. And Seneca — Primus est deontm cultus deos credere, deinde reddere {His majestatem suam, et reddere honi/afem, sine qua mdla majestas. — The first thing that we must do is to believe there are gods, then acknowledge their majesty and power, then their goodness, without which all religion would perish. And Plutarch — ov yap aOdvarov Kol fjbaKapiov /xovov aXka kol (f>iXdv6pa)7rop koI co^iXifiov dvayvcoaKeiv ■x^pr] rov &c6v. It is necessary ,if we would begodly, that we should not only believe there is a God, immortal and happy, but that he is a lover of men, if we exercise ourselves in virtuous things. I might produce many instances in this kind ; but I forbear, lest it should seem to savour of affectation and blustering in an unknown language. So for carnal men, where the sound of the gospel hath come, those that have not a dram of gi-ace, they have this general faith, that God is, and that God is a rewarder ; therefore this cannot be enough to please God, and to be accepted to salvation to have such apprehensions. A man is not saved 1 ly holding a right opinion of God. A man may be a christian in opinion.