VeR. 6] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI, 75
and a pcii^an in life and practice ; we must make a particular applica- tion of those things, that so our own interest may be sure. AYhen a man is ready to perish and drown, it is not enough to see land, hut he must reach to it, and stand upon it, if he would be safe ; so we must get an interest in God. The apostle requires ' coming and seeking' in this place ; ' coming ' implies desire of communion with him, and ' seek- ing,' a diligent use of the means that we may enjoy him. There must be an application of those things to a practical end, else the general notion and opinion will do us no good.
2. The scope of the apostle is not to set down the whole object of faith, but the first foundation — namely, what faith is absolutely neces- sary, and previous either to the seeking of the favour of God or any act of obedience ; for unless we do believe that there is a divine power, and that there are recompenses appointed to encourage the duty of the creature, all religion would be but a dead custom, and would be soon abolished. Therefore, I suppose, the apostle, to prove his argument with more advantage, proceedeth, ex concessis, from things that common reason will grant to be necessary to every good action. He instanceth in the principal radical truths, which are the foundation of all religion, that there is a God, and that this God will reward all virtue ; there is a God all-suiiicient, and he will be good to the creature.
3. These two articles must be enlarged and explained according to the analogy of faith and the declaration which God htith made of his will in the gospel ; all breviates, wherein religion is reduced to a i'ev: heads, must still be explained according to the extent of the rule of faith. Look, as in the commandments, where all moral duties are reduced to ten words; so in the summaries of the gospel, those things must be explained by the extent of the rule of faith ; for instance, in the first article, ' He that cometh to God must believe that he is; ' that is, he is as he hath revealed himself, one in three persons ; for otherwise we worship an idol, and not that which is God. We form an idol when we think of God out of the trinity ; therefore we must believe that he is in that manner as he hath revealed himself in the scripture. So for the other article, ' That God is a rewarder ; ' that is in the way that God hath revealed himself according to the tenor of the covenant of grace ; that he is a rewarder in and through Christ as mediator ; that he will give us all the blessings of the covenant, justification and remission of sins, as the pawn of glory, and sanctification as the beginning of glory ; and then glory itself as the perfection of all ; and all these things in and through Christ. It is true, in innocency there were but two things to be believed ; that God is, and that God is a rewarder. But now, after the fall, both before and after the law, the catechism was enlarged, and we have to look not only to our creator, but to our saviour, the mediator ; but after Christ's coming the M'ill of God is more explained, and our belief is required to be more explicit.
' It is impossible ; ' not in regard of the absolute dominion and sove- reignty of God — he might have taken another course of salvation — but in regard to his will, and the course into which our salvation is stated and disposed. God can save a man without faith, as, saith Mr Perkins, he can enlighten the world without the sun ; but this is the way which, in wisdom and justice, he hath found out. God's will is the supreme
76 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. XXIV.
rule ; and as God hath ordered the way by which he will bring creatures to hap])iness, so ex hypothesi, it is impossible ever to be accepted of God without Christ.
' To please God ; ' wliat is that ? In the former verse I told you what is in Gen. v. 24, ' Enoch walked with God ; ' it is in the Septuagint, Enoch pleased God. Walking with God notes obedience, and pleasing of God the success of obedience. To please God here is to be accepted in any act of duty and obedience ; to be accepted to life as conformable to God's will. Now it is impossible we should be thus accepted with- out faith in Jesus Christ. Thus I have opened the propositions.
Secondh/, I come to the inferences that may be drawn from hence ; some are doctrinal, some of practical consideration.
First, It is impossible to be saved without true faith in Jesus Christ ; or, that there is no religion but that wiiich teacheth rightly to believe in Christ, that can be looked upon as a way of salvation. Jews and Turks and infidels can never please God, nor be accepted to life, because they have no faith. There are many that say that every.man sliall be saved in his own religion — Turks, Jews, heathens — if they be true to their principles — and devout in their own religion. Symmachus, a Avicked heathen pleading for paganism against the christians, and for the ancient worship of the gods, saith thus, ^quum est quicquid onines colunt, tmunijjutetur, eadern spectamus astra, commune ccdum est, idem nos mundus involvat ; quid interest quod quisque sua prudentia verum inquired f Uuo itinere non potest perve7iiri ad tarn grande secretum. — It is but equal, that though we take several ways, yet we should live together, as those that agree in the same worship. We behold the same stars, and we hope for the same heaven, and we live upon the same earth, what matter in what kind of way we seek out the truth. This opinion layetli a foundation for atheism and libertinism, and doth much take off from our thankfulness that we owe to God for that excellent treasure which he hath opened to the church in the scriptures ; so that they wliich plead for the heatliens had need look to themselves, lest they themselves are not found christians. Clear it is, if we will hearken to what is revealed, that there is no salvation in any other but in Christ, Acts iv. 12. God hath acquainted the creature Avith no other way how we may come to life. Now, the heathens had no know- ledge of Christ ; they had only some general knowledge of a divine power, they had to r^vwarov &eov — ' That which may be known of God/ Rom. i, 19 : some general notice of a divine being, which served to leave them without excuse, but not to save them. It is true, they might by the creation understand God's eternity and power — attributes that are obvious, but more terrible than comfortable to sinners — but for any knowledge of Christ, they could have none. Sun and moon could not preach Christ, though they might preach a God ; but the way of salvation by Christ, the very angels come to know by the church : Eph. iii. 10, ' To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church, the manifold wisdom of God.' Christ, then, they knew not; and without Christ there is no salvation.