2. A speculative assent doth not denominate us true believers, but answerable walking. Certainly to believe so as to put to our seal implieth it, where, when a man receiveth the word of God as his truth, and doth accordingly manifest it in his life, he puts to his seal, and by his pi-ofession and practice doth declare that God is true. They that live merrily and sleep quietly in a course of sin, or a negligent uncertainty of their salvation, do not believe, unless a dead opinion be taken for faith ; a dead opinion begotten in us by education, and the tradition of the country where we live. We deceive ourselves with names, and shows, and dead opinions, and customary religion, but have no life nor seriousness : they have a literal knowledge and appre-
A SERMON OX JOHN IH. 33, 391
hension of the things taught, but it worketh no change in them. You are to believe so as to put to your seal ; not in word, but in deed ; to declare plainly in the whole course of your lives that you believe the great promises brought to you from God by Christ. Many in their manner of living make God a liar. The careless preacher is as bad, or worse, than he that is haunted with actual doubts about Christianity. The trembling doubter mindeth his business, but these never regard it, and do in effect say, Christ and his salvation is not worth the looking after ; as it is said of them, Ps. cvi. 24, ' They despised the good land, they believed not his word.' Those that resolve to give over the pursuit of Canaan are said to doubt of his promise. They' that neglect salvation do not believe the truth of it : Heb. ii. 3, 4, ' How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? which at the fii'st began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him, God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles.' If a man tell you that in your field there is a rich treasure which you may have for digging, if you believe the man, will not you go about to dig it up ? but if you doubt the truth of it, then you let it alone. The things propounded by Christ are so worthy, that, if you believe them, you will put in for a share, and use all good means to obtain the comfort and benefit promised.
3. In speculative assent there is not that firmness in many that live in the church as is generally conceived. In the bosom of the church there are practical atheists : Zeph. i. 12, ' And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees, that say in their heart. The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil.' In Jerusalem, in the degeneracy of the christian religion, such men were more rife than the serious worshippers of Christ: 2 Peter iii. 3, * There shall come in the last time scoffers, walking after their own lusts.' The last days are full of those profane scoffers. At the first promulgation of the gospel, while truths were new, and the exercises of christian religion lively, and there was great concord and seriousness amongst the professors of the gospel, then profane scofters were rare and un frequent ; before men's senses were benumbed with the customary use of religious duties, the notions of God were fresh, lively, and active upon their hearts ; but afterwards, when the profession of chiistianity grew into a form and national interest, and men were rather christians by the chance of their birth than their own choice and natural conviction, the church was pestered with this cattle. It was an article objected against Pope John the twenty-third in the Council of Basil, that he believed that there was no life eternal, that the soul died with the body ; and Paul the third is reported by another good author to say, when he was dying, that now he should know three things of which he had doubted all his life — An anima fiat immortalis ; an sit infernus; an sit Dens. Were these monsters alone, think you ? Certainly there are others who, however they smother their opinions, do indeed think there is no heaven and no hell ; especially now are they rife among us that live in the dregs of Christianity, when men are grown weary of the name of Christ, and the ancient severity and strictness is much lost, and the
392 A SERMON ON JOHN III, 33.
memory of those miracles and wonderful effects by which our religion was confirmed is almost worn out, or else questioned by subtle wits and men of a prostituted conscience. Now there are many mockers, and men of atheistical spirits swarm everywliere, who only talk of these things in jest ; nay, and as it seeraeth by their sh'glit and frothy handling of the matter, preach of them in jest. Certainly one great fault in christians, is they do not mind strengthening assent to or belief of gospel revelations; whereas the weakness of this weakeneth all our graces, and is the cause of that unevenness and uncertainty that we bewray in the course of our lives. Hence cometh our coldness in duty, our boldness in sinning. Our coldness in duty : Would we serve Grod in such a lifeless, heartless manner, and pray so carelessly, if we did believe that what Christ hath told us of the everlasting enjoyment of the blessed God were true ? If we did believe the truth of the gospel and of the world to come, how careful and earnest should we be to make our calling and election sure. We would think all diligence little enough.- So our boldness in sinning : We would not venture, if we did believe everlasting torments and the strict account that we must make to God. Temptations then would be refused with scorn and indignation : ' In vain is the net laid in the sight of any bird,' Prov. i. 17. Therefore it is a fault in christians when they mind the applying act, but do not labour to make their assent more .firm. Things may be daily applied when once we are assured of them ; otherwise we raise an house without a foundation.