3. It is not enough to consider whether we believe in any sort, but whether we do truly and sincerely believe ; for many profess Christ that do not believe in him. Christ hath disciples in name and disciples in- deed : John viii. 31, 'If you continue in my word, then are ye my dis- ciples indeed.' Again, there are some to whom the gospel cometh in word only, and not in power, 1 Thes. i. 5. They have a literal know- ledge and apprehension of things, but it worketh no change in them, they are not renewed and changed.
Quest. How shall we distinguish the one from the other ?
Ans. When the truths believed have an effectual power upon us, to change our hearts and reform our lives. So the apostle : 1 Thes. ii. 13, ' When ye received the word, ye received it not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the word of God, which effectually worketh in you that believe.' Look, as we judge of men's knowledge of God by their carriage towards him : Titus i. 16, ' Many profess to know God, but in their works they deny him.' The Lord refuteth the claim of those that said, ' My God, we know thee ; ' Hosea viii. 2, ' Ye have not followed the thing that good is.' We profess God knoweth the heart, yet we never take care to purge it from corrupt lusts ; we profess God hath a particular providence and care for his people, yet we shift for ourselves ; we profess God is true, yet we believe him no further than we see him ; so our believing in Christ may be judged of. It is not the speculative assent which doth denominate us believers, but answerable walking. Many will honour Christ with their lips, give him all the titles which belong to the Redeemer and Saviour of the world, but they disregard his office and saving grace ; they own the truth of eternal salvation by Christ, but they neglect this great salvation, Heb. ii. 3, never look after any interest in the happiness of the other world, nor make any serious preparation for the life to come, but wholly spend their time in pam- pering the flesh, or worldly cares and ambitious projects. These are not sincere believers.
4. The matter which we are to believe is the apostle's testimony concerning God's good-will to sinners in Christ. Here I will prove two things —
[1.] That Christianity, or the doctrine of salvation by Christ, is a testimony. A testimony is a sort of proof necessary in matters that cannot otherwise be decided and found out by rational deduction or discourse ; as in two cases — in things that depend upon the arbitrary will of another, and in matters of fact. In both respects is the gospel brought to us as a testimony. In the first respect by Christ, who came out of the bosom of God, and knew his secrets ; as it is a report of matter of fact by eye and ear-witnesses, by the apostles.
(1.) A testimony is necessary in matters that depend upon the arbitrary will of another. If I be concerned to know how he standeth affected towards me, I must know it by his testimony. So God's good- will of saving sinners by Christ is not a thing that can be found out by the light of nature, therefore it is made known to us by testimony.
VeR. 10.] SERMONS UPON 2 THESSALONIANS I. 281
None can know God's mind but God himself, and he to whom he will reveal it. So our Lord telleth us, Mat. xi. 27, ' No man knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.' To save sinners, or restore the lapsed world by a redeemer, is not proprietor divince naturae, a necessary act of the divine nature, but opus liberi consilii, an act of his mere grace, love, and compassion: John iii. 16, ' God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son,' &c. This wonderful work proceeded from the free motion of God's will, and therefore was impossible to be found out by discourse of natural reason ; for how could any man divine what God purposed in his heart before he wrought it, unless he himself revealed it to him ? That Deus placabilis, God was appeasable, man might find out by the continuance of the course of nature, and the blessings of providence, notwithstanding our sin, and the need of an expiation and a propitiatory sacrifice ; but for the way of appeasing God, how a man shall be pardoneu and recon- ciled to God, and obtain eternal life, of this nature knew nothing. The angels, who are the highest sort of reasonable creatures, wonder at it when it is revealed, Eph. iii. 10, 1 Peter i. 12. Therefore they could never find it out before it was revealed. Upon the whole, the knowledge of the gospel merely dependeth on the testimony of God brought to us by Christ, who was sent to reveal his Father's will.
(2.) A testimony is necessary in matters of fact. Matters of law are argued and debated by reason, but matters of fact are only proved by credible witnesses ; and in this respect the gospel to us is a testi- mony that Christ came into the world, taught the way of salvation in that manner wherein it is now set down in the scriptures, wrought miracles, died for our sins at Jerusalem, rose again to confirm all, and cause faith in the world that he was the true Messiah ; these things were to be once done in one place of the world, but yet the knowledge of them concerned all the rest of the world. All the world could not see Christ in the flesh, nor hear his gracious speeches, nor be present where he wrought miracles, died, rose again, ascended into heaven ; and it was not necessary that he should always live here, and act over his sufferings in every age and every place ; yea, the contrary was necessary, that he should but die once and rise again, and go to heaven ; and those that live in other ages and places have only a valuable testi- mony of it.