Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: LECTURE III. The Chriftian Faith. Mark xvi. 16. He that believeth and is baptifed, foall be faved; but he that believeth not, Jhall be damned. TH E fecond Thing promifed at our Baptifm and Admiflion into the Golpel Covenant was,
That we mould believe the Articles of the Chriftian Faith. This we find by the Text, was not a needlefs but very important Promife, our eternal Salvation depending upon the Performance. ? For the Words are exprefs, ‘.’ He that believeth and is baptifed, fhall be faved; but he that believeth not, fhall be damned. Here it may be afked, how a Man can engage for his Faith, when Faith depends upon Evidence ? If we have Reafon and Authority for believing, we can no more help believing, than we can avoid feeing an Object which is plain before us; and to believe without Reafon, is fo far from being commendable, that it contradicts a Chriftian Rule, which requires us
to be able to give a Reafon of the Hope which is in us. Faith, as it implies the Aflent of the Underftanding to a Propofuion delivered, delivered, may not be in our Power; but as it i a Chriftian Principle, it muft proceed from the Heart, and depends greatly upon our being rightly difpofed, and free from Prejudice againft the Truths which may be offered; otherwife we fhall be apt to reject what we have no mind to follow; or which, by reafon of Fault in ourfelves appears in a falfe Light. Men may fhut their Eyes againft the Light, an4 not view the plaineft Objects; and Hearts har- t dened and prepofiefled, are with Difficulty convinced. If we would believe aright, our Part is, to give all Diligence to fecure a proper Temper within to receive Conviction: This muft be the Purport of our Chriftian Engagement. It is accordingly obfervable, that our early Inftruction firf…