right for admittance, and though his arguments be very cogent with evidence, and he fully proveth all that he saith, yet it is less wonder that he is kept out by unbelief, because, though he have the right, yet his enemy hath the possession. But in a true believer, Christ hath possession, as well as right: and, therefore, it will be harder for the enemy to dispossess him, by drawing that soul again to infidelity. His Spirit keeps possession; his graces all keep possession; his precepts and promises also without, do hold them to their allegiance. His threatenings awe them, and are as a wall of fire before them, and they have their eyes opened to see the angel with the sword. He telleth them, that if any man draw back, his soul shall have no pleasure in him. (Heb. x. 38.) That it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come; if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Heb. vi. 4, 5, 6.) I see no necessity that this must be understood of the unregenerate and unjustified; yet doth it not affirm, that eventually any sanctified, justified person shall come into this sad condition, but it warneth them that they do not, and telleth them the danger, that hereby it may be prevented for Christ causeth his people's perseverance, by telling them of the possibility, facility, and danger, in itself, of not persevering. So that all these advantages do fortify a true believer against infidelity: but especially in that the precepts, and promises, and threatenings of Christ's law, are all written over again in his heart: these are they that hold fast. A precept, and promise, and threatening in the Bible, may do much; but when a true Christian is tempted to unbelief, he can say, 'There is a precept to the contrary written in my heart: there is a threatening against infidelity written in my heart: there is a promise to believers written in my heart. How then can I do this great evil and sin against the law that is within me: and the Lord that doth possess me?

You see, then, what hope the devil hath to speed by such temptations, and where it is, that the upstart generation of cunning infidels in this age, here in England, must seek their prey, and find matter to make unhappy proselytes of; not among the experienced, well-grounded, renewed, and truly regenerate ones, that have a Christ in their hearts, as well as

:

his name in their books, but among those that are merely nominal, titular, traditional and superficial Christians of such as these is their apostatized party composed.

Obj. But some that have seemed as godly and experienced Christians as the best, have of late fallen to deny Christ and everlasting life.

Answ. 1. All seemers have not the witness in themselves, nor the law of Christ put into their hearts.

2. I hope some of those that deny the fundamentals opiniatively and speculatively, may hold them virtually and practically; and that their infidelity is not yet rooted or habituated, nor hath extirpated the better habits which were in them, though it have so far prevailed with their fantasies, opinions, and tongues.

3. If it were proved that some true believers do apostatize unto perdition, yet would the doctrine which we are upon remain unshaken, that it is a great advantage against temptations to unbelief, to have the witness in ourselves.

Sect. XVI.

Obj. May not a Turk or a pagan say the like, that there is something within them that dissuadeth them from a change; and resisteth all motions that would draw them from their religion? That is, there is prejudice, through education, custom, company, and interests, and prepossession; and there is a kind of love to their own idols, and conceits hereupon. And what is yours more than this?

Answ. My answer consisteth of two parts, which I desire you to observe together. 1. It is easy to possess men with prejudice, and with love, and friendship, to a false teacher, false religion, or way, which hath nothing in nature against it, but for it; but it is not easy to possess meǹ with the like persuasions and affections to that which nature is not for but against. If Mahomet will promise men dominion on earth, and sensual felicity after that they are dead, and make a sensual life to be the way to it, what wonder if nature be easily drawn to this religion? Here is much in carnal hearts to befriend it, but little to gainsay it. But if Christ call men from all their pleasing sins, and instead of satisfying their flesh do require them to take it as their enemy, and to crucify it; and instead of making them great in the world, do call them to leave all, and deny themselves, and take up their cross and follow him, if

they will be his disciples; and setteth men upon high and spiritual employments, and all in hope of a reward, which is unseen here flesh and blood will resist; carnal nature will rise up against it; this will not easily down, till more than human strength effect it; so that you may see the case is so different between the christian religion and others, that it will no way follow, that we may love Christ without a supernatural work, because a man may love Mahomet without it.

2. And further note, that we do make a great difference among Christians themselves, between those that believe and love Christ merely upon such prejudice, custom, or interest; and those that believe in him, and love him sincerely, and upon right grounds. And we confess, that those of the former, being but superficial and seeming Christians, may be drawn away to infidelity but what is that to their case, that have a true faith and love? There is a double difference between these and the other one in the object of their faith and love, and another in the act. For, first, it is but the cheap and easy part of the christian religion, which those customary professors do indeed entertain in love; and so they love Christ but as the author of these and so they make another thing of christian religion in their conceits, than indeed it is; and it is not indeed that religion which they embrace or love, but the name of it, and some parcels torn from the rest; but it is not so with the sincere and then, secondly, it is but a superficial, dreaming, ineffectual belief, that they receive the very history of the rest; and therefore not accepted by a sovereign love.

Such a faith and love ás Mahometans have to Mahomet, such many seeming Christians have to Christ; and these are not the confirmed ones, by the testimony in themselves. But such a rooted faith and love, as is proper to the saints, in one that so crosseth their carnal inclinations and interests, as is aforesaid; this cannot be found in any but in Christians. Men of other religions have no such object for faith and love, and no faith or love for such an object.

Consider, also, that so much of God as there is remaining, even in those religions which otherwise are false; so much, it is, even by the professors of it, resisted and opposed, in the points that are cross to carnal interests and inclinations: and, therefore, we find that even among the heathens, as Seneca and others tell us, an abstemious, temperate, contemplative man, that would not do evil as freely as others, was the common

scorn; so that the very sparks of virtue that appeared among them, had ill entertainment by the vicious vulgar; though they could, good cheap, afford them applauses when they were dead, as the wicked among us still will do of the saints that lived before them.

Sect. XVII.

Obj. But if the Gospel were false, yet, if you do but believe it to be true, will it not make all those impressions on the mind, which you so magnify. If one tell me of an everlasting joy or torment, will it not make me deeply affected, and chiefly apply myself to the minding thereof, if I do but believe it, whether it be true or not so that it is the weight of the matter, and your belief of it, that causeth all these effects, and not the truth of it.

Answ. I confess, I have known some much staggered by this objection, but I doubt not to show you the vanity of it; as followeth :

1. You suppose that which is not to be supposed, viz.; that the doctrine is not true which we believe, or that it is not of God, when you say, 'It would have such effects, though it were not of God, if we did but believe it:' and that you ought not in this disputation to suppose that is manifest, in that we first prove it to be of God, by former arguments, before we plead this argument, from the testimony within us.

We use not this our first reason of belief, but as a confirming reason, procuring a stronger belief: for we do not first believe Scripture to be of God, bacause it hath done such works on us; but we believe it by other cogent reasons, that so it may do such works on us. It is a believed doctrine, that mortifieth our lusts, and raiseth up our hearts to God.

Let us suppose such a disputation between the tempter and Adam, in his innocency. The devil saith: "This great world which thou seest and art a member of was not made by God, but by me.'

Adam saith: 'I know it was made by God; for as none but God can make such a fraine, so I have seen God in it and by it, and by this sight of him my soul hath been possessed with such lively apprehensions of his infinite wisdom, and goodness, and greatness, and hath received such admirable impressions hereupon, that I am fully confirmed by these effects within me, that it is the work of God.'

The tempter replieth; "This is but the effect of thine own

belief, for whether God made it or no, thou wilt thus admire God for it, if thou do but believe that he made it.' Here the tempter may not suppose that God made not the world; though Adam be but proving it, the contrary may be supposed, because this argument from the impress and effects is but a confirming argument, supposing it proved before by other arguments; That none but God could make this world, and that God did make it.

We can first show the image of the Creator on the world, and thereby prove that it is his workmanship; but, afterwards, when Adam findeth the impress upon his heart, he is more confirmed in it, against all temptations.

So do we first prove, by the intrinsic nature of the word itself, and by the extrinsic assistant testimony of miracles, and wondrous works, that the Scripture is of God, and the doctrine is his truth; and then we are confirmed in it by the effects of it upon our own souls. We first show the image of God, and his Son Christ in the Gospel, and then we find the same image imprinted by the Gospel upon our hearts. Suppose a prince have a broad seal that no one can counterfeit, and which he hath also extrinsically testified to be his own; if I have a grant of some lands, which I hold by writings under that seal, if any affirm that the great seal itself is counterfeit, I will prove the contrary: first, from the seal and extrinsic testimony; and, then, from the impress of it, which I possess: and, if any say, 'If the same seal were counterfeit, yet, it would make the same impress;' I should answer, 'That I prove both from the quality of the seal and impress, that it is not counterfeit.'

2. Note, therefore, that we argue not from the impress upon the soul, as an impress, but as such an impress, from the quality or nature of it; and finding it to be the very image of God, we are the more confirmed, that the seal that made it did bear the same image, and was his.

Sect, XVIII.

Obj. What need you a testimony within you, if you can see the same image of God in the word without you, and so believe before is not the same sufficient to confirm your belief which did beget it?

For answer to this objection, I add in the third place :

3. The image of God is more easily discerned in the effects or