The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ

3. They may continue in the practice of Religion all their days: tho many times they do not, but fall away sometimes to Heresy, sometimes to Profaneness, and ordinarily if they live long they grow sapless and unsavoury, so as to have little relish of Religion upon their hearts: and generally those tails which they ⟨p. 171⟩have had of the good Word of God, are lost after a while, so as to have no enlivening impression on the heart: these affections which sometime were in them wither away: yet without question many of them do continue in the practice of Religion as long as they live: if they may continue in the practice of Religion one year, why not seven? why not twenty? why not as long as they live? love of credit, a compliance with the custom of the place where they live, the workings of natural conscience may have such an influence upon them, as to make them continue in the practise of Religion: Christ indeed says of some, that they believe for a time, and in time of temptation fall away, Luk. 8.13. but his meaning is, that it is commonly so: but experience shows that a temporary Faith may live under persecution: all false Faith indeed may be called temporary, because it is subject to perish in time: it is not built upon such a foundation as to make it stand against all temptations: true Faith is built upon firm foundations, the power, mercy and faithfulness of God, and the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ; and in these things there is a bottom for Faith in the dismallest times that may come: here is that which will answer all temptations, 2 Thess. 2.16. but a false Faith is built upon failing foundations, the goodness of his frames, mistakes about the love of God, and hence his faith may fail, though I know no condition that a false heart can be brought into, except one wherein he may not continue to believe; he may continue to believe under great afflictions from the hand of God, under great persecutions from men, in a dying day: indeed if God do discover to him what an heart he has, and show him the plague of that, his false Faith will die away, for the foundation of it, sc an opinion of his ⟨p. 172⟩own goodness is taken away: but yet even then he may continue in the practice of Religion: