FAITH and OBEDIENCE are the Two Pillars on which Religion stands. If either of them is wanting, that mans Religion is Vain. And yet the greatest part of those who pretend to Christianity, fail in one of these. It is Natural for Adams Children to seek for life by works and doings of their own, without a CHRIST. They would find the Life of their Hand. The Jews sought for Salvation in a Legal way, without depending on the Righteousness of Christ alone for Justification unto Life: But they attained it not. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by Faith, but as it were by the works of the Law. Millions of men called Christians, have split upon the same Rock. The Obedience of CHRIST alone, has been or could be Meritorious. Papists (and such Popery is Natural) teach that ⟨image ?⟩their Good Works are Meritorious of Heaven itself. A Learned man among them was not afraid to say, That if God would give him Heaven Gratis, he would not accept of it so; but would first do something to deserve it. On the other hand; There are many who think to be Saved by a Faith which is not attended with Holiness or New Obedience. Such Antinomians there were in the Apostles Days: To Confute whom, James wrote his Epistle; in which he says, What does it profit a man to say, He has Faith, & have not Works? Can Faith Save him? As the Body without the Spirit is Dead, so Faith without Works is Dead also. In all Ages there have been multitudes of Professing Christians, who have in their Practice been no better than Infidels. And there seems to be more such in this than in former Generations. It is the sad apprehension of several late Authors, that the world was not more Degenerate before the Universal Deluge, than it is at this Day, One observes, That if we look through the world, of an Hundred Christians, Ninety Nine are either Heretical, or of Vicious Lives. I dare not think, (as a Late and Learned Writer believes) that of a Million of men down ⟨image ?⟩from Adam to our Days, scarce so much as O as has been Saved. Our late Political […], will not allow that there have been above One and Twenty Thousand Millions of men in the world, since the Creation. But certain it is, that more than Twenty One Thousands yea, many Hundreds of Thousands are the Heirs of Salvation: For the Scripture speaks of them, as a Great […], which no man can Number. Rev. 79.
FAITH and OBEDIENCE are the Two Pillars on which Religion stands. If either of them is wanting, that mans Religion is Vain. And yet the greatest part of those who pretend to Christianity, fail in one of these. It is Natural for Adams Children to seek for life by works and doings of their own, without a CHRIST. They would find the Life of their Hand. The Jews sought for Salvation in a Legal way, without depending on the Righteousness of Christ alone for Justification unto Life: But they attained it not. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by Faith, but as it were by the works of the Law. Millions of men called Christians, have split upon the same Rock. The Obedience of CHRIST alone, has been or could be Meritorious. Papists (and such Popery is Natural) teach that ⟨image ?⟩their Good Works are Meritorious of Heaven itself. A Learned man among them was not afraid to say, That if God would give him Heaven Gratis, he would not accept of it so; but would first do something to deserve it. On the other hand; There are many who think to be Saved by a Faith which is not attended with Holiness or New Obedience. Such Antinomians there were in the Apostles Dayes: To Confute whom, James wrote his Epistle; in which he sayes, What does it profit a man to say, He has Faith, & have not Works? Can Faith Save him? As the Body without the Spirit is Dead, so Faith without Works is Dead also. In all Ages there have been multitudes of Professing Christians, who have in their Practice been no better than Infidels. And there seems to be more such in this than in former Generations. It is the sad apprehension of several late Authors, that the world was not more Degenerate before the Universal Deluge, than it is at this Day, One observes, That if we look through the world, of an Hundred Christians, Ninety Nine are either Heretical, or of Vicious Lives. I dare not think, (as a Late and Learned Writer believes) that of a Million of men down ⟨image ?⟩from Adam to our Dayes, scarce so much as O as has been Saved. Our late Political 〈…〉, will not allow that there have been above One and Twenty Thousand Millions of men in the world, since the Creation. But certain it is, that more than Twenty One Thousands yea, many Hundreds of Thousands are the Heirs of Salvation: For the Scripture speaks of them, as a Great 〈…〉, which no man can Number. Rev. 79.
