An humble inquiry into the rules of the Word of God, concerning the qualifications…

Here it may be said, that although' no explicit and formal Profession of those Things which belong to true Piety, be required of them; yet there are many Things they do, that are a virtual and implicit Profession of these Things: Such as their owning the Christian Covenant, their owning God the Father Son and Holy Ghost, to be their God; and by their visibly joining in the public Prayers and singing God's Praises, there is a Show and implicit Profession of supreme Respect to God and Love to him; by joining in the public Confessions, they make a Show of Repentance; by keeping Sabbaths and hearing the Word, they make a Show of a Spirit of Obedience; by offering to come to Sacraments, they make a Show of Love to Christ and a Dependence on his Sacrifice.

Here it may be said, that altho' no explicit and formal Profession of those Things which belong to true Piety, be required of them; yet there are many Things they do, that are a virtual and implicit Profession of these Things: Such as their owning the Christian Covenant, their owning God the Father Son and Holy Ghost, to be their God; and by their visibly joining in the publick Prayers and singing God's Praises, there is a Shew and implicit Profession of supreme Respect to God and Love to him; by joining in the publick Confessions, they make a Shew of Repentance; by keeping Sabbaths and hearing the Word, they make a Shew of a Spirit of Obedience; by offering to come to Sacraments, they make a Shew of Love to Christ and a Dependance on his Sacrifice.

To this I answer; 'Tis a great Mistake, if any one imagines, that all these external Performances are of the Nature of a Profession of any thing at all that belongs to saving Grace, as they are commonly used and understood: and to be sure none of them are so, according to the Doctrines that are taught and embraced, and the Customs that are established in such Churches as proceed on the Foot of the Principles forementioned. For what is professing, but exhibiting, uttering, or declaring, either by intelligible Words, or by other established Signs that are equivalent? But in such Churches, neither their publicly saying, that they avouch God the Father Son and Holy Ghost, to be their God, and that they give themselves up to Him, and promise to obey all his Commands, nor their coming to the Lord's Supper, or to any other Ordinances, are taken for Expressions or Signs of any thing belonging to the Essence of Christian Piety. But on the contrary, the public Doctrine, Principle and Custom in such Churches establishes a diverse Use of these Words & Signs. People are taught, that they may use 'em all, and not so much as make any Pretence to the least Degree of sanctifying Grace; and this is the established Custom: so they are used, and so they are understood. And therefore whatever some of these Words and Signs may in themselves most properly and naturally import or signify, they entirely cease to be Significations of any such Thing among People accustomed to understand and use them otherwise; and so cease to be of the Nature of a Profession of Christian Piety. There can be no such Thing among such a People, as either an explicit or implicit Profession of Godliness by any Thing which (by their established Doctrine and Custom) an unregenerate Man may and ought to say and perform, knowing himself to be so. For let the Words and Actions otherwise signify what they will, yet that People have in Effect agreed among themselves, that Persons who use them, need not intend