ly on account of Their having promised for him what He himself is not willing to confent to. But ftill he is under an obligation no less strong upon another account: Which is,

2. THAT. the things themselves are in their own nature fuch, as the baptized Perfon would be abfolutely and indispensably obliged to perform, whether the Sureties had ever made any Promise for him, or not. To believe what God declares, and to Do what He commands, are things which every perfon is neceffarily obliged to, though no Promise had been made for him at all: And the Promife of the Sureties is not fo much the Ground of the obligation incumbent upon the baptized perfon, as the necessary obligation of the things themselves is that which makes Their Promife to have any Validity. Wherefore, indeed, Their Promife is not properly with intent to lay any obligation upon us, or tie us up to any thing we were not otherwife bound to do; but 'tis merely a Declaration and Affurance of a kind intention to

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remind us of our original and abfolute Obligation to believe and obey the Will of God. So that, when any one is taught to say, that he verily thinks he is bound to believe and to do, as his Godfathers and Godmothers promised for him; the Meaning is not, that he Therefore thinks himself bound, because They Promised; but that he acknowledges himself satisfied that They promised nothing, but what was in itself his Abfolute Duty to do: Which Promise, he is therefore at all times willing to renew and ratify.

ALL This, is very clear and plain, with respect to what we are to Do. But what is meant by being bound to Believe, is more difficult. For if Believing, does not, like our Actions, depend upon the Will; but men must neceffarily believe what they have good Evidence for; and cannot poffibly believe what they fee no reason to be convinced of; How then can Believing be a Duty, which a man should upon Any account be at all bound to perform? Upon This, 'tis to be obferved, that That Belief, which

I

And

which is the Duty of a Christian, is not, in the strict sense of the word, That bare Affent of the Understanding, which 'tis not in our Power to with-hold; but it fignifies, in the Moral fenfe, That good dispofition of the Mind and Will, by which a man, laying afide all Vice and Prejudice and corrupt Inclinations, chufes to attend to and examine and confider and receive willingly, whatever upon due Inquiry he fhall find to be the Will of God: when he has fo received it, not carelessly and credulously, but upon fober Reason and good Evidence; he adheres to it ftedfastly, as a Principle or rational Ground of Action, by which he is uniformly to be directed. Wherefore Faith, confidered as a Christian Virtue,always includes in it aNotion ofFidelity or Faithfulness.On the contrary,Unbelief, confidered as a Fault, never fignifies merely the disbelieving of any thing for want of fufficient Proof; but it always fignifies rejecting carelessly and obftinately, without due examination and without just reafon; or upon the Motives and Suggestions of Paffion or Intereft, in opposition to

Reason. And This is evidently the Cafe of all Profane, Debauched, and Loose Infidels; who, under pretense of not being satisfied with the Evidences of Revelation, live in direct contradiction to all the Principles of Reafon and Virtue, and of the Natural Knowledge of God.

AND thus much concerning the Acknowledgment contained in This Answer, "Yes verily."

THE following words, " And by God's Help fo I will," are a declaration of perpetually renewing wife and good Refolutions, Refolutions of adhering to our Faith, and perfevering in our Obedience. For these things are very apt to flip out of the minds of careless perfons; whilst the PleaMat. xiii. fures of Youth, and the Cares of this World, and the Deceitfulness of Riches, choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful. Wherefore 'tis very expedient for young perfons, as often as the Principles of Religion are rebearfed in the Catechifm, thus to confirm and establish themselves by new and repeated Refolutions,

22.

FURTHER:

FURTHER: Because the things we are obliged to perform, are no lefs our True Interest than our Plain Duty; and living in Obedience to the Commands of God, is even at present a State of Salvation, a State of Freedom from the Dominion of vitious Habits and of bafe and unreafonable Sins, a State which is even at present justly ftiled the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God, as well as an Affurance of Life and Immortality hereafter; therefore at the fame time that we acknowledge our Obligation, we are taught to declare our Thankfulness alfo for fo excellent a Benefit. "And I heartily Thank our Heavenly Father, that he hath called me to this "State of Salvation, through Jefus Chrift our Saviour."

OUR Thanks are to be returned, in the firft place, to God, our Heavenly Father, the Original Author and Supreme Lord of All: Whofe Goodness it was, to Send his Son for our Redemption. For 'tis a very wrong and injurious notion of the God and Father of All, to conceive of him as