[63] SERMON III. Sermon Of the Faith or Ferswasion of a The third Sermon on this Text. HEB. XI. 6. But without Faith it is impossible to please God. I Have observ'd that a Religious under it three things. • First, a Perswasion of the Principles of Natural Religion, which are known by the light of Nature. Secondly, Volume Secondly, A perswafion of things XII. Supernatural, and Reveal'd. Thirdly, A Perswasion of Supernatural Revelation. The two former of these I have confider'd, and now proceed to the Third fort of Faith, which I call Divine, or Religious; viz. a Perswafion concerning a Divine Revelation, that is fuch; which I diftinguish from the former thus. The former is a Perfwafion concerning the things which are revealed from God, that they are true: this is a Perswafion concerning the Revelation it felf, that it is Divine and from God. For the opening of this there are many things to be taken into confideration. I. What we understand by a Divine Revelation. II. The feveral Kinds of it. III. The III. Whether a Perswasion con- Sermon cerning a Divine Revelation be pro- III. perly Faith. IV. How we may come to be affured of a Divine Revelation, or by what Arguments a Faith or Perswasion of a Divine Revelation is wrought in us. : V. The Degrees of this Perswasion or Affurance. VI. The Effects of it. VII. In what sense it may be faid to be a Divine Faith; under which I shall speak fomething concerning the Testimony of the Spirit. I. What we are to understand by a Divine Revelation. Answ. A Supernatural discovery, or manifestation of things to us. I say supernatural, because it may either be immediately by God, or by the mediation of Angels; as most, if not all of the Revelations of the Old Testament were; a fuperna F : fupernatural Discovery, or ManifeftaVolume tion, either immediately to our minds, XiI. and inward faculties; (for I do not fo well understand the distinction between Understanding and Imagination, as to be careful to take notice of it;) or else mediately to our understandings, by the mediation of our outward Senses, as by an external appearance to our bodily eyes, or by a voice and found to the sense of hearing. But of this I have dif• See Vol. cours'd in a former Sermon, * and therefore shall add no more here. 5. Serm. 11. II. For the several kinds of Divine Revelation; of this also I have * See Vol. formerly * discours'd at large. 5. Serm. 11. III. Whether a Perswasion of a Divine Revelation may properly be call'd Faith? To this I answer, That according to the streight and narrow notion of Faith, which the Schools have fix'd, which is an afsent to any thing grounded upon the Testimony, and Authority of God revealing it, a Perswasion of a Divine Revelation cannot properly be call'd Faith; because it is irrational to to expect that a man should have another Divine Revelation to affure Sermon him, that this is a Divine Revelati- III. on: for then for the fame reason, I must expect another Divine Revelation to affure me of that, and fo without end. But I have fufficiently shewn, that this is not the true notion of Faith in general, but only of a particular kind of Faith; viz. that which is wrought by the Argument, which we call Testimony, or Authority. But according to the true and general notion of Faith, which is a perfiwasion of the mind concerning any thing, a perswasion of the mind concerning a Divine Revelation, may as properly be call'd Faith, as any thing else, if men will but grant, that a man may be fo satisfied, concerning a Divine Revelation, as verily to believe and be perswaded that it is fo. IV. How we may come to be perswaded of a Divine Revelation, that it is such; or by what Arguments this Perfwasion is wrought in us? For answer to this, it will be requisite diftinctly to confider, F2 First, |