the undertaking this religion, and the persisting in it cordially.

11. Infidelity doth also rise from sturdiness, fierceness, wildness, untamed animosity of spirit; so that a man will not endure to have his will crossed, to be under any law, to be curbed from any thing which he is prone to affect.

12. Blind zeal, grounded on prejudice, disposing men to stiff adherence unto that which they have once been addicted and accustomed to, is in the Scripture frequently represented as a cause of infidelity. So the Jews being filled with zeal, contradicted the things spoken by St. Paul;' flying at his doctrine, without weighing it: so by instinct of zeal' did St. Paul himself persecute the church; being 'exceedingly zealous for the traditions delivered by his fathers.'

In fine, infidelity doth issue from corruption of mind by any kind of brutish lust, any irregular passion, any bad inclination or habit any such evil disposition of soul doth obstruct the admission or entertainment of that doctrine, which doth prohibit and check it; doth condemn it, and brand it with infamy; doth denounce punishment and woe to it: whence men of corrupt minds, and reprobate concerning the faith ;' and 'men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth,' are attributes well conjoined by St. Paul, as commonly jumping together in practice; and to them,' saith he, that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled:' such pollution is not only consequent to, and connected with, but antecedent to infidelity, blinding the mind so as not to see the truth, and perverting the will so as not to close with it.

Faith and a good conscience are twins, born together, inseparable from each other, living and dying together; for the first, faith is (as St. Peter telleth us) nothing else but the stipulation of a good conscience,' fully persuaded that Christianity is true, and firmly resolving to comply with it: and, 'The end (or drift and purport) of the evangelical doctrine is charity out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned' whence those apostolical precepts, to hold the mystery of faith in a pure conscience;' and,' to hold faith and a good conscience, which some having put away, concerning the

faith have made shipwreck:' a man void of good conscience will not embark in Christianity; and having laid good conscience aside, he soon will make shipwreck of faith, by apostasy from it. Resolute indulgence to any one lust is apt to produce this effect.

If a man be covetous, he can hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven,' or submit to that heavenly law, which forbiddeth us 'to treasure up treasures on earth;' which chargeth us to be liberal in communication of our goods;' so as to give unto every one that asketh;' which in some cases requireth to sell all our goods, and to give them to the poor;' which declareth that whosoever doth not bid farewell to all that he hath, cannot be a disciple of Christ;' which ascribeth happiness to the poor,' and denounceth' woe to the rich, who have their consolation here.' Preach such doctrine to a covetous person, and as the young gentleman who had great possessions,' he will " go his way sorrowful;' or will do like the Pharisees, who were covetous,' and having heard our Saviour discourse such things, 'derided him' for the love of money,' saith St. Paul, 'is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith;' åπеπλaνýðŋoaν, they have wandered away,' or apostatised from the faith.

If a man be ambitious, he will not approve that doctrine, which prohibiteth us to affect, to seek, to admit glory, or to do any thing for its sake; but purely to seek God's honor, and in all our actions to regard it as our principal aim: which greatly disparageth all worldly glory as vain, transitory, mischievous; which commandeth us ' in honor to prefer others before ourselves,' and to sit down in the lowest room;' which promiseth the best rewards to humility, and menaceth, that whoever 'exalteth himself shall be abased;' the profession and practice whereof are commonly attended with disgrace: such doctrines ambitious minds cannot admit; as it proved among the Jews; who therefore could not believe, because they received glory from one another;' who therefore would not profess the faith, because they loved the glory of men rather than the glory of God.'

If a man be envious, he will not like that doctrine, which enjoineth him to desire the good of his neighbor as his own;

to have complacence in the prosperity and dignity of his brethren; not to seek his own, but every man another's wealth,' or welfare; to rejoice with them that rejoice, and mourn with those that mourn;' which chargeth us to lay aside all envyings and emulations,' under pain of damnation he therefore who is possessed with an envious spirit, or evil eye, will look ill on this doctrine; as the Jews did, who being full of envy and emulation, did reject the gospel; it being a grievous eyesore to them, that the poor Gentiles were thereby admitted to favor and mercy.

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If a man be revengeful or spiteful, he will be scandalised at that law, which commandeth us to love our enemies,' to bless those that curse us,' to 'do good to them that hate us,' to pray for them that despitefully use us;' which forbiddeth us to resist the evil,' to render evil for evil, or railing for railing;' which chargeth us to bear patiently, and freely to remit all injuries, under penalty of forfeiting all hopes of mercy from God; which requireth us to depose all wrath, animosity, and malice,' as inconsistent with our salvation: which doctrine how can a heart swelling with rancorous grudge or boiling with anger embrace? seeing it must be in meekness that we must receive the engrafted word, that is able to save our souls.'

If a man be intemperate, he will loathe that doctrine, the precepts of which are, that we be temperate in all things,' that' we bring under our bodies,' that we endure hardship as good soldiers of Christ;' to avoid all excess;' to possess our vessels in sanctification and honor;' to mortify our members on earth;' to crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts ;' to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul :' with which precepts how can a luxurious and filthy heart comport?

In fine, whatever corrupt affection a man be possessed with, it will work in him a distaste and repugnance to that doctrine, which indispensably, as a condition of salvation, doth prescribe and require universal holiness, purity, innocence, virtue, and goodness; which doth not allow any one sin to be fostered or indulged; which threateneth wrath and vengeance on all impiety, iniquity, impurity, wherein we do obstinately persist; indifferently, without any reserve or remedy; wherein the

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wrath of God is revealed from heaven on all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, that detain the truth in unrighteousness.'

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An impure, a dissolute, a passionate soul cannot affect so holy notions, cannot comply with so strict rules, as the gospel doth recommend; as a sore eye cannot like the bright day; as a sickly palate cannot relish savory food. Every one that doeth evil hateth the light,' because it discovereth to him his own vileness and folly; because it detecteth the sadness and wofulness of his condition; because it kindleth anguish and remorse within him; because it checketh him in the free pursuit of his bad designs, it dampeth the brisk enjoyment of his unlawful pleasures, it robbeth him of satisfaction and glee in any vicious course of practice.

Every man is unwilling to entertain a bad conceit of himself, and to pass on himself a sad doom: he therefore will be apt to reject that doctrine, which being supposed true, he cannot but confess himself to be an arrant fool, he cannot but grant himself a forlorn wretch.

No man liketh to be galled, to be stung, to be racked with a sense of guilt, to be scared with a dread of punishment, to live under awe and apprehension of imminent danger; gladly therefore would he shun that doctrine, which demonstrateth him a grievous sinner, which speaketh dismal terror, which thundereth ghastly woe on him.

He cannot love that truth which is so much his enemy, which so rudely treateth and severely persecuteth him; which telleth him so bad and unwelcome news.

Who would be content to deem Omnipotency engaged against him? to fancy himself standing on the brink of a fiery lake? to hear a roaring lion ready to devour him? to suppose that certain, which is so dreadful and sad to him?

Hence it is, that the carnal mind is enmity to God;' hence do bad men rebel against the light;' hence, foolish men shall not attain to wisdom, and sinners shall not see her; for she is far from pride, and men that are liars cannot remember her.'

Hence a man resolvedly wicked cannot but be willing to be an infidel, in his own defence, for his own quiet and ease; faith

being a companion very incommodious, intolerably troublesome to a bad conscience.

Being resolved not to forsake his lusts, he must quit those opinions which cross them; seeing it expedient that the gospel should be false, he will be inclinable to think it so: thus he sinketh down, thus he tumbleth himself headlong into the gulf of infidelity.

The custom of sinning doth also by degrees so abate, and at length so destroy, the loathsomeness, the ugliness, the horror thereof, doth so reconcile it to our minds, yea conciliateth such a friendship to it, that we cannot easily believe it so horrid and base a thing as by the gospel it is represented to us.

Vicious practice doth also weaken the judgment and stupify the faculties. So that we cannot clearly apprehend, or judge soundly about spiritual matters.

The same also quencheth God's Spirit, and driveth away his grace, which is requisite to the production and preservation of faith in us.

14. In fine, from what spirit infidelity doth proceed we may see by the principles, commonly with it espoused, for its support and countenance, by its great masters and patrons; all which do rankly savor of baseness and ill-nature.

They do libel and revile mankind as void of all true goodness; from the worst qualities, of which they are conscious themselves or can observe in others, patching up an odious character of it; thus shrouding themselves under common blame from that which is due to their own wickedness; and dispensing with that charity and honesty, which is by God's law required from them toward their neighbor: and having so bad an opinion of all men, they consequently must bear ill-will toward them; it not being possible to love that which we do

not esteem.

They allow nothing in man to be immaterial, or immortal; so turning him into a beast, or into a puppet, a whirligig of fate or chance.

They ascribe all actions and events to necessity, or external impulse, so rasing the grounds of justice and all virtue; that no man may seem responsible for what he doth, commendable or culpable, amiable or detestable.