defign, for his Arguments equally hold against all Faith, as well as against Athanafius's Creed, and will ferve a Turk, a few, or a Pagan, as well as a Heretick. For if what he fays is true: He that errs in a Queftion of Faith, after having ufed reasonable diligence to be rightly informed, is in no fault at all: How comes an Atheist, or an Infidel, a Turk, or a Jew to be in any fault; and if they be good Moral Men, and many of them are, or may be fo, why fhould they be damned for their Atheifin or Infidelity, for their not believing a God, or not believing in Chrift at all? For are not thefe Queftions of Faith, whether there be a God and a Providence, and whether Christ be that Meffias, who came from God? Or does our Author think, that no Atheist or Infidel, no unbelieving Jew, or Heathen, ever used reafonable diligence to be rightly informed? Whatever he can fay against their reasonable diligence, I doubt, will be as eafily faid against the reafonable diligence of Socinians, and other Hereticks.

If you fay, he confines this to fuch Points as have always been controverted in the Churches of God, I defire to know a reason, why he thus confines it? For does not his Reafon equally extend to the Chriftian Faith itself, as to thofe points, which have been controverted in Chriftian Churches? And why then fhould not Infidels as well have the benefit of this principle, as Hereticks? But I defire to know, what Articles of our Faith have not been controverted by fome Hereticks or other? And whether then this does not give fufficient fcope to Infidelity, to renounce all the Articles of our Creed, which have been denied or corrupted by fome profeffed Chriftians ?

But what he would infinuate in this, that these Points of the Athanafian Creed have always been matter of Controverfie in the Chriftian Church, is manifeftly false, as appears from all the Records of the Church: The Anti-Nicene Fathers were of the fame Faith, before the Definition of the Council of Nice, as the learned Dr. Bull has abundantly proved; this was always the Faith of the Chriftian Church and thofe Hereticks, who taught otherwife, either feparated themselves from the Church, or were flung out of it; and I hope the Difputes of Hereticks against the Catholick Faith, fhall not be called Controverfies in the Churches of God.

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And yet I defire to know, why that may not be the Catholick Faith, and necessary to Salvation, which has always been matter of Controverfie? Has the Catholick Faith any fuch Priviledge as not to be controverted? Or is it a fufficient proof that nothing is a point of the Catholick Faith, which has been diputed and controverted by fome or other in all Ages of the Church? And if Men of perverfe minds may difpute the most neceffary Articles of Faith, then if any Faith be neceflary, it may be of dangerous confequence, to err with our reasonable diligence in fuch neceffary and fundamental Points, as are and have been difputed.

But before I difmifs this point, it may be convenient to inftruct this Author (if he can ufe any reafonable diligence to understand) how neceflary it is to Salvation, and that before all other things, to hold the true Catholick Faith, and that the Faith of the Athanafian Creed is that Catholick Faith, which is neceffary to Salvation.

1. As for the firft of thefe, I would defire him to confider, that though without Holineis no Man fhall fee God, yet no Man is faved by his good Works, but by Faith in Chrift: to say, that we shall be faved by Holiness and good Works without Faith in Christ, is to affert the Merit of good Works ten thousand times more than ever Papifts themselves did: The meritorious Works of Popery ferve only instead of Penance, to keep them out of Purgatory, or to fhorten their time there; they ferve instead of that Temporal Punishment, which abfolved and penitent Sinners must undergo for those fins, the Eternal Punishment of which is remitted, not for their own meritorious Works, but for the merits and expiation of Chrift; but he who expects to be faved for his good Works without Faith in Chrift, attributes fuch a merit to good Works, as redeems him from the Wrath of God, and the Eternal Punishments due to Sin, and purchases Eternal Rewards for him, which is fomewhat more than the Church of Rome pretends to ; efpecially fince whatever merit they attribute to good Works, they afcribe wholly to the Merits of Christ, whose Merits alone have made our good Works meritorious, which is very honourable to our Saviour, and very Orthodox Divinity, in comparison with those, who think good Works fuch meritorious things, whatever their Faith be; and if he confiders this twice, I fuppofe, he will confefs, that Faith in Chrift, the true Catholick Faith, is necessary to Salvation.

2. Nay, it is neceffary before all other things to our Salvation, because it is neceffary to Baptifmm, which alone puts us into a ftate of Salvation: For he that believes and is baptized, shall be faved, but he E

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that believes not shall be damned: All Chriftians must confefs, that there is no other Name given under Heaven whereby Men can be faved, but onely the Name of Chrift; that Faith in Chrift in adult Perfons is neceffary to Baptifm, that Baptifin alone incorporates us into the Body of Chrift, and puts us into a state of Salvation; and therefore that neither Jews, nor Turks, nor Heathens, none but believing and baptized Chriftians are in a ftate of Salvation, how morally vertuous foever their Lives may be: Whoever does not confefs this, makes nothing of the Covenant of Grace in Jefus Chrift, nothing of his Sacrifice, Priesthood, and Interceffion makes the Chriftian Religion nothing but a new and more perfect Sect of Philofophy, than either Jews or Heathens taught before; whofe Condition yet is as fafe as the Condition of Chriftians, if they live according to the knowledge they have: Our Author then must either renounce the Chriftian Religion, or confefs the true Catholick Faith, or a true Faith in Christ, is before all other things neceffary to Salvation, because this is that which puts us into a state of Salvation by Chrift, without which no Man can be faved according to the terms of the Gospel.

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3. If Faith in Chrift be neceffary to Salvation, I fuppofe, all Men will grant, it must be the true Faith in Chrift, not a falfe and heretical Faith; for that is equivalent to Infidelity; there seems to be little dif ference between not believing in Christ at all, and not believing what we ought to believe of him, and the belief of which is neceffary to Salvation; for if we do not believe that of Chrift, which is neceffary to Salvation, we may as well believe nothing: and then to be fure it concerns us to hold the Catholick Faith, whatever that be. 4. That

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That the Faith of the Holy Trinity is that true Chriftian Faith, which is neceffary to Salvation, appears from the Form of Baptifin itself; for we are baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: that is, into the Faith and Worlhip of the Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity, which is the fubftance of the Athanafian Creed : This is the Baptifmal Faith, and that certainly is neceffary to Salvation, if any Faith be: Now when we confider, that Baptifm is our folemn Dedication to God, and Admiffion into Covenant with him, to be dedicated to the Son, and Holy Ghoft, in the fame manner, in the very fame act, and fame form of words, whereby we are dedicated to the Father, were they not One Supream and Soveraign God with the Father, would make any confidering Man abhor the Christian Religion, as the most open and bare-faced Idolatry, as joyning Creatures with God in the most folemn Act of Religion, that of dedicating Men to His Worship and Service: But not to infift on that now, our Author may hence learn, that to believe in Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, is neceffary to Salvation, because it is the Faith of Baptifm, and if that Expofition which the Athanafian Creed has given of this Faith, be the true Catholick Doctrine, then that is neceffary to Salvation; and therefore the Creed begins very properly with afferting the neceffity of holding the Catholick Faith, if we will be faved; which must be as necessary to Salvation, as it is to be Chriftians.

Which Faith except a Man keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he fhall perish everlastingly. E 2

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