ferious and stedfast Resolutions to ferve him faithfully for the Time to come in Newness of Life. Then will God accept us and pardon us, and give us such a Meafure of Strength and Assistance, that we shall both walk acceptably before him in this World, and shall likewise be made Partakers of his eternal Glory in the other.

VOL. V.

DIS

雞

210.

DISCOURSE VII.

Several useful Obfervations from this Text. The Conclufion against Infidelity.

[Delivered in Two Sermons.]

MARK xvi. 16.

He that believeth, and is baptized, fhall be faved: But he that believeth not, fhall be damned.

UR Saviour having, by his Life, and his Preaching, and his Miracles, and his Refurrection from the Dead, laid a

fufficient Ground and Founda

tion for the ready Belief and Entertainment of his Gofpel among Mankind, comes upon his Afcenfion into Heaven, and as the laft Act he had to do upon Earth, to issue out his Royal Charter and Commiffion to his Apostles, to go and preach this Gofpel

fpel all the World over; and this he does in these Words, Go ye (faith he) into all the World, and preach the Gospel to every Creature. St. Matthew hath set it down a little more largely, Go ye and disciple all Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and teaching them to obferve all Things whatever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even to the End of the World. This was the Apostles Com-" miffion; this was the great Trust committed to them, and in them to all fucceeding Ministers of Chrift to the World's End.

But now left it should be furmized that this Order might fignify very little, fince here was no Inforcement of it, no Obligation laid upon the People to whom they were to preach to receive their Message, our Saviour takes care to remove that Pretence by adding these Words following, (which are the Words I am now to difcourse of) He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be faved: And he that believeth not, shall be damned. Here is an Obligation with a Witness upon all Persons whatsoever, to whom the Gospel is preached, to receive and embrace it, since no less than their everlasting Salvation or Damnation depends upon it.

That which I design at present upon this Text is, to make some Observations and Reflections upon it, partly in order to the

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clearing

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the Peril of your Salvation if you do not give ear to their Message. The Men may be contemptible enough; but yet the Errand they come upon is not contemptible. How untowardly, how ungraceful, how unacceptable foever they may be as to their other Circumstances, yet, if they preach nothing but the Gospel of Christ, you are bound to liften to it, nay, you are miferable if you do not. And as for those that do embrace it, it is no less a valuable Treafure to them, for being had from earthen Vessels. Let it not therefore be objected to us, when we preach Chrift Jesus to you, that it is our Trade; we must talk at this rate, for we get our Living by it: Alas! it is but small Comfort to get a Livelihood by other People's Credulity; I think an honest ferious Man would rather starve than live by Cheating. If there be any Atheifts or Infidels among the Clergy, any that, whilft they preach Chrift Jesus to the People, he lieve no better of him and his Religiou than as a mere Fable (as they say Pope Leo the Tenth did not) they are certainly the worst of Men, and the greatest Imposters that the World can fhew; and let them be treated as fuch; no Man will be forry for it. But when we heartily believe in Jesus Chrift and his Religion, and are really perfuaded that neither we nor you can be faved without it, and likewife are called by the Authority of God and Man to the publick Preaching Would he be with the Apostles to the End of the World? Why, that could not be ; they were to go off the Stage in a few Years; and so they did: But the World hath continu'd many Ages after their Death, and is yet like to continue. Christ's Meaning then could be no other than this, that he would not only by his Spirit assist the Apostles in the preaching of the Gospel during their Lives, but he would also continue that Assistance to those that should fucceed them in the Work of the Ministry, even as long as the World should endure; and accordingly we fee that he hath hitherto made this Promise good, having for above 1600 Years all along continued a Succeffion of Chrift's Ministers to gain Souls to Christ, and all along likewife continu'd a Succefsion of Christ's People in all Parts of the World, who are gained to Christ by their Ministry; and as he hath hitherto made good his Promise, so we doubt not but he will continue to do it to the End of the World.

We beg therefore of all People, that they would not think it strange that at this Day they fee a fort of Men (you may call them by what contemptible Names you please) that are so zealous for this Business of Christ Jesus and his Gospel, making it their set Work to be talking of it once a Week, nay, and now and then, being fo plain with you as to tell you that it is upon