Earnestly soever they may be Defired by

You.

He proceeds therefore, in the following Ch. to shew Particularly, that Charity is Preferable to the Extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit: Which indeed are, in Themselves, neither Effectual to the attainment of Holiness and Eternal Life, because we find, that Those who have Prophefied and wrought Miracles in Chrift's name, may Poffibly be Workers of Iniquity, and therefore finally Condemned; nor yet Necessary to Salvation, because every Sincere Chriftian, though not endued with thofe Extraordinary Gifts, will certainly be Saved. And, that he might give the Disciples a Still Higher recommendation of this Divine Grace, and, at the fame time, raise their Efteem of those other Graces, which are abfolutely Necessary to Salvation, 'tis added, in the Words of the Text, And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of thefe is charity.

From which words I fhall,

I. First,

I. First, Give fome Account of these three Graces, confider'd Severally and Apart.

II. Secondly, I fhall enquire, how far, and in what refpects, it must be granted, that, notwithstanding the Necessity and Excellency of Faith and Hope, Charity is Preferable unto Both.

III. Thirdly, I fhall conclude with fome Application.

I. First, I fhall give fuch a Short Account of these three Graces, confider'd Severally and Apart, as the Narrow compass of this Difcourfe will allow. And in representing the Neceffity of Each, God's Preventing and Exciting Grace, as ever concurring with every man's Sincere endeavours, is all along to be Supposed and taken for granted. And,

1. First, In treating of Faith, which, confider'd as a Grace, denotes in General an Affent unto Divine Truth, grounded upon Divine Teftimony, 'tis neceffary to distinguish betwixt That Faith, which is the Duty of every Christian, and That, which is reckon'd amongst the Extraordinary gifts of the Spirit; whereby some

L

of

of the First Chriftians were qualified to caft out Devils, and to work Miracles. And, notwithstanding that All Chriftians are not obliged to This kind of Faith, yet it was a Duty ftrictly Incumbent upon all those persons, to whom a Promife of Extraordinary power was given: And if they did not firmly depend upon fuch Extraordinary Abilities, fo Afcertain'd unto them, Diffidence was as much Unbelief in Them, as an Affurance of working Miracles, would be Prefumption in Others. To this purpose we read, that when our Bleffed Saviour had caft out a Devil, and the Disciples came unto him and faid, why could not we caft him out? Jefus faid unto them, because of your Unbelief. + For he had given them power and authority over all Devils, and to cure difeafes. And though in This instance they failed of fuccefs, through their Unbelief, yet in many Other inftances we find their Miraculous Faith crowned with Effectual demonftrations

* Mat. xvii. 20. and Mark xvi. 17, 18.

† Matt. xvii. 20. Matt. x. 1. and Luke ix, 1,

of

of their Miraculous Power. Nor were the Supernatural effects of this Extraordinary Faith Peculiar to the Apofiles, or to the Apoftolick Age, but were extended into Succeeding * Times, whilst the Circumftances of Things required That Power, for the Support and Propagation of the Gospel.

"Tis fcarce to be doubted, but that those Other perfons, who did not receive an Immediate Promife from our Saviour, as the Apostles did, of a Power to cast out Devils and to work Miracles, and yet had fuch a Power Communicated to them, for ends and purposes agreeable to the Infinite Wisdom of God, were by the Spirit Bleffed with an Extraordinary Faith, a Fiducial Dependence upon God, for fuch Supernatural abilities, as a Previous Difpofition to the Exercise of them. But ftill,

cap. 7.

* Vide Juft. Mart. in Dial. cum Tryph. p. 247. Edit. Parif. Irenæ. adv. Hæref. lib. ii. cap. 56, 57. & lib. v. cap. 6. collat. cum Eufeb. Hiftor. Ecclef. lib. v. Theoph. Antioch. ad Autol. lib. ii.TerOrigen. Comm. ab Huet. Edit. Vol. ii. p. 328. & contra Celf. 1. i. & iii. Cyprian. ad Demetr. & de Vanit. Idol. Lactant. Divin. Inftit. lib. iv. c. 27.

tullian. ad Scap. & in Apologet.

Eufeb. Præpar. Evangel.

lib. v. c. I.-S. Chryfoft. in Pf. cx.

if they had not been so Influenc'd, the Want of fuch a Faith had been no more Culpable in them, than the Want of fuch a Power: For the One is a Miraculous gift of the Spirit, as well as the Other. 'Tis no more the Duty of a Chriftian, as fuch, to Believe that he can remove Mountains, than 'tis within the compass of his Strength to Remove them.

Extraordinary, or Miraculous Faith was, in some particular Circumftances, the Duty and the Ornament of fome Particular Perfons; but the Common Faith is the Neceffary condition of the Common Salvation: If we do not stedfastly Believe the Truths revealed by the Gospel, we have no Right to the Bleffings promised in it. For when our Blessed Saviour had given commiffion to his Apoftles, to preach the Gospel, he presently Inculcated the indifpenfable Obligations of Faith, upon Thofe, to whom it should be Preached, * denouncing unavoidable Condemnation against Unbelievers. And St. Paul speaks plainly of those who believe not,

Mark, xvi. 16.

as