scudderpage215

whole world, John i. 29; 1 John ii. 2; yet the Scripture saith, that the whole world of unbelievers and of ungodly men shall perish eternally, 2 Peter ii. 5; Jude 14, 15.

9. Many will yield that they must have faith and repentance, and that they must be ingrafted into Christ and become new creatures else they cannot hope to be saved; but they think they are all this already; whence follows quiet of conscience. Whereas when it comes to the trial, their faith and repentance are found not to be sound. As will thus appear:

They think they have faith, (1.) Because they believe the whole Scripture to be the good word of God. (2.) They believe not only that there is a God, but that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and Saviour of the world, yea, according to the letter, they believe all the articles of the Christian faith. (3.) They think they are believers, because they have been baptized, and have given their names unto Christ. They profess the only true religion, they have the very true form of godliness in all the external exercises of religion, Luke xiii. 26. Whereas if they believe no more, nor better, they may know that their faith is only an historical and general faith, or only a temporary faith at the best, necessary indeed to salvation, but not sufficient to save. The devils believe as much as the first, James ii. 19, and very hypocrites may, and do profess and do as much as the second and third. The apostle Paul, having to do with hypocritical Jews, who because of their form of knowledge, and profession, though without practice, did nourish in themselves a vain persuasion that they should be saved; removed this false ground of their hope, thus, saying, He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh, but that which is of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men but of God, Rom. ii. 28, 29. In like manner, Peter assures all Christians, that the baptism, which is only a putting away of the filth of the flesh, does not save, 1 Peter iii. 21; but that baptism