for a Christian not to grow A Christian should out-grow others as much as the Palm-tree exceeds ordinary Plants Psal 92.12 13.14 15. therefore labour to grow 1. In * Prov. 2.7 10.14 15.7 Isa 11.9 Col. 1.10 Pro. 2.3 18 2.1 5 8 9. Phil. 1.9.10 Knowledge Let the word of Christ dwell plentifully in you Col. 3.16 2. In Faith to be rich in faith though poor in the world Jam. 2 5. Col. 2.7 3. In Charity and in good Works Phil. 1.9 The poor Macedonians were rich in their liberality 2 Cor. 8.2 The abundance of their joy and deep poverty abounded to the riches of their liberality It is the best riches of rich men to be rich in good work◠1 Tim. 6.18 Let not rich men give poorly while poor men give richly let not a poor Widow cast in more than all the rich men into Gods Treasury However we grow in wealth let us labour to grow in Grace 1 Motive to incite us to it may be à decoro Motives from the comeliness of it It is the sweetest sight that can be 1. Comeliness to see a Christian flourishing as the Palm-tree and growing like the Cedar in Lebanon as Psal 92.12 Such are indeed the excellent of the earth as Psal 16.2 We say of tall persons they are proper persons Oh what comely persons should we be if we were tall in grace without this the best of natural perfections are but as so many Jewels in a Swines snout Prov. 11.22 Let us therefore labour to grow in grace as we desire to be comely in the eyes of Jesus Christ Cant. 7.6 7. Christ saith of his Church How fair and how pleasant art thou O love for delights thy stature is like a Palm-tree O let us not be as low shrubs but as tall Palm-trees if we desire to be comely in his eyes Simile 2. Pleasantness 2. A jucundo from the pleasantness of it Prov. 3.17 Her ways are ways of pleasure and all her paths peace So that the further you go the more pleasure still you meet with the deeper you drink in this cup the sweeter still the more you grow in grace in ordinary course of dispensation the more you grow in comfort Rom. 14 17. The Kingdom of God is righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost The more righteousness the more you increase your peace and joy till you come to enter into the joy of your Lord such as grow in grace get nearer heaven from day to day For grace and glory do onely differ in degrees Therefore as that sweet Bird of the morning the Lark sings and mounts upward raising her Body and her Note both together rising still higher and higher nearer heaven and further from earth So a Christian raised up upon the wing of heavenly Affections Meditations Prayers holy Actions whilst he thus grows in grace through the strength of Christ he gets nearer heaven and further off from the earth Col. 3. Phil. 3. He sets his affections on things above and not on things on the earth His conversation and City and Trade is in heaven and thus he riseth higher and higher and is translated from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of our God and is not this a pleasant life and what is it but to begin heaven upon earth even to sit with Christ in heavenly places 3. Ab utili from the profit of it 3. Profit Though we could earn nothing but damnation by all our obedience as of our selves yet God is so merciful that he rewards every man according to his works Psa 62.12 Also to thee O Lord belongeth mercy for thou renderest to every man according to his works So that if we yield our praise and increase to God the earth shall yield her increase to us Psal 67.6 Then shall the earth yield her increase and God even our God shall bless us when the people praise him But if we withdraw our service from God the creatures shall withdraw their service from us Hos 2.9 I will take away my corn in the time thereof c. But if we yield our increase to God then heaven and earth and all creatures yield their increase to us ver 21. I will hear the heavens saith the Lord and they shall hear the earth c. Some are of opinion that we shall not onely have more blessing upon earth but more glory in heaven conceiving that there shall be degrees of glory according to our degrees of grace There are Arguments on both sides Some conceiving glory shall be equal because the Merit of Christ is equal Therefore in the Parable of the Vineyard he that laboured most received no more than he that laboured the shortest time every man receives his penny Mat. 20. But the Parable cannot be meant of eternal life for there are no murmurers in heaven such as you finde in the Parable that murmured because they had no more But that other Parable in the 19 of Luke doth rather set forth the state of glory upon the return of the Nobleman where he that gained most received most reward he that gained ten talents was made ruler over ten Cities and he that gained five was made ruler over five Yet this doth not infer merit of Works neither but a gracious disposition in God to encourage his servants in a way of well-doing It is the Apostles argument to quicken up Christians to be upon the growing hand 1 Cor. 15. ult Therefore my beloved brethren be ye stedfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord for your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. However suppose it were in vain in respect of our glory yet we are sure it is not in vain in respect of Gods glory You know what Christ saith Joh. 15.8 Herein is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit Now we should prefer Gods glory before our own Salvation therefore we should be upon the growing hand 4. Equity 4. Ab aequo from the justice and equity of it for God affords us as great means for our increase in these Gospel-times as ever he did he puts us into fat pastures and well watered Psal 23. therefore it is a shame for Gods people not to grow not to bring forth twins as Cant. 6.6 They should grow twice as fast bring forth twice as many Lambs twice as much Wooll twice as much Milk as those that go upon bare Commons All the world may cry shame on such a man that is high fed and often fed with fat and sweet Ordinances if he be still like Pharaohs lean Kine as lean and ill-favoured as ever he was before Certainly fat Ordinances and lean Souls do not well agree We are to look upon it as the greatest of Judgements to have as Psal 106.15 leanness sent into our souls while we are fed with Manna We look on it as an affliction to have an over-lean Body but it 's a far sadder condition
Though an unregenerate man may love Gods People after a sort yet not in a sanctified manner that is to say neither all the People of God nor all their graces at all times First Not all the People of God they hate some as they seem to love others They are guilty of sinful partiality Jam. 2. having the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ in respect of persons They seem to love the rich and despise the poor Secondly Not all their graces They may admire their common gifts as Pharaoh admired the wisdom of Joseph and Nebuchadnezzar the wisdom of Daniel but not their saving graces Every one that doth evil hateth the light Joh. 3.20 Even that light of good works Thirdly Not at all times God sometimes indeed over-rules their spirits strongly as he over-ruled the spirits of Lions to preserve Daniel and of the Ravens to feed Elijah but so soon as that over-ruling Providence is over they are as they were before God for a time gave the Israelites favour in the eyes of the Egyptians but before and after they were their utter enemies but he that hath truth of grace he loves 1. All the Saints poor as well as rich Phil. 1.15 and love unto all the Saints 2. All their graces saving as well as common and more than common because the Image of God is most in those 3. At all times because his love springs from an inward principle from likeness of nature and therefore it is unchangeable Now this upon trial is ground of singular comfort and this trial is made by Faith Therefore by Faith the Just lives the Life of Consolation because by Faith a man reflects upon that Sanctity and Sincerity which God hath wrought in the believing Soul Reas 6 6 Reason Because Faith makes a thing absent Why Consola flows in by Faith to be as it were present For joy is properly the delight we take in some present good God who seemed before to be absent is present things promised are present Heaven it self is present He hath made us through faith to sit together in heavenly places Eph. 2 6. As it is said of the destruction of enemies Revel 18.2 Babylon is fallen Now what a comfort is this it is even Heaven opposed to earth What a comfort and content is it to a man when he looks through a Prospective glass and sees a friend coming towards him many Furlongs off It may be he looked before in the glass and either he saw him not at all or else he doubted whether it was his friend or no but the glass draws him so near that it puts all out of doubt he sees the very colour of his clothes of the hair of his face and the proportion of his parts so perfectly as if he were present with him and therefore he smileth to himself and salute him at a distance Oh my dear friend I am glad to see you Faith is such a Prospective glass that looking upon God and Heaven and things promised at a great distance even as far as Heaven is from Earth yet it draws these good things so near and makes them so present so sure to the Soul that it cannot but rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory as Abraham saw Christs day afar off and rejoyced to see it and so the rest of the Patriarchs Heb. 11.18 though they received not the things promised yet having seen them afar off through the glass of Faith they made them so near to their apprehensions Heb. 11.13 that they even fell upon the neck of the Promises and saluted them as dear friends salute and embrace one another at their meeting And in this respect Faith is said to be the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 It puts a man as it were into a possession of good things to come or at least it makes them as sure as if they were present What comfort is this We say It is good to be sure we do not onely rejoyce in the excellency of a thing promised but in the certainty of it Yea but is this true saith the poor Soul Yea saith Faith thou maist be as sure of it as if thou hadst it already in possession for thou hast the Word of God the Promise of God the Oath of God the Seal of God And why so many ties and engagements one upon another but that by these immutable things Heb. 6.18 in which it is impossible for God to lie we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us Faith lays hold upon all these ingagements and so the just lives by Faith the Life of Consolation Vses of the Consolation of the Faithful The first Use of Information Vse 1 TO let us see what is the main cause of that sadness and sorrow of heart Information of the cause of sadness which the Prophet Jeremiah called The curse of God Lam. 3.65 Not as if all were cursed that are sad and sorrowful for God knows how to fish in troubled waters but to shew That of it self it is the greatest of all evils for the spirit of a man will sustain his infirmities but a wounded Spirit who can bear Prov. 18.14 Now let us inquire what is the cause of this wound of this sadness and sorrow of heart certainly it is not the greatness of any outward troubles it is not Imprisonment for the Apostles were so merry they fell a singing in the very Dungeon Act. 16 25. It is not Reproach for Job professeth if his adversary should write a Book against him he would take it Job 31. and binde it as a Crown upon his head And if a man rejoyce not in a Crown what should be the object of his joy It is not Poverty for it is said of the faithful They suffered with joy the spoiling of their goods Heb. 10.34 It is not Persecution for it is said Act. 4. the Apostles rejoyced that they were counted worthy to suffer for the Name of the Lord Jesus It is not simply Sin Psal 49.5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil when the iniquities of my heels compass me about It is not Dis-respect and ill-will from men Heb. 11.27 By faith he forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the King Well then if it be not any outward trouble that is the cause of sadness and sorrow of heart what is it then Surely you shall finde upon search it is nothing else but Want of Faith or at least want of acting of Faith in the Promises of God Heb. 11.27 He endured as seeing him who is invisible Had we but Faith as a grain of Mustard-seed and had we skill to act it we should say to Mountains of Sorrow that surrounded us Be ye removed and they should obey For the just lives by Faith the Life of Consolation in the midst of troubles and therefore in case thou art at any
an eternal life Three degrees of it That there is an eternal life There are divers degrees of this Life The first degree is here below in this world Joh. 5.24 Eternal life is begun here 2. The second degree of it is in the end of this life when the body of a Saint rests in the Bed of the Grave and the soul is with God in Paradise Luk. 23.43 3. The third degree of it is After the day of general Judgement when body and soul being reunited the whole person shall be wholly glorified to all eternity 2 Thess 1.10 Now that there is such a life Faith makes good 1. By plain Testimonies of Scripture 2. By necessary Consequence and deduction from Scripture 1. By evident Testimony of Scripture Scripture In the Old Testament Psal 16.11 At thy right hand are pleasures for evermore Dan. 12.2 Many of them that sleep shall awake some to Everlasting life In the New Testament Mat. 25. ult And the righteous into life eternal Joh. 3.16 That whoever believeth should not perish but have Everlasting life 2. By necessary Consequence from the Scriptures As Reas 1 1. From the act and End of mans Creation and Redemption Man was made after Gods Image Gen. 1.26 27. And renewed after it Eph. 4.24 that he might have perpetual Communion with God 1 Joh. 1.3 As God therefore lives for ever so shall those who are redeemed by Christ live ever too Joh. 14.19 Reas 2 2. From the Kingdom and Headship of Christ which are both eternal Of his Kingdom there shall be no end Luk. 1.33 If Christ be a King for ever he must have Subjects throughout that Eternity If Christ be an Head for ever his Members must needs live for ever otherwise Christ must be a King without Subjects an Head without Members both which are Vnreasonable and Dishonorable to Christ Reas 3 3. From Christs Prayer That all his may be with him for ever to behold his glory Joh. 17.24 Now the Father hears the Son alway Joh. 11.42 Reas 4 4. From the Nature of the Soul It 's immortal Mat. 10.28 yea it hath in it sparks and desires of Immortality Now Natura nihil dedit frustra which have appeared not onely in the life but at the death of Saints in which God hath been pleased to give his people a sight of Heaven and glorious apprehensions of the life to come Steven sees the heavens opened Act. 7.56 59. To which may be added the Devils design to gather Souls in Reversion as in the stories of Witches Reas 5 5. Ab absurdo If there were no life after this Christians would be of all men most miserable 1 Cor. 15.19 Here wicked men many times fare best and Gods people are chastened every morning and have sorest Temptations on their Death-beds So that it would be exceedingly derogatory from the Wisdom Holiness and Justice of God if there were not another life wherein every man shall rejoyce according to his ways Luk. 16.25 2 Thess 1.6.7 Thus Faith gathers Arguments from the Word That there is an eternal Life 2. What the happiness of eternal life is 2. Faith informs a believer much of the Happiness of this life and wherein it consists in the main For however it be true that none of the Saints departed which are gone to heaven as Enoch Elias c. have Commission to come down and tell us what the joys of heaven are yet we have Moses and the Prophets Luk. 17. ult Nay though there were a man once caught up into heaven and let down again to the earth yet it was not lawful for him to utter what he had heard and seen 2 Cor. 12. yet for all that Faith looks into heaven per transennam through the lattice Cant. 2.9 and findes so much comfort therein that from thence it makes a strong Collection That certainly the Happiness of the Creature must needs consist in the perfect Vision of God which is to be had in heaven Vision of God fourfold and not before for there 's a fourfold Vision of God 1. Natural in things created For the invisible things of God are cleerly seen from the Creation c. Rom. 1.20 2. Specular or Symbolical In the Word and in the Signs of Gods love we see God For these were appointed to be lively remembrances and representations of Christ to the Soul Gal. 3.1 3. There 's the Vision of Faith which looking through the Word and Sacraments as through a Perspective-glass draws God neerer to the Soul 4. But fourthly There 's the Vision of Glory in the World to come Here we see God darkly as in a glass 2 Cor. 3. but there face to face Now Faith doth further assure us Perfect Vision of God causes perfect transformation That this perfect Vision of God shall perfectly transform us into the likeness of God so far as Creatures can be like God For Faith argues thus If the Specular Vision of God works some measure of this gracious Transformation as it 's said 2 Cor. 3. ult How much more shall the Perfect Vision of God in glory work a perfect change of a believer into the likeness of God And so indeed saith the Apostle We shall be like him For we shall see him as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 And this was Davids comfort in his saddest hours When I awake that is out of the bed of the grave I shall be satisfied with thy likeness Psal 17. last Perfect Vision of God shall work perfect Transformation and this perfect Transformation shall work perfect Satisfaction Q. But wherein doth this perfect Transformation consist A. Doubtless in the Perfection of all graces So Faith assures that 1. Perfect knowledge There shall be a Perfection of the Knowledge of God Here the best Scholar that learns most from Books Sermons Conference Observation or from the Spirit it self yet knows but in part But when that which is perfect is come then shall that which is imperfect be done away 1 Cor. 13.12 Then shall nothing be hid from us which we can desire to know Now we know God in the knowledge of other things Then we shall know other things in the knowledge of God and therefore we shall know one another Mat. 17.4 Here we know things either by Sense or by Reason and Argumentation or by Faith In Heaven there will be no need of these there the clearness of the object shall put All past all dispute Here things seen or known are far distant the Medium dim the Organ weak But then God shall be present and open-faced as it were and the eye of the Soul shall be fortified to behold the King in his glory Isa 33.17 Eccl. 11.7 Solomon tells us that the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is to behold the Sun And yet as pleasant as it is sometime the eye is offended by looking on the Sun Could the eye look stedfastly and strongly on the Sun without offence to it
loves not where it lives Is our Meditation therefore and Contemplation in Heaven It s sweet indeed to contemplate the visible part of the Heavens Psal 19.1 For The Heavens declare the glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy worke But it is far more sweet to a gracious soul to contemplate the Inside For the starry Vault is but the pavement of Gods house and the Clouds are the dust of his Feet And if there be so much glory without what is there within Oh! how sweet is it to a gracious Soul to look into the Holy of Holies to take a turn with Christ every-day in his Banqueting-house For so is heaven call'd Cant. 2.4 And this is the property of a Soul espoused to Christ by Faith Rev. ult The Spirit and the Bride say Come And if Christ come not to her so soon as she desires she will be sure to go to him at least in her serious thoughts and heavenly Meditations She lays out much of her Soul in Meditation the Meditation of Christ and heaven is very sweet Psal 104 34. She says of heaven as David of Gods Law O how do I love it it is my meditation all the day Psal 119. And this is a good sign we live by Faith in regard of eternal Life But if on the other side we are meer strangers to all heavenly Meditations we can think of the world as if we were possest by the Spirit of the world but seldome or never have a serious thought of heaven It may be we have a thousand thoughts of the world for one serious thought of heaven Doth not this proclaim to Men and Angels whatever we say or profess about Heaven and the Resurrection we believe no such matter 3. We may know it by our Speeches I mean 3. Our Speeches by our outward speeches For Meditation is the speech of the heart by it self by our speeches to others Where there is much of heaven in the heart there will be something of heaven in the tongue Several Countrymen have a several dialect or language and you may know what Country a man belongs to by his speech As the damosel said to Peter Even thy speech bewrayeth thee So a mans speech will bewray him and shew whether he belongs to heaven or earth He that is of the earth speaketh of the earth and he that is of heaven speaketh of heaven Joh. 3.31 When God would shew the sound conversion of the Egyptians to the Faith he saith Five cities in the land of Egypt shall speak the language of Canaan Isa 19.18 that is They shall have heavenly hearts for they shall have heavenly tongues 'T is true a man may learn and counterfeit the language of another country where he hath never dwelt and hath nothing to do in the priviledges of it and there are too many such Beggarly Canting Christians And therefore we are to examine not onely what we speak but from what Fountain and principle we speak Psa 45.1 My heart is inditing a good matter and then My tongue is the pen of a ready writer Pro. 16.23 The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth So then if we do but observe our selves when we speak out of the abundance of our hearts our speech will certainly bewray what country we belong to Never say therefore that thou livest by Faith in respect of heaven so long as thy speeches are earthly sensual or devillish He that believes he hath a great inheritance in another country he loves to be talking of it and so does a Citizen of Heaven 2 Cor. 4.15 We having the same Spirit of faith according as it is written I believed and therefore have I spoken we also believe and therefore do we speak And however some may indevour to counterfeit the language of Canaan yet there will be one Shibboleth or other that will discover them At the best they are but like mongrel Jews born of outlandish women who had Jews for their Fathers and Ashdodites for their Mothers and therefore they speak a mongrel Language half in the language of Canaan and half in the language of Ashdod Neh. 13.23 24. And so do these one while their mouth is full of Blessing and holy speeches another while they are full of Cursing and Blasphemy and Ribaldry according as their company suits their humour Obj. If you shall say How is this possible Can the same fountain as S. James speaks send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter or salt and fresh Ans I answer No it cannot And therefore onely one of these kinde of speeches springs from the Fountain of the Heart namely Cursing c. Holy speeches are but counterfeit And therefore God abhors such gross and affected mixture in mens speeches and resolves to turn himself to a people of a pure language Zeph. 3.9 And this is that which discovers a Citizen of Heaven when such a speech doth naturally flow from the heart I mean from a principle of renewed nature and so it 's true which Christ speaks By thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Mat. 12.37 4. Our Actions 4. We may know it by our Actions and Conversation Our Meditations our Words may speak much but our Actions speak more He that hath something to shew for Heaven within himself hath something also to shew without himself 'T is not a dark Lanthorn that conveys a man to heaven Mat. 5.16 Let your light so shine c. that men may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in heaven So that every one that sees such a man may say God is his Father Heaven is his Country Gods people look at themselves as strangers upon earth and therefore they fashion not themselves according to the world but conform themselves according to the manners of their own Country Examine therefore what hope thou hast of a better life for all true hope Joh. 3. is a purifying hope Dost thou as a stranger abstain from fleshly lusts Is thy conversation in Heaven from whence thou expectest the Lord Jesus Christ Phil. 3.20 That 's a good evidence thou art in the way to heaven But if thou canst live in known and gross sins under the Power and Dominion of them I know the best have their failings which they groan under as their burthen but if thou canst wittingly willingly and constantly live under the Power of any reigning lust and yet for all that thou sayest Thou livest by Faith in respect of eternal Life I say Thy Faith is but a Fancy it 's a strong Presumption and therefore a strong Delusion Thou art grosly deceived if thou thinkest to get Heaven or to inherit the Kingdom of God in such a way I deny not but a Fornicator an Adulterer a Drunkard being humbled and so laying hold upon Christ and in the self-same act repenting and forsaking his sin may finde mercy of God and admittance into heaven of his
In the loss of Friends Faith sayes Yet my God lives if a Husband Yet my Husband Christ lives if a Father Yet the faithful can say Our Father which art Heaven if Children David you see could comfort himself in the loss of his Childe 2 Sam. 12.23 Obj. Obj. Yea and so could I if I were assured of their good estate Ans Ans However thou mayest have comfort by vertue of these general promises Psal 25.10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to such as keep his Covenant And Rom. 8.28 We know that all things work together for good to those that fear God 3. In Name and here are reproaches lies slanders c. You have a large instance of faith bearing up against such evils Heb. 10.33 35 36 37 38. 4 In Doubtful actions Here faith hath a promise Psal 37.5 Commit thy way to the Lord and he shall bring thy desire to pass 5. Or in Opposition of Enemies whether 1. Wicked men Psal 3.6 Or 2. Satan 1 Pet 5.8 Or 3. The World 1 Joh. 5.4 6. Lastly troubles may arise from the Displeasure of Friends Faith also overcomes these Jacob's faith his Brother Esau's anger Gen. 32. Moses faith the wrath of Pharaoh Heb. 11.27 Daniels faith made him fearless of the Kings Decree Dan. 6.10 So for the Troubles themselves 2. The just lives by faith also in the effects of outward Troubles and that either 1. In themselves whence arises Passion or 2. Towards others whence arises Compassion Faith in Passions First he lives by faith in those disquieting Passions and affections which outward troubles stirre up in the soul which are especially three Fear Sorrow Care Fear is stirred up from the apprehension of imminent evils Sorrow from the feeling of present evils and Care from both viz. to prevent if the evils be imminent to bear or remove if present Now a Christian lives by faith in all these Ans 1. Of Fear 1. In his Fears Fear is a strong Passion it makes sometimes the very life hang in suspense See Deut. 28.66 Peter on the water cryes out for fear Save Master I perish Now What time I am afraid sayes David I will trust in thee Psal 56.3 So Jehosaphats fear drove him to God 2 Chron. 20. He feared and proclaimed a fast and cryed Lord we know not what to do but our eyes are up unto thee Obj. But this may be the case of David and Jehosaphat onely and such eminent Saints No for 't is said of any faithful man Psal 112. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings How so his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. Whereas a carnal man sometimes he is killed with the very fear Dan. 5. as Belshazzar his fear strikes him to the very heart at first But a believer presently looks at both Command and Promise Isa 8.12 13. Fear ye not their fear nor be afraid but sanctifie the Lord in your heart let him be your fear and your dread and he shall be for a Sanctuary c. 2. Of Sorrow 2. In Sorrows Though a believer puts not off natural affection yet he does not sorrow as those without faith without hope 1 Thess 4.13 But according to that of the Apostle in another place 2 Cor. 6.10 He is as sorrowful yet alwayes reioycing Rejoycing in hope Rom. 5.2 even before the evil be removed ver 3. We glory in tribulations c. 3. In Cares Whereas a carnal man is eaten up of cares 3. Of Care cares choak the seed of the Word in him Faith teacheth a Christian to cast all his cares upon God 1 Pet. 5.7 viz 1. By looking to the Promise Heb. 13.5 He hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee 2. By making his request known Phil 4 6. 3. By doing his duty and leaving the success to God Psal 37.5 Commit thy way to the Lord he shall do it What is begun in his strength trust him with the end and issue 4. In making God his portion in want of all things Psal 16.2 O my soul thou hast said to the Lord Thou art my Lord. See there how a believing soul acts faith in the worst hours even when the grave and hell is apprehended ibid. v. 9 10. Yet then O my soul though hast said unto the Lord Thou art my portion My good extends not unto thee yea but thy goodness extends to me Mark my goodness extends not to thee if I had all the world For magis and minus make no difference Yea but thy goodness extends to me if I had nothing in the world There is virtually in God whatsoever is in all Creatures So that God can nourish without meat as well as with it warm without clothes c. Therefore God is a sufficient portion of himself And faith believing this can chearfully embrace Christ and Reproach Christ and a Prison Christ and Poverty Christ and Death Thus the soul lives by faith in adversity as having nothing 2 Cor. 6. and yet possessing all things Secondly Faith in Compassions He lives by faith in the effect of our own trouble towards others and that is Compassion Faith tells us this is one main end of our sufferings that we may pity others 1. In Soul straits One that knows what belongs to a wounded Spirit cannot but pity Pro. 18.14 Other infirmities a mans own Spirit can sustain but a wounded Spirit who can bear 'T is a true saying besides reading meditation and prayer Temptation makes a good Divine Therefore such an one is set out as meetly qualified for a High Priest who can have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity Heb. 5.2 And also 2. In outward troubles as sickness poverty banishment and the like One that hath been in them knows the better to pity others Exod. 23.9 Ye know the heart of a stranger seeing you were strangers in the land of Egypt 2 Cor. 1.4 We are comforted in our tribulations that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we our selves are comforted of God Quest How does the just live by faith in point of Compassion Ans Divers wayes 1. In observing the Precept unto it 1 Pet. 3.8 Have compassion one of another love as brethren be pitiful be courteous 2. In heeding the threatning of judgement without mercy Jam. 2.10 to them that shew no mercy 3. In eying the Promise Mat. 5.7 Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy And Prov. 19.17 He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to the Lord and he will repay him again And saith Christ With the same measure that you mete shall it be measured to you again c. Luke 6.38 * And here I cannot but give you of this place thanks for your liberality to the poor the stranger the fatherless and widows for the many bowels refreshed by you c. And
this sore giving us peace with God and so enables to bear the outward burthen the inward burthen being removed As for this it casts all the burthen of its cares fears and sorrows upon God and so is quiet And thus much for the Life of Faith in those Adversities which happen in the course of our Life Now see how he lives the Life of Faith in Death II Branch Of Adversity viz. Faith in death A believer lives by faith in Death Faith is a godly mans life at the time of his death as it appears by the living speeches of dying men David Psal 23. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil Simeon Luke 2. Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace The Cloud of Witnesses Heb. 11. All these died in faith v 13. Reasons 1. 1. They died in faith because they believed the accomplishment of promises to be fulfilled after death as in the same place Heb. 11.13 not having received the promises but seeing them afar off and perswaded of them Believers dye in faith 1. For their Posterity as in the examples of Isaac and Jacob Heb. 11.20 21. who because God had promised to be the God of their seed when they were dying applied it to their posterity and blessed them concerning things to come 2. For the Church believing that God will make it a praise in the earth Isa 67.2 3. For Themselves when they go down to the waves of hell and the grave they see land afar off Stephen ready to be stoned Behold sayes he I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God Acts 7.56 Stephen sees heaven opened to receive him And Job chap. 19.25 I know my Redeemer lives and though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh I shall sâ—e God Moses likewise in the hazarding of himself in Egypt had respect to the resurrection of his name and body and the recompence of reward Heb. 11.26 The Saints like Moses upon the top of Mount Nebo Deut. 34.1 take a view of Canaan by faith and then they are willing to dye See Paul for further instance 2 Cor. 5. from v. 1. to 9. 2. Believers dye in faith because they see it a Conquer'd enemy Death saith the Apostle is swallowed up in victory by Christ Hos 13.13 O death I will be thy plagues O grave I will be thy destruction 'T is part of Christs victory to conquer Death 1. By conquering the devil that had the power of death 2. Our fear of death See Heb. 2.14 15. 3. They see the sting of death pull'd out so conquered as disarmed 1 Cor. 15.55 O death where is thy sting The sting of death is sin But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 4. They see it not onely a conquered and disarmed enemy but made their servant All things are yours saith the Apostle to believers 1 Cor. 3.21 22. as Paul or Apollo or Cephas are yours so death is yours sayes he As you are under God that is under you 5. Nay they see it as a Friend 1. In freeing them from the miseries of this life 2. In being their Porter or Usher into eternal life There are five Concomitants of this life which make it troublesome and Death befriends the Saints in them all by taking them away from them There is 1. The sinfulness of their Natures which makes them cry out with Paul O wretched man that I am who shall deliver c 2. There is the vanity of the Creature a sore evil For here Omnia vanitas All is vanity 3. The Wickedness of the World that constrains the Saints many times to complain with David Psal 120.5 Woe is me that I sojourn in Mesech c. 4. There are also Gods judgements upon the world In which respect death makes the godly happy for as 't is Isa 57.1 2. they are taken away from the evil to come they rest in their beds c. 5. The last evil Concomitant is the believers distance from Christ 2 Cor. 5.6 while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord therefore we desire sayes he to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. 6. Death is not onely chang'd to a believer but faith in death is seen also by altering our judgements concerning death The natural face of death is terrible to Nature and fear'd but faith sees it with desire Paul and Simeon can say I desire to be dissolv'd Christ hath not onely conquered death for his but the fear of death as was said before Heb. 2.14 And this resolves the second part of the Question How long a believer is to live by his faith and that is All his life long till death and then in death Therefore 't is said Rev. 2.10 Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee the crown of life And Gal. 2.20 I live saith Paul all the while I live by the faith of the Son of God c. Hence the word of the Text is put in the Future tense The just shall live by his faith to signifie the perpetuity of this life of faith As long as we live we must live by faith But no longer And therefore though Faith is excellent in some respect yet Love is more excellent in another viz. in regard of durance 1 Cor. 13.8 to the end 't is said there Love never faileth But knowledge and means of knowledge shall cease and faith shall cease but Charity never And therefore though Faith is * above before Charity in the first apprehension of Christ yet Charity is above Faith in the everlasting enjoyment of Christ and the society of true Christians However Faith is of excellent use all ouâ— life long till we come to a perfect vision we live by faith 2 Cor. 5.7 But no longer for we need it no longer As a man that sends home a friend wiâ—h a candle and lanthorn in a dark night commands the messenger to light him to his own door and then to return again for 't is supposed he hath more light in his own house than the lathorn could afford Such a charge God gives to his Word and to faith the lanthorn-bearer Psal 119.105 Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my paths Go give such a man light until he come to Heaven and leave him there Or as God gave Commission to the Angel Acts 12. to awaken Peter and to shake off his chain to clothe him with garments to open the gates to lead him through the first and second Ward and when he had done so forthwith the Angel departed from him Just so Faith is like this Angel it awakens us out of the the sleep of sin shakes off the chains of Satan clothes us with the righteousness of Christ opens the door of the ear and heart leads us through the first and second Ward of
up from his dead condition c. Verse the last 2. It puts his Soul into a mourning confessing frame v. 18. I will arise and go to my Father and say unto him Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee 3. It subdues his heart to lay down all Opposition and to take any course for his living v. 19. make me as one of thy hired servants Observe he uttered not so much as he intended his Father prevented him with his mercy as Psal 32.5 I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin 4. It fixeth his heart upon his Fathers mercy not upon his own merit Faith tells him Though thou hast forgotten the duty of a Son thy Father hath not forgot the bowels of a Father The word Father runs much in his minde I will go to my Father c. Here now a Spirit of Adoption begins to work whereby he cryes Abba Father O dear Father Father I have sinned against heaven c. But yet thou art my Father This is the last act of justifying Faith by which the Soul is put into a child-like condition and fit to receive a childes portion of God All is of his free grace Jer. 3.19 And I said How shall I put thee among the children Thou shalt call me My Father c. Thus the just lives by Faith in the work of Justification Vid. Cotton p. 14. D. Downame ☜ Faith in the Renewing of justification in the Conscience of the sinner 2. For the Continuance and Renewing of Justification ☞ The just lives by Faith daily as well as at the first day that he believed So Abraham Rom. 4.3 4. He believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness which is cited out of Gen. 15.6 and so it appears to be after such time as he was in Covenant with God and in the state of Grace Yet still his Justification is continued by a renewed act of Faith and so David sues out his Justification by a renewed act of Faith and Prayer Psal 51. though he were justified before And therefore Christians are much to blame who after they have once believed in God for Justification do not labour to renew this act from day to day and thence comes flatness in Spirit and deadness in Duties when we see not a daily need of going out of our selves into Christ And surely if Christ applies his own sacrifice daily to us by intercession with his Father Heb. 7.25 He ever liveth to make intercession for us Why should not we apply it daily by Faith and Prayer that God for Christs sake may forgive us our daily trespasses as we are taught to pray And this is to live by faith in a continued act of Justification Therefore it is put not in the Present Tense but in the Future it is not here doth but he shall live by his Faith that is as long as he lives Take heed the blood of Christ run not cold in the veins of Faith that you trust not more to grace received than to the fountain of grace and pardon in Christ The truth is our best duties stand in need of pardon and our best graces of quickning and nothing will quicken us more than the assurance of our Justification And therefore though a mans spirit be without guile and he knows nothing by himself he allows himself in no known evil yet even at such a time 1 Cor. 4. he is not thereby justified but then he must fly to Christ for Justification and say Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven c. Psal 32.1 2. Faith in the assurance of being justified 3. For the Assurance of the Act the just lives by Faith 1. In moving a man to desire more Faith 2. In using and embracing such Means by which we come to Assurance 3. In the Tryal of Assurance 4. In Anâ—wering all such Objections and Doubts which do cloud and darken this Assurance 5. In Expectation of Assurance First In moving a man to desire more Faith In Motives to Assurance The reason is 1. Because true Faith if but as a grain of Mustard-seed moves man to desire more Faith Luke 17.5 Lord encrease our faith Mark 9.24 Lord help my unbelief And never rests rising higher and higher till it comes to full Assurance Therefore lazy faith is false faith that saith I cast my self on God and there 's an end I never desire more so I can but rub out c. This is a sign it is not true The just lives by Faith for the encrease till assured and true Faith suggests Motives to perswade us to seeke after full Assurance Quest What are those Motives Ans 1. 1 Motive Gods Commandment which Faith looks at as to believe 1 John 3.23 And this is the Commandment We should believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ So to be assured 2 Pet. 1.10 Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure Both 1 John 5.13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God 2. Because it 's the End why the Scriptures were written yea the end of the Seals 1. Publike the Sacraments 2. Privy the Spirit witnessing Therefore saith Faith Receive not the grace of God in vain There are many deceived Micah 3.7 Then shall the Seers be ashamed and the Diviners confounded yea they shall all cover their lips for there is no answer of God Mat. 7. 1 Cor. 6.9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God 3. A difficili that which would discourage another doth encourage a faithâ—ul man the more because many objections and temptations therefore strive Tu ne cede malis The kingdom of heaven suffers violence c. 4. A possibili Both are objects of Christian fortitude Example Job 19.25 For I know that my Redeemer lives c. Paul Rom 8. For I am perswaded neither death nor life nor angels c. Steven saw heaven opened Acts 6. 5. A necessario not ad esse but bene esse as health and vigour to the well-being of natural life 3 Joh. 2. I wish thou mayest prosper and be in health as thy soul prospereth Health comprehends life aliquid amplius so Assurance Faith and the joy of Faith Faith may be without Assurance but no true Assurance without Faith 6. Ab utili strong Faith is able to do that which weak Faith cannot as a strong man can work under a burthen though both receive Christ Nothing shall be impossible to you Mat. 15.28 O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt Luther said Domine fiat voluntas mea Lord let my will be done Neh. 8.10 The joy of the Lord is your strength 7. A decoro or ab honorifico for 1. This brings more
never forsake his people so far as to suffer them to fall altogether from those necessary graces which tend to the very being of a Christian A man indeed may lose Aptitudinem ad Regnum but not Jus ad Regnum he may lose his fitness for his present entrance into the heavenly Kingdom his Lamp may want some trimming but he can never lose his right to the Kingdom because at the worst he hath some oil in his Lamp Justification and Adoption and the Spirit of Regeneration abide for ever These graces necessary to Salvation shall never be taken away Thus you may see in how many respects God may be said to forsake his people and how not Obj. Love is a necessary grace and yet may be lost Rev. 2.4 Therefore to all these Considerations we shall adde one more that is this All these forsakings we have spoken of are but Ans All forsaking but gradual momenâ—any First Gradual in respect of their Measure Secondly Momentany in respect of their Duration which we ground upon that place Isa 54.7 8. For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee In a little wrath I hid my self from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Q. But why is it said God hath forsaken his people in a little wrath and for a moment Ans In a little wrath because he suffers not his whole displeasure to arise he forsakes them not totally therefore in a little comparatively 1. Compared with their deserts Ezra 9.13 Thou hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve It was little in regard of our deserts 2. And secondly little in regard of others Others shall suck out the dregs of that Cup whereof they shall but sip to let them but taste what they have escaped by the sufferings of Christ Secondly For a moment because not finally as not totally so not finally What are the sufferings of Gods people upon earth to the suffering of his enemies in hell Alas they are but momentany if compared with their joys in heaven not worth the speaking of These light afflictions that are but for a moment Rom. 8.18 2 Cor. 4.17 work for us a far more excelling and eternal weight of glory Obj. But why doth God forsake his people so far as we have heard though it be but by trials temporally It may seem to be a great interruption to the Life of their Consolation Ans No it is for the good of his people and not for their hurt Indeed he doth it in much compassion to their Souls Q. But you may say What good is it to their Souls Ans Much every way because it prevents a world of evils 1. For God forsakes us that we may not forsake God Reasons of Gods forsaking As the Mother leaves the childe for a time and hides her self when she is about to go into a Fair or Market 1. 1. For prevention of evil that the childe may cry after her and cleave the faster to her all the day after whereas otherwise she may lose it in a crowd Thus God forsakes his people for a time that they may not forsake him for ever Experience sometimes of Gods withdrawing himself doth teach Gods people That they cannot live without him had they Mountains of Wealth of Honour of Natural Strength to live upon Psal 30.6 I said in my prosperity I shall never be moved Thou Lord by thy favour hast made my Mountain to stand strong What follows Thou didst turn thy face from me and I was troubled And what of that Why then I cried to thee O Lord and unto thee Lord I made my supplication Then he cries after God again and again and cleaves faster to him than ever he did before 2. God forsakes us that he himself may not forsake us he forsakes us one way that he may not forsake us another he forsakes us in lesser matters that he may not forsake us in greater And it is the end that is all in all and that gives denomination in every action Therefore Gods forsaking upon the matter is no forsaking nay all the withdrawings of himself tend to the clearer manifestation of himself Indeed Saul gave Michal his daughter to David that she might be a snare to him But God will not give his servants some things lest they should be a snare to them He denies them their desires and so far he forsakes them he forsakes them in appearance that he may not forsake them indeed he forsakes in Temporal things that he may not forsake them in Spirituals he forsakes them in their Comforts that he may not forsake them in their Graces he forsakes them in their accessory graces that he may not forsake them in necessary graces and to conclude he forsakes them in a little wrath and for a little time that he may not forsake them wholly and for ever Therefore God least of all forsakes his people when he forsakes them 2. For confirmation of good As it prevents evil so it confirms Gods people in that which is good it quickens and strengthens their graces 1. Their Confidence in God and their Diffidence in themselves Christ left Peter for a time to trust to himself but after that Peter had such experience of his own weakness he will never more boast that he loves Christ more than all the world besides It is well if I can say in Gods strength Ioh. 20. Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee 2. Self-abhorrence loving of our selves we are apt to make our selves our own Gods to set our Reason above his Word and our Wills above his Will Therefore there is no way for God to set up himself in us but to pull down our selves in our selves and that 's by his withdrawing 3. Crying after God and longing for his Presence Hos 5. last When God hides himself his people will seek him early In this life one while God hides himself anoother while he manifests himself and his hiding prepares for manifestation Whilst we are in the body we are not fit for constant manifestations of God to our Souls In Heaven there shall be perpetual light and no night but in this life in Spiritual respects there is a mixture of day and night Zech. 14.7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord not day nor night neither perfect day nor perfect night that we may long and cry after God 4. A cleaving closer to God When Christ had withdrawn himself and the Spouse had hold on him again she held him faster than ever before Cant. 3.4 I held him and would not let him go 5. A clearing of God Oh says a Soul if God forsake me it is just for I have forsaken him days without number Thus David clears God when he forsook him Psal 51.4 that thou mightest be just when thou speakest and clear when
because we neglect the Seal of the Word It may be in a Womans Brests if one be dried up the other may be the fuller because that nourishment which should run into two doth now run into one vessel But it is not so here for the neglect of one Ordinance makes the other more unprofitable because God never appointed any Ordinance in vain and will not indure the contempt of any Well then poor Soul dost thou complain for want of comfort thou canst not finde that comfortable assurance of Gods love active or passive thou wert wont to finde It may be there is more estrangedness every way I answer If it be so blame thy self and not God thou dost neglect a comfortable Ordinance thou sufferest one of thy Mothers Brests to be dried up for want of sucking in which thou mightst otherwise finde abundance of comfort You read in 2 Chron. 30.21 26. Gods people kept the Passover with great gladness there was such exceeding great joy in Jerusalem that there had not been the like many years before in those times when the Sacrament was neglected And you know the Sacrament of the Passover and the Sacrament of the Lords Supper are all one for substance And so you read Act 2.46 They continued in breaking of bread from house to house with gladness of heart Well then dost thou want this gladness of heart this Life of Consolation Consider whether this be not the cause thou hast not for a long time laid thy mouth to this Brest No wonder then if thou complainest for want of comfort I would not be mistaken Caution for I speak to none but true children as Christ says of his Bread so I say of his Brest It is not meet to take the childrens bread and give it to whelps For we must know though this Brest be sweet it is so onely to the believing Soul The unbeliever sucks poison out of it he eats and drinks his own damnation Therefore saith the Apostle Let a man examine himself and so let him eat And what must he examine Surely his faith above all the rest 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your own selves whether ye be in the faith The Word and Sacraments are the two Brests and Faith is the Mouth and so the just by Faith sucking at these two Brests he lives the Life of Consolation And that 's the second Reason Reas 3 3 Reason Because by Faith a Christian lives the Life of Justification VVhy consolation comes by Faith as we have heard at large and therefore by consequence by the same Faith also he lives the Life of Consolation For as sorrow is more properly the consequent of sin than sufferings For suppose suffering without sin and they are more truly the occasions of joy than sorrow So on the other side comfort is more properly the consequence of Righteousness than of all outward Blessings whatsoever Rom. 5.1 2 3. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and we rejoyce in hope of the glory of God and not onely so but we rejoyce in tribulations And so tribulations cannot hinder the glorious rejoycing of a justified person The golden Chain Order of Righteousness Peace and Joy in the holy Ghost Therefore in that Golden Chain Rom. 14.17 The Kingdom of God is Righteousness Peace Joy in the Holy Ghost Observe the order First Righteousness when a a person is justified through the Merits of Christ then Peace when we understand God and we are friends for what strikes terror but this Oh! I have sinned says the Soul and God is mine enemy And what speaks peace but this I am justified from my sins and now God is my friend And then thirdly comes in Joy in the holy Ghost for as nothing wounds the Soul more than to look at God under the notion of an enemy so nothing comforts the Soul more than to look at God under the notion of a friend and reconciled Father Therefore as Peace is the fruit of Righteousness so Joy is the fruit of Peace and then both Joy Peace and Righteousness the fruit of Faith Therefore a Christian lives by Faith the Life of Consolation As you cannot separate the heat of the Sun from the light of it no more can you separate the comfort of Justification from the life and assurance of it and the stronger the assurance the stronger is the comfort Reas 4 4 Reason Because by Faith a Christian lives the Life of Sanctification Why Consolation comes by Faith both in purifying the heart from sinful corruption and in quickning of it to all holy duties as we have already proved Now howsoever it is true Caution the forsaking of sin on the one hand and the practising of holy duties on the other hand doth not deserve the least comfort or incouragement from God and in this sense we do not ground our comfort upon our duties Yet this we say from good Warrant from the Scripture God of his free grace doth usually make holy ways comfortable ways and sinful ways uncomfortable ways even to his own children Hereupon David says on the other side Psal 38. There is no rest in my bones by reason of my sin And Solomon says on the other side Pro. 3.17 All her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace Hear what S. Luke saith Acts 9.31 Walking in the fear of the Lord they walked also in the comfort of the holy Ghost God deals with his children as we do with ours though we intend not to disinherit them for every fault yet we will discourage them by correction when they do ill and incourage them by rewarding them when they do well It is not all one in point of comfort whether we sin or sin not God is a wise as well as a loving Father he will shew no countenance to his own children if they regard iniquity in their heart Psal 66 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not hear my Prayer But blessed are the pure in heart Why they shall see God Mat. 5.8 What of that why here 's the comfort here 's the happiness here 's the very heaven of a Christian to see God 1 Joh 3 2. For Vision of God works Transformation into the Image of God Satisfaction and Satisfaction even abundance of Soul-ravishing Consolation Now this Wisdom Transformation Satisfaction and Consolation God onely disposeth to the pure in heart And yet I do not mean such as are pure in heart from all acts of sin for we sin in our best duties but such as are pure from the approbation and allowance of any sin from the regarding of any iniquity in their heart If a justified person do not act his Faith to the purifying of his heart and life In that sense we speak of God will certainly suspend his comfort for a time The Sun of Righteousness will not shine upon a Dunghil heart but upon the Garden for the Spirit
bringing down Heavenly Notions into Holy Affections and Righteous Actions then you will finde them sweet in the taste and swallow It 's not the looking upon Divine Truths by a meer notional act of the Understanding but the chewing and digesting them by Faith and Love that makes them truly comfortable Thy words were found and I did eat them And thy word was unto me the joy and rejoycing of my heart Jer. 15.16 Most persons look upon Divine Truths as people in a Market do on Commodities they pass by them or taste a little and cheapen them they onely have the true comfort of them who buy and eat and are satisfied And such are they who digest their knowledge into practice to such it 's the joy and rejoycing of their heart Joh. 13.17 If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them Knowledge to a wicked man is as the morning light to a Thief Job 24.17 it 's as terrible as the shadow of death But to a godly man it 's like the morning light to an honest Traveller or Watchman it 's most desired beforehand and its most welcome when it comes And therefore the saving knowledge of God is compared to such a light Psal 130.3 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than the watch for the morning I say more than they that watch for the morning Act Faith therefore to the digesting of knowledge into love and the practice of it Study Affections more than Expressions or Notions 6. In true prizing heavenly joy 6. Act Faith to the true prizing of heavenly joy Such as truly prize the joy of the Spirit shall have plenty of it Now it 's onely Faith sets a true estimate upon the joy of Gods people Heb. 11.25 26. The Spirit of God is a Tender and delicate Guest it loves to make its abode and stay longest where 't is most freely welcome But if we check damp resist quench and grieve that Spirit how can we hope that it should rejoyce our spirits But prize it make it heartily welcome and thou shalt have more of its sweet company and communion The truth is we should prize one comfort from the Spirit more than all the world and then we should finde more than a world of Comforts in that single Comforter who is therefore called The Comforter by way of eminency Thou maist have comfort indeed in a Friend a Brother a Childe a Yoke-fellow but what are all these to the comforts of the Spirit The Spirit is able to comfort without these but these are not able to comfort without the Spirit Prize the comforts of the Spirit and be thankful for them and more shall be given The Primitive Saints prized the comforts of the Spirits so high that they would rather chuse to endure any Tortures from men than part with those comforts from God They were stoned Heb. 11.37 were sawn asunder c. Therefore God made them to rejoyce the more even with Joy unspeakable and full of glory which is not the ordinary lot of all Christians but of suffering Christians They were filled with Heaven when they seemed to sense to be in Hell as if Hell and Heaven were met together in the same persons An Hell of Torments from Satan and his Instruments an Heaven of Joys from God even glorious joys as if the God of this World and the God of the World to come did strive whether Torments or Comforts should get the Victory in the Saints But in conclusion Comforts triumph over Torments Love and Joy is stronger than Death while they die they overcome and are more than Conquerors through Christ that hath loved them They overcame by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of their Testimony and they loved not their lives unto death Rev. 12.11 Prize the joys of God in life and thou shalt finde such joy as will drown the sorrows of Death That 's the fifth Means 7. Act Faith to make right use of our Joy 7. In right using joy when had Isa 2.11 Luk. 8.15 when we have it Take heed of too much sail and too little ballast lest you overturn all Rejoyce with reverence And bring forth the fruit of joy with patience lest unfruitful joy be nipt in the bud or turned into sorrow God comforts not his servants for nothing Neb. 8.10 but that the Joy of the Lord may strengthen them and encourage them to service and that they may comfort others 2 Cor. 1.4 with the same comfort wherewith they have been comforted of God And if we use it not to these ends we may soon suffer an eclipse in our comforts Why does God cause the Sun to shine upon the Moon but that the Moon may bestow that borrowed light on this Inferiour World Why does the Sun of Righteousness shine with beams of comfort upon any Souls but that they may communicate the same comforts to others Are ye then who were once darkness made light in the Lord Eph. 5.8 walk as children of light lest God eclipse your comforts Amos 8.9 and make your Sun to set at noon So long as the Cock runs the Fountain freely empties it self into the pipes We are but the Conduit-pipes of Comfort God is the Fountain The more we empty our selves into others comforting others the more will God empty himself into us comforting us The liberal person shall have plenty and he that scattereth shall have rain Prov. 11.25 'T is true of spiritual as well as corporal Alms both are comfortable And he that comforts others shall have the more himself And that 's the seventh and last Means of acting of Faith so as to live the Life of Consolation Thus the just man lives by Faith in regard of Spiritual Life Now thirdlly He lives by Faith in regard of Eternal Life Hab. 2.5 6. The Chaldean lays hold upon this present world ver 5 6. He is all for the body and sins against his Soul ver 10. Hab. 2.10 But Gods people lay hold on that knowledge which shall fill them with glory ver 14. Even the knowledge of the Righteousness of God to Life Eternal For so the Apostle applies this Text to that very degree of Faith Rom. 1.16 17. Not that there is any need of Faith in Heaven or the Means of Faith for these shall cease 1 Cor. 13.8 But because in this life by Faith we lay hold on Eternal Life 1 Tim. 6.12 we have the seal and assurance of it A carnal man says Seeing is Believing but a spiritual man saith Believing is Seeing Heb. 11.1 The work of faith about eternal life Now Faith grounded on the Word of God assures us of Three things about eternal life 1. That there is an eternal life of the Saints after this is ended 2. What the Happiness of this life is and wherein it consists 3. It assures a Believer of his peculiar interest in this life 1. Then Faith assures a Believer That there is
what a glorious sight would it be In Heaven the Saints shall behold the Sun of Righteousness in the highest firmament and the eye of their Soul shall be strengthned to behold his glory to eternity That 's the first Perfection of knowledge 2. Perfect love Faith assures That in Heaven there shall be a Perfection of Love both to God and one another Indeed this follows from the former Perfect knowledge of God begets Perfect Love The Saints then shall love God beyond all measure who is infinitely lovely Here it 's the grief of a gracious heart that it can love God no more there it shall be the joy of a glorious Soul that it shall love God above all yea above it self and both it self and all other things in God And in this respect the Apostle gives Love the preheminence 1 Cor. 13. above Faith and Hope that when Faith shall be turned into Vision and Hope into Comprehension yet Love abideth or endures to eternity Faith assures That in Heaven 3. Perfect obedience Obedience to the will of God shall be perfect and this follows likewise from the former Perfect Obedience springs from perfect Love If ye love me keep my Commandments Joh. 14.15 The Saints knowing God perfectly shall perfectly love him and perfectly loving God shall perfectly keep his Commandments Rev. 22.3 His servants shall serve him ver 4. And they shall see his face Here we see onely the back parts of God In Heaven we shall see him perfectly and serve him perfectly Faith assures 4. Perfect joy That in Heaven there shall be perfect Peace and Joy The Kingdom of Heaven is righteousness peace and joy Rom. 14.17 When our righteousness is perfect then is our Peace too Here indeed imputed Righteousness is perfect but imparted inherent Righteousness is not to be perfected till the life to come and then shall be perfect peace Peace with God with our fellow-Citizens with our own Consciences And perfect joy too At thy right hand is fulness of joy Psal 16. ult A full joy and so a full reward 2 Joh. v. 8. There is a double fulness Of the Object Of the Subject Faith assures the Saints of both First There shall be a fulness of the Subject Fourfold fulness of the subject in glory Every part of Soul and Body shall be filled 1. The Vnderstanding shall be full of light that every question shall then be put out of question 2. The Will so full of subjection to the Will of God that there shall be no reluctancy 3. The Affections so full of harmony there shall be no jarring 4. The Body so full of glory that it shall be made like to the glorious body of Christ Phil. 3. ult Fulness of the Object Secondly there shall be a fulness of the Object The Saints in glory shall have whatever may make them happy whatever they can desire Joh. 14.8 They shall see God and so see the Father as that it shall suffice them They shall have Rest 2 Thess 1.8 And that which hath rest hath obtained its perfection to the full In a word 1. We shall be freed from whatever may annoy us 2. We shall enjoy whatever we can desire Fivefold freedom in heaven We shall be freed c. 1. From all the labours of this life Here we are born to labour Job 5.7 as the sparks to fly upwards There is rest 2. From the Necessities of Nature There is no need of Meat 1 Cor. 15.28 Drink Physick Clothing Lodging God shall be all in all 3. From the filth and power of Sin Here the best cry out Oh wretched c. Rom. 7.24 There we shall never sin more 4. From the company of sinners Here is complaining Woe is me that I am constrained to dwell in Meshech Ps 120.5 There shall be a perfect separation without any mixture Wheat with Wheat and Tares with Tares like to like to all eternity 5. From all sorrows and pains Rev. 21.4 The life of the best here is an April-day it hath some gleams of comfort but many showers In Heaven shall be constant Sun-shine for evermore Secondly We shall be possess'd of whatever good can be desired There we shall enjoy the sweet society of God Christ Angels Saints and with all these an eternal Sabbath And thus Faith like Moses on the top of Mount Pisgah discovers the promised Land afar off or like the Spies gathers up some Clusters of Canaan and brings them to a Believer here in the Wilderness Thirdly 3. Faith assures That eternal life is the Believers Faith assures a believer of his peculiar interest in this Life Eternal And indeed this is the very life of this life to know our right to this Tree of Life in Jesus Christ For as 't is nothing so comfortable to a man that beholds another mans Temporal Inheritance adorned with Woods Orchards Gardens Rivers and goodly Buildings as to be able to say with good warrant All these are mine I have good Evidence to shew for them So is it nothing so comfortable to be able to discourse of the happiness of Heaven as by the certainty of Faith to say By the grace of God all this is mine I have good Evidence to shew for it Indeed otherwise it 's a punishment nay it 's a part of Hell it 's poena damni to know that there is such a Glory in Heaven while himself hath neither lot nor part in it This is like Balaam's sight of Heaven or Dives his beholding Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham while there was a great gulf between them This I say is part of the Torment of Hell But this is the Life of a Christians knowledge concerning Life Eternal when he can upon good grounds say This is mine The lines are fallen unto me in a pleasant place yea I have a goodly heritage therefore my heart is glad my glory rejoyceth my flesh also shall rest in hope Psal 16.6 9. I know that my Redeemer liveth c. For we know c. 2 Cor. 4.1 Now how is a Christian assured of this his interest in Eternal Life but by Faith For Eternal Life is the End or Ultimate Object of Faith Receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your Souls 1 Pet. 1.9 There are indeed many witnesses of it Three in Heaven and three in Earth 1 Joh. 5.7 8 c. And this witness of Faith is one of the Three on Earth The Spirit and Water and Blood The Spirit witnesseth to our Spirits Rom 8.16 By Water is meant the Benefit of our Sanctification By Blood our Justification by Faith in Christ or Expiation by the Blood of Christ applied by Faith and it may here be observed That though Blood alone saves a Christian yet it doth not alone witness his salvation Sanctification goes not into the matter of Salvation as a cause yet it goes into the matter of witness But according to the former Exposition Faith laying
state of imperfection strength after a state of weakness establishment after a state of shaking and glory in heaven after a state of baseness and suffering in this world A Mole upon the face sets forth the beauty of the face So the blackish Mole of the Saints infirmities and sufferings on earth sets forth the beauty of the Church and the glorious Holiness and Happiness of Heaven And this is one Reason why they are afflicted here before they are made happy hereafter Therefore the Just lives by Faith in regard of Eternal Life Vse 1. Of Confutation Vse 1 1. Confutation of those that deny Eternal Life There are a number of such in the world Confutation of those that deny Eternal life As the knowledge of the chief Good is much obscured by the Fall of Adam so is the desire of it also weakned and so much the more as men are taken captives by Sin and Satan That men may sin with the more liberty Satan perswades them there is no Eternal Death and if no Eternal Death then they must believe withall that there is no Eternal Life and if he can but perswade them that there is no Reward or Punishment after this life he knows he may win them to sin with more freedom When Elisha had blinded the eyes of the Aramites he might lead them to Samaria in stead of Dâ—than so when the Prince of Darkness hath so blinded the eyes of men that they cannot see at least not see afar off not see so far as to an Eternity after this life he may easily tempt them to commit all iniquity with greediness and to run into all excess of riot He that saith There is no Eternal Life doth in effect say There is no God for God saith that there is an Eternal Life and he that denies the Truth of God denies God himself Now when once the fool is perswaded to say in his heart There is no God What follows Corrupt are they and become abominable there is none that doth good no not one Psal 14.1 Therefore the Devil tempts some to deny the Eternal Life of the Soul And some that hold this yet deny it to the Body Either of both these Opinions are very Dangerous and Destructive and open a gap to all licentiousness If there be no Resurrection saith the Apostle let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die Yea but saith Paul certainly there is a Resurrection of the Body therefore let 's take heed we be not deceived by such evil words which do necessarily corrupt good manners Now what hath been said in the Doctrinal part may confute both these Rotten Opinions Rotten in their Root and Rotten in their Fruit also 1. Of the Body 1. Therefore it confutes such as hold there is no Eternal Life of the Body For if we deny the Article of the Resurrection of the Body how can we believe the next Article of Life Everlasting especially in respect of the whole man But the Scripture is as clear in this as if the truth of it were written with the Sun-beams Isa 26.19 Thy dead men shall live as my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust for thy dew is as the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast forth her dead Which words are propounded by the Prophet as a strong consolation against the strength and violence of the Churches affliction for in the former verse the Church is brought in as a painful travelling Woman that is in hope of a joyful deliverance but when all comes to all she travels with the wind or brings forth a dead childe Thus may the Church complain Not many of her Members are dead but all Some die in the Prison some upon the Rack c. Well admit all this saith Jesus Christ yet they are not out of my reach I can deliver them not onely from the greatest Dangers in this life but from the very power of the Grave Thy dead men shall live as my dead body shall they arise As if Christ should have said As sure as I raise my own body I 'll raise theirs yea I look at theirs as my own I do not look at my self or my Mystical Body as perfect so long as any particular Members do lie in the Grave Therefore as my dead body shall they arise If they shall say How can this be seeing they are withered and dead Christ answers My Almighty Power shall fall upon them and revive them as the dew from Heaven falling upon the withered and dead grass doth revive and quicken it afresh again And that is added in the latter part of the verse For thy dew c. So that here you have a strong Argument both from the Scriptures and the Power of God to prove the Resurrection What 's the Reason that either the Old or New Sadduces deny the Resurrection but for want of Faith in one of these two Ye erre not knowing the Scriptures or the Power of God Mat. 22.29 For thus doth Faith reason Why may not that great God who made all things of nothing make this something being once corrupted that which it was before He that with a Word of his Mouth gave a Being to all Creatures and with the Breath of his Nostrils can bring them to nought again what shall be impossible for this great God to effect Shall not He that made the glorious Heavens bedecked and bespangled with such an innumerable company of Glorious Bodies that made this Mass of the Earth that we tread upon hanging like a Ball in the midst of the Air and yet so fast that it cannot be moved at any time that commands the Waters and they will not drown the Fire and it will not burn That shuts up the mouth of Lions that they may not hurt his Servants and opens the mouth of Ravens that they may feed them I say Why may not this great God that can thus miraculously invert and turn upside-down the whole course of Nature why may not he Turn man to destruction and yet say Return again O ye children of men Psal 90.3 This therefore confutes such as hold there is no Eternal Life of the Body 2. Of the Soul 2. It confutes such as hold That there is no Eternal Life of the Soul or at least doubt of it as that Wicked Pope Paul III. at the time of his death said He should now be resolved of three Questions Note that he had doubted of all his life 1. Whether the Soul were Immortal 2. Whether there were a Hell or no 3. Whether there were a God or no Indeed he was like to be resolved to his Cost But it 's better to be resolved beforehand that we may prepare for the eternal good of our Souls Some think The Soul dies with the Body and is raised again at the Day of Judgement or that it is in a kinde of sleeping condition in the mean time But the case of
Discourse or a bare speculation of Heaven which will bring a man thither no more then the Reading of the History of such a Countrey or the Beholding of it in a Map which will transport a man to the place it self But there must be a sound and full Conveyance of it to the Soul And so the just must live by Faith in regard of Eternal Life 4. Reproof of not improving Eternal Life 4. It Reproves such who though they have somewhat to shew for their Inheritance Because they are Believers yet they live besides their Means because they do not act their Faith at least so much as they should in respect of Life eternal We say of many a worldly man because he doth not enjoy or improve his estate He lives besides his Means It 's one of the vanities that Solomon discovered under the Sun Eccl. 6.1 2. A man to whom God hath given riches wealth and honour so that he wanteth nothing of all that he desireth yet God giveth him not power to eat hereof This is vanity saith he and an evil disease And is it not a greater vanity when God hath given a man heavenly riches and honour and yet he lives not by Faith upon it improves it not to the best advantage Such an one lives beside his means How is it that Gods people are so cast down in Troubles Wants weaknesses in Reproaches in Persecutions Did they but act their Faith to believe that they shall one day as surely possess heaven as they possess the very house they dwell in upon earth how would the Apprehension of future joys drown and swallow up the sense of present miseries Why should the Kings Son be so lean from day to day Who hath such an Inheritance at the last and such a Father to provide for him in the mean time Luk. 12.32 Fear not little flock for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom 5. This Reproves such as are Earthly-minded 5. Reproof of Earthly-mindedness for such live not by Faith in respect of Heaven or Eternal Life They live as if they were Terrae filii Sons of the earth as if that curse of God were fallen upon them Jer. 17.13 All that forsake thee shall be written in the dust The Church of the first-born are said to be written in heaven Hebrews 12.23 But these men as if they had nothing to shew but onely for the earth are said to be written in the earth as if God should say Go thy way thou art an Earth-worm and therefore Earth shall be all thy Portion It may be thou hast many writings to shew for a piece of the earth but nothing for heaven and therefore says God write him down An Earthly-minded man and An Earthly-portion'd man Psal 17.14 They are called Men of this world which have their portion in this life Give them but a fat portion in this life on this side Jordan take Canaan take Heaven who will for them The Devil casts so much dust in their eyes they cannot see to live by Faith in respect of Heaven Obj. But it may be these men will say We are too uncharitable for they are profess'd Christians and they well remember the two last Articles of their Creed Resurrection of the Body and Life Everlasting Answer shall be made to this in a third Use Vse 3 Vse 3. Of Examination Examination of Faith in respect of life Eternal 3. This is of use for Examination to examine whether we believe as we profess when we say We believe the Resurrection of the Body and Life Everlasting And we may know this 1. By our carriage in Life 2. By the respect we bear to Death By our carriage in Life 1. By our Carriage in life and that in respect of our 1. Affections 2. Meditations 3. Speeches And 4. Conversation 1. Our Affections 1. By our Affections A man that is far distant from his Native Country and dear friends he mingles many a Meal with his tears when he thinks of the distance of the place But how doth he rejoyce when he is once upon his return Especially when he comes within sight of land his very heart leaps within him and he cannot hold from saluting the place Oh my dear Country Blessed be God that I have lived once again to see thee and am so near to enjoy my surest friends within thee Just thus is it with a man that is bound for heaven that lives by Faith in regard of Life Eternal When he well remembers his great distance from God and Christ the Saints departed for whilst we are here at home in the body we are absent from the Lord I say when he remembers this it fetcheth many a sigh and tear and groan from his heart Psal 137.1 By the waters of Babylon we sate down and wept when we remembred thee O Sion See how they hang their heads and they hang their harps by the water-side as if they neither took delight in themselves nor any thing else whilst they are so far from their Native Country So 't is with a creature that is Heaven-born and Heaven-bound he cries and sighs and groans while he is so far from home 2 Cor. 5.4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burthened c. And how glad are such when they come near their journeys end See how Paul skips in his desires like the Iron to the Load-stone I desire saith he to be dissolved and to be with Christ Phil. 8. which is best of all And old Simeon falls a singing as if his Deaths-day were his Birth-day Lord now littest thou thy servant depart in peace c. Therefore Examine thy self well what are thy chief Sorrows and what are thy chief Joys Dost thou sorrow most of all for thy distance from Christ and thy heavenly Country Dost thou rejoyce when thou thinkest of drawing near thy journeys end This is a good evidence that thou hast something to shew for Heaven But on the other side if all thy delight is in the World in the flesh-pots of Egypt and the remembrance of thy latter end is bitter to thee and thou art ready to say as an Atheist once I know what I have here Grand Atheist but I know not what I shall have hereafter That 's a shrewd sign thou hast onely thy portion in this life and no faith at all for the Life to come 2. Our Meditations 2 We may know by our Meditations For if we would flatter up our selves that we have heavenly Affections and yet want heavenly Meditations we do but deceive our own hearts and bring our selves into a Fools-Paradise for that 's most certain look where our Affections are there will our Meditations also be we cannot keep our thoughts off from what we love and prize dearly Where our treasure is Mat. 6. there will our heart be also there will our minde be Vbi amat non ubi animat where it
to die an Eternal Death where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched Isa the last and the last Consid 2 2. If we have not Eternal Life here we shall never have it He that believes hath everlasting life Joh. 5.24 He doth not say He shall have it hereafter but he hath it already though not in so full a measure Therefore get it now or never For a man to think to go to heaven when he dies that never cared for heaven all his life is a strong presumption Consid 3 3. It is the property of Gods People to look at heaven and happiness by the eye of Faith Heb. 11.13 And Unbelievers are blinde and cannot see afar off they look on present things 2 Pet. 1.9 But a wise man hath eyes in his head Eccl. 2.14 15. He looks as far as to Eternity he sees that which a natural man cannot see 2 Cor. 4. last Whilst we look not at the things which are seen by the eye of sense but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal Consid 4 4. This will make a man of a heavenly conversation whilst he is upon earth To live by Faith in regard of Eternal Life this will bring down heaven to the earth If the creature cannot go to heaven yet a lively Faith will bring heaven to the creature and that both the grace of heaven and the joy of heaven 1. The Grace of heaven It will make a man of a heavenly conversation whilst he lives upon earth to consider what the company of heaven and what the work of heaven is 1. The Company of heaven are God and Christ holy Angels and the Spirits of just men made perfect And 2. The Work of heaven is without reluctancy without weariness to praise God for ever and ever The belief of this will bring down much of the grace of heaven into the heart and the creature will reason thus by Faith Shall it be a great part of my happiness in heaven to enjoy perfection of holiness and shall I not then endevour this work upon earth Shall I not endevour to perfect holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7.1 and to do Gods will upon earth Surely if holiness becomes Gods house for ever holiness must needs become his houshold-servants Psal 93.5 so soon as ever they begin to wear his Livery of Christian Profession Do we believe we shall see the face of God without blushing and shall serve him without fainting Seeing we look for such things how diligent should we be that we may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless Yea what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God 2 Pet. 3.11 2 It will bring down much of the joy of Heaven And we might have added this by way of Reason why God will have his Servants live by Faith in regard of Eternal Life viz. That the full assurance of it might be a present Comfort whilst the possession of it is deferred But we will bring it in as a Motive For Christ being willing to cheer up the drooping Spirits of his Servants in the absence of himself and heaven seems to say of Faith as he said of his Spirit or if ye will of the Spirit of Faith Joh. 14. I will not leave you comfortless I will pray to the Father and he shall give you another Comforter What is this Comforter but the Spirit of Faith or the Spirit in the grace of Faith Oh! there is strong consolation in Faith and Hope It is true says Christ I must leave you Joh. 16. I must go to Heaven and whither I go you cannot come as yet but I assure you I go to prepare a place for you and to prepare you for the place and so soon as that is ready for you and you are ready for that Joh. 14. I will come and receive you to my self in due time And in the mean time that I may not leave you comfortless I will give you something of the joy of heaven as a Pawn and a pledge in hand before you come thither And what is that but the Grace of Faith and the Joy of Faith Let not your hearts be troubled says Christ though I go to heaven before you yet you shall be as sure of heaven at the last as if you had it for the present And how assured but by Faith 2 Pet. 1.5 You are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time And what of that why this brings Joy in the mean time For so it follows Wherein ye greatly rejoyce though now for a season if need be ye are in great heaviness through manifold temptations And speaking of Christ who is gone to heaven within a verse or two after he hath this expression Whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory As if he would have said Though you cannot see Christ with your bodily eye with the eye of sense and so you are apt to be troubled as the People were when Paul said Acts 20. they should see his face no more yet you shall see him and do see him by the eye of Faith and rejoyce in that sight as if that heaven it self were come down into your hearts You rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory For what is joy full of Glory but joy full of heaven Like the Vision upon Mount Tabor where God did bow the heavens and came down in glory And that is the fourth Motive that it will be heaven upon earth to live by Faith in respect of Eternal Life Consid 5 5. That to live by Faith in regard of Heaven and Eternal Life will make the poor creature live above the world If it do not draw him quite into heaven it will draw him a great way above the earth That look as a Bladder or a thin shell that is filled up with the pure Dew that comes down from heaven do but lay it in the Sun and the power of the Sun-beams will draw it up from the earth heaven-wards So it is with the Soul that is filled with this heavenly dew of grace let it but look wistly upon the Sun of Righteousness by an eye of Faith and the powerful beams of his Love will draw it so far above the earth and all earthly respects that it shall live above the world above the pleasures of the world the profits and honours of the world and above all the troubles of the world And is not this an admirable is it not a desireable condition If you would be ambitious lawfully ambitious let this be your ambition to be thus exalted by the Grace of Faith 1. It lifts a man up above the
Troubles of the world Faith lifts a man above the troubles of the world If you could suppose a dwelling above the Clouds above the Thundrings and Lightnings and terrible Storms would it not be a peaceable a comfortable habitation Such is the condition of a Christian who lives by Faith in regard of Eternal Life He lives above the clouds of worldly Troubles What if such a Trouble should come as may take away his life Faith will smile in the face of that Trouble Alas poor Trouble says Faith thou thinkest to do me a great deal of mischief when indeed thou dost but set my Soul at liberty to go out of an earthly Prison into a heavenly Palace Job 5.22 A man that lives by Faith for Heaven is above the clouds of the lower Region Heb. 12. Act. 4. he can endure the Cross he can despise the shame he can rejoyce that he is accounted worthy to suffer persecution for the Name of the Lord Jesus He can refuse to accept of life upon base terms that so he may obtain a better Resurrection Heb. 11. He can set an higher esteem upon the very reproach of Christ than upon all the Treasures of Egypt so long as he hath Faith enough to see him who is invisible and thereby to have respect to the Recompence of Reward He lives above the Troubles of the world 2. He lives above the Pleasures Profits and Honours of the world Let the Devil shew him all the Kingdoms of the world Mat. 4. and the glory of them as he did to Christ himself Faith in Christ will teach him to slight the proffer Alas says the believing Soul what is all this to the glory of Heaven Through Gods Mercy I am above all these I look at these as flitting fading empty Nothings gilded Pictures upon a rotten Post I know God hath put all these in subjection under my feet and therefore I will not put them as a Crown upon my Head or place them as a Treasure in my Heart but keep them there where God hath set them and that 's under my feet 'T is wonderful indeed but 't is not so strange as true Rev. 12.1 2. Thus the Church and every true believer is cloathed with the Sun of Righteousness whose powerful beams in the grace of Faith and Love draw up his Soul so far above the world that he tramples the Moon and all sublunary things under his feet He looks at all worldly excellencies of Pleasures Profits and Honours as changeable as the Moon On the other side he looks at the Word of God and Gods love in Christ and the fruits of that love in the glory of Heaven as the onely unchangeable good things and therefore these he wears as a Crown upon his Head but the other he puts as a Footstool under his feet We use to distinguish worldly things into Moveables and not moveables but we must go to heaven to make good one part of the distinction Heb. 12.27 28. Qu. But what means should I use Means to assure Eternal Life that I may live by Faith in regard of Eternal Life my sin hangs on so fast that I may as soon raise up by Body above the clouds as raise up my Soul heaven-ward Mean 1 Ans 1. Lay hold on Christ that is the way thither and the meritorious cause and the Loadstone there to draw thy Soul after him Christ is the great Engineer who hath a Pulley to draw thee to Heaven Joh. 12.32 When I am lift up I will draw all men unto me I have seen an artificial Instrument a device quo trahens trabitur So the more we lay hold on Christ by Faith the more strongly are we drawn to Christ so is fulfill'd the Promise Jam. 4.8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you Mean 2 2. Act thy Faith upon the Promises of God for thy Spiritual cleansing from the burthen and filth of sin Rev. 21. ult No unclean thing shall enter Therefore 2 Cor. 7.1 Let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and Spirit And some Promises God hath made in special for that very work of cleansing the Soul See Ezek. 36.25 c. Like as Jeremy lying in the Dungeon when he took hold on the Cord that was let down he was drawn up by the men that stood aloft So we lying in the Dungeon of Sin and Misery whilst by the hand of Faith we take hold of the Cord of Promise which is let down from Jesus Christ now sitting at the Right hand of God in heaven we are drawn in Soul and Spirit heaven-ward Mean 3 3. Be sure thy Faith be fruitful in good Works if thou wouldst be sure of heaven 2 Pet. 1.5 Adde to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge c. for so ver 11. An entrance shall be administred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom Not that good Works merit any thing but because God will encourage his people in well-doing by shewing to such the salvation of God Ps 50. last Mean 4 4. As a means of both under Christ Be careful to sanctifie Gods Sabbath which is a sign and a pledge of heaven and the resting of that day a powerful means under Christ to prepare Gods people for eternal rest However we are not tied to the observation of the Jewish Sabbath yet there remains a rest to the people of God Heb. 4 9. As the full rest and Sabbatism does remain and will remain not to be fully possest by them till the general Resurrection so that percursory Rest and Sabbath which is ordained to be a sign and a pledge of the other must needs remain till we come to enjoy that whereof this is a pledge If this Sabbath be a sign and pledge of heaven and of Gods perfect sanctifying of his people in Souls and Bodies Exod. 31.13 then it must be kept till we come there for if we lose the pledge of a Benefit we lose the evidence of that Benefit whereof it is a Pledge Consider further the Sabbath was not onely ordained to be a pledge of Eternal Rest to assure us of it but to be a Means also to fit us for it The Sabbath was made for man for mans benefit and that not onely for his bodily rest but especially for the rest of his Soul that he might cease from the works of sin and learn to do the work of God And experience shews the right sanctifying of the Sabbath is a powerful means under Christ to sanctifie us to increase Faith Love Zeal and all saving graces It takes a man off from the world for such a man thinks not his own thoughts speaks not his own words does not his own works I say it takes a man off from the world and puts him as it were into heaven for the time As Paul was caught up into heaven so such a man as is in the Spirit on the Lords day Rev. 1. as it were in heaven
should so dishonour God after he had bestowed a Temporal Kingdom upon him 2 Sam. 12.7 Thus saith the Lord God of Israel I anointed thee King over Israel and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul and I gave thee thy Masters house and thy Masters wives into thy bosom and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah and if that had been too little I would moreover have given thee such and such things Wherefore hast thou despised the Commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight As if the Lord should say O David dost thou use me thus Did I ever deserve this at thy hand Is this thy kindness to thy friend And if the Lord took it so unkindly from Davids hands because he had bestowed a Temporal Kingdome upon him how much more unkindely may God take it from your hands whom by the grace of Faith he hath assured of an Eternal Kingdom Deut. 32.6 Do ye thus requite the Lord ah foolish people and unwise Is not he thy Father that hath bought thee c And is it not he that hath bought Heaven it self for thee and wilt thou thus dishonour him by thy sins By Sin a man dishonours the Donor of this great Gift And secondly He wrongs his own Soul for Sin wrongs the Soul he blots the Evidence or Conveyance which God hath given him to assure him of this heavenly Kingdom What sayes Christ Luk. 10.20 Rejoyce that your Names are written in Heaven or in the Book of Life First that you know this that you have this Evidence God hath a threefold Book 1. Of Providence God hath a threefold Book which is Gods Fore-knowledge and Disposing all things in the world Of this David speaks Psal 139.16 Thine eyes did see my substance yet being imperfect and in thy book first in the Book of Providence were all my members written 2 A Book of Mens Works and Ways Rev. 20.12 And I saw the dead small and great stand before the Lord and the Books were opened and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the Books according to their Works The third is the Book of Mens Ends and Rewards which is called The Book of Life Dan. 12.1 At that time thy people shall be saved every one that shall be found written in the Book Now this Book is either in the Original which is Gods Calendar of such as are appointed to Life and Salvation in his own Fore-knowledge and Decree for The Lord knoweth who are his 2 Tim. 2.19 Or else the Counterpane of it in the Hearts and Consciences of such as do believe 1 Joh 5.10 He that believeth hath the witness in himself Now howsoever it is true He that is once written in Gods Book of Life if we take it for Gods Fore-knowledge and Decree can never be blotted out again The foundation of God stands sure yet if we take it for that Witness that is written in the Heart and Conscience it may be much blotted and blurred and obscured by our wilful sinning against God It is true God will speak peace and pardon to his people but let them not turn again to folly For if they do though they lose not their pardon yet they may lose their peace so far that they shall not be able to reade their Pardon or their Assurance for Heaven Therefore such a man as he dishonours the Giver so he sins against his own Soul Therefore let him declare his Thankfulness by the hating and forsaking all sin And Thankfulness to be shewn by performance of all duties Secondly By the Practice of all holy Duties and good Works If God be so abundant in Reward to assure us by Faith of Eternal Life it calls upon us very strongly to be so much the more abundant in our work It is the Apostles Argument 1 Cor. 15. last having discours'd at large of the glorious condition of Gods People after the Resurrection Therefore my beloved Brethren be ye stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. O that we would oft consider there is an Eternity for Reward but a short time for work and when the time of this Life is once past there is not a second opportunity there is no returning back again there is no doing of any thing in the Grave Therefore let us work Joh. 9.4 while we have the light of Life the night of death comes wherein no man can work no man can then believe or repent or bring forth the fruits of repentance There is no repentance in Hell to any purpose and if we repent of any thing in heaven it shall be of this that we did God no more and no better service upon earth And therefore so oft as we cast an eye upon the Eternity of Reward and the short time of our work let us bestir our selves in our places Take the counsel of the Wise man Eccles 9.10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do either for God or for the Church of God or for thy own Soul do it with all thy might for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor Wisdom in the grave whither thou art going He that thinks seriously of his Eternal condition after death cannot be an unprofitable Servant in his life And so much for the seventh Particular what Manner of Life the Just lives by Faith All that is worth the Name of Life Natural Spiritual and Eternal Life Faith is the Key that opens to us the Kingdom of Heaven So says Calvin in his third Sermon on Gen. 15 6. THE EIGHTH GENERAL HEAD QUEST VIII What are the Reasons for living by Faith WE come now to the Eighth Particular the Reasons why God will have the Just to live by Faith We have given particular Reasons to the particular Branches before as Why the Just lives by Faith the Life of Justification Sanctification Renovation Fructification Mortification and Vivification c. We shall now give the general Reasons which reach to all in general Why God will have the Just to live by Faith It is true God is not bound to give us a Reason or give us an account of any of his Matters Job 33.13 It is the folly of vain man to call Gods Wisdom to the Bar of his shallow Reason But Rom. 9.20 Who art c. Gods Will may well stand for a Reason And yet God is pleased in this particular to give us a Reason of his Will Wicked men in the Scripture are said to be unreasonable men 2 Thess 3.2 they do a thing because they will do it though they have no good Reason for it But God though he is most Absolute and Independent is pleased in this matter of Faith to give us a Reason of his Will That man might not dispute and wrangle with God and say What Reason have I to live by Faith seeing I have little or nothing in hand
man believe not what he professeth to be true he will be soon ready either to lay down or to take up Opinions as he may best serve the present time for his own interest In this respect an Unbeliever is a Time-server 1 Tim. 4.2 He speaks lies in hypocrisie If any new Doctrine may but swell the man up in his own Name or in his Estate he makes no bones of it to speak lies in hypocrisie 6. Apostacy Sixthly another dangerous sin the fruit of Unbelief and of Heresie is Apostacy or falling off from the Truth For by the same reason that an Unbeliever may fall from one Article of his professed Faith he may come in time to fall from all For if his Religion be no more but a State-Profession then in case the State changeth Religion where he lives his Religion is changed also And such is the Religion of all such People as are either extremely simple or extremely wise I mean worldly wise they know no other Religion than the State owns and that 's as good as no Religion at all because the State owns it it is vain to him For though that be supposed to be true which the State owns yet when a man owns it not because it is true but because the State owns it Isa 29.13 Mat. 15.9 it is vain to him In vain saith God do they worship me whilst their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men 7. Atheism The seventh and the last dangerous sin is down-right Atheism when men grow to that height of Profaneness to deny God and his Word Lo here 's descensus Averni those slippery and dangerous stairs of Unbelief Prov. 5.5 by which men depart from the living God and go down to Hell Heb. 3.12 Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God And thus you see this sin of Unbelief it s a Mother sin it s exceeding prolifical in a dangerous brood of Vipers that without Repentance will sting the sinner to death And further as Unbelief is a fertile Mother to all sin so 't is a cruel Stepmother to all Grace Unbelief a Step-mother to Grace An Unbeliever cannot love God because he cannot cast himself upon the love of God Joh. 5.42 Christ saith to the unbelieving Jews But I know you that ye have not the love of God in you An Unbeliever cannot submit with patience to the afflicting hand of God and therefore Vnbelief and Murmuring against God are ever joined together An Unbeliever cannot pray for what he wants Prayer is the daughter of Faith How shall they call on him on whom they have not believed Rom. 10. An Unbeliever cannot be thankful for any mercy received unless by Faith a man sees his interest in the Giver he can never be thankful for the Gift Psal 118.28 Thou art my God and I will praise thee thou art my God I will exalt thee As if he should have said Lord thou hast bestowed thy self as well as thy Benefits upon me and therefore I have found in my heart to praise thy Name In a word an unbeliever cannot perform any acceptable service to God you must make the tree good before the fruit can be good Mat. 7 18. and we are onely made good trees by Faith For by Faith we are grafted or planted into Christ without whose powerful influence we can bring forth no acceptable fruit to God Joh. 15.3 Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of it self except it abide in the Vine no more can ye except ye abide in me We may indeed bring forth wilde grapes and sowre grapes of our selves but the sweet grapes of New Obedience and such as may be pleasant to Gods own palate we can never bring forth till we are planted into Christ by Faith For without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11.6 Adde to this in the sixth place 6. Unbelief the Nurse of sin That as unbelief is the Mother of all sins so it is the Nurse that maintains and keeps life in every sin it binds every sin upon the Soul both in the guilt and power of it Where there is no Faith there can be no true evidence of forgiveness of sins for Men receive forgiveness of sins by faith in Christ Acts 26.18 7. Judgments on unbelievers Seventhly and lastly consider the Judgement that hangs over the heads of unbelievers if it be but partial unbelief I mean the distrusting of God in any particular Promise though we have Faith in the main to believe the reconcilement of our persons to God yet even that partial unbelief may deprive us of many sweet mercies on this side heaven Isa 30.15 In quietness and confidence shall be your strength A man of an unquiet and unbelieving Spirit may create much trouble to himself in this present life Moses was a man in the state of Grace yea and in so great favour with God that the Scripture gives this testimony of him Deut. 34.10 There arose not a Prophet since in Israel like unto Moses whom the Lord knew face to face Yet this Moses for a particular passage of unbelief in speaking hastily to the people Num. 20.8 11.12 when he should have spoke to the Rock and in striking the Rock when he should but onely have spoke to it I say for this particular passage of unbelief he was shut out of the Land of Canaan though he was not shut out of Heaven yea though he had a strong desire to enter in and exprest this desire by an earnest Prayer Deut. 3.25 c. I pray thee let me go over and see the good land that is beyond Jordan that goodly Mountain and Lebanon Lo this was his last and great request to God yea but for all that he must not go over for so it followed in the Text But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes and would not hear me and the Lord said unto me Let it suffice thee speak no more unto me of this matter thou shalt not go over this Jordan And Moses may thank his unbelief for all this Numb 20.12 The Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron Because ye believed me not to sanctifie me in the eyes of the children of Israel therefore ye shall not bring this Congregation into the land which I have given them And thus you see that even partial unbelief may deprive us of many sweet mercies on this side Heaven How many thousands as well as Moses and Aaron were cut short of Canaan for their unbelief and murmuring against God And the Lord forgive the sin of this present Generation in this respect who are even ready to run back into Egypt because God hath brought them into the Wilderness in the present Dispensations of Providence O the danger of unbelief though it be but in some particular Promise O how dangerous then is that total and universally
the World How shall this be saith she seeing I know not a man Luk. 1.34 And thus it was with that incredulous Lord when God foretold the plentiful relief of poor besieged Samaria within the compass of a day Behold saith he if the Lord would make windows in heaven might this thing be 2 Kings 7.2 And thus when God promiseth deliverance to his People in their greatest straights when there is no apparent or visible means to be seen when God promiseth the Resurrection of the body from the Grave and many such like things I 'll never believe it saith a natural man Why so It is altogether unlikely it is above the reach of Reason it is above the reach of all created strength And this is the second particular Impediment of Faith Well but how shall we remove it how shall we rowl away this stone Cure I answer By considering the infinite disproportion betwixt God and us What if the thing promised be above the grasp of our wisdom and strength is it therefore above the wisdom and strength of God It is the silliest thing in the world to measure God by our selves Hear what the Lord saith Zech. 8.6 If it be marvellous in your eyes should it be also marvellous in my eyes saith the Lord of Hosts Those things that are impossible with men are possible yea most facile and easie with God Note And therefore it is the proper work of Faith to lay hold upon the Power of God as well as upon the Truth and Mercy of God If God doth but speak a thing Faith doubts not of the Power of God to make his Word good When carnal reason saith How is it possible How can this be Faith gets aloft upon the head of Reason and seeth quite beyond it when Reason can see no further Faith saith It is so it is so and claps the hands as if it had the thing in present possession and so it is an evidence of things not seen by the eye of carnal Reason Heb. 11.1 Rom. 4.19 20 21. Thus Abraham believeth against all common Reason that he should have a Son because God had said it although he and his wife were as good as dead in the course of Nature Thus Joshua believed that the walls of Jericho should fall down at the blast of Rams-horns Heb. 11.30 which was against all reason Judg. 7.19 20 21 22. Gideon against all reason believes that he and his poor three hundred men should overcome the invincible Host of the Midianites with nothing but lamps and earthen pitchers in stead of better weapons These Worthies of God did not measure God by themselves but they considered the faithfulness and power of him that had promised and so should we And so much for the second particular Impediment of Faith and the way to remove it The third is the harboring of some beloved sin 3. Harbouring some Lust which we are loth to part with For Faith when it comes into the heart will come as a purifying Faith or else it will not come at all Now if a man prefers the satisfying of his lust before the satisfying of his Faith there 's the stop and there 's the check in the work of Faith Therefore saith Christ to those that were carried away with the lust of ambition How can ye believe which receive honour one of another and seek not the honour that cometh from God onely Joh. 5.44 Now to remove this Impediment Cure and to rowl away this stone Remember all fleshly lusts though they flatter us and make fair as if they were our intimate friends yet are our deadly enemies and under-hand they fight against us Dearly beloved saith Peter I beseech you as pilgrims and strangers abstain from fleshly lusts 1 Pet. 3.11 which fight against the Soul against the grace of it against the peace of it against the very life of it the spiritual and eternal life of the Soul And therefore suppose the lust be never so dear yet let thy Salvation be dearer Suppose it be an adulterous eye or suppose it be a deceitful hand a hand that bringeth in so much profit by the year and were it not for this thou couldst finde in thine heart to believe and to become a Christian in earnest O remember what this lust must cost thee that justles out thy Faith it will cost thee the precious life of thy immortal Soul and therefore were it as dear to thee as thy right eye or thy right hand away with it and cast it from thee Remember what Christ saith Mat. 5.29 30. It is better for thee that one of thy members should perish than that thy whole body should be cast into hell And so much for the third particular Impediment and the way to remove it 4. Our own unworthiness pleaded against the Promise The 4. Impediment Is the sight and sense of our own unworthiness O saith many a poor creature do you perswade me to believe What me you know not what a vile wretch I am you little think what sins I have committed what precious means and mercies I have abused and were it not high presumption in such a one as I am to offer to believe ot to lay hold of a Promise Thus men are apt to strain courtesie with God and to put a bar in their own way Cure But to remove this Impediment and to roll this Stone out of the way I beseech you to consider Was it presumption in Manasses or in Mary Magdalen to believe out of whom he cast seven Divels Is not the grace of God Free else it were no grace As no man is accepted for his own worthiness so no man is rejected simply for his unworthiness It is no hindrance but a furtherance to thy Faith for the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost Mat. 9. Thou art never like to find him till thou come to be at a losse in thy self And this is the fourth Impediment and the way to remove it 5. Laying much stress on the depth of humiliation The 5. Is this O but I have not been humbled to this very day at least so far as I ought to be humbled It may be I have grieved a little for my sins but not so much as I ought to do or as such sins call for at my hands and therefore why should I believe till I be further humbled To remove this Impediment Cure and to roll away this Stone we must know 1. God makes not a promise of Mercy to such a degree of Godly sorrow but to the truth of it Matth. 5.4 2. God accepts of the Will for the Deed if we would be further humbled and yet cannot And 3. Nothing humbles and breaks the heart more then the laying hold upon Christ in a promise of Free Grace Note It is impossible there should be through humiliation without Faith The Flinty heart of a sinnner
men whose bodily presence is weak and their speech contemptible men that shew much passion but little learning or discretion and therefore why should I give any heed to them or believe what they say Cure of Prejudice Now to remove this Impediment and to roll away this Stone Let all be granted though it is a thousand to one the Divel is a lier in most that is suggested yet let all be granted you must not expect a Minister without infirmities What say the Apostles themselves Acts 14.15 We also are men of like passions with you As if they should say Lift us not up too high nor put us not down too low but bless God for us and pray for us for we also are men of like passions with you And for our Preaching God would not have us come in the Excellency of words or of mans Wisdom but in the Demonstration of the Spirit and of Power That our Faith should not stand in the Wisdom of men but in the Power of God 1 Cor. 2.4.5 What though the world account plain preaching foolishness yet it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching 1 Cor. 1 to save them that believe Therefore take heed thou dost not Wit thy self into hell Caution take heed thy sinful prejudice against the plain preaching of the Word cost thee not the life of thy soul O say not as Naaman the Syrian because he was a noble Captain and a brave Courtier when the Prophet directed him for the cure of his Leprosie to wash seven times in the common and plain water of Jordan Are not Abana and Pharphar Rivers of Damascus better then all the waters of Israel may I not wash in them and be clean 2 Kin. 5.1 2 Are not the excellent and elegant expressions of many Moralists and humane Authors better then the Scriptures and the plain preaching of them for the rectifying of my judgment and reforming of my manners O be better advised as Naaman was at the length be sure to wash in the poor despised Fountain of the Scriptures even those holy and healing waters that run from under the Threshold of the Sanctuary Ezek. 47.1 That Christ may say unto thy Soul purified by Faith Now art thou clean through the Word that I have spoken unto thee Joh. 15.3 And this is the First Subordinate cause of the neglect of the Means and the way to remove it The 2. Is Pride Pride I say which is the mother of sinful Shamefastnesse as sometimes t is the Mother of sinful boldness 2. Pride Contems the Means of Faith It may be thou art ignorant of the Scriptures and as ignorant of the state of thine own Soul as little read in the one as in the other And what shouldst thou do in this case but enquire at the Ministers lips which should preserve knowledge Yea but it may be thou art as much asham'd to beg as thou art unable to dig in those heavenly mines asham'd to beg Counsel and Direction Thou art asham'd to say Acts 8 I pray you of whom speaketh the Prophet this or that of himself or of some other man I pray you shew me the meaning of this or that place of Scripture I pray you shew me the state and condition of my Soul that I may know upon what termes I stand with God O this we think will argue ignorance it will bewray our weaknesse What saith the poor creature shall I that have gone for somebody in the world and might have been a teacher of others at least within the compass of my own family Shall I shew what need I have to be taught my self which be the first principles of the Oracles of God Heb. 5 Shall I be instructed and Catechized like a child I le never stoop so low to shame my self in this fashion Prov. 15 12. The scorner will not go unto the wise Now then to remove this Impediment and to roll away this Stone Cure It 's good to remember it 's better to shame our selves now before two or three then to shame our selves before men and Angels in the last day and to have our folly proclaimed to all the world when Christ shall come in flaming fire to render vengeance on them that know not God 2 Thes 1.8 Do not say it is a foolish and a childish thing for a man to discover his own weakness in Knowledg or Faith Remember what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 3.18 Humility the Cure of Pride If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world let him become a fool that he may be wise Remember what our Saviour saith Mat. 18.3 Except ye become as little children ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven That is Humble Teacheable and Tractable as children are And this is the second Subordinate cause of the neglect of the Means and the way to remove it 3. Sloth Recoyls from the Means of Faith The 3. Is Sloth and Laziness Though a man be convinc't in his conscience of the Necessity and Excellency of the Means of Grace yet when he considers what a deal of pains it must cost him in Hearing and Praying and Practising and Denying of himself he is even scar'd at the sight of the work and starts back again What saith he Must the Kingdom of Heaven suffer violence and must the violent take it by force Then take it whosoever will for me saith the lazy person I had as live be as I am as take such a deal of pains Just like a Sluggard when he lyeth in bed and seeth a great deal of work before him and the weather is cold and he puts out his hands and by and by puls them in again 't is death to arise to a lazy person And so 't is to a lazy professor when God calls upon him to awake and to arise out of the bed of security and to be diligent in the use of Means as ever he desires Faith and the comfort of it Joh. 6. O this is a hard saying and he cannot bear it if God will save him without his own endeavours well and good but he is resolved to go to his journeys end in a Feather-bed if ever he come there Now then to remove this Impediment Cure and to roll away this Stone Remember the danger of Spiritual sloth and security Prov. 21.25 The desire of the slothful killeth him for his hands refuse to labour If a man did but know the house were on fire over his head it would startle the arrantest Sluggard in a Country Gods Ministers are commanded to cry Fire fire Hell-fire as the portion of all slothful persons Mat. 25.30 Cast ye the slothful and unprofitable servant into utter darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth O think of this before-hand that ye may be awakened Jude 23. And others save with fear pulling them out of the fire O do not talk like a Sluggard Yet a little sleep a little
to see Treasures of Wisdom in Christ to make thee wise of Righteousness to cover thy sins of Grace to supply all thy defects of Strength to enable to all holy service and this will quicken thee to believe in him Doubtless vain and ignorant men think they see an emptiness in Christ and the ways of Christ and a fulness in themselves and in the Creature Therefore they leave Christ and embrace the Creature Rev. 3.17 Thou saist I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blinde and naked But Gods People see an emptiness in themselves and all other creatures but a fulness in Christ In Christ there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Self-sufficiency All-sufficiency Sole-sufficiency 1. He is Self-sufficiency he is Jehovah he hath a being of himself without any dependance upon any other and therefore onely to be trusted to for that which depends upon another may fall as the greatest of men Psal 146.3 4 5. Put not your trust in Princes nor in the Sons of men in whom there is no help His breath goeth forth he turneth to his earth in that very day his thoughts perish Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the LORD his God 2. All-sufficiency Gen. 17.1 I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect All good is to be found in God This or that creature hath but a particular good Meat is good against hunger clothes against nakedness but clothes will not satisfie hunger nor meat cover the nakedness but God is All-sufficient 3. Sole-Sufficiency That is he is only sufficient all without him is but vanity He is God only good as God only wise He fils all in all every wayes able to supply all our wants and therefore a most suitable object of our Faith It was that which drew the Prodigal home to his fathers house Luk. 15.17 viz. A sense of his own wants I perish with hunger and apprehension of his fathers fulness in my fathers house is bread enough What follows upon that A gracious Act of repentance and faith ver 18. I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy son c. And this is the fifth means labour to see thy own wants and weaknesses on the one side and those infinite treasures that are laid up in Christ on the other side Sixthly and last of all 6 Last Mean Mat. 11.12 Diligence in all Means As we must seek Christ and Faith in the use of Means so we must use the Means with all diligence if we desire to speed 2 Pet. 1.5 10. The Apostle cals upon us Giving all diligence add to your faith virtue c. And give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Now this Diligence implyes three things 1. A very high Esteem of the Means For a man will never use diligence in that which he values not Psal 119.71 The Law of thy mouth is dearer to me than thousands of gold and silver 2. A great deal of Prayers and Labour in the use of the Means a diligent man is ever laborious in his way Pro. 2.4 5. If thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledg of God You know what pains they take who labour in silver mines and such pains should they take who seek after Faith 3. This Diligence implyes the use of all Means with Perseverance We do not account him diligent that works but by fits and by starts and when he doth work he will be sure to pick and chuse to take that he likes and leave the rest Neither is that soul diligent in the use of the Means that takes up one ordinance and layes down another or takes it up at one time and layes it down at another though God cals for it at both alike He that wilfully contemns God in one thing contemns him in all Therefore remember to seek God in the use of all Means with Perseverance The blessing and promise is intailed to such Prov. 8 34. There is the blessing Blessed is the man that heareth me saith Wisdom watching daily at my gates waiting at the posts of my doors Jer. 29.13 There is the promise And ye shall seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart Therefore be sure to use all means with all diligence as ever we desire to find the precious pearl of saving Faith And hitherto of the first Branch of the Exhortation If the Just lives by Faith if Faith be such an excellent Grace labour to get it With all getting get Faith We come now to the Second 2. Branch of Exhortation to keep Faith 2. Labour to keep it when thou hast it It is no lesse piece of Spiritual good husbandry to keep our stock of Faith when we have it then to get it at the first It is not enough that once we have believed and laid hold of the promise but we must keep our Faith and keep our hold as we desire to keep our Grace and to keep our Peace and indeed to keep our God And therefore observe how the Apostle cites this Text Heb. 10.38 Now the just shall live by his Faith but if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him As if he should say It is to little purpose to believe for a time and in the hour of temptation to fall away For as such a soul takes little or no pleasure in God so God takes as little pleasure in him It is the precept of the Apostle Heb. 10.23 Let us hold fast the profession of our Faith without wavering to the end Now the profession of our faith and faith it selfe is all one with God and should be all one with us because there ought to be no profession of faith without the Grace of Faith And this we are to hold fast without wavering to the end It was the ordinary practice of the Apostles not only to beget many to the Faith but when they had done they went up and down to visit those places and persons on purpose to establish and confirm them in the Faith Act. 14.22 Confirming the souls of the Disciples and exhorting them to continue in the Faith c. Act. 16.4 5. It was the Apostles exhortation to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 16.13 Watch ye stand fast in the Faith quit you like men be strong It is not enough that we have faith but we must endeavour to keep it and to stand fast in it when we have it Therefore he perswadeth the Colossians to be setled and grounded in the faith Col. 1.23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and setled and be not moved
conversion of souls 1 Cor. 3.5 6. Who is Paul and who is Apollo but the ministers bâ—y whom ye believe Paul may plant and Apollo may water but it is God along that giveth the increase If God therefore be the strength of his servants in the conversion of souls there is good reason he should be their Praise we have cause to bless God if any rise up and call us blessed we might have been so far left to partake in other mens sins that others might have risen up and called us cursed Vse 7 Therefore let God have all the glory if any of us have been made instruments of the conversion of any Thus Paul 1 Tim. 1.12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who hath inabled me for that he hath counted me faithful putting me into the ministry Of comforts to them that are Instruments of others Conversion Vse 7. Of Comfort Comfort to those that are instruments of others conversion in the midst of all discomforts they meet withall from the world for to that end as we told you in the beginning is this argument brought Be it so that those that perform this Spiritual piece of service for God and the Church in the conversion of Souls do meet with more than ordinary opposition and contempt from the world yet let this be their comfort their reward and encouragement from God is more than ordinary What if stones fly about Stevens ears upon earth so long as heaven is opened to him and he can see the glory of God Acts 7.56 and Jesus standing at the right hand of God this makes amends for all And truly this Text is as the opening of Heaven to those that labour in the conversion of Souls It may be the lot of such to be made with the Apostles the very filth of the world and the off-scouring of all things 1 Cor. 4.13 But what of that the more they suffer the more they shall be glorified The adversaries Reproaches shall be turned into Crowns of Glory and therefore they may say with Job 31.31 If mine adversary should write a book against me yet would I take it and binde it as a Crown upon my head This therefore I say may be matter of comfort against all that discomfort which the Ministers of God meet withall I plead not for all that are called by that Name who wear a garment or a name to deceive who prophecy of wine and strong drink who seek themselves and seek the fleece more than the good of the flock Let such bear their own burthen But I speak of such as are faithful and seek the things of Jesus Christ Let wicked men spit out their gall and spleen against Gods faithful Messengers Let them rail and revile and cast dirt upon their faces c. God himself shall undertake to wipe away all reproaches and all their tears when shame everlasting shame shall cover their adversaries Then they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever THE EPILOGUE OR A Pathetical Conclusion of the whole Work THus you see how such as live by Faith themselves should labour to convert others to the Faith And thus have we done through Gods grace assisting with this whole Subject of Faith I have now but two Requests to make unto you by way of Conclusion the one is that I may obtain the help of your Prayers that I may be enabled from God to hold forth by Pattern what I have so long held forth by Precept in the Life of Faith whatever Trials should come And the other is That you would be perswaded to follow after in walking according to the Rule that hath been set before you That what hath been spoken may be prest and imprinted upon your hearts by the Spirit of the living God You have heard much of Faith in my Reverend Predecessors time as appeareth by what is left upon Record and God hath directed me to strike upon the same Nail I may say as many years together as I intended days at the first But he that multiplied the barley loaves and the broken meat was pleased in the dividing and distributing of this Subject of Faith to multiply my Meditations far beyond my first intentions I heartily desire this 〈◊〉 be the fruit of my poor labours That when I have done preaching of this Subject you may so begin and continue to practise what hath been taught that your life may be a living by Faith and a perpetual Commentary upon the Text. And Oh that I could perswade you to live this Life of Faith before you lay down this Life of Nature or else you die and die for ever And do not say thus within your selves I 'll do it the next Year Moneth Day How many Scores yea hundreds have been cut off by Death since we began to speak of this Life of Faith And it may be many of them thought themselves as likely to live as any of us and it may be they were so indeed in the course of Nature But remember our Times are in Gods hands and not in our own And therefore let us put our hearts into his hands also that he may fit us for our times how long or how short soever our lives may prove Some have said I have been too long upon this matter of Faith but I confess they were some such as heard me not and therefore I do the less respect what they say because they speak evil of the things they heard not and therefore of the things they know not It hath been some encouragement and an Argument of Blessing that such as were usual hearers have not been tired out as hath appeared by these days assemblies compared with the other Lecture-day But I beseech you be you Believers and doers of this word and not hearers onely deceiving your own selves Jam. 1. Else I shall have cause to complain I have not stood long enough upon this Subject For that is never sufficiently taught that is not sufficiently learnt and put in practise My hearts desire and Prayer to God for Ipswich is That as they have heard much of Faith so they might live by it as much that whilst our Neighbors look upon us and mark our steps they may not see in this Town here a company living by Sense and there another living by Wits Shifts and Projects and a third living upon their Lusts and a fourth upon their unrighteous Mammon and a fifth upon their Self-righteousness and so the rest But we might so generally live by Faith through the grace of God that I might have cause to glory of you as the Apostle doth of the Romans Chap. 1.8 I thank my God through Jesus Christ that your Faith is spoken of in all places However in the mean time I bless God that I have found some fruits of my weak endevours in helping any to set their faces Sion-ward who have
all his hopes 400 401 The exercise of faith keeps the soul humble 401 Faith makes up the match 'twixt Christ and the soul 411 Faith is the Conduit-pipe to convey spiritual life 412 Faith brings in a revenue of honor to God 413 In both Covenants God required faith but with a large difference what that is see 414 415 Faith establishes salvation on freer and surer grounds then the first Covenant did or could 415 Faith discovers life in the midst of death 417 The triumph of faith over a sixfold condemnation 418 Faith a Cordial against fainting fears 420 Faith not an Evidence but an instrument of spiritual life 427 Faith not improved exposes to reproach 436 Faith seems extinct where it is not exercised 437 The conduct of faith in every action condition and choice 436 437 438 The Touch-stone of true justifying faith 442 443 The Fruits and Effects of saving faith 444 445 Faith never gives quiet possession to sin 446 Living by faith the touchstone to try all Doctrines and Religions whether they be true 448 449 The life of gratitude for the life of faith 449 Faith such a gift as is all in all Faith in order of working is the root of other graces 451 Faith cannot be implanted by any creature 452 The wonders of faith in its several steps 453 Faiths rarity or scarcity 458 Exhortation to get faith 469 The notable exploits of faith 472 True faith is omnipotent faith 473 Faiths safety is grounded on the promise 475 Faith consults with God in the Word 476 Faith is the Christians Al-sufficiency 478 Faith honors God 480 Faith and Life come into the soul both at once 481 Faith makes to prosper 481 Faith a sweet companion from first to last 483 Means how to get Faith Impediments and Hindrances of faith together with Directions to remove them 486 to 515 Faith no easie matter though it makes all things easie 515 Positive means of faith to beget it 517 to 543 Exhortation to keep faith 543 Faith a Treasure to be secured ibid. The general usefulness of faith 544 Reasons why we should look to the preserving of our faith 544 to 548 Comparisons to excite chariness over faith 546 Faith is a spiritual charm or antidote 547 Means of preserving faith 548 to 556 Exhortation to act faith and to live by it 556 Far better to put faith then mony to use ibid. Motives to act faith 556 to 560 Means to act faith 566 to 564 Six Motives to increase in faith 565 to 571 Signs of a weak faith 571 Means for the increase of faith 574 Fear Filial fear of God assures of his love 95 Difference 'twixt true and false fear of God 304 Forgiveness We must imitate God in forgiving others yet this overthrowes not Civil Courts of Judicature 108 109 Ignorance of Gods forgiveness causes great sadness 313 Forsaking See Desertion God only forsakes his people gradually and for a time 274 Reasons of Gods forsaking his people 275 to 278 It confirmes a fivefold good 276 277 Free Spirit of God How many wayes said to be free 552 553 What the free Spirit of God sets believers free from 553 Gods free Spirit establisheth in freedom 554 See Christian Liberty Friends What to desire for our best friend 317 3â—8 Fructification Or New Obedience How faith hath influence into spiritual fructification 135 Faith makes sinners become good trees 136 Faith discovers what is good fruit 137 Faith excites the soul to be fruitful two wayes ibid. Faith suits our fruit to the seasons of grace 137 138 Faith ripens the fruits of new obedience 139 Faith procures acceptation of our fruitfulness 139 140 Motives to be fruitful in season 147 148 Fulness There is a fulness of the subject and object in heaven 339 340 Sight of Christs fulness is a means to beget faith 539 540 G Gift Faith is Gods gift 449 Faith is a gift necessary to the very being of a Christian Faith is such a gift which none but God can give 451 Faith is a most precious gift 455 456 457 Faith is a rare gift 457 Glory The more we aim at Gods glory the more we grow in grace 212 There is much glory in the sufferings and reproaches of Believers 480 Gospel Gospel revelation requires solemn gratulation 459 Grace See Growth in Grace An elegant description of its nature in a Metaphor 302 How to distinguish common grace from saving 303 304 An hypocrite cannot desire grace as grace 304 Growth in Grace See Augmentation Just live the life of spiritual growth 191 192 Reasons of spiritual growth 192 193 194 195 The influence of faith into spiritual growth 195 196 Four Reasons why the growth of grace depends on faith 196 197 198 199 Life of grace is always on the growing hand 199 200 There are degrees in grace ergo aspire to increase 201 Reproof for want of due growth 202 Reproof of such as think themselves perfect 202 263 Reproof of such who decline in grace 203 Reproof of such who hinder growth in others but grow in sin themselves 204 205 The touchstone of true spiritual growth 205 to 217 Vide Strength Vide increase What to judge in the sense of want of growth 214 215 Humiliation for want of growth 217 218 Thankfulness for growth against opposition 218 219 Motives to grow in grace 220 to 226 Means of spiritual growth 226 to 231 Seven Impediments of spiritual growth 229 230 Comfort to young beginners in grace 231 232 How strong grown Saints should carry themselves toward the weak 232 H Hagiography Or spiritual boundaries to the loose professing world 434 435 Hardness of Heart Gods judicial hardning of the heart is an Impediment of faith 492 Divine justice justified in adding judicial hardness to wilful affected 493 496 Partial hardness mourned over is probational 495 Health How the just live by faith for it 70 Heaven See Life Eternal A fourfold fulness of the subject in heaven 439 340 A fivefold freedom in heaven 340 Christs being in heaven assures believing of glory 348 Heaven a reserved inheritance why 350 351 352 Curious Questions concerning Heaven condemned 359 The meditation of heaven is to be improved 360 361 The excellency of heaven in five respects 388 389 Citizens of heaven known by their Language 365 Degrees of Glory in heaven 221 Heaviness Rise of the Saints heaviness from 312 to 317 See Sadness Heirships Difference twixt heavenly earthly heirs 345 346 See Adoption Heresie It is the daughter of unbelief and hypocrisie 463 464 Holy Holy life is a sign of Right to Heaven 366 367 Honour It is a Christians honour to persevere 249 250 Believers are the only right honorable ones 480 Hope The touchstone of sound celestial hope 362 to 373 Hope of heaven is a buckler against fear of adversity 382 Hope of heaven is a charme against prosperity 385 Humility Humiliation It is a means to attain assurance 95 Feigned humility is the root of licentiousness 143 Laying too much
devour each other 141 142 Papists faith is cobled up of pride and ignorance 40 Pardon A pardoned state is a peaceable state 296 Passion How faith moderates and subdues the Passions of Cares fear and sorrows 52 53 477 Patience Faith in adversity teaches and exercises patience 64 Peace Saints live by faith for it in two respects 71 The golden chain and order of righteousness peace and Joy 296 Perfection Conceit of perfection is an impediment of spiritual growth 229 Knowledg Love Obedience and Joy are perfect in Glory 338 339 Perseverance Faith triumphs in the life of Perseverance 233 234 Proofes from scripture that the just doth persevere 235 Perseverance is by vertue of faith 236 Reasons why the just shall persevere 237 to 240 Reasons why perseverance is through faith 240 241 Confutation of the doctrines of falling from grace 241 Five concessions wherein there may be a falling away 242 Exception to 7 particulars which can never be lost 243 244 Objections against perseverance answered 245 246 Motives to perseverance from 249 to 253 Means of perseveranee from 253 to 257 Truth of grace demonstrated by perseverance 257 Thankfulness for perseverance 259 260 Faiths incouragement to persevere amidst all discouragements 261 Vide establishment in faith Posterity Saints live by faith for blessings on posterity 73 Power of God It is a cause of the Saints perseverance 239 Praise It is due from Saints for their spiritual life 11 12 Prayer The exercise of it is a meanes of assurance 94 As also observation how God hears our prayers 94 The prayer of faith is a means of sanctification 131 132 133 Prayer is a means of spiritual growth 226 227 Prayer is a means to increase spiritual Joy 3â—9 Prayer may subdue hereticks when reason cannot 357 Prayer preaching must not justle out each other 529 Prayer a means to beget faith 527 529 Natural men ought to pray though they cannot pray acceptably without faith 530 531 Pray that thou maist believe believe that thou maist pray with acceptation 533 Prayers of others helpful to conversion 533 Whether a natural man ought to pray The question stated affirmatively and all objections answered 530 531 532 Prayer is a good means to preserve faith 551 552 Prayer is a means to increase faith 578 Preaching See Ministry The right Art of successful preaching 427 428 Precious Three things very precious 455 The precious touch of faith in four respects 456 457 Prejudice It quarrels the means of faith its cure 506 507 Presumption It postdates the use of means which should beget faith 509 510 Presumption of having faith already hinders believing together with its cure 510 511 Differences 'twixt presumption and true faith in the conception birth growth issue or fruits 511 512 Presumption is a Monster of pride and security 513 Pride Pride in the reason and will subdued in Sanctification 117 118 It is an hindrance of spiritual growth 231 Pride and unbelief are associates 2 3 Proud persons are neither obedient nor safe 3 Pride how manifold and how dangerous 5 6 Rank pride is the root of Popish Sanctity 143 Pride contemns the meanes of faith 507 508 Profession Multitudes make a profession of faith who live not by it 434 435 Promises Three-sorts of them all tending to assurance 92 93 Apply the promises of growth for growth in grace 228 229 Promises applyed are a believers livelyhood 414 415 Our own unworthyness pleaded against the promises is a main hindrance of believing its Cure 502 Direction in applying of the promises 526 Faith built on false promises of our own will fail 551 Promises to increase faith are a means to increase it 575 Prosperity How the just live by faith in Prosperity 46 47 48 The temptations of prosperity 385 Protestants Their Apology against papists in point of work 144 Purchase The wisest purchase is faith in Christ 468 469 Q Questions Curious vain questions concerning the state of glory busy mens fancies when as their faith should be acted to make sure their interest in that shate 359 R Rainbow How grace is like it as a sign of sparing mercy 301 302 Rarity Faith is the greatest Rarity in the world 458 Receive What it is to receive Christ on Gospel terms 560 Regeneration See Unregeration Love to God his word Saints holiness an effect of it 98 Difficulty of the new birth it is not without doubting 98 We are not born again of bloods nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man how this is to be understood See 528 See Sanctification Rejoyce See Joy It is the heigth of wickedness to rejoyce in it 321 To rejoyce in the creature as it draws from God is sinful 321 Relations See Friends Religious Religious life is the only comfortable life 310 311 Religious persons must neither be jovial nor austere 320 Religion no fruitless Profession 358 Renunciation Of self a reliance onely on free grace brings assurance 96 Resurrection Christs Resurrection is a means of Sanctification 126 127 Resurrection of the Body proved 354 355 Riches A Believers Riches are inexhaustible 477 478 Righteousness That of Sanctification is not to be confounded with that of Justification yet they are inseparable 32 33 S Sabbath Rightly sanctified it is a short and little heaven 381 Sacrament Faith applies Christ in the Sacraments for Sanctification 130 A complaint for neglect of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper 294 Sacraments are a means to increase faith 576 Sacrament not to be given to dead-hearted unbelievers 577 Complaint for interruption of the Sacrament and the corruption of it as the cause 578 Sadness See Heaviness Vnbelief is the spring of sadness 307 308 309 Why the Lord suffers his Saints to fall into sadness 315 316 See Consolation Sanctification Vide Regeneration The submitting to the Spirit in this Work is a means of assurance 94 The life of faith in Sanctification 113 There is a life of Sanctification in Believers besides that which is inherent in Christ himself proved by four Arguments 114 115 How Sanctification and Justification differ in four respects 116 What Sanctification is and wherein it consists 116 117 It works an holy change on the whole man 118 Difference 'twixt Sanctification and Morality in nine respects 119 120 121 Means whereby Sanctificacation is wrought 122 Faith applies Christ for union as the root of Sanctification 123 Faith applies Christs death for Sanctification and his Resurrection 126 127 Faith applies Christs second appearing and the last Judgement for Sanctification 127 128 Faith applies the Word of Christ for Sanctification 128 129 Faith makes use of the Sacraments for increase of Sanctification 130 Faith rightly uses and applies affliction for Sanctification 131 The Prayer of Faith is a means to sanctifie 131 132 133 Reasons of the necessity of Sanctification five 134 135 Five Motives to the life of Sanctification 145 146 There are degrees in Sanctification 201 202 Vide Growth Sanctification not the meritorious ground of