the Law of God requires under the paine of eternal damnation The perfection of good works according to the strict exigence of the Law consists especially in two things 1. One is that a man be able to performe them with all of his heart and with a plenary love without the intervening or sliping in of any evil inclination or motion which abates that due and required intension or in any measure sprinkleth or tainteth them with any defilement 2. Another is that a man is to perform good works in that manner with a perpetual and constant ten our or course all his life Those two are the ingredients of perfection as appears by that of Christ Thou shalt love the Lord c. And that of Paul He is cursed that doth not continue in all that is written c. Gal. 3. 10. These are the conditions of works legally good and which must justifie a man if he will be justified according to the legal Covenant But who can performe such perfect and good works Adam might have done them and Christ did but what one sinner can who can say my heart is cleane and that we do not in many things offend all Paul cries out I am carnal but the Law is spiritual The good that he would do he could not do and the evil which he would not do that did he do Good Lord how often are we at a losse in our most retired meditations and how our hearts lie flat on earth when our eyes look towards heaven in prayer For one good work that we do how many bad which we should not do like boyes for one faire line twenty with blots and blurs or like the Archers whereas they hit the mark once they misse it a hundred times Let us but cast the accounts of our ill works with the good and we shall finde with shame and sorrow that our good works are not equal with our bad in number nor so strong in dignity to wipe out the bad but the bad as they are more for number so their cry of gilt is more meritorious to cast both our persons and all our works before the judgement seat of God then the good to ingratiate or merit for us 2. What proportion 'twixt our works and 'twixt our pardon and salvation If Jacob be lesse then the least of outward benefits Good God! how far more unworthy are we of the spiritual yea of the Eternal When we have done all we have not done more then duty and that can never be merit which is but duty nay when we have done all we can we have not done our duty we are but unprofitable servants and that which failes of duty comes short of dignity or merit It is true that God commands accepts delights in will graciously reward good works what for their own sake No for his mercies sake he will save the man whose heart is holy and whose life is fruitful What for the works sake No but for his Christs sake It cannot be denied but that there is some relation 'twixt good works and salvation as between the meanes and the end but there is not that relation as 'twixt an efficient cause and an effect for the efficient cause of our salvation is only Gods grace and favour Nor as 'twixt a meritorious cause and the reward for the meritorious cause of our salvation is only the obedience of Jesus Christ Nor as 'twixt an apprehensive cause may I use such an improper speech for that only is faith the instrument of our salvation c. There is not in regenerate men such an adequation or full 3. Noe ability to keep the whole Law wholly answerablenesse of duty as to keep and fulfil the Law as it is the Covenant of life and salvation There are divers Arguments to cleare this I will touch one or two 3. Reasons 1. Imperfect actions do not fulfil a perfect Rule no more then a short line answers a long copy or a line partly crooked doth that which is streight But the duties which regenerate men perform are imperfect actions for as much as they flow from an imperfect agent viz. from the soul of a Christian which is partly spiritual and partly carnal not wholly spiritual nor wholy carnal even from this doth the Apostle conclude the impossibility for us to fulfil the Law Rom. 8. 3. viz. from the weakness or infirmity of the flesh that is of the old man not yet fully purged and changed 2. If any man could perfectly fulfil the Law then some man had no need of Christ either to be his Redeemer or to be his Intercessor for a Redeemer and Intercessour is in case of transgression and failing and so Christ should be to a regenerate person at least an idle and fruitlesse intercessour for as much as it doth appertaine to his intercession to pacifie and reconcile and ingratiate but what use of this where all things and services are just already as they should be without any animadvertency of the Law against them But Christ is an Intercessor even for the Saints He makes intercession for us saith Paul Rom. 8. and Saint John implies that an Advocate is for a sinner only for him 1 John 2. 1. If any man sinne we have an Advocate c. If for a sinner only then for a transgressor of the Law and if for a transgressor of the Law then not for one who doth perfectly fulfil it 3. If the just must live by faith Then he cannot perfectly fulfil the Law for then he might live by his works but the just shall live by his faith Gal. 3. 11. That no man is justified by the Law in the sight of God it is evident for the just shall live by faith Mark the place shall live by faith If it comes to the matter of life and death then farewel works Cursed is every one that doth not continue in all that is written to do them If he will save his life he must get him faith to fly to mercy and Christ yea and mark of whom he speaks this It is not of a person unconverted but it is of the just even the just must live by his faith that is By Christ on which faith doth rest not by his own merits works obedience Now put all this together there are but two ways to save a man either by faith in Christ or else by the observance of the Law But none can observe the Law so as to be justified by it Because 1. His holinesse is short 2. His works ineffectual 3. His performances unanswerable Ergo to beleeve in Christ is the only way Every mouth is stopped by the Law and all the world is to become gilty before God Therefore by the Deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the Law is the knowledge of sin Rom. 3. 19 20. Suppose a man had many great debts and several poore friends and he seeks to one of them good sir be
is none upon earth that I desire besides thee said Asaph Psalme 73. 25. I count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord saith Paul again Phil. 3. 8. Lord let thy servant now depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation said Simeon Luke 2. 29 30. As when we come to heaven we shall be so heavenly that heaven alone will be enough to us and this shews perfection so whiles we live on earth if Christ alone be heaven and earth to us if he can fill our hearts and satisfie them O Lord Jesus thou art righteousnesse enough satisfaction enough wisdome enough peace and comfort and pleasure enough to my soul O this comes from great strength 8. The more that the body of sinne decayes in strength the lesser prevalency of it this shewes that faith is strong When sinne becomes more dead in its actions or more ineffectual in its temptations When a man can walk and not stumble and reele and fall he is now out-grown his former weaknesse It shews weaknesse when every stone makes thee apt to fall It is a signe the army is strong when the enemy many of them are slaine and the rest are easily discomfited Sinne is our enemy and Christ is our general and faith is our champion and the more that sinnes fall it is an argument that faith is become stronger The victorious faith is much more then the combating faith Sinnes go down by believing the more that any grace is in victory the more it is in strength Indeed it argues truth of faith to resist but to conquer sinnes this shewes strength to wrestle is something but to overthrow is more to oppose sin is not so much as to vanquish it 10. The more fruitful a Christian is in his graces and exercises of them the stronger is his faith You know that the extension of the branches ariseth from the intension of the sap if the branches grow big and yeild more fruit it is because the root is more full and filled Faith is well stiled the radical grace though the habits of other graces grow not out of it yet the measures and exercises do exceedingly depend upon it And according to the latitude of faith is the latitude of other graces as the dayes receive shortnesse or length from the Sunne A weak faith is attended but with a weak love and a weak patience and a weak hope and a weak joy But if the faith becomes strong now it is spring with our graces they revive and shoot out themselves there will be much love and much labour of love and strong hope and the better heart and life 11. The more able a person is to live upon Christ or Gods promises in the times of desertions and contrarieties the faith is certainly the greater The more use any can make of God or Christ at all his faith is greater for the more that any soule beleeves the more is his faith enabled thereby But then this is yet more strength even against hope to believe in hope to look up for that God that hides himself to venture on an angry God one who seemes to shut out our prayers one that speaks bitter things unto us like Levi not to observe our own children but to keep the Word and Covenant of God Deut. 33 9. 12. The more able the soul is to wait on God to pray and wait the stronger is the Faith A waiting faith meets with more difficulties and contrarieties and is upheld by the strength of a meer promise That man not only hath faith but lives by faith if he can wait Gods time c. 13. When you can glorifie many promises at once by beleeving yea when every promise can be trusted on upon gracious termes the more fully you can glorifie them by trusting for pardon of great sinnes subduing of strong corruptions deliverance out of great distresses the stronger is your faith The lesse difficulty you conceive in God to perform his Word when you can come for great matters with great confidence lesse doubts exceptions feare the lesse power discouragements have If you can beleeve against sense reason Though he kill me yet will I trust in him These are discoveries of faith in strength SECT IV. THe second part of the second general point at the instances of weak faith in truth Here are two things which I will touch One is some demonstrations that faith is weak Another is some directions of truth with that weaknesse Concerning the first observe these things Signes of a weak faith 1. The more that doubtings stagger the heart its is a sign that the faith is weak As the more smoak goes up with the fire it is an argument that the fire is little or as the more a person halts and reels in his motion it discovers the impotency of his strength and joynts You reade in Rom. 4. 20. That staggering at the promise by unbelief is opposed to a strong faith observe that word staggering It is such a temper of the soul wherein it doth suddenly and easily change its thoughts and acts As a man who is staggering his foot checks as it were it self and alters its pace and place so when a mans heart is giving on and then falling off may I take may I not I will lay hold I will not God will be good to me he will not I shall have mercy yet I shall not this is staggering The soul le ts go its hold doubtings prevaile against actual beleeving the beleeving soul sees strong arguments to draw it to fasten on Christ and on mercy and then it is putting forth the hand but then unbelief thrusts forth contrary arguments of suspition and feares so that the soul is in doubts may I indeed lay hold but will the Lord be merciful to me Why diddest thou doubt O thou of little faith said Christ to Peter and this stands with reason for the stronger that quality is which is contrary to faith the weaker is that faith which is contrary to that quality as the stronger sickness is the weaker health is c. 2. The more easily a man can suspect Gods favour and Christs love this is a sign that faith is weak See Psalme 77. 7 8 9. and then v. 10. They say of love that the more pure love hath least feare 1 John 4. 18 and multitude of jealousies is an argument of mixture in the affections So it is of faith the more stedfastly it can hold up the immutability of Gods love and kindnesse and his ancient grants of favour the stronger is the faith But the more apt it is to question the loving kindnesse which hath been ever of old now it is the weaker Luke 24. 21. We had trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel and besides all this to day is the third day There be two things which a weak faith is very apt to challenge One in God for kindnesse Another in
an unbelieving heart But faith makes the soul well pleased because it presents the soul with such a good as cannot only satisfie but also exceed it God is an infinite goodnesse he who can satisfie more then a world may well content one mans heart and Gods favour is a satisfying good I shall be satisfied with thy favour said David and to this doth faith entitle yea this it doth reveale to the soul And I will tell you one thing that he who cannot be contented with a God and his favour with a Christ and his blood with a Covenant and its fulnesse he will never be content with any thing if alsufficiency be not enough to thee when can emptinesse and vanity please and satisfie thee What if a man hath but a little Garden yet if he hath a large Parke and ten thousand Acres of Arables and the Kings royal favour to grace all this I tell you this would sparkle his spirit it would breath a well-pleasednesse in him Thou complainest that thou hast but little of earthly things I grant it and a little may be enough enough depends more on quality then quantity but then though the Garden be but small yet the Park is large though thy portion in externals be not so great yet this with a great and all sufficient God and a blessed Saviour and a heaven to boot is enough and enough If the wife saith she hath but a small joynture yet if she hath a rich and tender husband she is to be blamed if she saith she hath not enough Faith viewes the Christians estate not as it is in its hand but as in her husbands hand in Christs and then all is well enough 4. It assures of universal and reasonable supplies The Lord is my Shepheard I shall not want so David Psal 23. 1. follow him a little in that Psalme and you shall see what God hath done Time past for him he made his pastures green and his waters still vers 2. O what a freshnesse and what a calmnesse doth faith make in the state His soul is taken care for and at the worst when he was in the valley of the shadow of death yet he was quieted from fear because his faith saw God there yea and found him there to uphold and comfort That for what was past Then for his present condition See ver 5. His table is prepared for him as if he took no care no anxious care he needed not to trouble himself Present thou preparest a table for me and not a mean table neither my cup runneth over nor yet a dull and uncheerful table thou anointest my head with oyle so that faith for the present findes food and cheer enough too But then for the future condition will this hold out See what faith findes in reversion ver 6. Surely goodnesse and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of Future my life Goodnesse perhaps that respected his temporal estate Mercy perhaps that respected his spiritual 1. One his body 2. Another his soul and both these shall follow him as the shadow that followes the body they should be still at hand but how long not for a day only but all his dayes not all the dayes of his dignities abilities health but all the dayes of his life Nay yet againe surely they shall follow me It was not a speech of fancy but of certainty it was out of all doubt and peradventure surely mercy and goodnesse shall c. So Psal 84. 11. The Lord God is a Sun and a shield the sun is the parent of light so is God of all good The Sun is the cause of all fruitfulnesse and cheerfulnesse so is God of all blessings and he is a shield to a Sunne for the doing of good and a shield to secure and protect from evil The Lord will give grace and glory Grace is the best thing which a man can nave on earth and Glory is the highest thing which a man can have in heaven But these he will give they shall not be bought but freely bestowed No good thing will he withhold c. As it he should say if grace be not enough for earth if glory be nâ—t enough for heaven think then of any other good thing there is not any other good thing which shall be withheld that is which shall not like the rain which ceaseth to be withheld poure down upon you Will you heare the Prophet say a word to this to this future supplies for them who live by faith then read Jer. 17. 7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord whose hope the Lord is Here we finde the beleever at his work of trusting or living by faith and at his wages too Blessed is the man that trusteth c. Indeed the Prophet speaks a great word he is blessed more cannot be said but let 's see how he proves that ver 8. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters and that spreadeth out her roots by the river and shall not see when heat cometh but his lease shall be green and shall not be careful in the year of drought neither shall cease from yielding fruit If faith plants the tree in a springing soyl if it beholds the tree to spread and grow and bear in all weathers though heat cometh in al times though drought cometh yet the leafe is green and fruitful and ceaseth not to yield doth it not then assure us of supply for the fuâ—ure hath it not a good Store-house an ample treasury for the beleever What should I say more may not faith say that to the soul which God hath said to faith if so then we may well rejoyce for the present and be void of care for the future for God hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Hâ—b 13. 5. Thou hast mercy and shalt still have mercy Thou hast grace and shalt still have grace Thy part in Christ and still shalt have it supplies of all good and still shalt have them 3. The life of faith is the only getting and thriving life What the Apostle spâ—ke of godlinesse that we may say of Faith It is great gaine for it hath the promises of this life and of the life which is to come Profit is that which most men look upon it is the cry of most who will shew us any good and faith hath a singular art of getting I observe that the gâ—od of a Christian in some respect hangs in the promises as water doth in the clouds and look as the boysterous windes rather drive away the clouds and rain though a few drops may slâ—p down but it is the sweet heat of the Sunne which makes the cloudes to open themselves and give out their store So the only way to drive away the promises as it were to remove them with their blessings is not to believe not to trust and the only way to make them to yield out their precious treasures is to believe to
word of application If salvation be the maine enquiry of a truly troubled soul Vse then verily many people have not yet been truly troubled for their sinnes why Because they strive not how to save their soules The Psalmist speaks of some that God was not in their thoughts and we may say of some that Salvation is not in their mindes He who hath abundance hath this question who will shew us any good and he who is in want hath this question what shall I do But what shall I do to be saved few think of this it is a marvelous thing that so noble a creature as man who carries in him the singular stamp of heaven a spiritual and immortal soul should so infinitely forget both himself and his errand into this world I am a miserable sinner said Saint Hicrome and born only to repent We are born transgressors from the wombe and with hell at our heeles God is pleased to draw out the threed of our life and to vouchsafe to give us this hint that we are sinners and must dye and if we change not our condition we perish forever And besides that he hath addressed the wayes of Salvation to our hands so plainely that he who runnes may read Yea and there is something implanted in men which secretly inclines them to be affected with a generall desire of Salvation nevertheless to observe men how variously they flye off how little they minde that which most of all concerns them how infinitely one drudgeth for riches how illimitedly another pursues pleasures so that when we come to dye we have hardly thought wherefore we were borne There is a Salvation and a way tending thereunto but we forget that all our dayes We have other employments but let us soberly recall our selves Is there any thing better then Salvation Is there a nearer thing then the soul Is there not a necessity to be working in the way if ever we would attain unto the end O then let this take us up let heaven take us up let our souls take us up but let not our sins let not the world take us up Vbi pompa said Saint Augustine ubi exquisita convivia ubi gentiorum ambitio ubi argenti auri pondus immensum Transient omnia ab oculis ejus putatur requiesere corpus ejus habitat in inferno anima ejus multiplâ—cavit agros plantavit vineas implevit horrea yet saith he Sâ—ulâ—e hac nocte He enlargeth his Fields plants his vines fills his Barnes loseth his soul The like saith Saint Bernard Dic mihi ubi sunt amatores seculi qui jam diu fuerint Dic quid eis profuit inanis gloria Brevis laetitia mundipotentia Quid carnis voluptas quid falsae divitiae ubirisus ubi jocus ubi jactantia Hic caro eorum vermibus illic anima ignibus deputatur infernalibus I say no more but labour to save that which if it be lost the world cannot procure it and believe it that the soul can never be saved by that which is not worth a soul Another conclusion from the words of the text may be this That persons rightly sensible are as throughly resolved for the meanes and wayes as for the end and scope The Jayler doth not say I desire Salvation barely but what must I do to be saved as if he said I desire Salvation and I do conjecture that it is an end and therefore means there are leading to it now whatsoever they are point them out unto me that I may apply my self for the prosecution of the end There are two things which deceive a mans heart One is presumption which is a skipping over the lesson and taking forth before we have learned our part my meaning is this that it is an opinion of our happinesse without any use of meanes As if a man went to heaven as the Ship moves in the Tyde whether the Master wakes or sleeps Another is hypocrisie which is an inquality of the heart to all the wayes of Salvation No hypocrite will apply himself to every thing which may indeed save him But where the heart is rightly understanding and truly sensible there is not only a consideration of meanes but an illimited resolution for all the wayes of Salvation whatsoever course God doth by his Word reveale and prescribe for that it is resolved and purpâ—sed though they may be contrary to my proud reasoning and capacity though they may be contrary to the bent of my affections though they may require much time and employment c. What the Princes speak with a disembling heart that the sinner rightly sensible of his condition affirms with a plaine spirit of true intention The Lord be a true and faithful witnesse between us if we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us Whether it be good or whether it be evil we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we send thee that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God He who will be saved must come to this to deny his own will to crucifie his own affections to captivate his own imaginations to resigne up his own desires and pleasures to afflict his heart for his sins to give up himself to the rule and command of Gods Word to draw off his heart from the world to settle all his confidence upon Jesus Christ to watch over his own spirit To love the Lord God with all his soul and with all his might These and other things are required as the way to life and unto them all doth a sinner rightly sensible yield up himself with all readiness and gladnesse For as much as though there may be some difficulty in these yet there is Salvation by them yea and there is a singular help for them as well as a special reward but the present and former condition and way of sinne is engraven with much paines and sore horror and death and hell But I pass on Another conclusion from the words is this When God doth throughly work upon mens consciences personall injuriousnesses must be forgotten by them who are to deale with them You see here that Paul and Silas speakes not a word of this cruel usage towards them but instantly addresse themselves to the direction of his safety and comfort Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ c. We read of the Father of the Prodigall that when his son came humbling and bewailing his fore-past miscarriages of Prodigality and Luxury He saw him a far off and ran to meet him and kissed him and put the raiment on him and a gold Ring He did not rate and upbraid him Nay I will not look on thee I will not accept of thee go now to thy Harlots amongst whom thou hast riotously wasted all that goodly portion which I put into thy hands O no he accuseth not him whom he heares to accuse himself and reviles
the understanding by solid demonstration of infallible principles or else by the undeniable evidence of sense and experience as thus that every natural body hath power to move or that the Moon will suffer an Eclipse or that the fire is naturally apt to ascend and the water to moisten c. These things have both a naturall certainty and truth in themselves and there is an undoubted evidence and certainty in the minde of the person truly knowing them and so certaine and full is the perswasion of the minde about them that there is no scruple of doubt remaining to discuss as any uncertainty whether the things be so or no. Another is opinion which is an inevident evident assent if I may so phrase it My meaning is the understanding doth so assent and yield to the things as that yet it sees some contrary reason to suspect and question whether the thing be so or no for as much as in opinion the grounds are not fully evident to the minde but they are only probable and therefore the assent by opinion is but conjectural As take a man in a case of a scrupulous conscience there is to that man some evidence of argument which doth seem to warrant his action or attempt and yet that argument is not so entirely convincing of his judgment but on the other side there starts up a medium or argument which renders the practice probably sinful whereupon if you come to demand of him May you do such a thing he answers I do not certainly know that is I am not entirely and absolutely resolved of it yet I think I may I think it is lawful and this thinking which is opinion is alwayes accompanied with some fear and suspition so that the minde is like a paire of Scales tottering and tilting to either side Things are partly cleare and partly obscure partly evident and partly inevident and therefore the assent of opinion is alwayes doubtful Another is beliefe which is an assent unto things not from any evidence of the things themselves but only from the relation or testimony of another If I feel the fire to burne my hand I do not call this a believing but a sensitive knowing if Ahimaaz comes and tells David that his Son Absolom is hanged and slaine though this be knowledg in him who saw it yet it is belief in David who did heare and credit the tidings so that to be brief belief differs from knowledge in this that knowledge depends on the evidence of things themselves but belief though the things be certainly true to which it doth assent yet it assents unto them for the testimony or authority of him who relates and reports them Though this be most true That Jesus Christ was borne of the Virgin Mary and that he is the Messias and Saviour yet I beleeve it to be true because God hath given testimony or report thereof in his Word unto me Again Belief differs from opinion in this that opinion is an indifferent probable hazarding and difficultly inclinable assent but in believing the assent is firme certaine and fixed especially where testimony and authority is sufficient Believing as it is restrained to a theological and divine consideration that is in the generall an assent of the soul to the truth and goodnesse of all divine revelations upon divine testimony Here much might be said as for instance First that all divine revelations are the object of belief as supernaturally inspired Secondly that the ground of believing them is Gods own testimony Faith hath sufficient reason to believe all things there to be true in their relation because of his truth and authority who doth say so viz. God himself Thirdly of the generall nature of believing which is an assent unto all spoken by God as most true and credible Secondly particularly of justifying Faith Faith as you well know hath a double aspect one is to the whole revealed Word of God another is to God in Christ or to Jesus Christ I am not now to speak of it as an eye which may see all colours but as an eye fixing it self on some singular and special object viz. on Jesus Christ in respect of whom it is called justifying faith The believing on whom may be thus described CHAP. V. Faith in Christ what described IT is a singular Grace of God whereby the heart and will of a sensible sinner doth take and embrace Jesus Christ in his person and offices and doth wholly or only rest on him for pardon of sin and eternal life There are many things to be opened in this description forasmuch as all the force of true faith cannot at once in a few short words be clearly expressed SECT I. COnsider therefore the spring or fountaine of this faith is at heaven Gods eternall decree is the radicall cause of it so Causa Acts 13. 48 As many as were ordained to eternal life believed And the instrumental cause of it is the Word of God Rom. 10. 17. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God And the immediate and singular cause of it is the Spirit of God Gal. 5. 22. there it is an expresse fruit So Joh. 1. 12. speaking particularly of believing on the Name of Christ he addeth verse 13. men come to this not being borne of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God That the will or heart of man should be brought off from it self and to abhor its own condition and sufficiency and to take Christ as God propounds him to be the only rock upon which I must built my salvation to be the only Lord to whose Law and Will I must resigne up my whole soul and to cleave unto him in a conjugall union and affection This I say ariseth not from naturall principles nor from the wisdome of a mans free will nor from any endeavour or action which can find footing in man himself It is observed that there are two sorts of habits Two sorts of Habits 1. Some which are acquired by the industry of the person and through a right use of a segacious and understanding mind and such may be purchased by practise and use as the Scholar by writing gets the habit of writing and the Apprentise by his wise and honest observation and industry gets into the skill of his trade and calling Now faith is no such quality we can send forth no such singular acts or operations which are able in time to ripen or beget so excellent a Grace in the soul 2. Others are plainly and entirely infused Faith is not water in the Earth which a man may pump out but it is even in the fulnesse or littlenesse of it in the allnesse of it as the drops or showers of raine which come from heaven Though the subject of it be below yet the cause of it is above it is man who doth believe but it is Gods Spirit alone who gives him that faith to believe
Eph. 4. It takes Christ so as none with Christ or besides Christ The Patriarchs had most of them a wife and a concubine it is not so here Faith doth match with an absolute exclusion of all other matches It is not the soul and Christ and sin nor the soul and Christ and the world nor the soul and Christ and the Devil it is not the soul and Christ in chief and sinne in service as a deputy or a corrivall a secondary thing c. Fourthly this taking is freed from mistaking Faith knowes what it doth it sees its way it understands 1. Who that is whom it takes 2. Upon what termes he will be taken 3 Its grounds of taking First who it is viz. the Son of God God and man a most holy person a mighty Redeemer and Saviour Secondly upon what termes viz. He will not come in by the by he will not be taken as a vassaile as a captive as a drudge he will not be taken for base and changeable reasons meerly to stop a gap in the conscience or only in faire weather but he will be taken as Lord and King to command all the heart to dispose all the wayes to rule our very thoughts he will be taken for his own sake out of a judicious love and estimation of his person he will be taken with all the estates and conditions that befall on the crosse crucified as well as in the way to Hierusalem magnified as one persecuted and distressed on earth as well as one raised and glorified in heaven and thus true faith takes Christ Thirdly upon what grounds viz. upon Gods offer of Christ and promise that whosoever believes on him c. and on his commandment that we should believe on the Name of his Son whereupon faith brings in the soul to Christ it believeth that God saith true that he doth not call upon men he doth not command men he doth not promise men and all this to delude men so that if you should ask faith what warrant had you to bring in such a soul to Christ Why saith faith God revealed and offered his Sonne and commanded me to believe and promised not to cast off any that come c. Fifthly this taking is resolved against untaking All takings are not of the same force and power if I take a servant I take him so that upon good reasons and occasions I can put him off againe but if I take a wife there can be no untaking on my part unless God takes her I must never forsake her Faith takes Christ this way to be a Saviour for ever to be a Head an Husband a Lord for ever I observe that there are two kindes of taking Christ to be a Lord one is compulsory and violent as when an enemy is made to rule a man in a sicknesse in a terror of conscience in a day of wrath in an expectation of death he will take Christ to be his Lord he will say Oh! sinne is vile I abhor it I will become a new man I will have none but the Lord Christ and he only shall be my Lord and hereupon the man sets about the work of shewing that Christ is his Lord he will command his servants to pray to heare to read to keep the Sabbath c. Yet this man as soon as Gods hand is off as soon as ever he is freed from his bands he will like a lewd apprentise break loose from his Lord and Master he will serve Christ no longer he will to his sins again to the world again to his base society again c. Why because this accepting was only violent and no actions are stedfast or constant whose causes are compelling and violent Another is ingenious of faith and this taking of Christ is grounded onely in Christ in its excellencies beauties perfections which are not like the light of a candle this houre very cleare and the next none at all but like light in the Sunne still abiding and remaining and therefore when a man doth by faith take Christ he takes him for ever for faith can never change for the better and it sees stedfast reason in Christ to cleave to Christ Now I come to the consequent object of faith and that is remission of sinnes and righteousnesse and whatsoever good comes from Christ For thus it is faith doth order its motions or actions according to the word Now the word reveales and offers Christ first and then the benefits next It is not whosoever beleeves eternal life shall have Christ the Sonne of God but whosoever beleeves on the Sonne of God shall have eternal life Nor is it whosoever beleeves the remission of sinnes shall have Christ but whosoever beleeves in Christ shall have the Remission of sinnes Yet when faith hath made the soule to take Christ it goes then from the person to the portion from Christ to the good in Christ and by him for if Christ be ours all is ours saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2. SECT VI. I Will therefore speak a word of faith as conversant about First Remission of sinnes Secondly Righteousnesse For the first of these viz. the pardon or remission of sinnes Consider That remission of sinnes is an Action of God acquitting the gilt and the punishment so that he will never reckon with the soul any more in a judicial way for those sinnes which are pardoned As when the King throughly pardons a Malefactor he dischargeth him and takes off the gilt we speak of it in respect of redundancy that it shall not now prejudice the person any longer so doth God when he pardons sinne Though he doth not in this annihilate the sinne that is make that to be no sinne which was sinne yet he doth prejudice sin that is he takes off the guilt that it shall never redound to the damnation of the sinner no nor to his dammage Jesus Christ hath procured remission or pardon of sinne for us hence Ephes 1. 7. In whom you have redemption through his blood even the forgivenesse of your sinnes His blood was shed for many for the remission of sinnes Mat. 26 that is he did die and by his death hath merited and procured our pardon and discharge God offering Christ offers with him the purchase of Christ viz. the pardon of sinnes If you will take my Sonne I will pardon your sins Now faith inclines the soul which is sensible of its sinful guilt to put it self on Jesus Christ for the discharge of them As the wife looks for none and goes to none but to her husband to discharge her debts so faith goes to none for to procure remission of sinnes but only to Christ and on him doth it rest O Lord Christ saith Faith thou didst take these my sinful debts upon thee and thou didst undertake to satisfie for them and to get them to be blotted out yea and I know that thou didst make a full satisfaction Now I renounce all hope of pardon from any thing in me
have I stretched forth my hands Nay thy unbelief grieves the very heart of Christ he grieved at their unbelief â—he complaines of that slownesse in thy heart to believe O slow of heart to believe c. nay and he sheds tears because thou dost not believe and receive him When he came near the City he wept over it O Hierusalem thou that c. How often would I c Sixthly consider how unreasonable and unequal and sottish 6. Motive a thing it is not to receive Christ being thus revealed and offered 1. There is none who have right to thy soul but God and Christ our souls are Gods workmanship and Christs purchase Why then should we not give to God that which belongs to God and to Christ that which is his own Ye are not your own saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. for ye are bought with a price God put forth his own power to make thy soul and Christ shed his heart blood to redeem thy soul and yet wilt thou through infidelity with-hold it from him and passe it over into the possession of a stranger an enemy 2. Christ out-bids all Merchants for thy soul he out-bids sin and he out-bids all the world and he out-bids Satan Can the Sonne of Jesse give you vineyards said Saul can sinne give thee that which Christ can can the world let them now appear and declare their strength and treasury Is there any one of them that presents redemption unto thee Is there any one of them that can procure remission and pardoning mercy for thee Is there any one of them which can satisfie the wrath of God for thee which can make thy peace which can present thee righteous before the judgement seat which can settle eternal life upon thee All this can Christ do none of this can they do 3. Thou canst not possibly be a loser by receiving or believing on the Lord Jesus Christ Suppose it cost thee many tears and many prayers and many searchings and many waitings yet Christ will recompence all these in a moment one word I am thy salvation It is I be not afraid I am thine as thou art mine thy sins are forgiven thee will be a day for all former nights Suppose that the world doth cast thee off as they cast him out of the Synagogue who beleeved and professed Christ yet Christ will come unto thee as unto him And as Elkanah said to Hanna 1 Sam. 1. 8. Am not I better then ten sons or as the Prophet answered the King for the hundred talents God will be better unto thee 2 Sam. 20. 9. So will Christ he will supply all thy losses he will be better unto thee then houses and lands then father and mother an hundred fold better in this life and a thousand fold better in the life to come 4. What just extremity of shame and blacknesse of confusion will befal thee if thou be so wickedly unreasonable to keep off thy soul from Christ When thou art cited before God and Christ and the holy Angels and just men And God shall demand of thee why whom hast thou served upon whom hast thou bestowed thy soul who was it that made thy soul Thou Lord who was it that purchased and redeemed thy soul Thou Christ and who beseeched thee to bring back thy soul Thou by thy servants in thy Word And what did they say unto thee which should have prevailed upon thee They did assure me in thy Name that if I would come in and accept of Christ I should have favour and pardon and eternal life and what did keep back thy soul from accepting of this O it was such a lust that I loved and it was the world which I preferr'd And wouldest thou prefer earth before heaven thy profit before thy soul nay wouldest thou prefer a base sinne before a merciful God and a blessed Redeemer Thy own mouth doth testifie against thee was not my mercy better then a sinne was not my Sonne better then a sinne take him all ye children of darknesse sease on him my wrath to the utmost close him up in the lowest pit of hell conscience gnaw on him and sting him for ever fire and brimstone consume and torment him eternally he shall never have part in my mercy he shall never have portion in my Sonne He shall never see my face nor heaven who preferred his sinne his delights his profits before my love my mercy my Christ and his own soul Lastly faith would do great things for thee and Christ would do wonders for thy soul if once thy heart could be perswaded to consent unto him and to accept of him as Lord and Saviour SECT II. Secondly the impediments and hindrances Obj. But now as the Eunuch said There is water what hinders Obj. me that I may not be baptized so you may say why her is Christ set out to the life here are arguments faire enough to draw on my soul what hinders that we do not believe and receive Christ Sol. After all these discoveries yet the heart stands off and why because there are yet many cords with which the soul is held there are yet several impediments which do intangle and seduce the heart which keeps it down from mounting and rising up to the Lord of life against which we must earnestly labour if ever we would beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ I will touch some of the choisest of them 1. One impediment to faith is that natural Atheisme in the sons of men You know that as in the concoction or digestion of meats that which is a prejudice to the first concoction or digestion of meats is a hindrance to the two other and as in points of demonstration that scruple which weakens the apprehension of the truth of the principle it ever disable the strength of â—ssent to the deduced conclusion So is it in divinity whatsoever vile quality in the soul prejudiceth the reverent respects oâ— the most common and first truths it doth hinder it 〈◊〉 in the embracing of the depending truths which receive 〈◊〉 authority and strength from the grants of the 〈…〉 Now Atheisme it is a slighting quarrel with the first truths Atheistical spirit it hath most sordid and loose conceptions of God and of his Word it doth not set up God in the greatnesse of his nature and Majesty of his Attributes and Authority of his Word God looks not like a God unto him nor doth the Word of God work upon him like the Word of God God is not in all his thoughts he doth not really conceive of him as one who indeed is omnipotent and so holy and so just and so merciful as he reveales himself Those sweet truths of favour and kindnesse and mercy and the blood of Christ they are either nothing to him or as empty notions Those sharp threatnings against an unbelieving person with condemnation and wrath and hell they are as terrible fables and scar-crowes to him He doth not believe
make his addresse unto the Lord Jesus for cure and health and that he should by faith accept of him and trust upon him for the healing of his soul and the subduing of his sins and then verily you shall finde vertue to come from Christ raising a greater hatred of sin war with it in the very fountaine watching and praying against it and the power of the ordinance successively weakening and crucifying the power of sin Lastly know this that the time of contrariety is the time for faith to work When a man sees death then is it the time for faith to believe life When he sees the grave then is it the time for faith to believe a resurrection when he sees guilt then is it the time for faith to believe pardoning mercy when he sees himself a sinner then is it the time for faith to believe a Saâ—iour when he sees strong corruptions then is it the time for faith to believe great grace when he sees great discomforts then is it the time for faith to believe strong consolations the exigences of sense and the reliefes of the promises are quite contrary what I feel is one thing what God doth promise is another thing That which the patient observes in himself is sicknesse and that which he hopes for in the medicine is health Hath God made thee sensible of thy sins dost thou finde thus much that al that thou canst do wil not become a rebuke of corruption thou art able now to see the strength of thy sinfull nature but to remove it thou art utterly unable Why what is now to be done truly as in the sense of the guilt of sin we must then flye by faith to God and put our soules upon his free mercy for pardon so in the sense of the filthy strength of sin we must to heaven by faith and put our soules on Gods faithful promises in Christ for the healing and subduing of it This is the way and therefore strive to walk in it you may try other waters but they shall not help you and perplex your own thoughts but they shall not availe you the cure of the sinful soul is only in heaven and it is faith only which can lift up a soul to God and Christ which puts it into the Pool When sin is felt then let faith work If thou canst finde any one promise which God hath made of sanctifying and healing and subduing Why here 's ground for faith yea for thy saith for in these promises are the cures of thy sinful nature and faith it is which will apply the healing medicines to thee 8. Obj. Yet I am not satisfied saith the sensible sinner and fearfull soul Why Because First I cannot finde an heart to duty to pray and seek of God and surely if God did purpose and mean any good to me he would in some measure frame and encline and excite my heart towards him Secondly yea and againe though I do sometimes seek and entreat yet I observe that what I was that I am nothing comes of it how then can I may I should I be enduced to believe Sol. Here are two sore and real scruples which do indeed vehemently beat upon a sensible sinner I shall endeavour to assoyle them successively 1. I cannot finde an heart to any duty to pray for faith c. I Answer 1. As the inability to holy duties depends on natural corruption so the indisposition towards them depends exceedingly upon unbelief There is nothing disheartens a man more towards God then it For bâ—sides this that unbelief in its own nature is a departure from God it is a bias drawing the soul downwards This also is true of it that it represents God to the soul in all the appearances and methods of discouragements It makes the soul to see nothing in God or from God which might encline it to him O saith unbelief there is such holinesse and purity in him that he will never endure thee there is such truth and justice in him that he will surely be avenged of thee There is such strength and power in him that he will certainly meet with thee and lay load on thee There is I confesse a mercifulnesse in him but alas his tender bowels of compassion his ready forgivenesse extends not to thee there are many sweet intimations in his promises but they concern not thee there is a mighty salvation in Christ and powerful intercession to ingratiate some persons and their services but what of this to thee He is a God hearing prayer yea but he will not regard the cryes nor tears of some but their Sacrifices are an abomination unto him And thus doth unbelief set up God utterly against the soule so that the poor soul conceiving of God as an enemy dares not come neer it flies off it is even afraid to speak to him It is perswaded by unbeliefe that God will frowne upon all that is done whereupon the spirit sinks the affectionâ— are flatted I have no minde nor heart am like a lump a stock a stone Secondly it is faith which will fetch up the soul Psal 27. 13. I had fainted unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of the Lord c. As if he should say my spirits were even breathing themselves out I was even sinking down giving up all unlesse I had beleeved but that confidence of Gods goodnesse towards me that did put life into me that did fetch me again that did put heart into me You see now the spring is coming on that those seemingly dead branches of the trees they begin to thrust out some hopeful sproutings and put on another colour of freshnesse why because the root is now more fed and warmed It is faith which will put colour into our faces and spirit into our hearts and life into our duties For 1. Faith sets open the mercy-seat It represents God to the Two reasons of it soul in all his attributes of graciousnesse not as an hard tyrant but as a good God willing to give audience to the humble requests and suit of a poore sinner Nay willing to dispatch and grant his requests What is thy request said Ahashuerus to Queen Ester it shall be granted thee c So saith the Lord What wouldest thou have of me Is it mercy I do promise it unto thee Is it grace I promise that unto thee Is it strength is it comfort is it deliverance whatsoever it be if thou beleeve on me I will not fail to give to thee Nay I will do it freely nay cheerfully with all my heart and with all my soul Jer. 32. Yea this makes the soul to come unto God as the ship into the haven with full speed and stretched sailes O the soul bends the knee with cheerfulnesse when it sees it shall be raised up with kindnesse a man may have some heart to pray when he knows My God will hear me that God hath a readiness to answer 2. Faith sets the soul in
live by faith Take a place for either Ier. 17. 5. Thus saith the Lord cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme and whose heart departeth from the Lord. As the Lord of Samaria ver 6. For he shall be like the heath in the desart and shall not see when good cometh but shall inhabit the parched places in the wildernesse in a salt land and not inhabited Psal 37. 39. The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord he is their strength in the time of trouble ver 40. And the Lord shall keep them and deliver them c. and save them because they trust in him The soul oft-times bitterly complaines that as yet it hath not that good thing it sticks yet in the hands of God Christ can do it if he will Why but if ever thou wouldest speed thou must trust I dare not trust though saith the soul how then canst thou speed Why then doest thou complaine God and Christ undertakes thy good but then he requires this of thee do but trust me for it and thou shalt speed I will not fail thee I have sworne by my self that I will not alter nor repent The poor man comes to Christ and cries out for help Mark 9. O Lord saith he if thou canst do any thing c. Why saith Christ I can do any thing I am able enough and willing enough that 's not the thing this is it which will make thee to speed canst thou believe darest thou to trust upon me he answered Lord I believe I do trust and you know that his son was presently healed The childe comes to the father father supply me I will saith the father but I will have it instantly if he had asked and trusted his father he might have sped but because he doth ask and murmur with his father he is therefore justly denyed There are two things which mightily oblige a person to the doing of a kindnesse one is his own promise another is his friends confidence who hath upon the security of his word adventured so here besides the very inclination of the divine goodnesse to make good its own undertakings this also adds not a little to our speed and furtherance that we rely onely on God It is a common complaint that we cannot be answered I reply it is a common fault that God nor Christ can be trusted It is not how many wants thou feelest nor how many promises thou readest nor how many prayers thou makest If with all this thou doest not ask in faith think not O man to receive any thing from the Lord. I will give you three reasons why the life of faith is the only way to thrive First because it puts a man upon the only way of blessings As none can blesse but God and he can blesse so the blessings of God are to be expected only in the wayes of God and nothing so skilful in Gods wayes as faith Secondly it makes all the promises to yield It is true as God is infinitely above all and his power is greaâ— so faith in a qualified sense is above God himself he is not able to stand against it Be it to thee as thou wilt said Christ to the believing woman Thou shalt have the desires of thine heart said David Psal 37. 3. 4. Thirdly God himselfe and Christ and all become ours If we dare to trust and live by faith Thou wants outward supplies I require no more of thee saith God but to walk uprightly and diligently and to trust on me and thou shalt have it Thou wants spiritual supplies for thy soul I require no more of thee but to come to me to trust to me and go to my Ordinances stand in my wayes and thou shalt have them Fourthly it is the only stedfast and abiding life when other lives are broken and crushed they are gone down yet this life by faith like the Starres which shine in the night remaines firme I will clear it by Argument The stability of all sorts of lives is according to their principles and motives The life which depends upon a failing cause it is a fadeing life and the life which depends upon a constant cause is a constant life Now the life of faith is bred by a living principle and is fed by constant and abiding motives you know that the grounds of this life of faith are in God and Christ and the promise now all changes reach not to them our changes are below in other things but they are not in the promises nor in God above as changes are not in the heavens but in the aire Look upon things at hand and so they appeare with variety and with much unlikenesse but eye them in the Covenant in the Promises there you have the same faithful God still tender father still all sufficient Saviour still the Promises are yea and Amen Christ is the everlasting father the Covenant of God an everlasting Covenant Gods love and immutable love he is as able still as willing still his how abides in strength and underneath are his everlasting armes Though Davids father and mother forsake him yet the Lord will take him up and though all forsook Paul yet God stood by him so true is it that faith can cast a sure Anchor in all states and in all changes it can look upon the same God and the same Christ and the same promises Though the Marriners when they put to sea quickly lose sight of Land yet they never loose sight of heaven how far soever they saile and in what tempest soever yet still they may look upon the heaven the same heaven Faith never loseth sight of its rock of its salvation of its helpes that which it eyes it may eye for ever and that upon which it trusts it may trust upon for ever thou hast friends and this springs up thy spirit thy friends dye and now thy spirits sink thou hast parents and children in these thou rejoycest and settlest thy confidence both the one and the other embrace the dust and thy heart is utterly broken for help and comfort O Lord what have I more E contra thou hast a God and he is the same for ever a Christ and he yesterday to day and the same for ever Promises and they are a word setled forever in heaven But when all sensibles flie off yet if we live by faith we are at no degree of losse what can he lack who hath him who is all in all and what can he lose who hath him that knows no change at all Fourthly let us consider Jesus Christ himself There are diverse things which should perswade us to live by faith upon him There are nine things in him which may move us 1. The exceeding plentifulnesse of our supplies in him Thou art not approaching to a dry Cisterne but to a full fountain what may do thee good he hath and he hath that in a most eminent fulnesse Is it the good and vertue of
is really his as certainly he is thine as thy husband is thy husband so the Christian is obliged to assure his heart thereof Which I shall easily clear by Argument 1. We are bound to draw neer unto God in the full assurance of faith Heb. 10. 22. Which is 〈◊〉 conceive in a cleare perswasion that we shall not faile but enjoy the good which he promiseth now this cannot be unlesse a man be assured and perswaded that God is his God and Christ is his Christ for as much as perswasion of audience doth always arise from a presupposed persâ—asion of personal and mutual interest I cannot by faith be perswaded that God wil give such a good thing or such unless I am first perswaded that he is my God that God is my God or Christ is my Christ It is a fundamental perswasion upon which all others are built for this gives life and settlement to my doubting soul I many times doubt but shall I have this thing which I ask yes sayes the beleeving heart but how are you assured of it I reply because God is my God he hath given himself unto me Ergo he will give this but how know you that God is your God Upon good ground why saith the beleeving soul of that I am abundantly perswaded I doubt it not hereupon the soul raiseth it self to that other assurance of acceptance and audience why then I will nor doubt of this I will be confident that then the Lord will heare for he is my God and David goes this way very often 2. We are bound all our dayes to give God thanks for his greatest mercies now I think that the bestowing of Christ upon the soule is as great a mercy as ever poore sinners had Obj. It is so but what of this Sol. But we cannot give God hearty thanks whiles we are doubtful of our particular interest in Christ Can'st thou go unto the Lord and say O Lord I blesse thee from my soul for all the mercies which thou hast conferred on me health I have and I know it for which I do thank thee riches I have and friends and this I know too and for them I thank thee too I thank thee also exceedingly from the bottome of my soul for that thou hast given thy own Sonne to me Jesus Christ but truly I know not whether thou hast given him to me or no I thank thee exceedingly for the pardon of my vile sinnes in this blood but verily I am not sure of this I rather think they are not pardoned Nay this will not runne smooth and the reason is because so much particular evidence as God gives a man of his personal interest in himself or Christ or his merits so much and no greater thankfulnesse will the soul be brought unto SECT IV. Quest 4. WHat Arguments to move beleevers to labour for the assurance of faith Sol. There are many 1. As he said to Job Do the consolations of God seem small unto thee That I say here doth assurance seeme a small thing unto thee Consider seriously the matters and things about which this assurance is conversant and thou shalt finde them of the greatest consequence in the world What doest thou think of Jesus Christ for a sinner Can there be a more excellent good then Christ I count all things but drosse and dung for the excellency of Christ said Paul Phil. 3. or can there be a more necessary good for thee then Christ Tell me in sad thoughts that if thou hadst all the pleasures of the world and all the honours ours of the world and all the riches of the world and yet wast Christâ—esse that is thou hadst no portion in Christ why what avails all this as long as thou art Christless as Abraham said seeing I am childlesse In whom is God reconciled unto thee but in Christ and how wilt thou stand before God if thou have not Christ by whom canst thou get salvation but by Christ and why then wilt not thou force thy soul to give all diligence to make thy part in Christ sure to thy soul that thou mayest come in all cases to that of Job I know that my Redeemer liveth and with Paul He loved me and gave himself for me Again what doest thou think of the pardon of sinnes verily the time was once even then when thy spirit did roare all the night and thou foundest no quiet in the day when thy moysture was turned into the drought of Summer and thy soul was disquieted within thee I say in that time thou couldest with many teares break out and say with David Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven and whose sinne is covered Psal 32. 1 2. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity O what wouldest thou have given to have beleeved that thy sinnes should be pardoned thou couldest then discover death in so unpardoned a state and life then in a discharged and absolved condition Why I pray you is pardon of sinne so precious a thing and is the assured knowledge thereof a small thing Is it not enough to have the pardon passe not onely the seale of the King but the eye also of the malefactor Yea yet further what think you of eternal life what is it O I cannot reach it by thoughts much lesse by words Life no such thing on the earth as it eternal life what thing in heaven more then it To see my God my Christ to be gloriously united to them to be filled with the perfections of holinesse brightnesse of glory to know him as we are known to love him in the transcendency of love I know not what I say for I speak of eternal life O! if the the glimpse of divine favour here be the admiration of our soules the perfection of our joyes the heaven on earth tell me what is the fulnesse of his favour what is the full evidence of his favour what is the everlasting evidence of his favour Now eternal life is all this all this alas I have said nothing of it yet Eye hath not seen ear hath not heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man what God hath c. And is not this a matter to be determined and ascertained to our souls what to let eternal life hang in suspense verily though until we do mount and rise to the assurance of faith we leave for our part though the thing may be sure in it selfe even this also our eternal life as a thing doubtful Thou wile not hold the least quillet of thy land upon unevident and unsure term yet wilt thou c. 2. Assurance will marvellously settle and quiet the soul David expresseth so much Psal 4. 6. Lord life thou up the light of thy countenance upon us Ver. 7. Thou hast put gladnesse in my heart more then in the time that their corn and wine increased Ver. 8. I will lay me down and sleep The ship at anchor is safe but in a calme
pardon and to crown him with eteâ—nal glory Beleeve it assurance will make thy life more fruitful and thy heart more suffering Faith will make holy duties to be no harden and assurance will make it a delight Faith will make a man to bear the Câ—osse â—nd assurance will make a man to triumph under it We are more then conquerours said perswaded Paul Seventhly Assurance of faith it is a bathing spring to all our graces Shall I instance in some 1. The mourning heart doth much depend upon the assured minde No man ever did or ever shall take God by the hand as reconciled to him or look on Christ as redeeming him or read his pardon with assurance but his heart shall be full of joy and his eyes full of teares They shall look on him whom they have pierced and shall mourne as a man mournes for his only childe Zach. 12. 10. There is nothing softens the heart so well as faith and which melts it so much as assurance The powers of the greatest kindnesse and most gracious love do open the fountain of godly sorrow within the soul 2. Love kindles in the heart upon assurance To whom much is forgiven the same will love much said Christ Luke 7. 47. We love him because he loved us first said John The love of God to us is the cause of our love to him againe and againe and the more that love is cleared to us the more is our love rekindled to him goodnesse is a cause of love here it is bountifulnesse is a cause of love here it is knowledge of both a special provocation of love in assurance here it is What a thing is this that God should give his Covenant to me his Sonne to me his Mercies to me his loving kindnesse to me his glory in heaven unto me I love a man who defends my Name I love a man who gives me a book I love a man who gives me my ransom I loue a man who gives me a meales meat Ah! poore things in comparison how do I then infinitely exceed in love to my God who I know hath pardoned hath justified hath accepted will save me for ever More might be said of all particular graces whatsoever 8. Assurance by faith doth but ease us of the world and mounts the soul above it 1. It easeth us of the world How can he walk with cares who is indeed perswaded that God is his Father he that gave him Christ will give him all other things freely God will not stand for a little earth who hath bountifully given a whole heaven and he will surely finde me food and rayment for my body who found mercy and the blood of his own Sonne for my soul 2. Nay it mounts us above the world they do observe that these lower things grow little and lesse by how much the higher a man is seated If a man could be elevated to one of the celstial orbes the whole world would seeme but a narrow spot of ground unto him In one point this is most true the neerer God draws unto the soule the more nothing doth this world appeare O the blessed favour of God! the evidences of our union with Christ This is like the light of the Sunne which puts out the light of ten thousand candles Thou wouldest never complaine of too little in the world if thou haddest so much as made up a true assurance of heaven 9. Lastly Assurance will breed comfort in life and confidence in death Object Why are Gods people afraid many times to die they cannot say with Christ I will go to my Father They have the bond but see not the seale They are not assured of Reconciliation of pardon of salvation But if they could with Simeon Take Christ into their armes if once they could be assured Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation He who by assurance looks Christ in the face may with cheerful confidence look death in the face I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ said Paul Phil. 1. 23. How so verse 21. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gaine But how knows he that 2 Tim. 1. 12. For I know whom I have beleeved and I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day So 2 Cor. 5. 1. For we know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens SECT V. Quest 1. NOw I come to the last inquiry by what means the soule mâ—y get up to this assurance Sol. I shall only 〈◊〉 be such rules as reach a beleeving person Thereâ—oâ—e 〈◊〉 1. If thou be a bâ—â—eever and wouldest be assured then preserve the sense of thy own natural wretchednesse and of the darknese of thy souls state without assurance Christ came to Mary when shee was weeping and the Great God looks down upon thâ— broken Spirit The highest mountaine hath the first sight of the Sunne but the lowest Christian hath the first sight of God When the people of God were mourning then saith God Comfort ye comfort ye my people and say unto them your sins are pardoned You shall finde this That the truely sensible heart hath Note three properties in it which envite the Lord much to gratifie it with assurance viz. One that is very humble Another that is much in the prizing of Gods love and mercy And a third that it is exceeding thirsty after a good look from God after some taste of Christ and God will satisfie all these 2. Be no strangers to the Ordinances you shall finde this that the ripening of faith belongs to them as well as the seeds of it The word you know is the soule of faith it was that which did incline the heart to yeild which did make it to accept of Christ and it is that also which can make us to know our possessions 1 John 15. 13. These things have I written vnto you that beleeve on the Name of the Sonne of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life So 1 John 1. 4 These things we write unto you that your joâ— may be full More plainly In whom after you heard the Word of truth ye beleeved in whom also after that ye beleeved ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise Ephesians 1. 13. For look as the Word hath promises which draw the soul to Christ so it hath promises to clear the soul in its interest in Christ to answer all doubts and feares and to answer the feare about acceptance so it removes doubts which strive against evidence and propriety The Sacrament you know it is the Seal of righteousnesse which is by faith Rom. 4. 11. Look as a Seale doth distinguish and confirme and settle the minde so is the Sacrament ordained to satisfie and perswade the heart of a beleever God appointed this
she yea the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their Masters Table As if she might say Be it so Lord Jesus I am no better then a dogge an unworthy creature yet let me have the compassions to a dogge though not plenty yet the crumbs Now what saith Christ of her Then Jesus answered and said unto her O woman great is thy faith Remember it that the faith which can bring up the soul which can lead it up to heaven against discouragements Though God doth not answer yet I will seek though he kill me yet I will trust in him I say such a faith is strong an expostulating faith a faith which will make the soul to presse on after denials Job after suspensions it is come to a great measure of faith which will not be answered or will not be gone a faith that will not let God go or Christ until it speed Jacob was as a wrestler he would not let God go except he blessed him A faith that can dispute it much with God which will in a holy reasoning take and urge God with God and will so enforce the promises on him which he hath made that God is even faine to yeild Be it unto thee as thou wilt this is faith ripened 3. The more entirely the soul is carried to expectation from the sole strength of a Divine promise the greater and the stronger is that faith As in Abrahams case He wanted a sonne and God promised him an Isaac Abraham did not now stagger through unbelief he did not consult the truth of it from his own natural abilities How unable he was that he neglected but how able God was to perform his own word upon this his faith did pitch And for this the text saith that he was strong in faith Rom. 4. 20. Remember this that the more sensible helps the soul needs to draw out the act of beleeving the weaker is the faith as the man is judged to be very weak who cannot go without many crutches and holdings But the more strength a naked promise hath with the soule when it alone puts life and quietnesse into us now faith is grown As David said The Lord is on my side I will not fear what man can do unto me So when we can quash all our troubles with the sight of a promise I have Gods word for my pardon his word for my help his Word for my comfort I desire no better pay-master then God no better security then his own promise though all things stand contrary in sense and feeling yet all is sure in Gods promise and there I will settle this argues a great faith 4. The more ability a man hath to deny himself in neare and great occurrences the greater is his faith Abraham in leaving of his countrey parting with Isaac The more easily we can beleeve great things and part with great things the stronger is our faith There is nothing more hard then to give up a mans self There is a threefold self First his sinful self in respect of old and dear sins Secondly his natural self in respect of the separation of soul and body Thirdly his temporal self in respect of the comforts of this life And it must be a strong faith which must enable to strong denials of our selves when a thing comes nearer to the quick either when God denies a man a special comfort or draws off from him a special comfort now to submit now to be quiet I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me said Paul I know how to want and how to abound to be exalted and to be abased I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be contented To have the heart pleased with Christ alone and satisfied with his presence mark it the more entirely that the soul makes up its state in Christ and the lesse power that the world imprints upon the heart in its changes this imports the faith is come to strength Strong faith is like a strong tree which holds its body unmovable against great tempests but weak faith is like a plant which every winde makes almost to touch the ground Fifthly the weaker the arguments of distrust grow in the heart this is a signe that the faith is got to a strength This I conjecture that the strength or weaknesse of faith is not to be judged by the multiplicity of distrustful arguments but by the force and efficacy of them It is possible that manifold arguments of feare and doubts may present themselves to the minde of a strong beleever as well as unto the judgement of a weak beleever but then if faith be strong it doth weigh them down it doth prevaile over them that is it brings the soul to Christ it cleaves still unto him The soul maintaines its title to Christ and owns God in his promises it will not cast away its hope nor its strength wherein the soul can habitually foyle the reasonings which crosse its way and can cleare up and vindicate its state what God is to it and Christ is to it and what it hath received from them this is an argument that it is not weak but strong Sixthly the more easie compliance with change of a mans condition is an evidence of a faith which is more strong There are several changes incident to mans temporal life the Moon sometimes is ful and anon it is in the Eclipse our sea doth ebb and flow sometimes prosperity like the candle of the Lord shines upon us by and by adversity like the winde blows out the candle sometimes we abound and our mountaine seemes strong anon we are stript and our mountaine is shaked one while health and presence of friends another while sicknesse and losse of all Now in these changes not to be changed like the ship right up in a calme but tossing and reeling in a storme but to be as the rock fixed and setled holding up and rejoycing in the God of our salvation and encouraging our selves in the Lord our God and willing to be any thing in any condition yea to blesse God for all as Job did If I die I shall go to God If I live I will serve my God If I enjoy I will be fruitful If I want I will be thankful The more Passive the heart is the more active and strong the faith is Paul had been learning that lesson In every state therewith to be content O when a Christian can comply with contrary states not through an insensiblenesse of Spirit but from an apprehension and approbation of divine wisdome goodnesse love and authority his faith is singularly cleared and well improved 7. The more satisfaction and quiescence that the soul hath in Christ alone the greater is the faith when a naked Christ is the centre and loadstone and the All in all As the Sunne to make day I desire to know nothing but Christ crucified said Paul 1 Cor. 2. 2. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there