never believe their faith being born with them and it will die with them without any fruit But faith being such an excellent grace and so advantagious whereof we have spoken a few things we shall speak a little further of it First in pointing out some evidences by which a Christian may know whether or not he be indeed in the Faith Secondly I shall give you some helps whereby Faith may be keeped in exercise I. Now there is this first evidence of faith that a Christian who doth believe he accounteth absence and want of fellowship with Christ and communion with him one of the greatest and most lamentable crosses that ever he had as is clear Psalm 13. 3. Lighten mine eyes saith David that is Let me behold and be satisfied with thy face and the moâ—ive that he backeth it with is this Lest I sleep the sleep of death David thought himself a dead man if Christ did withdraw his presence from him Also it is clear Cant. 3 1. compared with the following verses where absence from Christ and want of communion with him was the greatest crosse the Spouse had and it is clear from Ioh. 20. 11 12 13. where Mary had a holy disdain of all things in respect and comparison of Christ. But I will tell you what a hypocrite doth most lament and that is the want of reputation among the Saints that is the great god and idol among hypocrites and that which when not enjoyed hypocrites and â—theists lament most the world and the lust of their eyes when they want these â—hen they cry out They have taken away my gods and what have I more They think heaven can never make up the losse of earth And certainly if many of us would examine our selves by this we would finde our selves most defective I would pose all you who are here who have taken on a name to be followers of Christ whether or not ye have been content to walk thirty dayes in absence from Christ and yet never to lament it Hath not Christ been thirty dayes and more in heaven without a visit from you And yet for all this ye have not cloathed your selves with sackcloath I will not say that â—his is an undeniable evidence of the totall â—aâ—t of the grace of Faith but it doth eminently prove this that the person who hath â—ome this length hath losed much of his primitive love and much of that high esteem which he ought to have of matchlesse Christ what can you find in this world that maketh you converse so little with heaven I think that it is the noble encouragement of a Christian when hee is going down to his grave that he hath this wherewith to comfort himself I am to change my place but not my company death to the believing Christian being a blessed transition and transportation to a more immediate constant and uninterrupted enjoyment of God But I believe that if all who have the name of Believers in this generation should go to heaven they might have this to say I am now not only to change my place but also my company For these seventy years I have been conversant with my idols but now I am to converse with more blessed divine and excellent company O that yee might be perswaded to pursue much after an absent Christ. Were it not a sweet period of our life to breath out our last breath in his armes and to be living in the faith of being eternally with him which might be founded upon his Word II. There is this second evidence of one that is in the Faith They do endeavour to advance that necessary work of the mortification of their idols according to that word 1 Ioh. 3. 4. Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure Act. 15. 9. Faith it purifieth the heart And concerning this evidence lest any should mistake it I would say these things to you First The mortification of a Christian as long as he is here below it doth more consist in resolutions then attainments It is certain that there are high attainments of a Christian in the mortification of his idols but his resolutions go far above his performances Secondly Wee would say this That those Christians who never came this length in Christianity to make that an universal conclusion and full resolution What have I to do any more with idols They may suspect themselves that they are not in the Faith for a Christian that is in Christ he is universal in resolutions though he be not so in practice but defective in performances A Christian may have big resolutions with weak performances for resolution will be at the gate of heaven before practice come from the borders of hell there being a long distance betwixt resolution and practice and the one much swifter then the other And thirdly Wee would likewise say That yee who never did know what it was to endeavour by prayer and the exercise of other duties the mortification of your lusts and idols yee may bee afraid that ye have not yet the hope of seeing him as he is And I would say this to many who are settled upon their lies and who never did know what it was to spend one hour in secret prayer for mortifying an idol that they would beware lest that curse bee past in heaven against them I would have purged you and yee would not be purged therefore yee shall not bee purged any more till you die that iniquity of refusing to commune with Christ in the work of secret mortification I say that iniquity shall not be purged away And we would once seriously desire you by that dreadful sentence that Christ shall passe against you and by the love ye have to your immortal souls and by the pains of these everlasting torments of hell that ye would seriously set about the work of spirituall mortification that so ye may evidence that ye have believed and that ye have the soul-comforting hope of eternal life I would onely speak this one word to you and desire you seriously to ponder it What if within twelve hours hereafter a summonds were given to you without continuation of dayes to compear before the solemn and dreadfull Tribunal of that impartial Judge Jesus Christ What suppose ye would be your thoughts Will ye examine your own conscience what ye think would be your thoughts if such summonds were given unto you I am perswaded of this That your knees would smite one against another and your face should gather palenesse seeing your conscience would condemn you That ye had been weighed in the ballance and found light O think ye that ye can both fight and triumph in one day Think ye that ye can fight and overcome in one day Think ye your lusts and unmortified corruptions so weak and faint hearted an enemy that upon the first appearance of such imaginary champions as most part of us are in our own eyes that your idols would lay
four Cautions 1. Caution Your desires to die should not be peremptory but yee should desire to die with submission to the will of God so that although he would fill up fifteen years more to your life yee should be content to live it out 2. Caution When your desires are hasty and off hand suspect them for some when they meer with an outward crosse without all deliberation will cry our O to be gone O that I were dead But your desires to die should be deliberate but not hasty or rash 3. Caution It is not lawful to desire to die because of personal affliction Many when they meet with bitter afflictions will cry out O to be gone They long for death even upon that account such were Iobs desires Iob 20. 21 22. and chap. 6. ver 7. 8. O that I might have my request even that it would please God to destroy me c. This desire was very unlawfull 4. Caution It is not lawfull to desire to die when thy predominant idol is taken away from thee yet such was Ionahs desire chap. 4. 23. Ionah thought his credit and reputation which was his idol was gone and could never be regained therefore he wished to die But I would say this to you that some will have ten desires for death when they have not one desire for heaven And what moveth Christians to be so desirous to die It is not so much because of their hope as because of their anxiety it is not so much because of their confidence as because of their impatience But I say unto you when your desires of death are not accompanied with desires of heaven suspect them 2. I would say this that there are some who will have ten desires for death when they will not have one for the death of the body of death But it were good for thee who are such to be desiring the death of the body of death then should thou be in a more suitable â—rame to desire to die 3. Some will have hearty desires to die and yeâ— when death cometh they will be as unwilling to die as any It hath been observed that some who have much desired to die when death came have cryed out O spare a little that I may recover strength c. 4. There is a great difference between a desire to die and death it self It is an easie thing to desire to die but it is a very great business to meet with death and to look it in the face when it cometh We think death ere it come near to us to be but childrens play but when we meet with it it maketh us change our thoughts For it is a great businesse to die Quest. 2. Is it lawfull for a Christian to desire to live when he is summoned to die Answ. In some cases it is lawfull for a Christian to desire to live even when he is summoned to die which is clear from the practice of David Psal. 39. 13. where he prayeth That the Lord would spare him a little It is also clear from the practice of good Hezekiah Isa. 38. 3. when he was commanded to set his house in order for he should die and not live he cryeth forth Remember now O Lord how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight and Hezekiah wept sore Or as the word in the Original he wept with great weeping But to guard this take these two Cautions Caution 1. Thy desires to live when thou are summoned to die should not be peremptory but with submission to the will of God that if it bee his pleasure to remove thee presently out of time thou should bee content to die Caution 2. Thy desires to live should have gracious principles and also a very gracious end as is most clear from David Psal. 39. 13. where hee saith O spare a little that I may recover my strength before I go from hence and bee no more his desire to live was thâ—â— hee might have more victory over his Idols as if hee had said my desire to live is that I may have strength to wrestle with and overcome my Idols and without all controversie Hezekiahs desire was a most precious and well grounded desire However I would say this unto thee that thou shouldest examine thy desires to live as much if not more as thy desires to die for wee are ready to shun death if wee could but hee is that universall King unto whom all of us must be subject ere long Now in the words which are read unto you there are these six things which may be clearly observed from them I. First That it is a most clear and infallible truth â—at all persons shall once see death as is 〈◊〉 in these words Who is hee that liveth an shall not see death II. Seconâ—â—â— That this truth that wee shall once see death is not much believed or thought upon by many therefore it is that the Psalmist doubleth the Assertion Who is he that liveth and shall not see death Shall he deliver his soul that is his life from the hand that is from the power of the grave III. Thirdly That sometimes a Christian may win to the solide Faith of this truth that once he must die this the Psalmist wan unto as it is also clear in that word who Who is he that liveth and shall not see death IV Fourthly That the certainty of this that once we shall die should be still keeped in our minde therefore that note of attention Selah is put to it as if he had said take heed that there is none living that shall noâ— die V. Fifthly That howbeit some persons put the evil day far away as if they were not to see death yet is the day coming when they shall see death and death shall take them by the hand VI. Sixthly We shall take notice of this from the context that the Christian who is much in minding the brevity of his life will believe the certainty of his death the Psalmist was speaking of the shortnesse of his life in the preceeding verse and in this verse he speaketh of the certainty of death Now as for the first of these things observed viz. That it is certain and most sure that we must all once die I hope there are none of you here who will deny it although I confesse few of you beleeveth it yet said the woman of Tekâ—ah 2 Sam. 14. We must all die and be like water spilt upon the ground that cannot be gathered up again c. God doth not accept the person of any and Iob 30. 32. I know thou wilt bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living And it is very clear Eccles. 8. 8. There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the Spirit neither hath he any power in the day of death and there is no discharge in that War neither shall wickednesse deliver
some hours upon it according aâ— other necessary imployments would permit And now having sought out all the Notes of these Sermons which we could finde from other hands and compared them with the Copie abovementioned wee do again present them unto the Lords People not with any confidence that our pains hath put any new lustre upon them only wee have some hopes that the whole subject being now before them and these things in the way of expression helped which either might seem to be somewhat unpleasant or liable to mistakes they shall not nâ—w be lesse edifying nor lesse acceptable then formerly they were We did not think fit to make any considerable alterations â—â—â—o the method or other things of that kind lost â—aply by straining his excellent purposes too much to shape them to the ordinary Rules or to reduce them to that order which might best have pleased our selves we should have wronged the matter it self at least have put these to a losse who did hear him Preach and it may be â—ow upon their reading things in that same order as they heard them will be the more readily brought under the impressions of that livelinesse power and weight which it may be formerly they felt upon their hearts when he was speaking If the method do not altogether satisfie some spirits or the explication seem not so fult or â—f they finde some introductions which possibly â—ead not in so close or seem not so sib to the subject of the Sermon or happly now and then there bee some little digressions from the main purpose wee shall desire that this may not at all bee constructed to bee the Authors ignorance of Rules and Method or his want of abilities in humane Learning it being known to these who were best acquaint with him that hee had indeed a Scholastick spirit and was in reading far beyond his age and opportunities for Studying But as to all these wee shall intreat you rather to consider 1. His age and that his gift was but in the very moulding and breaking as wee speak in the point of order and method when the Lord was pleased to call him home from his work 2. That every man hath his proper gift of God whâ— in his great wisdom and certainly for the good of His Church doth so order that there is somewhat singular and peculiar almost in every mans way as to these things 3. For any thing we know hee had never that high esteem of this or any other of his labours as to design anâ— of them for publick view and these are buâ— Notes taken from his mouth 4. We are perswaded hee studied more his hearers than himself Ye will easily perceive when ye have buâ— read a little that hee hath been a man of a verâ— zealous temper that the great â—ensil of hiâ— spirit and that which hee did wholly spend himself about was to make people know their dangerous condition by nature and by all means tâ— perswade them to believe and lay hold upoâ— the Great salvation And truely that a maâ— in such a frame should lesse attend to these lesse things is not to be wondered at And indeed though these things be good in themselves and worthy to be looked to in their own place yet for a Minister of the Gospel in all Auditories and upon all occasions to pin up every purpose to such a method and insist into such a measure of Explications and Criticismes upon words it is but to â—etter himself and to starve his people 5. Consider the dulnesse of the most part of hearers in this age and how hard a thing it is to awake a sleeping world and to get them but to think that it doth concern them to hear in earnest And possibly it was not a small piece of spiritual wisedome in him and it may be not unfit to be imitated by others to begin or end all his Sermons with an awakening word concerning Heaven or Hell or Iudgement and the danger of choising the evil and refusing the good 6. For digressions the truth is that his soul was so filled with such longings after Heaven and Glory and so inflamed with the love of Christ especially towards the latter end of his race that when he fell upon these subjects upon which ye will see most of these digressions are he could not well contain himself nor easily bring off his own spirit A thing not unusual to the Saints in Scripture And howbeit such things might seem somewhat singular in the time and not so coherent yet now we have grounds to apprehend that they were often strong influences of the Lords Spirit stirring up a lamp as it were into a sudden blaze that was not to burn long in his Church But now we shall detain you no longer only this we may assure you of That although these Sermons are neither so exact nor so full as doubtlesse they would have been if they had come from the Authors own pen yet as we dare say they were studied with Prayer Preached with Power and backed with Successe so also if ye shall read them with consideration meditate with Prayer and Practise with diligence ye shall neither find your time nor pains ill bestowed but shall have cause to blesse the Lord for this amongst other helps that he hath given for making you meet for the inheritance of the Saints in light That it may be blest to this end is the earnest desire and prayer of your servants in the work of the Lord Ro. Trail Jo. Stirling The Mystery of Faith Opened up SERMON I. 1 Joh. 3. 23. This is his Commandment that ye should believe on the Name of his Son Iesus Christ c. THis everlasting Gospel in which there are drawn so many precious draughts and divine lineaments of the transcendent beauty of a crucified Saviour and of the riches of his unsearchable grace is a most precious and excellent thing not onely because it doth contain most absolute and sublime precepts and commands in the exercise and obedience of which we do not only attain unto the highest pitch in holinesse but likewise because it containeth most rich and precious promises in the possession and fruition of which wee are advanced to the highest pinacle of eternal blessedness this is clear in the grace of Faith for what doth more purifie the heart and stamp it with the Image of the invisible God then this grace of Faith And what richer promises are annexed to any duty then to this duty of believing to wit everlasting life and fruition of God So that if we have dwelt fourty dayes at the foot of Mount Sinai and had been under the greatest discovering and condemning power of the Law we may yet come with boldnesse to mount Sion and there imbrace Jesus Christ who is the end of the Law for righteousnesse to such as believe Upon which Mount hee standeth holding forth the golden Scepter of his peace desiring us to imbrace him and is crying
is a sweet and refreshing command for it is oftentimes recorded in Scripture to the advantage of this grace and unspeakable joy and heavenly delight are the hand-maids that wait upon it But more particularly to make it out we shall speak to these things The first is That this grace giveth a Christian a broad and comprehensive sight of Christ and maketh him to behold not only the beauty of his actings but the beauty of his person and there are these three precious sights that Faith giveth to â— Christian of Christ. First It letteth the Christian see Christ in his absolute and personalâ— excellency taking him up as the eternal Soâ— of God as the Ancient of Dayes as the Father of Eternity as the expresse Image of Hiâ— Fathers person and the brightnesse of his glory and this filleth the soâ—l with divine fear anâ— admiration Hence is that word Heb. 11. 27 That we see by Faith him that is invisible As if he had said Faith is that grace that maketh things that are invisible visible unto us Secondly It letteth the soul see Christ in his relative excellencies that is what he is to us Faith taketh up Christ as a Husband and from thence we are provoked to much boldnesse and divine confidence and withall to see these rich possessions that are provided for us by our elder Brother who was born for adversity Faith taketh up Christ as a blessed Days man that did lay his hand upon us both And from thence it is constrained to wonder at the condescendency of Christ it taketh him up as dying and as redeeming us from the power of the grave and from the hands of our enemies and this provoketh Christians to make a totall and absolute resignation of themselves over unto Christ To serve him all the dayes of our life in righteousnesse and holinesse And thirdly Faith maketh the soul behold these mysterious draughts of spotlesse love those divine emanations of love that have flowed from his ancient and everlasting love since the world began Would you know the great ground why we are so ignorant of him who is the study of Angels and of all that are about the Throne it is this we are not much in the exercise of faith And if we would ask that question What is the way to attain to the saving knowledge of God in Christ We could give no answer to it but this Believe and again believe and again believe Faith openeth these mysterious seals of his boundlesse perfection and in some way teacheth the Christian to answer that unanswerable question What is His Name and what is his Sons Name There is this secondly that pointeth out the sweetnesse of Faith that it giveth an excellent relish unto the promises and maketh them food to our soul. What are all the promises without faith as to our use but as a dead letter that hath no life But faith exercised upon the promises maketh a Christian cry out The words of his mouth are sweeter unto mee then the honey and the honey comb as is clear from Heb. 11. 12 13. It is by Faith that wee imbrace the promises and do receive them Thirdly The sweetnesse of Faith may appear by this that it enableth a Christian to rejoyce under the most anxious and afflicting dispensations that hee meeteth with while hee is here below as is clear from Rom. 5. 1 5. where his being justified by Faith hath this fruit attending it to joy in â—ribulation And likewise from Heb. 10. 34 35. Doth not Faith hold the crown in its right hand and letteth a Christian behold these infinit dignities that are provided unto them after they have as a strong man run their race And when a Christian is put into a furnace hot seven times more then ordinary it bringeth down the Son of man Jesus Christ to walk with them in the furnace So that they walk safely and with joy through fire and water and in a manner they can have no crosse in his company For would yee know what is the description of a crosse It is to want Christ in any estate And would ye know what is the description of prosperity It is to have Christ in any condition or estate of life What can ye want that have him and what can he have that want him He is that All so that all things besides him are buâ— vanity But beside this Faith doth discover unto a Christian that there is a sweet period of all his trials and afflictions that he can be exposed unto so that he can never say that of faith which Ahab spake of Micajah He never prophesieth good things to me But rather he may say alwayes the contrary Faith never prophesieth evil unto me it being a grace that prophesieth excellent things in the daâ—kest night and sweetly declareth that though weeping do endure for the evening yet joy cometh in the morning And that though now they â—o forth weeping bearing precious seed yet at last they shall return rejoycing having sheaves in their bosome And this may bring in the fourth consideration to point out the sweetnesse of Faith That it giveth a Christian a refreshing sight of that â—and that is a far off and maketh him to behold that inheritance that is provided for the Saints in light it goeth forth to the brook Eshcol and there doth pluck down those grapes that grow in Emanuels land to bring up a good report upon that noble Countrey we are sojourning towards and the City the streets whereof are paved with transparent gold And howbeit it may be a perplexing debaâ—e between many and their own souls whether or not these eyes that have been the windows through which so much uncleannesse hath entered and these species of lust have been conveyed into the heart shall once be like the eyes of a dove washed with milk and fitly set and be admitted to see that glorious object the Lamb that sitteth upon the Throne Or whether ever these tongues that have been set on fire of hell and these polluted lips that have spoke so much against God and Heaven and all his People and Interests shall ever be admitted to sing these heavenly Halelujahs amongst that spotlesse queer of Angels and that assembly of the first born or if these hands or feet that have been so active to commit iniquity and so swift to run after vanity shall even bee admitted hereafter to carry these Palme Branches and to follow the Lamb where ever hee goeth and whether ever these hearts that have been indeed a Bethaven and house of idols may yet notwithstanding bee a dwelling for the Holy Ghost Though these things wee say and such like may bee the subject of many sad debates to some weary souls and cause many tossings to and fro till the morning yet faith can bring all these mysteries to light and looking within the vail can let us see thousands of thousands who were once as ugly as our selves yet now having washed their robes and
then shall I do when God riseth up and when he visiteth what shall I answer him As if he had said Sirs mistake me not I am not boasting much of my self for I could not have done otherwise else what should I do when God riseth up How could I answer to God if I had done otherwise I think it were a notable practice for each of you when temptations begin to assault you to say O temptation what will I answer to God when he riseth up to reprove me if I should yeeld unto thee Likewise Eccles 11. 9. Where Solomon disswading young men to pursue after vanity bringeth this as a reason Know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement Therefore I say unto thee who art often tempted to sin let 〈◊〉 and reckoning with God be still in thy sight and I defy thee then to imbrace half so many temptations as now thou dost I intreat you to answer all your temptations with that word What shall I do when he riseth up And what shall I answer when he visiteth me V. When a Christian liveth within the sight of this Truth that he shall once see death it shall make him exceeding patient under every crosse wherewith he meeteth Such a Christian will hardly meet with a crosse but he will quiet himself with this Death will put me beyond this crosse this is but a cloud that will quickly passe away And for this cause did Divid so composedly put up that desire Psal. 39 4. Lord make me to know my end and the measure of my dayes He was sure that the knowledge of his end would put him in a sober and patient frame VI. The sixth advantage is this The faith of approaching death will teach the the person that hath it to study saving wisedome This is clear Psal. 90. 12. Where David putteth up this request So teach us to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome As if he had said I will never think my self wise till I know that blessed peece of Arithmetick How to number my dayes I would desire every one of you all to think with your self every morning when ye arise now I am a day nearer unto eternity then I was before and at the end of every hour now I am an hour nearer unto eternity then I was before I say think often yea alwayes thus I was never so near my death as I am now For oh are we not all nearer to eternity to day then we were yesterday VII The seventh advantage attending the faith of approaching Death is this That it will make a Christian very carefull in preparing for Death It is impossible for one to believe really that Death is approaching and not to prepare for it Say what ye will if ye be not carefull in preparing for death ye have not the solide faith of this truth that ye shall die Believe me it is not every one that thinketh he believeth this truth that believeth it indeed And O how dreadfull is it for an unprepared man to meet with death He desireth not to die yea he would give a world for his life but die must he whether he will or not for death will not be requested to spare a little when he cometh And therefore I say unto you all Set your house in order for ye shall surely die Old men and women set your house in order for surely ye must die Young men and women set your house in order for to morrow ye may die and be cut off in the flower of your age Think not that there are any who can sell time for I say ye shall never get time sold unto you Alas I fear the most part of persons that dieth now death findeth them at unawars for indeed the persons that die among us when we come to visit them we may give you a sad account of them for we think they are comprehended under these four sorts 1. First When we go to visit some persons on their death bed they are like unto Nabal their heart is dying and sinking like unto a stone within them they are no more affected with death then if it were a fancy alas for the great stupidity that hath overtaken many therefore I intreat you delay not your repentance till death left the Lord take away your wit so that ye cannot then repent for your senslesnesse and stupid frame of spirit 2. A second sort we find in a presumptuous frame saying they have had a good hope all their dayes and they will not quite it now they will go down to the grave with their hope in their right hand or rather they will go down to the grave with a lie in their right hand they live in a presumptuous frame and they die in the same delusion For when we tell them that by all probability they are going down to hell they answer God forbid I was all my time a very honest man or woman But I love not that confession for there are many such honest men and women in hell this day 3. The third sort we find having some convictions that they have been playing the fool all their dayes but we can get them no further I shall only say to such to go down to the grâ—ve with convictions in their breast not making use of Christ is to go down to hell 〈◊〉 a caâ—â—â—e in their hand to let them see the way and truly the greater part that die die in this manner 4. Fourthly There are some whom we find in a self righteous frame trusting upon the Covenant of Works and their own merits and trusting by these to go to heaven yet neglecting the offer of Christs righteousnesse But alas we find not one of a thousand in this frame I desire to be dissolved and be with Christ that 's best of all And scarce do we find any in such a frame O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Therefore I say unto you all who are here O will ye mind death before it take hold on you Oh mind your work now for ye will find that death shall be work enough for it self though ye leave no work till then VIII The eight advantage that attendeth the Christian believing this truth that once he must die is this death will not be so terrible to him as it is unto many when it cometh What think ye maketh death a king of terrours What maketh many to shake like the leaf of a tree when they are summoned to appear before Gods Tribunal It is even because of this they have not been thinking on death before it came so as to prepare for it and I fear many in this place may be feared for death and that when it cometh to them they will say unto death at Ahab said to Elijah Hast thou found me O mine enemy Surely â—â—ath will take you and bring you to the judgement seat of Christ