resting place they have a better home and that they seek after I know others may utter such like words upon other principles as men seeing the brevity and uncertainty of mans life may think they have here no staying continuance as Cicero the heathen Philosopher speaks somewhat to that purpose I go saith he out of this life Ex hâc vitâ ita discedo tanquam ex hospitio non tanquam ex domo commorandi enim diversorium naturâ— nohis non habi tandi dedit as if I went out of an Iâ—â—e not out of my dwelling-house for nature hath given us here a place to bait in only not to dwell in Thus a morall man may be led to say by the sense and knowledge he hath of this lifes uncertainty and passing swiftnesse but their confession proceeded from their faith in an earnest seeking after Gods heavenly promises the belief of Gods word and the complacency they had therein in the expectation of the things set before them made them so to reckon themselves as strangers and pilgrims in the earth and therefore not to love or covet after the enjoiments of the earth not to minde to return back into their own countrey whence by faith they had departed to follow after God all see they cannot here alwaies continue but all know not that they have a better countrey and therefore all that so see are not mortified in their mindes to the things whose vanity they see all reckon not nor so walk as if they reckoned themselves strangers and pilgrims in the earth seeking another countrey Two things we may principally note from what hath been said he to about the nature of faith and efficacy thereof 1. Note 3. That that divine faith that will indeed do us good in death stands in the word of God the word of the promise or Gospel closes with and springs from that sees is perswaded of and embraces the testimony of God held forth in that 2. Note 4. That that divine faith is exceeding operative and working inwardly and outwardly embracing the heavenly things propounded it leads to look for expect and seek them and to despise these earthly things in comparison of them Tit. 2 11 12. It leads to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for the blessed hope the promised inheritance at the appearance of Christ Jesus It 's neither a groundless humane conception and presumption nor an empty barren and idle speculation It 's such an heart-closing with the word as in which the word is vigorous in the heart and brings forth fruit unto eternal life this in both parts we have seen already in the opening of the text they saw them afar off and were perswaded and embracing them confessed that they were but strangers and pilgrims in the earth Would we have faith or would we that have any measure of it grow Applic. therein let us take heed to the word the word of faith the doctrine of the Gospel and let us be swift to hear slow to speak or make confessions or protestations of our faith further then that heard effecteth them in us be more ready to hear what God saies to us then to boast our selves of what is in us or to offer the sacrifice of fools Eccl. 5 1â— such as the power of the truths we hear spring not up in us much more be we slow to speak against the Gospel of God because we comprehend it not with our reason or to be wroth and offended thereat because it comes to lay us low and pull down our proud swelling conceptions Hearken diligently and your souls shall live Isa 55 3. And so would we be means to bring others to faith preach we and hold we forth the word to them not our dictates and placitas but Gods word the Gospel as attested in the Scripture that men may believe as the Scripture hath said for to such faith is the promise made Joh. 9.38 He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall slow rivers of living water and for such believers Christ hath praied Joh. 17.20 for them that shall believe through their word Joh. 17.10 Gal. 4.28 the word given by Christ to his Apostles whom he sent out into the world preach the word of promise for of that it is that the heirs are born that shall enjoy the inheritance the word of the death and of the resurrection of Jesus Christ for men which is part of the promise made to Abraham as was shewed before that 's the foundation doctrine upon this foundation build them and then exhort them to walk worthy thereof in all well-pleasing There 's many a mans faith detected to be vain by these two things by its want of a right bottom and by its want of right fruits and operations 1. Thou saist thou believest and trustest in God but according to what dost thou believe it's with many a man because of and according to their works diligence endeavours sense feelings not according as it is said in the word to us as it 's said of Abraham he believed according to what was spoken to him So shall thy seed be Ro. 4.17 Now as that 's not right faith that carries not on the soul after God and causes it not to seek the countrey promised so neither is that right faith that springs from mans own strifts and endeavours after the love of God as that 's not a good faith that 's without works so neither is that good that 's bottomed upon thy works It 's the character of true beleevers in Act. 18.27 that they beleeved through grace not through works I believe saies one that Christ died for me and is a Mediatour for me Well but how camest thou by that faith whereupon is it grounded why they will say perhaps from the word Well let us see how the word evidenced it to thee why I found such and such effects wrought in me I was convinced of my evil way and humbled and mourned and reformed and was thus and thus changed therefore I perceived that I was one of the elect of God and Christ died for me Oh but now believest thou not according to the word but deceivest thy self grounding thy faith of Christs mediation upon thy works or the effects of law and conscience in thee c. I fear when thou comest to the triall thy works will be found light and vain What dost thou tell me of fruits and effects of faith evidencing thine election before and as the ground of thy believing Christ a Mediatour for thee No changes or fruits will evidence election but such spring from faith in Christ in whom the election is nor is there any faith rightly in Christ as now come but in his bloud and mediation Rom. 3.25 by his bloud We have accesse to God to believe in him and approach to him and see his love to
world Christ gave himself a ransome for no other Where readest thou that not such a word in all the Bible well but how knowest thou then for thy self thou wilt say God forbid that I should not think that Christ died for me Why so if not for all yes I hope so will the very drunkards say though they deny it for all Every one will flatter himself in a good conceit of himself and make his own good conceit the ground of his faith and so the faith proves thereafter but the most generall plea is I am thus humbled changed c. as if he should say God I thank thee I am not as other men are Now though they say they beleeve for themselves that that is in it self true yet this being not the effect of the word of the Gospel in them but a conclusion drawn by themselves from their own changes or self-flattery it hath not the nature of divine faith in it but of opinion and what good works they do or seem to do they are not fruits of the word of God working through faith in them and so not the lively evidences of faith but things endeavoured after by the power of law and conscience in them to annex and pinne them to their faith or rather to maintain and uphold their own opinion of their having faith Too many Preachers there are that are in the fault for building up men in this manner not preaching the word of Gods grace to them according to the tenour of the Apostolicall commission some of whom while they plead for unity in the mean time depart from the unity of the faith and will not strive together with us for that tenour of it once delivered to the Saints Phil. 1.27 Rom. 16.17 but have made a division besides and contrary to that wholsome doctrine whereas all unity should stand in verity and then it will be lasting unity oh that they would beleeve the word of God that it may appear that the power and force thereof operates in them and that their faith and works spring therefrom and we are ready to embrace unity with them yea in the mean time we will love them and be at unity with them in what they had according to the word though we must reprove them when they disclaim dissent and draw people from the credit of the word as if our reproving their strayings from that Malediâ— a fit illa charitas propter quaâ— periclitatur vel amittitur veritas Luth. or holding forth the word as we finde and beleeve it faithfully to the people make or occasion division we cannot help that we must not lay down the truth of God to gain peace with men Let men lay aside opposition then to the Gospel-declaration and if they hold it not forth yet deny it not disclaim not against it oppose not evident Scripture-sayings and we shall readily endeavour to be at one with them Many deal with men as Pharaohs officers with the poor Israelites they took away the straw and yet required the tale of brick so men now presse men upon faith and repentance and yet in the mean while withhold from them the doctrine of Gods love and goodnesse to what purpose is it to tell men of the priviledges of beleâ—vers and withhold from them or render doubtfull to them those motives of Gods good will toward them and Christs death for them which God in the Gospel holds forth to them to bring them to believe to what purpose talk ye to men out of Christ and uncalled of a secret election that is only in Christ and no where else to be met with nor enjoied suppressing the doctrine of the death of Christ for them that should draw them unto Christ and tell them stories of an eternall reprobation without respect to their rejecting Gods grace yea with an affirmation that there was no such grace for the greater part of mankinde to be received or rejected by them as is affirmed in the Gospel for them so obstructing the way of their apprehending that grace that should leade them to repentance or to put them upon a form of repentance that hath no power in it that they might presume themselves elect for better it cannot be while the doctrine of Gods grace and goodnesse is not held forth and magnified toward them which leadeth to a true and living repentance and faith of Gods elect 2. Again how many talk of faith and yet shew no fruits of faith Qui Curios simulant Bacchanalia vivuxt call themselves Christians but neither have the anointing nor do the works of Christianity that professe the Gospel yet rest in the letter or shell of it and look not into it to behold the glorious grace discovered in the Gospel nor embrace the reproofs of self and flesh fleshly wisedom strength righteousnesse and affections that come along to them in and with the Gospel that talk of grace but receive it in vain and yeeld not up the inmost of their hearts to grace welcome it not in its teachings to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lust and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world receive not the love of the truth to be saved by it from Satans temptations and their own corruptions thou saist thou believest and hopest to have heaven and happinesse but yet thou art a drunkard a whoremaster a blasphemer covetous thy works proclaim thee to be a lyar such faith as consists in opinion and saying thou believest and yet hath no power in thee to break thee off from vanities will never save thee from destruction It 's true Saints have had their failings but they have been but failings and they have been saved out of them they have not lain and wallowed in their sin and yet said tush these are but failings their failings and fallings through temptation can be no plea for thee that never yet arose from sin and that livest and sportest thy self in thy sin O deceive not thy self with a vain conception to think the outward profession of a Christian will save thee when nothing of his divine power and spirit dwels within thee turn not the grace of God into lasciviousnesse backslide not from the escapes you have had from pollutions through the knowledge of Christ to be intangled again with your corruptions and yet flatter up your selves with the Saints failings and say ye may be true believers and reall Saints for all this thou saiest thou seekest a countrey too an heavenly city and yet thy care is altogether for and thy love eager to this countrey how to live bravely and fare deliciously uphold thy name and reputation with men though by vanity and iniquity misse no advantages of grasping in the world to thy self of satisfying thy affections and enjoying thy vain pleasures c. sure these are not the works of faith thou walkest not as the good old Patriarchs who counted themselves strangers and pilgrims in the earth and regarded not to return
and to uncircumcised gentile the body and generality of them not so proselyted The second is the common proâ—hannesse of superficiall Christians and turners of the grace and Gospel â—f Christ into wantonness that rest in a name and notion of Christianity but deny the power of it of which sort there are every where too many The third is the sect of the Sadduces that deny the resurrection the visible coming of Christ personally again and the glorious performance of the promises at that his appearing a too too spreading generation May God make it usefull to you to leade you besides all these tocks in the true ancient Scripture-doctrine and faith formerly also attested to in the Church in England so to embrace and love the promised salvation and so to follow the steps of this good man and of other Worthies that have gone before him in the belief of and hearty love to closing with an entertainment of the Word of God that it may produce like fruits in you as in them unto death and in death that you with them also may partake of the glorious resurrection unto life and happinesse I shall have cause of much rejoicing The fountain of mercy and wisedom flow down upon you sill you with truth with peace and righteousnesse direct and blesse you and make you blessings in your places and generations So praieth Your Worships Servant to his ability J. H. Vpon the subject of this Book An INSTRUCTION and HYMN REader see here how great a mystery Lies cropped up in Christianity Strange Paradoxes hâ—râ—'s a bush oâ— flame Burning yet noâ— consumed by the same By Collâ—quintida death in the set And yet so healed that it his teth not Drink from a rock in gravell wâ—â—â—some feed In darknesse light in midst of eval good In sicknesse health the sweetest case in pain In weaknesse strength in losse the greatest gain Yea life in death and in absurdities The depth of wisdom bassling all the wise The tell how men by falling rise and how By lesing what they have they richer grow How by dishonour mâ—n may mount on high By being overcome have victory Here hast thou meat out of the eater here Sweet from he strong holdnesse in greatest fear A dying man sild full of life and breath Conquer'd and yet triumphing over death But whence all thu or how can these things be Shall Paradoxes be Divinity Behold here 's God with maâ— Emmanuel That only word 〈…〉 dâ—th unspell In God is good light 〈…〉 strength case and gain In man all darknesse sicknâ—sse weaknesse pain Yea sorrow lesse and misery and death God fountain is of blesse jor life and breath In Christ these 〈◊〉 Behold the mystery Manhead united with the Deity Yea all those properties and consequents Of each found place in him a battell thence In him was fought while sin on righteousnesse Death on eternall life and curse on blesse Made their assault for these on him did seise Cause God to bruise his precious soul did please Death with us train could finde but small alode Though the humanity did yeeld thereto The Deity soon resoued is therefro And since our evils in that death did meet The eater yeelded meat and the strong sweet God shen'd himself in man in weaknesse strength In darknesse glortom light in shortnesse length Even length of daies and immortality Death being swallowed up in victory Of which mans nature being dispessest Is now become in him Gods endlesse rest Yea men is there the seat of blessings all Asâ—eâ—ded and captivity made thrall Which treastored are in him for us from thence Blessing of every kinde God doth â—â—spense Christy his hoâ—y Word and Spirit by which He peace and pardon in 〈◊〉 Name doth preachâ— By these he worketh saith and that the 〈◊〉 'Twixt us and Christ bringing to unitie With him from which doth such communion slow That he and we no longer are as two â—oyn'd in one spirit as he took our flesh So he gives us his Spirit which doth refresh And fill our hearts with joy Gods power he is Conquering death and its accomplices In us as once in Christ with whom joyn'd thus He writes his Name upon us God with us He is our life in death hope in despair Our strength in weakâ—sse and he doth repair Our breaches all while he doth make us see That we shall râ—st and reign as well as he Oh glorious death by which our life appears Oh glorious Spirit that our hearts no bears Oh gloricus Word that doth this tidings bring Oh glorious Chaâ— where our heavenly King Comes riding to 〈…〉 precious Faith That such a spring and such an issue hath Oh precious Lord that barâ—st to us such love Try self so to abase â—ll to remove From 〈…〉 whom it lay and would have wrought Our and esse ruine Thou to is hast brought Life yea immortall life Thou art the day That lightnest our night Thou art the way By which God comes to 〈◊〉 in he great night By which he give to 〈◊〉 his holy Spirit By which we come to him and finde his power Infusing life into us in deaths hour Thâ—â—s art the Word on thee the Spirit is put To open eyes that blinde are and unshut The stepped ears from bondage to set free And to get over dâ—â—th full victory Oh shew thy self to us be thou our life Fill us with peece and joy end all our strife Be thou our All open our hearts to see And fill us withâ—ly glory so shall we Triumph in midst of death and sing thy praise Full well assured that thou thenâ—e wilt raise Vs up again and set us on thy Throne For evermore with God to be at one THE LIFE OF FAITH IN DEATH The Text. HEBREWS 11.13 14. All these died 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in or according to faith not having received the promises but seeing them afar off they were perswaded and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and sojourners in the earth For they that say such things manifest that they seek a Countrey THe custome of a solemn interring of the dead bodies of deceased friends and of making lamentations over them is very ancient and laudable the mention of it is as old as Abrahams time we finde it was then a custome usuall in the Eastern countries as we reade in the book of Genesis of the Patriarchs and Egyptians and surely in its original it was tessera fidei amoris a pledge and testimony both of their faith and love fidei a witnesse of their faith that they beleeved and looked for the resurrection of the body and therefore would decently bestow cost upon and interre the body amoris of their love to the deceased whose reliques therefore they so sarre honoured and whose losse or absence rather they lamented as in their presence formerly they had been delighted thus I might shew you Abraham himself the father of the faithfull Gen. 23.2 burying the Corps of his deceased Sarah and
us and canst thou have faith in his bloud before thou knowest whether he shed any for thee that thereby thou mightest know he shed it for thee faith in the bloud of Christ is this through the knowledge and belief of his bloud shed to be imboldned to approach to and rely on God and expect good from him as from one that thereby hath testified his good will toward thee and opened a way of accesse to himself and to his Kingdome for thee that thou mightest come to him and hope in him for it It 's strange that Christs bloud should give thee boldnesse to rely on God when thou knowest not whether ever it was shed for thee or that thou hadst any thing to do with it thou sayst it was shed for all that believe and thou believest c. That it was shed for all that believe is not questioned but that very believing is to be in that bloud Now the doubt is of thy believing in it before thou feest Gods word hold it forth as shed for thee that so thou mightest know it 's shed for thee I say that believing of thine was not a right believing in it that preceded thy belief of it by divine testimony to be shed for thee It was shed for enemies and ungodly that being preached to them they might believe in it as well as for them as believing in it that they might be sanctified and saved by it If thou believest in it or thinkest to have salvation by it because of thy former self-actings to sorrow and to reformation then is not this faith right because not springing from the word yea thou inverttest the order of the Apostle Tit. 2.11 12. 3.4 5. he tels us they were saved from their filthinesse and disobedience and led to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts by the grace the love and pity of God to man appearing and thou first art led to reform and alter and deny thy lusts and to believe as thou thinkest before thou apprehendest his grace and then drawest an inference of his grace from those thy works and denials thou endeavourest and conceitest thy self to work well and thereupon buildest an opinion that God loved thee and Christ came and died for thee this faith springs from thy works and not from the word the testimony of God is not believed by thee Oh but thou wilt say Even all those frames were begotten by the grace of God in thee else thou couldest not have had them and it was in hearing his word that thou wast led to them Ay but what meanest thou by grace the good will of God in Christ fore-manifested to thee in the word of the Gospel No for that thou sawest not but fetchest in by consequence upon thy changes what then a certain secret insensible working of power in thy heart to perswade thee to confesse thy sins and mend thy actions and do better then formerly Now thou speakest in the dialect of that Pharisee Luk 18.10 11. He had such a like considerce that he was a righteous justified person and was in state of grace but how came he by it he trusted in himself he saies not to be made righteous but that he was now a righteous one one that should have benefit by the Messias in his coming and should partake of the promises he fetched the arguments of his confidence from himself and yet what he speaks of as in him he attributes to Gods grace as if he had wrought it in him God I thank thee that I am not thus and thus he doth not ascribe it to himself but to God and it 's not likely but he thought God had perswaded him so and so to walk by what he had heard of his will in the Scriptures in the law of God he thought of a secret working of power in the word but he never apprehended or believed the grace that is the good will of God as it was preached to Abraham in the Gospel and promise he was ignorant of Gods righteousnesse 1 Cor. 10.13 Gal. 4.23 24. he was born of the bond-Woman his changes and righteousnesse sprang not from love and grace fore-apprehended but from the Law enjoyning and adding promises to mans observation and therefore this plea would no serve him his confidence was not currant nor did God accept him Such is thy profession thou findest it said If thou believest thou shalt be saved which in it self only considered is but like a legall promise and nothing differs from it for that saies if thou dost thus and thus thou shalt live or be saved but herein the Gospel differs from it that it laies down a foundation of love demonstrated from God to a sinner in the first place to move him impower and enable him to the thing required of him so doth not the law but only holds forth a conditionall promise upon obedience and while a man sees or closes with no more of the Gospel the Gospel is but a legall doctrine to him it 's not the Gospel he sees not the love declared the glad tidings of Gods good will to him a sinner and ungodly in the gift of Jesus in the belief of which he should be principled to the thing required but I say thou meeting with such a conditionall promise thou endeavourest after faith and humility and fruits and from thy self-endeavours changes and self differings which thou thinkest are notable fruits of faith thou concludest and trustest in thy self that thou art righteous a believer a justifyed one and so that Christ is thy Mediatour and died for thee and attributest this to God as if thou wert no enemy to grace but a Preacher of it in opposition to free-will and thus many men do whenas they never yet saw or discerned what grace is nor had any other principle in what they did but the law its threats and promises and their own will whence though they have as strong confidence of their being righteous as the Pharisee had yet it is but a strong fancy and groundlesse conception of faith the bottom of it is a legall covenant and their own work and endeavour not the word of the Gospel the declaration of grace they receive not the word that should beget it I know they say they beleeve all the Scriptures from the beginning of Genesis to the latter end of the Revelations but come to the point let us examine thee in the testimony of God whereof the Apostle Paul was made a Preacher a Crier or Herauld for the obedience of faith we finde it 1 Tim. 2.4 5 6 7. Dost thou beleeve this God wils all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth and that Christ gave himself a ransome for all c. by and by they crie our A damnable heresie I see it there written but I am not perswaded it is meant as it was spoken I cannot embrace it Well how then God hath good will to none but an elect number in the