and with all those to have a heart glued to the world folded up in the love of sinne resolved against all hazards to shift off all profession rather then to endure any storme what so great a task is this But to have a minde taught of God and to have an understanding bowed with the strength of Divine light and inward change to the obedience of truth and to have a will sweetly renewed and with an holy trembling humbly receiving Christ in his person and offices and bestowing the whole soul and body on him againe here the work sticks CHAP. XII The sure and dangerous misery of unbeliefe THe last thing which may stirre us to try our selves is the consideration of that amazing danger and unspeakable misery to which the soul is assuredly obnoxious in case of unbelief Why will you say What danger if we believe Obj. not I answer there are three special dangers First all thy sinnes stand upon record against thee like so many sad debts which thou hast run thy self into from thy conception to this very day They are all written with the pen of a Diamond there is no blotting out of a mans sinnes but by the blood of Christ and the unbeliever hath not his portion in that blood and therefore there are all thy sinnes uncancelled thy sinnes of nature and all thy sinnes of life such a sin and such a sin then and there and againe committed c. O how great is the volume of them the number of them cannot be numbred and the guilt of them cannot be conceived if one sin binds thee over to hell Good God! To what flames of vengeance and horrible degreâ—s and intensions of misery and wrath do all thy sins oblige thee Yea and as Solomon said in another case Prov. 9 12. If thou scornest thou alone shalt beare it so I say here if thou remain an unbeliever thou alone must answer for all thy sinnes Whatsoever the wrathful displeasure of God is whatsoever the horrors of conscience are whatsoever the gnawings of that worm are whatsoever the heat of hell flames are Whatsoever the doleful separation from God is Whatsoever curse the Law implies for sin that maist thou expect who wilt not believe in Christ O! if that wrath was so hot when it obliquely as it were fell on Christ where it had no unholy and self-guilty quality to admix with it selfe that he sweat drops of blood and cryed out my God c. How wilt thou with any patience ease possible quietnesse susteine the extream wrath of the Almighty Judge who art vile and filthy and hast a conscience with all thy torments to gall and vex thee with the stings of misery guilts and self-accusations tell me how art thou able what canst thou say how canst thou beare up before the Lord if he should arise if he should terribly arise to judge the nations He is the Holy God and Just and is True and Great in power What satisfaction canst thou bring where are thine oblations or with what wilt thou reconcile thy self to the Lord Whereby canst thou either make thy former sins to be no sins or perswade the Lord to be propitious to thee without Christ Nay verily he will judge thee as an unrighteous person for if thou hast not Christ what righteousnesse hast thou there is no hope for thee to be acquitted nay nor hope to be saved nay thou art sure to be damned Mark 16. 15. Go you into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature 16. He that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved but he that beleeveth not shall be damned John 3. 18. He that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not beleeved in the name of the only begotten Sonne of God 36. He that beleeveth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that beleeveth not the Son shaâ—â— not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Rev. 2. 8. The fearful and unbelieving are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone But you will say Why This is strange Why such Obj. extreame misery for not beleeving what sinne is it It is one of the greatest sins in the world not to believe that is Sol. not to receive the Lord Jesus Christ Because It is a sinne against the greatest love to the world Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave c. Rom 5. 8. But God commendeth his love towards us that whiles we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us God shewed the greatnesse of his love to bestow his Sonne and Christ shewed the greatnesse of his love to dye for us Greater love said Christ can no man shew then to lay down his life c. Now for the Lord to finde out a way of Salvation and in love to our soules to offer this Son of his unto us and to beseech us to be reconciled and then for us like them who were envited to the supper we cannot come we will not come O this c. It is a sin for which there can be no remedy for asmuch as it is a sin against the only remedy of a sinful soul The sentence of the Law may be repealed by the Gospel but not ècontra There is no plaister for the soul but the blood of Christ which yet unbelief will not take and receive It is a sinne which as much as in it lies makes void and vaine all the Covenant of Grace turning all the goodnesse of it into nothing and all the truthes of it into lyes and makes the blood of Christ to be shed in vaine He that beleeveth not makes God a lyar because he beleeveth not the record that God gave of his Sonne 1 John 5. 10. It is a sin which directly murders the soul because it doth wilfully hold it off from Christ who would upon believing pardon and justifie and save All these things being premised let us now descend towards the triall or evidences of true faith in Christ where I beseech you observe CHAP. XIII Rules for the discovery of faith FIrst some Rules of Direction for the manner of â—vidence and testifying of faith that you may neither be deceived by presumption nor perplexed by error and doubting Two things Secondly some lively instance of true faith as the Word of God doth clearly represent them The Rules of discovery and finding out faith which are these SECT I. THere are some things without which faith cannot be in the heart and yet they do not necessarily and infallibly conclude that a man hath faith They do well distinguish in the Schools 'twixt an Antecedent and a Cause a Cause is such a thing as is before the effect and which beiâ—g put the effect also is put one will not go without the other But an Antecedent is that which must go before another thing yet it is not necessary that if it be that the other thing should follow The rising of the Sunne is a cause of day and therefore this will
Sampson dayes as Methusalah riches as Dives were his dwellings like the doors of the Sanctuary and shaped into the most imaginable Paradise of all exquisite and earthly delights If yet his soul remained and expired unbelieving if he had not faith His unbelieving soul shall be cast out into the lake which burnes with fire and brimstone Revel 21. 8. 2. Nay again A man may perhaps be guilty of many sins and those very fowle high and crying he hath perhaps been an Idolater or else an Adulterer or else a Blasphemer or else a Persecutor yea even of Christ yet upon his repentance and faith in Christ his soul shall be saved in the day of the Lord. For no former sinnes shall prejudice the soul which is now truly turned from them and hath by faith yeilded up it self to Christ But the unbeleeving person hath every sinne and every guilt upon a severe and sure account he rejects his own satisfactions by refusing Christ The Law of God will sue him cut for every rebellion and the justice of God will break out upon him for all his iniquities and conscience will give up all his guilts and because he is unbelieving vengeance to the utmost shall cease on him and there is none to deliver him nor he ever able to deliver himself Vnbelief it bindes all the sinnes upon the soul and condemnation fast unto the sinnes It leaves the sinning soul naked to the eye of divine Justice neither hath the soul any shelter which is out of Christ O thou who wilt not kisse the Sunne now who wilt not have Christ to rule thee who despisest the tender love of God the precious blood of Christ who wilt receive him for thy Priest for thy Prophet for thy King In the last day thou shalt curse thy heart and accurse thy sins and cry to the mountaines but they will not cover thee to mercy but that will not pitty thee to Christ but he will not regard thee to Justice but it will not heare thee thou wouldst not believe thou wouldst not receive Christ as Lord and Saviour but thou wouldst have the love of sin and therefore thou shalt have the portion of a sinner thou shall not see life but the wrath of God shall abide upon thee Nay if the father hath given and offered unto thee his own Sonne and thou harden thy heart by unbelief thou wilt not take him upon those termes I tell thee in the name of the Lord Jesus that if thou wilt thus bid Christ farewell thou dost bid God farewell all mercy farewell all salvation farewell all hope of it farewell and thou bindest all thy sinnes upon thy soul and all the curse of the Law upon thy soul Woe unto thee it s better thou hadst never been borne If thou hast any sense as an ordinary creature any reason as a man any understanding as a Christian any true estimation of an immortal soul any conceptions of heaven or hell if salvation be any comfortable thing if damnation be any miserable thing then I beseech thee I beseech thee labour for faith get out of an unbelieving condition thou perâ—shest if thou stay'st there thou art lost for ever he that believes not shall be damned said the Prince of salvation O repent and believe why will you die O house of Israel Consider throughly of the love of God in giving Christ and of 2. Motive the love of Christ in giving himself and perhaps this may perswade thee to labour for faith The love of God in giving of Christ See Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life 17. For God sent not his Sonne into the world to condemne the world but that the world through him might be saved O this love of God to sinners To give his Son and not a servant his own Son and not another his only Son and not a second his only begotten Son and not an adopted childe and that not for any ill but for good he did not send him as an enemy but as a friend not to deliver a poor and mean good but the best and highest good to save us not to deliver us from an ordinary danger but from condemnation Yea and he is sent and given he was not sought by us but given by him Yea and no way deserved but freely given yea and given to us not friends but enemies Thou hast shewed this day said Saul to David 1 Sam. 24. 18 How that thou hast dealt well with me forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand thou killedst me not 19. For if a man finde his enemy will he let him go well away Thus here 'twixt man and man but saith the Apostle God commendeth his love towards us in that whiles we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Now shall all this love be in vaine shall God think of a Christ and we pass by him shall he give a Saviour and we reject him shall he bring salvation to our doores and we not accept of it Why you need my Son and you are damned if you take him not and I freely offer him unto you that you may be saved and shall not we strive for faith to receive him The love of Christ O how wonderfull was his love to us it was not a love to the fallen Angels but to fallen man and such a love to fallen man as the like cannot be found He laid aside his glory to do us good he humbled himself to raise us he became poor to enrich us he fasted and prayed and endured the contradiction of sinners Reproaches Crucifyings Wrath Bloody agonies Conflicts with Satan sorrows in his soul piercings in his body and a bitter death to satisfie for us and to reconcile us and shall we not accept of him shall all this be in vaine Why doest thou not heare Christ calling and crying out unto thee never were any sorrowes like my sorrowes never was any love like to my love O unbelieving and sinning soul look upon me why doest thou passe by why doest thou hide thine eyes from me why doest thou stop thine eares at me I am the Saviour of sinners and there is none else besides me thy own miseries might cause thee to look up and embrace me And let my love unto thee a little draw thee move thee melt thee Hast thou not heard of the revilings and scoffes which I susteined my love to thy soul made me a willing patient Hast thou not heard of the agonies of my soul which made me to sweat drops of blood and my soul was exceeding heavy even to the death yet my love to thy soul made me willing to drink that cup Hast thou not heard of that desertion and of that wrath which made me to cry out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me And yet my love to thy soul made me to passe through it Hast
enemy to deal with It is thy Father to whom thou art bending the knee 3. He hath a mighty intercessor look as Jesus Christ is the mighty Redeemer for the persons of men so he is the mighty intercessor for the services of men and he ever lives to make intercession If thy wants be never so great yet thy God is able to supply them and if thy infirmities be never so many yet thy intercessor is able to cover and expiate them Thy services as thine â— carry with them a prejudice there was iniquity in the holy offering but then Aaron did bear the iniquity of them so thy Priest thy Christ thy intercessor he doth take off by the Application of his merits whatsoever is amisse and offensive and he doth ingratiate thy requests and procures audience and acceptance for thee Therefore now if thou be a beleever then in thy prayers come confidently to God if thou canst finde a promise and a Christ and a faith thou mayest cheerfully put up thy petitions to heaven What should hinder us from being confident Is God unwilling No he hath engated himself unto thee Is God unable Why He is able to do abundantly above all that we are able to ask or think Doest thou feare thy own distance Why but thou comest to a Father and thou comest by the blood of a gracious of a beloved of a powerful Mediator and Intercessor Hebrews 4. Having such an High Priest we may come boldly to the throne of grace See Heb. 10. Doest thou feare because of enmity Christ hath slaine that or because of infirmity Christ will cure that CHAP. XV. The Agreement and difference of strong and weak faith BUt now some may reply These are sweet comforts Obj. to beleevers but as the Eunuch to Philip of whom speaks the Prophet this of himselfe or of some other So here why to whom are these comforts to all or to some choice beleevers are they common comforts to every beleever or peculiar to the eminent and strong only This scruple hath made way for a singular point I will satisfie it by opening four particulars Sol. 1. The common unity of all true faith in respect of the habit yet the intensive diversity in respect of acts and degrees 2. The proofs of a strong faith with the instances of a weak faith in truth 3. The concordance of faith in all fundamental Comforts 4. The inequality of strong and weak faith in many true yet not essential consequences and consolations Concerning the first which respects the common unity of faith in respect of the habit and the diversity of it in respect of the acts and degrees Observe these things for the unity of faith SECT I. FIrst that all true faith though in a comparison of faith with faith in several subjects it may admit of several diversities and differences yet they consent and agree in these things viz. First in the immediate and special cause weak faith as faith comes not from one cause and strong faith from another cause but both the one and the other from one and the same cause viz. the blessed Spirit of God Not onely the flames but the sparks of fire are kindled by that Spirit which blows where it lists As in the Orchard the tree which stands strong and the tender plant which stands trembling both of them were at first set by one and the same hand so the faith which is now well grown and that faith which is as yet tender and full of doubtings both of them are the peculiar fruits of Gods sanctifying Spirit Though this childe in the cradle cannot runne and move as well as that in the field at work yet the father begat the one as well as the other and owns them both by vertue of one equal relation The day of small things are not despised by God who sees weaknesse in the strongest Faith and Truth in the weakest and is the Parent both of this and that 2. In the remote and singular cause You know that Gods free grace and love is the first wheele of all singular good unto men out of it came that great gift of Christ and that great work of Election from whence doth flow all the graces which sanctifie and bring to glory As many as were ordained to eternal life beleeved Now all faith is a drop out of this fountaine the weak faith is a fruit of that great love of God Acts 13. 48. electing us in Christ as well as the strong and is though not so sensibly evident yet as really a true testimony of our election The reason whereof is this not grace restrictively considered but grace in the whole latitude of it is the fruit of Gods election my meaning is this not only Graces as eminent as raised and elevated to some more perfect quality and pitch but grace in the whole compasse of it from the conception of it to the perfection of it from the dawning to the full day from the nature to the act from the acts to the degrees all of it in nature in parts in totum solidum all of it whether more or lesse strong or weak all is out of the same grace of Election It was not one love which elected him who is therefore now strong in beleeving with Abraham and another love which elected him who is now weak in beleeving with the father of the childe No but it was one and the self-same love which produced this and that faith yea that electing love was intensively one in producing of both It was as equally high towards this person as towards that and was as equally causative of the faith that is weak as of the faith which is strong being habitually considered and also in relation to the grace of Gods love in election 3. In the ordinary and usual instrumental cause the same womb of the word brought them both forth being efficaciously assisted by that Almighty Spirit That word which discovered misery and impotency and necessity to the one did so to the other That word which revealed the Covenant of grace and mercy in Christ to the one did so to the other beleever also That word which did assure the one that if he would come in and accept of Christ be should be saved did also of this assure the other That word which did encline the heart of the one to trust upon Gods promise and so to accept of Christ did likewise being quickened with the same Spirit draw and perswade the other 4. In the lively nature of beleeving look as the strong and weak man though they do differ in the measure of power yet they do agree in the nature of man though they differ in respect of working yet they agree in respect of being And as the sick man and the healthy man though they vary in their temper yet they agree in their nature though they differ in livelihood yet not in life So though the strong and weak faith differ exceedingly in
the heart and conquer Satan But if we trouble the Devil the Devil will not cease to trouble us It hath been the lot of the best Ministers to do most good and find most affliction Look but in the 19. ver and there you shall see Paul and Silas caught and drawn before the Rulers Good God! That Paul should be questioned because he did cast out a Devil But this is not the matter objected nor the immediate ground of the trouble Her Master saw that the hope of their gaines was gone How far will the love of the world thrust a man against Gods servants even Paul himself is brought to the Bar when he cuts off the gaines which the Devil brought Covetous hearts and good Ministers can never agree They will rather sell â—he Truth than lose their Gaine But being now before the Magistrate what is their accusation What! That Paul and Silas did cast out the Devil No That they who were the Masters of the Damosel were impaired and disadvantaged by their Preaching No though this was the ground yet something else was the Pretence This would seeme somewhat too base and therefore they urge against them another allegation which they knew would easily take vers 20. These being Iews exceedingly trouble our City and ver 21. Teach Customes which are not lawful for us to receive nor to observe being Romans As if he said they are a couple of factious and schymatical fellows men of a singular spirit given to innovation speak strange things of one Christ and of Believing and of Repenting and we know not what They need say no more presently there is an uprore and without any more ado right or wrong they have Justice The Magistrates rent their clothes and command to beare them ver 22. And this is not enough besides the whip they must to the Prison and be kept safe and close verse 23. Hatred of goodnesse doth many times precipitate evil men to the acts of injustice and he who hates a good man will many times become a bad Judge But in the prison and stocks they are and the layler is as strict to execute as they unjust to command verse 24. He did thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stocks A strange Providence is that of God Paul and Silas are sent to prison to convert a Jayler to unloose him who bound them to heale him who scourged them God hath some special ends in the times and places of his servants sufferings Well at Midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang prayses to God verse 25. No prison can bolt out our Communion with God Prayer will get up to heaven in dispite of all opposition and even a suffering Christian may be very cheerful But now see the consequents of this their prayers shooke the Heaven and the Heaven shooke the Earth so that the foundations of the Prison were shaken and immediately all the doores were opened and every ones bands were loosed ver 26. I do not marvel that Prayer can breake the bonds of Iron when I know it is able to break asunder the bonds of death it self The Iayler awakes sees the prison doores open and for ought he knew an escape of all his prisoners for whose lives probable it is that he must pay his own and therefore in a passionate desperatenesse drawes out his sword to kill himself Paul espies him and cryes out with a loud voice hold hold Do thy self no harme for we are all here not a man of us that hath stirred Which when he had searched and found O what a strange alteration is in this Jayler verse 29. He came in trembling What! he who before made them to bleed doth he now tremble he that before cast them into the stocks doth he come trembling to them What were they or what could they do shackled and scourged and imprisoned persons that he trembled before them But so he did Scorners will become Tremblers when God hath once touched their hearts yet this is not all He also falls down before them He is upon his knees to ask them forgivenesse for his cruel usage And then he brings them forth But what of all this All this may arise from sparks of pitty and Object humanity Nay but there is a greater matter then all this Sirs said he Sol. what shall I do to be saved As if he said I am in a miserable condition I have lived wickedly and done wrong to many of the people of God and in particular to you Good Lord what shall become of me you are the Ministers of Christ I beseech you have pity on me and shew unto me what I may do to save this poore soul of mine What does Paul and Silas Answer him they said Beleeve in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saved And I beseech you marke it how immediate their answer is to his question they do not say as the High Priests to afflicted Iudas look thou to that they do not upbraid him with his hard and cruell usage They take not that advantage and say nay now doth thy conscience trouble thee for being so wicked and scourging us so sharply yea and so let it doest thou come for direction and comfort to us whom thou hast so shamefully abused No they forget the injuries and presently pour in the Oyl They instantly direct him into the true way of life Believe in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saved But more of this anon I have chosen this text on purpose that I may proceed to the next article of the Creed I believe in Iesus Christ our Lord you see it is exprest in the next But before I handle it give me leave to Analyse the words and to touch upon some singular conclusions and then I will set down upon the Article it self more fully CHAP. II. The opening of the words with the severall Doctrines in the text THe words of the text do containe two parts A case of Conscience to be propounded by a troubled and trembling sinner The case is not for another but for himself what shall I do And not about his Riches or wealth or his body but about his soul And that not for meer speculation but for practicals it is a case about his salvation and about the meanes which he should take to attaine Sirs what shall I do to be saved Secondly The case fully resolved Beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved As if he said Christ is the onely way to Heaven and faith is the onely way to Christ God hath given Jesus Chrâ—st to sinners and salvation in him And whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternall life Now then believe in him and you shall be saved There are many conclusions emergent from these words I will omit most of them and onely insist on the latter Change of heart breeds change of estimation toward the Ministers of the Gospel The Jayler a little
obedience in none but him I rest on none but him on him do I believe he hath satisfied to the utmost and I trust on him that he hath done it for me Brethren the case stands thus a man is borne in sin and he goes on in much sin a long time at length God awakens his conscience makes him to possesse the iniquities of his heels of his birth of his youth of his age of his life and perhaps besets the soul round about with some sensible dread of his infinite displeasure Now the man knowes not what to do good Lord saith he what a miserable creature am I here 's sin committed over and over the Law broken God provoked conscience raging hell gaping I am violated saith the Law wronged saith Justice thou hast sinned saith Conscience I will be satisfied saith the Lord saith the poor soul what shall become of me what have I to quiet God I can finde nothing what shall I do to pacifie him I cannot imagine it If I say that I have not sinned my conscience tells me I lye if I say I will not sin hereafter Why yet how will this satisfie for former gilt I tell you brethren that a heart brought to this sensible experience is marvelously oppressed the very heart cracks and the sins of that soul snap a sunder under the sense of manifold gilt and Gods displeasure But then God comes in the Gospel and calls out to the poor and distressed sinner come hither saith God I will shew thee a way of salvation O how the soul listens to such a message but how Lord can this be what am I or what can I do Nothing saith God for thou art an enemy and thou art without strength But I have laid Salvation upon one that is Mighty Who is that Lord It is my own Son whom I have out of my love sent into the world to be made man and to dye and satisfie for sinners to beare their iniquities to answer for all their transgressions and he is become a surety and a Priest and hath sacrificed his own soul to be an offering for sin and I offer him unto thee to be thy surety to be thy Priest to take away thy sinnes Now take him saith God to the soul and with him the discharge of thy sins Hereupon the soul being perswaded of the truth of this good testimony and with many teares admiring at the riches of divine love and mercy it doth now by faith close in with Christ put it self on him embraceth him with all the heart as a sufficient and perfect Saviour As if the soul now fastning it self by faith on Christ in this respect should thus be speake the Lord. O Lord thou art pleased justly to charge my sins upon my conscience I confesse and am ashamed that I have thus sinned against thee yea and I acknowledg that I am never able to answer thee for those sins But thou hast appointed thine own Son to be my Saviour and Priest whose office it was to beare the sins of the people these sins therefore which conscience now chargeth upon me I do by faith charge upon thine own Sonne for he was made sin for us thou didst ordaine him to be a surety and therefore I beseech thee Lord look for satisfaction of my debts in his precious blood and take away thy curse from my soul for he was made a curse for us he did susteine thy wrath in our steed to deliver from wrath Now therefore O Lord I put my soul only upon thy only Son whom I take to be my sacrifice him I offer up unto thee as my propitiation I have sinned but thy Son hath dyed for my sins I have provoked thee but thy Son hath pacified thee I have wronged thee but thy Son hath satisfied thee he did not die for his own sins but for my sins he was not made a curse for himself but for me I lay hold on his blood to be my peace and satisfaction and salvation As if a man were like to be carried to prison for debt and hunting up and down for a friend to stand for him at length he findes one only man and him he brings to the creditor and saith here 's a man will pay you and ransome me so faith for a troubled and obliged sinner to God it findes out Christ and saith Lo Lord here is thy Son who is my surety he will discharge he is my ransome SECT IV. FOr Christ as a Saviour and King and Prophet and Lord what is the exercise of faith there I tell you what I think of it It is a work of a believing heart whereby it doth accept of Christ to be the sole teacher and ruler of heart and life and resigne up himself wholly to him to be fashioned as it were and guided by him A man never comes to the truth of beleeving but he shall finde this that faith will change his Master For faith changeth the heart and the heart being once changed will quickly change its Lord So that to believe on Christ as a King as a Lord as a Prophet it is to admit him to give him up the whole man into his hands to his holy and spiritual Government as if the heart should say thus much thou art a Holy Christ and thou art he who art to reigne now I take thee to be my Holy Lord and I resigne up my selfe I passeover my selfe unto thee I will have no Lord but thee and I do with all my heart accept of thee to make me Holy as thou art Holy and to subdue this vile heart of mine and to rule in me by thy blessed and mighty Spirit SECT V. THus briefly of the immediate object of faith on which faith immediately looks viz the person of Jesus Christ to take and receive Christ as Lord and Saviour This is true faith yet by the way note a few things First that this taking is with all the heart it is not a pretended taking a dissembled work there is a taking of Christ with the tongue and a taking of him with the heart O no when true faith takes Christ it brings in the very strength of the soul O Lord Jesus I do embrace thee accept of thee with all my soul with all my might and with all my affections Secondly this taking of Christ is of all Christ of Lord as well as Jesus when the heart is made sensible of sin and Satan and world and Christ and now falls off from them I will have no more to do with you I will serve you no longer Christ only shall be my Saviour and he only shall be my Lord I will put my soul under his Scepter and Government Thirdly this taking of Christ is onely of Christ For it is a conjugall taking which consists of unity one they say in the Metaphysicks is divided in it self and divided from all besides it self so is it in faiths taking of Christ One Faith One Lord said the Apostle
and mistake about beleeving Thirdly the bitter danger and sure misery of not beleeving in Jesus Christ 1. The difficulty of beleeving is increased by the singularity of so strange and wonderful a goodnesse It is so great and so unparalell'd that a man can hardly believe it to be true To have an estate in Christ in God freely all at once How can this be The depth of gilt I am an enemy God is Just I have runne into such high forfeitures so unnecessarily lost my self provoked God so often and the threatnings are planted against sinners there is no hope no probability if a small debt c But for the difficulty of it that it is not so easie a thing to beleeve in Christ Jesus this shall appeare in divers particulars First there is no natural principle of justifying faith now in man An act or motion or quality which hath a rise and bottom within the subject may spring forth with some ease a stone having a natural propension and impetus to descend Simile if you do but quit the hand of it it will down but now to make a mighty stone to mount the hill to get up into the air there being no natural aptnesse to this it is a hard and difficult attempt 'T is true that a man hath an understanding and will but the Obj. Mystery of Jesus Christ is a riddle to the natural understanding Sol. the faculties naturally considered have no elevation to this object unlesse the Lord by his Almighty power begets and works faith in the soul The soule thinks not on him neither can it draw it self to him Like the needle untill it be Simile touched it will not start up towards the pole so unlesse the Lord doth touch our hearts by his blessed Spirit we shall never close with Christ So then this is one thing to shew the difficulty of beleeving the habit of it is out of our power out of our sphear it cannot be produced by any strength of nature but by the sole Arme of God Hence that of the Prophet Isa 53 1. Vnto whom is the Arme of the Lord revealed who hath beleeved our report The testimony of the Gospel concerning Christ will not be beleeved unlesse the Lord doth reveale his own Arme that is until he doth put forth his own Almighty strength 2. There is a natural principle of infidelity and unbelief in every mans heart If the paper were faire if there were no precedent blurs and blots then it were not so hard to imprint some legible Characters Or if the wax were soft and the iron heated now it were easie to engrave what kinde of armes the Artifier pleaseth But when the wax and the iron are hard and cold now the impression is difficult because the resistance is strong if there were in our hearts any obediential principles which could before hand temper the minde and frame the will then when God offers Christ little a do would serve the turne But our hearts naturally bend the other way there is in us a natural unaptnesse nay an enmity to beleeve Enmity to the habit and nature of faith blindnesse errour pride stubbornnesse disobedience in our hearts We have such slow and untoward hearts so armed with all sorts of corrupt reasonings so consulting with sense and rational evidences so ready on every inevidence to mistrust doubt question gainsay that all Arguments will not perswade us that God will give us Christ and pardon our sinnes You know that when the Lord Jesus was personally on earth and did preach himself and in that manner that none spake with that Authority as he and confirmed the truth of his Divinity and Mediatorship by Scripture and miracles yet very few beleeved historically that he was the Christ that he was the Sonne of God Take me now a person who is sensible of his sinful guilts Tell him of the need he hath of a Saviour he will grant it represent unto him the sufferings the excellency the tendernesse of the Lord Jesus that he is the Mediator the Propitiation for sinnes that Remission of sinnes is in his blood both intensively for the great degrees and aggravations of sinne and extensively for the several kindes of sinne Tell him that the Lord Jesus came to seek such a lost person as he that he came to loose such a captive as he that he came to binde up such a broken spirit as he is that he came to ease and refresh such a burdened and laden soul Yea and answer objection after objection doubt after doubt fear after fear that the person cannot put by the arguments why he should beleeve nor urge and reinforce his reasons why he should hold off from closing with Christ and putting his soule on him yet this we finde he cannot when all is said he cannot beleeve Vnbelief doth throw up so many mists and so many feares and is many times so unreasonable that yet it will hold off the heart Neither the goodnesse of God nor the truths of God nor the mercies of God nor the freeness of them nor the person of Christ nor the merits of Christ nor the tendernesse of Christ nor the gracious offer invitation command threatning of Christ will make the heart to come in unto him 3. There is a natuâ—al opposition in the Heart against Christ and therfore it is hard to beleeve on him The opposition is manifold First to his Person the Lord Jesus Christ is an holy Person and A fourfold opposition none can take him in truth but must take him so to be holy as he is holy He is the holy one of God and he is called the holy Child Jesus and an holy undefiled high Priest separated from sinners Now the heart naturally is in love with sinne and Christ tells us that this very thing is a cause why men beleeve not See John 3. 19. This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men loved darknesse rather then light Christ comes thus to a man I am he who will save thy soule if thou wilt take me but then know that I am an holy person if thou wilt have me thou must let go thy sinnes Now this breaks off the match hinders the bargain this goes to the heart A man naturally will as soon part with his life as with the sin of his love Secondly to his condition There is a double condition of A double state of Christ Christ one is Triumphant another is Militant Gloria in excelsis that is the triumphant condition Tubulationes in Terris that is the militant condition the Crown of Glory that is the triumphant condition the Crown of Thornes that is the militant condition Now the heart naturally is unsuffering It is a terrour to it to speak of afflictions sorrowes reproaches losses We are willing to enjoy the world to taste of pleasures to handle profits to rest in ease to walk at liberty to rejoyce with our Friends to be spread abroad
alwayes hold If the Sunne be up it is day But this now Learning is or should Simile be an Antecedent to preferment it should go before it yet it is not an infallible truth that every one who gaines learning should enjoy preferment Thus is it in the nature of faith There are some Antecedents there are some things which must of necessity go before faith yet they alone do not formally and assuredly conclude that a man hath faith as for instance A man cannot beleeve in Christ he cannot receive Jesus Christ with all his heart he hath some historical evidence of Christ he must have some knowledge of Christ what he is and what he hath done or else he cannot take him to be his Lord and Saviour Yet this knowledge doth not infallibly conclude justifying and saving faith for as much as the Devils and Hypocrites may see much of Christ they may have a high degree of intellectual apprehension Again a man cannot by faith take Christ to be his Lord and Saviour unlesse he hath some sensiblenesse of his sinful condition our heart will not look towards Christ it cannot conceive of his excellencies nor of his own necessity until we feel our sinfulnesse and lostnesse and vilenesse The whole neither need nor look for a Physician yet a person may be sensible of his sinful condition he may not only by the light of natural conscience apprehend some broader and stirring enormities but he may by a smart and quick light let in by the Ministry of the Word discern heaps of wickednesse in his life and heart for which his conscience may sting him with wonderfully bitter accusations and yet such a person possibly may not rise from trouble to faith as is evident in Cain and Judas So then remember this that in the searchings and trials for faith you do not conclude the presence of the habit from the common antecedent of faith for as much as faith is but a contingent consequent of them sometimes it doth follow sometimes it doth not As in Marriage sometimes it doth follow the motion which is made and sometimes it doth not so the espousing of our soules to Christ by faith sometimes it doth follow knowledge sometimes it doth not sometimes it doth follow the preaching of the Word and yet sometimes it doth not for all have heard yet who hath beleeved said the Apostle Rom. 10. sometimes it doth follow the motions and inward excitations of the Spirit and sometimes it doth not 2. There are some things which faith only doth produce yet because it doth not produce them alwayes a man therefore must not negatively conclude from the absence of them the absence of faith You know that holy and spiritual joy it is the sole fruit of faith therefore faith the Apostle 1 Pet. 1. 8. Beleeving ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and glorious There is nothing which can present to the heart of a Christian such full cause of joy as faith such a God such a Christ such a love such a blood such a mercy such happinesse such unmixt and proper and sutable good There is a carnal joy which sparkles from the cup of pleasure and there is a glistering joy which the raies of gold may produce and there is a beastly joy which the fulfilling of sinful lusts may send forth and there is a flashing and transient joy which the pride of hypocrites may dart out but sound and weighty and holy and pure and spiritual joy which is a well grounded and not to be repented affecting of the heart that comes only from faith Yet it comes from faith as a separable effect look as trouble and sorrow is a Contingent antecedent so even in actu imperato true joy is a separable fruit of faith Though the branches and green leaves do sprout out of the living root only yet this color doth not appeare at all times Though the blade comes only from the graines cast into the earth yet you cannot alwayes observe the blade Though the flesh and natural complexion flows only from health yet there may be sad occasions which though they do not extinguish health may yet fowle and blubber the complexion So even the beleeving person may sometimes have a tear in his eye an handkercheif in his hand a sigh in his breast and yet have faith in his heart He may sit down in ashes and feed on tears as David did and for all this he may be a true beleever He is not alwayes able to see the causes of his joy nor to break through the contrarieties to his faith nor to remove the quashings of his comforts Therefore when you are to try your selves about your faith do not make a negative inference from separable evidences 3. There are some things which faith only doth produce not as essential properties but as magnificent testimonies The moral Phylosophers distinguish 'twixt the effects and acts of liberality as it is absolutely considered and as it is eminently considered being raised to magnificence To give a farthing according to the rules and circumstances of morality even this is an act of liberality but to build a Colledge this is now an act of liberality grown into the greatnesse of magnificence So is it in the matter of faith there are some fruits of faith which come from it absolutely considered according to the vital constitution of it And there be other fruits which come from it eminently considered faith is come to an height to a strength when it sends them forth Though a child cannot bear a burden of an hundred pound weight yet he can desire the breast and suck the bearing of such a burden belongs to strength and yet the very sucking shews that he hath life Though a Christian be not able in all respects at all times with all moderation and silence to passe presently through every heavy occurrence which shews strength of faith yet his heart may most affectionately cling about Christ which shews the truth of faith Assurance is a fruit of an eminent faith and so is a more habitual 3. Eminent fruits stedfastnesse of quiet submission and confidence in all estates conditions and so is that maintenance of the heart upon Gods promises in the times of strong contrarieties Now as Divines should warily open their lips so should you wisely distinguish of the evidences of a true faith some being if I may so terme them essential and others being eminent some there are which discover the truth others which testifie the strength of faith It is one thing to shew unto you the properties of a man another thing to shew unto you the properties of a strong man Many a poore Christian hath been deeply gravell'd â—â— others and extreamly afflicted by his own spirit for want of this distinction of the properties of faith Because he reades and hath heard what admirable and singular fruits and effects faith hath sent out as Assurance and full assurance and with these some glorious
great assurance Now in all these respects except the first faith in one may differ from faith in another How many hearts are set only towards Christ O that I could apprehend him but I cannot believe How many souls do apprehend him yet O that we were apprehended by him how many are apprehended by him that is know him to be theirs by some gracious and firme evidence yet by and by with Mary weeping they have taken away my Lord. Yet some others rise high and stay long in restings in perswasions in affirmings that it is heaven with them many dayes together You may see one Christian look up to heaven with teares of joy as Job I know that my redeemer liveth Another looking Job Pubâ—ican Paul the faâ—aul up with teares of grief Lord be mercifull to me a sinner You may see one sitting down with thanks who gave himselfe for me Another falling down in Prayer I believe Lord help my unbelief You may see one triumphing above all feares and David scruples I am perswaded that nothing shall separate me from the love of God in Christ and yet another combating with many feares but will the Lord be favourable unto me One blesseth God for assurings another cries unto God against doubtings one is like Mary rejoycing in God my Saviour another like Hester in ventring towards the Scepter and if I perish I perish One saith thou art my rock my fortresse my strong tower my portion for ever and the horne of my salvation another sighes and breakes out O that salvation were come out of Sion O that I could believe O that I were once perswaded Thus it is with severall believers as with severall children one lies in the cradle another is led by the nurse another is going by the chaires and another can run Or as it is with a flock of sheep some are strong and bearing others are young and must be gently led or carried Or as with an Orchard some trees are able and well limbed others are tender plants and are weakly rising Reasons of which diversity may be either the different ages of Causes of it Ages Helps external faith In some it hath had a longer time of strengthening in others it is but seed newly sowen or else different externall helps some believers are brought up in a more fertill soyle under powerfull ministries which are experimentally acquainted with inward conflicts and therefore are more suited to weak consciences to understand and remove their feares and doubts and to answer objections either arising from natural unbelief or from Satans subtilties others live upon a more hard hand and want those directions and counsells Or else different assistances of Gods Spirit for as that Spirit Inward assistances breaths where he lists so he blowes where he lists some he is pleased to assist more in a way of combate others more in a way of conquest though he be the Spirit of life to all that believe yet he is the Spirit of assurance to some of those more then to others Or else the different employments and services all believers Services meet not with equall conflicts either within or without they are not put upon the same trialls the same crosses the same difficult duties Now the Lord is wise as well as good and therefore proportions different measures of faith according to the diverse degrees of exigencies A man can do and suffer much after a day of gracious assurance whose heart perhaps would have trembled if his doubts and fears had been yet to be answered Yea and some hearts are more apt to Pride and forgetfulness Pride which are therefore kept shorter lest they should swell by multitude of revelations To all which if we adde that sometimes former sinnings Former sinnings may justly make the soul to tugge long for assurance because the Lord will not give easie and sweet answer before we know that it is an evil and bitter thing to sin against him SECT III. NOw I proceed to the second general viz. the proofes of a strong faith with the instances of a weak faith in truth Three queries how to know 1. Whether our faith be great 2. or little 3. and yet true You see there are two parts of this I will begin with the first which respects the discoveries of faith in strength Concerning which take these things briefly Signes of a great Signes of a great and strong faith and strong faith 1. Confidence of easie answers for great matters is an argument of a strong and great faith As in the Centurion who came to Christ for the healing of his servant who was sick of a palsey and grievously tormented speak the word only and my servant shall be healed that is Though he be very weak yet I am confident that thy power is very strong thou needest not to trouble thy person one word from thy pleasure will heal him Matth. 8. 6 7 8. What saith Christ now of this faith See v. 10. Verily I have not found so great faith no not in Israel The more difficult we esteem things to be in God or Christ the weaker is our faith If we impose a different readinesse of help or mercy or pardon on God according to the different matter which we are putting up unto him this argues want of strength For it is all one with God to pardon abundantly as to pardon singly and his power is as able for the greatest difficulty as for the least trouble But when the soul draws neer unto him and can beleeve great matters as well as small things that he will be merciful to great transgressions as well as compassionate to ordinary infirmities that he will subdue strong temptations as well as weak glancings that he will in time conquer the busiest inclination to sin c. this shews that faith is come to some strength 2. Againe a repetition of adherence and a stedfast following of Christ notwithstanding the discouragements which the soule may be apt to take from Christs behaviour towards it argues their faith to be strong and great 2 Sam. 23. 16. They were the three mighty men that brake through the Host and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem Matth. 15. 22. As in that woman of Canaan who came to Christ to heal her daughter Have mercy on me O Lord thou sonne of David how did Christ entertaine her the text saith he answered her not a word yet in the same verse it is said she cryeth after thee Christs silence raised her voice the higher Againe she came and worshipped him saying Lord help me how is she now answered It is not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to dogs such an answer to some spirits had been far worse then silence But mark it her faith followed Christ still and that very word which would discourage another encouraged her O that faith is strong which can urge Christ from a small hint Truth Lord said
yet both of them shall hold out to the end and meet at heaven You see several bottoms at sea one makes more speed then another and perhaps is better ordered but those duller and slower bottoms follow after and at length they come to the same Haven and so cast Anchor together So c. That Christ who is the Author will also be the finisher of all true faith and though faith may be very weak yet the weakest faith is invincible The gates no not of hell and they import the strongest opposition shall not prevaile against it It is confessed that Satan may much assault and batter and the world may oppose and totter and sinne may weaken interrupt and stagger even the foundations of the truest faith but to be oppressed is one thing and to be suppressed is another thing to be wounded is one thing to be killed is another For faith to fall in its strength is one thing for faith to faile in its being is another Simon Simon said Christ to Peter Satan hath desired to winnow thee as wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not O malicious devil who hath strong temptations to weaken faith O gracious Saviour who hath stronger intercessions to preserve faith even the weakest faith is wrought by a divine band and is kept by an almighty guard See 1 Pet. 1. 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation Answering the prayer of Christ John 17. 11. Holy Father keep them through thy own Name those whom thou hast given me Verse 20. Neither pray I for these onely but for them also which shall beleeve on me through their word Whosoever beleeves on me shall not perish said Christ Againe this is a sweet comfort that the weak believer shall hold out as well as the strong and that Christ is the Guardian of both verily that must needs be good which God gives and that must needs be sure which Christ keeps the weakest beleever is held by a strong hand and is secured by an inseparable arme 4. Every beleever is in the same fundamental league with God he is reconciled unto him and hath a true nay for ought I yet understand an equal interest in his special love and tendernesse It is freely confessed that the strong believer hath more Love sensible discoveries of the streames yet the weak believer is as deep in the fountaine They say in Logick that substantial relations do not admit of degrees of more and lesse as the Father is an equal Father to every child his paternity and their filiation are indivisible things So is it I am sure in this businesse God is one and the same Father to all that beleeve his radical love is alike his fundamental gifts which testifie that love are all alike one and the same Word one and the same Christ one and the same Sacraments one and the same Spirit And for his tendernesse why If any childe findes the gentle voice and easie Tenderness hand it is the weak childe If any believer findes soft and encouraging expressions from God it is the weak beleever God would have them comforted yea he hath prepared the brests of consolation for such sucklings yea and the knees to dandle Isa 66. 11 12 13. Isa 40. 11. them yea the hands to lead them yea the armes to carry them And Christ will not quench the smoking flax nor bruise the broken reed How often doth God call upon the weak ones to look up and behold their King and their salvation and to trust upon him and not to fear nor to be dismayed nay for his sake doth he often double and treble the promise yea he confirmes the promise I will surely have mercy on him yea he takes his oath he sweares by himself that he will not lie unto them nor faile them yea he ratifies and seales his word with blood and truth O how doth God condescend in his nature in his Word in his wayes in his dealings in his forbearances towards weak beleevers how hath he prevented and answered all objections to their hands all which shews his singular love and tendernesse unto them SECT VII NOw I proceed to the fourth and last discovery viz. The inequality of strong and weak faith in respect of circumstantial comforts and some other consequences thus they differ exceedingly though both be in a sure and saving condition 1. The weak beleever falls short of that joy which the strong beleever possesseth Joy may be considered three wayes either in its cause which Joy three ways considered is the love of God and the blood of Christ or in its title and claim which belongs to faith receiving Christ or in its actual presence and feeling which depends upon a beleeving apprehension and perswasion Now though the weakest beleever hath cause of great joy for as the Angel spake to the shepherds that may be said to him Fear not for behold I bring you good tydings of great joy for unto you is borne this day in the City of of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord Luke 2. 9 10. And though he hath a true title to the sweetest joy for faith doth unite him to Christ and Christ entitles him to joy yet he hath not such an actual presence of joy as the strong beleever Every faith is an hand holding but the strong faith is the mouth tasting that sweet wine He hath not such full apprehensions of his own state he doth not yet so clearly conceive of that great love and goodnesse which God hath put in Christ for him He hath not such an evident view of his own particular interests in God or Christ but is infinitely tossed with doubtings and suspitions whether he may yet take Christ as his whether he may own the promises of mercy and appropriate the great loving kindnesse of a Father Now ignorance is apt to breed suspitions and doubts are apt to raise fears both of which keeps off or under actual joy No man can well joy in a concealed good or joy much in a questioned title All the good which God hath firmly and largely made over unto me in his Sonne it doth not affect my heart with gladnesse and rejoycing whiles I am in dispute with it and am rather apt to conclude it is not for me then that it is my portion The strong believer therefore hath this advantage of the weak he is more acquainted in particular about his good and so his heart rejoyceth with joy unspeakable and glorious his soul doth rejoyce in God his Saviour but the weak believer cannot yet see his pardon yea often suspects whether it shall be drawn or no one is in a faire day the other in a wet It is day to both The matter is cleare to the strong believer and therefore his heart goes away rejoycing the matter is doubtful to the weak beleever and therefore his soule goes away weeping One of them hath a good
resting upon thy selfe and are thy works such absolute bottomes and foundations when the Heathens can match them and exceed them or cannot God espy a flaw in thy Ship and much false conveyance in thy title and much defect in thy deeds who can charge folly upon the Angels And are thy meanings and works so good while thy heart is yet so ignorant thy life yet so prophane Can what thou doest finde acceptance or merit when yet thou trustest not on him who only is the merit for a sinner Thinkest thou thy meanings can be good which dishonour the Redemption by Christ and the freenesse of mercy O no my brethren the soul is the passenger graces are the sailes the Spirit is the wind but Christ only Christ is the bottom which carries all safe and sure to heaven Nay if thou canst see a Saviour in thy own good meanings if a Saviour in thy own good works a Saviour in any part or degree of inherent righteousnesse either inward for the change of nature or outward for the emprovement of life this this will keep thee and Christ asunder No man will labour for faith in Christ who hath a faith in himselfe already as his own Saviour Therefore as they in the Acts of the Apostles burned their books when they came to believe in Chhist so must we unbottom our selves of our selves Renounce our menstrous rags abhor our selves in dust and ashes lay flat before the mercy-seat cry out with the Leper I am uncleane unclean with Daniel To us belongs nothing but confusion for we have sinned with David enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no flesh righteous be justified with the Publican stand afar off and say Lord be merciful to me a sinner with Paul I count all things but as dung and drosse in comparison of Christ and I desire to be foundin him not having my own righteousnesse but that which is of faith with those Elders cast if we had them our very crowns to the earth before the Lamb and say he only is worthy If ever thou wouldest get to believe in Christ labour to get Do not stand in thy own light the mountaines to be levelled the high imaginations to be cast down to cast thy self out of thy self There is nothing that I have been or have done or do or can do which I can trust to I seek for the living among the dead whiles I look for a Saviour in my self He is farre enough from safety who rests on the arme of his flesh and we shall never close with or magnifie Christs righteousnesse until we can in matter of merit or justification deny our own 4. A fourth impediment to beleeving is the league of the heart with sinne Light is come into the world but men love darknesse rather then light John 3. 19. Sinne absolutely doth not prejudice the contract of the soule with Christ for Christ doth not negotiate for any soul but the sinful soul He doth not come to a person and say if thou hast no sinne I will bestow my self on thee or if thou hast not committed sinne I will be a redeemer a Saviour unto thee O no the offer of Christ is only to the sinner and it is none but the sinner who is to beleeve in Christ But that which hinders the contract ' twixtt men and Christ it is the love of sin Christ comes in the Ministry of the Gospel unto us and reports unto us our own exceeding sinfulnesse and then his exceeding graciousnesse and invites the soul by many sweet and tender arguments to accept of him to be Lord and Christ and assures it of pardon and righteousnesse and salvation Now saith Christ that which I require of you is this leave but your sinnes your sinnes which will damne you and I will be yours Why saith the soul this is but reason and I will hearken to it well then saith Christ go and quit such a lust thy uncleannesse or thy Sabbath breaking or thy drunkennesse or thy lewd society c. Why now the base and foolish heart falls off I cannot live without my nature I must and will be allowed in such a course The heart riseth up O Benjamine shall not go nay any thing but this lust I will never be divorced from it if I may have Christ and this sinne too well and good Thus the love of sinne steâ—les awâ—â— the heart it bestows the heart else where nay it infâ—ames an opposition against the Lordly power of Christ the soul will never yeild to the dominion of Christ which delights in tâ—e 〈◊〉 to sin Brâ—thren if we could bâ—â— rip up the secrets of mens hearts unto you you should 〈◊〉 discâ—â—â—â—e that it is the 〈◊〉 of 〈…〉 or 〈…〉 all 〈◊〉 oft-times can mâ—ke no exception aâ—ainst Christ they 〈…〉 to come in 〈…〉 know they 〈…〉 be saved without him but 〈…〉 will not 〈…〉 sinnes it â—uâ—s their soules to think of such a divorce come on it what will thâ—y will take their pleasure and hold faâ—t their wickednesse 5. A fifth impediment is the world The honours of it how can you believe who receive honour 〈…〉 â—nother and 〈◊〉 not the honour that 〈…〉 â—od only John 5. â—â— The profâ—â— of it He went away sorrowâ—ul for he had great possessioâ—s Mâ—t. 19. 22. The Examples of it Have any of the 〈◊〉 or of the Pharisâ—es beleeved on him John 7 48. The teâ—rors of it the feâ—â—e of the Jews kept off many from coming to Christ The losses of it and crosses He that will be my Disciple muâ—â— deny himself and take up his crosse and follow me The cares and thoughts of it when a man mindes earthly things and will be rich and devours all his prerious thoughts to compasse that which will be but a fether a thorne vanity or vexation Presse men to lâ—bour for Christ why we have no leasure presse to frequent the wayes of getting faith why lwe must not neglect our callings Urge them to embrace Christ as Lord to shape and fashion their hearts and ways according to his rules after his righteous Laws and to deny themselves in some sinful compliances O then we shall not be esteemed of we shall be derided and scoffed at as vaine and singular O these sensible things which we can see with our eyes and grasp with our hands they put us off from the great moments of our best and eternal good And what are the honours of this world but as the shade of the Sunne which every discontented cloud and frown removes and what are the profits of it but heapes of chaff which any windeâ— from heaven may scatter and what are the friends of it but a gourd which any worme may gnaw out and shrivel And why doest thou fear man whose utmost power exceeds not thy body and fearest not that God whose vengeance can seaze on thy soul and why wilt thou bestow the strength of thy time to get no more
then nothing and in the mean time to lose eternity a soul a Christ a heaven yet thus it is the poor creatures at the best but our servants have goâ— our hearts whiles Christ complaines against us we withhold our souls from him our just Lord and best Master But if there were not more glory in Christ then honour in the world if there were not more gaine in Christ then profit in the world if there were not more love in Christ then friendship in the world if there were not more comfort in Christ then discouragements in the world if there were not more safeâ—ies in Christ then dangers in the world nay if the real and â—rue exceedings of infinite betternesse were not on Christs part iâ— durst not so to encline your hearts for saith in him c. Sixthly the cunnings of naâ—ural unbâ—l of are a great impedimâ—nt I will not speak of al of them only I wil discover a few all which are hindrances Imaginations of impossibiâ—iâ—y it cannot be that if I should labor for faith that ever I should get it the intentions of mercy lie not that way nor do the streames of graâ—iousness â—un towards such a deeply sinful and guilty soul my sins are grown to such a vastnesse of provocation as if all the Angels in heaven should be senâ— unto me I could never credit their relation of hope or peâ—câ— unto me Now when the heart is thus forestalled with a strength of conceit that God never did nor wilâ— bend the â—uâ—ement of the blood of Christ towards the soul Why the bands sink no man will be perswaded to compasse impossibilities Apprehensions of difficulty Vnbelief sets upâ—â— Lyon in every paâ—â— and so keeps off from all endeavour First I shall never be able to pare time I shall never be able to pray I shall never be able to keep on in such a course I shall never be able to leave such society I shall never be able to deny the world I cannot take such paines I cannot waite I cannot tell how to get off these sinnes to change this heart to bring it to yield to Christ Discourse of carnall reasonings which try all the promises of God at a humane bar disputings against just precepts by unjust practices and the undertakings of a great and faithful God by the shallownesse of a blind and proud and weak understanding throwing up infinite exceptions Instances of sense and feeling Why if a man will judge of God by what he alwaies hears and feels within himself he shall never believe Yea if I were now sure I should have mercy that Christ were mine that my sins were pardoned if I could see my heart changed and sins dispersed and subdued then I would put out for faith and then I would look up to Christ And wouldst thou have thy cure before thy plaister thy health before the Physick thy life before thy soul the portion before the person thy nonefast before thy meal the benefits of Christ the vertues of Christ before Christ himself SECT III. Thirdly the Meanes NOW I come to direct you unto the use of such meanes by which God workes this saving faith in the hearts of men Where premise with me some particulars 1. There is no natural power in man to produce a cause within himself This great grace of faith is no fruit of the wisdome of the flesh nor is it the birth of a corrupt will if it were possible for a natural heart to see all the excellencies of Christ if it were possible for him to draw out and behold all the arguments of Scripture yet could he not by his own strength make his own heart to believe 2. The immediate and sole cause of faith is the Spirit of God He it is who is greater then the heart and who can perswade and draw the heart and who can change and renew the spirit which till it be renewed by him will never be moved to beleeve in Christ 3. There are meanes appointed by God and which God doth ordinarily blesse for the production of faith as he hath ordained meanes for the revelation of Christ so he hath likewise consecrated meanes to lead the soul unto him to implant faith 4. Now the great and ordinary meanes by which God workes faith in the hearts of men I speak of such as are come to ripenesse of years is the preaching of the Word So Acts 13. 48. When the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the Word of the Lord and as many as were ordeined to eternal life believed Rom. 10. 17. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Eph. 1. 13. In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the Word of truth the Gospel of your salvation That the Word is the Ministerial instrument which God useth to beget faith in Christ may thus appeare 1. It is that which discovers unto the soul its extreame misery and great need of Christ nothing quickens the conscience to that reflexive evidence to the cleare and true sight of the natural state which pricks the soul which in a sort compels the soul to look after the Redeemer of the world as the Word doth You see it hath been thus formerly that when men have heard it it hath unfolded their state unto them it hath broken all their proud imaginations it hath driven them to their feet it hath made them to cry out men and brethren what shall we do to be saved Yea and we find it in experience to be so that the preaching of the Word it opens the eyes of sinners it frames in them the sense of sinfulnesse and accursednesse it makes them indeed to feel the need of a Physician of such an one as Christ 2. It is that which discovers a share for a broken ship which doth reveale and proclaime to poor sinners Articles of peace in Christ it makes known the great love of God and Christ and how that Christ is the Sonne of God and was sent by God and satisfied for sinners and this was accepted 3. It makes the soul to confesse those things as most true and good in themselves It convinceth a man that of a truth God meanes graciously to men that his Sonne was a Sacrifice was a propitiation that he did purchase pardon and salvation for sinners 4. It is that which casteth down all the reasonings arguments and dâ—sputes of the minde against the conditions of Christ and râ—nders all the termâ—s of Christ upon which he will be taken as most equal and faire and reasonable 5. It is that which clears the way for the soul against all its feares and unbeleeving doubts from the freenesse of Gods mercy from the fulnesse of Christs redemption from the willingnesse on Christs part and requests unto us to accept of him 6. It is that which doth powerfully renew the disposition of the understanding and will and so incline them to esteeme of Christ as the highest truth and to bend after him as
Thou shalt see there all thy good set freely open that God stands not for this nor for that and it matters not what thou hast been there is mercy enough for what is past and there is grace to renew thy heart for the present and strength for the future and thou mayest sue out the Lord for this faith of which we now speak and he will surely give it unto thee 3. Study the main hinderances of distance twixt Christ and the Covenant and thy soul There is one thing above all the rest which keeps thee off and that is unbelief For God doth not require any other thing of thee in the entrance of Christ but only to accept of him He doth not say if thou hadst never offended me then I would have bestowed my Sonne on thee or if thou hadst not offended me so much or if thou canst bring any singular nature and excellent qualities of thine own then I will give my Sonne unto thee or then I will give thee leave No but all that he requires is this Beleeve and accept of my Sonne to be thy Lord and Saviour and I will in him give thee pardon Why now brethren this is the last and sore check of the match our hearts are unbelieving we will not condescend to this condition but fly hovering after some unknown and devised method of our own 4. Study much the sinfulnesse of unbelief that it is a sinne and a great sinne and that in thee What! after all sense of misery to hold off from remedy not to close with Gods great love as if God were not wise enough to shew thee the way of salvation or as if he were not true that thou darest not to venture and fasten thy soule and state upon his Word 5. Study well wherein the nature of faith doth consist Many Obj. persons seeme to complaine that they have no faith and Sol. cannot believe Why they are not right in the doctrinal part of faith they mistake faith exceedingly thinking it to consist in a full assurance and in a sensible taste of Gods love in Christ and in a sensible and clear perswasion that their sins are pardoned which because as yet they never had they therefore perplex themselves much about faith Therefore inform thy self what faith in Christ is It is the hearty accepting of Christ upon his own conditions if thy heart and soul are willing to accept of Christ as the only Lord to rule thee and as the only Redeemer to save thee and to cleave unto him for better for worse through all the changes which may befal thee for Christs sake why this is faith viz. An accepting of his person and a reposing of the soul upon him for its safety and a cleaving to him upon all states If thou canst finde thus much that there is no one sinne which shall rule thee to the love and obedience of which thou wilt resigne thy selfe but Christ is he whom thou choosest for to be thy Lord And there is no Name in heaven and earth upon which thou wilt put confidence for thy righteousnesse and discharge and salvation but only in Christ. And upon him thy soul entirely and unfainedly desires to rest it self thou hast true faith 6. Know this and convince thy self of it that thou shalt never hurt thy self nor offend God if thou couldest believe wherefore hath God given Christ and wherefore hath Christ given himselfe and wherefore is he now offered to sinners and wherefore are we commanded to beleeve if yet to beleeve that is to accept of Christ to consent to the acceptance of his person upon his own condition were a sinne 7. Withal this beg fervently of God that he would perswade thy heart to beleeve that is to accept of Christ to be thy Lord and Saviour and to rest thy soul upon him No man comes to me saith Christ except the Father draw him Now then O Lord draw me and I shall runne after thee O subdue this unbeleeving heart and give unto me the Spirit of faith and love and obedience Lastly look for this gift of faith to be wrought in thee by the Spirit of Christ in the Ordinances and wait upon God there continually Thou shalt in time perhaps sooner perhaps later finde thy soule touched and thy feares answered and thy soule made exceedingly willing to accept of Christ as thy Lord and to put it self upon him as thy Saviour Yea hold on in waiting and seeking and thou shalt not only have Christ formed in thee and faith formed in thee but thou shalt come to know him whom thou hast accepted and trusted This is a sweet and safe course for a sensible sinner viz. 1. To present up his request unto God in the Name of Christ earnestly beseeching him to declare this Almighty working of his Spirit in causing the heart to beleeve 2. Then to stand in the wayes of grant and come to the Ordinances wherein God doth reveale his arme and give faith and so enclines and unites the soul with Christ What thou doest earnestly seek in a private way that God doth ordinarily answer and bestow in a publick 3. Then wait and expect not to limit God just to this time nor to this preacher nor to cast off all confidence of answer upon present denials but to look up from day to day from week to week if at length God will give thee faith I never reade or heard of any whose hearts were thus set but God hath found a time to give unto them the desires of their souls He hath repâ—enished their souls with his salvation and loving kindnesse Therefore go on cheerfully in the use of these meanes whatsoever befals thee yet it shall be well with thee He that hath found Christ cannot but say that this way is good and he who is thus seeking of him shall say it was not in vaine to follow it SECT IV. Fourthly The Objections NOw I proceed to the resolution of those Scruples which do entangle the soul of a sinful sinner and hinder him from beleeving which beget extream fears and doubts that he may not lay hold on Christ and that God will never bestow Christ on him neither would he take it well of the soul to be so busie and forward Obj. 1. Why saith the sensible sinner my sinnings have been so great and transgressions so mighty that I may never look up with any confidence upon the rock of salvation nay it is not Satan onely but my own conscience which doth testifie against me the manifold numbers and the high exceedings of my rebellions I tell you you would tremble to think of such lewdnesse whereof I have been and now do stand guilty and the sensible consideration of them makes my heart to sink and checks me with shame and blushing when I think of laying hold on Christ Sol. For the assoyling of this Objection consider these particulars First the greatnesse of sinning should be a strong reason to compel in the soul
in thy stead and answered Justice for all thy sins 3. Divine justice will not desire a double satisfaction It will not require satisfaction from thee and from thy surety too The quarrel ceaseth 'twixt thee and God for Christ hath by his own blood taken that up As Elihu spake of uprightnesse that I say of believing in the Lord Jesus if thou doest then the Lord will be gracious unto thee and will say deliver him from going down to the pit for I have found a ransome Job 33. 23 24. Obj. But I who am I so totally unworthy there is nothing in me to move Christ to engratiate me he will never bestow himself on such an one as I am will ever Christ look on such a dead dog as I am I answer to this 1. Personal unworthinesse it is no prejudice You read in Mat. 7. Things 8. 8. that the Centurion came to Christ for his servant and believed on him and sped well Yea will you say but he was worthy nay he professeth the Obj. contrary Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof Sol. as if he should say I have nothing in me to demerit and challenge this gracious act of thine nothing and yet I believe that thou canst and wilt heal my servant so the Prodigal I am not worthy to be c. 2. Nay the humble sense of our unworthinesse it is a furtherance Christ doth not expect any excellencies and meritorious motives from thee thou must come unto him as an empty vessel the full soul and the sound spirit is not for him bring a soul to Christ which is spread all over with misery and need why such a soul is a proper object for mercy to deal with bring a soul to Christ which is all over with lostnesse with poverty with sicknesse with unworthinesse why this is the soul upon which Christ will look It s never well with a man untill he can take Christ upon his knee upon a bare knee with an empty hand that is till he be brought to be poor in spirit that he is nothing and deserves nothing and begs of Christ to accept of him even for Christs sake The Lord be merciful to me a sinner went home justified when the thank God I am not as other men returned as he came a proud Pharisee You shall finde it thus that God looks most on him who looks least on himself The humble and contrite spirits which are broken out of themselves and can cry out O Lord I am really vile and mostly unworthy These the high God who inhabits the lofty places doth behold And Christ is ready to take him by the hand who thinks himself unworthy to touch his feet There are two tempers which like Christ well one is a beleeving heart and another an humble soul 3. Personal worthinesse is not the motive nor designed ground for faith in Christ The ground of belief that which invites the soul to draw on it self to Christ is no deserving or eminent quality in our selves but the goodnesse and fidelity of the promise and the gracious offer of Christ himself to the soul Behold he calls thee why this is enough if thou canst finde God holding forth the golden Scepter offering Christ unto thee upon such and such termes and thou consent unto them with all thy heart thou mayest confidently close and lay hold on Christ by faith This is the wise skill of a Christian truly to observe the proper rise of faith When God promised Abraham a son the text saith he did not consider his own body Rom. 4 19. that is he did not consult with the strength of his own nature what an able principle there was in himself to compass such an effect but he was fully perswaded that what God had promised that he was able to performe The ability and fidelity of Gods promise exceedingly enclined his heart to believe So is it here about faith in Christ if thou doest consider thy own body thy own deserts thy own excellencies thou shalt never beleeve for faith can finde no ground in these to encourage the soul but the ground of faith is without our selves Why God offers me Christ and Christ calls me unto him being heavy laden and he saith that he who beleeves in him shall have eternal life Now this is a word of truth and this word of his is worthy of all acceptation I will venture my soul upon it It is with faith as with a bird cast him into the water he cannot flie that element is too grosse for him he cannot gather and beat his wings there and therefore is kept down but cast him into the aire which is a more pure element then he can clap and â—pread the wings and mount why faith is the wing of the soul and the promise is that spiritual element that aire which breaths a life and motion to faith faith is raised by it alone and it is checked and hindered whiles the soul would force it to act it self upon those poor and grosse excellencies in our selves Faith desires no better object then Christ nor suâ—â—r pawnes then Gods promâ—se Fourthly to receive Christ by faith it is not a matter of merit but a point of duty When God commands a sinner to repent and to forsake his sinnes and take him he shall have mercy iâ—â—e will do it This may not now be said O Lord I am not worthy to obey thee in this duty if I were worthy to repeâ—t I would repent nay but O man divine commands are to be obeyed it is thy duty to repent So God commands the soul to beleeve in Christ to accept of him The soul now looks on the excellencies of the gift but forgets the obligation of duty It s true Christ is a most excellent gift and blessing there is not such a thing in all the world for a poore sinner as Christ but then know that his excellencies may not take thee off from thy duty This is his Commandment that we beleeve on the Name of his Sonne Brethren you are mistaken to beleeve in Christ being proposed unto us in the Gospel it is not a matter of indifferency I may or I may not nor is it a matter of curtesie as if we did a work of supererogation more then God requires nay but it is a matter of conscience a man sinnes he violates a command an evangelical precept if he doth not beleeve It is not a dispute of worthinesse or unworthinesse but it is obedience to the Command which thou art to look upon 5. Christ is given out of rich grace and mercy and love and therefore none can receive him but the unworthy There is this difference 'twixt the reward of Justice and the gift of graciousnesse Justice hath an eye upon the disposition and acts of the person and according unto their qualities and degrees doth it commensurate reward or punishment But graciousnesse hath an eye only upon it self the free
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
error and mistake about beleeving p. 84 Chap. 12. The sure and dangerous misery of unbelief p. 87 Chap. 13. Rules for the discovery of faith p. 90 § 1. Four things premised for the manner of evidencing of faith p. 90 § 2. A true love of Christ an infallible and essential evidence of true faith in Christ p. 96 § 3. Inward change and sanctity of the heart an infallible testimony of a living faith p. 98 § 4. True faith takes Christ and him only to be its Lord p. 101 § 5. Faith makes the heart humble and lowly p. 103 § 6. True faith is fruitful p. 104 § 7. True faith desires and endeavours after encrease p. 107 § 8. Faith in Christ and a mournful heart for sin go together p. 108 Chap. 14. Singular comfort for all true heleevers p. 109 § 1. They are in the way to heaven p. 110 § 2. There is a real and blessed exchange betwixt them and Christ p. 111 § 3. They are in singular Covenant with God p. 114 § 4. They may now with boldnesse approach the throne of grace p. 116 Chap. 15. The Agreement and difference of a strong and weak faith p. 117 § 1. The habitual unity of true faith and wherein expressed in four particulars p. 119 § 2. The intensive diversities of faith wherein there is a difference p. 120 § 3. Signes of a great and strong faith p. 125 § 4. Signes of a weak faith p. 131 § 5. Demonstrations of the truth of faith though weak p. 136 § 6. The concordance of all faith which is true whether strong or weak in fundamental comforts p. 139 § 7. The inequality of strong and weak faith in respect of circumstantial comforts and some other consequences p. 146 § 8. Motives to greaten our faith p. 156 Chap. 16. Exhortations to labour for saving faith p. 157 § 1. Motives to get saving faith p. 158 § 2. Impediments hindrances to the geting of saving faith p. 168 § 3. Meanes by which God works saving faith p. 176 § 4. Objections that hinder from beleeving p. 184 Chap. 17. Of living by faith p. 216 § 1 What it is in the general to live by faith p. 218 § 2. To what states of life faith may extend p. 220 § 3. What it is to live by faith on Christ p. 221 § 4. Arguments to move us to live by faith p. 229 Chap. 18. The improvement of faith to a full assurance p. 259 § 1. What the Assurance of faith is p. 260 § 2. Whether such an assurance may be had p. 265 § 3. Whether every beleever should strive to the assurance of faith p. 267 § 4. Arguments to move beleevers to labour for assurance of faith p. 269 § 5. By what means the soul may get up to this assurance p. 280 Imprimatur EDM. CALAMY Febr. 27. 1655. BOOKS Printed and are to be sold by Adoniram Byfield at the Bible in Popes-head Alley neer Lumbard-street A Comentary upon the three first Chapers of Genesis by that Reverend Divine Mr. John White late Preacher of Gods Word at Dorchester in the County of Dorset in sol All the Works of Mr. Stephen Marshal collected into one Volume in 4o. The Reasons presented by the dissenting Brethren against certain propositions concerning Presbyterial Government together with the answer of the Assembly of Divines to those reasâ—ns of Dissent As also the Papers and Answers of the Dissenting Brethren and the Committee of the Assembly put into the Committee of Lords and Commons and Assembly of Divines for accomodation in 4o. The humble Advice of the Assembly of Divines concerning a larger and the lesser Catechisme presented by them to both Houses of Parliament with the proofs thereof out of the Scriptures in the Margin in 4o. 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A short Chatechisme being a brief Instruction of the most ignorant before the receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper by Mr. Obadiah Sedgwick Safe Conduct or the Saints Guidance to Glory opened in a Sermon preached at Dunstans in the East at the Funeral of the vertuous and Religious Gentle-woman Mrs Thomasin Barnard-Iston late wife of Mr. Samuel Barnard-Iston Marchant by Ralph Robinson Pastor of Mary Wolnoth Lumbardstreet The Saints longings after their Heavenly Country A Sermon preached at St. Pauls Church at a Solemn Aniversary meeting of the Cheshire Gentlemen by that faithful Servant of Jesus Christ Mr Ralph Robinson late Minister of Mary Wolnoth Lond. A Sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons at their late monethly Fast by Nathaniel Ward Minister of Gods Word Short Writing Shortned or the Art of short Writing reduced to a method more speedy plain exact and easie then hath been heretofore published in which the principal difficulties and discouragements that have been found in Short-writing particularly the burthening of memory with and inconvenient joyning of many Characters are removed and the whole art so disposed that all usual words may be written with aptnesse and brevity by John Farthing Authour and Teacher thereof who wrote Mr. Love's Tryal and hath practised Short-writing this twenty six years attested by the hands of divers eminent Ministers in and about London in 8o. FINIS