Gods people Mighty power in the Scriptures preached First For Preaching there is a mighty power in the Scriptures preached for he writes these things that they may be preached and to be read and to make use of them in conference and meditation and in them all there is a mighty power But first for preaching Rom. 1.16 17. The Gospell is the power of God to salvation for therein is the righteousnesse of God revealed from faith to faith By the Gospel of God preached the Righteousnesse of God is revealed from faith to faith to lead on beleevers to beleeve and not to rest growing in beleeving til they reach unto salvation it is the mighty power of God to salvation to every one that beleeves such an one while he lives shall be of the thriving hand in faith And when the Apostle prayed so earnestly night and day to come againe to the Thessalonians Doth hee not therein imply though there may be a mighty power in the word read to increase faith where it is already wrought yet his personal presence would helpe it much more whether by conference or by preaching and therefore he prayes much to see them again An evident argument though the word read may be of much use to establish us yet much more the personal persence and conference and preaching of the Gospel of Christ else that prayer of his had been something impertinent Conference And so secondly for conferring of the Scriptures you know when the two Disciples were doubtful whether that was the Christ or no Luke 24.21 our Savior doth not only reprove them for that doubtfulnesse but he begins at Moses and opened to them the things written in the Prophets till in the end their hearts glowed and burned within them and that was a furtherance of their faith for then they presently ran to Jerusalem and then they do not say we trusted this was he but they say the Lord is risen indeed In very truth without any further dissention never distrusted it more he is risen indeed so that there is a mighty power in the word confered upon in private conference and therefore they doubt no more of it So that the word opened by way of conference made their hearts to burn within them they do not call it preaching but rather a private conference an applying the Scripture to this point they stood need to be instructed in and they go away with ful resolution the Lord is risen indeed And you know the mighty power and use of the conference of Phillip with the Eunuch upon that conference the Eunuch beleeved and was baptized Acts 8.37 So that take the word preached and there is a mighty power of God in it to lead a Christian man from faith to faith And take the Gospell of God and conferre about it and it is a mighty power to increase faith that beleevers may beleeve Reading the word Thirdly And so it is for the word read another kind of dispensing this word that is a special end of it that by reading you might beleeve on the name of the Sonne of God that is the next use of the Scripture they which do read shal by reading finde their hearts confirmed and established in the faith John 20.30 31. There is a mighty power of God that accompanies the word of God read to strengthen men in the faith that such as beleeve already may beleeve more and bee established in their perswasion of the truth of God Fourthly If you shal examine the things that you have heard Examination of things heard that is another use of the Scriptures an examination of what you heare goe home and consider whether the things that have been taught were true or no whether agreeable to the holy Scriptures or no for a Preacher speaks not the expresse words of the Scripture but comments and explications of the Scriptures and therefore examine whether that which is delivered be agreeable to the Scriptures which are alledged for to prove the doctrine We must make use of the Scripture as a rule to measure all the Sermon by we heare whether it be of just length and breadth of Gods word or no as the ballance of the Sanctuary the two testaments be and when you weigh what is said then you are confirmed and established in it Now this kind of making use of the Scriptures to examine what you hear it is of special use to helpe forward the faith of such as do beleeve yea and which is more it may bring on men to beleeve which it may be never did beleeve before mightily stirred before but beleeved not til they goe home and searched the Scriptures seeing that which is spoken to be fully agreeable to the word of God they have been brought on wonderfully to beleeve famous is that of the Bereans Acts 17.11 12. they heard the word and what he spake they received it gladly they thought he spoke well but they searched daily to see whether those things which were spoken were so or no therefore see the blessing of God upon it vers 12. many of them beleeved they received the word with reverence and did not cavell at it but heard it patiently and when they came at home conferred about it and when upon examination they saw it was according to the Scriptures of the holy Prophets when they saw that what Paul preached was suitable to Moses and the Prophets the blessing of God was great upon them for the number of them that beleeved was not a few to shew you that a man that hath heard the word and hath been stirred with what he heard if he shal go home and consider and weigh well and see how one thing bears witnesse to another Note this so as that the word preached opens the word written and the word written confirmes the word preached then though before he was doubtfull as sometimes a godly mans heart may faile him in applying the word to himselfe as Jacobs heart failed and he beleeved not yet when he considered it and saw what tokens of love was sent him and laid circumstances together then his spirit revived So a man heares much and some thing pertinent to him yet his heart may faile him and may have much adoe to gather any comfort out of it but when he considers things more privately and searches the Scriptures upon examination Repetition of the word blessed many a man beleeves the word which before he was doubtful of Repetition and examination of the word is marvellously blessed by God to this end to helpe forward our faith it is of good use both to beginne and to increase faith sometimes to worke it where it was heretofore wanting much more to increase it where it was begun before and therefore as we were begotten by the immortall Word of God so no Word of God being dispensed in any Ordinance of God none of them but are of mighty use for the supplying our defects of faith
forth himself to be the Son of God even then when in mans sight hee was separated from God banished from the Church so as that al men cried away with him crucifie him and al his own Disciples forsook him and not a soul acknowledged him but one poor theefe upon the crosse with him yet even then was he so gloriously magnified as that well might the Apostle say he triumphed openly upon the crosse having therein made a spoyle of Principallities and Powers Col. 2.15 Now this very estate is the estate of every child of God and so farre as hee hath the Sonne so far doth he expresse this estate in his whole conversation for an estate of humiliation great and many be the afflictions of the righteous Psalm 34.18 19. there is their debasement in the world but the Lord delivereth them out of all there is their exaltation mixed together many wayes humbled and exalted deliverances Psalm 149.4,5 The Lord will beautifie the meeke with salvation that is hee will beautifie them by their manifold deliverances Nay besides deliverances you shall finde this to be the beautifull frame of the spirits of Gods people in their estates Take it in their outward condition in the World an estate of means and affliction if he be a man of a faire outward estate and of good means in the world yet you shall see a marvellous spirit of selfe-deniall in him so as that in the middest of many worldly comforts he fits loose from them and lives besides them these are not the things that he hath set his heart upon as our Savior said to his disciples concerning the stones of the Temple so as that though God had don much for them and given them many comforts yet there is a more hidden matter in their hearts better then these things can reach unto they are not a Christians crowne and glory but he is crucified to them and they unto him Gal. 6.14 And if so be that God give him any great or eminent gifts of Spirituall grace it is strange to see how they are clad in him with a garment of Christ crucified over shadowed in selfe deniall as they said of Paul meane in outward view and speech of little or no value 2 Cor. 13.3 and yet even in this very meanness which any of them labour under in regard of want of outward things and all their meanness and lownesse of carriage and selfe-deniall of all the outward blessings and contentments they have received yet you shall see a mighty power of Christ triumphing in the basenesse and mortifiednesse of a Christian soule so as that the Apostle fitly and sutably expresses their estate Though he was crucified through weaknesse yet he liveth by the power of God for we also are weak in him but we shall also live with him by the power of God So that as it was with Christ in his estate so it is with us in our estate weake in him meaning that as Christ in his outward Man seemed to be weake and contemptible so we as it is in the Originall are weake with him but we shall live with him by the power of God so that suppose Christ be indeed weake in outward view so as he that lookes once would not looke twice at him yet when he seemes to be most weake and base then is he most powerfull and glorious and so the very death of Christ wherein he is most exposed to such infirmities as follow mans nature yet then he performes the greatest worke of our Redemption satisfies the Fathers wrath for us procures us pardon of sinne and redeemes us from the bondage of Hel and purchases for us a spirit of grace and power and truly there is a certaine kinde of conformity even in this very point between the Lord Jesus and every servant of Christ as he is weake so are we as he dyes so doe we as he is in his greatest debasements and advancements so it is with us And hence it is that ye read these Phrases in Scripture We are dead with Christ Col. 2.20 and risen with Christ Col. 3.1 and crucified with Christ Rom. 6.6 Now these be strange Phrases that Christ who is dead one thousand six hundred yeares agoe and risen againe so long since what is this which the Apostle saith we are thus dead and crucified and risen with Christ What is the intendment of his discourse The true meaning is that by the same spirit of Christ which was shed abroad into his heart above measure we are so knit unto Christ as that we are not only of the like nature with him but of like estate with Christ that as he was in this world so are we while we are in the world weake as he yea glorious as he and as he rose againe out of all contempt and reproach and persecution so doe we rise againe out of all our many and great afflictions mightily by the same power of the same Spirit of the Lord Jesus so that this is a point that inwardly flowes from this having of Christ he that hath the Sonne hath the spirit of the Sonne whereby he is made one with Christ in Nature in Offices and in his estate and this is evident in the experience of Gods servants and by testimony of the Holy Ghost in Scripture And therefore examine we our selves in this particular if we have the Son we have the spirit of the Son The second worke of the Spirit is that it is not only a spirit of union but it is also a spirit of liberty The second work of the Spirits liberty for of all the kindes of temper in a Sonne there is nothing more expresses the frame of a Sonne next to his likenesse and union with the Father then liberty doth Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty 2 Cor. 3.17 And if the Sonne have made you free then are you free indeed Joh. 8.36 It is a reall liberty if the Sonne shall give you liberty and he speakes of such a liberty as appertaines to Sons and not to Servants that may be turned out of doores but the Sonne abides in the house for ever And it is a strange kind of liberty which the children of God are advanced to by the spirit of the Son it is a phrase of much importance A spirit of liberty First liberty from the feare of sinne Liberty from feare of sinne and the feare of Hell from feare of the Grave and of all the enemies of our Salvation a freedome from feare of any of them A Servant if he offend is afraid of extremity from his Master but the Sonne walkes with more liberty Rom. 8.15 Wee have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father We looke at God as a Father and we walke before him not in feare but in liberty and therefore we are free from the feare of death to which some are all their life time subject to bondage Heb. 2.14 15. Now this is
that vanish away in outward rejoycing so as no life in his heart in a manner is left Peter when he had denyed his Master his heart was much oppressed within him he was pricked and wounded with anguish in his soul but there was some life in that But what was it with David after his committing of uncleannesse nine or ten months together he pleaseth himselfe in his pleasures and delights and contentments which his royalty put upon him and made Vriah drunke and did eate and drink himselfe liberally with him and in the end put him to death and that very sleightly and when he heares of it makes no matter of it but the sword devoures one as well as another and had not his pulse beating in him no warme breath comes from him but an empty flourish and outward joyallity as if he had sung all care away and all fear of God out of his heart As if there was no spirituall affection left in his heart of the estate of the whole Church of God whereas his poore servant could say unto him shall I goe home and sollace my self with my wife and children the case standing with the Church so as it doth he would not do so a word that one would have thought would have warmed a good mans heart but he was not warmed with it nor with any lively affection not any beating of his pulse to Christianity nothing stirring but a swounding of the whole man that he that had seen David in such a case and had never known him before he might have written in his forehead a man forsaken of God and void of all feare of his name had he seen him in this case Where was then Davids life all this while It was a fearefull condition and of all we read in the Scripture none so farre forsaken whose whole spirit was so farre benumbed as Davids then was and yet truly life there was stil in him I doubt not though all this while you shal see that either David prayed not all this while and that hath been the case sometimes of right godly men that have sometimes not of three yeares together made a private Prayer in their Closets have been content to come to duties in the Family cause others to perform duties but for their own parts further then a form of religion or shame or satisfying of conscience forces them they let all rest no affection at all to the duty they know God tooke no pleasure in such a soule while they lived in such a course and so would they lye many moneths and yeares and all that while not so much as lift up a private prayer to God and this is a far worse case then the other and yet even this sometimes befalls them when as sinfull lusts have so distempered the life of Christ in them there is still an habit of grace in the soule but yet scarce any life of Religion putting forth it selfe but still where warmth is removed so much life from holy duties is taken away And another answer to this poynt is that even as you see it is by the Almighty power of God that there may be fire and not heat as you see in the fiery Furnace whereinto the three Children was cast though it was made exceeding hot yet it had not power to hurt an haire of their heads nor to swinge a lap of their Garments the power of the sire was propended by the mighty power of God as there is this power in God concerning materiall fire so is there a marvellous hellish and Devillish power in sinne though not an Almighty power yet very like to an Almighty power that that which hath a mighty worke of God by the Almighty power of his grace in the hearts of the Servants of God the work of an Almighty power There is such a venemous power in sin as that it will susspend all acts of grace Power of sinne not so much as shew any act of grace in a Christian soule but the soule and all the graces in it shall lye as the body of a man in a swound not any breathing or sight or hearing or motion nothing to shew of any spirituall life that if he should continue so you would conclude he were dead only this kind of life of grace is there you shall have thus much life in him There is a kinde of unlistinesse and heavinesse of soule to act wickednesse with all that strength and power which sometimes a godly man while he was carnall did reach forth his heart and hand unto a kind of frame of spirit in a Christian when it is at the worst though it can solace it selfe very farre in sinne and goes on hardening its heart in its owne way most desperately and frowardly yet notwithstanding there was alwaies something in his heart that will not suffer his soule to breake out with all that strength of the spirit of wickednesse as it did when it was carnall and the reason of that is because of that speech Gal 5.17 there is flesh and spirit in that soule so as neither can the spirit doe what it would nor the flesh what it would take a Christian when he is most strong and he cannot so glorifie God nor so edifie his brethren as hee would by reason of the body of sinne there is alwaies in the best of a Christian something like the spots in the Moone some darknesse in it not a Christian man but when he is most lively in grace but he hath some darknesse in his best performances so when corruption is most strong and grace most feeble and weake as in the former corruption will weaken the best performances so here corruption cannot carry a Christian man to doe all that wickednesse which else he would breake forth into nor with that strength and vigour which else he would put forth in it though he doe rejoyce in his wickednesse Note this and beare it out yea out-face his very conscience and out-stare the very light of the graces of God within him and goe on pleasing himselfe in the hardnesse of his owne heart yet there is something in the bottome that keeps possession for God and makes him goe about it bunglingly it becomes him not he cannot set it forth with a grace David in his worst comes not off with full power of wickednesse which else his corrupt heart would willingly break forth into were it not for the Spirit of grace that moves slowly in such cases as these be so that still the case stands cleare how much life so much warmth and that warmth will expresse it selfe if any life be there at all So that take a survey of your owne estates by this meanes you would know whether you have Christ or no whether you have life or no If you have the life of grace there is some spirituall warmth in thy soule some heat in thy soule doe but consider then the knowledge that is within thee Is thy knowledge such
of knowledge Was there ever any soul so desperately ignorant think you as to take the place of a Minister and not have skil to read no but these had no knowledge to teach the people the meaning of the Law of God whose lips should preserve knowledge and at whose mouth the people should seek the Law Mal. 2.7 8. Vse 3. To teach all that beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ diligently to be conversant in the Writings of Iohn and of the Apostles Shall the Holy Ghost have a Pen to write unto us and shall not we have a hand to receive these Writings and by faith to behold and beleeve them Shall he take care to write us Letters from Heaven from the Lord Jesus Christ indicted by the blessed Spirit and written by the hands of faithfull Scribes who were carried to all truth and shall they write them to us to continue to the end of the world and shall not we attend to them These be written to every soule that beleeves in Christ for if written to them that beleeve in Christ then every beleever may say These writings are written to me to thee and to me and therefore let us carefully read and attend to them And therefore doe not neglect a Letter written by such precious Scribes and from the hand of a gracious God that directed them to us but if written to us and for our instruction and learning let us heare and read and obey and looke at them as the chiefest blessings and ornaments of God vouchsafed to us Among all the meanes of grace put up these writings as the Oracles of God for our instruction Rom. 15.4 Whatever was written aforetime was written for our instruction and edification as well as for them that lived in ancient times how much are the Church of Rome to blame that lock up these Epistles from the common people in strange Languages and if they understand not Latine they must not read unlesse with license or in a strange Tongue heavie will the curse of God fall upon them they may as well read a Fable to them as the Scripture yea many times the Priests themselves understood not the Latine that they read it was given to them as a clasped booke they were not able to expound it but say that ignorance in the people is the Mother of Devotion and therefore both fall into the ditch together Quest Vse 4. Serves to be some direction to every carnall man you say if these Scriptures be written but to beleevers will you not allow ignorant carnall men to read this part of the Word of God Ans Even they have thus much benefit by the Word first Carnall men have benefit by the Word whatever is expounded to them from this Word may be effectuall to bring them on to salvation but faith comes by hearing Secondly These Scriptures when they are read they are a profitable and helpfull meanes to get knowledge though that knowledge I beleeve reach not to salvation Thirdly it is a meanes to put people in remembrance of what they know though it be not to salvation And lastly it kindles in them some desires to know these things that they might understand them though that be rare I dare not reckon the Eunuch among the ignorant and unbeleevers Act. 8.30 31. and that were a blessed use if men shall read the Scripture and complaine for that they cannot understand them and shall be stirred up to desire a Guide to help them to see and understand what they before understood not and so be brought on to some knowledge it were a blessed use of the Scriptures And besides they are of this use they are of singular benefit to discover to people what sinne is and open to men what morall and common vertues be and so are a meanes to preserve people in a forme of godlinesse whereby they know that Magistrates are to be obeyed Ministers reverenced Parents honoured Murder not to be committed the Sabbath not to be prophained God only to be worshipped the body of these things they see are to be done and these evils eschewed they are a meanes to keep people in good order and to prepare them to a better understanding of the Ministery of the Gospell that shall at any time be blessed to them so that some profit there is hence to them that want faith but the principall thing the Apostle aymes at is this I write unto you that beleeve on the name of the Son of God But further I say to you that are not yet brought on to beleeve let this be your instruction diligently to attend to what you heare from these words for you may say and truly you may read every day a Chapter or two and read them over againe and againe and spend many houres about them and in prayer too and yet no nearer salvation then at the first I say not not nearer salvation for you are stirred up to many duties but when you see you have read much and prayed much and yet get little hold of the saving grace of Christ how should this provoke all that live without meanes of grace to give diligent heed to that Ordinance of God in which faith to salvation is wont to be conveyed and that is an use that may be of notable efficacy to stirre them up to heare diligently those who are destitute of the knowledge of God let them be the more diligent to seeke after more meanes in the Ordinances of God Vse last It is an use to all those that do indeed beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus to be not only carefull to read but to read these Scriptures in hope of finding those very blessings for which these Scriptures were written and sent us Were they written that you might be taught truly you make an il use of reading if you know no more at last then at the first you may wel say you are unprofitable if you doe not observe something from your reading and if they were written to stir us up to be doing good you make an il use of reading if it bring not forth some profitable fruits yea if by reading these Epistles you might beleeve and be humbled comforted and your joy might be full in reading then truly you should not rest till by reading you finde some measure of faith strengthened in you to an holy feare of God in whose presence you stand and whose word you take in hand and finde your hearts take comfort from what you doe read since they were writen for your sakes that beleeve and for your sakes onely if you shall be negligent to read them shall you not take this blessed Ordinance of God in vaine and therefore read them and read them diligently and profitably for the blessed ends for which God hath written them that you may finde the blessed fruites of them Now we come to speake of the end for which he wrote them that you might beleeve on the name
of the Son of God and to know eternall life only now to speake of it so farre as it is pertinent to this place Doct. 2. Such as doe beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by these Epistles of John may know that they have everlasting life Reason 1 So it is in the text Why by these Epistles First because John in this Epistle doth set before you where eternall life is to be had as the verse before the text he in sundry places sets forth the Lord Jesus Christ as the life which we are to receive from the Father he shewes where it is to be had and where forgivenesse of sinne is to be had and by whom we have propitiation chap. 2.7 Reason 2 Secondly These Epistles sets before us and gives us certaine meanes whereby we may obtaine eternall life as first If we confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins 1 Joh. 1.9 that is one means and secondly he cals upon us to looke unto him as our Advocate and propitiation Reas 3 Thirdly He doth likewise give you certaine signes by observing of which you may know Signes of grace whether you have the Lord Jesus Christ or not This for one sign If we say we have no sin we make God a lyar and vers last If we keep his Commandements we know that we know him If God give us a conscionable care to keep his Commandements we know that we know him And some other signes as Chap. 3.3 if God give us hearts to purge and cleanse our selves from all such sins as hang about us and if God give us hearts to love the brethren c. these and many more such signes of grace he gives us in this Epistle Vse 1. If God having thus written and given us these Epistles then first it will be a just refutation of that Popish Doctrine that thinke it impossible for a man to know that he is in an estate of grace If John did write these Epistles for this end that we might know we have eternall life then sure we may know it else Iohn failes of his end and for Iohn to be disappointed were lesse matter but the Holy Ghost himself for Iohn being the Pen-man of the Holy Ghost the holy end he aymes at not being attainable is to put a defiance upon the Almighty and therefore the knowledge that we have eternall life may be attained and whereas they tell us we may have a conjecturall knowledge but no certaine knowledge but to say we have a knowledge and yet but conjecturall is as much as to eate up a mans words he had formerly said for a conjecturall knowledge is no knowledge at all Knowledge what Knowledge is the judgement or discerning a man hath of a certaine thing If a man aske you whether he know if such a man have possession of such a place and he say first yes and afterwards saith he conjectures so his knowledge is no knowledge it is a false intelligence If you aske a man if he knowes whether such a man have such a portion of such a value and he say he hath he conjectures so it is no knowledge but if he know it then he speakes of a certainty And therefore if the holy Ghost say We may know it then surely we may have more then a conjecturall knowledge even a certaine knowledge of our happy estates and were there no more Arguments in the world to discourage a man from Popery this were sufficient even this very doctrine of doubting and conjecturall assurance of a mans eternall estate which leaves a mans Conscience destitute of any peace Consider therefore Rome an Harlot that the Church of Rome is an Harlot and brings up strange children when she doth not teach her children to know God to be their Father it argues she is no lawfull spouse of Christ but doe but hope such an one is your Father but count it presumption to say you know it That Church that traines not up her Children to know God to be their Father is a false Church and a signe that the Church of Rome hath mixed her selfe with so many Idols and abominations that shee cannot teach the children of her Church to know that they are the sons and children of God but condemnes them to the death if they dare presume to say that God is their Father Vse 2. May refute that opinion of the Papists that will not suffer the common people to heare this Scripture take notice here how injurious they are to the faith of Gods people and to the knowledge of their chiefest comfort to debar them of the knowledge and meanes of their salvation take away these Scriptures and take away the principall meanes of the knowledge of our salvation Vse 3. To teach such as are in any doubtfull temptation at any time about their first estate and condition who are not able to apply with comfort assuredly their grounded knowledge that Christ and eternall life is theirs It may teach them among other Scriptures to be diligent in inquiring into this Epistle the Holy Ghost saith it was the maine scope of his writing unto all those that trust upon the name of Christ that they might know their blessednesse to lye upon him and those that did not certainely know they had found him he writes to them to look after Christ to long for him and to desire after him Doest thou then desire not only to beleeve eternall salvation belongs to thee but to know it for to know is something more then to beleeve A man may beleeve a thing and upon good ground he may looke for salvation there and waite for it and desire that he may be more assured of it but to know that thou hast eternall life and the certainty of it that God hath sealed it up to thy soule and conscience of which thou needest doubt no more this is a far more greater blessing then to beleeve in Christ though by beleeving we have eternall life and therefore if thou so beleeve in him as to looke for salvation in him and not elsewhere though as yet thou beest doubtfull of thy estate yet thou mayest learne much by reading these Scriptures read them againe and againe and leave not reading and searching into them till thou finde even from this Epistle ground of assurance Vse 4. May serve to teach the Children of God to know when you have made a good use of reading these Scriptures you read much and often and you thinke when you have done you have done God good service An usuall vanity among Christians if they have prayed in the morning and read a peece of a Chapter they thinke they are better blest all the day after for it and wee are unquiet all that day when we have not had time to read and pray but if that be done we thinke we have quit our selves well but a man may read and never consider what he hath gotten by it
1.17 Gal. 2.20 A man doth nothing Christianly and spiritually but by his faith Faith profitable to all things now when faith must be the instrument to helpe us to work all our workes spiritually we had need to grow to some life and fruitfulnesse in faith and if our faith be not fruitfull we shall make but hard work of our daily imployments how shall we depend upon God and do all in the name of Christ and doe all in obedience to a commandement and live by a promise for Gods presence and blessing in it how shall a man do this if he have not faith yea if he have not some dexterity of faith A weake faith will then slug it when a man stands in most need to use it and therefore that a man may be ready to shew his faith upon every occasion in prayer in conference in every thing both concerning this life and another A man had need of a great deal of faith and therefore this is an evident signe that a mans faith is well wrought a sound and a lively faith if it be a growing faith But if you heare men saying they thanke God they have a strong faith and they alwayes beleeved on Christ and fie upon them that doe not let me say this is a presumption of faith but is no faith yea it is the badge of the want of faith when therefore you see the Apostle writes to them that beleeve that they may beleeve more certainly and more strongly that is a true faith and it will grow Vse 2 It serves to reprove the most sacrilegious and uncharitable faith of the Papists that take away these writings from the people John writes this Epistle to the intent that beleevers may beleeve you heard that the word dispensed in any ordinance is of mighty power to increase faith where it is begun and to beget it where it is wanting Take away reading of the Scriptures and conference about them Infidell practise of Papists and you take away all And therefore an infidell practise to go about to take away the faith of Gods Elect. God sent us the Scriptues to the end that we might beleeve and if this be the nature of faith to desire that themselvs and others might grow in faith what are they but Infidells in truth who as much as in them lyes lock up the Scriptures in a strange tongue that the people may not understand what is read unto them and as much as in them lyes drives the Bibles out of their houses And it is heretical presumption for such and such men to use the Scriptures this is infidelity and most sacrilegious to God And it is likewise uncharitable and injurious to the faith of Gods people An evident argument of infidelity how can you charge the wisdome of God of more folly and lightnesse God sends his word to his servants that they might be reading and hearing and conferring of it and that by beleeving they might beleeve These men to cast an imputation of folly upon God they are afraid that God did not consider the danger of it if beleevers should fall a reading and poore tradesmen a conferring about the Scriptures they are afaid they will be distempered with heresie and so trouble the whole Church do not they by so doing set the wisdom of God at naught and shew themselves sacrilegious against the truth of God Vse 3. It may serve to exhort us all since the holy ghost did write these things to the intent that you that beleeve on the name of the Sonne of God might beleeve First to you that beleeve and then to you that beleeve not You that have been diligent in hearing and reading the word be diligent in it stil and make it a point of your Christian practise not to faile to read some part of it every day unlesse you be necessarily hindred or if you have been necessarily hindred by busines from reading yet be sure nothing hinder you from meditating upon it the blessed man meditates on Gods word every night and every day though he takes the shorter time to it yet he must have some time for meditation upon the word upon something he heard this day or something hee hath sometimes read and you shall finde a mighty power in it to fructifie as if you were planted by the Rivers of waters Mighty power in meditating upon the word for the spirit of God breaathing in the word and your hearts sucking it up and by meditating upon it you grow in more knowledge in the object of your faith in the rootednesse in the sence and in the acts and fruites of your faith and this by hearing and reading and meditating read therefore the King himselfe must doe it daily Kings must read the Word of God daily who hath more businesse then any man Deut. 17.19 And if he doe so God will learne him the feare of his name now if God will not excuse Kings much lesse private men who have lesse affaires then Kings have and therefore be reading every day and when you cannot read be sure you meditate upon some part of Gods Word every day and every night As ever you desire to beleeve use the meanes that you may beleeve this being sanctified of God to that end then be not you wanting to use it and doe not only so but heare it likewise and conferre upon it and search it daily whether it be true or no use the meanes that God hath sanctified his Word to be dispensed in and by which he will blesse it to his people and then you shall finde this In beleeving you shall beleeve you shall grow from faith to faith and from sence to sence and in the fruits of faith till you be perfect in Christ Jesus be diligent in hearing Gods Word for it is the mighty power of God unto salvation and conferre of it there is a mighty power in the Word being conferred upon take heed ye neglect not occasions in this kinde and search the Scriptures and examine what you heare and you will finde a mighty power in it to increase faith Since therefore God hath given you his Word and shed abroad the water of his Spirit to run through every line of the Scriptures Note this so that the more you shall read and heare conferre and meditate and search the Scripture the more you shall finde the life of faith increased in you and therefore you must not wonder if you see Christian men that neglect these duties complaine of the deadnesse of their hearts Doest thou doubt in thy perswasion is thy confidence mixed with much diffidence then aske thy heart this question Whether hast thou used the Scriptures for those ends God hath appointed them and hast thou been diligent in conferring about them and searching of them whether what is delivered be suitable to them or no and meditated of them and brought them home to thy house and compared them together and meditated
see that we doe not pray for them when we forget to remember them before the Lord this is ill taken God is displeased when there is none to stand in the gap in such a case as this Esa 59.15 16. God doth not afflict willingly and yet if he be stirred up he must destroy them if there be none to stand in the gap you then provoke the wrath of the Lord and this displeaseth him much and God may justly leave us to the like sinne for which we are not humbled in others Reas 5. Takâ—â—â—â—om the blessing that befalls Gods Servants when we doe so as was upon Job in chap. 42.8 9. when Iob begins to pray for his friends then God turned the captivity of Iob he had long time laine under many vexations wofull calamities but when he begins to pray for his friends that had sinned then the Lord turned his captivity and so it is expresly said Esa 57.18 19. I will restore comfort unto him and to his mourners To shew you that God will restore comfort to us if we lament the falls of others and mourne over them in that condition We shall have comfort in their comfort because we did mourne in their griefe If Gods people can mourne with their brethren in sinne and misery God will restore comfort to them and to their mourners Before we make use of this point come we to the next Doct. 3. A faithfull Christian praying for his brethren faln into any sin shall obtaine peace and pardon and grace for him It is said so in the text If any man that is any man that beleeves in Jesus Christ he shall aske and he shall give him life So that you see here is the promise made to such the promise is that upon asking he shall give life to his sinfull brother Who shall give him life Interpreters take it both wayes and both agreeable to the text and the Analogie of faith for whether he that prayes be as an Instrument or God it is all one for it must be God that doth it and he that prayes is an Instrument he procures to his sinning brother great favour from God Life that is the life of Iustification and of Sanctification consolation and comfort to his soule notwithstanding his sinne the promise is evident he shall prevaile with God to bestow life upon his brother This you shall see evident from Scripture Deut. 9.25 26. I fell downe before the Lord forty dayes and forty nights c. and thereupon the Lord did shew mercy and pardoned their sin Iob prayed for his friends and the Lord said he would accept him Job 42.8 9. And so our Saviour he prayed for his crucifiers And it is generally thought that the powerfull prevalency of Peters Sermon in converting three thousand soules at once did especially spring from our Saviours prayer and the efficacy of it Act. 2.37 And Stephen he prayed for his persecutors and Paul was one of them that had an hand in his death Act. 7.6 And yet ere long God answered Stephens prayer in converting Saul so that let a man a beleeving Christian pray for his sinning brother and he shall give him life Reas 1. It is taken from the pleasure that God takes to knit the Members of the Body of his Son together and no better means to joyne us together and so fitly to make us useful Members one to another then this those members of the body that are most weak should be most helped this way 1 Cor. 12 21 22. Every member should be of some use one to another and it doth better compact the body together God did not say to Iobs friends Goe you and pray for your selves but Goe to my servant Job and he shall pray for you He would have them beholden to Iob of whom they had spoken the thing that was not right else God would not accept them Reas 2. It is taken from the Intercession of Christ who performes that office for every member of his body This honour have all his Saints though they doe not merit this by their prayers yet there is this efficacy in their prayers not of merit but of grace to prevaile with the Father in their brethrens behalfe Rom. 8.34 Intercession is such a part and kinde of prayer as a man makes for other men to procure favour from God to them to be Mediators for them to pray for others in the name and mediation of Jesus Christ and that for his sake they may be accepted God will then heare us for Christs sake in the behalfe of our brethren Vse 1. It may be a ground of much encouragement to every Christian man to wrastle earnestly with God in the behalfe of his brethren when you see them sinne a sinne that is not unto death be it a mans wicked covetousnesse and such as a man is froward in it and wil by no meanes be admonished and goe on resolutely in it yet in this case God expects and requires we should mourne for him Esay 57.17 18. and therefore neglect not to pray for your brethren in this case First it will displease God if you pray not for them is it nothing to you to passe by and to see such a man lye in sinne assure your self of this Gods heart will fit loose towards you if your hearts sit loose to your brethren and therefore neglect not to pray for them Secondly if you pray for them you shall have comfort restored to them and to your selves with them and though for the present you might seeme to procure hurt to your selves and no good to them yet pray and pray heartily and use the best meanes you can and you will surely finde the comfort and benefit of it may not this be a notable encouragement to you this way that God should be pleased to make thee an Instrument of life to thy brother when he is a dead man in Gods sight a dead man will be stiffe and cold and putrifie and yet even such a man if thou prayest for him thou shalt give him life to his soule Object You say But doth not many a man pray for his brethren and yet is not heard and accepted did not Abraham pray for Ishmael And what think you of Samuels prayer for Saul and yet saith God How long wilt thou mourn for Saul 1 Sam. 17.6 I have cast him off mourne no more for him so that sometimes a man may pray for his brethren and that earnestly and yet his prayers fall to the ground in vaine Answ First it would be considered whether a man be a brother or no Abraham did not pray for one that was already gracious that did belong to the election of grace and the text doth not reach to such a brother but I understand it of such as are either called or belong to the election Secondly Suppose you doe not know whether he belong to the election of grace or no it may be you pray for them whom you have not used other means to heal them I doubt not but David prayed for Absalom and Adonijah but not using other meanes his prayers are rejected these are not prayers of faith when other good means are not used Thirdly It s possible that a man may pray without faith and without fervency Jam. 5.15 and such requests should be faithfull and fervent and God requires you should come before him and submit your selves to him and acknowledge your owne unworthinesse to aske such a blessing and yet in the name of Christ you presse God with it and you must walke close with God in a course of Christianity else your prayers are to no purpose and to waite on God through Christ for a gracious acceptance and God will recompence your prayers and labour of love in due time FINIS