〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. These fourscore and six years I have served Christ and hee hath never hurt mee all this time and how then can I blaspheme my King and Saviour The like of Cyprian who being desired to consult with himself before hee should suffer Fac quod tibi praeceptum est replies Do your office In so just a thing as this there needs no Consultation The like of that rich Virgin which Basil speak of who being condemned to the fire was offered her life and estate if she would renounce her Faith shee returns Valeat vita pereat pecunia c. Let my mony perish my life cannot and though I lose this life I shall have a more enduring a more abiding a more abounding life in Christ To these many more might bee added to shew how Faith doth furnish the Soul with suffering Resolutions as that of Chrysostome who said if you take away my goods c. 3. Faith begets suffering graces courage magnanimity patience humility self-denyal contempt of the World high prizing of God It sets God above all the comforts and contentments in Heaven and Earth It gives adherence to the Truth by which the Soul is inabled to undergo any thing 4. It laies in suffering-strength strength from God strength from the Promise which saith When thou passest through the water it shall not overflow thee when thou passest through the fire it shall not kindle upon thee c. Isa 43.2 It fetcheth strength from Christ who like Simon of Cyrene helps to bear part of every Cross Thus Faith goes out of it self stands upon anothers bottome leans upon anothers power rests upon anothers strength whereby the Soul is inabled to go thorow any thing All this is conveyed by this Instrument of Faith 5. It propounds to the Soul suffering rewards That For these light afflictions which are but for a moment wee shall receive a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory That for the loss of temporals wee shall gain eternals That If wee suffer with Christ wee shall reign with Christ. That No man shall lose Father or Mother or Wife or Children or Lands or Houses or Brethren or Sisters for his Names sake but hee shall receive an hundred fold more here and shall inherit everlasting life Matth. 19.29 God will bee all this to thee Nay God will bee more than all this to thee More than Riches more than Friends more than Life it self unto thee All which considerations do exceedingly inable the Soul to undergo sufferings and tryals Eleventh Royalty 11. Faith is an Heart-in-nobling-Grace That which sets one man above another 11. Royalty of Faith It s a Soul-in-nobling-Grace That which doth raise up and exalt one man above another in Gods esteem is Faith that which doth put a difference between man and man is Faith or nothing Acts. 15.9 1. Faith is such a Grace as sets us above others our Persons above others A Grace which makes us Kings and Priests unto God which raises us and sets us out of the croud They are noble whom God doth in-noble honourable whom God doth honour God is the King of Kings the Fountain of all Honour who can exalt whom hee pleaseth and throw down whom hee pleaseth who can in-noble whom hee pleaseth and abase whom hee will And this honour have all his Saints This hath God thrown upon the poorest Beleever hee hath made him a King and a Priest Rev. 1.6 1 Pet. 2.5.9 2. Faith sets our performances above others Our prayers our duties our obedience Faith raises them above others Heb. 11.4 By Faith Abel offered to God a more excellent Sacrifice than Cain Cain offered Sacrifice as well as Abel but Faith put the difference betwixt them By Faith hee offered a more excellent a more noble Sacrifice than Cain Faith puts a difference betwixt the works of Christians and the works of Heathens Though there were no difference for the matter yet Faith puts a vast difference for the manner Faith puts a difference betwixt the Abba-Fathers of a Childe of a Saint and the Ave-Maries of a superstitious Papist betwixt the Prayers of a Saint and the Devotions of a sinner betwixt the cryes of a Saint and the howlings of an Hypocrite But to return Faith is an Heart-in-nobling-Grace 1. It begets in us Soul-in-nobling-Principles Principles like our selves It is such a Grace as doth sublimate a man begets high glorious and heavenly Principles in the soul By this wee are made partakers of the divine nature It is an Heart-spiritualizing-Grace Whereas Unbeleef doth sensuallize a man beasts a man as Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 5.20.21 Hence wee read An Unbeleeving heart is called a gross heart make their heart gross so Faith doth raise up a man spiritualizes a man A Beleeving heart is a fine heart a spiritual heart It refines the soul Faith doth raise up a man as high above reason as reason doth raise a man above meer sense It sets a man as high above a man as Reason doth a man above a Beast Faith is the Spirit of Grace Not only a spiritual Grace but the Spirit of all our spiritual Graces It hath nothing but spirituality in it and hath to do with nothing but spiritual things with God with Christ with Heaven with Justification pardon of sin All which are spiritual things far above sense nay and Reason too their objects reach not so high which things though they bee Real and none more Real yet they are spiritually Real not sensually Real to Faith not to sense nor to Reason neither And therefore unbeleeving men do esteem these things either meer-nothings or they are next door to nothing in their thoughts Imaginary things Notiones secundae which have no foundation in Being no existence in the World 2. Faith doth implant us into Soul-in-nobling-Relations 1 It makes us Servants to the great God of Heaven and Earth who though it were Hyperbollically said of Tyrus Merchants yet may it truly bee said of God makes all his servants Kings Gods service is an honourable a noble service Nay it makes us not only Servants but 2. It makes us friends of God Abraham a Beleever was call'd Gods Friend nay not only Friends but 3. It makes us Sons and Daughters of God Gal. 3.26 You are the Children of God by Faith Wee may glory in our Pedegree A Beleever is best born nobly born Jam. 1.18 Of his own Will begat hee us by the Word of Truth Joh. 1.13 Born of God Nay 4. It makes us the Spouse of Christ who is such as Husband as doth en-noble his Wife Wee know among men The Wife is honoured with her Husbands honour The Lawyers have a speech Mulier fulget Radiis Mariti The Wife shines with the Husbands Rayes shee shines with his brightness If hee bee honourable whatever shee was before yet now shee cannot bee base If hee bee noble shee cannot bee ignoble because hee confers and throws all his honours upon his Wife So here by Faith being
live more in the Heaven of Promise they would not bee so much cast down The more trust the less Trouble Faith would bring Christ into the Soul and there is chear enough with Christ Faith would bring Heaven into the soul and there is Comfort enough in Heaven Faith would open a way for the Love of God to enter and that would thrust out all other grievances But I will not go about to excuse uncomfortable walking with God Why should I give indulgence to mens Passions Gods people are to bee exceedingly blamed for their unchearful walking with God They are the shame of a good God and give occasion to men to think hee is an hard and rigid Master They wrong a good Cause and discourage the hearts of others from entring into the wayes of God Sure I am There is no Condition that Gods people can bee in but they have alwayes ground and cause of Rejoycing Either A Rebus exhibitis from things bestowed Or A Rebus promissis from things promised Either From things in hand and possession Or From things in hope and promise And therefore how blame-worthy are they who disquiet themselves with needless perplexities and lay the burden of sorrow on themselves which God doth not Let us examine the grounds of these sorrows and arraign them before the Bar of right Reason What is it that troubles thee 1. Is it thy former sins why should these trouble thee God hath pardoned them And wilt thou bring the old guilt upon thy conscience again which God hath cleared and pardoned wilt thou binde when God hath loosed condemn when hee hath absolved 2. Is it thy present Corruption God hath promised to subdue it Sin shall have no more dominion over you Hee hath promised to purge to purifie Hee came with Refiners fire and Fullers sope Mal. 3.3 3. Is it thy Imperfections That there is so much formality so little power so much coldness so little heat c why God hath promised to pass by infirmities to hide and cover imperfections 4. Is it because thou art in some present Afflictions why hee hath promised that All things shall work together for good to them that love God and are chosen according to his purpose 5. Is it because thou art under some present Temptations why St. James saith Count it exceeding joy great joy when yee fall into diverse temptations There is matter of Joy as well as of Sorrow if by Faith thou wouldest but see what God aims at 1. It may bee for trial of Grace as in Abrahams and Jobs case whose temptation was of purpose to try and justifie his Graces 2. It may bee For exercise of Grace of Faith of Patience c. 3. It may bee for discovery of sin nay for destruction of sin 4. It may bee to make us more humble as Paul more prayerful c. 6. Is it because thou art under some present Desertion Yet if by Faith thou look upon the firmness of the Promise the stability of the Covenant in the absence of sense thou shalt finde matter of Comfort Thus you see David did Psal 77.10 Hee was in a great Desertion hee cryes and prayes Hee prayes and cryes Hee renews his former evidences and experiences yet gets hee no comfort At last By Faith hee looks upon the truth of Gods Promise and the stability of the Covenant And then his soul revived I remembred the dayes of old the years of ancient times I called to minde my songs in the night I communed with my own heart my soul made diligent search Will the Lord absent himself for ever c And I said this is my infirmity Yet I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High c. Do but in this sad condition behold these dealings of God as the waies of a Father to thee which are alwaies of Love of Mercy and Truth to them that keep his Covenant and his Testament Whether Gods end bee for Chastisement as it was in David Or for Tryal as it was in Job Or whether it bee for Prevention as it was in Paul lest hee should bee puffed up yet all is in love and therefore cause of rejoycing So that there is no condition so sad but Gods people have still cause of rejoycing in it Thou canst think of nothing if thou bee a Beleever that can minister just cause of trouble to thee And therefore why art thou so cast down If there were more Trust there would bee less Trouble I dare bee bold to say that all the troubles all the disquiets of Gods people do arise from want of Faith Were there more Faith there would bee more Comfort And therefore as David physicked his soul when it was cast down and discouraged Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within mee Trust in God So let us exercise our Trust and all our Troubles will vanish all our disquiets will dis-appear and bee gone Let Faith come in and discover the Promises of God made to thee in this thy sad condition Hee hath promised it shall not bee too great 1 Cor. 10.18 There hath no temptation taken you but what is humane and God is faithful and will not suffer you to bee tempted above what yee are able but will with the temptation give an issue that you may bee able to bear it Hee hath promised it shall not bee too long Rom. 16.20 The God of Peace shall tread Satan under you feet shortly Hee will not contend for ever Hee hath promised to deliver us when in the day of trouble wee call upon him Psal 50. Seventeenth Royalty 17. Royalty of Faith It s an Heart guiding-Grace 17. Faith is an Heart-guiding-Grace Faith is the eye of the soul to direct and guide us Faith is to the soul as the Pole-star to the Mariner to direct the Mariner which way to steer his course And the soul is like the Needle in the Compass which ever looks towards God for direction It is as it were the Pillar of fire to us in the Wilderness of this World to direct our steps to our Heavenly Canaan Our life is called a Way And not only a strait Way but a difficult Way Wee shall meet with many turnings in this Way And if Faith doth not guide us wee shall either stand still and not go forward or wee shall go into wrong wayes the way to Death My Brethren wee shall meet with many exigents in our way to Heaven And if Faith do not guide wee are sure to go amiss You see what an Exigent Esther was put unto Either to neglect duty or to endanger her life Shee put her life in her hand for the good of the Church of God If shee had now consulted with flesh and blood if shee had followed the guidance of Reason shee had been mis-led No doubt but sense and Reason would have told her that it had been best not to hazzard her self and put her life in jeopardy but
consulting with Faith and following the guidance thereof she was resolved to do the duty though see perished in the doing thereof And it was her safety The like in Abraham You see what an Exigent hee was put unto Hee was to part with his Son his only Son the Son of his Love the Son of his old age a Son of so many Prayers and so many Promises No doubt if hee had consulted with flesh and bloud and carnal reason they would have bid him to spare his Son but following the guidance of Faith hee was willing to sacrifice his Son Heb. 11.17 By Faith Abraham when hee was tryed offered up his Son Isaac of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed bee called Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead c. So it was Faith whic guided Moses to leave the pomp and glory of Pharaohs Court and to chuse rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to injoy the pleasures of sin for a season esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt Heb. 11.24 If hee had followed the guidance of Reason or sense hee had miscarryed That would have told him that hee was to regard himself and his present happiness and not throw himself out of all But then hee had been mis-led But following the guidance of Faith hee forsakes all This Guidance of Faith they wanted Joh. 12.42 Who durst not confesse Christi for fear of being thrown out of the Synagogue If they had had Faith it would have guided them to Jesus Christ bee the Issue what it will The like of the Young-man Hee went far but when it was put to him to leave all to follow Christ to sell all it is said Hee went away sorrowful Hee consulted with Sense and Reason hee wanted the Guidance of Faith which would have directed him to part with all to cast away all rather than to leave Christ The like of Balaam Either hee must forsake the wages of Unrighteousness or curse the People but hee had more desire of mans reward than hee had Faith to expect God and so hee miscarryed And my Brethren such like straits wee may meet withall in our way to Heaven And if wee follow not the Guidance of Faith wee are sure to bee mis-led It hath been the ordinary choice that the Saints have been put to Either forsake thy God or forsake thy Goods Either leave Christ or leave thy Comforts Either renounce Christ or lose thy Friends thy Father thy Mother nay thy liberty thy life To these exigencies and straits Gods people have been driven And had they not had Faith they had surely been mis-led but having Faith it guided them to suffer losse of friends loss of goods loss of liberty loss of life it self for Christ as you see up and down in Abraham in Moses in Jeremy in Paul and the rest of the Apostles who accounted not their lives dear to them for Christ And it was the usual speech of the Primitive Martyrs when they were perswaded to leave Christ rather than to suffer Parce precot Imperator tu Carcerem ille Gehennam Spare good Emperour thou canst but cast into prison God into Hell The like of Cyprian of Policarp The like of Frederick the Elector of Saxony who was prisoner to Charles the fifth and was promised inlargement and restitution to his former dignity If hee would come to Mass It was Faith guided him to return this answer In earthly things I am ready to yeeld to Caesar In heavenly only to Christ And Christ is more welcome to mee in Bonds than Caesars Court without Christ Thus I might run down in particular examples in all ages and shew you how Faith hath guided men in these straits which had they followed the direction of Reason and Sense they had been lost for ever It is Faith which guides the heart in these difficult cases It is an Heart-guiding-Grace And this is the way Faith doth reject the wisdome of the flesh and goes by Gods light It shuts our eyes and walks by Gods light It follows God as the blinde man follows his Guide all his dayes Hee who makes Gods Word all his Reason shall have God a Counsellor Faith will not own the wisdome of the flesh the carnal minde is enmity to God It will not bee subject It is full of contumacy and stoutness against God and his wayes Faith will neither own the Flesh as a King nor as a Counsellor As it will not obey the commands of the flesh so it will not follow the counsels of the flesh Peter would not consult with flesh and blood but was obedient to the heavenly vision where is implied if hee had hearkened to flesh and bloud hee had been disobedient to the heavenly vision But Faith makes God its guide Psal 48.14 This God is our God for ever hee shall bee our guide unto death Faith seeks direction from God who is the Counsellor the God of all wisdome And the Soul that leans upon God for wisdome shall not want it He who trusts in the God of wisdome shall not want direction I say hee who shuts his own eyes and sincerely falls down at the feet of God for counsel shall have direction from him If indeed wee seek as Balaam with a double heart or as the Children of Israel did Jer. 42. who asked counsel but were resolved of their way wee then may miscarry But hee who seeks with an humble and upright heart that asks the way to Sion with his face thitherward resolved to go as God directs Such will God direct in his way such hee will guide in all the wayes of Judgement As the Moon by darting her beams and influence into the Sea doth move that great body backward and forward which they say is the cause of the ebbings and flowings of the Sea so God doth in difficult cases dart such a beam of light into the Soul such strong influences into the Spirit as doth carry the soul the way it should go A man may follow his own wisdome and miscarry but hee that shuts his eyes and follows God is sure not to bee mis-led Hee who rejects the counsel of the flesh and is resolved to walk by the direction of the Spirit though never so unlikely to flesh and bloud is sure to go right You see an example of this in Balaam in Saul sparing of Agag and the best of the flock in sacrificing before Samuel came to him But I 'le name but one Jer. 41.10 to the end of the Chapter Johanan who was the Captain of the Residue of the Jews left in Jerusalem desired Jeremy though with a double and deceitful heart to enquire of the Lord whether hee should go down to Egypt or abide at Jerusalem And bound himself with a vow that Whatever the Lord said hee would do it Jeremy comes and tells him hee must abide at Jerusalem and God would preserve him
as well as in broad waies in rugged waies as well as in plain smooth waies In difficult as well as in easie waies You see this in Abraham concerning the sacrificing of his son In which act hee might seem to disobey in his Obedience And the dutiful yeelding to it might seem to contradict duty There seemed not only Nature and reason to cry down this act of Obedience but even the word too The yeelding of Obedience did seem to justle against the Precept of Obedience Yet you see hee obeyed God It is said By Faith Abraham obeyed God By Faith indeed It was a strong Faith That strong Faith that beleeved hee should have a Son did now obey God in offering of his Son Strong Obedience proceeded from his strong Faith Strong Faith produceth strong Obedience 1. Strong for Active 2. Strong for Passive Obedience The same Faith doth supply the soul with Active strength for doing duties and with Passive strength for suffering duties 1. A strong Faith is strong to bear Reproaches for Christ As Moses Hee esteemed the Reproach of Christ greater riches than the Treasures of Egypt Heb. 11.26 And Paul Therefore wee labour and suffer Reproach because wee trust in the living God 1 Tim. 4.10 2. A strong Faith is strong to bear losses for Christ As they Heb. 10.34 Who took joyfully the spoiling of their goods as if the enemy had done them a great courtesie A strong Faith is strong to bear Persecutions Scourges Death it self for Christ You see what the Apostles indured what Stephen indured Why saith the Text Hee was a man full of Faith Act. 5.8 Strong Faith did inable them to suffer and bear and to go through difficulties prisons persecutions scourgings c. for Christ A strong Beleever doth rejoyce if hee can hold up God as it were though himself bee down if hee can raise up Gods Glory though it bee by the ruine of himself save his honour by losse of himself What Epaminondas said who having resolved concerning his Buckler either to defend it or to dye for it being wounded to death brake forth into these words Num salvus est Clypeus meus Is my Buckler safe If that bee safe I am well So the Beleever in the midst of all his sufferings if hee can keep his Buckler safe hold up God and his Glory All is well 3. A strong Faith will beleeve nothing contrary to his belief All the temptations of Satan all the arguments of men shall never bee able to reason him out of his Faith A weak Faith is quickly brought to deny his conclusion to yeeld up the cause Satan may make a man unsay what formerly hee hath said But a strong Faith will hold the conclusion against all Satans sophistry His Faith hath been gotten up by many invincible experiences from Gods behaviour to him as a Father from the souls behaviour to him as a Child And all that Satan can do shall not out-reason his Faith What a man saith by feeling a temptation may make him unsay but what a man saith by Faith nothing can make him unsay If Satan do assault such a man and tell him God doth not love him God is not his Father yet will the soul binde it self to this Mast and hold his conclusion against all with the Church Isa 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father thou Lord art our Father our Redeemer Say Satan takes up arguments from Gods 1. Inward Or 2. Outward dealings with us 1. From his Inward dealings May bee a man is in some present Desertion and wants the clear Evidences which formerly hee had and Satan from thence doth argue That God is not our God hee is not our Father yet will not a strong Faith bee reasoned out of his Faith The soul will yet conclude it though it cannot clear it and beleeve it when it cannot see it The strong Christian lives by Faith not by feeling and knows God may bee His God though by sense it bee not discerned but that God is not his God You see this in Psal 22.1 My God! My God! There 's Faith Why hast thou forsaken mee There 's sense Faith held the conclusion against sense That God was his God though sense could not apprehend but that hee was forsaken of God And therefore when the eye of Sense and Evidence is put out yet hee hath the eyes of Faith to see and beleeve And Blessed is the man saith our Saviour to Thomas who beleeves and sees not Joh. 20.29 A strong Faith will trust God further than hee sees him Faith is the Evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 Faith will trust upon the Promise of Mercy in the want of Sense of Mercy Our Faith is not begotten by sense and feelings but by the Promise and therefore in the want of sense and feelings the soul may beleeve Isa 50.10 Though a man walk in darkness and sees no light yet may hee trust in the Lord and lean upon his God A weak Faith if it want feeling it is gone but the strong Faith will Hope against Hope Beleeve against Sense Reason and present Evidence and can say God is mine though it want the present Sense and Evidence of it It will trust in God a Father when his dealings seem to argue him an Enemy Faith will read Love in his angry looks and look through the mist of Desertion and see the affections of a Father under the expressions of an Enemy Thus did Job by Faith Though thou kill mee yet will I trust in thee Full well it knows Though God hide his face yet hee cannot deny himself 2. Say hee takes an argument from Gods outward dealings in chastising and afflicting of us and say If God loved thee hee would not so afflict thee If God were thy Father hee would not so chastise thee However the weak Faith may bee born down with such a temptation as this yet the strong Faith is not moved with such a temptation it is able to retort on Satan because God loves mee therefore hee scourgeth mee that I might not bee condemned with the World That I might not love the World therefore hee suffers the World to frown on mee That I might bee crucified to the World therefore hee suffers mee to bee crucified in the World Because I am a Child therefore hee afflicts mee Hee scourgeth every Son whom hee receiveth Rom. 12.6 7 8.9 c. God takes liberty to chastise our bodies to save our souls And God loves tenderly when hee corrects severely Job 5.17 Pro. 3.11 Thus doth a strong Faith hold up the conclusion of Faith against all the Reasonings of Satan against it Let him produce never so many Evidences to the contrary yet will hee not bee born down in it It 's a maxime of Faith hee will hold to against all opposition whatsoever You see it was thus in Job When God had taken away his goods when his hand was upon his body and upon his spirit too not only withdrawing himself from
shall not bee VVee read that Ulisses when hee was to pass the Coast of the Syrens hee caused his men to stop their ears that they might not bee inchanted by their musick to destroy themselves But for himself hee would only bee bound to the Mast that though hee should hear yet their musick might not bee so strong as to allure him to destroy himself and leap into the Sea There are some of Gods people who are weak in Faith And when they see Gods outward proceedings of Providence seemingly contrary to his Promises they are apt to bee charmed from their own stedfastness Now as for these it were good for them to stop their ears and to shut their eyes to the works and look altogether upon the VVord of God But there are some that are stronger and therefore may look upon the outward proceedings of God But withall let them binde themselves fast to the Mast the VVord of God lest when they see the seeming contrariety of his proceedings to the Promise they bee charmed from their own stedfastness to the wounding of their own souls God hath promised that Antichrist shall fall Hee hath promised to make his Church glorious And though in outward proceedings hee should seem to uphold the one and evil intreat the other yet let not this weaken our Faith in beleeving the truth of what God hath promised If you put a streight stick into the water yet sense will render it to bee crooked it will appear so to the eye but reason corrects it and tells you though it appear to bee so yet it is not so you put it in streight and so it is Doth reason prevail against sense and why should not Faith prevail against Reason when to outward appearance God seems to bee against us why should not wee by Faith conclude that God is for us even for us when hee seems to bee against us The outward face of things may bee such as may possesse the Church with fear when God hath a purpose to do great things for his Church So you read in Joel 2.21 Fear not O Land bee glad and rejoyce for the Lord will do great things for you It was a time of Joy in respect of Gods purpose and yet a time of fear in respect of their present apprehensions God had a purpose to do great things for them and yet the face and outward appearance of things were such as did at that time possesse the Church with fear It was so but it should not have been so You see what Christ saith in Luk. 21.25 There shall bee signs in the Sun in the Moon in the Stars and upon the earth distresse of Nations the Sea and Waters roaring mens hearts failing them for fear and for looking after the things that shall come upon the Earth for the Powers of Heaven shall bee shaken Could there bee a sadder appearance And yet saith Christ when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh Here you see Christ doth turn the saddest and sorest perplexities that ever the world shall see into a Doctrin of Comfort to his Church because all these things were but a preparatory to the redemption of the Church One would think this to bee a strange consequent deduced from such an Antecedent A Consequent so comfortable from an Antecedent so terrible that so terrible a Doctrin should afford us an use of Consolation Yet so it is Bee the premises what they will the conclusion is good Bee his Providences what they will his Promise is good and those promises shall turn all those Providences to good And this is the admonition I give you that whatever oppositions whatever troubles whatever evils wee meet withall in the way of deliverance Bee not troubled let not your hearts bee discouraged for this is the way whereby God will do you good making all your evil and trouble subservient to good VVhat the Apostle saith of his Bonds I may say of all oppositions Phil. 1.12 The things which have happened to mee have fallen out to the furtherance of the Gospel His prison was the Gospels liberty his straits and bonds the Gospels inlargement his abasements the Gospels advancements As wee say the choicest blessings come out of the fire of afflictions so the greatest deliverances come out of the greatest oppositions And thus much for that VVee will now come to Application Uses First of Information and that of diverse particulars 1 Information touching the greatness of God 1 It informs us of the greatness of our God 1. Of his Power 2. Of his Wisdome 3. Of his Mercy 4. Of his faithfulness toward his people For all these Attributes are visibly declared in every wonder God doth for his Church 1 His Power 1 God discovers the greatness of his Power in every wonder hee doth for them If a man were able to do it it were no wonder Hence hee is said to make bare his arm to reveal his Power And it is attributed to his right hand to his out-stretched arm c. 2 His Wisdome 2. God discovers the greatness of his Wisdome 1. Wisdome in the Manner In relieving in such a way as could not bee conceived 2. Wisdome in the Time In helping in such a time when things are desperate or in such a time when hee gets himself most glory and doth us most good 3. Wisdome in the means by relieving of us 1. By such means as wee never thought of or 2. By such as if wee had thought of would have been judged too small to have wrought so great a deliverance 3. Or by such which wee should rather have judged a means of ruine than of raising us yet Gods wisdome seeth more than wee can 3 Gods Mercy 3 God discovers abundance of Mercy yea and Free Mercy Every deliverance of his Church being wrought out of his own bowels and compassion Psal 136. which is a Psalm of praises for wonders You see at the foot of every verse a declaration of Mercy Hee brought his People out of Egypt for his Mercy indureth for ever Hee divided the Red-Sea for his Mercy indureth for ever Hee overthrew Pharaoh and his Host for his Mercy indureth for ever 4 Gods Truth 4. God discovers his Truth and Faithfulness to his Church God hath ingaged himself by many precious promises to do wonders for them And all the deliverances of God they are performances of promises They may bee all subscribed at the foot of the promise as so many particular instances and experiences to prove the truth of the promise and to discover the faithfulness of the Promiser to us They are so many witnesses to both By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall bee established saith the Apostle It is true it is spoken of the word or man not of the Word of God God is Truth it self You may beleeve him without a witness But yet God hath not
shall bee of Christ of his beauties his love c. because Christ is in thy heart What the heart is taken withall the Tongue will discourse on 1. And indeed wee cannot have a fuller Subject to discourse on Other Subjects they are empty subjects quickly barren Talk of what you will you will bee quickly at an end The bottome of other things are quickly sounded But Christ is a full Subject Whatever you fall upon is fulness in Christ An everlasting spring which affordeth fresh supplies of matter New and unconceiveable discoveries do arise afresh to bee matter of supply to all eternity 2. You cannot have a sweeter subject Christ is All-sweet A Rose without prickles A Rose for sweetness without prickles for content And nothing is so but Christ All the things of the world since the fall have been Roses beset with thorns Though there bee many sweets in the World yet they are not all-sweet they are beset with thorns crosses with comforts and afflictions with affections Christ is All-sweet and nothing but sweet Tota pulchra as hee said of his Spouse Thou art all-fair Beauty without spot Sweet without prickles Hee is a Garden full of flowers full of sweets You can light of none but you may lade your thighs and go home satisfied 3. You cannot have a more delightfull subject Christ is the delight of all both in Heaven and Earth Hee is Gods delight his heart is taken with him hee lies in his bosome And his Son in whom hee is wel pleased hee is the delight of the Angels whose delight it is to study Christ and desire to learn and hear further discoveries of Christ by his Church as Peter hath it 1 Pet. 1.12 4. You cannot have a more profitable subject A subject which in conversing upon wee are transformed into his Glory 2 Cor. 3.18 into the glory of him who is the subject of the discourse Have you not been kindled with heavenly fire have not your hearts burned in the converses of him as well as in the converses with him Indeed wee cannot converse of him aright but in some measure wee converse with him Doth it not sometimes fetch up your souls to glory and leave you in Heaven Do you not finde it profitable to quicken you to raise you to comfort you to inflame you to humble you to melt you to transform you Doth not a discourse of his love quicken you when you are dead comfort you when you are dejected raise you when faln humble you when proud inflame you when cold Inlarge you when straitned and pent within your selves Oh! That such worthless subjects should so often take up our Tongues and Thoughts And Christ so full so sweet so delightfull so profitable a subject which shall bee matter for our souls discourse to all Eternity shall bee thrown aside as if not worth taking up You whose hearts are taken with Christ declare it to your own comfort and the good of others In this let your thoughts bee taken up with him let your discourses bee more of him shew your selves to love him by thinking Christ speaking Christ living Christ more 6. Sign An heart taken with Christ thirsts after communion with and nearer conjunction to Christ You know whatever your hearts are taken withall you desire and thirst after communion and converses withall So it is here betwixt Christ and the soul The soul taken with Christ longs to bee with him and thirsts after communion with him 1. In Grace here 2. In Glory hereafter 1. In Grace here Oh! How the soul once taken with Christ desires converses with him in prayer in hearing in meditation Isa 26.8 9. The desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee With my soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within mee will I seek thee early And this is the Genius of a soul taken with Christ that duty doth not content him if hee finde not Christ in duty If the end of a duty have left him on this side Christ it hath left him so far short of comfort Others indeed though they do a duty yet as their hearts seek not Christ in the duty so their souls can rest content without him when the duty is done but it is otherwise with a right-born-soul 'T was the speech of Bradford that hee could never leave a duty till hee had found communion with Christ in the duty till hee had brought his heart into a duty-frame Hee could not leave confession till hee had found his heart touched broken and humbled for sin nor Petition till hee had found his heart taken with the beauties of the things desired and carried out after them nor could hee leave thanksgiving till hee had found his spirit inlarged and his soul quickened in the return of praises And it was the happiness of Bernard a Heaven upon Earth that hee saith of himself I never went from thee without thee Nunquam abs te absque te recedo Coelum extra Coelum Hee found God in every duty hee had communion with God in every prayer which indeed is Heaven on this side Heaven Thus hee whose heart is taken with Christ thirsts after communion with him and no duty contents him wherein hee hath not found either his quickening or his comforting-presence either communion with his Grace or communion with his comfort 2. As hee thirsts after communion with him here in Grace so doth hee desire communion with him in Glory To bee with the Lord as the Apostle Whiles the soul is here it sees the distance too great betwixt Christ and it that shee cannot injoy that sweet communion with him As the Apostle saith Whiles wee are present in the flesh wee are absent from the Lord. And therefore the soul breaths after him desires to bee with him Cupio dissolvi saith the Apostle I desire to bee dissolved and to bee with Christ The like of David Psal 42.1 2. As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God My soul thirsteth for God for the living God When shall I come and appear before God! Hee had tasted the sweetness of Christ and did not fear the bitterness of death Vitam in Patientia mortem in Desiderio Hee had Life in Patience Death in Desire because by death hee should bee carried to more sweet and intimate conjunction with Christ It was the speech of Augustine Lord I will dye that I may injoy thee Eja Domine mortar ut te videam nolo vivere Volo mori I will not live but I will dye I desire to dye that I may see Christ and refuse to live that I may live with Christ And this disposition you see in the Spouse here Her heart being taken with Christ shee could not brook the distance betwixt Christ and her and therefore cryes out Cant. 8.1 Make haste make haste my beloved Though in one sense it is true hee that beleeves makes not haste
by us but infused by God together with Faith as being a part of it But it is meant of the second or further work of Sanctification and so Faith sanctifieth us as it lends a hand to help forward and to perfect our Sanctification for so Faith doth strengthen and increase Grace in us by drawing down strength and life from Christ daily and in this sense as to their bene or melius esse all our graces have a kind of dependance upon Faith as a Mediatory grace as I may say as our Mediatour to our Mediatour in fetching down influence and strength for the strengthening and increasing of grace in us And therefore by the way it may bee a good Admonition to you when you finde any weakness in your love patience or in any other grace still to strengthen and increase Faith whereby you may draw down from Christ strength to all the rest 3 The third thing in the definition expresseth what this formall act is and here wee have 1 The essentiale Antecedens 2 The essentiale constituens 1 The essentiale Antecedens essentially pre-requisite to the justifying Act and this is knowing and assenting which two I might separate for the better discovery of our adversaries error in their implicit Faith who hold that it is sufficient for some only to beleeve as the Church beleeveth although they know not themselves any thing that they beleeve to maintain which blind Faith they say that Justifying Faith may bee without knowledge nay that it were better to bee defined by ignorance than by knowledge But wee must not stand to answer every thing that commeth in the way for so wee should stay long enough at the threshold I will therefore joyn these two both together as essentially pre-requisite whereby wee know and assent to our own miserable estate the freeness of God promise and grace which hee hath tendred to the soul in Christ both essentiall Antecedents to justification of which some expound that John 6.40 every one that seeth the Son and beleeveth on him shal have everlasting life Where by seeing they say is meant Christum praedicatum videre agnoscere pro filio Dei to see and acknowledge Christ the Son of God and Saviour of the World and indeed this must go before It is gradus ad rem though not gradus in re it is a pre-requisite or preparatory to justifying Faith but it is not justifying Faith as in the Generation of a man the sensitive soul goeth before and prepareth a fit organ for the infusion of the reasonable soul and yet not the sensitive but the reasonable soul doth inform so in the reparation of man hystorical faith doth precede and make way for the inducement of justifyâ—ng Faith and yet not the former but this doth justifie as Calvin saith a Vulgar knowledge and assent to truth doth joyn a man no more to God than the sight of the Sun doth lift a man to Heaven Otherwise did this hystoricall assent justyfie then it as well as Justification should be proper only to the Elect so Justification is Rom. 8.30 but so is not an hystorical assent for that Simon Magus had and other Reprobates may have 2 Essentiale constituens or that formal Act whereby wee are justified and that is rowling or resting our selves upon Christ or trusting on him for they are Synonimaes expressing the same thing in diverse words And that this is the formal Act of justifying Faith I refer my self and you to what in this kinde was said before I here only say that that which is imputed for Righteousness and by which wee are justified that is the true and formall Act of justifying Faith But such a kind of beleeving is imputed for Righteousness and is that by which wee are justified so saith the Apostle Rom. 4.5 to him who beleeveth on him that justifieth the ungodly his Faith is imputed to him for Righteousness and Rom. 10.10 11. with the heart man beleeveth unto Righteousness and in the next verse hee Interpreteth that beleeving by beleeving on him for the Scripture saith whosoever beleeveth on him c. And therefore wee conclude so to beleeve is the justifying Act of Faith 4 The fourth thing in the Definition is the fruit which cometh in or the end of this Act and that is 1 Next and immediate Justification and pardon of sin 2 Mediate Sanctification and growth in grace 3 Ultimate The Perfection of all in Glorification But here some may object Object 1. First there are many who do trust and yet are not justified many who profess that they do this act but yet live in their sins as Balaam c. Therefore this is not the justifying Act. Ans I answer That although every one say hee trusteth yet every one doth not truly trust for there is a double affiance or trust The one is a slight and superficial affiance grounded upon no other foundation than a great apprehension that it is good to bee saved by Christ but yet so as neither to leave their old course or imbrace a new The other is a setled and grounded affiance and so qualified as that it is not to bee found in any not truly justified if it bee I shall yield the cause 1. It is a holy Trust Jude v. 20. Build up one another in your holy faith not as though holiness were required as an ingredient into faith in the act of Justification or giving us our first interest in Christ but this I mean by a holy trust that it is such a trust as is accompanied with holiness in the root and brings forth works of holiness in the fruit such a faith as is accompanied with holiness in the heart and declared in the holiness of our lives For although it be fides sola faith alone which justifieth and gives us the first interest in Christ yet it is not fides quae sola solitaria it is not a faith which is alone but such a faith as is accompanied with holiness in the root the graces of Gods Spirit and holiness in the life The faith which doth justifie us is not in formis but formata not a dead faith but animated and quickned with grace and holiness the whole man being sanctified 2. It must be an unfeigned Trust 1 Tim. 1.5 2 Tim. 1.5 There is a counterfeit and hypocritical Trust such as never comes to God from love but for shelter in a storm Psal 78.34 35 36. When he slew them then they sought him and yet did but flatter c. Or such a faith it is that closeth not fully with Christ in all his Offices They are content to have him as a Saviour but not for a Lord the priviledges and dignities that come in by Christ they are willing to own but not the duties and services which he requires They will commit themselves to Christ to save when in trouble then Lord help but to the Devil to serve Who is Lord over us Whereas now a true faith
is as careful to do its services as to partake of its priviledges if it throw it self into the arms of Christ to save it it will throw it self at the feet of Christ to serve him as Paul Lord what wilt thou have me to do 3. It must be such a Trust as ariseth from a believing disposition within There must be a seed and habit of faith before there can be an act of faith Although the acts be discerned before the habits yet there must be a habit a believing disposition within before we can act I know there are many who in case of danger lying upon their death bed or some present wrack and disquiet will make shew of doing this act of faith but yet wanting this believing disposition within like Jonahs Gourd or the untimely fruit of a woman or the stony ground-seed having no root soon withers decays and cometh to nothing God respecteth not the act of faith if it arise not from a believing disposition within but God hath sometimes accepted of the believing disposition and desires of faith when there hath not been strength enough to erect any vigorous act of believing I believe help my unbelief 4. It must be a perfect Trust 1 Pet. 1.13 Trust perfectly in the grace revealed Perfect I say not in respect of the measures and degrees of Trust there is none such here But yet perfect in respect of the nature of it i. e. there must be a full carrying of the soul over to Christ and a full rowling and resting on him It cannot be meant of the perfection of degrees for there can be no such absolute perfection to which another degree may not be added there is none so perfect in faith but that he may be more perfect none so strong but that he may be stronger although we cannot be more justified to day than we were yesterday in the sight of God For we say that Gratia remittens or justificans the justifying grace of God admits of no degrees is not capable of magis minus Yet the assurance of our Justification is a man may be more assured of his Justification to day than he was yesterday As justifying faith doth imply imperfection in the subject so the faith it self whereby we are justified is imperfect whilst we are here in respect of degrees But in the nature of it it must be so perfect that it carrieth the soul over wholly to Christ alone resting and rowling on him for an imperfect trust in this kinde is as good as nothing He that doth not rest the full weight and stress of his soul on Christ doth nothing for the matter of trust It is not every faint stirring and moving of the heart not every incompleat resting but such a full rest of the soul upon Christ that if he fails us we are sunk and undone for ever As you know a man is said to lean upon a thing not when he bears up himself onely by his own feet but when he rests a great part if not the whole weight of his body upon some thing or person else so that if it fail he falleth so thus it is to lean to rest upon Christ to commit the whole weight and stress of our souls to him that if he fail me I am undone I am lost for ever I see I am in a miserable condition I see he is an all-sufficient Saviour I see that there is nothing but death in me I see there is life enough in him and he invites me to come over to him he intreats beseecheth promiseth and therefore I will go over to him I will cast my self wholly on him I will look no other way therewill I trust and if I perish I perish I will dye in his arms I will dye believing This indeed is that great act of faith which entituleth us to Christ and gives us an interest in him even in the dusk of the morning the soul hath an interest And therefore on the contrary there is no readier way to be mistaken and so to miscarry than to trust equally to two stays to trust to Christ and to trust to our selves too As there is no way whereby a man is likelier to fall than to trust equally to two boughs whereof the one is sound and the other rotten whereof if one break it is as bad as if both did the man is sure to come to the ground whereas had he pitched his whole weight on the sound one onely he had been born up So here in leaning both on Christ and our selves whereas if we commit our souls and all their burdens to Christ onely if we fail he sinks with us We are sure to be upheld the Promise Covenant the Oath of Christ even Christ himself and all would sink if we fail If thy trust be thus qualified I pronounce thee a justified person no soul ever miscarried in a trusting way it is such an act as doth ingage all the Attributes of God his Justice Truth Mercy Power and all to do us good Object 2. But I have put forth this act of faith and yet alas I am not justified Answ Thou sayest thou puts forth this act of faith and thus qualified and yet thou sayest thou art not justified How knowest thou that Thou sayest thou art not because thou dost not know thou art I know that will be the next For thus poor hearts reason to their own discouragement I want assurance of Justification therefore I am not justified I want that inward peace and therefore fear my peace is not made with God Though there be nothing more clear than this that a man may have peace with God and yet want the peace of this in himself it is possible for a man to be justified and yet want assurance of it within Affiance doth justifie in the Court of God Assurance justifieth in the Court of Conscience to be justified is one thing to be assured is another In the object all is sure in the subject there may be much uncertainty It is possible for a man to put forth the act of faith yea and to continue in so doing and yet walk without peace and apprehensions of his own safety thy condition may be safe in the promise to the eye of faith though not to thy self in the evidence of sense Thy condition may be safe and secure although thou for the present dost not apprehend thy own safety or the security of it It is secure in the promise in respect of God though stormy and troubled to sense in respect of our selves Thou must not therefore look for a clear day and that the shower be over as soon as thou hast taken shelter nor for a calm so soon as thou hast cast anchor but thou must abide under the shelter and ride at anchor till the shower and storm be over and wait till times of refreshment shall come from the presence of the Lord. Godly security and apprehensions of safety do not ever presently attend
had except he do historically believe as Simon Magus and others did who did not feign a Faith in words as Calvin saith but being overcome with the Majestie of the Gospel did in a sort sc historically believe and acknowledge Christ the Author of Life and Salvation Nay and if man did not Historically believe then all the sins committed against the Gospel were only sins of Ignorance and not against Knowledge So that there were no sins in the Gospel against Knowledge Nor Now neither if this bee granted And therefore as their Non-Receiving of him was not so much an Act of the Understanding whereby they Assented not to this That CHRIST was the Messiah But rather an Act of the VVill whereby they refused him to bee their Saviour As you see plainly exprest by CHRIST Luk. 19.14 wee will not have this man to reign over us So Mat. 23.37 So that their Receiving of him was not a bare Act of the Understanding whereby they Assented to this That CHRIST was the Saviour But an act of the VVill whereby they chose him embraced him rested and trusted upon him as a Saviour And therefore seeing this Act of Receiving of CHRIST is not an act of the Understanding but an act of the VVill imbracing him trusting on him And that this Receiving is Beleeving as the Evangelist saith Therefore To beleeve is to trust To the other places Isa 53.11 John 17.3 where Faith seems to bee an act of the Understanding As By his Knowledge shall hee justifie many And This is eternal life To know thee c. Wee are to understand them Senechdochically where part is set down for the whole The whole nature of Faith being implied in those Phrases These Phrases are Hebraismes In which language words of Knowledge and Sense do imply the Will and Affections They do not only signifie the Act of the mind and Sense but imply the Will and affections too As you see Psal 1.6 The Lord knoweth the way of the Righteous That is The Lord loveth The Lord approveth of the way of the Righteous So where it is said Depart from mee I know you not That is I love you not I allow not of you I approve you not And so may that place in Isa 53.11 bee interpreted Non solum agnitionem Personae beneficiorum Christi significat sed etiam Fiduciam quiescentem in Christi It doth not only signifie the knowledge of the person and benefits of Christ but resting and trusting upon them Such a Knowledge of Christ as is mingled with Faith and works our Wills to accept of CHRIST to trust in him CHRIST being So known as to bee Embraced Rested upon Trusted upon shall justifie many Hee speaks of such a Knowledge of CHRIST as is joyned with Faith And to the Testimony of the Fathers alledged As wee will not Resolve our Faith into the Authority of any though never so eminent in the Church So No Authority shall bear us down in this matter if it bee not Consentaneous and Agreeable to the Word of Truth It is no matter what others have taught before us Nil refert quid hic aut ille ante nos docuerit sed quid is qui ante omnes est CHRISTUS Ciprian but what CHRIST himself who was before all hath taught who is Truth himself So that seeing this is not manifested I might refel them with the same ease as they are alledged But seeing Authority is stood upon And I reverence Authority when it is with God And that Authority doth make Faith nothing but An Act of the Understanding whereby wee assent Wee will in the same way overthrow that by setting Authority against Authority Weight against Weight That if nothing will bee said for us so nothing may bee said against us One may balance the other if not weigh it down Now that it is An Act of the Will also let us hear Augustine Fides sine Voluntate non potest esse Et Fides in Credentium Voluntate consistit Faith lyes in the Will Again Voluntate utique credimus Verily wee beleeve with the Will Credere non potest nisi Volens August upon John 6.44 God makes a man willing before hee can beleeve A man may receive the Sacrament against his Will pray against his Will But hee cannot beleeve against his Will said Augustine Another It were not Vertuous to beleeve if it were not voluntary Ipsum velle credere est essentiale Fidei To beleeve willingly is essential to Faith Another upon Rom. 10. With the heart man beleeves upon which hee saith Signantèr dicit Corde creditur id est Voluntate Hee saith remarkably man beleeves with the heart that is with the Will To these I might alledge many more But these shall suffice By which you see That Authority is more for us than against us But leaving the Contestation wee will come to the Issue and conclude this And To speak what I think I conceive that to beleeve is not an Act of the Will only Nor an Act of the Understanding only But An Act of the whole Soul It is so an Act of the Will as the Understanding is folded up in it and so an Act of the Understanding as that the Will and Affections are joyned with it Hence by some it 's call'd Actus Complicatus An Act wherein many Acts are folded up An Act of the Understanding An Act of the Will And ' its not Absurd to mee but very fit to say That That Act whereby the whole Soul is justified pardoned purified is an Act of the whole Soul As the Apostle saith With the Heart man beleeveth to Righteousness So that In Intellectu habet Initium In Voluntate Complementum It begins in the Understanding It is compleat in the Will and Affections All that I know of moment against this will bee this That wee shall seat Faith in diverse faculties which is improper Now for the Answer or removing this wee say 1 That Distinction of Faculties is a Philosophical Opinion and not received by all So that the Will and the Understanding are two distinct Faculties is an Opinion not received by all Many there are that make them more Notional than Real As the East West North and South in the Heavens Not that there are such things but that such things are feigned for our clearer Understanding It is thought by many of good worth that Anima intelligit in intellectu Eligit in Voluntate c. That there 's no such distinction of Faculties But that the same Soul doth Understand in the Understanding VVill in the VVill Doth Understand VVill Love and do all And there 's Scripture for it where wee read all these Acts attributed to the Soul it self As namely an Understanding Heart A willing mind c. And therefore seeing it is a bare Philosophical Opinion and not received by All This will not overthrow nor strengthen any Divine Truths 2 Though this were true That there were distinction of
The second is The Assurance of the Subject The first Of the thing beleeved The second Of the Beleever The first is The Assurance of the general Proposition whoever beleeves shall bee saved which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Col. 2. The full Assurance of Understanding or Knowledge which is the Plerophory of Assent to the Truth of the Gospel touching CHRIST a Saviour The second is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Assurance of Faith Heb. 10.22 And that is when wee are assured CHRIST is OUR SAVIOUR The first goes before the Act of Trust The second follows the Act of Trust And this Act of trusting and resting upon CHRIST is the ground of such Assurance Object But you will say How shall wee rest upon CHRIST for Salvation unless wee bee first assured of Salvation by him Answ Indeed unless wee know CHRIST to bee the only Saviour wee cannot rest upon him for Salvation But to say A man cannot rest upon him for Justification and Salvation except hee know hee is already Justified and shall bee saved I see little sense for that May not a man trust upon his friend who hath ingaged himself and promised to do such a thing for him untill hee knows it were already done for him So here May not the Soul rest upon CHRIST who hath promised pardon and forgiveness to them that trust on him except it first knew that CHRIST had already pardoned and forgiven him The ground of this mistake I conceive to arise from one of these two grounds 1 That they take TRUST for ASSURANCE or 2 That they take TRUST for a FRUIT of ASSURANCE And so all one with HOPE Now for the clearing of the first you must know that TRUST doth signifie these two things 1 Ipsum Actum Innitendi the very act of leaning c. 2 Consequens effectum Fidei the consequent Effect of Faith 1 It signifies that very act of Leaning Resting Rowling on CHRIST which is properly the act that Justifies 2 Sometimes it signifies the consequent Effect of Faith as full assurance and perswasion the lively sense of pardon and remission of sins But when wee speak of that act of Trust which Justifies wee mean not Trust in this second Acception For this is not Justifying Faith but Fidei Justificantis Filia the Daughter of Justifying Faith which comes after much sweat and pains in the work of God trial and experience of our selves and truth of our Graces But wee speak of Trust in the first Acception the resting and rowling of the soul upon CHRIST The former wee say is the act of justifying Faith and propriissimus actus Fidei justificantis the most proper act of justifying Faith The latter wee grant is the fruit of the former Trust and Assurance both set down by the Apostle 1 Tim. 1.12 I Know saith the Apostle whom I have beleeved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whom I have trusted or committed my soul unto There is the first act of Faith And I am perswaded that hee is able to keep that which I have committed to his trust to eternal life There 's the second act of Trust Hee will bee all this to mee which I have Trusted to him for 1. I know There was Hystorical Faith Assent 2. Whom I have trusted or committed my soul to There was justifying Faith 3. I am perswaded There was the fruit of it To the first Act there concurs 1. A discovery of our own emptiness 2. A Discovery of CHRISTS fulness for Justification 3. A casting of the Soul upon him for Justification and Salvation Going out of our selves and casting our souls upon Christ To the second Act there is required 1. Not only a Knowledge that hee is a Saviour 2. But also a Knowledge that hee is My Saviour upon whom I trust or I am perswaded of Salvation by The second mistake is That they take Trust for a fruit of Assurance And so no ore but Hope Propter Spem Roboratam for strengthened Hope Answ That this act of Trust which wee make justifying Faith is not an act of Hope but doth differ from Hope or that affiance which they make Hope strengthened In this 1. That Hope looks to the end which is Salvation But this act of Trust looks to the Means which brings to the end and that is Christ 2. The act of Hope is to expect But the act of Trust is to lean and rest 3. The Object of Hope is Bonum Futurum a Future Good But the object of Trust is Bonum Presens a Present Good This act of Trust doth rest upon Christ Non per modum expectantis sed per modum possidentis not by way of Expectation but by way of Possession As Hee that beleeves in the Son hath life It is not said Hee shall have life but Hee hath life not in Spe but in Re not in Hope only but in Hand The life of Righteousness and Justification in Hand The life of Glory and Salvation in Hope And thus much shall serve for the first thing what Faith is In which I hope most of the controversie is over 2. Wee now come to the second That Faith is the only requisite whereby wee should bee justified and saved I shall not need to stand long on it 1. Union and Communion with Christ is requisite to Justification and Salvation There was no way whereby wee should bee Justified whereby wee should bee saved But only by vertue of our Union and Communion with Christ 1. No other way but by vertue of our Union with Christ In our selves wee were dead Branches and grew upon a dead stock and there was no help nor hope for us till wee were cut off from our own stocks the stock of Nature And were ingrafted into Christ who is the Stock of Life Hence the Apostle Hee that hath the Son hath Life and hee that hath not the Son hath not Life Hee that is united and ingrafted into Christ hath Life the Life of Justification here and shall have the Life of Glorification hereafter But hee that hath not the Son Hee who is not united to Christ hath not Life Nor the Life of Justification here Nor the Life of Glorification hereafter So that you see there is no Hope of Life or Justification except wee bee united to Christ who hath all Life in him There 's nothing but death in the World out of him And there 's no way to have Union with Christ but by Faith which is one bond of our Union with Christ It is Faith that unites us to Christ as Members to the Head And being Members of Christ God pardons us If a Malefactor had committed treason against a King and were adjudged to lose his hand or his eye If hee could now make his Hand or his eye which hee were to lose to become the Hand or the eye of the Kings Son Hee should bee spared hee should not lose them They were the hands and the eyes of the Kings Son And the King would spare
them for his Sons sake So here Wee were guilty of Treason were condemned to death Now this is the dexterity of Faith to make our selves to bee Members of Christ It is Faith that doth ingraft us into Christ whereas before wee grew upon dead stocks now being ingrafted into the stock of Christ the stock of Life wee have Life derived to us It is Faith that marries us to Christ and being married to him hee answers all our debts It is by Faith wee put on Christ by Faith wee are built on Christ as the House on its Foundation And therefore seeing there is no way to bee saved but by our Union with Christ And there is no Union but by Faith Therefore it follows Faith is the great requisite whereby wee must be saved That for Union 2. For our Communion with Christ Faith is necessary There is no way to bee saved but by vertue of communion with the Righteousness of Christ 1 Not by our own any done by us or wrought out of our selves This is too short A menstruous ragge A ragge and not able to cover us as a Garment too narrow for us Wee cannot weave a web of Righteousness of our own able to cover us wee shall but adde sin to sin 2. Not by Righteousness of Saints or Angels 1. Theirs is incommunicable There 's no way whereby wee should have communion with it They are not of our Natures to wit the Angels There must bee an union of Nature before there can bee communion Nay But were it communicable yet it were insufficient It is but a finite Righteousness and therefore not able to answer an infinite debt If the least sin did lye upon the back of the tallest Angel in Heaven it were not enough All the Righteousness hee hath would not bee enough to save him from Hell And therefore theirs can do us no good To make short of it There 's no way to bee justified and saved but by Communion with the Righteousness of Christ the Righteousness of his active and passive obedience Obedientia Legis Obedientia Crucis 1. The one In Precium 2. The other In Praemium By the one answering Gods condemning Justice By the other answering God commanding Justice By the one satisfying his vindictive Justice whereby he did bear our scourges By the other answering Gods remunerative Justice whereby hee did perform our services Now there was no way to have Communion with this Righteousness of Christ but by Faith Faith gives us Union with Christ And by vertue of our Union wee have Communion with him As by vertue of our Oneness with the first Adam His sin was made ours So by vertue of our Oneness with the second Adam His Righteousness is made ours Faith makes us Members of Christ. Faith unites us to Christ And by vertue of our Vnion with him as the Members with the Head wee have derived from him Life and Spirit Sense and Motion Wee have communion with him In his Wisdome to direct us In his Righteousness to justifie us In his Holiness to sanctifie us In his Redemption to glorifie us Christ is made to us Wisdome Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption Faith ingrafts us into Christ as the Branch into the Vine And by vertue of our ingrafture into him wee draw forth life strength and nourishment from him who is our root By Faith wee put on Christ and so have communion with the Robes of his Righteousness whereby wee stand justified in Gods sight As Jacob got the blessing by his elder Brothers apparel So wee by the Robes of Christ which are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Righteousness of Saints By Faith wee are married to Christ and by vertue of this marriage wee have communion with all his Riches as the Wife hath with her Husbands Estate And Christ hath communion with all our debts So that you see Faith is that Grace which gives us union with Christ And by vertue of that union with him we have communion with all of Christ It gives us communion with the Righteousness of Christ Hee is The Lord our Righteousness And by Faith it is as truly ours to save us as his to glorifie him It gives us communion with the Life and Spirit of Christ with the death and sufferings of Christ with the merits and victories of Christ with the priviledges and immunities of Christ as Adoption Son-ship c. It gives us communion with his Wisdome to direct us with his Power to protect us with his Mercy to save us So that As David said God hath sworn in his Holiness He had made a Promise to him And therefore hee saith I will rejoyce I will divide Shechem and mete out the Valley of Succoth Gilead is mine so the soul may say God hath said This Son of mine I have given you Isa 9.6 And therefore Christ is mine 3. Why God should make choice of this Grace for our Justification Not to say any thing of this which might bee one Reason That the Remedy might answer the Fall The Fall was by unbeleeving As you see Hee gave credit to the Serpent and not to God So God would make our Recovery by Faith But this wee pass Wee read in Scripture of four grounds wherefore God made choice of this Grace for the Justification of a sinner 1. That Justification might bee of Grace 2. That the Promise might bee sure 3. That it might bee to all the seed 4. That no man might boast The three former you shall read Rom. 4.16 The last Ephes 2.9 1. For the first God made choice of this that wee should have Justification by way of beleeving That it might bee by Grace If it had been by any other way by reason of any thing wrought in us or by us If it had been by Desert not of Grace of Wages not of Mercy of Debt not of Favour If God had promised Justification upon any work of ours had told us wee must bring so much Humiliation so much Repentance so much brokenness of Spirit so much Grace so many Prayers Alms-deeds and then wee should bee justified It had not then been of Grace not of Free-Mercy And therefore God For the advancement of his Free-Grace and Mercy that wee might cry out with them in Zach. 4.7 Grace Grace That wee might see admire adore the Riches of his Grace The height and depth and breadth and length of his Free-Mercy Therefore hath God chose this way for the Justification of a sinner 2. That the Promise might bee sure If it had been any other way the Promise could not have been sure That which makes the Promise sure is this 1. That it is not founded upon any thing in us If it were it could never bee sure If there were any thing besides the breast of God to bee a bottom and foundation for the Promise It could never bee sure 2. That it is not performed nor contrived for any thing done by us but out of his Free-Mercy and Love If
therefore hee hath chosen Faith to bee the Grace whereby wee should bee Justified And if ever you would bee justified if ever you would have Glory give him Glory 4. The fourth thing at first propounded to bee cleared was How Faith justifieth For the clearer answer whereto wee will lay down these two Distinctions 1 Faith may be considered 1. Either formally as an inherent Grace of God in us 2 Or instrumentally as that whereby wee receive Christ In the first sense it hath nothing to do with Justification The Papist because wee deny Faith to justifie in respect of its own worthiness say that we make it titulum sine re as it were a matter of nothing whereas in respect of Justification wee acknowledge it the only instrument and that is much to bee said of it 2 Faith is considered 1. Either absolutely as a Habit or Act of ours 2. Or Relatively as it hath relation to Christ and makes us one with him In the former sense again it hath nothing to do with Justification but in the second sense as it is related to Christ and brings us over to Christ so it is said to justifie us because it brings us to him by whom wee are justified Act. 13.39 By him speaking of Christ all that beleeve are justified by him but not by Faith absolutely but only as relating to him Indeed wee are said to live by Faith as well as by Christ Gal. 2.20 to have remission of sins by Faith Act. 10.43 as well as by Christ Ephes 1.7 to bee justified by Faith Rom. 3.28 as well as by Christ Isa 53.11 to have peace with God by Faith Rom. 5.1 as well as by Christ Col. 1.20 to bee sanctified by Faith Act. 15.9 as well as by Christ 1 Cor. 1.30 to overcome the World by Faith 1 John 5.4 5. as well as by Christ John 16.33 To bee the Sons of God by Faith Gal. 3.26 as well as by Christ Ephes 1.5 to have eternal life and to bee saved by Faith John 5.24 Ephes 2.8 as well as by Christ Math. 1.21 John 3.17 1 John 5.11 But now you must consider that none of these are spoken of Faith absolutely considered as either an Habit or Act of ours but only relatively as Faith brings us to Christ and makes us one with him by whom alone wee are justified adopted sanctified c. for between Christ and Faith there is such a Relation that as Justifying Faith is called the Faith of Christ or Faith in Christ or Faith in his blood so again the Righteousness of Christ by which wee are justified is called the Righteousness of Faith And so wee conclude this point that Faith doth not justifie as absolutely considered in it self but relatively as it hath relation to Christ the object and as it brings the soul over to him makes us one with him by whom wee are justified have remission of sins salvation c. 5 What are the Royalties and Priviledges of Faith First Royalty 1. Royalty of Faith It s an heart-clearing Grace 1. Faith is an heart-clearing Grace When wee are under the guilt of sin Faith doth justifie us And it is one of the Royalties of Faith one of the Peculiars of Faith that Faith alone doth justifie As the Apostle Rom. 3.28 Therefore wee conclude that a man is justified by Faith without the deeds of the Law And this Faith clears the heart of the guilt of sin 1. By procuring a sufficient Pay-master Christ who hath satisfied Gods Justice to the full answered all Bills Bonds paid our debt to the utmost farthing Hence John 16.10 I will send the Spirit and hee shall convince the World of Righteousness because I go to my Father and you shall see mee no more That is hee shall convince the World That Perfect Righteousness is wrought for them That Gods Justice is compleatly satisfied But how shall wee know that Because I go to my Father and you shall see mee no more That is you shall see mee no more in this kind you shall see mee no more to come to suffer or satisfy for sin for I have done that already I have compleatly satisfied Gods Justice for sin And therefore you shall see mee no more in this kind Indeed If Justice had not been compleatly satisfied If there had been but one sin upon the file unsatisfied for wee should have seen him again Heaven could not have held him But now seeing hee is gone and wee see him no more an humbled a suffering-Saviour this shews all is done To this I might adde Col. 2.14 Hee hath blotted out the hand writing of Ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and hath taken it out of the way and nailed it to his Cross where by hand-writing of Ordinances is not meant the Ceremonial-Law only but whatever did binde us over to the Curse whatever did binde us over to death All which Christ hath removed by his death And the Apostles Gradation is observable here In the 13th verse hee had set down that our sins were forgiven Yea but that is not enough may some say Though the debt bee discharged yet the writing is to shew No saith the Apostle The Hand-writing of Ordinances is blotted out But may some say again it is not so blotted out so defaced but it may bee read and put in suit again a new quarrel may arise No saith the Apostle It is taken away Oh! But you will say it is not so taken away but as it is laid aside for a time it may be produced hereafter No saith the Apostle there is no fear of that it is nailed to the Cross it is torn in peeces it shall never be seen again never shall a new quarrel arise for the same Christ hath not only paid the debt but canceld and torn in peeces whatever might witness or testifie against us If a Debtor did know his Debt were answered yet if hee have his Bonds and Bills uncall'd in hee is still in fear But when hee hath all things which acknowledged his debt crossed torn in peeces made utterly void then hee is safe hee knows there is a discharge Why Christ did not only discharge our debt but defaced and abolished all such things as made acknowledgement of our debt hee left nothing that might witness against us untaken away And this is the first way whereby Faith doth clear us viz. by producing and bringing forth Christ who hath cleared all who is called a Suerty Heb. 7.22 Not only in passing his word for us but paying the Debt for us answering all and cancelling all that was against us But Faith doth not clear us only by producing of a sufficient Pay-master but 2. By making us one with Christ by which this payment is ours is all for us So that wee may say with Ambrose Pro me natus pro me vixit pro me mortuus Faith will say hee was born for mee hee lived for mee hee dyed for mee for mee hee fulfilled all
day and poor to morrow The Lord hath given Dominus dedit Dominus abstulit the Lord hath taken away Both with one breath Hence the wise man Riches make themselves wings and flye away But these are abiding Treasure A Treasure whose spring is in Heaven whose Foundation is in Christ Our life is hid with Christ in God not only hid for secrecy but hid for safety It is a safe life an abiding life Nay but if they should continue yet will they do us no good in the day of trouble They cannot save our souls from nor in the day of wrath They cannot save us from sicknesse nor from death not from Hell Nor are they able to mitigate our Torments to purchase one drop of water in that lake of fire What profit had Ahab of his Vineyard Baltazar of his cups Dives of his wealth Judas of his thirty-pence Agrippa of his gay apparel The rich fool of his full barns All these would do them no good Neither quench nor bribe these flames but rather afford Oile to increase them But now Grace that riches which Faith doth inrich us withall it is such as will uphold us in sickness bee a choice cordial in that bitter potion it will deliver us in death save us in the day of wrath and inable us to lift up our heads with joy and boldness in the day of Judgement that terrible day of the Lord when the wicked shall tremble before the Judge and call upon the Mountains to fall upon them and the Hills to cover them from the presence of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Hast thou other riches and wantest thou Faith Hast thou Mountains of Gold Rocks of Diamonds shores of Rubies And wantest thou Faith wantest thou Grace Oh! thou art a poor man Thus you see Faith is an Heart-inriching-Grace A Beleever hath title to all A Beleever is the poorest and the richest man in the World As none is poorer than a godly man in himself so none is richer than a Beleever in Christ Hee is as having nothing and yet possessing all things Christ is the Heir of all things All are yours if you bee Christs No sooner can the soul say Christ is mine but hee may say His Blood is mine his Spirit mine his Glory mine all is mine Christ and all his are conveyed and made over by the same Deed of Gift Hence the Apostle saith Wee are made partakers of Christ Not of some part but of Christ all Christ not of Justification only but say Christ and there is all Fifteenth Royalty 15. Royalty Faith is an Heart-raising-Grace 15. Faith is an Heart-raising-Grace There is a threefold Death that Faith doth raise up the soul from 1. The Death of Sin 2. The Death of inward Trouble 3. The Death of outward Trouble 1. Faith raiseth up the soul from the Death of Sin Wee are all of us Dead by nature in trespasses and sins Ephes 2.1 Dead-Born And as dead men so wee have no notion to spiritual things no motion no strength to any good no sense being insensible of the weight of sin insensible of mercies and judgements wee have no desires after any thing good no affection to them And a Death it is not only Privative A meer absence and privation of spiritual life but a Positive Death wherein there is an Introduction of a Positive vitious Habit. As in Natural Death there is not only a Privation of Life of the former form but the Position of another form there is another form left in the body So in Spiritual Death there is not only a meer Absence a bare Privation of Life But there is a Positive Evil and Vitious Habit left in the soul Hence Heb. 9.14 The works of natural men are called Dead works There would bee a contradiction in calling them Dead works if unregenerate men were only deprived of spiritual life and had not another positive evil form in them Thus dead wee are then not only Privatively but Positively And it is Faith which doth raise up the Soul from the Death of Sin to the Life of Grace Faith is the Resurrection of the Soul from under the spiritual death the Death of Sin The first rise of the Soul from the Death of Sin is by beleeving Vita sancta aâ— fide sumit initium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fide regeneramut Calv. Resipiscentia non modo fidem subsequitur sed ex ea noscitur Calv. ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fides justificationem praecipit sanctificationem efficit Tilen An holy life hath its rise from Faith The Fountain of all our spiritual Graces The worker of all good things That which begets Love Fear Repentance Hence Calvin saith Faith regenerates Repentance doth not only follow Faith but doth arise from Faith Hence Clemens Alexandrinus Faith is the first awakening the first inclination of the Soul to Christ. Hence by some Faith and the New Creation Faith and Sanctification do differ as much as the Cause and the Effect Faith is the Instrument of Justification but the efficient of Sanctification They who distinguish Regeneration which is part of our Vocation and Sanctification do make Faith and Sanctification differ as much as Cause and Effect Vocation say they produceth Faith â—nd Faith being begotten produceth Sanctification both habitual and â—ctual Hence it 's called the Mother-Grace But they who make Vocation and Sanctification all one and both to bee nothing else but our inherent Righteousness or those Habits that frame of Grace implanted in the Soul whereof Faith is a part they do say Faith doth not produce the Cause of the Habits of Graces but Faith produceth the acts of Grace of Love Repentance c. Faith doth not produce the Habits but the acts of Grace For the clearing of this Sanctification may bee considered as it is either In actu primo vel secundo 1. Habitual Or 2. Actual 1. For our Habitual Sanctification There wee say the Spirit of God is the only Cause and Faith is an Effect as well as others Faith is a part of our inherent Sanctification 2. For our Actual Sanctification or as those Habits do act and exercise and there wee say Faith doth help to produce the acts of Grace of Love of Repentance 1 Tim. 1.5 Love out of a pure heart and a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned Faith doth not only lend an hand to its Fellow-Graces for the perfecting of Grace but Faith doth help to produce the Acts of Grace the Acts of Love of Repentance Zeal Patience c. Though at the same time they bee all implanted yet in Nature Faith hath the precedency and helps to produce the Acts of all the rest As God the Father is before the Son in Nature yet not in Time Hee is not a Father till hee have a Son So is it to bee understood concerning Faith and all other Graces 2. Faith raiseth us up
from the Death of inward Troubles As the sense of Gods Love the apprehension of his favour is the life of the Soul Psal 30.5 In his favour is Life So the sense of Gods Displeasure is the Death of the Soul Psal 88.10 Shall the Dead arise to praise thee Hee speaks of that spiritual Desertion in which hee was labouring under the sense of Gods wrath and displeasure which hee calls the Death of the Soul Shall the Dead arise to praise thee Shall my Soul dead and sunk with discouragements and apprehensions of thy wrath Shall it arise to praise thee So that this is the Death of the Soul Now Faith doth raise the Soul up from this Death When the Soul seems to bee sunk and buried under the apprehensions of Gods displeasure is slain with discouragements lies gasping and breathing for comfort The least touch of the Promise by Faith doth raise up and revive the Soul and fetches a man to life again All the while that sense works a man sinks deeper and deeper into this sad condition But let sense sit still and Faith come in and act its part and the Soul cannot lye so low in Trouble but it will raise it up Psal 77.10 I said this is my Death yet will I remember the years of the right hand of the most high c. What a precious thing is Faith It is call'd precious Faith And so it is indeed that is able to work such wonders in the Soul in an instant What a Cordial is this when a man is in swounding and fainting-fits that one taste of the Promise by Faith will fetch him to life again when the soul lies in the dust under sad apprehensions heavy Agonies sinking and dying one dram one grain of Faith will fetch him to life again set him on his feet again walking and leaping and praising God This is precious Faith indeed Now for the manner how Faith doth work for the raising up of the Soul from under these spiritual Troubles wee will only adde these particulars 1. Faith doth in this condition look back upon soul-raising-Experiences It causes a man to consider the dayes of old the years of ancient time as David did in the same condition Psal 77.5 It makes a man revive those former experiences of Gods Love those former workings those fore-past evidences those broken Rings Pledges Love-tokens which have passed betwixt God and the Soul Such a time hee took mee up into his Chariot and spake friendly to mee Such a time I sate down under his shadow and his Banner over mee was love Such a time hee took mee down into his Winecellar staied mee with Flaggons Such a time hee brake into my soul discovered himself to mee a Reconciled God gave mee an earnest of his love a testimony that hee manifested himself to mee came and supped with mee gave mee the White stone the Hidden Manna the New Name c. This is the Act of Faith Thus doth it produce the former evidences and experiences of Love and from these doth take up arguments to raise the Soul in this dark condition Why will Faith say Once a Father and ever a Father Once a Friend and never an Enemy Though wee change yet God doth not change With him there is no variableness nor shadow of change His carriage may alter his heart cannot His expression may vary his Affections cannot God hath spoken Peace and hee will never unsay what hee hath said Hee hath given mee sure evidences and hee will never take them away again though hee may withhold the comfort of them Hee that hath been gracious will bee gracious Men shut their hands because they have opened them but because hee hath once opened his hands hee will never shut them 2. Faith looks upon Soul-raising-Promises Such as are not only made for support but for deliverance I will not contend for ever nor will I bee alwayes wroth least the Spirit which I have made should fail before mee and the Soul which I have created I was angry with him I hid my face from him But I will heal him I will lead him also and restore comfort to him and to his mourners Isa 57.16 17 18. For a moment I have forsaken thee but with everlasting kindness have I had compassion on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer c. Isa 54.8 9 10 11. Zion said the Lord hath forsaken mee My God hath forgotten mee Can a Woman forget her child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb Yea they may but I will never forget thee Behold I have Graven thee upon the Palms of my hands thy ways are ever in my sight These and such like promises Faith looks upon It doth not so much look at the Face of God Gods outward carriage and expression in the condition as at the Heart of God and his inward affection which lyes in the Promise Full well Faith knows The Ground of Comfort doth not lye in the Face of God the aspects of God If so then our comforts could not bee stable This alters as wee alter changeth as wee change But the ground of Faiths comfort lyes in the Promises and thither it hath recourse when from Outward appearance it can get no comfort Sense looks upon the face of God onely upon his outward presence But Faith looks upon the Heart of God in the Promise where it sees a Calmy heart under a Stormy countenance inward Smiles though outward frowns Inward Affections of Love under Outward expressions of displeasure As Joseph had the affections of a brother under the expressions of an Enemy Hee could put on expressions of an enemy An angry countenance but yet not put off Affections of a brother A loving heart so is it often with God And therefore Faith doth view him in The Promise hath recourse thither as you see poor David had in the like case Psal 77. to the tenth verse Hee was in sad Conditions and nothing could raise him God absented himself from him Hee fell to Praying to Complaining but yet no comfort came Hee complained and his spirit was overwhelmed Hee was so farre from Ease by this that his Spirit was more opprest Nay Hee cald to remembrance times past All this whie comfort came not in At last hee betakes himself to the Promise hath recourse to the Covenant and then his Soul revived ver 10. Thus Faith looks upon the firmness of the Covenant the stability of the Promise and is raised revived Read Isa 49.14 15. Isa 54. from seven to eleven which are Soul-raising-promises 3 Faith lays hold upon a soul-raising-Christ Upon whom whosoever doth lay hold hee will pull him out of the deepest waters If a man under water have hold of any thing above him it will pull him out hee shall not sink So here when wee are overwhelmed in these deep waters if by Faith the Soul lay hold on Christ it will bear him up and bring him forth John 12.46 I am come a
Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also through Faith wee have access into this Grace wherein wee stand rejoycing under the hope of the Glory of God Rom. 15.13 The God of Hope fill you with all Joy and Peace in Beleeving Where there 's Faith there 's Joy If Faith of Evidence Ubi Fiducia ibi Laetitia there Joy doth naturally result and arise from it If but Faith of Adherence there Joy is hid and secret though it doth not appear The seed of Joy is hid as yet under the Clods of Faith but in time it will break forth and appear Joy is there though it bee not seen There may bee a divorce between Faith and actual rejoycing for a time but there can bee no divorce between Faith and the Matter and Ground of Rejoycing not between Faith and the Affection of Joy My Joy shall none take from you Thus you see Faith is an Heart-chearing-Grace It fills the soul with such a Joy as nothing is able to bereave the soul thereof It is not Losses Crosses Poverty Sickness Prisons Persecutions which are able to take away this Joy of Faith 1. Faith will inable a man to rejoyce in Bonds to rejoyce in Tribulations and Sufferings for Christ as the Apostle saith As Sufferings abound the Consolations shall superabound As if all the floods of Consolation did issue from the spring of Sufferings 2. It will inable a man to rejoyce in sicknesse Faith will bee our best Cordial and let in such a beam of Gods love into the Soul as will chear and comfort the heart in this condition warm and inlighten it not only inlighten but warm the heart in this condition 3. It will inable a man to Rejoyce in Poverty in Calamity in Famine You see Habakkuks confidence Hab. 3.17 18. Although the Figtree do not blossome nor shall there bee fruit in the Vines though the labour of the Olive shall fail and the field shall yeeld no meat though the sheep bee cut off from the Fold and there bee no Bullock in the stall yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my Salvation Though the waters of Calamity should rise so high as to drown up all his comforts yet hee could rejoyce in God In the absence of all worldly comforts Faith can let in springs of Consolation from God to rejoyce the Soul If God if Christ if Glory can rejoyce the heart Faith will not want matter of Joy in the saddest condition It is an Heart-chearing Grace Faith will present to man Soul-rejoycing-grounds There are these five grounds of Rejoycing 1. Our Election Hence Christ saith Rejoyce that your Names are written in the Book of Life 2. Our Redemption 3. Our Justification 4. Our Sanctification 5. The Promises and Hopes of Glorification And Faith presents all these grounds of rejoycing It makes a discovery to the soul that wee are Gods chosen such as hee hath elected that wee are his Redeemed ones such as hee hath purchased that wee are his Justified ones such as hee hath pardoned that wee are his holy ones such as hee hath sanctified and shall bee hereafther glorified And when such a report is made to the soul from Heaven when Faith hath been in Heaven and brings this news down to the soul how can it bee but the Soul must rejoyce and bee filled with all Consolations Object But alas you will say Who are more sad who are more disconsolate than Beleevers are And therefore how is Faith an Heart-chearing-Grace Ans 1. Beleevers may rejoyce and thou not discern it It is a Joy which is not known but by experience Hence the Apostle saith It is a Joy that passeth all understanding None know it but they who feel it A stranger doth not intermeddle with this Joy As they cannot feel it so they cannot see it and therefore are no Competent Judges whether Gods people are joyfull or whether they bee sorrowfull 2. But to answer further You say Beleevers are sad and disconsolate people 1. All Beleevers are not so They are such as are 1. Under some present cross and affliction Gods hand is gone out against them though for good For all things work together for good to them that love God and are chosen according to his purpose But I say some present evil is upon them and this may sadden the spirits of the best for a time though this may bee their infirmity Paul had learned in all estates therein to bee content and if to bee content then to rejoyce unless it were Contentation by force sure not well pleasing to God If indeed their comfort did lye in the presence and injoyment of these outward things then no marvel if in the absence of them they were cast down I say If the floods of their comfort were maintained by such springs as these then no marvel if these being taken away they bee bereave of their Joy But seeing these things are too short either to breed or feed either to beget or fuel a Christians Joy why should the deprival of them so much affect the heart as to take away their Joy Have you not still the ground of Joy you have lost your goods but not your God You are deprived of your Comforts not of your Christ And therefore except you do make Gods of the Creature prize them too highly in your Judgement ingage your hearts and affections too much to them why should your Joy bee taken away You see Paul had learned in all estates to bee content and the Prophet Habakkuk before mentioned and why not you 2. Such they are as for the present are under some sad and sore Temptation combate with Satan and for the present their spirits are sadned and cast down 3. Such as are in deserted conditions God having withdrawn himself and hid his face from the Soul Than which there is no sadder condition in the World when not a Star but the Sun it self is rent from the Sky when not a single Comfort but the universal Comfort seems to bee gone This may sadden the spirit of Gods people for a time All Jobs crosses did not so much affect him as this The loss of his Goods of his Possession of his Children came not so neer him as the apprehension of the loss of his God Hee could lift up his head under all the other but here hee was ready to sink Such a Condition Gods people may bee in which may cause sadness of spirit as was David Heman Hezekiah and others 2. So secondly for those of Gods people that are thus sad and disconsolate it is not as they are Beleevers but as they are Doubters Their Trouble ariseth from Doubting not from Beleeving It is not Faith but the want of Faith which is the cause of their uncomfortable walking If Gods people would live more out of themselves and more in Christ if they would live more the Life of Faith and less the Life of Sense if they would
Light of it Men will not seek after the Physitian before they feel themselves to bee sick for ease till they bee prest with burdens for a Plaister before they bee wounded for heavenly Riches before sense of their spiritual beggery for inlargement and pardon before they bee in Prison for Mercy before they smart under the sense of Misery Nor for a Christ till the soul do finde a necessity in the want of Christ Hence the Law is said to bee our Schoolmaster to bring us to Christ And it is upon this ground among others because it doth discover sin to us and lash us and humble us for it And then wee are ready to go from Sinai to Sion from the Law of Moses accusing to the Gospel of Christ excusing from the Law condemning to the Gospel absolving 2. God doth discover to the soul the fulness and al-sufficiency of Christ Who is able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by him and Heb. 7.25 That there 's enough in him to justifie and save so vile a sinner as thou hast been Christ his Righteousness is an everlasting Righteousness such as an eternity of sinning is never able to expend and draw dry As our Faith can never out-grow the Righteousness of Christ so neither can our sins Rom. 1.17 It is said to bee A Righteousness revealed from Faith to Faith The more Faith not the less but the more Righteousness is revealed The broader the Eye of Faith the wider the Righteousness beheld As all the Faith in the World could never over-clasp the Righteousness of Christ So all the sins in the World are not able to non-plus or pose it As it cannot bee over-lookt or comprehended by any Faith So it cannot bee exhausted by any sins Both of these wee have set down Joh. 16.8 9 10. I will send the Spirit and hee shall convince the World of sin There is Humiliation Of Righteousness That is that there is A compleat and Al-sufficient Righteousness in mee That I am able to save to the utmost to pardon sin This God discovers Faith must have a bottom to rest on An Al-sufficient Saviour No man will throw his soul away 3. With the fulness God discovers the freeness of this Righteousness to all commers How willing God is to bestow Christ on you and how willing Christ is to bestow himself upon you Hence wee have such invitations Ho! Every one that thirsteth come yee to the Waters Isa 55.1 And Let him that is a thirst come Rev. 22.17 And Come to mee all yee that are weary and heavy laden Matth. 11.28 And Him that comes to mee I will by no means cast out Joh. 6.37 4. God stirs up the soul to pursue Christ with inlarged desires and earnest prayers kindles desires in the soul after him Oh! That God would bestow Christ on mee I see I am in misery I see I am a sinner Oh! That thou wouldest bestow Jesus Christ upon my poor soul As the poor pursued Hart doth pant after the Brooks of water So panteth such a soul after the Lord Jesus Now Christ upon any termes is desireable 5. Now God works the Grace of Faith in the soul whereby the soul doth draw nigh to Christ and throws it self into the arms of Christ embraceth him with all his might casts it self wholly on him for Life and Salvation Have you not seen how a tender Infant in the apprehension of danger runs into the arms of the Parent for succour so doth the soul pursued by the Law and affrighted by the apprehensions of Gods wrath flye into the bosome and armes of Christ for succour bespeaking him with all the termes of Love and Confidence My Lord My God My Hope My Fortress My Strength My Redeemer save mee else I perish Hide mee in the clefts of this Rock Pitty mee Succour mee Thou who art a Saviour Lord save mee Thou that art Mercy shew mee Mercy And here now begins the Life of a Christian though as yet hee feel little motion Strong is hee now in desiring though feeble in performing Resolved hee is by any means to stick to Christ yet not sensible of any union with him Hee admires the brightness of the Beams of his Mercy shining in the Gospel but feels little warmth of joy and comfort in his heart Hee hungers after the Word but feels little nourishment Here is the beginning of true Faith Now then would you know whether you have Faith try your selves Have you found that God hath thus wrought in you what hast thou been thus humbled in the sight and sense of sin deeply affected with the fulness and freeness of the Grace of God in Christ so as to raise up in thee those earnest longings and pantings after him so as thus to cast and venture thy soul upon him this useth to bee the manner and way of Gods working Faith in us by which wee may come to know whether this Faith bee wrought in us or no. 2. Some Evidences are taken from the Grace it self In which because Faith doth admit of degrees some having stronger Faith some weaker Though all of us have as it is in 2 Pet. 1.1 The like precious Faith the same Faith for kind yet all have not the same Faith for degrees In some it is strong in some it is weak Sincere in all All men are not of like age all Trees not of the like growth Wee read of a little Faith Oh yee of little Faith Faith though little Wee read of a great Faith Oh Woman great is thy Faith All Beleevers are not of the like stature in Christ Some are but Babes and some are grown men there 's a little Faith comparatively and there 's a great Faith Therefore lest I should unsure the weak in satisfying the strong I will here give you 1. Some Evidences of a weak Faith 2. Some Evidences of a strong Faith 1. The Evidences of true Faith though weak 1. The weakest Faith hath strong desires to close with Christ in the Termes of the Gospel Is willing to take Christ in the whole latitude and extent of Christ not only totum Christum but totum Christi Christ in all his Offices not only as a Priest but as a King to whom the soul is as willing to yeeld Subjection as to have Salvation from him as desirous to submit to his services as to injoy his Priviledges to do duty as to partake of his bounty to throw it self at the feet of Christ with strong desires though it may bee for the present but with weak assurance of Mercy from him Quest But who doth not thus desire Christ who is not willing to accept of Christ Answ It is impossible that any Unbeleeving man should desire Christ in the latitude and extent of Christ Hee may desire him for Salvation but not for Sanctification as a Priest but not as a King to rule and govern him to bring every thought into subjection to himself for happiness but not for holiness
Such a one cares but to have a pardon from him but not purging Glory but not Grace Such a one can say with David thus far Hide thy face from my sins But Create in mee a clean heart There hee leaves him Hee desires the end of a Christian but not his beginnings Extremâ— Christianorum desiderat non exordia 2. The desires of a wicked man of an Unbeleeving man after Christ they are transient not permanent desires which may bee in times of trouble in a storm cares not if hee have him as a shelter under some rack of conscience when hee lies on his sick-bed But these continue not No sooner the storm is blown over but the desire is gone Or in a passion when hee is in a good mood as Balaam desired to dye the death of the Righteous so hee after a Sermon c. 3 The desires of an Unbeleeving man are faint not strong and earnest desires They are but slight and superficial desires such as are put off with every thing They are not vehement and strong desires such as will not bee put off with any thing but with the thing desired like the desires of David after the Wells of Bethlehem Oh! That some would give mee to drink of the Waters of Bethlehem c. Like the desires of Christ Luk. 22.15 With desire have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer That is with strong desires not a single but a double Desire a desiring Desire Such may have some slight and superficial Desires but they are put off with every thing As the Mother puts a toy into the Childs hand and the desire to the breast is gone So here The Devil hee puts a matter of profit or pleasure into their hands and then all their desire is lost True Desire is strong Desire that will not bee satisfied but with the thing desired as Rachel for Children Give mee Children or else I dye so here Give mee Christ or else I dye The soul is ready to faint and mis-carry with the longings it hath after Christ 4. They are idle not industrious Desires The Desires of the sluggard who will not put his hand to the use of the means for obtaining of his Desire who will not Hear Read Pray c. Where on the contrary a vehement intention after Christ is joyned with a vehement intention after the use of means for the getting of Christ True Desires after Christ are ever joyned with honest indeavours for Christ Hee who desires with an honest heart will labour with an industrious spirit 2. Weak Faith though it cannot close with the Promise yet will it close with the Precept Though not with the Priviledges of a Christian yet with the services of a Christian Though it cannot share in the Comforts yet it will side with the Duties of a Christian Though it cannot clear it whether God hath given Christ to him yet it will yeeld up the soul to him Though it know not whether hee will receive it when it commeth yet it will come Though with Mary it cannot say My Saviour yet with Thomas it will say My Lord. It wants strength to throw it self into the arms of Christ to save it Oh! but yet it will cast it self at the feet of Christ to serve him Though it want the Light of Comfort and Consolation yet it will walk in the Light of command and Direction There 's not one duty through the latitude and extent of a Christians walking but the soul desires and indeavours to walk in it 3 Weak Faith is joyned with mourning and sorrow for the weakness of it What it wants in Apprehension it makes up in Humiliation There is want of Sense but not of Sighs like the man in the Gospel It 's said Hee spake with tears Lord I beleeve Help my unbelief Lord I cannot lay hold on thee Oh! That thou wouldest lay hold on mee I cannot apprehend thee do thou apprehend mee Fold mee up in the arms of that mercy that never unfolds close mee up in the armes of that love that shall never unclose An humble wanter is better than a proud injoyer An humble craver than a proud haver 4. Weak Faith is an unfeigned Faith 1 Tim. 1.5 Not a Counterfeit and Hypocritical Faith Such an one as never comes to God for Love but in a Storm for shelter Psal 78.34 35 36 37. When hee slew them then they sought him and inquired early after God They remembred God was their strength and the most High God their Redeemer But they flattered him with their mouth and d ssembled with him with their Tongue for their heart was not upright with him nor were they stedfast in his Covenant But such a one as comes to him out of Love desires nothing more than to injoy him to injoy Him rather than His. 5. Weak Faith is an holy Faith Jude vers 20. Build up one another in your holy Faith c. Such a Faith as is accompanied 1. With Holiness of Heart 2. With Holiness in Life 1. With Holiness of the Heart The soul is universally sanctified Quantum credimus Tantum amamus Tantum speramus There 's a Treasury of Grace There are all Graces though as yet in weakness So much Faith as there is so much Love so much Hope so much sorrow for sin They are like the Fountain and the Flood whereof the one ariseth no higher than the other Thus where there is Faith there is Sanctification Though Sanctification bee no Ingredient to Justification yet Faith and Sanctification Faith and the new Creature never went asunder There is a new Judgement of things a new Will to things New Desires and Affections New Principles New Purposes New Practices Old things are past away behold All things are become new 2. With Holiness in Life Though it cannot bring forth as strong fruits of Holiness yet it will bring forth fruits according to its strength A little Tree a young Tree may bring forth some good fruits though not in equal quantity to another of greater growth So hee that hath the meanest Faith hee lives an holy Life brings forth some good fruits though not so plentiful in good works as they whose Faith is come to a more perfect growth 6. Weak Faith doth not rest in weaknesse but labours after strength Weak Faith is a growing Faith Though it begins in weakness yet it grows to strength which growth is a character of all true Grace And therefore doth it thirst after the Ordinances as a new born Babe that it may grow thereby As the Word was the Breeder of it so it thirsteth after it to bee the Feeder As it was the Begetter of it for true Faith is the Daughter of the Ministry Faith comes by hearing Rom. 10. so it thirsts after it for nourishment 7. Weak Faith will cleave to Christ will not forgo nor forsake Christ for any thing What it wants in Apprehension it hath in Adhesion what it wants in Evidence
it hath in Adherence Ask any who are weakest in Faith whether they would sell their part in Christ for a World whether they would deny Christ to gain a World and they will quickly answer it with an earnest Negative as Naboth did Ahab when hee would have bought of him his Vineyard 1 King 21.2 3. Whereas a temporizing Faith doth hold to Christ for want of a temptation as the Weather-cock that stands this way for want of another wind A true Faith though weak will hold to Christ out of Love nothing shall take it away in the midst of all temptations It is of the Nature of true Faith though never so weak to adhere and cleave to Christ Rom. 3.8 Thou hast but a little strength yet thou hast kept my Word and hast not denyed my name A little Strength a little Faith will hold to Christ will not give up Christ I say not but Gods people may fall and in some respect forsake Christ as Peter did But this may arise from the violence of temptation the strength of corruption which over-powers Faith It is as said of the Nature of Faith to cleave to Christ Well then to conclude with a word to them that are weak you that can clear this to your own hearts that You have Faith though it bee weak Bee not yee discouraged bee not troubled though it bee weak Consider 1. That the smallest degree of Faith is true is saving Faith as well as the greatest A sparkle of fire is as true fire as any is in the Element of fire A drop of water is as true water as any is in the Ocean So the least grain of Faith is as true Faith and as saving as the greatest Faith in the World 2. Though it bee weak yet it is a growing Faith As all the works so all the Graces of God begin in weakness The tallest Cedar was at first but a sprig The strongest Oak at first was an Acorn The greatest fire at first was a spark so the greatest measure of Faith at the first was but as a little seed It had a beginning Those things God intended not for growth hee made perfect at first as the Sun the Moon c. But those hee intended for growth hee at first makes imperfect as Men Beasts Plants c. Christ compares Faith to a grain of Mustard-seed Not to a stone but to a seed Stones are not capable of growth but seeds are Hee compares it to a Mustard-seed which though it bee the least of seeds yet grows up highest And such a seed is thy Faith Though it bee small though weak bee not discouraged the Mustard-seed will grow 3. The weakest Faith doth give the Soul Union with the strong Redeemer as well as the strongest The smallest measure of Faith if never so little if it bring but the soul over to Christ it ingrafts thee into him as well as the stronger makes thee a Member of this Body a Branch in this Vine 4. The weakest measure of Faith gives thee Communion with Christ as well as the strongest Wee know the least bud draws sap from the Root as well as the greatest bough so the weakest measure of Faith doth as truly ingraft thee into Christ and by that draw life from Christ as well as the strongest The weakest Faith hath communion with the Merits and Blood of Christ as well as the strongest hath communion with the Spirit of Christ the Graces of Christ as well as the strongest Though thou art weak Christ is strong His strength is thine as well as the strongest Thou art impure Christ is pure His Purity is thine as well as others Thou art ignorant Christ is wise His wisdome is thine Thus the soul hath a communion with Christ in all his Graces The least Faith marries the soul to Christ And where there is this union there is a communion also with all of Christ The least Faith ingrafts into Christ and being once ingrafted the soul draws sappe and spiritual life sense and motion from Christ 5. Aequè licet non aequaliter The weakest Faith hath as equal share in Gods Love as the strongest Wee are beloved in Christ And the least measure of Faith makes us members of Christ The least Faith hath equal right to the Promises as the strongest And therefore let not our souls bee troubled discouraged for weakness There is difference betwixt Want and Weakness canst thou clear this to thy soul That thou hast Faith though it bee a weak Faith Yet therein rejoyce and bee comforted The least Faith sets as wide a difference between thee and unbeleevers as is between Heaven and Hell And therefore study to bee thankful for the least degree of Faith if it bee true Faith Do not so much look as to over-look So look for more as to over-look what thou hast received Neglect not that Comfort your present Faith affords by reaching after more Now having thus laid down the Evidences of a weak Faith wee shall now proceed to lay down the Evidences of a strong Faith Now where there is a strong Faith there is 1. An high prizing of Christ which yet a weak Faith partakes of 1 Pet. 2.7 Unto you that beleeve hee is precious The soul doth rate and value Christ above all the Comforts and contentments Riches and Happiness in Heaven and Earth Thus you see David Psal 73. Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none in the Earth that I esteem in comparison of thee Though hee esteemed of other things yet Christ was the first figure The estimate which his soul set on Christ did infinitly exceed the rate which hee set upon any thing besides Christ As Paul said They were all but drosse and dung in comparison with Christ The most excellent things were loss and vile in respect of Christ There are two things which make Christ precious to a man 1. The Knowledge of Christ 2. The Apprehension of our Interest in him 1. The Knowledge of Christ and that 1. Of the Want of Christ 2. Of the Worth of Christ 1. The Want of Christ When the soul apprehends the Necessity of Christ in respect of Pardon Purging Grace Glory When the soul sees hee is under the guilt of sin and stands in need of Christ for Justification Hee is under the filth of sin and stands in need of Christ for Sanctification Hee is under the power of sin and stands in need of Christ for the subduing and mortification of sin His person and performances are unclean and filthy and stands in need of Christ to wash and sprinkle him This makes Christ precious sets a rate upon Christ 2. The Knowledge of the Worth of Christ It is not the worth of things that makes things precious to us but our Knowledge of the worth of them What is it that doth commend the Jewel to the Lapidary but his knowledge of the worth of it By others that know it not it is not valued nor esteemed So that
which doth commend Christ the worth and preciousness of Christ to the soul it is this our Knowledge of the Worth of Christ By others who know him not hee is a disallowed stone not worth the owning 1 Pet. 2.8 2. The second thing which doth commend Christ to a soul is The Apprehension of the souls Interest in him When the soul can look upon Christ as his own then hee esteems him when hee knows hee hath a Propriety in Christ a part in Christ Now a strong Beleeâ—â—r hee 1. Knows the Want of Châ—ist Hee sees hee cannot live without Christ The more Faith the more apprehension and sense of our wants 2. Knows and sees the worth of Christ Hee sees those excellencies and beauties in him which to others lye hid and are not discovered To others hee is an Orient Pearl in an heap of Sand a Mine of Gold covered over with rubbish and earth They are not able to behold his beauties 2. Hee sees and apprehends his own interest in him And this makes the soul to prize him Hee can say Christ is mine His Righteousness mine to justifie mee His Holiness mine to Sanctifie mee His Sufferings mine to save mee And upon this there ariseth an high prizing of Christ. Quest But you will say Doth not every man prize Christ who doth not value and esteem of Christ Ans You may say you do so But there 's no such matter If Christ were precious in thy eyes then 1. Thou wouldst not care what pains thou tookest for the compassing of Christ You see a worldly man to whom the World is precious what pains hee takes for the attaining of the things of the World Eccles 4.8 the like and greater pains wouldest thou take for the things of Christ if hee were to thee alike precious 2. Thou wouldest not care what thou partest withall for the compassing of Christ Thou wouldest count Christ thy greatest gain and all loss in comparison of him Phil. 3.7 8. Hee is not valued at all it hee bee not valued above all 3. Were Christ precious to thee thou wouldest never think thy self to have enough of Christ Drink yea drink abundantly O Beloved Cant. 5. the more the soul tastes and drinks the more it thirsts till it drink it new in the Kingdome of Heaven Thus where Christ is precious there would bee actions sutable to that rate and esteem the soul sets on him Now when you will take no pains for the getting of Christ when you will part with nothing for the keeping of Christ when you will not heap up in most abundance whatever Christ is to others write upon it to you it is not precious 4. Where Christ is precious indeed all of Christ is precious Hee is not only precious in his Person in his Natures in his Benefits but all of Christ is precious Christ in his Holiness Christ in his Lawes Christ in his Government Christ in his Truth The soul looks upon all these as prizes of Christ Hee who prizeth of Christ doth prize of all these As wee say of Faith It doth not eligere Objectum it doth not chuse its Object single out what it will beleeve and what it will not beleeve but beleeves all that God saith So I may say of this prizing of Christ True prizing of Christ doth not single out its Object Thus much of Christ I will prize and thus much not But there is a full prizing of all Christ Christ in his Holiness Lawes Government Truth All. All which are parts of Christ and are all to bee prized if ever you would clear this that you prize of Christ truly And without question Gods people have seen so much Beauty in the Laws Government and Holiness of Christ that they have lost all rather than they would lose their Obedience And it was said of Christ Vitam perdidit ne Obedientiam perderet Hee lost his Life rather than hee would lose his Obedience so may it bee said of them They have taken up naked Obedience with the losse of all They have seen so much beauty in a Truth that they have hazarded and lost all rather than they would lose a Truth They have made this brave adventure to lose themselves to save a Truth as you see in Queen Maries dayes in point of Transubstantiation In these particulars a weak Faith shareth stakes with a strong But for what is more peculiar to a strong Faith 1. Strong in Faith and strong in Grace According to the proportion of Faith such is the measure of all Gods Graces in us As weak in Faith weak in Grace So strong in Faith strong in Grace So much Faith so much Love so much Hope so much Patience so much Humility Wee will single out some 1. Strong in Faith and strong in Affection and Love to Christ There are two things which make the soul to love Christ 1. The discovery of the Beauties and excellencies of Christ. 2. The Apprehension the soul hath in the interest it hath in this Christ Now both these are in a strong Faith 1. There is a full discovery of the Beauties and Excellencies of Christ The Beauties of his Person the Beauties of his Nature c. And that in a larger measure than is made known to a weak Beleever A weak Faith sees the Excellencies of Christ in puncto in a narrow room as wee see the World in a Map But a strong Faith it sees all the Excellencies of Christ in circumferentiâ Hee sees a larger and fuller draught hath a fuller discovery of it to his soul And who can see it but hee must needs love him who is all lovely who hath all Beauties That Eye of Faith which beholds the Beauties and Excellencies of Christ will bee a Burning-Glass to the heart to set the heart on fire and kindle strong affections there 2. There is in a strong Faith a strong apprehension of the souls interest in Christ That Christ is his and hee is Christs His Blood and Merits his for Pardon for Justification His Grace and Holinesse his for Sanctification His Wisdome his for Direction And therefore the soul must needs love him Propriety wee see in things makes us love them Wee love our own Husbands our own Wives our own Children The ground is this the propriety wee have in them So when the soul once sees Christ made over to him that hee hath a propriety in him an interest in him needs must the soul love him So you see then where there is a strong Faith there is a strong Affection to Christ strong Love to Christ Such a love as no duty is too hard to undertake for Christ no task too great to pose his love to Christ. It was said of Jacob that hee indured many years servitude for Rachel yet hee thought the time short all was nothing because hee loved her So all wee can do for Christ all will bee nothing if wee once love him Nay not only all wee can do but all wee can suffer
will bee nothing to the soul that loves him Love is as strong as Death You see it in the Apostles They counted not their lives too dear to give to death for the Love of Christ It is not the Bloud which is in the veins the spirits which are in the arteries the Life in the Body which will be too dear There is a kinde of unquenchablenesse in Love like the stone in Thracia which burns in the Water Much Water cannot quench Love 1. Much Afflictions from God cannot quench our Affections to God As all our dealings to God doth not alter Gods affections to us so all Gods dealings to us will not alter our affections to God Si diligis Domine fac quicquid vis was the speech of Calvin Lord if thou love mee do what thou wilt And Jobs Though thou kill mee yet I will still trust in thee And the Church professeth the like Psal 44.17 18 19. All this is come upon us yet do wee not forget thee nor have wee dealt falsely in thy Covenant Our heart is not turned back nor have our steps gone out of thy paths Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadow of death c. 2. Much afflictions for God shall not cool our affections to God Wee shall bee ready to go through a Sea through a Wildernesse through the sharpest incounters for Christ Nothing shall pose a strong Beleever When once the soul is perswaded of the Love of God by Faith then there follows abundance of love to God again 1 John 4. from 15. to 19. Whosoever confesseth that Jesus is the Son of God in him dwelleth God and hee in God And wee have known and beleeved the Love that God hath to us God is Love and hee that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him c. wee love him because hee loved us first And that of Mary Much was forgiven her and therefore shee loved much Whiles a man looks upon God as an enemy who hates him hee can never love him But when once the soul by Faith doth apprehend Gods love to him then doth the soul love God again The love of God begets love in the soul to God Amor Dei amorem animae parit No mans heart is warmed with the sense of Gods love but it is inflamed with love to God again As the Sun beams shining upon a Glasse begets a reflection of the Beams upon the Wall So the Love of God shed abroad in our hearts breeds a reflection of love back again to God 2. Strong in Faith and strong in Hope and expectations of the thing beleeved which is that which holds up our head and keeps the soul from sinking in the midst of all these worldly troubles 3. Strong Faith and strong Patience A strong Faith will bear strong Afflictions with strong Patience Faith doth strengthen a mans shoulders to bear evils and troubles with Patience A weak Tree is blown down with that which moves not a stronger Tree Weak shoulders sink under that burden which a strong one will bear away So a weak Faith would sink with that tryal which a strong Faith is able to undergo with strength of Patience And therefore it is Gods goodnesse still to proportion the Tryal to the strength A strong Faith can receive a mercy and bee thankful and can render a mercy and bee patient A strong Faith can injoy a blessing and bee chearful and can lose it and bee contented Hence saith Paul I have learned in all estates therewith to bee content I know how to abound and how to suffer want c. Hee was a man strong in Faith And the ground of all is this because a strong Faith having dear evidence and apprehensions that God is a Father doth conclude that all his dealings are for good All things shall work together for good to them that love God And hee hath said Hee will never depart from us from doing us good Faith like the Philosophers stone turns all into Gold sees all Gods dealings to bee for good If God then afflict a man why will Faith say It 's for good I have need of such Afflictions to work out such a strong corruption Are the Afflictions many why will Faith say I have need of many Afflictions because I have many corruptions Are they long why I have need of that too because sin and I are so hardly parted It is so hard to make a divorce betwixt sin and my soul and therefore the afflictions had need to continue long Faith sees that God aims at this to wean us from the World to win us closer to him to exercise and increase our Graces to weaken sin and corruption to make us more fruitful Therefore doth hee prune us that wee might grow more If a man lop Trees at sometimes they will wither and dye but if at other times they will be made more fruitful God useth to afflict the wicked at such time But the Saints when they may grow the more Therefore God winnows us fannes us to blow away the chaff Therefore hee puts us as Gold into the fire that wee may come out much more pure Strong Faith and strong Obedience Obedience is proportionable to our Faith The greater the Faith the more the Obedience A little Tree a young Tree may bring forth good fruit as well as a greater but not in equal quantity to the greater so hee that hath the least degree of true Faith lives a godly life brings forth some fruits of Obedience but they are not so plentiful in good works as those whose Faith is come to an higher degree Weak Faith doth obey and this Obedience is a willing a chearful a fruitful a constant an universal Obedience both 1. In respect of the Subject The whole Man and 2. In respect of the Object The whole Law There is a willing yeelding of the soul up to God to walk in every way of God As David Lord I am thine or as the Prophet Isaiah One shall say I am the Lords Otherwise it were not true Obedience But they are not able to act so much as the stronger They are as large in desires in affections to obey but not in expressions of Obedience But the stronger the Faith the stronger is the Obedience the stronger the Will the stronger the Affections and the spirit in his Obedience A Child may do actions as well as a Man but not with that strength as a man doth them hee cannot do them so strongly so vigorously A weak Beleever may pray hear c. but not pray so strongly so powerfully as others who have more Faith So that you see where there is strong Faith there is strong Obedience A strong Faith will follow God fully in every way In losing waies as well as in gaining waies In suffering waies as well as in doing waies In discountenanced waies as well as in such as the World doth countenance In strait waies
is stated on thee Rom. 15.13 The God of all Consolation fill you with all Joy and Peace in beleeving Such a man hee hath Peace above him Peace with God Hee hath Peace within him a peaceable conscience not a dead Peace a sleepiness of Conscience like unto the calmness of the dead Sea whose calmness is not of Nature but from a curse But a sound Peace a spiritual Peace a Peace after VVar a Peace joyned with VVar and Conflict the surest Peace of all 2. With much Joy So much Faith so much Joy Rom. 15.13 1 Pet. 1.8 In whom beleeving yee rejoyce with Joy unspeakable and full of Glâ—ry There 's attending a strong Faith a full Joy an Harvest-Joy Such a Joy as will hold out in troubles Joy that 's Persecution-Proof Prison-Proof Tribulation-Proof Rom. 5.3 Wee joy in Tribulations Other men may joy in Prosperity in Abundance But this is a Joy that out-lasts Riches out-lasts Comforts a Joy which nothing can quench 6. Strong Faith will subdue strong corruptions strong sins strong lusts those Sons of Zerviah that are too hard for us Faith makes use of Sin-subduing Promises of a Sin-subduing Christ And the more Faith the more Strength is conveyed from Christ to us Faith sets the Power of Christ against the power of lust the strength of Christ against the strength of corruption who is able to subdue all things unto himself and to conquer the most untamed corruptions 7. Strong Faith will overcome strong Temptations Temptations from the World Temptations from Satan Strong Faith subdues where weak Faith is blown down with every blast of Temptation not being able to stand out against the assaults of Satan Strong Faith overcomes the allurements and threats of the World it overcomes all This is our victory whereby wee overcome the World even our Faith 8. Strong Faith overcomes strong doubts answers strong Objections in the soul Such doubts and objections move not them that are ready to overwhelm a weak Faith It will flye away with such twigs as will hinder the flight of weaker Christians There are doubts in the best Beleevers So long as there is flesh Fides non omnem dubitationem expellit sed vincet so long there will bee doubts but strong Beleevers are not overcome with doubts but will overcome doubts Though Faith doth not expel yet it conquers doubts Rom. 4.20 Abraham staggered not through unbelief but being strong in Faith gave Glory to God That is though there might bee some doubts yet they prevailed not to the staggering of his Faith His Faith overcame his doubtings A weaker Faith is full of doubts making the soul like a pare of Ballances the scales whereof are wavering sometimes this way sometimes that The mind hath now its assenting and by and by its dissenting Now it saith God is my God Christ is my Christ and anon it fears Christ is not his God is not his Now it hopes its sins are pardoned anon it fears its sins are not pardoned Now the soul thrusts out for Comfort and by and by draws back with discouragement On this side it sees ground why it should beleeve it shall bee saved yet on the other side sees ground whereby to fear it shall bee damned But a strong Faith overcomes all these doubts having strong perswasions of its interest in Christ It saith Christ is mine and nothing shall make it unsay Christ is not mine It is able to answer all 9. Strong Faith and strong Prayers 1. Strong to wrestle with God 2. Strong to prevail with God 1. Such are strong to wrestle with God Faith doth furnish a man with a deep sense of his wants with strong affections with strong Promises to wrestle with God to have those wants supplied Jacobs Prayer was called a wrestling with God It was a wrestling-prayer such an one as proceeded from a strong Faith as you may read in the story Gen. 32.24 to the 30. where hee incounters God with Gods own strength the strength of his Promise the strength of his Covenant O God of my Fathers Abraham Isaac Thou hast said thou wilt bless mee thou badst mee return into my own Country and thou wouldest deal well with mee Deliver mee now then I beseech thee from the hand of my Brother c. Moses Prayer was a wrestling-Prayer Exod. 32.10 to the 16. where hee was so strong as to stop the proceedings of God against a rebellious people insomuch that God bids him let mee alone It was a Beleeving-Prayer So may it bee said of Hezekiahs Prayer Daniels Prayer They were wrestling-Prayers strong-Prayers I will instance but in one The Woman of Canaan Mat. 15.22 to the 28. where you see how shee wrestled with Christ Her case was doubtfull for a long time shee went through great temptations shee is reported to bee a Woman great in Faith 1. There was Tentatio Taciturnitatis There was the tryal of silence Shee prayes and Christ answers her not a word Here was a great tryal when God shall hide himself in a Cloud and not answer her prayers 2. There was Tentatio Particularitatis first nothing then worse than nothing vers 24. I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel As if hee had said Thou dost not belong to the election of Grace thou art not in Covenant I came only to mine own not to thee therefore I will not help thee 3. There was Tentatio Indignitatis The tryal of Indignity vers 26. It is not meet to take the Childrens bread and cast it unto Dogs Yet see the strength of her Faith how it inabled her to out-wrestle these temptations how it inabled her to follow God True Lord but yet the Dogs may eat the crumbs Bee it that I am but a Dog yet thy Dog And if thou wilt not give mee leave to eat of Childrens morsels deny mee not Childrens crumbs such as fall from their Table such as they have no need of Thus you see strong Faith produces strong Prayers strong to wrestle with God himself 2. Strong to prevail with God They are not only wrestling but prevailing-Prayers Jacob wrestled and Jacob prevailed Moses wrestled and Moses prevailed David wrestled and hee prevailed The Woman of Canaan wrestled and shee prevailed vers 28. Oh Woman great is thy Faith Bee it unto thee even as thou wilt So the Church for Peter and they brake open the Prison doors and set him free They are called availing Prayers Jam. 5.19 The effectual fervent Prayer of a Righteous man availeth much Thus strong Faith hath strong Prayers And let mee adde this more A strong Faith doth not only make strong Prayers But a strong Faith can take 1. Long Delaies 2. Strong Denyals well at Gods hand 1. A strong Faith can take long Delaies well at Gods hand Hee that beleeves makes not haste Such a man can wait upon Gods time for the bestowing of a Mercy Such a man knows that God hath a fulness of time to bestow mercy in And
of the spirit 2. Or are they taken from hearing and that at the best your own hearts can tell There is much mixture in that Duty Oh! what abundance of the Week is in the Sabbath how much of the Shop in the Church what distractions in your best attentions what carnal hearts in your spiritual imployments what Pride what Prejudice what Infidelity what Dulness doth attend all your hearing 3. Nay yet further Are your evidences taken from Graces themselves yet these are not pure There is much mixture in them Our Graces themselves are full of Imperfections You know there is much blindeness with your Light much enmity with your Love much hardness of heart with your mourning for sin yea and much mud much worldly sorrow in your purest tears much Pride with your humility much murmuring with your patience As wee might show at large if need were But now these Evidences which are taken from our Justification they are pure without mixture Though the Faith which justifies us is imperfect yet the Grace which justifies us is perfect I say these Evidences are pure without mixture because they are such as have nothing of our own in them had they any thing of ours they would bee imperfect and impure but having nothing of ours but all Christs they are altogether perfect and pure Christ is all fair all perfect all pure Our sanctifying Righteousness is stained imperfect impure but our justifying Righteousness is pure and perfect If there were any stain or any imperfection in that it could not justifie it could not save us wee should bee undone for ever But that is pure that is perfect and wee in it As the Apostle saith Col. 2.10 In him wee are compleat Compleat in him though imperfect in our selves 3. These are the most satisfying Evidences Other Evidences admit of much questionings Though taken from Duties yea Graces themselves yet they admit of long disputes sharp incounters and assaults And when all is done yet they bring not such fulness of satisfaction to the soul But now Evidences taken from our Justification these are soul satisfying Evidences because the satisfaction of Christ is in them These Evidences are not fetcht from any thing in us or any thing done by us but from the satisfaction which Christ himself hath wrought for us And if there bee any dispute against this then may wee much more dispute against the other If Christ bee not a compleat Satisfier of Gods Wrath and Justice for our sins then these Evidences from the Satisfaction of Christ would do mee no good As the Apostle said of the Resurrection of Christ which was the declaration of that full satisfaction Christ had wrought If Christ bee not risen then our faith is in vain our hope in vain so here If Christ have not fully satisfied Gods Justice if hee hath not paid all the Debt answered all bils of Inditements against mee then my Faith is in vain then these Evidences can do my soul no good But if Christ hath fully satisfied Gods Justice then am I sure for this satisfaction is mine So that you see these are such Evidences as do not only quiet but satisfie conscience to the full Such as silence all doubts answer all scruples and objections that do arise Other Evidences they are not so full not so satisfactory They may afford a man some obvious Refreshment for a time to hold up the head from sinking but they bring not fulness of satisfaction into the soul But now this doth because you see it is taken from such things wherein God himself is satisfied and therefore no reason but wee should bee satisfied If the Creditor say enough shall not the Debtor bee satisfied 4. These are the most constant Evidences Floods and Rivers may fail but Springs are constant Such Evidences as are taken from any thing within us or any thing done by us may at least as to evidence fail us But such Evidences as are taken from without us as c. These are permanent and constant In the greatest drought here will bee Water enough Jer. 17.7 8. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is for hee shall bee as a Tree planted by the Rivers of Waters and that spreadeth out her roots and shall not see when heat commeth but her leaf shall bee green and shall not be carefull in the year of drought neither shall cease from yeelding fruit Other Evidences are unconstant they may bee clear to day and bee clouded to morrow the heart is not ever in the same frame But now these are permanent abiding Evidences they are as sure as the Oathes Promise Covenant of God though not ever to sense yet they are ever sure to Faith though not ever to apprehension yet ever in truth Wee may ever conclude them though wee cannot ever clear them Conclude them wee may by Faith though wee cannot clear them to sense I might inlarge my self and go yet further to tell you these are the sweetest the most refreshing and comforting evidences But to conclude this use If ever you would have strong consolation if ever you would have a full and setled peace and comfort then hence draw your Evidences fetch your Evidences from Justification I know that which keeps you upon the racks of fears that which continues you in doubts and jealousies is this You take your Evidences too low either from something in you or something done by you and so you are forced to answer a multitude of Objections and reasons before ever you can finde a bottome to rest upon That which doth raise up new doubts and objections in your spirits and which causeth a fresh return of fears upon you is because you do not take your Evidences high enough You take them from Duties Prayers Dispositions present Affections And so upon every failing you are cast and all thrown down again new fears arise as if you never had any Evidence Were an Evidence sealed in the higher Court what Court shall dispute against it what can overthrow it But now if all this will not perswade you to fetch your Evidences higher but that you will still lye by these waters for comfort you will still fetch your Comforts and Evidences from Duties yet let mee thus far perswade with you that you would labour to clear the sincerity of your heart in these duties Otherwise all this something will bee nothing to you no bottome of Comfort They are but uncertain bottomes at the best but without sincerity to accompany them they will bee no bottomes an house not built on the Sand but built in the Air no foundation And this is the next use wee will come unto 3. Use If it bee possible for a man to do thus much and yet bee unsound Then what care ought there to bee to clear the soundness of our spirits in our performances You pray you hear you do much but ask the question to your selves Is my heart sound in all
sinne and therefore because hee sins in aeterno sui hee is punished in eterno Dei. So I may say of a godly man if hee should live for ever hee would sorrow for ever His sorrow is infinite in desire and affection though finite in the act and expression of it And indeed a bounded a stinted sorrow is no sorrow Hee whose heart and eyes do dry up together whose expression in tears and affections of sorrow do end together though hee had wept a sea of tears hee hath not yet mourned for sin As I told you last day that a Sincere heart doth rise up praying from Prayer so hee goes away weeping from weeping with a weeping heart when his eyes are dry Godly sorrow hath affections of mourning when the expressions of mourning ceaseth because every drop of tears doth arise from a sea of tears within As every act of faith doth arise from a beleeving disposition a habit of faith within so every expression of sorrow from an affection of sorrow in the spirit every drop of tears from a spring and fountain of tears within the soul Hence wee read 1 Sam. cap. 7. vers 6. where their sorrow is expressed by this phrase They drew water as out of a well as out of a spring and poured out before the Lord Their eyes did not empty so fast as their heart filled Their eyes could not poure it forth so fast as their hearts did yeild it up All their expressions of mourning were less than their affections of mourning And shall I now tell you though your sorrow may bee sincere and yet not proportionable to the measure of sin yet your sorrow cannot bee sincere if not proportionable to the merit of Sin if it be not infinite sorrow infinite I say in the desire and affection though not in the act and expression And alas how few there are Sincere mourners you that are sturdy Sinners you dry eyed Sinners you hard hearted Sinners when was the time you have thus mourned for sin wee see your sinnings every day but who hears of your repentings wee hear of your drunkennesse your swearing your lying your gaming your dicing and revelling even till the morning watch upon the Lords day but wee hear not of your repentings In stead of that wee hear of your new sinning you adde Sin to Sin not repenting to sinning As it was said of Herod that hee added this to all his wickedness that hee shut up John in Prison this was the great aggravation of his sin this fill'd his measure hee added this to all So there are some who will adde this to all their sins that adde this to all their drunkenness their swearing gaming revelling to persecute and evilly intreat those who are Gods messengers to them Take heed of thus adding drunkennesse to thirst and malice and rage to drunkennesse lest Gods wrath and jealousie smoak against such excesses Deut. 29.19 20. 5 Character Sincere mourning is a faithfull mourning So much faith so much sincere mourning so much godly sorrow They are like the fountain and the flood the one arises no higher than the other In respect of donation faith and repentance are infused at the same instant of time though in respect of manifestation repentance goes before faith Faith being like the sap which is hid in the root more secret in the heart and repentance like the bud which is sooner discerned than faith both to a mans own self and others Yet in respect of the order of nature faith doth necessarily goe before repentance Nemo potâ—st agere paenitentiam nisi qui sperat de indulgentia As a legall faith before a legall sorrow so an evangelicall faith before an evangelicall sorrow No man can truely repent but hee who hath some hopes of pardon Well then sincere Repentance is a faithful Repentance such a Repentance as doth arise from Faith by which I mean not a legal Faith whereby a man beleeves the threatnings of the Law to bee true and hee guilty This is too low This may breed a vexing tumultuous turbulent slavish sorrow but not a godly sweet evangelical mourning But I mean here an evangelical Faith and yet not the Faith of assurance or the Faith of evidence this is too high There may bee godly sorrow sincere mourning in that soul which yet for the present wants the evidence and assurance of Gods love in Christ But such a Faith I mean which is the lowest spring of godly sorrow Whereby the soul is perswaded 1. Of the all-sufficiency of Gods Mercy and Christs Merits for the pardoning of sin 2. Of the freeness and willingness of God to pardon sin 3. And then throws it self upon the Mercy of God the grace of Christ for pardon and forgiveness Which though it appear to bee small yet it will cost you something before ever you reach this But now the mourning of an Hypocrite doth not arise from Faith but from sense either from some present sting or trouble of conscience or from some outward pressures upon the body And hence it comes to pass that his sorrow is not a constant sorrow while the trouble lasts the weight is upon him so long hee howles and cryes but if once the trouble bee blown over the Sky clears his mourning is done As Job saith of his praying will hee pray alwayes hee will not So I may say of his mourning will hee mourn alwayes hee will not When conscience wrings him when the heart is overwhelmed with trouble then hee falls a howling and crying but when the trouble is over hee wipes his eyes and mourns no more But now again hee whose sorrow doth arise from Faith hee doth not only mourn when conscience is troubled but when conscience is at peace Nay when the heart is fullest of peace and joy the eyes are biggest with tears when the pearle of joy is in the heart the dew of tears is in the eyes I say when the soul hath most assurance of Gods love then will Faith produce child-like arguments to raise up the springs of sorrows in us to open all the fountains of tears in the soul Oh will the soul say hath God been so mercifull and am I so sinfull Hath hee been so good to mee and I so evil to him As the frowns of God do break the heart so the smiles of God do melt and dissolve it 6. Character A sincere mourning is a filial mourning There are the mournings of a son and the mournings of a slave the one doth arise from fear the other from love love 1. Of God to the soul 2. Of the soul to God 1. From the consideration of Gods love to the soul When the soul sits down and recounts the immensity greatness of Gods love to it when it takes a view of what God might have done with it and what God hath done with it how justly hee might have damned the soul and how mercifully hee hath saved the soul what cost what care what pains
is the stage on which God will act all his Wonders and it cannot bee long before this frame bee dissolved and this stage bee taken down If Saint Johns time were the last hour surely ours are the last minute But yet God will not take down the stage till all hath been acted which hee hath ingaged himself to do for his Church Now I say God hath ingaged himself to destroy that man of sinne to make his Church glorious Read at your leasure how much God hath promised to do for his Church in Isa 60. throughout Glorious Promises which though they had a gradual accomplishment in the first Preaching of the Gospel yet not so fully as the Words there hold out which yet must bee made good and therefore it is yet to be expected Hitherto the Church hath been buried up under reproach scorn and persecution hitherto sufferings Prisons Fires stakes they have been the Portion of the Church As yet though we have had our Lucida intervalla our Respites and Breathings The Church of God hath been like Noahs Ark tossing and fluctuating upon the Billows and devouring waves of troubles and Persecutions And the Saints under the Altar the blood of the slain crys How long Lord holy and true though they say How long yet they say Holy and true They give God the glory of his truth and faithfulnesse Though hee defer the accomplishment of what he hath promised yet hee is true of his promise And hath God ingaged himself to make his Churches glorious and that before the end of all things And is the day so neer to an End And is God faithfull is hee true of his Promise why this may something perswade with us that notwithstanding the present oppositions and troubles God is now comming in with mercy and deliverance to his Church and People And God hath not left us without home-hopes that the work is begun That mighty Spirit of Prayer which God hath poured out upon his People That increase of light and knowledge the weakning of the man of sinne in those two Limbs whereon hee hath stood so strongly Germany and Spain that numerous increase of converts within these few years All which are fore-running signs of the Rising Condition of the Church God doth not use to beget Children to the Murderers nor to increase the number of his People to fatten the sword of the enemy Indeed when God hath intended to bring judgements upon a People Hee hath taken his People away hee hath lessened the number as hee tells us Isa 57.1 Hee takes them away from the evil to come but hee never increaseth them against judgements As the lessening presageth judgement so when he increaseth them it is a presage of mercy Every one that is now brought in every Convert we have is a Pledge to this Nation that God will nor destroy this Nation Nay it is an evidence that God will do great things for us Act. 7.17 It is said When the time of Promise drew nigh the people grew and multiplyed in Egypt Their growing was a sign of their rising their increase discovered the promised mercy was not far off And these are the hopeful signs that the day of the Churches redemption draws nigh and is even at the doors As Christ said of the fig-tree when you see the Fig-tree bud and put forth her leaves know that Summer is nigh So when you see these things you may know that the Churches Redemption is at hand God is risen upon his throne and will not sit down if our sins do not make him repent till hee have made his Church glorious in the earth And now having told you my thoughts and that which perswades with me to hope that God will do a wonder for us yet I must tell you again that you may not bee discouraged with the sad appearance of things that wee may suffer many throws many pangs much opposition and perhaps some bloud before these things God will save us From trouble by trouble He will bring us through a Sea and through the wildernesse unto Canaan Yet I will say as Joshuah did Numb 14.8 If the Lord hath any delight in us hee will bring us into this Land God seldome doth great things without great commotions Paul and Silas were not delivered out of Prison but by an Earthquake Though it bee grievous to see yet it is that wee fear And wee must not forsake a good cause because of opposition This were to leap out of the ship because the winds blow to bee impatient of the Ark because the billows rise to seek our safety in the midst of Danger This assure your selves Though Earth and hell should fight against you your safety lyes on Gods side in Gods cause and there is no safety elsewhere These things I suggest to you by way of Cautional advise that when you see these things you may not be troubled As Christ said to his Disciples These things I tell you before that when they do come to passe your hearts may not bee troubled So these things I tell you before that though God will deliver us from trouble yet it will bee by trouble though hee save us yet it shall bee by fire that when you see these things you may not bee troubled when you see storms to fall oppositions and troubles to arise you may not bee moved from your own stedfastness I tell you this is necessary advice a seasonable admonition to you lest the oppositions and seeming contrarieties of Gods proceedings should weaken your faith and move you from your own stedfastnesse The best of us are too apt to live by sense and not by faith by works and not by the Word by Gods outward appearances and proceedings of Providence and not by Promises And therefore out Faith doth wane or increase according as God doth let out or restrain himself in the ways of his Providence when God doth let out himself to succour and releeve his Church when wee see deliverance in the Promise and deliverance in his outward proceedings too then wee can believe but if God do any way restrain himself or his outward Proceedings do seem to walk contrary to his own Promises Though perhaps that bee the next way for the performance of his Promises As you see it was with Joseph with Israel in Egypt where the Promise spake one thing and Gods outward proceedings seemed to speak another In this case wee are ready to give up all and thus did David I shall one time or other perish by the hand of Saul and therefore wee should learn this lesson in some kinde to shut our eyes to the works of God and look upon the Word of God Not only to look upon the outward proceedings of Providence but upon the stability and truth of the promise and see the Word say Yea when the Works seem to say Nay and conclude because the Promise saith it shall bee though all secondary means whereby the Promise should bee performed say It
left himself without witness As the Apostle saith Nor hath God left any word without witness There is never a truth never a promise in the Word but it hath been made good by a thousand experiences wee have a Book of Experiences to annex to the book of Promises of the many wonders which God hath in all ages wrought for his people all which doth discover the faithfulnesse and truth of God and the Promise to us 2. Information 2 Information This may inform us of the blessed and happy Condition of the Saints who have interest in such a God as can do wonders for them Propriety in all-sufficiency doth make the injoyer happy And what a blessed Condition is this to have interest in such a God who can do wonders for the relieving of us Though your troubles may bee too big for man yet not for God your miseries and extremities may bee above the supply of creatures but they cannot bee above the Power of God Hee can do wonders hee can do that which man cannot do Though you have no ordinary means of help yet you have interest in a God who can do extraordinary things yea and Extraordinary things in an ordinary way nay by Ordinary means if hee undertake the work I may say concerning such as the Psalmist Blessed are the people that are in such a case Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord Psal 144.15 3. Information This may inform us 3 Information How precious the Saints are in the esteem of God what love hee bears to his Church that hee will do wonders for them Wonders for their preservation from trouble and wonders for their deliverance out of trouble Men may do smaller curtesies for ordinary and common friends and they may give their dole to them they do not care for But if they will lay out the utmost of their power of their strength and estates to hold up or to do good to or to relieve one we must needs conclude they love such intirely Gods Dole his common blessings of this life Rex honores dignis congiarium et indignis Senec. will not bee enough to evidence his love Hee causeth his Sunne to shine and his rain to fall upon the good and bad promiscuously But when God doth exercise the greatness of his Power Wisdome Truth Mercy as he doth in the wonders hee doth for his Church this is an evident sign of that love he bears thereto Wicked men may bee subjects on whom he doth exercise the Wonders of his Justice and of his Power As Pharaoh But the Saints are they for whom hee doth exercise the wonders of his mercy in mercy Gods wonders are for the good or for them in a good way 4. Information This may inform us 4 Information that the Condition of the Church is oftentimes very sad very dark very evil because a wonder must bee expressed for relieving of them Ordinary reliefs may help ordinary distempers But when extraordinary must bee used it declares the conditions are exceeding sad The very doing of a wonder for relief implyes a condition to bee such as is beyond the helps and succours of humane and created Power If men could help if means could relieve it were no wonder to help Therefore this implies that the Condition of the Church in respect of things below may be oftentimes very sad very miserable yet 5 Information 5. This informs us again that the Conditions of Gods People Come never to bee so sad and uncomfortable as thereby to despair of help and relief seeing wee have a God who doth wonders for us Our Condition is not so low but a Wonder may raise us up again Wee may bee hopeless and helpless in respect of Creature supplyes and reliefs but wee can never be Hopeless never helpless in respect of Gods when Creature-helps fail God doth but turn us from sense to Faith from reasoning to beleeving from Creatures to himself Hee bids us shut our eyes to the things below and look altogether above as Jehoshaphat did Lord wee know not what to do but our eyes are up unto thee And David too when hee incouraged himself in the Lord his God In the most hopelesse condition there is a door of hope because deliverance is neerest when help seemes furthest off And Oh! that wee could learn at such a time as this to live by Faith and not by sense to shut our eyes to works and look upon the word of God we should then bee strong in God and find incouragement from him when we see nothing but discouragements from below Wee are too apt to live by sense and not by faith and therefore accordingly as God doth let out or restrain himself in the wayes of his providence so our faith doth wane or increase We are too like Hagar when the Bottle is dry sit down and Cry Whereas on the Contrary wee should trust in God 1. In the weakness of means Though there bee weakness below there 's strength above weakness and strength are all one with God Nay 2. In the want of means Though means bee wanting yet God can create means nay do his work without means Nay 3. In the Opposition of means When the Word saith Yea though works say Nay when the Promise saith It shall be Though all Secondary means whereby this Promise should bee effected saith It shall not bee yet are wee to rest upon God and the Promise God doth often speak one thing to sense and another thing to Faith Hee is not ever that in Appearance which hee is in Truth Hee may speak death to sense as you see hee did to the Children of Israel at the Red sea Had they consulted with sense and Reason they could see nothings but death when yet hee speaks life and deliverance to faith As you see Moses saith Fear ye not stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. God may in outward appearance speak evill when yet in the purposes of his heart he speaks good As God may seem to heal when he means to destroy to speak Peace in his Providence when hee speaks terror in his word so God may seem to kill when he intends to cure to destroy when hee intends to save Jer. 29.11 I know the thoughts I have thought toward you saith the Lord the thoughts of Peace and not of trouble even to give you a desired end Though my proceedings sem to bee evil yet my thoughts are good though my wayes are war yet my purposes are peace to give you at the last an expected end 6. Information This may inform us 6 Information That there is no ground for wicked men to insult and glory in any probable advantages which they may have against the Church and People of God God can work wonders for his Church and People You see in the verse before the Text the Egyptians had many advantages against the People of God and they promised to themselves certain and infallible
God do wonders for his Church Then let us fall down and adore this God who can do wonders for us Who would not fear thee O King of Nations saith the Prophet Jer. 10.7 It was the speech of an Heathen King when hee had seen the Wonders that God had done Let all men fear and tremble before the God of Daniel Dan. 6.26 When Christ had done that great wonder in calming the rage of the sea the Text tels us They all fell down at the feet of Jesus and worshipped him Gods wonders for us call out for our Worship of him Fall down then at the feet of this God and Worship him Fall down at the feet of his Power and dread it Fall down at the feet of his Mercy and adore it Fall down at the feet of his Wisdome and admire it Admiration is sutable to Wonders It is said Hee shall bee admired in his Saints When wicked men tremble do you fall down and admire and blesse that God adore that God who alone doth wonders 7. Use Doth God do wonders for his Church 7 Use and are wee now in a sad condition A people that shall bee made a wonder unlesse God do a wonder for us Oh! then let us carry our selves in such a deportment and demeanour as is sutable to such who are expectants that God should do wonders for us Oh! that wee could put our selves in a posture fit for mercy and deliverance Seeing you look for a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness saith the Apostle what manner of persons ought you to bee So seeing you look you expect that God should do wonders for you Oh! What manner of persons ought you to bee in Holiness of Life how holy how humble how spiritual ought you to bee in all manner of conversation Oh! take heed of sinning in the face of mercy in the face of deliverance Lye not swear not c. It was a sad aggravation of Israels sin They provoked God at the Red-Sea even at the Red-Sea it is doubled to put a greater Emphasis on it Psal 106.7 It is nothing but our sins which hinders the current and stream of Mercy if these were removed mercy would come amain Whereas on the contrary sin will not only make our but even the good purposes of God to become abortive to us You see it in Jer. 18.9 10. At what time I shall speak concerning a Nation or a Kingdome to build and to plant it If it do evil in my sight that it obey not my voice Then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them Many buds and many blossoms of future deliverance have appeared Oh! it were a sad thing if our sins should blast all these and rob us of the fruit of our hopes of our prayers and tears Our sins put obstructions to all Gods proceedings of Mercy And therefore you see when the Temple was to bee built and great things were to bee done for them The Prophet by way of necessary preparation exhorts the people to repentance to cast away their sins Hag. 1.6 knowing this that though God had begun yet if they continued their sins they would quickly make a stop of Gods mercy God would soon repent of his mercy to them God had brought Israel out of Egypt and brought them near Canaan yet their sins comming betwixt them and Canaan turned them back again into the Wildernesse and there they walk in a Round forty years before they could finde admission into Canaan God is gone out before us triumphing in the greatnesse of his strength preparing a way hewing down difficulties levelling mountains turning all our oppositions into good But if you do not leave your sins you will make God quickly to leave you so to work your own confusion Well then You are all expectants of Mercy let every one of you labour to put himself into a posture fit to receive mercy Let every one walk and demean himself as such as looks for great things from God And then that God that hath begun will assuredly make an end Hee that hath laid the foundation and is laying stone after stone upon it every day will not desist till the building bee perfected 8 Use 8 Use Is it so that God doth wonders for his Church then learn 1. To trust in God You see Hee is a God doing wonders And as Christ said Learn 1 To trust in God Mark 9.23 If thou canst but beleeve All things are possible to him that beleeveth Wonders are possible There is nothing too hard for God to do if there bee nothing too hard for you to beleeve There is nothing difficult but to beleeve Hee that hath conquered and overcome his own unbeleef hath done all All things are possible to the Beleever Do not you stick at beleeving and God will not stick at doing wonders for you Heb. 11.33 34. By Faith they subdued Kingdomes stopped the mouthes of Lions quenched the violence of fire c. As Unbeleef doth imprison Gods power mercy and goodnesse It is said Hee could not do much because of their unbeleef And they limited the holy One of Israel So Faith sets God at liberty sets the power of God at liberty Nay it puts on the power and mercy of God Therefore exercise Faith The time of our trouble should bee the time of our trust As Mordecai said to Esther God set her up for such a time as that So I may say of Faith God set up Faith for such a time as this When means fail when there is nothing but weaknesse below when sense and reason are put to it then is it Faiths work to come in And therefore exercise Faith Let not any difficulty undermine Faith Let not any seeming discouragement come between your souls and the promise Zach. â— 6 Things marvelous to you are familiar with God things wonderful to you are easy to God You have Bibles Oh! that you had Faith to make use of them you would there finde all things are possible with God and therefore nothing impossible to Faith 2. Bee incouraged to Prayer This is the great work of our times 2 To pray to God Faith and Prayer will do wonders Faith and Prayer have had an hand in most of the wonders that ever were done in the Earth These will set the great God on doing wonders for us A Prayer made up of promises and put up by Faith will shew wonders in Heaven and in Earth You read what wonders Gods people have wrought by Prayer They have dryed up the Sea Exod. 14.21 brought fire from Heaven 2 King 1.10 Caused the Sun to stand still Josh 10.13 Vanquisht the enemy Exod. 17.12 Praying-Moses did more than fighting-Joshua The day would fail to tell you of all See what wonders followed upon Davids Prayer Psal 18.6 In my distress I called upon the Lord I cryed to my God hee heard my voice out of his Temple my cry came unto his