Sampson dayes as Methusalah riches as Dives were his dwellings like the doors of the Sanctuary and shaped into the most imaginable Paradise of all exquisite and earthly delights If yet his soul remained and expired unbelieving if he had not faith His unbelieving soul shall be cast out into the lake which burnes with fire and brimstone Revel 21. 8. 2. Nay again A man may perhaps be guilty of many sins and those very fowle high and crying he hath perhaps been an Idolater or else an Adulterer or else a Blasphemer or else a Persecutor yea even of Christ yet upon his repentance and faith in Christ his soul shall be saved in the day of the Lord. For no former sinnes shall prejudice the soul which is now truly turned from them and hath by faith yeilded up it self to Christ But the unbeleeving person hath every sinne and every guilt upon a severe and sure account he rejects his own satisfactions by refusing Christ The Law of God will sue him cut for every rebellion and the justice of God will break out upon him for all his iniquities and conscience will give up all his guilts and because he is unbelieving vengeance to the utmost shall cease on him and there is none to deliver him nor he ever able to deliver himself Vnbelief it bindes all the sinnes upon the soul and condemnation fast unto the sinnes It leaves the sinning soul naked to the eye of divine Justice neither hath the soul any shelter which is out of Christ O thou who wilt not kisse the Sunne now who wilt not have Christ to rule thee who despisest the tender love of God the precious blood of Christ who wilt receive him for thy Priest for thy Prophet for thy King In the last day thou shalt curse thy heart and accurse thy sins and cry to the mountaines but they will not cover thee to mercy but that will not pitty thee to Christ but he will not regard thee to Justice but it will not heare thee thou wouldst not believe thou wouldst not receive Christ as Lord and Saviour but thou wouldst have the love of sin and therefore thou shalt have the portion of a sinner thou shall not see life but the wrath of God shall abide upon thee Nay if the father hath given and offered unto thee his own Sonne and thou harden thy heart by unbelief thou wilt not take him upon those termes I tell thee in the name of the Lord Jesus that if thou wilt thus bid Christ farewell thou dost bid God farewell all mercy farewell all salvation farewell all hope of it farewell and thou bindest all thy sinnes upon thy soul and all the curse of the Law upon thy soul Woe unto thee it s better thou hadst never been borne If thou hast any sense as an ordinary creature any reason as a man any understanding as a Christian any true estimation of an immortal soul any conceptions of heaven or hell if salvation be any comfortable thing if damnation be any miserable thing then I beseech thee I beseech thee labour for faith get out of an unbelieving condition thou perâ—shest if thou stay'st there thou art lost for ever he that believes not shall be damned said the Prince of salvation O repent and believe why will you die O house of Israel Consider throughly of the love of God in giving Christ and of 2. Motive the love of Christ in giving himself and perhaps this may perswade thee to labour for faith The love of God in giving of Christ See Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life 17. For God sent not his Sonne into the world to condemne the world but that the world through him might be saved O this love of God to sinners To give his Son and not a servant his own Son and not another his only Son and not a second his only begotten Son and not an adopted childe and that not for any ill but for good he did not send him as an enemy but as a friend not to deliver a poor and mean good but the best and highest good to save us not to deliver us from an ordinary danger but from condemnation Yea and he is sent and given he was not sought by us but given by him Yea and no way deserved but freely given yea and given to us not friends but enemies Thou hast shewed this day said Saul to David 1 Sam. 24. 18 How that thou hast dealt well with me forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand thou killedst me not 19. For if a man finde his enemy will he let him go well away Thus here 'twixt man and man but saith the Apostle God commendeth his love towards us in that whiles we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Now shall all this love be in vaine shall God think of a Christ and we pass by him shall he give a Saviour and we reject him shall he bring salvation to our doores and we not accept of it Why you need my Son and you are damned if you take him not and I freely offer him unto you that you may be saved and shall not we strive for faith to receive him The love of Christ O how wonderfull was his love to us it was not a love to the fallen Angels but to fallen man and such a love to fallen man as the like cannot be found He laid aside his glory to do us good he humbled himself to raise us he became poor to enrich us he fasted and prayed and endured the contradiction of sinners Reproaches Crucifyings Wrath Bloody agonies Conflicts with Satan sorrows in his soul piercings in his body and a bitter death to satisfie for us and to reconcile us and shall we not accept of him shall all this be in vaine Why doest thou not heare Christ calling and crying out unto thee never were any sorrowes like my sorrowes never was any love like to my love O unbelieving and sinning soul look upon me why doest thou passe by why doest thou hide thine eyes from me why doest thou stop thine eares at me I am the Saviour of sinners and there is none else besides me thy own miseries might cause thee to look up and embrace me And let my love unto thee a little draw thee move thee melt thee Hast thou not heard of the revilings and scoffes which I susteined my love to thy soul made me a willing patient Hast thou not heard of the agonies of my soul which made me to sweat drops of blood and my soul was exceeding heavy even to the death yet my love to thy soul made me willing to drink that cup Hast thou not heard of that desertion and of that wrath which made me to cry out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me And yet my love to thy soul made me to passe through it Hast
be Prophets but neither to be Kings nor Priests Againe we read of some who were to be Kings and Priests as Melchisedek others to be Prophets and Kings as David some to be Priests and Prophets but not any one was anointed a King and a Priest and a Prophet conjunctively Now here is the excellency and the eminence of Christs anointing He was anointed to all those three offices not only to be a Priest but also a Prophet not onely to be a Prophet but also to be a King Had he been a Priest only he might have offered sacrifice for our sinful gilt But who should have then been the Prophet to have opened the eyes of the blind and to give the ignorant knowledge Had he been a Priest to suffer and a Prophet to instruct only who should then have been a King to have abolished the confusions of the Heart and Life and to have subdued our sinnes and so to lead captivity captive Nay that he might be a compleat Saviour and Mediator He was anointed to be Priest Prophet and King I will open something in every one of these He was anointed to be a Priest Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek Psal 110. 4. so Heb. 3. 1. Jesus Christ is called the Apostle and High Priest of our profession ver 2. He was faithful to him that appointed him see Heb 4. 10. 7. 26. There are these things implyed in his anointing to be our Priest .. 1. That he was designed perfectly to fulfil the Law of God for us He was a satisfactory Priest there was the ceremonial Law which he fulfilled by abrogation and there was the Morall Law which he fulfilled by obedience Whatsoever the Law of God could require either for the holinesse of nature or of life that was to be found in Christ And such a high Priest became us who is holy harmelesse undefiled seperate from sinners c. Heb. 7. 26. Hence is he often called the holy and just one Act. 3. 14. and Chap. 4. 27 30. and is said to be without sin He had no sinne at all of which he was personally gilty but he was every way a righteous person and fulfilled all righteousness I say fulfilled it not for himself only but for us so that if you would now look for a righteousnesse which can every way satisfie and which is every way punctually exact and unblameable you must look out of your selves unto the righteousnesse of Christ as Paul did Phil. 3. and therefore he saith that Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness unto every one that believeth Rom. 10. 4. To make expiation for sinnes He was an expiatory Priest There was in the Law sacrifices offered by the Priest of which some were Gratulatory wherin God was praised and others were Expiatory wherein God was appeased as in the oblations of the Lamb c. thus it stands with us As we are creatures we are bound to obey God as rational and righteous creatures we were bound to obey the Morall Law of God and now as sinful creatures we are bound to answer the transgressions of that Law by exposing our persons to the endurance of the great curse of that Law and the wrath of God The Law is broken by us Gods justice is wronged his indignation moved and our own gilt like so many cords hold us fast and deliver us bound hand and foot to the vengeance and punishment of Gods pure and righteous justice Now suppose you saw a number of Malefactors going to execution the Kings Son meets them they are heavy weeping and sobbing because death is approaching Why saith the Kings Son weep not you have provoked my father and have deserved death but fear you not I will take a course to preserve your lives How so Thus I will lay down my own life for you I will dye for you to deliver you It is even thus betwixt Christ and us we all have sinned and by reason of sinne are bound over to death and hell how now shall we escape Thus God did give his own Son and he did take our sins on him and did dye and shed his blood to expiate our gilt and procure our pardon Hence is he called a sacrifice for sin and he is 2 Cor. 3. 1 Pet. 2. Esay 53. Rom. 4. said to be made sin for us And to beare our sins in his own body on the tree and that our iniquities was laid on him and that the chastisement of our peace was upon him and to be delivered to death for our sinnes and that Christ our Passeover was sacrificed for us 1 Cor. 5. 7. And observe the phrase Christ our Passeover c. You know that the Passeover had a Lamb and the Lamb lost his life and blood and that blood was sprinkled upon the doors of the Children of Israel and the destroying Angel did pass by the doors where it was sprinkled and their lives were preserved so it is here we should have been destroyed but Jesus Christ our Passeover was sacrificed for us i. e. he did poure out his own blood which did answer for our gilt and so preserved our souls Now concerning his Priestly expiation of our sinnes observe First the Priest who did offer this expiatory sacrifice Secondly the sacrifice it self Thirdly the Altar upon which it was offered Fourthly The dignity and efficacy thereof The Priest was Jesus Christ as God and man as our Mediator for that did belong to the Priest who was to offer sacrifice to be a middle person Aaron was to bear upon him the sinnes of the people and to offer for them so Jesus Christ as God and man was he who did offer up that sacrifice which did expiate our sinnes Heb. 5. 5. He that said unto him thou art my Sonne to day have I begotten thee vers 6. He saith also in another place Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck The sacrifice it self was Christ as consisting of soul and body by reason of our sins we had forfeited both our souls and bodyes to the curse of the Law and to the wrath of God The arrest and attachment was out against both but now Jesus Christ became our Priest and offered his soul and body to quit and release ours Therefore it is said that he made his soul an offering for sint Isai 53. 10. And that his soul was exceeding sorrowful even to death Mat. 26. 38. In it he felt the bitter anguish and wrath which made him to sweat even drops of blood And as for his body that was prepared for him to suffer for us hence it is said that he bore our sins on his own body on the tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. It is very true that the Godhead formally was not the sacrifice that could neither suffer nor be afflicted only it did aid and assist the humane nature which was offered up as a sacrifice The Altar on which this sacrifice was offered which did
a right answer of great means To whom much is given of them much is required Pharaohs leane kine are called ill-favoured because in a great and large pasture All is not right when the breasts are full and the child is still weak The Gospel should be revealed from faith to faith Rom. 1. 3. The greater faith is the greater perfection every degree of farther grace is like a star of greater magnitude which differ in glory from another an addition of faith to faith is an adding to the treasury an enriching of the soul a farther clarifying of it The lesse of grace the more of corruption and the more of corruption the more of imperfection 4. The greater faith the greater comfort the Minde will have fewer doubts Will hath fewer fears Conscience more settledness the soul more sights of God and tastes of Christ Experiences in life and confidence in death 5. The greater faith will be the greater help in times of desertion in times of tryal in times of temptation in times of affliction and greater help to all active duty and passive changes Thou knowest not what may befall thee in evil times then thou wouldest be able to commit to submit to conquer to suffer to do much better if thy faith were much greater CHAP. XVI Exhortations to labour for saving faith IF to beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ be the way to be saved Then be exhorted to labour Vse 4 for and to get this saving faith Let not the consolations of God seeme small unto thee said he to Job so say I let not the salvation of thy soul seem a light thing unto thee If a man were wounded deeply and there were but one plaister which could cure and this were presented unto him would he not put out his hand to receive and apply it the love of life would easily incline him Why brethren not a man of us but hath a deadly wound by sinne and there is no remedy for the sinful soul but in the blood of Christ O if the love of life will constraine us much let the love of eternal life the love of our souls of our salvation perswade us much more to get faith which gets Christ who gets salvation for our souls There are divers things which I will touch upon in the finishing 4. Branches of this Use viz 1. The Motives to perswade and draw the heart to put out for this saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 2. The impediments and hindrances which stop the soul from believing on the Lord Jesus Christ which we must assay to answer and remove as he did the body of Asabel which stayed the people in their pursuit 3. The means or adjuments and furtherances to breed this believing quality in the souf 4. The resolutions or answerings of several doubtful grounds and arguments which intangle the heart of a sensible sinner and which he holds out as strong pretences why he should not by faith close with Jesus Christ Now that great and holy God who is the Author of faith and finisher thereof whose word is the word of faith and by whose Almighty working the hearts of men are perswaded to believe let him so direct me in speaking and all of us in hearing that after all his gracious and manifold revelations and offers of our Lord Jesus Christ our unbeleeving hearts may be subdued and true faith may be wrought in us all to receive the Lord Jesus Christ to our eternal salvation SECT I. First the Motives I speak this day to an understanding and sensible people to whom the doctrinal parts of our natural misery and of our purchased felicity are not hidden mysteries and therefore I trust that the succeeding arguments and motives shall finde little stop in your understandings but shall the more easily and powerfully passe down into your hearts and affections to perswade and excite you to lay out all your strength and that speedily to get this faith in the Lord Jesus Christ Thus then First sadly and seriously consider the state of Positive infidelity A twofold indelity Divines observe a twofold infidelity One is Negative which is amongst the Heathens to whom Christ is not revealed and therefore they do not believe it consists both in the absence of the quality of faith as also in the object and doctrine of faith This Sunne of the Gospel hath not risen unto them and therefore they sit still in the regions of darknesse and for ought we know in the valley of death Another is Positive which is incident unto us Christians to whom the arm of the Lord is revealed Christ is manifested as the body of the Sun by the beams of light so he by the brightnesse and evidence of the Gospel and yet the soule knows him not receives him not doth not take him both as Lord and Saviour Of this there are several degrees and all of them fearfully dangerous to speak the truth plainly damnable 1. A carelesse neglecting of the Lord of life a not minding of that singular mercy and goodnesse which God hath treasured in Christ and reveales and offers to sinful men 2. A slighting of him and his excellencies which is a preferring as it were Barrabas before him a bestowing of our hearts and studies and labours and delights and services not on him but either on our sinnes or upon the world in the rivers of its pleasures and in the mountaines of its profits 3. A refusing of his Articles and Covenants which is a breaking off and vile disliking of those tearms upon which he offers himself to be ours we would bring him to termes of competition with sinne or the creature we would abridge his holy and Lordly Scepter like what we please do what we list have him to be our Saviour and sinne to be our Ruler we would bestow our safeties on him and our services upon the world we will not freely and fully consent to all that he is nor submit to all that he proposeth or may befall us with him and for him And so like the vaine Merchant we misse the pearle because we will not go to the price We enjoy our selves still and our sinnes and our world too but we forsake our mercies for lying vanities the soul is Christlesse still because thus sordidly unbeleeving 1. But then know of all estates in the world none so fearful so damnable as the unbeleeving estate A man may lose every farthing of his inheritance and yet faith will bring him to heaven he may lose every friend that he hath and yet faith may bring him to heaven He may lose every spirit in his members and every drop of blood in his body and yet faith may bring him to heaven He may be as poor as Job as distressed as David as sick as Lazarus as forsaken as Paul as derided as Christ and yet faith may bring his soul to heaven But if a man had as much wisdome as Solomon greatnesse as Nebuchadnezzar strength as
thou not heard of that accursed and despitfull death which I was put to numbred with transgressors cast out of the City nailed to the crosse pierced through the heart and yet my love to thy soul made me to poure out my soul an offering for thy sins Why and shall I veile my glory under the condition of a servant in vaine shall I combate and conquer Satan in vaine shall I beare the scorne of men the wrath of God the terrors of death the curse of the Law in vaine was not all this for thee shouldst not thou have susteined all this if I had not and must thou not if thou refusest him who hath done it and yet wilt thou prefer thy sins before me yet wilt thou not accept of me yet wilt thou not get faith to receive me have I sought thee freely bought thee so dearly and thou neglect and refuse me so easily Thirdly consider thou hast extreame need of a Lord Jesus 3. Motives Christ Excellency prevailes much with an ingenious nature and necessity with the worst when the Lepers saw that they must either venture their lives or die they would out into the Camp when the Prodigal saw he must famish abroad or repaire home he would then back to his fathers house Why Brethren the Captive doth not more need a Redeemer and the sick doth not more need a Physician then the sinner doth need a Christ and a Saviour Were we in Adams created innocency then we need not to look after a Saviour but we are fallen but we are broken but we are sold under sin but we are transgressors from the womb but we are by nature the children of disobedience and wrath Had we any stock left in our hands to set up our broken souls againe had we any strength to repaire our losse to recover our good to purchase our own peace and salvation but we are dead in trespasses Eph. 2. 1. we all fall short of the glory of God Rom. 3. 23. we are all without strength Rom. 5. 6. Could any thing be a Plank to the Shipwrack but Christ or an hand to lay hold on the rock but faith then we needed not to give such diligence for faith to believe but there is no salvation in any other name and there is no quality but faith to get us into Christ It is not the confidence which thou mayest put upon the faith of another which will do it as every mans soul is for his own body so every mans faith is for his own soul the wise virgins had no more oile then would serve their own Lamps and no mans faith is more then enough for himself Though Christ can save many yet faith saves him only who hath it It is not the confidence of a naked decree which will do it if God hath decreed to save me I shall be saved O no his decrees are his own secret wayes and the way which he hath opened to us is to get faith and to believe in his Son It is not an empty profession nor the worthlesse accesse of all the creatures that can ensure or save thy soul Only Christ none but Christ thou art wounded and Christ is thy plaister thou art dead and Christ is thy life thou art sold and Christ is thy ransome thou art an enemy and Christ is thy peace The debts are infinite the curse great the justice of God pure thy strength nothing and nothing satisfies and delivers but Christ and none hath Christ but the believer why then wilt thou not labor for faith Fourthly consider Christ is every way fitted to thy need 4. Motive Why Brethren gold will ransome a debtor to man it will not ransome a sinner from the Law an offender against God Why look upon your need aright and then judge who but Christ for a sinner There is guilt much guilt lying upon thy soul and who is the Priest to suffer to offer to satisfie to take away transgressions but Christ None can blot out the guilt of sin for us but he who had not a spot of sin in himself There is filth much filth defiling our natures poysoning our actions and who is the Prophet to enlighten to teach to change to cleanse from sinfulnesse but Christ None can teach us holinesse and obedience but he who was Holy undefiled separated from sinners and was obedient to the death There is dominion much dominion of sin prescribing a Law to our members sending out all insolent inclinations holding us in a willing subjection to every base lust and who is the King to conquer the heart to subdue iniquities to lead captivity captive to spoile principalities and powers to bid the captive go free to erect a thorne of righteousnesse and peace in the soul but Christ So that the wise love of God hath prepared and fitted Christ in all respects sutable to the exigencies and straits of a sinful soul and hath appointed faith to be that which shall put on this Christ upon the needy soul why then will we not labour for faith Fifthly God hath not only fitted a Saviour for thee but he 5. 〈◊〉 comes neer unto thee with him he deales mightily with thy soul â—o beleeve on him Thou hast the word of revelation to this very day wherein the mystery of thy salvation is made known and cleare unto thâ—e Thou needest not to say in thine heart Who shall ascend into heaven to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deeps to bring up Christ againe from the dead But the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach That if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him him from the dead thou shalt be saved Rom. 6. 7 8 9. Thou hast the word of gracious proposition God hath offered Christ with all his plentiful redemption with his strong salvation unto thee yea he hath assured thee by his Word of John 3. truth which cannot lie nor deceive that if thou believest on him thou shalt be saved by him Thou hast the word of injunction which layes a bond of duty upon thee This is his Commandment that we beleeve on the Name John 3. 23. of his Son Jesus Christ Nay thou hast the word of penalty and correction God hath said that he will judge thee for not believing and that in the sharpest method of expression He that believes not shall be damned Nay thou hast the word of obsecration and gentle intreaty God stoops infinitely below himself he doth streine curtesie with thee God doth beseech you by us and we pray you in Christs stead to be reconciled to God Nay thou hast the word of expostulation why will you not beleeve why will ye die in your sins why will ye not come to me that you may be saved How often would I have gathered thee All the day long
an unbelieving heart But faith makes the soul well pleased because it presents the soul with such a good as cannot only satisfie but also exceed it God is an infinite goodnesse he who can satisfie more then a world may well content one mans heart and Gods favour is a satisfying good I shall be satisfied with thy favour said David and to this doth faith entitle yea this it doth reveale to the soul And I will tell you one thing that he who cannot be contented with a God and his favour with a Christ and his blood with a Covenant and its fulnesse he will never be content with any thing if alsufficiency be not enough to thee when can emptinesse and vanity please and satisfie thee What if a man hath but a little Garden yet if he hath a large Parke and ten thousand Acres of Arables and the Kings royal favour to grace all this I tell you this would sparkle his spirit it would breath a well-pleasednesse in him Thou complainest that thou hast but little of earthly things I grant it and a little may be enough enough depends more on quality then quantity but then though the Garden be but small yet the Park is large though thy portion in externals be not so great yet this with a great and all sufficient God and a blessed Saviour and a heaven to boot is enough and enough If the wife saith she hath but a small joynture yet if she hath a rich and tender husband she is to be blamed if she saith she hath not enough Faith viewes the Christians estate not as it is in its hand but as in her husbands hand in Christs and then all is well enough 4. It assures of universal and reasonable supplies The Lord is my Shepheard I shall not want so David Psal 23. 1. follow him a little in that Psalme and you shall see what God hath done Time past for him he made his pastures green and his waters still vers 2. O what a freshnesse and what a calmnesse doth faith make in the state His soul is taken care for and at the worst when he was in the valley of the shadow of death yet he was quieted from fear because his faith saw God there yea and found him there to uphold and comfort That for what was past Then for his present condition See ver 5. His table is prepared for him as if he took no care no anxious care he needed not to trouble himself Present thou preparest a table for me and not a mean table neither my cup runneth over nor yet a dull and uncheerful table thou anointest my head with oyle so that faith for the present findes food and cheer enough too But then for the future condition will this hold out See what faith findes in reversion ver 6. Surely goodnesse and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of Future my life Goodnesse perhaps that respected his temporal estate Mercy perhaps that respected his spiritual 1. One his body 2. Another his soul and both these shall follow him as the shadow that followes the body they should be still at hand but how long not for a day only but all his dayes not all the dayes of his dignities abilities health but all the dayes of his life Nay yet againe surely they shall follow me It was not a speech of fancy but of certainty it was out of all doubt and peradventure surely mercy and goodnesse shall c. So Psal 84. 11. The Lord God is a Sun and a shield the sun is the parent of light so is God of all good The Sun is the cause of all fruitfulnesse and cheerfulnesse so is God of all blessings and he is a shield to a Sunne for the doing of good and a shield to secure and protect from evil The Lord will give grace and glory Grace is the best thing which a man can nave on earth and Glory is the highest thing which a man can have in heaven But these he will give they shall not be bought but freely bestowed No good thing will he withhold c. As it he should say if grace be not enough for earth if glory be nâ—t enough for heaven think then of any other good thing there is not any other good thing which shall be withheld that is which shall not like the rain which ceaseth to be withheld poure down upon you Will you heare the Prophet say a word to this to this future supplies for them who live by faith then read Jer. 17. 7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord whose hope the Lord is Here we finde the beleever at his work of trusting or living by faith and at his wages too Blessed is the man that trusteth c. Indeed the Prophet speaks a great word he is blessed more cannot be said but let 's see how he proves that ver 8. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters and that spreadeth out her roots by the river and shall not see when heat cometh but his lease shall be green and shall not be careful in the year of drought neither shall cease from yielding fruit If faith plants the tree in a springing soyl if it beholds the tree to spread and grow and bear in all weathers though heat cometh in al times though drought cometh yet the leafe is green and fruitful and ceaseth not to yield doth it not then assure us of supply for the fuâ—ure hath it not a good Store-house an ample treasury for the beleever What should I say more may not faith say that to the soul which God hath said to faith if so then we may well rejoyce for the present and be void of care for the future for God hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Hâ—b 13. 5. Thou hast mercy and shalt still have mercy Thou hast grace and shalt still have grace Thy part in Christ and still shalt have it supplies of all good and still shalt have them 3. The life of faith is the only getting and thriving life What the Apostle spâ—ke of godlinesse that we may say of Faith It is great gaine for it hath the promises of this life and of the life which is to come Profit is that which most men look upon it is the cry of most who will shew us any good and faith hath a singular art of getting I observe that the gâ—od of a Christian in some respect hangs in the promises as water doth in the clouds and look as the boysterous windes rather drive away the clouds and rain though a few drops may slâ—p down but it is the sweet heat of the Sunne which makes the cloudes to open themselves and give out their store So the only way to drive away the promises as it were to remove them with their blessings is not to believe not to trust and the only way to make them to yield out their precious treasures is to believe to
the heart and conquer Satan But if we trouble the Devil the Devil will not cease to trouble us It hath been the lot of the best Ministers to do most good and find most affliction Look but in the 19. ver and there you shall see Paul and Silas caught and drawn before the Rulers Good God! That Paul should be questioned because he did cast out a Devil But this is not the matter objected nor the immediate ground of the trouble Her Master saw that the hope of their gaines was gone How far will the love of the world thrust a man against Gods servants even Paul himself is brought to the Bar when he cuts off the gaines which the Devil brought Covetous hearts and good Ministers can never agree They will rather sell â—he Truth than lose their Gaine But being now before the Magistrate what is their accusation What! That Paul and Silas did cast out the Devil No That they who were the Masters of the Damosel were impaired and disadvantaged by their Preaching No though this was the ground yet something else was the Pretence This would seeme somewhat too base and therefore they urge against them another allegation which they knew would easily take vers 20. These being Iews exceedingly trouble our City and ver 21. Teach Customes which are not lawful for us to receive nor to observe being Romans As if he said they are a couple of factious and schymatical fellows men of a singular spirit given to innovation speak strange things of one Christ and of Believing and of Repenting and we know not what They need say no more presently there is an uprore and without any more ado right or wrong they have Justice The Magistrates rent their clothes and command to beare them ver 22. And this is not enough besides the whip they must to the Prison and be kept safe and close verse 23. Hatred of goodnesse doth many times precipitate evil men to the acts of injustice and he who hates a good man will many times become a bad Judge But in the prison and stocks they are and the layler is as strict to execute as they unjust to command verse 24. He did thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stocks A strange Providence is that of God Paul and Silas are sent to prison to convert a Jayler to unloose him who bound them to heale him who scourged them God hath some special ends in the times and places of his servants sufferings Well at Midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang prayses to God verse 25. No prison can bolt out our Communion with God Prayer will get up to heaven in dispite of all opposition and even a suffering Christian may be very cheerful But now see the consequents of this their prayers shooke the Heaven and the Heaven shooke the Earth so that the foundations of the Prison were shaken and immediately all the doores were opened and every ones bands were loosed ver 26. I do not marvel that Prayer can breake the bonds of Iron when I know it is able to break asunder the bonds of death it self The Iayler awakes sees the prison doores open and for ought he knew an escape of all his prisoners for whose lives probable it is that he must pay his own and therefore in a passionate desperatenesse drawes out his sword to kill himself Paul espies him and cryes out with a loud voice hold hold Do thy self no harme for we are all here not a man of us that hath stirred Which when he had searched and found O what a strange alteration is in this Jayler verse 29. He came in trembling What! he who before made them to bleed doth he now tremble he that before cast them into the stocks doth he come trembling to them What were they or what could they do shackled and scourged and imprisoned persons that he trembled before them But so he did Scorners will become Tremblers when God hath once touched their hearts yet this is not all He also falls down before them He is upon his knees to ask them forgivenesse for his cruel usage And then he brings them forth But what of all this All this may arise from sparks of pitty and Object humanity Nay but there is a greater matter then all this Sirs said he Sol. what shall I do to be saved As if he said I am in a miserable condition I have lived wickedly and done wrong to many of the people of God and in particular to you Good Lord what shall become of me you are the Ministers of Christ I beseech you have pity on me and shew unto me what I may do to save this poore soul of mine What does Paul and Silas Answer him they said Beleeve in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saved And I beseech you marke it how immediate their answer is to his question they do not say as the High Priests to afflicted Iudas look thou to that they do not upbraid him with his hard and cruell usage They take not that advantage and say nay now doth thy conscience trouble thee for being so wicked and scourging us so sharply yea and so let it doest thou come for direction and comfort to us whom thou hast so shamefully abused No they forget the injuries and presently pour in the Oyl They instantly direct him into the true way of life Believe in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saved But more of this anon I have chosen this text on purpose that I may proceed to the next article of the Creed I believe in Iesus Christ our Lord you see it is exprest in the next But before I handle it give me leave to Analyse the words and to touch upon some singular conclusions and then I will set down upon the Article it self more fully CHAP. II. The opening of the words with the severall Doctrines in the text THe words of the text do containe two parts A case of Conscience to be propounded by a troubled and trembling sinner The case is not for another but for himself what shall I do And not about his Riches or wealth or his body but about his soul And that not for meer speculation but for practicals it is a case about his salvation and about the meanes which he should take to attaine Sirs what shall I do to be saved Secondly The case fully resolved Beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved As if he said Christ is the onely way to Heaven and faith is the onely way to Christ God hath given Jesus Chrâ—st to sinners and salvation in him And whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternall life Now then believe in him and you shall be saved There are many conclusions emergent from these words I will omit most of them and onely insist on the latter Change of heart breeds change of estimation toward the Ministers of the Gospel The Jayler a little
bodies only they could not save souls not one of them not all of them to ransome to rescue to redeem a soul requires more then an arme of flesh Flesh may save or protect flesh but he must be more then flesh who can save a soul Now Jesus Christ is a Saviour of souls 1 Pet. 1. 9. Rev. 20 4. the price of our souls is in his blood with it he bought them and redeemed them They could save from some outward misery the tyranny and oppression of the enemy they have oft-times put back but from inward servitude and thraldome they could never save they could not deliver the persons from the tyranny of their sinnes whom they have been able to deliver from the tyranny of sinful men But the Son of God can save from inward and spiritual miseries he can save from sinne Mat. 11. 21. He shall save his people from their sinnes Sin hath gilt in it he saves us from that by shedding his blood and procuring remission Eph. 1. 7. And sin hath pollution in it He saves us from that by cleansing the heart 1 Iohn 1. 9. And sin hath dominion with it but Christ hath assured that he will make us free Joh. 8. And that no sinne shall have dominion over us Rom. 6. He can save from Satan Heb. 2. 14. He did through death destroy him who had the power of death 〈…〉 the Devil and ver 15. did deliver them who through the fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage He can save from the wrath of God so he did by becoming a On me my son said Rebeckah be the cuâ—se see Gal 3. 13. curse for us by suffering the sensible and marvelous impressions of his displeasure for our sinnes Jesus saith the Apostle 1 Thes 1. 10. delivered us from the wrath to come They were such Saviours as did need a Saviour Christ was the Saviour of them who were the Saviours of others Many they did save but themselves they could not save Whiles they lived they could save but dying they could not save any longer but Christ Jesus saved us by his death the losing of his own life caused ours we are saved by his death the son of Matth. 20. 28. man came to give his life a ransome for many He is a general Saviour Joh. 4. 42. The Saviour of the world The Saviour of all men 1 Tim. 4. 10 Therefore Jude ver 4 calls the Salvation by Christ the Common Salvation Mistake me not when I say that Christ is a general Saviour as if every man in the world should be saved by Christ He is not a general Soviour in respect of individual persons but First in respect of successions of persons That is there never was any age succeeding a former age but in every age Christ was a Saviour Jesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for ever Heb. 13. 8. He is the Saviour in the daies of old and in our dayes and in the times after us In respect of Nations He is not the Soviour of the Jewes only but of the Gentiles also He justifies Circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith Rom. 3. 30. The Jew cannot boast nor the Gentile complaine but there is Salvation for them both in Iesus Christ In respect of conditions He is not the Saviour of the great and mighty only nor of the poor and desperate only but the one and the other shall be saved by Christ The Salvation of the â—â—ch is not in his wealth but in his Christ Neither shall the poor person be excluded because of his poverty but all sorts of persons high and low rich and poor may find Christ to be a Saviour In respect of relations He is not the Saviour of the Master only but even of his lowest servant not of the husband only but of the wife not of the father only but of the child not of the Prince only but of the subject also The Apostle hath said enough Gal. 3. 28. There is neither Iew nor Gentile there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ Iesus He is a mighty Saviour he is able to save to the utmost Heb. 7. 25. and this appears if you consider The greatnesse of his satisfaction That he was able alone to stand before the justice of his father and to answer and fulfil it even to appeasment and contentation yea so entirely did he answer it that God is now pacified and become propitious The greatnesse of his passions That he endured the unspeakable wrath of God O what a thing was this that the Lord Iesus could at once be able to bear all our sinnes upon him and the mighty wrath of God for them and expiate all of them He did stand at the Bar not to suffer and satisfie for one sin only nor for all the sinnes of one man only nor for some sinnes of most men only nor for all the sinnes of all men in former ages but for all the sins of all that shall be saved from the first man that lived to the last man that shall dye Yet though he had all their sinnes to answer for though he had a severe justice to deal with all though he had a perfect law to fulfil though four mighty enemies to conquer Sin World Death and Hell yet he went through all satisfied suffered conquered He is a perfect Saviour the perfection of his saving consists in three things First in the alonenesse of it whatsoever was required meritoriously to save men is in him alone there is no other name beside his nor with his but he alone is a Saviour there is one mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus said the Apostle 1 Tim. 2. 5. There is no concurrence of any Angel nor of the Prayers of any Saints departed and glorified nor yet in the inherent sanctity in any man living nor yet of any workes before or after grace which comes in with Christ as a meritorious cause of our Salvation But Jesus Christ alone is sufficient and effectual to save the sinner as the government is upon his shoulder so is our Salvation Thou canst not come to an Angel nor to a Saint and say such and such sinnes are the burden now upon my soul do you by your righteousnesse ease me such and such debts are upon my soul do you satisfie for me Thou canst not come to God and say truly Lord I have sinned against thee but here are so many floods of teares which I have shed now for their sakes wash and pardon me Here are so many prayers offered up unto thee for their sakes heare and harken and forgive here are so many charitable works by which I have clothed the naked fed the hungry relieved the poor for their sakes look upon me and accept of me It is very true that these things are required of Christians and I shall hereafter shew unto you the necessity
and with all those to have a heart glued to the world folded up in the love of sinne resolved against all hazards to shift off all profession rather then to endure any storme what so great a task is this But to have a minde taught of God and to have an understanding bowed with the strength of Divine light and inward change to the obedience of truth and to have a will sweetly renewed and with an holy trembling humbly receiving Christ in his person and offices and bestowing the whole soul and body on him againe here the work sticks CHAP. XII The sure and dangerous misery of unbeliefe THe last thing which may stirre us to try our selves is the consideration of that amazing danger and unspeakable misery to which the soul is assuredly obnoxious in case of unbelief Why will you say What danger if we believe Obj. not I answer there are three special dangers First all thy sinnes stand upon record against thee like so many sad debts which thou hast run thy self into from thy conception to this very day They are all written with the pen of a Diamond there is no blotting out of a mans sinnes but by the blood of Christ and the unbeliever hath not his portion in that blood and therefore there are all thy sinnes uncancelled thy sinnes of nature and all thy sinnes of life such a sin and such a sin then and there and againe committed c. O how great is the volume of them the number of them cannot be numbred and the guilt of them cannot be conceived if one sin binds thee over to hell Good God! To what flames of vengeance and horrible degreâ—s and intensions of misery and wrath do all thy sins oblige thee Yea and as Solomon said in another case Prov. 9 12. If thou scornest thou alone shalt beare it so I say here if thou remain an unbeliever thou alone must answer for all thy sinnes Whatsoever the wrathful displeasure of God is whatsoever the horrors of conscience are whatsoever the gnawings of that worm are whatsoever the heat of hell flames are Whatsoever the doleful separation from God is Whatsoever curse the Law implies for sin that maist thou expect who wilt not believe in Christ O! if that wrath was so hot when it obliquely as it were fell on Christ where it had no unholy and self-guilty quality to admix with it selfe that he sweat drops of blood and cryed out my God c. How wilt thou with any patience ease possible quietnesse susteine the extream wrath of the Almighty Judge who art vile and filthy and hast a conscience with all thy torments to gall and vex thee with the stings of misery guilts and self-accusations tell me how art thou able what canst thou say how canst thou beare up before the Lord if he should arise if he should terribly arise to judge the nations He is the Holy God and Just and is True and Great in power What satisfaction canst thou bring where are thine oblations or with what wilt thou reconcile thy self to the Lord Whereby canst thou either make thy former sins to be no sins or perswade the Lord to be propitious to thee without Christ Nay verily he will judge thee as an unrighteous person for if thou hast not Christ what righteousnesse hast thou there is no hope for thee to be acquitted nay nor hope to be saved nay thou art sure to be damned Mark 16. 15. Go you into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature 16. He that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved but he that beleeveth not shall be damned John 3. 18. He that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not beleeved in the name of the only begotten Sonne of God 36. He that beleeveth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that beleeveth not the Son shaâ—â— not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Rev. 2. 8. The fearful and unbelieving are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone But you will say Why This is strange Why such Obj. extreame misery for not beleeving what sinne is it It is one of the greatest sins in the world not to believe that is Sol. not to receive the Lord Jesus Christ Because It is a sinne against the greatest love to the world Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave c. Rom 5. 8. But God commendeth his love towards us that whiles we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us God shewed the greatnesse of his love to bestow his Sonne and Christ shewed the greatnesse of his love to dye for us Greater love said Christ can no man shew then to lay down his life c. Now for the Lord to finde out a way of Salvation and in love to our soules to offer this Son of his unto us and to beseech us to be reconciled and then for us like them who were envited to the supper we cannot come we will not come O this c. It is a sin for which there can be no remedy for asmuch as it is a sin against the only remedy of a sinful soul The sentence of the Law may be repealed by the Gospel but not ècontra There is no plaister for the soul but the blood of Christ which yet unbelief will not take and receive It is a sinne which as much as in it lies makes void and vaine all the Covenant of Grace turning all the goodnesse of it into nothing and all the truthes of it into lyes and makes the blood of Christ to be shed in vaine He that beleeveth not makes God a lyar because he beleeveth not the record that God gave of his Sonne 1 John 5. 10. It is a sin which directly murders the soul because it doth wilfully hold it off from Christ who would upon believing pardon and justifie and save All these things being premised let us now descend towards the triall or evidences of true faith in Christ where I beseech you observe CHAP. XIII Rules for the discovery of faith FIrst some Rules of Direction for the manner of â—vidence and testifying of faith that you may neither be deceived by presumption nor perplexed by error and doubting Two things Secondly some lively instance of true faith as the Word of God doth clearly represent them The Rules of discovery and finding out faith which are these SECT I. THere are some things without which faith cannot be in the heart and yet they do not necessarily and infallibly conclude that a man hath faith They do well distinguish in the Schools 'twixt an Antecedent and a Cause a Cause is such a thing as is before the effect and which beiâ—g put the effect also is put one will not go without the other But an Antecedent is that which must go before another thing yet it is not necessary that if it be that the other thing should follow The rising of the Sunne is a cause of day and therefore this will
It doth see such a measure of goodnesse and mercy from God through Christ and such a height and depth and breadth of love to us in Christ and such an excellency of holy perfections and amiablenesse in Christ which drawes the soul with strong affections of love to Christ againe Secondly if faith might be without love then a person in Christ might be Anathema-maranatha forasmuch as he who loves not the Lord Jesus Christ is c. but it is a monstrous wickednesse to conceive that a beleever in Christ should be so Secondly there is no believer in any degree of faith but he hath a love of Christ The weak Christian as well as the strong the plant as well as the cedar The Father of a child who cryed out I believe help my unbelief as well as Abraham the father of the faithful Though one Christian may produce some testimonies which another cannot though every one cannot say with Paul I am fully perswaded yet every one can say with Peter when Christ demanded of him Simon son of Jonas lovest thou me Joh. 21. 17. He said unto him Lord thou Knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee Yea thirdly whatsoever straits the believing soul is cast into when it is in death in flames for Christ yet it can love Christ when it is under the crowd of temptations when it is in the bitter dayes of desertion When the Skirmish of reasonings do prevaile upon the soul so highly and strongly that the heart is ready to conclude against it self that God looks not on it Christ will not be mine yet even then however I love the Lord Jesus Christ I love him though I can see no sensible testimony of love from him my heart is still towards him he is my Center and Loadstone No meerly unbelieving person can love the Lord Jesus Christ For what is love Love you know it is the setling and transplanting of the heart It is such an affection as knits the soule to Christ but it is impossible that this should be whiles the heart hath no faith So then love of Christ is an infallible testimony of faith in Christ But you will say this is strange that love of Christ should be so Obj. lively and so distinguishing a testimony of true faith why doth not many a man yea every man professe that he loves Christ Beloved What men professe is one thing and what they Sol. affect and love may be another thing the semblance of love is a thing distinct from the sincere affection of love If your love be true and sincere never question the matter any further assuredly thy faith is right But this is the doubt this is it we question as much as the former Obj. whether we truly love Christ or no. A word to it and so an end of that triall If the love be true Sol. which is to Christ Then It will bestow our hearts on Christ only Nothing is too good for him whom we heartily love in true love the heart is in him who is loved and not in him who loves Anima est ubi amat non ubi animat and which way the heart goes all shall go that way It pitches on the person of Christ Love is base if it be 'twixt person and estate but pure love is 'twixt person and person I confesse that a wicked man an unbelieving person may have a tooth at the portion of Christ he may marvelously desire the merits of Christ pardon of sin exemption from hell but faith is it which drawes out such a love as makes the soul to admire it and to cleave unto the person of Christ It is sincere and conjugall It is not an adulterous love which is divided amongst several Paramours O no True love of Christ knowes no husband but Christ and no Lord but Christ he is the covering of our eyes SECT III. A Second trial of our true faith in Christ Jesus is this inward change and sanctity of the heart is an infallible testimony of a living faith Divines distinguish of a common faith and of a special faith and according to their nature so are their effects a common faith may elevate the minde to singular apprehensions notable expressions outward conformities in matters either not difficult or dangerous But special faith hath a distinguishing operation it works that which no false or pretensive faith can What 's that This is it it doth change the heart and is ever a companion with inward holinesse There be three things which I will shew you about 3. Things this First that true faith doth produce a change there is a twofold change 1. One of the condition which is when a man once in the state of death is now passed over to the state of life once in the termes of condemnation is now translated to the state of absolution and this change faith findes for us in Iesus Christ the imputation of whose righteousnesse in justification changeth the state so that our guilty debts are taken off and we are reconciled Secondly which is of the person and this change is the alteration of a mans nature for faith is not only a justifying grace but it is also a sanctifying grace Hence these phrases Acts. 15. 9. purifying their hearts by faith Acts 26. 18. that they may receive forgivenesse of sinnes and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Christ. As the blood of Christ is a pure blood as well as a precious blood and as it is a clensing blood as well as an expiating blood so faith is a grace not only to acquit but also to purge and renew It is not onely an entitleing grace that is that grace which doth interest us into Christ and his benefits but it is also a conforming grace that is such a grace as works into us the vertues and holy qualities of Christ And therefore you read that it doth engraffe us into the similitude of his death Ro. 8. and into the fellowship of his sufferings and resurrection Phil. 3. 10. Secondly observe that every believer hath a changed and a holy heart 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ and you know that it is faith which unites to Christ and plants us into him he is a new creature that is that a man is altered in his inward frame in his faculties in his inclinations all over There is a change either in the cessation of some particular actions which an unbeliever may attaine and there is a change in the newnesse of nature when the soul is turned and biassed and enclined quite another way I confesse the Apostle doth not say if any man be in Christ he is a strong creature yet he saith he is a new creature for though every believer hath not that maturity and ripenesse and strength yet he hath a newnesse in his nature an holy change wrought in him throughout Look as the first Adam derived guilt and corruption to his posterity
another thing for thee to be a servant of sin Not who assaults me but whom I love and serve he is my Lord. When the heart goes off from Christ to the approbation and love and habitual obedience of sin now sin is thy Lord But if by faith thou hast sworne fealty to Christ then though all temptations begirt thee though the insolencies of corrupt nature break in upon thee to captivate or to alienate thy heart from service to Christ yet amidst all oppressions yea under all the knocks and buffettings and interruptions by sinne the heart cries out I acknowledge no Lord but Christ him I would obey him I honour I love his I am and I yet hate those sins which yet I cannot conquer SECT V. FOurthly a fourth tryal of true faith is this It makes the heart humble and lowly Every unbeleeving heart is proud and hath high imaginations and stands upon its own bottom It hath no sound experience either of God or of it self But true faith casts a man quite out of himselfe it sees no ground of confidence and excellency from any thing in our selves Faith hath a double aspect 1. One is upon us 2. Another A double aspect of faith is upon God and Christ When faith looks down upon us alas it findes no matter of boasting in the world for either it findes sinnes which should abase our hearts or else imperfections which should curb our pride or wants which should shew unto us our indigence and dependance The Evil which it findes may confound us and the good which it findes may make us ashamed not only because it is so short and defective in what we ought to have but also because we have not answered the giving of that good with just thanks or we have not improved that good to the advantage as we might have done When faith looks upward to God and Christ there it sees all the causes of all our mercy and of all our happinesse have we pardon of sinnes why saith Faith the cause of this is in Gods love Have we righteousnesse why saith Faith the cause of this is in Christs merits Have we any gifts any acceptance any remembrance from heaven why saith faith the cause of this is only in Christs blood All that I have is given me and the cause of all that giving is utterly out of my self so that the soul sits down now and sayes O Lord in my selfe I am nothing nay of my self worse then nothing but what I am I am that by thy grace All I have is thine my bread my health my life my body my soul all thine If any love if any mercy if any Christ if any grace if any comfort if any strength if any stedfastnesse if any performances if a good work if a good word if a good affection if a good thought why all is thine thou only art the cause I am lesse then the least of thy mercies and what is thy servant that thou shouldest look on such a one as I am Thou madest me and thou boughtest me and thou calledst me and thou justifiest me and thou savest me Though faith makes thy condition high yet it makes thy person low Thou shouldst by faith be not high minded but feare Rom. 11. 20. why not high minded because standing by faith Because this standing of faith is not of our selves but in God but in Christ Faith is the foot of the soul but heaven the grace of heaven the strength of heaven is the ground upon which the foot doth stand SECT VI. FIfthly true faith is fruitful James 2. 18. I will shew thee my faith by my works ver 21. Was not our father Abraham justified by works verse 22. seest thou how faith wrought by his works and by works was faith made perfect The Apostle in that Chapter speaks of a double faith A double faith One was a counterfeit faith a shadow as it were which had the looks but not the substance it was a dead faith which hath the limbs but not the soul and life But how did it appeare that this faith was dead did it not speak many good words yes saith Saint James It gave gâ—od words praeteria nihil no good works It could say to the poore be ye cloathed and be ye warme but gave nothing to cloath or to feed why saith he this mans faith is vaine â—hat is he hath not the true quality of faith and it will stand him in no stead Another was a lively and justifying faith It had in it the true nature and property of faith but how did that appear The Apostle answers by Works You know that there is a great difference 'twixt these two viz. the justifying of a mans person before God and the justifying of a mans faith before the world That which justifies my person before God is only faith in Jesus Christ and that which Justifies as one particular my faith before men not to be a dead but a living faith is the acting of good works Hence that of Paul Tit. 3 8. This is a faithful saying and those things I will that thou affirme constantly that they which have beleeved in God might be careful to maintain good works these things are good and profitable unto men Right is the speech of Saint Augustine sequuntur justificatum though non precedunt justificandum As in a clock the finger makes not the clock to Austin go but the clock it and yet the motion of the finger without shews whether the clock goes within So although works do not cause or infuse justifying faith nor yet cause our Justification yet they do cleerly manifest whether we have such a faith as doth indeed justifie or not Obj. You will say the work of Faith is to look up and to come and to deal with God only and therefore to breath out good works which respect men seems not to be any testimony of faith Sol. I answer 1. The Apostle there expressely distinguisheth the lively and the dead faith by works as if he said it is so 2. There is if you will let me distinguish so as it were a double act of faith One is proper and personal and this is circumscribed to that Heavenly employment of receiving or presenting in and through Christ Another is Grateful and this is extended to the sending forth of good works Not as if it were a work of superarogation for faith findes the doing of good works under many commands and also the rewards of them under many promises but because faith sees also a sweet and reasonable equity that if God be good to me in Christ I should be good to some for Christs sake And verily as the worklesse person doth not now own Christ by faith so hereafter Christ will not own him by mercy depart from me Obj. But yet you will reply good works cannot be a sure testimony of faith because many evil men may performe them and some beleevers have not wherewithal
to do them Sol. I answer 1. Good works may be so stiled either First materially because they are such things as may do good Secondly formally being sealed with all the circumstances which are required to make them good both for spiritual composition and Divine acceptation Now though wicked men may performe works good materially yel formally they do not for to make a work formally good there must be the concurrence of all circumstances the person must have a good heart and a good ground and a good end and a good Christ c. 2. Though every Beleever cannot actually do every good work yet some good works or other he can do though he cannot give mony yet he can give prayer c. Now think on this ye who have riches and wealth and professe faith on Christ and yet scarce a person a poor distressed person can blesse God for your fruitful faith nay the very doing of a small good work sometimes doth even try all the faith in the soul a man doth many times beleeve he shall surely want and impoverish his estate if he should be rich in good works SECT VII SIxthly true faith doth desire and endeavour after increase Help my unbelif said the unbeleeving father O Lord increase our faith said the Disciples I pray observe a few things 1. That true faith begins in weaknesse Like a childe at the first very tender oâ— like the light at the first very broken Presumption being a work of fancy and borne with its strength and perfection it is fully assured and utterly confident at first But Jacobs ladder hath many steps 2. That though it hath weaknesse yet it hath life as the spark of fire though it be little yet it is hot and though the childe be weak yet it can suck even the weakest faith in Christ will be much about Christ it will be weeping at his grave or washing of his feet or looking on his person 3. There are yet many degrees wanting to faith either thou canst not be perswaded or not fully perswaded or not constantly pâ—rswaded 4. If the faith be true and living it will bend after a rising and that First in respect of its acts of receiving trusting perswading Secondly in respect of its object It would yet apprehend more and feel more of the communion and vertues of Christ All the preaching in the world doth not increase a false and presumptuous faith nor doth the administration of the Sacraments adde thereto But the living they grow and he must have more faith who hath any Paul would apprehend even as he is apprehended The soule which hath true faith would have yet more victorious â—ieldings more stedfast embracings more confident restings c. like the childe which sucks and thrives SECT VIII SEventhly true faith in Christ and a mournful heart for sinne go together Zach. 12. 10. They shall look upon me whom they have pierced and shall mourne for him as one mourneth for his only sonne There are two things which faith will fetch up in the soule one is love to Christ another is sorrow for sinne There may be a terror without faith the conscience may be crackt and wounded but till faith comes there is no sorrow the soul is not altered nor melted that which melts the soul is kindnesse and mercy and that which 〈◊〉 them is faith if thou doest cast an eye of Faith on Chrisâ— that eye will have some tears for forced sinning against Christ You shall finde in Scripture that true beleevers are characterized by this That they be mourners in Sion and they return with weepings and supplications and they poure out waters before the Lord and unbeleeving persons are described by hearts of Adamant of rocks of stone by hardned by unsensible by irrelenting hearts The text saith that when Christ looked on Peter he went out and wept bitterly there is a piercing vertue in a gracious look from Christ. The soule which hath been long humbling it selfe and much in seeking for mercy and a good look from heaven It is when any gracious manifestation of favour darts down even resolved into tears never did the child weep more soberly upon his reconciliation to his loving father then the beleeving Christian doth mourn in sober sadnesse when his faith gets to see God reconciled to him in Christ he reades his pardon with teares of joy There are two parts of sorrow One is essential which consists in a strong displeasure of the will against the soul for sinning against a good God Another is contingent which consists in those dreary teâ—res flowing into the eyes now this is contingent for when the heart is many times filled with teares like Davids bottle yet it may so fall out that the eyes may be silent in such expressions c. CHAP. XIV Singular comfort for all true Beleevers IF to beleeve in Jesus Christ be the only Vse 3 way to be saved then here is singular comfort to all true beleevers What Solomon spake of wisdome that I say of faith her Prov. 3. 17 18. wayes are wayes of pleasantnesse and all her paths are peace She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her and happy is every one that reteineth her If this be a happy thing to have the Lord to be our God and David judged it to be a superlative happinesse If this be a blessed thing not to be offended at Christ O how sweetly and greatly blessed is the condition of a beleeving soul which hath God to be its God Christ to be its husband and heaven to be its portion Faith and Christ why they are the ring and the diamond they are the way and the life the soul cannot have such a prize as Christ nor such a hand as faith such a match as Christ nor such a grace to contract it as faith Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seene thy salvation said Simeon He may cheerfully lay down his body in the dust who hath by faith given up his soule to Christ But to descend to some diâ—â—inct particulars of comfort to the soule which beleeves truly in the Lord Jesus Christ observe SECT I. FIrst this is one comfort in the Text that they are in the way to heaven Naturally we are out of our way as soone as we enter into the world as soone as they be borne they go aside said David and the way of peace they have not known and nothing sets us in the right way but faith for Christ is the way and it is faith which findâ—s a Christ It was not Philips natural eye but his spiritual faith which spied the Messias Christ is the waâ— to heaven and saith is the way to Christ Salvation it is the great object of â—he greatest desire and indeed I know no more excellently desiâ—able thing then God in a glorious union with whom is the perfection of our salvation Now if thou be a true beleever thou art in the way
satisfaction or else concluding no interest in his favour and gracious intentions besides forgetting usually the mediation and intercession of Christ in whom alone the soule and petitions are worthy 4. The weak believer hath not that succesfulnesse in communion with God as the strong believer hath For all doubtings do prejudice our suits There is not a more sure and compendious way to non-suit our suits then by delivering them out of an unbelieving heart No faith may be sure of denial and he who delivers up his requests to God with an hand and an hand with an hand of faith and a hand of doubting either he hath a longer or else a shorteranswer According to thy faith be it unto thee said Christ strong faith brings God much glory and doth fetch in much good to the soul but the lesser faith the lesser good as according to the largenesse of the vessel or strength of the hand c. The higher the Sun is the more light is in the Horizon so the greater the faith is in our requests the sooner and the larger shall be our promised answers You remember what Elisha said unto Joash King of Israel take the arrowes and he took them and he said smite upon the ground and he smote thrice and stayed And the man of God was wrath with him and said thou shouldst have smitten five or six times then hadst 1 King 13. 18 19. thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice Prayer is the arrow of the soul it is the swift messenger sent up to heaven and faith is the hand which dispatcheth it now according to the strength of faith is the greatnesse of prayer in successe Thou didst pray though with much weaknesse of faith and hast got a little comfort why didst thou not smite the ground six times why didst thou not double thy strength in believing thou shouldst then have had comfort like a river whereas now thou hast only the smaller drops Thou hast prayed though with much weaknesse of faith and hast got a little power over thy sinful and rebellious heart why didst not thou smite the ground six times why didst thou not abound in more believing for then thou shouldst have had a fuller victory over thy corrupt lusts and inclinations Herein hath strong faith the preeminence of weak that the one hath not that full speed at heaven as the other not that God will not answer the faith that is weak but that its answers are not so full because it is accompanied with doubtings This we finde experimentally that our helpes much of them yet stick behinde in heaven and our corruptions much of them yet insult below in our hearts not that we do not hate them not that we do not pray against them but because our faith is new or weak we rather think that God will not help then that he will indeed answer or do us good 5. The weak believer is more under the power of the creature then the strong My meaning is this that his heart is more apt to sink and faile and perplex and disquiet him in the changes of outward things a crosse cannot come but he startles and if the affliction be close he can hardly hold up if he hath not some friends to smooth and cherish him some calme estate to maintaine and uphold him If the tyde comes not in if the winde doth not blow if the fig-tree doth not blossome if God puts him upon an unusual way if he toucheth him in his Name ease advantage any neer outward support if the crosse be long now I am cast off I shall perish what shall I eate what shall I drink what shall I put on we and ours are undone there 's none cares for my body as David spake for his soule The heart gathers into many agonies many prognostications many challenges of God many impatient vexations perhaps murmurings repinings and discontents and distempers yea and hath sometimes vile and inglorious thoughts of the fruitlesseness of serving God c. I think there is scarce any one of these which the weak believer doth not sensibly feel in the times of his straits and exigences which may exceedingly humble and abase his soul therefore But the strong beleever is a better Sea-man his soul is more quiet in the absence because more loosened by faith in the presence of the creature In a faire day God was much better though others break with joy in the fruition of wine and oyle yet Lord saith David lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me As if he should say I prize and joy in that more then in any thing else In a Fast day God is enough Psal 23. 1. The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want Verse 4. Though I walk through the valley of the shaddow of death I will feare none evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me Verse 6. Surely goodnesse and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life So Psalm 93. 3. The floods have lifted up O Lord the floods have lifted up their voice the floods lift up their waves Psalm 93. 4. The Lord on high is mightier then the noise of many waters yea then the mighty waves of the Sea So Psalme 118. 6. The Lord is on my side I will not fear what man can do unto me Ver. 10. Aâ—l Nations compassed me about but in the Name of the Lord will I destroy them Ver. 11. They compassed me about yea they compassed me about but c. Ver. 12. They compassed me about like Bees they are quenched as the fire of thornes for in the Name of the Lord c. So Psal 48. 14. This God is our God for ever and e-ever he will be our guide even unto death Sin is a greater trouble and the world is a greater burden to the weak then to the strong believer 6. The weak beleever cannot bring God so much glory as the strong beleever God hath Glory from us many wayes Glory to God three wayes By acquitting his fidelity and truth and power and other attributes Rom. 4. 20. By a bearing and fruitful heart and life John 15. 8. By thankful praises and acknowledgements Psal 50. 23. Now the weak believer he doth not acquit God so in his Attributes It is often with him Will the Lord cast off for ever will he be gracious or will he be favourable no more or if thou wilt thou canst do this for me It doth not so clearly justifie God in the greatnesse of his power in the readinesse of his mercy in the immutability of his truth He is not so fruitful for where the root is weak there the branches are not so strong or full the fruitfulnesse of the heart consists in the rich increase of all graces and in the enlarged heavenlinesse of the affections and the fruitfulnesse of the life depends upon the inward inriching of the heart as the
any such displeasures nor torments that thus it shall be indeed Now how can the soul be inclined to believe in Christ to part with its deare lusts with its worldly advantages and pleasures and to submit it selfe to the Lawes and Scepter of Christ when as it doth expressely or vertually deny the nature of God and the power of his truths Didst thou indeed beleeve that there was a God didst thou indeed believe that his revelations of mans sinful misery and of his singular mercy in Christ were true and real Didst thou believe that God hath wrath and blacknesse of darkness and vials of vengeance for ever to be poured on the unbeliever and that the lake which burnes with fire and brimstone must be thy assured portion as God hath spoken how couldst thou sit still content thy heart neglect thy salvation by Christ stand off from the wayes and endeavours for faith Therefore to remove this impediment beg of God to forgive and cure the Atheisme of thy Spirit Strive to set up the true God in thy understanding and to believe that he is the Lord who will not lye Whatsoever he hath revealed himself to be and to do Why that he is and that he will performe that it is thy duty to return from sinne to him in Christ and if thou dost returne he will in mercy spare and deliver thy soul from the pit because he hath found a ransome but if thou wilt not return he wil bathe the sword of his flaming justice for ever in the blood of thy soul 2. A second impediment to the getting of faith is grosse ignorance Whatsoever is contrary to knowledge that same is contrary to faith for though faith sees not its ground in natural reason yet it must have divine evidence to shew it its object and way and causes or else it cannot be wrought in the soul The soul must have light for all its apprehensive operations for the eye to see and the understanding to perceive and for the heart to embrace Now this is it which keeps men off from beleeving they are extreamly ignorant First of their own sinful condition they do not know their nativity and conception what sin is nor what belongs to sinners â—â—w abominable and vile their natures are without all good and like a fountaine full of all wickednesse how dead in trespâ—sses and sins how totally defiled from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot How perpetually rebellious against every precept of heaven and how slâ—ghting of the tenders of salvation and mercy Secondly of Gods just disposition towards the sinful person They see him not armed and setting out against them in all the threatnings and curses of his Law as Balaam in his passage he adventured on for he saw not the Angel of the Lord with a sword in his hand ready to cleave him asunder So men rest securely in their natural state talk what you will of Christ and of God and of sinne and of faith they are not moved they know not the fearful issues of a natural and unbeleeving condition they know not that God will judge them and condemn them for ever Thirdly of the excellencies of Christ what he is whither God or man or both even as it pleaseth him but favourly what he is in respect of his Natures in respect of his Offices in respect of his Actions in respect of his Passion in respect of his Benefits in respect of his Vertues they understand not these things How God hath manifested love in Christ how Christ manifested love to them to what end he was made man why Ministers preach him so much what is more in him then in any other Alas they think not of these things they know them not Now brethren how is it possible for the soul to believe or to be perswaded to believe in Christ or to labour for this precious faith which is a stranger to it self to God to Christ Didst thou indeed know thy condition to be the condition of death wouldest thou not make out for the Lord of life didst thou indeed know thy condition to be the condition of enmity wouldest thou not strive to get unto the Prince of peace So againe as Christ spake to the woman If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith unto thee give me to drink thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee living water John 4. 10. O if men did know what a gift Christ was If heaven and earth men and Angels had studyed the helps of a poore sinner they could never have imagined such a remedy as God found in giving his own Sonne Now if men did know him aright what a Redeemer what a Lord he is what living water is in him That in him only there is life for the dead recovery for the sinner satisfaction for guilt sanctification for the soul atonement for trespasses comfort for distresses balme for wounds salvation for their persons Why how could it be but that they should ask of him for a drop at least of water for some faith to receive him who is the fountain of grace and life 3. A third impediment to the endeavours for faith is a vain confidence of natural righteousnesse This was it which kept off many of the Pharisees the Text saith That they trusted to their own righteousnesse Yea this is called the stumbling of the Jewes it cast them flat that they doted so on legal abilities When a base heart hath proud imaginations of Christ and peace and safety from something within it self why It will never look after Christ A proud person who hath mony in his house he scornes to be beholding to his neighbour the proud sinner who conceives that all is well 'twixt him and God and that he hath done no man wrong and none can say black is his eye he is neither whore not thief and his heart is as good as the best and his meanings are alwayes honest and none can tax him for injustice and he hath kept all Gods Commandments as well as ever he could and he hath had a good belief he thanks God ever since he was borne I tell you such a person will not be beholding to God for Christ for he in his opinion being so whole needs not the Physician neither shall you perswade him to mourn for his sinnes or to repent and to part with all for Christ to deny himself and all his own vaine confidences and to put himself only upon Jesus Christ he trusts to be saved by his good deeds and by his good meanings Ah foolish and seduced soul Who hath bewitched thee to forsake thine own mercies Thinkest thou that God would have sent his onely Sonne and to poure out his own soule for sinners if that yet there had been ability in sinful man to have purchased his own safety and happinesse And doest thou see no sinne in thy self which may therefore for ever thrust thee off from
resting upon thy selfe and are thy works such absolute bottomes and foundations when the Heathens can match them and exceed them or cannot God espy a flaw in thy Ship and much false conveyance in thy title and much defect in thy deeds who can charge folly upon the Angels And are thy meanings and works so good while thy heart is yet so ignorant thy life yet so prophane Can what thou doest finde acceptance or merit when yet thou trustest not on him who only is the merit for a sinner Thinkest thou thy meanings can be good which dishonour the Redemption by Christ and the freenesse of mercy O no my brethren the soul is the passenger graces are the sailes the Spirit is the wind but Christ only Christ is the bottom which carries all safe and sure to heaven Nay if thou canst see a Saviour in thy own good meanings if a Saviour in thy own good works a Saviour in any part or degree of inherent righteousnesse either inward for the change of nature or outward for the emprovement of life this this will keep thee and Christ asunder No man will labour for faith in Christ who hath a faith in himselfe already as his own Saviour Therefore as they in the Acts of the Apostles burned their books when they came to believe in Chhist so must we unbottom our selves of our selves Renounce our menstrous rags abhor our selves in dust and ashes lay flat before the mercy-seat cry out with the Leper I am uncleane unclean with Daniel To us belongs nothing but confusion for we have sinned with David enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no flesh righteous be justified with the Publican stand afar off and say Lord be merciful to me a sinner with Paul I count all things but as dung and drosse in comparison of Christ and I desire to be foundin him not having my own righteousnesse but that which is of faith with those Elders cast if we had them our very crowns to the earth before the Lamb and say he only is worthy If ever thou wouldest get to believe in Christ labour to get Do not stand in thy own light the mountaines to be levelled the high imaginations to be cast down to cast thy self out of thy self There is nothing that I have been or have done or do or can do which I can trust to I seek for the living among the dead whiles I look for a Saviour in my self He is farre enough from safety who rests on the arme of his flesh and we shall never close with or magnifie Christs righteousnesse until we can in matter of merit or justification deny our own 4. A fourth impediment to beleeving is the league of the heart with sinne Light is come into the world but men love darknesse rather then light John 3. 19. Sinne absolutely doth not prejudice the contract of the soule with Christ for Christ doth not negotiate for any soul but the sinful soul He doth not come to a person and say if thou hast no sinne I will bestow my self on thee or if thou hast not committed sinne I will be a redeemer a Saviour unto thee O no the offer of Christ is only to the sinner and it is none but the sinner who is to beleeve in Christ But that which hinders the contract ' twixtt men and Christ it is the love of sin Christ comes in the Ministry of the Gospel unto us and reports unto us our own exceeding sinfulnesse and then his exceeding graciousnesse and invites the soul by many sweet and tender arguments to accept of him to be Lord and Christ and assures it of pardon and righteousnesse and salvation Now saith Christ that which I require of you is this leave but your sinnes your sinnes which will damne you and I will be yours Why saith the soul this is but reason and I will hearken to it well then saith Christ go and quit such a lust thy uncleannesse or thy Sabbath breaking or thy drunkennesse or thy lewd society c. Why now the base and foolish heart falls off I cannot live without my nature I must and will be allowed in such a course The heart riseth up O Benjamine shall not go nay any thing but this lust I will never be divorced from it if I may have Christ and this sinne too well and good Thus the love of sinne steâ—les awâ—â— the heart it bestows the heart else where nay it infâ—ames an opposition against the Lordly power of Christ the soul will never yeild to the dominion of Christ which delights in tâ—e 〈◊〉 to sin Brâ—thren if we could bâ—â— rip up the secrets of mens hearts unto you you should 〈◊〉 discâ—â—â—â—e that it is the 〈◊〉 of 〈…〉 or 〈…〉 all 〈◊〉 oft-times can mâ—ke no exception aâ—ainst Christ they 〈…〉 to come in 〈…〉 know they 〈…〉 be saved without him but 〈…〉 will not 〈…〉 sinnes it â—uâ—s their soules to think of such a divorce come on it what will thâ—y will take their pleasure and hold faâ—t their wickednesse 5. A fifth impediment is the world The honours of it how can you believe who receive honour 〈…〉 â—nother and 〈◊〉 not the honour that 〈…〉 â—od only John 5. â—â— The profâ—â— of it He went away sorrowâ—ul for he had great possessioâ—s Mâ—t. 19. 22. The Examples of it Have any of the 〈◊〉 or of the Pharisâ—es beleeved on him John 7 48. The teâ—rors of it the feâ—â—e of the Jews kept off many from coming to Christ The losses of it and crosses He that will be my Disciple muâ—â— deny himself and take up his crosse and follow me The cares and thoughts of it when a man mindes earthly things and will be rich and devours all his prerious thoughts to compasse that which will be but a fether a thorne vanity or vexation Presse men to lâ—bour for Christ why we have no leasure presse to frequent the wayes of getting faith why lwe must not neglect our callings Urge them to embrace Christ as Lord to shape and fashion their hearts and ways according to his rules after his righteous Laws and to deny themselves in some sinful compliances O then we shall not be esteemed of we shall be derided and scoffed at as vaine and singular O these sensible things which we can see with our eyes and grasp with our hands they put us off from the great moments of our best and eternal good And what are the honours of this world but as the shade of the Sunne which every discontented cloud and frown removes and what are the profits of it but heapes of chaff which any windeâ— from heaven may scatter and what are the friends of it but a gourd which any worme may gnaw out and shrivel And why doest thou fear man whose utmost power exceeds not thy body and fearest not that God whose vengeance can seaze on thy soul and why wilt thou bestow the strength of thy time to get no more
in thy stead and answered Justice for all thy sins 3. Divine justice will not desire a double satisfaction It will not require satisfaction from thee and from thy surety too The quarrel ceaseth 'twixt thee and God for Christ hath by his own blood taken that up As Elihu spake of uprightnesse that I say of believing in the Lord Jesus if thou doest then the Lord will be gracious unto thee and will say deliver him from going down to the pit for I have found a ransome Job 33. 23 24. Obj. But I who am I so totally unworthy there is nothing in me to move Christ to engratiate me he will never bestow himself on such an one as I am will ever Christ look on such a dead dog as I am I answer to this 1. Personal unworthinesse it is no prejudice You read in Mat. 7. Things 8. 8. that the Centurion came to Christ for his servant and believed on him and sped well Yea will you say but he was worthy nay he professeth the Obj. contrary Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof Sol. as if he should say I have nothing in me to demerit and challenge this gracious act of thine nothing and yet I believe that thou canst and wilt heal my servant so the Prodigal I am not worthy to be c. 2. Nay the humble sense of our unworthinesse it is a furtherance Christ doth not expect any excellencies and meritorious motives from thee thou must come unto him as an empty vessel the full soul and the sound spirit is not for him bring a soul to Christ which is spread all over with misery and need why such a soul is a proper object for mercy to deal with bring a soul to Christ which is all over with lostnesse with poverty with sicknesse with unworthinesse why this is the soul upon which Christ will look It s never well with a man untill he can take Christ upon his knee upon a bare knee with an empty hand that is till he be brought to be poor in spirit that he is nothing and deserves nothing and begs of Christ to accept of him even for Christs sake The Lord be merciful to me a sinner went home justified when the thank God I am not as other men returned as he came a proud Pharisee You shall finde it thus that God looks most on him who looks least on himself The humble and contrite spirits which are broken out of themselves and can cry out O Lord I am really vile and mostly unworthy These the high God who inhabits the lofty places doth behold And Christ is ready to take him by the hand who thinks himself unworthy to touch his feet There are two tempers which like Christ well one is a beleeving heart and another an humble soul 3. Personal worthinesse is not the motive nor designed ground for faith in Christ The ground of belief that which invites the soul to draw on it self to Christ is no deserving or eminent quality in our selves but the goodnesse and fidelity of the promise and the gracious offer of Christ himself to the soul Behold he calls thee why this is enough if thou canst finde God holding forth the golden Scepter offering Christ unto thee upon such and such termes and thou consent unto them with all thy heart thou mayest confidently close and lay hold on Christ by faith This is the wise skill of a Christian truly to observe the proper rise of faith When God promised Abraham a son the text saith he did not consider his own body Rom. 4 19. that is he did not consult with the strength of his own nature what an able principle there was in himself to compass such an effect but he was fully perswaded that what God had promised that he was able to performe The ability and fidelity of Gods promise exceedingly enclined his heart to believe So is it here about faith in Christ if thou doest consider thy own body thy own deserts thy own excellencies thou shalt never beleeve for faith can finde no ground in these to encourage the soul but the ground of faith is without our selves Why God offers me Christ and Christ calls me unto him being heavy laden and he saith that he who beleeves in him shall have eternal life Now this is a word of truth and this word of his is worthy of all acceptation I will venture my soul upon it It is with faith as with a bird cast him into the water he cannot flie that element is too grosse for him he cannot gather and beat his wings there and therefore is kept down but cast him into the aire which is a more pure element then he can clap and â—pread the wings and mount why faith is the wing of the soul and the promise is that spiritual element that aire which breaths a life and motion to faith faith is raised by it alone and it is checked and hindered whiles the soul would force it to act it self upon those poor and grosse excellencies in our selves Faith desires no better object then Christ nor suâ—â—r pawnes then Gods promâ—se Fourthly to receive Christ by faith it is not a matter of merit but a point of duty When God commands a sinner to repent and to forsake his sinnes and take him he shall have mercy iâ—â—e will do it This may not now be said O Lord I am not worthy to obey thee in this duty if I were worthy to repeâ—t I would repent nay but O man divine commands are to be obeyed it is thy duty to repent So God commands the soul to beleeve in Christ to accept of him The soul now looks on the excellencies of the gift but forgets the obligation of duty It s true Christ is a most excellent gift and blessing there is not such a thing in all the world for a poore sinner as Christ but then know that his excellencies may not take thee off from thy duty This is his Commandment that we beleeve on the Name of his Sonne Brethren you are mistaken to beleeve in Christ being proposed unto us in the Gospel it is not a matter of indifferency I may or I may not nor is it a matter of curtesie as if we did a work of supererogation more then God requires nay but it is a matter of conscience a man sinnes he violates a command an evangelical precept if he doth not beleeve It is not a dispute of worthinesse or unworthinesse but it is obedience to the Command which thou art to look upon 5. Christ is given out of rich grace and mercy and love and therefore none can receive him but the unworthy There is this difference 'twixt the reward of Justice and the gift of graciousnesse Justice hath an eye upon the disposition and acts of the person and according unto their qualities and degrees doth it commensurate reward or punishment But graciousnesse hath an eye only upon it self the free
bountifulnesse of its own nature is the reason of its gifts and acts Suppose that a King executes a malefactor this is an act of justice and findes cause in the rebellion of the offendor Suppose that a King pardons a malefactor this is an act of graciousnesse and findes its reason only in the breast of the King and not in the worthinesse of the delinquent Thou stand'st upon thy worthinesse O if I were worthy of Christ why but is not Christ a gift he is often said to be given yea but is he not a gracious gift See Ephes 2. 7. God did shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us through Jesus Christ As if he should say if ever there were a gift free-given it is Christ If Christ be a gracious gift then he is not bestowed on the worthy but on the unworthy not on him who can challenge and say Lord there is good reason why I should have Christ and thou shouldest do me wrong if I have him not O no but he is a gracious gift and therefore the broken sinner may come in and say O Lord though I am unworthy yet give me Christ graciousnesse doth not expect any motion out of it self and therefore though in respect of my desert shame and confusion be my portion yet thy gifts of grace are free for thy exceeding riches of grace and mercy and love give me thy Christ If I meet an old decrepit poor beggar and seeing misery and poverty in his face I freely draw my purse and say there is a shilling for thee O no saith he Sir I am not worthy I am a poor man and ready to starve give it to that Gentleman yonder who is in gay cloathing and hath thousands in his chests for he is worthy what a proud folly were thâ—s why my almes was a gracious dole and if any man in the world had it he had who doth need but doth not deserve it So c. 6. Christ is worthy your taking though thou be unworthy of receiving 1 Tim. 1. 15. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief As if he should say this is so necessary a thing so good a thing so admirable a thing for a sinner so meet for him to hearken unto and to embrace What if the choisest Prince in the world should this day present himself to the foulest ill-favoure'dst neglected woman one without all beauty without all parts without all estate and assure her if she will consent to his termes he will bestow himself upon her Though she be totally unworthy to heare of such a thing yet the person is worthy and the acceptance of the motion is worthy all the world sees reason enough that she should hearken So it is Jesus Christ the Prince of peace the Lord of life the Authour of salvation comes to a sinful soul utterly naked and void of spiritual excellencies over-runne with all the spots of inglorious deformities exposed to all kindes and degrees of present and future miseries calls and invites that soule to accept of him upon his own termes yet that soul stands off and excepâ—s I am not worthy Thou worâ—hy saith Christ what do I esteem of thy worthinesse Not for thy sake be it known unto thee is it that I offer my self unto thee not for any beautiful or ingratiating ornaments and gifts is this but for my own sake Am I worthy the receiving if so then accept of me Christ hath worthinesse enough and as our helps in the promises draw us thither so the treasures in Christ should do Obj. But you will say Christ hath let fall a word which tels me that there must be a subjective worthinesse as well as an objective worthinesse in me as well as a worthinesse in him Matthew 10. 13. If the house be worthy let your peace come upon it Sol. I answer that there is indeed a double worthinesse First one of the object when it is so every way excellent and necessary and sutable to the exigencies of a person so Christ worthy Secondly another of the subject which to restraine it now to the place alledged is a worthinesse of judgement and affection not a worthinesse of qualities and action Then a man is said to be worthy in reference to Christ not because he hath any taking and inviting qualities but when he judgeth worthily of the Lord Jesus and his affections draw after him as most worthy of all acceptation Lastly what is that which makes thee unworthy It is nothing in the world but sinne all the debasings of the soul are our sinnes and so there is a twofold unworthinesse 1. Meritorious 2. Excluding But then mark two things could never be if meer sinnings did effectually prejudice the soul with an excluding unworthinesse one is That Christ could never have been a worthy gift Another is That faith could never have beleeved truths in Christ It could never take Christ as a Saviour nor beleeve in him for the sure pardon of sins if that sinnes absolutely did involve the soul with such an unworthinesse as should for ever exclude it from partaking of Christ O no Though sinnes make unworthy yet Christ came to call sinners and though ungodlinesse makes unworthy yet Christ justifies the ungodly 4. Obj. But I am not sure that Christ is willing to bestow himself on me or that I should lay hold on him else I should I think be able to beleeve Sol. To this I will returne two things 1. One is clearing Christs willingnesse 2. The order of a Christians assurance First That Christ is willing I shall but light a candle to the Sunne in endeavouring to manifest the willingnesse of Christ to accept of sinners Why 8. Things what can possibly expresse a willingnesse which is not espiable in Christ First when thou wert a sinner and an enemy yet then did Christ shed his blood and die for thee Rom 5. 8 10. Nay he did not do this through constraint but through consent it was a free-will offering therefore is he said to offer himself and lo I come and to give himself and to lay down his life and to pay a price nay to be straitned till it were accomplished Luke 12 50. His death was the putting of the seal to the bond It ratified all the Covenant which it had not done had not Christ been willing Why he knew thee long before and saw thee in thy blood before he shed his own and had he been unwilling to have done thee any good or that thou shouldest have received any good from him he would never have cloathed himself with such a nature as he did assume neither would he have anguished his righteous soul nor have suffered such a tormenting and accursed death Verily if I would lay down my life for a person this would sufficiently argue and declare that I were willing to bestow my self on the perso
find eternal life So that you may from this take notice of three things One That to be assured of Christ as mine is no ground for to move a man to believe but it is a consequent of it Another that to be assured that Christ is willing and ready to be mine and to accept of me this is a sweet motive and an encouraging ground for the soul to believe A third there is no better way to feel the sweetnesse of Christs being willing to bestow himself upon a man then by believing first on him for it is faith in Christ which opens to a man all his interests in Christ And if this be sure that Christs willingnesse prevents thine if therefore thou be willing to accept the very nature of the treaty and match assures thee sufficiently that Christ was ready long ago 5. Obj. But then saith the sensible sinner I am not prepared and humble enough Christ is to binde up the broken hearted but my heart is still hard and Christ is to open the prison for them that are bound but I am not at least in sufficient bondage and he is to give the oile of joy for mourning but I have no melting nor mourning spirit and therefore I may not believe on him nor take him for I am distinguished Sol. I shall not need to say much to this because I have touched heretofore upon in the Exposition of Mal. 1. 1. yet I will touch a little at this time 1. There is a twofold humbling according to a double cause of it One is in the exceedings beating of the conscience with inward terrors and feares springing from the Power of the Law which quickens the conscience and wounds it with the expresse sense of former guilt and which presents God in all the glories and terrors of his justice and as the great and sure avenger of an unrighteous person When the soul is in this kinde of humbling it is filled with exquisite sense and exquisite torment like a man with a burning arrow in his thigh or like a thief hearing the sentence of death pronounced upon him by the judge Now this kinde of humbling though sometimes it may be an antecedent to faith in Christ for God doth many times bring a man to heaven by the gates of hell he doth bruise and wound and even kill him by the terrors of the Law and then revive him with the workings and tender goodnesse of the Gospel yet it may be possibly without any future accesse of the soul to Chrâ—st For this mark that though God doth many times graciously superad another work of conversion to this of legall affliction yet he may and doth many times distribute these sorrows in wrath and they are but the testimonies of his pure and displeased justice even in this life to begin an hell of anguish in the conscience of a proud and daring sinner Another is in the tender abasings and sweet bathings or mournings of the affections when there is a fountaine of sorrow set open within the soul giving out it self in severall streames of melting because of sin and transgression Now this latter is not an antecedent but a consequent of faith in Christ as you shall hear presently A man cannot rightly judge of his fitnesse to lay hold on Christ by the meer strength or measure of any legall humbling but by the Issue and event of them If instead of one item from conscience thou shouldest now heare an hundred and instead of one lash from conscience thou shouldst now feel a thousand though thy heart were broken into as many pieces as the glasse which is dashed against the wall though thy spirits did even fry within thee for the heat of horror and that thou didst roare day and night for the disquietment of thy guilty conscience yet couldst thou not confidently affirme by all this I am now for Christ and Christ will assuredly accept of me I shall not misse of him Reasons whereof are these 1. Because these may be Gods tokens of just vengeance on thee meer punishments and judicial acts 2. The soul under these may be rather taken up with the stinging guilt and feares of sin then with the foul vilenesse and base nature and acts thereof standing in contrariety to the holy and good will of a gracious God 3. The thus afflicted soul may cry out for Christ meerly out of self-love to ease the burden but not to cure the nature to deliver it from paine but not to heal it of the sinfull inclination Therefore this I would say to any legall broken spirit do not judge of fitnesse meerly by the strength or depth of teares there is a threefold enough 1. Intensive for the degree 2. Extensive for the time 3. Dispositive for the efficacy therefore do but observe what disposition attends and follows these There be five things which if they follow upon legall humblings may be subordinate encouragements to the heart to put it self upon Christ First if quite driven out of ones self Secondly if sin comes to be felt as the basest evil as the guilt of it hath been found the sorest paine A third is if the heart finds it self any way loosened from the league of iniquity yea and that a secret war is begun now 'twixt the soul and the sinner Fourthly an high estimate and valuation of Christ as the only and choisest good of my soul and hope c. An active and fervent desire to put the soul under the Government of the Lord Iesus Whether thy legall humblings be great or small long or short more or lesse that 's not the thing but if they be thus attended thou mayest safely venture thy soul upon the Lord Jesus thou mayest believe and he will in no wise refuse thee 3. Faith in Christ will not hinder the humblings or meltings of thy soul I observe when there is a Thunder-clap then there is such a hurry in the cloud that fire flasheth out and the cloud is brust insunder and a mighty deluge of water is thrown down and you may likewise observe that the Sun doth though there be no storme draw up and sweetly open and pierce the clouds which thereby give down the most seasonable and refreshing showres of rain The Law is like a Thunder-clap it doth many times so tosse and hurry and vex the conscience that infinite sighes and feares and teares gush out But then faith makes the Sun of righteousnesse to arise within the soul and nohing melts the heart more then Christ apprehended by faith Zach. 12. 10. They shall look upon him whom they pierced and they shall mourne for him as one mourneth for his onely son and they shall be in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitternesse for his first-born For faith First sees the greatest love the sweetest kindnesse the freest pardons 3. Reasons of it the readiest acceptations all which do even me it the heart into a river and works the greatest mournings I doubt not but
and to be disposed as the Lord pleaseth If he will have me to enjoy well if to want well if to abound well if to be abased well I would be as he would have me to be and I would be estated as he would have me to be estated If he thinks good to bestow a faire estate upon me I desire to be humble and thankful If he thinks good to limit me to a meane estate I desire to be humble and contented If he keeps me in a free condition I desire to love him if in a perplexed condition I yet desire to fear and serve him though I would be careful and diligent yet I would not be anxious and vexing I dare to trust him with my soul to preserve sanctifie uphold comfort save it I trust him with my body to preserve enable change and dispose it I trust him with my whole estate to give it alteâ— it increase it lessen it keep it blesse it as may make most for his glory and my good Secondly To live by faith is to depend upon God for all You all conjecture That First God is an alsufficient goodnesse he is goodnesse it selfe And whatsoever good the creature is capable of or doth actually participate he is the sole cause thereof meanes which be next at hand and neare our eyes are but pipes and stewards but God he is the fountaine and Lord. Secondly he hath put all Covenant good for his servants into promises The promises are nothing else but a deed of gift sealed with the truth of God There hath God freely undertaken whatsoever belongs to grace or glory to this life or to that which is to come doest thou want this or that Why whatsoever is fit for thee to have that I promise in the Name of my Sonne to give unto thee saith God Now to live by faith is to cast anchor at heaven gates it is to cast the soul upon Gods promises in Christ to rely on God for any good which God hath promised and undertaken this I want and this God hath promised he hath undertaken the supply and I will trust upon him for it Though I feel no such thing nay though I feel the contrary yet I do not cast away my confidence Though fig-trees blossome not though olives faile and hindes are gone yet if my supply appears in any word of promise I take heart and say yet my condition is good all is well and sure My God hath undertaken it for me and in his Word will I trust which is good and true he will not faile me I shall have whatsoever is good and that too in a good time This only in general SECT II. Quest 2. Sol. TO what states the life of faith may extend You know that there are two eminent states of our life 1. One is spiritual which respects all the exigencies varieties windings turnings changes defections eclipses tryals and hardships of the soul Whatsoever accidents may befall an holy soul about the heavenly condition that appertaines to the spiritual state all the supplies of grace of strength of comfort of assurance of assistance against temptations corrections troubles all enlivements and quicknings of the Spirit about all sorts of duties and services active or passive 2. Another is temporal which is not onely the terme of our natural breathings but also the sundry and manifold occurrences which befal us in the employments of our life all the accidents and interruptions crossings checkings contrarieties either in our bodies or calling or wealth or persons or children or servants or good name Briefly the temporal state comprehends all whatsoever may weaken or wast or distract All or any of our temporal contentments delights desires ends as also all our temporal supplements for the being or well-being of this poore and short life of ours as health strength friends food liberty estate peace and quietnesse c. Now then living by faith extends to both The just shall live by his faith said the Prophet Hab. 2. 4. of the Jews in the temporal state and I live by the faith of the Sonne of God said Paul in Gal. 2. 2. speaking of his spiritual state So that faith bears up soul and body and is both for heaven and earth It serves to fetch in the blood of Christ the redemption by Christ pardon of sinne Gods favour all grace and comfort to the soul And it serves to fetch in also health to the body riches to the estate plenty peace friends what not When I am sick I yet trust in God for health when poor I yet trust on God for sufficiency when under reproach I yet trust on God to clear my innocency when under discomforts and forsakements I yet trust on God for favor and countenance In all my distresses and reproaches I have yet his Word for my supplies and helps upon which I rest and thus I live by faith so far as the promises extend so far doth living by faith extend SECT III. Quest 3. NOw more particularly what it is to live by faith on Christ Sol. I will tell you what I think of it It is an holy work and course of a beleeving person wherein he doth depend on Christ and To live by faith in Christ make use of hâ—m for all the conditions and exigencies of the soul about its spâ—ritual state For the opening of this description I will touch upon three things 1. The particular conditions and exigencies of the soul by reason Three things of which it hath need to live by faith 2. The fulnesse and fitnesse and fidelity of Christ for the supply and help of a beleeving soul 3. The conjunction of both these together which is the very living by faiâ—h on Christ Fiâ—st the particular conditions and exigencies of the soul you must know this That to live by faith presupposeth two things on our part defect and insufficiency There is something lyes upon us which should not and we cannot help our selves and therefore we go abroad by faith this is to live upon the market Now there are many things which ly upon our souls 1. The sense of guilt this is a great matter it makes the very heart oft-times to tremble it is an heavy burden when a man sinnes against an holy and just God the least of them provoking and damnable This is a time of trouble for a man sees much in debt and nothing in stock he is not able to pay aâ— farâ—hing all that he is or can do can never answer divine Justice This is one exigence now which makes a man capable to live by faith to look out to Christ and to try what he will do for him a miserable sinner as you shall heare anon 2. The sense of unrighteousnesse Why God requâ—res an holy conformity to his divine will in heart and in life that our nature should be as he requires and our wayes as he commands but when the soul is able actively to reflect on it selfe and look on God
and then to compare what it is and hath done with what it should be and should have done It is amazed at its own unrighteousnesse and this is much increased for it knows that no unrighteous person shall go to heaven It knows that God will not pronounce unrighteous judgement He will not acquit a man as righteous who hath not righteousnesse nor shall he ever stand in judgement before him Now this is another exigence which puts the soul upon the life of faith 3. The times of desertion when all the comfortable evidences of the Christian state are drawn off as it were when the Lord confines himselfe and all to his promise The poor soul hath no spark of comfort it hath no glimpse of divine favour if it can finde God to be his God and Christ to be its Christ in the promises well and good but there is no feeling nor handling any sensible tokens This is another exigence 4. The times of contrariety when the Sunne seemes to be darkened and when mercy seems to be angry and when fidelity seems to cast off when mindfulnesse seemes forgetful God seemes not to regard us but to fight against us and Christ who did call to us to come unto him doth seem to go away from us O this is a strong exigence of the soule and if ever now must it live by faith 5. The time of weaknesse when a man sees that his work is great and his strength is small duties many power little affections dull not able to do for Christ not able to suffer for Christ cannot pray hear receive obey as he should as he would This is also an exigence of the soul wherein it needs to live by faith on Christ 6. The times of corruption when a man feels sinne afresh he had thought sinne had been dead long ago and all conflicts had been past but now he perceives sinne to rise like an armed man and like a flood even ready to beare down the soule with that hideous insolency and violence of wicked thoughts and inclinations yea so great is this storme that as they said to Christ in another case so here Master help or else we perish 7. The times of temptation which like a crosse winde beares the ship almost under water The gates of hell seems to open themselves against the soul and the powers of darknesse fall in upon it with all the cunning of unbelief and excitation to blasphemy To deny God to slight his Word to let go our confidence in Christ so that the poore soul is almost brought to dust and death by reason of them This is also another exigence for the soul to make use of Christ and to live by faith 8. The times of contradiction when the mouths of wicked and foolish men like sharp rasors wound and cut off a mans good Name when their hands like claws of Lyons teare away the prey they take away the innocency of the upright and the estates liberties friends all the earthly encouragements of the righteous I say this may also be an exigence for the soul to live by faith in Christ and to make up all in him alone 2. Now as he who lives by faith is in the acting of that life still sensible of some one of these exigencies or straits of his soule so in the second place he must be able to Behold a sutable fulnesse in Christ He must know two things First that Christ hath enough in him to answer all these Secondly that Christ is appointed of God and willing to do it therefore I pray you remember First that Christ hath enough in him to answer all the exigencies of the soule Thy soule cannot be cast on any sea but he is there as a sure ship and harbour It cannot be cast upon any streight or trouble whatsoever but Christ is able to relieve it 1. For the sense of guilt Why in this there is that in Christ which can take it off His blood is good payment and it was shed for the remission of sins He can make perfect peace and satisfie to the utmost As the least sinne needs his me it so the greatest doth not exceed it If Christ would but offer up his soul for thine his merits for thy trespasses his precious blood for thy bloody crimes Why God will be pacified for his blood is the blood of atonement of reconciliation of blotting out of peace c. 2. So for unrighteousnesse Why there is that in Christ which can present the righteous unspotted unblameable which can present thee glorious without spot or wrinkle as the Apostle speaks Eph. 5. He can finde an ample garment without any rent an obedience which was perfect which God will accept for which he will justifie thee Though thine own righteousnesse for matter of judicial Justification be as filthy rags 3. The like may be said in a proportion to all the other exigencies Though thou be weak in grace feeble in duty yet he can make all grace to abound and he can strengthen the feeble knees and he can comfort the mourning spirit and he can open heaven againe He can open thy eyes that thou shalt see thy God again yea and as thou hast done formerly as thy God yea he can conquer the busiest corruption and put by thy strongest temptation and stand by thee in the bitterest opposition 2. Nay and Christ is both appointed of God to be and do all this for the beleever and is very willing He is made unto us of God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 1. 30. wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption therefore is he called the horn of salvation the Justifier of his people the Standard to which we should repaire the strength of them that trust in him in a word he was invested a Mediator with his triple office of Priest and Prophet and King to be and to do all this for such as are believers Thou doest not mistake thy self nor misconceive of God or Christ when thou goest to the Lord Jesus in any of thy streits then to be a Priest for thee or to be a Prophet for thee or to be a King unto thee O no God hath appointed him to be the Saviour of his body to be the head of his Church and Christ who was thus ably invested is as willing and faithful to discharge and performe 3. These things being to be known and granted there followes in the third place the conjunction of these two together which indeed is the very living by faith upon Christ When the soul is in any exâ—gence and comes to Christ and puts it self upon him and trusts to him for help this is to live by faith on Christ Suppoâ—e a person sensible of much guilt many sinful commissions or â—omissions lay heavy and sore upon him he is grieved at heart that he hath so dishonoured God take them off he is not able and therefore he renounceth all in himself to Christ he goes and saith thus O blessed Lord
Jesus thou didst shed thy precious blood for the remission of sinnes thou hast offered me thy self and all thy precious purchases and benefits I have by faith accepted of thee of thee alone with all my soul to be my Lord and Saviour Now none in heaven or earth can procure me the pardon of these sins but thy self and thou canst do it I beseech thee that thy blood may be mine atonement to thy father yea I will and do cast my soul upon thee thee alone for the pardon and I will trust unto thee for the discharge of my many of all my transgressions Thy blood is the price that I will trust to and rest upon This is to lâ—ve by faith in Christ in that particular yea though the sense of guilt be great and the truth of it undeniable yet to believe the pardon in Christ and to offer his satisfactions yea to adventure and to roll the soul upon him for it for Christ hath called me and he hath said that he will ease me c. So againe suppose that thou feelest corruptions strongly working and temptations grievously assaulting now to live by faith on Christ is to come unto him knowing the Kingly power of his grace and to beseech him to subdue iniquities for thee and to send forth the rod of his Scepter the power of his gracious Spirit to mortifie thy lusts yet more and to trust upon him that he will do this for thee and therefore thou wilt apply thy self with patience and confidence to the use of all consecrated wayes and meanes through which Christ will manifest that power unto thy soul I thank God through Jesus Christ said Paul Rom. 7. As if he should say I am not able for my life to root out to beat down these vile motions but I cast my self upon Jesus Christ I trust unto him and verily beleeve he will deliver me the like may be said of all the other exigences but I cannot repeat all Consider that the habit or quality of faith is one thing and the use or exercise of faith is another thing the soul then lives by faith on Christ when it improves its interest in Christ when it can trust to him to supply all its wants a man is said to live by bread not when he hath it in his Cupboard but when he takes and eates it and a man is said to live upon his money not when he lets it to lie dead in his chest but when he turnes and windes it for his benefit and support So here to live by faith on Christ is to put faith to work my works are in my self but the supplies of my soul are in Christ as I go to divine providence and put my self on its faithful powerful goodnesse for my body so I must go to the Lord Jesus and put my self on his gracious and certaine fulnesse for my soul Yet observe a few things for the clearer opening of 4. Things this 1. To live by faith on Christ it is more then a meere complaining of our wants or an acknowledging of his fulnesse To see scarsity in the house and plenty in the Market this may be and it may be vaine unlesse we go forth to fetch in the promises Whiles the soul keeps home it lives not by faith The life of faith lies abroad a man may have grace to see his wants and yet he lives not by faith till he can get out unto Christ I will go to the Prophet to the man of God said the woman who had a troubled spirit for her dead child Yea this recovered her child againe If I can but touch the â—hem of his garment I shall be whole said she in the Gospel you must bring the pitcher to the well if you will have water and the childes mouth must be applied to the breast if it would have milk and the soul must go unto Christ it must approach unto him or else it is but a fruitlesse trouble it is not a living by faith on him 2. To live by faith on Christ it is more then a meer going to Christ though the motion of the soul out of it self be required yet that alone is not sufficient If I go to a man for to lend me an hundred pound if either I will not speak to him or trust him this is labour loft so though we do addresse our selves to Christ for help but will not trust upon him for supply this is not yet to live by faith For The life of faith on Christ is raised by three things First his fulnesse Secondly his goodnesse Thirdly his faithfulnesse and all these enduce the soul to trust unto him he is able enough Ergo I will trust him he is ready enough therefore I will trust him he is faithful and will certainly do me good therefore I will trust him So that to live by faith it is to live by trust one is said to live by trust when he hath nothing from another but his word or his bond I think him honest or I have him fast bound therefore I will trust him Thou hast the Word of Christ and the Promise of Christ which is a sure truth to which if thou doest trust thou doest live by faith If I feel and do not complaine if I complaine and do not pray if I pray and do not trust this is not yet to live by faith so farre as I can trust upon Christ that he will supply and help my soul so farre I do live by faith 3. Nay Thirdly to live by faith is not onely to trust upon Christ for supply but it is to expect the performance There is a great difference 'twixt the life of sense and the life of faith Sense is opposite to expectation it is only for the present what it hath that makes it up it lives upon no stock but that in hand but faith reckons its estate more from what lies in bonds then what the person findes in the purse It findes the greatest part of the souls estate yet in the promises and yet in Christ and in both graciously and assuredly undertaken whereupon it doth make the soul not only to go to Christ but to trust him and not only so but to expect and waite patiently he doth hear me he will do me good he will not suffer sin to have dominion he will send forth the rod of his power he will make all grace to abound he will not leave nor forsake me he will satisfie for me his intercession shall be effectual I shall yet feel the power of his death the vertue of his resurrection As to pray and not to trust so to trust and not to expect to trust and then to murmur to trust and to untrust whiles we are speaking to get the soul to put it selfe upon Christ and before we have done speaking to pluck of the soul againe to deface our own fealing to cast away our confidence this is ill very ill It is true that the
for certain God hath spoken such good things but further that he will assuredly performe them Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Jacob Jer. 33. 14. 6. His performance of them to them that have lived by faith When persons have committed themselves and their conditions unto him when they have trusted upon his word he hath not failed them he hath made it good Abraham he did live by faith when God promised him a Son the text saith that he did beleeve he did not consider his own body but gave glory to God nâ—resting upon the sole goodnesse fidelity and strength of his promise and God did indeed perform the same unto him Not any of the Kings of Israel and Judah but expressely sped well when in their exigencies they did trust unto God Our father 's trusted in thee and thou didst deliver them they trusted in thee and were not confounded Psal 22 4 5. The Lord is my strength and my shield my heart trusted in him and I was helped saith David Psal 28. 7. The Lord shall help them and deliver them speaking of the righteous and save them because they trust in him Psal 37. 40. Now put all together should we not live by faith trust upon God in Christ and through and for Christ for all our helps of soul who is 1. An alsufficient fountaine 2. Who commands us in unto himself for our helps 3. Who hath promised all good unto us if we will but trust him 4. Who is able enough to make good whatsoever he promiseth 5. Who cannot and will not lie deceive or faile us 6. Who hath given testimony of his truth in all ages Who hath performed his oath to Jacob and remembred his mercy to Abraham who hath been ever in all ages mindful of his Covenant to such as durst by saith live upon him and trust in him Thirdly consider the qualities of this life of faith and these may much prevaile with us to labour to live upon God in Christ by faith There be foure ingredients in this kinde of life all which are admirable and indeed they are peculiar priviledges of it 1. It is the only Christian life 2. It is the only comfortable life 3. It is the only getting and thriving life Four excellencies of this life 4. It is the only certain and stedfast life 1. The life of faith it is the only Christian life The Christian hath a life common with many creatures his life of eating and drinking of nourishing and growth it is such a life as the beasts live as well as he his life of reason and labour that also is such a life which all men live as well as he but thee life of faith that is singular and proper to the beleever for no man hath that faith which the true beleever hath and no man hath his estate so in heaven so in Gods hands so inclosed and treasured in the Covenant of promises as he What Christ spake to his Disciples about this very matter Mat. 6. 31. Take no thought saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewith shall we be cloathed Ver. 32. For after all these things do the Gentiles seek As if he should say it is enough for meer sinners for such as have not God to be their God who cannot in Christ call him Father it is enough for them to lead such a vexing and distrustful life That I say here Why it is enough for men of this life the men of this world for them who have their onely portion here to live the life of sense to be scraping to be plodding to be vexing their thoughts and hearts how to compasse how to fetch in how to lengthen an estate To have a God and yet to live without him a Christ and not to live upon him as if either were nothing in this Christian But for the beleever who hath a God and a Christ and all good undertaken for him by a full and faithful Covenant It is his life now to trust upon his God to rely upon his Saviour to quiet himself in Gods Word of promise As Christ spake in another case If you love them that love you and if ye do good to them that do good unto you what singular thing do you do not even the Publicans and sinners the same That I say in this case if ye will make up your own estate if ye will live upon what you see and what you taste and what you handle and go not above and beyond these and your selves do not sinners do not the worst of sinners do the same If the vilest person can rejoyce when his table is full and hang down his head when sensibles go off wherein doth the beleever exceed him who is merry and cheerful only in a sensible plenty and his heart is ready to break in the ebbe and substraction of that by the dayes or years of scarsity and sensible distresse If thou didst look upon God as thy Father and Christ as thy plentiful redemption and the promises as a goodly portion and thine inheritance then the dayes of tears to others would be houres of thankfulnesse unto thee and the nights of fears to others would be times of sweet repose and contentment unto thee When the spiders web was swept away yet thou couldest see the house standing and sure even in all sensible abstractions of the olive and vine and stalles thou couldest yet rejoyce in the God of thy salvation For the place of thy defence is the munition of rocks bread shall be given unto thee and thy waters shall be sure Isaiah 33 16. I observe a threefold difference 'twixt an unbeleever and a beleever One is in the very estate for the beleever hath a far better portion then the unbeleever he hath a portion set out for this life and a portion also for a better he hath food for his body and grace for his soul Another is in the manner of settling the estate for general providence relieves the one and special affections provides for the other The one is helped by common goodnesse of universal kindnesse and the other is undertaken for and secured by a singular bond of Covenant God hath made over himself and all his goodnesse unto him in his Sonne Jesus Christ He hath taken upon himself all the care and all the good and only wills the beleever to be upright and diligent and so to trust upon him he hath settled all his grace and strength and comfort in Christ c. A third is in the manner of managing The unbeleever he will like the prodigal have all the estate into his own hands he will trust upon himself he dares not settle on God for he feares him he suspects him he thinks verily God will not do him good but he will faile But the beleever knows whom he hath trusted God is
his God and hath undertaken for him and he who hath promised is faithful who will also do it Now Paul though I have not in hand yet I have in promise though I have not in the coffer yet I have in the bonds my estate is even all that is good for me and it lies in a sure hand in the hand of my good God who will not faile Hereupon I live to this I trust though others vex and fret and curse yet I sit down quietly Why because faith goes about what we see and it is able to see the estate large enough though lying in divine promises and this is to live like a Christian for this is to acknowledge a God and a Christ to some purpose 2. The life of faith it is the only comfortable life It is with our life as it is with fire which if it burnes faire and clear then is it pleasant and delightful but if it be dull and smoking it makes us weary both of it and the roome Whiles faith doth guide our lives by settling our thoughts and desires on God and Christ then the lamp is cleare life feels like life we can pray with joy and hear with delight and follow our callings with cheerfulnesse and lie down in peace But if you sever faith from the life that we dare not to trust on God nor rest on Christ we must possesse or else we cannot trust nor live Now the chimney smoaks the soul becomes displeasing to it self the soul craves help from the body and the body from the soul but neither is able to help either and therefore that is wanting and this is vexing The waves now get over the ship and sinks it with a load and deluge of worldly endlesse fruitlesse anxious vexing cares and feares And in sober-sadnesse tell me what you think of such a life wherein the head is disturbed and curiously tortured with variety of manifold and exquisite suspitions and thoughts and the heart is deeply racked with the continual breakings of trembling sighes and griefes That a man is not able to get nor yet patient to want he can neither give himself help nor will he trust him who can That his estate is burdened with many wants and all this is made unspeakably grievous by another worse burden of unbeleeving thoughts that a man sees he cannot beare and yet will not ease his shoulder by trusting That a man cannot begin to think but his thoughts throw him into a way of what ifs What if the Lord will not do me good what if I cannot have that what if such an one faile or what if it comes not on such a day c. So that he cannot think without tumults nor speak without discontents nor eat without dislike nor walk without slavishnesse nor work without distrustâ—ulnesse nor sleep without terrours nor awake without bitternesse nor rise without carefulnesse and amidst all this he hath no heart to duty nor no God nor to heaven nor earth nor to Christ nor to himself nor his for either he hath no faith or else will not live by it He dares not trust God or Christ There be three things which concur to make the life uncomfortable 1. One is a sense of want A man hath an extreame feeling of need no sâ—nâ—e or slight sense availe not to break our spirits 2. Another is a strong desire the heart pants and reacheth after the supply and this multiplies thoughts and cares 3. A third is palpable insufficiency that a man cannot for his life compasse his desires and supplies and therefore like Ahab who was impeached for Naboths vineyaâ—d he is dejected and grieved all which fall ordinarily into the life of unbeliefe But now to wheel about on the contray the life of faith is sweet and comfortable Foure things would make a mans life very comfortable 4. Things 1. One is if he were eased of all burdens 2. Another If he were secured from all prejudices 3. A third If what he had were very good and enough 4. A fourth If he were assured that whatsoever good he should need of that he should be without fail supplied in a fit time Now then the life of faith produceth all these 1. It easeth a man of all burdens There be but two burdens which we can well think of 1. One is the sinful burden 2. The other is the earthly burden The burden of guilt and the burden of cares But saith if a man could live by it takes them both off It lives upon Christ for the one and upon Gods providence for the other It sees a sufficiency and an accepted price in his blood to remit our guilt and it sees an alsufficient careful faithful providence to remove our care And I tell you that the soule comes to great ease which is released of both these Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes be forgiven thee Sinne shall be discharged therefore I am comfortable cares are gone therefore I am cheerful 2. It secures against all prejudices and why because it states the person in goodnesse it selfe in him who is nothing but goodnesse that is who is in respect of himselfe good and who will order all things for good to the Beleever nay and in his hands who is an absolute Lord. 'T is true that one change in our estate may be contrary to another and because we esteeme one of them to be good therefore we judge the other to be evil but then though changes be opposite in sense yet they are concordant in issue in the event all falls out for good As sicknesse though opposite to health yet it may fall out for the further preservation of life sometimes the Christian is high sometimes low sometimes he is in a freed state sometimes in a clouded state sometimes he is in conquest sometimes he is in conflict sometimes he is oyled in the mouths of men and sometimes traduced and torne in pieces as if the tongues of Christians were the teeth of Lions Paul gives a Catalogue of his changes in these and the like cases yet in all and after all the Christians condition is not prejudiced God still owns the person watching over his safeties Keeps all poyson from the heart and like a ship sometimes by a fair winde sometime by a rough storm he still brings him safe to harbour As Paul spake even of his bonds that they fell out to the furtherance of the Gospel So I say of the calamitous occurrences the sense sees nothing but misery yet faith can see the good end which God made with Job and therefore to rejoyce in troubles 3. It makes the present condition good and enough I will tell you one reason why the life of sense is uncomfortable namely because it is grounded on a short and empty good that which a man can see with his eye and hold in his hand is not halfe of that which he can desire with his heart no worldly thing can ever be enough to
darknesse and David answers him in Psal 23. 4. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evill for thou art with me thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me How triumphant is Paul and beyond both himself and all crosses and all because of his assurance and perswasion Rom. 8. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword Ver. 37 Nay in all these things we are more then conquerers through him that loved us Ver. 38. For I am perswaded that neither Life nor Death nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come Ver. 39. Nor Height nor Depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Can more be said need we to adde See him againe in Romans 5. 2. We rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God Objection Who would not may some reply in so great a good Sol. 3. And not only so but we glory in tribulation also and who can do this but he who hath some measure of assurance Indeed faith can make the soul to submit in a crosse but it is assurance which makes the soul to rejoyce and to triumph What the Apostle spake of death that is true of all afflictions the sting of them is finne where the conscience is wounded and the sight of heaven is darkned there the crosse is heavy and bitter A man hath a burden on his shoulders and a burden on his conscience and yet a burden that he cannot see any to smile on him and comfort him But now when the spirit of a man is sound and the evidence of faith is cleare when a man feeles all to be right within all to be peace abroad that all stands faire 'twixt him and his God Nay and he can see God as his God the strength of this assurance doth not onely allay a burden but raiseth the heart exceedingly above it yet God is good to Israel and though I see the Olive to faile and the Fields not to yield and the flocks to be cut off yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my Salvation The Lord God is my strength Hab. 2. 17 18. Sixthly it makes all kinds of duty to flow and to rise I wil instance briefly in some 1. In the Active 2. In the Passive 1. Active 1. Praise and thankfulnesse Psal 103. 1. Blesse the Lord O my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy Name Ver. 2. Blesse the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits Verse 3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities Nay he is at it againe Psal 116. 12. What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me I will take up the cup of salvation c. O the evidence and apprehension of so great a mercy and salvation it fills every vain of the heart c. Musick is highest and sweetest in the fairest weather He who disputes his mercy can hardly bless for it Now I see much forgiven and therefore I blesse much What! and all this forgiven to me and so freely and so fully also so many transgressions yet to cover all yet to be reconciled yet to put down the gracious pardon before mine eyes 2. Prayers There are two properties in these which will surely arise out of assurance One is confidence and boldnesse A man will come boldly to the throne of grace who is once assured by faith Now that of John comes in indeed 1 John 5. 14. This is the confidence that we have iâ— him that if we ask any thing according to his Will he heareth us Christ I remember teacheth his Disciples and in them all Beleevers to pray for many excellent things both for soul and for body but then he preferred he set this in the front Our Father as if he had clearly suggested this unto us that the assurance of God as our Father is that which gives unto the heart a strong confidence in all petitions why who will not come freely and confidently to a Father to his Father to his reconciled Father Another is quicknesse and life in the affections Psal 63. 1. O God thou art my God early will I seek thee Observe it I will seek thee there is now diligence early will I seek thee there is quicknesse of affection and why I will seek thee early because O God thou art my God 3. Ordinances Now a man will flie to them as the Doâ—es to the windows it is the Prophet Isaiah's expression A man hath an heart to bow the knee when he knows that my God will help him A man hath an heart to heare the Word when he knows my God will teach him to profit and will speak peace unto him A man will with cheerfulnesse addresse himself to the Sacrament when he knowes this is the blood which was shed for the remâ—ssion of his sinnes and his salvation is there sealed The Apostle hath an apt passage in 1 Pet. 2. 2. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word and surely that is with much delight and with much earnestnesse for so do babes desire the milk of the breasts But what might stirre up this Ver. 3. If so be that you have tasted that the Lord is gracious a taste of God of God as gracious yea this is it which whets the appetite this sets on the heart to the ordinances indeed 4. All obedience actuating the whole kinds of duty Why assurance in the soule makes all duty both cheerful and stedfast Psalme 26. 3. Thy loving kindness is before mine eyes therefore have I walked in thy truth Why is duty to good hearts sometimes so weary-some so slack so troublesome verily faith is weak doubts are strong feares are many could they once see God to be their God Christ to be their Lord and Saviour sinnes pardoned in his blood and all this to them Now even the lame would walk and the weary would runne the heart would set upon obedience with all its strength and all its care 2. The like may be said for passive obedience assurance enables it exceedingly The love of Christ constraineth us said Paul 2 Corinth 5. I remember the Apostle hath a notable passage Romans 5. 7. For a good man some will even dare to die That is for a bountiful man a man of eminent and singular good to preserve him for his sake a private man would lay down his life If the goodnesse and kindnesse of a man hath sometimes such a force with us what influence then hath the goodnesse of a God upon a beleeving heart the kindnesse the blood of a Christ upon a beleeving and an assured heart Who would not suffer reproach for Christ who suffered death for him who would not kiss the stâ—â—ke to bring him honour who shâ—d his blood to get his
pardon and to crown him with eteâ—nal glory Beleeve it assurance will make thy life more fruitful and thy heart more suffering Faith will make holy duties to be no harden and assurance will make it a delight Faith will make a man to bear the Câ—osse â—nd assurance will make a man to triumph under it We are more then conquerours said perswaded Paul Seventhly Assurance of faith it is a bathing spring to all our graces Shall I instance in some 1. The mourning heart doth much depend upon the assured minde No man ever did or ever shall take God by the hand as reconciled to him or look on Christ as redeeming him or read his pardon with assurance but his heart shall be full of joy and his eyes full of teares They shall look on him whom they have pierced and shall mourne as a man mournes for his only childe Zach. 12. 10. There is nothing softens the heart so well as faith and which melts it so much as assurance The powers of the greatest kindnesse and most gracious love do open the fountain of godly sorrow within the soul 2. Love kindles in the heart upon assurance To whom much is forgiven the same will love much said Christ Luke 7. 47. We love him because he loved us first said John The love of God to us is the cause of our love to him againe and againe and the more that love is cleared to us the more is our love rekindled to him goodnesse is a cause of love here it is bountifulnesse is a cause of love here it is knowledge of both a special provocation of love in assurance here it is What a thing is this that God should give his Covenant to me his Sonne to me his Mercies to me his loving kindnesse to me his glory in heaven unto me I love a man who defends my Name I love a man who gives me a book I love a man who gives me my ransom I loue a man who gives me a meales meat Ah! poore things in comparison how do I then infinitely exceed in love to my God who I know hath pardoned hath justified hath accepted will save me for ever More might be said of all particular graces whatsoever 8. Assurance by faith doth but ease us of the world and mounts the soul above it 1. It easeth us of the world How can he walk with cares who is indeed perswaded that God is his Father he that gave him Christ will give him all other things freely God will not stand for a little earth who hath bountifully given a whole heaven and he will surely finde me food and rayment for my body who found mercy and the blood of his own Sonne for my soul 2. Nay it mounts us above the world they do observe that these lower things grow little and lesse by how much the higher a man is seated If a man could be elevated to one of the celstial orbes the whole world would seeme but a narrow spot of ground unto him In one point this is most true the neerer God draws unto the soule the more nothing doth this world appeare O the blessed favour of God! the evidences of our union with Christ This is like the light of the Sunne which puts out the light of ten thousand candles Thou wouldest never complaine of too little in the world if thou haddest so much as made up a true assurance of heaven 9. Lastly Assurance will breed comfort in life and confidence in death Object Why are Gods people afraid many times to die they cannot say with Christ I will go to my Father They have the bond but see not the seale They are not assured of Reconciliation of pardon of salvation But if they could with Simeon Take Christ into their armes if once they could be assured Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation He who by assurance looks Christ in the face may with cheerful confidence look death in the face I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ said Paul Phil. 1. 23. How so verse 21. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gaine But how knows he that 2 Tim. 1. 12. For I know whom I have beleeved and I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day So 2 Cor. 5. 1. For we know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens SECT V. Quest 1. NOw I come to the last inquiry by what means the soule mâ—y get up to this assurance Sol. I shall only 〈◊〉 be such rules as reach a beleeving person Thereâ—oâ—e 〈◊〉 1. If thou be a bâ—â—eever and wouldest be assured then preserve the sense of thy own natural wretchednesse and of the darknese of thy souls state without assurance Christ came to Mary when shee was weeping and the Great God looks down upon thâ— broken Spirit The highest mountaine hath the first sight of the Sunne but the lowest Christian hath the first sight of God When the people of God were mourning then saith God Comfort ye comfort ye my people and say unto them your sins are pardoned You shall finde this That the truely sensible heart hath Note three properties in it which envite the Lord much to gratifie it with assurance viz. One that is very humble Another that is much in the prizing of Gods love and mercy And a third that it is exceeding thirsty after a good look from God after some taste of Christ and God will satisfie all these 2. Be no strangers to the Ordinances you shall finde this that the ripening of faith belongs to them as well as the seeds of it The word you know is the soule of faith it was that which did incline the heart to yeild which did make it to accept of Christ and it is that also which can make us to know our possessions 1 John 15. 13. These things have I written vnto you that beleeve on the Name of the Sonne of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life So 1 John 1. 4 These things we write unto you that your joâ— may be full More plainly In whom after you heard the Word of truth ye beleeved in whom also after that ye beleeved ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise Ephesians 1. 13. For look as the Word hath promises which draw the soul to Christ so it hath promises to clear the soul in its interest in Christ to answer all doubts and feares and to answer the feare about acceptance so it removes doubts which strive against evidence and propriety The Sacrament you know it is the Seal of righteousnesse which is by faith Rom. 4. 11. Look as a Seale doth distinguish and confirme and settle the minde so is the Sacrament ordained to satisfie and perswade the heart of a beleever God appointed this
not him whom he seeth to condemn himself It is enough that his Son who was lost is now returned and that he who was dead is now alive We must imitate our heavenly Father in this who in the Covenant of Grace will forgive our iniquities and remember our sins Jer. 31. 34. no more So in another place If the wicked will turn from all his sinnes that he hath committed and keep all my statutes c. All Ezek 18. 21 22. his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him Why Brethren If God forgives the man all the wrongs done against him should not we forgive the smaller trespasses against us and what have we to do to upbraid when God is pleased to forgive and convert and what should we stand upon our respects when God hath past by all the indignities cast upon his honour and glory There are two sorts of sinners Stout and resolute who know how to slight mercy neglect command and to fear at the threatnings A severe denunciation of judgment and wrath a conviction and aggravation of their sinnes are the proper discoveries for them For where hath God spoken a word of peace or comfort or ease to such Bleeding and afflicted who tremble at threatnings gaspe for mercy faint for deliverance and change Here now Ministers must have eyes of pity and tongues and hands of Oyl they must not pour in scorpions nor add terrors to the afflicted but Preach liberty to the Captives They must binde up the broken hearted and give them beauty for ashes the Oyl of joy for mournings the garment Esay 61. of prayer for the spirit of heavinesse that they may be called trees of righteousnesse the planting of the Lord Isai 61. 1 2 3. In these cases we are not to look on our selves but on our office not on our own indignities but on the patients necessities that way which God looks and speaks that must we speak also Now God looks on the Contrite to revive them and speakes comfort to the troubled soules and therefore we must be silent to upbraid and ready to direct and comfort afflicted souls Troubled souls must be directed to Christ for this is it which Paul and Silas adviseth the afflicted Jayler Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ c. They do not direct him to any man or Angel to any pilgrimage or Saints they set him not up on any selfe-standing project but Beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ But why to Christ Because none is appointed to relieve a troubled soul but Christ Him hath God the father sealed and he was anointed to preach glad tidings Secondly none is able to pacifie and quiet a troubled soul but Christ whatsoever is sinful or imperfect cannot be a stay to an afflicted conscience But Christ hath perfect righteousnesse he hath wrought full redemption he is able to save to the utmost That which cannot satisfie Gods Justice can never pacifie an afflicted heart but if God might be fully satisfied if he might be reconciled then the conscience would be quiet now Christ hath done this he hath made peace and become a curse and is a propitiation c. He will relieve the afflicted heart He is called a merciful High Priest and one who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and he will not break the brused reed and he calls the heavy laden to come to him to be eased There be three things which would marvelously ease and refresh a troubled soul One if he could get off the guilt of former sins Another if he could get such a righteousness as with which he might boldly stand before God A third is if he could get his heart and wayes to be changed Now Christ can yield out all this his blood gets off the gilt of our sins he is made sin for us that we may be made the righteousnesse of God in him and he can change our natures by his blessed Spirit Therefore the Apostle saith that he is made redemption righteousnesse and sanctification unto us But I passe over all these conclusions and come to that upon which I must somewhat insist CHAP. III. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the onely way to salvation TO believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way of Salvation The text is cleare for it Parallel places are these Mark 16. 15. Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature 16. he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Act. 4. 12. Neither is there Salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved For the discovery of this assertion we must open these particulars First the meaning of each of these titles viz. Jesus and Christ and Lord. Secondly what the believing in the Lord Jesus Christ doth import Thirdly how it may appeare to be the onely way of salvation Fourthly the usefull application of all this to our selves What is the sense and summe of those three titles Jesus Christ Lord I shall resolve them distinctly SECT I. JEsus signifies a Saviour as it was a name imposed from the Sect. 1. pleasure of heaven by an Angel Mat. 1. 21. Thou shalt cast his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sinnes The first name that you read of imposed on Christ in the New-Testament is this name of Jesus for the best name that sinners could possibly desire to heare was this that God hath provided a Saviour for them The Prophet Isaiah 9. 6. saith that his name shall be called wonderful and indeed Jesus is a wonderful name It is a name which breeds just wonder and admiration to all the world to men and Angels it may make our hearts to wonder at the hyperbole of Gods love as one of the Fathers speaks that he Mirandum Amoris should notwithstanding our vile deserts bestow a Saviour upon us who else had been lost for ever The Apostle saith Phil. 2. 9 10. That it is a name above all names no name like it either for the authority which was conferred on him who bare that name or for the comfort which that name beares in it for a sinner Therefore said the Angel to the Shepherds fear not for behold I bring you good tydings of great joy which shall be to all people for unto you is borne this day in the City of David a Saviour Luk. 2. 11. yea that is good news indeed A Saviour for a sinner What kind of Saviour Christ is no such news as that Now here observe divers things The Sonne of God is a singular Saviour No Saviour in all the world like him Joshuah is called a Saviour and the Judges were called so yet the Son of God is a Saviour infinitely beyond them For. They could save