Sing us one of the songs of Zion Psal. 137. raiseth an higher esteem of Zion because Zâ—ons songs are scoffed at Vers. 5. Let them mock Zion as they list But if I forget Zion then vers 6. I pray God my tongue may cleave to the roof of my mouth So the Theef hearing Christ blasphemed and railed on by his fellow doth take more boldnesse to extoll him as a King Lord remember me when thou comest to thy Kingdome Grace appeareth the more gracious and active that it hath an adversary contraries in nature as fire and water put forth their greatest strength when they actually conflict together Vse 1. Antinomians turn grace in a temptation and then cast off all duties as Christ has pardoned all sin his righteousnesse imputed is mine what do you speak to me of Law-duties The way that cryeth down duties and sanctification is not the way of grace grace is an innocent thing and will not take men off from duties grace destroyeth not obedience Christ has made faith a friend to the Law the death of Christ destroyeth not graces activity in duties It s true grace trusted in becomes our selfe not grace and self cannot storm heaven and take Christ by violence grace though near of kindred to Christ as it is received in us is but a creature and so may be made an Idoll when we trust in it and seek not Christ first and before created grace but beleeving and doing are bloud-friends Joh. 11.26 Vse 2. This would be heeded that in difficulties and straits we keep from wicked wayes and being tempted that we strive to come near the forerunners way it was peculiar to Christ to be angry and not to sin to be like us in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin Heb. 4.14 with this difference Christ was tempted but cannot sin the Saints tempted but dare not sin The Law of God honeyed with the love of Christ hath a Majestie and power to keep from sin So Christ made under the Law for us Isa. 53.7 was oppressed he was afflicted oppression will make a sinfull man mad but it could not work upon Christ He was oppressed yet he opened not his mouth he is brought as a Lambe to the slaughter So all Christs followers did they are tempted but grace putteth a power of tendernesse on them Joseph tempted saith Gen. 39.9 How can I do this great wickednesse and sin against God David is reproached by Shimei but he dares not avenge himself Iob heavily as any man tempted yet Iob 1.22 In all this Iob sinned not nor charged God foolishly I deny not but the temptation doth sometime obtaine half a consent Nabal tempted David so that he resolved to be avenged 2. It will leave a bleck and a crook behinde it in some for their whole life Peter shall be all his life known to be one that once forsware his Lord. But this is fearfull when men both creat temptations by defending a bad cause as holy men may have an unholy cause and then can finde no way to carry it out but by crooked policie and calumnies We are now pursued by Malignants with an unjust war to embrace peace upon any dishonourable tearms to Christ is to desert a duty for fear of a temptation On the other side to refuse an offer of peace because many innocent persons have been killed is also a yeelding to a temptation for by war we kill many moe innocent ones and it s against the Lords counsel Psal. 34.14 Seek peace that is as much as we are not to be patients only but agents even when we are wronged in seeking peace But what if peace flee from me I confesse that is a temptation then saith the Lord follow after it the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Daresh is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 12.14 the Syrochaâ—d is run after peace compell peace and force it as men follow an enemy Rom. 14.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us pursue after things of peace Vse 3. See the sweet use of faith under a sad temptation faith traffiqueth with Christ and heaven in the dark upon plain trust and credit without seeing any surety or pawn Joh. 20.29 Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have beleeved And the reason is because faith is sinewed and boned with spirituall courage so as to keep a barred city against hell yea and to stand under impossibilities and here 's a weak woman though not as a woman yet as a beleever standing out against him who is Isa 9.6 The mighty God the father of ages the Prince of peace Faith only standeth out and overcometh the sword the world and all afflictions 1 Joh. 5.4 This is our victory whereby one man overcometh the great and vast world SERMON XVI Vers. 26. But he answered and said it is not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to whelps 27. And she said Truth Lord yet the whelps eat of the crums that fall from the Masters Table 28. And Jesus answered and said unto her O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt and her daughter was made whole from that very houre 30. And when she came to her house she found the devill gone out and her daughter laid upon the bed THe dispute between Christ and the woman goeth on Christ bringeth a strong reason vers 26. why he should not heal heâ— daughter because she and all her nation not being in Covenant with God as are the Jews the Church of God are but dogs and profane and unworthy of Christ which is the bread ordained for the children When Christ humbleth he may put us in remembrance of our nation and nationall sins Isa. 51.1 Look to the Rock whence ye were hewen and to the hole of the pit whence ye were digged I alone called Abraham he was an Idolater Hos. 9.10 I found Israel like grapes in the wildernesse they should have been wild grapes rotten in the wildernesse had I not put them in my basket Ezek. 16.2 Son of man cause Jerusalem to know her abomination How Make them know the stock they came of 3. And say thus saith the Lord unto Jerusalem Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan thy father was an Amorite and thy mother a Hittite When the Jews was to offer the first fruits to the Lord Deu. 26.5 And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God A Syrian ready to perish was my father and went down to Egypt to sojourn there Thus the forgetting of what we are by nature addeth to our guiltinesse Eze. 16.22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembred the days of thy youth when thou wast naked and bare and wast polluted in thy blood So the Ephesians must be told how unfit they were by nature for Christ being the very work-house and shop of the Devill in which he wrought Eph. 2.1 2 3. Nationall sins
moveth God to give Christ is enough to move him to give all other things with Christ as by what right even the right of a Son a Father giveth the Inheritance to his Son by that same he giveth him food rayment protection physick there be not two Parents here but by one and the same covenant Ezech. 36.25 26. The Lord giveth to his people remission of sins and v. 30. He multiplieth the fruit of the Trees and removeth Famine In the same spirituall capacity of sons we pray that Our father would forgive us our sins and give us our daily bread Get Christ first the great ship and then all other things the cock-boat saileth after him with the same motion and wind they be not two tides and two winds that carry on the Ship and the Boat Christ injoyed by Faith traileth after him death life the world things present and things to come if God give you Christ in the same Charter all things are yours because yee are Christs and Christ Gods 1 Corinth 3.21 Christ watereth with his blessing all things if all that a Saint hath be blessed and every thing to speak so mercied and christianed even his basket his dough Deut. 28.5 His inheritance must be blessed much more all Christs inheritance must be blessed because he is the seed the Spring abstract of blessings Now Christ Heb. 1.2 is appointed the heir of all things then he is the heir of a draught of water of brown bread of a straw-bed on the earth and hard stones to be the pillow to the Saints to the children of God hell to speak so is heaven'd sorrow joyed poverty riched death inlivened dust and the grave animated and quickned with life and resurrection God save me from a draught of water without Christ peace and deliverance from the sword without Christ and the Gospel are linked and chained to the curse of God alas if men have the single creature they make no account how other things go Give us Peace upon any terms say they you may have the earth peace and the creature and the Devil to salt them to you with the curse of God Judas had the bag at his girdle but withall the Devil in his heart the creature wanteth life and blood without Christ. 2. All mercy that is graced mercy is to be sought in Iesus Christ every mercy is mercy because it s in Christ every stream is water because it s of the element of water every thing in its own element and nature is most copious water is no where so abundant as in the sea so in Christ the great treasure of heaven there is fulnesse Ioh. 1.16 but Col. 1.18 There 's a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fulnesse in Christ but 2. A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fulnesse that fulnesse that all fulnes And 3. that all fulnesse is not in Christ as a stranger in an Inne coming in and going out but it pleased the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it should dwell and remain in him The grace and mercy that is in Christ must be sought and no other upon these grounds 1. It s a speciall choice mercy that is in Christ For 1. No person could serve Gods ends in such a way as Christ did being so compleat as he is ◠God out of the deep of his wisdom found out such a Mediator and so graced Isaac should have been undutifull if he had refused a wife of his fathers choosing for both out of love and much wisdom he choosed her now when God out of infinite love and deep wisdom hath chosen to us an husband an head such a head such a Captaine and Leader in whom there is such fulnesse shall we refuse him and shall we not seek the best things in him Now Christ is a husband of Gods choosing Isa. 42.1 Behold my chosen one in whom my soul delighteth 2. It s not from God that we now receive mercy immediately but from Christ God in the Mediator though Grace and Mercy be every way free yet now mercy is a flower that groweth in our land in him who is our blood-friend so now we have mercy by nature as well as by good will we must have it by an act of the man Christs will and when our Writs are waxen old why seek we not that which God hath laid by for us Grace is more connaturall to us now in that it is in the bosome of our brother and ours by derivation 3. There 's a difference between mercy and purchased mercy it s payed for mercy that we receive and so more excellent then Angel mercy As some waters that run through mettals hath a more excellent vertue then those that spring from pure earth mercy is so much the more desirable that its a River issuing through that more then golden and precious Redeemer and so to us it s twice mercy to the Angels it s but once mercy Even as the Bee gathers sweetnesse out of various and diverse flowers yet it s so composed that the liquor resulting out of them all hath not any particular taste from the sundry flowers the Violet the Pink the Rose the Woodbine the Claver but it tastes of hony only so we all have meeting in Christ Wife Children Houses Lands honour to the Saints have not their own naturall taste but out of all there 's in them a spirituall resultance of some heavenly composure of Christs sweetnesse and are so sprinkled and dipt in Grace and Mercy that as fresh Rivers do borrow a new taste from the Sea when they flow in to its bosome so all earthly favours borrow a new smell and relish from the fountain Christ What doe they say then that teach that a man may have all Graces yea and poverty of spirit and yet want Christ As if these could be separated he that believeth hath the son Grace and Christ cannot be separated Ephesians 1.2 Galatians 1.3 Iohn 1.11 These by-ways sunder souls and the foundation Christ. SERMON X. MY daughter is grievously vexed with a Devill Children especially to mothers whose affections are more weak and soft are taking lovers especially being parts and substantiall shadows of our self yet four things are considerable in us to them 1. So to hold as we are willingly to let go love them as creatures only often the childe is the mothers daughter and the mothers God 2. We are to strive to have them freed from under the power of the Devill as this woman doth for they come into the world fuell for Hell Parents make more accompt all their life to make gold rather then grace their childrens Patrimony and Legacy 3. Look at them as May-flowres as born to come and appear for a space in the element of death so they sport laugh run eat drink and glister like Comets in the Air or flying Meteors in the Spheare of the Clouds and often go down to the grave before their Parents 4. Beware of selfinesse for
with persecution When the sun riseth anone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 13.21 He is offended and withereth quickly some spirit of soft clay for a scrat with a Pin on his credit casteth away all his confidence dispaireth and hangeth himself as Achitophel such a Temptation would not once draw blood of a strong believer Strawes Feathers and Flax do quickly take fire and are made ashes in a moment but not so gold there 's bones and mettall in strong Faith so the Martyrs Faith that could not be broken with torments is proved to be a great Faith Heb. 11.35 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Their bodies were racked out as a drum and beaten to death after racking and they would not accept a deliverance Why Faith looked to a better resurrection He who sweateth panteth up the brow of the mount after Christ and carrieth death on his back must have this strong faith that Christ is worthy of tortures a strong faith can bear Hell on its shoulders the Grave and the sorrows of death and not crack nor be broken Psal. 18.4 5 6. Psal. 116.3 4. 4. That Faith is argued to be strong that hath no light of comfort but walketh in darkness upon the Margin borders of a hundred deaths and yet stayes upon the Lord Isa. 50.11 So this woman had no comfort nor ground of sense of comfort from Christ except rough answers and reproaches yet she believeth and so must be strong in the Faith Psal. 3.6 Davids Faith standeth straight without a crooke when ten thousand deaths are round about him and Psa. 23.4 He feareth no ill when he walks in the cold and dark valley of the shadow of black death Heman Psal. 88.7 Thy wrath lieth hard on me thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves Then in his sense God could do no more to drown him not waves but all waves all Gods waves was on him and above him yet ver 9. Lord I have called daily upon thee then he believed daily Hezekiahs comforts are at a hard pinch Isa. 39.14 Mine eyes fail with looking upward O Lord I am opressed yet praying argueth beleeving Lord undertake for me We must think Christs sense of comforts was ebbe and low when he wept cried Heb. 5.7 and was forsaken of God yet then his faith is doubled as the Cable of an Anchor is doubled when the storme is more then ordinary My God my God David chideth his cast down soul when there 's no glimpse of comfort with strong Faith Psal. 42.11 Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him In swimming well the less naturall helps to hold up the chin and head the greater wave if the swimmer be carried strongly thorow as it were in despight of the streame there 's the more art Art may counter-value strength and sometime wisedom is better then strength The lesse comfort if yet you believe at midnight when the spirit is overwhelmed the more is the art of believing when an inward principle is weak we help it with externalls That the child must be alured with rewards as with Apples a Penny or the like it is because his sight and desire of the beauty and excellency of learning and Arts is but weak or nothing at all sense and comforts are external Subsidies and helps to Faith and these that cannot believe but upon feelings and sense of the sweetness of comforts are hence argued to have weak and broken inclinations and principles of Faith the more freenesse and ingenuity of spirit that is in believing the more strength of faith for that is most connaturall that hath least need of hire you need not give hire reward or buds to the Mothers affection to work upon her and cause her to love her Childe love can hardly be hired nature is stronger then rewards or any externals Comforts are but the hire of serving of God and the results of beleeving in a sad condition There be some cautions here that are considerable 1. God leadeth some strong ones to heaven whose affections are soft as Davids were Ps. 35.13 and 119.25.28.136.53 Ps. 6.6 And yet Faith is strong Ps. 22.1 God possibly immediatly working upon the assenting or believing faculty leaving the affections to their own native disposition 2. God useth some priviledged dispensations so as a strong Believer shal doubt upon no good ground Ps. 116.11 God so disposing that grace may appear to be grace and the man but flesh 3. Softnesse of affection and light of comfort may by accident concur with strong acts of beleeving for with these in many there is little light much Faith and they should without these apples given to children strongly beleeve and God to confirm his own of meer indulgence sweetneth affections But if God give comforts ordinarily its a sort of indulgence of grace or the grace of grace It s true rejoicing falleth under a Gospel-commandement Phil. 4.4 yet so as God hath not tied the sweet of the comfort of believing to believing that you may know its strength of Faith that is the principle of strong Faith as intense and strong habits maketh strong acts God keepeth some in a sad condition all their life who are experienced believers and they never feel the comfort of faith while the splendor of glory glance on their eyes as one experienced believer kept under sadnesse and fear for eighteen years at length came to this I enjoy and rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorious But he lived not long after Another living in sadnesse all his life died with comforts admirable And 3. let this be put as a case of Conscience why diverse believing and joying much in Gods Salvation all their life yet die in great conflicts and to beholders with little expression of comfort and feeling As divers of the Saints die Certainly God 1. Walketh in liberty here 2. He would not have us to limit the breathings of the Holy Ghost to jump with our hour of dying 3. We may make an Idoll of a begun heaven as if it were more excellent then Christ To conclude little evidence much adherence speaketh a strong Faith SERMON XXIII THe Woman had no aparent evidences of believing yet did she hang by one single thred of the word of the mercies of the Son of David Antonaclasis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The more that the word of promise hath influence in beleeving and the lesse of convincing reason and appearances the greater Faith Rom. 4. Abraham had a promise of a Son in whom the Nations of the world should be blessed But 1. there was no appearance of this in nature Abraham and Sarah at this time were between them two hundred years old lacking one and so no naturall hope of a childe 2. He had but one promise for his Faith we have twenty an hundred yet Rom. 4.18 He against hope believed in hope It s an elegant figure having a form of a contradiction there was no hope yet he had hope 2. ver 19. Not
abridgeth the Promises as if there were no place for thee because thou art thus and thus sinfull Obj. 1. The King putteth forth a generall Proclamation to all Theeves Oh saith one but he may mean others but not me Why he means Theeves in generall he accepteth none why shouldst thou say not me Christ belongeth to sinners as sinners he receiveth sinners as sinners yea he ascended on high to give gifts to the rebellious therefore there 's no qualification required in men that believeth in Christ no nor doth unbelief debar a man from Christ it only excludeth him from the experimentall knowledge that Christ is his Ans. 1. It s true the Gospel excepteth no man from Pardon and all that heareth the Gospel are to be wearied and loaden and to receive Christ by faith as if God intended to save them But the Promises of the Gospel are not simply Universall as if God intended and purposed that all and every one should be actually redeemed saved in Christ as Arminians teach and so God accepteth in his own hidden Decree not a few though he reveal not in the Gospel who they are yet he revealeth in the Gospel the generall that Many are called but few are chosen And I grant there 's no ground for any one man not to believe upon this ground because some are reprobated from Eternity and it may be I am one of those for the contrary is as sure Logick many are chosen to life Eternal it may be that I am one of those 2. It is most untrue that Christ belongeth to siners as siners for then Christ shuld belong to all unbelievers how obstinate so ever even to those that sin against the Holy Ghost Nay Christ belongeth only to sinners elected to glory as elected to glory in regard of Gods gracious purpose and he belongeth only to believing sinners as believing in regard of actuall Union with Christ Eph. 3.17 Gal. 2.20 3. It s false that sinners as sinners doth receive Christ for so Judas and all sinners should receive Christ Now the Scripture sheweth that Believers only receive him Joh. 1.12 Gal. 2.20 Eph. 3.17 4. It s false that sinners as sinners believe in Christ. This way of Libertines is a broad way for Sorcerers Theeves Murtherers Paricides Idolaters remaining in that damnable state to believe whereas sinners as such sinners thus and thus qualified are to believe that is humbled wearied and self-condemned sinners only are to believe and come to Christ. It s true all sinners are obliged to believe but to believe after the order of Free-Grace that is that they be first self-lost and sick and then be saved by the Physitian I cannot but here mention some damnable errors of Libertines contrary to this Truth of Christ as this That the spirit acts most in the Saints when they endeavour least 1. It may be by accident and through our abuse who confide in our indeavours and works that Grace and the spirit will not flatter merits which are too naturall to us that God let a sweating wrestler who hath spent nights in Prayer and is carefull in all means and abundant in the work of the Lord See and understand that Free-Grace not our indeavors leadeth us on to Heaven Better it is I be conscious to my self that I am Christs debtor not debtor to my self 2. That we see self to be wretched and that self loveth to share and to divide the glory with Free-grace 3. That Christ reserveth the flowing of his tide and the blowing of his wind to his own Free grace Ioh. 3.8 And that Grace in its filling the sailes is not in the Sea-mans power But this error is the Daughter of another more damnable that is That the activitie and efficacy of Christs death is to kill all activitie of Graces in his members that Christ may be all in all This I take to be the marrow of fleshly Libertinisme that not only the Regenerate cannot sin but they ought to sin that Grace may abound and that Christ died for this end that we should live in sin the contrary of which is said 1 Ioh. 3.8 That Christ died that he might destroy the works of the Devil that is sin Now the not stirring up of the Grace of Christ in us is a grievous sin 1 Tim. 4.14 1 Cor. 15.10 Yea he 1 Pet. 2.24 Bear our sins on the Tree that being dead to sins should live unto righteousnesse Rom. 6.4 That we should walk in newnes of life And Gal. 1.4 Christ gave himself for us that he might deliver us from this present evill world according to the will of God and our Father And 1 Pet. 1 18. We are not redeemed from our vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers by any corruptible thing c. This maketh good that which is the up-shot of all the Antinomian-Doctrine that Christ is so our sanctification that there is neither Law nor Gospel which requireth of us that we be holy Hence their fifth Errour Here is a great stir about graces and looking to hearts but give me Christ I seek not for graces nor promises nor sanctification tell me not of meditation duties but tell me of Christ. So Christ hath not only suffered for us all that he should suffer so as its sacriledge to adde to his sufferings our own and the like sacriledge it is for us to be holy and to adde any of our active holinesse to his active obedience So Master Towne saith All our obedience as its the work of the Spirit its passive and truly called the fruit of the spirit Gal. 5.22 and so it s an entire work and undefiled every way correspondent to the mind of the efficient and Author which is the Law and Rule he worketh by but as it is actively our obedience so it s very imperfect and polluted yea simply considered it s a menstruous cloth and dung and their 36. Error is All the activity of a believer is to act to sin so we can do nothing but sin and we are to do nothing nay not obliged to pray but when the Spirit moveth us and that is the work of the Spirit we are in it meer Patients so Er. 4. saith If Christ will let me sin let him look to it upon his honour be it Indeed it standeth upon the honour of him who has promised to keep us spotlesse untill the day of Christ and Christ is so an ingaged Advocate to intercede for the Saints when they sin that the redeemed of the Lord fall not away but be presented spotlesse before the Lord in the day of Christ But what is all this to annull 1. All action of grace and to sooth men up in a lazie dead faith 2. To take away all commandments of duties so frequent in the word of grace which teacheth us to deny all ungodlinesse and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Tit. 1.11
Nay but if thou canst pray thou dost set the whole wheels of Omnipotency on work for the building of the Lords house in which regard the Prayer of a sick and poor man shall do more in War for the Cause of God then twenty thousand men It was not Ahasuerus nor the grace that Esther found in the eyes of the King that saved the whole Church of the Iews from destruction but the Prayers of Esther and her maids It s true an Angel broght Peter out of Prison Act. 12. But what stirred that wheel in Heaven vers 5. Here 's the Cause Prayer was made without ceasing to God for Peter by the Church Quod est causa causae est etiam causa causati Prayer Prayer can put a reeling and tottering on King and Court Pope Prelate and Babylon we are to pray the King of the bottomlesse pit the man of sin the graven Images of Apostate Rome out of the world Prayer can yoke all the swords in Europe against the Whore every one who hath the Spirit of Adoption though poor and rejected of men by prayer have powerfull influence on all the Nations of the earth on all Europe on the ends of the earth on the hearts of the Jews on Turkes and Indians Prayer can reach as far as Omnipotency accompanied by the wise decree of our Lord And the poorest Girle or Maid that can pray doth lend a strong lift to heighten the footstool of Christs Royall Throne children and poor Maids by Prayer may put the Crown on Christs head and hold up his Throne and may store and increase heaven by praying Thy Kingdome come and inlarge Hell and fill the pits with the dead bodies of Christs enemies and may by prayer binde Kings in Fetters chaine up and confine Devils subdue Kingdoms Great is thy Faith For the clearing of these words we are to consider three points 1. What Faith is 2. What a great Faith is 3. Why he saith thy Faith appropriating it to the woman Now of Faith I shall speak 1. A word of preparations for Faith 2. Of the grounds and necessary motives to Faith 3. Of the Ingredients of Faith 4. Of the sinners warrants to believe 5. Of divers sorts of false and ill rooted Faiths 1. There be some preparations which go before Faith 1. Faith is a seed of heaven it is not sowen by the good husbandman in unplowed and in Fallow ground Christ soweth not amongst thornes we are builded on the Faith stones are hewen rubbish removed before one stone be laid 2. Every act of Grace in God is an act of Omnipotency and so requireth not time or succession God might have set up the frame of the world in all its fulnesse with lesse then one thought or act of his will put forth by Omnipotency yet did our Lord subject the acts of creating the first world to the rule of time and to a circle of evening and morning nights and dayes so doth the Lord set up a new world of Faith in a soul void of Faith by degrees There 's a time when there 's neither perfect night nor perfect day but the twilight of the morning and God not withstanding created the morning no lesse then the noon day Sun There 's a half Summer and a half Spring in the close of the Spring which God made The Embrio or birth not yet animated is neither seed onely nor a man-child only so is a Convert in his first framing neither perfectly untamed corruption because there 's a crack and a throw in the iron sinew of the neck nor is he a thorow child of light but as we say in the dead-throw in the place of breaking forth of children as Hosea speaketh A child with his head come forth of the womb and no more and so half born only so is the Convert while he is in the making not taken off Christs wheels half in the borders of hell and looking a far off at the Suburbs of Heaven not far from the Kingdom of Heaven But 2. This bridge over the water between the kingdom of darknesse and the state of saving Grace hath no necessary connexion with that Kingdom of the Son of Gods love but such as it hath from the sole and meer decree of the free Election of Grace and therefore many Reprobates may enter the Bridge and never go along to the other Banke of the River God breaketh the Bridge this being the very division and parting of these two unsearchable wayes of Election and Reprobation yet so as the sin in cutting the bridge is the guilt of the Reprobate man As many births die in the breaking forth out of the womb divers Roses in the Bud are blasted and never see harvest through the fault of the seed not of the Sun 3. It s true the new creation and life of God is vertually Seminaliter in these preparations as the seed is a tree in hope the blossome an apple the foundation a Palace in its beginning so half a desire in the Non-converted is love sicknesse for Christ in the seed legall humiliation is in hope Evangelick Repentance and mortification But as the seed and the growing tree differ not gradually only but in nature specifically as a thing without life is not of that same nature and essence with a creature that hath a vegetative life and groweth so the preparatory good affections of desire hunger sorrow humiliation going before conversion differ specifically from those renewed affections which follow after The former being acts of Grace but not of saving grace which goeth along with the decree of Election of Grace and of like Latitude with it the latter being the native and connaturall fruits of the Spirit of which the Apostle speaketh Gal. 5.22.23 In which regard no man is morally and in regard of a divine promise such as this Do this and this and God shall bestow on you the Grace of conversion fitter and in a nearer disposition to conversion then another 1. Because we read not of any such promise in the Gospel 2. Because amongst things void of life all are equally void of life and there 's here no degrees of more or lesse life no intention no remission or flacking of the degrees of life for even as an Ape or an Horse are as equally no men as stones and dead earth are no men though an Ape or an Horse have life common to them with men which stones and earth have not yet they are equally as destitute of reason and an intellectual life which is the only life of a man as a man as stones and earth are So Saul only humbled by the terrours of the Law and sick of half raw desires of Christ is no lesse yet a creature void of the life of God then when he was in the highest pitch of obstinacy spitting out blood and murthers on the face of that Lord Jesus whom he persecuted and in this regard conversion is no lesse pure
nature 2. And the light of Faith is to moderate us in eating drinking sleeping according to Christian sobriety in the measure of the action 3. Faith teacheth us not to eat that we may eat or for an naturall or civill end Grace hightneth the naturall intention to a supernaturall end and to do all these for God and his service 1 Cor. 10.31 And whatsoever we do though but civil service as servants to earthly masters in a civill calling in trading in arts we are to do all as to the Lord not unto men Col. 3.23 Then Christ acting moving by the light of Faith is the formal reason and principle in which lastly and formally ultimate all our actions are resolved 2. Look of how much worth and price thy soul is of as great necessity is Faith except thou wouldst look for the Gospel-vengeance the day or the ages of Eternall vengeance at Christs appearance 2 Thes. 1.8 Isa. 61.2 Ioh. 3.18.36 chap. 8.24 But if it be so that Faith is required in all that I do the businesse of Salvation may some say is hard and difficill work Where shall I have Faith for every stirring of my foot I Answer as all our actions except where Imagination is Principle of the act must be deliberate and so the actions of a rational man so must they be morall now there is no morality in a man who is a citizen of the Church but the morality of faith for its a duty laid upon every one within the visible Church that all his actions morall be watred and lustered with Faith And the truth is the work of our salvation being compared to sailing Heb. 6.19 and to fighting 2 Tim. 4.7 2 Tim. 2.3 4. It s very like a ship which requireth many hands and much attentive carefulness in the owner and sailors Now the Mast is hurt then somewhat wanting in the Deck now the Helm is faulty then the Cords are to be repaired or the Anchor is broken or she taketh in under-water or the Sail is torn or the motion slow There 's charges to the owner and much work to all hands and how many things are required to a huge body of an Army So many thousand men must be lyable to so many thousand wants Some are sick some wounded some a dying some hungry some naked some fall off the Army and are catched by the enemy some be faint some too bold and precipitate yea Armour Houses Bread Drink Fire Tents Physitions Workmen Mattocks Spades Bridges Lathers Horses Engines of War Art and Skill Medicine Councell Courage Intelligence and a thousand things of this kinde are requisite And seldome is an Army but there be some one inconvenient or other in this needy and cumbersome huge body And when is the businesse of Salvation not at a stand one way or other Is there not either on piece or other the shield of Faith or the Anchor of Hope or the Brestplate of righteousnes or some the like broken or faulty Is not our guide who hath seven eyes ten times a day cumbered with us Must not Christ soader our broken Weapons Sow our torn sails Repair one breach or other in us In a thousand the like Faith is to improve the Free-grace the omnipotence the unchangeable love of Christ to promove his own work and to work in us to will and to do according to his good pleasure Phil. 2.13 Now for the ingredients of Faith 1. There be in us 2 Cor. 10.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Great Forts raised against the light of Faith These natural discourses in the mind that are great works and heights strong holds builded against Christ. The prime faculty reason the discoursive power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thinketh she hath wit enough against Christ and to keep the man out of all danger of eternall salvation over toppeth and out-groweth all Gospel-truths Christ must over-power carnall fate rank and heady souldiers called thoughts every thought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so kill some that will not be taken and led captive other thoughts to the obedience of Faith Reason is a predominant bone in it self The carnall minde neither will noâ— can keep rank as an obedient souldier under the Law of God Rom. 8.7 It s much for fine silken and golden reason to say to Christ Lord Prov 30.2 There 's more of a beast in me then of a man I have not the understanding of a man The learned the schoolmen seldome beleeve except gray haired wit turn a childe and go to school again to learn from Christ the new art of beleeving for there was never an act of unbeleef in any but it grew out of this proud and rank stalke of a lofty wit Therefore Christ breaks out a new window in the soul and brings in a new sun that flesh and blood never saw nor heard of before Mat. 16.17 2. Faith hath low and creeping affections to the creature But when the affections are big with childe of the creature as 1. They are strained and swelled in their acts Faith is no faith but a delusion the rich man speaketh with all his heart and with good will of his full barns and its clear he had neither Faith nor Hope toward eternity Luke 12. v. 19.20 For every word being as we say of the length of a cubit a foot and a half Luke 12.18 He casteth forth words of pulling down building greater houses and scraping in all his goods are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my goods all my births and bowels and all my good things For he had no other good things and there 's no apostrophe in the words he speaketh them with their full sound and we speak with good will these things that we tell to our soul. Faith hath but half words and half affections â—â—â—ching the world half acts or broken acts in 〈◊〉 affections closing with the creature smell 〈◊〉 a Faith with child of â—â—ernity to make the excellency of the creature a matter of meer opinion to reckon the worlds witchcrafts of lust gain glory but uncertain and topick arguments to conclude a God-head and a golden heaven in the creature is the height of the wisdom of Faith So Paul Gal. 2.20 I am crucified with Christ. O then may some say Paul you are a dead man He saith no. Neverthelesse I live but I live the life of Faith For Christ liveth in me All his motions toward the creature were half dead like the vitall motions of a crucified man half out of the world and his acts of Faith were lively and vitall and high tuned like the highest note in the musick song Faith cannot break and violently rent in sunder the two sides of the affections with too violent and intense acts of love joy fear desire sorrow as these are terminated upon the creature It s true Faith clippeth nothing from the outmost and most superlative pitch of the love of God of desire fear sorrow joy as they act upon God but addeth wind
to the sails in that flux of the souls way toward God But Faith moderateth and lesseneth all these in relation to the creature so the Faith which hath its direct aspect toward eternity and looketh on the shortnesse of sliding away time and the transâ—ent wheeling away oâ— the poor figure of this world 1 Cor. 7. v. 29.31 turneth all these acts into but half a face on thâ— creature and into leasurely and leaden motions or to half non-acts as if made up of heavenlâ— contradictions v. 29 30 31. Having wives having no wives Weeping no weeping Rejoicing no rejoicing Buying no possessing Vsing the world not using the world When the Saints throng through the presse and croud of the creatures for the world is a bushie and rank wood thorns take hold of their garments and retard them in their way Faith looseth their garments riddeth them of such thornie friends as are too kind to them in their journy who diggeth for Iron and Tin in the earth with mattocks of Gold What wise man would make a Web of cloth of gold a net to catch fish Expences should over-grow gains There 's much of the mettall of heaven in the soul Faith would forbid us to wear out the threds of this immortall spirit such as are love joy fear sorrow upon peeces of corruptible clay Alas is it Faiths light that setteth men a work to make the soul a golden-needle and the precious powers and affections thereof threds of silver to sow together peeces of sackcloth and old rotten rags What better I pray you is the finest of the web in the whole systeme of creation Certainly the heavens must be a thred of better wool then the clay-earth yet if you should break your immortal spirit and bend all the acts to the highest extent of your affections to conquer thousands of Acres of ground in the Heavens and intitle your soul to that inheritance as to your onely patrimonie without Christ Faiths day-light should discover to you that this finest part of that web of Creation with which you desire to cloth your precious soul is but base wool and rotten thred and though beautifull and well dyed to the eye yet Psal. 102.26 The heavens even all of them shall wax old like a garment And the wisdome of Faith knoweth a shop where there 's a more excellent suit of clothes for the soul 2 Cor. 5.1 2. And a more precious peece of the Heaven to dwell in even a House which is from Heaven with which you shall bee clothed When life shall eat up death and mortality 2. The creatures are below the affections of the believer and his affections conquer them as having the vantage of the mount above all the creatures So Paul maketh an elegant contrariety Phil. 3.19 20. Between those whose heart senses minde findeth neither smell taste nor wisedome but in earthly things for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to minde things of the earth importeth all these and those who by Faith look to Heaven and dwell there And the temporaries heart is below the world and the creatures are up in the mount above him So Mat. 13. v. 7.22 The thorns or cares of riches have the fore-start of the earth and sap above Faith or the good seed For the seed was cast in the earth when the thorns had been there before and had the vantage of the season and the soil both The first love is often strongest The Martyrs Heb. 11.35 had poor and weak thoughts of this life and would not accept and welcome life and deliverance from death but had strong acts of Faith and love toward a better resurrection It s a souls strong Faith that bringeth him to nil admirari and to wonder at nothing Never to love much nor fear much nor sorrow much nor joy much nor weep much nor laugh much nor hope much nor dispaire much when the creature is the object of all these acts there is nothing great not the worlds All things or their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to him who is possessed with that Righteousnes which is of God by Faith Phil. 3.8 9. Men that talketh with good will and all their heart of their learning books of their own Acts good Works Wisdom Court Honour valour in War Flocks Lands Gold Moneys Children Friends Travels are to Examine If Faith be not a chaste thing and that acts of whoredome with the creature and of believing in Christ are scarce consistent Let your affections move toward the creature without sound of feet 3. There must be self-forsaking in believing 1. An affirming and an ay to grace is a negation and deniall to it self 1 Cor. 15.10 I laboured more abundantly then they all Yet not I but the grace of God which was with me To deny that you are Christs or that you have any grace if Christ have any thing of his in you is not self-deniall but grace deniall and God-deniall deny the work of the spirit and deny himself It s a saying of humility Cant. 1.5 I am black and of Faith but comely as the tents of Kedar as the curtains of Solomon And Cant. 5.1 I slept but my heart waked It s Faith to hold fast your state of adoption Lord I am thine 2. When our self maketh a suit to self and putteth in a bill to the flesh O pitie thy self Rejoice O young man in thy youth It s self-renouncing to deny this request to the flesh And Faith only can give an answer to self-declining the crosse He that denieth me before men him will I deny before my Father and his holy Angels saith Christ. And another answer Faith giveth Rom. 8.12 I am not debtor to thee O flesh I owe thee nothing And its Faiths word of answer Eccles. 11.9 But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee unto judgement 3. Faith putteth the soul in that condition that self may be plucked from self without great violence as an apple full of the tree and of harvest-sap is with a small motion pluckt off the stalk Act. 21.13 I am ready 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have my self in readinesse not only to be bound but also to dye at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus Certainly Faith saw here more in Jesus of excellency and sweetnesse then there could be of bitternes in bonds and death to self 4. There 's a deniall of the creature and a bill of defiance sent to all the lovers of the world when Ephraim is brought to this act of believing Hos. 14.3 For in thee the Fatherlesse findeth mercy Then it s said Ashur shall not save us We will not ride upon horses That creature that we trust on we ride upon it as Israel did upon the horses of Assyria and Aegypt But in this regard Faith dismounteth the believer and abaseth him to walk on foot All the creatures are ships to the believer without a bottome They are empty and weak David forbiddeth us to ride on a Prince
measure of grace Phil. 1.29 required in Faith men naturally imagine that faith is a work of nature hence that speech of a multitude of Atheists I believe all my dayes I believe night and day But they never believe at all who think and say they believe alwayes The Jewes asserted that they believed Moses alwayes and so oppose themselves to the man altogether born in sin Joh. 9. ver 28 29. compared with v. 34. But Christ told them they neither believed the Messiah nor Moses chap. 5. ver 35 36 37. Nature worketh alwayes alike and without intermission or freedome The Floods alwayes move the Fountain alwayes cast out streams the fire alwayes burneth the Lamb alwayes fleeth from the Wolf but the winde of the spirit doth not alwayes enact the soul to believe they are not in an ill case who wrestle with unbelief and find the heart and take it in the wayes of doubting and terrours as feeling that believing is a motion up the mount and somewhat violent facill and connaturall acts cannot be supernaturall acts of Faith It s no bad sign to complain of a low ebbe Sea and of neither Moon light nor starre light 2. It s unpossible they can submit to give the glory of believing to God in whose heart there 's a rotten principle destructive of Faith and that is an ambitious humour of seeking glory from men Joh. 5.44 Little Faith there 's in Kings Courts Faith dwelleth not in a high Spirit 3. Such as take Religion by the hand upon false and bastard motives as the Summer of the Gospel and fame ease gain honour cannot believe A thorny Faith is no Faith Matth. 13.22 A Carnall mans Faith must be true to its own principles and must lye levell with externalls so as Court ease the world and its sweet adjuncts are a measuring line to a rotten rooted Faith neither longer nor broader then time it goeth not one span length within the lists of Eternity 4. Phancy cannot be Faith such as have not Gospel knowledge of Christ cannot believe but must do as the Traveller who unaware setteth his foot on a Serpent in the way and suddenly starteth backward six steps for one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 6.66 So do they that phancy all the Gospel to be a carnal or a Morall discourse 5. Those cannot have Faith in whose heart the Gospel lyeth above ground Devils and sin having made the heart hard like the Summer streets Mat. 13.19 with daily treading and walking on them A stony Faith or a Faith that groweth out of a stone cannot be a saving Faith Thereâ—s a heart that is a daily walk in which the Devil as it were aireth himself 6. If Christ have given the last knock at the door and all in-passages be closed up and heart-inspirations gone there can be no more any sort of faith there Eph. 4.19 2 Tim. 4.2 The heart is like a dried up arm in some all the oil in the bones are spent 7. Loose walking with greedinesse argues that hell hath taken fire on the out-works of the soul. Hell in the hands and tongue as in the out-wheels must argue hell and unbelief in the heart and the in-wheels 1. Loose believers go to Heaven by miracles I dare go to Hell for a man if such an one go to Heaven who liveth prophanely and saith he hath a good heart within 2. The going in waies of blood Extortion Covetous Idolatrie belyeth the decree of election to Glory Grace leadeth no man to the East with his face and motion close to the West 3. This way of working by contraries is not Gods way God can work by contraries but he will not have us to work by contraries There 's some heaven of holinesse in the court-gate to the Heaven of happinesse 8. Faith over-looketh time Heb. 11.10 Abraham looked for another City Faith in Moses was great with childe of heaven v. 25 He had an eye to the recompence of reward Eternity of Glory is the birth of Faith Oh! we look not to the declining of our sun its high afternoon of our peece of day eleven houres is gone and the twelfth hour is on the wheels I see not my own gray haires It s upon the margin and borders of night and I know not where to lodge We are like the man swimming through broad waters and he knoweth not what is before him he swimmeth thorow deeper and deeper parts of the river and at length a cramp and a stitch cometh on arms and leggs and he sinketh to the bottom and drowns We swim through dayes weeks moneths yeers winters and are daily deeper in time while at length death bereave us of strength of leggs arms and we sinâ— over head and ears in Eternitie Oh! Who like the sleepy man is loosing his clothes and putting off the garments of darknesse and would gladly sleep with Christ Men are close buttoned and like day-men when its dark night It s fearfull to ly down with our day clothes Job 20.11 Sin is a sad winding sheet Oh! what believer faith I would have a suit of clothes for the high Court and Thron to be an Essay to see how a suit of glorie would become me Thus much for Faith SERMON XXII NOw a word of a strong and great Faith and withall of a weak and fainting Faith For the most I go not from the Text to find out the ingredients of a great Faith 1. A strong praying and a crying a Faith is a great Faith So must Christs Faith have been who prayed with strong cries and tears Strong Faith maketh sore sides in praying as this woman prayed with good will there 's an efficacious desire to be rid of a sinfull temptation as Paul prayed thrice to be freed of the prick in the flesh Their Faith is weak who dare not pray against some Idoll sins Or 2. If they pray it s but gently with a wish not to be heard 2. The womans crying her instant pleading in Faith yea 1. Above the Disciples care for her yea above Christs seeming glowmes who denied her to be his who reproached her as a dog argueth great grace great humility with strong adherence and so great faith 2. For Faith â—aileth sometimes with a strong tide and a fair wind according as the Moone hath an aspect on the Sun so is it ful or not ful when the wheels are set right to the Sun the clock moveth and goeth right The fairer and more clear sight that Faith hath of Christ the stronger are the acts of Faith it cannot bee denied but Faith hath a good and an ill day because grace is various it s no strong proof that it s not grace 3. To put Faith in all its parts in light in staying on Christ in affiance in adherance in self-diffidence in submissive assenting forth in all its acts and to lift the soul all off the earth requireth Christs high Spring-tide it s not easie to put all the powers that
not walk with God then the sun can leave off to give light or fire to cast heat or a fountain to send out streams in regard that the spirit acteth them to walk with God by such a necessary impulsion that destroyeth all freedom of will and if they sin they are not to be blamed because the spirit moveth them not to abstinence from sin and to holy walking But Paul a chosen vessel and a strong believer Rom. 7.14 15 16 17 c. Complaineth of the in-dwelling of sin of his carnality and the fleshes lusting against the spirit and of his captivity under sin which must argue his imperfect Faith liable to the distemper of sinfull doubtings It is also a great errour to say that to call in question whether God be my Father after or upon the commission of some hainous sins as murther incest c. Doth prove a man to be in the covenant of works Now there be sundry sorts of doubtings opposite to Faith In the renewed There 's 1. A naturall doubting and as all Popery is naturall and carnall so this strangenesse of affection by which men are unkind to Christ and never perswaded of Gods favour in Jesus Christ argueth the party to be under the law and not in Christ. This doubting may and doth in carnall men consist with presumption and a morall false perswasion that naturall men have all of them while their conscience be wakened that they shall be saved Why I am not a Murtherer a Sorcerer c. Why Or how can God throw me into Hell So it s made up of reall lies and contradictions Yet they have no divine certainty of Salvation For ask a naturall man Have you a full assurance of salvation as you say that you alwayes believe and doubt not he shall be there at a stand and answer Who can have a full assurance But I hope well I believe well night and day And so doubt Papists also and they have a lie in their right hand it cannot stand with Gods mercy or justice since I am not this and this to throw me into hell So is unbelief a lie Esa. 57.11 And of whom hast thou been afraid and feared that thou hast lied and hast not remembered me 2. There 's an occasionall doubting that riseth by starts upon wicked men out of an evill conscience of sin but it vanisheth as a cloud as in Pharaohs confession I and my people have sinned This argueth a law-spirit rising and falling a sleep again 3. There 's a finall doubting of despair like the doom past on the condemned malefactor as in Cain Gen. 4.13.14 In Saul 1 Sam. 28.15 16. All these conclude men under the law and the curse of it But there 's 4. A doubting in the believers which though a sin yet if I might have leave to borrow the expression is a godly sin Not because it is not a sin indeed and so opposit to grace and godlinesse but a gracious sin Ratione subjecti in regard of the person and adjuncts it being a neighbour to saving Grace and no reprobate can be capable of this sin no more then Pagans or flagitious and extreamly wicked men can be capable of the sinne against the Holy Ghost So beggars are remotest from high and personall treason because they have never that honour to come near the Kings Person So Davids bones not Sauls bones were broken Ps. 51.10 Humbled bones For a humbled heart is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nidcheh Broken and bruised with a fear of Gods wrath for sin And the converted souls moisture is turned to the drought of summer Psal. 32.3 4. And his bones waxen old with roaring all the day God withholding the joy of his salvation This doubting befalleth never any reprobate under the law or covenant of works and so though it be an ill thing yet it s a good sign as out-breakings of boils in the body are in themselves diseases infirmities distempers and contrary to perfect health yet they are often good signs and arguments of strength of life and much vitall heat and healthinesse of constitution That affections of the childe of God under incest murther or other hainous sins be stirred that sorrow be wakened and rise when our Father is offended and when our Lord frowneth and standeth behind the wall and goeth away is lawfull yea it speaketh tendernesse of love softnesse of heart but that they be so far wakened as to doubt and fear that the Lord be changed that he hath forgotten to be mercifull that is sinfull doubting but doth no wayes conclude that the person is under the Covenant of Works but the contrary rather that Grace sitteth and bordereth with this doubting And so that the person is under Grace not under the Law Even where Faith is strong it is not ever in the same temper Health most vigorou◠will vary in its degrees and decrease at times of 〈…〉 and yet be strong and have much of life in it Take the strong and experienced Christians life in its whole continued frame and for the most part he hath the better of all temptations but take him in a certain stage or nick of providence when he is not himself and he is below his ordinary strength even in that wherein he excelleth If a gracious temper of meeknesse like Christ was not the predominant element of grace in Moses yet it was in a great measure in him he bearing the name with him who best knoweth names and things of the meekest man in the earth Yet in that which was his flour he proved weaker then himself and spake unadvisedly with his lips Our highest Graces may meet with an ill hour Job by the testimony of the Holy Ghost is patient Ye have heard of the patience of Job And Chap. 3. We have heard of the cursing passion of Job also Believing is like sailing which is not alwayes equall often strength of wind will blow the ship twenty miles backward 2. The smallest measure of Faith The minimum quod sic is sincere adherence to Christ. Not that negative adherence simply by which some one may say I dare not for a world quit my part in Christ or give up with him Naturall spirits may have a naturall tendernesse by which they dare not quit Christ and give up with him Yet there 's no saving faith in naturall spirits but there 's in the beleever some positive adherence under or with the negative by which there 's a power of love and kindnesse making the soul to cleave to Christ There may be great weaknesse with this and great failings and yet faith unfained We have need of much charity to these that are weak in Faith A reed a broken reed may grow and Christ will not break it A buried believer is a believer if Christ have a neer relation of blood to a peece of blew clay and the dead corps of a believer seeing in his flesh there 's the seed and hope of
a resurrection as the seed and hope of harvest is in rotting and dying grains of Wheat sown in the cold earth as is cleer Psal. 16.9 1 Cor. 15.42 43 44. Much more the relation of mercy remaineth in Christ toward the wrestling deserted and self dead believer Now this smallest measure of Faith may consist 1. With much ignorance of God as it was with the believing Disciples who continued with Christ in his temptations confessed him believed and adhered to him when many went back and departed from him Luk. 22.28 29. Mat. 16.16 17. Joh. 6.66 67 68 69. And yet were ignorant of great points of Faith as of his death Mat. 16.21.22 Of his resurrection Joh. 20.9 2. So there be great faintings and doubtings when a storm ariseth and the soul is a sinking Mat. 8. v. 25 26 27. Mat. 14.3 Yet a little Faith is Faith As touching a fainting Faith it s not alwayes a weak Faith that fainteth strong and healthy bodies may have fevers and deliquies For the causes of fainting are 1. The want of the influence of mercy and of stirring or exciting Grace causeth fainting 2 Cor. 4.1 As we are mercied 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we faint not we degenerate not It is in the bosome of Christ and lieth about the bowels of our mercifull high Priest that keepeth from fainting If our Intercessor pray not we faint Luke 22.32 I have prayed that thy Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may not be ecclipsed The moon is in a certain death and soon in an ecclipse So is Faith under fainting 2. Fear of wrath may cause distraction and hanging of minde and uncertainty where there is strong Faith Ps. 88.14.15 Compared with v. 8 9. As apprehensions report of God so are we affected in believing Yet may it be collected from Mat. 10.19 In that hour it shall be given you that Christ holdeth the head of a fainting believer 3. The dependence of Faith will faint when Christ withdraweth love though he inflict no anger The ingenuity of Grace gathereth fear from a cloud though there be no storm 3. A soul dead in himself and that cannot put out Faith in acts for want of light and comfort is a weak Faith A tree in winter is a living tree There may be life where there 's little stirring or motion 4. That Faith that seemed smallest to the man himself is sometime in it self greatest 1. In sad desertions there 's most of Faith and least of sense of Faith Psal. 22.1 2. A suffering Faith may be small to the sufferer Many of the Martyrs in their own sense were in a dead and unbelieving condition Yet Christ is more commended for a suffering-faith then any Heb. 12.1 2 3. In that he did run indure the crosse for the glory that was before him He saw heaven And his Faith went through Hell to be at Heaven There is a high commendation put on the suffering Faith of these who were tryed with hands imprisonment sawn asunder mocked slain with the sword Heb. 11.37 38. Of whom the world was not worthy This is not put upon the active and doing Faith which is put upon the passive Faith nor is so much said of these who by Faith pulled down the walls of Jericho of Gideon Baruch Sampson and such as by Faith subdued Kingdoms The reason is suffering is a losse of being and welbeing These who by doing give away their evil being for Christ and crucifie their lusts for him are dear to him but such as die for Christ they give away both being and welbeing Moses Paul who in a manner were content to go to hel with believing that Gods glory in saving the people of God was to be prefered to their eternal being and well-being behoved to have great Faith 3. The Faith that is weak in regard of intension of degrees may be a great faith in regard of extension the Children of God whose life is the walk of Faith 2 Cor. 5.7 May have but a small measure of Faith Yet it s a constant and well breathed Faith good at the long race that carrieth a soul through In 1. His naturall capacity to believe God will feed him And 2. In his civill relations as a father son servant magistrate 3. In his spirituall condition in the duties of the first table in all which capacities we are to walk by Faith Yea to eat drink sleep to laugh to weep as concerning the ordering of all these Heaven-ward by Faith All the Saints that go to Heaven believing and ordering all these conditions by Faith have not alwayes a Faith as great as Abraham as Moses Weak leggs carry some through the earth many thousand miles A sorry and small vessell in comparison of others may sail about the Globe of the whole earth The wings of a Sparrow or a Dove can carry these little birds through as much Sea and Land as the wings of an Eagle doth carry the Eagle But ere I go from this point I crave leave to adde somewhat of the least and smallest measure of Faith 2. Of the condition of the childe of God under it Touching the former I onely say There is a degree of fire and a coal so small that lesse cannot be the thing remaining Fire having the nature essence and properties of fire And when any is in a deliquium or swoun the man hath life but it is kept in narrow bounds there is breathing onely 2. Some vitall heat 3. Some internall motion in the heart and vitall and animall spirits but no more to prove life almost then the man is a dead corps yet somewhat there is to difference him from dead clay For friends will not bury a sounding man willingly and knowingly So at the lowest condition of the weakest Faith that the believer is in some fire and coal of love and Faith there is and some smoaking though little fire and possibly we cannot give it a name Yet if the just live by Faith there must be some measure of Faith 2. Some smoaking of love to Christ. 3. Some discerning of an ill condition No man on earth in a sleep hath a reflect act to know that he sleepeth no dead corps knoweth it self to be dead Never sleeping man could say nay not Adam in his first sleep when God formed the woman out of a rib of his side Now I am sleeping No man naturally dead can say Now am I dead and I lie amongst the worms and corruption Death maketh no report of death but the believer can say at his lowest condition Cant. 5.1 I sleep but my heart waketh and he who saith Psal. 119. Lord quicken me must say Lord I am dead yet to say Lord quicken me and to feel and know deadnesse are acts of the life of Grace A Saint in this condition may love Christ through half a dream and half sleeping half waking retain honourable thoughts of Christ Job 13.15 Job 19.25 26 27. Some have said in hell they should
sign even as the day-star maketh not the Sun to rise it being only a signe that the Sun shall rise and that justification is as old a childe of free-love as election to life Then say I Paul might have taken the like pains to prove these Propositions We are chosen to glory before the world was by faith and not by the good works of the Law and this men are reprobated from eternity by finall unbeleef For sure it is that we come to the knowledge of our election to glory by beleeving not to say that Pauls large dispute with justiciaries was not whether we know and apprehend our own justification by the works of the Law or by faith in Christ. 3. If Antinomians say That Christ was slain for our sins from eternity not actually but only in Gods eternall purpose and they must say either he was the Lamb actually crucified for us from eternity which is a new eternal world we are actually justified from eternity and our sins imputed to Christ and actually translated off us and laid on him and so our sins are actually pardoned from eternity Or then they must say Christ was the Lambe slain from eternity not actually not really but only in the decree and gracious purpose of God now that is I grant sound Divinity Christ died not from eternity but God only decreed and purposed that in the fulnesse of time he should die But then it must follow that God did not actually charge sin on Christ from eternity and that Christ did not actually from eternity justifie the ungodly but onely in his eternall purpose he did justifie the ungodly Then the ungodly are justified in time and when is this time I believe the word of God that it is never while the poor soul believe even as the sinner is condemned and under wrath but never while he mis-believe and reject the Son of God But 4. if the meaning that Christ is the Lamb slain for our sins from eternity be that he is slain only in Gods purpose then are we no more justified and pardoned from eternity and so before we beleeve then the world was created from eternity Now in the Antinomian sense as we are justified by faith that is we come to know that we were in Gods minde actually justified Then it may be said The world was created by faith For Heb. 11.2 Through faith we understood that the world was created and God laid our sins upon Christ by faith and Christ died for us and bare our sins on his own body on the tree by faith For by faith we come to know that God made the world but because the knowledge and apprehension of the creation may some say is not a point serving for peace of conscience and Christian consolation which yet is false every point of saving faith is apt to breed peace and consolation yet certainly we came to know and apprehend that God laid our sins upon Christ by faith Isa. 53.6 and that Christ died for us and bare our sins on his own body on the tree by faith and by faith only to our peace and consolation and so if justification by faith be nothing but the manifestation of Gods love to us in imputing our sins to Christ and have no subordinat organicall act in our justification but we be justified before we believe and that from eternity upon the very same ground God created the world by faith Christ died for our sins by faith 5. Yea in this sense the world must be created from eternity and all things which fell out in time fell out in eternity because as Christ was the Lamb slain from eternity in Gods eternall purpose so were all things and the world created from eternity in Gods purpose and decree but things that only have being in the decree of God are not simply nor have they any being at all and therefore our free justification from eternity had no being but only was to be and actually is when God giveth us faith to lay hold on the remission of our sins Nor is it enough to say That faith is only given for our joy and consolation and not for the alteration and change of our state that of unjustified we may be justified For this layeth down these false grounds 1. The believer is so â—n every moment of time to rejoice as he is never to sorrow for sin nor to confesse sin because â—ins were pardoned from all eternity but so neither after a soul believe nor before he believe is he to confesse sins or mourn for them because both after and before yea from eterniâ—y sins are not at all but removed in Christ. 2. It â—ayeth down this ground that we are justified no more by faith then by the works done by the saving grace of God after regeneration â—nd that Paul in the Epistle to the Romanes â—nd Galatians does contend with justiciaries â—ow these who were from eternity justified shall come to know and apprehend for their â—wn peace joy and consolation that they were â—ustified and elected to glory whether men â—ay know this by faith in Christ or by the works of the Law But 1. this is not the state of the question between Paul and the Justiciaries For Rom. 3. Paul concludeth strongly we are really and indeed changed from a state of sin unto a state of justification even before God not because by keeping the Law we know we are justified but because all have sinned and are come short of the glory of God and so are inherently wicked abominable doers of ill and condemned therefore before God from Davids testimony Psal. 14. Psal. 53. This Argument concludeth reall and intrinsecall condemnation v. 19. not the knowledge of condemnation nor the knowledge that we are not justified by the works of the Law Rom. 4.2 Paul proveth that we are justified as David and Abraham was Now they are not said to be justified by faith because they come by faith to the knowledge of their justification for Abrahams righteousnesse and the blessednesse of the justified man opposed to the curse of the Law from which we are freed in justification Gal. 3.10 11 12 13. is the reall fruit of justification and of believing in him that justifieth the ungodly Rom. 4.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. But this blessednesse and freedom from the curse of the Law is not any fruit or effect or consequent of our knowledge and apprehension of our justification in Christ as if we were before we believe blessed and freed from the curse of the Law because ever the Elect before they believe are under the curse and are not blessed 1. Because they are before they believe the children of wrath Eph. 2.2 Ergo They are under the curse 2. Because Paul and the Elect before they be under grace and belief were under the Law and so under wrath Rom. 6.14 15 16 17. Rom. 7.4 Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the Law by the
put away 1 Cor. 13.11 So hath Christ taken bones and sap and strength from the devil and made him as fruitlesse as the feathers that serveth to sport children 1 Ioh. 3.8 For this purpose the Son of God was manifested 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he might dissolve the works of the Devil The word in Scripture is ascribed to the casting down of a house Ioh. 2.19 To the breaking of a ship Act. 27.41 To the loosing any out of chains Act. 22.30 The Truth is Satans works of sin and Hell in the which he had involved the Redeemed world was a prison house and a castle of strength and a strong war-ship and many strong chains of sin and misery Christ was manifested to break down and dissolve the house to break his warship and to set the captives at liberty Isa. 61.1.2 Ioh. 14.30 And now cometh the Prince of this world and hath nothing in me he had much in Christ he had all his Redeemed ones by reason of sin but Christ took all from him Since Christ came in the play and was master of the fields Satan never did prosper And consider how easily Christ doth it with a meer word Let it be how was this Christ sent an immediate mandate of Dominion he hath an immediate operation upon these invisible spirits of darknesse it is no matter how Christ do it so it be done Christ-God is a spirit how a spirit acts upon a spirit is to be believed rather then searched But Christ hath these relations to Satan 1. As God to all creatures and thus Satan is the workmanship of God as he is a spirit so what ever partaketh of being is the adequate and consummate effect of omnipotencie I mean being either possible or actuall and so the motions of Angels from place to place and of Devils must be under a chain of Omnipotency as all other things motions and actions of the creature are Let Satan go whether he please Christ traceth him 2. Christ hath the relation of a Judge to Satan and so he is tyed in an invisible chain of Justice and as malefactors that are permited to goe abroad but alwayes with attendance so do Devils trail about with them everlasting chains of blacknesse of darknesse Iud. ◠6. Whether so ever the Devil go Christ hath a keeper at his back 3. Christ hath a relation of a conqueror to Satan and Satan is his taken Captive Col. 2.15 He cannot be loosed from under Christ either by ransome or change of prisoner with prisoner 4. Christ as the heir of all things beareth up all by his mighty word Heb. 1.2 3. And is he in whom all things consist Col. 1.17 And so by reason that the world by a new gift of Redemption is subjected to Iesus Christ There is a speciall and particular Providence of Christ upon Satan it concerneth the Redeemed not a little that Christ keep a strong and watchfull guard upon the black camp out of which he hath Redeemed us and that the seven eyes that are before the Throne take special notice of Hell who come in and come out for there is deep counsel there against us In this consideration Christ numbers all the footsteps of Devils Satan hath not a generall warrant to tempt the Saints but to every new act against Iob chap. 1.12 and Iob 2 6. against Peter ere he can put him upon one single blast to cast him but once through his sieve Luk. 22.31 yea against one sow or a bristle of a sow Mat. 8.31 32. He must have a new signed Commission Christs generall passe that Satan be suffered as any other subject to passe through Christs bounds and Kingdome is not enough Vse It s much for our faith and comfort that our Mediatour is a God of Gods a God above the God of this world a Prince more mighty then the Prince of the Air who ruleth in the children of disobedience Yea now we have a greater Victory over Satan then wee know Satan is so totally routed put off the fields and Christ so strong that the weakest of Saints is stronger then the world the spirit Satan that dwelleth in the world Christs strength of faith is stronger then Adams strength of innocency 1 Joh. 2.13 14. 1 Joh. 5.5 The weakest measure of saving Grace is stronger then the highest measure of malice in all hell When Satan Tempteth you fear him not resist him in the Faith but be watchfull for he hath a Passe from Christ else he could not come so far as the Court of Guard to dally with the senses to hold out an Apple to Eve a world of Kingdoms and glory to Christ Satan hath a Warrand to bid when he cannot buy his Pass will bear him to go to the more inner works then the senses even to the chamber of the fancy to send a Trumpeter to the understanding 1. Yea to work mediatly upon the will and the heart of a Judas and to act but in a way of distance upon David to number the people but a counterfeit Passe with a false subscription cannot permit Satan to go on in reall motions against the will the chaine holdeth him back there is a restraining link that all the powers in Hell cannot break A Morall tie and link of the Law of nature in the breast of Devils Satan can and doth daily break Because he sinned from the beginning but the other link of reall acting against the dominion of Providence is unpossible to the strongest of Devils or of Creatures 2. We our selves may put in execution a conditionall Passe of the Devill for certain it is Satan could but knock at Eves door and play the Orator or Sophist to delude minde and affections but he could not make the Kings keyes as we say and violently break up the door or force the will but upon condition that Eve should consent to eat forbidden fruit by necessity of divine justice she must turn the first and oldest Devil in the flesh that ever was to tempt Adam to sin and to eat and therefore if we be not carefull to resist we may signe the Divels Passe of Providence with our Morall consent yeeld once to Satans first demand of the Treaty and you shall see you are insnared by a necessity of Gods spotlesse justice who punisheth sin by sin because you go one mile with the Devill to go with him two miles Vse 2. If Christ at a nod have such a dominion over Devils we are under Satans power in being tempted more then we need Certain it is we improve not Christs power of dominion over Satan to the utmost Christ can save Heb. 7.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the utmost then he can sanctifie to the utmost for Christ is a Saviour not only by merit but also by efficacy as our Divines hold against Socinians and Arminians therefore he should give actual strength against temptations if we should not so carelesly improve that power Christ hath