the instrument of justification as it is taken in a passive sense the ground of this conclusioÌ„ is this because it is impossible that any actioÌ„ in man can be an instrument of any action in God and therefore that phrase that you have so ordinarily spoken of that faith justifieth it is thus to be resolved that we are justified by faith 3. There is this that we would have you knowing that betwixt a Christians clossing by Faith with the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ the justification of a sinner I say there is no natural indispensible connexion between these two but only there is a connexion of divine appointment of free grace though we once conceive there is a naâ—ural aptitude in the grace of Faith to lay hold on the righteousness of Christ more then there is in any other grace of the Spirit as ye may see there is a more natural aptitude and fitness in the hand to receive then in any other organ of the body 4. There is this also that we would have you knowing that a Christian in his first closing with Christ Christ considered as crucified is the immediate object of his Faith and not Christ considered in his personal excellencies Hence it is often in Scripture that Christ as crucified is holden forth as the immediate object of justâ—…ying Faith as is clear Rom 3.5.24 25. And the ground of this assertion is this because that it is the formal object of justifying Faith which doth formerly justify the sinners and on which Faith doth immediatly lay hold as a ransome to satisfy Justice and as a righteousness in which the soul dare venture to be found when it shall stand before the Judgement Seat of God and certainly this is Christ as obedient to the death of the cross And it is likewise clear that the thing which doth engage the foul to Christ is not only because he is good in himself but because he is good to us 5. And there is this lastly that we would have you knowing that though Faith doth alone justifie yet Faith doth not justify being alone Hence is that which we have often in Schools Fides justificat solum licet non solitariè that Faith justifieth alone though not being alone as James doth speak Faith without works is dead and is of no effect Now that which secondly we shal speak to shal be this to point out to you some differences betwixt justifying Faith which is in a real believer and temporary Faith which is in an hypocrite and one that is destitute of that everlasting hope though he do pretend to have it And first that there is such a thing as temporary Faith as is clear from Luke 8.13 it is said there of some that they believed for a season yea in Acts 1.13 it is said of Simon Magus who was in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity he believed And those in John 2.23 When they did behold the miracles they believed on Jesus Christ and yet we conceive that their Faith was not sincere and so this was not saving faith And indeed ye may see a difference betwixt these two in the very name temporary for this is such a faith as doth not continue long with him that hath it but doth evanish and pass away for as this is certain that an hypocrite will not alwayes call upon God Job 27.10 so that is also certain that an hypocrite will not always believe in God I tell you that the longest time an hypocrite doth keep his faith Job hath set down in his 18. chapter vers 14. Their hope saith he shall bring them to the King of terrors and then it shall be rooted out of them and their tabernacle their faith will bring them no further then the gates of death and then their faith will flee away as a dream and evanish as a vision of the night II. There is this difference likewise betwixt them that temporary faith it closeth with Christ as a Savior and for righteousness but it closeth not with Christ as a Prince and for sanctification but justifying faith taketh Christ as well for a Prince as it taketh him for a Savior and if Solomon did discern who was the true mother of the child by that that she who would have had the child divided was not the mother of the child so we may say that they who would divide Christ in his Offices it is an evidence that they are not amongst those who are actually made partakers of the adoption of children there is some what of this pointed at in John 6.66 where that which made many who were his Disciples and did once believe desert him was because of the hardness of his command This is an hard saying who can hear it And it is certain that it is a greater difficulty for a Christian to take Christ as a Prince then as a Savior for by that he must make an absolute resignation of himself over to Christ never to be reduced O! when saw you such a sight of Christ that ye were constrained to cry out without a complement to him Truly I am thy servant I am thy servant O! were ye never ravished with one of his eyes nor overtaken with one chain of his neck Believe me they who see him thus do believe that his commands are grievous III. There is this difference that temporary faith is attained unto without the exercise of the Law but justifying faith is not attained to without some measure of the exercise of the Law this is clear Mark 4.5 where speaking of these temporary believers it is said of them That the fruit did imediately spring up c. Are there not some iâ— may be here who think they do believe and yet were never in any measure trembling under the discovering condemning power of the Law Is not that a mystery that one should bâ—ing forth without travelling And is not this a mystery in Christianity that one should believe before he hath found the pangs of the New birth I am afraid of this that many of us have taken up our Religion at our foot for there are many who take up Religion before ReligioÌ„ take them up But would you know the properties of a Christians Faith It is a begotten faith 1 Pet. 1.2 and not a Faith that is taken up at our pleasure And I would only say these two things to you be perswaded of this that hypocrisie may be soon with a very smal threed so that the most discerning Christian cannot take up that desperate enmity that is in them How long did Judas lurk under the name of a Saint even with those that were most discerning And there is this that we would say that amongst all these that shal be eternally excoÌ„municate from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power hypocrites in Zion shal have the bitterest cup of divine indignation presented unto them Hence it is that Christ when he
we will not delight our selves in loving of him And I would say this to you that though ye should weep the one half of your dayes and pray the other half yet if ye want this noble grace of Faith your righteousness shall be but like a monstruous cloath and filthy rags before him For what is praying without believing but a taking of his blessed Name in vain What is our conferring upon the most divine and precious truths of God without believing it is not a lying to the Holy Ghost and a flattering of God with our mouth And we would have you knowing this that there is a sweet harmony that is now made up betwixt Moses and Christ betwixt the Law and the Gospel The Law bringeth us to Christ as a Savior and Christ bringeth us back again to the Law to be a rule of our walk to which we must subject our selves So then would ye know the compend of a Christians walk It is a sweet travelling betwixt Mount Sinai and Mount Sion betwixt Moses and Christ betwixt the Law and the Gospel And we conceive that the more deep that the exercise of the Law be in a Christians conscience before his closing with Christ there is so much the more precious and excellent advantages waiting for him I. There is this advantage that waiteth on the deep exercise of the Law that it is the way to win to much establishment in Faith when once we begin to close with Christ O Christians would ye know that which maketh the superstructure and building of grace to be within you as a bowing wall and as a tottering sence of that oftentimes ye are in hazard to raze the foundation it is this ye were not under the exercise of the Law before your believing in Jesus Christ There are some who do not abide three days at Mount Sinai and these shall not dwell many days at Mount Sion II. There is this advantage that waiteth on the deep exercise of the Law it maketh Christ precious to a mans soul What is that which filleth the soul of a Christian with many high and excellent thoughts of Christ Is it not this to have the Law registrating our Bond and putting us as we use to speak to the Horn That is to have the Law cursing us and using the sentence of condemnation against us That which maketh us have such low and undervaluing thoughts of precious Christ is because the most part of us are not acquainted with the deep and serious exercise of the Law that is a mystery to the most part of a Christians practise Ye know that there were four streams which went out from the Paradise of God into which man was first placed and so may we say that there are four golden streams by which lost and destroyed man is brought back again to this Eden and Paradise of everlasting delights First there is the precious stream of Christs righteousness by which we must be justified And secondly there is that stream of his Sanctification by which we must be purified Thirdly there is that stream of the wisdom of Christ by which we must be conducted through this wilderness wherein we have lost our way And fourthly there is that stream of Christs Redemption by which we must be delivered from the power of our enemies and must turn the battel in the gate it is by the Redemption of Christ that we shall once sing that triumphant song O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victory O but all these streams will be sweet and refreshing to a soul that is hotly pursued by the Law So long as we see not the ugliness of our leprosie in that glass of the Law we have our own Abana and Parpher that we think may do our turn but when once our case is truly laid open to us then will we be content to wash our selves in Jordan seven times III. There is this advantage that waiteth on the deep exercise of the Law that it maketh a Christian live constantly under the impression of the sinfulness of sin What is it that maketh sin exceeding sinful to a Christian Is it not this he hath been fourty dayes in Moses School And we conceive that the ground why such fools as we make a mock of sin is because we know not what it is to be under the power of his wrath and the apprehensions of the indignation of God But now to come to that which we intend to speak of we told you at the first occasion that we spake upon these words that there were many excellent things concerning the grace of Faith holden forth in them The first thing which was holden forth concerning this radical grace of Faith was the infinite advantage that redoundeth to a Christian through the exercise of Faith and giving obedience to this command which we cleared to be holden forth not only from the scope but also from the nature of this command And now to speak a little to the point we shall propose these cosiderations that may abundantly show how advantagious a thing this excellent grace of Faith is I. The first consideration that speaketh it is this that Faith maketh Christ precious to a soul according to that word 1 Pet. 2.7 To you that believe Christ is precious And we would have you knowing this that Faith maketh Christ more precious to a soul then sense or any other thing can make him And first Faith maketh Christ more precious then sense because the estimation which the grace of Faith hath of Christ it is builded upon the excellency of his Person but the estimation of sense it is builded upon the excellency of his actings so that because he is such to them therefore they love and esteem him But that heroick grace of Faith it taketh up the excellency of Christs person and that maketh him precious to them Secondly Faith makes Christ more precious then sense because sense looketh to that love which Christ manifesteth in his face and in his hands and in his feet But Faith looketh to that love which is in his heart Sence will cry forth Who is like to thee whose countinance is like Lebanon excellent as the cedar whose hands are as gold rings set with beril and whose legs are like pillars of marble set in sockets of gold Sense will look to the smilings of Christ and will wonder it will look to his dispensations and actings and will be constrained to cry out Who is like unto thee But the grace of Faith solaceth it self in the fountain from whence all these springs and sweet inundations of love do flow Thirdly Faith maketh Christ more precious then sense because Faith looketh not only to what Christ is presently but unto what Christ is from eternity before time and what Christ shall be unto eternity after time but sense only doth look to what Christ is presently And ye must conceive that the sweet travelling of Faith betwixt infinite love from eternity before
betwixt Christ and the believer Faith being indeed an uniting grace and that which knitteth the members to the head and to make this more fully appear we would point out a little what a sweet harmony and correspondency there is betwixt these two sister-graces to wit Faith and Love Faith is that nail which fasteneth the soul to Christ and Love is that grace which driveth that nail to the head Faith at first taketh but a tender grip of Christ and then love cometh in and maketh the soul take a more sure grip of him Secondly ye may see their harmony in this Faith is that grace which taketh hold as it were of the garment of Christ and of his words but Love that ambitious grace it taketh hold of the heart of Christ and as it were his heart doth melt in the hand of Love Thirdly it may be seen in this Faith is that grace which draweth the first draught of the likeness and Image of Christ upon a soul but that accomplishing grace of Love it doth compleat these first draughts and these imperfect lineaments of Christs Image which were first drawn on the soul Fourthly by Faith and love the heart of Christ and of the believer are so united that they are no more two but one Spirit 2. There is this second act that Faith exerciseth on Christ and it is in discovering the matchless excellencies and the transcendent properties of Jesus Christ O what large and precious coÌ„mentaries doth Faith make upon Christ it is indeed that faithful spy which doth alwayes bring up a good report of him Hence it is that Faith is called understanding Coloss 2.2 because it is that grace which revealeth much of the precious truth of that noble object 3. And there is this third noble act of Faith exercising it self upon Christ viz. It maketh Christ precious to the soul according to that word 1. Pet. 2.7 unto you which believe he is pretious And if there were no other thing to speak forth its worth but that it is more then sufficient for no doubt this is the exercise of the higher House to be dwelling on the contemplation of Christs beauty and to have their souls transported with love towards him and with joy in him Reason and amazement are seldom companions but here they do sweetly join together First a Christian loveth Christ because of Christs actings and then he loveth all these actings because they come from Christ 2. Now secondly this pointeth out the precious excellency of the grace of Faith it is that grace which is most my sterious and sublime in its actings it hath a more divine and sublime way of acting then any other grace hence it is called The Mystery of Faith which speaketh this that the actings of Faith are mysteries to the most part of the world and I shall only point at these things which may speak out the mysterious actings of the grace of Faith 1. Faith can believe and fix it self on a word of promise although sense reason and probability seem to contradict the accomplishment of that promise Faith it walketh not by the low dictates of sense and reason but by a higher rule to wit The sure word of prophecy which is clear from Rom. 4.19 where Abraham believed the promise notwithstanding that sense and reason seemed to contradict it He considered not the deadness of his own body neither the barrenness of Sarahs womb but was strong in faith giving glory to God And it is cleâ—… from Heb. 11.29.30 where Faith believed their passing through the Red sea upon dry ground which was most contrary to sense and reason Faith be lieved the falling down of the walls of Jericho bâ— the blowing of rams horns which things are most impossible to sense and reason for sense will of tentimes cry out All men are liars and reasoâ— will say How can such a thing be and yet that he roick grace of Faith cryeth out Hath he spokeâ— it He will also do it Hath he said it Then 〈◊〉 shal come to pass 2. Faith can believe a word of promise notwithstanding that the dispensations of God seem to contradict it as was clear in Job who professed he would trust in God though he should kiâ—… him And no doubt but this was the practice oâ— believing Jacob he trusted that that promise should be accomplished that the elder should serve the younger though all the dispensations of Goâ— which he did meet with seemed to say that promise should not be accomplished 3. Faith can believe a word of promise even when the commands of God seem to contradicâ— the accomplishment of that promise this is cleaâ— in that singular instance of Abrahams Faith that notwithstanding he was commanded to kill his promised seed upon whom did depend the accomplishment of the promises yet he believed that the promises should be performed And though there were indeed extrordinary and strange tryâ—ls of his Faith as he had natural affections to wrestle with yet over the belly of all these believing Abraham he giveth Faith to the promise and bringeth his son Isaac to the Altar though he did receive him back again this is clear from Heb. 11.17.18.19 4. Faith can exercise it self upon the promise notwithstanding that callenges and convictions of unworthinesse and guilt do wait on the Christian this is clear 2 Sam. 23.5 that although his house was not so with God as did become yet he believed the promise as likewise it is clear from Psal 65.3 Iniquities prevail against me and yet that doth not interrupt his faith but he saith As for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away And certainly it were a noble and precious act of Faith to believe notwithstanding of unanswerable challenges of guilt the best way both to crucifie our Idols and to answer those challenges is believing and hoping against hope and closing with Christ this is clear from Isa 64.6.7 compared with ver 8. where after strange challenges the Prophet hath a strange word but now O Lord thou art our Father There is an Emphasis in the word now for all this yet thou art now our Father 5. And lastly this pointeth out the mysterious acting of the grace of Faith that it exerciseth it self upon an invisible object even upon Christ not yet seen according to that word 1 Pet. 5.8 Whom having not seen yet ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing 〈◊〉 I pose the greater part of you who are here whâ—ther or not these be two of the greatest paradoâ—… and mysteries unto you For is not this a mâ—stery to love him whom we never saw Whom having not seen yet ye love To love an absent aâ—… unseen Christ is a mystery to the most part of thâ— world and is not this a mystery to believe on his whom we never saw In whom though ye see hiâ— not yet believing And I shal add this that Faiâ—… can hold fast its interest with God notwithstanding the most
precious Christians should call 〈◊〉 hypocrits and not acknowledge us this is clear is the practice of Job and most clear from thâ— word Isai 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israâ—… acknowledge us not III. Thirdly this pointeth out the excellence of the grace of Faith that Faith when it is iâ— exercise is that grace by which a Christian dotâ— attain unto most sensible enjoyments There is great question that is much debated amongâ—… Christians what is the way to win to this happy length to be always under the sweet and refreshing influence of heaven and to have his dew alway coming down upon our branches I can give 〈◊〉 answer to it but this Be much in the exercise 〈◊〉 Faith this is clear from that notion and name puâ— upon Faith Isai 45.22 it is called a look to Christ which is a most sensible act If ye would know a description of Faith it is this The divinâ— contemplation of the immortal soul upon that divinâ— excellent and precious object Jesus Christ for God never made Faith a liar and therefore its eye is never off him that is the noble object of Faith Jesus Christ manifested in the Gospel and it is clear Eph. 1.13 After ye believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise which preacheth out the excellent enjoyments these had after their closing with Christ who is invisible Our Faith is called a seeing which speaketh out this that Faiths sight of God is as certain as if it did behold him with our eyes as is clear Heb. 11.27 Moses saw him by faith who is invisible And we conceive that the ground which maketh the most part of us have such complaints How long wilt thou forget us for ever It is this the want of the spiritual exercise of Faith and are there not some here who may cry out It is more then thirty days since I did behold the King Yea there are some who go a greater length and cry out I have lived these two years at Jerusalem and yet I have not seen the Kings face Yea there are some here whose complaint may go a little higher and cry forth These three years and six-moneths it hath not rained on me but the clouds have been restrained and bound up and the heavens have become brass And would ye know the rise of these complaints It is this ye are not much in the spiritual exercise of faith And to you I would only say these two words First it is easier to perswade a reprobate that he is defective in the fear of God and in his love to God then to perswade some such that they are wanting to God in their saith for they hold fast that piece of desperate iniquity till they die Secondly we would say to those of you whâ— have the valley of Achor for a door of hope anâ— have tasted of the sweetness of Christ some 〈◊〉 you will be less convinced for the neglect of thâ— duty of faith then for the neglect of the duty oâ— prayer or of the duty of keeping the Sabbath day But I am perswaded of this that if the noâ—ble worth of that transcendent object were known we would have a holy impatience untâ— once we did believe IV. Fourthly this also pointeth out the excellency of the grace of faith it is that grace by which a Christian is advanced to the highest and most inconceivable pitch of dignity and that is to be the child of the living God as is clear John 1.12 To as many as received 〈◊〉 believed in him he gave power or prerogative to become the sons of God And certainly that noble prerogative of adoption is much undervalued by many And I will tell you two grounds whereon the most part of men undervalue that excellent gift of adoption First they do not take up the infinite highness of God and what a one he is otherwise they would cry out with David Seemeth it a smal thing in your eyes to be a son to the King of Kings Secondly we do not take up nor understand those matchless priviledges which are given to them who are once in this estate I am perswaded if this were believed that he who is a servant doth not abide in the house for ever though he that is a son doth it would stir us up to more divine zeal in our pursuit after Christ V. Fifthly this likewise pointeth out the excellency of the grace of saith it is that grace by which all othere actions are pleasant to God are taken off our hand as is clear Heb. 11.4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice then Cain which must be undestood even to all other duties And that word vers 6. Without faith it is impossible to please God speaketh this also that by faith we do exceedingly please him And this is a most sad and lamentable reproof unto many who are here that their actions do not please God because they are not in faith Would you know a description of your prayers ye who are hypocrites and destitute of the knowledge of God It is this your prayers are the breach of the third command in taking the Name of the Lord in vain for which he will not hold you guiltless And would you know what is your hearing of Sermons It is an abomination to the Lord according to that word in Tit. 1.15 To the unbelieving and impure is nothing clean And as Solomon doth speak The plowing of the wicked is sin so that all your actions that ye go about are but an offence to the Majesty of the Lord. Now we would speak to these two things before we proceed to the evidence of faith to wit First that there is a difference betwixt the direct act of faith and the reflecting act of faith for there may be a direct act of faith in a Christian when he is not perswaded that he doth believe but the reflecting acts of faith are these which a Christian hath when he is perswaded in his conscience that he doth believe And we would secondly say that there are many that do go down to their grave under that soul-destroying delusion that they are in the Faith and yet never did know what Faith is I am perswaded there are many whom all the preachings in the world will never perswade that they did never believe their Faith being born with them and it will die with them without any fruit but faith being such an excellent grace and so advantagious whereof we have spoken a few things we shal speak a little further of it First in pointing out some evidences by which a Christian may know whether or not he be in the Faith Secondly I shal give you some helps whereby Faith may be keeped in exercise I. Now there is this first evidence of Faith that a Christian who doth believe he accounteth absence and want of fellowship with Christ and communion with him one of the greatest and
and is crying out that word in Isai 65.1 Behold me behold me O may we not summon Angels and those twenty four elders about the Throne to help us to wonder that ever such a command as this came forth that we should believe on the name of the Son of God after that we had broken that first and Primitive command That we should not eat of the forbidden tree VVas not this indeed to make mercy rejoice over judgement And O may we not wonder at the precious oath of the everlasting Covenant whereâ—…y he hath sworn that he delighteth not in the death of sinners What suppose ye were poor Adams thoughts when at first the doctrine of free-grace and of a crucified Christ Jesus a Savior was preached unto him in Paradise What a divine surprisal was this that Heaven should have preached peace to earth after that earth had proclaimed war against Heaven Was not this a low step of condescendency to behold an offended God preaching peace and good-will to a guilty sinner What could self-destroying AdaÌ„ think of these morning first discoveries of this everlasting Covenant Christ as it were in the morning of time giving vent to that infinite love which was resting in his bosome precious heart before the foundatioÌ„ of the world was laid We know not whether the infiniteness of his love the eternity of his love or the freedom of it maketh up the greatest wonder but sure these three joyned together maketh up a matculess and everlasting wonder Would any of you ask that question what is Christ worth We could give 〈◊〉 answer so sutable as this It is above all the Arithmetick of all the Angels in Heaven and all the men on earth to calculate his worth all men here must be put to a divine non plus This was Jobs divinity Job 28.13 Man knoweth not the price of wisdom and must not Jesus Christ who is the precious object of faith and wisdom of the Faither be a supereminent excellent One who hath that name of King of Kings and Lord of Lords not only engraven on his vesture which pointeth out the conspicuousness of his Majesty but even also upon his thigh to point out that in all his goings motioâ—s he proveth himself to be higher than the Kings of the earth And howbeit the naked proposing of the object doth not convert yet if once our souls were admitted to behold such a sight as Christ in his beauty and Majesty and to be satisfied with the divine rayes of his transcendent glory then certainly we should find a blessed necessity laid upon us of closing with him for Christ hath a sword proceeding out of his precious mouth by which he doth subject subjugat his own to himself as well as he hath a sword girded upon his thigh by which he judgeth and maketh war with his enemies We confess it is not only hard but simply impossible to commit an hyperbole in commending of him his worth being always so far above our expressions our expressions alwayes so far beneath his worth therefore we may be put to propose that desire unto him Exalt thy self O Lord above the Heavens But now to our purpose being at this time to 〈…〉 discourse upon that radical and precious grace of Faith we intend to speak of it under this twofold notion consideration First we shal speak of it as it is justifying or as it doth lay hold upon the righteousness of a crucified Savior making application of the precious promises in the Covenant of free grace which we call justifying Faith And in the second place we shal speak a little unto Faith as it doth lay hold upon Christs strength for advancing the work of mortification and doth discover the personal excellencies of Jesus Christ by which we advance in the work of Holiness and divine conformity with God which we call sanctifying Faith However it is not to be supposed that these are different habits of Faith but different acts flowing from the same saving habit laying hold and exercising themselves upon Christ indifferent respects and for diverse ends Now to speak upon the first we have made choise of these words The Apostle John in the former verse had been pointing out the precious advantages of the grace of ObedieÌ„ce of keeping of his CoÌ„mands that such an one hath as it were an arbitrary power with God doth receive many precious returns of prayer As likewise that one who is exercised in the grace of Repentance is Gods delight which is included in this that he doth those things that are well pleasing in his sight And now in these words he doth as it were answer an objection that might be proposed about the impossibility of attaining these precious advantages seeing his commands were so large and that hardly could they be remembred This he doth sweetly answer by setting down in this one verse a short compend or breviary both of Law Gospel viz. That we should love one another which is the compend of the Law and that we should believe on the Name of his Son which is the compend of the Gospel by this he showeth the Christian that there are not many things required of him for attaining these excellent advantages but if he exercise himself in the obedience of these two comprehensive commandments he shall find favor both with God and man And as concerning this precious grace of Faith we have 1. The advantages of it implyed in the words clear also from the scope as no doubt all the coÌ„mands have infinite advantages infolded in their bosom which redouÌ„ds to a believer by his practising of them And 2. the excellency of it holden forth in the words in that it is called his command as if he had no other command but this And the Greek particle is here prefixed which hath a great deal of emphasis and force in it and this is his Commandment But 3. there is this also the absolute necessity of this grace holden forth here in this word his Commandment as if he had said by proposing of this command I do set life and death before you and that you would not conceive that it is an arbitrary indifferent thing for you to believe or not but be perswaded of this that as an infinite advantage may constrain you to the obedience of it so absolute necessity must perswade you to act that which is of your everlasting concernment And lastly ye have the precious object upon which Faith which is justifying doth exercise it self and that is upon the name of the Son of God and no doubt faith is that excellent grace which doth elevate the soul unto a sweet inseparable union with Christ and is that golden precious knot that doth eternally knit the hearts of these precious friends together Faith is that grace that draweth the first draughts of Christs precious image on our hearts by love doth accomplish and perfect them No Faith
would tell the worst company that one shal have in hell it is alwayes this ye shal go to that place where hypocrites and sinners are and so it would be of your concernment that by the candle of the Lord ye would search the inward part of the belly before ye go down to the grave with a lie in your right hand a deceiving heart having turned you aside We confess it is sad to consider those anxious disappointments that many in these days shal once meet with IV. But there is this last difference betwixt justifying Faith and temporary Faith that there are three precious effects of justifying Faith which a temporary believer cannot win to 1. To be denyed to all his enjoyments and attainments and to walk humbly under them for we may say that it is impossible for an hypocrite to be denyed to his enjoyments he maketh such a Deity of them and worships them or rather he worshippeth himself in them There are three great Graces that an hypocrite doth pursue after though he rather seeketh them as gifts then as Graces knowledge prayer and humility And though it be but little he can attain of any of the three or rather nothing in a saving way yet least of all can he attain to the last yea we may judge that there is always within his bosom a standing conviction that he could never win unto that gracious Grace of Humility O! could ye never win to this to count your own righteousness as filthy rags and to rejoyce alone in the righteousness of a crucified Savior I would press this upon you by the way O Christians of this generation forget your perfections and remember your imperfections have an holy oblivion of your attainments but have a divine remembrance of your short-comings look more to what is before unperfected then to what is behind and thus shal you evidence true justifying Faith 2. It is an effect of justifying Faith to be under some constant and divine impression of the preciousness of Jesus Christ according to that word 1 Pet. 27. To you who believe Christ is precious It is not said that Christ was precious or shal be precious but it is said he is precious which doth import as we use to speak a continued act Did ye never know what it was to dwell twenty four hours under the impression of the matchless excellency and precious worth of a crucified Savior I will pose you with this Are there not some here and else where that pass under the notion of Saints that never knew what it was to dwell half an hour under these high and elevating thoughts of the preciousness of Jesus Christ So that we profess we cannot tell whe◅er we shal call him precious or undervalued but we may conjoin these two together that he is a precious and yet undervalued Christ 3. By justifying Faith a Christian winneth to mortification of his invisible predominant lusts which is impossible for a temporary believer to win to And is there not a great difference betwixt an Idol when it is cast out and an Idol when it but goeth out I will tell you the great mortification of hypocrites the devil was living in them as one that was a black one and now he cometh again and transformeth himself into an Angel of light He was living in them before by his spirit of prophanity and now he liveth in them by the spirit of hypocrisy and counterfeiting of those things that were never clear attainments while it is the noble dignity of Faith Acts 15.9 to purifie the heart but are there not many here who never knew what it was to mortify one lust for Christ Can such a delusion overtake you O Atheists that ye shall reign with Christ if ye die not with him There is an opinion vented in these dayes that there may be repentance in heaven I think it would seem that the Christians of this age have much of that opinion we are so little in repentance while we are here below but know that Faith and Sanctification are two inseparable companions And let me tell you if you will know the compend of the precious exercise of Faith it is this Faith hath three great things that it perpetually contemplates and views 1. Faith looketh to the promise and there it doth rejoyce and rest upon it 2. Faith looketh to the duties that are commanded and there it cryeth out Here am I I will obey and hearken unto the voyce of the Word And 3. Faith looketh to the crown and there it doth exult and sweetly rejoyce in divine expectation And O what a sight is that to behold that everlasting Prince standing at the end of our race having a crown in his right hand with this Motto engraven on it He that persevereth to the end shal be saved And what a Faith suppose ye it shall be thought when we shall get on that immortal crown of blessedness What think ye is the exercise of those that are above O Heaven Heaven if we did know it would we not be in an holy extasie of desire till we were there And blessed be he eternally that hath purchased that precious felicitie to us Now we shal at this time shut up our discourse by speaking a little to those things in which a Christiā doth ordinarily meet with assurāce of this interest in God and is put to the divine actings of the Grace of Faith for there are some sealing times to a Christian I. The first time of the sealing is after the mortification of some predominat lust and Idol then they are admitted to read their names in the precious and ancient records of Heaven and to see in these books their unworthy names written by the hand of that everlasting Prince This is clear Rev. 2.17 To him that overcometh wil I give a white stone and in the stone a new name written that no man knows saving he that receiveth it And from that 2 Tim. 4.8 Believe me more mortification would make more believing but would ye know the original of misbelief It is the want of exercise of spiritual mortification of our lusts I know not where the most part of us intendeth to lodge at night but this is certain that we live with much contentment with our lusts and these predominat Idols that do so much possesse us II. It is secondly a sealing time to a Christian when he is admitted to the divine enjoyment of these satisfying delights that are to be found in Christ When was it that the Spouse cryed out so often My beloved is mine and I am his Was it not when she was brought to the banquetting and his banner over her was love Believe me more communion with an absent Christ would make more intimation in a divine manner of our peace with him We desire to bless those that are above the reach of all these disputings and questions that we are so much subject unto III. This is a sealing time to a
can have no other foundation it will build it self upon humility and a Christian will grow proud in this that he is growing humble Thirdly it is a difficulty for a Christian to examine his growing in grace and not to be puffed up It is certain a Christian ought to examine his growth in grace humbly according to that Psal 63.8 My soul followeth hard after thee thy right hand upholdeth me He doth not only take notice of this that his soul did follow after God but of the measure of that pursuit my soul followeth hard after thee and yet sweetly acknowledgeth it was not his own feet which carried him nor his own hand that kept him from falling 3. Ye are not to build your faith upon your works and upon the righteousness of the Law I need not stand long to refute that practical Popery that is amongst us that thinketh we can go to heaven through a covenant of works I told you not long since what your going to heaven through a covenant of works speaketh even this horrible blasphemy that it was an act of monstruous folly to send Christ to die for sinners for if you can go to heaven without him was not then Christ crucified in vain And I would tell you now that this speaketh out your damnable ignorance of the weakness and deceitfulness of your own hearts O ye that are so great defenders of Salvation by the covenant of works I beseech you what is the reason that ye break the covenant of works oftener then any For there is none that thinketh they will go to heaven this way but those that are the greatest breakers of the covenant of works And is not that inconsistent and contradictory Divinity your faith contradicting your practice and your practice telling you that your faith is a lie 4. We must not mix our own righteousness with Christs as the object of our believing This is indeed an evil that often lodgeth in the bosom of the most refined hypocrite when Satan cannot prevail to exclude Christ altogether then he is content with that whorish Woman to divide the child and let the object of our Faith be half of Christ and half of self And the truth is many of these poor unwise sons who stay long in the place of breaking forth of children do willingly hearken to this overture for fear it be presumption for such poor wretches to meddle too boldly with the riches of Christ but it were good such weak ones would consider that word Rom. â— 2 where the holy Gost calleth the making 〈◊〉 of his righteousness an act of submission they 〈◊〉 not submitted saith he unto the righteousness of Christ O will ye not lay this to heart that our Lord will take your believing or your putting on his righteousness for an act of great humility and will take your misbelief as a marvelous act of the highest pride and presumption 5. We are not to make providence the object of our faith I know there are some that ask the ground of their right of heaven they will tell us that God hath been kind to them all their dayes I would only say to such He may be feeding you unto the day of slaughter and no man knoweth love or hatred by any thing that is before him Thus much of the object of Faith negatively And now to speak to it positively we see the Text holdeth out Christ himself as that excellent and compleat object of Faith This is his Commandment that we believe on the Name of his Son And thus Faith closeth with Christ under a fourfold consideration First it closeth with God in Christ not with God immediatly and nakedly for he dwelleth in light inaccessible that no man can approach unto He is higher than the Heaven what can we do and deeper than hell what can we know Job 11. Therefore we must approach unto him thorow a vail even the vail of Christ his flesh Heb. 10. God is a consuming fire and of purer eyes then that he can behold iniquity aâ—… therefore we must first cast our eyes upon thaâ— blessed Dayes-man that laid his hands upon us both and look unto God as in Christ reconciling 〈◊〉 world to himself and so draw near unto hiâ—… through a Mediator who is the first and the last and he that liveth and was dead and is alive foâ— evermore able to save to the uttermost all thâ—… come unto God by him seeing he liveth for ever to make intercession for them Secondly Faith closeth with Christ as tendered freely in a covenant of promise we would have had nothing to do with Christ if he had not been given of the Father and offered himself in a free covenant of promise but he being thus holden forth upon terms of free Love which doth utterly abominate hire and so noble a proclamation issued forth under the great seal of Heaven That whosoever will may come and drink of the water of life freely Upon this the poor creature draweth near by vertue of a right and stretching out the armâ— of most enlarged affections doth run upon him with that joyful shout My Lord my God and then maketh an absolute resignation of it self to him which is holden out in the Scripture by that sweet expression of kissing of the Son And there are three parts of Christs blessed body that the Christian must endeavor to kiss and embrace the mouth of Christ the hand of Christ and the feet of Christ The kissing of his feet importeth the exercise of love the kissing of his hands the exercise of subjection and the kissing of his mouth the exercise of communion and fellowship with him Thirdly Faith closeth with Christ as the purchaser and meritorious cause of all the good we receive He is the person that hath purchased all these things unto us and there is not one blink of love there is nor the smallest enjoyment that a Christian meeteth with but it is the price of the blood of Christ Christs precious blood was laid down for it Fourthly Faith closeth with Christ as the efficient and worker of all our mercies all our enjoyments are from him as the efficient cause that is he is the worker of all things in us it is his preciouss fingers that must accomplish that blessed work of grace and they are from Christ as the dispenser of these things Christ is the great steward of heaven that doth communicate unto believers all the treasures of the higher House For him hath God the Father sealed O! but that word that Christ once spake is much verified by himself It is more blessed to give then to receive Christ is that fountain and treasure in whom all our gifts and graces are â—reasured up for before the blessing come to believers they come to Christ as the head according to that word 2 Tim. 1.9 Which grace was given to us in him before the foundations of the world were laid It was given to Christ before the world was made and
other and desire God to reconcile them That if we cannot see any connexion between providence and the word yet may we reflect upon the Omnipotency of God that can make things that are seeming contrary sweetly agree together the Commentary will never destroy the Text noâ— providence will never destroy the faithfulness of God And let me give you this advice that those objections of misbelief which you cannot answer and in a manner putteth you to a non plus and when ye have looked over all the Names of God ye cannot find an answer to them slight them and cover them as we have often told you wâ— the practice of believing Abraham Rom. 4.19 where that strong objection of misbelief appearing before his eyes the deadness of his body aâ— the barrenness of Sarahs womb it is recorded 〈◊〉 him he confidered not these things as it were 〈◊〉 had a divine transition from the objections 〈◊〉 misbelief to the acting of faith and this is cleâ—… from Matth. 15.25.26 where that strong objection of misbelief being proposed against that woman that she was not within the compass of Christs commission she hath a noble way of answering with this Lord have mercy upon me And if so we may speak Faith hath a kind of divine impertinency in answering the objections of misbelief or rather a holy slighting of them that gaineth the victory when cavelling with temptations will not do it The like also may be instanced in his Sons Name O how glorious titles are given to that Prince of the Kings of the earth and to that Plant of renown upon which the weakest faith may cast anchor and ride out the greatest storm I shal not detain you long on this subject but this we would have you know that there is no straint or difficulty that a Christian can be exposed unto but there is some name or attribute of Christ that may sweetly answer that difficulty and make up that disadvantage Is a Christian exposed unto afflictions and troubles in a present world let him comfort himself in this that Christ is the shadow of a great rock in a wearied land Is a Christian under inward anxiety and vexation of mind let him comfort himself in this that Christ is the God of peace and of all consolation Is a Christian under darkness and confusion of spirit let him comfort himself in this that Christ is the Father of lights and is the eternal wisdom of God Is a Christian under the convictions of this that he is under the power and dominion of his lusts let him comfort himself in this that Christ is redemption yea that I stay no longer if it were possible that a Christian could have a necessity that he could not find a Name in Christ to answer it he may lawfully frame a Name to Christ out of any promise in all the book of God and he should find it forth-coming for the relieving and making up of that necessity God would not disappoint his expectation There is yet one thing further in reference to the object of Faith which we shal desire you to take notice of and it is the way of Faiths closing with its noble object and its resting on him and this we conceive may be excellently taken up by our considering of the many several Names that Faith getteth in Scripture beyond any other of the graces of the Spirit It is called looking Isai 45.22 Looking unto me It is called abiding in Christ John 15.4 Abide in me It is called a keeping silence unto God Psal 37.7 My soul trust in God or as the word is in the original My soul be silent unto God and that in Psal 62.1 My soul waiteth or as the word is Truly my soul is silent unto God Likewise Faith is called a leaning Psal 7.15 I have leaned upon thee from my mothers womb Faith it is called an eating of Christs flesh John 6.53 Faith it is called a casting of our burden upon God Psal 55.22 Cast your burden upon God And Faith it is called a coming unto God Matth. 11.28 And according to these different names there are seven noble properties and matchless differences of this grace of Faith The first is that this is the grace by which a Christian doth enjoy much communion with God hence it is called a looking which importeth that Faith is a continual contemplation of the immortal soul upon that precious and excellent object Jesus Christ There is that second property of Faith that it is that grace by which a communion with God is maintained hence it is called an abiding in God It is that grace which maketh Christ and the believer to dwel together The third property of Faith is that it is a most submissive grace hence it is called a keeping silence unto God Faith as it were knoweth not what it is to repine It is the noble excellency of Faith it never knew what it was to misconstruct Christ It is the noble excellency of Faith it never knew what it was to pass an evil report upon Christ Faith it will promise good things to a Christian in the darkest night for when Love asketh Faith that question Isai 21.11.12 Watch-men what of the night Watch-men what of the night Or when shal the morning break Faith answereth it with the words that follow only a little inverting the order The night cometh and also the morning The morning is approaching that admitteth of no following night There is that fourth property of Faith it is the grace that keepeth a Christian in perseverance by its building upon the Rock hence it is called a leaning upon God for a Christian by faith doth perpetually join himself to Christ so that whatever trouble he be cast into by Faith he cometh up out of that wilderness leaning upon his Beloved and by Faith he is led up to the Rock that is higher then he where he may sit in saftey and even laugh at death and destruction when assailing him There is that fifth property of Faith that it is the grace that bringeth satisfaction to the spiritual senses of a Christian by a close and particular application of Christ as the nowrishment of the soul hence it is called an eating of the flesh of Christ There are three senses that Faith satisfieth Faith satisfreth the sense of sight it satisfieth the sense of taste and it satisfieth the sense of touch Faith will make a Christian handle that eternal Word of life Faith will make a Christian see that noble plant of renown and Faith will make a Christian taste and see how gracious the Lord is And no doubt those that have once satisfied their sight they will be longing to satisfie their taste There is that sixth property of Faith it is that grace which giveth rest unto a Christian hence it is called a casting of our burden upon him It is as it were the soul giving unto Christ that unsupportable yoke of our iniquities and taking from Christ that easie