hath for his sake Faith doth work but it is by the hand of love But now look on Faith in it self And so it s a receiving I say it is a receiving It s a having and craving grace which will alwaies be getting and wil never have enough When it is filled it is hungry and like the barren Womb and the earth and the grave it stil cries Give Give And for this you shall find the Scripture very cleer John 1.11 He came to his own and his own received him not that is they did not apply him unto themselves as the author of their salvation as the Messiah which was promised In 2 Cor. 6.1 the Apostle cals beleeving the receiving of the Grace of God When he would set forth the unbelief that is in men naturally he saith the naturall man receives not the things of God in 1 Cor. 2.14 As you have received Christ Jesus so walk in him Col. 2.6 that is answer your Faith with works let your life be answerable to your hopes and to the state you are brought into by beleeving I may quote many other expressions to shew that Faith is a receiving But these shall serve I wil only give a three fold Argument or Demonstration of it Frist All that have Faith in any degree have desires and longings after Jesus Christ and the things of him Faith it s an appetite in the new Creature whereby it craves and hungers after Jesus Christ and his benefits and therefore you shall find expresly that Faith and praying unto God or desiring after him are made all one Rom. 10.11 12 13. In verse 11. the Scripture saith Whoever beleeveth on him shall not be ashamed For marke it There is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him For whosoever shal call upon the name of the Lord shall besaved I say if you compare verse 11. with ver 12 and 13. Faith and calling on the name of the Lord are al one For the Apostle proves that there is no man that doth beleeve but he shal be saved by this That there is no man that cals on the name of the Lord but he shall be saved Those that have attained unto the greatest degrees of Faith their mouths are fullest of complaints their Souls fullest of sighings because of their wants Their praiers are Lord increase out Faith And not only so Luke 17.5 but when they have prayed they cannot be quiet until such time as they find it encreased and the fruits of it in them In Acts 26.7 it 's said that the Patriarchs hoping to come to Heaven did instantly serve God That word translated Instantly is in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is they did as one doth who stretches out himself to get a thing which he hath much ado to lay hold on but had rather have than any thing that he hath in his hands Such a kind of desire was in the Patriarchs after Glory In Rom. 8.19 the Apostle tells you of an earnest expectation that is in the Creation for the manifestation of the Sons of God that they may be freed from their imperfections and be like their Head Jesus Christ Paul professeth that he desires to be with Christ Jesus that is he professeth it as one that must either have his mind or must die Those that have the least degree of Faith are alwaies craving after Jesus Christ they are never well but when they are receiving Paul in Acts 9.11 is said to pray Go saith God to Ananias unto Paul Behold he prayes He did other things besides prayer he was sensible of his sin and afflicted in his conscience for going against Jesus Christ but the Text mentions nothing but this That he praies because that was it that al the bitterness of sin was a means unto and that which he was eminent in And all that Paul desired was That God would give him Christ although he had done what he could to crucifie him again in his members As the love of the world makes a man to be scraping and gathering together by any means although it be never so vile It 's no matter what the thing be so it brings in gain to a worldly man So it is the proper work of Faith to make a man look for Jesus Christ in all Ordinances and Duties That is the penny which it sweeps the house for and searcheth every duty for Now this desire it comes from Faith For what makes any man desire but hope and the knowledge of the excellency of the things hoped for Both which comes through believing That is the first thing All that have Faith desire to receive Jesus Christ and his benefits and therefore the Act of receiving is the principal act of Faith Secondly All other Acts of Faith are subordinate to this Act of receiving and done in reference to receiying You have heard that Faith hath divers Acts. It takes Gods word and receives his Testimony even when it fees no reason to expound the thing that is spoken of but the End is that it may receive I know whom I have trusted and that he is able at that day to give unto me what I have committed to him As a man takes the word of a man to this end that he may be sure not to miss what is due to him So this man takes the word of God and the Testimony of God only in order to be made a receiver of the things promised Faith that doth unite Christ dwels in our hearts by faith but that very act of union is to this end that so all Christ may be ours Eph. 3.17 We do but touch him that so vertue may come out from him into us Faith makes a man dependant and hanging upon God but it is only that so a man may ingage the Lord to give and he may receive As a man comes to one and saith I will trust to you for such a debt at such a time that so he may see that he doth not only expect it but that he doth him double injury if he doth not give it him Faith attracts and draws but that is only that the soul may receive That is the second Reason Faith is a receiving Grace because al the Acts and Operations of it are in order to receiving Thirdly Until this act of Faith be done Faith can do nothing Nothing can be done by Faith untill such time as it doth receive Faith purifies the heart Acts 15.9 It makes the whol conversation lively We do live by the Faith of the Son of God Gal. 2.20 It makes a man overcome the world and all the corruptions that are in the world and the evill one to boot 1 John 5.4 This is the victory wherby ye overcome the world even your faith He that is born of God overcomes the wicked one But mark it As water is first put into the Cistern before it flows forth
Chap. Vers Page 3 7 107 Â 9 34 Â 11 93 Â Â 107 Â 12 8,69 Â 15 34 4 2 70 6 10 103 10 28,29 8 Â 38 91 11 1 11 James 1 23,24 74 Â Â 75 2 20 6 1 Peter 2 1,2,3 51 Â 9 64 2 Peter 1 21 119 1 John 3 16 46 Â 23 46 Â Â 63 5 10 63 Â Â 70 TO THE READER IT will be needless for me to write any thing in the Commendation of the Author of the ensuing Treatise both because in London and Cambridge and elswhere where he was conversant he was for his Godliness Learning and Abilities as wel approved of as known As also because though by Reason of above twenty years knowledg of him and twelve years constant sitting under his Ministry and private intimacy with him I could say much yet whatever I should say of him would avail but little to such as were both strangers to him and are also to my self I assure you that in these Sermons you have nothing but what I took from his own Mouth when he Preached them which I did transcribe in the Authors life time with a desire that he might perfect and fit them for the Press which I found him willing to but hindred from by his constant Ministerial work and great weakness of Body I confess that my love of the Matter in the following Treatise and the Blessing which the Lord of his goodness vouchsafed me by the same Together with the leave which the Author in his life time oft gave me to Print any of his works that I had taken from him in writing have strongly inclined me since his death to publish some of them to the World But did forbear because I knew that Sermons Preached by the most able Minister may yet need and deserve his perusall and some amendments before they be Printed Yet at last am overcome to make them as they are publick by the importunities of many that heard them preached having this Confidence that you will remember that they are but Sermons Preached and not prepared by the Author for the Press And notwithstanding that I do beleeve that if you read them seriously ponderously and with a spiritual heart whether you are Ministers or private Christians you wil find no cause of repenting of your pains but rather wil be constrained to read them again again for I ever found his Sermons wel studied and digested that the oftner I read them the more I perceived in them Give me leave only to inform you that the Author did preach above fourscore Sermons upon that Text Eph. 13. To the Praise and Glory of his Grace and upon Texts relating to and pursuing that matter of Arminianism which he hath elaborately handled both Doctrinally and practically many of the which I have wrote out and am resolved as God gives strength and time to finish the rest yet I shal altogether omit the publishing of any of them unless I understand that these find good acceptance In the mean time A Blessing of those upon your hearts is and shal be the earnest Prayers of MARK COâ— TWO BOOKS OF M R SYDRACH SIMPSON Late Master of Pembroke-Hall in Cambridg And Preacher of the Gospel in London VIZ. I Of Faith Or That beleeving is receiving Christ And receiving Christ is Believing II. Of Covetousness In the First Book is shewed besides many other things 1 That Persons that are beleevers are Receivers 2 That to Receive is the Principal use of Faith 3 That nothing should hinder our Receiving 1 Not our Sins 2 Nor Gods delaies 3 Nor the smalness of our receipts 4 Nor the greatness of our Wants 4 How Faith Receives 5 That Faith Receives Christ 1 In the understanding 2 In the Will 6 The temper of a man that hath faith 7 The necessity of Faith 8 Though Faith be smal yet it makes us the Sons of God 9 The Nature of True Faith 10 There are but few that Receive Christ 11 Three sorts that come not to Christ 1 Such as Receive him not as he is 2 Such as delay their coming to him 3 Such as give not that place to Christ in their hearts that is fitting for him In the Treatise of Covetousness is shewed 1 It is the Duty of all as they would obtaine eternal Life to be ware of covetousness 2 The Reasons of the Doctrine 1 Its a spiritual Sin 2 It over spreads the whole man 3 It s opposite to the Nature of Godliness and Religion 4 It s the Womb and seed of all Sin 5 It s a base Sin 3 The Dangerousness of covetousness 1 It is hardly avoided 2 It s difficultly cured 4 You shal have all things needful for this life if you wil look after Grace 5 Your Life lies in Grace not in Riches 6 There is more to be feared than to be desired in Riches 7 We should Mortifie our desires after Riches London Printed by Peter Cole Printer and Book-Seller at the sign of the Printing-press in Corn-hill neer the Royall Exchange 1658. A TREATISE OF FAITH JOHN 1.12 To them that received him to them he gave power to become the Sons of God even to them that be leeve on his Name CHAP. I. The Scope of the Text. The Phrase of Receiving Christ opened Receiving denotes 1 Passiveness 2 A meanness of condition in the Receiver 3 A taking that which before he had not 4 A taking a thing with joy and gladness of heart The Doctrine Persons that are Beleevers are Receivers and to believe is to receive This proved by three Arguments 1. Faith is the appetite of the New Creature 2. All other acts of Faith are subordinate to this of Receiving 3. Nothing is done by Faith until such time as it doth receive THese Words are an Argument to prove the Eternal God-head of esus Christ because those that do receive him are made the Sons of God and have such a dignity and preheminence or prerogative thereby as none but God can bestow My intent in this Text is only to open the phrase of receiving Christ as it is Synonimous and made all one with beleeving on him As many as received him As many as believed on his name have this power to become the Sons of God First In generall Receiving notes passiveness or being the subject of a thing As cloth doth receive a color which is put upon it and is not naturall or proper to it And as the Earth receives the seed that is put into it by the hand of the Husbandman There may be an act in receiving yet Receiving doth principally note passiveness because that act is an order of nature either after receiving or else Receiving is the complement or that unto which the same act tends As a graft being put into a stock the Stock closeth with the Graft by vertue from its self So we having the Grace of Faith infused we also do adhere and cleave unto God Or as in receiving mony
works beneath you about that which is not most excellent and profitable Do not think you have gotten enough when by your Faith you have gotten into Christ and Grace from him by Faith for you are alwaies to be receiving Many a man is apt to think it were well if he could keep what he hath gotten if he can but hold his hold and keep his union and continue it under temptations if he can but maintain his practice and hope not backslide But I beseech you beloved consider that al this is not enough for you are to be receiving not withstanding that which you have received And let me tel you this too that if you are not receiving you are never able to hold that which you have As the waters in the stream would fail if there were not a continuall flowing from the Wel-head and Fountain So there must be a continual efflux and flowing and influence from Jesus Christ that so the Grace you have may hold In a Trade he cannot keep open a Shop long that hath no comings in And so it is certainly in the matters of Religion If you pay use for so you must do for all the opportunities and grace you have they must be imployed and you have no gain it will undo you although you began with the greatest stock of resolutions and purposes and desires and what you wil else And therefore as you enquire into your selves whether you have faith or not to prove whether you are a Beleever So examine especially thy Book and see what thou canst get by beleeving Imploy thy faith therefore to this end That you seek out what is promised what God hath said he will give for he will give Grace and Glory and with-hold no good thing from them that walk uprightly Psal 84.11 And send out Faith to get in all these Promises and challenge God upon his word continually and say Lord thou hast said this and that and a third thing I have it under thy hand it is written Thou hast spoken it and hast made me to beleeve in thee and shall thy Word be as flesh that shall fail and come to nothing Imbolden thy heart and strengthen the hand of thy Faith to receive enlarge thy hand and open thy mouth to take in much and if thy Faith brings in any thing less than Jesus Christ it brings in nothing For as it is in my Text As many as received Him Joh. 1.16 were the Sons of God and of His fulness we received Grace for Grace If thou hast any thing but Christ thou hast nothing And if thou hast any thing but from his heap and fountain and fulness thou wilt not be enriched by it thou hast received but straws and leaves for Gold and Jewels I beseech you my beloved know That as God hath given the eye to see and the ear for hearing so he hath given Faith to receive on purpose to this end That you may be continually taking in from his fulness Faith is of a having and a craving nature and unsatisfied til a man hath obtained the fulness he is ordained to in Christ when it 's filled it is hungry the more it hath the more it would have Faith doth not only serve to keep you in a state of Grace for by Faith you stand but to receive all Christs fulness which is laid up in him for you Oh that we could beloved beleeve this and live such a kind of life Such a kind of life of Faith is indeed Heaven upon Earth when as a man is alwaies telling over treasures for his own use and purpose How joyful is the Merchant when the Ship comes home and he is unlading the rich commodities which it is come fraighted with How joyfull is the Husbandman when the harvest comes and renders an hundred fold for every corn Such is the joy of God in the heart and would be so if we did continually receive CHAP. III. Use 2. Put forth this act of Faith 1. Neglect not this for any other act of Faith whatsoever 2. Put it upon receiving much Jhon 1.16 opened 3. Let nothing hinder this act of Faith I. Not your sins II. Let nothing discourage you Neither 1. Gods delaies Nor 2. The smalness of your receits Nor 3. The greatness of your wants Nor 4. The greatness of your receits III. Epecially take heed of refusing what is offered USE II. IN the second place If Faith be a receiving then put out this Act. Excercise your Faith thus As our Lord saith John 16.24 Ask and receive That is not only desire and pray but take what you desire and pray for from God So I say Believe and Receive Beleeve not only that Faith is a receiving but actually receive and be ever getting Every Grace is to have its perfect work as the Apostle James speaks concerning patience Let patience have its perfect work James 1.4 A Grace doth its perfect work when it serves all the turns for which it is given when as it doth all the acts to which it hath power Faith as you heard in the explication hath many other acts besides receiving Receiving is an act and work which Faith is as good at and as good for as any other the perfect and compleat work of Faith is to receive Christ Set it therefore about it Set it to reap al the Fruit of Jesus Christ and of the promises Set it as your Atturney as I may so speak to cal in the debts you have and the good you hope for Make Faith to be not only the evidence of what is promised as Moses did the Mountain that he stood upon to behold Canaan but make it the substance of things hoped for Heb. 11.1 That is possesse your selves of the things beleeved and hoped for Therefore as out of the Ark the Dove was sent and when she returned she was sent out again untill she brought an Olive branch in her mouth So send out your Faith again and again and never rest till it hath received and gotten more from Christ than it had before yea received according to the large gifts that are made through the promises Plainly thus As a man is to enquire of his Faith whether it be opeative or not whatit doth What work and fruit his Faith hath So he is to enquire what his Faith receives what receipts it makes It 's not a good Faith which works not and it 's not a true Faith which receives not Ask what the Lord hath done for thy Soul What promises are come in What they have yeilded unto thee What word is made good What thou hast gotten every day more than other What thou hast gotten by prayer or any other duty And if thou dost find that there is no coming in blame thy Faith and send it out to its work send it out to receive from Jesus Christ That I may a little set you on upon this or that you may understand what you are to do 1. Neglect not
is under this work As the wax is said to receive the impression when the Seal is put upon it Or as the ground receives the seed when it 's cast into it As the Air is first inlightened and then scatters light abroad Object How can this be counted a receiving The very giving a power cannot be a receiving Answ To that I Answer in a word or two That this giving us power doth comprehend within it two things First Gods working Secondly The Answer or Effect of that work As a Workman that makes a piece of plate or any other piece of mettal that is ductile or that may be beaten forth his hammering of it makes it of that fashion or Image So Gods working upon a man to receive makes him to receive And the truth of it is my beloved That this doth alter our state For though we are distinguished from men unregenerate by beleeving yet our beleeving is distinguished by this working of the spirit And though there be phrases in the scripture which speak of Christs dwelling in our hearts by faith yet that whereby Christ comes to dwell and take possession of us is his Spirit We have more security of our perseverance and continuance in the state of Grace from this that we are laid hold on by the Spirit and wrought thereunto as saith the Apostle and are apprehended Then we have from this that we do apprehend and lay hold upon Christ Thy apprehension were nothing were it not for this that thou art made to do this by him that alters and changeth not And I speak this to this very end That though this work be never without a work of ours following of it yet notwithstanding the frame and habit of the soul the dispolition temper which we are cast into by the Spirit through the word is unto a man a better ground when he cannot act faith or when he doth act faith it is a better ground than any thing else It is a ground when he cannot and a better ground than any thing else For Mark it Thy acting doth but flow from this work and cannot be made out to be good further than this is in thee As we say in al other duties The Lord looks to the heart It is not the gifts but the will with which we do any thing that God takes pleasure in So I say here It 's not any thing that I have mentioned concerning faith But it is that spirit of faith so the Apostle cals it also that frame of faith An heart cast into that mould which makes al your acts to be accepted If upon any act of ours though those acts were inabled unto by Grace our salvation did depend it might be hazardous But it cannot be hazarded There is no possibility of falling away because the Holy Ghost the Spirit of the Son and of the Father doth work and hath wrought us hereunto to beleeve upon him and will maintain that work As a child if I may so express it because born of such Parents hath a right unto the Estate though it cannot plead nor speak to it self It is flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone So art thou one Spirit with Jesus Christ when thou art thus shaped and made to give up thy self when thou hast a tendency of spirit to God in all thy hopes when they heart and all within thee is unto Jesus Christ and thou takest all from him as he shall please to give it thee USE If Faith as it is thus in the understanding be a receiving or there may be so much gotten from Jesus Christ by the understanding and knowledg of him then I beseech you look unto the understanding There is a double reason that lies in the Text and in the Point that I have in hand By it you do receive as by a hand And in it is laid up as in an house or barn or treasure rich things from Jesus Christ It is his Cabinet and your Honor or it is your Treasure-house You have nothing to lay up the things of Jesus Christ in or you will not know where to lay them up if you have not a mind to know him Take heed to your understanding take heed what you beleeve Errors in the understanding hinder you from the getting of faith We live in the last and worst Age of the world wherein men make no Covenant with their understanding Job said that he would do so with his eyes that he might not look upon a Maid Yet that was lawfull But there was a snare laid in it Men keep not their thoughts from any thing that may be said pro and con against the Gospel of Jesus Christ So full of Adultery and unchastity are the minds of most that there is scarce any room for Jesus Christ to lodg in Let me but tel you thus much that so much as you are stuft with the things that are not according unto truth so much you keep out the things of the Lord Jesus If you do not beleeve the truth you may be damned So the Text saith in the second Epistle to the Thessalonians 2.12 That they all might be damned that beleeve not the truth That word All is put in to shew both how great the punishment is of those that do not beleeve As a fire grows hot by having much timber So the wrath of God is hot against such kind of Men It 's an increase of coles upon them God puts in All there because he would have men know how exceedingly he is provoked and that he will do nothing for them When Princes see whole Counties and Cities in a mutiny they take out one or two to punish and not al. And to shew you that if God do not damn you for receiving the truth yet you will be damnified for not receiving the truth That is you will be hindred Take heed that you miss not of receiving a full reward Why what will hinder them He reckons up the Errors of those times which are rank now as they were then that men do not abide in the Doctrine of Jesus Christ In 2 Joh. 10. If any man come unto you and bring not this Doctrine receive him not Nor bid him God speed for this wil hinder your of receiving a full reward And as the Apostle saith in the Corinthians You shall be saved it may be but as it were by fire it will cost you many an heart breaking and many a frown from God and many a sob and sigh when God opens your eyes that you should be so careless of letting things into your understanding which he hath made a place and treasure for himself Look you therefore unto your understandings Me thinks this should make a man very cautious yea very obstinate against Errors when he once understands that he must sustain so great a loss and be hindred from so great a gain by it As a man somtimes saith unto his friends If it were not for you I might
go By and by it resolves it must not go that is no way for it to take It is but presumption and carnal confidence A double minded man as unto principles cannot be a Beleever But in the act or exercise of a Grace especially of Faith the Soul is of several minds until the Lord comes to overcome and mightily to subdue by the power of his Grace all the imaginations that are in our hearts against him That is one thing therefore to prove that there is as little of us as can be in the act of Faith But Secondly The Nature of Faith it self wil cleer it Faith as you have heard hath its acts in the Understanding and its Acts in the Will But now as it is in the Understanding the Light of Faith is barely Gods Testimony The things themselves promised being left obscure and in the dark as unto their own Nature that is a man doth beleeve the things of the greatest consequence and concernment to his Soul only because God saith they are thus and thus and he know not God being but a stranger to him For as Naturally our Understanding pierceth and searcheth into the causes of things themselves and will not be contented to know with the light of another but with the light of the things In Prov. 3.5 Faith goes another way Trust unto the Lord and cleave not to thy own Vnderstanding In 2 Cor. 10.5 Every thought and imagination must be captivated unto the obedience of Jesus Christ or the obedience of Faith It is not an assent from the evidence of the things themselves but from the report of another As a man beleeves there is such a place as Paradice or such a City as Rome though he never saw it only because of report So that look upon Faith as it is in the Understanding and it is a most irrational thing and it hath as little of man in it as can be Let me explain my self thus There are but Two Heads of all Knowledg One is called an Artificial Argument which ariseth from the Natures of things themselves And another comes from the report of others As one beleeves there is such a place as Jerusalem though he never did see it Now for a man to beleeve because another saith it is to see with his eyes and to beleeve upon his knowledg And this is the way that Faith goes It denies a man of his own Reason and bids a man take al things upon the report of the Lord even in the things of his great Salvation 2 Look upon Faith as it is an act of the Will and what is it but a resting Let him stay himself upon his God and upon the Lord Esa 50.10 11. And what doth it but only put out the sparks of his own kindling A man must be in the dark before he can do any of these acts Who is it that fears the Lord and obeys the voyce of his Servant that is in darkness and hath no light let him trust in the Name of the Lord and STAY himself upon his God But he that kindles a fire and compasseth himself about with the sparks of it shall lie down in sorrow The Will hath divers acts and motions but faith ceaseth all and putteth an end to all the motions of the Soul and all the courses which the Soul did take for its good naturally it ceaseth from what it did naturally for its own good and gives them a Quietus est and dischargeth them from all their labor and only leaves the Soul with God in Christ and lets God do all And hence it is beloved that there is so great a venture in Faith Like the Lepers that knew not what would become of them only they knew that death would be if they stayed in the City and it might be if they went down into the Camp they might have some relief but they could find but death Or as it is said of Abraham That he obeyed the Lord not knowing whither he went So doth a man in beleeving Or as it is said in Joel Repent for none knows but the Lord may return and leave a blessing behind him So because God commands therefore the Soul goes upon these terms though it knows no certainty Yea therefore hath Faith little of us because a Beleever knows not the time of his first conversion He doth beleeve and knows not that he doth beleeve Were there much of us in that act it could not be but we should know when we do it As we know when we eat and drink because they are natural acts But we beleeve and know not that we do beleeve Yea often times because we do so little we are afraid we have no Faith Because we take Faith at the least-wise to be such an imployment action of ours as should make us to be abundant and forward and singular in whatever we do But that is a Second Demonstration That God doth by Faith take as little hold of us as may be and useth our Understanding and Will as little as may be Thirdly Let me add a Third and that is that of the Apostle in 1 Cor. 1.26 Not many mighty and not many wise nor chosen You would sometimes wonder to see what poor and weak parted men Beleevers are Faith requires no great parts The things that are not as the Apostle saith in the same Chapter verse 28. those are the things that God hath chosen Somtimes I have seen a man of no great imployment in the World and yet deeply insighted into the things of Christ Fourthly As the last Demonstration of it You shal find that the Saints are sensible of a power working in them and constraining them to go to Jesus Christ That even as a man that is under the power of Satan though that reason be against his Lusts yet still he is put on and egged to the committing of them It 's a sign there is somwhat more than Natural corruption in him because according unto the Motion of Nature these contrary reasons would allay his desire and hinder his acts There is a spirit of the Devil that blows up that lust puts on to that course again And Beloved Because we find that when we would not beleeve and sit down resolutely in our selves and say we wil not beleeve and it is not for us to look for any thing but sorrow and that is all we shall have at Gods hand yet notwithstanding that we find somthing within us bids us look towards the Lord and to go unto him and not to take our own words and not to think it shall be with us as we think Whence can this come but from the Spirit of Faith It is not from Grace only but from that hand that acts it That shall suffice for the Second thing That Faith is not that which we have of our selves so when God enables us to beleeve he takes as little concurrence with that Grace of his as possibly may be CHAP. XVI Though
I must be put under his feet and it is fit it should be so Yea canst thou receive him thus simply and not upon condition only or principally Rather than the Prodigall would starve he would serve and serve in the meanest condition that could possibly be Rather than he would die he would eat and feed with the Hogs A great change and altogether unlike the Spirit of such a one as he was when he went out from his Father that could not endure to live upon his Fathers curtesie in hopes of his portion but must have it in his own hands Now as he did it out of necessity so may men be ready to receive Jesus Christ But in such a case as that is it is a burden to a man and unto Jesus Christ also For I beseech you consider it If there be no greater cause or reason why a man would have Jesus Christ than that he may be a Plaister to heal him of his sores than that he may be life to recover him from the dead His life is dear to him that is cleer And his salvation is dear to him but Jesus Christ is only as a means to serve his turn and so far he cannot but be desired of a man What man is there as you shall hear by and by that will take delight in Physick for it self or that doth not count it a misery to be alwaies in Physick though it be a means to preserve his health Salvation is to be looked for by Jesus Christ But Jesus Christ especially When Faith gives entertainment unto Jesus Christ it also receives salvation As Christ said unto Zacheus This day salvation is come unto thy house But Jesus Christ is the great and chief Guest Faith I say bids welcome unto Christ and his benefits but most of all unto himself And so much now shall suffice to have spoken of that first sort such as receive not Christ willingly and therefore have no true Faith because they receive him not according to that Glory which he is of CHAP. XXVI Asecond sort of Persons not Receivers of Jesus Christ viz. Such as delay their coming to Christ When delaies argue unwillingness SEcondly such also as do delay and put off their going unto Jesus Christ or closing with him Delay argues unwillingness So the Seller saith A man hath no mind he is not willing to lay out his money by beating up and down he doth not make up his bargain Again Delaies are a kind of denials And so the poor man takes them who cals and asks for an Alms and receives no answer In War If men accept not of conditions by such a time they are counted enemies God counts delaies unwillingness Luke 14.18 The Guests that are invited would not come and yet if you look there you shal see that they do but put off the matter for a while for one saith he had bought a yoak of Oxen and another had other business that he could not come God counts you to be unwilling when you are delaying There is a forbearance which is not a delay As the Apostle Peter saith in 2 Pet. 3.9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise though he delaies his coming to judgment because he hath this great reason for it viz. His elect are in the world and must be born into it that so they may be called and saved by him The Lord having so great a reason for his patience with the world therefore he is not to be counted slack though he lets things go disorderly and without punishment for many years together for what we can think I may say now in the like case also that a man doth not delay to beleeve alwaies because he doth not beleeve For there may be some reason for it There is no reason can exempt a man from the obligation unto Faith It s no reason at all for a man to say that because he is poor and miserable and under Gods displeasure or in his sins therefore he should not beleeve But though there be nothing to exempt a man from the obligation of the Commandment of Faith yet there is somthing to be done before the Act of Faith That is the heart must be humbled and have the sense of sin The sense of sin and of a mans need of Jesus Christ doth in order of nature precede go before this Act of resting on him He that hath no sense of sin ought to say that it is my duty to beleeve But he ought to say as well That I may beleeve I ought to see my sins Because therefore there may be a reason therefore every forbearance of believing is not a deniall Nor doth every forbearance argue unwillingness Every forbearance of a duty is not a sign that a man is unwilling to a duty As for example A man makes his friend to stay at the door or in some out-house for a while before he goes out to him Because the room wherein he would entertain him is not righted and made hansome for him And yet he may be as glad of his coming as of any thing in the world And yet make him stay till things be ready for his entertainment So the Soul may be desierous of Christ and yet not think himself fit to receive him as yet A fault there may be in thee and often times there is Because Jesus Christ provides for his own entertainment As soon as ever the door is open that is that the heart be sensible of sin Jesus Christ doth come in with all his furniture makes it an habitation for himself If a man will stay from Jesus Christ for want of one degree of Grace more than he hath there is the same reason he should stay for all degrees of Grace for all degrees of Grace are little enough to compass him with or to give him entertainment But though that forbearance argues not unwillingness in all cases yet in sundry cases it doth As for example When we are not sensible and take not notice of what is done by God and Christ to egge and draw out the Soul by Faith unto him When no spurring will make us go on Though we be exhorted perswaded commanded intreated threatned yet still we stand where we were Amazed at our misery but give not up our selves unto this Grace of Christ Or if a man be moved and not proportionably unto the means that are used Though he hath lived long and been under the perswasion of the Gospel continually yet still there is little very little progress or looking towards the Lord Jesus Like green wood that though there be much fire and earnest blowing yet retains nothing but only a little warmth and comes not unto fire at all Were it only a dulness and heaviness and slowness of spirit and not unwillingnesr the continuance of the means and being continually spurred would remove that and make us at length to get as much as might testifie and bear witness to our Souls that indeed
there is an acounting of it but that accounting of it serves only to take it into possession So it is here also There is somthing the soul doth in receiving but it tends only to this end that it may be possessed of Jesus Christ and of his merits Secondly As there is a passiveness in Receiving to be noted So in receiving there is a meanness and and lowness of condition It was an Apothegâ—e or usuall speech of our Lord as it seems by the Apostle To say It is better to give than to receive Acts 20.35 That is better more honorable more commendable He that gives the least gift hath more honor than he that receives the greatest kindness And as I shall shew you afterward In regard of the profit of beleeving it is very great but in regard of the manner of beleeving it is an abasement unto man A denial even of his reason for the testimony sake of Christ But those are not the things which I intend principally Thirdly in Receiving there is a taking to ones self that which before he had not As a man receives mony which before was out of his hands by being received it comes into his possession and is his own And in this sense you shal find the word Received used in the Scripture in Heb. 11.39 All these having obtained their good report through Faith received not the promise Received it not that is they saw not they were not made actually partakers of the benefits of Christ being in the flesh Although that they had the advantage and profit of his undertaking for them with the Father They Received it not that is they were not actually partakers Fourthly Receiving notes the taking a thing with joy and gladness of heart As the Text saith in Heb. 13.2 There was some that did receive Angels unawares It being you know a phrase that is taken from those men that do bid welcome their guests or friends Acts 7.59 And so Stephen prays in that language Lord Jesus saith he receive my Spirit He doth by his faith apprehend Jesus Christ standing in the door of Heaven as Abraham stood in the door of the Tent and praies him to be pleased and not pass him by but to receive him that he may sit down and eat and drink in the kingdom of God These two latter things are those which principally I intend to speak unto in this point And if you look into the words of my Text you shal find First that the persons that are Receivers are Beleevers For as many saith the Text as received him to them he gave power to become the Sons of God even to as many as beleeve on his name All they that received him beleeved on him and all they that beleeved received Christ They and none else They are the same persons Doct Secondly you may observe which is the main thing I intend that Beleevers and Receivers are not only one and the same persons But to beleeve is to receive and to receive Christ is beleeve on his name What in the beginning of the Text is called receiving of him in the end of the Text is called beleeving on his name the same persons in the same act that in the beginning of the verse are said to receive are in the latter end of the verse said to beleeve on his name They must of necessity be but divers expressions of the same Act for this reason Because otherwise if you make them two distinct acts a man may receive Christ and yet not beleeve and a man may beleeve on Christ yet not receive him It is impossible that Christ should be received but by Faith and it is impossible a man should beleeve on the name of Christ and not receive him The manner of speech is supposed to be a Caldeisme or a propriety among the Caldees who make it all one to beleeve and to trust And upon this now shall I fasten a little while Faith I say it is a receiving of Christ As many as received him There is somthing to be received for beleeving In 1 Pet. 1.9 Receiving the end of your Faith the salvation of your Souls A man shal be saved for his faith as well as rewarded for his sufferings or any other act of obedience and observance unto God a man shal be as well rewarded at the last because he hath much of God as because he hath done much for God indeed he doth most for God that receivs most from God He that goes on trust with Christ and receivs any thing of him shall be rewarded for his receiving rewarded for his gain and for his getting Of his fulness have we received Grace for Grace John 1.16 For Grace that is because we have one Grace we shall have another until we come to be full That word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translated for is as much in the Scripture as Because in Eph. 5.31 For this cause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall a man leave his Father and Mother and shall be joyned unto his Wife The same word may be rendred For this cause Because God hath given us one degree he will give us another Because he hath shewed us one kindness he will with-hold nothing that is good from us Among men he that takes upon trust binds himself to make return and to pay again But he that trusts God makes God a Debtor to him It may be that thou accountest it a presumption that thou beleevest But God accompts it service And of all services it shall not be unrewarded but have the fullest and largest measure because of all services it is that which is most humbling and self-denying of the Creature But of that by the way As there is a receiving somthing for beleeving so there is a receiving in beleeving Faith it self is a receiving as eating is a taking of what may nourish And buying or possession is a receiving an inheritance So you shall find that Faith is compared in John 6.53 to eating and drinking And to buying in Esa 55.1 Somtimes it s an hand that laies hold and wil not let go the thing which it hath and to the being possessed of an inheritance Christ receives all from the Father and Faith receives all from Christ All comes from the Father into Christ as into a Fountain and Faith fetchech all from that Fountain into us as into lesser measures or cisterns Jesus Christ is the Treasury and Faith tels out of him what the Soul hath need of as Christ is made between us and God so faith is given to this end that Christ may be made whatsoever he is unto us That the thing I aim at may yet be more fully and plainly known to you Faith indeed in the Scripture is somtimes expressed by Working but the Text saith It works by love Gal. 5.6 that is It doth set love on a flame and makes a man to have an indeared esteem of God and an undervaluing of himself and every thing which he
And as the earth first receives the seed before it brings forth meat for him by whom it is dressed Heb. 6.7 And as the Disciplesare first bid to attend the Passover and then to receive the Holy Ghost and then to go abroad and to distribute unto the Nations the knowledge of Christ So Faith first receives from Christ and according as it receives from him So it stirs up every Grace and Faculty to its work I say Faith receives first In Col. 2.6 As ye have received the Lord Jesus Christ so walk in him As 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is suitably to our receiving of Christ We beleeve therefore have we spoken 2 Cor. 4.13 Now that which is said concerning faiths opening the mouths of the Apostles to declare for certain the truth of that Doctrine which they were experienced in So I may say concerning any other Duty When as Faith hath received the certainty of the word of God then it cals upon the understanding not to dispute When as Faith hath received Jesus Christ then it cals upon the will and saith forsake all other things and cleave unto him for you have enough in him He is a Mine and a Field wherein there is a Treasure and you shal need nothing while you have him And from this three-fold Demonstration I suppose it will appear that Faith is a receiving And beloved think not much that I stand long upon this for it is not rivited in our thoughts We live not as if it were so CHAP. II. Application Beleeve that to Receive is the principal Vse of Faith USE BEleeve then this is the principal use of Faith To Receive to be like a Bucket to draw water of life and salvation out of the Well A spunge as I may expressit to suck in and draw of the fulness of Jesus Christ That Faith is best which is most receptive That is the thing I do intend That is best us'd which is us'd to this end to receive The excelency of Faith doth not lie in it self but in its object In what it doth bring in For there is more vertue in the Act of any Grace whatever He that knows a thing doth it because of the evidence of reason But he that beleeveth knows it not Only he believs because he thinks that he that speaks speaks true Faith degrades a man from the use of his reason and makes him although far more excellent in his knowledg yet to see in the light of God It is so because he saith so As a man that hath but little stock but hath goods coming in by his trade Such a trade is Faith It 's a weak and a feeble Grace as I may call it of it self but it is that which doth receive and fetch in much from Jesus Christ As the way of some mans living is not upon any thing he hath of his own but he is a Receiver to some noble and great man and all his rents and Estate passeth through his hands and so he comes to have a feeling of it and to be inriched Through the hand of Faith al the Treasury of grace and mercy cometh Do not therefore my beloved think it enough that you do by Faith secure your selves from the fear of Hell and say I do beleeve and therefore I shall not perish but have everlasting life Do not think it enough that by Faith you order your conversation aright for although it be true that no grace makes cleaner work in a mans conversation than Faith doth it purifies even as God is pure of all that Niter and Soap which God hath given to wash in there is none so scouring as Faith is if I may use that expression it will fetch out any spot and any defilement But although Faith be of excellent use to order a mans conversation yet do not think you have made sufficient use of your Faith when you have used it to that end but use it to receive As the use of a purse is to put money in And the use of an Iron Chest is to lodge money in So the end of Faith is to receive You are often times checking your selves that you are not contented with what you have for you have more than you deserve And that is true But it is not more than you ought to receive For Faith must have its perfect work and its perfect work is this that it doth look upon all Ordinances as bags that are filled out of which it 's to receive according as Jesus Christ hath laid up and treasured up of himself in them After every duty enquire therfore what thy Faith hath gotten how thy talent of Faith hath gained Be not contented that thou hast the same confidence that thou hadst thou must either have more confidence or further of the spirit of Christ by that confidence Before thou dost go to any Duty or to any Ordinance charge thy self as the Master or Merchant doth charge his Servant that goes out to receive money Go to such a place and receive and return not else Importune and be not satisfied with any answer untill you have received such a sum As men are lost in the world and are of little use they are in vain but ciphers because they are not put to that work to which their Genius and disposition tends One man is made a Preacher that is much fitter for another calling And another goes into the world that is fitter for another politick imployment The World is out of order because men are not put to that use which God hath fitted men for So the Grace of Faith is out of order and of little use because it is not put to its proper work viz. to receive Put your Faith to that and you will thrive and not otherwise They profited not because they did not mix the word with Faith Heb. 4.2 And what is said of hearing the word may be said of Praying or receiving the Lords Supper Meditation or any other Ordinance whatsoever They profited not That is they got no more because it was not mixed with Faith Things are said to be mixed not when they are one in another in a common vessel but when they are beaten together that they make but one body and substance So Faith is mingled with the word when there is not only a believing in the Gross and a taking for granted that that is true which is received but when unto every word there goes an assent and a closing of heart unto every word That is true saith the soul in such a case When as it hears the heart is desperately wicked and that none can go to the bottom of it And when it hears by and by that concerning such an heart that there is hope the Soul saith that is true When every thing is mingled with Faith then it profits Let me I beseech you my beloved speak a little to you freely Why do you suffer your Faith to be Idle Why do you busie it about
this for any other Act of Faith whatsoever As our Lord said in another case These things you ought to have done but not to have left the other undone Matth. 23.25 So I say you ought by Faith to assent to the truth of what is promised And you ought by Faith to keep your hold and union unto Jesus Christ but you ought as well to receive and to get in what you have not yet Intend this act of Faith more than al other acts as that end to which all other acts of Faith serves and which maintains all other Acts of Faith Know that you are therefore to trust and are to be united to Christ that you may receive from him and be filled with his fulness Be contented with no other kind of receiving through Faith than what may be able to maintain all other acts of faith For as the Stomack in the body must be looked unto because it maintains the blood and spirits if the stomack takes not in and receives all the rest of the parts of the body will decay Or as the fountain and water head must be kept continually cleer because it sils the stream and the pipe Or that I may set it out more familiarly As a man that hath a great family and many mouths to feed he takes care that he hath receipts coming in proportionably If we get not in from Christ continually nothing that is required wil go on well and be well performed Out of the receipts of faith you are to purifie your hearts and to mortifie corruptions The receipts of faith must strengthen comfort and incourage your hearts in God and put you on upon prayer and all other things Every duty you perform must be done in the strength which you receive from Jesus Christ and therefore you need receive much We are troubled if the earth yields not forth its increase If by our Trade comings in are not according to our expences We are justly troubled if we find distance and strangeness of heart between us and Jesus Christ If our Souls close not by faith with Jesus Christ and his righteousness but stands off and stands out with him We are as well to be troubled if we receive not of his fulness Thou oughtest as much to put thy faith upon receiving as upon adhering unto Jesus Christ That thou majest adhere and cleave unto Christ by faith thou saiest that Christ is thy life and thou art undone if thou rest not thy self upon him Thou art undone also if thou dost not receive of his fulness Union with Jesus Christ is done by faith at once Receiving from Christ is to be done daily You will cleave unto Christ so much the faster as you find you have received from him Whether shall we go from thee say they thou hast the words of eternall life John 6.68 When they had once found life in Jesus Christ they could not tel how to leave him Like foolish Children that play with the breast but suck not Such folly is in our hearts We must have promises suitable to al our conditions but we let them lie by us and we improve them not Though we have a right in Christ yet we draw not from him Grace for Grace Like persons that lay up Gold but it is for some speciall use Or like Cordials that are taken only in extraordinary fits but not continually So do we make use of faith But as a worldly man counts there is so much loss as there is no laying out of the money that lies by him If his money lies by him any time he counts there is so much loss to him because it might have brought him in somthing So count so much loss of your faith as you want use of it in receiving from Jesus Christ 2. And as you ought to put your faith thus upon the act of receiving So put it upon receiving much The receipt of a little from Christ is as much as nothing to him John 16.24 Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name They had asked but he counts it nothing because it was not answerable unto the interest that Christ had in his Father nor suitable to what he had purchased for them nor unto the power that Christ had to give You have asked nothing in my name In my name that is as having my right made over to you and as having as much to do with the things you need as I have that am Lord over all I say Christ counts every thing less than this nothing If you ask less than this you ask nothing and if you receive less than this you receive nothing Faith may have what it wil. Matth. 9.29 Be it to thee according to thy Faith If faith opens its mouth wide it shall be filled As it was in the gathering of Mannah Every one had as much as his has ket was although it was never so great that he brought to gather it in If thy faith be great thou shalt have great things If thy faith be small thou shalt have precious things As there ought not to be the least doubt or question in a Beleever because God is so able to perform his promises and so faithfull and true So there ought not to be any question or exceptions of any thing to be received that is in Jesus Christ because al is yours Observe it Faith is indefinitly called a receiving because it receives this and that that which is essentiall and that which is consequentiall That which is for the inward and for the outward man for mortification and vivification for faith and for holiness Faith is a receiving without any limitation As none may say that he is rejected because the promise runs indefinitly Mark 16.16 Who ever beleeves shall be saved So none may say that this and that cannot be had by faith which is promised because faith is indefinitly called a receiving In Joh. 1.16 Of his fulness we have received Grace for Grace Mark the Text. We have received of his fulness You are to go unto the Well head to fetch water out of the Sea Gold out of the Mine you are to take from fulness and therefore you should not take a little You are to receive Grace for Grace The meaning of it lies thus 1. One Grace is to be unto you a pawn and a pledg of another One kindness of another For as God loves because he loves So God gives Grace because he hath given Grace When you go to receive any thing from him you are not so much to look at his Act in giving nor at your own act in using of his Grace as you are to look at this that he hath given Grace He gives Grace for Grace 2. Or thus Grace for Grace That is as face answers to face in a glass that there may be a proportion and simâ—litude between us and Christ That as what impression is upon the Seal is left in the wax so what Grace and favor God hath shewed unto
Jesus Christ in aboundance we should receive in aboundance You are to receive Grace according to the Grace that is in Christ So that by faith you may boldly say unto God that Christ hath this Grace and he hath it in abundance although I may not have it in his abundance yet in the abundance that I am capable of bestow it on me and send me not away without it And as we are thus to put our faith upon this act of receiving and receiving much So USE III. Thirdly Let nothing hinder or take you off from it There should be no interruption or hinderance to any obedience especially not in the obedience of faith Because faith feeds every Grace in the Soul and puts every faculty upon its work In 1 Pet. 1.13 Gird up the Loyns of your mind and trust perfectly Gird up the Loyns of your mind They were wont in those Eastern parts to wear long garments and to gird them up to their Loyns that they might not hang under their feet when they went to run The meaning of the Apostle is whatever may hinder faith from perfection or from doing its perfect work that put from you And in 1 Pet. 1.9 10 11 12 13. the Apostle speaks altogether of faith as receiving Receiving the end of your Faith the salvation of your Souls For he speaks of the Prophets of their looking to recoive what they did foretell And 〈◊〉 Angels did look to see what was revealed in the Churches Jam. 1.21 Lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiâ—ness and receive with meekness the ingrafted word which is able to save your Souls Observe that word Lay aside and Receive the word that is ingrafted That a man should lay aside any thing that he may receive from Jesus Christ And if you compare that place with 1 Pet. 2.12 He exhorts them to put away every thing that may hinder their desires As James exhorts to put away all things that may hinder from receiving It comes to this As nothing should take away your hearts from desiring much so nothing should hinder you from receiving much First Let not sin hinder you Therefore mortifie every corruption because it keeps good things from you and takes away your heart and hinders the application of your selves to Christ Sin dâ—oh incapacitate the Soul that it can receive nothing else And it sils it as the stomack with wind that it can get nothing down Guilt infeebles and weakens the hopes of a man and makes him afraid to draw neer to God Yea beloved if you would mourn kindly and bitterly and heartily for your sins the best way is to receive from Jesus Christ For in Ezek. 36.31 when he had given them a new heart and purged them from all their Idols then saith the Text they shall abhor themselves in dust and ashes for all their doings that are not good Then that is especially then most kindly and most abundantly Against sin we ought to be carried with violence bitterness and indignation for this very reason because it keeps good things from us It hinders us of the gain we might make in believing Especially take heed of the pride of your hearts for that is immediatly opposite to receiving If any man withdraw himself my Soul shall have no pleasure in him If thou hast never so much yet it s nothing to what thou oughtest to receive Thou oughtest to receive not only what may help thee in thy work but what may shew forth the riches of Jesus Christ in thee It must be seen what he can give and what he hath to give and therefore when thou hast received pray for capacity to receive more Yea indeed if thou dost receive it will inlarge thy desires and affections after more Therefore take heed of pride which is opposite to faith as it is a receiving Take heed of that It shews it self divers waies Sometimes in this because a man refuseth to receive from Christ because he is unworthy Which in plain English and in the sense that it hath with God is as much as this that a man would have nothing from him nor be beholden to him for any thing but what he finds a suitableness and fitness in himself for As the spirits of some people are so stout that they had rather starve than ask It 's a shame to them to receive and a greater misery than to endure any thing that can be laid upon them So it is with our hearts We can complain and roare out because of our wants but we have no mind to receive although it be put to our lips just like men that are sick we shut our lips against it and cannot take it down Our hearts would willingly have something from God but as a reward and not meerly as a gift something for doing what he requires but not as an alms purely Faith even for this very reason is difficult to the Soul of a man because that it makes him to live dependantly and to have its good and happiness out of its self But if the pride of your hearts would suffer you to receive yet notwithstanding God will not give to them that are proud For God resists the proud and gives Grace to the humble Jam. 4.6 You ask and receive not because you would spend it on your lusts upon your envy in Jam. 4.3 whereas God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble Secondly And as you ought not to be hindred by sin So to be discouraged by nothing in this act of Faith If you look in Heb. 12.12 the Apostle hath these words Lift up the hand saith he the hand that hangs down and the feeble knees His meaning is this that it is the method cunning of Satan to hinder our faith by discouragements If he cannot kil destroy it directly and immediately then he doth what he can to cause the Acts of it to be weak and without strength Be not discouraged in your receiving by any thing 1. No not by Gods delays and denyals of you In Math. 15.23 to 28. You have to this purpose the example of the woman of Canaan that although Christ cals her a dog and had nothing for her yet she grows as the more humble to ask a dogs part so the more earnest to ask and beg and knock As a party that goes to receive mony if he cannot find the man he goes again and again till he finds him So although you have not at the first asking yet ask again The reason why you have it not at first is not because you shal not have it but that you may know you have it gratis for asking What though you receive not presently know that it is an almes and therefore you should waite And though you be importunate and God represents himself as one that is asleepe and that hath the door shut to him yet know that he wil arise and open to you as he speaks in the Gospel of Luke Though he cals you
of my wants I want Faith and I want love and I want patience and I want beavenly mindedness And it is not a little of these things that I want neither Answ Yet know that complaining is no argument that you have not received Because our hearts are so full of injustice that they will deny that to be paid them by God which they have received But it is an argument that you have received and that you have Faith because you would have more and are unsatisfied with what you have received For Faith is a receiving Object This is my Condition saith one that I am unquiet till I get all when I have a little then if I could get but this and that I should be contented and I bow my knee before God for it and he gives it to me but when I have it I am where I was Answ I answer Although thou shouldst do well to cease murmuring when thou hast gotten any thing for a little will go far but it is best whatever thy receipts be that thou shouldst look after more The Grace and Comfort that thou hast is likely to be true because it doth enlarge thy heart and make thee still to be a receiver Learn to distinguish therefore between murmuring and coveting Covet spiritual Gifts saith the Apostle in 1 Cor. 14.1 Covet thou maist that is thou maist be as covetous after a thing that God hath as a covetous man is after any thing in the world But murmur thou maist not for murmuring supposeth all to be thy due And then whatever God should give thee thou shouldst not receive as an Alms from him and he should lose his Glory Coveting is a desiring much from God and murmuring is a repining to think that God should give to any besides thy self To shut up this Use therefore examine what thy Faith sets thy Desires after And that thou maist judgaright Consider Whether it be Gifts or Grace If it be Gifts confider whether it be gifts meerly or not or gifts that are sanctified If it be gifts meerly then it is no argument of grace nay an argument that thou shalt not receive from God in James 1.4 5 6. You ask and receive not because you would spend it on your lusts You would be counted more for them and more eminent Christians than others and to be the greater Stars and after your motions you would have all the rest to walk but God resists such proud men If so be it be after Gifts that is that thou maist have power of speech or utterance and be able to reason every Point and matter of Religion and to say somthing to every thing that may arise there is more suspition I say more suspition But if it be after Gifts that are sanctified or especially if it be after much grace thou hast the faith of adherence and thou wouldst have faith of assurance thou dost adhere somtimes but thou wouldst have no distance between thy soul and Christ at any time and at no time have a hankering of soul after relief any other way but from Christ If thou longest after Grace after Love and after more Godly Sorrow then thou hast less cause to be troubled because thou feelest thy wants and thy feeling of thy wants is but only the life of thy Faith as it is a Receiver There is one or two Uses more of the Point which I shal make and so shut up the Point CHAP. V. Use 4. Then Beleevers ought to behave themselves as Receivers And that in these Particulars 1. In waiting continually upon Means and Ordinances 2. In being humble whatever they do receive 3. In being communicative Use 5. Consolation to all that have Faith USE IV. IF Faith be a Receiving Then Beleevers ought to carry themselves as Receivers I shall Instance in Three Particulars First Wait continually upon the Means and Ordinances Jesus Christ is to be found among the Doctors that I may allude unto that story of him The Ordinances may be called the highway wherin Jesus Christ comes that so he may cure the blind and the lame If you look into Eph. 4.8.11 you shall find the Apostle saith That the gifts which Jesus Christ hath received for men he gives to them by Pastors and Teachers and the work of the Ministry And if you compare the 20. verse with the verses that follow after the Apostle cleerly saith that that man doth not walk like a Saint nor worthy of his calling who doth not attend unto the Ordinances He doth not carry himself like himself Eph. 4.1 I beseech you walk worthy of your calling wherewith ye are called and then he comes and tels them that God hath appointed the Ministers to bring them together And when they are together to fil them with gifts according to that measure that Jesus Christ hath received of his Father for them As faith doth at first come by hearing so it is nourished by hearing and other Ordinances A Beleever is not one that lives immediatly upon God but upon God by means Rom. 10.17 For to live upon God immediately is the life of sight and not of faith It 's as directly opposite unto a life of faith to neglect Ordinances as faith and sight are opposite And therefore you shal find that by the word and ordinances faith is wrought in men in the daies of the new Testament though the spirit be given abundantly The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation as it is preached Rom. 1.16 It is the immortall seed whereby men are regenerated and begotten again as the Apostle Peter speaks 1 Pet. 1.23 As in the times of the old Testament the word and the spirit went together And so it doth still And that Covenant is established for ever How can they beleeve saith the Apostle therefore in Rom. 10.14 except they have heard and how can they hear whithout a preacher There are none more greedy of Ordinances than those that have had their Faith by them or that have received which is the phrase here in the Text the fulness of Jesus Christ by them As soon as ever men have been converted though their faith have been exceeding weak yet then they have put themselves upon the use of the Ordinances as I might shew you out of John 4. and Acts 2 and divers other places In Rom. 11. when the Apostle would set down the rejection of the Jews and that they should receive no more he sets them down as being barred and shut out from the use of the Ordinances which God gave to his people If Faith be a Receiving then he continually attending upon the Means and Ordinances because by them Jesus Christ doth convey his fulness Secondly Whatever you do receive be humble in 1 Cor. 4.7 What hast thou which thou hast not received and if thou hast received it why dost thou boast If what thou hast attained unto were either of thy self or given thee for what thou hast done thou mightst then glory as
having made a difference between thy self and others But when all hath been upon receipts thou must be humble Shall one letter bag be counted better than another because it s filled with Gold Or one earthen vessell more precious than another because precious liquor is put into it Pride saith as Nebuchadnezzar This is Babell that I have built but Faith saith quite contrary This thou hast received and if thou hast received it then be not proud Thirdly If thou wouldst carry thy self as one that it is a receiver then be communicative In Mtah. 10.8 Freely ye have received therefore freely give Such ought to be our communication unto men as they are unto us from God Let the Saints have the use of all and be forward to use whatever they have gotten for their good for to this end you have received it He that had a Talent you know received it not to lay up but to lay out Jesus Christ himself hath his gifts to distribute And if any man should say they are so and so and so with whom I do converse The Text tels you that he hath received gifts for the rebellious and to lead captivity captive Psal 68.18 He overcomes the opposition in men by the gifts which he gives and bestows upon men Why should Christians be so reserved and keep their oyl to themselves why should they be so backward to comfort and direct others with the same comforts and directions which they have received For if God hath put these things into you it s but that you may put them into others Why hath he communicated unto you a spirituall gift but that others may be edified by you Even as what one member of the body hath is for the good of the whol and the more you use what you have the more you shall receive There is not only an easiness of exercise of Grace to be gotten hereby but an abundance of Grace God le ts rain fall upon the Mountains that it may run down upon the Valleys The more thou art willing and usefull and communicating the more use thou hast of thy grace the more grace thou shalt have from God As the things of this life are given unto men not for themselves but that they may do publique service so specially is Grace given Thou hast more faith than another It is to this end that thou maiest incourage another Thou canst take freely of Grace It is to this end that thou maiest incourage another to do as thou dost USE V. But in the last place If Faith be a receiving then there is strong Consolation to all them that have this Faith Consolation in this That thou hast a right to all all things are for you and you have a power or an hand given you to take all You are made the great receivers of the estate and riches of Jesus Christ And you are not only receivers in trust but what you do receive you have a right unto And let this comfort you against the weakness and inability that you find to do any service for God You can do nothing but know that the great and main work is not doing but receiving Heb. 6.7 As the ground doth drink in the rain and receive the seed before it can bring forth fruit for him by whom it is drest So must you first get from Jesus Christ before you can bear fruit unto him And it is a Comfort to you in this that though you do lose much and suffer much loss in somthing for the sake of Jesus Christ you shall have it again whatever thou partest with that the Grace of Faith may rule in thee I say whatever thou partest withall thou hast by the Grace of Faith somthing whereby thou maiest receive that in a better kind and much more As men pay money in one Country and take a bill to receive it in another with increase so now when thou partest with thy confidence and with thy understanding that thou mai'st receive from Jesus Christ thou dost it but that thou maist receive ten times more at the hand of Jesus Christ than what thou partedst with and every way as good for thee And so I have now done with the generall poins that Faith is a receiving CHAP. VI. How Faith Receives 1. By an Act of the Vnderstanding 2. By an Act of the Will Faith as it is an act of the Vnderstanding doth severall Works First It doth the office of an Informer and that in severall particulars I now come particularly to open how Faith doth Receive And for that Faith doth receive by the Act of the mind or the Understanding or By the Act of the Will These Two faculties the Understanding and the Will are like hands by which we receive Jesus Christ and his fulness Or they are like severall Vessels and Barns which are filled with his fulness If you look into the Scripture you shall find that To Receive is ascribed unto the understanding I wil mention but one place of many 1 Cor. 2.14 The naturall man cannot receive the things of God He receivs them not neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned When Christ had spoken in parables unto the people he useth this language in Matth. 19.12 He that can receive it let him receive it And Receiving is not only a work of the mind and understanding but a work also of the Will In Rom. 14.1 Him that is weak in Faith Receive Receive what is that He speaks of such a receiving as the Apostle in the Epistle to Philem. ver 12. writes concerning Onesimus which was nothing else but a welcoming and kind entertaining of him with love The Text that I have in hand As many as received him must be understood of both these You must understand this Receiving of an act of the mind For in the verse before the Text he speaks of light and inlightning and bearing witness of the light And therefore the receiving this light is by having the eyes of their mind inlightned and opened And on the contrary those that receive not Christ are faid to be in darkness or without understanding And in Heb. 11.3 By Faith we understand And this receiving also is an act of the Will For it notes the taking of a thing as our own and the near and intimate conjunction unto it As a man you know that doth receive meat or as one that receives an Estate or possession or as I said in the beginning a Friend entertains a Friend So we are said here to entertain Christ In John 10.38 We know and Beleeve Believing being distinct from knowledge must needs argue an act of the other faculty of the Soul the Will It is true faith is but one habit but yet there are divers acts of that habit which are coordinate one unto another An Act in the understanding as well as an Act in the Will Faith is seated but in one faculty but yet that one faculty hath a redundance into
the other If we should say the Will is the subject of Faith because Faith is a Grace and from it a man is denominated good which a man is not from any habit of the understanding yet still we say faith hath a work upon the understanding And if we say Faith is in the understanding yet we say it hath a work upon the Will in making it to delight in that which the understanding presents unto it There is an acurateness in determining which faculty faith is in but we need not stand upon that because there is somthing that this work of faith doth in both And if we look into the Scripture we shall find it speaks as it is an act of the understanding By his knowledge shall my righteous Servant justify many Isay 53.11 And they that are taught of God come unto him John 6.45 and somtimes faith is described by a confidence and trust of our selves upon God through Christ But when faith is described by an act of the understanding you are to suppose allwaies that there goes an act of the Will with it And when Faith is described by an act of the Will you must alwaies suppose that there goes an act of the understanding also For they only that know the name of God trust in him Psal 9.10 Whether the Understanding or the Will be first wrought upon I shal not speak to now somthing peradventure may fall in before I have done this point But I shall now fal upon the Understanding because men have suffered their light to be put out and while they cry out against a bare notionall knowledg of the things of God they have lost the knowledg of it Faith I say is an act of receiving And by Faith as it is an understanding act I shall open that in some particulars First Faith doth the office of an Informer or it brings in news tidings into the Soul of what good is to be had in Jesus Christ It is as it were an Invoice or bill of lading or advice of what commodities advantages Jesus Christ is ful of As Merchants you know have their Factors abroad to inform them what wares and commodities are to be had in several Countries and what goes off and bears price Or as there are particulars and surveys given of Land unto purchasers that they may know every thing they deal for So Faith now as it is in the understanding it gives in a particular unto the Soul of what Christ is appointed to do and hath received to give unto poor sinners And hence it is in the Scripture called a teaching Joh. 6.44 45. No man saith the Text can come unto me except the Father draws him as it is written They shâ—ll be all taught of God Every one that hath heard and learned of the Father comes unto me And in Eph. 1.18 It 's called an opening of the Eyes to take in that which is to be received For this cause saith Paul I bow my knees unto the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that the eyes of your mind being enlightned yee may know what is the hope of your calling c. And it is called a revealing and making known of the Mystery Eph. 3.4 5. Who hath beleeved our report and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed As the Apostle quotes the words of Isaiah in Rom. 10.17 and beloved the things which faith doth reveal cannot be known otherwise 1 Cor. 2.7 Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor is the heart of man able to conceive what God hath laid up for them that love him But we have this mind of Christ whereby we know him we have the knowledg of the deep things of God It is hidden wisdom not to be found out by man in ver 9. and 14. the Natural man cannot discern it As weak eyes cannot look upon the light Or as some small prints cannot be read by some tender eyes There is in all ordinary things which faith believes and receives some extraordinary things As for example By faith a man knows the world was made of nothing Heb. 11.3 But his Faith rests not there but he looks upon all the promises of God as being made by God that hath such power to perform them and rests upon them accordingly He looks upon all as comming through the merits of Jesus Christ Eph. 3.19 He looks upon things as passing knowledg I pray that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that you may comprehend what passeth knowledg And as Faith will reveal and tell a man nothing that is ordinary but wonders so it informs a man certainly It brings nothing that is liable to a falshood or a question It cannot but come to pass which Faith reveals because Faith hath alwaies the Word and Truth of God for its Object It will speak nothing but what it hath from Gods own mouth and the words of his mouth are as pure as Silver seven times tryed in the fire in which there is no dross at all Unto this end that Faith may make the soul to know what is to be had and to be gotten by Jesus Christ It doth particularly set before us the benefits of Jesus Christ or the End of God the Father in giving Christ He is Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption It reveals them as those things that are to be attained unto by us And upon this is speaks unto the Soul as the Patriarch did unto his Son when there was a Famine in the Land There is Corn in Egypt why do you not go thither So Faith tells a man what he should pray for and look for and it saith unto him Thou art troubled because thy heart is barren but is there not fruitfulness in Jesus Christ And though thy Understanding be dim and cannot see the bottom of things yet is there not light shining in him Whatever a Soul needs there is a supply of in Jesus Christ and Faith informs a man of so much It makes known both the power and love of God the Father in his person and the holiness of Christ and his satisfaction and purchase and the state to which he is risen These things are necessary to be known and without them no man can receive any thing at the hand of Christ he must know Jesus Christ to be God 1 John 5.20 This is the true God and eternal Life And until a man doth thus know him he hath no understanding as the Apostle speaks there We know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding to know him that is true and we are in him that is true and this is the true God and eternal Life Faith upon Christ is the greatest Idolatry and Superstition that can be till the soul be cleer in this and the greatest folly for a man to commit himself to Christ if he were not God You must also know the Satisfaction of Christ For this indeed is that which troubles
the soul of a converted man That there must be mends made and restitution unto God for al that dishonor which sin hath done him which he cannot do by all his duties and engagements nor by reformation for the future And not only doth it inform a man of particulars but of the readiness and willingness that is in Jesus Christ and in the Father to part with all these things A readiness in Christ that he is sent of the Father and made as a common Stock out of whom he communicates even as the First Adam communicates his sinfulness to his Therefore the Scripture reveals him as a Stock and Head as one that is intrusted in the behalf of sinners as one that hath received Commandment from the Father that he should call them and having called them should bear them in his Arms untill he brings them to Glory And for the readiness of God the Father It reveals unto the Soul that he hath received a price and therefore all that is to be given is a debt That this Price did but make way for the accomplishment of Gods good Will from all Eternity and as he could not til he was satisfied because of the honor of his Justice give us so he cannot being satisfied because it would be a dishonor to Justice but give us I might be large but the Sum of all is this That there is a necessity of the knowledge of the Gospel required of those that do beleeve or required unto the receiving of any thing from Christ Information of the mystery of the Gospel is the way whereby we come to be made partakers of all the Grace of the Gospel As the heat comes in with the light into the Air So doth also with the knowledg of Christ the things of Christ They that know thy name they will trusâ— in thee Psal 9.10 I know whom I have trusted How can ye beleeve except ye have heard saith the Apostle in Rom. 10.14 While men are not in fear nor sensible of their danger So long as Solomon saith the fool beleeves every thing and will hope in any thing and make any thing to be the foundation and ground of their trust and confidence Prov. 14.15 But when Conscience comes to be troubled and when a man comes to see what must be done to satisfie the wrath of God then a man grows wary and is afraid of trusting to any thing that is not sufficient and able to bear him up in the day of tryall You shall find somtimes in the Scripture Faith set out by Wisdom Eph. 1.8 He hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and knowledg So Christ is made unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption Wisdom that is he gives Faith because it follows afterwards that he is made unto us righteousness 1 Cor. 1.30 These words comprehend all we have in Christ both in this world and in the World to come There is righteousness and sanctification when we do beleeve in him There is wisdom that we may be partakers of that righteousness and sanctification And Redemption or gathering together of the body again out of the dust into which it moulders that you may be for ever with the Lord. That Wisdom there going before righteousness must needs be meant concerning Faith Faith therfore doth make a man wise And the reason why it is so called is because it makes the Soul to deal exceeding warily and charily and upon good grounds Else a man would take the most ordinary Bayl as I may cal it the meanest grounds and reasons for his hope that could be As a wise man wil not adventure his Estate into the hands of any one whom he knows not wel but he wil have good grounds know whom he trusts before he trusts he wil have somthing to shew for that which he trusts another A wise man wil not take every ones word but will enquire what the mans Estate and goodness is that promiseth to pay him So a man becomes wise Faith makes a man exceeding chary and wary least that he should lay so great a building upon a foundation or principle that will not hold out in the day of the Lord. Al the time of a mans unregeneracy a man adventures himself and puts all his hope upon such things as in reason indeed will give him no kind of confidence What argument is this that because Haman was called to the banquet of the King therefore it was that he might have all the honor done to him which might be done to a subject What argument is this that because a man hath long life and an abundance of these outward things that therfore God hath no score against him that his sins are pardoned done away Foolish absurd things do men lay as the bottome stone upon which they lay their hope during the time of their unregeneracy But when faith is wrought men wil know good reason before they do confide or trust themselves They know God is good that hath promised but they will have something to intimate to them that the promise is to them and that they have a share in it and therefore it comes to pass that that which men count the misery of Christians is their happiness and commendation viz. that they are so full of doubts and impressions and fears least this and that and a third should not abide the touch in the day of the Lord. The more a mans faith doth thus inform him the more opportunity he hath of receiving much and of growing much into the fulness of Jesus Christ If so be I may borrow some meaner representation of it it is in this case as it is with Merchants that have quick advice from beyond Seas they know what to buy and what will put off and what wil yield greatest profit and they gain much and grow rich quickly They get and vend the commodity to their great profit in a little while So now doth a Christian too When his Faith and Conscience is continually telling him that there is this to be had and with this prayer and with this Saint and under this Ordinance you may be fitted with this and that and with a third Comfort or Grace according as your need requireth A Christian grows to a very great degree in a little time CHAP. VII A second Work of Faith as it is an Act of the Vnderstanding viz. To perswade the Soul to an assent A third work is to perswade the Soul to go to Jesus Christ for all things revealed to be in him A fourth work is to keep in mind the thoughts of these things thus revealed SEcondly And as Faith doth thus in the Understanding inform So it doth perswade the Soul unto an assent that is to judg and approve all the things that are revealed to be reall and true Faith in the Understanding doth reveal the things promised as real and substantial not barely as news but as matters of concernment and not of
reason As Job said unto his friends Job 27.5 He would hold his Integrity till he died Let them say what they would of Gods dealing with good men and bad men yet he would hold his own Thou knowest there is no Iniquity in my hand saith he So when a Godly man knows not what to say yet he saith this is the word of God that remaines Faithfull and this is certainly true concerning Jesus Christ and cannot be questioned Nay take those that have weak Faith As the Needle that is touched with the Load-stone though it may be jogged yet it wil turn again to the North. So though a weak Faith should forget it self yet it will recant and retract and recover it self again to the acknowledgment of the Truth I shall say no more of this but only thus much That as he that hath drunk in an Opinion is so prejudiced against the contrary that he will not hear nor credit whatever is said against it So doth Faith prejudice the Soul against any ill reports or falshoods that can be raised of Jesus Christ or the Promises Thirdly As Faith doth this as it is an act of the Understanding So it doth perswade and lay arguments before the Will that it should go unto Jesus Christ for all these things which are revealed to be had in him As Jacob in Gen. 42.1 2. saith to his Children Why stand you here when there is Corn in Egypt Go down thither So doth this Faith speak unto the Soul of a man Why do you sit weeping and mourning and lamenting your condition What is it you want If it be either Grace or Comfort you may have it in Jesus Christ As the Angel did check Hagar for weeping so as she did because she was athirst in the Wilderness when there was a Well hard by So doth Faith check the Soul when it lies moaning and complaining and doth not put it self upon the Lord Jesus Christ for a supply What would you have saith Faith If what you would have were not to be had not to be had any where or upon a rate that you could not give then you might sit down sadly But when it is but Take and Eat when it is but stretching forth the hand and take of the Word of Life Why do you not beleeve As Jesus Christ said upbraiding his Disciples of their Unbelief Why is it thus with you You are troubled with an heart of Unbelief because it is dull and because it is dead and because you are hurried with temptations and you would fain be quick and beleeving and be at peace and quiet Now go unto Jesus Christ Thus Faith cals upon a man Psal 16.7 saith David I bless the Lord who hath given me Counsell Now God Counsels the Soul thus by the Revelation of his Word unto a man through Faith In John 6.44 45. Faith is called a going unto Jesus Christ And as Joab learned the Woman how to go unto King David in the behalf of Absalom So Faith learns the heart how to go and speak unto God in the behalf of it self And this the light which is in his mind cannot but do For you must know that the Understanding doth naturally work by way of perswasion upon the will As Achan said he saw the Babilonish garment and coveted it with the lust of his soul so the light that is in the soul by faith doth stir up a man much more to get it The seeing of things by the understanding cals upon it and provokes it to apply it to it self We heard the King of Israel is a merciful King and therefore we say to him let thy servants live So the soul upon the report which the understanding makes unto it goes unto Jesus Christ and saith we have heard that with thee is Grace and that thou wilt impute thy righteousness and take my sins upon thy account and that the spirit shal be shed abroad in the heart of them that come to thee And therefore it goes unto him Therefore saith the Text in John 6.45 Every one that hath heard and learned of the Father comes unto me That is there is none but do come There is indeed a perswasion which the word makes which may be resisted but the perswasion of true Faith cannot There is such a Sicada and Rhetorick and such an Emphasis and such an aptness in all that faith doth reveal unto a man that as it is said in Matth. 22.8 it doth compell a man to come in Which compulsion there is not meant of an externall violence but of the constraint of the word of God to whom it comes savingly And because of this perswasion it is that the sin of Unbelief of living out of Jesus Christ is so exceeding great where the Gospell comes because men are wooed and intreated and pressed by the best and strongest arguments And therefore there can be nothing else but a pure hatred and not desirous of the things of Jesus Christ which keeps a man from it And that I may set forth this a little more cleerly unto your understanding You shall find in the Scripture that faith is said to give a kind of reason unto a man and to take from him that folly and unreasonableness whereby he stands in the way of his own good and cannot see what is good for himself 2 Thes 3.1.2 Pray saith he that the word of the Lord may have free course and that we may be freed from unreasonable men for all men have not Faith Unbeleevers are unreasonable And on the contrary Faith brings a man to his reason That when the word comes an Unbeleever stops it and saith this Doctrine shall not be preached and this is not the way of life and counts himself as Paul saith unworthy of eternall life by contradicting it Now a Godly man grows wise and saith speak this word and whatever is hid and concealed yet hide not this word of God He goes and sels all as it is in Matth. 13. that he may buy this pearl And as Faith gives a reason to a man so when a man is careless Faith cals upon him Isa 55.3 Hear and live Will you lose your souls and your eternal good by losing the opportunity What should you mind but the thing you are about Hear what Jesus Christ is and what he hath done and what he hath Is there any thing like unto pardon and like unto Union with himself And when a man saith It is true these things are But not for me Faith answers the things are near unto you in thy mouth and in thy heart Rom. 10.6 7 8. Do not say who shall ascend or who shall descend c. The meaning of it is this That whereas the Law doth require of a man duty and gives him no power to perform it the Gospell gives him as well a power as it doth make known his duty Those things are impossible unto us which are far off either in the Heavens or in the depths
But now saith the Apostle whereas you say it is not for you because you know not how to beleeve it and close with it saith he you have this both given to you that you shall imbrace it and confess it With the mouth man confesseth it and you shall with the heart submit to it With the heart man beleeves unto salvation Why do you say it is not for you You are in misery by the corruption and depravation of your understanding and will But saith Faith both shall be taken away If that be the meaning of the place as I conceive it is But if it be meant of doubting as some conceive Who shal escape the pit and therfore who shal ascend c. Faith tels a man Never be disquieted because of that for Christ came down and is ascended He came down and descended and revealed the will of his Father to us When the Soul is going towards Jesus Christ then this Faith perswades it so far as that it puts it into a resolution I said I would go said the Prodigall In 2 Cor. 5.15 We thus judg saith the Apostle A Judgment is a Sentence past after all is heard that can be said on both sides A Judgment is the last act of the understanding after which there is no appeal not debate Faith saith I will hear no more doubts nor assent to any doubts suspcions nor fears And when the Soul is ready to give over that work then the work of Faith saith If you withdraw your selves the Lord will have no pleasure in you Heb. 10.38 What though things go hard yet you may live by your Faith And as faith reveals the things that cannot be known by nature So as it is a Perswader it brings to mind such things which the Soul knew not before Such things which are suitable to its case and its present condition And that is the third thing whereby faith receives It doth perswade and invite and excite a man that seeing there is so much to be had in Christ that we would not suffer it to lie stil and to be unused There is another thing that the understanding doth Fourthly It keeps the thoughts of these things thus revealed It lets them not go out of mind but sets them continually before a mans face As the understanding doth put a man to go to Christ and to him only So it keeps Christ and the things of him in mind It 's as the Glass to set them alwaies before the face As David saith in Psal 51.3 that his sin was ever before him that is he could be in no Ordinance but his Conscience troubled him And he could be in no company but it administred cause of fear to him His sin was alwaies dogging him accusing him and opposing him So Faith sets Jesus Christ in his benefits before the soul in whatever condition a man is Therefore you shall find in the Scripture that it is all one to beleeve and to think upon God I thought upon thee in the night season and I set thy loving kindness alwaies before my face Psal 119.55 In Eccles 12.1 Remember thy Creator It 's not the bare having God in our memory but it is beleeving that will save us from wrath to come But beleeving is called Remembrance there And on the contrary side in Heb. 2.1 Unbelief is called a Letting escape Take heed least you let slip the things which you have heard And in Matth. 13.4 those that did not beleeve are said to have the word of God piekt up our of their heart As the Fowls of the Heavens do pick up the seed that is sowen by the hand of the sower and are not converted by the Word And Unbeleevers are called such as forget God Mark it There are Two waies of keeping things in mind One is by a Similitude or Image or Picture of it Now to keep Spiritual things in a mans mind thus is either but Natural Knowledg or Superstitious against the Second Commandment which forbids a man to make any graven Image of what God hath done thereby to keep a man in thoughts of what God hath required There is another way of keeping things in mind and that is by the presence of the things themselves Now this is the way by which Faith keeps a man and the things of Jesus Christ which is by way of Intuitive knowledg Or it keeps things in a mans knowledg by the presence of the things themselves And that is the ground why that Faith doth cause so firm an assent and is so strong a perswader because I say the things themselves are made present unto the soul In Psal 16.7 My Reins saith he instructs me in the night In the night when others sleep or in the night when I am free to consider and awaking then thy Promises saith he they come into my mind As Faith will not take any slight denial for answer but doth convince the false reasonings that are in us so it wil slip no time nor opportunity of winning us It doth continually beliege the Soul as I may say The strongest Fort may be taken in by a long Siege when the Enemies rise not from before it but are continually battering it Now Faith doth as it were batter the Unbelief and the Reasonings of our heart with continual arguments to the contrary Saith Faith to the Soul You say thus but hearken to what the Word saith you speak words of death but God speaks peace to his people And you shal find by experience which I shal leave as the proof of this point that that word which a man hath often times forgotten and which he seems to have lost the operation whereof is ceased yet a year or two yea seven years after it comes to work upon a man again and works him to that very thing which all this whil he stood against Especially when the time of a mans conversion is come it 's with him as it is with a Woman in her time of travell that one throw comes upon the neck of another until she be delivered and sees the Fruit of her womb So there comes one argument upon another And if one thought comes and saith This is not for me There comes another and bids him take heed that he puts not the loving kindness of God from him and so it leaves him not till he be conquered And that is the fourth thing to help a man to receive CHAP. VIII A fifth work of Faith as it is an Act of the Vnderstanding is to assure and certifie a man of the things already received Fifthly Faith helps a man to receive of Jesus Christ by making known to him the things freely given of God by making known and assuring and certifying him of the thing freely bestowed 1 Cor. 2. As Faith tels a man what Christ hath and what Christ will do So it informes a man what he hath received from Christ though that we come to know our particular state by experience We
say we do beleeve because we find a deniall of our selves and a loathing of our righteousness and a prizing of Jesus Christ yet because this that we find in our selves doth arise from comparing of our selves with the word of God therefore it is ascribed unto Faith My meaning is this It is as well an act of divine faith for a man to conclude that he shall be saved as it is an act of divine faith for to assert that he that beleeves shal be saved This That I shal be saved Matth. 16.16 ariseth as wel from that word which opens the nature of faith which I find to be in my heart As this doth arise from the word that there is none that beleeves shal perish but have everlasting life 1 Cor. 2.12 The Spirit of God is given us that we may know the things freely given us And this Spirit of God is the spirit of faith as the Apostle cals it in another place The sum of the point is this That the spirit of God doth by this Grace or this act of the understanding make a man to see that he hath already in possession that a great deal is paid down that he hath received before hand There is a pledg in his bosom The Staff and the Jewels are left with him which Jesus Christ will own It tels him thus much when he stands saying in himself Alas saith he Why should I go Or why should I if I do go to Christ think I should receive much from him It tels him you have received somthing and he will give more that which you have is but as the morning Star which ariseth before Sun shines You shall be sure you shall have these things because when you knew not he put such and such things under your pillow when you thought not and sought not yet these things are done Making known to a man that he hath received doth strengthen him to receive more For what he hath received is given as a pawn and pledg by God on his part and it 's a Motive and ingagement on our part to go unto him for more As God will not leave his work imperfect so we are bound to seek the perfection of it There is a marvellous boldness and freeness Nay that I may use the word of the Scripture the Mouth is opened exceeding wide upon this in asking things at the hand of God It will go unto him and say Lord thou hast given me a penny therefore give me a pound Thou hast given me a little and therefore give me much And this is strong perswasion with God for he cannot deny himself He will never begin but make an end As a man that hath received somthing in part of payment doth not only live upon what he received but he pleads his receits in Law And he is inabled to follow the law by what he hath received He urgeth the debt the stronger upon the Debtor by shewing him what he hath received Thus when the Soul knows what it hath received by Faith it goes and saith unto God after this manner Didst thou not do this for me Didst thou not when thou didst for me at my first conversion tell me that these were but some of the Grapes of the vintage that I should have That they were but only to satisfie my longing and were not all my portion Hast thou not by these things allured me to follow thee Thou requirest of me not to leave the things I have put my hand unto The Lord will not do so much more What is this little to thy fulness What is my little but only a pawn of more There is a great straitness in the Soul till it comes to have this act of faith The Soul doth take sparingly like one that steals rather than one that doth receive his own untill it comes to have this act of Faith There is a kind of modesty and sparingness It thinks it much to have a little Although that assurance keeps the Soul modest and humble because God gives it all in the name of Christ It 's not for us but for his sake that any thing is given us Yet assurance knows no bounds and acknowledgeth no limits in receiving but binds a man to take as much as he can or as his present state doth require The least degree of Faith doth give a man a capacity to receive somewhat from Christ and this degree of faith doth give a man a capacity to receive it as his own I beseech you by the way think of this you that nourish your doubts and that make much of your fears that raise up this spirit continually in your hearts You know not what you should get if you were quiet and what you loose by your doubts The assurance of your heart by faith is the inlarging of your heart to receive and it is the key to Gods treasure where al his good things lie Consider therefore and try whether you have faith and if there be in your understanding an indeavor to know more of the Mysteries of Christ If you are going every day into a fuller and larger knowledg of the things he hath done for you you are every day looking into the Ark into the richest promises that you may see their extent You have your Conscience continually telling you that these and these things are to be had in Jesus Christ and you sit mourning for want of them and therefore go and receive them Do you find a Jealousie least you build upon the sand When you see a sign the straighter it is the better it is the more narrow it is the sweeter it is and you put your selves upon the triall because you would not be deceived in your selves Therefore because your understanding is so praying and craving and prying into the deep things of God you may know your understanding is true or your faith is true There is one thing more which indeed should have been the first in regard of order of nature but I place it here because it is last known And that is this CHAP. IX A sixt work of Faith as it is an act of the Vnderstanding is a receiving of Jesus Christ and his benefits An Objection answered Application SIxtly That the very being wrought upon is a receiving of Jesus Christ and his benefits Or thus the first impression and infusion of the light of Faith before ever we have by the power of that faith made any of the aforenamed acts is an instituting of us into all that we have and all that Jesus Christ hath We are first made to beleeve and know We have an eye of faith given to us and then we see with that eye Then faith becomes an Intelligencer as you have heard and a perswader and makes a man give his firm assent This very power to beleeve this making the Soul to take the testimony of God by Christ that is that which gives us all A man may be said to receive when he
in the Wil which now I shall betake my self unto CHAP. XI Faith receives Christ also as it is an act of the Will And here it hath a fivefold act 1. A pious affection 2. An approving of the assent of the understanding to the â—…th of the Promise 3. A giving up it self to Jesus Christ 4. A resting upon Jesus Christ 5. An application to it self of what is in Jesus Christ A Caution Application FAith doth not only receive as it is an act in the understanding but as it is an act in the Will There are five severall waies whereby Faith as it is in the Will doth receive Jesus Christ and his fulness A fivefold act Faith doth as it is in the Will put forth to the getting in of what is promised concerning Jesus Christ and his benefits First There is a pious affection Or it works a kind of liking of and love unto Christ and the things of him as good and desirable and real That is the first thing That whereas before the Soul looked upon him as an Enemy or as one that was exceeding hard and austere and it may be as one that did but delude and mock and intended not to give what he spake of and revealed Now the soul begins to have better thoughts of God and to think that he is kind and reall And whereas before it looked upon the things of Christ as of no value and cared not for the knowledg of them now it sels all to buy that Field wherein they are it looked before upon communion with God as not to be desired in comparison or competition with the pleasures of sin His favor and good will with the will of the flesh he would have but would rather leave God than leave his lusts Whereas before he had no mind to mortification or deniall of himself in any thing now there begins to be some liking of the things of Christ and some kind of contentment to be so In Psal 16.7 My reins instruct me saith he in the night season It 's a Psalme which is a profession of Christ and a Picture of one that is made after Christ You may see in that how Christ suffered for us and how we ought to be whatever our afflictions or sufferings be for his name sake Now saith David as one that is drawn after Christ My reins instructed me in the night season The Reins are the seat of the affections and desires They instructed him that is they perswaded him and they began to work him into a better opinion of the waies of God than before he had Then I could say saith he The Lord is my portion and my Lot is fallen in a good ground and now God and troubles God and afflictions are exceeding desirable together let the afflictions be never so hard In Rom. 4.20 it 's said that Abraham did beleeve and gave Glory to God What is it to give Glory to God It is to give a praise and commendation of his works unto him which is to set out the Attributes lively which he hath put forth in any thing towards us But saith he he gave Glory unto God that is he commended God and spake well of him and surely he said within himself he would never have spoken that I should have had a Child and not have done it and he would not have made me beleeve that all the Generations of the world should be blessed in him that should come from me unless somthing above nature should be done for the bringing forth of him He had a good opinion of God Marke it Though there hath been no parley no agreement nor match made between parties yet we discern love between them upon their commending one another So when the Soul begins to commend God and cannot tel how to think so and so of God as Unbelief suggests then he begins to love and that indeed is a beginning of Faith The Papists tell us that Faith is unformed and as a body without a soul untill there be love That is an error For the formall act of Faith is in the understanding to assent which is not comptiable unto the will and affections But in this sense much might be said concerning love Though it gives not a Philosophicall yet it gives a divine being unto Faith that is it puts an excellency upon it Whatever comes from Love unto God is thereby you know made more acceptable unto God And this love or desire of God is necessary both to make a mans understanding captivated unto the mind of God to make the things revealed to become easie unto him We easily beleeve that shall be which we would have be and that man that gets our love gets our trust That therefore is the first thing which Faith doth in the will it begets a pious affection and liking of the goodness in God and the goodness that is in the things which are promised by him unto us It 's not saith the Soul I perceive now such a hardness and such an ill condition to be married to Jesus Christ as I thought of before It 's not a way that brings with it so many inconveniencies as my heart supgested to me But Secondly As Faith is in the Wil it doth approve and allow of that aslent and credit which the understanding hath given unto the truth of the promises I say it doth approve and allow of that assent which the understanding hath given unto the promises The understanding saith I do verily that these things are true you do wel saith the Wil hold you there hold fast that word that is a word worthy of all acceptation receive that rather than any thing As a Steward lets a Lease unto a Tenant and afterwards brings it to the Grand-Lord and he takes cognizance of it and gives consent to it So the understanding brings the promise to the Soul and saith I have beleeved these things to be true and that they shall be accomplished They are above Sense and Reason But I cannot but think buâ— they shall be They are better than all things else Now doth the Will give up it self fully unto the liking and ratifying of this act You have it I conceive fully proved in Phillip 3.3 We are the Circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh We rejoyce faith he and have no confidence in the flesh the Apostle is there proving that a man cannot be saved by the works of the Law but only by being found in Christ Concerning this saith he we do rejoyce As if he should have said we are glad with all our hearts that we shall not go to Heaven by doing but by beleeving and not upon out own Legs but in the Arms of Christ It doth us good to the heart that there is no duty nor service that shall be accepted but only the Lord Jesus Christ It is not our salvation alone which makes our hearts cheerfull but it
is this that it is given by such a means and hand as Jesus Christ is We rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh As by approving sin a man doth make sin his own and contracts the guilt of it which was done by another So by the Wils approving of the assent which the Understanding hath given unto the truths of the Gospell the Will becomes a partaker together with it Or thus As a man that doth approve evill will soon be full of all unrighteousness So the will approving what the understanding beleevs concerning the truth of the promises will bring the Soul to be filled with the blessings of it Thirdly Faith doth make the Will to give up it self unto Jesus Christ And therefore Faith is called a coming unto him And in 2 Cor. 8.5 They gave themselves unto God and then unto us You shall understand the meaning of it if we first consider the meaning of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they gave He that gives a thing alters the property of it he makes him to be the Lord and master of it to whom he gives it This is yours do with it what you please I call it my own no more So now they gave themselves unto Jesus Christ and resigned themselves unto him and would no more meddle as before they had done in working out meritoriously their own salvation I am not my own saith the Soul I am thine Lord I have no more to do with my self to save my self than I have to do with that which is another mans to use at my pleasure I have given my self to thee And as you may discern the meaning of it by the word Give So you may by that which the Apostle joynes to it They gave themselves first to God and then to us How did they give themselves to the Apostles They did give themselves to them as their Teachers as those by whom God would reveal the things of him and the way of practising of the Will of Jesus Christ Upon this account you shal find that faith is compared to Marriage where parties give over the right of themselves unto another Only let me tel you this by the way That there is an implicite giving As a man is said to give himself to sleep and to idleness who doth indulge his own ease and laies himself softly That is an implicite giving There is an explicite giving and that is by way of express resignation As a man that comes and delivers a possession of goods or a commodity which is bought into the hands of another Here take what is thy own Now in al Faith there is an implicite giving but not an explicite I say there is an implicite giving there is an indulgence of it self and liking what may make it self vile and what may draw it unto Jesus Christ though it cannot say as it is true to say before all things I had rather or do desire to favor and wil no more seek after the love of any other creature The explicite resignation is that which the Saints do come unto But a man may have faith though he cannot say so of himself This explicite Resignation and giving a mans self is necessary but not as this implicite giving a mans self is unto salvation Fourthly Faith as it is in the Will doth make a man to rest and stay himself upon Jesus Christ and to look to no other means besides him for salvation To rest upon him This you have the Scripture oft times speaking Esay 50.10 Let him trust in the Lord and stay upon his God Somtimes therfore it 's called in the Scripture as in Psal 37.1 a not fretting but being quiet This resting brings in abundance from Jesus Christ I say it brings in For if a touch of him be followed with vertue to heal If one touch upon dead bones will make life come into the spirit then what will the continued acts of Faith do This is that indeed which the Scripture cals a life In Gal. 2.20 Because though there be many intermissions and interruptions that a man doth so rest as that he is beaten off yet still he comes unto Jesus Christ again That is his general course and that wherin alone he takes conentment In this case the Soul saith to Jesus Christ in its carriage I say in its carriage just as a man useth to say to one he depends upon I wil look no where else If you disappoint me look to it I have no other friends to supply me I have none to go unto for relief but you So faith the Soul And if it find its self at any time carried to other things and to rest in them then it is displeased with it self and troubled at it self and never hath quiet untill it makes that void and nothing which it hath done before Then Fifthly As Faith is in the Will it takes in what is in Christ it applies it to its self according as its need and necessities are I say it takes in what is in Christ Al the rest of the acts of faith were but as it were carrying the soul to him This now doth make it inriched by him As the Cloath lying in the Fat doth receive the color and dye Or as a man lying in sin is thereby hardened and habituated to do evill So the Soul by its rest and continuance in Jesus Christ comes to be made partaker of all that is in Jesus Christ It makes use of him to pardon and to sanctification When as it is afraid of wrath Joh. 15.1 it looks up to him When it 's besieged with lusts it sends for help to him Without me saith Christ you can do nothing That is Not only without their being in him but without their making use of him Therefore in John 3.21 it 's said that he that comes to Christ hath al his works wrought in God Wrought in God How is that As he goes to God for direction so he goes to God for strength through Jesus Christ Let me add but this Caution That though these five severall acts be done by Faith as it is in the Will yet you are not to think that they are done in that order that I have propounded them or that they must be done to so high and notable pitch and degree before a man can receive But there is somthing of all these wherever faith is and some thing done of all these though it be very weak There is some love though it be but a preferring of him to others And some approving and yielding of its self unto Jesus Christ and some resting on him I shall only say this one word of Application at this time and that is this USE If Faith be a Receiving as you have heard Then the sin of Unbelief is exceeding great and very provoking As our misery is great that we have not only no active power to do good but we want a passive power to receive good We are no
apter nor fitter to any good work than the stone is fit for a building which can be laid in no place till the hand of the Workman comes upon it and squares it So the sin of Unbelief is great in this that it is a denying to receive or an hardening of the Soul and making it uncapable as much as in it lies of the things of Jesus Christ What an abominable proud thing is it for a Beggar that he will not take an alms for himself that hath nothing to live upon that he wil not receive a favor Yet such is the sin of Unbelief for Faith is a Receiving Thou dost as much as say in thy own self Thy acts of unbelief have this voyce Lord I will have none of that which thou offerest Keep it to thy self I had rather be without salvation than have it upon such terms by way of an alms or receiving I wil work for it and purchase it and buy it and not take it as a meer gift What Prince is able to endure that the condemned person should reject his pardon and not take it that he should accept the halter and the block rather than the Grace and favor tendred to him We think it modesty and humility not to receive the things of the Gospell that are so glorious No But because that faith is a receiving thou dost throw all these things like dust into the wind and water upon a stone Thou wilt not afford God so much as a Vessell to take in what fals from Heaven into the Souls of men It is not thy modesty but thy pride If thou hast never so much Canst thou not receive a kindness If thou be never so well yet canst thou not be better Hast thou so great an abundance that nothing can be added to thee Say all this if thou darest and own it before the Lord Thou must say it if thou takest the part of unbelief because faith is a receiving and unbelief is a rejecting CHAP. XII Object Faith being a Quality and so an Accident can be but in one Subject and therefore not both in the Vnderstanding and the Will Answ 1. Faith is one by Aggregation 2. That habit which is in one Faculty formally may be in divers by diffusion Application By this try whether you have true Faith or no. An Objection Answered OBJECT BUt it may be objected That Faith cannot be both in the Understanding and in the Wil because Faith is a Grace or Quality and therefore an Accident and an Accident is proper but unto one Subject As sight is only in the Eye and hearing in the Ear So Faith is only either in the Understanding or in the Will but not in both Answ For Answer to this in brief 1. The Habit or Grace of Faith in the first place is one Not simply and absolutely but by Aggregation and Composition of many habits As two may be in one act So two habits doth make one Vertue or Grace Many qualities may subordinately concurre to the making up of one habit or vertue It 's opened thus Beauty in the Body is a Quality but yet it is composed partly of the proportion of parts and partly of the healthiness and soundness of parts So Liberality is a vertue but it is composed of a good disposition in the Will and also of a moderation in desire after earthly things So Prudence is partly in the Understanding and partly in the Will ordering a mans conversation We find it by experience that when we do believe we do both put forth knowledg and also good affection or an Act of the Will towards Jesus Christ There is a meditation of the Promises and there is also a resignation of a mans self up to him that hath promised This we find by experience when we do believe And we find by the same experience that when we would beleeve we are hindred by the darkness of our minds and when our Understandings are cleared yet we are hindred by the awkwardness and indisposition of our wils Let us love one never so much we cannot trust him except he promise and not then neither except we have an affection to him as to one that is faithful and true 2. One habit is in one faculty formally but may be in divers by way of diffusion and disposition The meaning of it is this There is a communication or intercourse between the Understanding and the Will. One works into and upon the other 〈◊〉 the work of one is required to the work of the other As for example Freedom or liberty is formally in the Wil but it is radically or rooted in the Understanding for the Wil were not free to choose if it had not a light shewing it the difference of things what is good and what evil what does come neer to and wil not bring it the end that it aims at Suppose you therefore for I will not stand disputing that Faith be seated only in the Wil yet it works into the understanding al the acts that I have spoken of and is not without them And so on the contrary so that whether you read or hear faith to be in the Understanding or Will make no great difference in that for both shall be satisfied and there is somthing to be done by both that you may be made partakers of Jesus Christ So I have done with the Doctrinall part of that USE For the Use and Application of it If Faith be a Receiving then by this you may try whether you have faith or not If you look into Scripture you shal find that the Children of God are distinguished from those that are not born of God by this that the one receives and the other receives not the things of God In the verse before my text it 's said that Christ came to his own and his own received him not Not to receive him and to be in darkness is all one as you may see by comparing the verse together He came to his own and they received him not but they that did receive him they became the sons of God By his own is meant the Jews whom God had chosen for his peculiar people and owned before the World All are Gods own by Creation the fulness of the Earth is his but these were Gods by a speciall relation and obligation And they had received from him Laws and Statutes and they had professed peculiar subjection and obedience to him so that they could say We are thine Lord save us yet they who were so different from the World are distinguished from those that are taken out of the World and are the sons of God by Regeneration thus They Received not So you have the Apostle using the self same discrimination in 1 Cor. 2.14 where he tels you that the naturall man does not receive the things of God neither can he because they are spiritually discerned But we have the mind of Christ saies he So that I say Receiving does distinguish
he does close with that which he hath rejected A Godly man doth eat up that which he hath formerly refused Thou shalt not wash my feet saies Peter to Christ As if he should have said It is not fit that the Lord of Heaven and Earth should do any such thing for so poor and vile a Creature as I am But when Christ tels him Peter It is not the sign but the thing signified that I speak to and if I wash thee not thou hast no part in me then he cries Not only my Feet but my hands c. He is now content that Christ should do that in a great degree which before he could not abide to hear of in the least degree CHAP. XIII The temper of a man that hath Faith as considered under the notion of Receiving doth discover it self in these particulars 1. He is daily purging out corruptions that there may be room to receive Jesus Christ Particularly 1. Confidence in the Flesh 2. Living by sense II. He is much in prayer III. He is not satisfied till he obtain all which the Promise is engaged for IIII. He laies hold on every intimation that may give hope and thereby is raised to great expectation THerefore to discover to you a little whether you have Faith or no I shall in a few particulars set forth to you the temper of a man that hath Faith and I shal keep to this notion of it as it is a Receiving First of all He that hath this Faith is daily purging and emptying of himself of every corruption of flesh and spirit that there may be room to entertain and receive Jesus Christ The ground of it is this Naturally we are ful of al unrighteousness as a Vessel is ful of water that can hold no more there is no place for Grace So far as corruption is in us so far it naturally works to take off the heart from seeking after Christ Even as a Disease takes off the Stomach from meat that is wholsom That therefore Jesus Christ may be received it is necessary that the heart be daily emptied that there may be room made for him But besides that Faith doth breed a hope and expectation in the Soul of great things and therefore Faith sets the Soul on purging that so it may be capacious of those things Faith is called a Holy Faith And we are said to be sanctified through Faith In Acts 26.8 As the things that were sanctified were separated from common use to a holy one So now the Soul that before was common Common for the thoughts of the World and for the lusts of the flesh Now is dedicated if I may so express it to God It is like a room that is lock'd up and kept only to lay the things of Jesus Christ in Grace does come into us not as into a Subject for that is free and fit the receiving of it but it comes into us as life comes into a dead body Or as light comes into the dark Air. There must be first of all a putting out of the strong man and of sin before there can be a putting in of Jesus Christ It 's one thing to purge sin out of us and to mortifie it because it does keep good things from us and another thing to purge it out that we may receive Christ in the room of it A Hypocrite may purge out sin because it keeps out good from him but not to this end that he may receive Jesus Christ for naturally he hath no knowledg of him 1 Cor. 2.14 The naturall man perceives not the things of God neither does he ' count them so good for they are not so suitable to him as the waies of sin As a man to be eased of a bad and toublesom neighbor wil turn him out of doors and let the house stand empty So rather than perish an unregenerate man will turn sin out of doors but he will not let Christ dwell there for he will trouble more a great deal A Beleever mortifies corruption that there may be a place and room for Jesus Christ and all that he brings with him Therefore as both the Understanding and the Will as you hear are active in beleeving So a Beleever purges both the prejudices and false reasonings that are in his mind and the distast and carnalness of affection that is in his Will An unregenerate man he hath a combate within him but the combate is not between Grace Sin but it is one faculty combating against another The whol Soul does not strive against sin but the Understanding would hate but the Will for reasons will not let him hate So in like manner in mortification An unregenerate man does not purge all the parts and faculties of his Soul but some and therefore his affections are bad though he have light and if his affections be hot yet he hath not light in his Understanding Therefore Do you endeavor to cleanse your selves from all corruptions Does the hope you have of receiving Christ purifie your hearts or put you upon the endeavor of purging your hearts daily There are two particular sins upon which the Grace of Faith as it is receiving does work to the ejecting of them and the one is Confidence in the Flesh and the other is Living by sense 1. Confidence in the flesh or in any thing a man can do Therefore somtimes the Saints of God are afraid to lok back upon the actions that hath been brought forth by them in any beautifull manner least their hearts should be ensnared by them and they are abhorring themselves even when their waies are pure he abhors himself as to justification when he does the best duties in the best manner he can We have no Confidence in the flesh that is we would have none we cannot endure that Other sins we fain would have mortified but this above all other 2. And again They live not by sense 1 Cor. 5.7 We walk saies the Apostle by Faith and not by fence And we look not upon the things that are seen but the things that are not seen c. 2 Cor. 4. and the last Of Abraham it 's said Rom. 4.19 That he believed and did not so much as consider the barrenness of Sarahs Womb c. The reason is this my Beloved Because there is nothing can judg worse of the things of God than fence and nothing hinders more When a man looks a little upon fence and reason he is like a man that hath been in a dark room that when he comes out the light of noon day is a trouble to him and he can not discern the things that are before him Secondly He that hath this Receiving Faith he is a man that is much in prayer Prayer demands and sues for what the Promise obliges and makes due to a manâ— In Psal 109.4 David saies thus I Pray or I give my self unto Prayer As we use to say a man is of this or that Trade which he
follows for the most part and other things are but by the by which he does So David was so much in Prayer that he saies he was Prayer And so Paul Acts 9. as soon as ever he began to beleeve he began to pray And as a Believer does pray so he praies upon the same tearms of Grace that he is a Receiver that is thus He is a Receiver for another he receives nothing as his own primarily and originally but as it is a gift and trust put into his hands by Jesus Christ to use for the services to which he hath appointed him He goes therefore to God not as one that is the Principal but as one that is a Receiver for another He goes with a Spirit that speaks after this manner to the Lord It is not for my self alone I am but the Messenger of Jesus Christ he sent me Jesus Christ hath undertaken for me and will see it made good to me and I shal have it Thirdly He that hath this Faith as it is a Receiving is unsatisfied with whatever he gets at any one time till he hath come to get all which the Promise is engaged for and to him And the reason of it is this Therefore he is unsatisfied because he hath much to receive and that which he hath received does but enlarge his capacity for more and encourages him that he shal have it as it is due Even as meat gets a stomach to meat so receiving gets an appetite to receiving As presumptuous persons wil find somthing or other to encourage themselves by so Faith upon one respect or other will ever be looking for and after somthing from Jesus Christ upon one account or other it wil be stil demanding Art thou therefore applying to thy self the things that are promised Art thou challenging from God more than thou hast urging him upon his Word that thou hast not so much as thou dost hope in him for Is what thou hast received as a tast that makes thy affections run out after more Then know that thy Faith is indeed a receiving Faith a Faith of the Son of God Fourthly This Faith as it is Receiving will take hold of every insinuation and intimation lay up every word that does give hope and works up it self by smal grounds as one would think to great expectations from Jesus Christ As a man that is trading takes notice of every thing that is said or spoken hopefully of getting more than he hath As there are some spirits that are ever growing upon one give them once and they wil come again Or as some Children that when they have received somthing from their Parents they have their Eyes continually upon them looking for more Such is the frame of the Spirit of one that beleeves as it is a receiving Faith makes a man to do so And therefore you shal find by experience that words spoken by the by often times in a Sermon yet are the great encouragements and hearteners and supporters of the hearts of Godly People Faith is of that having craving growing nature that if it can but get a word it will make a great matter of it sin makes us greedy of occasions to it As a word or a sillable hath great provocation in it unto sin so hath a word that is spoken but by the by a great efficacy upon the hearts of them that beleeve Thou complainest thou hast not what thou didst look for because thou dost complain it is a sign of thy Faith Thou wouldest have that which thou hast not and Faith is a receiving Then seeing both Understanding and Wil stretch forth their hands to receive the things of Jesus Christ Beleevers they have a rich and plentifull Condition Their hands it 's true are full of work they have much to do but they have much to get in too What they have a mind to they shal have and what they know or is revealed to be in the hand of God to do shall be done for them Their Understandings and Wills let them be extended and enlarged they shall both of them be filled full Psal 145.19 He will fulfill the desires of them that trust in him CHAP. XIIII Further Application of the Point This shews a necessity of Faith An Objection from 2 Tim. 2.13 Answered An Objection from the difficulty of Beleeving answered Incourage your selves to Beleeve And to that end 1. Consider the many and glorious things that are to be Received 2. Be convinced that you cannot live without these things which Faith helps to 3. Consider these things are to be bad only by Beleeving 4. Lay the command of God upon your Souls Severall Objections answered USE NOw I goe to another Use If Faith be a Receiving then if you would have Christ or any thing of his you must beleeve If you would have Christ or any thing of his I say you must beleeve The Use lies upon this that Faith is not only a Receiver but the only Receiver which God hath appointed and substituted There are other Graces which God gives besides Faith but he gives this vertue to none of laying hold and Receiving but only unto Faith Love that doth joyn the Soul to Christ and unites it but Faith receives and takes of the fulness that is in Jesus Christ In Jam. 1.7 saith James Let not such a man think that is such a one who asks not in faith but wavers that he shall receive any thing at the hand of the Lord. This wavering the Apostle doth oppose unto Faith And yet he that hath this true Faith may have this wavering in some particular acts though not in the frame of his spirit As in Matth. 14.31 Christ speaks unto Peter and tels him he was one of little Faith and asks him why he doubted And the word that he doth use there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a being between two opinions a halting as it were or an uncertainty of mind not knowing what to do whether to receive Christ or not to receive him or whether not to receive Christ or to receive him In particular acts there may be I say wavering in a man that hath true Faith But while he is so let him not think that he shal receive any thing at the hands of God We are wont to set other things besides Faith to be our Receiver As the Papists so do we put good works unto the work of Faith They think by good words we do apply Jesus Christ and his benefits Mark it Though there be much due unto thee from the Promise though thou hast God ingaged to thee deeply yet wil not God give thee any thing by the hand of any other Grace but only Faith God wil pay what he ows but he wil pay it through beleeving Therefore the Text runs expresly He that beleeves not shall be damned Mark 16.16 that is all he must look for at the hand of God He could not do any great work saith the Text among them because of
Thirdly Consider that nothing is required of you but meerly beleeving I reason thus If Faith receives al then you must not look to have Grace without Faith but to have Grace by Faith In order of nature Faith is before them and your eye must be most upon that and your care of that As the Text saith in Math. 6.33 that if a man seeks the Kingdom of God all other things shall be added together with it So I say if you look after Faith your heart will be humble and stoop to the condition which Faith reveals to you and you will part from all sins which have so great a place and interest in your affections And Lastly Lay the Commandment of God upon thy self This is the Commandment of God that you beleeve 1 John 3.23 This is the charge of God that you take and receive and drink of the Water of life freely Be thou what thou wilt be Thou art under his Commandment If thou art not what needest thou fear his threatnings He wil do nothing unjustly He will punish none but his Subjects If thou art his Subject then thou art bound to obey Object Thou wilt say thou art sinfull and vile above measure Answ But will thy sinfulness exempt thee from Obedience This is his Commandment that you Beleeve 1 John 3.23 Therefore come in the authority of the great God and speak unto thy Conscience and say Conscience I charge thee in the name of the great God whose wrath thou tremblest at I charge thee in his name to go to Jesus Christ and beleeve What wicked hearts have we which needs so much perswasion to receive when we die if we do not receive How much ado is there with our hearts How much are men encouraged by their hopes to receive Saith Christ unto his Disciples and Apostles Go and stay at Jerusalem and you shall receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost Acts 1.4 And yet for them to go to Jerusalem was to go into the Lyons Mouth and into the fire as it were where their greatest Adversaries were But they will go that they may receive That was but the Gift of the Holy Ghost And this is the Grace and fellowship of the Holy Ghost Know when thou art once a Beleever thou art put into the Paradice of God wherein all the Trees of God are full of Fruit and thou maist pluck where thou wilt Faith is a Receiving Know that when thou beleevest God turns thee loose into his Treasury and bids thee take where and what thou wilt Take the Covering or Righteousness of Jesus Christ to cover thee Take his Spirit for guiding and directing thee The Lords Supper runs by way of Commandment Take and Eat As if he should have said If there be any thing in Jesus Christ better than another As a man saith at a Feast If there be any thing you have a mind unto you have leave to take forbear it not So the Lord commands you to take and eat This is your Condition A man encourageth himself in the World with this That though he spends many hours and much time yet he shall get that with which he shall do good at last Many a man is drawn by this That when he hath gotten this then he may attend and do good Let the same argument perswade you to beleeve That if you beleeve you shall receive Object But you will say unto me I have beleeved and yet not received but I am barren and empty Answ 1. Thou saist thou hast not received God saith otherwise Every one that asks receives Matth. 5.42 And Faith will not spare for asking For in the Scripture in one place it is said He that beleeveth shall not be confounded 1 Pet. 2.6 And in another place it is said He that calls on the Name of the Lord shall not be confounded Rom. 10.13 Because Faith will be crying and asking As soon as it is in the heart it will cry as a new born Babe in 1 Pet. 2.2 Every one that asks receives saith God and thou wilt be judged by thy own heart and mouth As he said to his Disciples You have been with me so long and have you wanted any thing No say they So let me ask thee this question When didst thou ever beleeve and hadst not hope in him When didst thou ever trust in him for any thing and that he did not make it good Did he ever disappoint thee But Secondly There are divers waies of Receiving A man may receive an Estate by receiving Security of that Estate when he hath good Bond and Persons bound unto him for it Hath not God given thee his Son And hath not God spoken unto thee through a promise and past his word that thy Heart hath been inlightned inlivened and cheered in the Meditations of it A man may receive you know by way of equivalency As for example If a man doth not receive so much in species in money yet he may in worth in Jewels or other things that wil amount there unto Do but look over all thy smal Sums all the many mercies which thou hast received And see if they amount not to what thou hopedst for It may be thou hast asked comfort and God hath given thee Grace This was but a bill of exchange Thou hast asked that God will fill thee with joy and God fills thee with humbleness Here is but an Exchange Thou hast received all this while It may be thou wouldst fain have Gloried in him and it may be God gloried concerning thee As God said concerning Job There is not such a man in the whole Earth God may say of such a one though he hath nothing but Tears to Eat and nothing but Bitterness and Anguish and Sorrows Yet he loves my waies Here is a receiving Know that Faith is such a receiving as a man that receives an infection which he doth not feel for the present but it may be he feels afterwards And the Reason is this Because that Faith principally receives as it is an act of the will And if it did receive principally as it is an act of the understanding then a man could not have any thing but he should know it or be near the knowledg of it But since that receiving is by the will he must have the spirit of God to make known to him the things that are freely given him of God As the Apostle speaks in 1 Cor. 2.12 Now having answered this I beseech you Lay both hands understanding and will upon the Lord Jesus Christ Gather in with both faculties Rest not til your understanding be filled and your will be satisfied What ever it is which you want Christ hath What ever you would have from him you must either have from him upon price or merit And you have none Or you must have it upon gift Either you must receive it as an almes or as a debt A debt it is not to you but only as you beleeve When you do receive
it as an almes by Faith it is sweetest and you shal receive most The case stands thus Either you must yield to God or God to you It is fit you should yield to him Why should not the Cistern receive from the Fountain The Creature from the Creator It cannot stand with his honor to yield to you that is upon any other tearms to give you any thing but barely as an almes If you will not part with your honor as you must if you do beleeve know God will not part with his honor as he must if he gives any other way then by beleeving for Faith is a receiving And it is fit he should uphold his glory as the Fountain of all that good which the Creature hopes for CHAP. XV. Receiving denotes Passiveness This proved as to beleeving I. In that Faith is not of or from our selves II. In the very act of Faith whereunto we are inabled by God we act as little as possibly can be This appears if you consider 1. The opposition which is in us to beleeving 2. The Nature of Faith it self And that as it is an act either of 1. The understanding Or 2. The Will 3. Who are beleevers 4. Even the Saints are sensible of a power making them to beleeve I Have already as you may remember spoken of Faith as Receiving doth import and imply a getting an actual possession of that which God promised and gave unto us in the purpose of his Grace through Jesus Christ Election gives all The promises declare what is given and ingage God to make it good And Faith receives all In Election God resolves what to do for us The promise gives it under his hand And Faith puts it into our hands Of this I say I have largely spoken and shal repeate nothing but go on to what remains As Receiving implies and imports a getting into possession what was out of possession before So it denotes passiveness rather then action That is A powerful virtue in him that gives rather then any such thing in the receiver Such a passiveness Receiving hath in our ordinary speech As when we say an Army received the charge We mean they stood out and bore the force and strength of their adversary they did defend themselves So in the Scripture James 1.7 Let not such a man think he shall receive any thing from the Lord. In 1 Pet. 1.9 Receiving the end of your Faith the Salvation of your Souls In Heb. 6.7 The ground receiveth blessing from God In all these places Receiving is of passive signification noting somthing of action and excellency in the behalf of the giver but little of the subject at the first hand In all the passiveness of understanding beings there is some kind of action For the Soul is not passive in the same manner that a tree is unto the Ax that hews it or as a stone is unto the instrument and hand that cuts and carves it Our Lord Jesus Christ is said to have suffered yet even in that suffering He laid down his Life you know the Text speaks and he was obedient A man is not converted unto God as a stock or as a stone Phil. 2.8 John 11 15. but assoon as any Grace is given and infused into him immediately at the very next apprehension or upon his receiving the Grace you must suppose the Soul acting and moving and stirring toward God So it is in beleeving Assoon as Faith is infused so soon doth the Soul move toward God in Jesus Christ So that when I speak of the passiveness of the Soul you are not to understand it as altogether without action But the Soul is said to be passive because it is first wrought upon before it can work any thing that is supernatural The act of the Soul is not of it self but from another And there is more for degree of the vertue of him that works upon the Soul then there is of any inward form and principle or habit in the Soul But I uppose the distinction of active and passive obedience is not specifical but gradual That is that could not be called obedience wherein there was not some though not so much willingness and subjectiveness as there is bearing Christ is said to suffer not because he was not active but because that the hand of the Lord was heavy upon him And at that time there was more displeasure shewed by the Father against Christ then there was put forth of the vertues of our Lord Jesus Christ For that was the vail both of the God-head and of the Man-hood Now according unto this sence beleeving is a receiving and notes passiveness The Soul doth go unto God through Christ but that going is more from the power of God then it is from the habit of Faith It is more from that spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ then it is from that created quality which we call Beleeving We do beleeve but we are made to beleeve 2 Cor. 5.5 He that hath wrought us hereunto is God Wrought us hereunto Even as the Clay is wrought by the Hand of the Potter into this or that form as is pleasing to him So in Philip. 3. The Apostle expressed his passiveness If by any means I may attain unto the Resurrection of the Dead And apprehend that for which I am apprehended But more especially in Gala. 4.9 The Apostle doth correct himself for saying so much as this That they knew God After that they knew God or rather were known of God By knowing of God he means beleeving By his knowledg shal my righteous Servant justiffe many saith the Prophet Isa 53.11 And yet we are justified by Faith When the Apostle had said they knew God as Faith indeed doth give a man an apprehension of him because this apprehension or knowledg of him is in the light of God God makes known himself and gives that whereby he is made known he corrects himself therefore and saith I should not have said that I know God but rather that I am known of God John 3.21 It is given in as the note and tryal of the Hypocritical work of the distinction between true Grace and that which is not true Grace but counterfeit that that which is true and good is wrought and wrought in God That is it is wrought by God As the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in is used in the Scripture So that is said to be wrought in God the power and vertue whereof comes from God All actions consist of their cause and objects and ends Now as God is to be the object and the end so also to be the cause and the worker of all our actions Wrought in God You all know that Faith it is a spiritual Life In Gala. 2.20 I live by the Faith of the Son of God You know that by Faith you convert and turn to God For it is our answer in our calling Now both our life and our motion to God is from God
But most plainly in 2 Cor. 4.13 The Apostle speaks to this purpose Having saith he the same Spirit of Faith according as it s written I beleeved therefore have I spoken we also beleeve and therefore speak As the Apostle saith in 1 Pet. 1.11 That whatsoever the Prophets spake the spirit spake in them It was not they that spake but the Spirit of the Father that spake in them So the Apostle gives the Reason why he did deliver that Doctrin to the Corinthians because saith he it was suggested unto me by Faith and if you ask him how he came by that Faith he saith he had it by the Spirit It was not so much the Grace of Faith as it was the spirit of Faith which made him both to beleeve and speak It is indeed we that do beleeve As the Prophets Mouth and Lips and understanding were all used by the Spirit of Prophecy But as what they spake was put into them So what we do when we do beleeve is from the Spirit of Faith Having the same Spirit of Faith We beleeve saith the Apostle and therefore speak Beleeving is our act but it s by his vertue And that I may open this more plainly to you I shal insist upon these three Particulars I. That that Faith whereby we do beleeve is not of or from our selves but we receive it II. That in that act whereunto we are inabled by God we act as little as can be but are acted We are rather Receivers then doers III. That though we do beleeve never so little yet the least degree of Faith will give us Jesus Christ and all his priviledges As many as received him had this dignity saith he to be the Sons of God though they did but receive him For the First of these I. We cannot of our selves beleeve or receive Christ Therefore Faith is said in Ephe. 2.8 To be the Gift of God Not of our selves but through Grace ye are saved through Faith and not of your selves it is the Gift of God He laies no more upon Faith but only this that it was the means of our Salvation God was the cheif and principal and efficient cause ye are saved through Faith but even That you have not of your selves In Colos 2.12 It s called the Faith of the operation of God Even as the Heavens are said to be the work of his Hands and the Firmament in Psal 19.1 That is none could do and frame so glorious a thing besides himself We are not able to add one degree unto our Faith when we have gotten it and therefore we cannot obtain of our selves the least degree before we have it It is far more easie for a man to increase a stock then to get it In Lacke Luke 17 7. to the renth 17.5 The Disciples come and Fray Lord increase our Faith Our Lord tels them by and by a Parable that a Master doth not use to bid a Servant when ho comes from the feild to sit down but to waite upon him til he hath supped and he thinks not that the Servant hath any praise due unto him because he waites for his meat and waites at home as well as abroad And he makes this Conclusion of it when you have done all you can say you are unprofitable Servants This being spoken upon their desire of the Lords increasing of their Faith it holds forth thus much that Let us use al the means that we can for the getting and the increasing of our Graces yet that is a work which we shal never do of our selves We shal not move God to any thing nor do any thing that shal be an addition to what God hath done Now if we cannot add to the least degree of Faith then much less can we get the first degree of Faith I say beloved we cannot receive Jesus Christ For there is no room in our Hearts naturally for him All the faculties and places and capacities of our Souls being taken up with sin and self and with Satan In Rom. 1.29 We are naturally said to be filled with all unrighteousness We are born into the world as ful of sin as we can hold It is true we add to sin but it is because our capacity to sin is made greater by sin but as great as it is it is filled But we are ful of sin and therefore their is no room for Jesus Christ And if their were any room in our souls fit for Jesus Christ it being undefiled yet we have no Heart unto Jesus Christ He came to his own John 1.11 John 5.40 and his own received him not Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life Yea We cannot naturally but refuse to let Jesus Christ reigne over us For naturally sin hath our affections and is unto us as our selves A second nature and nature labors to preserve its self and therefore cannot but oppose Jesus Christ For his work is to take away sin Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world There are some material preparations unto faith as they are called whereby divers things that hinder Faith are removed in some measure And these are in the power of Nature A man may be in his Natural condition and have knowledg and yet that knowledg doth remove away ignorance which is a great hindrance unto Faith A man in his Natural state may be troubled for his sin and yet that trouble for sin doth take away pleasure in sin and that pleasure in sin is a hindrance unto Faith A man while he is in his Natural Condition may be in fear of the Judgments of God and thereby have the boldness and confidence of his presumptuous spirit somwhat abated These preparations these preparations I say are in our power But for al these a man may never beleeve upon Jesus Christ he may for ever be a stranger to him These preparations are not unto Faith as degrees of heat are unto fire There is not a necessary connexion between these and beleeving for a man may have them and perish as you know Judas had Much less are they the last disposition which immediately goes before Faith and least of all are they those things which get any thing at the hand of God But that which indeed doth prepare unto Faith properly that comes from the Spirit of Faith alone And so it 's said in Acts 16.14 That the Lord opened the heart of Lydia to attend unto the things which were spoken by Paul He opened her heart that is he opened her understanding to apprehend them he opened the things themselves that she might look into them he took away the prejudices that were in her thoughts against them She had by divers waies her heart shut up against the Apostles Doctrine even as a door in a Castle is barred that it must be broken open but the Lord broke al those bars Such thoughts as these were in her self That if she should receive such Doctrines she
should make her self to be by and by the But of persecution All would forsake her and she must take up the Cross she must leave that way of Worship which had been in use among her Fore-fathers nay she must beleeve upon him to save her that could not save himself Whatever prejudices there were the Lord took them from her she was not able to break one of these bars nor to lay down one of these thoughts And therefore there is no other preparation required unto Faith than what comes from the Spirit of Faith As may appear by this If there be any preparation required of us we shal never know where to get or find it For if we shal run unto this Grace and that Grace there must be a preparation unto that for that is Grace and unto that preparation there must be a preparation for that is grace And where will you find it Go to thy Understanding and there it is not and unto thy Will and there it is not and unto the Conscience and there it is not You will find that it cannot be formed by any principle in us but by the spirit of Faith But as Faith is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 so we can beleeve of our selves and we cannot but through him beleeve We resist but he overcomes our resistance We have no good will but he works in us to will and to do Phil. 2.13 Therefore the Apostle saith that we are made to beleeve in Eph. 1.18 19. as Jesus Christ was raised from the Dead It was impossible that Jesus Christ should be held in the Chains of Death and it 's impossible that the Soul should be held in the chains of Unbelief when God comes to work Faith that as the Apostle faith 2 Pet. 1. last No Prophecy came in the old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost The same word which the Apostle Peter speaks of Prophets that they cannot but speak what they receive from the Lord So neither can that heart but beleeve unto Salvation which God works upon And this takes not from the freedom of man nor from the liberty of his will For this necessitates a good will unto him And if it did not truly it were better for us to want our wills than for God to want his will And it 's better for us to be saved in a way which we understand not how it should stand with our liberty than to be left to our liberty to choose the way of our Salvation But that is but by the way Faith is a receiving and we receive this power from the Lord himself to receive We are passive in it II. But Secondly which is a thing that I do a great deal more aim at In that act of Faith wherunto we are enabled by God we act as little as possibly can be there is as little done by us as may be as little a touch as I may say as is imaginable The grace of Faith is usually at the first but as a grain of Mustard seed But suppose it to be given at first Conversion in what degrees you please unto ten degrees yet that grace acts us or takes as little hold on us as possibly may be The Spirit doth take fast hold of us and we by Faith take fast hold of Christ but though the hold be fast yet the hold is but little which Faith takes on us Suppose a man that hangs sure but hangs but by one hand and by one finger or suppose a thing that is joyned and glued fast unto another but it is joyned only by the edge so that the fastness ariseth from the Sement and glue and the firmness of that and not from the hold which the other thing hath of it Or it may be this ruay set it forth more plainly to your understanding as the hand of a Child in the hand of the Master who teacheth him to write The Childs hand doth as little as can be though it makes every Letter yet the Childs hand makes it by the skil and direction and power of the Master So there is that of God which makes us to beleeve God doth use the Understanding and he doth use the Will in the Work of Faith but as little as may be though it be we that do beleeve yet we do no more than submit our selves to the work of the Lord. The Understanding and Will must be used that so Faith may be our act but he doth neither use the Will nor the Understanding but barely to give it a just denomination of our act If Faith be not our act then we are not quickned nor saved by it but it hath no more from us than what may barely give it that denomination we contribute no more than what may justly denominate the action to be ours And this will appear I conceive if you do but consider First The Opposition which is in us unto beleeving even in the very instant when we do beleeve I say there is an opposition to us in beleeving even in the very instant when we do beleeve as much opposition made to Faith as possibly we can make either by the malice in us or by the assistance and temptation of Satan No man can come to me saith the Text John 6.44 45. that is Beleeve except the Father draws him Drawing imports withdrawing or drawing backwards from a thing While God plucks we pluck and while he draws we draw back He draws by teaching us for so the Text expounds it in John 6. Ye shal al be taught of God God convinceth us that there is no safety in that condition wherein we are That there is no hope in any but only in himself that the longer we delay the more unfit we be the more our hearts will be hardned the more his wrath will be provoked While God is doing of these Acts and others the Understanding the Reasoning is quite contrary all the Reason in us and all the prejudice that possibly can be and all the objections that can be made are made against Jesus Christ and against our going to him in our effectual Calling God is putting in those perswasions which may prevail with us and the Understanding doth give forth cross answers There is no man comes but God draws and there is no man that God draws but he doth withdraw even while God draws Matth. 14.31 Why did'st thou doubt saith he O thou of little faith The word that is translated Doubting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth properly signifie the minds being in divers stations the word signifies I say the mind to be in divers stations As the Sea when it is tossed hither and thither As the Mind when it is hurried up and down with divers unsetled apprehensions and affections As one thought comes and saith Go to Christ another comes and saith As you love your life do not go At another time the soul resolves it will
Banks and saith Oh that I were there but knows not how to strike a stroak to swim thither or if he doth his stroak is too weak to withstand the Current and the strong stream of Temptation and Doubts and Fears that he meets withal Thou thinkest thou shalt have nothing because thou canst do nothing Thou canst not beleeve firmly thou canst not lay on any hand but that which is trembling on the Lord Jesus Christ Thou canst not look with any eye but that which is weak and feeble Now know that God looks not for much from thee but he intends much unto thee He hath given thee this Grace of Faith not because it should do great matters in thee but for thee It is only to take thee by the hand and if it can bring thee and Jesus Christ together it hath done enough for thee and as much as can be desired and as it is appointed unto All the rest of its acts are for thy comfort but this is for thy Salvation CHAP. XVII Faith considered in its lowest degree I. As in the Vnderstanding and so it is 1 Attention 2 Inquiry II. As in the Will and so 1 It is accompanied with much fear 2 It is careful and sollicitous for the things of this Life IT will not be amiss a little to consider or at leastwise to set down how little Faith a man may have or how little Faith God bestows upon men when yet he bestows Christ upon men withal 1. Take Faith as it is a Habit and Disposition so the lowest degree of Faith is in an inclination a yielding a laying aside the stoutness of the heart in some measure which he exercised before against God In some measure As the weather we say begins to change when there is some melting of the Snow and some yielding of the Ice though it be very hard still And as we say a man is inclined to peace when he will treat and hear arguments for it and doth not stand out in defiance The least Degree of an Habit is an inclination And you shal find in 2 Chron. 30.8 That Faith is so described to be no more a stiff-neckedness but a yielding themselves unto the Lord. As suppose a man that would not pay Taxes or Rates but wil let another come and take it quietly He will not give such a thing but if another will take it he wil not oppose In Acts 26. it is said of Lydia that her heart was opened to attend that is that whereas before she looked upon what was said by Paul as not worth the hearing and as that which did not concern her and which was not for her good and salvation her heart was set and prejudiced against it yet now she begins to have other thoughts It is as mean an act as possibly can be for one to give God the hearing to listen to the things that are spoken yet this the Scripture counts as a Work of God and as the Fruit of her Faith She attended to the things that were spoken That is one low degree of Faith for a man to be relenting and yielding a little towards Jesus Christ To come and mind and observe the things that are said of him as things that are of concernment and moment Again Secondly It is a low degree of Faith to ask after and enquire about the things which do belong unto Salvation And this you shal find in the Scripture that that enquiry when it is truly and duly made is saving too 1 Pet. 3.21 Baptism saves and the washing of the filth of the flesh But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that word signifies not only an Answer but a Question The questioning of a good Conscience how by the Right of Christs Resurrection it might come unto Salvation It 's one of the smallest acts of the Understanding to enquire and search after the knowledg of things That same act of the Understanding exercised about the things of God by Jesus Christ that is such as shall be accompanied with Salvation Baptisme saves the questioning of a good Conscience If indeed the Question that men ask comes out of curiosity and not out of Conscience If it comes only out of a Conscience that is good thus far Because it is awakened but not good thus far that it is willing to submit to and take the course which the Gospel enjoyns then it is no sign But if the Soul doth but lie before the Lord as the Resurrection of Christ is appointed as the way of Salvation so it saith Lord how shal I take that way which way may I come to be partaker of the power of it This also shal be accepted Look upon faith now as it is in the wil or as it acts there for I told you that faith acts both in the understanding and wil you see how it acts the understanding in attention and Inquiry See how it acts the wil. It acts the wil most weakly when the heart is filled with feare Fear doth distract the Soul and makes it to do al things dully and very imperfectly Why are yee afraid therefore saith Christ in Matth. 8. and 14. Chapters Oh ye of little faith A man through feare doth in beleeving as a man doth in going He takes a step and then withdraws his foot He goes another and then goes back again So a man with one thought is for Christ and in another thought there is no hope for him in Christ with one thought he gives up himself to him and with another it is but to give up a little straw to the flame when thy heart is thus divided it 's as displeasing as can be possibly yet this thought and this faith is not put out by the Lord Though it be distracted yet that faith shal save Again Secondly That faith is exceeding weak which is careful and solicitous for the things of this life What an absurd and weak thing is it for a man when he is dying to take care for cloathes And when his life is going from him to think of purchasing an inheritance For a man when he is ful of dolor and pain to think of increasing his riches and estate So is it a great weakness for a man to be careful for his body and the things of this life In Math. 6.30 Christ saith when they ask what they should eat and drink and put on He calls them people of little saith Yet even that faith also the Lord wil acknowledg I might go through divers other particulars As for example Our relying upon Christ which is the weakest and lowest degree That a man rather desires to be saved by Christ than any other but he finds a hankering after others but I say he had rather have Jesus Christ than any other He is troubled when he hath hopes not by Christ bestowed on him in the use of Ordinances When you know a man relies upon another the weakest confidence and reliance that he can put is this To expect rather
thing they correct themselves and use al kind of diminutive and lessening expressions that may be concerning themselves I live saith Paul yet not I in Gal. 2.20 I live but not I. I live by the Faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me As if he should have said The root of my life lies in his love He loved me and revealed that to me and my Faith laid hold of it and that quickned me As Faith cannot assent unto any Error no man can with a Divine Faith beleeve any thing that is false because the object of Divine Faith takes the infallible Testimony and Truth of God So Faith as it is in the Will makes a man that he cannot but be humbled he cannot be lifted up Why Because it leads a man out of himself unto another for all he hath As infallible Truths and Errors are contra-distinct and cannot consist together so is going out of a mans self to receive and being lifted up Faith may be compared to a Golden Hammer as it is Gold it is excellent but as it is a Hammer it subdues and beats down and keeps down every thought and imagination As there is some Physick that doth at the same working both purge and strengthen Such a thing is Faith it empties a man of himself and fills him with Christ it takes a man off his own bottom and sets him on Christ it destroyes in him the confidence he had and gives him a spirit above al his danger or to contest with all his danger through Jesus Christ it makes him to do all things and yet makes him see that he is able to do nothing Lord encrease our Faith said the Disciples unto Christ Luke 17.5 As if they should have said We are not able to add one degree we are not able to improve the Faith we have one degree not the least circumstance In 1 Cor. 15.10 I have labored more than them all yet not I yet not I. True Faith makes a man as earnest for every thing as if it were his own and due by merit and it makes a man as humble when he hath any thing as if he had nothing at all but ascribes all unto Jesus Christ and the Love of God the Father in him There is not a motion of Faith mark it but if so be that you did attend unto it and understand it you would find it to be of this sense As God said unto the People of Israel That he had delivered them but not for your sakes do I do this but for my own Names sake So saith Faith All this that is done for you it is not for any thing that you have done but for the sake of him who hath fulfilled all Righteousness Peter James and John in Acts 4.10 cried unto the People Be it known unto you that by the Power of Jesus of Nazareth and by the Name of him whom you have crucified this man doth stand among you So when Faith hath received all from Christ it saith unto the Soul Be it known unto you that you may thank the Lord for this it is not your good desires or performances or good disposition and this leaves the Soul exceeding humble As you have somtimes writ upon somthing that is done for publick use This is the gift of such a one and such a one And as poor men do weare the armes of those that give them cloaths and food in the Almes-houses so faith doth put forth such a work in the soul that it leaves behind it this sence That it is done for us of Gods free grace and not for any thing in us Dost thou find therefore that thy affections grow lesser and lesser to thy self Thou art less and less considerable in thy own eyes every day When thou lookest upon what thou hast received thou wonderest wherefore God should do it That upon such a one as thou art his hand should be stretched forth and unto such a one as thou art he should give so much Art thou when thou gettest any refreshing from Christ art more ashamed of thy self dost thou magnify Christ more and vilify thy self more Thou mayst then think it to be true because faith is a receiving So that the Sum of the point is this The life of faith is meane not in regard of the things received by faith For we receive him saith the text that is Jesus Christ and such things with him which eye hath not seen nor eare heard nor hath entred into the heart of man as the Apostle speaks in 1 Cor. 2.9 nor is the life of faith meane in regard of him from whom we receive for in that respect it is a living at the wel head it is the service of a King I know saith Paul whom I have trusted 2. Tim. 1.12 One that is able Nor thirdly is the life of faith in its self simply considered meane For the happiness of a creature doth lie in its dependance upon God even as the being of the streame lyes in the flowing of the water from the fountain CHAP. XIX How the life of Faith is said to be mean First If compared with any other kind of living wel 1 as Compared with the life of Adam in innocency 2. Compared with the life of Glory Secondly If compared with any other kind of living by Faith An Objection answered But compare the life of faith with any other kind of living wel Or compare it 2 With any other kind of living by faith then this and so it is exceeding meane I shal open these a little to you First It is meane compared with any other kind of living wel 1 As compare with it the life of Adam in innocency and so is the life of faith meane Because al that Adam did receive he received it by way of Justice Here what you do receive is by way of almes Adam should have received for his work and here we receive meerly for good wil. 2. Compare this life of faith with the life of Glory which the Saints live in heaven and which the Saints shal and so the Apostle saith in 1. Cor. 13.13 That faith shal cease as an imperfection Secondly Yea compare this life of faith with any other kind of living by faith and it is the meanest of al. First There is a living upon God by faith for preservation and Secondly a living upon God by faith for Justification and pardon For perservation The most perfect of the creatures do live upon God It implies a contradiction that they should be without their dependance upon him For in him we live and move and have our being But the life of faith for Justification and pardon that now supposeth guilt yea it supposeth weakness Guilt for where there is no offence there needs no pardon nor forgiveness And it supposeth weakness as not being able to keep our selves in the love of God by any thing that we are able to do There are two things which do
but him for when the soul hath had some experiences of God if so be that al the delights and pleasures that are in sin nay that are in holiness were set before it it would choose rather to live upon Jesus Christ then that way As the good man said when he saw David come home let him take al now the Lord my King is safe So the soul can say I have enough in him though I have nothing else and let al other things be what they wil yet through him I shal stand But at the first the Act of faith is only willing I suppose And therefore you shal find beleevers to be alwayes described that way John 8.56 Abraham saw my day afarre of He saw it by faith That is the spiritual optick which makes things farre of to be neere He saw my day afarre off and was glad As a man that sees the shoare many Leagues off at Sea where the shoare looks like a cloud One would have thought it would have made the heart of Abraham sad that the day of Christ was so farr off For hope that is deferred is the breaking of the heart saith Solomon What joy do you think would the day of Christ have been had it come upon Abraham who when he saw the breaking of it so many thousand yeares off was filled with Joy But where ever there is a sight of Christ there is joy and gladness That I bring it for Though it be at never so great a distance and never so weak a sight When the power of the Lord Jesus Christ doth prevaile it makes his people willing As it is in Psal 110.3 Therefore the Apostle saith that with the mouth a man doth confess but with the heart a man doth beleeve unto Salvation Rom. 10.10 With the heart As we use to say I am glad of it with al my heart Or you have my heart So now doth the soul say unto Jesus Christ in beleeving He is taken with the object of faith and is rejoyced So it is in Phil. 3.3 We are the Circumcision who rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh Mark it The Ministers by whom the Gospel is brought unto men are beautiful unto beleevers Rom. 10.15 How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings His meaning is As beauty wins takes affections so are our affections carried strongly unto those who are the messengers of good things by Jesus Christ If you have judged me faithful said Lydia then come into my house And if you be worthy said our Lord though you have no cloaths on your back nor penny in your purse yet you wil be welcome to them And the word of Faith which is the instrument of Faith that is now received also by a Beleever Matth. 13.44 45 46. The kingdom of God is like a man that found a Treasure in the field and he went and sold all that he might be partaker of it Every act of Faith it is done with joy and delight Therefore Faith in the generall is said to work by love and to be unfeigned 1 Tim 1.5 Out of a good Conscience and Faith unfeigned Why because it is hearty there is an affection and an affection that is real where there is true Faith 1 Thes 1.5 You received the word of God in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost And therefore you are elected of God It is therefore by cheerfulness and readiness in believing that true Faith is distinguished in Acts 2.41 As many as gladly received the word were baptized They gladly received is a note of distinction from the rest of the Auditory who received it but not with joy and gladness By it I say true Faith is distinguished and distinguished from the Faith that is in the Devils and in wicked men who are the Children of him and from that which doth arise from conviction A man may beleeve through conviction as the Devils do who finding something to be true which God hath spoken their own experience being a witness to them that God hath not failed of his word they do therfore collect that what he hath said besides shal be brought to pass But that which they do beleeve they would not beleeve There is the like Faith in the Children of Satan For as there is the same Grace in the head Christ and in his members so there is the same sinfulness and evill that is in Satan the head and Prince of wicked men in wicked men themselves While wicked men live under the preaching of the word of God they come to be convinced that there is no way of salvation but by Christ nor any course to get eternall life but by going unto him But this they like not but secretly wish that there were some other way which is evident and apparent because their hearts do withdraw through unbeliefe and depart from the living God As the Apostle speaks in Heb. 3.12 There is a going unto Christ by men as a man goes unto an enemy and sues for some favor that is in his hand to do him which he can receive no where else but yet it troubles him So now they go unto Christ but they had rather be in hard and costly working If fasting and prayer and giving all their goods to the poor would help them they would rather do it than go to Jesus Christ As wicked men do pray in afflictions but it is because they are driven to it so do they beleeve in Jesus Christ because they know no way else to go or to find relief unto themselves He that is a Beleever doth choose Jesus Christ as his way He doth choose him I say as his way or rather thus he doth like that way and approve that way Object But you wil say This can be no sign because those that were but temporary and fell away did receive the word of God with joy in Math. 13.20 Answ 1. But you must know that their receiving was not of al but of some truths of the Gospel And Secondly It was not sincere They received not the truth for the love of it for then they should have been saved 2 Thes 2.10 but they received it out of love of their lusts So far they did receive the Gospell as it might free them from Hel but not as it might sanctifie or take away from them the love of this present World for when persecution came they were by and by offended CHAP. XXII Faith accompanied with joy and delight and that 1. As an Act of the Vnderstanding 2. As an Act of the Will BUt now I shall come to speak of Faith in this point more particularly As it is a willing receiving of Jesus Christ a Receiving of him kindly and gratefully And that I may speak of it distinctly to you There is you must know a love that is ever joyned with Faith Faith works by love And that love is set upon Jesus Christ singly and alone for his
sake The heart doth approve and like of its self in believing on or going to Jesus Christ That if a Believer could immediately reflect upon what he hath done when he hath closed with Jesus Christ if he had I say a reciprocall knowledg of his action that he could say I have now given up my self to him and this giving up my self to him is forever never to be my own any more If he could thus reflect upon himself he would bless the Lord for helping him so to do But besides this There is a love which goes along with Faith A love unto Jesus Christ alone besides the approbation of the Soul in believing As the Eye delights in seeing and the Ear is taken with sound So there is a contentment and pleasure that the Soul takes in Faith As it is in Prov. 21.15 said concerning righteousness in the generall That it is a joy to a just man to do justice So it is a joy to a good man to beleeve which I shall lay open in divers particulars 1. Take Faith first as we handled it heretofore to be an Act of the Understanding an assenting unto the truth which God speaks though the things be not only obscure but contrary to Reason it is a pleasure now unto a Beleever to do so To give up his judgment to God To have his knowledg from the report which God gives of things and not from himself or his own apprehension Therefore you shall find him to pray God to lead him by his counsell till he brought him to Glory Psal 73.24 And Paul in Gal. 3. when he was called he would not consult with flesh and blood to hear what they could say but because of the divine testimony which he had received he gives up himself unto Jesus Christ and unto the work of the Ministry Hence it comes to pass that though you may silence a Saint yet you cannot convince him that he is in an error 1 Cor. 2.15 The spirituall man judgeth all things But he himself is judged of none As Bathsheba took all the waies she could to make her Son Solomon to raign in 1 Kings 1.17 Didst thou not say that my Son should raign And why is it not so She stuck unto his word and took no other way So doth Faith take that way Thou hast said Thou hast said Thou hast said And as a proof of that that Faith delights to take Gods word by way of evidence rather than any other In Heb. 11.3 it 's said By Faith we understand that the world was made of nothing We know it by reason that the world was made of nothing But that doth not content a Beleever But by Faith we know it Because we rather judg by the light that comes from God than by the light that is in the things themselves I beseech you my beloved mark it In humane affairs and in things that belong unto men It is as great a weakness as can be to depend upon others to see with other mens eyes and not with a mans own To say as other men say and to speak after them We count it no learning at all neither is it for a man to quote Authors and to say such a man is of this mind and such a man is of that mind A man may be as ignorant as the Books themselves are wherein these things are recorded and yet may have this kind of knowledg But though in humane affairs it be weakness and folly for a man to give up his judgment and to captivate his understanding to what another saith yet it is the excellency of Faith And therefore it is said in John 6.45 that they are learned men who do hear and learn of the Father Every one that hears and learns of the Father comes unto me He is a learned man in the judgment of God that goes by hear-say That Faith is more to be esteemed that is grounded upon the Scripture than that Faith which is assisted by discourse and by reason And the reason of it is this because that Faith is only dependant upon the testimony of God Among Schollars and Ministers you shall many times find a great deal more of knowledg than in others in the matter of divinity but less Faith Because the Hearers go only by the Scripture and the Teachers go by parts and Books They go by the authority of God in the Scripture Reason may be assistant unto Faith But it destroys Faith as it is a principle in 1 Cor. 2.16 We have the mind of Christ saith the Apostle We have the better of it because we have the mind of Christ And if you have all the subtilty and curiosity and heigth and depth which naturall understanding can reach unto to yet know that we are contented with this that we take things barely as they are reported unto us by Jesus Christ Now this is that which Beleevers do cheerfully He is willing to be a Fool willing to have his understanding denied that he may receive the testimony or report of God either concerning his person or concerning Gods good will concerning him or his duty And so take the other part of Faith as it is in the will A resting and quieting of the Soul in Jesus Christ And so a Beleever is willing thereunto It is a great matter to be so as I have shewed heretofore It is a mean thing in its self for a man to live dependantly to have nothing but from hand to mouth All a mans Glory and confidence and boasting is excluded thereby But though a man be nothing and though a man be rendred vile and mean in the Eyes of God and all good men yet Faith makes a man willing thereunto A Soul that is converted had rather have its Good in Christs hands than in its own rather have its comforts in Christs giving and disposing than in its own that he should keep the Bottle and give it as he thinks good It would not be its own Carver if it might Observe it So far as there is Faith unfeigned in a man he had rather be at Gods carving and Gods allowance for Grace and comfort and assistance and supply than at its own Therefore see how cheerfully Paul speaks concerning this case in 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have beleeved As if he should have said though that it be not in my own hand yet it is in his hand that is able Though I have not that which makes me to abound and to be as if I were in Heaven yet I know whom I have trusted and that he will keep it for me CHAP. XXIII The Nature of true Faith in a willingness to believe appears in these particulars 1. In loving to hear the Doctrine of Faith 2. In a desire and longing after Christ 3. In a high esteem of Jesus Christ 4. In suffering it self to be wrought up by God to Jesus Christ 5. In gladly parting with its confidence in any thing but Jesus Christ
the desire to be after him Thirdly Where ever there is faith there is love even a high esteeme of Jesus Christ and God the father in him and a high valuation of him as one that is good and true and able and liberal Not only an acknowledgment of these vertues to be in him but an estimation of him for them And the reason is this There is no one you know can beleeve or trust another whom though he doth know to be able to discharge his promise yet he doth not esteem of No wise man you know wil trust him whom he judges to be vain and careless of his word that wil speak any thing If so be any one makes a promise and be not known to be rich and besides that to be powerful so as none can hinder him from the fulfilling of it If he be not esteemed good and liberal that wil not think much of what he parts withal We wil not trust him In faith therefore there is a love of the Glory of God And so you have it described in Rom. 4.21 That Abraham did beleeve and give Glory unto God While he was meditating on the promise and the difficulty of receiving and it came into his mind yet he said again though that I be weak yet he is able though that I be dead yet he lives for ever though that unto me there belongs no such mercy yet he is liberal Such indeed our faith in God is as our esteem is of God As our esteem is of God such is our love Where we see little of excellency there is little love where we see much there is much love It is a peece of love A duty an act of love which the soul shews unto God that it wil suffer no blame to light upon him that it wil have nothing I say nothing imputed or charged upon his account but he must stand fair and cleer and without blemish and spot in al that ever he saith and doth what ever becomes of the soul Nay saith a beleever in this case The fault is not in God but in me the reason lyes not in any want of love in him but in the folly and carelessness of my own spirit The reason why I want any thing is not because I desire any thing of God which he is not ready prepared to the doing of but it is only because I have a withdrawing heart That is the third thing Fourthly The Soul that doth willingly beleeve doth even suffer it self to be wrought upon by God if he please unto Jesus Christ It leaves it self in the hand of God to be wrought upon even as he pleaseth That whereas before it was wont to murmur and repine and think much and hardly that God would take nothing but satisfaction and be pacified by no means but by the blood of his Son Now it saith Let the Lord do with me even what he pleaseth so he will but unite me to and make me one with Jesus Christ He puts himself like Clay into the hands of him that He may frame and fashion the Spirit according to his own mind You have the expression concerning John Baptist in Math. 3. When Christ came to him to be baptized said John Do you come unto me Suffer it to be so saith Christ for so it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness and then he suffered him So the Soul is brought by God unto this to let or suffer God to confute what reasoning he pleaseth in him to suggest such apprehensions as are contrary to his own sense and imagination In John 6.53 Christ told them that if they did not eat his Flesh and drink his blood they had no share in him and the Text saith that many did murmur at the Doctrine And such is the temper of the heart of man when Christ comes to deal with him about salvation that he is offended at him at the Call he gives and is offended that he will not allow him any confidence or comfort in any thing or for any thing that he hath done Must there be so much supernaturall vertue required to obtain eternall life or it must not be had As a Patient is told by the Physitian somtimes You must so many daies take this course forbear this diet and take these bitter Pils He begins to think he is injuriously dealt withall But the Physitian tels him if you will not take this course you will die Then he lets him do what he will So the Soul saith unto Jesus Christ Lord take any course in the world with me If thou wilt have me to lie down in sorrow If thou wilt have me be without those means and refreshings that I have had heretofore If it be thy pleasure that I shall lie upon thorns in comparison of what I have done before do what thou wilt Only save me in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ As a man saith to a Physitian whom he hath a long time refused to be directed by the Counsel of saith he I do even submit my self to you prescribe what you please use your own method take what course your wisdom thinks good Let the things you give be bitter and let the things you with-hold from me be never so good as Air or food So the Soul leaves it self to Jesus Christ and lets him do with it what he will which was the case of Paul in Acts 9.6 Lord what would'st that I do Lord what wouldst thou that I do do thou have care of me for I have none of my self I give up my self to thee Fifthly The Soul is exceeding glad and refreshed when it can do any thing to take away its confidence and its support that it hath any where but only in Jesus Christ I say the Soul is glad that it hath nothing to help it but Faith and that Faith hath nothing to lean upon but only Jesus Christ When one stone is not left upon another of all that which a man hath built to rest himself in When as the pillows are pluckt from under the head and a man is left as it were dying and from under the elbow that a man hath nothing to support him yet then the Soul takes pleasure contentment There is a pleasure contentment to have all sweet morsels taken from a man that it may feed alone upon the Lord Jesus Christ when it can convince its self that in such a course there wil be no safety nor salvation found it rejoyceth exceedingly We have no confidence in the flesh Phil. 3. but rejoyce in Christ Jesus Rejoyce when we have no confidence in the flesh It is said concerning the Saints that they wash their feet in the bloud of the ungodly and when the vengeance overtakes them they say This is the man that made not God his refuge but trusted in his riches As it is in Psal 52.6.7 said of Doeg So doth the Soul Glory and insult over all its vain confidences when
that the Mother of my Lord should come unto me Much more doth the Soul say What is this that Jesus Christ should come to be in my Cottage in my understanding so poor and mean a one as mine is Prov. 13.12 The accomplishment of the desire is as a Tree of life It was a sign unto it that it should live So the Soul saith Evil shal depart from me the sins that I have been troubled with shall be mortified Weaknesses shall be repaired I shall no more lie down in sorrow My beloved as the man that watcheth for the morning and as the Child that waits for the full age and as the Joy of the Bride and Bridegroom All these the Scripture useth and much more is the joy of the Soul when it sees and feels and finds Jesus Christ But this I say is that which it comes unto The other five particulars are those which more concerns the Point in hand But at this last they all drive and at this they do all arrive but in their season CHAP. XXIV Reasons why the Soul must be willing to receive Jesus Christ 1. By this true Grace is distinguished from that which is not true but only like to it 2. By this the murmuring and corrupt disputing of the Soul is silenced 3. Faith is not saving till it be willing 4. The Soul must rest in Christ so as to seek help no where else NOW consider that this must be for three or four Reasons I say the Soul must be beleeving and willing to receive Jesus Christ First In this true Grace is distinguished from that which is not true but is like unto it It is that which changeth the nature and becomes a kind of nature In 2 Pet. 1.4 We are made partakers of the divine nature And that acts of it self and that prompts and puts on to do according to it A Stone when it is out of its center and place hath a naturall instinct to move thitherto The Fire would be upward because it is its nature Look how sin is in a man so Grace is in a Saint for it comes in the stead of that Sin is not the essence of a man It is not his soul yet it is so wrought into his soul that he doth as naturally sin as he doth naturally apprehend or think or do a rational act So now Grace is not the soul of a man but it is so infused and created in it as that the soul doth as willingly the things of God according unto its measure as it doth its rational acts or as it did its sinful acts formerly I say according to its measure For there is more sin at first then grace in any man that is converted Jer. 32.40 The scripture therefore speaks after this manner I wil put my fear into your heart And what then This grace shal have the power of a cause and that shal worke you according to it self Fear shal make you fear and faith shal make you beleeve and to beleeve naturally Common grace is not wrought into the nature nor become a nature and therefore hence it comes that men do loose it and sal unto their natural course As the dog unto his vomit and the sow to the wallowing in the Mire as the scripture speakes Secondly By this willingness to beleeve the murmuring and Corrupt disputing of the soul against Jesus Christ comes to be silenced altogether or in a very great measure 2 Cor. 10.5 The Apostle saith that every thought and imagination shal be captivated to the obedience of faith To the obedience of faith Now it is captivated by the love which a man hath unto faith You al know that we cannot indure to have that reasoned against which we love we are presently put into a passion if any one wil go to vilifie or speake against that which we have a mind unto Now when the soul hath a mind to go unto Jesus Christ and a mind to beleeve the nit stops its eare and doth withdraw its sense and apprehension from what ever can be said against it According as its mind is to beleeve so deafness growes upon it to al the reasonings of the flesh for continuance in any other state without Jesus Christ If a man hath a mind to any meat or to do a thing he wil say speak no more I am resolved to do it I wil venture And so doth the soul in this case And it s the best way of confutation of arguments As the Apostle saith God forbid So confute them with this I wil beleeve and I wil go unto Jesus Christ what ever you say I am resolved on that That is the second reason The murmuring and disputing that are against faith wil not be quiet and cease til they come to have such an affection to beleeve Thirdly Until you wil be in beleeving or til you love to beleeve your faith is not saving For faith is an applying of Jesus Christ to a mans self There is a double application of Jesus Christ to a mans self The one is in discourse when a man can conclude himself to be one of Christs And that is faith of assurance And the other is not by discourse but by aime and intention When a man doth go unto Jesus Christ for good unto himself Now mark what I say Al the credit that you give unto the word Al the sence that you subscribe unto the promises of the Gospel These do not apply Christ to you No more you know then for a man to meditate on the treasures of the King of spain do make his treasure his or do give him an interest in it When a man loves faith and loves Christ then he gives up himself to Christ that he may be his A man looks not from Christ for any thing to himself until he doth by an act of the Wil rest upon the Lord Jesus Christ Fourthly and Lastly There must be this affection of love in beleeving because the Soul must acquiesce and rest So in Christ as to seek help no where else Now that he must So acquiesce is evident by this because to go to Jesus Christ or to receive Christ and not as the only Savior is to dishonor him A man cannot rest in him as the only Savior unless that he doth approve and like of and take pleasure in that which the Gospel hath revealed concerning him Or more plainly thus That way which a man doth not approve a man wil not stick unto for the salvation of his Soul That a man may therefore stick unto Christ and never depart from him he must have a good will or liking or approbation of him And so much shal now suffice for the Doctrinal part of this Point CHAP. XXV Application Then there are but few Receivers of Jesus Christ This Vse concerns three sorts of Persons 1. Such as do not receive Jesus Christ as he is USE IS Faith such a kind of Receiving then truly it will cast even all
we are in love with the Lord Jesus Christ Where I say continuall means and Ordinances do but very little it is a sign that there is not only slothfulness but unwillingness that the Soul is not wrought upon effectually But then especially doth delay argue unwillingness when a man stifles and hinders the working of the means He pincheth in the pains that would deliver him of all his trouble He weakens and enervates the Arguments that are brought to perswade him to go to Jesus Christ He grows witty and wise and cunning to evade the Arguments and Reasons of the Gospel And then again is a mans delay a sign of his unwillingness when he hath it in his power to beleeve and yet doth not beleeve I say when he hath it in his power As it is a sign a man is not willing to pay his debt or to give unto the poor when he hath it by him and yet bids the poor or the debt or to come another time In all that are regenerate there is a Spirit of Faith And when they are under the means and the means do affect them it is then in their power to heleeve Naturally no man can beleeve But it is given unto them that are regenerate and they can bring that power into act when the means do work upon them As now in the hearing of a Sermon for a man to with-hold his Soul from Jesus Christ when the Ordinance presseth him yet for him to keep his heart back from going unto him that is a sign of unwillingness I wil mention but one delay more And that is when a man keeps from Jesus Christ without a Reason And let me tell you this that if once a man see his sin and his own helplessness there can be no Reason why he should keep from Jesus Christ If there be any reason It must be either in himself or in Christ If it be in himself it must be one of these two things Either the want of Grace Or the abundance of corruption and guilt that lies upon him If it be want of Grace It must be Either the totall want Or the want of some degrees The whole want of Grace that is no ground why you should not beleeve for by beleeving you receive Grace for Grace Grace is an effect of Faith It is the blessing of that seed and the Tree that grows upon that Plant. Nor can it be for want of some degree For as I told you just now There will be as much reason for a man when he hath attained to twenty degrees of Grace to stay stil til he hath attained to the last degree of Grace as there will be for him when he hath one degree to stay til he hath twenty degrees for al degrees of Grace are little enough to give Jesus Christ that respect which belongs unto him If it be not therefore the want of Grace in whole or in part that should keep a man from believing Is it the greatness of thy sins But Know that thy sins are the greater by delaies As the debt grows more by non-payment Use and Use upon Use And the wound grows the worse by not laying on the thing that may heal Is not the reason then in thee Nor in thy sins nor in thy Guilt But in Jesus Christ That it cannot be For the Bride saith come and take of the waters of life freely Revel 22.17 And what can be more said or be more desired Jesus Christ is glad when sinners come to him more glad than a godly man is of the conversion of another As in Luke 16.22.28 The Father was exceedingly rejoyced when the Prodigall came home when the elder Brother was troubled at it Rom. 10.8 The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth It is nigh unto thee that is It is throughly known As we throughly know the things that are spoken in our Ears the sound that is not far off but near Now the word is nigh unto thee even in thy mouth As a thing that is confessed by al we phrase it thus viz. that it is in every mans mouth Now it is in every mans mouth and Jesus Christ hath made it evident in his word that whosoever believs shall be saved The word is nigh thee and in thy mouth that if thou beleevest thou shalt be saved If there be any reason therefore that thou goest not unto Jesus Christ it must be thy own apprehension and thoughts For there is none in the Object Jesus Christ nor any such reason in thy self I say all the reason must be in thy own apprehension And therefore thy apprehension is such because indeed thy heart is unwilling to receive Jesus Christ Unwillingness formes and shapes and frames strange apprehensions in the Understanding As where a man doth not love he wil find occasions to be angry and Arguments as often as he thinks good to ingage and separate his affections from that thing or Person Especially Beloved where there is a feigned reason Mark what I say Where there is a feigned reason there is unwillingness to receive Jesus Christ A Lyon A Lyon saith the Sluggard is in the street Men say that they shall be refused if they go unto God by Jesus Christ for Faith You do but imagine this It 's but a feigned reason for your unwillingness for none ever went to him that received a neglectful Answer In John 6.37 Those that come unto me I will in no wise cast out Men think if they should lay hold upon Iesus Christ they should but flatter themselves presumptuously and their hearts would be hardned more It is but a feigned reason For as fire softens wax so would the love of God soften thee The apprehension of the wrath of God hardens and the apprehension of the love of God softens As men go up and down Markets and Faires and and think to do better til they have lost their opportunity So do men put off and put off to beleeve till the day of Grace be past There is as great a hazard in delay as in opposition or refusal and though it seems not unto the Conscience to be so great a sin but it is colored with modesty humility and fear yet not withstanding it is as dangerous The Lord he reads the principle from whence it comes and he judgeth of the Act acccording unto it The means continuing and the heart being stirred yet men find out some rub or other in the way somthing or other to stop and delay their course of going unto and closing with Jesus Christ It may be their ruine It is as much as if they should say They would have none of Jesus Christ nor of his salvation There are some men so foolish that they wil not send for the Physitian nor take advice til the Disease hath gotten them down and they are overcome by it and weakned and brought unto the Grave So it is a folly of Spirit that til we see all means perishing we wil
and a good Conscience or Faith especially 1 Tim. 1.19 From this knowledg a man may be so established in the profession of Jesus Christ as that he may be able to instruct others to answer all arguments that shall be brought against this profession and to endure much even as the Heathen Philosophers that would rather die the cruellest death than leave any one principle of their learning and profession which they had received So a man may see so great a reason for the things of Jesus Christ that a man shal not dare to part with the least beam of it for the greatest afflictions in the world or to avoid the greatest misery But yet notwithstanding all this a man may be without saving Faith It may be thus received into a mans mind and judgment and yet not be a faith that wil bring him life and Salvation at the last For I beseech you consider it A man may thus receive Jesus Christ by a common gift of the spirit though he hath no Grace In Rom. 2.20 The Apostle saith of those that were not Jews in the Circumcision of the heart that they had a forme of knowledg and did delight themselves in the Law compared with the last verse And if you look into Rom. 6.17 You shal find that besides the forme of Doctrine unto a mans Salvation there is required his being delivered up unto it But saith he you have obeyed from the heart the forme of Doctrine whereunto you were delivered DELIVERED that is cast in the shape and conformed unto it so as that what you know hath authority and power over you As we say a man is delivered into such a ones hand when he is made sure of so as he cannot escape A man must through obedience come under the power of that which he knows or his knowledg is not saving Yea notwithstanding al this kind of knowledg and this judgment and understanding of Jesus Christ a man may have no affection nor love unto him at al. In John 2.25 It is said that many beleeved upon Christ but yet he saith they were such as he did not dare to trust himself with al. That is they would have betrayed him and for their own advantage would have put him into the hands of his enemies 2 Tim. 3.5 They have a form of Godliness but deny the power thereof in their lives That is a man may know much and know it exactly and yet the things known have no power to order their affection or to subdue their corruption Or as some do understand the Power in opposition to the Form They do not value the things as they are in themselves Al their esteem reacheth no further then the order and rank that these things beare in the matters of the world As for example A man in casting up an accompt may value a counter a pound or a thousand pound only because it is so in reckoning So a man may value Jesus Christ at a great reckoning as one that contains al the doctrine that belongs unto Salvation and yet notwithstanding unto a mans self Christ may be but a brass Counter and as one that hath no value in himself That is al I shal leave concerning this point That Jesus Christ is received only into the fancy when a man knows not Christ in himself but his apprehension is formed only into the Metaphors and figurative speeches in the scripture of him And when they know him only as he is the main point of Doctrine in religion but his heart is not taken with himself There are some who go yet further And they are such who take Jesus Christ into their understanding But it is into the reasoning part of them as I may so speak that is so far as they are convinced by demonstrations and evidences and undenyable arguments so far they receive Jesus Christ True faith goes by testimony and that is the argument and cheife ground of it A man may receive the word of God to be true upon the same ground that he may receive any other writing or book which teacheth a man whether it be the knowledg of Countries or of the hevens or any other art whatsoever In the scripture Isay a man shal find the same things to perswade him which he finds in other books A man beleeves other Books to be true because it hath good report because it is antient And the parts agree And they interfere not nor contradict one another They have experience that the things there said comes to pass the like things have been done which they report And so a man upon the antiquity of the scripture and the agreement of the scripture and upon the equity that is in the command of the scripture comes to think that the scriptures are true But now the Spirit of God joyning with these and sitting upon these I say These common arguments withal sciences the spirit of God improving al these may work upon men very much But if so be that men go no further then these there is not faith in Jesus Christ neither For I beseech you mark it Al faith it is an act so far as it is saving it is a willing receiving of Jesus Christ But these demonstrations and arguments they do compel the understanding The understanding cannot but consent unto them and it is irresistibly do what it can bowed to give consent according to the same and that is an argument that it is not saving As a man who yields obedience not because he loves the Governor but because he knows not how to help himself or to do otherwise being conquered So these evidences and strong reasons they leade a man captive and a man consents in his understanding although the heart be against them a man may joyn together with them and yet notwithstanding they be things which his heart doth most of al abhorre therefore they cannot be saving Mistake me not beloved There is nothing so carefull of having a good evidence as Faith is It is the most secure Grace of trusting unto that possibly can be It will take nothing but what is increated for its ground It will either have a testimony from God that cannot err or else it wil not receive But though Faith may look after the cleerest evidence yet it looks not after an evidence arising from the things themselves but from the word of God Not from the Matter but from Gods report If God wil say it let the thing be never so obscure and contrary to sense or reason yet Faith will receive it But that which I now intend in this is That even as the Devils they do beleeve the Text saith in Jam. 2.19 but they do it because they have experience that the things which God hath spoken come to pass as I have shewed heretofore They are convinced by what they have seen and found that what they yet see not accomplished shal be in Gods own time And so there is a Faith also among
discovery of God in nature yet you cannot thence conclude that therefore God will do such things or that such things shall be done by God for us as Faith doth beleeve Again Compare earthly things and heavenly things together Though that earthly things may serve to give you some resemblance of heavenly though that similitude may set out things revealed and keep them in memory yet these similitudes do not prove these things to be nor can shew them in their own nature And therefore you shall find that Nicodemus was partly ignorant of regeneration though that Christ had told him of it under an earthly similitude of being born again That similitude did rather make the thing hard than easie And our Lord adds that If I have spoken unto you of earthly things and you beleeve not how wil you beleeve if I tel you of heavenly Joh. 3.12 That is there are some things to be beleeved in reference unto salvation that there are no things in the earth to be compared to them Therefore if you will not beleeve but by similitude you wil not beleeve them You shall see what I aim at beloved The knowledg or faith of unregenerate men may be reduced Either unto discourse knowledg or unto fancy which is all one Unto the congruity that is between things that are earthly and unto heavenly I say you may either reduce it into discourse As for example Men reason thus First by way of causality that if there be kindness in men then much more in God that gave it Secondly by way of eminency there is much more in the Fountain than in the streams that are derived from it Thirdly By way of negation If so be that this be not fit for a man to do if man wil not be unjust or forgetfull of the service that is done unto him then God will not forget the labor of our love and the work of our faith c. Now such a kind of conclusion as this is is not faith I beseech you mark it It is not faith because the conclusion is drawn only from a naturall principle from that knowledg which we have of God by nature This knowledg by discourse is naturall and therefore this cannot be true faith I shall only give you this for a proof of it which is in James 2.19 The Devils do beleeve and tremble They properly do not beleeve as is apparent by this because their Faith hath not those effects which true faith hath But they are said to beleeve because they have experience in themselves of the truth of the word of God They find that true to their cost which God hath threatned It is made good upon them which God hath written in the word And again they see by experience that many whom they have tempted are gone to Heaven and therefore they know that God will not fail nor break his word Their Faith being raised only from their experience that credit which they give to God being only from what they feel see is not good Now al the faith in unregenerate men is of the same sort with this faith of the Devils for there is no more in the Child than there is in the Parent In John 8.44 They are of their Father the Devill because they go no further than he is a pattern to them in As the Children of the first Adam are like unto him so all the Children of the Devill are like unto him And therefore as you may thus reduce or analize their Faith unto light or discourse so that faith which unregerate men have is taken from the similitude which earthly things have with Heavenly They look upon Heavenly things through Earthly as through a glass and no further than that do they see Matth. 13.11 To you saith God it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God but unto these in parables that in seeing they might not see and in bearing they might not understand Here you find a difference between the knowledg of the Mystery and the knowledg which men have by parables Parables are nothing else but only the comparing of one thing with another One thing set out by another To have no more knowledg therefore of Heavenly things than Earthly doth administer is for a man to have his eyes blinded Yea it is a Seal of the eternall wrath of God Least he should be converted and healed by me If it may be yet more plainly to express my self As in the worship of God an Image or representation made by man cannot help a man at all in the worship of God So neither can the Image of Heavenly things in Earthly similitudes give us life and salvation You know that there are Innate principles Notions which are in every man by nature of a Judgment and of a God Look what those principles are unto natural things such a kind of innate principle is Faith unto the new Creature which makes known the things of God by Jesus Christ It 's not raised by discourse It comes not in by discourse it is infused It lies there and from thence it sends forth its light into the Soul You find the Apostle in the Epistle to the Corinthians blaming the Teachers there because they teached in the wisdom of words and he tels them that it was the means to make â—he faith of their hearts to consist in man and not in the power of God His meaning is this they heard the Gospel preached Eloquently and Rhetorically They looked upon Heaven as upon a Paradise or garden of pleasure They looked upon Communion with God but only as friendship of one with his Friend The things of Christ were set out only by Earthly things as in a Map All the Glory of Heavenly things were put upon them only by the resemblances which they had unto these Earthly things If so be it be so good to be rich and so good to have pleasures here then what is it to have good for ever and the like The Apostle tels them that al this would never make them Christians for their Faith must be in God and this would keep them stil in the wisdom of man I shal conclude this Point thus That as a man that knows a man only by his cloaths takes another for him that is cloathed like him So a man that hath the knowledg of these things only by Earthly things loseth his knowledg or his fancy of them as his fancy alters Secondly The second is this Wherever this saving light in the understanding is there it 's joyned with love in the Will that is the heart doth choose embrace take pleasure and contentment in it that is it so takes pleasure as that it would rather have the truth than any thing though somtimes in a passion it may as wel quarrel with that truth as it doth at other times quarrel with a lust But that I shall speak more unto when I come to speak of the Acts of Faith as it is