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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41843	The mystery of faith opened up, or, Some sermons concerning faith (two whereof were not formerly printed) wherein the nature, excellency, and usefulnesse of that noble grace is much cleared, and the practice thereof most powerfully pressed : whereunto are added other three sermons, two concerning death / by Mr. Andrew Gray ...; all these sermons being now carefully revised, and much corrected.	Gray, Andrew, 1633-1656.	1669 (1669)	Wing G1617; ESTC R39450	122,609	231

THE Mystery of FAITH Opened up Or some SERMONS concerning Faith two whereof were not formerly Printed Wherein the Nature Excellency and Usefulnesse of that noble Grace is much cleared and the practice thereof most powerfully pressed Whereunto are added other three Sermons two concerning the Great Salvation one of these not formerly Printed and a third concerning Death By Mr. ANDREW GRAY late Minister of the Gospel in Glasgow All these Sermons being now carefully Revised and much Corrected Joh. 3. 18. He that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God Edinburgh Printed by George Swinton and Iames Glen Anno 1669. Mr. GRAY'S Mystery of Faith Christian Reader AMong many weighty and soul pierceing Sentences that you will find in these following Sermons this is one● That the Professors of this ●ge whether they go to heaven or hell they will be the greatest debtors that shall be in ●ither place● the 〈◊〉 to the free grace of God and the other to his Justice And certainly if we speak of those in this time whose ●lessed lot it shall be to inherit the Kingdom ●hey cannot but acknowledge themselves in●ebted to his love above all that have gone ●efore them for w●shing them from such ugly ●●llutions ●● this generation hath been defiled ●ith for bringing them through so great tri●●ilations preserving them in the midst of so ●●eat ten●ations and dangerous s●ares as have ●compassed them yea and still keeping in the ●●ght before them notwithstanding of so many ●asts if we may so speak from all the four ●inds of hell to blow it out And on the other ●nd if we speak of these whom in this ge●●ration shall perish assuredly their debt unto ●ivine Iustice must be exceeding great above ●●l who are gone down to the pit before them ●●●●cause the Roll of their mercies will be found have been many ●●bits longer and many cu●s broader than theirs who lived in the pre●ding ages and the great things that the ●●rd hath wrought in our dayes have born a greater testimony against the wickednesse hardnesse and atheism of this time then of many former But above all the great measure of Gospel-light that he hath no lesse plentifully offered then wonderfully preserved to this generation beyond all our Ancestors hath undoubtedly made the sin of these who shall utterly reject their own mercy so out of measure sinfull and their unbelief so exceedingly inexcusable that their guilt must needs justifie Corazin and Bethsaida or Sodom and Gommorrah in that day when every man shall give account of himself to God And amongst the many preaching witnesses that al as we are afraid shall compear in that day against many yet living in their pleasures and dead while they live This now glorified Author cannot but be one whose testimony must be very condemning especially to the vain loose negligent and time-wasting youth in this age For when h● was first drawn to the Ministry he was but youth indeed scarce twenty years compleat f●● within that age that by the constitutions o● this Church except in case of more then common abilities which indeed he had is required for entring to that great and holy Calling And for the space of two years after whic● was all the time that the Church enjoyed his Labour he was helped to presse the Truths an● Threatnings of God so home upon the Conscience of his hearers that as it was observed of him b● one of his most Learned and pious Colleagu● Master Durham who is now in glory with him he did many times cause the hair of their head stand up The Lord not only hereby verifying his Word that he can take the weak things of the world to confound the strong and out of the mouth of Babes can perfect his own praise but designing also as would seem of purpose to send a Boy out of the School for a reprover of the sluggishnesse of his People that thereby the aged might be the more ashamed and the younger more afraid Neither do wee think that this was all but truely when we consider what measure of Graces Gifts and Experiences the Lord did bestow upon so young a person and then with what humility self-denial gravity prudence diligence authority and moderation he was helped to manage these Talents during that short time of his Ministry It may be justly conceived that the Lord brought him forth to be a great conviction even to many of us in the Ministery who came into our Masters vineyard long before him and will go out behind him And indeed to us it looketh somewhat like the Lords taking up of the little Childe and setting him amongst the midst of his contending Disciples in these times that even they who would be greatest amongst us might be least and see somewhat of their own weaknesse As to this little Peece whatever yee shall finde in it It hath this to say for its self that whereas many Writings in the world do intrude themselves upon the Presse yet this the Presse hath violently thrust into the world For some young Student from his good affection to the edification of the Lords People and no doubt from his high esteem of the precious Author his memory having given in to the Presse a Copie of some of these Sermons being only Notes taken from his mouth when he preached them no sooner were they seen abroad but all the Presses in the Nation fell a labouring about them so that if we mistake not in lesse no● two or three Months time three or four Impressions were cast off yet all of them so imperfect and maimed that howbeit the excellency of the matter and the fresh remembrance of the worthy Author his name made them very sweet to many especially those who had heard him Preach yet the unsuitable dresse wherein they appeared and their mistakes of the first Writers they being hardly able to take up every thing as it was spoken occasioning diverse material failings in the sense besides lesser faults could not but be a trouble to those who were acquainted not only with the singular graces but parts also of that eminent Youth This gave occasion to some friends to speak a little what way these prejudices which both the Truth and the Authors name might ●ly under by these uncorrect Impressions might be taken off And finding that the Copie which by providence the worthy young Gentlewoman who was his wife had lying by her though it was but Notes taken from his mouth yet was the most correct that could be found And that it also did contain the whole purposes that he had preached upon these Texts yea the whole purposes concerning Faith that he had preached according to that method proposed in the first of the Sermons formerly published This was undertaken to be revised by some who albeit none of the fittest for these imployments yet rather or nothing should be done in the businesse were con●tent to bestow

pierced as for an only Son Yet in the beginning of the 13. Chapter he maketh mention of a Fountain opened to the house of David for sin and for uncleannesse Which may intimate unto us that although we have washed our selves with our own tears yet there is use of the bloud of Christ and that we must bee washed in that fountain even from our own righteousnesses which are but as filthy rags Thirdly Consider that great and monstrous sinfulness that is in this sin of unbeleif we will strain at a g●at but many will easily swallow down this Camel we will tith Mint and Anise and fast twice in the week but neglect faith and love and judgment which are the weightier things of the Law And indeed there are these things which speak out the sinfulnesse of unbelief 1. That when the holy Ghost is sent to convince the world of sin Ioh. 16. 9. he pitched upon this sin as though there were no other sin of which the world had need to be convinced He will convince the world of sin because they believe not on the Son of God and no doubt there is more sinfulnesse in that sin than in many breaches of the Morall Law it being a sin against matchlesse love and against that which is the remedy of sin 2. That it is called by way of eminency disobedience as is clear from Heb. 4. 11. Lest any of you fall after the same example of unbelief or as the word may be rendered Lest any of you fall after that example of disobedience Eph. 2 2. 3. That among all these that shall be eternally excommunicate from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power these that are guilty of this sin of unbelief they are put in the first place Rev. 21. 8. And 4. that unbelief doth contradict and deny these three precious and cardinall Attributes of God 1. Doth not unbelief contradict his faithfulnesse and make him a liar 1 Ioh. 5. 10 2. Doth it not contradict the infinitenesse of his power And 3 the infinitenesse of his love and supposeth that there is something too hard for him which his power cannot reach nor his infinite love overcome We may reduce many of our questions and disputings of his good will to this original viz. to the disputing of his power No doubt if we belong to him we shall once sing that note of lamentation over our unbelief This is our infirmity for changes are from the right hand of the most High And lastly to enforce this precious command of Faith consider that it is His Command which speaketh forth this that we must not take an indulgence or dispensation to our selves to believe or not to believe at our pleasure And is it not a strange thing that Christians are lesse convinced of the breaches of the Commandements of Faith then of other commands They think misbelief to be but a Zoar a little sin And it proceedeth either from this that the convictions of other sins as the neglect of prayer or the sin of swearing or committing adultery do arise from a natural conscience for there is somewhat of natures light to make us abominate and hate them when yet the light of nature will not lead us to the convictions of the sinfulnesse of misbelief it being a Gospel and more spiritual sin Or it proceedeth from this that unbelief doth ordinarily passe vail'd under the vizard of some refined vertue as humility and tendernesse though that rather it may be said that it is pride and ignorance cloathed with the garments of humility And no doubt Christ doth account it obedience to this Commandement of Faith the greatest act of humility as is clear from Rom. 10. 3. where it is called submission they submitted not to the righteousnesse of God Or else it proceedeth from this that we conceive that the commandment of Faith is not of so large extent as other commands and so doth not bind us to the obedience of ●t But know this that it shall be the condemnation of the world that they have not believed on the Name of the Son of God And no doubt but it is Sathans great design and cardinall project to keep us back from obedience to the commandement of Faith and that we should not listen to the precious promises of this everlasting Gospel but should reject the counsel of God against our selves and refuse his precious and divine call The second previous consideration that we would give shall bee to show you what are the causes that there is so much disputing of our interest and so little beleiving that we are unstable as water marring our own excellency spending so much of our time in walking under a cloud and are so seldom admitted to read our names i● these precious and eternall records of heaven No doubt these things have influence upon it viz. 1. That we are more judging of God by his dispensations then by Hi● word supposing ever the change of his dispensations to speak forth the change of ou● state This is misbeliefs divinity that whe● sense cannot read love in his face but he appeareth to frown and to cast a cloud ove● it then it is presumption saith sense t● read love in his heart or in his word Bu● know it was a self denying practice of Believing Iob to cry out Though he shoul● kill me I will believe in him Therefor● make not dispensations your Bible other wise ye will stumble at the noon-ride of th● day and shall halt in your way Knew y● never what such a thing as this meaned to ascend in overcoming thoughts of his love notwithstanding any thing that his dispensations might preach We conceive that if the eyes of our faith were opened we might see infinite love engraven on the darkest acts and most dismal-like dispensations of his to us though it bee oftentimes written in dark and ●im characters of sense 2 There is this likewise which hath in●●uence upon our so much disputing and misbelieving viz. a guilty conscience and the ●ntertainment of some predominant lust which oftentimes occasioneth our walking in darknesse and having no light This is ●lear from 1 Tim. 1. 19. where that precious ●ewel of Faith can bee holden in no other place but in a pure conscience that is that ●oyal palace wherein it must dwell And ●o doubt if once wee make shipwrack of a ●ood conscience wee will erre concerning our ●aith A bosome idol when it is intertained ●oth exceedingly mar the vigorous exercise ●f these graces which are evidences of our faith And certainly grace rather in its ●egrees than in its sincerity or simple being onely is that which giveth the clear evidence of Faith Therefore when we find not love ●● its high and eminent actings wee hardly win to make it any clearly concluding demonstration of our Faith 3. As likewise a bosome idol when it is ●ntertained maketh use to lose much of our ●igh esteem and reputation of Jesus Christ which