enemy to deal with It is thy Father to whom thou art bending the knee 3. He hath a mighty intercessor look as Jesus Christ is the mighty Redeemer for the persons of men so he is the mighty intercessor for the services of men and he ever lives to make intercession If thy wants be never so great yet thy God is able to supply them and if thy infirmities be never so many yet thy intercessor is able to cover and expiate them Thy services as thine â— carry with them a prejudice there was iniquity in the holy offering but then Aaron did bear the iniquity of them so thy Priest thy Christ thy intercessor he doth take off by the Application of his merits whatsoever is amisse and offensive and he doth ingratiate thy requests and procures audience and acceptance for thee Therefore now if thou be a beleever then in thy prayers come confidently to God if thou canst finde a promise and a Christ and a faith thou mayest cheerfully put up thy petitions to heaven What should hinder us from being confident Is God unwilling No he hath engated himself unto thee Is God unable Why He is able to do abundantly above all that we are able to ask or think Doest thou feare thy own distance Why but thou comest to a Father and thou comest by the blood of a gracious of a beloved of a powerful Mediator and Intercessor Hebrews 4. Having such an High Priest we may come boldly to the throne of grace See Heb. 10. Doest thou feare because of enmity Christ hath slaine that or because of infirmity Christ will cure that CHAP. XV. The Agreement and difference of strong and weak faith BUt now some may reply These are sweet comforts Obj. to beleevers but as the Eunuch to Philip of whom speaks the Prophet this of himselfe or of some other So here why to whom are these comforts to all or to some choice beleevers are they common comforts to every beleever or peculiar to the eminent and strong only This scruple hath made way for a singular point I will satisfie it by opening four particulars Sol. 1. The common unity of all true faith in respect of the habit yet the intensive diversity in respect of acts and degrees 2. The proofs of a strong faith with the instances of a weak faith in truth 3. The concordance of faith in all fundamental Comforts 4. The inequality of strong and weak faith in many true yet not essential consequences and consolations Concerning the first which respects the common unity of faith in respect of the habit and the diversity of it in respect of the acts and degrees Observe these things for the unity of faith SECT I. FIrst that all true faith though in a comparison of faith with faith in several subjects it may admit of several diversities and differences yet they consent and agree in these things viz. First in the immediate and special cause weak faith as faith comes not from one cause and strong faith from another cause but both the one and the other from one and the same cause viz. the blessed Spirit of God Not onely the flames but the sparks of fire are kindled by that Spirit which blows where it lists As in the Orchard the tree which stands strong and the tender plant which stands trembling both of them were at first set by one and the same hand so the faith which is now well grown and that faith which is as yet tender and full of doubtings both of them are the peculiar fruits of Gods sanctifying Spirit Though this childe in the cradle cannot runne and move as well as that in the field at work yet the father begat the one as well as the other and owns them both by vertue of one equal relation The day of small things are not despised by God who sees weaknesse in the strongest Faith and Truth in the weakest and is the Parent both of this and that 2. In the remote and singular cause You know that Gods free grace and love is the first wheele of all singular good unto men out of it came that great gift of Christ and that great work of Election from whence doth flow all the graces which sanctifie and bring to glory As many as were ordained to eternal life beleeved Now all faith is a drop out of this fountaine the weak faith is a fruit of that great love of God Acts 13. 48. electing us in Christ as well as the strong and is though not so sensibly evident yet as really a true testimony of our election The reason whereof is this not grace restrictively considered but grace in the whole latitude of it is the fruit of Gods election my meaning is this not only Graces as eminent as raised and elevated to some more perfect quality and pitch but grace in the whole compasse of it from the conception of it to the perfection of it from the dawning to the full day from the nature to the act from the acts to the degrees all of it in nature in parts in totum solidum all of it whether more or lesse strong or weak all is out of the same grace of Election It was not one love which elected him who is therefore now strong in beleeving with Abraham and another love which elected him who is now weak in beleeving with the father of the childe No but it was one and the self-same love which produced this and that faith yea that electing love was intensively one in producing of both It was as equally high towards this person as towards that and was as equally causative of the faith that is weak as of the faith which is strong being habitually considered and also in relation to the grace of Gods love in election 3. In the ordinary and usual instrumental cause the same womb of the word brought them both forth being efficaciously assisted by that Almighty Spirit That word which discovered misery and impotency and necessity to the one did so to the other That word which revealed the Covenant of grace and mercy in Christ to the one did so to the other beleever also That word which did assure the one that if he would come in and accept of Christ be should be saved did also of this assure the other That word which did encline the heart of the one to trust upon Gods promise and so to accept of Christ did likewise being quickened with the same Spirit draw and perswade the other 4. In the lively nature of beleeving look as the strong and weak man though they do differ in the measure of power yet they do agree in the nature of man though they differ in respect of working yet they agree in respect of being And as the sick man and the healthy man though they vary in their temper yet they agree in their nature though they differ in livelihood yet not in life So though the strong and weak faith differ exceedingly in
the understanding by solid demonstration of infallible principles or else by the undeniable evidence of sense and experience as thus that every natural body hath power to move or that the Moon will suffer an Eclipse or that the fire is naturally apt to ascend and the water to moisten c. These things have both a naturall certainty and truth in themselves and there is an undoubted evidence and certainty in the minde of the person truly knowing them and so certaine and full is the perswasion of the minde about them that there is no scruple of doubt remaining to discuss as any uncertainty whether the things be so or no. Another is opinion which is an inevident evident assent if I may so phrase it My meaning is the understanding doth so assent and yield to the things as that yet it sees some contrary reason to suspect and question whether the thing be so or no for as much as in opinion the grounds are not fully evident to the minde but they are only probable and therefore the assent by opinion is but conjectural As take a man in a case of a scrupulous conscience there is to that man some evidence of argument which doth seem to warrant his action or attempt and yet that argument is not so entirely convincing of his judgment but on the other side there starts up a medium or argument which renders the practice probably sinful whereupon if you come to demand of him May you do such a thing he answers I do not certainly know that is I am not entirely and absolutely resolved of it yet I think I may I think it is lawful and this thinking which is opinion is alwayes accompanied with some fear and suspition so that the minde is like a paire of Scales tottering and tilting to either side Things are partly cleare and partly obscure partly evident and partly inevident and therefore the assent of opinion is alwayes doubtful Another is beliefe which is an assent unto things not from any evidence of the things themselves but only from the relation or testimony of another If I feel the fire to burne my hand I do not call this a believing but a sensitive knowing if Ahimaaz comes and tells David that his Son Absolom is hanged and slaine though this be knowledg in him who saw it yet it is belief in David who did heare and credit the tidings so that to be brief belief differs from knowledge in this that knowledge depends on the evidence of things themselves but belief though the things be certainly true to which it doth assent yet it assents unto them for the testimony or authority of him who relates and reports them Though this be most true That Jesus Christ was borne of the Virgin Mary and that he is the Messias and Saviour yet I beleeve it to be true because God hath given testimony or report thereof in his Word unto me Again Belief differs from opinion in this that opinion is an indifferent probable hazarding and difficultly inclinable assent but in believing the assent is firme certaine and fixed especially where testimony and authority is sufficient Believing as it is restrained to a theological and divine consideration that is in the generall an assent of the soul to the truth and goodnesse of all divine revelations upon divine testimony Here much might be said as for instance First that all divine revelations are the object of belief as supernaturally inspired Secondly that the ground of believing them is Gods own testimony Faith hath sufficient reason to believe all things there to be true in their relation because of his truth and authority who doth say so viz. God himself Thirdly of the generall nature of believing which is an assent unto all spoken by God as most true and credible Secondly particularly of justifying Faith Faith as you well know hath a double aspect one is to the whole revealed Word of God another is to God in Christ or to Jesus Christ I am not now to speak of it as an eye which may see all colours but as an eye fixing it self on some singular and special object viz. on Jesus Christ in respect of whom it is called justifying faith The believing on whom may be thus described CHAP. V. Faith in Christ what described IT is a singular Grace of God whereby the heart and will of a sensible sinner doth take and embrace Jesus Christ in his person and offices and doth wholly or only rest on him for pardon of sin and eternal life There are many things to be opened in this description forasmuch as all the force of true faith cannot at once in a few short words be clearly expressed SECT I. COnsider therefore the spring or fountaine of this faith is at heaven Gods eternall decree is the radicall cause of it so Causa Acts 13. 48 As many as were ordained to eternal life believed And the instrumental cause of it is the Word of God Rom. 10. 17. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God And the immediate and singular cause of it is the Spirit of God Gal. 5. 22. there it is an expresse fruit So Joh. 1. 12. speaking particularly of believing on the Name of Christ he addeth verse 13. men come to this not being borne of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God That the will or heart of man should be brought off from it self and to abhor its own condition and sufficiency and to take Christ as God propounds him to be the only rock upon which I must built my salvation to be the only Lord to whose Law and Will I must resigne up my whole soul and to cleave unto him in a conjugall union and affection This I say ariseth not from naturall principles nor from the wisdome of a mans free will nor from any endeavour or action which can find footing in man himself It is observed that there are two sorts of habits Two sorts of Habits 1. Some which are acquired by the industry of the person and through a right use of a segacious and understanding mind and such may be purchased by practise and use as the Scholar by writing gets the habit of writing and the Apprentise by his wise and honest observation and industry gets into the skill of his trade and calling Now faith is no such quality we can send forth no such singular acts or operations which are able in time to ripen or beget so excellent a Grace in the soul 2. Others are plainly and entirely infused Faith is not water in the Earth which a man may pump out but it is even in the fulnesse or littlenesse of it in the allnesse of it as the drops or showers of raine which come from heaven Though the subject of it be below yet the cause of it is above it is man who doth believe but it is Gods Spirit alone who gives him that faith to believe
righteouâ—nesse but this is a rotten opinion Because first it makes void the righteousnesse of Chrisâ— by his blood we are justified Rom. 5. 9. By his obedience are we made righteous verse 19. If this doth justifie us then faith as an act doth not unlesse we will be doubly justified Secondly no works of ours before or after grace do justifie us but the act of faith is one of these Eâ—go 3. Correlatively that is with relation to Christ and his righteousnesse and in this respect faith is the onely way one saith well faith doth not justifie as an action but as a passion his Bucer meaning is this not faith apprehending but the thing apprehended by faith doth justifie It is true I must by faith apprehend Christ if I will be saved but it is not the apprehension which saves but he who is apprehended is the cause of my salvation If I were like to be drowned in the water I must put forth my hand to him who stands and reacheth out his hand unto me yet it is not the meer putting forth of my hand which saves me from drowning but his hand which is laid hold on by mine which draws me forth and so I am preserved both must meet but the cause is in him 4. Instrumentally or in respect of office you know well how to distinguish 'twixt actions a man doth as a man and actions which a man doth as an officer If a man be condemned and ready for execution and one comes from the King with the message of pardon the delivering of this message is an act of his employment and office not of his absolute nature as a man only Thus it is with faith it sends out some actions as an absolute grace and it performes others as a grace in office as an instrument designed and deputed It justifies us in this latter respect not that it is the matter or cause which cleares all for us with God but because it is the instrument laying hold on him who doth this for us As the hand is said to cloath the body not that the hand is any cloathing for a man doth not weare his hand but because it is the instrument to put on our cloathing or as the cup is said to quench our thirst not that the mettal of the cup can go down and satisfie that natural appetite but because it holds that wine or liquor which doth quench so doth faith justifie a sinner not as the object not as the cause but as the instrument that is as the hand of the soule laying hold on the Robes of Christs righteousnesse putting on that garment of his and as an instrument receiving and holding and bringing to the soul that precious blood of Christ which onely can immediately satisfie God and appease a thirsty conscience 2. Againe we must distinguish of the manner and peculiar habitudes or respect of things unto salvation some things A twofold reference of things have a reference to salvation by way of proper causality which have in them a meritorious reason for the proper dignity of which a person is justified and saved And in this respect we say that beleeving in Jesus Christ is the only method and way of salvation Not that faith can from its own worth dispute and challenge from God but because Jesus Christ who is the object of faith hath as a cause merited our pardon justification and salvation Other things have a reference by way of order As suppose a man were to be Knighted by the King to obtaine this Knighthood he must come to the Court and stoop down on his knee and so receive that honour This accesse to the Court and humbling on his knee is not a matter of merit or cause but only of order and condition In this latter respect we deny not but good works look towards sâ—lvation and are required thereto Not as any cause Christ only is the cause but as conditions and orderly steps and wayes which we must tread if we will be saved via ad regnum non causa regnandi Bernard When we say that beleeving in Christ Jesus is the onely way to be saved you must not understand it so as if no other grace were required from a man but faith only but thus There is no other grace which layes hold on Christ who is the cause of salvation but faith only As it was with the father of the Prodigal when he met his sonne falling down on his knees he presently forgave him but before he brought him into his house he did cloath him with other garments So doth God our Father upon our humbling and believing freely confer on us remission of sins for his Christs sake yet before he brings us to heaven he doth invest our souls with the singular graces of his holy Spirit yea though justification be not sanctification yet where God doth the one he ever bestowes and works the other Therefore I pray you remember to distinguish 'twixt these two justification and sanctification The person justified and to be saved Though this be most true that there is no other meritorious cause of our justification and salvation but only Christ and there is no other instrument to lay hold on this but faith yet this is as true that the person justified and to be saved hath more graces in him besides his faith though there be not a co-operation of faith and other graces to justifie yet there is a co-existance of faith and other graces in the person justified Thou must have a good heart as well as a good Christ and an holy life as well as a precious faith or else thou shalt never come to heaven You know that in the body of man there be Eyes to see and Eares to hear and Hands to take and Feet to go of all these which are in the body yet no members are deputed to see but the eyes neverthelesse the eye must not say of the eares I have no need of thee nor the hand to the foot I have no need of thee it is granted that no member sees but the eye eates but the mouth walks but the feet layes hold on but the hands Their offices are singular yet their con-corporation is necessary So no grace but faith pitcheth on Christ layes hold on him as the cause of salvation yet there is need of other graces in the person to be saved There must be love and repentance and godly sorrow and true fear and lively hope and patience and zeal c. The estate is changed only by the blood of Christ but if we will be saved the person must also be changed by the Spirit of Christ. SECT I. THese things being thus premised I shall now give you some arguments by which the truth of the assertion shall appear First there is no other way to be saved but this viz. to believe on Jesus Christ Ergo it is the only way Three things I take as granted Hypotheses First that there is a
its own estate for soundnesse As Gideon said in another case If the Lord be with us why is all this evil befallen us so where the faith is weak the soul is often in suit with God yea but if God were my God had I an interest in Christ were my estate good could it be with me thus could it be thus within me thus without me thus upon me c. 3. The more quick and hastening that the soul is for answer and satisfactions the more impatient of Gods delayings this is a signe that it is now weak in faith For did it throughly beleeve it would not make haste were it perswaded fully of Gods goodnesse which makes the promise of his wisdom which will take the fittest time for the grant it would now quietly wait and expect But an over-hastening when the soul will scarce allow any time 'twixt the petition and the speeding of it but I must presently have it or else God is not my God or else my state is bad I say hasty eagernesse to be answered and quick conclusions from Gods silence do shew much weaknesse of faith in the soul There is an importunity which may come from faith and this is a holy pressing of a promise yet with submission and patience And there is an hastinesse which comes from feare As if God would not alwayes be in a good mind towards us as if the present testimonies must be the only arguments of his love and intentions These two things will usually meet in a man whose faith is weak One is he will be hasty to be answered Another is he will be faint if delayed 4. The more inclining the heart is to the life of sense the weaker is the faith like Thomas unlesse he seeth the print of the nails c. he will not beleeve John 20. 25. So unlesse Christians have promises budding they will hardly beleeve that there is fruit growing on them unlesse I feele the sensible favour of God I will not beleeve that he loves me unlesse I reade my pardon I will not beleeve mercy unlesse I discerne sensible meanes I will not beleeve helps unlesse I feele sin slaine in me I will not beleeve that God will subdue it All these in promises affect not and support not the heart It is a signe of a weak childe that must still be carried in the armes When a mans perswasions cannot be wrought by the naked word of promise without some sensible pledges and pawne he is very weak When he is puzling his heart in an endlesse maze of disorder viz. he would have the things of the promise and then beleeve the fidelity of the promise this argues weakness The abstractions of things from sense when God gathers up all a mans estate or any particular good only into his promise into his own hand and saith now canst thou beleeve that I will be good unto thee I promise thee to be thus and thus wilt thou now trust me wilt thou adventure thy soule now upon my word of pardon and mercy upon my word of graâ—e and help so to do would evidence much strength Now you may observe a manifest difference 'twixt strong and weak faith If strong faith seeth its estate in the promise it hath enough it goes away rejoycing if weak faith hath not some of the estate in its own hand as well as in Gods hand it is troubled and afraid 5. The more hardly a beleever comes to be perswaded and assured of Gods undertakings in Covenant his faith is weak When one word of God is not enough but God must say it once and twice and yet againe more clearly As Gideon would have one signe the fleece must be wet and the earth dry and then another signe the fleece must be dry and dew lie upon all the earth Judges 6. 37 39. This shewed weaknesse in his faith so doth it in a Christian when not one or two promises and scarce all of them with all the arguments in God and in Christ can perswade him that God will be merciful to him or that Christ belongs to him 6. The more easie the soule is to let go that assurance the weaker is faith in it when a soul is like a weak hand clasping a staff and the staffe is easily wristed out so the soul le ts go that promise which did revive it and that Christ which seemed to embrace it this argues weaknesse as in Peter when he beleeved that it was Christ on the sea upon Christs Word he ventures out but when the waves met him he begins to sink his faith was weak Why didst thou doubt O thou of little faith said Christ to him Though Christs Word drew him out of the ship yet it did not hold him up all alone And the Disciples We trusted it had been he who should have redeemed Israel So when a temptation comes upon a soul and the soul is ready to be led by it to credit it against Gods promise and Gods testimony in the conscience this aptnesse to let go our hold argues much feare and much feare argues weak faith 7. The more apt the soul is to insist on personal and inherent qualities and abilities as media fiduciae meanes of perswasion this shews that the faith is weak when something in us makes us the more confident as when it is unapt to beleeve unlesse it can discerne such an inherent strength of graces to mourne and to pray or to keep down sinne or keep off temptation Object It is true these abilities are testimonies but yet they are not Media Sol. They are evidences of a solid faith but they are not meanes or causes of beleeving The means or causes are Gods promises which ought alone to be our foundations and encouragements Now when a person is unapt to beleeve that God will do these things for him unlesse these things be done this is weaknesse Good things when they are done they are matters of thankfulnesse and when they are promised they are matters of faith They say in Logick that demonstratio à posteriori is the weaker demonstration that à priori is much stronger for this depends on the cause and that on the effect So is it in beleeving A beleeving à priori from the perswasion of what God saith from his goodnesse and truth is more strong then a beleeving à posteriori that is from a fruition or apprehension of what God doth 8. The more dull and uncheerful the heart is this shews the faith to be weak A sad Spirit and a weak faith usually are companions for a strong faith breeds much peace in the conscience Rom. 5. 1 2. and rejoycing 1 Pet. 1. 8. In whom though now ye see him not yet beleeving ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory such a faith as this hath got to much assurance but uncheerfulnesse of heart argues either as yet the want of all assurance or assurance very weak 9. The more anxious and careful the soule is
it is the will of man which doth take and receive Christ but it is Gods Spirit who doth bestow that grace of faith by which he doth take and receive That a man hath a will none can deny who know that they are men Nay and that the will is able to send out its own actions it is willingly confessed but infinite is the difference 'twixt the naturall actions of the will and the supernatural qualities and operation of Gods Spirit in the will It is true a dead carcase is able of it self to send forth a stinking smell but it is not able to quicken and enliven it self That the will can will I grant but that the will can of it self enliven it self to that great part of life I meane believing it is not only a vehement injury and dishonour to the fountaine and freenesse of grace but also a most foolish and senselesse error the will of man being naturally so opposite to believing and believing being an act so every way unsutable and disproportionable to the inclination and ability of the will No verily faith in God comes from God and so faith in Christ from Christ none ever could see Christ in a justifying and saving way who had not that eye of faith put into him by the Spirit of Christ No grace cōe◠from any but the God of Grace Vnto you it is given to believe Phil. 1. 29. SECT II. THe subject of this faith is a sensible sinner I do not as yet speak of the immediate subject of inhesion which respects Subjectum those parts of the soul wherein this grace is seated of this I shall speak anon But of the subject of denomination and this subject is a sensible sinner There are two sorts of sinners Two sorts of sinners 1. Some generally corrupted both in their natures and in their lives and they are as unsensible as they ere sinfull They do not know in any powerfull degree of true reflection and feeling their own vilenesse accursednesse and miserablenesse of persons being so and remaining so in an unsensible condition of sinfulnesse I dare confidently affirme that though they may have most able and strong presumptiors yet they have not as yet the least degree of justifying and saving faith How can any man by Faith look upon Jesus Christ as his Physitian who is whole in his own opinion The unsensible sinner as he cannot close with Christ so he will not care for Christ for what should now move such an heart is it this holinesse of Christs person Good Lord How ridiculous is that motive to a profane and gracelesse heart or is it the sutablenesse of Christs Office Why what is Salvation to him by another who as yet sees no ground or reason of condemnation in himself 2. Others sensibly experienced who know thus much that they in particular are sinful and there is no Salvation no hope of it from themselves but it is to be found onely in Jesus Christ I confesse there are severall degrees of this sensiblenesse neither dare I to assigne the height and latitude of it unto the tearmes of horror and terror that is that a person must be alwayes and necessarily anguished with extremities of amazement and dejections before he can believe in Christ No though these sharp throwes are manifest in some yet I dare not make them a rule for all only this I say that the heart believes not it looks not towards Christ till it feel it self to be sinful and lost by reason of sin and that there is no possibility of subsistence in it self And now there is room for faith when I feel my self a sinner now there is reason for me to look upon a Saviour and when I am sensible of my own vilenesse now is there reason to look upon another righteousnesse and when I perceive my own lostness now is there cause to look after that salvation which God hath put in the Lord Jesus Christ. Me thinks that of Christ he came not to call the righteous but sinners that he is sent to finde that which is lost that the whole need not a Physitian but the sick that he is sent to preach liberty to the captives do abundantly confirme this truth Yea and our own experiences gives in a clear evidence that not only in the beginning but in the progresse of our conversion our eyes are then most upon Christ to look after him and to prize him when we are most sensibly acquainted with our own sinfulnesse and miserablenesse of condition SECT III. THe Seat or babitation of faith is the heart or will Scriptures are copious in this Rom. 10. 10. with the heart man Sedes believeth unto righteousnesse Acts 8. 37. And Philip said if thou believest with all thy heart thou mayest and he answered and said I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God Rev. 22. ver 11. whosoever will let him take the water of life freely There be who distinguish 'twixt three kindes of faith First Credere deum which is a universall and large conception of a God when the understanding is perswaded beyond Atheisme to believe that there is a God Secondly Credere Deo and this is such a disposition of the understanding by which it gives credit or belief to that God speaking and revealing as to one who is truth and cannot lye Thirdly Credere in Deum which is not only a credence to God as true in his Nature and Word but a reliance on him with the will and embracing of him and his truth and goodness with the affections Now justifying faith or faith in Christ is comprehended in this latter kinde of believing For the better apprehending of this observe a few things viz. First the things which God doth propound unto us are of different ends and uses some are propounded meerly to be known of which sort some conjecture many historicall pasages in the Word and many predictions and many Genealogies Some are propounded not only to be known but also to be done as the Divine Precepts or Commandments some are propounded to be known and to be avoided or declined as all the comminations and threatnings in the Word against sinners Some are propounded to be known and to be embraced with the will and affections of which sort are all the Promises of God and Jesus Christ our Lord. All those parts of the Word which conteine our good and our good to be embraced They have a necessary and naturall reference to the will of man which is planted in us by God to be conversant about all that which respects our good Since then Jesus Christ is our good both personally considered and also vertually considered faith therefore as conversant about him must naturally be planted in the will That there are two parts as it were of faith One is imperfect and in compleat yet is it a necessary ingredient unto faith and this respects the understanding when we are supernaturally illightned to see the
Salvation for a sinner Secondly that there is a way tending thereto as a meritorious 5. Arguments cause of it Thirdly that every man is a sinner for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Rom. 3. 22. Now then know that there are but two wayes of life according Two wayes of life to which there is a double Covenant First one Legal Secondly the other Evangelical The Legal Covenant is do this and live the Evangelical Covenant is believe and live The Legal Covenant grounds salvation in our own persons and the Evangelical in the righteousnesse of another person And these Covenants are opposite that one cannot consist with the other For and mark this though the Law and the Gospel may and do and shall consist as the Law is a word of rule for obedience yet they cannot possibly consist is the Covenant of justification and salvation that is whosoever will stand to the Covenant of works to be justified by it he rejects the Covenant of grace and so Econtra Well then this being true that our life is to be had by the Covenant of Works or of Grace I will briefly shew unto you that we sinners can never be justified and saved by the Legal Covenant which if I clear then it will be evident that our salvation is only by faith in Jesus Christ Thus then all the possibility to be justified and saved by the Legall Covenant ariseth from one of these grounds viz either because That there is a fulnesse and exactnesse in inherent holinesse 3. Things That there is a dignity and efficacy in actual obedience which they call good works That there is a latitude or sufficiency of duty to fulfil the Law which may be conceived to be in a regenerate person but none of these can justifie and save Ergo For the first viz inherent holinesse this holinesse is that 1. Inherent holinesse which is wrought in our whole soul by the Spirit of God whereby of wicked he makes us good and of unholy he makes us holy and according to the severall degrees of it is the person lesse or more holy Now this we say that though the justified person hath this infused inherent holinesse Yet this is not that which Cannot justifie and save can justifie him before God that is for the dignity of which he can stand so before the judgement of God as to be pronounced just and righteous and so acquitted which I prove thus 1. That can never be the cause of our justification which is defective and imperfect and leaves yet the person in some measure sinful I 4. Reasons of it cannot in the Court of Justice be pronounced perfectly just for that righteousnesse which is imperfectly just no more then he can in a strict court be reputed to make full satisfaction who hath not paid halfe his debt or to be throughly well who is scarse able to walk three turnes in the Chamber But that holiness which is in us inherent holinesse is very imperfect I speak of that which is in us here on earth it is not adequate or parallel to the whole will of God which requires perfection of degrees as well as of parts That it is imperfect is as cleare as day First it is at combate with sin Ergo it is not perfect the argument is good for whiles one contrary is mixed with the other there is still imperfection Sinne and Grace are contrary and conflictings shew imperfection as victory notes perfection Secondly that which may be encreased is not perfect but our inherent holinesse may receive more encrease Hence those many exhortations to perfect holiness 2 Cor. 7 1. and to labor after perfection 2 Cor. 1. 3. Thirdly all the parts of holinesse are imperfect Faith is not so clear an eye nor Hope so fixed an Anchor nor Love so pure a streame but that each of them need additions of degrees of strength of help the Moon when it draweth into nearest conjunction with the Sun and is filled with the longest beames of communicated light it hath yet her spots which like so many reproaches stick in the heart of her so is it with the holiest person on earth with the largest measures of inherent graces he hath yet great measures of sinne which like so many spots do blemish and disable the soul to stand perfectly pure and just before the eyes of God That righteousnesse by which we are justified is manifested without the Law See Rom. 3. 21. and what that righteousnesse is he expresseth in ver 22. even the righteousnesse of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe But inherent righteousnesse is not manifested without the Law Why because the Law commands this inherent righteousnesse viz. To love the Lord our God with all our hearts c. That cannot be the cause of our justification and salvation upon which the conscience dares not to rest in the secret agonies of conflict or in the eminent houres of death when the soul is to enter conflict with the wrath of God being wounded with the sense of sinne and cited as it were before the tribunal of Gods holy and strict justice dares it then to put it self seriously and in good earnest upon its own holinesse to make its peace to be its propitiation to satisfie the trials and demands of Gods justice One Chemnitius well observeth of the Papists that when they are to dispute with men they will plead for inherent holinesse but when they are to contend with God they will flie only to Christ tutissimum est said Bellarmine It was no ill meditation that of Anselme Conscientia mea meruit damnationem Paenitentia mea non sufficit ad Anselme satisfactionem sed certum est quod miserecordia tua superat omnem offensionem that is O Lord my conscience tells me I have deserved damnation all the repentance that I have or can perform comes short of satisfaction but thy mercy even thy mercy only can pardon and so exceed all my transgressions The most holy persons do every day sin and need daily pardon and daily mercy how then can we be justified or saved for the merit or dignity of any holinesse in our selves How ridiculous were it that he should think himself to stand in great favour and acceptation before his Prince for the singularity of his continued vertues and performances who every day breaks out into such acts which need the Kings gracious mercy and pardon There is no dignity or meritorious efficacy in actual holinesse or 2. Actual holiness or good works cannot justifie 2. Reasons of it in good works by reason whereof we can be justified and saved I know this fields is very large I will not expatiate but speak in a word of it with a proper respect to the thing in hand I prove the thing thus 1. No man since Adams fall can performe works in that perfection which
bound for me alas saith he all my estate will not reach or extend to satisfie half of what thou owest Then he goes to another Sir be you pleased to engage your self Alas saith he I am so poore that the Creditor will not take my word Even thus it is when a man will runne to something in himself to justifie him before God alas saith holinesse I am not able enough and saith good works God may finde reason enough to discard us Therefore saith Faith To Christ To Christ None but Christ SECT II. SEcondly All that can justifie and save a man is only to be found in Christ as in the meritorious cause Ergo the only way to be saved is to be beleeve in Jesus Christ Hence is Christ called Heb. 2. 10. The Chaptaine of our salvation Heb. 5. 18. The Author of eternal salvation There be two things which if a man had he should be saved one is the forgivenesse of his sinnes Ergo saith David Ps 32. 1. Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered ver 2. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity Another is the possession of a most compleat righteousnesse by which he might stand and appeare perfectly just before the judgement seat of God so that if divine justice should look on it with the exactest eye yet it were every way unspotted and full Now these two are to be found only in Christ and by him First Remission of sinnes It is the purchase of his blood onely and therefore often in Scripture assigned thereto Thou canst not with all thy teares wipe off meritoriously the least of thy sinnes nor with all thy grace buy out the pardon of thy present failings All Remission is by blood by the only blood of Christ Secondly the righteousnesse which justifies and saves us is only in Christ He is made righteousnesse to us 1 Cor. 1. 30. and Rom. 5. 19. As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous see verse 21. Grace reignes through righteousnesse unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. I know that this Point of imputed righteousnesse is the great quarrel 'twixt us and the Church of Rome I shall therefore reserve the handling of it to the Uses where I may more fitly clear our doctrine Now put things together Whatsoever will save us is in Christ And faith is the only grace to conjoyne us with Christ and therefore To believe in Jesus Christ is the only way to saved SECT III. THirdly Salvation is by grace only Eph. 2. 5. Rom. 11. 6. And it is a free gift Rom. 5. 15. The free gift the grace of God and the gift of grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many and v. 16. the free gift is of many offences to justification and v. 18. the free gift came upon all men to justification of life Now if it be so then here 's roome for beleeving For Faith brings nothing of its own but receives all as gift from God It is the receiving grace Lord give me thy Son Lord give me the pardon of my sinnes Lord give me a righteousnesse Lord give me eternal life all these things are gifts and faith only receives these gifts Ergo. SECT IV. FOurthly Salvation is only conferr'd in such a way whereby God only may have the glory of it Though God doth bestow great matters on us for our good yet all the end of them is for his own glory To commend the riches of his grace and mercy Ephes 2. 7 8. so v. 9. Not of works least any man should boast that is he should vaunt and say I have got heaven by my own merits I have my wages for my labour and my happinesse for my penny Now the way of beleeving is the only way of acknowledgeing a God and of emptying of our proud imaginations whatsoever faith hath it hath taken the same out of a gracious hand All is almes which comes to faith and it will confesse I have nothing and am nothing but what I have received and what I expect I expect it for his sake who promiseth it not for my sake who receives it and thus faith puts all the glory on God SECT V. FIfthly neither would our salvation be sure nor our comfort sure if we were to be saved any other way then by believing in Jesus Christ Salvation would not be sure because First our happinesse would be no more sure now being in our own hands out of Christs then was Adams left to himself Secondly we would never be sure of salvation by any thing against which God might take just exception No sure comfort because conscience troubled with the sence of sin could never be pacified with imperfections and sins That which will not satisfie God can never pacifie conscience But saith the Apostle Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by faith we have peace with God faith findes one who was delivered for our offences who pacified God to the utmost who was without spot whose righteousnesse is full imputed to us accepted for us and so hereupon doth graciously quiet and still the heart We must distinguish 'twixt the root and fountaine and ground of our comfort and between the testimonies of our interest in the root of our comfort only Jesus Christ is the ground of a Christians comfort and therefore saith Paul God forbid that I should rejoyce in any thing but in the crosse of Christ If at any time we behold holinesse or any part of it in our hearts we take comfort in it not as the ground but as in the testimony because it doth manifest our interest in him who is our comfort our peace our joy our salvation our all in all Thus much for the Explication and confirmation of this great assertion viz. That to beleeve in Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation Now I descend to the useful Application of all to our selves CHAP. VIII The preaching and hearing of the Gospel of singular use THe first Use shall be for Information which consists in many profitable consectaries or inferences which will flow from this truth If beleeving in the Lord Jesus Christ be the only way to be saved Then first hence it will follow That the preaching of the Gospel is worthy the while it is of necessary and singular consequence Peruse that place Rom. 1. 16. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Chrict for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that beleeveth verse 17. for there is the righteousnesse of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written the just shall live by faith The Apostle presents two arguments of his honourable estimation and confident preaching of the Gospel 1. One is that it is the power of God to salvation that is it is the instrument which God useth and into which he doth imprint a power to save men It is called the power of
from gilt and condemnation And thus is it for ought I can learn altogether used and sensed in the Scriptures which speak of our justification before God viz. for such an action of God whereby after the manner of a Judge he absolveth and acquitteth an accused person Rom. 8. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth verse 34. Who is he that condemneth where you have a manifest Antithesis or opposition 'twixt justification and condemnation now as condemnation is an action of the Judge a sentence of his pronouncing the person gilty and obnoxious so justification being contrary to it must import an action or sentence acquitting and absolving Yea and again as condemnation most improperly and abusively must be interpreted if we expound it to be a making of a man so and so sinful by infusion so is justification unrightly conceited when men make it to be a making of a person just by infusion of holinesse It is observed that in this kinde of justification viz. which is judicial There are foure persons as it were First the Agent One who begins the suit accuseth layeth such and such things to the charge of another the Apostle said it Rom. 8. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge c. Secondly the Patient the person accused and charged with default and offence and gilt Thirdly the Advocate who endeavours to vindicate the party so charged from the accusation either by declaring the innocency of the person or impleading satisfaction Fourthly the Judge who in justification of that person gives sentence for the person accused according to the valid plea of the Advocate and so absolveth him It is thus in the point of our justification there is Satan accusing and something else There is man accused of sinne and gilt there is Christ interposing and pleading as an advocate by his blood and righteousnesse and there is God as a Judge for Christs sake acquitting and absolving and pronouncing righteous and accepting to everlasting life So then the proper and punctual acception of the word justification is not according to infusion but according to absolution and pronunciation It is not Physical as when a man is made whole but it is judicial as when a man is cleared at the bar He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just they are both an abomination to the Lord Proverbs 17. 15. There is the word againe Not I trust to be expounded by way of infusion that is he who makes a wicked man a good man by impression of righteousnesse is an abomination to God but it is to be expounded by way of judiciary sentence that is he who pronounceth of a wicked man in the Court of Justice as if he were just and reputes him as so and accepts him as so This man is an abomination to the Lord. Now take one distinction and then I will to the nature of Justification There is a twofold Justification A twofold Justification One of the cause and this is a particular kinde of acquittance touching such and such things which are laid to a person perhaps sometimes very unjustly Secondly another of the person when he is throughly purged and absolved now in this respect we speak of justification which I think for the nature of it may be thus defined SECT II. JVstification of a sinner it is a gracious and just action of God whereby he imputing the righteousnesse of Christ to a believing sinner absolveth or acquitteth him from his sins and accepteth of him as righteous in Christ and as an heire of eternal life There are diverse things considerable in this description 3. Things in this description First Justification immediately belongs to God it is his action It is God that justifieth saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 33. And who can forgive sins but God only Luk. 5. 21. We well distinguish 'twixt officia and beneficia 'twixt duties and 'twixt blessings duties belong to us but blessings belong to God It is God who is offended and therefore condemnation and absolution belong to him to the Judge not to any other hence saith the Apostle God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe 2 Cor. 5. 19. not imputing their sin You do well to distinguish of the causes of our Justification There is first the prime cause the Author and this is God the Father who gave his only begotten Son for us and set him forth to be a propitiation for sinne through faith in his blood that all who do believe in him should be justified Rom. 3. 25. And who is the Judge absolving all that believe and pronouncing them just in Christ Secondly The meritorious cause so the Son of God our Mediator is said to justifie us both as our surety in paying our debt and laying down the full price of our redemption Isai 53. 11. thereby affording unto us the matter and merit of our Justification and as our Intercessor and Advocate pleading effectually for us that his merits may be imputed to us Hence is it Isai 53. 11. My righteous servant shall justifie many God the Father justifies as a Judge by way of prime authority and God the Son justifies as a Mediator The Son justifies as a surety paying our debt and giving satisfaction to the Father for us to the utmost and the Father justifieth us as a Creditor fully accepting of that price and satisfaction Thirdly The applying cause and thus the Holy Ghost may be said to justifie in asmuch as he conjoynes Christ and the soul by faith together whence ariseth a participation of the righteousnesse of Christ and the pardon of sin by him Once more distinguish of justification it may be taken two wayes either actively as a judiciary sentence absolving acquitting c. and so we say God justifieth Or Passively as a thing apprehended and rested on and so we say that Faith justifieth not as if faith did acquit but as it takes and receiveth the acquittance not as if faith did impute a righteousnesse but because it receiveth and resteth on the righteousnesse of Christ by God imputed to us now when we say that justification is an Action of God it is meet for you to understand somewhat of the kinde of this action For the actions of God are of different sorts Some which are produced within us and make a reall alteration 2. Sorts of actions and change in the soul of man thus sanctification is an action of God that is such an action of God as is altering the inward frame and qualities of the soul of unholy making them holy of unbelieving making them believing of hard making them soft of earthly making them heavenly c. Others are wrought for us but not in us and though they import a change of the condition and state of the person yet properly and formally they imprint no change in the inward disposition And thus Justification is an action of God not an action changing
and with all those to have a heart glued to the world folded up in the love of sinne resolved against all hazards to shift off all profession rather then to endure any storme what so great a task is this But to have a minde taught of God and to have an understanding bowed with the strength of Divine light and inward change to the obedience of truth and to have a will sweetly renewed and with an holy trembling humbly receiving Christ in his person and offices and bestowing the whole soul and body on him againe here the work sticks CHAP. XII The sure and dangerous misery of unbeliefe THe last thing which may stirre us to try our selves is the consideration of that amazing danger and unspeakable misery to which the soul is assuredly obnoxious in case of unbelief Why will you say What danger if we believe Obj. not I answer there are three special dangers First all thy sinnes stand upon record against thee like so many sad debts which thou hast run thy self into from thy conception to this very day They are all written with the pen of a Diamond there is no blotting out of a mans sinnes but by the blood of Christ and the unbeliever hath not his portion in that blood and therefore there are all thy sinnes uncancelled thy sinnes of nature and all thy sinnes of life such a sin and such a sin then and there and againe committed c. O how great is the volume of them the number of them cannot be numbred and the guilt of them cannot be conceived if one sin binds thee over to hell Good God! To what flames of vengeance and horrible degreâ—s and intensions of misery and wrath do all thy sins oblige thee Yea and as Solomon said in another case Prov. 9 12. If thou scornest thou alone shalt beare it so I say here if thou remain an unbeliever thou alone must answer for all thy sinnes Whatsoever the wrathful displeasure of God is whatsoever the horrors of conscience are whatsoever the gnawings of that worm are whatsoever the heat of hell flames are Whatsoever the doleful separation from God is Whatsoever curse the Law implies for sin that maist thou expect who wilt not believe in Christ O! if that wrath was so hot when it obliquely as it were fell on Christ where it had no unholy and self-guilty quality to admix with it selfe that he sweat drops of blood and cryed out my God c. How wilt thou with any patience ease possible quietnesse susteine the extream wrath of the Almighty Judge who art vile and filthy and hast a conscience with all thy torments to gall and vex thee with the stings of misery guilts and self-accusations tell me how art thou able what canst thou say how canst thou beare up before the Lord if he should arise if he should terribly arise to judge the nations He is the Holy God and Just and is True and Great in power What satisfaction canst thou bring where are thine oblations or with what wilt thou reconcile thy self to the Lord Whereby canst thou either make thy former sins to be no sins or perswade the Lord to be propitious to thee without Christ Nay verily he will judge thee as an unrighteous person for if thou hast not Christ what righteousnesse hast thou there is no hope for thee to be acquitted nay nor hope to be saved nay thou art sure to be damned Mark 16. 15. Go you into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature 16. He that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved but he that beleeveth not shall be damned John 3. 18. He that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not beleeved in the name of the only begotten Sonne of God 36. He that beleeveth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that beleeveth not the Son shaâ—â— not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Rev. 2. 8. The fearful and unbelieving are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone But you will say Why This is strange Why such Obj. extreame misery for not beleeving what sinne is it It is one of the greatest sins in the world not to believe that is Sol. not to receive the Lord Jesus Christ Because It is a sinne against the greatest love to the world Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave c. Rom 5. 8. But God commendeth his love towards us that whiles we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us God shewed the greatnesse of his love to bestow his Sonne and Christ shewed the greatnesse of his love to dye for us Greater love said Christ can no man shew then to lay down his life c. Now for the Lord to finde out a way of Salvation and in love to our soules to offer this Son of his unto us and to beseech us to be reconciled and then for us like them who were envited to the supper we cannot come we will not come O this c. It is a sin for which there can be no remedy for asmuch as it is a sin against the only remedy of a sinful soul The sentence of the Law may be repealed by the Gospel but not ècontra There is no plaister for the soul but the blood of Christ which yet unbelief will not take and receive It is a sinne which as much as in it lies makes void and vaine all the Covenant of Grace turning all the goodnesse of it into nothing and all the truthes of it into lyes and makes the blood of Christ to be shed in vaine He that beleeveth not makes God a lyar because he beleeveth not the record that God gave of his Sonne 1 John 5. 10. It is a sin which directly murders the soul because it doth wilfully hold it off from Christ who would upon believing pardon and justifie and save All these things being premised let us now descend towards the triall or evidences of true faith in Christ where I beseech you observe CHAP. XIII Rules for the discovery of faith FIrst some Rules of Direction for the manner of â—vidence and testifying of faith that you may neither be deceived by presumption nor perplexed by error and doubting Two things Secondly some lively instance of true faith as the Word of God doth clearly represent them The Rules of discovery and finding out faith which are these SECT I. THere are some things without which faith cannot be in the heart and yet they do not necessarily and infallibly conclude that a man hath faith They do well distinguish in the Schools 'twixt an Antecedent and a Cause a Cause is such a thing as is before the effect and which beiâ—g put the effect also is put one will not go without the other But an Antecedent is that which must go before another thing yet it is not necessary that if it be that the other thing should follow The rising of the Sunne is a cause of day and therefore this will
alwayes hold If the Sunne be up it is day But this now Learning is or should Simile be an Antecedent to preferment it should go before it yet it is not an infallible truth that every one who gaines learning should enjoy preferment Thus is it in the nature of faith There are some Antecedents there are some things which must of necessity go before faith yet they alone do not formally and assuredly conclude that a man hath faith as for instance A man cannot beleeve in Christ he cannot receive Jesus Christ with all his heart he hath some historical evidence of Christ he must have some knowledge of Christ what he is and what he hath done or else he cannot take him to be his Lord and Saviour Yet this knowledge doth not infallibly conclude justifying and saving faith for as much as the Devils and Hypocrites may see much of Christ they may have a high degree of intellectual apprehension Again a man cannot by faith take Christ to be his Lord and Saviour unlesse he hath some sensiblenesse of his sinful condition our heart will not look towards Christ it cannot conceive of his excellencies nor of his own necessity until we feel our sinfulnesse and lostnesse and vilenesse The whole neither need nor look for a Physician yet a person may be sensible of his sinful condition he may not only by the light of natural conscience apprehend some broader and stirring enormities but he may by a smart and quick light let in by the Ministry of the Word discern heaps of wickednesse in his life and heart for which his conscience may sting him with wonderfully bitter accusations and yet such a person possibly may not rise from trouble to faith as is evident in Cain and Judas So then remember this that in the searchings and trials for faith you do not conclude the presence of the habit from the common antecedent of faith for as much as faith is but a contingent consequent of them sometimes it doth follow sometimes it doth not As in Marriage sometimes it doth follow the motion which is made and sometimes it doth not so the espousing of our soules to Christ by faith sometimes it doth follow knowledge sometimes it doth not sometimes it doth follow the preaching of the Word and yet sometimes it doth not for all have heard yet who hath beleeved said the Apostle Rom. 10. sometimes it doth follow the motions and inward excitations of the Spirit and sometimes it doth not 2. There are some things which faith only doth produce yet because it doth not produce them alwayes a man therefore must not negatively conclude from the absence of them the absence of faith You know that holy and spiritual joy it is the sole fruit of faith therefore faith the Apostle 1 Pet. 1. 8. Beleeving ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and glorious There is nothing which can present to the heart of a Christian such full cause of joy as faith such a God such a Christ such a love such a blood such a mercy such happinesse such unmixt and proper and sutable good There is a carnal joy which sparkles from the cup of pleasure and there is a glistering joy which the raies of gold may produce and there is a beastly joy which the fulfilling of sinful lusts may send forth and there is a flashing and transient joy which the pride of hypocrites may dart out but sound and weighty and holy and pure and spiritual joy which is a well grounded and not to be repented affecting of the heart that comes only from faith Yet it comes from faith as a separable effect look as trouble and sorrow is a Contingent antecedent so even in actu imperato true joy is a separable fruit of faith Though the branches and green leaves do sprout out of the living root only yet this color doth not appeare at all times Though the blade comes only from the graines cast into the earth yet you cannot alwayes observe the blade Though the flesh and natural complexion flows only from health yet there may be sad occasions which though they do not extinguish health may yet fowle and blubber the complexion So even the beleeving person may sometimes have a tear in his eye an handkercheif in his hand a sigh in his breast and yet have faith in his heart He may sit down in ashes and feed on tears as David did and for all this he may be a true beleever He is not alwayes able to see the causes of his joy nor to break through the contrarieties to his faith nor to remove the quashings of his comforts Therefore when you are to try your selves about your faith do not make a negative inference from separable evidences 3. There are some things which faith only doth produce not as essential properties but as magnificent testimonies The moral Phylosophers distinguish 'twixt the effects and acts of liberality as it is absolutely considered and as it is eminently considered being raised to magnificence To give a farthing according to the rules and circumstances of morality even this is an act of liberality but to build a Colledge this is now an act of liberality grown into the greatnesse of magnificence So is it in the matter of faith there are some fruits of faith which come from it absolutely considered according to the vital constitution of it And there be other fruits which come from it eminently considered faith is come to an height to a strength when it sends them forth Though a child cannot bear a burden of an hundred pound weight yet he can desire the breast and suck the bearing of such a burden belongs to strength and yet the very sucking shews that he hath life Though a Christian be not able in all respects at all times with all moderation and silence to passe presently through every heavy occurrence which shews strength of faith yet his heart may most affectionately cling about Christ which shews the truth of faith Assurance is a fruit of an eminent faith and so is a more habitual 3. Eminent fruits stedfastnesse of quiet submission and confidence in all estates conditions and so is that maintenance of the heart upon Gods promises in the times of strong contrarieties Now as Divines should warily open their lips so should you wisely distinguish of the evidences of a true faith some being if I may so terme them essential and others being eminent some there are which discover the truth others which testifie the strength of faith It is one thing to shew unto you the properties of a man another thing to shew unto you the properties of a strong man Many a poore Christian hath been deeply gravell'd â—â— others and extreamly afflicted by his own spirit for want of this distinction of the properties of faith Because he reades and hath heard what admirable and singular fruits and effects faith hath sent out as Assurance and full assurance and with these some glorious
acts of self-denial as in Abraham and his unstaggering embracing of a promise against which both reason and sense and nature might have disputed and urged O say they we have no faith Abrahams faith wrought full assurance removed all staggerings our hearts are still doubting we can hardly be perswaded we reel and stagger like the waves now on the shore and then instantly off now we beleeve anon we let go our hold and doubt And hence they uncomfortably conclude against their own souls the utter absence of faith from the defect of some particular and eminent expressions of faith not absolutely as faith but of faith as strong and exceedingly ripened we must not conclude negatively from the degrees to the habit As if one should conclude that he hath no silver in his purse because another hath a bank of many thousands or that he hath no legges to go because he is not so swift as Asahel or that the Sparrow flies not because he cannot mount up to the Sunne with the Eagle or that a child is no man because he cannot expresse the acts of a strong man 4. There are and will be many inward contrarieties to the intrinsecal acts and fruits of faith notwithstanding faith be truly in the soul and works there Faith though it hath the preheminence of other graces in respect of its office being the only Embassador as it were of the soul to Christ yet it hath no priviledge above them in respect of the subject that is in respect of the act and workings of it there but look as every other Grace hath some or other particular corruption opposite to its particular nature and its particular actings So even faith it self hath infidelity and unbelief opposing it both in the quality and in the several exercisings or actings of it There may be flame of the smoak and a hand with shaking and a tree trembling and a faith of doubting Yea if any grace hath the hardnesse of a more general and 〈◊〉 opposition then faith is it it being a grace of general 〈◊〉 and use to fetch in more grace and more strength against aâ—l sinne Now in our trials for faith it will be with us as with the Artificer in his search for the little raies of gold It 's true he shaâ—l finde much drosse here and there and yet if he can finde a very little peece of gold though amidst an heap of drosse he will say this is gold and will preciously esteeme of it and lay it up So when we are searching our hearts by the light of Gods Word for true faith without all doubt we shall meet with many doubtings much unbelief yet if we can finde any one degree of true faith which is more precious then gold we may not cast it away because it is found amongst its contraries but we must cherish and embrace it because the touchstone of the Word hath approved it to be a precious faith For and mark this we are not able to give you any evidences of faith or any other grace by way of abstraction but by way of existence that is not what may discover faith in a notional and the most singularly conceivable profession of it but such testimonies you have to discover faith as faith is now abiding in sinful persons who though they may have true faith yet as long as they live in earth will have many things in them contrary to faith There is a double contrariety to faith A double contrariety One is natural and this more or lesse will be in the soul of any beleeving person tell you can utterly raise the heart and eject sinne by the alteration of glory So long as we have flesh and spirit there will be a conflâ—cting 'twixt faith and unbelief As there was a mixtuâ—e of joy and sorrow at the erecting of the Temple Another is approved when a man neither doth nor will beleeve he neither doth accept of Christ nor will he have Christ to reigne over him and he likes his unbeleeving condition this is a fearful estate But though the contraries to faith do arise yet if they be not approved yet if they be resisted we must not conclude that we have no faith because of the opposition but rather assure our selves that we have it because of the resistance of that opposition We must not conclude against faith because of opposition inward or outward This inequality of acts conclude not an absence of the habit of faith Distinguish of 1. Radical habits 2. Actual exercisings which are sometimes more sometimes lesse sometimes clear sometimes interrupted sometimes the soul is free sometimes oppressed and violently carried by temptation to misjudge the condition The censure of our faith must not be allowed as is given in the time of our temptation and passion c. I said in my haste Psalme 116. Obj. But you will say we grant all this But how may a man know that his faith in Jesus Christ is a true and lively faith Sol. I answer SECT II. FIrst A true love of Christ is an infallible and essential evidence of a true faith in Christ There are foure things which will clear this as a lively testimony 4. Things of true faith If we can prove First that love is not separated from faith Secondly that there is no beleever in any degrees of faith but he hath a love of Christ Thirdly That there is no time or circumstance into which the beleeving soul is cast but still he loves Christ Fourthly that no unbeleeving heart can and doth love Christ I say if we can prove these foure conclusions then it will be most evident and certaine that the love of Christ is an infallible Argument or Testimony of a true faith in Christ Thus then 1. Love is not separated from faith If you peruse the Scripture you shall finde them go hand in hand Gal. 5. 6. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcission availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which works by love that is Christ is not mine because I am a Jew nor is he mine because I am a Gentile but he is mine because I am a Beleever and if my Faith in him be true it will expresse it self by love I Thes 1. 3. Your work of faith and labour of love in our Lord Jesus Christ Faith and love are like a warm hand faith is the hand and love is the warmth in it faith cannot be the hand to take Christ but love will be the warmth to heat our affections unto Christ 1 Tim. 1. 14. The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Ghrist Jesus Faith and love are like the husband and the wife and faith and love are like the mother and the daughter See 2 Tim. 1. 13. and Phil. 5. And indeed it stands with unanswerable reason that faith and love cannot be divided for as much as faith in Christ First represents the absolute and effectual cause of love to Christ
another thing for thee to be a servant of sin Not who assaults me but whom I love and serve he is my Lord. When the heart goes off from Christ to the approbation and love and habitual obedience of sin now sin is thy Lord But if by faith thou hast sworne fealty to Christ then though all temptations begirt thee though the insolencies of corrupt nature break in upon thee to captivate or to alienate thy heart from service to Christ yet amidst all oppressions yea under all the knocks and buffettings and interruptions by sinne the heart cries out I acknowledge no Lord but Christ him I would obey him I honour I love his I am and I yet hate those sins which yet I cannot conquer SECT V. FOurthly a fourth tryal of true faith is this It makes the heart humble and lowly Every unbeleeving heart is proud and hath high imaginations and stands upon its own bottom It hath no sound experience either of God or of it self But true faith casts a man quite out of himselfe it sees no ground of confidence and excellency from any thing in our selves Faith hath a double aspect 1. One is upon us 2. Another A double aspect of faith is upon God and Christ When faith looks down upon us alas it findes no matter of boasting in the world for either it findes sinnes which should abase our hearts or else imperfections which should curb our pride or wants which should shew unto us our indigence and dependance The Evil which it findes may confound us and the good which it findes may make us ashamed not only because it is so short and defective in what we ought to have but also because we have not answered the giving of that good with just thanks or we have not improved that good to the advantage as we might have done When faith looks upward to God and Christ there it sees all the causes of all our mercy and of all our happinesse have we pardon of sinnes why saith Faith the cause of this is in Gods love Have we righteousnesse why saith Faith the cause of this is in Christs merits Have we any gifts any acceptance any remembrance from heaven why saith faith the cause of this is only in Christs blood All that I have is given me and the cause of all that giving is utterly out of my self so that the soul sits down now and sayes O Lord in my selfe I am nothing nay of my self worse then nothing but what I am I am that by thy grace All I have is thine my bread my health my life my body my soul all thine If any love if any mercy if any Christ if any grace if any comfort if any strength if any stedfastnesse if any performances if a good work if a good word if a good affection if a good thought why all is thine thou only art the cause I am lesse then the least of thy mercies and what is thy servant that thou shouldest look on such a one as I am Thou madest me and thou boughtest me and thou calledst me and thou justifiest me and thou savest me Though faith makes thy condition high yet it makes thy person low Thou shouldst by faith be not high minded but feare Rom. 11. 20. why not high minded because standing by faith Because this standing of faith is not of our selves but in God but in Christ Faith is the foot of the soul but heaven the grace of heaven the strength of heaven is the ground upon which the foot doth stand SECT VI. FIfthly true faith is fruitful James 2. 18. I will shew thee my faith by my works ver 21. Was not our father Abraham justified by works verse 22. seest thou how faith wrought by his works and by works was faith made perfect The Apostle in that Chapter speaks of a double faith A double faith One was a counterfeit faith a shadow as it were which had the looks but not the substance it was a dead faith which hath the limbs but not the soul and life But how did it appeare that this faith was dead did it not speak many good words yes saith Saint James It gave gâ—od words praeteria nihil no good works It could say to the poore be ye cloathed and be ye warme but gave nothing to cloath or to feed why saith he this mans faith is vaine â—hat is he hath not the true quality of faith and it will stand him in no stead Another was a lively and justifying faith It had in it the true nature and property of faith but how did that appear The Apostle answers by Works You know that there is a great difference 'twixt these two viz. the justifying of a mans person before God and the justifying of a mans faith before the world That which justifies my person before God is only faith in Jesus Christ and that which Justifies as one particular my faith before men not to be a dead but a living faith is the acting of good works Hence that of Paul Tit. 3 8. This is a faithful saying and those things I will that thou affirme constantly that they which have beleeved in God might be careful to maintain good works these things are good and profitable unto men Right is the speech of Saint Augustine sequuntur justificatum though non precedunt justificandum As in a clock the finger makes not the clock to Austin go but the clock it and yet the motion of the finger without shews whether the clock goes within So although works do not cause or infuse justifying faith nor yet cause our Justification yet they do cleerly manifest whether we have such a faith as doth indeed justifie or not Obj. You will say the work of Faith is to look up and to come and to deal with God only and therefore to breath out good works which respect men seems not to be any testimony of faith Sol. I answer 1. The Apostle there expressely distinguisheth the lively and the dead faith by works as if he said it is so 2. There is if you will let me distinguish so as it were a double act of faith One is proper and personal and this is circumscribed to that Heavenly employment of receiving or presenting in and through Christ Another is Grateful and this is extended to the sending forth of good works Not as if it were a work of superarogation for faith findes the doing of good works under many commands and also the rewards of them under many promises but because faith sees also a sweet and reasonable equity that if God be good to me in Christ I should be good to some for Christs sake And verily as the worklesse person doth not now own Christ by faith so hereafter Christ will not own him by mercy depart from me Obj. But yet you will reply good works cannot be a sure testimony of faith because many evil men may performe them and some beleevers have not wherewithal
at the Pool and so will weak faith it will be at the meanes of strength It loves to be doing about Christ and to be where the strength of Christ is revealed It is wise to observe the grounds of its fears and doubtings and carefull to remove them O how earnest is the weak believer to heare what God will speak unto him and if at any time the soul can get by the assistance of the Word to close with mercy and Christ it is revived with joy of tears and falls down with thanks Lord what is thy servant Nay if it hath apprehended but a hint but a crevise if it be enabled but a little to step above its dark doubtings to apprehend but a darting beame any perswasion that all is well or will be so it is refreshed and saith that God is good I observe that the weak childe will be much after the breasts and the weak man will handle his staffe much and the weak believer will be much at the places and ordinances and wayes of more strength It is with faith as it is with a blade of corn at the first the eare of graine is quite skinned over yet it breaks open aside and at length is the very top of the stalk So faith at first is swathed over with doubtings none but a tender and merciful God can see that little mustard-seed but at length it opens to more adherence on God and Christ and promises and in time it can triumph against its former feares and suspitions Or it is like a weak man recovering if he can but stand it s well then if he can set on in a few paces with his staff then if his motion can be single then if longer then if stronger so is it with faith if it can make the soul to look upon Christ then if it could look on him as mine then if so without fear then if so with joy then if so with strength and stedfastnesse It will not rest in weakness though it begins in weakness but like the weak Ivie which is winding up the tree so will faith be winding up the soul higher and higher into Christ by the help of his Spirit of his Promises of his Word and of his Sacraments 5. Weak faith will yet venture the soul upon Christ though it cannot cleare its title nor answer its feares nor to it s own sense rely on Christ yet if the soul be put and determined to one of these either to renounce all hope in Christ and so to be lost or to put it self upon Christ though it hath no inward encouragement from it self I say at such a time even weak faith will discover it self it will not renounce its hidden interest in Christ but will roule the soul on him If I perish I perish yet I will cleave to Christ yet I will cast my soul on him and on his blood and righteousnesse SECT VI. THe third general which we observed to the former scruple 6. The concordance of all faith in foure things was the concordance of all faith which is true whether strong or weak in fundamentall comforts First every believer hath a sure interest in Christ It is with the members of Christ as with the members of the body though they are not all of equall strength in a comparison one with the other yet they are of equall conjunction in a relation of all of them to the head So one believer exceeds another in a special measure of faith yet every believer is a member firmly and surly knit to Christ the head of all believers Christ is not the Saviour and Lord only of the strong but also of the weak not only the old man nor only the young man but also the children the little children to whom Saint John wrote they are all in Christ 1 Joh. 2. There is a wide difference 'twixt reflexive certainty and 'twixt real certainty of interest strong faith hath the pre-eminence of weak faith in respect of a reflexive and sensible certainty but not in respect of a reall certainty this is univocal the union 'twixt Christ and the soul doth not depend upon the strength but upon the truth of faith If my will consents unto Christ if my heart accepts of him upon his own tearmes if I take his whole person and his whole condition the match is truly made 'twixt Christ and me he is surely mine and I am surely his Although I am not in an assured condition yet I am in a sure union Christ doth certainly own that soul which by faith doth truly embrace him All mine are thine and thine are mine saith Christ Joh. 17. 10. He speaks of the Disciples and of all the Elect who were the fathers in respect of a gracious election and gift and Christs in respect of a tender affection and union So that here is one concordance of all faith in respect of fundamentall comfort viz. that the objective unity is one and common the weak and the strong eye meet in the same colours as the object and weak and strong faith are two different hands yet both of them upon one and the same Christ Secondly every believer hath a beneficial interest in Christ that iâ— weak faith hath an interest in the benefits of Christ as well as the strong faith I will instance in some special and choise benefits First Redemption from the Malediction of the Law Christ took that off He was made a curse for all that believe on him He did not stand in the room only of eminent but of every believer and endured the wrath to the utmost for every one who doth believe on him Thou art freed from a cursed estate by the least faith every degree of true faith makes the condition to be a state of life and passeth us from death and condemnation There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. Secondly Remission of sinnes what Christ said to that impotent person Sonne be of good cheer thy sinnes are forgiven thee that is true of every beleever Christ hath purchased a pardon for him Acts 13. 38. Be it known unto you men and brethren that through this man is preached unto you the forgivenesse of sinnes Ver. 39. And by him all that beleeve are justified c. If any believer went without his discharge then probable it is that the weakest should be he but the Scripture speaking of the weakest faith makes it an hand holding a pardon in it 1 John 2. 12. I write unto you little children because your sins are forgiven you for his names sake though children though little children yet pardoned children and mark it the cause of that pardon was common to them with the stronger men viz. for his Names sake a man is not pardoned for the strength of his faith nor debarred of it for the weaknesse of his faith but both th' one and the other enjoys it for his Names sake that is for Christs sake Nay observe it that
yet both of them shall hold out to the end and meet at heaven You see several bottoms at sea one makes more speed then another and perhaps is better ordered but those duller and slower bottoms follow after and at length they come to the same Haven and so cast Anchor together So c. That Christ who is the Author will also be the finisher of all true faith and though faith may be very weak yet the weakest faith is invincible The gates no not of hell and they import the strongest opposition shall not prevaile against it It is confessed that Satan may much assault and batter and the world may oppose and totter and sinne may weaken interrupt and stagger even the foundations of the truest faith but to be oppressed is one thing and to be suppressed is another thing to be wounded is one thing to be killed is another For faith to fall in its strength is one thing for faith to faile in its being is another Simon Simon said Christ to Peter Satan hath desired to winnow thee as wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not O malicious devil who hath strong temptations to weaken faith O gracious Saviour who hath stronger intercessions to preserve faith even the weakest faith is wrought by a divine band and is kept by an almighty guard See 1 Pet. 1. 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation Answering the prayer of Christ John 17. 11. Holy Father keep them through thy own Name those whom thou hast given me Verse 20. Neither pray I for these onely but for them also which shall beleeve on me through their word Whosoever beleeves on me shall not perish said Christ Againe this is a sweet comfort that the weak believer shall hold out as well as the strong and that Christ is the Guardian of both verily that must needs be good which God gives and that must needs be sure which Christ keeps the weakest beleever is held by a strong hand and is secured by an inseparable arme 4. Every beleever is in the same fundamental league with God he is reconciled unto him and hath a true nay for ought I yet understand an equal interest in his special love and tendernesse It is freely confessed that the strong believer hath more Love sensible discoveries of the streames yet the weak believer is as deep in the fountaine They say in Logick that substantial relations do not admit of degrees of more and lesse as the Father is an equal Father to every child his paternity and their filiation are indivisible things So is it I am sure in this businesse God is one and the same Father to all that beleeve his radical love is alike his fundamental gifts which testifie that love are all alike one and the same Word one and the same Christ one and the same Sacraments one and the same Spirit And for his tendernesse why If any childe findes the gentle voice and easie Tenderness hand it is the weak childe If any believer findes soft and encouraging expressions from God it is the weak beleever God would have them comforted yea he hath prepared the brests of consolation for such sucklings yea and the knees to dandle Isa 66. 11 12 13. Isa 40. 11. them yea the hands to lead them yea the armes to carry them And Christ will not quench the smoking flax nor bruise the broken reed How often doth God call upon the weak ones to look up and behold their King and their salvation and to trust upon him and not to fear nor to be dismayed nay for his sake doth he often double and treble the promise yea he confirmes the promise I will surely have mercy on him yea he takes his oath he sweares by himself that he will not lie unto them nor faile them yea he ratifies and seales his word with blood and truth O how doth God condescend in his nature in his Word in his wayes in his dealings in his forbearances towards weak beleevers how hath he prevented and answered all objections to their hands all which shews his singular love and tendernesse unto them SECT VII NOw I proceed to the fourth and last discovery viz. The inequality of strong and weak faith in respect of circumstantial comforts and some other consequences thus they differ exceedingly though both be in a sure and saving condition 1. The weak beleever falls short of that joy which the strong beleever possesseth Joy may be considered three wayes either in its cause which Joy three ways considered is the love of God and the blood of Christ or in its title and claim which belongs to faith receiving Christ or in its actual presence and feeling which depends upon a beleeving apprehension and perswasion Now though the weakest beleever hath cause of great joy for as the Angel spake to the shepherds that may be said to him Fear not for behold I bring you good tydings of great joy for unto you is borne this day in the City of of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord Luke 2. 9 10. And though he hath a true title to the sweetest joy for faith doth unite him to Christ and Christ entitles him to joy yet he hath not such an actual presence of joy as the strong beleever Every faith is an hand holding but the strong faith is the mouth tasting that sweet wine He hath not such full apprehensions of his own state he doth not yet so clearly conceive of that great love and goodnesse which God hath put in Christ for him He hath not such an evident view of his own particular interests in God or Christ but is infinitely tossed with doubtings and suspitions whether he may yet take Christ as his whether he may own the promises of mercy and appropriate the great loving kindnesse of a Father Now ignorance is apt to breed suspitions and doubts are apt to raise fears both of which keeps off or under actual joy No man can well joy in a concealed good or joy much in a questioned title All the good which God hath firmly and largely made over unto me in his Sonne it doth not affect my heart with gladnesse and rejoycing whiles I am in dispute with it and am rather apt to conclude it is not for me then that it is my portion The strong believer therefore hath this advantage of the weak he is more acquainted in particular about his good and so his heart rejoyceth with joy unspeakable and glorious his soul doth rejoyce in God his Saviour but the weak believer cannot yet see his pardon yea often suspects whether it shall be drawn or no one is in a faire day the other in a wet It is day to both The matter is cleare to the strong believer and therefore his heart goes away rejoycing the matter is doubtful to the weak beleever and therefore his soule goes away weeping One of them hath a good
any such displeasures nor torments that thus it shall be indeed Now how can the soul be inclined to believe in Christ to part with its deare lusts with its worldly advantages and pleasures and to submit it selfe to the Lawes and Scepter of Christ when as it doth expressely or vertually deny the nature of God and the power of his truths Didst thou indeed beleeve that there was a God didst thou indeed believe that his revelations of mans sinful misery and of his singular mercy in Christ were true and real Didst thou believe that God hath wrath and blacknesse of darkness and vials of vengeance for ever to be poured on the unbeliever and that the lake which burnes with fire and brimstone must be thy assured portion as God hath spoken how couldst thou sit still content thy heart neglect thy salvation by Christ stand off from the wayes and endeavours for faith Therefore to remove this impediment beg of God to forgive and cure the Atheisme of thy Spirit Strive to set up the true God in thy understanding and to believe that he is the Lord who will not lye Whatsoever he hath revealed himself to be and to do Why that he is and that he will performe that it is thy duty to return from sinne to him in Christ and if thou dost returne he will in mercy spare and deliver thy soul from the pit because he hath found a ransome but if thou wilt not return he wil bathe the sword of his flaming justice for ever in the blood of thy soul 2. A second impediment to the getting of faith is grosse ignorance Whatsoever is contrary to knowledge that same is contrary to faith for though faith sees not its ground in natural reason yet it must have divine evidence to shew it its object and way and causes or else it cannot be wrought in the soul The soul must have light for all its apprehensive operations for the eye to see and the understanding to perceive and for the heart to embrace Now this is it which keeps men off from beleeving they are extreamly ignorant First of their own sinful condition they do not know their nativity and conception what sin is nor what belongs to sinners â—â—w abominable and vile their natures are without all good and like a fountaine full of all wickednesse how dead in trespâ—sses and sins how totally defiled from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot How perpetually rebellious against every precept of heaven and how slâ—ghting of the tenders of salvation and mercy Secondly of Gods just disposition towards the sinful person They see him not armed and setting out against them in all the threatnings and curses of his Law as Balaam in his passage he adventured on for he saw not the Angel of the Lord with a sword in his hand ready to cleave him asunder So men rest securely in their natural state talk what you will of Christ and of God and of sinne and of faith they are not moved they know not the fearful issues of a natural and unbeleeving condition they know not that God will judge them and condemn them for ever Thirdly of the excellencies of Christ what he is whither God or man or both even as it pleaseth him but favourly what he is in respect of his Natures in respect of his Offices in respect of his Actions in respect of his Passion in respect of his Benefits in respect of his Vertues they understand not these things How God hath manifested love in Christ how Christ manifested love to them to what end he was made man why Ministers preach him so much what is more in him then in any other Alas they think not of these things they know them not Now brethren how is it possible for the soul to believe or to be perswaded to believe in Christ or to labour for this precious faith which is a stranger to it self to God to Christ Didst thou indeed know thy condition to be the condition of death wouldest thou not make out for the Lord of life didst thou indeed know thy condition to be the condition of enmity wouldest thou not strive to get unto the Prince of peace So againe as Christ spake to the woman If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith unto thee give me to drink thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee living water John 4. 10. O if men did know what a gift Christ was If heaven and earth men and Angels had studyed the helps of a poore sinner they could never have imagined such a remedy as God found in giving his own Sonne Now if men did know him aright what a Redeemer what a Lord he is what living water is in him That in him only there is life for the dead recovery for the sinner satisfaction for guilt sanctification for the soul atonement for trespasses comfort for distresses balme for wounds salvation for their persons Why how could it be but that they should ask of him for a drop at least of water for some faith to receive him who is the fountain of grace and life 3. A third impediment to the endeavours for faith is a vain confidence of natural righteousnesse This was it which kept off many of the Pharisees the Text saith That they trusted to their own righteousnesse Yea this is called the stumbling of the Jewes it cast them flat that they doted so on legal abilities When a base heart hath proud imaginations of Christ and peace and safety from something within it self why It will never look after Christ A proud person who hath mony in his house he scornes to be beholding to his neighbour the proud sinner who conceives that all is well 'twixt him and God and that he hath done no man wrong and none can say black is his eye he is neither whore not thief and his heart is as good as the best and his meanings are alwayes honest and none can tax him for injustice and he hath kept all Gods Commandments as well as ever he could and he hath had a good belief he thanks God ever since he was borne I tell you such a person will not be beholding to God for Christ for he in his opinion being so whole needs not the Physician neither shall you perswade him to mourn for his sinnes or to repent and to part with all for Christ to deny himself and all his own vaine confidences and to put himself only upon Jesus Christ he trusts to be saved by his good deeds and by his good meanings Ah foolish and seduced soul Who hath bewitched thee to forsake thine own mercies Thinkest thou that God would have sent his onely Sonne and to poure out his own soule for sinners if that yet there had been ability in sinful man to have purchased his own safety and happinesse And doest thou see no sinne in thy self which may therefore for ever thrust thee off from
then nothing and in the mean time to lose eternity a soul a Christ a heaven yet thus it is the poor creatures at the best but our servants have goâ— our hearts whiles Christ complaines against us we withhold our souls from him our just Lord and best Master But if there were not more glory in Christ then honour in the world if there were not more gaine in Christ then profit in the world if there were not more love in Christ then friendship in the world if there were not more comfort in Christ then discouragements in the world if there were not more safeâ—ies in Christ then dangers in the world nay if the real and â—rue exceedings of infinite betternesse were not on Christs part iâ— durst not so to encline your hearts for saith in him c. Sixthly the cunnings of naâ—ural unbâ—l of are a great impedimâ—nt I will not speak of al of them only I wil discover a few all which are hindrances Imaginations of impossibiâ—iâ—y it cannot be that if I should labor for faith that ever I should get it the intentions of mercy lie not that way nor do the streames of graâ—iousness â—un towards such a deeply sinful and guilty soul my sins are grown to such a vastnesse of provocation as if all the Angels in heaven should be senâ— unto me I could never credit their relation of hope or peâ—câ— unto me Now when the heart is thus forestalled with a strength of conceit that God never did nor wilâ— bend the â—uâ—ement of the blood of Christ towards the soul Why the bands sink no man will be perswaded to compasse impossibilities Apprehensions of difficulty Vnbelief sets upâ—â— Lyon in every paâ—â— and so keeps off from all endeavour First I shall never be able to pare time I shall never be able to pray I shall never be able to keep on in such a course I shall never be able to leave such society I shall never be able to deny the world I cannot take such paines I cannot waite I cannot tell how to get off these sinnes to change this heart to bring it to yield to Christ Discourse of carnall reasonings which try all the promises of God at a humane bar disputings against just precepts by unjust practices and the undertakings of a great and faithful God by the shallownesse of a blind and proud and weak understanding throwing up infinite exceptions Instances of sense and feeling Why if a man will judge of God by what he alwaies hears and feels within himself he shall never believe Yea if I were now sure I should have mercy that Christ were mine that my sins were pardoned if I could see my heart changed and sins dispersed and subdued then I would put out for faith and then I would look up to Christ And wouldst thou have thy cure before thy plaister thy health before the Physick thy life before thy soul the portion before the person thy nonefast before thy meal the benefits of Christ the vertues of Christ before Christ himself SECT III. Thirdly the Meanes NOW I come to direct you unto the use of such meanes by which God workes this saving faith in the hearts of men Where premise with me some particulars 1. There is no natural power in man to produce a cause within himself This great grace of faith is no fruit of the wisdome of the flesh nor is it the birth of a corrupt will if it were possible for a natural heart to see all the excellencies of Christ if it were possible for him to draw out and behold all the arguments of Scripture yet could he not by his own strength make his own heart to believe 2. The immediate and sole cause of faith is the Spirit of God He it is who is greater then the heart and who can perswade and draw the heart and who can change and renew the spirit which till it be renewed by him will never be moved to beleeve in Christ 3. There are meanes appointed by God and which God doth ordinarily blesse for the production of faith as he hath ordained meanes for the revelation of Christ so he hath likewise consecrated meanes to lead the soul unto him to implant faith 4. Now the great and ordinary meanes by which God workes faith in the hearts of men I speak of such as are come to ripenesse of years is the preaching of the Word So Acts 13. 48. When the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the Word of the Lord and as many as were ordeined to eternal life believed Rom. 10. 17. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Eph. 1. 13. In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the Word of truth the Gospel of your salvation That the Word is the Ministerial instrument which God useth to beget faith in Christ may thus appeare 1. It is that which discovers unto the soul its extreame misery and great need of Christ nothing quickens the conscience to that reflexive evidence to the cleare and true sight of the natural state which pricks the soul which in a sort compels the soul to look after the Redeemer of the world as the Word doth You see it hath been thus formerly that when men have heard it it hath unfolded their state unto them it hath broken all their proud imaginations it hath driven them to their feet it hath made them to cry out men and brethren what shall we do to be saved Yea and we find it in experience to be so that the preaching of the Word it opens the eyes of sinners it frames in them the sense of sinfulnesse and accursednesse it makes them indeed to feel the need of a Physician of such an one as Christ 2. It is that which discovers a share for a broken ship which doth reveale and proclaime to poor sinners Articles of peace in Christ it makes known the great love of God and Christ and how that Christ is the Sonne of God and was sent by God and satisfied for sinners and this was accepted 3. It makes the soul to confesse those things as most true and good in themselves It convinceth a man that of a truth God meanes graciously to men that his Sonne was a Sacrifice was a propitiation that he did purchase pardon and salvation for sinners 4. It is that which casteth down all the reasonings arguments and dâ—sputes of the minde against the conditions of Christ and râ—nders all the termâ—s of Christ upon which he will be taken as most equal and faire and reasonable 5. It is that which clears the way for the soul against all its feares and unbeleeving doubts from the freenesse of Gods mercy from the fulnesse of Christs redemption from the willingnesse on Christs part and requests unto us to accept of him 6. It is that which doth powerfully renew the disposition of the understanding and will and so incline them to esteeme of Christ as the highest truth and to bend after him as
and to be disposed as the Lord pleaseth If he will have me to enjoy well if to want well if to abound well if to be abased well I would be as he would have me to be and I would be estated as he would have me to be estated If he thinks good to bestow a faire estate upon me I desire to be humble and thankful If he thinks good to limit me to a meane estate I desire to be humble and contented If he keeps me in a free condition I desire to love him if in a perplexed condition I yet desire to fear and serve him though I would be careful and diligent yet I would not be anxious and vexing I dare to trust him with my soul to preserve sanctifie uphold comfort save it I trust him with my body to preserve enable change and dispose it I trust him with my whole estate to give it alteâ— it increase it lessen it keep it blesse it as may make most for his glory and my good Secondly To live by faith is to depend upon God for all You all conjecture That First God is an alsufficient goodnesse he is goodnesse it selfe And whatsoever good the creature is capable of or doth actually participate he is the sole cause thereof meanes which be next at hand and neare our eyes are but pipes and stewards but God he is the fountaine and Lord. Secondly he hath put all Covenant good for his servants into promises The promises are nothing else but a deed of gift sealed with the truth of God There hath God freely undertaken whatsoever belongs to grace or glory to this life or to that which is to come doest thou want this or that Why whatsoever is fit for thee to have that I promise in the Name of my Sonne to give unto thee saith God Now to live by faith is to cast anchor at heaven gates it is to cast the soul upon Gods promises in Christ to rely on God for any good which God hath promised and undertaken this I want and this God hath promised he hath undertaken the supply and I will trust upon him for it Though I feel no such thing nay though I feel the contrary yet I do not cast away my confidence Though fig-trees blossome not though olives faile and hindes are gone yet if my supply appears in any word of promise I take heart and say yet my condition is good all is well and sure My God hath undertaken it for me and in his Word will I trust which is good and true he will not faile me I shall have whatsoever is good and that too in a good time This only in general SECT II. Quest 2. Sol. TO what states the life of faith may extend You know that there are two eminent states of our life 1. One is spiritual which respects all the exigencies varieties windings turnings changes defections eclipses tryals and hardships of the soul Whatsoever accidents may befall an holy soul about the heavenly condition that appertaines to the spiritual state all the supplies of grace of strength of comfort of assurance of assistance against temptations corrections troubles all enlivements and quicknings of the Spirit about all sorts of duties and services active or passive 2. Another is temporal which is not onely the terme of our natural breathings but also the sundry and manifold occurrences which befal us in the employments of our life all the accidents and interruptions crossings checkings contrarieties either in our bodies or calling or wealth or persons or children or servants or good name Briefly the temporal state comprehends all whatsoever may weaken or wast or distract All or any of our temporal contentments delights desires ends as also all our temporal supplements for the being or well-being of this poore and short life of ours as health strength friends food liberty estate peace and quietnesse c. Now then living by faith extends to both The just shall live by his faith said the Prophet Hab. 2. 4. of the Jews in the temporal state and I live by the faith of the Sonne of God said Paul in Gal. 2. 2. speaking of his spiritual state So that faith bears up soul and body and is both for heaven and earth It serves to fetch in the blood of Christ the redemption by Christ pardon of sinne Gods favour all grace and comfort to the soul And it serves to fetch in also health to the body riches to the estate plenty peace friends what not When I am sick I yet trust in God for health when poor I yet trust on God for sufficiency when under reproach I yet trust on God to clear my innocency when under discomforts and forsakements I yet trust on God for favor and countenance In all my distresses and reproaches I have yet his Word for my supplies and helps upon which I rest and thus I live by faith so far as the promises extend so far doth living by faith extend SECT III. Quest 3. NOw more particularly what it is to live by faith on Christ Sol. I will tell you what I think of it It is an holy work and course of a beleeving person wherein he doth depend on Christ and To live by faith in Christ make use of hâ—m for all the conditions and exigencies of the soul about its spâ—ritual state For the opening of this description I will touch upon three things 1. The particular conditions and exigencies of the soul by reason Three things of which it hath need to live by faith 2. The fulnesse and fitnesse and fidelity of Christ for the supply and help of a beleeving soul 3. The conjunction of both these together which is the very living by faiâ—h on Christ Fiâ—st the particular conditions and exigencies of the soul you must know this That to live by faith presupposeth two things on our part defect and insufficiency There is something lyes upon us which should not and we cannot help our selves and therefore we go abroad by faith this is to live upon the market Now there are many things which ly upon our souls 1. The sense of guilt this is a great matter it makes the very heart oft-times to tremble it is an heavy burden when a man sinnes against an holy and just God the least of them provoking and damnable This is a time of trouble for a man sees much in debt and nothing in stock he is not able to pay aâ— farâ—hing all that he is or can do can never answer divine Justice This is one exigence now which makes a man capable to live by faith to look out to Christ and to try what he will do for him a miserable sinner as you shall heare anon 2. The sense of unrighteousnesse Why God requâ—res an holy conformity to his divine will in heart and in life that our nature should be as he requires and our wayes as he commands but when the soul is able actively to reflect on it selfe and look on God
live by faith Take a place for either Ier. 17. 5. Thus saith the Lord cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme and whose heart departeth from the Lord. As the Lord of Samaria ver 6. For he shall be like the heath in the desart and shall not see when good cometh but shall inhabit the parched places in the wildernesse in a salt land and not inhabited Psal 37. 39. The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord he is their strength in the time of trouble ver 40. And the Lord shall keep them and deliver them c. and save them because they trust in him The soul oft-times bitterly complaines that as yet it hath not that good thing it sticks yet in the hands of God Christ can do it if he will Why but if ever thou wouldest speed thou must trust I dare not trust though saith the soul how then canst thou speed Why then doest thou complaine God and Christ undertakes thy good but then he requires this of thee do but trust me for it and thou shalt speed I will not fail thee I have sworne by my self that I will not alter nor repent The poor man comes to Christ and cries out for help Mark 9. O Lord saith he if thou canst do any thing c. Why saith Christ I can do any thing I am able enough and willing enough that 's not the thing this is it which will make thee to speed canst thou believe darest thou to trust upon me he answered Lord I believe I do trust and you know that his son was presently healed The childe comes to the father father supply me I will saith the father but I will have it instantly if he had asked and trusted his father he might have sped but because he doth ask and murmur with his father he is therefore justly denyed There are two things which mightily oblige a person to the doing of a kindnesse one is his own promise another is his friends confidence who hath upon the security of his word adventured so here besides the very inclination of the divine goodnesse to make good its own undertakings this also adds not a little to our speed and furtherance that we rely onely on God It is a common complaint that we cannot be answered I reply it is a common fault that God nor Christ can be trusted It is not how many wants thou feelest nor how many promises thou readest nor how many prayers thou makest If with all this thou doest not ask in faith think not O man to receive any thing from the Lord. I will give you three reasons why the life of faith is the only way to thrive First because it puts a man upon the only way of blessings As none can blesse but God and he can blesse so the blessings of God are to be expected only in the wayes of God and nothing so skilful in Gods wayes as faith Secondly it makes all the promises to yield It is true as God is infinitely above all and his power is greaâ— so faith in a qualified sense is above God himself he is not able to stand against it Be it to thee as thou wilt said Christ to the believing woman Thou shalt have the desires of thine heart said David Psal 37. 3. 4. Thirdly God himselfe and Christ and all become ours If we dare to trust and live by faith Thou wants outward supplies I require no more of thee saith God but to walk uprightly and diligently and to trust on me and thou shalt have it Thou wants spiritual supplies for thy soul I require no more of thee but to come to me to trust to me and go to my Ordinances stand in my wayes and thou shalt have them Fourthly it is the only stedfast and abiding life when other lives are broken and crushed they are gone down yet this life by faith like the Starres which shine in the night remaines firme I will clear it by Argument The stability of all sorts of lives is according to their principles and motives The life which depends upon a failing cause it is a fadeing life and the life which depends upon a constant cause is a constant life Now the life of faith is bred by a living principle and is fed by constant and abiding motives you know that the grounds of this life of faith are in God and Christ and the promise now all changes reach not to them our changes are below in other things but they are not in the promises nor in God above as changes are not in the heavens but in the aire Look upon things at hand and so they appeare with variety and with much unlikenesse but eye them in the Covenant in the Promises there you have the same faithful God still tender father still all sufficient Saviour still the Promises are yea and Amen Christ is the everlasting father the Covenant of God an everlasting Covenant Gods love and immutable love he is as able still as willing still his how abides in strength and underneath are his everlasting armes Though Davids father and mother forsake him yet the Lord will take him up and though all forsook Paul yet God stood by him so true is it that faith can cast a sure Anchor in all states and in all changes it can look upon the same God and the same Christ and the same promises Though the Marriners when they put to sea quickly lose sight of Land yet they never loose sight of heaven how far soever they saile and in what tempest soever yet still they may look upon the heaven the same heaven Faith never loseth sight of its rock of its salvation of its helpes that which it eyes it may eye for ever and that upon which it trusts it may trust upon for ever thou hast friends and this springs up thy spirit thy friends dye and now thy spirits sink thou hast parents and children in these thou rejoycest and settlest thy confidence both the one and the other embrace the dust and thy heart is utterly broken for help and comfort O Lord what have I more E contra thou hast a God and he is the same for ever a Christ and he yesterday to day and the same for ever Promises and they are a word setled forever in heaven But when all sensibles flie off yet if we live by faith we are at no degree of losse what can he lack who hath him who is all in all and what can he lose who hath him that knows no change at all Fourthly let us consider Jesus Christ himself There are diverse things which should perswade us to live by faith upon him There are nine things in him which may move us 1. The exceeding plentifulnesse of our supplies in him Thou art not approaching to a dry Cisterne but to a full fountain what may do thee good he hath and he hath that in a most eminent fulnesse Is it the good and vertue of
it is quiet faith makes our state sure and assurance peaceful Two effects he there delivers of this blessed assurance one is a transcendent joy and another is a compleat peace It glads the heart and it pacifies the heart It is most true that faith in its vital act of acceptation intitles us to both Every beleever hath cause of great joy sweet peace but it is faith in this eminent act of assurance which replenisheth the soul with actual joy and actual comfort For now the beleever sees and knows his happinesse He hath a Christ and knows it he hath pardon of sinne and knows it he stands in favour of God and knows it that which held up his soule is now opened all the causes of his comfort shine as it were and clearly discover themselves in a way of well grounded propriety As David said concerning his enemies Psalme 27. 1. The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid So the assured soule in this case can exult God is my God Christ is my Christ they have pardoned my sinnes accepted of my person what should trouble me what should disquiet me my soule doth now rejoyce in God my Saviour Who shall lay any thing to the the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died Romans 8. 34. Sinne that is pardoned Justice that is satisfied my soul that is reconciled my person that is justified my prayers they are answered my heart that is pacified for God is mine and Christ is mine and I am his Before I am assured I see my sinnes look up to Christ and adventure my soule on him for pardon I trust on him yet I may feare but when I am assured I see my sinnes look up to Christ and my soule is quiet and rejoyceth As it was with the Israelites when they were Neere the red sea they looked back on their enemies and looked up to God but yet they were exceedingly afraid Afterwards when they had past through the read sea and stood upon the shore they looked back upon the same enemies but now as drowned and then their sighes were turned into joyes and their feares into peace They exceedingly rejoyed Why in assurance though we look upon the same sinnes yet not in the same manner Now we look upon them as drowned enemies as iniquities cast into the depths of the sea as pardoned iniquities Now though sin doth grieve the soule yet sinne pardoned doth quiet and rejoyce the soul 3. Assurance doth arme the heart against future temptations There are two sorts of temptations against both which the assurance of faith doth arme the beleever 1. To sinne Though assurance be a kinde of heaven upon earth yet in this doth the beatifical vision differ from a beleeving assurance that the one leaves no sinne at all but the other is a day of great comfort to a beleeving sinner yet even an assured person hath yet much of a sinning nature remaining in him Neverthelesse though assurance doth not wholly cast off feare yet it doth exceedingly keep off sinne A beleeving person shall not easily sinne whiles he is reading his pardon and looking his Christ in the face How can I do this great wickednesse and sinne against God If the meere respect of a God was so prevalent with Joseph O how much more powerful is the propriety in a God How can I do this great wickednesse and sinne against my God Should such a man as I flee said Nehemiah so the assured Christian should such a man as I sinne Nay remember it Sinne is never more odious to the heart then when the heart is most assured The great and rich mercy of God in Christ it is the principal bane of a temptation The man who formerly would have stept out against the threats of justice having now obtained mercy trembles at the very thoughts of sinning 2 To despaire it is possible for an assured person to sinne and then this is probable and more then â—o that new sinnings will quickly cloud olâ— assurance Though a beleever looseth not his life yet â—e may loose his health and though he hath a Father 〈◊〉 yâ—t by sinning he looseth the sight of that Father 〈…〉 exceedingly humbled and repents â—â—d 〈…〉 cannot read his former Evidences he 〈…〉 cast off for ever and shall be remembred 〈…〉 yâ—t an ancient assurance well grounded 〈…〉 and preserve the soul against despair◠〈…〉 â—hat God will not cast off the soul Jer. 〈…〉 hath appâ—â—â—â—ed of old unto me saying I 〈…〉 an everlastâ—ng love therefore with loâ—â—ng 〈…〉 thee Ver. 4. Againe I will build thee and thou shalt be built So Psal 8â— 30. 〈◊〉 his children forsâ—ke my Law and walk not in my judgments Ver. 31. If they break my statuteâ— and keep not my commandments Ver. 32. Then will I visit their transgression with the red and their iniquities with stâ—ipes Ver. 33. Neverthelesse my loving kindnesse will I not utteâ—ly take from him nor suffer my faithfulnesse to faile Vâ—r. 34. My Covenant will I not break c. Sure mercies of David Isaiah 55. 3. So for Christ Ioh 13. 1. Having loved his own he loved them to the end 4. Assurance by faith sweetens all other blessing to us Job speaking of many outward mercies in â—â—s children in his plenty his honours Job 29. 5. 67. and ver 3. he recounts one which shadowed all of them his candle shinâ—d upon my head Aâ— if the evidence of Gods favouâ— were like the light which gives life and beauâ—y to all the colours in the roome and without which all our blessings lay dead and dark O what an enlivening matter is this to all that I enjoy and God is my God too and Chriâ—t is my Christ too and my sins are pardoned too here is a dear and loving husband yea and God is my God too here are teâ—der and observing children yea and Christ is my Christ too here is plenty of food and raiment and friends yea and my sins are pardoned too But the want of this may check all our blessings and is able to marre the very comfort of our comforts I am exceeding rich yea but I cannot yet say that God is my God I am greatly honoured by man yea but I cannot yet say that Christ is my Redeemer I have health and marrow in my bones and want not for any outward mercy yea but I cannot yet say that my sinnes are pardoned for ought I know that may yet stand upon record which may lose my soul for ever 5. Nay again it is able to sweeten all our crosses a crosse is more or lesse heavy to the Christian by how much the more or the lesse God appeares to the soul The Disciples may even in a storme rejoyce if Christ be in the Ship It was an excellent speech that of Job 29. 3. By his light I walked through
by faith p. 99 How faith produceth a change of the condition and how of the person p. 99 Every beleever hath a changed and hâ—ly heart p. 99 Wherein this change lies ib. No man hath a changed nature but a beleever p. 100 Enquire after this change in thy self p. 100 Change of condition easily complyed with an evidence of strong faith p. 128 Christ What it signifies p. 18 Christs anointing doth import his assured ordination abundant qualification sweet and pleasant acceptation both with God and man p. 19 20 Vnto what Christ was anointed p. 20 Vid. Priest Prophet King Christs and his Churches enemies who they are and how conquered by him p. 28 Whole Christ the adaequate object of faith p. 41 Whole Christ taken and received by faith p. 42 How Christ is taken by faith as a Saviour and Priest p. 43 How Christ is taken by faith as a Saviour and King and Prophet p. 45 Taking and receiving Christ as Lord and Saviour hath many things in it p. 46 Vid. Taking All that can save and justifie a man is only to be found in Christ as the meritorious cause p. 62 Christ should be the main scope of our preaching and studying p. 67 Christ may be preached two ways p. 67. Plentifulnesse of our supplies in Christ encourageth to live by faith on him p. 248 The ordination of Christ to supply beleevers encourageth trust p. 249 Christs services done in behalf of beleevers encourageth trust p. 250 Christ is given out of rich grace mercy and love p. 190 Christ is worth your taking though we be unworthy of receiving p. 191 Christs disposition encourageth trust p. 251 Christs conjunction and relation encourageth trust p. 253 Christs invitation encourageth trust p. 255 Christs assurances that he will not fail him that lives by faith on him p. 255 Foure things by which we may be perswaded that Christ will do us good if we live by faith on him p. 255 Christs offices encouragements to live faith on him p. 256 257 Impossible to have supplies for the soul any other way then by faith in Christ p. 258 Comfort Comfort not sure but by believing p 64 Distinguish betwixt the ground of our comfort and the testimonies of our interest in them p. 64 Communion No prison can boult out communion with God p. 3 Communion with God in Ordinances and duties not so sweet in a weak beleever as in a strong p. 149 Reasons of it p. 150 Confidence Confidence of easie answers for great matters an argument of strong faith p. 125 Covenant A double Covenant and for two wayes of life p. 56 Impossible to be saved by the legal Covenant whence it is so p. 56 Vid. Holiness Vnbelief makes void the Covenant of grace p. 89 A true beleever is in singular Covenant with God p. 114 Covenant of grace what it is in the offer and revelation of it and what in respect of our entrance and admission into it p. 114 115 Happinesse of being in Covenant with God p. 115 Every beleever in the same fundamental Covenant with God p. 145 Crucifying Crucifying vertue from Christ p. 143 D Day Day of grace fear of having outstood it divers considerations about it p. 203 Debts Christ takes our debts upon himself the comfort of it p. 112 Degrees Degrees of faith what they are and how beleevers differ in them p. 122 123 Reasons of the diversity of degrees of faith p. 124 Delay vid. Hasty Desertions In times of desertions to live upon Christ and the promises an argument of a great faith p. 130 Discouragement Stedfast following Christ notwithstanding discouragements argues a strong faith p. 125 Distrust Arguments of distrust when they grow weak faith gets strength p. 128 Doubtings Doubtings argue weaknesse of faith p. 131 Doubtings prejudice our suits p. 150 Doubts of the weak beleever about his title and mistakes in passages betwixt God and the soul p. 155 Duty Want of a heart to duty should not discourage from beleeving p. 210 Faith puts life into our duties the Reasons of it p. 211 E Exchange A real exchange betwixt Christ and beleevers and wherein it is p. 111 F Faith Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the only way to salvation p. 13 Faith in Christ described p. 32 The spring and fountain of justifying faith p. 32 The subject of faith p. 34 The sâ—at of faith p. 35 Three kindes of faith distinguished viz. Credere Deum Deo in Deum p. 36 How faith is seated in the will how in the understanding p. 36 37 The proper act of faith as justifying p. 37 The object of justifying faith p. 40 The immediate object of justifying faith p. 4. 1 Vid. Christ The consequent object of faith p. 48 Faith may be considered Absolutely Actually Correlatively Instrumentally how to be understood p. 52 53 How faith justifieth p. 71 72 Whether faith deal with the person of Christ or the benefits of Christ first p. 73 Divers kinds of faith p. 84 Historical faith what it is p. 84 Faith of miracles what it is p. 85 Temporary faith what it is Ib. How temporary faith differs from justifying faith Ibid The consimilitude betwixt faith and presumption p. 86 The easinesse of faith short of justifying and of presumption and our aptnesse to rest in that Ibid Rules for the discovery of faith p. 90 Some things faith doth produce not as essential properties but as magnificent testimonies and how we must distinguish betwixt them p. 91 93. Some things faith doth produce yet not alwayes therefore we may not conclude a wait of faith from the absence of these p. 91 92 Many inward contrarieties to the intrinsecal acts and fruits of faith p. 94 Evidences of faith cannot be given by way of abstraction but by way of existence how to be undersstood p. 95 A double contrariety to faith Ib. Faith endeavours after increase and wherein p. 107 Wherein true faith in one differs from faith in another p. 120 121 Signes of a great and strong faith p. 125 Signes of a weak faith p. 131 Vid. Weak The vital act of faith is not reflexive but direct p. 136 Motives to greaten our faith p. 156 Exhortations to labour for faith p. 157 Impediments and hindrances to faith p. 168 Means whereby God works faith p. 176 The proper rise and ground of faith is without our selves p. 189 To receive Christ by faith is not a matter of merit but a point of duty p. 190 Faith no hindrance to holinesse p. 208. The time of contrariety is the time for faith to work p. 209 Two offices of faith p. 216 Vid. living by faith Faith of adherence and faith of evidence the difference betwixt them p. 259 The frequent exercise of faith improves it to assurance p. 282 Fruitful True faith is fruitful The more fruitful the stronger faith p. 130 G Glory vid. Salvation The inheritance of glory all beleevers have a like interest in it p. 142 How many wayes God hath glory from
us p. 153 God The actions of God of several sorts p. 72 How many things in God encourage to live by faith as Gods alsufficiency p. 231 Gods command p. 232 Gods promises p. 233 Gods power p. 234 Gods truth and fidelity p. 236 Gods performance to them that have lived by faith p. 237 Goodness Hatred of goodnesse precipitates evil men to acts of injustice p. 2 Gospel The preaching of the Gospel is of necessary and singular consequence p. 65 Ghost Holy Ghost how he may be said to justifie p. 71 Grace Salvation is only by grace p. 63 The best graces are but imperfect excellencies p. 113 H Habits Two sorts of habits acquired and infused p. 33 Hasty A soul hasty to be answered is weak in faith p. 132 Heart Heart or will the seat of faith p. 35 Hearing Meer hearing of Christ and his Doctrine will not save p. 66 Divers sorts of hearing Ib. Historical vid. Faith Holinesse Inherent holinesse cannot justifie and save p. 56 Inherent holiness is defective and imperfect p. 57 The conscience dares not rest upon it p. 58 Actual holinesse no meritorious efficacy in it p. 58 Humble humbled Faith makes the heart humble p. 103 A soul that thinks himself not humbled enough answered p. 197 A twofold humbling according to a double cause of it and the workings of each p. 197 198 Fitnesse for Christ not to be judged by the measure and strength of legal humblings the reasons of it p. 198 Some things which if they follow upon legal humblings may be subordinate encouragements to the heart to put it selfe upon Christ p. 199 Humblings and meltings of soul not hindred by faith Ibid But furthered by it p. 200 I James James what kind of faith he speaks of p. 104 105 Ignorance Grosse ignorance an impediment to getting faith p. 169 170 Ignorance of our sinful condition of Gods justice and of the excellency of Christ impediments to getting faith p. 170 Imputed vid. Righteousness Infidelity The dangerous state of positive infidelity p. 158 The degrees of positive infidelity p. 159 Intercession vid. Priest A twofold intercession p. 24 25 Christs intercession what is meant by it p. 25. Inherent Inherent qualities and abilities insisted on as means of perswasion argues weaknesse of faith p. 134 Joy Spiritual joy the sole fruit of faith p. 92 Several sorts of joy whence they spring p. 92 Joy an inseparable fruit of faith p. 92 Joy three wayes considered p. 146 147 Justifie Justification There is not a co-operation of faith and other graces to justifie yet there is a co-existence of them in the person justified p. 55 Justification only in Jesus Christ p. 68 Justification the word opened p. 69 The nature of it designed p. 70 Justification an action in God p. 71 The kinde of this action p. 72 The meritorious cause of it p. 71 The applying cause of it p. 71 Whether Justification be before faith p. 73 Justification not a divided act p. 75 Whether it be one transient act or one continued act p. 75 Justification of a sinner a gracious and just action p. 78 Justification by imputed righteousnesse all beleevers have an equal interest in it p. 142 Justice Gods Justice should constraine us to believe p. 187 K King Christ ancinted to be a King p. 27 His Kingly office what it imports Ib. Knowledge Knowledge how one beleever differs from another therein p. 121 L Law No ability to keep the whole Law wholly Reasons of it p. 60 Life Living A heart inclined to the life of sense is weak in faith p. 133 Of living by faith p. 216 What it is in general to live by faith p. 218 To live by faith is to commit all to God Ibid To live by faith is to depend upon God for all p. 219 Living by faith extends to two sorts of life p. 220 To live by faith on Christ described p. 221 The several exigencies and conditions of soule in which we had need to live by faith p. 221 222 Encouragements from Christs fulnesse to live by faith in those exigencies p. 223 224 The conjunction of our own exigencies and Christs fulnesse is the very living by faith upon Christ p. 225 To live by faith on Christ is more then a meer complaining of our wants or an acknowledging of his fulnesse p. 226 To live by faith on Christ is more then a meer going to Christ p. 227 To live by faith on Christ is not only to trust on Christ for supply but to expect performance p. 227 To live by faith on Christ is an extensive work p. 228 Arguments to perswade to live by faith p. 229 The life of faith is congruous to our condition p. 229 The necessity of living by faith in all sensible sequestrations p. 231 Six arguments from God himself to perswade to live by faith p. 231 The life of faith is the only Christian life p. 238 The life of faith is the only comfortable life p. 240 What things make the life uncomfortable and what makes it comfortable p. 241 The life of faith easeth of all burdens and secures against all prejudices p. 240 The life of faith makes the present condition good enough and assures of universal and reasonable supplies p. 244 The life of faith is the only getting and thriving life p. 245 The Reasons of it p. 247 Divers arguments from Jesus Christ himself to perswade us to live by faith on him p. 248 Vid. Christ Lord. True faith takes Christ only to be its Lord. p. 101 No unbeleever can accept of Christ to be his Lord only Reasons of it p. 191 Every beleever admits of Christ to be his Lord Reasons of it p. 102 How to know whether Christ or sin be our Lord. p. 103 Weak faith will honour Christ as a Lord though it be not sure that he is its Saviour p. 136 Love True love of Christ an infallible evidence of true faith p. 96 Love is not separated from faith p. 96 Reasons of it p. 97 True love to Christ three tryals of it p. 98 Every beleever hath an equal interest in Gods special love p. 145 The love of God in giving Christ and the love of Christ in giving of himself p. 161 M Ministers Ministery The best Ministers do most good and finde most affliction p. 1 Good Ministers and covetous hearts cannot agree p. 2 Ministers better esteemed when the heart is changed p. 5 Ministers must forget personal injuries when they deal with sensible sinners p. 10 How Ministers must deal with stout and resolute and how with bleeding and afflicted sinners p. 11 How preciously dear the Ministery of the Gospel should be unto us p. 68 Miracles vid. Faith N Natural No natural principle of justifying faith now in a man p. 79 80 A natural principle of unbeliefe and infidelity in every mans heart p. 80 There is a natural opposition in the heart against Christ. p. 81 Natural condition throughly studyed a way to get a beleeving