THE RIGHTEOVS MANS HOPE IN HIS DEATH IN A SERMON AT THE Funerall of Mr WILLIAM CONYE of Walpoole Justice of Peace and Captain over the Trained Band in Marshland PREACHED By JOHN HORNE Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ at Soushlyn in Norfolke 2 do May 1648. 2 SAMUEL 14.14 For we must needs die and are as water spilt on the ground which cannot be gathered up again neither doth God respect any person yet doth he devise means that his banished be not expelled from him ISAIAH 57.1 2. The righteous is taken away from the evil to come He shall enter into peace they shall rest in their beds each one walking in his uprightnesse Cum constet deresurrectione mortuorum vacat dolor mortis vacat impatientia doloris Tertul. de Patientia Quinto major fides tanto morsest imbecillior Luth. LONDON Printed for Tho. Vnderhill 1649. To the Author of the Sermon IN Achor's vale Thou op'st a Door of Hope The Heart enlarg'd may well behold Thy scope The strong Devourer is by Thee made sweet We see the Eater is become mans meat The Faithfull die their fear of death is past In hope they live These dead thou lead'st to rest J.A. On the death of William Conye Esq Justice of the Peace and Captain at Wars Who being dead yet speaketh Heb. 11.4 OH living man would'st by death gain Learn Christ who did thy death sustain That so when Death Thy Life shall end Thou maist in Life with Christ Ascend Thy losse of friends becomes thy gain When God thy friend thou do'st obtain Then Pattern-like Be taught of me Let Christ thy life yet living be By sin came death yet liveth he Who conquer'd death to succour thee J.A. Or Thus. The Bush on fire is still preserv'd Mans life in death is yet conserv'd The Angels food Mans bread Christ is This Captain slew our death by his His bonds makes free his death brings life Our shame through Christ works glory rife Christ's Grace gains Faith Man hopes glory Sure 's God 's word myst'ry and stlory Vain man I Why fearest death in vain Christ is risen Beleeve and reign J.A. The CONTENTS Doctrines 1. That Righteous men die 1. The leverall kindes of death 1. Eternall which is a perishing from the presence of the Lord The second death 2. Spirituall Dead in sins strangers from the life of God Taken in an ill sease Dead to the Law to a mans self Thus taken in a good sense 3. Temporall see sin Inchoate In deaths often The shadow of death Censummate An utter sepatation of the soul from the body 2. The reasons of the Righteous mans dying 1 From the frail and mortall nature about them 2 From Satan and this world haters of them 3. From sin that cleaves so fall to them 4. From the Ordinance of God upon them That all men must die 5. For right ends to them 1. To humble the righteous by death 2. To make them seek salvation out of death through Christ 3. That the glory of Christ in raising them out of death may appear 4. That death may put an end to all their evils 5. That dying the righteous may enter into life and glory 2. That the Righteous hath hope in his death And therein consider 1. The difference of the Righteous mans hope from other mens hopelesse of life or senselesse of death 2. Who is the Righteous man 3. Divers sorts of Righteousnesse 1. Of a mans own and of works Morall Legall 2. Of God Of saith 4. Gods goodnesse done for man and his truth said to man cals for mans trust and hope towards God 5. What is this hope of a Righteous man 1. The severall objects of his hope Christ And other things through Christ 2. The grounds of his hope 1. Christs sufferings for man the ground of mans righteousnesse with God 2. Christs resurrection out of death the ground of mans hope of life 3. The efficacy of his hope the Righteous mans hope dies not It lives in his death 6. The blessed memory of this deceased Righteous man and of his hope in his death Application 1. The Righteousnesse of God is to be taken notice of and not to be slighted 2. All men ought to fellow this righteousnesse of God and not faint for sufferings 3. These followers are to go on in the way of righteousnesse The righteous not to die in their affections for death it self but to have hope in their death THE RIGHTEOVS MANS HOPE IN HIS DEATH The Text. PROV 14.32 The Righteous hath hope in his death NOt to spend time in unnecessary prefacing because we shall finde matter enough in the words to take up all this little time allotted us There are two Propositions couched in the Text to which I shall desire as briefly and yet as clearly as I may to speak viz. 1. That even Righteous men also are liable to death 2. That the Righteous have hope in their death The truth of the former of these is not only a matter of faith but is evident to sense also as the Scriptures tell us Heb 9.17 It 's appointed to man once to die So we see the wise and the foolish the righteous and the wicked both are subject thereto and in that regard all things come alike to all The most famous for righteousnesse have yielded unto death Abraham is â—â—nd and the Prophets are dead yea Christ himself yielded up the Ghost and died so that we shall not spend time about the proof of that point only I shall desire to unfold the severall acceptions of the word death and see in which of them this is found true that the righteous comes unto death and so see the latitude in which this Text may be taken and then shew whence and upon what grounds it comes to passe that the righteous also die and so proceed to the next particular The word death is diversly used in Scripture As We reade of a second death Rev. 20 6. 〈◊〉 Thes 17.8 9 Mâ—â—â— 25 4â— a perishing from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power a being thrown into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his Angels But of this death the text is not to be understood for this is none of the righteous mans death it 's not appointed for him nor he for it nor shall he come into it nor is it a death in which any hope may be had this is indeed the righteous mans hope that he shall not see this death but be preserved and kept from it as it is said Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection for on such the second death shall have no power Rev. 20.6 And of this that saying of our Saviour is to be understood that he that beleeves in him shall not taste death Joh 8 52. 2. Death is sometimes taken for a more spirituall death or a death in the spirit of a man only not in the body as when men are said
while alive Eph. 4.18 and 2.1 to be dead in an evill sense void of the life of God dead in sins and trespasses but of this this place cannot be understood neither they that are so dead are not righteous men but as yet unrighteous and ungodly But 3. Death is sometime taken in a good sense for a spirituall death not in sin but to a mans self and sin as when the Apostle saies Gal. 2.20 I am crucified with Christ yet I live c. Rom. 6.4 We are planted with him into the similitude of his death And 7.9 When the law came sin revived and I died That is When a man formerly alive to his wisdome parts priviledges righteousnesse after the Law c. comes to be taken off from all life in them confidence springing from them expectation of favour from God because of them findes no support comfort or encouragement from them sees them all to be nothing in the account of God and so looses and departs with them all in that regard to enjoy the full grace of God in Christ Unrighteous men oft times finde life in their own hands power and works endeavours parts c. but the man that doth righteousnesse dies to all that he may live to God and Christ may be his life And so he dies also to the world riches gloâ—â— pleasures treasures of it and whatsoever is therein so as not to love cleave to and have his life therein or suck his soul sweetnesse and satisfaction there-from It is crucified to him and he to it as Gal. 6.14 He is condemned and cast out by it and he again condemns and reproves it and findes no goodnesse or life in the customs approbation or excellencies of it So Paul saies of himself he died daily 1 Cor. 15. and saies to the Colossians chap. 3.3 Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God And this death in these severall particulars the righteous man dieth to and in these dyings also he hath hope so that this acceptation of the word death we may understand to he included in this expression in the Text. 4. The word death signifies also dangers of death to the body heavy afflictions and distresses such as bring into eminent dangers of the dissolution of the body and soul each from other as when Paul said that God delivered him from so great a death 2 Cor. 8.9 and that he was in deaths often 2 Cor. 11.23 Fifthly and lastly It is used most ordinarily to signifie the death of the body the separation made between it and the soul the laying down of this earthly tabernacle so Christ was put to death in the flesh and Abraham and the Prophets died c. And in this and the next foregoing sense joined with it shall I here especially eye and speak to it It being a clear truth that the righteous come into many tribulations and deaths or dangers and at last also lay down their earthly tabernacles and die in the flesh 2 Cor. 5.1 and 4.12 Let us now view some reason of this why they are subjected to or how they come to yeeld up to such deaths The question is Quest. Why and whence it is that the righteous come into dangers and into death The answer is Answ That though they are in their conditions and spirits above death yet their bodies are subject thereto from sundry causes as If we look upon secundary causes It is because 1. They have the same frail natures and infirm constitutions as other men have they have and carry about them the seeds and principles of mortality righteousnesse leads to peace in them and to hopes under them but doth not keep death from them Yea 2. They have more cause then other men inasmuch as they have more enemies Satan stirring up instruments against them yea and if God permit working upon the principles of mortality in them more forceably and violently as in Job if by any means he might destroy them he stirs up the world to hate reproach and persecute them so that considering the worlds hating of them and plots against them it 's a greater wonder and more to be admired that they die no sooner then that they die at all that they meet not with many more deaths then that they meet with so many If we look upon the first and higher causes then we finde 1. Sinne in them as well as in others and that exposeth to death the body being corrupted with sin must die that it may be made new and incorrupt and that springs from an higher cause yet 2. The appointment of God It 's an ordinance of his making that mankinde should be subject to death It 's appointed to men once to die Heb. 9.27 And this ordinance includes and reaches to beleevers as well as others they being men also and God would have it so for divers good ends and purposes as to instance 1. That they might have something to humble them and keep them low in themselves while they are minded of their sin and sinfulnesse that let in death and experiment themselves in mortality frailty and weaknesse like other men and so are led also to see that they as well as any other have daily need of help from above that they need a Saviour out of death 2. That they seeing their own nothingnesse and need of a Saviour might be more earnestly stirred up to accept thankfully and diligently seek after and have recourse unto and exercise faith in the Saviour that God hath freely given to remedy and help them Deut. 32.29 Psal 9â— 11. for the consideration of their later end and the right numbering of their daies is a means to make them apply their hearts more heedfully to wisdom in minding the grace of God and comforting themselves therein against their straits and sufferings and breathing after the experiments of the power of God in supporting and bearing them up in deaths and in due season delivering them out of them Were we not subjected to death and misery in ourselves we should never so much prize and look out after salvation and help given us in another 3. That God in Christ might be the more abundantly glorified in supporting and carrying them through deaths and sufferings and raising them out of them for his strength is perfected in weaknesse and his power in infirmities 2 Cor. 12. as thereby it is most eminently put forth so therethrough also it 's most fully and clearly seen and known and being seen is most acknowledged as Christ said of Lazarus his death Joh. 1â— so we may say of the death of all his people it is that the son of man might be glorified for it 's greater glory to uphold in deaths and raise dry bones out of death then to preserve from it As the resurrection of the dead when mens bodies are wasted consumed and the reliques thereof scattered and dispersed doth more appose reason and seems more absurd to mans conception
rightly fetcheth in all this good to the soul the ground of it being of that pretiousnesse in it self and acceptablenesse with God as doth cause these fruits to spring from it and put an everlastingnesse into them the vertue and goodnesse of the righteousnesse of mans hope in God springs from the goodnesse of the spring and rise of it The Pharisee hoped for great things from God Luk. 18.9 10. as that God would accept him and account him righteous and deal with him as a righteous man ah but his hope was naught because it sprung from a wrong foundation it sprung from his own goodnesse and good performances which he conceived to be the effects of Gods love towards him he knew nothing of love to him in God before his good performances to spring them up in him but he concludes now that God did love him from his good performances God I thank thee that I am not as other men are he thought that he could not have been so good as he was if God had not had speciall and eternall love and favour towards him But the righteous mans hope grows upon another root he first heard of and was perswased of Gods love towards him in the promised seed the gift of Jesus Christ for him while a sinner and ungody and the belief of this Gods love in him brings him in to beleeve in him and hope in him he therefore hopes and expecteth that God will support and carry him through death and bring him to such glorious injoyment of eternall life as hath been mentioned yea to greater glory then can be mentioned because he sees and beleeves that he hath already in Christ prevented him with his love in whom death is abolished life and immortality brought to light sin satisfied for law fulfilled eternall redemption obtained God well pleased that man should have eternall life and to that end hath put it in his Son and put it upon his Son to bestow and give it to every one that leans upon his grace and submits to beleeve on him for it to which end also he sees in the Gospel and in his heart beleeves that God hath given his Son infinite glory power and authority to subdue whatever in the Beleever or without him would hinder him of his glory appointed him judge of quick and dead to forgive and pardon all sins to all that by his goodnesse are brought to him to give them his good Spirit preserve them in trials come again and raise them out of death and make their vile bodies like his own glorious body and in the issue possesse them with himself and of his own glory for the effecting all which in and for him the righteous man judges and beleeves him both able and faithfull in which hope he is confirmed by the experiments of the divine grace calling and quickning him and from this free-grace in Christ which brings the soul to do righteousnesse in beleeving on him and so leads it to the enjoyment of Christ for righteousnesse with God springs up in his most dying condition this hope of the glory and further grace before expressed And so we have done with the explication of those two things propounded and so with the explicatory work about the proposition It remains that we come next to the confirmation of it For confirmation of this point I shall only do these two things 1. Shew that it hath been so with righteous men in former ages such as the Scripture mentions and 2. Shew that this our deceased Friend and Brother as others of this place before him found it so 1. Scripture instances of the cloud of witnesses produced therein prove this to be true That the righteous hath hope in his death It mentions a large catalogue of Worthies that lived and died in faith though they received not the promises I never see the righteous faith David forsaken Psa 37.25 Why then not in death neither God hath given them hope in that too How sweetly sung old Jacob when he breaths forth this confession in the midst of his blessings Gen 49.18 I have waited O Lord for thy salvation So David when in great danger of death many conspiring to take away his life see how his heart then hoped in God I said O Lord thou art my hope my times are in thine hand Psal 31.15.19 And a little before his giving up of the Ghost how sweet are his expressions 2 Sam. 23.3 4 5. These are the last words of David David the son of Jesse said the man that was raised up on high The anointed of the God of Jacob and the sweet Psalmist of Israel said the spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue the God of Israel said the Rock of Israel spake to me He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in fear of God and he shall be as the light of the morning when the sun rises a morning without cloud as the tender grasse springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain Although my house be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvation and all my desire although he make it not to grow Sweet expressions of assured confidence flowing from Gods love in his covenant with him whereof Christ is the Mediator if not rather the summe and contents of it and yet these were the expressions of a dying righteous man Act. 13.3 4. Job 19.25 26 27. What should I mention Job whose voice it was in the midst of distresse I know that my redeemer liveth and he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth and though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God Whom I shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold and not another though my reins be consumed within me A glorious triumph over death in the midst of deaths 2 Tim 4.8 I shall add no more from Scripture but that of Paul Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of life which God the righteous Judge shall give me All which instances are evident witnesses of this truth That the righteous hath hope in his death To which I might also have added the constant confessions and sweet hopefull expressions of many Martyrs but I passe them over for brevity and so come 2. To this our Friend and Brother decased he was another instance of and witnesse to this truth as all that were eye and ear witnesses of his carriage in his sicknesse will affirm For though he was known and noted to be a man naturally of a timerous and fearfull disposition afraid of dangers yet such the more abundant operation of the grace of God in him in his sicknesse and at his death he was nothing at all afraid of death though the king of terrour nay so far was he from fearing it that it was his desire to be dissolved and to
be with his Lord Jesus which he longed for far above life even from the begining of his sicknesse so that some being desirous to pray for him he would by no means that they should pray to preserve his life here any longer but that he might go to his Lord Jesus and be taken from that state of estrangement and absence from him that he was in while in this body to be at home with him that he might in his spirit more fully see and enjoy him whom he had seen by faith or whom not seeing yet he beleeved in and loved for that good report of his love in the Gospel declared to him as he had wrought righteousnesse or done righteously in his life in receiving the testimony of the Gospel the record of God concerning Jesus Christ and was not ashamed of it though spoken against and rejected by men nor of those that brought it though weak and vilified by most so went he not without the fruit of it in his death the word of God wrought effectually in him both in life and death In his life time it wrought in him to desire the true and lasting riches although he was blessed here with a good and large portion of these outward riches which often prove such snares and intanglements to mens hearts that they cannot attend to God for the true yea and whereas commonly rich men are high minded as it is intimated in that charge given them not to be high minded 1 Tim. 6.21 and prove great hinderances of mens entring the strait gate because men are apt to swell in their mindes up to the largenesse yea and often far beyond the largenesse of their estates and to despise so low and contemptible a way as the Gospel is It was not so with him the goodnesse of God so wrought in him as for the enjoiment of Christ he condescended to them of low degree to bear the reproach of Christ with them and to professe the despised Gospel amongst them A rare thing to finde a rich estate and a poor humble spirit together riches and pride and loftines usually accompany each other and so choaking all motions or desires of goodnesse that they come not out to perfection In all this he did righteously but above all in that he received not only the sound but the substance of the Gospel the truth into his heart so as to set his hope in God therethrough and to expect his salvation as also his brother had done before him however opposite at first as many others yet are which accompanied him to his death as hath been expressed which hope also suted with the hope of the righteous man in this that it was founded upon the love of God in Christ to mankinde and so to him The death resurrection ascension mediation of the Son of God for him according to the Gospel declaration as appears by this ensuing confession of his faith which he penned with his own hand when he first began to grow sick and weak and caused to inserted into the preface of his Will whence also as I was requested I copied it out word for word to publish it to you as here followeth I bequeath my soul into the hands of God as into the hands of a faithfull Creator who hath made heaven and earth and all things therein and to Jesus Christ the second person in the Trinity God blessed for ever who hath redeemed me and all mankinde for the Scripture that I do faithfully beleeve saith That he by the grace of God tasted death for every man and St John saith That God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life And the same John saith in his Epistle He is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world and other such like Scriptures which I here forbear to insert And this I do declare because so many do deny the truth of these Scriptures and some others deny all Scriptures and many now in our daies deny the Lord Iesus Christ to be the second Person in Trinity and so account the written Scriptures as a History and the mystery in their hearts they give for Scripture But I do faithfully beleeve as it is recorded in the word of God that that Iesus who died for all men is risen free and acquit of all that was against them for to this end he both died and rose again that he might be Lord of all and is ascended up on high and hath received gifts * Or In the man for men to send forth even to the rebellious that the Lord God might dwell amongst them and that they might come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved such provision hath God made for all in and through his Son that be invites all to come and saith all things are ready his trible is furnished and he bids them eat of his bread and drink of his wine that he hath mingled Thus far is the love of God in his Son set forth to all and more fully and of his fulnesse have we all received and grace for grace And further it is said To so many as received him to them he gave power to become the Sons of God to them which beleeve in his Name Which makes it plain that whosoever is found to receive and accept what is declared in the Scriptures of what Jesus hath done for all it is as much as to say they receive him that is to own God for their father in the righteousnesse of his Son so that he that is Gods righteousnesse is their righteousnesse who presents them in himself unto the Father and for them be hath a further businesse with the father as in 1 Joh. 2.1 is declared We have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous making good our cause and not suffering our evils to come up before him and it is through what he hath done by dying rising and ascending and continuall advocating that I have all my hope that when I depart this life I shall live with him according to that Scripture which saith Because I live ye shall live also c. Thus he exprest himself In the last expression of which you have the confession of his hope to agree with what I said before of the righteous mans that it sprung from a good bottom the death resurrection and advocation of Jesus Christ as with that of the Apostle Peter who saith God hath begotten them to a lively hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead 1 Pet 1.3 So that as this our Brother did righteously to beleeve the Gospel of the grace of God and therethrough to beleeve in God so had he a good hope in his death a hope for good and glorious things and a hope well grounded And thus we have seen the explication and confirmation Come we now to the third
and is in him not every one that talks of him and professeth him and cals him Lord Lord but he that 's found in him is imputed of God and accounted righteous by him and in him A righteousnesse this is that will as well rule him righteously that receives it as present him unto God righteous Now the way of receiving it is beleeving and for that cause partly it is called The righteousnesse of faith as also because it worketh righteousnesse or causeth us so to work through faith Rom. 10.6 which beleeving in its actings towards Christ and God in him and in its acting from God and Christ towards man by Gods love acting it Gal 5.6 is called as I understand our working righteousnesse or doing righteousnesse in 1 Joh. 2.29 Every one that doth righteousnesse is born of him which answers to chap. 5.1 Every one that beleeveth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and so in 1 Joh. 5.7 He that doth righteousnesse is righteous as he is righteous Which agrees with that in Col. 1.22 23. To present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight if ye continue in the faith grounded and setled c. That I say is our righteous doing especially as it works towards God or receiving Christ resteth in God through him in which respect it is said also to be imputed to us for righteousnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or unto righteousnesse Rom 4.5 Not for any inward merit in our acting it for indeed it 's rather acted in us but such is the love of God to his Son that he accepts our beleeving on him and takes it in as good part as if we had never sinned against him imputing it unto righteousnesse that is out of his meer grace and gracious determination so approving it that he looks on us now through Christ whom we therein beleeve on and reckons us after Christ who is his righteousnesse It is true that it is a righteous thing in it self that we should beleeve the word of God Istis duobus Christiana file que gloriam tribuâ—â— Deo imputatione Deâ— sides enim firma est 〈◊〉 oportet imputationtia Dei accedere Luth in Gal 3 6. and there-through beleeve in Christ set forth therein and so in God through him but yet this righteous thing of it self as acted by us or in us is too weak and low to denominate us righteous with God or intitle us to Christ his righteousnesse and make him ours did not God graciously so reckon of it as to accept it unto righteousnesse or to the intailing Christ upon us to be our righteousnesse But however that is our righteous-doing to give credit to God and beleeve on Christ and the not doing so is great unrighteousnesse that great sin which the holy Ghost will convince the world of Joh. 16.8 9 11. That that makes it a righteous thing to beleeve God is because he is true and all his words are pure and upright there is no fraud or perversnesse in him or his sayings none ever trasted to them and were deceived by them and thence it is too that unbelief is so great a sin and so unrighteous a thing because it gives God who is truth it self the lie and makes a liar of him 1 Joh. 5.10 And so again it is but a righteous just thing for men to beleeve on God in Christ and the contrary is unrighteousnesse and sin and why because he is good and loving yea love it self and doth good to men so as that they have good ground of committing themselves to him and staying on him and this in Christ because he hath in him testified his love to poor fallen mankinde and Christ hath so wonderfully deserved well of them for he came from his Father into the world on purpose to take our nature and therein bear our sin and die the death that was due to us which he also out of pity and good will towards us hath done and being risen again and ascended up to his father he is with him the propitiation for our sins and having received of him all authority and power yea being filled with all the fulnesse of God he holds forth himself as a Saviour to men as a Captain and leader ready and able to save them to the uttermost who ever submit to him and follow him Now God having done so much for us and upon these grounds requiring us to hope in him through Christ and cast our selves upon Christ it s but a most just and equall thing to beleeve on him and not to trust to one that hath prevented us with so much love and done so much for us is horrible ingratitude and injustice But by the way some may cast in this doubt concerning themselves Whether it can be made out that it is just and righteous that they in particular should beleeve in him Doubt For there are some so much bewilded in pooring upon themselves that they think it rather presumption and sin for them to hope in God and beleeve in Christ then any waies right and just for them and therefore if their hearts any time begin in consideration of this mercy and goodnesse a little to look towards him and conceive hope in him they are ready to start back again and say alas I am such a sinner I am not so well qualified I fear it's presumption in me to harbour any such thoughts of mercy in him for such a one as I Such a one I say might here object and ask me how I can make it good that it 's a just thing for him to beleeve in God and that God hath done so much for him as doth challenge his hoping and trusting in him To which I say Sâ—lu Not that thou maiest know this by thy so doing or beleeving for that would be fallacious and as to thee dangerous it being the want of such frames that make thee in this temper besides that thou nor any man can througly beleeve in God or be rightly framed toward him till he beleeves that God hath done so much for him and is so graciously affected towards him that there is good warrant for beleeving in him and this too from divine testimony not humane conjectures for faith that 's right comes by hearing Rom 10.14 and that hearing by which it comes is of the word of God To answer positively then out of the word of God It 's evident by Gods own testimony there that there is good ground for thee to beleeve on him It 's but that that his grace and good will testified towards thee doth require of thee for all that good will that I spake of before as a good ground for faith is testified in the Scripture to appertain to thee for minde what the Scripture saith in this particular and thou shalt see it clearly Joh. 3.16 for it is said that he so loved the world as to give his son yea for the unjust 1
Tim 1.6 Heb 1.9 2 Joh 2 2. ungodly sinners and enemies 1 Pet. 3.18 Rom. 3 6 8 10. that whosoever beleeves on him should not perish but have everlasting lift that the Son of God gave himself a ransome for all and tasted death by the grace of God for every one is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world Well then if thou beleevest the testimony of God by his Apostles and surely that is to be credited before what men say then maiest thou see that this appertains to thee if thou beest a man or one of the world then God gave his Son for thee and the Son of God came down from his Father into the world to be a Saviour for thee and died and gave himself a ransome for thee and is the propitiation for thy sins this is thou feest the language of the Scripture and of the testimony that God hath given of his Son that he died for sinners for men for all and there is none but will confesse that it 's meet that we should beleeve Gods saying as that which is in it self undoubtedly true Why then it 's meet that thou believe him in this particular too else thou dealest unrighteously with him and givest him the lie and if thou faiest ah but thou wouldst have some sign or token of the truth of this as concerning thee from him in something to be done by him to thy soul before thou canst or wilt give credit to it and judge it true then dost thou Mâ—tâ—h 12.33 as that adulterous generation which Christ reproveth seeking signes and tokens when God himself witnessed in his word concerning him and if thou shouldst persist in that way thou maist be given up to delusion to beleeve a lie and to be drawn from the truth asserted in the word by lying signs and wonders such as God sometimes orders to those that receive not the love of his truth that they might be preserved and saved by it 2 Thâ—s 1. 〈…〉 〈◊〉 Parath in Râ—n 9. If thou wilt not beleeve Gods word thou art in a dangerous way of miscarrying It 's a good counsel that Erasmus gives in such cases Desine disceptare incipe credere ita citius intelliges Leave off disputing and questioning about Gods word and opposing thy vain reason against it offer up thy reason as * Hoc est juge illud sacrificti vesperâ—â— ii matuâ—â—…um Novi Testamentâ— Vespertinum mortificare rationeâ—â— matutinâ—â— glorificare Deuâ— luâ—h in Gal 3.6 Luther advises as an evening sacrifice let that be mortified in whatsoever it sets it self against the word of God and instead thereof do thou begin to beleeve and give credit to what God saith and so thou shalt soonest come to understand which counsel I the rather commend because it sutes with the word of God it self it agrees with that of James 1.19 Be swift to hear slow to speak slow to wrath ready to listen what God saith in his word of truth but slow to be putting in thy glosses and corrections upon it and slow to wrangle with it or to be offended at what is said therein and so in Isa 7.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Tertullian renders thus Iâ—â—o taamiâ—â— Kâ— lo reamenu Tertul advers Marciod 4 c 32 Nisicredideritis non intelligetis unlesse ye beleeve ye shall not understand God would have us take his word and then he will let us see the truth and faithfullnesse of his word Man is apt to look the wrong way in first desiring to have his reason satisfied before he will beleeve but if thou wouldest prove and experiment the truth and certainty of his word to thy soul and have the profitable understanding of it do thou first receive it and close with it holding it for true and certain and then beleeving it to be true thou wilt judge it but a meet and righteous thing to commit thy soul to him and betrust thy self with him that hath prevented thee with so much goodnesse and declared such love to thee before-hand that thou mightest be perswaded to beleeve in him and that it 's thy great sin and evill that thou art so diffident and distrustfull of him yea in closing with that word of his grace in which he hath testified such love towards thee in Christ Isa 50.2 thou shalt in due season finde and feel the power of God put forth to save thee from distrusting him and so enabling thee with thy heart to beleeve on him so as it shall be imputed unto thee for righteousnesse Christ himself shall be made thy righteousnesse and thou accounted and accepted as righteous in him And now to bring thee again to the businesse where Christ is so received by faith as that the soul depends upon him and he becomes it's righteousnesse and presents him righteous to his father thence he will be operative in the soul too by his Spirit teaching the soul to walk righteously and act forth righteousnesse both to God and man For the faith that so receives Christ is not a bare dead notionall apprehension of a proposition sloating in the brain but such a cordiall closing of the heart with the word of God as that it closeth with loveth prizeth and leaneth on Christ held forth therein and ascendeth up to God by him loving admiring panting after and cleaving to God in him the Spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus working effectually in the soul and filling it with divine and heavenly vertues and operations as to devote it self to God for his great love towards it to expect further good from him to submit unto him c. and so be filled with peace and joy in the manifestation of Gods accepting it and witnesse thereof bearing to it with love and charity to men inward desires of their good and readines really to endeavour it as opportunity is offered as knowing that God would have them to be saved and that what Christ hath in his death and sufferings procured into himself it is free for any to come to him for whosoever will may take freely of the waters of life as also that it is acceptable to God that they should so walk towards others as he hath walked toward them and indeed faith as it gives a sight to the soul of the glorious grace of God so is it a means of the souls being transformed through that glory seen into his similitude to love as he hath loved pity where he shews pity and to delight in that which he delighteth it teacheth us to deny all ungodlines and worldly lusts and to live godly righteously and soberly in this present world to hold forth the word of life and work the works that are acceptable to God and profitable to men not in any thing to injure or wrong them but in all things to seek their commodity as occasion is presented to them that they might glorifie God in the day of