greatest of difficulties this kinde came forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting which shews the work was of more than ordinary difficulty yet because their Faith was posed in it hee tells them they were a faithless Generation and hee was weary of them it put him to the utmost exercise of his patience to bear with them And you see the like of Peter whose Faith was so great as to carry him upon the waters to walk upon the waves upon a bare command and word of Christ yet afterwards the wind growing strong and corruption working hee was affraid and begins to sink and then cryed Lord save mee Mat. 14.30 31. And how much was Christ displeased at him who had put forth so glorious an act of Faith as to walk upon the waters upon a bare command yet because hee held not out Christ reproved him Oh thou of little Faith wherefore didst thou doubt was this a little Faith c. But wee will pass this and in the prosecution of this Doctrin wee will shew these eight things 1. That wee are slow of heart to beleeve 2. What are the grounds that wee are slow of heart to beleeve 3. What are the reasons why this slowness of heart is so offensive to God For the first that wee are slow of heart to beleeve This will bee demonstrated to you if you consider with mee these five particulars 1. The greatness of that power which God doth put forth in the working Faith in an unbeleeving heart Faith it self is called the work of Gods power nay of his almighty power The same power which God put forth in the raising of Christ from the dead even the same power hee doth put forth in the working of Faith in an unbeleeving heart Ephes 1.19 20. There are many mighty works of God which are not saving works As the works of Creation the works of Providence These are mighty works but they are not saving works But there are no saving works of God which are not mighty Every work of mercy is a work of might too every work of grace is a work of power too though every work of power bee not a work of grace yet every work of grace is a work of power And the work of an almighty power Actus omnipotentis Actus omnipotentioe Not only an Almighty God doth work but also according to the Almightiness of God when hee works Faith and Grace in a graceless heart There are two names given to this in Scripture both which speak the greatness of Gods power in the working of it 1. It is called a resurrection from death to life not of a dead body but a dead soul Psal 88.10 wilt thou shew wonders to the dead shall the dead arise to praise thee hee speaks not there of a natural death but of the condition which hee was in lying for the present slain and dead as it were under the apprehensions of God wrath Shall a soul that now lyes dead and slain with the apprehensions of thy wrath and displeasure arise by Faith to praise thee Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead shall the dead arise to praise thee That is wilt thou shew the greatness of thy power in working Faith in an unbeleeving soul this is no less than a resurrection from the dead the dead arise c. And therefore this must needs require the greatness of Gods power to effect it It is a great work to recover a sick man but more to restore a dying man but to raise a dead man to life this is the work of God only Yet all this is nothing to the resurrection of a dead soul To raise our bodies when consumed by fire when vanished into air when corrupted in the water when turned into dust and rottenness is not so great a work as to raise a dead soul a soul dead in sin to work Faith in an unbeleeving heart This is the Almighty work of God 2. And hence Secondly It is called a work of Creation 2 Cor. 5.17 thus in Christ And you know Creation is the work of God only it is the production of something out of nothing Men may produce something out of something but to produce something out of nothing is proper to God alone There is lesse distance between the least dust and the most glorious Angel in Heaven than there is between it and nothing Wee say and its true inter ens non ens nulla proportio there is infinite distance between something and nothing Such a distance as none but a God can bring together Now this work of Faith and Grace in the heart in an unregenerate and unbeleeving man is a new Creation A Creation of light in a dark heart of life in a dead heart of Faith in an unbeleeving heart of Grace in a graceless heart which is a work which requires the almightiness of Gods power for the effecting of it And that is the first demonstration 2. If you do consider the complaints of Beleevers when they first come to beleeve What sighs what tears what groans what pains what struglings with unbeleef with doubts with fears Crying out with the man in the Gospel Lord I do beleeve help my unbeleef It may bee now the doubt of Gods power of Christs al-sufficiency to pardon sin to forgive so great and hainous wickednesse and say with him Lord if thou canst do any thing help Mark 9.22 or if not so yet they doubt of his wâ—ll whether God will pardon them yea or no and say with another in the Gospel Lord if thou wilt thou canst make mee clean Matth. 8.2 Every dayes experience tells us how hard a thing it is to cast a man out of himself and when that is done Oh how hard a thing is it to bring that soul over to Christ and the promise Now a thousand objections are raised the soul is now as full of scruples of doubts as the Sun is full of motes Oh what swarms of unbeleeving thoughts what multitudes of doubts and objections that it is beyond the power of any but of him alone that can deal with the heart either to discover them or answer them or if answered yet the soul is still unsetled till God come in This is plain in cast down and humbled souls 3. If you look upon the Rhetorick God useth to bring a poor humbled and cast down sinner to beleeve Read Isa 40. beginning Comfort you comfort yee my people saith my God Speak yee comfortably Say your warfare is accomplished your iniquities are pardoned c. But least any should say alas tell not mee of this no comfort belongs to mee hee is buried up in troubles God doth not regard him why see how hee saith in vers 27. Why sayest thou Oh Jacob and speakest Oh Israel my way is hid from the Lord and my Judgement is passed over from my God Hast thou not known hast thou not heard that the everlasting God the Lord the Creator of the ends of the
day and poor to morrow The Lord hath given Dominus dedit Dominus abstulit the Lord hath taken away Both with one breath Hence the wise man Riches make themselves wings and flye away But these are abiding Treasure A Treasure whose spring is in Heaven whose Foundation is in Christ Our life is hid with Christ in God not only hid for secrecy but hid for safety It is a safe life an abiding life Nay but if they should continue yet will they do us no good in the day of trouble They cannot save our souls from nor in the day of wrath They cannot save us from sicknesse nor from death not from Hell Nor are they able to mitigate our Torments to purchase one drop of water in that lake of fire What profit had Ahab of his Vineyard Baltazar of his cups Dives of his wealth Judas of his thirty-pence Agrippa of his gay apparel The rich fool of his full barns All these would do them no good Neither quench nor bribe these flames but rather afford Oile to increase them But now Grace that riches which Faith doth inrich us withall it is such as will uphold us in sickness bee a choice cordial in that bitter potion it will deliver us in death save us in the day of wrath and inable us to lift up our heads with joy and boldness in the day of Judgement that terrible day of the Lord when the wicked shall tremble before the Judge and call upon the Mountains to fall upon them and the Hills to cover them from the presence of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Hast thou other riches and wantest thou Faith Hast thou Mountains of Gold Rocks of Diamonds shores of Rubies And wantest thou Faith wantest thou Grace Oh! thou art a poor man Thus you see Faith is an Heart-inriching-Grace A Beleever hath title to all A Beleever is the poorest and the richest man in the World As none is poorer than a godly man in himself so none is richer than a Beleever in Christ Hee is as having nothing and yet possessing all things Christ is the Heir of all things All are yours if you bee Christs No sooner can the soul say Christ is mine but hee may say His Blood is mine his Spirit mine his Glory mine all is mine Christ and all his are conveyed and made over by the same Deed of Gift Hence the Apostle saith Wee are made partakers of Christ Not of some part but of Christ all Christ not of Justification only but say Christ and there is all Fifteenth Royalty 15. Royalty Faith is an Heart-raising-Grace 15. Faith is an Heart-raising-Grace There is a threefold Death that Faith doth raise up the soul from 1. The Death of Sin 2. The Death of inward Trouble 3. The Death of outward Trouble 1. Faith raiseth up the soul from the Death of Sin Wee are all of us Dead by nature in trespasses and sins Ephes 2.1 Dead-Born And as dead men so wee have no notion to spiritual things no motion no strength to any good no sense being insensible of the weight of sin insensible of mercies and judgements wee have no desires after any thing good no affection to them And a Death it is not only Privative A meer absence and privation of spiritual life but a Positive Death wherein there is an Introduction of a Positive vitious Habit. As in Natural Death there is not only a Privation of Life of the former form but the Position of another form there is another form left in the body So in Spiritual Death there is not only a meer Absence a bare Privation of Life But there is a Positive Evil and Vitious Habit left in the soul Hence Heb. 9.14 The works of natural men are called Dead works There would bee a contradiction in calling them Dead works if unregenerate men were only deprived of spiritual life and had not another positive evil form in them Thus dead wee are then not only Privatively but Positively And it is Faith which doth raise up the Soul from the Death of Sin to the Life of Grace Faith is the Resurrection of the Soul from under the spiritual death the Death of Sin The first rise of the Soul from the Death of Sin is by beleeving Vita sancta aâ— fide sumit initium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fide regeneramut Calv. Resipiscentia non modo fidem subsequitur sed ex ea noscitur Calv. ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fides justificationem praecipit sanctificationem efficit Tilen An holy life hath its rise from Faith The Fountain of all our spiritual Graces The worker of all good things That which begets Love Fear Repentance Hence Calvin saith Faith regenerates Repentance doth not only follow Faith but doth arise from Faith Hence Clemens Alexandrinus Faith is the first awakening the first inclination of the Soul to Christ. Hence by some Faith and the New Creation Faith and Sanctification do differ as much as the Cause and the Effect Faith is the Instrument of Justification but the efficient of Sanctification They who distinguish Regeneration which is part of our Vocation and Sanctification do make Faith and Sanctification differ as much as Cause and Effect Vocation say they produceth Faith â—nd Faith being begotten produceth Sanctification both habitual and â—ctual Hence it 's called the Mother-Grace But they who make Vocation and Sanctification all one and both to bee nothing else but our inherent Righteousness or those Habits that frame of Grace implanted in the Soul whereof Faith is a part they do say Faith doth not produce the Cause of the Habits of Graces but Faith produceth the acts of Grace of Love Repentance c. Faith doth not produce the Habits but the acts of Grace For the clearing of this Sanctification may bee considered as it is either In actu primo vel secundo 1. Habitual Or 2. Actual 1. For our Habitual Sanctification There wee say the Spirit of God is the only Cause and Faith is an Effect as well as others Faith is a part of our inherent Sanctification 2. For our Actual Sanctification or as those Habits do act and exercise and there wee say Faith doth help to produce the acts of Grace of Love of Repentance 1 Tim. 1.5 Love out of a pure heart and a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned Faith doth not only lend an hand to its Fellow-Graces for the perfecting of Grace but Faith doth help to produce the Acts of Grace the Acts of Love of Repentance Zeal Patience c. Though at the same time they bee all implanted yet in Nature Faith hath the precedency and helps to produce the Acts of all the rest As God the Father is before the Son in Nature yet not in Time Hee is not a Father till hee have a Son So is it to bee understood concerning Faith and all other Graces 2. Faith raiseth us up
signed But makes his Supplication three times a day vers 13. And what was this now but to render him to the King factious seditious a Rebel a Traytor One who cared not for King nor Law Though indeed Daniel was a better subject than the best of them though they would have rendred him rebellious to the King because he was obedient to his God But mark the issue of it God disappointed them in their design and brought their own plot upon their own Pates Daniel was preserved by the Lyons that should have destroy'd him as they did afterward them The like of the three Children I might go down to our days The Powder-plot Eighty-Eight and God knows how many since 2 God hath wrought wonderfull deliverance for his Church Deliverances wonderful and the way he hath wrought them was 1 Sometimes by small means For weaknesse and strength is all one with God as Asa confessed when that Great Army came against him 2 Chron. 14.11 It is all one with thee to help with many or with few Infinite wisdome and power knows no difference As the Mariner turns about the greatest ship with a small rudder No means can bee so contemptible but he can make it succesful to his own purposes As the greatest means will bee no priviledge without Gods concurrence so the smallest means shall be no prejudice if God wil concur Wee read God hath sometimes armed natural Causes Sunne Moon Stars Hail Wind All which were wonders against the enemies of the Church The Stars in their course were said to fight against Sisera The Lord slew the enemies of Joshua with Hail and the Moabites with the Sun shining upon the water And wee read in the Ecclesiastical History that the Christians being to fight against the Barbarians were in a great distresse for water And upon their Prayer God sent them abundance of rain to refresh their Army But incountred their enemys with Thunder and fire from heaven In remembrance of which the Romans called the Christian Legion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fulminatrix The thundring Legion And sometimes God hath armed other causes putting strength into weak and contemptible means for the deliverance of his Church God hath oftentimes delivered his Church by such instruments as the enemies before would have looked upon with scorn as upon cast and despicable Creatures As God hath weakned and infatuated them hee hath intended to destroy so hath hee strengthned and guided with a spirit of wisdome such as hee hath intended for the deliverance of a Church You see Cyrus comparatively a weak Prince yet God made him an instrument to overthrow the most strong and puissant people in the World the Babylonians and by him to deliver his Church Deborah a Woman and yet God raised her up for the deliverance of his Church So you see God doth it by small means 2. Sometimes God works the deliverance of his Church without means And this is more wonderful When God looks about and sees there is no man then doth his right hand bring salvation When the Channel of Creature-helps is dry when the stream of second causes doth not runne Then doth God himself stand up for the defence and deliverance of his Church and People and creates deliverance out of nothing What God doth by means hee can do alone What hee doth mediately hee doth sometimes immediately from himself The Angel slew an hundred fourescore and five thousand 2 King 19.35 Wee read when Julian went to war against the Persians hee vowed to his Idol-Gods that when hee returned hee would give them a sacrifice of all the Christians in the Empire Here was now no means for the deliverance of the Church But God undertaketh the work himself smiting him from Heaven with an unknown blow and by that delivered his Church The like also of Maximius and of Herod Act. 12.23 Though there bee weakness below yet there is strength above Though means bee wanting yet hee can create means or hee can work without God and Faith work best alone 3. Sometimes God works the deliverance of his Church by contrary means And this is yet a more wonderful way God doth often work his works by Contraries hee brings good out of evil Life out of Death c. As the Physitian doth order poisons and destructive ingredients to physical useful and healthful purposes So those things which in themselves are against us God in singular wisdome and mercy turns them for us That which hath been used as the means of ruine hath God often turned to the means of raising a Church and People This is like the opening of the blind mans eyes with Clay One would think it should rather put out the eyes of a seeing man than give sight to a blind man But if Christ do undertake the work though the means bee never so contrary it shall bee effectual Thus you see that God doth often do wonders for the good of his Church and People 2. Quere 2. Wee come now to the second thing The Grounds and Reasons 1. The first is Because hee is a wonderful God Wonderful things beseem a Wonderful God His Name is Wonderful Isa 9.6 And therefore his works are Wonderful This is the inference Psal 86.10 Thou art great and dost wonderful things Every one delights to do actions sutable to themselves sutable to their own greatness When Alexander met with a great difficulty his spirit thus incounters it Jam periculum par animo Alexandri Now here is a danger here is a difficulty fit for the spirit of Alexander to incounter withall here is a work sutable for Alexander to do Great enterprises great difficulties great things befit Great spirits Magnus magna decent And wonderful things befit a wonderful God And upon this ground Gods reliefs come not in until cases are desperate because then hee may discover his great Power And such deliverances are most sutable to the great God Hee could as well hâ—ve saved Lazarus from sickness as have raised him from the grave but hee suffers him to dye bee buried and lye three dayes in the grave that hee might magnifie his power in the raising of him again Hee lets the difficulty go beyond the help of man that you might the better know what the Power of God is 2. The second Reason God doth wonderful things for his people to get himself a wonderful Name that God might bee known in the World Therefore did God execute such fearful Judgements on Pharaoh and wrought so great deliverances for his people that hee might get himself a Name and publish himself to the World Isa 63.12 Special cures win more glory to the Physitian than a thousand ordinary cures so special victories win more honour to a General than a thousand ordinary skirmishes so here special deliverances to God If God should only walk in the ordinary wayes of his Providence in the World his glory would not bee so much seen and advanced And therefore God doth often step out of his
for nothing So hee makes use of such means in straits for the deliverance of his Church as the enemies thereof do look upon with scorn as upon cast and despicable Creatures As God doth weaken and infatuate them hee intends not to prosper so hee strengthens and guides with a spirit of wisdome those hee intends for the deliverance of his Church You see this in Deborah in Cyrus who though hee were a weak Prince yet God made him an instrument for the overthrow of the most strong and puissant people in the World 4 When hee makes the Afflictions and persecutions of his Church a means of growth and increase of his Church As it was said of the Israelites Exod. 1.12 The more they were afflicted the more they grew so hath God still done for his Church The primitive times tell us of thousands who were brought in not by Sermons but by the sufferings of the Saints The blood of those Martyrs being the seed of the Church And Julian knew this so well that hee left off to persecute the Church as his Predecessors had done Non ex misericordiâ sed ex invidiâ not out of mercy but envy saith the Historian because hee saw The more they were afflicted the more they grew The more they were oppressed the more they increased And therefore hee left off that course But the Church lost more by Sun-shine than by Storms more by Peace than by Troubles by Smiles than by Frowns 5 VVhen God shall bring about the Peace of his People by the trouble of his People their healing by their woundings their comforts by their fears When God shall work his work by contraries bring joy out of sorrow life out of death create comfort out of discomforts This is a wonder and a wonder which God hath frequently shewed for the good of his Church How often hath God made the lusts of men even the malice and rage of his enemies to bee a means for the good of his Church and People making those things which in their own nature were for the ruine a means for the raising of his Church and People The stories of Pharaoh of Haman and others afford you plentiful proof of it Thus out of the Eater comes sweetness out of those things destructive in themselves comfort and deliverance This is to turn poison into food evil into good As God doth turn the evil of sin so much more the evil of trouble to the good of his Church Hee makes all troubles subservient to deliverance as pangs and throws are to the birth As it was in the waters of Bethesda the waters were troubled before the diseased were healed God made the trouble of the water subservient to the cure in the water So hee often makes the troubles of his People subservient to the growth and increase of his People As the VVhale which swallowed up Jonah hee made a means to bring him to the shoar So that trouble which wee think will swallow us up God makes to advance their peace here till hee set them on the shoar of eternity Wee our selves have had the experience of it But this is the Lords doing and it is wonderful in our eyes 6 VVhen then are nothing but thoughts and preparations for war and destruction And God shall please to compose our differences heal our breaches change the sad face of things beat our swords into Plow-shares and our spears into Pruning-hooks This is a wonder And this is a wonder which God can do a wonder which hee hath done a wonder which wee have had experience of and such an one as wee are now in expectations of which God of his mercy grant It will bee more destructive to our enemies than our wars In the mean time there must bee our prayers and indeavours for it 4. Quere 4 VVhen is the time which God takes to do these wonders for his Church 1 VVhen God shall get himself most glory of the enemies of his Church and People Then is the time God takes to do wonders If God had disappointed Haman at the beginning of his design hee might thereby have delivered his Church but hee had not then gotten so much glory out of him and therefore hee suffers him to go on with his design and bring it up to ripeness that now it is ready to bee put in execution and then God stepping in in a wonderful and unexpected way hee got himself a great deal of glory upon him Therefore doth God oftentimes stay till the enemies bee ripe till they have digged graves to bury themselves in twisted cords to binde themselves withall that thereby their confusion might be greater and Gods glory more visible 2 VVhen God shall get most praise from his â—wn people God is very desirous of the praises of his Saints As hee doth Bathe himself in their tears so hee doth delight himself in their joyes Hee loves to hear their Praises as well as their Prayers And you know the greater the straits out of which God doth help and deliver the more are the hearts of the Saints inlarged with praises to him And therefore God doth take such a time for the declaration of his deliverances as thereby the hearts of his People may bee mightily inlarged and affected with the mercy 3 When God can do the Church most good and work the compleatest deliverance for them Then is the time for God to do wonders for his Church You see this in the story of Pharaoh God could have wrought a deliverance for them had hee but unwheel'd his Charets as soon as hee came out of Egypt But it had not then been so compleat a deliverance as they afterward had Though God had delivered them from that present trouble yet their enemies had been alive and they should have heard of them again And therefore God he lets them go on and follow them unto nay into the Red-sea and then to work a compleat deliverance for them he shews a wonder upon them The like you have Mich. 4.11 12 13. Many Nations are gathered together against thee who say let her bee defiled and let our eye look upon Zion But they know not the thoughts of the Lord nor understand they his Counsell for hee shall gather them as sheaves into the floor Arise and thresh O Daughter of Zion for I will make thy horns iron and thy hoofs brasse and thou shalt break in peeces many people and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth Where observe God suffers Nations and many Nations to gather themselves together against Sion And why did God do so certainly they thought they should have the day of Zion and so they say Let her bee defiled let our eye look upon Zion But they know not the thoughts of the Lord they understand not the Counsell of God For God suffers them to gather themselves together but for this end For the compleater ruine of the enemys and by
are on the Body the Estate the Name but this is An Inward Evil. An evil upon the Soul which is the Greatest of Evils 2. All other evils are but of a temporal nature They have An End Poverty Sickness Disgrace all these are great evils but these and all other they have An End Death puts the conclusion to them all But This Evil of sin is of an Eternal nature that shall never have end Eternity it self shall put no period to this 3. All other evils do not make a man the subject of GODS wrath and hatred A man may have all other evils and yet be in the Love of GOD. Thou maist be Poor and yet Precious in GODS esteem thou maist be under all Kinde of miseries and yet Dear in GODS thoughts to thee But now this is an evil that makes the soul the subject of GODS wrath and hatred As the Absence of all other goods the Presence of all created evils will not make thee Hateful to GOD if Sin be not there So the Presence of all other goods and Absence of all other evils will not render thee Lovely if sin be there 4. All other Evils do but oppose your well-being nay and your well-being for present for they cannot rob you of future happiness But this opposeth your well-being for ever For you cannot be Happy if you be not Holy Nay this opposeth your Being It brought Death you would sin your selves into Nothing again if GOD did not hold you up To be that you might Be miserable for sin 5. All other evils are but Destructive to a mans self fight but against Particulars But this is contrary to the Universal Good contrary to GOD and as far as it may Destructive to the very Being of God As I shall shew hereafter 6. All other evils are GODS creatures and so far good He owns all the rest he is the Author of all the rest Is there any evil in the City that I have not done Amos 3.6 meaning All the Evil of Punishment Penal not Sinful Evil But this is the Devils Creature yea and worse than he being All sin 7. All other Evils are Gods Physick and used as Medicines either 1. For prevention of this Or 2. For the cure of this 1. For prevention of this That you might not be condemned with the world he lays afflictions and evils upon you 1 Cor. 11.32 He suffered Satan to tempt Paul and gave him up to his buffetings which yet is the Greatest Evil in the world next to sin the Greatest penal Evil in the world And all to prevent sin as the Apostle himself saith 2 Cor. 12.7 God sent a Messenger of Satan to buffet him And what was the reason why it was to prevent sin Lest he should be exalted above measure that is left he should be proud And as he useth all other Evils for Prevention So 2. For the cure of sin And you know no Medicine can be so bad as is this Disease Now all other Evils God hath laid upon his people for the cure of sin or for the recovery of them out of the state of sin And to speak as much as I can at once There is not so much evil in the Damnation of a Thousand worlds of men for sin As there is evil in the Least sin the least sinful thought that riseth upon your spirits inasmuch as the good of these falls short of the good and glory of God Thus you see by Collation and Comparison of this Evil with others in which I might much more inlarge my self that Of all Evils Sin is the greatest Evil We will now come to 2. The Demonstration of the Point 2. Demonstrations 1. Demonstration 1. That which fighteth against and opposeth the greatest Good 1. Demonstration or Reason Sin opposeth the greatest good 1. God must needs be the greatest Evil But now Sin opposeth and fighteth against the greatest Good Hence a Father calls sin Dei-cidium God-slaughter that which strikes against the Being and Essence of God that which were it strong enough were it Infinitely evil as God is Infinitely good would labor to Un-Be God God is Summum Bonum and indeed Non datur Summum Malum sin cannot be infinite If Sin were as evil as God is good that is Adequately and Proportionably if Infinitely evil as God is good sin would be Too hard for God to pardon it would be Too hard for God to subdue Too hard for God to Conquer Sin would endeavor to conquer God Indeed there is more evil in the least sin than there is good in any nay all the Angels of Heaven and therefore you see it conquered them spoiled all their goodness made them Devils which it could not have done if the good in them had been greater than the Evil in sin And though it be not able to conquer God to overcome him there is more goodness in God than Evil in Ten Thousand Hells of sin and so it cannot overcome the power of God the mercy of God the holiness of God yet it fights against God and makes party against him every day It musters up all its strength against God and comes into open field to Bid Defiance against him every day Nay when it is beaten out of the open field by the power of God and his Ordinances then it hath strong Holds as the Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 10.4 and from thence fights against him and opposeth him there it lusts against him it wills against him the heart riseth against him When sin is beaten out of the field yet a long time it will be before it be beaten out of strong Holds When sin in Practise is overcome and conquered yet sin in Affection is hard to be overcome That Contrariety that is between God and your Heart is hard to be conquered It will cost you many a battel many an assault before you can conquer sin in its strong Holds overcome sin in the Heart Though sometimes it may seem to be overcome and to render up all yet afterwards it gathers together again and will make new and fresh assaults upon you to weaken and to wound you Nay and herein lies the Malignity the poysonous and venemous nature of sin that though God hath conquered it though it be never so weakned yet will it act against God spit its venome still An Emblem of it you have in the Thief upon the Cross that when he was nailed upon the Cross his hands and feet made fast and had but one member loose yet that one member could spit its venome at Christ revile Christ so though God hath crucified sin yet so long as there is any life in it it will act it self and spit venome against God which shews that Great Contrariety betwixt God and sin And this Contrariety and Opposition of the Chiefest Good must needs shew sin to be the Greatest Evil. 2. Demonstration â— Demonst sin universally evil All evil 2. That which is Universally Evil all Evil
for ever Oh! make not that your joy which was Christs sorrow and will be yours eternally if now your joy in sin be not turned to sorrow for sin 6. Consectary 6. If sin be the Greatest evil 6. Consectary Then see the utter impossibility of any thing under heaven to relieve and help us from under the guilt of sin save JESUS CHRIST onely Hast thou committed but one sin thou hast done that which all the Treasures of Righteousness in Heaven and Earth are not able to relieve thee or help thee in save JESUS CHRIST There is as much required for the answering the guilt of one sin as the guilt of a thousand Infinite Righteousness is required for one and no more is required for a thousand And that Righteousness none but Christ alone hath Nothing can relieve us but that which is Adequate in righteousness to the Evil of sin Now there is no righteousness in the world that is proportionable to the Evil of sin but the Righteousness of Christ 1. Our own you know is too short it is called A menstruous rag A rag and therefore cannot cover us Menstruous and therefore though it should cover us yet it would but cover filth with filth as the Prophet speaks Isa 30.1 They cover but not with the covering of my Spirit that they might adde sin to sin that is the sin of their righteousness to the sin of their unrighteousness They cover a blot with a blot adde sin to sin dung to dung 2. Nor will the righteousness of the Law be large enough if it were supposed that a man were able to fulfil all that righteousness and keep the whole Law Present obedience though supposed to be Adequate to the Righteousness of the Law will never answer for former offences and disobediences The Law indeed is strong enough to damn a thousand but cannot save one it can pour Hell and Wrath and Condemnation upon a World of sinners but is not able to pour Grace or to give Justification to one The Apostle tells us Rom. 8.3 4. What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh The same Apostle also tells us Gal. 3.21 If there had been a Law given which could have given life righteousness should have been by the Law The Apostle tells us again Gal. 3.17 The Law was given four hundred and thirty years after the promise to shew we must not work that we may be justified but be justified that we may be able to work If God had intended The Law the instrument of Justification he would have given the Law Four hundred and thirty years before the Promise 3. Nay yet further It is not the righteousness of Angels which yet is a Greater Righteousness than that of the Law inasmuch as the Angels were above Man in Innocency because this also is but a created Righteousness a finite Righteousness and no way proportionable to the evil of sin If it had one sin had not spoiled those glorious Angels of their Goodness at once and made them Devils which that sin doing shews There was more evil in sin than Good or Righteousness in them Well then This shews the utter impossibility of any other under heaven or in heaven to Free us from the Evil of sin but JESUS CHRIST Nothing but Infiniteness can deal with sin It must be Infinite wisdom To finde out a way It must be Infinite mercy To pardon Infinite power To subdue Infinite merit To purge and cleanse And Infinite Grace To destroy sin However you think of sin yet this hath been the Great Enemy which God and Grace have been contending withal ever since the world began And it hath put All-God to it even the Infiniteness of the infinite God to rescue us and to save us out of the Hands and Power of sin His infinite Wisdom Power Mercy Truth Holiness have been all imployed to conquer sin I say so to conquer sin as to save you the sinners The Great design of God in sending Christ into the world his Incarnation Humiliation Death Passion all were about this The conquering and destroying of sin How Great an Enemy was this that God must send out his Son to conquer it He can arm Flyes Lice Frogs the meanest of Creatures to overthrow the Greatest Power and Puissance of the earth but no less than his Son was strong enough to conquer sin You may think of sin as meanly as you will swallow it without fear live in it without sense commit it without remorse yet assure your selves that this you make so slight of required No less than the infinite power of God to conquer the infinite mercy of God to pardon the infinite merit of Christ to answer for it It was that which fetcht the Dearest Blood from the Heart of Christ and will have Thine too if thou gettest not an interest in him 7. Consectary 7. Consectary 7. If sin be the Greatest Evil Then see how much we are bound to CHRIST who hath born your sins who hath born All this evil for you you who have an Interest in him Oh the Love of CHRIST that he should bear sin which is more than all miseries a greater evill than Death than Hell it self is If there were one in the world that were content to be Poor for you to Bear Pains for you to be Sick for you to be Arrested for you to go to Prison for you to Dye for you nay to Bear the Wrath of God for you nay the pains of Hell for you How would you think your selves bound to such an one for doing it Why This hath CHRIST done for you He hath Born sin which is a Greater Evil than all these An evil that hath All these evils in the bowels of it Such as none but Christ was Able to Bear If God laid the least sin upon thee pure sin which none but CHRIST did ever bear here in this world it would crush thee to pieces with the weight of it though all the Pillars of Heaven all the Glorious Angels should contribute their strength to thee to help thee to bear thee up The least sin doth deserve and draw down an infinite wrath which nor thou nor all the Angels in Heaven are able to stand under The Damned bear it in Hell They bear it and cannot bear it They are slain with it but cannot dye Ever consuming never consumed And therefore how much are you bound to CHRâ—ST who hath Born sin a Greater evil than All other Evils and with sin All the Torments and Wrath and Justice due to sin All the world is not able to express that Torment which Christ indured when he did Bear sin when he did sweat drops of blood clods of blood when he wrestled with the justice Grumos Sanguinis did bear the wrath of God when he cryed out My GOD my GOD Why hast thou
Beware of all the Occasions Allurements c which might draw you to sin You would watch in all Times in all Companies good and bad in all Places None are so secure but you may fall into sin if you be neglective of your Christian Watch. Thus where fâ—â— is apprehended to be the Greatest Evil there will be the Greatest care and circumspection against sin Such a man 1. He is Acquainted with the falls of others which are to him not Land-Ma ks to Walk by but Sea-Marks and Rocks to Shun 2. He is Acquainted with the weakness and wickedness of his own heart and spirit and therefore watches He knows he cannot trust any member alone without a Guard upon it The eyâ— are full of sin Adultery Pride Envy lusts of the Eye 1 Jonn 2.16 And he cannot trust his eyes without Jobs Covenanâ— I have made a Covenant with mine eyes why then should I think â—n a maid Chap. 31.1 The Tongue is full of sin Of Cursings Murmurings Revilings Vain-Communications And there is no trusting of it without David Bridle Psal 39.7 I will keep my mouth as with a Bridle that I â—ffend not with my Tongue He knows his own weakness and wickedness and therefore dares not trust any member without his Keeper 3. Such a man he is acquainted with the power and policy of Satan who as Luther calls him is Non Promotus sed Expertus Doctor A subtle enemy whose Temptations are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rev. 2.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 2.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 4.14 He suits his temptations according too 4. Such an one he is acquainted with the danger and deceitfulness of sin and how it is 1. Deceitful in its Object 2. Deceitful in its Arguments 3. Deceitful in its Pretences and Excuses Nullum vitium sine patrocinio 4. Deceitful in its Incroaches 5. Deceitful in its Promises And therefore will he keep an holy circumspection an humble awful jealous fear over his own spirit lest he should fall into sin He looks on sin as his Greatest Evil and his Greatest care and endeavors are to avoid sin 4. If sin be the Greatest Evil 4. Sin calls for greatest endeavors to be rid of it Then should it be our chiefest endeavors to be rid of sin Every man would labor to be rid of an Evil and the Greater the Evil the greater is our desire to be rid thereof Now sin is the Greatest of Evils How much more then should we labour and endeavor to be Rid of the Greatest of Evils Alas Alas what are all other Evils to the Evil of Sin which makes our good evil And yet to see the vileness of mens spirits they would fain be rid of all other evils but not of Sin so Pharaoh Take away this Death this Plague They complain of the evil caused but not of the evil causing of the evil punishing but not of the evil punished Flagella dolent Quarè Flagellantur non dolent saith Augustine They howl under the present scourges and afflictions but never lament the sin they would fain be rid of the Pain but yet they would fain keep the Tooth Whereas alas till sin be removed the afflictions will not be removed If they be yet not in mercy but in judgement And your Present Deliverance doth but Reserve you for a severer stroke Where on the contrary If sin be removed the affliction will be removed They are like the Body and the Shadow Remove the Body and the Shadow must needs be removed Sin is the Body and afflictions be but the Shadow Or if the Afflictions do continue yet if God take away sin the Evil of the Evil is taken way Sin is the sting of every Affliction Sin is that which imbitters every Cross And sin being taken away that which is Vindictive is taken way and that which is Medicinal and for Salvation doth remain It is more fruitful than penal All for merciful ends and out of merciful respects when sin is taken away 1. If sin be the Greatest Evil Then let us rather choose to fall into the Greatest Evil in the world than into the least evil of sin All other Evils have some Good in them and are to be the Objects of Choice in case we cannot avoid them but we must admit of sin Thus you see Moses did as you may read Heb. 11. He chose rather to be afflicted with the people God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season But now sin it is All-evil and No-good and there is nothing in the world should make us to chuse sin 2. Is sin the Greatest Evil Let this then put us on to pity and pray for such who are under a state of sin You pity sick Friends poor Friends undone Friends But alas what are all these evils to the evil of sin what is Poverty what is Sickness what is anything to the Evil of Sin All these are but Outward this is an Inward Evil. All these are but of a Temporal nature Death but a Conclusion to them all But this is of an Eternal nature All other will never make you the Object of Gods wrath and hatred And therefore spend some tears put up some prayers for such who are under the state of sin O saith Abraham that Ismael might live in thy sight So say thou There is such a Friend and such a Friend a Brother a Father c. who lies under sin is in a state of sin Oh! that thou wouldst pity their souls Oh! that thou wouldst snatch them out of the state of sin 3. If sin be so Great an Evil Let us then fall down and Admire 1. The greatness of Gods Patience in bearing with sinners 2. The greatness of Gods mercy in pardoning sin 1. Admire Gods patience in bearing with sinners 1. Here Admire the greatness of Gods patience in bearing with sinners It may be thou hast been an Unclean Sinner a Drunken sinner a Swearing-wretch these twenty thirty forty it may be threescore years and more And hath God spared thee Oh! here see the wonder of Gods patience If it were not that God is Almighty in the power of his patience it had been impossible he should have spared thee so long He tells us so Hos 11.9 I am God and not man I will not enter into the city viz. to destroy it So Mal. 3.6 I am JEHOVAH I change not Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed Implying if he had not been God if he had not been Almighty in the power of his patience they had certainly been cut off long before If men be daily provoked and irritated with injuries and do not come out to revenge we attribute it either to their Pusillanimity or to their Impotency either to their want of courage or want of Power But now it is not so with God His patience is his power Numb 14.17 18. when God had threatned to destroy them Moses prays to God to forbear them and he calls
hath still support from him David Job Heman they wanted the Comforting-presence of God for a time but yet they had his Quickening and they had his Supporting presence As hee told Paul so hee did for all His strength was seen in their weakness and his Grace was sufficient for them Sufficient to bear them up in the tryal and sufficient to bring them out of the tryal So much for the second Conclusion 3. Conclusion God may forsake his People for a time not for ever It is but a Temporary not a Final not an Eternal forsaking Isa 54.7 8 9 10. For a moment have I forsaken thee but with everlasting kindness will I gather thee have mercy on thee For the Mountains shall depart and the Hills shall bee removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee And thus much shall serve for the answer of the Objection And notwithstanding that the Conclusion is firm That if the Heart of Christ bee once taken with his Church and People hee will never take it off hee will never clean forsake them And as God will not forsake his Church as Forsaking hath relation to Spiritual cases Soul-distresses So I might shew you at large to prevent another Objection That hee will not forsake his Church as Forsaking hath relation to temporal and outward distresses You may take his word for it Josh 1.5 I will not leave nor forsake thee It is true it was a promise made to Joshua in particular but belongs to the whole Church of God in general General promises may have particular applications and particular general As general promises belong to every paticular Member so particular promises may belong to the whole body And therefore though it was a promise to Joshua yet the Apostle who knew the mind of God makes it ours as well as his Hee brings it into the Common-stock and shews it part of our riches Heb. 13.5 Let your Conversation bee without Covetousness for hee hath said Hee will never leave thee nor forsake thee In brief Hee will not forsake his Church 1. Either hee will protect them from dangeâ—â— 2. Or hee will deliver them out 3. Or hee will support them in 4. Or hee will sanctifie all to them Which is the third Conclusion which flows from this Doctrin 3. Consectary If the Heart of Jesus Christ bee taken with his Church then all the passages of Gods providence in the World are for the good of his Church and People All the dealings of God in the world not a step God takes in the World but hee walks towards his people in it 1. All the passages of Gods Providence to the Church in general 2. All the passages of Gods Providence to any member of the Church in particular they are all for good 1. For the first All the passages of Gods providence to his Church in general they are for good Bee they sad or bee they joyfull they are all for good Are they sad it is to humble them to quicken them to purge them to purifie them to blow away their chaff This is certain Whatever is done in the World is done either by Gods Permission or by Gods Approbation God must either permit or allow of what ever is done in the World And assure your selves God would never permit much less would hee ever allow and approve of any thing to bee done in the World which should not bee for the good of those hee loves so dearly Whatever wind blows bee it North or South good or evil all is for the Churches benefit As the Physitian ordereth poisonous and destructive ingredients unto usefull services the health of the Patient So God turneth those things which in themselves are evil and destructive to the good and comfort of his Church and People Hence is it that Christ turneth the sadest and sorest perplexities that ever the World shall see into an use of Comfort to his Church Luk. 21.25 26 27 28. There shall bee signs in the Sun and Moon and Stars distress of Nations with perplexity c. Mens hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are comming on the World for the Powers of Heaven shall bee shaken and then shall they see the Son of Man comming in a Cloud with Power and great Glory When these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your Redemption draweth nigh One would think this were a strange consequent deduced from such an Antecedent A Consequent so comfortable from an Antecedent so terrible It seems strange that such a terrible Doctrin as this should afford an use of Consolation Yet so it is Bee the Premises what they will the Conclusion is good Bee his Providences what they will his Promises are good and those Promises shall turn all his Providences to good at the last 2. As all the passages of Gods Providence to the Church in general So every passage of his Providence to any Member of it in particular is for the good of the Church 1. All your Injoyments they are love You may read the Heart of Christ the image of a friend ingraven upon all you have You may behold the impress of love the good will of God circled about all you do injoy All that wicked men do injoy is but from the Hand of God Ex largitate that is the highest tenure they can shew even his general Providence which causeth the Sun to shine upon the good and bad And this Tenure may bee cut off at pleasure But all that you do injoy is from the Heart and good will of God They are expressions of his good will to you and you may read Love in all Nay they are the Earnests of further love You may see and read Heaven and Glory in all you have Wee may well say whatever the People of God do injoy They are 1. The fruits of Prayer 2. The performance of Promises 3. Expressions of Love 4. Incouragements to beleeve 5. Inablements to obey 6. Earnest pennies of Heaven and Glory 2. All your wants as well as all your injoyments are mercy are love There is an Expedit in all the sad passages of Gods providence to you They are Expedient to try you Expedient to humble you to exercise you to winne you to wean you c. Whatever thy condition is it proceeds 1. From the best God 2. From the best of God his Heart and good will 3. It is the best for thee Wicked men have a curse hid in their best things a curse in their gold a curse in their silver a curse in their health But Gods people have a blessing hid in the worst things You have a blessing in poverty a blessing in sickness a blessing in crosses a blessing in death it self Riches are not in the Promise but Mercy is in the Promise Though Poverty yet Mercy though Afflictions yet Mercy And you can all tell mee A cross in Mercy is better than a comfort in wrath
from the Death of inward Troubles As the sense of Gods Love the apprehension of his favour is the life of the Soul Psal 30.5 In his favour is Life So the sense of Gods Displeasure is the Death of the Soul Psal 88.10 Shall the Dead arise to praise thee Hee speaks of that spiritual Desertion in which hee was labouring under the sense of Gods wrath and displeasure which hee calls the Death of the Soul Shall the Dead arise to praise thee Shall my Soul dead and sunk with discouragements and apprehensions of thy wrath Shall it arise to praise thee So that this is the Death of the Soul Now Faith doth raise the Soul up from this Death When the Soul seems to bee sunk and buried under the apprehensions of Gods displeasure is slain with discouragements lies gasping and breathing for comfort The least touch of the Promise by Faith doth raise up and revive the Soul and fetches a man to life again All the while that sense works a man sinks deeper and deeper into this sad condition But let sense sit still and Faith come in and act its part and the Soul cannot lye so low in Trouble but it will raise it up Psal 77.10 I said this is my Death yet will I remember the years of the right hand of the most high c. What a precious thing is Faith It is call'd precious Faith And so it is indeed that is able to work such wonders in the Soul in an instant What a Cordial is this when a man is in swounding and fainting-fits that one taste of the Promise by Faith will fetch him to life again when the soul lies in the dust under sad apprehensions heavy Agonies sinking and dying one dram one grain of Faith will fetch him to life again set him on his feet again walking and leaping and praising God This is precious Faith indeed Now for the manner how Faith doth work for the raising up of the Soul from under these spiritual Troubles wee will only adde these particulars 1. Faith doth in this condition look back upon soul-raising-Experiences It causes a man to consider the dayes of old the years of ancient time as David did in the same condition Psal 77.5 It makes a man revive those former experiences of Gods Love those former workings those fore-past evidences those broken Rings Pledges Love-tokens which have passed betwixt God and the Soul Such a time hee took mee up into his Chariot and spake friendly to mee Such a time I sate down under his shadow and his Banner over mee was love Such a time hee took mee down into his Winecellar staied mee with Flaggons Such a time hee brake into my soul discovered himself to mee a Reconciled God gave mee an earnest of his love a testimony that hee manifested himself to mee came and supped with mee gave mee the White stone the Hidden Manna the New Name c. This is the Act of Faith Thus doth it produce the former evidences and experiences of Love and from these doth take up arguments to raise the Soul in this dark condition Why will Faith say Once a Father and ever a Father Once a Friend and never an Enemy Though wee change yet God doth not change With him there is no variableness nor shadow of change His carriage may alter his heart cannot His expression may vary his Affections cannot God hath spoken Peace and hee will never unsay what hee hath said Hee hath given mee sure evidences and hee will never take them away again though hee may withhold the comfort of them Hee that hath been gracious will bee gracious Men shut their hands because they have opened them but because hee hath once opened his hands hee will never shut them 2. Faith looks upon Soul-raising-Promises Such as are not only made for support but for deliverance I will not contend for ever nor will I bee alwayes wroth least the Spirit which I have made should fail before mee and the Soul which I have created I was angry with him I hid my face from him But I will heal him I will lead him also and restore comfort to him and to his mourners Isa 57.16 17 18. For a moment I have forsaken thee but with everlasting kindness have I had compassion on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer c. Isa 54.8 9 10 11. Zion said the Lord hath forsaken mee My God hath forgotten mee Can a Woman forget her child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb Yea they may but I will never forget thee Behold I have Graven thee upon the Palms of my hands thy ways are ever in my sight These and such like promises Faith looks upon It doth not so much look at the Face of God Gods outward carriage and expression in the condition as at the Heart of God and his inward affection which lyes in the Promise Full well Faith knows The Ground of Comfort doth not lye in the Face of God the aspects of God If so then our comforts could not bee stable This alters as wee alter changeth as wee change But the ground of Faiths comfort lyes in the Promises and thither it hath recourse when from Outward appearance it can get no comfort Sense looks upon the face of God onely upon his outward presence But Faith looks upon the Heart of God in the Promise where it sees a Calmy heart under a Stormy countenance inward Smiles though outward frowns Inward Affections of Love under Outward expressions of displeasure As Joseph had the affections of a brother under the expressions of an Enemy Hee could put on expressions of an enemy An angry countenance but yet not put off Affections of a brother A loving heart so is it often with God And therefore Faith doth view him in The Promise hath recourse thither as you see poor David had in the like case Psal 77. to the tenth verse Hee was in sad Conditions and nothing could raise him God absented himself from him Hee fell to Praying to Complaining but yet no comfort came Hee complained and his spirit was overwhelmed Hee was so farre from Ease by this that his Spirit was more opprest Nay Hee cald to remembrance times past All this whie comfort came not in At last hee betakes himself to the Promise hath recourse to the Covenant and then his Soul revived ver 10. Thus Faith looks upon the firmness of the Covenant the stability of the Promise and is raised revived Read Isa 49.14 15. Isa 54. from seven to eleven which are Soul-raising-promises 3 Faith lays hold upon a soul-raising-Christ Upon whom whosoever doth lay hold hee will pull him out of the deepest waters If a man under water have hold of any thing above him it will pull him out hee shall not sink So here when wee are overwhelmed in these deep waters if by Faith the Soul lay hold on Christ it will bear him up and bring him forth John 12.46 I am come a
under the light of the Gospel It is agreed upon all sides that this is damning Hee that beleeves shall bee saved but hee that beleeves not shall bee damned Mercy it self saith so Hee that you look to bee saved by saith it Mark 16.16 Nay not only damned but the sorest damnation of all the deepest Cellars of Hell the lowest Vaults of Hell are reserved for such who are Unbeleevers now under the Gospel This is condemnation that is the sorest condemnation That Light is come into the VVorld that a Christ is tendred to you a Christ is offered to you and men love darkness rather than light yet men will not beleeve John 3.19 There is no fall into Hell like such an one as is taken at a stumble at Christ No damnation like that which is pronounced in the Court of Mercy An Unbeleever is condemned in the Court of Mercy And when Mercy it self condemns as it shews the offence to bee hainous so it makes the condemnation the more heavy As the sowrest Vineger comes from the sweetest VVine so out of the sweetest Mercy the sorest condemnation It will bee ten thousand times easier for those who are condemned under the Law their torments will not bee so heavy Hell will not bee so hot to them as to such who are now condemned under the Gospel It had been better for you that you had been born Turks and Heathens such as never heard of Christ than Christians if you live and dye in an unbeleeving condition Thus you see Unbelief is a remediless sin Such a sin as there is no remedy for it no plaister for it All other sins have a Remedy and Christ is the Remedy But unbelief denies the Remedy There is a plaister for Drunkenness for Swearing for Murder c. All other sins have a Plaister and Christ is that Plaister But Unbelief denies the Plaister God gives the Mercy of the Book to all other sins if sinned against the Law and condemned by the Law yet hee tenders the Mercy of the Book Hee that beleeveth shall bee saved But Unbelief rejects this Mercy It will not read If the Law condemn us wee are suffered to appeal to the Gospel If Justice condemn us wee are suffered to appeal to Mercy As you see the Publican who was arraigned sentenced and condemned by the Law But hee appeals to the Court of Mercy God bee merciful to mee a sinner And you see the Sentence took no hold on him But now If Mercy condemn us if the Gospel condemn us whither shall wee appeal whither shall wee go Now it is Mercy that condemns unbeleeving men they are condemned in the Court of Mercy Hence one There is no sin that doth peremptorily Non filios Diaboli faciunt quaecunque peccata Filios Diaboli infidelitas facit and Quoad eventum damn us but unbeleeving There is no sin that doth de facto bring death but unbeleeving Other sins do create a merit of death but unbelief doth actually bring death upon the soul While a man beleeves not hee is under the Covenant of Works and there sin doth de facto bring death it bindes all sin upon the conscience makes a man to stand out to answer for his own guilt bear his own curse and therefore it is said Joh. 3.18 Hee that beleeves not is condemned already Hee is condemned in all Courts 1. In the Court of Justice The Law condemns him Cursed is every man that continues not in every thing that is written in the Law to do the same Gal. 3.10 2. In the Court of Mercy That condemns him This is the sentence there Hee that beleeveth not shall bee damned Mark 16.16 3. In the Court of Conscience Hee is self-condemned and hath a beginning of the execution Thus then you see of what a fearful nature is this sin of unbelief It is the greatest damning sin now under the Gospel 2 Motives from the necessity of Faith 1. In respect of our Persons 2. In respect of our Performances 1. Faith is needful in respect of our Persons Our Persons are 1. Under the guilt of sin of many thousand sins And without Faith there is no Justification 2. Under the power of sin of lust And without Faith no subduing 3. Under the pollution and filth of sin And wee had need of Faith for the purifying of our hearts So that Faith is needful for the justifying of our Persons the subduing of our lusts the purifying of our hearts 2. Faith is needful in respect of our Performances Faith is necessary to every work of a Christian needful to every Ordinance Wee must pray in Faith hear in Faith receive in Faith do all things in Faith Faith must incorporate it self with every duty Whatever is not of Faith is sin Rom. 14.23 Whatever is before Faith is only the issue of a corrupt nature and of a corrupt conscience and therefore it cannot please God Tit. 1.15 Rom. 10.14 Faith is the salt which seasons and sweetens every duty It is the life and soul of every performance without which all are but dead and stinking works and cannot please God Faith is to duty as the Soul is to the Body When you go to Prayer you had need of Faith whereby you may Cry Abba Father without which Prayer is but the complaint of Nature or the cry of a hopeless and desperate heart When you go to hear you had need of Faith to incorporate it self with the word heard without which the word will not profit us nor the word Promising nor the word threatning the one to humble us the other to raise us and comfort us When you go to receive you had need of Faith Hee goes to work without tooles that goes to any Ordinance without Faith You have need of Faith to give you admission into Gods Presence Draw neer with a true heart in assurance of Faith Heb. 10.22 You have need of Faith to give you acceptance in the work You have need of Faith to procure a blessing when all is done Faith is the great Grace that is to bee imployed in all the Ordinances of God This must run through every Ordinance if you would profit by them The word must bee mingled with Faith Prayer with Faith c. Unbelief makes every Ordinance of God unprofitable to us What is the reason that men hear the Word and get no more benefit but because they beleeve not Heb. 4.2 The Word preached did not profit them because it was not mingled with Faith in them that heard it Do you think the word of Threatning could bee heard and you not bee humbled if you did beleeve the Truth of all who were able to lift up his head nay to stand under the threats of the great God of Heaven and Earth if hee did beleeve It is said The Devils beleeve and tremble Jam. 2. And had you but as much Faith as they to beleeve the truth of what God threatens against sin it would make the stoutest sinner of
was all this glorious fabrick of Gods mercy and councel which was the greatest thing that ever came upon his heart Gods master-peece which went to the height of his skill and wisdome to the height of his mercy and love Beyond which there is a non ultra in Gods thoughts there was no further or more God could go no higher than himself all was infinite but thou in standing off dost annul and make void all the thoughts of his mercy and his love if others should do the like to what purpose then were all it would make all this void and to no purpose thou dost it as much as in thee lyest If a man should make a curious peece that should publish his skill his greatness wisdome and a man come and break it all in peeces would hee not bee greatly offended And what a fearfull thing is it to make void that wherein God set himself to make himself glorious to obscure that in which God set himself to make himself visible in but thou who art slow of heart to beleeve as far as it lyes in thee dost this and therefore what a provocation of God must this bee 3. Thou dost as much as in thee lyes make void all the purposes of Gods mercy to thee The great end which God aimed at in this great work of sending Christ into the World was that thou mightest beleeve in him and live Now if thou stand out and will not come in will not close with him thou dost what lyes in thee to make void all the purposes of God to thee for good I say what lyes in thee for thou shalt never do it the election shall bring thee in Gods purpose shall bring thee to his Promise Our sins may alter Gods conditional purposes of temporal mercies as hee tells them 1 Sam. 2.30 I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy Fathers should walk before mee for ever but now saith the Lord bee it far from mee for they that honour mee I will honour c. But thou shalt never bee able to make void Gods eternal purposes of good to thee but yet take heed of tempting God provoking God God may make thy body smart for it though he save thy soul at last make thee know better not try conclusions But I say what lyes in thee thou dost disanul all the purposes of God to thee for good which is a fearful thing 4. Thou dost what lyes in thee frustrate the expectation of God You know it is a great affliction to a man to have his expectation frustrated and the greater the good which was expected the greater the cut and wound to be disappointed and frustrated Why I say may I speak after the manner of men thou dost what lyes in thee to frustrate all the expectations of God Why what were Gods expectations but that thou shouldest receive his Son if hee sent him that thou shouldest imbrace Christ beleeve in him And this seems to be sweetly insinuated in the parable Mat. 21.37 Mark 12.6 Surely they will reverence my Son though they had abused the Prophets c. yet surely they will reverence my Son they owe so much homage to mee or they will look upon him so great a person the Son of God Surely they will reverence my Son But however his Person and Parentage should not procure reverence yet the service he came about will be a grateful service hee comes to be Saviour hee comes to redeem them from Hell Certainly hee will bee a welcome guest to them Oh how willing will they be to receive him how glad to entertain him with what open armes will they imbrace him how ready to obey him Surely they will reverence my Son And in reason who would not have thought so what welcome might not the King of glory expect the Prince expect who came upon such a business What might not a Prince expect who came to loosen the captives to redeem vassals to relieve distressed break chains Sure in all reason hee should have been received with all joy with all acclamations and willing imbraces This God expected But now when in stead of receiving we reject Christ sleight Christ undervalue Christ when we will not close with him c. how doth this cross the expectation and frustrate it 5. We do what lyes in us to make void Gods end in sending Christ What was the end which God aimed at in this plot in contriving such a way in sending Christ into the World this was his end that we might beleeve and live his glory in our salvation Surely the end must needs be glorious when the means and work was so glorious if the foundation of this work were so glorious what will the whole structure bee Now this was one part of Gods end in sending of Christ that thou shouldest receive Christ beleeve in him And so long as thou standest out thou crossest Gods end frustrates the end of God And this must needs be a great provocation of God If a man did take a great deal of pains in a work spent all his time and indeavours for some end and at last be crossed in the end the work is nothing to him This provokes c. Why thou dost frustrate Gods end 6. Thou dost as much as in thee lyes make void the death of Christ thou makest all his sufferings and all his blood shed to be to no purpose What was the end that Christ shed his blood what was the end Christ dyed why it was no other but this that we might beleeve in him and have a pardon c. But now so long as thou standest out thou frustratest all this if all were like thee I pray thee to what purpose were the death of Christ the expence and shedding of his blood And therefore this provokes much if one of us should suffer much for the obtaining of such an end if after hee had indured to bee disappointed of it this much provokes us 7. Thou dost as much as in thee lyes make void all the Promises of God to Christ God promised and entred into Covenant with Christ that if hee would lay down his life and blood hee would make him King over Saints hee would give the Heathen for his inheritance c. Isa 53. Hee shall see of the travel of his soul and bee satisfied God promised Christ that if hee would lay down his life for a people hee should have them hee would give a people to him And thy standing out doth what lyes in thee to make this Promise void to make God a lyar to his Son c. Thou shalt not bee able Christ shall have a people God will yet set his King c. yet if all were like thee where were Christs people Nay and thou robbest Christ of the reward and fruit of all his death and sufferings this was the reward Christ was to have for his death c. If a man had sweat or shed his bloud for such a thing
to perswade 1. Consider God commands thee to beleeve 2. Consider thou can do God no greater pleasure than to come in and beleeve 1. Consider God commands thee to beleeve 1 Joh. 3.23 This is his Commandement that wee should beleeve on the name of his Son Jesus Christ And what can thy heart now reason against this will not this bee enough to answer all thy fears and scruples to beat down all that thy unbeleeving heart can say against the Promise Why God doth not only invite thee but hee commands thee to beleeve Gods command is a sufficient warrant to beleeve and will bee sufficient security to all them that do beleeve 1. I say it is a sufficient warrant to beleeve Men may command things and tell us that our obedience to them shall bee sufficient warrant to us and yet they may want power enough to secure us in our obedience to them but it is not so with God his command will be a warrant sufficient to carry out any soul in his obedience to him Doth Satan say wherefore dost thou beleeve thou art a Reprobate thou art a cast away thou hast no right to the Promise but thou must say then thou art a Creature and God commands thee to beleeve and in obedience to Gods command though thou sees nothing but death for the present yet thou wilt beleeve Doth bee say thou hast no right to a Promise not any title to Mercy yet mayest thou say thou art bound to the Precept though I cannot clear my right to the Promise yet I am sure I am to obey the Precept I am bound to the obedience of the command and God commands mee to beleeve Yea and thou may say thus much if I am bound to beleeve as I am then I may bee able by my beleeving to clear my interest in the Promise Thou mayest tell him here is a command for thee none then for him hee is out of hope It is an infinite mercy to stand under the command of beleeving the Devils do not the damned do not thou doest which is infinite mercy 2. As Gods command is a sufficient warrant to beleeve so it is sufficient security if wee do beleeve there was never a soul that perished in a way of obedience in a way of beleeving Doth Satan say thou mayest venture thy soul if thou wilt but thou dost but cast away thy soul for thou shalt never bee saved God will never own thee Thou mayest say again Gods command is a sufficient warrant for thee to beleeve men may fail us and bee men but God cannot fail us and bee God But put it to the worst though thou do not know whether thou shalt bee saved yet this thou knowest that God commands thee to beleeve Well then bee peremptory and resolve in beleeving say if I dye I will dye in a way of beleeving in a way of obedience to the command not in a way of disobedience to it This I know if I beleeve not I must perish hee that beleeveth not is condemned but if I do beleeve if I do go on in a way of obedience who knows whether God will bee mercifull nay who knows not but that hee will I must tell you this resolution will put the Devil to it hee knows not what to say to such a man nay and it puts God to it too for God cannot reject him who will yet go on to serve him though hee should never own him 2. Consider you can do God no greater pleasure than to come in and beleeve Thou honourest all-God as I shall shew thee in the second Doctrin It is a great deal of ease and pleasure for a full and pained breast to bee sucked the breast of Mercy and Promise is full yea and in pain too and thou shalt do God let mee speak after the manner of men the greatest pleasure thou canst do to come and suck Joh. 6.28 when the people asked what shall wee do that wee may work the works of God Mark then how Christ answers why this is the work of God that you beleeve in him As if hee had said would you do that which would content God would you do that which pleaseth him why this is that which doth wonderfully content God this is that doth admirably please God to beleeve I tell thee by this thou makest God amends for all the wrong thou hast done him all thy life Nothing else will if thou shouldest go about to redeem every oath with an age of precizeness and exactness every idle word and action with an eternity of praises and tears all thy exactions and injustice with a treasury of alms all this were nothing to the making of God amends But here do but come over to the Promise do but close with Christ and thou makest God amends for all God will bee fully satisfied not with thy Faith but with Christ not with thy beleeving but with Christ whom thy Faith holds up Nay not only satisfied but ipse tibi velim debitor I would not only bee satisfied but I would bee thy debtor to give thee eternal life Oh then that you who are slow of heart to beleeve that you would now come in Close with Christ and then thou mayest set Christ against all that the Law Justice Sin Hell Satan can say against thee You see the Apostle did so who is hee that condemneth it is Christ that dyed Hee makes a challenge of all sets the death of Christ against whatever can bee brought so mayest thou Let us weild this weapon c. 1. Doth Satan say thou hast sinned Why but may the soul say I have closed with him who hath suffered for sin what can my debt of sin bee that the payment of his sufferings hath not fully answered 2. Doth hee say thou hast sinned against the great God of Heaven yea but thou mayest say I have an interest in him whose Righteousness is the Righteousness of the great God of Heaven Jehovah our Righteousness and that is able to suffice for that 3. Doth hee say the glory of the great God is debased by thy sinning Why but thou mayest say will not the emptying of his glory who is the brightness of his Fathers glory answer for that 4. Doth hee say thou hast sinned against knowledge Why but thou mayest say all that Christ did and all hee suffered hee did with knowledge Joh. 18.4 Jesus knowing all things c. 5. Doth hee say thou hast sinned with delight Why but thou mayest say Christ hath suffered with greater delight than I have sinned Hee delighted to do the will of God and this was the will of his Father that hee should give his life for mee Joh. 6. Luk. 12.50 And it was said of him that hee was straitned till the hour came as men that delight in a work which they long to bee upon 6. Doth hee say thy sins lye in thy spirit Yea but thou mayest say the chiefest part of his suffering did lye in
his spirit his soul was heavy to death Mat. 26.38 when hee sweat drops of blood c. Luk. 22.44 7. Doth hee say thou art still full of corruptions Why but thou mayest say Christ is full of holiness and by him though I bee black yet I am comely As I look not to be justified by mine own inherent righteousness so I shall not bee condemned for this remaining corruption so long as it is not reigning so long as seen and sorrowed for Though I desire to bee acceptable to him in holiness yet I do not desire that my holiness should bee the ground of my acceptance Thus may a soul which hath closed with Christ bee able to weild this to set Christ against whatever Justice Law Sin Satan brings Oh! then let us bee stirred up you that are slow of heart to beleeve to come over thou seest thou canst do him no greater pleasure Thou thinkest thou dost well in doubting but thou dost exceedingly offend God thou canst not do him a greater discourtesy c. Object But doth God command every one to beleeve pardon Ans God commands every one to do the act of Faith but not to beleeve a pardon till hee have done that If any shall get hold of the horns of the Altar and yet rest in sin God will deal with him as Joab c. 1 King 2.28 29. c. God commands thee not to beleeve a pardon so long as thou purposest to go on in sin but yet hee alwayes commands thee to beleeve him so as to give up thy self to Christ c. that thereby thou mayest have pardon and assurance and salvation A TREATISE OF THE Miserable Condition OF UNBELEEVERS BY SAMVEL BOLTON D. D. And MASTER of C.C.C. LONDON Printed by Robert Ibbitson for Thomas Parkhurst and are to be sold at his Shop over against the Great Conduit in Cheapside 1656. A TREATISE OF HYPOCRISY BY SAMVEL BOLTON D. D. And MASTER of C.C.C. LONDON Printed by Robert Ibbitson for Thomas Parkhurst and are to be sold at his Shop over against the Great Conduit in Cheapside 1656. A TREATISE OF HYPOCRISY ISAIAH 58.2 Yet they seek mee daily and delight to know my wayes as a Nation that did Righteousness and forsook not the ordinance of their God They ask of mee the Ordinances of Justice they delight in approaching to God A TEXT which I may tremble to read and you to hear Well may wee ask that question Lord who is it then that shall bee saved Is it possible to do thus much and yet miss of Heaven Lord who is it then that shall bee saved The whole World may bee divided into four ranks of men 1. Some that are in the Church visible but not of the Church invisible 2. Some that are of the Church but not in the Church 3. Some that are both in the Church and of the Church 4. Some neither in nor of the Church Some that have both right to and possession of this great priviledge Some that have possession but not right Some that have right but not possession Some neither possession nor right But yet to come nearer Those that are within the pale of the Church and so within the bounds of Gods call wee may rank into these three orders of men 1. Some who are Atheistical and prophane Such as will do nothing for Heaven as Gallio They care for none of these things Act. 18.17 2. Some who are Hypocritical and unsound That will do something but as good as nothing 3. Some who are sincere and upright Who will come up to Gods price and walk throughly in all the wayes of God But wee shall yet draw them into a narrower compass viz. Those who are pretenders to Heaven Of which there are but two sorts of people in the World For wee will cast out the Atheist the Worldling the prophane Person the Drunkard the Swearer These are men upon whose forehead you may read They are going to Hell There are then but two sorts which are pretenders for Heaven 1. The first is the Formal Christian 2. The second is the Upright and Sincere 1. The first Hee will do something for Heaven hee will bid much for Heaven hee will walk in the round of duty hee looks to the matter but neglects the manner 2. The second hee will come up to the price hee will do all Gods commands looking to the Manner as well as to the Matter The one hee will give God the carkass and body of duty The other hee will give God the life and spirit of duty Of the first sort wee have some in the Text who went high to fall short of Heaven at last Surely if wee but read the words and if God had not said they had been unsound wee should have judged them of the best of men Do but cast your eyes upon the Text and read over the particulars 1. They seek God and not for a time only in a storm in trouble as many will do Beleeve mee they go further They seek mee daily They had their morning and evening Prayers 2. They delight to know my wayes 1. They knew the wayes of God 2. They delighted to know his wayes which is equivalent to this they did not only know the wayes of God but desired to know the wayes of God and for ought I know might have some kinde of delight in the knowledge of his wayes 3. As a Nation that did Righteousness and forsook not the Ordinances of their God That is if you looked upon them they would seem to bee as holy a people as any I have in the World There is none who would judge otherwise of them by any outward appearance but that they were as holy as sincere as any in the World Though they were not a Nation that did Righteousness yet they appeared to bee so They were as a Nation that did Righteousness not only as a Nation who heard who knew who spake Righteousness but as a Nation that did Righteousness They appeared to the judgement of the World to bee as exact as the choicest Saints which God had in the World 4. They ask of God the Ordinances of Justice They desire and pray that God would inform them in the wayes of Justice how they should bee governed and ruled in the World a people which hath respect to their civil Laws and Government pretending to desire Gods Warrant Gods Direction Gods Rule in all things As if they would do nothing even in their civil Affairs without Gods special Warrant and Direction 5. They take delight in approaching to God Than which how can wee have an higher expression What do they approach to God and daily approach to God as you see in the beginning And do they delight in approaching to God do they delight in hearing do they delight in praying do they delight in approaching to God in his Ordinances Here was a stupendious height What can wee say more how can wee go any higher Here wee may stand and