and good works they are not Faith and without Faith it is impossible to please God Reckon what you can reckon and say what you can for your selves yet consider is this Faith or no If it be not Faith it cannot please God Possibly you may desire and endeavour to walk in the strictest way of profession and worship God in the closest way suppose you do so you desire to walk in Church-fellowship with the Saints but this is not Faith still and without Faith is is impossible to please God I pray consider the Apostle Paul saies Paul before he was converted and was brought to believe on Christ in Acts 16.5 says he After the most straitest sect of our Religion I lived a Pharisee And says he in another place in Phil. 3.7 8 9. As concerning the righteousness which is in the law I was blameless says he at verse 6. But now mark says he this was not faith though when he comes to believe on Christ Now says he I look at all that ever I did as nothing and I count all but dung that I may win Christ Brethren whatever we do without faith it is impossible for us to please God But possibly you will say to me I hope I do believe If you do it is well But I pray do you know what it is to believe ask this question to your own hearts Do you know what it is to believe It is not to believe that every thing that is spoken in the Gospel is true no no this Faith whereby we come to please God is another manner of Faith But suppose now that you do believe indeed and in truth I pray have you done all that ever you have done in a way of Faith and believing truly without Faith you see it is impossible to please God even you that are Believers without acting of Faith in what you do you cannot please God Quest But you will say to me then How shall a Christian man or woman so perform duties in Faith so as they may be pleasing unto God As suppose now the duty of Prayer How shall we perform the duty of prayer so as it may be pleasing unto God or for hearing the Word How shall we so hear the Word in Faith that it may be pleasing unto God and how shall we partake of the Lords-Table in Faith so as to please God I cannot come to answer this now but possibly if the Lord please I may speak something to that at some other time all that I have to say for the present is this You see Friends Brethren and Beloved what cause we have all of us I speak not only to unbelievers but to those that are believers as for unbelievers what cause have they to go home and bewail and bemoan their condition before the Lord Look back upon all that you have done throughout your whole lives and you may write this upon it all you have displeased God you have made many Prayers and confessed many Sins and given thanks to God often you have read and heard the Word and have done this and that and yet in all that you have done you have never pleased God because without Faith it is impossible to please God Go and bewail it before the Lord that you have led such a course of life that you have done nothing that hath been pleasing unto God And you that are Believers have you done all that you have done in Faith have you prayed in faith have you heard the word in faith and have you partaked in other Ordinances in a way of faith we have all cause to go home and in private fal down before the Lord and acknowledge that we have displeased God in every duty and service that we have performed But thus much shall suffice for this time SERMON VI. Hebrews XI 6. But without Faith it is impossible to please Him THe words as you have heard are an intire Proposition Doct. That without Faith it is impossible for any Man or Woman by all that ever they can do to please God You have heard it opened at large we came the last day to touch upon a word of Application and that was to shew what a sad and uncomfortable condition every unbelieving person was in that nothing that ever he hath done or can do or shall do whilst he is in this state can be pleasing unto God For Without Faith it is impossible to please Him Whatever Duties we perform whatever Ordinances we partake in if all be not done in Faith it cannot be pleasing unto God Quest You will say unto me then How shall we so act in Faith in the performance of all Duties and in the partaking of all Ordinances that so we may please God in what we do This is a great Question and I shall desire through the Lords assistance to speak something to this at this time And O Brethren this is a matter of very great concernment to do all that we do in Faith to pray every Prayer in Faith and every time we hear the Word to hear it in Faith and if we partake of the Lords-Table every time to partake in Faith or else we do not please God in any of these Duties Let me therefore a little stir you up to it that you may be provoked if possible to do all that you do in Faith Briefly Let me hint three or four words that way to shew you that it is of very great concernment for every one of us to perform every Duty and to partake of every Ordinance in a way of Faith For first of all else all that ever we do all our labour all our endeavours all our pains in our duties and performances will be all in vain And would a wise man be willing to do any thing in vain to take pains and all in vain Have ye suffered so many things saies the Apostle Gal. 3 4. in vain Truly so may we say to those that do not exercise Faith in their duties and performances have you done so many things in vain Would any of you take pains in your Callings willingly in vain and loose all your labour Are you willing that all your labour and travel and pains from day to day should be lost and all in vain You would count it a very grievous and uncomfortable thing if any of you should take any great Voyage by Sea and all your Voyage and Hazard should be in vain or if you should take any great Journey by Land in heat and cold in wet and dry through thick and thin and all your Journey should be in vain and nothing at all come of it what a grief and vexation would it be to your hearts Now Brethren I pray Consider of it if we perform duties take pains in duties day by day perform Duties in our Families and in our Closets every day presenting our Prayers and Supplications before the Lord and frequently in season and out of season atrending upon the Word of God
But now Faith will help a Soul to go over all these Objections it is my Duty and I will do it in Obedience to the Will of God notwithstanding this or that or the other Temptation God hath commanded me to pray evermore and Pray without ceasing and that I should pray and not faint possibly Satan will come with his Temptations and Objections Do you not see that God seems to be angry and offended with your Prayers God seems to answer you contrary to your Prayers then to what end is it for you to pray Yet Faith will help a Soul to answer all with this It is my Duty it is Gods command and therefore I will do it For Faith does carry a Soul beyond Difficulties and Objections As you see it was with Abraham his Faith carried him beyond all his carnal reasonings and objections As when God called him to go out of his Native Country into a place that he knew not and it may be scarce ever heard of in all his Life Flesh and Blood now and the Devil would be ready to make Objections What! shall a Man venture to go he knows not whither But now Faith helped him to go on therefore it is said in Hebrews 11.8 By Faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place which he should afterward receive for an inheritance obeyed and went out not knowing whither he went He went because of the Command of God in obedience to the call of God So when Abraham was called to a hard piece of Service to offer up Isaac here might have been a Temptation What shall I go and cut the Throat of him in whom all the promises are to be performed From Isaac Christ was to come and God had told Abraham that in him all the Families of the Earth should be blessed yet go saies God and sacrifice your Son Here was the command Abraham goes notwithstanding all the Cavils and objections of carnal reason Abraham goes about it in obedience to the command of God Brethren take this as another direction to help us to pray in Faith notwithstanding the objections and Temptations that may take us off it is our duty here is the Command of God for it and out of obedience to Gods Command I will do it whatever come of it You read in the 5th of Luke the beginning that Peter had been Fishing all Night and had Caught nothing in the Morning Christ stood upon the shore and called to him saies he Cast your Net on the Right side of the Ship Sir saies he we have been labouring and toyling all Night and have caught nothing it is but a vain thing But yet he did recollect himself nevertheless at thy Command we will do it and thereupon casting out the Net upon Christ's command they had a very great Draught in so much that they were Amazed Well this is the second direction to help us to pray in Faith to pray in Obedience to the Lords Will. Thirdly The third Direction is this namely to be eying of the Lords Promise and to pray by vertue of some promise or other and this will mightily strengthen and help Faith in Prayer If a Soul have but a promise to encourage him in Prayer by this means the Soul will come to see as through a Crevice the Willingness of God to hear him and answer him The Soul may possibly scruple and Question But if I pray will the Lord hear me But if the Soul comes in the vertue of a promise he comes with a great encouragement and perswasion that God will hear him Now Brethren for your help in this thing in praying by vertue of some promise understand and know that there are two sorts of promises there are some more general promises concerning Gods hearing Prayer and then there are some more particular promises concerning some particular Mercy or Blessing that we pray for Now as for the general promises the Scripture is full of them that God is a God hearing prayer in Psalm 65.2 O thou that hearest Prayer unto thee shall all Flesh come God is a God hearing Prayer for the encouragement of all Flesh to come unto him So in Psalm 86.4 5. Unto thee O Lord do I lift up my Soul for thou Lord art good and ready to forgive and Plenteous in Mercy unto all them that call upon thee Here is a general promise so in Psalm 102.17 He will regard the Prayer of the Destitute and not despise their Prayer And in Psalm 145.8 The Lord is nigh unto all that call upon him that call upon him in Truth He is nigh them to hear their Prayer So in the New-Testament saies Christ in Matt. 7.7 8. Ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you for every one that asketh receiveth c. And so you have such expressions frequently up and down in the Scripture that are general promises to encourage the Soul in Prayer as the Apostle saith in Rom. 10.12 The same Lord over all is Rich unto all that call upon him Such general promises you have frequently in the Scripture and then there are some more particular promises about Gods hearing Prayer as now for some particular Mercy or Blessing that a Man or Woman may stand in need of there are some particular promises that suits them more particularly As you know Jacob he makes use of that Lord saies he Thou hast said that thou would'st do me good When he was in danger by his Brother Esau in Gen. 32.9 10 11. Lord saies he Thou hast said that thou would'st do me good God had promised to bless him and he makes use of that promise and strengthens his Faith in his Prayer by that Argument And so David in 2 Sam. 7. there you may read how the Lord made a gracious promise to David and his House to establish the Throne to him and his posterity that his Posterity should succeed him in his Throne David would have built God a House Well saies God wilt thou build me a House I will build thy House for thee There was a Gracious promise well David makes use of this promise in the latter end of the Chapter verse 27 For thou Oh Lord of Hosts God of Israel hast revealed unto thy Servant saying I will build thee an House therefore hath thy Servant found in his Heart to pray this Prayer unto thee c. So Jehoshaphat in 2 Chron. 20. having his Land invaded by a Foreign Enemy he goes to God in Prayer but mark how he eyes a promise in his Prayer vers 8 9. And have built thee a Sanctuary therein for thy name saying If when evil cometh upon us as the Sword Judgement or Pestilence or Famine we stand before this House and in thy presence for thy Name is in this House and cry unto thee in our affliction then thou wilt hear and help c. He takes hold of the promise of God and pleads that in
go and eat and drink with gladness with a merry heart it 's true the men of the World can be jovial in their Cups eating and drinking and carousing and none seem to be so merry and jovial as they are but they have no cause for it it is just like a Condemned person that may be jovial and eating and drinking and he know not how soon he may be called to Execution this is the case of every Man and Woman in the World if God do not accept of their Works But now saies Solomon Go thy way eat thy Bread with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart for God now accepteth thy works 3. Is it not a desirable thing to have the Creatures ready to be serviceable and officious to a man or woman that there is never a Creature in the World but is ready to be Officious and Serviceable to him though possiby they may seem to be averse and contrary and cross to him yet they are all Serviceable and Officious to him to have every thing turn to good to a Man or Woman whatever any Creature do to him it turns all to his good though the Creature may intend otherwise The wicked men may intend to persecute and persecute them as Enemies but when a man or woman please God and his ways please God all his Enemies shall be made his Friends Proverbs 16.7 When a Mans ways please the Lord he maketh his Enemies to be at peace with him They shall be Friends to him they shall do Offices and services of Friendship and kindness to him though possibly against their wills all the creatures shall be officious and serviceable to them and they shall not be able to do them any hurt what a desirable thing is this 4. Is it not a desirable thing for a man or woman to have an audience of all their prayers in Heaven for God to be ready to hear our requests and petitions that we put up to him is not this a desirable thing You will say Oh that I were but sure that God did but hear any one Prayer that ever I made what a desirable thing is this now those whose ways are pleasing to the Lord God do hear their prayers They have access to the Throne of Grace with boldness to find grace and mercy to help in the time of need Heb. 4.16 and mark the Apostles expression in 1 John 3.22 And whatsoever we ask we receive of him Why so because we keep his Commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight If we be sure we do those things that are pleasing to God Now saies the Apostle we know that whatsoever we ask we receive of him we have now an audience of our prayers and petitions in Heaven Oh! what a desirable thing is this 5. Is it not a desirable thing for a man or woman to be a Favourite in the Court of Heaven to be in special favour with the King of Heaven you count it no small matter to be a Favourite in the Kings Court to be in favour with the King you count it a very desirable thing Truly to be a favourite in the Court of Heaven is much more desirable to be in favour with the great King of kings I tell you the favour of God in Heaven is as Life to a mans Soul David could say it that knew it by experience in Psalm 30.5 In thy favour is Life nay he adds a greater word than that in Psalm 63.3 Thy loving kindness is better than life There is nothing in the world to a Man better than life but to know that a man or Woman is in favour with God he hath that which is better than life Brethren and Friends there are but two great things that a Man or Woman should desire in this World which are the general and comprehensive of all things to be desired one is to enjoy peace with God and the favour of God here and the other is to enjoy the favour and see the face of God in Heaven hereafter What can a man desire more than to be at peace with God and have the favour of God whilst he live and then to know that he shall see and enjoy the face and presence of God for ever in Glory Here is as much as can be desired and these two things we should look after Now here is one of them To know that God is well pleased with a poor Creature now such a person is a Favourite of Heaven and he may be sure of it if he be in favour with God here then he shall see the face of God and enjoy the presence of God hereafter That is the 5th 6. And Lastly to add but that Is it not a desirable thing for a Man or Woman to be able to look Death in the face with comfort when Death comes to stare him in the face when he shall have a sentence of Death past upon him What would you then desire above all the things in this World what not a great Estate not this and that that you can think of in the World but Oh that I might have the Favour of God! and that I might know that God is well pleased with me c. Then a Man or Woman may look Death in the face and may draw near to God with a holy Boldness as I remember Hezekiah when he had the sentence of death upon him in Isa 38.3 Lord saies he Remember how I have walked before thee in Truth and with a perfect heart He could appeal to God that his ways were pleasing to him and now he could resign up his Soul to him though he was troubled that he had not finished the Work that he had to do in the World and so he could have desired to live longer and upon his prayer the Lord did reverse the sentence of Death that was upon him yet when he had the Sentence see how he took it Lord saies he remember how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart that is the things that he had been doing had been pleasing to the Lord So a Man or Woman whose ways pleased God whilst he lived in the World when he comes to die he may look Death in the face with comfort What a desirable thing then is it for a man or woman to please God in what he doth That is the Second thing propounded That to please God is a most Desirable thing 3. But in the Third place you will say what is that Faith whereby a man or woman comes to please God Truly it is Faith that is the principle and ground and Foundation whence a man and his Works and Services and Performances come to be pleasing to God A Man or Woman may be diligent in the performance of Duties and Services and yet God may not be pleased with them As for example take two persons that come and joyn together in prayer they pray the same Prayer or two Persons
Abraham still So by Faith Sarah conceived it pleased God to give her conception when she was 90 Years old she had her infirmities and weaknesses she told a Lye in the hearing of the Angel but yet for all that she pleased God and so I might instance in others David pleased God by Faith David had his failings and did sometimes displease God but yet by his Faith he did please God And so look upon all those that have been believers by their acting and exercising of of Faith they have all of them come to please God and therefore we may take it up for a general conclusion and may be confident of it that by Faith we shall please God 2. The Holy-Ghost doth testifie in the Scripture again and again that a man or woman by Faith doth live What Life not a natural but a Spiritual life Now to live is not only to have the life of Justification and the life of Sanctification but to live is to have the favour of God to have God pleased with a person that is to live saies Abraham to God in the 17th of Genesis Oh that Ishmael might live in thy Sight what did he mean by that what that his Life might be lengthned out No but that he might find favour in thy Sight and saies the Prophet in Psal 30.5 In thy favour is life And so in Isaiah 6.55 Hearken unto me and your Soul shall live that is you shall please God and be accepted of God Now then this is frequent in Scripture that all that are Believers do live The just shall live by Faith both the Old Testament and New-Testament bear witness to it the same thing is in the Old-Testament Habakkuk 2.4 and repeated again in the new Hebrews 10.38 The just shall live by Faith therefore it is out of doubt and Question 3dly By Faith a Soul comes to have the guilt of sin taken away I pray what is that whereby a Man or Woman doth displease God Namely by his Sin guilt doth displease God Now then Faith is a means and instrument to take away that which is displeasing to God to take away the guilt of Sin In Acts 10.43 saies Peter there to Cornelius To him give all the Prophets witness that through his name whosoever beleiveth on him shall receive remission of sins And so in Chapter 13.38 39. Be it known unto you therefore men and Brethren that through this man is preached unto you forgiveness of sins and by him all that beleived are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses By believing on him we come to receive remission of sins And so in Acts 26.18 That they might receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among them which are sanctified through Faith which is in me Now then if so be that all believers all that have Faith in Christ and do exercise their Faith in Christ be justified from the guilt of sin then they are freed from all that makes them displeasing to God then by Faith they come to please God because by Faith the guilt of sin is removed which is the matter of Gods displeasure 4thly and Lastly to have done By Faith a Man or Woman comes to please God because by Faith now the very heart which is a fountain of uncleanness comes to be made clean this is the only way to have our hearts purified and cleansed Purifying their hearts by Faith saies the Apostle Acts 15.9 so in 1 Timothy 1.5 saies the Apostle there Out of a pure Heart and a good Conscience and Faith unfeigned Faith unfeigned is the means whereby the Conscience and the Heart is purified and truly hence it is that believers are called clean all that have Faith in Christ and do exercise their Faith in Christ they are all pure and every thing is clean to them Titus 1.15 To the pure all things are pure Who doth he mean by pure mark now by the contrary But unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure but their very conscince is defiled By Faith now a mans heart comes to be pure which is the Fountain of all his actions all that he performs and does it must come from the Heart if the heart be clean if the Fountain be clean then the water that flows from the Fountain is clean so now the Heart being purified by Faith now the Actions come to be pure in the sight of God through Christ To a believer every thing is pure all that he meddles with and undertakes if he doth act Faith in it he pleaseth God So now you have seen the 4th thing opened how we may be sure that by Faith we come to please God Now there is a further question remaining But may not a Man or Woman please God without Faith by doing the thing that God hath commanded as now to pray and perform duties to walk uprightly c As the generality of the World do think that this is the way and means to please God I do not deny but we should do those things and the things themselves as to the substance of them are pleasing to God but yet still without Faith it is impossible to please God How that appears follows to be spoken to in the next place and then come to the Application But thus much shall suffice for the present SERMON V. Hebrews XI 6. But without Faith it is impossible to please Him YOU have heard the dependance of these Words upon the foregoing we came directly to open the Proposition as it lay before us in the Words Doct. That without Faith it is impossible for any Man or Woman alive ever to please God We have shewn you first what it is for a Man or Woman to please God Secondly we have proved to you that this pleasing of God is a matter of very great concernment it is a thing very desirable for a Man or Woman to be found pleasing God And then in the third place we came to enquire what Faith that is without which it is impossible to please God And then fourthly we came to clear it up to you that by Faith a Soul doth please God Thus far we have gone 5. Now we come in the fifth place to give you some demonstrations to make it evident to you if the Lord please to set in with it that it is impossible for any Man or Woman ever to please God without Faith It is not only said here that without Faith a man hath not pleased God or without Faith no man ever shall please God but he speaks a greater word without faith it is impossible to please God This is such a thing that it will hardly enter into the hearts of men and women to be perswaded of it What! not please God by doing what God requires why if I be diligent and faithful in my calling doth not that please God! if I perform the Duties that God requires doth not that please God! if I give
much in a way of charity perform good works and be given to Alms-deeds in relieving the poor Saints of Christ is not this pleasing unto God! if I suffer for the Truths sake doth not this please God! why do but observe and consider what the Apostle here saith without faith it is impossible to please God And consider also what the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 13.3 says he Though I give all my goods to feed the poor and if I give my body to be burned yet all is nothing without charity without Love and whence comes this Love but from Faith it is Faith that worketh Love Now if the Apostle say it is impossible to please God without Faith then certainly this is a Truth whether we can believe it or no it is a Truth notwithstanding all that can be objected against it It is impossible mark the word when he saies impossible he doth not mean that it is a very hard and difficult thing that which may come to pass with a great deal of difficulty as sometimes that is meant by impossible in Scripture-phrase as in Mark 10.27 says Christ to them With men it is impossible Impossible that is very hard very difficult but now to please God without Faith is not only impossible with such an impossibility but it is impossible so as it opposes God in his determinate Counsel Without faith it is absolutely impossible to please God Such an impossibility as the Apostle speaks of in Heb. 6.4 For it is impossible for those who were once inlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift c. if they fall away to renew them again to repentance It is absolutely impossible it is beyond Gods determination So in Heb. 10.4 It is impossible that the blood of Bulls and of Goats should take away sin It is impossible that all the blood of all the creatures under Heaven should take away the guilt of sin So here without Faith it is impossible for a man or woman to please God absolutely impossible Let me now give you two or three demonstrations to make it evident and apparent in every mans Conscience I hope through the assistance of the Spirit of God And O that the Lord would perswade us of the truth of this That it is impossible to please God without Faith First Because all that ever an unbelieving man or woman doth or can do is all for self and not for God and is it possible then to please God when he does nothing at all not one thing for God but all for self every thing for self every duty that he performs is all for self every unbeliever is just Judas like in John 12.6 Judas was a Thief and had the Bag and bare what was put therein he had Christs Bag and the Disciples Bag ay but he had another Bag of his own so every unbeliever hath a Bag he seems to have a Bag for God and for Christ but he hath a Bag for self and he puts all into that Bag He may seem to do a great deal for God he may pray much and frequently and earnestly he may read the Word very much and attend very often upon the Word Preached he may be frequent in the ordinary duties of the Worship and Service of God nay let me say further he may be taken up in extraordinary duties too as Fasting and Prayer and the like and â—â—t still all for self and nothing at all for God Look into Zach. 7.5 6. saith the Lord there Speak unto all the people of the Land and to the Priests saying when ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month even those seventy years did ye at all fast unto me even unto me And when ye did eat and when ye did drink did ye not eat for your selves and drink for your selves All for self Thus it is with every unbeliever whatever he doth he doth for self he is compassed about in the Circle of self and cannot get a hairs breadth beyond it and do you think that we can please God in any duty or service that we perform when the Lord sees and knows that we do all for self do you think that God can accept of that Service Make it your own case suppose now you had a Servant you give him Meat and Drink and Wages and he Works and Labours and Toyls but all is for himself now though he labour and work yet is it pleasing to you is it acceptable to you Or suppose you have a Factor and you send him to Trade for you you trust him with your Stock and he is diligent in his Trade and follows his business but all his Trade is for himself would you accept of this is this pleasing to you no you will say he is a very unfaithful wretched Servant and you cannot be pleased with him Why this is the very case God hath sent us into the World to Trade for him and to act for him now all that ever we do whilst we are in a state of unbelief is for self we do every thing for self truly until 〈◊〉 Soul comes to believe on Christ all that he doth is for himself he cannot get out of the circle of self but now when a Soul comes to receive Christ by Faith then he comes to act for Christ and to deny self never can deny himself before as it was with the Apostle Paul Paul before his Conversion he did very much but yet all was for self he was very zealous for the Law and he was very upright but all was for self but now when he comes to believe on Christ self is laid aside Now saies he I am nothing 2 Cor. 12.11 Though I be nothing Paul an Apostle an eminent Saint of Christ and yet he is nothing Now saies he I am nothing I can do nothing I cannot pray I know not how to pray nor do no-nothing as I ought to do it I cannot so much as think a good thought saies he now self is abased self is put down but now mark Christ is lifted up 1 Cor. 15.10 I laboured more abundantly than they all yet not I but the Grace of God which was with me not I saies he but the grace of God with me or in me so saies he in Philip. 4.12 13. I know how to abound and how to want I have learned in all states and conditions therewith to be content I can do all things saies he through Christ that strengthens me Thus when he comes to believe he exalts Christ and abases self Faith is a self-emptying Grace it makes the Soul to be little or nothing and makes Christ to be all it hath no strength in its self but doth all in the strength of Christ and till the Soul comes to believe on Christ self is the cheif agent in all that he doth and therefore now it is impossible for a man or woman ever to please God by all that he can do till he comes to believe You know what
Two last Verses In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them Repentance to the acknowledging of the Truth God may peradventure give them repentance though it is a certain Truth that without Faith it is impossible to please God Yet thus much I may say to help to take off this objection That there is a perhaps if you be found diligent in seeking God and humbling your Souls before the Lord peradventure you may be forgiven I do not say you shall certainly be forgiven and God will certainly hear you but perhaps as Peter said to Simon Magus perhaps and if peradventure says Paul God will give them Repentance then here is a perhaps for those that are Unbelievers that God may graciously please to have respect towards them though God be not pleased with them not their prayers and duties therefore let not this Temptation prevail over you upon that account namely to give over all because you cannot please God by what you do peradventure God may have respect towards you but now if you go on and cast off seeking God and the ways of God and go on in your sinful ways and courses there is no perhaps for such no but if Men sin willfully mark the expression in Heb. 10.25 26. If Men sin wilfully and cast off the means of Grace wilfully there is no perhaps for such He puts an impossibility upon himself ever to be recovered therefore give not way to the Temptation but say Well there is a peradventure and perhaps for me though I be an Unbeliever But Secondly Let me answer it in another thing Though it be true that without Faith it is impossible to please God Nay though we do displease God by all that we do make the objection as strong as you can it is impossible to please God by all my Prayers Tears and Confessions in my waitings upon God yet notwithstanding know and understand it for a Truth that there are degrees of displeasing God a man may displease God more or less Look into Zachariah 1.15 I am very sore displeased with the Heathen that are at ease for I was but a little displeased and they helped forward the affliction God may be sorely displeased and God may be less displeased with a person as now if one sin doth displease God will not many sins displease him much more if that which we call a small sin will displease God then a greater sin will diplease him much more So now if we displease God by our Duties and Services then may we not displease God much more by casting off duties Nay may we not displease him most of all not only by casting of Duties but by running desperately and Headlong into all manner of Evil. Mark how you conclude you cannot please God by what you do therefore you will displease him more this is to run headlong and desperately into the lowest Hell As there are degrees of glory in Heaven as one Star differs from another Star in Glory so there are degrees of Torment in Hell It shall be more tollerable for Sodom and Gommorah at the day of Judgement than for those that have the Gospel and do not improve it As she hath fared deliciously saies God so much the more Torment give her saies God in Revelations 18.7 So now because we do displease God by what we do in our duties and services therefore shall we run further on to displease God more and more Is it not enough to displease God by doing things irregularly and unbelievingly but shall we therefore run headlong upon wickedness and care not how much we displease God O! therefore let us have a care of this Temptation for it is very great and dangerous because we cannot please God by doing what we can therefore we will run headlong on to displease him all that we can So now I have finished the explication of this Truth That without Faith it is impossible to please God I cannot now come to that Application which I chiefly intend Appli But in a word because I would not leave you wholy without some word of Application Use Here then let all those that are Unbelievers understand and know this day from the Lord what a dangerous state and condition they are in it is such a state and condition as is not to be rested quietly in because that they cannot possibly please God by all that they can do I would not speak any thing to discourage and cast down any but to awaken poor Souls Understand and know this day from the Lord that you never yet did please God by all that ever you have done you have made possibly many Hundred prayers and petitions to God you have been exercised in holy Duties and Services all along from day to day yet you have not pleased God in any thing that you have done Nay without Faith you cannot please God in whatever you shall do it is impossible What should I say more read but the Text saies the Apostle without Faith it is impossible to please God The Apostle doth not only speak of such as live in open known sins of Uncleanness and Drunkeness and Swearing and Lying that they do not please God that is plain enough every one will say that these men do not please God and that it is impossible they should please God And those that live in secret Sins in secret covetousness of heart in secret oppression secret omision and neglect of duty Family or Closet-prayer do these things please God think you not that I speak to such as these are but to those that are professors and that are careful to walk strictly and conscienciously in their places as far as ever they have light and understanding you are careful possibly to deal righteously in your Callings and Trade you desire to make Conscience of your ways in buying and selling and trading and conversing with the World to walk uprightly towards all men and what doth not this please God you will say do not I please God in this I pray mark is this Faith or no The Apostle saies here without Faith it is impossible to please God suppose you perform duties wait upon God in his Worship and Ordinances are very diligent in attending upon the Word Preached and very dilligent in reading the Scriptures daily day by day and you are very diligent also in private duties such as I mentioned before doth not this please God you will say why I pray still do but have recourse to the Apostles words without Faith it is impossible to please God Can you say that these things are Faith without Faith it is impossible to please God But if a Man or Woman be so Charitable that they are ready upon all occasions to relieve the Bowels of the Saints doth not this please God why saies the Apostle without Faith it is impossible to please God Do you believe that this is a Truth that this Text holds forth our Charity
Preached and go on thus week after week month after month and year after year labouring and taking pains in your duties and yet when all comes to all it is all in vain Truly thus it will be if it be not done in Faith you have prayed so many times in a Week and so many times in a year possibly a thousand times in your Life yet all is in vain for you see you cannot please God and therefore it is in vain You desire to please God in your Duties and in your attendances upon the Lord but all is in vain What a sad and uncomfortable thing is this Therefore certainly it is of great concernment to look to that that we do not perform Duties in vain that we do not Pray and Read and Hear without Faith for then all will be in vain Secondly Consider a little further What an uncomfortable thing is it for a man to meet with a disappointment in his great expectation When a man hath great expectations of a business and meets with a disappointment in the conclusion that his expectation is frustrated you know what Solomon saith in Prov. 13.12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick If a man have hopes of a thing and his hopes be only put off and deferred though it may be accomplished at last yet if it be deferred beyond the time it makes his heart sick Ay but when a mans expectations be not only deferred but altogether frustrated that he meets with nothing but disappointments What an uncomfortable thing is this and the greater the expectation of a man is or the greater the thing is his expectation is about the greater and sadder will his disappointment be You know how it fared with Haman in Esth 6. When the King propounded that Question to him What shall be done unto the man whom the King delighteth to honour Why thought he whom the King delights to honour is none but my self Surely I am the man here was his hope and expectation but now to be frustrated of this great expectation of being honoured and advanced and for the King to say Go take the Kings Horse and the Royal apparrel and go and set Mordecai thereon his great Enemy go and proclaim before him thus it shall be done to the man whom the King delighteth to honour thus was his expectation frustrated and it came to nothing And how did it make his heart sick He went home to his Wife and company and he was even sick at the very heart Truly Brethren when a mans expectations are raised from his Duties and Performances that he hath gone on in a way of Prayer all his Life-long and attending upon God in the way of his Ordinances all his Life-long and his expectation is great he thinks he hath been pleasing God all his life-long and when all comes to all at last he shall see that he wanted Faith and so never pleased God in all his Life by all the Duties and Services that ever he performed Here now will his expectations be frustrated and when he comes to lie upon his Death-bed he thinks he hath been pleasing God in performing Duties and attending upon God in his way he shall meet with nothing but Disappointments He hath not pleased God by all that he hath done all his life-long 3. Nay Let me add Thirdly If our Duties be not done in Faith truly then instead of being the better for them we shall certainly be the worse for all the Duties that ever we performed Now what an uncomfortable thing is it for a man to labour and take pains and all for loss You that trade in the World that take a great deal of pains are up early and down late why if so be that you go backward in your estates for all your pains-taking and labour and toyl and travel this will be very uncomfortable to you to labour and toyl night and day as it were and all for loss Suppose now a great Merchant he trades and trafficks abroad at Sea and trades at home by Land and when he comes to cast up his accounts he hath done all for loss he is not the richer but a great deal the poorer What an uncomfortable thing will this be to him that he hath been labouring and travelling and toyling and spending his strength and his time and his pains and all for loss He is the worse and not the better as 't is said of the woman that had the bloody Issue she went to the Physicians and used the means and still she was not the better but the worse You would count this a very uncomfortable thing if any of your Children or Relations should be sick and you call for the help of the Physitian and he applies means and still all the Physick that is taken tends to the hurt of the Party he is never the better but the worse for all the means that is used truly it would make your hearts ake Truely thus it is when a man hath been taking pains all his life-long exercising of himself in holy Duties and Ordinances worshipping and serving God and endeavouring to please God as he thinks but now instead of pleasing God by what he hath done he hath rather displeased God For certainly we are either the better or the worse for every Ordinance that we partake in when we come to hear a Sermon if we do not go away better we go away worse for the Word will work one way or other And so far Prayer if we be not the better we are the worse when our Duties and Services have not been done in Faith they have not been pleasing to the Lord. And when a man comes to cast up his accounts he will find himself the worse for all the Services that ever he performed because they have not been done in Faith 4. And let me add one word more If our Duties and Services be not done in Faith then I pray what have we been doing of all this time but cheating and deceiving our own Souls going on and taking pains and all to delude and deceive our own Souls We have been steering a wrong couse instead of making Christ our Righteousness we have been making a Christ of our Duties and Services and so deceive our own Souls if we do not act Faith in the performance of Duties then we make a Christ of them and so deceive our own Souls for if we do not lean upon Christ we lean upon them A man or woman that doth not act Faith in their Duties and Services they do but steer a wrong Course all their life-long Suppose now a man should steer his course at Sea by a Compass that is false he may go on and sail amain Night and Day before the Wind he may go on in his Course but all the way that he makes he doth but deceive himself he will never come to the Haven he aims at and desires to come to He doth but deceive and delude himself Why Because he sails
by a false Compass and so steers his Course wrong Truly thus it is with many Professors they perform Duties they go on with full sail in Duties they perform Duties every day and they attend upon the Lord as they have opportunity to hear the Word and read the Word daily they go on amain Ay but still they steer a wrong Course they sail by a false Compass and certainly they will never come to the Haven of Rest but will run upon their own ruine at last Therefore observe it the Devil will allow a Professor to go on in a course of Duties to pray every day in his Family and Closet he will allow him to go on in a course of Ordinances attending upon God daily so long as his Duties and Services are not touched with the Loadstone if they be not done in Faith he knows what will be the Issue of them he lets him alone because he knows he doth but deceive himself and delude his own Soul he looks to come to such a Haven but he will perish and miscarry for ever Therefore Brethren I pray consider whether it be not a matter of very great concernment for every one of us to look to it and be careful that all our Duties and Services be done in Faith or else we can never please God Well This is the Question How shall we so perform our Duties and Services in Faith as they may be pleasing unto God Answ In answer to it there are some Directions that I shall lay down that may be of general Concernment and reach all the Duties that we are to perform and shew you how we shall perform them in Faith that they may be pleasing unto God And then afterward we shall come to lay down more particular Directions how we may perform every Duty as Prayer in Faith and hearing the Word in Faith and partaking of the Lords-Supper in Faith how we may perform every Duty in Faith that so we may please God in what we do First Then for the General Rules that we may make use of in all Duties for the performing of them in Faith that so they may be pleasing unto God 1. First then take this for a general Rule that may be of concernment for every Duty Let us look especially that we be Believers that we have a Faith in Christ for if we be not Believers we can never perform any Duty in Faith we must first believe in Christ before we can perform any duty in Faith Therefore I say Let us be sure of that that the work of Faith be wrought effectually in our hearts that we do really and truely believe on Christ be sure of that lay that for a foundation and the more clear that is the more sure we are of that that there is a real work of Faith wrought in our hearts we may be the more easily perswaded that what we do we do in Faith though that alone is not enough neither But without that it is impossible for us to do any thing in Faith so as to please God it is by Faith that our persons come to be accepted without Faith our persons are not pleasing unto God No It is through the beloved that we must be accepted in our persons Ephes 1.6 And if our persons be not accepted nothing that we do can be accepted No we may pray day by day and cry aloud and we may perform extraordinary Duties too and none of these accepted if our persons be not accepted through Faith in Christ there must be the foundation of all For Brethren it is by Faith that our hearts are purified and made holy now if so be that we be not holy we cannot please God by any thing that we can do for he is a holy God and whatsoever is pleasing to God must be holy Now it is by Faith that our hearts come to be purified Act. 15.9 By Faith we come to have an habitual Holiness wrought in us though there may be and there is still a body of sin but still there is a Principle of Holiness by Faith wrought in the heart whereby we come to be made holy in Gods account For if so be that we be not made holy through Faith then all that ever we do is unclean all that comes from us is unclean look as the Fountain or Spring is so is all that issues from it every drop of water that comes from it is accordingly Can you bring forth a clean thing out of an unclean None can do it Does a bitter fountain send forth sweet water No it cannot be The fountain must first be made clean and sweet or else all the streams will be according as the fountain is A corrupt Tree cannot bring forth good fruit make the Tree good or the fruit cannot be good All that comes from a man or woman that is in a state of unbelief is unclean and whatever Duties or Ordinances he touches is unclean and polluted and therefore cannot please God Look as it was under the Law if one that was Legally or Ceremonially unclean touched any thing it was unclean Hag. 2.12 13. If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment and with his skirt do touch bread or pottage or wine or oyl or any meat shall it be holy And the Priests answered and said no it shall be unclean So now whatever Duties be performed under the New-Testament if we be not Believers if our hearts be not purified by Faith truly then all that we touch is impure and unclean to us as the Apostle saith Tit. 1.15 Unto the pure all things are pure but unto them that are defiled Who are those he explains it in the very next words and unbelieving is nothing pure They can do nothing that the Infinite Holy and Pure God can be pleased with Now there is no way for a Soul to be made clean to lave an habitual Holiness but through Faith wrought by the Spirit of Christ and the application and sprinkling of the Vertue of the Blood of Christ upon the Conscience So a man or woman comes to be made clean In Heb. 9.13 saies the Apostle there For if the blood of bulls and goats and the Ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifie to the purifying of the flesh that is The Holy Water under the Law that being sprinkled upon the unclean did purifie him and make him clean and if the sprinkling of that water did purifie from Ceremonial Uncleanness How much more shall the blood of Christ verse 14. Who through the eternal Spirit offered up himself to God purge your Conseiences from dead works to serve the living God Two things the Apostle doth plainly hint to us in this Scripture Namely 1. That all our Works that we perform before we be cleansed by the Blood of Christ they are all but dead works unholy and unclean And then 2. it implies thus much That we come to be cleansed from our dead works by the sprinkling of
We should be sure of this that whatsoever we do pray for be according to the Will of God be sure of that be perswaded of that you must not doubt nor question that for if you do you cannot pray in Faith And tho' the thing you pray for be according to the Will of God yet if you do not know and be perswaded that it is according to the Will of God you cannot pray in Faith therefore we must be sure of that that the thing we pray for be according to the Will of God as the Apostle saith concerning eating in Rom. 14. v. last He that doubteth is damned if he eateth That is he committeth a damnable sin because he believeth not for whatsoever is not of Faith is sin So he that prays doubtingly whether the thing he prays for be according to the Will of God or no he sins in prayer whatever he pray for if it be not in Faith with a perswasion that what he prays for is according to the Will of God this man cannot pray in Faith Suppose now a man or woman pray for this or that that he cannot certainly conclude is according to the Will of God as now for example suppose a man have an earnest desire to encrease his estate in the World that he may live bravely at his ease and pleasure and to that end he desires to be diligent in his business and to that end also he begs of the Lord in prayer that the Lord would bless his labours and endeavours that he might gain a great estate in the world and do what he list and live at his ease and pleasure now this man cannot pray with a certain assurance and perswasio◠that this thing is according to the Will of 〈◊〉 Ye ask and have not says the Apostle James because ye ask amiss to spend upon your lusts James 4.3 It is not according to the Will of God and therefore you cannot pray in Faith Or suppose now that a man or woman intend to take a Journey upon pleasure to have a Ramble abroad he would be glad to be preserved and possibly he prays that the Lord would keep him in his way now if a person in this case do question whether his Journey be according to the Will of God he cannot pray in Faith and so his prayer is not pleasing to the Lord Or suppose a man be gaming for money and he would be glad to win possibly he prays that the Lord would bless him in his undertaking that he might win he cannot be perswaded this is according to the Will of God and if so he cannot pray in Faith and so his prayer is not pleasing unto God So that I say this is the particular direction in this case That whatsoever we pray for we must be sure of that that it is according to the Will of God and this is a good help to pray in Faith says the Apostle John in 1 John 5.14 This is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us You must be sure of that that it is according to the Will of God and then we may believe that he will hear us Now I pray consider this a thing may be agreeable to the revealed Will of God and yet not according to his secret Will and Purpose and though the purpose of God be against what we pray for yet if it be according to the revealed Will of God we may lawfully pray in Faith for it As now suppose a man or woman pray for the life of such a Relation a Husband or a Wife or a Child or a Friend he prays earnestly for their life well God in his secret purpose hath determined otherwise the secret Will of God is contrary yet this being lawful according to the revealed Will of God to pray for the wellfare of the sick he may pray in Faith though it be contrary to the secret Purpose and Counsel of God You know this was David's case he prayed earnestly for his sick Child the Lord had a secret purpose that the Child should dye yet he prayed earnestly for the life of the Child and he did not sin in praying because it was according to the revealed Will of God and though it was contrary to the secret Will of God yet notwithstanding he might pray in Faith for the life of the Child though God had intended otherwise You know it was the case of Christ himself he prayed that the Cup might pass from him it was the determinate Purpose and Counsel of God that the Cup should not pass from him but he should drink it Now did Christ sin in praying for that which was contrary to the secret Will and Purpose of God No. Because now this is certain that it is a thing that is lawful and according to the Will of God for a Man or Woman to pray against that which is dangerous and hurtful to his nature he may pray lawfully to be delivered from evil Now Christ prayed to be delivered from evil from drinking the Cup of Gods Wrath though it was the secret Counsel of God he should drink it yet notwithstanding he did not sin because he prayed for that which he knew was according to the revealed Will of God Well this is the first Direction and I pray mind it That if you would pray in Faith for any mercy let us be sure of that that what we pray for be according to the Will of God Secondly The second Direction To pray in Faith so as that we may please God is to pray in obedience to the Will of God do it in obedience to the Will and Command of God as our Duty Brethren it is the Will and Command of God and our Duty that we should pray always in Psalm 105.4 Seek the Lord and his strength seek his face evermore So you know in Luke 18.1 he propounded a Parable to his Disciples to the end that Men should always pray and not faint It is the Will of God that we should pray always now to help us to pray in Faith it is good to be Eying our Duty and the Lords Command it is the Lords Command that we should pray notwithstanding we may meet with discouragements objections and temptations from the Flesh and from Satan to take us off from the Duty as now the Flesh and Satan will be ready to suggest and discourage thus why What benefit have you by all the Prayers that ever you have made What have you found in a way of answer to your Prayer and again do you not see that others that do not pray at all fare even as well as you for all your praying and again can we change the Mind and Will of God by all our Prayers It is said in Job that God is of one mind and who can turn him Can all the prayers of all the Saints and Angels in Heaven and Earth change the Mind and Will of God
faith Enoch was translated that he should not see Death and He had this Testimony that he pleased God And saies the Apostle This Faith is that whereby a Soul comes to please God and not only so but is that whereby God is only pleased by Faith only God is pleased with a person and without Faith it is impossible to please God The Apostle does not say here that no man ever did yet please God without Faith he does not only say that no man alive does please God without Faith nor no man that ever shall live in the World shall please God without Faith no but he speaks a greater word It is impossible that ever any man or Woman in the World should please God without Faith without Faith it is impossible to please him The words are a plain Proposition and I shall take them as the Apostle lays them down Namely Doctrine That it is impossible for any Man or Woman ever to please God without Faith It does imply indeed that by Faith a Man or Woman does come to please God for when he saies without Faith it is impossible to please God he does imply that by Faith a man or Woman does please him but it is only by Faith that a Man or Woman can please God Friends this point may be of greater concernment than possibly some of you are aware of hereby the general mistake of many if not of most Christians may be discovered many and the generality of Christians are ready to think that they please God with the performance of their Duties day by day they call upon the Name of God and they are frequently attending upon the Word of God and they do desire also to live uprightly and to walk conscienciously in their callings c. And this is the way whereby they think to please God I do not speak against these things but I say if this be the way to please God then why doth the Apostle say here that without Faith it is impossible to please him then it is not possible by my Prayers nor by all the Duties and Services that I can perform nor by all my upright and close walking in my conversation no saies he when you have done all you can if you fall short of this Faith you cannot please God without Faith it is impossible to please him Hereby I say Christians may see their general mistake whereby they may be mistaken and it is about a matter of very great concernment about pleasing or displeasing God and again it is of concernment also to direct us and set us in a right way whereby we may come to please God indeed well then to enter upon the point through the Lords assistance I shall desire for the prosecution of it to speak to these four or five particulars 1. To shew you what it is that the Apostle here means by pleasing God when he saies that without Faith it is impossible to please God 2. That this pleasing of God is a matter of very great concernment that the Apostle intimates when he speaks of it so as he does that it is a most desirable thing for a Man or Woman to please God 3. What is that Faith without which it is impossible to please God and by which a man or woman doth come to please God That is worth the inquiring after 4. Shew you that by Faith though a Man or Woman may have many failings yet by Faith he comes to please God 5. And Lastly To shew you That without Faith it is utterly impossible to please God whatever Man or Woman doth in this world besides yet if he fall short of this Faith he cannot please God 1st Then What is this same pleasing of God that the Apostle here speaks of I Answer By pleasing of God we are not to understand meerly God's approving a thing God doth approve of the Creatures that he hath made and approves of them for good the Creatures that came out of Gods hand for the substance of them they are good when God had made the World he looked back and did review all the creatures that he had made and he did declare and pronounce that they were all very good this is an approbation of the creatures that he had made but this is not such a pleasing of God as the Apostle here speaks of the substance of all the creatures in themselves are good the very Devils in the substance of them are good in themselves And again the actions and works that Men and Women do they may sometimes be good for the substance of them and yet notwithstanding God may not be pleased with them He hath shewed thee Oh man Micah 6.8 what is good to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God The substance of those Actions God doth approve of them and yet notwithstanding for the manner of doing them God may not be pleased Well then positively You will say What is this same pleasing of God by what we do or when may God be said to be pleased with the things that a Man or Woman doth Namely in short for I must not inlarge When as the Lord hath a Gracious respect unto the things that a person doth when he have a gracious respect to his Duties and Services and also doth graciously accept of them and take a kind of complacency and delight in them then is he well pleased with them As now for example you read of Abel in Genesis 4.4 5. He went and offered a Sacrifie unto God and so did Cain too but saies the Holy-Ghost The Lord had respect to Abel and to his Offering but he had no respect to Cain and to his Offering God saw what Cain did too in offering and the offering might be good and acceptable in it self but being offered up by Cain God had not respect to Cain nor to his offering he did not accept of it as performed and done by him so when God hath not only a gracious respect to the duties and services a man persorms but does graciously accept of them with a kind of complacency he smells a sweet savour in them then he is pleased with them As it it is said concerning Noah's Offering in Genesis 7.21 Noah after he came out of the Ark he offered a Sacrifice to God of the clean Beasts that he had in the Ark with him and it s said God smelled a sweet savour of rest in his Nostrils from that Sacrifice God had not only a gracious respect to it and looked with a gracious aspect upon it but God did take a kind of delight and savour and relish in it as a man doth delight in that he smells a sweet savour in it is said the Lord smell'd a sweet savour of Rest a sweet smell came up into his Nostrils from Noah's sacrifice The Truth is Brethren a Man or Woman may sometimes do those very things that God requires I pray mark it I say a Man or Woman may
perform those very duties that God requires and yet God may not smell a sweet savour in them take no delight nor complacency in them nor have no respect to them As now for example you know the Lord anointed Jehu to be King over Israel 2 Kings 9. You shall find when the Lord anointed him by his Prophet it was for this very end and purpose that he should go and Destroy all the House of Ahab and cut them all off well Jehu went and performed the work one would think this was pleasing to Godâ— for he did the very thing that God required and yet I pray look into Hosea 1.4 You shall see what a Testimony the Holy Ghost gives of Jehu concerning the Work he did And the Lord said unto the Prophet call his Name Jezreel for yet a little while and I will avenge the Blood of Jezreel upon the House of Jehu c. I will be avenged saies God for that Blood why did not Jehu do that which God did expresly require of him in cutting off the House of Ahab And yet saies the Lord I will be avenged for that Murder that Jehu Committed Why so Truly Jehu did not do it in that manner that was pleasing unto God for Jehu had his own ends in what he did he made account of cutting off the House of Ahab that his own Kingdom might be better established and therefore he still maintained the Calves that Jeroboam had set up and therefore saith the Lord I will avenge the Blood of Jezreel upon the House of Jehu And saies the Lord in Isaiah 1.13 14. When he speaks concerning the Sacrifices Offerings and Services which he himself had apppointed Bring no more vain Oblations Incense is an Abomination to me your new Moâ—â—is and Sabbaths and solemn Assemblies I cannot away with Why had not God expresly appointed these things yes yet saies God Your new Moons and appointed Feasts my Soul hateth they are a trouble to me I am weary to bear them and when you spread forth your hands saies God I will hide my Eyes and when you make many prayers I will not hear you Why were not these the things that God had required and commanded yet you see God was not pleased with them but now when the Lord doth look with a gracious respect upon a mans Services and performances and also doth graciously accept them with complacency and delight this is now to please the Lord by what we do Well this is the first thing you see what is meant by pleasing of God 2. Now then to come to the second That this pleasing of God is a very desirable thing it is of great concernment for a Man or Woman to please God What can a man or woman desire to do more in this World than to please God this indeed is implyed here in the Text he speaks of it as a thing very desirable Without Faith it is impossible to please God To do that which is so desirable if it were not desirable what should a man or woman need to care whether he please God or no but the Apostle speaks of it as a great thing without Faith it is impossible to please God Brethren when a man or woman doth perform a Duty or Service when he hath done it if he do not please God in it this is matter of very great sadness to such a Soul or it should be so you know how Cain took it he brought an Offering Genesis 4. of the fruits of the Ground unto God but God was not pleased with it God had respect to Abel and to his Offering but to Cain and his Offering God had not respect Well how did Cain take it He was not able to bear it his countenance fell Gods accepting of Abels offering and not Cains it went to the Heart of him his Countenance fell and thereupon he grew malicious against his Brother and at last he slew him it was such a dreadful thing to him that God should not accept of his Sacrifice as well as his Brothers And you shall see King Saul though but a wicked man yet when God did refuse to hear his Prayers and was not pleased with them saies he I am sore distressed in 1 Sam. 28.15 And he goes to a Witch who raised up as he thought Samuel to him and Saul answered I am sorely distressed the Philistines make War against me and God is departed from me and he answereth me no more neither by Prophets nor by Dreams c. I am sorely distressed And Brethren what is that which the people of God do so much desire in this world that they are Ambitious of it as the main thing of their desire in the World It is that they may please God see the Apostles expression 2 Cor. 5.9 Wherefore we Labour saies he the word signifies we are Ambitious it is an emphatical word we desire ambitiously we do earnestly endeavour as an ambitious man doth after Honour wherefore we Labour But the word is a stronger word we labour with might and main we make it our very ambition that we may be accepted of him or that we may please God it is the highest degree of the desire of our Souls we are ambitious for that that we may please God and that God may be pleased with us and accept of our services But more particularly to shew you in some particulars what a desirable thing it is to be found pleasing of God and to have our services accepted of him As 1. Is it not a desirable thing for a Man or Woman to be reconciled to God and to have God reconciled to them and so to have peace with God Now when God comes to accept of a mans duties and services it is an Argument that God is reconciled to him and at peace with him for before reconciliation every Man and Woman in the World is an enemy unto God Now if any one should come and offer Service to you and you know he hath enmity in his mind against you you will not accept of any thing he does though he pretend never so fairly Now when God comes really to accept of a Mans services and performances it is an Argument God is at peace with him and is not that a most desirabe thing 2. Is it not a desirable thing for a man or woman to have libetty to make use of the creatures that God gives him with joyfulness of Heart that he may rejoice in what he doth make use of and partake of Now when a Man or Woman comes to know that his Services are accepted of God and that he hath pleased God in what he hath done truly then he may go his way as I remember Solomon speaks to that purpose Eccles 9.7 Go thy way eat thy Bread with joy and Drink thy drink with a merry heart for God now accepteth thy Work God is pleased with what you do Ay now you have cause to go and rejoyce in what you do enjoy now you may
that give Alms they perform the very same Duty the one gives as much alms as the other and yet what the one doth may be accepted with God and pleasing to him and the other not whence comes the difference One doth it in Faith and the other not Abel and Cain brought their offerings to God God had respect to Abel and his Offering and God had not respect to Cain and his Offering what was the ground of the difference saies the Apostle By Faith Abel offered a more acceptable Sacrifice than Cain Well but what Faith is it then whereby a Soul and his Duties and Services come to be pleasing unto God Answ Brethren do not mistake your selves it is not that Faith whereby a man or Woman gives his consent to and believes all that is written in the Scriptures all that is revealed in the Gospel concerning Christ a man or woman may believe all this and yet this is not the Faith whereby he comes to be accepted as you know the Devils believe all this and yet are not accepted So a man or Woman may believe all that is revealed in the Gospel and yet never please God But what Faith is it whereby a Man and his Duties and performances come to please God and without which it is impossible to please God Briefly there is a three-fold Faith required for the acceptance of a mans services and performances with God that God may be pleased with them Mind it I pray for it is a thing of great concernment and possibly that which very few have considered 1st There is required saving Faith in Christ that which we call justifying Faith such a believing in Christ whereby a Soul comes to be in Christ and Christ in the Soul whereby Christ becomes the life of the Soul the very principle of Life in the Soul a justifying saving Faith in the habit the principle of Faith the grace of Faith infused into the heart whereby a Soul comes really to be united to Christ and have an Interest in him to be in Christ as you know the Scripture frequently speaks I shall not stand to give you Scriptures for that you see Brethren here how Abel and how Enoch came to please God it was by Faith What Faith It was this true Justifying Faith this Faith in Christ that was to come for it was by their Faith in Christ that they came to be accepted and their Offering was accepted and pleasing unto God by Faith Abel was accepted and his Offering and Sacrifice was accepted Cain he offered his Sacrifice but it was not accepted because he had not this justifying Faith Enoch he pleased God and whence was it It was by his Faith and saies the Apostle thereupon he had his Testimony that he pleased God it was by his Faith his justifying Faith in Christ whereby he came to be accepted his person was accepted of God and consequently his services came to be accepted of God a man or woman must first have a principle of Life before he can live a Spiritual Life now Christ is a Christians life and how comes Christ to be the Life of a Christian Namely by his Faith when he comes to believe in Christ then Christ is his Life the principle of his life the Spirit of Christ now is in the Soul that is a plain word which the Apostle hath in Rom. 8.9 If any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his And saies Christ in John 15.5 As the branch cannot bring forth Fruit of it self except it abide in the Vine no more can ye except ye abide in me And without me mark without me ye can do nothing Nothing that is pleasing to God the word without me holds forth not so much without Strength from Christ though that is true too but the word signifies properly in the Original without me that is separated from me not united to me that is the word in the Greek just as when a Branch is cut off from the Vine the Branch cannot bring forth Fruit without ful disputations for one believeth that he may eat all things another who is weak eateth Herbs Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not and let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth for God hath received him And again at verse 5. One man esteemeth one day above another another esteemeth every day alike What then Let every Man be fully perswaded in his own mind if he do venture to eat any kind of Meats let him be fully and clearly perswaded in his own mind that he may do it and then he eats in Faith and if he do not observe those days if he be fully perswaded in his own mind then he doth it in Faith in the two last Verses he calls this Faith Hast thou Faith Have it to thy self before God Hast thou Faith that is hast thou a perswasion that it is lawful for thee to eat any kind of meats or it is Lawful for thee to forbear the Observation of those Days Hast thou Faith have it to thy self But mark Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing that he alloweth and he that doubteth is damned if he eat because he eateth not of Faith He that doubteth that is he that questioneth whether it be lawful for him to eat this kind of meat or no he that doubteth whether he shall do well to observe this day or no He that doubteth is damned if he eat because he eateth not of Faith That is he is not fully perswaded in his own mind for whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin whatsoever is not of that perswasioâ— that it is according to the Will of God oâ— not contrary to the Will of God if he do it without that perswasion then it is not of Faith and so is a damnable sin though the thing be Lawful in it self yet if he doth the same thing doubtingly it is a damnable sin that he commits without this Faith this perswasion in his Mind that what he doth is according to the Will of God and this Faith is requisite to the pleasing of God So here in the instance before us in Abel and also in Enoch Abel pleased God by offering up a Sacrifice he had this Faith not only a Justifying Faith but he had this Faith he was perswaded that what he did offer up in Sacrifice was according to the Will of God and so Enoch he walked with God and had this Testimony that he pleased God that in the course of his Lise the steps of his Life was according to the Will of God he walked with God the actions that he did he was perswaded was according to the Will of God and thus he pleased God and this is a Second Faith that is required to the pleasing of God 3dly There is another Faith that is required further to the pleasing of God without which though I be a Believer and have a justifying Faith and though I be perswaded that what