Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A65300
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The holy Eucharist, or, The mystery of the Lords Supper briefly explained by Thomas Watson ...
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Watson, Thomas, d. 1686.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing W1129; ESTC R9124
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66,682
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202
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vvay provisions should come in Faith doth not fear Famine God hath set his Seal to it Verily thou shalt be fed Psal. 37. 3. Faith puts the Bond in suit Lord saith Faith Wilt thou feed the Birds of the Air and wilt not thou feed me Shall I want when my Father keeps the Purse A good Christian with the Rod of Faith smites the Rock in Heaven and some honey and oyl comes out for the recruiting his present necessities 2. A great Faith is a wonder-working Faith It can do those things which exceed the power of Nature A great Faith can open heaven it can overcome the world it can master a complexion-sin it can prefer the glory of God before Secular interest it can rejoyce in affliction it can bridle the intemperancy of passion it can shine forth in the hemisphere of its relations it can do duties in a more refined sublimated manner mixing Love with Duty which mellows it and makes it taste more pleasant It can antedate Glory and make things at the greatest distance to unite Thus the Spring-head of Faith riseth higher than Nature A man by the power of Nature can no more do this than Iron can of it self swim or the Earth ascend 3. A great faith is firm and stedfast weak faith is frequently shaken with fears and doubts A great Faith is like an Oak that spreads its roots deep and is not easily blown down Col. 2. 7. A great Faith is like the Anchor or Cable of a Ship that holds it steddy in the midst of storms A Christian who is steeled with this heroick Faith is setled in the Mysteries of Religion The Spirit of God hath so firmly printed heavenly truths upon his heart that you may as vvell remove the Sun out of the Firmament as remove him from those holy Principles he hath sucked in Behold here a Pillar in the Temple of God 4. A great Faith can trust in an angry God it believes Gods love through a frown A vigorous Faith though it be repulsed and beaten back yet it will come on again and press upon God with an holy obstinacy The Woman of Canaan was three times repulsed by Christ yet she would take no denial from him she turns discouragements into arguments and made a fresh onset upon Christ till at last by the power of Faith she overcame him O Woman great is thy Faith be it unto thee as thou wilt Mat. 15. 28. The Key of her Faith unlocked Christ's bowels and now she may have what she will from him When once she had gotten his heart she might have his treasure too 5. A great Faith can swim against Tyde it can go câ—…oss to sense and reason Corrupt reason saith as Peter Master Pity thy self Faith saith It is better to suffer than sin Reason consults safety Faith will hazard safety to preserve Sanctity A Believer can sail to Heaven though the Tyde of Reason and the Wind of Temptation be against him Abraham in the case of sacrificing his Son did not call Reason to the Councel-board When God said Offer up thy son Isaac it was enough to pose not only fleshly wisdom but even Faith too for here the commands of God did seem to interfere In one command the Lord said Thou shalt not murder and behold here a quite contrary command Offer up thy son So that Abraham in obeying one command seemed to disobey another Besides Isaac was a son of the Promise the Messiah was to come of Isaac's line and if he be cut off where shall the World have a Mediator Here was enough to amuse and puzzle this holy Patriarch yet Abraham's Faith unties all these knots and the bloody knife is made ready Abraham believed that when God called for it it was not Murther but Sacrifice and that the Lord having made a promise of Christ's springing out of Isaac's loyns rather than the promise should fall to the ground God could raise up seed out of Isaac's ashes Here was a gyant-Gyant-faith which God himself did set a Trophy of honour upon Gen. 22. 16. By myself have Isworn saith the Lord for because thou hast done this thing and hast not with-held thy Son thine only Son That in blessing I will bless thee c. 6. A great Faith can bear great delayes Though God doth not give a present answer to prayer Faith believes it shall have an answer in due time A weak faith is soon out of breath and if it hath not the mercy presently it begins to faint whereas he who hath a strong puissant faith doth not make haste A great Faith is content to stay God's leisure Faith will trade with God for time Lord saith Faith If I have not the mercy I want instantly I will trust longer I know my money is in good hands an answer of peace will come Perhaps the mercy is not yet ripe or perhaps I am not ripe for the mercy Lord do as it seems good in thine eyes Faith knows that the most tedious Voyages have the richest returns and the longer mercy is in expectation the sweeter it will be in fruition Behold here a glorious faith if we have such a faith as this to shew it is a blessed fruit of our Sacramental converse with God But I would not discourage Infant-believers If your grace be not risen to the bigness and proportion of a great Faith yet if it be of the proper kind it shall find acceptance God who bids us receive him who is weak in faith will not himself refuse him If your Faith be not grown to a Cedar yet if it be a bruised Reed it is too good to be broken Mat. 12. 20. A weak Faith can lay hold on a strong Christ. A Palsie hand may tye the Knot in Marriage Only let not Christians rest in lower measures of grace but aspire after higher degrees The stronger our Faith the firmer our Union with Christ and the more sweet influence we draw from him This is that which honours the blessed Sacrament when we can shew the encrease of grace and being strong in faith bring glory to God 7. Hath Jesus Christ provided such a blessed Banquet for us He doth not Nurse us abroad but feeds us with his own breast nay blood let us then study to answer this great love of Christ. 'T is true we can never parallel his love yet let us shew our selves thankful We can do nothing satisfactory but we may do something gratulatory Christ gave himself a sin-offering for us let us give our selves a thank-offering to him If a man redeem another out of Debt will not he be grateful How deeply do we stand obliged to Christ who hath redeemed us from Hell And let us shew our thankfulness four ways 1. By Courage Christ hath set us a Copy he did not fear men but endured the Cross and despised the
an Outlandish Plant and of an heavenly extract is hardly come by it costs many a sigh and tear Acts 2. 37. This spiritual Infant is not born without pangs 2. An Hypocritical faith is afraid to come to tryal The Hypocrite had rather have his faith commended than examined He can no more endure a Scripture-trial than counterfeit Metal can endure the Touchstone He is like a man that hath stollen-Goods in his House and is very unwilling to have his House searched So the Hypocrite hath gotten some stollen-Goods which the Devil hath helped him to and he is loth to have his heart searched whereas true faith is willing to come to a trial Psal. 26. 2. Examine me O Lord and prove me try my reins and heart David was not afraid to be tried by a Jury No though God himself were one of the Jury Good Wares are never afraid of the light 3. An Hypocritical faith hath a slight esteem of true Faith The Hypocrite hears others speak in the commendation of faith but he wonders where the vertue of it lies he looks upon faith as a Drugg or some base Commodity that will not off he will part with all the faith he hath for a piece of silver and perhaps it might be dear enough of the price But that man who hath true faith he sets an high value upon it he reckons this grace among his Jewels What incorporates him into Christ but faith What puts him into a state of Sonship but faith Gal. 3. 26. Oh precious faith A Believer would not exchange his shield of faith for a Crown of gold 4. An Hypocritical faith is lame on one hand With one hand it would take Christ but it doth not with the other hand give up it self to Christ. It would take Christ by way of surety but not give up it self to him by way of surrender whereas true faith is impartial it takes Christ as a Saviour and submits to him as a Prince Christ saith With my Body and my Blood I thee endow and faith saith With my soul I thee worship 5. An Hypocritical faith is impure The Hypocrite saith he believes yet goes on in sin He is all Creed but no Commandment He believes yet will take God's Name in vain Jer. 3. 4 5. Wilt not thou cry unto me My Father thou art the guide of my youth behold thou hast done evil things as thou couldst These Impostors would call God their Father yet sinned as fast as they could For one to say he hath faith yet lives in sin is as if a man should say he were in health yet his vitals are perished but a true faith is joined with sanctity 1 Tim. 3. 9. Holding the mystery of faith in a pure Conscience The Jewel of faith is always put in the Cabinet of a good Conscience The Woman that touched Christ by faith felt an healing vertue come from him Though faith doth not wholly remove sin yet it subdues it 6. An Hypocritical faith is a dead faith it tasts no sap or sweetness in Christ. The Hypocrite tasts something in the Vine and Olive he finds contentment in the carnal luscious delights of the World but no sweetness in a promise the Holy Ghost Himself is spiritless to him That is a dead faith which hath no sense or taste But true faith finds much delectation in heavenly things The Word is sweeter than the Honey comb Psal. 19. 10. Christ's Love is better than Wine Cant. 1. 2. Thus we see a difference between the true faith and the spurious How many have thought they have had the live Child of faith by them when it hath proved the dead Child Take heed of presumption but cherish faith Faith applies Christ and makes a spiritual concoction of his Body and Blood This Supper was intended chiefly for Believers Christs Blood to an unbeliever is like Aqua-Vitae in a dead man's mouth it loseth all its vertue 11. We must come to the Lord's-Table with charitable hearts 1 Cor. 5. 7. Purge out therefore the old leaven The leaven of malice will sowre the Ordinance to us Though we must come with bitter tears yet not with bitter spirits The Lords Supper is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Love-feast Christs blood was shed not only to reconcile us to God but one to another Christ's body was broken to make up the breaches among Christians Howsad is it that they who profess they are going to eat Christs flesh in the Sacrament should tear the flesh one of another 1 John 3. 15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a Murderer He who comes to the Lord's-Table in hatred is a Judas to Christ and a Câ—…in to his brother What benefit can he receive at the Sacrament whose heart is invenomed with malice If one drinks down poyson and presently takes a Cordial surely the Cordial will do him no good Such as are poysoned with rancour and malice are not the better for the Sacrament-Cordial he that doth not come in charity to the Sacrament hath nothing of God in him for God is love 1 John 4. 19. He knows nothing of the Gospel savingly for it is a Gospel of peace Eph. 6. 15. He hath none of the wisdom which comes from Heaven for that is gentle and easie to be intreated Jam. 3. 17. Oh that Christians were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Ignatius speaks rooted and cemented together in love Shall Devils unite and Saints divide Did we thus learn Christ Hath not the Lord Jesus loved us to the death What greater reproach can be cast upon such a loving Head than for the Members to sâ—…ite one against another The good Lord put out the fire of contention and kindle the fire of love and amity in all our hearts 12. We must come hither with praying hearts Every Ordinance as well as every Creature is sanctified by prayer Prayer turns the Element into spiritual Aliment When we send the Dove of Prayer to Heaven It brings an Olive-leaf in its mouth We should pray that God would enrich his Ordinance with his presence that he would make the Sacrament effectual to all those holy ends and purposes for which he hath appointed it that it may be the feast of our graces and the funeral of our corruptions that it may be not only a sign to represent but an instrument to convey Christ to us and a Seal to assure us of our heavenly Joynture If we vvould have the fat and sweet of this Ordinance we must send prayer before as an Harbinger to bespeak a blessing Divers are so distracted with worldly cares that they can scarce spare any time for prayer before they come to the Sacrament Do they think the Tree of blessing will drop its fruit into their mouth when they never shaked it by prayer God doth not set his mercies at so low a rate as to cast them away upon those that do not seek them Nor is it enough to pray but it