Iesus Christ 1 Pet. 1. 7. So doth selfe-triall make it more pretious and more glorious Examination and triall of a good Scholler hurts him not either in his learning or his credit nay it advances him much in both his very examination rubs up his learning it brings much to minde that would have been forgotten yea it puts much learning into a Scholler and besides it conduces much to his praise and honour it sends him away with the credit of an approved learned man It is so in the examination of faith In trying faith there is an exercise of faith and by exercise it is but increased and manifested 4 Fourthly who knowes but his faith may come to a fiery triall 1 Pet. 1. 7. and 4. 12. Bilney first tried his finger by himselfe in the Candle before he tried his whole body in the fire at the stake How shall our faith abide the fiery triall by others if it have never beene put to this triall by our selves When fiery trials come how many mens faith which was thought more precious than gold proves more vile than drosse And what is the reason Therefore failes their faith in fiery trials because it was never put to nor would abide selfe-triall Ier. 12. 5. If thou hast run with the Footmen and they have wearied thee then how canst thou match thy selfe with Horses How shall that faith try a match with Horse-men that never tried a match with Foot-men How shall he abide a fiery triall that hath ever shunned and beene shy of a closet triall How wilt thou abide to be tried at a barre at a stake that art loath to be tried in thy chamber in thy closet Examine your selves upon your beds Psal 4. He will never abide to be examined at a barre that will not abide to examine himselfe upon his bed Yea selfe-triall is it that prepares and fits and traines up a man to doe service in the fiery triall David could not goe in Sauls armour because he was not accustomed to it he is likely to undergoe a fiery triall of his faith that hath accustomed himselfe to the duty of selfe-triall Abraham was likely to doe good on it when hee carries not forth a company of raw fellowes from the plough but armes his trained servants Genesis 14. 14. They will never be fit for fighting that have not beene used to training Selfe-triall is training the fiery-triall is fighting They are like and fit to fight that have beene trained up to it 5 Fifthly is our faith so low prized by us and of so little esteeme with us that we care not of all other things we have how it proves Men will not have Oxen but will put them to triall Luke 14. 19. I have bought five yoke of Oxen and am going to prove them Men will try whether their Oxen be good and usefull and care we not what our faith proves usefull or useless what a monstrous wretchednesse of spirit is this Therefore as at all other times so specially be carefull to examine your faith when to come to the Sacrament How often have men tried it that their comming to the Sacrament hath beene fruitlesse their owne hearts seriously dealt withal will witnes to them that their receiving hath beene to little or no purpose And what hath beene the cause of it but because there was no examination of faith How can they receive any benefit by the Sacrament that go at an adventure not knowing whether they bring that with them that must make the Sacrament effectuall to them Quest How then may a man so try and examine his faith as that he may know the truth thereof that it is true faith Answ The Apostles phrase of faith unfained twice used by him to Timothy 1 Tim. 1. 5. and 2 Tim. 1. 5. Faith without hypocrisie as the word is implies that there is a faith feined an hypocriticall faith Therefore it is not a needlesse question to make inquiry how truth of faith may bee discerned Our times are happy in the abundance of helpes they have in this kinde and this point being so largely and fully handled in many learned Treatises that are extant and in every mans hand I will give but a touch upon it and so passe on True faith then may be knowne by the effects and fruits of it Every Tree is knowne by the fruits When the Spies returned from searching the Land of Canaan they brought with them a cluster of Grapes and Pomgranates and Figs Num. 13. 23. And they report and evidence it to be a good land by these fruits Vers 27. It flowes with milke and honey and this is the fruit of it holding forth and shewing those fruits they brought thence By the fruits of it it appeared that it was a good Land And so the way to search and finde out the goodnesse of our faith is to bring forth of the Figs Pomgranates and clusters that by shewing them to our consciences wee may bee able to say Surely our faith is a good and a true faith and these be the fruites of it Now the fruits and effects by which faith may be examined are three 1 Such as respect God and Christ. 2 Such as respect our selves 3 Such as respect our brethren 1 First the effects of faith as it respects God are these 1 First Obedience to God and his word and fruitfulnesse in all good workes True faith is no droane no loiterer but it is an active and a working grace Gal. 5. 6. Faith which works 1 Thess 1. 3. Your worke of faith 2 Thess 1. 11. The worke of faith with power A workeman may be tried by his worke What is the worke of faith It workes with power It makes a man with power to yeeld GOD obedience and to endeavour the doing of Gods will to the which no man hath any power at all Hence called the obedience of faith Heb. 11. 8. Rom. 16. 26. Because faith workes obedience and no man can give God the obedience of his heart that hath not faith in his heart On the contrary unbeleeving and disobedient persons are joyned together Tit. 1. 15 16. They who are called unbeleeving Vers 15. are called disobedient Vers 16. It is an hard duty to forgive an offending brother upon his repentance a difficult point of obedience But yet it must be done Luke 17. 4. If thy brother turne againe unto thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him But how shall we be able to doe it See Vers 5. And the Apostles said unto the Lord Increase our faith Faith then where it is inables to duties of obedience facilitates hard works The children of Abraham do the workes of Abraham Iohn 8. and Abrahams workes were workes of obedience We must be Abrahams children before we can doe the workes of Abraham And Gal. 3. 7. They which are of faith are the children of Abrahā They that have the faith of Abraham doe his workes Now then hereby let a man examine his faith
world Here is an old tongue But Psal 37. 30. The mouth of the righteous speakes wisdome and his tongue talkes of judgement Prov. 31. 26. She openeth her mouth with wisdome and in her tongue is the law of grace Col. 4. 6. Let your speech be alwayes with grace Ephes 4. 29. That it may minister grace to the hearers Here is a new tongue here is a change of the voice and a signe of growth Looke then upon thine owne complexion thou shalt see by it whether thou hast grown in grace by thy former receiving the Sacrament Dan. 1. 12 13 15. Give thy servants pulse to eat and water to drinke Then let our countenances be lookt upon And their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children c. By the looking upon Daniels countenance and the rest it appeared that they thrived and prospered with their pulse and water So much more by mens countenances carriages and behaviours if they be looked upon whether they thrive and grow with their Sacramentall food formerly received But mens old visages and ill-favoured complexions are ill signes how little growth there is With too many it is as with Pharaohs seven ill-favoured Kine they ate up the well-favoured and the fat but were still as ill-favoured as before Many come to the Sacrament after Sacrament and eat and drinke at the Lords Table but what alteration in their lives Are not their lives as ill-favoured still as before Listen to their voices and as little change shall you finde there as in their lives Thus may we examine the growth of grace in generall But besides this there must be a speciall examination of the growth of the grace of faith and that may briefly be thus discerned A growne faith is a great faith O Woman great is thy faith Mat. 15. Great faith is seene 1 First not only in obedience but in great obedience Great faith does great workes of obedience It was a great worke of Abraham to sacrifice his son No wonder he did it who was a man of so great faith as he hath the honour to bee the father of the faithfull I am 2. 5. Rich in faith 1 Tim. 6. 18. Rich in good workes It is a signe that a man is Rich in faith when rich in good workes A poverty or beggery in good workes cannot stand with a riches in faith 2 Secondly in great victories and conquests over great lusts where corruptions and lusts are strong and get head faith is little Mat. 6. 30 31. Mat. 16. 8. O ye of little faith But where faith growes great it fetches downe the greatest lust the most radicated corruptions As faith of miracles a graine of it removes Mountaines Mat. 17. 19 20. Plucks up trees by the roots Luke 17. 6. So much more doth justifying faith when growne and great Many talke of a great faith yet cannot remove Mole-hils nor pluck up small twigs Many will sweare by their faith how swearing and beleeving will stand together I leave it to them to scanne I but this is they will say a small matter a matter of nothing to sweare by a mans faith The smaller a matter it is the greater evidence that such have not a great faith because that would get great victories over great evils therefore much more over small ones It is no great faith that cannot remove so small a Mole-hill that cannot pluck up so small a twig 3 Thirdly In this that it can and will beleeve on God as a man may say with reverence whether God will or no. It will beleeve in an angry God in a killing God Though he slay me yet will I trust in him It will beleeve in a forsaking God My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Why hast thou forsaken me and yet my God It will not bee beaten off not damped nor discouraged with silence nor with sad answers Matth. 15. 28. O woman great is thy faith A signe it was great or else such great discouragements had overcome it 4 Fourthly great confidence and strength of heart in the midst of dangers and feares Psal 112. 7. Hee shall not be afraid of evill tydings why so His heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. A fixed heart in such a case a signe of great faith Much feare is an argument of little faith Mat. 8. 26. Why are ye so fearefull O ye of little faith Had they not reason to be fearefull It was a great danger they were in Vers 24 25. True but yet if they had had great faith they would have had great courage and confidence in that great danger For faith foresees dangers hath a quick eye to discerne a storme before it comes and so gives a man the liberty of himselfe to provide against the worst and so that errour is taken off which suddennesse brings with it And besides when a danger is come faith doth as the bloud of the body doth in time of feare it gets to the heart and succours and strengthens it Iohn 14. 1. Let not your heart bee troubled yee beleeve in God beleeve also in me Great faith is full of great quiet great comfort great courage and confidence in the middest of great feares and dangers Thus in briefe may a man know the growth of faith But if a man cannot finde his faith so growne yet is it no barre to his accesse to the Ordinance If a man find his faith weak yet may he come yet must he come that hee may helpe it hereby in its growth But the more our faith is growne the more comfort shall we have in comming and the more benefit shall wee carry away with us Optima dispositio ad Sacramentum Eucharistiae est non nisi ea qua pessime es dispositus e contra tunc pessime es dispositus quando aptissime Quod sic intelligitur quod quando sentis te miserrimum egenum gratia jam co ipso capax es gratiae idoneus maxime Luther from the Sacrament 3 The third thing wherein our examination must be is our wants A speciall end of our comming to the Sacrament is to have our spirituall wants supplied If we will have our wants supplied we must come purposely with that intention We cannot do that unlesse we know distinctly and directly what our wants are We cannot know what our wants of grace are unlesse we looke into our soules by examination Wee should doe in this case as we see such doe as go or send to market at the market there is a supply to be had of all the wants of the family if there want bread if there want food if any other houshold necessaries be wanting they are to be had at the market therefore when any is to be sent or to goe to the market there is an inquiry what is wanting in the house Is there bread or bread-corne enough in the house Is there not such and such a necessary wanting do you not need such a
Put that question to thy conscience which Saint Iames puts Iam. 2. Shew me thy faith by thy workes Shew the coates and garments which this Dorcas hath made And so many works of obedience as thou canst shew so many witnesses shalt thou produce of the truth of thy faith But if thy faith be idle slothfull to doe service a faith that workes not suspect the truth of it and know that such a faith will not serve to admit thee to the eating of the Sacrament For the Apostles injunction in that case 2 Thess 3. 10. That if any would not worke neither should he eat holds as true in this case of an idle faith as in that case of an idle man 2 Secondly true faith beleeves God and depends upon him in all things and at all times It beleeves him not only in some things but in all not only at some times but at all It beleeves Gods promises for spirituall things Gal. 3. 22. for temporall things Psal 37. 3. It beleeves Gods Commandements to be his Commandements to be just holy and good Psal 119. 66. I have beleeved thy commandements It beleeves Gods threatnings Ion. 3. 4 5. Yet forty dayes c. So the people of Nineveh beleeved God It beleeves God not only in time of peace but in times of distresse affliction and tentation Psal 73. 1. Yet God is good to Israel Yea even then when all things goe against it Iob 13. 15. Though hee slay mee yet will I trust in him Psal 46. 2. Hab. 3. 17 18. faith it beleeves All things Luke 24. 25. O slow of heart to beleeve all that the Prophets have spoken Faith beleeves God in all Examine thy faith by this put these interrogatories to thy conscience Beleevest thou God in his promises for this life as well as for a better For thy daily bread as well as for thy salvation Beleevest thou all Gods Commandements without questioning any whether it be his or no Beleevest thou his threatnings as well as his promises Doest thou hang upon him and his promise and live upon that in all thy pinches straights and exigents As thou canst answer these so mayest thou answer for thy faith But this will convince many not to bee faithfull but faithlesse Oh they do beleeve Gods promises with all their hearts but what promises for life and salvation But how beleeve they Gods promises for the things of this life Let that be judged by their covetousnesse worldlinesse their carking immoderate cares He that beleeves makes not haste Isay 28. Therefore he that makes haste doth not beleeve Such haste to be rich such haste after the world such carking caring such pining and whining what doth it but proclaime their grosse distrust in Gods providence and promises Thou that beleevest not God for thy body beleevest him lesse for thy soule Thou that beleevest not God for a crust beleevest him lesse for a Crowne Try men in Gods Commandements pinch and presse them with the very letter of the Law Tush they will never beleeve that God requires such strictnesse Try them with threatnings and thunder them ever so against them yet they have not so much faith as the divels who beleeve and tremble Let meanes bee wanting or meanes be against them and they are of Thomas his profession Except I see and feele I will not beleeve Whilest all is with men as they would have it they are full of faith but let God pinch them and bring them into a strait and where is their faith then 3 Thirdly A sweet and holy boldnesse of accesse unto the Throne of Grace with confidence in Gods goodnesse and his gracious acceptation of us Why are yee afraid O yee of little faith It was spoken in another case But yet the more faith the lesse feare in any case A guilty conscience 〈…〉 5. 7. if awake hath no great list to come before GODS face but when once by true faith in CHRISTS bloud guilt is taken off and by faith a man is made friends with GOD Iames 2. 23. Then shall a man have the boldnesse of a friend to come to the LORD in prayer Many that have not a dramme of faith are bold enough For who so bold as blinde Bayard as ignorant and silly ones are But yet there is a great difference betweene the boldnesse of a friend and the boldnesse of a stranger For Strangers may bee bold with a kinde of sawcinesse and intrusion but they are not so welcome as bold neither hath a stranger that ground for nor that contentment in his boldnesse that a friend may have his heart will secretly check him though hee face it out for the present and be ready to tell him that hee goes further than civility and good manners can warrant him But a friends boldnesse is out of that sweetnesse of interest and acquaintance and intimate communion each with other So that boldnesse which faith breeds is from that knowledge of God that peace communion and acquaintance it hath with God in Christ This is that boldnesse spoken of Ephes 3. 12. In whom we have boldnesse and accesse with confidence through the faith of him Heb. 4 16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace But how shall we doe to come boldly See Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw neere with a true heart in a full assurance of faith A man may therefore try his faith by the carriage of his heart in prayer If with a friendlike boldnesse and with a confidence of his gracious acceptance we can come unto God and with such a boldnesse can powre out our hearts unto him it is a comfortable evidence of the truth of faith The contrary shewes how far most men are from faith Deale truly with thy self speakest thou not to God in prayer as to a stranger as to one with whom thou hast no intire familiarity or acquaintance Certainly true faith is better acquainted with God than so 4 Fourthly a desire of Christs appearance and his second comming to judgement We walke here by faith and not by sight But where faith is it longs to be turned into sight and to have the immediate fruition of the Lord Iesus Therefore the voice of faith is that Cant. 8. 14. Make haste my beloved and be like unto the Roe And that Apoc. 22. Come Lord Iesus come quickly not onely come but quickly that is make haste with that speed that the Roe runnes withall Hence beleevers are said not only to looke for the blessed hope and appearing of our Saviour Christ but also to hasten the appearing of him 2 Pet. 3. 12. Looking for and hasting unto the comming of the day of God For though in another case it is true which the Prophet speakes Isay 28. Hee that beleeves makes not haste yet in this case hee that beleeves most makes most haste and cannot but make haste and therfore makes haste because he beleeves And no wonder that faith in her desires hastens the appearance of CHRIST
when as it is the beleeving soules solemn mariage day What espoused Bride longs not for the mariage day when shee shall enjoy her Bridegroome Faith unites Christ and the beleever and contracts them together Now when once the contract is past there followes a longing for the mariage-day And this longing after the mariage-day is a signe of a contract made by faith Doth thy soule then long for those blessed nuptials with the Lord Christ when thy soule shall have the fill of his Love Doth the Spirit in thee cry Come Lord Iesus make haste my beloved Oh happy signes of true faith But now enter into thy soule O thou covetous worldling and thou voluptuous epicure c. Deale seriously and honestly and tell the plaine truth Is there any one thing in the world thou thinkest lesse upon wishest lesse or dreadest more than the comming of Christ When S. Paul disputed of Righteousnesse and the judgement to come before Foelix he trembled How many boast of righteousnesse even of the righteousnesse of faith but how troublesome are the thoughts of the judgement and Christ to come unto them How heartily could they wish oh that that day might never come Let such as cannot rejoyce in the thoughts of that day in some measure and desire it as the day of their refreshing question if not the truth yet the strength of their faith 2 Secondly The effects of faith in regard of our selves And they are these 1 First the Operation and effectuall working of the Word upon our hearts faith is that which makes all Gods Ordinances effectuall and so the word 1 Thess 2. 13. The word of God which effectually workes in you that beleeve Indeed the word workes on those that beleeve not workes their hearts to rage and rebellion workes to their hardning and damnation But it workes no good thing when faith is not to set it on worke Heb. 4. 2. The word which they heard profited them not because it was not mixed with faith The Gospell is the power of God to every one that beleeves Rom. 1. 16. Faith is as the vitall and naturall heat of the soule If the body be dead and without naturall heat give a man the most stirring and working Physick that is and yet it workes not because there wants a principle of life and heate to set it on worke Iust so is it here The word dispensed in the most powerfull manner that can bee workes not upon an unbeleeving heart because the heart is dead without faith but if any faith in the heart it makes the Word worke effectually Try thy selfe by this workes the Word upon thy soule workes it thee to a conformity to it selfe so as thou art cast into the mould of it Such efficacy of the Word argues a presence of faith in thine heart But how many discovers this to be void of faith How many have lived all their dayes and are even growne gray under the Gospell and yet what grace or goodnesse have all the Sermons that ever they have heard wrought in them more than in such as scarce in all their dayes ever heard Sermon Nay what is wrought in many but scorne rebellion resolution of disobedience wrath swelling and hellish boiling of the heart both against Minister and doctrine Are these the workes of faith or is it rather a signe that he workes in their hearts that effectually workes in the children of disobedience This is a fearfull signe that a man is in the state of unbeleefe 2 Secondly Sanctification and holinesse of heart and life Acts 15. 9. their hearts were purified by faith Pharisisme may wash thy hands but faith washes hand and Heart Pharisisme washes cleane the outside of the cup and platter but Faith makes cleane the inward part also yea there faith begins the worke Faith is not onely an holy but an hallowing grace Acts 26. 18. Amongst them which are sanctified by faith We finde a woman in the Gospell that had beene troubled twelve yeeres with a bloudy issue who was healed but how came shee to be healed She touches the garment of Christ touches but the hem and yet straightway the Fountaine of her bloud was dried up Marke 5. 29. It is true that it was Christ that healed her It was vertue that went out of Christ that healed her Vers 30. and yet Vers 34. Thy faith hath made thee whole Faith then fetches healing vertue from Christ and heales diseases The faith that is true faith fetches healing vertue from Christ Every mans heart naturally hath such a spirituall disease as shee had a bodily That disease which the woman had did typifie under the Law the naturall filthinesse of our hearts Prov. 4. 24. Observe the heart from thence are the issues of life Every action issues from the heart the Fountaine of all our actions This Fountaine is a Fountaine of bloud and all the issues from this Fountaine in our thoughts words actions all these issues are bloudy issues and very filthy and loathsome before God Mat. 15. 18 19 20. Hence hands defiled with bloud Isay 59. 3. Bloudy filth Isay 4. 4. Their way was before me as the uncleannesse of a removed woman Ezek. 36. 17. and Hos 4. 2. Bloud toucheth bloud Many bloudy issues out of the heart one issue meets with another and so bloud touches bloud Now when faith is once wrought in the heart it workes strange cures both in heart and life There were wont to be filthy issues out of the heart in vile loathsome noisome thoughts of uncleannesse wantonnesse covetousnes worldlinesse There was wont to be a filthy issue at the mouth a deale of vaine filthy rotten communication bloudy oathes and curses There was wont to bee issues in all the severall actions and passages of the life But now when faith comes into the heart that presently carries a man unto Christ touches him fetches healing vertue from him that dries up this Fountaine of bloud in some good measure and so heales all those loathsome bloudy issues It is true that where faith is there may be stil some ouzings of this Fountaine but yet the flux of it is nothing so aboundant and so continuall as formerly A mans heart naturally is like the Sea Psal 104. 25 26. This great and wide sea wherein are things creeping innumerable both small and great beasts There goe the Ships there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein In the sea there be vast Whales huge Leviathans that sport themselves and play in the deepes thereof but besides those huge Whales what a world of creeping and crawling smal creatures are there to be found therein Such is the heart of a naturall man there be therein not only some Leviathans some speciall uncleane and foule lusts some speciall Sea-monsters but there are also creeping things innumerable a world of crawling bugs and baggage vermin That looke as is said of Gods Angels Dan. 7. 10. Thousand thousands ministred unto him and ten thousand times
ten thousand stood before him So may it be said of the lusts and corruptions of an unbeleeving heart that thousand thousands minister unto Satan and ten thousand times ten thousand corruptions are crawling creeping there But faith once come into the heart not only those Leviathans but those creeping things are strangely ferretted out of the heart That as Gen. 1. 26. God spake of man in his creation Let us make man in our image after our likenesse and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea c. and over every creeping thing c. So in the new creation when God stamps his image upon a man and gives him faith he gives it dominion over every creeping thing so that in a gracious measure it frees the heart from these creeping crawling corruptions and lusts that so aboundantly swarmed in the heart It is true that after faith some Serpent may creepe into the paradise of a beleeving heart but yet first there is not a quarter of those creeping things that were there before in multitudes innumerable and those that be there are not there without loathsomenesse and vexation A cleanly person may get some vermin creeping about him but yet they swarme not as in rogues neither are they about him without vexation indignation and loathing of them contrary to what they are in a nasty beggarly rogue that takes no offence at them at all Now then try thy faith by the holinesse it hath wrought by the holinesse and purification of thine heart If these old bloudy issues bee staunched if this puddle my ry Fountaine dried up that now on the contrary thou canst say with David Psal 104. 34. My meditation of him shall be sweet if the thoughts of thine heart be sweet and savoury if thou finde thy heart in a gracious measure freed frō these creeping things thou hast cause to rejoyce in thy faith But contrarily here is that which convinces men still to bee in their unbeleefe because they have still their bloudy issues As a Fountaine casteth out her waters so their hearts cast out their wickednesse Ier. 6. 7. What soule abominations and secret loathsome lusts are harboured and lodged within their hearts What covetous proud malicious loose and adulterous thoughts with a continuall flux issue out of their soules yea and that with delight following and contentfully pursuing them in their speculations God speakes of detestable things he will save his people from Ezek. 37. 23. But now those mens detestable things are their delectable things A signe no faith in their hearts What litters and legions of creeping things in their hearts yea and that without any controll yea with much pleasure and contentment A signe of a faithlesse heart 3 Thirdly A strife and strugling against with a victory and conquest over sinne and Satan corruptions and tentations Where faith once comes into the heart there followes that conflict and combate Gal. 5. 17. Flesh against spirit and spirit against flesh All was jolly quiet at Ephesus before S. Paul came thither but when Saint Paul was once gotten in and had some footing there see what followed Acts 19. 23. And the same time there arose no small stir about that way namely that way of God that S. Paul taught or as some coppies have it Against that way and wee see in the story what hurly-burlies Demetrius raised in Ephesus When the strong man armed keepes his Pallace his goods are in peace all pretty quiet and faire whilest a man in the state of unbeleefe but when a stronger than he shall come upon him when faith comes and shall set upon the dispossession of Satan and corruption and they perceive that by faiths entrance their trading and Diana shall downe then there is to doe then there followes no small stir It is with a man then as with S. Paul 2. Cor. 7. 5. Wee had no rest but we were troubled on every side without were fightings within were feares When once faith comes into the heart a Christians heart is a Rebeccas wombe there is an Esau and a Iacob strugling and spurning each at other There is an Ephraim against a Manasseh and a Manasseh against Ephraim But yet in this combate and conflict faith makes a man victorious gets the better of tentations subdues mortifies and vanquishes rebellious lusts and corruptions Esau and Iacob struggle but the elder must serve the younger Though corruption bee the elder as being borne into the world with a man yet it must bee made a servant when faith comes Faith is another Rachel Gen. 30. 8. With the wrestlings of God have I wrestled and I have prevailed It is betweene faith and lusts as it was betweene the house of Saul and David 2 Sam. 3. 1. Now there was long warre betweene the house of Saul and the house of David but David waxed stronger and stronger and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker There is a continuall trucelesse warre beweene faith and lusts corruptions tentations but faith waxes stronger and stronger and corruption and lust waxes weaker and weaker Faith is the master of the field though there be enemies up in armes Faith is a victorious grace like him that rode on the white Horse Apocalyps 6. 2. It goes forth conquering and to conquer 1 Iohn 5. 4. This is the victory that overcomes the world even our faith It overcomes the men of the world the lusts of the world and so all other lusts It conquers the divell himselfe Iames 4. 7. Resist the divell and hee will flye from you When the enemy flies there is a victory Whence is this victory from resistance But whence comes power to resist that comes from faith 1 Pet. 5. 8. Whom resist stedfast in the faith The shield of faith hath a rare excellency above other shields Ephes 6. 16. Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked It is not only a fencing but a quenching shield it not onely keepes off but puts out the fire And so it mortifies and crucifies all our lusts and subdues and brings them under As in that case Heb. 11. 33 34. Through faith they subdued Kingdomes waxed valiant in fight turned to flight the armies of Aliens So doth faith worke the same spirituall effects still In whose heart once it is it subdues therein the kingdome of lust and the dominion of corruption it unthrones them it makes a man valiant to fight against and puts to flight his lusts That faith that layes hold on Christ crucified doth fetch crucifying vertue from him whereby it weakens and infeebles the body of corruption By this try we our faith If we finde those wrestlings and struglings against and power and victory over our lusts conclude thereupon the presence of a lively and powerfull faith but the want of these argue a want of faith There is indeed a strife betweene the judgement and affections of an unbeleever betweene his minde judging such an
1 Thess 4. 3. For this is the will of God even your sanctification So 1 Thes 5. 18. 1 Pet. 2. 15. The ground therefore of all obedience must be the will and Commandement that if a man bee asked a reason of his obedience why he doth this or that he may be able to say I see it is Gods will and commandement it should be done and because it is his will therefore I doe it This was the ground of Davids obedience Psal 119. 4. 5. Thou hast commanded us to keepe thy precepts diligently Oh that my wayes were directed to keepe thy Statutes His desires were exceeding strong to give God obedience in keeping his statutes and the ground of it was Thou hast commanded That onely and properly is obedience which is done Intuitu voluntatis by looking at Gods will by having a respect or an eye to Gods commandement Psal 119. 6. and doing it because it is his will Looke as it is in the case of faith so is it in the case of obedience Then a man beleeves when the ground of his faith is onely the Word of God he beleeves onely because it is the Word and will of God he should beleeve If a man beleeve such a truth because he hath good arguments and reasons for it by which he is led to beleeve it this is science but not faith Thus is it in obedience to doe things commanded upon other grounds then the commandement is not obedience Suppose a man doe the same same thing that God commands and yet know not that God commands it this is no obedience or if a man do know that it is commanded but doth it not because it is commanded neither is this obedience to God for as where there is no Law there is no transgression so where there is no knowledge of a Law there is no obedience In all true obedience there must be a knowledge of and an eye to the will of God Rom. 12. 2. Proving what is the will of God that is searching and trying and so allowing the good and acceptable will of the Lord Ephes 5. 17. Vnderstanding what the will of the Lord is Both which places imply thus much that that onely is obedience indeed which is done upon the knowledge and conscience of being Gods will To doe that which is Gods will and not to doe it because it is his will is not obedience By this may a man try his obedience If thine heart can sincerely witnesse that the ground of thy obedience and all thine actions therein is Gods will that thou seest it is his will to have it done and because it is his will thou doest it such obedience is upon the right ground But by this may the unsoundnesse of many a mans obedience be discovered Some men come duly to publike duties of Gods worship and service but what is the ground Is it the will of God or the law of Man or the talke of the World that brings them thereunto Many a man is diligent in his calling followes it close and it is a thing commanded of God so to do But if a man doe it not because God wils it but because desire of gaine carries him on or necessity of maintenance forces him thereto this is no obedience to God but obedience to his covetousnesse or obedience to his necessities which call upon him for diligence and painfulnesse 2 Second ground of obedience The grace of faith True obedience must spring and flow from faith S. Paul speakes Rom. 16. 26. Of the obedience of faith that is that obedience which in beleeving we give to God But yet in a larger sense all obedience may be called the obedience of faith because by it we give God that obedience we give him Heb. 11. 8. By faith Abraham obeyed God Faith quickens and enables to obedience so as without it wee can give God no obedience Therefore Rom. 3. 3â— Faith stablishes the Law because it is faith that helpes a man to performe all the obedience he performes to it Faith is the ground of obedience thus 1 First a man must first beleeve what the will of God is before hee will goe about to yeeld it any obedience 2 Secondly all obedience flowes from a mans laying hold on the covenant of grace In that covenant God articles with us and binds himselfe to enable to obedience Ezek. 36. 27. Now this covenant must be laid hold on for ability and strength to obedience before a man can obey God It is true in obedience to every Commandement which is spoken of the fourth Isay 56. 4. That keepe my Sabbath and take hold of my Covenant In the Covenant there is promised strength unto obedience and this covenant being taken hold on strength to obedience is given Now that which layes hold upon the covenant is faith which from the covenant fetches ability to obedience 3 Thirdly CHRIST is the principle of all spirituall life and activity Iohn 15. 5. Phil 4. 13. Christ must first dwell in a man before hee hath strength in the inner man Ephes 3. 16 17. Now all vertue to be fetcht from Christ must be drawne out of him by faith And he by faith dwels in us Ephes 3. 17. No obedience till we have Christ effectually working in us and quickning us by his spirit and no Christ but by faith By this then a man may try the truth of his obedience If it be fruit comming from a root of faith it is good fruit I beleeved therefore I spake Psal 116. So if thou canst say I beleeve therefore I pray and doe God service Iohn 9. 38. He said Lord I beleeve and he worshipped him I beleeve therefore I sanctifie the Lords-day I beleeve and therefore I doe duties of obedience then is thine obedience true fruit of Paradise because it growes upon the tree of life But if thine obedience arise from a root only of morality it is but hedge fruit 3 Third ground of obedience is the true love of God and Christ Indeed obedience must not bee upon constraint but in one sense it is by constraint yet by the constraint of Love 2 Cor. 5. 14. For the love of Christ constrains us Love hath such an active power that it constraines us to obedience not only that love which Christ beares to us but which wee beare to him Obedience to God must be filiall obedience 1 Pet. 1. 14. As obedient children Now the obedience of a son to his Father flowes from love The love of his Father sets him on worke to do what his father commands The good son in the Vineyard Mat. 21. When his Father bid him go work in his Vineyard he at first said I will not but afterwards he repented and went and wrought in the Vineyard Now what was it that made him obey his Father his Father promised no wages if hee would go worke nor threatned him any evill if hee did not worke but there was only a bare command Mat. 21. 28.
that is commanded me and when I have done that which is my duty to doe I must say I am an unprofitable servant then how much more must I say it that am far short of doing all that in this particular I am commanded to do and have not done that which is my duty to do I doubt therefore that I may not come to the Sacrament because I cannot finde my selfe thus prepared I were better keepe away than come unlesse I were thus prepared I have done what I possibly can do but alas how short am I of what is required Answ 1. First have recourse here to that which before was said in the last point of the second Chapter Labour and endeavour to be as exactly prepared as possibly thou canst but if thou canst not attaine to that measure and degree of preparation thou desirest yet if thy heart witnesse to thee that what is wanting in thy preparation is not from sloth idlenesse and lothnesse to take paines but it is the highest degree that with all thy paines thou art able to attaine unto I say unto thee in this case as Saul spake to David in that 1 Sam. 17. 37. Goe and the Lord be with thee Go to the Sacrament and feare not but that the Lord will be with thee 2 Secondly if indeed thou hast no faith no repentance at all wrought or renewed in thee I would in any case advise thee to forbeare for why shouldest thou destroy thy selfe as Salomon speakes in that case Eccl. 7. 16. But now deale uprightly as in Gods presence and take heed as well of bearing false witnesse against thy self as against thy neighbour It is a sin to beare false witnesse against thy selfe as well as to foredoe thy selfe and therefore make conscience of it deale sincerely therefore Darest thou confidently and upon unquestionable grounds affirme it that thou hast no faith no repentance I much feare me sayest thou that I have not That is not the point what thou fearest but what thou assuredly knowest A man may have much faith that feares hee hath none yea there may bee greatest faith where there be greatest feares Thou upon serious examination of thine owne condition not upon an ignorant selfe-love darest not for a world resolutely and peremptorily say thou hast no faith no grace no part in Christ then take heed how thou upon thy feares forbeare Gods Ordinance 3 Thirdly if thou have done thine utmost in the sincerity of thy spirit to fit thy selfe for the duty and thine heart charges thee neither with any grosse guilt in thy life nor with any slothfull formality in thy preparation though thou canst not finde thy selfe so fitted as thou wouldest yet go to the Ordinance if it be upon conscience of giving God obedience Christ commands the use of the Sacrament Doe this in remembrance of me Now though thine owne feares discourage and dis-hearten thee and when thou lookest at thy selfe thou fearest to go yet if when thou lookest at Gods commandement and in the conscience of it fearest to stay away here in this conflict of feares let this last feare get the victory and be more afraid to stay from the Sacrament in regard of Gods commandement then to come to the Sacrament in regard of thy discouragement Gods commandement sayes Go thine own discouragements sayes Goe not Give obedience rather to Gods commandement than to thine owne feares Obedience yeelded to God out of pure conscience to his commandement yeelded I say against discouragements and feares may be no whit inferiour unto nor lesse acceptable then a preparation in a more exact and excellent degree then yet thou hast Such obedience is most excellent and most acceptable for that is the most excellent obedience when there is nothing else to toll and draw us on but only Gods commandement When a man finds himselfe in such a frame of spirit as that he questions not but to meet with comfort and a good answer at the Sacrament then possibly not Gods commandement but that comfort may rather seeme to draw him to the duty But now when a man hath some discouragements in regard of the feares of the indisposition of his spirit and yet in regard of Gods commandement dares not absent himself dares not but go it is cleere that such obedience is pure obedience because there is nothing to draw him on but Gods commandement and that hee doth the duty upon this ground Because God will have him do it that he doth it more for Gods sake than his own Excellent is that Exo. 14. 15. The Lord said unto Moses speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward Forwards Why there was great danger before them they go upon a manifest danger the Sea is before them As good go backward to the Aegyptians or as good stand still and let the Aegyptians come and put them to the sword as to goe forward It is but death to stand still but death to go backward and it is no better than death to goe forward What safety can be expected by going into the Sea Well for all this speake to the children of Israel that they go forward Now to go forward because God commands it when nothing but present danger in sight was an argument of pure obedience it was not safety but conscience of obedience to Gods commandement that carried them forwards A man in the truth and sincerity of his spirit hath done his utmost in his preparation and yet his heart misgives him that he shall sin to go to the Sacrament and that he shall run himselfe upon a manifest danger speake unto such a man that he go forward because God commands him to doe him this service and his going forward in obedience being pure obedience it shall returne him at last as great comfort as if he had beene so prepared as his desire was to have beene Object I but my heart is full of feares and doubts I feare and tremble to come to Gods Ordinance in my feares Answ Yet come Feares in comming are no barre to comfort Thou mayest come in feare and yet goe away with much comfort See Mark 5. 33. The Woman fearing and trembling came and fell downe before him And what sayes Christ to her Vers 34. Daughter go in peace She comes to Christ with feare she goes away in peace she came trembling she goes away rejoycing If her feare and trembling had kept her from Christ she had missed of that sweet and comfortable answer Daughter go in peace We know not what comfort we deprive our selves of when we suffer our feares and jealousies to prevaile so farre with us as to keepe us from Christ in his Ordinances Object But my feare is that I shall not meet with Christ nor finde him in his Ordinance and therefore what should I do there Answ A man may then meet with Christ and find him when he least of all hopes to finde him Mary meets with Christ Iohn 20. 15. and supposes