Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n
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A35326
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Twenty-four sermons preached at the merchants-lecture at Pinners Hall by Timothy Cruso.
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Cruso, Timothy, 1656?-1697.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing C7445; ESTC R24895
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209,977
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388
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This Doctrine may be improv'd by way of Information and Exhortation 1. Information 1. All that 's enjoyed out of Christ is only in a Course of common Providence not by Vertue of any Promise because all the Promises are Yea and Amen in Christ They that are without Christ are strangers from the Covenant of Promise Eph. 2.12 In a Christless State they have no more to do with them nor can receive any more Benefit by them than the Devils themselves who are not only reserv'd to Judgment but are partly under Execution Carnal Men have very often a large Portion of this World God brings into their Hands abundantly Job 12.6 He fills their Houses with good Things Chap. 22.18 But as the Holy Ghost says of the Hearts of such Men so it may be said of the best of their Enjoyments they are little worth They are but miserable Comforts because they are not given on the account of Promise therefore given in Wrath and not in Mercy with a Curse and not with a Blessing 2. Legal Promises are out of Date and quite Excluded There are no Promises in force buâ— what are in Christ And therefore no Promises but what are Evangelical for though Christ came to fulfil the Precepts of the Law he came to establish the Promises of the Gospel Do and Live is the Promise of the Old Covenant but this is destroy'd and taken away in Christ and he that attempts to live by doing builds up what Christ destroy'd The Law was indeed Publisht in its full Perfection to the Jews but it was with a gracious Design of subserviency to the Gospel by leading them to Christ that being sensible of their own inability to keep the Law they might fly to him and take Sanctuary in his unspotted Righteousness and compleat Obedience The Law is abus'd when set up to the vacating or weakening of the Covenant of Grace Paul rejects this with abhorrence Gal. 3.21 Is the Law then against the Promises of God God forbid 3. The Promises of God are not founded upon the Performances of the Creature for then they would not be to his Glory by us so much as to our Glory by him The Ancient Believers obtained Promises through Faith Heb. 11.33 And so must we And indeed this is the customary Scripture-way of expressing this Matter Gal. 3.14 That we might receive the Promise of the Spirit through Faith ver 22. That the Promise by Faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe Now whatsoever is by Faith must needs be purely of Grace without the least respect to any worthiness in the Object God does not suppose Qualifications in us but work them and those very Promises which are conditionally propounded as to the Manner of delivering them are absolutely perform'd to those that are interested in them for the same God gives both Repentance and Pardon Grace and Glory 4. The Happy State of a Believer is unalterably sure Psalm 125.1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion which cannot be removed but abideth for ever The Reason is plain because the Covenant and Promise of God which is all their Salvation and all their Support can never be removed Isa 54.10 Notwithstanding all our own Threatening Infirmities here is Matter of strong Confidence Grace in us is weak Corruption oftentimes gets the upper hand our Hearts are deceitful the Tempter is very busie but none of these Things shake the Perseverance of the Saints though they should awaken our Caution and persuade our Diligence they should not move us from our Hope because that Word of God is settled in Heaven which concerns our Settlement and Security here on Earth He who requires us to stand fast hath promised that we shall do so and his Promises are not suspended upon uncertain Conditions which may fail but they have their full Ratification in Christ who is always the same A Sun of Righteousness without any Shadow of turning 5. Though a Believer may be stript naked and bare of all his outward Things he cannot be robb'd of his truest Riches he still really abounds when he suffers the greatest need For his most substantial Wealth as well as Life is hid with Christ in God the Promises of God being all confirm'd to him in Christ Upon this account though he be utterly emptied of every Thing in this World that properly belongs to the World he may justly say nevertheless I have all and am full The Testimonies of God are a goodly Heritage and the rejoycing of the Heart in the Total Deprivation of External Comforts This will explain that Paradox of the Apostle 2 Cor. 8.10 As having nothing and yet possessing all Things though we have nothing in Hand yet we have all Things in hope what we want in Possession is infinitely made up by Promise To have our Portion of Goods in our own Hands as the Prodigal had is dangerous we may spend it or lose it but to have a Stock in God's Hands is safe 't is a Treasure which faileth not The Poor of this World have a blessed Recompence if Rich in Faith James 2.5 In this Case good Bills and Bonds which will all be paid whenever there is occasion are a far better Estate than ready Money which Private or Publick Thieves may break through and Steal from us 6. Special Ordinances are special Priviledges The Preaching of the Word is an Ordinance that lies open and common to all and this is a considerable Priviledge for how should Men be brought to believe without the Word of Faith But Sacraments which are limited and confin'd in their Administration to select peculiar Persons are much more considerable being sensible Signs for the Confirmation of our Faith when it is wrought in us Among the many Advantages which the Israelites of Old had above all other People the Apostle reckons up the Covenants and the Promises Rom. 9.4 I do not know any Thing to the contrary but that the Covenants there may be meant of the two Seals of the Covenant under the Old Testament Circumcision and the Passover to which we have our correspondent Seals under the New Testament for Circumcision particularly is called not only a Token of the Covenant but the Covenant in their Flesh who were Circumcised Gen. 17.13 Now all Sacraments are visible Promises God holds forth to our very sight what may serve for the Encouragement of our Faith and the directing of our Hearts to Christ on whom we Believe II. Exhortation 1. Come to God in Christ for the Performance of his Promises to you Two Things lye in this one 1. Plead the Promises with God lay hold of them and humbly challenge your share in them Put him in remembrance of what he hath said Psalm 119.49 Remember thy Word unto thy Servant c. 1 Chron. 17.26 27. Thou art God and hast promised this goodness to thy Servant now therefore let it please thee to bless c. Do not say what have I a
deny the Deity of Christ is a lying to Men and an outward acknowledgment of this where there is not an Hearty Consent is lying to God Now that this is not discoverable by humane Reason is no difficult Matter to prove Let us consider a little these two Things 1. Reason could never have found out this Truth of the Godhead of Christ The Existence of a God is a natural Impression upon the Minds of Men and therefore almost universally own'd but a Trinity of Persons in Unity of Essence and such an Order among the Persons as makes Jesus Christ the Second determinately not the First or Third is one of the great Mysteries of Faith By those common remainders of Light which every Man hath that comes into the World every Age hath brought forth some new Inventions and Discoveries of Things that have been truly ingenious and useful in their kind but still they have been Things within the proper Compass and sphaere of Nature Jesus Christ would have been for ever the unknown God if Reason had been left to make the search For 1. How many parts of the World are there utterly destitute of the Knowledge of this Truth Though the Nations of them that are saved walk in the Light of it yet there are several other Nations of Men that have natural Sagacity enough who sit in gross Darkness as to these Things Multitudes Multitudes in the Wilderness of the Heathen whom God hath not yet brought into the Valley of Vision that never heard whether there be a Christ or no. He that should tell the uncalled Gentiles of such a Person would be a Barbarian to them though he had learnt to speak in their own Tongue 2. The Notions of some of the Learned Heathens which look a little this way were both borrow'd and deprav'd What was true in them was not their own but learnt by Tradition from the Jews who were instructed out of the Law all the rest was wretchedly corrupt and dishonourable to Christ and injurious to Religion Therefore the Apostle gives that Caution Col. 2.8 Beware lest any Man spoil you through Philosophy and vain Deceit c. And therefore he passes that Censure Rom. 1.22 Professing themselves to be wise they become Fools 3. Those Signatures and Prints of this Truth which some fancy to be upon the visible Creation are too obscure to Collect so great a Doctrine from There may be some little dim resemblances of a Trinity in some of the Works of God but as they are too weak to confirm our Faith of it by so we may safely conclude that no Man in the World would ever have spelt a Trinity out of them if he had not heard of it before But as Knowledge is easie to him that understandeth Prov. 14 6. So we fancy many Evidences of those Things of which we are convinc'd already 2. Reason cannot find out this Truth to Perfection though the Scripture hath brought it to Light now it is reveal'd to us another Way Reason is puzzled with it For 1. Things of an Infinite Nature must needs be Eternal Riddles to Finites Minds God would not be God if Men or Angels could comprehend him he must cease to be what he is if we could fully know what he is Uncreated Excellency and Glory cannot be taken in to such shallow and scanty Thoughts We can understand the Relation which is between Creatures like our selves we can explain it and give a satisfactory Account of it one to another but how the Divine Persons our Everlasting Creators as the Spirit sometimes expresses it are mutually related is not to be perfectly unfolded How the same Person should be Man and yet God how the same God should be a Son and yet never begin to be will be matter of endless Admiration 2. Reason Objects so many Difficulties against this Truth of the Sonship of Jesus Christ as make us very slow in receiving it The manner of it is so inexplicable that therefore the thing it self seems to be incredible for naturally we affect to be satisfied how every thing is which we allow to be The carnal Mind is Enmity in this Case and instead of promoting opposes therefore the Apostle speaks of casting down Imaginations or Reasonings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Ministry of the Gospel 2 Cor. 10.5 As there is a natural Popery so a natural Socinianism which exalts it self against the Knowledge of God and Christ 3. The Faith of these Things which is wrought in us is not built upon the Evidence of Reason but the Authority of God There is indeed a Reason of Faith it is reasonable that we should believe whatsoever God reveals and 't is reasonable we should be assur'd that this or that is his Revelation so far Reason is subservient to Faith in the general but to believe a particular Truth because it may be retionally demonstrated is not the Faith of the Gospel we are to believe because it is Divinely Revealed this is Faith Otherwise in believing we do not set our Seal to the Truth of God but the Reason of the Thing So that if it were possible to bring other Proofs as well as Scriptural of the Deity of our Lord Jesus which it is not for it is a Matter of pure Revelation yet the Faith of a Christian as such could not rest upon them 2. How are such Truths as these discovered to us by God In short it is the special Work of the Spirit to reveal Christ to us to direct our Minds into the Knowledge of his Person and to take of his Things and to spread them before us with convincing Light Eye hath not seen c. The Things which God hath prepared c. But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all Things c. 1 Cor. 2.9 10. But as to the Way and Manner of this Revelation of Divine Things by the Spirit of God I would offer these Particulars 1. It is not in the neglect and disuse of outward Means God will not countenance our Contempt of what is required and appointed by himself He hath commanded us privately to search the Scriptures which testifie of Christ and to attend the Publick Preaching of Christ in Worshipping Assemblies and so in and by the Word as a fit vehicle of spiritual Light he is pleas'd to convey the Knowledge of himself and of his Son The Scriptures and Ordinances cannot enlighten us without the Spirit and ordinarily the Spirit does it not without them Ministers are stiled Instructors in Christ 1 Cor. 4.15 And they are so by Vertue of the Institution of Christ and the Spirit of Christ imploys and make use of them to serve the Purposes and Ends of his own Grace Obj. Does not the Holy Ghost say They shall not teach every Man his Neighbour and his Brother saying Know the Lord c. Heb. 8.11 And you need not that any Man teach you 1 John 2.27 Ans 1. 'T is most evident