Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	believe_v	faith_n	sense_n	1,482	5	6.9836	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B03501	The mystery of faith opened up: or Some sermons concerning faith (two where of were not formerly printed.) Wherein the nature, excellency, and usefulness of that noble grace is much cleared, and the practice thereof most powerfully pressed. Whereunto are added other three sermons, two concerning the great salvation, one of these not formerly printed, and a third concerning death. / By that pious and worthy servant of Jesus Christ, Mr. Andrew Gray, late minister of the Gospel in Glasgow. All these sermons being now carefully revised, and much corrected.	Gray, Andrew, 1633-1656.; Traill, Robert, 1642-1716.; Stirling, John, b. 1621?	1668 (1668)	Wing G1616; ESTC R177630	121,416	225

betwixt Christ and the believer Faith being indeed an uniting grace and that which knitteth the members to the head and to make this more fully appear we would point out a little what a sweet harmony and correspondency there is betwixt these two sister-graces to wit Faith and Love Faith is that nail which fasteneth the soul to Christ and Love is that grace which driveth that nail to the head Faith at first taketh but a tender grip of Christ and then love cometh in and maketh the soul take a more sure grip of him Secondly ye may see their harmony in this Faith is that grace which taketh hold as it were of the garment of Christ and of his words but Love that ambitious grace it taketh hold of the heart of Christ and as it were his heart doth melt in the hand of Love Thirdly it may be seen in this Faith is that grace which draweth the first draught of the likeness and Image of Christ upon a soul but that accomplishing grace of Love it doth compleat these first draughts and these imperfect lineaments of Christs Image which were first drawn on the soul Fourthly by Faith and love the heart of Christ and of the believer are so united that they are no more two but one Spirit 2. There is this second act that Faith exerciseth on Christ and it is in discovering the matchless excellencies and the transcendent properties of Jesus Christ O what large and precious cōmentaries doth Faith make upon Christ it is indeed that faithful spy which doth alwayes bring up a good report of him Hence it is that Faith is called understanding Coloss 2.2 because it is that grace which revealeth much of the precious truth of that noble object 3. And there is this third noble act of Faith exercising it self upon Christ viz. It maketh Christ precious to the soul according to that word 1. Pet. 2.7 unto you which believe he is pretious And if there were no other thing to speak forth its worth but that it is more then sufficient for no doubt this is the exercise of the higher House to be dwelling on the contemplation of Christs beauty and to have their souls transported with love towards him and with joy in him Reason and amazement are seldom companions but here they do sweetly join together First a Christian loveth Christ because of Christs actings and then he loveth all these actings because they come from Christ 2. Now secondly this pointeth out the precious excellency of the grace of Faith it is that grace which is most my sterious and sublime in its actings it hath a more divine and sublime way of acting then any other grace hence it is called The Mystery of Faith which speaketh this that the actings of Faith are mysteries to the most part of the world and I shall only point at these things which may speak out the mysterious actings of the grace of Faith 1. Faith can believe and fix it self on a word of promise although sense reason and probability seem to contradict the accomplishment of that promise Faith it walketh not by the low dictates of sense and reason but by a higher rule to wit The sure word of prophecy which is clear from Rom. 4.19 where Abraham believed the promise notwithstanding that sense and reason seemed to contradict it He considered not the deadness of his own body neither the barrenness of Sarahs womb but was strong in faith giving glory to God And it is cle●… from Heb. 11.29.30 where Faith believed their passing through the Red sea upon dry ground which was most contrary to sense and reason Faith be lieved the falling down of the walls of Jericho b● the blowing of rams horns which things are most impossible to sense and reason for sense will of tentimes cry out All men are liars and reaso● will say How can such a thing be and yet that he roick grace of Faith cryeth out Hath he spoke● it He will also do it Hath he said it Then 〈◊〉 shal come to pass 2. Faith can believe a word of promise notwithstanding that the dispensations of God seem to contradict it as was clear in Job who professed he would trust in God though he should ki●… him And no doubt but this was the practice o● believing Jacob he trusted that that promise should be accomplished that the elder should serve the younger though all the dispensations of Go● which he did meet with seemed to say that promise should not be accomplished 3. Faith can believe a word of promise even when the commands of God seem to contradic● the accomplishment of that promise this is clea● in that singular instance of Abrahams Faith that notwithstanding he was commanded to kill his promised seed upon whom did depend the accomplishment of the promises yet he believed that the promises should be performed And though there were indeed extrordinary and strange try●ls of his Faith as he had natural affections to wrestle with yet over the belly of all these believing Abraham he giveth Faith to the promise and bringeth his son Isaac to the Altar though he did receive him back again this is clear from Heb. 11.17.18.19 4. Faith can exercise it self upon the promise notwithstanding that callenges and convictions of unworthinesse and guilt do wait on the Christian this is clear 2 Sam. 23.5 that although his house was not so with God as did become yet he believed the promise as likewise it is clear from Psal 65.3 Iniquities prevail against me and yet that doth not interrupt his faith but he saith As for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away And certainly it were a noble and precious act of Faith to believe notwithstanding of unanswerable challenges of guilt the best way both to crucifie our Idols and to answer those challenges is believing and hoping against hope and closing with Christ this is clear from Isa 64.6.7 compared with ver 8. where after strange challenges the Prophet hath a strange word but now O Lord thou art our Father There is an Emphasis in the word now for all this yet thou art now our Father 5. And lastly this pointeth out the mysterious acting of the grace of Faith that it exerciseth it self upon an invisible object even upon Christ not yet seen according to that word 1 Pet. 5.8 Whom having not seen yet ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing 〈◊〉 I pose the greater part of you who are here wh●ther or not these be two of the greatest parado●… and mysteries unto you For is not this a m●stery to love him whom we never saw Whom having not seen yet ye love To love an absent a●… unseen Christ is a mystery to the most part of th● world and is not this a mystery to believe on his whom we never saw In whom though ye see hi● not yet believing And I shal add this that Fai●… can hold fast its interest with God notwithstanding the most

bond of love and respect then our faith will increase with the increase of God Our entertainment of a bosom idol is ordinarily punished with the want of the sensible intimations of his peace and of our interest in him so that sometimes his own are constrained to cry out God hath departed from me and he answereth me not neither by dreams nor visions 4. There is that likewise that hath influence upon it our not closing absolutely with Jesus Christ but upon conditions and suppositions We make not an absolute and blank resignation of our selves over to Christ to hold fast the Covenant notwithstanding he should dispense both bitter and sad things to us but we conceive that Christs Covenant with believers is like that Covenant that God made with Noah that there should be Summer and Winter seed time and harvest night and day unto a Christian A Christian must have his night as well as his day he must once sow in tears before he reap in joy he must once go forth bearing his precious seed before he can return bearing his sheaves in his bosom and that this hath influence upon our instability may be seen from this that often a Christian after his first closing with Christ he meeteth with desertion in point of tenderness in point of joy and in point of strength so that his corruption seems now to be awaked more then formerly that he wants those seeming enjoyments of him which formerly he had and that much of his softness of his heart hath now evanished which is clear somewhat from Heb. 10.32 And after they were enlightened they endured a great fight of afflictions For the word that is there rendered afflictions signifieth inward troubles through the motions of sin as well as outward afflictions Gal. 5.24 And God useth to dispense this way to his own not only to take tryal of the sincerity of your closing with him but to make our Faith more stedfast and sure And no doubt if we close not absolutly with Christ when under these temptations and tryals we will reject our confidence as a delusion and suppose it to be but a morning dream therefore it were a noble and divine practise of a Christian to close with Christ without reservation seeing he doth dispense nothing but that which might tend to our advantage And we would say to such as are under these temptations that if ye endeavor to resist them it is the most compendious and excellent way to make your hearts which now are dying as a stone to be as a watered garden springs of water whose waters fail not and to make you strong as a Lyon so that no temptation can rouse you up but ye shall be enable to tread upon the high places of the earth and to sing songs of triumph over our idols 5. There is this likewise which hath influence on it our building of our Faith more upon sense then upon Christ or his word and therefore it is that Faith is so unconstant and changeable as the Moon we not knowing what such a thing means To hope against hope and to be strong in Faith giving glory to God And we would only say unto you that erect your cōfidence upon so sandy a foundation that when the wind and storm of temptation shal blow that house shal fall to the ground As likewise building of your Faith upon sense doth not abate much of your joy and much of your precious esteem of Jesus Christ It being Faith exercising it self upon an invisible object that maketh the Christian to rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Pet. 1.8 6. There is this last that hath influence upon it even our sloathfulness in the exercise of our spiritual duties by which Faith should be entertained Faith is a tender grace and a plant that must not be rufled but nourished through the sap of other precious graces but we grow remiss in our spiritual duties and do turn our selves upon the bed of security as the door upon the hinges And doth not our drowsiness cloath us with rags and make us fall into a deep sleep while as if we were diligent our souls should be made fat and rich Yea sloathfulness doth not only imped assurance of this that it hindereth the divine communications of his love and respect by which assurance may be kept in life Cant. 5.2 but also it maketh our poverty come on us as an armed man and our want as one that travelleth And withal it letteth loose the chain by which our corruptions are tyed and maketh them to lift up their head by which our assurance is much darkned and impaired and our hope is much converted into diffidence and despair And we would only say this it is the diligent Christian that is the believing Christian and it is the believing Christian that is the diligent Christian there being such a sweet reciprocation betwixt these two precious graces that they die and live together Now thirdly we shal shut up our discours with this in pointing out a little what are those things that do obstruct a Christians closing with Christ and believing in his precious Name I. We conceive that this woful evil doth spring and rise from that fundamental ignorance of this truth that there is a God as is clear from Heb. 11.6 where that is required as a qualification of a Comer That he should believe that God is and assuredly till once this precious truth be imprinted upon our souls as with a pen of iron and point of a diamond we will look upon the Gospel as an U●opian fancy and a deluding notion to teach unstable souls who know not the way to attain unto real blessedness And truly it is a fault of many that they begin to dispute their being in Christ before they know there is a Christ and do dispute their interest in him before they believe his being and that there is such an one as is called Christ II. Our coming unto Christ is obstructed from the want of the real and spiritual convictions of our desperate and lost estate without Jesus Christ and that our unspeakable misery is the want of him which is clear from Jer. 2.31 We are Lords we will come no more to thee And it is evident from Revel 3.16.18 that such a delusion as this doth overtake many that they can reign as Kings without Jesus Christ and that they can build their happiness and establish their carnal felicity upon another foundation But O that we could once win to this to believe what we are without Christ and to believe what we shal be in the enjoyment of him with the one eye to descend and look upon these deep draughts that the mystery of iniquity hath imprinted upon our immortal souls and withal to reflect upon the wages of sin which is death and be constrained to cry out Wo is me for I am undone and with the other eye to ascend and look to that help that is laid

precious Christians should call 〈◊〉 hypocrits and not acknowledge us this is clear is the practice of Job and most clear from th● word Isai 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Isra●… acknowledge us not III. Thirdly this pointeth out the excellence of the grace of Faith that Faith when it is i● exercise is that grace by which a Christian dot● attain unto most sensible enjoyments There is great question that is much debated among●… Christians what is the way to win to this happy length to be always under the sweet and refreshing influence of heaven and to have his dew alway coming down upon our branches I can give 〈◊〉 answer to it but this Be much in the exercise 〈◊〉 Faith this is clear from that notion and name pu● upon Faith Isai 45.22 it is called a look to Christ which is a most sensible act If ye would know a description of Faith it is this The divin● contemplation of the immortal soul upon that divin● excellent and precious object Jesus Christ for God never made Faith a liar and therefore its eye is never off him that is the noble object of Faith Jesus Christ manifested in the Gospel and it is clear Eph. 1.13 After ye believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise which preacheth out the excellent enjoyments these had after their closing with Christ who is invisible Our Faith is called a seeing which speaketh out this that Faiths sight of God is as certain as if it did behold him with our eyes as is clear Heb. 11.27 Moses saw him by faith who is invisible And we conceive that the ground which maketh the most part of us have such complaints How long wilt thou forget us for ever It is this the want of the spiritual exercise of Faith and are there not some here who may cry out It is more then thirty days since I did behold the King Yea there are some who go a greater length and cry out I have lived these two years at Jerusalem and yet I have not seen the Kings face Yea there are some here whose complaint may go a little higher and cry forth These three years and six-moneths it hath not rained on me but the clouds have been restrained and bound up and the heavens have become brass And would ye know the rise of these complaints It is this ye are not much in the spiritual exercise of faith And to you I would only say these two words First it is easier to perswade a reprobate that he is defective in the fear of God and in his love to God then to perswade some such that they are wanting to God in their saith for they hold fast that piece of desperate iniquity till they die Secondly we would say to those of you wh● have the valley of Achor for a door of hope an● have tasted of the sweetness of Christ some 〈◊〉 you will be less convinced for the neglect of th● duty of faith then for the neglect of the duty o● prayer or of the duty of keeping the Sabbath day But I am perswaded of this that if the no●ble worth of that transcendent object were known we would have a holy impatience unt● once we did believe IV. Fourthly this also pointeth out the excellency of the grace of faith it is that grace by which a Christian is advanced to the highest and most inconceivable pitch of dignity and that is to be the child of the living God as is clear John 1.12 To as many as received 〈◊〉 believed in him he gave power or prerogative to become the sons of God And certainly that noble prerogative of adoption is much undervalued by many And I will tell you two grounds whereon the most part of men undervalue that excellent gift of adoption First they do not take up the infinite highness of God and what a one he is otherwise they would cry out with David Seemeth it a smal thing in your eyes to be a son to the King of Kings Secondly we do not take up nor understand those matchless priviledges which are given to them who are once in this estate I am perswaded if this were believed that he who is a servant doth not abide in the house for ever though he that is a son doth it would stir us up to more divine zeal in our pursuit after Christ V. Fifthly this likewise pointeth out the excellency of the grace of saith it is that grace by which all othere actions are pleasant to God are taken off our hand as is clear Heb. 11.4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice then Cain which must be undestood even to all other duties And that word vers 6. Without faith it is impossible to please God speaketh this also that by faith we do exceedingly please him And this is a most sad and lamentable reproof unto many who are here that their actions do not please God because they are not in faith Would you know a description of your prayers ye who are hypocrites and destitute of the knowledge of God It is this your prayers are the breach of the third command in taking the Name of the Lord in vain for which he will not hold you guiltless And would you know what is your hearing of Sermons It is an abomination to the Lord according to that word in Tit. 1.15 To the unbelieving and impure is nothing clean And as Solomon doth speak The plowing of the wicked is sin so that all your actions that ye go about are but an offence to the Majesty of the Lord. Now we would speak to these two things before we proceed to the evidence of faith to wit First that there is a difference betwixt the direct act of faith and the reflecting act of faith for there may be a direct act of faith in a Christian when he is not perswaded that he doth believe but the reflecting acts of faith are these which a Christian hath when he is perswaded in his conscience that he doth believe And we would secondly say that there are many that do go down to their grave under that soul-destroying delusion that they are in the Faith and yet never did know what Faith is I am perswaded there are many whom all the preachings in the world will never perswade that they did never believe their Faith being born with them and it will die with them without any fruit but faith being such an excellent grace and so advantagious whereof we have spoken a few things we shal speak a little further of it First in pointing out some evidences by which a Christian may know whether or not he be in the Faith Secondly I shal give you some helps whereby Faith may be keeped in exercise I. Now there is this first evidence of Faith that a Christian who doth believe he accounteth absence and want of fellowship with Christ and communion with him one of the greatest and

world without end And fifthly there is this difference less will satisfie the grace of Faith and the grace of Hope then will satisfie the grace of Love Faith it will be content with the promise and Hope will be content with the thing that is promised but that ambitious grace of Love it will be only content with the Promiser Love claspeth its arms about that precious and noble object Jesus Christ Love is a suspicious grace it oftentimes cryeth forth They have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him So that Faith is oftentimes put to resolve suspicions of Love I can compare these three graces to nothing so fitly as to those three great worthies that David had These three graces they will break thorow all difficulties were it an host of Philistins that so they may pleasure Christ and may drink of the well of Bethlehem that well of everlasting consolation that floweth from beneath the throne of God Love is like Noahs dove it never findeth rest for the sole of its foot until once it be within that Ark that place of repose Jesus Christ And sixthly there is this last difference between them Faith taketh hold upon the faithfulness of Christ Hope taketh hold upon the goodness of Christ but Love it taketh hold upon the heart of Christ And think ye not it must be a pleasant and soul-refreshing exercise to be continually taken up in embracing him that is that eternal admiration of Angels Must it not be an excellent life dayly to be feeding upon the finest of the wheat and to be satisfied with honey out of the rock O but heaven must be a pleasant place And if once we would but taste of the first ripe grapes and a cluster of wine that groweth in that pleasant land might we not be constrained to bring up a good report of it But now to come to that which I purpose mainly to speak of at this time The last thing concerning Faith that we proposed from the words was the object upon which Faith exerciseth it self which is here set down to be the Name of his Son Jesus Christ And that we may speak to this more clearly we shal first speak a litle to the negative what things are not the fit object of Faith And then to the positive showing how this Name of God and of his Son Christ is that sure ground upon which a Christian may pitch his faith For the first ye must know that a Christian is not to build his faith upon sense nor sensible enjoyments Sense may be an evidence of Faith but it must not be the foundation of Faith I know there are some that ofttimes cry out Except I put my fingers into the print of the nails and thrust my hand into the hole of his side I will not believe And indeed it is a mystery unto the most part of us to be exercising Faith upon a naked word of promise abstracted from sense to love an absent Christ and to believe on an absent Christ are the two great mysteries of Christianity But that sense is no good foundation for Faith may appear 1. That Faith which is builded upon fense is a most unconstant a most fluctuating and transient Faith I know sense hath its fits of love and as it were hath its fits of faith Sometimes sense is sick of love and sometimes sense is strong in faith but ere six hours go about sense may be sick of jealousie and sick of misbelife as ye will see from Psal 30.6.7 Sense that bold thing it will instantly cry out My mountain standeth strong I shal never be moved but behold how soon it changeth its note Thou hidest thy face and I was troubled At one time it will cry forth Who is like unto him that pardoneth iniquity and that passeth over transgressions But ere many hours go about it will sing a long upon another key and cry out Why art thou become unto me as a liar and as waters that fail 2. That Faith which is built upon sense it wanteth the promise of blessedness for this is annexed to believing that is founded upon the word according to that in John 20.29 Blessed are those that have not seen and yet have believed Nor hath that Faith that is built upon sense such a solide joy waiting on it as Faith that is built upon the naked word of promise as may be cleared from that word 1. Pet. 1.8 where Faith exercising it self upon Christ not seen maketh a Christian to rejoice with joy unspeakeable and full of glory 〈◊〉 joy that doth not attend believing founded upon sense 3. That Faith that is built upon sense 〈◊〉 giveth not much glory to God for Faith that is built upon sense it exalteth not the faithfulness of God it exalteth not the Omnipotency of God I will tell you what is the divinity of sense Let me see and then I will believe but it knoweth not what it is to believe upon trust and because the Lord hath spoken in his Holiness And in effect Faith that is built upon sense is no faith even as Rom 8. Hope that is seen is no hope and therefore when the Lord seeth a Christian making sense an Idol that he will not believe but when he seeth or feeleth this doth often provoke the Majesty of the Lord to withdraw himself from that Christian and to deny him the sweet influences of Heaven and those consolations that are above so that in an instant he hath both his sense and his faith to seek 2. A Christian is not to make his graces the object of his Faith that is when a Christian doth behold love burning within him when he doth be hold influences to prayer increasing and mortification waxing strong he is not to build his faith upon them this was condemned in the Church Ezek. 16.14 compared with the 15. verse I made thee perfect with my comliness but the use that thou didst make of it thou didst put thy trust in thy beauty and then thou didst play the harlot It is certain that grace when it is the object of our Faith it doth provoke God to blast the lively exercise thereof and to make a Christian oft times have that complaint Wo to me my leanness my leanness testifieth to my face I will tell you three great mysteries in Christianity about grace The first is to ride marches between these two not to deny what they have and yet to be denyed to what they have Many times there is grace-denying and not self-denying but this is that we would press upon you to be denyed to grace according to that which is recorded of Moses His face did shine and he knew it not He did misken it as it were and was not at all puffed up with it for so the words we conceive may run Secondly it is a great difficulty for a Christian to be denyed to his self-denyal to be humble in his being humble for if pride

can have no other foundation it will build it self upon humility and a Christian will grow proud in this that he is growing humble Thirdly it is a difficulty for a Christian to examine his growing in grace and not to be puffed up It is certain a Christian ought to examine his growth in grace humbly according to that Psal 63.8 My soul followeth hard after thee thy right hand upholdeth me He doth not only take notice of this that his soul did follow after God but of the measure of that pursuit my soul followeth hard after thee and yet sweetly acknowledgeth it was not his own feet which carried him nor his own hand that kept him from falling 3. Ye are not to build your faith upon your works and upon the righteousness of the Law I need not stand long to refute that practical Popery that is amongst us that thinketh we can go to heaven through a covenant of works I told you not long since what your going to heaven through a covenant of works speaketh even this horrible blasphemy that it was an act of monstruous folly to send Christ to die for sinners for if you can go to heaven without him was not then Christ crucified in vain And I would tell you now that this speaketh out your damnable ignorance of the weakness and deceitfulness of your own hearts O ye that are so great defenders of Salvation by the covenant of works I beseech you what is the reason that ye break the covenant of works oftener then any For there is none that thinketh they will go to heaven this way but those that are the greatest breakers of the covenant of works And is not that inconsistent and contradictory Divinity your faith contradicting your practice and your practice telling you that your faith is a lie 4. We must not mix our own righteousness with Christs as the object of our believing This is indeed an evil that often lodgeth in the bosom of the most refined hypocrite when Satan cannot prevail to exclude Christ altogether then he is content with that whorish Woman to divide the child and let the object of our Faith be half of Christ and half of self And the truth is many of these poor unwise sons who stay long in the place of breaking forth of children do willingly hearken to this overture for fear it be presumption for such poor wretches to meddle too boldly with the riches of Christ but it were good such weak ones would consider that word Rom. ● 2 where the holy Gost calleth the making 〈◊〉 of his righteousness an act of submission they 〈◊〉 not submitted saith he unto the righteousness of Christ O will ye not lay this to heart that our Lord will take your believing or your putting on his righteousness for an act of great humility and will take your misbelief as a marvelous act of the highest pride and presumption 5. We are not to make providence the object of our faith I know there are some that ask the ground of their right of heaven they will tell us that God hath been kind to them all their dayes I would only say to such He may be feeding you unto the day of slaughter and no man knoweth love or hatred by any thing that is before him Thus much of the object of Faith negatively And now to speak to it positively we see the Text holdeth out Christ himself as that excellent and compleat object of Faith This is his Commandment that we believe on the Name of his Son And thus Faith closeth with Christ under a fourfold consideration First it closeth with God in Christ not with God immediatly and nakedly for he dwelleth in light inaccessible that no man can approach unto He is higher than the Heaven what can we do and deeper than hell what can we know Job 11. Therefore we must approach unto him thorow a vail even the vail of Christ his flesh Heb. 10. God is a consuming fire and of purer eyes then that he can behold iniquity a●… therefore we must first cast our eyes upon tha● blessed Dayes-man that laid his hands upon us both and look unto God as in Christ reconciling 〈◊〉 world to himself and so draw near unto hi●… through a Mediator who is the first and the last and he that liveth and was dead and is alive fo● evermore able to save to the uttermost all th●… come unto God by him seeing he liveth for ever to make intercession for them Secondly Faith closeth with Christ as tendered freely in a covenant of promise we would have had nothing to do with Christ if he had not been given of the Father and offered himself in a free covenant of promise but he being thus holden forth upon terms of free Love which doth utterly abominate hire and so noble a proclamation issued forth under the great seal of Heaven That whosoever will may come and drink of the water of life freely Upon this the poor creature draweth near by vertue of a right and stretching out the arm● of most enlarged affections doth run upon him with that joyful shout My Lord my God and then maketh an absolute resignation of it self to him which is holden out in the Scripture by that sweet expression of kissing of the Son And there are three parts of Christs blessed body that the Christian must endeavor to kiss and embrace the mouth of Christ the hand of Christ and the feet of Christ The kissing of his feet importeth the exercise of love the kissing of his hands the exercise of subjection and the kissing of his mouth the exercise of communion and fellowship with him Thirdly Faith closeth with Christ as the purchaser and meritorious cause of all the good we receive He is the person that hath purchased all these things unto us and there is not one blink of love there is nor the smallest enjoyment that a Christian meeteth with but it is the price of the blood of Christ Christs precious blood was laid down for it Fourthly Faith closeth with Christ as the efficient and worker of all our mercies all our enjoyments are from him as the efficient cause that is he is the worker of all things in us it is his preciouss fingers that must accomplish that blessed work of grace and they are from Christ as the dispenser of these things Christ is the great steward of heaven that doth communicate unto believers all the treasures of the higher House For him hath God the Father sealed O! but that word that Christ once spake is much verified by himself It is more blessed to give then to receive Christ is that fountain and treasure in whom all our gifts and graces are ●reasured up for before the blessing come to believers they come to Christ as the head according to that word 2 Tim. 1.9 Which grace was given to us in him before the foundations of the world were laid It was given to Christ before the world was made and

upon one that is mighty and to make use of the righteousness of a crucified Savior that so what we want in our selves we may get it abundantly made up in him III. There is this likewise that obstructeth our closing with Christ our too much addictedness to the pleasures and carnal delights of a passing world which is clear from Luke 14.18.19.20.21.22 Mat. 22.5.6 where those that are invited to come to the feast of this Gospel they do make their Apologie and with one consent do refuse it some pretending on impossibility to come and some pretending a● unavoidable inconveniency in coming And O! what a ridiculous thing is that poor complement that those deluded sinners used to Christ I pray you have us excused And is not the world the great plea and argument that they make use of when they will not come and make use of Christ IV. There is this lastly which doth obstruct ones coming to Christ their unwillingness to be denied to their own righteousness which is clear from Rom. 10.23 we conceive if once these two were believed which are the great Tropicks out of which all these arguments may be brought to perswade you to imbrace Christ to wit the infinite excellency of his Person on whom we are to believe the infinite loss that those do sustain who shal be eternally rejected of him we might be preswaded to entertain a divine abstractedness holy retirement from all things that are here below and to pitch our desires alone upon him who is the everlasting wonder of Angels and the glory of the higher House O! did we once suppose the unspeakable happiness of those whose Faith is now advanced unto everlasting felicity fruition and hath entered into that eternal possession of the promises might not we be constrained to cry out It is good for us once to be there Christ weepeth to us in the Law but we do not lament he pipeth unto us in the Gospel but we do not dance he is willing to draw us with the cords of men and with the bonds of love and yet we will not have him to reign over us May not Angels laugh at our folly that we should so undervalue this Prince of love and should contemn him who is holden in so high esteem reverence in these two great assemblies that are above of Angels and of the souls of just men made perfect Christ hath now given us the first and second summons the day is approaching when the sad and woful summons shal be sent against us of departing from him into those everlasting flames out of which there is no redemption and this shal be the cap-stone of our misery that we had once life in our offer but did refuse it And though there were four gates standing open toward the North by which we might have entered into that everlasting rest yet we choosed rather to walk in the paths that lead down to death and take hold of the chambers of hell O! but there are many that think the Gospel cunningly devised sables and foolishness they being unwilling to believe that which sense cannot comprehend nor reason reach and this is the ground why the Gospel is not embraced but is rejected as an humane invention and as a morning dream c. SERMON II. JOHN 3.23 This is his Commandment that ye should believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ c. THere are three great and cardinal mysteries in the unfolding of which all a Christians time ought to be spent First there is that precious and everlasting mystery of Christs love and condescendency which those intellectual Spirits the Angels are not able fully to comprehend Secondly there is that woful mistery of the desperate deceitfulness and wickedness of the heart which no man was ever yet able to fathom and comprehend And thirdly there is that precious mystery of that eternal felicity and blessedness that is purchased unto the Saints that once they shal reign with Christ not a thousand years only but throughout all the ages of everlasting endless eternity so that there is this difference betwixt this garden of everlasting delights that Christ hath purchased to the Saints and that first Paradise and Eden wherein man was placed There was a secret gate in the first thorow which a man that had once entered in must go out again But in the second and precious Eden there is no access in going out and all that is to be known of these three mysteries is much comprehended in this to know that they cannot fully be known Paul was a blessed proficient in the study of the first mystery and had almost attained to the highest class of knowledge and yet he is constrained to profess himself to be ignorant of this Hence is that word Ephes 3.19 That ye may know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge And is it not a mysterious command to desire people to know that which cannot be known The meaning whereof we conceive to be this in part that Paul pressed this upon them that they should study to know that this mystery of Christs love could not be known Jeremiah was a blessed proficient in the knowledge and study of the second mystery he had some morning and twi-light discoveries of that and yet though in some mea●ure he had fathomed that deep yet he is constrained to cry out chap. 17. vers 9. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it And indeed that which Solomon saith of Kings Prov. 25.3 may well be said of all men in this respect The Heavens for height and the earth for depth and the heart of man are unsearchable The Apostle Paul also was a blessed proficient in the study of the third mystery having some morning and twi-light discoveries of that promised rest and was once caught up to the third heavens and yet when he is beginning to speak of it 1 Cor. 2.9 he declareth all men to be ignorant of the knowledge of this profound mystery of mans blessedness and cryeth out Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him And if there be any thing further to be known in these mysteries the grace of Faith is sound worthy amongst all the graces of the Spirit to open the seven seals of the great depths of God Is not the grace of Faith that whereby a Christian doth take up the invisible excellency and vertue of a dying Christ Is not Faith that precious grace by which a Christian must take up the spots and blemishes that are within himself And is not the grace of Faith that precious grace that placeth a Christian upon the top of mount Pisga and there letteth him see a sight of the promised Land and doth open a door in heaven thorow which a Christian is admitted to see Christ sitting upon his Throne And faith hath not only

them I would say this that there are some who will have ten desires for death when they will not have one for the death of the body of death But it were good for thee who art such to be desiring the death of the body of death then shouldest thou be in a more suteable frame to desire to dye 3. Some will have hearty desires to dye and yet when death cometh they will be as unwilling to dye as any It hath been observed that some who have much desired to dye when death came have cryed out O spare a little that I may recover strength c. There is a great difference between a desire to dye and death it self It is an easy thing to desire to dye but it is a very great business to meet with death and to look it in the face when it cometh We think death ere it come near to us to be but childrens play but when we meet with it it maketh us change our thoughts for it is a great business to dye Quest. 2. Is it lawful for a Christian to desire to live when he is summoned to dye Answ In some cases is it lawful for a Christian to desire to live even when he is summoned to dye which is clear from the practise of David Psal 39.13 where he prayeth that the Lord will spare him a little it is also clear from the practise of good Hezekiah Isai 38.3 when he was commanded to set his house in order for he should dye and not live he cryed forth Remember now O Lord how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which was good in thy sight and Hezekiah wept sore Or as the word is in the Original he wept with great weeping but to guard this take these two Cautions Caution 1. Thy desires to live when thou art summoned to dye should not be peremptory but with submission to the will of God that if it be his pleasure to remove thee presently out of time thou shouldst be content to dye Caution 2. Thy desires to live should have gracious principles and also a very gracious end as is most clear from David Psalm 39.13 where he saith O spare me a little that I may recover my strength before I go from hence and be no more his desire to live was that he might have victory over his Idols as if he had said my desire to live is that I may have strength to wrestle with and overcome my idols and without all controversy Hezekiahs desire was a most precious and well-grounded desire However I would say this unto thee that thou shouldest examine thy desires to live as much if not more as thy desires to dye for we are ready to shun death if we could but he is that universal King unto whom all of us must be subject ere long Now in the words that are read unto you there are these six things which may be clearly observed from them First that it is a most true and infallible truth that all persons shal once see death as is clear in these words VVho is he that liveth and shal not see death Secondly that this truth that we shal once see death is not much believed or thought upon by many therefore it is that the Psalmist doubleth the assertion VVho is he that liveth and shal not see death Shal he deliver his soul that is his life from the hand that is from the power of the Grave Thirdly that sometimes a Christian may win to the solid Faith of this truth that once he must dye this the Psalmist wan unto as it is also clear in that word who VVho is he that liveth and shal not see death Fourthly that the certainty of this that once we shal dye should be kept in our mind therefore that note of attention Selah is put to it as if he had said Take heed that there is none living that shal not dye Fifthly that howbeit some persons put the evil day far away as if they were not to see death yet is the day coming when they shall see death and death shal take them by the hand Sixthly we shal take notice of this from the context that the Christian who is much in minding the brevity of his life will believe the certainty of his death The Psalmist was speaking of the shortness of his life in the preceeding verse and in this verse he speaketh of the certainty of death Now as for the first of these things observed viz. That it is certain and most sure that we must all once dye I hope there are none of you here who will deny it although I confess some few of you believe it yet said the woman of Tekoah 2 Sam. 14. VVe must all dye and be like water spilt upon the ground that cannot be gathered up again and God doth not accept the person of any And Job 30.13 I know thou wilt bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living And it is very clear Eccles 8.8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit neither hath he any power in the day of death and there is no discharge in that war neither shal wickedness deliver those that are given to it It is also clear Heb 9.27 It is appointed unto all men once to die So it is most clear that we must dye I remember of one Philip King of Macedonia who had one substitute for this very end to cry at his chamber-door every morning Memento mori memento mori momento mori Remember thou art to dye And it is reported to have been the practise of the Nobles of Greece that in the day wherein their Emperor was crowned that they presented a marble ston● unto him and he was enquired after what fashion he would have his Tomb-stone made Which practise speak this unto us that although these were most destitute of the light of the Scriptures they were very mindful of death Believe me death may surprise us before we be aware for it is most certain that we must dye but there is nothing more uncertain then the way how and the time when we shal dye Death will surprise some as it did Abel in the open field Gen. 4.8 Death will surprise some as it did Eglon in his parlour Judges 3.21 And death will surprise some as it did Saul and Jonathan in the flight 1 Sam. 31. Now in speaking unto this point I shal first speak a little to those advantages which attend those that live within continual fight of death Secondly I shal give you some considerations to press you to prepare for death Thirdly I shal give you some directions to help you to prepare for death And then we shal proceed unto the second point of doctrine which we observed from the Text and shal speak a few things from it unto you and so come to a close for this time First then we conceive