an Enthusiasme or immediate Revelation but such motives and inducements as were before recited which amounted onely to strong and high probabilities yet sufficient enough in an humble modest heart to produce Faith a certainty of adhaerence though not of evidence and this sufficient to produce acts and operations of Faith to provoke to the obedience of Faith A bruised Reed God will not break nor quench a smoaking Flax Mat. 12.20 if we have but Faith so much as a graine for a little Faith if sound is true Faith of mustard seed let the motives be what they will if this encline and promote obedience the least degree thereof is well pleasing to God he will accept without being furnished with the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 full Armour of infallibilities and demonstration Nathaniels Faith had neither Enthusiasme nor demonstration but a Topick or Argument a paribus backed by an humane testimony or report John 1.48 and Christ approved this his Faith and rewarded it with an higher concession of grace ver 30.51 and so Christ accepted Thomas his Faith though enduced by senfible experiments John 20 28. whatsoever the instrument or beginning or motive of beleife be if that work by love and work in us a care and desire to find the truth humility in following and constancy in professing it this shall be our reasonable service of God The third Part the Prayer O Eternall Lord God in whom to beleeve is Eternall life give to us thy grace which may suppresse every motion of infidelity that there be not in us an evill heart of unbeleife and however we be not able to manage the shield of Faith yet perfect thou thy strength in our weaknesse making it mighty through thy power working in us to pull down strong holds cast downe imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the Knowlege of God O holy Jesus the Eternall Word of the Father we beleeve thou hast the Words of Eternall Life Lord help thou our unbeleife and increase our Faith bring into captivity every thought to thine obedience that thy servants and followers may submit to thee our Lord and Master resigning our Vnderstandings to the Truth our Wills to the Goodnesse our Affections to the holinesse of thy Precepts and by Hope depending for satisfaction on thy precious promises O Immortall and all-glorious Spirit sanctifie unto us all those means and methods which are the preparatives and Introductions of Faith that they may be Instrumentall to Principle us in wholesome Doctrine to beget in us a love of the truth and obedience to thy Laws unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead and advance us to further degrees of Knowledge and spirituall Wisedom to the spirit of obsignation the confidence of hope and the assurance of thine eternall love and favour O holy blessed and glorious Trinity to whom belongeth the Kingdom the Power and the Glory throughout all Ages World without end Amen MOSES his Choice Heb. 11.24.25.26 By Faith Moses when he was come to Years refused to be called the Son of Pharaohs Daughter c. MOses in his Infancy and Minority being saved and preserved by a miraculous mercy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in his Minority and riper Years preferred educated and advanced in Pharaohs Court when he had arrived at full maturity and strength of dayes he bethinks himself how to exercise his Princely perfections and accomplishments supposing God had been so good and gracious to him for some great and honourable ends and purposes of mercy and beleeving no better way to imploy those powers then in the service of God the interest and concerments of his Church and People and further conceiving God therefore had delivered him that he might be the Cheif and Principall Instrument of his glory in the Preservation of his Fathers House and the redemption of his Brethren according to the Flesh For By Faith c. The first Part. Q. But why should Moses desert and relinquish Pharaohs Court in which he was so Honourably Educated and Entertained Or why should he deny for so the Vulgar renders it the appellation and title of the Sonne of Pharaohs Daughter who by her tender care and liberall bounty had obliged him Was it not both grosse ingratitude and great incivility thus to sleight her and her high respect Could he not at once be called the Sonne of Pharaohs Daughter and be indeed the Child and Servant of God a Courtier and a Christian Did not Joseph the holy Patriarch before him live both magnificently and religiously in the same Egypt and enjoyed the dignities and wealth thereof And long after this was not Devout Esther Queen to Ahasuerus Daniel and his Associates Nobles to Nebuchadnezzar A. Doubtlesse had not Pharaoh and his Court been implacable and mercilesse Tyrants violent Persecutors of and incorrigible irreconcilable Enemies to the people of God Moses might still have resided in that Court and without any violence to his Religion possessed whatsoever Egypt afforded but in this juncture of time the case was otherwise to be stated then it was when Joseph Esther and Daniel had charge and command under Infidell Princes for these had liberty and opportunities to exercise their Religion to improve and manage their Royall Priviledges and immunities to the behoofe and advantage of their civill and sacred relations whereas Moses must either in a base and unworthy complyance joyn with the Egyptians to vex them whom God had wounded or in a dull sleepy security and Epicurean softnesse neglect the remembrance and afflictions of Joseph and stifle and choke that publike Spirit which God had endowed and enobled him withall for eminent and illustrious atcheivements for besides what is above mentioned Moses had sufficient Authority and Commission to enterprize and undertake the Deliverance of his Hebrew Brethren from the Egyptian Bondage a Command Call and Order from God the Lord of Lords the onely Supreme and so as Pharaohs cruelty did lessen Moses his Obligation of gratitude for he being a Publique Spirit and no pure self-lover every indignity and injury to his Brethren was so to him so Gods command did quite supersede all Obligations to Pharaoh his Daughter or Court both because they were but the Instruments of Gods providence who of Enemies made them Friends and Benefactors and so the highest Obligation was to the principall efficient God and also because a command from God to whom proud Pharaoh was but a mean Subject the Supreme of all doth null and voyd all Orders and Obedience to the Inferiour for though Religion doth not take away or disanull the tyes of Nature and Civility but rather enforce and perfect them yet where their Ruler and Offices are counter-checked by an expresse command or prohibition from God there it is Religion and Duty to wave them and observe the expresse The result then is this That if it come to this passe and point that our temporall preferments and possessions our naturall or civill
then his Preservation God gratifies her Religious good Nature with larger bounties she had also the delight and comfort to Suckle and Swadle him and not onely by connivence or permission but by speciall Favour and Commission from Pharaohs Daughter not upon her own proper costs and charges but with a certain Honourable Salary and Stipend and with full expectation of high preferment in Pharaohs Court for a surplusage So true is that of the Apostle Eph. 3.20 God is able to doe exceeding abunndantly above all that we can aske or think And the Psalmists supposition is here in some sence affirmatively true When his Father and Mother forsook him then the Lord took him up Psal 27.10 for Moses his Parents durst not take notice of him neither was there any to look for or after him but a timerous Damosell who yet but looked at a distance God took the care then upon himself who is a present help when all other second auxiliaries faile to all distressed persons but above all others to exposed Infants Their Angels in Heaven when no Guardians on Earth doe alwayes saith our Saviour Mat. 18.10 behold the Face of my Father stand before and about him as his Guard continually to attend and wait for Orders towards their protection and preservation And as he appointeth his noble Hosts to be their Overseers and Assistants so he maketh the most honourable among men to be the instruments of his good providence Kings shall be their Nursing Fathers and Queens their Nursing Mothers as was here in effect demonstrated and was in some part proved and experienced by David and so by him witnessed and attested Psal 22.9.10.11 4. The experience of Gods mercifull dispensations and gracious dealings is a great ayd and assistance to our Faith and a strong and powerfull encouragement for our chearfull dependance on Gods good providence It was an experiment which satisfied Peters scruple removed his error and prejudice and produced that determination and conclusion of Faith Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons Acts 10.34 And it was an Argument of sense which fetched that answer and confession of Faith from Thomas My Lord and my God But as it is an help to Faith so it is the settlement and strength of hope and obedience former favours provoke us to thankfulnesse in prosperity and good dayes and encline us to confidence and resolution in adversity in dangerous and difficult times take a proofe and instance of both Josephs rejection of his Mistrisse her solicitations was grounded on his Masters favour and Gods goodnesse in his former deliverance and present preferment Gen. 39.8.9 Behold my master c. as if he had said Such an unworthy complyance and condiscention as she moved was both a sin against God and an iniustice against Pharaoh the former an act of irreligion the latter of ingratitute both a great wickednesse When Benhadad was in straits and knew not which way to turn himself his Servants counselled him to joyn with them in a submission to Ahab King of Israel and the motive to this their counsell and his acceptance and all their submission was this Behold now we have heard that the Kings of the House of Israel are mercifull Kings c. 1 Kings 20.31.32 Doubtlesse it is a good Argument God hath been found in this and such emergencies when we sought unto him therefore let us seek again to him he hath heard when we called therefore let us call again David frames such an Argument when from an induction of mercies he concludes a continuation The Lord that delivered c. 1 Sam. 17.34.35.36.37 And Saint Paul from the former experience of mercies builds his future hopes of a succession 2 Cor. 1.8 9.10 So true is that of the same holy Apostle Rom. 5.4.5 Patience worketh experience and experience hope not an hypocriticall presumption which hath the luck alwayes to be bafled but a grounded dependance which maketh not ashamed as all hypocrites shall be when their vain confidences fayl them which alwayes obtains either what it expects or better or more and is therefore a rejoycing hope because an obtaining ver 2. or which is more pertinent Because the love of God is shed abroad c. ver 5. former receipts of mercies hath produced in our hearts an assurance that God loveth us and if so then we know that all things work together for good to them that love God Rom. 3.28 and none but such God loves so as to reward And this made the Psalmist use that Exhortation Tast and see that the Lord is good c. Psal 34.8 and that solemn and sacred Protestation I will remember the years c. Psal 77 10.11.12.13 5. Acts of nature and reason if performed in Faith are taken in and converted into Religion Moses Parents did an act of naturall affection in Faith as was before cleared and so they were not onely naturall but religious and faithfull for so doing and the ground hereof is That as not the opus operatum not the doing of a work of Religion is a duty abstractedly and simply considered removed from all adjuncts and circumstances for even the most wicked transgressors may doe that which for the substance of the work is Religious and yet they are not Religious in doing it because of a defailance in the right manner of performing as in Jehu his Zeale the Pharisees Prayers the Hypocrits Almes for they doe them not in ayme respect and order to God and his Laws but to other ends and purposes as is expressed Hos 7.14.16 Zach. 7.5 so the most common acts of life of nature and civility may become acts of Faith and holy Religion if they be duely circumstantiated done spiritually and divinely with relation and reference unto God obedience and submission to his will for it is the manner of doing and the end which differenceth and distinguisheth holy and prophane actions acts of Faith and acts of Reason of Grace and Nature and therefore those acts which materially are naturall and ciuill rationall and morall if performed with a desire a care and conscience to please God they are formally and truely Religious and Christian as the Philippians Contribution sent by Epaphroditus is called a Sacrifice acceptable a Sacrifice acceptable because done to him with an Eye and respect to God the liberality was to Paul the Sacrifice the Service to God and this sauctified it and adopted it into an holy office or an act of Faith Aug. lib. 19. de Civ Dei cap. 25. throughout 6. To denominate an act a duty of Faith it is sufficient to walk and move according to that degree and measure of light we have received and to beleeve proportionably to the evidence of the Revelation That which stayed Moses his Parents their Faith and for which they were reputed faithfull was not a clear Philicall or Mathematicall demonstration for this carries its evidence so strongly along with that it commands and forceth assent neither was it
and condition wherein Christ his Lord was interested and concerned yet Moses had not onely this motive of Faith to perswade him to this choice but he had another also and that a powerfull one For he had respect also to the recompence of the Reward that is beleeved the Deliverance of his People was approching and they should receive the promised Inheritance the Land of Canaan a Type and Figure of Heaven Q. But what doth Faith Eye temporall Objects or are temporalties as well as spiritualties taken into the cognizance of Faith or is that true Faith which moves for either of these respects could Moses fight the Lords Battells and look for Pay or Recompence Is not this to be a mercinary Souldier no Voluntiere or rather thus to act Is it not to love our selves and the reward not the Lord and his Service Is it not to serve him for Hire not for Duty A. Indeed it is most true That the Glory of God should be both the prime mover and ultimate end of all actions which are truely Religious because all Religion is to be terminated in God yet our immortall soules whose chiefe felicity and complement is the Union and fruition of God may deservedly challenge our secondary and subordinate thoughts and respects both because that in these respects we ayme at God who is our perfection and reward and also because our respects are regular when we take in the intermediate end with order and respect to the last and chiefest For in this case we overlook our selves by Eying an higher and more glorious Object And for this we have warranty both from those Precepts which enstruct us to seek the Kingdom of God to lay up a sure Foundation of good works For the hope of the Eternall Reward to strive with all care to secure our Election Luke 16.9 1 Cor. 9.24 Tit. 2.12.13 Colos 3.23 and also from those great presidents who have practised before us Moses here in this place Saint Paul Phil. 3.11.12 If by any means I might attain unto the Resurrection of the dead Not as though I had already attained either was already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Iesus Our Saviour Christ that grand Exemplar Heb. 12.2 Looking unto Iesus the author and finisher of our Faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the crosse despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God And also from good Reason for Qui uult finem nult media and è contra now God commands the means faith and the end of that is salvation 1 Pet. 1.9 Receiving the end of your Faith even the salvation of your soules He commands holinesse of life and the end of that is Eternall life Rom. 6.22 an happy end is a great provocation and encouragement to action and for this end God proposeth to us that most blessed and comfortable end The result is this That to act meerly propter mercedem for an hire is slavish and self-ish but to doe ex intuitu mercedis to look upon the Reward as an incitement and comfort is a most usefull help and so morally necessary to piety and devotion 1 Cor. 15.58 Therefore my beloved brethren be ye stedfast unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Col. 3.24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ 2 Tim. 4.8 Henceforth there is layd up for me a crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but unto them also that love his appearing The Second Part. 1. By Faith For Flesh and Blood would have perswaded Moses to a contrary choice to continuance and residence in Pharaohs Court and if he had consulted with worldly men concerning his Designe if they disliked his Person he would be censured and derided as weak and unpolitick if they had a kindnesse for him they would rebuke him as Peter did our Saviour upon a somwhat like account Be it far from thee Lord This shall not be unto thee Mat. 16.22 But Faith adviseth not with Flesh and Blood neither resolves with the men of this world No it adviseth with the Word of God and resolves with the Church of God and therefore that which the World so much admires and fancies the gallantry and splendor of a Princes Court the Title and Dignity of his Sonne and Favourite the Treasures of his Exchequer he did with great resignation and freedom relinquish and forsake And which is yet more that the World most dislikes and abhorrs poverty persecution ignominy slavery he did with much cheerfulnesse embrace for then he left the powerfull prevailing party and sided with an afflicted and despised people vexed and oppressed with arbitrary impositions and inhumane servitudes See what Faith can doe it can overcome the World it can count all things but losse to be found in Christ It is Faith and nothing but Faith that sets a just estimate and value of things not because currant but because worthy that distinguished betwixt truth and appearances substantiall and fantastick happinesses and so makes a Christiam esteem and adjudge the persecutions of an holy Church an higher preferment then the promotions of a tyrannicall Court that more then Heathenish Law of self-preservation is superseded by Christ Mat. 10.33 Whosoever shall deny me before men him will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven And ver 37.38.39 He that loveth Father or Mother more then me is not worthy of me and he that loveth Son or Daughter more then me is not worthy of me And he that taketh not his crosse and followeth after me is not worthy of me He that findeth his life shall lose it and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it and so abolished by that Law of Faith which he prescribed 2. By Faith because done in obedience to that Law and Rule of Faith which the Captain and High Priest of our profession had enacted and ordered The main difference betwixt that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thes 1.3 the Work of Faith which is the fincere observation of Christ precepts and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 2.15 the work of the Law written in our hearts which is the dictates of a naturall conscience and the common notions of humanity betwixt an act of Grace and that of Nature that the oue is done onely rationally the other obedientially the one is a faculty the other a duty that we performe as man a rationall creature made by God and so his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other as a Christian a devout sworn servant of Jesus Christ who hath brought into captivity every thought even the most rationall most excellent thought or suggestion of Nature to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor.