discouraged A little grain of true Muske is able to sweeten a great deale So if faith be true a little true faith will perfume all the heart and soule it hath influence into euery thing and it puts a good tincture vpon all that a man doth though it be but little yet the influence is great Therfore though thou haue not a great measure of faith if thou haue a little comfort thy selfe with that we know the best bud drawes sap from the root as well as the greatest branches as truely so they that budde that are but yet in the beginning of faith yet they are as truly grafted into CHRIST and receiue life from him as those that are growne Christians And therfore be noâ— discouraged because thou hast not as yet a great measure of Faith say not because I am not as strong as such therfore I am no body reason not so if thou haue but as much as will bring thee within the doore within the Couenant within compasse once it is true when a man is within the doore there are greater degrees he may goe farther into the house or a little way in but all is one when he is in once So in faith a little faith is enough to put a man within the Couenant to put one within the Gate of Heauen as it were indeed when they are in some goe further and some goe not so farre but if thou be in at all comfort thy selfe with that and thinke not that euery little infirmity shall breake the Couenant when thou art in No that which makes a diuorse betwixt GOD and you will doe it but euery infirmity doth not that Take heed therfore of robbing GOD of his glory and your selues of comfort you know what a Father he is he is a tender and a wife Father we reckon it wisdome in parents when they consider the infirmities of their children GOD is wise let vs goe to him a Father will beare with his sonne and receiue him againe and againe though he haue infirmities So GOD is thy Father what though he see many failings in thee what though he see wee haue little grace or little faith yet wee are sonnes GOD will spare vs and therefore cast not away your hope but labour to know that though you be but as smoking Flax yet there is fire there as well as if it were all on a flame Now it is Satans end indeed to discourage and remember but that that the thing hee labours is to perswade you that you haue no faith and that a little will not serue the turne and that because thou art not so strong as the strongest Christians that therefore thou hast a false heart and art no body at all his end is to discourage labour to resist him And we that are Ministers of CHRIST wee are in this case to comfort and encourage you as Paul saith we were gentle among you as a Nurse among her children wee should bee tender ouer you and comfort and encourage you wee are not Lords of your faith And thereâ—ore in Ezekiel 33. it was the fault of the Shepheards they ruled all the people with rigour but we are helpers of your ioy for what haue we to doe but what our Master hath set vs about to doe as he did how did he behaue himselfe the smoking Flax hee did not blow it with a tender breath to kindle it more he dealt not roughly with it So the Ministers of GOD should labour to build men vp to draw them on Indeede sometimes the Minister must be sharpe to wake men when they sleepe to discouer hypocrites and temporizing professors to teach those to know themselues that haue a forme of godlinesse without the power thereof here the Word preached must be a two-edged sword that must pierce betweene the marrow and the ioynts here the Word must be as the Thunder and Lightning it must haue terrour in it So Christ comes with his Fanne in his hand and with his Axe in his hand he will burne the chaffe with vnquenchable fire and hew downe the vnfruitfull Trees but this is to be vnderstood of those that are false-hearted those that are not sound that haue Christ offered them but doe not receiue him Indeede to those our Ministery is sharpe but for others it is not so And therefore in Ezekiel 34. we are to doe as the Shepheards doe there with their Flocks some Sheepe are weake and are not able to goe the pace of the rest some are broken some are lost and some are gone astray and some are great with yong our businesse is to seeke those that are lost to driue all according to the pace of the weakest to binde vp the broken to carry them in our armes thus Christ did and if we faile in this CHRIST who is the great Shepheard of the Flocke he sees it if we goe astray he fetches vs in if we be broken and haue lost our wooll and be not in right order he bindes vs vp he feedes vs and tenders vs thus Christ deales with you And therefore be not discouraged though thou be not so strong as the strongest yet if thou be a Sheepe if thou be in the fold if thou hast the least degree of faith it is able to make thee partaker of this righteousnesse although thou haue not the highest degree though thou haue not that excellencie that others haue The second vse is to exhort you to growe in faith and so I end content not your selues with a little a small measure of faith though notwithstanding a little will serue to put you in the state of saluation yet it should be your wisdome to get a great degree as the Apostle saith 2 Pet. 1.13 Trust perfectly in the grace brought in by the reuelation of CHRIST Marke it for it is an excellent place for this purpose study it and thinke well of it trust perfectly in the grace reuealed that is to say doe it not by halues let noâ— there be some odde reckonings betweene GOD and thee stand not in distance from him but trust vpon him perfectly beleeue fully and assuredly that your sinnes are forgiuen you beleeue fully the grace that is giuen you through CHRIST doe it perfectly throughly trust perfectly in the grace brought in by CHRIST that is our fault that we doe it not in such a manner hence it is that our Joy is weake our grace is weake trust perfectly that your Joy may be full that you may haue full communion and fellowship with CHRIST the benefit is exceeding great when we trust perfectly and why will you not why should you limit the holy one of Israel It was their sinne and transgression to limit him in his power and alsufficiencie as if he were not able to doe such and such things and is it not as great a sinne to limit him in his mercie and goodnesse Why cannot hee forgiue sinnes and transgressions that in all circumstances are the greatest sinnes in
that loves not let him bee accursed let him bee had in execration to the death I should prosecute it further and shew the reasons why wee should loue the Lord as there is great reason But that I must deferre till the afternoone FINIS THE SECOND SERMON GALLAT 5.6 For in Iesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love THE last tryall of our love to Christ was its constraining vertue love will constraine you to serve him you cannot choose but doe it it so constraines a man as the weight of a stone compelleth it to goe to the center as the lightnesse of the fire compells it to ascend up for such a thing is love a strong inclination of the heart when the soule puts it selfe on any thing from an inward principle from a bottome of its owne when it is carried on with no other motive but the amiablenes of the object Now to conclude this wee must beseech you to consider your owne condition and examine your selves by these rules that you may be able to say as Peter said Lord thou knowest I love thee that is to have such an assurance that your hearts may be well affected towards Christ Iesus that you may love him that you may be able to say to God who knowes our hearts searcheth our reines that knowes all the windings and turnings of your soules Lord thou knowest that I love thee Since it is a matter of such moment wee should be carefull to examine if we finde that we have not yet this love for we must know that all that we have all that we doe it will nothing availe us but faith which worketh by love And if you object why doe ye preach damnation to us doe you tell us we are in an evill condition for want of this love I answere it is profitable for you while you are in such a condition to have it preached it is good for you to speake this damnation to your selves that while yet there is hope you may seek to be healed that you may be translated into another condition that you may not perish in the evill day when there shal be neither hope nor helpe for you For you must know that when wee deliver you these signes of examining your selves our end is not to grieue you this doctrine tends not to destruction but to discover to you your owne hearts that you may know your owne condition that if you want it you may seek after it If therefore you finde a want of this love that we will doe next shall be to shew you what reason you have to love the Lord Iesus for there is no better way to get it in you than to describe him to you to shew you what cause there is of loving him if wee were able to present him to you as he is we should effect this thing but that must be the worke of the holy Ghost notwithstanding we will briefly open to you such reasons as we finde used in the Scriptures And first let this moue you to loue him that he is worthy to be beloved as David speakes Psal. 18.3 The Lord is worthy to be praised so wee may say the Lord is worthy to be loved for what is it that makes any thing worthy of loue it is the excellency that we finde there Now in the Lord there is all kinde of excellency whatsoever there is that is amiable under the Sunne all that you shall finde in him more abundantly If ever you see any thing in any creature any thing amiable in man if ever you saw any beauty any vertue any excellency all these must be more abundant in him that made these creatures And therefore if you haue a loue as there is no man without some loue or other some creature seemes beautifull to you thinke with your selues this is more in the Lord. If ever you see excellency in any man if ever you see any noblenesse any holinesse any excellency of disposition know that it is more abundant in the Lord Iesus Let these rivers leade you to that Ocean to that abundance of excellency that is in the Lord. And if you loue any creature let it be with a little loue let your affection be proportionable to the object as it exceedes in the Lord so let your loue exceede towards him to loue him with all your soule and all your strength And know this that hee hath not onely that in an omnipotent manner that is but sprinkled among the creatures they haue but a sparke but a drop of it but also there is this in the Lord that there is nothing in him but that which is amiable every creature hath some imperfection in it there is somewhat in it may cause aversation in you there is no man but hath some weaknesse but hath some infirmity there is no creature but it hath some want some defect in it but in the Lord there is no want there is nothing to put you off but as the Church saith Cant. 5. He is wholly delectable that is there is nothing in him but that which is amiable That would be a very profitable thing for us in this case often to thinke on the Lord Iesus to present him to our selues in our thoughts as the Spouse doth Cant. 5. shee considers her wellbeloved is the fairest of ten thousand so wee should beholde the person of our husband You know it is but a harlottry loue to consider what wee haue by our husband to consider what riches he brings what honour and not often to contemplate upon his person and upon his vertue and excellency wee should learne to doe this with the Lord that wee may loue him Therefore that wee may helpe you a little in this contemplation wee will shew you how the Lord hath described himselfe Exod. 34.4 when the Lord describes himselfe to Moses thus he declares his owne name The Lord Iehovah strong mercifull gracious long-suffering abundant in kindnesse and in truth reserving mercies for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne c. Wee will a little open to you this description that the Lord giues us of himselfe that so you may learne to know what hee is for the way to loue the Lord is to know him and indeed therefore we loue him not because we know him not there is no other reason why in heaven when we shall come to be present with him wee shall loue him so abundantly but because wee shall know him face to face that is the reason the Angels and the Saints loue most And of every man amongst the Saints hee that knowes most loues most Therefore it should be your labour to know the Lord. But to open as I say this description unto you First he is Iehovah that is hee is a constant friend to whomsoever he is a friend he is alway the same for that is another name by which the Lord describes himselfe to Moses when he sends him
I have been in a good estate I have broken the covenant with him I continued not in that good estate that out of his mercy he hath put me into To this he answers He is long suffering that is though you provoke him out of measure though you have done it againe and againe he continues patient you cannot wearie him out but his mercy indures for ever you know that if there were an end of his mercy that on your sinning hee should give over to be mercifull his mercy did not indure for ever therefore it is said He is long suffering because though your sinnes be often repeated yet the Lord as often repeates his mercy therefore there is a multitude of mercyes in him as there is a multitude of sinnes in you there is a spring of mercy in him that is renued every day he opens a spring for Iudah Ierusalem to wash in it is not a Cesterne but a Spring that is renewed as much as your sinnes that as you are defiled daily so the Lords mercy is renewed to wash away those sinnes he is long suffering But besides all this he goes yet one step further he is abundant in kindnes and in truth that is if you would know the Lord yet further whereas you may thinke He is a terrible God because of his great Majestie and power and therefore that those disharten you as wheresoever you find terriblenesse that you know puts off it is contrary to love and therefore the Lord to winne us the more tells us that though he be so great a God as he is yet he is abundant in kindnesse that is He is exceeding ready to beare with us that looke what you finde in a kinde Husband in a kinde Father or in a kinde friend that you shall find in the Lord he is exceeding kinde to you he is not harsh he is not stiffe he is not ready to obserue all that you doe amisse if you will aske any thing at his hands if you want it as therein kindnes doth consist he is ready to doe it whatsoever it is he is a God hearing prayer he saith whatsoever you aske at his hands he will doe it can you have a greater kindnesse than this if kindnesse be an attractive to winne love hee is kinde and hee is abundant in it If you will not beleeve this assertion this affirmation this description of himselfe hee tells you he hath promised and he will be as good as his word he is abundant in truth that is as if hee should say I am not onely of such a nature and disposition as I have described my selfe to be but besides this I am engaged to you you have many promises I have made you I have sworne I will doe thus and thus Therefore I will adde this to this disposition I am abundant in truth that is you shall finde me as good as my word and not so onely but I will be better than my word I am abundant in truth that is his performances exceede they runne over whatsoever hee hath said he will surely doe it Consider this consider how many precious promises you have consider what the Lord hath said hee will doe for you how full is the Scripture of promises every where remember this the Lord is abundant in truth he will doe them and overdoe them hee will fulfill every word that hee hath said And that he may give you a proofe of it he addes that he reserves mercy for thousands that shewes hee is abundant in kindnesse and in truth as if hee should say when any of you doe mee service when you are faithfull as Abraham my servant was I am bound no more but to reward your selves but I am abundant in mercy and forgivenesse reserving mercy for thousands The Lord cannot content himselfe to doe good to a mans owne person but to his children to his generation As David when he loved Barzillay and Ionathan it extended to their posterity when his love was abundant so the Lord reserves mercie for thousands Lastly because the objection still comes in when you have such a description of the Lord I but my sinnes are still repeated hee addes in the conclusion he is a God still forgiving iniquitie transgression and sinne Why are those three words put in That you may know that hee forgives sinnes of all sorts for every man is ready to finde some peculiarity in his sinnes hee thinkes such and such sinnes cannot be forgiven sinnes that I have committed thus and thus Nay saith the Lord what sinnes soever they are of what nature soever he forgives iniquity he forgives naturall corruption he forgives lesse infirmities he forgives greater rebellions and he is still doing it for so the word signifieth hee is still and still forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne So we have shewed you what the Lord is that you may learn to know him therfore we wil conclude this first and say to you as the Spouse saith Cant. 5. Such a one is the Lord and such a one is our wellbeloved oh you daughters of Ierusalem that is he is wholly delectable if we were able to shew him to you it must be your labour to consider him that you may learne to know him and to love him Secondly when you know this and consider what the Lord is and what excellency is in him consider in the next place the greatnesse of the Lord and know that this great God is suiter to you for your love that is he that makes towards you If a great King or if your potent neighbour should sue to you for love would not that move you You know the weaker should seeke to the stronger men of meaner condition should seeke to him of higher place when the great God beseecheth us to be reconciled to him when hee desires to be at peace with us and to be friends with us I say the greatnesse of God is a great argument to move us to love him as you have that Deut. 10.17 when the Lord reasons there with the people to perswade them to love him saith hee I am the God of Gods the Lord of Lords mighty and terrible as if he should say this great God hath done all this for you and this he requires at thy hands that thou shouldest love him when he shall desire but this refuse it not If one that we contemne one that is beneath us should seeke our love we are not so ready to returne love againe for we say he is below But when we consider God in his majesty and greatnesse that he should seeke to be reconciled to us that should move us that should win our hearts to him Besides consider what the Lord might have required of you you know you are his creatures you know what a distance there is betweene the Lord and you if he had put you on a harder task you ought to have done it if he had said to us you shall offer your children to me
desire long enough but how shall we be able to doe it I will tell you in a word and so conclude First you must pray for it it is a lovely suite when we come to the Lord and tell him that we desire to love him that we would faine doe it if we could and beseech him not to deny us that request that we know is according to his will doe you thinke that the Lord will refuse you in that case especially if you begge it importunately at his hands For if you object and say we have prayed and have not obtained it know that to love the Lord is a precious thing and therefore the Apostle reckons it so You will say How doth this prayer doe it I say that it doth it partly by obtaining at Gods hands for when you crie earnestly hee cannot denie you But as he did with the lame and the blinde when they were importunate hee never neglected any but healed them When you crie to the Lord and say I would faine love thee but I cannot will hee not be as willing to heale thy soule to give thee legges to runne after him and eyes to see him as he was to heale the lame and the blinde certainly he will not denie thee But besides that prayer doth it because it brings us to converse and to have communion with him by prayer wee are familiar with God by that meanes love growes betweene us as you know when you converse with men it is a means to get love Againe prayer doth it because when wee are much in calling upon God the Lord delights to shew himselfe to such a man yea at such a time for the most part as hee shewed himselfe to Christ when he was praying as he did to Moses and to Cornelius and others And againe prayer it exerciseth this love it blowes up the sparke of this love and makes a flame of it therefore much prayer begets much love If you would be abundant in love be fervent and frequent in this dutie of prayer pray much and you shall finde this effect of it it will beget love in you You will say prayer is a generall meanes for other things Why doe you put it as a peculiar meanes to get love The reason is because love in an especiall manner is a gift of the Spirit a fruite of the holie Ghost and it is true it must be a peculiar worke of the Spirit to beget love It is true faith comes by hearing and hearing begets faith it is done likewise by the Spirit but love is more peculiarly than other graces the gift of the holie Ghost And therefore 2 Thess. 4. saith the Apostle You are taught of God to love one another That is it is such a thing as God teacheth or else our teaching will never doe it that which he saith of love to the brethren we may say of the love of God the Lord hath put love into man man loves many times and knowes not why many times he hath reason that he should love and yet he cannot because it is a peculiar gift of God That naturall affection for a man to love his children all the world cannot doe it all the arguments in the world cannot perswade a man for if arguments could doe it we might perswade others to doe so but none can love so as the father doth his childe and why but because the Lord workes that in men So the love of God is a peculiar worke of the holy Ghost none are able to love Iesus but hee in whom the Lord hath wrought it in whom the holy Ghost hath planted this affection Therefore the way to get it is earnestly to pray to acknowledge the power of the holy Ghost to goe to him and say Lord I am not able to doe it this acknowledgement of the power of the holy Ghost is the way to prevaile Besides you know the power of God is so transcendent beyond the pitch of our nature that except the holy Ghost worke more than nature we shall never be brought together in agreeablenesse and sutablenesse wee are no more able to love the Lord than colde water is able to heate it selfe there must be somewhat to breede heate in that water so the holy Ghost must breed that fire of love in us it must be kindled from heaven or else we shall never have it Secondly another speciall meanes to enable you to love the Lord is to consider your owne condition to consider your sinnes what you are what hearts you have and what lives you have lead You will say how doth this beget love Yes this is a great meanes Mary loved much because much was forgiven her that is Mary Magdalen had great sense of her sinnes the Lord had opened her eyes to see what a one shee had beene what sinnes she had committed And because she had that sense of her sinnes her eyes were open to see her owne vilenesse thence it is saith he she loved much For when we are humble and poore in spirit when we are little in our owne eyes then the Lord will come and shew mercy on us when a man shall see his sinne and shall thinke with himselfe I am worthy to be destroyed I can expect nothing but death then the Lord shall come sodainly as it were and shall tell us you shall live and shall reconcile himselfe to us this will command love We shall never receive the Gospell as to love Christ till we come to poverty of spirit till we be thus humbled as in the first of Luke it is the speech of Mary My soule doth magnifie the Lord and why because he had respect to the poore estate of his handmaiden When she was little in her owne eyes and made no account of her selfe and thought not her selfe worthy to be looked after the Lord comes and takes her and vouchsafes her such an honour as to cause his owne Sonne to be borne of her now she could not holde but that was it that enflamed her heart with love to the Lord my soule doth magnifie the Lord because he had respect to the poore estate of his handmaid So wee see in David you never finde a greater expression of love in David than at that time when hee was most humbled when the Prophet came to him and tolde him what the Lord would doe for him that he would build him and house David begins to consider what he was what is David saith he What am I or what is my fathers house That is I am but a poore miserable man I am but thus borne what have I done that the Lord should respect me so farre If David had not beene so little and so vile in his owne eyes those great mercies had never so wrought on his heart And therefore I say the way to make us abundant in love is to consider our sinnes to be humbled to consider what
wee are and to conceive from thence the kindnesse of the Lord you know how it affected Saul when hee came into the hands of David that he had power to kill him he considered what he had done to Dauid how he had used himselfe to him and he saw Dauids kindnesse againe to him but unexpected and undeserved it was it melted his heart it dissolved him into teares So the love of the Lord when we consider how we have behaved our selves to him and yet he hath offered us peace and yet he saith Returne and I will forgive you I say this would worke on the hardest heart And therefore consider your sinnes it is not enough to say I am a sinner perhaps you are ready to doe so But come to particular sinnes consider wherein you have offended the Lord say you have done thus and thus as Paul reasons with himselfe I was a blasphemer I was a persecuter an oppressour and yet the Lord had mercy on mee so be ready to say I have committed such and such sinnes it may be uncleannesse it may be Sabbath-breaking and swearing c. yet the Lord hath beene mercifull or willing to receive me to mercy as that place Ier. 3.1 If a mans wife play the harlot will hee returne to her No he will put her away and give her a Bill of Divorcement but you have done it and done it oft and with many lovers and yet returne againe to mee saith the Lord So I say when Christ shall come to you when you have committed such and such sinnes and the Lord shall say to you though you have done this though you have done it often yet returne again to me and I will receive you to mercie I say this should melt our hearts and cause us to love the Lord. I should come to the third that is to beseech the Lord to shew his owne selfe to you for indeede wee shall never come to love him till the Lord shew himselfe to us It is one thing when we preach him to you and it is another when the Lord shewes himselfe For as the Sunne is not seene but by his owne light there is no way in the world to see the Sunne all the candles all the torches cannot doe it except the Sunne shew it selfe So I say of the Lord all the Preachers in the world though they should speake with the tongues of Angels they were not able to shew the Lord Christ Iesus what hee is but if the Lord shew his owne selfe to you if he open the cloud and shew you his glory and the light of his countenance then you shall know the Lord after another manner than we can shew him to you with another knowledge more effectually And when you have seene him thus you shall love him without this you shall not love him And therefore pray the Lord to shew himselfe to you as it was Moses prayer Exod. 33 Shew me thy glory What is that That is Lord shew me thy excellency which is exceeding glorious You must thinke Moses asked not this in vaine it was for some purpose hee asked not meerely to satisfie his fancie for the Lord would not then have heard him But what did he aske it for Surely that he might love the Lord the more by knowing him better And when Moses came to aske it at the hands of the Lord he did assent he proclaimed that is hee revealed himselfe more than ever he did before So I say to every one of you if you be earnest with the Lord desire him to shew you his excellencie that you might love him more serve him more and feare him more he could deny you no more than he did Moses for you must thinke that this is no extraordinary thing for the Lord to shew himselfe That which hee did miraculously to Stephen when he opened the heavens and shewed himselfe to the outward view that hee doth ordinarily to the Saints hee shewes himselfe to their mindes and inward affections When wee preach at any time except the Lord shew himselfe to you at that time then our preaching is in vaine for the word that we speake is but a dead letter it will worke no more upon you than a dead thing that hath no efficacy But when the Spirit goes with the word and hee openeth to you the thing that we speake then it is effectuall Therefore Paul to the Ephesians when he had opened those great mysteries hee concludes with this The Lord give you the Spirit of wisedome and revelation to enlighten the eyes of your understanding that you may know what the hope of your calling is and what is the glorious inheritance of the Saints c. As if he should say when I have said all this it is nothing it will not doe it but he beseecheth the Lord to give them the Spirit of revelation and then it is done And so to conclude all when we have said all we can to move you to love the Lord it is all nothing except the Lord give you that Spirit of wisedome and revelation to open your eyes to see what is the exceeding greatnesse and excellency of his power FINIS THE THIRD SERMON GALLAT 5.6 For in Iesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love OVT of these words we have formerly delivered this point to you that Whâ— soever loveth not is not in Christ. The last thing in the prosecution of this point was the meanes whereby this love is wrought in our hearts which we did not then finish notwithstanding we will not proceed in it at this time but rather alâ—â—r the matter and doe that which I did not then intend because there are many this day that are to receive the Sacrament and you know when we come to receive the Sacrament our chiefe businesse is to examine our selves Let every man examine himselfe and so let him eate of this bread and drinke of this cup. We have often pressed to you the necessitie of these two things First that you may not omit the Sacrament when it is administred in the Congregation whereof you are members for if they were to be cut off from the people that neglected the Passeover why should not this be accounted a greater sinne and to deserve a greater punishment to neglect the receiving of the Lords Supper which is come in the place of the Passeover and is farre beyond it First because it is more cleare and it is more cleare because the doctrine is more cleare for it doth more lively represent Christ now exhibited in the flesh than that which onely represented Christ which was then to come And secondly because the mercie that you are now to remember is your redemption from sinne and from hell a greater mercie than that which they were to remember in the Passeover which was their deliverance out of Egypt though that was not all therefore the neglecting of this must
so all men haue sufficient grace to receiue him there is an ability by that aswell as a freedom and vniuersality in the offer This we altogether deny Though Christ be giuen to all yet the gift of faith is a fruit of Election God giues faith and repentance and ability to receiue him where hee pleaseth The gate is open to all we shut out none but none will come in but those whom GOD inables A Pardon may be offered to all and yet none accept it but those whose mindes GOD hath inclined Therefore that he is offered to all it is without question They that question it doe it because they doe not vnderstand the Doctrine of our Diuines for we propound it no otherwise in substance then they doe only we differ in the method but it will be your wisdome to looke to that which will be of vse and yeeld comfort when you come to dye As this you may build on The Gospel is preached to euery creature vnder heauen therefore I haue my share in it If a Pardon be offered to some whose names alone are inserted therein you cannot say on any good ground I I am pardoned but when the Pardon is generall and offered to all then I can beleeue the Pardon belongs to me Were it onely to the Elect whose names are written in the pardon we should first enquire whether we be elect or no but that 's not the method Build you on the sure promise they that are pardoned shall take hold of it they that take not hold of it shall be excluded The next thing a man will desire to know is this What qualifications are expected Doth not GOD require to finde something in vs if he giue it vs I answer that it is offered to all and no qualification at all is required as praeexistent to be found in vs but any may come and take it GOD requires no qualification as concerning our sinnes he saith not you shall be pardoned so your sinnes be of such a number or of such a nature but though they be neuer so many though of neuer so extraordinary a nature though they may be aggrauated with all the circumstances that can be yet there is no exception at all of you the pardon runnes in generall termes This is the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world And seeing it is in generall termes why will you interline and restraine it You see it runnes in generall and so you may take it And as it is propounded generally so is it generally executed 1 Cor. 6.9 you shall finde the greatest sinnes that can bee named are there pardoned Be not deceiued you know how no fornicator nor adulterer nor vncleane person c. shall enter into the Kingdome of God and such were some of you but now you are iustified now you are sanctified now you are washed Though they had committed the greatest sinnes you see it is generally executed without exception But there is another sort of qualification Is there not something first to bee done I know that though I haue committed all the sinnes of the world yet they shall not prejudice my pardon but I must doe something to qualifie mee for it No not any thing as antecedareous and precedent to the pardon it is onely required of thee to come with the hand of faith and receiue it in the middest of all thy vnworthinesse whatsoeuer it be lay hold on the pardon and embrace it and it shall be thine But you will object then to what end is the Doctrine of humiliation to what end is the Law preached to be a Schoolmaster if no qualification be required I answer humiliation is not required as a qualification for no teares of ours can giue satisfaction And againe it hath beene found in a Reprobate For Iudas had it Neither is it any part of sanctification But how is it required then As that without which we will not come to CHRIST As for example If wee say to a man The Physician is ready to heale you before you will be healed you must haue a sense of your your sicknesse this sence is not required by the Physician for the Physician is ready to heale him but if hee be not sicke and haue a sence of it he will not come to the Physician If at a generall Dole it be proclaimed let all come hither that be hungry a man is not excluded if hee be not hungry but else he will not come therefore we preach that none receiue the Gospell but the poore those that be humble and touched with sence of sin and wrath and we preach so because indeed no man will come without it In the next place the Question will bee How this righteousnesse of CHRIST is made ours or What is to be done of him to whom it belongs To this I answer though no precedent qualification be required yet this must be taken a man must not reflect on himselfe and consider Am I worthy of it but he must take it as a Plaster which if it be not applyed will not heale or as meate which if it be not eaten doth not nourish As the Husband wooes his Spouse and sayes thus I require nothing at thy hands no condition at all I doe not examine whether thou art wealthy or no whether thou be faire or no whether thou bee out of debt or well conditioned it is no matter what thou art I require thee simply to take me for thy Husband After this manner comes Christ to vs we must not say Am I worthy to make a Spouse for Christ Am I fit to receiue so great mercies Thou art only to take him When we exclude all conditions wee exclude such a frame and habit of minde which we thinke is necessarily required to make vs worthy to take him As if a Physician come and offer thee a Medicine by which thou maist be heal'd and say I require nothing at your hands onely to drinke it for else it will doe you no good So GOD offers the righteousnesse of Christ which is that that heales the soules of men GOD lookes for nothing at your hands it matters not what your person is onely you must take it So you shall finde himselfe expressing it Esay 55.1 where he compares this to the offer of Wine and Milke Come buy Wine and Milke without money Let him that is athirst come and hee that hath no money As if he had said it is freely offered you are onely to take it But when you heare you must take it the Question will be What this taking is I answer This taking is nothing else but that which we call Faith and therefore that we may not erre in the maine I will declare what Faith is And it is nothing else but this when these two things concurre that God the Father will giue his Sonne and freely offers righteousnesse and we
what nature soeuer to thinke otherwise is to limit the holy one of Israel trust perfectly therefore It is not a little that will serue the turne as the Apostle saith 2 Pet. 3. vlt. grow in grace there is neede of it you shall finde that as you wade further in the profession of Christianity so you shall haue neede of more strength you shall haue greater imployment therefore you haue more neede of growth to goe forward and perseuere Againe you shall meet with greater temptations and assaults if you bee not more strong then at the first you are not able to resist Againe If you grow in faith you shall growe likewise in Joy and that is a thing which wee haue continuall vse of that is of onely vse to comfort and strengthen vs to make vs abound in the workes of the LORD that helpes vs to goe thorow all variety of conditions that enables vs to abound and to want to passe thorow good report and euill report to suffer and endure persecution now the more you grow in faith the more you grow in joy as the Apostle saith Rom. 15.13 The God of peace fulfill you with all ioy by beleeuing So that the more wee beleeue the more ioy the more consolation wee haue Againe the more you grow in faith the more you shall gaine the fauour of GOD the more you shall winne his loue there is nothing in the World doth so much winne the fauour of GOD as a great degree of faith and therefore though thou mayest be saued with a lesse degree yet that thou mayest be in a greater degree of fauour seeke more faith and this though it be reckoned a small matter to haue a great degree of GODS fauour yet it is the greatest dignity in the world Looke vpon all the difference of men it is their difference in the fauour of God that makes them so Why was Moses a man aboue all the rest saith GOD I will haue compassion vpon whom I will haue compassion and I will shew mercie to whom I will shew mercie I haue chosen Moses looke to what difference of men you will looke into what estate what condition thou wouldest haue either thy soule or thy body whatsoeuer it be it is by the grace and fauour of GOD in CHRIST IEsus that all thy comfort and consolation increaseth What shall make me grow in the fauour of GOD I answer there is nothing that causeth God to set so much by vs as faith the woman of Canaan see what cause Christ had to giue her such a great commendation great is thy faith and because her faith was great therefore hee set her at so high a rate So the Centurion saith CHRIST I haue not found so great faith in Israel and that is the thing that he set so great a price vpon So Iacob when hee got the name of Israel when he preuailed with GOD certainely it was the greatest blessing that euer he had Why was that Because hee shewed the greatest faith that euer he did it was a strong faith that preuailed with GOD And what set him at so high a rate in GODS Booke It was the faith he had in GOD therfore he is remembred in the whole Booke of GOD for his faith Therefore the more faith you haue the more GOD prizeth you it is it that winnes his loue I cannot stand vpon the arguments why we should grow in faith they are many The more faith we haue the more powerfull are our prayers in preuailing with GOD for faith giues strength to them Againe the more faith you haue the more you bring glory to GOD if there bee much faith there will bee much fruite it is the roote of all grace as Iohn 15.8 Herein is my Father glorified that you bring forth much fruit Get much faith then if you will haue much fruit that you may bring glory to GOD as if he should say If a man haue but some faith he brings forth fruit yet there shall be something wanting but when a man is eminent when he is conspicuous when he is as a great light that euery man turnes his eye to when he is as a Tree that brings forth much fruite which turnes the eyes of the beholders to it So it is with Christians herein saith Christ is my Father glorified c. A Christian hath no such motiue as this he shall glorifie GOD exceedingly if he haue abundance of faith he shall haue abundance of euery Grace he shall grow rich in good workes this is that which we should all labour for I cannot stand to presse it further So much for this time and for this Text. FINIS A TREATISE OF EFFECTVALL FAITH Deliuered in sixe Sermons vpon 1 Thes. 1.3 By the late faithfull and worthy Minister of IESVS CHRIST IOHN PRESTON Dr. in Diuinity Chaplaine in ordinary to His Maiestie Master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge and sometime Preacher of Lincolnes-Inne The iust shall line by faith Hab. 2.4 Who through faith subdued Kingdomes wrought righteousnesse obtained promises c. Heb. 11.33 34. LONDON Printed for Nicholas Bourne 1630. OF EFFECTVALL FAITH The first Sermon 1. THESS 1.3 Remembring your effectuall Faith c. IN the former Verses the Apostle setteth down this generall Wee giue thankes alwaies for you making mention of you in our prayers without ceasing First hee tels them that hee prayes for them and then hee tels them more particularly that his prayer was a thanksgiuing And this giuing of thanks for them hee expresseth by the continuance of it he did it constantly without ceasing not by fits making mention of you in my prayers Then he names the particulars for which he giues thankes namely these three For their Effectuall Faith Diligent Loue Patient hope Now these three Graces he describeth and setteth forth three wayes First from a certaine property or character which distinguisheth the true faith from the false faith the true loue from the false loue the true hope from false hope I giue not thankes for euery faith but for such a faith as is effectuall that is the property or character by which the truth of faith is discerned Againe not for euery loue but for such a loue as is laborious for so the word signifieth Thirdly not for euery hope but for such a hope as makes you patient that is the character by which to know hope And this is the first way whereby he describeth these Graces Secondly he describeth them from the object vpon which these Graces are pitched and that is Iesus Christ our Lord that is to say I giue thankes for the faith you haue in Christ for the loue you haue towards him for the hope you haue of what he will doe for you I giue thankes for that faith for that loue for that hope that hath Christ for the object of it Thirdly he describeth these graces from the sincerity of them I giue thankes for all these graces that you haue in the sight of God
breake a mans sleepe when he lay in that danger that if Achitophel's councell had taken effect hee had beene destroyed and yet now saith he I laid me downe and slept as if he should say This is an argument of my faith my heart is at rest and quiet so that I can sleepe quietly without stirring And â—o Paul see how hee accompts it how he behaued himselfe when God told him that he should appeare at Rome before Caeâ—â—r he knew that he should be deliuered from Ship-wracke and though forty men had bound themselues with a curse that they would destroy him and hee was told of it yet he made no great matter of it but said Goe and carry this young man to the Captaine So consider whether thy heart be quiet and rest vpon God or no for so much faith so much peace as in particular so in generall for matter of assurance know that there is a double peace or assurance One peace that ariseth from the confidence in the creature when a man thinkes he is strong in his wealth when he thinkes he is at rest The other is from assurance in GOD I know that he will be as good as his word I know whom I haue trusted Let security be built on this ground and the more security the more faith Therfore examine thy faith by peace I should adde somewhat more in this and some other signes which I must reserue vntill the next time FINIS OF EFFECTVALL FAITH The fourth Sermon 1. THESS 1.3 Remembring your effectuall Faith c. THE third Character of Faith which I named in the morning but did not fully finish is this If we haue justifying faith then we haue peace In this we should take heede As it is a great mercy to haue a true and sound peace so to haue a peace not well bottomed is the greatest judgement in the world when GOD giues vp a man that he shall be secure and at rest that he shall not haue his minde occupied about sinne or about matters of saluation I say it is a signe that such a one God hates if it continue so with him it is a signe God will destroy him But yet peace of conscience vpon a good ground is a signe of faith as I shewed in Moses Hannah Dauid and the rest So farre wee went in the morning Now you must know that all those instances that we brought you that where there is faith there is peace and quiet they were not onely for resemblance to shew you that as it is in those other things wherein wee beleeue so it is in the maine as you doe not beleeue any particular promise except you haue some quiet in your minde after it but likewise to shew you whether that peace bee good or no whether that faith be sure or no. For if you beleeue the maine certainely you will beleeue the lesse Therefore consider with your selues wee will inlarge this signe so farre If thou wouldest know whether thy faith be good or no whether thou haue peace indeede concerning the maine Consider with thy selfe whether thou art able to beleeue those promises which concerne those particular things which thou hast daily vse of For there are many promises which thou hast vse of continually in thy course thou hast euery day some occasion or other of trusting GOD See in these how thou doest beleeue whether thou hast peace and know that if thou haue not peace in these it is a signe thou hast not peace in the maine I will name but one place for it Looke in Phil. 4.6 In nothing be carefull but in all things let your requests be made vnto God And then saith he The peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding shall preserue your hearts and mindes in Christ Iesus Marke the opposition saith he In nothing be carefull when matters of trouble come when crosses come when great businesses come wherein thou knowest not which way to turne thee saith hee in such a case be not thou carefull doe the thing thou must haue so much care as to set thy head aworke as to deuise what to doe and to set thy hand aworke to act it but let there be no sollicitude to disturbe and disquiet thy affections within Let thy request be made knowne to GOD then the peace of GOD which passeth all vnderstanding shall keepe thy heart and minde in Christ Iesus As if hee should say if thou be not able to doe this it is an interruption of that peace it is a contradiction to that peace which passeth all vnderstanding that keepes thy heart in communion with CHRIST if thou be not able to cast thy care on him for other things that peace belongs not to thee Where there is a secret intimation not but that men may haue this peace and be inordinately carefull but ordinarily it is not so He speakes not of such infirmities as the Saints are subject vnto by distemper but of an ordinary course Consider now what thou dost for the things of this life Saith CHRIST Math. 6. Oh you of little saith Why so What was the signe of a little faith Saith CHRIST Doest thou thinke that hee will cloathe the grasse of the field which to day is and to morrow is cast into the Ouen Doest thou thinke that he will prouide for the yong Rauens that call vpon him and wilt thou not beleeue that he will doe so for thee If thou doe not beleeue this thy faith is nothing If thou beleeue little thy faith is little Consider that consider how you carry your selues for the things of this life doe you thinke that GOD will doe the maine and will not doe the lesse Doe you thinke that he will giue you Christ and will he not giue you other things The same faith that takes hold of the maine promise is it not ready to take hold of the lesse and to depend vpon it GOD is able to doe the greatest and is hee not able to doe the lesse Therefore I say in such a case as CHRIST saith Ioh. 3.12 to Nichodemus 〈◊〉 saith hee I come and tell you of earthly things and you beleeue me not how would you beleeue if I should tell you of heauenly things So I say if you will not beleeue GOD concerning earthly things when hee promiseth these how will you beleeue him for the greatest matters of saluation How will you beleeue in him for the giuing of CHRIST How will you beleeue in him for the raising of you vp at the last day Therefore consider whether you be able to doe this or no and know that if there be faith if you haue faith for the maine you will haue faith in particular cases As for exmple to giue you some instance Gen. 24.7 when Abraham had a particular occasion to send his seruant to get a Wife for Isaac saith the seruant Suppose the woman will not come with me See now what Abrahams answer was That God which tooke
neeedes be a greater sinne than the neglecting of that Now you see how strictly God layeth a charge upon them that no man should omit the Passeover unlesse sicknesse or a journey hindred him Now consider this you that have beene negligent in comming to this holy Sacrament for it is a great sinne and provokes God to anger when he shall see that this ordinance which himselfe hath instituted and which he hath laid such a charge upon you to doe is neglected Besides doe you thinke it is a sinne to neglect comming to the word and is it not as much to neglect this ordinance Besides doe we not neede all helpes of grace and is not this among the maine helpes Againe as you ought not to omit it so to come negligently to it to come without examination to come without a more solemne and extraordinary renewing of your repentance is to receive the Sacrament unworthily to eate and drinke judgement and damnation to your selves Now there are two sorts that receive the Sacrament unworthily First those that are not yet in Christ. Secondly those that are within the covenant but yet come remissely and negligently and take not that care they should in examining their hearts for though you ought to renew your repentance every day yet in a more especiall manner you ought to doe it upon such an occasion As women doe in scowring their vessells they make them cleane every day but yet there are some certaine times wherein they scowre them more so we should scoure our hearts in a more speciall manner upon this occasion Now because this is the businesse that wee haue to doe this day we will therefore handle that more fully that we touched lightly before which is this examination whether we love the Lord Iesus or no for if you love not the Lord Iesus you are not in him for whatsoever you doe availeth not if you haue not faith and love Therefore if you finde that you have not this love to Christ that you are not rooted and grounded in love you haue nothing to doe with Christ and if you have nothing to doe with him you have nothing to doe with the Sacrament And therefore we will shew you what properties of love we finde in the holy Scriptures This is one property of love set downe in 1 Cor. 13. Love is bountifull and seeketh not its owne things that is it is the nature of love to bestow readily and freely any thing a man hath to the party whom he loveth We see Ioseph that loved Benjamin as his love was more to him than to all the rest of his brethren so he gave him a greater portion than the rest It is the nature of love to be bountifull what a man loveth hee cares not what he parts with to obtaine it Herod cared not to have parted with halfe his kingdome to please that inordinate affection of his The Converts in the Apostles time how bountifull were they laying all their goods at the Apostles feete Zaccheus when hee was converted and his heart was inflamed with love to Christ he would give halfe his goods to the poore But in generall it is a thing that you all know that love is of a bountifull disposition If you would know then whether you have this love to the Lord Iesus or no consider whether you be ready to bestow any thing upon him whether you be ready to part with any thing for his sake David when hee abounded with love to the Lord you see how he expressed it in his provision for the Temple you see how he exceeded in it An hundred thousand shekels of golde and a thousand thousand talents of silver this saith he I have done according to my poverty As if he had said if I had beene able to doe more I would have done more but this was as much as I could reach unto herein hee shewed the greatnesse of his love to God in the greatnes of his bounty Take it in the love which we have one to another where a man loveth he denieth nothing Sampson when he loved the harlot he denied her nothing that she asked of him If you love the Lord Iesus examine your selves by this are you ready to bestow any thing for his advantage are you ready to take all opportunities to doe somewhat for his glory consider how many opportunities you have had and might have had wherein you might have expressed and manifested this love to the Lord Iesus Might you not have done much to the setting of a powerfull Minister here and there have you not had ability to doe it would it not much advantage the glory of Iesus Christ to make bridges as it were for men to goe to heaven by and to make the high way that leadeth thither A greater worke of mercy than these externall workes that appeare so glorious in the eyes of men to have blessed opportunities and not to use them because wee have straight hands and narrow hearts is a signe we want love to Christ. In the passages of your life there is many a case that if you were of a bountifull disposition you might doe much good in You know what Paul saith which was a great testimony of his love Acts 20.24 My life saith he is not deare unto me so I may doe any thing for Iesus Christ so I may fulfill the course of my Ministery So examine your selves whether you can say thus upon any occasion so that I may doe any good so that I may help forward any good cause that may tend to the glory of God my life is not deare unto mee my liberty is not deare my estate is not deare my friends are not deare to me You that have to doe in government many cases there are wherein if you will doe any speciall good you must part with something of your owne God lookes to you and sees what you doe and how your hearts stand affected in all these passages aske your selves now whether these things be not deare to you if there were love in you it will cause you to doe more than you doe It was Davids great wisedome when water was brought to him that was purchased at so deare a rate when so high a price was set upon it hee would not drinke it himselfe but powred it forth to the Lord and therein hee shewed the greatnesse of his love that he was willing to part with that which he so exceedingly longed for which was bought at such a rate The like he did when he bought the threshing floore of Araunah the Iebusite hee might have had it given him for nothing No saith he I will not offer to the Lord of that which cost me nothing As if hee had said I shall shew no love to the Lord then and if I shew no love to him what is my sacrifice worth For David knew well enough that God observed what hee did hee observed what it cost him The Lord observeth