man believe not what he professeth to be true he will be soon ready either to lay down or to take up Opinions as he may best serve the present time for his own interest In this respect an Unbeliever is a Time-server 1 Tim. 4.2 He speaks lies in hypocrisie If any new Doctrine may but swell the man up in his own Name or in his Estate he makes no bones of it to speak lies in hypocrisie 6. Apostacy Sixthly another dangerous sin the fruit of Unbelief and of Heresie is Apostacy or falling off from the Truth For by the same reason that an Unbeliever may fall from one Article of his professed Faith he may come in time to fall from all For if his Religion be no more but a State-Profession then in case the State changeth Religion where he lives his Religion is changed also And such is the Religion of all such People as are either extremely simple or extremely wise I mean worldly wise they know no other Religion than the State owns and that 's as good as no Religion at all because the State owns it it is vain to him For though that be supposed to be true which the State owns yet when a man owns it not because it is true but because the State owns it Isa 29.13 Mat. 15.9 it is vain to him In vain saith God do they worship me whilst their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men 7. Atheism The seventh and the last dangerous sin is down-right Atheism when men grow to that height of Profaneness to deny God and his Word Lo here 's descensus Averni those slippery and dangerous stairs of Unbelief Prov. 5.5 by which men depart from the living God and go down to Hell Heb. 3.12 Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God And thus you see this sin of Unbelief it s a Mother sin it s exceeding prolifical in a dangerous brood of Vipers that without Repentance will sting the sinner to death And further as Unbelief is a fertile Mother to all sin so 't is a cruel Stepmother to all Grace Unbelief a Step-mother to Grace An Unbeliever cannot love God because he cannot cast himself upon the love of God Joh. 5.42 Christ saith to the unbelieving Jews But I know you that ye have not the love of God in you An Unbeliever cannot submit with patience to the afflicting hand of God and therefore Vnbelief and Murmuring against God are ever joined together An Unbeliever cannot pray for what he wants Prayer is the daughter of Faith How shall they call on him on whom they have not believed Rom. 10. An Unbeliever cannot be thankful for any mercy received unless by Faith a man sees his interest in the Giver he can never be thankful for the Gift Psal 118.28 Thou art my God and I will praise thee thou art my God I will exalt thee As if he should have said Lord thou hast bestowed thy self as well as thy Benefits upon me and therefore I have found in my heart to praise thy Name In a word an unbeliever cannot perform any acceptable service to God you must make the tree good before the fruit can be good Mat. 7 18. and we are onely made good trees by Faith For by Faith we are grafted or planted into Christ without whose powerful influence we can bring forth no acceptable fruit to God Joh. 15.3 Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of it self except it abide in the Vine no more can ye except ye abide in me We may indeed bring forth wilde grapes and sowre grapes of our selves but the sweet grapes of New Obedience and such as may be pleasant to Gods own palate we can never bring forth till we are planted into Christ by Faith For without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11.6 Adde to this in the sixth place 6. Unbelief the Nurse of sin That as unbelief is the Mother of all sins so it is the Nurse that maintains and keeps life in every sin it binds every sin upon the Soul both in the guilt and power of it Where there is no Faith there can be no true evidence of forgiveness of sins for Men receive forgiveness of sins by faith in Christ Acts 26.18 7. Judgments on unbelievers Seventhly and lastly consider the Judgement that hangs over the heads of unbelievers if it be but partial unbelief I mean the distrusting of God in any particular Promise though we have Faith in the main to believe the reconcilement of our persons to God yet even that partial unbelief may deprive us of many sweet mercies on this side heaven Isa 30.15 In quietness and confidence shall be your strength A man of an unquiet and unbelieving Spirit may create much trouble to himself in this present life Moses was a man in the state of Grace yea and in so great favour with God that the Scripture gives this testimony of him Deut. 34.10 There arose not a Prophet since in Israel like unto Moses whom the Lord knew face to face Yet this Moses for a particular passage of unbelief in speaking hastily to the people Num. 20.8 11.12 when he should have spoke to the Rock and in striking the Rock when he should but onely have spoke to it I say for this particular passage of unbelief he was shut out of the Land of Canaan though he was not shut out of Heaven yea though he had a strong desire to enter in and exprest this desire by an earnest Prayer Deut. 3.25 c. I pray thee let me go over and see the good land that is beyond Jordan that goodly Mountain and Lebanon Lo this was his last and great request to God yea but for all that he must not go over for so it followed in the Text But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes and would not hear me and the Lord said unto me Let it suffice thee speak no more unto me of this matter thou shalt not go over this Jordan And Moses may thank his unbelief for all this Numb 20.12 The Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron Because ye believed me not to sanctifie me in the eyes of the children of Israel therefore ye shall not bring this Congregation into the land which I have given them And thus you see that even partial unbelief may deprive us of many sweet mercies on this side Heaven How many thousands as well as Moses and Aaron were cut short of Canaan for their unbelief and murmuring against God And the Lord forgive the sin of this present Generation in this respect who are even ready to run back into Egypt because God hath brought them into the Wilderness in the present Dispensations of Providence O the danger of unbelief though it be but in some particular Promise O how dangerous then is that total and universally
danger to be xalted above measure and the great contention among the Disciples themselves was Who should be the greatest If this was the Condemnation of the Devil and after that the Devils Temptation upon our first Parents that they might fall by Pride as he did I see not why any should secure themselves from this Temptation in the state of grace Therefore you that stand take heed lest you fall though you shall never fall finally by this sin yet you may fall fearfully if you look not well about you And surely this is one good means among the rest to keep us from falling to consider We are justified by the Righteousnesse of another We live as pardoned men we live upon mercy we live upon alms A poor creature who like lame Mephibosheth is fed at the Table of another and clothed with the garments of another and hath nothing that he can call his own hath little cause to be proud this is our condition We live at Gods finding for meat drink and clothing not onely for our Bodies but for our Souls also from day to day As God hath put meat into our mouthes so he puts words of prayers into our mouthes first Hos 14 2. Take unto you words and say unto the Lord Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously And so our blessed Saviour Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses c. Mark ye here are Petitions put into our mouthes every day as well as the first day of our conversion both concerning giving and forgiving though some are so proud now adayes they know not how to say that Prayer Shall Christ teach them how to pray or shall they teach Christ Is there a greater Soloecism than to be proud Beggar A Beggar and yet proud A Beggar and yet one that scorns to beg One whose wants beg and cry aloud and yet his tongue begs not I know no better means to cure this pride than the consideration of this We live not upon our selves but upon God the very life of our Souls the food of our Souls the clothing of our Souls all is from God Vse 2 2 Use Examination Whether we do live this life of Justification Examination Quest How shall we know Mark 1. Ans 1. It 's a Soul-humbling life if we lay hold on Christs Righteousnesse our hands are our own Psal 134.2 In thy sight shall no man living be justified Unjustified persons are proud of their pride Rev. 5. They cast down their Crowns Luke 18.14 The Publican as he was humble so justified Isa 64.6 All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags Phil. 3. I count all but dross and dung c. 2. A Soul pacifying life Isa 57.19 Mark 2. I create the fruit of the lips peace peace c. Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God Obj. But I am troubled Ans 1. Yet thou art supported Cant. 2.6 His left hand is under my head and his right hand doth embrace me 2. There is the seed of peace and joy in thee Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart Psal 112. 3. A God-glorifying life Rev. 4.10 Mark 3. The four and twenty Elders fall down before him that sate on the Throne and cast their Crowns before the Throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory c. 1 In all holy Actions Rom. 6.15 16 c. 2. In humble Passion or Submission i. e. in all Sufferings He that is justified by God will even justifie God in all that befalls him He will not quarrel and say Lord I am a justified person why dost thou punish me but as David Psal 51.4 that thou maist be justified when thou speakest c. or as Ezra 9.13 Thou our God hast punished us less then our iniquities deserve c. 4. A Christ-magnifying life 1 Pet. 2.7 If we believe Mark 4. Christ is precious Luke 7. Kiss his very feet wash and wipe c. Vse 3 3 Use This should teach us 1. Instruction To acknowledge this life of Justification in others 2. To imitate God our selves and justifie those that sin against us Branch 1 1. Acknowledge this in others Let us justifie those whom God doth justifie when once it appears to us Receive such as God receives though weak in the faith Rom. 14 1 2 3. One that is made a Freeman of your Town a Member of your Corporation you receive into your Society and Communion upon all occasions Now all justified persons are made free ipso facto and admitted into Communion of Saints Eph 2.12 13. It was Simons sin he would not justifie that gracious woman whom Christ himself had justified and he might see it by the fruits too Luke 7. Luke 7.37 Like those Priests Ezek. 13.22 They condemn whom the Lord justifies and justifie whom the Lord condemns Branch 2 2. Imitate God in justifying or forgiving those that sin against us I mean so far as it concerns us Forbearing one another c. Coloss 3.13 Matth. 18.21 28. Forgive thy brother untill seventy times seven times God forgives more than we can Motive This Confirms the Assurance of our own forgiveness Matth. 6.14 15. If ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you c. The one the cause of the other Our forgiving others is a natural effect of Gods forgiving us Obj. By this Rule there should be no need of Courts of Justce among men If Offences must be forgiven no man should accuse one another no man witness no man judge and so as the Anabaptists say No Magistrate c. Of forgiving offences Ans Offences and wrongs must be considered in divers relations 1. As they concern our selves alone here we have power to forgive to hide and conceal them Love covers a multitude of faults Jam. 5. 2. As they are of a publike interest There is a threefold interest Reipublicae of State Ecclesiae of Church Dei of God As in Theft Murther Idolatry all have an interest every one of these is wronged Deut. 13.6 these we must not conceal He that is partner with a thief hates his own soul Prov. 29.24 Here the Accusers Witnesses and Judge must do their parts yea and their Justification and Redemption ties them to this Luke 1.74 that being delivered out of the hands of our enemies might serve him without fear c. Else they were abominable He that justifieth the wicked and condemneth the just even they both are an abomination to the Lord Prov. 17.15 So a man who hath his person justified by God may for some particular unjust act be condemned by the Magistrate Luke 23.41 And we indeed justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds c. Rom. 13 1 7. Onely have a care to do justly in judgement Observe Malach. 3.5 I will be a just witnesse against those that oppresse the hireling in his wages the widow and the
Christ arose personally from the Grave he then obtained perfect Victory over Death for himself he died no more Death had no more dominion over him So when Christ Mystical when we that are believers shall arise from the Grave we shall obtain a perfect Victory over Death we shall die no more c. Then even then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written When once this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality then shall be brought to pass that saying that is written Death is swallowed up in victory 1 Cor. 15.54 And this is the fourth and last Degree of Christs Victory and Triumph over Death after which there shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying nor pain Rev. 21.4 Well then to bring all home to the present Use Wouldst thou know whether thou livest by Faith in regard of Life Eternal Do but tell me in earnest or rather tell thine own Soul what respect thou bearest to Death Dost thou indeed look at it as a conquered Enemy or rather such an one as of an enemy is now become a friend Is thy judgement altered concerning Death as the nature of Death it self is altered Then well and good For thus 't is with all Gods people in some measure Death and they are made friends they look at Death as a sweet passage to this Everlasting Life that we are speaking of and therefore they bid it welcome What Heir would not be willing to come to his Inheritance and therefore as willing to welcome the Messenger that had Power and Commission to put him into present possession This was the Apostles practice His whole life was a Meditation of Death and a Preparation for Death I profess saith he by our rejoycing which I have in Christ Jesus I die daily that is I am every day prepared for death 1 Cor. 15.31 Therefore you may see his judgement was altered concerning the nature of death he looked at it as an enemy before conversion but now he looks at it as a friend He that is reconciled to God and God to him he is reconciled to death and death also to him for death is but the Servant of Jesus Christ and if Christ be yours death is yours also 1 Cor. 3.21 22. Obj. But may not Gods own people be afraid of death and unfit to die About the fear of Death Ans 1. They may be afraid because every Christian man is a double man consisting of Flesh and Spirit and therefore though the Spirit is willing yet the Flesh is weak Mat. 21.46 Therefore so far as he is natural he is afraid and yet so far as he is spiritual he overcomes that fear So that here is the difference between the fear of a wicked man and a godly man A wicked man when God opens his eyes is swallowed up of fear a godly man though he may have many conflicts and combats with the fear of death yet at last he overcomes his fear by the exercise of his Faith so that he is not in bondage to his fear as the other is Heb 2.15 Christ came to deliver them who through fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage 2. A godly man is not at all times alike fit to die though he be willing in the main It may be he hath some work to do for God or for his Church that yet is not done It may be he hath weakned himself by some present distemper and hath not strength of Faith sufficient for such a solemn and serious Work as is his passage to Eternity And that was the cause of Davids Prayer Psal 39. last O spare a little that I may recover strength before I go hence and be no more In such like cases as these a godly man may be somewhat unfit and therefore somewhat unwilling to die otherwise I say in the main he looks at death as his friend because God in Christ is his friend and therefore the more he loves God the less he fears death If love were perfect it would cast out all fear In the mean time as the love of God increaseth the fear of death decreaseth from day to day And that is a good evidence the creature lives by Faith in regard of Life Eternal But now if we look at Death as the greatest of Evils of all terrible things the most terrible as if it were the Annihilation of the Creature or the reducing of it into a far worse condition than it was in before So that when a Man dies his Hope dies with him too Job 11. vers the last It is most evident That such a man lives not by Faith in regard of Life Eternal for if he did he would surely welcome that Death which is no other than a passage to that Life Vse 4 Vse 4. Of Exhortation Exhortations Exhortation to live by Faith in respect of life Eternal To live by Faith in regard of Life Eternal This is the most excellent Object of them Therefore as one sayes of Prayer Thou when thou prayest pray for great matters pray not for Riches for these are Snares pray not for Honour 't is but a vain Breath of Fame pray not for Life Temporal 't is but a Bubble But thou when thou prayest pray for great matters pray for Pardon of sin pray for Christ Grace Heaven pray for Eternal Life These things are worth the praying for So say I of Faith Thou when thou believest exercise thy Faith about great matters though 't is not unlawful to believe in God for a seasonable supply of Temporal blessings Yet above all exercise thy faith about Heaven and Eternity be sure to lay hold on Eternal Life for the best of Temporal Blessings at last will give thee the slip And what should be the reason that God mixeth temporal comforts with so many discomforts but to knock off our fingers from laying too fast hold on them As if God should say to his People Arise this is not your rest Get you up to the top of the Mount and by the eye of Faith take a view of your Spiritual Canaan as ever you desire to enter into that Promised Land of your Eternal Rest And if all the Crosses we meet withall in our Christian Pilgrimage are little enough to take off our hearts from the world how should we love it and cleave to it should we meet with no Crosses at all Motives Shall I give you some further Motives why we should by Faith lay hold on Eternal Life Consider Consid 1 1. Without the assurance of this Life we had better never have enjoyed Natural life For if we have a part in natural life onely better it were to live the life of Vermine and Toads than the life of Men For those poor creatures when they die there is an end of them and their Misery for ever But when a Man dies if he hath not laid hold on Eternal Life he is sure
that receives the gift lest any man should boast For Faith is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 And all this to keep us humble Faith is the Christians Caterer or Purveyor or Petitioner It is like a little poor Boy that is sent out of doors and so goes up and down to beg a living for his old decrepit father who lies bedrid at home I say We like poor creatures can earn nothing of our selves by the merit of our own works towards our living Now Faith like the little Boy it goes a begging to God for a living For Faith sets Prayer a work and Prayer sets God himself a work for our good And so the Just lives by his Faith Now he that lives upon Alms upon his meer dependance upon anothers good will he hath great cause to be humble There is nothing more odious and absurd than a proud Beggar But he that lives by Faith lives meerly upon the good-will and free grace of God in Christ and therefore hath great cause to be humble And that is the third Reason under the first general Head drawn from a Believers Condition in the flesh The fourth Reason under the first general Head 4. End of the Word and Ministery is from the End of Gods giving the Word and the Ministery of it to his People in a state of imperfection viz. For their direction and for their support in all conditions till they come to a state of perfection Eph. 4.11 He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the Body of Christ till we all come in the unity of faith and of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Till we come where there is no need of Temple no need of Temporal and Spiritual light by a Medium as it is Rev. 21.22 23 Well then as long as we live in this life the Word is written for our direction and for our support But how shall we be directed or supported by it if we do not apprehend it by faith Heb. 4.2 The Word profits not not being mixed with faith And indeed the very End why God gives us his written Word is That we might lay hold of it by faith for our comfort in our worst condition Joh. 20. last These things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his Name And if this be the main End of the Scriptures writing then there is all the reason in the world we should live by Faith in it Otherwise we do what we can to frustrate the Scriptures end and to make it vain Yea we take Gods Name in vain if we believe not for the Word of God is the greatest part of Gods Name by which he makes himself and his good Will known to us as men are known by their Names Psal 138.2 Thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name But he that believes not vilifies this Word he looks at it as a vain word and so he takes Gods Name in vain Obj. But it may be you will say How do you know the Scriptures to be the Word of God If I knew it to be the Word of God indeed I would not onely lâ—ve by Faith in it but I would say and profess as you do There was all the reason in the world that men should believe it and live by Faith in it As it is written Let God be true and every man a liar Rom. 3.4 Ans I will not at this time undertake to handle this subject at large as I hope to do hereafter if God please to continue life and opportunity For I conceive it is one of the most necessary foundations to be laid And for want of setling and ramming down this Truth men become foolish builders they are loose in the whole fabrick of Religion they are loose in their Faith and as loose in their Practice Arguments of four sorts There are four sorts of Arguments besides the witness of the Spirit which is the greatest of all to them that have it to prove the Scriptures to be of God Whereof some are drawn from the Scriptures themselves Some from the Penmen thereof That the Scriptures are the Word of God Some from the Opposites or Enemies of the Scriptures and last of all Some from God himself bearing witness from Heaven to the Word of his Truth I shall onely speak a little of the first 1. Some Arguments from the Scriptures themselves and that The Scriptures excellency Whether we respect the Antiquity of the Scriptures or the excellency of the Matter therein contained it will plainly evince they are of God Had we but time and were it so pertinent to this present subject to run over all the Particulars The excellency of the Matter appears in the Sublimity Majesty Purity Verity and powerful Efficacy of the Scriptures It will be too long to speak of all I will onely pitch upon one and that is The infallible Truth and Verity of the Scriptures Verity which prove them to be of God And this Truth will appear both by the Consent of all parts generally and more particularly by the fulfilling of the Prophecies First by the Consent of all the parts generally Consent of parts For doth not Joshua confirm Moses Do not the Judges confirm Joshua Samuel the Judges And so we might run through all the rest to the end of the Bible Do but consider a little what several Authors have ever writ of the same subject in any humane Art or Science which have not differed in some particular and brought probable Arguments on both sides Whereas the Scriptures though written by several men in several Ages and several Parts of the World do never cross one another or call in question what formerly had been delivered It is true I confess Vnlearned and unstable men throughout all Ages have wrested the Scriptures to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3.16 But where did ever any one holy Penman of God Correct what another of them had written And the reason is Because however several men wrote several parts of the Scriptures yet they being all acted by one and the same Spirit they had all but one and the same Heart and as I may so say one and the same Mouth And I may well say so Because the Scriptures sayes it before me Luke 1.10 As God spake by the mouth of the Prophets which have been since the world began Observe There is Prophets in the Plural Number and Mouth in the Singular All the Prophets had but one Mouth because they all spake one and the same Truth without contradiction of one another Thus there is a Consent of all the parts of Scripture generally which proves them to be of God Secondly This Consent will yet more
on so fast wherein no man can work this great Work of God Joh. 9.4 and shall I trifle away my time and dally with Eternity and be cruel to my self where Charity should begin Shall the blood of this Immortal Soul cry out against me to all Eternity because I would not hear the cry of it in time And I pray you what 's the cry of the Soul when it is most it self O give me Christ saith the enlightned Soul or else I die Give me Faith to apply him or I am undone for ever I beseech you in this case do not stop the mouth of your Souls with Profits and Pleasures and such kinde of Trash which is not fit meat for an Immortal Soul to feed upon but labour to get that which thy Soul cries for that thou maist say Psa 116.7 Return unto thy rest O my Soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee That 's without all question there can be no comfortable life in thy Soul till there be Faith in the Soul without Faith thou art but a dead man and all thy works no better than dead works for The just shall live by his faith O consider it friends in time if you get Faith you are made for ever if you live and die without it you have undone your selves to all Eternity The Heathen wondred to see how much one man excell'd another It 's most true in regard of Faith How much doth a Believer excel an Unbeliever When God weighs men in the Balance he weighs their Spirits Prov. 16.2 and when he weighs their Spirits he ponders how much Faith is in their Spirits O woman great is thy faith great is thy Faith in me and so great is my esteem of thee Be it unto thee even as thou wilt Mat. 15.28 If you can say Such a man is a Believer in sincerity you say all that can be said What is of worth or what is of true price in all the world The excellencies of believing but you may finde it in a true Believer To instance in some Particulars 1. Do we prize Strength If you speak of strength 1. Strength Job 9.19 he is strong indeed as Job saith for he is clothed with the strength of God As a Prince he hath a power with God and with men to prevail in his undertakings Gen. 32.28 The actings of Gods Power towards us are answerable to the actings of our Faith towards him Mat. 9.29 According to your faith be it unto you saith Christ when he was about to open the eyes of the blinde men Faithful men are wonder-working men in the world these are the people that do the great exploits as Daniel speaks Look into Heb. 11. there you shall see a Catalogue of their famous atchievements By Faith Abel and Noah and Abraham and the rest of those renowned Worthies did thus and thus The greatest Exploits of the most daring Heathens are but empty vapours to these O beloved there is a kinde of Omnipotency in Faith Mark 9.23 All things are possible to him that believeth because faith in the promise beleeving the truth of God it also sets the power of God on work in way of providence It engageth God accordinge to his promife to take part with a weake beleeving Creature and so it doth things above created strength in the power of God As that witty childe sometimes said he could rule all Athens for saith he I can rule my Mother and my Mother can rule my Father and my Father can rule Athens So Faith can go as far as the Promises and the Promise can go as far as we can ask or think and farther too and that 's as much as is any ways needful for the good of the Church or of any particular Member thereof in any condition they can be cast into And what can we desire more than to have whatever we desire that may be for Gods glory or our own good And hence it is that Faith is so powerful in Prayers for the obtaining of good and for the removing of evil and for the subduing of enemies Men that are strong in the Faith are mighty in Prayer The Prayer of Faith draws near with holy boldness to the Throne of Grace Ephes 3.12 And it will have no nay Let me go saith God I will not let you go saith Faith except you bless me Gen. 32.26 It is a marvellous large Promise that Christ makes to a believing Prayer Mark 11.24 What things soever ye desire when ye pray believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them We reade of Vzziah 2 Chron. 26.15 that he made strong Towers and upon those Towers he planted Engines invented by cunning men to shoot Arrows and great stones upon his enemies And thus the Name of the Lord is a strong Tower Prov. 18.10 Faith is like a mighty Engine planted upon the top of this Tower which laying hold of the Promise of God sends forth such a volley of shot such a volley of Prayers that it fires the power of God against the enemies and discomfits mighty Armies The Devil himself cannot stand before a Prayer of Faith Whom resist stedfast in the faith 1 Pet. 5.9 Jam. 4.7 Resist the Devil and he will fly from you And although we have that within us that is worse than the Devil our own corruptions for all the Devils in Hell could not hurt us had they not intelligence from and compliance with our own corrupt and deceitful hearts within us yet even those strong corruptions of ours like the mighty walls of Jericho shall fall down by degrees before the Prayer of Faith Hebrews 11.30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they were compassed about seven days And what if in stead of so many days it proves so many years or so many weeks of years yet down they shall as sure as God hath spoken it if we can but believe it Mic. 7.19 He will subdue our iniquities Corruption is not so strong to resist Faith but Faith is stronger for the subduing of Corruption If you speak of strength a true Believer is strong indeed he triumphs over Sin over Satan over the World This is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith 1 Joh. 5 4. In a word Tantum possumus quantum credimus The Christian can do as much as he can believe upon good grounds Rom. 8.37 He is more than a Conqueror through Faith in Christ Jesus Whereas an unbeliever is a poor weak creature Ezek. 16.30 How weak is thy heart saith God to Jerusalem in the state of her Apostacy and Unbelief Unbelief cuts the very sinews of the Soul it enervates the strongest Arm of created strength nay it weakens the Arm of Christ himself It is a strange passage that you reade Mark 6.5 6. He could there do no mighty work because of their unbelief As unbelief binds our hands from doing service to Christ so unbelief binds Christs hands from
to live by Faith in him for direction surely in these times wherein many things are very obscure and the wisest of men are at a stand How doth it concern us at such times as these to improve our Faith in God by Prayer grounded upon his Promises for our direction A believer acting his Faith hath great advantage of an unbeliever an unbeliever is froward and passionate and heady and hasty when he is put to plunge he waits not for the Counsel of God Psal 106.13 He leaps before he looks before he hath eyes to see his way but a believer is quiet and confident and silent and patient and prayerful Psa 113.2 and standing upon his Watch-tower to see what God will answer at such a time Never did the eye of a servant look with more intention to the hand of his Master nor the eyes of a maiden to the hand of her Mistris observing every little cast of their eye every little beck of their finger than the eyes of the faithful look to the hand and eye of God for their direction in difficult times They look to the Promise of God for direction from the Word of God Psa 119.105 This Word is a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their paths and if the Word be dark in any thing they look to the Promise of the Spirit for the right understanding of the word Isa 30 21. Thine ears shall hear a word behinde thee saying This is the way walk ye in it when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left Now this Promise is made good by Faith Psa 119.98 Ibid. 24. so that a Believer is made wiser than his enemies because Gods Testimonies are his Counsellors He must needs be wise who hath the God of all Wisdom to be his Counsellor And this is the Portion of a true believer If you speak of Wisdom HE is wise Thirdly Do we prize Riches 3. Riches of Faith for I dare not oppose a believer to a rich man as if they were incompatible though I oppose him to such an one as trusts in his riches If we speak of Riches HE is rich indeed As a man lives upon his Riches under God so the Just lives by his Faith Hearken my beloved brethren Jam. 2.5 hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith A man may be a rich man though he be a poor man rich heaven-ward though poor in respect of this world so long as he is rich in Faith that man can want nothing that wants not Faith Faith is the golden Key that openeth the good Treasury of God to his Children upon all occasions they can but ask and have O the preciousness of Faith that is able to procure the most precious things at the hand of God! Worldly men use to say A man well stor'd with Money can want nothing and Solomon hath something to that purpose Eccles 10.19 Money answers all things A man may have most things for money Meat Drink Clothes House Land and what not But a gracious heart can more truly say A man well stor'd with Faith can want nothing Faith answereth all things as Adonijah said to Bathsheba The King cannot say thee nay in any thing 1 King 2.17 So may I say to a faithful man The King of Heaven cannot say thee nay in any thing It is very observable that Abraham when he interceded in the behalf of Sodom did cease to act his Faith in Prayer before God did cease to gratifie Abraham in the thing praid for Praying believers they are or may be the richest beggars in the world As having nothing and yet possessing all things 2 Cor. 6.10 It may seem a strange Paradox and yet 't is good sense Extreme Poverty and sublime Plenty may concur His poverty is but comparative as having nothing but his riches are absolute without a quasi and yet possessing all things All things are yours saith the Apostle to believers and you are Christs and Christ is Gods 1 Cor. 3.21 A believer is a rich man indeed he is rich in present possession but he is richer in reversion All the Promises of God are entail'd upon believers these are the Saints Legacies none can lay claim to them but such as do believe for All the promises of God are Yea and Amen in Christ they are onely made good to such as do believe in him 2 Cor. 1.20 That man that is a stranger to Christ is also a stranger to the Covenant of Promise Eph. 2.12 and he that hath right in Christ hath right also to the Promises through him There are great riches above-ground but they say there are greater under-ground in the rich Mines of Silver and Gold that lie still within the bowels of the Earth So 't is true the people of God are rich in what they do already enjoy through Faith but they are far richer in those inestimable Treasures that are lockt up within the bowels of so many precious Promises one Promise is more worth than a thousand worlds And Faith is ever digging in these Mines and making new discoveries of the richest Mercies it is ever putting some Promise or other in Suit or God is ever discharging some Bond or other for the enriching of his poor creatures Fourthly Do we prize Beauty and Comeliness 4. Beauty of Faith If you speak of Beauty a true believer is truly Beautiful all external beauty is but deformity without this Like as a Jewel in a Swines snowâ— so is a creature externally beautiful without Grace and without Faith 't is Faith onely that makes the creature beautiful 't is Faith that puts upon the deformed creature the rich and glorious Robes of the Righteousness of Christ 't is Faith that puts upon the creature the very Image and Likeness of Christ and therefore they that do believe in Christ are said to put on Christ Gal. 3.26 27. And they must needs be beautiful and glorious that are clothed with the Sun of Righteousness Mal. 4.2 Ezek. 16.13 14. Thou wast exceeding beautiful thy beauty was perfect through my comeliness which I put upon thee saith the Lord. Yea mark those words saith the Lord whose judgement is always according to Truth The blind world can no more judge of Beauties than a blind man can judge of Colours but a believer is beautiful in his sight whose eyes are as a flame of fire and can see when the Kings daughter is all glorious within Psa 48. This is a beauty that takes the eye and ravisheth the heart of Christ himself Cant. 4.1 7. Behold thou art fair my love behold thou art fair thou hast Doves eyes there is no spot or blemish in thee The Believer is truly beautiful 5. Honour Fifthly Do we prize Honour If we speak of Honour a believer is honourable indeed We may call believers Right Honourable Psa 149.9 Phil. 3. without flattery as it is written Such Honour have all
of the Lord may run and be glorified 2 Thess 3.1 Thus God glorifies his Word His Kingdom 5. God glorifies his Kingdom for what 's the honour of a King but the multitude of his Subjects Prov. 14.28 Now the Conversion of Souls is nothing else but the addition of so many Souls to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and this makes much for the honour of it Thy Kingdom come is the next Petition to Hallowed be thy Name to signifie that Gods Name is then most hallowed when his Kingdom is most enlarged David we know took not a little content in numbring of his People and surely the sin lay not so much in the bare numbring of them as in his carnal confidence in them We are sure Jesus Christ takes a great deal of content in the numbring of his Subjects he keeps a List and Roll of their Names No sooner is a Soul converted but presently his Name must be entred into the Church-book in the best sense Psal 87.4 5 6. This man was born there and of Zion it shall be said This and that man was born in her and the Highest himself shall stablish her her Charter is sealed by the King of Heaven The Lord shall count when he writeth up the people that this man was born there Selah Thus God glorifies his Kingdom The Conversion of Souls is such a Work as brings most glory to God 2. It brings most good to the Creature Secondly it is such a Work as brings most good to the Creature and that not onely to the creature converted but to many others also that have cause to rejoyce in their conversion 1. To the converted 1. To the Creature converted His Conversion is a means of his Salvation and that not of his Body onely but of his precious Soul also He that knows not how to prize a Soul let him weigh the price of a Soul in the Blood of Jesus Christ let him look upon Christ crying sweating bleeding dying and all to save Souls Now he that converts a sinner saves a soul saith S. James and he saves it from death from the first Death and from the second Death also Jam. Chap. 5. ver 20. Nay he restores such a Soul to life to a better life than ever the Creature enjoyed before and therefore it is said Prov. 11.30 The fruit of the righteous is as the Tree of Life and he that winneth Souls is wise Comparing such a man as makes it his work to convert Souls to the Tree of Life planted in the Garden of Paradise and that in many Particulars 1. Because it was Gods planting and grew not out of the Earth of its own accord So is a righteous man a piece of Gods special husbandry for true Grace grows not up in any by natural Propagation but is of Gods particular Plantation 2. Because it was more excellent than other Trees and therefore placed in the midst of the Garden So is the righteous more excellent than his neighhour Prov 12.26 whatever the world accounts of him 3. In regard of the fruit of it For 1. As that one Tree bare divers kinds of Fruits and bare those Fruits at all times of the year Rev. 22.2 So doth a righteous man he bears divers kinds of Fruits and that at all times Psal 106.3 2. As the Fruit of that Tree was a special means to preserve the life of those that took it therefore called The Tree of Life So is a righteous man a special means under God to preserve the Life of others and therefore also called a Tree of Life Vt supra The fruit of the Righteous is as the Tree of Life Nay in some respect it is more excellent than the Tree of Life in Paradise for that did but preserve a man from death so long as he continued in his uprightness but this hath power in the strength of Christ to raise up a sinner from the dead The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live Joh. 5.25 They shall live the most excellent life they shall so live as never to taste of the second death and therefore it is such a Work as brings most good to the creature converted Yea and Conversion brings good to others that see the Conversion It rejoyces 1. The Minister Secondly it brings good to many others also that have cause to rejoyce in their Conversion As 1. How doth it rejoyce him that under God is made an instrument of that happy work Solomon tells us no less than three or four times in the Proverbs that a wise Son maketh a glad Father Prov. 10.1 15.20 23.24 25. And if this be true in some sense of natural Parents and natural Wisdom how much more is it true of Spiritual Parents and Spiritual Wisdom If the natural Parent so soon forgetteth all her sorrow Joh. 16.21 for joy that a man-childe is born into the world how much more do Spiritual Parents whom God makes Instruments of the New-birth forget all their sorrow whilst they were labouring and wrestling with God by Prayers and Tears many years together for the Conversion of such a poor Soul I say how much more doth such an one forget all his sorrow and rejoyce with exceeding great gladness for joy that a Spiritual childe is born and brought forth into the Kingdom of God How doth the Apostle rejoyce to call Timothy his natural Son in the faith and to call the converted Philippians his dearly beloved and longed for his joy and crown of rejoycing in the Lord Phil. 4.1 Never did natural Parents rejoyce more in their natural children than Spiritual Parents do rejoyce in their Spiritual children And if God would please so to bless my Labours this day as to make me a poor Instrument of begetting one Soul to Jesus Christ I should think it an hour well spent I should have cause to bless God to all Eternity for this days work O remember I beseech you remember whilst you stout it and stand it out against God as you grieve the Spirit of God so you grieve the Spirits of your Ministers that desire to be faithful you compel them to give up their accounts with grief and not with joy Heb. 13.17 But when you come in and believe and obey they can say with S. John in Ep. 3. v. 4. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the Truth to hear that such an one that was awhile ago an enemy to God and all goodness is now made a friend a favourite a childe For indeed Conversion brings a great blessing to the instrument this is such a work as brings a great Blessing along with it And that 1. From God Mat. 5.9 Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall be called the children of God and surely if they that make peace betwixt man and man much more they that make peace betwixt God and man betwixt God and the